STUDENT LIFE Sophomore Claire Yang: CEO and ambassador for Gen Z. Pg. 8
BACK PAGE
THE WHOLE BALL GAME
Teachers and students weigh in on their No. 1 pet peeve s on bathroom use.
Football, more than any fall sport, has all of our attention. Does it have to be that way? Pg. 9
BEAR
Pg. 12
WITNESS BRANHAM HIGH SCHOOL
DECEMBER 2021
BHSBEARWITNESS.COM
SEEING RED SALARY DISPUTE
Teachers' no-confidence vote is the latest sign of fraying relationship with district Speaking out Math and engineering teacher Barbara Schremp was among two dozen speakers at November's board meeting. "Board meetings used to be a cause for celebration, rather than a source of stomach pain," she said.
Center of the storm 380 teachers, including all of Branham's teachers, signed a vote of no-confidence against district superintendent Dr. Robert Bravo.
@bhsbearwitness
JANITOR OVERTIME "My guys like to cover the overtime but they're already burned out right now." Vinnie Ramos, school plant manager
Janitor OT costs go over limits district set
New rule limits district funds to $10,000 JIYOON CHOI News Editor
arely halfway through the academic B year, Branham has already surpassed its $10,000 annual budget to pay for overtime
custodial services on weekends and holidays. What happens once the money runs out is INSIDE another question that school officials are tack- Students attend ling. board meeting The overtime pay in support of comes from a fairly new teachers in district requirement that all after-school salary dispute activities on weekends page 5. and holidays have custodial staff for cleanup and operating the facilities. With after-school and weekend band rehearsals, sports practice and ASB activities requiring extra hours of work, as of Dec. 6, Branham has used $10,351 of $10,000 in district funds, and is trying to find funding sources once the funds are used up. For now, there’s not much to worry about, said Plant Manager Vinnie Ramos, who oversees custodial staff at Branham.
Photos by Alli Wang and Jazzy Nguyen/Bear Witness
SEE OVERTIME • PAGE 5
Students and teachers on the same side Students joined teachers in picketing outside district offices before board meetings last month. Dozens of district students have spoken before the school board in support of their teachers, who are asking for a 4% pay increase.
JAZZY NGUYEN
F
Co-Editor-in-Chief
or Leigh High School teacher Cynthia Williams, even a racial slur was more acceptable than the district’s souring relationship with teachers in the ongoing pay dispute. “Today I was called a n- by one of my students,” Williams said at the Nov. 4 board meeting. “I am an African American teacher at Leigh. That was less disrespectful than what is going on with negotiations.” At the meeting, speaker after speaker — in all, 20 teachers and students — lined up to speak at the podium, each of them criticizing the board members directly, citing a decline in morale and trust in their leadership. More damning was the vote of no-confidence the
teachers union presented to the board, garnering more than 380 teacher signatures, pinning the blame on Superintendent Dr. Robert Bravo. Yet, after the outpouring of grievances, protests and a student petition that has so far garnered 28,000 signatures, the school board unanimously voted to extend Bravo’s contract one year, through 2024. “It was a slap in the face” to teachers and student voices, said Kim McCarthy, Prospect High School history teacher and president of the teachers union, of the unanimous vote, presented without discussion. Board member Stacey Brown did not attend and did not vote. The two student board representatives, junior Ainsley Bateman of Branham and Alison Lubiens from Prospect, cast a symbolic vote against the extension. SEE TEACHERS • PAGE 7
Inside
Editorial To get district to listen to teachers, parents must be part of the conversation. Page 4 Prospect student petition has gained nearly 29,000 signatures. Page 7
CTE OFFERINGS
New business class nurtures entrepreneurs in students NOLAN ZILS
Co-Editor-In-Chief
reshman Ian Angelopoulos runs a F business. His company, Corona Crafts, sells masks for teens that are made by teens. He’s now learning to market his business with the help of the new Intro to Business and Marketing class, one of the school’s few CTE offerings. In his sixth-period class, he is learning more about how to run his business and pursue his interest in fashion. The business class has been a longtime goal of Principal Cheryl Lawton since she joined Branham in 2016, especially in the tech hub of Silicon Valley. First-year teacher Jennifer Boltz is teaching the class, along with World History. She majored in business and worked at a law firm as an immigration analyst for three years before going into teaching this year. She said the idea of being given the responsibility of SEE BUSINESS • PAGE 2
INSIDE
Campus briefs.................................2 News.............................................. 2
Editorial..........................................4 Bulletin Board.................................3
Science and Health.........................6 Climate Watch.................................6
InDepth...........................................7 Student Life....................................8
MiniReviews.................................11 Sports.............................................9
Arts & Entertainment...................11 The Back Page...............................12
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BEAR WITNESS
NEWS
| DECEMBER 2021 |
BHSBEARWITNESS.COM
“I'm a young, vigorous on-campus coach now, so I'm definitely taking full advantage of the opportunity.” — Stephen Johnson, football coach and roving substitute teacher SUBSTITUTE SHORTAGE
Schools lean on rover subs District offers higher pay, other perks to recruit and retain pool of substitutes
Fleurette Sevins, filling in for Spanish teacher Damian Fragano in November, is one of two substitute rovers at Branham. ALLI WANG Staff Writer
he district is struggling to fill in the teacher T absences with substitutes and are relying on alternatives such as rovers and teachers during
their prep period. Though the number of available substitutes districtwide has increased from 71 at the end of last year to 90 this year, the loss of six long-term subs has left the district increasingly relying on rovers, who are the default substitute teachers who are at school daily. Branham, which fluctuates between one and 10 available subs a day, turns to rover subs Fleurette Sevins and varsity football coach Stephen Johnson. Before being a rover, Johnson had previously subbed at multiple schools. To lure more subs, the district has increased the daily payout — $275 a day for long-term subs and $210 for short-term subs, up from at least $180 a day for long-term subs (those who work at least 21 days) and $165 for short-term subs. For Johnson, being a rover has the benefit of not only increasing his pay, but it has also helped him feel more connected to school, since he’s a Branham alumni. “I'm a young, vigorous on-campus coach now, so I'm definitely taking full advantage of the opportunity,” he said. Johnson’s workload as a substitute teacher has become greater because more teachers have called out sick. This is good news for any sub,
especially Johnson, who said the financial boost is supporting his new family. The substitute teacher industry has been previously dominated by retired teachers, called super subs, but the pandemic has shifted the demographic towards being majority middle-aged educators, moving towards less available substitute shifts. The district’s Meredyth Hudson, who oversees the human resources department said that the district expects to have an 8% absence rate among teachers on any given day. Mondays and Fridays are also days where they expect that absence rate to jump to 15% or 16%. The district employs more than 400 teachers. “If you want to have a substitute pool, it should be about three times as big,” Hudson said. “We want to have about 90 to 100 active subs.” With the tough substitute landscape, Hudson said that the district is working actively to find and attract substitutes, including paying for credentialing fees and hosting weekly information sessions. Currently, when no substitutes are available, the district turns to Swing Education, a regional substitute agency. However, the company is also struggling to fill absences due to the greater demands for substitute teachers. Substitute shortages are no stranger to Gayle Boxill, who for 30 years has been managing substitutes for CUHSD. She said that the substitute shortage tends to be cyclical, happening
Alli Wang/Bear Witness
around every decade. Still, she said the current shortages are unique. “This has been a very unusual year,” Boxill said in an email. “Like many other districts, we are trying to adapt to the current landscape. These are not hardships, but they are new challenges.” With many subs unavailable, healthy teachers such as yearbook and senior English teacher Kirsten McKay are also feeling the pressure to fill in for colleagues during their prep periods, forcing them to find ways to grade and plan more efficiently outside school work hours Though McKay said she had been managing to try to cut her work hours by grading more efficiently and teaching fewer classes, she knows other teachers have struggled to adjust to this year’s multiple hardships, including a pay dispute with the district and managing stress brought on by the pandemic. “The shortage is like another pot catching on fire,” McKay said. “And you're like ‘No, stop catching on fire!’ But then the paycut adds another layer of [hardships] because this was already going to be a really weird year.” In spite of the teacher work overload, McKay says that the goal has always been to support her students . “I always knew this year was always going to be hard because we're coming off the year where everybody has been in their house,” she said, “But we're going to do what we can to get students ready for whatever their next step is.”
BUSINESS | Goal to increase CTE offerings
From PAGE 1 single-handedly leading a brand new elective was daunting. “Business is a very big umbrella,” she said. “There’s a lot of things that we can do. My biggest obstacle was figuring out what I wanted to focus on.” The three Intro to Business classes, which qualifies as a CTE elective, teaches topics such as entrepreneurial skills, business practices, and advertising. In addition to Angelopoulos, students have been inspired to start their own businesses, including a junior who opened her own eyelash line. “They've been using what they learned in class to promote their own product,” Boltz said. “So that is super-awesome to be able to see it applied right away.” Angelopoulos said the topics he’s learning are “fascinating”, in Intro to Business for his own entrepreneurial purposes.
“It would majorly help me learn how to market and promote my product,'' he said. Early in the year, the class worked on creating advertisements for fictional products, including Monsters Inc., Dunder Mifflin and Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Recently, they have also been examining case studies on ethics. Sophomore Vyas Chipalkatti said that group projects such as these hold his interest. “I think if we didn’t have as many team projects and team class activities, I probably would have dropped the class by now,” he said. “But (Boltz) has really held my attention in the classroom.” Junior Adi Leist, who is considering going into a business as a career, said she enjoys Boltz’s teaching style and how the class prepares students for going into the industry. She cited the recent Business Ethics unit, which explores real-life stories such as the fall of the Enron energy company and the McDonald’s hot coffee lawsuit as examples of pitfalls to avoid in
Editors-in-Chief | Jazzy Nguyen and Nolan Zils Managing editor: Tae Yun Erica Kang Editors Art director: Audrey Nguyen News Editor: Jiyoon Choi Opinion Editor: Alli Wang Arts and Entertainment Editor: Nolan Zils Science and Health Editor: Angela Choi Student Life Editor: Reese Gardner Sports Editor: Alan Schaeffer
business. “It’s very helpful knowing what things will fail your business, and what will make it better and what the right decisions are when it comes to that,” Leist said. Boltz said the class will be focusing on the digital world’s impact on business, and the effects of marketing in the business world. She said that her experience in a law firm allowed her to figure out how she wanted to teach students about the business world. “There's a lot of really cool opportunities with this class specifically to prepare students for career opportunities after high school or after they graduate college,” she said. By next school year, Lawton is expecting to expand the program enough for Boltz to become a full-time business teacher, and to add a second-year class for returning students.
Engagement Editor: Ziv Galpaz Special Projects Editor: Abbey Rhodes Layout editor: Sal McClure Staff writers Juliette Bonacum, Dominic Clima, Amanda Day, Sara Dediu, Izel Garcia, Santiago Hernandez, Maceo Inoue, Rei Kanda, Gyuri Kim, SaiSahasra Makamchenna, Tyrone Rothman, Ava Stark, Vivian Trinh, Mila Windell, Makayla Wu, Emma Zhang. Adviser: Fitzgerald Vo
News highlights visit @bhsbearwitness for updates Branham cracks down on Instagram pages that feature unsolicited photos of students, staff Several students have been suspended and police reports have been issued Dec. 3 after Instagram profiles targeting Branham students and staff have raised concerns of cyberbullying and sexual harassment on campus, Principal Cheryl Lawton told the Bear Witness. The news comes after the recent growth of Instagram pages that share user-submitted photos of students in various situations, from sleeping (@bruinnaps) to footwear (@branhamfeet), some allegedly without their consent. The popularity of such pages has exploded in schools across the country. A recently deleted page called Bruins Drama has been at the center of much distress for students and staff, Lawton said. One photo shared was of a student changing in the boys locker room. Other posts contained footage of fights, texts calling out students and teachers on campus.\ Though Lawton did not specify the number of students suspended, she said they face possible police records if there are findings of distribution of child pornography and hate speech. After the announcement, students noted that the @ bruinsdrama page, along with a few other pages such as @bruinsbadposter and @bruinsbadmaskerz have either deleted all of their posts or have been taken down. — Nolan Zils and Tyrone Rothman ASB service leaders make rounds granting gifts to mark start of Winter Wishes season ASB Service leaders this week began visiting classrooms this week to grant small wishes, ranging from Branham gear to Airpods in their runup to Friday’s Winter Wishes rally, now in its 11th year. One of the recipients Friday was senior Taylor Hall, who wished for a Branham hoodie. She's never had one before. “I was really happy and excited,” she said. “In all my four years, I’ve never had a wish granted, so it was cool to have one granted during my senior year, especially because it was something that I really wanted, even though it was something really simple and small.” We will provide an update on the rally after Friday's event online and will go in-depth on the rally and its recipients in our January issue. — Angela Choi
Angela Choi/Bear Witness "Hugbot" the Bruins' B team robot. Robotics team wins award for sportsmanship at VEX Robotics Tournament The Bionic Bruins’ B team, one of the two that competed in the VEX Robotics tournament at Bellarmine took the contest’s judges’ award Nov. 19, given to teams that worked well together and displayed good sportsmanship. The tournament was the first in-person event for the teams since January 2020. The goal for each team was to build a robot that was able to pick up objects such as plastic rings. The B team competed with their “Hugbot,” which resembled a miniature Wall-E. Though they won two of their seven matches and were also the second alliance to balance their bridge, they were eliminated during the Octofinals. — Angela Choi and Alli Wang Ethnic Literature students visit Oakland museum for field trip to study Black history In what looks to be the start of an annual tradition for the new Ethnic Literature class, English teacher Mike Espinoza took students on their first field trip to Oakland’s African American Museum and Library over the weekend. Espinoza said he was inspired to plan the field trip to the museum because one, students like field trips, and two, they had just finished the “There There,” the debut novel by Cheyenne and Arapaho author Tommy Orange about Native Americans living in Oakland. Additionally the class is also exploring their current unit on Black and African Ameican history. “I thought it was a good opportunity to show the kids what’s available to them,” he said. — Izel Garcia
Mission Statement The Bear Witness is committed to providing accurate, timely coverage of local and world news while connecting these events to the lives of our diverse student body. Website: www.bhsbearwitness.com Phone: (408) 626-3407 Email: bhsbearwitness@gmail.com Address: 1570 Branham Lane, San Jose, CA 95118
BEAR WITNESS
| DECEMBER 2021 |
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BHSBEARWITNESS.COM
OPINION
In 2021, phone use has increased by 39%, perhaps made worse with the pandemic. BULLETIN BOARD
PHONE ADDICTION
Unplugging is hard to do
Weighing in on the bell schedule
Due to the California state law permitting students to attend school no earlier than 8:30 am. Students had the choice to weigh in on four variations. We share some of their thoughts. “I like number one (the classic A/B schedule). I think it was like the A and B schedule, which reminds me of freshman year. That’s why I chose it. It went longer for people who had seven, but then again, I don’t have seven classes, so not my problem. The blocks were easier.”
Elie Lopez Junior
Layla Dublin-King Freshman
Valeria Saucedo Junior
Addy Mcintyre Freshman
“(The current schedule) has actually helped me get more sleep. So I go to bed earlier, but it’s allowed me to have more time to do homework and schoolwork and anything else I need to get done before practice.”
“Waking up early is not that bad as leaving late. And with sports, it wouldn’t work well for sports to start at that time. With this schedule, I can get home even though I have a seventh period, rest a little bit and then show up at practice.”
“I prefer the current schedule because I got used to it. Also, we get out earlier which gives us more time to prepare, do homework, and everything else for student athletes before their sports.”
ABORTION RESTRICTIONS
The right to make tough choices IZEL GARCIA Staff Writer
With screentime up, we’re disengaged as ever JULIETTE BONACUM
A
Staff Writer
few weeks ago my friend and I had just taken our seats in our biology class. The teacher began talking about the agenda the day, then transitions to our homework, telling us to leave it out on our desks. For the fourth week in a row, my friend’s face drops. She’s forgotten her homework again. When it was first assigned, she had been using her phone and wasn’t paying attention. It wasn’t the first time she missed crucial instruction because she was on her phone, and it wouldn’t be the last, either. Like many teens, she’s drawn to her phone. It’s easy to see why. Phones are centered around the user, and with their constant notifications and instant gratification, they make us feel important. Phone addiction isn’t new, but it’s getting worse. In 2021, phone use has increased by 39%, perhaps made worse with the pandemic. Teens spent an average of seven hours and 22 minutes on their phones a day, and some studies have shown that with more screen time, more are feeling less need to see others in-person, convinced that we’ve been socializing all this time. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ Screen Time Guidelines recommend that teens spend no more than two hours on their phones per day. Too much phone use can result in headaches, decreased attention, shortness of temper, and sleep disorders. But we can’t just blame students for their phone addiction when the devices and apps themselves are built for constant consumption. A group of attorneys general from eight U.S. states, including California, are investigating whether Instagram is aggressively targeting younger Instagram users to keep them hooked on the social media site. This is the latest attempt to understand how Instagram’s and Facebook’s (and now Meta’s) algorithms make it difficult for teens to get off their platform by delivering content based on their interests and how they view the constant barrage of videos and memes and other types of entertainment. While students use a few applications for schoolwork such as Canvas and Desmos, more than 90% of apps used are dedicated to leisure and games, with TikTok the most downloaded non-gaming app, according to Statista, which specializes in consumer data. Business Insider reports that former Apple employees say that the more time one spends on any online platform, the more their profit, regardless of their impact on one’s mental and emotional health. Techniques like “push notifications” that send specialized messages urging users to get back on their platform help prolong their use. Instagram has been slowly increasing the amount of recommended content it shows its users based on their viewing patterns. hen my mom was 16, she learned that she W was pregnant with me. A senior at Crenshaw High School in South
Los Angeles, she was college-bound. She had wanted to be a writer in New York, “just start a new life elsewhere,” she said. The abrupt transition from not having to worry about adult responsibilitiesto having to was sobering to her. She said teens who work want the choice of responsibility, but being a teen mother, she had no choice. The struggle my mom endured as a teen parent opened up an entirely new world to me. Though she chose to birth and raise me, she had a choice. The same can’t be said for teens living in states with increasingly restrictive policies against abortions such as Texas, which has outlawed abortions conducted after six weeks, before many moms
365 million
the number of Facebook/Instagram/Meta’s users who struggle with compulsive usage, according to the recent internal documents leak.
7 hours 22 minutes
the average time a teen spent on their phone in 2019, according to Common Sense Media.
Audrey Nguyen/Bear Witness Data from a recent Facebook/Meta leak revealed that more than 360 million of its users struggled with compulsive usage, equivalent to being addicted to their devices. This manifests itself in teens in several ways, from having poor self-image to having low self-control in putting down the phone. People are finding solutions. Deleting apps, switching off your phone, or limiting your notifications have helped some from getting sucked in the rabbit hole of endlessly scrolling through content. Keeping a phone more than an arm’s length
realize that they they’re pregnant. When my mom learned she was pregnant, she was nearing the three-month mar. The Texas law also does not make exceptions for cases of rape or incest, which often go unreported. The Centers for Disease Control reports that more than 3 million have experienced a rape-related pregnancy. In the progressive Bay Area, stories are emerging from college campuses about sexual assault. At Stanford, out of 25 reported rapes from campus police, only one was issued a crime alert. Nearby Los Gatos High School’s recent spate of reported sexual assault on the student body, with more than 122 reports of sexual assault, including rape. This year has seen of 561 pieces of legislation restricting abortions nationwide, with 97 of them
away, literally, or figuratively, can improve one’s academic or work performance, according to a study from the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research. This can mean shutting off your phone while working or keeping the phone on silent and not visible. Other strategies include having others set limits on your devices so that you cannot use them with their set password. Phone are a tool but also a responsibility. Being aware of one’s pattern of consumption, and finding ways to address it will go a long way toward helping teens be present, and perhaps, get their work turned in on time. have gone into effect. Of the 97 new measures, more than 80 were signed into law in states that already have onerous abortion restrictions, making abortion even harder to access. Whether to have an abortion should always be the decision made by the pregnant individual. California is one of the few states deemed abortion supportive, with its combination of education programs. The state has more than 400 spaces performing the procedure, and is expecting to see more than 7,000 patients a year now that neighboring states are enacting more restrictive measures. Abortion rights, along with improved contraception access, directly correlate with women’s educational and professional attainment. Though I am thankful that my mom chose to have me, I am also thankful that she had a choice.
BITE-SIZED OPINIONS | Minor problems, minor solutions
Problem: Every day at school, I am very tired and sleepy. Since I can’t just fall asleep in class, I need to wait until I get home. Solution: Nap time should be provided during P.E. classes for at least 10 minutes or during tutorial/Outreach, just like kindergarten. — Jiyoon Choi
Problem: I run into poles a lot when I go from class to class and it’s honestly quite annoying. Solution: We should remove all the poles since they aren’t necessary to support any buildings, right? — Makayla Wu
Problem: The time change. It’s dark at four now so I have to spend the next eight hours of my day in artificial lighting. Solution: Wear glasses that light up from recycled sunlight. Also, invent those light-up glasses. — Emma Zhang
Problem: The wifi at school goes out often, so I can’t get work done in class. Solution: Steal NASA’s wifi router — there must be something different about it — so the internet never goes out. Or, become a teacher to get the secure wifi password. — Tyrone Rothman
Problem: People keep walking slow in the hallways. I have to get from building B to 58. That’s an 8-minute walk at a normal pace, and people walk like molasses while I’m walking at the speed of light. Solution: They need to walk faster. They need to walk with a purpose. — Reese Gardner
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| DECEMBER 2021 |
BEAR WITNESS
OPINION Editorial
BHSBEARWITNESS.COM Without the strong reactions, we wouldn’t have had these important conversations as a community. PAY DISPUTE
The opinion of the Bear Witness editors
UHSD parents, where are you? In the C fight to provide district teachers adequate pay, your voice is missing. Instead, you are letting your kids speak up for them at board meetings and in the classrooms. Parents, it seems, are the only ones who can get the district’s ear. The district isn’t listening to its teachers, 380 of whom signed a vote of no-confidence against Superintendent Dr. Robert Bravo. They’ve been wearing red and sharing their stories of sacrifice in the face of their pay cuts on social media, to no avail. The district is certainly not listening to the more than the eye-popping 28,000 signatories to Prospect student Angela LeDrew’s Change. org petition, perhaps the most successful
Calling on parents to support teachers student petition ever in this district. They’re also not listening to the hundreds of students who walked out of their classroom last month. The district not-so-bluntly called these students misinformed by the teachers union representatives, who turn out to be the ones teaching them. And, despite this overwhelming teacher opposition to the district leadership’s choices, they have acted callously to their cries. Instead of postponing a vote after the vote of no-confidence, the board members voted unanimously to extend Bravo’s contract by one year. Instead of addressing the $48 million in reserves, part of which can be used to address teacher pay and retention, they have tried to increase the amount of money that they are
required to put in reserves, from 6% to 17%. Parents, you haven’t been to the board meetings. If you had, you would have heard impassioned speeches from your students and your teachers asking to be listened to. You would have listened to senior Jeremy Haven, who said that without our teachers, he would have dropped out of school. You haven’t been protesting with the picketing teachers outside the schools before class. If you had listened to them, you would have known that nearly 70% of teachers in this district are considering finding a job elsewhere. It took just a few “concerned” parents to get the district to request the takedown of a student’s social justice poster last month. If you have the voice to get the district to act on such
trivial pursuits, imagine what many of you could do to act on more substantive issues. That’s the power of the parents as the main taxpayers in this district. Act with your vote. The terms of board members Stacey Brown, Kristiina Almeida and Robert Varich end next year. School boards have rarely been this tone deaf in their unanimous support of a superintendent whose own teachers do not support him. Act with your voice. Come to the next board meeting and join the substantial chorus of teachers and students who have been trying to be understood instead of dismissed. Parents, we know you are busy, but if you want to support your students, support their teachers.
REMAIN IN MEXICO POLICY
Biden drops ball on helping migrants seek asylum in U.S.
What it is “Remain in Mexico,” officially known as the Migrant
Protection Protocols (MPP) was implemented in January 2019.It is a U.S. immigration policy forcing asylum seekers arriving at ports of entry (POE), on the U.S. southern border, to be returned to Mexico to wait for the duration of their U.S. immigration proceedings.
RECYCLING THREADS
FAST CHEAP TOXIC
Gen Z turns to thrift stores as fast fashion chokes our environment Photo from Freepik
Injustice on the border
More than 59,000 migrants have been returned to Mexico as of Dec. 31, 2019.
Relaunching the policy Due to a court order in August, the Department of Human Security officially relaunced the Migrant Protection protocol Dec. 6.
8% of global emissions are created by the fast fashion industry, ac-
cording to a 2019 U.N. environmental report.
81 pounds of clothing are thrown away by the average
Tyrone Rothman/Bear Witness
U.S. consumer a year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
TYRONE ROTHMAN Staff Writer
his is the story of Marie, a San Jose resident who T sought asylum in 2019. In March of that year, Marie sought asylum at the San
Diego-Mexico border. She was trying to flee the persistent dangers that she and her son faced in Sonora, Mexico, including sickness and fear of kidnapping and murder. Instead of being housed safely in the United States while they awaited their court date, Marie and her son were kept in Mexico and forced to live in deplorable conditions. There, they were robbed by a criminal group, and didn’t report the crime to Mexican police, uncertain with how they would respond. On the day of their court date in May 2019, they had less than an hour to speak with their attorney, who had little time to put their case together before the judge. Under the U.S. Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the Remain In Mexico Policy, many asylum seekers faced situations similar to this one. The policy forces asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while their asylum claims are processed. The MPP is one law of many which have demonstrated racial bias in the U.S. border laws. Despite initial efforts from the Biden Administration to reverse it, a Texas federal court in August ordered the Biden administration to revive MPP. The Supreme Court affirmed the ruling, forcing Biden officials to reinstate the policy this month if approval is given from Mexico. Humanitarian groups protested Biden’s initial conformity to the MPP. One group staged a virtual walkout from a meeting with Biden officials. The Biden administration appealed the court ruling in
late October, but the order is yet to be lifted. The cruel nature of the MPP has been evident ever since it took effect in January 2019. Under the MPP, the decision to admit or deny a person’s entry into the United States lacked transparency and was determined by Border Patrol agents, who could pick and choose whether someone had a chance to seek asylum. According to the American Immigration Council, many faced unfair — and often law-violating — treatment, facing asylum fees, extortion, deportation despite serious medical issues, family separation, and lack of or limited access to an attorney. They also were at risk of kidnapping. Other reports cited Mexican police driving asylum seekers far away from their court hearing location, forcing them to miss their court date. The Remain in Mexico policy’s negative repercussions are not just humanitarian, but also economic. Santa Clara County, with immigrants making up more than one-third of its population, is home to more than 50,000 refugees. Meaning that roughly 1 in 40 people in the county used resettlement services. Given that Santa Clara County has such a large refugee population, refugees are a pillar in its economy. Many asylum seekers, like Marie who recently bought a house in San Jose, are prosperous in the U.S. when given the opportunity. In fact, refugees who have been in the country for 25+ years have an average median income $14,000 more than the national average. It is crucial that the Biden administration continues to push to lift the Migrant Protection Protocols in order to protect asylum seekers from the traumas they may suffer in Mexico and to give them a chance to be successful in the United States.
AMANDA DAY Staff Writer
crolling through fast fashion S websites like Shein and Forever 21 is addictive. Trendy clothes right
at your fingertips, and all for a cheap price. I’ve caught myself doing this on multiple occasions, scouring for dupes of popular Pinterest outfits, the little number above the cart image growing by the minute. However, hidden behind this seemingly colorful curtain is a dark reality. Fast fashion is like fast food, according to Elizabeth Cline, an apparel industry expert and author of “Overdressed.” Consumers find something affordable and trendy, but are unaware of the humanitarian, economical and environmental costs that come with these cheap clothes. It’s hard not to overstate the environmental costs that cheap clothing produces. Business Insider reports that the fashion industry is accountable for at least 20% of all the water pollution worldwide, and is the second largest consumer of water. Many giant lakes and rivers like the Aral Sea in Central Asia have now been reduced to little ponds and deserts, due to the amount of water needed to produce clothes nearby. Shirts and jeans are mainly made out of cotton, which requires a high water intake. Clothing production has doubled since 2000, with rates increasing as the internet floods with Shein, Zaful, and Zara hauls- all fast fashion companies. On TikTok, an estimated 3.7 billion views fall under the hashtag #sheinhaul and another 16.6 billion under #shein. Businesses like these contribute to the 100 billion clothing products made each year, 20% of which is actually sold. The leftovers then go
93% of fast fashion brands do not pay their workers a living
wage, reports the 2020 Fast Fashion Transparency Index.
One in three fast fashion consumers wear their clothes once or twice before throwing them out.
to landfills, where they will take centuries to decay, as most clothes made of synthetic materials aren’t biodegradable. Addressing this growing problem are Gen Z-ers who are turning to an age-old solution: thrifting. In a recent online poll, 66% of Bear Witness readers say that they have shopped at secondhand stores, many of them citing their low cost and environmental impact as a solution. Environmentally and ethically conscious Gen Zers in particular are more likely to turn to secondhand products and thrift stores. This small action of thrifting is encouraging and shows that Gen Z is more aware of the harmful impacts affecting the environment and how we can resolve it. A ThredUp sales report survey showed a 16% growth in Gen Zers purchasing secondhand apparel in 2020, and more than 40% of teens have purchased secondhand clothing, shoes or accessories in the last year.= Additionally, online thrift stores such as Depop and ThredUP have sprouted as teens browse their used wares. A Wall Street Journal survey estimates that out of Depop’s 15 million users, 90% of them are under the age of 26. Thrifting and shopping second hand helps cut down the usage of plastic, recycling, less water wasted, and discouraging global warming. But to Gen Z, it means a lot more than just helping our world. Students who want to express their individuality and personal style can find that thrifting caters to that need with unique, rare items. You’re almost guaranteed to thrift a piece of clothing that no one else has, so you can still follow what’s trending, while keeping it unique to you.
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BEAR WITNESS | DECEMBER 2021 | BHSBEARWITNESS.COM “If you were to drop your personal statement on the floor, and a friend found it later, that friend should be able to tell that you were the one who wrote that essay." — Vianna Vo, Branham alumnus on personal essays
NEWS
OVERTIME | Struggle to find staff to work weekends
230
total overtime hours required custodians on campus. Branham already used $10,351 since July 1 through Dec. 6 allotted for overtime janitorial custodial pay this year which is over the district's $10,000 budget.
ACTIVITIES
$1,463 32.5 Hrs. OT
ATHLETICS
$4,320 96 hrs. OT
14.13% 41.74% ASB leaders need after school time to prep decorations.
During the fall, weekend volleyball matches and tournaments required a janitorial presence.
From PAGE 1 “It’s not a death sentence by any means, but I’m not sure how (the district) came up with the number,” he said, adding that the school’s other problem for administrators is finding custodians who are willing to work overtime. Branham employs five custodians, and if they work overtime, their hourly pay jumps to $45, Ramos said. Before spring 2020, the district paid for all custodial staff overtime and did not require custodial staff during weekend events. However this led to dirty bathrooms and facilities, which had to be addressed when custodians returned on Monday. Since last year, the district has given each school site a budget of $10,000 to pay for the overtime custodians which is renewed in July every year. Outside groups, like church organizations, have to pay the district directly for the custodial time while inside groups like Branham’s band, sports, and ASB comes from the budget. The $45 per hour it takes to pay for an overtime custodian has put a strain on Branham’s finances. After the budget is spent, the money must come from Branham’s site budget. Funds are continuing to drain out of Branham’s reserves, leaving principal Cheryl Lawton to manage this year’s
expenses with next year’s budget in order to pay the custodians. “When they all of a sudden say ‘oh gosh we need another $10,000,’ I don't have it,” Lawton said. “[Custodians] need their weekends, they need their time off, so it's just hard to find people who want to work the extra 10 hours or 12 hours on a Saturday or Sunday.” However, there is a question about how the district distributes the budget to school sites. Activities director Christina Hillman wonders aloud if the district takes the breadth of each school’s activities into consideration. “Are they looking at each site independently and their needs?” she said. “Because we may have more teams than other schools, whereas other schools may not have that issue if they don't have the same number of programs that we have. How are they allocating the budgets? Are they judging it based on the amount of programs each site has to support each school and their individual needs? The issue of Branham’s lack of custodial funds is only compounded by the lack of custodians willing to work overtime. After a full five-day workweek, it is required that at least one custodian remains on campus on Saturday for all events. Vinnie Ramos,
Still, the question for administrators is how to raise funds when the district allowance runs out.
BAND
Some options being considered include: • Limiting weekend access to sports and activities. • Having individual groups pay for custodial overtime. •Finding outside organizations to rent school space on weekends.
$4,568 101.5 hrs. OT
44.13%
Before the end of its season, the Royal Alliance would hold super Saturday rehearsals, lasting from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. the plant manager, said it’s difficult finding a custodian to work an extra 12 hours on their day off. “My guys like to cover the overtime but they're already burned out right now, and they're to the point where they don't want to really do much overtime anymore,” Ramos said. “So it's getting harder and harder to get somebody to cover.” One solution Lawton proposed was having a custodian work from Tuesday to Saturday, so that Saturday would be included in their regular work week. However, Ramos opposes this plan because it would mean that they would have less staff for Monday when students return from the weekend. “We don't have substitutes in the district for our custodians,” Ramos said. “Meaning that on Mondays, which is usually a call-off day, we already have to start with one person short and one more call off.” Mondays and Fridays are considered call-off days, where a staff member is likely to call out sick. Custodial costs are not paid by Branham when an outside organization uses campus. Instead, those outside organizations directly send the custodial cost of their event to the district – money that Branham sees none of. “It would generate at least more
interest for me to get more outside groups to rent,” said Hillman. “That's more revenue that we could use to help our students here.” Students have not yet seen the impact of the custodial costs possibly dipping into school sites. Activities leaders are not keen on having their programs pay for the weekend custodial staff, or not run the activities Band director Chris Nalls, who leads the school’s award-winning Royal Alliance marching band program, said that to have a good marching band, they need more leeway in terms of access to campus on the weekend. The band conducts “Super Saturday” rehearsals during marching band season - marathon sessions that run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the fall. Someone else needs to come up with that money. “If they charge us, it's going to have a big effect because we won't be able to pay to use our own school,” he said. “If the school wants to have a good marching band, or if the district in general wants to have good marching bands, that's the price of doing business, they're gonna have to support us in that way.” Similar questions were raised from the athletic director Landon Jacobs about inside groups having a limited budget to pay the custodians. Jacobs
also described the challenging part of telling the students that they cannot utilize the campus. “It's really difficult to basically tell our students that they have to come up with money to pay to use their own facilities,” he said. Although this is an ongoing problem that will affect Branham’s events, Jacobs looks on the bright side and acknowledges that this is a “good problem.” More students means more activities, and a greater desire to be involved with campus. “We've added things that the kids want to be involved in which now means that we're just booked during the week, and now we're booked on the weekends, so it's a great problem to have,” he said. “It's just trying to work through all these questions about what does this actually look like? Should we be charging our kids to use their facilities?” Hillman believes that student groups should not feel limited in how they can use the campus. “Our number one priority is our students having access to our facilities when they need to,” she said. “If we have kids, coaches, and program leaders who are passionate about the programs, we don't want to limit what they can do because of finances.”
SUBSTITUTE SHORTAGE
Without SATs, seniors work on fine-tuning essays REI KANDA AND SANTIAGO HERNANDEZ
T
Staff Writers
he class of 2022 had to adapt to the modifications made regarding the college application process due to the pandemic. One of the biggest changes is that previously mandated testing such as the SAT and ACT are now optional for most colleges. The recent announcement that the University of California, the world’s largest public university system, has dropped the standardized tests as part of its admissions is the latest piece of potentially good news for seniors, who have seen great pandemic-related disruptions in their education. There will be no test replacement. The SAT and ACT tests have been viewed as roadblocks in college applications due to concerns from student advocacy that they are discriminatory against underrepresented minority students, multilingual learners and students with disabilities. In 2019, several families and community groups joined in a class action lawsuit against the UC Regents for instituting the practice. This is also welcome news for College and Career Specialist Patricia Perez, who helps students figure out their post-high school life. She said
that this will help more students apply to colleges. “(Test optional applications) make it a little bit easier for some students to maybe apply when they thought that they wouldn't be able to before, so that's definitely been a big change,” she said. Perez said without tests to look at, more weight will be placed on a students’ other bona fides, including their personal essay, GPA, extracurriculars and letters of recommendation. Without tests, the UC now considers an applicant based on 13 factors. “They're looking at the courses you took, whether you challenge yourself by taking honors APs, dual enrollment,” she said. For advice and tips, students are turning to Perez and the Bruin Alumni Network, which have held essay writing workshops in September and October. Branham graduates such as Vianna Vo and Arun Dhar have been hosting essay workshops for dozens of students after school in the College and Career Center room. Vo, who just graduated from Stanford says it’s the club's way to pay it forward. In their essays, she recommends that students be specific and as detailed as possible.
Jazzy Nguyen/Bear Witness Branham almunus Vianna Vo helps senior Arian Salamat on his personal essay at a writing workshop the Branham Alumni Network hosted in September. “If you were to drop your personal statement on the floor, and a friend found it later, that friend should be able to tell that you were the one who wrote that essay,” she said. “In other words, find defining qualities
about yourself that you want the admission officers to know about.” The personal essays in particular are enjoyable for senior Abby Mannina, who is applying to the UCs. They recommend brainstorming
your life lessons before submitting your essay. “It’s such a huge first step, and it has you look deeper into yourself than a lot of people have ever before,” Mannina said. “You're really reflecting on your developmental years as an adolescent.” Time management has proven to be a valuable skill for many college applicants. Without standardized tests to worry about, alumnus Mikey Maloney said that students should spend time refining their applications. “The hardest part of the whole application process is time management. You’re dealing with a lot just in classes. Adding college applications can make it challenging,” Maloney said. “The easiest way to get through this is to dedicate oneto- two days a week to just strictly college apps.” With tests going optional since the start of the pandemic, Perez said she’s seen more students look beyond UCs and CSUs for college. More are also looking to stay local as well to save costs. In the end, she advises students to do their research early on regarding what schools are the best fit for them. For those who’re on the fence: “if you haven't figured it out, come talk to figure that out right now,” she said.
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BEAR WITNESS | DECEMBER 2021 | BHSBEARWITNESS.COM “Extinction sounds very scary, and it is very scary. But we also have to acknowledge that extinction is a natural part of Earth’s systems” — Kori Reynolds, AP Environmental Science teacher
SCIENCE&HEALTH CLIMATE BRIEFS California will soon require composting California plans to start converting residents’ food waste into compost or energy, becoming the second state in the U.S. to do so after Vermont launched a similar program last year. Most people in California will be required to toss excess food into green waste bins rather than the trash. Municipalities will then turn the food waste into compost or use it to create biogas, an energy source that is similar to natural gas.
Extinctions a ‘wake-up’ call for local conservationists ECOLOGY
Plants get better at photosynthesis New research from Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley shows that plants are photosynthesizing more in response to more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. to find that plants are indeed photosynthesizing more, to the tune of 12% higher global photosynthesis from 1982 to 2020. In that same time period, global carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere grew about 17%, from 360 parts per million (ppm) to 420 ppm. Ice melt gives look at indigenous life Frozen in permafrost, artifacts and scenes have been inaccessible to scientists until recently when global warming has melted ice caps. The reveal has given scientists access to mummified extinct animals such as the woolly rhinoseruses and cave lions. As melting continues, artifacts from increasingly older periods are revealed, enabling more research to be conducted. However, the melting ice cap also calls attention to some of the eroding coastlines, sometimes taking the entire fossil record with it. Executive order on climate change President Joe Biden signed an executive order Dec. 6 to “leverage” the federal government’s scale and purchasing power to make it carbon neutral, cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 65% in less than a decade and establish an all-electric fleet of vehicles. The order will cut emissions in federal operations as part of the government’s effort to combat climate change. Biden’s directive requires that government buildings consume 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030, the U.S. fleet of vehicles be 100% electric by 2035, and federal contracts for goods and services be carbon-free by 2050. —Compiled by Angela Choi
Bachman’s Warbler The last sighting of a migratory bird that breeds in United States bottomland forests and winters to Cuba was in the 1960s. It was declared extinct in six states due to habitat loss from harvesting for the hat trade.
Turgid Blossom Pearly Mussel A freshwater mussel living in shoals was last seen in 1965. Mussels are the most endangered species group with 36 already lost. It was declared extinct in 3 states due to habitat loss by dam building.
Bridled White Eye A small bird native to the Northern Mariana Islands in lowland forests was last seen in June of 1983, and has been declared extinct in Guam from the invasive species of rats and the brown tree snakes.
San Marcos Gambusia A freshwater fish only found in Texas’ San Marcos River that gave birth to live fish instead of eggs was last seen in 1983 and was declared extinct because of water overuse that caused habitat destruction.
Ivory Billed Woodpecker A woodpecker living in bottomland forests was last seen in America in 1944, and in Cuba in 1987. It has been declared extinct in 12 different states in the US due to habitat loss from logging.
Mariana Fruit Bat A small bat native to the Mariana Islands and Ulithi atoll that had a diet of tropical fruits, which was last seen in 1968, has been declared extinct in Guam because of commercial exploitation by hunters.
ANGELA CHOI
Science & Health Editor
t the end of October, 22 animals A and one plant species were declared extinct and removed from the
Since 2019, the SPARE Club has worked to maintain a swath of land at Branham Park near school, where they tend to native plant species every other week.
United State’s endangered species list. Human activity has been blamed for their demise, as overfishing and poaching pose hazards to native species and their surroundings. The list includes 11 birds, eight freshwater mussels, two fish, one bat, and one plant species. The next few decades pose a test for more than 1 million species, according to a report from the U.N.-backed Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. For environmentalists such as SPARE president senior Naia Sasano, this report was a wake-up call for others to start caring for our environment. “If only people had been thinking more about this constantly and seeking education on this matter, there would have been a cool opportunity to preserve this biodiverse mess (earlier),” Sasano said. AP Environmental Science teacher Kori Reynolds said that the major cause of these extinction events is habitat loss. Many species are seeing that their homes are fragmented due to accelerating development. Another reason, she said, is overharvesting of plants and animal species, faster than they can reproduce. According to the United Nations Food and Agricul-
ture Organization, 34.2% of fisheries are overfished, comprising 22.7% of seafood. “It’s really unfortunate because there’s so much beauty in the diversity and so much stability in diversity,” Reynolds said. “And as we start losing that it’s really going to impact the quality of the human experience.” Nationwide, the Center for Biodiversity is launching a preservation project that is trying to slow down urban development in areas with sensitive ecosystems. They have halted the building of several urban structures, and have won 93% of lawsuits against the former Trump Administration to preserve ecosystems. The center also has created and released reports detailing local pesticide use, revealing that 30 of the Bay Area’s 51 federally endangered animals are affected. Other centers have also done the same, and the City of San Jose has enacted plans and policies to decrease the impacts of urban sprawl. Big habits start small Though the solutions to help reduce risks to biodiversity are multifaceted, Reynolds said the first step toward that goal is to change one’s habits. That begins with reducing waste at school “so it’s not impacting any native species.” Do not harm should be one’s top mantra. “When it comes to just interactions with the environment around you, make sure that you’re not harming those plants or animals or distributing harm around you on campus,” she said. Reynolds points to the SPARE Club, which in the last few years adopted a part of nearby Bran-
ham Park to grow and propagate native species. Called Project Pieces, the club has created five sections with distinct geographies and native plants. The point was to capture the diversity of native species, and then to foster an environment for them. For their conservation efforts, which began two years ago, the club earned a distinction from the City of San Jose. Sasano said she is proud to continue the propagation of local species, such as the evergreen pollinator wildflower. “It’s really important to have in this community,” she said, “And I (feel) so honored to have been able to like help out during some of the beginning stages.” A natural part of Earth’s systems In light of the the reported extinction of 22 species, and the impending loss of ecosystems on a grand scale, Reynolds offers some perspective. “The overall loss of biodiversity in this extinction sounds very scary, and it is very scary,” she said. “But we also have to acknowledge that extinction is a natural part of Earth’s systems.” Earth has seen five mass extinctions before, and we might be due for a sixth one. Reynolds said that humans should be ready for these massive changes, especially due to their active role in their demise. “The human experience is going to be different because we are changing these ecosystems, and there’s loss of biodiversity, that life itself is going to be okay,” she said. “And life itself has always bounced back from extinction in both big and small ways. So it’s detrimental to the human experience but the rest of the Earth will be fine.”
Jiyoon Choi/Bear Witness
PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY
Free Chromebooks come at a price when damaged VIVIAN TRINH Staff Writer
here are at least 1,950 Chromebooks in cirT culation at Branham, with the newest HP models dedicated to the more than 500 fresh-
men. But for the rest of the students, repairs are often needed as they age. Son Trinh, who manages the Chromebook fleet for Branham, said that he sees at least two to three students a week who need to repair their laptops. Problems can range from missing keys to broken screens. Students at the beginning of the year signed contracts agreeing to pay for damages incurred while using the district-issued Chromebooks. They will pay $288 for a lost, stolen or irreparable Chromebook. Other costs include broken screens ($60), laptop chargers ($20), computer bags ($20), wifi hotspots ($50).There are no labor costs. “We’re basically charging for how much we get
from HP,” he said. For Trinh, who used to work from the district offices, being able to set up shop to help students and staff troubleshoot problem areas at school is helpful. His offices are located at the old student store facing the quad. Trinh said he tries to fix laptops free of charge, especially those from older Chromebooks. However, he said most damages that students incur can easily be prevented if students do one simple thing: put Chromebooks back in their bags. “Students just drop them accidentally, and without the bag that’s how they break,” he said. The one-to-one Chromebook program, which began four years ago, accelerated during last year’s shutdown, as Chromebooks were needed for everything from AP tests, state standardized tests to submitting homework. Freshman Anvit Mishra, who also owns a personal computer, said that using a school-issued Chromebook is more efficient at school since it
connects automatically to the school’s wifi. “I like the idea of having a Chromebook till I graduate,” Mishra said. With an increasing reliance on usable Chromebooks, having a smooth software experience is just as important. As Chromebooks are usually underpowered, math and computer science teacher Steven Turner says students should have no more than three or four tabs open at a time, and to turn off the computer at least once a week. “They get overheated pretty fast,” he said. Even with older and sometimes slower models, staff members say the benefits of having a Chromebook for every student outweighs the risks that a few might get damaged. With interactive practices such as using PearDeck carrying over from last year’s online classes, a working Chromebook for every student is an equitable practice. “It’s good for students (who) don’t have that technology immediately,” Turner said.
$288
cost to replace damged or stolen Chromebook
$60
damaged or broken screen cost.
$20
lost laptop charger.
BEAR WITNESS
| DECEMBER 2021 |
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BHSBEARWITNESS.COM
“As students, we are taught to speak out for what is right and that doesn't end within the classroom. I want our teachers to know we care.” — Junior Angela Le Drew on her Change.org petition. STUDENT SUPPORT
COVER STORY
BY THE NUMBERS
TEACHERS | Mediation talks continuing From PAGE 1
69.3% percentage of teachers in who say they are considering leaving the district because of teacher pay.
72.8% percentage of teachers in district who say they are considering leaving the district because of district leadership.
100% percentage of Branham teachers who signed on to a vote of no-confidence against district Superintendent Dr. Robert Bravo.
100% percentage of school board members present who voted to extend Bravo's contract by one year. Trustee Stacey Brown was absent and did not vote.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING Superintendent Dr.
Robert Bravo "There's no question that we want the teachers to have raises, and they will have their raises. The question is just exactly how much it's going to be". Beth Wilson, special education teacher "I'm not convinced yet that the board or Dr. Bravo really cares. I am really appreciative that so many students showed up and so many other teachers and community members showed up, I'm still not really convinced yet that they see like how bad things really are, at least as far as morale goes." Ainsley Bateman, Branham junior and student board member "The actions of the board have made the teachers feel unappreciated, is a problem wholly other than finances as well. Just because the teachers put in so much time and effort for the students and if they're not feeling that they're getting that return in the actions of rhetoric from the board, and we have a problem. . — Compiled by staff
Teachers thought, that with the rockiest starts to the school year in recent memory, that the board might have reconsidered a vote amid the tensions. “I would like to know why that decision was made when we've heard them say that they're listening to us,” said English teacher Rebecca Gilmore of Prospect after the meeting. “Because tonight, I don't feel like I was listened to.”
29,000 sign on to teacher petition GYURI KIM Staff Writer
Seeking a leadership change The vote of no-confidence, with more than 70% of the district’s teachers, and 100% of Branham teachers, signing on, was a sign that teachers are asking for a change in leadership. Among the reasons for presenting the vote of no confidence were issues that teachers had with Bravo’s handling of the return to school, not creating a “positive work environment” that invites and retains high quality teachers. The statement from the district’s teachers comes after months of protesting in front of school on Tuesdays and Thursdays before class, picketing at the district office before the bi-monthly meetings. Teachers have also worn red and have donned pins encouraging others to “Ask me about my pay cut,” a term that the district disputes. For the 2020 school year, teachers were given a one-time $5,000 bonus that was not renewed. The district had pinned its hopes of giving the teachers a raise from the passage of a parcel tax. When Measures K and L did not pass in 2020, teachers and the district returned to the negotiating table to discuss the rest of the teachers’ employment contract, which expires at the end of this school year. Both parties met Nov. 15 and again Dec. 1 with a state-appointed mediator, but no agreement was made at that discussion. Rising costs a factor in impact of pay decrease The district says that the one-time payment was just that, but teachers view it differently. Tiffany Y larregui, who teaches math at Branham, said that it’s in the way it’s defined. “While I understand they have not subtracted money from our base salary, it comes down to a practical definition of pay,” Ylarregui said. “There's two pay cuts. One is that we are taking home less money because the stipend ended, and two our dollars are worth less because of it. The cost of living has risen and our pay has not.” The cost of living in San Jose is 49% higher than the national average, according to PayScale, which analyzes employment data. From year to year, the cost of paying for necessities such as food and housing have jumped between 6% and 9%. The current request from the Campbell High School Teachers Association is for a 5.5% pay increase in addition to a $5,000 increase in teacher salary schedules. They cite the district’s $48 million in reserves, which has grown in recent years, as an example of their frugality. Ylarregui is not in the minority when it comes to financial difficulty due to the decrease in pay. Branham teachers approached the speaker podium during the board’s last four meetings to share personal stories and requests for the return of the bonus, citing the difficulties they’ve had to face as a result of the $5,000 cut. “It means I'm going into debt,” said Jen Ozdinski, Branham social science psychology teacher. “I've given up some of my personal care things just to find the money, and even moved out of my storage unit to save that money. It forced me to try and figure out where I'm spending that makes life easier that I can't do anymore.” In the face of inflation, rising rent and housing prices with no adjustment in salary, trying to live in the area near their place of work is becoming increasingly difficult. According to a CHSTA survey, 69.3% of teachers are considering leaving the district because of pay. “When I first started with the district, there was five or six years where we had no pay increases because the district didn't have the money and we understood, and we tightened our belts, and we just made it through,” said Barbara ____, Vice President of the CSEA, at the Nov 4 meeting. “But then when things got better, then of course, compensation needs to go with that. We want [teachers] to get the money they deserve. If things go bad again, we'll
Prospect junior Angela Le Drew said the petition is a sign of strong community support of teachers.
Angela LeDrew’s Junior Change.org petition in
Alli Wang/Bear Witness Teachers unveil the no-confidence signatures gathered at the Nov. 4 board meeting.
be here for you. We'll tighten our belts again. We understand math. We get it.”
Board support of superintendent The district’s $48 million in reserves, above the $7.2 million that is required as their baseline, has been a large point of contention for teachers as many question why money is sitting in a bank account, and not used toward giving teachers the raise that they’ve been asking for. CUHSD Board President Kalen Gallagher says that, of the reserves, $17 million has been earmarked for other projects and cannot be used to fund an increase in teacher salaries. The rest isn’t earmarked. Though the state only requires that 3% of revenue is kept, the district’s policy is to keep it at 6%. The board had recently considered bumping up the reserves to 17%, but had not voted on that proposal. Despite the intense opposition to the district’s leadership, board president Kalen Gallagher is defending the decision to extend Bravo’s tenure. “We obviously have some big issues that we need to solve as a community and as a district, but I think the people in this room can figure it out,” said Gallagher. “I think they're the right people. It's just going to take some time, and it's going to take some real frank conversations at the negotiation table.” Bravo: 'I have to do my job' Gallagher attributes the quick, united vote to Bravo’s competence and the effort he puts into understanding opinions that arise. “Dr. Bravo is one of the better superintendents in the state,” Gallagher said, just after voting to renew Superintendent Bravo’s contract. “He has done a lot for
students, he works really hard, he takes in lots of opinions, he understands them. You don't always have to agree on things, but I think he's the right person to lead us into the future.” Bravo told the Bear Witness that he’s taking a one-day-at-a-time approach to repairing the fraught relationship that teachers have with him. “I have to do my job,” he said. “I appreciate that they're going to do their job. There's no question that we want the teachers to have raises, and they will have their raises. The question is just exactly how much it's going to be. I'm glad that we have mediators to help us with that.” He said he was “disappointed and saddened” when the teachers union presented the vote of no confidence against him. “I think all of us want to think that we do a good job with the people that we're working with, and nobody wants to think that they aren't,” he said. He describes the relationship between the board and teachers as “strained,” and characterizes the public comments from teachers as being both “fair” and “unfair.” “It's not more about me as much as it is about the board and the idea [from the teachers] that ‘if we don't get x particular amount, it means you don't care.’” he said. “We can disagree on how much the district can afford while still living in its budget. But to call disagreement ‘not caring’ – that's the [unfair] one– especially to the board members. What is most unfair about the whole thing, instead of just saying, ‘Look, we're disagreeing about this’ and ‘let's talk this out some more’ just to go to that place of assigning it as ‘you don't care.’” When asked to elaborate on which of the teacher’s comments he thought were fair, he responded, “I do need time to think about that one.”
support of teachers in the ongoing dispute with the district has gained a staggering 28,000 signatures and counting, a sign of strong community support and beyond. The petition, titled “Provide CUHSD teachers with a cost of living adjustment,” cites recent teachers union surveys and calls out the district leaders for lacking transparency. “CUHSD teachers deserve better than 5,000 dollars taken from their paycheck this year. Please sign our petition and share,” she wrote in her initial Change.org petition. The Prospect student is active at her school in raising awareness and support for her teachers, whom she says deserve a satisfying resolution to the conflict. LeDrew has attended several board meetings since the start of school, wearing red and protesting aside her teachers outside the district offices on Union Avenue. She also helped organize last month’s districtwide walkout at her school. LeDrew said her teachers have been an immense source of inspiration. “My teachers' dedication to teaching and their students are what inspired me,” LeDrew told the Bear Witness. “Teachers do so much more than assign homework, they are truly the heart of Prospect. They are always offering to help students in any way they can, whether it is helping a student understand a concept or giving them advice.” As negotiations and mediations have stalled, she can see that teacher morale has flagged. LeDrew said that on top of grading, lesson planning and teaching, teachers now have to worry about their financial struggles with approximately $500 less in their monthly salary. “We can see our teachers are more tired than usual,” she said. Having to go to board meetings to protest outside is taking a toll on them.” Since starting the petition last month, LeDrew has shared the link on her Instagram and has promoted it, making fliers, and sharing it with her friends and family to sign. “This would not have been possible without all the support I've received from classmates and friends,” LeDrew said. With more than 28,000 signatures, she said she is astonished by the amount of traction it’s received. It’s currently trending on the “popular” section on the website. She hopes that her petition can persuade the district into giving teachers a permanent wage that fits with the cost of living in this area. So far, she has not received a formal response from the district. She is planning on speaking at the next board meeting on Dec. 2 to make a statement to the board, and give them a list of petition supporters. “As students, we are taught to speak out for what is right and that doesn't end within the classroom,” she said. “I want our teachers to know we care.”
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BEAR WITNESS
STUDENT LIFE
|
DECEMBER 2021 |
BHSBEARWITNESS.COM
“When students have the opportunity to learn the harsh realities of the past, they have a more complete understanding of the world around them.” — Ethnic Studies teacher Stefanie Menera
TACKLING A GENERATION’S ISSUES
Speaking out Students took the initiative to use their platforms and spread the information about a walk out in protest of the CUHSD teachers’ pay cuts. The use of social media in this case shows how students were able to speak up. In one situation, junior Angela LeDrew amassed more than 29,000 signatures to her Change.org petition in support of teachers. There were also high levels of participation, showing how students are feeling more free to express their personal opinions on topics. Emboldened students can cause ripples.
Not ready for finals Half of the student population at Branham never took a high school final before this semester, since virtual learning and tests over Canvas were the norm. Hoping to address it are Bruin2Bruin, the tutoring club that pairs students with their peers who took the class. Starting Dec. 13, they will be hosting review sessions in the College and Career Center Room. Though in-person learning has provided a welcome return to normal as much as possible, nothing beats the ability to finish a two-hour virtual final exam early, signing out and taking a nap before the next one begins.
Group aims to be a voice for Gen Z Sophomore CEO founded nonprofit at start of pandemic; it now has 200-plus contributors EMMA ZHANG AND AVA STARK Staff Writers
ere’s a typical message members of H Gen Z: We Are The Future sends to new members just joining their non-
profit: “WELCOME TO TEAM GEN Z. EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN CHANGED FOREVER! YOUR SKIN? FLAWLESS. YOUR GRADES? STRAIGHT As. YOUR THIRD EYE? AWAKENED. YOU HAVE ASCENDED TO A NEW PLANE OF INDIVIDUALITY AND AMAZINGNESS. YOU HAVE JOINED THE HIGHEST RANKS OF HUMANITY.” The tradition is known as the “glitter cowboy initiation,” and was started by freshman Gautam Khajuria, the director of technology at the nonprofit. Positive messages such as these are “aggressively spammed” at new members the moment they join the Gen Z: We Are The Future team Discord. With more than 200 contributors, the Gen Z: We Are The Future group aims to enlighten and inspire its nearly 5,400 social media followers with stories ranging from Facebook’s rebranding to misconceptions about mental health in movies. The group is the brainchild of Branham sophomore Claire Yang and her friend Sophie Penttila, a sophomore at Notre Dame High School in Downtown San Jose. It grew out of Yang’s desire to educate and connect with others at the start of the pandemic when schools closed down and teens became more aware of social justice issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement. “I felt as if people had a feeling of disconnection from the outside world,” says Claire Yang, “We created this organization in hopes of connecting and uniting a community of Gen Zers.” The original mission was to educate Gen Zers how they can take action on the injustices going on, advertising a variety of protests and petitions on their website. Their mission is built upon three pillars: unite, educate, and inspire. In terms of uniting like-minded teens, the group sees more than 600 Gen Z-ers from over 30 countries communicate daily on their Discord server. To educate and inspire, the nonprofit has also published more than 500 articles,
posted more than 350 social media stories, and have also created a podcast called “Let’s Talk Gen Z.” They also host virtual educational summits such as their annual Gen Z summit in December. There, a variety of guest speakers– ranging from students to professionals– share speeches and host workshops with topics ranging from climate justice to racial equality to POC representation. Usually spanning an entire weekend, they often partner with other nonprofits to host these events, and the summit last year was attended by nearly 100 Gen Zers. As CEO, Yang said she spends an average of 20 hours a week overseeing the article production, preparing for and hosting meetings and completing unfinished work from the team. For Yang, a typical week begins on Sunday when she assigns articles to journalists via Google Sheets. Writers rotate topics and share stories about environmental concerns, mental health, or social issues. Each story pitch usually stems from a piece of research the writers found, or journalists’ ideas within the given topic. Once finished and edited, graphic designers are assigned to illustrate and design posts of finished articles, and then get Yang’s seal of approval. Social media managers then upload the finished product to Instagram. Khajuria, the director of technology, said that the team uses the feedback to help improve future stories. “Every time we upload an article our team uploads an Instagram post,” Khajuria said. “We get a lot of community feedback, a lot of likes and criteria, and I think that’s just really heartwarming because you see a lot of interaction with people.” Despite the challenge of balancing 20hour work weeks, school and the difficulties of managing an organization with more than 200 members, Yang is optimistic about the future of Gen Z and plans to lead it through college and beyond. As the pandemic becomes part of daily life, she hopes to initiate more in-person events and workshops, and is excited for the annual Gen Z summit they’re holding in December. “I would not give up this organization for the world,” said Yang, “however difficult the obstacles we face are.”
Tae Yun Erica Kang/Bear Witness Sophomrore Claire Yang works on her Chromebook at school. Yang runs the nonprofit Gen Z: We are the Future.
Fast facts about Gen Z: We are the Future Sophomore Claire Yang founded the group in spring 2019 with her friend, Sophie Penttila Gen Z is a 501C3 nonprofit, and is sponsored by the Hack Club Bank. Publications The group publishes in several mediums, primarily on social media (@genzewearethefuture) and on its website. They have also produced podcasts, which explore topics of interet from the latest movies to exploring veganism. The group has hosted virtual summits, inviting student and business leaders to attend and share insights to their business model
CONFRONTING THE PAST
Another bell schedule Branham and other schools in the state next year have to adjust their schedules to accommodate for an 8:30 a.m. start time. While this is good in theory, it means yet another change for students. Juniors especially will have gone through three schedules in three years. The bell schedules almost guarantee that end times will stretch into 3 p.m. get closer to 4 p.m. For the sake of our sanity, we hope that the schedule stays around longer than the other ones have. — Tae Yun Erica Kang
Grappling with the true history of Thanksgiving
Students say glossing over facts a disservice TAE YUN ERICA KANG
E
Managing Editor
ven though her father is Indigenous, junior Kira Kennedy had celebrated Thanksgiving like many Americans do: with turkey, stuffing and hearing stories about the first celebration between Pilgrims and Native Americans. “He ignored the meaning of the holiday and focused on the more positive aspects to prevent ruining the gathering,” Kennedy said. With Thanksgiving break a recent memory, the unvarnished history may be fresh to students raised on the simplified version of the first celebration of the 1621 colonial harvest meal. Indigenous Peoples in America recognize Thanksgiving as a day of mourning and the loss of their land. “I was taught the same way as everyone else was with the disregard of the true his-
tory and meaning of Thanksgiving,” she said. “I learned about the true history of the holiday in fifth grade, but we pretended the indigenous people and colonists lived together in harmony when we met our preschool buddies for a Thanksgiving party.” Teaching the difficult history to schoolaged children is not lost on Ethnic Studies teacher Stefanie Menera, who thinks that teachers should give kids more credit in dealing with complicated topics such as colonialism and Native American history. “They not only deserve to learn truthful stories but they need to, regardless of the sometimes uncomfortable themes like violence and racism that we as adults do our best to shield them from,” she said. While acknowledging the history of death between the indigenous people in the United States, Ethnic Studies teacher Stefanie Menera celebrated Thanksgiving more as a day of gratitude. Even the simple idea of celebrating with her family and loved ones comes with some feeling of conflict.
"(Children not only deserve to learn truthful stories but they need to, regardless of the sometimes uncomfortable themes like violence and racism that we as adults do our best to shield them from." Stefanie Menera, Ethnic Studies teacher “I can’t understand how the prominence and commercialization of this holiday is perceived by Indigenous people and wonder if maybe it should be celebrated at all sometimes. I don’t have all of the right answers, but at this time this is what feels all right to me.” The Ethnic Studies class taught by Menera recently studied a unit called “The Myth of Discovery” where they dove deeper into Christopher Columbus and the discovery of North America. The previous holiday of Columbus Day has also been more recently referred to as Indigenous People’s Day. Still, Novem-
ber is more focused on pumpkin pies and family feasts than celebrating the culture and traditions of the Native Americans, despite it also being the their heritage month. “When students have the opportunity to learn the harsh realities of the past, (as they do here at Branham) they have a more complete understanding of the world around them,” said Menera. “Students can use that knowledge to empathize with Indigenous people and other historically marginalized groups and then take steps toward actions that make the world a better place.”
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SPORTS
“(Heather Cooper is) what keeps coaches coming back. That’s what keeps the parents who are 10 years removed come in. That love.” - Tony Carason, photographer who manages volleyball team’s social media
SPORTS BRIEFS
SPORTS COVERAGE
Coverage breakdown
Field hockey Final record | Record:1-11 The team had a transition year. With many of last year’s seniors graduating, the team notched one win under their belt against Live Oak this season.
Football Final record | 6-4 Varsity lost their last league game to rival Leigh in an unfortunate shutout score of 28-0. The Bruins went head to head with the Longhorns on Nov. 6 on Leigh territory. Leading up to the game, the Bruins had just taken a win against Westmont, with a close match of 27-23. The Bruins did not qualify for CCS and placed fouth in the Santa Teresa bracket in their division.
27%
of 7 meets, including playoffs Field hockey
Jazzy Nguyen, Abbey Rhodes, Nolan Zils, AManda Day, Makayla Wu, Vivian Trinh, Juliette Bonacum/Bear WItness
Cross country The boys team placed ninth overall at their CCS final in Belmont, led by seniors Antoine Moret, senior and Dominic Clima. The girls team placed eighth, led by juniors Lauren Peters and Isabelle Moret and senior Megan Cubiss, who placed 19th, 22nd and 42nd, respectively. Antoine Moret represented Branham at the state finals in Fremont on Nov. 27.
Cross country
Girls tennis Final record | 6-8 Seniors Meena and Neela Iyer brought Branham back to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Though the sisters lost to Los Altos on Nov. 17 in two sets (1-6, 3-6), they said they were proud to begin a new tradition of excellence for the team. Boys Water Polo: Record: 12-0 The boys water polo team ranked first in their inaugural season, with senior Matt Knudsen earning league MVP. The team failed to advance in finals after a loss to Pioneer in the first round of BVALs. Girls Water Polo: Record: 7-5
The girls team finished their inaugural season with 3-8 loss against Santa Teresa. — Compiled by Alan Schaeffer
16.6% of 12 matches Football
100%
of 10 matches, home or away
Volleyball
ALAN SCHAEFFER Sports Editor
ABBEY RHODES
Special Projects Editor
alking past the bleachers of a typical home W football game, one is greeted by a wall of screaming students covered in blue.
The Blue Crew, the student cheer section, holds up Cindy, their mannequin mascot. Blu the Bruin highfives fans in the stands. The sideline cheer team leads the Bruin Beat. The pep band plays “Industry Baby” by Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow during breaks in play. When the team scores, cheers erupt from the crowd wearing navy and Columbia blue. After the game, posts flood social media, sharing photos and recapping the night’s score, from ASB’s @ seewhatsbruin and the Bear Witness and players’ and journalism students’ personal accounts. At Branham and throughout the United States, football culture rules. According to Gallop Polls, nearly 40% of Americans say that it is their most-watched sport. The National Football League is also the world’s most lucrative professional sport, bringing in $16 billion in accumulated revenue, which includes advertising dollars, audience attendance and apparel purchases. The football-centric coverage is also disproportionate on the social media pages from ASB and the Bear Witness, with a combined follower count of more than 6,000 in the community. In auditing our own fall sports coverage, the Bear Witness’ social media pages have covered 100% of football games, whether they’re home or away. The only fall sport that comes close was volleyball, which received coverage on a quarter of its league games. The team has been on a historic run, having reached the NorCal semifinals.
This year, the publication has covered all 11 football games (100%) compared to 10 volleyball games (45%), three cross country meets (27%), two field hockey matches (16.6%) two water polo games from either boys and girls teams (14%), and two tennis matches (12.5%). The lack of attention paid to other sports such as girls tennis, boys and girls water polo and field hockey is demoralizing for their athletes, who say that they are constantly fighting for attention. “It just feels like they don’t listen to us,” said senior Lindsay Freitas, a field hockey player and ASB leader. Field hockey games see almost no fans across their 17 league games, compared to the full bleachers and packed crowds that she has witnessed at football games. Additionally, the games are used as tentpole events for themed weeks, such as Homecoming and Dig Pink Week, which was originally a volleyball event. “Football is the big attraction here at Branham,” she said. “You don’t really want to go up against the moneymaker.” ASB Activities Director Christina Hillman pointed out that ASB sees football games more as events because of the amount of attendance that they receive and advertise them as such. “We need to build momentum with our Blue Crew and student section,” she said. “Once that momentum is built… we can get students to view other sporting events as events rather than being about the sport itself. Then when they actually attend the games, they will realize how cool some of these sports are to watch.” During outreach once a week, ASB creates slides to inform students on upcoming events at Branham. According to Freitas, ASB does their best to include updates about all sports events in these slides. However, she believes that little attention is paid to the information given during outreach and social media reaches
CULTIVATING CULTURE ZIV GALPAZ
Engagement Editor
MAKAYLA WU
D
of 32 matches, including historic playoff run Water polo
14%
Football has long dominated our attention, and for athletes in other fall sports, it’s long overdue for a change
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Staff Writer
25%
Editors’ note: The Bear Witness acknowledges its disproportionate coverage of football over other sports during the fall season, not just this year, but as far back as we remember. While writers are encouraged to cover sports and topics that they are interested in, it has perpetuated this bias. As we move on to winter sports, we are working to improve our coverage to make it timely, accurate and representative.
espite their loss against West Valley High School in the NorCal semifinals that ended their historic season Nov. 13, the Bruins still have lots to celebrate for. Ranked 73 in California, it’s easy to argue that Branham’s volleyball program is one of the best in the region. This season’s CCS division II win and the fact that they are again league champions will further cement their reputation. Head coach Heather Cooper credits the program’s success to the community of athletes, family and supporters that she’s helped build. Even without the built-in culture of larger pro-
grams such as football, they’ve found a way to bring attention to themselves, and often pack the gyms for home games. She’s called the girls team that she’s helped build a sisterhood, saying that she saw something special with the current history-making squad. “I knew my gut was telling me the way we’ve been winning this season, there was something truly special about it,” she said. “I used that to my advantage and created the culture that I wanted it to be. And it worked, and here we are.” The wider Branham community has also embraced the team. The Bagel Bar in Campbell, owned by senior Taylor Boehner’s family, donates proceeds from its a blue-and-white swirled Branham Bruin Volleyball bagel to the team. Players like junior Ava Medina treasure the en-
students better. “We have to pick and choose what events we advertise [on social media]. If you push out 20 graphics on the same day, no one’s gonna listen to you,” Freitas said. “So we try, but I always think there’s more that can be done.” Senior Adi Arora who plays quarterback and cornerback has also noticed the amount of attention his sport receives from the Bear Witness and from students. He also wants other sports to be covered just as much. “They deserve, at minimum, attention and support from ASB or the school,” he said. “(The Bear Witness) advertises every single football game, but (it would help) to advertise that the school really hits hard on other sports,” Freitas said, in reference to the Bear Witness’ sports coverage. Bear Witness co-editor-in-chief Nolan Zils acknowledges the bias and said that the timing of football games when most students are most available — Friday nights make it an easy sport to cover. Zils has covered nearly all football games and took on the volleyball coverage during their playoff run. But he said that should not be the mindset of student journalists. “(A good journalist) is caring enough to think, ‘okay, it may not be the most convenient and I may not like what needs to be covered, but these are the voices that are not being heard.’” Even with small improvements in the coverage of other sports, and equal funding and resources provided, athletes still envy the amount of attention given to football, and want some of that for their sport, their fellow athletes, and themselves. “I think part of being an athlete is about competing and doing things for yourself, but it’s always nice to see pictures of you,” said Bear Witness co-editor-in-chief Jazzy Nguyen. “And I think that it’s nice to see different sports being covered.”
History-making team inspires a loyalty among players and coaches like no other
vironment of their team that they’ve created. “It’s like a place for me and my teammates to escape,” said Medina. Among the satellite of supporters is professional photographer Tony Carason, Cooper’s longtime friend whom she describes as a blessing to have. Carason, who has been involved with Branham Volleyball for the past 12 years, helps promote the program through the social media he manages. In-between and during matches, he helps keep engagement with the program high. For their recent NorCal round two win over Buchanan High School, the Branham Volleyball Instagram account posted frequently set results of the close game with videos of gameplay and reactions. He also shares moments off the volleyball Carason says that his favorite part about the
volleyball program is the family and the people. But it’s Cooper who is the heart of the girls and boys programs, which she took over in 2008 and 2013, respectively. “It starts with the coach,” Carason said. “She puts her heart and soul into this, and she’s been doing it for so long. And that’s what keeps me coming back. That’s what keeps coaches coming back. That’s what keeps the parents who are 10 years removed come in. That love.” Although Cooper describes her coaching style as “hard and critical at times,” she knows that the girls understand that it’s because she wants them to accomplish great things. “It’s just the culture that we bring in here,” Cooper said. “The dedication and the passion, and it’s blood sweat and tears at times, but it’s worth it.”
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ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT Mini Reviews VIDEO GAME Mario Party Superstars Published by Nintendo What it is: The newest addition of the Mario Party franchise, “Mario Party Superstars” consists of about 100 minigames from all of the previous Mario party installments, Nintendo most of them with remastered graphics for the Nintendo Switch. Liked: The selection of boards and mini-games you can choose from are fantastic. The game can be played by anyone and you can play with anyone: whether it be with friends or someone in a different part of the world. The music is also very well done. Disliked: There are only 10 characters to choose from, which feels underwhelming for a franchise as big as Super Mario. If you’re going to advertise this game as this ultimate combination of around 100 past mini-games, you should include a wide variety of characters to go along with it. —Nolan Zils MOVIE Dune Directed by Denis Villeneuve What it is: The long-awaited remake/adaptation of the classic novel starring Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac and a roster of A-listers finally hits theaters. Chalamet is Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and people. Liked:The sets, costumes, and everything was really beautiful and intricate. You really felt like you were there. Disliked: The storyline can be hard to follow at times, especially for those who haven’t read the book beforehand. So read the book! —Sara Dediu SINGLE Telepathy Conan Gray What it is:”Telepath” is singer-songwriter Conan Gray’s newest single, released on October 29th. The telepath he mentions in the title is the narrator, who can read minds by following the trend of behavior his partner shows. Liked:I really like how catchy the song is. The infectious rhythms of the chorus drives the tune, along with circular lyrics such as “When yesterday you said you hated my guts/Now you’re back in love.” Disliked: How long I had to wait. Conan Gray teased the song since Sept. 15, meaning it’s been almost two months since it was first announced. I now listen to it almost every day. — Gyuri Kim
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“Wearing a mask does not hinder my enjoyment at all. It still feels great.” — Aidan Shattuck, member of local band the Globocons LIVE MUSIC
The return of the gig industry For fans of live shows, being vaccinated is a small hurdle to see their favorite artists
Fans over 12 wanting to attend Harry Styles’ “Love on Tour” show at the SAP Arena in Downtown San Jose on Nov. 11 must have been vaccinated. AUDREY NGUYEN Art Director
fter March 2020, it seemed as A though concerts would never return: tickets were refunded, venues
were closed, musicians took their gigs or dropped off. Venues such as the popular The Catalyst, a popular hangout in Santa Cruz, that were once thrumming with drums and screaming fans were left silent and abandoned. Many venues have finally made a tentative comeback. Concerts and tours are springing up across America alongside rising vaccination rates. California has made efforts to keep concerts a safe place with restrictions such as decreased capacity and mask requirements. For concertgoers like junior Danny Roach, the return of live music was welcomed with open arms. He attended the 100 Gecs concert last month at The Catalyst, a smaller venue in Santa Cruz with a capacity of 800 people. The venue requires proof of vaccination, masks, and negative COVID test results. The band, consisting of members Laura Les and Dylan Brady, released their debut album “1000 Gecs” in 2019. 100 Gecs’ music can be described as hyperpop or experimental noise-pop. “It was pretty nice honestly. I think there’s a certain level of safety depending on the security protocols,” Roach said. “There’s only relative
safety because there’s always people that could be lying, but if everybody’s vaccinated and people are wearing a mask as they enter, I think that it’s not horrible.” Aside from the changes that have gone on through restrictions and requirements, concert ambience has also changed. Senior Caleigh Le, another concert goer, saw the rapper Pitbull at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in September. “The atmosphere is definitely different, I feel like people are much more bold,” Le said. “People are so much more excited to be in these concerts because it’s been a year where they haven’t been able to go out at all. I feel like artists are also appreciating audiences more and audiences are appreciating artists more.” Attendees welcomed the return to stages and venues, while venues and musicians gladly invited the long-needed paycheck. According to ABC news, 27.4% of musicians reported being unemployed in 2020. In June 2021, this rate was reduced to 13.5% according to the National Endowment for the Arts. Aidan Shattuck, a member of the local band Globocons, was one of these musicians who lost job opportunities. “No gigs to play, no money to be made. I’m lucky I’m not a professional musician,“ said Shattuck, who turned to music production because of the restrictions.
Audrey Nguyen/Bear Witness
Audrey Nguyen/Bear Witness Smaller venues such as The Catalyst in Santa Cruz have welcomed back live shows. Shattuck, a senior and bassist at Lincoln High School, mainly gets his income from playing gigs, whether it be musicals or house shows. His band, Globocons, is made of San Jose highschoolers, Shattuck, singer Will King, and drummer Jess Zalk. With the missing component of live music, the scene seemed to dry for a moment. Now, with its return, the energy
is palpable. “It’s great. I love it,” Shattuck said. “Obviously it’s not the same, because the whole world is not the same, but I really enjoy it. Wearing a mask does not hinder my enjoyment at all. It still feels great. I’m fully vaccinated. I’m mostly still outside, and I’m wearing a mask. Not everybody else does, but that’s enough for me.”
EQUITY THROUGH ART
‘They should feel like the school welcomes them’ Mural Club’s work on campus explores themes of diversity and kindness
SARA DEDIU Staff Writers
ne of the ways students and staff O at Branham have been advocating for equity and representation is through
Sara Dediu/Bear Witness A Mural Club member retouches one of the three murals in the World Languages building in November.
art, specifically murals. Branham’s mural club has been an official club since the beginning of the 2021 school year. So far, they’ve been meeting every Wednesday and Friday to discuss and work on their new mural. Their main goal is to represent as many students, languages, and countries as they can through their art. The mural club at Branham began with Spanish teacher Erica Marquez, the club adviser, pitching the idea for a school mural. A parent had recently donated a $1,000 to Branham, and Mar-
quez wanted to put it towards something both meaningful and aesthetic for the school. “I want students to see equity in the walls of our school,” Marquez said. “They should feel like the school recognizes and welcomes them.” The mural club’s first work that was finished at the end of the 2020 school year depicts a tree with two cupped hands at the top for branches and colorful handprints for leaves. The names of many countries replace the roots and the word “love” is written in different languages across the crown of the tree. According to Marquez, it represents how even though everyone comes from different countries, we all grow together. “We’re just trying to spread kindness
and love through paintings,” said club vice president sophomore Camilla Hernandez. “If people can see that they’re accepted and see themselves being represented around campus, it really does make a difference.” The mural club’s future plans include a world map with symbols representing different countries, as well as a butterfly to represent someone growing and coming out of their cocoon. As for the club themselves, co-president sophomore Joseph Passarelli hopes they will eventually reach bigger goals and milestones. “My favorite part is having something that people can walk by and be proud of. So, it’d be great if we could expand that outside the school,” Passarelli said. Not only do they have overarching
goals of peace and love, but the mural club is also an opportunity to practice your art skills. They experiment with different types of art mediums, styles, and supplies, which gives the artists a lot of creative freedom. “A lot of members just do this for the art aspect,” club co-president sophomore Thuan Do said. “And that’s really my big goal with this club, for people to have a nice space to create.” As for the effect the art has been having on students, Marquez says she has seen students standing in front of the love tree mural and trying to guess what it says in the different languages. “Students now have something to look at rather than a blank wall and it’s something they can learn from as well.”
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ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT
“When I’m drawing I don’t feel constrained by things like grammar, wording, or getting everything out on one page.”— Digital artist Stella Wong, a junior TELEVISION
Still prime time for classic TV Finding comfort watching — and rewatching — shows such as ‘Friends’ and ‘The Office’ Streaming fascts about nostalgia TV
MILA WINDELL Staff Writer
NBC Universal
Friends | HBO Max When it picked up the show from Netflix, HBO Max said that “Friends” is the “No. 1 performing show” on the platform to date. HBO Max doesn’t provide any concrete viewership numbers to back up that claim, however.
Gilmore Girls | A Year in the Life Entertainment Weekly reported that Symphony, streaming tracking company, claims that “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” brought in 5 million viewers (18-49 age viewers) within the first three days of release.
ABC
Grey’s Anatomy | ABC, Hulu In its 18th season, the show is especially popular among the coveted 18-49 demographic. More than 14.2 million viewers tuned in to its season premiere this year. Past seasons of the show are second to “The Office” in popularity.
The Office | Peacock Nielsen dubbed “The Office” as the most popular streaming TV show in 2020, saying that Americans streamed more than 57 billion minutes of the show, which went off the air in 2013. — Compiled by staff
ART
Seeing joy in self-expression Artists share their rai·son d’être for creating SAL MCCLURE Layout Editor
rom illustrating to photography, art F is a huge part of Branham students’ lives. Art is much more than just a hobby for students. It acts as a comfort for mental health related issues and a way to connect with others. Not only is art used for stress relief but for self expression. Sophomore Finn Albano has been a digital artist for the past six years, and recently has been creating and sharing stickers for school events such as the Coming Out day stickers and the sophomore class shirt. “Art was the only thing I did, and the only thing that I enjoyed,” Albano said. Because of stereotypes and criticisms it was more difficult for Albano to openly express his skills in art. For example, in the classic teen movie “The Breakfast Club,” Ally Sheedy is depicted as the “weird” kid who draws. At schools, students who tend to sit
alone and draw are viewed by many as the “weird art kid” making students self-conscious to be their unique self. “I hate putting myself into those categories because it’s about expressing yourself individually,” he said. Albano said it was hard to come to terms with his passion because of these stereotypes. “I wasn’t proud of my art because of that and I rejected the art side of me,” Albano said. While Albano has found a way to share his art through his Instagram and through his sticker creations, senior Sam Arillo said photography has helped her connect with her mom, who introduced her to photography in 2008. Because of work, her mom was not at home frequently. “Photography allowed us to spend a lot more time together,” she said. The thrill of capturing a genuine moment is what draws Arillo to photography, which requires patience and timing.
Each month, a student selected at random shares what’s on their playlist, and plays it on shuffle. What follows is a conversation about their song selection. Freshman Al Niemann’s music taste could be described as a variety of genres, but centers around classics from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Niemann’s parents are big fans of bands like ABBA and Queen, which in turn became what they listen to now. A musician and musical theatre student, Niemann’s life is filled with music. Cage the Elephant: “Cigarette Daydreams” AN: I love this song. It sparks a lot of creative thoughts for me, so I listen to it when I’m writing. It reminds me of late-night drives and it makes me feel very sappy and nostalgic. Hot Freaks: “Puppy Princess” AN: This is such a cheery and happy song. It’s so catchy and I love singing along and dancing to it, with friends or just by myself. It makes me feel so free, like I’m floating.
Fitz Vo/Bear Witness Sophomore Finn Albano shows off the stickers he designed for his ASB class - one for Coming Out Day and one for the Bruins. She said that the point of photography is to freeze a moment in time. “You’re capturing a moment of what they are feeling,” Arillo said. For junior Stella Wong, a digital artist who has contributed to the Bear Witness pages the past three years, illustration evokes a purity that does not require laboring over specificity. It just flows.
Elton John: “I’m Still Standing” AN: This is another song that I use for writing inspiration. It makes me feel very confident and sometimes helps me get over things. It’s a great song to relate to after you’ve overcome something.” Queen: “Don’t Stop Me Now” AN: Another song that’s great to dance and sing to. It’s so fun and it makes me feel like I’m on a roll, and I got this, especially whenever I lose motivation to do something. It just puts me in a good mood overall.
NBC Universal
Netflix
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | HBO Max While the more serious reboot will be launching on NBC’s Peacock, the original series is enjoying a resurgence on HBO Max.
Cobra Kai | Netflix According to Netflix, all three seasons of Cobra Kai have been viewed by a total of 73 million households, a figure that puts the Karate Kid spinoff among some of Netflix’s most-popular series, including Stranger Things, Tiger King and “Squid Game.”
Al Niemann | Freshman|
Queen: “Killer Queen” AN: This is my song. I love dancing to it with my friends; it’s such a great vibe. It specifically reminds me of this school dance I went to. I was very anxious, but when this song started playing I just didn’t care and started dancing, it was great.
NBC Universal
2000s have never left us. Teens who weren’t born yet or were barely alive when these shows first went off the air have found comfort in sitcoms, before social media consumed our lives. Before it moved to NBC’s Peacock service, “The Office,” which aired from 2005-2013 on NBC, was one of Netflix’s most popular shows. Now in its 18th season, “Grey’sAnatomy has averaged 15 million viewers per episode, both live and through streaming. On campus, “Friends” logos can be seen plastered on hoodies along with Dunder Mifflin coffee mugs, among other things. For Film Club members seniors Maleen Schoenberg and Faith Jordan, older TV shows are a way to connect them to the past, and to bond with their family. “Being able to play on people’s perception of ‘the good old days’ where you snuggled up to your mom as she put on a rerun of ‘Friends’ lets people revisit that feeling whenever they see that show again,” Jordan said. “Old TV shows could’ve been a way that someone related to their parents or their elders.” Creators have also capitalized on the popularity of nostalgia TV, recycling decades-old ideas, but adding social media influencers in the mix. For Film Club vice president Bisan Suleiman, these are a cynical ploy that prioritize profits rather than creating anything genuinely interesting. Suleiman points to the remake of “She’s All That,” titled “He’s All That,” which banks on recognizable names such as Addison Rae, a social media personality. For Suleiman, trying to build and establish a character, rather than going off an old one, helps audiences keep a fresh perspective. “They don’t necessarily have a message or an underlying theme teenagers can relate to,” Suleiman said. “I would like to see more original stories because there’s still so many stories to tell. I feel like we’re not giving them enough attention.” Suleiman said that with many inexperienced social media influencers trying out acting, their characters can come off as stiff and inauthentic. Freshman Tamara Restrepo, who calls herself an avid movie enthusiast, thinks it is better not to mix social media stars with Hollywood. She finds that she connects more with shows that have a skilled cast who are able to portray their role in a genuine manner. She points to the recent popularity of “Squid Game,” as one of the few exceptions. It has smashed records to become a global phenomenon, with a unique storytelling hook. “I can experience what the characters are experiencing,” Restrepo said. “When they’re happy, I’m happy. When they’re sad, I’m sad. I connect myself with the characters and they become kind of like a family.”
Warner Bros. Television
ith “The Office,” “Gilmore Girls” W and “Friends” still as popular as ever, it’s like comfort food shows from the early
Rules
“When I’m drawing I don’t feel constrained by things like grammar, wording, or getting everything out on one page,” said Wong. Finally, art is an opportunity for expression. Sophomore Pelin Eroglu defines it simply: as long as one is expressing their inner artistic self, it is art. “Anything can be art,” Eroglu said.
Coyote Theory: “This Side of Paradise” AN: “I feel like this song kind of invites me to come be lonely with the artist. I find it very sweet and comforting because I’m lonely a lot, and sometimes I want to be lonely with people. I get this really calm but fun feeling from the song.” Electric Light Orchestra: “Mr. Blue Sky” AN: This makes me feel care-free and in my own little world. It’s kind of just fun to listen to. It reminds me of the saying “there’s alway a rainbow after the storm.” Billy Joel: “We Didn’t Start the Fire” AN: It’s really catchy and it’s such a fun song to sing. It kind of talks about the world and its problems, but in a satirical way. It reminds me of a time when my friend and I burned a whole bunch of letters in a ‘getting rid of them’ moment, and my friend started singing this song. It was really funny. ABBA: “Mamma Mia” AN: A great classic. I just love the tune of it. It’s fun to play when you’re in a car with your friends. When my mom and I were watching the musical together, we both started singing it and that kind of brought us together. Wheatus: Teenage Dirtbag AN: This song reminds me of an ‘80s or ‘90s sitcom for some reason, when those kids have their little rebellious moments. It’s really funny. This song makes me feel like I’m the main character in a movie.” — Sara Dediu and Mila Windell
12
BEAR WITNESS
| DECEMBER 2021 |
BHSBEARWITNESS.COM
THE BACK PAGE
FLUSH
WITH OPINIONS
reese gardner maceo inoue saisahasra makamchenna
bathroom use may be branham’s no. 1 issue
For 40% of Branham teachers, a telltale sign
How often do students ask to use the bathroom?
“Are there any questions?”
In a survey of 42 teachers, most said the average number of times students use the bathroom per period is between three- toseven times a period.
That a student will ask to use the bathroom comes after they say this:
Other signs they share that a student might ask to go include •When it gets quiet •The first time they look up from their phone •And immediately after they enter the classroom. Using the bathroom should not be anything controversial, but students and teachers are far apart when asked whether their peers are taking advantage of frequent trips to use the bathroom. We explore some reasons why.
This number increases for math classes, whose teachers report an average of five- to- 10 students use the bathroom per period. In world language classes an average of 3-6 times per period. Physics teacher Ioanna Theodosopoulou even kept track of her students in a typical day: “Period 1: None. Period 2: Three same students, Period 3: Three same students, Period 4: Seven same students. They all ask once every time I see them.”
Bathroom policies vary from teacher to teacher
Remember those destination forms? At the beginning of the year, students had to fill out a destination form before leaving a class room during the class periods and tutorial/outreach. When the form closed in mid-October, it was found that out of 3,135 responses, 2,758 (88%) of them were to use the bathroom.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS: Do you think students are taking advantage of the bathroom policy?
among readers
74% NO
Bear Witness survey of 262 readers
among teachers
61.8% YES
Bear Witness survey of 42 teachers
YES
???
NO
“Because sometimes I just gotta leave a boring class.”
“What bathroom policy?”
Jayden Kim, junior
Branham does not have an official bathroom policy.
“I have to use the bathroom to center myself when I get too anxious or else I panic.”
Taylor Boehner, senior
Abby Mannina, senior
YES
NO
YES
“Some people are misuing school property and others have to deal with their consequences.”
“We all have our needs. There are breaks, but we can’t control when we need to use the bathroom.”
“Some students go to the bathroom longer than it takes to go.”
Jackie Broer, freshman
Jessica Morales, senior
Akshar Parmar, sopjomore
72%
of teachers in our survey say they have or are going to implement a rule regarding bathroom use. Social science teacher Donald Mason said that in his 23 years of teaching, he has never had to add a bathroom policy until this year. Some of the policies that teachers are using include providing a certain number of passes for a given time period, no bathroom privileges 15 minutes after class starts or before class ends, even a sign-out sheet.
Teachers sound off “There is no way to verify that they in fact are in the restroom and no consequences if they are abusing the system — except for they don’t complete their work.” Leticia Molina, Spanish teacher “The focus should be on how can we keep students engaged in class and wanting to stay rather than over controlling how they use the restroom.” Ryan Matthews, science teacher “The lack of access to open bathrooms is a huge issue. I’ve had students outside of class for more than 30 minutes because the nearest 4 bathrooms were closed.” Steven Turner, math and computer science teacher “Some students have health issues, and I understand that but others just want to go for a walk or avoid what is going on in class.” Sue Seden, math teacher
Stalls and bathroom breaks There are 10 girls bathrooms and 12 boys bathrooms, and one gender-neutral bathroom available on campus. With stalls taking more space for girls bathrooms, lines for the bathroom can form in-between classes, and students have often had to either be late to class or wait until class time to go to the bathroom. In a recent survey, female students say the lack of available bathrooms has made them late at least once in the last school year.
76.2%
of teachers surveyed that students’ frequent bathroom use disrupts class time. “The longer a student is out, the more they miss. Once a student was gone for 15 minutes. They missed a whole activity, and I was about to call the office worried that something had gone wrong and they were hurt/missing.” Melanie Vega, English teacher
Costly vandalism
Branham has spent more than $1,500 fixing damaged bathrooms in the past three months, with soap dispensers ripped out, and toilets clogged with underwear, forcing bathroom closures. “Why are they doing it and what do they achieve?” first-year custodian Tyler Miller asked. “It’s just making my life hard — for what? I want to pick his brain and understand why.”
