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BEAR
WITNESS BRANHAM HIGH SCHOOL
FEBRUARY 2018
@bhsbearwitness BHSBEARWITNESS.COM
DACA RECIPIENTS FACE UNCERTAIN FUTURE
GO PUBLIC, DREAMERS URGED
SJSU leader is undocumented, wants to be advocate for students in same position ANNALISE FREIMARCK News Editor
Ariadna Manzo Undocumented student is urging others to come forward, find resources.
riadna Manzo, an undocumented immiA grant and San Jose State student body president, has this to tell undocumented Bran-
ham students: Don't fear your status. Going public will help you find resources and help, she said. After she graduates this spring with a degree in political science, Manzo wonders if she will be able to get a job, or even remain in the U.S. Manzo’s parents immigrated to the U.S. illegally from Mexico, and her goal as a school leader
is to be an advocate for other students who share her status so that others will find inspiration through her story and in turn share theirs. “It’s okay to be fearful because I’m fearful every single day,” she said. “I would tell them to find empowerment through their status.” As a freshman, she considered dropping out within the first two weeks school because she wasn’t aware of many resources for people like her. “I felt like I was the only undocumented student,” she said. “It would have been a very different story in my frosh orientation if the
president came and spoke and said they were undocumented” as she has done as president. Manzo’s fears for her future take on extra urgency as the March 6 deadline nears for Congress to take action on DACA recipients, the nearly 800,000 young people who entered the United States illegally as children who have applied for deferred action on their immigration status. As of mid-February, no clear plan has emerged. Her experience resonates with those in the Branham Latino community. English teacher SEE DACA • PAGE 5
DRIVEN AWAY a vera
18 zip code 1 5 9 n i cost e m ge ho Starting teacher salary: $50,000 Teacher salary at 30 years: $110,000
. n i m 30
e commute g a r e v a
Longest commute: Fairfield (90 min. away)
57.1 percent of teachers don’t plan to live in district Lower cost of living outside Bay Area forces many teachers to commute ANASTASIA LANGNER Copy Editor
chools in the Campbell Union High School District reside S across San Jose, Campbell and Saratoga, among the least affordable cities in the country. This hits teachers hard.
Of the nearly 50 teachers the Bear Witness surveyed, more than 50 percent said they could never be able to purchase a home in the district they serve. Some teachers live a drive 30 minutes or more away from Branham; one said that he drives nearly 90 minutes from Fairfield. For most professionals working in the Bay Area, rush-hour traffic, long commutes and unaffordable living are the norm. Teachers, in addition to their daily duties, are also highly encouraged to pick up after-school extracurriculars. Managing clubs and
thedream.us Provides list of scholarships and aid for undocumented students
MARCH FOR OUR LIVES
HOUSING COSTS
$1 million
Resources for undocumented students United We Dream Made up of students and youth that are undocumented to get their voices heard, while also aiding students in their future, preventing deportation, and protecting LGBTQ+ immigrants
coaching athletics are additional workloads along with planning lessons and grading hundreds of tests in a timely manner. The time adds up, and geography is important. Living in the Bay Area poses its own set of unique financial challenges, as only 19 percent of those living San Jose can afford to purchase a home. According to the California Association of Realtors. San Jose is the sixth most expensive city in America. Buying a house averages close to $1 million, and renting a family home can cost nearly upwards of $3,000 per month. Teacher salaries are a source of stress and anxiety. Cambrian Union High School District’s typical pay for new teachers starts approximately at $50,000, and peaks at $110,000 for those with more than 30 years’ experience. However, with high turnover -SEE TEACHERS • PAGE 5
“I don’t want anybody to live in fear that they’re going to go to school and die.” Senior Daniel Voskoboynik, Prospect High School
Prospect students bring gun safety march to San Jose JULIA KOLMAN, MICHAELA EDLIN and ANNALISE FREIMARCK Staff reports
rospect students are among thousands of P teens nationwide leading mobilization efforts to end gun violence in the wake of the
Florida school shootings that left 17 dead. The students, David Lei, Novia Dattatri, Hiwad Haider and Daniel Voskoboynik, all seniors, are fundraising for the March for Our Lives San Jose, one of hundreds of rallies planned March 24. They are joining an increasingly vocal choir of students who are advocating for long-term gun legislation that they hope will end school shootings like the one on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Park42 percent land, Fla. of all the world's “I don’t want people to have that fear,” said firearms are owned Voskoboynik. “I don’t want anybody to live in by those living in U.S. fear that they’re going to go to school and die.” 90 Voskoboynik said that mass shooters have the March for Our been active in the Lives Facebook group is seeing a lot of trac- U.S. from 1966 to tion, and has received 2012 more than $7,000 in donations toward city permits and security on March 24 their GoFundMe page. nationwide March He said he is drivfor our Lives rally, en by the student-led grassroots effort, and including San Jose. acknowledges that organizing a massive rally takes a lot of planning and meetings. “We aren’t experienced, but we are finding out along the way, we are making mistakes and learning from that,” he said. “We’re okay with making mistakes because we just want to advocate for a change.” According to David Lei, who initiated local efforts for the march, their groups’ ultimate goal is to educate students. He’s targeting voting-age students who prior to the shooting have not been politically active. “Whoever shows up to this event that hasn't been an advocate before, that hasn't taken a stance on any political issue before, is going to be more informed,” Lei said. “Those that are already informed well become more passionate, and the idea is that … the advocacy that we're going to continue as an organization after this SEE SHOOTING • PAGE 5
INSIDE
Campus briefs.................................2 News.............................................. 2
Editorial..........................................4 Bulletin Board.................................3
Science and Technology..................6 Science/Tech Briefs.........................6
InDepth...........................................7 Student Life....................................8
MiniReviews.................................11 Sports.............................................9
Arts & Entertainment...................11 The Back Page...............................12
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BEAR WITNESS
NEWS
|
FEBRUARY 2018 |
BHSBEARWITNESS.COM
“A parking pass doesn’t guarantee a spot in the parking lot, but we still didn’t want to give out more and make the issue bigger than it already is,” Principal’s secretary Melody Jones
Campus roundups ASB students honored for role in Day of Service Student leaders seniors Mac Francini and Aruni Areti, junior Connor Ngo and sophomore Kaitlynn Lee were honored Feb. 15 for their work on the district’s annual Day of Service, which was held at Branham this
year. The Day of Service in January drew more than 300 student leaders in ASB and other clubs around the district. Activities included making blankets and lunches for the needy. Branham, Ida Price choirs collaborate in concert The school cafeteria was packed with parents Valentine’s Day eve as the Branham and Ida
Price Middle School choirs sang songs about love in the first collaboration between the schools. The performers wore shades of red, pink and purple in celebration of the holiday. Choir teacher Barbara West said that this is the first of future planned collaborations.
by this Friday, making room for the planned renovations of two-story buildings, including state-of-the-art science facilities. Pankow, the company behind the deconstruction, has provided hourly feeds of the ongoing process. Visit www.bhsbearwitness.com for the link.
Buildings leveled ahead of scheduled renovations Builders are on track to level the four buildings
— Compiled by staff reports
United by the Olympics Korean students celebrate thaw in relations, cautiously hopeful of peace
Advisories target at-risk students 130 students
MICHAELA EDLIN Managing Editor
ore than 50 freshman M and 80 sophomore students in danger of not
Courtesy of Creative Commons The unified Korean team marching in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics at Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium on Feb. 9. AARON DEANS Online Editor
he Winter Olympics may be over, T but Korean-American students at Branham are hopeful the Korean penin-
sula, buoyed by their partnership between two countries at war, sees a long thaw ahead of it. At the opening ceremony, North and South Korean athletes marched into the Pyeongchang’s Olympic stadium under a unified flag displaying the Korean peninsula in blue with no divide between the nations. The also Koreas formed a joint women’s hockey team. The collaboration between the two countries event was an exciting development for Branham’s Korean population. Kelley Sheen, Branham alumnus and former Bear Witness editor in chief, said that she sees a thaw in relations between the two countries, but is not optimistic for any long-term resolution. “I just don’t think that reunification’s ever going to happen,” she said. “[North Korea has] the opportunity to show off their players, they have the opportunity to collab with [South Korea], but it’s not going to be something that’s like ‘Oh, North and South Korea are getting together again!’ We all think it’s great, but
in the end, we know that reunification isn’t possible.” Sophomore Eddie Kim posted frequently on his social media to hype the Olympics. Because of his background as a speed skater, sophomore Eddie Kim was enthusiastic for speed skating in this year’s Olympics. When informed of the Koreas’ hockey team-up, he thought that the collaboration would only serve to fuel further issues between the nations. “I think both of them participating in the Winter Olympics might create more conflict in the future after the games, and especially even with the U.S. being part of the problem, I think it’s gonna heighten the tension between all three.” Upon crossing the border into South Korea, the North Korean athletes quickly encountered mixed reactions: a welcome from their South Korean teammates, as well as conservative activists nearby protesting against Pyongyang, according to ABC News. Sophomore Kyley Martinez, co-president of Branham’s Liberty in North Korea club (LINK), thought the collaboration would have positive results, and might be a sign of emerging cooperation between the Koreas.
History teacher and LiNK advisor Brett Johanson also suggested that something such as an Olympic team-up could have positive results specifically for the women on the team. “It has the potential to be a very positive experience,” he said. “Similar efforts have been made between Israelis and Palestinians in the past, and the participants often come to find common ground and establish positive dialog. The same will hopefully happen in this case.” While the prospect of a unified Korean team and the picture of a unified flag might suggest improved political relations between the two countries in the future, other incidents show how complicated the matter is. In 1986, North Korea requested to co-host the 1988 Olympics with South Korea. When South Korea declined, North Korea responded by bombing a Korean Air flight, whose passengers were mostly South Koreans, in 1987. Johanson mentioned North Korea’s unpredictability as part of the issue. “[Cooperation between the Koreas in the Olympics won’t affect relations] at the decision-making level of government,” he said. “In order for that to take place, you would have to be dealing with rational players and Kim Jong-un is not rational.”
graduating are eligible to receive extra help in specialized advisory and tutorial classes. This decision came after nearly a decade of trends in student data, showing that students who were failing multiple classes freshmen and sophomore year were more likely to fail high school. Physical education teacher Laura Andersson, who is also advisor of the National Honor Society chapter, was one of the main drivers behind the decision. The year between their freshman and sophomore year is “where students decide they’re either going to do well, or... tank,” she said. Andersson said that academic intervention was necessary to aid these students. “We could talk about it until we’re blue in the face, but talking about it does nothing,” she said. “We need action.” The five specialized advisories are made up of 15-19 freshman and sophomore students, compared to the usual 28-32. The small class sizes allow for more student attention; Andersson found through student interviews the past two years, one-on-one teacher connection can often aid students’ success. For that reason, these classes meet every Monday and Friday. Mondays are used to help students plan for the week, and Fridays are for reflection. English teacher Barbara Arduini is one of the teachers who teaches a specialized advisory class. She has noticed that attendance is spotty with two advisory classes a week. “They all come on Friday, if they’re on campus,” she said. “On the (extra) Monday, it’s kind of hit or miss.” For Arduini, taking on the extra advisory for at-risk students is a meaningful task. “I’m not getting paid extra to do this,” she said, “It’s just something I’m doing because I care about them individually.” The new advisory program
Amount of freshman and sophomores receiving special advisory has similar goals for AVID students, with the distinction that AVID students are on a college-going track. “AVID is targeted at students who are already doing well, but they don’t have the resources at home to necessarily know what the right path is or what classes they should take,” she said. The special advisory classes are for students who are struggling with school and need the motivation to improve their experience at Branham. The curriculum is also slightly altered. Teachers focus on helping students make a formalized plan for every week that addresses academic stressors, as well as bonding to create connections between these students and their teachers. The classes aren’t only just to improve grades, or even necessarily for students who are struggling academically; the goal is to better the high school experience. That may mean improving grades and attendance. For others, the program can provide another reliable adult whom students can count on, as the teachers chosen have a record of working with underperforming students. The new program has created issues with normal tutorials. “The hardest thing about it is not having the extra tutorial for my other students,” Arduini said. These students instead have to come during other times for help. Additionally, due to the size of the specialized advisories, other advisories have had to expand in order to compensate for all students. Finally, the freshman Link Crew program has been interrupted, with some leaders losing entire classes. Freshmen in the advisory classes do not meet with their Link Crew leaders, but this may change.
Construction eats into available parking for students JOCELYN PIERCE
Arts & Entertainment Editor
a parking spot is getting SThenagging harder than ever for students. start of construction earlier this
year meant losing about 40 parking spots from Branham’s parking lot, and on top of adding more staff parking in order to allow teachers and faculty to park on campus, parking for students has turned into a firstcome, first-served competition. Stu-
Bear Witness Editor-in-Chief Julia Kolman Managing Editor Michaela Edlin Production Editor Rosalie Gonzalez
dents have to obtain a parking pass to be able to park in the parking lot, or face a $20 fine anytime they are found parking without one. While the easy solution would be for every driving student to obtain a parking pass, the shortage of parking also means a shortage of parking passes. Principal’s secretary Melody Jones, who is in charge of handing out parking passes, has had to temporarily stop handing them out in order to give parking priority to those who
obtained one first. “A parking pass doesn’t guarantee a spot in the parking lot, but we still didn’t want to give out more and make the issue bigger than it already is,” Jones said. Students do have the option to be placed on a waiting list to get a parking pass when they do become available again, though they likely won’t be obtainable for the rest of the school year. While it doesn’t guarantee obtaining a pass anytime soon, students
Editors News: Annalise Freimarck Opinion: Julianne Alvares Science and Technology: Taylor Susewitz Student Life: Uzor Awuzie Sports: Ryan McCarthy Entertainment: Jocelyn Pierce Copy: Anastasia Langner, Mahta Delshad Online: Aaron Deans Photography: Atticus Ahearn In-Depth: Julia Marques Da Silva
can still see Jones in the main office to be placed on the list. Parking around Branham is available, but is limited and often seen as inconvenient. The Meridian Square Shopping Center and the Desin Square Shopping Center parking lots across from Branham are open as long as they park far away from the businesses as possible. Conflicts arose last year when students parked in spots that should have been available for the customers of said businesses.
Staff Writers Azura Gutierrez, Catherine Monroy, Matthew Follo, Omar Ababneh, Shlok Gore Adviser: Fitzgerald Vo 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.
Students forced to use this option of parking often see it as an extra inconvenience. Junior Kaitlyn Palermo said that it can be especially frustrating for athletes. Those who have parking pass will be expected to turn it back in at the end of year. Students will be able to obtain them during the registration process prior to the beginning of the school year. Seniors will have main priority, followed by the juniors, sophomores and then the freshman, if applicable. Contact Us Instagram: @bhsbearwitness Twitter: @bhsbearwitness Website: www.bhsbearwitness.com Phone: (408) 626-3407 Email: bhs_journalism@yahoo.com
BEAR WITNESS | FEBRUARY 2018 | BHSBEARWITNESS.COM “The general atmosphere of the classroom I’m in is distracting because there are kids on their phones doing nothing,” Junior Sabrina Jones
3
OPINION
Editorial Attendance scofflaws deserve social probation The opinion of the Bear Witness editors
he bell rings on at 8 a.m. on a Thursday mornT ing at Branham. Another school day is about to begin.
There is only one problem: a lot of students are not in class when that bell rings. Over 250 students were placed on social probation for this past six-week grading period, prohibiting them from attending school-related functions, including dances, sporting events and more. Most were put on social probation for excessive tardies, requiring them to serve a five-hour detention or sit through the six-week probation period.
The culture at Branham is one where a lot of students don’t see importance in attending class on a regular basis.
”
This punishment often doesn’t resonate with offenders, most of whom care little about extracurriculars, or school in general, anyway. Through observations, there are still students coming from the parking lot en masse a few min-
utes after the final bell rings, most of whom are walking without an urgency. There are others coming through the back gate five minutes late, and those arriving even later dare to hop the fence. The school has a high standard for student performance, which includes district and in-class assessments, as well as punctuality to class. When students are habitually missing class, their performance in class, as well as the schools. Students who skip class need to know they aren’t just hurting themselves by not showing up, they are negatively impacting the entire school as well. The main problem the school is facing is the student body’s concern with school. Students who are habitually late to or absent from class, especially tutorial, are people who couldn’t care less about their grades. This lack of attention falls on the teachers, as they need to enforce this
attention to school on students who may be on the fence about caring about their education. Without the proper emphasis placed on school and the impact school performance can have on their future, the students who already bypass classes will never see the value of instructional time. The culture at Branham is one where a lot of students don’t see the importance in attending class on a regular basis. The ultimate goal is to create a culture of punctuality, both in the student body and in the staff to achieve the high standard the school has been dreaming of. This is no easy fix; it may take a whole new class that resists temptations to skip class, but fixing this problem is imperative. A fix can improve the entire reputation of the school, but failing to do this will mean a continuation of the contagious delinquent habits that most fall victim to.
Media show biases in covering Trump SHLOK GORE Staff Writer
resident Donald Trump tweets another obP noxious message and the media explodes. One side tirelessly defends his every move and
ng, -wi t h Rig wing ing left ken w c h c i
If it’s on TV it actuall , y happene d
Samiksha Boranna and Michaela Edlin/ Bear Witness
action, and the other side relentlessly tries to tear him down, neither weighing the situation to see if it is truly as it seems. Media coverage president Trump has had a different spin almost everywhere you look. The conservative side almost always defends no matter the action made by him. On the other hand, the more liberal side seemingly cannot do anything except tear him and his actions down, even is the consequences are not as bad as they seem. For the same news events, a plethora of different headlines can be seen, ranging from constructive and praising, to criticizing and sometimes downright disrespectful. For one example, the situation of Donald Trump’s tax returns, the two headlines from the right and left could not have been more polar. On one side, CNN blasts the headline: “Guess who loses with Trump’s tax plan?” On the other, Fox News released: “Trump: U.S. ‘Really going to start to rock’ after tax plan approved.” Just at a glance, one can see the differences in tone between the two headlines and the sources they use. One seems to have a more negative connotation than the other. CNN uses the word “loses” in their headline, implying the tax plan that President Trump put into place will have more setbacks and losses than financial savings for the American people. Of course, CNN is one of the best examples of media bias that there is, because not only do they have a very liberal point of view, but they also express those opinions in the way that they report on news events and government circumstances. Fox News on the other hand, tends to have a more conservative lense in the way they report on events. Their specific angle on this issue was illustrated in the way that Donald Trump’s quote was incorporated into
the headline. “Trump: U.S. ‘Really Going to Start to Rock’ After Tax Plan Approved” gives off the vibe that this motion for taxation will have a beneficial effect to Americans, mostly because of the cordial and positive tone that is displayed. Word choice plays an important role most headlines, and it specifically helps in this case due to the positive radiance and character that the quote adds to the overall mood. The election of President Trump has given additional rise to the awareness of bias in the media, however, this is not new. The news has been partial for decades, going back to the Vietnam War, if not even further. In the duration of the Vietnam conflict, news outlets in support of the war ran shocking stories of war crimes committed by the enemy as an effort to stoke the people’s desire to be the international hero in that time in history. On the other side, various media bodies that were strongly against the deployment of troops in the Vietnam conflict flooded the news with images of death and horror as an effort to null the popular support of the exhaustive and draining campaign. Media bias did play a role in turning the tide against the war, leading to the evacuation of American troops from the Southeast Asian country. Although the attention that President Trump amasses from the media seems to surpass the levels that other presidents received, that is not the case. Former President Barack Obama faced frequent and similar biases from news sources after every government move. Of course, President Obama rarely tweeted about controversial topics online, for instead of exercising his thumbs, he used his political strategy to win the votes of congressmen and senators to actually make a difference in American policy. Media bias is something that ordinary people cannot avoid. It echoes out of the mouths of reporters and floats through the screen right into your ears. It is a powerful effect, and can sway the opinions of the population in the blink of an eye.
Oprah for president? Like most celebs, she’s unqualified JOCELYN PIERCE
H
Arts & Entertainment Editor
ow would you feel about a real estate agent giving you open heart surgery? Or a dentist building your house? Or a doctor changing your car battery? Surely, having an under-qualified person doing an important job would raise red flags for anyone. So why should we put under-qualified celebrities in charge of an entire country? President Donald Trump was elected into office as the first person with no prior government or military experience. And, legally, he’s allowed to do that. The U.S. Constitution does not contain any rules requiring a candidate to have prior political experience. Prior to his presidency, Trump
was a businessman and a television star. He hosted “The Apprentice” for 14 seasons, as well as owned the Miss Universe pageant and the Miss USA pageant for 19 years. The question of whether Trump has done a good job in office or not is a matter of opinion, but no one can deny it’s been an interesting journey watching him figure out how to run a country. Who knows: Maybe his long experience in the media helped him decide that it was a good idea to threaten North Korea with a missile attack over Twitter for the entire country–no, the entire world, to see. While trends like “Kanye 2020” are comical to some, the idea of a celebrity for president isn’t too far-fetched for others. Take Oprah Winfrey, for example.
What it takes to run for president (minimally)
1
years old
Must be at least 35 years old
2
Winfrey gave a powerful speech at the Golden Globes this year while accepting the Cecil B. DeMille award for lifetime achievement. She covered a wide range of topics, from racism to sexual assault and accusations against the media. Following her speech, the Internet was buzzing with calls for Winfrey to run for presidency in the next election. Three weeks before this speech, though, she said in an interview that running for president isn’t something she would “have the DNA for.” While many people may see Winfrey’s general stances as morally correct, this shouldn’t really be something to completely qualify a good presidential candidate. Not only does everyone have a different definition of what morally correct is considered, but
Must be a natural-born citizen
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there’s also just so many other factors that should make a strong presidential candidate. The candidate who wants to save all the puppies may also want to spend all of our tax dollars on repainting the White House. The candidate who wants to make college more affordable may also want to lower minimum wage throughout the nation. The candidate who wants to Make America Great Again may also be willing to force out thousands of immigrant children from the place they’ve made home. In other words, a real estate agent should be selling you a house. A dentist should be fixing your teeth. A doctor should be administering your medication. Fill positions with the people qualified to be in them.
Resident of U.S. for 14 years.
Celebrity political figures Ronald Reagan Former President of the US hollywood actor, labor union leader Arnold Schwarzenegger Former Governor of CA bodybuilder, hollywood actor Jesse Ventura Former Governor of MN professional wrestler, media personality Al Franken Former Senator of MI comedic actor and writer, best known for SNL
Clint Eastwood Former Mayor of Carmel, CA actor, director
Michaela Edlin/ Bear Witness Credit WikiMedia commons
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BEAR WITNESS
|
FEBRUARY 2018 |
OPINION
BHSBEARWITNESS.COM About 70 percent of California voters are opposed to offshore drilling.
BULLETIN BOARD
School shootings | What should be done? We should have more security checking around campus more often to keep the school more safe.
Make the campus more closed so there is not as easy access for people to get inside.
I feel that we should have more security and also metal detectors on campus to keep school shooters out.
Have more security on campus and also have backpack checks.
Samiksha Boranna Sophomore
Anton Zhuk Freshman
Girls’ sports in need of attention
Destiny Diaz, Junior
I feel like before purchasing a gun you should evaluate the person’s mental state but also be aware of the environment you are in and report anything strange that someone might be talking about. Zahavah Carter Freshman
Christian Martinez Senior
Gun laws should be more strict and people should have more requirements before obtaining the weapon. Alyssa Cavazos Junior
Rosalie Gonzalez/Bear Witness
State laws slow feds’ push to drill in coastal areas
TAYLOR SUSEWITZ
Science & Tech Editor
here’s always been a squabble between girls T and boys, especially when there’s been some sort of competition; specifically, these conflicts
frequent shared-gender sports. With Branham’s sports, one might consider if one sport is popularized more than the other, if one gender receives more recognition than the other within a specific sport, or if one deserves more attention overall. A common question circulating, and that has been for quite some time, is if girls’ sports are getting as much attention as boys’, and if not, how can we make sure each is honored just as much as boys’ sports? Some of the girls’ sports aren’t nearly talked about as much as boys’. For example, the girls’ basketball team receives little attendees to their games when compared to the boys’ team, even though the girls work just as hard. When asked a specific instance where there was an unlevel playing field between boys, girls, and the recognition between the two, girls’ basketball team member and junior Riya Kapoor expressed a passionate and reasonable response. “Not a lot of students come to the girls’ basketball games, but I’ve noticed a lot more go to the boy’s games,” Kapoor said. “It would be really nice to feel like people would like to attend our games especially because we work just as hard as the boys.” To Kapoor, it seems as though there’s not much of a solution that can be applied to this problem. The girls promote their games in every way possible, from making posts on social media to telling their friends in person, and all their efforts yield an empty response. “No amount of advertisement is going to want to make people go to girls’ games as much as boys’,” Kapoor said. “I think it’s just people’s mentalities that boys are more fun to watch than girls.” Since the majority of sports coverage comes from the media, and men’s being the most recognized in comparison to women’s, it’s no surprise that men’s sports will receive more attention than women’s. Purdue University professor Cheryl Cooky to The Atlantic points this out while comparing the two genders’ sports, and states that if women could receive more coverage in media, then they undoubtedly would be more popular. “Men’s sports are going to seem more exciting,” Cooky said. “They have higher production values, higher-quality coverage, and higher-quality commentary… yeah, [it’s] going to seem to be a slower game, [and] it’s going to seem to be less exciting.” As a coach of a co-ed sport, biology teacher and swim coach David Mackey provided some insight regarding the recognition between these two genders. “They swim together, they work out together, and then their meets are combined,” Mackey said. Following, Mackey mentioned two freshman girls that made CCS last year as freshman, which is a “major accomplishment” as described by Mackey. “We had two girls, Bailey Donaldson and Melissa Macias, who made CCS last year as freshman, which is a major accomplishment for freshman, and as far as Branham goes, I wanted to make sure they got recognized for making that since we hadn’t made CCS in a couple of years,” said Mackey. Mackey, being a co-ed sport coach, doesn’t necessarily notice an unequal distribution of recognition, but does believe that there can be some varying acknowledgement between the two genders in other sports. The amount of coverage distributed might be dependent on the sport, as well as the players involved.
JULIA MARQUES DA SILVA
T
InDepth Editor
he Trump Administration recently revealed a new offshore drilling proposal for the country. This proposition adds 47 more areas on coastlines around the nation that would be available for leasing from 2019 to 2024. This opens up 90 percent of the nation’s offshore waters. Out of those 47 areas, 2 of these areas are in Northern California in locations including Santa Cruz, San Mateo and San Francisco. The U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced that Florida is now exempt from the drilling proposal since the state’s economy is largely based its tourism. Florida employees 7.7 million people and makes $769 billion with their coastal cities, while California currently employs over twice as many employees and makes $21 trillion in their coastal communities. So why isn’t California exempt from offshore drilling? Ever since an oil spill in Santa Barbara during 1969, the state of California has been strongly against any expansion of offshore drilling. This was one of the worst oil spills in the nation’s history, which included 3
million barrels of oil spewing into the water and cracking the sea floor in multiple spaces. Some of the damage included beaches covered in black oil, killing many marine animals. This oil spill became a warning to Californians about the dangers of oil spills and offshore drilling. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, about 70 percent of California voters are against offshore drilling. Also, drilling operations create many types of pollution that is dumped into the ocean reeking havoc for marine life. Nationwide, oil spills, which include crude oils, hydraulic oils and diesel have entered the environment and disrupted the food chain in the ecosystem. Simple organisms such as plankton are absorbing these chemicals, causing the whole food chain to become poisoned through bioaccumulation. This can also cause harm to humans who eat seafood since the fish will most likely contain these chemicals. Drilling platforms often kill many seabirds due to the fire, lights and human food that they scavenge for. Birds can also become contaminated with the oil or other chemicals and burned from the flares released from the platform. If birds due get coated from oil, the bird is unable to stay warm and reduces their ability of float. Sea mammals suffer as well,
Azura Gutierez/Bear Witness
from simple day to day functions of rigs. Many mammals like whales, are affected by seismic airguns, which are used to find to oil and gas underneath the ocean’s floor. Seismic airguns are towed behind a ship and shoot large blasts of compressed air into the seabed to locate buried gas and oil. These seismic guns disrupt their communication and become driven away from important inhibitions or breeding grounds. But, in some cases, the guns can harm the mammal’s hearing or even kill. Luckily, cities like Capitola and Santa Cruz have passed local laws to prevent many of these dangers from becoming reality. But many other areas in California could still be endangered. Just like other news organizations that have spoken about the topic, the best prevention would be to build estates along California’s coast and slap Trump’s name on them. Most of the president’s estates in Florida are located in coast and would have his businesses impacted if there was a oil spill off the coast of Florida. If it’s not okay for the president’s businesses to be impacted on the possibility of a oil spill, then why should other businesses suffer that fate around the country?
To those seeking help, tutorial isn’t a solution LAURA HEFFERNAN
Special to Bear Witness
utorial is known to be very popular T among students and much preferred over advisory. Many students argue that ad-
visory is disliked because it doesn’t provide an opportunity to work on assignments or get help from a teacher, which is the purpose of tutorial. However, when an actual tutorial is observed, this doesn’t seem to be the case. In theory, tutorial can provide students with a great opportunity to grow academically; in actuality, it is often hectic, as math teacher David Hunter observes. He says while there are always students working, there are “always a few students just hanging out doing nothing.” In reality, while some students are using tutorial effectively, there will most likely be groups of kids distracting those from study-
ing. Junior Sabrina Jones finds this to be a source of frustration. “The general atmosphere of the classroom I’m in is distracting because there are kids on their phones doing nothing,” Jones said. “I believe students like tutorial because they think it’s free time.” Jones also notes that she often uses tutorial to complete her homework from nights before and could probably get more done if the classroom she was in was quiet. Like Jones, junior Faith Grandey also gets distracted while studying in noisy tutorials. “Tutorials often seem too chill and have a lot of people doing nothing.” Grandey notes that these students that aren’t doing work can also be a distraction to a teacher and therefore some students may not get the help they need. While these students agree that tutorials aren’t completely fulfilling their purpose, they wouldn’t want to
see tutorial go as a consequence. “If the staff is thinking about removing tutorials,” said Jones, “I would suggest not to because a lot of students use the time in tutorial effectively and shouldn’t get it taken away because of other people’s actions.” As a possible solution to the distracting groups that accumulate in tutorials, Hunter has suggested that there be more accountability. “I hope to see more consistency and accountability across tutorials. In other words, they should mostly all look the same.” said Hunter. “Students should not be incentivized to go to specific tutorials because they are easier or more laid-back.” Hunter has already made changes to the way he runs his tutorials because of the constant distractions his students face. With more accountability for getting work done, students could be much more productive.
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FROM THE FRONT PAGE
TEACHERS | Company hopes to help with housing Branham alone saw a 50 percent turnover of teachers in the past three years -- few have been at this district long enough to earn a six-figure salary. Math teacher David Hunter, who is relatively new to Branham, confronts such problems, while trying to secure some financial footing. He lives in San Jose, rents an apartment and also is paying off his student loan after pursuing two degrees. “The high cost of living makes it difficult to save money,” Hunter said. “I try to save little bits each month.” Even for veteran teachers, the pay remains problematic for searching close to Branham. Those like history teacher Brett Johanson see buying a house in the area as highly improbable. Having been at Branham for more than a decade, Johanson lives Ben Lomond, 29 miles away up in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The commute can vary between 40 and 90 minutes.
“If my wife and I were to buy in the area, we would be house poor,” Johanson said. “At this point, buying [near Branham] is not a solution.” The phrase “house poor,” refers to putting almost all earnings into paying housing funds and using what little else remains on necessities. Johanson’s sentiments are not unique. In the survey sent out to teachers, 29 of the 49 participants felt it would be extremely unlikely for them to own a home in the district. If living in the area presents its own financial problems, the tentatively better alternative is making the commute from out of town. Enduring the rush-hour traffic in early mornings and late afternoons is a situation many teachers are faced with, and it also carries its own frustrations. “The commute is too much but only manageable because of the frequent breaks,” Johanson said, referring to the 10 months of work that a teacher typically enjoys. Science teacher Chris Chidester, a Castro
Valley resident, faces similar traffic congestion every school day. “The commute would be 45 minutes, but with traffic, it is about an hour both ways,” Chidester said. While he would like to be closer to his job, his wife is also a teacher and lives in that area to be close to her mother. His two daughters are also settled into daycare, which costs about $3,000 a month, making living closer to Branham an impossibility. Family is a driving force in his decisions. Still, Chidester would “prefer not to have that horrible commute.” With all these conditions, it is difficult to imagine any solution, let alone a catch-all, is being manufactured to help teachers. Still, the district is working towards a solution to alleviate pressures on teachers new and old. Local Bay Area company Landed, a financial assistance organization with “a mission to help essential professionals build financial security
near the communities they serve,” is partnering with the Campbell Union High School District to establish a organization providing financial aid to teachers looking to buy near Branham. So far, the Down Payment Assistance Program, designated to provide teachers with up to half of a down payment (maximum of $120,000) on a house, has been met with great interest from faculty across the district. One of the founders of Cambrian Union High School District Education Foundation, the partnering group with Landed, and Branham parent Andrea Ciplickas sees great potential, based on the development so far. Thanks to a philanthropic investor, the Landed program has millions with which to help teachers. “I think it could be a good way for people to know that, ‘Hey, I could maybe buy a house in this district,’” Ciplickas said. CUHSDEF and Landed hope to expand the program.
DACA | SJSU student president speaks of immigration status
SHOOTING | Suspect raised red flags prior to Parkland school shooting
Michael Espinoza, who advises the Latino Student Union, said that even though some students may be here legally, they still fear for their families’ status. “We started talking about it one day in class, and (a student) just broke down and she had to go outside,” he said. “It was her uncle.” With the threat of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids bearing down on the Bay Area (more than 200 were arrested in Southern California early February), those in the community face uncertain futures. According to The New York Times and ICE reports, within the beginning of Trump’s administration and the 2017 fiscal year, 110,568 immigrants have been deported, an increase of 42 percent, compared to the previous presidency. District and Branham officials have shown support for undocumented students, sharing information financial aid for DACA renewal. Many teachers and also have expressed support for the Dreamers. Community liaison Alma Cisneros-Iberri is one of those student allies. She provides Spanish translations for nearly all school documents, and is an interpreter at parent events. “We just need to find a way to let them know, ‘Don’t worry, we have your back,’” she said.
one event is going to eventually create change that will prevent another tragedy like the one that happened in Florida.” District and school administrators are reminding students of the importance of the twice-yearly active shooter drills. “We are going to start working really hard to increase the opportunity for students to know what these practices are, and increase the effectiveness of what we do,” said Principal Cheryl Lawton. These drills tell students to first run away from gunshots until they’re far from the area and in a safe area. If that’s not possible, students and teachers are to barricade themselves and remain quiet. The last resort is to attack the shooter in an aggressive manner, incapacitating them. Superintendent Robert Bravo sent an email to parents in the district to remind students that counselors are available on campus to discuss the tragedy, and to encourage students to report suspicious behavior. In recent days, it was shown that authorities missed several red flags that others had raised of Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old confessed perpetrator behind the shooting. He showed an intense interest in guns, knives and violence and was reported to an FBI tip line. His classmates considered his behavior and his
Manzo has used her leadership status to help Dreamers like herself. UndocuSpartans was an informational event that she helped organize. She said that her public persona had encouraged others to get in touch with her about receiving help. “It’s not something that we should be ashamed of,” said Manzo, who said that undocumented people like her are resilient. “We’re essentially not supposed to be here, but we’re finding ways to survive.” Manzo said that she draws strength from her mom, whom she workEd multiple jobs in the face of daily threats of deportation. “It’s fighting for her and fighting for the sacrifices that she made,” she said. “For me it’s not an American dream, it’s my mom’s dream and I want to continue to fight for it.” Manzo said that she understands how difficult it is to speak out. She herself still faces this fear, but she believes that it is detrimental for these students to share their stories to benefit not only themselves, but others in their position. “Never feel like you can’t have fear because those are your emotions and they’re very valid,” she said. “But also know that when you share your story, you’re opening the door for someone else to share their story.”
Instagram posts to be abnormal, including disturbing images of weapons and dead animals. Cruz used an AR-15 rifle he legally purchased to commit the shooting. He is now booked on 17 counts of premeditated murder. Cruz was expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last year and teachers received an email warning them to look out for Cruz, who was not to be on campus. On Feb. 14, Cruz pulled the fire alarm at the high school, which students believed to be the second fire drill that day. After students began evacuating into the halls, he began shooting. This is the eighth school shooting resulting in injury or death in the U.S. this year. The United States is the leader in gun violence, with 90 mass shooters from 1966 to 2012; the nation is home to 4.4 percent of the world’s population and owns 42 percent of all firearms, according to the New York Times. The U.S. recognizes a mass shooting as a public incident in which four or more people are killed. Vice principal Justin Ponzio said that being aware of these situations makes people prepared for any event that may come. “We should never be immune to death and terrorism. We should never be immune to what we see,” he said.
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SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY
“I saw houses coming down, because they’re all made of cement there, and brick. So when there’s an earthquake, they just fall, on people.” Spanish teacher Maria Meunier
Tech bytes Robot dogs can open doors, fend off, frighten humanity If the robot uprising happens sooner than you think, blame it on Boston Dynamics, the Massachusetts-based engineering and robotics company. Engineers there have fashioned robot dogs called SpotMinis that can work together to open doors, even fighting off human interference. Many of the robots that Boston Dynamics have military purposes.
Opportunity rover’s 5,000th day (and counting) on Mars NASA’s Opportunity rover marked its 5,000th day Feb. 19, an impressive feat considering that it had only been scheduled to last only 90 days due to Mars’ brutal winters, which are twice as long. Opportunity and its sibling rover Spirit descended on January 2004.
Science briefs Deep sea starfish have eyes, and can see pretty well, too Those starfish you enjoy in the aquarium touch pools are more complex than scientists originally thought, at least for their deep-sea cousins. Those in the deep sea have tiny eyes on each arm, and some can even emit light when stimulated. Scientists in Greenland say that this may be useful for mating. Rather than passing off pheromones to help detect each other, these deep sea starfish can communicate with light. Under high pressure, water becomes both liquid and solid Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists studying water under extremely high pressures have discovered “superionic” water, a form that exists as both liquid and solid. Publishing their findings in the journal Nature Physics, the team found that 360,000 pounds of pressure forces the hydrogen atoms to slide under the rigid oxygen, an unnatural possibility on Earth, but not in the core of gas planets such as Uranus or Neptune. This forms molten water. The partly frozen, partly liquid form of water may help explain the magnetic fields of both those planets. Half of Southeast Asia’s orangutans have disappeared Logging and mineral mining are blamed for the vanishing of 150,000, nearly half, of Borneo’s orangutans, say scientists in the journal Current Biology. Human interaction and hunting were also targeted. Orangutans are considered an endangered species. Environmentalists are waging a campaign to slow deforestation that’s behind these deaths. — Compiled by staff
GAINS
TEEN
Successful Falcon launch brings Space X a step closer to Mars The successful launch early February of the Falcon Heavy, Space X’s newest rocket, puts the possibility of sending humans to Mars closer to reality. This was founder Elon Musk’s big ambition, and the company is preparing another rocket called the B.F.R. (Big … Rocket), which will be ready to go in the next decade.
Supplements may be a shortcut toward your ideal body type, but buyer beware ATTICUS AHEARN Photo Editor
ompetitive and recreational student-athC letes alike often find that food and water alone simply do not provide the nutrients need-
ed to remain energized and strong throughout their daily rigorous routines. Many serious athletes have invested in supplements, also known as ergogenic-aids, which promise a better start, end, and/or recovery to a workout. However, some supplements are dangerous and may contain deadly substances, but they are not steroids and most are easily-accessible on the shelves of places like Max Muscle and GNC. In fact, these companies encourage young athletes to come into their stores and try their products just like in an adult would. An article from the Max Muscle website titled “Protein and Teen Athletes” ended with, “Supplements can be much less expensive than dietary sources… So make sure you stop by your local Max Muscle and have one of our Sports Nutrition Specialists get you started”. It makes sense that a company would encourage their target consumers- student athletes being a small fraction- to buy their products, but the ethics of promoting certain types of
Natural foods that can help build muscle
Beef
Beef is important for building lean muscle due to its protein content, cholesterol, zinc, B vitamins and iron content.
supplements is up for debate. Products are quite consistently discontinued after health risks are discovered, but the consumers who serve as guinea pigs knowingly take these risks in hopes that the scientists who developed them were right about their positive effects. In some cases, the supplement appears to fulfill its job; in others, it can induce painful side-effects or not work at all. For teens and young adults, this risk is too high. Despite how much the risk outweighs the potential reward, some hardcore athletes utilize multiple supplements: some for a kickstart, some for gaining lean muscle mass, some for better recovery, and some for all of the above. Senior Nick Corriere is one such athlete whose ‘stacking’ of supplements comes with his passion for bodybuilding. As a National Physique Committee (NPC) Men’s physique competitor, he spends most of his time at the gym. His stack includes: whey protein, creatine, BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids), a pre-workout, arginine, DAA (D- aspartic acid), L-Carnitine, CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), glutamine, and a multivitamin. For the average athlete, most elements of that list are daunting and unfamiliar. Luckily, the human body makes most of these nutrients on
Eggs
Eggs are the perfect protein and they get a lot of help from the yolks, where the cholesterol is found.
Spinach
its own and the others are obtained through food. Izzie Brown, a registered dietitian, nutritionist, and lecturer at San Jose State with a master’s degree in Exercise Science, is a firm believer in the power of food. She understands how athletes’ bodies work and what they need to power through the day. With a stronger diet, such intense supplementation is not needed. Food contains most essential amino acids which are the proteins that the body needs, but cannot make on its own. Certain foods can even help athletes whose bodies sometimes demand more of the non-essential amino acids (naturally-produced proteins). Brown doesn’t recommend supplements in general because most have little research to support their usage and they are not replacements for nutrition, they are what they are called- supplements to a healthy diet. It is not illegal for young athletes to ‘stack’ or supplement, but it is highly recommended for young people in general to focus on a sturdy, healthy diet first. “Exercise requires energy,” Brown said. “That is not what you get in supplements. What good is a car full of oil, if you don’t put gas in it?”
Spinach is a good source of glutamine, the amino acid that is important for lean muscle growth.
Cottage cheese
Rich in casein protein, the slowest-digesting protein, so it prevents catabolism while you fast at night.
Students feel a jolt, but it’s still no Big One AARON DEANS Online Editor
4.4-magnitude earthquake early this January A jolted Branham students and teachers awake. Naturally, a few Branham students took to social media to express their surprise. Sophomore Alexander Zarris posted to his Instagram story, asking if anyone else had felt the quake. “I was about to go to sleep, and then I thought that my sister came into my room and shook my bed as a prank or something,” he said later. “But she was asleep, and I was like, ‘Oh my god, what’s going on?’ But yeah, it was tiny, it wasn’t scary.” Earthquakes occur on faults, between the Earth’s tectonic plates. These plates are constantly moving; however, their edges are rough. Sometimes when
they are moving against each other, parts of the plate boundaries get stuck and break off. When this break occurs, the energy stored up from the plate friction is released; it radiates outward, shaking the earth. The well-known “Ring of Fire” runs along the faults surrounding the Pacific plate. Because of this, areas including Oceania, Southeast Asia and most of the west coast of North and South America are easily subject to earthquakes and volcanic activity. Spanish teacher Maria Meunier recalled destructive earthquakes from her childhood in Peru, and the destruction they caused. “I personally have been in big earthquakes in Peru when I was little, lots of them - really big ones, where I saw houses coming down, because they’re all made of cement there, and brick. So when there’s an earthquake, they just fall, on people.”
Many other strong earthquakes have occurred, the most recent including a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in southern Mexico on Feb. 16. The morning of Janu.23, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake occured in the Gulf of Alaska, luckily only causing minor damage in some places on land. California is due for a large earthquake. Although it’s unclear when the quake will hit, it will likely have a magnitude between seven and eight, far stronger than the one on January 4, and comparable to the famous earthquake which rocked San Francisco in 1906. Sophomore Lyra Hunt thought the prospect of a major earthquake coming to California was concerning. “It is a large threat in California, that we’re gonna have an earthquake that is coming up… [there’s] been so much tension around that.”
BEAR WITNESS
SL U R
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INDEPTH
/slәr/ noun
a derogatory term applied to a particular group of people ____________ How did three simple words evolve to become something so hateful?
H
umans have been communicating verbally for at least 50,000 years. In that time, words have been created, altered, redefined, and even become obsolete. Some words have evolved negatively to hurt other members of the human race.
These types of words are categorized as slurs and can be derogatory towards people of varying races, sexualities, genders, religions, and people with disabilities. Despite their obvious negative connotation, people still use slurs on the daily without acknowledging that what they say is offending entire groups of people. Especially amongst young people, slurs seem to have become a normal part of our vernacular. In fact, the usual excuse is that these words are just words and don’t mean any-
N
thing serious. In any case, the meanings and histories of these words are no joke. The people tremendously affected by these words would agree that these words should not be used, even if the intention is not malicious. There are approximately 200,000 other words in the English language and even more in other languages that can be used instead of slurs. It’s not that hard to choose one. —Atticus Ahearn
TARGETING BLACK PEOPLE
n✳gg✳r n✳gga /'nI-gәr/ noun
The infamous “n” word comes from the Latin word “niger,” which means black. It was originally used to describe people with darker skin tones. The “n” word gained its negative connotation through slave owners and white supremacists who used it to oppress those of African descent. Over time, with the Civil Rights Movement and general advocacy for minorities, black people were able to take back the "n" word and re-
/'nI-gә/ noun
vamp its usage to symbolize strength and resilience in the black community. Because of its new usage, many non-black individuals believe it is okay for them to use it amongst their friends. In fact, some black individuals have said that they have no problem with their friends using n*gg* synonymously with dude or friend. — Atticus Ahearn
Alternatives to the N-word The following is a potential list of words one can use as an alternative to the N-word. Friend Mate Colleague Dude Duuuude My man My main man
Bro Brother Brotha Bruh Cousin Cuz Sister
R
Sista Soul sister Homeboy Homegirl Dog Dawg Guy
Girl friend Boy friend My dude My guy My girl - Their Instagram handle
- Their last name If all else fails... Call them by their name — Adapted from The Odyssey
TARGETING THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
re•t✳rd•ed /rә’tärdәd/ adjective
When it comes to the “r” word, its latin roots display its intentions. The latin word “retardare” is a combination of the prefix “re” meaning back and the “tardus” meaning slow which later influenced the introduction of the word r*tard in Middle English. It was commonly used as a medical term in the 1900s in reference to people with mental disabilities, however even this usage had bias due to perception of mentally disabled people at the time, as well as today.
Despite the past proliferation of the epithet, it is socially unacceptable to use today. In 2010, President Barack Obama signed a bill to replace the term “mentally r*tarded” with “mentally disabled,” however, the term is still used as an insult to those with disabilities and interchangeably with words such as “stupid” and “idiotic.” The Best Buddies club brought the national campaign to end the “r-word" to Branham just this past year. — Julia Kolman
That's so ______: Alternatives to the R-word Absurd Asinine Boring Cliched Dorky
Dumb Goofy Hokey Immature Implausible
Invalid Irrational Irrelevant Preposterous Ridiculous
Silly Sophomoric Stupid Thoughtless Trite
Unusual Unreasonable — Adapted from VeryWell Family
TARGETING THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY
f✳g•got /fa’gәt/ noun
Some words never have an innocent or “clean” beginning. In old French, the word “fagot” means “contemptible woman,” or women deserving abuse. This word also is related to the Greek word “phakelos,” that means bundle. F*ggot was first adopted into Middle English in as meaning “a bundle of sticks.” Most often, this was used in context of the witch-hunts during the 1550s as a reference to the material used to burn heretics on a stake. The word was introduced to American English as a slang epithet for “homosexual males” due to the
word's roots in misogyny and sticks being seen as a “burden” to carry. The slang was tied to the fact that homosexuals were burned as punishment in Christian Europe. The more contemporary use of the word has roots in Yiddish and British slang. The word f*ggot is now used to target anyone perceived as LGBTQ+ or feminine and is considered extremely disparaging and offensive due to both its etymology and its historical usage. Often the use of the slur comes with violence, threats and hate crimes. — Michaela Edlin
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STUDENT LIFE UP DOWN
SIDE
THE MONTH IN REVIEW
February was a busy but short month for students. Unseasonable warmth gripped the Bay Area as temperatures jumped to the 70s. As the weather cooled back to normal, students got ski week, followed by the end of the six week grading period - two more minimum days. Of course the second semester is actually longer, but we’ve got one full month, then spring break. Before you know it, school is over!
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“You should be able to have more options to make up the detention and still be able to go to practice so you don’t get out of shape.” Sophomore Atharva Kulkarni on social probation
Growth in STEM offerings reflect rising job demands
Jocelyn Pierce/Bear Witness Senior Kelly Neal signs in a student during January’s blood drive. Blood drive offers pint ice cream for donation The semi-annual Blood Drive with Stanford Blood Center was successful this past month. Key Club was able to gain over 100 number sign ups, and about 130 number of people showed up to donate. Key Club has partnered with Stanford Blood Drive for several years now. This year, the Blood Drive did a “Pint-for-Pint” campaign, where a donor would receive a coupon for a free pint of Baskin Robbins ice cream when they donated one pint of blood.
Azura Gutierrez/Bear Witness Junior Dylan Staud works on his myDigital Protoboard early February in his Digital Electronics class, one of several engineering courses offered through the Project Lead the Way academy. Branham has seen a surge in students interested in this career pathway. JULIANNE ALVARES Opinion Editor
he growth of jobs in Silicon T Valley’s STEM careers has led to an increase in enrollment in
Fitz Vo/Bear Witness Principal’s secretary Melody Jones and science teacher Alex Johnson view the construction. Construction forces sporadic water outages
Three of the four scheduled buildings have gone down, leaving a bunch of debris and dirt, and noisy construction crews. Sunlight now shines where the old science and math buildings are. Because of the constant construction, we’ve been seeing water outages, sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for a few hours. It’s unpredictable, but it always comes back on again. A small price to pay for progress. 2019, the date of the completion of construction, can’t come soon enough.
Project Lead the Way and other STEM-focused classes. The current movement toward growing tech careers was initiated by former President Barack Obama in 2015 in an effort to raise the United States’ global rank in science and math. In the Silicon Valley, 21.9 percent of jobs are in the STEM field as of May 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Silicon Valley is second in percentage of STEM jobs, only outdone by California-Lexington Park, Maryland. Engineering is an key component part of both STEM and the world as a whole. “If you don’t have people who are gonna get inspired and have knowledge to be able to pursue what they’re gonna pursue and what they’re gonna make and revolutionize then you’re not going to anywhere in your society.” said engineering students sophomore Phoebe Roach. Students know how important this emphasis is, especially considering Branham’s location in the Silicon Valley. “It’s [engineering] is what makes
money here,” said Roach. Branham has not been spared from this growth in STEM. Project Lead the Way which was introduced to Branham in 2013. PLTW classes at Branham are Introduction to Engineering Design for freshmen and sophomores, Principles of Engineering for sophomore and juniors, Digital Electronics for juniors and seniors and Engineering Design and Development for seniors. Last year Branham also introduced the AP Computer Science class last year. These classes help students with math and engineering skills important in the real world. According to statistics compiled by the California Department of Education, in the 2013-14 school year, there were 153 students enrolled in AP math courses; in the 2016-17 year, there were 225. There were only two AP math classes offered in 2013-14 and that number increased to three by 2016-2017. This growth may be caused by parents putting pressure on taking STEM classes and even forcing students to take them. There has also been pressure put on by the government with Obama emphasizing these programs. Obama planned to hire 100,000 special STEM teachers over the next 10 years and wanted colleges to have 1 million
students graduate with STEM majors. Despite the growth of STEM careers in the Silicon Valley, students also have interests in other subjects. Enrollment in other AP classes, such as English, has also increased. According to enrollment statistics from the Department of Education in 2009, 85 students were involved in these “other” classes by 2013 that number was up to 501. Some parents may continue to push their students to engineering and like-classes despite other interests. “There are parents probably
pushing students into the class,” observed Roach. This problem has become such an concern that faculty debated making the Computer Science class an AP course, hoping to drive away students who were only there for AP credit and not the love of the subject. This idea of pushing students towards a certain career can affect students performance. While the debate about pushing students into STEM classes has not been settled, the STEM job market continues to grow in both the Bay Area and around the country.
Constant tardies affect social probation status Michaela Edlin/Bear Witness Robots deliver candy grams for students. Relationship awareness day Roses and chocolates recently filled the shops as Valentine’s Day passed this month. Students have mixed opinions on the holiday, with some saying how it is not about being in love with a partner, but being in love with yourself and your family and friends and appreciating the people around you. Others dislike the holiday, saying how love should be appreciated everyday of the year, and that one day should not be dedicated to showing the ones you love how much you love them. — Compiled by Sydney Uyeda
SHLOK GORE Staff Writer
It is 8 a.m., and after the final bell rings, assistant principal Rick Hayashi observes 50 late students in the front parking lot, and 40 more in the backside. These students will be marked late by their teachers, until 8:30, in which they will be marked absent. “This is a regular day,” Hayashi said. “Students don’t have that sense of urgency to get to class.” The bell seems to be more of a suggestion than a mandate of when school starts, as many start
heading to class when the bell rings, not beforehand. Social probation is an effort to curb this attitude that students have towards the bell. Students receiving five tardies or absences have a choice of serving a five hour detention or accepting social probation, which excludes them from all school activities, from dances to playing in their sport, for six weeks. Students can also accumulate 3 truancies in one day, if they are late to all of their classes or have an unexcused absence. The program was “meant to encourage students to go to class,”
said principal Cheryl Lawton. About 250 students are currently under social probation, including sophomore track athlete Atharva Kulkarni, who is frequently late to class. “I cannot attend practice, try out for sports, and cannot compete. There is no way to work around it: you need to do the amount of hours of detention that you are assigned and get it over with,” said Kulkarni. This is a common story among student athletes that are consistently late and many choose to opt for the five hours detention in
order to not miss so many practices and games. Kulkarni himself prefers the alternate route of taking the detention. Another issue is the consistency with teachers marking the students tardy; many do not mark their students down and others always mark their students down. This allows many students to come to class late without facing the consequences that social probation or detention pose. Due to this many students do not have a complete understanding of how one gets social probation, and are often met with shock.
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SPORTS
“But she still goes the extra mile, she’s a leader.” Teammate Tanner Tibbils, on senior athlete Terynn McNairnie.
Sports briefs
USA GYMNASTICS SCANDAL
For local gymnastics coach, trust is key
Scores updated as of Feb. 26 Varsity boys soccer Last game: Branham won its last game at home against Leigh, 4-3. They failed to qualify for sectional playoffs, finishing sixth in BVAL with a 5-7-2 record. 5 most recent: W, T, L, W, L JV boys soccer Last game: The boys settled for a 2-2 tie in their final game against Leigh, finishing the season with a 7-6-3 record. 5 most recent: T, L, W, L, L Varsity girls soccer Last game score: The girls lost their last game of the season at Leigh, 1-0. They finished winless in BVAL, going 0-14-0. 5 most recent: L, L, L, L, L
JULIA MARQUES DA SILVA In-Depth Editor
he testimony of more than 100 T USA Gymnasts describing the sexual abuse they endured under disgraced
former doctor Larry Nassar shocked senior Emily Nakken, a gymnast of seven years and now a gymnastics coach. “I felt sick to my stomach,” Nakken said. “It is so disgusting to think that someone took advantage of their job to please themselves.” Nassar, who until 2015 treated athletes at the Karolyi Ranch in Texas and at Michigan State, is the most public figure in the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal, in which over 360 individuals have accused coaches, gym owners and staff around the country of sexual assault. Among the accusers are Olympians Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber,
who became gold medalists during the abuse at 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The systemic failures in oversight have resulted in the resignations of the entire USA Gymnastics board of directors, and other institutions involved in the scandal are facing similar pressure. “USA Gymnastics is the foundation of gymnastics, and they overlooked such a horrible crime,” Nakken said. “I can’t imagine what those girls went through. Someone they put so much trust in, failed them so horribly.” Nakken, said she is grateful to have had good relationships with her coaches, adding that the sport is built on trust of both the athlete and coaches. “I trust them with my life,” she said. Other gymnasts at Branham shared Nakken’s shock. Sophomore Rachel Ross, a gymnast for 10 years, said that
Larry Nassar Former U.S. Gymnastics coach who is receiing consecutive life sentences for sexually harassing and assaulting more than 160 women while under his care. What the U.S. did in response President Donald Trump passed a law that requires the victim to come forward about these encounters. USA Gymnastics has endangered many of their athletes, despite being recognized as a trustworthy and professional organization. Junior Allie Yusim, also a gymnast of 10 years, has changed her view on the organization.
“I used to think of the elite gymnastics as this perfect place, but this opened my eyes to how dark and twisted it is,” Yusim said. As a result of the scandal, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has introduced a bill that would require Olympic sports officials, including USA Gymnastics, to report accusations of misconduct immediately with law enforcement. As the gymnastics coaching community is reeling in the wake of the scandal, Nakken, as a coach, still hopes to inspire her students, and strives to be more aware of what goes on in her classes. “If I see something sort of strange, I make sure I take note,” she said. “I take a lot of responsibility in keeping all my gymnasts safe. I would never want to see anything like that happen again.”
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT | TERYNN MCNAIRNIE
SKATING TO SUCCESS
being music, builds up self-assurance, whether it be along or with the team. It’s what builds up the hype and adrenaline. It sets the mood for not only the home team, but their opponent.
Varsity girls basketball Last game: The girls won BVAL with a record of 9-1, then lost in the second round of the CCS playoffs to Valley Christian, 68-32. 5 most recent: L, W, L, W, W
Softball “Redbone” Childish Gambino Kirstin Demarquez,11: Even though we play it all the time, it still has a positive effect on our performance like all music does.
JV girls basketball Last game: The girls lost their final game of the season at Prospect, 48-22. They finished the season 1-9. 5 most recent: L, L, W, L, L
JV boys’ basketball Last game: The boys won their final game of the season, beating Prospect, 59-48. They finished with a 12-2 record in BVAL. 5 most recent: W, W, W, W, W Wrestling Last game: At the BVALS before the break, five athletes qualified for CCS: Nick Melendez (11) , David Ciprian (11), Jonathan Ciprian (9), Carlos Ortiz, David Ortiz (12). Nick placed fifth overall at CCS. — Compiled by Ryan McCarthy
What athletes are listening to, pregame style ne of the most popO ular methods of warming up before a game
JV girls’ soccer Last game score: The girls lost their last game at Leigh, 3-0. They finished winless in BVAL, going 0-11-1 for the season. 5 most recent: L, L, L, L, L
Varsity boys basketball Last game: The boys won BVAL with a record of 13-1. They beat Christopher at home in the first round of the CCS playoffs, 61-32, then lost in the next round at Lynbrook, 54-47. 5 most recent: L, W, W, W, W
LISTENING UP
Golf “Attention” Charlie Puth Twisha Sharma, 10: It’s mainly because of the tempo and I really like the entire genre it falls under.
Junior Sharks Assistant Captain Terynn McNarnie focuses before a game in January.
Courtesy of the McNairnies/Special to the Bear Witness
Senior turned early rejection in basketball into lifelong passion for ice hockey ROSALIE GONZALEZ
S
Production Manager
enior Terynn McNairnie turned a rejection from seventh grade into motivation that fuels her to this day. She thought that after helping her older brother play in the challenger league, she had a shot for the girls basketball team. She never made it past tryouts. Unable to make the cut for basketball, a family friend later suggested that she try out for ice hockey. While many began the sport closer to the ages of six or seven, McNairnie started at age 12, which would put her at a disadvantage. Instead, she was a natural. “I picked it up so well that one of the coaches eventually would take me to the side and help me work on skating backwards,” McNairnie said. She eventually joined a summer league to begin further de-
veloping her skills. McNairnie also played for the Bantam, Black and Ranger Blue teams. The journey did not come without setbacks. While hockey is considered a co-ed sport, McNairnie said that most teams are male-dominated. “If you’re lucky, you’ll get three other girls on your team,” she explained. “A lot of guys would tell me it’s not a sport for me. Even parents would say ‘make sure you wear your mouthguard and face guard because you’re too pretty to be playing.’ ” She said that she never let comments like that keep her from enjoying the sport. after finding her place on a the Junior Sharks team as an assistant captain. While she pushed herself to be the best she could be, McNairnie suffered a stress fracture about halfway through this season. She has still attended every game and practice while
in recovery, dedication not gone unnoticed by teammates. “With her injury she hasn’t been able to do as much and I know she misses being able to play,” says senior Tanner Tibbils. “But she still goes the extra mile. She’s a leader. She still works out when she can. She still attends every game. She’s so determined.” McNairnie has slowly been getting back into exercising and practicing while updating her future college coaches on her recovery process. “For me, there’s one thing I can guarantee and it’s that at the end of the day, no one is going to work harder than me.” While attending Grand Canyon University, she hopes to play all four years while gaining a degree for physical therapy. McNairnie is also interested in making tryouts for the National Women’s League after college.
About Terynn
Age: 17 School: Grand Canyon University Sport: Ice Hockey Achievements: Junior Sharks House League Leadership Award Future Goals: Degree in physical therapy, try out for National Women’s Hockey League
Girl’s Basketball “Super Bass” Nicki Minaj Riya Kapoor, 11: It’s just a super fun song, plus we all know the lyrics word for word so it makes it really fun, it makes us lighten up. Swim “Fly Me to the Moon” Frank Sinatra Gabreel Burrows, 11: The super soft vibes completely relaxes me especially if I’m super nervous before a meet” — Compiled by Taylor Susewitz
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FEBRUARY 2018 |
ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT Mini Reviews
Bite-Sized Opinions
Album
BHSBEARWITNESS.COM “Human behavior is real simple, you either do something to avoid something or you’re doing something to get something,” Joyce Davis
TV SHOW ANALYSIS | “BLACK MIRROR”
Harsh musings on tech addiction “Black” hearts Students share favorite episodes Belle Ngo, sophomore Favorite episode: “USS Callister” Synopsis: Robert Daly, a talented programmer, feels underappreciated by his fellow coworkers, so he creates a “Star Trek”-type stimulation and uses his coworkers’ DNA in order to clone them. Her impression: “It constantly kept me on edge and overall I really liked the storyline. What happened in the episode was really insane and scary; yes, you never know what could happen with technology, but you can’t let that scare you.”
Flicker Niall Horan Niall Horan releases his debut solo album stemming from the hit singles “Slow Hands” and “This Town.” Horan strays away from his pure pop and boy band roots and delivers a folky pop album. He provides songs written from the heart that are sure to touch the soul.
Seneca Lent, senior Favorite episode: Nosedive Synopsis: The episode is set up in a world where people rate each other on a five-star system .and the higher the rating, the more the person moves up in society, i.e. a nicer house, a better job. The worse your rating, the worse off you are. Her impression: “It seemed the most relevant to current society… it wasn’t so far into the future that it seemed like a massive stretch. It’s just scary that media and popularity could be the defining foundation of social class.”
— Julianne Alvares Single
The Good Side Troye Sivan Over two years after the release of his album Blue Neighborhood, Troye Sivan came back with singles: “My My My” and “The Good Side,” which he performed on SNL shortly after their quite surprising drop. Like: The song is beautiful and full of relatable relationship sorrows that accompany a gentle, sweet melody; the emotion in Sivan’s voice feels personal. —Atticus Ahearn Movie
The Post Directed by Steven Spielberg Kay Graham inherited the publishing position of the Washington Post and has to make the difficult choice whether to publish or not to, leaked classified government information about the Vietnam War. The emotional side of the movie was very personal and important, but the plot was adjusted to fit a Hollywood perception of what news is, making it slightly less accurate. — Michaela Edlin
Caitlyn Schlaman/Special to the Bear Witness
In its fourth season, Netflix series shows the extreme side of technological obsession ANNALISE FREIMARCK News Editor
click of a button. A That’s all it takes for students to be sucked back into the limitless world of technology, and to
“Black Mirror,” a Netflix show that takes that world and twists to dark, absurd ends. A typical “Black Mirror” episode projects a current technological obsession and magnifies it. Virtual status becomes real-life status; selective social media sharing turns to reviewable, permanent memory databanks. Each season is set up like an anthology, with a new storyline and new characters, showing a new advancement in technology and its consequences. “Black Mirror” often portrays humans in need of immediate gratification through technology, ignoring the possible consequences, ultimately leading to character’s personal costs. Episodes can also be a reflection on society and its flaws. This portrayal of human behavior is something students can relate to and often what makes the show so potent and popular among all audiences. Students watch these episodes in shock, as the show itself is not shy to approach dark themes ranging from violence, to sex, to the pervasiveness of the world’s technological obsession, not able to believe the horrors they’re seeing. However, when students finish the episode, they’re drawn right back to the
Tech from “Black Mirror” that is similar to today The tech: Self-driv- The tech: Killer The tech: Recording ing pizza vans robobees memories with eyes Seen in: “Crocodile” Seen in: “Hated in Seen in: “The (season 4) the Nation” (season Entire History of You” Reality: Pizza Hut 3) (season 1) says self-driving Reality: Harvard Reality: Samsung vans will be on road has had robotic bees has patented in 2020 since 2013 due to contact lenses that the bee crisis take a photo with every blink. thing that they watched rip apart lives in the fictional series: their phones, their laptops, their TVs. Junior Sabrina Jones, an avid watcher of “Black Mirror,” finds herself still gravitating toward her phone, even she watches a horrifying episode about phone addiction. “I think everyone goes back onto their phones even though we can see the complications because it’s what this generation is used to, and we are constantly surrounded by people who are using technology. Personally, I feel really anxious and off when I don’t have my phone on me.” Even though students watch “Black Mirror” and see their looming possible future, human behavior
overrides their fear and becomes a much stronger, overwhelming sensation. Joyce Davis, who is familiar with the show’s concept, said that even though students understand the consequences of their technological addiction, immediate gratification gravitates back to their phones. “Human behavior is real simple, you either do something to avoid something or you’re doing something to get something,” Davis said. “Even if they know it might be troublesome or there might be consequences, the consequences aren’t in the here and now.” These consequences, however not in the immediate foreseeable future, are very real for Branham and its students. While these effects may not be as drastic as “Black Mirror”, they’re still a cost that affect many. Technology use in excess can have damaging effects on teens especially, leading to sleep deprivation, stress, anxiety, depression and obesity. These consequences, in comparison to “Black Mirror”, may not seem too bad, however, mental illness is something that can all too often lead to almost doomsday-like scenarios, as pictured in “Black Mirror.” “It’s easy to hide behind the social media and say those very mean and negative things, so I’ve seen relationships be destroyed and people be severely hurt or so injured that they take their own lives,” said Davis.
In #MeToo era, a site for ethical fans
Rotten Apples website alerts users of movies featuring those accused of sexual harassment AARON DEANS Online Editor
“Finding Nemo,” “Coco,” “Tangled.” These are among many movies with affiliations to actors and directors accused of sexual misconduct, according to a website called Rotten Apples. Rotten Apples allows you to search any movie or TV show, and it will tell you if the show has any ties to people accused of sexual misconduct. If the movie searched is free of affiliations with abusers, “Fresh Apples” comes up; if the movie carries connections to alleged abusers, “Rotten Apples” comes up instead, alongside a list of individuals and their roles in the film or television show. Junior Alexis Janosik thought the website could be useful for anyone wanting to avoid supporting sexual abusers. “If there’s an actor or director who has been accused of something, and people want to boycott their work, then you know which movies to boycott,” said Janosik. “And so, it can definitely be a really helpful tool, as long as it’s used correctly.” The website can yield some surprising results. Many popular animated movies by Disney and Pixar, such as “Finding
Nemo,” “Toy Story,” and “Coco” get the “Rotten Apples” label because executive producer and head of Disney Animation, John Lasseter, has been accused of sexual misconduct. Lasseter is currently on leave because of the allegations. A cast member of the upcoming movie Ready Player One, TJ Miller, was accused last December of sexual abuse. The actor allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in college. Some believe being aware of these connections is important so that those accused of abuse don’t receive undeserved support. However, many others share the view of separating art from the artists; in other words, one can enjoy a movie without showing support for an abuser behind the scenes. Sophomore Stacy Marlow did not think a movie’s affiliation with sexual abuse should affect one’s opinion of it. “If it’s a good movie, and the person has talent, watch it. You don’t have to support that person, but doesn’t mean you can’t support the other actors in that movie, or the other people at work on that movie.” Sophomore Lev Teytelman shared a similar viewpoint, saying the website didn’t change how he thought of movies. “It made no difference in my opinion of the movie, because acting and the other thing are not related.”
Notable Rotten Movies “Finding Dory” Executive Producer: John Lasseter “Ready Player One” Cast: T.J. Miller “Baby Driver” Cast: Kevin Spacey “The Hunger Games “Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2 Cast: Robert Knepper “Interstellar” Cast: Casey Affleck
BEAR WITNESS
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FEBRUARY 2018 |
ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT
11 BHSBEARWITNESS.COM 92 percent of Americans aged 12 and older listen to broadcast radio, with hip-hop being the most popular.
Marijuana, molly and music
Today’s rap has teenagers hooked on its messages condoning drug use UZOR AWUZIE
Student Life Editor
ask Off,” Future’s hit song of M the summer, has students singing its catchy refrain of “Percocets,
Caitlyn Schlaman/Special to the Bear Witness
molly, percocets,” seemingly endorsing its use of the painkiller and recreational drug ecstasy. The song and others by mainstream acts such as Lil Yachty, Travis Scott has experts worrying of the popularization and acceptance of the use of illicit drugs among students. Over the past two decades, researchers at UC-Berkeley claim that references to drugs in music have increased by a sixfold and worry that it may link to the prevalence of teenage drug use. According to researchers at Edison Research, a polling company, 92 percent of Americans aged 12 and older listen to broadcast radio, with hip-hop being the most popular. Students are listening to rappers, such as Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Xan, Lil Pump, Smokepurpp and others with drug-connected names who can serve as role models to teenagers willing to follow in the footsteps of people they admire. Junior Cole Gillis believes the problem is a game of one-upmanship. “It’s basically a way of proving you’re on top of everyone else,” Gillis wrote. “It’s this new era of trap music that focuses primarily on taking drugs, wearing the most expensive clothes possible, and having sex with as many girls as possible.” While music cannot physically push one to take drugs, the glorified language used to address such substances has the ability to affect how listeners view them. They not only normalize the idea of their use, but their effects. Rappers tend to drugs often used among teens, like marijuana, stimulants, depressants, and
Art students outlining their future MAHTA DELSHAD
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Copy Editor
yriad students take art during high school. And many of those students have dreams of attending an art school and having a career in art when they graduate. Branham offers a wide selection of Visual & Performing Arts classes, varying from painting to photography to ceramics. Despite the fact that many students are interested in taking art classes, most of those students don’t go on to have a career in the subject. “Because of the economy, a lot of people don’t continue with art,” said Tina Prates, one of the three art teachers at Branham. This statement is true -- the average annual salary for high-level artists is a mere $53,200, according to Recruiter. Nevertheless, according to Prates, several students are “trying to get their portfolios together” to apply to art colleges, or already have. An example is senior Lily Mortazavi. “I applied to Parsons and NYU’s Tisch, but I won’t hear about my admission until April. I started doing some art in middle school on my own, outside of school, and decided to take four years of [classes] at Branham,” said Mortazavi. “Outside of school, I do competitive ballroom dancing and teach as well, but I only take art in school.” Another student, junior Abrielle Terzian, who is currently enrolled in Art 3 Drawing & Painting, is planning on using her art if she applies to art school. “I’m not sure about which art school yet, but if I do, a possible choice could be [San Francisco’s Academy of Art University]. If I do end up going, I will definitely use a portfolio,” said Terzian, who aspires a career in graphic design. Her passion for art started early: “I began having an interest in art in the fifth grade. In school, I am in Art 3 and plan on taking AP Art next year. I do my own art in my free time at home and do digital drawing commissions as well.” Prates, who teaches Art 1, 2 and 3 Drawing & Painting and AP Art, supports her art students unconditionally and wishes that more students would attend art school after high school.
a cough syrup mixture, lean. Common short-term effects of disorientation, dizziness, and hyperfocus are put in positive light when people are looking for quick way to escape reality. When one of the most concerning aspects of drug-taking is not seen as a concern anymore, it creates a higher risk of addiction, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse. It can be especially crucial for teenagers, who take up a majority of the hip hop genre audience. Junior Derek Hogan, a fan of hip hop, agrees on the impact of rappers on teenagers. “It ultimately depends on the rapper, some show encouragement while others don’t,” wrote Hogan. “However, the rapping industry does hold a lot of power on the topic of drugs and can influence the use or risk of them” However, not all references to drugs are meant to promote abuse. Some rappers use them to shed light on how drug use can stem from difficult pasts or situations. Take Kendrick Lamar, a rapper who grew up in Compton and later moved to Chicago. At that period of time, crime and gang culture were increasingly prevalent. In his song, “Swimming Pools (Drank),” he discusses peer pressure and alcoholism regarding and family and friends. Influenced by his childhood, Lamar uses past experiences to spread awareness about alcohol and drug abuse. “Groups like N.W.A. would rap about drugs, guns, killings, etc. because it was their reality; they were shining a light on [it],” Gillis wrote. “The number of artists doing that has dwindled in recent years, but there are artists like Kendrick Lamar and Joyner Lucas who discuss these drugs and how they’re either peer pressured into taking them or how they lost loved ones due to addiction.”
Lack of diversity plagues Google arts app’s selfie feature JULIANNE ALVARES
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Abriella Terrian/Special to the Bear Witness Featured art by junior Abrielle Terrian, Art 3 student.
Opinion Editor
oogle recently updated their Arts and Culture app to have a feature that compares a user’s selfie to museum portraits. This new feature has drawn controversy about accuracy and racism. Google Arts and Culture describes its mission to be for users to “discover collections curated by experts from the most famous museums. Be moved by stories depicted in thousands of photos, videos, manuscripts and artworks on every type of screen and in virtual reality. Find your favorite artworks, create your own collections and share them with friends.” The app was launched in 2016, only adding the selfie feature on Dec. 13, 2017. The selfie feature works by scanning your selfie for a “faceprint” and attempting to match it to about 70,000 works from museums in 70 different countries. The feature has been popular; according to Google, over 30 million selfies have been taken on the app. However, this feature has faced criticism. According to a study by a KQED reporter, 91 percent of the works were done by men and 63 percent were created by artists from Europe and America before 1900. In other words, the database is westernized. KQED also notes that users of color are often given the same paintings despite having different faces. Different races are assessed and matched by a stereotypical set of facial features. Reviews for the app were mixed. It received a 4.7 on the Apple App Store and a 3.6 on the Google Play Store. Many reviews of the app express frustration over the selfie feature, especially regarding the lack of racial diversity. Students of color echo the feeling of not being matched to someone their race. When sophomore Christian Fernandez, who is Filipino and Mexican, tried the Google Match function, he was matched with an Indian woman. When asked about that accuracy of the app, Fernandez said, “It’s not [accurate] because [it] matched me with an Indian person, which I am not.” Students have noticed this lack of accuracy due to limited collections. “I think it’s [the app] is accurate to a certain extent,” said sophomore Rebecca Haile, “I have tried it and I’ve seen art that looks more like me than the art they show me. I think it might be limiting because it can’t see all the famous art in the world.” Google is working to expand the feature and add more works of it, which would help resolve both the accuracy and racial issues presented by the app.
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FEBRUARY 2018 |
BHSBEARWITNESS.COM
thebackpage WHY WE STILL NEED BLACK HISTORY MONTH
1 2 3 4
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
WHAT F IT'S LIKE FOR US
ebruary marks the 92nd year since historian Carter G. Woodson and the Associ-
ation for the Study of Negro Life and History
REPRESENTATION As black students, we need the representation. The celebration makes others aware that while the black population is limited, we have a profound an impact on society.
created and developed what we would later call Black History Month.
It's a normal experience, often colored by others' prejudices
UNITY The month brings a sense of unity between all black students of Branham. Separated by sports, clubs, and other extracurriculars, we can’t deny the skin we were born in. The skin that we share also shares our history and life experiences.
In nearly 100 years, much has changed for the black student. Sixty years ago, public schools were still segregated. And less than 70 years ago, army units were segregated. Only 80 years ago, they couldn’t drink from the same water fountain as their non-black peers. Branham's black students make up 2 percent of the school's population. We wanted to find out how their everyday experiences are affected by the color of their skin. — Uzor Awuzie
OUT OF 1,691 STUDENTS 37 students define themselves as black 26 students say that have multiple ethnicities AMONG 77 TEACHERS One is black AMONG 10 ADMINISTRATORS One is black
PRECEDENCE There is a black historical figure behind every opportunity a black student is given. who fought to make ever opportunity happen. Textbook lessons can’t quite grasp the pain and struggle it took to get African Americans to where they are today. IT'S NOT OVER From civil rights protests to social media hashtags, the struggle for blacks in America is not yet over. We still face the problems of police brutality, micro-aggressions, and gentrification. Discrimination still exists. With Black History Month, people are given the opportunity bring awarness to issues that effect the black community as a whole. — Uzor Awuzie
LEADERS NEARBY Black leaders who have made an impact in the Bay Area.
Willie Brown Former S.F. mayor Served as Assembly speaker for 15 years. He was also mayor of San Francisco, and is now a columnist. Barbara Lee Congresswoman Has represented Berkeley-East Bay region since 1998. She was the only member of Congress to oppose the Iraq War. Kamala Harris U.S. Senator She is California's third female senator. Prior that, she was the state's first black Attorney General. From 1990 to 1998, she served as Alameda County District Attorney. David Drummond Senior V.P. Alphabet He oversees the Google parent company's investment firms. — Uzor Awuzie
Jasmyne Umpierre, senior On being doubted “Growing up, more so going into high school, some of my teachers would doubt me and discourage me in ways and blame it on me just being ‘black’. I had a teacher tell me that it’s normal for black students to not be as smart because it’s just who we are. And it made me want to be better and strive harder than anyone in my class. And since then, that’s what I’ve done. I’ve had people ask me, ‘how are you black when you have long curly hair and freckles?’ And they don’t even know they’re being racist because it’s such a natural thing.”
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Adam Saleh, senior On being the token black ASB leader “I feel like I was added to leadership, initially, partially because I was black. They might have swayed their decision to allow me to join leadership because they had to have one black person in leadership. I think they had one black person in Leadership and maybe one other Mexican person… every other person was either white or Asian. Their decision to add me to leadership was based off of my charisma, my ability to interview people well, but also on the fact that they need more black people in leadership.”
things Branham's doing to support black students
Malia Miley, senior On slurs thrown at her
Kayla Chery, senior On teacher mistreatment
“I think it was my sophomore year, at the end of my freshman year, somebody had written in somebody else’s yearbook about me. It was really bad. They used the ‘n’ word ending in -er, they called me a porch monkey. I showed the teacher but she didn’t do anything.”
“Sometimes teachers mistreat you or you think that it happens a lot and you don’t know if it's just in your head, or if it’s because of your skin color...but there are teachers out there that are willing to help.”
I had a teacher tell me that it’s normal for black students to not be as smart because it’s just who we are. "
Diversity panel A panel consisting of black and Latino students helped educate teachers on tricky issues that students of color face. One sticking point: It's never okay to use the n-word. The panel was put together after Principal Cheryl Lawton saw that half of Branham's staff had left the school in the past three years.
Black Student Union The club has been dormant for the past few years, but senior Kayla Chery is determined to revive the club with social science teacher John Salberg.
Google trip for black students Earlier this month, Google, whose workforce is 2 percent black, invited Branham students to its Mountain View headquarters as part of Black History Month. A panel of black employees and engineers there encouraged the students to tap into the resources available to them.