Raven Report 2023-2024 Issue Cycle 3

SEQUOIA HIGH SCHOOL NEWS MAGAZINE

VOLUME XXIII, NO.3 // APRIL 2024

UNVEILING HIDDEN TRUTHS

OPINION Temu: don’t shop like a billionare pg. 25

FEATURE Thirsty for trends pg. 29

FEATURE IB Exposed pg. 32-33

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES

DANCE SHOW FEATURE

By Viviana Castro & Reese Silva

ST. PATRICK’S DAY

By Sasha Efimchik, Natalie Ewing & Nate Gotelli

By Lucie Archambault & Sofia Ferrante

Front cover by Kate Goldman & Deven Hennelly

Back cover by Sasha Efimchik & Haylee Huynh

DEAR Raven Report...

Dear Alex Parker-Rogers, Avoiding mind games in relationships

By Alex Parker-Rogers, Co-Feature Editor

I’m writing in reference to the recent article “Avoiding mind games in relationships.” I found it really interesting that this was included because I feel that while many teens are in relationships, a lot of people haven’t had a lot of guidance about healthy relationships.

It’s crazy to me that one in four teens has found a romantic partner online! But seeing how many friends I’ve made online, I think that it can be a great way to have some sort of connection with people who have similar interests as you. At the same time, what can we do to protect teens from false social media presences and pressure to be/not to be in relationships?

Sincerely, Mira Lowitz, sophmore

Dear Kyle Appleby,

I am responding to your article, “The NHL’s popularity woes.” I thought it was very inter esting to read about the NHL and how its viewership is very low compared to other major popular sports here in America.

I was just watching the Sharks the other day and noticed how bad they were and how the stadium always seemed to be empty. But now I understand, based on your article, it’s because they have a very young team and need to rebuild and restructure before [they are good again]. It was also cool [that] you outlined how the NHL is not promoted very well or easy for [the] audience to access on TV. Thanks for sharing this viewpoint!

Regards, Dylan Williams, senior

The

woes

By Kyle Appleby, Staff Reporter

NHL’s popularity

Layout deisgn by Zoraya King & Cameron Reynolds

Behind the screens

By Gianna Federighi, Staff Reporter

Dear Gianna Federighi,

In the March issue, you published an article about the psychological impact of social media. I really appreciated this perspective and this topic being highlighted because I spend too much time on my phone and have recognized the negative impacts of social media. I agree that social media has been favored over social connections [and] real-life experiences have suffered [because of it]. I think this is a topic more students and adults should be aware of. Thank you again for bringing this issue to light with this article.

Sincerely,

Natalie Ciraulo, senior

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS IN CHIEF

Following an issue full of A&E articles, we wanted a theme that took on more consequential societal issues. Our final theme, “Uncovering Hidden Truths” was not what we initially expected, though reporters were still able to take the shift in tone with stride and investigated issues from nuanced perspectives. However, with the added responsibility of organizing next year’s new editors, getting through the second-semester lull was challenging.

The process was hectic as we approached deadlines, but in classic Raven Report fashion, we came together as a community to finish creating this issue. We wanted to recognize our newly appointed editors for next year, who will ensure that this publication will con-

tinue thriving. To Kate Goldman and Deven Hennelly, a million thanks for your teamwork in producing the beautiful work on the cover, this magazine would truly be incomplete without it. Without further ado, we present the next official issue of the Raven Report.

RAVEN REPORT // 23-24

ABOUT

THE RAVEN REPORT IS A SEQUOIA High School student publication produced in the journalism class through the efforts and decisions of the staff and the publication’s editors and advisor. The Raven Report is a public forum for students, staff, and community.

THE RAVEN REPORT STRIVES TO provide Sequoia High School with informative, engaging and relevant news. The staff will exercise integrity and accountability while promoting justice and transparency through professional reporting about our school, community and the world.

CONTACT

THE RAVEN REPORT STAFF welcomes signed letters to the editor so that readers might share in the opportunities of the scholastic free press in open forum. The written views of students, parents or community members must be responsible, in good taste and free from libel, slander or obscenity. Letters may be edited for grammar or content if necessary; furthermore, editors will not guarantee that letters will be published.

1201 BREWSTER AVE. REDWOOD CITY, CA 94062 WWW.RAVENREPORT.ORG

Allison Wang

Haylee Huynh

SAT rises from the ashes

How the rapid reintroduction of standardized testing to elite universities will affect high school students.

NEWS EDITOR DAVID RAYMOND

The SAT is a nerve-wracking experience many are familiar with, the scene of a hundred or so students crammed into a high school gym waiting to begin the test. It is also an experience that many thought would be a thing of the past. During the COVID-19 pandemic, colleges across the nation no longer required standardized tests for applicants, and these policies persisted after pandemic-era restrictions eased.

Ivy League institutions like Brown, Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale are making the move to require the SAT again for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Many people think that this will be the start of a pattern of more schools making the move toward requiring standardized tests. However, some schools have stood firm on

their test-optional status. Columbia has announced that it will be permanently test blind, and the University of California (UC) system and California State Universities (CSUs) will continue to be test blind indefinitely as well.

“It seems like [the Ivy League schools] are all moving in the same direction [of requiring tests],” College and Career Center Advisor Teresa Ignaitis said.

Some believe that this pattern of requiring test scores may extend outside of just Ivy League institutions, but at the moment, many schools still have yet to make announcements. According to the Washington Post, Princeton, Stanford, Cornell, Duke and the University of Pennsylvania have announced that they will keep test-optional policies in place for at least the next few admis-

sions cycles. With this said, the future of the policies at these elite colleges is still uncertain.

“I think these [Ivy League schools] are looked upon as top tier, so I think that over the next few years, there’s definitely going to be a shift to more schools going test required,” junior Rikhil Kokal said.

According to a study commissioned by Dartmouth President Sian Beilock, the SAT and high school grades are the strongest indicators of future success in college. Dartmouth claims that it will look at the SAT as a valuable tool to “identify high-achieving applicants from low and middle-income backgrounds, who are first-generation college-bound, as well as students from urban and rural backgrounds.”

Despite the claims that requiring standardized tests will help diversity and predict students who will succeed academically, the racial and economic disparities that are seen with test scores and patterns in demographics are still alarming. Many see test-required policies as a step back from diversity and inclusion.

“Given my experience with standardized testing throughout my career here, I don’t think that standardized tests are ever an indicator of a student’s true ability,” IB English teacher and AVID Department Chair Jasmine Schimek said.

Economists Ember Smith and Richard Reeves from The Brookings Institute claim that the SAT mirrors racial inequalities and helps maintain systemic biases.

“In general if a student has more educational opportunities they will get higher scores,” Ignaitis said. Issues with standardized testing in the past have been concerned about inequitable test prep, as many wealthy students are able to pay for expensive test-prep services. However, today

there are many free options for students to study with that are more accessible than they were previously, such as Khan Academy and College Board.

“I’ve been using Khan Academy and all of its free resources. It has a wonderful section for how to prepare for the digital SAT,” junior Rikhil Kokal said.

There are also questions about what the content of the SAT measures and if its metrics are even applicable to college admissions.

“So many of the questions you can’t understand because the vocabulary of the question is so complex. How can I possibly answer the question if I don’t even understand the words in the question?” Schimek said. “Then is [the SAT] really showing my true intelligence, who is it rewarding, who is it keeping down?”

In the modern college admissions process, numerous pressures are being placed on students from all sides. With elite colleges requiring high grades and strong extracurriculars, having high standardized test scores is adding another level of pressure.

“We already know that kids are

more stressed now than they’ve ever been for a multitude of reasons. I don’t think adding another thing to their plate is necessarily the smartest thing to do. [...] I tend to see students who worry about getting into an Ivy League school tend to be the ones with a little more anxiety, a little more stress around achievement,” Schimek said.

In a time where colleges claim to look at students holistically, standardized tests can be a discouraging and seemingly concrete number placed on students that determines their admissions. But out of all this, one undeniable truth is that policies and attitudes surrounding standardized testing will change in the upcoming years, and these unpredictable policies will have wide-ranging effects on seniors applying to college.

“I think that we have to look beyond grades and test scores because a student who maybe didn’t do great on the SAT still has a really bright future and can bring a lot to your university. And they deserve as much a chance as somebody else,” Schimek said.

Staff Reporter:

FAFSA

Explaining the financial delays

leges and universities decide financial aid packages for each student based on the information from that form. It’s safe to say that the FAFSA is very important when it comes to the financial aspect of higher education. However, the 2023-2024 FAFSA has come across various issues that have left students extremely confused and financial aid offices attempting to figure out what to do.

Advisor Teresa Yeager said.

I’m not able to get my financial aid in on time, which makes me nervous about what colleges I applied [and] what financial aid I will be receiving.

Between November 2023 and March 2024, there have been a total of 19 information updates on the official website fsapartners. ed.gov. Updates on the official FAFSA application have only been three, which only affects the questions on the FAFSA.

Giselle Perez Apolinar, senior

Many packages are said to arrive by mid-April, which leaves little time for students to make their final decision if schools commit to Decision Day on May 1.

In 2019, the FAFSA Simplification Act came into effect, promising to help FAFSA applications be easier to complete. It was supposed to have been updated by December of 2023, so that students with mixed status households (people with undocumented parents) would be able to apply. However, by the time the FAFSA was released, the update did not work.

“It’s a one-on-one process with fam-

The first one was on December 8, 2023, which included some software updates and updates to the specification guides that help clarify how the FAFSA application works, which was not the main cause of delay. The second update on March 5, 2024 with updates of steps two and three on the application and more student verification options, specifically regarding mixed status households. The second change was the root cause of the delays, since the changes to the steps did not work with the update.

The most recent update as of writing was on March 8, 2024, with changes to the Institutional Student Information Record files. These files are documents of the students’ information that is

Words of Wisdom

From the College and Career Center

Research the cost of colleges you want to attend

Complete a Net Price calculator for school of choice

Apply for scholarships (Local ones escpecially)

Apply for Financial Aid, like FAFSA or CADAA

Compare financial award letters from schools of choice

sent to schools of choice for financial aid.

There has also been a major update where an extra $1.8 billion has been needed to be implemented due to miscalculations of the amount of money they had for financial aid, which would be detrimental to lower income students if not added.

With all these changes, and so many delays and issues that need to be fixed, many students are stressed with the complications and uncertainty of financial aid packages they’ll receive from their schools of choice.

“I’m not able to get my financial aid in on time, which makes me nervous about what colleges I applied [and] what financial aid I will be receiving,” first generation senior Giselle Perez Apolinar said.

Reportero:

FAFSA

Explicando los retrasos financieros

ayuda a los colegios y universidades a decidir paquetes de ayuda financiera para cada estudiante en base a la información de ese formulario. Es seguro decir que la FAFSA es muy importante cuando se trata del aspecto financiero de la educación superior. Sin embargo, la FAFSA 2023-2024 se ha topado con varios problemas que han dejado a los estudiantes extremadamente confundidos y las oficinas de ayuda financiera tratando de averiguar qué hacer. Se dice que muchos paquetes llegarán a mediados de abril, lo que deja poco tiempo para que los estudiantes tomen su decisión final si las escuelas se comprometen a celebrar el Día de la Decisión el 1 de mayo.

En 2019 entró en vigor la Ley de Simplificación de FAFSA, que promete ayudar a que las solicitudes de FAFSA sean más fáciles de completar. Se suponía que debía haber sido actualizado para diciembre de 2023, para que los estudiantes con hogares de estatus mixto (personas con padres indocumentados) pudieran presentar su solicitud. Sin embargo, para el momento en que se publicó la FAFSA, la actualización no funcionó.

“Es un proceso uno a uno con las familias y a menudo estamos tratan-

Asesora Universitaria y de Carreras. Entre noviembre de 2023 y marzo de 2024, se han realizado un total de 19 actualizaciones de información en el sitio web oficial fsapartners.ed.gov. Las actualizaciones sobre la solicitud oficial de la FAFSA han sido solo tres, lo que solo afecta a las preguntas sobre la FAFSA.

La primera fue el 8 de diciembre de 2023, que incluyó algunas actualizaciones de software y actualizaciones de las guías de especificación que ayudan a aclarar cómo funciona la aplicación FAFSA, que no fue la principal causa de retraso. La segunda actualización el 5 de marzo de 2024 con actualizaciones de los pasos dos y tres sobre la solicitud y más opciones de verificación de estudiantes, específicamente con respecto a los hogares de estatus mixto. El segundo cambio fue la causa raíz de los retrasos, ya que los cambios en los pasos no funcionaron con la actualización.

La actualización más reciente al momento de redactar este artículo fue el 8 de marzo de 2024, con cambios en los archivos del Registro Institucional de Información del Estudiante. Estos archivos son documentos de la información de los estudiantes que se envía

Cosas de Consejo

Del Centero de Colegio y Carreras

Investiga el costo de los collegios que quieras atender

Completa el calculador de Precio Neto para las escualas que quieras

Completa el calculador de Precio Neto para las escualas que quieras

Aplica a becas(especialmete locales)

Compara cartas de premio financiero de escuelas preferidas

a las escuelas de elección para obtener ayuda financiera.

También se ha producido una importante actualización en la que se han necesitado $1,8 mil millones adicionales para ser implementados debido a errores de cálculo de la cantidad de dinero que tenían para ayuda financiera, lo que sería perjudicial para los estudiantes de bajos ingresos si no se agregan.

Con todos estos cambios, y tantos retrasos y problemas que necesitan ser arreglados, muchos estudiantes están estresados con las complicaciones e incertidumbre de los paquetes de ayuda financiera que recibirán de sus escuelas de elección.

“No puedo obtener mi ayuda financiera a tiempo, lo que me pone nerviosa sobre qué universidades solicité [y] qué ayuda financiera recibiré”, dijo Giselle Pérez Apolinar, estudiante de primera generación.

Senior soakers stories 2024

Disclaimer: this game is not affiliated with Sequoia High School.

BY COLLIN LIOU Staff Reporter

Water guns. Cyberstalking. Waiting outside somebody’s house for hours. Senior Soakers, also known as Senior Assassins, is a game that begins around

March of senior year where teams of two Sequoia seniors try to shoot their designated target team with water guns within a week-long round. Succeed and you move on to the next round. Fail or get shot yourself and you are elim-

The Big Boys almost squirt a random lady

Team members Gianmarco Flores

and Deven

Flores and Hennelly were eliminated in round four of Senior Soakers when Flores forgot to wear his floatie one day.

My partner Deven looked up the address of our targets and we woke up at 6 a.m. to go to their house. We just sat there for a cool two hours before school started. I was behind a bush right next to the door and Deven decided to hide out in front of the car.

When it was starting to get close to school hours, we heard some keys jingle on the doorknob, and we thought, ‘Alright, we’re ready.’ I had my phone ready and I had my water gun, only for an old lady to come out with her work bag. She must’ve been so scared because I was right behind a bush with my water gun pointed at her and some random kid was in front of her car with another water gun. She was just frozen. And she said, ‘Can I help you guys?’ I said, ‘We’re so sorry, we’re playing this game,’ and she said, ‘Oh, don’t worry about it, it’s okay.’ We just felt so bad. I

inated. The prize: around $500 and the ultimate bragging rights.

This year, over 75 teams (150 people) entered the player pool to vie for the crown. Here are just a few of their stories.

literally almost squirted her, my water gun was already squeezed.

We got back in the car and we were late to school, so we thought, ‘We’ll try again after school.’ Throughout the day, Deven looked up another address, which was on the other side of the city.

We got to that one. We stayed there another two hours. A FedEx driver was passing by and we said, ‘Hey, can you knock on their door and we’ll hide behind the house or near some bushes.’ And he said, ‘Oh, yeah.’ He knocked on the door. Nobody comes out. So he leaves and we go back in the car and stay another hour.

Before we called it quits, we said, ‘We’ll just go ring the doorbell,’ so Deven hid around the house and I walked to the doorbell—it was a Ring camera. I rang it and I hid so that it wouldn’t see me. It said, ‘We’re not interested,

please leave.’ I didn’t leave, I just went to where Deven was hiding. After 10 minutes of just standing there—and there were cameras around the house too—we left.

Then our target hit me up and she said, ‘My neighbor called the cops because you were at the wrong house again.’ It was another wrong address. We were at the neighbor’s house and they got scared because it looked like we were trying to break in and enter with two water guns. I would’ve called the cops too if I didn’t know what was going on. I felt so bad.

[The cops] got the whole situation handled. They talked with the neighbors and said it was a game. The neighbors were cool, we are just not allowed back there.

Janmarco Flores, senior

(left)

Hennelly (right).

POG delivers a special package “

This was at 9 p.m., the second to last day before the round ended. I had the full UPS costume: the UPS shirt, which I think is still in use right now, and an old-school UPS hat. I had a package, which I put bricks in just to give it some weight. I also had a clipboard with a UPS customer form. When I found the right house, I put the package down, I took a really deep breath and then I rang the doorbell. I waited for a couple of seconds and then I heard footsteps coming. I had my right hand behind my jacket, which was where my water gun was. Unfortunately, it was her mom first, so I said, ‘I have a package for Chelsea Mendoza.’ She said, ‘That’s my daughter.’ And then I said, ‘I’m gonna need her signature.’ She went to get her daughter.

My heart was pounding. It only lasted like 10 seconds, but I was just waiting and waiting. Then Chelsea finally showed up to the door and I said, ‘I have a package for Chelsea Mendoza. Can you sign right here?’ And then I pulled out my water gun and said, ‘Right here,’ and I sprayed her.

I was thinking about that strategy for three days in a row, and to see it actually work was pretty cool. I wish everyone could see it, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was rejected because the video quality was so bad.

Owen Leung, senior

Crispy Crackers

“

I was able to show up at Mikaila Miller’s house and I was nervous. I was psyching myself up to go and I saw a car pulling by—it’s her mom. I’m standing there trying to figure out what to do, whether I go, ‘Hey, are you Mikaila’s mom?’ She looks at me. I’m just standing there like, ‘I’m not doing anything. I was just playing Wordle or something.’ But I end up walking up close to the door. I was about to knock and she just opened it like, ‘Yes.

What do you want?’ I was so startled. Mikaila was out for work. [Her mom] said, ‘Is this for Senior Soakers?’ I’m such a bad liar, so I told her right then and there. But I managed to tell her another lie. I told her, ‘My name is Jacob, by the way,’ as I was leaving. I was making reference to the fact that Jacob Huljev looks somewhat similar, just slightly taller than me—and more handsome.

I got to school on Monday, and everybody was talking about, ‘Did you get your target?’

‘No, I didn’t get my target.’

‘Who’s your target?’

‘Mikaila.’

‘No, that was Jacob’s target. What are you talking about?’

‘Yeah, that was me, actually. I just lied and used somebody else’s name.’ Eventually that spread around to Jacob and I mentioned it to him in biology class, and he said, ‘I knew it was you.’

Xander Love, senior

Owen Leung wearing his UPS costume.

Jacob Huljev (left) and Xander Love (right).

Learning about marine life

BY NAOMY MÉNDEZ & DARLEN ODÓÑEZ Guest Writers

Ms. Wenzel, Mr. Duran and Sierra Club Inspiring Connections Outdoor (ICO) volunteers organized a trip to the beach to learn about marine life on Saturday, March 16.This trip was incredible as we were able to appreciate new and very in teresting things about marine life. When we arrived, we walked to a place where the tide was low, and the animals were visible. We saw all kinds of animals such as starfish, snails and fish. What amazed everyone the most was seeing sea lions. There were also guides who explained to us about these animals that we ob served and if we had any questions, questions for us. This was a new ex perience for many, and we were very happy to see animals that they had never seen before.

By Naomy Méndez

pose for a photo after observing marine life and tide pools.

It was wonderful to have the opportunity to learn more about marine life. We walked on the beach looking for marine animals and found a starfish. Then, we went to another beach, and the volunteers began to organize everything to eat.

The food was delicious and later we played and some of the students dipped their feet in the sea. The photos we took during the tour were very good, and it was undoubtedly an experience that we would like to repeat again.

By Darlen Odóñez

Aprendiendo sobre la vida marina

POR NAOMY MÉNDEZ & DARLEN ODÓÑEZ Guest Writers

La Sra. Wenzel, el Sr. Durán y los voluntarios del Sierra Club Inspiring Connections Outdoor (ICO) organizaron un viaje a la playa para aprender sobre la vida marina el sábado 16 de marzo. Este viaje fue increíble ya que pudimos apreciar cosas nuevas y muy interesantes sobre la vida marina. Cuando llegamos, caminamos hasta un lugar donde la marea estaba baja y los animales eran visibles. Vimos todo tipo de animales como estrellas de mar, caracoles y peces. Lo que más sorprendió a todos fue ver lobos marinos.

También había guías que nos explicaban sobre estos animales que observamos y si teníamos alguna duda, nos respondían las dudas. Esta fue una experiencia nueva para muchos y nos alegró mucho ver animales que nunca antes habían visto.

Por Naomy Méndez

Fue maravilloso tener la oportunidad de aprender más sobre la vida marina. Caminamos por la playa buscando animales marinos y encontramos una estrella de mar. Luego nos fuimos a otra playa y los voluntarios empezaron a organizar todo para comer.

La comida estuvo deliciosa y luego jugamos y algunos de los estudiantes sumergieron los pies en el mar. Las fotos que tomamos durante el recorrido fueron muy buenas, y sin duda fue una experiencia que nos gustaría volver a repetir.

Por Darlen Odóñez

Layout design by Allison Wang

Students

Photos from Stacy Wenzel

Taylor Swift’s new album: “The Tortured Poets Department”

BY LUCIE ARCHAMBAULT Staff Reporter

Taylor Swift won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album for her album “Midnights” on Feb. 4, her 13th Grammy in total. During her moving acceptance speech, she announced the release of her 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” coming out on April 19. This announcement came as a surprise to many fans.

“I was really excited and was like ‘Oh my gosh, I’m going to be around and actually engaged when a Taylor Swift album comes out,’” sophomore Emma Yip said.

The album is an exciting opportunity for newer Taylor Swift fans. Others, though, felt that the announcement was a little underwhelming.

“I thought it was a fun way to announce it. But I thought it should have been bigger for an album that’s coming out,” sophomore Genna Pravdin said.

The Grammy Awards is a very im-

portant and big award ceremony, but some feel announcing it there disregards a huge part of her audience who may not have watched the ceremony.

“The Tortured Poets Department” is expected to have 16 songs and one bonus track. Taylor Swift fans, or ‘Swifties,’ with the limited information given, have been creating theories and ideas on the new album. Many have based them on the cover of “The Tortured Poets Department,” which received more than 14 million likes on Swift’s Instagram.

“I think it might be a little more like ‘Folklore’ and less like ‘Midnights’ because the album cover is very calm looking.” Yip said.

Fans have also based their thoughts on her previous albums such as “Folklore,” her indie pop album released in 2020, and her latest album “Midnights,” her synth pop album released in 2022.

“I think it will be more calm and chill, because her last album “Midnights” was more energetic,” freshman Ariane Shah said.

Along with theories, fans have many big hopes and expectations for the album.

“I hope we get to know a little more about Taylor, because it seems like a very poetic album,” Yip said.

Swift is also known for including references or entire lyrics dedicated about her past and her past relationship in songs. Due to the name of the album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” fans are hoping to learn about her in a poetic way.

There are two confirmed collaborations on the album, Post Malone on “Fortnight” and Florence and the Machine on “Florida!!!”

“I hope the collaborations will be good,” Parvadin said.

Overall, fans are awaiting for what Swift brings to her new album.

“I’m so excited for April 19th. It will be so cool,” Shah said.

The Tortured Poets Department album cover, Beth Garrabrant

Shakira’s newest album

BY ARELY BRIZUELA Staff Reporter

Shakira, the Queen of Latin Music, recently released her 12th studio album, on March 22, 2024, titled “Women No Longer Cry.” Shakira has achieved success in both Spanish and English-speaking countries. For the past two decades she has been one of the most successful Latin American recording artists. This is her first album since El Dorado, which she released seven years ago. Because of the long wait, many in the world and on Sequoia’s campus are buzzing with excitement and opinions on the album.

womanhood. The album was inspired by Shakira’s experiences following her break-up from footballer Gerard Piqué and describes her transformation of heartbreak into strength.

I feel nostalgic because I’ve been a fan since I was eight years old. Hearing all the songs again after so many years and hearing her live on stage is amazing.

Helen Maradiaga, sophomore

“Women No Longer Cry” has seventeen songs, including eight new songs and a remix. The Colombian superstar plunges into the depths of her soul, alchemizing pain into pop gold while celebrating the strength of

I am excited about this album because Shakira is my favorite singer, so hearing her version of “Whenever, Wherever” is incredible. It is called “Suerte” in Spanish-speaking countries and was released as the first and lead single. This song talks lyrically about how lucky she is to have found her romantic partner. My favorite line in this song is, “With you, I celebrate and suffer everything. My joys and my evils.”

While “Whenever Wherever” is the most popular song on the album, there are many songs that connect with fans.

“My favorite song is Antologia. This

song talks about her first great love, about how the life of the poetic voice changes, about everything he taught her, and how now, already separated, she cannot live without him. Shakira wrote this song when she was 17-years old.” ELD teacher, Jane Slater said

“I feel nostalgic because I’ve been a fan since I was eight years old. Hearing all the songs again after so many years and hearing her live on stage is amazing. After so long she is still singing the songs that I’ve known since I was young,” sophomore Helen Maradiaga said.

In addition to being the best-selling female Latin artist of all time, Shakira has accomplishments outside of music. She is a humanitarian. In 1997, the Colombian queen founded a charity, Pies Descalzos Foundation (Barefoot Foundation), which aims at helping poor and impoverished children. In addition to singing and dancing, Shakira speaks six languages fluently, Spanish, English, Portuguese, Italian, French and Catalan.

El nuevo album de Shakira

POR ARELY BRIZUELA Staff Reporter

Shakira, la Reina de la Música Latina, lanzó recientemente su duodécimo álbum de estudio, el 22 de marzo de 2024, titulado “Las mujeres ya no lloran”. Shakira ha logrado éxito tanto en países de habla hispana como inglesa. Durante las últimas dos décadas ha sido una de las artistas discográficas latinoamericanas más exitosas. Este es su primer álbum desde El Dorado, que lanzó hace siete años. Debido a la larga espera, muchas personas en el mundo y en el campus de Sequoia están llenas de entusiasmo y opiniones sobre el álbum.

“LAS MUJERES YA NO LLORAN” tiene diecisiete canciones, incluidas ocho canciones nuevas y un remix. La superestrella colombiana se sumerge en lo más profundo de su alma, transformando el dolor en oro pop mientras celebra la fuerza de la feminidad. El álbum se inspiró en las experiencias de Shakira tras su ruptura con el futbolista Gerard Piqué y describe su transformación del desamor en fuerza. Estoy entusiasmada con este álbum

porque Shakira es mi cantante favorita, así que escuchar su versión de “Siempre donde quiera” es increíble. Se llama “Suerte” en los países de habla hispana y fue lanzado como primer y principal sencillo. Esta canción habla líricamente de la suerte que tiene de haber encontrado a su pareja romántica. Mi frase favorita de esta canción es: “Contigo celebro y sufro todo. Mis alegrías y mis males”.

“

ELD, dijo Jane Slater

“Siento nostalgia porque soy fan desde los ocho años. Volver a escuchar todas las canciones después de tantos años y escucharla en vivo en el escenario es increíble. Después de tanto tiempo ella todavía canta las canciones que conozco desde que era joven, sentí nostalgia”, dijo la estudiante de segundo año Helen Maradiaga.

Siento nostalgia porque soy fan desde los ocho años. Volver a escuchar todas las canciones después de tantos años y escucharla en vivo en el escenario es increíble.

Si bien “Siempre donde quiera” es la canción más popular del álbum, hay muchas canciones que conectan con los fans.

Helen Maradiaga, estudiante de segundo año

“Mi canción favorita es Antologia. Esta canción habla de su primer gran amor, de cómo cambia la vida de la voz poética, de todo lo que él le enseñó y de cómo ahora, ya separada, no puede vivir sin él. Shakira escribió esta canción cuando tenía 17 años”. Maestra de

Además de ser la artista latina con mayores ventas de todos los tiempos, Shakira tiene logros fuera de la música. Ella es humanitaria. En 1997, la Reina de Colombia fundó una organización benéfica, la Fundación Pies Descalzos (Fundación Pies Descalzos), cuyo objetivo es ayudar a los niños pobres y empobrecidos. Además de cantar y bailar, Shakira habla seis idiomas con fluidez: español, inglés, portugués, italiano, francés y catalán.

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Vanishing safe havens

The recent disappearance of queer spaces and its impact on LGBTQ+ communities

BY ZORAYA KING Co-Feature Editor

The blue light from the screen flashes in front of my 11-year-old eyes, screaming the word “queer” in hues of red to purple. Instinctively, I deleted the tab, and my search history, and even wished to delete my memory, if that was even possible. My sticker-covered Chromebook was slammed shut by my anxious hands, in disbelief of what the BuzzFeed quiz told me.

Discovering that I was gay was equally empowering as it was earth-shattering. Throughout middle school, I found myself in the in-between, knowing that I was different but unable to come to terms with who I truly was. In order to navigate these complex feelings, I searched for people who I could trust, people who understood: other queer individuals.

Queer spaces are a crucial part of what makes the LGBTQ+ community unique. To take something that has historically ostracized us, to resist and recognize it as the common experi

ed, the need for queer-centric spaces is diminishing. Now, everywhere is a “queer space.” While societal progression is vital in protecting queer individuals, how can we preserve the queer spaces that have originally foraged that path of progression?

Why are queer-centric spaces important?

Historically, LGBTQ+ individuals have been targeted and persecuted for their differences in gender expression and attraction. Trauma from hateful beliefs can severely impact a person’s ability to come to terms with their queerness and develop severe self-hatred and other long-lasting issues.

“I was told so many days–years of my life–that I cannot be gay or queer or anything like that. I actually started to tell myself that there’s no way that I’m actually going to be gay. Every day was like, ‘I’m gonna wake up tomorrow, and I will be straight,’” Everywhere Is Queer founder Charlie Sprinkman

ate connection I felt toward the other club members was vibrant, even over Zoom; everyone within that call completely understood the internal conflicts I was facing as a “baby gay” and supported me through my journey of self discovery, simply by opening up a space for us to gather and relate to one another.

“It’s this feeling. It’s a community and a connection that is just so different [from anything else],” Nguyen said. “In having those spaces where you’re with other people who understand that experience, that history, all the rights that we have fought for, being around other folks who have struggled in a similar way with you, that connects people in a way that is not always easy to explain. It makes you feel like you belong there.”

Those that have connected with queer spaces and experienced community in their identity are often deeply changed by their interactions, even using it as motivation to change their local environment, delve into activism and change the scope of LGBTQ+ acceptance for other queer youth that may need a safe space to express themselves.

“Queer communities have absolutely lifted my spirits and allowed me to be seen as my true authentic self.” Sprinkman said. “We all deserve friends.”

Where did queer spaces go?

In an increasingly progressive society, queer identities are becoming normalized and more accepted. Often, stores will have a pride flag on display or queer-coded art on the walls to show support and advocacy for the community. This way, an LGBTQ+ person can know that the establishment is a safe space for them to be.

While this is beneficial in increasing

safety for queer people, it can also have an adverse effect that diminishes the value of historically queer-affiliated or queer-owned businesses.

“There’s less ways in which you’re ostracized or pushed out, and that marginalization then allows you to then group together and find strength [in community]. When we’re being accepted and brought in, there’s less of a need to group together for strength. So then less people go into a lesbian bar like the Lexington, and they end up closing down,” Nguyen said.

Those that consider themselves allies of the LGBTQ+ community often engage in queer culture and get involved in queer spaces. While this support can help these businesses thrive, the vibrancy of the queer community in those spaces can be “watered down.”

“It’s really cool to know that there’s a lot more spaces that are open to gay people, but at the same time, why are we toning down on these spaces that are specifically for [the LGBTQ community]?” sophomore Abril Bustos said. “I find myself [seeking out queer spaces] to be with people like me, so I’m annoyed that these places are getting pushed away or closed down.”

Taking a different outlook, junior Jack Colgan expresses how allyship from straight people can still be a deeply empowering side of the LGBTQ+ community.

“I think it’s positive too. Since straight people are helping out the community more than ever, [...] we have become so progressive in our ideologies and the way we view [differences] in people.We [have] become a very accepting

society,” Colgan said.

Even with our progres sive society, epecially in California, acceptance and support for the LGBTQ+ community is not positive everywhere.

“It’s important to acknowledge that there is a lot of backstabbing that’s hap pening right now, especially in Florida, for example with the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. It’s important to acknowledge that things aren’t always super perfect, and while it’s super great that we’re moving forward, in a lot of places, that’s not entirely true,” junior Johnny Berry said.

How

can we uplift small queer communities and be an authentic ally?

Being wary of the commercialization of the LGBTQ+ community and possible exploitation of queerness by allies, Berry offers a perspective on how we can navigate radical acceptance of queerness while maintaining the value in queer-spaces.

“It’s new territory,” Berry said. “I think it could be the best of both worlds where you have a bunch of allies, and you also have a lot of queer centric stuff and [...] queer culture. [...] You could still have all these allies who might be straight and cis, but still have a queer environment [that is very] queer centric.”

Many allies express support by spending quality time with their queer friends and even attending pride parades with them. While doing so, reflect and recognize your privilege and experience as

ly], respect people and don’t [categorize them] as ‘accessories.’ A lot of allies can tokenize gay people when you should be respecting that person’s autonomy and their own wants and needs. They are their own person and shouldn’t just be like your little ‘gay best friend,’” Berry said.

Allies help queer people thrive. Just as queer people need other queer people to get by, it’s the diversity in the LGBTQ+ community and the alliances of straight and gay people that helps our marginalized group be uplifted.

“The queer community truly would not be where it is today without our allies,” Sprinkman said. “We need the ally community to help us. We need them to support us, to see us, to advocate for us [and] to put money towards the queer community.”

EVERYWHERE IS QUEER

Everywhere Is Queer is an online resource founded by Charlie Sprinkman that makes finding queer safe spaces easy. Through the organization's website and app, users can find local establishments that are queer-owned or gay-friendly, making sure that every person can go to a place where they can fully be themselves.

“A big reason why I wanted to start Everywhere Is Queer is to [help people that were like me]. Even if you’re in the closet, or you’re still trying to figure out your queerness, I hope that you maybe can go sit in a coffee shop and just see queer people exist. See how that makes you feel. See queer people [be happy] in society and in the workforce.” everywhereisqueer.com/map (all ages) // IOS + Android app stores (17+)

BEYOND THE CURTAIN

BY ADEN RICHMAN Staff Reporter

In the hectic time during the last year of high school, seniors spend a lot of time finalizing their plans after highschool. The post-secondary application process, in particular, is a difficult undertaking. With a multitude of unique essays, activity lists, resumes, financial aid forms and scholarships, it can be a very stressful time in the lives of senior high school students. Luckily, high school counselors have developed an abundance of post-secondary resources to make this grueling process a bit simpler.

While these resources are helpful when applying to standard majors such as business or communications, they provide little value to those going through the performing arts process. As a current senior applying as a musical theater major, I know first hand how tedious and time-consuming the performing arts application process is. On top of all of the standard college application tasks, I spent months

Why students going into the performing arts need to be better supported by Sequoia

choosing songs and monologues, working with an audition coach, sending in prescreens, getting headshots, writing creative essays and taking dance classes just to have a chance at these top programs.

“For musical theater, I had to film two songs and some programs wanted one monologue while others wanted two,” senior Besher Garcia said.

On top of the many differing requirements, filming these self-tapes can take future performing arts majors a very long time.

This process can be mentally draining and technically challenging without professional help to guide you through the process. I was fortunate enough to hire an audition coach to help me through these tasks. However, many that want to pursue performing arts may not have the means to hire professional help.

The counselors here know nothing about performing arts applications. Especially bbecause it’s such a long and tedious process [...] there’s not a lot of school resources.

Besher Garcia, senior

“I work with my school dance teacher. We probably spent 10 or 15 hours putting [the videos] all together,” Menlo School senior Emmy Ford said.

I spent upwards of 30 hours on my dance, singing and acting self-tapes so I could send in my best possible work.

“The counselors here know nothing about performing arts applications. Especially because it’s such a [long and] tedious process… there’s not a lot of school resources,” Garcia said.

When counselors can’t offer much help to students, some look to their teachers for support.

“If there were students who needed extra support or wanted to sit with me and look at the requirements and

kind of talk through the steps needed to submit a video audition, I was able to sit with them. But I didn’t go as far as to pick audition material with students. And I didn’t give any feedback on the actual audition tapes,” drama teacher

This lack of resources in high school for those looking to pursue performing arts can seriously impact whether or not students are able to get into top programs. If I didn’t have access to all of my personal resources, I don’t know if I would have followed through with what I truly want to do: musical theater.

Having inaccessible resources in high school can greatly hinder the future of performing arts. Education for performance art is really important to foster the next generation of storytellers and change makers.

“I think [performing arts] are a great option for students who want to continue to develop as an artist but also still explore other things. I think there’s not just a one size fits all option for theater education, post high school.

I think it is certainly a great option if students are passionate about it,” Cain said.

While these resources may be currently inaccessible, there are many ways to make them more readily available.

“Given that I’m still new to the role, I’d love to find a conference or something for experienced educators to help inform newer educators on how they can support students with this process, ” Cain said.

For now, however, students may have

to rely on their friends for mental support throughout the audition journey.

“I’m lucky to have friends who are also going through [college auditions], so that was helpful,” Garcia said.

All in all, Sequoia needs to start taking new approaches when it comes to preparing students for all types of college applications, especially those which include more than your standard essays and activity lists. Hopefully, the school can take many steps to normalize applications which aren’t currently considered “standard.”

Photos and Graphics by Christine Chang and Abby Aguayo

Breaking down birth control

BY ALEX PARKER-ROGERS Co-Feature Editor

Living in California, every student at Sequoia has access to many forms of birth control. Many people are unaware of the tools and information available to students for providing birth control options, which are often free. Learning more about access to birth control benefits people who menstruate, people with some medical conditions and people who are sexually active.

The importance of birth control for avoiding pregnancy

Most people who are assigned female at birth ovulate once a month or once during the monthly cycle of their hormones called the hormonal cycle. Ovulation is the process of a mature egg being released from an ovary and traveling down a fallopian tube, where it can be fertilized if sperm is present. Pregnancy can occur in the five days leading up to ovulation, especially during the 48 hours of ovulation in which the egg waits in the fallopian tube.

The hormonal cycles for people who can become pregnant vary from cycle to cycle, so ovulation can be difficult to track and predict. This is especially true for people currently going through puberty or who have recently gone through puberty. For these reasons, sexually active students who are looking to avoid pregnancy are advised by medical professionals to use either hormonal or non-hormonal birth control when having sex at any point in their cycle.

Hormonal birth control

Hormonal birth control is designed for people who ovulate, as it prevents pregnancy by stopping ovulation from occurring. Hormonal birth control uses the synthetic hormones estrogen and progestin (a synthetic form of progesterone). These hormones are present throughout the hormonal cycle and control an individual’s fertility and many other bodily processes. When synthetic hormones enter the body through birth control, they can change or balance aspects of the hormonal cycle.

The synthetic hormones in hormonal birth control can lessen the symptoms of menstruation, like cramps, hormonal acne or other premenstrual symptoms. It can also lessen the effects of conditions like endometriosis, which is when endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus. With these other benefits, many people who are not sexually active and looking to avoid pregnancy also use hormonal birth control.

Hormonal birth control options

The importance of birth control for avoiding sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

Many forms of birth control are designed to prevent the transmission of STIs for people who are sexually active, such as herpes, syphilis, chlamydia and human papillomavirus (HPV). While it depends on the specific infection, STIs can be spread through skin-to-skin contact or when one partner’s bodily fluids come in contact with their partner’s body. Common forms of birth control that prevent the spread of STIs act as a barrier between skin or genitals to avoid direct contact.

STIs are very common and can range in severity, with most being curable, but others like HPV are only treatable but incurable. Along with using birth control to prevent STIs, sexually active people, especially those with multiple partners, are advised to get check-ups regularly at doctors’ offices or clinics to ensure they are STI-free or can receive treatment.

Non-hormonal birth control

Methods of birth control like male or female condoms are non-hormonal and prevent both pregnancy and STIs by acting as a protective barrier to prevent the exchange of bodily fluids. However, other forms of non-hormonal birth control only prevent pregnancy.

Non-hormonal birth control options

How students can access birth control

Information provided by Scherer, Health Educator Julia Cunningham and

Many forms of birth control require prescriptions or a doctor’s visit, which can be intimidating for teens. Alternatively, students can visit Sequoia’s Health Office, located next to the Teen Resource Center. The Health Office isn’t legally obligated to share confidential information with parents, so students’ privacy is protected.

The Sequoia Teen Wellness Center, located on James Avenue next to Sequoia’s campus, is an official clinic for students’ medical needs, including sexual health. The Teen Wellness Center, along with other clinics like Planned Parenthood, can provide birth control or other sexual health-related information to students.

Birth control can be expensive to pay for out-of-pocket, so teenagers are advised to use their parents’ insurance if they have it. If a minor wants to use their parents’ insurance to pay for clinic services, but does not want to disclose what services or clinic, they can make the insurance billing confidential using the site My Health My Info. Students without insurance or who aren’t covered by their parents can still access sexual health care using the California-funded service, Family Pact. If a student doesn’t make above a certain income each year, they are eligible to register and Family Pact will cover the cost of most services.

My Health My Info Family Pact

oo TikTok Shop: making the app untrustworthy

BY CAROLINE SIELING Staff Reporter

TikTok Shop is taking over users’ “For You” pages. Since its launch in September 2023, TikTok’s major push to integrate it into the app has made it unavoidable when using TikTok.

“It’s pretty much everywhere on TikTok. You can go on your “For You” page, and you’ll see a lot of ads for TikTok Shop,” senior Luke Holmes said.

It has something for everyone when it comes to creators and businesses, but the extreme levels of advertising have somewhat taken over the app. It can be used by companies on their own “Shop Pages” where they can display and sell their products. It is also used by creators through “Shoppable Videos,” which is the kind of advertisement that I most often see. With TikTok Live, creators can also promote products live through “LIVE Shopping.” Lastly, TikTok also displays a “Shop” tab at the top of the app next to users’ “For You” and “Following” page tabs where you would find regular content. It’s everywhere, and I find the amount of advertising on TikTok to be overwhelming.

The reason it works so well is because it’s convenient. The easy use of TikTok Shop has definitely contributed to its success. TikTok also provides users with many sales and deals to encourage users to purchase from TikTok Shop.

“It’s probably become popular because it’s cheap, and a cool way to or

your social media app and scrolling and then find something you’re interested in that you can see [would be] helpful and order it,” Holmes said.

TikTok is an app that many people visit for recommendations, whether it be restaurants, recipes or beauty products. This is one reason why I find TikTok to be so fun. As opposed to “Googling” something, TikTok allows you to see real people’s opinions directly from them.

After the launch of TikTok Shop I’ve found this aspect of TikTok to be less reliable and make the app less enjoyable overall. Now that so many creators are being paid to sell products, it is all the more challenging to tell whether or not their endorsement is worthy of trust.

The accessibility of TikTok Shop is very tempting, but it is unique compared to other online shopping tools like Amazon or Temu because it relies majorly on creators to promote products. This is the kind of advertising that is most often integrated into users’ typical feeds. Creators who are eligible for the program can promote affiliate products in TikTok videos and TikTok Lives to earn commissions. TikTok advertisements are a big way for creators to earn money off of TikTok without relying on the Creator Fund or external brand deals. This revenue possibility for creators can cause distrust between average users and creators. This distrust also weakens the credibility of products.

“They probably don’t trust a lot of this stuff coming out of TikTok Shop, which I didn’t at first either. But once I saw that it actually came in the mail and the stuff worked, I started trusting it. But sometimes I do use stuff, and I started thinking, ‘I have to make sure this stuff is safe,’” Holmes said.

Temu: don’t shop like a billionaire

BY SASHA EFIMCHIK Co-Opinion Editor

Everyone wants to shop like a billionaire; but does everyone want to support forced labor?

When I wanted to buy socks and found some on Temu for $2.68, I was hooked. I had no problem when the app told me I couldn’t buy them until I had $15 worth of items. I ordered a long-sleeve shirt, some rings and sunglasses. When the package arrived a week later, I was disappointed with almost everything. The rings broke immediately. The shirt was made from a cheap and uncomfortable material and still lays in a drawer, unworn. The glasses were thin, scratched my face, and sat lopsided. Only the socks satisfied me, and even they looked like they wouldn’t last more than a few wears.

Temu, the US offshoot of Chinese e-commerce company Pinduoduo, was launched in 2022. It was an immediate hit in the US, becoming the most downloaded app in December of that year, according to Time Magazine. Temu’s biggest appeal is that you can buy virtually anything for incredible prices, such as sunglasses for $4.94, a piano keyboard for $25.98, and LED lights for $5.94.

“The main reason for my choice to use Temu was the prices of many of the items, as well as the free shipping on almost all orders, and the mass amounts of coupons offered,” senior Jake Sawyer said.

It is hard to believe that Temu isn’t a scam, but items will generally arrive, though often not in the best quality.

“With each order, there is always the chance the item arrives damaged, which happened to two of [my] items on two separate occasions,” Sawyer said.

Sophomore Maya Perez-Martinez

echoed a similar sentiment.

“The clothing could be better [quality]. Not all the clothing is amazing. It’s usually that plasticky feel, but [the] boxes or containers [are] pretty good,” Perez-Martinez said.

The lackluster quality of the products isn’t the only reason you shouldn’t buy from Temu.

The Council on Foreign Relations stated that since 2017, the Chinese government has been imprisoning more than 1 million Uyghurs, a mostly Muslim, Turkic-speaking ethnic group from China’s northwestern region of Xinjiang. Those not detained are subjected to intense surveillance, religious restrictions, forced sterilizations and forced labor.

The US Government considers this a genocide and, in 2022, passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which states “the import of all goods, wares, articles, or merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured, wholly or in part, by forced labor from the People’s Republic of China and particularly any such goods, wares, articles, or merchandise produced in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, will be prohibited.”

According to Consumer News and Business Channel, the US House of Representatives found instances of products from Temu being sold or made with materials from the Xinjiang region, in direct violation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.

I haven’t since my first time and will never buy items from Temu again. Temu’s magical prices aren’t worth supporting a corporation that participates in forced labor. Instead, if you need lower prices, I recommend shopping at local thrift stores, such as Savers in Redwood City or Thrift Center in San Carlos.

Is it time to drop shopping as we know it?

There’s a booming way to buy and sell in 2024—but it comes with novel problems as well.

BY KYLE APPLEBY Staff Reporter

Low prices, personalized products and supporting small creators are a few of the positive aspects of buying from dropshippers on websites such as Etsy, Shopify, AliExpress and Amazon. However, what is often hidden from the buyer is questionable business practices and horrible environmental impacts.

A quick scroll through Shophunter, a website that tracks Shopify stores, shows hundreds of stores with revenues in the tens of millions, selling just about every product imaginable. Tracking stores allows users to see each store’s sales in further detail. One store, selling soundproof call booths, has made a whopping $50 million in just one month in revenue.

Seeing the success others can find running these businesses makes it seem like anyone can start one. A junior at Design Tech High School decided to start their own Shopify store as

“I also wanted to develop the skills needed to run an online business, in case I had that option later in life.”

The student found products to sell on Alibaba, buying low and reselling them with a big margin on their personalized website. However, it can be easy to underestimate the workload required to maintain the business.

“

with their personal life, finding time to grow their business can be a challenge.

Potentially, the business could be self-sustaining. The only work left for us to do would be to market.

Design

Tech student who runs a dropshipping business

“You have to teach yourself how to run the whole business,” they said. “And, you have to work on the fly. If a problem arises, you have to fix it as quickly as possible.”

Shopify automatically fulfills orders, so the only work left to do is make ads for the product. However, advertising is often the most complex aspect

“I don’t know what makes people buy stuff. You have to be very in-theknow and adapt to trends, so it’s constant work,” the student said.

For someone balancing running the store

“I take classes at Cañada College and do track and field, so it’s hard to find time to make ads. I couldn’t really make it take off because I couldn’t put the time in,” they said. While the potential for great success is appealing to prospective business owners, problems often lie in the manufacturing and shipping of products.

Alibaba is a Chinese-based company, and according to NextSmartShip, Chinese factories produce all the products found on the website. The University of Southern California, with testimony from international human rights officials, found that many Chinese factories subject their workers to harsh conditions, long and unpaid hours and underage laborers. The student’s manufacturer is an Alibaba factory, but contact between the two has been limited.

“Our manufacturer is halfway across the world,” the student said. “We have very little ability to verify that the factory is following all the right guidelines.”

Also, with little communication with the factory, shipping is completely in the factory’s hands.

“We’re very uninvolved with the shipping process,” they said. “Since reaching out to them is pretty difficult,

DROP SHIPPING BY THE NUMBERS

we can’t really ask them to be more environmentally friendly.”

These conditions are often hidden from consumers behind professionally designed websites that allow for seamless navigation and checkout.

While dropshipping is a legitimate business model that has been very successful for many, it is often associated with scams, including poor quality or fake products, fake reviews and long shipping times. However, there are exceptions, with many dropshippers being reliable places to find cheap and niche products.

Senior Johnny Naufal, who bought from the company Solset, was pleased with his purchase.

“[The website] looked good,” Naufal said. “They had multiple products on it, and it was very easy to navigate.”

Naufal noted that the professionality of the website helped him feel confi dent in his purchase.

“It looked safe and the reviews were good, so I wasn’t too worried about a potential scam,” he said. “[The product] didn’t feel cheaply made or anything.”

On third-party review websites,

however, Solset’s reviews are mixed. Some claim to have never received the product, other reviewers cited the long shipping time as the reason for their poor reviews, and some didn’t mention the shipping time at all.

“It took almost two weeks to ship, but that’s what they advertised on their website,” Naufal said.

If you can parse through the scams and aim to find an ethical provider,

dropshippers can be an excellent place to find products that can’t be found on store websites like Target and Walmart. If you can put in the time and effort into staying on top of the business, dropshipping can also be an effective side hustle for someone lacking the resources to start a physical store.

Statistics from dropship.io and printful.com.

The c st of keeping up

BY REESE SILVA Staff Reporter

Trends are born through an under standing of culture and global changes, particularly affecting teenagers as they navigate their lives. Some trends have enduring effects, while others fade quickly, prompting the question of why certain trends resonate with teens while others are discarded.

cost, as these products can be very expensive. For example, Drunk Elephant skincare products can cost anywhere from $16-$134. In addition, Glow Recipe products can cost anywhere from $8-$45. Teens are notorious for their bad spending habits, and according to GWI, a market research company, 23% of Gen Z consumers in the US say they make impulse purchases.

TikTok is a hotspot for various trends seen today. Most of these trends are started by well-liked influencers on TikTok. They popularize certain products, and as a result, more and more people buy them. At first glance, these creators seem like they can be trusted, but not all teenagers feel the same.

“A lot of times, the trends are created by companies who partner with big creators like Alix Earle to suck people’s money,” senior Alexandra Dance said.

According to Time Magazine, it is estimated that Alix Earle charges anywhere between $40,000 to $70,000 per brand-sponsored post. These brands include Glow Recipe, The Ordinary, Summer Fridays, Sol de Janeiro, Drunk Elephant, COSRX and more, which have been popular among teenagers.

However, Alix Earle is not the only influencer making money. According to NeoReach, people with 1,000-10,000 followers can make $20-$150 per post, and people with 10,000-50,000 followers can make $30-$400 off of sponsored content. In addition, people with 50,000-500,000 followers can make $80-$1,650 per post, and people with 500,000-1,000,000 followers can make $150-$3,500. Finally, people with over a million followers can make $1,200 and above per post.

Trends change so quickly that it is hard to tell if products are worth the

Since these products are so pricey, teenagers must find a way to pay for them. According to Business Insider, over 39% of survey respondents stated working part-time to have extra cash for things such as skincare products.

“I try not to get swept up in the whole, ‘Oh this is cool now for 20 minutes,’” Dance said.

There was a time when a trend would have a generous life cycle of up to two or three years, but with so many creators transforming looks, big companies are inventing and capitalizing on new trends daily. This tiring, short cycle is causing many social media users like Dance to experience “trend fatigue” or “burnout.” In addition to exhaustion, trends can also lead to a bad mental state and self-image.

“Trends are tiring sometimes because you compare yourself to others and it lowers your self-esteem,” sophomore Katie Lombera said.

According to the National Library of Medicine, adolescents reported depressive symptoms frequently following the use of technology (cell phones, Instagram, and TikTok). Trends are advertised the most by people with the seemingly perfect face and body, often using filters and photo editing tools to enhance their appearance.This can create unrealistic beauty standards that a lot of teenagers hold themselves to.

“I don’t really see the need for trends and following them because, overall, it’s expensive and draining,” Dance said.

Graphic by Reese Silva

Thirsty for trends

Our obsession with consumerism

BY NATALIE EWING & NATE GOTELLI Staff Reporters

Walking around campus, students can be seen with all the latest trends in fashion and merchandise. From thermos cups to slippers to lip balms, teenagers have historically been the target audience for commercialized products. Like clockwork, these popular trends will be their way out just as quickly as they came in.

wear gold earrings does not make you clean, plenty of people are clean and showered,” junior Hannah McDonald said.

The acceleration of trend cycles have increased with the rise of social media in the last two decades. Children are exposed to the internet and are given phones at younger ages, making them susceptible to the algorithms curated by social medias.

“[Algorithms] respond to the feedback it’s getting. So I’d say trends pick up based on who’s driving that force,” Library Media Specialist Elizabeth Snow said.

Once these trends gain popularity, they are seen as “overdone” and people move onto the next thing.

“There’s a lot of trends and they change [quickly]. There’s something new every week, it’s definitely hard for anyone to keep up,” junior Ruby Rappaport said.

Mixed in with someone’s regular media feed, these apps are filled with advertisements for the newest products. Clothes, makeup and technology are labeled under quirky names to appeal to social media users. The most popular aesthetic created online is the “Clean Girl Aesthetic,” which consists of lounge clothing, glossy lips, gold hoop earrings and a tight bun or ponytail. Large brands market their products under these made-up titles to boost video engagement and sell more products; and it works.

“The clean girl aesthetic on TikTok promotes cleanliness, but just because you have a slicked back bun and you

The “Clean Girl Aesthetic” has also been criticized for stealing styles that have existed in Black and Brown communities for a long time. But the “Clean Girl Aesthetic” almost exclusively shows white women, emphasizing the Eurocentric beauty standards seen online.

Not only is it exhausting to keep up with the latest trends, but it is exhausting for teenage wallets.

“I got peer pressured into purchasing a Stanley [water bottle] because my friends thought that it would be really adorable if we all had match ing Stanley Cups. My friends drove me to REI and they forced me to drop $60 on a water bottle, which I think is outrageous,” junior Sofie Tafoya said.

With companies targeting women, there is more pressure on girls to keep

“Women are often judged based on the style that they have and the trends that they keep up with, whereas men are not as much,” junior Teagan Tokheim said.

Unfortunately, when we have social media telling us what products are in, they also tell us when they are out.

“Trends are just like continuously evolving. And they just keep going and going and going. You never know what you’re gonna wake up to on social media. One day your Stanley will be made fun of,” Tafoya said.

Tafoya exemplifies the financial stress of purchasing trendy products.

“I think that if you’re buying a Stanley Cup just to have a Stanley Cup when you already have a bunch of other metal water bottles, it’s completely unnecessary. More than one is already too many,” Tafoya said.

The cost of staying relevant is unrealistic for teenagers, causing further exclusion based on financial privilege. It is also worth noting that the majority of products are marketed towards girls. In an article by the National Women’s History Museum, they say “In our consumer culture, women are seen as the primary consumers.”

It is important to note that while popular influencers on social media claim your newest purchase is no longer “in style”, it doesn’t mean that it is no longer valuable. The way to solve our issue with overconsumption and waste is to purchase products we will genuinely enjoy and use for longer than the duration of its popularity. Trends are a huge part of our culture and it’s impossible to escape. There is no shame in buying trendy products if it is something that you value and like.

“[Stanley Cups] have been big for a really long time in the Midwest, and my sister lives in Nebraska. And so she was kind of on the trend before it was a big trend. And so she bought one for me for Christmas and I use it all the time,” Tokheim said.

Art by Natalie Ewing

My friends drove me to REI and they forced me to drop $60 on a water bottle.

Sofie Tafoya, junior

MICROPLASTICS ARE EVERYWHERE

BY PRIYA ANSNES

Staff Reporter

Eating, breathing and drinking. All essentials to maintaining life, all facets for microplastics to enter your body. Microplastics are from bigger pieces of plastic and they enter the human body through the consumption of food, drinking water and air.

While these microscopic particles can seem harmless, the accumulation of them in your organs can be fatal in causing cancer and other bodily harm. How can something so small cause so much harm, and how can we prevent it?

act with the colonic mucus layer, which protects your internal organs from frictional damage. The introduction of microplastics reduces the thick ness of the mucus lining in our intestine, causing a reduction in its barrier function.

The Food Packaging Fo rum, a science communica tion

Daisy Young, Biology and ESS teacher “

I think people need to understand that nothing’s actually [completely] disposable on Earth.

organization providing infor mation on chem icals in all food packaging materi als, connects the introduction of microplastics in the human body to cancer in results from new studies.

According to the National Study of Medicine, the average human consumes at least 50,000 plastic particles a year.

Microplastics travel through the gastrointestinal tract. When they are swallowed, they interact with the normal physiological mechanisms of the body, specifically the colon and the rectum. As the microplastics travel, they inter-

According to data from environmental science researcher Gregory Zarus, “[There was found to be] an increased risk of lung cancer associated with exposure to high concentrations of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastic ‘dust’ particles. Besides effects on the respiratory system, exposure to PVC was further associated with liver damage including lung cancers.”

micro - plastics is a newer area of study, meaning the connections haven’t been fully realized. However, scientists delving into this topic have hypothesized how one can affect the other.

“[Cancer] comes up [as] a series of genetic mutations. [It’s a] domino effect of multiple mutations [happening] in a particular order [that] end up causing cancer. It’s possible that plastics could impact the mutations of DNA somewhere along that pathway,” IB Environmental Systems and Societies and biology teacher Daisy Yeung said.

PHOTO TAKEN BY PRIYA ANSNES AT HALF MOON BAY BEACH

Sequoia is not immune to this issue; students and staff regularly use plastic water bottles and single-use packaging that can introduce microplastics into their bodies.

Plastic is used commonly in many aspects of daily life, on the Sequoia campus and at home, more than people recognize.

“[I often use] Tupperware and some [plastic] utensils,” sophomore Rhodny Luis Noto said.

A significant issue with microplastics is their lack of biodegradability into organic molecules that can be healthily reintroduced into our environment.

Microplastics are up to the size of a pencil eraser shaving, being roughly five to six millimeters in diameter, taking up to 1,000 years to degrade completely. In the ocean, marine animals consume microplastics from litter, as microplastics are the size of a grain of sand.

Plastic litter in the ocean erodes into millimeter-sized pieces from being broken down by waves. Their commonly bright colors stand out to marine animals and are mistaken by them for food.

“I don’t go [to the beach] often, but when I do, I usually see those specks of white or rainbow [in the sand]. [...] They’re microplastics, which leads [me to understand just] how much sea animals consume microplastics,” Luis Noto said.

Not only are microplastics found in seafood, but they have been identified in drinking water. Unfortunately, standard water treatment facilities cannot remove all traces of microplastics.

“When it affects our marine life, we [need to remember that we eat] fish and we eat other foods from the ocean. [That is] another reason why we consume so much microplastics every year,” Luis Noto said.

Small changes on an individual level can lower the number of microplastics in a person’s body and can even help improve the local environment, but changes on a commercial and industrial level can make greater steps to solving this issue.

“We have got to stop the problem at the source. One of the things that was supposed to be helpful is the banning of plastic bags in California. Unfortunately, [...] [the bags are] thicker now,” Yeung said.

“What needs to happen is a cultural shift in dis -

posability, I think people need to understand that nothing’s actually [completely] disposable on Earth,” Yeung said.

50,000 PLASTIC

PARTICLES

A YEAR.

BY ABIGAIL AGUAYO Graphics Manager

The International Baccalaureate program (IB) for students is a very controversial topic. Some students love the curriculum and some students hate it. IB teachers, however, rarely express their opinion on whether they love the program and the curriculum or not. If an IB class is hard for a student to understand, it can be equally hard

feel that IB is good preparation for juniors and seniors to prepare them for college and real life.

“The IB is very authentic […] The IB program is gearing students up for being critical thinkers in an ever-evolving society and the way the program is set up and structured is focused on innovation and improvement and growing with the world,” IB English teacher Justine Rutigilano said.

thing as it forces students to think deeper, engage in more class discussions and be involved with the class.

“It’s difficult and I think that difficulty can be interpreted in different ways. It’s a philosophy about what you think school is supposed to be. Of course we all want rigor, we all want students to think more deeply [...] The IB itself is something that’s appropriate for the level of rigor that is expected from juniors and seniors,” IB English teacher Jedd Bloom said.

Art by Abigail Aguayo

The IB program over the years has adjusted the course of the IB English department and their assessments over the two years of IB English. Teachers mention how much they appreciate the act of IB making this change and how they feel it’s much more manageable for not only teachers but also for students.

“The last iteration there were eight assessments over the two years [of IB English] now we have four as the eight was too much for students and teachers. We couldn’t do it and so IB listened and adjusted the whole program so now there’s only four assessments over the two years… I think that’s a very manageable expectation,” Rutigliano said.

The IB teachers at Sequoia feel lucky to be a part of the IB community, as they feel like the program gives students a lot of freedom to express themselves in their work that other higher level programs like Advance Placement (AP) calles don’t allow.

“[IB] is a good advanced program, it’s got its merits but with AP the answers are much more prescribed so there was a specific right answer, it’s very right or wrong […] the IB is

very authentic,” Rutigliano said.

By being a part of the IB program, teachers love seeing their students’ perspective on the reading material taught in their class. Even though it

IB is very authentic... it’s a good advanced program

Justine

Rutigliano,

IB Engish Teacher

going over that book together in class with literature that is thought-provoking and ripe for discussion for students who are going into ‘the real world’ next year […] I’m grateful for the spot I was placed in to be able to engage in

English teacher]. I love the students, I love your ideas, I love our discussions. Our discussions are important,” Rutigliano said.

They even enjoy struggling with their students and putting pieces together on the difficult material being taught. “It is a challenge and it’s humbling that as a grown man who has a degree in English, I also, along with my students, struggle to understand things and I have to give it a second and third read,” Bloom said. “I tell my students that I am right there with them in terms of trying to figure things out but also provide the inspiration and the encouragement that we will figure it out, it just requires a little bit of digging.”

IB teachers even struggle to teach books in their classes.

“Beloved is a hard book to teach, it’s controversial for a lot of reasons, it confuses kids every single year but that’s by far the most difficult work that the kids do over the two years. [It is worth it], but it takes a lot of planning and thinking and trying to keep you guys engaged […] when we’re

Teachers, unions and you

BY MATTHEW CAESAR A&E Editor

As a Sequoia student, you likely know that many of Sequoia’s teachers are part of a union.You may have heard a teacher mention the association in a class discussion, or even done some research on it yourself. What you may not know is what the teacher’s union actually does, and more importantly, what a union can do for you in your future careers.

The Sequoia District Teachers Association (SDTA) represents all non-management certificated employees in the district. This not only includes teachers, but also nurses, special education workers, librarians, counselors and more. The SDTA acts as an exclusive bargaining agent, meaning they negotiate the conditions of teacher’s contracts.

The union is made possible through the work and funding of dedicated teachers.

“You don’t really have to participate, but I think 95% of us, maybe a little bit more, pay dues. We pay like roughly 150 bucks per month to support the union,” special educator Dylan Shelley

said. “You can participate just by doing that. You could go to meetings. For me personally, I was on the bargaining team for roughly 10 years.”

The union also has many roles that go beyond just bargaining, including the Equity, Communications and Social Committees.

“So I personally am on the Equity Committee,” English teacher Karol-Ann Coleman said. “We meet once a month to come up with ways to offer sensitive training for teachers who may not be aware of their implicit biases.”

The union is constantly making strides to help workers all throughout the district. On the MySDTA.org bargaining section, you can see the most recent ratified agreement, including information on wages, health, hours and more.

“We changed the work year for our head counselors because it was too long and too much work. We made some clarifications on transfers. We increased our dental coverage. That was a big deal,” Union President Edith Salvatore said. “We expanded the Willie Brown [program,] which is where you work part time but the district still pays as if you were full time into your

retirement program. And we got to expand that from five to 10 people per year.”

There is, however, always more for unions to accomplish.

“I mean, there’s a lot around pregnancy disability,” Salvatore said. “The birthing parent has to give up their sick leave for at minimum six to eight weeks [...] That means those people are heading into retirement with less leave.”

If you are a senior, you may soon have to think about your full-time job. Being part of a union has many benefits in many fields, and is important for much more than just teachers.

“If you love democracy, why wouldn’t you want to have democratic institutions in the workplace?” Shelley said. “There are some industries where the industry is gonna give people good wages and healthcare because the threat of the union is there.”

A union can help build community between workers in any industry.

“You’re not alone, you’re not all by yourself. I mean, it can feel very isolating,” Coleman said. “Unions in general are there to help you, and to be invested.”

Photo by Edith Salvatore via the Redwood City Pulse

Academics or athletics?

BY GIANNA FEDERIGHI Staff Reporter

Many student-athletes play sports at a competitive level in high school but don’t commit to playing collegiate sports. This could be due to a number of factors that play into this decision: rigorous recruiting process, prioritizing academics, injuries, and even burnout. It’s tough to say goodbye to a sport after years of dedication but for many, there’s no other choice but to choose a different pathway.

Athletes need to make a sacrifice when choosing between playing college sports and focusing on academics.

“It’s important to look at that bal ance and say, do I want to be an athlete who goes to college or do I want to be a student who goes to college?” Athlet ic Director Melissa Schmidt said.

Student-ath letes have to worry about the future of balancing their college work with a collegiate practice schedule. However, they also have to manage their high school workload in the present day. Along with ACT or SAT prep, academics, and extracurriculars, students also have to focus on the rigorous recruitment process.

“It was a really long, gruesome pro cess, balancing high school work, my training schedule and regular work is a lot and doing that collegiately is even harder. I feel sometimes [student-ath letes] want to keep loving the sport, but how much effort it takes, kind of makes you hate the sport in a sense,” Appalachian State track and field com mit Abby Goetz said.

Some students receive offers from schools that don’t fit their preferences and priorities of what they are looking for in a college.

“I didn’t get the offers that I wanted from the schools I wanted. They mostly just didn’t have anything I wanted to study. So I would rather walk on or just not play at all,” Senior Max Stallings said.

Many student-athletes don’t know how to manage all of these steps but don’t have the resources to reach out for help. Time isn’t the only deciding factor in the process.

“When you think about some of the bigger sports like soccer, to be in the D1 recruiting scene you need access to the right [club] teams and that

that idea,” senior Meghan Kadlec said. There is no easy pathway to take and whether students decide to play or not, it takes hours and hours of investment. It’s hard to process never playing the sport you’ve loved for the longest time again.

“It’s sad that this is my last year [playing] if you think about it. I have to do my best for this last year and hope it all goes well. I’m just trying to make as many memories with my teammates as I can, especially if this last time I’m playing in a competitive environment,” Stallings said.

around COVID I kind of gave up on

Art by Abby Aguayo

Game plan for success:

Balancing Out the School Year as a Student- Athlete

BY CAMERON REYNOLDS Staff Reporter

One of the hardest things about being a student-athlete is managing sports on the side, especially with many other extracurriculars simultaneously. Questions arise when we are hit with this topic: Is it really as hard as they make it seem? How are they able to balance it all? Is there a solution to limit the amount of stress?

As a student-athlete myself who is not pursuing the IB Diploma, but taking a handful of IB classes, the workload is an adjustment at first. Do you eventually get into a routine? Yes, but it takes some time. I’d say it’s very doable whether you’re taking anywhere from one IB class to six. With this, I came up with a list of the five most important things I believe are effective in a stressfree year as a student-athlete.

“

I think you start to get into a rhythm and it’s really about planning ahead what your schedule is going to look like and you can kind of work around that,” senior soccer player and IB Di ploma Candidate Aminah Evans said. You can’t always expect this rhythm to come right away. It takes some time, so be patient with the process as you ease into it.

Ask for help. Don’t be afraid to talk to your teachers about your schedule. Talk to your coaches. Everyone’s here to help you.

Aminah Evans, senior

The first piece of advice is to get into a rhythm and find good habits that work best for you. Get into a familiar routine that you can use each day to help you study more efficiently and effectively.

“There are definitely times where I’ve had to do homework on the weekends or late nights, things like that. But

As a student-athlete, school and your academic success always comes first. While being a student-athlete often requires you to balance out your sched ule, as Aminah mentioned earlier, prioritizing aca demics is import ant. Tav Gur is a sophomore, taking one IB class while doing soccer and badminton. While he doesn’t seem to struggle much with schoolwork overlapping with sports, he recognizes the struggle with conflicting sports and academics.

“I know of a kid who didn’t show up to a couple of soccer practices be cause he had to study for math,” Gur said.

Coaches will understand if you need to take time off your sport to catch up with academics, because they, like

Getting into a rhythm

Putting school first

Taking care of yourself

sports is a huge commitment when it can actually help your overall focus,”

coaches can’t emphasize this enough. As a high school runner, it’s so easy to feel a difference in my performance when I sleep and eat well the night before, versus when I don’t. Taking care of yourself with sleep and nutrition and allowing your body to regenerate with rest is key as a student-athlete and I believe this is the same for school.

easier to motivate myself to do things that I know I can get done quickly, even if the deadline is far out.

Everyone studies differently, but make sure you find the way that works best for you. Find a quiet space that you feel comfortable in like your room or a library. Find a snack to enjoy while studying. Create a plan of when you’re going to take breaks, and what class you’re going to prioritize.

“I make a Google Calendar. It helps because you’ll have so many things in your mind that you have to do, and then putting them out and then saying ‘Okay, if I just follow this calendar, I’ll be good.’ It makes everything less stressful,” Dils said.

Other students make use of different strategies.

“Look up how to save Chrome tab groups. Whatever project you’re working on, it has all the tabs and you can open it on any device you want,” Gur

For me, I need to work towards a more efficient study method, as I find it hard to motivate myself to hunker down on a lengthy homework assignment that I don’t want to do. It’s much

The last thing is asking for help.Teachers and tutors are easy to go to for support, guidance and feedback. They enjoy helping you and that’s a part of their job, so don’t be afraid to ask for help and utilize the resources you have on campus. Personally, I have found that going to teacher’s flex hours is a really great use of time to clarify any questions I might have.

“Ask for help. Don’t be afraid to talk to your teachers about your schedule. Talk to your coaches. Everyone’s here to help you,” said Evans.

Your coaches can also help you out with whatever you’re struggling with. They are there for a reason to help support you.

“It’s just communicating with your coach and talking to your coach about what’s going on and what you need to do,” Peng said. “I think communication is the key. Communicating with your teachers and communicating with your coaches about how things are going.”

While it may seem like managing school and sports is impossible, it can be achievable for everyone. It’s a challenge, but using the five things mentioned above, it can be done.

Artwork by Cameron Reynolds

Finding an efficient study method

Asking for help

Photo by Mia Lomas

Photo by Wayman Leung

Aminah Evans, senior (left). Tav Gur, sophmore (middle). Alex Dils, junior (right).

ACROSS

3. Total number of songs on Taylor Swift’s album “The Tortured Poets Department”

4. Charlie Sprinkleman’s online resource that makes finding queer safe spaces easy

6. Senior Soakers team that had the police called on them

8. Free resource students can use to prepare for the digital SAT

9. Region of China the Uyghurs are from 10. Title of Shakira’s newest album

DOWN

1. Skincare brand with products priced between $16-

Percentage of tiktok users that discover new What the ELD group found on the beach FAFSA

BIRTH

QUEER

MICROPLASTICS

DROPSHIPPING TEMU

OVERCONSUMPTION

TEACHERS