Raven Report 2021 Cycle 3 by Sequoia High School Raven Report

RAVEN REPORT SEQUOIA HIGH SCHOOL NEWSMAGAZINE VOLUME XII, NO. 3 // MARCH 2021

RAVEN REPORT | MARCH 2021

TABLE of CONTENTS

Black Student Union’s Black History Month

SUHSD Re-opens in Red

Carrera por las Vacunes

Gen Z News Consumption

Donald Trump’s Twitter Ban

SPED During COVID-19

Teachers on Online Learning

Authentic Tamal Recipe

Spotlight on Sustainability Club

Crochet Trend

Sequoia Students Play Dungeons and Dragons

Daylight Savings Time

Valentine’s Day 2021

Reviewing San Carlos’ Best Food

Sequoia Student EP Interview

Favorites Leave Netflix

High School MeToo Movements

Distance Learning Cartoon

Letter from the editors Over the past few months, students have become increasingly vocal about the difficulties we face in online learning. As we pass the one year mark from the day we were sent home, March 13, and began “crisis learning,” which turned into “distance learning,” students are feeling an abundance of emotions and strife about the unfathomable school experience we’ve been dealt. Three seniors from the ASB class took initiative and decided it was time to schedule a meeting with Sequoia administration to begin a discussion about our troubles as we finish out the school year. Students are feeling misunderstood by teachers. Students are not feeling heard by adults. Students are sick of the never-ending to-do list of online school work. Students are burnt out from lengthy Zoom meetings. Students are feeling sad having to do school in isolation and not experiencing the little things about going to school that bring us joy. Students are suffering under the monotony of each day passing. Students are tired. As two highly-motivated second-semester seniors, we can say we feel it too. This school year has been strenuous in and out of class. Although we are nearing the end of this difficult chapter, we are also feeling everything you are feeling, and are ready for positive change just like you. To begin this change, Activities Director Corey Uhalde held a virtual student forum on Thursday, Feb. 4. 30 students of varying grades were joined by Principal Sean Priest and AVP

ABOUT

Sophia Olliver in breakout rooms to discuss these issues and figure out what is working and what’s not. Next came looping in the teachers. At the Sequoia staff meeting the week of Feb. 10, teachers of all grade levels were put into breakout rooms with student representatives from the previous meeting for students to explain these issues from their perspective, and participate in a discussion about what can be done to make this situation more manageable on both ends. The issues did not disappear after this meeting, but students were relieved to have had the opportunity to open up to teachers. Thanks to the work and perseverance of students, administration and teachers were given the tools to begin implementing positive changes. Here’s what we can do as students: keep communicating with your teachers. Tell them your needs and be honest about challenges you’re facing. Be patient, receptive, and understanding with yourself and others. Since this discussion, many substantial changes have been made, including cancelling IB exams and returning to campus. Many teachers have also implemented changes in their class structure to accomodate students. If you have felt any of these feelings, know that you are not alone. Know that the student body, as well as your teachers and administrators are on your side. Keep going, keep advocating for yourself, and continue to push for the changes you need. Sincerely,

Printing and web posting funded by

Taylor Gayner and Jay Tipirneni

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 adviser. The Raven Report is a public forum for students, staff, parents and community members. The Raven Report strives to provide Sequoia High School with informative, engaging and relevant news. The staff will exercise integrity and adaptability while promoting justice and transparency through professional reporting about the school, the 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 ravenreport17@gmail.com

Raven Report // 20-21 EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

COPY EDITOR

Nathan Barnes

Ariana Hernandez

Taylor Gayner

Carla Roberts

Isabelle Bogan

Vivian Krevor

Jay Tipirneni

ONLINE EDITORS

Luc Brennan

Rhea Mudgal

MANAGING EDITOR

Zoe Dufner

Violet Buruaivalu

Steven Ortega

Caitlin Dulsky

Tess Restaino

Rylan Butt

Alex Parker Rogers

FEATURE EDITOR

SPORTS EDITOR

Xavier Castillo

Reza Parsey

Madeline Carpinelli

Oscar Nolf

Yoselin Chilin

Elle Propp

ART EDITOR

STAFF REPORTERS

Alexandra Dance

Ethan Rudy

Hope Callaghan

Abby Aguayo

RAVEN REPORT | MARCH 2021

Ben Schwartz Lucie Tenenbaum Jodi Vicente ADVISER Diana Nguyen

George Washington Carver courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett courtesy of UNC Health Care

Black history is everyone’s history Sequoia’s Black Student Union highlighted important African Americans every week of February for Black History Month. Students compiled a slide deck for teachers to share in their third period classes. This is a summary of the individuals spotlighted in case anyone missed learning about their contributions to the world. Week 1: Scientists and Engineers George Washington Carver was the first African American to earn a Bachelor of Science degree. He dedicated his life to helping poor Southern farmers, regardless of race. Carver developed methods of fertilization and crop rotation to rebuild soil quality and increase crop yields. Kizzmekia Corbett is a viral immunologist working for the National Institute of Health (NIH). Since 2017, her team has been researching the use of mRNA to create a vaccine for SARS and MERS. Through a partnership with Moderna, her team helped create one of the world’s first approved vaccines for COVID-19. Week 2: Political and Social Activists

Bayard Rustin at March on Washington courtesy of Library of Congress

Bayard Rustin was an American leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, nonviolence, and gay rights. As an openly gay activist, Rustin was forced to act behind the scenes during the Civil Rights Movement. Despite this descrimination, he played a prominent role in the movement, even being considered Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “right-hand man.” Amariyanna “Mari” Copeny also known as Little Miss Flint, is a youth activist from Flint, Michigan. She is best known for raising awareness about Flint’s ongoing water crisis and fundraising to support underprivileged children in her community and across the country. Week 3: The Arts (Not pictured) Aaron Douglas was an American painter, illustrator and visual arts educator. He was the most prominent artist-illustrator of the Harlem Renaissance and is nicknamed “father of African-American art.”

Mari Copeny courtesy of Twitter

Matthew A. Cherry is an American film director, writer, producer, and former American football player. He wrote and directed two independent films, The Last Fall, and 9 Rides. He is best known for the 2019 Academy Award-winning animated short film, Hair Love.

SUHSD reopens in red April

5th

Image by SUHSD Community Concerns BY TAYLOR GAYNER AND CAITLIN DULSKY Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor #nozoomschool #studentsfirst #followscience #teachersforopening #mentalhealthmatters These are all hashtags being used by the group of parents, students, and teachers that have been advocating for reopening Sequoia Union High School District in the red tier. On Feb. 23, many of these advocates attended a rally, Rally4Reopening in Red, for this cause. People of all backgrounds and ages gathered in front of the district office to voice their concerns about the continuation of distance learning as the county shifts into new tiers beyond the shelter-in-place purple tier. In February, this group took to social media to spread awareness. They call themselves a “grassroots group of students, parents, teachers and community members who are committed to public education and believe children should have access to safe, in-person instruction as soon as possible.” Now with a website and an instagram account with more than four hundred followers, the Reopen SUHSD has gained much traction in and around the district. Around the same time, an Instagram account called SUHSD Community Concerns took to social media as well. Unlike the Reopen in Red movement, this group advocates for students and teachers to remain in distance learning through the end of this school year,

drawing attention to concerns about equity. The SUHSD Community Concerns account posted, “County data isn’t city data. SUHSD serves students in East Palo Alto, Menlo Park (and east Menlo Park), Redwood City, San Carlos, and Belmont,” accompanied by data about the number of COVID-19 cases in these cities. The data showed that cities populated with more people of color and people living below the poverty line have much higher case numbers. Over the last month, both of these groups have sparked discussions among community members about what the best decision is for students and families. The conversation became so large, the Los Angeles Times published a reflective article titled “Reopening high schools gets ugly, divise in Bay Area district where rich and poor mix.” Despite strong arguments from both sides, SUHSD ultimately made the decision to reopen high schools in the red tier. Starting on April 5, all SUHSD schools will begin a hybrid schedule where students, teachers, and staff will be welcomed back on campuses. In an effort to address both sides of this discussion, returning to campus has been made optional, but is available to any and all students. Those who choose not to return, or are not able to return quite yet, will continue to do online school via Zoom in their homes. Photos of Rally4Reopening courtesy of Reopen in Red

RAVEN REPORT | MARCH 2021

Families need the vaccine BY XAVIER CASTILLO Staff Reporter

I am immune to the sickness and maybe even let my son meet up with his friends,” Lopez said. Fortunately for them, they were tested negative for COVID-19 and The COVID-19 vaccine has been really helpful to the community by Lopez was able to rest. Daniel Alvarez is a sophomore who tested positive for COVID-19, helping out with the sickness and trying to get rid of the pandemic. The vaccine is supposed to prevent people from getting the virus, prevent seven months ago. He wants people to take the vaccine so that they don’t others from spreading the virus, and add to the number of people that go through what he did. He needed to stay isolated from everyone and are safe. There have been 132 million people that have been vaccinated had a hard time trying to eat because his family couldn’t get too close worldwide. Adult residents of long-term care facilities, essential and he lost his sense of taste. He wants the best for his family since he workers, people over 65, people with underlying medical conditions, has experienced the bad that the virus can be. Unfortunately he cannot and people who work in food service and construction can get the take the vaccine because he is not of age and he doesn’t meet the other requirements. vaccine. “When I was being kept away from everyone, Families have been in tough times during it felt like a living hell. My family couldn’t get the pandemic and the vaccine could be really near me, I couldn’t meet up with my friends, helpful. It could help the teens by being able and I had a hard time trying to do things. I was to meet up with friends and help parents by kept in my room all day and night, I lost some keeping them and their children safe. Lorena I want my son to be very of my senses, and I was really bored. It felt really Lopez is a Sequoia student’s mother and she is healthy and strong, so that he depressing and I don’t want my family to feel also very caring. Lopez wants everything for the same way,” Alvarez said. her 3-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son. has an even stronger immune Another mother who has had contact with Lorena was very worried that her family would system COVID-19 is Martha. Unfortunately some get very sick and decided to do everything to people that are very close to her were tested keep them safe. The vaccine was an important Lorena Lopez, Sequoia parent positive for COVID-19. She wanted to take option on her list, but she was informed that it very good care of them, even if it meant that wasn’t possible to take the vaccine at the time. She was sure that the vaccine would help her family out, but they have she would barely get any sleep. Martha bought groceries, made food, to wait for about two to three months because they have had contact and tried to do everything for the people that were sick. “I will take good care of my family even if it means that I will also get with COVID-19 recently. “I want my son to be very healthy and strong, so that he has an even sick. As long as my family feels safe, I can be happy enough to relax and stronger immune system. It feels like I should get some vaccine, so that get enough sleep,” Martha shared.

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Photo courtesy of Senior Jasmine Oda

Foto cortesia de maestra Diana Nguyen

Las familias necesitan la vacuna BY XAVIER CASTILLO Staff Reporter La vacuna covid ha sido realmente útil para la comunidad al ayudar con la enfermedad y tratar de deshacerse de la pandemia. Se supone que la vacuna previene que usted contraiga el virus, le impide propagar el virus y aumenta la cantidad de personas que están seguras. Se han vacunado 132 millones de personas en todo el mundo. Se dice que de cada 100 personas se vacuna de 1 a 2 personas. El personal de atención médica, los residentes adultos de centros de atención a largo plazo, los trabajadores esenciales de primera línea, las personas de 65 a 74 años, las personas de 16 a 64 con afecciones médicas subyacentes y otros trabajadores esenciales, como las personas que trabajan en el servicio de alimentos y la construcción pueden obtener la vacuna. Las personas que serán entrevistadas son padres y adolescentes. Han atravesado momentos difíciles durante la pandemia y la vacuna podría ser de gran ayuda. Podría ayudar a los adolescentes al poder reunirse con amigos y ayudar a los padres manteniéndolos a ellos y a sus hijos seguros. Lorena es una madre muy cariñosa que quiere todo para sus hijos. Está segura de que la vacuna ayudará a su familia, pero tienen que esperar de 2 a 3 meses porque han tenido contacto con covid recientemente. Lorena estaba muy preocupada de que su familia se enfermara gravemente y decidió hacer todo lo posible para mantenerlos a salvo. La vacuna era una opción importante en su lista, pero le informaron que no era posible vacunarse en ese momento. Ella dijo: “Quiero que mi hijo esté muy sano y fuerte, para que tenga un sistema inmunológico aún más fuerte. Siento que debería ponerme alguna vacuna, para ser inmune a la enfermedad y tal vez incluso dejar que mi hijo se encuentre con sus amigos.” Afortunadamente para ellos, dieron negativo en la prueba de covid y Lorena pudo descansar. Daniel Alvarez es un estudiante de segundo año en sequoia que dio positivo por covid hace 7 meses. Necesitaba mantenerse aislado de todos y le costaba mucho intentar comer porque su familia no podía acercarse demasiado y él perdió el sentido del gusto. Quiere lo mejor para su familia, ya que ha experimentado lo malo que puede ser el virus. Lamentablemente no puede vacunarse porque no es mayor de edad y no cumple con los demás requisitos. Dijo: “Cuando me mantenían alejado de todos, se sentía como un infierno en vida. Mi familia no podía

acercarse a mí, no podía reunirme con mis amigos y me costaba mucho intentar hacer las cosas. Me mantuvieron en mi habitación todo el día y la noche, perdí algunos de mis sentidos y estaba realmente aburrido. Se sintió realmente deprimente y no quiero que mi familia se sienta de la misma manera. Otra madre que ha tenido contacto con Covid es Martha. Desafortunadamente, algunas personas que son muy cercanas a ella dieron positivo en la prueba de covid. Quería cuidarlos muy bien, incluso si eso significaba que apenas podría dormir. Martha compraba comestibles, preparaba comida y trataba de hacer todo lo posible por las personas enfermas. Ella dijo: “Cuidaré bien de mi familia incluso si eso significa que también me enfermare. Mientras mi familia se sienta segura, puedo estar lo suficientemente feliz como para relajarme y dormir lo suficiente.”

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Quiero que mi hijo esté muy sano y fuerte, para que tenga un sistema inmunológico aún más fuerte. Lorena Lopez, madre de Sequoia

RAVEN REPORT | MARCH 2021

Sequoia knows what’s up through social media BY VIVIAN KREVOR Staff Reporter News is just about everywhere, no matter where it’s heard from; presenting itself in unique ways through the Sequoia community. Different demographics hear it different ways, some relying on social media, the newspaper, radio, or other sources. There’s a lot of factors to consider, and not any one source is the ‘best’. In younger demographics, it’s been increasingly more popular to learn about news from social media. From a survey of people ages 18-29, 48 percent say that they commonly receive news on a social media platform, whereas just 3 percent of people over 65 can say the same. Although the news can often be misleading, sometimes because of the ‘clickbaiting’ and surprise of an article’s false title. When asked the most popular way for highschool students to hear about the news, freshmen Jodi Vicente answered, “For a generation heavily based on technology, I’d say TikTok.” TikTok has reported significant growth in popularity, currently having a billion active users monthly. Vicente describes that when

Screenshot on instagram showing #news with 34.6 million posts

she scrolls through TikTok, her feed consists of awareness on topics and polls among other things. Although, she would not say that she uses TikTok often. Additionally, Vicente has notifications for news on her phone, but doesn’t take much notice of them-as they are a minority of many notifications on her phone. Sequoia teacher Catherine Sterne has had different experiences with this, however. “I had the headline alerts for the New York Times on my phone. And it was just getting to the point where there were so many...it would distract me all the time during class, it would distract me when I was hanging out with friends,” commented Sterne. “Now I go and check it [the news] when I have bandwidth to deal with it when I have time to deal with it instead of when my phone tells me I should.” Sterne receives her news from online newspapers, primarily the New York Times and SF Gate. She uses different news sources depending on what she wants to connect with, checking the Irish Times when she wants to know what is going on with her family. Sterne brought up an interesting point about deceiving marketing strategies. Sterne stated the need to have article titles relevant and honest to their content. According to Inc. Newsletters the percentage of clickbait titles have grown significantly from 2014 when it was 19.46 percent, compared to 25.27 percent in 2016. Sterne generally doesn’t have an issue with mistaking fake news as true with internet sources, as she is able to make sure the online sources she uses are reliable. She describes that her primary source of false information isn’t on the media, and instead from other people. “Social media, I think is a faster way [to get news]...it’s more opinionated,” commented freshman Alya Madhani. Madhani built on the point that social media is a more opinionated source; certain posts or creators don’t share all of the potentially needed perspectives on a situation or topic. While she recognizes that this is also prevalent in news, she makes the argument that it’s more prevalent in social media. Additionally with the speed that social media can cast exposure on a topic, it’s easy to quickly give a large demographic information or multiple perspectives on a topic.

Vicente commented on one of the ways she becomes aware or makes sense of multiple views. “I usually talk to my friends about it [the news] because we’re closer,” said Vicente. She expanded on how her friends give different angles on events, and make a potentially fun environment to talk about world events in. “We’re Gen Z, we’re probably going to be the ones that will have to deal with this in the future.”

Senior Caitlin Dulsky watching Tik Toks of President Joe Biden speaking, photo by Taylor Gayner

Screenshot on TikTok showing #TikTokNews with 17.4 billon views

Donald Trump’s Twitter ban BY ALEXANDRA DANCE Staff Reporter On Jan. 8, 2021 former president of the United States Donald Trump was banned from Twitter. He was banned for spreading false information about important events, like the 2020 election results and for inciting a riot at the Capitol. Sequoia students and Media Specialist Betsy Snow brought up different perspectives about the ban and whether or not it should have been done sooner or if it was even deserved. Donald Trump has been a constant user of Twitter, especially during his presidency. On average, he tweeted 34.8 times everyday. Ms. Snow, Sequoia’s Media Specialist and former journalism teacher, believed that “censorship is dangerous”. “It’s dangerous to censor people because of the precedent that it sends to others but in this case, this is a private company [...] who has the right to step in and take action when free speech crosses that line of incendiary content,” said Snow In addition, she brought up that teachers are not supposed to get into political conversations so that all sides feel respected but at the same time when there is a story that everyone is hearing about, it could be more harmful to not talk about it. Snow and a freshman, Aminah Evans, understood the dangers of censorship and the

Photo by The Editorial Board

dangers of the tweets that Donald Trump put out onto social media. When asked if Donald Trump should have been banned sooner, Aminah Evans responded, “Yes. They knew the stuff he was saying was dangerous and they let it get to a really bad point.” Other classmates were able to share their opinions through a survey. When asked if he agreed with the ban, Liam Coan, a freshman responded, “Yes, he was spreading misinformation and has said things that are extremely radical. While people may say that it is a silencing of freedom of speech, that logic

is false. Twitter and Facebook have their own terms and services, if one of these is broken, the website has permission to ban them from using it.” I found Liam’s response to be very interesting because it brought something else into consideration: rules and regulations of Twitter. Some people could say that Twitter should not be able to censor people because of the First Amendment. However, after looking into Twitter’s rights as a company and their policies I discovered that big social media like Twitter and Facebook are allowed to censor and ban accounts if the language puts people in danger or violates community guidelines. They do not need government approval to justify bans. People should have the right to speak their truth because that’s what makes the world so interesting. However, in this case, Donald Trump being banned from Twitter and other apps was necessary because of how his tweets were causing violence and chaos.

Photo courtesy of Twitter

RAVEN REPORT | MARCH 2021

SPED teachers ensure the success of students with special needs BY RHEA MUDGAL Staff Reporter The Special Ed staff is still struggling to overcome the challenges of distance learning nine months into the pandemic. The Special Education Program (SPED) at Sequoia is a platform designed to help students with disabilities to excel academically based on their individual requirements. The students are given equal access to as many service opportunities as they need. These students attend school either in cohorts or through Zoom depending on the severity of their disability. These students attend school every day, having 6-7 classes, like their peers. A team of teachers, administrators, specialists, students, and parents attend annual meetings to discuss these services, such as academic support, mental health services, speech and language, and physical mobility. Peter Votlucka, A Special Ed teacher, in an IEP zoom meeting. This collaborative process helps formulate Photo courtesy of Rebeca Goodwin and Peter Votlucka an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), which is designed to help students meet their goals. The students have access to all devices offered at school, including chromebooks and WiFi hotspots, and can reach out to their support looked different than usual,” says support with all subjects,” Ms. Zilles says. Case Manager, who has the responsibility to Ms. Zilles, the chairwoman of the Special Some examples include providing Zoom coordinate and facilitate the specifics of the Education Department. links to the parents, not expecting the students IEP, for any specialized materials. The greatest challenge to providing support to navigate Canvas independently, shortening The Special Ed program, like the ones in is not being able to get the students’ attention classes, and hosting one-on-one meetings for other schools nationwide, according to CNN, in online classes, and even on school campus. support, and modifying instructions in small has moved online to make learning easier “We can’t give them reminders to stay on groups. However, providing Zoom links to the for students with special needs. However, task, everything being put in a digital format parents doesn’t solve the problems completely. the program’s staff is still facing problems in has been arduous for not only the teachers “We have students with moderate to severe teaching and making but the students, learning needs so they are unable to log on to sure the students especially when you a computer themselves,” Ms. Goodwin argued, are getting the best talk about like fine “we are wholly dependent on the parents to education. motor skills, gross get them signed on, to get them engaged, and Administrators Distance Learning has pushed motor skills, visual many of the students have siblings. So, the of the program, and many staff and students out of our needs. It’s been very parents are unable to help all of their children. others in the school, technology comfort zone, which I challenging,” says And we are unable to send somebody to, to go are mainly having a think has led to the opportunity to Rebeca Goodwin, to the home at this particular juncture.” hard time moving a Case Manager Even though the teachers are trying their learn new ways to make teaching all the supports and who is a part of the best to resolve these issues, the staff and and learning stronger. services digitally program’s staff. students are still facing some challenges. through Zoom and One solution that “For many of these students, it is difficult making sure that all Ms. Zilles, Chairwoman of SPED teachers are currently to access a full day of Zoom classes, even with the IEP requirements working with is a Paraprofessional or Teacher to support them are met. the staff is frequently giving individualized individually,” Ms. Zilles said, “additionally, it “We had to move many classes and support and check-ins. is challenging for our teachers to provide the individual sessions to a digital format. We “We have a wonderful team of same individual check-ins, reminders, and prioritized ensuring that students had access Paraprofessionals who attend Zoom classes, support with academic tasks.” to all of the supports in their Individualized meet with students during Office Hours The staff are also facing a problem with Education Plan (IEP), even if that meant the and on Wednesdays, and provide significant participation through Zoom.

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“Some students participate in cohorts on campus. But that doesn’t always mean that they are participating, because there isn’t a teacher there to keep them on task so many of them are just leaving their home and coming here on the computer playing the video games watching their TV, but logged into the zoom,” she says.

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Meeting on Zoom is helpful for providing individual support, but we miss working with our students in person! Ms. Zilles, Chairwoman of SPED

Despite the challenges Ms. Zilles and Ms. Goodwin mentioned, students have recognized their efforts. Jose Cervantes Gonzalez, a senior at Sequoia High School, thinks that the program is doing a fantastic job providing the best resources. “During school hours, staff and students communicate with each other during online learning when it comes to having questions about school homework, but mainly about mental health issues,” he says. An example he gives is “giving remarkable guidance to students on where to get help for mental health, which [he believes] everyone knows where to get help; TRC or with the student’s counselor. [sic]” Even though the staff and students are hopeful to go back to in-person learning, it would be interesting to see if these students go back to the traditional learning method with ease, or if it will present a newer set of challenges, having had the additional support and facilities during distance learning.

Flat Icons from left to right by Good Ware, Icongeek26, and Freepik

RAVEN REPORT | MARCH 2021

Life of an online Zoom teacher BY ABBY AGUAYO Staff Reporter

Photo by Talia Cain, 6th period English ICAP Class

With remote learning students are not the school,” Taylor White, a dance teacher, said. only people affected. Teachers are one of the Some teachers are just going with the flow most affected people because their job requires and just hope for the best, “Online teaching physical appearance and a big part of their job has a lot of moments that you just can’t expect is communication. With school being online or predict to happen”, Cain said. we can’t say that school has been the same. Since school has been on distance learing, “It’s more challenging to find ways to schools have been on formats of Zoom and connect and engage with students in an online Google Classroom and that’s what causes format and I think it is harder to provide all the frustration for teachers but also for supports online than in person.” Talia Cain, an students. Teachers spend almost half of their English teacher, said. time in the day working on emails, lesson Remote learning has it’s advantages and plans and hosting office hours. All teachers disadvantges. For some, online school is want their Zoom classes to go as smoothly as easier and easier to adapt to, but for others possible, for that being said school is constantly online school can on their minds. be very challenging “When I go to and frustrating. bed I’m thinking Although it can be of school, like what both, it really just am I gonna do depends on student Online teaching has a lot of tomorrow?” White prefernce. With all moments that you just can’t said, “I’m on my the adjustments expect or predict to happen. laptop from 8 a.m. to that people have 5 p.m.” Cain said. had to go through In conclusion a with the hassle Talia Cain, English teacher day in the life of an of online learing, online Zoom teacher some teachers and can be described students have lost as hard, fun, hectic engagement. and unpredictable. Teachers in the Sequoia “I try to engage the same, I think it’s a community are trying their best to make different type of engagment but I still think I online school feel as comfortable as possible, engage similarly to the way I did in in-person it’s not easy but definitely possible.

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From the morning I wake up to the minute I go to bed, I’m thinking about school. Taylor White, Dance teacher

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Photo by Taylor White, Dance class

My mother’s tamales: cooking my family’s traditional food BY ARIANA HERNANDEZ Staff Reporter Tamales are one of my favorite Mexican seasonal foods, and I would love for other students from Sequoia to try and make them. My mom is the youngest woman out of her eight other siblings; she is the second youngest. She is 47-years-old now, she got the recipe from her mother and tias just by watching them cook tamales and seeing how they cooked them various times in Mexico when she was a little girl or even a teenager. She messed up a bit in her first tries of learning how to make them but once she got the hang of it she was the best! Tamales are mostly made in cold weather/ Christmas Eve because we celebrate Christmas and it’s a big holiday for us. We usually have a lot of family & friends over so we make around 100 tamales. The types of tamales we usually make are red sauce, green sauce, or rajas which include cheese and jalapeno. I would say they get eaten really quick because we eat them around 5 or 6 p.m., so by that time we’re starving. The tamales are warm in their wrap so once you take them out they’re warm and perfect for a cold day. Overall the experience of cooking tamales was fun and interesting. I have seen my mom cook tamales before, but cooking them is way different than watching them being made. The most time consuming part was all the different steps that had to be made before actually making the tamales like pre-cooking the

chicken and pre-making the red sauce (mole) that had to go inside of the tamales. One thing I had to take a few tries to nail, and also went wrong was closing one of the tamales dough with the sauce and the chicken that was inside of it. It was so hard to close it with the ingredients inside so I had to throw that one away because I had already messed it up a whole bunch of times and the dough wasn’t sticking because the ingredients had clashed. I would say it took like 1-3 tries to perfect it. Below are instructions, you can buy all these ingredients at your local Mexican supermarket. Recipe For The Red Tamales! Chicken/pork cooked in boiling water and don’t throw away the water Ingredients to mole sauce • 6 guajillo chiles • 1 Ancho chiles • 2 tomatoes • 2 garlic • 4 food cloves • 4 peppers • 2 tomatillos de hoja • house oregano • a teeny bit of cumin • chicken broth powder • 2 tomatillos Add the water you used to boil the chicken/ pork in for flavor Put that all into a blender grind Preparation for the mole 1. Put oil in a frying pan

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Put the mole sauce you made into the pan with the oil Let it boil Add water you used to boil the chicken into the pan In the blender add corn dough/flour and boiled chicken water Add water (the water has to be cold^) Add the new mix into the frying pan slowly Mix it very carefully until the mix thickens Wait till it boils then the mole is ready !

Preparation for the Tamales 1. Wait for the mole mix to get cold 2. Buy your prepared dough 3. Buy your tamale leaves (outside wrap) 4. Put the leaves in water for about 6 hours before making tamales to keep them soft 5. Dry them after^ 6. Make your tortilla with your prepared dough (Buying a wooden tortilla maker is optional) 7. Place the tortilla on the leaf of the tamale 8. Then put your mole sauce 9. Put the chicken/pork on top 10. Then fold your tamal 11. Make how many you want! 12. Boil your tamales into a big steamer for 1 hour until they’re cooked Your toppings can include sour cream, chopped lettuce, or hot sauce.

RAVEN REPORT | MARCH 2021

Environmentalist club gains new traction while online

Photo via Ricardo Esquivel

BY ELLE PROPP Staff Reporter

and managers. “It definitely has been a crazy year,” junior Gregory Parmer-Lohan said. As remote learning severs the inJoining the executive board of the club this person connections between students and year, after being a member as a sophomore, extracurriculars, one Sequoia environmentalist Parmer-Lohan reflects on the journey the club club is striving to make their time together has gone through over the past 11 months count; even if it “It’s tough with means changing the pandemic going their club’s mission on, it’s hard to have a completely. [singular] focus.” The Sequoia It definitely has been a crazy Joining originally Sustainability Project year. with an interest in began during the environmentalism 2019-2020 school and the impact it year. As a relatively Gregory Parmer-Lohan can have on Sequoia, new club, they the transition to scrambled to make limited actions in the their club last, as they were faced with the Sequoia community has been one tough one challenges coupled with remote learning. for the club to grapple with. He admitted to The club’s founding mission; “to promote struggling with the balance of action versus environmental sustainability through education, and making sure that there is a community engagement,” emphasized action fair mix to remain engaging; a necessity when hands on, inside of Sequoia’s community. But communicating exclusively through a screen. as online learning persists, and lockdowns “Because of the pandemic, those in-person force small gatherings into non existence, their opportunities we valued are severely limited, idea of engagement was forced to transform if not non-existent. So [the pandemic has] to be suitable for the new learning platform; shifted the presentations to be more about sort opening up new doors for the club’s members, of what we can do [as a club], learning about

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people in the community who are making a difference within different organizations” Palmer-Lohan reflected. Along with collaborative efforts with organizations such as the Pacific Beach Coalition and CityTrees, these presentations involve planning and executing plans of action at Sequoia and beyond. Before San Mateo County entered a lockdown, ParmerLohan had planned on doing another tree planting project at Sequoia, repeating an event that brought 19 new trees to the campus last year. But now, these efforts remain strictly educational, with talks, and educational events surrounding topics all the way from food waste to fast fashion. “Fixing our school’s trash issue was the first thing we sought to oversee” senior Mia Terzic said, referring to Sequoia’s lack of compostable bins and suitable recycling. As a founding leader, she reflects on the goals planned out during the first semester of the 2019-2020 school year. “I really wanted to plan in-person events, and be more active within Sequoia’s community.” However, the challenge of virtual learning has revealed a new blossom within the small community of the club. Transitioning into

Sequoia Sustainability Members clean up a Redwood City parking lot, in November 2020. Photos via Mia Terzic (bottom left) Elle Propp (right and top left)

educational seminars from previous oncampus events has caused club members to be more active within planning, making the club’s goals to become more collaborative than ever. “I think that despite these times, we’re getting more organized. Even though we struggle to find our footing because we are such a new club, we have this opportunity to be more engaging, and take more into account the desires of our fellow members,” said Terzic. “We’ve had consistently active discussions and debates, done Padlets, and Kahoots, and this was all in this first semester.” In order to keep up the stamina of the club, some of the online opportunities the Sequoia Sustainability Project has achieved remotely has been co-signing a climate declaration, encouraging the Sequoia Union High School District plan on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as an effort with environmentalist clubs across the district. Further achieving their goal of becoming more environmentally aware during virtual sessions, they have also been doing in-club activities, such as documenting monthly sustainable goals, and creating guides to keep club members active, and informed while at home. “At times, [virtual learning] is really hard. But I also think it’s people who are involved,

like our teachers and our students, who want to be there and actively participate that make it better. Our club has that environment as well. It definitely has that exact energy,” Terzic said. While the rest of the semester remains up in the air in regards to in-person events and opportunities, The Sequoia Sustainability Project ontinues to meet every Monday from 3:00 -3:30 p.m., over Zoom.

The Sequoia Sustainability Project meets each Monday from 3:00 to 3:30 pm. Use the QR code to the left to recieve the link to the Zoom meeting, to have seminars, and active discussions!

RAVEN REPORT | MARCH 2021

Crochet has teens hooked BY HOPE CALLAGHAN Staff Reporter

With time plentiful and seemingly impossible to spend during the pandemic, teenagers around the world have turned to crocheting to transform their stress into clothes, stuffed animals, and blankets. When most people think of crocheting, they think of bored grandparents mindlessly weaving never ending scarves and blankets but as a wave of panic swept over the world as COVID-19 closed everyone’s doors, new hobbies such as crocheting and knitting opened new doors for creativity, imagination and yarn coupons. As people began to pick up their hooks to spin and loop new things into existence, their new creations began to spread to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. The more people post, the more inspired others are to run to Micheals and pick up their own hooks and yarn. Invented in the 16th century by poor

European citizens, crochet has been used for hundreds of years to create clothes and blankets when they couldn’t afford to buy the jackets and dresses of the rich society. During the World Wars, crochet made an important appearance in society as women continued to use crochet’s original purpose to make affordable clothing for their families. They formed groups for knitting and crocheting and these groups often worked on projects for their loved ones who were at war and they were sometimes commissioned by the government or even the Queen to weave thousands of warm clothing items ranging from socks to hats. Today, trends of imitating expensive patchwork sweaters, bucket hats and stuffed toys are a legacy of crochet’s history. After a few hundred years of evolution, there are over 150 stitch patterns to choose

from when crocheting and although it is often only necessary to learn two or three, learning several can be a good way to add variety to a crochet collection. Knitting sometimes comes to mind when thinking about crochet. While similar to crochet, knitting requires two straight needles while crochet requires one curved one and knitting is usually more associated with clothing such as scarves and socks while crochet is best worked into toys using Amigurumi style crochet and it is easier to make circular shapes. Amigurumi crochet is one of the most popular versions because it allows people to create toys. First originating in Japan, Amigurumi uses the same stitch patterns as normal crochet but it uses a smaller hook than normally prescribed size depending on the yarn weight. Freshman Haylee Huynh first started to

crochet in the summer of 2020, starting with a crochet set and inspiration taken from her aunt and an expensive JW Anderson sweater. “I really like arts and crafts… and it’s a pastime that helps [me] and calms [my stress], so doing crochet or any kind of art helps calm me down and ground me,” said Haylee about her ways of avoiding and erasing stress with crochet. According to the Mayo Clinic, crochet has been proven to help ease anxiety and is a good form of meditation and therapy which is what makes crochet groups so popular. Crochet has been used to help with memory and can be helpful to avoid dementia and depression due to its natural release of serotonin and ability to keep the brain stimulated. Sometimes, sitting on the couch watching TV can feel unproductive but Corey

Ward, an English II ICAP teacher, has a way of battling that feeling with crochet while still enjoying his favorite show. “If I am doing something singular like watching a movie or listening to music I like doing something with my hands,” Ward said. “A lot of times I will be looking around on my phone but then I’m missing whatever is happening in the film or whatever I’m doing but crocheting allows me to keep my hands busy.” Learning to crochet, amigurumi or otherwise, may seem intimidating but doing your research on yarn weight and hook s i z e can take new

crocheters a long way. Freshman Haylee Huynh advised beginners to “do some research on hook sizes and yarn sizes because it can really be difficult if you get [the wrong sizes] and just practice because your stitches will come out wonky in the beginning and then kind of even out as you keep going.” Junior Jules Kuramoto, another experienced crocheter, first learned to crochet with her friend when the COVID-19 lockdown kept everyone inside during the summer of 2020 and she has worked on clothes, hats and has even considered using her talents to make money online. “Start with something simple, because sometimes when you start with something hard, [crochet] can be difficult to get into because [you might] just want to give up right away,” said Jules.

RAVEN REPORT | MARCH 2021

Dungeons and Dragons tournament BY REZA PARSEY Staff Reporter

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We figured that if people could sit down and play a game, it would help brighten their day Tristan Perry, Sophomore

Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), the popular fantasy roleplaying game, has come to Sequoia. A D&D “tournament” took place with students from Sequoia on Jan. 22 online over Discord, an online chat platform. Interaction with other people has been severely limited, leading to rising cases of depression and anxiety. However, interactions online are not limited. Tristan Perry, an experienced player and sophomore at Sequoia, helped organize the tournament. “A lot of people have been isolated, so a friend and I decided to do something. We figured that if people could sit down and play a game with other people, it would help brighten their day,” Perry said. Dungeons and Dragons is a very social game, requiring players to interact with and get to know each other. This leads to new friendships that can help people get through this tough time. The Sequoia D&D tournament started on Jan 22 at 2:00 p.m. Thirty people in total joined the call, where they were then split up into groups of six. Players were in voice chats in Discord, where multiple people can talk together in a call. Each group had a Dungeon Master (DM), who runs the game “Normally, a D&D campaign takes two months to finish, but that would have been hard with people’s varying schedules. What ended up happening was that we shortened the campaign, then did it over three days, two hours a day,” said Sara Fox, a sophomore at Sequoia who participated in the tournament. This was a significant change for most players, who are used to longer quests. “I had to adapt my playing style to a sort of speedrunner,” said Fox. “It was unusual, but it was fun to do something so different.” Once in their groups, players were introduced to the story of their campaign. In one group, the players were stuck in the Underworld. For another, they had to uncover a cultist ring. The Dungeon Masters had created these quests themselves, and led the players throughout the game, describing the scenes and the enemies. Within the three days of the tournament, all of the groups completed their quests except for one, who died halfway

through. Not everyone in D&D is a winner, you have to work for it. For some people D&D is more than a game. For some it’s a way to forget their troubles for a few hours and just have fun. For sophomore Logan Hernacki, it was a way to make new friends. “Back in middle school, I didn’t really have much to do outside of school. When someone asked me to play Dungeons and Dragons with him, it helped me to be able to do something with other people. I still keep in touch with most of the people from that group,” Hernacki said. In D&D, players can be anyone they want. Some players make their characters reflect themselves, while others go way off script. D&D is able to change the lives of those who play it, from a way to let off some steam to lifting attitudes and making new

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It’s a sort of freedom to be who you want to be and do what you want to do. Logan Hernacki friends. At Sequoia, people have been shut off from others, especially because school is the primary way that students see their friends. With this tournament, students were able to connect with each other again, catching up in real life as they went adventuring in a fantasy world. “It’s a sort of freedom to be who you want to be and do what you want to do,” said Hernacki. “There are great things, both in-game and outside of it.”

Daylight savings time impacts teen health BY ETHAN RUDY Staff Reporter From March of 1918 until the present day, Daylight Savings time has been altering sleep schedules every year, but what impact does it have on teen health? Daylight Savings has negative effects on teen’s sleep cycles and thus, learning. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), teens should get a little more than nine hours of sleep for optimal health and alertness. AASM’s study also showed that the cumulative sleep loss after the time change was roughly two hours and 42 minutes. This creates an annual impact on student alertness and learning capability, but luckily the Sequoia scheduling team factors in this data when creating a schedule. A study showed that teens work best from the hours of 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. This is why Sequoia’s school day does not start until 9:00. After the time change in March, everyone feels less alert and learning is impacted. Ms. Stout stated that, “As for Daylight Savings Time impacting teen sleep schedules, you have to create analogies to things like jet lag. From most of the people that I’ve spoken to, jet lag is not at all beneficial to their sleep or wellbeing, so it’s not likely that Daylight Savings would be either.” According to Kristin Stout, the school’s spring flexible schedule was built around a balance of synchronous and asynchronous

instruction, while also taking Mid-winter and spring breaks into account. The mix of synchronous and asynchronous instruction was meant to give students time to make up work during the middle of the week, while still receiving instruction directly for most of the week. As of this writing, Arizona is the only state that has removed the years-old practice of shifting clocks in the spring and fall. But should California do the same? Kristin Stout said, “If you go back, the school system is based on an antiquated schedule. School starting in the fall and a lot of similar things, including Daylight Savings, are outdated and I think that’s why some states have done away with Daylight Savings; but still, that idea of having more safety and light in the morning may have some value.” What do students think of Daylight Savings? Rowan Henige, a freshman at Sequoia, said “I don’t mind Daylight Savings time. The extra sleep in the fall is nice.” According to AASM, the time change also creates a loss in reaction time in teens. This heavily impacts things like answering questions at school and even driving. Daylight Savings time has unintended side effects. Teens can’t get enough rest, and the biannual time switch throws off their internal clocks. Teens’ learning, alertness, and psychomotor functions are negatively impacted.

RAVEN REPORT | MARCH 2021

BY ISABEL BOGAN Staff Reporter The Valentine’s Day season is coming up, and every year, teachers, students and families look forward to a month filled with love and joy. Due to the pandemic rolling into 2021, however, Valentine’s Day activities might be limited based on what people typically do to celebrate. Therefore, students and teachers were asked to reminisce on their past Valentine’s Day experiences. Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the name of St. Valentine, and it is dedicated to love and romance. One legend says that St. Valentine was a priest in Rome. Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage among young men, since in his opinion, single men were better soldiers than those with families. Therefore, Valentine defied the Emperor’s law and kept performing marriages in secret. However, Claudius discovered what he was doing, and ordered that he was immediately put to death. However, Valentine’s Day is typically seen as a much more positive holiday. Cupid, a typical symbol of Valentine’s Day, originated from the Greek God named Eros, who had the power to make people fall in love. The first Valentine, sent in 1415, was by a 21-year old French Duke called Charles, who sent a message to his wife to profess his love for her. To celebrate the holiday this year, three students and one teacher were interviewed based on what they typically do to celebrate the holiday, what they wished they could do, and what their favorite part of the season is.

Kira Spottiswood, on a hike at Sugarloaf Trail, in San Mateo, CA with her boyfriend last year. Photo courtesy of Nolan Doyle.

Last year, Senior student Kira Spottiswood celebrated the holiday with her boyfriend by going on a fun hike to watch the sunset. Afterwards, they watched Sequoia vs. Carlmont in a basketball game, and ordered Sakura for a romantic night in. She has always wanted to go on vacation to a fancy, 5-star hotel in Hawaii, and then go to the beach wearing something fancy to celebrate! “I look forward to spending quality time spent with the important people in my life, and also giving and receiving gifts to show people they are appreciated,” said Spottiswood.

Dylan Wray and family at Poplar Beach, in Half Moon Bay, CA. Photo courtesy of Dylan Wray

Dylan Wray, a senior, also enjoys spending time outdoors with family and friends. Last year, he went to the beach with his family, which he thought was the perfect time to show his love and appreciation for those he loves. Wray looks forward to the chocolates and flowers, and the overall vibe of the holiday season. He and his sisters typically get gifts for their parents, and follow it up with a relaxing dinner as a family. “If I could spend Valentine’s Day in any way, I would go to a restaurant and order a nice dinner and dessert, and then go to a drive in movie to end the day,” Wray shared.

Ms. Erskine, a human bio teacher at Sequoia, typically celebrates the holiday outdoors, with family and friends on hikes or going to the beach. As a teacher, she looks forward to seeing the school decorated, and students giving gifts like balloons and roses to each other. She notes that the holiday is usually less present in other professions, and loves that aspect from a teacher’s perspective. If she could do anything she wanted to celebrate Valentine’s Day, she would gather all of her closest friends and host a potluck or celebration to make the holiday something special to really celebrate and remember. “Valentine’s Day has definitely evolved for me a lot over the years. As a kid, I would celebrate with all the themed activities at school, like sending my friends cards and gifts. My dad would leave for work super early, but he always made sure to leave us conversation hearts and heart shaped boxes, which I loved. He has done that every year since I was little,” Erskine said. Science teacher Camille Erskine celebrating Valentine’s Day outdoors on a hike at Edgewood Park, San Carlos, CA. Photo courtesy of Erskine.

Regardless of how the holiday is celebrated by students, Valentine’s Day is always the perfect time to make themed desserts! An easy, and typical Valentine’s Day treat is chocolate covered strawberries. Recipe: Ingredients needed: • as many strawberries as you chose! • chocolate chips • sprinkles or conversation hearts Materials needed: • microwave safe bowl • microwave or stop top to heat the chocolate ingredients Directions: 1. Collect materials. 2. Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl for approximately 3045 seconds, or until melted. Then, stir until melted into a soft consistency for dipping strawberries. 3. Dip the desired amount of strawberries into the melted chocolate by holding the stem at the top. 4. While the chocolate is still melted, add the sprinkles or conversation hearts on top. 5. Enjoy a quick treat alone, or share with loved ones in celebration!

RAVEN REPORT | MARCH 2021

Restaurant roundup: Reviewing the best restaurants in San Carlos BY RYLAN BUTT Staff Reporter We are lucky enough to have some amazing restaurants in our Redwood City/San Carlos area. Whether your family wants some takeout for dinner, or you’re hanging out with friends and want a quick bite, this list has you covered. Here are some of the best local casual restaurants you can eat at right now. The Refuge: Like the name suggests, The Refuge is a safe haven for your tastebuds. They serve quality pastrami, sandwiches, burgers, and more. My family and I ordered the brie burger, pastrami burger, and some poutine (french fries and cheese curds topped with gravy). The brie burger was refreshing and different from your classic hamburger. The creaminess of the melted brie complemented the sauteed mushrooms very well. The pastrami burger is the perfect dish to order if you don’t know whether to get their signature pastrami or their superb burgers. The pastrami burger has a normal burger patty with melted swiss topped with pastrami meat and sauerkraut. All four of these ingredients are balanced nicely with none overpowering the other. I’ve been to many sandwich places that over do the sauerkraut or make it too sour, but in the Refuge’s pastrami burger, everything is perfectly balanced. Lastly for a shared side, we ordered poutine. This legendary Canadian comfort food takes the crown as the best side to order at The Refuge. The poutine boasts amazingly bold flavors with its rich mozzarella cheese curds and rich brown gravy. The Refuge offers some outdoor seating and can be ordered online off their website and services such as DoorDash. The Refuge San Carlos opens at noon and closes at 8 p.m. They are however closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Seated on Laurel Street San Carlos, The Refuge is the perfect place for you and a few friends to grab some amazing food after hanging out. The one downside though is the price. To order a sandwich, fries, and a soda, it will cost about $23 to $26 which is a little much for a casual hangout. Despite the rather high costs, I would still put The Refuge at the top

Brie Burger From Refuge. Photo courtesy of Rylan Butt. of my list for local restaurants because of how good it tastes and the variety of sandwiches on their menu. Blue Line Pizza: Blue Line Pizza is arguably the best place to order pizza if you want something a little higher level than Dominoes or Pizza Hut. Don’t get me wrong, those are both very good places, but Blue Line blows both of them out of the water with its better tasting food, wider variety of pizzas, and it’s deep dish. No matter what kind of pizza you like, Blue Line has you covered. If you like small thin crust pizza, they offer an amazing assortment of toppings that range from peperoni to artichoke hearts. They also offer multiple sizes, so you can order for yourself, or get a big pizza for your party. If you prefer bigger, deep dish pizzas, then Blue Line is the place for you. Not only do you get the same customization as before, but you get it in a bigger, tastier package that will never disappoint. I was able to order the Blue Line signature deep dish pizza, which came topped with spinach blended with ricotta and feta cheese, mushrooms, onions, garlic, mozzarella, and a lot of marinara sauce. I love Blue Line’s deep dish pizzas because of two reasons, first one being their crust.

Blue Line Deep Dish. Courtesy of Rylan Butt

When you receive your pizza, the crust on the outside is very crispy firm, which keeps the deep dish from falling apart, but the inside of the crust is very soft, warm, and fluffy, which complements the toppings nicely and soaks the sauce. The second reason is the toppings, Blue Line never over does their toppings, but makes sure there is enough to fill the entire pizza, and all their toppings taste amazing. Just like The Refuge, Blue Line Pizza offers some outdoor dining and can be ordered online through their website or any other food delivery service. They open at 11:30 a.m. every day and close at 8:30 p.m. Sunday to Thursday but close at 9:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday. This is a great place to eat if you have a small party and are walking around town. Being on San Carlos Avenue, it is really close to most Sequoia students and makes a great hangout spot after the pandemic. Panda Dumpling: Good old Panda Dumpling, what’s not to love about Panda Dumpling? They make amazing chinese food, it’s cheap, and they have a cute logo. Panda dumpling is the best place to order some chinese takeout for a good family dinner. Being named Panda Dumpling, I of course had to try their large assortment of handmade dumplings. They had so many different flavors that I can only name a few. Some of my favorite dumplings to order are the pork and chives, crab soup dumplings, and the spicy wontons. I love the pork and chives because they boast an earthy taste, which is nice to have since chinese food is known to be very greasy. The salty flavors from the pork complement nicely with the very fresh taste from the chives to form an exceptionally good tasting dumpling. The first time I had the spicy wontons, I thought they were really funky because they had this slight peanut butter taste which was very new to

Pancakes and Eggs from Franklin Street Cafe. Photo courtesy of Rylan Butt. me, but they slowly started to grow on me and now they are one of my favorites. If you like to rile up your tastebuds with a little kick, than I would highly recommend the spic wontons. Keeping cost in mind, my recommended order for a part of 2-4 would be one kind of noodle soup, 1 kind of fried rice, and three flavors of dumplings. This order would cost you about $43 - $45 which for 2-4 people isn’t bad at all compared to Blue Line and Refuge. Unfortunately, Panda Dumpling doesn’t have outdoor dining or even the ability to order to your house. If you want to get some Panda Dumpling, you would have to go to the restaurant to pick up your order, which might be a bit inconvenient. Franklin Street Cafe: Last, but probably the first meal you will

have is Franklin Street Cafes breakfast. Keep in mind that Franklin Street does also serve lunch, but for this portion I will mainly be focusing on the breakfast part due to it being near the Sequoia Station. If you took the train early or are looking for some good American breakfast, look no further than Franklin Street. This small breakfast cafe has all sorts of breakfast foods like pancakes, egg scrambles, omelettes, and more. I really like their omelettes because I get the best of all their food in one package. When I went to try the food, I ordered the chorizo omelette and some pancakes. The chorizo omelette was very good, the egg wasn’t too thin and the chorizo tasted amazing, however, I do wish they added a bit more of the chorizo and less peppers and onions because I found myself eating less meat than peppers. The pancakes were pretty good, but not the greatest. They were fluffy, warm and tasted okay but they could have been better. If you want really good pancakes though, Stacks is a really good place that serves an assortment of pancakes to try. Just like Panda Dumpling, Franklin Street Cafe does not offer outdoor dining, but you can order it for takeout or for delivery, which saves you a lot of time. You can find them on most delivery services such as DoorDash, GrubHub, Uber Eats, etc. We are really lucky to have such amazing restaurants in our area and I encourage all of you to try some of these places.

Chorizo Omelete. Photo courtesy of Rylan Butt

RAVEN REPORT | MARCH 2021

Photo by: Ellis Becker-Lipton Editing by: Billy Stanton

“From the Backroom”: seniors release folk EP BY MADELINE CARPINELLI Feature Editor Inspired by Conor Oberst, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and more, Seniors Tess Restaino and Eli Mihaly-Baker, or Ray’s Gazebo, talk about their new EP, “From the Backroom”. Composed of 4 songs with guitar and drums, “From the Backroom” gives calming and heartfelt melodies with songs like Freckled Palms and All of These Books Lead To You, with each member doing vocals. Every song is filled with old memories for the members, bringing listeners along with them. Mihaly-Baker explains the memories behind the band’s name, Ray’s Gazebo: “When we were first becoming friends,

three or four years ago, we stumbled upon these abandoned houses in the forest. We explored them and we were young teenagers and we were like ‘oh, we’re so bad’. There was this gazebo in the houses and it has a sign on it that says ‘Ray’s Gazebo’ [and] that [became] just a hangout spot for [us for] a while and we created a lot of memories there,” Mihaly-Baker said. “So when it came around to naming a band, it was like ‘that’s our little spot that just holds a lot of memories.’” Restaino and Mihaly-Baker explain that they’ve always had a love for creating music. Luckily enough, the third member of the band had access to music production equipment, so they were able to record themselves.

“We recorded everything in the backroom of his house, hence the name, ‘From the Backroom’,” Mihaly-Baker said. Unfortunately, Ray’s Gazebo’s future isn’t super clear. Because of some personal events, members had a falling out and the band is no longer together. Despite difficulties, MihalyBaker and Restaino plan on continuing to make music, whether it is under the same name or not. “So I think we’re just gonna start our own chapter,” Restaino said. “You’ll definitely see some new music from Eli Mihaly-Baker and Tess Restaino together,” Mihaly-Baker said, “but the future looks unknown as to what that will look like.” Despite setbacks, the EP was released and well liked by listeners, as it is streamable on popular platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music. Family and friends all raved about it, and Mihaly-Baker said that they had many people reach out to them. “It was really well received,” Restaino said. “I think we were surprised.” With Freckled Palms as Ray’s Gazebo’s most popular song, listeners loved the affectionate and calming vibes of the EP. As it was their first time putting out music, Restaino and MihalyBaker have gained a lot of experiences. “I’ve experienced how good it feels to just create something out of nothing,” MihalyBaker said. When reflecting on their first EP, MihalyBaker and Restaino talk about what they’ve learned through this process. Especially with something as creative as making music, collaborating and planning isn’t always easy. “I think I learned to say my opinions out loud or else they won’t come to fruition,” Restaino said. “I have learned that no matter how stable and secure you feel you are and how good you feel for the future, things can always go wrong, and that’s okay,” Mihaly-Baker said.

Photo Credits to Zoe Argenal

BY LUCIE TENENBAUM Staff Reporter

Netflix where are you going?

freshman Zoey Argenal said about The Office. Many students talked about having found As time went forward and the clock hit ways around not being able to watch their midnight in 2021, Netflix pulled back a variety favorite shows on Netflix’s platform. of shows that they were showing, and many “I was really really upset. But then I was students weren’t for it. like okay, I can find loopholes and different Students here at Sequoia have many ways to find it (The Office),” said freshman different opinions on Netflix taking their Vivian Krevor after finding out about Netflix most popular shows and movies off their taking her favorite show off. “But then that platform, some of which also meant that I had include not caring about to spend more money whether or not Netflix to do that which I took their favorite shows wasn’t very fond of off because they already spending more money had a different streaming I couldn’t care less about on, but I really liked platform, or that they’re The Office having been the show. It’s worth mad because now they finding another way.” taken off Netflix because have to spend more Other students money just to watch their we have Peacock TV so I can also talked about favorite shows. having to spend more just watch it there. Some of the TV shows money just to watch and movies favorites their favorite shows Cooper Kilpatrick, Junior taken off Netflix include: on other platforms Back to the Future (I, II, such as Hulu, Amazon III), Gossip Girl, The Grinch, all four original Prime, Peacock, and YouTube TV. Indiana Jones movies, The Lost World: Jurassic Krevor said “I’ve heard a lot about it being Park, The Notebook, The Office, and Pride and on Peacock and I feel like Peacock has been Prejudice. advertised very well, but I haven’t gotten that. “It’s kind of upsetting because I like to I have Amazon, but depending on the season re-watch shows a lot whenever I get bored. it can be like $10 to $20. But then I think that But now it’s taken off, I can’t really do that,” if you wanted to buy an individual episode it’s

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like $3. Which is kind of expensive which is annoying.” Junior Cooper Kilpatrick had a different take on Netflix’s future when asked if Netflix should’ve brought newer shows to it’s platform, he said “I think Netflix in two years could be their own streaming platform with their own original content because every single company is making a plus version like Discovery+ and Disney+. It wouldn’t surprise me, though, that you can’t add stuff, rather than take them away because everyone’s starting to create their own because they saw how well Netflix did.” Several different companies have created different services exclusively with their own licensed TV shows and movies, such as Disney+, Youtube TV, Itunes TV, Discovery+, and Twitch TV. As newer streaming services are popping up, Netflix’s reputation is declining because of the variety of shows that the other services have. “I couldn’t care less about the Office having been taken off Netflix because we have Peacock TV so I can just watch it there,” said Kilpatrick.

RAVEN REPORT | MARCH 2021

#MeToo #Sequoia #RiseUp BY Caitlin Dulsky Managing Editor

The #MeToo movement is spreading across the screens of many Bay Area high schoolers. Schools like Los Gatos High School and Saratoga High School have put together student run rallies and social media pages for survivors to tell their story and to speak out about issues like sexual assault and sexual harrassment. Many high school students are being more and more vocal about the issue of sexual assault and harassment, using platforms like social media to post encouragement and tell their stories to those in their communities. Instagram pages and hashtags have been made available for these students to post their stories anonmously and spread awareness and Photo from the Mercury News, taken in July at the Stand For Survivors Solidarity event at Los support around the issue of sexual assault and Gatos High School harrasment. “I am really happy and encouraged that high schoolers are putting this movement together now and demanding change. You been seeing many other high school students different reasons. And so I think that we need know rape culture is such an issue in high coming out about these issues. It is a bigger to continue to work on making students feel school, and I think it’s just not talked about issue than most realize, especially at the high more comfortable reporting it, and taking enough and it is something that needs to school level. Making jokes or hand signals to action,” Teen Resource Counselor Ms. Romero change” senior Jacqueline Kurland said. friends to people in the hallway or on social said. Kurland is right that “rape culture” is media about sexual exploitation is a present Creating a safe and comfortable such a big problem in society and even in issue. Specifically the hand gesture “2 in it” environment for students to talk and discuss our own schools. What rape culture can look which is a sexual hand gesture that has been problems and issues is so important if we want like for high schoolers is walking through the held up by boys in pictures all over social change. hallway hearing boys cat calling other girls, media. During my four years at Sequoia, there hearing people joking about how “That B**ch The environment of high school makes have been times when I hear students brushing deserved it,” using other violent slang used to issues such as this hard, for girls and boys. off events that have happened, and even refer to women Not only the societal joking about some offensive event which has in a sexual way. pressures of being happened to them. But, there isn’t a schoolAnd the even judged, and the wide discussion around what to do when this bigger issue is discomfort and fear happens to you, and what resources are there that our society of telling your story, to help. Students don’t have enough awareness normalizes this. but the pressure of safe places for victims to come to staff for I want I would want students to “I feel like the of peers and all help. These are uncomfortable issues and know that the TRC is a safe place culture around students trying to topics. More victims will come forward if students is that you know that we would fit in. These reasons there is more awareness among students about somewhat toxic, encourage them to come and make the high school who can help. Simply just talking about it and in the sense that talk to us if something like this is environment harder starting the conversation would make students they make a lot for teenagers to speak more comfortable. of jokes about happening up about these issues “There is a whole movement going on, sexual assault and or make them public. our school should talk about it to students, be people just laugh Judy Romero, TRC Counselor There could be added vocal about it. If our administration did speak about it and don’t pressure in high out more about these issues it would help take it as seriously school for boys to victims feel more comfortable in telling their as it should be not speak up because stories,” Kurland said. taken,” Kurland said. of toxic masculinity within our society which It starts with the administration and staff It is not just Sequoia. Stories have been makes this issue worse. speaking up, describing what is happening, told to me from friends from other schools “I think that it [can] feel a little and doing something about it. But this is the with similar experiences. This is why we have uncomfortable reporting it, for a lot of students opportunity to make stand up and

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speak out, the “rape culture” is what students feel, and they can be the ones to try and change it. Students hear the jokes, hear the stories, feel the toxic environment, they can be the ones to make the change. Just like the students of Los Gatos and Saratoga, students can rise up. “I think that social media is able to give them a platform to voice their experiences and voice their concerns,” Ms. Romero said. Students have been trying to address this on their own. Students around the Bay Area have been creating social media accounts and pushing for change. This is a student run movement. And students are using the power of social media to raise awareness and voice

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The MeToo movement, the power of it is that it raises awareness ... and it also breaks isolation...individuals that have dealt with sexual harassment or sexual assault, feel like okay I’m not the only one. Judy Romero, TRC Counselor opinions. Although Sequoia does not have a social media platform for survivors to tell their stories, Sequoia has resources for students to talk. “I want students to know that the TRC is a safe place that we would encourage them to come and talk to us if something like this is happening. Because I think the first step is reaching out for help. The first step is sort of saying that out loud, saying this is happening. And I hope and I would encourage students to take that step,” Ms. Romero said. There are staff and administrators at Sequoia who are open to talk with students and want to help. Ms. Romero is the Teen Resource Center counselor, and she can help students talk through issues and provide support for any students’ concerns, among many other adults in our school community. It would be great if more could join in as allies, and help spread awareness and support.

Photos received from Los Gatos High School Senior. Pictures are of Los Gatos football players using sexual related hand signs in pictures on social media. The hand gesture “2 in it”, which they are holding up, is a sexual reference to girls, and this hand gesture has been used in many pictures all over social media.

RAVEN REPORT | MARCH 2021

Back to the start BY ALEX PARKER ROGERS Staff Reporter