February 2024

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redwood

Photo courtesy of Graham Weir

Volume LXVI, No. 4 February 15, 2024 • Larkspur, CA

MCAL winter sports season recap and statistics p. 20 News

2

“The Farm” wins gold

Feature

13

Golden Gate deterrent nets

Review

17

Buvette Du Marais restaurant

Spring 2024 Positions Redwood High School 395 Doherty Drive, Larkspur, CA 94939 www.redwoodbark.org

Editors-in-Chief: Colette Boyden Kate DeForrest Jordan Kimball Matthew Marotto Staff Illustrators: Zach Dinowitz Lauren Olsen Ava Stephens Business Managers: Hayden Donehower Maggie Walsh Multimedia Designer: Linnea Koblik Data Analyst: Gabriella Rouas Social Media Managers: Julia Delsol Cameryn Smith Podcast Editor: Gil Ladetzky Staff Photographers: Alex Argov Lauren Poulin Layout Editors: Emily Block Erica Block

Copy Editors: Charlotte Fishburne (Head Copy) Lili Hakimi (Head Copy) Mia Ginsburg Kate Harrison Hannah Herbst Tallulah Knill Allen Leina Khan Alana Leifer Larkin Moffett Emma Rosenberg Bella Wagner Reporters: Ava Carlson Sean Cunneen Mason Garbo Jay Knopping Owen McDaniels Michael Seton Ashlin Quach Senior Staff Writers: Sawyer Barta Elsa Block Ella Erwig Harrison Lapic Bowen Rivera Aanika Sawhney Sam Sumski Maya Winger

Opinion Editors: Nadia Massoumi Anna Youngs Feature Editors: Beckett Tudor Lucy Wong Lifestyles Editors: Tessa DeLay Molly Gallagher Games Editor: Sydney Johnson Sports Editors: Nick Hartung Matthew Knauer Sports Editor-on-Call: Henrik Vraanes News Editors: Emily Garcia Charlotte Lacy News Editor-on-Call: Taylor Allan Review Editors: Nina Howard Mayson Weingart Web Designer: Emily Hitchcock Video Editor: Will Parsons

redwood

bark.

Editorial teaser

Read The Bark’s stance on age in American politics ahead of the 2024 General Election.

Volume LXVII, No. 4 • Feburary 15, 2024 • Larkspur, CA

As elected officials increasingly qualify for government benefits in more ways than one, they encounter unavoidable health issues, struggle to communicate effectively, offer less appeal in elections and often fail to represent the American people...

Continue reading on p. 6.

redwood high school ● 395 doherty dr., larkspur, ca 94939 ● follow @theredwoodbark on socials ● www.redwoodbark.org

EPiC drama strikes gold with production of ‘The Farm’

By Madison Bishop and Isabelle Davis

Design by RHS Fine Arts, Student Commons & Dining Building Replacement Project

THE NEW DINING common space is designed to get students out of their cars and off hallway floors and instead into an area for everyone to eat together, working to unify the Redwood campus.

Voting ‘Yes on A’ for TUHSD’s future

utilities. However, after completing all three stages, the total will be around $148 million. If the bond measure is approved, TUHSD will reconstruct the On March 5, the voters of Marin County will cafeteria to make it more welcoming for students, as determine whether Bond Measure A passes. This many currently take refuge in the school’s hallways is a $517 million bond that directly affects the on rainy days.

Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD).

Mike Woolard, the Senior Director of Facilities With Redwood and Archie Williams being over 60 Planning works with other bond committee years old and Tamalpais High School being over members to create priorities in each district. The 100, upgrades are in need, as the last significant bond measure would address the need for more update was done over 20 years ago and the state is eco-friendly and renewable energy, implemented in not required to provide funding for facility upgrades. infrastructure change. The technology is outdated David O’Connor, the Senior Director of and the proposed solution is a heat pump system that Maintenance & Operations ensures that every would run on electricity with a solar power offset. campus in the Tamalpais Union School District In addition to this, the Redwood pool is kept at a operates correctly through numerous construction warm 80 degrees year-round, not without expense to projects. He recognizes the district is due for a new both the planet and the wallet. renovation.

“Right now, we have a gas heating system that “From an operational point of view, heats a bunch of air and does the same the school district needs [the bond]. thing, [but] we’re trying to convert The infrastructure has aged a quarter of that to solar,” and quite honestly, quality Woolard said. of education is influenced These positive changes by the campuses and would directly affect buildings that the students parents and students are housed in, so I think enrolled in TUHSD it’s really important,” schools. However, O’Connor said. the Official County TUHSD has gathered of Marin website around 775 members of shows that 27 percent the community to help of Marin’s residents develop their multi-year are over the age of facility master plan. This 60, leading to less plan includes repairing connection and drive leaky roofs and insufficient for the bond measure. heating, cooling, electrical Although, Woolard and plumbing systems. shared how property values Additionally, it will rebuild and will rise, impacting everyone upgrade math, art, music and science countywide.

Photo by Charlotte Lacy classrooms. It will also address the flooding “There are studies that show when problem at Ghilotti Field. Furthermore, the bond will you have really good schools, people migrate to that help update classroom technology and equipment area, raising property values. I think the community as well as replace safety systems. On top of all of has the patience and knows the long-term good [the this, the measure will improve disability access and measure brings],” Woolard said. repair or replace portable classrooms.

All opinions are valid in the vote and the TUHSD This multi-year plan will begin the day after the area has proven to be supportive of steps toward 2023-2024 school year ends and will initially focus positive change in the past. on the immediate issues. These issues look slightly “We really appreciate the support of the different at each school and are a common concern community because I know, especially here, for voters. everybody’s really proud of the schools they have in “Unfortunately, due to whatever school you go their neighborhood. I mean, it’s amazing. Redwood, to, the perception [of work being done] may mean Tam and Archie are unique communities that rally that more work was done at [a different school], around [their] school,” Woolard said.

Voters can visit the Yes on A website at but there is a certain degree of urgency and equality yesona4tamdistrictschools.org to learn more about between all the schools,” O’Connor said.

For Redwood, priority one is roughly $28 million, the bond measure and upcoming election. which includes infrastructure improvements of The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), irrigation, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, roofing and bark@redwoodbark.org

By Cora Champommier Cub Reporter

On Feb. 2, Redwood’s Ensemble Production Company (EPiC) performed at the prestigious Folsom Lenaea High School Theater Festival. The Lenaea festival is a three day event that brings together over 1,500 high school students to learn about the arts and has been actively celebrating high schoolers’ artistic skills and encouraging peer collaboration since 1956. EPiC’s rendition of “The Farm” earned a gold medal award. Only six out of 75 high schools from both California and Nevada received this honor. EPiC has periodically won gold awards at this festival, the previously most recent being a gold award for their One Acts last year. The company also performed “The Farm” on Feb. 1 and 8 at Redwood’s Little Theater and on Feb. 6 at Hall Middle School and Del Mar Middle School.

“Animal Farm,” a political novel by George Orwell, has been a staple in American schools since it was published in 1945. The classic has been adapted into many forms of entertainment over the years.

The story centers on a group of barn animals who, in an attempt to create an equal and free society, rebel against their human farmer, serving as an allegory for communism in Russia. Orwell intended the story to criticize Joseph Stalin during World War II. Playwright Jon Tracy brought the novel to life in 2016, titling the stage adaptation “The Farm.” His adaptation took a modern twist by incorporating hiphop elements with the characters rapping throughout the performance. Tracy served as EPiC’s director for this production of “The Farm.”With permission from Tracy, EPiC was able to reduce the original two-hour production to 40 minutes in order for them to perform at the Lenaea Festival.

Senior Calla Hollingsworth has additionally presented an Outstanding Performance in Show award for her role as Snowball, the pig. For Hollingsworth, theater has always been meaningful and prominent throughout her life, as she is a fouryear drama student and enrolled in the Honors

Continued on page 2...

Photo by Aanika Sawhney

JOHN GURUNG ACTED as Squealer the Pig and Vel Conolly depicted the role of Napoleon in the awardwinning “Animal Farm” performance.

bark Page 2 • News

Photo Survey

“Have you ever purchased something from Instagram or Tiktok Shop?”

Riya Pyle Freshman

‘The Farm’ from page one

Drama 7-8 course this year.

Hollingsworth explained how being recognized both individually and collectively as a company felt rewarding after a rigorous rehearsal process. “[The rehearsal process] was a challenge because there was so much ensemble work and everyone had to be really focused the whole time,” Hollingsworth said. “We pulled it together really well. We all managed to work as a team and I’m really proud of that.”

The dedication of the talented cast played a crucial role in making the play remarkable. Senior drama students Dylan Weir and Miles Doucette share the role of Benjamin, the donkey who stays neutral in the barn animals’ rebellion. As intended by Orwell, the donkey represents intellectual people

Feburary 15, 2024 who do not fight against political corruption. At the time of World War II, Benjamin symbolized bystanders who failed to oppose Stalin’s dictatorship.

Students were given only one month to assemble the entire production of “The Farm,” compared to the typical two to three-month rehearsal process for other EPiC shows.

“Given the amount of time we had, I feel that it turned out well. I always love it when [the audience] recognizes our hard work,” Weir said.

“I’m just hoping that they had a good experience and enjoyed the show.”

Despite their limited time, the studens were able to craft emotionally taxing scenes that left audiences stunned, including a moment when Boxer the horse is unknowingly led to his death. “[The scene] was framed beautifully. Just the way that Boxer

was getting carried away in the van and everyone was [troubled] because they could see on the back of the truck that he was going to a glue factory.

Boxer [said,] ‘Why are you worried?

I’m going to the hospital,’” Doucette said.

Redwood drama performances have won many awards at the Lenaea High School Theater Festival over the years, emphasizing the strength of the drama program. The EPiC drama students’ efforts did not go unrecognized, as a Gold Medal award once again decorates their hardworking department.

EPiC will be continuing to showcase their productions this upcoming season, including Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” and their One Act Festival in March. bark@redwoodbark.org

“I ordered a Stanley cup. It took a long time to come but I like my product.”

Bryce Burns Sophomore

Photo by Aanika Sawhney

“I wanted to try the Chamoy Pickle kit from TikTok Shop.

It was going viral.”

Graham Weir Junior

“I used TikTok Shop to buy a wireless hotspot. I recommend buying from there.”

Laine Seabern Senior

“I have never bought anything from TikTok Shop, but I might in the future.”

CALLA HOLLINGSWORTH, JOHN Gurung and Vel Connelly perform a gritty scene as three cunning pigs: Snowball, Squealer and Napoleon.

NEWS BRIEFS by Charlotte Lacy and Aanika Sawhney The 49ers lose in overtime

Five teams fight for a MCAL title

Microaggressions ‘Stop-and-learn’

As Super Bowl LVIII concluded the San Francisco 49ers brought home a very disappointing loss that will stick with the franchise forever.

This game was far from short and was the seventh longest National Football League (NFL) game in history. However, this does not mean that the game went by fast as it was only 10-3 in the first half as the 49ers had the lead. The score remained in the 49ers favor until the last three seconds of the game when the chiefs tied it up 19-19.

This lead the game to go into overtime which did not end in the favor of the Niners. In the last play of the first round of overtime the Cheifs scored a touchdown leaving fans crushed. The final score was 22-25.

As the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) finals concluded, Redwood walked away with one title from the boys’ varsity soccer team. Going into the weekend, all of Redwood’s winter sports had a place in a final game. The boys’ basketball team played at home on Friday, Feb. 10, versus the Branson Bulls. The final score was 53-83, leaving Branson with the win. The next day, on Saturday, Feb. 11, the boys’ soccer team played Archie Williams and won with a goal from Thomas Griffin. That night, the girls’ soccer team played Branson and suffered a loss in double overtime and penalty kicks. The girls’ basketball team also lost to Marin Catholic, losing 46-56. Lastly, the wrestling team sent five athletes to MCALs and all five will be heading to state.

On Wednesday, Feb. 14, Redwood hosted its second ever “Stop-and-Learn,” standardized curriculum taught across grade levels, pausing classes for a focused lesson on microaggressions following a racist incident at Tamalpais High School in the summer of 2023. Lesson materials were sent to teachers to present in their second-period class. Informed by students and staff feedback, the “Stop-and-Learn” was reduced from 90 minutes, a full class period, to 60 minutes, accommodated by a schedule change.

The lesson started with an introduction of ‘perceptions,’ asking students to reflect on how they see themselves and continued with a video and partner activity centered around microaggression identification and interruption.

Photo courtesy of Jos Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News

Photo courtesy of Graham Weir

Photo by Nadia Massoumi

WALKING OFF THE field Deebo Samuel takes in the crushing loss.

THOMAS GRIFFIN CELEBRATES his goal leading his team to a championship.

JUNIORS CONVERSE DURING the first “Stop-and-Learn” about racism.

bark TUHSD explores course reduction for upperclassmen Page 3 • News

www.redwoodbark.org

By Michael Seton On Nov. 14, 2023, at a Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Tara Taupier proposed reducing the number of required courses for juniors and seniors from six to five. While the existing board policy allows students to take five classes with the principal’s approval, this change will allow upperclassmen to take five courses without approval as long as they are on track to graduate, according to Taupier.

Currently, seniors can choose to attend shorter school days if taking college classes or holding jobs requiring more than 15 working hours per week. However, if their schedule changes they must add a class for the minimum six-period day required by the district. Additionally, students aren’t allowed a free period in the middle of the day. This gap must be filled by a course,

Photo by Michael Seton

CHECKING PAPERS IS one of senior Darya Shafaie’s teacher assistant jobs for Physics teacher David Nash.

a teacher assistant (TA) position or peer tutoring role. According to Candace Gulden, counselor and English language coordinator, many students choose to TA due to lack of single-semester and elective classes.

“There hasn’t been space in the electives. [For example,] the social studies electives are completely full, so that limits what students can take,” Gulden said.

Reducing the number of required courses for upperclassmen will benefit both students and administrators. For students, it will reduce anxiety arising from multiple responsibilities. Taupier explained that most students graduate with far more credits than necessary for graduation “This drive to constantly be more, more, more — we’ve seen [it lead to] an increase in mental health issues among [students] and an increase in the amount of stress,” Taupier said.

This change will also allow more time to pursue non-academic activities including work, internships, sports, hobbies and college applications. Work is important for many students according to Archie Williams High School senior and Student Trustee Gia Debok.

“As we are getting ready to go to college, we need to make that money to hold us over,” Debok said.

This change in board policy will also align Redwood’s schedule more closely with other high schools and colleges.

“At most colleges, five classes is the course load,” Taupier said. “Our kids are in a tremendous course load for four years.”

However, potential downsides exist for students who elect to take fewer classes.

Gulden explained many juniors don’t understand that colleges focus more on senior year schedules than senior year grades as admissions officers often don’t receive senior year grades until well after application deadlines.

“Your course schedule as a senior is going to be one of the very important factors when colleges are reviewing your application for admission,” Gulden said.

“If you’re taking a light schedule — four classes and a TA to make your fifth class — most colleges are going to feel like that’s not preparing you for the rigor of college.”

For the faculty and administration there are likely to be more benefits than drawbacks. This change will benefit principals and guidance counselors by addressing the challenge of scheduling large numbers of upperclassmen requesting TA roles instead of taking a sixth course. It will also ensure that students take classes they are interested in. Debok noted the negative effect of students being required to take an unwanted class.

“Being forced into a class you’re not excited about can cause students never to go, which can affect attendance as well as their grade, affecting their GPA and [in turn] impacting their ability to go to the college they want,” Debok said.

Gulden believes giving upperclassmen more freedom could help them develop the decision-making skills needed for college.

“I wonder why we aren’t letting students have more independence,” Gulden said. “Sometimes I think we hold that leash a little too tight.” mseton@redwoodbark.org

Infographic by Linnea Koblik

Stricter attendance rules threaten graduation participation

By Michael Seton Participation in Senior Ditch Day will be riskier than ever this year. On Jan. 24, Principal Barnaby Payne held a mandatory senior student meeting to explain how seniors must maintain “good standing” to walk in their June graduation ceremony.

Following the meeting, the administration emailed students and parents a description of good standing status. While this general policy has been in effect for several years, this year’s attendance rules are more onerous than in the past.

The Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) 2023-24 Parent/Student Handbook explains that a good-standing senior can have up to five unexcused absences in any class (including SMART) during their final semester.

However, the administration has gone further than in previous years by adding a new attendance requirement not in the TUHSD handbook. Under the new rule,

seniors cannot have more than nine excused absences in any one class, including SMART. An excused absence includes illness, medical appointments, jury duty, religious obligations, mental health days, quarantine, election participation, naturalization ceremony, spending time with a parent in military deployment or an absence pre-approved by the principal.

Assistant Principal Lisa Kemp explained this rule was developed so certain students would not unfairly benefit from their parents’ leniency about attending school.

“You’ve got kids that get excused because their parents are on [top of] it,” Kemp said. “And you’ve got other kids who aren’t getting excused. Some parents excuse their kids cutting class, and others won’t.”

Not only is the new rule more restrictive, but it’s also unclear. Some believe it applies to full-day rather than single-class absences. Dean of Students

Infographic by Linnea Koblik

Tyrone Robinson explained it as full-day absences during the senior student session, and many seniors, including Kate Vare, understood it that way. “[The rule] definitely means nine total school days regardless of how many classes you’d be missing,” Vare said.

But Kemp disagreed, saying the rules for excused and unexcused absences do not apply to full days.

“It’s five [unexcused or nine excused] absences in any one class,” Kemp said.

Unexcused absences include any absence that is not explained when a student returns to school, including a student’s departure from the campus without explanation, family trips and vacations. A warranted absence—such as a court appearance, funeral service, religious event, college visit or employment interview—that has not been approved in advance by the administration.

As an unexcused absence, Senior Ditch Day may cost a senior the ability to join in graduation. Senior Ditch Day is a beloved tradition in which the senior class skips school on a predetermined day that is posted on social media to spread the word. Senior Ditch Day is rumored to have occurred the Tuesday after Memorial Day in 2023.

The stricter absenteeism requirement reflects the administration’s decision to enforce student attendance more vigorously this year. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, chronic absenteeism has become a significant issue at Redwood and other high schools nationwide.

In the recent Nov. 14 TUHSD board meeting, Senior Director of Student Services, Dr. Jeanine Evians-Robinson, presented Redwood attendance data. It showed that in the first six weeks of the school year, 774 students (or 43 percent)

Photo by Michael Seton

ADDRESSING SENIORS, ASSISTANT Principal Lisa Kemp explains rules for students to walk at the graduation ceremony in June. missed an average of two school days and 1,426 (79 percent) students missed an average of nine class periods.

“What this data equates to is that there are too many students missing classes,” Evians-Robinson said.

To address this issue, Redwood hired Robinson as Dean of Students at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year.

At the senior-only session, Payne encouraged students to comply with the rules, describing the importance of the graduation ceremony.

“We have students that have faced tremendous personal hardship. Just the fact they’re receiving their diploma will represent an incredible journey for them,” Payne said. “The Redwood diploma is what all of you will have in common, and it will connect all of you, and all of us, for the rest of our lives.” mseton@redwoodbark.org

opinion

Page 4

America’s two-party political system is failing

By Beckett Tudor and Lucy Wong Ryniejski

After years of watching partisan antipathy overflow throughout Washington D.C. and the media, American politics consistently prompts one question: Why is it so hard for Americans to find consensus? The answer lies in the two-party system.

Marin County, like most of California, is primarily liberal and let’s be honest, not exactly open to anything outside of democratic values. Similarly, states, counties, cities and individuals across America often stand proudly for their own values while neglecting others.

This inability to compromise and see other perspectives is at the heart of escalating polarization and a subsequent splintered democracy. To achieve respectful political discourse, America must detach itself from the two-party system and allow more parties feasible opportunities for elected office.

According to Pew Research, 25 percent of all Americans feel unrepresented by their party. While this number could be due to a variety of reasons, it is likely because of the extremist nature of the Republican and Democratic parties which now diverge significantly from original values held merely a decade ago. Rather than each party representing the spectrum of public opinions, the current situation causes both factions to fall into “molds” of what parties should resemble. Not only does this villainize moderate leaning candidates and force them to support opposing values to win, as seen with Nikki Haley, but it also prevents voters from expressing their individual opinions. American politics thus become a catalyst for mudslinging, as America fails to properly represent the public by not offering a middle ground between opposing parties.

This issue is especially prevalent in our own community. In the 2020 presidential election, 82.33 percent of Marin voted for Joe Biden, whereas 15.79 percent voted for Donald Trump. Consequently, only 1.88 percent of all votes cast were left to all remaining candidates combined. While it is expected Marin would vote primarily liberal being a predominantly affluent

area, the lack of varied representation creates a social divide and forces voters into an “us vs. them” mindset, where Republicans are seen as a common enemy, or vice versa, instead of potential political allies. Instead of liberal voters dispersed between numerous parties with unique viewpoints, they are all congealed into one domineering mass: the Democratic party. This creates an order in which Democrats outrank Republicans five to one, therefore fueling anti-republican rhetoric and preventing meaningful discourse. According to Pew Research, 30 percent of both parties view the other as ‘a threat to the nation’s well being.’ However shocking this statistic is, it is representative of the animosity created by a structured two-party system.

On the other hand, it is impossible to ignore the United States’ long-standing success on the world stage and patriotic dedication to democracy.

Despite the challenges, it works. We are one of the most economically, technologically and militarily advanced nations — in part because we glorify the Founding Fathers, the Constitution and the party system they created.

However, when quantifying American exceptionalism, it is not all that it seems.

Globally, countries with more than two parties are performing better across a variety of standards. Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland and more have more than two dominant political parties and outrank the United States on the Democracy Matrix, which measures the strength of democracies worldwide based on institutional rights and freedoms. The U.S. ranks 36th in the democracy matrix, far below its ranking of 21st place on the Human Development Index (HDI), a measure of quality of life, economic success and democratic freedom. Out of the top 10 countries with the highest HDI scores, six of them host

more than two dominant political parties. With changes to America’s two-party dominant system, we could see scores and rankings increase dramatically should we adopt a more diverse political structure.

It might seem like a daunting and unfeasible task amidst a country of great tradition yet animosity, but it is important everyone — especially young voters — open their minds to other parties and candidates, even the unconventional. The creation of more streamlined parties — maybe four or six in total — will allow for constructive political discourse, the healing of wounds caused by polarization and accurate representation. The American landscape deserves a diverse range of political parties that reflect a growingly diverse generation.

Illustration by Lucy Wong Ryniejski

bark@redwoodbark.org

Shelving stereotypes: Take romance seriously bizarre requirement that all books have to be deeply educational, academic reading experiences – when Society’s favorite word for romance novels is “trashy.” sometimes you just want to read, watch Seen as full of frivolity and bad writing, or eat something that romance novels are not highmakes you feel ranking in the world happy. And there of literature. Shelved is nothing wrong under classics, sciencewith that.” fiction, mystery and And yet fantasy, romance novels there is plenty of are discredited as “guilty skepticism about pleasure reading.” the legitimacy of Romance is the most romance as a real popular genre, with a genre. Growing up massive base of both as an avid reader consumers and writers. who enjoyed classics The romance novel market and debriefing books generated more than $1.4 with my book-snob billion in revenue in 2022, father, the perspective according to Words Rated, I always had towards a data and analytics group. romance novels was This, comparatively, is negative. Reinforced by more money than the genres the bizarrely high regard of crime, mystery, science in which classics are fiction and fantasy books held societally, I began made combined. But, despite to formulate the belief the genre’s popularity, that romance was not real respect for romance writing literature. isn’t proportional.

But the reasoning Rochelle Bilow, a culinary behind why this genre is so and romance author, compares often disregarded may have the shame towards romance readers more to do with its consumerto those who watch ‘poor quality’ television Illustration by Lauren Olsen base than the quality of the writing or shows. the validity of the genre. According to “We do not vilify people who are Romance Writers of America, 82 percent watching light television or movies that make them feel of romance readers are female. Conversely, genres like good,” Bilow said. “But, for some reason, we have this mystery and science fiction are more evenly split, with 57

By Grace Gehrman

percent of their readers being female and 43 being male.

The romance genre faces more scrutiny than any other genre — and it also has the highest percentage of female readership. This is indicative of the same societal belief that things that are enjoyed popularly by women are less valid.

The beauty within the romance genre being femaledominated, however, is the messages that female writers are able to get across to readers. While many traditionally stereotypical romance novels are still being published, there has been a huge insurgence of women retelling the narrative. For centuries, while women had to hide behind male relatives and pseudonyms, men have decided the narrative of love and romance. Now, finally, female writers have begun to challenge that.

Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of numerous mystery and romance novels, comments on the sentiments behind romance and the importance of romance novels.

“Romance is about a character learning to love themselves. The romance is between the character and themselves, and they just finally meet someone who is a lens they can see themselves through,” McKinlay said.

“People are finally catching on. It's not a guy swooping in like Prince Charming; it's someone coming in who gets you, sees you and helps you see yourself.”

Literature, as it is in many ways a reflection of culture, will continue to evolve as we do. There are a plethora of metrics in which one can assess a novel or genre as being ‘good,’ and each of those metrics will differ depending on the reader. However, society should not comprehensively condemn an entire genre as “trash” — especially based on the premise that it is female-dominated.

ggehrman@redwoodbark.org

Page 5 • Opinion

www.redwoodbark.org

Embracing diverse beauty: Challenging beauty norms in Marin and beyond

By Emily Garcia

When I moved from Los Angeles to Marin County ten years ago, there was a very clear shift in culture. I went from being surrounded by people who resembled me and my Latina features to being surrounded by those who didn’t. I was unfazed by this shift until I entered middle school and began to notice the existence of “conventional” beauty standards. I would dream of being skinnier with lighter skin and straighter, lighter hair so I could be “prettier.” Then I began to wonder, what influenced my perception of beauty?

Why did I feel pressure to alter aspects of myself? I now realize that the problems weren’t with my looks but rather with the preconceived beauty standards society had in place. In communities like Marin, there needs to be a shift in beauty norms as they are still based on racist ideas. Although it’s important to acknowledge different aspects of beauty, it’s more important to avoid feeling the need to change unique features simply because they don’t fit the “standard beauty norms.”

Throughout history, there has always been the idea of white superiority.

Whether it was slavery, segregation or social Darwinism, there has been a constant divide due to the color of one’s skin.

There is still colorism, or color bias, today. According to an article by

NBC News, this is a “system of inequality in which lighter skin on non-white people is considered more beautiful, socially acceptable and deserving of privileges.” It was found in a 2021 Pew Research survey that 59 percent of Hispanic adults believed having lighter skin would “help them get ahead” in the United States. As a Hispanic person myself, my mom would always tell me to wear sunscreen. However, for my mom, wearing sunscreen had another purpose besides protecting my skin. It was also meant to protect my “color” as it would make me “prettier” if I kept my skin as light as possible. This is not just a personal experience. Others even use skin lighteners to succumb to these beauty norms. Dr. Roopal Kundu, founder and director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Ethnic Skin and Hair, has focused on discovering why people utilize these

products. “[The popularity of skin lighteners] gets back to lighter skin being [viewed as] more aesthetic or [as] something considered to be of value among certain communities. This is centuries in the making, generations in the making,” Kundu said.

In a Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and WE ACT for Environmental Justice study, it was found that the desire to fit beauty standards was the leading reason for using skin lighteners. 57 percent of users felt more beautiful with lighter skin, while 28 percent said that lighter skin made them feel more comfortable socially.

Along with the study on skin lighteners, there was a similar one on chemical straighteners. 61 percent of chemical straightener users

reported using chemical straighteners because they felt “more beautiful with straight hair.”

While it’s essential to encounter uncomfortable situations in order to break conventional beauty norms, it’s also important to acknowledge that feeling comfortable socially is crucial to one’s daily life and interactions. Social comfort shouldn’t be overlooked, especially in places where beauty norms still reflect racist ideas. However, embracing uncomfortable situations will allow the acceptance of unique characteristics, creating a more inclusive environment for all and allowing for more social comfort and acceptance.

Joanna Ho, an award-winning and New York Times best-selling author, wrote, “Eyes that Kiss in the Corners,” a picture book to recognize the beauty behind eyes of Asian descent. In a blog, Ho wrote a personal essay on the meaning behind the book and her own experiences.

“Learning to recognize our own beauty in the face of relentless dehumanizing messaging is an act of tremendous strength and power. It means breaking narratives designed to silence us and disrupting systems created to oppress us,” Ho said.

“It means embracing who we are, where we are from and who we can be. It is an act of resistance and revolution.”

egarcia@redwoodbark.org Illustration by Lauren Olsen

Satire: The Sephora kids epidemic Ten-year-olds. Nearly a decade ago, hanging out with your friends consisted of sleepovers, and begging your mom to take Slime, silly bands, Barbies, anti-aging you to the mall so you could buy the new retinol serum. What do all of Justice shirt. Somewhere along the lines, these things have in Justice changed to Sephora and that shirt common? changed into endless amounts of makeup products. The “Sephora 10-year-old” epidemic is quickly infecting our local communities. The buying out of products and messes made on the shelves are harming our stores. Who knew 10-yearolds would be beauty gurus before mastering long division?

A “Sephora 10-year-old” refers to a child who bombards Sephora stores, either buying all the latest products or destroying them. Recently, all Sephora stores globally have been impacted by this ratchet epidemic and many complaints are popping up across the board. These kids must be stopped. Not only is it inconvenient for a consumer, it’s downright annoying. It’s damaging and embarrassing to walk into a store targeting your age group, only to be scared away by kids seven years younger than you— or just seven years old. The products they are buying are harming their skin and will arguably make dermatologists a lot of money in coming years.

Dr. Brooke Jeffy, a dermatologist making headlines on TikTok, criticizes this new societal trend.

“Take it from a dermatologist [and] tween mom. This #sephorakids trend needs to stop! Kiddos don’t need harsh actives [and] AHA’s & peptide Illustration by Lauren Olsen creams,” Jeffy said on TikTok.

By Larkin Moffett and Cameryn Smith

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Even hearing a professional’s advice won’t stop them, so it’s hard to say what could. The only difference between walking into a jungle and walking into a Sephora is that one has rabid animals running around, and the other is a tropical forest.

These days it’s hard to tell if you’re at a children’s playground or a makeup department store.

Yes, when you’re younger makeup is a fun toy that gives you many opportunities to feel like a “big girl.”

Some may say these kids are just having fun and experimenting with makeup like everyone does.

That’s how we were when we were young, right? Wrong. When we were 10, we were searching up how to make slime without glue or activator— our age group didn’t even know what “Sephora” was, or what a 10-step skin care treatment routine consisted of.

The most obvious source of this virus: TikTok. It’s not just social media; it’s a gateway drug to brightening oils and hydration serum. Getting young children

on the app was probably one of the worst things we’ve done as a society; ever. Now, not only do they buy all these products, but they are encouraged by their feed.

Children are influenced to make “get ready with me” videos, mixing their new Drunk Elephant moisturizer with bronzing drops, creating a bigger mess on their faces than they do at these poor stores. Not only are they being infected via TikTok, but the epidemic continues to spread through social cues and norms within a school.

To combat this recent surge, society needs to band together to put restrictions on these children.

There should be not only an age limit but also a height limit, similar to how amusement parks are run. If a child can’t see over the makeup counter, they shouldn’t be allowed to use hyaluronic acid and niacinamide serum.

It’s time to unite and take back our beauty stores and stand against these intolerable acts!

If a child can’t see over the makeup counter, they shouldn’t be allowed to use the niacinimide serum.

bark@redwoodbark.org

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Page 6 • Opinion

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Redwood High School 395 Doherty Drive Larkspur, CA 94939 www.redwoodbark.org Editors-In-Chief Colette Boyden Kate DeForrest Jordan Kimball Matthew Marotto Head Copy Editors Charlotte Fishburne Lili Hakimi

editorial A case for age limits in American politics Age is not just a number.

POLICY: All editorials are unsigned and have been approved by the majority of The Bark staff.

Behind Mitch McConnell’s abrupt pauses, Joe Biden’s brittle stride, Dianne Feinstein’s tragic passing, Chuck Grassley’s hospitalization and Donald Trump’s all too common advanced age exists a worrying trend in the American government. While the U.S. population’s 2023 median age was 39 years, the average age of the sitting 118th U.S. Congress placed the third oldest ever at 58 years. The previous Congress was the all-time oldest at 59 years. Currently, the U.S. Senate’s average age exceeds 64 years and over one-third of House Representatives are more than 65 years old.

As elected officials increasingly qualify for government benefits in more ways than one, they encounter unavoidable health issues, struggle to communicate effectively, offer less appeal in elections and often fail to represent the American people. The original U.S. Constitution established minimum age limits to exclude younger, potentially inexperienced and untested politicians from office; now, as Americans live significantly longer, a maximum age limit of 70 years must be imposed to exclude older, likely declining and disconnected politicians from office.

In the case of Senator Dianne Feinstein, who pioneered the landmark 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban at age 61, her final year in office included a three-month-long absence from the Senate Judiciary Committee as her vote was urgently required to help fill vacant court positions. Ultimately, it was still-serving Senator Feinstein’s passing at age 90 that unnecessarily contributed to her legacy. Elected officials should not depart Washington having died of old age.

Whether hospitalized with age-related medical conditions that physically prevent politicians from governing or paralyzed before reporters in the halls of the Capitol, the health issues that inevitably follow the seniority of U.S. elected officials have greater implications when leading a nation of unparalleled strength and global responsibility. It is disappointing to see the predictable consequences of mental (and physical) decline reflected in House Representatives repeatedly misspeaking the social media platform “TikTok” with “Tic Tac” (amongst larger struggles to understand technology) and presidential candidates failing to communicate modern issues in speech.

Such modern issues — from the artificial intelligence revolution to pandemics, shifting geopolitics and socioeconomic inequalities — might also not be best addressed by the leaders who have historically neglected and failed to confront these and similar matters.

With the impacts of long-term issues worsening, particularly climate change, politicians must operate to support young and future generations. If elected officials were younger themselves, they would have vested interests in securing a better long-term future for the U.S. Additionally, such politicians would be far less likely to encounter declines in physical well-being, communication skills, executive functions, openmindedness and mental competency that naturally occur and accelerate in humans over the age of 70.

Consequently and unsurprisingly, a 2023 survey from the Pew Research Center found that 79 percent of Americans support maximum age limits for elected officials. A separate CBS News poll found that 40 percent of Americans support such limits at age 70, 26 percent prefer 60 and 18 percent prefer 80 (only two percent prefer 90). Nevertheless, American politics has long followed what Oscar Wilde once famously said, “With age comes wisdom.” Voters often default towards older politicians who seem to possess extensive experience and knowledge, which can contribute to more informed decision-making and governance.

Voters also frequently favor older politicians who seem to offer stability and certainty. That being said, it is also worthwhile to consider the second part of Wilde’s saying: “Sometimes age comes alone.”

Exceptions to this might include Bernie Sanders’ untraditional policies and the legislative effectiveness of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. This, however, does not alter the need for a younger demographic transition in Washington. From the Oval Office to the House Floor, the inclusion of relatively younger elected officials will diversify thought, renew energy towards problem-solving and deal-making, and update politician experience to the 21st century. Equipping the world’s leading democracy with more able minds and voices, capable of both understanding ongoing developments that challenge Washington conventions and addressing subsequent courses of action, is overdue.

It is worth considering that the overwhelming bipartisan consensus (which notably extends across all ages) in favor of maximum age limits might stem from voter disillusionment. Although popularly demanded, younger elected officials often do not hold office because they are not motivated to run or supported by necessary political forces. This will not change without, firstly, maximum age limits disrupting the existing status quo and, secondly, voters supporting younger candidates.

As the 2024 Presidential Election moves towards a four-year repeat of 2020, with Donald Trump, 77, and Joe Biden, 81, the apparent lack of voter interest speaks to the need for such a shift. America’s democratic health relies on Americans involving themselves in politics.

While the age reduction and limiting of U.S. elected officials will contribute to a more representative, communicative and responsive government, it might also help reverse voter apathy, inspire future leaders and revitalize American democracy.

Have an opinion regarding anything that appears in The Bark or in general? We encourage our readers to submit letters to the editor. Letters to The Bark should be 500 words or fewer, typed if possible and signed. They must emailed to bark@redwoodbark.org.

A BARK to prom happening A BARK to vending machines A BARK to the new Suits on 4/20. It’s rendering those coming back. Can’t wait to spinoff. No objection here. spend $4 on a granola bar again! breathalyzers obsolete!

A BITE to the 49ers’ tough A BITE to Travis Kelce’s A BITE to Lana Del Rey not behavior at the Super Bowl. Bet wining a Grammy. Now we loss. Purdy hard to watch! have a war in our minds. it gave Taylor the ick!

A BARK to “Anyone but You.” We may be failing biology, but A BARK to Noah Kahan’s new we know chemistry when we song. We’ll be listening to it BARKS and BITES are the “forever.” see it.

collective opinions of the BARK staff concerning relevant A BITE to the new phone jails. A BITE to everyone who already issues. BARKS are in praise of gave up on their New Year’s accomplishments, while BITES We call B.S. resolutions. It’s only February. criticize decisions or events.

Copy Editors Mia Ginsburg Kate Harrison Hannah Herbst Tallulah Knill Allen Leina Khan Alana Leifer Larkin Moffett Emma Rosenberg Bella Wagner Opinion Editors Nadia Massoumi Anna Youngs Feature Editors Beckett Tudor Lucy Wong Lifestyles Editors Tessa DeLay Molly Gallagher Sports Editors Nick Hartung Matthew Knauer Sports Editor-on-Call Henrik Vraanes News Editors Emily Garcia Charlotte Lacy News Editor-on-Call Taylor Allan Review Editors Nina Howard Mayson Weingart Layout Editors Emily Block Erica Block Video Editor Will Parsons Games Editor Sydney Johnson Podcast Editor Gil Ladetzky Business Managers Hayden Donehower Maggie Walsh Social Media Managers Julia Delsol Cameryn Smith Data Analyst Gabriella Rouas Web Designer Emily Hitchcock Staff Illustrators Zach Dinowitz Lauren Olsen Ava Stephens Multimedia Designer Linnea Koblik Staff Photographers Alex Argov Lauren Poulin Senior Staff Writers Sawyer Barta Elsa Block Ella Erwig Harrison Lapic Bowen Rivera Aanika Sawhney Sam Sumski Maya Winger Reporters Ava Carlson Sean Cunneen Mason Garbo Jay Knopping Owen McDaniels Michael Seton Ashlin Quach Adviser Erin Schneider

Page 7 • Opinion

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Dreams to reality: How the Transfer Portal reshapes athletic futures

By Ashlin Quach With the recent changes to the college athletic landscape, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Transfer Portal has recently become a focal point, particularly in football. The controversial system allows college athletes to switch schools at their own discretion, raising debates about its impact on team dynamics, one’s loyalty and the overall sports experience. However, the transfer portal is a clear win for athletes, providing them with opportunities to make informed decisions about their futures and a sense of personal empowerment.

Since its introduction in October of 2018, the Transfer Portal has allowed athletes to take control of their destinies, breaking free from the conventional mold that has often bound athletes into making decisions early in their college careers.

In a place where academic and athletic aspirations go hand in hand, the ability for athletes to choose an environment that aligns with their individual goals is invaluable. An athlete’s decision isn’t about a lack of commitment; rather, it’s about acknowledging one’s personal growth through college years.

The Transfer Portal has opened doors of opportunity for athletes, turning their oncedistant dreams into obtainable possibilities.

Those who initially took a chance has to offer, critics argue that the on a smaller or lesser-known transfer system contributes college, seizing the initial to a more temporary opportunity presented to and destabilizing them right out of high environment for school, now find college athletics. themselves with Team cohesion the chance to is essential redefine their for success in trajectory. The many sports, portal serves yet it may as a channel suffer as for athletes players to earn spots move on more between prominent schools, a n d disrupting prestigious established t e a m s , chemistry providing and them with requiring a constant better adjustments platform to for both obtain their teammates aspirations and coaches. and ambitions, The loyalty like playing in the traditionally National Football associated with League or National college sports is Basketball Association. also being called With all these benefits into question. Some Illustration by Zach Dinowitz the NCAA Transfer Portal argue that the Transfer

Portal fosters a culture where players may prioritize individual goals over the collective interest of the team, resulting in the once cherished sense of unity and camaraderie coming to an end.

While these concerns about team dynamics and loyalty are valid and acknowledged, it’s crucial to recognize that the Transfer Portal primarily serves as a tool for athletes to align their collegiate experiences with their evolving aspirations. An athlete’s goals can evolve over time, leading them to need to make a change in their life in order to make their dreams come to fruition. As an athlete’s goals mature and crystalize, the need to pivot becomes necessary and apparent. The Transfer Portal allows athletes to transition to environments that better complement their needs. This ability can serve teams as well by creating a more dynamic and competitive environment.

In reality, the Transfer Portal is more than just switching schools; it’s a tool that embraces athletes’ need to achieve their ongoing goals. Utilizing this tool enables athletes to shift their academic and athletic journey strategically, unlocking one’s full potential for personal fulfillment while contributing to the sports community.

by influencers like former kickboxing champion turned social media personality Andrew Tate. Tate, who is currently on house arrest after receiving a sentence for human trafficking, had previously made around $10 million offering life advice to young male viewers. His advice rests on the idea that men are inherently superior to women, and this power dynamic should be reflected in heterosexual relationships.

Within this culture, women are expected to prioritize the man and his needs in the relationship; they should be willing to offer the man all that they require, eliminating room for compromise and collaboration within a relationship.

Moreover, the dangers of this modernday dating advice are amplified by the creation and misuse of new terminology that encourages viewers to adopt a victimized mindset and normalizes unhealthy relations. Words formerly considered to be extreme descriptions of toxic and

TikTok and has since reached new heights is a “situationship.” In “situationships,” one of the partners is unwilling to label the relationship and in this reluctance, is given free rein to date whoever they choose while the relationship is still happening and can end the relationship whenever they feel like it, with no strings attached. This may result in the other partner feeling undervalued and like they have wasted time that could have been spent on someone actually willing to commit.

Content creators, perhaps subconsciously, are redefining these terms every time they use them to describe their latest fight with their partner or reply to a commenter requesting advice on their own situations. The problem that arises with this is that viewers begin to characterize their own relationships as such, and through these twisted narratives, put such a strain on their relationships to potentially ruin them. Of course, there is something to be said about the comfort in knowing that you’re not alone in your relationship struggles. Social media can create an inclusive place for all of us, regardless of gender, race, or social stature, to feel united in struggles and successes. But these influencers are not experts, even if they have the “#Relationship Coach” in their captions and bios. Instead of just trusting whatever you hear online, it is key to research these “experts” online to verify if their work is credible, turn to a friend or family member who you know has your best interest at heart, or better yet, consider your own circumstances yourself, without the advice of a stranger, because nobody knows your situation quite like you do!

aquach@redwoodbark.org

It’s time to swipe left on social media dating advice

By Nadia Massoumi While mindlessly scrolling on social media, I often stumble upon the typical “content creator” claiming once again to be an expert in the world of dating, only to offer up the most complacent or worse, concerning advice yet. But my distaste is seemingly the minority. Many social media users find this advice extremely appealing because they look up to influencers for the “relationship” they share with their partners, which has been documented in 30-second, heavily edited video clips.

However, relationship advice on social media, although sometimes relatable, is frequently ill-informed, instilling delusional, misogynistic ideas into the minds of Generation Z and should therefore be avoided.

Social media dating advice tends to fall into one of two categories; the overanalyzing, “delusional female” culture, and the “alpha male” pick-up culture. The first is influenced mainly by female content creators. Content within this category can affect both women currently in relationships and women who are looking for one. For women in relationships, this content tells them that the moment their significant other does something other than adore them, they are “toxic” or have lost interest in the relationship. For women searching for relationships, the phrase, “If he wanted to, he would,” often appears on their social media home pages. Popularized by TikTok, this phrase suggests that if a man truly liked you, he would go above and beyond to be with you. Both of these ideas are almost entirely unrealistic and do not properly address all aspects of human behaviors.

Similarly, the “Alpha Male” pickup culture has been pioneered

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potentially abusive relationships have, since the invention of social media dating advice, been normalized by influencers.

Examples of this are the terms “gaslighting” and “manipulation.”

According to Vice, “Abuse, manipulation, and gaslighting are huge concepts, developed over years of psychological study, that aren’t likely to appear in the majority of relationships.

But you might think otherwise if you’re getting your relationship worldview from TikTok…We’re comfortable diagnosing psychological conditions and unhealthy behaviors in others, and in our own relationships, without professional insight.”

Some of this terminology can have the opposite effect on its viewers, making toxic situations seem typical and therefore aspirational. One term that was created on

Illustration by Ava Stephens

nmassoumi@redwoodbark.org

games

Valentine’s Crossword

By Ava Carlson

Page 8

Word Scramble

By Lauren Olsen

osuht nlwa ociams egats sebsei nihc ryarbli eetp llareroc anvig meswno nribo liwaims pprinclie pynea ligthoti deilf tornf tol ydhoretd rd lbpetoras To view the keys and online versions to all games, scan this QR code or search games on redwoodbark.org

phosis”

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español

Pagína 9

Cocinando con Bark:

Explorando el arte de Los Tamales Por Charlotte Fishburne, Mia Ginsburg, Lili Hakimi

Los tamales se disfrutan en mucho de Latinoamérica y es el plato más popular.

La preparación de los tamales se remonta al año 8000 A. C., lo que lo convierte en uno de los platos más antiguos que aún se comen en la actualidad. Las civilizaciones olmeca y tolteca, así como los aztecas y los mayas, comían tamales porque era fácil transportarlos durante largos viajes de caza y expediciones militares. Además, los tamales también se consideraban un alimento sagrado y se pensaba que eran alimento de los dioses. Los tamales en el mundo tienen sus orígenes en la palabra azteca “tamal” y la invención del tamal está estrechamente asociada con el cultivo de maíz en México, alrededor del año 9000 a.C. Entre 1910 y 1917, durante la Revolución Mexicana, el tamal alimentó a cientos de soldados revolucionarios que lucharon contra el Ejército Federal, tal como la dieta de los soldados aztecas miles de años antes. Tras la victoria revolucionaria, el tamal se convirtió en uno de los alimentos nacionales de México.

Receta Para la masa: 4 tazas de Masa Harina 3 tazas de caldo (caldo de res, pollo o vegetales) 2 cucharaditas de polvo de hornear 1 cucharadita de sal 1 cucharadita de comino 1/3 tazas de manteca de cerdo (la tienda no tenía manteca de cerdo, así que usamos manteca vegetal en su lugar) Paquete de 8 onzas de hojas de maíz secas.

Lata de 15 oz de frijoles refritos y 1 ½ tazas de queso mozzarella rallado.

Comenzamos remojando las hojas de maíz en agua caliente durante unos 30 minutos, el tiempo que nos llevó preparar la masa. Para la masa utilizamos una batidora de mano para mezclar la manteca vegetal y unas cucharadas de caldo. En un recipiente aparte, combinamos la masa harina, el polvo para hornear, la sal y el comino. Mezclamos lentamente los ingredientes secos con la manteca vegetal aproximadamente media taza a la vez.

EL RELLENO TRADICIONAL de queso y frijoles de los tamales se agrega antes de doblar el tamal para cocinarlo y terminar con un sabor delicioso.

Luego, incorporamos poco a poco Resultados el caldo de pollo hasta formar la masa.

Los tamales resultaron deliciosos con La consistencia debe ser húmeda pero el relleno tibio de frijoles y queso derretido. la masa se debe pegar. Siguiendo una Para una receta tan rápida en comparación recomendación de Rudy de Nugget, con el proceso tradicional más largo de probamos la consistencia de la masa hacer tamales, estos ciertamente eran echando una cucharada pequeña de masa bastante sabrosos. en un recipiente con agua tibia. Si la masa Agregamos demasiada masa para la flota es que la masa está lista y si no hay proporción del relleno. Esto llevó a que que añadir más líquido. los tamales quedaron demasiado densos Para preparar el relleno, mezclamos en con la masa sin suficiente sabor de frijoles un bol aparte los frijoles y el queso. y queso del interior. En el futuro, nos Ahora que todos los componentes gustaría hacer los tamales con un relleno están listos, colocamos las hojas de maíz más sabroso para realizar más el savor de suaves sobre la encimera, extendemos una la masa y tener un mejor resultado de los fina capa de masa, agregamos el relleno y tamales. doblamos el tamal con cuidado.

Luego cocinamos los tamales al vapor en la estufa durante 20 minutos. Los tamales terminaran cocinados. Se puede comer tamales con salsa. bark@redwoodbark.org

tal como está, no obliga a los maestros a cumplir con estas reglas. Varios estudiantes creen que los maestros a menudo utilizan inapropiadamente la Semana Tranquila para terminar su plan de estudios o llenar la clase con actividades en lugar de proporcionar tiempo de estudio y revisión con los profesores.

“En mis cuatro años, casi siempre he tenido trabajo durante la Semana de Estrés,” Goldberg dijo.

Esto promueve el estudio intensivo durante un corto período de tiempo.

“Normalmente tengo que estudiar hasta muy tarde en la noche para sentirme preparada para el examen,” Goldberg dijo.

Muchos estudios científicos revelan que el estudio intensivo es una táctica de estudio menos efectiva. La Asociación Psicológica Americana afirma que “décadas de investigación han demostrado que espaciar las sesiones de estudio a lo largo de un período más prolongado mejora la memoria a largo plazo”. Los científicos han encontrado que es mejor estudiar durante tres horas cada semana durante cuatro semanas que estudiar doce horas en una semana.

Algunos pueden decir que tener toda la semana para consolidar los conocimientos del semestre con la ayuda del profesor es excesivo, y que tal vez algunos maestros necesitan esa última semana para concluir sus unidades de enseñanza. Estos defensores creen que las pautas recomendadas deberían aplicarse de manera muy opcional, y si se aplican, que sea solo por uno o dos días. Esto brinda a los maestros la flexibilidad que necesitan para asegurarse de haber cubierto todo su

material. Sin embargo, el problema del estudio intensivo sigue presente. Los estudiantes pueden posponer el estudio con mucha antelación porque piensan que pueden hacerlo todo durante la Semana Tranquila.

Cuando llega la Semana Tranquila, l o s estudiantes se estresan aún más porque se dan cuenta de que no tienen suficiente tiempo.

Además, cuando los maestros concluyen sus unidades durante la Semana Tranquila, los estudiantes no están preparados para los exámenes debido a que los profesores monopolizan lo que debería ser tiempo de estudio. Según los hechos científicos, esta no es una estrategia efectiva para retener conocimientos.

“Estudiar para todas mis clases más mis compromisos familiares y extracurriculares es un caos para mí,” Goldberg dice.

En un mundo ideal, en lugar de una semana de estudio los estudiantes tendrían un día a la semana para estudiar durante el mes previo. Sin embargo, si esto no es posible, las pautas para la Semana Tranquila deberían aplicarse estrictamente

Fotos por Mia Ginsburg

La semana tranquila está fallándole a los estudiantes Por Ofelia Huneeus

A mediados de diciembre y a principios de junio, estudiantes agotados y llenos de ansiedad recorren los pasillos de Redwood High School. Están totalmente concentrados en prepararse adecuadamente para los exámenes que pueden determinar sus notas. La semana supuestamente se ha reservado para esto que se llama “Semana Tranquila”.

La “Semana Tranquila” de Redwood, también conocida como “Semana”, no tiene éxito en tranquilizar a los estudiantes y ayudarlos a prepararse para la semana de finales. Desde que se establecieron las pautas de la Semana Tranquila, nuestra comunidad ha cambiado y necesita nuevas pautas más estrictamente aplicadas.

Las escuelas secundarias en muchas partes del país participan en la semana de finales y buscan diferentes formas de ayudar a preparar a sus estudiantes.

Redwood “ayuda” a los estudiantes estableciendo la Semana Tranquila.

Según las pautas establecidas por el Consejo del Sitio, los estudiantes deben realizar estudios individuales durante cada período en lugar de clases normales.

Además, los maestros deben ofrecer ayuda a los estudiantes sobre cualquier material cubierto durante el semestre. Hay pautas recomendadas para que los maestros y administradores agreguen tiempo de clase para estudiar, limitando las obligaciones sociales, atléticas y extracurriculares.

Según un artículo viejo del Redwood Bark, estas pautas fueron revisadas por última vez y actualizadas en 2016, casi una década atrás. La Semana Tranquila,

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Todas las unidades deberían terminar antes d e la Semana Tranquila, y esto debería aplicarse, para que haya tiempo suficiente para que los estudiantes hagan cualquier revisión adicional antes de los exámenes y se preparen adecuadamente. Los exámenes finales de la escuela secundaria son una experiencia muy estresante para todos los adolescentes. Las escuelas deben hacer lo mejor que puedan para aliviar sus cargas académicas y que la salud mental de sus estudiantes pueda prosperar. ohuneeus@redwoodbark.org

feature

Page 10

Unveiling the Marin history of rock n’ roll

By Charlotte Fishburne On the weekend of June 10, 1967, the quiet serenity of Mt. Tamalpais broke as 40,000 Bay Area music lovers shuttled on school buses and the back of Hell’s Angels’ Harleys to the world’s first outdoor rock music festival, the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Festival. From the Sidney B. Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre, rock n’ roll history was made, inspiring live festivals for years to come.

Every major music festival today including Marin’s beloved Bottlerock and Outside Lands can be traced back to this weekend wherein tens of thousands of people bonded over their common appreciation for good music.

It’s fitting that rock music festivals originated in Marin given the unique ecosystem developing here at the time.

The Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Festival was about building a community of music lovers that would continue to grow through the Summer of Love and years to come. The casual nature of the festival was representative of the community-centered era of music during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Talented musicians and regular people lived together without a separation of fame.

In an article by Jason Newman in Rolling Stone magazine about the festival, Jack Casady, lead bassist for Jefferson Airplane said, “When you weren’t on stage, you became part of the audience. You weren’t separating yourself as the ‘glorious performer.’ You were considered part of the community as the audience was considered a big part of your life as a musician. There was a mutual respect. People were really trying to put their best energy into this thing called ‘the community.’”

Move from San Francisco to Marin were born in Marin and developed from The festival coincided with the there. migration of musicians from San Francisco Bill Champlin, a Tamalpais High to Marin County around and after the School alumnus, formed a band called Summer of Love, including the Grateful the Opposite Six while in high school Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Sly and the which developed into Sons of Champlin.

Family Stone, Carlos Santana and Big His musical journey later evolved into Brother and the Holding Company. Phil playing for Chicago and receiving several Lesh, founding bassist of the Grateful songwriting Grammys.

Dead, thought the migration to Marin was “There was a certain period of time a natural step as the band moved north in when something was in the water in the pieces.

Bay Area. So many great musicians grew “Sixty years ago, [Marin] was kind like mushrooms after a spring rain. Great of like a paradise to us — the landscape musicians everywhere you look. My old especially — with all the trees and streams sax player in [the band] Chicago referred and mountains. All of us were city kids to [the music venues] as upholstered and it really struck a chord. I remember sewers — jazz clubs and R&B clubs and at one point we came pop clubs. There were out to visit somebody a lot of places to play. in Marin and we were There’s not anymore. driving on Shady Lane I drive through San in Ross with all the big Francisco and I’m elms and I said, ‘Oh my pointing at a parking lot god, I’d really like to [thinking it] used to be live here.’ And now I a nice club,” Champlin do,” Lesh said. said.

The Grateful Dead moved to Marin from Musicians and the Haight in 1968 and Community in Marin promptly settled into In the ‘70s Marin Marin’s community of Phil Lesh, landscape, talent was musicians. Lesh said Grateful Dead Bassist in the air. And so was that the casual nature a shared appreciation of Marin’s rock n’ roll of live music that culture in the early ‘70s brought the community impacted his development as a musician. together. Jim Perry, Archie Williams “It seems to me that it’s all one big class of ‘76, is now a professional visual community and everybody plays with artist and recently shifted his artistic style everybody else at one time or another. It’s from landscape paintings to more abstract like a soup. [Musicians] interact constantly poster art, a career change he attributes to on a large scale. Everybody kind of moves coming of age against a radically changing around to play gigs. And sometimes they backdrop. He grew up in what he calls “the play in a garage, just for fun,” Lesh said. heyday of the hippie era,” when interacting “I think of that as a kind of mentoring with talented musicians was part of his because when you play with someone it’s everyday life. a two-way street. You absorb things from “In Bolinas, there’s a house at the end each other. So it’s a kind of natural process of Brighton Avenue, right on the beach, with musicians.” and Jefferson Airplane lived there. I can In the case of the Grateful Dead, the remember as a kid, probably when I was move to Marin came after the establishment in my first year of high school, sitting and success of their band. But some bands down underneath the cement bulkhead and

I used to say any place where you play is church.

That’s how I feel.

Illustration by Charlotte Fishburne

listening to them practice,” Perry said.

As the connection between musicians and their audiences naturally strengthened, more music venues developed to give them places to play. Even though tickets needed to be bought to get in and free concerts were less common, live music was still greatly accessible to all Marin residents.

“I [once] climbed up a lamppost to check out a show Jerry [Garcia] was playing in a club and the bouncer came out and said, ‘Get the hell off the lamppost.’

There was a big crowd out there and I thought he was gonna kill me and he said, ‘Come with me’ and I followed him around the corner and he goes, ‘Kid, you look like you really ought to be in this show. Come on,’” Perry said.

Music Clubs “I used to say any place where you play is church. That’s how I feel about [performing]. Give me some musicians and a few people in a bar and we’ll see what we can do,” Lesh said.

One venue that embodied the local feeling of the time was the Lion’s Share, located in San Anselmo, where local bands would hang out and jam. Publisher Diane Sward Rapaport worked in the late ‘60s as an artist’s manager for Bill Graham, an influential promoter of the time, and wrote a description of the Lion’s Share in her blog.

“Nobody minded the bare tables and floors, the wrought iron chairs, a bar that was not 15 feet from the stage, which the owner refused to stop operating when the bands played, so that the ringing of the cash register became an integral part of the music.

It was a cold room to play in, except that it was one of the few clubs north of San Francisco in Marin County that hired the hip acts and paid them and that had a sound system and piano,” Rapaport wrote.

Perry spent a lot of time at the Lion’s Share in his teenage years and considers it a huge part of his upbringing.

“One of my fondest memories [at the Lion’s Share] was a band called Cold Blood which was kind of an R&B band. Their lead singer Lydia Pense was this powerhouse; a tiny little lady with a ginormous voice. I was sitting there and the band walked on the stage and [Pense] stepped on my hand with these stiletto boots and it hurt like you cannot believe. I remember she said, ‘Oh hon, I’m so sorry.’ It hurt like crazy. But I didn’t wash my hands for a week,” Perry said.

The Lion’s Share is now an abandoned looking manufacturing facility and you would never guess its history as such a legendary rock venue.

To read the full article, see “Unveiling the Marin history of rock n’ roll” at redwoodbark.org

cfishburne@redwoodbark.org

bark Celebrating our roots: Learning to love our curly hair Page 2 • News

www.redwoodbark.org

blow-dried. It’s kind of the idea that your hair has to be straight to look nice or professional. Everytime I would go somewhere nice growing up, I would wash it, put it Whether it’s hair cascading into curls, intricate kinks in braids or straighten it because I thought my curly hair or coily patterns, every variation represents a facet of our wasn’t professional or fancy enough,” Wein said. “That’s authentic selves. Learning to love and embrace natural something that has been difficult to shake, the idea that my hair is a declaration of independence and self-expression. curly hair isn’t professional.”

Many societal expectations dictate how women should According to Vogue, “60 percent of the world population look, and by wearing natural hair individuals can break having curly or wavy hair… curly hair is considered to away from those norms. It’s a mark of authenticity that represent a woman being ‘loose,’ ‘uncontrollable’ and allinspires others to do the same, fostering a culture of around unmanageable.” In a society filled with judgment inclusivity and self-acceptance. and harsh expectations, it’s easy to feel less than.

At Redwood, many women embrace their natural curls While many women struggle to initially accept their on a day-to-day basis. However, it’s not always easy, and unique hair, some have found ways to cope. For Wein, every person has their own hair journey. compliments on her unstraightened hair, as well as a Numerous women with curly hair encounter challenges fear of undoable heat damage, pushed her to welcome while trying to accept the unique qualities of their hair, individuality. Throughout her curly hair journey, Wein especially while comparing themselves to friends within also looked up to her mom as inspiration and hopes her the conventional beauty standard of straight hair. Junior little sister can grow up recognizing the natural beauty in Mia Johnson expressed the difficulties of feeling different her hair as well. while growing up Black in a predominantly white “My mom has really curly hair and a part of me wants community. During her childhood, she felt that her hair to be a reflection of her. I want to be like her a little bit highlighted the differences between her and the other girls and so she keeps me away from straightening my hair who attended her school. sometimes,” Wein said. “I also don’t want my little sister “The old school I went to was predominantly white, who has curly hair to be insecure. I know I can lead by and I was one of the only Black kids in example for her by keeping my hair the entire school. Growing up, I already natural and showing her how beautiful had a view that straight hair was the it is.” societal standard. I always thought Johnson learned to embrace the straight hair was the most beautiful hair qualities setting her apart. She came there was, and I just felt really different to value the distinctiveness of her hair from everyone else,” Johnson said. “I compared to others’ as something to felt like an outsider.” take pride in rather than be ashamed Similarly, as a kid, junior Noora of. Johnson also dedicates her Reiley’s hair also made her feel like newfound confidence and perception an othered. For Reiley, this feeling of Olivia Svallin, of individuality to the support of those separation began when she noticed senior around her. how her friends could effortlessly wear “No one really has curly hair in my certain hairstyles that were difficult for her hair to adopt. family. [But they] gave me the confidence to show it off by “I wasn’t very cognizant of my curly hair and how it telling me, ‘Your hair’s beautiful. You need to express it,’” was different from everyone else’s until third or fourth Johnson said. “Even people who aren’t really my friends grade, when I noticed my friends didn’t have the same hair have come up to me and told me my hair is beautiful, or as me. My friends would do french braids or we would all that it looks good. Those compliments really make my day do ponytails and my hair would get super frizzy,” Reiley and make me feel so good about wearing my natural hair.” said. “I always thought, ‘Wow, I wish my hair could braid A more welcoming social media environment can also like that.’” allow women, like Reiley, to learn what works for their Senior Olivia Svallin finds herself straightening her hair type and take pride in embracing her natural curls. hair often out of ease. However, Svallin knows the beauty “I started to see curly hair on social media, and I that her curly hair brings and isn’t afraid to let it shine thought, ‘Oh, I could do this.’ I figured out how to style my every once in a while. hair through TikTok and just seeing my friends who have “I started straightening my hair pretty consistently in curly hair do their hair. I figured out how to make it work 7th grade. I feel like most people have straight hair, a lot for me,” Reiley said. “My hair is a part of me.” of my friends especially, and so sometimes I just want Learning to accept and embrace curly hair is not easy to have my hair like everyone else,” Svallin said. “I also for everyone; between the constant comparison of herself straighten my hair out of convenience because it’s a lot to societal beauty norms and habitual use of a straightening easier to maintain it straight rather than curly.” iron, Junior Leila Acevedo is still discovering her hair Senior Alexa Kofman also got into a routine of routine. straightening her hair to simplify her morning routine.

“I’ve never really formally gone out with my curly However, the true cause stems from male perception of hair. I just need to master my curly hair routine. Some her at a young age. days it dries perfectly and I’m like ‘Oh my god, I love my “I really did like my hair in middle school up until 8th curly hair.’ Other days when it doesn’t dry, I’m like, ‘I hate grade. I hate saying this but other people’s comments and this,’” Acevedo said. perceptions of my hair, specifically from boys, affected the In a society where beauty standards are narrowly way that I viewed myself,” Kofman said. “So then, I began defined, women of different curl types have their own straightening. It’s sad because of course now I do not care stories of self-acceptance and learning to embrace their what guys or anyone for that matter think of my hair but curls. Although more manageable for some, societal and I’ve been straightening it for so long so it feels too late.” media expectations of straight “formal” hair often can However, scrolling through social media can sway lengthen our journeys. However, by defying these norms anyone to be influenced by looking at people perfectly and celebrating the uniqueness and beauty of our hair, we dolled up in every post. Hair is typically professionally can find confidence in our identities and contribute to a styled and rarely worn in its natural state. Wein reflects society where the definition of beauty comes from our on her experiences of how rarely curly hair is portrayed roots. in the media.

“Whenever I watch award shows or anything like that, everyone always has very straight hair or hair that’s been bark@redwoodbark.org

By Coco Boyden and Alana Leifer

I just want to have my hair like everyone else.

Junior Mia Johnson

Senior Olivia Svallin

Junior Noora Reiley

Junior Leila Acevedo

Junior Riley Wein Illustrations by Ava Stephens

Photos by Alana Leifer

Behind the golden curtain:

Controversies of the Golden Gate Bridge suicide deterrent

By Maya Winger and Larkin Moffett In a world where kidnappings call for immediate investigation and murders are quickly met with action, one can not help but wonder why suicides are not given the same attention. Over 1,800 lives have been lost and nearly a century has gone by, yet the question continues: Why has it taken so long to prevent suicides on the Golden Gate Bridge?

Twenty feet below the 90 year old landmark lies a net. This safety net, built to save people from jumping off the bridge, took several years to construct and cost around $215 million. The suicide deterrent system was officially completed on Jan. 1, 2024, yet people are beginning to question its effectiveness. Were the resources spent on these deterrents worth it for longterm suicide prevention, or will the net simply redirect potential victims of suicide?

History

According to the National Institute of Health, the Golden Gate Bridge is the number one suicide location in the world, with an estimated 1,800 people having jumped off the bridge.

John Bateson is a member of the Bridge Rail Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to suicide prevention on the Golden Gate Bridge. Bateson has spent over 25 years in the mental health field and 10 years volunteering for the Bridge Rail Foundation. He described the bridge as being an “easy” place for suicide because up until the installation of the safety net, there was only a four-foot-high fence stopping people from jumping off.

“Having the Golden Gate Bridge so close by is equivalent to having a loaded

firearm on your kitchen table. It’s a shocking metaphor, but it helps signify how easy it was to surmount the railing and how fatal it was. The drop is 25 stories, [so] you are almost assured of dying on impact,” Bateson said.

The bridge’s reputation even stretches across continents, drawing in people through what is called “suicide tourism.”

According to Tourism Teacher, this term describes the “act of traveling to a new destination to commit either suicide or assisted suicide.”

Austin King, Tamalpais High School parent and retired United States Park Police Sergeant, has witnessed multiple suicides at the Golden Gate Bridge from people of all demographics.

“I’ve had scenarios where someone would jump [off] the bridge and then we’d find their parked car in a nearby parking lot [with] a passport from Germany. They weren’t even from the Bay Area, let alone California, let alone the country. They traveled here to [die by suicide on] this particular bridge,” King said.

Similarly, Golden Gate Bridge Board of Supervisors Member, Matt Dorsey, has seen the bridge through the lens of a professional but also a human being.

“10 or 15 years ago, there was somebody who jumped [off the bridge] and I saw it. It was heartbreaking to watch and it was terrifying.

[As a person], it’s a difficult thing to

process,” Dorsey said.

The Deterrent

Even though construction started in 2018, the net surrounding the bridge was only recently finished. It is made out of a horizontal stainless steel wire rope net, which is stretched across support struts under the bridge.

Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz, the Director of Public Affairs for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway & Transportation District, explained the construction of the net.

“There’s now a continuous physical suicide barrier, the full length of the bridge. About 95 percent of that is net or the suicide deterrent system. [On] the remaining section, because of design factors, we’ve installed temporary vertical fencing that also acts as a deterrent,” Cosulich-Schwartz said.

The deterrent has been a controversial topic since its approval in 2014. Many believe the funds may have been misused, claiming the money should have gone toward mental health resources rather than a physical deterrent. However, this idea may stem from a lack of knowledge surrounding funding for this project.

According to the Golden Gate Bridge website, the majority of the funding came from transportation commissions and budgets, while only $7 million out of the $215 million came from mental health funds.

Bateson explained why he thinks it took so long for construction to begin.

“For a long time, various mental health professionals came before the board or the bridge district and presented a rational, empirical, data-driven argument about why the bridge district needed to take action to end suicides, and invariably, that plea fell on deaf ears. It was only when families who lost loved ones on the bridge became more vocal about their pain and their stories, that momentum started to shift,” Bateson said.

Cosulich-Schwartz explained another reason why the process took so long, attributing it to shifting perspectives about mental health.

“Just two or three decades ago,

we didn’t talk about suicide and mental health in the same way that we do today.

It was not until the mid-2000s that attitudes started to change both amongst society and among our board,” CosulichSchwartz said. “For a very long time, there was shame or guilt around this. As attitudes changed, so did the conversation at our board around building a barrier.”

Perspectives

suicide,” Bateson said.

Dorsey is another person who believes the net will have a long-lasting positive impact.

“There were a lot of arguments over the years, about what it would look like, how it would work, whether it would work, [but] I think most of those arguments are over. The numbers seem to suggest that it is working and that it was a worthwhile investment,” Dorsey said.

Despite these differing perspectives, research continues to show that this net will be effective in reducing the number of suicides.

Debates about the net’s effectiveness, or lack thereof, have continued up until recently. King is in support of the actions taken by the Golden Gate Bridge Committee to construct the deterrent, but is wary about the overall outcome the net Changing the Narrative will bring.

Though this net was mainly installed “Will it prevent suicides on the bridge? to prevent suicides, it can help change Yes. Will it prevent suicides in general? the reputation of the bridge as a suicide I hate to say I don’t think it will. I think destination. According to the Centre for they’ll find other ways to end their lives,” Suicide Prevention, a suicide destination King said. “After one person I was talking is defined as “a specific, usually public, with on the bridge ended up jumping, site which is frequently used as a location I came to the conclusion that, if there is for suicide and which provides either someone who wants to kill themselves, means or opportunity for suicide.” u n f o r t u n a t e l y, Among other they’re going to do locations such as it eventually.”

Aokigahara Forest However, in Japan and others like Bateson Niagara Falls in believe steel Canada and New netting will largely York, the Golden prevent suicide.

Gate Bridge is “People who the most popular are opposed to suicide tourism a barrier on the destination in the bridge for financial world.

Bateson or aesthetic Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz, describes the bridge as having reasons believe Director of Public Affairs for the both literal and that if someone Bridge. metaphorical was suicidal and appeal. the bridge wasn’t “The Golden Gate Bridge, by virtue of available to them, they would just kill its location, is a magnificent setting. … It themselves another way. And in fact, research shows that that’s not at all true,” exerts not only a siren’s call but also [a] Bateson said. “Most people have fixated feeling that ‘maybe I’m depressed and on one means of death, and if that means lonely, but in my death, I’m gonna join isn’t available to them, they don’t resort thousands of other people who have died to another means. Instead, they choose to the same way,’” Bateson said.

To combat this notion, the net live.”

Bateson went on to describe a research will change not only the reputation of this landmark but also the mindsets of people study conducted to prove this theory.

“A [University of California] Berkeley around the world and in our community. “[The deterrent] provides people a professor got the names of 515 people symbol of hope and care,” Cosulichwho had been stopped from jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. He tracked what Schwartz said. “So for people who may be coming to the bridge to harm themselves, happened to they often talk about wanting [to look] those 515 people for signs that people out there care about [for] 26 years. them. [This] is a permanent, visible sign [After] 26 years, that the community cares about you.”

94 percent of If you or someone you know may be them were having thoughts of suicide, call or text the still alive, Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. or had died by bark@redwoodbark.org means other than

Photo courtesy of Golden Gate Bridge, Highway & Tranportation

LOCATED JUST BELOW the bridge, the steel net lines the perimeter of the landmark. The net is visible from the sidewalk of the bridge, extending out 20 feet.

[This] is a permanent, visible sign that the community cares about you.

Photo by Alex Argov

TO HONOR FALLEN victims of the bridge, family, friends and loved ones placed memorials in the form of flowers, photos and locks on the fence bordering San Francisco and the foggy bay.

Roughly 1,800

lives lost between 1937-2023.

6 years to complete construction.

$215 million spent to construct.

Illustration by Lucy Wong Ryniejski

bark Page 14 • Feature

February 15, 2024

Exploring social media’s role in overconsumption On Jan. 3, 2024, the “Starbucks x Stanley Quencher” was released to consumers. The hot pink, thick-handled social media sensation had customers swarming into Target when the stores opened. Some spent hours outside in the cold, waiting desperately to be the first to enter. Although Stanley only recently collaborated with Starbucks, the Stanley cup itself is nothing new.

Stanley cups date back to 1913 and have had a historically male consumer base by virtue of their marketing specifically to working men for outdoor activities.

Recently, the cup grew immensely popular amongst primarily young females through social media. The Stanley cup is not the only trendy item that has suddenly overtaken the world; other examples of items that have achieved rapid virality include the Rare Beauty blush, Adidas Sambas and the TikTok Shop Wrangler bags.

What caused this dramatic shift in consumer taste? The answer lies not in these items alone but in their social media marketing tactics, which teens are particularly susceptible to.

Economists have dubbed this phenomenon the “Influencer Economy” or the “Creator Economy” over the past decade. Companies prioritize using influencer outreach to increase their sales in this system. The expansion of this financial scene is attributed to Gen Z’s attachment to the idealized and relatable influencer.

Infographic by Linnea Koblik

Senior Francesca Wood is one of many teenagers affected by this phenomenon.

She described her experience purchasing products to pursue a lifestyle similar to that of her favorite content creators.

“I’ll see a pretty person on TikTok who has the fashion sense I like and want.

They’ll say, ‘This top is perfect for having this effect on your body,’ or ‘You need to wear this jewelry with this top.’

And s u d d e n l y, I’m thinking, ‘Wow! I really want to buy three shirts with that [same] neckline and jewelry to match it,’” Wood said.

Wood shares a similar perspective to other teens on social media. According to a Santa Clara University study by James Laeder, social networking services (SNS) are at the forefront of a paradigm shift in societal communications. Laeder found people often lean on SNSs due to an innate human desire for belonging.

Marketers take advantage of teenage anxieties and turn trends into an industry through social mediabased advertising.

Although social media allows advertisements to reach a widespread audience, wanting something is different than actually buying it. Sophomore Sam Cohen recognized the effects of social media marketing and commented on ways he navigates the inundation of sponsorships online.

“I’ll see stuff [online] I like and think, ‘Oh, that’s cool,’ but am I going to buy it? Probably not. [For example,] I’m not going to spend $70 on shoes, even if that’s considered a good price,” Cohen said.

However, Cohen’s experience tends to be the exception among most teenagers at Redwood. In a recent Bark survey, 68 percent of students said they had purchased a product after seeing it on social media.

Following Laeder’s findings, corporations

Illustration by Ava Stevens

By Nadia Massoumi and Emily Hitchcock

single-use plastic cups, seemingly target teens on SNSs by acknowledging ideal for an environmentally conscious their impulsivity and susceptibility to consumer partaking in a seemingly welltrends. Advanced Placement Economics intentioned trend. However, Chhabria teacher Ann Tepovich expanded on this argues the opposite effect has taken concept. place.

“There’s a portion of economics “The idea behind using those known as behavioral economics, which reusable cups is really great. I think it looks at the psychology of economic originated with very pure intentions and decision-making. They study what concerns about the environment. But the causes people to be ‘influenced’ and problem is if you’re buying these giant, make ‘impulsive purchases,’” reusable cups [frequently], and they’re Tepovich said. “Teenagers made of metal, [which involves] mining, are more impressionable, then you’re using a tremendous amount so influencers are the of energy, child labor, water and [other marketers that rely resources],” Chabbria said. on you being Moreover, once companies establish impulsive and brand loyalty with a customer, even hoping you’re if that trend dies, the company will not going to simply produce the next “viral” product, think [your allowing this cycle of mass production to purchases] continue. Tepovich discussed the process through.” company marketing teams employ to Influencers are now a common sustain such consumerism trends. way to encourage teenage consumption.

“When a brand becomes too According to Maura Smith, the senior popular, people will kind of walk away Vice President of Paternize, an online from it because everybody’s got it, marketing partnership platform, so [consumers don’t] want to have it influencers can be characterized into anymore. ‘Everybody’s wearing Sambas, three categories based on their audience so I don’t want to wear those.’ It’s a fine size: Nano Influencers with 1,000 to line [for companies]: ‘How do you keep 10,000 followers, Micro Influencers with a brand exclusive but also sell a lot to 10,000 to 100,000 followers, and Mega make money off of it?’” Tepovich said. or Celebrity Influencers with 100,000 to “Companies know that loyalty wears out 1,000,000 followers. in particular products. But if they keep Many teens with public accounts coming out with a new and improved, or on social media are considered Nano a different product, you associate good influencers. Typically, the teen will post things with that particular brand.” with the product, tag the company and Not all hope for a more financially encourage their peers to buy it in the and environmentally conscious modern caption using a personal promotion code consumer market for the company. is lost.

As Drew Markovich often the target is a senior who audience for these runs a TikTok products, teens page with nearly have the power 30,000 followers, to challenge born out of his the marketing passion for longassumptions distance running. companies have Since this account already made for gained popularity, teens. Tepovich several companies described an have approached easy method for Markovich to limiting the intake promote runningof unnecessary related products to products. his audience.

“Part of “Certain behavioral brands will offer economics is you a free product Ann Tepovich, trying to figure to post on your out, ‘How do we page to promote AP Economics teacher get people to be it,” Markovich less impulsive?’ ‘How do we be more said. “[Or] they’ll pay you a flat rate per rational?’ There’s this rule called the 72video. There are a lot of new promotions hour rule: If you see something you want, going on, specifically on TikTok with the walk away from it, don’t buy it, think TikTok Shop. You have to post a video about it. If, after 72 hours, you still want with that product within a certain amount it, buy it. It’s an interesting experiment of days, and then you get a commission people can do with themselves to try rate [depending] on how many people buy and control the impulse buying, which is it through your link.” what these influencers are trying to get This type of marketing, using peers as you to do,” Tepovich said. influencers, does not only affect teenagers Not only does the 72-hour rule but the greater population. Mark Chhabria interrupt big business objectives, but it is a Redwood alumnus and coordinator of saves money and reduces environmental the Marin Green Business Program, which damage. Maintaining control over promotes local environmental business impulsive urges might just be the key leaders. Chhabria works to address the to combating today’s overconsumption long-term environmental effects of this trends. new trend of consumerism.

As branded, the Stanley Cup is a bark@redwoodbark.org coveted reusable water bottle that replaces

Teenagers are more impressionable, so influencers are the marketers that rely on you being impulsive and hoping you’re not going to think [your purchases] through.

review

Can you taste the New Year?

By Lucy Wong Ryniejski

Lunar New Year—also known as Chinese New Year, Tết ​​and Songkran — is celebrated over multiple days in many Asian countries, including China, Thailand and Vietnam. Like other holidays celebrated worldwide, it is traditionally filled with friends, family and delicious food. While Marin has sparse options for cuisines celebrating the Lunar New Year compared to San Francisco, there are still many restaurants available to lavish over new foods and cultures and usher in the new year.

Ming’s Restaurant - Chinese Chinese New Year is one of China’s most important days in the lunisolar calendar; it reunites families over food and honors ancestors or deities. Many dishes are said to bring good luck: uncut noodles symbolize long life, spring rolls are

associated with wealth and sweet rice balls signify unity and harmony. Ming’s Restaurant in Tiburon offers a variety of flavorful and authentic choices with large portions and reasonable prices while avoiding any excess greasiness.

Their crispy spring rolls and diverse dimsum options are must-tries. The dine-in experience is basic yet efficient; however, I recommend take-out to share with friends or family. Here’s what I ordered: vegetable spring rolls, deep fried sesame balls, all in one (har gow, siu mai and xiao long bao), garlic chow mein and BBQ pork buns.

Golden Era 1- Vietnamese Tết Nguyên Đán, which translates into Festival of the first day, celebrates the arrival of spring based o n the lunisolar

Page 15

Vietnamese calendar. The celebration is typically shared between friends and family by worshiping family altars, house cleaning and sharing food like banh chung (rice cake), spring rolls, steamed fish, pork belly or glass noodles.

Golden Era 1, a womanrun Vietnamese restaurant in San Rafael, opened only a couple of months ago but has some of the best Vietnamese food in Marin.

While they don’t have many traditional Tết dishes, they have rich and flavorful pho options, particularly the beef rib pho with tender meat that falls off the bone, and plenty of sauce options to doctorup your dish. Whether you pick takeout or dine-in, you can’t go wrong here. Despite an untraditional and somewhat off-putting exterior, indoors, you’ll find a simple yet pleasant dining atmosphere with a spacious seating area, friendly staff and fast service. Here’s what I ordered: beef ribs, noodle soup, egg rolls, chicken fried rice and herbal tea (must try unique home blend!)

The Baan Thai Cuisine - Thai Songkran is the Thai New Year’s national holiday to celebrate the movement into the New Year by visiting local temples and paying tribute to Buddha. As a holiday of unity, it brings together family and pays homage to ancestors, similar to traditions in China and Vietnam.

Some traditional foods eaten during the holiday include pad thai, tom yum goong, curries, mango sticky rice and fried rice.

The Baan Thai Cuisine in Ross has been named a Thai Select for honoring the authenticity of its cuisine and won Best Thai Restaurant 2022 in Marin County.

Their credentials and awards are indeed a representation of their exceptional menu, any dish will surely surpass expectations.

The dine-in atmosphere is warm and inviting with modern yet cozy decor and an attentive service. Whether you choose take-out or dine-in, it is surely worth a drive to San Anselmo. Here’s what I ordered: chicken satay, pad thai noodles, coconut rice and pad thai.

lwong@redwoodbark.org

Plant your curiosity at Golden Gate Park

By Linnea Koblik

As the spring season approaches, let’s slow down and appreciate the oneof-a-kind nature that surrounds us.

Nestled within the bustling streets of San Francisco, Golden Gate Park’s beautiful gardens offer a unique sanctuary.

Originally built upon sand dunes in 1870, the park now offers a plethora of both free and ticketed gardens, such as the Conservatory of Flowers, Botanical Gardens and the Rhododendron Gardens.

Conservatory of Flowers Originally built in 1878 using wood and glass, the Conservatory of Flowers

is the oldest building in Golden Gate Park, and the oldest public conservatory in the United States. Viewers are granted access inside once they purchase entry tickets, which are priced at $8 for youth (ages 12-17) and $15 for adults. Once inside, viewers are immersed in an environment packed with tropical plants from South America, Asia and Africa.

With humidifiers, pre-recorded sounds of a jungle and breathtaking and rare plant species, one can’t help but feel transported into a tropical habitat. If you aren’t in the mood to spend money on a ticket, the Conservatory also plants flowers and shrubs along the exterior of the building.

Tree Fern Dell Inspired by prehistoric vegetation, this shaded outdoor garden holds many plant species. Most notable are the Tasmanian tree ferns, which are native to New Zealand and have fossil records dating back millions of years. The Tree Fern Dell is located across from the Conservatory of Flowers and offers minimal foliage compared to the colorful blooms in the Park’s surrounding gardens. This free and public garden is a must-see spot when exploring Golden Gate Park.

Photo by Linnea Koblik

ILLUMINATED BY THE sun, these rhododendrons are in full bloom in the massive garden.

Rhododendron Dell This Rhododendron garden is a 20-acre site located in the center of Golden Gate Park. Built to honor the life of expert plant cultivator John McLaren, the garden holds 850 types of rhododendrons, his favorite flower. From enjoying a brisk walk along many intricate paths or stopping at one of the benches to observe the varieties of this stunning flower, this free and public garden is the perfect spot. Those wishing to experience the rhododendron in bloom

Photo by Linnea Koblik

FILLED WITH THRIVING plant species, the Conservatory of Flowers immerses its visitors in the natural world. should wait until spring to visit. sure not to miss out on this amazing and While Golden Gate Park holds many affordable attraction the next time you find attractions, its gardens are unique and yourself out and about in San Francisco! often overlooked. They provide a tranquil oasis and give viewers a glimpse into the wonders of the natural world. Make lkoblik@redwoodbark.org

February 15, 2024 bark Page 16 • Review Halfway there: This school year’s best photos to date

Photo by Peter Dachtler

SCREECHING LOW OVERHEAD the San Francisco Bay, the Blue Angels fly a mere foot apart in their world-famous Delta Wing formation.

Photo by Charlotte Lacy

DANCING TOGETHER AT the Homecoming dance, seniors Allie Douglas and Erica Block enjoy the moment.

Photo by Isabella Wagner

SENIOR JAKE VASQUEZ and his family celebrate his four-year career on the boys’ varsity basketball team prior to a game against Archie Williams.

Photo by Aanika Sawhney

PERFORMING IN THE play “Animal Farm,” senior Calla Hollingsworth captivates the audience with her acting.

Photo by Aanika Sawhney

Photo by Sawyer Barta

SPARKLING, JUNIOR IZZY Bab and senior Dylan Weir embody their inner diva at the dance-a-thon, a drama fundraiser.

CUSTODIAN PAULO MOULES works hard to recycle cardboard boxes collected from Redwood’s campus.

Photo by Charlotte Lacy

Photo by Isabella Wagner

AFTER ASSISTING BEN Sherry’s goal in the MCAL semifinals, senior Evan White waves “goodbye” to the Tam fans as the score rises to 3-0.

“I WAS SO surprised. I didn’t know what it was [or] anything about it. So I was really excited and shocked,” Maisie Pipitone said.

Since the start of the school year, Bark has reported on various meaningful moments. To view more content from The Redwood Bark, follow the QR code to the official Instagram account or search redwoodbark.org in your browser.

Photo by Aanika Sawhney

LEADING A ROUTINE, seniors Claire Banks and Olivia Svallin improvise dance together.

Page 17 • Review

www.redwoodbark.org

Youth Employment: Teens clock in for success Embarking on part-time jobs during high school is more than just earning pocket money. It’s a crucial step in personal and professional growth. There are numerous popular job options for teens in Marin that highlight not only the financial benefits of working but also the importance of developing responsibility, time management and interpersonal skills early on. High school employment sets the foundation for a well-rounded and prepared future generation. Below are some great options for teen jobs in Marin.

working at BODYROK for eight months and has loved her experience working there.

“I love working at BODYROK because they are super flexible with my schedule and I get discounted pilates classes,” Mitchell said.

To qualify for a job at BODYROK, you must be at least 15 and a half years old and have great communication skills.

BODYROK has a starting pay rate of $16 an hour. An employee’s typical day includes checking people in at the front desk, sending emails and interacting with the clients and instructors.

BODYROK: Working at BODYROK, a Pilates studio, provides a dynamic and healthoriented professional experience.

The positive aspects include being a part of a supportive community, fostering teamwork and enjoying the personal benefits of improved fitness.

The rewarding experience of helping others lead a healthier lifestyle makes BODYROK a fulfilling workplace for pilates enthusiasts.

Junior Francesca Mitchell has been

Bay Club: High schoolers can gain more valuable insight into the fitness industry by working at Bay Club, a luxury gym chain. This opportunity provides exposure to a healthconscious community, access to top-tier fitness facilities and the chance to develop customer service skills. While challenges like scheduling conflicts and physical demands may arise, the rewarding experience of contributing to a positive environment makes employment at Bay Club worthwhile for

By Julia Delsol

high schoolers interested in fitness and wellness. Junior Hannah Gould has been working at Bay Club for almost eight months and enjoys being able to keep up with her fitness through the free gym membership that comes with working at the job. Bay Club offers two teen jobs to teenagers: front desk manager or a childcare team member. Gould works at the childcare center and enjoys playing with the little kids. In a typical workday at the childcare center, Gould checks in kids at the daycare center, draws with them, plays with them, feeds them and most importantly, ensures their safety.

Working at the childcare center pays $16 an hour.

Malibu Farms: For teens, working at Malibu Farms offers a hands-on introduction to the culinary world. The benefits include exposure to a dynamic restaurant environment, customer service and teamwork skill development as well as the prestige of working in a renowned establishment. However, challenges such as demanding hours and the fast-paced nature of the industry may be potential

drawbacks for young workers. Despite this, the experience gained makes it a rewarding opportunity for high schoolers interested in exploring hospitality. To work at Malibu Farms, you must be 17 years old and personable. At Malibu Farms, you can be a hostess or waiter, or work at the Malibu Farms cafe next door. Malibu Farms pays $17 an hour, plus tips if you are a waiter.

The benefits include exposure to a dynamic restaurant environment, customer service and teamwork skill development as well as the prestige of working in a renowned establishment. However, challenges such as demanding hours and the fast-paced nature of the industry may be potential drawbacks for young workers. Despite this, the experience gained makes it a rewarding opportunity for high schoolers interested in exploring hospitality. To work at Malibu Farms, you must be 17 years old and personable. At Malibu Farms, you can be a hostess or waiter, or work at the Malibu Farms cafe next door. Malibu Farms pays $17 an hour, plus tips if you’re a waiter.

jdelsol@redwoodbark.org

Photo by Julia Delsol

Photo by Julia Delsol

BODYROK MEMBERS STRETCH before a 40-minute Full Body Sculpt class.

bark

A BAY CLUB employee completes one of their daily tasks: checking members in.

A preview of the flavors of Buvette Du Marais

By Leina Khan

a location in Mill Valley, so I visited this location as a way to preview the restaurant before it opens in Larkspur. With the diverse menu of pastries and breakfast to entrees and dinners, I opted to sample a mix of the most popular dishes to properly understand the restaurant’s overall essence.

With the recent opening of Souvla and Loveski Deli, it is obvious that Marin Country Mart is expanding its culinary offerings. In addition to these previously mentioned eateries, the Mart is soon opening its doors to a traditional French restaurant, Buvette Du Marais. Founded Croissant

by Patrick Ascaso, the establishment To get an initial understanding of the aims to infuse French culinary influences pastries, I felt it was only fair to order a from Ascaso’s childhood with the vibrant French staple, the croissant. Le Marais’s California palate. Currently, Le Marais has croissants are freshly baked daily, contributing to their high quality. From first glance, the croissant’s golden brown coating is visible alongside its voluminous height. The flavor was simple, but with the combined crunch from the crispy outside and the freshness of the center, the croissant showcased the perfect recipe Le Marais has achieved. Overall, the rating it receives is 8/10.

Photo by Leina Khan

WITH ITS GOLDEN brown coating, the fluffy croissant showcases Le Marais’s ability to perfect their pastries.

French Toast This expertly presented dish showcased thick slices of golden-brown brioche, promising a perfect blend of crisp exterior and pillowy interior. Each forkful revealed a culinary masterpiece—a rich, buttery texture harmoniously infused with a sweet melody of vanilla and cinnamon. Topped with real maple syrup and powdered sugar, the dish achieved an exquisitely balanced sweetness. Versatile toppings from fresh

Photo by Leina Khan

THE AVOCADO CROISSANT sandwich: a crispy golden croissant topped with avocado, rich creme fraiche and two sunny-side-up eggs.

The Brioche French Toast transcended the ordinary, offering a decadent journey of flavors and textures. Overall, this dish receives an 8.5/10

decision to use Le Marais’s crisp croissant was bold but turned out to be a great one.

The combination of the perfectly cooked eggs, creamy creme fraiche and avocado made it my favorite meal. It was filling and Avocado Croissant Toast balanced with both veggies and carbs. Out ​​For my culinary finale, I indulged in the of everything I’ve tried, I happily give this avocado croissant sandwich. It had a crispy dish the highest rating of 9.5/10. croissant base topped with avocado, creme fraiche and two eggs sunny side up. The lkhan@redwoodbark.org

bark Page 18 • Sports Sports Spotlight: The Jack attack

By Maggie Walsh

February 15, 2024

Seniors Jack Corvi and Jack Middleton have been the engine for the unstoppable boys’ varsity soccer team, leading them to an 8-0 record in the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) and an overall record of 13-2. Working together all season long, Corvi and Middleton have shown that leadership, friendship and lots of skill can create a team built for the spotlight.

Photo by Aanika Sawhney

Photo by Aanika Sawhney

SENIOR JACK CORVI dribbles away from a defender against Tamalpais High School.

Jack Corvi Jack Corvi, a standout senior at Redwood High School, effortlessly manages the demanding roles of two varsity sports, soccer and football, with his favorite being soccer. As the boys’ varsity soccer team captain, Corvi’s impact extends both on and off the field, contributing significantly to the team’s success.

The Giants are ranked 24th in the state, and Corvi’s role as starting center-back is marked by consistency, leadership and extreme athleticism. After an emotional loss led to an abrupt end to his junior season, Corvi is even more inspired to lead the team on a deep playoff run, starting as the No. 1 seed in MCALs. C o r v i has taken the saying “availability is the best ability” to heart, appearing in all but two games this season for the Giants despite persistent ankle and back injuries. His masterful tackling and composure, along with fellow center-back senior Ensio Sardans’ ability to take balls out of the air, have stifled opponents’ attacks; The Giants have only conceded one goal throughout the entirety of the MCAL season.

Junior teammate Masa Fujita, in his second season with the varsity team, points to Corvi’s skills on the ball as a crucial part of his game. “[Corvi] is very composed on the ball. The way he can be calm in extreme situations lets the team relax when we have possession. Whenever he attacks, no one ever knows what trick he will do to get around a player,” Fujita said.

Corvi’s enjoyment of soccer goes beyond the competition, particularly in the camaraderie of practices.

“I love being part of the team. We are all really close, making it a better experience,” Corvi said. “My favorite part [of soccer] is the practices. We’re serious [at times], but we also mess around, which makes it fun.”

While Corvi likes to have enjoyment, he also keeps it professional. His teammates say he is very passionate about leading the team to victory in an encouraging way, which makes him a solid role model that his teammates can look up to.

“He’s a great role model for the whole team. His leadership skills are really strong,” Fujita said. “He does a great job of keeping things light and fun but also serious at the same time.”

Corvi attributes part of his success to the mentorship of Matthew Jessen, a neighbor and former soccer teammate.

“We were on the same soccer team two years ago.

I learned how to be a leader through watching how he handles situations on and off the field,” Corvi said.

Corvi’s leadership, athleticism and strong work ethic, both on and off the field, play a pivotal role in the boys’ soccer team’s triumphant season. As they enter MCALs as the top seed, with aspirations of making a deep run in the North Coast Section playoffs, Corvi is poised to be a key factor in the team’s continued success.

SENIOR JACK MIDDLETON makes a strong pass with his left foot.

Photo by Matthew Knauer

SENIOR CO-CAPTAINS JACK Corvi and Jack Middleton smile after winning an MCAL championship.

Middleton is definitely one of the guys I look up to on the team. He has done an incredible job [as] captain this year.

Wells Borden, junior

Photo by Matthew Knauer

JACK CORVI AND Jack Middleton embrace before their MCAL finals matchup against Archie Williams.

Jack Middleton The boys’ varsity soccer team has another outstanding captain, senior Jack Middleton. Since the age of six, Middleton has always dreamt of playing soccer at Redwood High School.

His freshman year coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, Middleton was still able to get a peek into Redwood’s soccer culture. “[COVID-19] is why I didn’t end up playing [freshman year], but just at tryouts, I got a glimpse of what the [soccer] culture at Redwood is like and I wanted to be a part of it,” Middleton said.

During Middleton’s sophomore season, the team made it to the state quarterfinals against Whitney High School. They lost but were able to play against them again this year.

“My favorite memory this year is our win against Whitney in Sacramento a few weeks ago. We lost to them my sophomore year in the state quarterfinals in a game that was really competitive and mentally challenging; I was really proud of how our team fought back to get the first goal and secure a win,” Middleton said.

While being an athlete, Middleton also balances a heavy workload throughout school.

“It’s mostly a lot of discipline and time management skills,” Middleton said. “It takes a lot of practice and a lot of grinding even when you don’t want to do it.”

This year, Middleton dedicated himself to his leadership skills, especially as a captain. He was able to learn through previous teammates like Owen Swenson and Benny Tabak, which has given him all that he needs to be a succesful captain.

Middleton’s performance in soccer, coupled with his leadership and friendship skills, is truly making an impact. His hard work and ability to control the game have propelled Redwood’s varsity soccer team into the playoffs. Middleton ranks 13th for assists in the North Coast Section with 11 and has collected four goals this season while playing as a defensive midfielder. Junior soccer player Wells Borden speaks highly of Middleton and looks up to him on and off the field. “[Middleton] is definitely one of the guys I look up to on the team. He has done an incredible job [as] captain this year. He can encourage but also be a supportive friend. [Middleton] is also an outstanding soccer player and I definitely strive to play more like him,” Borden said.

Middleton’s impact on boys’ varsity soccer goes beyond his skill on the field. Overcoming challenges, he led the team to success in the state quarterfinals last year and continues to inspire victories this year. As a dedicated captain, Middleton fosters camaraderie while balancing a demanding academic workload. Middleton’s soccer journey reflects passion, resilience and the indispensable role of teamwork in achieving athletic excellence. mwalsh@redwoodbark.org

sports

Page 19

Conquering the yips: The mental battle in sports elephant becomes. My white elephant continued for multiple months. I was filled with embarrassment, frustration and selfFor the first time in my life, I felt timid, doubt over my inability to execute such a afraid and hopeless on the pitcher’s mound. simple task, one that I had always been able As a sophomore on the boys’ varsity to do. I had come down with a case of the baseball team, the pressure to succeed, yips, every athlete’s biggest fear. mainly coming from myself, was incredibly Dr. Bhrett McCabe, a sports high. After a few psychologist and positive outings, consultant for my performance the University started to decline, of Alabama and along with athletics, it, my ability to has decades perform a basic of clinical motor function. experience with Despite having patients who played baseball have had the as long as I could yips. He believes remember, I that they begin suddenly could Bhrett McCabe, randomly and not throw a that fear and baseball with any Sports Pscyhologist and consultant anxiety heighten accuracy, tossing for University of Alabama and continue balls far above the problem. my teammate’s “The yips are heads and well a sudden surge below their feet. I of adrenaline allowed a simple or anxiety that mechanical starts completely out of the blue [for an flaw to sap all my confidence and remove athlete]. But it finds a gap in our systems my focus from the task at hand, instead and processes, and then the fear of engulfing myself in the thought of failure. embarrassment, the fear of it happening, There’s no simple way to describe this keeps it going, to the point where the feeling, but experts like to use the white athlete cannot complete a simple task,” elephant analogy. Imagine being asked McCabe said. not to think about a white elephant.

Simply avoiding Immediately, the elephant comes front and the issue or trying to center to your mind, and the harder hide it is a common you push yourself response in not to think at hletes a b o u t it, the clearer t h e

By Matthew Knauer

The harder you try to avoid [the yips], the worse it becomes.

Illustrations by Zach Dinowitz

Pete Carroll’s road to glory

dealing with this unparalleled experience.

However, avoidance is the worst way to combat the yips, often only making them worse.

“The harder you try to avoid [the yips], the worse it becomes. By avoiding it, you develop motor patterns that are actually causing and reinforcing the yips,” McCabe said.

Dr. Lazaro Gutierrez, a former mental skills coordinator for the Boston Red Sox and current pitching coach for the University of Miami baseball t e a m , believes t h a t directly addressing the issue before it worsens is the most effective solution.

“How I’ve experienced success with these players who’ve struggled with [the yips] is not to let it grow, not letting it fester, not looking away and praying to God it goes away,” Gutierrez said.

Curing the yips can be a tedious and frustrating process, but Gutierrez has found that creating a protocol and blueprint for recovery is the most advantageous plan.

“There’s a program that I put in place, focusing on using verbalization techniques to take the focus away from the throw.

It’s really important to have some type of protocol or drill package that allows these guys to build up confidence,” Gutierrez said.

On the other hand, well-renowned Bay Area pitching coach Jeff Pick utilizes an approach without such specific boundaries or planning and instead tailors his recovery efforts to the individual player.

“Most of the drills I use completely depend on the player. I assess the situation and improvise a drill or activity on the fly.

Most of it is trying to get [the athlete] to not think about the same thing they used to think about,” Pick said.

Gutierrez spent five years studying the yips before publishing his findings in 2023. He believes that the overreliance on mechanical cues, such as “keep your arm up” or “extend your left leg,” has led to a sharp increase in the number of yips

cases. His studies found that when in a stressful situation, such as a high-intensity moment in a game, directing one’s focus on performing the specific movement instead of focusing on the task at hand can cause the yips.

While they are most well known for occurring in baseball, the yips also appear in other sports. In the 2022 National Football League postseason, Brett Maher missed four extra-point attempts despite previously making them 94.3 percent of the time; this fluke was later attributed to the yips. They show up in golf, too, as a study from the Mayo Clinic cites that almost half of all serious golfers have experienced the yips while putting. Perhaps the most notorious case came from Simone Biles when she dropped out of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with the ‘twisties’, the gymnastics term coined for the yips. “[The yips] can show up in anything with an initiation, where the athlete creates the start of a motor movement,” McCabe said.

While most yips cases stem purely from mental inefficiencies, many cases stem from physical injury. The most common is Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, a disorder that compresses nerves and blood vessels between the neck and ribs. This often leads to a partial or complete loss of feeling in the hand or arm, completely ruining an athlete’s proprioception – the ability to perceive the location of our movement in space. Current Major League Baseball pitcher Daniel Bard is a prime example; he experienced tingling in his right hand from compressed nerves in his shoulder, leading him to lose all feel for throwing a baseball.

While there is still large uncertainty surrounding the specific causes of the yips, new studies such as those by Dr. Gutierrez can give a much more educated perspective on the topic and help those struggling. In the age of the mental health crisis, it’s crucial for athletes to maintain focus on the competition and the task instead of being overly robotic or mechanical.

mknauer@redwoodbark.org

By Owen McDaniels

omcdaniels@redwoodbark.org

bark Page 20 • Sports

sports winter recap February 15, 2024

By Nick Hartung and Lauren Olsen

5

Wrestling

Pending Upcoming Games Girls Soccer VR (NCS)

4

MCAL Finalists

February 16, 2024

Boys Soccer VR (NCS)

Feburary 17, 2024

Boys Basketball VR (NCS) Feburary 17, 2024

Undefeated MCAL Athletes

Girls Basketball VR (NCS) Feburary 17, 2024

Girls’ Basketball

Photo by Charlotte Lacy

Girls’ Soccer

#1

29

NCS

Goals

15-2-2 Photo by Mason Garbo

26 Assists

Goals

59.2 #2

Points Per Game Marin County

32.9

Rebounds Per Game

13

Seniors

16-2 #25

20-8 Boys’ Basketball

Photo by Matthew Knauer

Boys’ Soccer

48

Photo by Julia Delsol

CA Rank

Photo by Aanika Sawhney

16-12

Highest GPA in NCS

Photo courtesy of Madeline Eaton

Cheer

6

Stunt Teams bark@redwoodbark.org

bark Athletes’ ongoing struggles against turf field injuries Page 21 • Sports

www.redwoodbark.org

By Jay Knopping High school athletes are extremely prone to injuries, especially when playing a sport six days a week for three to four months at a time. Occurring in just a split second, injuries can sideline athletes for months. Athletes all over the country at all levels are dealing with similar injuries, many of which are caused by their playing surfaces.

Seventy-three percent of college football stadiums and 50 percent of National Football League (NFL) stadiums have turf fields. However, data from Sports Info Solutions found that seven out of the ten stadiums in the NFL with the highest injury rates have turf fields. Additionally, a study by Washington University in St. Louis discovered that high school athletes have a 58 percent higher chance of sustaining injuries on turf fields than grass ones.

Junior Clark Cheu played varsity soccer for the Giants during his sophomore year and planned to train in the off-season before his junior year in hopes of helping the team win the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) Championship. However, in the early off-season, while training with his club team, Marin Football Club, Cheu

JUNIOR OWEN HOLT’S torn ACL prevents him from practicing with his team.

tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL).

“I planted my foot to go for a tackle, and the other guy kicked the ball into my leg, causing it to shift awkwardly while it was planted in the turf,” Cheu said.

Cheu started physical therapy to help him recover in hopes of returning in time for his junior season.

Unfortunately, in his first practice after nine months of recovery, Cheu injured his knee again while trying to change directions, tearing his ACL again, as well as his Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL). In under a year, he suffered two separate severe knee injuries on a turf field.

Even though many high school sports require athletes to play every day on turf fields for months at a time, injuries among student athletes are all too common. Junior Owen Holt had aspirations of being the starting center back for varsity soccer, but while in training, Holt’s cleat got caught on the turf while running, tearing his ACL and robbing him of his junior season.

“I’ve been out for seven months already and I still have a few more to go; I’m hoping I can start running again soon and hopefully start practicing again too. It sucks to miss so much time,” Holt said.

The aftermath of injuries on turf fields can also create extra hurdles athletes must deal with on their road to recovery. Junior Yago Churton stress fractured his back over a year ago, but is still dealing with back pain after taking over five months off to recover.

“I think I played on hard surfaces like turf too much.

The way I run on it is putting pressure on my back. I slowly had back pain build up. I prefer to play on grass, but to have good quality grass, you really have to take care of it,” Churton said.

High school athletes’ increased risk of injuries on turf fields raises concerns about the impact of playing surfaces.

There is a need for further research to address these potential risks and prevent more injuries from occurring. jknopping@redwoodbark.org

Face to face: The battle of the winter sports: snowboarding vs. skiing Story and Illustration by Isabella Wagner

Photo courtesy of Lucas Murgel

Face-to-face is a feature that allows two members of the Redwood community to grill each other, argue or simply converse about a relevant issue or event. We provide the topic and they do the rest. This month’s participants are junior snowboarder Jaque Thier and senior skier Lucas Murgel, who are discussing whether snowboarding or skiing is the better winter sport.

What winter sport do you do and what experience do you have?

Jaque Thier: I’ve been a snowboarder since I was seven and I have a lot of experience across the board. I used to be a park rider and a half-pipe rider and I’d compete in both of those, so I have some experience in the park. I don’t have as much [experience] with big mountain riding, like all the crazy cliffs. I can do some stuff, but not anything extreme. Right now I’m a racer, but I can pretty much ride everything.

Lucas Murgel: I ski. I have a good amount of experience; [I’ve been skiing] every weekend since I was about two years old, and I do it for fun.

What do you think makes your winter sport unique?

JT: I’d say it’s really unique because it’s pretty hard to learn but once you [master] it, it’s one of the

What is your biggest pet peeve about your rival snow sport?

JT: When all of the ski team travels in a pack, or when all the skiers just in general travel in a pack and they block everything, the entire run, the entire lift line, everything is just crowded. Or they’ll cut you off in your run and blame you.

Photo courtesy of Jaque Thier

[greatest] things ever. There’s a lot of different ways you can take it, you could be a big mountain rider, a park rider or a racer; I’m a racer. You have a lot of freedom and it’s really peaceful just being out there.

LM: It’s not as much of a competition, so you’re not really that nervous going into it, it’s always just fun. You could never be extremely nervous or scared about anything.

Is there a mainstream stereotype about your winter sport and do you agree with it?

JT: The mainstream stereotype I’d say is that we’re all bums, sort of like ski bums that don’t want to be skiers but who want

something unique, but we just cause problems on the hill. I don’t agree with that [stereotype], I think that there are some people that cause problems on the hill that are snowboarders, but a lot of [the problems] come from entitled skiers.

LM: I think there’s a bit of a stereotype [with people calling skiers] ski bums and stuff, but I do kind of see that though too, the stereotype is sort of true. People throw everything in their lives away to go skiing because they love it and so many people do that. I think the stereotype is that people live at the mountains and in the backs of their cars, which is actually a big thing.

LM: That [snowboarders] have to strap in. I broke my collarbone because someone ran into me [while I] was waiting for my friend to strap into his snowboard.

If you could convince someone who has never tried a winter sport to try the one you do, how would you convince them?

JT: I would say that I’m not going to lie to them, it will be tough at first, but once you get the basics of it down, it’s 100 percent worth it and it’s really fun and it’s a really great sport.

LM: ​​That it’s the best experience that they can have; it’s just so free, there’s no other experience like it. iwagner@redwoodbark.org

lifestyles

Page 22

Sara Jordan creates community with Crochet Corner Madera Library in the conference room,” Jordan said.

Junior Sara Jordan learned how to All supplies are provided and crocheters crochet at summer camp in elementary are welcome to bring their projects home school. She had originally signed up for to work on in between meetings. a slime-making session, but when it was “You come in and make your projects, already full, she decided to take then leave and work on your a crochet class instead. While projects at home, and Jordan was disappointed at then come back the first, the unexpected change next month,” Jordan in her camp schedule led her said. to discover a newfound passion The sessions for crochet. typically consist of a This new interest has continued mix of instruction and through Jordan’s middle and high independent work, with school years as she works to build her more advanced crocheters skills. helping the “I started with stuffed beginners. animals, [using a technique] “The people called amigurumi, and then that already know I graduated to tops and how to crochet are clothes,” Jordan said. spreading the skill Jordan soon to new people, recognized [making] it a great that she could environment,” use her love Jordan said. of crochet to connect Junior Audrey Photo courtesy of Sara Jordan with others. Partnering with the Corte McMillan began crocheting during Madera Library, Jordan created Crochet the pandemic. McMillan helps Jordan Corner, a group that meets monthly at run Crochet Corner smoothly, assisting the library to work on crochet projects beginners while also working on her own together. All are welcome to join, creating projects. She has also noticed the positive an inclusive and relaxed environment. environment and relationships being “You can come in without signing up, formed between crocheters of all ages. from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Corte “I am getting to know some older

By Tessa DeLay

Photo courtesy of Sara Jordan

WORKING HARD ON their projects, crocheters focus attentively during the monthly session. people in our community who I wouldn't themselves. know outside of [Crochet Corner]; it “I think [crochet] is a valuable hobby. [helps] connect like-minded people,” Whatever you crochet, you can use. If you McMillan said. crochet a bag, you can use the bag; if you Known to be relaxing, crochet can be a crochet a shirt, you can wear it. It is also great hobby for various reasons including fun and a way to spend your time and it Alzheimer's prevention, anxiety reduction creates community,” McMillan said. and more.

Seeing such success with Crochet “It is beneficial to find something [to Corner at the Corte Madera Library, Jordan do] that is not [using] your phone and is not is working to launch the Crochet Corner school,” Jordan said. “It is fun to work on Club at Redwood alongside classmate something away from screens and social Linnea Koblik. The club will meet every media.”

Thursday during lunch in room 287.

Crocheting can also serve a practical purpose, as many use items they made tdelay@redwoodbark.org

Aviv Shakked volunteers in war-torn Israel

By Taylor Allan

“I had an interesting early October.

I woke up and my father had been up for many hours. He called me in and said, ‘You have to look at this; there’s a kibbutz in Israel that has been attacked,’” junior Aviv Shakked said.

On Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli-Palestine war began with a deadly attack, killing hundreds. The world was shaken. Aviv was one of many people around the world who was shocked and horrified by the violence. He felt called to help, so he asked his parents if he could travel to the Israel-Gaza border over Thanksgiving break.

Aviv’s mother, Sharon Shakked, was understandably shocked when he came to her with this proposition.

“On Oct. 7, we were still trying to understand what was happening. It was so hard to believe. So it was by the eighth that Aviv came to us and said, ‘I want to go. I want to go and I want to help.’

We said, ‘No, love the idea and love the

passion, but not a chance.’ But he really kept pushing,” Sharon said.

Like many Israeli and Palestinian sympathizers, Aviv felt that he couldn’t sit around and wait for others to help struggling citizens. His parents finally relented and Aviv didn't waste any time.

On Nov. 16, he set off on a 10 day trip to help farmers on multiple kibbutzim, selfsufficient communities, attend to dying crops due to the mass deployment of Israeli citizens. “[When I left for the trip], I sought to alleviate a sense of helplessness. I had seen this [attack] happen to a country that I'm very connected to and I was very helpless in a place where I couldn't do anything about it,” Aviv said. “It was trendy [in Marin] to hate on Israel, and I was hearing that all around here. I wanted to be on the opposite end of that spectrum.”

When boarding his flight, Aviv had only a couple of volunteer opportunities scheduled, as well as a couple of family members and friends who would care for him. His goal was simply to get to southern

Photo courtesy of Aviv Shakked

AT A FARM in Netivot, Aviv volunteers by picking oranges to help sustain the kibbutz.

Israel and see how he could help from there.

“It became clear where the needs were: the various fields and kibbutzim throughout the south. We connected with friends and family there to say our son was coming. We asked our family if they could [drive Aviv to the south] and they all said to us, ‘We're not going to the south — that's bonkers.’

[They said], ‘It's not safe there because it's a war zone,’” Sharon said.

But Aviv wasn’t discouraged; he found his way to the south and bravely inserted himself into the warzone.

“When I went to one of the big kibbutzim that got attacked, soldiers would come back from patrols in Gaza to regroup and re-ammo there. So there was a lot of activity. All day, you would hear rockets landing,” Aviv said. “You could tell the difference between Israeli rockets and Hamas rockets. We were about three miles away from where they were bombing Gaza so that we could hear it. But, when [Hamas] bombed us, it was very loud and [the rockets] would go over your head.”

Aviv spent his time doing heavy labor for the next couple of days, picking fruit.

His parents regularly checked his iPhone location to ensure his safety, but one night his father, Orr Shakked, was given a fright.

“It looked like he was in Cairo. I got alarmed because I thought, ‘Gosh, maybe something had happened.’ I tried to contact him, but it was in the middle of the workday, so he was volunteering,” Orr said. “I then recalled reading an article about how, near the border with Gaza, the Israeli military was scrambling the GPS signals in order to protect military operations. That's what happened, because he was so near where the military was in the Gaza strip.”

While Orr was ensuring his son’s safety, Aviv was finally seeing the wartorn south up close. The area was ravaged, with family homes, office buildings and schools destroyed, often graffitied with the perpetrator’s mark of success. Aviv was

Photo courtesy of Aviv Shakked

AVIV DOCUMENTS THE fear and anger within the Israeli public during this five -day march. shocked by the damage and was grateful for the opportunity to help. He wishes others would help in this dire situation.

“I see a lot of rich Jewish parents that could also go [volunteer in Israel] very easily, so I've definitely been encouraging the ones in my life to go,” Aviv said.

“Any problem or complication I had on my trip was because I am a minor. I think [volunteering in Israel] is a very feasible thing. It's not physically challenging, it’s very purposeful, it feels very meaningful and it helps a lot. I definitely encourage it.”

Many people have questioned the Shakked family’s decision to let their 16-year-old son travel so far away during an intense war, but Aviv’s parents raised him to follow his beliefs and passions.

“We raised our kids to feel proud of who they are and to take action,” Sharon said. “We decided that we shouldn’t be surprised when they have those beliefs and want to help. This was a calling for Aviv.” tallan@redwoodbark.org

Page 23 • Lifestyles

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Marcos Ornellas returns to school

bark

The junior athlete makes a miraculous recovery with community support

Once the boys realized the severity of the accident, they quickly sprung into On June 29, 2023, juniors Marcos action, lifting him onto his board and Ornellas, Ryan Denney, Masa Fujita and floating him onto the beach.

Zander Basco began their normal summer “[Ornellas] was really scared. He kept routine: a day full of surfing. However, the saying that he was never going to walk conditions looked bleak at their original again. I was just thinking about a way to destination, Rodeo Beach, so they drove get him to focus on something that would an extra 40 minutes to Bolinas. actually be proficient to do, so I gave him a “Bolinas looked horrible as well, so breathing exercise,” Basco said. we just decided to leave. Then, as we were Ornellas’ mother, Elena Vives, driving back out, I clearly remembers said, ‘We’re already her initial reaction here, we should when receiving the stay.’ We thought call from Denney that we should just “I knew what was that Ornellas was [have] fun [with] being airlifted to it, so we started happening and didn’t Benioff Children’s messing around in Hospital in Oakland. the water,” Ornellas want to accept it. I was just “I just tried to said. stay calm. I was in What seemed waiting for somebody to complete shock,” like harmless fun Vives said. turned out to be a hopefully flip me over.”

Ornellas stayed traumatic turning in the Intensive point in Ornellas’ Care Unit (ICU) for Marcos Ornellas life. nine days before Fujita took a being transferred to wave in and turned Kaiser Permanente around to see Denney swiftly paddling Hospital in Vallejo. towards Ornellas, who wasn’t moving.

“It was really bad in the ICU. The “I thought he was playing dead in the rooms were dark and they put you on drugs water. I looked back and saw that he was to keep you out of it. And when you can’t still face down. I was like, ‘Oh god, what’s move anything, you don’t know if you will happening?’ I paddled over to him as fast be stuck in that state for the rest of your as I could and lifted his face and his lips life. You can’t help but think, ‘Is this a life were purple. He was clearly drowning,” worth living?’” Ornellas said.

Denney said.

Despite his initial reaction, Ornellas’ Ornellas was in pure shock. friends and family could not help but notice “I was floating back up. I was trying his positive attitude and perseverance, no to move and I just couldn’t, but I didn’t matter the circumstances. panic. I knew what was happening and “He was the one keeping everybody didn’t want to accept it. I was just waiting optimistic because he had a lot of hope. He for somebody to hopefully flip me over,” even told the doctors what to do with the Ornellas said. other kids to keep them happy,” Vives said.

By Emma Rosenberg

Photo by Emma Rosenberg

EXCITED TO RETURN to school, Marcos Ornellas walks to his first period class from the back parking lot.

Photo courtesy of Marcos Ornellas

MARCOS ORNELLAS LUNGES to kick the ball in a soccer game, playing for Marin Football Club prior to his injury. “[Ornellas] always asked me to turn the Ornellas said. bed so he could look at the sunset. It made Despite his doctor’s requests, Ornellas him very happy.” has one more goal he would like to During Ornellas’ recovery, he felt complete before his senior year. tremendous support from his family and “I’d love to be able to surf again. It friends, as well as his community. A key would be amazing to have that back,” part of this support was a GoFundMe, Ornellas said. started by Winnie Anderluh, the mother of Since his injury, peers and family have a close friend of Ornellas’, which raised noticed a shift in Ornellas’ way of life. almost $133,000 for Ornellas’ medical “He really appreciates all the little expenses. things in life now. Whether it’s spending “After the GoFundMe, we couldn’t quality time with people or just watching believe it. We were in shock. It really helps the sunset,” Basco said. to see how many people love him and are Looking forward, Ornellas plans on trying to help him. It was amazing,” Vives filling his schedule with physical therapy, said. hanging out with friends and studying. He During his long recovery in the hospital, hopes to one day become a doctor and help Ornellas formed a strong connection others the way his doctors helped him. with his favorite physical therapist, Todd “Even if he gets only a partial recovery, Tanner. he’s gonna go on and become a doctor or “ [ Ta n n e r ] a motivational was the first speaker and person to tell he’s going to me that he do something thought I’d [be extraordinary. able to] walk “We just really want to thank Because that’s again. Every who he is,” day when I the community, everyone who Tanner said. was with him, In dark he was super donated to us and the school. times, the positive and R e d w o o d just such a nice We really felt all of the love.” community guy,” Ornellas showed its Elena Vives said. true colors by After a springing into long-awaited action and five weeks, making sure Ornellas was Ornellas had all discharged from the hospital and ready to the support he needed. begin walking unassisted.

“We just really want to thank the “I just started doing laps around my community, everyone who donated to us bed by myself. Being able to walk to the and the school. We really felt all of the shower, being able to wash and clothe love,” Vives said. myself was huge,” Ornellas said.

Ornellas was finally cleared in January, the first day of the second semester, to come back and take in-person classes at Redwood, following the completion of five months of virtual learning.

“It’s great having him back. It doesn’t seem like anything has changed,” Denney said.

Since Ornellas’ miraculous recovery, he is looking forward to hopefully getting back to playing sports in the near future.

“My goal for recovery is to be able to sprint and be able to do the same sports I To read the extended article, scan the QR was able to do [before.] That doesn’t mean code above. getting [fully] back into it, I just would love to be able to run without fatigue,” erosenberg@redwoodbark.org

By Ava Stephens is a Bay Area father and founder of Play Marin, an organization that works to make extracurriculars and athletics more accessible to underprivileged kids throughout Marin. He made national headlines after his family’s home was valued higher after he replaced his Scan this family photos with images QR code of a white family. to read more.

“We were upset, we were hurt and we felt disregarded as humans for the amount of work that we’ve put in to try and make this American dream come true,” Austin said.

“It’s the historic impact. It was another one of those things that reminded me that I’m still Black in America.”

is a Redwood High School graduate of the Class of 1998, as well as an American civil rights activist, writer, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement and principal of the Black Futures Lab. “[The work Black Lives Matter has done] is for all of us, but it will include making the world more hospitable for black people; one of the things that we can do is to make sure that we keep fighting to be able to tell the truth about who we are, and also stay optimistic about who we can be, and spread that optimism to other people and not be distracted by the fearmongering that is going on right now, that tells Scan this QR us that acknowledging what code to read we’ve been through, and what more. we’ve done to each other, is actually the harm.”

was born in 1921 in Detroit but moved to Oakland as a young child. During World War II, she worked as a clerk for the all-Black Boilermakers Union A-36. She then became a field representative for her California State Assemblywomen, which led to her key involvement in creating a memorial park honoring the efforts of women on the home front. These efforts materialized in 2000 with the National Historical Rosie the Riveter Park in Richmond. Soskin recalled advocating for the representation of the impact of African American women on the home front while working in a still-segregated environment. “[I] was the only person in the room who had any reason to remember [our contributions]. What gets remembered is a function of who’s in the room doing the remembering,” said Soskin to The New York Times.

was born in Oakland in 1915. He ran track in college and eventually transferred to UC Berkeley, where he also studied mechanical engineering. Williams qualified for the 1936 Olympics, winning gold in the 400-meter race. After an injury ended his running career, Williams’ strong work ethic led him to become a pilot, specifically an aviation meteorological cadet in World War II. Later, he became a lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force before retiring in 1964.

Williams then began teaching mathematics and computers in 1966 at the formerly named Sir Francis Drake High School where he taught for 21 years, leading the school to rename itself Archie Williams High School in honor of his excellence in 2021. astephens@redwoodbark.org