Feb 2018(5)

Redwood Bark

Volume LX, No. 5 • February 9, 2018 • Larkspur, CA

Celebrating 60 years of Redwood and the BARK.

Illustration by Max Gilberg

Editors in Chief Anne Pritikin Daniela Schwartz Shannon Donelan China Granger

Spanish Editor Bea Cazares Business Manager Sylvana Perczek

​Copy Editors Christine Watridge Social Media (Head Copy Manager/ Editor) Snapshot Editor Melissa Block Jocelyn Overmyer Natalie Cerf Caroline Art Consultant Cummings Max Gilberg Tilly Friedlander Sabine Lloyd Senior Staff Maggie Smith News Editors Neva Legallet Survey Manager Saamya Alexandra Lee Mungamuru Reporters Opinion Editors Josh Cohen Vera Palczynski Nate Charles Emily Sweet Jack Green Hannah Halford Feature Editors Lucie James Jericho Rajninger Maxim Lily Baldwin Kawashima Jacob Klionsky Sports Editors Natalia Lazor Anna Compagno Vincent Leo Sam Warren Alexander Lieberman Review Editors Charlotte Seton Jordan Overmyer Amanda Morse Julia Jacoby Devon McClain Matthew Lifestyles Editors Mulcahey Sydney Hillbush Sachi Nahas Carolyn French Julia Scharf Jack Parsons Adviser Erin Schneider

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Fashion over the decades redwood high school

395 doherty dr., larkspur, ca 94939

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Alum basketball legacy

volume LX, no. 5

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1959 grad, Woody’s owner

February 9, 2018

redwoodbark.org

The first five years of Redwood Bark news

Afterwards, the student would ride the team bus and hit the slopes in Yosemite. Although the club wasn’t officially recognized by Redwood High School, they still took part in many competitive events, including San Rafael Sporting Goods Championships at Heavenly Valley, MCAL competitions, and Redwood’s own race held at Squaw Valley in March of 1961.

By Sachi Nahas The Redwood Bark is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2018. In honor of past news stories, we have chosen eight of some of the most dramatic and important news pieces from the first five years of Bark News.

News Story #1: October 1958, Student Publications, Log and Bark, are assured by vigorous support

Built around a core Advanced Journalism class, the first ever Log and Bark staff surfaced eagerly, hoping to become involved in the school. The first class as a whole worked on publishing Redwood’s first newspaper and yearbook. During this time, over 100 students gathered together, spending time in and out of school working as staff members of the Bark and the Log. While a handful of students were in charge of picture identification for yearbook photos, others were responsible for selling yearbooks around school and helping out with reporting and writing juicy news stories for the Bark.

News Story #2: October 1958, Bond Issue Fails, Crowds to Stay?

When the Tamalpais Union High School District school bond issue didn’t pass on a Tuesday in 1958, chaos broke out amongst students at Redwood. A school bond is generally issued by a local government, used to invest in and finance supplies and updates for school purposes.

From this time in history and all the way until 2001, schools needed a majority of two-thirds to approve local bond measures from the district board. Unfortunately in 1958, the Tamalpais Union did not receive consent by representatives from local authority to approve the bond, dramatically affecting Redwood students.

“Freshman probably will be forced to continue sharing lockers; the halls will continue to resemble the morning commuter traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge; and Ruby Redwoodite will continue to drop her hot dog because she was bumped in the canteen line up,” a student reporter said.

As Redwood requested a $3 million bond, student capacity could have increased from its previous enrollment of 1,450 kids, which was already 200 students over the maximum capacity, to 2,400. Additionally, the school would have gained $1.9 million in order to follow through with their requests. Along with the increase of students, two new academic wings and an enlargement of the library would have been built as an improvement to the canteen and an expansion of the crowded parking lot. Students continually questioned the decision, all agreeing that the old cafeteria needed remodeling, the science rooms should be rebuilt to be up-to-par with lights and adequate sizing and new outdoor P.E. facilities should have been installed.

News Story #3: 1960, Time Change to Start Soon Attending Redwood for the fall semester of the 1960 school year, Redwood students returned with an earlier starting time for their first period of school. Through a new schedule change, school began 25 minutes earlier than the previous semesters. The 25-minute earlier arrival time allowed for a scheduled break in the early morning and additionally a welcome 15-minute earlier dismissal in the afternoon.

This new time schedule was planned to begin during second semester since students with a pre-period would have to come even earlier to school. These students would have to come earlier since regular school starts earlier, pushing their pre-period an hour before the earlier starting time. Luckily, the students with a pre-period schedule had time to try to change their schedules so they

Photo from Bark 1958

HANGING UP COPIES of the Redwood Bark, staff members display their hard work. could come to school at the new time, though it was hard to do without disturbing their present schedule.

News Story #4: 1960, Student Leader Gathering Held on Redwood Campus On Saturday, Nov. 19, 1960, the second annual Student Leaders Conference was held at Redwood. Suggested by Inter-School Relations Association, this Student Leaders Conference was held with an intent to improve the relations of Marin high schools. Prior to this meeting, the first conference occurred at Novato High School, which served as a first run. After the first meeting, it became clear to the conference leaders that the meeting was a great aid for specific schools who had problems with school activities. Six of the seven schools in the Marin Athletic League (Drake, San Rafael, Novato, Tamalpais, Marin Catholic, Redwood) all showed interest in attending the conference. But the seventh school, Terra Linda, being brand new, wasn’t able to attend until further meetings.

Seven successful workshops were presented within hourand-a-half sessions. The workshops included finance, public relations, judicial and student control, constitution, rallies and assemblies, newspaper, shop and yearbook.

Additionally, the presidents of the respected student bodies joined together to run their own separate workshop. Each representative from the Tam district schools presented their school’s own individual ideas and opinions regarding the topics at hand.

News Story #5: December 1960, Giants to Perform in Xmas Program “Exclusively for the pleasure of Redwood students and faculty is a ‘spectacular’ rally to be presented by the program committee,” said a student reporter.

During the winter break of 1960, Redwood Giants made sure to get into the holiday spirit. As it was a new year for Redwood’s Christmas programs, the evening of Dec. 15 was set as a provisional date for a variety show and music presentation in the main gym. The vice president of the student body served as the so-called “Master of Ceremonies” for the planned 30 minutes of performances from talented Redwoodites. Ranging from skits to songs, many Redwood students entertained the crowd as crewmen sung folksongs and ballads. Student musicians accompanied each other’s voices as trios presented their new songs. A two-person skit of “Frosty, the Snowman” was performed in front of the school. After the first 30-minute half came to an end, Redwood’s Glee Club and Chorus belted out their new songs as the orchestra played Christmas music in the background.

News Story #6: Redwood’s Ski Clubbers Invade Nature’s Slopes, December 1960 On their first of four scheduled ski trips, Redwood’s Ski Club headed for the chilly hills of Yosemite during the winter sport season. Regardless of skiing ability or experience, any student eager to hit the slopes was eligible to sign up for their winter trips. Although the club members retained priority of the 38 seats on the Greyhound bus, the club planned on taking treks to Yosemite, Echo Summit, Donner Summit and Squaw Valley.

“The Club president has initiated a ‘pay-as-you-go’ policy, which ‘eliminated financial errors,’ whereby a skier deposits the total cost of the trip ($22 to $30) with his sign up. The prospective schusser then attends three of four dry land ski lessons [before going to the snow], which develop Photo from Bark 1960 both physical and safety skills, and agrees to abide by a RUSHING DOWN THE stairs, crowded conditions Ski Club Code of Ethics before climbing onto the bus,” said a student reporter. force students to cram together in the busy hallways.

News Story #7: April 1961, Redwood P.T.A. Presents Summer Fashions Parade Sponsored by the Parent Teacher Association, “Melody in Fashion,” Redwood’s annual spring fashion show, brought the warm feeling of spring-like weather into the Redwood gym. As the theme revolved around spring and summer, teen fashions, corresponding to the seasons, were shown by the H. Liebes Department Store of San Francisco. Two head members from The Mannequin League of Marin chose the chosen Redwood girls to model. “From 175 attractive girls, the league members had to select 20. Sixty-five of the girls who tried out were from the freshman class,” a student reporter said. All proceeds from the show went to providing robes for the Redwood choir.

Photo from Bark 1960

DEMONSTRATING A SKIING move, an enthusiastic member of the Ski Club is surrounded by admirers.

News Story #8: December 1961, Student Participation Proves Disappointing As student participation in school activities decreased in the year of 1961, Jeff Dippel (Head of Finance Committee) and his Finance Committee of Redwood experienced some problems while developing Redwood’s budget. Since the whole committee was built upon a certain budget, each student organization was supposed to give an estimate of how much money they needed for the year. Thereafter, the finance committee estimated the total budget and how much they would eventually gain from each organization. Since student participation in school wide events continued to decrease, the estimates of the receipts ended up being too pricey. Student body cards (purchasing an ASB sticker on student ID, in order to receive discount on school events) were bought by less than half of the student body, attendance at the football games was very low (according to proceeds from the games), and Redwood dances had poor turnouts as well.

Looking back at Redwood’s past, it’s evident that there are both similarities and differences to how the school is now. The crowded halls and enthusiastic skiers represent some of Redwood’s long-established characteristics.

However, other aspects, such as student spirit, have come a long way. Although student spirit wasn’t very uplifting in 1961, Redwood students managed to pick it up throughout the years. We look back at 1961—and other prior years— as a reminder to current students that together everyone at Redwood is a family, and as a family we believe in one another and strive for our school. Together we are Giant!

snahas@redwoodbark.org

WAITING OUTSIDE THE anticipate the 10:30 a.m. bell.

gym,

Photo from Bark 1960

underclassmen

bark

Page 2 • News

February 9, 2018

Photo Survey

What is your opinion on a potential double block schedule next year?

“I would rather keep the “I like the idea of only a few schedule because I wouldn’t classes a day since we would want hour-and-a-half classes.” have less homework.”

Jay McConnell freshman

Cassidy Fragakis sophomore

“Ehh let’s not do that.”

“Classes like math, music and art will become less productive.”

Devon Caron

Jane Burke

junior

senior

Students connect through Breaking Down the Walls workshop

By Matthew Mulcahy On Tuesday, Jan. 22, Link Crew hosted the Breaking Down the Walls workshop for a select group of students who were nominated by their advisory teachers for demonstrating leadership potential.

The workshop was led by youth speaker Freddie Silveria, a representative from the Learning for Living organization.

The organization leads workshops and assemblies on school campuses across the country to cultivate interactive communities through supportive interpersonal relationships amongst student bodies.

Approximately 100 students attended the workshop, which spanned the entire school day.

Link Crew teacher leaders Erik Berkowitz and Katie Slattery wanted the event to impact students in a way that would influence them to be comfortable starting relationships with new faces in their advisory classes and, more importantly, in their everyday lives.

Silveira noted that the goal of Breaking Down the Walls is to cultivate a safe social climate where all students can interact to build a thriving community.

“Ultimately, it’s how do we take what we’ve learned from this experience and then influence the rest of the campus on how to be a better place,” Silveira said.

During the workshop, Principal David Sondheim made a brief appearance to answer questions from the participating students.

“It’s critical that we respect one another, it’s critical we learn from one another, to understand our own biases, our own prejudices, our own assumptions, that

make it hard for us to be interdependent,” Sondheim said. “I think at the core of it, it comes down to us as individual people, so if I don’t understand you or you don’t understand me, the rest of it becomes, at best, a dicey proposition.”

Overall, students reacted positively to the event. Junior Link Crew leader Nicole Notter said that she was initially unmotivated to be a student leader for the workshop. However, she noted that the workshop ended up being a fun and impactful experience.

“I didn’t realize how much I assumed things about other people,” Notter said.

“It really opened my eyes to what people experience and go through.”

Notter said that her favorite event from the workshop was a game called “Cross The Line,” where students would step forward if a certain statement applied to them and stay behind the line if it didn’t or if they wished not to answer. Whereas some statements were lighthearted, many revolved around sensitive subjects such as abuse, mental health, loss and insecurity.

Several students let their guard down and crossed the line when asked to identify with difficult statements.

Freshman Ishaan Pomichter enjoyed meeting new people and hearing their stories through the workshop. “[Going forward], I’m going to try and expand my friend group because I am always hanging out with the same people,” Promitcher said. “I’m meeting new people, and a lot of the people I have met I wouldn’t talk to normally.”

Sophomore Juliana McKenna transferred to Redwood last school year.

McKenna acknowledged how the social

Photo by Matthew Mulcahy

ASSEMBLED IN SMALL breakout groups, students at the Breaking Down the Walls Workshop play a team building game. climate at Redwood makes it challenging is not an easy way to do that,” Berkowitz said. “And sometimes you actually need to start friendships.

“Being in the [Redwood] community, forced situations in order to meet someone there are a lot of circles and a lot of cliques. new. If you are open to it, you might end I’m a transfer student from last year, so it’s up meeting one of your best friends or at hard getting into the cliques,” McKenna least someone that you can rely on in the future.” said.

Slattery stated that another workshop McKenna noted that the workshop’s games and activities were a surprise to her, opportunity may be available for students as she originally thought the workshop was in the future depending on the responses from students who took a survey after the going to run like a seminar.

Berkowitz hopes that this experience workshop. will foster interpersonal connections between students who may have never met each other without a structured opportunity.

“My sense is that there is a yearning for students to meet new people and yet there mmulcahy@redwoodbark.org

Underclassmen entrepreneurs devise homework planning app

By Sabine Lloyd

Freshman Bennett Somerville and sophomore Ethan Davis met with Congressman Jared Huffman on Jan. 24 to celebrate the success of their recently developed homework-planning app, “abcPlan.” Huffman attended the Winter Rally on Feb. 1 to announce their achievement.

The app won the Congressional App Challenge in California’s second district, a competition that hosted over 4,100 participants from across the nation, ultimately naming winners from each of the 190 Congressional districts.

The work paid off not only for Somerville and Davis, but also for the whole community, including students who use the app to enhance their organization.

“AbcPlan is a homework-planning app that is designed

Photo courtesy of Micaela Wilcox

HONORING ETHAN DAVIS and Bennett Somerville, Congressman Jared Huffman announces the success of their homework-planning app at the winter rally.

for students. It is this really simple app that allows students to keep track of all their assignments in one place,” Davis said.

Davis, who is in AP Computer Science, learned about the contest from his teacher, David Goldsmith, who recognized Davis’s dedication and strong work ethic. “[Ethan has] always been pretty motivated. He’s been pretty good at coding from the get-go. He likes doing things above and beyond the regular routine or doing things just a little bit differently,” Goldsmith said.

Somerville, however, is not a Programming student but is self-taught, and found out about the challenge through the RHS Hacks Club—a newly developed club that serves as a platform for programmers to discuss their latest endeavors. Despite not being in the same course, Davis and Somerville have been programming together for approximately four years, as they became friends when Somerville’s brother, Karl, introduced them Somerville and Davis developed the app in about five days, using coding languages including HTML, CSS, front-end JavaScript and Node.js.

Somerville believes that what distinguishes abcPlan from other homework-tracking apps is its straightforward interface.

“The main point is that other apps are very complex and they take a while to set up. You have to enter all your classes, you have to enter what time they are. Often, they aren’t simple enough,” Somerville said.

The app is on the web and can be accessed free of charge at abcPlan.me. Anyone can sign on with their Google account and use the program. Once signed in, there is a plus button where assignments can be added.

Then, the assignment name, course, notes and due date

can be entered. Additionally, assignments can be edited, completed or deleted.

In terms of future developments, Somerville and Davis are brainstorming ways to improve their design and further enhance the organization of abcPlan.

Smarter features, including a gauge on the amount of time homework takes to complete, are being considered at the moment, according to Davis.

“The idea would be, once you’re finished with homework, you tell [the app] how long it took, every once in a while. Over time, it can kind of figure out how long homework is expected to take you,” Davis said.

The app will also become mobile, making it easier for peers to access on their phones and more convenient to use at school, according to Somerville.

Both Davis and Somerville plan to continue crafting new services that could reach the Redwood community and beyond.

“In the very large scheme of things, computer science is a path that I really want to take in my future and I want to do something powerful with it,” Somerville said.

The fledgling programmers aren’t the only ones who support the swelling of the technological milieu.

Goldsmith similarly believes that innovative ideas and thinkers are pivotal constituents that account for success.

“It is important to have people that think outside the box, that are creative, try things that they wouldn’t normally do, try things that people say won’t work, try them anyway, do things that sometimes people say ‘don’t do.’ That’s how new discoveries are made,” Goldsmith said.

slloyd@redwoodbark.org

bark Recent mudslides impact members of Redwood community Page 3 • News

www.redwoodbark.org

By Lucie James After extreme fires ravaged Southern California during the month of December, Santa Barbara was hit once again, this time with a mudslide.

On Tuesday, Jan. 10, over 20 people were killed by the devastating mudslide.

The slide took place in the Montecito area, damaging homes, buildings and roads.

Many places are still inaccessible.

Senior Isabella Karmen left her family’s second house in Santa Barbara two days before the mudslide took place. Her house was one of many that suffered from the mudslide; her garage door was torn off and a nearby creek overflowed onto their property “All the debris left on the mountain from the fire just completely collected into this huge mudslide that came down the

mountain. There were boulders coming down and all this mud and it hit a lot of the houses hard,” Karmen said.

Karmen’s grandparents, who live in the area, have been updating her family on the state of their home.

“Property damage always kind of sucks, but I’m just glad that a lot of our friends and family are safe,” Karmen said. “Especially since once you’re in the mud, it’s so heavy that it just compacts you down and you suffocate even though you’re above it.”

Karmen’s mother visited the family’s home this past week and when Karmen spoke to her, she was surprised to hear how supportive the community has been.

“Even though there was this disaster, it really brought the community together. All the neighbors have been helping each other and making sure everyone is alright. While it’s sad, I think it will result in a closer-knit

community in Montecito,” Karmen said.

In addition to the residential areas of Santa Barbara, other communities have been impacted, some of which include both Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) and University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB).

Alumnus Caitlyn Reed, who graduated from Redwood in 2017 and is currently attending SBCC, had to evacuate when her school was shut down due to the slides.

Although the campus was not affected, the school’s final exams were postponed as a result of the recent natural disasters.

Reed has been made more aware of how natural disasters can affect a community.

“It sombers you a little bit. It makes you realize how powerful nature is and how we bend to its will,” Reed said.

Callie Monroe Watts, who graduated

from Redwood in 2016 and is currently a sophomore at UCSB, also had to evacuate due to the recent natural disasters.

Although Monroe Watts has returned to school, the destruction from the mudslides is extensive and she is unsure of what to expect after the Montecito area is cleaned up.

“It’s really scary and really sad because Montecito is so pretty and so close to us and we have been around there and know how devastating [the mudslide] is to the area,” Monroe Watts said. “The fires were really upsetting, but the mudslides actually killed more people, so it’s really upsetting to hear especially when you’re in school and trying to carry on while this is all happening.”

ljames@redwoodbark.org

Photo courtesy of Pam Free

CRUSHED BY THE mudslides, the garage of senior Isabella Karmen’s family home suffered damage in the devastating mudslides, which killed over a dozen people.

Ross Valley Charter School stirs up controversy among local residents

By Nate Charles Although Proposition 39 has been in effect in California for almost 15 years, controversy has just begun to spill over in Marin. The purpose of the proposition is to reduce the percentage of votes needed by a school board to pass bond measures, but it also states that public schools have to share classrooms with neighboring charter schools if space is requested.

That second part of the plan is now starting to come into question, as the Ross Valley Charter School (RVC) has moved into nine classrooms at its adjacent public contemporary, White Hill Middle School According to Darren Smith, a Mill Valley public school teacher and member of STAND (a grassroots organization that opposes RVC), some local parents and school officials are worried about possible overcrowding, among other issues.

“I think the people behind the Ross Valley Charter School have really good intentions, but we’re already seeing negative impacts that are very tangible and real,” Smith said. “It has really caused an impact at White Hill.

People are crowded and teachers have no place to go collect their thoughts.”

With 20 years of teaching experience, Smith is very passionate about the subject of public schooling and sees charter schools as a roadblock to higher education.

“Charter schools, in general, have become a tool by which public education is dismantled,” Smith said. “Public schools are going to be strongest when you have more people invested and more people working to a common goal to be the best they can be.”

Angela Barker, a member of STAND and mother of junior Adam Barker, said that conditions at White Hill have become dire due to RVC’s presence.

“It’s a disaster for White Hill,” Barker said. “They’ve taken over half of the sixth-grade building.”

On Jan. 2, charter board Chairwoman Sharon Sagar released a letter following RVC’s rejected enrollment projections, which were meant to outline how much space would need to be allocated for RVC. RVC and the Ross Valley School District must come to an agreement about allocating space for the charter before April 1, when the

Photo by Nate Charles

DISPLAYING A SIGN supporting public schools, a car parks outside White Hill. district makes its final decision.

“There are too many steps that have to happen before then,” Sagar said in the letter. “The district’s objections are not reasonable or substantiated, nor are they consistent with the express provisions, purpose and intent of Proposition 39.”

Smith said the addition of RVC students to White Hill facilities deeply affects the entire school, from students to teachers, and said that teachers might seek work elsewhere if working conditions don’t improve from their current state.

“The teachers feel it more than the students,” Smith said. “Personally, I’m more concerned we’re going to see teachers leaving.”

Sagar also spoke at a meeting on Jan. 9 to address some of the major questions surrounding the charter.

She stated that while RVC originally wanted to open in the district’s Red Hill building in San Anselmo or other possible undisclosed locations, those requests were turned down.

“We didn’t ask to be on this campus,” Sagar said. “We had no other option, so we just decided to open and to make the best of it.”

All in-school problems set aside, Smith also sees this situation having adverse effects outside campus grounds.

“Long term, it’s a drain on financial resources and

something we’re going to have to negotiate every year,” Smith said.

Sagar also penned a letter on Dec. 8 in response to the district’s anger over space allocations, stating the charter had a “simple solution.” She proposed adding another classroom onto the existing eight being shared with RVC, a request that was ultimately accepted. In addition, Sagar pointed out future legal battles as unnecessary and avoidable.

“RVC would rather spend its money on students and our educational program than on lawyers, and we imagine RVSD would prefer that as well,” Sagar said in the letter.

“With that goal in mind, RVC proposes a simple solution that we believe is in the best interests of both parties, and we’d like to meet with you to discuss this or other solutions.”

Regarding possible solutions to the current dilemma, Smith explained that it won’t be a simple patch job.

“It’s sad to say this, but I feel like when they decided to file for Prop. 39 and force the district to give them space, that was kind of the nuclear option,” Smith said. “You can’t drop a bomb like that and then expect there to be a conversation.”

Barker said that STAND has tried to alleviate some of the strains caused by the situation through different means, but have been unsuccessful.

“They don’t have the community support. We had a petition stating we are against the charter get 1,500 signatures and go to the State Board of Education,” Barker said. “We’ve even personally gone seven, eight times to the Board of Education to make public statements and they’re not responsive.”

STAND remains committed to combating RVC’s presence in Fairfax, and Smith affirmed that their work isn’t done.

“There’s no place for a charter in this school district and we’re not just going to accept it as something that has to be,” Smith said.

ncharles@redwoodbark.org

February 9, 2018 bark Page 4 • News Iron Chef competition brings farm fresh, fermented foods

By Jordan Overmyer The words “Let the Iron Chef begin,” echoed through room 120 during fourth period as Sustainable Agriculture teacher Joe Stewart announced the start of the third cook-off competition of the year on Jan. 31.

Like the popular Food Network TV show Iron Chef, participating students are split into teams and given guidelines, a theme and a time limit to produce an original and tasty dish hoping to impress the judges in order for them to be titled “Iron Chef winners.”

The level of competitiveness matches the original Iron Chef as students use their creativity in an attempt to outshine the other groups, according to senior Emerson Cole.

“I think you only get a few extra credit points if you win but it’s still a bragging rights thing if you can say you made the best food, so people get really into it,” Cole said.

Each team is evaluated in four categories: taste, presentation, sustainability and general safety and clean up. Olivia Carrel, But for the the senior first time since Stewart began these competitions in 2014, the class took on a new theme: fermentation.

The students chopped up vegetables and placed them in a jar with brine (a mixture of salt and water) as part of the fermentation unit they studied. The process

of fermentation draws out the juices of the vegetables and creates foods that are more flavorful and nutritious, according to Stewart.

“It adds another layer of fun and makes more connections for us, because last week we fermented and so this week we get to use the fermentation,” Stewart said.

The class attempted to answer the question of how creative they could get with fermented food using a variety of items. From pot pies to spring rolls to homemade sourdough bread, the dishes made it difficult for judge Stewart and guest judges Erik Berkowitz and Emily LaTourrette to decide who won.

Initially, Cole was uncertain about how she would integrate the fermented foods into her dish.

“I think it was interesting because I feel like fermented foods are their own food and you don’t really need to cook with them and so it was kind of hard to come up with an idea,” Cole said.

The challenge didn’t phase Cole’s group as they prepared spring rolls with tofu, zucchini, kale, fermented carrots and radishes. Senior Cooper McClay, Cole’s teammate, originally had the idea to make spring rolls.

“Luke Zlatunich called me the night before when he was at Safeway and explained that we were going to make lettuce wraps but use kale instead. I looked in the pantry to see if I had anything to use and I saw the spring roll wraps in there and knew that was what we should make,” McClay said.

Competing against Cole and McClay’s

Getting to make our own pickles and bread was pretty awesome.

Photo by Jordan Overmyer

CHOPPING BELL PEPPERS and cilantro, teammates Luke Zlatunich, Lauren Bell and Audrey Peck prepare ingredients for their spring rolls.

group, another group made a grilled cheese with a side salad featuring fermented pickles. Senior Anna Kaufman spent the previous day making her own sourdough bread using fermentation methods. Senior Olivia Carrel initially had the same thought process as Cole.

“I didn’t really understand [fermenting foods] before we started, but getting to actually ferment it and getting to make our own pickles and bread was pretty awesome,” Carrel said.

Stewart was impressed by all the dishes created.

“I thought they were great. There were a lot of good signs of planning that the teams did that went into [the competition] and talking about what was necessary to bring in ingredient-wise,” Stewart said.

After tasting each dish the judges

deliberated, but were unable to come up with a singular winner. The spring rolls and homemade bread were crowned the winners of this year’s Iron Chef competition.

“There was homemade bread, where they actually did a fermented sourdough, and they did a really nice job with some kale that they picked from the farm 30 minutes earlier,” Stewart said.

Stewart was also impressed with the elements in the winning spring rolls.

“The other group did an interesting spring roll, which was unique, where they sauteed some of their fermented stuff and also included some kale and cilantro from the farm,” Stewart said.

jordan.overmyer@redwoodbark.org

Bark Patrons The Abbott Family The Abbott Family Stacy Achuck The Agenbroad Family The Alden Family The Allen Family The Callaway Allen Family The Ames/Bouton Family Susan and Mark Anderson The Anderson Family Anonymous (2) The Ashworth Family The Ayres Family The Bailitz Family The Baldwin Family Jeff and Catherine Barcy Cammi Bell Brad and Stephanie Bennett Joanna Berman Mandel Lisa Bernardi The Bialek Santas Family Lauren and Ella Blazei Loren and Howard Block The Bludau Family The Blum Family The Blum Family The Bober Family Colleen Bourke Benjamin and Mari Bowler Kathleen and Bill Brady The Brady Family The Brown Family Linda Brune The Bucklar Family The Buechner/ Whitt Family The Burgert Family Carrie and Jim Burroughs Kristina and Steve Campondonico The Carlson Family Liliana Carolina Naficy-Royal and Kenneth Eugene Royal The Chou Family The Christman Family Bruce and Robyn Cohen David and Rebecca Conant The Conner Family The Conrow Familiy The Conti Family

Deb and Kevin Cook The Corn Family Beth and Chris Cummings Jeff and Kari Cusack The Cusick Family Robyn & David Dabora The Dahlin Family The Dalzell-Piper Family Gina Deangelis The Desin Family The Diener Family The Doctor Family The Donelan Family Doreen and Brian Donnelly Family Laurie and Scott Dubin Roxane Polidora and Ed Duckers The Elliot-Diab Family Naz and Brian Erickson The Sparler Family The Nolan Family The Fargo Family Violich Farms The Felder Family The Fitzgerald-Davidson Family The Fogarty Family Shane Fricke The Fuches Family Conrad Gann Eva Geitheim The Gibbs Family Jennifer and Michael Ginsburg Elon Ginzburg The Goray Family Brendhan and Katherine Green Lynn and John Green Jennifer and Michael Green The Gullen Family The Gustafson Family Catherine Guthrie The Hackett Family Dominique and Heil Halilej The Hanssen Family Jan and Annabel Heinemann The Henderson Family The Herron Family The Hettleman Family The Hilbush Family Caren and Bill Horstmeyer

The Jacks Family Jim and Tami Jackson The James Family The Jeffry Family Cat and Dillon Jensen The Jessen Family Jill and Tyler Johnson Lee and Jeff Johnson The Johnson Family Sylvia Jones The Kaga-McLay Family Nina Katz and Mike Fuller The Kawamura & Foley Family Rebecca and Jascha Kaykas-Wolfe The Kempler Family John and Frances Kernan The Kim Family The Kimball Family The Klein Family The Klionsky Family Jill and Larry Knott Paul and Esther Kulhanjian The LaCarrubba Family David and Melissa Lee The Lee Family The Lefferts Family The Leo Family The Leslie Family Carolyn and Michael Lewis The Lewis Family Midori Liu and Bret Lama The Lloyd Family The Loebbaka Family The Loo Family The Malek Family Alice and Bob Marks The Marlowe Family Larissa Graff and Mike Marrero Kerianne and Christopher McBride Kevin McGee &Kathleen Hamon Bobby McInerney The McKenchnie Family Wendy and William McKinley The Mellberg Family Michael Metzner The Middleton Family The Minami Family The Morken Family

Kathleen Morse The Mulcahy Family The Muller Family The Neustaetter Family Jennifer Newbury Timothy and Julia Noble The Nolan Family Mark and Donna Norstad The Notter Family The Overmyer Family Barbara and William Owens The Parker Family The Parsons Family Sabina Patterson The Perczek Family The Perry Family The Peterson Family The Pfeiffer Family Steve Pigott The Pole Family The Pritikin Family The Pritzker Family The Rajninger Family Christine S. Ramos Manny Ramos and Robin Synder The Rankin-Williams Family The Ratcliffe Family Dan and Jen Reidy The Renney Family Michele and Tim Richards The Riggins Family The Robinow Family The Rocha Family Frank J. Rollo The Rosenberg Family Allison & Andy Ross The Scharf Family The Searles Family Chris and Corinne Seton The Silberman Family Victoria Silverman The Sinatra Family The Skerrett Family The Smalbach Family Louis Smith D.J. and T.T. Solomon David A. and Patti Stadlin Robin Steele & Dominc

Spaethling The Steele Family Jill and Seth Steinberg The Stock Family Paul and Paula Strand The Strotz Family The Sweet Family Patricia and Robert Taitz The Tantum Family The Tede Family Greg and Heidi Thomson Julie and Jeff Thomson The Three Larrys Marylou Tierney The Tippo Family TJ’s Gym Richard and Sophia Tong Tara Trask Kim Tully-Sutton The Van Hooser Family Sellers Van Pruissen Done Buder and Cheryl Vohland Philip and Kris Wade The Towns Wagner Family The Wagner Family The Wait Family Héléne and Jason Walters Jim Granger and Yu-Ling Wang Jordan Warren The Watkins Family Peter and Linka Watridge Dr. Jenniffer Watters The Welch Family The Wentworth Family The Whelpley Family Michelle Wilcox Isolde and Aleck Wilson The Wood Family The Yoslov Family The Zeitz Family The Zesiger Family The Zlatunich Family The Zlot Family

To support the Bark, visit www.redwoodbark.org

Opinion page 5

I, Emma Flop: advice from the 1950s to 2018 The first edition of the Bark, published in 1958, includes an advice column titled, “I, Emma Flop.” In honor of the Bark’s 60th anniversary, the advice column has been reinstated. Students submitted anonymous questions, some serious and some less so, to be answered with satirical advice.

Advice from 1958 Q: Dear I, Emma Flop There’s a real cute mouse in my biology class. I try to get her attention and be extra polite, but she doesn’t know I’m alive. How can I get her to nibble at my bait without thinking that I’m a rat?

A: Keep your nose to the grindstone, and you won’t get your tail caught in a trap.

Q: Dear Emma, My girlfriend lost her voice for two weeks, and it was wonderful! She is usually yelling and screaming at me. Now she has her voice back, and it is just as loud as ever. What should I do?

A: Have you tried earplugs?

Q: Dear Emma, I date a fellow who has safety belts in his car. The problem is this. I don’t know if it is proper to strap myself in near the door (far away from him) or should I sit close to him and forget about the straps?

A: Safety belts are for your own protection.

If you want to be safe, strap yourself in. If you want to be sociable, sit near him and take your chances.

Q: Dear I Emma Flop, I am madly in love with two boys who have both asked me to go steady, and I don’t know which one to accept. What shall I do?

A: Flip a coin.

---------------------------Advice from 2018

Q: What do I do if a boy likes me, and I know it, but I don’t like him?

A: Pull a Cher and send yourself flowers and chocolates to make it seem like you’re taken. He’ll be Clueless.

Q: It’s been four years and the parking situation still sucks. When will it change?

A: When the Doomsday Clock strikes midnight, then is whence the parking shall be simple.

Q: What are some places in which you find hope for the future, despite the present turmoil? Do you fear what lies ahead?

A: You sound stressed. One place I find hope is in every episode of “The Office” ever made. I fear nothing so long as the world still has Stanley Hudson.

Q: Tips on how not to cave into peer pressure?

A: Put yourself in a literal cave. They can’t get you there. bark@redwoodbark.org

The fight for Civil Rights:

We’ve come far but barely begun

By Jericho Rajninger

But according to the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation, Blacks are over 21 times more likely than Whites to be incarcerated in federal prison for crack offenses.

This imbalance in the criminal justice system is simply another way society maintains the second-class status of Blacks at the will of an inherently flawed justice system.

Slavery, unrecognizably altered.

But stopping at incarceration isn’t enough. No, it’s what happens, or rather what doesn’t happen, during and after incarceration that is detrimental to the advancement of racial equality in this country.

Education—including vocational training, literacy programs, English as a Second Language classes and other courses—is a crucial step in a prisoner’s reentry into society and future success, especially because lack of schooling is often correlated to incarceration in the first place. Those without a high school diploma are 47 times more likely to be incarcerated than peers with a college degree, according to GenFKD. Education is the answer. According to RAND, inmates who receive correctional educational programs are 43 percent less likely to recidivate. But, instead of supporting instruction, California decided to cut funding for prison education programs by 30 percent in 2009. It’s as if the government went out of its way to ensure the protraction of mass incarceration.

Even when educational opportunities are available, the financial burden almost always falls on the inmate.

With the exception of President Obama’s project to extend Pell Grant (a government subsidy for college) eligibility to 12,000 prisoners, if inmates wish to learn, they must pay. Considering the strained financial situations of many prisoners, learning seldom transpires.

If quality education is a way out of the criminal justice system, we have sealed the exits.

And for those who manage to break free, a criminal record remains a significant barrier to employment.

Employers often run background checks on potential employees and, not surprisingly, studies by the American Journal of Sociology in 2003 found that a criminal record reduces chances of employment by an average of 50 percent. Since then, an international campaign known as “ban the box” has worked to remove the check box on job applications forcing candidates to provide criminal history. The “ban the box” movement has gained traction in 30 states and about 150 cities and counties, but according to the National Employment Law Project, 20 of those states and 135 of those cities extend these laws only to employees of the public sector.

The public sector makes up just 15 percent of the total workforce.

Institutional subjugation of Blacks has persisted through multiple passages of legislation, decades of government action, and years of failed intervention. So you don’t really have to picture 1958 America; we’re still in it.

Picture 1958 America: Blacks have not yet been granted the civil liberties enjoyed by Whites; many establishments, including public ones, segregate Whites and non-Whites; Blacks don’t hold the right to vote; and separate is equal. The civil rights movement is in its infancy.

Fast forward 60 years and the movement is now seen as a struggle of the past. And rightfully so. After all, it is 2018: the rights outlined in the Constitution and its amendments have reached all free citizens, assuming you don’t live in a U.S. territory; the Civil Rights Act of 1964 has officially outlawed traditional segregation; and separate has been deemed unequal. There’s even a court case to prove it.

But that judicial ruling, and many others just like it, is merely an illusion: misleading, yet seemingly irrefutable evidence that the fight for civil rights has been successful— and is now over. Don’t get me wrong, several boxes on the civil rights to-do list have been checked. But many others have been erased, rearranged or unrecognizably altered so as to give the impression that they no longer exist when really, they persist. Like invisible ink … only maybe not so invisible.

In 2016, Black males between ages 18 and 19 were almost 12 times more likely to be imprisoned than White males of the same age, according to a report from the Bureau of Justice. And, according to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), African Americans account for roughly 12.5 percent of drug users, but constitute 29 percent of those arrested and 33 percent of those incarcerated in state prisons for drug offenses. “Equal” isn’t so equal.

Let’s rewind again, this time a little further. In 1865, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was passed by Congress, prohibiting “involuntary solitude, except as a punishment for crime” in a country that had heavily relied on slave labor for the past century.

It was, by all historical standards, revolutionary.

But this amendment—consisting of 32 carefully, and deliberately, placed words—included a very intentional loophole: prisoners were not exempt from forced labor. And so there remained an entirely legal way to preserve slavery, and the booming economy it fueled: mass incarceration.

Following the passage of the 13th Amendment, Blacks were systematically imprisoned. A set of laws—known as the Black Codes—unfairly targeted them by criminalizing actions which were completely legal. For example, they prohibited Blacks from leaving their places of “employment” and from assembling in the absence of a White person. According to the Bureau of Justice, Blacks constituted 13 percent of the U.S. population, but 29 percent of the prison population by 1880. These Black Codes, present in other forms (like Jim Crow laws), remained in effect until the Civil Rights Act of 1965, which brings us back to where we started. It seems as though the elimination of this discriminatory legislation is simply another checked box on our civil rights todo list.

But if the Black Codes and Jim Crow laws were simply legal justifications for the unwarranted incarceration of Blacks, how do we classify the War on Drugs?

While the War on Drugs was waged under the guise of unprejudiced virtue, the fact is, in 2015, Blacks were almost four times more likely than Whites to be arrested for drug offenses, according to Brookings, a public policy organization. Drug usage across races was roughly the same.

But the most startling racial disparity of War on Drugs is the federal punishment f o r cocaine. A 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 55 percent of Illustration by Jericho Rajninger jrajninger@redwoodbark.org crack cocaine users are White—a clear majority.

February _9, 2018 bark Page 6 • Opinion Drilling our precious environment into the ground

By Sydney Hilbush Growing up in La Jolla, San Diego, my childhood revolved around the ocean.

Spending a relaxing day on the beach was just steps outside my front door, and weekend beach cleanups were the norm for my family. The main culprit of ocean pollution during these cleanups was plastic; although this material endangered the sea animals, the plastic itself was easily extracted from the water by our cleanup crew.

But a few years ago, during a beach cleanup at Stinson, two volunteers working alongside me uncovered a baby heron smothered in crude oil. The bird’s delicate feathers were drenched with petroleum, and its mouth was dusted a deep black from the slick oil.

Unlike the plastic, this oil couldn’t be extracted—it was entrenched in the bird’s skin, a permanent reminder of the environmental ramifications caused by a single gallon of oil.

This bird was one of thousands of helpless victims poisoned by the continuing

California oil spills.

How did we let this happen? How could our government pass laws allowing our beloved coastal cities to be guinea pigs in an ongoing, failing experiment of coastal drilling exploration? After 250,000 oil spills around the nation over the course of three decades and 1.3 million gallons of oil spilled into the ocean each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), one would think the government would terminate all offshore oil drilling.

Instead, our government is doing the opposite.

On Jan. 4, the Trump administration proposed a five-year plan to open California shores for exploration, committing 90 percent of the nation’s offshore reserves to leasing. For nearly 50 years, n o administration has suggested further drilling in California, in the hopes that the ban on offshore drilling would protect our shores and encourage alternative measures of energy production. But apparently, filling the pockets of businessmen in the fossil fuel industry is more important to our current administration than protecting our environment.

Illustration by Lauren Smart

Congress has chosen to neglect the utter devastation of past offshore oil spills to wildlife and to the $214 billion fishing, recreation and tourism industries that are imperative to California’s economy, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

They’ve chosen to ignore the science that tells us our climate is changing and we must reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Following through with President Trump’s plan is a leap backward in the fight for alternative energy sources and the protection of our coastline.

President Trump’s administration claims offshore drilling could be key to reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil and petroleum products. By harvesting the deposits of oil that lie on the coast, offshore drilling could keep the cost of oil down, signifying reduced gas prices for Americans. In addition, opponents argue that opening the Atlantic, the Pacific and off-limits areas in the Gulf of Mexico for offshore development could create nearly 840,000 new American jobs, expanding the domestic energy industry, according to studies from Quest Offshore Resources.

Although this may be true, the job opportunities in solar energy nearly triple the amount of jobs offered in coal and oil power, according to Forbes Magazine.

The Trump administration argues that offshore oil drilling will save our economy, yet oil exploration has time and again proven to be a faulty method of reigning in economic benefits. After all, the 600-million-dollar oil rig involved in the BP (British Petroleum Oil and Gas Company) Gulf Spill ended up costing the company $61.6 billion after fines and cleanups, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Currently, only about 15 percent of U.S. electricity comes from renewable

energy sources, but studies have repeatedly shown that renewable energy can provide a significant share of future electricity needs.

According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, renewable energy could comfortably provide up to 80 percent of electricity in the U.S. by 2050. For instance, installing a solar panel on one’s home could be costly at first, up to $13,000 in California, but over the course of three decades, these panels will cut one’s electricity bill in half.

Although these methods may be costly to pursue, the environmental benefactors that result from renewable energy sources will preserve the planet and our oceans in the long run. With Trump’s proposed plan, even the slightest misstep could dump millions of gallons of crude oil into our oceans. Even one gallon spilled from oil, according to the New York Times, can impact the surrounding wildlife for up to a century.

We have yet to embrace the lessons of the BP Gulf Spill, the worst oil spill in our planet’s history. Congress has yet to pass legislation to protect our waters and wildlife from the dangers of offshore drilling, the same government that promised to avert environmental catastrophe while it continues to unfold under our noses.

A massive mobilization by coastal communities around the country in opposition to new offshore oil drilling is vital in protecting our oceans and our voices from being drowned out by powerful oil industry monopolizers. Someday, it will be too late to pursue these methods. It is only a matter of time until the oil reserves run dry, leaving our nation with minimal progress in other fields of renewable resources.

shilbush@redwoodbark.org

We should be worrying about Monet, not about money

By Christine Watridge Okay, I’ll admit it—I’m a complete and total art nerd. I geek out in museums; I take Art History; I slip obscure art jokes into daily conversation and I laugh a little too hard at art memes. Yes, I wasn’t always like this—who didn’t dread being dragged to galleries as a kid—but as I’ve matured, I’ve been able to appreciate the vast multitude of human knowledge, achievement and creativity that is curated in museums around the world.

From the Legion of Honor field trips I took in elementary school to visiting the Musée D’Orsay on a family vacation and everything in between, my life has been chock full of ugly medieval babies, vivid abstract canvases and portraits of old important white men. I’m being facetious, but seriously, you name it, I’ve probably seen a version of it.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), one of the largest and most prestigious institutions in the world, is ending its pay-as-you-wish policy this year, a unique and treasured program in place since 1970. From March 1 on, it will charge a mandatory $25 fee to out-of-state visitors.

Everyone should be able to experience these visual libraries, rich or poor, knowledgable or not about the works beyond the front doors.

It is understandable that the Met wants to raise revenue to keep themselves running. However, by burdening the general public with increasing revenue, the Met is discouraging out-of-state tourists from visiting, detering thousands from cultural exploration and enrichment.

The Met is not alone in charging visitors. In fact, hundreds of museums across the country and around the world demand an entry fee. According to the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), arts and cultural production constitute 4.32 percent of the entire U.S. economy as a $704 billion industry.

Unfortunately, more than two-thirds of museums reported economic stress in 2012, according to the AAM. As of 2012, the average U.S. museum received just over 24 percent of operating revenue from government resources, a decline from the 38 percent in 1989, according to a 2012 pamphlet by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Information Programs.

Additionally, museums like the Met mainly sustain

themselves on donations, endowments and wealthy patrons. Getting donors to back less glamorous projects such as admission revenue is a tough job. A recent example is the Met’s Koch Plaza, completed in 2014 and fully funded by Museum Trustee David H. Koch, who covered the $65 million bill. The money spent on this project would have covered admission income for almost a decade!

Patrons aren’t necessarily the answer to a museum’s upkeep problem, as they often want to showcase specific art pieces or put their names on fancy and sometimes superfluous ventures. Museums, like traditional libraries, should receive government funding to fulfill the costs of running such an institution, instead of relying on rich donors or admission fees.

Take England as a successful example. In December of 2001, they instituted a government policy to fund free admission to national museums. According to the U.K.’s National Museum Directors’ Council (NMDC), in 2010/2011 nearly 60 percent of visitors to the U.K. visited the free Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS)-sponsored museums. And, the visitor economy contributes £114 billion, or 8.2 percent of the U.K.’s GDP. According to the New York Times, attendance of the Met has steeply increased in the last 13 years, from 4.7 million to seven million visitors. On the other hand, the proportion of visitors who pay the full “suggested” amount of $25 has declined from 63 percent to a mere 17 percent.

However, the Met is focusing on the wrong side of the problem. A long-term solution would be to focus on marketing paying the “suggested” price. New York Times chief art critic Roberta Smith suggests that the Met form a humorous campaign urging those who can to pay

the full price.

I am not diminishing the fact that many museums offer student or youth discounts. Some museums also designate admission-free days. I applaud these measures; It’s just not enough.

I want a young girl visiting the Met in New York City from a small town to find her drive for painting because she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Claude Monet’s “The Water Lily Pond,” just as I did gazing up at Monet’s “Les Coquelicots” in the Musée D’Orsay. And if her family can’t afford it, how will she discover that new pursuit?

The Met’s pay-as-you-wish legacy is being toppled by challenging economic times and a growing attitude that charging for museums is inescapable. It should be the opposite; the pay-as-you-wish policy is a universal and impressive principle that should be upheld and replicated across the globe, starting with our own country’s industry.

No one should be denied access to something as vital as cultural history, knowledge and growth.

cwatridge@redwoodbark.org

Illustration by Christine Watridge

Page 7 • Opinion

www.redwoodbark.org

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

Editors-In-Chief Shannon Donelan China Granger Anne Pritikin Daniela Schwartz

Illustration by Christine Watridge

editorial Making our case for the double block Let’s make this block party twice as fun.

We’ve all experienced how quickly our classes on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays go by. It seems that after taking attendance, checking in with students, collecting homework and going over the schedule, there is barely enough time to go over the day’s material. It’s hard to learn from a rushed teacher, and it’s difficult to process the information taught when we’re already on the way to the next class, where a similar pattern takes place.

But our school days may not be this way for long.

Before April 30 of this year, certificated Redwood staff will vote to change our class schedule for next year.

There are many proposed schedules being voted on, but the most likely option, and the most controversial, is a double block week.

Under a double block schedule, Monday or Friday would be a seven-period day, and the rest of the week would consist of 90-minute block classes. We urge teachers to vote to implement the double block schedule, a vote in favor of a more engaging learning environment that is less stressful for the whole Redwood community.

Redwood is the only school in our district that doesn’t have a double block week, and schools that utilize these schedules have overwhelmingly positive experiences. According to a paper presented at the San Francisco Educational Research Association that studied a school making the transition to a double block schedule, 70 percent of students and 95 percent of teachers preferred it over their previous schedule.

However, opposition to the double block schedule is widespread. A recently created Change.org petition urging parents and students to protest the proposed double block schedule had 338 signatures at the time of publication. However, both academic studies and the positive experiences of schools that have adopted the schedule strongly suggest that Redwood would benefit from a double block week.

In March 2013, the Tam News published an editorial urging Tamalpais High School (Tam) teachers to vote against implementing a seven-period schedule Monday through Friday.

“We believe that to impose a seven-period bell schedule every school day would be a mistake. Such a schedule would be fatiguing for students, who would not only have to endure the mental exhaustion of constant, whiplash-speed classes, but would likely also be assigned overnight homework for all their courses every night of the week,” wrote the Editorial Staff.

As the editorial went on to explain, with a double block schedule, there is more time in class to absorb concepts, and less homework that is due each day, which takes some of the pressure off students.

In addition, a double block schedule would create less stress for teachers. With it, teachers will have more preparation and grading time. For the many teachers that have to switch classrooms between periods, a double block week would mean less time spent rushing through crowded hallways. Teachers at Tam are more

A BARK to the early salmon spawning in Lagunitas Creek.

Optimal e-fish-ency reached.

A BITE to Bruno Mars beating out Kendrick Lamar in the Grammys.

Damn! That’s not what I like.

A BARK to Marin passing an antidrilling resolution. The only oil we want is olive oil—on our avocado toast.

A BITE to Tom Brady. Looks like criticism isn’t the only thing you can’t receive.

A BARK to the Winter Rally. We didn’t realize musical chairs was a

relaxed while teaching block periods because they don’t have to cram activities into a 50-minute period, according to Marie-Noelle Phillips, a Spanish teacher who transferred to Redwood from Tam. “[Students] delivered good quality work because the stress was limited and they felt that at night they could handle the homework load,” Phillips said. “I think [students] are more focused and your attention span is way more productive when you don’t feel as much stress.”

Tam junior Nikolas Manrique said that Monday, the only day with seven classes, is his most stressful day of the week. According to Manrique, longer periods allow deeper learning in certain classes and preparation for college.

“The whole point of high school is to prepare you for college in every way possible and this hour and a half is a realistic depiction of what college is going to be: fewer courses with longer amounts of time,” Manrique said.

One of the biggest concerns with block scheduling is that it will be difficult for students to focus for long periods of time, especially students with ADHD. One advantage of the block schedule though is that it would be easier to concentrate on material during a block day because there is more time for students to become fully engaged.

“I like the pace of the block day more, because I had time to go deeper into the teaching and I think it was more relaxing for my students that way,” Phillips said. “[Students] felt they got a really good lesson versus only surfacing the content because they don’t have as much time to ask questions.”

One of the biggest actions Redwood should take in order to ensure the success of a double block schedule is to train teachers to adapt curriculum for fewer, longer periods. Many of the benefits of a double block week can only take hold when class time is used wisely. Teachers may need to update their curriculum or teaching styles, so allocating time for teacher training or visits to current successful block classrooms would be important.

We urge readers to consider each side carefully and not just from their own perspectives. The implementation of a double block schedule would bring the needed improvements to our school week, from less pressure on the whole Redwood community and higher chances of academic achievement to more meaningful and worthwhile learning for all students.

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 be submitted to room 177 or in the Bark mailbox in the facility. They may also be emailed to bark@redwoodbark.org.

contact sport.

A BITE to the water crisis in Cape Town. Looks like they’re about to be more dry than a freshman’s Saturday night.

A BARK to both varsity basketball teams for defeating Marin Catholic.

Looks like we won’t be MC-ing you soon.

A BITE to California’s coffee being linked to cancer. Words cannot espresso, how depresso.

A BARK to the Olympics. It’s been too long since intertwined rings in Marin meant something different

than Audi.

A BITE to (college) rejections. We already have one day for that and it’s Feb. 14.

A BARK to Kylie Jenner’s secret pregnancy. It’s been hard Keeping Up with her.

A BITE to Tide Pods. Not a literal bite though.

BARKS and BITES are the collective opinions of the BARK staff concerning relevant issues. BARKS are in praise of accomplishments, while BITES criticize decisions or events.

Head Copy Editor Christine Watridge Copy Editors Melissa Block Natalie Cerf Caroline Cummings Tilly Friedlander Sabine Lloyd News Editors Neva Legallet Saamya Mungamuru Opinion Editors Emily Sweet Verenice Palczynski Feature Editors Lily Baldwin Jericho Rajninger Sports Editors Anna Compagno Sam Warren Review Editors Julia Jacoby Jordan Overmyer Lifestyles Editors Carolyn French Sydney Hilbush Spanish Editor Bea Cazares Business Manager Sylvana Perczek SocialMedia/ Snapshot Editor Jocelyn Overmyer Survey Manager Alexandra Lee Art Consultant Max Gilberg Reporters Josh Cohen Nate Charles Jack Green Hannah Halford Lucie James Maxim Kawashima Jacob Klionsky Natalia Lazor Vincent Leo Alexander Lieberman Charlotte Seton Devon McClain Amanda Morse Matt Mulcahy Sachi Nahas Jack Parsons Julia Scharf Adviser

Erin Schneider

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

Español pagina 8

Sesenta Años del Departamento de Idiomas Por Tilly Freidlander Lo que casi cada estudiante de Redwood conoce como el “pasillo de español’’ no siempre fue así. De hecho, según la empleada retirada Sue Chelini, Redwood antes ofrecía clases de latin, alemán y ruso.

“El maestro de alemán y ruso desapareció cuando se enfermó y tuvo que tomar la jubilación médica. No tenían otro maestro que pudiera enseñar [esas asignaturas]. El profesor de latin falleció cuando andaba enseñando. Hace ya casi 10 años desde que [Redwood] dejó de ofrecer clases de latín,” dijo Chelini, que empezó de maestra en 1964, cinco años después de la apertura de Redwood.

Durante los últimos años, la mayoría de estudiantes de Redwood se inscriben en las clases de español más que en cualquiera de los otros idiomas. Según los datos de la analista de datos Patty Segovia, el 65 por ciento de estudiantes de Redwood están inscritos en español o francés.

Solo había una clase de Advanced Placement (AP) idioma y cultura española cuando empezó a ser maestro en 1999, comparado con las cinco secciones de AP, según maestro de español Greg Stevens.

Cuando Stevens empezó a ser maestro en Redwood, muchos estudiantes no estaban cursando los años de idioma necesarios a fin de recibir crédito para la Universidad de California (UC).

“Estábamos perdiendo casi el 25 por ciento de los alumnos, que no aprobaban el sexto semestre y no terminaban con los tres años que requiere el sistema UC,” dijo Stevens.

Stevens explica que una colega llamada Jennifer Labovich fue a una conferencia donde aprendió sobre una técnica que se llama Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS). Tras ello los maestros de español en Redwood integraron TPRS en sus planes de estudio.

“Ya no estamos enfocados sólo en TPRS [sino también] en Comprehensible Input. Se basa más en comprensión, en leer lectura, en hacer historias,” dijo Stevens.

Stevens cree que ha habido más éxito en el departamento de idiomas de Redwood desde que adoptaron TPRS. “Creo que menos del cinco por ciento no aprueban el sexto semestre, duplicamos la registración en el cuarto año. Tenemos como 4 veces más alumnos en la clase de AP ahora, y la mayoría [aprueba] el examen AP,” dijo Stevens.

Según el ex-maestro de español de Redwood y después vicedirector Bill Purcell, solo había un maestro que podía hablar con fluidez en español en Redwood durante los 1960s.

“En los primeros días de los 60s, no se consideraba necesario que un maestro de idiomas fuera fluido porque el énfasis estaba en la gramática, la estructura de las oraciones y la gramática española,” dijo Purcell. “Después, a mitad

Foto por Tilly Freidlander

PROFESORA PHILLIPS AYUDA a su estudiante Lauren Steele de honores 7-8.

Foto por Tilly Freidlander

USANDO SU PIZARON para dar una lectura a su clase de 7-8, Profesora Phillips enseña su clase sobre tiempos en español.

“Creo que tenemos más participación ahora de los años 60’s, había un esfuerzo para [enseñar] audio lingual, que significa que debes de poner el énfasis en simplemente porque [los estudiantes] tiene[n] más éxito.

Y si tienes más éxito te animas más, te animas a aprender escuchar y hablar en vez de estructura gramática.”

Purcell explica que la transición era difícil para muchos más. Eso es muy estimulante por lo general; aprender maestros durante esa época porque no todos hablaban con idiomas, se siente bien, la mente se expande,” dijo Stevens.

Stevens también piensa que el público percibe español fluidez.

A diferencia del resto del departamento de español de como un idioma muy útil y da crédito a esa percepción los 60s, Purcell puso énfasis en tener fluidez poco después como la razón por la que muchos estudiantes de Redwood se han inscrito en español en los de graduarse de UC Berkeley en 1961. años recientes.

“Compré un boleto de solo ida a Dado que más estudiantes han Madrid. Estaba tan determinado a hablar cursado la clase de AP español, en español. No sabía adónde iba a vivir. también han estado interesados en No sabía cómo usar el transporte público. la cultura española y continuando Estaba en medio de la nada. Lo pude hacer con su español después de la todo solo y después de un año allí, regresé preparatoria. Para Phillips, ver con hablando fluidez,” dijo Purcell. estudiantes continuar con su Purcell fue el único maestro calificado español es muy gratificante. para enseñar la clase de AP Español en “La sorpresa más dulce para Redwood en esa época. Como AP español mí es poder ver los estudiantes y AP literatura española no eran clases a Bill Purcell, aquí en Redwood que están en los las que se inscribieran muchos estudiantes, Ex-vicedirector niveles avanzados que estan muy Purcell enseñó las dos en el mismo período. dedicados al idioma. Que están “Estuviera afortunado tener una clase interesados y apasionados por el. con 18 o 20 estudiantes. Yo era el único que podía hacerlo por mi fluidez. Enseñaba AP idioma y Algunas veces quieren proseguir lo en su titulación,” AP literatura en la misma hora. Después los estudiantes dijo Philips. “La mejor cosa es cuando se van a un país tomarían los dos examenes. Y la tasa de aprobación era diferente y experimentan el idioma por ellos mismos.”

Purcell también estaba muy orgulloso de sus estudiantes alta,” dijo Purcell. “Digamos que 15 estudiantes cursaban que estaban muy ansiosos para tener fluidez en español. la clase, 12 o 13 definitivamente la aprobarían.”

“Me encanta contar la historia de una de mis estudiantes Según la actual maestra de español, Marie-Noelle Phillips, el departamento de español de Redwood, hoy en qué tan ya es maestra en Bacich Elementary School. día, está compuesto de un grupo de maestros muy diversos. Ella era la mejor alumna de idioma que he tenido. Ella Ella atribuye esta diversidad al reciente éxito en relación a es Americana. No tenía experiencia con español antes de cursar el curso en la escuela. No teníamos AP, pero ella se la tasa de inscripción en español.

“Tenemos muchos hablantes nativos. La Sra. Civano enfrentó con el examen y obtuvo un cinco. Siempre pensé es de Uruguay y la Sra. Alsina es de España, entonces ella que eso era muy maravilloso,” dijo Purcell.

Purcell está muy honrado al escuchar que exitoso se ha trae el acento español. Es bueno tener diferentes acentos en el departamento de idiomas y exponerlos a ellos [a los hecho el departamento de español en Redwood y cuanto estudiantes],” dijo Phillips. “Nací en Francia pero enseño ha crecido desde que él introdujo AP español en los años Español. Entonces en las reuniones de departamentos 60.

“Creo que ha avanzado mucho desde entonces. Estoy también puedo ayudar a mis colegas francesas.”

Phillips dice que más estudiantes cursan la clase de muy emocionado al oír que hay tantos niños cursando español en Redwood, que en cualquier otra escuela del Español y que hay muchas más clases de AP [sobre español]. Es estupendo,” dijo Purcell. distrito.

Los chicos aquí en Redwood muestran mucho interés en continuar de un nivel al próximo. Yo animo mucho a los estudiantes a que terminen con AP,” dice Phillips.

Stevens siente que el crecimiento continuado en el tfreidlander@redwoodbark.org número de estudiantes de español en los cuatro años de Editado por: la preparatoria es porque están más exitosos en sus clases de español.

Vicens Vila, Saidy Reyes y Sra. Zeiher

No se consideraba necesario que un maestro de idiomas fuera fluido.

Feature page 9

New chapter same story: the lasting appeal of libraries

By Melissa Block In front of the long glass windows sits a table of high school students finishing up their homework. The girls are wearing long plaid skirts; they have their short hair curled up on their shoulders and tall white socks pulled above their sneakers. This photo (pictured right) was taken circa 1958. These sophomores represent a large percent of their classmates who also sit in their school library to read, study and prepare for tests. Across the room stands the librarian, overseeing her space. Besides a few murmurs coming from the back of the room, the library seems silent.

Flash forward 60 years. Students hustle in with their backpacks, grab a seat at a table and take out their MacBook Airs to rapidly finish an essay, while others crowd around the nearby printers. Some students lounge on the couches and take a break from their hectic schedules, but there is still a sense of productiveness and a purpose present in the library.

Regardless of the time period, libraries have provided society with vital resources and information, but also have served another, equally important purpose of building community. Since 1958, virtually every aspect of people’s lives has changed, from jobs to advancements in technology. Why, then, have libraries endured?

According to Alicia Bell, the children’s librarian from the Belvedere Tiburon library, libraries are still around because they’ve always been a place of learning.

“The nature of the information and how people get that information has changed. But [a library] has always been Photo courtesy of Redwood Archives the place where people go to find things out, to read about different lives, different cultures and to help them along SITTING IN THE library in 1958, Redwood students utilize the space to study and finish homework assignments. with their education,” Bell said.

Today, libraries fulfill a similar purpose, while also fostering social interaction.

Bell has worked in the Tiburon library for the past 20 years, but grew up with libraries always being an important you may not be able to experience unless you stroll in and the curriculum of classes, to advance information literacy space for her. try it here.” and to work with the staff and community to promote “Even in high school I was shelving books as an Butts’ staff and librarians from all over Marin work reading for pleasure. While it does accomplish these goals, afterschool job, and I decided to stay. I never left,” Bell towards accommodating people in different ways. For it goes above and beyond, providing a unique place with said. instance, the Corte Madera its own personality that is vital to students.

According to the teen and library works to ease “There really isn’t a place for kids to hang out here at children services librarian at the the stress of finals on Redwood. There isn’t a student center, or a union building Corte Madera Library, Sarah Redwood students. or lounge. I mean the library is really the only place for Butts, a library has an important “One of the things we kids to come and decompress,” Perez said. role in serving the community do for Redwood students Local librarians made it clear that the myth of librarians while also creating a space for is to stay open later for “shushing” its members is clearly false. It is clear that members to learn and develop. finals, because that’s one libraries have become a much more social space, where Butts believes that libraries thing that this particular community members have meetings and interact with have remained consistent as community benefits from,” each other, but that doesn’t mean that its noise level has times change, but notices some Butts said. changed. expansion has taken place.

Butts believes that “There’s a lot of people who are going to want a “The biggest change in the each public library has a traditional library, and they may not find that here,” Perez public library, for people in purpose to serve in their said. youth services, is that we now community, depending on Senior Miles Aubry, who was a library Teacher’s provide not just story time, the needs of its citizens. Assistant last year, noticed the various ways students but all different experiences. Alicia Bell, For instance, in some utilized the space.

Providing information has Belvedere Tiburon librarian urban libraries in Oakland, “It shows how even though times are changing and evolved into not just giving they serve hot lunches books may be fading away, learning will be persistent,” kids help with their homework to students that cannot Aubry said. and research, but now we are afford a lunch each day.

According to Bell, many people also go to the library providing them with experiences that they may not have According to a Pew Research Center study, 76 percent of because of the fact that it remains one of the spaces for had access to or thought they’d be interested in,” Butts Americans say that libraries provide the necessary service students that is free of charge. said. to their community. Perhaps this is why libraries have been “Libraries are one of the last free spaces where people According to Butts, roughly 1,000 people come into such an approachable space, as they support community are expected to come together and where resources are their library each day for a variety of purposes, so creating members. free. Bookstores you’ve got to pay for [and] there are some a communal space is crucial. The Corte Madera library has A Pew Research Center report from December of private libraries where you have to pay for a membership, worked to engage members from all over the community 2013 showed that 95 percent of Americans aged 16 and so it’s important where there is a space that’s an equalizer,” by offering a variety of programs, according to Butts. older agree that the materials and resources available at Bell said. “It doesn’t matter whether or not you’ve paid a “We want everyone to see themselves and for kids to public libraries play an important role in giving everyone membership fee, and it doesn’t matter whether or not you figure out who they are. And again that’s why we’ve been a chance to succeed. can afford the books. Information should be free.” into programming, giving people a little taste of all sorts of For the Redwood library in particular, its purpose is things,” Butts said. “We’ve done circuitry, coding, sewing, clear. Redwood’s librarian for the past five years, Adriana cooking, photography, 3D printing, all these things that Perez, explained that the library serves as a place to support mblock@redwoodbark.org

[ A library] has always been a place where people go to find things out, to read about different lives, different cultures and to help them along with their education.

bark

Page 10 • Feature

February 9, 2018

Bugging out about tech transparency

By Vincent Leo and Sabine Lloyd

Since their creation 45 years ago, mobile phones have become arguably the most influential source of communication and information. People rely heavily on their devices to text friends, call relatives, store information or keep up to date on news and social media.

Americans, on average, check their phones 80 times a day, according to a study by global tech protection and support company, Asurion. Our generation utilizes these devices all the time, yet few have a clue of what really goes on inside them. A couple of recent incidents, the Meltdown and Spectre security bugs and how Apple handled their degrading iPhone batteries, have raised awareness of the issue of tech transparency and whether society can truly rely on the companies that make these products to keep their customers secure and informed.

Meltdown and Spectre are two major central processing unit (CPU) security bugs that have recently affected technological devices such as iPhones and tablets. The bugs utilize critical vulnerabilities in modern processors and allow programs to steal data located on the computer, ultimately corrupting these systems to bypass and access information stored in the memory of other running programs, including passwords, emails and personal documents.

Three major chip producers are the key players in the issue created by these two malicious security defects: Intel, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and ARM Holdings.

Although the bugs only surfaced last December, Meltdown and Spectre affect personal computers and mobile devices made within the last 20 years. Additionally, the cloud is also affected, which may make it possible for attackers to steal data from other customers in the system.

Even though Intel has known about Meltdown and Spectre since June 2017, they did not inform the public until rumors broke in January 2018. Computer graphics, economics and government teacher William Crabtree believes that this lack of communication and transparency is not acceptable.

“That’s irresponsible—corporate irresponsibility.

Essentially, it’s a financial issue, they don’t want to take the hit financially and they don’t want to take the hit [public relations] wise,” Crabtree said. “It’s like every big organization or bureaucracy doesn’t really want to face the music, so they practice this standard operating procedure of plausible deniability until it becomes too much to deny.”

However, WARZAC Technologies Co-CEO, University High School senior and former Redwood student Warren Niles feels that Intel handled the timing of its announcement in a reasonable manner, since they needed to create an optimal solution first.

“If they had explained and released all that information about what Spectre is and what Meltdown is without any solutions, you could have had people’s financials stolen.

I understand companies need to balance a level of transparency along with consumer safety but in this case, I think it’s okay that they released it later given that after this came out, there were already some patches available,” Niles said.

Given his concern with tech security, Niles created WARZAC Technologies along with Redwood senior Zach Walravens to develop encryption software that ensures the security of information being sent over the internet, as well as the protection of stored information through database software.

Both Meltdown and Spectre relate to how the CPU executes commands. They exploit speculative execution, which is a technique used by chips to increase performance by guessing likely future execution paths and prematurely executing the instructions in them. According to Niles, when a computer needs to access a piece of the user’s information, it communicates directly with memory on how to retrieve it. By using this process to their advantage, Meltdown and Spectre are able to steal data by manipulating the CPU to give it exactly what it wants, such as private pictures and information.

“What it will do instead is say ‘90 percent of the time this is true,’ so I’m going to speculate that this ‘if statement’ is true and execute all the commands below it.

And some of those commands may include leaking private information,” Niles said.

Spectre involves exploiting branch prediction, which is predicting which of two branches is most likely to be correct and then starting to execute it before it knows

Photo by Vincent Leo

FOCUSED ON CREATING an encryption system so that information being sent over the internet would be more secure, University High School senior Warren Niles created WARZAC Technologies with senior Zach Walravens. which is the intended path. Niles provides an example of how Spectre breaks down the isolation between different applications and tricks programs into leaking secret information.

“Let’s say you have your bank opened up in another tab. Spectre could break down that wall between your two separate tabs and take your bank information from the filled-in fields that you have. It can steal cookies, which can contain track information. Anything you have stored on your computer can be attacked by these methods,” Niles said.

Meltdown exploits out-of-order execution to leak memory, which allows instructions further down the chain to be executed at the same time as, or even before, preceding instructions. Hackers take advantage of the way computers process commands to request information be sent to them ahead of the authorization conducted by the CPU. With this, they can essentially trick the computer to send them private content.

The irresponsibility that Crabtree speaks of is evident, as Intel’s initial response to the issue d e n i e d any allegations claiming that their devices were insecure and unreliable. They also refuted claims that the problem was unique to Intel products, citing that multiple types of computing devices are susceptible to these exploits.

Despite reports that the patch needed to fix Meltdown could slow down computers by as much as 30 percent, the company claimed any performance impacts that resulted from the installation would not be significant.

Following this denial, Intel released a second response a day later indicating that the performance impact from the software updates may initially be higher but not offering many details on how the impact could be mitigated. In the third statement, Intel acknowledged that the impact may be significant in some cases.

The severity of the current issue is multiplied by the fact that while there are patches to mitigate Meltdown, there is no easy fix for Spectre.

“That’s why [researchers] chose a ghost [as the logo] for Spectre because they assume that it’s going to be around for much longer versus Meltdown, which you can patch with software,” Niles said.

In regards to transparency, Crabtree believes there is a fine line that has been crossed. However, he acknowledges that people will still continue to depend on these companies.

“There is a certain level of trust that has been breached with regard to being able to trust Intel, being able to trust AMD and any other chipmaker involved in the future. But we will, won’t we? It’s almost like we’re not going to stop using the devices,” Crabtree said.

Walravens shares a similar view regarding our growing reliance on tech devices, emphasizing the responsibility companies need to maintain.

“As these pieces of technology become more and more important to people’s lives, these companies have a greater and greater responsibility to make sure they are secure,” Walravens said.

Additionally, he fears the increasing lack of security,

especially in the time to come.

“I feel like nothing’s really secure nowadays. There are just so many opportunities for attacks—more and more of them just keep coming in the foreseeable future,” Walravens said.

Despite the bugs’ broad reach, Meltdown and Spectre have fortunately had little impact at Redwood, according to IT Systems Specialist Les Gill.

“Nothing [has happened regarding the bugs] so far, but we did get warnings about some systems that we do have on campus, some older ones. I don’t have a percentage but it’s minor, very small—old systems that are still in use but not a big threat,” Gill said.

The second overarching incident is one that hits closer to home for Redwood students—the lack of honesty from the Apple dilemna identified in early December 2017 regarding phone batteries. Instead of telling customers about degrading batteries, Apple chose to slow down iPhones to compensate for battery life issues.

Users ended up replacing their phones when they could have just replaced their batteries for $79.

Walravens sees this move as manipulative and unfair, especially since people are so dependent on their phones.

“I feel it’s a real ‘not nice move’ to let there be some huge issue in a device people rely on so heavily and not tell them about it. Apple is just abusing the fact that people rely on their products so much,” Walravens said.

Crabtree highlights how it all boils down to the economic side of the business, correlating the company’s move to a money grab.

“They’re all in the business of getting you to come back to the well. They’re all wanting you to upgrade and further spend money on this product because that’s their livelihood,” Crabtree said. “It’s no surprise to me that the batteries all of a sudden kind of tank.”

Apple eventually acknowledged they were wrong and sent an apology letter to their customers on Dec. 28, offering discounted battery replacements for $29 for a year. On Jan. 24, 2018, Apple announced that it is planning to add a software update called iOS 11.3 that will allow users to opt out of Apple slowing down their iPhones and a tool that shows their iPhone’s battery health.

Despite this apology, the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as the Securities and Exchange Commission, will be conducting an investigation to determine if Apple’s unveiling of the software which slowed old models infringes upon security laws.

As a result of these situations, tech transparency has been thrust into the spotlight. Our reliance on these devices has manifested into an issue that allows large corporations to hold back information in favor of economic growth.

Similar to the Spectre bug, this problem continues to linger and will remain for a long time with no feasible solution in sight. bark@redwoodbark.org

www.redwoodbark.org

Page 11 • Feature

bark

Students embrace their Native American backgrounds

By Alexander Lieberman “My mom used to take my brother and me, starting at age four, to the Stanford pow wow every year, and basically everyone from Northern California who identifies as an American Indian goes to the pow wow and that’s kind of where I got my first glimpse of what my culture actually was,” senior Gigi Buddie said.

Buddie is part Gabrielino Indian and part Mescalero Apache, and her Native American heritage is a large part of her identity. “[My identity] comes more from my mom’s side. I would say that we uphold our beliefs, and we take pride in our culture and that’s something that’s really important. It’s hard to uphold certain traditions that your culture might have had in a very small setting [with just] me and my mom,” Buddie said.

Photo courtesy of Parker Canby According to the official tribal website, GATHERING WITH HER family members, Parker Canby (far right) attends a the Gabrielino have lived in Southern reunion in Farmington, New Mexico.

California since before California became part of the United States. They are mainly Indians and people who are committed to and in there they perform the ceremony,” descendents of Uto-Aztecan-speaking preserving the American Indian culture Canby said.

Around the fireplace in the hogan (a peoples from Nevada who moved south and art in Marin County,” Balsz said. west approximately 3,500 years ago.

The family keeps a collection of native traditionally octagon-shaped Navajo hut), After the Mexican-American War and art in their home to remind them of their the medicine men would perform special chants and a ceremony using herbs in an subsequent American acquisition of proud history.

California, several million acres of land “My son owns an authentic Mescalero effort to stop her cousin from screaming.

Whether through family experiences were reserved for Native American tribes, Indian bow and he displays it proudly in including approximately 1,875 square his bedroom. We had a huge library in our on the reservation or through her daily life, miles for the Gabrielino. home when the kids were younger and I had Canby maintains belief in certain Navajo Despite having never visited the an entire section of the library on American superstitions.

“A lot of them pertain to animals—so Southern California reservation, Buddie Indians and a section on California has learned a lot I n d i a n s , ” I don’t like owls. [Seeing] owls in Navajo about her culture Balsz said. “I culture usually means somebody’s about to from her mother. have my dad’s die, and if you see them near your house, “She knows stories, beliefs it’s a bad thing and you should [use] special a great deal and culture medicine and herbs—and when I say about my tribe, within me and I medicines in Navajo culture it’s not like and so in a way pass them down a pill or anything, it’s just plants,” Canby I aspire to have to my children. said. “I had seen an owl getting attacked on that knowledge We are a proud this tree by a crow at my house once, and then two days later my softball coach died. and know people.” exactly where I Balsz tries It happened again and my friend’s grandpa come from. It’s to maintain died, and then on the same day my friend’s just a process her culture by mom died. So I definitely have developed of finding out keeping some this fear of owls.”

Canby and Buddie both said that due to who I really am aspects of it in through her,” her family’s Marin’s overwhelmingly White population, minority populations, Native Americans Buddie said. daily life.

Redwood parent Buddie’s “We [follow] included, are not well recognized.

According to the Census Bureau, out of mother, Kaia traditions like Balsz, does her passing around Marin’s 261,651 residents, only 1 percent best to remain a talking stick are American Indian, compared to 85.7 connected to her heritage. She was able and getting to talk about your highs and percent White.

Buddie said she encourages people to find sources of their culture in Marin lows of the day, just small things like that,” not to generalize Native Americans or be County that helped her teach her children Buddie said. about their history.

Junior Parker Canby, of Navajo insensitive.

“Marin is a very White area, and also our “Culture is within you. I volunteered heritage, often visited her grandmother at the Museum of the American Indian in (who was full Navajo) in San Anselmo school happens to be a very White school.

Novato. This helped me to be connected before she passed away. Canby has had And there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s to my Indian culture. I took both of my many memorable experiences with Navajo just that there’s not that many American Indians in the U.S. today anyway, so it’s kids to the museum when they were family members. younger and also to events, so my children “When I was younger, we would going to be very rare to find people who saw American Indian art, other American always go out to the reservation in New strongly identify with their culture and take Mexico and we’d visit tons of my family pride in their culture when there [are] so [members] and there’s always been a sense of tradition that’s been in my family,” Canby said.

The Navajo people lived nomadically in the American Southwest for several centuries before the arrival of the Spanish and fought several wars against White settlers throughout the 19th century.

Eventually, most of the Navajo surrendered to the Americans and were marched to Fort Sumner in 1864.

However, on June 1, 1868, American and Navajo leaders signed a treaty giving the Navajo a reservation of over 27,000 square miles situated across parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

Over the years, Canby has traveled to the Navajo reservation in New Mexico to visit family. While there, she learned about various Navajo traditions, including the role of medicine men through a memorable family experience.

“My cousin, when he was two or so, Photo courtesy of Parker Canby used to scream all the time. We were out on ORIGINATING FROM THE Navajo the reservation [and] we decided to go visit tribe, the jewelry holds great significance one of the medicine men. Usually most of the ceremonies take place in [the] hogan in the Canby family.

We know our family is small, but we’re strong, independent Apache women.

few of us,” Buddie said.

Buddie has dealt with this cultural balance in her personal life.

“My dad is White and my mom is American Indian, and from birth I’ve had two cultures pulling, and also meshing together. That’s why I celebrate Christmas and I was baptized, but that [doesn’t] necessarily come from my American Indian side because we were enslaved and forced into Catholicism, so I think it’s been a lot of compromise in who I’ve been raised as,” Buddie said.

Canby and Buddie both argue for people to look past stereotypes generally associated with Native Americans.

“I would say [that using] basic stereotypes like using slurs like ‘Redskins’ is not okay,” Buddie said. “Also we all don’t live in teepees or have headdresses . . . certain tribes don’t see that as part of what their traditions are, some cultures do. Today there are over 500 federally recognized tribes and each one is so different, and [it isn’t right] to stereotype, and I think that goes for any race or culture.”

Canby said that she will always value her culture.

“We’re going to be regular people but we’re also going to recognize more of where we were from,” Canby said.

Buddie and her mother have seen their relationship strengthened by their shared culture.

“It brings us closer,” Balsz said. “We know our family is small, but we’re strong, independent Apache women.”

alieberman@redwoodbark.org

Kaia Balsz

Photo courtesy of Parker Canby

FASHIONED BY ARTISANS, these moccasins are traditional Navajo footwear.

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Fashion forward through time

By Natalie Cerf

’70s

’80s

The seventies have always been known for their bell-bottom jeans and printed tops, and Redwood High schoolers did not fail to meet the decade’s fashion statements. In this decade, students could be seen wearing flowers in their hair, sweaters draped over their shoulders and sporting bell-bottom jeans!

“Sources for clothing include Army surplus stores for worn pairs of khaki pants or shorts, sporting goods stores for fishing tackle jewelry, the back of parents’ closets for authentic college sweaters and thrift stores for an old lady’s screaming print or polka-dot dresses.” (Bark issue May 3, 1985)

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’90s

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Fashion transcends time. Whether it is poodle skirts and paddle shoes or low-rise jeans and leg warmers, fashion is always a way to remember and reminisce about past decades. Sometimes we want to forget the past—awkward phases of wearing feathers in our hair and cargo shorts, for instance—but it is still amusing to look back at how our fashion has evolved. For better or worse, the way to describe this decade’s fashion can be summed into one word: comfort. Now more than ever we value our sweatpants, sweatshirts and comfy sneakers to serve us throughout the school day. Gone are the days when “fluorescent green skirts with a hair ribbon to match” (as described in a 1985 issue of the Bark, referred to as the “Madonna Phase”) are what you’d normally find around the halls.

Who knows where fashion will be 10, 20, or 50 years from now? There is so much potential for new styles in the future that we can’t even begin to guess what is to come. For now, we can only look at the past and the present and what went wonderfully right and horribly wrong throughout the decades.

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Freshmen Martha Fishburne and Ellie Weiksner wear Hollister jeans and a pull-over from Urban Outfitters.

“I choose jeans because they are comfortable and they were on my floor, so it’s just easy,” Fishburne said.

However, this is not a new trend. Easy and accessible clothing always has and probably always will be a highschooler’s go-to.

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In the Redwood 1995-96 yearbook, then freshman Alex Lundberg said the same point about her fashion sense as Fishburn.

“I wear what is cleanest and nearest to the top of the pile of clothes on my floor,” Lundberg said. ncerf@redwoodbark.org

Sports page 14

Horstmeyer legacy continues to thrive on the basketball court

By Amanda Morse As a freshman at Redwood in 1976, Caren Horstmeyer envisioned herself playing tennis at the collegiate level, but that changed when she stepped foot on the Redwood basketball court.

Her picture now hangs in the Redwood Alumni Hall of Fame and the family legacy continues as her freshman daughter Kylie shines as the starting shooting guard on the varsity basketball team.

If asked what she wanted to be when she began high school, Caren would never have responded with anything related to basketball.

According to Caren, it was her best friend Nancy Wilson who convinced her to play basketball her freshman year. It was a decision that shaped the rest of her life.

“I knew right away I liked [basketball] and maybe three or four weeks in I knew I loved it. I just didn’t have skill. But I had desire, passion and I was very aggressive, like a bull in a china cabinet,” Caren said.

On the contrary, Kylie practically grew up with a basketball in her hands. Ever since she learned how to shoot and dribble the ball, Kylie has been hooked on the sport.

“I’ve been playing basketball since I can remember, my first team was in second grade but I have just been playing my whole life,” Kylie said.

Kylie has been surrounded by sports her whole life.

Her mother was and still is extremely involved in athletics and her father also played on the Redwood football team.

In addition, Caren’s sister who graduated in 1987, Christine Choppelas, is also in the Redwood Alumni Hall of Fame and was a three sport athlete throughout high school.

Kylie’s brother, Arend, also rows crew for Marin Rowing Association and is going to continue rowing for University of Delaware.

“You could tell at a really young age that she was a very natural athlete. She loves all sports and does all sports which is exciting for me of course, having a sports background,” Caren said.

Unlike her daughter, Caren did not know what to expect when she began playing high school basketball due

Photo courtesy of Caren Horstmeyer

DRIBBLING THE BALL down the court, Caren Horstmeyer competes for Santa Clara University.

Photo by Amanda Morse

SHOOTING THE BALL in practice, Kylie Horstmeyer takes after her mother’s legacy. to her late start to the sport.

There is also a substantial difference between basketball and tennis in terms of structure and speed of the game. Despite this, the skills Caren had learned through tennis made the transition smooth.

“Tennis has great footwork and the footwork from tennis carried over to basketball. I always say that’s how you become a great basketball player. It starts with your feet and your footwork,” Caren said. “It was interesting how different [tennis and basketball] are but in turn how they ended up complimenting each other.”

She continued her basketball career playing at Santa Clara University for four years, where she competed at the Division I level.

After going international to play professional with a Greek team, she later had the opportunity to coach the women’s basketball team at Santa Clara for 12 years, beginning in 1988.

She finished her coaching career at the University of California Berkeley, which she led for five years from 2000 to 20005.

During her time, she was recognized as West Coast Coach of the Year twice at Santa Clara and Pac 10 Coach of the Year at UC Berkeley in 2004, according to the Redwood Alumni Hall Of Fame.

According to Choppelas, Caren has always possessed the competitiveness and work ethic that enabled her to be so successful at a high level.

“She definitely has self-motivation and drive and she is probably one of the most competitive people I know. Also amazing discipline and dedication to the sport,” Choppelas said.

At a young age, the Horstmeyer family went on a trip to Hawaii when Arend was five and Kylie was three. It was here where Caren truly realized Kylie’s love for the sport of basketball.

“I said to my friend, ‘Hey can you take care of Arend?

I have to go back up to the pool area so that Kylie can dribble the beach ball!’ She was dribbling it in the hotel room and we got in trouble because she wouldn’t stop dribbling it,” Caren said.

During Kylie’s childhood, Caren encouraged her to try whichever sport interested her. After trying out a few different sports, such as soccer and waterpolo, Kylie decided that basketball was her passion. Although she still plays water polo for Redwood, she said she prioritizes basketball.

“[My mom] would always give me tips and would help me out and she never really pushed me that hard to play basketball. She wanted me to play other sports,” Kylie said.

Kylie decided to continue with basketball and will continue to push her abilities as a player. She hopes to continue to compete at the highest level and with the overarching goal to continue playing at the Division I level.

“It is in my daily life. Every single day you are going to have practice and then go home and do your homework.

It’s just normal,” Kylie said.

Caren and her sister Choppelas can be always be found in the stands as they watch Kylie excel on the court. Being Redwood alumni and also having played for the basketball team makes spectating games even more special for them.

“It has been so much fun after 30 years walking into the Redwood gym to see them play again. More specifically, my niece plays for Redwood amongst the fans and the championship flags,” Choppelas said.

Their support for Redwood only continues as they have both become heavily involved in the Hoop’s Club program which funds the Redwood Basketball program.

Caren also runs a basketball camp for young girls, which she began one year after she left UC Berkeley.

“I thought about, ‘How can I give back to the community and at the same time use the skills that I have acquired over the 17 years as a head coach, and be able to help girls basketball?’” Caren said.

The camp began with only 15 girls and has expanded to about 120. Caren aims to expand the camp even more.

Every time she steps back into the Redwood gym to either watch Kylie put points onto the scoreboard in a game or coach young girls in basketball, Caren’s love for the sport remains.

She is extremely excited for her daughter Kylie and looks forward to seeing what the future holds for her.

amorse@redwoodbark.org

Photo courtesy of Caren Horstmeyer

JUMPING IN THE air, Caren Horstmeyer shoots over her opponents during a game.

Page 15 • Sports

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Peisch’s performance earns Best Athletic Director of the Year

By Lucie James When going to a varsity boys’ water polo practice, you would not expect anyone except the players and maybe the coaches to be found in the pool during a rigorous practice—except for maybe Athletic Director and PE teacher Jessica Peisch. This year, Peisch made the goal to show up to each sports’ varsity practice at least once. Working nine years at Redwood as an Athletic Director and PE teacher, Peisch’s commitment to the athletics has been acknowledged.

On Dec. 17, the California State Athletic Directors Association recognized Peisch for her worth ethic, awarding her the title of Best Athletic Director of the Year. In 2015, Peisch won a similar award for best girls Athletic Director, but never has won the entire section.

“It’s really nice that the California Coaches Association honored me, that I’ve been dedicated to being an Athletic Director and trying to provide a positive environment for our school sight and our student athletes, and just having a wonderful athletic experience,” Peisch said.

Peisch is actively involved in Redwood athletics in a variety of ways, whether it’s ordering uniforms, helping student athletes or visiting and even participating in team practices.

According to Peisch, being an Athletic Director takes time and patience, as she has to organize everything that goes on involving Redwood’s athletics. The majority of what Peisch does as an Athletic Director takes place behind the scenes, which is why students may be unaware of what her job encompasses.

“The Athletic Director is overseeing all the interscholastic sports out of sight.

So all of these things are items that you have to oversee: the personnel of teams, the eligibility process, the business side, paying bills, facilities, safety, timelines for teams and game management meetings,” Peisch said.

Peisch also explained that as the Athletic Director, she is the person who represents Redwood athletics, whether it is

Photo courtesy of Jenny Tippett

PRACTICING WITH VARSITY boys’ waterpolo team, Athletic Director of the Year Jessica Piesch swims with the team. at meetings or at games.

“I only know her as an Athletic Director, “You represent your school, for so I can not compare her to other [Athletic example, at the MCAL meetings, even Directors]. I think she does a wonderful state meetings, and then making sure the job for our community and what it entails,” community knows, trying to get information Alvarado said. for when games are, celebrating student Along with Alvarado, senior Cale achievement, and awards,” Peisch said. Tippett’s mother Jenny Tippett has worked “Here in our district, all Athletic Directors closely with Peisch while she has been teach one period of PE as well. It’s 80 president of the Benchwarmer’s Club for percent Athletic Director, and 20 percent the past five years. The Benchwarmers teaching and duties for all three sights.”

Club handles all the funding that comes Peisch devotes the majority of her time from the foundation and goes towards to being an Athletic Director, a position Redwood athletics. that provides the organization necessary “It’s really unusual for an Athletic to run an athletic program consisiting of Director to take on her job so personally.

1,040 student athletes, according to Peisch. She just embraces it completely,” Jenny According to Athletic Trainer Americ said.

Alvarado, Peisch’s coworker since 2009, According to Jenny, in 2016 Peisch he is proud of Peisch for receiving this started a program called Unified Athletes, award, as it reflects Peisch’s worth ethic. which allows kids in the Tamalpais Union “Her ability to adapt and change with High School District who are part of the schedule as games are canceled, added, Special Ed to participate in sports. fires, floods, she has put in the commitment Jenny was not surprised to hear that into making sure everything is scheduled Peisch was awarded Best Athletic Director and organized,” Alvarado said. of the Year.

According to Alvarado, Peisch’s role “I go to these athletic council meetings; as an Athletic Director is not only difficult, where you have Drake, Tam and Redwood but an important job in keeping after- present in the same room; and every school athletics organized. couple of months they meet. The other

Athletic Directors at both Tam and Drake, even though there is healthy competition amongst all of them, they all look up to Jessica for leadership. She is pretty terrific,” Jenny said.

While Peisch is honored to be awarded, she thinks there is still much work to be done to improve athletics at Redwood.

Each year Peisch sets a goal for herself, and this year’s goal was to attend each varsity practice at least once, so she could better understand what it is like being a student athlete.

“It kind of gives the feel of the environment, what our student athletes go through from school, straight to practice, the hours, the dedication it takes and just kind of see what they experience,” Peisch said.

Jenny has witnessed Peisch at athletic practices participating and getting to know the athletes.

“She showed up to the pool for water polo and had her suit on, her rash guard, her cap and her water bottle. She just totally went for it for an hour with those boys,” Jenny said.

Cale, a varsity water polo athlete, also said that Peisch’s presence at his practice shows her dedication to better understand athletic programs and how they function.

“It created a great bond between her and the players,” said Cale. “Not many athletic directors would [participate in a varsity water polo practice] and that really shows she is invested in the programs at Redwood and truly cares about them.”

Jenny has enjoyed working with Peisch and is looking forward to continuing working with her. She hopes staff and students recognize and appreciate Peisch’s work ethic.

“It’s just well-deserved. She is super subtle and in the background, but she is definitely a force, a force for her kids and a real champion for her athlete students.

I feel that [students] are very lucky, and I feel very lucky to be able to work with her as well,” Jenny said.

ljames@redwoodbark.org

Sports selections then and now

1958 Women’s Sports:

• Archery • Badminton • Basketball • Beginning Tennis • Drill Team • Trampoline • Volleyball

Men’s Sports:

• Baseball • Basketball • Cross Country • Diving • Football • Golf • Swimming • Tennis • Track

2018 Women’s Sports:

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Basketball Cheerleading Cross Country Diving Field Hockey Golf Lacrosse Water Polo Soccer Softball Swimming Tennis Track Unified Basketball Volleyball Wrestling

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Men’s Sports:

Baseball Basketball Cheerleading Cross Country Diving Football Golf Lacrosse Water Polo Soccer Swimming Tennis Track Unified Basketball Volleyball Wrestling

February 9, 2018 bark Page 16 • Sports Let’s appreciate the Olympics as a time for cultural recognition

By Sam Warren When the first Olympic Games were held in 776 B.C. in Olympia, Greece, the event was as much a religious celebration as it was an athletic competition. As the years passed, events were added to honor the Greek god Zeus, and each competition had a mythological origin and purpose. The games also inspired the establishment of an Olympic Truce, giving athletes the ability to travel safely through other hostile city states on their way to the games.

But as time progressed and the modern Olympic Games—meant to honor the ancient competition—began in 1896, the unifying goal of the Olympiad was lost.

As countries begin to once again use the games to emphasize global unity, the Olympics are entering a new awakening, realizing their true objective. This shift in the purpose of the games deems it vital to view the Olympics, particularly through a political lens. The Olympics are no longer just an athletic contest, but a unique time for world reconciliation.

For decades, the modern Olympic Games held not much in common with its historical ancestor. Not only did the contest lose its religious significance, but the games no longer consisted of amateur participants. The athletes competing for their countries weren’t everyday people of the nation, but professionals whose primary goal was to place first on the podium.

The participants were not paying homage to their deities, but instead going to the extremes to win shiny, materialistic medals for themselves, and the involvement of endorsements and sponsorships monetized the event, deviating from the original intent of the Olympics.

Despite extreme commercialization of the Olympics, we are entering a golden age of what the games mean for individual countries, continents and the entire world, as they have evolved into more than just an athletic event.

Because countries are treating this years’ games as an opportunity to congregate peacefully and honor different cultures, viewers must recognize the event for what it truly is: a celebration of society through sport. Not only can the competition transform sports, it can also transform the world and its relationships. We may be in the modern age, but the Olympics of today have recaptured the true meaning for why the contest takes place.

For a period of time, the games were associated with scandals, conflict and hatred. In 1972, the Olympiad was home to the greatest Olympic performance of all time: Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals in one games. However, the historic contest was overshadowed by the hatred displayed by the Black September terrorist group, who held 11 Israeli national team members hostage and eventually slaughtered them, demanding that their Palestinian brethren be released from Western prisons.

In 1936, the Munich Games were funded by the Nazi regime. There, Adolf Hitler spewed his anti-Semitic message to the world while preventing Jews from

Illustration by Sam Warren

participating in the events.

Throughout the 20th century, the Olympics remained smudged by oppressive regimes, corrupt politics and conflict.

But today, the Olympics have become a platform to spread a message of compassion and showcase the host country’s culture to the world. In the past, Olympic opening and closing ceremonies consisted of primarily the host country’s leader giving a speech, the athlete introductions and the lighting of the Olympic torch. Now, in the new age of technology and the Olympiad, ceremonies utilize pyrotechnics, trapeze artistry, holographic images and projections to tell a captivating tale of the origin and heritage of the host country, giving the viewer a glimpse into what it is like to be from that nation. Through watching the Olympics, people gain an in-depth understanding of foreign nations in the spirit of competition.

Even so, the games have recently experienced some of the similar and unfortunate trends that Olympiads before have showcased. Recently, Russia has been involved with Olympic corruption, but the U.S. has also had to deal with scandals that have cast a dark cloud over this year’s games. Russian athletes have been banned

from this year’s games because of doping charges and their tireless efforts to evade drug testing. Also, on Jan. 24, the United States gymnastics trainer, Larry Nassar, was indicted for sexual abuse of over 150 women, many of which were gymnasts aspiring to compete for the U.S. National Team.

But, there will always be certain countries or certain groups who will not respect the games as much as they deserve.

Similarly, there will always be athletes that only wish to win gold, disregarding the spirit of the competition or how their actions affect their competitors.

This year is the year for change. As showcased by recent host countries, a new era in the Olympics and hopefully world politics has been born. At this year’s games, taking place in Pyeongchang, South Korea, North and South Korea will march as one united team for the first time since 2004. This reconciliation united the two countries for their first “high-level” talks in two years. Because of the games, North and South Korea were provided an opportunity to demonstrate their new efforts to lessen aggression towards each other. Due to this resolution, a path towards peace may finally be achieved between the two hostile countries.

Those who act like Nassar and the Russians are now part of a minority. As showcased by North and South Korea, the spirit of togetherness, respect and unity has proliferated the events once again, leaving a period of corruption in the Olympics’ past.

After the political turmoil, conflict and hostility that the world has suffered through this past year, we need an opportunity to celebrate our world’s cultures, and the Olympics provide just that. The athletes from North and South Korea may be the ones marching under a united flag in Pyeongchang, but the people of the world need to be the ones marching together under a single attitude of respect, togetherness and compassion. swarren@redwoodbark.org

Page 17 • Sports

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Powerhouse duo steers basketball team to driving success

By Jocelyn Overmyer As the starting line-up names are announced at the beginning of girls’ varsity basketball games, junior Jenny Walker strides through the cheerleader’s arc of pom poms to greet her teammate, senior Zoe Stachowski, with a shoulder-bump.

Within a few minutes, the two are connecting passes and making plays with ease across the court.

Even though both attended the same summer camps in middle school and Redwood open gym trainings twice a week during summers, Stachowski and Walker’s close bond didn’t start immediately.

“For some reason, Zoe kept hurting me.

One time she elbowed me in the throat. So at first I was like ‘Wow, this girl is going to take my spot on the team,’ but then eventually we figured out that she didn’t

Photo by Lucie James

PRAISING HER TEAMMATE, junior Jenny Walker congratulates senior Zoe Stachowski on her free-throw.

want to hurt me and we just clicked,” Walker said.

A year later, when she was a freshman and Stachowski was a sophomore, Walker joined Stachowski on the varsity team.

Since then, their relationship on the court has transformed.

Stachowski and Walker both play the ‘post’ position.

Upon first playing together at Redwood, their same style of playing clashed and prevented them from complementing each other.

“At first it was kind of a challenge because we both played the same exact way.

We would always go for the same rebound and then get mad at each other because we both would hit it,” Stachowski said “There was always a competition between us, but now that we’ve both developed our game in different ways. It’s working really well.”

Both Stachowski and Walker have converted the primary clashing to complementing each other’s playing styles.

“I call Zoe a horse because she’s so big and powerful. I’m always screaming and Zoe is always screaming. It’s not very organized but I always have her back,” Walker said.

Walker and Stachowski have also used their knowledge of playing the same position to their advantage.

“She still plays post but she is changing to guard position and I’ve just gotten stronger inside, so we work a lot better on the court now,” Stachowski said.

Their growth as both individual players and as a duo has allowed them to collaborate and be in sync on the court.

Stachowski and Walker have developed a friendship off the court that has contributed to knowing when to support each other on the court.

“If I miss a lay up she’s always on the other side to get the rebound. [Walker] sits at the three-point line sometimes and I’ll be up at the other side of the court and I

bark

Photo by Jocelyn Overmyer

STRETCHING AT MIDCOURT, senior Zoe Stachowski and junior Jenny Walker prepare for a game. can just lob it to her because no guards are there and she’s really good at shooting threes,” Stachowski said.

Their unity on the court has lead to statistics that haven’t gone unnoticed.

Stachowski, the team’s leading scorer, averages 15 points a game this season, according to MaxPreps. Walker, third topscorer, averages 8.9 points a game this season, according to MaxPreps.

Walker, who’s been playing basketball since fourth grade, and Stachowski, who’s been playing since seventh grade, are also both on the same Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) travel team. According to Stachowski, the elite AAU team has also brought them closer because the team travels out of state frequently for tournaments and they always room together.

Their close relationship on and off the court has also allowed them to challenge each other.

“I always force Zoe to her left hand because she needs to work on her left hand.

So I always get really close to her because she hates pressure, but I just do it to make her uncomfortable so when other teams do it she gets better,” Walker said.

Communication is also a key component to their success on the court.

“I know when I get upset on the court, Jenny is always picking me up and whenever she gets mad I’m always there for her. We just communicate a lot of the court. If something doesn’t go right when we play, we talk about it and we fix it right there,” Stachowski said.

Having a teammate that thinks alike and has the same understanding of the game creates a sense of comfort on the court for Stachowski.

“It is just one of those things when on the court she’s always there for me to go to and I know she will always be there for me. It feels safe for me for her to be on the court and she understands everything that I go through,” Stachowski said. jocelyn.overmyer@redwoodbark.org

Snowboarders still shred despite small participation numbers

By Devon McClain

Snow spraying to the left and right, carving at exhilarating speeds and insane airtime, snowboarding is a favorite winter activity for a small percentage of thrillseeking Redwood students.

According to a recent Bark survey, 72 percent of students self-reported that they will be spending their winter on a pair of skis, whereas only 28 percent will be on a board. Snowboarders will be outnumbered on the slopes as well as in the hallways. However, there are a few key reasons as to why snowboarders prefer their sport over what the majority of Redwood students favor.

Senior Leana Ngo is a zealous snowboarder and loves to immerse herself in snowboarding culture whenever possible.

Whether it is making the trek to Tahoe or working at the Any Mountain outdoor clothing store in Corte Madera, Ngo does whatever she can to surround herself with snow lovers and fellow boarders.

This can come from either interacting with customers or from one of her many trips to Tahoe, riding at resorts such as Sugar Bowl, Squaw Valley and Northstar.

Last snowboarding season, Ngo took full advantage

Photo Courtesy of Baylor Rembrandt

CATCHING AIR OFF a jump, junior Baylor Rembrandt enjoys a fun day out at the ski resort.

of the tremendous snowfall (exceeding 650 inches), by spending over 20 days in the snow. She now goes up more frequently, knowing the only way to improve her skills is through more experience.

“Snowboarding is kind of like surfing, where the more often that you get into the water, it definitely does you improve your ability and comfortableness with your surroundings,” Ngo said.

With nine years of experience, Ngo mastered many basic techniques and says she is always aiming to advance in her technical skills to dominate each mountain.

Having both skiing and snowboarding experience, Ngo understands the vast differences between the two.

“With snowboarding, it’s more a full body twisting motion, whereas with skiing you’re mostly incorporating the lower half of your body,” Ngo said.

Not only do the two sports require different skill sets, but at first, snowboarding seems to have an extended learning period too. This may be a possible reason for the lack of snowboarders in the Redwood community.

Ngo believes that snowboarding may be easier to master over time, but initially it is much more challenging to learn.

“For skiing, the learning curve is a lot sharper and you can pick it up a lot faster, but with snowboarding it takes a while,” Ngo said.

Similar in skill level, senior Eli Arrick also appreciates the stableness and flow of snowboarding. Like Ngo, Arrick transferred from skiing to snowboarding and hasn’t regretted his decision.

“I’ve always liked the freestyle aspect of it, and I find snowboarding to be much more comfortable and stable,” Arrick said.

While it typically takes a while for those who are new to snowboarding to get the hang of it, Arrick said that he was able to pick it up quickly because of his background in other boarding sports.

“I wakeboard and have skateboarded a little in the past, so snowboarding felt pretty similar to that,” Arrick said.

Arrick originally spent most of his time at terrain parks, but since he’s started to go with more advanced skiers, he’s moved on to larger mountains with natural obstacles and jumps.

Junior Baylor Rembrandt also enjoys taking trips to Tahoe to work on improving his snowboarding skills.

Even with a few years of experience, Rembrandt said that some situations in which snowboarding may be more challenging than skiing. For example, it is much more difficult to maneuver around moguls on steep terrain with a snowboard because of the inability to change direction as quickly as with skis, Another reason that Redwood may be lacking snowboarders is because of how difficult it is to switch after beginning on skis. According to Rembrandt, it is typically easier for younger children to begin on skis.

After becoming so accustomed to skiing, it’s a hassle to switch over to snowboarding if they are interested.

“Not many people want to spend their time at a ski resort just to have to start all over and learn something totally different,” said Rembrandt.

There are many possible reasons for the scarce amount of snowboarders at Redwood, but these three individuals continue to ride with a passion, hoping to improve their skills on each and every run they take.

dmcclain@redwoodbark.org

Photo courtesy of Leana Ngo

STORMING DOWN THE slope, senior Leana Ngo shreds the powder.

Review page 18

Flashback to the fifties: The best of 1958

By Julia Jacoby

Best Album: Blue Train

Best Film: Vertigo

Best Book: Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Photo courtesy of Hitchcock Films

Photo courtesy of Blue Note Records

Photo courtesy of Rishann

DEPICTING A PARANOIA and delusion, the thrill of “Vertigo” transcends time.

A complex tale of obsession, “Vertigo” is a Hitchcock classic, and one of the most prominent (if not slightly disturbing) movies of 1958. A retired detective, Scottie, falls in love with a woman who exists only in his imagination.

He then attempts to force this image upon another woman, Judy, and uncovers her secret: a murder plot against him.

A psychological matrix, “Vertigo,” is a thrilling throwback.

USING MELODIOUS AND upbeat notes, John Coltraine’s “Blue Train” is a jazz classic.

EXCITING AND ADVENTUROUS, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” is a lighthearted, entertaining read for all.

Released in 1958 by Blue Note Records, “Blue Train” displays John Coltrane’s full breadth of musical improvisement and talent on the saxophone. In this album, Coltrane truly establishes himself as one of America’s jazz legends, mastering a range of pace, from smooth and slow notes to upbeat and lively ones. The most notable tracks on the album are “I’m Old Fashioned” and “Locomotion.”

‘Aladdin’ adaptation wows

By Natalia Lazor

Our favorite “street rat” comes to life in the live-action production of Disney’s “Aladdin,” showing a unanimously adoring crowd a whole new world of unforgettable Disney magic. Playing in San Francisco’s Orpheum Theater, “Aladdin” transports the audience to the mystifying city of Agrabah, where the audience embarks on a journey alongside Aladdin and both new and old characters.

The Broadway production of Disney’s Aladdin was remarkably well-adapted to the present-day norms. It featured modern jokes and relevant language, while keeping the traditional aspects of the story, such as Genie’s bubbly personality and Iago’s horribly annoying voice. The humor used throughout the production was a genius twist to a familiar Disney plot line, in which the jokes are innocent.

According to Thestage.com, the set was one of the most time-consuming and difficult to design. The show is modeled after pantomime theater entertainment for kids including slapstick comedy and contemporary jokes, typically based on a children’s story.

The musical opened in the market place, filled with vibrant colors and stunningly-clad street vendors who posed as background dancers. The sets only get more intricate as the two-and-a-half hour spectacle progresses. “A Whole New World” was by far the most fascinating number which had me perplexed as I attempted to figure out how the carpet was suspended. The stage was entirely black except for a few stars and an illuminated carpet from which Aladdin and Jasmine sang. No other scene received more applause, from myself included.

A 14-piece symphony contributed to the wonderful music and aided in the full immersion into each piece of music. After talking with one of the clarinet players following the show, he explained the focus needed to be a part of the musical ensemble and the many hours of work the musicians put in behind the scenes.

The musicians, located almost directly

underneath the stage, are quite literally looked past as the audience doesn’t seem to pay attention to the sensational sounds coming from a full orchestra.

Initially, I was skeptical. I thought there was no way they could adapt such a classic Disney story without losing part of the plot line. That was partially true.

In this production, the audience doesn’t meet two crucial characters: Rajah and Abu. Immediately, I wondered how they could take out the sidekick, such a major quality in Disney movies that often takes shape in the form of an animal. Instead of utilizing an animal to exemplify friendship, they constructed a version in which Aladdin and Jasmine each had three friends to accompany them.

They developed new aspects of the story with new songs and delved even further into an altered narrative. Giving the two protagonists an entourage added the possibility for new musical numbers and of course, new conflicts. All of these were welcomed as they added uncertainty, putting a new twist on an old piece.

Undoubtedly, the movie industry lost an incredible and well-loved actor when Robin Williams died—known as everyone’s favorite Genie. The original Genie is irreplaceable, which made it that much more impressive when actor James Monroe Iglehart absolutely stole the show with his antics and charming personality. The Genie was flamboyant and commanded the entire stage in such a way that he received more applause than even Aladdin as the actors gave their final bows.

The most exceptional part of performance was that, even with the inevitability of the familiar conflicts, the whole play felt unpredictable. Truly appealing to all age groups, the live production of Aladdin was filled with spectacular set pieces, music and endless amiable characters.

nlazor@redwoodbark.org

Though made iconic by its movie rendition, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” by Truman Capote, is a novella about a young writer who meets Holly, a sexually liberated woman who is financially support by older men. Holly’s charm is undeniable and infectious. This seductive masterpiece is a timeless classic. jjacoby@redwoodbark.org

Unique embroidery fails to excite

By Emily Sweet

“Embroidery is both old and new. It is found in most cultures, in all parts of the world, worked by men and women of all ages,” travel guru Mary Gostelow wrote in her novel, “A World of Embroidery.” This quote is prominently written on the walls of the de Young’s Beyond the Surface: Worldwide Embroidery Traditions exhibition. The display, which is running until March 25, elegantly showcases the technicalities and cultural significance of a range of embroidery from bags to tunics.

The exhibit provided free admission for students under 17 with valid ID, and only $6 for students above 18, making it easily affordable. However, the location of the exhibit within the de Young is unfortunately not ideal. Located on the second floor, I accidentally stumbled into it while I was waiting for an elevator.

Instead, the exhibit is a small glass room only about half the size of an average Redwood classroom.

The exhibit itself has about 15 pieces framed in glass cases for viewing, with smaller projects laid out in drawers underneath. The artwork ranges from a Romanian dress to an Uzbekistanian tunic, there is a substantial amount of information and culture on display, despite the exhibit’s extremely underwhelming appearance. Each piece is accompanied by a concise description of its cultural significance and country of origin, for example a summary of a saddlebag from the Aymara people in Bolivia made of wool or camelid fiber. Many of the pieces in drawers below display varying embroidery techniques.

For example, one drawer displayed the three basic types of embroidery with a sampling of each one. A Turkish textile was accompanied with a vivid description of the technique known as Z-twisted

Photo by Emily Sweet

SHOWING A VARIETY of intricate designs, the exhibit is historically interesting, yet limited. threads used for many Turkish designs.

I was pleasantly surprised to see such a variety of items and unexpectedly found myself very intrigued by the nuances of embroidery. While at first glance there isn’t much to know about stitching, every explanation on display is informative, well-written and interesting.

Perhaps the most breathtaking piece on display is a late 19th century women’s vest from Germany. The vest’s gold detailing and intricate stitching are in actuality the essence of the exhibit: a beautiful yet enlightening item of history.

Adjacent to a matching pair of flats, for a moment I found myself back in 19th century Germany.

Though I enjoyed admiring the clothing on display and reading about the history relating to each piece, I do not think more than 15 minutes is necessary to fully experience the exhibit.

If you consider the intricacies of embroidery fascinating, this exhibit offers a great opportunity to easily expand your cultural knowledge. However, the lackluster location and general atmosphere did not make a lasting impression on me.

The bottom line is if you are at the de Young and looking to explore an understated and generally overlooked artform, Worldwide Embroidery Traditions will perfectly fulfill your needs. With that being said, I would not recommend planning a trip just to see it. esweet@redwoodbark.org

Page 19 • Review

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Marin Museum of Contemporary Art provides both a political and whimsical look at the world today

The Marin Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), located in Novato, is currently offering meaningful and thoughtprovoking artwork about the current political climate, while also providing an entertaining and whimsical view of the world today.

Opening early last month, “My” and “BUG SUR” were two of the featured exhibits displayed. Being my first visit to this local gem, I was pleasantly surprised by the breadth of the artwork.

The “My” exhibit is a statement against the controversial political climate as women struggle to figure out how much to reveal to the world. The combination of prints and silk are the result of artist Melissa Shanley’s five-month residency at MOCA. Each work features a detailed image of part of Shanley’s own body, which are neither erotic nor easily identifiable.

Her purpose of creating the exhibit was to address the decision process a woman must make every day, whether consciously or unconsciously, of how much she should show to the world.

Shanley’s work resides in the right corner of MOCA, where five small lights gently illuminate the collection. Each piece depicts a close-up shot of her body from a different angle, ranging from a nose and

By Vincent Leo eyelid to a bare shoulder. A silk overlay the discussion to the deeper, essential hangs directly in front of each print, question of the issues women face today: displaying a duplicate image that matches how much is safe to reveal, both physically the one placed on the wall behind it. and emotionally?

Of the four images, the one that Promoting a lighter and whimsical caught my eye was the easiest to recognize: message, “BUG SUR” features Alex a close up of a chin and neck. The photo Nizovsky’s unique perspective on the focused on Shanley’s physique and the hidden beauty of insects. Through his contours of her face. Small details such as work as an artist, biologist and designer, the tenseness in her facial expression and Nizovsky created his exhibit by combining the wrinkles in her neck brought life to the his experiences of photographing bugs piece by conveying Shanley’s reaction to and watching them in nature with his the oppression and pressure women face. dreams and imagination. The final result Lighter green hues in the background of the is a collection of paintings that utilizes photo contrasted the darker brown colors of large-scale depictions to look past the fear her skin. The print voiced her struggle with and disgust of small bugs to reveal the our current political climate and seemed to fascinating, undiscovered micro world of imply the dire need to empower women to these beautiful organisms. take control of their lives.

Standing out amongst the dozens Although the exhibit features only of paintings, a portrayal of an Inca beetle four prints, each conveyed a powerful captured my attention with its bold, message. The most creative and intriguing majestic colors. The bug was centered in the aspect is how the prints are presented, with middle of the piece, displayed in multiple one image concealing the other. At times, elegant shades of purple and surrounded I was even tempted to pull back the silk by a blue, airy environment. It was not piece to reveal what was behind it. until I read the description provided that Through Shanley’s reaction to I realized the bug represented the ancient Trump’s comments in the “Access Inca God of Rain. The bug was floating off Hollywood” tapes and her conversations the ground while creating wind from its with other women, this was the exact horns that commanded the rain. Nizovsky’s response she wanted to evoke, according combination of a common insect with a to her artist statement. She wanted to open powerful deity created an alluring artwork

that truly shows the hidden beauty all bugs possess.

Additionally, the exhibit featured a sample of Nizovsky’s other works, such as comical takes on certain political leaders. A piece titled “Donnie Likes The Grasshoppers Singing” especially sparked my interest due to its humorous depiction of President Donald Trump. Bugs create a chaotic scene on his upper body and head, crawling up his shirt, leaping to and fro and even nesting in his disheveled hair. The painting mocks Trump’s ego and his desire to have overly perfect hair, degrading him to an ugly, green mess. Through all of this, Trump wears an unamused face and seems disgusted by the mayhem the insects are creating.

The exhibits are free admission and run through Feb. 25, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesdays through Fridays and 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m on weekends.

From understanding a female artist’s personal perspective on our political climate to appreciating the unique beauty of insects, the MOCA is a great way to experience contemporary art in our own community.

vleo@redwoodbark.org

Photos by Vincent Leo. Artwork by Alex Nizovsky

OFFERING A UNIQUE perspective on the hidden beauty of insects, artist Alex Nizovsky depicts colorful paintings in his collection “BIG SUR” of small bugs while incorporting politcal statements. Nizovsky was inspired by watching nature and combining those views with his own dreams and imagination.

‘All the Money in the World’ tells a complex tale of peril and family

By Alexandra Lee

It is late at night in Italy—two a.m. to be exact—as 16-year old John Paul Getty III struts confidently down the street with his ‘70s star-printed shirt and shoulder length hair, stopping only to talk to girls. Moments later, Paul (as he is referred to) is violently thrown into the rear of a camper van and kidnapped by criminals who are after one thing: his grandfather’s money.

At Paul’s apartment, his mother, Gail, frantically picks up the ringing telephone and stands in shock as she listens to a curt message from one of the kidnappers himself: they have taken her son, and will only release him for a ransom of $17 million. Gail’s mouth hangs open as the kidnapper adds that this should be easy, given that her father-in-law has “all the money in the world.”

Directed by Ridley Scott, “All the Money in the World” follows the tragic true story of the 1973 kidnapping of Paul, grandson of Jean Paul Getty, who founded the Getty Oil Company and was named the richest American man in 1957.

While the movie includes plenty of suspenseful and intense scenes woven throughout, it focuses largely on the exasperating struggle of Gail, who has little money herself, to reconcile relations with her father-in-law and convince him to pay the ransom in full.

Christopher Plummer, who plays Jean Paul Getty, expertly takes on a stuffy and cold-hearted attitude that leaves viewers shocked and disgusted with his refusal to pay any of Paul’s ransom.

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the film is Getty’s argument that he can’t “afford” to spare the $17

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

PORTRAYING THE TRUE story of the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, “All the Money in the World” depicts the reactions of the Getty family members. million to save his grandson’s life – though he invests in a $1.2 million painting during the period of his grandson’s kidnapping – solely because investing in artwork is tax deductible. Saving Paul, however, is not in his monetary interest.

The actors, especially Michelle Williams, who plays Gail, do a surprisingly realistic job of portraying the emotions with living through this nightmare. Charlie Plummer, who plays Paul, gives a believable performance as the kidnapping draws on and on; he’s shocked and

frightened in the beginning, but gains confidence and bravery as he attempts to escape.

Several complex relationships are tested throughout the months of Paul’s kidnapping, aside from the obvious tension and disrespect between Gail and Getty. A close friendship forms between Gail and security agent Fletcher Chase (Mark Wahlberg), and there is a quiet hatred remaining between Gail and her slovenly ex-husband and father of Paul, John Paul Getty Jr. (Andrew Buchan).

Another unexpected nuance in the film is the relationship between Gail, Fletcher and the original kidnapper Cinquanta (Romain Duris), who actually serves as their messenger on Paul’s condition. Cinquanta remains near Paul throughout the entirety of his kidnapping as an ally for his survival, frequently making secret calls to Gail to relay information and protecting him from the most horrific punishments. This relationship adds another element of intensity to the film, keeping viewers on their toes as they grapple with Cinquanta’s sincerity.

While the movie is primarily serious, Scott adds in enough humorous and lighthearted moments to keep the subject matter bearable. This includes Gail’s decision to deliver hundreds of copies of the newspaper, plastered with an image of the broken and hopeless-looking Paul sent by the kidnappers themselves, right to Getty’s doorstep.

Overall, the cinematography and production quality remained consistently flawless throughout the duration of the movie. The set design and costume represented the era perfectly, and the grey scenery and gloomy lighting underscored the seriousness out the situation.

This movie is extremely well done from beginning to end, using the right touches of danger, strength, love and hope to create a both intense and thought-provoking picture. The ideal movie for a rainy day or night in, “All the Money in the World” will be sure to impress. alee@redwoodbark.org

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Page 20 • Review

February 9, 2018

‘Sing Unburied Sing’ hits all the right notes

By Julia Jacoby “The branches are full. They are full with ghosts, two or three, all the way up to the top, to the feathered leaves,” thinks Jojo, a biracial 13-year-old boy, standing in his grandparents’ yard. This image is emblematic of perhaps the most human aspect of the Jesmyn Ward novel, “Sing, Unburied, Sing:” that which haunts us.

The novel follows Jojo as he and his four-year-old sister Kayla embark on a mission with their drug-addicted Black mother, Leonie, to recover their White father, Michael, who is about to be released from Parchman, a Mississippi state penitentiary.

Ward simultaneously delivers a heartbreakingly poignant portrayal of a fractured family, haunted by Leonie’s addiction—both to drugs and to her tumultuous relationship with Michael—and a fractured America, beset by the systematic racism woven so intricately and heavily into its history.

Set in Bois Sauvage (which translates from French to “Wild Wood”), a fictional town in Mississippi, “Sing, Unburied, Sing” alternates in perspective between Leonie and Jojo as they make the arduous trek upstate.

Cramped, irritable and hot, this road trip is full of misadventures. From stopping so Leonie can buy and sell drugs to Jojo nearly getting shot by a police officer, the novel also serves to juxtapose the literal proximity of Leonie and her children with the emotional chasm separating them.

This tension is amplified as the narrative passes back and forth between the two. Jojo rarely offers Leonie any sympathy, believing her to be, pretty accurately, selfish and reckless. He hardly acknowledges her as his mother, and the cynical insight with which he sees the world is a product of his disenchantment by Leonie’s missteps.

Through Leonie’s melancholy, brutally honest confessions, we can understand her shame and disappointment past what her teenage son can perceive.

As the novel progresses, we learn that Leonie’s brother, Given, was killed by one of Michael’s cousins, and she has several conversations with him as an apparition—which she can only see when she’s high.

Ward paints a beautifully complex image of Leonie’s psyche: a woman who, at times, is jealous and even resentful of her children’s fierce bond, yet still craves their affection and tenderness, who understands the destructiveness of her negligent behavior yet routinely lets her responsibility fall victim to her addiction. Leonie has been trapped and dejected by grief and the racist culture characteristic to rural southern America that offers Black citizens neither opportunity nor justice, and has lived so restricted by oppression that it has become the defining quality of her life.

In one of the many ironies of the novel, as they return, Jojo begins to see Richie, an apparition of a child who was once incarcerated at Parchman. He tells Jojo of the horrific realities of Parchman.

The stunning parallels between the prison and a plantation make Parchman an explicit parable of the American criminal justice system’s role in perpetuating racist control.

This is illustrated in Richie’s description of the prison, saying it felt like he was standing “in a field of endless rows of cotton [and] men bent and scuttling along like hermit crabs, bending and picking.”

The history of Parchman—a successor to the convict lease system which, after the Civil War, disproportionately imprisoned black men—demonstrates both the hold that history has over the present, and the persistence of racial inequality in America.

Ward’s writing is beautiful in its lyricism, yet blunt and honest in its description of the ugly truths of the South and the hardships that threaten to overcome familial bond.

Yet at points, Ward’s language becomes too flowery, and certain metaphors she uses begin to drag and feel misplaced. Especially prevalent in depictions of the scenery, the excessive flowerieness becomes tiring, and can be seen when Jojo says, “Eyes blink as the sun blazes and winks below the forest line so that the ghosts catch the color, reflect the red.”

While picturesque, it slows the progression of the narrative. It also blurs the distinct tones between the two narrators and confuse their separate perspectives, sacrificing some of the plot development to the poeticism.

Photo courtesy of Simon & Schuster

PORTRAYING AN HONEST, yet lyrical image of the American South, Jesmyn Ward’s “Sing, Unburied, Sing” is a poignant critique of race in America.

While reading this novel, the ghosts in it did not feel like fantastical superstitions: rather profound memories, ever-present, ever-ignored individuals. The restlessness of these spirits illuminate the lack of closure in American history—and the lack of acknowledgement of it—and remind us that there are still stories that beg to be told, and songs that beg to be sung. jjacoby@redwoodbark.org

Culture II features talented guest singers to create a contemporary album

By Jack Parsons

Photo courtesy of Capitol Records

FEATURING ARTISTS SUCH as Travis Scott, Drake and Cardi B, this 24-song album ventured outside of Migos’s usual Atlanta ‘trap’ sound.

On Jan. 27, 2017, the Atlanta emcee group Migos shared with the music world their iconic Grammy-nominated album “Culture,” which featured popular tracks like “Slippery,” “Call Casting,” “T Shirt,” and “Brown Paper Bag.” Just one day shy of a year later, the hip hop group dropped the much-anticipated sequel to the album, “Culture II.” “Culture II” is packed with talented guest singers such as Travis Scott, 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Drake and Cardi B, but the group didn’t even need these feature artists to receive publicity. It may not have been “Bigger than Oprah,” as promised by Takeoff (a member of Migos) in the album’s intro, but the album has topped best selling album lists in over 30 countries.

“Culture II” is everything you would expect from Migos, let alone any other Atlanta ‘trap’ rapper(s). Wall-to-wall, this is no modest affair. The songs reference the foreign cars, flashy jewelry, designer brands, exotic animals, drugs and trips to Dubai that we’ve heard from them in the

past. Despite Migos mostly skimming over deeper themes, two songs on the album vaguely delve into more serious topics.

“Work Hard” speaks to exhaustion and “Too Playa” lightly touches on anxiety.

Although I usually appreciate some element of seriousness in song lyrics, I don’t mind the fact that Migos are more shallow, as their songs are more meant to hype you up and flaunt bass-heavy trap beats.

The group sets themself apart from other current rappers through their unique style, which was coined the “Migos flow”

by The Guardian. Each song is finished with that unusual sound so characteristic of Migos: the very liberal use of adlibs in the background of every song, inconsistent speed and creative rhyming.

With 24 songs, “Culture II” is a relatively long album, especially when compared to its predecessor, “Culture,” which only contained 13 songs. Although most of the songs had similar lyrics, the group utilized a variety of producers and beat types. This album was one of the first times that the group ventured outside of their typical Atlanta ‘trap’ sound that is

so often encapsulated by producers like Zaytoven, Metro Boomin or OG Parker, who are all top-of-the-list producers for Migos.

For their second teaser of the album, “Stir Fry,” Migos teamed up with Pharrell Williams for the beat, who created a uptempo sound that was closer to pop than rap. “Stir Fry” is that kind of song that everyone wants to get up for and dance, because it’s catchy and easy to sing along to.

For “Too Playa,” Migos even rapped over a jazz/trap mashup which featured a memorable trumpet sample that was produced by Atlanta based producer Zaytoven. In “Narcos,” a song in which Migos praise former Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, DJ Durel created a South American vibe with a sample similar to the opening theme for the popular Netflix series. By combining the sample (which is actually borrowed from a Haitian song) with heavy bass and hi-hats, DJ Durel was able to create a memorable beat that was complemented with good verses from each of the Migos members. Currently, the highest grossing song on the album is

Photo courtesy of Come Up Show

“Walk it Talk it,” which features Drake.

In the song, Quavo, Offset and Drake call out fake people who don’t actually live the lives they brag about, implying they can’t “walk it like they talk It.” The best songs on the album are “White Sand,” “Narcos” and “Movin’ Too Fast.” Each one of these songs have a distinct sound and are upbeat, hype and catchy.

“Culture II” has a wider variety than its older sibling, “Culture,” but has more room for error, considering that there are more songs. One aspect that the group improved on from “Culture I” was utilizing a larger variation of producers. Thanks to this longer producer credit list, “Culture II” had more unique sounds, beats and vibes that came with the song, whereas “Culture” lacked that variety. Consistency was more present in “Culture”, which often comes alongside a shorter track list. On “Culture,” nearly every song was a banger, and can still be heard today in car stereos and pregame warmups. “Culture II,” however, lacked a similar consistency. Some songs were bangers that you could listen to 10 times in a row, while others just sounded okay or skip-worthy. This can be partially blamed on the longer tracklist because the more songs there are, the greater the chance of having a couple duds.

Despite having less consistency than its antecedent, “Culture II” and Migos themselves deserve nothing but credit.

Migos started out as a small group of Atlanta cousins and a nephew who supplemented rapping with selling drugs on the street and turning to illegal methods to feed their music habits. Because of their hard work and dedication to modern rap, the group has been able to rise up and become an iconic symbol of contemporary hip hop. It might be too early to say, but many are calling the Migos the best group in hip hop, comparing them with N.W.A., The Beastie Boys and Wu-Tang-Clan.

RELEASED ON JAN. 27, 2017, Culture II has already topped best selling album lists in

jparsons@redwoodbark.org over 30 countries.

Lifestyles page 21

Owner of Woody’s Yogurt Place freezes time remembering Redwood

By Matthew Mulcahy In 1958, Michael Woodson, now the owner of Woody’s Yogurt Place in Strawberry Village, was a senior at the newly constructed Redwood High School. Lacking adequate athletic facilities and boasting only two wings of classrooms, Michael’s expectations for his last year of high school were low. Little did he know that his senior year would provide him with a strong foundation in organizational and communication skills that would prove vital to his lengthy career in politics, including working for President Ronald Reagan, and as the owner of his own frozen yogurt shop.

During his freshman, sophomore and junior years of high school, Michael attended Drake, as Redwood was not constructed yet. Michael recalls his first introduction to Donald Krepps, Redwood’s first principal, at the end of his junior year in 1958. Krepps held assemblies at Drake and Tamalpais high schools during the end of Michael’s junior year where he showcased the proposed plan for Redwood High School, which was set to open the next fall.

“We were looking at this and [thinking], ‘Oh my god, it’s got swimming pools, and football fields and running tracks and everything we had at Drake. And it’s gorgeous, just gorgeous,’” Michael said.

For freshmen and sophomore students attending Drake and Tamalpais who lived in certain cities, transferring to Redwood was mandatory. For all juniors, including Michael, the transition was optional. The decision to switch high schools seemed easy to Michael and other athletes from Drake when popular football coach Bob Troppmann and basketball coach Dick Hart announced they would be coaching at Redwood.

Michael’s excitement to attend Redwood was dampened a few days before school opened when he and his football teammates drove down Doherty Drive for their first football practice. Not only was a football field nonexistent, but the school campus was still only sparsely developed.

“We drive in and they’ve got a parking lot, the west building looking at Mount Tam, the south building, the gym and nothing [else] but dirt,” Michael said. “We are all looking at it like, ‘Uh, what happened?’”

With limited facilities in Redwood’s first years, the student body faced some difficulties.

“We didn’t have any uniforms for the band so it was Levi’s and a white long sleeve shirt,” Michael said. “But it just didn’t matter. We didn’t have a school song. We didn’t have anything. But we just had a good time.”

Photo by Matthew Mulcahy

GRADUATING IN 1958, Michael Woodson attended Redwood in its earliest years after transferring from Drake, and later opened Woody’s Yogurt Place.

Photo by Matthew Mulcahy

DECIDING ICE CREAM sizes to order, Charlie and Chuck Swanson are served by Brian Woodson, the son of Woody’s Yogurt Place’s founder Michael Woodson.

Michael ran for the Rally Chairman student body Street and thought, ‘Well, I love frozen yogurt,” Michael position at Redwood, a position without clear guidelines said.

The name, Woody, was thought up by Michael’s on how to fulfill the intended duties. To cultivate school spirit, Michael utilized his leadership position to organize grandmother before the shop opened on Main Street in Tiburon. Michael said he spent nearly $100,000 renovating pre-game rallies.

“All the girls lined up in [Redwood] football jerseys the unit into a food service facility. The expenses mainly and they did little skits and songs. We’d dance around, and included installing new power and plumbing.

In 2000, Michael moved the just have fun,” Michael said. business to Strawberry Village facing Michael further expanded the Highway 101 before relocating to role of Rally Chairman by providing behind the center in 2006. Woodson’s the Marin Independent Journal with son, Brian Woodson, took over information about upcoming and managerial duties three years ago past sports games, including scores while also helping his father’s shop and mentioning valuable contributors on and off since the Main Street shop from the matchups. opened.

“I was like the PR (public “My dad needed me to come back relations) guy for the school,” Michael and become more involved with the said. shop. I was ready to move on from Michael noted that once he started the jobs I was working in Novato to promoting Redwood through the coming back here so it just worked Marin Independent Journal, students out,” Brian said. from other local high schools did the Michael Woodson, owner ofWoody’s Yogurt Brian and Michael both agree same. that the best aspect of the shop is Michael credits the integration Place being able to give back to their own of Drake and Tamalpais students at community with their products. The Redwood with helping him navigate duo host multiple Ice Cream Social events and promote new social environments.

“I walked into USC and I didn’t know a soul,” Michael their annual fundraiser for the Mill Valley School District said. “But Redwood sort of prepared me for that. Because with Woody’s 50 percent Day through the Kiddo! here we are meeting all these Tam kids and kids from fundraising program. Customers are encouraged to leave Belvedere and Tiburon who we had never met before. It their receipts so the total may be summed and 50 percent of it will be donated to local schools. The Woodsons have gave us an introduction to our next step.”

Michael’s spirit and organizational skills continued recently partnered with the Sausalito Lions Club that hosts with him on his journey to USC. As an upperclassman, some events for the Boys and Girls Club in the Sausalito, Michael served as the school’s Rally Chairman, scheduling Marin City community.

“Through that, we have a connection to Marin City and running events including the 1962 Rose Bowl parade.

These leadership skills transferred to his careers which is great—that’s another potential customer base to associated with national and state level politics from 1968 come up to us,” Brian said. “But we do it regardless of to 1996. During Ronald Reagan’s presidency, Michael whether they are coming up to us or not. One of the great served as a White House advance man. His role required things about our job is being able to do different events exemplary organizational skills to plan all activities the with the community.”

Michael estimates that he has hired over 400 local President engaged in during his visits away from the teenagers to work for his shops since starting in 1998, White House.

So how did Michael parlay his experiences to become including Redwood students. Sophomore Ava Coven is the owner of Woody’s Yogurt Place in Strawberry Village? currently working at Woody’s Yogurt Place and enjoys the After losing his father and wife, Michael looked after nature of her work in the store.

“I love working here,” Coven said. “I feel like everyone his mother in Tiburon, who was experiencing a sciatic nerve problem. Michael wanted to start his own business in working here is pretty happy because it’s an ice cream the local community so he could stay close to his family. A store and everyone is in a good mood.” walk down Main Street turned his aspirations into reality.

“I saw this sign go up on this small, little unit on Main mmulcahy@redwoodbark.org

We didn’t have a school song. We didn’t have anything. But we just had a good time.

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Page 22 • Lifestyles

February 9, 2018

Bark alumni reflect on journalistic successes and ventures

By Sylvana Perczek Throughout the years, the Bark has received prestigious awards for exemplary student writing. Many Bark alumni continue to utilize the skills they developed in the program as a part of their careers.

Bark alumni apply what they learned throughout their career paths, whether that is in the journalism field or other ventures. According to Redwood alumnus Eric Schmitt, these skills became most relevant when he started his journey towards becoming a journalist for the New York Times.

As a senior writer for the New York Times, Schmitt has been covering terrorism and national security issues since 1983. Following his graduation from Redwood in 1978, Schmitt attended Williams College in Massachusetts to study international relations.

After graduating from Redwood and enrolling at Williams College, Schmitt spent one year writing for the Tri-City Herald newspaper, based in Washington, until graduating in 1982. The following year, Schmitt was offered the job of clerk reporter for the New York Times.

Through this opportunity, Schmitt said he gained insight on what it was like to work for a professional newspaper.

His starting position allowed Schmitt to further his involvement with the New York Times and eventually become a full-time reporter.

“I learned how to write quickly and a lot. From there, I kind of moved my way up in the paper working as a news clerk in Washington and New York and eventually getting hired as a full time business reporter,” Schmitt said.

In 1990, Schmitt moved back to Washington D.C. to cover the military and national security issues. He has continued writing for the New York Times for over 35 years.

When Schmitt started his journey in professional journalism, he was required to choose between print, TV and radio journalism. According to Schmitt, people expect journalists to collaborate when working for the New York Times.

“I think today’s young journalists come much more equipped in video, audio and in their writing,” Schmitt said.

Schmitt also believes the way stories are told and the constant news cycles make journalism an exciting and rewarding profession.

Photo courtesy of the Redwood Bark Archives

PUBLISHED IN THE Bark’s first edition, pages were pasted up using a typewriter, pens, razor blades and tape recorders.

“Journalism is going through a golden era, partly because there are so many great stories out there and so many new and interesting ways to tell them,” Schmitt said.

Schmitt is not the only Bark alum to continue journalism to the professional field. Attending Redwood the first year it opened as a sophomore, alumnus Jef Skov was co-editor in chief of the Bark as a senior in 1961 with Rick Sims. He applied his journalistic skills into his current career in broadcasting.

According to Skov, the majority of the Bark’s first issues were most focused on introducing the program and talking about school-related stories. Skov said that the paper rarely covered any controversy.

“Reflecting on what we did then and what [Bark reporters] do now, I’m very jealous of the huge array of tools [they] have to use these days and the wide range of subjects [Bark] can cover,” Skov said.

According to Skov, in those days, the Bark covered student activities, profiles, sports, dances and rallies.

Controversial issues such as politics, racial equality, women’s rights, same sex marriage, gay rights and drugs were seldom considered news stories in his days. The most political issue that the Bark wrote in the those years was during the Kennedy vs. Nixon election. Skov said that the Bark profiled both candidates, but it was very dry and straightforward.

“We didn’t have Twitter and Facebook and Snapchat, so if you were an athlete, for instance, you were excited to see your name or maybe even your picture in print because Photo courtesy of the Redwood Log it wouldn’t show up any place else,” Skov said.

NOW WRITING FOR the New York Times, Eric Schmitt According to Skov, in 1961, the Bark would take the graduated in 1978 after writing for the Bark. He now written stories to the district print shop at Tamalpais High specializies in terrorism and national security coverage.

School (Tam), where papers were printed for Tam, Drake and Redwood. after teacher and having talented writers in his Advanced After graduating from Redwood, Skov attended Journalism class.

Stanford for a year and a half, but then dropped out due to After graduating from Redwood, Rosenthal studied financial circumstances.

Economics at UC Berkeley and then transferred to the He then went on to work in broadcasting, which Skov University of San Diego to study Criminal Law. After has pursued for 30 years. Along the way, Skov has worked spending four years studying law, Rosenthal realized that at KTIM radio station in San Rafael and another radio it wasn’t his true calling. station in San Francisco called KSFO. For the past 20 years, Rosenthal has practiced legal According to Skov, although the presence of physical graphics through his own business, working with trial newspapers plays a smaller role in society today, lawyers to visually communicate their cases to judges and journalism plays a crucial role in dayjuries. According to Rosenthal, to-day communication. he creates visual aids like maps, “I think journalism plays a huge timelines, technical illustrations role in people’s lives today. I think and 3D animations. what you can do with the research that “When I decided to get out the internet gives you is absolutely of law, I read one day about priceless. The news media is absolutely some woman who used to be essential in our democracy and any a lawyer and she had just hired attempt to take that away should not be this team of graphic designers allowed,” Skov said. and I thought it was really cool Although not all Bark alum embark how I could marry my law into journalism as their career path, experience into the form of art,” journalistic skills can provide a strong Rosenthal said. foundation for other areas of work, According to Rosenthal, according to David Rosenthal, a 1983 being a journalist taught him Redwood graduate. Rosenthal was an analytical skills and how editor for the girls’ sports teams, as well to pry for information even as a writer for the Tiburon Ark during under difficult circumstances. his junior and senior year. Rosenthal David Rosenthal, Rosenthal’s belt of investigative said his best memories on the Bark Redwood alumnus tools helped transform him occurred when the paper was laid out from an aspiring writer to a during paste-up. self-made businessman.

“Everything was basically done on “I think that the Bark taught a typewriter and then sent off to a printer. The technology me to go a little bit beyond the comfort zone and not accept we used were typewriters, pens, razor blades and tape what people say as the absolute truth, but to dig a little recorders,” Rosenthal said. deeper,” Rosenthal said.

According to Rosenthal the Bark in those years was something that many students wanted to be apart of.

Rosenthal remembers Donald Brown being a sought sperczek@redwoodbark.org

I think that Bark taught me to go a little bit beyond my comfort zone and not accept what people say is the absolute truth, but to dig a little deeper.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

By Saamya Mangamuru Let’s just say, the Bark in 1958 published some things that we would think twice about printing in 2018. Flipping through the pages of the earliest issues of the Bark offers some insight into what student journalists back then thought was funny, in-style and important. Here are some quotes plucked out of context from the very first year of the Bark that might make you giggle, raise your eyebrows or leave you quite perplexed.

“What would you do if you saw a pooh aluh rolling towards you?....

Too bad folks! A rolling pooh aluh is simply hula hoop—spelled backwards of course!”

“How does it feel to realize you cannot pay the 25-cent toll on the Golden Gate Bridge?”

“A few weeks ago he was caught reading Einstein in the original German.”

“Your bread is cut when you buy it,” said an exchange student from South Africa.

“The recreational values of homework must be placed second to the pressing responsibilities of a high school student.”

“Wanted: a heater for my scooter.”

“Gentlemen prefer blondes.”

Page 23 • Lifestyles

www.redwoodbark.org

Just for kicks: new P.E. teacher balances Taekwondo and teaching

bark

By Bea Cazares After bowing down to a partner and shaking their hand, the real action begins. She bends at the knees to get into sparring position, looking at the opponent to try and decipher their next move. If she’s quick enough, she’ll land the first kick on her opponent.

Originally from Santa Rosa, Nicole Graydon, Redwood’s newest Physical Education (P.E.) teacher, started practicing Taekwondo at the age of 11.

Graydon, who is a fifth-degree black belt, can perform about 95 moves in the sport, compared to the 18 moves taught at white belt,the lowest level.

“I’ve been doing Taekwondo 20 years now. It’s always been a safe haven for people especially at the studio I train at. It’s just a great outlet, if I don’t go I kinda seem like a crazy person,” Graydon said.

Graydon takes a keen interest in Taekwondo but she also has trained in other martial arts practices such as Judo, Tai Chi and Shotokan Karate. The difference between each art is its methods of defense. Taekwondo focuses on kicking and punching.

In addition to her talent in martial arts, Graydon always knew she wanted to be a teacher. However, she felt that the traditional classroom setting wasn’t for her.

“I cannot sit still in a classroom, and the standards that we get to teach in P.E. translate to the teaching of Taekwondo,” Graydon said. “It’s really grounding. All the tenants are about respect and integrity—basically just being a good person and helping others.”

Graydon started at Redwood the first day of second semester and teaches tenth grade classes. According to her co-worker Ryan Lloyd, who also teaches P.E., Graydon has been a positive asset to the department.

“She’s bringing in some fresh approaches and it’s good to have someone to bounce ideas off, so we’re pleased with her addition,” Lloyd said.

Graydon’s diverse background in martial arts fosters her ability to dominate in physical education units such as self defense. While taking a Sexual Harassment & Rape Prevention Program, Graydon learned Haganah, the Israeli army’s method of self defense. She integrates Haganah into the P.E. self defense unit with her students.

According to sophomore Gianna Panzardi, Graydon’s nuanced teaching methods set her apart from other teachers.

“She incorporates a lot of her personal experiences and stories into her teaching. It’s not just, ‘you have to do this for PE.’ She tells us a story and tells us how we can apply things to real life,” Panzardi said. “She’s really relatable,

Photo courtesy of Nicole Graydon

PREPARING TO SPAR, new Physical Education teacher Nicole Graydon has been practicing Taekwondo for 20 years and holds a fifth-degree black belt. easy to talk to and approachable.”

Graydon had been competing in Taekwondo since she was a yellow belt, which she earned six months after she starting the sport. She stopped four years ago when she began teaching full time and coaching badminton and volleyball, which dominated her life.

According to Graydon, there are nine color belts and nine black belts starting at white in the American Taekwondo Association. The colors then continue with orange, yellow, camouflage, green, purple, blue, brown, red, recommended black belt and then black belt. The colored belts are the foundation of the sport. An athlete is still considered a beginner until the time they’re a fourthdegree black belt.

Obtaining a black belt is considered a high achievement

in the Taekwondo world. Despite the title, women still face gender discrimination at this competitive level.

Other instances that Graydon has noticed in regards to sexism were bigger mens’ sparring fights being aired on television while the women’s matches weren’t.

“In the American Taekwondo Association (ATA), the fourth and fifth-degree men’s ring would get on ESPN 3 but not the women’s ring,” Graydon said. “It’s a culturally ingrained thing. It’s women’s athletics. It’s always a battle.”

bcazares@redwoodbark.org

Senior takes the leap from her studies to the spotlight

By Jack Green While lacing up her pink pointe shoes, one might assume that senior Lauren Roberts was just another dancer preparing for rehearsal. However, they wouldn’t know the leap she had taken into the professional world of ballet.

Lauren attended three and a half years of high school at Redwood, but as she started to think about her future she realized that dance was something she wanted to pursue full time, so she decided not to traditionally attend Redwood second semester.

“For a while I just did dance for the sake of doing it, because I love to do it.

I never thought that I was necessarily capable of making it in the professional world, but then I started talking with a lot of people and taking classes everywhere and getting a lot of different opinions and I became a lot more optimistic and I realized

that maybe I could do it,” Lauren said.

Lauren has been working with her instructor and mentor Charles Torres for eight years, and he has become an integral part of her decision making process.

According to Torres, Lauren has always been a gifted dancer at Stapleton.

“I remember that at a young age she had a lot of wonderful qualities and it was a matter of slowly but surely refining some things for her,” Torres said. “The first year she was very quick, very smart and a hell of a worker. She is very down to earth about her work and really wants to succeed with a foundation.”

Lauren’s mother, Leslie Roberts, said that her daughter has always had dancing in her blood.

“Lauren has never stopped moving.

She was the baby who would not sit on my lap in the mommy-baby group and who insisted on pushing the stroller, not sitting

Photo courtesy of Lauren Roberts

SMILING IN THE spotlight, senior Lauren Roberts transitioned to independent studies to pursue her career in dance.

in it,” Leslie said. “Dance will always be wants. It’s a lot of luck, a lot of timing and an in her life, no matter what major or career immense amount of work, and sometimes path she pursues.” there’s not a payoff, and there is a lot of Currently, Lauren is in an independent disappointment. But, I can honestly say, study program that consists of taking for all that disappointment you get that one government online and magic moment, be it on a couple of classes at stage, for a company, College of Marin so a choreographer, a that she can balance her production, Broadway, academic studies while it makes up for pursuing dance. everything,” Torres “I realized that dance said. is such a short-lived Lauren is well career that if I wanted to aware that professional make it professionally, dance is no small feat, or even go off to a but she said she is still college dance program, determined to continue now is the time to do so, to work hard and do the and I realized dance is Leslie Roberts, best she can within the what I love to do so why Lauren’s mother industry. not do it now,” Lauren “It’s definitely a said. hard career. It’s one of Although Torres hopes to have “lit the the hardest paths to be a part of. There’s fire” of Lauren’s interest in dance, he still a lot of body shaming, there’s a lot of encourages her to receive an education, competition, and it’s not necessarily a lot which other instructors in his position of money so you have to be okay with that don’t normally do, according to Torres. and realize that it’s what you love to do and “I would never say ‘No Lauren, you that’s all that matters, instead of being in it have to dance,’ because it is a difficult art, for the money,” Lauren said. it is a difficult business. That’s a reality that Lauren will receive her decisions from I think a lot of children don’t understand. the various pre-professional programs and You still have to eat, you still have to pay colleges to which she has applied soon. bills, you still have to have life,” Torres And at that time, she hopes she will be said. ready to choose what direction to take her Currently, Lauren is still struggling dance career. between deciding to attend a traditional For now, Lauren is still torn between four-year college for dance and entering a the two prospects and is uncertain where pre-professional program to help prepare her dancing future will take her. her for the industry.

“Even over the last few months I’ve Torres has also made it very clear to changed my mind several times, so in a Lauren that the professional world is not couple months who knows where I’ll be,” a forgiving place, but if she is committed Lauren said. then the reward will be great.

“Lauren has to follow her gut. I can be a small pathmaker to get her where she jgreen@redwoodbark.org

Dance will always be in her life, no matter what major or career path she pursues.