redwood
bark. CUB
Volume LIX, No. 7 • April 7, 2017 • Larkspur, CA
Advanced Drama delivers emotional rendition of Macbeth p. 4
Photo by Isabella Poutiatine
Editors-in-Chief Melissa Block Sydney Hilbush Neva Legallet Emily Sweet
Spanish Editors Bea Cazares
Copy Editors Emily Sweet Dean Griffin Natalia Lazor Sabine Lloyd Clara McKinley Amanda Morse Jericho Rajninger Kira Samson
Business Manager Jackson Bender
News Editors Alexander Lieberman Julia Scharf Opinion Editors Saamya Mungamuru Verenice Palczynski Feature Editors Natalie Cerf Nicolas Desarnauts Sports Editors Maxim Kawashima Sachi Nahas Review Editors Anna Compagno Vincent Leo Lifestyles Editors Emily Sweet Ladia Jirasek
Video Editors Max Gilberg
Survey Manager Devon McClain
Art Consultant Devon McClain Kimi Kamei Isabella Poutiatine Reporters Devon McClain Jonathan Ash Alexander Barnet Nate Charles Lauren Conrow Jack Evershed Grace Gaudin Hannah Halford Will Hoffman Lucie James Dutch Kemp Jacob Klionsky Lucas Lagerling Matthew Mulcahy Jack Parsons Sylvana Pereczek Dany Rodas Sam Warren Advisor
Erin Schneider
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395 doherty dr., larkspur, ca 94939
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volume LVIV, no. 7
Food close to campus
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April 7, 2017
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California Climbers
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Redwood TV set to produce episodes as a class By Kendall Rhoads and Alexander Lieberman Cub Reporter
As the crew of Redwood TV (RTV) has grown over the past couple years, Leadership teachers Dave Plescia and Kendall DeAndreis have decided to offer it as a class for the 2017-2018 school year. The class will be offered after school once or twice a week as an eighth period, according to RTV crew member and junior Ines Schwartz. With the new class, individual RTV episodes will be the same but additional staff will be working on the production, according to sophomore filmmaker Charlie Werner. The class will enable the RTV crew to lessen the time commitment of the filming process during the weekend, according to Plescia and Werner. Plescia says that RTV will not become an independent class but will be run by Leadership students and teachers. The RTV staff is currently made up of 16 students. Of those 16, only nine will be returning next year, said senior filmmaker Garet Jatsek. Through an application process in January and February, Plescia and other teachers hope to limit the class to 24 students. “People on [RTV] this year that were sophomores and juniors are going to stay on next year. We have the seniors who are graduating who are obviously moving on, and so one of the things that we’re trying to do is tell people that this can be a class that maybe some people could come into with the skills already, as a sophomore, and be in the class for three years,” Plescia said. The application process included a variety of components that determined
whether or not students were qualified for a spot in the class. “They went through an application process that included both a written application and they also submitted videos and tapes of some previous work, and most importantly, they collaborated with other students to create a mock RTV,” Plescia said. Some students applied for an editing position, some wanted to operate the camera or other tools and others hoped to be in front of the camera as an anchor or reporter, according to Plescia. He also stated that many drama students applied for on-screen positions. “It’s kind of a natural crossover. . . going from theater to film, so we definitely have a higher percentage of drama students than others,” Plescia said. Currently, Jatsek and senior Sam Slade are two of the show’s most experienced producers. “[Jatsek] and [Slade] are essential parts of the team,” Werner said. “We have extended the crews and the side crews, such as sports and culture, and have a lot more power now. The main crew now has myself, Ines Schwartz and Jack Green. We are just going to power through and pray for the first couple episodes.” With the additional students added to the crew, there are some worries about keeping everyone focused. “Since the class is so much bigger, our main concern is making sure everyone is going to be doing something and not just sitting in the back of the class just watching and waiting around,” Schwartz said. Schwartz also said that with the transition to a class, RTV will be produced with more organization and teacher supervision.
Photo courtesy of Redwood TV
REPORTING THE news, seniors Sophie Landeck and Ned Peterson are the hosts of Redwood TV, the production of which will become an 8th period class next year. In order to make sure everyone has something to do, current RTV students are hoping to create more teams and responsibilities, according to Werner. Throughout her time on RTV, Schwartz has dedicated extensive time outside of school to film and edit. “An average RTV [production] might be about a few hours, maybe one hour during the week to film club announcements and on the weekends we are doing a lot of work. We film the hosts, the side projects and skits. Saturdays and Sundays are a lot of filming and editing,” Schwartz said. One episode of RTV, including skits created by clubs or crew, takes between 20 and 50 hours to film, edit and produce, according to Jatsek.
Schwartz also feels that, since the RTV crew is so small, the students participating are all really close. She is unsure of what the relationship will be like in the future with the new students. “Everyone is always learning from each other. Since we are spending so much time together, I am really close with everyone and it is a really fun dynamic. I am the only girl and I think it is still fun,” Schwartz said. “Next year it will be different. I think it will still be the passionate environment that it is now.”
bark@redwoodbark.org
Mix It Up club encourages new perspectives Snapchat By Bea Cazares Cub Reporter
One of Redwood’s newest clubs, Mix It Up, offers a chance for students to feel welcome at Redwood no matter their race or ethnicity. The club was started by Alyssia Cruz, an intern at Redwood who does one-onone counseling in the Redwood Wellness Center and is a student in the UC Berkeley Master of Social Welfare program. The club, founded in February, aims to bring students of different ethnicities together in an environment that encourages open discussions and provides a platform for students to share their feelings. Growing up in San Diego, Cruz attended an ethnically diverse high school; she was shocked by the racially homogeneous culture at Redwood when she first arrived for the 2016-2017 school year. A March Bark survey showed that 73 percent of students selfreported as white, proving the lack of diversity at Redwood. While developing the idea for Mix It Up, Cruz asked fellow staff members about their experiences with minority students at Redwood. “The vibe that I was given was, ‘Oh yeah, there’s not that many minorities, but we accept everybody here,’” Cruz said. She asked minority students
Photo by Bea Cazares
DISCUSSING RACIAL diversity, members of the Mix It Up club exchange viewpoints during their meeting on March 9. in one-on-one Wellness Center counseling sessions if the club was something that they would be interested in. Cruz also wanted to help students of mixed backgrounds who might be torn between the several different cultural sides of themselves. Mix It Up tackles conversations that otherwise wouldn’t occur in the classroom by thriving on input from its students, according to Cruz. The open discussions held in Mix It Up attract students like junior Grace McNally, who has attended almost every meeting since the club was founded. McNally believes that the club is effective at bringing students
together because they are able to have casual discussions outside of class. The club is set up in a giant circle during lunches where everyone can see each other and have an open conversation with one another. She thinks that this aspect of the club makes students more likely to share their ideas and connect on a more personal level with each other. When discussions become more personal and awkward silences start to rise, Cruz has developed ways of getting past the occasional pauses. “If a certain topic isn’t working we may switch to something a little bit more in pairs instead of as a whole group because it can
be pretty intimidating to share,” Cruz said. Cruz said that club members are able to give recommendations and insight into the flow and feel of the club, but most meetings run in a way that gives power to students through control of conversation. Although every meeting has a different set up, conversation is still a large part of what makes the club feel like a small community. The students can voice their opinions on topics such as race, stereotypes and their backgrounds, as well as other important topics of discussion. One topic discussed in Mix It Up is the frustration minority students can feel when race, cultural practices, and prejudice go ignored in the Redwood community. “I do like that I get to hear everyone else’s different perspectives on the issues, that I wouldn’t have maybe considered or been aware of before,” said McNally. Although the club was not started by a student, Cruz will hold elections to nominate a student president for next year. “My goal is for students to take over the club and continue it once I am no longer here next year,” Cruz said. The Mix it Up club meets in Room 130 on Thursdays at lunch. bcazares@redwoodbark.org
evolves as company goes public By Nicolas Desarnauts Cub Reporter
On March 1, stock of Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, was offered to the public for the first time during its Initial Public Offering (IPO). Trading started at $17, and shares surged nearly 50 percent, reaching $24 by noon that day. After reaching a peak of about $30, the shares began to decline because of investors’ worries about the company’s long-term business potential. On March 28, after stabilizing at around $25, Snap stock crashed nearly seven percent in one day after Facebook released its own replica Continued on page 2
About the Cub Issue
The Cub Edition of the Bark is produced by the Nonfiction class with the help of the Bark staff. The Editors-in-Chief for this issue are Melissa Block, Sydney Hilbush, Neva Legallet and Emily Sweet. The next regular edition of the Bark will be printed on May 26.
bark
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April 7, 2017
Photo Survey:
What is your ideal spring break?
“Hanging out with my friends at Stinson Beach.”
Olivia Brekhus freshman
“Netflix and existential crisis.”
“Making a big lake of ramen.”
“Going to Mexico with my best friends.”
Lex Von Klark
Jackson Westbrook
Kate Garrison
sophomore
junior
senior
Snap, Inc.
Continued from page 1 version of Snapchat’s story feature on its mobile app. Currently, the price of a Snap Inc. share is hovering around $20. Among teenagers, Snap Inc. is almost exclusively known for Snapchat, its popular mobile chatting app. The platform has over 100 million active users daily, with 60 percent of smartphone users aged 13 to 34 in the U.S., according to Snapchat’s internal data. Embedded advertising in the form of facial distortions and masks on the app generate most of Snap Inc.’s revenue. Projections from eMarketer estimate the company’s ad revenue will reach over $750 million in 2017. A major feature introduced by Snapchat is “stories,” in which content can be shared with friends for a limit of 24 hours. Other companies tried to introduce similar features for their apps, but were largely unsuccessful until Instagram Inc., a subsidiary of Facebook Inc., brought stories to their app in August 2016. The feature has become popular enough that Facebook Inc. extended it to WhatsApp as well as the Facebook app, encroaching on Snapchat’s monopoly on stories. This has frightened already cautious investors who think the future of Snap Inc. resides solely in their Snapchat app. However, with the launch of its new “Spectacles,” Snap has attempted to rebrand itself as “a camera company.” The Spectacles consist of sunglasses that are fitted with a special POV camera that takes photos and videos in a unique circular format. Currently, they are only sold on-
Photo courtesy of Flickr
INVESTORS SNAP up stock in Snap Inc., though shares fell weeks later with release of Facebook stories. Snapchat is a popular social media app used to communicate with friends and share “stories.” line or through a mobile vending-machine-style dispenser called the “Snapbot,” which is currently located in the Los Angeles area. The glasses retail for $130, although prices have reached up to $2,000 on sites like eBay due to the limited supply. Even though Snapchat’s demographic is still largely only young people, it remains at the core of Snap Inc.’s business. Senior Julia Waddington said she witnesses the app often being used by teenagers but rarely by adults. “The app is really popular with teens and I see people using it all the time at school, even in class. However, I don’t know anyone over the age of 30 who uses the app,”
Waddington said. This lack of older users may explain why Snapchat was not as successful as analysts predicted it might be during its IPO. Perhaps once the company’s Spectacles become more widespread, adults might better understand the company and realize the true popularity of Snap Inc. However if the company changes too much in an attempt to please adult investors and doesn’t evolve to match its competition, it may lose its appeal to the younger generation that initially made it successful. ndesarnauts@redwoodbark.org
bark District sets forth new building plans to accommodate student growth Page 3 • News
www.redwoodbark.org
By Natalie Cerf Cub Reporter
On Mar. 16, a meeting was held by the Facilities Master Plan Committee in the Kreps Center at Redwood to edit and enhance the plans drawn out for additions to all six schools in the Tamalpais Union High School District, including the Carlisle Building, where adult classes take place. The Education Center (district office) and the corporation yard, the center location for utilities and maintenance of the schools, will also undergo remodeling. Some of the plans for student growth accommodations are scheduled to be completed by the 2017-2018 school year, while other projects like parking and restroom additions are more long term. Parking at Redwood, however, is not included in the renovation plans, as it was not voted by the stakeholders as one of the most important things to renovate on campus. Drake, Redwood, Tam and Tamiscal are all scheduled to get new portable classrooms by the start of the 2017-2018 school year. Redwood is receiving 18 portable classrooms with three or four new restrooms. The portables will be located behind the main gym and next to the garden and tennis courts, according to the current plan. These plans were first introduced in Sept. 2016, and the first step for the architects was to get a feel of the schools. “We went into almost every single space and we talked with all the different departments at the district,” said Jim Kisel, an architect on the team from LPA, the firm that is making the plans for the renovations. “The most important aspect of this plan is [that] it needs to be the district’s plan.” Kisel said that the community’s input in the process of making the plans was one of the most important things they had to
consider when making their final decisions. “Over 1,300 people have contributed so far. That was one of the things that the board charged us with, to engage with as many people as we could in the process,” Kisel said. Eighty-nine people participated in the executive steering committee, Facilities Master Plan committee and Town Hall meetings. Thirty-eight people from focus groups, which are groups of students and staff set to discuss issues and projects going on around the school, were also involved. The largest engagement, however, came from online surveys and school site committee meetings, racking up another 1,255 participants. LPA Inc. asked the principal of each school what the main focus of the construction should be, because each campus has different issues to focus on during the renovation. Surveys were sent out to collect that data, with Redwood’s top priorities being interior appearance, moveable furniture, sufficient staff workrooms, shared areas fostering school community, seamless and consistent wireless access, safe indoor environments for students and shared faculty workrooms near classrooms. All proposals and layouts originally drawn up were first drafts, because LPA and the focus groups were hoping to get as much feedback as possible from staff and the community before creating additional drafts. With the input, they hope to expand upon and change plans to fit what works best for each school. The major expansions to classrooms will be done to accommodate the number of students projected to attend in the upcoming years. At Redwood alone, the predicted enrollment is supposed to jump to 2,154 students at its height in the 20212022 school year, according to LPA. With these extensive new plans comes
Photo by Natalie Cerf
COVERED IN sticky notes, these plans showed critiques from community members on the current layout of the campus. a large budget. The predicted budget as of now is slightly more than $300 million. Out of that $300 million, nearly $108 million are allotted for the renovations taking place on the Redwood campus, with the rest going to the other six locations. Of this budget, 75 percent is construction and labor and the other 25 percent is soft costs, which include inspections and other steps not directly part of the renovation itself. The costs for renovation are exponentially high in Marin are because some of the campuses are located on bay wood, which requires additional structural support, according to LPA’s presentation at the Facilities Master Plan Committee. With this being said, these predicted costs still came in lower than expected, according to Kisel.
Long term plans include renovations that are more cosmetic and less urgent. At Redwood, these include teacher workspaces and conference spaces, along with more counseling offices and staff rooms. Throughout other TUHSD campuses, landscaping, student congregation areas and mechanical fixes will be executed in upcoming years. The final plans are scheduled to be presented in May. Once approved, LPA and the district will begin to determine how the project will be funded. The full project is expected to take five years, and further details and meetings agendas can be found on the Tam District website.
ncerf@redwoodbark.org
Marin Academy student learns from platinum recording artists on NBC’s ‘The Voice’ By Sabine Lloyd Cub Reporter
A 16-year-old Marin Academy student, Caroline Sky, performed during the battle rounds on NBC’s “The Voice” on March 27. Sky faced off against Stephanie Rice, a fellow competitor on Team Gwen. They performed a duet of “The First Cut is The Deepest” by Cat Stevens. Rice was the winner of the battle, but as per the rules of the show, Sky was allowed to be “saved” by a new mentor, Blake Shelton. Sky had previously been on Gwen Stefani’s team since auditioning with Carole King’s “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” on March 8. Coaches Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani both turned their chairs during Sky’s audition, and Sky ultimately chose Stefani as her mentor. “I was super excited because I’ve been listening to Gwen Stefani since I was five years old. I used to jump around in my kitchen singing ‘Hollaback Girl.’ So, being able to see her in person and meet her and having her say that she wanted me to be on her team; I just felt really honored,” Sky said. Sky looks up to Stefani for inspiration, as she is a female musician who has been able to impact the lives of many with her music, according to Sky, although Blake also inspires her musically. “It’s a great opportunity. I’m glad more people get to see her talent. Of all the students I’ve worked with, she’s definitely the most deserving—she’s amazing,” said music teacher and Redwood alumnus Chris Detrick. Sky grew up in a musical household and began singing when she was around four years old. She participated in a small family band in which her father taught her how to play the guitar and inspired her to sing and write music. Besides singing with her family, Sky took part in the San Francisco Girls Chorus for 2½ years, which she said aided her performance skills. Additionally, she sang at the Fairfax Festival for the past four years, where she fondly remembers her special performance with Narada Michael Walden, who produced for Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. Sky was also one of the first teenagers to sing at the Marin IJ’s Lobby Lounge. Sky has also taken the stage with other renowned musicians, opening for the Tedeschi Trucks Band and performing a duet with Joan Baez. “I’ve been really lucky—there’s been a lot of people
Photo courtesy of Dominic Collachio
SINGING SINCE the age of four, Marin Academy junior Caroline Sky performs in front of national audiences on ‘The Voice.’ who have been really generous in terms of opening a stage up to me. I’m really grateful for everybody who has helped me to do that,” Sky said. After a great amount of practice and a plethora of performances, Sky felt ready to take the next step and audition for “The Voice.” Redwood junior Kelly Stadlin, who has known Sky since middle school, said that Sky has always been ambitious. “She’s always been the person chasing her dreams and not waiting to be a certain age,” Stadlin said. Sky’s ambitions weren’t affected negatively by her young age because of the format of “The Voice.” Sky admires that on the show the coaches can’t form any opinions about the person based on physical appearance or age until they have first heard the contestant sing. “Since I was a little girl, I’ve always just wanted to
play for people. I’ve always wanted to make my voice heard and I think that music is a really powerful tool in order to affect social change,” Sky said. The next step on the show for Sky will be the knockout rounds, where she will individually perform a song of her own choice against a member from her team. From there, the live shows will take place. Sky says that no matter how she does on “The Voice,” she wants to achieve her ultimate goal of reaching people through the power of music. “As long as I’m able to touch people with music, I think that’s all I ever want to do,” Sky said. “The Voice” airs on Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC at 8 p.m. slloyd@redwoodbark.org
April 7, 2017 bark Page 4 • News Advanced Drama production highlights dark side of Shakespeare By Isabella Poutiatine Cub Reporter
This past week, Redwood’s Advanced Drama class opened their latest performance, a version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It lasted just 85 minutes while still incorporating all of the excitement, thrill and heart of the original work. The set consisted of only three blocks and minimal props, pushing the actors and audience to connect with the story on a deeper level. To further the experience, the stage was positioned in the middle of the room with an audience on either side. This configuration forced the actors to use the space creatively, so as to appeal to both audiences. It also provided a level of connection between the audiences, as they watched each other’s reactions to the scenes taking place between them. Out of the six Advanced Drama performances put on every year, about three or four of them are directed by someone outside of the Redwood community.
The Ahern Family The Alioto Family The Alliston Johnson Family Cynthia Altman & Malcolm Brenner Susan & Mark Anderson Laura & Mark Anderson Anonymous (2) The Arias-Montez Family The Arnowitz Family James & Katheryn Baldwin Cammi Bell The Bender Family Barnes Family Stephanie & Brad Bennett Lisa Bernardi The Bialek Santas Family Tonya Bjornson & Don Roelle The Blazei Family The Blixt Family The Block Family The Blum Family Hannah, Lauren, & Ella Blazei Bill & Kathleen Brady Mimi & Bill Breck Donal & Brenda Brown The Briggs Family The Brostoff Family Jim & Carrie Burroughs The Byck Family Thom Calandra & Maura Thurman The Callaway Allen Family The Carswell Family The Cerf Family The Chou Family The Christman Family The Churton Family The Cico Family The Cohen Family Jody Coker & Mark Dosker The Colicci Family Rebecca & David Conant The Conner Family The Conrow Family Fred & Lara Conte The Cook Family The Cooke Family The Cooperband Family The Corn Family Beth & Chris Cummings The Cusack Family
This production was directed by Bay Area actor Patrick Kelly Jones, produced by Advanced Drama teacher Erik Berkowitz and performed by members of the Advanced Drama class. Berkowitz and Jones have worked closely in the past on a number of different projects. Berkowitz believes that working with an experienced actor provides students with unique opportunities for learning and personal development of their acting skills. “As a professional actor, he brings with him a deep knowledge of what it’s like to work in the field, to work on Shakespeare in a professional setting, and he is such an inspiring artist that the students learned so much just by watching him work,” Berkowitz said. Berkowitz, along with many cast members, feel that the minimal stage and the double audience highlighted the emotional aspect of the story. Junior Ali Janku, who played one of the witches, believes that the use of a more complete set would have taken away from
The Dabora Family The Dahlin Family The Dalzell-Piper Family The Desin Family The Brune Deuss Family Will & Milena Dixon The Dong Family The Dow Family The Downing-Chao Family Laurie Dubin The Dudgeon Family The Edington Family Naz Erickson The Evans Family John & Deirdre Evershed Ewry Family Dee Ann & Gus Ezcurra The Fargo Family Sara Fargo The Felder Family Jill & Jeff Finegold The Finkbeiners The Foehr Family The Fogarty Family The Fragakis Family The French Family Steven Fulton Eva Geitheim Lynn & John Gerson The Gibbs Family Elon Ginzburg Emily Glidden Donna Ellison Goldman The Goldwasser Family Cindy & Chad Goodman The Graf Family James E Granger & Yu-ling Wang Brenhan & Katherine Green Francesca Greenberg The Grujic Family Tom Guarcello The Gustafson Family Catherine Guthrie The Hackett Family The Hadly Family Dominique & Neil Halilej Joe & Debby Hanssen The Hankin Family Kevin Haroff & Donalyn Pryor Peter Henry
Photo by Isabella Poutiatine
MOVING IN a circle, junior Alicia Furst (far left) leads her fellow witches in a dramatic dance around the stage. the powerful message of the play. “Having very minimal costumes, and very minimal props and sets, we were able to really focus on the raw emotion of it, and the language. And so really this play is about the emotion it evokes, and the tragedy of people who want power so badly that they destroy themselves for it,” Janku said. This production of Macbeth also stepped away from a traditional view of Lady Macbeth as an unrelenting manipulator of her husband, and showed a more human side of the character. Junior David Simpson-Heil, who played Macbeth, believes that by highlighting the motives of the main characters they provoked a deeper level of understanding from the audience. “We made it more of a collaborative effort where the death of their child and the hardships that ensued influenced their decision to do what they do together, in a rekindling of their relationship,” said Simpson-Heil about the relationship
Bark Patrons Caroline Henry The Henry Family The Herz Family Bill & Caren Horstmeyer Kevin & Karen Hout The Jacks Family The Jackson Family The James Family The Jensen Family The Jessen Family Lee & Jeff Johnson Tyler Johnson & Jill Kauffman The Johnson Family Sylvia Jones Sumi Kaga The Kardel Family Lisa Katz The Kawamura Foley Family The Kehoe Family John Kellerman Amy Kelly The Kennedy Family The Key Family Janie & Jon Kimball Joe & Angela King Bernice Kintzer Coral & Mike Kisseberth The Klein Family Klionsky Family The Klopukh Family The Knott Family Caroline Kretzberg Linda Kreitzman The Lando Family The Lawler Family David & Melissa Lee The Leo Family The Leslie Family The Levy Family Carolyn & Mike Lewis The Belvedere-Tiburon Library Jean & Norton Lin Rachel Lin The Lloyd Family Karen Loebbaka The Loo Family The Malck Family Alice and Bob Marks The Marlowe Family Erin & Chris Matthews
between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Berkowitz feels that the preparation of over 100 hours of rehearsal has paid off in the students’ acting as well as their heightened understanding of Shakespeare and the literature itself. Berkowitz and Jones chose not to adapt the script in any way from the original writing, other than to shorten the play as a whole. Berkowitz hopes that the play will inspire his audience to consider the choices they make in their everyday lives, and the way these choices affect the people around them. “It was our hope that people would walk away thinking about the actions that they take. Often times things that we wish for get put right in front of our face and then we have a choice. Do we take it because we think we deserve it or do we not if it has a negative impact,” Berkowitz said. ipoutiatine@redwoodbark.org
The McKechnie Family The McKernan Family The McKinley Family Laura Melberg The Middleton Family The Mikolon Family The Miller Family The Mogilnicki Family Juliana and Mia Morgan The Morse Family The Mowbray Family Stephen P. Mulcahy The Neustaetter Family Christine Nguyen The Noble Family Mark & Donna Norstad The Notter Family Dennis & Jude Oh Ilissa Oulch The Overmyer Family Barbara Owens Vera Palczynski Kurt Paul The Peppel Family The Perczek Family The Peters Family David Peterson & Lynn Soper The Petri Family The Pole Family The Polidora Family The Porter Family Ilissa Povich The Pritikin Family Manny Ramos & Robin Snyder The Rankin-Williams Family The Ratcliffe Family Diane Rittenhouse & Charles Sakai The Robinow Family Jill Carole Robinson The Rocha Family Frank Rollo Stacy & Jack Rose Allison & Andy Ross The Saylor Family Christy Seidel & Peter Stock The Sellers-Van Pruissen Family Chris & Corinne Seton Jane Sherman & Paul Smith Tom Sivertsen The Slade Family
The Smalbach Family Louis Smith The Soofer Family The Sperlings Dana Linker & Rich Steele The Stephens Family Paul & Paula Strand The Strotz Family The Sweet Family The Sylla Family The Tallerico Family The Tantum Family Karl & Jeanine Tede The Tenaglia Family Greg & Heidi Thomson The Thomson Family Jane Thornton Marylou Tierney Jeanette Tietze TJ’s Gym Wendy Tolkin Richard & Sophia Tong Karol Towns & Ronal Wagner J. Gregory Tull The Tully Family Maureen Valley The Van Brunt Family The Vance Hadley Family Vickie Vann & Steve Gregory Cheryl Vohland & Don Buder Kris & Philip Wade Jordan Warren The Watkins Family The Watridge Family The Welch Family The Whelpley Family Isolde & Aleck Wilson Amy Young Zachary & Marlies Zeisler Joe & Joanna Zesiger The Zlatunich Family
Want to be a Bark patron? Visit redwoodbark.org and click “Patrons” under “More” to access a donation form.
opinion
Page 5
Process creates fake applicants
Applying to college from a younger sister’s perspective By Emily Sweet Cub Reporter
My sister sits at our kitchen counter with her fourth cup of coffee on one side of her laptop and a bowl of Jiffy-Pop on the other. As she eats, the ultimate pressure weighs on her: filling out her college applications while staying true to herself and keeping everything professional. “What’s the fifth song on the soundtrack of my life? I want to say ‘Wet Dreamz’ by J. Cole, but I don’t think that’s what they want to hear, you know? Help me think,” she says while looking across the room at me, her younger sister. Me: someone who hasn’t experienced the process of applying to college, and somehow still feels exhausted from watching someone attempt the daunting task of determining their future. Applying to college should be a time for people to display their personality, including the rough edges, and show others what ignites their internal fire. If my sister wants to tell an admission officer that they should listen to “Wet Dreamz,” a notably explicit yet popular rap song, what’s the problem? The problem with applying to college is that my sister feels the need to make herself seem more (even falsely) polite. The same girl who spends every family dinner shouting about environmental policy and politics, the same girl who pursues her passions of dance through hip hop (which consists mainly of rap and electronic music) still feels pressured to make herself seem angelic. Why do
students feel the need to portray a false illusion of what colleges want, when that so blatantly is not the case? Carol Barash, CEO of the startup Story to College, an application program that helps students personalize their essays, wrote in USA Today that throughout the application process, students should be able to look at their work and feel like it represents them realistically. The false genuinity of college applications gives students the message that success in life will only come through self-modification. Students are not only pushed to portray a false sense of themselves, but pushed to participate in the community without a sense of dedication or purpose. Redwood’s academic culture has made me feel that getting into a good college is the only way to measure my success in high school and ultimately life. Due to this, students find themselves overloaded and overwhelmed, stretched between too many activities to really care about any. Yes, any community service is good community service. Yes, expanding Redwood’s academic culture and the school’s diversity through new clubs and organizations is ultimately a good thing. Of course not all students do extracurriculars for the sole purpose of college. H o w e v e r, founding four
different clubs and playing six different sports all while doing three internships and taking five AP classes is too much. Activities for the sole purpose of building a resume is absurd, yet prevalent. Students stretch themselves in so many different directions that it becomes simply impossible to be invested in anything with complete attention. College is the Big Brother in a Redwood student’s life: dictating every move, yet unbeknownst to so many. So how do we fix it? Similar to the topic of college (always looming above you) is the topic of money. Have you ever started a conversation by asking about someone’s yearly income? Most adults choose to keep their
finances to themselves. Yet college is a widely discussed topic in the halls of Redwood, for the worse. If the college application process were more like finances, kept to oneself, students would be able to embrace themselves without as much pressure. Applications would be more realistic, efficient, and less stressful without the constant chatter of college. Months later, my sister sits across from me at the same table where she asked for song ideas and examples of her leadership as she opens her first response email. She takes me down to the store and buys Trolli sour eggs for us to celebrate: she’s going to college. The laughter and ease in her attitude that I had missed is once again within her. My sister knows college is not the only way to prosper, but it still feels like confirmation that the next four years she has a path. Somehow this acceptance is a seemingly sneaky validation that her life is on the right track. I let her bask in the moment, but I know that college is not the only way to measure success. Only when students find the balance between passion, personality, and school, are they truly on the road to success. So what is the deal with applying to college? Well, I’m just a little sister, what do I know?
Illustration by Taylor Conti
esweet@redwoodbark.org
Archaic education system continually fails students Story and illustration by Isabella Poutiatine Cub Reporter
It’s Tuesday and everyone races to jot down notes as the teacher moves from one slide to the next. In these moments, I imagine a life in which my daily experience is defined by an avid interest and passion for what I’m doing. But these thoughts are the result of something much bigger than one boring lecture. Today, for many students, high school education is characterized by boredom and a lack of connection to the world beyond the classroom. As humans, we are naturally drawn to the unknown. We seek adventure and thrive when given the opportunity to explore and learn in a unique, relevant and challenging way. Our natural curiosity leads us to learn things through experience. Those lessons are the ones that stick.
The connection between relevance and memory has been proven time and time again. Students remember what they perceive to be important. Indiana University’s High School Survey of Student Engagement showed that roughly 66 percent of high school students are bored in class every day. The same survey revealed that 75 percent of those students say that this boredom stems from a lack of relevance in what they’re learning. Author and educator Edgar Dale outlines his view of the American education system in one of his most famous works, “Cone of Experience.” The document theorizes that people will remember ten percent of what they read, 20 percent of what they hear, 30 percent of what they see, and 95 percent of anything they are responsible for teaching to others. What we are responsible for teaching is something we are less likely to forget. It is suggested by the “Cone of Experience” that much of what students learn
in the classroom is forgotten simply because of the way it is being taught. This is the real problem. Many argue that our current model of public secondary education has brought us some of the most brilliant minds in history, and so must not be as flawed as current information suggests. But the fact remains that the first high schools were established to meet the needs of a very different time. The first American public high school was opened in 1821, a time when industrialization was looming. With the shift into a new, industrialized America came a shift in what was demanded of workers. Creativity was unnecessary, and even a liability. It has often been noted that the daily schedule of public schools is designed much like that of a factory. The “factory” skill set is no longer as relevant in America’s workforce. Success in our modern world requires something very different from when the first public high schools opened their doors to students. While these ideas may seem radical, there are many people speaking out about this issue today. One of these people is Sir Ken Robinson, an author, speaker, and international advisor on education. He has given countless education talks, including a renowned 2006 TED talk titled, “Do schools kill creativity?” Robinson calls for a reversal of the way in which children are raised in schools and suggests that as adolescents further their education, the teaching style should encourage and demand creativity. Current high school education must acknowledge the value of a consistent connection of curriculum to the real world. It should focus on the individual interests that drive learning and abolish rote memorization. While it is important to acknowledge that, as a California Distinguished School, Redwood outperforms many high schools in the country, the national system falls short in connecting students to what matters and fostering communities of creative, driven and inspired learners. Redwood needs regular field studies, frequent opportunities to tackle and solve real world issues and an emphasis on individual interest and diversified pathways to college, career and life success. Only then will Redwood understand the experience of its students, and be able to create the kind of learning environment in which twentyfirst century students can thrive.
ipoutiatine@redwoodbark.org
April 7, 2017 bark Page 6 • Opinion Obsession with political correctness could explain Trump’s win Story and illustration by Saamya Mungamuru Cub Reporter
My mother returned home from work looking a little distressed one afternoon earlier this year. As part of her job as an assistant teacher for a third grade class at a local elementary school, she supervises the kids during recess to make sure they’re playing safely. During recess that day, there had been a big line outside the gaga pit. There, the kids usually play gaga ball, a game which requires players to hit their opponents with a ball to eliminate them. When she went to see what was causing the hold up, she found a group of five girls occupying the area. The girls weren’t playing according to the rules, thus no one got struck out, depriving the other kids of a chance to play. My mother told them that they were playing with “no energy,” and that it would be fair if they moved on to the next game and let the other kids get their turn. Her seemingly harmless comment came back to bite her later that day. Apparently, one of the five girls had complained to another teacher that my mom had discriminated against them because they were girls by saying they had “no energy” in their game. My mom was shocked that they had interpreted her comment that way. Being a feminist herself, she was hurt that such an accusation was made, when in fact she wasn’t trying to suggest that the girls’ gender had anything to do with what she had said regarding their behavior in the game. These girls were quick to jump to conclusions about what my mother said
without understanding what she meant. I have seen this behavior reflected in Marin as a whole. This kind of oversensitivity and overwrought expectations of political correctness is a problem. On a national level, it may have been precisely what helped Donald Trump win the presidency. Political correctness is defined as “conforming to a belief that language and practices which could offend political sensibilities (as in matters of sex and race) should be eliminated,” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Trump is known for his war on political correctness. He has publicly attacked the movement countless times and has promised to end it. “I frankly don’t have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, the country doesn’t have time either,” Trump said in a Republican primary debate. This message resonated with many conservatives. Greg Gutfeld, a co-host of the Fox News talk show “The Five,” discusses current political issues on the show. He explained the conservative rebellion against the PC movement. “It’s a reaction against the mediaacademic complex which tells us what to say or else. [The PC movement] is PowerMag twerps who use reputational smears to brand us as evil until we submit. 2016 was about millions of Americans becoming intolerant towards that intolerant class,” Gutfeld said. It’s not exclusively the conservatives who disapprove of this movement. A national survey conducted by Pew Research Center found that along with 78 percent of Republicans, 37 percent of
Democrats think that people are too easily offended as well. If my mom could feel so hurt by a third-grader suggesting she’s sexist, it is understandable that others like her felt cornered by those in the liberal elitist bubble nationwide. These liberals were placing people’s thoughts and words under constant scrutiny, then branding them as racists or bigots if they failed to meet the latest demands of political correctness. Thus, these people voted for Trump who refuses to be politically correct and always “tells it like it is.” Some might say that the opposition to political correctness is offering racists and xenophobes a safe haven to promote hate speech, making it socially acceptable for them to share such views. Of course this is not acceptable. Political correctness, to an extent, needs
to exist to prevent the normalization of hateful rhetoric. The problem is when it goes too far. As a liberal myself, I do not disagree with political correctness in the same way that Trump and many of his supporters do. I do not think people should be free to make racist, bigoted and hateful comments without facing any consequence from society. But, living in a place as liberal as Marin, I do believe that we should stop our liberal hypersensitivity and excessive expectations of political correctness from antagonizing a large chunk of Americans who feel targeted for holding their views. This will only cause a deeper divide and diminish the valid aspects of political correctness altogether. smungamuru@redwoodbark.org
Sports funding should be granted to academics By Lauren Conrow Cub Reporter
The mission statement for the Redwood High School Foundation (RHSF), which is responsible for the fundraising and distribution of funds for Redwood, reads, “Our vision is to advance the quality of education at Redwood by providing the community with tools to inspire and prepare Redwood students for their world beyond high school.” The donated funds are allocated to the areas of academics, arts and athletics. However, academics receive a disproportionately small percentage of funds, bringing to question if the Foundation is actually
Letter: Changes to science curriculum
In the March issue of the Bark, an infographic accompanied an article describing proposed changes to the science curriculum. This letter is a response. Dear Bark Editor and Redwood Colleagues,
Letter to Congratulations to the Redwood Bark staff on the Editor another fine edition of the
newspaper! I am writing in regards to the article describing the proposed changes to the science curriculum (March 10, 2017). While the article accurately summarizes the proposed 3-course sequence, the graphic accompanying the article is misleading. While it is possible for students to choose to take electives during 10th or 11th grade, it is by no means expected that the electives be “Science Electives” as shown. The image may be based on a science “acceleration” option that would only be appropriate and desirable for certain students. The goal of the Science Task Force and district science department is for all students to have access to foundational science requirements while also having flexibility to pursue electives in any subject appropriate to their future plans and/or interests. — Joe Stewart Redwood High School Science Department Teacher Leader
following their mission statement. In their 2015-2016 fund disbursement pie chart, the RHSF reported that 27 percent of donations were put towards academics, while 20 percent were put towards athletics. However, these numbers are misleading. The Foundation also reported that ten percent of funds were put towards the construction of the Ghilotti Field, which is only used for athletic purposes. When added together, funds distributed to athletics (including the Ghilotti Field) received 30 percent of the total donation money, more than the amount distributed to academics. According to a March Bark survey, 52 percent of students participate in a Redwood sport. But 100 percent of students participate in academics. This is a school, not a sports club. In a survey of 200 South Korean foreign exchange students from AFS (American Field Service), nine out of ten said that kids in America cared more about sports than those in South Korea. Similarly, a 2010 study published by the Journal of Advanced Academics found that kids in the United States spent more than twice the time South Korean students did playing sports. After seeing this information, it is not surprising that the United States ranked 31st in an international math test (run through the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study organization) while South Korea ranked 3rd. Though athletics do have many benefits, like building character, teaching kids about teamwork and showing the importance of working hard, the newest equipment, coolest jerseys or the most expensive turf isn’t necessary for the success of the teams. Spending one million dollars ($500,000 from the district and $500,000 from the Foundation) to build the Ghilotti Field does not increase the success of the soccer and lacrosse teams. If there was a problem with the former field, small but effective maintenance work could have been done to improve it. Of course, the Foundation should still grant money to athletics to cover the basic costs of the teams, but any additional support desired by the teams should be raised independently. If the Foundation were to grant even a fraction of the money spent on sports to academic clubs such as Debate, Mock Trial or Model UN it would give them the chance to participate in opportunities such as conferences and events that they wouldn’t have otherwise been able to. If granted more money from the Foundation, teachers could have the resources to improve their teaching
Illustration by Ella Flax
methods and develop new ones. The money could be used to provide teachers with better technology and a larger variety of classes could be offered at Redwood such as new languages. Extra academic funding would improve and enhance the learning of all students at Redwood, no matter what after school activity they choose to participate in. The Redwood Foundation needs to re-evaluate what they believe to be most important for our school. The funding that the various departments receive should reflect what the purpose of a school is: to educate and prepare students for life beyond high school. They need to be reminded that a school is a place for learning, not basketball or soccer. More money should be put towards academics, not athletics.
lconrow@redwoodbark.org
Page 7 • Opinion
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Redwood High School 395 Doherty Drive Larkspur, CA 94939 www.redwoodbark.org E ditors -I n -C hief Melissa Block Sydney Hilbush Neva Legallet Emily Sweet
Copy Editors
Dean Griffin Natalia Lazor Sabine Lloyd Clara McKinley Amanda Morse Jericho Rajninger Kira Samson
News Editors
Snooping gains information not trust
editorial Mom, Dad, or Big Brother?
Barks & Bites
Some parents choose to be friends with their children. Others choose a more authoritative route, acting as disciplinarian figures. All parentchild relationships are distinct, tailored to account for different personalities and behaviors. This is what makes Superintendent of Marin Schools Mary Jane Burke’s recent email troubling. Burke generalized this relationship and encouraged an overbearing style of parenting, including knowledge of the child’s location, online activity, who the child is with and what they’re doing at all times. “Invading your child’s privacy is your job and your duty…whether it’s in cyberspace or the real world,” Burke said in an email to parents of the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD). Sent out on March 15, the email addressed concerns of alcohol and drug use during the upcoming prom and graduation season. The email was attached to the Redwood March Newsletter sent by Principal David Sondheim. Burke referenced a specific incident that occurred last year, when a party bus rented by teens containing alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drugs was pulled over by Central Marin Police. Burke used this event as an example to push parents to be more aware of their child’s whereabouts in hopes that similar situations will not occur in the future. However, it was unjust to associate all students with the actions of a small group and encourage parents to infiltrate students’ privacy because of this incident. Although Burke was pragmatic in warning parents about alcohol and drug use, it was not her place, nor the administration’s place, to define the role parents should play in their teenager’s lives. Her efforts to protect students were well-intentioned and warranted, but outside of school hours it should be up to parents to choose how they monitor their children. The administration’s role is to make sure students are safe inside school grounds, not to give out parenting advice as Burke did. In the same email, Burke outlined what she believed the parameters of a parent-child relationship should be in order for parents to be proper role models for their children. “It is important to note that parents are not supposed to be ‘friends’ with their children. The role of the parent is to protect, nurture and guide our children down a successful path in life. When we blur the lines, we send a mixed message,”
A BARK to Kendrick Lamar for teasing his long awaited fourth album. Everyone has been going m.A.A.d waiting for it to drop. A BITE to the ACT being on the first day of spring break. Time to ACT like we studied. A BARK to OutsideLands tickets going on sale, even though the price is a bit outlandish. A BITE to the Giants for losing the first game of the season. We’re all Mad Bummed out. A BARK to TrumpCare not going through. Seems like it was all bark and no bite.
Burke said in the email. Burke’s statements made sweeping assumptions about parent-child relationships and encouraged parents to take on an authoritative style of parenting, including monitoring online activity. However, there is a difference between protecting children and encroaching on their personal lives. In our technologically advanced society, parents’ accessibility to their children’s lives has greatly increased. For example, tracking technologies and apps such as mSpy, Teen Safe, Family Tracker and others allow parents to monitor calls, texts and social media posts by their children. According to the Pew Research Center, 16 percent of parents use technology to track their teenagers. This creates a feeling of mistrust between parents and children. Although the administration’s concern for the safety of teenagers is viable, when parents snoop they undermine the openness of a parent-child relationship. This type of transparent and honest relationship is necessary to maintain throughout the uncertain time that is high school. Spying on teenagers’ lives is counterproductive to the establishment of a receptive relationship. Most parents want their kids to be able to speak freely with them so they are aware of what’s going on in their lives and provide support and guidance. If our parents are interested in what’s happening, they should take a step back. Invading our privacy might give parents access to information, but they won’t have our trust. We hope that Burke and the rest of Marin County’s Office of Education continue to advocate for students’ safety at all times. However, telling parents exactly how to manage their children’s security outside of school hours is a stretch of the office’s power and something that is best left in parents’ hands. 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 the Bark mailbox in the facility. They may also be emailed to bark@redwoodbark.org.
A BITE to spring and allergies. Now we’re going to have to “ah-choose” to stay inside. A BARK to the new compost system in the CEA. Now the corn muffins have their own bin. A BITE to the new completely recasted Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie. #notmyRodrick A BARK to the seven new planets discovered by astronomers. Are their aliens illegal too? A BITE to the CIA for spying on our laptops. Who are you, our parents?
Alexander Lieberman Julia Scharf
Opinion Editors
Saamya Mungamuru Verenice Palczynski
Feature Editors Natalie Cerf Nicolas Desarnauts
Sports Editors
Maxim Kawashima Sachi Nahas
Review Editors Anna Compagno Vincent Leo
Lifestyles Editors Lily Baldwin Ladia Jirasek
Spanish Editor Bea Cazares
Video Editors Max Gilberg
Business Manager Jackson Bender
Survey Manager Devon McClain
Art Consultant Kimi Kamei Isabella Poutiatine
Reporters
Jonathan Ash Alexander Barnet Nate Charles Lauren Conrow Jack Evershed Grace Gaudin Hannah Halford Will Hoffman Lucie James Dutch Kemp Jacob Klionsky Lucas Lagerling Matthew Mulcahy Jack Parsons Sylvana Perczek Dany Rodas Sam Warren
Adviser
Erin Schneider
A BARK to National Puppy Day. Lots of barks, actually. A BITE to April Fool’s. You’re three months late. Trump’s already sworn in.
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.
POLICY: All editorials are unsigned and have been approved by the majority of the Bark staff.
español
Página 8
Estudiantes de ELD se sienten perdidos fuera de su comunidad Por Melissa Block y Julia Scharf Periodistas de Cub
No es un secreto que ser un nuevo estudiante en una escuela es un reto. Tener que adaptarse a un nuevo ambiente, conocer gente nueva, y encontrar dónde congenias es suficientemente difícil para el adolescente típico. La carga añadida de no conocer el idioma nativo lo amplifica. Estas son las circunstancias de los estudiantes en el programa English Language Development. Este programa fue creado para desarrollar las habilidades de lenguaje para los estudiantes que se mudan a Marin de países extranjeros y cuyo primer idioma no es el Inglés. Sra McCrea es una profesora de español AP que también es el líder del Foreign Language Department. Ella ha tomado el encargo de dirigir Foto por Bea Cazares la clase de ELD, donde su prioridad es CESAR SEGUNDO, Diego Kroell, Dany Elias y Cooper Bouton (izquierda a derecha) proveer a sus estudiantes un ambiente todos estudiantes de tercer año, charlan antes de la clase AP Spanish Literature. donde se sienten seguros para aprender y crecer. en Inglés en frente de sus compañeros que no puedo tener relaciones publicas con El programa quiere mejorar la salud lo hablan como lengua materna. los amigos aquí en la escuela. He tenido socio-emocional de sus estudiantes y ELD ofrece a los estudiantes que están relaciones pero con personas que hablan asegurarse de que se sientan cómodos en la aprendiendo inglés con un espacio seguro español. Pero no puedo comunicarme con escuela, según McCrea. donde puedan sentirse libres para practicar las personas que están aquí en Redwood “Es un ajuste muy difícil para los y mejorar sin tener miedo de la vergüenza. como no sé cómo hablar inglés”, dijo niños que se mudan aquí, muchos de Elias explicó que ella se siente segura Vicente Méndez. ellos han pasado por un trauma, o sus de practicar su inglés en la clase de la Sra Vicente Méndez también tiene miedo familias no están juntas como una familia McCrea. de hablar inglés en frente del resto del inmediata. Parte del “El punto de alumnado. objetivo es hacer nosotros es como “Sí, sí me siento nervioso porque aveces que se involucren, seguir adelante y no puedo pronunciar la pronunciación y me para hacer amigos entre todos nos siento humillado porque no se pronunciar y sentirse como ayudamos y no correctamente en inglés”, dijo Vicente una parte de la tenemos miedo de Méndez. comunidad”, dijo hablar, Cuando me Señora Flores Marsh es una profesora McCrea. voy con las chicas de Inglés, que enseña el Academic Elias un junior que no hablan Workshop para estudiantes de ELD. que se mudó desde español, y yo no Ha pasado mucho tiempo con estos El Salvador a los hablo su idioma estudiantes, y cree que la razón principal Estados Unidos el todavía, me hacen por la cual los estudiantes de ELD no se año pasado. Siendo Elmer Vicente Mendez sentir bien y son mis han sentido una parte de la comunidad parte del programa estudiante de ultimno año amigas porque se que se debe a la falta de conciencia que los ELD le provee el sienten el mismo que estudiantes Redwood tienen acerca de esta apoyo necesario para yo”, dijo Elías. pequeña comunidad. facilitar su transición Elmer Vicente “Creo que es un problema de la a una nueva escuela en un país desconocido. Méndez es un estudiante de transferencia conciencia, y sólo el hecho de que los “La clase de ELD es como si tuviéramos de Guatemala, que comenzó su último adolescentes son personas complicadas. un pequeño cuarto en Redwood, y es donde año aquí hace unos meses en el primer Es difícil conectar entre nativos, porque podemos ir cuando estamos tristes, o semestre. la barrera del idioma añadida hace que el necesitamos ayuda, o [cuando] nos sentimos Similar a Elias, él ha tenido vínculos proceso sea aún más difícil. Todo se reduce bien, y la verdad es que aquí me siento con los estudiantes en el programa de a eso”, dijo Flores-Marsh. muy bien con mis compañeros porque ellos ELD, pero construyendo relaciones con Flores-Marsh ha trabajado con un también están en la misma situación que los estudiantes fuera de la clase, ha sido un grupo McCrea y plan de acción para yo porque están aprendiendo”, dijo Elias. reto. definir los medios para estos dos grupos de Muchos de los estudiantes en la clase “Pues para mi es un poco complicado estudiantes juntos. ELD expresan su preocupación hacia hablar porque más que nada no sé hablar inglés A principios de noviembre, hubo un
Me siento humillado porque no se pronununciar correctamente en inglés
almuerzo que se celebra social en Krepps que constaba de los estudiantes en el programa de ELD, así como los estudiantes que hablan otro idioma en casa, para conectar y establecer relaciones. Fue muy útil para ponerlos en contacto con otras personas en el campus y los estudiantes presentaron sus intereses en otros eventos similares a eso. Pero Flores-Marsh cree que es necesario que haya más formas de exponer a esta población a los estudiantes de Redwood. El grupo de estudiantes de ELD es tan pequeño en comparación con la cantidad de estudiantes en Redwood. “Creo que los próximos pasos para la escuela es crear una comunidad donde se les da la bienvenida - donde les damos mentores con ellos, o ellos tienen un amigo para obtener un paseo incluso a In-N-Out! Porque quieren todas esas cosas - quieren aceptación, quieren ser capaces de hacer las cosas interesantes, que quieren ser parte de su escuela. Pero, ellos tienen una barrera de idioma entera”, dijo Flores-Marsh. Flores-Marsh describe cómo cada estudiante viene de un fondo diverso y está luchando en sus propias maneras - que hace la salud socio-emocional mucho más importante para los estudiantes ELD. Ella describe que una vez que los estudiantes de Redwood son capaces de abrirse a la comunidad ELD, entonces todos se sentirán más cómodos. “En el momento en que son capaces de estar con la gente un lenguaje completamente diferente de usted, usted es capaz de asociar y conectar. Hacer todas esas alianzas naturales a través de sí mismo, una vez que trabajó su camino alrededor de la cuestión de la lengua”. Flores-Marsh tiene grandes esperanzas como ella misma explica muchos estudiantes están interesados en ayudar a estos estudiantes de inglés, el problema es que no saben cómo. Ella va a describir el vínculo natural que todos los adolescentes de todos los orígenes se sienten uno con el otro. “La conexión adolescente humano. Y los adolescentes son tan grandes en que una vez que son capaces de llegar a ese punto. Y el idioma no es un problema debido a encontrar otras cosas para hablar de forma natural y que no necesariamente tienen las palabras para hacer esas cosas porque ya se entienden entre sí, para empezar”.
bark@redwoodbark.org
Page 9 • Feature
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identifying the risks of fake ids By Jack Parsons Cub Reporter
“Dylan,” a Redwood senior who wished to remain anonymous, walks into a small family-owned liquor store on a Friday night and picks up a case of beer and a bottle of vodka. He sets everything on the counter, hands over his driver’s license and cash and walks out. While this transaction seems innocuous, Dylan is actually using a fake ID to purchase alcohol for a party of underage students. Dylan is not alone in his possession of a fake ID. In fact, in a March survey conducted by the Bark, 11 percent of students admitted to owning a fake ID, while 18 percent admitted to acquiring alcohol from a friend who has a fake ID. In the same survey, 42 percent of students surveyed said they do not use alcohol or other products prohibited for minors, meaning that the remaining 58 percent are obtaining alcohol through illegal methods. Only five percent of students surveyed said they have parents or have friends with parents who knowingly provide them with alcohol. So how are students getting alcohol without a fake ID? According to the survey, 15 percent of students self reported getting their alcohol or other substance through stealing. While the student survey suggested that fake ID use is common in the Redwood Community, Officer Shaw of the Tiburon Police Department said,“[Minors] usually [get alcohol] through other methods. They try to buy it or ask someone else to buy it for them, or they steal it, there’s a million different ways to get alcohol.” Zee Damani, owner of Zee’s Deli, Wine and Spirits in Kentfield, believes that parents should accept some of the responsibility when their kids steal illegal substances. “If a kid steals from my store, it’s still my problem, but I think it’s something that parents should handle if their kid is going out and stealing alcohol,” Damani said. Depending on the amount of alcohol or other substance stolen, charges can range from petty theft to commercial burglary, according to the Shouse Law Group, a law group based in the Bay Area.Possessing a fake ID is illegal, but getting a fake ID was simple, according to Dylan. “My friends and I just ordered them online. You just enter your information, then what state you want, give
Photo by Jack Parsons
CONFISCATED FAKE IDs at Colonial Liquors are held behind the counter. them a photo and then you get it,” Dylan said. Dylan remembers paying around $50 for his fake ID. He assumed that it was made in China as it took a few months to be shipped to the United States. Ever since he received the ID, Dylan has been able to use it about two weekends a month without problems. However, some of his friends have gotten their cards taken away by cashiers. “[The cashier] just took it, and nothing ever came from it. They didn’t call the cops or anything,” Dylan said. If the cashier does happen to call the police, there are punishments for having a fake ID. According to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, anyone caught with a fake ID could face a $1,000 fine, 2432 hours of community service and a one-year suspension of their driver’s license.
The maker of the fake ID would also be prosecuted, according to Shaw. “If somebody’s making fake IDs I’m sure they’ve made more than just one. We don’t want people going around with fake IDs falsely presenting themselves to anybody, whether it be a store employee when they’re purchasing alcohol or a law enforcement officer,” Shaw said. Dylan said that when cashiers are suspicious, they ask the buyer questions about the information displayed on the card, like the birth date or address. Damani is very familiar with the use of fake IDs. After owning a liquor store for more than a decade, he said he has seen his fair share of them. No matter the circumstances, Damani, like any other cashier, is legally obliged to ask for identification of any customer who purchases alcohol. Usually this process works smoothly, but when Damani notices any red flags, he looks at the ID under a blacklight, pays close attention to the color scheming and makes sure the signature is raised. “Even if it scans, we have a right to say no if we think the kid is too young. Usually I just deny [the purchase] and don’t take the card, but if the customer argues, then I call the cops,” Damani said. Even when a cashier does not know that the customer is under 21 and is using a false form of identification, they face the same penalty as a cashier who knowingly provides to a minor, which can cause a $1,000 fine and up to 24 hours of community service. Fully aware of these punishments, Damani will do anything it takes to avoid selling to a minor. “I went to Novato High, and I have friends that have actually died in [alcohol related] car accidents, so we are very strict on [monitoring fake IDs,]” Damani said. The consequences of fake ID’s are severe for not only the students using them, but for anyone involved in the operation. Fake ID’s are a prevalent issue in our community, but raising awareness and educating students about false identification can remind them of the risks involved with the use of illegal substances. jparsons@redwoodbark.org
epidemic of copying homework catalyzed by technology By Emily Sweet Cub Reporter
What is it that leads students to neglect their own thoughts and brainlessly transcribe someone else’s for a passing grade? Similar to the bubonic plague, smallpox and Ebola, copying homework is the next epidemic, and it’s already here. “Sometimes I don’t know how to do it, sometimes I don’t want to do it, sometimes I don’t have time to do it,” “Erica,” a sophomore who wished to remain anonymous. “My answers aren’t always correct so if other people’s are, that’s better for the tests.” Erica, along with 13 percent of students, admit to receiving homework a few times a week, according to a March Bark survey conducted in March. Erica mostly copies homework via texting. Despite copying homework, Erica has been able to maintain passing grades in all of her classes, causing her to question the value of homework in the first place. “Frank,” a junior who wished to remain anonymous, believes that copying homework has not deterred his education. “Personally, I don’t think it’s affected my learning because I don’t feel like I don’t have the motivation to learn things. I feel like copying the homework is better than nothing, because I’m still seeing it and learning the example,” Frank said. However, copying homework frequently has been associated with a drop in overall grades, according to a study by MIT in 2010. The study found that students copying at least 30 percent of their algebraic homework had three times the failure rate on algebraic problems over those who were not copying
homework, despite the equal starting learn; you’re not really gaining anything abilities of each student. by copying someone’s homework. You In the March Bark survey, 80 percent of haven’t learned anything, you haven’t students self reported copying homework gained any skills,” Gulden said. at least once a month. In 2014, a similar Frank also partially attributed the rise Bark survey found that only 53 percent of in copying homework to the academic students were copying with that frequency. culture. It can be argued that increased “I think Redwood as a whole puts a lot technology use has contributed to the of pressure on students,” Frank said. simplification of copying homework Peck also stated that copying does not since photos can be taken and sent in a serve the ultimate purpose of homework, matter of seconds. In 2015, 64 percent of which is to learn and understand the American adults owned a smartphone and classwork. the number for minors was hypothesized “I myself found that you don’t learn to be even more, it as well, and according to the it’s harder Pew Research down the road,” Center. Another Peck said. “I’m study in January not assigning of this year homework so found that now [students] have nearly 77 percent more to do. It’s of American to reach the adults own a goal of learning smartphone, something.” presumably with P e c k an increased grades a few number for assignments teenagers. for each unit C h e m i s t r y “Erica,” of Chemistry teacher Marissa anonymous sophomore based on Peck recognized accuracy, which that copying could arguably homework was i n c r e a s e more difficult pressure on when advanced technology wasn’t so students to complete assignments correctly. readily available. However, she believes it allows her to see “[Copying was not as frequent when I where students are and for students to selfwas in school] mostly because we didn’t evaluate. have phones that took pictures,” Peck said. “I make that decision to check “The main change I’ve seen over the last in and see how students are few years is that students take a picture doing, to give students of [homework] on their phone. I see more feedback from me so students with someone else’s assignment that they can understand pulled up on their phone and they’re just better where they’re making wholesale copying off of it, and that’s very mistakes, and to know if I frustrating.” need to teach something. Frank often utilizes technology to Teachers need to get copy homework efficiently. He receives feedback too, if I need to most of his homework via text. Frank has focus on one area. It’s for also created multiple group chats between the students, but it’s also classmates for the sole purpose of sending good information for me,” homework to each other. He even jokingly Peck said. added that group chats are a great way to If students are regularly work together. As new technology and copying homework, phones have allowed for pictures, larger then the teacher group texting and other advances, students can’t accurately have been able to copy homework more d e t e r m i n e frequently and often. what areas Guidance counselor Candace Gulden they need attributed the increase of students who help in. copy homework to the intense academic culture at Redwood. “I think students [copy homework] because they’re overwhelmed. One thing that I wish students would do is recognize that homework is there for you to practice and
Sometimes I don’t know how to do [the homework], sometimes I don’t want to do it, sometimes I don’t have time to do it.
Illustration by Astrea Slezak
Moreover, according to the Tamalpais Union High School District Parent/Student Handbook, repercussions for copying work can be severe. The handbook states that cheating can be grounds for suspension and even expulsion. Despite these dangers, ten percent of students self-reported copying homework daily in the March Bark survey. In 2014, only two percent of students did so, according to the Bark survey. Frank believes students should accept consequences that may come with copying homework. In the past, Frank has been caught copying homework and given a zero on the assignment. “They’re kind of deserved, honestly, if you’re going to not do your work, you’re taking a risk there,” Frank said. “If you don’t want to get in trouble for not doing your homework, just do your homework.” Erica has different views on consequences for copying homework, believing that students should receive credit for copied homework even if they are caught, because there was still time put into the assignment. While copying homework can have steep repercussions, that doesn’t seem to deter students. As a teenager’s prefrontal cortex and brain continue to develop, decision making is often impaired and taking risks is more appealing as it produces more of an adrenaline rush. Admittedly, copying homework doesn’t exactly get your heart pumping, but students are still widely unaware of the consequences that come with copying homework, especially when their main focus is getting a passing grade. Because it is such a common occurrence, cheating doesn’t have negative connotations anymore, according to Peck. “Sometimes students don’t view it as cheating. When they’re looking at their friend’s assignment, or taking a picture of the answer key, those things really are cheating. Sometimes students don’t view, ‘oh I’m giving my paper to my friend’ as they are cheating too. There’s a little
How often do students copy homework?
misunderstanding about what cheating is,” Peck said. Erica stated that sometimes she even copies homework in class while the teacher is going through a lesson or helping another student. Frank also admitted to copying homework in class. “You hold up a binder, put the copied homework on the left side and your assignment on the right side, write really quickly and pray to Jesus,” Frank said while laughing. Teachers like Peck have employed a variety of ways to minimize cheating during class and especially on tests. Peck makes four different versions of each test to ensure that students at the same table are not tempted to glance at another paper. In the future, she hopes to even add variety to homework assignments and incorporate more open-ended questions which are more difficult to replicate from another student. While the consequences can be extreme, some students use copying homework as a way to understand material with more clarity, since they can model their homework from the correct answers. Erica said she is more likely to do homework if there is an answer key accessible for her. “Sometimes I don’t know how to do [the homework], but if someone else shows
me, I can figure it out from their answers,” Erica said. Erica and Frank both began copying homework in the early years of middle school. This year, Erica has began asking for homework from her peers more often with a busier schedule and harder classes. Not all of Erica’s classes correct homework before testing, and she believes that seeing other students’ work can be a good tool for studying and checking her own knowledge. From the abundance of copying homework, it is becoming more apparent that forgetting one’s moral compass and succumbing to the rampant cheating has become a routine high school experience. Gulden continues to reinforce her ideas to minimize cheating at Redwood, including helping students find their limits before they are pushed too far. “I wish that students could see that big picture,” Gulden said. “I wish students would take a less rigorous schedule so they could focus more on learning each subject.” One must wonder why students resort to cheating and copying despite the clear immorality of it, but high school homework takes up a substantial amount of time. According to a 2014 study done by
the University of Phoenix College of Education, in which 1,000 teachers were surveyed, high school students sometimes receive up to 17.5 hours of homework per week, which is over three and a half hours per night. If students end school at three and work on homework for three and a half hours straight, that already puts the day at six o’clock, without accounting for breaks, transportation, extracurriculars and relaxation, if time permits. Many staff members recognize the intensity of Redwood’s cutthroat academic culture. However, since faculty are still required to teach a full curriculum and with students all taking various classes, it is difficult to optimize the homework load so that it is balanced for all students. “I think there’s a combination of things going on. I think students specifically here have a lot on their plates. I do understand that when [students] get home they have sports, or drama commitments, or music commitments, or jobs. They have a lot of things they need to do and obligations,” Peck said. “Sometimes [cheating] is easier to do.” Frank agreed, saying that copying homework can be a simple solution to stress and anxiety. “I feel extra stressed out from the
amount of homework I get, so I just copy, to get that [homework] done and not have to worry about it,” Frank said. Gulden said despite hearing about cases of copying homework, it generally does not affect her written college recommendations, unless she encounters a repeat offender. Even then, Gulden generally works with students to get to the bottom of their issues. “A lot of what we’re learning in school is to be able to function as an adult. I can’t just cheat off my colleagues or copy their assignments; you have to learn to be able to do these things on your own,” Gulden said. Ultimately, every student develops their own unique path through adolescence and each decision regarding academic honesty remains their own. Copying homework is a daunting issue to fix considering that in the last three years, the percentage of students copying homework has increased significantly, and the advances in technology will continue allowing for easy, accessible sharing.
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In 2017, 80 percent of students received homework answers from classmates
In 2017, 78 percent of students sent homework answers to classmates.
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Page 12 • Feature
April 7, 2017
Into the wild: Sobriety achieved through nature By Hannah Halford Cub Reporter
Unlike the typical hour-long session on a psychologist’s couch, wilderness therapy is a ground-breaking mode of treatment that fits the zeitgeist of our times and our Redwood community. “I was picked up in the middle of the night by private escorts,” said anonymous Redwood alumni “John” while recounting his forty-five day experience in Muir Woods Therapy. These alternative forms of therapy, either wilderness or impound, use fear to forcibly push students out of their comfort zones. Wilderness therapy helps adolescents overcome emotional, adjustment, addiction and psychological problems outdoors, while impound therapy is in a group home. There are designated men, typically referred to as “Big Mikes,” that transport adolescents to the different therapy locations, often in the middle of the night. Redwood alumna Lennon Lott, who spent thirty-five days in the wilderness therapy program when she was only 12 years old, explained the experiences she had with the “Big Mike” tactic in her therapy group. Lott attended Suws Wilderness Program, as it was the only wilderness program that would take her at such a young age. “A lot of the girls at Suws were picked up by Big Mike. He comes into your room at three in the morning and scoops you out of bed kicking and screaming with his other big buddies, and takes you to the airport. “Big Mike” sits next to you on the plane until you’re there,” Lott said. There are a multitude of reasons that teens are sent to therapy, including behavioral issues and substance abuse. According to the Wilderness Research Center in Idaho, adolescents in the United States are at a much higher risk of addiction, behavioral issues and instability than previous generations due to evolving cultural influences and modernizing technology. These influences include, among others: social media, print media manipulation through images, advertisements and more relaxed attitudes towards drugs (e.g., the legalization of marijuana in many U.S. states). Adolescents are most commonly sent to wilderness therapy because of behavioral issues or substance abuse, and Marin teenagers seem to be specifically more susceptible to these factors. Data from Francine D. Ward has shown that Marin has one of the highest teenage binge drinking rates across the United States. Marin County
Photoillustration by Hannah Halford
has also received an F grade from the American Lung Association for overall tobacco issues in both teenagers and adults, revealing the prevalence that drugs and alcohol has on the adolescent community. Wilderness therapy can serve as a forgiving environment, providing support to adolescents in need of rehabilitation. “I was surrounded by a bunch of other kids with withdrawals which made the process easier as I was able to relate with them,” Bechard said. Teens all over the country are experiencing similar situations, thus providing a supportive community for these adolescents. There are over 38 therapeutic wilderness programs available in the United States for adolescents. Wilderness therapy has distanced itself from past stereotypes of being a “boot-camp” for adolescents. Instead, it has turned into a supportive environment for individuals to recover through nature. According to Open Sky Wilderness, this type of therapy is filled with employees who believe nature has the power to heal. Wilderness therapy differs from the more mainstream services like outpatient and inpatient therapy, instead
providing an outdoor alternative. Wilderness therapy helps adolescents heal, grow and learn through nature. “I came back wanting to go out and do stuff, like go hiking, unlike before where I just wanted to sleep all day and not do anything. I was super lazy and didn’t like walking, even a block,” Lott said. There are several different scenarios in which students have been taken to a traditional form of therapy, but Lott’s experience didn’t conform to the typical “Big Mike” tactic. “My mom told me that I was going [to the Suws therapy program] and she bribed me with a nice camera and Lululemon pants when I got out,” Lott said. “She also said that it was going to be super fun, I was going to meet great people, and there was equiline therapy, so I was going to ride horses which I like to do.” This transition from a privileged lifestyle in Marin County to living with a bare minimum forces students to adapt to an unwanted reality. They have to move to a new place, be surrounded with different people as well as make changes to their daily routines. “I had packed a hair straightener, a cell phone, and all these clothes, and they took that all away and gave us one pair of wool pants, boots, three jackets, a pair of longjohns, underwear, and a beanie,” Lott said. Adaption was unavoidable and forced these students to set aside their ego and accept the help provided. Redwood alumnus Berklee Bechard, another student who experienced the “Big Mike” tactic, described how he eventually had to give into the therapy despite how badly he wanted to leave. “I was furious for the first five weeks, then it beat me and I followed through with the program,” Bechard said. The responsibility that is placed on adolescents in wilderness therapy helps build a sense of community, reinforces that these students are not alone in their recovery and shows them the power they have to help others. The experience doesn’t serve only as a way to help oneself, but also as a way to assist others that are struggling with similar issues. Lott provided support to a friend during therapy, which helped her gain a sense of responsibility throughout the program. “Knowing that she relied on me was a big part, and being able to teach someone how to live out there was cool,” Lott said. hhalford@redwoodbark.org
Bilingual students look beyond Redwood to learn By Saamya Mungamuru Cub Reporter
For parents, moving their family to a different country can be an unbelievably daunting task. Meticulous planning is required to determine the smallest of details and hundreds of decisions must be made to ensure a comfortable relocation. If the move is to the United States from a country with its own native language, parents with young children are faced with another important decision. Should their children grow up speaking English or their mother tongue? Bilingualism is an important skill to have. For young children, learning two languages benefits cognitive skill development. Children tend to be better listeners, better at coming up with solutions , learning new words and forming connections with others if they speak more than one language, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. People who grow up bilingual are able to communicate and connect with other cultures and have more job opportunities. Along with tech companies seeking bilingual employees, other industries, including healthcare, education, law enforcement, hospitality and social service also are in need of bilingual workers, according to CNN. According to the Migration Policy Institute, 11 percent of second-generation Mexican children, 29 percent of Puerto Rican children and 27 percent of Cuban children speak only English. Rates of monolingualism are higher among groups from certain Asian countries where
English is widely spoken; 39.9 percent of second-generation Filipino children and 23.7 percent of second-generation Indian children are English monolinguals. On the other hand, some parents make a conscious decision to teach their kids their native language to ensure that it isn’t lost. Sophomore Ilona Ermolova moved to California from Russia at the age of three. Her parents came here to provide Ermolova and her older brother with a better education and more opportunities. Ermolova’s parents made sure that she spoke only in Russian at home so that she didn’t forget the language. “[My parents] are very particular. If I start to say something in English they say ‘No, say it in Russian.’ They think being bilingual is an important quality in life and I agree with them,” Ermolova said. Bilingual students like Ermolova are in the minority. According to a recent Bark survey, 61 percent of students self-reported they only speak English. Only 17 percent reported that they are fluent in Spanish and five percent said they were fluent in French in addition to English. Thrity-five percent of students are fluent in languages other than French and Spanish. Most of the students at Redwood who aren’t fluent in a second language weren’t born to bilingual parents and haven’t had exposure to another language from a young age. For these students, it still isn’t too late to start learning a second language. Two days a week, sophomore Tor Parawell heads to Fusion Academy in San Rafael for Mandarin lessons. Parawell started learning Mandarin last year when he attended Marin Academy. After transferring to Redwood this year, he
Photo courtesy of Jake Hanssen
STANDING WITH his mission group, junior Jake Hanssen spends time in Mexico working on his Spanish. decided to continue learning the language Junior Jake Hanssen, who is now by taking classes at Fusion. enrolled in AP Spanish language and “I take Mandarin because I think it’s culture, credits the program for his nearreally cool. And it helps me; every time fluency in the language. I get a little angry or something I just “Going into freshman year I was start writing down characters and it’s terrible [at Spanish]. I knew a couple really calming. I just get in the zone of words, maybe. I went to Mexico twice in tranquility,” Parawell said. the past couple of years for mission trips Parawell plans on continuing classes and I was able to talk to some of the people through high school and maybe even who live there in Spanish. I also work at a college. church and I can talk to the kids who go to Though Redwood doesn’t offer Sunday School who don’t speak English,” language classes like Mandarin, it does Hanssen said. “I think it’s a really important have a rigorous Spanish department. It element in trying to understand someone offers AP Spanish language and culture else’s culture.” smungramuru@redwoodbark.org and AP Spanish literature.
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Page 13 • Sports
April 7, 2017
Freshman sprinter continues lifelong dedication to track By Sydney Hilbush Cub Reporter
Hundreds of shoes pound the blistering red track as the echo of the start gun blasts in the distance. The runners muscles burn as one freshman athlete emerges from the pack and races toward the finish line as if her life depends on it. Odd glances and furrowed eyebrows from spectators are no surprise to Nava Kohn, as she is accustomed to people’s confusion of a freshman placing first in a race against juniors and seniors. Kohn has pursued her love for running since third grade. Growing up, she was not deeply involved with sports or activities outside of school, and only discovered her talent for running after her PE teacher noticed she was outrunning all of the boys during a game of capture the flag. For most kids, this would have simply been a compliment, but for Kohn, it was a chance to get involved in sports and find something that was important to her. After attending Mill Valley Middle School and participating as a 100 and 400-meter sprinter, Kohn decided to continue running at Redwood. Kohn knew that the coaches and runners at Redwood would provide her with the right mindset to stay motivated, something that was missing at her middle school. “I knew that if I wanted to pursue my running career, the coaches at Redwood
would be a better fit for me because I want to push myself, and I knew the coaches could do that for me at Redwood more than they could at Tam,” Kohn said. “Redwood’s impressive track record showed me that the coaches must work the kids pretty hard, and that was something I wanted.” For Kohn, running is not just an afterschool activity. It has become a pivotal part of her life, and Kohn takes her running career very seriously by training outside of regular practice. She wants to follow in the footsteps of her grandfather, Ronnie B. Foxy (birthname Ronald Sylvan Anderson), who ran in the Olympic track and field trials for the United States. “I want to carry on my grandpa’s legacy by running. I know my genes for speed come from him, so if it’s something I love and a gift I was given, I should take it and use it,” Kohn said. Kohn has already developed an extensive running career due to her extreme dedication and talent for the sport. At the age of 10, Kohn ran a 14.28-second 100-meter sprint in the Junior Olympics, winning second place for her age group. Even as a 10-year old, Kohn’s time was only 3.79 seconds slower than the world record for women, at 10.49 seconds. Kohn’s motivation for running not only comes from her grandfather, but from other family members, teammates and her coaches. Being a freshman on a varsity team can be intimidating, according to
Photo by Sydney Hilbush
STANDING WITH teammates Kohn (far right) puts her arms around junior Jaqueline Massey-Blake, freshman Lily Carbullido and junior Isabella Tallerico after practice.
Photo by Sydney Hilbush
SPRINTING WITH baton in hand, Nava Kohn dashes down the track to hand off to her teammate during a spring practice. Kohn, but track coach Laura Schmitt makes it a priority to create an inclusive environment for all team members. “Nava already seems very comfortable on the team and works well with the team dynamic,”Schmitt said. “Nava is only a freshman; we just expect her to show up to practice but she does so much more to contribute.” The Redwood track team is a serious commitment, as practice is almost two hours every day after school and includes meets on the weekends. After only being on the track team for a short time, Kohn is happy to have found a shared love of running with her team members, something she did not find at her old schools. “The kids at Redwood have a real passion for running. The kids at my elementary and middle schools didn’t want to run because they liked it; they were made to run by their parents. But at Redwood, the kids run for themselves, not to prove something to someone,” Kohn said. Even though Kohn is just beginning her involvement with the Redwood team, her dedication is already appawrent. Another freshman on the varsity team, Maya Holland, said that Kohn’s intense passion for running is visibly noticeable during each and every practice. “As freshmen, it’s not our responsibility
to carry the team through. But Nava definitely has the ability to gain the team a lot of points and win some of the events because she is extremely fast,” Holland said. Although the track team has plenty of talented runners, Schmitt is looking forward to seeing what Kohn is going to bring to the table in the upcoming track season. “Nava has already passed every expectation I have for her as a freshman. She is going to be a name that in a little bit of time, you will be seeing a lot. She is a phenomenal student athlete and most importantly, she is inclusive and kind to everyone on the team,” Schmitt said. Kohn hopes to pursue her passion for running through high school and beyond and aspires to one day reach the Olympic level for track and field. “I want to do track for the next four years, and even in college. I just want to keep running for the rest of my life, basically,” Kohn said. Kohn’s next meet is this Saturday, April 8, at the Arcadia Invitational in Los Angeles.
shilbush@redwoodbark.org
Underclassman brings youth to older, experienced team By Jack Evershed Cub Reporter
Genki LeClair is definitely a name that sticks in your head when you first hear it, but that’s not the only thing leaving an impact. LeClair is playing in his first full season on the varsity baseball team, although he was called up as a freshman to pinch hit for the team in the playoffs last year. LeClair is the only sophomore on the team, making him a standout on a roster of all upperclassmen. Thanks to support from his senior teammates, he is molding himself into a solid starter on the team. “[Seniors] Henry Zeisler and Michael Benz have been helping me get used to
things around here,” LeClair said. Benz and Zeisler have taken LeClair under their wing, helping him get accustomed to the team. LeClair also attributes his easy transition to his time spent with varsity last year. “It was a good experience playing up last year. I got to know a lot of the guys and just be around the team and around the atmosphere playing on varsity,” LeClair said. However, LeClair is no rookie when it comes to thriving in the spotlight. He was reserved when spoken to, but both on and off the field, he shows glimpses of his leadership skills and confidence that could prove to be critical to future varsity teams.
redwood 2017 Grad night Mark it on your calendar and donate at redwoodgradnight.org/donate.html instagram.com/redwood_grad_night facebook.com/gradnight2017
Safe & Sober Graduation Party June 8, 9:30PM-3:30aM Mt. tam racquet Club
Photo by Max Gilberg
SMILING TEAMMATES sophomore Genki LeClair and senior Aubrey Sine pause for a moment during practice. As a freshman last year, “Genk,” as some of his teammates call him, had a batting average of .360 and was tied for the most homeruns on the freshman team. He also stole the team high of 14 bases. There’s a lot of pressure on LeClair to perform, and in his first couple of games with the team, it was easy to to see he got a bit wrapped up in his own expectations. He started off the 2017 season jittery, without any hits in his first three games. “I’d say it took a bit of adjusting, but once I got used to it, it got easier,” LeClair said about his transition from freshman to varsity. Recently, it seems that he has finally begun to hit his stride. LeClair is batting .389 with four hits in the last couple games.
When asked about his dominance throughout his baseball career, he brushed it off. “I like playing up, honestly, just because it pushes me and makes me go harder. That’s why I like playing with older and better kids because it just makes me better,” LeClair said. One of LeClair’s most admirable traits was his undeniable confidence in his own play. “Yeah, I’d say I expected to make [varsity], just out of self confidence. I mean if you don’t expect to make it, I don’t know how you would,” LeClair said. jevershed@redwoodbark.org
Page 14 • Sports
www.redwoodbark.org
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Former baseball stars continue success at collegiate level By Sam Warren Cub Reporter
Baseball is America’s pastime. As winter turns to spring, young boys and girls dust off their cleats and get ready for another Little League season. At the high school level, the season has already begun. Although Redwood has enjoyed some early success, beating Justin-Siena 4-0 on the 31st, they lack multiple key seniors that graduated last year and are now playing baseball at the collegiate level. Zach Cohen and Zach Kopstein, two members of Redwood’s 2015 North Coast Section (NCS) championship-winning team, are now enjoying their second semester of college and have officially begun their freshmen campaigns for their respective universities. Cohen, who pitches at New York University (NYU), saw some game time and pitched in two of NYU’s first five games.
Photo Courtesy of the Dugout Club
FOLLOWING THROUGH on a pitch, Zach Cohen makes an appearance his senior year. Kopstein, a pitcher at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), made his first appearance on the 17th and pitched four shutout innings, only giving up one hit and recording four strikeouts. The season has just started, and Cohen and Kopstein are adjusting to the daily grind of college baseball. “The schedule is much more intense than in high school,” Kopstein said in a phone interview. “In California,
we didn’t have to worry about ice or snow and we could play all year long. This offseason, I had to practice mostly in a gym and because we have to wait for spring, we’ll end up having around 40 games in about 60 days.” Cohen describes the atmosphere as being much different than his high school baseball experience. “Although Coach [Mike] Firenzi did a good job of igniting a fire and giving us passion for the game, it’s not every kid’s dream to play high school baseball. Now that I’m in college ball, I’m around kids like me that have been working for this their entire lives, and everyone is zeroed in on the game of baseball,” Cohen said over the phone. Varsity coach Firenzi says that both Cohen and Kopstein’s work ethic and maturity set them apart from the other players on the Redwood roster. “We had a lot of guys who were about the same size and skill level, but Cohen and Kopstein put in the extra work every day. They were always the first ones to practice and the last to leave and always taking extra reps when they could,” Firenzi said. The hard work paid off for the duo, as they both had very impressive high school careers. Cohen pitched 216 innings throughout his four years on varsity, earning a 1.78 ERA and tossing 138 strikeouts. Kopstein only played two years on varsity, but pitched 104 innings with a 1.74 ERA and 105 strikeouts within that time. Although Cohen and Kopstein have achieved their goal of playing at the next level, their academics heavily impacted the recruiting and decision-making process as well. “At the showcases and camps you go to to get noticed, there’s a lot of small Division III colleges that show up that are very academic,” Cohen said. “If you don’t have a good GPA, they won’t give you the time of day.” Both Cohen and Kopstein attribute their recruitment to the Head First Academic Showcase, a summer recruiting camp where many smaller colleges come to look at players who have met the school’s GPA requirements. According to Kopstein, the coaches understand that their athletes aren’t just attending their respective universities for baseball, and that they also need time to study and perform in school. “I used baseball as a vehicle for my learning,” Kopstein said. “My coaches know that our first priority is academics and baseball is a close second. Playing at a D-III, there’s not going to be many of us who make it to the pros, and my coaches know that so they’re very understanding if you have to miss practice because of school work.” Although both Cohen and Kopstein hope to enjoy a bit of playing time this season, they understand their role on the roster and are transitioning back to being
Photo courtesy of the Dugout Club
STARING DOWN the opposing batter, Zach Kopstein plays in his last season at Redwood. underclassmen instead of the premier players on the team. “It’s a little rough knowing that there are guys better than you in the rotation that are getting more innings,” Cohen said. “But I’ve been getting some playing time and the important thing is to stay confident and ready for when your time comes.” Kopstein explained that because he’s an underclassman, he is trying to find other ways to help out the team. “Whether it be scoring games in the scorebook, counting pitches or even just being a great teammate, I’ve tried to make a positive impact on our games,” Kopstein said. Cohen and Kopstein have both enjoyed success so far, with NYU currently 11-4 and MIT now 7-4. Both teams will be seeing more action in the upcoming weeks, with MIT scheduled to play a three-game series against Emerson College starting today until tomorrow, and NYU playing a four-game series from today through the 9th. swarren@redwoodbark.org
Softball team overcomes hardship, continues to succeed By Maxim Kawashima and Matthew Mulcahy Cub Reporters
Softball isn’t Redwood’s mainstream sport. For basketball’s Leadershipsponsored game nights, the stands are heavily occupied by Redwood students. According to the varsity softball team’s senior captain and a four-year varsity softball player, Sabrina Nunez, this doesn’t seem the case for Redwood softball games. However, the program’s underrepresentation in the Redwood community isn’t something that will deter the players from playing the sport of softball as a team with passion. “The only time we’ve had students at our games was on Game Night, when the leadership students had to come to our game to get points,” Nunez said. “That was a really fun game, and it created good vibes so it should be more represented [to the student body].” Players on both varsity and junior varsity don’t appear to be bothered by the underrepresentation and approach the “under the radar” part of softball as a mere addition to playing the game. Three-year varsity softball player and junior Annie Connors noted that the lessened attention to the sport doesn’t affect the team’s mindset when on the field. “We don’t get a lot of attention, but it’s fine. Not a lot of people know that we have a softball team or they do know but don’t really care,” Connors said. “Although it’s okay because we play for ourselves, not them.” Freshman junior varsity pitcher,
Kennedy Dora, dismissed the concept of insufficient attention to the softball program. Instead, she proceeded to talk about the team chemistry which she valued more than any attention paid to the team. “We’re tight knit, I wouldn’t say people just show up, they play with a purpose,” Dora said. Nunez experienced a different style of team building as a freshman on the
varsity team than she has experienced as an upperclassman on the varsity team this season. Nunez noted that differences in age and maturity among the varsity team made it hard for the teammates to bond. Nunez hopes to avoid this gap throughout this season. Nunez aims to unify both upper and lower classmen by leading through
example. The team’s senior captain is constantly on the field, encouraging teammates after they make mistakes and displaying a true passion through for the game with her play. Nunez hopes that her positivity and passion for the game will encourage her teammates and bring them together by spreading positive morale. The program has also put an emphasis on playing with passion for the love of the sport and enjoying the softball experience as a team according to Dora, Connors and Nunez. All of them stress the importance of the team over the individual. This atmosphere could be attributed to the recently deceased Redwood coach, Gary Casassa. In Casassa’s eyes, the game of softball was not about how many tally marks fell under the “W” column of the local newspaper or how many pennants the team hung in the Redwood gym, according to Nunez. As a team leader, Nunez hopes to spread this mindset throughout the program. “We’re playing to do our best, to make him happy. That’s what Gary [Casassa] would have wanted,” Nunez said. Connors notes that the team definitely has the potential to win the MCAL division. However, Connors, Nunez and Dora all acknowledged that winning is ideal, but playing as a team and creating a special bond with their teammates is something that each of them cherish.
Photo by Matthew Mulcahy
CIRCLING WITH EXCITEMENT, players from the varsity softball team celebrate with high fives.
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bark Varying athletic backgrounds set the tone for success Page 15 • Sports
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known as bicuspid aortic stenosis, which is caused by a leaking aortic valve. “There are a bunch of ranges of how intense [the Unlike other varsity teams at Redwood where most leaking] is but right now my heart leaks 40, mid 40’s players have been involved in the sport their entire lives percent of the blood that’s flowing in and out so my heart’s and also play for a club team, the boys volleyball team working [harder],” Zimmerman said. consists of players from different athletic backgrounds. Due to this condition, Zimmerman was forced to stop According to the most recent Bark survey, 23 percent playing basketball. When he began high school, he decided of students self-reported playing a club sport in addition to try out volleyball as it seemed similar to basketball and to a sport at Redwood, and 13 didn’t exert as much energy. percent solely play a club sport. This heart condition didn’t stop In most cases, these players have Zimmerman as he has become one been involved with their individual of the most impactful players on and sport for many years and are simply off the court, adding many points to furthering their career in high the scoreboard and contributing to school. the team’s 14-4 overall record and However, for the boys’ varsity 8-0 league record so far. Zimmerman volleyball team, many players only currently plays an outside position, began their volleyball career in high however he set for the team last year. school. Each player on the team has He excels in whichever position he a unique story, whether they grew plays due to his overall talent and up playing different sports or none athleticism. at all until high school. At press time, the boys volleyball There are many positive aspects Tahan Minakov, team has dominated with final scores to playing on a sports team, as it is a boys’ volleyball coach of 3-0 in all of their league games, great way to meet new people, stay with only four losses overall. These in good shape, and possibly discover shutouts show the team’s ability a new field of talent. These were the to maintain a comfortable lead motivations for many of the players throughout the match and seal it off on the 2016-2017 boys’ volleyball team. with a win. Senior Tanner Jacobberger considered these benefits Coach Tahan Minakov has lots of experience with when making his initial decision to play volleyball. volleyball, playing at Drake in addition to a club team “I was going to a private school in Reno, Nevada and I in the East Bay growing up. He competed in the Junior transferred back to Redwood. I had upperclassmen friends Olympics and has been coaching for about 15 years, 10 who were on the team and they told me it’s a great way to of which have been at Redwood. His past experience in get involved,” Jacobberger said. both playing and coaching the sport is beneficial when Jacobberger adjusted quickly to the new sport, and is building up the talent of new players who are athletic, but now part of the starting lineup, playing the majority of unfamiliar with the skills needed to play volleyball. each game. Different from most stories about becoming Minakov doesn’t dwell on past seasons and the involved in the sport, junior Jacob Zimmerman’s motive inevitable loss of seniors each year. Instead, he continues stands out among the group. to build off of the new and returning talent. “I started playing basketball when I was two, in my “We lost a couple seniors, we try not to compare teams garage on a little mini hoop. I played all the way up until year to year. This team’s strong, we have a really strong eighth grade and then my doctor couldn’t clear me to play core, all the new kids are really athletic and are picking in high school,” Zimmerman said in a phone interview. up fast so we are just continuing, picking up where we left Zimmerman was diagnosed with a heart condition off,” Minakov said. By Amanda Morse Cub Reporter
We’ve been there before and they know the amount of hard work it takes to get back to that point.
Photo by Amanda Morse
JUNIOR JASON Silberman, senior Adam Kreitzman and junior Jacob Zimmerman (from left to right) prepare for their teammate to serve the ball.
After dominating in their season last year with a record of 12-0-0 in league, 25-10-0 overall and a strong start this year, they will continue to work on building team chemistry. Minakov is confident in his players and knows that if they continue to give their hardest effort at each practice, they will be successful. “This team is strong in every position and the kids, they know what to expect. We’ve been there before and they know the amount of hard work it takes to get back to that point. Everybody is on the same page and is willing to put in that effort,” Minakov said. The boys volleyball team is unique compared to other sports in terms of the different backgrounds that players come from. Despite these differences, players are united by the same desires: playing the sport they love and wanting to succeed in doing it. amorse@redwoodbark.org
San Francisco Giants fans are eager for a winning season And so are the fans. Senior Izzy Corn has been a Giants fan since she was a young girl when she started watching games with her parents. Over the last eight years her interest for San Francisco’s team has grown with their recent success, and she believes there is more to come. “[Last year] the bullpen wasn’t ideal, however this year our new players will help [the Giants] step up their game,” Corn said. Throughout the season, San Francisco’s team blew 30 games when they were leading going into the last inning, the highest of any baseball team in 2016. The Giant’s general managers addressed this issue by completely revamping the bullpen. According to Bleacher Report, there will only be two returning relievers. This means that longterm Giants like Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez and Santiago Casilla have ended their time in San Francisco. The new group of pitchers contains
By Jacob Klionsky Cub Reporter
The score is 5-2. It’s the top of the ninth inning and the San Francisco Giants are three outs away from forcing game five and bringing the World Series back to Chicago. Four hits, one walk and four runs later, the Giants are eliminated from the playoffs and left thinking, “What if?” After winning three championships in five years, Giants fans’ hopes of pulling off a fourth World Series championship in seven years was close to becoming a reality. Instead, the Giants lost the series in four games to the Chicago Cubs and fans across the Bay Area were left in shock. The “even-year magic” that was supposed to lead the Giants to another World Series victory in 2016 had failed. Fortunately for the Giants, the team’s largest contributors such as Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, and Brandon Crawford are still young and ready for another winning season.
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Photo courtesy of Izzy Corn
SMILING WITH friends, Izzy Corn (far right) enjoys going to Giants games on the weekends. She has high expectations for the team this season. many young players, like Neil Ramirez and mid-season call-up Derek Law, but is headlined by closer Mark Melancon. This offseason, the Giants signed Melancon to a four-year deal in hopes that he will bring success back to San Francisco’s oncegloried bullpen. In terms of hitting, the Giants will bring back seven of the eight positional starters from last year. The eighth spot is currently being fought for by youngsters Jarrett Parker, Mac Williamson, and Chris Marrero. Either way, it appears that the lineup ranked 19th in runs produced last year will have similar results in 2017. This is by no means exceptional, but did the job well enough to lead the Giants to 87 wins last season. The bright spot for the 2016 Giants was their starting pitching, which was ranked fifth best in the MLB. Coming into 2017, the Giants’ starting pitching lineup will have improved with the addition of Matt Moore during the trade deadline. With Moore in the mix, the Giants will
have four solid starters and the fifth starter is currently Matt Cain. Veteran pitcher Cain brings much more experience to the table while rookie Ty Blach has been more successful in spring games with 4.22 ERA. Another rookie, Tyler Beede, has been the most efficient of the three while posting 2.03 ERA in the spring, but is still very young and might not be prepared for MLB competition. Taking all of these aspects into account, the 2017 season has the potential to give fans the excitement and success that was lacking in 2016. Although the Giants aren’t looking like championship favorites right now, with the help of a little magic, the Giants could find themselves celebrating a World Series win once again next fall. jklionsky@redwoodbark.org
April 7, 2017 bark Page 16 • Review Ride-hailing app ‘Lyfts’ above its tough competitors By Sachi Nahas Cub Reporter
In 2009, Uber became the first online ride-hailing service and has been popular ever since. For three years, Uber faced no competition until a similar transportation company, Lyft, was founded in 2012. Both companies provide easy access to nearly instant transportation through smartphone apps. In addition to offering safe transportation and convenient rides, Uber and Lyft allows students and those without a driver’s license to catch a ride anywhere they need to go. For students in Marin, Uber and Lyft have become prominent modes of public transportation. As a weekly Uber and Lyft customer, I’ve taken into account all of the criteria that makes for a good riding service and come to find that Lyft is the most reliable. Although the competing companies try to keep their prices lower than the other, the average price for the same trip is usually similar. Uber and Lyft’s pricing is calculated on a four-point, criteria-based fare: cost per minute, cost per mile and booking fee, according to Ridesharing Driver. On average, Uber charges around $1.35 per mile and Lyft $1.50, making Uber a cheaper ride. A student’s trip from Redwood High to Town Center Mall would cost an Uber rider $6.75 and a Lyft rider $7-9. However, there is one difference with the pricing part of the two apps: Uber provides an exact price for each ride, which is then paid by the rider once a trip is complete. On the other hand, Lyft only presents the rider with a price range for the trip, and the price can change depending on
Photoillustration by Anna Compagno
OFFERING THE safest and most affordable option, Lyft is a preferable and convenient transportation service for all students.
interruptions, such as traffic. Another difference between the companies is the ability to tip the driver. Uber has continued its no-tipping policy, whereas Lyft allows the customer to tip their driver $1-5. It should be at the customer’s discretion whether or not to tip their driver based on their individual experience. Contingent upon the tipping policy, Lyft has a good procedure and should continue to allow the customer the choice to tip their driver or not. The overall car ride has a massive impact on a customer’s experience with their riding company. The best service is
influenced by a variety of factors, from the driver to the type of car. Uber currently has 160,000 drivers in the United States, whereas Lyft has 100,000, according to the Wall Street Journal. Because of Uber’s size and availability, they are able to offer more rides, covering 528 cities and offering 24 hour service. When finding rides late at night in Marin, I have found that Uber has more cars in my location than Lyft. The experience in a four seater UberX or Lyft can vary depending on the driver. I have encountered many different personalities of drivers from Lyft and Uber, friendly and strange. Almost anyone
can easily apply and become an Uber or Lyft driver, just by signing up online or through their apps; therefore implying that some drivers may not be completely fit for the job leading to negative experiences for the rider. The image of a large company such as Uber and Lyft can help influence the popularity of the company. Uber has had controversy in the news with sexual assault cases with drivers and passengers throughout the past few weeks and months; the stigma has done significant damage to Uber’s reputation. After hearing about Uber in the news, I have had some hesitation when riding with them, but not to the extent where I will no longer use their company. As Uber stumbles in the media, Lyft has kept their reputation clean with no cases of sexual assault. Lyft’s missions and values seem to lean towards friendliness and a pleasant experience between the passenger and driver; whereas Uber promotes a more professional business-oriented relationship, revealing the difference in communication levels and interaction with the company’s drivers. In the end, regarding all the criteria that makes up for a good ride hailing service, Lyft serves as the better company over Uber. Although Lyft may be slightly more expensive, they made sure to provide top notch service so you will get your dollars worth.
snahas@redwoodbark.org
Stretch out of your comfort zone and try these local yoga fitness studios By Anna Compagno Cub Reporter
Stretching on my yoga mat in the dimly lit studio, I relax and try to clear my mind after a long, stressful day of school. As my mind slows down, I feel a sense of peace and well-being. Yoga has become a more popular form of exercise over the past few years. A recent survey done by Yoga Journal shows that 74 percent of yoga practitioners have been practicing yoga for five years or less. Without having much experience in the past with yoga, I took this as an opportunity to explore the most popular yoga studios in Marin: YogaWorks, Red Dragon and Marin Power Yoga.
Yogaworks
With over 40 locations in different cities throughout the United States, Yogaworks is very popular, so I knew I had to try it out. I chose their signature “Yogaworks” class, a blend of alignment yoga and breath awareness exercises. Walking into the Larkspur Landing studio, I was impressed by the giant seating area filled with merchandise and high tech water stations to fuel up before class. However, the class itself did not fulfill my expectations or seem worth the $25 drop-in rate, despite the free trial class. It was completely full, and I felt crammed with over 30 other people in the room. Laying down our mats, we took deep breaths focusing on the air coming in and out of the nose. We slowly began by stretching our legs and lower back. Later, we moved into moderate core exercises such as planks and push ups. The whole class was led by one instructor guiding us with soothing words of encouragement. The class as a whole was a calming hour of relaxation and meditation, but lacked the more difficult physical aspect. In the end, I left unsatisfied, wishing for a harder workout.
Marin Power Yoga
Located in downtown San Anselmo, Marin Power Yoga offers a great workout for a decent price. Located down the street from their yoga studio is their clothing shop which sells Marin Power Yoga clothing, mats, blocks, straps and other yoga accessories. Not only does Marin Power Yoga offer yoga classes, but they also have TRX and Tko-boxing classes, as well as massage therapy. The first class is free and each class afterwards has a $20 dropin rate. I decided to try their classic “Power Yoga” led by Erika Fischer, a fast flowing hot class characterized by movement focusing on strength and heart rate. The studio is one large area, providing open space for people during the class. At the beginning of the workout, they cranked up the heat, causing me to sweat and feel as if I were locked
Photo courtesy of Yogaworks
UTILIZING DIFFERENT props to create an effective workout, Yogaworks offers complementary straps, blocks and mats for customers during class. in a giant sauna throughout the intense workout. Although the heat made me feel extremely overheated at times, I enjoyed it because it caused me to sweat much more. Starting in child’s pose, the class flowed through different yoga poses, known as vinyasas. We incorporated common vinyasas such as downward dog, upward dog, baby cobra, chair and cobra. Later, we sat down on our mats and did core exercises like yogi bicycles, leg raises and full body sit ups. We ended our practice with deep meditation. I enjoyed this class because although it was a challenge, I left feeling empowered and at ease.
Red Dragon Yoga
Red Dragon Yoga (with two studios in San Rafael and Mill Valley) was by far the best deal money wise. If you are new to the studio, you receive 10 days of unlimited yoga for only $10, or there is a $20 drop-in rate. I decided on their Bikram class, a sequence of 26 yoga exercises done in a room heated to 105 degrees. The San Rafael
studio on 4th Street also displays clothes, mats, and other yoga accessories to purchase. The facility includes locker rooms with showers for customers to use after their workouts. The yoga room itself was spacious and capable of hosting numerous people. We started the class with moderate stretches and breathing to clear the mind. The class continued with different posture and alignment exercises. Because of the blasting heat, I definitely broke a sweat, but not from the exercise we were doing. I felt the class was slightly too choppy, moving from pose to pose too quickly. The class would have been more enjoyable if there was music playing, which would have made the class feel more rhythmic rather than rushed. Overall, Red Dragon Yoga offered a workout for a great price, but lacked the relaxation I was striving for.
acompagno@redwoodbark.org
bark Easy eats: Food options that will lure you off campus Page 17 • Review
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By Vincent Leo Cub Reporter
With the rain finally gone, it’s time to get out and enjoy the freedom of eating off campus. The Bark ventured out to taste test our student body’s favorite restaurants within walking distance: Book Passage Cafe, Burritoville Cafe, The Cheese Steak Shop and Red Boy Pizza, according to the March Bark survey. These restaurants were reviewed on flavor, variety, convenience, cost and ambiance.
The Book Passage Cafe Located in the Book Passage bookstore, this cozy little cafe is a ten-minute stroll from the back parking lot. The menu contains a variety of options, including gourmet sandwiches and salads. Despite the menu’s high prices, the food surpassed expectations due to its savory taste. The BLT sandwich ($10), served on two generous slices of sourdough, was freshly prepared. With a nearly perfect ratio of bread to filling, its only downside was the lack of flavor in the bacon. The half portion Caesar Salad ($6.50) was a pleasant surprise. Unexpectedly, the salad filled the entire plate. The romaine was crisp and the dressing was creamy and light. What was most appealing were the perfectly seasoned and crunchy croutons. Drinks cost $2.25 on average, adding to the already expensive tab. The Book Passage Cafe’s ambiance was top notch, with a bright and airy atmosphere. Seating is available both indoors and outdoors, ideal for reading a book or enjoying the sunshine with your friends.
Photo by Vincent Leo
OFFERING GENEROUS portions of food, The Cheese Steak Shop provides a fresh and delicious taste that can be habit-forming.
The Cheese Steak Shop
Red Boy Pizza
The Cheese Steak Shop is the closest of the four restaurants, just eight minutes away. Adding to your convenience, they offer the option to call in your order. Their phone line tends to get very busy, so orders must be called in quickly. The signature item is the Philly Cheese Steak, and for good reason, due to its delicious taste. The Bark selected a 10” Classic with steak, grilled onions and sweet peppers ($7.69) and a small side of curly fries ($2.09). The meat to bread ratio was perfect. Juicy pieces of steak spilled out of the sandwich. Every bite contained melted cheese, grilled onions, and sweet peppers. The small order of fries was a generous portion, distinguished from fast food fries by their crispness and fresh taste. Drinks are free to Redwood students as long as you order a 10” sandwich or larger. The atmosphere is loud and energetic. The walls are covered with sports collectibles from various teams. A TV hangs on the wall, displaying the latest sporting event. Most of the customers are regulars, coming back to feed their usual habit.
Just a few doors down from The Cheese Steak Shop, Red Boy Pizza offers pizza by the slice. The slices are readily available, making calling ahead unnecessary. Still, a line does form at the door. The restaurant offers slice combos of cheese and pepperoni, which include a soda. The cheese combo ($5.00) was a mediocre slice of pizza and a small soda. Although much better tasting than the CEA pizza, the Red Boy pizza was a bit too greasy. Its flavor was satisfactory, with a good ratio of cheese to dough. The portion, however, was too small and ordering a second slice would have been too costly. The atmosphere is casual, typical of a pizza joint. There is plenty of seating indoors, accompanied by a TV for entertainment. Outside, a few tables are available along with bench seating.
Burritoville Cafe The furthest of the four restaurants, at a twelve-minute walk from campus, Burritoville Cafe is a few doors down from the Lark Theater on Magnolia Ave. Despite the distance, it is still very convenient since you can call in your order by phone. Sporting a lengthy menu, this restaurant features burritos, tacos and tostadas with a wide variety of fillings. Out of the numerous meat options, the Bark selected a burrito with grilled steak ($6.60) and a small fountain soda ($1.90). The ratio of meat to beans to rice was well-balanced. However, the meat seemed to lack flavor and was overpowered by the taste of the beans. The restaurant’s casual and colorful atmosphere, along with the great value, made up for this. The bright blue and yellow mosaic tiles on each table, along with a replica train depicting a scene straight out of a storybook, made for a cheerful experience. However, with the long walk back, this joyful atmosphere will soon be forgotten.
vleo@redwoodbark.org
Live action ‘Beauty and the Beast’ offers a fresh take on a tale as old as time By Dean Griffin Cub Reporter
A heartwarming story about a beautiful princess who falls in love with a hideous beast–almost anyone could name the title of this classic fairytale from just a brief summary. If a story so iconic has captivated children for years, would a retelling be necessary? At first I thought the answer to this might be a simple “no,” but after watching Disney’s remake of “Beauty and the Beast,” I was impressed at how the film managed to captivate an even wider and older audience. Although most of the acting throughout the film is barely above average, Emma Watson’s portrayal of Belle was able to sustain the movie. Belle has more depth than meets the eye. As an intellectual girl, she does not conform with the rest of the women in her small French village, and is looked down upon for her differences. Watson is a joy to watch on screen, transforming Belle into a character that is just as intelligent as she is a “Beauty.” Watson sings as if she is born to play Belle and astonished me with her unexpected vocal talent. Particularly, Watson’s performance in the song “How Does a Moment Last Forever (Montramare),” is perfection. The song, short but sweet, captures the magic within her voice that sounds exactly how it should: like a princess.
Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Studios
DANCING TOGETHER, Belle and the Beast, played by Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, respectively, star in the iconic ballroom scene. Watson’s voice isn’t the only aspect of the film that caught me by surprise. The superb animation in the movie will also enchant viewers. Throughout, I forgot that some of the characters were computer generated due to the realistic animation. The Beast (Dan Stevens) does not look animated at all and looks like an actual creature. Every single aspect of the production
is spot on. Whether it be the costumes, the location or the cinematography, each scene looks as though it could go on a poster to promote the movie. Turned into a ferocious beast because of his arrogance, the prince (Dan Stevens) is condemned to a life as a brute. The only way to reverse the curse is to find someone to love him in his wretched state. Though the simple storyline may seem
dull, this film’s take on the iconic tale is anything but boring. The relationship between Belle and the Beast is complex and exciting to watch, as is the rest of the movie. These two characters who contrast in many ways are able to bring out the best in each other, and as cliché as that may sound, it’s true. Even though I knew the story line before watching the film, I was still on the edge of my seat the whole time. Whether you were a fan of the 1991 classic or not, this movie will captivate you like no other. Growing up, I was not interested in Disney princess movies, so I have only seen the 1991 version of “Beauty and the Beast” one time, and quite frankly I did not enjoy it. It might be because it wasn’t relatable or interesting to a little boy like me at the time, but I felt different while watching this version. Though I still couldn’t relate to the storyline, I found that this version had real-world moments that any audience could enjoy, not just children under ten years old. The original film felt like it was aimed towards young children, whereas this remake had moments of action and emotion that could enchant any viewer. Despite the fact that a fairy tale might not appeal to everyone at first glance, anyone can enjoy this adaption of a timeless classic.
dgriffin@redwoodbark.org
bark
Page 18 • Lifestyles
April 7, 2017
R E A C H I N G N E W H E I G H T S: Climbers capture their adventures through film and photography
Photos courtesy of Harrison Segal
By Lily Baldwin Cub Reporter
Before sophomore Harrison Segal began rock climbing, he assumed the activity was “something for people with a death wish.” He can’t believe that he and his friends, a group that calls themselves the California Climbers, are now the ones spending their spare time hanging off the side of a cliff for fun. The climbing group consists of sophomores Segal, Niklas Korn, Charlie Werner and Luca Traverso, who are not only close friends, but thrill-seekers who collaborate in documenting their adventures through video and photography. These projects are posted online and admired by over 2,000 viewers, but for these daring friends, it’s not about the glory; it’s about the feeling of fulfilment they have after facing their fears, connecting with nature and communicating the beauty of it all. Werner and Korn, who first met while attending Hall Middle School, were the original group members to begin climbing together almost four years ago. About a year ago Segal joined, with Traverso following a few months later. The group has conquered climbs all over the Bay Area, spending most of their time on the rocks of Mount Tam and Ring Mountain. In addition, they also highline, which is similar to tightrope walking, but on a
CARRYING HIS gear up the side of a steep cliff, sophomore Niklas Korn has a passion for adventure. loose line over steep heights. The activity challenges one’s balance and focus, and while those walking across are connected to the line, the walk is still a huge feat. Sometimes the group members find themselves sitting in trees for up to eight hours at a time, climbing and highlining 15 feet above the ground. “At the moment, my goal is to get across the slack line, but the end goal is to do this between two rocks. With the highlining aspect, the idea is to get outdoors and up high,” Werner said. The group trains for long hours in order to work their way up to the goals they’ve set for themselves, such as scaling the steepest and largest rocks in the country. The climbers plan on visiting Yosemite National Park this summer to take on some of the world’s most thrilling and beautiful walls. “[Yosemite is] the mecca for climbing on the planet. That’s our goal, to climb
there,” Korn said. Korn has long been can’t,” Korn said. passionate about climbing, and when he While climbing is an activity the group and Werner began talking about their hopes to stick with for as long as possible, interests, he noticed a shared love for the Segal is more focused on delving deeper outdoors. Spending much of his time on into the world of filmography, whether that the mountain, Korn has become very well includes nature or not. “I’d want to go into film or photography. trained in climbing technique and safety. “I’ve been climbing the longest; I I’d rather go into film, but either one kind of roped everybody into it, no pun would be awesome. There are climbing intended. I started getting serious about photographers, and production companies, climbing four years ago and started going which would be awesome. But then you’d to the gym regularly, then started to climb need to be a world class climber and then a world class film maker as well to even be outside,” Korn said. The film aspect came into play when able to do that. You have to keep up with Werner, who can often be spotted around the athlete, with the professional climbers, campus filming for Redwood TV, realized and you have to carry around 20 pounds of that he could combine his two passions of camera gear,” Segal said. filmmaking and exploring the outdoors Werner and Segal co-run a production into something beautifully unique. Not company called First Ascent Productions only does he love the process of filming his that they hope will grow as they begin climbs, but Werner also takes gratification to make more films. They hope to put in the end result of his most of their projects projects. on their First Ascent Productions Youtube “Filmmaking is a way for me to be channel, but for now creative because I can’t they showcase most NEARING THE top of his climb, of their work on their sophomore Harrison Segal looks down. draw, I can’t sing, I can’t write. In the end, group Instagram, @ it’s all about making Californiaclimbers. The nature. However, they don’t recommend a connection with the account has over 2,700 attempting to climb without some preliminary training, and would love to viewer, whoever’s followers. watching. It’s a way Traverso, the newest personally introduce anyone interested to to communicate with addition to the crew, the world of climbing. “Climbing is amazing, but it’s someone beyond just finds that he enjoys communicating the inherently dangerous so you want to be talking to them,” Charlie Werner, Werner said. beauty of the Bay Area careful. But if it’s someone who’s looking While Werner and sophomore more than anything solely for an athletic or physical benefit, else. The fact that he I think there are few sports that top rock Segal are the more technically inclined of is a part of spreading climbing. You get the cardio as if you were the group when it comes to filming, Korn the word about climbing, even if he isn’t running miles, you get the muscle work as is the one who finds his true passion within the cameraman, is what leaves Traverso if you were lifting weights, and you get the mental benefits of yoga, all at the same the mountain. A member of Marin Search feeling so satisfied. and Rescue, Korn is the most trained and “I’m not behind the camera as often, time - it’s amazing,” Korn said. Communicating to the public what experienced of the quartet, and says he but I think one of the cool things about feels a “connection with the wall” when he shooting this is that rock climbing isn’t the climbing feels and looks like is what drives climbs. For Korn, the climb is more than biggest [sport]. Not a lot of people know the making of their films and photos, and just a challenge, it’s a mental journey. about it, and especially not a lot of people for these climbers, even affecting one “Climbing is mostly mental. I mean, know that you can do it around here on person is extremely gratifying. The ability you talk to any climber and they’ll tell actual rock. So I think showing people to make steep, challenging climbs appear you it’s 80 percent mental and 20 percent what you can do around here in the Bay so easy while hauling camera equipment physical,” Korn said. Area, especially outdoors, like highlining and braving a potential fall with every step Traverso knows better than anyone and rock climbing, is really fun,” Traverso is not a common skill. What’s even more rare is the passion and professionalism how the mental aspect can affect the climb, said. as he faces his phobia of heights every The outdoorsmen aspire to spread behind what these students do, along with time he rigs up to scale the rocks. While their love of climbing to anyone and their pure love not only for reaching the for some that fear may be overwhelming, everyone who’s interested. They hope top, but for reaching out to people. Traverso says confronting his doubts head- to start a climbing club next year for on have helped to reduce the fear. those who love adventuring and pushing “It’s helped me get over [my phobia] themselves physically while surrounded by lbaldwin@redwoodbark.org a little bit, but it’s still a factor,” Traverso said. These climbers don’t let a little fear get in their way; they embrace it and use it to fuel themselves to reach the top. The group has come a long way from climbing trees in their backyards, and their confidence has built up to a new high over time. Steep drops from tall heights used to scare the boys away from taking such risks. But after extensive training and practice, ‘fear’ has become just another word for ‘thrill’ for the California Climbers. According to Segal, the feeling of adrenaline yet being calm and in control is something he’s never felt before climbing. It’s a thrilling feeling the group has been chasing ever since they scaled their first rock. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t stay safe. “You always know in the back of your mind that there’s a possibility of something going wrong and you know what you need to do in case that happens, and you always keep it there. But at least for me, I always have fun and I’m actually strangely at peace when I climb. It’s really relaxing,” Korn said. While a career in climbing seems impractical for Korn, he hopes to pursue this peaceful feeling the rest of his life by continuing to climb as a hobby. “I would love to be a professional climber, but is it realistic? Maybe not. But FINDING HIS grip, sophomore Charlie Werner makes his way up a rock. Werner I’m going to be climbing until I physically began climbing four years ago and enjoys documenting the climbs through film.
In the end, it’s all about making a connection with the viewer, whoever’s watching.
Page 19 • Lifestyles
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Teachers forge own paths from past experiences Since earning his license, Esteb has pursued design and residential architecture Cub Reporter for almost 20 years. “I feel like I’m an artist, designer, Many students can’t imagine their architect, builder, whatever,” Esteb said. teachers doing anything but teaching. “It’s just design I’m passionate about.” Running into them at the mall or in San In 2008, when the United States was hit Francisco can be a shock. While some with the devastating economic recession teachers at Redwood have dedicated their and housing downturn, Esteb struggled to entire careers to this institution, others find work in the field he loved. Luckily, that have taken divergent professional paths or same year, he was offered a job to teach must juggle two careers to afford living in architecture and engineering at Redwood. the Bay Area. Three teachers explain how Eight years later, Esteb still enjoys they aren’t simply defined by the subjects teaching. By sharing his extensive first they teach and the classrooms they inhabit. hand experience in design and craft, Esteb feels he can more effectively guide his students. He hopes to inspire them to Richard Esteb pursue design in a variety of fields. “I don’t teach architecture anticipating that all my students will become architects. Straight out of high school, Applied But every year I get two or three or four Technology teacher Richard Esteb had no of them who actually go into the design idea what he wanted to do with his life. industry,” Esteb said. After taking classes sporadically at a This is what fuels his passion for junior college, he rejected the standard teaching. Today, Esteb continues his design path of transitioning from high school work and expects someday he’ll leave the to college to a career, and sought out classroom and return his full attention to a an apprenticeship as a cabinet-maker design practice. to follow his passion for design. After completing his apprenticeship, Esteb became a journeyman and established his Lindsey Kornfeld own business. “The pressure here at school is for everyone to [follow this standard college AP U.S. History and Government path]. I’m not an advocate of that. teacher by day and server at the Tiburon Sometimes just finding your way in life Tavern by night, Lindsey Kornfeld is one works,” Esteb said. of the many Redwood teachers currently Soon, Esteb found his way into working two jobs. The high cost of living architecture. His experience in cabinet- in the Bay Area is often not fulfilled by a making led him to realize that he could single salary, leading many teachers to take improve designs of the houses in which he on second jobs. installed his cabinets. A Marin native, Kornfeld’s juggling of After taking advice from a friend, careers began while working in Edwards, Esteb enrolled in architecture classes at Colorado as a snowboard instructor and the University of New Mexico. After three a server/bar manager to cover additional years, he graduated, returned home and expenses. completed an internship in architecture. When she moved back to Marin in
bark
By Jericho Rajninger
Photoillustration by Jericho Rajninger
FOCUSING ON the task at hand, Skip Lovelady transfers liquids using a micropipette and other lab equipment.
Photoillustration by Jericho Rajninger
DEMONSTRATING HOW to operate a saw in the shop, Richard Esteb considers himself an artist, designer, architect and builder. 2013, Kornfeld continued to work in the restaurant industry. “It was what my experience led me to,” Kornfeld said. “I didn’t have to train for anything and I had the certification that I needed. For me, serving was an easy thing to continue: you can do it anywhere.” As a server, Kornfeld loved meeting new people and hearing their stories. Two years later, interested in a new career as a teacher, she applied for a position in the TUHSD. Since then, Kornfeld has concurrently taught at Redwood and served tables at the Tiburon Tavern. For her, these two careers influence and complement each other in ways one might not expect. Twice a week, on days of her choosing, Kornfeld leaves school at 3:30 p.m., changes at the restaurant, and starts her shift at 4:00 p.m. She serves until about 10 p.m. Despite these long after-school hours at the restaurant, Kornfeld always puts her teaching first. “My first priority is always my job at Redwood and grading and planning. Because I’ve been [at the Tavern] for four years, I send them my schedule every month, and so if I know that I’m giving a test the next day, it’s normally an easier day for me to work the night before because I won’t have as active of a mental day,” Kornfeld said. When nights are quiet at the restaurant, Kornfeld will even bring papers to grade; the flexibility with her bosses at the Tavern makes her second job far more manageable. There’s no doubt about it: working two jobs requires hard work and organization. It’s exhausting and late night shifts can make a long day of teaching challenging. Still, Kornfeld appreciates her serving job not only as an additional source of income, but also in the way it exercises a different part of her brain. It has also improved her teaching; she continues to learn how to relate to different types of people. “Both jobs are people jobs. I have served for many years in anything from a barbeque place to a five-star, really expensive, fine dining experience. Just being around different people, you learn different ways to approach students,” Kornfeld said. For Kornfeld, it’s all about the people. Whether she’s helping table groups in her government class or serving tables at the Tavern, both jobs allow her to meet and connect with others.
Skip Lovelady For many educators, Redwood is an ideal place to work. Whatever their motivation for teaching, they tend to stick
around. Skip Lovelady has taught at Redwood for 22 years. During his early years in the science department, Lovelady had options to go into other fields of work. “I didn’t have to stay,” Lovelady said. Lovelady believes in the mantra of pursuing your passion, so after every school year ended, he pondered whether teaching was right for him. “Among all the hardships of those first couple years, there was enough pleasure and fun that I could see myself doing more—so I kept coming back,” Lovelady said. “I stopped questioning whether or not I was coming back after my fifth or sixth year.” Over two decades later, Lovelady has ingrained himself in Redwood’s culture and his positive experience with students over the years has convinced him that his work here is meaningful. Seasoned teachers can have incredible impacts on their students. And while they have the potential to become quite formulaic after years on the job, Lovelady always finds a way to make it interesting. “If I’m a first time NASCAR driver, I’m going to get the car around the lap. I’m not going to go 200 miles per hour at first, but I’m not going to crash either,” Lovelady said. “The car is going to be hard to handle and it’s going to be difficult on me. When I become a master NASCAR driver, it doesn’t make the racing any easier because I’m pushing the limit a lot more.” The generational changes among students and curriculum changes by faculty throughout his 22 years at RHS enables Lovelady to continue to improve his teaching and learn from his students. He now notices nuances in his students and classes that younger teachers may not recognize. “When you get more experienced with the job and you’re pretty good at it, you have all the basics handled. Then you are able to take those really hard challenges and meet them. The really hard stuff, like knowing when a student needs special attention, you don’t catch that until you’ve been around for a while,” Lovelady said. Still, Lovelady feels having teachers cycle through a school is important. “I think this is a business where we should go at some point. I would feel uncomfortable staying for 35, 36 or 37 years just because I want to or I like to,” Lovelady said. “I think I should leave and let a young teacher come in and have an impact on the school.”
jrajninger@redwoodbark.org
Senior ballerina reaches out to community By Lucie James Cub Reporter
For two weeks each summer, senior Lily Gaudin spends her days at Stapleton School of the Performing Arts, teaching young ballerinas to follow their passion for dance as she did for 12 years. Rather than continuing her own dance career, Gaudin has fostered her passion of dance through her nonprofit that gives underprivileged girls the opportunity to practice ballet. Gaudin’s project started about five years ago when her eighth grade teacher assigned a community service project to her class. For her project, she chose to volunteer at Performing Stars of Marin (PSOM). The organization was founded by Felecia Gaston with hopes of giving children an opportunity to be exposed to and taught the arts. When Gaudin first volunteered, she began teaching ballet to underprivileged kids at PSOM. After volunteering, Gaudin was inspired to expand upon Gaston’s program by creating her own two week summer camp to give these girls a chance to continue dancing. “It was only supposed to be for a community service project, but I was really inspired by what [Gaston] does and I wanted to further it. I talked to [Gaston] and talked to my dance company and they donated two weeks of studio space in the summer and I created a summer program for the the kids,” Gaudin said. After fundraising with fellow dance students, Gaudin raised enough money to establish her own summer dance program. Gaudin cited Gaston as the inspiration for her program to help make others’ dreams a reality. “[Gaston] is really involved in everything in Marin City, and I really saw she was making a difference in the lives of those children and I wanted to be a part of that,” Gaudin said. When Gaston founded PSOM, she provided opportunities for children to be involved in the arts. Gaston not only educates and inspires the kids regarding the arts, but also serves as a mentor for them. “Just being able to help and seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces has changed me,” Gaston said. “Gaudin has been a true leader and teacher.” Gaudin stopped dancing fairly recently, but she enjoyed her time
Photo courtesy of Mark Strassman
working at her summer program. Gaudin explained that ballet has always been a part of her life, so not continuing with dance would be difficult. “I have been super dedicated to ballet all my life and I wanted to branch out a little, because I thought ballet was taking up a lot of my time. I also wanted to try something new, but ballet will always be a part of me,” Gaudin said. Virginia Stapleton, head of the Stapleton School and Gaudin’s dance teacher for twelve years, has also supported Gaudin’s program. “[Gaudin] has worked hard and she is one of the most wonderful people. She represents our school in the most positive way and she works well with the kids,” Stapleton said. Stapleton added that she would love for Gaudin to come back after college to help teach at the company as her presence has made an important impact on the dance community. Stapleton also said that she would love to see more of her students follow in Gaudin’s footsteps and help children become more involved in the dance world. Before Gaudin goes off to college, she hopes to continue her program
by passing it down to two Redwood sophomores, Emily Sweet and Kaitlin McGrath, who are current dancers at Stapleton. “[Gaudin] did such a great job with the program that [Sweet] and I just hope we can continue that because the goal is to just keep the program going, since it has been going really well,” McGrath said. “When I have helped out I have only been an assistant to [Gaudin], but it is really fun to see the girls and see them get better.” Heading off to college, Gaudin knows her program will continue to thrive under new leadership. While the program approaches its fourth summer, Gaudin hopes McGrath and Sweet will enjoy teaching and running the summer camp. “I hope I have inspired some girls like [McGrath] and [Sweet], because when I did this for the first time, it really hit me how much of a privilege it is to do ballet,” Gaudin said. “It made me sad to think that there are other little girls who don’t have the money to pay for classes who have the same passions that I did, and I just wanted to at least give some of them an opportunity.” ljames@redwoodbark.org