December2017

redwood

bark.

Volume LX, No. 4 • December 15, 2017 • Larkspur, CA

Photo by Max Gilberg

Editors​ ​in​ ​Chief Anne​ ​Pritikin Daniela​ ​Schwartz Shannon​ ​Donelan China​ ​Granger

Spanish​ ​Editor Bea​ ​Cazares Business Manager Sydney​ ​Hilbush

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

redwood

bark.

Students pursue art

11

Locals ride the waves

14

24

Activist spreads peace

redwood high school ● 395 doherty dr., larkspur, ca 94939 ● volume LX, no. 4 ● December 15, 2017 ● www.redwoodbark.org

Cross country duo victorious at state cross country championships

By Jordan Overmyer When senior Gillian Wagner and junior Liam Anderson crossed the finish line on Nov. 25, not only did they each earn the title of Division III cross country champions, but they also made history. Their victories earned Redwood the title of the first school to ever sweep the Division III individual titles in California.

The 31st CIF State Cross Country Championships were held on a three-mile course in Woodward Park, Fresno.

Wagner, the only girl competing from Redwood, finished with a time of 17 minutes and 49.3 seconds. Anderson, who attended the race with the boys’ varsity team, ended with a time of 15 minutes and 10.3 seconds.

Out of the gates, neither intended to immediately lead the pack. Instead, each one waited to kick into gear until the last couple of hundred meters in their individual races according to Wagner. With about 150 girls in her division, Wagner was second for the majority of the run until there were about 400 meters to go, when she overpowered her competitors.

“My plan was just to go out with whoever [started the fastest] from the gun and sit on them and wait until the end to kick in and take the win,” Wagner said.

Anderson ran in third for the majority of the race before taking the lead in the last 200-300 meters.

“My plan was to sit and wait and then make my move whenever I felt it was the best time,” Anderson said.

Both Anderson and Wagner placed second last year.

“I got second last year so ever since then my goal has been to win. During the race, you just have to be patient because when you’re sitting back it can be nerve-racking to know that you’re behind these guys that could potentially just run away with the race,” Anderson said.

Because the course is the same every year, throughout their high school careers, Wagner has competed on this course a total of eight times and Anderson has run it six times.

“Last year, I was second and my teammate won so it was always in the back of my head throughout the season that it was something I could do. I went into it with the expectations to have a good meet and have fun but hoping

Photo courtesy of Mary Wagner

FOLLOWING THEIR VICTORY at the CIF State Cross Country Championships , senior Gillian Wagner and junior Liam Anderson celebrate making Redwood history with coaches Jake Schmitt and Laura Schmitt. a win would happen,” Wagner said.

According to Wagner, she has raced against a lot of the girls in her division and has been exposed to this level of competition throughout the season.

“I’ve learned how to, once the gun goes off, not think about anything or have any worries,” Wagner said. “I knew that it was just another race and I’ve done this a million times so I could do it one more time.”

Redwood cross-country coach Laura Schmitt has been alongside the pair through their high school careers and

gave them a plan on how she wanted each of them to race the course.

“It’s interesting,” coach Laura Schmitt said in an interview with Marin IJ. “It’s really hard to ask people to perform on the day you’ve been planning for three or four years. It’s so tough for it to come to fruition. They both raced beautifully.” jordan.overmyer@redwoodbark.org

Cardinal Newman recovers

Racial inequality conferences

On Oct. 9, Northern California wildfires damaged half of Cardinal Newman High School, leaving both students and faculty displaced.

“That’s the challenge we face—what are we going to do when not only is half the school damaged, but you can’t get back onto the site to use it for an extended time.

We’re still in the phase where we aren’t cleared to use it with students,” Cardinal Newman Principal Graham Rutherford said.

On Oct. 17, staff met to decide how the school should move forward, deciding to place the students in four parishes based on their grade level. Classes on site of the parishes started on Oct. 23. The school

On Nov. 27 and Nov. 28, the Tamalpais Unified High School District (TUHSD) hosted their second round of optional twoday anti-racism workshops for district staff members. These workshops, named Beyond Diversity, are led by the Pacific Educational Group. A total of 130 staff members from TUHSD attended the November workshop, which was open to all county educators.

According to Dr. Tara Taupier, the TUHSD Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, the Beyond Diversity workshop is an “internal journey” that helps educators understand how different ethnic groups of people are affected by race.

The workshop also aims to mature these educators’ mindsets, values and beliefs regarding racism so these teachers may take these lessons and help create an anti-racist environment at their respective schools.

Before the Beyond Diversity workshop opportunities were made available to county educators, the Anti-Defamation League was invited to Redwood by Principal David Sondheim.

The Anti-Defamation League introduced their General Anti-Bias Workshop for Redwood faculty and staff members as part of the teacher workday curriculum on Aug. 21.

“The Anti-Defamation League has been well-known for many years in terms of doing anti-bias work,” Sondheim said.

“I knew about them and I knew about their programs, but we haven’t had a chance to fit it in with our schedules, and we are

By Jocelyn Overmyer

Photo courtesy of Graham Rutherford

FOLLOWING THE CALIFORNIA wildfires, Cardinal Newman High School adjusts to their damaged campus.

hopes to have all classes back on site by mid-January. However, the destruction of the school has not torn apart the sense of camaraderie, according to Rutherford.

“It’s the people, not the buildings,” Rutherford said. “The school still exists, buildings can be rebuilt and replaced.

It takes time and, yes, it’s inconvenient but really in the end the school is your community.”

According to Rutherford, the fire completely destroyed the administration building, 20 classrooms, the baseball field and the library. Four classrooms were damaged as well. Three faculty houses and 110 students’ homes (95 homes in total due to siblings) were destroyed in the fires, according to Rutherford.

“There were also a lot of families that were displaced. So even though their home didn’t burn, they still couldn’t go home,” Rutherford said.

Senior Joe Bone was evacuated twice since the fire started due to the air quality and threat of the fire burning down his house. He said displacements were common for many of his classmates who lost their homes. Bone said he feels that even though the school remains divided up into four sites, the study body has been maintained and their bonds have strengthened.

“This actually brought a lot of us closer because we stayed in groups at friends’ homes and would hang out and keep busy,” Bone said.

ASB Vice President senior Steven Zichichi housed evacuees for about a week ● Cardinal Newman Continued on page 4

By Matt Mulcahy

finally able to.”

Sondheim noted that the bias brought out by the 2016 presidential campaign and last year’s Spirit Ball incident reinforced his decision to provide anti-bias and antiracism awareness education to the school community.

“To best prepare our students for going out into the world and making sure the world is as great a place as it can be, we need to help students and staff to understand more about racism and about bias than we have done in the past,” Sondheim said.

According to the Anti-Defamation League’s Education Director, Jacqueline Regev, the General Anti-Bias Workshop uses guided conversations and activities to encourage teachers to be more aware of negative general biases and incidents of identity-based bullying. By gaining a stronger understanding of these unintended biases, the ultimate goal is to provide teachers with personal tools to advocate for and create a more bias-free learning environment, according to Regev.

“By bringing teachers into this conversation, they are better able to understand their own perspectives, other people’s perspectives, think about their students and have a raised awareness of how classroom conversations, hallway dynamics or events that go on in their worldview can sometimes be challenging for students,” Regev said.

Building off of anti-bias and anti-racism workshops that have been coordinated by specific high schools in the district, the TUHSD has been hosting the ● Racial inequality Continued on page 3

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December 15, 2017

Photo Survey If you were to describe 2017 in a few words or short phrase, what would you say?

“Crazy.”

“Lit.”

Grace Mathews

Luke McClay

freshman

sophomore

“Didn’t live up to the hype.”

“Chaotic but united.”

junior

senior

Alexis Nunez

Mackie Skall

Stapleton’s ‘The Nutcracker’ showcases Redwood dancers

By Carolyn French

Stapleton School of the Performing Arts’ production of “The Nutcracker” was shown for its 29th consecutive year at the Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium from Nov. 29 through Dec. 3. The timeless performance was showcased six times throughout the weekend.

The performance featured several Redwood students including junior Delilah Mittermaier, who took on the roles of the Arabian lead and a member of the Snow Trio. Mittermaier has been dancing since she was in the first grade and describes the adrenaline that comes with performing as why she loves to dance.

“Once you get on stage, it doesn’t really matter if your foot is hurting or if you’re pissed off at somebody. You kind of just forget about everything and it’s all about you for a second,” Mittermaier said. “I was nervous up until I got up on stage and it all just fell away.”

Senior Lauren Roberts had the main role of the performance as the Sugar Plum Fairy. Roberts suffered an injury during the season and initially wasn’t sure if she would be able to perform, but she successfully danced all six shows, and said that it was a success. “[Sugar Plum Fairy] was a lot of commitment and a lot of hard work. And a lot of expectations, because you are the queen of the whole Nutcracker,” Roberts said. “It was definitely a frustrating process because of course I wanted to be perfect and I wanted to be as I good as I possibly could be, but it set me back for a couple of weeks. But I pushed through, and I think that was very uplifting.”

Junior Kaitlin McGrath also had a prominent part in Stapleton’s “The Nutcracker” production this year as the Rose Queen lead. Additionally, she danced as part of the Snow Trio. McGrath, who has been dancing since she was two, takes four classes a week in addition to rehearsals.

McGrath described her love for the Stapleton community. The bond between the sophomores, juniors and seniors was built up through the extensive amount of time they’d spent together throughout their dance careers.

“It comes with all the classes and the rehearsals we’ve spent together, so it’s like we’re a little family,” McGrath said.

Founder and Artistic Director Virginia Stapleton has been inspiring students to dance for about 35 years, and founded the Stapleton School of Performing Arts 30 years ago. Following her professional dance career with the San Francisco Ballet, Stapleton began teaching youth classes at a Marin recreational renter, and later founded her wellrespected company.

Her company started with just 20 students, and according to Stapleton, her first year was very difficult.

Now 30 years later, she has perfected the organizing and teaching of the now approximately 280 students enrolled at the performing arts school.

“It’s been a constant work in progress. Every year we try to hone in a little more on how we are going to present this so they can be a professional if they want to or not,” Stapleton said.

The Stapleton company has been performing “The Nutcracker” since its founding.

“Over the years it’s become much more sophisticated.

We started out with paper sets at Drake High School; it was very primitive. And then as the years have gone we’ve gotten a professional house here, with professional technicians and professional set designers and costume designers,” Stapleton said.

Stapleton has also worked to improve the dance itself by tightening up choreography and shifting her teaching techniques to become more sophisticated.

However, this year was untraditionally hectic, as the

Photo by Carolyn French

MOVING GRACIOUSLY ACROSS the stage, senior Lauren Roberts performs in Stapleton’s ‘The Nutcracker.’

Stapleton School of Performing Arts has been attempting to move into a new building since September. The transition was sparked by Stapleton’s need for a larger space to maintain cohesiveness with her faculty.

That setback didn’t deter Stapleton or her dancers from performing with beauty and grace.

“I love being a part of these young people and seeing the different aspirations they bring to it. That’s really exciting to me. It keeps me vital, it keeps me continuing to work and I’ll probably continue to do it for quite a little while,” Stapleton said. “I never knew 30 years ago that this would be my life for the Christmas season.” cfrench@redwoodbark.org

Tam District considers raising the parcel tax after Kentfield School District

By Nate Charles At a meeting on Nov. 14, the Kentfield School District (KSD) voted unanimously to place a new parcel tax on next March’s ballot, suggesting a 355 dollar increase to the current 1,143 dollar parcel tax (about a 31 percent raise). In addition to KSD, both the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) and the Dixie School District are considering raising their respective parcel taxes in order to provide more funding for the ever-growing school districts of Marin.

The parcel tax is combined with the regular property tax and is paid by anyone who owns property within a district’s boundaries. KSD Superintendent Liz

Schott said that, due to a 2013 court ruling, the district needs to raise its parcel tax to compensate for the potential loss.

“Borikas v. Alameda Unified School District was about four years ago and it basically said you cannot charge a different rate to your businesses than your homes,” Schott said.

If KSD were to lower their commercial rate of 3,000-20,000 dollars to be even with their residential rate of 1,143 dollars (as the ruling mandates), they would lose 800,000 dollars annually, which is why the district is proposing adding $355 dollars to the existing tax, according to Schott.

“We have to turn to a single rate between residential and commercial parcels because

Photo by Nate Charles

INSPIRING THE DISTRICT with its raising of the parcel tax, Kentfield School District paves the way for a new method to obtain more funds.

the court case made the difference illegal,” Schott said. “The residential parcels are paying more because the commercial parcels are paying less.”

In the current plan that was established in 2012, each TUHSD property owner pays 276.80 dollars per year, raising around 10 million dollars for the district.

Laura Anderson, President of the TUHSD Board of Trustees, said that as enrollment continues to soar, there is less money available for each student.

David Yoshihara, Superintendent of TUHSD, said that growing enrollment coupled with a deficit of 3.8 million dollars just this past year has led to the proposed raise in the parcel tax.

“We have a structural deficit where the district is spending more than it is receiving and the district has known about this for years,” Yoshihara said. “With the growth and the deficit, the conversation had to be ‘What are the solutions?’”

Anderson said that between the 201314 and 2016-17 school years, the district’s enrollment increased by 16.5 percent, and is projected to increase 35 percent by 202122 (the last year of the current parcel tax).

However, TUHSD is a community-funded district, meaning they don’t get any extra money for additional students, though they can collect on property taxes.

Both Anderson and Yoshihara said that the process will be a public one, as TUHSD plans to conduct a survey of district residents sometime in January to gauge preliminary interest in the new parcel tax. Schott said that a September

survey produced favorable enough results to move forward with their plan. Yoshihara suggested to the Board that there be two options for the amount of increase on the parcel tax: a 50 percent raise to produce an extra 5 million dollars per year, or a 100 percent raise to produce an extra 10 million dollars per year. Yoshihara is in support of a third option, as a 50 percent raise would barely cover the projected deficit for next year, which currently stands at about 5 million dollars.

Another effect of the growing student population is the growth in class size, which exceeds the district’s regulations to maintain a certain size.

“We have a collective bargaining agreement with the teachers’ union and the classified staff where we are contractually obligated to keep our class sizes below 30 students,” Anderson said. “As we get more kids, we need to hire more teachers and personnel.”

As 85 percent of the district’s budget is currently directed towards personnel, there is not a lot of flexibility to hire more staff or make general improvements, according to Anderson. In order to ensure the best use of the potential money raised by a new parcel tax, Anderson said all proceeds would go into the district’s general fund, allowing TUHSD to spend the money however they deem fit. Anderson believes the money would primarily go towards maintaining the staff so as to provide the best learning experience possible in the TUHSD. ncharles@redwoodbark.org

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www.redwoodbark.org ● Racial inequality Continued from page 1 district-wide Beyond Diversity workshops. These optional workshops are coordinated by Kim Stiffler, the Senior Director of Curriculum and Institution, and Dr. Tara Taupier.

The workshops are led by the Pacific Education Group and focus specifically on anti-racism and the negative effects of racial bias. “[The workshops] disrupt the negative assumptions and make sure that we are honoring the students that are in front of us,” Taupier said.

Spanish teacher María Civano said she was so impacted by the November Beyond Diversity workshop that she and a group of Redwood teachers are meeting on their own time once a week to continue the discussions. “[Beyond Diversity] was an excellent workshop, but it’s a lot of internal work and we don’t want the momentum to fizzle,” Civano said.

Civano said she wants to see TUHSD consolidate the teacher work day and staff development day at the beginning of the year into two teacher workdays and have all faculty members attend a mandatory workshop like Beyond Diversity.

“We might make mistakes when it comes to race and equity based on our ignorance, and I think the time to be ignorant has passed and we need to be more aware,” Civano said. “I would like for everyone to at least be aware, not just make mistakes by omission.”

Civano said she hopes for a more organized and consistent effort to bring these lessons learned from Beyond Diversity to the classroom.

“We want all the work that we did in the workshop and on ourselves to translate into our classrooms, but for that we need more tools and we need a more conscious effort from all the parts involved,” Civano said. “The efforts are very good and they are necessary, but they are very disconnected and we want to streamline education for all teachers and all students.”

Although Taupier notes that the workshops do not provide specific instruction for teachers on how to address racism and bias issues in the classroom, some educators feel comfortable bringing these lessons and conversation topics to students in their respective classrooms, such as

Redwood English teacher and department leader Cathy Flores.

Flores attended the optional Beyond Differences workshop in November.

“My consciousness was completely elevated,” Flores said. “I was completely unaware of some of my own behaviors as a Latina teacher in this community. I was awakened to my own behaviors regarding race, ethnicity and nationality as a result of being part of [the Beyond Diversity workshop].”

Flores says she now feels more comfortable fostering conversations regarding racial awareness in the classroom after attending the workshop.

In her Language of Humor class, Flores’s students read the memoir “Born a Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood” by Trevor Noah.

She also introduced the students to an excerpt from Glenn Singleton’s book “Courageous Conversations,” in which Singleton defines terms such as race and antiracism.

“I think the combination of the readings from [Glenn] Singleton with Trevor Noah’s memoir and what we are doing in the class around humor as rhetoric provided a pretty comfortable environment for us to talk about a contentious topic but one that is so relevant to our lives considering what is happening to people of color,” Flores said.

Flores noted that she was pleasantly surprised by the level of engagement and maturity expressed by her students around this thought-provoking topic. The students shared personal insight on the effect of their race as it relates to privileges within Redwood High School and the greater community.

“At the end, I had students thanking me for having the conversation in class and saying that this was a conversation they had wanted to have for so long,” Flores said.

Sondheim is currently coordinating with the Anti-Defamation League to bring a workshop for underclassmen to foster a community that understands the negative impacts of bias and works to make decisions in an unbiased way. Stiffler and Taupier are working to bring anti-racism workshop opportunities for students from TUHSD schools.

“Ultimately, we have a responsibility to educate

Photo by Matt Mulcahy

HELPING A STUDENT in her Language of Humor class, English teacher Cathy Flores held a three week unit on racism inspired by the recent workshops.

all students,” Sondheim said. “Part of that education is [teaching students how] to work in a world that is diverse to get along with others in our society who are different than us, not just those who are the same as us.”

According to Taupier, the next round of Beyond Diversity Workshops will be hosted at the County Office of Education in San Rafael in January and February.

mmulcahy@redwoodbark.org

Staff members support San Francisco teacher housing project

By Hannah Halford The Redwood community is a place that is valued, as are our teachers and education.

Unfortunately, due to Marin’s high housing prices, teachers in our community are forced to live elsewhere. The SF teacher housing project has Redwood High School teachers hoping the same will happen in our community.

According to Investopedia, a financial investment and news website, San Francisco is the second most expensive city to live in the United States, behind New York.

Due to these extremely high living costs in addition to the current housing affordability crisis in the Bay Area, San Francisco mayor Ed Lee, after several past attempts, has finally allocated $44 million towards the construction of a teacher housing project in San Francisco’s Sunset District. The SF Chronicle states that these apartment units will be ready by 2022.

This project will house around 60 to 90 teachers who are selected based on their family income. The Chronicle states that teachers will pay about $3,100 per month for two bedrooms, which is roughly $1,000 less than the city’s average. In addition to reduced rent, teachers will not be spending nearly as much on their commute.

Mayor Lee selected a site at the Francisco Scott Key Annex at 1360 43rd Ave. Lee will use the city’s Housing Trust Fund and Proposition A Housing Funds to build 100 to 150 apartment units for teachers and paraprofessionals.

Shamann Walton, president of San Francisco’s Board of Education, highlighted the difficulty, time and money that a teacher who commutes to work faces everyday. These challenges will be reduced by the new teacher housing project.

“Affordability is a major issue in the Bay Area, in San Francisco, and it’s unfortunate that our educators don’t have higher salaries. [This] is something else that we fight for, so the least that we can do is try to make sure that they can afford to live in the city that they work in,” Walton said.

While San Francisco is finally receiving teacher housing support, just across the Golden Gate Bridge, a similar situation has arisen for Marin County educators. According to Mansion Global, Marin County is the fourth most expensive county in California to live in. Some staff members at Redwood do not have the means to live here, which has forced them to find housing elsewhere.

David Minhondo, a social studies teacher at Redwood, commutes every day from Petaluma. Unable to afford housing in Marin County, he was forced to seek a more affordable county to live in with his family.

“With a growing family and wanting to have space and an actual backyard, there’s nothing around here for that price,” Minhondo said.

Walton elaborated on the steps that neighboring cities or counties could take in implementing a teacher housing project in their own community.

“If you have all the people in place on the front end actually when it’s time to break ground and actually build, there

aren’t any issues or concerns because you built momentum up with the right people,” Walton said.

Minhondo described the need for teacher housing in the not so far future as Redwood’s staff grows.

“I think that right now it doesn’t seem like that big of an issue because I think a lot of our teachers have houses, but knowing the teachers who came in right before and after me, most to all of us are feeling the crunch and it’s getting to the point that if you want to work at Redwood you can’t afford to live in the community,” Minhondo said.

Walton believes that a community that has both teachers and students living in the same area will help build deeper connections that can translate into the classroom.

“I think our educators are a fabric and a part of our community, so it’s always exciting for our young people to have their teachers in close proximity,” Walton said. “You can see them out when you’re at little league games, or at Pop Warner football games, or you can see them out

Photo by Hannah Halford

LOCATED IN THE Sunset District of San Francisco, the Francis Scott Key School is being converted into affordable housing for teachers in the city.

in the community when you go to the park.

Having your educator be a part of your community is a wonderful experience.”

Minhondo described a time when he was Christmas shopping in downtown Petaluma and he saw a student run into one of their local high school teachers. Seeing this interaction, he felt he couldn’t have that experience considering he lives about an hour away from Redwood.

“I don’t have that experience. To go to a football game on a weekend or come see a play at night means that I have to stay here from 6 a.m. in the morning to 9 p.m. at night,” Minhondo said.

Physical education teacher Ryan Lloyd lives and raises his family in Petaluma as well.

“In order to get the quality of life that we wanted, we had to go to Petaluma because anywhere south of Petaluma was above our price range. We also have to pay for full-time daycare,” Lloyd said.

Lloyd’s role as one of the boys’ varsity basketball coaches has provided more of a connection to student life despite his commute.

“I’m also a coach, which is an offcampus thing too, so you get to see kids outside of school. You get to be a part of the community on off-hours,” Lloyd said.

Teachers at Redwood who live in Marin have the advantage of going to sports events, music events, art events and game nights. Teachers who can’t afford to live in Marin, but want to participate in school activities are forced to commute to participate.

With the demand for new teachers increasing, Minhondo expressed the importance of at least brainstorming ideas for future teacher housing development in Marin County.

Lloyd reflected on the valuable role that a teacher housing project would’ve played for him before he had a family.

“Maybe 10 years ago, when I was single, I’d live in an apartment. But now that I’m a family guy, it’s kind of hard to do that,” Lloyd said. hhalford@redwoodbark.org

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December 15, 2017

● Cardinal Newman Continued from page 1

because his house was unaffected.

“Everyone was affected by the fire in some way, whether it was by friends or family or themselves that lost a house,” Zichichi said.

According to Rutherford, there was a lot of uncertainty the first week following the fire about the status of people. Afterwards, the school reached out to those who needed support On Oct. 18 and 19, the school hosted a retreat, split between freshmen and sophomores in one location and juniors and seniors in the other, to regroup and see how students were coping.

“It was two days of sharing and reflecting to let people talk and to hear their stories. Also, finding out who needed more help, having available counselors. Just really checking in and seeing where things stood,” Rutherford said.

By Oct. 23, students had returned to school in four different locations: freshmen at Resurrection Parish in Santa Rosa, sophomores at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Windsor, juniors at Saint Elizabeth Seton in Rohnert Park and seniors at Saint Joseph in Cotati. Classes are currently being held at each of the four sites from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. because the parishes have events in the afternoons.

“There is no perfect system, but we’re lucky that we have it. There’s only so much room and there’s certainly no place in the county available to have 621 students and 80 faculty staff. This was our best compromise,” Rutherford said.

The efforts of the Cardinal Newman faculty allowed students to return to school two weeks after the fire, while other affected schools in the area didn’t start until as late as Oct. 30, a week after Cardinal Newman.

“Seeing students go through that, that’s why it’s so important to give them some normality of school because not only

Bark Patrons

The Abbott Family Stacy Achuck The Agenbroad Family The Alden Family The Allen Family Callaway Allen Family The Ames/Bouton Family Susan and Mark Anderson The Anderson Family Anonymous (x2) The Ashworth Family The Ayres Family The Bailitz Family The Baldwin Family Jeff and Catherine Barcy Cammi Bell Brad and Stephanie Bennett Joanna Berman Mandel Lisa Bernardi The Bialek Santas Family Lauren and Ella Blazei Loren and Howard Block The Bludau Family The Blum Family The Blum Family The Bober Family Colleen Bourke Benjamin and Mari Bowler Kathleen and Bill Brady The Brady Family The Brown Family Linda Brune The Bucklar Family The Buechner/Whitt Family The Burgert Family Carrie and Jim Burroughs Kristina and Steve ----Campodonico The Carlson Family Liliana Carolina Naficy-Royal ----and Kenneth Eugene Royal The Chou Family The Christman Family Bruce and Robyn Cohen David and Rebecca Conant The Conner Family

Photo courtesy of Lyn Rutherford

PREPARING TO REBUILD their facilites, Cardinal Newman begins the first stages in the reconstruction that aims to restore the school to its former glory before the fires. are they losing their home, but also their keep their minds off the recent events. school site,” Rutherford said.

Following the fire, the school Teachers with grade specific classes, community had been clearing the burnt including English, social studies and debris and hoped to be done by early religion still remain on their designated December to start setting up the portable site by grade level, while math, science classrooms. Along with the 14 classrooms and language department teachers rotate that weren’t impacted by the fire, the school between the four sites. has 22 portable classrooms ready to set up.

“Most of our classwork is through “There is plenty of set-up to do, but we Google Classroom and other academic sites have the ability to replace all the classrooms online that offer lectures and assignments,” that were lost. Once that happens, having Bone said. people on campus will be a really good According to Zichichi, having the thing,” Rutherford said. bulk of the classwork online has not been Before installing the portable a problem and that the parishes aren’t classrooms, an area has to be cleared and taken for granted. But, the lack of routine a rock base has to be set, as well as a rock for the student-body has sometimes been parking lot, according to Rutherford. Six overwhelming. portables will be next to the gym and “Right now, we’re just trying to get parking lot, neither of which suffered back to a routine because everything was damage in the fire. thrown out of wack, so now everyone is Without the central hub of the school, working back to get into a normal routine,” Rutherford believes that the continuation Zichichi said. of sports is vital to returning to normality According to Rutherford, the school and a chance for students socialize with hopes to be back on site by January. their peers.

Rutherford said he believes that returning “It gave them something to do together to the norm of going to school and seeing and [have] some feeling of control again in friends is good for the students as it helps your life. For a lot of students, the feeling

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

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

was out of control, beyond anyone’s ability to do anything. But if you study hard or play a sport, you feel like if I make a good effort, I can make the result I want it to be,” Rutherford said.

Efforts after the fire also included reaching out to colleges to get extensions for seniors with deadlines approaching.

According to Rutherford, many students had also taken the SAT at Cardinal Newman the Saturday before the fire and had to retake it the first Saturday of November because the results of the first test were destroyed in the fire.

“A lot of what we have done is try to empower people to make sure they’re supported and that they know that there is care and concern for them,” Rutherford said.

Rutherford has been the principal for the last 14 years and says this is a setback for the growth of the school.

“Personally, I went to the school and I worked there pretty much my whole life.

I’ve seen it change and grow. I thought we were making a lot of progress and improvement and it feels like you’re getting knocked down,” Rutherford said.

The students have taken and learned a lot from this disaster and have become more united, according to Bone.

“I realized how little some people in my community have. Many people that had homes burn didn’t have insurance to pay for them to rebuild. Also, this has helped our community come together and build strong bonds,” Bone said.

Along with the strengthened bonds of the students, they have also learned not to take things for granted according to Zichichi.

“I learned to never take anything for granted because it’s crazy to see how quickly things can be lost. I think it’s helped us be more independent because we had to make some decisions on our own,” Zichichi said. jocelyn.overmyer@redwoodbark.org

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

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

To support the Bark, visit www.redwoodbark.org

opinion

Page 5

Stop being neutral about net neutrality

By Emily Sweet Two weeks ago when I heard the term “net neutrality” for the first time, I thought my sister had mispronounced a word under her newly acquired (and quite possibly faked) midwestern accent on her first weekend home from college. Now, after a few weeks, hours of research and a great deal of thinking, I am once again questioning the decision-making skills of this country’s leaders.

Net neutrality is the concept that while large companies (think AT&T, Verizon and Comcast) can provide and administer the internet for users, they cannot control the content you view or how fast you view it. For example, if your internet service provider is Verizon, they cannot make Google load faster than Bing (which is called using “internet fast-lanes”) to promote the use of one over the other. The importance of net neutrality is clear, as it has the power to dictate the future of the internet. However, according to a recent self-reported Bark survey, 55 percent of students do not know what net neutrality is.

The fact is, net neutrality is not only very important, but it’s also a family-friendly topic. What I mean by this is that unlike hot button issues such as abortion, health care or if “The Office” is better than “Friends,” net ne ut r a l it y is generally a topic you can bring up without facing much opposition. In fact, a study done at the University of Delaware’s Center for Political Communication in 2014 found that the push for net neutrality under Obama’s presidency was actually a bipartisan movement, with 81 percent of Democrats and 85 percent of Republicans opposing the use of “internet fast-lanes.”

On Dec. 14, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), led by Trump’s selected chairman Ajit Pai, will vote to re-evaluate net neutrality regulations and add legal protection to them. After

b e i n g publically urged to take action by President Obama in 2015, the FCC met to develop new net neutrality rules that have remained in place since then. This 313-page document, produced by the FCC, aimed to bar service providers from delivering content in a biased manner.

Again, in the U.S. Appeals Court in 2016, the laws of net neutrality previously set were once again upheld, effectively quieting petitions.

Since the creation of the internet, some sort of net neutrality rules have been in place, according to Scientific American. For years we have enjoyed the liberties of choosing our search engines, television providers and websites without worrying if large companies are paying our service providers—or as I like to call them, internet dictators—the most money. If I feel like using Yahoo as my search engine because I want to see pictures of Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis underneath the search bar while I type, then damn-it I should be able to!

But seriously, net neutrality protects our First Amendment Rights as citizens.

Follow this logic: without net neutrality, providers can favor certain companies that pay more and therefore limit access to certain websites and companies, leaving many at a loss. This country was founded on the ideals of freedom and a free market, so why would we try and limit that now just because our situation is a little more complex with the addition of new technology?

Secondly, without net neutrality, small

Illustrations by Emily Sweet

businesses and entrepreneurs are left without ways to successfully connect to larger scale audiences through the internet. This unequal playing field between local businesses and large corporations is one that, left unattended, could easily spiral out of control. Down the street from my house is a salon called Fingers and Toes. It opened a few years ago and is often frequented by my mom. The hostess, Vivian, knows my mom’s name and has been nothing but gracious, in addition to providing a sensational pedicure.

Why would we want to take away the profit of a store like Fingers and Toes just because they don’t have the money or resources of a large corporation?

The issue of net neutrality is new. It’s scary. Issues like net neutrality that pose problems now will continue to do so in the future. We, as a generation and a country, must face these problems head on, and that does not mean giving up all of our rights to large corporations. Instead, it means maintaining the freedoms that we have in real life on the internet.

Net neutrality is a no-brainer. Why take away restrictions that are the basis of one of the most widely accepted issues in politics? With the upcoming vote, I strongly urge not only Ajit Pai, but the FCC in general to think very carefully before they turn my only remaining family-friendly political topic into a fiery debate about upholding individual liberties.

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Page 6 • Opinion

December 15, 2017

Lamenting sister city divisions over Comfort Women

By Julia Jacoby During World War II, the Japanese Imperialist Army coerced between 80,000 and 200,000 women and girls, mostly from China, Korea and the Philippines, into sexual slavery and brothels in occupied regions throughout eastern Asia. These women became known as “Comfort Women,”—a loose translation of the Japanese word for prostitute—and were forced to have sex with up to 70 men per day, according to the Comfort Women Justice Coalition.

After the war ended and these camps were dissolved, San Francisco established a “sister city” relationship with Osaka, a city in Japan that was almost entirely destroyed

by U.S. bombings. This status is a long-term diplomatic and cultural partnership approved by the highest elected official from each community, and was established in order to “support individual and civic exchanges that foster better understanding and appreciation between citizens on both sides of the Pacific Ocean,” according to the SFOsaka Sister City Association. It was a poignant display of acceptance and peace between two former enemies.

Fast forward 60 years, and there has been exponential social advancements in both of these countries, relations between the two have remained relatively amicable and yet Comfort Women still struggle to have their stories heard. This changed in San Francisco in October, when a statue dedicated to these women and girls was erected as a city monument. The statue is elegant in its simplicity, depicting three girls in a circle holding hands.

Soon after, the mayor of Osaka, Hirofumi Yoshimura, ended the sister city status with San Francisco, calling the statue a “betrayal of trust,” and labelling it a one-sided and anti-Japanese portrayal of history.

For Osaka to end relations with San Francisco over the Comfort Women statue is perpetuating an archetypal habit of trying to erase the ugliest parts of a nation’s history—but in doing so, it assumes that this problem was specific to the time period, and ended when WWII did. The sexual slavery of WWII was a product of the inherent sexualization and abuse of women that has been constant throughout history, present in every civilization and society. Similarly to how racism didn’t cease when the Civil War did, the subjugation of women didn’t end with the closure of the Comfort Camps.

The Comfort Women statue isn’t a reminder of the horrific acts committed by the Japanese army, but rather the strength of these women; this statue gives a voice to not only Comfort Women, but to all women who have been victims of sexual abuse. In a country and world that at almost every point in history has tried to dehumanize, devalue and silence women, the creation of this statue is more than just a marker of an unfortunate time in history—it is a stance against the persisting and all-tooprevalent culture of telling women and girls (both directly and indirectly) that they aren’t worth as much as their male counterparts.

By condemning this statue, Osaka is trying to remove itself from its history. Critics of the statue state that it promotes an unbalanced historical attack on Japan— especially considering that thousands of Japanese Americans were held in internment camps at the same time as the Comfort Camps. This statue doesn’t serve as an American attempt to vilify the Japanese for the ugly moments in their history, because it is impossible to deny

Illustration by Christine Watridge

that American history isn’t also tainted by similar cruelties.

The Comfort Women statue doesn’t stand against Japan; it stands with these women. By trying to ignore or forget the injustices of the past, we neglect and marginalize the oppression these injustices imposed on others. To forget Comfort Camps is to forget Comfort Women—to forget their hardship and their bravery—and attempt to silence their struggle. As long as these women carry their struggle with them, it cannot be swept aside or forgotten. As long as sexual inequality exists, Comfort Women cannot be swept aside or forgotten.

In this country, we have recently entered a new era of female emboldenment, with hundreds of women coming forward with their stories of sexual assault and harassment by powerful men; an era in which women don’t accept injustice, but challenge it. It’s time for Japan to follow suit. It’s time we enter a world in which we don’t hide history, but confront it. jjacoby@redwoodbark.org

Social media platforms shouldn’t be political ones

By Jericho Rajninger In 2008 and 2012, America witnessed technology fundamentally alter the political sphere when President Barack Obama harnessed the power of the internet and social media to campaign for office. By organizing his supporters, raising funds and promoting his agenda online throughout his two terms, Obama revolutionized the way presidential candidates interact with the electorate.

Today, President Donald Trump uses social media as a way to connect with his base on a very personal level, tweeting about 10 times per day according to Twitter Counter. His use of social media is the 21st century version of President Franklin Roosevelt’s fireside chats. In the 1930s, Roosevelt used radio to communicate more intimately with the American people and bring politics directly into households.

Trump is doing the same...kind of. He crams his ideas into 280-character tweets, interacting directly with his followers and spurring continuous online debate.

When used correctly, social media has the potential to bring a president close to the public and can positively contribute to the political sphere. But through his campaign and first year of presidency, Trump has rallied support over social media in a different way—a dangerous way.

In the months since the election, Trump’s use of Twitter diplomacy poses an additional threat to an already volatile political atmosphere. As president, Trump has consistently sought to extend his political agenda through social media, throwing virtual punches at North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, Britain’s Theresa May and other prominent foreign leaders.

A president must think before speaking. Prior to social media, presidents interacted with the public only during official speeches and press conferences,

over radio, television or in person. Though press conferences did require presidents to speak knowledgeably and eloquently on the spot, it is no secret that behind every president, there is a speechwriter. And behind every speechwriter, there is a team of White House officials editing his or her words and the words of the president.

Presidential addresses are not taken lightly; they require extensive preparation and planning. While some might appreciate Trump’s authenticity on social media and argue for his right to free speech, the President of the United States, representing over 320 million people, shouldn’t simply type his (or her) mind.

Take one of Trump’s more wellknown tweets directed at Kim Jongun, for example: “Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me ‘old,’ when I would NEVER call him ‘short and fat?’

Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend—and maybe someday that will happen!”

Another, tweeted by Trump during his campaign, reads: “Truly weird Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky reminds me of a spoiled brat without a properly functioning brain. He was terrible at DEBATE!” Ten years ago, a president would simply not make these kinds of statements. This is partly because America has never elected a president so infantile and simpleminded as Trump, but also because unconstrained access to social media has encouraged absent-minded, unpresidential rhetoric.

Social media is often used as an outlet for streams of consciousness. While

the informality of social media provides an entertaining means of communication between peers and acquaintances, it’s also the source of rude commentary, petty arguments, abuse and mean-spirited clapbacks. And Donald Trump is no exception.

Since declaring his candidacy, Trump has insulted 394 people, places

Illustration by Jericho Rajninger

and things over Twitter, as of November 17, according to a study done by New York Times’ The Upshot. Trump is a Twitter troll, infamous for name-calling and defaming his fellow politicians or critics with derogatory and childish language including: crooked, pathetic, a crybaby (rather ironic if you ask me), a disgrace, sick, foolish, dumb, lowly, a joke, unhinged, wacky, loser...the list goes on. And on.

Politics are about poise and respect; presidents should be judged on the quality of their ideas and intentions for the improvement of society, not on their latest Twitter jab. If fireside chats emphasized thought and eloquent speech, then Twitter stresses spontaneity. That’s the inherent problem with social media: it is immediate and constantly changing.

What Trump writes one week is soon forgotten, replaced by another controversial Tweet or post.

Social media does not hold Trump accountable for his words and actions. Using his platforms, Trump has masterfully distracted the American public from what matters. And it shows; according to recent polls conducted by the Washington Post, if voters were given another chance at the 2016 election, Trump would, statistically speaking, win again. Despite the controversy and public uproar during Trump’s first year in office, amid all the accusations of sexual harassment and prominent displays of racism, bigotry and ignorance, America would, once again, vote Trump. Now that’s something to tweet about. jrajninger@redwoodbark.org

Page 7 • Opinion

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

Head Copy Editor Christine Watridge

editorial Boycott Hollywood predators disMANtle the patriarchy On Thursday, Oct. 5, what will surely come to be known as the “day of reckoning” for sexual harassment in the workplace, the New York Times published an article outlining allegations of sexual assault against Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. In the two months that have passed since then, 83 women have come forward accusing Weinstein of sexual misconduct, according to USA Today. The floodgates have opened and they aren’t closing anytime soon.

From Reese Witherspoon to Angelina Jolie to Tarana Burke to the Silence Breakers, hundreds of women have bravely voiced their stories.

The overwhelming number of politicians, actors and other powerful men subsequently accused of sexual assault sends a clear message: all industries have a responsibility to address the historically rampant issue of sexual harassment. The most concerning issue regarding sexual harassment is Hollywood’s acceptance of it. But it is also up to us, the consumers, to help change industry standards. News coverage alone will not spur change. The accused may be skilled politicians or talented actors, but that doesn’t mean they are exempt from the basic decency that we expect from every other citizen. Although we publicly condemn sexual predators, we allow their abuse to go unchecked by continuing to support their work. No matter their contributions to society, we cannot hold the offenders in high esteem at the individual expense of the careers and dignity of their victims. We cannot let these allegations, or the bravery of the victims who voiced them, go unacknowledged.

If we continue to ignore the disparagement of these women, we further ensure that the industries’ standards will never change. In our own lives, we hold the power to make decisions about what we choose to consume from the television shows we watch to the politicians we support to the media we consume. We hold power in the decisions we make.

According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, (RAINN), out of every 1000 rapes, 994 perpetrators will not go to prison. In the overwhelming absence of legal ramifications for offenders, we must create a culture where sexual predators don’t go on to make Oscar-winning movie performances or rise to high places. Instead, sexual assaulters must face consequences. We cannot forget that the system allowing powerful individuals to continually abuse women is fueled by our choices as consumers.

We must starve such a system of its power. We must boycott this institution of abuse that uses our patronage to exempt sexual predators from rightful social condemnation.

A BARK to Russia being banned from the winter Olympics. Who’s dope now?!

A BITE to the lip dub. Looks like the ceiling could hold us.

A BARK to Cocoa and Cram. We never knew how (marsh)mellow studying could be!

A BITE the lack of rain this week.

Looks like the tears shed about finals was the best we could do.

A BARK to Dictionary.com’s choice of “complicit” as the word of the year.

That summation of the year is some pretty accurate “covfefe”(which should be an honarable mention).

A BITE to all the holiday cards we’ll be receiving. As if our parents didn’t

Illustration by Christine Watridge

But condemning offender’s actions isn’t enough.

We must also condemn their work. In the public response to sexual assault allegations made by two men against Kevin Spacey, many were quick to denounce Spacey as a predator, but hesitant to support Netflix’s decision to cancel the production of “House of Cards.” This is hypocrisy on the part of consumers because we allow a person’s talents to transcend their sexual perversions. We cannot vilify Spacey as a man while simultaneously praising his acting abilities. We cannot support his victims while simultaneously supporting his media.

When President Donald Trump faced his own allegations of sexual assault last year, it seemed that only days later the country had moved on. Nineteen women have come forward with stories ranging from sexual coercion to assault, and what were the consequences of his actions? He was elected President of the United States.

Recently, Trump endorsed Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, despite allegations that he molested a 14-year-old and sexually assaulted a 16-year-old when he was in his 30s and an Alabama senate candidate. Again, one predator supports another and perpetuates the cycle where rich and powerful men get away with egregious acts.

By supporting these habitual predators, we are buying into the process of abuse that inadvertently puts them in places of power. We must consciously make decisions about what we support and consume.

Though it is jarring to see so many strong women confess tales of horror and victimization, their message is one that cannot be forgotten as we move forward.

Together, we must continue to empower the victims of sexual assault to propel this centuries-old fight for respect and equality.

Copy Editors Julia Jacoby Neva Legallet Vincent Leo Alexander Lieberman Sabine Lloyd Saamya Mungamuru News Editors Caroline Cummings Julia Scharf Opinion Editors Jocelyn Overmyer Jericho Rajninger Feature Editors Carolyn French Alexandra Lee Sports Editors Melissa Block Jordan Overmyer Review Editors Natalie Cerf Maggie Smith Lifestyles Editors Lily Baldwin Emily Sweet Spanish Editor Bea Cazares Business Manager Sydney Hilbush SocialMedia/ Snapshot Editor Tilly Friedlander Survey Manager Devon McClain Art Consultant Max Gilberg

Have an opinion regarding anything that appears in the Bark or in general? We encourage our readers to submit letters to the editor. Letters to the Bark should be 500 words or fewer, typed if possible and signed. They must be submitted to room 177 or in the Bark mailbox in the facility. They may also be emailed to bark@redwoodbark.org.

have enough people to compare us to.

A BARK to the Australian parliament breaking into song while legalizing same-sex marriage. We will S-I-N-G for L-G-B-T+!

A BITE to Roy Moore. We don’t think anyone wants him walking around the National Mall.

A (peppermint) BARK to holiday foods. Thanks for giving us a real reason to walk into Williams Sonoma.

A BITE to the SoCal fires. When we said we wanted chesnuts roasting on an open fire this is not what we meant.

A BARK to the Silence Breakers.

It’s about “Time” we recognize the victims rather than the offenders.

A BITE to Trump for reducing the size of Bear Ears Monument. We can’t bear it.

A BARK to the anti-racism workshops including teachers and soon, students. Let’s make this school no place for hate!

A BITE to mayor Ed Lee’s death.

“May your” legacy live on.

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.

Reporters Nate Charles Josh Cohen Anna Compagno Grace Gaudin Jack Green Hannah Halford Lucie James Maxim Kawashima Jacob Klionsky Natalia Lazor Amanda Morse Matthew Mulcahy Sachi Nahas Verenice Palczynski Sylvana Perczek Charlotte Seton Sam Warren

Adviser

Erin Schneider

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

español

Página 8

Paraeducator alumno regresa para ayudar ELD Por Anna Compagno Caminando en los pasillos de Redwood, la idioma hablada y escuchada casi siempre es inglés. Para muchos estudiantes, esto es completamente normal, pero para algunos es extranjero. La clase de English Language Development (ELD) enseña estudiantes que vienen de diferentes países o origenes aprender el idioma de inglés.

Además de ayudar mejorar sus habilidades de hablar en inglés, es un ambiente donde estudiantes de qualquer origen pueden formar vínculos sin asusto de juzgamiento según su maestra, Debbie McCrea. El ambiente abierto de ELD ha hecho un impacto duradero en los estudiantes que han pasado por el programa. Hasta que un estudiante escogió regresar y ayudar en el salón de clase.

Xenia Rodríguez se graduó de Redwood en 2016, y regreso este año para ser un paraeducator o un asistente de maestro para ELD. Ella ayuda en muchos salones de clases incluyendo ELD, AP, Honores y español regular. Su papel como un paraeducator es para ayudar a estudiantes con sus tareas, hacer exámenes para la clase de ELD y organizar actividades para el salón de clases. Rodríguez está asistiendo College of Marin y está enfocándose en psicología. Ella está planeando perseguir una carrera en psiquiatra, pero ahora está abierta a la idea de tener un futuro en educación.

Después de ser un asistente de maestro su tercer y cuarto año para la clase de ELD, Rodríguez sentio como si hizo una conexión especial con sus compañeros y maestros en el departamento de español en Redwood.

“Extrañé mucho estar en este ambiente, y sentí como si una parte de mi estaba perdida cuando me gradué. Amo el sentido de estar ayudando y la conexión personal que tengo a esta transición específica de aprender inglés.

A los 10 años, se mudó de El Salvador a Marin, adonde asistió Kent Middle School. Según Rodríguez, ella tuvo una juventud muy buena y se acuerda explorando volcanes y montándose en caballos salvajes. El cambio entre culturas era difícil para ella, pero la clase de ELD la

Foto por Anna Compagno

RODRIGUEZ USANDO UN Chrome Book para ayudar a un estudiantes de segundo año.

ayudo presentarla a personas nuevas y dándole un espacio para hacer conexiones con estudiantes que andaban experienciando la misma transición que ella estaba.

Aunque es fluente en español, ella tuvo conocimiento limitado de su cultura, eso cambió cuando entró el programa de AP Spanish.

“Aunque soy fluente en español, nunca estaba expuesta

a literatura [en español] porque estaba asistiendo la escuela aquí. Era muy maravilloso [porque] aprendí mucho de mi propia cultura,” dijo Rodríguez.

Sra. McCrea ha estado trabajando en el departamento de idiomas en Redwood por 16 años y ha sido el líder del departamento por los pasado ocho años. Teniendo Rodríguez como un estudiante y poder conocerla como la asistente de maestro en la clase de ELD, McCrea reconoció algo especial en ella. Ella cree que la experiencia que tiene Rodríguez la he dado las qualificacions perfectas para el trabajo.

“Tiene mucha pasión para ayudar los recién venidos.

Ella puede relacionarse a lo que andan pasando por.

Siendo un estudiante en el pasado, también esta familiar con todo el trabajo de cursos, entonces puede navegar los estudiantes con sus proyectos o ensayos.” dijo McCrea.

Rodríguez no solo está allí para ayudar los estudiantes con sus tareas, pero es un ejemplo para los estudiantes que ayuda. Según McCrea, estudiantes siempre buscan el consejo de Rodríguez cuando viene a los aspectos emocionales y sociales de la preparatoria. Los estudiantes sienten confianza con ella con cualquier asunto que están enfrentados con.

“Estoy en la posición donde puedo relacionarme con lo que están enfrentando los niños por las experiencias que yo tengo,” dijo Rodríguez.

Estudiante de último año Jiseon Huh ha sido parte de la clase de ELD desde que empezó asistir Redwood. Según Huh, ella se siente confortable preguntando Rodríguez para ayuda y consejos.

“A mí me gusta trabajar con Xenia porque me ha ayudado mucho con hacer mis tareas. Ella es uno de mis personas favorita para obtener ayuda porque ella explica las oraciones más fáciles para que las pueda entender,” dijo Huh. “No puedo creer que solo tiene 20 años. Estoy orgullosa para mirar lo que hace en el futuro. Es una persona extraordinaria,” dijo McCrea. acompagno@redwoodbark.org

Teotihuacan illumina la cultura de los Aztecas Por Vincent Leo Cuando entre el exhibition especial en el museo de Young, sentí que iba experienciar algo extraordinario. El cuarto oscuro estaba lleno con una pantalla grande, enseñando diferentes creaciones artísticas como murales y esculturas hechas de piedra. En cada lado, las paredes estaban cubiertas con mucho texto y gráficas describiendo la ubicación del sitio arqueológico. Entrando el exhibition, sentí como si me hubiera transportado al principio del tiempo de la civilización en las afueras de la Ciudad de México.

El “Teotihuacan: City of Water, City of Fire” exhibición explora la civilización antigua de las Aztecas de Teotihuacán con más de 200 objetos de arte y artefactos, con gama de excavaciones recientes a los que estaban descubiertos hace un siglo. Según el de Young, el arte enseña la presencia de la ideología dominante de la ciudad que alcanzan espacios de cada día, actuando como una fuerza unida entre una población diversa con inmigrantes de cada dirección y guía cada uno de sus ciudadanos entre él infraestructura única de Teotihuacan. La exhibición utiliza la geografía de la ciudad para organizar las creaciones, enfocándose en los tres estructuras arquitectónicas del sitio: la Pirámide del Sol, la Pirámide de la Luna,y la pyramide de la serpiente emplumada.

Entrando el primer cuarto, estaba saludado con obras de artes encontrados en un túnel debajo del Pirámide de la serpiente emplumada conocido como Ciudadela’s “Underworld.” Arqueológico Mexicanos descubrieron la ubicación en 2003, que estaba construidos alrededor de 100 C.E. Una de las paredes, un diagramó

enseñando el túnel y miles de objetos encontrados en la área como ofrenda para honrar sus dioses.

Personas se movieron alrededor de los exposiciones, que variaron de abalorios , adornos, caracolas y figurinas. Multitudes de personas se formaron alrededor de las caracolas únicas, que estaban cortadas con diseños de lo que se miraba como dioses antiguos. Cada uno de las caracolas estaban iluminadas en una vitrina, emitiendo un brillo. Según el museo, las caracolas están originadas en el golfo de México y tienen diseños de otras partes de Mesoamérica, indicando que Teotihuacan era un centro regional mayor.

En otra esquina, otras visitas pararon para admirar dos vasos cafes.

Representando Tlaloc, uno de los dioses más respetados de la ciudad, sus caras ominosas y sus dientes escarpados llamaron a la atención de muchos transeúntes.

En el próximo cuarto revelaron una galería llena de creaciones hechos por los ciudadanos de Teotihuacan. La mayoridad de las obras de arte se enfocaron en unos de los cuatros dioses de la ciudad: Tlaloc, Xiuhtecuhtli, Chalchiuhtlicue, y Centeotl.

Adicionalmente, muchos de los artefactos estaban hechos para apaciguar los dioses para que tengan condiciones buenas para agricultura, que era crucial para la sobrevivencia de la ciudad, según el de Young.

Aunque muchos de las obras de arte eran objetos prácticos como vasos y quemadores de incienso, un disco café con un animal cerrado en el centro sobresale entre el resto. Un espejo circular estaba oxidado de color cobre, que alumbró el jaguar color jade.

Entrando un nuevo curato iluminado

Fotos por Vincent Leo

“TEOTIHUACAN: CITY OF Water, City of Fire,” la excibicion, empezo Sept. 2017 y termina Feb. 2018. por un tono anaranjado, los barracones están explorados variados entre objetos encontrados en los hogares. El rango de objetos incluyen abalorios y figurinas chiquitas a cabezas de gatos y perros. Cada cosa parecía tener un uso, hasta un cuenco en forma de un pollo con ojos verdes y plumas anaranjadas, que probablemente estaba hecho para sostener agua.

El anaranjado brilloso cambio a un rojo oscuro, para introducir arte de la pirámide del serpiente emplumado y la pirámide del sol, la estructura más grande de Teotihuacan. Fragmentos de esculturas grandes hechas de piedra estaban puestas elegantemente en un pedestal llenando la mayoría del espacio. Una obra en particular se miró como un híbrido de un dragón y una oveja, con cuernos rizados, ojos desalentadores y dientes filosos. Sin embargo, después de inspeccion additional, la cabeza aterradora es uno de los iconos de la ciudad: un serpiente emplumado.

Fragmentos de la pirámide del sol estaban más grandes y intrincado, con diseños variados de una pata de un gato y una cara detallada de Xiuhtecuhtli.

Además, cada pieza se miraba como si estaba decorado con pintura roja, dandole más vida y carácter. Un fragmento estaba estabilizado de el foco de de el exhibicion.

Iluminado por reflectores, una calavera estaba rodeado por un semicírculo que estaba enfrente de la pared negra. Los rayos agarraron el semicírculo junto como los rayos del sol, creando un imagen que la calavera representó un dios de sol.

La luz del exhibición se hizo más oscura cuando entre el cuarto con arte inspirado por la pirámide de la luna. La mayoría de obras de arte en el cuarto emitieron una vibra lleno de paz con colores café y crema.

La exhibición empezó en 30 de Sept.

2017 y va continuar hasta 11 de Feb, 2018 de 9:30 a.m. hasta 5:15 p.m. vleo@redwoodbark.org

feature

Page 9

Exploring race and socioeconomic status in education we ensure that the teachers that are at these schools are culturally competent and that In a county like Marin, known for its they understand what the impact might progressive and liberal character, it’s easy be of being the only black student in your to believe that issues of racism and inequity class?”

According to Pacheco, racism in areas don’t exist here. The atmosphere in Marin like Marin is often times implicit and can leads its citizens to buy into the idea that be the result of that lack of recognition. everyone around them is successful, happy “What happens with privilege—white and looking out for the well-being of the privilege—is that you are often blind to others in the community. However, to everyone else’s experiences, because you believe in this concept of near perfection only see it from your own experiences. is to be ignorant of the fact that there is I don’t think it’s intentional, that folks an underlying system of racism, racial are coming and saying ‘I’m going to be inequity and socioeconomic inequality racist,’” Pacheco said.

“I think a lot of it that permeates the walls of Marin, directly is a lack of space to dig deep on how race, affecting the school system. class, socioeconomic status and gender are Across Marin, Latino and African really interwoven into our systems.”

American students, as well as students Principal David Sondheim echoed of lower socioeconomic backgrounds, these sentiments and said described how perform at staggeringly lower levels in Redwood is working towards creating school than those of their White, Asian a space where issues such as race can be and wealthy counterparts. According to the openly discussed.

To do so, Redwood’s district’s data, in the 2016-2017 academic staff has been teaming up with non-profit year, the average GPA of African American organizations such as the Pacific Education students at Redwood was 2.55, while Asian Group and the Anti-Defamation League students’ average was 3.64 and White (both are non-profit organizations) in an students’ average was 3.43. effort to train teachers on how to be more Wendy Pacheco, the coordinator at cognizant of the challenges students of the Youth Leadership Institute (YLI), an minorities face. organization that promotes a partnership “It’s incumbent on us to try and adjust between Marin adults and youth that work our system to work better for students to address social, educational and political of color so that they are being more issues in the community, states there are successful, and attending more, and there subtle racial inequities in schools that are fewer behavior challenges,” Sondheim deeply affect minority students. Among said.

“And so what we’re trying to do is a those inequities is the lack of ethnically bit multi-pronged.

We’re trying to raise the diverse teachers and counselors at schools. awareness of equity and “ R e s e a r c h racial conscience of our suggests that if you school community with have folks who reflect our staff, students and your experiences in parents.” positions of power, The goal of this then that is more likely initiative is to create to influence how you an environment that feel about yourself encourages a dialogue and what you feel about privilege and race your trajectory can be so that all members of in securing a position the community have a of power, whatever better understanding of that may look like,” how they contribute to Pacheco said. the fabric of this society, Pacheco explained which in turn should how this can translate Wendy Pacheco, make them more aware into high school, Coordinator at Youth of the position of others where students are Leadership Institue as well, according to looking up to their Sondheim. teachers as authority “We’re trying to raise figures. the level of inclusivity and respect for each “In a school setting, the teacher is that other among all the people that are at school position of power. They are the ones that together, so that we get closer to everyone stand in front of the classroom and hold the feeling that this is their school.

Hopefully authority of that space,” Pacheco said. those changes will manifest themselves This lack of diversity can lead to a situation where minority students do not through adjustments in how we treat each feel supported by their school community other, support each other, and learn from because few individuals in those positions each other,” Sondheim said.

Students will play a specific role in of power share similar life experiences, the movement towards a more tolerant according to Pacheco. This can result in school environment. Staff members are in difficulty in certain situations for the staff the process of being trained by the Pacific to understand where the root causes of Education Group, and they will then pass the inequity lies, and this information along to a what they need to specific cohort of students. do to provide for These students, who their minority will be part of students in the Students order for t h e m O rganized to share the same A gainst potential for R acism success ( S OAR) as the group on majority of c a m p u s, their peers. will then “Part of be trained that is not just on their own that there are not and with staff as many teachers over the course of of color, but also a year to gain the that there is a cultural skills they need to be competency piece that’s m i s s i n g , ” leaders at Redwood, fighting for Pacheco said. “Even if the prerogative is racial equity. not to hire more teachers of color, how can

By Julia Scharf

What happens with privilege — white privilege — is that you are often blind to everyone else’s experiences...

Infographic by Julia Scharf

According to Sondheim, once the students have these skills and leadership tools, it will be up to them to decide how they will use them to benefit the community.

“I can imagine anything from these students feeling more comfortable and skilled interrupting a conversation that they hear where someone has clearly been inappropriate, or not taking in someone’s point of view effectively, all the way to making sure students of color can be successful in programs,” Sondheim said.

“Also the type of supports that might be necessary for students of color that white students have never thought of.”

However, inequity at Redwood goes beyond just that of race. According to district data, last academic year students of lower socioeconomic status’ had an average GPA of 2.47, which was .96 lower than than the average GPA students of higher socioeconomic status’ by nearly a full grade point.

According to school counselor, Tami Wall, the counseling department has put in place a new system that allows students from low socioeconomic backgrounds to apply for an allocation of money to cover the extra costs of being an involved student such on campus, as well as during afterschool hours.

“There are financial costs, even as a public high school, and Redwood has a new mechanism that is meant to capture the families that are in financial need so that they do not feel separate just because they can’t afford that yearbook, or prom ticket,” Wall said.

Just as there are systems in place at Redwood that make being a minority race a disadvantage such as a lack o f diversity in the counseling department, likewise there are aspects to the school’s curriculum that make being

from a less fortunate monetary background an additional challenge students must overcome.

“I’ll use the Wifi example; if a homework assignment is requiring internet, we could very well have a student that doesn’t even have access to internet. That’s not going to be the general population, but it does happen,” Wall said.

It is Sondheim’s hope that the same tactics of increased awareness and consideration for students of different races can also work as an approach to be mindful of those from varying socioeconomic backgrounds. A large issue surrounding compassion and sensitivity to disadvantaged students is that being part of the majority race and socioeconomic status makes it easy to be blind to the privilege that you benefit from. According to Sondheim, White students are able to see themselves reflected in the curriculum and culture at Redwood, which makes it hard for them to see the advantage they have over students of color.

Of course, tackling the issue of white privilege then begs the question, will a more balanced school system take away from White students’ likeliness of being successful? But lifting one group up does not have to mean knocking another group down.

“People are not comfortable with the privilege that they have, and they are afraid that they will have to give something up,” Sondheim said.

“People think you have to give away to get, but I think we can do things differently so that everybody gains.”

Graphics by Daniela Schwartz and Carolyn Cheng

jscharf@redwoodbark.org

www

bark

Page 10 • Feature

December 15, 2017

Vinyl’s return: a nostalgic niche

By Natalie Cerf

Music is everlasting. The young and the old, the passionate and the passive, everyone can enjoy it no matter the source. Technology has allowed people to listen to music for little money, if not none at all, through hassle-free apps such as Spotify, SoundCloud, Pandora and many others. While the convenience of digital music seems hard to beat, some people believe that convenience is incomparable to the tactile feeling a record and turntable can provide.

Tony Green, project manager and co-owner of Amoeba Music San Francisco, said he has worked with music for more than 20 years and has been in the business long enough to see the fluctuating sales of different forms of music media.

“Before about 2002, it was the solid days, the Berkeley store was so busy it was just insane and on the weekends there would be a line out the door,” Green said. “Since iTunes, since that happened, there was a drop, a slow, incremental drop. Why buy digital if you can download?”

This was true, at least for a while. According to a 2014 Nielsen Music Report, between 2013 and 2014 alone, vinyl sales increased nearly 52 percent and digital track sales had a 12.5 percent decrease. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) found that in 2015, vinyl sales made a profit of 416 million dollars and streaming, advertisement reliant music, profited at 385 million dollars. According to RIAA, vinyl sales have not been that high since 1988.

If people are generally content listening to music digitally, it begs the questions: What makes vinyl so important to music listeners recently that has caused an upward surge in record sales? What has changed between the early 2000s and now that has re-sparked interest in vinyls? It’s hard to say exactly, but Green thinks he might have an answer.

“Pressing a button on a computer to download, it’s just not very sexy. In some ways you know if you bought a 12-inch record you would get the cover of that record, you would get the ceremony of taking it out and putting it on the turntable,” Green said.

Luckily for Barry Lazarus, owner of Red Devil Records, located on Fourth Street in San Rafael, the new age of digital and online music hasn’t seemed to impact his sales. “[Red Devil Records] has survived through every stage of [digital music], so the people who are into records could care less about all the other stuff. It does not affect us whatsoever,” Lazarus said.

Lazarus has noticed his business becoming even more successful recently. He said that his records shop has steadily been busy, however, Lazarus has noticed an upsurge in popularity of vinyl within the last four years or so. He has his suspicions on why people have recently begun to reappreciate vinyl: the emotion that the records tend to evoke, a viewpoint Green also has. “[Records] sound better and look better. Why more people have discovered that recently, that is a good question, I’m not really sure,” Lazarus said.

Junior Miles Squires, a musician and self-proclaimed music fanatic, had a similar take on the phenomenon.

“There is a connection people have when they are actually holding the physical [record]. I get vinyls because I love the art that’s on the cover and also I like physically having the music,” Squires said.

Lazarus has an analogous outlook on this, making a

Photo by Natalie Cerf

INCREASING BY 52 percent between 2014 and 2015, vinyl sales have made a profit of $w416 million as opposed to digital track sales, which had a 12.5 percent decrease. strong statement in favor of vinyl’s authenticity.

“Vinyl, it sounds more realistic. Digital music, it doesn’t sound realistic compared to records,” Lazarus said.

There are a lot of factors when it comes to the science of listening to music. Sometimes it’s hard to rely on just a turntable to listen to music. Economically, environmentally and realistically, it’s not that savvy. Green notices that clientele are more willing buy CDs because they can get them for less money than they could buy a record for, possibly an effect of the already-high cost of living in San Francisco.

“It’s not real glamorous at the moment to talk about CDs, but CDs are like the meat in our sandwich here. We sell so many used CDs,” Green said. “It’s San Francisco and it’s freaking expensive to live in San Francisco, so you can buy a Lou Reed CD for $4.99 rather than buy the vinyl version for $22.98. [CDs are] a pretty attractive option.”

Practicality-wise, streaming music may be the easiest route. Both Squires and Green said they listen to their digital music much more often than they listen to vinyls.

“I definitely listen to music on my phone more but I do have a few vinyl albums at home that I listen to, but not regularly, because it’s so much easier [to listen by streaming],” Squires said.

Similarly, Green said he spends his commute from Oakland to San Francisco listening to music, and a record player in the car wouldn’t exactly work out.

Even if they aren’t listening to vinyl as much as they would like to, Green and Squires both said they appreciate the act of listening to music through any method available.

“I’m more a fan of the music than I am the vehicle for consuming the music,” Green said.

According to Squires, his love for music won’t be put on hold because of lack of access to a turntable.

Photo by Natalie Cerf

BROWSING FOR VINYLS, music enthusiasts flock to Amoeba Music San Francisco for the variety of musical medias provided.

“As long as you’re listening to music, it doesn’t really matter if you’re listening to vinyl or CD or on your phone, [as long as] you’re listening to it,” Squires said.

This love of vinyl has kept record stores like Amoeba and Red Devil Records in business since 1993 and 1998 respectively. They both had to rely on people’s simple love of music and the faith that it will stay consistent through time. Green thinks that this is a part of Amoeba’s charm and helps the business to stay successful over all its years.

“The big thing here is that we kind of let the music speak for itself. We really don’t have a lot of advertising. I think we have a reputation as being really beholding to the music industry,” Green said.

Lazarus credited some of Red Devil Record’s success to the tranquility that music can add to people’s lives.

“Music is very therapeutic for people. It makes them feel good. To quote this Charlie Brown Peanuts comic that is hanging up [in the store], ‘whenever I feel low I go out and buy some records’,” Lazarus said.

Green also reiterated that part of running a record store is staying true to the pure intent of selling good music to the public.

“People are constantly asking for a t-shirt and we find ourselves constantly selling out of Iron Maiden t-shirts. As long as it fits with the Amoeba thing, we’re not going to start selling crap like fluffy dice or something like that,” Green said. “I’ve seen some record stores where you have to go in around about three-fourths of the store before you see any actual music and that’s not going to be happening at Amoeba anytime soon.”

However, adjusting to the changing times is sometimes necessary. Green said a large amount of Amoeba’s clientele are millenials.

“It’s crazy actually, people who buy records. You think it would all be people my age but it’s mostly evenly divided I should say. [There are] a lot of people picking up records in their mid to late twenties [and we’re] selling a lot of turntables to go along with that,” Green said.

The younger age range has started to express interest in exploring a way to listen to music that was fairly obsolete in the early parts of their lives. This would undoubtedly impact why vinyl sales have skyrocketed in recent years.

The LA Times correctly chalks this up to unwarranted nostalgia. “Across the board, consumers who weren’t even around when these technologies first lost their prominence are driving their resurgence. How can a 15-year-old be nostalgic for a turntable, when her parents never owned one in the first place?”

Amoeba Music has always counted on the reliability of the music industry. According to Green, their sales have fluctuated throughout the years but he continues to advocate for the pure tactile connection a vinyl record can have. Flipping through the records at the store in admiration or rummaging through a personal collection of vinyls has a much different effect than scrolling through your Spotify playlist to find the next song.

“It’s just a more tactile, cooler, sexier experience putting a record or even a CD on. It’s somehow more respectful to the music and I think if you’re a real music fan, it’s the only way to go for a lot of people,” Green said. ncerf@redwoodbark.org

Page 11 • Feature

www.redwoodbark.org

bark

ART

Always present, underappreciated

By Lucie James and Sylvana Perczek The blank canvas lays in front of her.

She picks up the paintbrush and grazes the surface, alternating between yellow and baby blue paint. Soon, her creative ideas come to life. What was once just white space disappears as various colors and designs overtake the page.

Senior Hayden Gemmel has been creating art ever since she can remember.

This year, Gemmel has made art the focus of her schedule, taking AP Studio Art and AP Art History.

“I didn’t have the opportunity to take any art classes my freshman or sophomore year, which was really hard, because I was at Catholic school in Florida and there wasn’t enough room in my schedule.

Coming to [Redwood] and being able to take art classes in this environment and this amazing classroom makes me feel so fortunate,” Gemmel said.

At Redwood, every student is required to take a minimum of one year of a visual or performing arts class, but according to a recent self-reported Bark survey, only eight percent of students are taking three years of art.

Art Explorations is the prerequisite for all visual arts electives. According to Redwood’s visual arts department website, the course is usually taken in the freshman or sophomore year, and will satisfy five of the district’s 10 units for the fine arts graduation requirement.

After taking Art Explorations, students can choose from the electives of Ceramics and Sculpture, Graphic Design, Drawing and Painting, Photography and Cinematography and AP Art History.

Unlike Gemmel, who found her artistic passion and planned her classes accordingly, some students see the visual or performing arts as just another requirement to fulfill.

Although students can complete their art requirements at College of Marin, in the past Redwood has offered an alternative to taking art during a regular school day in the form of Artist’s Voice, an art class taking place at night, once a week after school.

Artist’s Voice was approved in 2001 and then updated in 2010. Last year it was held every Wednesday for three hours.

According to visual art teacher Lauren Bartone, Artist’s Voice is a solution for juggling academics with art classes.

Although she loves teaching her discipline, she said she understands the pressure and

stress students face. “[Artist’s Voice] has always been an awesome class and I get a lot of students that are maybe really committed drama students but they also love visual arts or they’re committed music students and they don’t have time to take another elective during the day, so having a class like that really helps,” Bartone said.

A lack of student sign-ups stalled the program, resulting in the discontinuation of the class this year. But according to Bartone, Artist’s Voice was a great way for the community to come together outside of

involved and learn about the art being created by students.

“We’ve been working hard to create public events where we invite other parts of the Redwood community in to see things or even to make art with us,” Bartone said. “We used to have these open studio art parties where we would invite family members in to be able to see what people are doing and maybe try it and have artmaking activities happen.”

Gemmel, one of Bartone’s students, enjoyed Artist’s Voice last year as well as the events it put on, but believes that

Photo by Sylvana Perczek

WORKING ON HER painting during lunch, senior Hayden Gemmel feels lucky to be able to practice her art skills at Redwood, as it isn’t offered in all parts of the country. school and hopes the elective returns.

According to a recent self-reported Bark survey, 41 percent of Redwood students wish they could take more years of art and 51 percent say that the core subjects are stopping them from taking the art classes that they would like to take.

“In past years, when I taught Artist’s Voice, we have worked a lot in that class to create a stronger community for the visual arts. Visual arts are one of those things that’s kind of invisible at Redwood,” Bartone said.

Not many students are aware that the Artist’s Voice class existed, which is part of the reason it wasn’t made into an official class for the 2017-18 school year, according to Bartone.

Nevertheless, art teachers are working to incorporate outside of school events so the Redwood community can become

there should still be more opportunities for students to showcase their work.

“I like how we hang the work in the halls, but I definitely think once a semester or twice a semester, a gallery-type show should happen where we can pick one piece from our concentration and explain them and show them,” Gemmel said. “I feel like there should be more opportunity for everyone’s art to be seen, because there is so much good art happening in here.”

According to art teacher Nikki Mortham, the success of many artists within the Redwood community may be partially due to the ample resources available to them. Mortham began teaching at Redwood in 2014, but before that she worked at schools with much more limited funding.

“We’re so fortunate to have so many resources at this school and because of that

it would be a shame not to take advantage of them,” Mortham said.

Mortham has taught photography, ceramics, stained glass, graphic design and drawing and painting throughout her career.

“Most of the kids I talk to don’t even know that we have AP Art. This isn’t just this fluff fun class you take with all your real classes,” Mortham said. “The idea of being creative and innovative and that you learn from the arts is going to apply to any job, major, whatever you’re going to do in the future. It’s going to be valuable.”

Mortham said she finds inspiration for her classes from various sources. Because her class is different each year, she has to find new projects that will keep her students engaged.

“The curriculum is always molding and changing and I get influenced when I go to art shows because there I’ll see a really cool piece and I’ll try to make it into a project for the kids to do. We really try to play and keep up with trends and things that are happening that will pique the kids’ interests more,” Mortham said.

Both Mortham and Bartone said students have a hard time taking a risk.

They believe that students are afraid of being bad at something that others might be great at.

“I wish that more students knew that inside of our art classes we have all different kinds of people making all different kinds of art with all different kinds of opinions and levels, and that art classes are really about practicing skills until you get confident,” Bartone said.

According to Bartone, Redwood students are academically pressured into feeling that there is only one path to being successful.

They hear that their peers are taking more academically demanding classes and think that is the way to succeed. They forget that the arts also exist and are so easily accessible.

“A lot of parents don’t push their kids to start doing art when they are young, so they don’t discover it until they reach a high school requirement where they have to take an art class,” Gemmel said. “I would say learn as much as you can when you start out, and if you’re interested in it and like it, you can find a way to integrate it into your schedule and into your life.” bark@redwoodbark.org

Artwork by (left to right) Taylor Conti, Hayden Gemmel and Eileen Bettinger

S cial Media

By Melissa Block and

FEELING ALONE Junior Maggie Anglin’s screen brightened with a familiar flash as she unlocked her phone and opened Snapchat with a swift motion. Feelings of anger and dread gripped her when she clicked on her friends’ Snapchat stories. They were all huddled together, eating popcorn and enjoying a movie at a birthday party she wasn’t invited to.

Anglin had been hearing about the party for days. Her friends had been excitedly discussing it in their group chat, even though she was in it. However, seeing videos of her friends having fun without her renewed the pain of being left out with greater intensity. She felt more alone than ever.

“I was sitting on my bed, scrolling through the photos and trying to understand why I cared so much,” Anglin said. “Because I didn’t really like the girl but at the same time I wanted to be included.”

After other incidents like this, Anglin began experiencing self-esteem issues, worrying that no one wanted to invite her to anything or that she wasn’t well liked.

Anglin isn’t alone in feeling this way. Many teenagers have felt left out or socially isolated at some point.

However, social media has become a platform to trigger more of these negative feelings and foster insecurities.

According to a recent self-reported Bark survey, 36 percent of students have temporarily deleted a social media app in order to take a break from the mental health problems caused by the posts they saw.

A CONSTANT STRESS According to Statista, this year, more than 81 percent of Americans have a social media profile. Redwood Wellness Coordinator Jen Kenny-Baum explains that social media usage causes a level of pervasive stress that continues to damage teenagers’ mental health over time.

“Social media and the pressures that come with it are just so constant that I don’t even know how many people acknowledge what it’s either giving to them or taking from them,” Kenny-Baum said.

Although not all students pinpoint social media as the cause of their anxiety, the tendency to compare oneself to people and images on social media is the root of several mental health problems. According to the same Bark survey, 84 percent of students reported that they have experienced a negative reaction from seeing a social media post, including feelings of social isolation and insecurities relating to body image and financial status.

This issue is not something that only Redwood teenagers face. A 2014 study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh found that people who visit social media over 58 times a week are three times likelier to feel lonely than those who only visit the sites under nine times a week.

Social media is a platform that allows people to share glimpses of their lives with their friends, but negative consequences often result from the comparisons that users draw between themselves and others.

According to psychology teacher Jonathan Hirsch, teenagers often assume that what they see on their phone is the whole story, not recognizing that there is more to what they see than is shared.

The tendency to make such generalizations is a biological mechanism that allows humans to conserve energy rather than spending it worrying about unnecessary, superficial subjects, according to Hirsch.

“When it comes to social media and paying attention to gossip, you hear all these things happening, and you fill in all the gaps about all these things that you think other people are doing,” Hirsch said. “You compare it to what you know you are experiencing and you think ‘Wow, my life isn’t like that all the time.’”

Hirsch believes that if people were to consciously avoid taking what they hear or see at face value and actually consider their peers’ lives, they would realize that what is portrayed on social media is very different from what exists behind the screen.

“Practicing that internal monologue leads to a decrease in our happiness because we are relative and we are naturally comparing ourselves to other people,” Hirsch said.

The “highlight reel” phenomenon, a common trend across many platforms in which u s e r s showcase their best moments,

perpetuates the notion that everyone else’s life is better, which creates negative thoughts that have a damaging effect on Art by Lucas Marchi mental health, according to a story by The Atlantic.

THE “PERFECT” BODY Whether it’s sultry Instagram model accounts on the “Explore” page of the app or filtered selfies littering Snapchat stories, teenagers are bombarded with images of “perfect bodies,” ingraining the idea that there is only one way to look beautiful. According to Psychology Today, women are more dissatisfied with their bodies than men and are likelier to consider themselves “too fat.”

Though the images posted to Instagram might be airbrushed to perfection, they still send the message that to be pretty or desirable, all girls must look the same way, with cascading hair, tan skin and toned abs that still complement sexy curves.

Anglin deleted Instagram after developing body image issues from seeing such photos on her social media account every day.

“Looking at social media models, they’ve always had the skinniest waist and the biggest butt, so I always looked at myself wishing I had more of a slim waist and that I was more muscular, or kind of just that I had that body type,” Anglin said. “I’m trying to go more self-love, but it’s sometimes hard, looking around at everyone else.”

However, the “perfect” body is less universal than social media would have one believe. The National Eating Disorder Association reported that 20 years ago, the average fashion model weighed eight percent less than the average woman, whereas today, the average fashion model weighs 23 percent less than the average woman. Too often, women feel a need to lose more weight because of the influence that media has on them.

This idealization of beauty can often result in eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. It is estimated that roughly eight million Americans have an eating disorder. There are several factors that contribute to eating disorders, social media being one of them, according to the National Eating DisorderAssociation.

“If we are constantly exposed to pictures of people who are statistically and psychologically outliers—your stereotypical model—if you did a study of the percentage of the female population that actually represented that, you’re talking about the far right side,” Hirsch said. “And if that’s the majority of the images that we pay attention to, then that’s how we define socially normal and socially acceptable. And intellectually when we stop and have that internal monologue, that helps.

But that’s hard to do and takes a lot of effort.”

Hirsch stressed that lack of awareness about the

There’s more to the story

d Saamya Mungamuru

everyday but you see on social media. Those are the people who it’s dangerous to compare yourself to,” Hirsch said.

These more distant “friends” embody a “closure effect” according to Hirsch. He said that because the relationship is superficial and the details of their lives aren’t known, what they post on social media appears to encompass their seemingly perfect lives when that isn’t the case.

workings of the brain and its emotions makes us more prone to comparing ourselves to unrealistic ideals.

“In those moments of weakness, in those moments of fatigue that we all experience, when our frontal lobes are taxed, when we are stressed out, when we are unsure, that’s when that unconscious mind comes bubbling to the surface and tells you, ‘You don’t match up,’” Hirsch said.

There was a time when Anglin felt validated by the number of likes she got on the photos she used to post on Instagram and held herself to impossibly high standards she witnessed in other users.

“I always had to get 250 likes or else my photo would be deleted because I didn’t think it was good enough,” Anglin said. “Looking at other people’s Instagrams, I just felt really insecure. Even though I knew everyone really edited their photos, I looked at the photo and thought ‘Oh, I should look like this too.’”

Senior Natasha Arnowitz, president of the Body Positive club, doesn’t have any social media accounts because she believes that they generate a cycle of negativity within one’s head.

“It’s so fake and the filters add on to that in a physical way. I just think showing all these fake images can generate these sad thoughts in people’s heads. A solution would be trying to post photos with no filters, with no makeup, so it looks real and relatable,” Arnowitz said.

However, she understands the popularity of having social media accounts and can see some positive aspects. “[Body Positive] is also trying to pick out the good in social media. Ashley Graham, a famous model, is super body positive and into embracing her curves. So, finding people like that is super helpful if you want to still be part of social media,” Arnowitz said.

IS IT JUST TEENAGERS? Hirsch said that though this tendency of comparison is human, teenagers are more prone to engage in it, with more harmful results. Georgia Health Sciences University states that because the teenage brain has not finished developing, it forms long lasting habits much quicker.

According to Hirsch, teenagers have also grown up in a time where running social media accounts and spending copious amounts of time on our phones is ubiquitous, causing the effects of comparison to be more severe in our generation.

“Because you are more attuned to the world around you, you are more attuned to the influences of other people around you,” Hirsch said.

Additionally, the setup of some social media apps allows users to ‘friend’ people with whom they might not have a solid connection, which only serves to enlarge the amount of people from whom comparisons can be drawn.

“It’s the loosely connected people, the people that you’re friends with on Snapchat or that you follow on Instagram, it’s the people who you don’t hangout with

FEAR OF MISSING OUT Casually referred to as FOMO, the fear of missing out is a type of social anxiety that is further triggered by social media, according to Barbara Kahn, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania.

In an episode of The Hidden Brain, an NPR podcast that discusses human behavior, Kahn describes why people experience FOMO. “It’s really more about what your friends are doing in building up their social group history that you’re missing out on,” Kahn said on the podcast.

Though this type of social anxiety didn’t originate from the birth of social media, the ability to receive instant updates of what your peers are doing aggravates the fear of missing out.

“When you see it on your phone, and you’re just observing that your friends are doing something and you’re not there, that’s something you didn’t get to see before,” Kahn said, which connects to Anglin’s experience of seeing her friends at a party without her.

The fear of missing out can go a step further in the form of feeling socially isolated. According to studies conducted by Dr. Matthew Pantell from the Pediatrics Department at UCSF, feelings of social isolation can cause serious mental and physical health effects.

“The more isolated teenagers are, the more likely they are to have depressive symptoms and poorer health

outcomes,” Pantell said.

According to Pantell, social isolation is defined as the opposite of feeling social support and social connections.

When people don’t feel like they have strong social connections, Pantell’s research found that it can result in anxiety, depression and suicidal tendencies as well as poorer heart and general health, headaches and stomach aches and trouble sleeping.

According to a recent survey, 60 percent of students self-reported that they have experienced FOMO from viewing a social media post and 43 percent have felt socially isolated.

THE DEPENDENCY Pew Research Center found that more than 56 percent of teens aged 13 to 17 go online several times a day, while only six percent of teens report going online weekly, showing the large dependency teenagers have to their phones.

After realizing that his dependency on social media was distracting him from his academics and weakening his friendships, reshman Ethan Garsten decided to limit his phone usage.

Though he did not delete his social media accounts, Garsten noticed that simply controlling the amount of time he spent on the apps has already resulted in him achieving higher grades and strengthening his relationships with his friends because the phone was no longer a constant distraction. However, Garsten notes that social media is not all bad. Snapchat and Instagram can be outlets for selfexpression where students can share art and photography as well as stay in touch with more people, Garsten said.

“I can see how people can argue that social media is a place to meet new people, and express yourself, like if you want to post pictures on Instagram or talk to your friends on Snapchat,” Garsten said. “In a sense, you can share the experiences in your life, your adventures in life.”

But for Garsten, the positives of social media do not outweigh the negatives. With the decrease in his usage, he has noticed a considerable increase in his happiness. And to Hirsch, this isn’t a surprise.

“When it comes to happiness, one of the things that we do know increases our happiness is experiences with friends. Having meaningful, memorable experiences with friends,” Hirsch said. “Because when those things are fun, nobody can ever take that away from us. We can always draw on our happy memories, so it makes sense that we want to seek that out.”

bark@redwoodbark.org

Infographic by Melissa Block

sports What compels Redwood surfers to chase the swell?

By Jacob Klionsky Although we live just a 20-minute drive from the ocean, surfing isn’t as common as one might guess for a coastal California high school like Redwood. In contrast to notions of many Southern California high schools, Redwood has only a small group of students who surf on a consistent basis. Because of this, there is no ‘typical’ Redwood surfer. Although each surfer’s reason to surf may vary, it all results in the unique and exhilarating experience of

riding waves.

We might not have 80 degree weather year round and perfect waves on-call but there is something about Northern California surf that makes it special. Maybe it’s the cooler climate, the lax atmosphere, or the fact the Mavericks, home to one of the most famous surf competitions, is just 30 minutes away in Half Moon Bay. But what truly differentiates Northern California surf, are the interesting and unique people who ride the waves.

Page 14

The Search

Senior Jesse Smith was first introduced to surfing as an eight-year-old in Hawaii.

However, Smith didn’t fall in love with surfing right away.

“Surfing was very hard for me to get into and it took a while. I feel like most for sports, you can try out and really experience them in a somewhat short amount of time. But surfing is different,” Smith said. “In surfing, you need these perfect conditions and perfect waves which happen so rarely.”

Yet this struggle is actually what drives Smith and his friends to trek across Northern California in search of a good

swell.

“It’s the search for the perfect wave and the perfect experience that pushes me to progress my surfing and to take advantage of what little we got,” Smith said.

While most local surfers would jump at the opportunity to have Southern California style waves and a similar surfing culture, Smith is satisfied with what we have in Northern California. “[In Southern California], there is this culture where surfing becomes this aggressive sport. Around here, there are smaller crowds and so it’s more of closeknit, almost family feel,” Smith said.

The Feel

Sophomore Corbin Mason has been surfing for nearly a decade. It all started on the beaches of Santa Barbara where he surfed as a young boy alongside his dad and uncle.

Now, if the waves are good, Mason and his friends will surf at both Ocean Beach and Cronkite as often as four times a week after school and during the weekends.

For Mason, surfing is a way to connect with nature.

“There is nothing else like it. You’re on something that the earth created and is constantly moving,” Mason said. “You

can do other board sports, but it’s just different.”

Here at Redwood, Mason has taken his passion to greater depths as he is the the co-president of the Surf Club. He encourages all students that surf or are interested in surfing to join the club, where they help spread environmental awareness and spread knowledge about the sport of surfing.

Mason hopes his passion for surfing can persist through the rest of his life and would love to pass this down to his kids.

The Passion Freshman Joseph “Joey” Quirk has always loved being in and around water.

One day nine years ago, an opportunity came that he couldn’t pass up: Quirk’s mom offered to enroll him in Big Dog Surf Camp at Sinson and Bolinas. Since that day, surfing has become a constant in Quirk’s life.

“I have always loved the water and I have always loved the surf culture. Once I first started at Big Dog surf camp, I have surfed ever since then,” Quirk said.

To Quirk, one of the most fascinating

things about surfing is how it can be a lifetime hobby and doesn’t have to stop when you become an adult.

“It’s really cool to meet people in the lineup, especially because a lot of people don’t surf here at Redwood. Occasionally you’ll meet an 80-year-old person in the water and it’s cool to see that you can surf you whole life,” Quirk said.

Recently, Quirk has participated in two smaller surf competitions at Fort Cronkhite and looks to participate in many more in the future.

The Tradition

Photos by Sydney Hilbush

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF the local beaches, sophomore Corbin Mason catches a wave at Fort Cronkite Beach.

Photo Courtesy of Corbin Mason

Junior Carmen Monroe-Watts, like Smith, first surfed in Hawaii with her family at the age of three. Ever since she caught her first wave on this trip, family vacations have been oriented around finding places to surf. According to Monroe-Watts, her dad has been surfing his entire life and has passed on the hobby to her.

“My dad grew up surfing a lot and that was a big part of his life. So now he is the main person I go surfing with,” Monroe-

Watts said.

For Monroe-Watts, surfing provides an opportunity to escape from the world and to simply enjoy the water.

“Even if the waves are bad, even if there are poor conditions, just being in the water outside from everything else is a nice place to be,” Monroe-Watts said. jklionsky@redwoodbark.org

Page 15 • Sports

www.redwoodbark.org

Who will be crowned champion of College Football?

Story and Infographic by Sam Warren Without a doubt, this year’s college football season has been entertaining to watch. From the high-flying hurdles of Penn State’s Saquon Barkley and the spectacular scrambles of Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, to the thunderous touchdown throws made by Heisman Trophy favorite Baker Mayfield from Oklahoma, this college football season has been one of the most electrifying to date.

On New Year’s Day, top-ranked Clemson will take on fourth-ranked Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, while secondranked Oklahoma will take on thirdranked Georgia in the Rose Bowl. The winners of the two games play each other on Jan. 7 in the National Championship game. After watching countless hours of college football every Saturday, I’ve made some educated predictions for how the tournament will play out.

Sugar Bowl: No.1 Clemson vs.No.4 Alabama For the third straight year, the fierce rivalry between Clemson and Alabama will be put on display in the College Football Playoff.

The two teams are led by their ferocious defenses. Alabama has the number one ranked defense in the country, holding their opponents to an average of just 258 yards of total offense a game. On the other hand, Clemson leads all FBS teams in sacks and points off turnovers this season.

Both teams have potent offenses as well. True freshman quarterback Kelly Bryant leads the Clemson offense, who is one of the nation’s leaders in completion percentage and an imposing dual threat in the back field, rushing for eleven touchdowns on the season as well. As for Alabama, their dynamic backfield runs their powerful offensive attack. Running backs Bo Scarbrough and Damien Harris lead the 11th-ranked rushing offense in the nation, while sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts has thrown and ran for a combined total of 23 touchdowns this season.

But what this matchup comes down to is less about what skills both teams possess, but more about the players’ experience.

Although both teams return the same amount of starters from last year’s teams, Alabama has the upper hand as they return crucial players like Scarborough, Hurts, Harris, Fitzpatrick and wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Clemson has lost many crucial players from last year’s championship team, such as quarterback Deshaun Watson, wide receiver Mike Williams and running back Wayne Gallman, and has replaced them with players who are not as experienced at competing on the national stage. Because of this, Alabama will win, but the game will be close. Final Score: 21-14.

Rose Bowl: No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Georgia The second matchup of the playoff features a newcomer. The two teams only have one playoff appearance between the two. Oklahoma, who made the playoffs in 2015, was blown out by Clemson in their

sole playoff appearance in the Orange Bowl by a score of 37-17. Georgia, on the other hand, has never made the playoff.

This matchup features two incredible offenses. Georgia is led by senior running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, who have combined for over 2,000 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns. But, due to injury, the team then turned to true freshman Jake Fromm to lead the team for the rest of the season, where they finished with only one loss against 10th-ranked Auburn.

Oklahoma, on the other hand, is led by the Heisman trophy front runner Baker Mayfield, who has been the starting quarterback since 2015. Mayfield has thrown for over 4,000 yards this season and combined for 46 touchdowns through the air and on the ground. Mayfield leads the number one offense in the country that averages over 350 yards a game. Even though Georgia has the fourth-ranked defense in the country, look for Mayfield’s experience and poise to shine in the bright lights of Los Angeles. Final Score: 35-14

bark

National Championship Game: No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 4 Alabama Both teams will be coming off major morale boosters with their wins over two of the best teams in country. But now, the big lights turn on and the real competitors come out. And when this happens, experience really comes into play. Although Mayfield has started the last three seasons for Oklahoma University (OU), he has yet to play in a bowl game of this caliber. In Mayfield’s career, he has yet to win a postseason game versus a top 20 team, and the rest of his team is in a similar situation.

But the inexperience doesn’t stop there. This year, Oklahoma has a new head coach, Lincoln Riley, who has never been a head coach of a college team before. Riley is currently the youngest head coach in the NCAA at 33 years old, and has yet to head coach a collegiate bowl game. This inexperience comes as a major contrast to Alabama’s head coach, Nick Saban. Saban has won four national championships out of the five Alabama has appeared in during his tenure. Saban is also one of three active Division I coaches with over two hundred wins. With a win this year, Saban will also become tied for the most NCAA football championships of all time. Saban also has a quarterback in Hurts who has national championship experience, and after losing to Clemson last year, he will be hungry for redemption. Hurts is also one of the most decisive and mistake-free quarterbacks in the country. Hurts has only thrown one interception all season, and in a game where every possession counts, not turning over the ball is key. Look for Alabama to win their sixth national championship in 10 years. Final Score: 42-28.

swarren@redwoodbark.org

Page 16 • Sports bark Not by chance: Chance Farrell-Martin dominates as offensive threat

www.redwoodbark.org

By Jordan Overmyer Junior Chance Farrell-Martin has followed in the footsteps of his father, pursuing his interest for basketball and looking to continue his success as starter and top point guard on the boys’ varsity basketball team.

Growing up, Farrell-Martin immersed himself in a wide variety of sports, including soccer, lacrosse, baseball and rugby. Ultimately, he decided to focus solely on basketball. Farrell-Martin’s love for the sport was passed down from his father as they practiced and attended local games together.

“I started learning basketball when I was born,” FarrellMartin said. “I saw that [my dad] loved it a lot and I always had fun playing it.”

From playing his first game at the YMCA as a kindergartener to competing on a high school varsity team, Farrell-Martin has turned into an offensive threat that contributes to the success of the team.

As a sophomore, Farrell-Martin scored a total of 118 points and leads the varsity team in assists (92) and steals (59), according to MaxPreps. This is FarrellMartin’s second year on varsity, but he also plays for the travel team North Bay Basketball Academy.

Sporting jersey number one, so far this season, he has scored 20 points, has had 13 assists and 10 steals after the team’s six games, according to MaxPreps.

Senior point guard and second year varsity player Josh Katz has been playing with Farrell-Martin for three years since they first played on junior varsity (JV) together.

“He’s a good teammate. He’s quiet but at the same time he has really good leadership skills and he really knows how to run our whole offense,” Katz said.

According to Katz, Farrell-Martin’s ability to read and execute plays on the

court is what makes him such a dominant asset to the offense.

“Chance is really good at seeing the whole court and is known for his court vision, so he is really good at finding people who are open for passes,” Katz said. “He is able to find people out of nowhere and pass the ball.”

Steve Compagno has been coaching Farrell-Martin since he started his sophomore year, and has helped him grow as an athlete and leader within the past year.

“He’s picked off right where he left off last year and has gotten way better.

He’s more vocal in the locker room, understands the game and how to play and is a great forward leader,” Compagno said.

As point guard, Farrell-Martin is responsible for getting everyone involved and overseeing the court. “[The point guard] is like the quarterback. You’re supposed to know all the plays, know where everyone is supposed to be and where everyone would do the best,” Farrell-Martin said.

According to Katz, Farrell-Martin is able to effectively lead the team through his strong command of the ball.

“He’s good at putting people in the places they need to go and running specific set plays. If our offense breaks down, he knows how to get us out of it and allow us to score,” Katz said.

Compagno, like Katz, believes that Farrell-Martin has adept instincts on the court.

“He knows how to find people when they’re open. It’s a quality that you just develop through playing at higher levels, which he’s done,” Compagno said.

According to Farrell-Martin, he’s developed his skills through countless hours of training and repetition.

SPORTS

SPOTLIGHT

Photo by Jordan Overmyer

PRACTICING WITH HIS team, junior Chance Farrell-Martin was first introduced to basketball through his father, who played in college.

“When I’ve watched basketball I’ve has allowed him to enhance his ability to always admired people passing and I’ve work with people. played for so long that I know where my

“It’s structured me to become a teammates are going to be when I’m on the better person because I’ve met really good court,” Farrell-Martin said. people through basketball,” Farrell-Martin What makes Farrell-Martin such a said. “Basketball has put me in the right key player out crowd of people.” of the court, Farrell-Martin according to acknowledges Compagno, that he might not is his floor be the dominant leadership, voice on the team, solid defense but he hopes that on the his skills and perimeter efforts speak for and winning themselves. attitude.

“I try to lead “ H e ’ s by example q u i e t . mostly. I’m not Everyone has really a vocal Steve Compagno a different way person but if I can of going about Coach put out my best their business effort and become and [Farrellthe best player Martin] is very competitive and wants to I can be, then other people will follow,” win and he works really hard,” Compagno Farrell-Martin said. said.

It was Farrell-Martin’s family that got him into basketball and it’s also what kept him playing. One of his favorite parts about playing for Redwood is getting to spend time with his teammates and feeling a familial quality the team, Farrell-Martin said.

He enjoys the team environment and it jordan.overmyer@redwoodbark.org

He knows how to find people when they’re open. It’s a quality that you just develop through playing at higher levels, which he’s done.

Photos by Jordan Overmyer

RUNNING THROUGH DRILLS during a training, Farrell-Martin is the starting point guard on varsity. Teammate senior Josh Katz said Farrell-Martin may be soft-spoken but has impeccable court vision and leadership skills.

Page 17 • Sports

www.redwoodbark.org

bark

Girls’ varsity soccer kicks off promising season despite injuries Story and photos by Max Gilberg After a disappointing 0-2 loss in the second round of last year’s NCS playoffs against the Northgate Broncos, the varsity girls’ soccer team has begun their season with a promising 4-2 record, according to MaxPreps, alongside strong senior leadership and valuable contributions from underclassmen, both on and off the field.

Redwood started their season with two landslide victories, winning 5-1 against Marin Academy and 3-0 versus Casa Grande. However, in their third game they faced Tamalpais (Tam), one of their biggest competitors, losing in a shutout with a final score of 0-4.

Frustrated and disappointed with their performance against Tam, Redwood players, including junior midfielder Georgia Bennett, wanted to approach their next game versus Drake on Tuesday Dec. 5, with a focused and intense mentality.

“After our pretty tough loss against Tam this past weekend, we really wanted to come back strong and come into the game confident,” Bennett said. “We knew if we won this game we would have really good momentum going into the Montgomery game.”

Redwood bounced back when junior midfielder Maddie Pero and senior cocaptain defensive back Audrey Peck showcased their strong offensive and defensive skills, finishing with a 5-0 victory over the Pirates.

Redwood’s next two games resulted in a 0-3 away game loss against Montgomery

DODGING HER DEFENDER, junior Maddie Pero looks for an open teammate to pass the ball to. Pero has been on varsity since her freshman year and has seen the team’s chemistry develop over time. on Thursday Dec. 7 and a 9-1 home victory we have a really deep team, and we can fill versus San Marin on Saturday Dec. 9. Pero the void to the best of our ability.”

Senior defensive backs Hannah Rollo, believes Redwood has improved on aspects of their game after their tough loss to Tam. Lauren Bell and Audrey Peck have also “We’re doing a better job on producing played important roles, stepping up because of Blazei’s shots,” Pero said. injury. These three “We only hit seniors have also one or two shots acted as leaders for against Tam so the underclassmen it’s important defensive backs, that we’re improving the team always shooting dynamic. and testing the “We have goalkeeper.” our strengths and So far this weaknesses, obviously season, Redwood we have our low points, has attempted to every team does, make up for the but when we make loss of two key mistakes I think it’s players, senior Georgia Bennett really good we all have Lauren Blazie and junior each others back and junior McKenna we’re all really sure McGonigle due to to help each other and torn ACLs. Blazie played a key role in the defensive stay as positive as we can,” said Bennett. line, therefore it has been crucial for the “The season has been going great so far so I’m really excited.” underclassmen to step up and fill her role.

The Giants look to continue their “It was a tough blow losing Lauren, especially because we have had the same season on Dec. 16 at Terra Linda.

back line for almost three years, so having TRAPPING THE BALL, junior Georgia one person out definitely threw us out of Bennett gets ready to pass to one of her sync,” Peck said. “However, fortunately, mgilberg@redwoodbark.org teammates.

We’re all really sure to help each other and to stay as positive as we can.

FIGHTING FOR POSSESSION of the ball, freshman Shannon Watridge shields her oppoenent.

SPORTS BY THE NUMBERS

10

4

119

3rd

5

11

5-2

4-2

average straight wins points per game by by boys’ varsity junior Miles Squires soccer

overall goals scored by senior Matt Johnson

returning players on wrestling team

is the place Liam Anderson number of points scored by senior Zoe ran in Nike Cross Country Meet Stachowski

boys’ varsity basketball record

girls’ varsity soccer record

Infographic by Melissa Block and Jordan Overmyer

review

f o t s e B

7 1 20

Page 18

TV: The greatest binge-worthy shows of the year

By Christine Watridge This past year was tumultuous, to say the least, but one thing that stayed constant was the high quality of TV series.

From dramatic battle scenes to mysterious murders, here are some of my personal favorite shows of the year.

“Stranger Things” Season 2: The sequel to a great movie, book or TV series is often underwhelming to fans.

To my fortunate surprise, season two of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” was just as compelling as the first. The show follows a group of middle schoolers and supernatural events in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s.

The Duffer Brothers, creators of the ’80s science fiction-horror show, introduced compelling new characters such as skater “MadMax” (Sadie Sink), high school jock Billie Mayfield (Dacre Montgomery) and RadioShack nerd Bob Newby (Sean Astin) while evolving existing fan favorites. The plot expanded immensely with the addition of a terrifyingly awesome villain: the “Mind Flayer,” or shadow monster, from the “Upside Down,” a universe unlocked

by Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) powers in the first season.

Noah Schnapp portrayed Will Byers’ distress and vicissitude with incredible skill for a 13-year-old actor. Additionally, the bond between Brown (Eleven) and David Harbour, who plays Sheriff Jim Hopper, added lovely familial dimension to both characters.

The show perfectly balanced humor with drama and gravity, and I loved the binge-worthy second season of “Stranger Things.” Watch it on Netflix.

“Game of Thrones” Season 7: HBO’s award-winning “Game of Thrones,” based on the “A Song of Ice and

Fire” novels by George R. R. Martin, is a fantasy show about the struggle for the Iron Throne of Westeros. The series has been a huge hit, winning 38 Emmy awards since it first aired in 2011.

Warning: DON’T read on if you haven’t watched the rest of the show and plan to (which you should)! The seventh season follows Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) as she crosses the sea to reclaim the Seven Kingdoms. Queen Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) battles to retain her crown and Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) faces the White Walker threat from beyond the Wall.

This show has always been extremely graphic, violent and bold in plot twists, character deaths and special effects. This season is no different; the battles are epic and, frankly, awesome. The actors’ performances are excellent and the plot twists are riveting. It’s impossible to mention every amazing character because there are so many, but each and every actor fully delivered. I think I speak for every fan when I say that we’re anxiously awaiting the final season.

“Game of Thrones” can be found on HBO streaming with a valid account or Xfinity On Demand.

“Big Little Lies” Miniseries: “Big Little Lies” is an HBO series released this year, receiving 16 Emmy nominations. It explores the brutal social undercurrents of affluent families in Monterey, California. The show is based on the 2014 New York Times bestseller

by Liane Moriarty, which delves into an elementary school fundraiser murder.

It is delightfully turbulent, combining elements of reality-TV-like cattiness with an intriguing plot.

The community is ruled by wealthy, ambitious and petty mothers, including Madeline Mackenzie (Reese Witherspoon), a housewife cheating on her husband;

Photo courtesy of HBO

SHOWCASING AN AFFLUENT Monterey community in the midst of a murder, “Big Little Lies” quickly wraps viewers into the drama.

Celeste Wright (Nicole Kidman), a lawyer abused by her husband; Jane Chapman (Shailene Woodley), a mysterious single mom; and Renata Klein (Laura Dern), a mother intent on protecting her daughter.

The story is told through present police interviews and flashbacks from before the murder. Though it starts off slow, momentum built quickly and soon I was completely wrapped up in the uppermiddle-class suburbia nightmare.

Kidman and her co-star Alexander Skarsgård, who played her abusive husband, did an outstanding job in the difficult roles of the perverse couple. The pain and internal turmoil was apparent in every scene, and the narrative felt real and emotional.

Watch “Big Little Lies” with an HBO account or on Xfinity On Demand.

“Riverdale” Season 2: The Archie comics-inspired “Riverdale” explores the darker, grittier side of a fictional small town. The CW hit first captured my attention last year, as it followed the aftermath of the disappearance of high school football jock Jason Blossom

(Trevor Stines). [SPOILERS] After we find out he was murdered by his father, who trafficked drugs through Riverdale, a new threat is revealed when Archie Andrews’ (KJ Apa) father Fred (Luke Perry) is shot in the iconic Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe.

The “Black Hood” serial killer is on the loose, preying on the sin of the seemingly innocent town.

The foreboding soundtrack, sinister lighting and murky colors perfectly capture the mood of the story. The costume design is also on point, with each character’s comic book essence reflected in their individual styles.

This second season has shown us different sides of every character, which is refreshing but also concerning to those of us that have grown attached to characters we know and love. Archie’s obsession with his father’s shooter leads him on a downward spiral, while Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) wrestles with her moral compass.

Catch episodes of “Riverdale” on Wednesdays on the CW network or watch season one on Netflix. cwatridge@redwoodbark.org

Albums: Getting personal with distinct new sounds

By Lily Baldwin

2017 brought many changes and while not all were positive, the incredible new music that came out this year provided an escape from everyday chaos. This year was one that brought revolutionary new rap albums and unique new artists and songs that shed light on lesser known genres, such as “R&B psychedelic funk” and “neo soul jazz.” While there were many amazing tracks composed by talented artists this year, here are just four of 2017’s best albums.

“Flower Boy” by Tyler, the Creator In Tyler, the Creator’s stand-out 2017 rap album, “Flower Boy”, the curt rapper’s vulnerable side is bared to fans with a grain of comedic salt and sarcasm. The lyrics

Photo courtesy of Top Dawg Entertainment

FEATURING HIP HOP beats and feminist lyrics, SZA created one of the standout albums of the year.

delve deep into the personal feelings of the rapper, a new frontier for Tyler, the Creator to explore in comparison to his last album, “Cherry Bomb”, in which lyrics are hardcore and blunt. Cohesively self-produced, the beginnings and ends of the tracks blend into one another. This lets the listener experience an uninterrupted story about growing up from the 26-year-old’s painful perspective as a young rapper who gains fast fame. Infusions of jazz and R&B give the album a streak of sophistication and airiness, contrasting Tyler’s deep, cold-cut vocals. The album sports an impressive list of features, including Frank Ocean and up-and-coming artists like Rex Orange County. “Flower Boy”, released in July, is nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2017 Grammys.

“Ctrl” by SZA Best New Artist Grammy nominee, 28-year-old Solána Imani Rowe (known as SZA), released a powerful, neo soul R&B album this June, titled Ctrl. The widely popular track “Love Galore,” featuring rapper Travis Scott, was released in April and heightened anticipation for the release of “Ctrl” with its enchanting vocals over bassy hip hop beats. Injected with sounds of symphonic strings, synths and recordings of SZA’s own grandmother, this album is a deeply personal confession of the singer’s trials and tribulations with love. SZA sings about her insecurities and troubled relationships, often apologizing for not being the perfect image of a woman. This album is a collection of femme-strong I-don’t-give-a-sh*t songs that empower listeners with feelings of self-confidence. Rightly so, SZA is the most nominated woman this year for the Grammys, sporting five nominations, with “Ctrl” (now certified gold) nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album.

“Melodrama” by Lorde In Lorde’s unapologetically emotional album, “Melodrama”, released in June of this year, the 21-yearold combines her whimsical voice with heavy-hanging percussion and blanketed harmonies to create an ethereal

tracklist that topped charts in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Australia. The album’s genre is hard to define, with tracks ranging from emotional ballads to upbeat dance songs. The indie-rock vibe of “The Louvre” appeals to more light-hearted listeners, while the heavy “Sober II (Melodrama)” goes deeper with a slow-moving beat and darker tones. The personal lyrics behind each and every track in “Melodrama” strike the hearts of all listeners, telling a story of the artist’s heartbreak through beautifully mixed audio and unique use of instrumentals.

Slow piano serenades can quickly transition into pounding drum beats, and the passion of the singer’s unwavering voice can be heard clearly through each track. Lorde’s ability to connect with her listeners is perfectly showcased in “Melodrama”, along with her unmatched lyrical and vocal talent. This impressive combination earned her a 2017 Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.

“A Moment Apart” by Odesza Electronic duo Odesza released their third studio album this September, titled “A Moment Apart”. This chillwave tracklist consists of layered beats and major chords that uplift every listener, with songs like “Higher Ground” featuring Naomi Wild, that can take anyone back to that summer sunset you miss so much during finals week.

The track “Late Night” was released as a single in April (along with song “Line of Sight”) and quickly became the anthem of everyone’s summer. In its first week of release, “A Moment Apart” reached No. 3 on U.S. charts.

Considering its complex and high quality production value and wondrous array of electronic and vocal workings, it’s no wonder this album is nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album. The heavenly use of vocal samples can be heard in tracks like “A Moment Apart”, the first song on the album after “Intro,” the calm opener that tells the whispered story of a cosmonaut who falls in love with his surrounding sounds. lbaldwin@redwoodbark.org

Page 19 • Review

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Movies: Diverse protagonists, stories dominate theaters

By Alexander Lieberman From blockbuster superhero films to long-awaited sequels of science fiction classics to incredible war films and smaller comedy-drama films, this year in cinema featured movies for everyone. Several of this year’s best films featured strong female protagonists - from Amazon warrior Diana of Themyscira to the Sacramento high school outcast Christine McPherson. Here are just four—of the many deserving— best films of the year.

“Wonder Woman” Marvel has always had the upper hand on DC in terms of critically acclaimed and commercially successful superhero films.

However, if “Wonder Woman” is any indication of DC’s future direction, they should have no problem catching up.

Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is introduced as a young girl named Diana growing up on Themyscira, a mystical island populated entirely by a tribe of warrior women. We follow her as she grows up and trains to be a warrior, eventually leaving the island with Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), an American pilot fighting in World War I, after he crashes into Themyscira. Along with their allies, they fight the German army and try to find and kill Ares (David Thewlis), the god of war, to end the conflict.

The film flips typical gender roles of this genre with a woman as the main hero and a man providing emotional support, making it unique among comic book films.

Diana is a strong-willed female character who is able to defend herself and her allies.

Gadot and Pine give very impressive performances and have great chemistry.

“Wonder Woman” is an inspiring character who sets the tone for future female leads in the film industry.

“Dunkirk” Director Christopher Nolan has directed some of the best and most unique films of recent years. With “Dunkirk,” he tells a little-known story from World War II and makes it into an engaging actionadventure movie.

The story is divided into three parts— air, land and sea—detailing the evacuation of Allied forces from the coastal French town of Dunkirk during World War II. We follow a Spitfire squadron flying from Britain to France, soldiers waiting on the beach to be rescued and British civilians sailing across the English channel to evacuate soldiers. These three storylines remain largely separate throughout the film, each developing independently until they all reach Dunkirk at the end of the film.

This was a different style of filmmaking from what viewers may be accustomed to, but it worked well for the story that the movie told.

The film is one of Nolan’s best. The intense musical score adds to each scene.

There is minimal dialogue from stars Fionn Whitehead and Tom Hardy, who play a British Army Private and Spitfire pilot, respectively. This allows the viewer to fully focus on the film’s exciting action and beautiful views of the French coast. All of these features add up to a great film that is worthy of its recognition and acclaim.

“Lady Bird” In her solo debut, writer-director and actress Greta Gerwig paints a beautiful picture of adolescence, personal identity and the importance of family.

“Lady Bird” tells the story of Christine McPherson (Saoirse Ronan), a 17-yearold girl living in Sacramento who prefers to be called Lady Bird. The film focuses mainly on Christine’s relationship with her mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf) and

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

STARRING A FEMALE protagonist, “Wonder Woman” flips typical gender roles and was one of the top-grossing movies of the year. their recurring conflict over Christine’s desire to go to college on the East Coast.

Their complex relationship is developed through this and other conflicts throughout the film. This is a relatable film for high school students, as it portrays the elaborate relationships we experience with our parents, friends and classmates. Teen viewers will be able to relate to Christine’s desire to be the best version of herself. Her and her mother’s conflicts about where to go to college were also relatable for me and my family, and would be for a lot of students. The film is very well made, with emotional performances by Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf that establish their dynamic as mother and daughter. The film is relatable, funny and emotional.

“Blade Runner 2049” In 1982, the first “Blade Runner” movie questioned the advancement of technology and what it means to be human. Thirtyfive years later, its sequel explores those questions further in a well-acted, visually stunning masterpiece.

Officer K (Ryan Gosling) is a replicant (a bioengineered human) Blade Runner, a type of police officer who eliminates rogue replicants. During an investigation, he finds the remains of a female replicant who died during childbirth, leading him to question how it is possible that a replicant could give birth. With the help of retired Blade Runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), Officer K is able to find and protect the replicant’s child, Ana Stelline (Carla Juri).

Director Denis Villeneuve establishes an eye-catching setting of 2049 Los Angeles. The film is a faithful sequel to the original. The questions asked about the limits of technology and human consciousness are timeless.

“Blade Runner 2049” successfully revives another Harrison Ford character from the ’ 80s, further develops Ryan Gosling’s stardom, and continues to establish Villeneuve’s identity as an excellent science-fiction filmmaker. alieberman@redwoodbark.org

Podcasts: The best series for any audience

By Tilly Friedlander Whether you’re driving your car to school on a rainy morning, snuggling in the warmth of your bed with a cup of steaming hot coffee or simply in the mood to listen to your news rather than read it, podcasts are an engaging and informative way to hear real-life stories. According to the Edison Research Center, 112 million Americans have listened to a podcast in 2017—an increase of 11 percent since 2016. They range from being funny and lighthearted when you need some cheering up to serious and heavy when you’re seeking “real” news. No matter what type of podcast you may be craving, here are four that every teenager could benefit from listening to on their phone or computer.

This American Life When I first heard the name This American Life, I thought ‘Okay, it sounds a little patriotic and cheesy, so it may not be my cup of tea.’ But, let me apologize for judging this podcast by its “cover.” This American Life proved me wrong through its wide range of story genres and in-depth interviews. Most episodes have an uplifting feel to them, which gave me a more hopeful mindset. This American Life’s website is one of those rare and beautiful sites where you can simply find what you’re looking for without seeing an ad for the shoes you almost purchased last week. I listened toened to Three Miles, a touching story about a program that brings students from opposite high schools in the Bronx together. The editing was sharp and I never lost interest because the story had heart to it. Rather than reading an article with quotes from the leaders of the program, I got to hear the actual voices of the students.

Their interviews gave a better glimpse into what went through their minds and what their emotions were. This American Life doesn’t exclusively cover heavy topics. In fact, I was able to find multiple interviews that actually made me laugh to myself while alone in my bedroom. I recommend David Sedaris’ Santaland Diaries. Sedaris, a famous comical storyteller himself, describes his time, at 33 years old, working as a “full time elf” for Macy’s. The only drawback of This American Life is that each podcast is an hour long, which is not practical for someone without the time to spare.

Photo Illustration by Tilly Friedlander

BECOMING ONE OF the biggest media trends of the year, listening to podcasts is a great way to experience a story.

The Moth The Moth describes itself as “the art and craft of storytelling,” which is exactly what it is. The first mysterious episode I listened to was “Girl Interrupted”

by Anya Rymer. I had no idea what I was about to hear as I saw no description of the story under the recording.

Despite its vague website design, The Moth proved very honest and Bohemian. In 14 minutes, Rymer told the story of when she found out that she had AIDS. There were no interview questions, it was just a raw recording told solely by the person affected. This gives it a more personal aspect that works well with the content of the recordings. When I listened to “Girl Interrupted,” I felt as though I was sitting there with Rymer, crying, laughing and hearing the story exactly how she wanted it to be told. I continued to click around for another, less heavy topic to listen to and came across Charlotte’s Deadly Scissors by Erik Heen. Heen’s story was about his attempt to fit in when he moved from Ohio to Texas by getting a haircut. The story had character to it, like many on The Moth’s website. If you are in the mood for a quick story, whether that be touching or comical, then The Moth is right up your alley.

Where Should We Begin I know that we’re just in high school and most of us haven’t had tons of experience with serious romantic relationships, but if you’re into addictive soap operas or

reality TV, then go ahead and listen to Where Should We Begin. Listeners have been raving about the podcast for months now, and even the New Yorker decided to review it. They called it “couples therapist extraordinaire.” Esther Perel is the therapist that started the “audible original series,” as she calls it. I went ahead and listened to the most recent episode, titled “I Can’t Give You A Child.”

It took me through a couple’s very personal conversation regarding how they took their own journey to have a child.

The content is very heavy in this podcast and if you’re interested, get ready to sit through what feels like your very own therapy session. It’s juicy, dramatic and at times even spiritual. It was very entertaining to listen to couples fight and share their gossip with the world.

S-Town Created by the same maker of Serial and narrated by Brian Reed, a famous murder mystery podcast, S-Town veers the farthest away from the other three podcasts as it follows the same story throughout its entire season; not only that, but the podcast investigates a mystery case.

Personally, I am a fiend for anything horror: Law and Order, the Conjuring, Dexter—you name it and I’ve seen it. So, of course, S-Town caught my eye, or I guess you could say my ear. The podcast investigates a murder that occurred around the time that a wealthy man in Alabama bragged that he got away with murder. John, who is from the small town of Woodstock, Alabama where the murder took place, leads a reporter to investigate the case. The podcasts turn into a fascinating character study of John as the episodes continue. The reporter starts the chapter with a metaphor about an old antique clock breaking to foreshadow what’s to come in the mystery. It’s a compelling way to begin the podcast while, at the same time, providing context for what is about to be heard. S-Town differs from Serial because of its many different characters. Like Serial, there is conflicting evidence surrounding the case. In my opinion, this is the perfect podcast for distracting yourself or binge-listening to during exercise? Of course, if you’re like me, you will not be exercising while you listen to it.

You’ll be in bed, popcorn in hand, fully focused on the podcast.

tfriedlander@redwoodbark.org

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December 15, 2017

Best books of the year

‘Walkaway’ expresses social change through a different lens

By Verenice Palczynski

Photo courtesy of MacMillan Publishers

Cory Doctorow’s “Walkaway” is set in a near-future dystopian society. Human interaction has been replaced by machinery. Those who still have a creative mind and disagree with the way that society is run ‘walkaway,’ living past the city limits in hopes of finding a better society.

“Walkaway” is odd and creative, all the way down to the character names. One of the protagonists goes by the nickname Etcetera, due to the fact that his true name is Hubert Vernon Rudolph Clayton Irving Wilson Alva Anton and the list goes on. Etcetera, Natalie and Seth are the three main characters. Seth is witty and sarcastic while Natalie is a privileged, intelligent woman. Etcetera, on the other hand, acts as a neutral party to balance both.

Across the country, especially in the Bay Area, people feel more open to self expression of all kinds. This is true of the novel as well. It is refreshing to see that Etcetera is bisexual. It’s extremely rare that this sexual orientation is represented in any sort of media, and even more so in the portrayal of a man. Natalie chooses not shave her underarms, which is a recent social movement and mode of expression in today’s time. There is also a transgender character named Tam, another underrepresented identity in the media. Often when novels have this much diversity in their text, it becomes such an overpowering theme that it detracts from the plot, as if the author is doing all he or she can to prove they too can be diverse. However, in “Walkaway,” diversity is simply mentioned in a natural way and treats it as nothing new.

The technology in the novel, though extremely advanced,

‘Beyond the Label’ offers inspirational message for women

By Charlotte Seton Maureen Chiquet’s memoir, “Beyond the Label,” stuns with its exposé of her career failures. As the international CEO of Chanel, Chiquet’s utter honesty is what makes this book a very compelling read. “I’m just asking you to stop, open your ears, and hear what people have to say,” Mickey Drexler (CEO of The Gap) admonishes Chiquet after a particularly rocky business meeting. Scenes like this pepper the narrative, providing vivid detail of how Chiquet learned from the career and family challenges she faced to become a highly successful businesswoman.

Chiquet’s story is less about her job as head of Chanel than it is about the path of self-discovery that led to her high-ranking position. Her entertaining tale first describes the impact of the various Midwestern, Jewish and French experiences of her youth. Chiquet then shares her experiences as a marketing trainee at L’Oreal in Paris, her rise through the ranks at The Gap and Old Navy and her stints as president of Banana Republic and Chanel.

Along the way she redefines the labels attached to women - wife, mother and CEO - in ways unique to herself. Chiquet was an introverted literature major, but she is also a living example of how such a background can

vpalczynski@redwoodbark.org

make you an effective CEO. On the other hand, juggling a full-time career while bringing up two daughters amply demonstrated that there is no way to have the perfect worklife balance. Chiquet readily admits she wasn’t the mother of the year, although ironically the National Mother’s Day Committee awarded her the title of “Outstanding Mother.”

A major theme of the book is that optimal work-life balance is something each woman has to define for herself based upon her own circumstances and available resources. This story inspires women to be true to themselves in all life choices, both professional and personal.

Besides encouraging honest self-reflection, Chiquet also gently motivates young women to question the norm: how should we think about our intellect, feelings and even our bodies? For example, Chiquet describes her newfound appreciation for French open-mindedness during her junior year abroad in Paris. She questions why we shouldn’t use intuition and gut feelings, as well as the traditional decision-making characteristics of judgment and logic, to resolve business issues. She shares her career successes (she developed The Gap’s first C-buckle belts) and failures (being “a train wreck of a mother”) in equal measure. cseton@redwoodbark.org

Photo courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers

‘Beneath a Scarlet Sky’ showcases forgotten history

By Emily Sweet

Photo courtesy of Mark Sullivan Books

stays in the realm of possibility. However, there are inventive and odd concepts, such as uploading someone’s conscience to a computer to create immortality. When a mind-boggling piece of technology is introduced by the author, it is eloquently described through narration and dialogue, which keeps the futuristic theme of the book plausible.

The characters in “Walkaway” are also extremely intelligent. Most of the people in the ‘walkaway’ society joined because they believed they were skilled enough to create a better system. The discussions between characters are always witty and arguments have real intellectual tension that is almost tangible. These discussions happen between females, males and everyone in between.

This book, however, is not all intellectual discussions and technology talk. There is romance and sexual tension, as well as friendships and rivalries. The interconnectedness is simultaneously complex, well described and fairly easy to follow. The book can definitely get steamy at times, but it is realistic and doesn’t sensationalize sex.

This book made me laugh, become frustrated and intellectually challenged me. Though it may not be a relaxed, lazy Sunday morning read, it is engaging and thought provoking. “Walkaway” is dystopian, sciencefiction, romance, humorous and profound. “Walkaway” truly is a book filled with, and for, all walks of life.

Mark Sullivan delivers a heartbreaking and exceptional commentary on human nature in his 18th novel “Beneath a Scarlet Sky.” Based on the true story of Pino Lella’s life, Sullivan spent weeks with Lella in Italy working through his tale of death and destruction as a teenager during World War II. Set in various locations throughout Europe during WWII, the novel follows Lella, a 17-year-old Italian boy from Milan, as he witnesses his city fall under the Nazi regime. Lella’s journey leads him to enlist as a German soldier and he quickly finds himself working as a spy against the Nazis. Lella soon acquires a job as the driver of high-ranking General Leyers, the seemingly noble man who commits inhumane atrocities, and finds himself swept in a whirlwind romance with his housekeeper, Anna.

Though Lella is engulfed in a world of mystery and is soon shocked to discover the Nazis are keeping prisoners and transporting many to camps, his love for Anna is unwavering motivation for surviving the atrocities of war.

The evolution of their relationship as portrayed by Sullivan, though admittedly slow, displays the vulnerability, emotion and passion of romance through the eyes of a young man.

Each development in the relationship between Lella and General Leyers serves as an inside account of war horrors, revealing the overlooked perspective of a Nazi general who is unsympathetic to the forced labor of thousands, yet willing to save a sick child from a concentration camp minutes before the trains leave. By far the most complicated character, General Leyers is written beautifully—to the point where I was surprised to

find myself facing the same confusion that Lella faces in his own life—sympathizing for the very man who brings about many of novel’s most agonizing moments.

Though it is a difficult book to read because of graphic first-hand war stories, “Beneath a Scarlet Sky” is not only a reminder of the obstacles we each face as humans, but serves as a reminder of the forgotten Italian history throughout WWII. Sullivan brilliantly turns a sensationalized war, often characterized solely by the presence of fascism, into a personable viewpoint, once again reminding the reader to view not only history, but the world with an emotional, heartfelt mind.

In many ways, Sullivan’s novel was reminiscent of “All the Light We Cannot See,” another tragic WWII tale written by Anthony Doerr, and any fans of Doerr will find themselves engulfed in Sullivan’s words. Though it is unlikely you will make it through “Beneath a Scarlet Sky” without tearing up (or full-out sobbing in my case), the tears are worth the read and are furthermore a sign of Sullivan’s effective message in his harrowing masterpiece.

This novel is an exquisite choice for fans of historical fiction, or the exploration of heartbreak and human nature.

esweet@redwoodbark.org

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lifestyles

Page 21

Extensive restaurant background fosters family connections

By Melissa Block and Neva Legallet On the sidewalk of Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in San Anselmo, junior Kelsey Siegel stands outside her father’s restaurant, MadCap, preparing the menus in the display case. Each menu has been freshly printed, featuring the offerings of the day. As she opens the door, a rush of warm air and lively music greets her. Above the mid-century furniture, oversized modern paintings grace the walls. The interior is calm and expectant, waiting for the first guests to arrive for the opening at 5:30.

The kitchen, however, is a different story. A mass of sous chefs and waiters are crowded into the bustling, overheated room, jostling each other on their way to various errands laid out for them by head chef Ron Siegel.

Ron began his career as a busboy at age 15 and has since worked his way up in the culinary industry, filling the role of head chef at many prominent restaurants, including French Laundry, and even winning Iron Chef Japan in 1998 before opening his own venture, MadCap, this summer. MadCap is influenced by his past experiences in the industry and serves an American-Japanese fusion style that focuses on vegetables.

In several of his previous jobs, Ron’s family members were employed alongside him. Kelsey previously worked for her father’s restaurant in Nicasio, the Western Room, giving her experience in the chaotic atmosphere of a restaurant. Currently, Kelsey’s mother, Kim Siegel, is also involved at MadCap as a manager and hostess, and her older sister works there as well. The family’s history is also rooted in the business.

“I’ve grown up like that; it’s always been about restaurants. My dad and mom met at the French Laundry where my mom was a waitress and my dad was a chef, so they’ve always been involved in restaurants,” Kelsey said.

“I knew that when he opened up his own restaurant I’d probably be working there with my siblings.”

Kelsey, along with the rest of the staff, is adjusting to the challenges of running a restaurant, which Ron anticipated.

“We come in here when we are closed on our day off,

Photo by Melissa Block

JUNIORS KELSEY SIEGEL and Tommy Freiburger stand in the back of MadCap preparing for the guests to arrive on a typical night at the restaurant.

Although neither Kelsey nor Freiburger have a long- over the years and is well aware of the expectations placed term interest in the restaurant industry, they find certain upon the wait staff.

“There’s pressure to make sure everything’s going well aspects of their job enjoyable. In Kelsey’s case, it’s customer and some people expect everything to be perfect,” Kelsey service.

“I like meeting interesting people and learning about said. “They’re spending money here and everything should be perfect, there shouldn’t be any problems, but we’re all what they do,” Kelsey said.

The high quality of the food at MadCap, which has been human and make mistakes.”

Kelsey said that both she and Freiburger are making an praised by prominent local food critics such as Michael Bauer, leads to Ron effort to keep up with the momentum of MadCap. “We’re definitely the slow worker bees of the restaurant,” having equally high expectations of his Kelsey said.

Having only worked at MadCap for three weeks, staff. Some of the duties may appear Freiberger is still adapting to the frantic pace of the tedious but are an restaurant, a dramatic shift from his previous job essential element of experiences as a guitar teacher and employee at a garden center. the service.

“It’s a lot more stressful. I know a little bit about guitar, “After every course that they get, know a little bit about plants, but I don’t know anything no matter what they about food or restaurants,” Freiburger said.

get, we have to clear all the silverware and set it up for the next thing they’re having, in advance. So we bark@redwoodbark.org have to memorize what silverware goes with what dish. You definitely have to know the menu in order to do that too,” Kelsey said.

Tensions can escalate due to the Photo by Neva Legallet LOCATED IN SAN Anselmo near downtown, MadCap restaurant was recently founded by pressure of running an upscale establishment.

Redwood parent Ron Siegel.

“My dad goes ham and end up spending 14 hours here, and then leave and still in the kitchen. If there’s a plate that needs to be going to a have a million things to do. So it’s difficult in that sense,” certain table and it’s sitting there, he gets so angry. It’s a lot Ron said. of work he put into this dish and if it’s just sitting there and On the other hand, the freedom of self-employment no one’s taking it out on time he does get mad,” Kelsey said. has allowed Ron to make decisions that best suit his needs, Kendra Stanley, another hostess, is well aware of the such as the location of MadCap. importance of presenting the meals on time.

“It’s nice to have your own thing and do what you want “Everything’s got to be timed perfectly, which is tough. to do. It’s close to my house and I really enjoy cooking still, He’s been doing this for so long, and [timing] is the key so the whole thing has been very enjoyable,” Ron said. ingredient, getting everything on the table in a timely Being employed in a family business also has its perks manner, and making sure your guests aren’t waiting for for Kelsey, who works there about three days a week. She anything and everyone’s getting everything that they and her boyfriend, junior Tommy Freiburger, who is also a ordered at the same time,” Stanley said. waiter at MadCap, are able to end their shifts at a reasonable The elite clientele who frequent MadCap anticipate hour in order to complete their homework. a high quality evening according to Stanley, who is Neither of the two have experienced difficulties in sympathetic to the pressure that prominent chefs face in balancing their job with other commitments, partially delivering the best possible experience to guests. because of the flexibility they have. Due to the limited time “The guests are all sitting here watching what we’re they do have for schoolwork, both Kelsey and Freiburger doing, and so they’re very in tune with anything that is not find that they are more efficient getting their work done on target,” Stanley said. “There aren’t a lot of restaurants on time. like this in Marin, so the people that come here are pretty Photo by Neva Legallet SIEGEL POSES IN his kitchen at MadCap, anticipating “After [work] we really have to get it done because high-end diners.” there’s no room for screwing around,” Kelsey said.

Kelsey has worked with her father in various restaurants a packed restaurant.

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Page 22 • Lifestyles

December 15, 2017

It’s the most wonderful time of the year

Study tips To survive finals

By Neva Legallet

We all know what’s coming up—we’ve been dreading it for weeks, maybe even since school started. That’s right, it’s finals season!!! Although Dead Week may have been too accurate of a moniker to be funny anymore, resulting in the renamed Study Week, it’s still a full week dedicated to taking advantage of studying and preparation opportunities.

Minimal sports practices and no new material (hopefully) provide plenty of study time. These weeks can be overwhelming for many, myself included, and there are certain aspects I struggle with, such as balancing other commitments, managing my time and staying on task. However, there are ways to power through the stressful final weeks.

Procrastination:

Leaving things to the last minute is never a good idea, and accomplishing something you’ve been putting off is a satisfying feeling. To this end, time management is your best friend. ~ Make a list of the tasks you need to have done and by what date. Prioritize them based on difficulty level and the subjects you should focus on. Giving yourself a time restraint can also provide motivation to be efficient, but don’t let it stress you out. Check tasks off when you’re done to mark your progress and encourage yourself. ~ Get off your phone! According to a study by University of Texas, productivity and cognitive capacity is reduced when your phone is anywhere near you. Yes, even if it’s off. Power it off and physically remove it as a distraction by putting it in another room. W h e n you’ve finished a task, reward yourself with five minutes of phone time—but set a timer to ensure you don’t get lost scrolling through Instagram.

Bored of Material:

It’s never exciting to go over an entire semester’s worth of material you’ve already studied. Reviewing math equations for the twentieth time is nothing but dull, and even puts me to sleep once in a while. So spice it up! ~ Khan Academy videos might just save you.

With in-depth lessons, varied examples and opportunities to practice skills, they will help you review material in a new way and most likely provide some insight you’ve been lacking. ~ Break old habits. If how you’re been studying has you falling asleep, it’s time to change something.

Studying with friends in person or over FaceTime and verbally reviewing topics helps your brain absorb the material better, according to a study done by Brighton College.

Even reading your notes aloud to yourself can increase retention and help you process information.

Illustrations by Christine Watridge

Anxious/Not Sleeping:

Stress is hard to deal with, and these final weeks come with a boatload. It’s important to take care of mental health and not neglect yourself when you’re focusing on academic pressures. ~ Eat healthy food! A study by the Journal of School Health established a connection between students with a diet high in fruit, vegetables, protein and fiber and higher scores on literacy tests. Avoid food high in salt and saturated fat to ace those essays! It’s okay to treat yourself to a pick-meup occasionally while studying, but don’t make it a habit. Filling meals will keep you energized throughout the day and hunger won’t be a distraction. See the finals recipe guide for some tasty treats! ~ Chill out. Your brain is working crazy overtime right now and you don’t want it to burn out, so give it some rest. Meditation apps can give some structured relief, or simply sitting down and taking deep breaths can work wonders. Some of the best apps I’ve used are Aura, Headspace and Whil (which is free for Redwood students!). Reminders for a daily moment of peace won’t let you overlook this simple method of calming down. ~ Get some decent sleep. While it may fall low on your list of priorities, sleep is a key component to succeeding in these coming weeks. A full night’s worth of sleep allows for optimal studying, according to a study by Harvard Sleep. In the end, an extra hour of sleep will benefit you more than staying up late, frantically reviewing material.

Do as much as you can, but remember that those Zs will get you As! nlegallet@redwoodbark.org

RECIPES to get through the week

By Lily Baldwin

LUNCH: Tomato soup with grilled cheese dippers 2 slices of sourdough or whole wheat bread 1 slice mozzarella cheese 1 slice cheddar cheese 1 pat of butter 1 (10 oz) can tomato soup

BREAKFAST: Açaí Smoothie ½ cup frozen açaí berries ¾ cup frozen blueberries ¾ cup frozen strawberries ½ banana 1 small container (6 oz) vanilla yogurt 1 cup orange juice Directions: Blend until smooth, occasionally stopping to stir smoothie between blends. Pour into a glass or to-go mug for a breakfast boost to start your day of finals off right.

SNACK: Giant’s trail mix (15 servings) 2 cups raw or salted almonds 1 cup cashews ½ cup sunflower seeds and/or pumpkin seeds ½ cup raisins ½ cup dried cranberries 1 cup dark chocolate chips Directions: Add all ingredients together in a medium container. Put a lid on the container, then shake until all ingredients are evenly combined. Put ¾-1 cup of trail mix into a container and take to school as a yummy snack between tests.

Directions: Butter one side of each slice of bread. Heat a griddle over a medium flame.

Put one slice (butter side down) on the griddle, then place both pieces of cheese on the bread. Place the second piece of bread over the top, with the buttered side facing up. Place a pot lid over the griddle and let cook for two minutes. Meanwhile, heat the soup over a medium flame in a saucepan, stirring occasionally. Using a spatula, flip the grilled cheese, then put the cover back on and allow to cook for another minute and a half. Once the soup is heated, pour into bowl. Remove grilled cheese from griddle after it is golden-brown on both sides and the cheese has melted. Cut the grilled cheese into four strips, then dip into your tummy-warming tomato soup!

The perfect comfort food to get over those finals week blues.

DESSERT: Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake ¼ cup all-purpose flour ¼ cup white sugar 2 tablespoons cocoa powder ⅛ teaspoon baking soda ⅛ teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons milk 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 tablespoon water ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons dark chocolate chips Optional: Powdered sugar Directions: Mix dry ingredients in a large mug. Add in wet ingredients and whisk with fork until combined and smooth.

Microwave one minute and 45 seconds or until a toothpick comes out clean when stuck into the cake. Top with powdered sugar and chocolate chips for a treat to mark the end of finals! You did it, eat some cake now.

lbaldwin@redwoodbark.org

Page 23 • Lifestyles

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O’Neal on his heels: The freshman tap dancer

By Amanda Morse Tap-dancing shoes hit the stage floor, sending clicks echoing through the packed theater one shuffle step at a time. A fleet of dancers from Happy Feet Dance Company occupy the stage, each person following the same pattern of taps, creating a symphony from the movement of their feet. Among this group, freshman John O’Neal looks out across the crowd, showcasing his lifelong talent of tap dancing.

“You basically get to make noise with your feet and there are so many different combinations that it is just really fun to always change it up,” John said.

Growing up in a house with a mother, Moira O’Neal, who was a professional dancer until the age of 22, and having an older sister who was also a dancer, John was exposed to the art at a young age.

After being a performer for many years, Moira believes that it is beneficial to take any opportunity to perform on stage, as it teaches people how to handle the nervousness and stress that comes along with being in front of an audience.

“When you grow up performing, getting up in front of other people and showing what you have worked on, [that] makes it so much easier when you get out into the world,” Moira said.

With a family background rich in dance, it was almost inevitable that John would grow up dancing. He decided to take his first dance class at Happy Feet when he was in third grade and has been involved ever since.

John began by taking jazz classes, in addition to tap.

Like any new activity, understanding the art of tap was difficult at first. There were many complicated patterns only applicable to dance, but John was able to pick it up quickly.

“It was definitely pretty tough in the beginning but once you hear the same words and associate a sound and a movement with a word, then you start to pick up on that and then you keep learning new or different steps,” John said.

Behind every dance or song, there is a rhythm guiding each movement or every note played. Following this pattern, in tap, there is a language behind the footwork that reveals a deeper level to this form of art, according to John. The dancer greatly enjoys being able to express himself through each combination of taps he uses.

“Once you get better and can listen to something and know how to make that with the two taps, it’s a lot easier to think about,” John said. “There are different words that don’t really mean anything to other people like ‘flap’ and ‘shuffle step’ but they are huge parts in tap. It’s part of the language that you learn throughout learning tap dance.”

When he began high school, his schedule became busier with school work and his two other sports, cross country and track and field, so John decided to drop his jazz class and continue only with tap. Solely focusing on tap has allowed John to perfect his techniques and continue practicing his talents. He has participated in school plays in addition to the Throckmorton Theatre Company’s production of “42nd Street.”

Throughout John’s career, his instructors at Happy Feet, specifically the four Bechellis who run the company, have had a major impact on him. Director Cece Bechelli and her daughter, co-director Caitlin Bechelli, run the company with the assistance of Sheri Bechelli and Matt Bechelli, who are both instructors. Caitlin is John’s current teacher who has worked with him since he first began dance, turning him into the dancer he is today. Since the

Photo by Amanda Morse

LEADING THE GROUP at the front of the class, freshman John O’Neal plans on continuing to dance and perform for as long as he can. beginning of John’s tap career, the instructors have kept him engaged by challenging him with more advanced steps.

Along with the Bechelli’s, Moira has been alongside John throughout his journey as a dancer and has seen him grow extensively from the first time he stepped into his tiny dance shoes in the third grade. According to Moira, she is extremely proud of how far her son has come.

“I’ve watched him grow as a tap dancer from doing really simple shuffle steps, to doing some really complicated advanced tap steps and combinations. It’s such a mental development as well as physical development and it’s really a joy to watch that,” Moira said.

Despite the fact that he has a busier schedule than he did before entering high school, John is going to continue taking tap classes at Happy Feet and further enjoy his time spent with those who dance with him.

Junior Mackenzie Kenneally, who also dances for Happy Feet, started dance when she was two. She has known John since elementary school, when they both performed in plays and danced with the same company.

“He is really confident and always very sure of himself. He always knows what’s going on and is on top of everything which is super helpful,” Kenneally said. “He’s super fun to be around, and he is very professional when it comes time to put on a show.”

With hopes of being able to continue dance throughout high school and potentially in college as well, John will only continue pushing himself and his abilities as a dancer. “[John’s tap career] could lead somewhere for him if that’s what he wanted to do. I would not be surprised if I saw his name on a billboard and looked up and said ‘Oh hey look, it’s John!’” Kenneally said. amorse@redwoodbark.org

Photo by Amanda Morse

PRACTICING HIS SKILLS at Happy Feet Studio, John O’Neal rehearses his moves for a routine.

The man behind the Gandhi truck and smiling suns

By Alexandra Lee

Perhaps you’ve seen a red Ford truck mounted with a massive Mahatma Gandhi head driving out of the parking lot after school. Maybe you recognize the bright yellow smiling suns drawn on the whiteboards of classrooms with the name “Mr. Richardson” scrawled underneath.

Whether you know him or not, chances are you’ve seen or heard of one of Jes Richardson’s distinct trademark symbols, which are not just for show. While most Redwood students may know him as a cheerful substitute teacher, many across the world know him as a tireless peace activist.

Richardson said he has been involved in activism for almost his entire adult life, creating his own organization called Bridge of Hearts ten years ago. After visiting Iran twice, he talked with legislators in Washington, D.C. to try to persuade them not to increase sanctions on Iran but instead work with the country.

“One occasion, Hillary Clinton had just made a statement about obliterating Iran, and I made a banner that said ‘Obliterate?

Apologize!’ I was able to get into a fundraiser with her and I also got within about 10 feet of Hillary, and I jumped up on this table and pulled out my banner and caught her by surprise,” Richardson said.

Although Clinton apparently didn’t make any response to his action, he believes he made some sort of an impact upon her in that moment. In the hopes of persuading legislators toward peace, Richardson created the Gandhi head out of a beach ball and paper mache two years ago. His purpose was both to support the Mill Valley Seniors for Peace, and to showcase a groundbreaking figure to promote the spread of peace. Since then, it has been spotted across the country, traveling all the way to Philadelphia to support Bernie Sanders before the 2016 election.

Before the puppet had even found its home in the red truck, Richardson was awarded the Marin Human Rights Commission Martin Luther King Jr. award for Community Service in 2015. More than anything, the Gandhi puppet has become a widely recognized symbol throughout Marin County, decked out with messages including Richardson’s motto, ‘RESIST! Thru Nonviolence.’

According to Richardson, he and his partner of six years, Mara Chitayat, write questions on the whiteboard attached to the side of the truck, leave out markers and wait for people to respond—most recently,

‘What does your heart feel about the attacks on women right now?’

“It’s really a lot of fun to watch, in particular, a mother or father explaining to their children who Gandhi was, and also writing on the whiteboard is a nice way to interact with the public,” Richardson said.

“I particularly like sitting in a cafe and parking the Gandhi-mobile in front of the cafe and watching people give input on the whiteboard.”

Besides being seen parked in local vicinities and at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, the Gandhi mobile has traveled over the hills of San Francisco supporting a female-founded organization for peace. Toby Blomé, an activist and member of Code Pink since 2003, became acquainted with Richardson through his participation in the organization, including at a San Francisco George Bush impeachment march in 2007. The march went on for about three miles, from Ocean Beach to

Photo courtesy of Jes Richardson

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi’s house.

“We brought that puppet, which was on a wheeled platform, and we pushed it all the way up into the hills of Pacific Heights, a hilly area, all the way from Ocean Beach.

So Gandhi has been to ‘Camp Pelosi’ more than once for supporting our effort in trying to influence Congress to not let the wars [in the Middle East] continue,” Blomé said.

Chitayat has been involved in many of Richardson’s activism endeavors, including helping create the Gandhimobile and working on a small film called “The Beautiful People of Iran,” which Richardson produced for his Bridge of Hearts website. Chitayat believes that the vehicle serves as a conversation starter for people to learn more about spreading peace and activism.

“The way I see it is that people need to have their voices heard. And some people have a lot of passion and feelings about what’s going on in the world right now,” Chitayat said.

“I think it’s great to have something that’s both playful and wise that gives people a place to write what they feel and think and share it with other people that probably have similar values.”

Chitayat also believes that the Gandhi mobile could wield even more influence elsewhere in the country, especially because Marin is already so liberal. “lt’d be far more powerful if the Gandhi-mobile was in a red state. I think that there are people that are very neglected in this country and are being exposed to really distorted news and things like that, and they don’t understand the mechanisms, and really they’re not very interested in it,” Chitayat said.

According to Richardson, one main reason he got involved with substitute teaching was to inspire and educate younger generations on the issues he’s passionate about, most importantly peace through nonviolence. If he were to give any advice to younger generations on how to spread the message effectively, he says he would tell them to get involved early.

“Get involved at a grassroots level that you really can make a difference out there, join a group, find something that inspires you and have fun doing it. Get to know people. We’re creating a new world.

Be involved in the process. It’s wildly exciting,” Richardson said.

alee@redwoodbark.org