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Volume LX, No. 7 • April 6, 2018 • Larkspur, CA

Students demand their voices be heard Read more on p. 1

Photo by Grace Moser

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redwood high school ● 395 doherty dr., larkspur, ca 94939 ● volume LX, no. 7 ● April 6, 2018 ● www.redwoodbark.org

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Students protest for safer schools in SF at National March for Our Lives

By Evelyn Bailey and Grace Moser Cub Reporters

“This is about the future of our country. This is about the future of our children’s lives, and there is no better fight to be in than the fight that we are in today,” said Mark E. Farrell, San Francisco mayor at the March for Our Lives event on March 24.

Thousands gathered at the San Francisco Civic Center to protest America’s gun laws and the government’s response to the recent mass shootings across the country.

The center was filled with students and adults in support of school safety and stricter gun control. It is estimated that around 800 marches were held on March 23 and 24 all around the world with around 800,000 protesters in D.C. alone, according to NBC News.

The school shooting in Parkland, Florida last month that resulted in the deaths of 17 victims was one of the main causes for Saturday’s march, according to the March For Our Lives website. This and many other school shootings have lead to movements such as #NeverAgain and “Enough is Enough,” which were created by the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of the Florida shooting. These movements prompted millions of Americans to attend the March for Our Lives protests all around the country.

Redwood students participating in the event led chants and waved posters with messages such as, “I just want to feel safe again,” and “Not One More.” Seniors Rob Hoffman and Alicia Furst attended the march, chanting statements such as, “Hey hey, ho ho, the NRA has got to go!” into a megaphone.

Principal David Sondheim participated along with other faculty members, including science teacher Melissa Boles, who organized the group of teachers that participated. The teachers wore specially-made T-shirts that read “Redwood Resistance.”

“We have a fairly politically active teaching population here at Redwood. This is a group that is, with some regularity, demonstrating things or writing letters to policy makers,” Boles said. “When I reached out to the group, I assumed that they would be interested in participating. It was more like, ‘Since we’re all going to do this, let’s figure out how to do it.’”

Boles said she was proud of everyone at the march, as

well as students who had been fighting for gun control in other settings like the student walkout on March 14.

At the march, organizers walked around passing out voter registration forms for participating students. Juniors Ellah Chapman and Leela Dembowski registered to vote for the 2020 election.

“I’ve seen so much political turmoil occurring in this country and knowing that I can make a difference just by voting makes me happy, knowing I have a say in politics in this country,” Dembowski said.

People of all generations were marching, chanting and holding up homemade signs. Children sat on parents’ shoulders, babies held onto their mothers and people old and young marched together.

There were scheduled speeches from activists who spoke out in front of the crowd, such as Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom. Gavin Newsom has started some of the largest reforms passed towards gun control in the country, according to the LA Times. This includes not only evaluating gun owners before purchasing guns, but also running background checks on people before they can purchase ammunition, as proposed in Proposition 63.

Many young activists spoke during the two hour rally preceding the march next to the San Francisco Civic Center. These speakers consisted of age groups ranging from middle to high school students.

Two middle school speakers, Charlotte and Dylan Dodson, spoke together in one speech regarding what changes the younger generation is capable of implementing.

“We are the generation that has grown up with school shootings, but we are the generation that will stop them.

We are children and teenagers but we refuse to be passive witnesses of history. We are change-makers and we won’t sit and wait until we’re old enough to vote. That is why we are here today, we are motivated, we are ready and we can make a difference,” Charlotte and Dylan said.

Senator Dianne Feinstein spoke at the event, advocating for students’ voices to be heard.

“Young America is stepping up. They are stepping out and they are saying ‘Never again,’” Feinstein said.

Farrell said he was concerned about the measures the White House is taking towards addressing gun control in his speech during the rally.

“Why I’m excited [to be a part of this movement] as

a parent of three young kids is because we see year after year, Sandy Hook, we see Parkland, and Washington, D.C. does nothing,” Farrell said. “I am here today to stand with you to say enough is enough. It is about the youth of our country today to make the difference.”

Charlotte proclaimed the younger generation will change the future of gun safety for years to come, a sentiment echoed in her brother Dylan’s final words.

“They will only grow louder in 2022 and 2024 when middle schoolers like us will elect representatives who recognize that we are the future. We are here and we are not going away,” Dylan said. bark@redwoodbark.org.

Photo by Evelyn Bailey

HONORING STUDENTS WHO died from gun violence, sophomore Maria Saloom joins thousands of others to protest at the March for Our Lives rally in SF. About the Cub Issue The Cub Edition of the Bark is produced by the Nonfiction class with the help of the Bark staff. The Editors-in-Chief for this issue are Maria Alexander, Maddie Loebbaka, Grace Moser and Ryo Weng.

The next regular edition of the Bark will be printed in May.

Fairfax town council holds series of meetings to discuss marijuana policy

By Spencer Johnston Cub Reporter

In Marin County, the only town that allows the on-premises sale of medical cannabis is Fairfax, which is currently in the midst of a series of town council meetings to determine future regulations for marijuana sales.

In June 2017, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law the Medicinal and Adult Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) after Proposition 64 passed in 2016. This law legalized the private cultivation and recreational use of cannabis. Since then, a host of new ethical and legal dilemmas have arisen at both state and local levels. City legislators are venturing into legal territory that is essentially unknown, and must now

grapple with issues such as the licensing of new dispensaries and regulation of as well as quality control of marijuana. These concerns were raised on March 7 in a town council meeting, with the goal to narrow future discussion and clarify options concerning the policy issue.

As state laws currently stand, personal cultivation and use of cannabis is legal, but businesses looking to sell cannabis must obtain a state-issued license. However, on Nov. 1 2017, the town of Fairfax issued a moratorium on prospective new cannabis dispensaries. This ban will expire on Oct. 31 of this year. Before it does, the town council will have a series of public and private discussions to determine a course of action after its expiration.

Though the town conducted a third party, expert-led workshop on cannabis-

Photo Courtesy of Ben Davidson

DISCUSSING THE LOCAL marijuana policy, the Fairfax Town Council held a public meeting on March 7.

related topics in December 2017, the March 7 council meeting was the first to discuss the issue in a public forum. The discussion occupied approximately two hours of the four-hour council meeting. Of the two-hour discussion, half was taken up by citizen statements and questions.

Marijuana has been a controversial topic for years. Only recently have nongovernment scientists been able to study its effects, due to its legalization. It has been proven that usage of marijuana during brain development can be harmful, a fact that TUHSD students are taught in the freshman course Social Issues.

A Duke University study found that persistent marijuana use between the ages of 13-38 led to a significant decrease in IQ, with the director of the Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery program at Harvard medical school agreeing, noting that the developing brain is sensitive to drug use. Fairfax community members were concerned with the health and safety risks that more dispensaries in the town would pose to its youth.

One such community member is Don Carney, the Director of the Marin YMCA Youth Court, a program that rallies to provide an active form of juvenile justice that gives teens a chance to participate in court goings on as well as sentencing cases referred from traditional court.

In Oct. of 2017, Carney also urged the TUHSD Board to pass Resolution 17.5. This resolution aims to take a stand against access to marijuana, and says in part,“...The Tamalpais Union High School District supports reducing our youths’

access to marijuana through restrictions on marijuana storefronts and commercial cultivation.”

This resolution passed with the concurrence of various TUHSD board members and student trustees.

At the town meeting, Carney raised awareness about the dangers of marijuana.

“In the past 14 years, 70 percent of cases that come before the Youth Court are substance driven… the majority of those for the past 10 years have been marijuana. As marijuana becomes more normative, the perception of harm decreases significantly. The lack of perceived harm introduces young people into using at a much earlier age,” Carney said.

Other community members stepped forward to voice their concerns, including Dr. Heather Carlberg M.D., a psychiatry specialist at Marin General Hospital.

“There is a lot of medical evidence and research coming back about the way marijuana affects the teenage brain… [teens are] more vulnerable when substances hit them,” Carlberg said.

After the assembled public finished commenting, the council proposed to contract a consultant firm that specializes in working with local governments to develop marijuana policy and law. A consultant would be hired for public workshops and private council meetings.

These meetings have not yet been scheduled, but the council holds public meetings at 142 Bolinas Road on the first Wednesday of every month.

sjohnston@redwoodbark.org

bark

Page 2 • News

April 6, 2018

Photo Survey

What is the most overused or annoying word at Redwood?

“Cringey.”

Ellie Bishop freshman

“Probably just ‘bruh.’”

Luke McKernan sophomore

“‘Shunned.’ That word is a slap in the face.”

Kamalei Kaleikini junior

“Definitely ‘sus.’”

Drew Kellerman senior

Sondheim hosts public meetings to address school safety concerns

By Spencer Johnston and Drake Goodman Cub Reporters

On March 22 and 29, Principal David Sondheim hosted a meeting for students to discuss school safety during SMART period in his office and outside the small gym. The forums gave students the opportunity to learn about campus security and safety procedures, as well as what these proceedings may look like in the future.

Sondheim held the first meeting a week after many Redwood students walked out of class on March 14 to advocate for school safety and honor the 17 Parkland students who died in the recent school shooting.

There were three students at the first meeting and five at the second. In the discussions, Sondheim informed the students about potential changes to Redwood safety plans. One possibility, he said, is reforming the current fire evacuation plan. This idea stems from many students’ fears that having a large amount of students in one area could be dangerous. This was seen in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in which the shooter pulled the fire alarm to gather the students into the same location, which allowed mass numbers of students to be shot in under seven minutes.

Students who attended the meetings asked questions and voiced their concerns over campus safety. Junior Avery Briggs attended the second meeting because he was curious about safety procedure changes in response to the recent threats.

“My main concern was with the bomb threat and [the police’s] level of searching and how long the evacuation took. I was also wondering, when do they consider [shooting threats] legitimate and how should we react appropriately to those situations,” Briggs said.

Sophomore Olivia Raskin attended the meeting for a similar reason.

“I went to the meeting because we’ve had all of these shooting threats but they’ve never told us what to do in the event of [one]. It seems like they’re working on that,” Raskin said.

Sondheim said that Redwood will have Central Marin Police Authority (CMPA) Student Resource Officer Scott McKenna spend more time on campus to ensure students’ safety. “[McKenna] is our main communications person so when we have police issues we’ll normally go through him first. He answers questions, he solves problems and he’ll deal with police matters that interface the school. He also is here to maintain a bridge between our police and our youth,” Sondheim said.

According to Sondheim, McKenna will be armed whenever on duty as per CMPA policy. However, McKenna’s work at Drake, Tamiscal, San Andreas and Hall Middle School, as well as his normal police duties will inhibit him from being at Redwood full time.

Sondheim also mentioned the revised emergency dismissal procedure following the breakdown of the dismissal process during the September bomb threat. In September, students met at the football field and due to dismissal plan inefficiency, some students jumped the fence to leave campus. Sondheim said that once the threat is neutralized, all students will now be released from the football field and can call their parents once they are off campus.

The alert system utilized during the threat will also be revised. In the event of future threats, the school will send out updates every 15 minutes to students, staff and parents in the event of an emergency.

These are now set up to give Sondheim the ability to send out mass messages over text, email, the school website and Twitter.

After hearing this, Raskin said she was surprised by the amount of planning that went into these situations.

Photo by Drake Goodman

STUDENTS LISTEN DURING on of two meetings held by Principal David Sondheim during SMART period to educate the Redwood community about safety procedures.

“I learned that there’s a lot more that goes into the planning of all of the different safety drills and a lot of little things that they have to plan out,” Raskin said.

Another concern students raised was about the new fire evacuation protocol, which involves evacuating to the football field rather than to the field behind the amphitheater. Students felt that the farther distance from classrooms, walking through the parking lot and the congestion caused by the narrow field gates felt less safe than the previous procedure.

Sondheim explained that local police and fire services had brought up concerns about the old plan. Some of these concerns revolved around the proximity of the evacuation location to the art buildings, which could be hazardous because of an active shooting in that area or a fire in those buildings. He also mentioned that the grass slope behind the amphitheater posed a challenge as certain weather conditions would not accommodate for disabled persons. As the area behind the amphitheater is more open than the football field, Sondheim also said that it is more difficult for police to secure before an evacuation, especially with the public paths running behind it.

Despite students’ recent fears, Sondheim said he is confident that having the district’s campus security officers and Officer McKenna at Redwood more often will alleviate some of the worry.

“I think that having a school resource officer on campus more and having the police close by helps make everybody feel more secure. We certainly appreciate the support,” Sondheim said.

According to Sondheim, another possibility, although unlikely, would be to make Redwood a closed campus as other schools around the country have done in light of recent events. This would most likely entail fencing around the entire campus and controlled entry and exit points. Sondheim is not in favor of this

idea because he said that it would not have much of an impact in high-risk situations, would be costly for the district and would eliminate student parking spaces.

“Our campus is a large campus, and to actually make it more of a closed, secure campus would not be physically feasible here. I don’t think that given the way our campus is laid out it would even stop people the same way we hope it would. If someone wants to get through, there are ways to get through,” Sondheim said.

Sondheim also said that all staff are trained on how to handle various emergency situations such as fires, earthquakes and lockdowns through an Emergency Guidelines packet.

“We do the drills and practices so that they can practice what it is they need to do in those situations and we can identify challenges that might happen in real situations and try to problem-solve,” Sondheim said.

By the end of the second meeting, Briggs was pleased with what he learned. “[Sondheim] answered every single one of my questions and more. I was satisfied by the end of this meeting. I definitely feel a lot better after knowing this information,” Briggs said.

Raskin was also impressed from what was covered and what Redwood is working on in order to improve these plans.

“I definitely saw that [Redwood] is putting in a lot of work and planning out new safety procedures, which is good to know,” Raskin said.

At the end of both meetings, Sondheim said that the school’s top priority is to keep its students safe.

Students who have any other questions about school safety procedures are encouraged to contact Sondheim.

bark@redwoodbark.org

Page 3 • News

www.redwoodbark.org

bark

Ninth annual Marin Teen Girl Conference gives girls a voice

By Mikaela Beberman

make sure that women and girls are feeling supported and feeling like they matter and More than 200 girls in eighth through that they’re equal,” McLaughlin said.

The MTGC falls under the auspices 12th grade gathered at the Embassy Suites hotel in San Rafael on Sunday, March 25 of the Marin Women’s Commission. to kick off the ninth annual Marin Teen The commision is dedicated to ensuring Girl Conference (MTGC). The program women have adequate political, economic featured a variety of workshops designed and social rights in Marin. Funding for the to empower teenage girls to “be their conference comes partly from taxpayer own superhero” and included a keynote money, and sponsors such as Three Twins, speech by former U.S. ambassador to the Nothing Bundt Cake, and Red Dragon United Nations (UN) in Geneva, Pamela Yoga also donated coupons to participants.

Ann Morrison, the Vice Chair of the Hamamoto.

Hamamoto spoke about several of her Marin Women’s Commission, and chair for the conference, initiatives, such as The explained the goal of Future She Deserves. The the MTGC. program revolves around “We wanted combating gender-based girls to know they’re violence and making capable of doing and sure adolescent girls have pursuing anything access to good healthcare. they want. The world The initiative also allows is their oyster,” for more leadership and Morrison said. economic opportunities Sisters Damian and for women by pushing for Diana McDermott, gender equality through former highway patrol the UN. officers, presented Among the attendees Ann Morrison, one of the workshops were 13 Redwood Chair of conference called “Teen Talk students, including five in the Midst of teen ambassadors who Social Media.” Their organized the conference presentation consisted over an eight-month period. The ambassadors were freshmen of various elements such as the importance Sophia Rocha and Safiyya Beauchamp, of consent and a healthy romantic sophomores Lily Carbullido and Nicole relationship, how change can help one Fuches and junior Francesca McLaughlin. discover oneself and how the #MeToo McLaughlin explained what being an movement is moving to schools.

Another workshop presented was ambassador means to her.

“To me, [being an ambassador] means “Fight Back: Prevent Sexual Assault with doing everything I can in my community to Self-Defense.” The instructor, Liliana Cub Reporter

We wanted girls to know that they’re capable of doing and pursuing anything they want.

Photo by Mikaela Beberman

SOPHOMORES OLIVIA RASKIN and Claire Fogarty stand in front of a superhero backdrop before keynote speaker Pamela Hamamoto takes the stage.

Gonzalez, demonstrated several selfdefense techniques such as getting out of bear hugs, choke holds and attacking aggressors the right way. Each attendee took turns practicing the techniques on a dummy.

Teen Ambassador Liza Posylkin, a junior at San Marin High School, explained how the skills she learned in the workshop will be useful to her outside the conference.

“I think [the workshop] will just make me more secure and safe with my surroundings and just be more aware and know how to protect myself,” Posylkin said.

As part of the closing ceremony, the

attendees participated in a “cross the line” activity, where Teen Ambassadors posed questions on topics surrounding the welfare of the attendees, such as alcohol consumption and substance abuse.

According to sophomore Claire Fogarty, the conference was an empowering experience worth repeating.

“I went to the conference last year and I had a really good experience. I met a lot of cool people and I learned a lot, so I just definitely knew that I was going to come back,” Fogarty said.

mbeberman@redwoodbark.org

New program at Redwood seeks to SOAR above prejudice

By Audrey Hettleman Cub Reporter

Students Organizing Against Racism (SOAR) is a new program brought to Redwood this February. Consisting of students and faculty alike, SOAR aims to educate its members on recognizing and addressing racism. The program had two meetings so far and plans to hold two more by the end of the year, including one on April 6.

Drama teacher Erik Berkowitz, an advisor for the program, says that SOAR will focus on how racial issues impact the Redwood community.

“The students who are involved are going to be exploring the systems that are inherent in our Redwood culture and will start looking at how we might be able to change some of those things,” Berkowitz said.

The program originally recruited about 75-80 sophomores through faculty nominations. These students were then invited to partake in a day-long diversity training run by the Anti-Defamation League.

Posters throughout the school advertised the program

to students who weren’t nominated.

Although sophomore Blake Caindec is not a current member of SOAR, he attended the Beyond Diversity training and learned how to detect and address racism. “[The workshop] was during school as an [all-day] class and it took up periods two to six. [We] learned about racism, how bad it is, how to defend against it, and how to stand up for ourselves,” Caindec said.

Because SOAR eventually intends to extend its teachings outside of its members, Berkowitz said that sophomores were the targeted demographic because they are the students who have the most impact at Redwood.

“We were looking at mostly sophomores because seniors were pretty much going to be gone, and then even juniors, by the time they were actually done training, they might only have a semester left,” Berkowitz said. He added that freshmen would not be a good fit because they are still getting used to high school.

Berkowitz explained that after the workshop, the number of students attending each subsequent meeting dwindled. The advisors then began talking with the

Photo by Audrey Hettleman

MEMBER OF SOAR, sophomore Lili Gibson, believes that education is the key to ending racism in the Redwood community.

students to make sure they were committed to the program.

Sophomore Lili Gibson, a current member of SOAR, attended the next event, a workshop at Drake High School run by the Pacific Educational Group (PEC). Their program, Beyond Diversity, has taught students around the globe about racism and privilege for over 25 years.

Dr. Lori Watson, an Equity Transformation Specialist with PEC, facilitated the workshop.

Gibson enjoyed discussing important issues with a wide variety of people at the workshop.

“We had a two-day training at Drake [at the beginning of March] with kids from all over the district. I got to meet really amazing people who had a lot to say, and I got to hear what kids who go to different schools had to say about similar topics that we all relate to,” Gibson said.

As of now, only 17 Redwood students, most of them sophomores, have chosen to continue with SOAR. Gibson believes that SOAR’s main goal is education.

At the Beyond Diversity training, Gibson said Watson taught them that knowledge of race is necessary before exploring the prejudice that goes along with it.

“She taught us that before we can talk about racism we have to understand what race means, and that race isn’t biological, it’s psychological and social. For example, I’m half black and half white, and I would say I identify more with the mixed person experience, rather than one or the other. I learned that you have to understand what race means before you can talk about racism and racist people,” Gibson said.

SOAR is still in a developmental stage, so the tactics they will use to accomplish their goals is still uncertain, according to Berkowitz. As for his wishes for the program, Berkowitz hopes to both educate and create a school-wide dialogue about racism.

“I hope that we can utilize the strengths of many passionate people. [I hope that] we can begin to feel comfortable having difficult conversations with each other without fear or judgement because we’re never going to change the systems and the ways we treat each other unless we’re willing to engage with each other and have difficult conversations in a safe environment where we can disagree and still respect each other. That right there is the kernel of why we’re doing all of this,” Berkowitz said.

Gibson also said that the most important takeaway from SOAR is that conversations need to be created in order to begin to end racism, both at Redwood and in the broader community.

“The worst thing we can do is not talk about it. But if we’re not afraid to talk about it, then we can always have discussions and be willing to change it,” Gibson said.

ahettleman@redwoodbark.org

April 6, 2018 bark Page 4 • News Advanced Drama’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ brings the magic

By Parker Canby Cub Reporter

On March 21-24, the Advanced Drama class took to the stage in their annual Shakespeare production. This year, they performed “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” directed by Eric Berkowitz, head of the drama department, and Elena Wright, a frequent guest artist.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (MSND), one of William Shakespeare’s comedies written in 1596, is the tale of two lovers, Hermia and Lysander. They wish to be married, but are forbidden to wed because Hermia’s father, Egeus, demands that she marry his choice of Demetrius.

The lovers decide to elope and escape into a nearby forest.

Demetrius follows them but Helena, a friend of Hermia who is in love with Demetrius, clings to him. While in the forest, Oberon, king of the fairies, summons Puck, a sprite, to help him find a flower that will cause his wife Titania to fall in love with him again. As instructed by Oberon, Puck uses magic on Titania, but she accidentally falls for Bottom, one of the Athenians used to provide comic relief. For fun, Puck also uses the flower on Lysander and Demetrius. This causes them both to fall in love with Helena, which angers Hermia.

Due to the play’s popularity, the number of cast members was greater than the number of roles. For this reason, the directors chose to doublecast the characters of Hermia and Helena, as well as the fairies Cobweb and Mustardseed. Junior actresses Amira Jain and Lily Gaul shared the roles of Helena and Mustardseed while Olivia Ray and Leela Dembowski swapped the roles of Hermia and Cobweb.

Junior Claire Champommier, who Elena Wright, played Puck, spoke about the issues the Co-Director cast faced while rehearsing MSND. “It’s a challenging show in the way that it’s a comedy. There’s a pressure that we have to be funny, but we realized if you try too hard then maybe it isn’t what we thought it would be. Once we got into our flow, we found our natural state within it,” Champommier said.

Dembowski, similar to Champommier, found it challenging to do a more humorous play, as the cast was accustomed to performing more dramatic plays.

Co-director Elena Wright often works with Shakespeare productions and said she enjoyed watching the actors grow with the play.

“Doing a Shakespeare production with people who have not done a Shakespeare production before is always a journey to the Himalayas. It starts at the base of the mountain and you have a long climb but when you get the the top, you get to ski down it,” Wright said. “Watching them get to discover how much fun Midsummer is and to watch them go from ‘What is this play?’ to ‘This is a play!’… is an honor and it’s why I like to do it.”

Some of Wright’s favorite moments during the rehearsals were watching the actors have breakthroughs, which helped the play start to feel less foreign.

“I remember a time where Jackson [Beer] was having a moment … where he started to find out how far you can go with Shakespeare and of course [Berkowitz] and I have been telling them ‘you can go really far, you can go really far’ but… you can’t make them, they have to find it themselves. I think maybe one of the first times Jackson [crawled] over Riley [during the performance by the Athenians], I think moments like that, are what broke open the play for everyone,” Wright said.

Junior Theo Wood, who played Oberon, said that stage manager, junior Kelsey Middleton, was key to the cast learning the play.

“Our stage manager is great because she loves Shakespeare and she’s been really good throughout the process helping with the meaning of words [in the text],” Wood said.

“I think that Midsummer has the easiest language out of all of his plays so that was a lot easier. We didn’t do as much text analysis, like we did last year with Macbeth; that makes it easier for the audience to understand,” Middleton said.

Champommier also recognized Middleton’s efforts to help create a unique production of MSND. “Our stage manager did a lot more work than the

Doing a Shakespeare production is always a journey to the Himalayas.

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Photo by Parker Canby

EXPLAINING HOW TO find the flower, Oberon (left, Theo Wood) gestures to Puck (right, Claire Champommier). typical stage manager would, making this production of Midsummer more different than a typical production is.

We had someone on the inside who had tabs on all pages of the show and was able to really support us through the run,” Champommier said.

Wright said that working with Shakespeare takes time, but what makes the process worthwhile is when the language feels natural and the audience connects with the story.

“I think you have to repeat it until it’s yours, where it doesn’t feel like it’s Shakespeare telling you to say something and it doesn’t feel like a director telling you to go somewhere.” Wright said. “That comes at the very very end and that usually comes when the audience starts rewarding you for something.” pcanby@redwoodbark.org

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opinion

Page 5

Education is the key to unlocking the cycle of poverty

By Maddie Loebbaka Cub Reporter

It’s hard to grasp the concept of poverty, especially while sitting in the classroom of a California Distinguished School, next to a student parking lot filled with BMWs, Audis and brand new Jeeps, or with a schedule possibly consisting of Film Appreciation or Yoga classes. It is easy to forget that attending school is a privilege.

For some teenagers in Marin, this way of life is what they have come to expect and unknowingly rely upon while looking down on the communities lacking in opportunities. Students may even view the residents of cities such as Marin City, Novato or Sausalito as less intelligent, less hard-working and less professionally successful, yet come up blank for the reasoning behind this preconceived notion. Whether or not these opinions are accurate, one point is clear: because of the lower quality education, the opportunities presented to the low-income and lowerclass communities of Marin City are

Illustration by Maddie Loebbaka

substantially less frequent and convenient than those offered to wealthy middle and upper class families.

To find the source of this inequality, we must first trace it back to the funding for public schools in low-income areas.

Title I is the federal aid grant that provides funding for grades K-12, supplementing the needs of high-poverty schools across the nation. According to Gloria Bonilla Santiago, a writer for the Huffington Post, the fund for Title I in 2007 was $27 billion and has since dropped to $15.5 billion as of 2015. This $11.5 billion decline in financing shows that the needs of lowerclass students are being disregarded while the government prioritizes other matters.

Santiago also notes that 64.7 percent of low-income students who enroll in a 2-year college and 31.9 percent of low-income students enrolled in a 4-year college require remedial courses to help them catch up to the level of skill they need for a college level course. This points to a direct connection between lack of funding and poor academic performance.

Arne Duncan, former U.S. Secretary of Education, addresses this issue in a statement on the Department of Education website.

“Educators across the country understand that low-income students need extra support and resources to succeed, but in far too many places, policies for assigning teachers and allocating resources are perpetuating the problem rather than solving it,” Duncan said.

The extra support and resources that Duncan speaks of in his statement derive from a variety of outside influences that low-income students are dealing with in their home lives. These outside influences are called Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). These experiences could be deaths

or addiction within the family, incarcerated parents or varying types of abuse. If a child has 3 or more ACEs, they are considered significantly disadvantaged academically.

According to Carrie Crossley, a teacher of three years at La Pine Elementary in Bend, Oregon (a Title I funded school), if a child has five or more ACEs, they likely won’t graduate high school. Unfortunately, most of the kids attending La Pine Elementary have more than five ACEs. The immense struggles of these low-income kids are being dismissed as minor inconveniences by the media, the government and middle and upper class families. Their performance in school is attributed to laziness and lack of effort, however, the students often face much larger problems at home. These issues have a resounding impact on a child’s life, development and the success of their future.

While tutoring in Marin City, I hear many different perspectives of students and their home lives. One ten year-old girl who wished to remain anonymous, “Jane,” said she wakes up every morning at 5 a.m. to make the long drive to Marin from Richmond. She tells me she is constantly tired. “Jane” attends school in Marin City to be closer to her parents’ work in Sausalito. She waits long hours after school for her parents to pick her up. Another girl, “Brook,” leaves her house at 5:30 a.m. and returns after 7:00 p.m. This type of lifestyle forces an onset of pseudomaturity, wherein the student places more time and energy on the matters they feel are more important, such as taking care of the home or working an extra job. On the list of priorities, school usually falls towards the end.

However, a small building off of Drake Avenue in Marin City has noticed this trend and is taking action. Bridge

the Gap College Prep (BTGCP) is a nonprofit center for students beginning in third grade and continuing through high school. The organization offers tutoring and a wide variety of other educational programs Monday through Friday. Many students attending Bayside Elementary, Bayside MLK Jr. Middle School or Tam High choose to walk or drive over after school with friends, completing homework with the aid of teachers or volunteer tutors. Hence the name, BTGCP believes in education being the equalizer of opportunities for these low-income students. They believe that by providing the right materials and help to Marin City students, they will succeed, and so far it has been successful. Since the opening of BTGCP’s high school program in 2012, 100 percent of their seniors have graduated and gone on to college, according to the BTGCP website.

Programs such as BTGCP are exactly what the impoverished areas of our country need, and are also what is needed close to home in Marin City. We must continue to believe in and support disadvantaged students because while they may not lead the same lives or have the same level of privilege as many Marin residents, all students have the same goal: to achieve.

Redwood as a high school, Marin as a county and the United States as a nation must stop putting all the blame on the students themselves. The underfunded schools, lack of support and difficult environment are to blame. Given the proper resources, they are just as capable as wealthier students. By giving students this help, we are giving them a whole world of oppourtunites, just at their fingertips. mloebbaka@redwoodbark.org

The creation of sexuality labels generates conformity

By Julia Merron Cub Reporter

For centuries, the most common sexual orientation has been “straight.” Those who identified with a different orientation in the past often experienced harassment from others. Today, people still experience some of that same harassment. According to the Human Rights Campaign, in 2012, LGBT youth were twice as likely as their peers to report having been physically assaulted.

However, as new generations grow up with new ideals and values, people can find the courage to step away from the norm and identify with those like themselves.

There are currently more Millenials that identify with the LGBT community than Generation X, Baby Boomers and Traditionalists combined, according to Gallup News.

Furthermore, the creation of sexuality labels other than just “gay” or “straight,” such as “asexual,” “bicurious,” or “demisexual,” continually allows people to explore their identities and find more ways to express themselves. But despite the that labels allow, they can also induce societal pressures and stereotypes that generate conformity within those labels.

According to Entity Magazine, once someone identifies with a label, they are usually stuck with it. A label, in the case of sexual orientation, is a part of one’s identity. The moment someone chooses a label, they can possess a closed mindset that inhibits the discovery and development of their identity. A random study of 2,500 adults conducted by Springer Science & Business Media showed that on average, only three percent of the adults changed their sexual orientation over a 10 year period.

What happens if someone changes their identity after they have already declared their sexual orientation? What happens when they figure out more about themselves? The freedom of expression that labels give can easily become restrictive over time.

Americans should focus less on labels as a form of expression. After NFL player Michael Sam came out as homosexual, he was repeatedly told he wasn’t “gay enough” because of his presumably masculine profession.

If Sam had expressed himself by going on a date with his boyfriend instead of explicitly stating his identity, he likely

Illustration by Grace Moser

would have experienced a reduction of societal pressure and a separation of private life from from his career.

However, even though he was in the process of trying to be his own person, others in society still decided had the opinion that he did not fit the stereotypical description of a homosexual and therefore shouldn’t identify as one. The labels people take on can produce a positive effect with the discovery of identity, but can also bring a negative effect with pressures and stereotypes. These pressures can only be eliminated by the individual’s form of expression, not society’s reaction to the expression.

According to research by Dr. Savin Williams at Cornell University, more people identify as “mostly straight” than those who identify as gay and bisexual combined. Even within the “mostly straight” category, people exist on a wide spectrum, from experimentation to actual attraction.

“Some only have sexual or romantic attraction for their less preferred sex, others experience a small degree of both same-sex desire and romantic infatuations, and some are willing to sexually experiment if the right woman or

man comes along,” said Dr. Williams to academicminute. org.

Netflix introduced the first season of Bill Nye’s TV show, Bill Nye Saves the World, in April of 2017.

“There are lots of flavors to sexuality,” Nye said on his episode of The Sexual Spectrum. “We’ve got to listen to the science. And science says we’re all on a spectrum.”

So what if we didn’t have these labels in the first place?

If labels didn’t exist, their stereotypes would not exist either. People could just identify with how they actually feel instead having to make up a label or choose between those that already exist. Listen to the science. Our society should have the least amount of focus on labels, and the most focus on exploring and defining sexual orientation through present experiences.

jmerron@redwoodbark.org

bark Page 6 • Opinion Increasing athletic opportunities would be a splash Story and graphics by Audrey Hettleman Cub Reporter

In the fall of 2014, current senior Kaitlyn Yang was a freshman at Redwood High School. Although she swam competitively for about six years prior to entering high school, jumping into the pool at her inaugural tryout was Yang’s first time ever playing water polo. The sport felt difficult in the beginning, but she pushed through and, after much time and practice, even made it onto the varsity squad. Throughout her water polo career, Yang developed a strong work ethic and formed lasting friendships. But none of this would have been possible were it not for the existence of a freshmen water polo team the year Yang tried out. Without it, she might never have even made it past that first day in the pool.

According to the Tamalpais Union High School District website, our district’s student population experienced a 16 percent increase in the past two years. The class of 2021 is the largest class in decades. Course offerings have expanded and Redwood provides more sections of most classes in order to account for this growth. Athletics, however, haven’t followed suit. As a result, tryouts sometimes feel as though athletes are competing for space in a bird bath that’s meant to hold last generation’s population. More opportunities should be available for students wishing to participate in Redwood athletics, either by adding more sports or by adding more levels to already existing ones, because it is in the students’ best interests academically,

competitively, and socially.

While the media still perpetuates the “dumb jock” stereotype, studies have shown that athletics actually improve grades. In a study from the University of Kansas in 2014, researchers compared academic performances of athletes to those of non-athletes across the state. The study discovered that students who participated in school athletics often had higher assessment scores and lower dropout rates than their counterparts.

Speaking from experience, my sports teams have provided me with the basis of a strong physical work ethic, which easily transfers into a strong mental drive. This could be one of the reasons for the results of the University of Kansas study. If academic excellence is valued by the Redwood community and participation in sports has proven to increase grades, why would we not increase the number of spots available?

Some may say that an increase in available spots on teams decreases competitiveness, but in reality a larger team would only increase competition. This past year, 11 freshmen, eight sophomores and four juniors made the girls junior varsity (JV) water polo team. At 23 athletes, the team surpassed the average size of past years. In order to fit the large quantity of players, the coaches created a freshman team. Water polo is played less by youth than other sports, such as soccer or basketball; therefore, introducing more girls to water polo during freshman year creates a broader field from which a varsity team can be formed in future years.

In addition to increasing competitiveness, participating in high school sports builds community. Yang attributes this to the consistency athletic teams provide. “[Being on a team] provides a place you can go and see the same people every day that’s outside the classroom.

Having to work together as a team [consistently] definitely made us a lot closer,” Yang said.

Bringing people together over a common interest creates an authentic community of people who might never have met each other if not for the sport. For example, I played JV soccer freshman and sophomore year. Even though my team was not competing at the highest level, we still bonded over our common goal of winning and improving, which eventually created friendships I don’t think I would have made if not for the sport.

Another argument against broadening athletic opportunities is that Redwood doesn’t have the facilities to support them. While it may be impossible to increase

April 6, 2018

based on a study by the University of Kansas in 2014

available space, time is something that can be controlled.

By purchasing portable floodlights for Ghilotti (Lacrosse) Field similar to the ones used on the football field, practices could take place after the sun goes down. This solution would be especially helpful for winter sports, when the sun sets before 6 p.m.. By ending practices before 8 p.m., community concerns about light pollution would be solved.

Many athletes have one moment from their highschool careers that they remember for the rest of their lives. Whether that moment is hitting a buzzer-beater shot, scoring a game-winning goal, or, as it was for Yang, finally melding with her team during an important game, most of those people wouldn’t trade that moment for anything.

By increasing the athletic opportunities at Redwood, the district would provide more students with these kinds of memories, increased academic success and an improvement to their high school experiences as a whole. ahettleman@redwoodbark.org

What’s at steak: Why Marin should consume less beef

By Jenna Dahlin Cub Reporter

Two friends walk into the modern atmosphere of The Counter, music is playing in the background, and they slide into the nearest booth. They order two one-pound cheese burgers, fries and shakes, ignorant to the true impact of their seemingly innocent lunch date. With the amount of energy used to create their burgers, one could drive the distance to Yosemite, keep a light bulb burning for 20 days or take 30 baths, according to the National Institute of

Illustration by Piper Tonne

Livestock and Grassland Science.

Due to the negative environmental and health effects of eating meat, as well as dramatic resource depletion caused by the cattle industry, it’s critical that Marin takes active steps as a community towards the elimination of beef within our culture.

The U.S cattle industry has and continues to decimate the environment.

According to a 2006 report by The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, animal food production now emits 51 percent of greenhouse gas emissions which surpasses the transportation industry and electricity generation as the greatest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions. With the current demand of beef from American consumers, this trend continues to be threatening.

As delicious as a steak may be, is it worth the consequences?

Morally, is it considered selfish to put your personal satisfaction of eating a burger above the wellbeing of our only planet?

According to the National Academy of Sciences, beef production emits five times more greenhouse gas than the average production of other meats and animal products. The levels of greenhouse gases emitted from the production of beef result from both processing the meat as well as from the cows themselves. According to Climate Central, the average cow in the United States releases 117 pounds of methane each year. Methane

is far more threatening to Earth than any other natural gas because it traps up to 100 times more heat in our atmosphere than carbon dioxide. The continual increase in global warming has brought many to reflect on their own impact. Yes, there are little things one can do such as turning off the lights, biking instead of driving or recycling your cans, but at the end of the day, reducing your beef consumption is not only an attainable goal, but is arguably the most effective.

Alongside the environmental problems the beef industry generates, comes complications with resource shortages.

According to a 2006 report by The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, an estimated 30 percent of the Earth’s ice-free land is involved in livestock production. While space is an issue, so are the immense resources it takes to sustain cattle. It takes 2,400 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef, which is 11 times more water than necessary for other livestock products, on average, according to the National Academy of Science.

Now, most Marin County residents take pride in our community’s environmentally friendly lifestyle, but is this really justified? According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Marin is part of the problem. Seventy six percent of all agricultural land in Marin is used for pastureland. On top of this, cattle are the highest produced livestock in Marin.

Generally, Marin’s real estate is considered more desirable than most, so the excessive amounts of land devoted to cattle are extremely wasteful. Marin continues to contribute to the issue with additions of two new burger restaurants: Shake Shack and Gott’s Roadside Burgers.

According to the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, while 56 million acres of land are used to grow the immense amounts of feed needed to sustain farm animals, only four million acres are used to

produce plants for humans to eat. Because of resource limitations, less land should go towards livestock pasture and feedlots to allow for more crop based agricultural practices.

Plant-based diets are more sustainable for the predicted increasing population, and in terms of personal health, plant based diets are far more beneficial to one’s life span. A case study conducted by the National Institutes of Health observed 120,000 participants, including 37,000 men and 83,000 women concluded those that consumed the highest levels of red meat were at higher risk of mortality. The study found that one additional serving of red meat each day increased chances of death by 13 percent. According to the study, if people had consumed less than half of the average serving per day, 9.3 percent of the deaths of men and 7.6 percent of the deaths of women could have been prevented.

The purposeful assault of our environment and wasting of resources (when hunger and starvation currently impacts millions) is transparently negative, so why has this been overlooked by so many?

Author and founder of the EarthSave Foundation, John Robbins, said that, “A reduction in beef and other meat consumption is the most potent single act you can take to halt the destruction of our environment and preserve our natural resources. Our choices do matter.”

I’m not saying give up your lifestyle, convert to veganism and devote your life to ending corruption within the livestock industry. But, beef can easily substituted out of a diet. For example, using ground turkey instead of beef or even eating it less frequently will have a strong influence on our environment. So, if you’re in the car with your friends looking for a Friday night feed, choose Chick-fil-A. jdahlin@redwoodbark.org

Page 7 • Opinion

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Redwood High School 395 Doherty Drive Larkspur, CA 94939 www.redwoodbark.org Editors-In-Chief Maria Alexander Maddie Loebbaka Grace Moser Ryo Weng

Illustration by Grace Moser

editorial Why academic memorization is hurting students Rote is the wrong route

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

Many students can relate to the pre-test cram that routinely happens the night before a test. The hasty reviewing of notes, countless repetitions of phrases and vocabulary and desperate attempts to memorize key terms and concepts can ruin anyone’s night.

Not only are these studying techniques extremely tedious, but they also lack the intended effect. In fact, chances are that information studied last week will be quickly forgotten. According to Spokane Community College, students will forget about 40 percent of what they have learned in the first 24 hours. Though procrastination habits may play a role, the student is not fully to blame for this common academic struggle.

Rote memorization is the attempt to retain exact information through repetition. However, this type of learning is considered to be ineffective for numerous reasons. First of all, it places too much emphasis on memorization and doesn’t require students to fully comprehend and understand the meaning of a subject.

This results in a lack of understanding by the student as well a loss of individuality as they are trained to conform to a certain teaching style.

As teachers start constructing the content and structure of their final exams this spring, we encourage them to evaluate whether they are promoting a deeper understanding.

At Redwood, most finals consist of a fill-in the bubble multiple choice test. However, a student’s ability to understand a topic isn’t as simple as A, B, C or D. Through short answer responses or other more creative test styles, it is easier for some students to explain the complexities of of their answer. This benefits their learning and could additionally help them succeed in a subject at which they struggle. If final exams were to include questions that contain more analysis, teachers could see what the student has taken away from the material and know how to improve their curriculum in the coming years.

Anita Acai from McMaster University stresses the ineffectiveness and detriments that are associated with rote learning. In a 2015 interview with Maclean’s, a Canadian news source, Acai refers to different learning types, concluding that memorizing is just a temporary way of learning.

“Part of long-term learning is essentially connecting and integrating things into things that you already know, whereas memorizing is more of a surface-level technique,” Acai said.

“Surface-level technique” refers to the idea that

A BARK to Loyola Chicago for making it to the final four. Looks like Sister Jean’s prayers worked. #godsplan A BITE to schools arming children with rocks. You just made getting stoned in school a lot easier.

A BARK to March for our Lives. We’re gunning for change.

A BITE to Beyonce. Literally. #whodunit A BARK to Vanessa Trump filing for divorce. At least one Donald is suffering the

teachers encourage their students to memorize facts such as dates in history, math formulas and definitions for science. This gives the student a base understanding of the subject, but not the meaning or reason behind these topics.

There are many possible alternatives to rote memorization that can avoid the loss of understanding and individuality. Creative learning can take many forms: art projects, classroom discussions or even explaining the individual steps of a math problem. Meaningful learning is the opposite of rote memorization: it promotes understanding and indepth knowledge.

Though rote memorization can be beneficial in limited quantities, such as gaining a foundational aspect of the material and the ability to recall facts quickly, the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages. For example, teachers may use rote memorization questions in the form of scantron tests as a resource, since scantrons are faster to grade.

This allows them to cover material in the quickest manner. However, this fast-paced style can actually cause more problems than benefits; by moving too fast, a student may not fully grasp the topic. It could also cause a disconnect between the teacher and the student as the teacher might have misconceptions about the student’s level of understanding.

“Memorizing isn’t that effective for learning, but people still do it. That’s still the way we’re taught, primarily. Although the literature has evolved and the evidence has evolved, our teaching practices themselves haven’t,” Acai said.

Rote memorization has been shown to be an ineffective learning method, therefore our final exams and tests should not promote it. After centuries of human advancements politically, socially and in other aspects of society, how is it that our standards of teaching have yet to change? Our learning style should be progressing as we do.

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.

consequences of cheating.

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A BITE to Putin being elected again. He is just Stalin for time.

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.

Copy Editors Emma Carpenter Will Johnstone Justin Newhard Paige Richards Eislyn Snyder Josephine Yee News Editors Mika Beberman Audrey Hettleman Lauren Steele Opinion Editors Alix Salzer Morgan Salzer Micaela Wilcox Feature Editors Katherine Muller Sydney Steinberg Aryanka Thaker Sports Editors Grace Bouton Alexa Erickson Bennett Vasquez Review Editors Ryan Bell Jenna Dahlin Sarah Young Lifestyles Editors Drake Goodman Isabella Roesler Skylar Strotz Spanish Editors Nicole Fuches Julia Merron Business Manager Jack Van Hooser Survey Managers Daniel Fassler Theodora Tuomey Art Consultants Taylor Charles Aidan Reece Reporters Zachary Agenbroad Amanda Ayres Enzo Baukey Jack Benbow Kayla Bennett Olivia Brekhus Parker Canby Garrett Cook Lindsay Dubin Shane Fricke Rebecca Gann Jake Gassman Jesse Gassman Jack Gerson Dane Goodman Cole Hardister Anders Hedburg Emma Ingledew Alex Johnson Spencer Johnston Caitlyn Kawamura Aaron Kim Anya Klein Eric Maier Katie Mannix Timmy Marks Jake Mathews Elena Mesker Cole Panzardi Jordan Perry Alexandra Polidora Natasha Poutiatine Brandon Radu Matt Smalbach Bliss Stengle Olivia Weiner Lilly Womak Adviser Erin Schneider

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Página 8

La Visión Mezclada de la Organización Precita Eyes la basura, un entorno ruidoso (el cual no encajó con la voz suave de la guía), y una Reportera de Cub y Escritora Invitada declinación gradual en la energía de Rose mientras la gira continuaba.

A pesar de los revés, activistas e Manejando a Precita Eyes Mural Arts Center en Mission District de San historiadores amarán los murales. Muchos Francisco, visitantes pasan al mural dirigen los problemas que muchos miembros de la comunidad latina tiene vistoso tras mural vistoso. y continúan Sin embargo, no es enfrentando, hasta que los recorran como la barrera de que aprenderán que Inmigración a los los murales son mucho Estados Unidos, más que pinturas las guerras civiles ordinarias. Por verlos de El Salvador cerca y escuchar sobre y Nicaragua, sus fondos, se vuelve la ausencia de evidente que estas agua potable, la piezas son instantáneas contaminación y de la realidad cruel la caracterización que muchos Latinos racial de la policía continuamente Fóto por Nicole Fuches y pobreza. enfrentan alrededor del Patricia Rose, Impresionante, REFLEJADO EN LOS ojos del niño, este mural recuerda a los espectadores que la mundo, y esto los deja a guía estas pinturas dan guerra ronda muchos niños y la memoria de las guerras durará por siempre. los visitantes sin aliento. una perspectiva un ángel guardián.

Nosotros hacemos muchas obras como Precita Eyes, Gracias al trabajo duro de Rose y proyectos de participación comunitaria, rara a los establecido en 1977, sus colegas, artistas de todo el mundo se que se convierten en un registro personal es una organización sin fines de lucro que problemas por cambiar la perspectiva.

Por ejemplo, un mural tenía las reunieron para agregar a las paredes de de la lucha y los logros de nuestra ofrece giras de murales locales como una forma de educación y expresión para la tragedias de la guerra reflexionadas en los Balmy Alley, haciendo Mission District un comunidad,” dijo Rose. ojos de un niño y otra del punto de vista de centro mural dentro de 15 años.

La creación de tales obras incorpora comunidad.

“Todos tienen algo que contribuir. varias partes de la comunidad local, La organización ofrece guías para incluyendo a familias y organizaciones que los espectadores puedan mirar los juveniles. productos finales por un precio asequible Además, ellos restauran murales ya que de seis dólares para los jóvenes. estén decaídos.

Empezando en Balmy Alley, y La gira no sólo habla sobre las pinturas extendiendo por seis cuadras, la guía va con en sí, sino provee detalles sobre la técnica un ritmo de paso relajado, así que visitantes artística detrás de cada obra, quién lo pueden completamente interpretar las pintó, el origen del artista y las razones obras, cuyos propósitos describen la del mensaje retratado. Todo esto satisface historia y el forcejeo de América Latina. el interés de personas con experiencia y Según la guía Patricia Rose, muchos pasatiempos artísticos. murales se enfocan en México y América Sin embargo, no todas de las pinturas Central porque aproximadamente sesenta muestran los horrores de la vida. Unas por ciento del barrio en el área original es rinden homenajes a los activistas que de estas regiones. trataban de pararlos, pero sería más Precita Eyes asegura que sólo agradable que mostraran más que sólo una muralistas profesionales y locales dirigen o dos obras con este enfoque para resaltar la gira para informar mejor al público. lo positivo.

Esta filosofía es evidente porque Además, muchas obras ennoblecen las Rose es una fundadora del movimiento creencias religiosas, algo muy importante de murales en 1971, y podía contestar a muchos Latinos. Por presentar a íconos casi cualquier pregunta por recordar su Fóto por Nicole Fuches famosos como la Virgen de Guadalupe y experiencia extensiva.

Sin embargo, había unos ILUMINANDO LUZ A la injusticia de estereotipos, este mural retrata el dolor de dos Oscar Romero, un sacerdote salvadoreño inconvenientes. Aunque cada cuadro era jóvenes inocentes que enfrentaron convicción de un crimen incorrectamente a causa que enfrentó una muerte brutal en la Guerra Civil de su país. increíble, había la distracción del olor de de perfil racial.

Sin embargo, la gira no tomó bastante tiempo a presentar a la importancia del tópico para Americanos Latinos.

Asimismo, Precita Eyes selecciona un camino diferente para cada gira, así que visitantes podrán ver algo nuevo.

Nuestro camino seleccionado revelaba pinturas que representan otras figuras influyentes en América Latina, como estrellas de películas, mujeres renombradas, y cantantes populares.

Había un hogar entero pintado para mostrar 104 cantantes, no sólo del extranjero, sino también de las calles en el Mission District. Otra vez, este enfatizaba ese ambiente comunitario que los hizo a los visitantes sentirse como en casa.

En conjunto, tomando una gira con Precita Eyes en el Mission District de San Francisco dará a los visitantes una experiencia bien redondeada. A pesar de reveses y distracciones, los visitantes se moverán con un ritmo de paso tranquilo, así que podrán absorber toda la información fascinante.

Precita Eyes asegura que participantes no sólo aprenderán técnicas artísticas, sino también sobre aspectos varios de las vidas de muchos Americanos Latinos. bark@redwoodbark.org Por Nicole Fuches y Sofía Melendez

Hacemos obras comunitarias que se convierten en un registro de la lucha.

Fóto por Nicole Fuches

PINTADO PARA HONRAR a sobrevivientes nicaragüenses de la Guerra Civil en su país, este mural refleja las esperanzas que muchos ciudadanos tenían para después de la matanza.

Editado por: Melissa Zeiher & Saidy Reyes

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Page 9

‘Abroad’ look at students learning overseas

By Maria Alexander Cub Reporter

Why do some Redwood students take the risk and leave their comfortable life to settle abroad? That would mean saying goodbye to home, school and friends, and saying hello to a foreign language, a different culture and completely new people.

According to BBC, the world’s international student population in 2009 was 3.7 million and is increasing at a rate of 12 percent each year. In addition, in the March Bark survey, 37 percent of students self-reported considering going abroad for one year or more, while 30 percent of students know two students who have done just that. This data shows that studying in a foreign country is fairly popular, but why is going abroad so appealing and what is it like to move away from the Marin bubble?

Sophomore Cassidy Rodgers gave insight on this question after moving to Barcelona, Spain. The motive behind the move was an offer from her mother’s job to settle somewhere new.

“I said yes [to moving] because I wanted to try a new experience and get away from living in a small town my whole life, get a new perspective,” Rodgers said.

Other students have moved abroad and had different reasons for doing so. Sophomore Olivia Lane decided to leave the U.S. for six months to go to live in Goiânia, located in the heart of Brazil. However, unlike Rodgers, she moved to improve her fluency in another language.

“I moved [to Brazil] to learn a little more about the country. I’m half Brazilian and my Portuguese was a little bit rusty, so I went there to get better at it,” Lane said.

Studying abroad has many benefits, which is a reason some students may choose to try something new and make the move. However, getting out of one’s comfort zone isn’t easy. Sophomore Will Gerstein, who moved to Madrid, Spain at the start of the school year, summarized his experiences in his new home.

“You have to be ready for everything to go wrong. It’s an adventure, stuff happens,” Gerstein said.

Although this may sound discouraging, Gerstein embraces it and doesn’t consider the challenge to be a downside. He has also found many advantages too, such as becoming more mature.

“You rise to the occasion, being mature enough where my mom says, ‘Okay, be home at 2:30 in the morning.’ I’m mature enough to know where to go in the city because you can go a lot of places. I feel like I’ve definitely grown,” Gerstein said.

In fact, according to The Institute for International Education of Students (IES), 95 percent of students surveyed said learning in a foreign country made them more mature and 96 percent also believed it improved their self-confidence.

But what is living in moving abroad actually like?

Lane found that schooling is a major adjustment when transitioning to a new country, as it is more intense.

Photo courtesy of Lauren Steele

STANDING IN FRONT of a cathedral, sophomores Cassidy Rodgers, Olivia Fee, Lauren Steele and Skylar Strotz visit Barcelona, Spain.

Photo courtesy of Will Gerstein

SOPHOMORE WILL GERSTEIN poses with professional soccer player, Marcelo at his school in Madrid, Spain.

Marcelo plays for Real Madrid in the Spanish La Liga.

“There are only three years of high school [in Brazil] and I learned they do harder material because all classes you take are mandatory,” Lane said.

In contrast, according to Gerstein, school abroad is not necessarily more difficult for him. However, the structure of his school day is different from Redwood. For example, classes begin later in the morning, which he says attributes to the fact that the Spanish have a culture of staying up late.

“I have school from nine in the morning to 3:45 p.m..

I take public transportation, which is a bus, then a metro, and then I walk. I get home at 9 p.m., do some homework and go to bed,” Gerstein said.

According to Gerstein, the students at his international school, located in the suburbs of Madrid, will stay after school to complete homework in a “learning commons area,” which is a designated room for finishing assignments.

“Around 3:45 at Redwood, they push you out of the school. You’re out of the buildings, you want to get away.

At my school, it’s the exact opposite. I would say around 75 percent of kids stay after school for an hour to two and a half hours,” Gerstein said.

Gerstein found that having a learning commons area has helped him do less work at home after soccer practice.

The difference between the center at Gerstein’s school in Madrid and the Redwood library is that Gerstein’s teachers will offer support in finishing homework, whereas at Redwood, usually only student peer tutors offer help.

Schools are place where cultural differences in people can be seen. Rodgers noted these discrepancies may be a result of the exposure and connections that foreigners have to the rest of the world. In her case, this may be due to Spain’s geography being conveniently located next to other European countries that are brimming with history and culture.

In addition, Spain attracts immigrants and travelers from all over the world, which increases contact with other cultures. For example, according to U.S. News, in 2017 between the months of January and June, Barcelona received 36.3 million tourists.

“People here [in Barcelona] have a better perspective of the world around them. When I was living in Marin, I was used to people not knowing what the rest of the world is like, but here peoples views of the world are so much bigger and brighter,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers isn’t alone in feeling this way after moving.

According to the IES, 95 percent of their students surveyed felt that studying abroad had a lasting impact on their worldview, while an additional 94 percent said that their move continues to influence their interactions with other cultures.

According to Lane, she too felt cultural differences

between Americans and foreigners. She said the people she met in Brazil were not only accepting of her, but were also willing to give up their time to help her transition.

Lane does not feel that this is common in American culture, so she was pleasantly surprised to receive aid from locals.

“They always ask ‘Oh, do you need help with something?’ or ‘Do you want me to translate that for you?’” Lane said.

Unless settling abroad means moving to a country where the first language is English, the language barrier can be an issue. However, Rodgers found that she was able to pick up enough of the Spanish language to get by.

“When you’re out and about you have to learn Spanish and you learn it in school too, in fact a lot more than in the States. I’m not advanced yet, but I think I have a good shot at becoming good at Spanish before I come home,” Rodgers said.

Nevertheless, Rodgers has found that simply knowing Spanish is not as helpful as she had hoped, as the ethnic language of the Spain’s Catalonia region, which includes Barcelona, is Catalan.

“Everyone here speaks Catalan. I was not prepared for that. I honestly assumed I could come to Spain, speak Spanish, and be all good, but in Barcelona everyone speaks Catalan and it’s very confusing,” Rodgers said.

While every family has their own reason for taking time to live abroad, Rodgers believes the main explanation for moving is to experience new cultures.

“Students want to experience more. They want to see more of the world and see what it is like to live in a different place with a different culture,” said Rodgers.

The process of moving across the world may seem intimidating, especially when the time comes to transfer back to Redwood. Course selection and grades are a main priority for some Redwood students, but according to Lane, the process of transferring back and continuing with her American education was not difficult at all.

“The major thing you have to worry about is credits for graduating. I have to take extra English credits and have enough hours for English, but I think it was really easy to transition,” Lane said.

Although Rodgers will not be returning to Redwood until the fall semester of the next school year, she does not want to worry about the stress of her return.

“One of my worries was if my courses would line up, but honestly you can worry about all of that later. Just being able to go abroad and learn at a different school is amazing. I haven’t been worrying about the future because I’m having fun now and experiencing it now,” Rodgers said. malexander@redwoodbark.org

NEW AGE in

By Garrett Cook Cub Reporter

As Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” becomes the first movie since “Avatar” to hold the number one spot at the box office five weeks in a row a new age of Hollywood is emerging. Hollywood in the past has not equally represented people of all races and genders, but films like DC’s “Wonder Woman” and Marvel’s “Black Panther” have changed that perception forever.

In 2017, “Wonder Woman” became the highest grossing film directed by a woman, Patty Jenkins, shattering numerous records including highest grossing action film starring a woman and fifth highest grossing superhero movie. It reinforced the notion that women can lead major blockbusters and to many it represented a massive leap forward in how women are depicted in films. To young girls worldwide, the movie could prove that they can be the superhero or action hero, not just the love interest. A sequel is set to hit theaters in 2019.

Films that spotlight a specific group of people in a positive way often make that group of people feel proud and appreciated. African American senior at Redwood, David Simpson-Heil, said seeing his own race portrayed on the big screen is heartwarming.

“There’s a certain pride that comes with [seeing representation]. It’s pride and it’s happiness to see something that’s out of the norm,” Simpson-Heil said.

According to the April Bark survey, 78 percent of Redwood students self-reported they are Caucasian.

This means 22 percent of the Redwood population has had minimal representation in films. Blockbusters starring oppressed groups have been virtually non existent throughout Hollywood’s long history.

Simpson-Heil said films like “Black Panther” make

him feel more welcomed and included in the Redwood community and thinks it makes others feel the same way.

This year’s “Black Panther” surpassed $1 billion at the global box office. It’s the first film starring an almost entirely African American cast to achieve this. Directed by Ryan Coogler, an African American man, the film celebrates African American culture and proves to many in the entertainment industry that people are interested in the representation of all races.

“I think the most important part in terms of diversity that comes from movies like this is having young kids see heroes that look like them.” SimpsonHeil said.

According to Simpson-Heil, a problem in society that stems from representation in media is the internal bias or feeling that people of a certain group aren’t suited to do certain activities or play certain characters.

“When you look at someone like King T’challa [Black Panther] or Princess Diana [Wonder Woman] it’s the same thing for a child were they get to idolize a hero, a fantastical human being, who looks like them,” Simpson-Heil said.

History has proven that Hollywood will only make drastic changes if producers can make a profit. “Wonder Woman” and “Black Panther” have grossed massive amounts of money at the box office, proving to major film studios that women and people of color can helm successful films.

Thus begins the journey of

Hollywood attempting to fairly represent everyone in mainstream film.

A solution to Hollywood’s diversity problem was mentioned at the Oscars’ 90th celebration this year.

Best actress winner Frances McDormand ended her jittery yet inspiring speech with two words: “inclusion rider.” According to reporters Maura Judkis and Stephanie Merry at The Washington Post, inclusion riders are a way to legally make films more diverse.

“Actors sign contracts when they are cast in films, and they have the ability to negotiate for riders or additional provisions. An inclusion rider is a stipulation that the cast and/or the crew in a film reflect real demographics, including a proportionate number of women, minorities, LGBTQ individuals and people with disabilities,” Judkis and Merry wrote.

If contracts for A-list actors and directors admitted inclusion riders, diversity in Hollywood would improve. People of all demographics and sexualities would legally have to be represented in a film reflecting a certain area. For example, if a film is set in San Francisco, the film’s cast and crew would have to be made up of the demographics of that city.

According to World Population Review, 35.3 percent of San Francisco’s population is Asian, so 35.3 percent of both the cast and crew would then have to identify as Asian.

At this early stage, inclusion riders also have a downside. Currently, diversity in Hollywood is scarce in the stunts division. On the set of the yetto-release superhero flick “Deadpool 2,” a stunt double was needed for African American actress Zazie Beetz. A scene called

for the stunt person to be riding a motorcycle through open doors onto a ramp. FOX, the studio distributing the film, could not find an African American stunt woman who was experienced enough. The studio did not want to hire a Caucasian stunt woman because of a fear of backlash, so they hired motorcycle racer SJ Harris. Harris was experienced in riding motorcycles, but not in stunt work.

Because of this decision, she tragically passed away on set while trying to perform the stunt. Actors and directors that put the inclusion rider in their contracts must be extremely cautious when casting. When legally requiring diversity, studios must make sure that the stunt double is capable of doing what is required of them. The fact that FOX had to search outside the normal stunt pool to find an African American speaks greatly to Hollywood’s diversity problem.

The success of these films and the barriers they have broken are starting a new age of acceptance in Hollywood.

The films are making people all over the world feel more welcomed and equal, as proven by the crowds of people repeatedly going to see them.

Social media is full of photos of stars and regular people supporting the inclusion messages the films put out. Simpson-Heil also thinks that media will play a big part in making inclusive films in the future. If media covers these types of films as just great films, people will open up to accept more films starring more diverse people.

“As [an inclusive film] just becomes another movie and it happens to have people of color in it, you get rid of a lot of those internalized biases,” Simpson-Heil said. gcook@redwoodbark.org

Graphic by Daniela Schwartz, illustration by Timothée Walters and infographic by Christine Watridge Data according to PBS

April 6, 2018 bark Page 12 • Feature Bilingual communication helps to foster global connections

By Jordan Perry Cub Reporter

There are 7,097 different languages spoken in the world today according to The Ethnologue, an annual reference publication about world languages.

Language is how people express their emotions, desires and hopes. Not only does it impact our daily lives by allowing us to interact locally, it’s the most sophisticated way humans communicate with each other.

The unique qualities found in different languages directly connect humans and allows them to form strong bonds with each other.

These global connections begin locally.

Sophomore Maria Saloom fluently speaks Arabic, French and English and is in the process of learning Spanish. She believes that learning another language can provide incredible insight into many different cultures.

“Learning another language is a gift.

It allows me to communicate with people from different backgrounds and origins.

Even though we could be complete opposites, at least we can share a language to start a conversation,” Saloom said.

Not only does communicating in another language help people understand both each other and new cultures, it also helps the human brain think in new and different ways. Dr. Viorica Marian, the head of the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northwestern University, compared a monolingual brain to a bilingual brain in an article from the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine .

“Researchers have shown that the bilingual brain can have better attention and task-switching capacities than the monolingual brain, thanks to its developed ability to inhibit one language while using another,” Dr. Marian said. Additionally, Dr. Marian believes that learning to speak new languages contributes to improving people’s attention spans, memory, reasoning and other important executive functioning skills used on a daily basis.

Journalist and educator Anne Merritt stated in the Telegraph Newspaper that

many educators often compare the brain to a muscle because it needs stimulation in order to function properly. Merritt also referenced a study conducted by the Second Language Research Institute of Canada that shows how memorizing language rules and vocabulary can help individuals recall lists, directions and relatively complex patterns at a higher rate and more frequently than those who only speak one language.

Learning a foreign language also allows people to discover new ways of problem solving according to a study in Massachusetts conducted in 2007 by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

“Learning a second language is an exercise in cognitive problem solving, which is directly transferable to other areas of learning,” reported the ACTFL study.

According to the ACTFL, learning foreign languages helps keep one’s mind open to new ways of thinking, which can help people improve their decision making in everyday life. This works to consistently improve conceptual and analytical thinking. Melissa Zeiher, a Spanish teacher at Redwood, believes that studying another language can help expand someone’s understanding of the world.

“By learning and teaching another language, I have been able to open up and see the world through a new perspective.

With this new perspective, I have been able to see new experiences and have then come to appreciate and learn from them,” Zeiher said.

Carly Zech, a junior currently enrolled in AP Spanish, stated that there are also personal and community benefits to studying a foreign language.

“Learning another language has not only benefited me, but it has also benefited my peers. By opening myself up to a new language, I have been able to help students whose first language is not English succeed by translating the material from English to Spanish,” Zech said.

According to Katie Hoban, a current researcher of languages and writer who speaks seven different languages, there are a majority of people today that don’t see the point in learning another language.

Photo courtesy of Carly Zech

HIKING AND LEARNING about the landscapes of the Caribbean with her new friends, junior Carly Zech experiences South American culture.

Hoban believes this is because the English language has gained almost complete dominance alongside many people’s communities. “[English speakers] therefore have the privilege of expecting that everyone else learn our primary language, English, rather than going out of our way to learn theirs,” Hoban stated. Hoban said only about 25 percent of people in America can hold a conversation in a second language.

This may be due to some of the hurdles many people face while trying to learn and comprehend another language.

Mariza López and Argelia Aguilar, two college professors at the University of Quintana Roo in Mexico, recently constructed a research paper that closely examines and explains how language and emotions are connected.

“Given that language learning is a socially constructed process, the diversity of emotions experienced is a crucial aspect impacting on the motivational behavior displayed by language learners,” López and Aguilar said. López and Aguilar also believe that negative emotions may be considered detrimental to a students ability

to learn another language. When students start to become negative in the learning process, they tend to take the easy way out by not believing in themselves anymore and later, simply giving up.

Another problem people face while trying to learn a language is their age.

According to a 2014 MIT study conducted by the Institute for Brain Research, brain structures play an important role in this “sensitive period” for learning another language.

The study states, “When learning certain elements of language, adults’ more highly developed cognitive skills actually get in the way. The researchers discovered that the harder adults tried to learn an artificial language, the worse they were at deciphering the language’s morphology – the structure.”

According to MIT neuroscientists, effort is the most important characteristic that people need in order to positively derive in the process of learning another language. Even though the process can sometimes be slow, in the end, it will be worth it. jperry@redwoodbark.org

week, McGlynn knows that there will not be a lot of time to do homework, so she gets her work done whenever she has an opportunity. According to McGlynn, she often does homework during school either during designated work times in class or at the end of class instead of packing up early.

Forbes magazine, reported a “Global Benefits Attitudes” survey that analyzed over 31,000 employee responses regarding stress, work engagement and other factors in the workplace.

According to this survey, “levels of workplace disengagement significantly increase when employees experience high levels of stress.”

Only 10 percent of employees that were not stressed reported feeling disengaged, while over half of stressed employees reported these feelings.

McGlynn created her own strategy to avoid feeling this disengagement.

“I will set a timer on my phone so every twenty minutes, I’ll just take a five minute break so I don’t get distracted while I am doing the work,” said McGlynn.

She says this technique of setting time limits helps her manage her stress. The less stressed that she is, the more efficiently she works.

Freshman Lara Burgert sings, dances and acts for over 20 hours a week and has an alternative way of relieving her stress.

Like McGlynn, Burgert gets work done whenever she can, but she also meditates on an almost daily basis using an app called “Calm.” “[“Calm”] kind of focuses my mind because sometimes my mind tends to linger a lot and I start to think about

different things,” Burgert said. “It helps center everything and calm me down.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit medical research organization, “Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health.”

Burgert says that meditation can be hard if you are not experienced, so she finds that the instructions “Calm” provides teach her how to meditate properly. Burgert recommends this app to others that may need help with stress management.

Currently, Burgert is in a musical for the Performing Arts Academy of Marin.

With all of the preparation leading up to this event, she uses meditation to avoid feeling overwhelmed so she can pay attention to her work.

According to Burgert, being busy with extracurricular activities helps her stay on task because she has to get everything done without procrastinating. Meditation is just another way for her to stay focused. Burgert plans to take more rigorous classes next year, but hopes they won’t interfere with her extracurriculars. With both “Calm” and time management Burgert believes she will be able to balance schoolwork and extracurriculars.

Although high school is often a hectic and stressful time, students including Shadan, McGlynn and Burgert have found healthy ways to balance their busy schedules and manage their stress levels.

They believe that their techniques can help other students at Redwood who have similar struggles.

Strategies for stress: how to manage your time

By Jack Van Hooser Cub Reporter

Calm ripples form as a narrow boat cruises across the water. School only just ended and yet the Marin Rowing team is already practicing. These practices will continue until dark, forcing rowers to find a way to finish all of their schoolwork due the next day. This is not difficult for rower and sophomore Aya Shadan, who has figured out a system that helps her finish her work efficiently and without distractions.

Shadan rows for Marin Rowing six to seven days a week, with weekday practices lasting around two and a half hours and weekend races sometimes lasting an entire

day. Shadan has become efficient with her schoolwork by limiting social media usage.

“At the beginning of this year, I was getting too drawn into social media and that really takes up a lot of my time,” said Shadan.

Having more free time is important to Shadan because it allows her to spend an hour each night with her family instead of stressing about her homework.

Sophomore Erin McGlynn also has a busy schedule. McGlynn is currently on the varsity softball team. She also plays girls’ varsity golf and ice hockey in Oakland throughout the year. After attending practices and games during the

Photo courtesy of McGlynn family

PUSHING AWAY AN offender, sophomore Erin McGlynn (center in black and gold) defends her team’s goal.

jvanhooser@redwoodbark.org

sports

Page 13

Opinion: Prioritize the student in ‘student-athlete’

By Skylar Strotz Cub Reporter

My sophomore year, physical education (P.E.) started off with the dreaded, even hated, swim unit. In this unit students learn how to dive, side stroke, swim with their head up, float, tread water and perform many other swimming skills. Although learning swim techniques at school would be considered a privilege for many kids, for an athlete who already practices water polo in the pool 10 hours a week, it feels more like a colossal waste of time.

On the day of my varsity water polo MCAL semi-final game, I spent the P.E. period treading water for five minutes and swimming two laps. Both of these are basic skills that water polo athletes learn right away to effectively play the sport. Instead of wasting a class period doing movements I already practice everyday after school, I could have been getting ahead or catching up on my schoolwork.

Student-athletes should be able to opt out of P.E. during their sport’s season. Some benefits that would come from this include more sleep and more time to complete school work in an academic setting. As well, not having athletes participate in P.E. during their season reduces the chances of them getting injured.

On a regular Tuesday/Friday schedule, every period is 50 minutes long, giving students only about 20 minutes actually in the water, after subtracting changing and instructional time. These 50 minutes could be much better spent studying for a test or completing homework so that despite practice or games after school, athletes can maintain high grades and get the sleep needed for the upcoming day’s events.

The Education Code Section 51222 states that “all students in grades 7-10 must receive a minimum of 400 minutes of physical education instruction every 10 school days.” At Redwood High School, we get 470 minutes of physical education every 10 days of school. Sports team coaches and the athletic director, Jessica Peisch, should be able to count varsity and junior varsity practice time as P.E. instructional time that would fall under the needed 400 minutes. The average athlete gets an extra 1,200 minutes every 10 days on top of the already extra 70 minutes of P.E. Many of the units taught in P.E. are important, including self-defense and nutrition, but there are days when students simply run around the track or have free time in the gym. If the teacher and the student are in agreement, then in-season athletes should be able to use P.E. class time as study hall.

There are 19 different sports played at Redwood.

Most practice five days a week for two to three hours and have weekend games, tournaments or meets. To reduce academic stress and increase sleep, students who participate in Redwood athletics should have the option to opt out of P.E. while in-season. In a recent Bark survey, the majority of Redwood students are only getting seven hours of sleep on average and 32 percent get less than that. Doing homework during school time would help student-athletes go to sleep earlier—a benefit to their bodies and minds.

Sometimes students participate in potentially dangerous activities during P.E. that could take a player

Illustration by Lucas Marchi

out for a season. Athletes should not be put at risk when it is avoidable.

The North Jersey newspaper reported in 2016 that Cresskill, a high school in Bergen County, New Jersey pilotted an experimental year for students who play sports to bypass gym class. The goal of this program was to reduce stress and help students balance time between school and sports. At Cresskill, the students were given their normal P.E. period to use to their advantage in study hall. One junior at Cresskill, Jill Fahy, was captain of the soccer team, held a position on student council, volunteered in Peer Resource and took three AP classes.

With such a busy schedule, having a period to focus on her school work and study was incredibly beneficial.

Infographic by Bennett Vasquez Similarly, Redwood has a very academic and extracurricular-oriented student body. Many students find themselves in similar positions as Fahy. Redwood can pilot a similar program that will assist students. According to a Bark survey of 246 students, 24 percent don’t play a sport, but 70 percent do play a sport and would find

study hall instead of P.E. during their season to be very beneficial too.

To avoid wasting time, if a student does not feel they have work that needs to be completed during the study hall time, they could attend P.E. with the rest of the class. If the P.E. teacher felt that a particular day’s curriculum was important for the student-athlete, they could request the student stay in class that day. If, for example, the class was learning a new self defense skill that day, then the teacher could advise the student to stay, but leave the ultimate decision up to the student discretion based on workload.

Additionally, many Redwood sports teams have occasional early dismissal to get to their games or meets.

Students miss material or tests and as a result, get behind.

If they could use the P.E. study hall time as a chance to catch up or stay on-track, then they would be able to better manage their schoolwork.

There is a reason that the student comes first in “student-athlete”. Why waste the time of a gymnast with somersaults in the tumbling unit or a basketball player with three-on-three basketball games in the recreational sports unit? Why make in-season track and field athletes run laps on the morning of a track meet? As a school, we should be doing whatever we can to help student-athletes stay current with academics, reduce stress and increase sleep so they can still perform in their activities.

sstrotz@redwoodbark.org

April 6, 2018 bark Page 14 • Sports Liam Anderson named California’s 2018 Gatorade Cross Country Runner

By Olivia Brekhus Cub Reporter

Junior Liam Anderson was named the Gatorade California Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year on Feb. 12 due to his outstanding accomplishments as a runner as well as his academic achievements.

The nominees were composed of students who were state winners in their respective division. According to Gatorade, students of each gender are selected from different sports that include cross country, basketball, soccer, football, track and field, volleyball and softball each year. Nominations are based on “athletic excellence, academic achievements and exemplary character.”

Anderson has developed time management skills enabling him to be successful.

“You learn how to balance everything. You have to be really efficient using your time and not procrastinate. You have got to just put your head down and get stuff done sometimes,” Anderson said.

However, high school did not mark the beginning of Anderson’s running pursuit. Anderson has been running cross country and track since he was in fifth grade at Hall Middle School. Once a week, the Hall Cougar’s physical education class would jog out to the Piper Park path and run a mile. When Anderson reached the finish line first in 4:57, it was clear to him that running would play a big role in his future.

During races, Anderson not only reflects upon himself but also the effort he has put into his sport.

“I like to think about how much work I have put into this and how much it means to me and I use that to kind of muster my last bit of energy,” Anderson said.

Since his freshman year, Anderson has been a crucial member of Redwood’s track and field and cross country teams. This school year, he won the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state, division three, cross country title with a time of 15:10.3 and placed third in the country with a time of 15:07.6 at Nike Cross Nationals, an unofficial national championship race for high schoolers across the U.S. Since the Gatorade Player of the Year program was first established in 1985, it has been considered to be one of the most highly reputable awards for high school athletes.

Winners choose a nonprofit organization to receive $1,000 in donations, requiring that the organization is involved in working with children. Anderson chose to donate the money to an organization called Trips for Kids Marin.

According to Anderson, this will allow the next generation to fully enjoy the benefits of sports.

Photo courtesy of Gillian Wagner

RUNNING AT THE Nike Cross Nationals at the Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Oregon, Anderson finished a time of 15:07.6 and placed third in the country.

“It’s a non-profit organization in San Rafael which He is currently in communication with a handful of gives underprivileged kids the opportunity to go on bike different universities and hopes to continue his running rides and other day trips. I chose this because it was career in college. important to me that the organization is local,” Anderson “I’m honored to have received such a prestigious said. award and I am grateful for the opportunity Gatorade has After being nominated the boys’ cross country Gatorade given me to donate to charity,” Anderson said. runner, Anderson had confidence he would claim the title.

As Anderson’s running career has evolved, his support “I was excited. I had a pretty good feeling I was system has been an important part of his life. Parents, going to get the award after I was nominated. They sent friends and his girlfriend, senior Gillian Wagner, have a backpack full of cool things. It was pretty fun to receive contributed to the success Anderson has achieved so far at that,”Anderson said.

Redwood. He is one of two captains of the track and field According to a Gatorade press release, Anderson is and cross country teams and is considered an essential also the first Redwood High School student to be selected team player according to Wagner, a fellow varsity runner. for this award.

“Liam leads by example being as good as he is. If you Anderson is a model for student athletes. Last semester follow what he does you can expect something good to he maintained a 4.8 GPA while participating as a member come out of it,” Wagner said. of the Marin County Search and Rescue team. Anderson is also a certified Wilderness First Responder. obrekhus@redwoodbark.org

Page 15• Sports

www.redwoodbark.org

Marin’s only JV softball team finds success around the Bay Area

By Katherine Muller Cub Reporter

White dust lines the field and parents gather on the bleachers, signaling the start of a JV softball game. Players warm up by taking practice swings or catching fly balls, as both sides check out their opponents’ skills. But Redwood isn’t looking at Marin Catholic or Tam. Those schools don’t even have JV teams. In fact, Redwood has Marin’s only JV softball team.

Although there has been a JV softball team in place at Redwood for the last three years, it hasn’t always been that way.

No other school in the county has ever had the option to offer a team in the past couple years due to lack of players.

However, this situation does not hold back Redwood’s team from playing outside Marin and keeping up a winning record of 2-1.

The team has to travel further for competition, playing against teams such as Berkeley High School, Alameda High School and Cloverdale High School for regular season games.

Although it takes more time and effort to play in away games, the girls on Redwood’s JV softball team believe the opportunity to play makes it well worth it.

Photo by Katherine Muller

SWINGING FOR THE ball, softball player Emma Lightfoot prepares to hit the ball.

Sophomore Kennedy Dora is one of these players that is beyond grateful for the chance to play on the team and collaborate with teammates of different skill levels.

“You get to work with different people. Half of the people [on the team] don’t know how to play and half are experienced, so it’s nice to teach those who don’t know how to play,” Dora said. “We have to go out farther to play some high school teams, but overall, JV is a really good thing to have for people who like to play and like to have fun.”

JV is a great learning opportunity for girls that are not ready for varsity and girls that are looking for the enjoyment of playing a sport according to playersThat being said, the team is no place for slackers. Head coach Steve Lightfoot sheds light on the fact that JV is a developmental stage, but nevertheless still competitive.

“There’s a lot of development in the league, but the teams that we play are still very competitive, and we try to run a very competitive program. We don’t say ‘even though it’s JV’ or ‘it’s just JV’ because that’s a discredit to the girls that are playing. We want them to be as good, if not better, than the girls who are playing varsity,” Lightfoot said.

Although there is loads of competition on the JV level, having the chance to play on the varsity team is an event to which players look forward when they are able to make that team after surpassing the JV expectations.

Dora is excited for next year’s season, because she will get to play teams around Marin and experience the stronger attitudes and rivalries.

“I’ll be moved up [to varsity] next year, but MCALs is a great experience when you’re moved up, to see how they really play and how hard they work to get there,” Dora said.

One reason behind the fact that Redwood has the sole JV team might be credited to the large population of the school. Just short of 1900 students, Redwood is the largest high school in the county by a significant amount.

Redwood’s Athletic Director, Jessica Peisch, believes numbers may be the reason Redwood has had the opportunity to have a JV team these past years.

“We’ve had [a JV softball team] on and off for years.

It depends on how many [players] come out. It’s always an option, it’s just about making sure we have enough numbers. But we would never not want to have a JV team,” Peisch said.

Peisch sees the advantages of offering a JV team at

bark

Photo by Katherine Muller

CELEBRATING AFTER A game, the JV softball team huddles up.

Redwood and is glad JV softball has had enough interest for the past few years.

Additionally, she sees some benefits of traveling far to play in games.

“You’re exposed to potentially different athletes you haven’t played against. Sometimes when you grow up in an area, you’re all in the same little league, you’re all on the same recreational team. So it’s nice to be able to start playing different athletes in different areas and maybe not knowing what’s coming instead of ‘Oh, I know how she pitches every time,’” Peisch said.

Peisch agrees that it is a great opportunity for students to be part of a JV team and a gift that Redwood offers one for softball.

She believes it’s important to offer lower-level teams whenever there’s an opportunity.

“I think anytime we can have a freshman team or JV G;H,[.team, it’s always important for a sport. It helps build the necessary developmental years, and you just need that extra time sometimes to get ready for the varsity level.

When it’s all varsity, it’s fine, that’s what our district is set up to do, but it’d be nice if we had developmental teams in all sports,” Peisch said.

kmuller@redwoodbark.org

Jensen’s play on the field earns her Athlete of the Month

By Shane Fricke Cub Reporter

Although senior Catherine Jensen may be one of Redwood’s star varsity softball pitchers, it hasn’t always come naturally to her. Jensen’s initial foray into pitching, in elementary school, didn’t start well and nearly caused her to abandon pitching altogether.

“I tried pitching out but it didn’t work too well; the first game I played I tried pitching and I kept hitting everyone so that was my first failure. I kind of gave up pitching for a while,” Jensen said.

Since that first disappointment, she has given pitching another shot and her career has taken a noticeable turn for the better.

So far, in her six games of the

Photo by Shane Fricke

WEARING NUMBER 25, senior Catherine Jensen plays in order to pay respect for her coach who passed away

2018 season, Jensen has posted a 0.64 Earned Run Average (ERA) and has only allowed hits from her opponents 12 percent of the time, according to Max Preps. Jensen also has the lowest ERA among any pitcher in the league.

Jensen first started playing softball in second grade for the Twin Cities Little League.

Due to her underwhelming pitching debut in elementary school, she played second base until eighth grade.

Then, during freshman year, she chose to give pitching another try and began pitching for Redwood.

As a freshman on varsity she pitched a combination of eight innings and got two wins while posting a 4.20 ERA. Ever since this transformation, pitching has become Jensen’s favorite position.

“It’s my favorite because you are involved in every play and you have a say in exactly where the ball is going to go,” Jensen said.

In her last season, Jensen is dominating on the mound. Not only does she have a .64 ERA and the second highest strikeout percentage in the league at 43 percent, she has held her opponents to a .120 batting average.

On the other side of the ball, she has a respectable .286 batting average along with .400 on-base percentage.

These statistics have earned Jensen Athlete of the Month for Redwood and given her an opportunity to continue playing at the collegiate level. “[Receiving Athlete of the Month] felt really amazing. This year has really been a blessing [with] getting my scholarship and then receiving [Athlete of the Month] was really an honor,” Jensen said.

Jensen has committed to play Division I softball at the University of Dayton in Ohio. Dayton

WINDING UP HER bat, intensely focused incoming pitch. reached out to Jensen through a teammate that was previously committed there.

When Jensen met with the coaches, she found herself in tune with their philosophy about the game of softball and their prioritization of school over sports.

“I think with a Division I they have a reputation of ‘softball before school.’ But at the University of Dayton they really preach school

Photo by Shane Fricke

senior Catherine Jensen prepares for the before sports, which is really important for a student athlete,” Jensen said.

Jensen hopes to continue playing softball after college whether in a professional league or at a amatur level, and is also open to the possibility of coaching as a way to further her involvement in the sport.

“I would want to coach anything above [14-under], and definitely travel ball girls,” Jensen said.

For now, Jensen is focused on ending her final season strong. At time of publication, Redwood is 6-21 and in third place in the league.

sfricke@redwoodbark.org

review

Page 16

Lil Boat 2: the ship has sunk and there aren’t enough life vests Cub Reporter

A lot of hype circulated leading up to the drop of Lil Yachty’s album “Lil Boat 2,” on March 9. Fans were eager to hear how Yachty’s style had evolved since his last album release in 2017, titled “Teenage Emotions,” which acquired the artist plenty of praise for its unique sound and raw styling. Still, “Teenage Emotions” was not as widely loved as Yachty’s infamous “Lil Boat”, released March 9 of 2016. Many were hopeful that the sequel to this album would bring back the playful innocence that made up the foundation of his first album. To say the least, fans high expectations were let down with “Lil Boat 2.”

Anyone familiar with rap music would not be surprised upon hearing degrading and perverted lyrics targeted at women, but Yachty made a crucial mistake when overlooking that the acceptance of lyrics like these are changing, that or he simply did not care. Considering

Courtesy of Naom Galai/Getty Images

INCORPORATING LYRICS DEGRADING to women, “Lil Boat 2” is both poorly written and offensive.

that America is in the heat of multiple women’s rights movements such as Time’s Up and #MeToo, Yachty’s primary audience, teenagers, are getting more educated on the true consequences behind the objectification of women. Yachty seems to have failed while considering this with lyrics that only mention women in reference to sex. In the song “FMW,” it is apparent that Yachty is yet to determine the difference between an actual woman and a blow up doll. This is not to say Yachty is any more or less guilty than many other men and women in the music industry—lyrics like that sell—but how much longer are we going to let artists get away with “everyone else is doing it” as an excuse?

Yachty sends the message that he doesn’t care whether you like him or not, but using half of his album to do so proves to be contradicting, not to mention obnoxious. Few enjoy feeling like they’re being yelled at while listening to music, and Yachty’s accusatory tone throughout much of the album does just that. Yachty has claimed that he doesn’t take rap too seriously. Clearly he does as he is aggressively trying to come off as a trap rapper in many songs on this album. Prime examples include the songs “DAS CAP” and “POP OUT.” This is not where his voice fits in best and it comes off as very desperate. Yachty built his fan base by using fun beats and witty rhyme schemes, however, his new music focuses heavily on an abusive bass and lyrics with inconsistent subject matter. It was well known before Yachty released “Lil Boat 2” that his lyrics aren’t as exceptional as rappers known to be more poetic such as Kendrick Lamar or Drake, but lyrics as elementary as those in “Lil Boat 2” were surprising.

Although many songs on this album are disappointing, there are a few that live up to his past hits. In songs such as “66” and “NBAYOUNGBOAT,” Lil Yachty’s appeal comes through with fresh yet familiar beats and lyrics that you’ll find yourself jiving to. Clear highlights are

Courtesy of Quality Control Music

UTILIZING FAST BEATS and angry lyrics, “Lil Boat 2” is a dissapointing sequel. also clearly brought by many of the feature artists that Yachty collaborated with. My personal favorites included Lil Pump in “BABY DADDY” and Tee Grizzley in “GET MONEY BROS.” Unfortunately for Yachty, often times these featured artists outshine him in comparison.

The album is safe and overall less than mediocre.

Despite his attempt to move into a new sub-genre of rap mixed with shockingly unevolved lyrics, it is safe to say that Yachty fails to deliver in “Lil Boat 2.”

aklein@redwoodbark.org

Waterfalls and swimming holes: the natural pools of Marin County

F

By Anya Klein

Story and Photos by Emma Carpenter

Three Wells (Mill Valley)

Inkwells (Lagunitas)

Many in Marin are unaware of the waterfalls conveniently located nearby.

Due to the recent rain this winter, waterfalls and swimming holes have been replenished with water, so get ready to gush over these astonishing spots!

Cascade Falls is located in Cascade Canyon below Mt. Tam, and is only five minutes away from Old Mill Park. From downtown Mill Valley, the walk to the waterfall is 1.5 miles each way, but can be easily accessed up Cascade Drive. The stroll from downtown to the waterfall is the perfect blend of city life and nature. When arriving at Cascade Falls, a wooden sign directs hikers up a short path. Due to recent rain, the waterfall is rushing with water, and is so loud that it is heard before seen.

The waterfall is quite tall, and reminded me of a waterfall you’d see in an exotic jungle because it is concealed in the abundant vegetation. The only downside is that the trail was a bit slippery due to rain, but the breathtaking waterfall at the end made it worth it. Although Cascade Falls does not have a swimming area, it’s a worthwhile spot to go with friends or family after an easy stroll through downtown Mill Valley.

Consisting of three water wells for swimming, Three Wells is close to Cascade Falls in Mill Valley. The Three Wells swimming hole and the vegetation around it have been unchanged for centuries, and it has always been a popular gathering place for groups. Right next to the small parking lot, there is a short five minute downhill path that leads to the water.

Similar to Cascade Falls, there are tall trees and a short wooden bridge crossing the water beneath. It feels like a hidden forest because it is tucked away and secluded from Mill Valley’s city life. The swimming hole itself isn’t as large and deep as I expected. Below the wells of water, there is a small section of open space for taking a dip. Three Wells is a fun place to go for a quick swim after hiking, but definitely not spacious enough for lap swimmers. The special thing about this swimming hole is that the first well forms a natural water slide because of its slippery moss. This is pleasurable to zip down and drop into the water below. Even though the weather was cold and rainy when I went, there were still two people in the water swimming. All in all, I anticipated Three Wells to be more spacious and inviting, so while it wasn’t everything I hoped, it’s a very convenient place to stop by after visiting the waterfall next door.

Since being discovered by locals in the 1800s, Inkwells has always been a popular swimming spot. The Inkwells is located in Lagunitas, east of Samuel P. Taylor Park. Although the Inkwells are not marked upon arrival, they are easy to spot. There is a long red bridge on the side of the road, and right underneath is the water. I was surprised by how open and spacious Inkwells was in comparison to Three Wells. There is much more room for swimming and deep water for jumping into. Some popular spots to jump in from are the rocks along the sides of the water and the bridge above. The water is also much clearer than Three Wells, and has a gorgeous blue tint. Inkwells has both small water wells and larger ones that provide for the ultimate swimming experience.

The Inkwells are pouring with a series of cascades. The crisp and clear splashing water of the falls are mesmerizing to view.

Although the water is pristine, Inkwells seems to lack a forest feel like the other spots I visited. Overall, Inkwells includes riveting jumps from towering heights that will leave visitors yearning for more. I was pleased with what the Inkwells had to offer, but I would recommend making Inkwells an all-day trip, or perhaps a pit stop on the way to Point Reyes or Tomales Bay because of the lengthy drive.

Natalie Coffin Park in Ross Valley is a well-known hiking and biking spot in Marin, but many people forget the swimming area it provides. Below Phoenix Lake, the water at the park is known as Ross Creek, and pours into the swimming area continuously. Natalie Coffin Park is very spacious and is filled with picnic tables. About a minute from the parking lot and through the park’s entrance lies a small bridge with two areas of easily accessible water. Right next to the water is the main path that guides hikers to Phoenix Lake. The water itself is not very deep and definitely not made for jumping into, but there is a good amount of room to swim around. The scenery and serenity makes up for the water quality since the swimming area isn’t overly populated. I advise visiting the swimming area after hiking. The atmosphere around the water is peaceful, but I would not suggest visiting the park solely for the swimming because the quality of the water is disappointing.

The water is both murky and dull colored in areas, which is displeasing for swimmers.

I would much rather take the long-lasting drive to Inkwells in order to get a more enjoyable swimming experience.

FLOWING INTO A pool, Cascade Falls is a beautiful break from downtown.

CONSISTING OF MULTIPLE pools, Three Wells is perfect for a quick dip.

PROVIDING A SPACIOUS swim site, Inkwells is Marin’s best watering hole.

DISAPPOINTING WITH MURKY water, Natalie Coffin is a subpar spot.

Natalie Coffin Park (Ross Valley)

Cub Reporter

Cascade Falls (Mill Valley)

ecarpenter@redwoodbark.org

Page 17 • Review

www.redwoodbark.org

Town Center Pizza captures a ‘pizza’ Marin’s heart

By Brandon Radu and Jenna Dahlin Cub Reporters

After the loss of the beloved California Pizza Kitchen just over a year and a half ago, a new pizza restaurant has arrived in the Town Center. Marin Pizza, an independently-owned restaurant, has opened for business directly across from Blue Barn and Starbucks.

After opening their doors on March 23, Marin Pizza has quickly become the newest spot for pizza lovers in Marin.

The beautiful, inviting exterior is hard to miss, with a large outdoor seating area big

Photo by Brandon Radu

USING FARM FRESH ingredients, senior Noah Arrick assembles a pizza.

enough to fit a party upwards of 20 diners.

Rustic tables line the patio, accompanied by matching metal chairs and silverware.

Once inside, the high ceilings, with brown beams and low lighting, create a tranquil ambiance. With both high bar stools and comfortable booths, the interior seating options add to the friendly environment that is ideal for everyone. The restaurant attracts all ages, from a fun build-your-own pizza option to a sleek wooden bar with wine and beer on tap for the adults.

What really keeps everyone entertained are the seven flat screen TVs that line the brick walls, which can be viewed from any seat in the restaurant. On top of playing nightly sports games, the restaurant displays its individuality with a constant feed of action-packed GoPro footage from adventures and stunts all around the world.

The menu is filled with dozens of classic pizza recipes which can be nicely paired with the restaurant’s two green salads, the Marin House Salad and the Classic Chicken Caesar. Everything in the house is “farm fresh,” a pledge to use only organic, all-natural ingredients.

The best deal in the house is the buildyour-own pizza, priced at $10.95, with a gluten free option for an extra $2. When walking through the door, the employees immediately greet the customer with a friendly hello. The journey begins at the start of a Subway-like food assembly line.

The employees prepare a 10-inch pizza dough and walk down the line as they assemble your meal. From the tomato sauce, to the cheese, to the 20 possible toppings, the choices for your pizza are endless. The whole process is very efficient, lasting less than ten minutes

bark

Photo by Brandon Radu

SERVING A VARIETY of homemade custom pizzas, Marin Pizza offers affordable and accessible meals. from start to finish. Once the delicious pizza came out, it was everything I could have wished for, from the soft crust to the melted cheese. It blended smoothly with my toppings of chicken and crispy bacon.

To top off the mouth-watering pizza is a small Three Twins ice cream mini-fridge, filled with a variety of mini cups and ice cream sandwiches. If that is not enough to satisfy your cravings, the restaurant also offers house-made cookies which are a perfect post-pizza dessert.

Not only does the taste of the pizza and proximity to Redwood offer a great quick lunch for students, it’s also an optimal gig for a part time job. Senior Mari McMullen

was recently hired as an employee at Marin Pizza.

“It’s a super friendly environment. A cool aspect is the farm to table initiative and the sustainable farm fresh product, especially because I am in sustainable agriculture,” McMullen said.

At 10 inches, the pizza is the ideal portion size for a single person; it’s just the right amount of food to fill you up, but not stuff you to the brim. Overall, with its unlimited toppings and soft crust, the pizza was great. It all blended together to make each bite better than the last. bark@redwoodbark.org

‘The Shape of Water’ tells an unconventional love story

By Ryan Bell Cub Reporter

Since first beginning his career in 1993, director Guillermo del Toro has consistently proven to be a visionary director with an eye for visual flare and captivating stories.

Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, del Toro started making films at age eight with only his dad’s Super 8 camera and a few action figures. As he got older, he began directing larger scale films ranging from mainstream action to dark fantasy. While some of his more recent films like “Crimson Peak” have left fans underwhelmed, del Toro’s new film “The Shape of Water” has once again put him on the map as one of the most creative directors of the decade. With its beautiful cinematography and set design, phenomenal performances and haunting score, there’s plenty to enjoy about this bizzare love story.

Set in America in 1962, the film tells the story of a mute cleaning woman named Elise Esposito (Sally Hawkins) who works the graveyard shift at a top secret research facility along with her close friend Zelda Fuller (Octavia Spencer). While cleaning one night, Elise meets a human-like fish creature (Doug Jones), who was brought to the facility following his discovery in South America to be studied for potential use against the Soviets. As the

story goes on, Elise falls in love with the creature in a strange twist on the tale as old as time and must fight to save him from the hands of the villainous Colonel Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon).

As expected of a Guillermo del Toro movie, “The Shape of Water” is filled with beautiful use of color and contrast; the film’s depiction of an inner city Baltimore neighborhood is wonderfully lit with green lighting and neon colors, while Colonel Strickland’s suburban home is colored a contrasting orange. The set design is equally impressive, providing possibly the greatest example of del Toro’s contemporary-fantasy-style yet. Every single set, from the wooden, Victorian apartments to the minimalist sci-fi research facility, feel like they span both the past and the future without feeling out of place. Complementing these sets is a haunting score by Alexandre Desplat, which makes use of muted sound design to capture the feeling of being underwater. From a purely technical standpoint, “The Shape of Water” is an incredible feat that easily stands among del Toro’s best.

But of course, visuals aren’t everything. If all “The Shape of Water” had to offer was a few pretty colors, I’d be bored out of my mind throughout its two-hour runtime. Fortunately, “The Shape of Water” doesn’t get bogged down by its design. The story, on top of being incredibly strange and creative, is very well-paced,

never feeling unnecessarily long. The dialogue, while sometimes sounding overly poetic, is well-written, and the performances from all the main actors are convincing and entertaining to watch. Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer’s characters are especially interesting, as the film hints that the talkative Zelda uses the mute Elise as therapy for her frustrations.

Even though “The Shape of Water” gets so much right, it’s still far from a flawless experience. My biggest issue with the film is the way del Toro chose to characterize the villain (Colonel Richard Stricken). The character couldn’t help but feel cheesy during a lot of his screen time. It’s as if del Toro comprised a list of every single bad thing a person could possibly be and then forced it all into Sticken’s dialogue without making any effort to develop it.

Some of Sticken’s lines are racist and sexist, and in one scene he almost commits sexual assault. However, these actions are only brought up once or twice, in throwaway lines or single scenes in an attempt to force the audience to hate Stricken with no real relation to the plot. And while some may argue that Stricken’s unrealistically evil behavior is a stylistic choice to fit with del Toro’s fairytalelike story, I can’t help but feel that the character could have been much more believable if these aspects were properly developed.

The film also has a couple of moments which, while not completely taking me out of the experience, still seemed pretty unbelievable. In one scene, a character is able to completely fill a bathroom with water just by sticking a towel under the crack of the door. How would a single towel make the bathroom mostly airtight? What about the cracks along all sides of the door? Wouldn’t it take several hours to completely fill a room with water? Fortunately, moments like these aren’t too common, and often nothing that happens in the movie is above the average suspension of disbelief that films usually ask.

“The Shape of Water” is a film that I can only describe as unique. Everything about it is so utterly original and creative that it’s incredibly refreshing to watch after so many boring, run-of-the-mill action and superhero flicks.

Even with its few flaws, the gorgeous set design, superb cinematography, stellar performances and unconventional story make this wonderfully strange sci-fi romance film a joy to watch. Since the film has been released on DVD, Amazon Prime and iTunes as of March 13, there’s no better time than now to experience one of the best films of last year.

Courtesy of Fox Searchlight

SHARING A BRIEF moment of happiness together, Elise (Sally Hawkins) shows the creature (Doug Jones) a card she bought him.

rbell@redwoodbark.org

lifestyles

Page 18

Annika Geissberger creates clothing to fuel her passion for fashion

By Eislyn Snyder Cub Reporter

At Bacich Elementary School, circa 2008, one would find kindergartener Annika Geissberger working intently on her latest felt project, stitched together in the Sewing Sally’s class she attended everyday after school. She cherished the time spent making small stuffed animals and other handsewn objects, constantly looking forward to creating them. Her youthful creations soon turned into delicate skirts and little purses. The necessity of machine sewing arose in order to create more advanced articles of clothing, which ultimately lead her to cultivate her love for fashion.

Now a sophomore, Annika’s interest in creating clothing has not subsided. Rather, it has grown and developed into a fullfledged fervor that she wishes to pursue later in her life. She currently expresses her enthusiasm by designing and making her own clothing in her studio, which used to be an office in her house.

Her workspace has multiple moodboards to stir her creative spirit, which are covered in an assortment of Vogue magazine cutouts and pictures of shoes, bags and other clothing articles she finds appealing. She also takes inspiration from high-end brands such as Chanel and Gucci, which both fall on opposing ends of the spectrum of fashion design.

“I really like Chanel. I use a lot of the same fabric, styles and colors.

They’re really classy and have stuck with their roots,” Annika said. “Also Gucci, they’re the exact opposite, pushing their boundaries constantly. They’re always changing and following trends, so I think that’s really cool.”

Christine Geissberger, Annika’s mom, traces Annika’s interest in clothing design back to different aspects of her upbringing

that shaped her creative personality.

“We were always doing some type of art project. She got ahold of a fashion drawing book when she was around six and she started drawing the outline of people and dresses. She always loved putting together outfits,” Christine said.

She believes that Annika’s inherently creative nature is what drives her interest in fashion.

Annika’s first commission was a black jacket made of quilted vinyl on the torso, and sheer black fabric sporting two white stripes on the arms—a sophisticated yet trendy look. She has typically stuck with street wear, ranging from cropped-shirt and skirt two-pieces to furry-sleeved jackets.

As of early March, she has been creating a scarlet strapless evening-wear gown inspired by the most recent Oscars award ceremony.

In order to allow Annika’s ideas, such as the red dress, to come to life off her sketchbook pages, she follows a selfdeveloped process.

“I start out by drawing the design I want to make. That is probably the most difficult thing because I have to find out what length, cut and generally what I want to make. Then I will make a pattern out of a regular white muslin, I’ll cut it out, and trace it onto the fabric,” Annika said.

“Depending on what I make, it’ll probably take me a few days to make it.”

To display her work, Annika has an Instagram page, @Annikag.designs, where she posts pictures of her clothing modeled by her friends. One of her friends, sophomore Camille Goodhart, has modeled for Annika in the past and sees traits in Annika that exhibit her love for fashion and design.

“She’s very creative and determined to create new things. She’s always keeping up with styles and pairing together interesting pieces of clothing,” Goodhart said. “I’ve

Photo by Eislyn Snyder

WORKING AT THE sewing machine, sophomore Annika Geissberger completes her latest design. gone shopping with her and we always a program at FIDM this summer in Los look at ‘out there’ type of clothes that Angeles, where she will be able to expand she’s really into. She’s not afraid to wear her knowledge about the fashion industry. something crazy that no one else would This is but one of the strides she has been wear and totally pull it off.” taking in order to further her understanding Annika does not only express her of design. fervor for fashion and clothing in her Her journey is only beginning- creating studio but, at the beginning of this her own known brand and line of clothing semester, Annika collaborated with one of is her ultimate goal, one that will take her friends, sophomore Evelyn Bailey, to hours of dedication and enthusiastic vigor. create the Fashion Institute of Design and However, she’s willing to do whatever it Merchandising (FIDM) Fashion Club at takes to achieve her dream.

Redwood.

“When I look good, it makes me feel Their meetings consist of a group of confident, and I need to feel confident to students who gather to discuss the latest excel,” Annika said. “My overall goal is to fashion trends, put together mood boards, be a well-known designer and create things sketch clothing ideas, and even invite that make people feel the same thing as me guest speakers to attend. The club receives through fashion, because for me, it’s more materials from FIDM itself to provide for than what you’re just putting on your body, the assorted activities. They meet in room it’s about how you feel.”

280 on Tuesdays at lunch.

Annika is planning on partaking in esnyder@redwoodbark.org

Jackson Reed takes the lead in creating a summer camp in Massachusetts

By Natasha Poutiatine Cub Reporter

Staying in Cape Cod all summer, sophomore Jackson Reed has found something original to do with his time rather than lounging in the sun. He and his friend, Will Van Vleck, who is from the Cape, have come up with a fun way to spend the summer, make money, and help families: summer camp.

Ridgevale Adventure Camp, created by Reed and Van Vleck, is located on the Ridgevale beach in Chatham,

Massachusetts. The main focus of the camp is teaching additional benefits of running their own summer camp. kids the basics of life while incorporating fun field games “[The camp] is going to be two and a half hours, four and beach activities. The educational part of Ridgevale nights a week. It’ll just give the parents time to have a Adventure Club will include teaching kids ages six to 15 drink, go out to dinner, while the kids are still having an how to hunt, fish, make a fire, garden and use the materials awesome time and not just sitting around,” Van Vleck said. they have caught, killed or grown to cook meals for In addition to the other camp activities, kids will themselves. be able to swim, surf, paddleboard, fish, kayak and Reed has traveled to Chatham every summer since participate in other typical beach activities with provided he was a kid. He met Van Vleck this past summer while materials already owned. The two friends are planning working together renting sailboats. The idea of creating a on advertising by handing out business cards to kids business came up between the two boys at work one day on the beach and putting up signs along the road and in while they were brainstorming ways to make money over restaurants. Van Vleck has already talked to realtors about the summer. From there, the idea was expanded. advertising to renters and buyers as well.

Van Vleck came to Marin this past winter break to help “The hardest part for us is definitely going to be getting formulate the business plan for the following summer. the word out and getting people to know what [the camp] According to Van Vleck, the idea of is,” Van Vleck said. starting a summer camp has always They are planning on been his dream and starting one with creating a five to one ratio his friend sounded even more exciting. of counselors to kids. This “I’ve always wanted to buy would work with just Reed 200 acres of land in Pennsylvania and Van Vleck working or somewhere and open a camp to together as counsellors with teach kids basics of life that I think 10 to 12 kids. If there is everyone should know. When I came more interest in enrollment, to California to visit Jackson, I was they would need to hire telling him and his dad about that other counselors.

Van [idea] and one night we were just Will Van Vleck, Vleck already has trained thinking of ways to make money in the counselors interested if summer. We just started brainstorming Co-founder of Ridgevale Adventure Camp need be. and I just stuck with the idea,” Van “We’re hoping parents Vleck said. will see it as a babysitting Van Vleck found a love for hunting alternate, so rather than and fishing when his dad taught him at a young age. Being paying someone to sit at their house watching the kids, we taught by his father as a kid made him want to do the same can make it really fun and also educational in a way,” Van for the kids at this camp. Van Vleck wants them to have Vleck said. the same enjoyable, exciting experience he had so many They both expressed that teaching kids the skills years ago. they should know is the most important part of creating “It’ll be a fun way to give kids an opportunity to enjoy Ridgevale Adventure Club and they hope it’ll be a success. their vacation by themselves while their parents are out to dinner,” Reed said.

Van Vleck feels a similar way as he explains the npoutiatine@redwoodbark.org

I’ve always wanted to buy 200 acres of land in Pennsylvania or somewhere and open a camp to teach kids basics of life.

Photo courtesy of Jackson Reed

WALKING ACROSS THE bridge at Ridgevale Beach, Jackson Reed looks out at where his camp will soon take place.

Page 19 • Lifestyles

www.redwoodbark.org

Skip Lovelady serves his vibrant history and journey to teaching

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By Bella Roesler Cub Reporter

“We were a huge success, it just blew up. We went from making $30,000 in our first month in October 1985, and by Christmas the next year we were making $1 million a month,” said Skip Lovelady, Integrated and Honors Biomedical Science teacher at Redwood.

According to Lovelady, his life prior to teaching was unconventional. Caught up in the restaurant industry for 32 years, he didn’t attend college until 11 years after high school. Lovelady rarely had a full time job, but was very successful in the professional aspect of the restaurant business. He was Vice President and Director of Operations of a company called Super Shuttle, while owning an upscale restaurant in San Francisco. Going to college at Dominican is what ultimately led Lovelady to his teaching career at Redwood.

“My apartment in San Francisco in 1985 was $400$500 a month, and I was making more than that a night in the restaurant business,” Lovelady said.

After working for many years in the restaurant business he eventually became disinterested in the daily repetition of cooking. To enliven his experience, Lovelady educated himself on details of the menu to present to customers. He loved having intimate knowledge of the food.

“I had much more fun explaining the food and selling the food and making them feel like they had a waiter who was just as knowledgeable as any chef would be,” Lovelady said.

Lovelady worked at an upscale restaurant in San Francisco on Bush and Octavia street called Robert’s and eventually was offered to run a business called Super Shuttle. Before taking the offer, he ended up making enough money to purchase Robert’s while still working for Super Shuttle.

“These guys who were opening Super Shuttle came to my restaurant and convinced me to run the company,” Lovelady said. His commission evolved from thousands of dollars to $1 million a month.

Lovelady’s involvement in the restaurant industry carried on for many years, which he said became exhausting. The constant requests for catering at parties got completely out of control. Overwhelmed by many customer requests, Lovelady decided to cut back on the exhausting work. Lovelady’s apartment at the time had a view of the UCSF Medical Center, which inspired him to pursue another passion: medicine. After running Super Shuttle, Lovelady was determined to become a doctor. He hadn’t even gone to college.

“My wife and I were having dinner one night and I said, ‘I think I want to become a doctor.’ And she said, ‘I think you have to go to medical school for that’ and I said, ‘Well actually I think I need to go to college first,” Lovelady said.

Photo courtesy of Skip Lovelady

WHILE SERVING HIS cutomers, Skip Lovelady enjoyed knowing every detail of the meal rather than the repetition of cooking.

Lovelady started the pre-med program at Dominican at 32-years-old, moving to Marin in his sophomore year of college. After long school days, he would commute to the city about five nights a week to wait tables, still managing to make valedictorian his senior year of college. When Lovelady graduated, he spontaneously decided to pursue education after a change of heart. He went to see the head of the education department at Dominican to see what it would take to apply and be accepted.

“The staff of the education department laughed at me.

They tried to talk me out of going into teaching, saying, ‘You’ve worked too hard, you’ve done too many things, you need to go make use of your life’ and I fought through that and I stayed,” Lovelady said.

However, becoming a teacher at Redwood proved to be very challenging, according to Lovelady. He was just learning how to navigate teaching. Knowing that he was a ‘rough’ teacher, Lovelady saw potential for the future. He eventually learned that he enjoyed teaching students, had a knack for writing curriculum and liked the co-workers.

“It took me five or six years until I was fully convinced

that I would start a school year and say, I’ll be back next year. Prior to that, all year long I would tell people ‘I don’t know if I’m coming back next year.’ Every summer I would think about it, but now I have 24 years of teaching here at Redwood,” Lovelady said.

Lovelady’s experiences teaching have kept him returning after every summer, despite the challenges.

According to Lovelady, he has built his own community at Redwood. Lovelady created Honors Biomedical Science, a college level class and one of his many accomplishments.

But above the homework, grades and attendance, Lovelady prioritizes his students’ citizenship when it comes to teaching.

“Nowadays I still cater occasionally, mostly for charity dinners. I probably have seven or eight more years here at Redwood, so I may do something in the restaurant business again as time goes on,” Lovelady said.

iroesler@redwoodbark.org

Students fry up their free time working at Mill Valley’s In-N-Out Burger

By Elena Mesker Cub Reporter

It is 12 a.m. on a Friday night and crowds of teenagers walk in through the brightly lit double doors of In-N-Out Burger in Mill Valley. Employees have many jobs and work up to six hour shifts.

Juniors Derek Bindels and Kiyan Darznik know this routine like the back of their hands.

Both Darznik and Bindels started their work careers at In-N-Out because of the friendly environment and starting wage. According to Darznik, during the four months he worked at In-N-Out, he bonded with his co-workers and enjoyed friendly customer attitudes. This accepting

atmosphere is complemented by the highest paying wage in the fast food industry.

While most fast food restaurants pay their workers under $8 an hour—less than the California minimum wage—In-N-Out in Mill Valley starts their employees at $14 an hour, though pay rates vary based on location. This means that Mill Valley has one of the highest pay rates of any fast food restaurant in the country. According to Business Insider, the average wage for a manager of a fast food eatery in the United States is $48,000 annually. Employees at In-N-Out can eventually work themselves up to $120,000. This is otherwise unheard of in the fast food industry.

According to a study in 2017 by Glassdoor, manager salaries at In-N-Out

Photo by Bella Roesler

RUSHING TO SERVE waiting customers, Derek Bindels has a strong respect for the work he does and hopes to incorporate those skills in future jobs.

align with the salaries of attorneys, doctors, architects and engineers, which are some of the highest salaries in the workplace.

Along with higher wages, In-N-Out also provides vision, medical and dental health benefits to both full and part-time workers.

Bindels has worked at In-N-Out for only about one month. He works four days a week as a level-one employee, meaning he is in charge of clean-up and janitorial duties, restocking napkins and handing out burgers over the counter.

“You work at a very fast pace and constantly perform the same tasks. It’s usually restocking materials, cleaning tables or calling out order numbers,” Bindels said.

Both Bindels and Darznik emphasized the organized routine of their responsibilities.

“Working at In-N-Out is sometimes stressful because it’s always busy and there is a constant pattern of the work you do,” Bindels said.

The food business is a common first job among many teens because of the industry’s diversity in terms of food culture and various working positions that offer a wide range of training. Before working at In-NOut, Darznik had no prior work experience.

“It was a great first job, but I wouldn’t continue it long term because it was very repetitive, and the manager put a strong emphasis on using a specific script when taking an order,” Darznik said. ‘Scripts’ are commonly used at fast food restaurants to make every customer interaction the same, usually referring to the same language and tone.

He describes this routine as “robotic” which took away the fun in customer interactions. After working at In-N-Out for over four months, Darznik quit and began working for his father’s new business and cherished the more open-ended interactions rather than the structure he was accustomed to at In-N-Out. On the other hand, Bindels really enjoys the structured work and looks forward to continuing working there.

“Hopefully I can continue working at In-N-Out until I am done with college. I will of course need money while in college and I think continuing to work there will provide me with a handsome salary, as well as a job I look forward to,” Bindels said.

Bindels has a very strong respect for the work he does and hopes to incorporate those skills into his future jobs.

“I think having an experience like this will help me incorporate some of those characteristics to everything I have done and will do in future jobs,” Bindels said.

Both Darznik and Bindels are thankful for the experiences given to them by working at In-N-Out and have a new appreciation for people working in the fast food industry.

“In-N-Out has given me a sense of pride for hard work,” Bindels said.

They both expressed how gratifying and constructive it was to have their first job be at In-N-Out and would definitely recommend it to kids who enjoy structured and organized working environments. emesker@redwoodbark.org

Lending a hand: more literal than one might think

By Morgan Salzer Cub Reporter

Hands are a defining part of the human body. They are complex and unique to only a few organisms on Earth, and when they are lost, they never grow back. Luckily, technology has allowed us to create a substitute for them, and that is exactly what sophomore Jaden Ramos has achieved.

Ramos’ interest in robotics and engineering stemmed from a young age, according to his middle school robotics teacher, Jeff Deboi.

Deboi was the first to introduce Ramos to e-NABLE, an online community with the purpose of matching those who seek prosthetic hands with those who build them. After hearing about the website, Ramos excitedly created a new goal for himself: to build a working plastic hand.

“I read an article about this technique of 3-D printing that you could print a hand for a child for as little as $30, where a normal prosthetic hand would cost about two or three thousand. I showed Jaden and said, ‘Are you game to do this?’ and we started printing,” Deboi said.

It was through e-NABLE that Ramos was able to come in contact with Toth Alpar, the son of a man in Romania for whom he would eventually build a hand.

Ramos first connected with Alpar in December of 2017, after Alpar had made a post requesting someone to build his 59-year-old father a hand. Alpar said that his father was looking for a prosthetic limb to take the place of his lost body part.

“A few months ago my dad had an accident at work and lost a good part of his right hand working for people that don’t care about him,” Alpar said. “Living in a poor country like Romania, where no one cares about the poor people, he is still fighting for his rights, trying to get his dignity back. That’s where Jaden jumped in and decided to lend a hand.”

When Ramos saw the message for help, he immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

He began emailing with Alpar and promptly offered his services.

“I jumped on that wagon really quick because I knew that if I didn’t make this hand for him, someone else would and I had been wanting to make a hand for so long,” Ramos said.

According to Ramos, the entire process of building was time consuming and difficult; however, he remained enthusiastic about the challenge. He

spent about three hours every day working on the hand, on top of going to school, completing his homework and participating on the wrestling team. The 3-D printers he used often malfunctioned and the only information he was given to build Alpar’s hand were the measurements of his arm, nothing physical. However, through donors and mentors like Deboi, Ramos was able to finish the operation in under four months.

“3-D printers notoriously run into problems. Filament gets stuck and different issues arise, but Jaden was a great engineer and he was good at analyzing what's wrong with the 3-D printer today and then he would jump at that chance to try to prepare and fix it. He’s a born engineer. He’s really great about that and so enthusiastic,” Deboi said.

Soon after the hand was sent to Romania, Ramos received a video of Alpar’s father using the hand to do his daily chores.

What would have seemed like a series of monotonous actions to an able-bodied person (sweeping, picking up buckets and carrying groceries) was a momentous moment in Alpar’s life. Ramos was elated.

“I was thinking, ‘Holy crap! Someone’s actually using this.’

It was one thing to think about and it was something else to see it because I worked really hard on this hand,” Ramos said.

According to Alpar, the hand has made his father's life increasingly easy. He is now able to do an array of chores and is even learning how to drive a stick shift.

Though a prosthetic limb will never compare to flesh and bone, the father-son duo said they are incredibly grateful to Ramos and all the work he has done.

In the years since Ramos left his middle school, a club led by Deboi has formed, with the goal of making prosthetic limbs.

The members, who range from fifth to eighth graders, have been able to efficiently build a working prosthetic hand because of the guidelines Ramos left behind. Ramos plans to start his own club at Redwood next year for students looking to get involved with e-NABLE and other similar organizations.

“I’d say that [e-NABLE] is an awesome experience when you’re looking for community service,” Ramos said.

“You’re going to help out someone. You’re going to change a life.” msalzer@redwoodbark.org

Photo by Morgan Salzer