September2016

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September 8, 2016

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www.redwoodbark.org

Vice principal returns amidst campaign to start school

By Heidi Roenisch Former assistant principal Katy Foster has returned to Redwood as an interim administrator amidst her work on a new campaign to start a public, tuition-free charter high school in San Rafael.

Foster, who is the founding principal of Ipso (Latin for “itself), the proposed school, formally resigned from Redwood at the end of the last school year. However, she has stepped in for the first month this year to fill an administrative gap as Redwood searches for a new assistant principal.

Redwood assistant principal Lisa Jimenez accepted another position just days before the start of the school year, prompting Principal David Sondheim to ask Foster and former assistant principal Sue Chelini to fill the vacancy. Currently, Foster and Chelini split the duties between morning and afternoon, respectively.

“It’s not an ideal situation, but we are incredibly fortunate that we have two people who were able to substitute that are both experienced at what they do and with Redwood,” Sondheim said.

According to Sondheim, the search for a permanent replacement is already under way, with interviews being held and hopes for a candidate to be selected and approved by the last Tuesday TUHSD board meeting.

For Foster, the idea for the school started in Feb. 2015, when she and Drake science teacher and eventual Ipso cofounder Erin Ashley began dreaming up models for a school with a flexible learning structure to offer community members an alternative style of learning.

“We asked the biggest question in the world, ‘How do you start a new public high school?’” Foster said.

The duo then participated in a start-up schools fellowship where they received training on how to lead in an alternative learning environment. This subsequently

helped them decide to move forward with their idea, introducing it to the public in Jan. 2016.

“We had pursued filling in our model, gauging community support for another public school option and had secured some funding, so when all three of those things lined up that’s when we were able to become more public with it,” Foster said.

Ipso officially submitted their petition to become a San Rafael District school in June and has received mixed reactions.

“We have strong parent support from parents who want another option for their kids, and we also have a strong opposition,” Foster said. “There was a board meeting on [Aug. 22] and it seems like most of the people who spoke against us were teachers. There’s a lot of questions that people have, but we feel pretty confident that when people get their questions answered, they’ll accept us more.”

According to Foster, the school would focus on group and project-based learning that exposes students to problems through an interdisciplinary approach.

However, this proposal comes at a time when the Marin community may be questioning the idea of charter schools.

Willow Creek Academy in Sausalito, one of only two charter schools currently in the county, is under review from California’s Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance team over concerns that funds have been disproportionately diverted to the charter school over the other K-8 school in the district, Martin Luther King.

Some community criticism comes from the belief that many of the perceived issues Ipso seeks to remedy could be solved by working with the existing schools in the district, not creating an entirely different school. More than 200 people in the San Rafael community have signed a petition against the school.

However, Foster believes a charter school, with its less rigid structural and

scheduling state requirements, offers flexibility and a fresh start that are key to tackling differences in learning.

“I’ve been in education my whole career, which is 25 years that I’ve been in public schools, and I’ve been trying to change the system to have a better outcome for all students from within the structure,” Foster said. “But after researching how kids learn and seeing what education research says about structures that support that kind of learning, we decided that we should start a school that blows up the confines of a traditional school schedule so that we weren’t beholden to specific periods.”

The proposed school would open in the fall of 2017 with just a freshman class, subsequently adding a grade each year until it begins running at full capacity with 528 total students in 2020.

Infographic by Heidi Roenisch

Ipso’s application for public funding will be reviewed by the San Rafael City School Board and accepted or denied at the Sept. 26 board meeting.

The school received a $100,000 dollar grant from the Silicon Valley Schools Fund but will rely on the San Rafael City School District for the rest of their funding if it is approved.

As a basic aid district, San Rafael schools receive funding based on their number of students, meaning that with a proposed freshman class of 132 students, Ipso would receive $1.7 million in funding.

According to Foster, the San Rafael community was specifically chosen because of its diversity and potential for community connections.

Continued on page 5

Teachers create new dual teaching program for freshmen

By Jordan Overmyer

English teacher Cathy Flores-Marsh and social studies teacher Stephen Hart teamed up in a new academic program this year by combining their freshmen classes to create more of a connection between history and literature.

During fifth and sixth period, the roughly 50 students in this program are scheduled for both Hart and FloresMarsh. Half of them attend Hart’s class for World Cultures and Geography/Social Issues and the rest go to FloresMarsh’s class for English for one period before swapping teachers for the next period.

According to Hart, most days the students will be in separate classes, but the work that they do in his class will continually relate to what they’re doing in Flores-Marsh’s class. The periods are back to back, allowing the teachers to push the periods together if needed.

The duo determines each day if it’s more useful to have the classes together or separate based on the material they will cover that day.

“When we are team-teaching there might be some days where one person might be leading the discussion, but generally speaking we balance off each other pretty well,” Hart said.

Through group work and projects, Hart and FloresMarsh hope to show their classes that the content of each of their respective classes overlap.

“Oftentimes I think students go through school feeling that what they learn in classes is isolated to that class,” Hart said. “Hopefully this starts the process of expanding that view and seeing that these things that we are touching on not only span across multiple disciplines but then also beyond Redwood.”

Students are still assessed like their peers in more traditional English and Social Studies classes.

“The content hasn’t changed at all, but what has changed is the way it’s delivered and the tasks that they have to accomplish to show proficiency in each of our

Photo courtesy of David Sondheim

DIRECTING AN EGG drop for their first project, teachers Cathy Flores-Marsh and Stephen Hart combine freshman classes to foster cross-disciplinary learning. subject areas,” Flores-Marsh said.

According to both teachers, planning is extremely deliberate and requires giving up some class activities they usually do to make room for new activities.

“It’s initially sort of time consuming but the output is so much better and the learning is so much better for the students,” Flores-Marsh said.

Team-teaching requires a pair of people that are comfortable with each other, according to Hart.

“We are fortunate because we have a shared conference period, and we are also just friends in general so we can shoot texts to each other,” Flores-Marsh said.

The process of getting the class fully approved and running took two years. Hart and Flores-Marsh had to talk to the administration and their department heads, and attend workshops and conferences to learn more about project-based learning.

“We are hoping to make this, especially as the years go on, more project-based so it will require building those essential team-working, collaborative skills, which we think is essential in being a successful high school student,” Hart said.

According to Flores-Marsh, she and Hart think that the students are excited to learn the subjects through this new program, and hope to gather data and learn what students thought of this new program at the end of the year.

“They’ve all responded well to our first couple of days and our first activity. We started off with a great energy and now it’s just ours to maintain it and keep it exciting, fun and engaging,” Hart said.

Students have mixed reactions to this program. At first, freshman Spencer Johnston wanted to be in the regular classes because it was what the majority of his peers were doing. But after having the class for a few days, Johnston prefers the combined class.

Flores-Marsh and Hart hope to motivate fellow staff members to join them and extend the program beyond themselves. They believe it makes a stronger teacher because it forces them to think outside the box.

“In a way it keeps you fresh and engaged as a teacher,” Flores-Marsh said. “It allows you to grow because it has challenged me in ways that I didn’t know [it could]. It re-energizes you; it lets you fall in love with your subject area all over again which is really important.” jordan.overmyer@redwoodbark.org

bark

Page 2 • News

September 8, 2016

Photo Survey: What is the most embarassing thing you have seen or done this year?

“My friend fell down the stairs into a crowd of people.”

Luke McKernan freshman

“I’ve already broken two test tubes.”

Alex McGregor sophomore

“My friend tried to make a three pointer and air balled.”

“I popped a balloon animal in the library.”

junior

senior

Mackie Skall

Alice Sowa

New advisory class seeks to further house system

By China Granger This year’s introduction of a new advisory period is expected to help integrate Link Crew’s house system into school culture and to encourage student connections across grade levels, according to Link Crew teachers Erik Berkowitz and Katie Slattery.

The house system, which divides incoming freshmen into either Bridge, Light, Mountain, or Tree House, was designed by Berkowitz and Slattery to break down barriers between grade levels and encourage community building through school activities.

“Seeing all the separation by grade level, it would be nice to follow the Link Crew model of ‘olders’ mentoring and leading the ‘youngers’,” Slattery said.

In its first year, though, the system failed to gain traction with students.

“One of the challenges we faced last year was just that we had a lot of ideas and we set up different lunchtime events, but the turnout was not as high as we were hoping,” Slattery said.

House-related events last year were not met with enthusiasm from students, according to Berkowitz.

“There was no structure in place. It didn’t hold together in a meaningful way,” Berkowitz said.

However, Berkowitz said he hopes that the addition of a new advisory period will further integrate the house system.

“I think the houses and the advisory are going to work hand-in-hand,” Slattery said.

Grade levels that have already entered the system are in advisories grouped by house. All students will also have the same advisory teacher for as long as they attend Redwood.

“Advisory being in its first year, people are excited, but as far as a staff side, there are also some nerves around it just because it’s new and it’s something we’ve never done before,” Slattery said.

Slattery hopes that advisory will get students involved with their houses in the future, but also predicts it will take time for the houses to be fully integrated.

“Anytime you implement something to a school, it takes time for everybody to fully understand and acclimate,” Slattery said.

This year’s freshmen were only the second class to enter the house system and many students were unaware or confused about the system, according to Slattery.

Currently, the only upperclassmen who have been assigned a house are members of Link Crew.

During orientation, freshmen were introduced to the system by Link Crew members from their same house.

Freshmen were also taught a housespecific “rhythms,” a series of stomps, claps and hand motions that could be used during future rallies.

Junior Matthew Johnson, who recently became a Link Crew member, said he thinks that the continuity of the advisory classes would have helped him as a freshman.

Logos courtesy of Link Crew, copyright Michael Schwab

RENOWNED ARTIST Michael Schwab designed the logos for Redwood’s new houses. Schwab is known for the popular poster campaigns of San Francisco that he created for the National Park Service.

“It would have been good to meet some people on the first day of school and then see them again every week for the rest of high school,” Johnson said.

The Link Crew class also hopes to organize house-related activities during advisory later this year, according to Berkowitz.

“Two years from now, the whole school will have entered in with the houses, so it will be ‘normal’,’” Berkowitz said. “When that happens, I think there’s all different kinds of things we could do.”

Berkowitz suggested that rally activities and events traditionally done by competing grade levels could instead be divided by houses, or that there could possibly be a week of “House Olympics” where cups or points would be awarded.

Though not excited about the houses last year, sophomore Haley Johnson said she thinks an Olympics-type activity would engage many of the students.

“When you make things competitive, everyone gets excited,” Haley said.

However, none of the activities are

guaranteed to happen.

According to Berkowitz, student interest will play a large role in determining the number and scale of house-related activities.

“So far we seem to have a lot of student

interest and we’re just hoping that that continues throughout the next couple of years,” Slattery said. cgranger@redwoodbark.org

Page 3 • News

www.redwoodbark.org

New chorus program offers creative opportunities after school

bark

By Alexandra Lee A semi-circle of students begins singing, matching tempo and pitch to multiple arrangements of pop music and traditional songs as a part of the new Tamalpais Union High School District chorus program.

The chorus class is held at Redwood on Thursday nights in the small music room from 6:30 to 8:30, and is open to singers of all grades and levels.

Susie Martone, the teacher of the new class, said that she thought it was strange that a school as large as Redwood didn’t have a chorus program, especially since so many of Redwood’s feeder middle schools have large chorus programs.

“Where I used to teach, the high schools all had four or five chorus classes and they all had a full-time teacher. In a school [as big as Redwood] there really should be two or three chorus classes, at least,” Martone said.

Martone also emphasized that singing actually improves people’s health, making chorus an important program to introduce to Redwood.

“Singing is really good for you – it releases endorphins, so it actually makes you feel better,” Martone said. “When you sing with a group of people over the course of a rehearsal, and when you’re singing something that’s at the same tempo, because you’re breathing together your heart rate actually syncs up with the people you’re singing with.”

Redwood sophomore Skylar Vos sang in the chorus at her middle school and said she was surprised that there wasn’t a chorus at Redwood when she entered her freshman year. Now as a participant in the program, she said she hopes that more students will join throughout the year and that chorus will become an official class during the school day.

“It really builds a community and it’s something that’s different than just playing an instrument. It’s a lot more work, I think, because it is something that you have to just know how to do,” Vos said. “You can’t really tune your voice so it’s a lot on you, and you feel really powerful if you do it well.”

Sophomore chorus member Betsy Tietze said that people who are skeptical about joining the class should give it a try before passing up on the opportunity.

“They should try it out at least, because if you’re feeling like you might be judged or you’re not good enough, you probably are good enough – you don’t necessarily need to be a certain level to join it, and you’ll improve either way,” Tietze said.

Martone encourages students to try chorus, since high school is a time for discovering interests and skills.

Photo by Alexandra Lee

LEADING CHORUS STUDENTS in vocal exercises and song covers with multiple harmonies at the second chorus class, Martone teaches a program that is open to students of all grade levels and meets on Thursday nights.

“What’s cool about being in high school is you get to try a bunch of different things. You try doing the sports team, you try doing an art class, you try all these different things,” Martone said. “You’re trying to see what is your thing, but for a lot of people, singing is their thing,” The chorus class will learn several types of music, from current pop music to traditional choir songs to multicultural music, according to Martone.

Martone also hopes that chorus will be a class for credit at Redwood next year.

“This year is basically an audition for the program, for it to be just on the evenings and seeing if people are interested and seeing if we can get some momentum and interest going,” Martone said. “But the real goal is for it to be a real class, just like band or drama or any art class.”

While Vos agrees that chorus should be an official class at Redwood, she said evening rehearsals allow more

time to practice and develop the pieces.

“I think that after school it’s nice because you can have a long extended period and you don’t really have to go in the 50-minute period,” Vos said.

The chorus class will hold concerts that will be open to the entire school.

“We’ll have a concert in December, and we’ll have another concert in either May or June towards the end of the year, and that’s kind of where we’re starting at,” Martone said.

Students from each of TUHSD’s five schools can participate, and signups are open until the end of September.

alee@redwoodbark.org

New and returning assistant principals join administration

By Amanda Trusheim What was originally intended to be two new assistant principal (AP) openings turned into three hires as Redwood welcomed both new and veteran staff members to the administrative team.

Former Tamalpais High School AP Brian Lynch as well as former Redwood APs Katy Foster and Sue Chelini joined the team of administrators over the summer.

One of the current APs, Lasandra White, was expected to be joined by only two new administrators for the 2016-17 school year.

However, a last minute job opportunity caused one of the new hires, Lisa Jimenez, to resign from her position. With a limited amount of time until the beginning of the year, administrators were forced to find a fast solution.

“We have two substitutes filling in, one who was here for the last set of years and the other one who’s been at Redwood for really long and knows the system,” said principal David Sondheim.

Despite last minute changes, Sondheim said that those involved have been extremely accomodating throughout the transition.

“We could not be in a better situation, having lost an assistant principal, and we are very appreciative of Ms. Foster and Mrs. Chelini’s willingness to help us out during this transition,” Sonheim said.

Katy Foster, who was an AP for the past four years, stepped down last year to start a charter school in San Rafael called Ipso.

She is working part-time as a Redwood AP and part-time as the Ipso founding principal.

“In a way, it’s sort of like this slower

Photo by Amanda Trusheim

WORKING AT THE desk she shares with Katy Foster, Sue Chelini also shares Foster’s job. Chelini is being welcomed back into the administrative team after 11 years. pull away of something that I love,” Foster While Foster works part-time in the said. mornings, retired AP Sue Chelini takes Having only resigned in June, Foster over the role in the afternoons. was an easy selection for the AP position An AP at Redwood for 13 years, due to her level of experience.

Chelini has experience with the school and “I knew in the back of my head if we the position. Throughout her retirement, get Mrs. Foster here, it would be no stress,” she continued to lead school tours, serve as White said. “[Jimenez’s resignation] was the district’s athletic programs coordinator surprising, a little scary, but as soon as I of athletic and substitute for absent APs. knew what the plan was, I was good.”

Lynch is also familiar with the district, Foster added that her experience with previously serving as a counselor for both the team at Redwood and love for members Tamalpais High School and Drake High such as Sondheim and White made coming School before becoming an AP at Tam. back to help an easy decision.

“He grew up in our district and went to

Redwood High School, so he knows the ins and outs very well,” Sondheim said. “He really is, we think, a perfect match for us here at Redwood.”

According to Lynch, the transition from Tam to Redwood was fairly smooth due his alumnus status.

“I feel like I’ve got an advantage compared to most people who are in this situation,” Lynch said.

White feels that Lynch’s past experience as an alumnus of Redwood and an experienced AP has helped him transition into the school.

“I’ve worked with brand new APs who are brand new to the job and brand new to the district; that takes another level of supporting them,” said White. “[Lynch] knows a lot more than a lot of people who have come on board that I’ve worked with.”

Usually, each administrative member has specific tasks that they oversee.

However, the unstable positions this year have required staff to work together and share their responsibilities until a permanent solution is finalized.

Sondheim added that responsibilities are divided amongst the members based on their interests and experience, making the final decision dependent on the background of the new hire.

The administration is hoping to finalize its members in the near future.

Classified staff, community members, parents, students and site adminstrators will be involved in the selection process, according to Sondheim.

The new AP will be selected within the next few weeks and integrated into the school within the next month or two. atrusheim@redwoodbark.org

September 8, 2016 bark Page 4 • News Filming of Netflix series supports local economy

By Caroline Cummings The filming of the Netflix original series “13 Reasons Why” began in Marin in June, and is expected to continue through mid-October, according to Deborah Albre, Marin County’s film liaison. The community has felt both economic growth and social disparity due to the filming of the series.

Based on the best-selling young adult novel of the same title by Jay Asher, the 13-episode series has filmed in various locations around Marin, including downtown San Rafael and Novato. The series is co-produced by Selena Gomez and directed by Tom McCarthy, director of the Academy Award-winning film “Spotlight.”

The filming of “13 Reasons Why” has positively impacted Marin’s economy, according to Joanne Webster, President and CEO of the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce.

“There have been a lot of what we call ‘heads in beds.’ That means that there’s been a lot of hotel rooms that have been used, a lot of local caterers are being used for jobs, and we know that [the production crew] has hired some local people,” Webster said. “They are definitely utilizing our restaurants and our coffee shops, so overall the impact economically has been very positive.”

According to Tom Adams, the Economic Development Coordinator in San Rafael, the city of San Rafael has already made a profit of around $50,000 from the filming.

Adams also stated that the filming has led to the hiring of many local people as well.

“The film industry is sort of interesting; it’s sort of like a circus or something, where they all come together for a production and they build this business around the production, hire all these people,” Adams said. “When it’s done everybody goes and they either go work on a new film or go

Photo by Caroline Cummings

FILMING IN MARIN, the new Netflix orginial series “13 Reasons Why” has supported economic growth in the local community. Marin cafes, hotels and caterers have seen an influx in demand as a result of the filming crews. work on something else.”

There were some concerns about the inconvenience that the filming would bring to the community, but according to Webster, it was nothing unmanageable.

“They have filmed in a lot of our neighborhoods and that was definitely a concern on behalf of the chamber and the city of San Rafael and how that was going to play itself out,” Webster said. “They’ve had road closures and neighbors were definitely inconvenienced, but they were so good with their outreach and they acted very neighborly.”

Although the production crew has tried to keep from disturbing locals, it is still hard to keep everyone in the community happy, according to Adams.

“The production itself has done a very

good job working with the neighborhoods, but it’s hard to get around the fact that there is a footprint, meaning they have a certain number of trucks and a certain number of equipment and everything that they need to produce the show,” Adams said.

The production crew has given compensation to any neighborhoods that have been inconvenienced by the filming, according to Albre.

“If they are disturbing people, they’ve gone around to all the neighborhoods and they’ve done signature surveys of the neighborhood so each person that is in the radius of wherever they’re going to be shooting has actually written down permission for them to film and Netflix is giving them compensation if they do shoot later hours,” Albre said.

The crew has also made a real effort to show their appreciation for the understanding of the community, according to Webster. Every August, the San Rafael Police Department hosts a “Night Out,” where the community has the opportunity to get to know their local police officers, and this year, it was hosted by Netflix in the Gerstle Park neighborhood where the crew had done a lot of their filming.

Webster hopes that the filming of “13 Reasons Why” will lead to the filming of other productions in Marin as well.

“What we’re hoping is that this lends itself to more of these companies wanting to film here, certainly in Marin County.

We have a beautiful county the landscape and backdrop is really great to film in,” Webster said.

Webster also thinks it would be helpful for the crew to spread the word about using Marin as a location.

“Hopefully they articulate their experience has been really positive to any other companies that want to come here,” Webster said.

In addition to spreading the word to other film crews, Adams thinks it will benefit Marin’s tourism industry. Although he thinks the increase in tourism directly caused by the series “13 Reasons Why” will be fairly small, it is something he plans to use as marketing in the future.

“We’ll use it as marketing and that sort of thing in the long term: ‘Home of ‘13 Reasons Why,” Adams said.

Albre hopes the filming will help make the whole process of getting the right permits to film in Marin a lot more efficient. “[Marin County] is diversified in filming because each city or town has its own contacts with their own procedures for filming,” Albre said. “So with ‘13 Reasons Why,’ I’m hoping the main impact from that is there will be more of a standardized film permitting procedure for the whole county.” ccummings@redwoodbark.org

New teachers jump into Redwood with fresh perspectives

By Christine Watridge Every year, Redwood is home to new teachers navigating their surroundings and trying to get to know their coworkers and students. Four of this year’s new teachers describe their past experiences, hopes for this school year, and what they want students to take away from their classes.

Alison Castro Spanish teacher Alison Castro grew up in Southern California and moved to the Bay Area to study at University of California, Berkeley. She has traveled to Central and South America, Africa and Europe, and lived in both Cuba and Brazil. Before teaching Spanish, Castro was an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher in Oakland. Castro also loves African, Cuban and Brazilian music and dance.

One thing Castro really appreciates about Redwood is the philosophy of the language department. Instead of using the standard “textbook method,” teachers interact with students through the use of comprehensible input, meaning that what the teacher shows and says is straightforward for students to understand.

Castro hopes to encourage her students to accept that they will make mistakes, and that problem-solving is an important skill to acquire in order to speak a different language.

“If they can’t try and try again, then they’re not going to speak a language,” Castro said. “If you’re afraid to say something because you think it’s going to come out wrong, then you’re never going to learn.”

Emily Doran Chemistry teacher Emily Doran was excited to move to Marin because it reminds her of where she grew up in Oregon. While tutoring students in science during college at University of Idaho, Doran realized that she loved the subject and wanted to teach it.

Her favorite part about science is the hands-on labs, which provide answers to problems.

“Being able to ask questions and then being able to go and do something and use that evidence to draw

conclusions and form explanations is really fun,” Doran said.

When she arrived at Redwood, Doran was appreciative of the kind welcome by the faculty and students, and was pleasantly surprised by the students’ politeness.

“The students say ‘thank you!’ Everybody does it here, it’s so nice!” said Doran.

Doran enjoyed meeting her new students, and encourages them to explore and appreciate science. Her advice to students is to always be curious, ask questions and try to figure things out.

Danielle Kestenbaum Danielle Kestenbaum always knew she wanted to work with kids, but originally thought about pursuing clinical pediatric psychology. She realized she wanted to teach when she found herself jealous of her roommate’s job as a teacher. Kestenbaum grew up in L.A. and majored in psychology at University of California, Berkeley.

As an English teacher, Kestenbaum is currently teaching one of her favorite books, “East of Eden.” She loves working at the base of Mt. Tam, learning more about Redwood and her students.

Kestenbaum’s teaching principle is to encourage students to always be skeptical of what people tell them.

“I want [students] to be questioning, critical thinkers.

I don’t want them accepting things at face value,” Kestenbaum said. “I really want students to feel involved in their education, not that I’m telling them to think just one way, act one way or believe one way.”

Taber Watson Taber Watson is a Redwood alumnus who, after student-teaching at Tam High School, returned to his former school to teach social studies. “[Redwood] is very familiar. I feel at home already,” Watson said. “I have an idea of where everything is and who all the people are. A lot of my former teachers are still here, so I already have some relationships built in.”

Watson knew he wanted to teach history since he was 12 years old.

“I was in a class about the Civil War; things were exploding, people were dying and I remember being bored

Photo by Christine Watridge

STARTING HER FIRST year as a chemistry teacher, Emily Doran is originally from Oregon and fell in love with teaching while she was a tutor in college. out of my mind and I thought ‘I could do better than this!’

I never changed that thought,” Watson said.

Watson’s favorite part of teaching is watching the interactions and discussions of the students. He also wants to instill in his students the idea that history is meaningful.

“Appreciate history, have fun with history, know it’s more than just dates and facts and something you just spit out on a test one time. It’s actually got meaning and purpose, and it affects your life in more ways than you know,” Watson said. cwatridge@redwoodbark.org

Page 5 • News

www.redwoodbark.org

Clayton fire rages, parent firefighter called to duty

bark

By Henry Tantum The Clayton fire, which burned nearly 4,000 acres of land in Lake County, California, is now fully contained as of Aug. 26. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), the blaze destroyed 300 structures and damaged 28 more since it sparked on Aug. 13.

Multiple fire personnel from Marin County were called in to help put out the fire, including Captain Ned Fox of the Kentfield Fire District, father of junior Hallie Fox. Fox was dispatched to Lower Lake, California where he stayed for six days to fight the blaze.

“Wind, topography, time of day all dictate what a fire is going to do,” Fox said. “That fire just came out of there, wasn’t able to be contained, and just made a big run.”

The Clayton fire, although not the biggest he has dealt with, was high on the list.

“I’ve been doing this for 23 years, it was definitely top four,” Fox said.

Just last year, over 76,000 acres in southern Lake County were burned in the Valley Fire, destroying nearly 2,000 structures, according to Cal Fire.

The firefighters use a variety of equipment to contain the blaze, according to Fox. Fox worked with bulldozers to create fire breaks, helicopters and planes dropping fire retardant in his crew’s effort to halt the fire before it reached the downtown area.

According to Fox, the crew was low on resources to fight the fire, largely because they were taking over midway through the effort, which made it more difficult.

“You’d doze three houses down and next thing you know the house next door is on fire,” Fox said. “You really don’t have enough water or resources to stop what

Photo courtesy of Ned Fox

SCORCHING LAKE COUNTY for the second time in the last two years, a fire destroyed nearly 2,000 structures. As of Aug. 26, the blaze was fully contained. is happening.”

Senior Jacqueline Racich’s father is also a firefighter, but was not sent to the Clayton fire. For Racich, the hardest part of her father’s job is that he leaves for long periods of time, which are sometimes unpredictable.

“It can seem really random. Sometimes he’ll get two fires within a month, and other times there will be a couple of months where there’s not really anything he has to go away for,” Racich said.

Fox said that the job often entails working for long

periods of time under hot, stressful conditions.

“For a good twelve hour period [at the Clayton fire] we were working constantly. After 1300 hours we didn’t get a break until 2100 hours that evening.”

According to Cal Fire, the cause of the fire was arson.

Damin Anthony Pashilk, a 40-year-old Clearlake resident, has been arrested as a suspect in the crime. htantum@redwoodbark.org

Solar panels shine with large monetary and energy savings

By Mary Winnick Nearly a year after Redwood installed solar panels in the front parking lot, the system is showing signs of a promising future. Although the school is not yet profiting from the solar energy, they expect to in roughly a decade.

David O’Connor, Director of Maintenance and Operations at the Tamalpais Union District Office, said the solar panels have offset 85 percent of the energy costs Redwood paid before installing solar panels. The energy produced from the solar panels has an annual value of $252,000.

“The benefit to the district is long-term utility reduction which off-sets and frees up general fund payments that can be used for other things in the district,” said Patrick Dalton, NorCal Operations Manager for SunPower Corporation.

However, the solar panels have also experienced multiple malfunctions in their first year. There were two occasions last year in which rain water intrusion caused short circuits in the combiner for several months, but both were repaired.

“We install thousands of these [with] this type of set up. It was just a mishap on the construction side,” Dalton said.

Since the mishap, SunPower Corp. has changed the layout of the inverter combiner for all new solar panels to prevent it from happening again.

“We put in place closed-loop learning internally to make sure that there is a double check on all these items moving forward,” Dalton said.

There are roughly 17 solar panel converters which convert the sunlight’s direct current into energy. Each converter has roughly 90 panels connected to it for a total of 1,620 panels. Each panel can create a maximum of 435 watts.

“By and large I would say about 98 percent of the panels have been fully • Vice Principal returns Continued from page 1 “San Rafael is diverse and the biggest city in Marin, and a lot of our model has to do with community partnerships and internships so locating there was because of that,” said Foster.

Ipso has established partnerships with Canal Alliance and Marin community clinics.

While Foster emphasized that Ipso

news box.

• New assistant principal Saum Zargar was announced Tuesday.

• Stanford swimmer Brock Turner was released for good behavior three months early last Friday after being found guilty of three felonies.

• Federal judge rejected California oil drilling and fracking plan on Tuesday.

• The Dipsea Cafe may be converted to a pot dispensary.

functional,” O’Connor said.

Despite the fact that there was less sunlight last year than the school expected, the panels are still producing more energy than the 1,150,000 kilowatt-hours SunPower Corp. projected before the panels began functioning.

Although Drake High School originally wanted solar panels at their school, there is not enough sunlight for the panels to collect to produce enough energy.

Likewise, Tamalpais High School does not have enough space in their parking lot to

students will be academically ready for traditional college, as all courses will be UC A-G approved, she acknowledged that transitioning back to a collegestyle learning environment may be an adjustment.

“I listened to a panel of students who in high school were in more alternative settings, and then in college they were a little bit shocked,” Foster said.

Pending approval and enough public interest, spots at the school would be given away in a lottery, with preference

Infographic by Mary Winnick

build the solar panels.

“Redwood gave us the best opportunity for area, as well as the climate here is ideal,” O’Connor said. “The larger you can make the system [more] the unit prices reduce, so it becomes less expensive the bigger you make it.”

O’Connor says the district does not plan on adding more solar panels to Redwood.

Not only have the solar panels saved energy, but they have also eliminated 600 metric tons of greenhouse gases per year. mwinnick@redwoodbark.org

being given to students from San Rafael.

However, any Marin student, even those outside the district, could apply to the school.

Ultimately, Foster said that the choice to leave Redwood was difficult but that she is excited to tackle new challenges.

“It was a hard decision. [Redwood is] a comfortable and known job, so it’s definitely a risk to leave,” Foster said.

“But I think it’s a risk worth taking.” hroenisch@redwoodbark.org

• Chicago’s total homicides surge to 507 this year after 13 people were killed over Labor Day weekend.

• Country reaches threemonth low of creating only 151,000 jobs in the month of August.

• Federal authorities removed a majority of humpback whales from the endangered species list Tuesday.

• Three crew members from the International Space Station returned to Earth on Wednesday after six months in orbit.

Bark Patrons

The Corn Family Sylvia Jones

Barbara and Will Owens

Want to be a Bark Patron?

Visit redwoodbark.org and click “Patrons” under “More” to access a form.

opinion

Page 6

Biased news coverage compromises media credibility Story and illustration by Maxime Kawawa-Beaudan The 2016 election season is exceptional. It diverges from the storied rhetoric of traditional politics in favor of brash dialogue. It abandons the formal platforms of political discussion in favor of 140-character sound bites during a year in which 44 percent of U.S. adults use social media to learn about the election, according to Pew Research.

It features a candidate so divisive that even members of his own party, from former GOP national security advisors to current Republican senators, refuse to get behind him.

But in one field it must remain unexceptional: journalism.

Journalists must stick to their tradition of impartiality.

Many major news outlets have a widely recognized liberal or conservative bias CNN to the left, Fox News to the right and so on. In this election, a greater number of relatively trustworthy journalists and publications seem to have lost sight of their impartiality.

Consider a recent hot topic: Donald Trump’s response to the hacking of Democratic National Convention computer systems. He invited the hackers (believed to be Russian) to attack Hillary Clinton’s email servers, saying, “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.”

The news outlets responded just like they have with many other issues this election cycle—by covering the story along the lines of their respective biases.

Fox News ran the story with this headline: “Haywire over hacking: Media refuse to believe Trump’s Russia comments were sarcastic.”

The New York Times used the headline: “Is this the Spokesperson in Chief you want?”

The first example is not surprising; Fox News has a recognized bias, as mentioned before. But The New York Times should do better. The headline comes from a comment left on their site by one of their readers.

Technically, the phrase is not their own.

But journalistic integrity goes deeper than word choice; editors and journalists display bias simply by choosing to report on some stories and not on others, by placing certain stories on the front page or not and by choosing to use laudatory or critical diction in their headlines. Editors at The New York Times chose to use that comment as their headline, and that biases their readers.

Furthermore, millennials are more likely to trust The New York Times than to distrust it, according to a 2015

Pew Research study. Forty-one percent of survey participants reported trusting the paper for political and governmentrelated news, while only 11 percent distrusted it.

Especially in such divisive times, editors need to honor that trust.

Credible sources should not now be printing headlines like: “Trump’s economic plan. Sad!” (from a cover of The Economist), “Trump wants to cut visas he used for his own models” (factual, but chosen with bias, from The New York Times), or “Inside the failing mission to tame Donald Trump’s tongue” (also from The New York Times).

If they do, they shouldn’t toss Clinton softballs like The Economist’s “The Democratic nominee is starting to look unbeatable.”

I compiled a spreadsheet of descriptors used in headlines or story previews about Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump from the past few weeks of The New York Times online, the past few issues of The Economist and recent headlines on the homepage of Fox News. I color coded it.

Purely factual, ambiguous or neutral descriptors were blue. Descriptors with negative connotations in context were red, and positive

descriptors were green. A few things became blatantly obvious.

First, The New York Times is reluctant to criticize Hillary Clinton. Headlines about her candidacy are altogether blue and green, with two red specks.

The Economist is fairly balanced, though some notable adjectives include “unbeatable” and the ambiguous “inevitable.” Fox News paints her red.

Second, no one shies from criticizing Donald Trump except for Fox News.

Fox’s homepage headlines describe him as “kinder,” “gentler,” and “powerful.”

Descriptions from The Economist and The New York Times on Trump look like a nosebleed.

They criticize his “loutishness,” his “failing mission,” and capture him “rallying white crowd.”

Last, publications of all sorts are writing about Donald Trump far more regularly than Hillary Clinton.

That choice in and of itself is a bias.

Trump is far more controversial. He attracts more clicks and more sales, and newspapers are businesses. However, the first duty of a news outlet is to pursue the truth, not the dollar.

Donald Trump’s bid for presidency is a controversial and high-stakes one. Yet that’s not an excuse for publications to start editorializing.

Calculated story choice intended to smear Donald Trump insults the publication more than the candidate.

Unbiased news stories will deflate his campaign more than targeted ones—if a news source’s credibility remains untainted, the issues it reveals become all the more poignant.

mkawawabeaudan@redwoodbark.org

Fast fashion proves harmful despite financial savings

By Maggie Smith You probably follow a similar routine every morning: get out of bed, eat breakfast, put on clothes, etc. You might throw on whatever clothes you see or carefully put together an outfit that you feel suits the day. Either way, chances are the clothes are from a major retailer such as Nike, Forever 21 or H&M. Brands like these are all examples of fast fashion, a term that describes the cycle of clothes these companies follow. Luxury and designer brands typically have two to four collections a year, whereas a store such as Forever 21 has around 18. This strategy is used for a variety of reasons: to attract new customers, keep up to date on trends and lower prices.

In reality, there’s nothing wrong with the fast fashion business plan. In fact, it’s a good theory from an economic standpoint in terms of maximizing profit.

The problems arise when brands try to implement these ideas successfully.

Buying and producing fast fashion is not only wasteful, but incredibly destructive to the environment and harmful to those who are actually making the clothes. Redwood students should be more aware of where their clothes are coming from.

In order to keep up with trends as fast as possible, brands and supply lines put a huge emphasis on producing clothes cheaply. As with many other industries, most labor is outsourced to developing countries such as China and Bangladesh.

Brands hire factories to produce their

clothes, meaning the brands themselves often don’t have direct control over the usually poor working conditions in these factories. In an industry so focused on cheap production, little emphasis is put on safety or the well-being of workers.

In 2013, the entire industry came under fire after a garment factory collapse in Bangladesh killed over 1,000 workers.

That year alone, 140 additional garment workers were killed in various factory fires, workers that were killed so we can buy jeans for $10.

These factories are not only a danger to their workers, but to the villages and towns in which they are located, such as when textile mills release chemicals and dyes into local water supplies. In Bangladesh, the polluted water supply is causing widespread illness in communities with factories.

A similar situation is also happening in India.The water is being saturated with chemicals, then getting released back into the community and ruining local

farmlands. For these reasons, fashion is actually the second most polluting industry in the world, according to the Danish Fashion Institute.

It’s important to note, though, that these sweatshop factories aren’t just overseas.

In 2012, the United States Department of Labor found a number of serious labor law violations by 10 garment companies, including Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters, in just one building in the Los Angeles Fashion District. It was discovered that the garment companies were paying their employees far below minimum wage and refusing to pay overtime.

Buying fast fashion habitually is also wasteful. Buying clothes in bulk, wearing them for a year or two (until they aren’t trendy anymore or they fall apart), then throwing them out is very unsustainable.

Something that stops people from buying from ethical brands is definitely the price tag. One way to solve this problem it to visit local thrift shops!

Thrift and vintage shopping is a fun

Illustration by Maggie Smith

way to get cool clothes at cheap prices, and an easy option for shopping in an environmentally friendly way. Redwood’s Thrift -4-Hope club could be a good way to get started.

Even though the clothes may be still from fast fashion brands, it’s better to buy them secondhand because it won’t contribute to the cycle mentioned above, and the purchase won’t support the brand itself. There are also many places to get less expensive clothes that are still sustainably made.

A few personal favorites are Levi’s and Everlane. Many traditionally fast fashion brands such as H&M and Asos also have “green” labels that ensure they were made under safe and sustainable conditions.

Next time you’re going shopping, do a quick Google search. If the item is made in a developing country, consider the implications of buying it.

Is the cheap price tag still worth it?

msmith@redwoodbark.org

Page 7 • Opinion

www.redwoodbark.org

bark

Utilize regular calculus class and all its benefits

By Alicia Vargelis Throughout middle school and most of high school, Redwood students have conformed to a set math track with little individual variation.

However, everything changes after students complete precalculus and are left with the daunting decision of whether to continue on to calculus or to change mathematical course and take statistics.

Though this choice may seem trivial when students fill out a scheduling sheet, it is crucial and often impacts which math classes they will take in college.

While taking a calculus course is more natural for students in terms of content, some hesitate because they feel pressured into choosing an AP calculus option.

Regular calculus gives students at Redwood the opportunity to get crucial exposure to a high-level math course while still providing them with the support and time cushion that AP Calculus cannot.

The class, created by Heather Curtaz and Julianne Schrick, was first offered in 2015 for students who either didn’t have room for another AP level class in their schedule or didn’t feel comfortable taking on a college level math class in high school.

As a student who thrives while writing essays, not graphing functions, I knew that I would struggle in AP Calculus given the fast pace and intensity of the class. I still wanted exposure to calculus and to have the ability to use the knowledge I gained in Precalculus in a new way, but I was still tentative to take the class at an AP level.

However, when I learned about a regular calculus class offered only first period, I decided to face my fears and give it a try.

The regular calculus class covers almost all the same material as AP Calculus AB, but at a slower pace, with time allotted to fully master topics students may struggle with.

After the first day of instruction I had no questions about the content we took notes on, only confusion on why there was only one section of students taking advantage of this class!

Until 2015, students at Redwood had limited options after taking precalculus. It is impractical that for so long Redwood only had an AP option available, especially for a subject as fundamental as math.

Even with a regular calculus class now offered, the majority of students who take calculus at Redwood still

choose to take advanced placement AB or BC classes.

At Redwood there is a negative stigma associated with not taking calculus before graduation, leading many students to believe that calculus in high school is vital for future success.

A regular calculus class option helps serve students who see the value in the course but know they will need extra support in order to be successful in the challenging subject.

In an interview with the Washington Post, David Bressoud, former president of the Mathematical Association of America, offered an explanation on how pressure to take AP level Calculus in high school can have negative effects on student learning.

“Within our schools, there is tremendous pressure to fill these classes,” Bressoud said. “Too many students are being accelerated, short-changing their preparation in and knowledge of algebra, geometry, trigonometry and other pre-calculus topics.”

In many ways, the regular calculus class is similar to Common Core material, a national initiative that 42 states have adopted into their curriculum, according to Common Core State State Standards Initiative data.

Common Core academics focus on going more indepth on fewer topics, a way of learning that stemmed from information collected in a study by the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study that found American third graders were taught 22 topics, while

Illustration by Eve Anderson

international children the same age learned only seven.

Students who want to be exposed to calculus but need more time to learn material will benefit from the regular calculus class and the way it is formatted, which allows flexibility on the amount of time spent on each unit.

This free rein is only made possible due to the fact that the class doesn’t have to worry about the AP test in May. Redwood’s strength in Advanced Placement programs can be seen in data from PrepScholar, which shows that the average score of all AP tests taken by Redwood students is a 3.8 out of a possible 5, placing Redwood in the top ten percent of schools for AP tests.

This data demonstrates that students who are taking AP level courses are generally seeing success and clearly mastering the material well enough to potentially receive college credit.

However, for students who are not ready for the rigor and speed of AP Calculus but want to continue on their math track, regular calculus is the right answer.

While the regular calculus class will not and should not be utilized by all students, having it as a course option shows progress in how students with varying skill levels are able to learn material and gives those who want to pursue mathematics a chance to reach their full potential.

avargelis@redwoodbark.org

Old enough to drive? Definitely old enough to vote

By Caleigh Stephens There are a series of milestones that occur in a young adult’s life. At 16, it’s getting a driver’s license. At 21, it’s being able to drink. At 18, it’s becoming a legal adult, being able to get a tattoo and more often than not uprooting to a new community and a new life.

Oh, and also being able to vote. But that last milestone often seems to disappear in the shiny new ability to buy lottery tickets and sign waiver forms.

It wouldn’t be too difficult to argue that voting doesn’t seem to matter much to young adults. After all, only 21.5 percent of young adults aged 18 to 29 voted in the 2014 midterm elections, according to Census data.

And a Pew Research survey found that of the over 40 percent of Americans that don’t vote, roughly a third are younger than 30.

In San Francisco, however, a new proposal for this fall seeks to combat this apathy.

San Francisco citizens will get the chance to vote in November on a measure that would allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in local city elections, after the Board of Supervisors voted 9-2 in favor of the bill with the support of the San Francisco Board of Education.

This measure has the potential to get teens involved in politics and engaged in their local communities.

The seeds for a lower voting age on local measures have already been sown in our backyard.

In 2015, the Fairfax town council considered a similar measure that would lower the voting age to 16.

Nothing resulted from the

consideration, but the idea was at least on the table.

There’s nothing stopping us from starting a similar campaign in Larkspur or Corte Madera or Tiburon or anywhere, really.

In recent years, the voting age has been lowered in countries including Austria, Scotland and Argentina, as well as in multiple cities across the U.S., so why not in a small town in Marin?

And it’s not a question of whether Marin teens will vote in local elections: it’s a certainty.

A 2015 Bark survey found that 60 percent of Redwood students would vote in a local election if given the chance.

Compare that statistic with the voter turnout of the local election in Marin in November of 2015, a mediocre 38.6 percent.

So it’s not that teens

don’t care about politics, it’s just that they are ushered into the political system at a time of great upheaval in their lives.

Most 18-year-olds are off in college during their first or second elections.

They suddenly find themselves in a new community with new values that they are beginning to figure out.

And so, absorbed in campus culture and focused on adjusting to a new city, college students might be too busy, or not comfortable enough in their new environment, to involve themselves in local politics.

On the other hand, if teenagers are able to vote in local elections starting at 16, they can feel safe and comfortable participating in the political system of a place they know well while having a firm grasp of the issues that are at hand.

Young adults who vote at age 16 could form a habit, and continue their involvement in politics and voting far beyond their teenage years, beginning on the path to becoming civically engaged citizens.

A recent study f r o m Duke

farStephens more Illustration by Caleigh

University found that voter turnout is a habitual action and that people who repetitively vote are likely to continue the action

in coming years.

This means that the teens who vote in local elections at age 16 are more likely to do so at age 18, age 35, age 50 and so on, slowly creating a generation and a culture that cares about local and state level politics.

Despite claims otherwise, teens aren’t the impressionable and undereducated group they are made out to be.

A study by the University of Edinburgh found that over 40 percent of young people aged 16 and 17 in Scotland have different voting intentions than their parents, showing that they are old enough to have their own opinions and worldviews.

What teens see on the ballot could connect to their Government or Economics classes and further their understanding of the political system.

If given the responsibility of voting, teenagers would likely educate themselves regarding issues on the ballot and become more involved in local and state elections and politics.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965, which is still in effect, states that anyone who has completed sixth grade in the US “possesses sufficient literacy, comprehension, and intelligence to vote in any election.”

If passing the first year of middle school is the standard for being educated enough to vote, then today’s 16 and 17 year olds are easily overqualified.

The time’s long past overdue to lower the voting age.

After all, if we can trust 16 year olds to drive moving vehicles, taking the lives of others into their hands, operating expensive and dangerous machinery, then certainly we can trust them to be responsible enough to cast a ballot in a Marin County local election. cstephens@redwoodbark.org

bark

Page 8 • Opinion

September 8, 2016

bark

Redwood High School 395 Doherty Drive Larkspur, CA 94939 www.redwoodbark.org E ditors -I n -C hief Gregory Block Emily Cerf Sarah Kimball Rebecca Smalbach

Copy Editors

Caleigh Stephens Gemma Calandra Josh Cohen Adam Kreitzman Heidi Roenisch Christine Watridge

News Editors

editorial Let’s be Giants, not grouches

Barks & Bites

Stop complaining about overcrowding A Redwood Bark headline from our March 4, 1983 issue reads: “District considers plan,” referencing a district proposal in which all freshmen and sophomores from the three largest district schools would attend Drake and Tam while juniors and seniors would go to Redwood.

Crazy, right? It seems like an absurd proposition now, but it was once a very real possibility.

Beside a lack of ingenuity in Bark headlines, our district is facing many of the same issues that were prevalent three decades ago.

The first three weeks of school have been full of complaints from the student body about crowded hallways, scheduling issues and, of course, the clogged, congested, New York Citylike mess that is our front parking lot.

As Bark archives show, Redwood’s overcrowding issues are nothing new, merely a part of the regular population flow of a school district. Complaining won’t change anything— by 2020, Redwood is expected to have 2,126 students, according to Principal David Sondheim.

Instead of viewing the rising school population with frustration, we must begin to recognize the opportunities in front of us.

The more students on these grounds, the more chances there are to meet new people, to strengthen smaller communities and to harness our size into a spirited and unified student body.

For our school to utilize its size, to transform from four distinct classes into a cohesive and united group of people, we must step outside of our comfort zones and take risks. It starts with meeting new people and forming new friendships. Unifying a school starts with the smallest of gestures.

There are many benefits to an increase in school population. More students walking these halls leads to more school spirit, energy at rallies and excitement for school events, areas that we can definitely improve upon.

An increase in new students around campus helps bring together a more skilled and talented student body. As our school continues to grow, we are all in the unique position of not just making Redwood a livelier place, but being surrounded by thousands of special individuals.

While our school’s growth can be overwhelming to some, there are systems in place to make it feel at least a little smaller.

The new Link Crew house system and advisory classes are both creating additional

A BARK to blankets in the Right Stuff Package. Now Redwood’s here in our sleep.

A BITE to Redwood stairwells.

We shouldn’t have to part the Red Sea to get to class.

A BARK to the meeting between Trump and President Enrique Peña Nieto.

There hasn’t been such an odd Mexican-American combination since the Doritos Locos Tacos.

A BITE to all the new reserved parking spots. Why can’t visitors carpool too?

A BARK to Dipsea Cafe for possibly becoming a medical

communities within the larger Redwood student body, an effort to help Redwood feel intimate, even if walking the halls sometimes feels like you are wandering through the center of the Back to School Dance.

Obviously the issues that come with a growing student body are still present.

Parking will continue to be a frustration to all upperclassmen and most importantly, teacher room sharing (read more on page 14) may affect student learning.

But these problems will not just vanish overnight, so we must realize this: our school is not going to get smaller anytime soon, so we might as well try to be closer.

The first step is getting involved, something that is a whole lot easier with a bigger student body. Club days, homecoming skits, sporting events (check out Redwood’s field hockey team in its second season!)—participation and involvement will help unify our school.

If anything, our school’s size should be met with pride, not protest. Size and strength are parts of the Redwood tradition, woven into our school’s history and embedded in our reputation.

We have always been the biggest school in Marin—something that we should be proud of, not as a statistic, but as a statement of who we are and the potential that we have. We are called Giants, after all.

Instead of complaining about overcrowding, look around at what is happening at Redwood.

There are more students, more teachers and more exciting communities. Redwood TV is expanding. The solar panels are working. Our football team is 2-0!

These are exciting times, Redwood.

Welcome back.

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

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

marijuana dispensary. We can’t wait to transition from chocolate scones to legally stoned.

A BITE to Ryan Lochte at the Olympics. He ruined his hair and career.

A BARK to an extra five minutes for lunch. Now we only have to hit 90 mph to make it to In-N-Out. A BITE to the gym for being painted green. When Redwood said we were going green, that’s not what we had in mind.

A BARK to Ms. Foster for returning. She loves us so

much she came back for round two.

A BITE to World Wrapps for for still being closed. It’s time to wrap up the construction.

A BARK to fall coming soon. Finally the lack of air conditioning on the first floor won’t be an issue.

A BITE to all freshmen dressing the same. We didn’t know we had a school uniform.

B A R K S a n d B I T E S a re t h e collective opinions of the BARK staff concerning relevant issues. BARKS are in praise of accomplishments, while BITES criticize decisions or events.

Catherine Conrow Anne Pritikin

Opinion Editors Daniela Schwartz Alicia Vargelis

Feature Editors Sydney Soofer Pearl Zhong

Sports Editors Max Josef Mary Winnick

Review Editors Carolyn French Sam Sheridan

Lifestyles Editors Annie Fogarty Andrew Hout

Spanish Editor

Shannon Donelan

Video Editors Garet Jatsek Sam Slade

Business Manager Grant Barnes

Social Media Manager Sabrina Dong

Snaphshot Editor Henry Tantum

Survey Manager Charlotte Seton

Art Consultant

Maxime Kawawa-Beaudan

Data Analyst

Adam Kreitzman

Reporters

Eric Ahern Michael Benz Hayden Blum Caroline Cummings Luke Dahlin Jason Fieber Hallie Fox Tilly Friedlander Kevin Gao China Granger Jack Green Julia Jacoby Kaelin Kragh Alexandra Lee Jocelyn Overmyer Jordan Overmyer Kendall Rhoads Rachel Schten Maggie Smith Henry Tantum Amanda Trusheim Brendan Winters

Adviser

Erin Schneider

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

español

Página 9

Residentes de Marín luchan para obtener tarjetas verdes

los clientes de Canal Alliance con quienes trabaja son hablantes nativos de español.

Según Martel-Dow, ha habido un aumento “Cuando yo vine [a los Estados de gente de países de América Central que Unidos] tuve que pasar por muchos lugares vienen a la organización pidiendo ayuda en diferentes en el camino. Tuve que dormir los últimos años. en el suelo. La habitación estaba fría. Y fue Una tarjeta de residente permanente, realmente, realmente duro,” dijo María. también llamada una tarjeta verde, le “María,” una estudiante de primer año concede permiso a una personas que viva y que desea mantenerse anónima, creció trabaje en los Estados Unidos sobre una base en Honduras pero permanentemente. tuvo que venir a los Hay otras visas de Estados Unidos para Estados Unidos que vivir con un pariente les concede derechos a los doce años por las temporales a los condiciones peligrosas inmigrantes, pero como las pandillas las muchos inmigrantes drogas en su país. que vienen a Marin Sin embargo, el esperan obtener un viaje de María fue a un estatus permanente precio alto. y finalmente “Ahora ya no puedo naturalizarse, según ir a Honduras. Si “Maria” Martel-Dow. regreso a Honduras no Laura Gatti, estudiante de primer año podría volver [a Los una residente de Estados Unidos],” dijo Kentfield, también Maria. estudiante de María ya no puede regresar a Honduras, negocios y Finanzas en la Universidad no ha visto a su madre en mas de dos años Estatal de Sonoma, aplicó por una tarjeta y ha tenido problemas de mantenerse en verde tres veces antes de finalmente recibir contacto con su mama. una en 2014.

“En los primeros dos meses fue muy Según Gatti, el proceso de obtener dificil, porque donde [mi madre] vivía una tarjeta verde o una visa es muy ellos no tenían teléfonos Wcelulares ni difícil y puede ser una tarea emocional. internet,” dijo Maria.

Frecuentemente toma una bastante tiempo, Según María, ella ha ido a la corte mas papeleo y dinero. de 10 veces y ha tenido que llenar muchos Gatti entró a los Estados Unidos de papeles por el asilo político, lo cual le Colombia en 2009 cuando tenía 21 años prohíbe regesar a Honduras. El asilo para trabajar como una au pair con una político se concede a una persona que Visa J-1. La J-1 le permite a las personas sufre de persecución en su país de origen. que están participando en programas que Cuando ella tenga 18 años, ella recibirá su promuevan el intercambio cultural que se Tarjeta de Residente Permanente. queden en los Estados Unidos.

Cada año, de 120 a 150 personas Cuando se venció su visa J-1, Gatti en Marin aplican por una tarjeta verde a decidió quedarse un segundo año para través de Canal Alliance, una organización aprender inglés y recibió un visado de de servicio social en San Rafael. estudiante.

Lucia Martel-Dow, Directora de Durante el proceso, ella conoció a su Servicios Legales de Inmigración de futuro marido, Jason Gatti. Se casaron el 9 Canal Alliance, dijo que 95 por ciento de de mayo de 2013, y Gatti solicitó su tarjeta Por Shannon Donelan y Hallie Fox

Tuve que dormir en el suelo. La habitación estaba fría. Y fue realmente, realmente duro.

Foto por Shannon Donelan

EL EXTERIOR DE la Canal de Alianza, una organización que ayuda a los inmigrantes que viven en Marin. verde cinco días después.

Unas semanas después de enviar las Los Gattis no podían a un abogado cartas, uno de los ayudantes de la Senadora de inmigración, ya que Jason estaba Feinstein dijo que les ayudaría. estudiando para obtener su credencial de “Después de los trámites y abogados, maestro, y Laura no podía trabajar porque sólo pedí que alguien del gobierno nos ya no tenía un permiso de trabajo. respondiera. Obtuve mi tarjeta verde tres Decidieron hacer el papeleo de inmigración días después,” dijo Laura. ellos mismos para ahorrar dinero.

Maria Fernanda Civano, una profesora No sólo contratar a un abogado cuesta de Español de Redwood de Uruguay, dijo dinero, pero también hay un cargo por que tomó nueve años para que ella y su cada formulario. Algunas formas cuestan esposo obtuvieron tarjetas verdes. Aplicó alrededor de $500, pero otras cuestan hasta en 2001 antes del 9/11 y según Civano, las $700, según Gatti. tarjetas verdes fueron retrasadas porque El patrocinador original de Laura era algunos de los atacantes del 9/11 habían su esposo Jason, pero después de que su estado en los Estados Unidos con Visas. solicitud fue rechazada la primera vez Aunque Civano no tenía su tarjeta le pidió al padre de Jason si pudiera verde, ella todavía tenía que pagar ser su nuevo impuestos de los Estados patrocinador.

Unidos desde el año Sin embargo, 2001, a pesar de que ella incluso con un no recibió su tarjeta verde patrocinador hasta 2010. diferente, su Según Civano, la solicitud fue incertidumbre de la rechazada situación fue la parte más otra vez. Un difícil del proceso. patrocinador es “La espera y no saber un ciudadano [era lo peor]. Si llamas, es estadounidense un número automatizado que reclama la y dicen que su solicitud responsabilidad Laura Gatti se está tramitando. Si la financiera de residente local [documentación] está la persona que mal, no te dicen por qué solicita la tarjeta está mal hasta que es verde durante su proceso de aplicación y demasiado tarde,” dice Civano. después de que reciban su visa permanente.

Cuando Civano y su esposo aplicaron “Te dicen que eres totalmente libre de por su tarjeta verde, su médico no marcó hacerlo por ti mismo, pero luego una vez la caja donde indica que habían recibido su que termines y te das cuenta que fuistes vacuna de tuberculosis, lo que hizo que se rechazado, entonces te das cuenta que, alargará el proceso. no, no se puede hacer por ti mismo. Usted Martel-Dow dijo que para algunas realmente necesita un abogado,” dijo comunidades de inmigrantes no hay Laura. muchas opciones para que obtengan la Según Laura, estaba muy frustrada. Ya tarjetas verdes. no le quedaba paciencia y decidió ponerse “Desearía que hubiera más opciones en contacto con senadores de California para ellos. A veces estas comunidades Dianne Feinstein y Barbara Boxer. no son elegibles para nada y es la peor Los Gatti le escribieron una carta parte,” dijo Martel-Dow. “Cuando ellos acerca de la historia de Laura a la senadora vienen a ti, ellos han sufrido trauma y Feinstein de California, su representante y están contribuyendo mucho. El no se ser miembro del Comité de Asuntos de la Casa elegibles para nada sucede frecuentemente, del Representantes de la Inmigración. La y que es la peor parte”. carta a la Senadora Feinstein fue la clave para conseguir la Tarjeta de Residencia de bark@redwoodbark.org Laura.

Después de los trámites y abogados, sólo pedí que alguien del govierno nos respondiera.

Foto por Shannon Donelan

LUCIA MARTEL-DOW, el director de inmigracion servicios legales de la Alianza de Canal, posa para una foto en su escritorio.

bark

Page 10 • Feature

: I T I F F A GR

September 8, 2016

An overlooked, underappreciated art

By Luke Dahlin

Graffiti is an art.

That is a phrase rarely said in our community, or in any community, for that matter. But for several Redwood students, it is a phrase that rings true every day.

Think about the word ‘graffiti.’ What comes to mind?

Now think ‘street art.’ The negative connotation associated with graffiti, as opposed to street art, is that all it requires is a spray can and a bit of impulse. In reality they’re just two words with the same meaning, according to senior Lucas Addleman, a graffiti artist.

“Both street art and graffiti incorporate what is around you and where you live into the art that you make,” Addleman said.

The stereotype that graffiti’s purpose is to be unappealing and mindless vandalism is common.

“Typically, it is mostly younger people who do graffiti because they do have less regard for the property that they are defacing,” said Central Marin Police Deputy Scott McKenna. “Generally when you get older you have more respect for [property] because you grow to respect that everything costs money, and the value of a dollar is more important because you’re working.”

Both Addleman and junior Eileen Bettinger, another graffiti artist, recognize the community’s perceptions.

However, they claim that many of these are in fact very large misconceptions. “[Graffiti] isn’t about defacing as much property as possible,” Addleman said. “It’s more of people just trying to get their art out and known, and they just don’t know any other way to do it.”

Bettinger also noted that the purpose of graffiti is typically not to ruin property or make locations look unappealing, saying that the most important aspect of graffiti is that it looks beautiful.

A message from both Addleman and Bettinger was that the most important aspect of graffiti is developing a style and individualistic creativity opposed to scribbling with a spraycan under an overpass. They both said that their commitment to defining and refining their individual style is more rewarding than spreading their names in the street.

“I’ve been starting to channel more street art and graffiti art, where you don’t have to go and do it illegally, but just practice the style in legal places and actually Eileen Bettinger get something out of it, ” junior Addleman said. “A big reason why I got into graffiti was because it gave me a pathway to finding myself.”

Bettinger believes most students at Redwood or in the local community don’t seem to notice the vibrant and prevalent street art community.

“Graffiti is a whole culture that a lot of people don’t know about,” Bettinger said. “A lot of people that graffiti can tell when you have just started and I’m really thankful for those [artists] that provide support and even offer to help and kind of give you guidance.”

Addleman thinks the recognizability of other street artists helps to strengthen the existing community.

“I think the graffiti community really looks out for each other because it kind of takes a graffiti artist to know a graffiti artist,” Addleman said, “Walking around seeing the tags of people I know gives me the sense that I’m never

Photos by Luke Dahlin

STANDING IN FRONT of a graffiti wall in Petaluma, senior Lucas Addleman and junior Eileen Bettinger prepare to spray paint. alone.”

Addleman and Bettinger said that in both Marin and neighboring counties, graffiti is often associated with street gangs. In reality, according to Addleman, this isn’t the case.

“A giant misconception is that graffiti is solely based off of gangs. I’m not going to say that gangs don’t graffiti, because you can see in it even in San Rafael. But you can definitely distinguish a gang [member] from a graffiti artist,” Addleman said.

According to Deputy McKenna, the use of graffiti in gangs is not for the purpose of creating artwork, but rather for establishing territory.

Addleman believes that this type of graffiti gives the genre as a whole a bad rep.

“A lot of [graffiti] has nothing to do with gangs,” Bettinger said. “A lot of [graffiti] is just people who are interested in art and getting their art up in new ways for everyone to see.”

The differences between typical graffiti and gang graffiti are quite distinguishable because gang graffiti is “chicken scratch” and street art is much more individualistic and elegant, according to Addleman.

This elegance both with and without a spray can doesn’t develop overnight, however. Like anything else, refining and reworking style is what truly makes an artist unique, according to Bettinger.

“It is a real commitment, and it takes a long time to develop your own individual style,” Bettinger said. “[Graffiti] isn’t really about a picture that you draw the letters are your picture.”

Addleman, who has practiced and polished his style since he first became interested in street art during middle school, believes that street art is no different than any other skill: practice makes perfect.

It is a real commitment, and it takes a long time to develop your individual style.

“You have to be invested in it,” Addleman said. “[Graffiti] is like any other thing: you’re not going to get better without practicing.”

Though both Addleman and Bettinger stick to legal methods of pursuing street art, which include legal art walls and working in sketchbooks, many other graffiti artists pursue their talents with the view that the world is their canvas.

With the omnipresent existence of illegal graffiti in the community, resistance from the Marin community and local law enforcement is inevitable.

Lieutenant and Public Information Officer for the Marin County Sheriff’s Office Doug Pittman, stated in a press release in Nov. 2014 that graffiti is an ongoing problem in the Bolinas community.

According to Pittman, the growing concern in the community is that the graffiti goes against the character of the beach.

“I know that there are many who resent the defacing of our beloved and scenic beach areas,” Pittman posted on the website “Nextdoor” in 2014. “Hearing more and more complaints about this problem, I am always open to input from everyone in our local beach communities as to what we can do together to help alleviate this problem.”

However, Deputy McKenna believes there is potential for street artists to express themselves legally.

“Most graffiti artists are in fact very talented, and if the community was open to having certain walls as legal spots for them to do their art, I certainly wouldn’t have a problem with it. I know other communities have done it and it’s really cool,” Deputy McKenna said.

ldahlin@redwoodbark.org

bark Data reveals Redwood has the highest truancy rate in the district Page 11 • Feature

www.redwoodbark.org

consequences he could face.

“I knew [teachers] would react badly. My history teacher handled it okay. My English teacher did not. I It’s test day. The study guide was handed out exactly knew [admin] was going to get angry but I didn’t really two weeks ago, and the students were made fully aware of care and wouldn’t listen to them. So I just ditched,” Laret the upcoming exam. Yet when the tardy bell rings, only 11 said.

Due to Laret’s consistent absences, he was unable to of the 25 students are present.

One day later, the bell rings, indicating the beginning of walk at graduation.

“I tried to excuse my absences and then [Assistant SMART period. Once again, over half the class is missing.

Upon checking attendance records, the teacher Principal LaSandra White] took away my privileges from discovers that most students attended every other period me when I turned 18, so then [the absences] were mostly and that their absence had not been excused, an increasingly unexcused,” Laret said.

Senior Peter Cline, who often ditched class his junior common trend at Redwood.

As the new school year begins, scenarios like these have year, accredited his unexcused absences to a feeling that been bemoaned by teachers and staff. Last year, Redwood they wouldn’t negatively affect him in any significant way.

“Freshman year you kind of think you’ll get hunted had the highest truancy rate of any school in the district, according to Principal David Sondheim. Throughout the down and that it’s a big deal but as you get more used to past four years, there has been an increased amount of Redwood you realize unexcused absences aren’t that big of a deal considering how many kids get them,” Cline said. excused and unexcused absences across all grade levels.

Cline said he usually ditched about three to five class Truancy is defined as when a student “is absent from school without valid excuse three full days in one school periods a week last year.

“I didn’t see the practical value in most of my classes,” year or tardy or absent for more than any 30-minute period during the school day without a valid excuse on three Cline said. “There’s no way I’m going to need to find the occasions in one school year, or any combination thereof,” area of a triangle later on in my life.”

When not in class, Cline said he would work out, get according to the TUHSD district policy.

According to the latest Western Association of Schools food or do homework for other classes.

While Cline said he received threats about his and Colleges (WASC) reports available from the 20132014 and 2014-2015 school years, the truancy rate at attendance from administration, no further action was Redwood has increased from 53.23 percent to 57.58 taken, although he said he did receive some “snarky” percent, surpassing both Tamalpais High School and Sir comments from several teachers.

Last year, Cline was caught attempting to call himself Francis Drake High School.

Throughout Sondheim’s eight years at Redwood, he out as his own parent, resulting in the school emailing the has seen a dramatic increase in unexcused and excused parents asking to confirm the absence. Afterward, Cline absences. While Redwood is well below the current accepted the unexcused absences.

Although he experienced no repercussions, Cline said truancy rates of other schools in California, Sondheim believes that unexcused absences negatively impact he wished he had acted differently last year.

“If I could go back to last year, I student learning. definitely would have ditched a lot less. “[The administration] is all looking However, I don’t think it will have a for ways to get students in class as much large impact on my life,” Cline said. as possible. So when they miss class, Cline has new plans for the we are trying to find ways for them to upcoming year. still be able to learn,” Sondheim said.

“I’m definitely going to ditch less, In 2014, the Redwood administration mostly for my parents’ sake and the formed a committee to come up with senior in good standing policies. I also solutions to solve the issues regarding want to be able to walk at graduation,” attendance, according to Sondheim.

Cline said.

Made up of several teachers, the group As students began to ditch more meets occasionally to discuss reasons Parker Laret, frequently, teachers acknowledged the for absences and ways to solve these Redwood alumnus severity of the issue. Nineteen percent problems. of TUHSD staff members believed While some possible solutions truancy was a moderate to severe involved consequences such as punishment and loss of credit, the committee felt that problem in 2012, according to the California Healthy Kids rewarding students for good attendance was a more efficient Survey from that year. By 2013, that number went up to 45 percent. way to promote attendance, according to Sondheim.

“Ditching is interesting because it shows up as an However, despite the teachers’ best efforts, many unexcused absence. We all know that ditching includes students still choose to ditch.

Alumnus Parker Laret, who graduated in 2016, often when someone is calling in an excuse for you. We know we have significant number of parents who will call in ditched school throughout his junior and senior year.

“I skipped classes junior year but then at the start of for their kids, or students who will call in as their friends’ senior year, first semester, I skipped 108 classes, so that parents, etc.,” Sondheim said. “That’s why our concern is was the main part of my ditching. Then second semester I larger than just unexcused absences.”

Administrators are hoping to counteract this by keeping didn’t go at all,” Laret said. “All my friends were ditching and we had better things to do than be at school, and I just parents as informed as possible, according to Sondheim.

“One of the desires for me as principal is to send didn’t want to be in class.”

As Laret began to ditch, he was aware of the potential more messages home to parents enforcing how important attendance is,” Sondheim said.

On Aug. 29, Sondheim sent out an email to all student guardians regarding attendance. In this email, Sondheim stated that good attendance is an administrative goal this school year in order to ensure academic achievement.

In the email, Sondheim wrote, “The point is that regular school attendance is very important and we expect all students to be in school every day. Poor attendance is not just about unexcused absences or students willfully not attending class.”

Ann Jackson, Redwood’s attendance clerk, said there are several ways students try to excuse their absence, but calling in is the most common.

“There always seem to be students who try to call themselves in or sign their parents’ names. I can often tell right away, and if not, I contact a parent to confirm the note,” Jackson said.

These strategies are often seen during the spring when “senioritis” and “spring fever” hit, according to Jackson.

The administration is working on trying to find new ways to prevent students from ditching classes.

“We all want students in class as much as possible and you cannot have the same learning opportunity when you miss classes as you do when you’re absent,” Sondheim said.

Redwood teachers have noticed the increase in absences, and some are modifying their policies in an attempt to resolve the issue.

Marta Di Domizio, a science teacher, has decided to Photoillustration by Amanda Trusheim change her personal attendance policy from previous years DITCHING IS A rising issue at Redwood, as 20 percent to the current district policy as she observed students being of Redwood ninth graders ditched school once a week irresponsible with absences and tardies in her class. according to a 2014 CA Healthy Kids Survey.

“It wasn’t really the fact that Redwood is No. 1 in

By Kendall Rhoads and Amanda Trusheim

I knew [admin] was going to get angry but I didn’t really care and wouldn’t listen to them.

Infographic by Kendall Rhoads Graphic by Kendalll Rhoads

absences that affected [the policy change], it was more that what I saw last year was a few students being absent very often or being tardy very often and this affected their learning a lot,” Di Domizio said.

According to TUHSD policy, “a teacher may lower a student’s grade a full grade or assign a failing grade if the student has four or more unexcused absences.” However, this policy is largely no longer enforced at Redwood.

With the absence of summer school, Sondheim thought that the grade reduction would be too much for students. Because the school is not following that policy, new methods of truancy prevention have been researched.

However, some teachers choose to follow this policy, while others refrain from lowering a student’s grade based upon attendance.

“I wasn’t in class so my grades started going down, but I was able to keep my grades decently high without going to class if the teacher didn’t take away points,” Laret said.

Students decide to ditch school for a variety of reasons.

While some kids leave class to mess around, others are missing school for reasons linked to stress, according to Sondheim.

A 2014 CA Healthy Kids Survey showed that 32 percent of Redwood students in 11th grade ditched class because they felt like they weren’t prepared for a test. Thirty-one percent felt as if they did not get enough sleep to come to class and 16 percent were bored and uninterested.

In 2012, 14 percent of Redwood ninth graders ditched school once a week and 2 percent of 11th graders ditched school once a week, according to the CA Healthy Kids Survey. In 2014, 20 percent of Redwood ninth graders ditched school once a week and seven percent of 11th graders ditched school once a week.

“I think of attendance as a community issue, not just a school issue,” Di Domizio said. “It’s a combination of the school, the students, and the parents all being on the same page.”

bark@redwoodbark.org

The hidden Roots of Redwood:

’

Tim Mullery s Journey

Photo by Maxime Kawawa-Beaudan

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By Maxime Kawawa- Beaudan and Michael Benz

M

ost days there was food in the fridge. Most nights of Tim Mullery’s youth, when he returned from school, there was something on the dinner table. Some nights there was nothing, but that was life in Fairfield, a blue collar town marked by that red neon sign arching over Texas Street that had been hanging since 1925 and read “Fairfield, County Seat Solano County”a town of Clorox bleach factories and Budweiser breweries, three miles from the hulking gray C-17 Globemasters and C-5 Galaxies parked row on row on the tarmac at Travis Air Force Base. It was where Mullery’s family called home.

Now, Mullery serves as Redwood’s lead custodian, directing the team housed in room 160. At 34, he stands 6 feet 4 inches tall, an auburn beard stretching all along his jaw and cheeks. Everything from his teal uniform’s shirt sleeves (rolled up to the elbows) to the beige chamois work boots he wears speak of long to-do lists. It takes a wide variety of skills and a vast breadth of practical knowledge to be lead custodian; Mullery is perpetually on call to replace ceiling tiles, inspect malfunctioning equipment and manage his team’s operations. For the maintenance of Redwood’s facilities, he’s the first line of defense, and through it all, he’s shaped by the teenager who grew up in a town whose largest employer was the military.

M

ullery is a private man. He does his job quietly, in the background of a school of roaring halls and full classrooms and jostling crowds at the bases of stairways.

Many members of his team, particularly those who work night shifts, share this trait of being, in his words, Tim Mullery, like a hermit crab, Head Custodian most comfortable in a shell. For Mullery, that characteristic traces its roots far back in his story.

“My life experience made me a quiet person,” Mullery said. “I’ve been wronged by a lot of people, both of my fault and not of my fault. Even doing this interview is progress for me.”

That introversion fits no job better than leading the custodial team; his work allows Mullery to stay largely behind the scenes while still doing good. But even as a teenager, attending a high school where bullying and teasing were far more common than at Redwood, he felt most comfortable in solitude. Fairfield High had some 3,000 students when Mullery attended, and an average class size was 45 kids. During his sophomore and senior years, he spent much of his time playing basketball (and

still practices twice a week). But when he was a sophomore his parents split up. He began to do the bare minimum to graduate and disconnected from his peers.

“Growing up I became kind of a loner.

That’s why I say I’d do high school over again if I could, because I’d just decided I didn’t like people. I’d just go home and play video games and that was my life,” Mullery said.

Disconnecting had its costs. By the time senior year came around, his grades had suffered. He faced a decision between playing basketball and graduating. In fact, he went into senior year with the credits of a sophomore.

At 17, it was his step father who pushed him to re-engage, to do chores around the house instead of gaming, to focus and fix the work ethics he’d developed over the years. He began to dedicate huge amounts of time to his studies.

“It was pretty much school from six in the morning till 10 in the evening,” Mullery said.

In the end, his renewed concentration prevailed. He graduated three months early from high school while working a full time job at Target. However, he soon had another choice to make. Unlike Marin, Fairfield boasted few obvious opportunities after high school. While Mullery wasn’t sure what he wanted to do as a career, he knew he wanted to do it far from Fairfield.

If he got stuck there, he said, his life would never turn out the way he envisioned it.

There were only two futures for kids in Fairfield: construction or jail.

At 22, he chose construction. He moved to Petaluma and started working for a company that he imagined would be his future, under a mentor who taught him to always pay attention to the details and seek perfection. At the same time, he met and began dating his future wife. But not long into his wouldbe construction career, the company he worked for closed. Mullery ended up working at Old Town Glass in Novato for seven months, hoping all the while to join his good friend in starting his own glass company. Meanwhile, he took a position as a substitute custodian at Drake High School. Initially, he planned to work there only for six months. But his long-term plans had shifted, and he began to think about starting a family, and looking at the job’s retirement and medical plans, he saw a future take shape.

“The best way I could phrase it is that at 24 years old I accidentally fell into a career,” Mullery said.

After being hired at Redwood, he rose to a leadership position quickly, replacing the previous lead custodian five years earlier than he had anticipated, when his

The best way I could phrase it is that at 24 years old I accidentally fell into a career.

predecessor became sick and retired.

While the promotion was cause for celebration, during that same year his daughter was born and he was in the process of losing his house; over the course of his 34 years, Mullery has lived in 22 houses.

Since the uncertainty of those initial years, Mullery has been a custodian in the district for a decade, learning most of his skills on the job and from observing maintenance personnel at work.

Of course, there’s more to the title of lead custodian than hands-on work. As the team’s leader, it’s his responsibility to prioritize jobs, set up daily schedules, answer email requests, coordinate with the administration, put in work orders for aid from external companies, set up and clean up for events like rallies and even deliver mail around the school. Mullery is also the vice-president of the Tamalpais Union High School District’s chapter of the California School Employees Association.

In both of these pursuits, he has become a trusted voice and a capable leader, though when he was younger he never expected to be in such a position.

In this way, he represents an incredible success story. He spoke of friends in and out of jail and recovering from serious drug problems, but in his own life, Mullery has outpaced the obstacles Tim Mullery, of his initial Head Custodian circumstances and built a family as well as a career.

“When I got here I was a kid with a girlfriend,” Mullery said, “Now I’m a man with a wife and a mortgage. I grew up at Redwood.”

and sureness. He also plans to go back to school and study the subjects he loved in high school, like computer programming.

He sees himself in some years taking an IT position in the district.

Most of all, he hopes to never stop having fun in his work.

“If I come in here and I’m not enjoying it, I won’t be here. Life is hard. Work is just work. I get to come here and make a difference, and it’s almost a break from reality. I get to just be productive and live,” Mullery said.

Redwood holds a unique charm for Mullery. The ailments he saw in his high school days have become the strengths here. The students who would have been picked on in his high school are celebrated: the weird kids have become the cool kids.

School spirit stands taller in the community here, especially at rallies.

“I really enjoy it. I may not come off that way but I love my job and everyone here,” Mullery said. “I’ll stand back at rallies and just watch and think to myself, even though I have to clean up afterwards, ‘Wow, I get paid to do this?’”

T

oday Mullery looks to the future, to the possibilities he sees in his children. He works to raise his two children correctly, to teach them proper values by being at their side.

“My parents weren’t at much of my stuff. I want to be at those events. First day of kindergarten, first day of soccer practice, be at the games, give them every opportunity to succeed,” Mullery said.

Reflecting on his own upbringing, he said, “Growing up was weird. As a kid I felt like I had it not so good, and looking back I realize I had it not so bad. I didn’t have all the toys and gizmos but my dad worked non-stop and we usually had food to eat.”

In his personal world, he works to open up to people around him. He strives to take down the barriers his own upbringing built, to move towards greater confidence

H

owever, Mullery sees the lack of hardship in Marin causing an unrealistic perception of the world in many students.

Students often express a limited understanding of their good fortune and opportunities.

“Life doesn’t always work like it does in this area,” Mullery said, “Sometimes the appreciation is gone. You lose track of it when you break something and you’re just given another.”

What’s more, students here rarely have to earn their possessions, which alters their view of how valuable things are.

“I can’t compare [Marin] to where I grew up because it’s different. People who don’t work for things and just get them don’t respect [the things] as much. But you can’t blame a kid for where they happen to be born,” Mullery said.

In the end, the place he was born is part of what shapes Mullery’s own personality to this day. He demonstrates humility and gratitude, sometimes for the smallest luxuries he never had.

“There were times when I opened up my fridge and I was lucky if there was food, but there are times I open up the fridge now and I laugh because I’m lucky,” Mullery said.

In his work and personal life, Mullery displays a consistent dedication to jobs well done, and in both the hurdles he has leapt and his daily endeavours, he exemplifies the best aspects of perseverance.

When I got here I was a kid with a girlfriend, now I’m a man with a wife and a mortgage. I grew up at Redwood.

bark@redwoodbark.org

Illustration by Aidan Ferguson

September 8, 2016 bark Page 14 • Feature Redwood TV launches sixth season with its biggest crew yet

By Pearl Zhong If there’s one thing a Redwood student looks forward to during homeroom, it’s a new Redwood TV episode.

This year, the cast and crew has nearly doubled from eight students last season to 15 students this season, the largest crew in the show’s six years.

The new members of the Redwood TV cast include sophomores Harrison Segal, Charlie Werner, Russell Root, Max Gilberg, Leo Rawlinson and Karl Somerville, juniors Ines Schwartz, Sam Mauro and Natalie Veto, and seniors Victoria Gioia, Ned Peterson and Sophie Landeck.

In addition to adding cast members, Redwood TV is introducing two new segments this season, a culture segment and a sports segment, according to Peterson, who hosts the show along with Landeck.

Peterson also said that the sports anchors, Rawlinson and Veto, will look into sports lifestyle and sports practices, as well as cover games and interview players.

The purpose of the culture segment is to delve into subjects that do not necessarily involve academics but still include aspects of the Redwood student body, according to Gioia, who hosts the culture section along with Mauro.

“I might ask students: ‘Where Ned Peterson, are you eating? Where are you senior going to hang out? What are new, exciting places you enjoy going with your friends? Have you done anything cool in the Bay area in the past couple of weeks?’” Gioia said. “We want to focus things in terms of social life and general lifestyle.”

With the addition of the culture and sports sections, the crew now has a set amount of time allotted for each segment, according to Gioia.

“This year, we aim to have about one minute to a minute and thirty seconds for each segment, whether that’s sports, culture, or main hosts. Hopefully this will keep

shooting [video] to a minimum,” Gioia said.

With the addition of three new sets of anchors, another goal for this season is to produce longer episodes with higher quality and more reliable and regular content.

“If we only had two anchors and a few guests stars like the previous seasons, it would be hard to produce segments because there’s not a lot you can do with two people,” Gioia said. “But because we’ve now got three categories and different things that can go into these categories, you can produce content with fresher ideas. It’s also easier to manage ideas.”

The anchors do not take part in the editing process, as every segment has an editing and producing team, according to Gioia.

“We have two hosts, and then two people who help film and edit. [The anchors] just handle being on camera,” Gioia said.

Producers and editors, like Werner, handle everything that is not on screen.

“For the editing process, we usually get all the footage and put it on one computer,” Werner said.

“Then we figure out who wants to edit what, who wants to handle what part of the episode. Normally we’ll begin [editing] the episode Saturday night and have it completed and sent out to Mr. Sondheim to review it by Sunday night. So it’s a pretty quick turnaround.”

Unlike the editing and producing process, the entire crew frequently meets and partakes in idea planning and writing the episodes, according to Werner.

“Everybody schemes ideas together. Everyone has good ideas and information on what to announce, where to film, and what to film,” Gioia said. “We set a time to meet, and usually when we meet is when we actually physically draw out a plan for the episode and write down a list of filming times.”

Gioia said that it is important for ideas to be fresh and also timeless, steering away from ideas that might be

We really want to have students in the Redwood community have their voice heard.

Photo by Pearl Zhong

JUMPING IN FRONT of the CEA during lunch, new Redwood TV hosts Sophie Landeck and Ned Peterson are excited for the upcoming season. outdated by the time an episode is released.

Nonetheless, the crew hopes to continue to produce good content while maintaining the humor and entertainment that was instilled in previous seasons, according to Peterson.

“We really want to have students in the Redwood community have their voice heard,” Peterson said. “The overall goal is to make people happy.”

pzhong@redwoodbark.org

Population growth leads to increased classroom sharing

By Charlotte Seton Look around you. Do your classes feel larger than last year? Are the hallways more crowded? Are there multiple teachers in your classroom? Do you have to plan strategic bathroom breaks to avoid the lines? Is your teacher frazzled between periods?

Welcome to the increasingly populated Redwood High School, which has a total of 1,802 students this year. Principal David Sondheim anticipates this growth will be an ongoing trend.

“Our projections indicate [that] we expect to grow from just about 1,800 [students] this year to over 2,100 in four years from now,” said Sondheim.

The higher enrollment is primarily due to the larger local population, according to Sondheim.

More students need more teachers, Photo by Pearl Zhong resulting in a school population that is SITTING IN THE back of the room, Kemp works in a vacant classroom she shares stretching both facilities and teachers’ with Social Studies teacher Nikolai Butkevich. resources thin. classroom.

One of the biggest challenges for for his fourth period class.

“I have to log the [former] teacher off The transition from one classroom teachers is the need for shared classrooms, something that has become increasingly the back computer and get all set-up, log to the next can be even more stressful on, get my Powerpoint in science classes, as many are taught common over the up and get my market in a lab format, according to Doherty. last five years. screens up, get everything Teachers must coordinate labs, chemical “We are ready, and I have five preparations, set up and clean up. definitely getting minutes,” Ippolito said.

“We have pretty much lost our lunch more and more Rotating through period if you’re moving from a fourth crowded and are more than one classroom period class to a fifth period,” Doherty nearing 100 percent during the day said. “It’s a really good day if you get to eat room utilization,” compounds the logistical lunch and you get to go to the bathroom.”

Sondheim said. issues teachers face.

Doherty and Kemp stated that these There are Different classrooms challenges require them to be more benefits of sharing have different supplies or organized and flexible. If teachers need an a classroom, such equipment and teachers item in another classroom, they must wait as more teacher David Sondheim must carry their teaching to retrieve it. interaction and principal materials between “Too many teachers [are] wasting time greater appreciation multiple classrooms over because we don’t have a good place to go for colleagues’ the course of the day. and get work done, or we left something teaching styles, Kemp has had to run up and down stairs in a classroom that we need and we don’t according to Ippolito and social studies between classrooms when the internet and want to go in and disrupt a class to get it,” teacher Lisa Kemp.

But the drawbacks of sharing a a projector in her existing classroom failed Ippolito said.

Another issue is the lack of space to classroom can be significant. Ippolito’s to work.

She didn’t know they were broken prepare for lessons and meet with students, crunch time is between third and fourth period, when he faces difficulties preparing because she had just started using the according to Ippolito and Kemp.

We are definitely getting more and more crowded and are nearing 100 percent room utilization.

“Very few teachers I know have their prep period in their classroom,” Ippolito said. “Usually you see a lot of teachers in the copy room. Sometimes we have three teachers in this tiny little office trying to do work during their prep period. It definitely makes it more difficult.”

Kemp expressed a similar opinion, noting that she shares an office with several faculty members.

During their free period and when the computers are slow, it can be particularly challenging to get work done.

“There are very few quiet spaces to work,” Kemp said. “It’s really a bummer not to have someplace to meet with kids that’s quiet.”

As classroom size rises, keeping control inside the classroom is especially important, according to Ippolito.

“I have no tolerance for cellphones or disruptions. With 30 kids, I can’t afford to let kids cross talk,” Ippolito said.

The stress on facilities is being felt by clubs as well. Kemp noted that the club she advises, Model United Nations, is having a harder time finding places to meet.

She explained that they would like to meet in her classroom, but it is already being used at lunch by another teacher who is meeting with their students.

Some teachers, such as Ippolito, wonder about the administration’s plans to address this growing concern.

Portable classrooms were mentioned by Kemp and Ippolito as a potential solution.

The administration has acknowledged the problem and plans to research various solutions.

“We will be looking at ways to house additional students over the next several years,” Sondheim said. “One of our challenges ahead is how to provide the excellent service that we’ve provided for our students for so many years.”

cseton@redwoodbark.org

bark In for the kill: Key departures won’t faze girls’ volleyball Page 15 • Sports

www.redwoodbark.org

By Josh Cohen and Adam Kreitzman After years of steamrolling lesser MCAL competition, the girls’ varsity volleyball team is hoping a 2016 squad touting a mixture of proven upperclassmen starters and competitive, hungry younger players will continue its dominance.

This year, the team’s success will likely hinge on the play of senior outside hitters McKenzie Cooke and Claire Jackson.

Alike in size and stature, the two combine for an unstoppable duo capable of hitting in the front row and playing the ever-important serve-receive in the back row.

Jackson will return healthy after an ankle injury cut her season short last year.

Her return will be vital in order for Redwood to move forward without key graduates such as former MCAL Player of the Year Elly Lundberg and former starters Kylie Kvam, Lily Barber and Marguerite Spaethling.

In her limited time last year (25 sets played), Jackson posted 2.9 kills per set on a 41.2 kill percentage.

While that wasn’t quite as efficient as Lundberg’s 3.5 kills per set on a 52.3 kill percentage, another year of experience under her belt as well as more time to ease into the season should allow Jackson to improve and do a fine job replacing Lundberg’s production last year.

The Giants will need Cooke and Jackson to be on their best game every time they step on the court, leading the team in their own individual ways. “[Jackson] is amazing at leading people to be aggressive,” senior setter Mari Molina said. “[Cooke] always wants to be the best. That has always been her goal.”

Molina led the Giants last year in assists with 1,239 and serving points with 310.

As a leader, Molina wants to see all of the newcomers get out of their comfort zone and be aggressive so they won’t be nervous in games.

“I just want the new girls on the team to not be afraid to do anything. I want them to swing at every ball, even if they hit the doors at practice, because when they are playing in a game against some 6’4” girl they won’t be afraid to be aggressive,” Molina said.

The members of the team this year are spread out through all grade levels having only three seniors, five juniors, three sophomores and freshman Olivia Cooper.

From her leaders perspective, Cooper will have a bright future in Giants volleyball. “[Cooper] is probably going to be a big part of our team this year, and I don’t think the bench is somewhere she is going to be a lot,” Cooke said. “She’s got a great attitude, she’s strong already and she’s ready to play. So we are going to get her out on the court as much as we can.”

Both Cooke and Molina believe that Marin Catholic will be their greatest competitor this year because it will have more varsity returners.

“It’s going to come down to who practices harder, who wants to get better, and who wants to win more. But [Marin Catholic] does have more girls on varsity from last year than us, so they have more people that know what it is like,” Molina said.

According to Cooke, the Giants’ main focus this year is improving the team chemistry, and for the seniors to be supportive for the newcomers and underclassmen.

“I think that it will take us a little longer to get used to each other, but since it is a younger team it will be a lot of fun to get to know each other and how everybody plays,” Cooke said. “There’s no hazing or anything.”

This year the Giants will need to focus more on the basics and simple moves, whereas last year they were all comfortable playing with each other, according to Molina.

“This year, it’s basically going to be figuring everyone out and playing with new people at a new pace of play,” Molina said. “We can become a better team if we all focus on getting better at every position instead of just a specific position.”

Also, returning to the varsity team for the Giants’ this year will be sisters Desi D’Ancona and Nique D’Ancona, who honed their skills playing in Italy in the Global Challenge along with Cooke.

“Desi is definitely someone who looks really strong this year that didn’t really get a lot of chances to play in games last year,” Cooke said. “[Nique] as well is looking great and fighting for a starting spot as a [defensive specialist] or a libero.”

Defensive specialist and libero are open for competition after Barber’s departure.

Senior Desiree Hale, who would have seen significant time as either a defensive specialist or libero, suffered a serious knee injury that will keep her out the entire season.

“Desiree, being a senior and on the team last year, would be a good leader on the court along with [Cooke], [Molina], and I,” Jackson said. “She would have competed for a [defensive specialist] or libero spot.

The Giants will look to gain some early season momentum from their second match tomorrow at San Marin.

Photo by Gregory Block

LOOKING FOR A second straight MCAL title, seniors Claire Jackson (left) and McKenzie Cooke (right) are the centerpieces of Redwood’s varsity volleyball team.

By the Numbers .392 hitting percentage:

Hitting percentage can be calculated by this formula: (Kills - Hitting Errors) / Attempts. Essentially what this means is that the expected value of every attacking attempt is .392 points. In other words, every time Redwood had an attacking attempt, its lead over its opponent increased by an average of .392 points.

A hitting percentage over .200 is considered proficient, so .392 as a team statistics is rather remarkable. With the departures of Lundberg and Spaethling, who hit .452 and .529, respectively, the team’s hitting percentage should experience a slight dip.

18.1 digs per set:

bark@redwoodbark.org Infographics by Adam Kreitzman and Josh Cohen

This statistic is by no means exceptional, but considering the high hitting percentage of Redwood resulted in a lot of first-ball kills, 18.1 per set is definitely respectable. With Barber, the star libero, off to Cornell, the Giants are going to have to find someone who can replace her, if not replicate, the 5.7 digs per set that earned Barber a spot on the MCAL first team. With fewer dominant attackers on the team than in years prior, Redwood’s ability to keep the ball in play is going to be essential this year. D’Ancona and Cooper are players who will likely see time as either a defensive specialist or a libero.

2.9 percent error rate on serve-receive:

Redwood’s defense was only aced on 2.9 percent of serves. With Cooke and Jackson holding down the serve-receive as outside hitters, this statistic should remain a low percentage, which bodes well for the Giants’ championship aspirations.

3.0 blocks per set:

Redwood was strong on the net defensively last year, mainly due to the blocking prowess of right-side hitters Spaethling and Kvam, who combined for 1.5 blocks per set. With both of them gone this year, the blocking will likely be less efficient, and Redwood will have to rely on strong defense in order to succeed at the level it aspires to be at.

bark

Page 16 • Sports

September 8, 2016

Aguero brothers ready to spur Giants’ MCAL run

By Jason Fieber

other to train and improve in the offseason.

This practice stretches back to when they first began playing football about Football, perhaps more than any other seven years ago.

“I remember in Pop Warner, when we sport, is best played by those who have pathological competitiveness. Having a weren’t on the same team, on the weekends rival to compete against helps foster that we would suit up in our pads because we sense of competition and makes nearly had never felt what it was like to hit each any football player better. Dixon and Alex other,” Dixon said.

Dixon said that there is always a desire Aguero’s competitive drive was built on something more than a simple rivalry. It’s to catch up to each other when it comes to on-field accomplishments. built, quite literally, on brotherhood.

“If I do something in a game like get an Despite having played multiple sports, both brothers have found their home on the interception, then he will want to make one to catch up to me,” Dixon said. varsity football team.

While Alex will have to wait until the They have worked their way up through the Southern Marin Broncos and Redwood end of his first varsity season to see how football programs since they were 10 years his stats comparwe to Dixon’s 7.3 yards per old, but this is the first time they have been catch in eight games, the two’s brotherly on the same team, according to senior rivalry figures to push the sophomore to new heights.

Dixon.

Fueling the friendly competition is “Other years we have been separated by weight and age,” Dixon said. “This the fact that both brothers are of a similar is the first year we are together and it is physical build and possess similar on-field skills. my last year, so it’s pretty “I feel like it special.” would be different Dixon plays both safety if I was way smaller and wide receiver, while than him or if he was sophomore Alex plays way bigger,” Alex cornerback and running said. “We have kind back, which has led to of been around the plenty of opportunities for same weight and one-on-one competition height, so I feel like since they play on opposite I can do the same as sides of the ball what he does.”

“If it is a hitting drill or Dixon Aguero, Dixon echoed if I’m getting reps running senior similar sentiments the ball and he is playing regarding their safety, he has to tackle playing styles and me,” Alex said.

Their individual face-offs do not only their attitudes.

“We are both pretty shifty on the field,” occur during the season, as they use each

This is the first year we are together and it’s my last year, so it’s pretty special.

Photo by Jason Fieber

WALKING DOWN THE field, senior Dixon Aguero and sophomore Alex Aguero prepare for their season ahead.

Dixon said, “We are both fast and have quick feet.”

Both played baseball and basketball up until high school, but they said football has been their favorite sport since they were young.

“I’ve always loved the sport,” Alex said. “Watching college football and the NFL every Saturday and Sunday got me fired up and I always wanted to play. I always did some sort of football, but once I got to the age where I could play actual tackle football, I did it.”

They said their competitiveness reaches outside of football and the varsity team, and that they are always striving to better each other.

“We used to play basketball together,

one-on-one, and our dad didn’t like us doing it because it would always end badly or turn into a fight,” Dixon said.

While they may have fought off the field when they were young, Dixon’s time on the varsity team has given him experience that he can now pass on to his brother to help him and the team as a whole.

“Since I have been on varsity longer, I will tell him something that he did wrong or I will try to fix whatever he needs help with,” Dixon said. “I feel like we are more friendly on the field because we want to play as a team and do well, and I want him to do well.” jfieber@redwoodbark.org

Girls’ water polo starts fresh season with new members

By Annie Fogarty “Everyone to the wall,” called junior varsity water polo coach Frank Cardinale as he walked back and forth along the pool deck, clipboard in hand.

Scattered in clusters throughout the pool, groups of water polo players formed passing triangles, checking and practicing offensive moves, while others worked on shooting and defense. A sea of colored caps migrated to the edge of the pool, abandoning their balls.

At the close of their two hour try-out, the girls water polo team convened for a final workout. After hearing the directions and the blow of a whistle, they dove off the wall into a sprint, turning the blue pool white.

The girl’s water polo team is starting their season with intense training to prepare underclassmen and former junior varsity players to fill in the holes on the varsity team left by graduating seniors, according to varsity coach and Redwood alumnus Kirsten Frazer.

“One of the most important things will be for the girls to play with high pressure in practice,” Frazer said. “They need to play tough because varsity games are played at a fast-paced level.”

After losing eleven varsity seniors last year, the team is rebuilding. Just four players from last year’s team remain— senior Jacqueline Racich and juniors Caitlin Donnelly, Jacqueline Judd and Ashley Lamar.

“The core group of girls that have that experience will push and support the other girls to get them prepared for the varsity level,” Frazer said.

Junior and returning team captain Caitlin Donnelly will help guide the new players as this will be her third year on varsity, according to Cardinale.

Team unity will be important because the team has not competed much together, according to senior captain Courtney Morris, a new varsity player, “Many of the seniors who are going to be on varsity this year were on JV last year, so I think we want to connect more to the girls who were on varsity last year. We have practiced together but haven’t played against opponents,” Morris said.

On Aug. 20, before the teams were finalized, Redwood water polo played in a tournament and mixed up the JV and varsity teams. Redwood came out with a 2-1 record.

Frazer said that, like last year, the team is going to depend on every player rather than a stand out athlete.

“With this team it takes every one of them. There is not one star that is going to score all the goals. They need to work together,” Frazer said.

Frazer and senior captain Racich said they believe that

Photo by Kaelin Kragh

LOOKING FOR AN open teammate, senior Jacqueline Racich launches a pass. Racich, one of the team captains, is hoping to help mentor the new varsity players after losing eleven players. along with the returning varsity team members, Morris roles. will be a leader.

Sophomore Katie Treene who only began playing water “Courtney Morris is really good at organization of polo a year ago, will be the team’s new goalkeeper. Frazer the team. She is good at communicating and making sure said that it is important that the team develops a strong everyone is on the same page,” Racich said. “She will be defense to assist her as she is still learning and adjusting to good for that leadership aspect of the team.” the varsity level.

Junior Jacqueline Judd understands what elements the “With a young goalie, the focus of the beginning of the team needs to improve on, given Judd has been a varsity season will be getting the defense really solid. Then they player since her freshman year. will be able to capitalize on the mistakes of their opponent, “One thing that has been a big issue with us is which will lead to scoring in the offensive end,” Frazer said. communication,” said Judd. “Eye contact is a big part The Giants tied for sixth with Novato in MCALs last of water polo, and when that gets mess up, the passing year, and Frazer believes that Novato and Tam will be the gets messed up and the shooting gets messed up. We are team’s closest competition this year. definitely looking to improve that.”

In the last game of the 2015 season, the team defeated Frazer also recognized the improvement on the former Tam 6-2, and is hoping to beat them again. communication challenge.

“We went in wanting to beat them really badly,” said “They really are a team. They work well together and Judd. “I think we all want that feeling again.” they communicate well, which has been one our struggles in the past,” said Frazer.

Junior Natalia Lazor is a promising rising varsity who will likely receive a lot of playing time, according to Frazer.

New underclassmen are also going to fill in key team afogarty@redwoodbark.org

bark Going for gold: Students compete at Junior Olympics Page 17 • Sports

www.redwoodbark.org

By Kaelin Kragh Suspense filled the gymnasium at game point as senior Claire Jackson and her Absolute Volleyball Club team battled for the win in order to qualify to be in the top bracket of teams in the country. The opposing team’s star player went in for a spike, but senior McKenzie Cooke dove for the dig, ultimately setting Jackson up perfectly for her powerful spike. She scored the winning point.

While the 2016 Rio Olympic games received plenty of publicity, the annual 2016 Junior Olympics did not. Despite their relative unpopularity, this past summer athletes on both the Redwood girls’ varsity volleyball team and water polo team competed in their respective events.

Jackson, who committed to Rutgers University over the summer to pursue her volleyball career, attended the Junior Olympics this July in Indianapolis along with fellow Redwood and Absolute Volleyball Club teammates McKenzie Cook, Ella Spaethling, Carly Zech, Brittney Klein and Olivia Cooper. The U17 team placed 29th in the highest level bracket, which is referred to as the “Open Bracket”, and is composed of the best teams in the nation.

“Junior Olympics is different from other events because there are so many more teams with varying skill levels that we usually wouldn’t get the opportunity to play against,” Jackson said.

Being able to attend such a notable tournament creates chemistry between teammates on and off the court, according to Jackson.

“It’s super important to understand each person and the way they deal with pressure,” Jackson said. “Junior Olympics creates a great bonding experience for the team, which gives our team a lot of

momentum on the court.”

Jackson also noted that the Junior Olympics is one of the last tournaments of the club season, making it an opportunity to showcase the skills she and her teammates have accumulated during that season.

Several athletes from the Redwood girls’ varsity water polo team attended the competition as well and considered it to be a pivotal learning experience.

“Getting to spend four days with your teammates really helps to improve the bonding aspect of water polo,” said junior Ashley Lamar. “Even though there were some bumps in the games where we could have performed better, it gave us the opportunity to fix everything we weren’t doing as well.”

Playing against teams who share a mutual passion for the sport is the most rewarding aspect of the Junior Olympics, according to junior Caitlin Donnelly.

“Knowing you’re in a competition with some of the best water polo teams from around the nation is a really inspiring and rewarding experience,” Donnelly said. “I remember being young and watching my brother playing water polo at the Junior Olympics, and it was something I really aspired to do.”

Lamar and Donnelly, along with fellow varsity teammates junior Jackie Judd and senior Jacqueline Racich, attended the games with their Sleepy Hollow Aquatics (SHAQ) club team.

Donnelly, along with her SHAQ teammates, competed in the rigorous water polo competition in Sacramento, Calif., from July 28 to 31. Although it was Donnelly’s fifth year participating, she described the Junior Olympics as an unforgettable event that enabled the growth of her team, not only in terms of skill but in terms of personal relationships amongst her teammates as well.

“Junior Olympics is a place where

Photo by Kaelin Kragh

AIMING FOR THE goal, junior Ashley Lamar shoots the ball during a scrimmage on Aug. 25. you can create friendships that could last a lifetime,” Lamar said. “You could tell a difference in how well we played together just by those two days from hanging out with each other.”

In order to compete at this highlevel competition, the water polo team fully dedicated themselves to meet the standard that the Junior Olympics requires.

According to the USA Water Polo website, the placement required to be eligible to compete is dependant on the particular team’s “zone” or location.

In previous years, the team had a morning and afternoon practice twice a week. However, this year the team felt they needed to step up their game with three hour practices, four times a week.

For many, Junior Olympics is an event that seems unattainable, which was the case for Donnelly, who started playing the

sport six years ago.

“When I was just starting water polo, I looked at the Junior Olympics as something that I couldn’t achieve,” Donnelly said.

“Now it’s an accomplishment I will always be glad to have went through, and something I will never forget.”

Donnelly explained that it’s difficult to separate from her teammates as a season following the Junior Olympics comes to a close.

“There’s a reason I’ve been playing this sport since the fifth grade,” Donnelly said.

“The chemistry we build every season is something so great, and it’s never easy to walk away from something like that.”

kkragh@redwoodbark.org

Field hockey looks to improve in second season with new assistant coach

By Rachel Schten Redwood’s field hockey team will have an added edge this season with its new assistant coach, who was previously a member of Harvard’s Division I varsity women’s field hockey team for four years.

New assistant coach Aline Copp will be joining coach Jen Reidy, who helped bring the sport to Redwood last year, as well as Redwood’s second new assistant coach Sandy Pfaff.

According to Copp, field hockey is very different from sports like soccer and lacrosse, both of which she played in her youth.

“With field hockey, the whole body is participating in the sport,” Copp said. “Your quads are burning and your arms are getting really pumped up from all the hitting and stick skill work you are doing.”

Copp was drawn to field hockey while growing up in Texas, where the sport is very popular.

“It’s so much fun once you understand the concept of it and get the stick skills. And that’s one of the hard parts when you’re coming in freshman year and haven’t picked up a stick before,” Copp said.

Copp also said that oftentimes it is hard to transition from a more basic level to an advanced level.

“It can be frustrating to learn the skills to make the game more fluid and fast-paced,” Copp said.

However, according to the field hockey team’s other new assistant coach Sandy Pfaff, who played for Connecticut College’s DIII team, the girls are improving rapidly.

“They are picking it up so quickly because they are good athletes and Sandy Pfaff, assistant coach they want to learn,” Pfaff said.

Pfaff had not previously coached field hockey but wanted to be involved again with the sport.

“I know Jen [Reidy] really well and I admire what she has done with this program, and I really wanted to be part of it,” Pfaff said.

During the season, Redwood will play St. Ignatius College Preparatory once, and San Francisco University

High School and Berkeley High School twice.

Redwood’s season will be very short due to the small number of schools in the North Coast section that participate in the sport and the fact that there is no field hockey in the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL).

Although Redwood and Marin Catholic have teams, they do not play in the MCAL. “We do have some schools [in the North Coast Section] who have teams, but they play in the Central Coast Section,” said North Coast Section Associate Commissioner Karen Smith.

According to Al Goldberg, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Assistant Director, field hockey is much more popular in other areas of California such as San Diego County, Orange County, Santa Clara County and Monterey County.

Copp has noticed a contrast between field hockey’s popularity in Marin as well as California as a whole in contrast with the rest of the country.

“In Texas and the East Coast, kids start field hockey in middle school so by the time they get to highschool they already have the concepts and the skills,” Copp said.

However, this is not the case in the Marin.

“Some girls come out to tryouts and they’ve never picked up a stick before,” Copp said.

One factor that has affected field hockey’s popularity in California is the prevalence of girls’ lacrosse, according to Goldberg.

“The North Section stymied its growth because of lacrosse, which was added in 2000 [as a CIF sanctioned sport] which has held off any popularity in field hockey,” Goldberg said.

Girls’ field hockey has experienced relatively consistent popularity in California over the past 11 years with 2,952 girls playing in CIF leagues in 2005, 3,255 girls in 2011 and 3,341 girls in 2016 according to the CIF. Last season, most girls on the team had never played field hockey before.

This year will be different because some are

They are picking it up so quickly because they are good athletes and they want to learn.

Photo by Rachel Schten

DRIBBLING THE BALL in the midfield, freshman Eva Oppenheim passes a defender in a game against MC on Aug. 29. returning players.

This season, returning senior Neeve Kennedy who is also one of the team’s captains, hopes to work on mastering different types of dribbling as well as drives, which are long passes.

“If we can get those skills down, then I think we will have possession more and also will be able to make crisper and better passes,” Kennedy said.

rschten@redwoodbark.org

September 8, 2016 bark Page 18 • Sports Seniors look to tackle the competition in final season

By Michael Benz In the 1998-1999 school year, two major things happened for Redwood’s football program: this year’s talented senior class was born and the Giants won their most recent MCAL championship, 18 years ago.

A drought of this size is uncommon at Redwood, as there were 18 MCAL championships won by the school just last year, one for each year of the varsity football team’s drought. However, many of the players foresee a championship on the horizon.

This season, senior captain Nick Calzaretta expects nothing less than to fill the 18 year void with an MCAL championship.

Standing at five foot eleven inches and weighing around 200 lbs, with a 40 yard dash time of 4.57 seconds, Calzaretta is a major part of Redwood’s lethal running attack, rushing for 1314 yards last season, earning him a MCAL first team spot.

Calzaretta compares himself to former pro running back Marshawn Lynch because they both like Skittles, but anyone watching Calzaretta run will see the comparison not because of candy preference, but because of the the brash nature in which he destroys opponents, often needing at least three defenders to slow him down.

Paired with Calzaretta’s downhill-running style is senior Kyle Fulton, a fullback on this year’s team.

“When I went to camps they’d all compare me to Frank Gore,” Fulton said.

Any football fan remembers Gore’s success as a San Francisco 49er, his methodical running method and ability to find pay-dirt any given Sunday.

The comparison to Fulton is spot on, as Gore was

Photo by Michael Benz

STARING DOWN THE competition, Senior Nick Calzaretta celebrates with teammates Max Hogan (left) and Declan Hardiman (right) during the Giants’ first game of the season on Aug. 27. humble, quiet, and efficient, and the same can be said about Fulton, who in his sophomore year two seasons ago was an MCAL honorable mention as a running back.

Fulton usually sees goal line carries and situational runs, but on any other MCAL team he would be competing with Calzaretta for a spot as one of the best backs in the league.

In response, Fulton simply says how he gets to block for the best running back in the league.

The pair also works together on the pitch, as they are both members of Marin Highlanders Rugby. The two have received offers from different DI schools to play rugby.

Calzaretta and Fulton are a part of a group of teammates who have been playing together since the fifth grade and are now a part of the varsity squad. Seniors Dixon Aguero, Hayden Blum, Calzaretta, Peter Cline, Jax Farrell-Martin, Trevor Foehr, Fulton, Declan Hardiman, Billy Lewis and Alex Wilson all played for the Southern Marin Broncos during their Pop Warner football years.

“Usually the one thing that holds a team back is that no one really knows how each other plays, but everyone on this team has played with each other for almost eight years,” Wilson said.

Wilson is another key asset of this year’s squad. He stands at six foot four inches, the same height as one of his idols, legendary wide receiver Randy Moss.

“I’d compare my game to Moss. The athletic big man type wide receiver who likes to run downfield and make plays,” Wilson said.

And make plays he does.

Wilson quickly emerged as a two-way threat at Redwood, moving from quarterback to receiver and also earning an MCAL honorable mention last year as a defensive back.

Calzaretta, Fulton and Wilson grew up together as members of the same organizations, Twin Cities Little League, St. Patrick’s CYO, and the Broncos.

Trevor Foehr, also a former member of the Broncos, was thrusted into the starting quarterback job last year as a junior after underperformance and injury sidelined senior Ben Bialla.

“Last year, I wouldn’t say we dramatically improved, but we definitely saw an increase in quality of the team.

We made the playoffs for the first time in ten years, which is good, but this season I expect even more,” Foehr said.

“We almost have all returning starters, especially in the skill positions, so I don’t see a reason why we can’t do the best we’ve ever done for Redwood football.”

Foehr and Wilson believe that the Giants have a shot at winning MCAL with a regular season record of 8-2.

The biggest and toughest game of the season will be the grudge match with rival Marin Catholic (MC).

“I know in years past the big game has been MC, and MC is usually at the end of the season so everything builds up to that, but this season it’s our first MCAL game,” Foehr said. “We need to keep focus after playing MC and continue to play out the rest of our MCAL season as if every game was a game to get into the playoffs, which they are, but play them with really strong intensity to the best of our ability.”

It is every team’s goal to win a championship. But when a team coming off their first playoff berth in 10 years is led by seniors enjoying their last ride, the season has the makings of something special.

Photo by Michael Benz

FIGHTING FOR REDWOOD’S first pennant in 18 years, seniors Trevor Foehr, Alex Wilson, Kyle Fulton and Nick Calzaretta (left to right) look to leave their mark on Redwood football.

mbenz@redwoodbark.org

Foreign student impresses in transition to American cross country

By Max Josef Senior Chiara Visintini had always wanted to visit America.

This year, she was given the chance when she transferred to Redwood for the year.

“I’ve wanted to come [to America] since I was a child, and this was my opportunity,” Visintini said. “It is totally different. Everything’s bigger in America.

For example, my school [in Italy] is only one floor.”

Put yourself in her shoes. Imagine moving to a new country and a new school, trying to make connections with fellow students and adjusting to a new culture, all in one year.

Joining a new team, especially in a different country, can be a daunting task.

However; cross country captain junior Gillian Wagner thinks that Visintini will be able to adapt to the different training in America. “[Visintini] is such a hard worker. She comes to practice everyday ready to go,” Wagner said. “I don’t think that there will be an adjustment period for her. If she works as hard as she seems like she does, she should have no problem.”

Running in America is different because in Italy there is no high school

running, only club, according to Visintini.

“The main thing is that there are actually kids my age. [In Italy,] they are either mostly younger or older,” Visintini said. “Running is about the same difficulty in America, but in Italy all the running is done in the winter.”

Italian runners must decide whether to do track or cross country since they cannot do both like runners in America, according to Visintini.

Visintini chose to do long distance cross country rather than track while in Italy.

Cross country coach Laura Schmitt said she is impressed with Visintini’s performance, but this year’s varsity cross country team will be especially challenging to make.

“Athletically, she is going to be very good, but I do not see her having a big impact this year,” Schmitt said. “I would never even consider putting that kind of pressure on a new athlete. I always give my runners a year to get accustomed to the team.”

Despite the nervousness that can come with moving halfway across the world, Visintini has been very open to making friends and experiencing the culture.

Wagner has spent time with Visintini during practice everyday since the season

Photo by Mary Winnick

ARRIVING FROM ITALY, senior Chiara Visintini runs during cross country practice.

Visintini has impressed her coaches and teammates with her work ethic. started, and said that she is a great person to be around.

“She is super bubbly whenever I talk to her,” Wagner said. “She is super open and always wants to talk.”

Visintini will look to push Redwood

girls’ cross country forward in the beginning of what looks to be another successful season. mjosef@redwoodbark.org

review

Page 19

Friday Night Bites: AT&T Park serves splendid snacks

By Catherine Conrow Friday Night Bites, Bark’s newest review segment, highlights hip places to eat and hang during your night out on the town. From delicious desserts to superb suppers, The Bark knows where to go to tantalize your tastebuds. For this edition of Friday Night Bites, The Bark attended a Giants baseball game at AT&T park, a perfect Friday night activity for you and your friends. We found some of the best places to eat within the stadium so you won’t be overwhelmed by the countless dining options the park offers.

The Garden The Garden at AT&T Park, located behind the centerfield wall, is home to some of the park’s healthiest and most delicious food made with seasonal, fresh produce. Two concessions stands are located in the garden —Garden Table and Earth Table—which together offer salads, smoothies and an antipasti bar.

The seating area is covered with various types of trees and vegetable plants, creating a mini oasis within the crowded, loud stadium. Seating, however, is limited, and the only way to view the game is from the scoreboard overhead or through cracks in the moveable wall.

Earth Table offers an assortment of sandwiches and flatbreads (including gluten-free options) made in a pizza oven while Garden Table serves peach and strawberry shortcakes that are not to be missed.

Overall, the strawberry shortcake ($8.25) is a tasty treat and is magnificently colorful. Served with a generous helping of whipped cream, the dessert is large enough to share between two friends.

However, while the strawberries are delicious, the cake lacks flavor and tastes slightly store-bought.

Not enough of the cake is served in the bowl in relation to the strawberries, resulting in a strawberry component that tastes a little too sweet.

Photo by Catherine Conrow

SERVED WITH BACON, sour cream, cheddar cheese and chives, the tater tots at AT&T park are too crunchy and lack substance.

Derby Grill tenders are served, they are large and made from quality white meat chicken breast. Fries are also included, making For those looking for more traditional baseball fare, it a more substantial meal and a good economical option. spectators should head to the Derby Grill with locations in the Promenade, club level and Field Club.

Ghirardelli The grill offers burgers, hot dogs, veggie dogs, chicken tenders, loaded tater tots, garlic fries and regular fries.

Undoubtedly the best ballpark food, Ghirardelli’s ice The tater tots are served with flavorful bacon, sour cream sundaes are the ultimate Friday night treat despite cream, cheddar cheese and chives, but are too crunchy and their high price ($11.25). Large enough to share, the lack substantial filling. Ultimately, they are not worth their sundaes have the perfect ratio of warm, gooey hot fudge $9.50 price tag. Likewise, the garlic fries from Derby Grill to delicious vanilla ice cream. The sundaes are served with are too oily and do not justify their $8.50 per basket price. whipped cream, chopped nuts and a maraschino cherry, However, the fries do have a nice, subtle garlic flavor and which come together to create the perfect ice cream are salted well. sundae.

The chicken tenders from Derby Grill are one of the better ballpark dinner options. Although only three chicken cconrow@redwoodbark.org

‘Suicide Squad’ misses the mark with lackluster storyline

By Luke Dahlin “Suicide Squad”: the most fun, least interesting movie you’ll ever watch. With non-stop action and an exhaustingly boring and uninspired plotline, Suicide Squad is the epitome of what we’ve come to expect from comic book movies.

Comic book fans, action film fans, and those who just love anything Margot Robbie were all understandably attracted to the most highly anticipated film of the summer. The glamor of a new generation of superheroes in the DC world, which has struggled to produce anything notable since Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, roused the imagination of millions. Thus far, Suicide Squad has generated over $580 million in box office totals, making it the eighth highest grossing film in 2016.

But are these numbers deceiving? Yes, and quite obviously so. Along with its weak plotline, the edited shots in certain parts of the film made it comical where amusement clearly wasn’t the intended emotion for the scene. For example, several of the shots that included the Joker were overfiltered and overcut. Though I see how the director intended to portray the Joker as an insane and barbaric madman, it seemed as if LSD was a little too prevalent in the editing room while creating the scene.

Though there are many flaws in “Suicide Squad,” the acting simply was not one of them.

With outstanding performances from Will Smith as Deadshot and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, the likeability of the individuals in the movie was never doubted. From the get-go, every character was entertaining and for the most part charismatic. It seemed to me that the movie didn’t deserve these amazing performances, because its plot was so underdeveloped and unoriginal.

In addition, Jared Leto’s Joker played

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

PORTRAYED BY MARGOT ROBBIE, Harley Quinn’s characteristic craziness was one of the few saving graces in the typical and lackluster plot of “Suicide Squad.” a fascinating role in the film, but had no real impact on the outcome of the story. Though Leto’s relatively brief, yet excellent performance in the film did give me something to look forward to in his future roles as the Clown Prince of Crime, I was let down by his lack of screen time. Trailers and previews convinced me that the Joker was going to play a pivotal role as the antagonist, and it was not only disappointing to find out he wasn’t, but the actual villain in the film was an even larger joke.

Enchantress, an ancient alien super mutant whose goal is to destroy all of mankind, was a weak choice for a villain.

She wasn’t a person that I felt angry toward for existing and she wasn’t a force of true evil. Every story needs a compelling and powerful antagonist, which makes success for the hero much more difficult, thus

leading to a more compelling and ultimately meaningful victory. Enchantress’s role was unmeaningful and caused stagnation within the plot. Previous DC superhero villains such as Bane and Heath Ledger’s Joker, to name a few, were successful in displaying their evilness in the most epic of ways by exposing the weaknesses of the hero, and forcing them to develop and overcome adversity.

Enchantress didn’t do this to any of the protagonists, and that’s why her performance couldn’t even come close.

On another note, I cannot overstate the unoriginality of the plotline. An extraterrestrial mutant with powers not home to this world, building an alien army and a superweapon to destroy mankind and take control, fighting against an unlikely team of heroes for the safety and future of the planet. Avengers much?

I really wanted this movie to be great, standing as a clear example of the rejuvenation of the DC movie franchise, but it just wasn’t.

However, there wasn’t a point where I wasn’t entertained watching the movie. Its intense, action-packed nature was exciting and thrill-inspiring. However, I was never interested in the outcome of the movie. At no time was I concerned about the “safety” of the protagonists or that they wouldn’t be able to overcome their adversaries, which frankly made the movie monotonous.

The film did nothing to make the viewer feel invested in the movie, and the lack of character development was just one of the holes that made Suicide Squad a below average story.

ldahlin@redwoodbark.org

September 8, 2016 bark Page 20 • Review Ocean gets choppy with long-awaited album ‘Blonde’

By Kaelin Kragh After nearly two years of silence, the day Frank Ocean fans have long anticipated has finally arrived. “Blonde,” Ocean’s second traditional, full length album goes in a softer direction than his previous upbeat work, but still possesses the same unique, idiosyncratic tone his music is known for.

The album includes sentimental tracks and creative incorporations, such as his non-musical songs mostly made up of dialogue with beats in the background, elements which make the album well worth the wait. Within a week of its release, it has already become the top purchased album on iTunes.

In April 2016, Ocean announced that his follow up album to 2014’s “Channel Orange” would be released in July.

However, it was released a month later than Ocean originally planned without any explanation, which upset his fans.

Still sticking to his R&B roots, the 22-year-old singer-songwriter successfully pursued an artistic path to make his music more meaningful, with a storytelling spirit integrated into every song.

In the song “Be Yourself,” a voicemail from his mother is incorporated into the lyrics. In the song, she demands that he doesn’t get addicted to drugs or alcohol as he ventures to college.

Her main emphasis was that Ocean “be himself.” While still in school, Ocean sold drugs, particularly crack cocaine. The song is particularly meaningful because Ocean was apologizing for not following his mother’s wishes, or for not being “true to himself,” as his mother says in the track.

Ocean is trying to get the message across that his mother was right about sticking to your core values.

In “Facebook Story,” the voice of a

Courtesy of Apple Music

RELEASING BOTH a normal and a visual album on the same day, Frank Ocean ended his long album drought.

French man explains how his girlfriend broke up with him after accepting a friend request from another woman. This implies that some people in relationships tend to be dramatic.

Ocean is relatively private with his romantic life compared to other celebrities.

Ever since he came out as gay via his Tumblr account, fans haven’t heard much

about any men he has dated. In “Facebook Story,” Ocean appears to be getting the message across that relationships are hard work and only result in unnecessary drama.

Both “Be Yourself” and “Facebook Story” are interesting ways of making an album artistically remarkable.

This is a way in which Blonde differs from many of the mainstream albums

artists release today.

Ocean drops multiple hints in this album in regards to his love life, particularly in two of his best tracks: “Nights” and “White Ferrari.” The most prominent lines in “Nights” put an ex of Ocean’s on the spot when he says, “I’m not trying to keep you/ Can’t keep up a conversation. Did you call me from a seance/you are from a past life/ hope you’re doing well.”

Starting off with a more upbeat tempo in contrast to the rest of the album, “Nights” is the ideal song for a nighttime jam.

“White Ferrari,” which features Bon Iver and James Blake, stands out as perfect example of what Ocean’s album is dedicated to—slow beats with passion embedded into the lyrics. A noteworthy line is, “I care for you still and I will forever/That was my part of the deal, honest/We got so familiar, spending each day of the year, White Ferrari.” The song itself is simple, referring to a late night ride with his beau, but the simplicity is what makes it so sentimental. Ocean is content with the little things he gets to do with his loved one.

However, a song that could be skipped in the album is “Nikes.” It starts out with a smooth R&B beat, but Ocean’s voice is autotuned to sound raspy, resulting in a martian-like sound.

It has a solid beat, but Ocean tries too hard to make the voice sound alternative, ending up with an unappealing sound.

Overall, Ocean’s album is unique and has clear, artistic inspiration integrated into the work. If you are among the few who have not ventured out the buy the album, I suggest doing so immediately to add to your back-to-school playlist.

kkragh@redwoodbark.org

MOMA restrospective displays photographer’s diversity

By Maggie Smith The photographs featured don’t even look like they were taken by the same artist; the collection is so diverse that there’s something that will interest any viewer.

Photographer Anthony Hernandez will be featured in a retrospective exhibit at the San Francisco Museum Of Modern Art (MOMA) starting Sept. 24, adding to the collections displayed since the museum’s redesign in May. The exhibit will have over 150 photos taken during Hernandez’s career, which began in 1966.

Hernandez’s work is largely inspired by locations, from his shots in Oakland, Baltimore, Italy and Vietnam during his service. A majority of his photos were taken where he grew up in LA, which explains his attraction to the area and its complexities.

One of his biggest collections is made up of color photos taken in the ‘70s and ‘80s, called “Rodeo Drive.”

The photos do a great job of showing the fashions of the upper class during the ‘80s, and are fairly candid, which adds an engaging perspective that isn’t often seen in street photography.

The best images are the ones taken from an unusual angle, such as the one of the woman in front of the “Bellini’s” sign. The viewer can see her reflection in the mirror putting on lipstick, as well as an onlooker in the background. This photo captures the luxurious feeling of the series, more than the other photos that were shot from straight-on.

After starting with street photography, Hernandez’s style transitioned in the mid-1990s; he moved away from portraits, and started shooting smaller details. Recently, his photos have explored urban and contemporary ruins, such as abandoned buildings.

His most famous collection, “Landscapes for the Homeless,” was completed in 1991 and is included in the exhibit. It featured the living spaces of the Los Angeles homeless population, created to show the condition of modern homelessness.

The pictures, while gritty, are beautiful in terms of their composition and light. Additionally, the photos aren’t too romantic in nature, and cause the viewer to take a second look to consider the detail.

They combine the reality of the subject matter with obviously skilled photography.

The photos featured in the exhibit are fairly simple, but elicit a complex response from the viewer. The use of

Courtesy of MOMA

TAKEN IN 1984 by Anthony Hernandez, “Rodeo Drive #3” was presented at the MOMA. The photo is a shot of the Los Angeles fashion scene in the 1980’s. empty space and color make every photo beautiful, even to a broader audience. though the subjects are often unidealized.

The Hernandez exhibit will join the other exhibits His early street photos are especially fascinating, featured in the newly re-designed MOMA. Permanent seeming to catch a moment in time, all while capturing exhibits include a highlight on German art that explores the movement and spirit of the person or people featured. postwar emotions and ideas, American abstract art and a The photos included in the exhibit showcase showcase of pop and figurative art.

Hernandez’s versatility, and each photo is able to capture Additionally, the Campaign for Art exhibit features the energy of the scene, whether that be a woman walking new donated pieces and works commissioned for the across the street or hundreds of cigarette butts laying in museum, in all mediums. the dirt.

Hernandez’s work will be showcased in the Pritzker The MOMA has featured Hernandez’s work before, Center for Photography on the third floor, and will be on but have never showcased it at such an in-depth level as display until Jan. 1, 2017. in this upcoming exhibit. According to exhibit curator Erin O’Toole, the MOMA is hoping to introduce his past work msmith@redwoodbark.org

bark

Page 21 • Review

www.redwoodbark.org

What’s poppin’? Marin cinemas provide variety

By Henry Tantum Big cushy chairs, buttery popcorn and a thrilling movie: the ideal movie theater may be hard to find, but the Bark is here to help you out. Avoid melted Junior Mints and dirty floors; sit back, relax, and enjoy the show at four of Marin County’s best theaters.

Tiburon Playhouse The Tiburon Playhouse is conveniently placed right in the heart of downtown Tiburon, however, free parking can be difficult to find. From the outside, the building maintains a rustic, authentic feel. Inside, the concessions area is clean and welcoming. Prices for both tickets and concessions are surprisingly low relative to the new, modern theaters at $10.50 for a general admission ticket.

Three viewing rooms allow for a respectable selection of movies, and are spacious enough not to feel crowded. Dim lights and wood walls set a soothing mood upon entering the theater. Best of all, massive couch-like chairs will make you feel right at home. Though the theater has been opened for over 50 years, last year’s remodel gives it a new yet nostolgic atmosphere, reminicent of Hollywood’s glory days.

Century Cinema Pulling into the Corte Madera theater, you enter a large parking lot with spots galore, making certain parking was not a major concern. Inside, the concessions room is spacious. Although not as modern as the Tiburon Playhouse, it is clean and open. The chairs are cushioned, but small and not nearly as nice as those of the Playhouse.

However, the Century Cinema shines most in its single, very large viewing room. Instead of having multiple smaller screens and showing several movies at once, the Corte Madera location employs just a single massive screen. Although this does decrease movie selection, it makes it easier to immerse yourself in viewing delight.

General admission price was pricey at $11.75.

Photo by Henry Tantum

PLACED CONVENIENTLY IN downtown Tiburon, the Tiburon Playhouse is clean and welcoming, making it the perfect Marin theater to sit back, relax, and enjoy a movie.

Northgate

The Lark

Northgate’s theater is different from the other theaters The Lark theater was not the most impressive of the the Bark reviewed due to its location inside of the Northgate four the Bark reviewed. Although maintaining a historical, Shopping Center. Although this location does allow easy “classic” feel, the building felt somewhat old and not as access if you are already shopping at the mall, parking can clean or modern as some of the others. General admission be stressful and you don’t get the same “homey” feel as in was cheapest, at $10.25. Also, with just one screen, movie other, stand-alone theaters. Once inside Northgate, movie- selection was limited and seemed outdated, and the size goers are greeted with an extensive array of options, was not as impressive as that of Corte Madera’s theater. several times that of any other theater the Bark reviewed, The seats were average and the overall decor was not great. a major benefit when searching for hard-to-find films. However its convienent location in Downtown Larkspur The concessions area is large and a wide variety of sweet offers a variety of resturants to capture a family family treats is a definite plus. Inside the viewing rooms, seats friendly dinner and movie night. are average and feel clean enough. Like the Corte Madera htantum@redwoodbark.org theater, general admission price was $11.75.

It’s no strange thing Netflix’s new series is wildly popular

By Sam Sheridan A mysterious government lab, pulsing hazy lights, blaring alarms, and an eerie growl all make the first 30 seconds of “Stranger Things” spine-tingling. Netflix’s new original series instantly cements itself as an online classic following its mid-summer release. It’s no strange thing, either. The show, which stars awardwinning actress Winona Ryder, manages to capture the classic ‘80s supernatural tropes and essence that once dominated popular culture.

“Stranger Things” takes place in a small Indiana town that has a generically familiar feel. A persistent mother named Joyce, played by Ryder, leads a thrilling search for her missing son, Will.

This search leads to a series of revelations about a secretive government lab and strange events that sweep through the town. These become more complex as the plot unfolds.

With subtle events and scenes effortlessly building on one another, “Stranger Things” is stupendously written and leaves the audience on the edge of their seat, anticipating what comes next.

Although the show is composed of eight episodes, each around an hour long, it flows together like one long movie —making it perfect for binge watching.

Ryder delivers a stunning performance with scenes and lines filled with raw emotion. However, despite her strong work, it is the child actors who really shine.

Gaten Matarazzo (who has appeared on “The Blacklist” and who was part of “Les Misérables” on Broadway) plays Dustin, one of the most memorable characters.

With excellent quotes, a lovable attitude, and the right mix of comic relief, Dustin is the glue that holds the other kids in the show together.

Millie Bobby Brown also delivers a stellar performance as Eleven, the strange, mysterious and almost mute girl that Mike, Lucas, and Dustin find wandering through the forest. Even with her limited amount

Courtesy of Netflix

LISTENING IN AMAZEMENT, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) realizes that Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) may be able to help find his missing friend. of lines, Brown still manages to portray her thoughts and emotions. Finn Wolfhard (Mike) and Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas) are both fantastic; they do an excellent job highlighting the subtle (and at other times blatantly obvious) interpersonal conflicts between the kids. Noah Schnapp still shines despite his character being missing for the majority of the series. His brief appearances complement Ryder’s maternal role. The child actors deliver a very surprising level of quality, on par with or better than the adult actors.

The soundtrack and score of “Stranger Things” amplifies its spooky and nostalgic feel. The soundtrack only features time appropriate songs with tracks by Joy Division, Jefferson Airplane, Toto, David Bowie, and The Clash — “Should I Stay or Should I Go” is frequently used. The score is chilling; the repeating synths give “Stranger Things” a retro ’80s feel and fit in perfectly for the series.

“Stranger Things” is by no means perfect, slight plot holes emerge as the writing degrades, but it kept me glued to

the couch for eight hours straight. It covers almost every trope imaginable and almost fetishizes the supernatural flicks of the ‘80s.

Even though I didn’t live through the ‘80s, it captured exactly what I expected them to be like. “Stranger Things” is set up for a sequel and hopefully we can expect new episodes next year.

ssheridan@redwoodbark.org

bark

Page 22 • Lifestyles

September 8, 2016

Senior fires up career interests with Mill Valley Fire Department

By Sabrina Dong While most Redwood students spent the summer lounging on the beach, relaxing or hanging out with friends, senior Vivienne Ward was getting fired up for school in a different way—through her internship at the Mill Valley Fire Department.

Ward received her internship through Jewish Family and Children’s Services, whose internship program pairs teens up with local nonprofit organizations. The teens, who are paid through the Jewish Family and Children’s Center, gain experience helping out in the real world.

Ward’s experience was unique because she had the opportunity to respond to real emergency response calls.

Her most interesting experience came on a call in which she was present at the rescue of a man in his early twenties who had fallen 600 feet down a Marin Headlands cliff.

“This was even before I officially started. I had met with the Battalion Chief, Michael St. John, to discuss what I would be doing during the internship. He wanted to express that this wasn’t going to be easy and wanted to prepare me for what I would see,” Ward said. “We were headed to get lunch when we heard on the radio that a hiker had fallen, slipped down a cliff.”

The pair then drove from Mill Valley to the Headlands in response to the situation.

The battalion chief let Ward control the radios on the drive to the call, making sure they stayed in contact with everyone already at the scene.

“We raced from Whole Foods in Mill Valley on the freeway, 100 miles per hour, going to this little tiny cliff at the Headlands,” Ward said. “There were a lot of people, a lot of manpower, and we had to try to think of the best way to get him out of that situation, whether that would be to

Photo courtesy of Vivienne Ward

EXPLORING HER INTEREST in emergency care, Vivienne Ward interned at the Mill Valley Fire Department through the organization Jewish Family and Children’s Services, which provides opportunities to work with nonprofits and buisnesses. airlift him out or to pull him back up or get him safely down.”

Ward observed and took notes on how the emergency response team decided, after careful planning, to attach a responder to a rope mechanism and lower the patient down to the beach below.

“I was happy that he made it out with

minor injuries. It was very interesting to see how the rescue evolved,” Ward said.

Through the experience, Ward said she realized that emergency response was not what she thought it was. Instead of firefighters and medical attendants rushing rapidly to a scene, she realized it took a lot of time and careful planning to reassure

that nobody got hurt in the process of a rescue.

“I was expecting for fire and emergency services to run in and do everything really really rapidly but you actually have to stop and plan it out and make sure everything is in order because the firefighters don’t want to risk having themselves injured while they save someone else,” Ward said.

During her internship, Ward also handled everything from maintenance of the fire trucks to taking notes on the various types of rescues and calls.

“There are certain things that the firefighters have to do depending on what day of their shift it is, so I was able to assist them in checking the engines, refilling the air tanks and responding to calls whenever the station got one,” Ward said. “They have a form they had to fill out after each call, so that usually ended up in my hands.”

Ward was also able to help with the medical side of emergency response, which she is very interested in. An aspiring ER physician, Ward would take trips with the ambulance workers and even perform some basic medical tests.

“When I was in the ambulance I was able to take blood pressure and pulse, which I learned through taking Physiology at Redwood,” Ward said.

Ward especially enjoyed the human communication and hands-on medical care part of her experience.

“I liked actually being able to help people because it was face to face with the patients who called the emergency services. They were in pain and needed to be transported to the hospital so they could get better care, and they depended on us to do that for them,” Ward said.

sdong@redwoodbark.org

Students pursue volunteer opportunities at elderly homes

By Alexandra Lee While many students are preoccupied with homework, sports and spending time with friends, sophomore Lindsey Papuc is surrounded by a crowd of senior citizens, leading bingo and arts and crafts while volunteering at the Aegis Living of Corte Madera.

Papuc is one of a few students who find the time to volunteer at homes for the elderly and build relationships with the members living there.

She said that volunteering at Aegis this past spring was very rewarding. Her favorite part was seeing how kind and funny the elderly were in their interactions.

“It was just a sense of self-satisfaction because you’re helping so many people, and even though I was just helping them with bingo, they were all so interested in having those things every week that they could rely on and to help them remember things,” Papuc said.

Senior Emily Johnson volunteers weekly at Aldersly Retirement Living in San Rafael, playing piano for the residents, many of whom suffer from dementia.

“My favorite part is that even though a lot of them can’t say how much they love listening to the music, you can tell they’re always scooting their wheelchairs closer to the piano,” Johnson said. “And if I’ll play a song that they recognize, you can see a smile on their face.”

The seniors at Aegis are completely open to meeting fresh faces, so they love when new volunteers come in, according to Papuc.

“They really like meeting new people and kind of changing it up a little bit, and when they see someone new that they haven’t seen before, it gives them something else to talk about,” Papuc said.

Johnson volunteers through a program called Love is the Answer (LITA), which pairs volunteers 18 and older with a specific elderly person to visit once a week. Johnson is not 18, so she volunteers at Aldersly by playing piano on Sundays.

The Redwoods in Mill Valley is another assisted senior living facility, whose goal is to provide a vibrant, healthy environment for people to age in, according to Noreen McKeon, the Director of Programs and Volunteers.

McKeon said that they welcome both long-term and short-term student volunteers and place them in whichever

Photo courtesy of Aegis Living

PARTICIPATING IN ARTS and crafts, an elderly resident engages in activities that are led by student volunteers such as Lindsey Papuc at Aegis Living in Corte Madera. area they are best suited to.

“Dining service is a biggie, because lots just want those community service hours, so they’re in the dining room usually at dinner pouring water and coffee. For the volunteers who want more involvement, we have them working in our Cyber Senior program,” McKeon said.

The Cyber Senior program is specific to the Redwoods, and allows students to become “teachers” of technology to a senior who they are assigned to.

The students teach seniors how to use smartphones and iPads, which allows for both parties to develop a more in-

depth relationship, according to McKeon. “[The seniors] love having high school age kids around. This is a population that’s very active in their aging, and part of that is they are lifelong learners. They love knowing what the younger generations are up to,” McKeon said.

alee@redwoodbark.org

Page 23 • Lifestyles

www.redwoodbark.org

bark

Face-to-Face: Should students use cell phones in classrooms?

By Tilly Friedlander

So overall you think that phones should be allowed in the classroom?

Face-to-Face is a feature that allows two members of the Redwood community to grill each other, argue, or simply converse about a relevant issue or event. We provide the topic, and they do the rest. This month’s participants are junior Caitlin Donelly and junior Ladia Jirasek. The two discuss the consequences of technology in the classroom.

CD: Yes, because I think it’s a faster way of getting to information and if you use it as a distraction that’s going to show in your grade. So, I think there’s already an incentive not to be distracted on it. And if you decide to be distracted then that’s on you.

Do you think students should be allowed to use their phones in class as a learning tool?

Caitlin Donnelly: Yes, because if you don’t have access to a computer because the computers are used by another teacher and you need to look something up, you should be able to do it. Or you shouldn’t have to do it through a textbook just because the teacher wasn’t able to get a laptop. You should be able to look it up regardless.

Ladia Jirasek: If you’re going to use a learning tool it should be a computer [instead of a phone] because teachers have lessons and they should be able to figure out with other teachers when to share the computer time. When you’re using phones, you could use it as a learning tool but there are a lot of distractions. Since it’s your own, you may play games, check Instagram, start texting or something. That could really hurt the process of learning.

CD: If you have a limited amount of time to do an assignment and you’re going to get graded down because you couldn’t complete it, and it’s faster to do it with your phone, I feel like you should be able to do it with your phone.

Do you think in the future technology will take over a classroom? Would that be a good thing or a bad thing?

LJ: I think it will. It could really be both because it could help, but there are always so many distractions. If you’re watching a video you could easily veer off and start watching something that you like that’s not even pertinent to what you’re learning about.

Ladia Jirasek - vs Caitlin Donnelly CD: I think there will always be teachers, and I think as our technology progresses it’ll be more integrated into the classroom.

Do you think students learn better with the integration of technology?

LJ: Yeah, I do. We’ve been using technology all throughout school because we have it and we have access to it. All the stuff that we’ve done we wouldn’t have been able to do without technology.

But not phones?

LJ: No. CD: Technology in general has supplemented learning because [now] you have many different methods of learning. You can make a presentation. You can make a website. You can make a video. There’s a lot of different options you have with technology and I think a phone supplements learning.

LJ: Phones serve as a distraction. You could easily use a computer in place of a phone. There are much less distractions because you don’t have all the things that you have on your phone.

CD: You’re arguing that [the reason] computers are better than phones is that they’re less distracting? But I would argue that they’re equally distracting because you can just go on a different website than what your teacher prompted. It’s not like they fool-proofed a way to keep students on track of what they’re supposed to be learning.

LJ: With a phone you have direct access to it right away.

With the click of a button, you’re off track checking Instagram. With a computer, there’s so many more steps you need to take, and many people won’t do that.

Technology overall can be used as a distraction.

So students should be responsible enough to know that they should be focusing?

CD: That’s why I think a phone is fine in class because as you age and mature, you become more responsible and I think if students are encouraged to use the phone as an educational device, they will. And if they get slightly distracted it shows. tfriedlander@redwoodbark.org

Jet-setting junior settles at his new home in Marin County

By Jason Fieber It’s not often that someone as cultured and well-traveled as Trevor Bagattini finds their way to Redwood.

Bagattini, a junior, was born in Cape Town, South Africa and has since moved to New Delhi, Beijing, New Jersey, Rome, Moscow, Hong Kong, Singapore and now Marin.

Trevor spent most of his time in Rome, Hong Kong and Singapore, but his family originates from South Africa and Italy.

He said that the South African and Italian cultures have largely influenced his day-today life.

According to Carol Bagattini, Trevor’s mother, the family’s frequent moves are due to her husband’s work for a multinational company.

However, this hasn’t prevented them from finding a place to call home.

“What you realize when you move as much as we have moved is that anywhere can be home as long as you’re all happy,” Carol said.

Carol said that in order to maintain a connection to family in South Africa and Italy, they make an effort to visit every year rather than going somewhere else on vacation.

Trevor’s most interesting living experience came in South Africa. While it is a part of Africa, the country is very different from the rest of the continent, according to Trevor.

“South Africa is much more advanced and much more wealthy than the rest of Africa,” Trevor said.

South Africa can be dangerous,

according to Trevor, but he added that the danger is usually easy to avoid.

“All of the violence happens at night, so I would never be walking around at 9 p.m. on my own in South Africa,” he said.

Trevor spent his first two years of high school in Singapore, where he said he had a very different experience when it comes to the culture and the school curriculum.

“Singapore is probably the most advanced country I have ever lived in,” Trevor said. “It is too looked after in my opinion.”

People in Singapore have very strong beliefs and policies in areas like cleanliness, which they work very hard to enforce, according to Trevor.

“If you spit out gum on the floor you get fined, 500 dollars. You aren’t even allowed to sell gum in Singapore,” Trevor said.

He also said that Singapore has very strict public safety policies.

“If you are a citizen and you do a class A drug, like cocaine, you get the death penalty,” he said.

Singapore is very protected compared to other places Trevor has lived.

“It is a very safe place to live. I could be out at 2 or 3 a.m. anywhere in Singapore and I would be safe,” Trevor said.

Trevor has attended an international school in every other place he lived, and said this is his first time at a public school. He added that at international schools, students receive much more personal attention and are able to pick from different programs to determine how they will live out their high school career. He participated in the IB program (International Baccalaureate) where students do two years of mandatory

Photo courtesy of Trevor Bagattini

LIVING IN SINGAPORE for the first two years of high school, junior Trevor Bagattini studied at a small international school. subjects with the last two years left up to choice.

He added that the environment of his previous schools led to a greater personal connection among students.

Despite the fact that his grade consisted of about 400 kids, everyone knew each other, according to Trevor.

Trevor added that his transition to public school has been surprisingly easy after what he has come to expect from his many international moves.

Carol said she thought that Trevor may be able to learn more about the country by attending public school.

“I thought that this would give him an all-American experience,” Carol said. “He would be able to understand the people, the culture, and make this place his home.”

jfieber@redwoodbark.org

Student group engages teens in community service

By Gemma Calandra On any given night when many teenagers might prefer to be hanging out with friends or watching a movie at home, a group of Redwood students may very well be found eating dinner with the homeless or planning ways to best help their community. They are part of the Teen Service Corps, a group that participates in local community service projects.

The Teen Service Corps, which operates through St. Hilary’s Church, was formed in 2013 by seniors Brendan Shepard, John Paul Christen, Matthew Walravens, Maxwell Fennema and junior Natalie Veto.

“We all went to St. Hilary Church, but you don’t have to be Catholic or anything [to join the group],” Shepard said. “They encouraged us to continue in our community service, and so we decided to create our own [group].”

In the past, the group volunteered at Habitat for Humanity, provided food for the homeless, played sports with the mentally disabled and more. Though the group has worked with many nonprofits, they tend to do one-time events in the Bay Area rather than take on a long-term collaboration with a single organization.

Currently, the Teen Service Corps is organizing a car wash to raise money for the group.

“We’ll redistribute [the money] to

organizations and projects, for example to get groceries and make sandwiches for people,” Shepard said.

The fundraiser will take place on Sept.

24 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Shark’s Deli lot in Tiburon.

Though the group began with a lot of help and guidance from the founders’ parents, it is now entirely student-run, which allows the students freedom to take the project in whichever direction they want.

The Teen Service Corps mailing list, which initially started with only six people, has grown to over 250. The group’s members range from middle school to high school age, and attend different schools in the Bay Area.

According to Walravens and Shepard, the group has no problem recruiting people to help out at events. When Shepard sent out an email regarding bringing cupcakes to St. Vincent de Paul, an organization based in San Rafael that provides free food to those in need, he received many rapid responses.

“My goal was to bring about 10 dozen cupcakes, and so I needed 10 people and they would each contribute a dozen cupcakes,” Shepard said. “Within 25 to 30 minutes of sending out the email, I’d already had to cut it off.”

According to Walravens, one of the first projects organized by the Teen Service Corps was a trip to the Tenderloin, one of

Photo Courtesy of Brendan Shepard TAKING A BREAK at the worksite, Teen Service Corps members volunteer at Habitat for Humanity in Novato.

San Francisco’s neediest neighborhoods.

The group members joined some of the local community in an “Open Cathedral” worship that took place in an alley outside.

After participating in the mass and singing with all the churchgoers, the volunteers served free lunch.

“Before, we met up in Marin and made 75 to 80 sandwiches and lunches. After the mass was over we set up a table outside, and everyone from the mass could have a free lunch from us,” Shepard said. “The line was stretching all over and everybody wanted their lunch, and it just felt cool to be giving them all that.”

They have worked with the Rotating Emergency Shelter Team, or R.E.S.T., which provides shelter and meals.

“At the R.E.S.T. dinners is when you hear the most experiences, because you sit down and eat with the homeless people,” Shepard said. “You hear all different types of stories and how they got to where they are.”

A majority of Teen Service Corps’ founders will be graduating from Redwood this coming year, so they are working on finding new kids to direct the group.

“We’re trying to pass on the leadership to younger kids, and we already have some of that lined up with people that we’re mentoring to be the next leaders,” Shepard said. gcalandra@redwoodbark.org