September 2022

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Teachers and classrooms grapple with record class sizes

By Michael Seton

Class sizes have hit an all-time high this fall, disrupting the lives of students and teachers in negative ways. Despite declining enrollment, certain classrooms are overflowing with students while Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) reduced teaching resources for the 2022-2023 school year.

Transfer student Isabelle Landry was looking forward to her first year as an 11th grade student. Her excitement lessened when she was unable to transfer out of her Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. History class into a regular history class. Landry’s counselor told her all the classes were too full, and she would not be able to change classes until the second semester.

“It was very frustrating,” Landry said.

Larger class sizes are harming teachers’ capabilities too. AP Environmental Science teacher Mitch Cohen, who has taught at Redwood for 28 years, explained his average class size is over 34 students this year. Since his classes have proper seats for 30 students, Cohen has students sitting in the back of the classroom without desks.

“I call it the ‘overflow section,’” Cohen said. “That’s the new reality.”

It’s even more challenging when students need to move around his crowded classroom to do science labs. Last year’s class sizes were not as large as this year’s, according to Cohen.

“In my 28 years here, these are by far the biggest classes I’ve had,” Cohen said. “Average classes used to be 26 or 27 students.”

Redwood’s own reporting demonstrates that class sizes have increased since 2018. According to Redwood’s 2021 School Accountability Report Card, English, math, science and social science classes with 33 or more students increased from only two in the 2018 school year to 51 this year.

English instructor Steve Hettleman, a 27-year teacher at Redwood, has five classes and 157 students in

total this year, resulting in approximately 31 students per class.

“The class size increase is a disaster,” Hettleman said.

He expressed concerns about his ability to give the quality of feedback he would like to his students. Despite growing class sizes, TUHSD has been emphasizing stronger student-teacher relationships as a staff development goal. Those relationships are more difficult than ever for today’s time-constrained teachers.

“The biggest frustration is not being able to give kids the individual attention and feedback they deserve,” Cohen said. “It also makes it a lot more challenging to develop personal relationships with students.”

Cohen expressed disappointment that he is unable to get to know his students as well as he has in the past. Although classes are growing larger, student enrollment is declining. After increasing 26 percent since the 2012 school year, the number of students declined last year for the first time in a decade. This year’s enrollment has continued to decline, and that trend is expected to continue as there have been fewer incoming students than graduating seniors in the last two years.

Despite declining enrollment, TUHSD laid off teachers and shortened their hours across the district for the 2022-2023 school year due to budget concerns. The district is concerned about the budget because it anticipates generating a deficit in the 2022-2023 school year. But even with this projected deficit, the district will end the year with a $21.9 million surplus, or a 20 percent reserve. (See feature article on page 10 for more.)

“Those [teacher layoffs] might make sense in tough budget times, but the district is sitting on a reserve of somewhere around $22 million,” Hettleman said. “The state requires us to keep two percent worth of our budget in reserve.”

According to Principal Barnaby Payne, the most important factors impacting class sizes are the ability of students to take the classes they need to graduate and to

be eligible to attend California’s public university system. Maintaining those core class sizes at a reasonable level to enhance learning is the highest priority in scheduling classes. Therefore, since it is a lower priority to manage the size of elective classes, such as Honors and AP courses, those classes tend to be larger.

“This year, in some of our high-level academic electives, class sizes are pushed to the top of the limit,” Payne said.

District Superintendent Tara Taupier explained that recent teacher layoffs were also due to uncertainty about compensation in the 2023-2024 school year, which had not yet been resolved. Still, Hettleman does not consider these layoffs logical.

“You should only take peoples’ jobs away from them when there’s a budget crisis, and we don’t have a budget crisis,” Hettleman said. “If they had kept those teachers on, class sizes would’ve been lower.”

mseton@redwoodbark.org

Free tampons and pads offered at school per state Bill 367

By Natalie Welch

At the start of the 2022-2023 school year, the Tamalpais Union High School District enforced a state legislative bill passed in October of 2021 called Assembly Bill 367. This bill requires all public schools with a 40 percent pupil poverty threshold to stock half of the campus bathrooms with free menstrual products. These products must be accessible in female restrooms, gender neutral restrooms and at least one men’s restroom. The district’s Maintenance and Operations department, took lead on implementing the initiative and the Redwood custodial staff is in charge of re-filling the dispensaries around campus.

Senior Alexis Perry commends the

development.

“I love that they are free; it’s a really good support system so we don’t have to walk across campus [to wellness] to grab necessities and it’s really convenient,” Perry said.

Perry is referring to the cart outside the Wellness Center, which has provided access to tampons for years. Magdalena Maguire, Wellness Outreach Specialist, oversaw and restocked the cart.

“Through the nurse and the district, we have been giving them [tampons and pads] out for free in our care-cart for years … We usually go through a box of 500 tampons every two weeks,” Maguire said. “I have noticed a lot less people coming in for tampons and pads [since the dispensers

were installed].”

It is clear that Redwood students have been taking advantage of the accessibility, but due to past vandalism in the bathrooms, sometimes resulting in the closure of bathrooms, concerns have sparked. Erin Parling, the districtwide Administrative Assistant for the Maintenance and Operation Department, points out worries.

“Pranks [happen] and [tampons and pads] are being made free in the restrooms that aren’t supervised. I would hate to see those who actually need them not have access because someone thought it funny to pull a prank,” Parling said.

While some may not take these materials seriously, others are seeing significant benefits. Having these resources enables schools to support students financially. This is especially important due to the Pink Tax phenonemon, which refers to how products marketed towards women tend to be more expensive than those marketed towards men. According to an article done in 2019 by womenshealth. com, menstrautors spend at least $9,379 in their lifetime on supplies. The price of a box of 18 tampons from Tampax can range from $7 to $12, depending on where it is purchased, and prices are only rising.

“All of the expenses that come with being in a body that menstruates are insane, so I am glad to see the district supporting people financially, so they don’t get these products on their own,” Maguire said.

Another important aspect of this

decision is recognizing that not everyone who menstruates identifies as a woman. Moving away from language such as female products or women’s hygiene is extremely important. Maguire, based on working with students on a daily basis, advocates for inclusionary language.

“A significant percentage of trans or gender non-binary students that go here, don’t want to use the gendered bathrooms, so saying women menstrate is not true in 2022,” Maguire said.

Having such a large portion of people who menstruate at our school, it is refreshing to see that the district has made an accessible way to find these necessary products. Now, people who menstruate no longer have to take a 15 minute break to hunt down a tampon.

high school

doherty dr., larkspur, ca

SITTING IN THE back of a science classroom designed for 30 students, students work together at temporary desks.

Photo by Michael Seton

LOCATED IN THE main building, the Wellness Center cart offers free resources to all students.

Photo by Natalie Welch

UTILIZING THE NEW bathroom dispensers, a student presses the button for a free product.

Photo by Natalie Welch

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Astronomy community awaits delayed Artemis I launch

By Pasha Fooman

The date is Aug. 29, 2022, and the world of space exploration holds its breath, eagerly awaiting the launch of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) $4.1 billion Artemis I rocket. Unfortunately, those interested in witnessing the launch are still holding their breaths and will likely have to do so until the beginning of October.

The Artemis I rocket is just a section of NASA’s overarching Artemis mission, whose historic purpose has not been attempted since 1972: putting humans back on the moon. The rocket itself is the first in a series of three launches that, if all go according to plan, will result in a successful, manned moon landing. The Artemis I rocket, however, is unmanned, with the purpose of testing the capabilities of the Orion spacecraft that will eventually deliver astronauts to the moon. This mission is being hailed by NASA as the Apollo of a new generation.

Unfortunately, the launch of Artemis I has been plagued by delays brought on by technical difficulties and, most recently, weather concerns. Originally scheduled for late August, the launch is now expected to commence more than a month later, at the beginning of October. To many space travel enthusiasts, including those who belong to the astronomy community at Redwood, these delays are no reason to fret. Astronomy student and Astronomy Club founder Bayanni Rivera is anticipating launch day. As the Astronomy Club founder, his launching of model rockets shows a practical side of his passion for rocketry. When near perfect engineering and conditions are required, according to Rivera, patience is key.

“For a launch like this, you need to get every single thing right. There is very little tolerance for any mistakes, so having delays like these aren’t uncommon,” Rivera said.

Beyond being unfazed by the delays, Rivera is excited for the implications the mission has for science

and humanity as a whole.

“I am certainly excited for any mission that will further satisfy humanity’s innate desire to know more about the unknown. I am all for any mission that is designed to address that question,” Rivera said.

Also anticipating the upcoming launch is Astronomy Club member Varun Aruldas, who acknowledges the importance of rockets for society.

“The society that we love today doesn’t live without rockets. Global positioning systems (GPS), Wi-Fi and cellular don’t happen without satellites,” Aruldas said.

Delays are no reason to worry for Aruldas either, and drawing comparison to Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket missions, he states the process of failure and perseverance is necessary to develop successful missions.

“You have to look beyond the failure and see the attempts before. In SpaceX’s Starship development process, 20 rockets had to go up and crash before they could get one to maneuver properly,” Aruldas said.

Aruldas is equally enthusiastic about the social phenomenon of a moon mission, a phenomenon the world has not seen since the 1970s.

“I have always wanted to experience what it must have been like to experience the Apollo programs live on television. For my generation to be able to have that experience, now on colored television, is amazing. It’s a cool step into the future,” Aruldas said.

Students are not the only ones anticipating the launch. Astronomy teacher Elise Rubio is pleased that her eager students, some of whom will want to delve into the field later in their professional lives, will get to witness a moon landing in their generation.

“Inevitably, there’s going to be a handful of students who want to be in aerospace, physics or planetary sciences, so [the Artemis I launch] fuels their passion. Hopefully, it’ll get people excited like the first Apollo did; it got people invested, and allowed them to just keep going and going,” Rubio said.

The NASA mission has garnered much anticipation as the clock ticks down to launch day. While it is being hailed as the moon mission to define a generation, it is still just that: a moon mission. Humans have already landed on the moon, while other parts of our vast galaxy still remain unexplored; this untapped potential is what Rubio is more excited for. Specifically, she is interested in missions furthering the search for life outside of our planet.

“If the purpose of space exploration is that unending search for life, we already know that the moon and Mars don’t have that for us,” Rubio said. “There’s another launch that keeps getting pushed back, [meant] to dig through the ice of [Ocean Moon], Europa, to see if there’s life underneath that ice. And there’s nothing that says there can’t be, so that’s super exciting.”

While the moon may not hold undiscovered knowledge of extraterrestrial life, this mission still marks NASA’s return to the forefront of space exploration. The day of the Artemis I launch, which could be as soon as Oct. 2 if all goes well, will propel NASA right back into pushing the boundaries of the final frontier, and may serve as a starting point for exploration beyond the known. The world only needs to hold its breath just a little longer.

pfooman@redwoodbark.org

“I like Stinson Beach because it’s really fun to go to and beautiful.”

“I like the Baltimore Canyon’s Dawn Falls Trail, and it’s a great running spot.”

“The Marin Headlands are my favorite because it has such good views. It’s easy to make good memories there and have a fun time.”

“The Marin Headlands because it’s really pretty to watch the sunset and have a picnic.”

Josie Borden senior Bjorn Ryning junior Courtney Kunz sophomore

“What is your favorite nature spot in Marin?”

Emiliano Villacis freshman

STANDING AT 328 feet (100 meters) tall and with a cost of $4.1 billion, the Artemis I rocket is an impressive feat of aerospace engineering.

Photo courtesy of NASA

LAUNCHING A SERIES of model rockets at Redwood, Rivera demonstrates his enthusiasm for rocketry.

Photo courtesy of Bayanni Rivera

‘‘For a launch like this, you need to get every single thing right.”

Bayanni Rivera, senior

New student debt relief plan offers more opportunities

By Sabrina Kizer

On Aug. 24, 2022, President Joseph Biden announced a three-part plan offering support to those with student debt. The plan will provide targeted debt relief as a collective effort to address the burden of college costs, along with re-working the student loan system so it’s manageable for low income families.

Over the past 50 years, the cost of a four-year university has nearly tripled, even when accounting for inflation. Previously, student loan relief was provided through Pell Grants, government subsidies that give grants to students with financial needs to help pay for college. However, these grants are limited and, over the past few years, have only covered onethird of the cost of four-year universities, compared to the 80 percent they once covered.

With the new relief proposal, the Department of Education will provide up to $20,000 in debt cancellation to recipients with loans held by the Department of Education, and up to $10,000 in debt cancellation to recipients who did not receive a Pell Grant. Those eligible for this relief must either be an individual with an income less than $125,000 per year, or a married couple with an overall income of less than $250,000, making the plan targeted toward the middle class.

Some economists wonder whether the plan will lead to an increase in inflation. In California, the minimum wage is about $15 due to a high cost of living. Advanced Placement Economics teacher Ann Tepovich explains the possible problems this upcoming relief program may cause.

“One school of thought [is that] if I owe $10,000 in loans and I don’t have to pay that back, then that gives me $10,000 to go spend in the economy,” Tepovich said. “Right now, with prices rising, if a lot of people have a lot of money to go out and spend, then that’s going to pull up prices even more.”

However, the Biden Foundation believes debt relief is more necessary than ever. The current cumulative federal student loan debt is around $1.6 trillion U.S. dollars. These debts have placed a significant burden on America’s middle class. The Biden administration claims in their announcement of the loan relief that “high monthly payments and ballooning balances make it harder for [middle class individuals] to build wealth, like buying homes, putting away money for retirement and starting small businesses.”

Many economists indicate this program is temporary and lacks permanent measures to ensure the debt crisis doesn’t surge again. In response, the

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Biden administration has ensured their program includes preventative and cautionary measures by making a promise to keep the student loan system as a more manageable system for current and future borrowers.

Long time borrower and economics teacher Stephen Hart graduated from the University of Michigan first in 2012, and then in 2013 for his masters, both times taking out student loans.

The Biden relief program may be applicable to Hart, but, due to the immense debt he still carries, the benefits don’t cover all of his debts. However, Hart believes this plan can be inherently beneficial to borrowers and the United State’s economy as a whole.

“I think this [the relief program] is fantastic and is a great decision in many facets,” Hart said. “Debt is really restricting in so many ways. If we want to grow our economy and have access to the American dream, it requires lessening something that has become a real burden [to many citizens].”

This lessening of an immense burden is one notable aspect of Biden’s plan, but Hart believes the publicity surrounding the new relief plan will spark conversation regarding other options. Hart also stressed the importance of finding the best and most

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suitable plans for oneself.

As an educator, Hart heard of a loan relief program for teachers entitled the Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). PSLF is available to those working for a government agency. While in the plan, each year one makes 10 years of income-based payments and the rest of your loans will be forgiven after the tenth year. Hart has used PSLF for the past 10 years, and this will be his final year before he will gain full relief from his loans.

“A lot of people aren’t even aware of other programs. They were shocked to find out that they’ve been paying [off loans] for this long and they probably could have had the rest of their [loans] forgiven a while back,” Hart said.

Overall, the plan has sparked a bit of a discussion, which Hart believes can help with the debt crisis.

“This new [program] has been widely publicized, and created a ripple in the news and in discussions,” Hart said. “[Now], more people will be aware that they get to qualify for [a variety of plans] and their loans will be forgiven, which is great.”

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TAKING TO THE streets, several young protesters advocate for student debt cancellation in support of loan relief policies.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Let’s BeReal! New app captures the attention of millions

By Charlotte Fishburne

On Monday, July 25, BeReal reached the top spot on the free app list in the Apple Store. Although initially released in France in 2020 by Alexis Barreyat and Kevin Perreau, the app did not gain popularity in the United States until early 2022. Since the new Apple update and a rise in Widget apps, BeReal has been pushed to third place.

According to the Business of Apps statistics database, “BeReal monthly active users have increased from 921,000 in July 2021 to 21.6 million in July 2022. Just shy of three million people access the app daily.”

The idea behind BeReal is simple and appealing to younger generations. Every day at a random time, a notification is sent to the user, giving them two minutes to take a photo, which the app takes simultaneously from the front and back cameras. Once the time is up, users post a photo with a timestamp and the number of photo retakes to show if they were “being

real” or not. Once the next BeReal notification goes off, they can no longer see everyone’s photos from the day before, keeping the authenticity of the app.

Saki Beattie, a freshman with the app, finds it to be an amusing way to connect with friends.

“BeReal gives a realistic view of what people are actually looking at from behind the camera. You get to see what they’re taking a picture of, and then what they look like behind it and it’s funny,” Beattie said.

A Bark survey found that 48 percent of Redwood students have the app and 28 percent use it daily. However, 36 percent of the surveyed students are not interested in downloading the app at all, and senior Jackson Bramlette argues that no social media can be authentic, including BeReal.

“In general, I think that that type of thing is a little bit silly, and we should spend more time off our phones [in general]. I don’t think you can ever be real, if you’re [saying], ‘let’s be real now,’” Bramlette said.

In a social media world full of curated feeds and staying aesthetic, an app focused on being genuine is refreshing to many teens, thus the concept is growing more popular. Other apps have copied BeReal’s style, with Snapchat and Instagram adding a “double camera” feature where a user can concurrently take a photo from both cameras. Tiktok is also jumping

on the idea with the upcoming Tiktok Now option, where users will get a notification during the day to post a video clip of their surroundings.

Beach Swanson, a junior who has had BeReal since it first gained popularity this spring, emphasizes that BeReal is new and interesting due to its unique format.

“[The app] is a lot less stressful. On Instagram or Snapchat, you’re trying to look your best, but on BeReal it’s agreed by everyone that nobody’s going to look good,” Swanson said.

As for the future of BeReal, it is unclear if it will stay relevant, but Swanson thinks it will.

Democracy begins before 18

“I don’t think it’ll die. It’s so simple and easy to do. Maybe people will start missing more days, but it will stay,” Swanson said.

On the other hand, Bramlette believes the app is nearing its decline.

“It might be a fad,” Bramlette said. “I bet [BeReal] will get more popular over time, but it probably won’t be as big as Tik Tok because it’s not quite as addicting. Then I think it will fade a bit.”

2022 midterm election prompts local youth engagement

By Bowen Rivera

As the 2022 midterm election on Nov. 8 grows closer, the effort to get American citizens to vote across the country grows stronger. Although the majority of high school students are unable to vote, there are still many options to participate in civic duties, including helping out with voter registration efforts, voicing opinions to elected leaders and preregistering to vote.

One organization that focuses on voter education and registration efforts is the League of Women Voters of Marin County (LWV). With 200 members, the league is one of Marin’s largest nonpartisan political advisory groups. Members can be as young as 16 and membership has expanded to all people, not solely women. The LWV’s president, Ann Wakeley, plays an important role in organizing many events across the county.

“[Youth engagement] is a big effort for the [LWV] throughout the country to engage young people and … to heighten the awareness of young people about

THE ONLINE VOTER registration form allows individuals 16 and over to pre-register to vote in an accessible format.

how they can and should be civically engaged,” Wakeley said.

Supervisor Katie Rice currently serves as president of the Marin Board of Supervisors, the county’s highest executive, and legislative body. In her position, she hears from all members of Marin’s community including young people. She is hopeful the youth will continue to bring refreshing perspectives to local government and create new passion in the community.

“I think [the youth are] more focused on general, broader community good in the future than many of the adults that come and provide testimony. I find that younger people are not as … self-centered or focused on just a positive outcome for themselves. They’re thinking in a broader community way,” Rice said.

In a county like Marin, with high voter turnout and a fairly high proportion of young people, the youth are an especially important demographic for voter registration efforts. Pamela Cook is a member of the Student Election Ambassadors Program Committee, which aims to get students to educate themselves on voting.

“We’re particularly excited about the youth

because Marin [as a] whole has a very high voter registration, but the new people coming up every year are the youth,” Cook said. “We want to focus on providing mechanisms to engage our youth and engage them in the voting and civic process from the very beginning of their education.”

Helping with registration efforts provides yet another opportunity for underaged citizens to use their voices. Programs such as the Student Ambassador initiative help train and provide volunteers with the resources they need to support their local community.

“There is no prohibition … [with] helping in the registration efforts. You do not have to be a registered voter to assist in the kinds of registration drives and activities that this committee and the student ambassadors promote. We’re happy to have students of all ages, even if you are not at a point in which you can actually vote in the upcoming election,” Cook said.

Voter pre-registration is open starting at age 16, either in person at many different events or online at https://registertovote.ca.gov/.

USERS HAVE TWO minutes daily to capture a genuine moment.

Photo by Charlotte Fishburne

cfishburne@redwoodbark.org

A VOTER REGISTRATION form can be completed at most US government service buildings, such as libraries and post offices.

Photo by Bowen Rivera

BEING REAL AT dinner, Beach Swanson posts his photo, featuring his family and friends.

Photo courtesy of Beach Swanson

opinion opinion

Putting the ‘self’ back in self-care

By Gabriella Rouas

Sit down and type “self-care” into your browser. What do you see? For me, my desktop is covered with a plethora of different products, clothing sets, self-help books and other items that I am persuaded to buy to truly care for myself. I click on an “Ultimate Self-care Kit” filled with a mini facial oil set and a gua sha. On sale for $110. Next item, a B-Flat firming belly cream for only $49.99!

Today, the self-care industry, a $450 billion market, is simply not built on self-care. Instead, it has mutated into a profit-driven industry committed to selling an image. Products like a face mask, jaw enhancer and essential oil body scrub, are solely designed to alter a physical appearance. It’s important that our society stops putting a price tag on self care. Marketing these products as a way to care for yourself directly equates self- care to a specific physical look and is dangerous to the self perception of women.

While many of these products could work for a trivial amount of time, or a certain group of the population, it’s inaccurate for companies to market their beauty enhancing products as the primary way to care for a person’s mental and physical health. Is it ethical to make the claim that buying that mental health journal can help to relieve the stress of the 20 percent of women in the United States who have experienced mental health conditions in the past year?

Historically speaking, the idea of self-care is deeply rooted in the Black Panther party who practiced yoga and meditation as a way to strengthen their mental and physical health. The party was deeply concentrated on the fight for racial justice in America. They strove to make self-care easily accessible by creating food banks, health clinics and programs to educate the youth. Their goal was to help their communities unlock the power of the mind and invest in a stronger and healthier version of themselves. Many members nourished this skill by practicing yoga and meditation.

The trend of trying to care for yourself has not changed, as five decades later on TikTok, the self-care hashtag section has now amassed 27.4 billion views. The difference is in the superficial way we practice that care. Videos fill up the screen displaying “how to organize your bathroom cabinet,” “slept on hygiene products” and “clean girl evening routine.” According to Wallaroo Media, a company that scales eCommerce brands, 32.5 percent of U.S. TikTok users viewing these videos are girls between the ages of 10-19. These young girls are being exposed to a standard of self-care that is not feasible to achieve, as sometimes caring for yourself goes beyond a 21-second video with a filter slapped over it. These influencers fail to recognize that self-care is not handled by simply adding another item to your cart. The Black Panther self-care movement illustrated the true value of caring for your mental health. Their practices conveyed the idea that self-care is truly felt when partaking in activities that will

easy task you can incorporate into an everyday routine that will help your mind.

For some people, increasing their amount of sleep can also be a form of self-care. Health and wellness media company Well+Good tested the effects that an extra 36 minutes of sleep time had on tired athletes. The results showed that the players’ drowsiness and stress decreased by more than one-third. On a cognitive processing speed test, the players with more rest improved by 13 percent. This is just one example that exhibits the substantial impact listening to your body can have. While you might feel guilty for snoozing your alarm for that extra 20 minutes, your mind is actually thanking you.

With this in mind, next time you feel like you need to take some time for self-care, instead of turning to a product, know that there are simpler, more affordable ways to look after yourself. These practices are not focused on improving your skin barrier, instead they enhance the strength of your mind. They might not look as pretty as the ones you see online, but they will be much more effective for your long-term mental and physical health. It is time for women to reclaim the beautiful idea of self-care and

Illustration by Carsen Goltz

Stop asking me about college

By Caitlin Beard

Like most high schoolers in economically privileged areas, many Redwood students participate in a cutthroat culture of loading up on Advanced Placement (AP) classes and extracurriculars to become competitive applicants to the same “top” 50 universities. This cultural norm has turned school into a ruthless pressure cooker, with seniors cracking under unrealistically high standards. The achievement pressure has been found to contribute to disproportionately high rates of anxiety, depression and substance abuse among affluent teens. Though countless upperclassmen warned me of the unparalleled stress I would feel while applying to colleges, no one could have prepared me for the unwelcome ways in which college has invaded all aspects of my life.

For instance, if I allow my eyes to wander during class, I’m met with a suffocating sea of blue Common App web pages open on classmates’ computers. Or if I so much as exist in a room with adultaged humans, no matter how unassuming or unscholarly I try to look, I will inevitably be grilled with a series of painfully invasive questions. These usually include, “Where are ya thinkin’ of applying?” or “What are you majoring in?” Well-meaning adults will often preface their interrogation with an apologetic, “I don’t want to stress you out with a question about college but...” which does little to soften the blow. Whether they are close relatives or literal strangers on the street, adults seem to think the only relevant thing happening in my life is that I’m applying to college, and only find one response acceptable to their questions: that I will be attending a prestigious university this time next year.

Unfortunately, adults aren’t the only ones who have mastered the interrogation

process. Some fueled by competition, some by genuine curiosity and others just searching for an easy conversation-starter, my peers ask me about college even more than adults do. Only two days into senior year, I was bombarded with classmates asking if they could see my college list, if I was applying to any “Ivies” and if I knew which of my schools track demonstrated interest. When I politely declined discussing these topics, I was accused of “gate-keeping,” or withholding the soughtafter treasure that is apparently my college list. This was when I hit my breaking point because the boundaries that I had created had not been respected.

After a summer of talking about

college at numerous family reunions, receiving spam emails from every college in the U.S. and barely grazing the surface of the 20 supplemental essays I had to write, I just wanted to cry and never hear the word “college” again. Ultimately, in order to finish my applications with my sanity still intact, I needed to maintain spaces and relationships in my life that were college-free. The only problem was, I felt like no matter how hard I avoided the subject, it came up: during lunch with my friends, before class with a teacher, when I came home with my parents. The omnipresence of college is smothering me, and this is a feeling I know I am not alone in. According to a September 2022 Bark

survey, 41 percent of Redwood students report hearing parents, teachers and other students talk about college everyday, and 44 percent say they feel stressed when people ask or talk about college. Clearly, parents, teachers and peers need to be more sensitive to the fact that some students prefer a more private application process, or simply don’t enjoy talking about it every waking moment of the day, and that’s okay!

I acknowledge that almost all questions from peers and adults are coming from a place of kindness and a desire to connect. I also realize that my sentiments about college applications are not shared by everyone; some students enjoy bonding over the shared experience with peers or getting advice from adults. While there is nothing wrong with striking up a goodnatured conversation about college, it can become harmful if a student voices their discomfort and yet the questioning continues. If someone has communicated that they want privacy or more boundaries, this must be respected. Remember: There is nothing wrong with saying, “Actually, I don’t like to talk about that,” or “I’m going to keep that private.”

The last year of high school does not have to be treated as a gateway to college. It should be relished just as the other three years are — as a time to learn and grow. Everyone always says senior year flies by, so let us enjoy the cheesy school spirit days and the coveted front lot parking spots. I will not allow myself to remember senior year for the colleges I applied to because it will be so much more than that. Let us remember our final year for the lessons learned, the passions uncovered and the lasting relationships formed.

Illustration by Calla McBride

grouas@redwoodbark.org

It’s a nightmare The inequalities within the American Dream

By Ava Razavi

When I was in grade school, I often listened to my parents tell me their childhood stories as immigrants. I sat at the edge of my bed, eyes wide with curiosity as they shared their story of immigrating to the U.S. from Austria. Theirs was a story of success. They worked hard and managed to build a stable life with jobs, financial security and a family. My parents weren’t an anomaly; thousands of people in the 1990s had their eyes set on the same ideal: the American dream.

When I was younger, living in Germany, I watched these traditionally successful families flash across my TV and thought, “That’ll be me one day.” I was going to move to America, go to college and live a perfect life. Unfortunately, the reality of the American dream is far different from the life of “Full House” and “Boy Meets World.” It’s clear to me now that the dream I always envisioned is far more exclusive than it was decades ago.

The American dream is the idea that anyone, regardless of their upbringing and financial status, can become successful if they work hard. According to YouGov, an organization that analyzes beliefs about the American government, the idea was based on Baby Boomers’ desire to do better than their parents, and for a while, the American dream was feasible. All that was required to build a financially stable lifestyle was to get a college degree in the desired field and find an office job with a steady salary. This set up the suburban utopia that many Americans yearned for — a twostory house with a white picket fence, an adorable golden retriever and the standard nuclear family.

The biggest fallacy regarding the American dream is that everyone, despite of socioeconomic status, can break the cycle and become successful. With highpaying jobs requiring college degrees,

work opportunities for those who cannot afford college are meek. According to CBS News, as college premiums have gone up, wages have remained stagnant. To mitigate this student debt, graduates take on second and even third jobs to make ends meet. The same CBS article identified that currently, 13 million people are working more than one job, most of which have no set hours or salary. It’s becoming more and more clear what the American dream means —

working harder and harder while being paid a measly wage. It’s time to recognize that the American dream is no longer attainable for those who come from lower income areas.

This dream only suits the upper class, which mainly consists of the same people who were in power at the creation of our nation — white, heterosexual, cisgendered men. My parents always made it clear that I would never be treated the same

and a traditional wife. The men are the ones who, according to the ideology, “work hard, play hard.”

I have no intention of crushing anyone’s hope. There are plenty of people who come from lower socioeconomic statuses and thrive due to hard work and dedication, my family included. And if you believe you can get out of your socioeconomic status by getting a college degree or working multiple jobs, I applaud your work ethic

arazavi@redwoodbark.org

Illustration by Calla McBride

editorial

“Voting is key to unlocking district-wide unity”

It’s time to get on board with voting!

On Nov. 8, three of the five seats on the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) Board of Trustees will be up for election on Marin County’s general election ballot. Two incumbent members, Cynthia Roenisch and Kevin Saavedra, are rerunning, as their four-year-long terms are set to expire in December 2022. Current trustee Dan Oppenheim’s term also expires at the end of this year, but he has decided against running for another term. Meanwhile, Renee Marcelle, Barbara McVeigh, Damian Morgan and Emily Uhlhorn will also campaign for the three open seats.

The TUHSD Board has the power to vote on district-wide policies and the responsibility to listen to the district’s needs. These policies include allocating funds to extracurricular programs such as the drama, music performance and fine art departments, student newspapers, athletics and more, allowing them to make decisions directly affecting the day-to-day operations of TUHSD’s five schools. Even Superintendent Tara Taupier cannot vote on Board-regulated policies and is actually employed by the Board; they can choose to remove her if they want. Thus, with significant decision-making power in the hands of only five trustees, this election’s outcome holds considerable weight for the future of our district.

the inconsistency between the district’s needs and the Board’s responses, many are questioning how equipped the Board is to make decisions on behalf of this district’s students, parents and faculty.

While many are unhappy with some decisions of the Board, few know how to take action. The Board offers open forums in their meetings for any interested party to attend. All concerns and suggestions can be expressed to the Board during this time, yet few take advantage of the forum as an opportunity to voice their opinions and learn more about district regulations. This leads to a disconnect between students and the Board, causing frustration on both ends, as witnessed in the anti-racism policy discussions. Students must attend Board meetings when they have issues they want to resolve or give input on decisions that impact their schools directly. To further mitigate the aforementioned friction, it is vital that students of voting age and adults in the community vote for the candidates that best represent their values.

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

Editors in-ChiEf

Chloe Bishop Kelly Chuang Sam Kimball Shyla Lensing

hEad Copy Editors Stella Bennett Ella Kharrazi

Copy Editors Alex Coe Ella Erwig Gemma Favaloro Justine Fisch Mia Ginsburg Jordan Kimball Sabrina Kizer Sofia Ruliffson Anna Royal Maya Winger

nEws Editors Matthew Marotto Aanika Sawhney nEws Editor on-Call Lily Reese

opinion Editors Erica Block Julia Frankus

fEaturE Editors Ava Razavi Dani Steinberg

sports Editors Coco Boyden Ingrid Houtkooper sports Editor on-Call Arjun Aujla

rEviEw Editors Kate DeForrest Claire Silva lifEstylEs Editors Rori Anderson Emily Block

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

Recently, students, teachers, faculty and community members have raised concerns regarding the current Board members’ detachment from the student body and voice. Last June, the Board discussed a districtwide anti-racism policy created by the Racial Justice Task Force. The policy establishes guidelines to mitigate racism, improve the experience for students of color and express a zero-tolerance statement for microaggressions and macroaggressions. After discussing the policy twice and listening to emotional testimonies from students and community members, the Board postponed voting. It took the Board over a month to pass the policy after the initial proposition. The day after the vote was delayed, students at the meeting arrived at school confused as to why, despite only positive feedback and pleas for the approval of the policy from community members, the vote had not commenced. The Board did not listen to the community they were meant to serve. Given

A BARK to finally giving field hockey a JV team. It’s about time they gave a “fock.”

A BITE to the tampons running out in the girls’ bathrooms. Looks like our classrooms aren’t the only thing overflowing.

A BARK to our new principal.

Thanks for easing the Payne of our first month at school.

A BITE to Shakira facing jail time; her hips don’t lie but her taxes do.

A BARK to Club Day! Wait, which one looks better on our college apps?

A BITE to freshmen freaking

For voters unfamiliar with the candidates, it can be a difficult decision to choose which candidate to vote for; some may choose to refrain from voting altogether because of this struggle. Nonetheless, multiple important measures and candidate selections on the general election ballot affect students’ daily lives. For many Redwood seniors, this will be the first election they can vote in. The student body has the power to directly influence the outcome of the Board and other policies impacting their day-to-day learning and lives at school.

To learn about each candidate and their campaign, read our candidate profile on page nine or go to the TUHSD website’s Board of Trustees tab and view the recording from the candidate forum.

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 may also be emailed to bark@redwoodbark.org.

out about homecoming dates. Focus on social issues homework, not creating social issues.

A BARK to the rats at school; just in time for MICEtro.

A BITE to students flexing fake IDs in class. Will admin take illegal activity as seriously as their parking policies?

A BARK to the junior parking spot.

A BITE to Redwood’s vaperooms... we mean bathrooms.

A BARK to Spirit Halloween stores popping up. The only scary thing about them is how

quickly they take up every vacant building.

A BITE to inflation: gas, freshmen egos, parking applications... when will our grades take the hint?

spanish Editor Gillian Reynolds podCast Editor Caitlin Beard vidEo Editor Will Parsons

BusinEss ManagErs Cole Seifer Wyatt Turkington

MultiMEdia ManagEr Sarah Goody survEy ManagEr Ani Svendsen

art Consultants Carsen Goltz Calla McBride

soCial MEdia ManagErs Sophia Buckholtz Cameryn Smith

wEB dEvElopEr Aidan Carney-Skytt

rEportErs Sawyer Barta Elsa Block Ben Choucroun Emilie Erickson Grace Gehrman Charlotte Fishburne Pasha Fooman Lili Hakimi Hannah Herbst Sydney Johnson Andie Johnson Gil Ladetzky Harrison Lapic Lauren Poulin Bowen Rivera Gabriella Rouas Michael Seton Maddie Sofnas Sam Sumski

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

Bella Wagner Kyler Wang Mayson Weingart Natalie Welch advisEr Erin Schneider

Removing the mascularity from muscularity

By Sarah Goody

Scrolling through TikTok, one can find a multitude of videos applicable to almost every niche. In recent years, amongst the comedic videos and dance fads, a new trend has emerged: female weightlifters. These influencers have taken to TikTok and other virtual platforms, breaking down the stigmas surrounding weightlifting and encouraging more female representation in the gym. In years past, it was less common to see women weightlifting, but recently (and perhaps as a result of its increasing popularity on social media), high school girls have begun taking up the sport of bodybuilding.

The increasing popularity of weightlifting among females has highlighted problems with how society views femininity and muscularity. A September Bark survey found that 78 percent of students consider or strongly consider muscularity to be a masculine trait. Masculinity and muscularity are often used synonymously, thus damaging the mental health of females and people who don’t identify as male.

Weightlifting contradicts the current, outdated definition of femininity. Since the late 19th century, women have been expected to uphold an unrealistic depiction of femininity: a slender waist, small stature and to assume the role of a maternalistic figure, among other traits. While weightlifting doesn’t always result in weight gain, bodybuilding can usually increase one’s muscle and strength, opposing the fragility and gentleness often defining femininity; thus it has been ingrained in society that weightlifting is not an activity for women.

I first started weightlifting in the spring of 2021, and throughout my time spent at the gym, I witnessed firsthand how girls can be discouraged from bodybuilding due to the fear of being undesirable to men or “too bulky.” In the beginning, I was advised by men and women not to bench press because it would result in the loss of my chest.

Instead, I was supposed to prioritize glute growth over quad growth and be careful how often I was hitting the gym. It seemed everyone had something to say about my body, and it made me hyper-fixated on my appearance.

Even though I was receiving this feedback from others, I ignored the criticism and made friends with other female lifters, forming a community of empowered, united girls at our gym. I found relief in lifting weights, being able to push myself to new extremes and work through my

personal problems, developing a physical and mental toughness I had never experienced before.

However, I had trouble balancing the positive, empowering aspects of bodybuilding with the resulting body issues. Suddenly, I wasn’t just concerned about being skinny, I was concerned about how big my biceps or my lats were. Suddenly, clothes fit me differently and my parents told me I was “looking manly.”

Illustration by Calla McBride

Suddenly, I stepped on the scale and the unexpected, larger number sent chills down my spine. It took a lot of self-reflection and education about anatomy to realize my muscular physique wasn’t a negative thing. Eventually, I came to appreciate my body’s strength and realized even if I looked more muscular, I didn’t necessarily look like a man.

Generally, our generation significantly struggles with body image issues that can manifest through body dysmorphia, eating disorders and other mental health issues. According to research done by the National Organization for Women Foundation, by age 13, 53 percent of American girls are “unhappy with their bodies;” this number increases to 78 percent by the time girls reach 17. Furthermore, it’s important to consider how stigmas surrounding body image and weightlifting impact individuals who don’t identify as male or female. Assumptions about bodybuilding and masculinity can be harmful for those identifying as non-binary or agender.

While I believe it is important to change our societal outlook on masculinity, others believe the current standard for femininity shouldn’t change. I was discussing weightlifting with a friend and they said, “Have you ever seen a naturally muscular woman?” To them, it’s unnatural for women to look large or muscular. They argue bodybuilding should only be a male sport because men produce larger amounts of testosterone, the hormone meant to grow muscle.

I have heard countless other men and women mention women shouldn’t participate in the sport because female bodies aren’t genetically optimized for building muscle. However, women still produce testosterone, albeit at lower levels than men, which means it may be harder

The deception of (dis)service trips

Story and Illustration by Kate DeForrest

Swimming in the wild Amazon river, catching a piranha and zip lining through a dense jungle were a few of the tales I heard from a group of students at my middle school who went on a service trip to Peru. During spring break, fellow peers of mine flew into the Amazon rainforest where they took a boat into the jungle and stayed for a week. After detailing their exciting journey, they told me, in a prideful voice, that they had also helped paint a run-down Peruvian school. Their help, they said, would make a difference in the lives of many kids. Despite the pang of jealousy I felt that I had never experienced volunteering like this, I have since realized that their “volunteering” was simply another tourist activity.

Voluntourism, the act of doing volunteer work while simultaneously vacationing, has become a rapidly expanding industry. Today it is worth $3 billion per year, according to the National Public Radio (NPR), and draws hundreds of thousands of volunteers from around the world to participate. At Redwood, 10 percent of students reported that they have been on a service trip abroad, while another 41 percent said they would go on one if given the opportunity. Instead of being completely volunteer-based, service trips are paid for by the volunteer and usually revolve around immersing oneself in the culture rather than focusing solely on charity work.

Most voluntourism trips abroad cost a couple thousand dollars for one to two weeks of work, including plane tickets and meals. The majority are in developing countries such as Costa Rica or Panama, and volunteers often spend their time teaching kids, building houses or planting trees. Although these trips have enormous potential to make a difference, they have the tendency to do more to help the volunteers

than they do the targeted audience in need of support.

Often, these high priced trips are only a feasible opportunity to the wealthy; $1,000 or $2,000 is unaffordable for many families throughout the U.S. The idea of helping “poor people in a developing country,” regardless of a volunteer’s altruistic motivations, can also resemble a white savior complex. This is the idea that poor people of color need to be “saved” from their own problems by a white person who deems themself qualified.

People also assume that in communities being helped, there is a simple solution rather than a deep, complex one. A volunteer flying to Guatemala and building a well in one town indeed helps some, but does not address all of the effects of water scarcity throughout the region.

Water scarcity can lead to a lack of education, hunger and disease, and building a single well does not address this.

Simplifying these problems confronts the symptoms of the issue, rather than the cause. It undermines local efforts and perpetuates the idea that locals are incapable of solving their own problems.

Often, local volunteers are the ones who are making a more substantial difference in their community. They are familiar with the area they are working in and have a complete understanding of the problem that they are facing and its implications. However, voluntourist trips can undermine local organizations when volunteers see themselves as more competent and displace

to build muscle, but it’s not impossible. Dr. Barbara Semakula, a sports medicine specialist at Anne Arundel Medical Center, says women have less muscle density than men, which may make it harder to achieve the same muscular appearance. Despite this biological disadvantage, as humans, we do many things we aren’t naturally designed to do, such as sitting down for an average of 6.5 hours a day, staring at computer screens and more. Any argument that women shouldn’t lift weights is anyone has the freedom to pick up a weight and lift it. However, the argument that women who have the appearance of a bodybuilder are unattractive or unappealing — which is perhaps the real reason behind suggesting women shouldn’t lift —reflects stereotypes about what a woman’s body should look like. This is in and of itself a reflection of society’s body standards for females, and a sexist portrayal of femininity.

Weightlifting amongst men can be dated to decadesold gender stereotypes, when women were expected to be in the kitchen or taking care of families and men were the primary breadwinners. But this is not the way that our society functions today and if we want to eliminate sexist values and empower women, then we shouldn’t discourage them from looking muscular; in fact, we shouldn’t hold women to any strict body standards. It is time to change the culture surrounding fitness expectations for women and encourage all individuals to try weightlifting, regardless of their physical appearance. I encourage male weightlifters to invite female friends and family to exercise with them, diversifying the gym community. Likewise, it’s important that male bodybuilders include female gym rats in conversations at the gym and stray away from inappropriate dialogue in the gym. It’s time to stop commenting on women’s bodies at the gym and focus conversations on kind, respectful topics. We are all capable of being more inclusive in our definition of femininity and addressing the preconceived notions about masculinity and weightlifting.

sgoody@redwoodbark.org

qualified locals.

Many student volunteers also have little experience doing their service — building houses, planting trees, painting schools and teaching children. Because of their age, many do not know enough about a task to do it independently. It is unlikely that a large portion of Redwood students know the steps in constructing a house, let alone are actually able to build it themselves.

Like the eighth-graders at my middle school who painted houses in the Amazon, many volunteers have had no training on the service they are performing, therefore making their progress slower than if qualified local companies were instead paid to do the work.

Voluntourists can also have unintentional negative effects on the rest of the community in which they are volunteering. One glaring instance is that kids in some voluntourist hotspots are placed in orphanages when they don’t have to be.

Because volunteers will pay or raise money to work in orphanages, orphanage directors are profiting off of their good intentions. This creates a larger incentive for these institutions to maintain a poor environment, therefore attracting more tourists. Even though orphanages are making more profits, being in these institutions has proven to have long-lasting psychological effects on children.

“In places like Kenya and Cambodia, Nepal and Tanzania, orphanages are

prolific. But the children within them are not orphans and in many cases are being placed in orphanages in order for orphanage directors to profit from the [volunteer] tourism demand to engage with orphans,” Leigh Mathews, founder of volunteer consultant company Alto Global, said to NPR.

However, tourism, isolated from the plethora of problems associated with voluntourism, can be beneficial and expose people to different cultures. Having more hands for large, unskilled projects are also often needed to keep programs running and therefore are greatly helped by a constant stream of volunteers. In 2021, the United Nations Volunteer Programme reported that they deployed 10,921 volunteers. These volunteers helped with COVID-19 response, education and a variety of other tasks to help others throughout the world.

Even so, in order to help people, you do not have to travel 3,000 miles across the world. You can make a difference in the lives of other people right here in the Bay Area. There are thousands of volunteer organizations that make large impacts on the lives of others and the money paid for voluntourism based trips could instead go directly to an organization that would use it to its full extent, with none of it going towards flights, food or lodging.

It's crucial when deciding to travel abroad that aspiring volunteers recognize the potential harm they could cause to a community. To ensure a positive impact for both sides of the volunteer work, volunteers should take the time to research programs before going on a service trip and see if they are really in a position that is able to help. It’s vital to make sure the life that you’re changing is not just your own.

feature feature

Meet the six 2022 TUHSD Board candidates

By Matthew Marotto

Ahead of the Nov. 8 general election, in which three seats on the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) Board of Trustees will be up for election, each of the six candidates participated in question and answer style interviews with the Bark to discuss their motivations for running and their proposed policies. Each candidate was asked the same questions, and their responses are transcribed below.

What motivated you to run for the TUHSD Board?

Renee Marcelle: “I’m running for the Board because I have two teens in the district, so I have skin in the game. In fact, I’m [one of only two] people who are running for a position on the Board who have kids here.”

Barbara McVeigh: “[With today’s] problems, [high schoolers] are going to be stepping into a difficult next generation. A lot of [these issues] come into the education that we are using today, [so] it is time for us to be thinking differently.”

Damian Morgan: “I was a graduate of Tamalpais High School (Tam) in 1992, [and] many of the issues that were in our district are still at play. There’s budget issues; there’s some issues regarding long-term student outcomes. There are even some issues that interest me regarding students, and I want to be a part of the conversation and a part of the solution.”

Cynthia Roenisch: “I would like to continue [my] work, [which is] primarily around [keeping] our budgets in a good place, but also around the issues of looking at our curriculum, our hiring practices and our opportunities for success for all students in the district. I’ve been on the Racial Justice Task Force (RJTF) for the last couple of years, and I’m interested in seeing that work through.”

Kevin Saavedra: “I haven’t had kids in the school district for a couple years, but the thing is, it takes a bunch of years until you really understand what the district is about … so [I am running again] to continue what I believe is important work.”

Emily Uhlhorn: “I have had two daughters go through [the district] and have two students yet to come. There is a lot of work left to be done to make it a fantastic school for all kids, [regarding] racial justice … The second reason is because of the issues with facilities and finance issues … [and] we need to do a better job as school boards [of] working together on behalf of all students.”

What is one thing you would like to change districtwide?

Marcelle: “Above all, there must be transparency, not only to parents, but to students and other stakeholders [including] teachers.”

McVeigh: “The pressure of this world to succeed is doing more harm than it is doing good. Life is not about this linear path [where] you have to get to that high mountain in order to be successful.”

Morgan: “The achievement gap has been a quiet conversation, and I would like to make it a serious conversation to work towards that achievement gap not being a gap anymore.”

Roenisch: “I would get everyone to focus more on the holistic approach of what kind of student, what kind of person and what kind of citizen we want to go out into the world.”

Saavedra: “Music education in our district is not what it should be. … We owe it to the students in our community to take advantage of the energy and interest that is coming out on musical instruments.”

Uhlhorn: “I want every student to walk into their school and then every classroom and every hallway feeling valued, accepted, respected and that their voice matters.”

From a professional and personal standpoint, what qualifies you to be on the Board and connects you to the district?

Marcelle: “I’m a family lawyer by trade, a collaborative law lawyer and a mediator. Part of what my career has been about is listening to people and to really hear them and to really be present for them. … [Only one other candidate] has children [in the district], and I am passionate and compassionate, [which] will translate onto the Board.”

McVeigh: “Financially, I was a senior manager for a corporation and I had a very large budget to work with. My two kids have gone through the system here. I also work with alternative forms of education through the Marin Waldorf School. … I have served on a board of a nonprofit sailing organization before. … In fact, when I got involved with the organization, it was bankrupt. I revamped the organization with programs, grants, finances, and 20 years later, that organization is still thriving today I like to get in to feel things and move them in a different direction [to] make them stronger, and that would be my intention as a board [member].”

Morgan: “I grew up in [this area] and graduated from Tam. I understand how these areas work, [and] I have, as a board member in the Marin City Community Services District, gone to [many local] meetings. I’ve met with the [superintendent] many times regarding equity issues. I’ve counted in the last seven years that I’ve gone to 1,600 meetings regarding our community in central and southern Marin.”

Roenisch: “I live here, my children graduated from Redwood and I’ve served as a trustee for 17 years [in various districts]. I’ve been a high school teacher for the last 13 years, [though] I don’t teach in this district. … [Having been] a lawyer, I ask questions and think 10 steps down the road. … I truly believe education is one of the real common goods that we have in American society.”

Saavedra: “[The district’s finances] are analogous to [my professional career with] investing other people’s money. … I went from public elementary all the way to college at the University of California Los Angeles, so I’m a believer in public schools. I also [have] a desire to support a district that I believe was great for my kids.”

Uhlhorn: “I will have two more students entering the district next year. I was Parent Teacher Association President at Tam in 2021. I am a current school board trustee in the Mill Valley School District. I have a master’s in special education and a certificate of educational therapy. I have served on nonprofit boards [and] on the Community Financial Advisory Committee in Mill Valley. I’m on the Joint Legislative Action Committee and the Efficiency and Effectiveness Committee.”

What is your stance on how the Board should function in relation to the needs and wants of community members?

Marcelle: “I would stand for ensuring that students and parents are heard by the school board. The best way is to have a collective Oversight Committee, which is a group of kids and a group of adults who tell the Board what issues are important to us. The school is doing a really good job [since] they started the RJTF. I would like to see something similar set up not just for racial issues, but all the rest of them.”

McVeigh: “[The divisions in America] gave me this incredible drive to start fixing the system … so I am trying to fix the incredible divisions in our economics. I am also trying to help reshape education. … Going to city council members and being a voice in a Board of Supervisors meeting [is important] so those policymakers know what we want as the people.”

Morgan: “The [TUHSD] schools are rated very high [academically]. [However,] there are many students and families, primarily in underserved communities and underserved areas, regarding Marin City [and] certain areas in Mill Valley, where kids’ needs aren’t being met. [The Board] could do better by having tough conversations and being eager and honest to reach into this [question of] who’s not getting what they need and deserve?”

Roenisch: “We’re elected by the community, so we receive input from [everyone]. … Have we made every community member happy? Absolutely not. We’ve had to make tough decisions, but we had forums about it and then we looked at the budget with recommendations from [financial experts] as well as the [superintendent]. Then we voted. We’re always going to keep students front and center, but we also have to make the budget work.”

Saavedra: “I believe we’re doing the thing that the community wants most, which is supporting and running a high quality school district that consistently produces top of class results [in the state]. … We try to stay present and accessible and to communicate. People that feel we’re not doing it in an accessible way come and speak to us [at] open meetings.”

Uhlhorn: “We need to make sure that every time we are evaluating questions, and needs and concerns, that we’re bringing it back to what is best for students. There [also] needs to be an equity lens on all of that. We need to listen to the rest of our community. Certainly we need to listen to parents, to teachers and to staff, [and] we need to support [them] so that they can support our students.”

Infographic by Ava Razavi

Crowded classrooms:

Looking into the impetus for large class sizes

Story and graph by Anna Royal

Impacted Class Sizes

Senior Jordan Slater spends one of her Advanced Placement (AP) classes in a chair without a desk in the back of her class due to a lack of desk space. And she is far from the only one.

“Over my last few years [at Redwood], I have seen an increase in [class sizes]. I am directly affected by this because in my [AP Environmental Science] class, I am sitting in the overflow seating which makes it harder for me to learn, and I can’t see the board as well, [which] limits the information I obtain,” Slater said.

After recent notable teacher layoffs by the district, classes have been consolidated into fewer periods, meaning many teachers are experiencing a record number of students in their classrooms this year. Physiology and Living Earth teacher Jamie Garcia, who has been teaching at Redwood for 23 years, has never seen such an overflow in her classroom.

“This year’s [class sizes] are significantly bigger in all of my science classes,” Garcia said.

The large class sizes have led many to question the root of the issue, whether it has been caused by a budgeting complication, a misappropriation of funds or another underlying issue.

Student Enrollment

Corbett Elsen, Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations for the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD), points to a decrease in student enrollment, rather than financial issues, as the primary reason for teacher layoffs. This in turn affects class sizes.

“There are many things [that contributed to the layoffs] but I think the major driver is enrollment decline… There are some individual classes that need to get sorted out [due to high class size numbers],” Elsen said.

In the last decade, as the district’s student population soared, over 95 new teachers were hired. Conversely, while the 2021-2022 school year saw peak student enrollment, starting this year, the district’s student population will be steadily declining, as reported by the district’s graphs on future student enrollment. According to Elsen, there are currently 1,882 Redwood students this year versus the 1,913 students in the 2021-2022 school year, and due to this decline, the district foresaw an abundance of teachers and thus decided to make layoffs. With fewer teachers in the district, courses are offered in fewer periods, thus contributing to increased class sizes.

However, because of her lack of a desk, Slater finds the current class sizes to be insufficient in providing proper resources and optimal learning conditions for the amount of students in her class. But, Elsen says the current district class size averages are under the previously negotiated maximum: 32 students per class. Looking at the district class size averages for this school year, Elsen points out the average class size this fall semester is only 30 students.

“With the exception being [physical education] at [Tamalpais High School] and Applied Technology at Redwood, all of the department [averages] are actually lower than what we negotiated with the teachers,” Elsen said.

However, the district average does not explicitly show the fact that, in recent years, there has been a recent increase in individual Redwood classes exceeding the negotiated cap, according to the data mentioned in the 2021 School Accountability Report Card (SARC). In addition, the average class size in fall 2020 was around 28 students, two fewer than this year’s average.

As stated by the 2021 SARC, in the 2018-2019 school year, Redwood English, social science, math and science classes had either zero or one class with 33 students or more. However, in the 20202021 school year, math, science and social science classroom sizes each rose to 15 classes with 33

students or more, the exception being English with zero classes having 33 students or more. As the district foresees a further decrease in student population, this year’s Redwood class sizes may be larger, but will likely lower in the future as enrollment decreases.

Funding and Budgeting: A Breakdown

While Elsen points to a decline in student enrollment as the main reason for a decrease in teachers, community members such as Slater supposed a different primary reason for the teacher layoffs and impacted classes: budgeting.

“I think it mainly has to do with [the fact the district is] not getting enough funding for how many students we have within the school. … I think it’s a mixture of both [a budgeting issue and a misappropriation of funds by the district]... Could we [take our funds allocated to other places and] pay teachers more, or pay for more teachers? [The latter options] would probably be of better use,” Slater said.

In addition, teachers such as Garcia have been informed that a lack of funds is why Redwood cannot provide enough teachers for its student population.

“[The district] had to minimize hiring new teachers and fill class sizes to the maximum [so they could] maximize their funds and money,” Garcia said.

For the 2022-2023 school year, the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) has a combined general fund of $106,511,892 for all of the district’s schools: Redwood, Tamalpais (Tam), Archie Williams, San Andreas and Tamiscal. A general fund is sourced through taxes and government aid and is used for teacher and staff salaries, support services, such as counselors, and school supplies.

With roughly 5,000 students in the district, revenues are allocated so the general fund is evenly split among each student, at around $21,302 per student. Redwood has the highest student population in the district, currently at 1,882 students, and therefore receives the largest sum of taxes allocated: roughly $40,090,364.

According to Elsen, property and parcel taxes, a form of real estate taxes, primarily pay for teacher salaries, whereas state and federal taxes mainly fund resources and services on campus.

Information regarding the district’s budgeting and appropriation of taxpayer money is included on the TUHSD website. Elsen summarized a basic rundown of how the district allocates its tax money.

“Eighty-five percent of our budget is spent on teachers, counselors, assistant principals, food service and custodians. At least 15 percent of expenditures are not spent on people, [but rather] textbooks, Chromebooks, pencils, paper, art supplies and lab supplies,” Elsen said.

Elsen also mentioned part of the 15 percent of expenditures, which are mostly paid for by state and federal funds, includes services such as free therapy and counseling for students, special education, free meals in the cafeteria and campus renovations and construction.

As shown in the graph “Combined TUHSD District Expenditures,” 85 percent of tax funds are always spent on salaries and benefits. The other 15 percent of tax funds were spent on books and supplies, capital outlay (money spent to acquire, maintain, repair or upgrade capital assets), other operating expenditures and other outgo (“Includes outlays for debt service, transfers between funds within a district and transfers to other agencies,” according to EdSource). See the figure for specific values.

According to the June 2022 TUHSD Budget Adoption, for the 2021-2022 school year, the district increased spending on acquiring technology devices and Chromebook carts, summer school nutrition, special education and capital

facilities projects. While the district’s total tax revenues are $106,511,892, its total expenditures are equal to $108,486,372; the extra $1,974,480 in expenditures were taken out of the district’s savings account.

As for increased spending on teacher salaries, Redwood has continued its pre-approved compounding growth rate, which started in the 2020-2021 school year; last year, teacher salaries increased by 2.5 percent on top of the prior year’s raise, and this school year, teachers’ salaries increased by 3 percent.

Parcel Taxes: Measures B and M

A large contributor to a decrease in Redwood’s funds are the parcel taxes from 2020. The first proposed parcel tax for TUHSD funding, Measure B, failed to pass in March of 2020 as it fell short of the two-thirds voter majority. Eight months later, in November 2020, Measure M was proposed and passed at a lower dollar threshold of $16.8 million.

“Our voters approved Measure M to tax themselves further to provide specific classes and electives,” Elsen said.

Although the district states they are very grateful for having a supportive community, the failure of Measure B in 2020, which had a higher tax rate than M, caused a great loss of funds for the school.

“The difference is somewhere around $5 to $6 million dollars every year of less funding we now have as a result of Measure B failing and having to pass Measure M,” Elsen said.

This is vital, as the funds raised by parcel taxes directly go to teacher and counselor salaries. This means that Redwood and the district face $5 to $6 million dollars less for teacher salaries every year due to Measure B not passing.

Many factors have led to a significant spike in class sizes and a decrease in teachers. However, given everyone’s different perspectives and testimonies, it remains unclear as to if there was a primary cause; as a result, it is difficult to determine whether Redwood’s current situation is because of reduced enrollment or a financial issue (a lack of tax funds generated for the district or a lack of funds allocated to teacher salaries). However, it is clear both of these factors of decreased student enrollment and lower amounts of district tax funds played a role in the changes we see in our classrooms across the district today.

aroyal@redwoodbark.org

Reading into book banning

Defining Book Banning

In 2021, 1,597 books were challenged or banned, according to the American Library Association’s (ALA) annual report. This number is the highest it has been since the ALA began tracking book banning in the U.S. in 1989. However, despite the prevalence of book banning, many are unaware of its complexities.

At its core, book banning is the act of removing a piece of literature from a library, school, store or other space, due to controversial content. Although anyone can petition to remove a book, the appellant is required to present the challenge to either an owner, the board or the government of the establishment.

Since the beginning of its existence, opinions on book banning have forged two distinct sides. Carol Acquaviva, a Marin librarian and archivist, is a representative of those against book banning.

“Someone telling someone else they can’t have access to read or to write [is censorship],” Acquaviva said.

On the other hand, No Left Turn, an organization based out of Pennsylvania dedicated to monitoring and managing book content, argues that banned books often encourage material that is too graphic for young readers, particularly content regarding sexual and racial identity. The organization’s mission statement is to “use all forms of media to expose the radical indoctrination in K-12 education, its perpetrators, the resources and methods employed and the resulting harm it inflicts.”

Contrastingly, many consider book banning to be a serious violation of personal rights. Natalie Weber, a teen and adult services librarian at the Marin Civic Center, describes many librarians’ stances on this issue.

“In the library world, we really believe deeply in intellectual freedom, which means [community] access [to any book] for pleasure or for education,” Weber said.

Oftentimes, libraries promote intellectual freedom by advocating for and promoting their supply of banned books. The Redwood Library publicizes its stance on book banning through a large display, which gives students access to books that have been banned in other areas. Kathleen Savastano, the Library Specialist, shared that parents often jumpstart the motion of book banning.

“I think the unintended consequence of parents protesting these books is that they’re getting more attention from the librarians and the educators,” Savastano said.

In accordance with her views, Savastano ensures that the library has every book on the ALA’s list of most challenged books in 2021.

Literary content has been a topic of debate for centuries. America’s first experience with book banning dates back to the 1600s. “New English Canaan,” a novel by Thomas Morton, was banned in 1637 after Puritans complained that it mocked their traditional society. Morton’s arguments against the British government resulted in his work becoming the first of many books banned in America.

Over the years, literary censorship has remained prevalent. Harriet Beecher’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” a book that revolutionized discussions regarding race and enslavement in the 1980s, was banned because of its encouragement of greater racial inclusion. Books containing controversial subjects to Beecher’s continued to be challenged or banned in the following decade, which occasionally resulted in backlash from the public. In the 1933 Supreme Court case, the United States v. One Book Called Ulysses, the federal ban of James Joyce’s “Ulysses” was overturned. It was originally challenged in 1922, as it was perceived to be written by someone with a “disordered mind.”

Additionally, critics claimed that the sexual content in the book could lead to “impure and lustful thoughts.”

The judge who overturned its ban ultimately determined that serious literature should contain topics that make readers uncomfortable to widen their understanding and perspectives.

Other Supreme Court cases, however, have had different outcomes. In Roth v. the United States, writer Samuel Roth was convicted for distributing pornography in his 1957 publication. Roth’s conviction caused the U.S. to reconsider its interpretation of obscenity, which was narrowed to content that is “utterly without redeeming social importance.”

This specification allowed books that contained graphic or explicit content to be published and displayed as long as they were meaningful to society. Despite this step, the disagreement regarding book banning persists.

Franklin Escobedo, the Community Services Director at Larkspur Library as well as the President of the Adult Service of the ALA, notes the inevitability of ongoing conflict.

“There have been challenges over the years, some good and some bad, depending on the type of literature. There has always been this conflict between art and inappropriate [content] for certain age groups,” Escobedo said.

Despite book banning’s lengthy history, it was not until 1982 that the ALA created Banned Books Week, which brings awareness to the otherwise forgotten subject. This tradition aims to acknowledge and embrace discomfort when reading about an unfamiliar subject.

History in Marin

While book banning is perceived to be limited to conservative states, it is a national trend, reaching even

Marin County.

Although Marin currently tends to lean left, it has not always done so. In fact, as Acquaviva found, Marin used to be relatively conservative.

Marin’s past political identity partially contributes to the large number of book challenges it has faced. In the 1950s, one Larkspur parent prompted a county jury investigation of over 200 books in Marin’s high school libraries. The majority of the content challenged was claimed to push a communist agenda, not far from most other book challenges at the time.

“What’s really important to think about is that for the most part, this was after World War II. Everyone was really concerned about communism. It seemed like the threat of communism was paramount to anything else that was going on,” Acquaviva said.

According to Acquaviva’s article published on Medium, an online publishing platform, book banning in Marin sparked an array of reactions. When the county jury decided to ban the proposed books, they were met with dismay from the school district’s Board of Trustees and ultimately reversed their previous ruling. Despite this, other community members advocated for the banning of books. Harold W. Tobin, a Fairfax resident, spoke in 1953 on behalf of the Marin Council of Catholic Men and claimed that most books that were challenged had words that he “could not repeat or could not be repeated between a husband and wife.”

Book Banning Now

“At one point in time in 2021, there were 729 challenges,” Lesliediana Jones, the Associate Director of Public Services at Harvard Law School Library, the chair of the ALA intellectual freedom committee and a trustee of the freedom to read foundation, said. “That involved over 1,500 books. Now contrast that to 2018 — there were about 400 challenges. In prior years, there were numbers like 200 or 300, a vast difference from what the numbers are now.”

No Left Turn credits the increase in book banning, not to the challengers but to societal changes and creating a need for banned books.

“[The Black Lives Matter movement] that erupted in May 2020 provided the perfect cover for a complete assault and takeover of our educational system.

Aided by the mainstream media, the teachers’ unions, together with an increasing number of educators and administrators have become the true schoolyard bullies, using taxpayer funds to indoctrinate their captive audience — our children,” No Left Turn stated on their website.

Jack Haubold, a senior and advocate against book banning, speculated about the reason why more and more books are being challenged.

“I think it’s a social movement across the country of people being uncomfortable with topics of slavery, Jim Crow and the Holocaust, that has caused people to try to cover up our history instead of acknowledging it and trying to address the lasting impacts of that history,” Haubold said.

While banned books have been declared too graphic or explicit, Jones has noticed additional reasoning for recent book challenges.

“In the past, the reasoning has been sexually explicit material and racially charged material. Now they are coupling it with more reasons — books by authors of color and books that have LGBTQ [authors],” Jones said.

Jones noticed that the exclusion of these identities from literary works limits the growth of readers.

“I will fight against anyone telling my community, or any community, ‘You cannot read about yourself, you cannot have information about the world, you cannot grow as an individual,’ because that’s what [people who ban books are] telling them when they can’t read things about themselves [or] about the world at large. [They are] telling that person that they cannot grow,” Jones said.

Story and Infographic by Rori Anderson and Claire Silva

Illustrations by Calla McBride

THE CIVIC CENTER stocks books that the Redwood Library also offers, such as “Educated” and “Dear Martin,” which are being banned in the nation.

Photo by Claire Silva

Girls cannot win

Uniforms’ sexualized history, the significance

By Stella Bennett and Gemma Favaloro

“[Uniforms] create a sense of unity and contribute to the idea of being part of a team,”

Emma Tanaka said, a senior on the girls’ varsity basketball team.

Tanaka is not alone in this ideal – uniforms, in theory, are used “to identify [and] unify the player with the watcher.” However, in reality, a uniform functions as much more than just a game-time tradition. In addition to the camaraderie that uniforms foster, they can also encourage various conflicts, especially in women’s sports.

For female athletes, the features of a uniform have constantly changed. From full-length skirts and high collars with long sleeves in the 19th century, to today’s modernized short skirts, low-neck tank tops and loose dri-fit shorts, one thing remains the same: The conversation around women’s uniforms has always been divisive, no matter the sport. While uniforms may seem like a simplistic concept, they have proven to spark disputes over the sexulization of women in sports.

Basketball:

In a sport where 82 percent of professional basketball players identify as male, female basketball players often struggle for respect and recognition of their skill. Their uniforms mirror this struggle. Dating back to the 19th century, women basketball players were required to wear floor-length wool skirts while playing, which made for an immobile and impractical game. This requirement also caused players to fall frequently, giving rise to the stereotype that women were too weak to play the game.

Tatum McPeek, a junior on girls’ varsity basketball, has played since first grade and frequently notices similar comments around basketball stigmas.

“When looking at girls’ basketball, a lot of people are like, ‘I don’t hear about girls’ playing basketball a lot.’ There is also not as big of a [fan] turnout in girls’ basketball [compared] to other sports,” McPeek said. “People believe that guys are better at basketball than girls.”

Women tried to counter the notion that basketball was masculine by wearing feminine clothing. It was not until the 1960s that polyester shorts with elastic waistbands, what men had worn for decades prior, finally made it to the women’s court. However, to “preserve the femininity” these shorts were the length of mini skirts. But, as society modernized, the basketball uniforms did the same: Women were more respected on the court and their uniforms became more similar to that of men.

“If we had a more feminine uniform, the guys would respect us more — not in how we play, but rather in how we look while we play, which is really [frustrating], but I don’t want to have different uniforms because I don’t want to be oversexualized in that way,” Tanaka said.

Starting in 1884, women were allowed to play tennis competitively at Wimbledon, one of the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world, marking the first time women started being recognized for playing. The competition enforced a strict dress code, requiring players to wear all white outfits and dress “smartly,” which

Although the endless criticism of women’s uniforms on a professional level may seem far away, similar debates

[girls] started [playing], they wore skirts or dresses because they weren’t allowed to wear pants. It was frowned upon,” Zeisler said.

As time progressed, and women emerged as respected competitors, their uniforms became more functional and aerodynamic, making them tighter and smaller. With these new changes, however, came a large amount of criticism.

“I know that the sport of tennis is reserved and respectful in general,” Zeisler said. “There are a lot of rules and expectations with tennis. … [Officials] are very precise about their rules and how you have to dress.”

Illustration by Calla McBride

Today, there is hardly any difference between mens’ and womens’ basketball uniforms, which can be viewed as a positive or negative development. Tanaka has been playing basketball for seven years and has grown accustomed to the loose uniform.

“We roll our shorts because most of us do not want to wear our shorts down to our knees; it doesn’t look cute, and I feel like Adam Sandler,” Tanaka said. “I probably would feel more confident if I was wearing a more feminine uniform.”

Although Tanaka has adapted to the uniform, she sometimes feels criticized and puts mascara on or braids her hair in attempts to look and feel more feminine during games.

“I feel like sometimes I’ll be judged [for the masculine uniform], and it mostly happens between our game and the boys’ game. [When the crowd starts to grow], you are like ‘Oh shit, I need to look cute,’” Tanaka said. “Sometimes that does get annoying because it can get in the way of playing.”

Unlike other sports, girls’ and boys’ basketball have practically identical uniforms. Although other people might view this as a benefit, Tanaka wonders how people would feel if their uniforms were different. She expresses the common notion that women cannot win within sports when it comes to uniforms.

cover her nipples … very distracting.”

Illustrations by Cala McBride

‘“If we had a more feminine uniform, the guys would respect us more.”

Emma Tanaka, senior

significance today

done in the past. The expensive nature of Lululemon and the controversy over the neckline led to many discussions

and they want to wear shorts, that’s cool with us as long as they are red.”

accommodate for the growing range of skills and stunts

“I think it is important for [cheer uniforms] to be light, but at the same time, I think the way that they are designed adds to the stereotype of ‘dumbblondes who cheer for entertainment rather than a sport,’” Smith said. “You could find spandex material skirts that are long and more flowy [compared to the current] spandex material skirts that are tight, like a mini-skirt.”

In 1994, Tallman told the Los Angeles Times that he wanted to create “more of a streamlined, fitted look. It’s not so bulky or oversized. It’s more like fashion.” In the 1980s, the shorts became shorter, and the shirts became tighter, contributing to the rising message that cheerleaders were supposed to be “slutty but innocent,” according to Racked, a narrative journalism site. This idea was represented in countless coming-ofage films such as “Bring it On” and “Grease,” and today, the tight nature of the uniforms are used as motivation to disrespect the sport.

“A lot of the stereotypes from the 90s have gotten better, but they haven’t gone away,” Smith said. “[The stereotypes] have gotten better as people become more open to gender norms. At the end of the day [though], cheerleaders are still stereotyped to be the advertisers of sexy and slutty while keeping a good reputation.”

Cheerleading, at both the competitive and high school level, is generally seen as a hyperfeminine sport. Their skilled routines don’t simply have stunts, but also include matching hair and makeup styles that enhances the team’s performance. For many cheerleaders, this is one of their favorite aspects of the sport, such as senior co-captain of

“[The production of make-up and hair] is what I signed up for. I actually love [that aspect of cheer]. In cheer, you have to be talented, and you have to look good while doing

Although the nature of cheer is to dress up and look the part, Emma Smith, another co-captain of the varsity cheer team, recognizes this has contributed to the sexualization

“Nobody thinks cheer is a sport … just because of the stereotype, and a lot of that has to do with how [cheer] is

Cheer followed similar trends in uniforms to other sports: below-the-knee length skirts with long sleeve conservation sweaters that showed school spirit with a large block letter on the front. Reforming cheer uniforms is often attributed to the president of the International Cheer Union, Jeff Webb, and Universal Cheerleaders Association instructor, Kraig Tallman. Webb and Tallman worked together to enhance cheer uniforms to

The short nature of these uniforms not only contributes to the sexualization of the sport, but also promotes serious body issues.

“The more revealing the sport is, the more you think about [your body image]. The stereotype is that a cheerleader has a really good body, and it [forces] the athletes to compare themselves,” Smith said. “Since [a lot of cheer] has to do with weight — the flier needs to be super skinny and liftable, and the bases need to be a little bigger — it is very easy to compare ourselves.”

Throughout Smith’s cheer career, she has struggled with the comparative nature of the sport.

“The stigma around what you look like in that uniform versus another person causes a lot of body issues [and] … I struggled with [body comparison] for a long time,” Smith said. “I had an eating disorder for a while, and it all started from cheer. It was easy to compare myself to everyone else, and I constantly wanted to be better.”

Not only do the uniforms contribute to the sexualization of cheerleading, but it stems deeper into its culture.

“If we had uniforms that didn’t reveal as much, [the sport] probably wouldn’t be as popular because it wouldn’t be sexualized,” Smith said.

Moving Forward:

Each uniform plays a specific role in supporting athletes. However, people can take advantage of these uniforms and create standards that predominantly affect women.

“Girls can sometimes be treated unfairly [compared to men when it comes to uniform standards]. I mean, we are girls. We have boobs. That shouldn’t be a reason to change the uniform or make it different because girls have different body types. It feels misogynistic and old-fashioned,” Tanaka said.

As society continues to become more progressive, students hope Redwood embraces more forwardthinking in the future. Many believe that the overall problem within the sexualization of women’s sports cannot be resolved with a more conservative uniform. Instead, they feel the problem lies with the lack of respect female athletes receive in general. To mitigate this problem, we must first combat the central issues of misogyny within women’s sports.

“Altering the uniform would definitely help [the oversexualization of women’s sports], but it’s going to take a lot more in [changing] people’s perspectives and society’s views in general,” Epps said. “[The way people view female sports] is just sexist.”

Illustration by Calla McBride

McBride and Carsen Goltz

Breaking barriers behind bars How education in the prison system supports societal re-entry

By Emily and Erica Block

Chris Schumacher was sentenced to prison for a minimum of 16 years for a drug-related murder. He spent 17 years in jail, including 10 years at San Quentin State Prison. Schumacher entered prison with only a high school diploma and a penchant for violence. Yet, 17 years after incarceration, Schumacher graduated as the class valedictorian of San Quentin’s college program and used his education to forge new paths for himself and other incarcerated individuals.

Schumacher founded Fitness Monkey, an online life coaching service that empowers addiction recovery through fitness. Schumacher and other previously incarcerated individuals’ stories reveal the complexities of life behind bars. They show how both people currently incarcerated and those released from prison can ease the transition of re-entry and improve the public narratives surrounding imprisoned individuals.

Educational Access within the Prison System

Some prisons offer educational programs for incarcerated individuals to help them continue their education while imprisoned. One of these programs at San Quentin is Last Mile, an initiative that combines educational resources and vocational training (education relating to employment). In 2012, Schumacher joined Last Mile and combined his knowledge of business and technology, along with inspiration from his own struggles with addiction, to build Fitness Monkey. For Schumacher, both the college program at San Quentin and Last Mile altered his life, introducing numerous opportunities.

“For a while, I had a lot of anger and frustration because the [prison] system didn’t really offer people on the inside a lot of tools and resources for rehabilitation,” Schumacher said. “During my time getting an education, as well as interacting with people from the outside who were willing to invest time and energy into the men at San Quentin, my message went from anger and frustration to gratitude. … I had been in a prison where there was a lot of violence, drug and gang activity [compared to] San Quentin, walking around the yard and [seeing] men with calculus books.”

In 2014, Schumacher expanded his Fitness Monkey program online when Last Mile introduced coding and web development courses to prison communities. Schumacher received two and a half years of vocational training and then went to the parole board in 2016. The board said that he had shown steps towards taking accountability for his crime and eventually granted him release.

Corey McNeil was also incarcerated at San Quentin and participated in the same college program as Schumacher, now called the Mount Tamalpais College. Previously, McNeil’s life path led him to drop out of school in sixth grade. Following years of struggle, McNeil entered prison on two life sentences in addition to a 40 year sentence. However, once incarcerated, he turned to the educational resources at San Quentin and was able to learn and generate new opportunities, even from behind bars. McNeil used the General Educational Development (GED) book to study different high school subjects in order to earn his diploma.

“[In prison], I studied the [GED] book like it was my Bible. Religiously, I would wake up in the morning [to read], then do some math, all on my own discipline,” McNeil said.

McNeil was recently released from San Quentin in May 2021, with the assistance of these educational resources.

Recidivism

Educational programs similar to the Last Mile directly serve the incarcerated population and can help them atone for and reflect on the mistakes of their pasts. Thus, these programs aim to minimize recidivism — when released prisoners re-offend and are incarcerated again. Recidivism is a significant problem across the current American criminal justice system. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, over twothirds of prisoners are rearrested during the three-year period of their release. This can be attributed to many variables, including the lack of opportunities for prisoners

to make lifestyle changes that would prevent them from committing other offenses.

Rehabilitation within prisons is seen as a critical approach for limiting these recidivism trends. Schumacher observed that education and vocational training can have substantial impacts on the behaviors of incarcerated individuals upon their release.

“Recidivism rate for lifers — the ones who had to do all the work to go home, to learn how to talk about their crime, to understand the victim’s impact, to put the recourse together and get the support to get ready to come home — is below one percent,” Schumacher said.

The influence education can have on individuals’ behavioral patterns can also be seen specifically through Last Mile, where the resources provided helped to bring the recidivism rate of graduates to zero percent, according to Schumacher.

Outreach Organizations

Beyond the work completed within prison walls to develop resources for the incarcerated population, there is a separate struggle for prisoners who re-enter society: grappling with the predispositions held by the general public about released prisoners. Working to adjust attitudes has become a central effort of certain individuals who are developing more genuine narratives of the incarcerated. Humans of San Quentin, an organization created in early 2020, uses storytelling to break down the stereotypes of incarcerated individuals. Diane Kahn, the organization’s founder and mother of a Redwood junior, was inspired by the Humans of New York social media storytelling project, and she decided to develop a similar project surrounding the San Quentin population. In 2017, prior to her idea, Kahn was a teacher on the board at the University of San Francisco (USF). Kahn discovered that USF had a presence in San Quentin and decided to apply to the program to educate the people inside of the prison. She was accepted and started assisting men inside of San Quentin to get their GED. Inspired by the people she came in contact with while spending time inside educating, Khan decided to take action.

“It felt [unjust] to me if I didn’t share the stories that I was learning inside with the outside world, simply to educate them, to demystify the people that live right here in our community, who are in prison,” Kahn said.

Humans of San Quentin connects with incarcerated people through word-of-mouth and then mails them a physical packet in which they can write a short piece about themselves and include a photo.

“We really want them to write a first-person narrative, like an experience. We want people outside of prison to be able to identify with them or make a connection. We like them to share just ordinary things that happen in their life and simply tell us about them. Whether it’s in prison, out of prison, in relationships or even just about their breakfast,” Kahn said.

According to Kahn, hearing stories from people on the inside allows others to make connections with them by illustrating the similar emotions, hardships and experiences they hold compared to the general public.

“The [incarcerated] men were emotionally intelligent, they would cry and laugh and be kind of superhuman.

Many of them are really in touch with themselves and where they’ve been and could articulate it. When I see these grown men crying and talking about their problems, it shows me that it’s okay to cry. It’s okay to dive deep. It’s okay to be vulnerable,” Kahn said.

Kahn believes that these stories and interactions help break down the imaginary walls between prisoners and the public. Over the past year, Humans of San Quentin has spread from San Quentin to 95 prisons across 35 states. As the organization grows and Kahn builds

connections with many more people, she learns of new, fascinating and heartfelt narratives; one, in particular, has stuck with her.

“Dennis tells us the story of one Sunday afternoon. He has a wife, Jasmine, and they have three little girls. [However,] Jasmine and Dennis get into a fight and he ends up killing her this Sunday afternoon,” Kahn said.

“Dennis has now been inside San Quentin for 20 some years and in his submissions, he breaks down everything that happened in his life, all the trauma he had, and is now able to look at his relationship with his wife and what has happened with his kids. He takes us on a full journey from what he would’ve done [on that] Sunday afternoon differently, so that incident didn’t [have to] happen.”

Dennis serves as an example of how narrativebased storytelling can change longstanding attitudes toward the incarcerated population. Kahn believes that sharing Dennis’ story allows citizens to humanize their perspectives on incarcerated individuals while allowing the inmates to reflect on their lives and grow.

Though many outreach programs have emerged to help share these prisoner stories, public support for these types of projects is not unanimous. To many people, these incarceration narratives are complex and seen as romanticizing stories that should deserve more scrutiny or skepticism. To others, it might just be a matter of knowledge or an unwillingness to expand one’s mindset.

Sophomore Lindsay Reed admitted that she does not have a wide range of knowledge about what prison is like and who the inmates are.

“To be honest, I don’t think about prison much, but when I do, I think about people that hurt others, whether that be intentional or not,” Reed said.

Reed is not alone in her beliefs towards the incarcerated population at prisons like San Quentin. However, it is these types of attitudes that both educational programs and outreach projects are working to change. Though long-term impacts have yet to be identified, individuals like Schumacher believe that continued progress is possible.

“In prison, a common saying is ‘hurt people, hurt people’ but, on the other hand, I believe that healed people can heal people,” Schumacher said. “The time, investment and energy that you put in [incarcerated individuals] while they are inside, are the [same people] that will pay it forward.”

This idea of uplifting incarcerated people is reinforced by Joe Krauter, a formerly incarcerated individual and editor of Humans of San Quentin. Krauter emphasizes the importance of treating incarcerated individuals as human beings as a way to disrupt predisposed biases.

“People need to see the joy, the life, the love and the humanity [of incarcerated people]. It doesn’t stop, we don’t get to put on pause [in prison]. We’re not frozen in place or laminated, we’re not just thrown away and forgotten,” Krauter said. “Prisons aren’t just a zoo for monsters, they aren’t garbage disposals for the scum of the earth. Rather there are people there that find themselves and then claw their way back out of that pit and come back into society.”

To learn more about Humans of San Quentin, and read the stories of incarcerated individuals, visit the QR code below.

Illustrations by Carsen Goltz

review review

Lights up on accurate female representation in films

By Ava Razavi

I watch a lot of movies — like an obscene amount. Yet, in all of my years of watching films, I can’t say that I’ve encountered many accurate portrayals of what it means to be a woman in modern-day society. Typically in movies, female characters exist only to fulfill a love story. Rarely are films about women centered around a career or an action-packed plotline. Yet, every once in a while, I come across a movie that depicts modern gender struggles creatively and accurately. Since these moments are rare, I savor them deeply. Therefore, I thought it was important to share these recommendations with you.

“Little Women” (2019)

The female-directed (Greta Gerwig) remake of the book “Little Women” is the perfect illustration of the expectations of women regarding marriage and motherhood. It tells the story of four sisters during the Civil War and covers aspects of their life as they grow, marry, work or have children. Though seemingly archaic, the belief that women exist only to marry and bear children for their husbands remains prevalent in current parts of our society. Many characters in “Little Women” struggle with this ideology, either choosing to defy the norm or engage in it. Meg March (Emma Watson), one of the sisters, gladly becomes a homemaker and mother; meanwhile, Jo March (Saoirse Ronan) longs to become a writer and have a career absent of children. “Little Women” is a story of two successes; Jo navigates her journey to pursue a career successfully, while her sisters decide to have children. It shows what we already know: women are equally capable in either role or both at once. There is a level of empowerment derived from this movie, stressing that we, as women, are in control of our own stories and fates.

“Bend it Like Beckham”

“Bend it Like Beckham” is the story of Jess, an Indian soccer player, who is invited to play in an amateur league. However, her parents disapprove of her sport as they want to protect her from the racism they experienced when they were younger. Jess secretly keeps playing until she gets caught and is forced to quit by her mother. The movie comedically shows the fight between culture and womanhood. Jess yearns to be in control of her own life and prove she is strong enough to fight against injustices

as she sees her Indian male counterparts do. She finds the strength to break the mold of being an obedient daughter and shows that she can handle herself. This movie was my shit when I was growing up! It was the first time I realized that you could appreciate your culture and family while still standing up for yourself.

“Ladybird”

“Ladybird” is a classic teen angst movie. This movie follows Ladybird (Saoirse Ronan) through the trials and tribulations of being an insecure teenager at a Catholic school, waiting for the day she can escape her small town. Ladybird is all of us — misunderstood, lost and rushing to grow up. Ronan portrays a flawless interpretation of a young woman: confused about why she doesn’t look like the bodies she sees in her tabloid magazines, lusting for her first sexual experience, and constantly working towards earning her mother’s love. She ideally captures how confusing it is to look at the media and see a figure and personality that is simply unattainable, yet is still an ideal we, as women, will always try to reach. It’s so validating to see a female character acknowledge the pressures of being a teen and the hurdles she must face to move past them.

“500 Days of Summer”

This film may be the most controversial movie on the list, but in my opinion, is one of the most important. The movie is a failed love story between Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel), told from the perspective of Tom in a series of flashbacks. Summer repeatedly states that she isn’t searching for a serious relationship and wants to date casually. However, Tom falls madly in love with her and calls her “his” when talking to his friends. When she breaks up with him, he resents her and then forms a hatred when he later finds out she got married. It’s almost as if Tom is scolding Summer for merely changing her mind. What struck me about this film is how accepted the dislike for Summer becomes among viewers — almost as if her changing her mind was a form of emotional cheating. It boils down to the fact that Summer chose to marry her husband despite telling Tom she doesn’t want something serious, making Summer the “antagonist.” I loved seeing the depth that Summer’s character was given — she wasn’t simply a passive character in a love story, but a woman with agency.

This movie represents heterosexual relationships accurately beyond belief as Summer is constantly vilified for simply wanting her side-piece to back off; it shows how modern relationships always make the women out to be the villain and men the hero.

arazavi@redwoodbark.org

Find inner peas at the Marin Civic Center Farmers’ Market

By Hannah Herbst

Renowned around Marin County for its endless rows of vendors, the Marin Civic Center Farmers’ Market can sometimes be overwhelming and daunting. Smells mingling, hundreds of people milling about, different bright tents with food practically spilling out of them — it’s hard to know where to even begin. The farmers’ market is a great place to score reasonablypriced, ethically sourced and oftentimes organic produce. Upon entry, visitors have the opportunity to support local businesses and farmers, which is beneficial for the community at large. Below, find a guide to navigating the expansive market!

Produce

Looking for a one-stop shop for all your organic needs? Well, Tomatero Farms is your place. Though long lines are sometimes a drag, Tomatero Farms’ abundance of reasonably priced, delicious produce makes the wait worth it. Crunchy, fresh lettuce for your week’s worth of salad for half the price of a salad from Sweetgreen? Seasonal veggies like opulent cauliflower to toss in there too? Maybe some fresh, juicy strawberries for dessert? Yes, Tomatero Farms has it, as well as many other fresh, delicious and affordable options, far cheaper than what you would find at most grocery stores.

Whereas Tomatero Farms has a large variety of options, Kashiwase Farms specializes in one category: stone fruits such as nectarines and peaches. This vendor always has plenty of samples of

choosing from their many options. Whether you’re looking for a perfectly firm, sweet nectarine or a pink, juicy peach, look no further!

Like Kashiwase, Rodriguez Farms has one specialty: berries. Their blackberries, blueberries and strawberries are among the best options at the market, known for being consistently great. Quite often you will score a large, juicy and sweet batch. Plus, when buying a large amount, you can often score a great deal. Rodriguez Farms is always a fresh, delicious option!

For the Non-vegan

The best kind of meat for you and the planet is both ethically sourced and nutritious. Stemple Creek Ranch delivers on both those fronts while providing a large variety of offerings such as beef,

is limited at times, which requires some flexibility from the shopper side, their products always deliver!

From sharp, white cheddar to aged gouda, Point Reyes Cheese Company often has a considerable variety of cows’ milk cheeses to choose from, and all are delicious. Except for the blue cheese, which many objectively view as the worst food ever, but that’s a personal preference. The Toma cheese from this stand is a distinct option, notable for its uniquely rich flavor.

For the Vegan

Beber Almond Milk is made with locally sourced ingredients, and their multitude of flavors are all as fun as they are flavorful, from Strawberry to Honey Vanilla. Their premade Matcha and Cold

Brew Drinks are also a must-try. To put it simply, you can’t go wrong with anything you choose here!

Prepared Foods

Despite the long line and wait times, Tru Gourmet Dim Sum is a popular option for many at the market. If you have the time and patience for it, everything here is undeniably delicious. Their “Chef Sampler” is a great way to sample a variety of their dim sum in a more feasible way. Evident from the tent crowded with cooks, all the food is fresh, handmade and worth the wait!

From a cute blue food truck serving delicious Mediterranean food, Avi has so much to offer! For a quick experience, there are several premade foods to choose from such as dips, noodle kugel and salads-or you can order something hot. The lentil soup and falafel are great here!

This tent is maybe the hidden gem of the market. Rozmary serves up delicious, fresh sandwiches — and there’s one for all palates! The veggie sandwich is one of their best, filled with mozzarella, sweet eggplant, peppers, pesto and fresh greens. Whatever your taste, prepare to be delighted with one of these sandwiches.

Once you’ve gotten your bearings with the market, it is far less daunting and formidable. Shopping locally and sustainably is beneficial economically and environmentally, and the weekly farmers’ market is a good way to implement those tasks in your day-to-day life!

The most deli-cious sandwiches in Marin

By Sofia Ruliffson

The sandwich: A popular lunch many enjoy, consisting of some form of protein, cheese, vegetables, a spread and two pieces of bread. The list was narrowed down to three places: Bruno’s Deli, which serves Italian sandwiches and cuisine; Michael’s Sourdough Sandwiches, which always has a line out the door; and the final deli, Sourdough and Co., which offers an array of unique sandwiches.

Bruno’s Italian Deli

Bruno’s Deli is the place to be indulged in a unique and authentic Italian experience. Located near downtown San Rafael, the deli is easy to find due to its bright and colorful Italian flag displayed on the outside of the building. Once inside the restaurant, employees greet their customers kindly and in the beautiful language of Italian. The restaurant is inviting, clean and authentic. However, the sandwiches were slightly disappointing. There are multiple sandwich options, such as cold, hot, vegetarian and build-your-own sandwiches. In the restaurant’s “specialty sandwich” category, the Il Californiana (The Californian) sandwich seemed the most appealing. The sandwich contains oven-roasted turkey, monterey jack, avocado, tomato, red onion, lettuce, black pepper and garlic aioli on sliced sourdough. While there was a variety of content in the sandwich, the overall combination was relatively dry and lacked mayonnaise or mustard, which would complement the garlic aioli. While the sandwich lacked an additional condiment like a spread,

Bruno’s Deli offers other traditional meals such as pasta with tomato sauce, meatballs, lasagna and more. The overall experience of Bruno’s Deli was delightful and transports the diner to the middle of Italy. However, trying other sandwiches from their menu or ordering a more traditional Italian dish is highly suggested.

Michael’s Sourdough Sandwiches

Towards the end of the 2021-2022 school year, many students would rush to San Rafael during lunch, hoping to devour one of Michael’s sandwiches and make it back to class on time. The restaurant isn’t the easiest to find, as it is slightly hidden in a shared parking lot. However, once customers enter the deli they are overwhelmed with a variety of sandwiches to choose from. Their most popular sandwich is The Sourdough (#4). The Sourdough combines roast beef, Idaho ham, roast turkey, swiss cheese and sourdough bread. Various condiments and vegetables come with the sandwich, such as lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, mayo spread and mustard. Right off the bat, customers will be satisfied with the crunch of the fresh sourdough bread holding the sandwich together. The combination of the different meats in the sandwich pulls the whole meal together. In addition, there is just the right amount of mayonnaise and mustard on the sandwich, which prevents it from being too dry. Michael’s sandwiches are perfect for sharing due to their large portion size, and every sandwich is served with a pickle. This deli is the place to go for filling and authentic sandwiches.

Sourdough Sandwich Co.

The drive to this deli took around 30 minutes since it is located in Novato. Sourdough Sandwich Co. provides a significant amount of sandwiches so it’s simple to choose a winner from the menu. One of their popular combinations is the ham and turkey sandwich containing lettuce, tomato, swiss cheese, mustard and mayo spread. The flavors in this sandwich will not disappoint after the first bite is taken. The sourdough bread is thin but has the perfect satisfying crunch. The different meat flavors go exceptionally well together and are complemented by the specific

condiments in the sandwich. Compared to the other two delis, the main difference is the bread. While Michael’s sourdough bread may be prefered over Bruno’s deli, Sourdough and Co. had a thinner layer than both, which made the overall meal lighter and more enjoyable. The varying portion sizes are another factor to consider. Michael’s and Bruno’s both have big portion sizes and typically need to be shared; the Sourdough Sandwich Co.’s are smaller and can easily be devoured in one seating. Although this deli is far away, the sandwiches are worth the drive.

sruliffson@redwoodbark.org

Explore your wanderlust with Marin’s state parks

By Matthew Marotto

Despite being the fourth smallest county in California, Marin has six state parks spread throughout its borders, including the remote coastline of West Marin and the historic grounds of Olompali to the north. Whether hiking, sightseeing or bicycling, there is a state park for everyone in Marin.

Mount Tamalpais

Widely regarded as one of the best state parks in California, Mt. Tamalpais measures up to its reputation in every way. An extensive trail network offers connectivity to neighboring preserves and access to some of the most spectacular views in the Bay Area. There are also several camping options, including Pantoll Campground. From there, a short walk leads to Cardiac Hill, a knoll overlooking the Pacific Ocean in its seeming entirety. At the highest point in Marin, the West Peak (not East Peak, contrary to popular belief) of Mt. Tamalpais looks over nearly all of Marin and the Bay Area. Regardless of elevation, any place in this park has a magical feel that can only be experienced in person.

China Camp

Although not as expansive as Mt. Tamalpais, the opportunities while enjoying China Camp are virtually endless. The shrimping village site along the San Pablo Bay is open to the public and offers a glimpse of the park’s history as a Chinese fishing community after the Gold Rush era. Campsites are available near the village and coastline as well as in Back Ranch Meadows, which boasts easy access to China Camp’s scenic and moderately technical multi-use trails. The unique topography of this park is perhaps its greatest draw, rising up from its brackish marshes to its all-seeing ridgeline.

Samuel P. Taylor

Located within San Geronimo Valley, Samuel P. Taylor blends recreational activities, nature and history, all under the canopy of towering redwoods. Campsites are positioned alongside Lagunitas Creek, which leads out all the way to Tomales Bay. This allows for

wintertime salmon runs through the valley — an attraction worth seeing regardless of the seasonal muddiness. In fact, Samuel P. Taylor has become such a popular destination that, as with all other campgrounds in Marin, early reservations are strongly recommended.

Olompali

While not the most well-known, Olompali State Historic Park is a worthwhile visit and is located outside Novato on the grounds of the Burdell Ranch. Restored structures, including the Burdell Mansion and various

pieces of ranch infrastructure, point towards the park’s rich indigenous history. The park, like the rest of Marin, was originally inhabited by native peoples long before European settlement and the Gold Rush. In fact, Olompali translates to “Southern Village” in the Coast Miwok language and was one of the largest native villages in Marin. Today, adobe ruins dating back to Spanish arrival can also be seen, adding to the park’s sightseeing features. Other activities include hiking and wildlife spotting on the park’s pedestrian trails.

Tomales Bay

In coastal West Marin, the remote Tomales Bay State Park offers a unique experience on the beach and under the trees. Amidst the dense shrubbery, only a handful of pedestrian paths are present in the park. However, making up for the lack of trails, Tomales Bay contains popular waterfronts including Heart’s Desire, Pebble and Shell beaches. These provide excellent access to aquatic recreation, assuming parking is available in the first place!

Angel Island

Only accessible by ferry, Angel Island can seem like a detached world from the rest of the Bay Area. Its historic structures, which include the early 20th century Immigration Station, World War II Japanese-American internment facility and a Cold War era nuclear Nike Missile Site, draw the attention of visitors to important events of the past. However, this is not the only perspective to be gained at Angel Island, as the park features 360 degree views of the Bay. A host of other activities including cycling, hiking and picnicking are also available on the island’s network of trails and at historic sites.

Offering natural, historical and recreational experiences, Marin County’s six state parks check all the boxes. However, between all these local parks, it can be easy to forget just how incredible each of them are — a trip to one is a good reminder though.

THE VARIETY OF Italian ingredients including oven roasted turkey and monterey jack cheese, in the Bruno’s Deli’s Il Californiano bring an authentic flavor to the sandwich.

Photo by Sofia Ruliffson

CAMPING AT SAMUEL P. Taylor offers an experience shaded by towering redwoods and cooled by the numerous flowing creeks within the park.

Photo courtesy of Unsplash

What is the most satis-frying choice in Marin?

By Julia Frankus

As new restaurants pop up all over Marin, the french fry market has undergone an expansion. With hundreds of eateries serving this American fast-food staple, the question must be begged: which has the best french fries? In order to identify the answer, one must first define the most ideal characteristics of a french fry. This is widely accepted as one that is crispy on the exterior, fluffy in the interior and is neither too oily nor too dry. In addition, it must carry enough saltiness for taste but not so much that it distracts from or overpowers the flavor. In this article, a scale will be referenced as a rubric for the perfect fry. On this scale, the sogginess to crispness ratio will be measured from one to 10 with the ideal crispness at about a six or a seven. Dryness to oiliness will also be measured with the ideal at about five. Lastly, saltiness will be measured with the least amount of salt being a one, the most amount of salt being a ten and the ideal amount of salt being around a seven.

M&Gs - 8/10

These long, crinkle-cut, crispy fries are nearly the perfect combination of saltiness, crispiness and fluffiness. Each fry is about four to five inches long and carries a fairly crisp exterior. There are only a few foreseeable flaws in these fries: the first is their initial, mouth-scalding temperature. Although this may be a sign that they are freshly made, the fries are much too hot to touch, nonetheless to eat. Upon removing the fries from their bag, they cooled down fairly quickly and became easier to bite into. The second minor issue is the salt-to-fry ratio. Given that these fries are so large, they needed an extra sprinkle or two of salt. They ranked around a six for saltiness, six for dry-to-oily and seven for soggy-to-crunchy.

Shake Shack - 9.5/10

Shake Shack’s fries tasted fairly accurate according to their appearance; they have a crispy exterior but are large enough in diameter to maintain their fluffy interior. These fries are an eight on the soggy-to-crunchy scale, six on dry-to-oily and a seven in terms of saltiness, making them my personal favorite of all of the restaurants. They had the perfect amount of salt, carried a crisp exterior with some light flaking and are overall delectable. Any fry enthusiast who “stands for something good” (in the words of Shake Shack) will enjoy the combination of crunch and salt that this fry has to offer.

McDonald’s - 8.5/10

McDonald’s fries are a staple in the fast-food fry industry. They are fairly tasty and affordable, although

their impact on heart health is questionable considering their notoriously high cholesterol levels and that they are fried in hydrogenated soybean oil: a trans fat that when consumed too frequently — depending on the individual — can cause cardiovascular disease. This practice of adding hydrogen to oil has been abandoned by many other restaurant chains. Overall, these fries did very well, with a good amount of saltiness (about a six) and in between on the soggy-to-crunchy and dry-to-oily scales, ranking about a five on both. As a classic in the fast food industry, McDonald’s smaller and longer fry shape is quite enjoyable and definitely worth the $1.39.

Blue Barn - 7/10

Blue Barn’s skinny fries are beloved by many, and overall, they mostly lived up to their positive reputation. In terms of saltiness, the fries are about a four. They received a four for dry-to-oily and five for soggy-to-crunchy, making these fries slightly on the more soggy and less oily side. The only real issue with them is the salt distribution. The fries at the top are fairly salty but become progressively less so towards the bottom. The top fries are nearly perfect with a salt rating of about six or seven, while the fries on the bottom are closer to a four. This could be accounted for by a bad batch, however, this one flaw made the fries less enjoyable overall.

Illustration by Calla McBride

Super Duper - 8/10

The oiliest of the bunch, Super Duper’s fries are comparable to that of McDonald’s, only with a larger diameter. They are fairly crunchy, earning a six on the soggy-to-crunchy scale. They are slightly greasy, however, landing at around a seven on the dry-to-oily scale. These fries are in the middle in terms of saltiness, ranking around a five. More salt would have definitely added to the taste because they are slightly bland. These fries are pretty standard, though there is something satisfying about their crunch and shorter shape.

Starbird - 5/10

This relatively new restaurant located in Town Center Corte Madera has been a recent attention-grabber for many high school students. Although Starbird is known for their fried chicken, one must wonder how their fries compare. These fries are medium in length, an average yellow color and somewhat crispy but with a good amount of floppiness. On the saltiness scale, they are about a five, or on the less salty side. The overall taste is what one might expect from fries served on the side of a burger at an average restaurant.

jfrankus@redwoodbark.org

‘Don’t Worry’ about missing this film ‘Darling’

By Sawyer Barta

Imagine watching a perfect life crack apart, exposing something ominous underneath and realizing the whole reality is a facade. Harry Styles and Florence Pugh’s new film “Don’t Worry Darling,” directed by Olivia Wilde, released on Sept. 23, explores this idea. Although it’s a captivating film, the obvious flaws in plot development outweigh the excitement of the movie and the anticipation for its release. The movie’s conclusion comes as a surprise, and not in a good way. Rather, it is shocking that the viewer is left with so

many unanswered questions.

The movie explores the eerily pictureperfect life of a couple, Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Harry Styles), living in the corporately controlled 1950s town of Victory. From empty eggshells to the strange synchronization of the residents’ morning routine, Alice begins to notice aspects in her life don’t add up. Subsequently, the psychological torture of the film itself escalates and plays with the audience’s mind through creepy cinematography and eerie occurrences. Alice’s reflection in a mirror moves separately from her own face and she doesn’t seem to have complete control over her actions.

Additionally, Pugh’s acting in the film is on par with performances that her viewers have received positively in the past, such as her roles in “Midsommar” and “Little Women.” Her emotions are conveyed simply with her expressions, capturing the audience instantaneously and effortlessly. This aspect of the movie makes it slightly more engaging.

Questions build up as the plot thickens, but the moment in which all of the puzzle pieces come together never happens. It is as if the movie is built up to a climax and then dropped off of a cliff. The overarching conclusion is reached but the carefully added details are hastily tied up and loose ends still remain. Many of the displaced scenes and imagery created to portray a sense of paranoia and surrealism are out of context and fail to ever give a backstory. Many aspects of the mystique are left floating without an obvious connection to each other.

Considering the perspective that the confusion is purposeful, the verdict stands that it’s taken too far. “Don’t Worry Darling” makes it clear that it is in fact possible for a horror movie to have too much mystery.

If the goal is to find a movie with fan-favorite actors, this may be worth the watch. But it’s fair to conclude “Don’t Worry Darling” fails to cover all of the

bases in terms of plot development and is a poor choice if one has any desire to feel satisfied after the movie has ended.

sbarta@redwoodbark.org

DRIVING JACK’S (HARRY Styles) car, Alice (Florence Pugh) begins to suspect that her perfect life is not so perfect after all.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

CREATING SUSPENSE, DIRECTOR Olivia Wilde plays with the audience’s mind by using eerie cinematography.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Hailey Thompson is seas-ing opportunities in sailing sports sports

By Justine Fisch

When senior Hailey Thompson looks out onto the water, she takes a deep breath, clearing her mind before the horn blows, signaling the start of the race. A wave of adrenaline rushes through her as she looks around at her competitors, some twice her age. Putting this fact out of her mind, she remembers the months of prior training, the years of competing and the endless practices with her teammates that have prepared her for this day: the U.S. Women’s Sailing Match Racing Championship.

Convinced to start sailing by watching her older brothers take to the sport, Thompson’s career jumpstarted from a young age.

“[My brothers and I] started out at a summer camp at the San Francisco Yacht Club when I was seven years old … I sailed there for two or three summers and, by that third summer, I was moving onto the beginning race teams,” Thompson said.

When she first started sailing, Thompson was not exactly drawn to the sport. She sailed Optis, which are notoriously small sailboats, and only began to truly enjoy racing once she found her footing.

“[The coaches of the club team] would take us out and practice in the bay … it just felt windy and scary. The boats are slow and you’re always cold and wet and I thought, ‘this is miserable and I hate sailing,’” Thompson said.

While Thompson decided to stick with sailing, she began to discover that she enjoyed racing different types of boats in various event types.

“Four hundred and twenty boats were my segway and then I started to sail lasers, which are single-handed boats that I’ve had a lot of success with, … [the change in race style] really marked a turning point for me,” Thompson said.

As Thompson began to progress in her newfound love of sailing, she started racing for Redwood’s varsity sailing team and instantly became a leader and talented competitor. Past teammate and 2022 Redwood graduate Katie Norris described Thompson’s role on the high school team.

“She’s always been really good at rallying people even from a younger age, she’s so respectable in the community and she’s just always been a natural leader,” said Norris.

Thompsons’ willingness to put herself in unknown situations and take risks even in a high-stress environment is what stood out to Nicole Breault, a four-time winner of the National Women’s Match Racing Championship.

“I was introduced to Hailey by her high school coach Shawn,” Breault said. “We were talking about how to bring in some young blood to the game and focus our efforts locally. It turned out that Hailey was available to sail with me in a race in March. We hit it off and had a great time, finishing second in that event.”

These opportunities have allowed Thompson to show her strengths on the water while also building connections with team members.

“I [sail whenever] I can. If someone asks ‘does anyone want to drive this boat?’ I say ‘yeah!’ If somebody says ‘hey, does anyone want to crew on this boat?’ I say ‘sure!’” Thompson said.

Thompson emphasized the importance of building relationships within the sailing world and expressed that one of her most inspirational connections is that with Breault.

“[Breault] is nationally one of the top female match racers … and she’s just a badass. She is so into [coaching] and bringing up young sailors and young women which is not something that you see anywhere else— having lots of women in high-stakes or high-stress environments where typically there’s a lot of discrimination … It’s still a fairly new thing to have women in boats at really high levels,” Thompson said.

Breault’s inclusive, can-do mentality has made a real impact on Thompson, along with many other female sailors, both at the beginner and professional levels.

“There’s a real comradery that seems to always happen at the end of [racing] events … I think the key to taking [female inclusion] to the next

step really is mentoring and coaching women to help them find what opportunities already exist in the game and [encourage them to have] the confidence to put themselves out there,” Breault said.

Additionally, Norris expressed her appreciation that Thompson was breaking the typical mold of the sailing world, representing the population of athletic, talented female racers.

“[Thompson is] so strong and she can really stand up for herself, which is good because sailing is definitely a male-dominated sport … I just have so much respect for her,” Norris said.

As Breault was preparing to compete in the U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship in mid-August, she ran into an unfortunate snag in her plans, with a few members of her race team recovering from COVID-19 and unable to attend. Breault, however, already had someone in mind to fill the gaps in her team.

“My team had an automatic invitation because we had won the event last year in 2021 … So, when my technician couldn’t sail, I was thinking about who I might like to sail with … I wanted to give Hailey the opportunity to race at a championship level with some of the top women in the country,” Breault said.

Despite the fact that the championship took place

during the first week of her senior year and she was fairly new to match racing, Thompson showed no hesitation in her decision.

“[Breault] flew me out to New York for four days and we sailed the championship together and it was phenomenal …

We ended up winning bronze,” said Thompson.

So, while the rest of her class was kicking off the school year, receiving textbooks and having their syllabi signed, Thompson was pushing boundaries in the sailing world: competing in a national championship, driving herself to new limits and continuing to progress, trends she hopes to replicate in the future.

“At one point, when I’m good enough or have my own money and my own boat, I’ll start introducing other people into [sailing]. It’s one of those [sports] where you bring people up with you. So, I hope that will be me: meeting new people, sailing in new places and racing in cool events,” Thompson said.

Photo courtesy of Lisa Bronitt

Mauling misogyny

Marin scores with first women’s rugby team

By Shyla Lensing

A roaring cheer erupts from the huddle in the middle of the field, and rugby players disperse to their respective positions, preparing for one final scrimmage of the night. Each has a fierce glare with a hint of anticipation. Tweet! The athletes snap into action, charging down the field. The ball carrier swerves, grass flying behind them, edging to score, while opponents rush to tackle them ahead. Finally, one defender makes solid contact, firmly wrapping their arms around the legs of the carrier, and, with a grunt, completes the tackle, pulling the player to the ground. Turnover.

Power, authority and physicality are on display in any rugby match.

It doesn’t matter that all the players in this scrimmage are women.

Welcome to the Marin Highlander Rugby Club’s only women’s team: the Lady Highlanders. The Highlanders have had men’s rugby teams in the county for nearly 40 years. Last year, in November 2021, the club re-started its efforts to initiate a women’s team, their first attempt cut short by COVID-19. Kevin Sullivan, a life-long rugby player passionate about getting women involved in the sport, took the lead.

“The reason I coach women’s rugby is because I’m trying to undo 3,500 years of systemic misogyny one tackle at a time,” Sullivan said. “This is the only full contact sport for women. And here’s the best part: it’s the only sport where the rules for men and women are no different. In MMA, basketball, flag football and even soccer, there are different rules for men and women. Not rugby.”

Women’s rugby is finally growing fast across the world and USA — in fact, female players currently make up over 25 percent of the rugby population. In that 25 percent is Lily Perez, a Redwood sophomore, who, along with her sister, were two of the first players to join the Lady Highlanders team.

“My brother and dad had been playing since they were kids. [Rugby] was a big thing in my family. But me and my sister never really played,” Perez said. “Then, about one year ago, [Coach Sullivan] started hosting practices every other week on Sundays … but the first practice was just me and my sister and Coach Sullivan. We worked for four months on building the team.”

The Lady Highlanders began recruiting women from all schools and ages, Sullivan welcoming anyone, regardless of athletic experience. Players learned about the basics, like how points are commonly scored in the game when someone touches the ball down in the opponent’s in-

alienated her from other activities. Rugby felt like a breath of fresh air.

rugby brought me back in. It’s really rare to find a sport in high school that you can pick up and just start playing,” Barta said. “Rugby taught me that sports are meant to be fun. It’s not meant to be something that consumes your entire life like soccer did.”

Sydney Gottesman, a Tamalpais (Tam) senior, had a similar experience to Barta. She became part of the Highlanders because of the distinct atmosphere rugby offered in comparison to the toxicity of her nearly decade long career in soccer.

“I showed up to my first game [with the Highlanders] and

Kevin Sullivan, Coach

Rugby is unique in this type of team environment — it has some of the most aggressive play on the field, but out of the game zone has a strong sense of community. Gottesman described her favorite tradition of “shooting the boot” after scoring her first try. Gottesman ripped her cleat off, filled it with water, and chugged, cheers roaring around her from her opponents and teammates.

“Trust me, it’s really gross,” Gottesman said. “But it’s such an honor.”

With this feeling of community, Siena Hayes, a junior from Marin Catholic (MC), who signed up for the Highlanders because she had always wanted to play football, has watched as the team has grown considerably in just a year.

“We all started from scratch and all came from different [school] environments. We created our own here. It’s just been amazing to see our team flourish,” Hayes said. “I remember when it was three of us. And now we have close to 15. That’s crazy.”

For their preliminary season last year, the Lady Highlanders made it to Utah for the Northern American Rugby Invitational for Sevens.

“We did alright, got our butts handed to us [in some games],” Coach Sullivan said. “But we’re still rookies and it was still fun.”

Following this successful first season, the Lady Highlanders were invited to be in a school-only Bay Area women’s league that includes St. Mary’s and Bishop O’Dowd. Since they don’t have enough players yet at a single respective school, the school league is giving them time to build up recruitment. The goal is to eventually have a rugby sevens team at each respective high school in the county, from MC to San Marin in the fall, and have rugby fifteens season in the spring.

The Lady Highlanders practice on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Tam. They’re preparing for the start of the next club season on Oct. 1. The team is still small, accepting all players, but matches the speed of women’s rugby growth globally.

“Right now it’s still an emerging sport. We’re really trying to get girls out there. It’s an amazing opportunity because contact sports for girls is really rare,” Barta said.

The Lady Highlanders are changing the playbook both on what women can do on the field and the distinct community off of it. In the end, Gottesman reiterated that rugby is open to everyone.

“You just need to put yourself out there and take the risk [to try rugby]. And let me tell you, it’s 100 percent worth it. I have never been happier playing a sport in my life,” Gottesman said. “Rugby culture is the best culture in the world and I’m so glad we’re bringing that to Marin.”

FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH the drill, sophomore Lily Perez tackles her teammate.

Photo by Shyla Lensing the next practice.”

THIS PAST SUMMER, the Lady Highlanders attended the Northern American Rugby Invitational for Sevens Salt Lake City

Photo courtesy of Celeste Perez

This is the only full contact sport for women.

Opinion: The NFL is fumbling on accountability

By Maddie Sofnas

Imagine not only punching your pregnant girlfriend in the stomach, but also being the prime suspect in breaking a 3-year-old’s arm. You would think that these actions would result in jail time, or at least some sort of repercussion. However, when you’re ranked the 15th best player in the National Football League (NFL), it’s as if you’re above the law. For Miami Dolphins wide receiver, Tyreek Hill, the only consequence faced for these actions was probation. In fact, the NFL privately investigated this case for four months after the incident, yet somehow they did not find enough evidence to suspend Hill, despite him pleading guilty in court. At the end of the day, Hill did not miss a single game.

Case after case, year after year, the NFL has continuously proven talent is the only factor considered when signing people, regardless of the negative effect many players have had on their communities. Plus, when players are drafted on fantasy football teams across the country, they receive a glorified platform that creates more money for both themselves and the NFL.

According to a September 2022 Bark survey, 72 percent of students who play fantasy football pick the best player available, regardless of if they have committed acts of domestic violence or other crimes. While many

consider fantasy football to be a harmless game, it actually creates tons of publicity for these harmful players and further results in more jerseys and tickets sold. This creates immense monetary benefits by pushing players’ actions under the rug.

One example of this is Chad Wheeler—a mediocre offensive lineman for the Seattle Seahawks, who started choking his girlfriend when she wouldn’t consent to sexual acts with him. He strangled her to the point where she lost consciousness and, according to the Guardian, when she regained it, Wheeler stated “Wow, you’re alive?” The Seahawks knew about this, but only released Wheeler when huge media coverage followed. It took the Seahawks days to even release a statement, and when they did, it seemed forced and ingenuine:

“The Seahawks are saddened by the details emerging against Chad Wheeler and strongly condemn this act of domestic violence,” the statement read. “Our thoughts and support are with the victim. Chad is a free agent and no longer with the team. If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline … We encourage Chad to get the help he needs. If you are experiencing mental health issues, please reach out for help.”

This response is completely unacceptable, especially considering neither the head coach nor the general manager made a statement. Because Wheeler is bipolar, the Seahawks

seem to justify his actions by blaming them on his lack of medication or support. They simply wanted this issue to blow over and protect their reputation. If Wheeler was a top player in the NFL, this might have had a different outcome. He, like Hill, may have been able to stay with the Seahawks or sign with another team despite his actions. But, because the media reacted the way they did—creating national attention— the Seahawks were forced to release him and no other team wanted to deal with the media outrage.

On the other hand, top NFL stars such as Ezekiel Elliot, Kareem Hunt and Jerry Jeudy have all been arrested for crimes of domestic violence, but continue to play in the NFL today. They are glorified and cheered for every week by millions. The media did not perceive their cases as a big deal, therefore they faced minimal consequences. Hunt, for example, was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs after punching and kicking a woman. This received very little attention and no charges were filed against him so the Cleveland Browns immediately signed him to a two-year, $12 million contract despite his actions. NFL teams do not care about morality; they just want to win.

While some teams are willing to support abusers in order to win Super Bowls and create high profits, they don’t seem to support players fighting police brutality and racial injustice—even if they’re stars. San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, for example, started a movement where he took a knee during the national anthem to protest against the race divisions throughout the U.S. The ensuing controversy and media attention caused uncomfortable conflict between franchise owners and players, and the San Francisco 49ers announced the decision to cut him despite his contributions to the team’s

Kicking off 2022-2023 fantasy football

Article and Infographic by Mayson Weingart

On Sept. 7, the official 2022-2023 National Football League (NFL) football season began, marking the start of fantasy football leagues across the U.S. These leagues, which typically include 10 to 12 players, offer an interactive way to become involved in the football world. Oftentimes, people start researching and planning out their drafts one to three weeks in advance so they can create the best teams possible.

Senior Hayden Gerber is currently involved in two different fantasy football leagues: one with his family, and another with friends. He has played for eight years, and believes leagues offer several social benefits and gives him something to look forward to during the week.

“Fantasy football really helps me reconnect with old friends,” Gerber said. “Even if I don’t talk to [my league members] for a while, I always know that we will have our annual league. It definitely makes me more invested in the NFL season in general. If a player that is on my Fantasy team is playing, then I want to watch him and root for his success.”

Similar to Gerber, sophomore Jack Anderson participates in two different leagues and loves watching his team in every game.

“Usually I just watch my favorite team, the Carolina Panthers, but ever since I started playing Fantasy [Football] I follow a lot more games. I can monitor how my players are doing, and on Sundays I always have a game on. I have become a much bigger fan of the sport and [individual] players because of it,” Anderson said.

Both Gerber and Anderson’s leagues involve rewards and punishments, and the winners and losers will be determined by each team’s weekly wins and losses.

“Something that increases competitiveness in the league is punishments. One time, [our league’s punishment] was having to wear a mask to school for two weeks. The worst [punishment] was when someone had to shave their head,” Gerber said. “There’s also typically a reward too. In one of my leagues, everyone had to put in $25, making the pool $250 because there are 10 people in the league. The more money you put in, the more competitive it gets because it makes people

more motivated to win.”

Anderson’s 12-person league also has each player pay $30 to enter the game, making the end prize a grand $360.

Students like Gerber and Anderson have followed in the footsteps of those before them, such as physical education teacher Todd Van Peursem, who has participated in leagues for 15 consecutive years. Although he is not playing this year, he also believes the game is a great way to reunite old friendships.

“The draft is always special because it keeps everyone connected, even if they live in different places. When all my friends [and I] were moving across the country for college, having families and settling down, fantasy was a way to keep us close in a fun and friendly way. With my high school buddies, we would always take it super seriously and make the draft an event. Sometimes we would even plan it months in advance,” Van Peursem said.

In the past, Van Peursem and his friends have taken joy in making the game very competitive to increase overall

“The drafts were always highly anticipated, and we would make weekends out of them. It would be a whole set up with draft boards and we would show up and be so dialed in with all the excitement and nerves. If someone couldn’t make it, they would Skype in so everyone was there. You can feel the energy, excitement and ridiculous banter that goes along with that competitive aspect of the game,” Van Peursem said. “There is a very playful nature to it.”

With the NFL season underway, league members are going head to head each week until the end of the season in hopes of winning big prizes, which keeps them actively participating. For Van Peursem, the joyful nature fantasy football brings to the sport has forever changed the culture of football.

“Where people used to only watch their favorite team in the NFL, Fantasy has shifted the dynamic of the league by making people loyal to players on varying teams. It teaches you a lot about the game, if you’re really into it,” Van Peursem said. “It really made the game a lot more accessible to a greater variety of people rather than just the traditional, testosterone-filled football scene.”

mweingart@redwoodbark.org

playoff run. Kaepernick instead opted out of his contract and filed a grievance against the NFL, claiming the team’s owners colluded to keep him out of the league. He won his grievance case, proving that he’ll never be signed again because the owners are colluding. And while the 49ers cut Kaepernick for protesting, they didn’t cut their star defensive end Aldon Smith when he had two DUIs, three felony counts of possession of illegal assault weapons and suspicion of making false bomb threats. If the media and NFL reacted to domestic violence the way they do protesting injustices, then we might actually see change.

If sports are supposed to be about the numbers and statistics teams put out every game, it’s easy to see why people try to judge a player solely on their performances on the field. They put up the numbers and should be lauded for that. However, on the NFL website, they state, “The NFL is committed to addressing and preventing domestic violence and sexual assault.

Through national and local partnerships, the NFL works year-round to provide resources to educate communities and support survivors.” Is allowing abusive players back into the league with little punishment preventing domestic violence? Is it really supporting the survivors? Change needs to be made, and it starts with holding these players accountable for their crimes. In addition, with the media holding so much power, it provides a platform to not only educate but also shame the NFL for their actions regarding assaults. With this in effect, fantasy football leagues can then stop drafting and glorifying these players so change can be made. This is blatantly unjustifiable, and it starts with the media.

msofnas@redwoodbark.org

Illustration by Calla McBride and Maddie Sofnas

Illustration courtesy of Canva

Fall sports are coming in hot with new coaches

Redwood was ranked number one in 2022 among public schools in Marin County. In line with its stellar academics and passionate students are Redwood’s notable sports. The students play a critical role in dominating sports within the Tamalpais Union High School District, and could not do it without the coaching staff. Several fall sports this year, including cheer, girls’ volleyball and girls’ water polo, introduced new coaches this season. Getting to know the staff’s history provides insight on the lessons and culture that they are bringing to our athletics program.

Coach Diamond Hollis

Coach Diamond Hollis was born and raised in Kentucky. She grew up playing a variety of sports, and, when she was in her junior year of high school, she was recruited to play volleyball. However, the majority of schools in California did not recruit people that lived very far out of state, and Hollis dreamed of going to college in California. While still in high school, Hollis moved from Kentucky to California by herself to continue to pursue volleyball in hopes of playing at the next level.

“Leaving Kentucky and going to California at a young age made me grow up a lot sooner than most people have to. I learned a lot of valuable lessons along the way,” Hollis said.

After years of hard work, Hollis played National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II volleyball at Fresno Pacific University, and eventually made her way to Marin County. Just before the 202223 school year began, Hollis looked for coaching opportunities around the Bay Area.

“[First], I applied to be the varsity coach at Marin Catholic and made it very far in the interview process. After not hearing back from them, I got a call from their new coach asking if I could be the junior varsity (JV) coach. It kind of rubbed me the wrong way because I knew I didn’t get the job. I googled Marin Catholic’s biggest rival and Redwood popped up. The rest is history,” Hollis said.

After Hollis received the coaching job, she was also offered the position as the new campus supervisor.

“Now that I’m on campus all the time, it’s really nice because I can just see [my players often] and I’m able to check in on them and talk to them a lot more,” Hollis said.

With her vast experience in playing volleyball, Hollis is able to bring a unique set of tools to the team.

“Part of my coaching philosophy is making sure that players know who they are, whether they identify as a volleyball player or not. I think that a lot of athletes are so used to being an athlete, and when that’s taken away from them, people go through this mindset of not knowing who they are. I’m very big on self esteem, confidence, identity and mental health,” Hollis said.

Coach Brian Monty

Coach Brian Monty grew up in Lafayette, California, where he first started playing water polo. He went to Acalanes High School, and was recruited to play water polo for University of California Berkeley (Cal). In the early 90s, after playing at Cal for four years, he coached the boys’ varsity water polo team at Acalanes High

School. His water polo coaching career came to a halt after 12 years at Acalanes. That is until the opportunity to coach the girls’ varsity water polo team arose over the summer.

“A couple of parents who have kids on the Redwood water polo team asked me if I knew of anyone that would be available to coach. I thought that it would be something fun to get back into, so I said that I would do it,” Monty said.

Before Monty’s guidance, the girls’ water polo team from the 2021-22 season had an overall record of 12-6 and a league record of 7-1. In order to keep up the intensity and accomplishments from last season, Monty plans to provide the girls with a positive atmosphere.

“Our goal is to continue to grow as a team in and out of the pool in order to make it to the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) finals and hopefully win it. Part of my motivation to take this job was to make sure the kids have fun and enjoy their time here at Redwood,” Monty said.

After having taken a break from water polo, Monty is excited to compete again and go through the process of coaching once more.

“Practices have been great, the girls are working very hard, they have excellent attitudes and we have high expectations on how we’re going to do,” Monty said.

Coach Sarah Solomon

Coach Sarah Solomon grew up in Corte Madera, and went to Redwood High School. While at Redwood, she began cheering freshman year for the JV team. However, she moved up to varsity her sophomore year and became the captain her senior year.

“Cheering at Redwood was the best and I met all of my closest friends through that program. Heather Long was an amazing and inspiring coach,” Solomon said.

After getting her undergraduate degree at the University of Tampa Florida in applied dance, she moved home and got her master’s degree in education from the Dominican University in San Rafael. In 2017, she worked as the assistant varsity coach and has been working with the cheer team on and off since she graduated from Redwood.

“The retired head varsity coach, Shannon McGuiness, left the cheer program last summer. I got a phone call from [a teacher at Redwood] offering me the job, and I couldn’t say no. So now here I am, the head of the program, and very honored to have this role,” Solomon said.

Outside of coaching, Solomon is also a fourth grade teacher at Neil Cummins. Balancing the two jobs is very difficult.

“I don’t think people realize how much goes into

being a teacher and how much time is spent working on your job outside of the normal hours. It can be a lot to rush from school over to cheer three days a week. But it honestly feels like a reward. I get to do something I love and relive my high school years as a 17-year-old,” Solomon said.

Solomon is looking forward to a great season with an excellent group of talented women.

“I’m excited to bring some traditions back and get my dancing and choreographing up and running as well as some new stunts,” Solomon said.

cboyden@redwoodbark.org

By Coco Boyden

HAVING BEEN RETIRED for 13 years, Coach Brian Monty is excited to be back on the pool deck and coaching women’s waterpolo.

Photo by Coco Boyden

BEGINNING HER TIME coaching at Redwood, Coach Sarah Solomon prepares her cheer team for success this season.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Solomon

HAVING GROWN UP playing volleyball both in school and college, Coach Diamond Hollis is looking forward to working with the Redwood team.

Photo by Coco Boyden

lifestyles lifestyles

Andrew Schroeder joins admin team as dean

By Sawyer Barta

Andrew Schroeder, formerly an Academic Workshop and English teacher in the special education department, has taken on the role of the Dean of Student Success this year. One of three deans district-wide, Schroeder applied for the job in the spring of last semester and points towards his past experience in special education as a reason why the job is right for him.

“Redwood is a high performing school; it’s a really good school, for the kids that it’s really good for. [But there are] some kids that don’t necessarily fit in that mold, and those are the kids that I’m trying to support,” Schroeder said. The position was originally chosen with the goal of support and student engagement in mind.

Assistant Principal Sue Hall said site administrators were asked last year for input on ways to better engage students using allocated funds.

“An idea we all thought might be helpful for the kids [was] a dean position so that we would have more time with students, because we had three assistant principals and it was hard to help everybody,” Hall said. “We [decided] that it would be great if we had another person to really help us, help kids, stay in class and to engage in school.”

An email from Superintendent Tara Taupier on June 7 introduced the new position. Redwood adopted this new staff role to enhance their outreach program and provide a bigger “safety net” for students.

“The Dean of Student Success provides administrative assistance in areas assigned by the principal at the comprehensive high schools, including student supervision, specifically in attendance, behavior and at a variety of student activities,” Taupier said.

The position

appealed to Schroeder because he could utilize his behavioral strengths and background, which includes an administrative credential. This year, transitioning from the classroom to the administrative side of the school has allowed Schroeder to still have the one-on-one connection with students, while trying something new that plays to his strengths.

Schroeder’s parents were both teachers, but he didn’t originally start off on the same path. He studied social psychology in college, then moved into the marketing and business field, but felt “very unfulfilled.” Having found a love for education and working with students through volunteering and tutoring, Schroeder revisited this passion.

Before Redwood, Schroeder worked in the San Francisco Unified School District at Wallenberg High School, a selective public school, in special education and math. At this school, Schroeder noted many students he worked with were one step above being incarcerated.

“While the work was tough, it was incredibly rewarding, and I really felt like you were making a difference,” Schroeder said. “So it was like we were really trying to save [the kids] from going into a system that really isn’t designed to support the same way that a school is.”

By drawing information from attendance records and working closely with other staff members, Schroeder is often very busy, but still checks in with 15-20 students via regular meetings or one-time check-ins.

Understanding the needs of students is something Schroeder aims to do by giving different levels of support. He works closely with the assistant principals, the Wellness Center and counselors to create a support system for the students.

“I’m here to support

everybody; the logistics of that are you end up supporting some folks more than others,” Schroeder said.

Schroeder’s process begins with recognizing off-task behaviors and implementing proactive responses, which means supporting students to make decisions and be productive in the classroom through restorative means. Restorative practices include positive interventions, contracts and check-ins, according to Schroeder, and aim to repair the disruption through restorative conversation and restorative justice. Practicing empathy and building relationships are key parts of this process. However, he notes sometimes they have to be reactive, and in more serious cases including threats and dangerous activity other staff get involved, such as the assistant principals.

“Sometimes its praise, sometimes it’s [encouragement]. The process is unique, I would say that [it] always starts with, ‘How are you?’ A check-in on a social-emotional level,” Schroeder said. “School, especially high school, can be daunting.”

Schroeder additionally emphasized the importance of making school an exciting, engaging learning environment through establishing connections with his students.

“I like to use humor, I like to build relationships. And I think it’s important to [get to] know who the people I work with, and it’s important for them to know me too. So to open up a little bit, and be able to lean on those relationships in the future, [is important],” Schroder said.

Schroeder said the way he is perceived it is similarly valuable for approaching and building relationships with students.

“You know me and you can trust me, and I’m not trying to get you in trouble. I just want to help support you to make the good decision here,” Schroeder said.

sbarta@redwoodbark.org

Team Academy brings back experiential learning

By Ingrid Houtkooper

Trekking through weather ranging from rain, snow and shine, the 2019 Team Program hauled their bags across the Sierras, dragging their legs beneath them as they approached their final miles of the trip. Exhausted yet resilient, the group piled together to listen as one of their fellow Team members gave a passionate speech. Describing the strength of the group and everything they accomplished, he inspired the group to chant “motivate, motivate, motivate” as they trekked their way down the mountain. Team teacher, Diana Goldberg, admired the change in his attitude from a once timid kid to an encouraging leader — something she credits to the Team Program.

The Team Program is an experiential learning model that approaches learning from a nature-based perspective and hands-on environment. The program was previously held at Tamiscal High School for all students in the Tamalpais Union High School District, but was cut due to budget deficits in May of 2020. Starting this year, the Team Program was relaunched as the Team Academy at Archie Williams High School.

Students in the academy take three or four classes within the Team Program, and then spend the rest of their periods in regular Archie Williams classes. The classes offered within Team are English, leadership, wilderness medicine and an optional seventh period devoted to community service and internships.

As for the nature immersion part of the class, they go on several backpacking trips throughout the year and go on class

hikes every few Fridays. Additionally, the teachers try to implement nature into each subject.

“They’re doing English with me, which is the required English they’ll take for junior and senior year,” Goldberg said. “But I adapt some of the curriculum around nature writing and thinking about whose land we’re walking on, and reading from indigenous authors to get a variety of both reading and writing experiences around nature.”

Goldberg also emphasized that the Team Academy is working to make the outdoors a more accessible place for people who may not be as privileged to experience it.

“I think it’s important to acknowledge the privilege and whiteness of the outdoor industry: how expensive outdoor gear is, the history of national parks and taking away indigenous lands. We want to help steer the conversation to inclusion in the outdoors,” Goldberg said. “A lot of people say all you need [to backpack] is what is on your back, but that backpack is like $300.

Team gives students an experience that they don’t have to pay a dime to get. We want to make the program as inclusive as possible, while also acknowledging we’re running this program in a pretty white and affluent district in which some families have had access to nature for a lot of their lives, and some have had none.”

Beyond academics, the program also helps students find their passions by getting hands-on work experience outside the classroom. Redwood alumni Pearl Thompson, who graduated in 2021 and participated in the Team Program’s last year at Tamiscal, said that the community

service and internship aspect really appealed to her.

“For my internship I did Surfrider, which was amazing and got me [interested in] ocean acidification. The Surfrider Marin chapter actually sent me to Washington D.C. to speak with Congress about ocean protection — which was awesome. I got to meet this crazy group of people, which got me really psyched on continuing on that path,” Thompson said.

Opportunities like these give students a better understanding of the world around them, and prepare them for what they might be interested in after high school.

Although the Archie Williams’ model is more immersed in a typical school setting than it was at Tamiscal, it still provides a special experience.

“I was worried students wouldn’t get the same magic with this new model, but within a few days, students were like, ‘This feels like summer camp. I feel connected to my peers and my teachers more than I’ve ever felt,’” Goldberg said. “Anybody, regardless of nature or wilderness experience, can thrive in this program. Education isn’t just about the required curriculum: it’s about how we grow and learn as teammates, and learn from the wilderness and experiences outside the classroom.”

Outside of the educational opportunities, the Team Program also provides students with an alternative learning environment that many kids might find more approachable than the typical path. Magdalena Maguire, who works in the Wellness Center at Redwood and is an Archie Williams alumnus, participated in the Team Program when she was in high

school.

“The wilderness is such a perfect place for self exploration and growth, and I think being in the wilderness with a community of people bonds you in ways that just can’t happen inside of a school,” Maguire said. “Backpacking just does something really special for teens and kids.”

As more students focus on their futures, Davison will be there to help.

“I’m always here to help ignite students’ passions,” Davison said. “If you’re not sure what you’re passionate about yet, that is 100 percent okay and I am here to help. As long as you are sincere and curious, you will succeed.”

FOCUSING ON THE path, Maguire and friends steadily hike.

Photo courtesy of Magdalena Maguire

NOW Power Yoga is the ‘hot’ trend among teens

By Ani Svendsen

A collective “Wooo!” fills the NOW Power Yoga (NOW) studio in Corte Madera as the yogis alternate from one pose to another, energy and adrenaline spreading throughout the room. NOW Yoga has become the place to be for a wide demographic, including many Redwood students. If you ask a fellow student what their morning looks like, weekday or weekend, it might include attending the famous Susan Hauser’s hot yoga class at NOW.

Hauser, a parent of two Redwood alumni, started practicing yoga 20 years ago after an unfortunate loss of a family member. Ever since then, yoga has been her passion and Hauser recently celebrated NOW’s seventh year anniversary.

“What I really focus on is building a community,” Hauser said. “There have been a lot of friendships made; it’s a very social studio. I try to make it light and fun as well as accessible to all levels so everyone, no matter what age they are or if they are new, is welcome.”

What makes NOW different from other studios is the usage of heat as well as Hauser’s approach to teaching. Hot and humid conditions allow for excess sweating, which increases heart rate and intensifies the workout. It is vital that she maintains a class that is just the right amount of challenge for each level and age. To Hauser, catering to people’s individual needs is what creates a positive atmosphere.

“Each class is pretty similar in terms of the poses I teach. I like to be consistent for the client because when they know where they are going, it’s easier for them to grow and see their progress. I think the key is consistency,” Hauser said. “When you sweat that much in hot yoga, all of your senses are heightened. Your taste and smell are so much more present and your body is more awake. The chakras are open, so it’s the sense of, ‘Wow, I feel fantastic when I leave class.’”

For senior Annika Danne, who has been attending NOW classes since 7th grade, the rewarding feeling from the 6 a.m. before school class is what keeps her hooked.

“I try to go before school when I can because it changes how I feel for the rest of the day. Especially after I take a shower, I feel awake and ready to start the day. When I was in 7th grade, not a lot of people I knew went, mainly just parents, [but] seeing the evolution of the younger

generation heavily participating is super cool, and I love being surrounded by those who are also in high school,” Danne said.

Similar to Danne, senior Olivia Mount has been a frequent attendee at NOW, as the classes are not just filled with fun music and teens, but also a safe and positive environment where she can challenge herself.

“[Hauser] always pushes me to go out of my comfort zone. Every time I walk in, she’s so supportive. At NOW you are doing what you feel comfortable with and nobody pays attention to others. You can practice whatever your body is feeling,” Mount said. “The days I don’t go early to yoga I notice a complete difference in my day.”

Over the past few years, Hauser has watched the enrollment of teens in her classes skyrocket. Classes are filled to the max not just with parents but local teens too. She continues to teach not just because it is rewarding to watch improvement among the younger generation, but because she sees the impact her practice has had on so many people.

“I see people who were once new to hot yoga stick with it and become totally different both physically and mentally,” Hauser said. “I’ve had a lot of clients tell me that these classes have helped them out of a rut, or even hard times in life like depression. NOW is a safe space for them to go and sweat it out. It’s like a yoga party.”

Hauser continues to focus on building a community within her studio as well as forging friendships with those she inspires, striving for an all inclusive environment.

“I’ve had people come in and just stretch the whole time or I’ve had people do 500 push ups and go crazy,” Hauser said. “Either way, I want people to have fun and leave feeling elevated in the mind and body.”

asvendsen@redwoodbark.org

Intertwining passion and education: student internships

By Mayson Weingart

For many students, high school is an opportunity to explore different subjects that help them discover what career they want to pursue. Some, however, become aware of their passions earlier on and choose to continue them through internships, which are either paid or voluntary, and give students hands-on opportunities. To increase student involvement in these specific opportunities, the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) hired Internship Coordinator Greg Davison back in 2013. Located in room 109 every Monday, he strives to teach students practical life skills and helps them prepare for their futures.

“[My students and I] try to work on what we call work readiness. This is when you practice your capabilities by doing things like making your first resume, or practicing mock interviews with me that will prepare you for either business or college,” Davison said.

Davison loves working at TUHSD because it allows him to work with students and watch them succeed. He encourages everyone to follow what they are truly passionate about, rather than what looks good for college. To spread this idea, Davison builds friendly relationships with his students to show them that he is always there to help. His main focus is helping students succeed.

“I can typically talk to students on more of a peer level, versus an academic level, which is pretty cool because it helps me understand their ambitions. I love working for students, and I think the future is really bright for them. I want them to know that everything will work out in the end,” Davison said.

Embracing this advice, two current upperclassmen have committed their free time to expanding their medical knowledge and gaining more observational and handson experience.

Nick Scruton

With a love for medicine and assistance for others, senior Nick Scruton dove deeper into his passion, experiencing what the medical field is truly like as he became an extern at Sutter Health Community Hospital in Novato. Here, Scruton expanded his capabilities by dedicating much of his time and energy to helping out the nurses in the Emergency Room (ER). After applying to serve as a volunteer and completing the interview process, Scruton achieved his goal through shadowing professionals in the ER.

“Usually when I [arrive at the ER] I do stock control. I make sure the crash carts are stocked with medicine, emergency supplies and equipment for blood tests. After that, I usually shadow one of the nurses and help them clean rooms and change seat sanitizers and do paperwork,” Scruton said.

Through this opportunity, Scruton has also had the chance to experience some of the urgent situations the hospital encounters daily. Due to this, his problem solving skills have improved, allowing him to handle high stress situations more successfully.

“So far, I’ve seen a lot of lacerations. For example, a patient rode his bike into a barbed wire fence and ended up with lacerations all over his face and arms, so I got to observe the nurses suture him up,” Scruton said. “I’ve [also] seen a lot of infectious diseases, but not a lot of major traumas since we’re not considered a stroke center.”

While handling these cases, Scruton believes it is important to understand the terminology the staff is using. In order to succeed, he dedicates time to learning scientific vocabulary that helps him fully comprehend different situations.

“I’ve studied a lot of basic knowledge in my own time so that I could really benefit from the externship. For example, I learned what troponin is, which is a very common enzyme your heart produces

when it’s in stress. It acts like a heart attack indicator. This way, when I’m in the ER, I can learn and hear and understand what the staff is talking about. Then I can actually ask informed questions and expand my background knowledge,” Scruton said.

At the start of his externship, Scruton agreed to stay with the hospital for a year as an extern. By putting in this significant time commitment, he has been able to narrow down the path he wants to follow in his career.

“When I originally started [the externship] I had no idea what I wanted to do because I didn’t know how anything worked. Through the externship, I’ve been able to realize that I want to become a doctor, even over nursing, which has been really helpful,” Scruton said.

Avery Kaster

Junior Avery Kaster has also furthered her passion by participating in an externship, giving her the chance to work in the dental industry. Kaster always dreamed of becoming an orthodontist, a desire that intensified when she interviewed a local oral surgeon for a physiology project

in 2022. At the end of the interview, the surgeon offered Kaster an opportunity to observe dental surgeries and shadow the workers in their office.

“The first [surgery] that I observed was rough for me. It was a wisdom teeth removal, and when I looked I could see all the way down to the patient’s jawbone which was really scary and shocking,” Kaster said.

Despite Kaster’s initial uncomfortable situations, the more she experienced the daily work done during her externship, the more relaxed she became.

“For me, by the end of the first surgery, I already felt so much more calm. The [externship] is teaching me so much about preoperative and postoperative procedures, and is really increasing my background knowledge about medicine,” Kaster said.

Through this exposure to the medical field, Kaster has gained an accurate perception of her desired profession and has found a place open to her questions and curiosity.

SPENDING TIME WITH nurses in the hospital during a long shift, senior Nick Scruton works 8-hour shifts on weekends.

Photo courtesy of Nick Scruton

WARMING UP, YOGIS practice technique at a morning class and sweat it out.

Photo by Ani Svendsen

Chatting with Mr. Payne

A look into the principal’s first few weeks

By Kelly Chuang

Despite the brutal California sun, the principal’s office is surprisingly cool, likely the result of the open space and closed windows. The sweeping wooden desk stands in the center of the room, allowing more space for the entryway — the layout is almost a subtle “hello” to anyone visiting Principal Barnaby Payne.

The Tapatío bottle loitering in his office is especially peculiar. A few days ago, it was watching the quad on his windowsill; today, the bottle memorizes the calendar on his multiple computer monitors. Payne says its presence in the office is practical.

“I keep a bottle in my office because I put hot sauce on everything. I’m a lover of hot sauce,” Payne said.

Payne arrives at Redwood High School after three years as principal at Taiwan’s Kaohsiung American School. Among things like the Taipei 101 and invention of bubble tea, the island country is famous for its cuisine. After returning to San Francisco, his home before Taiwan, his affinity for spice makes him miss hot pot the most of any other food.

“That’s not to say there’s not plenty of hot pot in the Bay Area. But here, it’s a

New Orleans style coffee, courtesy of the ferry building’s Blue Bottle store. Answering emails with music on the ferry, this morning ritual is quiet; the pace picks up when he arrives on campus. Bouncing from meeting to meeting, he makes time to watch the foot traffic in the main building or the literal traffic of the front parking lot. Administrative Assistant Dina Craft says Payne made a point to note these rush hours.

“One thing he wanted to know was when students would be outside, so I put them into his calendar with reminders,” Craft said. “He likes to be out there.”

His efforts to make himself visible are something Advanced Placement Art History (APAH) and photography teacher Susanne Maxwell picked up on. The first weeks of school, Maxwell invited Payne to her APAH class and found his presence supportive.

“You feel like he really wants to get to know all of us: the kids, the staff, the community,” Maxwell said. “I feel like he has a fresh set of eyes looking at the importance of alternative pathways for kids. He really struck me as a great fit for our school.”

efforts, making them feel valued by giving them a voice.

“He’s allowed opportunity for people in the community that have concerns about equity … [to speak]; he has made space for them,” Craft said. “I always think allowing people to be heard is so important. … Just like David [Sondheim] did, I think [Payne] is going to be leading by example.”

That example, for Maxwell, is a personality that balances professionalism with fun — something already shown in Payne’s attire.

“His personality shines through in the way he dresses, the way he talks, all of it,” Maxwell said. “He doesn’t take himself too seriously, but boy, you can rely on him if you need to get something done.”

From the iconic, red and white Air Jordan Lows to a blazer and floral shirt, for Payne, fashion means more than selfexpression.

“I do think Redwood students and the Redwood community deserve [respect],” Payne said. “For me as principal, caring about how I present to the community is important. And that’s one way to show respect, is to bring a little bit of style.”

Practicing respect extends to his email habits as well. Pressing matters aside, he keeps emails within school hours, considerate of educators’ bottomless inboxes and life balance.

“Sending an email [at 8 p.m.] sometimes comes with the assumption on the part of the recipient that they’re expected to be working at night,” Payne said. “I try to keep those emails within the work day, out of respect to everyone else’s work life balance. But no, I’m obsessively checking communication 24 hours a day.”

Despite constantly checking his inbox, given the close nature of their work, Craft still sees Payne as someone with a healthy

“I think [educators have] gone through so much [after the pandemic]; there’s a sense of self preservation and taking care of oneself, mind and body, eating well and taking a moment to go for a walk,” Craft said. “I see that in him. And that’s something that I would like to take on myself.”

kchuang@redwoodbark.org

DONNING SHADES, Principal Payne and Assistant Principal Sue Hall monitor the foot traffic.