Highlander Newsmagazine Vol 12 Issue 1

IN THIS ISSUE: Tastes of December

Read it on pg 6 Athletes commit to college

Read it on pg 28 Distance learning must continue

Read it on pg 34 December 2020 | scotscoop.com @scotscoop

Highlander Staff Highlander Editor-in-Chief

Faculty Adviser

Emma O’Connor

Justin Raisner

Scot Scoop Editor-in-Chief

Editors

Natalie Doud

Chelsea Chang Amber Chia Erin Kee Raina Lahiri Anika Marino Isabelle Nunes Allison Raisner Claire Tseng Pavel Turovski

ScotCenter Editor-in-Chief Bella Reeves

Social Media Editor-in-Chief Maddy Ting

Managing Editors Rachel McCrea Auva Soheili

Elise Hsu Zachary Khouri Cambell Kirk Khalid Kishawi Maya Kornyeyeva Hanna Kryhina Preston Kwok Kaylene Lin Kasey Liu Sean Liuli Sabrina Lo Ethan Man Niamh Marren Ayal Meyers

Miles Ozorio Erwan Pal Mari Ramirez Ava Richards Julia Roseborough Leela Shailan Cali Shohet David Su Kat Tsvirkunova Anna Wilkinson Ruya Yaman Edward Yeretnov Kai Yoshida Payton Zolck

Highlander is a newsmagazine dedicated to providing Carlmont students, staff, and community with high-quality news, features, and opinion articles. We want to keep our readers informed on important issues ranging from events at Carlmont to international news, and want to engage them with unique stories and designs. Highlander is a publication completely run by the students of the journalism classes at Carlmont High School. Story ideas are generated by the students and the published content is up to the direction of the editorial staff. This issue’s editorial was a collaboration between Rachel McCrea, Emma O’Connor, and Auva Soheili. The back cover was created by Emma O’Connor. The editorial cartoon is

by Auva Soheili.

Carlmont High School 1400 Alameda de las Pulgas

Features 4 The Instagram algorithm: friend or foe?

6

Tastes of December

9

New year, new me

10

Digital distractions

12

A light in the darkness

14

Behind the screen

15

Changing value of a test score

16

A disaster ignored by media

18

Too close for comfort

21

Teachers continue parenting offline

Campus

Staff Writers Adila Azizali Josh Barde Joshua Baxter Anita Beroza Mira Bhatt Audrey Boyce Brianna Cheng Jessica Conley Eoin Cunningham Kiana George Leanna Gower Phoebe Gulsen Jack Hansen Elle Horst

In this issue . . .

Scotlight 22 Looking back and moving forward Sports 28

Athletes commit to college during pandemic

30

Scots stadium stories

33

Editorial

34

Distance learning must continue

Opinion 36

Fun 38 40

Politics need to be emphasized in our education system ‘Tis the season for movies Just a spoonful of sugar

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS Dear Reader, As Highlander newsmagazine enters its second year since switching to the newsmagazine format, we are provided with an opportunity to look back on the past. 2020 has been a year for the history books in many ways, but Highlander remains committed to delivering insightful, unique stories to the Carlmont community.

One year ago, we created an issue in which we looked forward into the next decade. Now, we bring you an issue reflecting on a year in which our community has faced a pandemic, a record-breaking fire season, nationwide protests for racial justice, and one of the most intense elections in American history. This issue contains articles on statewide, national, and even international events, as well as stories closer to home like student artists and the origins of the Carlmont athletic facilities. Beyond covering the stories that made this year so different, we wanted to highlight the ways that the Carlmont community has contributed to the history we have lived through, from students protesting against police violence and creating works of art to faculty teaching and parenting from home.

With the spread of COVID-19 in March, the Highlander team was forced to adapt to new circumstances: where we were once meeting every day in class to share snacks and collaborate on our next issue, we’ve had to switch to an entirely online process. The magazine you are holding is the product of countless Slack messages, Zoom meetings, and shared files. Above all, it is the product of an incredible amount of devotion from our writers, editors, and adviser.

We owe our thanks to Justin Raisner, as well as to all those who have supported our mission to provide quality print journalism to the Carlmont community. In the future, expect an issue every month of the school year as well as continued news reporting from our award-winning online publication (scotscoop.com) and social media (@scotscoop).

We hope you enjoy this issue of Highlander newsmagazine.

See you next year,

Cover Ideas:

The Instagram algorithm: friend or foe?

Maya Kornyeyeva

sharing art is dictated by the Instagram algorithm, a concept A blank canvas. feared and despised by many.

As the brush touches its “It’s kind of scary putting surface, the world fades away. art out there. I really have to Images flow from the artist’s be confident about the pieces mind and into their hand, and in that I post,” said Sanjna Sood, a seemingly no time, they realize sophomore. “Once it’s up, I just sit the work is finished. there staring at the screen waiting Soon it will be up on for something to happen, which is Instagram. However, there is still definitely one of the most nervethe question of how many people racking experiences.” will actually see it.

Sood is a self-taught artist who The uncertainty that comes started her account fairly recently. from posting online is typical Since its inception, she has for Instagram artists. Whether cleared the 1K follower mark and they are successful or just getting is steadily gaining popularity for comfortable with the algorithm, her K-pop-inspired digital pieces. there are many different aspects to “It was honestly sort of consider when it comes to posting surprising how quickly you can artwork online. become friends with other artists, Each artist wants to reach a especially the ones you idolize. It large audience and have their usually happens when you follow work shared, reposted, liked, and them and they immediately follow saved. Despite the efforts made you back, and then you start to achieve this, a vast majority sharing each other’s work on your of these desires are out of their stories,” Sood said. hands. Rather, the process of According to Sood, reaching a

Jordan Dooley

Eli Wallow

big audience is more important to the algorithm than the likes a post receives.

“If I receive 200 likes for a post but reach an audience of 3,000 people, that’s much better than getting 400 likes but only reaching 550 people. Saving is also crucial, as it acts like a ‘super like’ that Instagram uses to create your explore page,” Sood said.

The explore page is based upon the content that the user interacts with. Using that information, the Instagram algorithm compiles a list of different posts that have the greatest likelihood of catching a user’s eye. Many artists also find inspiration on their explore page.

What goes into an artist’s feed or profile is a factor that requires plenty of consideration as well.

One must often refine their work based upon what receives the most attention on their feed, as sophomore Jordan Dooley noted.

“The art on my account that gets the most notice is definitely

Sanjna Sood

4 HIGHLANDER FEATURES

Wa llo w Eli

the ones that spark emotion. I have several colorful, more joyful paintings and also sad sketches, and both of these styles get a lot of recognition,” Dooley said.

“I also believe that my viewers want to be confused in a sense where they don’t really know what’s going on, but they like what they see. I think that they find art the most interesting when they can interpret it in any way they choose,” Dooley said.

Dooley has been in love with traditional and performing arts ever since she was a child.

Although her Instagram account was started during the recent quarantine, she has been dancing and taking art classes for most of her life.

Instagram as a platform is also useful in ways other than to show and spread art. One student in particular uses their Instagram account to sell their pieces.

“I have a link in my Instagram bio that takes my followers to a website, where I upload pictures of my art so that they can be ordered as prints. On the site I use, all you have to do is add your art. You don’t have to worry about the shipping or anything because the site handles all of that and gives you 30% of the earnings,” said Eli Wallow, a senior.

In addition to prints, Instagram artists can earn money by doing commissions. For this to be profitable, however, an artist needs to have a considerable amount of interaction with their account.

“Commissions are basically when someone asks you to draw something specific for them. I love drawing for people, so it’s a fun way to make some money and improve my art skills at the same time,” Wallow said.

Wallow has had an Instagram art account for almost seven years and has gained a following of over 1,000 recently. Throughout this time, Wallow also received over a dozen commissions from people over Instagram.

“I gain followers in small rushes when I post fanart from communities that have a large following,” Wallow said. “As for my art style, I would say it is an amalgamation of a bunch of different styles that I really

like. I’m pretty inspired by anime and Japanese animation in general, and I find digital art instantly gratifying.”

While Instagram can be both a scary and fulfilling place for artists, it is a platform that many benefit from. Whether it is to share art, gain a following, or sell pieces, artists depend on the Instagram algorithm to have their work seen by others.

“The simple truth is that we all are reliant on the algorithm. Even a single interaction with our work makes an incredible difference: posting online is definitely a big step up from drawing in your sketchbook,” Sood said.

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 5

Tastes of December Brianna Cheng & Bella Reeves The brilliant glow of lights inside the house illuminates the cold, dark street outside. A faint chatter emanates from the glowing house, punctuated by bursts of loud laughter. The partygoers are warm and sheltered from the cold night outside.

The smells of delicious home-cooked dishes emerge from the mahogany table surrounded by friends and family members.

Winter has many diverse celebrations; let’s see what each family celebrates.

Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice Festival is celebrated across Asia around Dec. 21. Since it is celebrated on the shortest day of the year, its origins can be traced back to the philosophy of yin and yang; yin is dark, female energy and yang is positive, male energy. The festival is seen as a release of yang energy that causes the days to get longer and warmer.

Traditional celebrations differ depending on the country, but in China, traditional dishes are generally split by north and south: in the north, people eat dumplings, and in the south, they eat glutinous rice balls.

“There is a saying among the folks that ‘you will be one year older after eating glutinous rice balls.’ The glutinous rice ball, called tāngyuán in Chinese, is made with glutinous rice flour and sugar. ‘Yuan’ sounds like ‘reunion’ and ‘accomplishment,’” Herrick Chui explained.

Chui immigrated to the U.S. from Hong Kong a few decades ago but still tries to maintain traditional customs and reminisces on his childhood memories of the holiday.

“The Winter Solstice is also considered a sort of New Years’ as well, although the celebration is smaller. All the family members get together, eat the tang yuan, and take the day off since it’s a proper holiday. Since here we don’t have a special day off as a holiday, we make do with the time that is available. I just call and remind them that today is the winter festival; you can make some tangyuan yourself, or go buy some from the store, since having some is better than none!” Chui said.

Great Uncle’s tang yuan

Ingredients: Glutinous rice flour Water Brown sugar

Make a mountain of glutinous rice flour, and mix in water little by little until a soft dough is formed Form the dough into small balls, around 1-1½ in. in diameter.

Put water into a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil; drop dough balls into the water and boil until they float to the top of the water (do not overcrowd the pot, depending on size, about 10 balls per batch.)

Change out the water.

Boil water in pot, add brown sugar to desired sweetness, add cooked dough balls back to sugar water and heat until warm. Serve about 6-7 dough balls per bowl with sugar soup.

Art by Brianna Cheng

6 HIGHLANDER FEATURES

Santa Lucia Santa Lucia is a traditional Scandinavian holiday, held in honor of St. Lucy as a symbol of light. In the early morning of Dec. 13, families wake up to the sound of carols sung by neighborhood parades. At the head of the procession is a woman dressed as St. Lucy, in a white gown with a wreath of candles on her head. Trailing her are a flock of children, dressed in white gowns and holding candles. After the parade, families enjoy mulled wine (or nonalcoholic alternatives), gingersnaps, and lussekatter for breakfast. Lussekatter are the s-shaped saffron buns specially made for Lucia; according to NPR, they are traditionally eaten due to the specialty of expensive saffron and their bright yellow color as a symbol for light.

“A lot of Swedish holidays have roots before Sweden became Christian. The songs that we sing don’t have much to do about celebrating the saint, it’s more of a celebration about things getting brighter again. It’s very dark in winter in Sweden (the sun rises at 9 a.m. and sets at 3 p.m.) so it’s like celebrating change and life coming back after the darkest day,” Helena Landin said.

Landin immigrated from Sweden but still maintains her cultural traditions in the Bay Area.

“I really love the Bay Area since there will always be people bringing and teaching their specific culture. I can bring in saffron buns to school or to work, and spread the joy,” Landin said.

Lussekatter

Ingredients:

(adapted from Swedishfood.com)

½ tsp saffron threads ½ tsp salt ½ tsp vodka Handful of raisins 1¼ milk 1 egg, lightly beaten 4+ cups of bread flour ½ tsp cardamom (optional; non-traditional) 7 tbsp caster sugar 1½ fast action dried yeast (1 packet) 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed and softened

Grind saffron threads with salt in mortar and pestle until evenly mixed; pour vodka over mixture and let steep for at least 30 min.

Steep raisins in hot water until required.

Heat milk until lightly steaming, between 95-105 F Sift flour into stand-mixer bowl, and mix in sugar, yeast, and optional cardamom.

Fix dough hook to stand-mixer and on the lowest setting, slowly add milk, saffron-salt-vodka mixture, and half of the beaten egg (reserve the other half for glazing).

Once all the wet ingredients have been added, increase the speed slightly and slowly add the butter, a cube at a time, waiting for each cube to be mixed in before adding the next. If the mixture looks too wet, add a few tablespoons of flour.

Continue to knead at current speed until it forms a soft dough that is tacky but doesn’t stick to the bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Knock down the dough and tip out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 16 pieces, roughly 70 grams each.

Roll out each piece out to about a foot long, and curl into s-shapes. Place each piece onto a lined baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic and rest for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Brush buns with beaten egg and add a raisin to the center of each coil.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown Transfer to a wire rack, cover with a cloth and leave to cool slightly; serve the buns warm.

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 7

Orthodox Christmas Beyond the traditional American Christmas, there are other ethnic cultures that celebrate Christmas as well.

Junior Sylvia Khouri celebrates Christmas in the Palestinian Orthodox tradition.

“We set up a tree at my grandma’s house; usually the whole family meets up there. We dress up for the church sermon, and afterwards we go to the church basement. A bunch of families gather, and there’s a ton of food. The wives cook a huge buffet of Arabic food. Before we eat, everyone will gather with the priest, and have a little prayer. When we eat, there will usually be music and people will dance dabke while others eat. After the church service, we’ll go back to my grandma’s house and spend time together as a family,” Khouri said.

The dabke is a traditional Middle Eastern dance, performed at special celebrations. There are many variations of the dance, based on the event and region, but they all have elements of line or circle dancing, bringing everyone together to share in the festivities. The food is also an integral part of the celebrations. Khouri’s favorite dishes are kousa mahshi, a stuffed squash dish, and warak diwali, rice and meat stuffed in grape leaves. For dessert, her family traditionally makes knafeh nabulsi, one of the most famous variations of knafeh.

“Knafeh, which is like a flaky dough with cheese, similar to baklava. The way my grandma makes it isn’t very pretty, but it’s really tasty. She sprinkles this orange dough onto a greased pan, puts some cheese in the middle and puts more dough on top. The dough is flaky, it kind of looks like those veggie straw chips. On top, she puts pistachio powder, and throws it in the oven; the cheese melts and it’s so good!” Khouri said.

To Khouri, Christmas is an especially memorable time to gather with family.

“The religious meaning of Christmas has kind of faded with the youth, for us it’s mostly about connecting with family and our heritage. My grandparents always end up sharing stories about when they immigrated to America, and my dad and uncles will jump in. It’s always fun to listen in, because we’ll ask ‘tell us the story about the goat!’ and everyone will be laughing. It’s just a good way to hear about the stories of our family and how they got here; one year, we found a family tree that went really far back, and we found the origin of why our family is Christian! It’s such a weird story but it’s really cool since we get to connect with our culture and family,” Khouri said.

Hanukkah

Hanukkah is the eight-day Jewish celebration which celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. The legend states that Jews had risen up against their oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt; within two years, they had successfully driven the Syrians out of Jerusalem.

The celebration is often referred to as the Festival of Lights. Lighting the hanukkiah, eating traditional foods, and playing games are all done to celebrate Hanukkah.

When the Syrians ransacked Jerusalem, they only left a day’s worth of oil to light the menorah, but the miracle of Hanukkah is that the oil lasted eight days. To celebrate the miracle of oil, most traditional Hanukkah foods are cooked in it. A staple in this feast is latkes, fried potato pancakes, which are commonly paired with either applesauce or sour cream; another popular dish is the jelly-filled donut sufganiyot.

As Hanukkah brings families together, Jessica Klein, a senior at Carlmont, expands on her personal significance with the Hanukkah celebration: “I don’t celebrate holidays for any particular religion, it’s more of feeling like a part of the culture. My ancestors had to put up with a lot of persecution for me to celebrate Jewish holidays,” said Klein.

In her sophomore year, Klein spent a year abroad in Israel exploring and understanding her Jewish community. Although Hanukkah is acknowledged as a religious holiday, many nonJewish communities recognize it as a gift-giving celebration instead.

8 HIGHLANDER FEATURES

New Year, New Me Coming into this decade, many people had high expectations for themselves, and some goals fell through due to the circumstances of this year.

Many students and teachers alike have changed their approach to New Year’s resolutions for 2021, setting different goals and accomplishments to provide control during this traumatic time.

For Morgan Wong, a junior at Carlmont, perspective is extremely important.

“Quarantine has been mentally draining for myself, and I’m sure for some other people too, and my overall goal is to be happier in 2021. I have grown a lot and I think making a year better depends on your attitude,” Wong said.

Carlmont history teacher David Gomez reflected on the things he lost

during 2020 and how much he plans to value their return.

“I appreciate things that we have lost this year, and try to show my appreciation when things return to ‘normal’ someday, such as daily time in a regular class, interacting, having conversations, and just getting to know my students,” Gomez said.

According to Oak Ridge Associated Universities, denial and avoidance are common reactions to drastic negative change and trauma. To maintain a healthy mindset, it’s important to keep acceptance and management in mind.

“My recommendations to teens and adults about how to make 2021 a better year is to be kind.

Always be kind. We don’t really know the problems that other people are

Ne

Phoebe Gulsen

facing,” said Denise Steward, an English teacher at Carlmont.

Being a teacher, Gomez knows the significance of learning, and how to use it to our advantage to make this year, and next year, better.

“We must learn from what we’ve been through,” Gomez said. “Otherwise, it will just be back to the way things were before. We can do better.”

w

ar Ye

solutions e R ’s Eat healthier 18%

Save money 10%

Learn something new 27%

Lose weight 45%

ART BY PHOEBE GULSEN

From a survey done by the New York Times

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 9

DIGITAL DISTRACTIONS

Sabrina Lo Being distracted by non-school related content is certainly not an uncommon thing. With the combination of unenjoyable studying and the temptation of putting off work, it can be difficult not to give in to the digital distractions that are just within an arm’s reach.

“On the one hand, I could be doing homework and writing essays. On the other hand, I could be watching a video or doing anything else that seems much more exciting on my phone that’s two feet

away from me,” Christos Makropoulos, a junior at Aragon High School, said.

But why exactly is it so easy to succumb to such distractions? People are naturally eager to hear the ping of a notification, changing their habits in preparation to divert their attention.

Attempting to ignore the notifications can lead someone to think they are being left out of something crucial to them, forming an urge to see what they are missing.

Even if there is nothing waiting for them, people become accustomed to checking their phones regardless.

“There’s this huge fear of missing out, and it’s a very real thing. There’s a fear of missing anything, even the most mundane things. It’s just like, ‘If I don’t have my phone, what if I miss a call?’”

Michelle McKee, a psychology teacher at

Carlmont, said.

The most common distractions include social media, web surfing, messages, emails, and video games. In a survey conducted on a small sample of Carlmont students, 28% of respondents said that digital distractions increased their homework time by 45 minutes. Though that may not seem like very much, 31% of the survey respondents answered that it takes about five hours to complete their daily homework. When considered in its context, the toll that distractions take becomes apparent.

Without any digital distractions, an individual could significantly decrease their time spent on homework. 25% of the survey respondents believed that their online distractions constituted ¼ of their total homework time. “[Digital distractions] definitely prolong things for me. I was trying to work on a really easy assignment and it took me close to 45 minutes to complete because I kept stopping to look at my phone. It just makes everything a longer

10 HIGHLANDER FEATURES

process,” Arcelia Duran, a junior at Carlmont, said.

Not only do digital distractions lengthen the time one spends on completing schoolwork, they also reduce one’s ability to retain the information learned during class. A study on college students by psychology professor Arnold Glass and graduate student Mengxue Kang uncovered a causal relationship between inclass laptop and cellphone use and poorer exam scores. The students collectively tested lower on the material taught when they were allowed to use their devices during class.

The students in the college study were recorded believing they could effectively multitask without any disadvantages. But this belief has only harmed their longterm retention of information.

“There are some things that require what’s called effortful processing, which actually needs our conscious effort to process information,” McKee said.

“School, especially online school, requires a lot of effortful processing, and I think that students miss a lot.”

Nowadays, it is even easier to give in to digital distractions. With Zoom calls taking over in-person lessons, students find it much easier to pull out their phones without being caught by the instructor. In the survey done on Carlmont students, 90% of respondents answered that they get distracted by non-school related digital content while in a Zoom class. Additionally, 48% of the students believed that it was somewhat more challenging to understand the information taught when they were distracted.

“To see how many students miss very easy, basic questions of information I just gave them minutes earlier, I’m like, ‘Are they even listening to anything I say?’”

McKee said.

Although a little distraction here and there may not seem to be so harmful, one can see that the overall effect of interacting with digital distractions is quite detrimental to one’s study habits and ability to learn school material. Without these distractions, less time can be spent on completing homework, and more time can be spent on other, more enjoyable activities.

“Digital distractions make up a lot of my homework time, and without them I feel like I could be working on something

that benefits my personal well-being, like working on my hobbies,” Nicole Coleman, a junior at George Washington University Online High School, said.

Preventing digital distractions is no easy task, especially when they are so tempting. But it is possible. There are several methods you can use to decrease your distractions and increase your attentiveness.

Putting your non-essential devices in a different room than the one you study in makes them less likely to become a distraction. When your phone or other distracting electronics are in a convenient location, it is much easier to reach for them. However, keeping them further away removes this convenience.

If moving your phone away isn’t an option, phone apps such as Flora block distractions for a preset period of time.

Once the set time is used up, the distracting apps are no longer available until they complete the work they need to do. These apps are a beneficial way not only to be more productive but also to remind oneself of why they should be trying to study.

Remembering what one is striving to achieve as an adult helps to keep individuals motivated to continue trying their best at their current point in life.

Completing school is just part of the path students take to start careers and live a full and enriched life.

90%

A survey conducted on a small group of 31 high schoolers uncovered intriguing data on student study habits

Do distractions influence your learning ability?

I don’t get distracted (6.7%)

No (13.3%) Somewhat (56.7%)

Frequency of device usage during Zoom classes 40%

of students said they use their phones or other screens in Zoom classes

55%

of students found it somewhat harder to understand material taught while distracted in Zoom classes

53%

Yes (23.3%)

16.7%

16.7%

20%

6.7% 1 (rarely ever)

2

3

4

5 (every class) Sabrina Lo

of students felt their school performance would be somewhat better without digital distractions

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 11

A light

in the darkness Students find comfort in shows and movies

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Fu

Hanna Kryhina & Ruya Yaman According to the Pew Research Center, 9 in 10 adults watch television at least once a week to cope with the world’s chaos in its current state. Carlmont students are no different.

Fans of comedy and horror have turned to watch TV shows and movies to distract themselves from the realities of quarantine.

“It’s kind of like a way to escape, even just temporarily,” junior Leila Farhi said. “Sometimes, after a long day of school, I’ll go straight to Netflix and watch a show or a movie. It kind of helps me wind down a bit.”

These shows and movies help students move their attention away from the world around them and instead learn more about themselves during this period of isolation.

“A lot of it has taught me lessons,” senior Varun Avari Kapoor said. “It has been instrumental because you can focus on how the characters grow and develop and apply those stories to your own life. The morals inside the shows are helpful in terms of self-exploration and understanding what you can do to become a better person.”

One movie that empowered Avari Kapoor on his journey of self-discovery is “Frozen 2.”

“It resonated with me specifically because it was about finding your true spot in the world,” Avari Kapoor said. “The main protagonist was struggling throughout the movie to find her destiny, and when she did, she suddenly felt secure in herself and in who she was. I thought that was really cool, and I have to sort of find that own security in who I am.”

Similarly, Alexandra Gische, a senior, believes that the visual media she consumes significantly impacts her actions.

“I get my personality from the TV shows I watch,” Gische said. “If [you watch] ‘Gilmore Girls’–I think I’m on my fourth run–you’ll be like, ‘Oh, Alexandra does that. Oh, she does this as well.’”

12 HIGHLANDER FEATURES

le

na

Fu

“Avatar the Last Airbender” over Zoom together.

“Even if we weren’t sitting in the same room, it was good to watch with another person,” Hoffman said. “It was nice to be talking to someone [about the show] because there has been a little less of that recently.”

Sharing the experience of watching a movie or a show, even if it is virtual, has helped many replace the lack of human connection ever since quarantine began. Even though it will never live up to in-person contact, digital entertainment has made many Carlmont students feel less alone in the unsettling and constantly shifting state of the world around them.

“I think the best thing for a person to watch is something that makes them feel nostalgic,” Eliott Yonts, senior and Classic Films Club president, said, “because it’s going to feel like comfort to them, it will remind them of their childhood and their preteens, and [it’s familiar.] Nostalgia is a really powerful feeling.”

He

For senior Merle Nguyen, watching television shows has allowed them to relate to characters and realize there are people in their life who support them.

“In ‘She-Ra and the Princesses of Power,’ I really relate to the character Catra,” Nguyen said. “At the end of the final season, a lot of Catra’s character and story arc is that she has to learn to love herself and that she is loved, which is one problem that I [struggle with]. And her story helped me realize that I have friends who are similar to the people she has around her. Catra’s friends mean what they say, even though she doesn’t believe it. [It made me think that] maybe my friends actually mean what they say whether or not I believe it.”

Nguyen has also found comfort in immersing themself in the characters’ interactions. Some may argue that watching fictional stories creates unrealistic expectations of how people interact in real life. Regardless, Nguyen believes that television interactions are more accurate than those that someone can imagine.

“When you’re trying to make up for human interactions by imagining them, you only want the positive emotions,” Nguyen said. “But, that can start [to feel] fake and [create] too much of an expectation for what real human interaction is like. Real human interaction is a mix of positive and negative emotions, and you can’t really have just one or the other.”

Another Carlmont senior, Maya Kaileh, has also surrounded herself with the characters in the shows she watches.

Watching characters interact on television allows her to pretend that she is doing the same.

“It’s kind of comforting to watch people interacting on your screen,” Kaileh said. “It gives you a sense that you’re actually there. Even though you’re not, it’s comforting to be able to watch characters have interactions and pretend you do, too.”

Maya Lee, a junior, has also felt that romanticizing the characters’ lives in the movies she loves helps her cope with isolation.

“I would love to be in New York City, experiencing a fun little love story, such as in ‘When Harry Met Sally,’ or be able to dress up in fun costumes and own a little bakery in a Wes Anderson movie,” Lee said. “I feel like I tend to gravitate towards more unrealistic things for me, because it’s a distraction and it’s just fun to think about.”

Along with connecting to on-screen interactions, both Lee and Kaileh have made up for the lack of in-person interactions by relating to their friends through the shows they watch simultaneously.

“My friends and I would be watching the same show and bond over it,” Kaileh said. “And we would talk about it for hours, bonding over things that happened in the episodes or something that we really enjoyed. I think it’s comforting for all of us to have something to talk about that can distract us from having a bad day or something that is bothering us.”

Ana Hoffman, a junior, similarly connected with her girlfriend. During quarantine, they were able to watch

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 13

Behind the

“The vastness of the Internet can lead to unbridled difficulties such as comparing yourself to others, damaging your self-esteem, as well as questioning your body image.�

- Psychologist Steven Chou

Screen Josh Barde & Niamh Marren

Read more about the effects of social media on Scot Scoop.

Read More:

14 HIGHLANDER FEATURES

Changing value of a test score University of California to go test-blind by 2023

Score inequalities 1600 1400 1200 1000 800

Black

0

Hispanic/ Latino

200

White

400

Asian

600

Race/Ethnicity

An uneven number of students from various racial backgrounds take the test 1600 1400 1200

200 0

High School Diploma

400

Associate Degree

600

Bachelor’s Degree

800

No High School Diploma

1000

Graduate Degree

Highest Level of Parental Education

A student’s average score is affected by their parent’s educational level

Cost discrimination

$52 $68

base test cost essay test cost

Black African American

reschedule White

waitlist fee late score requests

Black African American

$30 $53 $12

Hispanic/Latino

Students may be forced to pay additional fees for tasks necessary to submit a score

A student who is able to pay these fees is more likely to submit their score White

The SAT is a high school experience almost as universal as prom or football games. However, due to COVID-19, it is becoming one of the many experiences that have been altered by the pandemic. The pandemic has hastened the move towards test-optional and test-blind college applications. The University of California (UC) schools were among the first major colleges to deprecate standardized tests.

Judge Brad Seligman ruled on Aug. 31 that the UC system would be allowed to remain test-optional until 2023, but after that, applications would have to be test-blind. Until 2023, applicants will not be required to submit standardized test scores on their applications. If applicants choose to not submit their scores, they will not be penalized. On the other hand, a test-blind selection process entirely eliminates standardized testing.

Many have criticized standardized tests before because of issues including the equality of the tests. COVID-19 strengthened these criticisms, creating greater barriers for students previously disadvantaged by the tests.

Criticisms of the test include its steep price, which may disadvantage lower-income students. Additional fees, many of which students are pressured into paying, quickly add up, making up a significant portion of the cost. These additional services may include something as simple as receiving your official test score one extra time. On top of this, colleges take students’ best scores, which gives students who can afford to take it several times an advantage.

“To be sure, COVID-19 has disrupted the testing process for many students.

But the barriers faced by students with disabilities are indisputably significantly greater than those faced by non-disabled students,” Seligman wrote.

Although the test-blind policy will not go into effect until 2023, many UC schools have already gone test-blind due to both the court ruling and COVID-19. This new application process will change how students approach applications in the future.

Gay Buckland-Murray, the Carlmont instructional vice principal, believes that having a focused interest will be important for future students in addition to GPA and letters of recommendation.

“I don’t think the answer is going to be to load up on a ton of AP classes. I think the answer is going to be showing a transcript that has a common thread throughout it, that you obviously demonstrated a passion, [...] and you have an AP marking on your transcript that suggests that type of pathway-focused interest,” Buckland-Murray said.

Although removing standardized tests from the application process may provide a more holistic view of students, many students feel the change is too sudden. Currently, studying for standardized tests like the SAT consumes large amounts of time. As colleges shift away from standardized tests, other factors will be more important. Many students wish that they could have had more warning so they could focus on things like GPA and extracurriculars.

“I would have totally changed my approach. I would have focused more on things like my GPA and extracurriculars. I spent so much time studying for the SAT that could have been spent somewhere else,” said Brennan Dai, a senior.

Even though the change was sudden many, including Buckland-Murray, feel the change will provide a more complete view of applicants.

“I feel like a single number isn’t enough to determine whether a student can gain access to an institute of higher education. [...] I think this [test-blind] is a way of recognizing that talent and potential come in all different forms, and it enables students not to be reduced to a number,” Buckland-Murray said.

Unfairness in the SAT

Asian

Jack Hansen

Source: College Board

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 15

BEIRUT

Khalid Kishawii The morning of Aug. 4 felt like the start of an average day for the 2.2 million residents of the Beirut Metro Area in Lebanon. As the clock struck 8 a.m. every person abruptly stopped what they were doing and rushed over to the nearest window or balcony to watch the titanic plume of black smoke that rose from the port of Beirut.

Then, without warning, an earth-shattering blast came rumbling in every direction of the city. A cloud of dust and rubble destroyed every house, office, and business in its path.

The nation which had struggled for months with corrupt leaders, an economic depression, and high rates of poverty due to COVID-19 had now experienced the third-largest explosion in human history.

As survivors searched for their missing friends and family members, they found it nearly impossible to obtain any information. It was only days later that the world found out a massive amount of ammonium nitrate had been set off, killing over 200 people and leaving over 300,000 homeless.

Videos of the explosion spread like wildfire across social media and emotional devastation followed suit for Lebanese people around the world. Western media compared it to the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, but many members of the Lebanese diaspora found it deeper than that.

Many people who grew up in Beirut first thought of all their childhood memories that could never be replicated by future generations. Maya Khachab, a Lebanese-American student, described the mix of emotions she felt when she first tried to find information on her family from her home in Washington DC. “My favorite memories of Lebanon are my cousins and I visiting my grandma’s house for lunch every Saturday until I moved away when I was 12,” Khachab said. “My initial reaction to the explosion was confusion. I was scared to see the smoke getting bigger while watching the video because it hurt to see the city I grew up in like this.

I’m happy my family wasn’t hurt but also it hurts me to know they were traumatized and went through that.”

While many social media users only compared the explosion to disasters in the United States, many people were reminded of their childhoods in the war-torn country. One such person was Jumana Muwafi, a Lebanese-born San Francisco tech executive of Palestinian descent.

“The Lebanese Civil War started when I was nine and after that, there was the Israeli invasion,” Muwafi said.

“I grew up with so much uncertainty. For example, we would go out dancing and listening to music and on a moment’s notice there would be a few skirmishes, and those skirmishes turned into full-blown conflict. After the explosion, everyone, especially the younger generation, went into survival mode. Like us, they didn’t have time to process what was happening around them.”

Another Twitter user, @gabberghoul, estimated that

16 HIGHLANDER FEATURES 1 HIGHLANDER OPINION

A disaster ignored by media

Derivative of “Damages after 2020 Beirut explosions 1” by Mahdi Shojaeian CC BY 4.0

if a blast on that scale happened in a San Francisco storage facility, much of San Francisco would be turned to rubble and windows would be blown out as far as San Mateo.

Due to the high amount of reposting and retweeting of the graphic videos of the explosion, many young Americans felt inclined to help with relief efforts in any way they could.

However, in the following days, most relief efforts were largely a bust. Petitions which went viral were quickly deemed useless

by Lebanese citizens who explained that petitions did nothing for foreign affairs. Many fundraisers that accumulated tens of thousands of dollars turned out to be scams or efforts set up by the Lebanese government which would eventually steal the fund. The only reliable fund was by the Lebanese Red Cross, but it took days to get any significant donations to their cause.

“After the Notre Dame fire, much more money was donated,” Khachab said. “I’m surprised it got the attention it did because people usually don’t care about Arab countries. But also I know it would have gotten much, much more attention if it was a Western country like France or Italy.”

Most Lebanese people agreed that thoughts and prayers were not enough.

One such person is Ghada Saliba-Malouf, a Lebanese-American woman. She says that she was tracking Lebanese media very closely, even before the blast, to ensure that her daughter, Yasmina, would have a safe stay there. Yasmina was about 15 km north of the blast site and she consistently updated her mother about the relief efforts and the lack thereof.

“People in the Middle East felt like we’re always covered like

there’s another calamity or war or event. It’s always an attitude of, ‘oh, what do you expect?’” Saliba-Malouf said. “I do feel like had it happened in Britain or France or anywhere else, the coverage wouldn’t be the same. The magnitude of what happened here: the government negligence and the destruction, it really was not adequately covered.”

Lebanese people internationally remained furious with the country’s leadership, all of whom resigned after massive protests rocked the country when officials failed to produce almost any information or relief packages. Al Jazeera’s investigators reported that even without the explosion, it would have taken many years just to lower inflation rates and to get a reliable elected government into office. As a result, sovereign relief efforts have carried the path to recovery.

Saliba-Malouf agreed that the damage was “unmeasurable,” but she was impressed with the fully civilian-led relief efforts.

One organization that stood out to her was Beit al Baraka, which provides medical support, home renovation, food, and agricultural support to the people of Lebanon. Although donations are now very slow, they still manage to reach 3,000 people a day. According to their website, they have refurbished 350 homes and treated 356 patients while also assisting hundreds with rent support and food and water bills.

“Months after the explosion, entire streets are blocked off by community organizations and civillians of all backgrounds who are just doing what they can to help each other,” Saliba-Malouf said. “At the end of the day, I think our ability to keep going comes down to our spirit of hospitality and resilience.”

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 17 DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 2

Parents struggle to support during distance learning

Elle Horst

18 HIGHLANDER CAMPUS

Elle Horst

With parents and children in close quarters due to quarantine, families struggle to separate their home life from school life.

The Bay Area is dominated by academically-obsessed parents, many of whom are fixated on paving the best path for their children’s success.

In some cases, eager parents take on students’ classwork, place immense academic pressure on their children, and attempt other similar methods to ensure a triumphant future for them.

Despite these parents’ best intentions, these tactics often have detrimental impacts on their children, causing issues with problem-solving, stress levels, and self-esteem. And it’s only getting worse with the pandemic.

Distance guidelines implemented due to COVID-19 have caused many children and adults to attend school and work from their homes. The close proximity between parents and children resulting from these measures allows for more opportunities for parents to get overly involved in their child’s academics. Because of this, they can become a hindrance to the wellbeing of children, teachers, and ultimately themselves.

When talking about the changes due to distance learning, one of the biggest challenges and sources of stress for Julia White* is her parents. This source’s name has been changed to protect her from possible retribution in accordance with Carlmont Media’s anonymous sourcing policy.

“They’ve definitely been a bit more uptight during distance learning, and a lot of that is just because of the closeness of all of us in the house. I mean, they’re right there, which can be stressful,” White, a Carlmont junior, said.

White’s parents often check up on her during the school day and have taken an increased role in her schooling. But despite their best intentions to be supportive, White feels DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 19

more stressed and uncomfortable about school than ever.

“They’re always right outside, so they check in on me during the breaks between classes and when I’m doing all my work because they have more time too. And now they want to quiz me before my tests so they know I’m prepared, which is absolutely the most horrible and stressful part of all of this for me,” White said.

Numerous other students have felt that their parents are a source of stress during distance learning rather than support. A survey taken of 200 local students found that about 60% of the students who responded find their parents to be a stressful part of distance learning.

Despite their efforts to help their children, parents have been a significant source of anxiety for many during distance learning. This then begs the question, what is the best way to parent kids during this time?

Amy Chua, a professor at Yale Law School, promoted a style of parenting that emphasized academic achievement over everything else, often using heavy discipline to motivate her daughters. Her daughters did very well in life, each attending top universities and becoming successful.

Chua’s parenting took the world by storm, and many parents wondered if the strict style of parenting was the ticket to success for their children. Many became convinced it was the way to maximize performance out of their kids.

However, this isn’t the case. Numerous studies have found that this type of parenting can be detrimental to children’s mental well-being. According to a study conducted by Su Yeong Kim, an associate professor at the University of Texas, children with these kinds of parents report higher rates of depressive symptoms, feelings of high academic pressure, and a sense of alienation from their parents, as seen in White’s experiences during distance learning.

In response, some parents have turned to other methods to try to increase student performance. “Lawnmower parents,” who try to mow down all obstacles in their children’s path in an attempt to make their lives easier, and “helicopter parents,” who hover over their kids, have become common styles of parenting as well. These parents tend to be overly attentive to every aspect of their child’s lives and try to solve all their problems for them.

Large amounts of research have shown that these parenting styles can also be detrimental to their children’s overall well-being. Because they are constantly fixing their kids’ troubles for them, many grow up without knowing how to solve problems, deal with adversity, or learn from failure. According to Jeff Gant, the director of Undergraduate Admissions at Montclair State University, he has received numerous applications for admission that were written by parents rather than students.

This style of parenting has grown increasingly popular during distance learning, especially with elementary school students. It’s common for a teacher to log onto their elementary school Zoom class and see parents sitting next to their kids and attending class with them.

For Suzanne Hawkins*, an elementary school teacher, she finds it’s good for parents of younger kids to support their kids more during school, especially with the technological challeng-

es it can bring. However, she feels parents can sometimes discourage kids from being proactive in asking for help. Hawkins’s name has been changed to protect her professional standing at her school.

“I have one little girl where English is her second language, and her parents are always sitting with her. I’ve tried to encourage them to let her ask me for help and let me try to do my job, but they won’t,” Hawkins said.

“Similarly, I have one boy who will walk away from his screen, and I emailed his mom, and she told me he was asking her for help. And as much as I appreciate that she wants to help him, I want to teach kids that they need to realize their parents are working and they should ask me instead.”

Parents may think that helping their kids with all of their classes and that fixing their mistakes is helpful. However, it can prevent kids from learning to be proactive and ask for help on their own, can make teachers uncomfortable, and even stresses out the parent themselves as they take on their student’s work on top of their own.

“Initially, the parents stressed me out, because I felt like they were just sitting there listening to everything, but I’ve gotten used to it. But I do often wonder in the back of my mind that [they] may interpret it wrong and get upset,” Hawkins said.

It’s hard to find the right way to parent in a way that encourages success in their children without adding to their stress. According to Ralph Crame, Carlmont High School’s principal, there’s no one way to do this.

“It’s going to vary, I think, from student to student,” Crame said. “Work ethics can vary, and for some students, you might need to be a bit more proactive.

Ultimately, it’s important to maintain a good relationship. If you keep nagging and nagging and nagging them, then they are going to be a little resentful, and it’s going to turn into a combative relationship rather than a supportive one.”

Age is also a factor when considering the best way to parent during distance learning. Hawkins believes it’s important for parents to be more involved in the education of their younger children, but stresses they have to create an environment that reminds them they’re still in school.

“I still want parents to ask about their work. Because of their age, I want them to still be involved. But there still needs to be the message that you’re in school, so you need to behave like you’re in school,” Hawkins said.

Distance learning is stressful, and can cause children to feel isolated, anxious, and sometimes depressed.

“Keeping an eye on the social-emotional piece in addition to academics is extremely important,” Crame said. “Making sure they’re not stressed out and feeling isolated is imperative to students’ success. If there are any signs of depression or any signs of isolation or anything, just reach out and ask for help, and make sure that the students are reaching out for support as well.”

20 HIGHLANDER CAMPUS

Teachers continue parenting offline Preston Kwok & Jessica Conley Managing students online can be a challenge for some teachers, but it is a greater challenge when teachers must additionally attend to their child’s needs as well.

Jarrod Harrison is one of many teachers who has a child at home. In addition to teaching five classes, he must also care for his young son.

“There’s been a few times where my son has come in to goof off or show something on screen and been very distracting while I’m trying to talk. I find talking on Zoom is distracting, it’s just not normal for me and I’m still getting my mind around it,” Harrison said.

Despite these challenges, Harrison has been fortunate to have his son’s elementary school open up with a hybrid schedule. Instead of having him at home all day, his son stays at school until the mid-afternoon. However, before his son went back to school, he had to manage some of his distractions.

While it may seem distracting to have his son at home often, Harrison makes his best effort to give an even amount of time for his child and his school. He knows that if he does not give enough time for his son, it could be harmful for him.

“I’m motivated to be a decent parent, and I try to make sure my son has as normal of a life as possible given all the circumstances. I’m just trying to think about my seven-year-old, what’s he going to look like in 10 years? What is this going to do to his generation?” Harrison said.

As Harrison continues to work on balancing be-

tween his son and his job, he strives to eliminate any extra stress from both his students’ and his son’s lives.

Similarly to Harrison, Andrew and Karen Ramroth are tasked with taking care of their one-year-old son. However, they have not had to deal with as many problems as some of their colleagues.

“I’ve had some lessons with my son asleep in my arms, others with him pretty upset tugging on my leg and others where I’m feeding him snacks to keep him happy. It all works out and I think the students like it,” Ramroth said.

The Ramroths planned how to adjust their classes so that their son wouldn’t affect how they teach.

“We can find ways to keep him entertained while we teach and we’ve found ways to give students tasks to do if we need to jump off camera,” said Ramroth.

While these teachers have had to find a balance between taking care of their younger child and their classes, students whose parents are teachers have a unique experience as well.

“The only time my parents have had to juggle both me and their work is when I need a college essay to be proofread or when I have basic questions,” Jacey Kelly, a senior, said. “I don’t think it’s a hassle because they’re the ones who are always asking me if I need help.”

Unlike Harrison and the Ramroth’s sons, Kelly added that it’s been easier for her parents since she’s a senior and fairly independent.

“It would definitely be a bigger challenge for them if I was younger, even just in middle school,” Kelly said.

Despite the challenges these teachers may experience, they continue to adapt to the situation and always seek the best outcome.

Anika Marino

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 21

For you

Black Lives Matter

Quarantine

Vaccine Progress

2020 through the looking glass Carlmont High School Journalism @Design by Allison Raisner

Since March, the Bay Area has been pulled apart by the pandemic. Everything from the personal to the professional to the academic went virtual, and though many events have shaken the community to the core, they’ve done so through the unfeeling glass and hollow blue light of a screen.

22 HIGHLANDER SCOTLIGHT

Forest Fires

US Elections

Stock Market

School Closures

Black Lives Matter in the Bay Area @BLM

The movement reached new heights after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers.

March 2020 Anita Beroza The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has shaken up the political landscape on a nationwide scale, and residents of the Bay Area and students at Carlmont are protesting.

“I went to one protest with my dad in San Mateo,” Abby Sanders said. “There were speakers, and we marched down to the police departments.” Sanders is just one of many students who attended the wave of BLM protests sparked after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer.

“I went to...a mostly youth-led protest at the San Mateo police department, and also in East Palo Alto,” Amber Enthoven, a senior, said. “In the one at East Palo Alto, we stopped at a park, and multiple speakers talked about their experiences and what they think should be changed.”

Though Enthoven has attended these protests herself, she does not think they will have a broader impact.

“I don’t think [the protests] have had any effects. Derek Chauvin, the guy that murdered George Floyd, hasn’t had his trial yet, but he [paid] a million dollars for his bail, and he was just able to go back into society. I know he is going to have to go on trial, but I feel like nothing’s changed. Even if he does go to jail, it will just be because of the protests, but I don’t think any permanent change is going to happen,” Enthoven said.

Carlmont’s Black Student Union (BSU) has yet to respond as a whole to the developments in the BLM movement, but many individual members have.

“I know a lot of our club members were responding and sending out information through their Instagram stories and

Snapchat stories on what to do and how to be a part of the movement,” Virginia Brase, a senior, said. “I know that a lot of our club members were a part of [BLM] and wanted to make sure their voices were heard.”

After the events of June and July, Carlmont set up the Equity and Diversity Committee intended to tackle racism and microaggressions on-campus.

“I was able to join this committee at Carlmont that is meant to educate students who aren’t people of color about racism and the racism that goes on at Carlmont,” Brase said.

In addition to her work on the Equity and Diversity Committee, Brase also is president of BSU. Though they haven’t held meetings yet due to COVID-19, BSU normally holds meetings where students are able to hang out and build camaraderie.

“The purpose of BSU is to bring together and educate students of color and Black students in particular,” Brase said.

“We’re just trying to support each other.”

Though many often think of the Bay Area (and Carlmont by extension) as very progressive, neither is without their own issues when it comes to race— Carlmont is a majority white school, with Black students making up only about 1% of the student body, according to greatschools.org. Brase has encountered some problems resulting from this disparity.

“With some of the fully white students, they tend to not be able to see how some of their words can be offensive to people of color,” said Brase. “A fellow classmate [asked me] if they could say the n-word because they were 2% Black… Please do not ask for the n-word pass.”

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 23

For you

Black Lives Matter

Quarantine

Vaccine Progress

Life beyond quarantine Anita Beroza COVID-19 has left many students with more free time with the dozens of canceled hangouts, club meetings, and classes. In addition, with the advent and upsurge in popularity of many new technological platforms, they’ve found ways to stay occupied. From activism to Etsy, find out what Carlmont students have been doing online since March.

#United by Advocacy Giovanni Cinque is co-president of Green Team, a club dedicated to spreading awareness about climate change and making environmentally-friendly change.

“Green Team is...focused on climate change and educating members about climate change first,” Cinque said. “which we’ve been focusing more on because of COVID-19.”

Cinque has been a member of Green Team since last year. Before the pandemic, they hosted a variety of activities, including implementing the tri-bin system on campus. With the advent of COVID-19, however, they have had to adapt to include different strategies, such as online activism.

“At the start of every month we have a different topic. At the first or second meeting of the month, we’ll have an educational component, for example, this month has been green politics, the month before that was energy,” Cinque said. “Towards the beginning of the month, it’d be 20 to 30 minutes of presentation.”

Though it has been a challenge to move online, Cinque finds there are some benefits.

“The one thing that’s really good is that we can share our screens, so the educational component is pretty much there,” Cinque said. “The main thing that’s missing is having the classroom feeling, the feeling that people are there and you’re talking to them.”

24 HIGHLANDER SCOTLIGHT

Despite the difficulties of moving beyond the educational aspects of activism, Green Team has launched other virtual projects, including two petitions: one for Carlmont High School and one for the Sequoia Union High School District to develop a climate action plan.

“That petition was related to the September Global Climate Action Day, and we decided for our climate action we were going to draft a petition,” Cinque said. “It’s not like when we reach that [signature] threshold, we’re all of a sudden going to have solar panels sprouting out everywhere or a bunch of legislation passed; what we’re doing is declaring that climate change is a problem.”

#Democracy in Action Abby Sanders also engages in community work and activism but in a more political landscape. Among her work are participation in city government and Junior State of America (JSA), a student civics and debate group.

“A lot of the stuff I’ve been doing recently has to do with electoral organizing, so I send postcards and texts, and I phone bank,” Sanders said.

Despite the pandemic, Sanders has not seen much change in her work, at least not as much as those who might depend more on in-person organizing, such as rally organizers.

“Most of the stuff I’ve been doing has not been too different from before COVID-19, except for maybe knocking on doors,” Sanders said.

#Connection through Creation While some students have channeled their passion into causes they care about, others have explored their creative side.

“Originally, on Tiktok, I saw someone crochet a shirt, and I thought that was cool. My mom is really into knitting, so we already had the yarn around. One day, I sat down for a few hours… and I watched a few videos on it,” Maggie Pavao said.

Pavao has since learned to crochet dolls and cat figurines, even making some gifts, but it eventually evolved beyond that.

“Once I started making dolls, I started getting unofficial orders from my mom’s friends. I realized instead of making these dolls for my friends, I could make an Etsy and people could order them from there,” Pavao said.

Overall, Pavao enjoys having an Etsy page and hasn’t encountered any major downsides yet.

“It allows me to meet people from around the world; I’ll get an order, and it’ll be from Tennessee or Florida,” Pavao said.

“It’s interesting to reach a wider audience.”

Forest Fires

US Elections

Stock Market

School Closures

Emma Scott @Junior

Quarantine was pretty relaxing and I got time to do stuff I never had time for previously.

Larkin Chock @Junior

Quarantine itself has not been great, although it’s given me more time to play my sport.

Alice Finkelstein @Sophomore

Quarantine has been okay. I started a jewelry buisness recently!

Chesney Evert @Sophomore

We’ve started to get to know our neighbors through BBQs and block parties.

Maile Firenze @Sophomore

One good thing is that I’ve started going on sunrise walks because of quarantine.

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 25

For you

Black Lives Matter

Quarantine

Vaccine Progress

Joe Biden @JoeBiden A Biden-Harris administration will: - Implement nationwide mask mandates - Ensure access to regular, reliable, and free testing - Accelerate the development and distribution of safe and effective treatments and vaccines We won’t waste any time getting this virus under control.

26 HIGHLANDER SCOTLIGHT

Forest Fires

US Elections

Stock Market

School Closures

A sickness and a cure Anita Beroza As the Bay Area approaches a full year in quarantine, many are looking forward to an end to the pandemic. While there is no way to deliver a specific timeline to recovery, there are a few important steps that need to occur before life goes back to “normal.”

California has a tiered county risk system that dictates which business and other organizations are allowed to reopen when. Though everything will have to operate with some restrictions, the level of least risk is called minimal, which requires less than one new case per day per 100,000 people and less than 2% of the population testing positive. The only restrictions are those that allow for social distancing and the like.

The subsequent level is called moderate, where one to four new cases emerge daily per 100,000 residents and 2-3.9% of the county who are testing positive. This is followed by substantial, with four to seven new cases and 5-8% positive testing.

Widespread is the category of most risk, where there are more than seven new cases per day and a greater than 8% positive test rate.

San Mateo County would be, at least within its borders, mostly back to “normal” if it reached the minimal risk level.

However, in order for the pandemic to be truly “over” on a broader scale, many people expect there to be a vaccine.

Vaccine development is a complicated process, and an integral part of its development and distribution to the public are clinical trials, which determine if a vaccine is safe and efficacious.

Among the first organizations involved in the development of a drug or vaccine is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“The FDA is a legislative organization of the government to make sure things are safer. Drugs will probably never be completely safe; there’s always a risk, but the aim is the benefits way outweigh the risk,” Wendy Young said. Young is the Senior Vice President of small molecule drug discovery at Genentech, a biotech company in the Bay Area.

According to the New York Times, 35 COVID-19 vaccine candidates are approved by the FDA for Phase 1 testing, as of late October, and 14 candidates are in Phase 2 testing.

Phase 1 testing is centered around determining a safe dosage with a small sample, whereas Phase 2 tests safety on a much larger scale.

“Vaccines go through a very regulated process.

They generally go into healthy volunteers, first, just like you probably saw on the news,” Young said.

However, the process for testing vaccines is a lot more complicated than some forms of medications, especially treatments.

“Because you’re trying to prevent a disease, you can’t go out and get sick patients because they already have it,” Young said.

“Let’s say Carlmont’s all vaccinated, Aragon is not. Then you move forward for a year, and you count how many people get sick at Carlmont and compare it to Aragon. You would hope the number is less at Carlmont, because [then] the vaccine works, but you actually don’t know who was affected who was exposed.”

Because it is so difficult to determine who was infected by and exposed to diseases in observational studies, many vaccines are tested through what is called challenge testing, which offers more definite experimental data. “[If I were] to inject my vaccine into you, I’m going to wait a day or a couple of days; then, I’m going to inject you with the active COVID-19 virus,” Young said. “Then that’ll be real clear evidence that you were infected; did the vaccine work?”

Currently, organizations like 1Day Sooner in the UK offer challenge tests for COVID-19. While challenge tests can provide some hard short-term results, vaccine testing gets a lot more complicated down the line.

“The controversy is that you really need vaccines to be in the population for years to fully understand their full efficacy, like the shingles vaccine… only lasts for five years, and then you’ve got to go get re-inoculated. The same thing could happen [with coronavirus]; they don’t know how long the COVID-19 vaccine could last,” Young said. “Pushing these vaccines quicker than you normally would, that puts people at risk. That’s a lot what’s in the news, is Trump trying to push the FDA to approve things that may not be safe. I mean, people want vaccines, but they don’t want them to be unsafe.”

As of late October, 11 vaccines are in Phase 3 trials, and six are approved for limited use, according to the New York Times. Phase 3 is focused on large-scale testing for efficacy, or how well a vaccine works. Even with these great advancements in the vaccine process, there is still no long-term data available, which means no guarantee of a long-term solution to the pandemic.

“I think some people think when the vaccine is approved, we’re all saved, but it’s just step one of the process to learning how effective it is,” Young said.

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 27

Athletes commit to college during pandemic Audrey Boyce As we move into the second half of the Fall semester, aspiring college athletes are faced with the task of committing to a college in the midst of a pandemic, some not even getting to visit their campus before making this important decision.

The admission time-line for athletes is more accelerated than general admission. While most seniors are still finalizing applications, many athletes are already being welcomed into their new schools.

Making the decision of where you want to spend the next four years of your life was not an easy one, especially when many of the choices were halfway across the country.

For Viveka

Kurup, a senior and Varsity golfer at Carlmont, this was her reality as she made the decision to commit to Bucknell University in Pennsylvania.

“One way I made the decision virtually was while I was watching the online tours, I asked myself if I could see myself walking through the campus,” Kurup said.

In terms of getting information about the school, Kurup advises going beyond the virtually offered tours.

“It is important to try to contact students that go to the school to get a candid perspective. Students are not afraid to hold back or expose the more hidden realities of a school,” Kurup said.

Deciding if a college is a good fit is different for everybody based on their specific needs.

“University of the pacific is a good fit for me because it is a small enough program that I will really contribute to the team while also learning a lot. Pacific is close to home, so I can see my family on weekends, which is very important to me,” said Zlobinksy, a senior and varsity water polo player committing to Pacific University.

Additionally, for both Kurup and Zlobinsky, it was valuable that their schools were strong

in their intended majors. For Kurup, this was computer science, and Zlobinsky; business.

The communication between coaches and athletes had to be stronger than ever since many coaches had to scout out and evaluate their athletes entirely virtually.

“I had to communicate a lot more than I think I normally would have.

Since coaches can’t come out to see me play, I had to rely on whatever film I had, what my coaches said about me, and how I displayed myself to the coaches,” Zloninsky said.

Kurup sat through copious amounts of zoom and phone calls throughout the summer and fall, each time being asked a series of questions about herself as a student, person, and golfer.

I was so nervous on my first one, but “The committing process was really stressful. For one, choosing between great college options was extremely difficult, and I got a lot of pressure from some coaches, which made me uncomfortable at times,” Hawes said. “Some coaches were also pretty aggressive, and calling them to tell them that I wanted to go in another direction was really awkward and stressful too.”

Getting a response you don’t want to hear can be difficult, but it is essential to

Morgan Hawes UCLA Swimming

28 HIGHLANDER SPORTS

remember that every school is looking for something different and that there are so many options out there.

“As long as you don’t let yourself get down if you get no responses, it is okay; just keep messaging schools. Schools let you know what they can offer you, and truly it is up to you whether you want to commit or not and where to,” Zlobinsky said.

Zlobinsky empathizes the importance of keeping up academically in order to give yourself the most options. While athletes need to meet certain requirements academically to be recruited, keeping up good grades will help you to be more competitive and successful.

If your dream is to play at a big school, make sure to get your work done at school so that you have the most options possible,” Zlobinsky said. “More schools will accept you and consider you for scholarships if it is easy for you to get into their schools.”

Additionally, staying organized and keeping track of schools is important.

When many schools are reaching out at once with an abundance of information and offers, it can be overwhelming when you are not managing it properly.

“Organizing your choices in a document or taking notes about each school to stay organized can be really helpful,” Hawes said.

Kurup emphasizes the necessity to put your needs first, and ultimately make the decision to commit to the school that is best for you. Properly researching all of your options is more important than ever, since visiting the campus for many is not possible.

“At the end of the day, it is important to make the decision that is best for you and your future and to not let any schools pressure you into anything. If you rush into a decision before doing all of your research, you may regret it,” Kurup said.

Ilyana Zlobinsky University of the

Pacific Water Polo

Viveka Kurup

Bucknell University Golf

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 29

Scots Stadium Stories Rachel McCrea

E

Joshua Baxter

GLENN KOVAS AQUATIC CENTER

positive, and when he was around, you felt better,” said Jim Kelly, swim coach and ASB advisor at Carlmont.

Kovas’ commanding presence was aided by his longevity as a coach, as he was hired at Carlmont only a few years after it first opened. He also helped bring about the aquatic programs at Carlmont to prominence.

“He would walk the halls and get kids to join the water polo or swim team because before his time, hardly anybody would do it. We’re talking about the 50s and even the 60s when swimming was more of an Olympic sport,” Kelly said.

“Kovas developed the entire aquatics program and coached it forever. He was aquatics.”

Even today, Kovas’ legacy lives on through the students and aquatic programs.

“The swim team is known for their pre-meet and mid meet cheers, and I had them add his name into the pre-meet cheer, so they always start with ‘Kovas on three.’ They needed to understand his legend and what he did to be able to get

Glenn Kovas was both a swimming very stadium has a story. and water polo coach for Carlmont, and Whether it’s a football stadium, he taught classes for business math and baseball field, or aquatic center, economics.

Kovas came to Carlmont there is always a reason behind the name in 1957, where he spent 42 years before plastered on the scoreboard or wherever retiring in 1999. seen fit. Yet, these stories are seldom In his youth, Kovas graduated from heard, seemingly lost in history.

Sequoia High School and later went on The names of these stadiums honor to Menlo College, playing football at the memories of coaches or players who both. altered the course of Carlmont’s sports Throughout his time with Carlmont, history. Their stories live on through Kovas amassed great respect from the memories and voices of those who students and peers due to his tenure and experienced it, passing these tales down successes.

He was named Coach of the from predecessor to successor.

Year in 1992 by the California Coaches’ At Carlmont, students can watch Association. sporting events at one of its five major Kovas was also a player and president sporting arenas, each named after a of the senior softball team Redwood coach who had a significant impact on City Señors and loved reading, traveling, Carlmont history. Carlmont named the British and American history, musicals, aquatic arena after Glenn Kovas, the and country music. main gym after Terry Stogner, the footKovas passed away on Oct. 27, 2014, ball field after Bruce Usher, the baseball at 81 years old. field after Bill Hurst, and the softball “Kovas was a very positive guy. Evfield after Jim Liggett. erything that came out of his mouth was These are their stories.

30 HIGHLANDER SPORTS

Bill Hurst Baseball Field

Glen Kovas Aquatic Center

Terry Stogner Gym

Jim Ligget Softball Field

Bruce Usher Football Field

Claire Tseng

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 31

a facility named after him,” Kelly said.

TERRY STOGNER GYM Terry Stogner was a former head coach of Carlmont boys varsity basketball, where he won over 300 games throughout his 36-year career, spanning from 1967 to 2003. Stogner also stood as Carlmont’s athletic director over this period.

Stogner taught at Carlmont as a physical education teacher, a program he was chairman of for 27 years.

Currently, Stogner is the commissioner for the Peninsula Athletic League, a title which he has held since 2005.

“When I started at Carlmont in 1998, Terry Stogner was one of my mentors, and the things that he taught me allows me to teach the kids,” said David Heck, department chair of the physical education department.

Stogner also stayed involved with the coaches, hosting a barbecue at the end of the year for them to enjoy.

“Every year, Coach Stogner would have a coaches’ barbecue at his house, and all the coaches and their wives would go and play pool and have a great time, and that was something we looked forward to at the end of every school year,” Heck said.

Stogner even tried to recruit Ralph Crame, current Carlmont principal, to coach the football team and walked him around the campus in his effort.

“Stogner was someone who had a huge impact on students in the classroom and on the basketball court,” Crame said. “He is an amazing human being and a mentor to so many athletes.

It’s a privilege to know him.”

BRUCE USHER FOOTBALL FIELD Bruce Usher was a JV football coach and math teacher at Carlmont, who started in 1968. In 1977, Usher had a cerebral hemorrhage during a game versus Serra High School and passed away at 33 years old.

“Bruce Usher was a bright young coach who suffered a brain aneurysm in the middle of coaching a football game and passed away that very evening at Sequoia Hospital. He was highly thought of by his students and athletes,” Stogner said.

BILL HURST BASEBALL FIELD Bill Hurst was a baseball coach at Carlmont, who was also the head chairman of Carlmont’s first athletic department.

As athletic director, Hurst hired Stogner to work for Carlmont in 1967. When Stogner was still a student at Carlmont, Hurst was also the chairman of the physical education program and happened to be one of Stogner’s teachers.

“He was also my PE teacher when I was a student at Carlmont from 1957-1960. He was the baseball coach and ran the PE department and was a great role model,” Stogner said.

In 1972, Hurst died of a heart attack.

JIM LIGGETT SOFTBALL FIELD Jim Liggett was a legendary softball coach who won over 1,000 games in 41 years of coaching at Carlmont.

Before he took up coaching, Liggett played in the Baltimore Orioles organization’s minor leagues from 1960-1966. Eventually, Liggett accepted a position as a math teacher and baseball

coach at Carlmont in 1967.

Liggett retired from coaching after the 2016 season, with 1009 wins and 8 Central Coast Section championships under his belt. During his tenure at Carlmont, Liggett also served as head coach for football, basketball, and wrestling and was also the school’s athletic director for six years.

While he is known for his legendary career as a softball coach, Liggett also spent time as a varsity football coach.

In 1988, Liggett took Carlmont to a CCS championship game where they faced off against Terra Nova. Terra Nova defeated Carlmont 7-6 due to Ralph Crame, who graduated in 1989, blocking the extra point.

“When I got hired in 2007 as an administrator, I started talking with Liggett, and we realized that I was a player on a team that he coached against,” Crame said.

Alongside his outstanding record, Liggett left a lasting legacy on everyone he coached. His impact on the athletes he coached was far more profound than wins.

At his retirement party in 2016, many of Liggett’s former athletes returned to the student union to honor his incredible achievements for his career.

“They had the chance to come up and speak if they wanted to. A lot of ex-players, both recently graduated and ones who’ve graduated like thirty years ago, took the time to come up and tell a funny story about him, or just the impact that he had on their life,” Patrick Smith, the athletic director at Carlmont, said.

In June of 2017, at the age of 76, Liggett passed away after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a nervous system disease attacking nerve cells and the spinal cord, causing the loss of muscles’ control.

Much of the impacts that Liggett had on his players wasn’t just softball related.

“When you talk about his legacy, you’re talking about something that lives beyond him. His legacy lives on because the people that played for him still carry a portion of what he taught,” Smith said.

32 HIGHLANDER SPORTS

Editorial: Carlmont students spark change This year, we watched the nation change through our screens. We followed live virus trackers from major news sources. We saw people rise up and take to the streets for equality on our Instagram stories. We listened to our teacher’s lectures on Zoom. We talked to our friends over Facetime instead of seeing them in person.

However, we weren’t passive observers. Even though we were stuck in our homes for most of the year, we had a significant impact on the growth happening in our country today.

In 2020, students started to recognize forces many of us had previously turned a blind eye to, from

WE

systemic racism to climate change. We have reposted, commented, liked, and Tweeted, but it’s gone much deeper than that. Carlmont students have flooded the streets to demand justice. They have made face masks for people in their communities. They delivered groceries to seniors through Zoomers to Boomers.

They worked the polls in the election.

They were part of the 70 million people who voted this year. They have worked to educate themselves, their families, and their friends about pervasive social injustice. They were the voices of change in our community, urging the people around them to vote, stay home, donate, and petition.

This year marked a change in this generation, a change of mindset that desperately needed to be made.

This must continue in the new year.

We cannot forget about why we struggled, and why we were so committed to making a difference in 2020. We cannot forget what drove us forward this year.

We cannot be content with our brief moment of activism. We have to continue to build off the work of older generations, and recognize that though we may have come a long way, we still have room to grow.

When the ball drops on New Year’s Eve, there will still be the same problems.

The question is: will we still fight for a better world? When it comes down to it, will we be remembered as a generation that demanded change?

We are the future. Our actions inevitably dictate what that future looks like, so let’s make them count.

THE ARE

FUTURE Auva Soheili

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 33

DISTANCE LEARNING MUST CONTINUE

Rachel McCrea

34 HIGHLANDER OPINION

Zachary Khouri

According to physician Dr. Eric Topol, a sample of asymptomatic patients revealed that over half showed distinct lung abnormalities.

In other words, simply because you do not die, that does not mean that there aren’t risks to COVID-19.

Additionally, this disease is not a one-week-and-you’re-done scenario. Ed Yong of The Atlantic describes many COVID-19 patients who were previously healthy as “long-haulers,” experiencing an array of symptoms, ranging from hallucinations to fevers, for months on end.

Perhaps after learning all of this information, you will still decide to attend in-person learning next semester if the opportunity presents itself.

Congratulations — but you may have to miss out on prom, graduation, and weeks of classes because of fatigue that keeps you in your bed. Even worse, for the Advanced Placement students out there, you could end up failing all of your finals because of shortterm memory loss and an erratic heartbeat that heightens your anxiety.

Lastly, P.E. students and athletes might find the shortness of breath and easy bruising to be a bit of an issue.

And who knows? Suppose you go back and push yourself despite the symptoms. In that case, there’s still a chance that you’ll discover five years from now that you are suffering from issues the scientific community had not anticipated during the early days of the pandemic.

Again, I beg you, if you are one of the students holding out for next semester, consider the world outside of your home.

We must stand up for the more marginalized people in our community who are most susceptible to suffering from COVID-19.

The New York Times reports that Black people and Latinos have been disproportionately affected by the virus across all age groups, whether rural or urban. Ultimately, they are two times more likely than their white counterparts to die due to the disease.

Since 27.8% of San Mateo County residents identify as Black or Latino, it is the entire community’s responsibility to ensure that all of us are as safe as possible, which means not returning to school next semester.

Do you still have doubts?

The world doesn’t work like a fairytale. COVID-19 is not going to magically disappear the second the clock strikes twelve on New Years’, and I guarantee you that it will be a problem for months, if not years, to come.

To stay healthy means to stay at home.

However, try not to complain: we have more technology than ever to sustain our friendships, learning, and lives from our houses.

The gravity of the situation won’t be going away any time soon, so let’s get through this together.

Hear me out: We should have distance learning for the rest of the year.

I can already attune to the anxious parents, the bitter seniors, and the concerned staff wondering, “What about prom? What about graduation?”

And to that, I respond: “What about COVID-19?”

I know what you’re thinking; it is not very often that you meet a senior who doesn’t want to return to school next semester. If you had asked me my opinion in March, I would have told you that I expected to return by the fall semester at the latest.

You may have even read an article or two that reassured you and said that a vaccine would arrive by the end of the year. However, simply because scientists have produced one, it does not mean that they can immediately distribute it to the general public.

According to the BBC, experts estimate that it will take until mid-2020 before the vaccine becomes widely available.

Although you may argue that COVID-19 will barely impact the youth, I urge you to think beyond the scope of your individual life and towards the greater good.

The CDC is still actively working on understanding the long-term effects of COVID-19. This virus isn’t like the flu, where, even though the symptoms change from year-to-year, we have a general understanding that it will not affect us for the rest of our lives.

COVID-19 is different.

Not enough time has passed since the pandemic first began to pinpoint its long-term impact accurately.

The Mayo Clinic states that, as of now, “symptoms can sometimes persist for months. The virus can damage the lungs, heart, and brain, which increases the risk of long-term health problems.”

And yes, before you ask, young and healthy people have just as much to fear regarding the virus.

Hypothetically, let’s say you contract it now, but you don’t experience any symptoms. You would assume that you have nothing to worry about because, after all, nothing seems to be wrong.

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 33

Politics need to be emphasized in our education system Audrey Boyce & Natalie Doud

In a time of political turmoil and contentious world issues, it is essential that high school students, the future of our nation, are well versed in politics to create a better informed and aware generation and to lead our nation away from a dichotomous state.

Ensuring political familiarity among a younger demographic could influence election results and voter turnout as well, as many young voters may feel less inclined to exercise this right if they are unaware of the weight their vote holds or what is on the ballot.

Voting is one of the most influential rights that one can practice, as, through voting, we can freely voice our opinions and have a say in who represents us as a country.

Thus, there should be a stronger emphasis placed on the education of our Maya Kornyeyeva nation’s current political state, starting in high school—or even before—because many students plan on voting or have voted in local/federal elections and may not have the resources to formulate their own political views—which consequently influences their vote. This is especially because of the extent to which environmental factors shape our perception of politics.

Currently, the most considerable influence on one’s political party affiliation is based on that of parents or family members. However, it is necessary that future generations can form their own opinions 36 HIGHLANDER OPINION

Art by Maya Kornyeyeva November was marked by uncertainty in a handful of states

to meet the needs of the current situations—and merely letting family members dictate one’s views often expresses privilege in the sense that they can take a more nonchalant approach towards pressing issues.

Therefore, without schools placing politics as the focal point of certain curriculum, students may only understand one side and may underestimate the significance of politics in their lives, as this lack of emphasis on political matters promotes the same behavior among students, further leading partisanship to an extreme state.

It is disappointing to see this lack of regard for the importance of critical political events, such as this past election, in our education system. However, that doesn’t generally mean teachers don’t want their students to be involved in politics; it’s just a matter of toeing the line.

This can be attributed to the possibility of controversy arising amid topical discussion in the classroom. But, it is possible to teach and inform students about political topics while simultaneously remaining objective.

For instance, encouraging students to dive into specific topics and argue on

both sides of the issue allows for there to be an understanding of multiple viewpoints and to encourage conversation, something that, in the current world, would be beneficial in decreasing the political divide within our nation.

“I always appreciate or know that I’ve done a good job with my students when they learn about the other side and talk about how open they are to listening and understanding,” said David Braunstein, an AP American government teacher.

In order to encourage student involvement in politics, educators must also foster welcoming environments in which all students can feel safe and comfortable in expressing their opinions, as this allows for open-mindedness as well as less political isolation.

Further, with the responsibility of inspiring future generations to take an interest in politics comes the necessity of recognizing that prominent world events such as the recent election or a surge in COVID-19 cases cannot be glossed over.

Although the distance-learning parameters have made it challenging to redistribute work, the 2020 election was most certainly both anxiety-inducting and vital to pay attention to.

During election week, we are all biting our nails and nervously sitting on the edge of our seat, as this election holds a lot of weight since it occurs during a time of such extreme partisanship and divide throughout our country. Hence,it is more important than ever that the younger generations take the opportunity to be engaged and involved as much as possible.

Karen Ramroth, the race/gender/ ethnicity teacher at Carlmont, believes it is important to find a balance between teaching traditional content and providing support to students with emotional experiences. Although it was unavoidable to assign less work in many classes, support in these times is necessary to provide.

“When there are big things going on in the world, all the adults are struggling, talking, analyzing, worrying, etc. too. To assume that my students aren’t doing/ needing the same thing just doesn’t make sense to me,” Ramroth said. “Therefore, my goal is to model working through those feelings and questions and give my students the space to try it out themselves, the same way I would with any other skill.”

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 37

‘Tis the

season for movies Erwan Pal & Julia Roseborough

Em

ma

O’ Co nn

or

The holiday season is characterized by its cold days, seasonal festivities, and the colorful wreaths hung on everyone’s door. During the 25 days before Christmas, many find themselves pulling out warm blankets and watching their favorite Christmas movies.

Throughout the 2000s, an abundance of new, family-friendly Christmas movies were released.

Starting the 2000s off strong with “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, eight movies rated G through PG-13 stole the public’s heart and are now holiday staples in many homes.

Families fell in love with this adaptation of the classic tale by Dr. Seuss, starring Jim Carrey as the Grinch in the year 2000. This movie earned a 6.2/10 IMDb rating.

As Carrey stole the laughs and attention of many in his role, he also ad-libbed many of the Grinch’s most iconic lines. It’s safe to say that this movie will continue to be a fan favorite thanks to Carrey’s memorable performance and outstanding character.

Home Alone 4- Not Rated 2002 This movie was given a 3.2/10 on IMBd. As the fourth in the Home Alone movie series, “Home Alone 4” was known to be the worst performing performing movie in the series as many fans were disappointed with the lack of actors from previous movies. Despite this controversy, Home Alone 4 is known to be extremely comedic

38 HIGHLANDER FUN

The Santa Clause 2- G 2002 “The Santa Clause 2” is a Disney classic family comedy movie that was released in 2002 and earned a 5.6/10 IMBd rating.

At first glance, this light-hearted movie is no more than a comedic story, however, when taking a closer look, fans can see that Disney provides warnings against totalitarianism and more legalism through a classic Santa Claus tale, pleasing children and adults alike.

leading to the pure and memorable reactions displayed in this scene.

This movie can be watched on many streaming platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, iTunes, Google Play, Disney+, and YouTube.

“I like “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” because it’s a classic and it brings me back to when I was younger and would watch it with my family so it is very special,” Cora Jolls, a sophomore, said.

Given the enormous amounts of Christmas movies to go Elf- PG 2003 through, many students find themselves enjoying a series of In 2003 “Elf ” debuted in theaters, and 17 years later, it holiday movies. remains a holiday classic. This famous movie scored a 6.9/10 “My favorite holiday movies are the Home Alone series rating, according to IMDb. because they’re really nostalgic and they mean a What many viewers don’t know is that the famous Jim lot to me,” Dominic Avalos, a senior, said. “I Carrey, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” actor, was originally would always watch them with my family eyed out for the role, despite Will Ferrell’s irreplaceable pergrowing up, so it reminds me of my formance. Many also don’t know that Will Ferrel played Santa childhood and takes me back Claus for five weeks at an outdoor mall in Pasadena.This gave whenever I rewatch it.” him insight into the true Christmas spirit he must possess in These holiday movies, order to pull off this role. ranging from comedies to Paige Wellman, a junior, and Adrian Watson, a freshman, dramas, and everything agree that their favorite holiday movie is “Elf.” in between, have stolen “My favorite Christmas movie to watch is Elf because of the public’s heart, much the strong message that it brings, and how much it makes you like the Grinch attempted to cherish those who are close to you,” Watson said. steal Christmas.

While some students look into the message the movie presents, others focus more on how the classic movie can never age out.

“My favorite holiday movie is Elf because every December, my sister and I rewatch it so many times that we basically memorize the script,” Wellman said.

The Polar Express- G 2004 “The Polar Express” brings a family animation to life in 2004 as director Robert Zemeckis’ iconic movie scored a 6.6/10 rating, according to IMDb. Throughout the journey, the young boy learns about self-discovery and that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.

Despite the important message the movie provides, the film was known to scare many children. Ed Hooks, an actor who teaches animators, suggests that because you can’t use motion capture on eyes, the eye movements are very inaccurate and jarring causing the fear than some kids felt Daddy’s Home 2- PG-13 2017 This Christmas classic received a 6.0/10 IMBd rating but has generally received negative reviews from critics.

One of the most famous scenes in this movie is the well-known basketball scene. Portrayed by the main characters, this movie was filmed during an actual game, with the crowd having no knowledge it was just a performance,

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 39

Just a

Spoonful of Sugar

Journalism staff shares their favorite holiday dessert recipes katherine Tsvirkunova Calling all baking enthusiasts! With the holiday season coming up, the kitchen is usually filled with the familiar scents of earthy spices and warm, buttery treats. Traditional recipes like sugar cookies and fruity puddings are already well known around the season, but how about other unique takes on holiday recipes? Join the Highlander staff as they share their favorite holiday recipes from around the world and the traditions they hold.

Khalid Kishawi, a Highlander writer, takes pride in his family’s own recipe of the dessert known as Kanafeh. Kanafeh is a Middle Eastern pastry made from phyllo dough, Akawe cheese, and mozzarella.

Once baked, it is often drizzled in an Attar mixture and sprinkled with chopped pistachios or walnuts. Kishawi’s grandfather would spend hours during the holidays making this traditional pastry, making it very special to Kishawi’s family.

Maya Kornyeyeva, a Highlander writer, makes the traditional Ukrainian snowball cookies with her family around Ukrainian New Year’s, which is celebrated on January 6. These snowball cookies are known for their snowball-like appearance because they are rolled in powdered-sugar once prepared. Snowball cookies are quick and easy to make, so they are perfect to bake with kids.

Amber Chia, a Highlander editor, brings a Malaysian pandan-chiffon cake to the table. Chia’s grandmother makes this light and fluffy green-colored sponge cake every year around the holiday season upon her visits to Chia’s family in the Bay Area. The cake is very well-loved in Southeast Asia, and it is made out of pandan leaves, which are also known as screwpine leaves. The pandan leaves give the cake a slightly earthy or musky flavor, that reminds some people of the taste of vanilla.

Art by Claire Tseng

40 HIGHLANDER FUN

Khalid’s Jido’s Kanafeh

Serves 10-12

350*F

Ingredients For the kanafeh • 1 pound of Akawe cheese • 1 pound of mozzarella • A bowl of water to soak the cheese in • 2 packages of frozen, shredded phyllo dough • 1 cup of melted ghee butter • 1 tablespoon of kunafa coloring (optional)

Directions

2-3 hours

• 1 cup of finely chopped pistachios For the attar • 2 cups of caster sugar • 1 cup of water • 1 tablespoon of lemon juice Extra Materials • Food processor • Saucepan • Medium-sized metal circular tray • Large metal circular tray

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Cut the Akawe cheese and mozzarella into one-inch cubes and soak in water. Change water every hour to keep the cheese clean.

3. Take the frozen, shredded phyllo dough and run through a food processor until it is chopped into very fine pieces.

4. In a large bowl, add melted ghee and kunafa coloring and mix with the chopped phyllo dough until fully incorporated (make sure to leave some ghee to grease the metal trays).

5. Grease the two trays with ghee and press half of the phyllo dough into the medium-sized metal tray.

6. Drain the cheese and pulse into a food processor.

7. Spread cheese evenly on the phyllo in the pan, leaving a quarter-inch margin.

8. Sprinkle remaining phyllo dough evenly on the cheese and press down until it is packed tightly.

9. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

10. Remove the tray from the oven, and place it

Khalid Kishawi Khalid Kishawi, Highlander writer

over the large metal tray, flipping the kanafeh.

11. Place the kanafeh back into the oven for 10 minutes to crisp the other side.

12. Mix sugar, water, and lemon in a saucepan over the stove, until it begins to boil.

13. Take the mixture off the stove and let it cool completely. This will create the attar that will be poured over the kanafeh.

14. Cut the hot kanafeh into two-by-two-inch squares.

15. Poor the cool attar over the kanafeh and let it soak.

16. Sprinkle chopped pistachios over the kanafeh and serve immediately.

Katherine Tsvirkunova Kanafeh, a Middle Eastern pastry made from phyllo dough, Akawe cheese, and mozzarella.

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 41

Maya’s Snowball Cookies

Makes 25 cookies

350*F

1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients • 1 cup of softened butter • 1 cup of powdered sugar (sifted) • 2 cups of flour • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

• ½ teaspoon of baking soda • 1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans Extra Materials: • Greased cookie tray • Plastic wrap

Maya Kornyeyeva Maya Kornyeyeva, Highlander writer

Directions 1. Measure and prep ingredients as detailed above.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Combine butter and half a cup of powdered sugar into a mixing bowl until the mixture is creamy.

Add in the vanilla extract.

4. Add flour into the mixture one cup at a time, adding baking soda in between cups.

5. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator for 45 minutes.

6. Remove dough from the refrigerator and shape into 1-inch balls onto a greased pan.

7. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown.

8. Let cool for about five minutes. Roll the warm (not hot) cookies in remaining powdered sugar to create snowball-looking balls, and serve.

Low Carbohydrate Walnut Snowball Cookies/ Ted Eytan/ Flickr/ CC BY-SA 4.0 Snowball cookies resemble tiny snowballs because of their powdered-sugar coating, and they are usually made around Ukrainian New Year’s.

42 HIGHLANDER FUN

Amber’s Pandan-Chiffon Cake

Serves 10-12

350*F

2-3 days

Ingredients • • • • • •

7 green pandan leaves 2 tablespoons of water 60 grams of egg yolks 85 grams of castor sugar 150 grams of egg whites 50 grams of oil (Any oil will do, as long as it is flavorless)

• • • •

75 grams of coconut milk 1/8 teaspoons of salt 80 grams of cake flour ¼ teaspoons of baking powder Extra Materials: One 9-inch chiffon cake pan

Amber Chia Amber Chia, Highlander editor

Directions 1. Blend the pandan with water and let it separate, it will take a few days. Once separated, strain the pandan and measure out 65 grams of the mixture.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Whisk the egg yolks with 25 grams of castor sugar till the mixture is thick and pale.

4. Add the oil, coconut milk, pandan mixture, and salt.

5. Whisk till evenly mixed. Sift the cake flour and baking powder into the mixture and mix until well-combined, then set aside.

6. Beat the egg whites while gradually adding 60 grams of castor sugar. Keep whisking until egg whites reach stiff peaks.

7. Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture in 3 batches until evenly mixed.

Bang mixing bowl against the worktop 3-4 times to get rid of any big air bubbles.

8. Fill the cake pan with the batter and tap molds gently against the worktop to level batter.

9. Bake until the cakes are golden brown and slightly springy, which will take Pandan-chiffon-cake/ Andrea Nguyen/ Flickr/ CC BY 2.0 about 35 minutes.

10. Wait about an hour to cool Pandan-chiffon cake is a traditional Malaysian cake made by Amber Chia’s grandmother during the holiday season. before serving.

DECEMBER 2020 HIGHLANDER 43

For more student art, turn to page 4 Art by: Taylor Gee, @taylorgee_art