The student-run publication of Stuart Hall High School | 1715 Octavia Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
Volume 14, Issue 6 | Friday, February 14, 2020
E-scooter injuries rise among youth
Spring musical to cast all divisions Middle schoolers to join production
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Nik Chupkin | The Roundtable
SCOOTERING AROUND Senior Cole Slater and junior Trieu Tran wait for the school shuttle next to a Jump scooter parked in front of the Pine/Octavia campus. Electric scooter-sharing systems like Jump, Skip, Spin and Lime brought thousands of new scooter units to San Francisco after securing city permits in 2019, but the rise in scooters is correlated with a rise in injuries.
Study finds correlation between scooter accessibility and hospital admissions
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Sartaj Rajpal
Senior Reporter
ith a rapid increase in the accessibility of rentable electric scooters in San Francisco, injuries are becoming more common, according to a study conducted by the University of California, San Francisco. “Every San Franciscan knows that about two years ago, there was an explosion in the amount of scooters in the city,” Dr. Benjamin Breyer, senior author of the study, said. “On balance, I think scooters are really good, but if they’re ridden carefully and with a helmet, I think they’re much better.” Breyer’s study notes that hospital admissions have increased
354 percent for individuals aged 18 to 34 since the scooters started being used. San Francisco e-scooter companies require users to have a driver license and
be at least 18 years of age. Of those admitted to a hospital, the study states, “nearly one-third of patients had a head
injury, more than double the rate of head injuries experienced by bicyclists.” Breyer says he believes that while scooters are useful and beneficial to society, safety is key. Your center of gravity, you’re very upright,” Breyer said. “The chance that you fall and can’t protect your head is high.” Convent & Stuart Hall students say they frequently ride e-scooters, oftentimes without taking safety precautions. “I was riding down a hill without a helmet on, and I lost control of the scooter for a second,” junior Liam Walker said. “Next thing I knew, I was on the ground, and I knew something was wrong.”
Injuries on e-scooters are not limited to students. “My fiancee and I and a few members of my family were riding scooters over the holidays,”
biology teacher Alex Broussard said. “We sped up, and when I looked back [my fiancee] had Study continues on 2
Will Burns
Reporter
he middle school division will join the high school theater program for the production of “The Addams Family” this spring, and although high school students may play the lead characters, all four divisions will be on stage together. “This model is challenging the way we think theatre should be created and by whom,” Theater Programs Director Margaret Hee said. “It is encouraging students of all ages to work together and empathize with one another.” The change was made to promote an all-inclusive K-12 model, according to Hee. Since becoming Theater Programs Director in 2018, Hee has also implemented a mentorship program in which high school students assist the crew of middle school productions. “It has been wonderful to see the divisions collaborate,” Hee said. “After the final performance of the sixth-to-eighth grade play, many of the cast and crew reflected how much they valued the opportunity to work with students in different grades.” The middle school cast and crew are held to the same standards as their high school counterparts, according to junior Peter Wolfe. “I worked with the middle schoolers in their musical last year, and they’re a talented group,” Wolfe said. “’The Addams Family’ is the perfect play to join our two casts. It’s iconic and prestigious, yet equally fun and wacky.” Wolfe is one of 26 actors in All ages continues on 2
NewsBriefs BASKETBALL WINS Knights varsity basketball won their last league game against the Lick-Wilmerding High School Tigers 74-55 on Feb 7. The Knights defeated the Tigers in their previous game by a margin of 22 points and are currently second in their league with a record of 7-3. League playoffs began Feb. 12, and are followed by NCS and the state championship. The Knights’ next game is Feb. 15.
GRANDPARENTS DAY Grandparents and special guests are invited to experience a day in the life of students from noon to 3 p.m. on Feb. 13 at the Broadway campus and Feb. 14 at Pine/Octavia. Visitors on Grandparents and Special Friends Day will be able to take master classes, engage in community building activities, view visual art installations from all four divisions and see musical performances.
MUSIC CLUB BEGINS Juniors Eon Kounalakis, David Louie-Grover and Oliver Whalen started a music club, meeting on Tuesdays at 8 a.m. outside the Syufy Theatre. Grade 10 Chair Jordan Lewis is the club’s teacher sponsor. Kounalakis says the club’s main goal is for music lovers to get together and play some music, but he hopes to hold a performance near the end of the school year.
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