Volume 15, Issue 3 by The Roundtable

The student-run publication of Stuart Hall High School | 1715 Octavia Street, San Francisco, CA 94109

Volume 15, Issue 3 | Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Fire season increases in severity

New proposition could enfranchise teens County and state propositions that affect teens

Ansh Ghayalod

Reporter

alifornia wildfires have burned over 4.1 million acres since the start of the year, killing 31 people and destroying nearly 9,200 structures, marking the most destructive fire season the state has ever seen, and affecting members of the community who live outside San Francisco. “I’ve been evacuated twice,” history teacher Jason Enevoldson said. “We had about an hour to pack up and get out. The issue is what you are going to take with you while facing the prospect of never returning to your home.” Those living in affected areas have experienced stress from wildfires, warranting an increase in hospital visits. “Our site visits have tripled during the fire season for a variety of reasons,” Stephen Cady, Emergency Medicine Specialist at Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport, said, “the main one being an increase in poor psychological health amongst patients in the affected areas.” Californians who were not directly impacted by the fires still felt their effects. “We had lots of smoke that took over the city,” junior JeanLuc Desnoyers-Piña said. “Experiencing an orange sky and poor air quality was scary and shows that the fires affect everyone.” California’s firefighting resources were spread thin due to a more severe fire season, and some residents were left defenseless. “It took about five days for help to come,” Enevoldson said. “I have a friend who was defending his property with a hose and his teenage daughter. It was really scary.” Wildfires have consistently been hurting families, making many tired residents consider moving. “This year was super stressful,” Enevoldson said. “ Fingers crossed we’re done for the year.”

Proposition G

Proposition D

Proposition PR

Lowers San Francisco voting age to 16.

Increases Sheriff’s Dept. oversight.

Increases sales tax from 8.5% to 8.625%.

Proposition 16

Proposition 18

Proposition 22

Reinstates affirmative action in public universities.

Allows teens who turn 18 by Nov. 3 to vote in primaries.

Keeps app-based drivers independent contractors.

Sources: Ballotpedia, Vote16 USA Nik Chupkin | The Roundtable

Convent alumna spearheads movement to lower San Francisco voting age

Sartaj Rajpal

Editor-in-Chief

ote16 San Francisco, also known as Proposition G, could allow teens to vote in city elections if it passes on Nov. 3. “The legislative ask of the piece is essentially to lower the municipal voting age so that 16 and 17-year-old San Francisco citizens can participate in local elections,” Vote16 SF Director Arianna Nassiri (CSH ’20) said. “They'd be able to vote on local propositions that appear on our ballots every election.” The San Francisco Youth Commission, a student board that advises The Board of Supervisors on issues related to young people, proposed Vote16 to address the needs of the city’s youth population. “Right now the average San Francisco voter is about 10 years older than the average San Fran-

cisco citizen,” Nassiri said, “so that results in legislation being passed that doesn't reflect the needs of the age discrepancy between the people voting and the people who the legislation impacts.” Drafters of the proposition say they are often asked about the significance of the age 16. “The idea of 16 is that there's a balance between allowing for as close to universal representation as possible and making sure that all of the enfranchised members of our electorate are civically mature and politically educated,” Nassiri said. “The age of 16 is usually when young people start driving and stepping into those employed positions where they can receive enough money to be taxed.” Some seniors say 16-yearolds should be allowed to vote.

SPIRIT WEEK Stuart Hall Spirit Representative Zeke Noveshen announced plans during last Friday's chapel for virtual Spirit Week Oct. 27-30. The themes for each day are Class Color Tuesday, Hawaiian Wednesday, Wacky Zoom Box Thursday and Spooky Friday. Monday had no theme so that Convent students could hear the announcement during their chapel.

“It’s a great idea,” senior David Tobin, who is eligible to vote this year, said. “The younger generation has a lot of good ideas. Even though they aren’t legal adults who’ll participate in a lot of the lawmaking, they’re ensuring their own success and the success of the county.” Research conducted by Rutgers University affirms that 16-year-olds should be allowed to vote. “Analyses of national survey data demonstrate that by 16 years of age — but not before — American adolescents manifest levels of development in each quality of citizenship that are approximately the same as those apparent in young American adults who are allowed to vote.” the study reads. Others disagree, saying that 16-year-olds are still too young to vote. “I feel like maybe that’s a lit-

ONE MINUTE PLAYS Senior Peter Wolfe is organizing a theater festival that will include a series of plays both written and acted by students, with each one being no longer than 60 seconds. Plays are limited to two to four people, whose set will consist of four chairs. Faculty submissions were also welcome. The deadline to submit scripts was Oct. 19, and performances premiere Dec. 10 and 11.

tle bit of a stretch,” senior Elijay Yturri Sigal said, “because when you’re 16, you understand things well, but you’re still not completely mature. Why give someone that much power when they’re that young?” Young people are not ready to vote, according to a study conducted by Oxford and Warwick. “Drawing on empirical data collected in nationally representative surveys, we argue that the weight of such evidence suggests that young people are, to a significant degree, politically less mature than older people, and that the voting age should not be lowered to sixteen,” the study reads. Vote16 earned 48% of the vote in the 2016 election, and Nassiri says she is hopeful the proposition passes this time. “It's polling pretty well,” Nassiri said. “The numbers are exponentially higher since 2016.”

CAMPUS RETURN Convent & Stuart Hall is moving closer to fully reopening, with Grades 6-8 having returned to campus on Oct. 22. The school has filed an application with the San Francisco Department of Public Health and requested a site assessment. Students who opt for in-person learning must submit a signed risk acknowledgement form and community health commitment.

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News

The Roundtable | October 27, 2020

Pandemic prohibits access to places of worship Families adapt, continue religious practices at home

Owen Akel

Community members start exploring interests, hobbies

Senior Reporter

ecause California closed all places of worship and prohibited large gatherings on March 19 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, students have been experiencing a drastic change in the way they observe their religious practices. “I am decently religious but I definitely could take my church and faith more seriously,” junior Bo Darwin said. “Before COVID-19 I attended church regularly, almost every Sunday with a few exceptions, as well as most Sunday nights for youth groups. Recently, we’ve had an online service every Sunday which I sadly haven’t been attending much at all.” Darwin attends St. Mary’s Church, and other students such as junior Connor Zanoli, agree with his view of online services. “It’s hard to stay focused on faith when you’re not in church,” Zanoli said. “I pray occasionally, but it’s really hard to emulate a normal mass.” Zanoli said before the COVID-19 pandemic, he attended Sunday mass at St. Ignatius Church weekly. In addition to missing weekly services, Christians also missed Easter. “Every year my family visits my grandma in Los Angeles and goes to her church Easter morning,” Darwin said. “We sadly weren’t able to do that this year, which led to a very dull Easter. COVID-19 has definitely taken away from holidays." Other major religious traditions, such as the Islamic Hajj pilgrimage and the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, also occurred during lockdown. “My family identifies as culturally Jewish but we don’t follow

Connor Zanoli | With Permission

CONNTECTED TO RELIGION Junior Connor Zanoli prays in his room during lockdown. Christians like Zanoli, as well as other religious students, have been unable to go to church due to social distancing restrictions.

many of the Jewish rules,” junior Zeke Noveshen said. “The High Holy days just ended, so they happened during COVID-19. These few days are the days I normally go to synagogue, and it felt really different.” Despite lockdowns significantly altering the ways people celebrate important holidays, both Darwin and Noveshen say they adapted in order to continue engaging with their respective religious communities. “We had services virtually, where our rabbi held a Zoom meeting,” Noveshen said about his Rosh Hashanah celebration. “My whole family fasted, and we went to our family friend’s house and ate outside to celebrate while ‘Zooming’ with everyone we

would normally see in person.” In addition to Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur — the Jewish Day of Atonement — also occurred while synagogues were closed. “On Yom Kippur we normally take a family walk,” Noveshen said, “but my sister is away in college, so we could not be with her.” Noveshen said his family instead spent time reflecting in nature for the holiday. On the other hand, Darwin’s church youth group recently began meeting in person again, something he says brought him closer to his faith community. “With the start of COVID-19 bringing an end to my youth group and in-person mass, I lost

my vision for a solid future with my fellow church goers and faith family,” Darwin said. “Church is all about the community of people and the relationships created.” During their meeting, Darwin and the youth group got ice cream at Ghirardelli Square and then walked back to the parish. “I am still trying to maintain the relationships with people my age at my church through an online youth group, which I used to attend fairly regularly Sunday night,” Darwin said. “Now that we are finally starting to transition back into in-person meetings every Sunday, much needed joy and human contact has been brought back into my life.”

Club offers service leadership during pandemic

Revamped 'Students in Action' organization focuses on specific volunteering areas

Lockdown gives teens extra free time

Sartaj Rajpal

Editor-in-Chief

he Students In Action service organization is attempting to grow its membership and create more opportunities to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re expanding and gaining the largest potential for service involvement throughout the school as possible,” junior Joe Shea, a club leadership member, said. Individual club members have taken on a larger role in the organization this year. “We set it up so that we have a leadership team,” senior Nicholas Schiller said. “There are two or three people for each service area. All the new people join as members of a group. It’s a lit-

tle more decentralized, so we can have people take on more responsibility.” This increase in accountability of each member comes with expectations. “If you’re going to be in SIA, you have to contribute in some way, whether that is coming up with your own initiative or program or joining an existing team,” faculty adviser Sarah Cardenas said. Student members say Cardenas and Clinton Hackenburg have been great supporters of the organization as the new SIA advisers. “They’ve been really supportive and help talk to the other teachers and administration when needed,” senior Bryan Maruyama said.

One of SIA’s new initiatives is collecting food for people in need during the pandemic. “I’m helping provide culturally relevant food to the Mission Neighborhood Center, which serves low income seniors and families,” sophomore Julia Kearney said. “Usually San Francisco Food Bank and Marina Food Bank have helped provide groceries, but COVID-19 made that difficult, so my idea was to have bins where students can donate long-lasting foods. The donation boxes will be put outside the schools.” Another new project involves teaching classes to middle schoolers. “I’m on the environmental team,” Schiller said. “We’re setting up an after-school program

to teach fourth through sixth graders about the environment.” While the organization is still coming up with new ideas for service, some projects have been temporarily discontinued because students are unable to be on campus regularly. “The pandemic really affected our ability to do things,” Schiller said. “The Eco Team couldn’t do a trash pick up, and One Less Hungry is shut down. There’s been a lot of challenges, but I think we’ve done a decent job adapting to it.” Organization leaders say they are going to work to make volunteering as accessible as possible. “I think SIA is making great strides to fulfill its goal of bringing service opportunities to the school community,” Shea said.

Will Burns

Senior Reporter

embers of the school community have been finding new hobbies and exploring interests to fill their time while maintaining social distance. In their newfound solitude, students have taken up new athletic activities they can do on their own, as well as mindfulness practices to help relieve pandemic-related stress and lack of social interaction. “I’ve been trying to learn new things over shelter-in-place,” junior Jean-Luc Desnoyers-Piña said. “I started to skateboard and I’ve begun to cook more, and I’m trying things I wouldn’t have been able to try if quarantine hadn’t started.” Learning meditation and mental practices to help clear the mind also has helped with stress, according to Desnoyers-Piña. Not everyone is keeping busy by pursuing new interests, however, as some are instead further developing existing skills. “I have always enjoyed playing golf,” junior Joe Shea said. “Prior to quarantine, I didn’t have many opportunities to play. Shelter-in-place gave me the opportunity to reignite my affinity for the game.” Aside from finding new hobbies, students have also found time to grow as individuals as they navigate the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic “Lockdown made me more dependent on myself,” Shea said. “I see myself as more capable of being able to carry out tasks on my schedule, rather than relying on that of my school or family.” Students say the pandemic has altered their perspectives on life and has made them more grateful for the everyday things they used to take for granted. “I remember back in March when schools first closed, and my friends and I were looking forward to online school because it was an interesting new thing,” senior Aidan Villaseñor said. “Now we're at the point where I want to go back to school because of the lack of social interaction. I took it for granted, and now I know I appreciate it more.” With uncertainty surrounding the reopening process, students still have time to embrace guidelines, find new hobbies and explore new forms of entertainment. “While we can't see our friends that often and we're stuck at home, we can still try to find joy in places we normally wouldn't,” Desnoyers-Piña said. “This is a very special moment in our lives, and if you're not sure what to do, go outside, maybe take a walk. Find something that you really want to do.”

Op-Ed

The Roundtable | October 27, 2020 Staff Editorial

Climate change exacerbates fire season Government officials need to institute effective forest management strategies

lthough severely exacerbated by climate change in recent years, California’s recent record-breaking fires can be mitigated by controlled burning, a practice which state officials immediately need to start mandating. “This is a damn climate emergency,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said while surveying the Oroville State Recreation Area on Sept. 11. Wildfires have burnt more than 8 million acres, nearly doubling the previous record of 4.4 million acres in 2019, according to the Insurance Information Institute. If — as Newsom suggests — California wildfires are primarily caused by climate change, a significant change must have taken place between 2019 and 2020 to yield such a large discrepancy. Global temperature statistics suggest otherwise. The global mean temperature was 1.71 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century average in 2019 — often referred to as a pre-industrial reference point — according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Comparatively, the global mean temperature was 1.66 degrees above the 20th century average in July of 2020, onetwenty-fifths of a degree cooler than in 2019, according to the NOAA. While climate change certainly is a valid threat which requires adequate attention, it does not have the be-all-end-all effect

We have to be more aware of the changing climate because we are looking at extremely dry seasons. — Owen O'Dell, 12

Robin Tsai | The Roundtable

that government officials such as Newsom insinuate. Rather, other factors — exacerbated by drier conditions and hotter weather attributed to climate change — must contribute to the increasing destructiveness of the fires. One hundred and fifty million dead trees fill forests throughout California and vegetation has “grown much denser than the fire-adapted ecosystem had evolved to handle,” according to Pew Research Center. These masses of dead trees act as tinder for raging wildfires. Scott Stephens, a professor at the UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management noticed this phenomenon on a smaller scale when observing numerous dead trees occupying the space surrounding California’s Shaver Lake, forecasting the dangers

they pose in a 2018 report. Stephens’s fears were vindicated when 180,000 acres of the land surrounding Shaver Lake were burnt within a week of the first spark, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The federal government owns roughly 57% of land in California, while the state owns 3%, according to the Little Hoover Commission. Without a concerted effort on the parts of both our federal and state governments to manage and eliminate this major risk through new regulations such as controlled burning, a destructive annual fire season may be inevitable. Despite fires occurring nearly every year in the state of California, controlled burning, a practice used by Native Americans before the European colonization, has been discouraged, ac-

cording to One Tree Planted. Government campaigns such as “Smokey the Bear” in the 1950s demonstrate suppression of such practices. More recently, many California residents have expressed concerns about controlled burning occurring near their residences, according to USA Today. The American Lung Association has also opposed controlled burning due to its negative effects on air quality. When waking up to a sky turned orange by smoke and needing to wear masks in order to go outside in 200+ AQI conditions, it is evident that these sacrifices must be made. The federal government must work with California to open the door to using widespread controlled burning as a preventative measure for wildfires.

Nikopedia

Caring for physical, mental health during lockdown is paramount Nik Chupkin Editor-in-Chief

hen Gov. Gavin Newsom enacted the statewide shelter-in-place order, I was excited to be spending more time with my parents and brother at home, where we started eating family dinners every night. Little did I know, I would be stuck at home for much longer than a couple of weeks, and pretty soon I began fighting with my family members about the most trivial things. Not closing the door during a Zoom meeting or forgetting to take out the trash would invoke my father’s wrath. I found myself constantly angry at my brother, and repeatedly talking back to my parents. Living with the same people for so long, not seeing my friends for months at a time and rarely leaving my house became

What can we do to avoid wildfires in the future?

Meditation, workout routines can reduce stress, irritability, improve interactions with housemates immensely stressful. I started feeling lonely and irate, had trouble falling asleep and lost a lot of weight quickly — all of which are symptoms of stress, according to Web MD. To reverse the adverse effects of stress that I experienced during the pandemic, I knew I had to start caring for my mind and body. I started meditating, a practice that promotes awareness, decreases “rumination,” or distracted daydreaming, increases attention, and contributes to building effective emotional-regulation strategies, according to the American Psychological Association. Daily meditations have made me generally calmer and less irritable. I also zone out less often while in class. Meditation doesn’t require

hours at a time. Starting at just five minutes per day and slowly working up to longer meditations is enough to feel its positive effects, according to Melbourne Meditation Centre. I use a free guided meditation app called Smiling Mind. Other options include Calm, Headspace and Aura, some of which are free to download. In addition to meditating, I also began a regular workout routine, which is helping me stay active at home. Routines “can help create a sense of structure and normality,” according to Beyond Blue, an Australian mental health support organization, so I work out with Barclay Spring, Convent & Stuart Hall’s athletics, strength and conditioning coach. Spring also offers regular group work-

outs over Zoom and has an arsenal of workout videos on his YouTube channel. After working on improving my physical and mental health, I noticed how I became calmer and less irritable during times of stress. My approachability and patience has also increased, which helped facilitate positive interactions with my family members. It could still be a while before we get approved to come back to campus, so we have to find ways to stay sane at home for just a little bit longer, and there is no better way to do that than practicing self-care. Pandemic or not, I know that routinely caring for my health makes me feel happier and healthier, and I hope to make it into a life-long practice.

Taking a few minutes to check our surroundings before partaking in dangerous activities could help prevent fires. — Ethan Reader, 12

Thinning overgrown forests could keep them from catching on fire. — Miles Iwanchuk, 11

People need to be constantly thinking about how to limit their carbon footprints. — Hayden Walheim, 10

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Staff Sartaj Rajpal | Editor-in-Chief Nik Chupkin | Editor-in-Chief Henry Murray | Sports Editor Owen Akel | Senior Reporter Will Burns | Senior Reporter Robin Tsai | Cartoonist Ansh Ghayalod | Reporter Tracy Anne Sena, CJE | Adviser Stuart Hall High School Schools of the Sacred Heart San Francisco School Address 1715 Octavia St. San Francisco, CA 94109 Mailing Address 2222 Broadway San Francisco, CA 94115 Contact the Staff roundtable@sacredsf.org 415.292.3161 Unsigned pieces are the opinion of the editorial staff. Reviews and personal columns are the opinions of the individual author and are not necessarily those of Stuart Hall High School or Schools of the Sacred Heart San Francisco. Corrections and letters may be addressed to the editors at roundtable@sacredsf.org.

Sports

The Roundtable | October 27, 2020

Henry Murray | The Roundtable

Seniors resurrect old club Surfers meet at local beaches to practice sport

group of seniors took it upon themselves to resurrect Surf Club two years after it first appeared in the official club listings, with members reuniting at a local beach in late September for their first meeting. “I truly love surfing because it’s a sport where you can enjoy being outside in a different environment,” club founder Zach Rodriguez said. “It is a challenging sport that takes a lot of skill and practice, which makes it so addicting.”

Strength and conditioning coach Barclay Spring, who is Surf Club’s faculty moderator, is a long-time surfer with lots of experience in the sport. “We love having Coach Barclay be our teacher representative,” club outings supervisor Chase Mack said. “He has been surfing far longer than all of us, so it’s great to have his wisdom.” The club organizes informal group outings and creates a place where fellow surfers can meet on the water, and where new members with little or no experience can learn from their peers.

“After staring at a computer for five hours, it is really refreshing to be outside and experience the power of the ocean,” Jake Falconer said. As more students feel inclined to participate in outdoor activities, Surf Club leaders say they hope to create an alternate outlet for their peers. “We want people who don’t know how to surf to learn the sport and possibly discover a new passion, like we once did,” Rodriguez said. “Creating an atmosphere of brotherhood through a sport outside of school is important to us.”

1. Seniors Owen O’Dell, Chase Mack and Jake Falconer paddle forward to get in the right position to catch a wave. Club members met early in the morning to go surfing last Saturday. 2. Senior Owen O’Dell rides a wave during last Saturday’s club outing.

O’Dell was in the group of seniors who resurrected Surf Club after a two-year hiatus. 3. Club outings supervisor Chase Mack leans into a wave in order to keep his balance. Experienced surfers mentored newcomers at each of their past meetings.

4. Senior Jake Falconer prepares to stand up on his surfboard before the wave peaks. Although Surf Club met at Ocean Beach last Saturday, members visit different San Francisco beaches based on weather conditions that might produce larger waves.

Henry Murray

Sports Editor

Henry Murray | The Roundtable

Henry's Huddle

Athletes' political beliefs should not negatively influence their careers Henry Murray Sports Editor

s the November election approaches, athletes and other prominent figures in the sports industry are expressing their political beliefs and actively encouraging the public to engage in the civic responsibility of voting. While many Americans believe in the importance of leaving political beliefs out of sports, athletes in various professional leagues have challenged this concept and used their popularity to bring attention to the issues they care about. Golden State Warriors point

Being able to publicly express views, encourage change without receiving severe backlash is essential to democracy guard Stephen Curry publicly endorsed presidential candidate Joe Biden in late August after openly expressing his discontent for President Trump’s leadership. Countless people praised Curry’s choice, and he received no backlash for his statements. Like Curry, other athletes should be using their freedom of speech in order to encourage the change they desire. After scrolling through a list of numerous athletes who publicly endorsed presidential candidate Joe Biden, I began to wonder how many athletes have

supported President Trump and his reelection campaign. I stumbled upon the story of Quinn Simmons, an American cyclist who was removed from his professional team for his conservative beliefs. After a Dutch journalist asked for any of her followers who supported Trump to unfollow her, Simmons responded with the word, “Bye!” and a waving hand emoji. His remarks shocked many people in the cycling community, and Simmons lost hundreds of followers and faced ridicule

on social media. Once Simmons’s former American team, Trek-Segafredo, discovered the Twitter thread, they made a statement regarding his comments. “Regrettably, team rider Quinn Simmons made statements online that we feel are divisive, incendiary and detrimental to the team, professional cycling, its fans and the positive future we hope to help create for the sport,” Trek-Segafredo said in a statement.” [He] will not be racing for Trek-Segafredo until further notice.”

An American cyclist on an American team coming out in support of the sitting President of the United States and losing his job is wrong and undermines the very democratic principles that this nation is built upon. No athletes, conservative or liberal, should fear expressing their political views in 2020. Democracy has no place for these types of actions. When more people fear expressing their partisan alignment, less political dialogue occurs, only making our nation even more polarized.