Volume 15, Issue 4

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

Volume 15, Issue 4 | Thursday, December 17, 2020

Volunteers find ways to serve community Owen Akel | The Roundtable

SPREADING CHEER Junior Bo Darwin carries a Christmas tree to a customer's car at the Guardsmen Tree Lot as part of his community service commitment on Dec. 13. Darwin and other Stuart Hall students volunteered at the lot regularly during the holiday season, helping the organization sell trees to raise funds for at-risk youth in the Bay Area.

Service events during pandemic include tree lot, food drive, clothes donations

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Owen Akel

Senior Reporter

tudent volunteers are finding ways to serve the community despite COVID-19 restrictions prohibiting large gatherings, ruling out many of the annual Christmas opportunities.

“Service is important to me because of how it contributes to those in our community who are in need – something that seems especially important given the times,” junior Gregory Kosmowski said.

Kosmowski, who volunteered at the Guardsmen tree lot, helped trim, net and tie trees to the cars of those who purchased a tree.

“It definitely wasn’t easy work considering we lugged around heavy trees for five hours,” junior Bo Darwin, who volunteered for the tree lot this year with Kosmowski, said, “but it definitely

felt good knowing I was a part of the magical Christmas experience for many families and little kids.”

The Guardsmen, a non-profit organization, provides private school scholarships to children

within the Bay Area and works to help at-risk children engage in out-of-city experiences “outside the confines of an often harsh inner-city environment,” according to its website.

“Summer camp was a major part of my childhood,” Kosmowski said. “I think camp

is an experience that all kids should have and the fact that the Guardsmen facilitate that is a major part of why I serve there.”

Kosmowski says the work The Guardsmen do for disadvantaged children is especially relevant because of the COVID-19 pandemic's disproportionate effect on lower-income families.

Students in Action, the school service club, is trying to offer as many service opportunities as possible for the Christmas season, even sending out a Google Doc filled with virtual service opportunities.

“It is important for Students in Action to offer students opportunities during COVID-19 because it helps spread awareness that there are many people put at a systemic disadvantage, especially during this pandemic.” Jaylen Chu, an SIA leadership team member, said. “Donating to those in difficult situations is

a step forward in making their lives a little easier.”

Sophomore Julia Kearney has organized a cultural food drive that helps the Mission Neighborhood Center’s home-delivered grocery program.

SPRING SCHEDULE

VIRTUAL TRADITION

Head of School Tony Farrell released information about the Semester 2 schedule, which will continue to follow the current four-session format, with classes rearranged in order to allow AP and IB students to effectively prepare for exams.

Director of Studies Betsy Pfeiffer requested class schedule input from students in November. Co-curricular scheduling has not yet been announced.

Noëls, an annual tradition in which students from all grades sing Christmas songs in several languages for the school community, will occur virtually on Friday.

Although high school language classes are unlikely to perform this year, seniors had the option to record themselves singing "Adeste Fideles" to keep with the annual 12th grade tradition.

“They provide culturally and religiously appropriate food to seniors and families with young children who may be struggling during this pandemic,” Kearney said about the center. “I think it’s especially important for the San Francisco community to support one another during this scary

and overwhelming time.”

The donation window closed Dec. 11, and Kearney said that the drive was overall very successful.

“I haven’t counted all the donations for the month of December yet,” Kearney said, “but the bins at both campuses are looking rather promising. This drive will recur monthly. I want to engage our school in a project that strengthens San Francisco’s diverse community.”

Chu said SIA also organized a socks and underwear drive for the St. Vincent De Paul Homeless Shelter. SIA will continue to offer service opportunities for willing students in the second semester.

“Christmas is a time for giving,” Kosmowski said. “I love volunteering at this time of the year because I feel the work I do to help raise money at the tree lot helps an extremely good cause.”

AEROBICS TRAINING Cross-country coach Michael Buckley is offering cardiovascular training for all students in lieu of fall sports cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Registrants can choose one of four groups, each practicing on a different schedule and holding a maximum of 11 students.

The program mandates social distancing and proper face coverings, and practices are taking place at the Marina Green.

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News

The Roundtable | December 17, 2020

President-elect to face challenges upon taking office in January

Carter Marks | Royals Media

TRANSITION OF POWER President-elect Joe Biden speaks at a rally in Norfolk, Virginia at Booker T. Washington High School. The Electoral College voted on Dec. 15, officially confirming Biden’s victory.

History faculty weigh in on beginning of Biden's term

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Sartaj Rajpal

Editor-in-Chief

resident-elect Joe Biden faces more crises than any of the living former presidents, with climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, racial injustice and a ravaged economy topping critical issues he says he plans on addressing during his term.

Forty-two percent of all registered voters and 68% of Biden voters say climate change is very

important to them, and 26% of voters say it is somewhat important to them, according to the Pew Research Center. Eightytwo percent of Biden voters say managing COVID-19 is crucial, according to another Pew poll.

Partisanship on contentious issues raises questions pertaining to the efficacy of Biden’s plans.

“Global warming and COVID-19 are going to be challenging to deal with because of how polarized the country is,” IB Global Politics teacher Sarah Garlinghouse said. “If the Democrats can control the Senate and the House, they’re more likely to

get legislation through to tackle those main issues, especially global warming.”

The Democratic Party won the House of Representatives by a narrow margin in November, but the Jan. 5 senatorial elections in Georgia will determine control of the Senate. If the Democratic nominees win, Republicans will control 50 seats. If the Republican nominees win, the party will hold a 52-48 majority.

To tackle the country’s disunity, Biden proposed, while campaigning for the presidency, a plan that addresses concerns postulated by opposite ends of the political spectrum.

“He focused on making climate change an issue that focuses on jobs and economics, which is part of his wider appeal toward bipartisanship,” history teacher Jason Konik said. “We’re going to combat climate change, but we’re also going to do it in a way that provides new good jobs for people.”

President Donald Trump’s climate change rollbacks pose roadblocks for the Biden administration. Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement, slackened rules pertaining to automotive emissions and tore down the Clean Power Plan.

Biden says he plans on reentering the Paris Climate Agreement and reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the Clean Air Act while also signing executive orders to ensure that the United States solely utilizes clean energy by 2050, according to his campaign website.

“He’s proposed a plan where

he would spend around $2 trillion over the course of 10 years to invest in carbon neutral or even some carbon removal technologies,” IB History teacher Michael Buckley said. “The idea would be to put the force of the federal government’s investment behind technologies that limit global warming as opposed to those that would make it worse.”

One of the signers of the Paris agreement will be Biden’s climate envoy.

“The fact that he appointed John Kerry as his global warming czar — someone with a lot of experience, a former Secretary of State — shows that global warming is a priority for him and will be for the next four years,” Garlinghouse said.

Biden has detailed plans to expunge the COVID-19 pandemic from the United States.

With cases steadily rising in the United States, he has already established a COVID-19 task force with Vivek Murthy, the Surgeon General during the Obama administration; Marcella NunezSmith, the associate dean of the Yale School of Medicine; David Kessler, the FDA commissioner

from 1990 to 1997.

“The biggest challenge right now is what do we do with this new surge across the country, because our medical resources are tapped to the limit,” Garlinghouse said. “Biden and his team need to think about the distribution of the vaccine. I feel confident that he’s putting together a team of scientists and public health officials that have experience in this area and are beginning to think about a solution.”

Biden says he will invest $25 billion into vaccine development and distribution and wants to separate politics and health by putting scientists in charge of production and publicly releasing vaccine data, according to his campaign website.

The COVID-19 vaccine, however, will take time to distribute, as the population of the United States is too large to immunize all at once.

“Roughly a third of the population might be vaccinated by June, assuming no further developments,” Buckley said. “We have 50 million people that can be inoculated by the Pfizer vaccine within the first few months, and Moderna is going to have about the same amount.”

Biomedical corporations and state governments will play a large role in promoting widespread inoculation.

“Biden should incentivize production and distribution of the vaccine at little to no cost to the average person,” Konik said, “and he needs to find a way to make states and governors to work together to encourage mask-wearing.”

Activist clubs advocate change

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Henry Murray

Sports Editor

tudent activist groups are continuing to work towards influencing change in a variety of issues despite social distancing restrictions due to the global pandemic.

Clubs such as Students Demand Action and People of Color Student Union have been meeting virtually to educate peers about issues such as gun reform and racial equality.

“The goal of Students Demand Action is to raise awareness about gun violence, not only in our school community but in the larger San Francisco community,” club president Cole Matthes said. “I wanted to create a student-led organization with people who have the common interest in advocating for gun reform.”

Matthes says he became interested in the cause after he saw the newly created documentary “Us Kids,” which follows the survivors from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting in 2018.

“After seeing “Us Kids” I was inspired to found SDA and also wanted to give the opportunity for all students to view it,” Matthes said.

SDA raised money to host a free drive-in private screening of the documentary at Fort Mason as a way to spread awareness about the student gun control movement in early November.

“Joining SDA and hosting the viewing of “Us Kids” opened my eyes to how influential and widespread the youth gun reform movement is,” club member Chase Mack said.

SDA is not the only student-led club advocating for social justice. The People of Color Student Union is holding virtual meetings intended to educate peers on issues of racial injustice.

“We have been meeting virtually as a club to discuss the best forms of dialogue,” club member Andre Pang said. “During our virtual meetings we focused on trying to create a stronger community of POCs and allies.”

Students say that membership in the union helps inspire their activism.

“Being a person of color at Stuart Hall, there is not many times when I can interact with other students who have shared similar experiences,” senior D’Angelo Flores, member of the club leadership, said. “POCSU allows me to have these conversations with other fascinating students.”

Student activists say that despite the less than ideal conditions brought on by social distancing, social activism needs to occur whether it is in-person or online.

“Youth should not feel like their voices aren’t heard when it comes to politics,” Matthes said.

“By joining a larger group of individuals who express similar concerns about national issues, students can feel more interested in expressing their beliefs.”

Op-Ed

The Roundtable | December 17, 2020 Staff Editorial

Internet activism is only a start Posting on social media without attending protests is not enough

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t was commonplace to open social media over the summer and click through the story feeds of Convent & Stuart Hall students, seeing post after post regarding Black Lives Matter. Such preformative activism — while good intentioned — is counterproductive, as it dissuades people from engaging in impactful activism.

Such preformative activism was common among young people in general, with 42% of adults aged 18–29 reporting posing a picture on social media to show their support for a social justice cause, according to Pew Research Center. Online activism reached a pinnacle through dissipation of trending posts and hashtags such as #BlackLivesMatter. #BlackLivesMatter’s use skyrocketed in response to the death of George Floyd, a black man killed by police officer Derek Chauvin, reaching 8.8 million — or one-eighth of the United States’s total Twitter users — on May 28, according to Pew Research Center.

Statistics on demonstration turnout show a large disparity between those attending protests and those performing activism via social media. Nearly 4 million Americans used #BlackLivesMatter daily this summer, but only an average of 23,000 Americans attended BLM protests daily, according to the New York Times.

Such a large gap shows that the majority of these so-called activists only act like they care, lacking the conviction to disrupt their daily routines and affect real change through engaging in protests or service, a fact that the majority of Americans know.

Sartaj's Stance

"Biden needs to support small businesses in every way possible as they have been struggling." ­— Monty Buesnel, 12

Robin Tsai | The Roundtable

Seventy-one percent of United States adults either strongly believe or somewhat believe that performative activism “makes people think they are making a difference when they really are not,” according to Statista.

This phenomena results from the release of dopamine within the brain caused by the positive feedback that a post receives via likes, comments and views, which establishes an internally positive correlation between the post and pleasure, according to a story published by Harvard University.

This results in the satisfaction that “makes people think they are making a difference when they really are not,” causing these movements such as to lack substantial ground and lose steam as months and years pass as posts and issues become obsolete.

“With this speed comes weakness, some of it unexpected,” Zeynep Tufekci, professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina, wrote in her book “Twitter and Tear Gas.” “The ease with which current social movements form often fails to signal an organizing capacity powerful enough to threaten those in authority.”

Preformative activism can also spread disinformation and divisive messages. Fifty-two percent of adults said that they spread “Fake News” via social media, according to a Statista Poll.

Additionally, 88% of Americans said that news they see on social media has purposefully sensationalist and inflammatory content, according to Pew. While certainly not flawless, in-person demonstration and

engagement is a tried and true method that eliminates the negative outcomes associated with preformative activism.

The most decisive and persuading statements made in the history of social justice were largely influenced by in-person demonstrations such as the Boston Tea Party, the women's suffrage parades and the March on Washington.

Fighting for a cause, however, does not need to be something as large and impactful literally changing the world.

Anyone can further a cause they support through engaging in service, organizing a small fundraiser or attending a public forum.

Think before sharing a trending post or hashtag from your feed — because change requires more than an Instagram story.

Music awards marred by lack of inclusion, diversity Sartaj Rajpal Editor-in-Chief

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ocial media posts by both Drake and The Weeknd criticizing the Grammy Awards for a lack of transparency with the music industry are drawing attention to the Grammys’ biased awards selection process.

The Weeknd says the Grammys are “corrupt” after receiving no nominations for his chart-topping, record-breaking album “After Hours.”

His claim isn’t just sour grapes, and his anger is warranted. He deserved to win in one, if not two or three, categories. It’s not surprising that the Grammy Awards voting committee lacks the diversity necessary to adequately represent the entire

What is the most important issue Biden needs to address?

The Weeknd brings attention to biased selection process after receiving no nominations for record-breaking album music industry.

The Recording Academy, which presents the Grammy Awards, and its constituents are fraught with duplicity, according to former Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dugan, who recently filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint alleging that selection committees were mainly comprised of Caucasian males during her time there.

“As of April 2018, women made up only 20% of the Academy’s Voting Members,” the complaint reads. “[A] lack of diversity in the voting membership was a serious problem.”

The homogeneity of the Grammy Awards’ selection com-

mittee reflects a lack of representation in the music industry as a whole.

Only 9.3% of nominees for a Grammy Award between 2013 and 2018 were female, and women comprised just 22.4% of artists who had Billboard Hot 100 song entries, according to a study by the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Visible minorities fare only slightly better than women in the Grammy Awards.

“The racial diversity numbers still reflected significant underrepresentation of the Asian-American and Hispanic communities in the membership,” the complaint reads. “In

the entire history of the Grammy Awards, only 10 Black artists have won Album of the Year.”

As a person of color and an artist myself, I find it appalling that the Recording Academy, a company which is supposed to “represent the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals,” according to its website, still has entrenched partiality to majority groups.

The Weeknd was right for speaking out. It’s time for the Grammy Awards to become more inclusive. Voting committees should aim to uplift the most promising, talented artists irrespective of any external factors, be it race or gender.

"The president-elect needs to try and get the pandemic under control." ­— Matthew Lim, 11

"The most important issue that Biden needs to cover is racial inequality and reforming the police." ­— Tommy Smith, 11

"How we should deal with the virus, and how we should distribute the vaccine." ­— Reagan Calaguas, 9

@shhs_roundtable

@shhs.roundtable

@shhs_roundtable

Staff Sartaj Rajpal | Editor-in-Chief Nik Chupkin | Editor-in-Chief Henry Murray | Sports Editor Owen Akel | Web Editor 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 & Health

Athletics return pushed back indefinitely

Coaches offer training, conditioning

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Will Burns

Senior Reporter

s 2020 draws to a close, hopeful student-athletes are looking forward to a possible return to team-based athletics in the new year.

After originally being scheduled for a Dec. 14 return, the California Interscholastic Federation is currently awaiting announcement from the California Department of Public Health on moving forward, and has pushed back the return to athletics indefinitely.

“There's no formal team sports in California at this time,” cross-country coach Michael Buckley said. “The governing body for high school athletics in California has suspended its seasons until January. So there's no official team sports or competitions right now.”

The CIF also canceled state and regional championships for all Season 1 sports, which were supposed to take place during the fall, after the recent spike of COVID-19 in California.

“This revision to the CIF State 2020-21 Season 1 sports calendar offers our sections and leagues the flexibility and needed time to plan for the return to practice and competition once updated guidance is provided by the CDPH,” the CIF wrote in a press release.

While the possibility of some school-sanctioned sports returning earlier than others remains, so does students’ ability to organize their own practices. This behavior, however, is discouraged.

“As our state and country are continuing to deal with the current public health crisis, we need to be cognizant about best practices to slow the spread of the virus,” Dana Kuwahara, Head of Athletics & Physical Education, wrote in an email to the school.

“We want to encourage you to stay active but please do so safely and within our county rules.”

Teams caught practicing outside of school prior to a lift in CDPH restrictions could lose eligibility for future seasons, according to Kuwahara. Students, however, are not without options.

“We're able to offer some athletic classes and athletic experiences that are outside of the realm of team sports, in accordance with the public health requirements,” Buckely said.

The school is offering strength and conditioning workouts with coach Barclay Spring on the Broadway Campus as well as cardio-based, running-oriented workouts with Buckley at the Marina Green.

“If public health measures are effective, the wave of COVID-19 infections recedes, and the vaccination starts to taper down transmission, then maybe more normal athletic activities would be possible,” Buckley said.

The Roundtable | December 17, 2020

Wellness counselors offer support Mental health resources include advice webinars, small conversation events Ansh Ghayalod & Nik Chupkin

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Reporters

tudent Support Resources are at the forefront of the mental health program in a time of what many teens are experiencing as isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A lot of schools push mental health to the side and focus mainly on academic counseling and college counseling, where this community does have that mental health focus in mind,” Wellness Counselor Caitlin Walsh said.

Walsh, along with fellow wellness counselor Roberto Parris, have been adapting to virtual sessions with students in compliance with COVID-19 safety restrictions, as well as hosting a number of conversation events.

“Online counseling I can do, and I have had practice with it so it's working for me fine,” Parris said. “My preference is in-person because I enjoy being one-on-one with students and people and getting a sense of their energy and who they are.”

The school has also been facilitating webinars with nationally recognized psychologist Lisa Damour, during which she discussed sensitive topics such as grades, college pressure, relationships, and sexual and mental health while accepting anonymous student questions.

“It's hard to discuss things with your parents or an older sibling,” Walsh said. “It helps to have those kinds of third party people and be able to talk to her and ask those really tough or super awkward questions.”

Following Damour’s webinars, Parris and Walsh hosted small events for students to pro-

Henry's Huddle

Nik Chupkin | The Roundtable

cess the information, continue the conversation and answer further questions.

“We want to offer a space for students to come and pro-

cess anything that they’re going through or talk about things that feel uncertain,” Parris said.

“We hope to build an emotional wellness resiliency type of culture.”

Although turnout for these events was small, Parris says that he and Walsh plan to host

more of them in the second semester and that more students have shown an interest in attending.

“Our purpose for creating these is to let the school community know that we are available and we are around,” Parris said. “Anything new in the form of being vulnerable is going to be small. It’s one of those things that will develop over time.”

Although teens most often need short-term support for a particular issue, Parris recommends that on-campus students in crisis see an administrator in the case that a wellness counselor is not available, and virtual students talk to their parents or a trusted adult, calling 911 as a last resort.

“If it’s a crisis, I’m always an advocate for 911, and then depending on where they’re at their parents, and then down

the tier line to people they trust, preferably an adult,” Parris said.

Some students say they appreciate the school’s nuanced approach to community mental health.

“I feel like if I were ever stressed about anything or needed to talk to someone about my mental health,” Puccinelli said, “not only would the counselors be there, but I would feel comfortable talking to my teachers as well, since I have good relationships with them.”

Counselors say they invite students to use them as a resource for anything they may need help with.

“What I see so far is a lot of support here with academic support, athletic support and support in wellness,” Walsh said.

“We are just here as a support and as a resource, and if that helps everyone, that would truly exceed our goals.”

Leagues must reevaluate approach to transgender athletes Henry Murray Sports Editor

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s society begins to percieve gender as a spectrum rather than a binary, powerful figures in the world of sports are dealing with a complex ethical dilemma regarding transgender athletes.

The success stories are undeniable.

Male-to-female transgender athletes around the world have been making headlines for their athletic accomplishments prior to the inhibition of sports during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the professional level, transgender olympic weightlifter Laurel Hubbard won two gold medals in the Pacific Open last year.

CeCé Telfer, a transgender

Testosterone suppression may be possible solution to physiological advantage of transgender competitors collegiate track and field athlete, won the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championship. Telfer also competed at the Division II level as a male in 2016 and 2017, and ranked 200th and 390th, respectively, in the 400 meter hurdles.

Although some believe that allowing female transgender athletes to compete in women's sports demonstrates progress, the practice can be unfair towards cisgender female athletes.

Biological men are generally stronger and faster than biological women, giving them a significant advantage in athletic competition. Two thousand professional male athletes had a faster 100 meter time than the

fastest female sprinter in the world, according to “The Economist”.

Although social progress and tolerance might be the new paramount values in sports, human physiology must not be disregarded if society still believes fairness is essential to competition.

There exist different approaches to resolve the inherent unfairness that arises from allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's divisions.

The NCAA has chosen to reduce the standardized amount of the male sex hormone testosterone in female transgender athletes' bodies through blood sampling, which requires the

scientific process of testosterone suppression.

A Swedish research group studied testosterone suppression in 11 transgender female athletes and found decreases in strength and muscle mass.

There is a serious problem if governing bodies in the sports world turn a blind eye to the empirical effects of testosterone suppression.

Sports leauges can only resolve the contention surrounding male-to-female transgender athletes by deciding to what extent social progress should be a factor in a fair competition.

Fairness should be the most important factor in a competition and must always be upheld.