Tower THE
details
PHILOSOPHY
The Tower is a student-run publication at The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, CA. Writers and editors work together under the guidance of a faculty advisor to enhance the Bishop’s community and stimulate meaningful conversation through the collection and distribution of news. The Tower aims to educate the Bishop’s community about issues and events that pertain to the experience of young adults. Sections of The Tower include Campus, Arts, Sports, Culture, Local & Beyond, Opinion, and The Bell. The Tower prints multiple issues each academic year, in addition to continuous online content.
POLICY
The Tower refrains from prior review of its issues, and maintains the right to publish anonymous quotes when the privacy of the individual is a concern. All quotes are subject to editing for clarity and length. Opinions expressed in The Tower do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff or of the Bishop’s School.
COLOPHON
The Tower is printed by Streeter Printing Company in Mira Mesa, CA. The Staff uses Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator to arrange photographs and graphics, and distributed 300 copies of this issue to the Bishop’s community. Typefaces include Saonara for the cover; Public Sans for the headlines, bylines, and subtitles; Minion Pro for the body text. This issue and previous issues of The Tower are available digitally on issuu.com.
THE BELL
The Bell is a section of The Tower that intends to serve as a relief from the depth of the magazine. Satire, puzzles, quizzes, and the like are frequent inside The Bell.
CONTRIBUTORS
Editors-in-Chief
Ben Brown
Summer Hu
GraphicsEditor
Lisa Pan
Online Editor
Melanie Yau
ManagingEditor
Nora Bitar
Lead
Content Editor
Lucy Marek
Content Editors
Anna Yang Yina Shate
FacultyAdvisor
Ms. Laine Remignanti
The 2024 Presidential Election has been full of unexpected twists and turns, explosions of opinions, an attempted assassination — and even a last-minute dropout. It has already proven to be a ground-breaking, historical election that our country will remember for years to come. We are actively living through this important event and hearing the disheartened reactions of our fellow students in real time. In this issue, Ben Brown (‘25), Summer Hu (‘25), and Yina Shate (‘26) dive deep into their reflections of the disillusionment surrounding this election from the next generation of voters: us.
THE TOWER IS REACHING NEW HEIGHTS:
HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT
1
STUDENT
JOURNALISTS
REPORT THE TRUTH
According to the Society of Professional Journalists, journalists have a responsibility to hold power to account and seek the truth and report it. We plan to use these tenets to guide our reporting. We will cover topics and events that matter to the community, and investigate stories that impact our readers. Last year, The Tower investigated the global travel program’s status, which fueled change and clarification for the community. We aim to continue on that legacy of writing with a purpose in order to not only emphasize investigation in the newsroom, but also provide the opportunity for the community to guide and inform our reporting. If there is something you feel The Tower should report or investigate, you can reach out to Editors-in-Chief Summer Hu (‘25) and Ben Brown (‘25) at summer.hu.25@bishops.com and ben.brown.25@bishops.com respectively or thetower@bishops.com. We’re here to listen.
2
CAMPUS CENTRIC COVERAGE
CONTACT
The Tower
c/o The Bishop’s School 7607 La Jolla Blvd, La Jolla, CA 92037 www.thebishopstower.com thetower@bishops.com IG @thebishopstower TW @thebishopstower
Spotify: @thebishopstower
Email: thetower@bishops.com
3 QUOTE VERIFICATION POLICY CHANGE
The Tower has long covered both timely news occurring on and off campus, such as community events and sports games, and timeless news such as profiles and cultural analysis. This year, while we will preserve our meaningful timeless coverage, we aim to continue to focus our coverage on timely, newsworthy events happening within and around the Bishop’s community. We hope to diversify our coverage by utilizing a beat system piloted two years ago, so nothing is missed under our watch. The Tower is the official publication of the school, so it is our responsibility to cover all relevant, breaking news.
All members of the Bishop’s community are invited to submit letters to the Editors-in-Chief by visiting our website, www.thebishopstower.com, and clickingonthe‘SubmitLetter’tab.
4 GUEST CONTRIBUTORS
Journalists empower readers with knowledge: we want you to know that anytime you talk to a journalist, assume your comments are on the record, unless you request otherwise. Here’s a clarification of and update to our process in quoting our community members.
“Quote verification, while typically not a standard policy at professional publications, is a privilege The Tower extends to faculty and staff after initial interviews out of respect, courtesy, and in an effort to get the story right. It is a form of prior review, not prior restraint, meaning that a source cannot withhold their quotes or delay publication if said on the record. Sources will have the opportunity to review their quotes and suggest minor adjustments to increase clarity and accuracy. The Tower will carefully consider any requested edits that increase accuracy and transparency. We ask that sources respond to the quote verification email within 48 hours if they would like their suggestions to be considered before publication.”
In recent years, national newspapers have increasingly embraced guest contributors for reporting and opinions. This is because, often, an expert on a topic can better report and articulate the issue and/or their opinion on it than a student journalist can. Thus, The Tower hopes to promote more guest articles, specifically opinions, from people at Bishop’s who are deeply connected to a topic. The Tower hopes this will also allow our readers to directly hear the voices of our community. This could be students, teachers, administrators, staff, parents, coaches, or any other member of the Bishop’s community. Please email thetower@bishops.com if you have an article idea you would like to write, so we can offer our guidelines and framework. The Tower accepts opinion pieces only if they are backed by sufficient research. The Tower rarely accepts class assignments, such as informative or literary essays, or rants. Please look through articles on The Tower’s website for examples and guidance. Guest writers will receive two rounds of edits and, only if revised to our standards, will be published on our website and the newsletter.
Cover by Ben Brown (‘25)
Dear Bishop’s,
We are back! After almost three months away, I could not be more excited to begin the school year, and start leading The Tower. Over the summer, I had the privilege of writing for a newspaper in Boston, where I learned how to report on topics I had never before had to — protests, encampments, and deaths. The experience taught me a lot about myself, and, importantly, about what role I see The Tower having on campus this year.
BA very eye opening part of my summer was when I met with a former war journalist who spent the 1990s in Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. In his time, it did not matter how strong a journalist’s beliefs were, they only reported the facts. This allowed the reader to fully form their own opinions. This man watched young children starve in Baghdad and witnessed the murder of his own friend and co-reporter in Bosnia. Still, he learned to swallow his strong opinions and report the facts. He understood the power and impact journalists have in society. Words, when articulated in the right way, have the ability to change people’s minds. That is why he was careful with his reporting.
Unfortunately, as he pointed out, more and more journalists are abusing this influential power today. Reporting has become more political and opinionated. Factual, unbiased coverage is harder to come by. Our society has become so disillusioned by the media that conservatives refuse to watch MSNBC and liberals detest Fox News Journalism becoming associated with specific political identities continues to make people more close-minded, which only further polarizes our nation.
I do not intend to frighten anyone with this picture of our media landscape and modern society. It is simply a wake up call to be more aware of your tendencies. Do not walk away from one article in one publication and think you are suddenly an expert on the topic. Be humble. Be unsure of yourself. Embrace the fact that you do not know. Most importantly, be more receptive to others’ opinions, because it might just change the way you think about the world.
This year, my focus as an Editor-in-Chief alongside Summer is to make sure The Tower embraces a more diverse range of coverage and amplifies the voices of everyone in our community. One way I want to do this is through publishing more guest articles, something many publications are doing more and more throughout the past year. I invite anyone and everyone on campus — from students to teachers, administrators to staff, and parents to coaches — to reach out to The Tower if you are interested in writing an article, so we can offer guidelines and framework to best get you published. I also encourage anyone to email us if you have a question, suggestion, or tip (which we will always keep private) if you feel there is something The Tower needs to report or investigate.
In this issue, I can already see the beginning of a strong year for The Tower. Articles vary from Melanie Yau’s (‘26) campus-based reporting on student’s summer jobs to Lisa Pan’s (‘26) thoughtful, personal reflection on autism to political coverage on student’s changing perceptions of democracy by Yina Shate (‘26), Summer Hu (‘25), and me. While there are surly stories and voices yet to be shared, The Tower hopes everyone can learn something new in this issue and expand their way of thinking.
Dear Bishop’s,
ABest,
Ben Brown
Co-Editor in Chief
nd so the 2024-25 Tower saga begins. Over the summer, I was doing a lot of self-reflection — typical of a senior who is going into college application season. And of course, with that, if you know me, came an innate desire to grow. Looking back, I realize how much I’ve changed since arriving at Bishop’s in 6th grade — and much I can continue to grow. To me, change is necessary and exciting. The same logic applies to The Tower. I’m absolutely thrilled for all of the new ideas and plans for development we’re bringing to The Tower and Bishop’s this year, as noted in the updates page. Fellow Editor-in-Chief Ben Brown (‘25) mentioned a few, but I wanted to add one more: a commitment to serving the community through our journalism. This means making our angles campus-centric, so that we, as we like to say on The Two-Knights Show, “tell stories that matter” to Bishop’s — whether that be students, faculty, or parents. This means regularly reaching out and contacting members of the community through our beat system to generate coverage that has a direct impact and connection. I hope this shift in mission and purpose will be felt this year.
When we’re not the ones motivating change, it is also simultaneously occurring around us — and that’s always going to stir a variety of emotions. When someone changes the norm, the status quo, it’s bound to cause some uneasiness. I mean, heck, look at the whirlwind of an election this summer. As I witnessed change within our country happen before my very eyes, I couldn’t help but react with a plethora of emotions. I was shaking my head in disbelief during the presidential debate. I was staring, mouth hanging wide-open, when my dad told me former President Donald Trump was shot in the ear. I pressed my fingers into my temples when I heard Biden mis-introduce Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. My heart quickened when Vice President Kamala Harris announced her bid for presidency.
The emotions that whirled within my consciousness was and still is, to put it in Gen Z’s language, “chaotic.” With all the change happening in quick succession, it felt as if we were experiencing whiplash.
But that doesn’t mean we don’t have a say in that change.
I, along with Content Editor Yina Shate (‘26), Ben, and countless interviewees from Generation Z, wanted to dissect those reactions to all of that change. With this article, we hope to articulate our perspectives in a political sphere that is all too easy for young voices to get lost in. After all, change is most effective when a collective advocates for it.
SIn addition to our reflections on the election, Anna Yang (‘26) offers a concise breakdown of all the changes regarding standardized testing this year — and how that will affect students. With the Olympics coming up, differences in international play are all too easy to notice. Nora Bitar (‘25) analyzes these differences between European and U.S. sports systems.
I hope that this issue inspires you, in part, to voice your own opinions and perhaps even your own desire for change.
Warmly, Summer Hu
Co-Editor in Chief
Bitar
Shate
Shate & Ben Brown
summer blossoming
A
look into how Bishop’s students are developing their interpersonal skills over the summer
Melanie Yau
Summer break: the time of year every Bishop’s student looks forward to from the first day of school, and a time to catch up on something that somehow vanished for the whole school year — relaxation.
While hanging out at the beach and sleeping (more than usual) were musts this past summer break, many upper school students spent the summer developing themselves personally and academically. Through working summer jobs at places like the San Diego County Fair, Brick and Bell, and La Jolla Kayak, or conducting detailed experiments at research internships, students gained valuable interpersonal skills.
Adelaide Kessler (‘25) spent her summer working the kettle corn booth at the San Diego County Fair. She decided to work there because her friend had done so the year before. The fair, filled with brightly lit neon lights, the chatter of excited families, and the whoosh of thrilling rides, provided a perfect balance between work and relaxation.
“The atmosphere of the
fair…is really fun and energetic…I still find time to enjoy myself, but it is very useful to give you something to do and keep you productive,” Adelaide said.
However, working at a place buzzing with so many people can be draining. Adelaide described that the hardest part of her job was when it got extremely busy. Although difficult, she added, “I think [summer jobs] provide very valuable real world experience. Interacting with people every day and getting a feel for what it’s like to work with customers enables you to have a lot more empathy towards other everyday workers you encounter.”
One neighborhood away, Lotte Lightner (‘26) spent her summer at the cozy cafe of Brick and Bell, working alongside the hum of coffee machines,
the murmur of conversation, and gentle background music. Lotte explained that the job had various parts to it, including taking orders at the register, serving drinks and pastries to the customers, cleaning, and restocking ingredients.
Despite being a completely different environment from the fair, Lotte learned the same valuable lessons, such as interacting with customers. “Whether they come to get a coffee and a scone every day or they are visiting from across the country… it taught me several skills that are useful and great to know for future employment and everyday life,” Lotte said.
While customer interactions are exciting, Lotte described how they can also be challenging. She said, “The hardest part is making sure that all the customers are happy and satisfied with their orders, specifically at the busiest times of the day when it is easiest to make a small order mistake.”
Madeline Luscomb (‘25), who worked at La Jolla Kayak, agreed with Lotte’s perspective. She explained that dealing with angry customers was one of the hardest parts of her job, and oftentimes customers got angry over things that were completely out of her control.
“I’ve had customers come in angry about not getting on an earlier kayak tour. Also, there have been many phone calls where people had an attitude about the availability of certain tour times,” she described. However, Maddie explained that this has taught her customer service skills and helped her learn about the real world.
Maddie concluded that her job “has really taught me a lot about being a hard worker and having skills that you will eventually need for a career. Summer jobs are really great and are a good opportunity to meet a lot of good people and be in a fun environment.”
But, jobs were not the only way students chose to gain some experience over the summer. With internships, students not only grew as individuals but also as students. Selene Wang (‘25) interned at the Badran Lab at the Scripps Research Institute, one of the world’s leading research institutions in biochemistry and molecular biology.
Eleanor Meyer (‘26) worked as a counselor for UCSD’s Knock Around Camp this past summer. She reflected, “Working as a camp counselor improved my communication skills since I had to work with people in college and high school while also ensuring the campers were safe and happy.”
Though in an academic environment, Selene’s time in the lab also helped her develop interpersonal skills. “At the start of my internship, I had to learn my way around the lab, which required me to communicate well with my mentor and with the other researchers….I have learned about a more professional style of communication that is used in the workplace.”
Whether it be through talking to customers or exploring a new career path, taking on a summer job or internship can be time-consuming. However, they can cultivate skills students can carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Selene explained, “I get to learn new things every day, whether it be experimental techniques or the science behind what I am doing. As long as you have the time for it, getting an internship, regardless of what setting or area it is in, is a really great opportunity to learn and even figure out your future career path.”
Lotte Lightner (‘26) worked at Brick and Bell over the summer. She explained, “Having a job the past two summers has taught me several skills that are useful and great to know for future employment and everyday life.”
Interacting with people every day and getting a feel for what it’s like to work with customers enables you to have a lot more empathy towards other everyday workers you encounter.
Photo courtesy of Lotte Lightner (‘26)
EUROPEANS & AMERICANS: LEAGUES OF THEIR OWN EUROPEANS & AMERICANS: LEAGUES OF THEIR OWN
Football or soccer; it’s more that just semantics — sports in the US and Europe are in their own ballparks
It’s the seventh inning. The stadium is filled to the brim with people sporting jerseys and baseball caps as they bang loud plastic trinkets in their hands. The smell of hot dogs and nachos fills the air as everyone sings “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” before the home team goes up to bat.
It’s the 90th minute. Every gaze is on the field as a giant flag billows in the stands, held up by hundreds of people. The unmistakable, universal ba-ba-ba-ba-babam-bam soccer chant from The White Stripes’s “Seven Nation Army” fills the stadium, as a last-minute penalty kick goal decides the fate of the game.
Two matches with everything and nothing in common. One may be baseball and one maybe be soccer, but they’re both sports games. They’re both overflowing with passionate fans. And yet, when you take a closer look, they’re vastly different. Baseball, in addition to basketball and foot ball, is a classic American sport, while
cer is the most popular sport throughout all of Europe—with rugby also garnering a strong fanbase. But the differences certainly don’t stop there. Whether it’s the U.S. draft process compared to the relegation system used in Europe, the academy versus college model to develop players, or the role advertisements and money play, it’s hard to find an aspect that doesn’t differ in some way.
For starters, European and American sports leagues differ in structure. In European soccer, relegation means that the bottom teams in a league move down a division, and the top teams move up a division. This is the case for essentially every soccer league in Europe, from Italy’s Serie A to England’s Premier League to Turkey’s Süper Lig. In rugby, there is also relegation between leagues. Starting next season, factors like “attendance, catchment area, and facilities” in addition to on-field performance will decide whether a team is promoted between league levels.
The U.S., on the other hand, has closed leagues, with no relegation or promotion at all. This means teams that are in a top division like the NFL
(National Football League) or NBA
(National Basketball League) have a fixed position there. In the U.S., teams can also move cities, like the Chargers who used to be San Diego-based but are now based in Los Angeles.
“What I think drives passionate fan bases is when local communities are tied to teams,” explained History Teacher Dr. Will Peters, a fan of U.S. and European sports. “In Europe, every town [or] city has a sports team and it breeds pride.” He added that though local pride exists in the U.S. too, it’s less present as a result of teams being able to move cities. “It still baffles me that teams can just up and leave,” Dr. Peters said. In Europe, “They can’t leave the city. If the team does poorly, the town feels it. Relegation matters.”
American sports and European soccer’s player development processes also differ. The U.S. uses a draft system, which means that professional teams select college players. The team with the worst record in the previous season generally gets the first draft pick to even out competition for the next year. This system is used for the MLB (Major League Baseball), the NFL, and the NBA, among others. Clare Malhotra (‘22), a fan of men’s and women’s soccer, explained that “A lot of the American sports model [revolves around] the fact that if the teams are more even and more competitive, then the league is more enjoyable to watch.” This system relies on the development of college players who can then be drafted.
But in Europe, it’s completely different, because players don’t play their sport in college. “In Europe, you hear about the soccer academies like La Masia (Barce-
lona), Benfica, RB Salzburg, Man City… where a lot of future stars develop,” David Lai (‘25) explained. 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, for example, came through the Barcelona youth system and now plays for Barcelona. Lionel Messi also came from the Barcelona youth system.
Interestingly, starting in 2020, rugby introduced drafts exclusively for prospective players coming from American and Canadian colleges aiming to “provide a pathway” for North American talent.
Even though both European and American sports focus on player development, both are also guilty of relying on money for players and support. Real Madrid, for example, obtained young star Jude Bellingham for €103 million last season. Obscene prices like these can be harmful, because, as Mr. Peters put it, many bigger clubs like Manchester City and Manchester United “have formed dynasties over the years.” He added, “Smaller clubs simply cannot compete with these teams and never will unless financial regulations are brought more into view.”
While American sports tend to have more salary caps, it’s impossible to argue that they aren’t also commercial. The main reason why the Chargers moved to Los Angeles was because they would have more money there than in San Diego. Commercialization is also a large part of why the draft system exists — to breed more competitive games that people will want to watch and buy tickets for. And it’s impossible to ignore the obscene amount of advertising in American sports. According to Medium, in soccer, only around 7.5% of
Nora Bitar
a 110 minute broadcast are ads.
In American football 29% of the broadcast is ads, in basketball it’s 32%, and in baseball it’s 23%.
Dr. Peters theorized that rugby and soccer are not promoted on American channels because of lack of opportunity for ad breaks. “What company [or] network is going to pay for 45 minutes of uninterrupted sport with no opportunity to push a product on you?” he asked. The differences between the two models begs the question of why these sports are run so differently: a lot of it is reflective of the culture.
University of North Carolina (UNC) played a basketball game versus Virginia Tech on February, 17, 2024. Fans put their arms up in the air, a tradition at UNC basketball games anytime a free throw is being taken.
“I think that, in general, Europe is a bit more community-oriented than the U.S., which is really, really individualistic,” Clare said. A Pew Research Center Survey reflects this view. According to the survey, “58% [of] Americans believe it is more important for everyone to be free to pursue their life’s goals without interference from the state.” The same survey mentions that 67%, 64%, 62%, and 55% of people in Spain, France, Germany, and Britain respectively believe “the state should ensure that nobody is in need,” compared to “about four-in-ten or fewer [that] consider being free from state interference a higher priority.”
And yet, in soccer today, it is hard to ignore the commercialization that exists in Europe as well. Back in 2017, PSG bought Neymar Jr. for €222 million. As David said, “You do see how much of a role brand deals, jersey sales…stadium tickets, box seats, suites, merchandise, etc. play in both Europe and U.S..” At the end of the day, as Dr. Peters put it, “Sport is all entertainment. It’s a product…I love sports, but it’s all a game.”
As a TISA article put it, “American society values winning and individual achievement, and this is reflected in the way sports are played and viewed.” Dr. Peters added that “the franchise model is a sound reflection of American hypercapitalism. Sports teams just feel more like a product here than in Europe.”
THEY’RE BOTH SPORTS GAMES. THEY’RE BOTH OVERFLOWING WITH PASSIONATE FANS. AND YET, WHEN YOU TAKE A CLOSER LOOK, THEY’RE VASTLY DIFFERENT.
Sweden and Italy battle in a group stage match from the 2016 Euro in France, ultimately ending in a 1-0 victory for Italy.
Photo courtesy of Mira Gowda (‘22)
Photo courtesy of Nora Bitar (‘25)
THE HATING GAME
It’s the third quarter in a heated match between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever. Fans hold their breaths as the Fever takes out the ball. Suddenly, Fever star rookie Caitlin Clark is sent tumbling to the ground by Sky guard Chennedy Carter and called a “B*tch.” Some called it a classic rookie welcome. Others called it an unneeded cheap-shot. Officially, it was called a flagrant foul.
Clark, a standout from the University of Iowa Women’s Basketball team, is the newest hot topic of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Averaging 16.0 points and 7.1 assists per game, she’s garnered attention not only for her basketball prowess, but her disputes with other WNBA players — both on the court and off.
In a post-game interview, Clark responded to Carter’s hip-check. “It’s not a basketball play but gotta play through it,” she said. In general, Clark has stayed out of the controversy. Carter declined to comment after the incident, but later posted on Twitter a seeming slight against the rookie. “Beside three point shooting what does [Clark] bring to the table man?” Carter said with a laughing emoji.
The incident spawned a slew of sports pundits and media to theorize why Clark was being treated so aggressively. Carter came under scrutiny for what was perceived as unnecessary force. Other incidents that fueled the narrative include Clark receiving a painful foul from Seattle Storm center Ezi Magbegor and Phoenix Mercury player Kahleah Copper confronting Clark angrily after she swatted a ball that would have hit Copper from behind.
Some, like Girls’ Basketball Team player Margo Leong (‘27), thought the incident was to be expected, observing that Carter was a “competitive and feisty player with lots of energy.” While Clark supporters asserted that Carter was jealous, Margo felt these claims were exaggerated. “Though this doesn’t justify her shove, I don’t think that Chennedy shoved [Clark] because she is jealous, but because that is who she is as a player,” she said, citing Carter’s 2020 sus-
pension from the Atlanta Dream for “conduct detrimental to the team.”
Others were disheartened.“I was extremely upset,” fellow teammate Kamaili Lasua (‘27) said. “I understand that one can get extremely emotional during a game but that does not give her the right to slam a player like that.” Kamaili added that Carter’s actions made her feel that they were intentional and attention-seeking. Her teammate Ayla Johnson (‘26) also felt dismayed. “Honestly, I am disappointed that some other WNBA players cannot recognize the viewership that Caitlin Clark has brought to the game,” she said.
Indeed, Clark brought the WNBA an unprecedented amount of attention and money this season. Clark received 700,735 votes for an All-Star slot (fans make up 50% of the vote and players/media each make up 25%), beating last year’s top vote-getter A’ja Wilson by 604,875 votes. While other big-name rookies like Angel Reese and Cameron Brink have contributed to an increase in overall WNBA viewership, there is no doubt Clark has led the numbers. The Fever alone attracts 16,683 fans for home and 15,141 fans for away games — both of which are the league’s leading numbers, according to Yahoo Sports.
Margo, who attended several WNBA games, noted that, visually, games look a lot different from the past. In 2022, she attended a Las Vegas Aces’ game, who won the WNBA championship. “I’d say there were only about 3,000 people at the game, so I can only imagine the worst team in the league having even less fans in attendance,” she said. This year, Margo attended a sold-out Los Angeles Sparks versus Fever game with 20,000 attendees. Though it was an away game for the Fever, she noticed that many fans sported Clark or Iowa gear.
As Ayla put it, “When it comes to the WNBA as a business rather than a league, the viewership and the enthusiasm towards women’s basketball is what the WNBA needs to prosper.”
So, if Clark is generating so much positive viewership and revenue for the
WNBA, what is behind the seemingly cold welcome Clark is receiving from the league? Before Clark entered the WNBA, both veterans and WNBA stars were hesitant to recognize Clark as a game-changer, even after she took her team to the NCAA championships and broke the record for the all-time leading scorer across men’s and women’s Division 1 collegiate basketball. Basketball legend and previous women’s all-time leading scorer Lynette Woodward denied that Clark broke her record. “My record was hidden for 43 years…I don’t think my record has been broken,” she said. Current New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart said in an interview that Clark needed a college championship to be considered an all-time great.
Another justification for this poor treatment is that it’s classic rookie hazing. Retired Miami Heat star Dwayne Wade said on his podcast “The Why” that the apparent hazing was really just veterans and players seeing if Clark was “built for this league.” “This
“
these comments as intentional jabs towards the rookie star. However, Ayla theorized that while “some viewers might call this jealousy,” she felt it was “a human reaction to being, in a way, replaced by the next generation of athletes.”
“I think that current WNBA players see Caitlin Clark as a threat to their recognition in the sport,” Ayla said. “To them, Caitlin Clark is like the new shiny toy that all women’s basketball fans are obsessed with, which leaves them at the back of fans’ minds.”
On The Daily Show, ESPN analyst Monica McNutt addressed the heated exchange between her and Stephen A. Smith on First Take after Carter’s flagrant foul against Clark. McNutt was frustrated that a foul was leading the broadcast segment. “While Caitlin is fantastic and I think she’s gonna have an incredible career in the WNBA, there are women that were worthy of coverage prior to her arriving,” she said.
Drawing from her own experienc-
with the expectations of many Americans.”
As a white woman, Clark’s identity gives her an edge. As David Dennis Jr. said in ANDSCAPE, “One of the prevailing stereotypes about Black women is that they have an inherent jealousy of white women, especially white women they’re supposed to be in competition with.” This stereotype, some claim, aids the WNBA versus Clark narrative.
Additionally, former professional NBA star and current television analyst Charles Barkley called out the Clark haters. “You women out there, y’all petty man,” he said, “Caitlin Clark, thank you for bringing all that money and shine to the WNBA.” Although Barkley had supporters, this comment was seen as problematic in multiple ways, as it played on sexist stereotypes and was perceived by WNBA players as discrediting other players’ work.
Regardless of opinions on whether Clark is receiving unfair treatment by the league, it is clear the discourse has occu-
Some viewers might call this jealousy but I think that it is a human reaction to being replaced by the next generation of athletes.
AYLA JOHNSON (‘26)
is basketball,” he said, “What do you think they’re gonna do? You think they’re going to just let someone come in and just [give them 30 points]!”
However, Ayla wishes that the older, more experienced players “would take [Clark] under their wing and show her the respect that she deserves rather than making her feel like she is not wanted in the league.”
Phoenix Mercury veteran Diana Taurasi also voiced her opinion during Clark’s NCAA run, which Clark fans perceived as threatening. On an ESPN broadcast, Taurasi said that “Reality [was] coming” for Clark. “You look superhuman playing against some 18-year-olds but you’re going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time,” she said. Clark’s fans and supporters viewed
es, Ayla noted that camaraderie and sportsmanship are essential to team culture. “The Bishop’s Girls’ Basketball team is a family built on encouragement and mutual respect, which are both necessary in order to have success as a team,” she said.
Above all, McNutt voiced dissatisfaction with the WNBA versus Caitlin Clark narrative, which she felt was perpetuated by the Carter-Clark incident. Other players also accused the media of skewing the story. Some even claimed that this narrative put forth by mainly male commentators and media developed as a result of racist and sexist stereotypes. “There’s no question that Caitlin is a great player, but there are so many more talented players in the [WNBA], and they just so happen to be black, queer, or both,” Margo said, “Caitlin’s background and talents align comfortably
”pied a large fraction of people’s attention towards the WNBA.
While Las Vegas Aces A’ja Wilson broke records with her fifth consecutive 20+ point and 10+ rebound double-double, viewers’ attention focused on Clark and Reese’s ongoing rivalry carried from their college careers. Male sports pundits who never batted an eye towards the WNBA before, now argue over whether Clark or Reese should be rookie of the year. And while the WNBA’s platform has been elevated and the entertainment value increased, it poses a new question: is this really what we want women’s sports to be about?
Caitlin Clark’s influence on the WNBA — and the hate she’s getting Summer Hu
TO TEST OR NOT TO TEST: COLLEGES CAN’T DECIDE
“The SAT is coming back at some colleges. It’s stressing everyone out.” “College applicants face confusion and anxiety over changing SAT admission requirements.” “The SATs are: a) dying; b) already dead; c) alive and well; d) here forever - The confusing future of standardized testing, explained.”
These headlines are just some of the countless articles that have been published in recent months, alerting hopeful applicants to changes made by many colleges and universities regarding their testing requirements – but the emphasis on these changes could be causing further stress. As Associate Director of College Counseling Ms. Marsha Setzer explained, “I think changes in policies in general create some angst. This is a stress-inducing process, particularly at Bishop’s, and there’s a lot of anxiety around it. So anytime there are changes, it’s like, well, ‘How does this affect me?’”
Director of College Counseling Ms. Wendy Chang explained that, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, most schools required some form of testing — whether it was the SAT or ACT. There have also always been a few that upheld test-optional policies, meaning that students could choose whether or not they wished to submit test scores. However, it was impossible to schedule anywhere to take tests during the pandemic, resulting in many colleges simply refusing test scores or instituting
test-optional policies. Now, as COVID fades into the background, many colleges are reversing their test-optional policies.
While many of these policy shifts felt sudden for students, Ms. Setzer explained that students were, for the most part, given sufficient time to plan — although some schools announced changes for this fall as late as February.
According to Ms. Chang, “Probably the biggest rationale that some colleges are using to justify switching back [to testing] is equity and access. They’re saying that by requiring students to take the test, they’re able to identify students more easily who maybe would not have applied to their schools before and to do active outreach to those students.”
So to what extent will these changes impact students applying to colleges?
As of July, there were no available seats in any SAT testing center within a 100mile radius of the Bishop’s zip code (92037) until November. Sydney Mafong (‘26) said, “I know many students (including myself) who are taking the SAT out of state. I have to take it in Arizona and am hoping spots will open up in California.”
Ms. Chang explained that many high schools in California may primarily have students who, if they do attend a fouryear college, mainly apply to schools within the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) public school systems. UCs and CSUs are “test-free,”
meaning that even if you took a test — ACT or SAT — and wanted to submit them, you wouldn’t be able to. Because of this, she says that California has been slow to adapt and provide more testing centers.
Sydney explained that because schools are reversing their test-optional policies, and are now requiring students to submit scores, it is imperative to have sites available. She added that many students might lack the resources necessary to take a test out-of-state.
Sydney said, “While this isn’t causing me extra stress, it is frustrating that so many California students have to test out of state.”
But for students who have already gotten a testing date or who have already tested, like many rising seniors, the changes don’t affect them as much.
Ehiosa Bello (‘25) said that she had “been planning to submit test scores regardless of the optional policy, so personally, I’m not that stressed.” David Lai (‘25) agreed with this sentiment, saying, “I always planned to submit my SAT score, so this change hasn’t really affected me that much.”
Sofia Hayden (‘25) also agreed, saying, “Colleges going back to required testing does not change my own application process as I had already decided to take the ACT anyways.”
While the majority of students at Bishop’s were already planning on or have already taken the SAT and/or the ACT, stu-
“THIS IS A STRESS INDUCING PROCESS, PARTICULARLY AT BISHOP’S... AND SO ANYTIME THERE ARE CHANGES, IT’S LIKE, WELL, ‘HOW DOES THIS AFFECT ME?’”
How are recent changes to college application testing requirements affecting students?
Anna Yang
dents still have concerns.
David voiced one such concern, saying that he is “a little more stressed since I know that more and more people will put their SAT/ACT score in their college app and take SAT/ACT, meaning that the scores I will be competing against could be higher, meaning that when I take it in August, I have this added pressure to do even better to ensure that I maintain my competitiveness throughout the process.”
Suriya Bowen (‘25) added, “Part of me feels more stress with testing being needed because I’m not sure how much it’s considered at each college but part of me likes it because a lot of colleges say it’s only part of the consideration and can make the application stronger.”
Candace Dada (‘25) said that, while this doesn’t drastically change anything for her, “I feel that when colleges weren’t requiring testing you were evaluated based on character and how you interacted in your community. Now that tests are back you’re being evaluated on who you are academically and as a person, which does cause extra stress.”
While most Bishop’s students may find themselves only slightly more stressed, Ms. Setzer said, “One thing I tell my students all the time is that we are far from representative of the whole spectrum of college-going students.” For others, she explained, these changes may have bigger ramifications.
Gabby Gaspar (‘25) agreed with
Candace Dada (‘25) explained, “Now that tests are back you’re being evaluated on who you are academically and as a person, which does cause extra stress.”
this idea, and said, “Not all students in the US have access or the money to afford the resources [such as tutors]. Just because someone comes from an underserved community shouldn’t mean it should be harder for them to get into their dream school.”
Students including David expressed concerns for peers who may not be as comfortable taking tests. He said that, for such students, newly re-instituted test-required policies “can affect many students since testing isn’t their strong suit and with a less-than-optimal score, which can hurt their chances of getting into a college [that they hope to attend].”
Throughout these changes, the Bishop’s college counseling department has worked to keep students and families well
informed and to address any concerns. Ms. Chang said, “We tried to alert the rising seniors as quickly as we could when the new test dates for August SAT opened up. Everybody’s concern might be a little bit different.”
Ms. Setzer added, “In general, my advice, even when most schools were test-optional for students, was that it’s really low stakes, so take a test, and see how you do. If you don’t want to send it, you don’t have to, if you want to send it and it can add value to your application, you can, so that advice never really changed.”
Whether you choose to take the SAT or ACT or not at all, just remember: it’s just one element of a student’s application.
“I KNOW MANY STUDENTS (INCLUDING MYSELF) WHO ARE TAKING THE SAT OUT OF STATE. I HAVE TO TAKE IT IN ARIZONA AND AM HOPING SPOTS WILL OPEN UP IN CALIFORNIA.”
SYDNEY MAFONG (‘26)
Photo courtesy of SuperTutor TV
SCARCER CULTURAL CONNECTIVITY?
Chances are you recognize the names Monica, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe, Rachel, and Ross from Friends, but have you heard of Janine Teagues from Abbott Elementary? You might know of Homer, Marge, Lisa, and Bart Simpson, but have you seen an episode of The Simpsons recently?
The X-Files, The Fresh Prince of BelAir, Freaks and Geeks… none of them are shows from the 2010s or later, but it might seem like they are more widely known than anything on TV now.
In the age of dozens of streaming services and an infinite amount of personalized entertainment on YouTube, TikTok, and the like, it can seem as though popular culture — especially TV and film — is becoming less homogenous, and that it is more difficult for media to become as widely popular as it once was. Take the sitcoms Seinfeld and Modern Family: the former, which ran in the 90s, garnered 76 million views for its finale, while the finale of the 2010s show Modern Family drew only 7.4 million. In addition, the Seinfeld subreddit has 619 thousand members, compared to Modern Family’s 185 thousand.
Junior Stella McGuinness ex-
plained that this is not surprising, and “oftentimes someone will tell me something they have listened to or watched that I will never have heard of.” But is this a new phenomenon? After all, there have always been niches in entertainment. So is media actually becoming more varied, or is our perception of it just changing?
Stella believes that media is becoming less homogenous, explaining that especially “when it comes to TV, people have such different tastes,” and that oftentimes, “someone will tell me something they have listened to or watched I will never have heard of and vice versa.” While she acknowledged that some shows transcended this, such as Outer Banks or The Summer I Turned Pretty, it is rare to find shows that everyone has consumed, enjoyed, and wants to discuss.
The sheer number of entertainment options we have now is partly due to the multitude of streaming services available. In previous decades, people were limited by the number of channels on TV and the need to watch them live, so, as Stella put it, “everyone saw the same thing at the same time.” But now, that is all changing. “We can now choose what we watch and even when we want to watch
Is media becoming less homogenous as the number of options increases?
Lucy Marek
it. We aren’t restricted to network television and its narrow programming that generally targets mainstream audiences.”
According to Forbes, the average American pays for 2.9 streaming services a month. But because there are literally hundreds of options, the chance that two people’s watchlists will line up is far from guaranteed. And with more personalized content on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, even those using the same app can have vastly different experiences. Jackson Weisser (‘26) pointed out that because of social media algorithms, people tend to end up in echo chambers where only their likes and beliefs are broadcasted.
However, Theater Department Chair Dr. Kristen Tregar believes that despite being propagated mostly by new technology and innovations, this phenomenon is not new. Decades ago, “there were certainly television shows that were enormously popular in other countries and served as a similar touchstone in their country but failed to reach the same level of saliency in the U.S. (an example from the same period from the U.K. might be Absolutely Fabulous, which was available in the U.S. but did not develop the same level of popular-
Withthemultitudeofstreamingservicesnowavailable,itcanbedifficulttofindsomeonewhoownsthesameones and watches the same shows on them.
ity here that it had abroad).” Now, that disconnect is simply being viewed on a smaller scale, within a single country.
She also explained how this has always been the case between generations. “While your grandma and her friends may all have been very familiar with a particular show (my grandpa loved M*A*S*H* and I remember listening to him talk about episodes with his friends), you may or may not know anything about that show.”
was her experience with music as a teenager. “When I was in high school, for example, a friend would make me a playlist and burn it onto a CD, and I would listen to it a few times through and figure out what tracks I found myself drawn to and then I would replay those tracks again and again. It’s not that different from Spotify making recommendations based on their algorithms, or following friends and trying out their shared playlists.”
“If you aren’t in [a] particular social group, you may or may not come into contact with [a] particular cultural touchstone and may not be aware of it at all, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist.”
-
Theater Department Chair Dr. Kristen
Tregar
Dr. Tregar explained that media is not becoming less homogenous because popular culture has always simply been sharing things within a group — now, they are simply smaller groups, and interest in the media has a shorter lifespan. “Within a social group (a group of friends, say, or a family, etc.) the media that will arise will often be common amongst the members of that group,” she said. “If you aren’t in that particular social group, you may or may not come into contact with that particular cultural touchstone and may not be aware of it at all, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist.”
Chair of History and Social Sciences Ms. Karri Woods also acknowledged that “there have long been lowtech and no-tech conduits for exploring music, films, etc. and developing your individual preferences”; one such example
As for why we may believe this to be a phenomenon when it might not be, Dr. Tregar points to nostalgia as the culprit: “It is pretty normal for people to find things to reminisce about… it’s easy to look around and feel like things have changed, even when they haven’t changed much (if at all).” If every generation is always looking to childhood as an ideal, small changes that deviate from that perfection could seem large in comparison.
But whether this is an observed phenomenon or simply a symptom of our yearning for the past, people still have opinions on whether or not media should be less homogenous. To Stella, “it opens up whole new parts of society who might now have previously been interested in mainstream shows,” and Jackson added that “overall there would be more diversity in ideas and likes.”
On the other hand, there are
certainly downsides to such personalized entertainment. “Back when shows were so popular and were deeply engraved in culture, it connected people as a community,” said Stella. “People could relate to knowing these shows or watching them live together. The lack of touchstones now creates a sense of isolation in society, at least over media topics.” Ms. Woods concluded that, in the end, “we want both things. Part of growing up includes developing a stronger self-concept and finding ways to describe who you are and what you like to others … Music taste is highly personal and is influenced by complex psychological, social, and maybe even biological forces that have been unfolding over the course of our lives.” But at the same time, “There is something special about nerding out over a song or band you and another person both love. And when you introduce music that you think someone will like and they in fact do. It’s one of many ways to show someone that you have an understanding of what they enjoy, which is a kind of intimacy.”
People will always find ways to connect — media has simply been one way of facilitating that connection. Whether our culture is becoming less homogenous or not, that is one thing we can be certain of.
Art by Lucy Marek (‘25)
TICK TOCK, TIKTOK
In the 21st century, humankind still lacks cures to life-threatening diseases, but doesn’t by any means lack social media platforms. From Instagram to Threads and X to Snapchat, the choices flood internet users. Yet, something special about TikTok captivates roughly 63% of Americans aged 13 to 30. The pervasive usage has even led the U.S. federal government to pass legislation that could potentially ban TikTok due to concerns about its risks to national politics and security.
The “Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications
banned.
The legislation swept through the House of Representatives with a 35265 vote in March 2024, and was signed by President Biden on April 24, 2024. If ByteDance had not challenged the legality of this legislation, it would have had until January 19, 2025 to sell TikTok, with a three-month extension if negotiations were ongoing. However, in May, ByteDance filed a lawsuit initiating a court case over H.R. 7521, which paints an unclear future for TikTok.
Unsettlement grips the public.
ernment would achieve its desired outcome of alleviating national security concerns. As for the public, the platform’s general purpose and usage would likely remain mostly unchanged.
Realistically though, how would this play out? Legal challenges aside, if an opportunity for TikTok to be sold arises, it would be far from simple. Take the sale of Twitter to Elon Musk in 2022, for instance.
Although the circumstances differ, both cases involve a matter of security delaying and potentially hindering the selling of major social platforms. Musk almost pulled
Juliette Eastman-Pinto (‘26):
“TikTok is to me what oxygen is to humans.”
ByteDance’s reluctance to sell further complicates the situation.
Regardless of who purchases TikTok, users would continue using it with minimal impact from the sale. Just as X underwent changes (such as its name change) yet retained its user base, TikTok would likely remain popular. Ownership of an application does not equate to control of the usership; as long as the public uses the app, their wants drive and determine the
what oxygen is to humans.” However, she need not worry, for historical precedent shows that such losses are only temporary.
Social media platforms experience surges and declines. From the evolution of YouTube’s funny fail videos, to Vine, to Musical.ly, and now TikTok, the world has seen a variety of popular platforms go in and out of style.
When ByteDance bought Musical.ly in 2017 and merged it with TikTok, rather than disappearing, it evolved into an even more global and addictive applica-
and certainly not crazy. As explained by The New York Times, India banned the app (and several other ByteDance platforms) in 2020 over data privacy. Furthermore, several other governments such as England, Australia, Canada, the executive arm of the European Union, France, New Zealand, and Taiwan have prohibited the use of TikTok on official government devices; akin to the U.S. federal government, these governments credit their decision to app’s threats on national security.
At the end of the day, whether
Act” (H.R. 7521) targets TikTok and other ByteDance-owned platforms. Senators and other government officials have long worried about ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok because it is a Chinese company. They fear that Chinese national security laws, which compel organizations to assist with intelligence gathering, could force ByteDance to share data on TikTok’s 170 million American users with the Chinese government. The act mandates divestment within 180 days for apps controlled by foreign adversaries, or face prohibition.
In other words, be sold or be
Teenagers criticize Congress for not focusing on bigger issues, influencers criticize Congress for attacking their livelihoods, and activists criticize Congress for threatening a major asset to their advocacy.
As debates rage over whether or not the government is doing the right thing, recent discussions about banning TikTok seem to overlook a vital point: it does not matter whether TikTok is sold or banned.
Firstly, TikTok being sold would be a win for the federal government and certainly not a loss for U.S. citizens. With the change in Chinese ownership, the gov-
out of his deal with Twitter when he found problems with their handling of spam and fake accounts, highlighting the complexities of such transactions.
Despite this, according to Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives, there is a 75% chance that TikTok will be sold instead of banned. Potential buyers include big U.S. companies like Microsoft and Walmart; outside groups led by figures including former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and ex-Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick are also interested.
Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR):
“My instinct is this: There’s always going to be something like TikTok in the social media world.”
app’s content and influence.
A TikTok ban would also be a win for the federal government as it fulfills the requirement of a nationwide ban if the platform isn’t sold. Initially, this may seem like a loss for the average American — particularly the 6 out of 10 under 30 Americans who use the app — as no one likes losing their entertainment or income source. A fellow diligent TikTok user, Juliette Eastman-Pinto (‘26) stated, “TikTok is to me
tion. The same outcome will likely apply to TikTok. Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democratic representative for the state of Oregon, put it plainly, “There’s always going to be something like TikTok in the social media world.” That is to say, there’s nothing stopping anyone from creating a TikTok 2.0, so why does it matter? If it gets banned, it’s only inevitable that a similarly addicting and scroll-inducing replacement surfaces.
After all, TikTok bans are not new
TikTok is sold or banned, the resulting negligible long-term impact on users makes neither outcome matter. All social media platforms undergo ownership changes just as all eventually come and go. So think: does it really matter if TikTok is sold or banned? Or are you just worried about losing your favorite platform for now, forgetting that a new one will naturally rise to take its place?
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW about your peers with autism
Why we must educate ourselves about autism to avoid causing harm to its community
Iremember the day my autistic brother ran out of our house when my parents and I were away. It was his first time being home alone and he had wandered off into one of our neighbors’ backyards. He had the police called on him and my parents dropped everything and rushed to the scene.
When I found out, my heart dropped to my stomach. I closed my eyes and prayed that he was safe, that he hadn’t been shot or killed. That was the first time I’ve ever prayed.
He was fine. Our neighbors
(ASD) refers to various symptoms, such as challenges with social skills and nonverbal communication. However, these are only some of the symptoms on the autism spectrum. This means that autism looks different for everyone.
According to Autism Speaks, a non-profit autism awareness organization, “Some autistic people can speak, while others are non-speaking [cannot articulate words] or minimally verbal [can articulate a few words but not all].” Often, those who are non-speaking or minimally verbal find other ways to
Lisa Pan
Logan Yockey (‘27) added that he has seen those around him mock the behaviors of autistic individuals. “Some people on my volleyball club team tend to move their body like someone would if they had autism. They’ll make sounds associated with people who have autism or other syndromes,” he said. The repetitive body movements and noises described are called stimming. Autistic individuals do this mainly to “manage emotions and cope with overwhelming situations,” according to raisingchildren.net.au, an Australian parenting website. Stimming
[STIMMING] IS NOT SOMETHING TO BE ALARMED BY, AND NOTHING TO LAUGH AT EITHER.
were nice people and did some research on autism after the matter was settled. When they found out he was autistic, they offered to help out if he ever needed to be home alone again.
We were lucky that our neighbors took the time to understand the situation. Little is taught about it, whether that be in high school, college, even medical school. A 2019 study showed that the majority of medical students knew little about autism. In fact, the study claimed that “more than 85% of all responders rated their general knowledge of ASD to be less than somewhat informed.” But we must strive to understand the effects of jokes and inappropriate references to autism, and how these little actions encourage larger violence and discrimination. If not, we risk minimizing an entire community of autistic individuals, many of whom cannot speak for themselves.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
communicate. For example, a student I tutored used a laminated piece of paper with a keypad to indicate what words he was trying to say.
The majority of autistic individuals struggle to learn social skills. While everyone is different, they may exhibit certain motor tics or avert eye contact during social interactions. Many autistic people prefer to speak in a literal sense instead of using slang, and tend to speak at lengths about topics of interest, making conversation a challenge.
Some people respond to this with mockery and insults that portray autistic individuals as stupid. Adrian Cervantes (‘26) explained that he most often hears “jokes about autism along the lines of ‘you’re so dumb, you must be autistic’ or name calling. For most people, it’s just another word to make fun of their friends with. Or, if you’re a jerk, to make fun of other people with.”
includes hand flaps, rocking back and forth, humming, and mumbling phrases. Not everyone exhibits the same amount of stimming. Some stim for longer, and some only occasionally stim. It’s not something to be alarmed by, and nothing to laugh at either. If someone is feeling and trying to manage nervousness, the best thing to do is be respectful.
Here’s the thing: many autistic individuals are incredibly smart and talented. Over this past summer, I had the incredible opportunity of listening in on a lecture given by Dani Bowman, an animation prodigy who started her company, DaniMation, at fourteen years old. Her work was displayed at San Diego’s Comicon multiple times and she was even in Netflix’s Love on the Spectrum (2019). She was an incredible speaker who shared her experience of seeing autism as a superpower and a part of her identity. Bowman didn’t “overcome” au-
tism by any means. Autism isn’t a disease or mental illness, contrary to what many people believe. She is an extremely accomplished autistic young woman who is proud of herself and who she is. Language matters: using “autistic” as an insult is harmful.
Think about celebrities you admire today. It might surprise you just how many have autism. Greta Thunberg, one of the most recognized climate activists today, also has autism. Albert Einstein, often regarded as one of the most intelligent individuals to ever live, had autism. Tim Burton, a renowned producer of popular films and TV shows such as Caroline (2009) and Wednesday (2022), has autism. Susan Boyle, Isaac Newton, Anthony Hopkins — so many celebrities you know and love have autism. So, why aren’t all autistic individuals recognized for their skills in the same way?
The effects of not understanding autism can be tragic. Other forms of discrimination against autistic individuals have resulted in violence, often when autistic individuals lash out under stressful circumstances and the aggressors react by shooting and killing them.
Many of the autistic individuals I know are sensitive to sensory details, such as colors, sounds, the brightness of lights, etc. While this isn’t true for everyone, this makes crowded spaces quite
Autism is a lot more complicated than many expect. Symptoms vary because each autistic person’s brain is different, and thus, it is measured on a spectrum instead of a linear scale.
overstimulating and overwhelming. In addition, autistic individuals who are non-speaking or have trouble communicating often use their bodies or some kind of vocal cue to communicate with those around them. And when those signals are misinterpreted as violent or threatening, things can go very wrong.
In 2019, when I was merely in sixth grade, I held my brother’s hand for dear life, willing to throw myself in front of him because I did not want a repeat of Kenneth French’s tragic shooting in a Costco by off-duty officer Salvador Sanchez.
According to the Washington Post “after French had pushed Sanchez to the ground,” likely frustrated or distressed about the sea of people in the line, “French’s parents immediately tried to intervene and explain their son’s disability.” The off-duty officer “fired not once, but 10 shots that only killed Kenneth, but also severely wounded both parents.”
Sanchez did not understand French’s actions or how an autistic person’s brain typically functions. This was not a rightful excuse to shoot French to death or to injure the parents who were trying to explain the situation. Yet, no criminal charges were pushed against the officer. A misunderstanding should not cost a life.
Discrimination and violence haven’t ceased, either. Just a few months ago in March 2024, a 15-year-old autistic child, Ryan Gainer, was shot dead at his house, according to the Washington
Post. As shown in body-cam footage, both deputies shot for three rounds in total. “The first deputy was at the house less than 30 seconds before Gainer charged at him,” the article said. Their only reason was that he charged at them. It is utterly wrong to shoot a child, especially only 30 seconds into an encounter. Gainer charged at the police with a gardening hoe — they could have used a taser. And here comes the excuse I’ve heard so many times: they didn’t understand.
In no way am I saying that students at Bishop’s are encouraging the shooting of autistic individuals. But what they are doing through their language is minimizing the issue and overlooking the autistic community. This makes it harder for people who understand autism to educate others because of the negative environment surrounding them.
Some places to start are with phrasing. According to a study by Loran Kenny in the National Library of Medicine, there is no generalized term that works for every autistic individual. Most autistic individuals that I’ve encountered prefer identity-first language: phrases like “autistic individual” or “I’m autistic.” This helps undo the notion that autism is a disease and more of an identity trait. However, I’ve also met others who prefer person-first phrases like “person who has autism” or “I have autism.” The best way to know is to ask. And, of course, the disrespectful jokes need to stop, too. So, now you know. The best way to learn more is to interact normally with autistic individuals as you see them and not shy away. Educate yourselves with resources like Autism Speaks, or attend the upcoming Service Fair and stop by the Autism Tree Foundation’s station. There is always more to learn and room to grow.
Photo courtesy of the Autism BC Organization
JULY1, 2024: THE DAY DEMOCRACY DIED
The Supreme Court granting immunity to presidents’ “official acts” dangerously expands executive power
On a hot July day 248 years ago, 56 delegates declared the United States of America an independent nation, uniting the 13 colonies in a commitment to liberty, justice, and peace. But this July, the six conservative justices of the Supreme Court turned their back on that commitment, shielding former President Donald Trump, and all future presidents, from the rule of law — from accountability.
The Court ruled on July 1st in Trumpv.UnitedStates that criminally prosecuting a president for any “official actions” they took while in office is unconstitutional. The decision rips through the fabric of America’s democratic intuitions, placing the president above the law and recklessly expanding executive power.
In the 6-3 ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the majority opinion, declaring that “the system of separated powers designed by the Framers [of the Constitution] has always demanded an energetic, independent Executive. The President therefore may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers.”
Central to Roberts’ opinion was the separation of powers doctrine, a structure of government that the Framers clearly lay out in the Constitution. The separation of powers ensures that each branch of government — the executive, legislative, and judicial — are fully independent from the others. This enables each branch to carry out their Constitutional duties without interference or influence by other branches of the government.
Roberts argued that criminally prosecuting a president obstructs the separation of powers, as the judiciary could influence executive decision making through the threat or action of prosecution. To the conservative bloc, judiciary influence on executive decision making directly contradicts the beliefs of the Framers, as they believe the president is intended to be a strong, decisive figure. “The Framers ‘sought to encourage energetic, vigorous, decisive, and speedy execution of the laws by placing in the hands of a single, constitutionally indispensable individual the ultimate authority,’” Roberts said, citing Alexander Hamilton’s
Ben Brown
Federalist No. 70.
This is just one of many Federalist Papers that Roberts pointed to in order to defend a ruling that greatly expands executive power. Clearly, Roberts and the five other justices that make up the Court’s conservative supermajority agree with Hamilton’s argument that a powerful, central executive is necessary for the functioning of the government. The logic behind their opinion is that without immunity, fear could be implanted in their president, subsequently inhibiting their ability to make decisive, forceful decisions.
However, one simple question dismantles the conservative bloc’s entire argument: why do presidents need immunity from the law if they would never break it to begin with?
If a president abides by their Constitutional duties, they would never engage in criminal activity, and thus, should not need immunity. Trump’s concern was that, without immunity, presidents could face “political prosecution” — as he said he faced with the four indictments surround-
ing his alleged attempts to subvert the presidential election on January 6, 2021. Even so, if a president faced a political prosecution from an opponent, they still should not need immunity. Surely, if the allegations were merely fabricated to threaten the president, they would not stand in court. Thus, with proper due process — a right that is given to every citizen in the Bill of Rights — a president should not have to worry about political prosecutions.
Therefore, if the president legally carries out their duties, as the Constitution requires them to do, they should not feel threatened. Either they are not prosecuted, or the false allegations do not stand a trial.
So again the question arises: why do presidents need immunity from the law if they will not break it?
They do not. It is as simple as that.
Only a president who has — and possibly plans to again — break the law would seek immunity from criminal prosecution. Only a president who asked his vice president to stall the electoral count in Congress would seek immunity from criminal prosecution. Only a president who tried to find fake electors to give him additional votes would seek immunity from criminal prosecution. And only a president
who told a large crowd of his supporters to march to Congress and “fight like hell” to stop a “fake election” would seek immunity from criminal prosecution. It is as simple as that. A lawful president does not need immunity. In fact, despite what Roberts argued, the Framers intentionally did not give presidents immunity in the Constitution. Justice Sonia Sotomayor pointed this out in her dissent, saying, “the Framers clearly knew how to provide for immunity from prosecution. They did provide narrow immunity for legislators in the Speech or Debate Clause… They did not extend the same or similar immunity to Presidents.”
Additionally, Sotomayor asserts that at the time of the drafting of the Constitution, some state constitutions provided “express criminal immunities” to sitting governors. However, “the Framers chose not to include similar language in the Constitution to immunize the President,” Sotomayer said.
Clearly, the Framers were well aware of immunity while drafting the Constitution, but nowhere in the Constitution did they ever imply presidential immunity. With that said, the conservative bloc’s decision to give Trump, and all future presidents, immunity is unconstitutional. It
gives unprecedented, unchecked power to the president, which is especially concerning given the Republican’s presidential candidate, who could likely win the election come November, is a convicted felon. In 1776, when the 56 delegates met in Philadelphia, they justified their revolution by pointing to the many years of King George II’s unjust despotism. “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States,” the Declaration of Independence stated. The U.S. was founded on the promise that tyranny would never again oppress Americans. But now, following the Court’s decision to give immunity to the country’s most powerful person, that promise seems more at risk than ever has been before.
Sotomayor sums it up well at the end of her dissent when she paints a dark picture of the future of presidential power: “Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.” Does that sound like democracy? No, it does not.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in her dissent
The Supreme Court case that decided presidential immunity, titled Trump v. United States, originated in a District Court when Trump moved to dismiss four criminal indictments regarding his alleged attempts to subvert the 2020 presidential election on January 6, 2021.
ELECTION REFLECTIONS
Sabrina Feldman (‘26) was on a plane when she heard the news. “I was shocked,” she said, “the man in the row next to us yelled to the whole plane, “TRUMP GOT SHOT.” As the nation witnessed the assassination attempt on Trump from their devices, the incident caught the attention of the younger American population.
Jayla Stafford (‘25), founder of the Young Conservatives Club, expressed devastation at the incident. “It makes a lot of people question their safety in this country… no matter where anyone falls on the political spectrum.” Alumnus Gerard Blake (‘24) worried that the assassination would cause “mass riots in the streets and turmoil.”
Preceded by subpar performances from President Joe Biden and Trump in the 2024 debate, the assassination attempt wasn’t the only recent event that captured young audiences. When Biden announced his exit from the race just eight days later and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, it shook up the entire race dynamic.
As the next generation of voters, recent events in the presidential race
range from exciting to disheartening — a whirlwind of emotions. While the assassination attempt garnered its own reactions, we want to share our holistic reflections on the 2024 election and political diaspora with the Bishop’s community.
In the context of the assassination attempt, the use of violence to make political statements is both frightening and frustrating. The insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th (where rioters protested the 2020 election results), the 2022 hammer attack on Paul Pelosi (former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband), and Virginia Congress workers attacked by a bat in 2023 are just a few examples of targeted political violence against government officials. Is partisanship taking a violent turn?
Political violence is nothing new. Throughout history, assassination attempts on presidential candidates and political figures have been common. Tragedies trace back to presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy.
“I think that violence in our political process should be expected in response to such a dismal political climate,” alumnus Kyle Berlage (‘22) said. “History
shows that, in response to deep-rooted discontent, political violence is inevitable. I don’t like violence, but with the conditions the American people live under, I’m frankly left unsurprised.”
Regarding the assassination attempt, Naveen Hernandez (‘26) voiced how given “the current political climate, this kind of event was…perhaps even expected.” Jayla said she believes “politics always comes violence, especially when it comes down to choosing [a political] side.” The deepening divisions between the Democrats and Republicans in recent years only turn the political landscape more violent.
Even so, our generation’s normalization of political violence is harrowing. It’s unsettling that we skim acts of political violence as mere headlines that get lost in the news cycle.
Thomas Crooks, Trump’s attempted assassin, was only 20 years old. While there is no excuse for attempted murder, his age causes us to question his motives — which have yet to be determined by officials. As Vera Bergengruen reported in TIME, “What is clear, experts say, is that the political environment plays a role. Crooks grew up in a nation where high-profile attacks against elected officials have become increasingly common.” Indeed, the number of threats made to Congress members increased by 500 to 8,008 total in 2024, according to The Washington Post.
It’s not just the youth who have become used to this culture — 78% of Americans view political violence as a major problem, per a 2023 study done by States United Democracy Center, a nonpartisan organization. However, the study found that support for political vi-
At a Republican rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a shooter opened fire, killing one spector and injuring two while aiming for Former President Donald Trump, according to AP News.
Vice President Kamala Harris announced her bid for the presidency shortly after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. She is the first woman of color to lead a major political party ticket, fundraising $81 million in just 24 hours.
olence varied by issue: 34% justified it if the government banned abortions, while 53% justified it if the government harassed and imprisoned critics. In December 2021, The Washington Post and University of Maryland polled 1,101 adults nationally and found that 1 in 3 Americans said violence against the government can be justified.
Sabrina noted that post-assassination attempt, many people took to the internet to express their reactions. “There have been many people online that are posting phrases wishing that the bullet had killed Trump,” she said, “That’s worrisome: the fact that people are okay with posting publicly that they wish death upon a presidential candidate.”
Alumna Marianna Pecora (‘22), the Director of Communications at Voters of Tomorrow, a left-leaning organization striving to increase political engagement among Generation Z, said, “I don’t think there’s any time or place for political violence. I think it’s anti-democratic.”
We were also disappointed in the presidential race itself. Had Biden not pulled out of the race, he and Trump would’ve been our only options. Berlage articulated a common reaction: “The thought of voting for either Trump or Biden makes me feel ill.”
Berlage voiced that most candidates today “only pretend to care about [America’s] issues, and then go back to arguing about what they really care about: who has the better golf game;” and that is exactly what was displayed in the presidential debate between Trump and Biden.
In a world dominated by trendy social media clips, it isn’t foolish to take these debates in complete earnest, as they are vital to the campaign process. More than 7.3 million people tuned into the Biden-Trump debate, so these candidates should know better than anyone else that whatever they say has the potential to be twisted and used against them, or even worse—turned into an Internet meme released for public shaming.
“The debate was not a good night for either one of the candidates,” said Pecora. With Biden racking his brain for complete sentences and shielding his son’s honor and Trump fighting the “sex with a porn star” and hush money allegations — they were more preoccupied over defending their personal honor than defending their future American policies.
“It was not a debate on policy, and instead focused on personally attacking the other candidate…This is a very poor look for America especially on its youth, and it only encourages people
to stay away from politics during a time when involvement is critical,” Naveen said.
Many were left to digest the media’s coverage of the fallout of the debate. Meme compilations of the presidential debate crowded Youtube, clips of Trump’s two minutes spent over Biden’s supposedly sad golf swing congest Instagram reels, and of course, Biden’s dangling half-sentence clauses left a knot in the throats of the members of his party, his biggest donors, and other high-profile supporters.
The role of the media on young voters’ perceptions of democracy and elections span beyond the debate. Quite literally, the changing priorities of the media landscape have caused candidates to change their tactics to gain popularity.
In July, Kamala Harris, the Democrat’s presidential nominee, caught the attention of millions of young adults with her viral “you think you just fell out of a coconut tree” audio. As a result, her exponentially growing online presence engages the younger voting demographic, an “advantage” for the Democrats that the Trump campaign is combatting by emphasizing personal attacks.
At a National Association of Black Journalists gathering on July 31st, Trump falsely asserted how he “didn’t
The 2024 election in the eyes of Generation Z Summer Hu, Yina Shate & Ben Brown
know [Harris] was Black until a number of years ago.” He further attacked her identity, saying she was “Indian all the way” but suddenly “became a Black person,” in an effort to attack her identity. Trump’s Vice President pick, Ohio Senator JD Vance, also attempted to attack Harris’ identity as a woman, calling her a “childless cat lady.”
Democrats also attempt to alter voters’ perceptions of the opposing candidate. While Biden’s campaign tried to paint Trump as a threat to democracy, Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, opted for a new way to characterize Trump and Vance: calling them just plain “weird.”
U.S. Government and Politics teacher Ms. Katy Rees explained that “As a country, we have to ask the question, are we looking for good campaigners or are we looking for good presidents?
I think the media landscape has really rewards those who are good campaigners and not necessarily those who would make a good president.”
In other words, recent campaigns — which catch the attention of the youth primarily through social media and news — have been successful because of flash and entertainment.
Because the media depends on viewership for profit, organizations are incentivized to report on the most flashy, entertaining news. And when the media is viewership oriented, candidates take advantage of this — through being flashy — to gain publicity. That is how Trump, a man who, prior to 2016, had no political experience, was able to become president: he grew his pre-existing celebrity and became popular due to his entertaining style and unfiltered comments in debates and interviews.
However, a profit and viewership-driven media landscape tends to focus more on the person, not the policies. Ms. Rees felt that the lack of understanding of policies, government, and leadership roles is problematic because it leaves viewers susceptible to media interpretations. “We are not demanding that our news sources pay attention to certain things, we are paying attention to what the media tells us to pay attention to,” she said.
Young voters agree that the
media and both parties’ campaigns have focused on people, not policies. Naveen said that, “People these days don’t understand politics. It is totally about the person, not the candidate…people judge the person more than policy these days, and that is totally shifting the tide of this election.” Blake added to Naveen’s point, explaining that, people don’t “really vote based on policies at all, it is almost all about character and how a candidate makes them feel.”
Audrey Lin (‘25) thought that while the media does not cover policies very well, many do not care about the coverage even when there is some. “I often feel as though many people, especially teenagers, don’t care about politics until it impacts them,” she said.
Ms. Rees also brought up a recent trend she noticed with her students’ media intake. She explained that “my students are far more aware of not just national but current global issues than I think most young students were 15, 20, 30 years ago,” however, “the media that they consume often presents the facts in a very neat package or abbreviated form, not really showing the nuance or sharing the complexity of the issue.”
However the media has portrayed the election thus far, voters now choose between two drastically different candidates: Kamala Harris — the current Vice President and first POC woman to be on the ballot — and Donald Trump — a white male former President and convicted felon. Pecora believes “This is no longer a race between someone young people hate and someone young people tolerate.”
Harris represents an entirely new candidate profile. She is quickly garnering support too, fundraising $81 million in the first 24 hours of her campaign. Pecora feels there’s a lot of excitement surrounding the election. This race marks an exciting shift in voter demographics, as young people, specifically Gen-zers, are eligible to vote. In the 2016 election, according to Pew Research Center, only a small percentage (1%) of voters were from Generation Z. In 2020, that number was up to 8%. Now — per a study done at Tufts — in 2024, 41 million members of Gen Z will be eligible to vote. The election is the first one Pecora can
vote in, and the first one many seniors at Bishop’s will be voting in. With only a few more months before polls open, the timeline of events feels surreal.
An insurrection on the Capitol. A debate with candidates comparing golf scores. Biden calling Ukrainian president Zelensky by the name Putin. Trump’s convictions. An attempted assassination. The Democratic presidential candidate unprecedentedly swapped just three months before the election.
And with everything happening in quick succession, it is easy to feel uncertain about what the future holds. We are the next generation. The next four years are incredibly important to us. How can we not worry?
As a college student, Berlage expressed this sentiment: “I feel as though nobody listens to our age demographic despite us often shouting the loudest. In fact, over the past couple of years, the Overton window for what counts as a young voter has increased in age because of America’s entrenched gerontocracy,” he said. “My peers and I don’t know when we will be able to become homeowners. I’m insecure about the prolonged path of stagnating real wages. I hate seeing my tax dollars go to foreign wars while American families struggle to keep paying rent.”
Pecora provides a more positive perspective. “I am ridiculously hopeful for our generation and what we can accomplish because we have shown up in a way that young people haven’t for this generation of politicians previously, which means they can’t deny us,” she said. To disheartened Gen-Zers, Pecora says it all starts at the ballot box. “If you want to see…change happen, you have to be the one willing to take that into your own hands.”
Our political landscape has been wrought with division for so long. It is sullied with people from both sides of the aisle focusing on personal attacks, rather than the policies that will impact our future. It is tiring. Perhaps it is up to the next generation, our generation, to change that.
This election as a whole has almost been portrayed as a sort of
“CLOWN RACE.”
I think that violence in our political process should be expected in response to such a dismal political climate.
I
I [tried]
not to think about the race because it’s so depressing...the thought of voting for either Trump or Biden
[MADE] ME FEEL ILL.
don’t think there’s any time or place for political violence. I think it’s ANTIDEMOCRATIC.
People judge the PERSON more than POLICY these days
I feel as though nobody listens to our age demographic despite us often shouting the LOUDEST.
Before, I think that young voters were exhausted... Now, I think there’s a sense of energy and hope and excitement.
I am ridiculously hopeful for our generation and what we can accomplish because we have shown up in a way that young people haven’t for this generation of politicians previously, which means
THEY CAN’T DENY US.
Art by Summer Hu (‘25)
KYLE BERLAGE (‘22)
GERARD BLAKE (‘24)
KYLE BERLAGE (‘22)
MARIANNA PECORA (‘22)
KYLE BERLAGE (‘22)
JAYLA STAFFORD (‘25)
MARIANNA PECORA (‘22)
MARIANNA PECORA (‘22)
“THE COLOR VIOLET”
BY: TONY LANEZ
“STICK SEASON”
BY: NOAH KAHAN
Ben Brown
I have never screamed a song in the car late at night, but if I did, it would be this song because Kahan is a lyrical genius and sings with unmatched passion in his voice.
“PASSENGER PRINCESS”
BY: NESSA BARRETT
Lisa Pan
This song is evocative. Hazy. Streaks of headlights and exit signs as you throw your arms out the passenger’s side and let the wind whip your skin while your hair flies free.
“NO SCRUBS”
BY: TLC Summer Hu
The perfect song to bring out your inner diva.
“I LOVE YOU, I’M SORRY”
BY: GRACIE ABRAMS
Melanie Yau
With its heartfelt lyrics and exas perating melody, this song adds the final touch to a dismal latenight downpour while driving 100 mph on an empty highway.
Yina Shate
It’s just a vibe.
“I KNOW THE END”
BY: PHOEBE BRIDGERS
Nora Bitar
As this song slowly builds up from a quiet whisper all the way into an ear-splitting scream, it describes some one speeding down a California highway at a million miles an hour into the apocalypse. Sounds like a late night song to me.
“COUNTING STARS”
BY: ONEREPUBLIC
Anna Yang
It’s very 2010s, and I’m not one to listen to much music (or scream it), but it’s a fun song.
“GIRL ON FIRE”
A classic, and for good reason! It’s catchy, everyone knows the words, and
BY: ALICIA KEYS
Lucy Marek
dents and faculty
*answers are on the very bottom of the page
“OLYMPIC” SPORTS WE WANT TO SEE AT BISHOP’S
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Pommel Horse!
Coconut Tree Climbing (ft. Kamala Harris)
Feces Shot-Put into the swimming pool
Gen Alpha in Brainrot Freestyles
“USA, USA, USA” and “WHAT IS A KILOMETER” Chanting
Espresso making (please, please, please)
Sha’carri Richardson Nail Art Competition (Snack Bar) Chocolate Muffin Competitive Eating
Gaining Aura Points Breaking...
