OPINION | Page 2 NEWS | Page 3 PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: ONE YEAR LATER HARRY POTTER AND THE WINTER FORMAL
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Volume 4, Issue 3 FEATURE
ARTS & LIFE | Page 4 MOVIE REVIEW: “THE SHAPE OF WATER”
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January 2018
NEWS
The AIRB: Defending academic integrity
Tiger Studios: Video production class gets a revamp with new teacher Joel McDonell
by Gaby Tiu Editor in Chief (Print) and Fiona Quilter Contributing Writer @TheNDBCatalyst
In the back of the NDB student planner is a section labeled “Academic Integrity.” It informs students about what happens if they act against the school’s standards of academic honesty. It defines the different forms of academic dishonesty, including cheating, impersonating, and plagiarizing. And, it describes the procedure that students are subjected to if they are suspected of an “academic breach.” All students have heard of the Academic Integrity Review Board or AIRBoard, for short. They know that is where they will go if they are caught plagiarizing their work or worse. The AIRBoard consists of an administrator, a counselor, and a small group of teachers. They meet only when there is a case brought to them. At the “hearing,” they listen to both the accusing teacher and the suspected student and then, based on the evidence, they decide whether or not a breach was committed and recommend next steps. The Catalyst interviewed Associate Head of School for Academics Anne Schaefer-Salinas about the AIRBoard and her role on it. She began, “I facilitate the meetings: I have pre-meetings with students; I inform parents; and, I have the final meeting with the students to let them know what the decision of the AIRBoard was.” Students who appear at a hearing are allowed to tell their side of the story and bring an advocate, usually a parent, who can vouch for their character. If a student is found guilty, she is given a series of tasks to complete. See AIRB | Page 2
New teacher Joel McDonell discusses the three-act structure in storytelling. by Michelle Kleytman Contributing Writer @TheNDBCatalyst New teacher Joel McDonell is making changes to NDB’s video production course and Tiger TV program, starting with the name change to Tiger Studios. “It’s confining,” he replied when asked about the program’s former name. “We’re not doing [Tiger TV] this term.” But, fear not, since the change is not just cosmetic and ups the ante for all of the students in the A-day tri-school class. He explains, “What I’m trying to do this term, as professional as it
can be, is working on creating short films with students.” The new class curriculum will deal with everything “from pitch to delivery, going through the entire process as you would as a professional filmmaker -- basically a professional-level program.” He added that the second half of the semester will focus on post-production, dealing with the process of reshoots and furthermore showing a deeper insight to the ups and downs of making movies and TV shows. McDonell has accomplished quite a lot in his career prior to joining the NDB community as its
newest addition to the faculty. Claiming narrative filmmaking is his forte, he received his undergraduate degree from Sacramento State in communications media with an emphasis in single camera media, and later on completed his graduate studies at the American Film Institute. He commented, “AFI taught me how to take and give constructive criticism. When asked how his education has impacted his work and teaching style, he explained, “I learned that the biggest thing is how to tell a story -- What’s the piece of information being learned from it? Not the
physical thing going on... You can come up with the small things, but the question is ‘Can you move [the audience]? Can you make them laugh? Can you make them cry?’” He has a piece of advice for aspiring filmmakers. He said, “I didn’t let the confines of a program keep me from achieving what I wanted to do. Students sometimes get frustrated with a line of thinking that class is the only place you’re gonna learn... Nothing is stopping you from going elsewhere to learn.” Teaching has not hindered McDonell’s passion for creating his own work. Talking about what
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it was like working with NDB Director of Communications and Marketing, George Retelas, on a documentary, his eyes quickly lit up and he began talking about one of his own projects. McDonell explained, “It’s called ‘Teaching Manzanar.’ Manzanar was one of the Japanese internment camps in America during World War II. My great-aunt was a teacher at one of those camps. She’s kind of the subject of it all; she talked a little about what it’s like being a teacher there. I also interviewed people who grew up in those camps who are now seventy, eighty years old.”
FEATURE
Winter sports check-in: Season is in full swing by Shay Levy Assistant Sports Editor @TheNDBCatalyst
The NDB basketball and soccer teams are headed into the last games of their seasons. With one less than a week left in January, the JV basketball team is 7-6 overall, while the varsity basketball team is 9-6 overall. The JV soccer team is 0-6 overall, while the varsity soccer team is 10-3 overall. This year’s JV teams started their seasons with several freshmen added to their ranks. There are
18 girls on soccer and 12 of them are freshmen. There are 11 girls on basketball and 2 of them are freshmen. Over winter break, the JV soccer team played against Burlingame HS. The final score was 0-1, Burlingame. The JV soccer team is still working for a win. The captains on the soccer team are sophomores Xanthe Barton, Rachel Giovando, and Amanda Orchard. Sophomore Elizabeth McGuire feels the main challenges the girls See SPORTS | Page 3
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Defender Grace Earley (‘19) puts pressure for control of the ball.
JANUARY 2018 OPINION / NEWS One year later AIRBoard: “the idea of restorative justice...” page 2
Johana Ligtenberg Contributing Writer @TheNDBCatalyst
From AIRB | Page 1
Election Day 2016 and the subsequent Inauguration Day 2017 can be considered fairly dramatic and emotionally tumultuous days for most Americans. Our nation saw the end of the presidency of Barack Obama, and Donald Trump was elected by the Electoral College as the 45th President of the United States. This followed months of action-packed campaigning for both sides, including the rise and fall of about twenty Republican and Democratic candidates total. In these candidate’s journeys were many varying opinions and theories, many of which were manifested in the form of fake news and viral social media posts. For many Americans and, in particular, those living in blue states, such as California, the final result was a major shock. With the multitude of news sources predicting Hillary Clinton’s presidency, it is fair to say that a large amount of Americans considered the Trump presidency a joke right up until they woke up on November 9th and realized what were the results of the previous night. Indeed, the result has had a significantly dividing and dramatic effect on Americans. Major controversies that have arisen since the election include voter suppression within the United States, the role of Russian meddling in the election itself, the firing of FBI Director James Comey, and the timing of information released about Clinton’s emails. One of the most inflammatory and misunderstood of these, however, has been the seeming discrepancy between the Electoral College vote compared to the popular vote. Trump received seventy-seven more Electoral College votes than Clinton, but she won the popular vote by nearly three million votes. Many have called for the abolition of the Electoral College as a result, deeming it inaccurate and outdated. It functions based on a simplified representation of each state’s voters, and each state is assigned a certain amount of electors based on population. Many people do not believe that it accurately balances out equal state representation and say that Americans nowadays have access to ample education and resources to make a decision regarding their vote, so there is no need for it in Presidential elections anymore. Since his inauguration, President Trump has made several changes, including actions toward tax and healthcare reform and against transgender people serving in the military. He has notably worked to counteract acts implemented by former President Obama. His actions have pushed more Americans into political involvement, and motivated many to vote for change. This January, one year after Trump’s inauguration, the second annual Women’s March took place throughout America and even on a global scale. Hundreds of thousands of Americans took to the streets on January 20th to advocate for women’s rights and other social justice issues as well as to protest the behavior of President Trump. Though Americans stand divided in many ways as a result of Trump, we can hopefully continue to move forward as a country toward accepting and respecting others, regardless of our differences, and people can recognize the power they each have towards sparking change in the future.
They vary and depend on the severity of the breach. Schaefer explains, “It’s always individual -based on the student, the case, and what the AIRBoard feels is going to be the most useful for the student. It can be anything from writing an apology letter, having a face-to-face meeting, doing some Notre Dame service hours with the teacher whose class it involved.” Most students are afraid of the AIRBoard because of the stigma of being known as a plagiarist by their teachers and peers. They get paranoid uploading their essays to TurnItIn. com, a plagiarism-prevention website used by the school that takes student work and searches the Internet for similar content. It gives an essay a rating based on how much of it appears elsewhere. A low percentage implies most of it was written by the student. A high percentage implies the student copied it from somewhere. Another resource that teachers use to identify plagiarism is “Draft Back,” a Chrome extension that makes a video out of a Google Doc’s revision history and illustrates what and when something is added or deleted. It even calculates statistics, includ-
SCREENSHOT FROM CHROME WEB STORE
Draftback is a Chrome app that turns a gDoc revision into a “film”
ing the amount of time that each individual spends typing material on the gDoc. Although these tools are available to teachers, English teacher Robert Rojas say students should not be afraid of them. He explains, “Just because your work comes back with a high percentage on TurnItIn.com doesn’t mean you should expect to appear in front of the AIRBoard right then and there. The website gives us a similarity report and identifies where certain phrases and sentences come from, and, sometimes, there really is only so many ways to say the same thing. Students and teachers need to take that into consideration.” Some cases are complicated or difficult to decide. Rojas comments, “Once you accuse a student of plagiarism and go through the AIRBoard pro-
cess, it’s hard to go back to the way things were. Sometimes, there are lingering trust issues on both sides.” Commenting on how plagiarism affects his curriculum, English teacher Adam Currier says, “... When you’re building the curriculum only for the students’ benefit and they go outside to plagiarize work and deny themselves that benefit, not only is it weakening the curriculum, but it’s weakening their future skill.” He further explained, “[What] I think should really resonate with students before they think about plagiarizing is that there’s really three things you do when you plagiarize work: You disrespect the teacher and curriculum, you disrespect yourself, and you disrespect your classmates, especially when we’re in a highly
competitive environment where GPA and honors matter.” When asked if the AIRBoard means to punish students, Schaefer says, “At the heart of the AIRBoard is the idea of restorative justice.” She continued, “We know that students make mistakes. This is a learning institution, and so we want to give them an opportunity to learn from those mistakes before they really matter: By making the same mistake in college and getting kicked out or making the same mistake in a job and getting fired.” In response to a question on how students should avoid appearing before the AIRBoard, Schaefer responded, “Nothing is ever so bad that you have to cheat, and if you feel like you have to, go talk to somebody first.”
Student poll: Should teachers be allowed to assign homework during breaks?
“No. It is a time for family, friends, and focusing on everything in our lives that we appreciate, not being overwhelmed with school work. I just see breaks as a time that should be spent doing things we may not get to do during the school year that we really enjoy. I feel like making sure that we have enough time to do what makes us happy and healthy should be the first priority during a break.” -- Caroline Divney, Titan
“[Break is] a time for students to take rest and rejuvenate themselves to get them ready to head into the last part of the semester and finals with full force... Though it is important to make sure students remain in touch with the content of each class while they are out of school, this can be achieved with small assignments that may take up half an hour or so a day, such as reviewing flashcards...” -- Preyasi Kumar, Titan
theCATALYST NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL’S FINEST NEWS SOURCE
EDITOR IN CHIEF (PRINT) Gaby Tiu gtiu18@ndhsb.org
ASSISTANT OPINION EDITOR Michelle Kleytman mleung17@ndhsb.org
DESIGN EDITOR Lizzie McGuire emcguire20@ndhsb.org
EDITOR IN CHIEF (ONLINE) Shreya Chatterjee schatterjee18@ndhsb.org
ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Bella Lopez illopez19@ndhsb.org
PHOTO EDITOR Samantha Ramos sramos19@ndhsb.org
MANAGING EDITOR Frankie Dakin fdakin18@ndhsb.org
ASSISTANT ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Kaitlin McCarthy kmccarthy20@ndhsb.org
ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Kayla Stuart kstuart19@ndhsb.org
NEWS & FEATURES EDITOR Winnie Saulala fsaulala19@ndhsb.org
SPORTS EDITOR Vanessa Velasco vvelasco18@ndhsb.org
FACULTY ADVISOR Robert Rojas rrojas@ndhsb.org
OPINION EDITOR Isobel Senhaji isenhaji18@ndhsb.org
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Shay Levy slevy19@ndhsb.org
ABOUT THE CATALYST The Catalyst is a student-run newspaper that is published eight times a year in print and 24/7 online for Notre Dame High School community. EDITORIAL POLICY The Catalyst accepts unsolicited letters from students, faculty, staff, and alumni as well as press releases from on and off-campus organizations, but cannot guarantee publication. The Catalyst reserves the right to edit or reject submissions it deems objectionable. The views expressed in the Opinion section do not reflect the views of The Catalyst, Notre Dame High School, the
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, or the Archdiocese of San Francisco, but are solely the views of the writer. Unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of The Catalyst. CONTACT US Notre Dame High School 1540 Ralston Avenue Belmont, California 94002 Phone: (650) 595-1913 Email: TheCatalystNDB@gmail.com Social Media: TheCatalystNDB
NEWS / SPORTS JANUARY 2018 Winter sports Harry Potter-themed winter formal dance check-in held off-campus for the first time Gaby Tiu by Editor in Chief (Print) @TheNDBCatalyst Shortly after each new year begins, the Winter Formal becomes the next big event that students look forward to. The dance will be held at the Crowne Plaza in Foster City from 7:30 to 11:00pm, with doors closing at 8:45. This is the first time in recent memory that the dance is being held off-campus. This year’s theme is the “Yule Ball,” originating from the popular “Harry Potter” book and film franchise. This means decorations will include things, such as Hogwarts
house-colored cupcakes, golden eggs, and other familiar and magical sights for Harry Potter fans. As the date approaches, NDB girls finalize their arrangements for dresses and dates, while as the event’s sponsors, CSF Board members finalize their preparations for the dance itself. Board member and senior Julie Holley spoke about how she was excited for others to see all the “hard work and effort” CSF put into planning and decorating. “[We] just wanna create an unforgettable dance,” she said, “and represent the theme, so every-
PHOTO COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.
The Yule Ball as depicted in one of the “Harry Potter” films serves as the formal’s inspiration. one has a great time.” When asked about what she was anticipating most for the dance, senior Shreya Chatterjee replied, “I’ve always been a big Harry Potter fan since I was a young child, and I’m su-
per thrilled that my last formal at Notre Dame is going to be based off of one of my favorite book series.” With contributions by Bella Lopez.
Sophomore Arabella Sunga represents U.S. in international fencing competition by Editorial Staff @TheNDBCatalyst Sophomore Arabella Sunga has quite the special talent – she fences. Using what she describes as the second fastest moving object next to a bullet, she “makes quick and intelligent decisions in a split second” as she faces an opponent with a saber and hits her with a cut, slash, or tab anywhere above the waist, including the head or arms. Trained at Stanford University, Arabella now practices at a club in San Francisco in preparation for various competitions. She fences in the cadets division and sometimes in higher ones against high school juniors and seniors. She says, “Fencing with older and more experienced girls, like NCAA and international level athletes, is a learning experience for me whenever I am on the strip with them.” Arabella loves
PHOTO COURTESY OF ARABELLA SUNGA
Sunga (‘20) lunges in to strike an opponent. fencing because of the mental game. She says, “I want to become a doctor someday and it helps me with my ability to think about the right decision in a short amount of time… They say that a competitive smart fencer uses mathematics, biomechanics, and physics to maximize his/ her effectiveness...” In the past year, Arabella received an “All American Team” award and an “All Academic” award from the United
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States Fencing Association for being able to maintain a high GPA in school and being one of the country’s most competitive athletes. She will be representing the United States in the world championships as one of three fencers in the cadet women’s saber division in Romania at the end of January. She says, “Unlike nationals, world cups are a little nerve-racking since you not only compete for yourself, but for the coun-
try you represent... I am ready to give my best possible performance, and I hope to bring recognition to our country.” She adds, “Finding the right balance between school and sports is never an easy task. I am very lucky that Notre Dame High School and its faculty members provide me the utmost support that I can possibly receive.” With contributions by Vanessa Velasco
SAMANTHA RAMOS / THE CATALYST
Emilia Dougherty (‘19) aims for a three-pointer during the Catfight game against Menlo. From SPORTS | Page 1 are facing include getting to know each other, learning their different playing styles, and catering to their different skill levels. McGuire feels that having 12 freshman on the team will definitely be beneficial for the upcoming years. The JV basketball team played three games over the break: One against Carlmont HS where Carlmont won, 13-27. Another against Terra Nova HS, where NDB won, 3534. NDB also won against Ygnacio Valley HS, 41-28. Captains Avery Stump and Cali Perazzo have led the team to their record of 6 wins and 5 losses. When asked about how she feels the season is going, Perazzo said, “So far, I think the season is go-
ing great! We have a really strong team with a lot of great girls who really love to play.” Sophomore Ally Lawrence says the hardest challenges are learning to play with each other and battling through the tough games. She thinks the two freshman on the team will bring a lot of new talent. The team has a positive energy and high spirits. Despite the difficulties, both of these teams are thriving in their ability to stay positive and keep working even after a loss. Both JV soccer and JV basketball teams have the potential to communicate well and keep each other motivated. They are constantly bonding as a team and encouraging one another, and look forward to the upcoming games.
Lois Lane was a journalist. Choose Journalism as your elective class next year.
theCATALYST NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL’S FINEST NEWS SOURCE
Student Athlete Spotlight: Julia Granucci and Olga Faasolo by Vanessa Velasco Sports Editor @TheNDBCatalyst
by Vanessa Velasco Sports Editor @TheNDBCatalyst
Julia Granucci is one of three freshman on the varsity soccer team. When asked how she feels about that, she says, “In the beginning, I was very nervous and honestly pretty scared to play with the varsity team, but my feelings quickly changed. Once we started to practice, I realized that no one cared about what grade I was in, but about how hard I worked, that I was a team player, and my well-being.” Granucci feels confident about the team’s season, commenting, “I
Senior Olga Faasolo has been a member of the varsity basketball team for all four years that she has attended the school. The Catalyst asked her a few questions about playing for the team. Regarding the season, she states, “[It] is going well so far. Our team this year has improved with the help from the three freshman that made varsity their first year.” Reflecting on her last season, Faasolo says, “I feel as if it is my last chance to show people my
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Granucci (‘21) is not afraid to be aggressive. feel that our... season is going okay so far in terms of our record. I love that over the past few month we have bonded and are beginning to work very well together on the soccer field.”
She added, “I love that playing NDB soccer pushes me to be my the best with the support from a group of the most caring teammates one could ask for.”
SAMANTHA RAMOS / THE CATALYST
Faasolo (‘18) makes an attempt at a basket. full potential, everything I can do on the court. This year, I want to go all out and prove to myself and others my full capability.” She recently received an honorable men-
tion from the San Mateo Daily Journal. She comments, “It felt like all my hard work so far had finally paid off. It felt amazing to be finally recognized for how well I play.”
JANUARY 2018 ARTS & LIFE / NEWS A day in the life of a Tiger Movie Review: Movie Review: Just some of the things that have happened “The Shape of Water” “Insidious: The Last Key” to our readers over the past month... page 4
PHOTO COURTESY OF FOX SEARCHLIGHT
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Michael Stuhlbarg plays a scientist in “The Shape of Water.”
Lin Shaye returns as Elise Rainier in “Insidious.”
by Michelle Kleytman Contributing Writer @TheNDBCatalyst
by Bella Lopez Arts and Life Editor @TheNDBCatalyst
To discuss what is the beautiful message behind Guillermo Del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” is, at times, too difficult to put into words. It challenged issues with our societal constructs and showed the striking similarities between 1962 and 2017 America (Spoiler alert, beware). Rather than a boy and a girl, it was a mute cleaning lady and sea monster who fell in love; rather than American intelligence agents, it was a Russian spy and black woman who helped the protagonist reach her happy-ever-after; rather than heterosexual, it was a homosexual relationship that endured conflicts. The film strays far from that typical sub-category of romance that includes the princess and the frog’s and beauty and the beast’s of the filmmaking world; the director found beauty on a deeper level. In a twisted way -- the way that Del Toro has ever so wonderfully mastered -- he has transcended the superficial portrayal of love. And, it has been recognized with a record thirteen Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actor and Actress.
Famously known for their frightening films, Blumhouse productions and Stage 6 Films team up to produce the newest addition to the “Insidious” series, titled “Insidious: The Last Key.” The film is set in Five Keys, New Mexico in the childhood house of the clairvoyant Elise. Growing up, she experienced circumstances with spirits from “the other side,” or the space in the “Insidious” universe where souls of people who have passed away are left lingering. At age six, Elise forms a connection with an evil spirit who compels her to open a mystical door to the spirit world. Years later, she comes back to her former home in order to vanquish the spirit once and for all. The movie possessed a surprising depth most horror films lack and made connections to real world problems through spiritual metaphors. Fans may even try and connect the “Insidious” series with the “Conjuring” series due to an eerie conversation over the phone at the end of the film, but, these connections are up for interpretation. With both physical and emotional hurt, the film seems to check off all of the requirements for a good scary movie.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JASON LEVINE
Several varsity student-athletes sport their brand new letterman jackets given via a lottery sponsored by the NDB Athletic Boosters.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTEN MENZEL
TigerBots members Wendy Hu, Esther Li, and Emma Williams celebrate after the team robot runs a successful autonomous program. After a few difficult matches, the robot was finally able to complete its elements.
The 2018 Women’s March
Just a few photos from Saturday’s march in downtown San Francisco...
ROBERT ROJAS / THE CATALYST
Mavericks Grace Tillman and Gabby Fanucchi welcome back visiting alumna, Royal Erika Goetz, now attending Whittier College as a freshman in her second semester.
Humans of NDB: Abiya Baqai
PHOTO COURTESY OF ABIYA BAQAI
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MY NGUYEN AND SAMANTHA RAMOS
“One of my new year’s resolutions is to work harder in some of my classes and to study every single day and before tests if I can. I also want to pray more, and to be a better Muslim overall, and to be a nicer person because I can be mean sometimes. I also want to be a better attorney in Mock Trial. I want to eat healthier and try to do yoga more because that is my form of working out.”