The Nueva Current | February 2019

RECORDS SCORED: BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL

FYRE'S ON FIRE

CLASS ON CHINESE NY?

I GOTTA OSC'YA

The upper school boys varsity basketball team break school records by advancing to CCS Finals and CIF Championships for the first time in school history.

Fyre Festival was much less than a festival, and now with the creator in jail, Netflix and Hulu have released dueling docs to reveal the true damage.

With so many students celebrating Chinese New Year, should Nueva take the day off to allow for adequate celebrations with family and friends?

If you won an Oscar, who would you thank in your speech? We asked the community for their opinions on the question.

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The Nueva Current

Volume 2, Issue 4

131 E. 28th Ave. San Mateo, CA 94403 @thenuevacurrent www.thenuevacurrent.com The Official Student Newspaper of The Nueva School

Photo by Jordan M.

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

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FEATURES

Taking Flight

The journey to college: how we talk and act about the post-secondary process

Gitika P. In the fall of 2016, a dozen members of the Upper School’s founding class gathered in Emily Ross’s (‘17) living room to talk strategy. Their task? Establishing—and hopefully demystifying—the postsecondary culture for a community that had never experienced one. The College Wellness Task Force emerged later that day, analogizing their experience to flights, complete with a Lufthansa-style safety demonstration video and related safety card. The task force, made up entirely of seniors,

also created the Relaxation Elves of the Postsecondary Process (REPPer) Program, a partnership between juniors and seniors aimed at fostering de-stressing activities and mutual support.

Three years later, these efforts have largely faded from memory. As Nueva prepares to send its third class of seniors to elite institutions, it is worth exploring whether any of its original postsecondary customs remain. Administration and faculty members are increasingly concerned about

“It was a way for us seniors to take some control back in a particularly uncontrolled period in our lives.”

VARUN MEHTA ('17)

Concerned over climate change, students seize the spotlight in viral video Bay Area youths debate with Senator Dianne Feinstein about the Green New Deal Beatrice S. In a video that went viral late last week, a group of children and teens held a handwritten letter urging Senator Dianne Feinstein to support the Green New Deal, a 10-year proposal to mitigate climate change through renewable energy, economic reform, and social justice.

The group, which was comprised of members from the Youth vs. Apocalypse (YVA), Earth Guardians, and the Sunrise Movement met with Sen. Feinstein at her San Francisco office on Friday, Feb. 22. The video shows Sen. Feinstein becoming agitated at the group’s questioning, at one point saying “I've been doing this for 30 years. I know what I'm

doing. You come in here and you say, 'It has to be my way or the highway.' I don't respond to that...I've gotten elected. I just ran. I was elected by almost a million-vote plurality, and I know what I'm doing. So, you know, maybe people should listen a little bit.”

The video currently has a cumulative 9 million views and counting and has been written about by The New Yorker, Fox News, CNN, The Atlantic, and more.

Seniors Gitika P. and Celia M. have been members of Youth vs. Apocalypse since early January. They have attended protests, teachins, and even met with members of Nancy Pelosi’s staff. CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

becoming a college-prep school, while students and parents want more information and time devoted to the process. Is it possible to find a culture that works for everyone?

The founding class attempted to do just this. Beyond forming a mutual pact about admissions discussions—something every Science of Mind (SOM) class does in the 11th and 12th grade— they shared their norms in an all-school assembly.

While it may not have seemed relevant to most students or faculty, Varun Mehta (‘17) believes it was

important for the whole school to see.

“With such a small, tight-knit community, lots of potentially awkward conversations were hanging around every corner,” he says.

“It was a way for us seniors to take some control back in a particularly uncontrolled period in our lives.”

While it was difficult to prevent intrusive questions from visitors, they felt empowered and compelled to put an end to such behavior within the community. CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

2 / NEWS

THE NUEVA CURRENT

Briefing Amanda W., Jordan M., Eugenia X., Isabel C., Willow C. Y.

Students and faculty members spent their lunch on Chinese New Year Eve wrapping dumplings in preparation for a feast the next day. (Photo by Jordan M.)

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VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4

New start time benefits students

A freshman wears the signature t-shirt of Team HBV and its movement #JoinJade, which raises awareness around the hepatitis B virus and the prevention of, treatment of, and education around it.

(Photo by Jordan M.)

Fifteen minute delay allows Caltrain-commuting students additional sleep time Starting second semester, upper school classes began at 8:45 am instead of 8:35 am. While the difference might not seem that significant, many students have been able to take a later train or leave their homes later, allowing quite a few to get more sleep.

“I love it,” said Ethan F. (11). “It saves me about 20–30 minutes of sleep in the morning, which is immense for me.”

This change has been in the making since survey results surrounding the use of Caltrain were received by the administration back in October 2018 and the announcement of the impending, temporary shutdown of the Hillsdale station for construction was released. Administrators concluded that pushing the start time to 8:45 would allow a number of students to take a later train. Their aim with the delayed start is to help students get more sleep and be more focused at school.

“I think it actually has made a difference,” Ethan said. “I have more sleep, [I

am] more energized, and I find myself nodding off less in class.”

Although the consensus has been overwhelmingly positive so far, some students and faculty don’t find the new start time very helpful.

“It doesn’t allow me to take a later train, and I feel like when I get to school, I have [about] 10 minutes of free time,” said Laura S. (11). “It’s not enough time to do something super productive, but you can’t just lollygag either.”

Despite the time change, faculty—like English teacher Jennifer Neubauer—are still expected to arrive at school at 8:00 every morning to prepare for classes.

“I thought that maybe it would have impacted my start time and I got excited to take the slightly later train until I realized that it doesn’t change my life,” said Neubauer. “But I’m happy for students who get to sleep later.”

The new start times are expected to stay for future years.

Sophomore Connie H. (center) introduces her product to Design Review attendees.

Hong is part of team Phosce, a group of students who are creating a data-driven solution to help people with mental illnesses.

(Photo by Lucy B.)

dumplings made by students and faculty at the lunchtime event organized by the Asian/Pacific American (APA) Club to celebrate Chinese New Year and kick off the Year of the Pig.

Team HBV invites renowned doctor to educate students Dr. Samuel So, founder of the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University and knowledgeable in the fields of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and liver cancer, visited the Upper School on Monday, Feb. 4, to educate students about prevention, treatment, and goals for the medical community.

“Raising awareness about HBV is one of the biggest hurdles right now,” said Andrew C. (9), the founder of Nueva’s Team HBV club. “With one of the largest Asian-American populations in the United States, we have a great opportunity to conduct community outreach and awareness campaigns to get everyone vaccinated and educated.”

After the assembly, the Team HBV club hosted carnival-type activities during lunch, where students had the chance to win prizes for their knowledge of hepatitis B from what Dr. So shared.

Model UN club attends first-ever conference

Seniors Ben S. and Ben C. won the Cal Invitational during February break. (Photo courtesy of Ben C.)

Senior duo wins debate tournament Seniors Ben C. and Ben S. won the debate tournament known as the 2019 Cal Invitational at UC Berkeley, which was held Feb. 16–18, after defeating Fairmont Prep Academy’s Matthew Ong & Numair Razzak on a 3-0 decision by the judges.

After reaching octofinals, Ben C. & Ben S. earned a bid to the Tournament of Champions (TOC)—considered to be the most prestigious end-of-season tournament—which will take place in Lexington, Kentucky, on Apr. 27–29.

Over the past four years, Nueva has won the Cal Invitational three times, one of which was a closeout, meaning that both teams in finals were from Nueva and thus shared the win. Teams Irene M. & Anjali R. and Pranav R. & Noah T.—both consisting of two juniors—also advanced to elimination rounds and reached triple-octofinals at this year’s tournament.

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powerful women speaking at the upcoming fourth annual Feminism Conference on March 2, hosted by the Feminism Club: Aimee Allison, the founder of She the People, an organization dedicated to elevating and amplifying the voice and power of women of color as leaders, political strategists, organizers, and voters; Alaleh Kianerci, the district attorney who fought for the successful prosecution of ex-Stanford swimmer Brock Turner for sexual assault; Rabbi Lisa Kingston; and Joanna Bloor, founder of LADYBADASS, a website that highlights women doing incredible things and are "someone who manifests both their masculine and feminine side."

Invention Studio teams host annual Design Review

Students designing for social good receive feedback from judging panel on their projects On Feb. 4, the Nueva Invention Studio hosted their annual Design Review. Invention Studio enables teams of students to design solutions to social issues during a year-long process; the Review is an event where these teams can solicit feedback and advice from engineers, programmers, and designers on their prototypes.

“The goal is for teams to get feedback from experienced professionals and to help them hone... their prototypes as kind of a mid-year checkpoint,” said Madeline P. (11), who delivered the introductions with Justin Z. (11) at the start of the evening. “It’s also always great to give students presenting experience to a large audience, which Design Review definitely accomplishes.”

The six teams presented to a host of experts, among whom were Connie Liu, a former design

engineering teacher at the Upper School and the founder of Project Invent, and Rafi Holtzman, a user-centric designer and entrepreneur.

Presenters had the opportunity to pose a couple of questions to the panel and engage in a discussion over their project. At the end of the presentations, teams set up booths around the WRC and stayed to talk to panelists and other attendees to answer remaining questions and get advice on the next steps for their project.

Among the 15 presenters was Maya C. (10), who worked on a project called STELLAR, which was aimed at helping young students learning English. In order to get feedback from potential users, they will be visiting an elementary school next week and meeting the students their project is designed for.

On Jan. 25 and 26, the Model United Nations club went to their first official confer� ence as a team: the Santa Clara Valley MUN Conference, where they won two Honorable Mentions and one Verbal Commendation.

The team consisted of nine delegates, of which over a third had no previous experience, and over a half of whom one year or less. Despite their material success, however, sophomores Sian B. and Jojo W., the club co-leads who run MUN along with faculty advisor Patrick Berger, say they “don’t want to focus on the awards so much as the experiences.”

Similarly, training and learning have been central to their club so far.

“We decided to focus on improving the skills of newer and advanced delegates,” Jojo and Sian said. “Our club is not only a place where we teach our delegates but a place where we all learn from each other.”

While the club has immediate plans to attend the Berkeley MUN Conference in March, Jojo and Sian are also looking into the farther future.

As they gain members and become more established, they look to attend more nonlocal conferences, such as the UCLA MUN Conference, in the future.

Sophomore reporter talks "Since Parkland" project on ABC7

Sophomore Willow C. Y. (center) joined

by SF Supervisor Catherine Stefani, who recently headed Moms Demand Action CA, joined Kristen Sze on Midday Live (right) to discuss the Since Parkland project and progress made in the one year after the tragedy.

Willow C. Y. helped profile kids who died of gun violence in the year after Parkland On Friday, Feb. 15, sophomore Willow C. Y., the editor-in-chief of The Nueva Current, was interviewed by Nueva parent Kristen Sze on ABC7’s “Midday Live” about a project she worked on with 200 other teen journalists around the country known as Since Parkland. The project—whose staff created over 1,200 profiles of the teen and child victims of gun violence since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, last year— received recognition from national media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Fortune, and Vox. “Working on this project has been absolutely heart-wrenching, awful, and incredible at the same time,” Willow said. “I joined this project because I wanted to lend my voice to

Photo screenshot from Midday Live segment

the conversation, to actually make a change, and I’m just so honored to have worked with this really wonderful group of teen journalists and editors across the country.”

Willow spends much of her time outside of classes working on the school newspaper, taking on tasks that go from writing and editing to putting herself out at events like protests to capture moments in photos— skills that have helped her capture the real stories behind events and people’s lives.

“I’m really sad that this has to happen at

all—over 1200 children and teens were killed in the past year because of gun violence,” Willow added. “That’s ridiculous. What’s more, these victims don’t get the recognition—the press—that mass shootings get, so oftentimes they simply aren’t remembered.”

Willow, a self-proclaimed activist and hard-working student journalist, wanted to remember the minors “who essentially were our peers” and celebrate their lives.

Check out the Since Parkland project by visiting www.SinceParkland.org.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

THE NUEVA CURRENT

NEWS / 3

New building on track to open in July The "West Wing" will add needed classrooms and meeting spaces Luke M.

MOVING FORWARD These two photos show the progress made on the new building: the top photo was taken Oct. 24, 2018, and the bottom was taken Feb. 25, 2019. (Photos

by Jordan M.)

On a normal day, loud crashes, beeps, and an assortment of construction noises fill classrooms and hallways. The large construction site at the San Mateo campus is a clear and constant reminder of the new building that will welcome students at the start of the next school year. This wing will bring much-needed space and classrooms for teachers and students as the school continues to grow in numbers; however, more space is not the only feature the building will have to offer.

In addition to nine new classrooms, the west wing will contain science labs, meeting spaces, and a flexible outdoor learning/meeting/reflecting space, according to Terry Lee, the Associate Head of School.

There will also be an expanded outdoor recreational space, roughly in the same place as the old amphitheater.

“The west wing courtyard building was first conceptualized and planned as part of the original master plan for the site before anything was built,” Lee said. “The space wasn’t needed initially and so was deferred, saving time and money.”

The existing upper school campus has experienced similar projects with the goal of increasing space in its six years of existence, which has been beneficial for the planning of the west wing.

Construction continued in the north wing classroom building as well as the third floor during the first few years of the Upper School, in anticipation of the need for more physical space.

“There are many advantages to phasing building in addition to managing time and money more efficiently and effectively,” Lee explained. “A key advantage was the opportunity to learn

from experience as we lived in our space, evolved programs, and identified needs and created solutions.”

The school consulted internal constituents and outside experts in its efforts to anticipate projected needs as well as address Nueva’s current needs.

Students will experience the current style and feel of the original building in the new wing.

This means the same modern design and layout, as well as a lot of natural light and popping colors, will also feature in the design of the new building. Additionally, the west wing, which is on track to open this summer in time for the 2019-2020 school year, will reflect “our desire to create inspiring, effective environments to learn and teach, imagine, aspire, reflect, research, collaborate, and create,” as Lee put it.

Annual MLK Day celebration opens Introducing the Nueva Honor Council conversations around social class Powerful talks from Clarence B. Jones, Jonathan Greenberg, and faculty

Jordan M. For the Upper School’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, students and faculty had the opportunity to listen to a talk by Clarence B. Jones, former personal counsel, speechwriter, and close friend to Dr. King. The talk was moderated by Jonathan Greenberg,

Q&A TALK Dr. Clarence Jones— MLK’s speechwriter—delivered an empowering talk to students about social class. (Photo by Jordan M.)

the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Gandhi King Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice based at the University of San Francisco.

The primary focus of this year’s MLK Day celebration was the Poor People’s Campaign—a movement launched by MLK before his death in 1968. Led by Equity & Social Justice Director Alegria Barclay and Science of Mind associate teacher Alison Williams, the day-long program was filled with a Q&A-style talk with Jones in the morning and workshops led by faculty members focused on conversations around different aspects of economics and social class in the afternoon.

Barclay has always been interested in the Poor People’s Campaign, and she was always

Corrections Corrections for Volume 2, Issue 3, published Dec. 14, 2018

struck by how little the media and the general public know of Dr. King’s larger work.

Barclay, focusing the program on education around MLK’s “pretty broad and radical” goals and visions, says that it is important to discuss socioeconomic inequality because students should acknowledge that they come into their class status because of their parents and family, much like race.

“It’s up to you to determine your relationship to it,” Barclay said. “What makes class more complicated is the possibility of mobility—you can’t change race, but [we’re] taught that we can change our class, and it causes a lot of stigma…What people don't understand is that class is mostly static.”

Students were told to find ways to help those in need by using the privilege and resources that can be accessed at an institution like Nueva.

“Silicon Valley [houses] extraordinary levels of inequity; it’s hard to live here and not question it, and also to recognize that we are on one end of the [socioeconomic] spectrum,” Barclay said.

Barclay feels that students’ responsibilities as citizens of this country and members of the community encompass being able to identify what steps

they can take to make sure that “everyone has enough.”

“If we have all this, what are our responsibilities to the community? How do we make sure everyone has enough?” Barclay invited the student body to discuss. “We should think about what it means to have enough, to have what you need. This applies to both the rich and poor.”

This year’s workshops covered a variety of topics, ranging from the exploration of the neuroscience and psychology behind poverty and socioeconomic status to the accessibility of food and housing in the Bay Area.

Anthony Perry, the coordinator of Nueva’s THRIVE Program, led a workshop titled “The Case for Reparations.”

“History is complicated, progress is complicated, and social justice is complicated,” Perry says. He added that social justice requires going out of your comfort zone if one truly believes in equity and social justice and wants to make change.

And that’s what Barclay and Williams did when they were planning this year’s activities.

“I believe that class is possibly the hardest conversation for the Nueva community, and indeed most independent school communities to have,” Barclay said.

WORKSHOPS Biology teacher Michaela Danek teaches the economics around climate justice and poverty in other areas of the world, as well as the human and enviornmental impacts.

(Photo by Jordan M.)

On page 1, the quote provided by Dan Cristiani in “It starts here” should read “We’re seeing in the Silicon Valley companies that are dominated by males and male culture sort of turn[ing] away females directly or implicitly.” The photo used in the “Nueva Coffeehouse” preview was missing a photo credit; it was taken by Willow C. Y. The portrait of Sophia M. on page 17 for “Finding Nueva’s sports identity” was incorrectly attributed to Jordan M.; it is actually courtesy of iClickSmiles, who provides Nueva’s school portraits. Caught an error? Email any corrections or clarifications to thenuevacurrent@nuevaschool. org. Corrections will be published in the following issue.

Committee of students and faculty will be involved in handling disciplinary issues Grace H.

During the all-school meeting on Jan. 28, a group of seven juniors and seniors presented on a change to the school’s justice system that has been two years in the making: the implementation of the Nueva Honor Council (NHC), a committee of 14 community members made up of two students each from the ninth and tenth grades, three each from the eleventh and twelfth grades, and four faculty members. The council will be involved in making the discipline system more transparent, community-driven, and empathetic through the incorporation of student perspectives.

Appearing before the council will be an option for students who have committed an infraction for which some form of judicial action is deemed necessary; the council will help determine the course of action that best addresses the needs of the involved parties and community at large within the framework of restorative justice.

The restorative justice paradigm is one that emphasizes whole-community healing and is “completely empathetic to its core,” according to councilmember Gavin R. (12). These core values manifest themselves within the procedure that the council has built, as does another crucial element of the school’s philosophy—design thinking.

“The process includes private healing dialogues, restorative brainstorms, feedback cycles with the administration, and community outreach should that be necessary,” councilmember Audrey C. (12) said. “The process we created for our council is very similar to the design thinking process.”

As with design thinking,

feedback and transparent communication within the system itself are crucial aspects of a functional judicial process. One of the major hallmarks of a successful system is understanding between the parties involved, something the council hopes to improve.

“Currently the biggest issue is the disconnect between the students and the administration,” councilmember Nico L. (11) said. “I’ve heard quite a few people talk about how they can’t understand the punishment or the severity of it based upon their actions.”

The NHC also aims to improve community-wide awareness and communication around the judicial process and, in doing so, make the community’s response to issues more effective.

“The restorative justice system and NHC can help to communicate better and help begin the process of healing the community from an event as opposed to just talking about it,” Nico said.

While the council recognizes the importance of communication throughout the student body, they are also committed to balancing it with discretion and confidentiality.

“Without trust from the student body, without [confidentiality], the honor council is going to be useless. It’s just going to be harmful,” said Gavin.

As to how the council will look once it’s fully optimized, US Division Head Stephen Dunn has an optimistic vision for the end goal: “A fully functional, operational, and idealized honor council never meets, because there are no cases that come before them.”

4 / NEWS

THE NUEVA CURRENT

Interests sparked by Intersession Aliya G.

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4 STUCO ANNOUNCEMENTS Andrew C. — 9th Grade Andrew carried out his campaign promise of once-amonth open campus privileges for freshmen, which began on Feb. 15. Chu is currently working on organizing a grade event later in the spring.

Each year when students return from winter break, they are greeted with a plentiful assortment of opportunities for exploration in various academic topics and hobby areas during

There were over

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offerings for Intersession 2019

Willow C. Y. — 10th Grade Willow is currently organizing a grade event in the spring as well as working on organzing the CSL day with Service Learning Representative Stephanie S. and Campus Steward Celia M.

Beatrice S. — 12th Grade Beatrice is fundraising for a senior class gift, and is trying to plan a grade-wide laser tag event.

ACCESSORIZE Juniors Megan F. and Zoe H. blowtorch a necklace pendant in Metal Working: Jewelry Making Basics.

(Photo by Julia Barzizza)

SEW COOL In the Fashion Design seminar that took place in the first week, students like Zander L. (9) learned essential skills and concepts used by professional designers. (Photo by Julia Barzizza)

Intersession; the options cover a wide range, from cake decorating to welding. While over twothirds of last year’s seminars, intensives, and activity sessions returned this January, a variety of new courses were added to the program.

A new science seminar, Let’s

Build a Brain: A Crash Course in Developmental Neurobiology, was taught by Kristen Muench—a neuroscience Ph.D. student at Stanford—and covered the principles and processes behind brain development in children and adolescents. Many students were grateful for this deep dive into a new and exciting subject.

“The neurobiology class was an appealing way to delve into the specifics of biology. The interactive activities made it lively and educational,” said Valerie B., a sophomore who has previously taken psychology classes at Nueva and enjoyed the seminar and

Audrey C. — Spirit and Social found it valuable.

There were also some exciting new intensive courses added to the mix, which run all day.

New additions included Travel Journalism, Screenwriting, and Filmmaking and Visual Effects.

The immersive aspect and length of intensives allow for a particularly full experience.

“Even though lots of the people in my visual effects intensive had more experience than me,” said Vienna G. (10), “I learned so much and feel like I was very well-informed going out of the class.”

Many of this year’s new opportunities will be returning next January for Intersession 2020.

Team 4904 begins build season The upper school robotics team has six short weeks to design and build their robot Eli C. The loud screech of the drill bit against metal echoed around the packed I-Lab while two freshmen watched the Tormach CNC mill cut out a small chunk of glimmering aluminum.

They were cutting out a piece of the wrist for the

participating in the FIRST Robotics Challenge, or FRC for short, and they have six weeks to design, build, program, and wire a robot to complete a challenge for the chance to win a prize.

The challenge that Team 4904 has been faced with this year is “Destination: Deep Space.” The goal is to place hatches (painted

starts right after the FRC challenge objective is announced and is the time in which teams have to make the robot from just basic parts; this includes everything from design to wiring. During this time, the team meets five times a week to get the robot done as quickly as possible. Some students on the team can spend up to 18 hours a

Audrey is planning prom and an upcoming March 15th event as well as possible grade-specific bonding activities.

Gitika P. and Arun J. — Co-Leads Gitika and Arun have been working with admin and operations to find both practical and cultural solutions to issues of campus upkeep, and organizing a Student Council conference for next month, in which student councils of independent schools from the Peninsula will assemble to discuss their initiatives and possible avenues for collaboration. The beginning of the semester was spent finding a solution to the Wall of Rejections.

Stephanie S. — Community Service After wrapping up the Valentine’s day fundraiser, Shields is now fully focused on organizing the first all-school Community Service Learning Event. “It will be a day of volunteering and fun for everyone,” says Stephanie, “happening in just a few weeks!”

Feminism Conference open for registration In its fourth year, conference features line-up of four change-making women Amanda W. The Feminism Club, led by seniors Anjali S. and Kayla W., is hosting their fourth annual Feminism Conference on March 2 in the Upper School gym. Every year, the club invites several prominent speakers to give TED Talk–style presentations advocating for gender equality.

This year is no different, with four powerful women delivering empowering messages to a community ready for a change: Aimee Allison, the founder of She the People, an organization dedicated to elevating and amplifying the voice and power of women of color as leaders, political strategists, organizers, and voters; Alaleh Kianerci, the district attorney who fought for

89 There are

students on the robotics team

BLASTING OFF A 3D render of the FRC playing field that is in “deep space.” Players and their robots race to put circular panels on and throw balls—or “precious cargo,” as FRC calls them—into their respective ships. (Photo courtesy of FIRST)

robot arm that would place hatches onto a large plastic spaceship in just a few short weeks at the robotics challenge.

This is just a small part of a larger robotics practice for Team 4904—the upper school robotics team known as Bot-Provoking—an activity that almost 100 people spend their time on after school. They are

acrylic disks) and cargo (foam balls) into large model spaceships in order to earn points. There are two phases to the challenge: an autonomous phase where the robot has to be pre-programmed to take actions, and also a driver-controlled phase where students navigate the robot around the course to complete objectives.

The team is currently in their build season; this is one of the most stressful times when working on the robotics team. Build season

week working on the robot.

Build season can be chaotic and hard. Robotics coach Michelle Grau says that “while there are lots of different components to building a robot, it's just hard to have nearly 100 people all working on the same thing.”

Build season is short, and team leader Robby V. (12) says that one of the most stressful parts is “toss[ing] it into a bag and [shipping] it off, whether we like it or not.”

the successful prosecution of ex-Stanford swimmer Brock Turner for sexual assault; Rabbi Lisa Kingston; and Joanna Bloor, founder of LADYBADASS, a website that features anybody who is both strong and gentle, bold and cautious, unbreakable and delicate, fearless and afraid, and “manifests both their masculine and feminine side.”

The club has been working for months in preparation for this and is very excited to introduce many of these role models to both the Nueva and outside communities.

“I’m really excited—we reached out to many cool speakers,” Kayla said. “This is an event that will transcend genders, with speakers addressing both diversity and democracy.”

People of all genders, ages, and experiences are all encouraged to attend this event and learn more about gender equality.

Visit www.tinyurl.com/femcon2019.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

THE NUEVA CURRENT

CULTURE / 5

Relatable: what 2019 could be Ellen DeGeneres’ new Netflix Comedy Special embodies the improvements the social world needs to make in 2019 Willow C. Y.

RELATABLE Ellen DeGeneres’s first stand-up in 15 years, Relatable is primarily about her journey to fame—however, she also makes a consicous effort to break the “nice celebrity” caricature that has defined her career. The special features an f-bomb from the notably clean comedian. (Photo courtesy of Netflix)

She is the host of a hugely popular talk show that holds a record 59 Daytime and one Primetime Emmys. She is the winner of 30 Emmy Awards, 20 People’s Choice Awards, and so many others that there’s an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to her awards and honors. She is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. And, as she unabashedly proclaims in her new Netflix Comedy Special, a very comfortable multimillionaire.

She’s a woman who came out as lesbian on national TV in 1997, was stripped of her show, and has climbed her way back to the top with a smile.

She is the dancer. The nice one. The (once) vegan.

RELATABLE Maturity Rating: TV-14 Running Time: 68 minutes

The special was performed at the Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Washington on Aug. 22-23, 2018. It is the comic’s first stand-up special in 15 years.

And, yes, as her first Netflix Comedy Special in 15 years boasts, Ellen DeGeneres is the “woman we love most,” and she is Relatable.

But more than that, the 61-year-old with a renewed lease on stand-up has created something the 2019 world desperately needs: a breaking of stereotypes, a plethora of tasteful jokes, a celebrity with the best of intentions, and a lot of fuzzy, feel-good morals.

2018 was politically, socially troubled: from the polarization of Western politics to Louis C.K.’s exceedingly unsavory mockings of the Parkland survivors, the volatility of the climate with both Hurricane

Florence and the Camp Fire to Trump’s...well, Trump’s everything, 2018 seemed like—nay, was—a mess.

But Relatable, available on Netflix since Dec. 18, 2018, encompasses all the opposites of these messes and mixes them together until they become something of an antidote—“Watch this,” it seems to say, “this is the opposite of all the unfortunate things you’ve seen this past year. Watch this, and you’ll feel not-so-hopeless for a single, blissful hour.”

The majority of the show is unfortunately not comedic genius—the jokes flail a bit in Degeneres’ moderacy and land a bit flat and underperformed—but it’s enjoyable in its optimism, even if that part isn’t immediately apparent. And who can be upset when DeGeneres, whose celebrity persona is her kindness and ever-present pleasantness, partakes in a sweet little bit of late teenage rebellion.

This is the first way that Relatable is the antithesis of 2018: it shows someone who feels boxed into a mold that they resent, and that person’s healthy break from it.

Throughout the show, DeGeneres’ achingly positive, reverential personality that has given her fame and fortune was noticeably, refreshingly absent. She is a version of Ellen DeGeneres that knows exactly how rich and powerful she is, resents the ever-positive that people expect her to be, and is openly, unapologetically bitter about her coming-out experience, which she likens to standing in the middle of a field of meerkats: “[Every closeted actor and actress in Hollywood] were like little meerkats coming out of their little meerkat closets, ‘How’s this gonna go? Before I make a decision I wanna see how this is. Nope, not going well.

I’m going down, back in, stay there for a little while.’” She jokes about her wealth and

“Watch this,” Relatable seems to say, “this is the opposite of all the unfortunate things you’ve seen this past year.

Watch this, and you’ll feel notso-hopeless for a single, blissful hour.”

her success, pretending more than once to be ignorant of how the world works for those not at the top, jokingly wondering, at one point, if on a commercial plane economy rows stopped at row 10, “or even if they go back that far?”

She expresses her resentment at being asked to dance all the time, saying with more than a touch of uncharacteristic scorn, “I was locked in, I was the dancer. Like, I mean Baryshnikov doesn’t get asked to dance as much as I get asked to dance. Whenever [people] see me anywhere, they’re like, ‘Dance Ellen, dance.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m getting a mammogram. I can’t move right now. How did you get in here, anyway?’”

But what is key is that none of this holds outward malice; she is unabashedly boastful, yes, and quite scathing when when she talks about her inability to express road rage. (“I’m the be-kind girl. I’m kind, I’m a good person. I know I am, but I’m a human being and I have bad days and I’m in traffic like you, I drive but I can’t do the things you do because I’m the be-kind girl.”) But she wants her comedy to “feel good,” as she said in a New York Times interview. And this comes across in her special as well—she never takes a jab too far, always stopping short of directly insulting someone’s character, instead poking fun at their actions.

While she breaks free of the everlastingly nice caricature, she does it healthily, wisely, without creating lasting collateral damage to her audience or her career.

Indeed, Relatable is careful not to cross any lines— especially not potentially socially problematic ones.

Too many comedians in 2018 were caught up in scandal involving socially insensitive commentary or were involved in the wrong side of the #MeToo movement. The aforementioned C.K. is only one of the many (Kevin Hart

and Dave Chappelle are among those that immediately come to mind)—and DeGeneres does not join their ranks. There isn’t a single instance that could even be questioned as problematic.

Not when she jokes about the number of staff she has, not when she talks about her trip to Rwanda with her wife, and not when she pretends to speak in a fake medicine ad for “Gay”: “Do you find yourself in love with, attracted to, or just curious about the same sex? Maybe it’s time you try Gay.” Despite her rebellion, she still is conscious of moral lines. And throughout the show, she makes sure to preach them, too.

“I just think, it would help if more people came out,” she says, recalling her own experience. “A lot of kids would be helped by that.”

Similarly, she says of her time after coming out, “It’s when I learned compassion. It’s when I learned that the truth will always win. And that’s when you grow. Everyone has a fear, everyone’s scared of something. But it’s not until you’ve faced that fear head-on that you realize your power.”

Relatable is filled with DeGeneres’ positivity, made authentic by her resistance to the “kind” cliché she was forced into, supplemented by her thoughtful jokes, polished by her clear desire to do good and be good. It is a beacon in the tumultuous waves of 2018, hopefully guiding us all to a safe, 2019 shore.

But of course, in true Relatable fashion, DeGeneres’ newly found, newly claimed bitterness also makes a show.

“I don’t like to judge because I do stupid things, everyone does stupid things,” she says.

“But the difference is, when you do something stupid you’re just a person someone saw doing something stupid.

When I do something stupid, it’s a story.”

6 / CULTURE

THE NUEVA CURRENT

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4

Finding the perfect pitch

Soundwaves a cappella performance establishes its place at Nueva Mira D. On a Saturday afternoon, sunlight shines through the clear glass window placed 15 feet above the ground, surrounded by a sphere of lockers—the perfect acoustics for a cappella; space amplifies the harmonious crescendo of voices. Melodies flow, and the singers are wrapped in their music.

After a day-long vocal workshop on Saturday with Deke Sharon—the legendary director and arranger of Pitch Perfect, a movie about collegiate a cappella groups starring Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson—the Nueva Soundwaves performed several songs and mashups including classics such as “Imagine”

by John Lennon and “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by the Tokens. Black curtains were set up around several rows of chairs in the Café, and the informal performance lasted around 40 minutes in front of families and friends. The Soundwaves sang compositions by group member Jenna L. (12), who arranged a mashup of Christina Perri’s “Human” and Kesha’s “Praying.”

Although Jenna has little experience with composition and music theory, she enjoys experimenting by listening to songs and writing down notes, and she arranges most of her songs by ear.

Jenna observed that Sharon gave “extraordinary, thoughtful feedback” and was deeply passionate about how music brings people together.

“He has a way of looking at a group and knowing not only what they need to focus on, but exactly how to help them get there,” Jenna said.

Commonly referred to as the “father of contemporary a cappella,” Sharon is a singer, arranger, composer, producer, and teacher. A Bay Area local, he attended San Francisco’s Town School for Boys, and sang in the San Francisco Boys Chorus.

“In a world which calls for harmony and compelling singing, my mission is to inspire the new generation to create interpersonal harmony,” Sharon stated.

His goal is to help people find harmony as he believes that everyone can sing.

Similarly, Cathy Doyle, the teacher of the Soundwaves, believes that singing is essential to a well-rounded life.

“My goal is to both support those trying [singing] out and challenge those who are ready to work at a higher or more intense level while helping each student find his or her own voice,” Doyle said. “I love working with intelligent, creative, energetic students and feel like the level of work I do at Nueva is similar to working in a conservatory.”

The Soundwaves cover a variety of music catered to the students’ interest and requests for a specific style or composer.

“I love the range of music that we are able to explore. So many of the pieces we have [worked on] are songs that I would have never come across,” said Anya P. (9), one of the newer members of the group. “I also love putting together the different choral parts because they come together so beautifully.”

Moving forward, Doyle hopes to see a beginning choir in addition to the ad-

SING OR SHOUT? Deke Sharon introduces the Soundwaves before performing “XYZ,” originally sung by ABC. Sharon is most known for his work on the popular movie Pitch Perfect. (Photo by Mira D.)

vanced one. She strives to have a “newbies” club to meet and rehearse, a beginning class for students who don’t have experience in singing (or male students learning to use their deeper post-puberty voices), and in general, more time carved out to support the students.

“Working on setting voicing ahead of time, rather than just by who signs up, would be great,” Doyle suggested. Voicing is the musical concept which refers to the ordering and spacing of the notes, for different parts in the harmony.

Doyle and many other students desire a more robust music program.

“The challenge is that students have so many courses and electives to juggle that participating for longer than re-

quired to check off a UC elective requirement is very difficult,” Doyle claimed.

The Soundwaves have come a long way since their establishment as a club in 2015 with just six members. Currently, there are nine members of the elective and 29 students in the club, with hope for more growth in the years to come.

They have two more performances left in the year, including one involving a joint concert with the Nueva MS String Ensemble on March 29 and a more informal set-up on Arts Culmination Night.

The Soundwaves, along with instrumentalists in grades 2–9 will have a performance featuring the music of Mozart, Pachelbel, Vivaldi, and more!

TV shows tackle timely topics Comedies provide commentary on social issues Sian B. In an age where tweets and memes are used to respond to political and social issues, comedy on television has proven to be an effective medium for delivering powerful messages. This lineup of shows from NBC not only educates the public on societal and moral issues, but provides diverse casts and increasing societal acceptance: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (premiered 2013 on Fox and picked up by NBC last year) is a police comedy about the conflict between a talented yet immature NYPD detective in the 99th precinct of Brooklyn and his new commanding officer; the series follows the detectives and their superiors as they solve crimes and run into systemic issues within the judicial and law enforcement systems.

The show uses comedy to point out flaws—internalized homophobia and racism, gun control, internal affairs abuse— in the police system and American society. The diversity of both the NYPD and Brooklyn create a perfect setting and allow the characters to avoid fitting into a stereotype without poking fun at police officers—a deliberate move by co-creator, Dan Goor, who said that the diversity made it easier to portray them

"DIVERSITY DAY" Michael Scott, the boss in The Office, urges his employees to use racial stereotypes in order to guess the race written on the notecards taped to their foreheads. (Photo courtesy of NBC)

as effective police officers and highlight the inconsistencies and outdated laws they constantly encounter. From episodes where guns are bought without any ID to homophobia and racial profiling in the police community, the characters of Brooklyn Nine-Nine constantly interact with—and sometimes physically combat—these societal issues.

The Office, which aired 2005-2013, follows the everyday lives of employees who work in a branch of a failing paper company. Many of the episodes revolve around the naïve insensitivity of Regional Manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell), as he tries to balance educating his employees, doing his job, and being liked. The Office, uniquely, uses uncomfortable, awkward comedy to expose and amplify societal issues, such as racism, sexism, and homophobia, and takes it a step further by approaching situations through Scott’s well-meaning but ignorant perspective, forcing viewers to confront what it means to be politically correct.

In the season one episode “Diversity Day,” Scott holds his own diversity seminar and forces his employees to play a game where everyone tapes a notecard with a race to their foreheads. The objective is to determine what’s written on their index cards based on how they are treated by the others who can see the card.

Scott seems to think that he can encourage diversity by tolerating stereotypes but doesn’t realize there are unintended consequences to his well-intentioned actions and that he is only furthering the discrimination and stereotypes associated with race, such as Asians being bad at driving. Predictably, Scott offends all of his employees and causes them to point out the problems with his diversity seminar.

During every episode, the employees

A DOZEN ROSES Two main characters of The Good Place look at the points associated with each environmental and societal effect of sending a dozen roses to one's grandmother for her birthday in 2009, compared to doing the same in 1534. (Photo courtesy of NBC)

make their discomfort known to Scott and call out his offensive behavior, allowing more of the show to be focused on human connections and reactions in the face of high tension. As Rainn Wilson, an actor in the show, put it, The Office is “less a comedy of awkwardness and more a comedy of reactivity.”

The Good Place (2016–present) focuses on four humans and their philosophical struggles in the afterlife after arriving in the “Good Place” as a reward for living righteous lives on Earth; however, they soon realize they don’t actually deserve to be there and are instead in a world constructed for their torture by an architect who works for the Bad Place.

While The Office and Brooklyn NineNine provide social commentary on issues in the workplace and the abuse of power systems, The Good Place tries to do something that few comedies have done before: directly approach morality and its effect on a person’s worth through the perspective of the afterlife and, specifically and rather strangely, the environment. The show is less about

religious salvation than it is about ethical behavior.

In Season 3, the four humans find out that nobody has made it to the real Good Place in 500 years because of the millions of negative consequences to every action. As one of the humans puts it, “There are so many unintended consequences to well-intentioned actions, it feels like a game you can’t win.”

In the episode “Book of Dougs,” the troupe compares two identical actions of getting a dozen roses for one’s grandmother in two different time periods.

When a Doug from 1534 got a dozen roses for his grandmother, he was given 145 points whereas in 2009, a different Doug lost four points. The roses from 2009 were ordered via a phone made in a sweatshop, grown with toxic pesticides, picked by exploited migrant workers, and delivered from far away (creating a massive carbon footprint) by a company with a racist and sexist CEO. Unknowingly, Doug enabled and supported devastating actions yet couldn’t see the consequences from the few clicks it took to place the order.

In this era of technology, The Good Place argues, the moral separation between action and consequence has become blurred. If someone is well-meaning, can we ignore the unintended consequences of their actions just because they weren’t aware of them or does it actually make them a bad person? The show reminds viewers that, in the words of one of the main characters, “Every day the world gets a little more complicated and being a good person gets a little harder.”

In exemplifying the beauty and tragedy of ordinary life, these three comedies have added an underlying layer of gravity and surprising depth to each show. Catch up on past seasons of The Office and The Good Place on Netflix, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Hulu.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

THE NUEVA CURRENT

CULTURE / 7

Liar, liar, pants on Fyre

Fake music festival sparks the creation of two new documentaries Elizabeth B. P. In 2017, social media was abuzz with tantalizing teases of an unbelievable luxury music festival experience. There would be popular musicians, gourmet food, and luxurious villas on a private island playing host to the rich and famous, plus a bevy of of social media influencers and models, including Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and Emily Ratajkowski.

The festival was scheduled to take place on two consecutive weekends starting at the end of April. As guests started to arrive on April 27, the day before the concert, the world watched—and any feelings of envy or FOMO quickly changed to disbelief and maybe even a little glee. The young millennial attendees took to social media with rapidly mocked up “Expectations vs. Reality” memes, Snapchat stories of disaster relief tents instead of the promised glamping experience, and tweets about it being like “The Hunger Games” and people “fighting for a place to sleep” and “stealing tents.”

Perhaps the most damning photo evidence of all was a photo of a cheese sandwich in a styrofoam container.

Bags had been lost and stolen, there was no waste disposal, water, or food, and none of the performers arrived.

It was supposed to be the new Coachella, but it ended up being a nightmare that trapped hundreds of people on the island. Think the Lord of the Flies, but with rich, entitled millennials paying thousands of dollars to spend a weekend on an island with social media influencers.

Lawsuits were quickly filed against the organizers, entrepreneur Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule. Ultimately, McFarland was sued for

defrauding investors of $27.4 million with promises he was unable to keep. He began a six-year prison sentence at FCI Otisville in Orange County, NY, in Oct. 2018.

Almost two years after the event, two documentaries, Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened and Fyre Fraud, emerged from the fallout, airing around a week apart from each

who went through the nonsense at the festival. Everyone spoke of how upbeat and positive McFarland was in the midst of the planning chaos, and that the reality of the festival’s failure didn’t hit him until guests started showing up. The result is a portrait of McFarland was a youthful, well-meaning guy who let his dream of an epic music festival get too big.

FYRE FRAUD is a true-crime comedy exploring a failed music festival turned internet meme at the nexus of social media influence, late-stage capitalism, and morality in the post-truth era. (Photo and description courtesy of Hulu)

other on Hulu and Netflix, respectively. Combined, they are exemplars of the two directly opposing opinions on Silicon Valley entrepreneurship.

Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, which is available on Netflix, portrays the actions of McFarland as one huge mistake: he was a great Silicon Valley-style entrepreneur who only wanted to throw a huge party, but got in over his head. The documentary interviews people on the inside—people who worked for the organizers, people who knew McFarland, and people

However, Fyre only includes interviews from two Bahamian residents, which was a huge missed opportunity for real behind-the-scenes coverage.

The Bahamian workers were exploited for their labor and never got paid. Even now, many of the local residents have not been compensated for their labor, although a GoFundMe page has been set up by Maryann Rolle, a local chef who paid $50,000 out of pocket for her workers’ salaries when McFarland did not.

Netflix’s account also draws heavily from interviews with

current employees of Jerry Media, the firm responsible for advertising the event— their documentary was a coproduction with Jerry Media, which seems a breach of good journalistic practice. As New York Magazine puts it, “Jerry Media comes out looking squeaky-clean in Netflix’s telling of events.”

Meanwhile, the premise of Hulu’s Fyre Fraud is “truecrime comedy bolstered by a cast of whistleblowers, victims, and insiders going beyond the spectacle to uncover the power of FOMO and an ecosystem of enablers, driven by profit and a lack of accountability in the digital age."

Fyre Fraud treats McFarland as most people regard him: a man testing his luck and the limits of how much he can take advantage of people. Maybe it’s not a risky thesis, so to speak, but Hulu backs it up with a wide array of compelling interviews. The Hulu team spoke to people from all sides of the issue, including the head of the Jerry Media Instagram account—who advertised the Fyre Festival through Instagram and no longer works for Jerry Media—a bartender in the area, various employees, and the @fyrefraud Instagram account that called out the festival.

The Hulu documentary culminates with an interview with McFarland himself, days before he is set to start his sentencing. (Somewhat questionably, Hulu paid McFarland for his interview.)

In the interview, McFarland is mostly silent and his answers half-hearted. Overall, Fyre Fraud takes a pretty dim view of McFarland’s intentions and is blunt about how he deceived investors.

Fyre Fraud tries to dig deeper into why and how the debacle could have happened.

How could so many gullible festivalgoers have given so much money to something that didn’t exist? While the Netflix documentary stays focused on recapping the events, Hulu offers a look at the Fyre Festival through the lens of unpacking the influence of Instagram and how millennials increasingly pay a premium for the promise of “experiences.”

FYRE: THE GREATEST PARTY THAT NEVER HAPPENED The Fyre Festival was billed as a luxury music experience on a posh private island, but it failed spectacularly in the hands of a cockyentrepreneur. (Photo and description courtesy of Netflix)

Billy McFarland defrauded

$24.7 mil from investors and exploited local Bahamian people for labor without compensation

FOOD SCENE

Grab a bite at these neighborhood eateries These local restaurants are just a short walk from the San Mateo campus

Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market, similar to many other healthy food options in the Bay Area, provides fresh and hearty meals at a medium to high price. What sets “Mendo” apart, however, is its close proximity to the San Mateo campus. Being a short ten minutes away on foot by the Whole Foods, the restaurant easily attains its desired status as a neighborhood gathering place. Mendocino hopes for guests to feel fulfilled by their experience, not just the food. This goal is clear in the staff’s cheeriness and the vibrant environment that automatically lifts your mood.

At Mendocino Farms, sandwiches and salads are made with the highest quality ingredients sourced from local farms and food artisans. The menu is always miles long, with many fresh seasonal options and satisfying dishes to fit almost any dietary restriction.

Just a five-minute walk from campus, Roam Artisan Burgers is the perfect place for a casual lunch out. For anywhere between $10 and $12, you can enjoy quick but quality artisan burgers that suit your taste. If “The Classic” (your choice of protein with butter lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and sauce) isn’t calling your name, there are a variety of uniquely styled and seasonal burgers to try, including one stuffed with fries and another that is winter-themed and contains quince, brie, and bacon.

On top of deliciously fresh burgers, Roam offers a variety of sides and drinks (including milkshakes and sodas) to enjoy with your meal. Their russet fries are an enjoyable way to go; however, if you are looking to try something new, the zucchini onion haystack is a crunchy treat to hit the spot.

Either way, you can’t go wrong at this crafty burger joint. Be warned: these loaded burgers make for a heavy lunch, so be careful to avoid falling into a food coma in your last two classes of the day.

Roam utilizes many local farms and bakeries to put together a plate that shows their commitment to the land. Part of what makes Roam special is their agricultural mission to improve the health of the planet.

Photo courtesy of Village Hummus

Photo courtesy of Roam

Photo courtesy of Mendocino Farms

Aliya G.

Finding a restaurant that is inexpensive, yet serves good quality and authentic food, is not always an easy feat. Luckily for students, there is an option that fits this description just around the corner. Village Hummus is a laid-back, distinctive eating experience bringing you the colorful flavors of Jerusalem on a plate.

Village Hummus offers various meat shawarmas that are substantial but not an overly heavy meal.

They also provide the classic vegetarian option—the falafel. One dish you definitely shouldn’t miss out on is their hummus. In order to create a hummus that works best in the Bay Area, given factors such as the weather or grain adjustments, the recipe was designed over a period of intense training with the best hummus makers in Jerusalem. Be sure to order this creamy dip on your visit to Village Hummus.

8 / FEATURES

THE NUEVA CURRENT

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4

Art vs. artists: can and should we separate them?

Beatrice S. interested in mourning him; he chose not to participate in the sit-down at the dance.

“When you choose to sit down like that, you’re saying something about him as a person,” Ethan said. For him, the art versus artist debate is not strictly black and white: “I think you can listen to somebody’s work even if you don’t fully agree with what they’re doing or Photo courtesy of News-Press & Gazette Co.

At the first dance of the school year, a song begins to play and the room goes quiet.

It happens slowly, starting at the center of the room and spreading to the edges. The song opens with heavy bass, mournful synth, and brooding lyrics. People sit down, cross-legged or kneeling, making X signs, swaying in silence. Lights, blue and purple, flood the gym, now quiet except for the blaring song and the murmur of people singing along.

The song is “SAD!” by XXXTentacion, who was fatally shot in June.

“I put my source of happiness in another person, which was a mistake initially, right? But she fell through on every occasion until now. Until...I started f***ing her up because she made one mistake. And from there, the whole cycle went down. Now she’s scared.

That girl is scared for her life. Which I understand.”

This is an excerpt from a 27-minute tape released by the Miami-Dade County state attorney’s office in which XXXTentacion confesses to and details his physical and psychological abuse of his pregnant girlfriend. Both the prosecution and XXXTentacion’s defense considered the tape a confession.

The rapper also had a history of violent homophobia. In an interview with No Jumper, he laughed and went on to graphically describe beating and almost killing a man in prison because “he was staring at me” and he thought the man was gay, while using derogatory language.

Is it wrong to enjoy the music of an artist who has done such terrible things? What about after their death?

And how do these questions interact with the #MeToo movement’s endeavor to hold abusive men accountable?

Ethan K. (12) listens to XXXTentacion’s music casually but isn’t

Fans memorialize XXXTentacion after his death.

even if they’ve done some horrible stuff in the past.”

For many listeners, it is far easier to separate the art from the artist when the art doesn’t bring to mind the artist’s abuse. Woody Allen—who was been accused of rape and molestation and is notorious for having married his ex-girlfriend’s daughter—is one artist who comes to mind. It is more difficult for many viewers to ignore his previous misconduct while watching movies such as Manhattan, where Woody Allen stars as a middle-aged man dating a high school girl.

Ethan employs a common strategy: avoiding information altogether.

“I don’t try to seek that stuff out.

It’s just kind of disturbing, you know?,” Ethan explained. “I have an idea of what he did, and that’s enough.”

He also admitted that he probably wouldn’t be able to listen to XXXTentacion’s music if he learned the full extent of his abuse; after learning about Chris Brown and R. Kelly’s reputations of abuse, he finds their work “unlistenable.”

One female student who preferred to remain anonymous assuages herself of guilt by consuming art in a way that doesn’t support the artist financially. If she absolutely must listen to or watch the work of an artist who she views as morally reprehensible, she feels more comfortable pirating it. When asked how people are able to separate the art from the artist, she imagines that it’s for one of two reasons: because it’s more convenient, or because they just don’t care.

The question of how easy it is for people to separate the art from the artist, however, does not answer the essential question of whether art should be separate from the artist. The same female student also showed me a tweet she had read a few months ago, which she said allowed her to gain a deeper understanding of why she felt uneasy supporting artists like XXXTentacion as a sexual assault survivor herself. The tweet, by user @monae_2001, reads “It’s a privileged position to say ‘separate art from artist’ when the abused can’t separate trauma from their abuser. #MuteRKelly.”

This argument encourages consumers to put themselves in the victim's shoes and stand in solidarity. But that kind of response doesn't work for everyone.

The fact is that abusive men are so pervasive that it would be impossible to get a conceptual grasp on art without consuming the work of abusers. Pablo

Picasso, for example, psychologically tormented women his whole life. But it is not practical, advisable, or even possible to go through one’s life without consuming Picasso’s work; his influence on the world of art is immeasurable. To Allen Frost, director of the Innovative Teacher Program at Nueva, Picasso’s abuse would be a point of discussion rather than a reason to avoid his art.

Teaching Picasso could become an opportunity to have a conversation about the ways Picasso’s attitude toward women may have manifested themselves in his work.

Can that same attitude be applied to spaces outside the classroom, to less influential abusive artists who are still living and whose victims are still very much alive? Ethan believes that the main reason consumers are able to separate the art from the artist is a lack of thoughtfulness; many students listen to abusive artists simply because they choose not to think about the implications. And while many students wish they could be more conscientious about the media they consume and its impact on the world, it is difficult— and inconvenient—to actually bring to action.

Nueva’s community prides itself on thoughtful, meaningful discussion; community members also strive to be supportive and sensitive to those around them. When it comes to art—a medium tied intrinsically to emotion, pain, and identity—it is all the more important to think carefully about the implications of one’s actions. Therefore, beyond consumption and one’s own technical ability to separate the art from the artist, lies a broader responsibility: compassion for victims, thoughtfulness about content, and sensitivity.

Censorship is not the answer, nor is it the cry.

Examining the relevance of high school dances

Dances used to be essential social events, but not necessarily for Gen Z Miki Y. While some may be jumping and screaming at the top of their lungs to “Lucid Dreams”

by Juice WLRD, others may be wishing to go home. Some students continue to jam out for the entire song, while others walk out the gym doors.

School dances serve as a place for students to interact socially with one another, dance away to the music, and disconnect from any worries. Each school year, the Upper School has five dances. Attendance has been rather low, with roughly 200 students attending.

The majority of dances in our teachers’ day consisted of more dancing and socializing because of the lack of distractions there are today, such as phones and other digital devices. Their high school dances were seen as an opportunity to gather as a community with their school, socializing and dancing the night away with friends. But now, students and teachers have noticed that the amount of dancing has lowered due to the choice of music and the environment, along with other distractions that may make the whole purpose of the dance vanish.

Some people love this kind of atmosphere, and others absolutely hate it. So how big a role do dances play into the high school experience?

For English and chemistry teacher Rachel Dragos, participating in dances during high school along with chaperoning dances at Nueva are experiences she enjoys very much.

“I like them because I can be around students in a different context than passing in the halls or seeing them in class,” Dragos said about chaperoning. Along with seeing students in a different way, Dragos loves hanging out and chatting with students, munching on the free dinners and snacks, and enjoying the music that plays through the DJ booth.

As a high school student, Dragos’s experience was very different from Nueva. With only 32 students in her graduating class, “dances by definition of our size were always doomed to be really lame,” Dragos added.

But Dragos realized that her dances may not have been “the best party of anyone’s life,”

DANCING AWAY Students dance and chat at the Hollywood-themed Formal in late January. Special amenities of the dance included a milkshake bar and an Audrey Hepburn movie which was projected onto the wall, emphasizing the Hollywood theme. (Photo by Willow C. Y.)

but her community still tried to make it an enjoyable time for everyone. Dragos went to every school dance from seventh to twelfth grade, and dances played a big role in her high school experience.

Dragos stresses the idea that high schoolers often see their identity as binary—only as one specific person (a jock, nerd, popular kid, etc.)—but Dragos suggests that you don’t just have to be one kind of person.

“I think that high school dances are special because you can be more than one thing,” Dragos said. “That’s something that I’d love to see more from Nueva students.”

Meanwhile, Chris Scott, who teaches an elective and Japanese, experienced his high school dances in the 1980s in Tokyo.

Scott went to an all-boys school, and the dances were held with two all-girls schools.

He noted that dances were a place to hang out and still are “a great way to let off steam, build a community, and meet new people.”

“It was kind of like male bonding, but without any sense of toxic masculinity that often accompanies male bonding,” Scott said.

Throughout Scott’s high school dances, he noticed that many of the boys ended up dancing together in a big circle rather than with the girls.

Based on Scott’s identity as a gay male, he is very concerned about LGBTQ+ youth. He describes that he would “like to see dances more accepting of queer and questioning students and others who might otherwise feel different or excluded from the ‘dance scene.’”

Gabriel Baker, a history teacher, also has positive views on school dances. Baker claims that he certainly loved them as he enjoyed getting together with many of his friends to “go dance like fools for three hours.”

Baker’s dance experiences differ from Nueva’s in the way that students are nicer at Nueva dances, there appears to be less drama, and in general Nueva dances seem more “chill.” Going to a small public school in the Midwest, his dances were vastly different from Nueva's.

Baker believes that dances offer an opportunity for students to not worry about other responsibilities that may be at hand, but to

simply dance to the music and have a good time.

“I don't think Nueva dances are failing to deliver an environment for that,” Baker added.

Freshman David C.’s opinions on dances are not that they are particularly bad or negative, but simply that they are just not appealing for him. David’s experiences at dances are usually filled with talking with friends outside rather than dancing in the gym. For David, his main concerns are the noise level, crowdedness, and dark spaces.

“I don’t think that the dances are bad, it’s just that I personally don't find the school dances as effective as other methods of accomplishing goals that dances strive to achieve,” David said. “I’m sure that others find the dances perfectly enjoyable, but they just don’t work well for me.”

David’s belief is that students don’t enjoy engaging in school dances because they are “a result of either thinking that it is at a conflicting time, or that friends aren’t going.”

In other words, a major part of influencing his occurrence at a dance is if the time is efficient for his schedule and if his friends will be there to chat.

Overall, although dances are not the best experience for David, he doesn’t believe that dances should be gotten rid of nor that it is unessential to the high school experience. It acts as an opening to allow students to spend more time with peers and get to meet new people.

David believes that it is a good idea to go a couple times to familiarize yourself with the school community, so that you can have an enjoyable experience for the rest of high school.

Dances can be more than just a fun time with friends. Not only can they spark life-long friendships and create unforgettable memories, but they also give opportunities to find a way to disconnect from reality.

“You know,” Dragos said, “you’re going to be able to do a lot of different things with your life, but you aren’t always going to be able to go to high school dances with your high school friends.”

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

THE NUEVA CURRENT

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Ringing untrue Stereotypes of masculinity feel outdated, forced, and possibly harmful—even to men

Illustration by Alice G.

Eugenia X. Winter was obscenely cold near Joshua Tree National Park. The sun taunted high above, an illusion of a warm, sunny day in the middle of this past December. It was 7 p.m. and dinner had just ended at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in southern San Bernardino County, CA. Afton L. (10) followed the other boys back to their barracks. The open room—filled with rows of beds— smelled of sweat, the pungent scent emanating from the mesh laundry bags stuffed with soiled clothes.

A few boys approached him and asked to arm wrestle. He agreed; there wasn’t much else to do in the two hours before lights out. Afton won the match swiftly and was congratulated by the group.

Afton was challenged to arm wrestle multiple times throughout the rest of his training. He declined most of the time—which was fine, he had already proven his strength the first time.

However, other boys didn’t get to turn down these matches.

“Come on, bro. Why not? Are you scared you’re not strong enough?” the group of boys would demand. They’d badger him a couple more times then move on to challenge the next person.

Afton associated the pressure to arm wrestle in his military experience with toxic masculinity, which he defined as “when you try to force [aspects associated with being male] upon other people.”

Toxic masculinity has been under an unrelenting media spotlight in recent months. The American Psychological Association published a guideline for practice towards the end of 2018, defining traditional masculinity as “harmful.” Last month—a

few days after the guidelines became widely publicized—the razor company, Gillette, posted an ad titled “The Best Men Can Be,” criticizing toxic masculinity and urging men to set a good example “because the boys watching today will be the men of tomorrow.”

The ad was met with fire from all sides, some frustrated with Gillette for disrupting traditional masculinity and others frustrated that a large corporation was attempting to profit from a social issue they had been active about for years.

There is a rift between what men believe to be masculinity and how it becomes toxic—a rift very much alive at Nueva as the masculine population navigates what masculinity means to them.

Finding a working definition of masculinity is difficult. The media shows forms of traditional masculinity characterized as “playing football, getting in fights, and drinking” according to Clay A. (11), but to him, masculinity is “whatever the hell [he] want[s] it to be,” which sometimes meant cooking, a traditionally feminine hobby.

“Masculinity refers to cultural perceptions and norms about what it means to be male and [its] associated consequences,” Pascal D. (9) proposed.

He believed that it meant “privilege” in his personal life because he felt like he was perceived as smarter or better based on the way he presented.

Some students and faculty believe that masculinity is not inherently bad; it is toxic masculinity that negatively affects people. They believe that it puts pressure on men to present in a way that makes them look physically strong, like being buff and tall like a superhero movie protagonist, tells men

that emotions are weak, and stresses that they have to sleep with a certain number of women and hypersexualize their partners.

Anthony Perry, upper school Spanish teacher and coordinator of Nueva’s THRIVE program, who previously was a teacher at a New England boarding school, recalled the pressure his male students felt about presenting their relationships with female students in the dorms.

“I had a student who had a girl come to visit, and the door was open because that was one of the rules in the dorm. I heard him singing her a song with his guitar,” Perry recalled.

“The girl eventually left. Then I came downstairs and I saw him interacting with his friends, and the version of the story he tells his friends is not the version of the story that happened upstairs.”

Both Afton and Perry also pointed out that traditional forms of masculinity were tied to being with women, which evolves into a form of compulsory heterosexuality—societal pressure for everyone to desire a heterosexual relationship. They thought that being queer was considered less masculine.

Perry emphasized that bro culture—a social phenomenon borne out of masculinity—to him was heavily laden with stereotypes of “playing sports, drinking beer, being mostly white, and being heterosexual.”

To Afton, however, bro culture is a code of unspoken rules about how men should treat each other and a community based on their common experiences. Afton admitted that this culture could also be spun in a way that could pressure men to be traditionally masculine even when it is uncomfortable for them. He and Clay pointed out that bro culture called for men to refer to each other as “bro,” “dude,” and “bruh”—words that, to Afton, can carry weight.

“For other people, it’s not just a

“It’s going to help if it is made clear that...there are certainly other aspects to you other than your masculinity. All they need is some encouragement from the people they feel closest to so they can see that they’re accepted the way they are.”

AFTON L. (10)

way of calling someone, it’s a view that they are someone they’re not,” Afton said. “If there’s a really skinny kid called a ‘bro’ or a ‘dude,’ he might [think] that he has to be a really buff guy...to be who the other person thinks he is by calling him such a name.”

He added that, at least in his groups of friends, the bro culture he described isn’t given much thought; all of them are aware that there is such a perception but don’t base their friendships on it.

“It’s going to help if it is made clear that you don’t have to do these things, [and that] there are certainly other aspects to you than your masculinity,” Afton reflected. “All they need is some encouragement from the people they feel closest to so they can see that they’re accepted the way they are.”

For Afton, it is easy to see likable traits in his friends outside of their masculinities, though he acknowledges that some people will find it hard to see that they are “masculine enough”.

Perry saw the same pressure to conform to masculinity Afton described in the boarding school where he worked.

While his student was bragging to his friends about his encounter with the girl he had in his room, he decided to intervene.

“Is that what happened?” he questioned. The student said yes.

“Do you respect the girl that was just in your room?” The student said yes again.

“So what’s happening now that you’re objectifying her to your friends and treating her like an object and not a human being?”

After a few more questions, the student told the truth. No one had an issue with what he said.

“I think what happened was that he was trying to display a version of masculinity that he thought needed to happen for that group,” Perry noted.

“What he didn’t recognize was happening was that because he started to tell that story, other boys in the group would feel like that was the type of story they had to tell even if it didn’t happen or that they had to do it to be more masculine.”

If the rest of the students were pressured to tell those same stories, they might—unknowingly—perpetuate the same narrative and pressure others to emulate the same event event, even though the original narrative might have been unrealistic given that it never happened.

In order to stop this cycle, Perry believes that “exemplary versions of masculinity,” or displaying examples of people owning their masculinity while not being toxic, will make the process of helping men be more vulnerable and “real” with each other significantly easier.

“An exemplary man is flawed,” Perry said. “It also depends on who you are and what you’re looking for... when you [are able to] see someone you can see yourself in, that man can be exemplary for you.”

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THE NUEVA CURRENT

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4

Twelfth-grade researcher finds success in nation’s most prestigious high school science competition Senior Ben C. receives recognition for his work on researching CRISPR

Amanda W. A tall PVC pipe stick figure stood outside the biology lab on the third floor with senior Benjamin C.’s face plastered on the top. Students passing by stopped, asking their friends what this lanky statue was for. On the arms and body below, there were three pieces of paper: one asked students to congratulate Ben, as his friends call him; another was a note from the CRISPR research team that Ben headed expressing their appreciation; and the last was the certificate of his accomplishment as a Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholar.

This statue—while “pretty amusing” as Ben put it—was a small act of appreciation and recognition from his research teammates for the ten hours he spends in the lab weekly. All the time and effort he spent in the lab paid off in the Regeneron Science Talent Search competition, one of the country’s most prestigious high school science competitions.

Nearly 2,000 students applied to this competition, and only 300 were chosen as scholars. Ben was one of the youngest among the final pool of 300 entrants.

“I was really excited,” Ben said. “I shared it with my parents, Luke, and everyone involved with my research.”

To get to this level of research, Ben has worked tirelessly and spent countless hours researching CRISPR, a method of targeted genome editing that allows scientists to alter and modify DNA sequences.

Ben first started biology research in seventh grade when there was an annual science fair at his middle school, leading him to explore the field of biology. After learning a substantial amount of molecular biology in class, Ben found a particular interest in researching this topic and decided to pursue it for his science fair project with his dad—who works at biotechnology company Gilead Sciences as a senior research scientist, and without whom he “wouldn’t have learned nearly as much.

As a result, Ben submitted his projects to a variety of science competitions, and has been doing so every year since then.

After winning first place three years in a row at the San Mateo County STEM Fair, Ben was ready to take on a challenge in uncharted waters. In the first year of his research (and of Nueva’s research program), science teacher and research mentor Luke De guided Benin finding his goal and orienting him toward the right protocols, mentors, and other resources.

“He took two simple ideas and combined them together in a way nobody had before,” De said. “I think that is a really elegant way of doing science; the prettiest experiments are often ones that have elements of simplicity and creativity.”

Ben’s project aimed to improve the well-known gene-editing method called CRISPR, usually inefficient and inaccurate.

His research aimed to increase its efficiency, while allowing

GOOD HANDS Benjamin C. (12) steadily pipettes a cell culture medium into a Falcon tube under the sterile hood, protecting his cells from external bacterial contamination, allowing his sample of liver cells to grow in the best condition. (Photo by John Meyer)

CONGRATS The “lanky statue” built for CRISPRCas9 researcher Benjamin C. (12) that was on display for about a week in front of the biology labs. (Photo by Eugenia X.)

the DNA to deliver a more precise amount of the gene-editing enzyme known as Cas9. This was the simple and creative idea that De referred to, but it proved to be extremely difficult to execute; Ben had no idea if his project would have “merit… and cause improvements.”

A little over one year into the project, during the summer before his senior year, Ben decided to submit his project to the Regeneron competition, a process similar to “college applications.”

The application requires a 20page research paper that details the protocols, materials, and motives for projects.

Over the past three years, Ben has spent countless lunch periods and has sacrificed numerous Friday night activities, free lunch blocks, and time with friends to work on his research project—there are some protocols that can take upwards of seven hours at a time to complete from start to finish. He still managed to fit soccer and debate into his life; Ben says it’s all about balancing his time. And not only do his extracurriculars help him with time management, but they also played a key role in the development of his persistent mindset that guides him to his research goals.

“In soccer, if you play poorly, you lose the match. But it builds that character in you so that when you do poorly, you always know there is a next try,” Ben reflects. “That mentality develops to help you recover from failure…You’re not

always going to be successful in research on the first try.”

De describes Ben’s “stubborn tenacity” as one of his greatest strengths. This project was of such high caliber that there was a small chance for it to have been completed, especially given the limitations of a high school student, but De says Ben’s goals and tenacity pushed him through the project.

Other than this strong mentality, De also noticed Ben’s innate qualities as an exceptional researcher and student.

“He’s got this thing in research called ‘good hands.’

Basically stuff that he touches just works—even when he does them wrong,” De describes.

This combination of persistence and talent has shown everyone that Ben has an incredible future ahead of him, in which he would like to keep researching.

The $2,000 that he and the school each received will go back into the school’s research program to fund future projects and passions like that of Ben’s.

“Two thousand dollars is a very nice ‘thank you.’ I hope it can be used to continue funding these projects,” Ben said.

“I think being able to do this research at such a complex level has changed the way I view lab work. I want to repay the school for everything they have done for me with my reward.”

Research on social exclusion and intergroup peer relations The Nueva Current features an interview with a professional scientist every issue, ranging from psychologists to nutritionists.

Columnist Anna K. writes the Q&A-style piece, which we publish to inform readers of scientific knowledge, discoveries, and research that may be valuable for them to know about.

Aline Hitti is an assistant professor in the Psychology Department at the University of San Francisco. Her research focuses on children’s and adolescents’ social and moral development in intergroup contexts. She has authored various chapters on social exclusion and intergroup peer relations, which highlight how morality applies in these social contexts and across development.

Photo courtesy of Aline Hitti

Anna K. What are the different forms of social exclusion?

The most basic level is when two people are in a social interaction and one tells the other that they don’t want to hang out—or they might do this more subtly by ignoring them or giving some excuse for leaving them out. One way to think about it is rejecting somebody for a specific reason.

Then you have something that happens a lot, and that is when a group of peers might exclude another person; this is called group-based exclusion.

Then there’s societal exclusion—when groups of people are not given opportunities or don’t have access to resources like healthcare or quality

education because of who they are in a specific community or society.

What do you think is the most exciting emerging research in your field?

Something very exciting is the use of brain imaging methods to understand what’s going on in our brains when we experience exclusion. Some research suggests that actually when children experience exclusion, parts of the brain that are associated with physical pain get activated. We know now that when somebody experiences exclusion, they could be experiencing physical pain.

What we know from some

of this research is that experiencing a positive social interaction after an exclusion event compensates for any negative effects, whether it’s at the neurological level or others that result from exclusion.

Do you have any other advice for teenagers who experience social exclusion?

If it’s chronic, talk to somebody about it, whether it’s a friend or an adult. One way to deal with it when it happens a lot is to find friends or peer groups that are more similar to you and that you can get along with. Look for a different outlet to be included in. Sometimes kids excluded at school find friends outside

of school or through clubs, and that’s a good way to deal with negative experiences of social exclusion.

What are the most effective strategies that adolescents can use to cope with social exclusion?

One thing is just to know that it happens and not to take it personally. An effective strategy would be to try to brush it off and choose to interact with somebody who makes them feel good about themselves.

Just knowing that there’s somebody else there that you can talk to and that the person makes you feel good about yourself is a good strategy.

What factors can mitigate the negative effects of social exclusion?

Having a high self-esteem means that you don’t really get affected a lot by social exclusion. Popular kids who get excluded don't really get affected negatively by that experience. A support system where you have other people to talk to and lean on is also very effective.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

THE NUEVA CURRENT

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Concerned over climate change, students seize the spotlight in viral video

Youths debate with Senator Dianne Feinstein about the Green New Deal Beatrice S. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“We need to change the conversation about climate change from a ‘business as usual’ problem with gradual solution to an urgent crisis that needs immediate solution,” Celia said of her activism.

An experienced Democrat, the senator has often supported preservation for natural areas such as Lake Tahoe and Redwood Forest. However, Sen. Feinstein’s record on regulating fossil fuel emissions has not always been consistent. She has taken over $250,000 in funding from the fossil fuel industry, even though she pledged in 2018 not to take money from the fossil fuel industry at all.

Nadja Goldberg, a 15-year-old who attends a high school in San Francisco, was one of the students who was in the encounter. Goldberg grew up spending time outside: swimming in the San Francisco Bay, riding her bike, going for hikes in the many open space preserves.

Her father talked to her about the severity of climate change, and Goldberg became increasingly concerned about fearful for future generations and the outdoor spaces she was so fond of. She got involved with YVA through her high school’s Environmental club.

“When I left the house that morning, I had no idea the subsequent events

would gain so much attention,” Goldberg said.

She recalled the senator giving each of the young activists a copy of her own Green New Deal, a “more vague and less bold version” of the original that she believed had a stronger chance of passing in the Senate.

“Senator Feinstein did not seem to entirely grasp the urgency of the issue we spoke of,” Goldberg said. “She did not seem to realize that climate change is a catastrophe that demands immediate action.”

Since going viral, the video has drawn commentary from major news publications and pundits. Some, like Caitlin Flanagan in The Atlantic, have characterized the students as “misguided” and “rude.” Others have accused the group of being used as props or prepped by adults. Gitika quickly addressed those claims on YVA’s Twitter account, @Y_vs_A: “That's just not true. We write our own petitions, deliver our own speeches, and organize our own events. It's our future at stake. #ListenToUs.” “No one sent us to express our support of the Green New Deal to Sen. Feinstein,” Goldberg said adamantly.

“We are a group of young people concerned about the future of our planet. We were addressing our local power-holder to try and convince her

A screenshot from the viral video. Several different cuts of the video were distributed online, in addition to the full-length video.

to make the right decisions and protect the environment and the climate living conditions for generations to come.”

But the student activists have also drawn much praise. On the political podcast Pod Save America, Tommy Vietor said, "I watched the full Feinstein/ Sunrise video, and I don't think it's better... there's no reason to be chiding children for caring so much about an issue that they're going to a legislative office. We need more kids like that."

Since the video blew up, Gitika has handled media inquiries and interactions, including co-organizing a press conference and reaching out to news organizations like CNN and Rolling Stone.

The youth organization has adapted quickly to the spotlight. They gained 2,000 followers over the weekend, and reaffirmed their commitment to use the attention to raise attention “arguably the most important problem in our world right now.”

“Our climate is changing and nearing a point of no return. Urgent action is necessary,” Goldberg said. “I will continue to show up, raise my voice, and pressure leaders to make decisions for the sake of life on this miraculous planet, for the sake of gorgeous places in nature, for the sake of coastal and frontline communities, and for the sake of the place that is home to all of us.”

Support, guidance in internship program

Changes highlight the value in pursuing summer opportunities through Nueva Willow C. Y. Upper school Internship Director Katie Saylor’s first internship was one of self-discovery.

“At that time, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life,” Saylor recalled of her college experience.

“So I thought, ‘Maybe I want to be in communications, public relations; that sounds interesting.’”

Although she liked portions of the internship she ended up taking at a public relations firm, when the end of the summer came rolling in she decided she didn’t want to pursue it further.

“It’s just as valuable crossing things off your list,” Saylor says. “Internships are almost more valuable in an industry you don’t know if you want to be in, because you get to decide, ‘Yes, this is for me,’ or ‘No, this isn’t for me.’”

For the past five years, Nueva has continued to expand its internship program with additional opportunities.

It has seen several new changes this year: this is a new role for Saylor, who also teaches sixth-grade writing. It also has the largest number of internships available yet, at a whopping 80 internships open to upper school students.

The biggest change may be the opening of the program to tenth graders, who will be allowed to apply alongside upperclassmen.

In the past, underclassmen who wished to pursue internships had to apply outside of Nueva. Although Hillary Freeman, the former internships director, and other faculty would be available to give advice, the application process—especially the oft-stressful first contact—would be done by the students themselves.

Nikhil S. (11) interned this past summer at the artificial intelligence programming branch of the technology and gaming company NVIDIA outside the Nueva system and had interned for the Nueva Tech Office two years ago. He noted that although the process was for

the most part smooth, there was some difficulty in reaching out to the company and in the application process compared to that of of the Nueva-based internship.

Nikhil used an application he saw online; he sent an email with a cover letter, schedule an interview time—all things he didn’t have to do for the Tech Office internship. He also encountered difficulty in timing, having not found the internship until the end of January when it was due.

Tyler G. (11) cited reaching out as a difficulty as well in the initial stages of his work with a Stanford neurosurgery resident over the 2018 summer, albeit in a different way. He got his internship through a neighbor; in fact, the internship wasn’t really official, in the sense that no posting had been put up on the internet. Tyler sent an email to his neighbor detailing what he was looking to do, and how he would potentially be able to help out, and his neighbor, in turn, forwarded the email to the resident. Even though Tyler

“This is just a smattering of opportunities.

There are so many out there, and our intention is not to cover all the internships out there. Our intention is to... make it available to everybody.”

eventually got the job, he said writing the initial email and reaching out was rather difficult.

“I definitely would’ve liked help, especially in the email-writing portion,” Tyler noted, “how to format my experiences and what I wanted to do.”

Saylor identified this difficulty with reaching out as one of the major issues that students have with applying to internships. One major benefit of Nueva’s program is to support and guide students through that first contact, which can be intimidating and ambiguous.

“I think the number one benefit to doing internships through our program is that we’ve done that initial handshake,” Saylor said.

She highlighted that she and the parent task force involved in the internship system have reached out to these companies and convinced them to take high school students, which many potential employers are averse to due to the inexperience and immaturity that often come with a younger employee. Additionally, many internship offerings are exclusive to Nueva, which Saylor says means the companies know what to expect from the students and the culture they bring.

“The parent task force and I have explained that Nueva is a really special place, and we’ve convinced these employers that they should take this high school student and here’s why,” Saylor explained. “That initial barrier to entry is removed through our system.”

While the Nueva system provides many layers of support and advantages, Saylor acknowledges that the Nueva system “is one path, [but] it’s not the only path.”

“This is just a smattering of opportunities. There are so many out there, and our intention is not to cover all the internships out there,” Saylor said. “Our intention is to take a subset of connections that we have in our community and make it

available to everybody.”

Even with the increase of internships available for application in the database, there are still only 80 positions for upwards of 250 students in grades 10, 11, and 12. Thus, Saylor encourages students to pursue multiple options for internships and/or other opportunities.

“Ideally, students are applying into our program, and they’re looking elsewhere if what we have doesn’t suit their needs,” Saylor explained. “The only disadvantage is if students limit themselves to our database.”

Tyler says that he will be applying to several internships for this coming summer: a few from the Nueva system (including the popular Chan Zuckerberg BioHub internship), a few through outside application systems, and one through his own connections, similar to how he applied last year.

At the end of the day, the internship program is an opportunity for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Saylor invites more students to reach out to her for help—whether it’s writing a resumé or a cover letter or filling out an application outside Nueva—she’s there to support students in gaining that valuable work experience.

Although she didn’t do an internship until college—in high school, she worked customer service summer jobs as soon as she turned sixteen—she believes internships are invaluable to high school students.

“Students can get out there and experience what this might be like, what might it actually be like in the workplace, and do I really want to study this in college?” Saylor said. “But any experiential pursuit is valuable, as long as it’s authentic—you’re doing it because you’re genuinely interested. A summer retail or food service job can be every bit as important and impactful. The more you leave your comfort zone the better.”

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VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4

THE NUEVA CU

The journey to college: how we talk and act about the post-secondary process Gitika P. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Seniors in the video also role-played declining to share information with others, such as where they had applied, admissions decisions, and anything else related to the postsecondary process.

While future classes also emphasized respect for boundaries, the Class of 2017 drew remarkably conservative lines. They were upset when the school published data showcasing early admissions success to current and prospective parents. A then-underclassman was admonished for asking how seniors were handling stress. Erika Rojas, College Counseling Operations Manager, recalls students refusing to tell her their admissions decisions.

“I was not there to judge them,” Rojas says. “I had to collect this information as an administrator for the college counseling office.”

Ross, who hosted the first meeting of the College Wellness Task Force at her home, agrees that her class maintained privacy and confidentiality around their college admissions process.

“Our grade seemed to think that the

Administration and faculty members are increasingly concerned about becoming a college-prep school, while students and parents want more information and time devoted to the process.

Is it possible to find a culture that works for everyone? administration and/or the task force didn’t want them speaking to each other about postsecondary plans at all, which was by no means the goal,” she says.

“Instead, we wanted to cultivate an ecosystem where those who conducted their postsecondary processes openly were free to do so, but those who were not comfortable discussing their or others’ plans didn’t feel any adverse social repercussions because of that.”

While the senior class diligently followed and reminded others of their norms, the REPPer program eventually

lost steam. Mehta admits that it was “a good idea in theory, but, like the house system, for it to work properly, everyone has to actually participate.”

Scott Brasesco (‘18) suggests that the program tried to formalize a custom that already existed between grades.

“As a senior, I was definitely able to help advise younger students on college and the college application process, but I don't think I did that any more with my REPPer than I did with other students,” Brasesco says.

While current seniors still enjoy sharing advice with friends in lower grades, customs that the program attempted to popularize—such as gift-giving and kind notes—no longer exist today.

Though REPPing lacked the enthusiasm needed to become a community tradition, one custom had a lasting effect on the Upper School. At the end of their application journey, the founding class assembled origami cranes out of their rejection letters. Hiding the names of both the applicants and universities, it symbolized their peace—and lack of shame—with unwanted outcomes.

Since the first year, each application cycle has been unique. Last year’s graduating class, for example, was known for their openness with each other and the larger community.

“Many of us felt that the Class of 2017 had been overly concerned with keeping things quiet and had turned the process into something secretive,” Brasesco says.

“We made talking about the process commonplace, though we still made an effort to not bother anyone who didn't want to discuss their own process.”

Beyond knowing each other’s admissions outcomes, members of the Class of 2018 were seen editing essays for friends, laughing off deferrals, and celebrating with those that received good news. Rojas notes having opposite concerns about the second class.

“Sometimes I would actually have to tell them to talk softer,” Rojas laughs.

“Visitors and younger students could hear them talking about college from the other end of the hallway.”

While the Class of 2018’s outspokenness was on display most places, it was notably absent from the walls. Students wanted the option to share both their own names and those of the colleges that had rejected them, though the administration worried this would distress younger students and confuse visitors.

They asked that a hopeful element— such as responses to each university (such as “Dear X, your rejection will not define me because...”) or a wall of acceptances—be included. The students refused, saying that accomplishment was already apparent to others through shared conversations and the school profile. With no resolution in sight, they created an Instagram account to post rejection letters without censorship.

If the first two classes occupied two ends of a spectrum, the Class of 2019

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FEATURES / 13

ENJOY YOUR FLIGHT Members of the Class of 2017, as the first graduating class, created the “NuevaAir Secondary Safety Video” and a related safety card to help establish a healthy postsecondary college culture at Nueva.

In the video, flight attendant Emily Ross makes sure to keep everyone feeling safe: “Please be respectful of those who might be uncomfortable with certain topics of conversation.” Matthew Mellea, Varun Metha, and Jenna Karan are the passengers. “Now sit back, try to relax, and enjoy the ride!” (Screenshot from the NuevaAir video)

The Class of 2021 will begin college talks

8 months before the current seniors did when they were sophomores

Just before early application deadlines, about

65%

of seniors in the Class of 2019 were involved in a group chat for college support has been right down the middle. Though current seniors are more sensitive and selective about sharing personal information than the preceding class, they have sought to foster an equally supportive environment. The Telegram group chat, named Post Post Primary Discourse, was created for applicants to vent about stress and impending deadlines, request peer edits, and crowdsource quick answers to financial aid, Common App, and technical questions.

Some students have made light of the

process by sharing relevant memes on the platform.

Just before early application deadlines, roughly 65 percent of the senior class was involved in the group. The emergence of the group chat has coincided with a decrease College Counseling office visits from the Class of 2019 compared to previous years. Laurel M. (12), administrator of the group, says it is possible that Post Post Primary Discourse replaces the need for College Counseling in some instances, though she notes that questions are often asked to school counselors in-person first and then shared on Telegram.

The current seniors have been eager to cooperate with the administration on a rejection installation. The actual display and presentation of the letters matters less to them if they can share names freely. After months of discussions, the student council and administration have finally reached a compromise.

A visually symbolic assortment of rejection letters—both anonymous and not—will be presented on April 30, 2019.

The following day, National College Decision Day, students will wear apparel from the universities where they have chosen to matriculate. By displaying the installation before a day of celebration, rejection comes to represent a blip in an inevitably successful journey. Its temporary nature ensures that it is seen only by intended audiences.

Whatever lack of engagement the current seniors may have with the College Counseling team is more than compenSAFETY CARD Safety protocols created by the seniors on the College Wellness Task Force included keeping assumptions—like carry-on baggage—stowed away for the journey, turning on “college mode,” and being mindful of the people around you and what you say.

sated for by the Class of 2020. While the juniors only received an official intro duction to the postsecondary process in December, many have been preparing for much longer.

“I have had a college counselor outside of school since early sophomore year,” one junior disclosed. “By the time Nueva starts preparing us, it’s way too late to start any meaningful extracurriculars for college.”

When questioned whether doing anything specifically for admissions is

By displaying the installation before a day of celebration, rejection comes to represent a blip in an inevitably successful journey. in the Nueva spirit, they responded that receiving a good education is. While such thinking may be discouraged by the senior class, it is surprisingly commonplace for their younger peers. The junior class is reportedly stressed and competitive with each other.

“In our grade, people will openly talk

about subject test scores and humble-brag about all they’re doing to try to get into college,” says one junior. “I kind of like it because I’m on top of it too, but if I was doing badly, I feel like I wouldn’t like it as much. You know?”

The College Counseling team is receptive to student needs, though cautious about inadvertently putting such pressure on students, especially underclassmen. While they will begin speaking with sophomore advisories later this spring, Gavin Bradley, Director of College Counseling, emphasizes that the scope is limited.

At this juncture, students will only be given advice about testing, curriculum planning, and summer activities. Nonetheless, this plan marks a departure from traditionally delayed contact with College Counseling; the Class of 2021 will begin discussions approximately eight months before their senior counterparts did.

While the junior above would have appreciated earlier connection, Bradley says he will never counsel in the manner which they describe.

“That reveals a misunderstanding about the purpose of our college counseling. What they are talking about is activity advising,” Bradley says. “And if a student needs to hire someone to encourage them to get involved in things then… that’s their choice, I guess.”

Bradley has heard seniors and returning alumni express skepticism about the motivations of younger students, but he remains optimistic as the school attracts a broader array of people who are new to Nueva.

"The motivations of the people who apply are going to change over time,” Bradley says. “I am very confident that the admissions team is cognizant of admitting and enrolling the best set of mission-appropriate students."

14 / FEATURES

THE NUEVA CURRENT

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4

Tragedy and superficial compassion The effects of social media on our compassion and how we interact and cope with tragedies

Elizabeth B. P. It’s all over the internet: the thoughts and prayers on Twitter, short Buzzfeed articles on Snapchat News slipped in between Kylie Jenner’s outfit choices, posts from a Reddit forum shared to a group chat about the latest tragedy. But it’s just like that: there and then gone. The internet looks at tragedy as a fleeting, forgettable thing that is over as soon as you hit tweet and cast your goodwill out into the universe.

The Flint water crisis.

The Parkland shooting, a little over a year ago. The devastating hurricanes. And that’s just within the United States.

Closer to home, the Camp Fire.

The Camp Fire happened in November. Since then, there have been natural disasters, and 25 mass shootings as of the first week of February. They have shown up on news feeds, or perhaps, for those students who have accounts with the New York Times, they have been on the front page.

Yet the internet quickly moves on. The Parkland students tried to speak out last year, and there are still tributes paid and protests taking place, but what changes have Americans seen in the nation’s gun laws?

Since Parkland, nine more states have passed laws to allow the guns of a person who is “deemed threatening” to be confiscated by court order. In total, that means there are 14 states that allow gun confiscation by court order. Known as “red flag” laws, Florida finally passed one in the wake of the Parkland shooting.

More states are looking at laws like this, but the focus on changing laws also brings to mind how people engage with tragedy—legally, but also emotionally. The communities people belong to and how they interact with them involve both the establishment and the perpetuation of etiquette.

With the internet, that etiquette is involvement— involvement in the lives of the Kardashians, in trends like Brandy Melville, and in the tragedies that befall the increasingly crisis-ridden world. People grieve with Instagram posts. What does it mean when something serious happens and people think that a photo or a line of text actually makes a real-life impact?

There has been tangible change in laws in the aftermath of tragedy. People reach out to each other for support, for GoFundMe and Change.org petitions.

They search for help during disasters and often find it on the other side of the

Forty-nine people were killed on

6/12/16 in the Pulse nightclub shooting The 2017 Las Vegas shooting is the deadliest mass shooting committed by a solitary shooter in the U.S. and reignited talk about gun control laws in the era of the Trump administration.

Twenty-six people were killed on

11/5/17 in the Sutherland Springs church shooting

Illustration by Amalia K.

screen. What does it mean that you can like and dislike announcements of deaths, suicides, shootings?

Maybe grief becomes a sort of performance on both sides of the screen when it should be dealt with privately. But people often find support from people who aren’t within their immediate community.

So modern media participants are caught in the middle: say something and either spread awareness or risk trivializing tragedy

What does it mean when something serious happens and people think that a photo or a line of text makes a real-life impact? down to a social media tweet that may be coming from the wrong person— after all, isn’t it better to donate anonymously to a charity that will help, instead of broadcasting one’s compassion across the internet? Another option is saying nothing and risking being seen as uncaring, unfeeling, or perhaps even on the wrong side of whatever issue it is.

Often, social media helps those affected find financial or emotional support.

“A lot of information gets out faster,” mayor of Paradise Jody Jones said of the internet and the media as a whole, adding that there has been “a lot of coverage...it slowed down certainly, although it seems like I do one or two [interviews] every day” ever since the Camp Fire.

Paradise is not conducting any large fundraiser for itself online, but philanthropic organizations such as the Paradise Rotary and the Red Cross are doing the most to rebuild places like the senior center.

First, debris needs to be cleared out—the debris of almost 14,000 burned-out structures. Since people are cleaning up and rebuilding individually, social media has not played a large role in a communal rebuilding effort, but Paradise is still doing its most to rebuild.

“Watching the debris get cleaned up,” Jones said, is what gives her hope for the future. “It’s hard to have a vision with all the debris... ash piles and burned-out cars.”

How can a tweet equate to hands-on help or a donation to a charity that supports disaster relief? The fear of social media is not in the fact that it involves itself with tragedy, but that it begins a vicious spiral that may well lead to believing that a tweet is all one needs to do to help alleviate the aftermath of tragedy.

The Parkland shooting is the deadliest shooting at a high school in U.S. history and became especially controversial because of police inaction.

Ten students were killed on

5/18/18 in the Santa Fe High School shooting The Pittsburgh synagogue shooting was a crime of hatred committed by an antiSemitic man who continues to plead not guilty.

Thirteen people were killed on

The Pulse nightclub shooting is the deadliest attack against LGBTQ+ people in all of U.S. history, and was, at the time, the deadliest mass shooting in U. S. history.

Fifty-eight people were killed on

10/1/17 in the 2017 Las Vegas shooting The Sutherland Springs church shooting is the deadliest shooting in a place of worship ever, whose motivation is still discussed and debated today.

Seventeen students were killed on

2/14/18

in the Parkland shooting The Santa Fe High School shooting is the second-deadliest high school shooting in the U.S. in 2018, but no changes to gun laws or high school safety laws have occured.

Eleven people were killed on

8/27/18 in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting

Thousand Oaks shooting

The Thousand Oaks shooting caused the death of several students and one Navy veteran at the Borderline Bar and Grill.

Throughout 2018, there were

So far in 2019, there have been

mass shootings in the United States

mass shootings in the United States

11/7/18

340

47

152 mass shootings From 1967-May 2018, 152 public mass shootings (out in the open as opposed to in private buildings) have occurred in the U.S., according to the Gun Violence Archive.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

THE NUEVA CURRENT

FEATURES / 15

California’s biggest utility has filed for bankruptcy

AFTER THE SMOKE PG&E workers remove power lines compromised by the Camp Fire.

(Photo courtesy of Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Here’s what it means for their customers Isabel C. “I just got a report of a fire off Poe Dam on Highway 70,” said the Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) worker, his voice calm. “Yeah. On the railroad tracks.

Under the transmission line.”

It was 6:33 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, when the initial 911 call came in from the seemingly unfazed powerhouse worker about a small fire in Northern California about half a mile from Pulga.

Within minutes, what would become known as the Camp Fire had spread over the parched landscape, endangering thousands of lives. The next day, PG&E released an announcement about a malfunction in one of their transmission lines near the suspected origin of the fire. Almost immediately, their stock started to plunge.

While many were stunned that PG&E had potentially caused yet another wildfire after news spread that their power equipment sparked the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Napa, Californians were in for another shock when the utility company announced bankruptcy in mid-January.

Founded in 1905, PG&E supplies electricity and natural gas to nearly 16 million consumers in most of Northern California. In June of 2018, The Sacramento Bee reported that PG&E was being blamed for causing many of the fires in the 2017 season by California offi� cials, along with starting the Camp Fire in 2018. After this, coupled with PG&E reporting through an interview with the Associated Press that they owed approximately $30 billion in liability costs, PG&E filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The news has sparked concern from

families personally affected by the fires over potentially not receiving compensation from the overburdened utility, while others have fretted about rising costs.

Still many don’t realize what it actually means to go bankrupt.

"Filing for bankruptcy would mean that a company is attempting to restructure its debt," Upper School economics teacher Patrick Berger says. "It’s not moving around money, it’s moving around what they owe."

If a company has outstanding amounts of money they have to pay back, they can file for bankruptcy, and in the case of PG&E, Chapter 11 bankruptcy would be the way to go. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is a government deal where the business can continue to function under direct supervision while their board works to situate out their payments; this is the best option for a utility such as PG&E because of the number of households that depend on them for electricity and gas.

One common misconception is that companies shut down when they file for bankruptcy. This isn’t true.

While a company might try to gain money back by liquidating their assets— in other words, selling all physical objects they own to turn them into cash— they don’t automatically shut down.

If this happened, Northern California would have a major crisis. Millions of consumers would suddenly be without their major energy provider and would have to scramble to find a new one.

So what effects will PG&E’s bankruptcy have on consumers? There are two ways to look at the impacts of this

16

million PG&E customers could be affected by their bankrupcy and money troubles.

Logo courtesty of PG&E.

PG&E claims they owe around

$30

billion dollars from lawsuits and fire damage.

utility crisis: short- and long-term effects. Short-term effects could be small, but they might also hurt a lot of people.

“If you force PG&E to pay a lawsuit, the short-term effects are that customers are going to see their prices go up,” Berger says.

While this might not be a huge problem for the consumers that can easily afford energy prices, it would hurt a lot of other people in the Bay Area.

“If electricity prices were to be raised, it would disproportionately hurt the poor,” Berger says. “Electricity prices are what we like to call in economics a regressive tax—it’s a tax that hurts the poor more than anyone else.”

Adversely, in the long term, if PG&E pays a lawsuit from the fires, it will likely encourage the safer use of natural resources as a tactic to prevent more disasters from occurring.

When contacted, PG&E referred to their press release from interim CEO John R. Simon regarding the subject of their pending bankruptcy. Currently, “[their] most important responsibility is and must be safety [for their customers], and that remains [their] focus.”

Since the bankruptcy announcement in mid-January, charges filed over the cause of the Tubbs fire and others from the 2017 season have been dropped. Because of the complications and the power PG&E holds over most of California, legal experts expect the bankruptcy and legal findings to take years to resolve.

Government crises: then and now

The winter shutdown’s effects and how they mirror past shutdowns Elizabeth B. P. On Dec. 25, the government shut down over disagreements between President Trump and Congress over funding for the border wall. On Jan. 25, the government reopened for business…but Trump called a national emergency on Feb. 15 for an $8 billion re-allocation of money to fund the wall. Even now, as the government wars over this potential national emergency, the aftermath of the shutdown is being felt.

The government was shut down for so long that TSA started calling on children to volunteer, as more and more government workers refused to come to work on the grounds that they were not getting paid.

Schools shut down. National parks became littered with poop and garbage. Navajo people were trapped inside their homes without food. People on welfare were unable to get the resources they relied on to survive.

This was the second shutdown during the Trump administration and the longest government shutdown in U.S.

history.

Chelsea Denlow teaches American history to juniors now, but previously she worked for the White House Domestic Policy Council. During this time in 2013, she experienced a government shutdown over the Affordable Care Act, which lasted around two weeks.

“The Secret Service agents weren’t getting paid and continued to show up every day,” said Denlow. “But the real hardship falls on the government contractors—janitors, cleaning services, etcetera—who not only make the least, but lose paychecks and receive no back pay. I think we often lose sight of the fact that the people who are most vulnerable are also the ones suffering the greatest impact.”

The length of Trump’s shutdown meant over a month without pay for almost a million workers, especially those who needed it most. Like the 2013 shutdown Denlow experienced, the recent shutdown took place over the holiday season, when workers are even more stretched

for funds after buying gifts or paying for vacations with money they were counting on. The way Trump has handled the strain on his workers during the holiday season differs greatly from Obama’s handling of the shutdown during his administration.

“I remember when Barack Obama very publicly closed the National Parks as a statement and brought coffee to workers continuing without pay,” Denlow said. “This was a very different approach than the Trump administration.”

No matter how this shutdown differs from that one, there are some similarities. “In the larger picture, I think a government shutdown provides a window into how Americans think about government versus what it really is,” said Denlow.

How do we help? “I think calling your representatives always has a bigger impact that people realize,” Denlow said.

“But I think the most important thing is to educate yourself on the issues and vote. Vote. Vote.

Looking at you, seniors.”

OUT OF ORDER A “closed” sign in front of the National Archive due to the partial government shutdown. The shutdown lasted for 35 days, beginning on Dec. 22, 2018, and ending Jan. 25, 2019, the longest in U.S. history. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the American economy lost $11 billion, not including indirect costs. (Photo courtesy of Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

16 / OPINION

THE NUEVA CURRENT

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4

After we recognize our privilege, what next?

Acknowledging privilege is not enough Alyssa H. Running has always felt rewarding because it was something I felt I accomplished all on my own. It was as if nothing but my own perseverance and grit fueled me. Every single step was my own effort propelling my body forward. I would run however fast and however far I pushed myself.

Of course this isn’t true.

Without the specialized running shoes on my feet, I would be limping before I was halfway.

Without the support of my parents, and their willingness to drive me to and from practices, I wouldn’t even be there.

Without the opportunity for me to run cross country in the first place, whether due to my gender or lack of school funds, I wouldn’t have the support from my coach and team. Without sufficient access to food and water, I wouldn’t have the energy to run. Without my health or environment with fresh air, I wouldn’t be running at all.

The fact is, there is someone out there ten times faster than I am who just doesn’t have the same access and opportunities.

This realization is incredibly disheartening. And it requires no stretch of the imagination to understand that many determining factors—like academic

achievement—are not entirely owing to my own merit. Running seemed like one of the few things I could accomplish that wasn’t built upon external advantages, but this just isn’t true.

As the topic of privilege has arisen more and more at Nueva and in the news, and my understanding of it grows, it is all too easy to fall into a trench of privileged guilt: the feeling that you don’t earn the opportunities have been given, and feel shame in the things you have. The fact that privilege is given instead of earned is hard to grapple with, especially when I realize that nothing I have done or will ever do will change the fact that I was able to start out on top in the first place. My education at Nueva, growing up in a family that provides and care for me, and identifying as my biological gender are all advantages I have. Anything that I that I take pride in, I was able to accomplish due to this head start.

Privilege is a subject often ignored simply because it’s uncomfortable to think about, despite how it fundamentally shapes lives. Privilege is ingrained in every opportunity presented (or the lack thereof), and those opportunities shape

my very identity. This reality is hard to acknowledge and harder to come to terms with, because doing so requires relinquishing and rethinking fundamental aspects of who I am. Furthermore, the fact that for there to be privilege, someone else or some other group must be marginalized, oppressed, or somehow disadvantaged only intensifies the discomfort and guilt around having privilege.

This guilt is a spiral. The fact that I was concerned by my privilege troubled me and led me to feel guilty that I was unhappy in any way about my privilege. Other people have to worry about food, shelter, and being accepted by society, and here I was worrying about my privilege. I am so privileged that I don’t even know how privileged I am. I take things for granted that others have to struggle for every day.

I began to use this guilt to diminish my own problems.

What I am feeling is nothing compared to what a less privileged “they” are feeling. I should just be grateful for what I have. However, these thoughts are helpful to no one, least of all the very people I felt were disadvantaged. The idea of “just being grateful” is too close to

In advisory, students discuss privilege and "how much is enough" on MLK Day. This year's celebration centered on conversations around class. (Photo by Jordan M.)

remaining complacent.

What I’ve come to understand for myself is that feeling privileged guilt is okay. What’s not okay is when I don’t do anything about it and how I feel.

Acknowledging privilege and feeling guilt isn’t enough. Too often, we reward ourselves and each other for any resemblance of consideration we give. Any facade of caring or attempt to understand the countless privileges we have is applauded.

It is not enough.

I often feel reluctant to interact with people who I perceive to be less privileged than I am.

My privilege makes me feel guilty and embarrassed, and I am afraid I will only be met with hostility and resentment. I didn’t realize that the pity that resulted from my privileged guilt was just as discriminating,

stereotyping, and dehumanizing as any other sort of oppression.

Instead of drowning in guilt, I should have been attempting to bridge the gap. I should have reached out, not to say that I understood what they were going through—because I don’t—but to respect them as people rather than ignoring or pretending they don’t exist, just because of my own discomfort.

The next time you realize you take something for granted that others struggle without, acknowledge it. It’s okay if you feel bad or guilty, but don’t use it to demean your accomplishments or belittle your own problems. Guilt is the first step in a race towards a finish line of caring and unity. Use it to move you one step forward, and those around you one step up.

What will restorative justice at Nueva look like?

With the implementation of Nueva’s new student honor council, how does restorative justice fit into the disciplinary system?

Zulie M. Growing up, we’ve all heard the “I-feel statement” speech in Science of Mind class or from well-meaning family members and rolled our eyes, but have we ever taken the time to think about what it truly offers?

Kindness and forgiveness, and expressing feelings through these methods—especially at Nueva— are two virtues that are celebrated, and for a good reason.

In the all-school assembly on Jan. 28, I could feel the lack of interest—and even hear some muted laughter—from people around the room when the new restorative justice program and Nueva Honor Council were brought up. I even found myself, upon hearing the words restorative justice, immediately thinking of how severe it sounded, as if students were committing felonies left and right. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that as harsh as it sounds, restorative justice might be more useful than we all expected.

These qualities of kindness and forgiveness are so important in everyday life, from settling arguments with friends to even making simple decisions like smiling at someone in the hallway. When conflicts arise, resolving them with these same qualities creates a more kind and caring community, something practically written out in the school’s mission statement.

On Nueva’s website, there is even a whole section describing how the “values of care for self, care for others, and care for the

Though I recognize why this is important to the administration and to the school, I still find myself struggling to understand just how restorative justice fits in. It focuses on bringing together the offender and the person(s) affected, paving the way to kind correction and making amends.

And I appreciate that. But to me it comes down to the fact that it can’t be a catch-all system.

Discipline really is something that should be taken case by case, adapted to fit the situation.

Restorative justice simple can’t cover every issue we deal with as

The term “restorative justice” is so broad. There is no set definition of what measures will be taken for these kids.

Illustration by A. L.

community are the foundation of [the school’s] culture.”

Nueva has never been a memorization-based school, something made clear with the fact that we write reflections in math class, have a course dedicated to talking about our emotions, and have a program that fosters both emotional and intellectual strength.

Our school is touted as “progressive,” and recently this advanced, emotion-based teaching system has been taking schools—even outside the Bay Area—by storm. Keeping the mental health and emotional stability of their students in mind is a strategy to dissolve conflict and create a more caring community in schools.

a school, and discipline options need to be more justice based and less restorative.

Suspension, expulsion, and similarly harsh punishments are much too extreme, and in most cases can cause more problems than they solve.

According to the American Psychological Association and a study by Indiana University,

many suspensions don’t aid the classroom environment or the student got suspended. As the student is missing out on chances to learn academics, they are also missing out on chances to learn how to and have the ability to correct their behavior. Often these practices don’t really fix the actual issue, but neither does restorative justice.

The term “restorative justice” is just so broad. There is no set definition of what measures will be taken. For the system to work, it requires a lot of investment on both the part of the staff and the students.

I think that before the system is implemented, it has to be addressed more deeply and the rules by which it operates need to be thought out.

What happens when a student creates an issue that can’t be dealt with by kind redemption? What is going to be done if students think they can get away with lesser infractions without being reprimanded or any repercussions?

According to the studies compiled by the Education Writers Association, schools across the country still face the same disciplinary problems as before after implementing restorative justice. The numbers of infractions haven’t gone down, just the number of suspensions and harsh penalties. I feel like with this, restorative justice tackles one matter—the consequences and punishment—but it doesn't address what it advertises: the in-school troubles within the student body.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

THE NUEVA CURRENT

“My battery is low and it’s getting dark” Eugenia X.

OPINION / 17

Of national emergencies Eugenia X.

OPINION

Chinese New Year: why don't we have the day off?

We don’t get Chinese New Year off as a holiday—but we should Willow C. Y. After the hellos, the taking off of shoes, the hugs, and the inevitable, awkward introductions between long-lost relatives, family friends, and new partners, my family gathers in the kitchen to eat. All 100-plus of us form winding, clumped lines and cram ourselves into the small room, trying to get as close to the potluck feast laid on every square centimeter of stainless steel counters, marble islands, wooden tables.

The first generation (the oldest, those who journeyed across the ocean to make a better life in America) have the honor of going first, the second generation next, and lastly us, the third. In any other setting, I’d be worried that the large number of relatives—and their notorious, even larger appetites—would leave us scraping the bottoms of disposable aluminum pans and tipping pots to scoop out the last dregs of spicy beef noodles or chicken porridge, but the piles of beef tendon, sticky rice cake, and chow fun won’t dwindle until late into the night.

After the feasting comes the singing, and the reckless gumption with which Chinese love songs and lullabies are sung makes it sound, if nothing else, heartfelt and beautiful. After the singing, more eating (the dessert round). After dessert come exuberant, flourishing speeches by boisterous matriarchs and patriarchs and their children.

It’s Chinese New Year Eve with my family; the festivities last long into the

Masthead

On one hand, I’m glad that we can celebrate and appreciate such an important event at school; on the other, why can’t we celebrate and appreciate such an important holiday at home, with our families?

Questions, comments, or submissions?

We welcome your voices. We accept photographs, articles, illustrations, and other pieces of work. Please email us at thenuevacurrent@nuevaschool.org.

The opinions expressed in The Nueva Current belong solely to the writer and are not a reflection or representation of the opinions of the school or its administrators.

night and we sleep late into the morning—well, should.

But because students like me must attend school bright and early the next morning, my family’s and others’ Chinese New Year celebrations are stunted.

Nueva, a very inclusive space that I’m grateful to be a part of, celebrates Chinese New Year with decorations, food, and singing, much like what my family does. So watching the red paper lanterns being strung across the staircase, calligraphy pasted on the front and back doors, and 3D characters perched on railings is a bit of a confusing experience. On one hand, I love that we can celebrate and recognize such an important event at school; on the other, why can’t we celebrate and recognize such an important holiday at home, with our families?

I understand we want to minimize the amount of school that we have to miss—which would be a completely solid reason if Chinese New Year weren’t arguably the most important day in Chinese culture.

Obviously, we don’t want to take a day off for a little-known holiday that no one celebrates and has little cultural value; but the Lunar New Year quite literally marks the turning from one year, one zodiac animal, to the next.

Yom Kippur, a very important day in Judaism and the final day of religious fasting on the 10th day of the new year, gets a day off on Wednesday, Editor-in-Chief Willow C. Y. Design Editor Jordan M. Copy Editor Isabel C. Web Editor Elizabeth B. P. Editor Anam T. Editor Aliya G. Faculty Advisor LiAnn Yim

right in the middle of the week. It’s a widely celebrated holiday and has a huge cultural impact—something we can also say about Chinese New Year.

And it shouldn’t come as a surprise that my cousins in China get a week off for the Lunar New Year festivities.

Chinese New Year is an important moment for families—it’s a time when people come home from wherever they are in the world, and unite with their relatives estranged and familiar to eat, celebrate, and connect. Generations

Generations otherwise alienated by technology, immigration, culture, or just plain age are able to relate, to share their identity as Chinese for but a single day and night. otherwise alienated by technology, immigration, culture, or just plain age are able to relate, to share their identity as Chinese for but a single day and night. With a day off for Chinese New Year, the food can last a little longer; the singing stay off-key for a few more bars; happy speeches ramble for a few more words; and the close sense of family connect us through a few more moments together.

Staff Gabi B., Eli C., Mira D., Elijah B., Grace H., Alyssa H., Zulie M., Luke M., Gitika P., Beatrice S., Amanda W., Mirielle W., Miki Y., Eugenia X.

The Nueva Current is published six times a school year. 750 print copies are distributed for free to students and faculty members in all three of Nueva’s divisions.

The Nueva Current is a member of the NSPA and CSPA.

18 / SPORTS

THE NUEVA CURRENT

Soccer teams finish strong

Both the girls and boys teams end their seasons as unified communities with high achievements Jordan M. The girls varsity team, in its second year of existence and its first year of league eligibility, ended their season on a high note in the CCS Division V Girls Soccer Quarterfinals. Although they are not in the running for the CCS title, the girls have come a long way, becoming PSAL champions within a year. “[It’s] really cool to see the underclassmen have the opportunity to be on the girl's team,” says Sophia Y. (12), a player who started on the boys team and is now one of three captains of the varsity girls soccer team. “[We’ve] achieved being a community together and have lots of support.”

that winning was the target, which became a real possibility.”

The united mindset is also present in the girls team.

According to Eva S. (9), who plays on girls varsity, all upperclassmen have been “very welcoming and supportive” to freshmen who are now able to join a fully formed team that plays a full season in an actual league. Sophia and Ben both agreed that, as captains, seeing the growth within the team and its players has been a core part of how they feel as the leaders.

“Having played for three years, being captain my senior year is important to me because it shows how everyone I’ve played with in the

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4

SPORTS BRIEFING | Scores as of Feb. 25, 2019

Photos by Jordan M.

JV Boys’ Basketball (5-2) 12/12 - Woodside Priory 1/10 - Design Tech 1/17 - Summit Shasta 1/22 - Mid-Peninsula 1/24 - Pacific Bay Christian 1/29 - Woodside Priory 2/1 - Design Tech 2/7 - Summit Shasta 2/12 - Pacific Bay Christian

(W) 40-29** (W) 43-29* (L) 57-49* (W) 70-10* (W) 54-9* (L) 33-32 (W) 40-31* (L) 61-51* (W) 57-28*

Varsity Boys’ Basketball (14-0)

Varsity Girls’ Basketball (8-6)

12/12 - Woodside Priory 12/18 - Kehillah Jewish 12/27 - Head-Royce 12/28 - Envision Academy 12/29 - Pacific Ridge 1/10 - Design Tech 1/11 - Summit Prep 1/15 - SF Christian 1/17 - Summit Shasta 1/22 - Mid-Peninsula 1/24 - Pacific Bay Christian 1/28 - Kehillah Jewish 1/31 - Design Tech 2/1 - Summit Prep 2/5 - SF Christian 2/7 - Summit Shasta 2/11 - Mid-Peninsula 2/12 - Pacific Bay Christian 2/19 - Woodside Priory 2/21 - St. Francis 2/23 - Eastside College Prep

12/14 - Castilleja 12/18 - Kehillah Jewish 1/8 - Pacific Collegiate 1/10 - Design Tech 1/11 - Summit Prep 1/15 - SF Christian 1/17 - Summit Shasta 1/22 - Mid-Peninsula 1/24 - Pacific Bay Christian 1/28 - Kehillah Jewish 1/31 - Design Tech 2/1 - Summit Prep 2/5 - SF Christian 2/7 - Summit Shasta 2/11 - Mid-Peninsula 2/12 - Pacific Bay Christian 2/15 - University Prep

(W) 48-36** (W) 77-29* (L) 43-34** (W) 43-24** (L) 53-40** (W) 59-14* (W) 58-17* (W) 81-6* (W) 60-52* (W) 59-40* (W) 62-49* (W) 43-27* (W) 63-33* (W) 81-47* (W) 50-18* (W) 65-38* (W) 60-39* (W) 49-46* (W) 48-42*** (W) 65-54*** (L) 55-47***

Varsity Boys’ Soccer (10-5-1) 12/14 - Design Tech 12/18 - Summit Shasta 1/9 - Summit Prep 1/14 - Cristo Rey 1/16 - KIPP San Jose 1/18 - Latino College Prep 1/23 - Design Tech 1/25 - Summit Shasta 1/28 - DCP Alum Rock 1/30 - Downtown College Prep 2/1 - Summit Prep 2/8 - KIPP San Jose 2/12 - Cristo Rey

(L) 37-21** (L) 50-44* (L) 43-39** (W) 44-27* (W) 46-28* (W) 53-46* (L) 57-20* (W) 62-3* (L) 37-20* (W) 62-43* (L) 44-27* (W) 43-31* (W) 38-24* (L) 64-13* (W) 54-11* (L) 54-26* (L) 50-29***

*League Game **Tournament or Pre-Season Game ***CCS Playoff Game

Varsity Girls’ Soccer (11-0-1) (W) 5-1 (W) 3-1 (L) 2-1 (L) 4-1 (W) 3-1 (W) 4-1 (W) 4-2 (W) 5-0 (W) 4-0 (W) 6-2 (T) 2-2 (L) 3-0 (L) 3-1

12/12 - Summit Prep 12/13 - KIPP San Jose 12/17 - DCP Alum Rock 1/9 - Design Tech 1/11 - Summit Shasta 1/16 - Summit Prep 1/18 - Cristo Rey 1/25 - Downtown College Prep 1/30 - Design Tech 2/1 - Summit Shasta 2/6 - Latino College Prep 2/13 - Latino College Prep 2/16 - Monte Vista Christian

(W) 3-2 (W) 7-0 (W) 7-0 (W) 8-0 (W) 9-1 (W) 5-0 (W) 9-0 (W) 15-0 (W) 7-0 (W) 5-0 (T) 2-2 (W) 4-2* (L) 3-1**

*PSAL Championship Game, **CCS Playoff Game

FIGHT FOR IT Team captain Sophia Y. (12) dribbles the ball around a defender from Latino College Prep as she prepares to pass it forward to Eva S. (9) for an attempt to shoot a goal. (Photo by Chris Yang)

The boys team placed second last year in their division, and ended the 20182019 season with a record of 10-5-1 compared to 8-3-3 from last year. Team captain Benjamin C. (12) says that they maintained their undefeated status through a “united way of thinking and playing.”

“After finishing second last year, we expected to be very competitive this season,” Ben said. “[We] started the season positively, and we believed

past—especially the current seniors—has shown some growth,” Ben said.

Halfway through the season, both teams are came back from winter break with 4-0 records, placing them at the number one position in the PSAL. Unfortunately, the boys lost their chance to compete for the PSAL title. On the other hand, the girls continued to be the strongest team in their league and qualified for the CCS playoffs; however, they did not advance to the second round of playoffs.

GOOD GAME After a 3-1 win against Summit Shasta, the boys varsity team gathered in a circle on the turf soccer field of Los Prados Park to debrief the game just as the sun was setting. (Photo by Jordan M.)

Boys volleyball added to athletics program New team emerges for the spring season Jordan M. & Isabel C.

After an exciting season of girls volleyball in the fall, male students decided they wanted to start their own volleyball team, one that would add to Nueva’s growing athletics offerings.

Initiated partly by the Nueva Basketball Club (NBC), an email was sent out to upper school students on Feb. 6 announcing that a team would be possible if there was enough interest.

Coached by Spanish teacher Francisco Becerra-Hernandez, the boys plan to practice four times a week.

“We started playing last semester when we scrimmaged the girls for fun,” said Jeremy D. (11), one of the original students who started the initiative for volleyball. “It turned out fun so we made a a team.”

Becerra-Hernandez voiced his goals for the team's season, saying that the main goal is "to start a strong program to get into a league."

So far six games have

FULLEST HOUSE On Feb. 6, the Nueva Basketball Club released a promotional video announcing the creation of a boys volleyball team.

(Screenshot from video provided by Jeremy D.)

been scheduled and as most of the players are from the varsity basketball team, they aim to take advantage of their great skills for the season.

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male students expressed interest in joining the team

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total athletic offerings in addition to P.E. classes are now offered

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

THE NUEVA CURRENT

SPORTS / 19

Boys basketball sets school records

In 27 games, the team advances to CCS Finals and CIF championships Mira D., Alyssa H., Miki Y. With a record-breaking season, the varsity boys’ basketball team made history for the school’s basketball achievements and successes.

“This group of kids have been very dedicated and worked very hard, and have deserved everything they’ve achieved,” said coach Chris Brandin.

Since the start of the basketball program in 2014—even before the upper school campus was built, Brandin began coaching for Nueva basketball. Since then, he has been an essential part of the basketball community, helping to build the team every year and expand the number of participants.

“I have been here since the team’s inception when there were not enough students to run it, and now we have three teams and have made it to the states,” said Brandin.

Two years ago, the team made it

to the CCS quarterfinals for the first time and lost to St. Francis High School. Last year, they played St. Francis again in the quarterfinals and closely lost. The game went into overtime and they were defeated by a mere one point. This year, they not only advanced to the quarterfinals but continued to the semifinals to defeat St. Francis. They then progressed on to CCS finals for the first time in school history. After a close game against Eastside College Prep, the team lost by six points in the championship game. Overall, they have set several records for Nueva in making it to the CCS finals and thrived tremendously over the season.

“I think we were successful because we played as a team and didn't care who got the recognition but improved and learned together,” said Connor M. (9).

GO TEAM The varsity boys basketball team has made significant progress in advancing the program, and headed into the CIF Division V State Tournament to play Liberty High School in Madera, California. (Photo by Jordan M.)

Chris Wade, the Athletic Director had a positive view of the team’s achievements. “While we, unfortunately, came out on the wrong end of the CCS final, our Mavs made our school and community so proud,” said Wade.

Wade added that the attendance was very high from both students, families, and faculty, which demonstrates Nueva’s growing school spirit.

The team headed to the CIF Division V State Tournament to play Liberty High School at Liberty High on Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. in Madera, California.

14-0

league record at the end of the season

Hope for the future

Sprinting for the gold

Mira D.

Anam T.

Varsity girls basketball team persists throughout the season The buzzer rang, marking a painful defeat for the girls basketball team with a loss by 99 points to Capuchino High School. It was their first game of the season and it was a disappointing loss to start it off. Eight more losses would follow before they broke their losing streak. However, the girls team has worked hard throughout the last few months and came back stronger after the winter break hiatus to win several games.

With 21 games in just three months, the girls basketball team has had a challenging season. With a team of 13 players—six of whom are freshmen— the team is constantly improving and growing with every practice. Co-captains Anjali S. (12) and Alice E. (11) stated that they are excited about the increased participation in the program, and will be comfortable leaving the lower classmen to take the reins after they graduate.

“We have hope for the program with the number of freshmen and [sophomore] participants who are helping us build a strong base for the future,” Alice said.

Hannah S. (9), noted that the captains have made the team very inclusive and the team has helped her improve her goal of attempting to shoot the ball at least three times every game.

Following the sentiments voiced by Hannah, Coach Mike Green—who has coached basketball for over 20 years and had 100 of his students move on to play in college—also spoke of his ambition for the talented underclassmen.

“A new group of talented eighth graders coming in next year, matched with the returning group, puts us at the level of our top two competitors,” Green said. These top teams in the league are Sumit Shasta and Pacific Bay Christian.

While Green’s goal for the season is to qualify for CCS and make it past the first round, he noted that the captains led the team in setting their own group and individual goals at the beginning of the season. Alice and Anjali have observed that the team is moving away

from being more of a relaxed sport to a varsity team with “continuing intensity.”

They set team goals near the start of the season that included playing time based on effort and having more organization in terms of both practice structure and player accountability.

Both Green and the captains noted that the team is developing with an increased number of participants and growing confidence within the players.

Anjali knows how important a varsity sport can be to growing self-confidence on and off the court.

“I have gained confidence and am more comfortable to take the ball instead of just passing,” Anjali stated.

“Through playing girls basketball, I have gained confidence and had more experience going from the jump between middle school [and] high school,” said Tara S. (10), who also feels like she has improved her individual skill set and become more confident.

Tara has scored 89 points over the season, making her one of the highest scorers in the league. In the game against Kehillah Jewish, she had a total of 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Green describes Tara as “one of the smallest girls on the team [who became] one of the feistiest, best shooters on the team that other teams look out for and double guard.”

Throughout the season the girls have bonded, growing closer through fun activities led by the captains such as a sock exchange and pasta-making party.

The hope for the future is to eventually have a full-running program with both a JV and varsity team, and more school spirit and attendance at the games. The captains noted that by receiving more support and having all of the players match their enthusiasm, the program will continue to grow and prosper. “[We are] a diverse community, unified by a love of basketball,” Hannah said.

Track season begins and runners aim to be first at the finish line The sixth year of the Nueva track season is now underway. With an intense training schedule, all varsity and junior varsity team members meet five days a week for two-hour training sessions.

Coaches Robert Lopez and Greg Benally are ready for whatever comes their way; they lead the team through sprints, timed runs, and conditioning as the runners gear up for a packed season.

The athletics program has built up a recognized cross-country team, which has sent numerous athletes to the CCS championships. Many of these cross country runners return to participate in track. Jenna L. (12), who runs the 1600m and 3200m races in track, is also on the varsity cross-country team.

“The highlight of last season for me was running in the Arcadia Invitational in Southern California,” Jenna recalls.

“It had been a goal of mine to qualify since I was in ninth grade—the competition at that meet is pretty intense. My race was at night under the lights, which adds a theatricality that’s always really exciting, and the cooler weather in the evening is also a plus for distance athletes.”

Jenna hopes to qualify again for the Arcadia Invitational and the nearby Stanford Invitational in addition to dropping even more time off her 1600m and

3200m personal records—5 minutes, 15 seconds and 11:17, respectively.

“I'd also like to work on my mindset while I’m competing,” Jenna said. “I’ve found in the past that my stress levels have sometimes taken away from my ability to enjoy it, and have hurt my race strategy. The biggest lesson for me here has been that the nerves I experience before a race—though uncomfortable— are just my body preparing me to run fast, so there’s nothing to be afraid of there; it’s actually beneficial.”

Last season, the track team racked up a successful record, ending the 2018 season with multiple qualifications for CCS.

The team will have their first competition on March 1 at the Sunset Invitational in San Francisco. CCS trials (or the Central Coast Section meet) will be held in May, followed by CCS finals the following week. As the athletes anticipate this to be the most challenging competition, their rigorous training schedule and support system aims to keep them on track as the season unfolds.

RELAY Jacob L. (11) runs in the Firebird relay race during the 2018 season; he also runs on the cross-country team. (Photo by Maya C.)

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THE NUEVA CURRENT

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4

SEASON IN REVIEW

Seniors celebrate the end of sports season

As the season concludes, seniors play their last games and celebrate sucesses

SHOOTING FOR THE STARS Kyle M. (12), who started his season off with 1,015 career points, began his varsity basketball journey at Nueva in his freshman year. His younger brother, Connor M. (9), followed in his footsteps and started on the varsity team as a freshman. (Photo courtesy of the Nueva Media Archive)

PLAYOFFS The Nueva School’s Instagram account shared an image of the varsity girls team after winning the PSAL championship against Latino College Prep Academy 4-2 to become the league champions; they advanced to the CCS playoffs but unfortunately lost in their game against Monte Vista Christian. (Photo courtesy of @thenuevaschool on Instagram)

FAREWELL Team captain Tom S. (12) shares a final embrace with varsity soccer coach Josh Davis at the end of the senior game against KIPP San Jose at Cañada College in Redwood City as they celebrate the successes of both the team and individual players. “I miss the team already so much,” Davis said after the game. (Photo by Teri Vershel)

CHANGE OF PLANS The varsity girls soccer team had their senior game cancelled due to rain and wet, grassy fields; they attended the boys’ senior game instead and cheered them on from the sidelines. (Photo by Teri Vershel)

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS A post was shared on the Athletics department’s Instagram account announcing the unfortunate defeat of the Mavericks in their CIF Division V Championship Game. Although they suffered this loss, the team had advanced farther than ever before and will continue to play in the CIF Tournament.

(Photo courtesy of @nuevaathletics on Instagram)

PLAYOFFS The Nueva Athletics Instagram account shared a post about the varsity girls team “dropping their [CCS] 1st Round Division V playoff game to University Preparatory Academy” in a 50-29 game.

(Photo courtesy of @nuevaathletics on Instagram)

Basketball teams take on community service project Junior launches the donation-based Score for More initiative Callisto L. January is the top season for Nueva basketball, with all three teams training around the clock to vie for a chance at competing in the league championships. However, a few players had the time to take on a project of a different kind.

David S. (11) began the new year by launching an initiative called Score for More. Over the month of January, donors pledged to donate a set amount of money for every 3-point and free throw shot scored by all three basketball teams, with proceeds going to the Mid-Peninsula Boys & Girls Club basketball program.

“My family’s been very involved in the Boys & Girls Club for several years,” said David, who plays on the boys varsity team. “I wanted to do something for them, and they needed money for their basketball program.

That’s something I’m very passionate about, and I just wanted to help in any way I could.”

He also hoped that Score for More would draw more fans to their basketball games.

The program, which launched at the beginning of January, has made steady progress towards its goal of raising $6,000. Players also had the

Score for More has a goal of raising

$6,000 for the basketball program at the Boys & Girls Club

“We’ve actually got a lot of gracious donors who have been pledging money, and our team have been making their free throws and 3-pointers.”

DAVID S. (11)

extra motivation of a pizza party if they managed to meet their target goal. As of mid-January, the basketball teams had logged 25 3-pointers and 31 free throws.

“Fundraising’s going great so far,” David said. “We’ve actually got a lot of gracious donors who have been pledging money, and our teams have been making their free throws and 3-pointers.”

While the program is still young, David has high hopes for Score for More’s future.

“I definitely want to make this an annual thing,” he said. “I’m going to be at Nueva next year because I’m a junior, and after that I hope to pass the torch on to someone else… It would really help out the Boys and Girls Club if it were a yearly thing.”

The Mid-Peninsula Boys & Girls Club is a nonprofit organization that has been serving youth between the ages of 6 and 18 since 1955. Part of the organization’s mission is to provide its members with a range of educational, recreational, and social activities in a safe and structured environment during after-school hours. Its five clubhouses are located in San Mateo, Daly City, San Bruno, and Millbrae.

SCORE FOR MORE Varsity basketball player David S. (11) launched an intitiative called Score for More to raise money for the Boys & Girls Club’s basketball program. “I wanted to do something for them,” David said. “[It’s] something I’m very passionate about, and I just wanted to help in any way I could.” (Photo courtesy of iClickSmiles)

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

THE NUEVA CURRENT

SPORTS / 21

NFL drops the ball on diversity

Fired African-American coaches bring light to the lack of diversity off of the field Luke M.

Watching this year’s Super Bowl, it was clear that the NFL was looking for ways to make itself seem more diverse and inclusive. With the national anthem sung by Gladys Knight, and the coin toss performed by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s daughter, Rev. Bernice King, and civil rights activist and congressman John Lewis, the league attempted to portray themselves as a league open to all and respectful of its black players. It was a deliberate, symbolic gesture.

It was also an empty gesture, devoid of true commitment to diversity. The NFL offseason usually sees several coaching changes. This year was no different, with eight head coaches being fired as pressure was put on teams with poor records to make changes.

What’s disappointing is that five of the eight coaches who were fired were African-American. Of those eight open coaching positions, only one was filled by a non-white coach, leaving only four minority coaches in a league where more than 70 percent of the players are minorities. While many of these coaching changes are justified, these recent firings have once again shown the NFL’s problem with diversity off of the gridiron.

One of the main issues with the NFL’s diversity is how white coaches often get more than one chance to coach and are rehired even when their records fall below standard. So far, none of the recently fired African-American head coaches have been hired by another team for the

same position. Adam Gase, a white head coach who was recently let go by the Miami Dolphins, was just hired by the New York Jets. Kliff Kingsbury, who is white, coached at Texas Tech for six years and only had two seasons where the team finished with more wins than losses.

Kingsbury parted ways with Texas Tech after the 2018 season and was promptly offered a contract by the Arizona Cardinals in January 2019. With many options available who had NFL coaching experience, the Cardinals decided to go with a coach who was unable to coach a college team to a winning season. Meanwhile, coaches like George Edwards of the Minnesota Vikings, who has been a defensive coordinator in the league for nine years, led the Vikings defense to 9th best in the league in points allowed and 4th best in yards allowed and he has not been offered any other positions in the league.

This is just one example of a minority coach that has NFL experience and has a proven track record that has been passed over by teams looking for a head coach.

The league is definitely aware of the underrepresentation of diversity among its higher-level coaching staff—it’s why the Rooney Rule was put into effect in 2003. Named after Dan Rooney, the former owner of the Steelers and former chairman of the NFL’s diversity committee, the policy stipulates that anytime there is an open head coach position or football-based operation job, the team must interview and consider at least one GETTING FIRED Vance Joeseph coached the Denver Broncos for two years before being fired this offseason.

(Photo courtesy of Jack Dempsey)

Data provided by TIDES 2017 NFL report via Atlas

or more ethnic-minority candidate.

The call for change was brought about in a similar situation to now, when African-American coaches were being fired even though their records were better than other coaches. A study conducted by two civil rights attorneys released at the time showed that black coaches were more likely to be fired and less likely to be hired than white coaches, despite winning a higher percentage of games.

The Rooney Rule has helped the NFL make some progress, but clearly something is still lacking. It is quite telling that there is an issue when minorities make up 70% of the players but only 12% of the coaches. The percentage of assistant coaches of color was at 35% at the beginning of the 2018 to 2019 season, according to the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, which is much better than the number of head coaches but is still well below the 70% of players of color. Some argue that the league should do more to ensure diversity within the league, while others say it should be up to the teams to make the best decision for their organization. The NFL itself can’t do much more than encourage the hiring of more diverse candidates without enforcing quotas on teams. This isn’t to say the league is ignoring the problem. At the close of the recent season, the NFL’s Workplace Diversity committee released updates to the Rooney Rule.

New changes include organizations must interview at least one external diverse

candidate, and a team owner or other decision-maker must sit in on the hiring interviews. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell underscored his belief in the Rooney Rule’s efficacy, describing it as “industry best practice” to increase diversity.

“We’ve had the Rooney Rule around for nearly 20 years. It’s had an extraordinary impact on the NFL. Over 20 clubs have hired minority coaches since that period of time. It’s also been a signal for other industries throughout the world to adopt a Rooney Rule to change their organizations, and I think it has. It’s created opportunities. It’s given people an opportunity who haven’t had them in the past, and that’s at the core of what we’re looking for,” Goodell said.

The NFL’s relationship with minorities has not historically been exceptional. Former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who chose to kneel during the national anthem as a form of protest for the Black Lives Matter movement, just recently settled his legal dispute with the league over his labor grievance.

The league was widely criticized for its response to the national anthem protests, and Kaepernick became the face of what can happen to a black athlete when he challenges the NFL’s majority-white power structure.

Enforcing and expanding the Rooney Rule may be a good place to start if the league is truly sincere about its commitment to diversity.

A cure for football withdrawal?

New league combines fantasy football, smart wearables, NFL-style play Mirielle W. Why is the Super Bowl considered an unofficial national holiday? Obviously, there’s the time spent with family and friends, the food, the pageantry of the National Football League’s crowning championship game. But for the millions of football fans across America, it’s also the last hurrah for a season of football, a last celebration before the football drought begins in earnest. Yes, there’s the reports from college football’s spring practices in March. It’s true that late April brings the NFL draft, which grows in spectacle each year. And yet there isn’t any real football from now till the NFL preseason in August. At least, not until this year.

The Alliance of American Football (AAF), which held their first games a week after the Super Bowl, bridges the six-month gap between the Super Bowl and the NFL’s next season. The AAF is not the only new football league announced in recent years, but it is the first spring league to begin operations.

In its inaugural season, the AAF will consist of eight teams playing over a ten-week season, culminating with a championship game in late April.

Now, anyone who knows a bit of football history will ask the same question. How is the AAF different than every failed football league that’s come before it? Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, league after league

has announced an inaugural season, only to fold or declare bankruptcy a few years later. The AAF’s leadership is well aware of this history. In an SB Nation interview with co-founder/ producer Charlie Ebersol, he states, “I get a question a lot ‘How is this different [than other leagues]?’...What’s different is that we’re the same. What I mean by that is everyone that’s tried to do this before focused on trying to be different.

They focused on trying to differentiate themselves between the NFL, which ultimately I think was part of their demise.” Ebersol, son of longtime NBC Sports president Dick Ebersol, and fellow co-founder Bill Polian, a former NFL general manager and Pro Football Hall of Famer, are well equipped to walk that line.

In most aspects of the new league, Ebersol’s words ring true. The fact that the AAF is a spring league makes it clear that it is not competing with the NFL. From a business standpoint, the AAF instead takes advantage of a market that is, for six months of the year, generally underserved.

Additionally, the AAF describes itself as a “developmental league” where players can learn and grow. Unlike other previous and upcoming football leagues, the AAF will essentially stay true to the NFL rulebook. In the words of Ebersol, the AAF wants “the best players to feel

“The fact that the AAF is a spring league makes it clear that it is not competing with the NFL...the AAF is not simply a smaller clone of the NFL.”

like they could come play in our league...

And not feel like by doing that they felt they were sacrificing their ability to play in the NFL.” As with scheduling, the new league is not looking to steal players away from the NFL—instead, they are hoping players will see the AAF as a way to improve their football skills, in preparation for a jump to the NFL. However, the AAF is not simply a smaller clone of the NFL. Though the league’s games will be broadcast on major sports networks, namely CBS, TNT, and the NFL Network, the AAF seems to be focusing on streaming games (via Bleacher Report Live) and taking advantage of the growing digital scene around sports. They plan to use a digital platform to integrate fantasy football and sports betting into the watching experience in real time, something that is currently impossible for the NFL. The platform will include data from tracking and wearable devices.

Only time will tell if the combination of modern technology and NFL-caliber athletes will lend the AAF some staying power, compelling viewers to tune in on a Saturday or Sunday. If you are so inclined, this week’s first game starts at 11 a.m. this Saturday, Feb. 16, and will be streamed at the league’s website and broadcast on CBS.

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THE NUEVA CURRENT

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4

Snapshots: February break What we did and where we went

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1. SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA Willow C. Y. (10) attended a President’s Day event across the street from the San Francisco Federal Building to protest the evocation of a national emergency on the Mexico-U.S.A. border. “It was a really strongly intersectional event, and although I didn’t agree with everything that every speaker said, everyone at the march—including myself—was brought together by a single purpose,” Willow says. “It was great to feel a part of a community gathering for a larger cause.” (Photo by Willow C. Y.)

2. SINGAPORE Over February break, Alex C. (10) took a trip to Singapore and visited Gardens by the Bay, a nature park that spans about 250 acres and overlooks Marina Bay. Alex says that the park was “a perfect combination of the natural and man-made world.” (Photo courtesy of Alex C.) 3. SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA Staying in the Bay Area for the week, Audrey C. (12) visited the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) on a “spontaneous Thursday night” with her friends. (Photo by Audrey C.) 4. OAHU, HAWAII On a trip filled with hiking and beaches, Maya C. (10) took some time to sit down with her family and enjoy a dinner at sunset overlooking docked boats near Pearl Harbor. (Photo by Maya C.)

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5. HONG KONG Traveling to his parents’ hometown, Jordan M. (10) went to Hong Kong and explored the city’s food, culture, and daily life.

“My whole Quest project is dedicated to creating a magazine that talks about the ins and outs of Hong Kong,” Jordan says. “I’m looking forward to putting this magazine together and looking through all my photos.” (Photo by Jordan M.) 6. SINGAPORE Amanda W. (10) flew to Singapore for a family trip with her dad and brother, and particularly enjoyed eating at the Amoy Street Food Centre. ”I would say my favorite Singaporean food is probably chicken satay—but you have to dip it in the peanut sauce.” (Photo by Amanda W.)

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7. JAPAN (KYOTO, OSAKA, AND TOKYO) Led by Japanese teacher Chris Scott, students traveled into the bustling cities of Japan and were provided an opportunity for an “immersive and hands-on learning experience,” says the trip’s description.

Students stayed with host families, learned about Japanese culture, and spent time at the Dōshisha high schools. (Photo by Amalia K.) 8. BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK, UT Unexpectedly snowy, Libby M. (12) went on a hiking and camping adventure in Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park. “It was 6 degrees in Bryce Canyon so we found a hotel instead of camping,” Libby says. (Photo by Libby M.)

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9. BONAIRE An annual trip led by science teacher Jeremy Jacquot to Bonaire, students who joined had a scuba diving adventure and worked in coral reef restoration projects in the Dutch Caribbean. “We took ‘Learn

by Doing’ to its full extent by restoring coral reefs underwater with professional scientists,” said Miki Y. (9). (Photo courtesy of Miki Y.) 10. PUERTO ESCONDIDO, OAXACA Visiting a turtle hatchery in Mexico, Eli W. (10) got the opportunity to take some of the baby turtles to the beach so that they could crawl to the ocean. “Basically, we were freeing baby turtles, but the sad part was that there were all these sea birds flying around trying to eat them,” Eli recalls. “It was a really cool experience, but also a sad realization of the food chain. We did everything we could to scare away the birds.” (Photo courtesy of Eli W.)

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019

THE NUEVA CURRENT

ENTERTAINMENT / 23

Silicon Valley style, deconstructed

Take a look at some of the most ubiquitous brands seen around the Bay Area Jordan M. We're living in a bubble. Here are some of the things you'll see around the Bay Area that have trickled their way into our school: from the much-memed AirPods to the Birkenstocks that became popular despite a hatred towards sandals. Some students are seen roaming the school’s hallways with items like Apple Watches and Beats products, while others snuggle up in the colder months with their Patagonia fleeces. While many backpacks are used, Herschel and Timbuk2 seem to be more popular than the rest among both students and faculty.

HYDRATION NATION

Water bottles can be considered part of the “athleisure” culture, where sportswear—and gear—have become stylish, signalling one’s commitment to being proactive about both health and the environment. Take a look at four brands that you’ll see around the Bay Area.

Apple Airpods $159 Apple Watch $279–$849

YETI $29.99–$59.99

Patagonia Fleece $99–$159

YETI is based out of Austin, Texas. They're famous for making outdoor lifestyle products like ice chests and coolers, but recently their their durable, stainless-steel, vacuum-insulated bottles have taken off in the Bay Area.

Hydro Flask $29.95–$34.95 Hydro Flask offers a few different types of bottles and at least five lid options, like a “sport cap” that lets you hydrate one-handed or a “flex cap” that comes with a flexible strap for easy gripping. Founded in 2009, the company is based out of Bend, Oregon, “where there is desert to the east of town and mountains to the west. Our geography says a lot about who we are.”

Beats by Dre $129–$399

Klean Kanteen $18.95–$59.95 Klean Kanteen introduced their first stainless steel, BPA-free, reusable water bottle in 2004. A family-owned business headquartered in Chico, California, they're big on producing reusable products. Klean Kanteen bottles are not as customizable as others, but it's definitely a great bottle for the environment and keeping your liquids hot or cold.

Herschel Backpacks vary Timbuk2 Backpacks vary

Birkenstock $99.95–$310

S'well $25–$45 The ubiquitous S'well bottles come in over 200 size-and-color combinations, including patterns resembling teak wood.

Founded in 2010, it benefited from the “Oprah effect,” after it was featured in O, The Oprah Magazine and has since become enormously popular. Its sleek and gently swelling shape might look nice, but it’s arguably not as easy to grip on long hikes as its competitors.

24 / ENTERTAINMENT

THE NUEVA CURRENT

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4

What’s missing from the Oscars?

Categories we think should be added to the ballot

Best Comedic Line Black Panther

For your consideration, we offer these special award categories that the Oscars didn’t give out but should.

Have any other awards to add or opinions on which movies should have won these new awards? DM The Nueva Current’s Instagram account (@thenuevacurrent) to let us know!

Best Movie Poster Free Solo

Best True-Story Film Bohemian Rhapsody

M’Baku (Winston Duke) “If you say one more word, I’ll feed you to my children! I’m kidding.

We’re vegetarians…”

Best Trailer A Star is Born

Best Credits Sequence Black Panther

What would you say?

Ken-Ken

Jordan M. We asked Nuevans about what they would say if they were awarded an Oscar, and which award it would be for.

Here’s some of their responses:

Willow C. Y.

If you were awarded an Oscar, in what category would it be in, and what would you say in your speech?

INSTRUCTIONS: Your goal is to fill in the whole grid with numbers, making sure no number is repeated in any row or column.

The number and operation in the upper left corner indicates the sum/difference/product of the squares in that section. In this 5x5 puzzle, you can use the numbers 1-5 to fill in the squares.

Libby M. (12) Best Cinematography “It would be half a joke, and half ‘I didn't think I would have to give this speech.’”

Lily Brown (US English) Best Original Screenplay “I couldn’t have done it without my dog Ruby, sitting with me all the long hours when I was writing the screenplay.”

Crossword Willow C. Y. ACROSS

DOWN

1. “Do you have a ___?”

1. Second-semester skippers

5. Highly-acclaimed public university system

2. A “what did you get ___”

6. Preaches the Twelve Steps, abbr.

8. A 4G data standard; ___ network 10. Military or political information, plural 12. Cellist, beatboxer, Yale graduate, one-fifth of a cappella group Kevin 15. Post again, but for current POTUS 16. Opp. to heater 17. HeFor___ 18. Mobile provider, without “&”

3. A no-load trial in E. E. 4. Opp. to prosecutor 7. A type of College-level test 9. Still active English rock band formed in 1970 whose leader is Jeff Lynne 11. West Eur. country on the North Sea 13. Former currency of Latvia 14. Colleges accept SAT and ___ scores