The Nueva Current | June 2022 by The Nueva Current

THE NUEVA SCHOOL

131 E. 28TH AVE. SAN MATEO, CA 94403

STUDENT STANDOFF: Realistic life skills or emergency training—what should ISOS be replaced with? PAGE 19

Find new music for the summer with five mini song reviews PAGE 6

THE NUEVA

Learn what departing teachers are up to after leaving Nueva PAGE 10

Read a profile of nature photographers Sava Iliev and Paul Burke PAGE 11

A student weighs in on the overturning of Roe v. Wade PAGE 18

CURRENT JUNE 6 2022 | VOL. 5, ISS. 6

Packing bits of Nueva into their suitcases How do Nueva students transition to college and life after high school? STORY ISABELLE S. & SERENA S. ILLUSTRATION NATALIE L.

s winter blanketed New Hampshire, Claire Green ’21 shared a laugh with her Californian friends when she found out she could snap her frost-crusted hair in the east coast January cold. One hundred and thirty-three miles away in Massachusetts, Kathryn Swint ’17 quite literally reached new heights in her learning when she and her team of six launched a high-altitude balloon carrying a payload that went all the way to space for her “Hands-On Planetary Exploration” astronomy class. The small but growing group of Nueva upper school alumni faces countless new experiences upon entering college, from weather shocks to academic challenges. At Nueva, institutional emphasis falls on exploration and problemsolving rather than test-

taking and standardized curricula. College gives graduating students the opportunity to test just how well Nueva’s methodology has equipped them for the future. For Swint, Nueva’s projectbased learning style—where students are tested on practical application rather than purely theoretical knowledge—is valuable and unique. Specifically, her space project at Wellesley College was a perfect opportunity to utilize the tools she gained during high school in a new setting. “My teammates had all the background knowledge needed, but I was the only one who had ever worked on such a largescale project before—Nueva built my skills in design thinking and managing big projects,” Swint said. “It was like having

a little bit of Nueva with me in Massachusetts.” Contrary to her Wellesley classmates, Swint’s biggest adjustment has been to an academic environment consisting of lectures and standardized tests. “I just had to learn to drill problems and memorize formulas,” Swint said. “I did really poorly on the first exams I took, and I had no clue why.” Grace Holmes ’21, a rising sophomore also at Wellesley College, echoed the difficulties of adjusting to different assessment strategies after Nueva— particularly during finals week. “[That week] has definitely been a bit of a struggle because I’m used to a ‘final project month,’ not one week of tests,” she

admitted. However, Holmes is grateful for Nueva’s emphasis on “learning something until you understand it, rather than learning something until you can demonstrate understanding of it,” which, when it comes to test-taking, is a helpful distinction. “I don’t have the fancy testtaking strategies a lot of people [at Wellesley] grew up using,” Holmes said. “But Nueva, more than anything else, has taught me to keep asking myself the question of ‘do I actually know what I’m talking about?’ ‘Could I explain this simply?’ ‘Could I write an essay about this?’ and to use those questions as a guide, rather than ‘could I figure out the right answer for this multiple choice question?’”

cont. page 12

NEWS

BRIEFS

Community Service Learning Club hosts flea market for Ukraine STORY ISABELLE S. PHOTO ISABELLE S.

nce an open field, the Diane Rosenberg Courtyard was transformed into a flea market of clothing and crafts, all sold by Nueva community members. As the last Community Service Learning event of the year during lunchtime on May 10-11, the flea market thrift store hosted by the CSL Club was a space for students and faculty to raise money for United Help Ukraine through selling their own products and clothing. “One thing I’ve learned with CSL is that Nueva students are interested when you include an aspect they’re politically interested in,” Community Service Representative Carina said. “If you can incorporate other aspects students care about and have a cause students can relate to, that’s really important.” With the end of the school year rapidly approaching, Carina deemed the event to be “one of the fastest

Mask mandate lifts, open campus privileges return to upperclassmen STORY ISABELLE S. PHOTO TINPOT

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fter two years, open campus privileges— which permits juniors and seniors to leave campus during lunch and senior blocks—have returned. Initial concerns of open campus surrounded the school’s COVID-19 protocol, limiting students’ opportunities to leave campus during school hours. Once the upper school’s mask mandate was lifted, however, restrictions were mitigated; according to Eleventh-Grade Representative Drew S-S., it was “the main push” that brought back open campus privileges. Drew was happy to see many students leaving campus on the first day it was brought back. “It’s fun to explore outside our campus, and it also opens up a lot of availability for students who have a special schedule,” said Drew, whose after-school gymnastics practice limits his opportunities to mingle with friends. “I can even get a haircut at 11:30 and come back in time for class.” Drew, who consistently advocated for open campus throughout the year, recommends walking to TinPot for a scoop of ice-cream or the Hillsdale mall, and enjoying the nature of Bay Meadows.

WANT TO GRAB A SNACK? The Tinpot at Bay Meadows is a popular hangout spot for Nueva students

CSL projects [she’s] done” with a turnaround rate of two and a half weeks. “I just took it up, and now we have music, we’re going to have food. We have 15 vendors. I’m hoping it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Carina said before the event.

From selling clothing to comic strips, Nueva students and faculty all set up their own booths, with Carina describing how “everyone contributed in their own way.” “This was a great way to end the year on a community related note,” Carina said. “Hopefully this was a break for everyone.”

COMMUNITY FOR A CAUSE 15 different student vendors sold items and work that they owned or created, donating all profits to the Ukraine crisis

Student council receives largest pool of candidates in recent years STORY

VOL. 5 ISS. 6

ISABELLA X.

lected from a record-breaking pool of 45 total candidates, the 2022-23 student council elections brought nine new members into office, with Nicole K. ’23 reprising her role as Spirit and Social Representative and rising seniors Lucie L. and Luca L. heading the team as co-leads. The grade representatives will consist of Dylan P. ’25, Sam Z. ’24, and Sam J. ’23, each hoping to be the voices for their respective grades. Kayte C. ’25 has taken Lucie's mantle of Arts Representative,

while Isabella X. ’24 has filled Luca's place as Student Life Representative. The rest of the positions are filled by rising seniors: Daniel R. as Athletics Representative, Kate V. as Community Service Representative, Colin C. as Environmental Representative, and Mia T. as Equity and Inclusion Representative. Lucie notes that she and Luca hope to “lean more” into the “subroles” such as Equity and Inclusion and Environmental Representative to connect the student body. “I hope we’ll be even more present and engaged next year,” Lucie said.

6. 6. 22

BY THE NUMBERS

students

participated in the Spirit Week lip sync battle on April 13

104 tacos

were sold by juniors Kevin H. and Luca L. at their handmade taco stand on April 13

180 students &

21 guests

attended Prom 2022

Congressional candidates bring campaigns to upper school STORY ISABELLA X. PHOTOS EMILY BEACH, DAVID CANEPA, KEVIN MULLEN

ollowing the retirement of congresswoman Jackie Speier, California’s 14th congressional district is left with an empty seat. On May 11, three congressional candidates spoke at the upper school to promote their campaigns to the youth. The candidates consisted of Burlingame councilwoman Emily Beach, San Mateo local David Canepa, and former South San Francisco mayor Kevin Mullin (Mullin’s campaign manager Brian Roger attended in his place). When Beach took the stand, she acknowledged the Nueva students who interned for her campaign: Anahita A. ’23, Rohan S. ’23, and alumni Willow Yang ’21. Beach proceeded to emphasize her work in the Bay Area’s private sector, and cited her military experience while listing addressing mental health, California’s homeslessness, and womens’ reproductive rights as her “top priorities.” Canepa, a first generation college graduate, spoke of his desire to “give

back to the community college system” and cited his work towards “appropriating” three million dollars for such institutions. He, like Beach, condemned environmental, social, and medical injustices. Roger gave Mullin’s statement, noting his work under Speier, and highlighting the importance that Mullin places on the youth. “He will fight for proposition 18 [which would allow voting for 17-yearolds who would be 18 at the time of the next general election” Roger said, “and fight for the youth voice.” When questions were opened to the audience, Maya B. ’22 referenced Nancy Peloski’s quote—“rather than trying to defeat the Republicans, let’s just persuade them”—to which Beach and Canepa responded differently. While Beach aims to “find common ground and…play the long game,” adding that “extremists will never move forward,” Canepa underscored the “need to push back” and questioned the notion of negotiating with those holding “fundamentally different” political beliefs.

Shakespeare plays

14 songs

performed by the steel drum band with 11 time Grammy winner Tony Lindsay on Cinco de Mayo

seniors performed on June 10 culminated from their Shakespeare seminars

NEWS

THE NUEVA CURRENT

Shanghai, a paralyzed city How are Nueva community members and Shanghai residents responding to the city’s COVID-19 lockdown? STORY ISABELLE S. PHOTO ALY SONG/REUTERS

nce a city known for its crowded streets with pedestrians bustling beneath gleaming high-rise office buildings, Shanghai is now paralyzed at the height of its worst COVID-19 outbreak; an initial four-day lockdown in China’s largest city of 25 million people has now stretched into a two-month humanitarian crisis. With the same office buildings— among many other fixtures of this city— transformed into mass isolation centers, the lockdown is the most extensive the country has imposed in more than two years, according to The New York Times. Civilians are restricted to just their living spaces and banned from daily tasks such as grocery shopping and exercising at the gym. With all businesses and factories shut, the streets of the financial city are left empty. Among Shanghai residents in lockdown is Wenjuan Dong, a previous classmate of Upper School Mandarin Teacher Min Larson. Since the beginning of the lockdown, Dong has been volunteering for pandemic control in Shanghai neighborhoods. When she first heard of the lockdown alert in late March on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging

platform, she was “not the least bit anxious.” “The officials said the city was only going to be shut down for four days, so I calmly prepared some food, including fresh vegetables, meat, eggs, milk, and some fast food such as self-heating hot pot,” Dong recalled. More than four days into the lockdown, however, the city began to grow restless, with residents’ protests directly clashing with constant news alerts of humanitarian crises. Joshua Y. ’22 reflects similar concerns towards his grandparents who currently live in Shanghai. Ever since the lockdown was announced, Joshua and his family have worried about his grandparents’ health and accessibility. “I was worried about how they might get food because they were definitely not on the tech-y side and didn’t really know how to use the DoorDash equivalents and such,” Joshua said. Joshua has noticed stress from his mother, who aids his grandparents, as well. “Not only does she take care of her family here but I also now see her calling my grandparents trying to figure out what food to help order for them,” Joshua

The return of the Nueva Honor Council

said, recalling an app she uses—where she stays up till midnight to ensure she is the first person to reserve food for his grandparents every day. Now, what Dong wants to know most is when the restrictions in her community will be lifted. “I want to know when I can go out,” she said. The lockdown thus far has altered Dong’s perception of the government’s capabilities in pandemic control with Dong saying she “felt a little disappointed” towards their regulations and policies. “In my previous impression, Shanghai was very developed in all aspects and was at the forefront of the country,” she said, recalling how Shanghai has been the best city in China for pandemic control. “In this wave of the epidemic, the government’s performance was not as good as we imagined.” However, Dong also compensates for the challenging extent of management to which a large city and population requires. “I just hope we can continue doing a good job in prevention and control and prevent similar large-scale lockdowns from happening,” Dong said. “I hope we can do a good job in epidemic prevention and control while not affecting the normal routines and life of the people.”

I was also worried about how they might get food because they were definitely not on the tech-y side and didn’t really know how to use the Door Dash equivalents and such.

STORY ELLIE K. PHOTO SERENA S.

After a two-year hiatus during the pandemic, the NHC is regaining momentum, now accepting cases and new members formed and advised by previous Assistant Head of School Mike Peller in 2018 and briefly mentored by Equity and Social Justice Director Alegria Barclay until 2020. The NHC is a “student-led disciplinary body” partnering with the administration to provide student perspectives on the disciplinary process. In an email to the upper school, the council emphasizes restorative justice as an “integral” player

COUNCIL AT WORK Mia T. '23 and Eliza S. '23 create a flow chart for methods of approaching conflict resolution

in prioritizing healing and community building instead of punishment. Due to the pandemic, the team has had to “start from scratch” by rebuilding relationships with the administration and training new members. Currently, upper school history teacher Arta Khakpour advises the council. The council typically consists of nine members: three seniors, three juniors, two sophomores, and one freshman. Currently, seven members comprise the team: Nikki A. ’22, Mia T. ’23, Daniel R. ’23, Eliza S. ’23, Abi W. ’23, Samara B. ’24, and Logan R. ’24. “Where we are at right now is a very crucial time to see whether or not we can build this restorative justice framework into our school,” Abi said, aiming to create a long-lasting foundation. A key element of the council is its student members—evenly “sensitive, compassionate, and intellectual,” according to Khakpour. Nikki echoes Khakpour, further recognizing the students’ crucial role considering their perspective. “One of the main points of energy was having the student voice in the disciplinary system, instead of students feeling completely powerless, and just having a bunch of adults—who may not understand what [the student] did, or [the student’s] point of view—just decide things,” Nikki said. “While administration and teachers are really important in the process, sometimes the only way to understand is

with another student,” Logan said. Utilizing students’ voices, Eliza described the “underlying pillar” and “ultimate goal” of the NHC is to repair damage from conflicts and “grow from the incident rather than punishing the perpetrator.” Eliza highlighted how every member’s different background and perspective allows for a solution that is “well thought through.” “Honor Council is in the three way intersection between admin, teachers, and the student body,” Abi said, adding that NHC opens up “lines of communication.” Once presented with a case from admin, the council recruits three members to partner with the perpetrator and victim to determine how to repair and move forward from the harm done. The smaller group ensures the parties involved are comfortable “build[ing] trust and interact[ing] with” the NHC members. “There is a level of community accountability,” Barclay added. “If it’s your peers who are holding you accountable, that just feels different to me than then if it’s some adults.” After training two freshmen and another sophomore during the spring while also solidifying plans for after Khakpour leaves Nueva, the council is now open for cases. “There has to be buy-in from the community for it to function,” Barclay said. “So, it’s not just about the council, it’s about a culture and a commitment from all members of the community.”

THE NUEVA SCHOOL . 131 E. 28TH AVE., SAN MATEO, CA 94403

n the previous months, the disciplinary model of restorative justice has been cultivated in whole school assemblies, seeded in emails, and bolded on posters across campus. While recent events reemphasized and resuscitated the importance of restorative justice in a school setting, the idea has been discussed for a few years. One group pioneering this conversation is the Nueva Honor Council (NHC),

NEWS

VOL. 5 ISS. 6

ISOS course discontinued for the 2022–23 school year The once-graduation-requirement is being replaced by a free period STORY SELIN K.

fter eight years of being a required class for sophomores, Interdisciplinary Studies of Science (ISOS)—a class where students discuss and debate the foundations of scientific and philosophical knowledge—is no longer in the course catalog for the upcoming school year. While the exact future of ISOS remains undetermined, rising sophomores will now receive a free period in replacement. Joshua K. ’24, a current sophomore, believes filling the slot with another elective is a better use of time as “there’s no motivation to learn in a pass/ fail class that [he’s] not particularly interested in.” Upper school ISOS teacher and ninth grade

co-dean Lee Holtzman, who pioneered the class, believes ISOS should still be included in the curriculum. “[The class] is something that would profit from student choice,” Holtzman said. “It’s a really important piece of your education, especially in our school and the world you live in.” Holtzman, Jehnna Ronan, and Marie Burks, who have been teaching ISOS, will continue to teach other classes next year.

The upper school produces Head Over Heels, a musical exploring songs from the Go-Go’s and poems dating back to the 16th-century

STUDENT STANDOFF:

Flip to page 18 to read two student opinions on what mandatory class should replace ISOS!

College rejection letters fly out of mind with senior tradition Artistic mural attempts to destigmatize rejections in the college admissions process STORY AARON H. PHOTOS AARON H.

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nstalled by the entrance of the Writing and Research Center, seniors transformed their college rejection letters into a vibrant collage of butterfly cut-outs and supportive messages. The current installation follows last year’s virtual celebration where seniors made the letters their Zoom background. This year’s mural was curated by 12th grade student council representative Cate R. ’22. Cate collected rejection letters through a Google Form, where students could remain anonymous if they choose. Accompanying the mural was a statement, written by Cate, explaining the significance of rejection in society. “Due to the Bay Area’s competitive culture and within Nueva’s high-achieving academic environment, students can feel significant pressure entering the college admissions process,” Cate wrote. “Our rejections, as much as our successes, are an integral part of our journey.” For Emy Y. ’22, who also worked on the project, the mural became a celebration of students despite the tedious college admissions process. “To me, the mural is very important because it celebrates failure in a way that doesn’t happen at Nueva,” Emy said. “I think we all know that the college process is an incredibly flawed system and I felt so proud being able to submit my letter as a bit of a ‘screw you’ to the college system.” While the college process can be stressful for many, Nueva’s college rejection letter mural chisels away at this one butterfly at a time.

With the strike of a guitar, the show begins

ARTIST STATEMENT EXCERPT BY CATE R.: Each white paper butterfly represents a college rejection letter submitted by a student in the 12th grade. Letters were cut by volunteers from the senior class in such a way as to preserve key information in each letter. Surrounding these rejection letters sit a collection of colorful butterflies, on which students, staff, and faculty wrote notes of support and encouragement to celebrate and support the strength and experiences of the senior class.

STORY JACK P. PHOTO GRACE F.

tudents dance with passion underneath the bright spotlight while singing into the surrounding speakers, filling the room with melody. Throughout the spring semester, the upper school musical team—led by Upper School Elective and Play Teacher Zoe SwensonGraham—rehearsed and produced Head Over Heels, which is set to premiere on June 3. Head Over Heels is a jukebox musical based on the music of the Go-Go’s and the plot of The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia, a 16th-century romantic poem written by Sir Philip Sidney. Although Head Over Heels is SwensonGraham’s first musical at Nueva, she is consistently impressed with the students’ ability to adapt in the face of a confusing school year. “We’re still dealing with masks and all the challenges of COVID-19,” Swenson-Graham said. “The fact that we are able to come together and create a show everyone feels super excited about is so amazing to me.” Brenna A. M. ’25, the dance captain, echoes Swenson-Graham’s sentiments. Brenna shared that as theater is supposed to be live, in-person, and unmasked, COVID-19 has largely impacted the musical this year. “It’s especially hard to sing and dance with masks, but I think we’re doing a surprisingly good job,” Brenna said a month before performances, hoping for them to be unmasked. This year, the cast and stage crew is one of the largest in the history of Nueva musicals with over 30 students. They practice four times a week doing choreography, staging rehearsals, and music rehearsals, preparing for their debut on Friday, June 3. Swenson-Graham’s goal for the musical team is for them to enjoy the process and have fun. “I try to create a space where people feel safe to try new things, contribute ideas, and build the show together,” she said. Her goal was prominent in motivating the musical team throughout the turbulent school year as they believe she supports them and ensures they have room to make mistakes and grow.

6. 6. 22

CULTURE

THE NUEVA CURRENT OPINION

Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is Kendrick Lamar’s Poetic Injustice The rapper's first album in five years falls short of expectations—but it's not a total waste of time

role model status. For years Lamar has been an icon for the Black community. Ever since his 2015 album “To Pimp a Butterfly” that delved r. Morale & The Big Steppers into the Black experience in America, is an overwhelming dish that there has been an expectation for him to consolidates a life of trauma lead the fight against racial oppression. into 18 songs. The album’s themes It’s a heavy burden for any one person of sexual assualt, therapy, the Black to shoulder, and in the track “Savior” he community and childhood trauma congeal attempts to abdicate the responsibility. in a sticky mess of hypocrisy, making Lamar laments in the opening lines of Kendrick Lamar’s words an inescapable “Savior,” that he “made you think about cacophony of discomfort. it, but he is not your savior.” He continues Released on May 12, Mr. Morale & to describe other Black icons like J. Cole, The Big Steppers is the Compton-born Future, and LeBron James, repeating rapper’s first album in over five years. after each line the mantra, “he is not your Since his release of DAMN. in 2017, the savior.” self-anointed greatest rapper of all time The beauty of Mr. Morale & The Big has vanished into the background, only Steppers is in its ugliness. The album is a appearing in songs with artists like Baby nail-biting, hurtful listen. Lamar is a role Keem, his cousin. And while Lamar has model renouncing his title, a man airing returned, he relinquishes himself of his out his therapy sessions and trauma like STORY AARON H. '24 PHOTO RENELL MEDRANO

Mavericks Review:

dirty laundry—and with each song, the trauma becomes more tragic. It starts in “United in Grief,” as he retells his decision to start therapy, and over the next 17 tracks the stories become darker. By far the saddest song is track 17, “Mother I Sober.” Lamar discusses how his mother was sexually assaulted when he was a child, and how that trauma affected his own life. Unfortunately, Lamar’s openness about his flaws and scars is eclipsed by the villain he makes himself to be. His powerful song about the generational trauma of sexual assault in “Mother I Sober” loses its meaning by his decision to feature the accused rapist Kodak Black five tracks prior in “Silent Hill.” When he raps about his relationship with his transgender uncle in “Auntie Diaries,” he uses a derogeatory slur directed towards the LGBTQ+ community multiple times.

MIKI Y. '22

He never apologizes in the song, rather excusing his use of the slur by rapping, “I said them F-bombs, I ain't know any better.” While fans will always put their “hands up high” when Kung Fu Kenny’s albums are played at parties, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers probably won’t be one of them. Rather, the album should be played through headphones; when listeners have enough time and peace of mind to digest the complex messaging and contradictions Lamar leaves.

CARISSA . '22

Harry’s House is a whimsical and retro album that one can listen to through a passive or active ear. Compared to his previous two albums, the overall vibe is a lot more consistent, blended, and produced, especially in comparison to Fine Line (for the vibe part). I’d say my favorite songs are "Grapejuice," "Daylight," and "Daydreaming."

ZOE B. '24

When I first listened to the album, I didn’t like a few of the songs, but after looping it, I love all of them. Some of my favorites are: "Keep Driving," "Satellite," and "Little Freak."

STORY ELLIE K. '24 PHOTO COLUMBIA RECORDS / HANNA MOON

Often times an artist can fall into the trap of writing a similar melody over and over again, but [Styles] continues to experiment with new sounds and instruments. It gives each album a new and refreshing feel.

OPINION

Harry Styles solidifies himself in the music industry with his third album Harry’s House

arry Styles has let us into his home—opening the doors wide, he displays vulnerability and pure emotion through stories and melodies. It’s filled with chaotic yet poignant reflections on love and trauma, such as in “Matilda,” mixed messily with carefree and lighthearted dance tracks like “Music for a Sushi Restaurant.” The 42 minute listen feels unnerving yet comfortingly like reading his personal journal; according to Styles, his favorite thing about that album is how it “feels the most like [him]”—it’s unpolished yet perfect. It is in that unwavering emotional rollercoaster that Styles is most raw and real, and he could not have created a more unique set of tracks. Harry’s House, released on May 20th, is arguably Styles’ best album, not only because of his signature gentle guitar strums, consoling voice, catchy and cathartic melodies, and distinctive vocalization that tickles the unexpecting ears of listeners, but because his new record serves as his official homecoming story—a reflection on maturity and establishment of himself as an artist in the music industry, after years in the boy band One Direction, and later individual

rise in popularity. “I’ve never felt better about being a musician,” Styles shared in an interview with music station Z100 New York. “The reward has been more in the process than anything I have done so far—it’s the best I’ve felt about making music [and the] best I’ve felt about something I’ve made.” His third album follows 2019’s Fine Line and 2017’s debut self-titled album. In Harry’s House, Styles incorporates atypical sounds when he sings “Scubaduba-dubub-boo” twice in “Music for a Sushi Restaurant,” and escapes the conventional pop song by introducing “Boyfriends” with a reversed line. When played backwards, the first line says, “Fool, you’re back at it again,” describing the habitual process of rewinding the tape and returning to a toxic boyfriend who “knows just how to get under your skin.” Styles addresses the “fool” as the other person in the relationship who will not or cannot leave. In “Matilda,” he inspects trauma from a different lens, consoling a woman who experienced familial trauma at an early age: “But I know that you feel like a piece of you's dead insidе… It's none of my business, but it's just been on my mind.” Interwoven within the nostalgia

and loss are joyful songs of devotion and admiration, with verses urging the listeners to get up and dance along. The transition, although abrupt and unexpected, almost serves as Styles metaphorically and lyrically opening a door to a more uplifting room of his house. In addition to providing an alternative melody and metaphor for devotion, track five, “Daylight” reflects on Styles’ journey to finding love. In “Golden” from Fine Line, he sings, “loving is the antidote.” He continues the “antidote” metaphor by concluding in “Daylight,” that “you are the antidote.” Before Styles dropped the entire album, he shared a small taste, releasing “As it Was” on April 1st. The song begins with a child’s voice calling out, “Come on, Harry. / We want to say goodnight to you.” However, in that moment releasing his first song after three years, Styles was just waking up—he mentioned the “forced pause” during the pandemic allowed ample opportunity for reflection. “It obviously gave me some time to think a lot about who I am and who I want to be outside of music,” he said.

This allowed him to create with a new “freedom.” Harry’s House marks the beginning of a new era for Styles—it’s time to take his name from the list of young band members from One Direction and carve it with pride onto the list of the greatest pop artists for our generation.

ALL SMILES "HARRY IS UNAPOLOGETICALLY HIMSELF; HE DOES WHAT HE WANTS. IT'S PART OF WHAT MAKES HIS MUSIC SO GOOD." RYKER VASSALLO '23

THE NUEVA SCHOOL . 131 E. 28TH AVE., SAN MATEO, CA 94403

Welcome home, Harry

The beauty of Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is in its ugliness. The album is a nail-biting, hurtful listen. Lamar is a role model renouncing his title, a man airing out his therapy sessions and trauma like dirty laundry.

CULTURE

VOL. 5 ISS. 6

6. 6. 22

LAEL'S SPOTIFY CODE Scan the barcode below in the Spotify mobile app to listen to Lael's music!

Heading into summer 2022: a playlist As the last day of the school year draws near, here’s five recent releases to help curate the perfect summer playlist STORY ISABELLA X. PHOTOS PHOEBE BRIDGERS, ZALAGASPER, DERMOT KENNEDY, CLUBHOUSE, MXMTOON

Diary of an album

Singer-songwriter Lael S. ’23 weaves family and storytelling into producing her first EP STORY ISABELLE S. PHOTOS LAEL S.

Sidelines

Home Videos

Written for the upcoming TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Conversations with Friends, indie singer Phoebe Bridgers returns with yet another lethargic ballad. While soundwise “Sidelines” does little to diversify her discography, the single strays from Bridger’s previous songs in its message. It’s a whispered declaration of bravery, a far cry from her usual heartbreak chronicles. As the song progresses, Bridger’s gentle vocals are accompanied by the cry of a violin. It arrives in moments where a singer’s voice is not enough, extending and echoing Bridgers’ melody, and appropriately closes the ballad, lingering as she finishes, “And I used to think / You could hear the ocean in a seashell / What a childish thing.”

Sincerity sings in this song’s “Home”-made groove. Clubhouse, a five-man band from Columbus, Ohio writes their music with the goal to “make [listeners] love more and worry less.” Nothing in their discography captures this essence more than the perfectly unpolished and lowkey rhythm of “Home Videos” from their 2021 album Are We Going Too Slow? The song captures the listeners attention from its opening lines: “You never listened to my playlist, did you?” lead singer Max Reichert begins. It plays as a youthful confession unwittingly caught on tape, the beat’s snares lifting melancholy lyrics. At just two minutes and thirty-six seconds, the song closes just as it began—with a sudden goodbye and the promise of a good time.

love letter

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Slovenian duo zalagasper combine electronic instrumentals and tender vocals to create an ambient daydream in “love letter.” The pair, consisting of singer Zala Kralij and producer Gašper Šantl, represented their country in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. In the following years, they have crafted their own distinctive sound, best described as “supernatural”— floating synths and harmonic melodies. But “love letter” still manages to bridge the precarious gap between subversive and relatable. With her soft, almost eerie voice, Kralij sings, “Fell for you so hard, oh, I'm clumsy / Your questions to the moon made it easy.” These lines are exemplative of the song’s ethos: an unflinching take on the love song which manages to evade cliché and instead elevate the impact of the piece.

Phoebe Bridgers

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zalagasper

Clubhouse

An Evening I Will Not Forget Dermot Kennedy The spaces between Dermot Kennedy’s guttural voice in the acoustic version of “An Evening I Will Not Forget” are an invitation for the listener’s response. They are room to breathe, and as Kennedy pounds the keys of his piano with increasing urgency, he also hammers home the spirit of the song. He crafts a world where, as the song builds in fervor and he finally unleashes his emotions, it for once feels deserved. Here is a man who has laid himself bare through two verses and all spaces in between—his story has lingered in the sound and the audience, and he acknowledges it in a soft close of a mutual understanding.

n the basement of her home in South San Francisco, Lael S. ’23 peers over her father’s shoulder as he turns and flicks the switches of various audio effects, tuning the equalizer to perfect the acoustic guitar to sound just as Lael had imagined. Together, under the glints of purple, red, and blue from the basement’s LED lights, they’re producing Lael’s first EP, Lael. By March 2022, Lael had compiled recordings of original songs after months of plucking guitar strings and writing lyrics. But Lael’s musical background spans back to her childhood. “My dad’s a musician, so ever since I was little, we always listened to music together as a family,” Lael said, recalling her family’s diverse music taste and her journey in singing, playing the piano and guitar, and ultimately writing music “pretty much every day.” In 2019, Lael released her first song, “Holdin’ On,” on Spotify; however, in December 2021, she released her first fully-produced song, “Cupid,” as a single. “[‘Cupid’] was one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written,” Lael said. “I wanted it to be new, so I decided to produce it and add more elements like the bass and drums instead of just mixing it.” With the help of and inspiration from her father, musician and producer Frank Lael (who has collaborated with various artists such as Norah Jones and The Pixies), Lael released her EP on March 26 with six self-written and produced songs: “Intoxicated,” “Cupid,” “Money,” “Sycamore Street,” “Sixteen,” and “Serotonin.” “I didn’t write the songs intending them to go into an EP,” Lael said. “They all came together in the end instead.” Lael’s EP became a collaborative process both between herself and her father as well as with other musicians. Aside from bass lines provided by her dad, Lael had the opportunity to have professional cellist Mai Bloomfield play a cello backing track in the first song of her EP, “Intoxicated.” “I remember the first time [my dad and I] listened to it was in a Safeway parking lot because we couldn’t wait to get home to listen,” Lael recalled. “My dad

just looked at me and was like, ‘oh my god.’ And I was in shock. [Mai] created this beautiful musical landscape.” This interaction is just an example of Lael’s complex love for music and the expression of her inner world she can give through her work. “Music is such a powerful creative outlet. It’s like journaling,” Lael said. “You’re creating something that really describes how you are feeling in that moment, and then sharing that with the world.” Despite its vulnerability, sharing music with others has been a healing experience for Lael. Yet, Lael wants to leave the meaning of her songs up for interpretation. “If I describe what each song is about, it takes away the relatability,” Lael said. “What it means to me might not mean the same thing to anyone else. I like having people interpret it however they want.” One of Lael’s favorite songs to write and record was “Sycamore Street,” an acoustic narrative born out of a prose compiled of fleeting thoughts in her notes app. However, “Cupid” still stands as Lael’s proudest song; it was a “moment of growth” for Lael, transitioning from “rough” songs to a fully produced final product. “I realized after writing and recording ‘Cupid’ that music isn’t going to be something I want to do on the side,” Lael said. “It’s something I would want to do for the rest of my life.” Aspiring to study music and songwriting in the future, Lael also hopes to start performing live in the near future. Lael has already seen her music impact listeners beyond her close community members. “I have listeners in Brazil. I have no idea who they are, and they have no idea who I am,” Lael said. “It’d be really awesome to actually talk to them and be like, ‘hey, how did you find my music?’ and learn who they are and what kinds of people listen to my music.” Lael’s EP is just an example of her dedication to this art, and has become a point in which she felt she could really “call [herself] a musician.”

CULTURE

THE NUEVA CURRENT

Sightseeing in California’s entertainment center and the nation’s second largest city STORY ROAN W. PHOTOS EATER LA

hours in Friday

1 P.M. | PASTA ON DEMAND

4 P.M. | SURREALIST’S PLAYGROUND As if the city isn’t already lit with enough lights and screens, “Big Heartedness, Be My Neighbor” redefines the word ‘surreal’ with projections and screens combined with physical objects. Hanging above the ticket counter is a beautiful chandelier made out of dozens of pairs of used – yes, used, – underpants. This exhibit by Swiss video artist Pipilotti Rist is mind bendingly fun, and an excellent way to introduce the extravagant environment of Los Angeles. 6 P.M. | VEGGIE-RICH DINNER With a variety of dishes—ranging from pizzas of in-house ground chorizo sausage, to hand cut gnocchi—tonight's dinner is a fantastic Italian meal served on a comfortable, warm patio. Gjelina serves a variety of dishes, many of which center around vegetables. Now, don’t be discouraged by that, the charred snap peas are to die for.

Saturday

Felix Trattoria is a restaurant that has mastered the art of pasta making. Each and every noodle that you’ll place in your mouth has been handcrafted in the kitchen by talented chefs. Every concave orecchiette, every ribbon of linguine, is made especially for you. 2 P.M. | MOTOR CAR MUSEUM Beyond the stainless steel ribbons that line the exterior of this cherry red building, hundreds of cars from the past century are collected in the Petersen Automotive Museum's spectacular display. Whether it be the famous Tesla Roadster, or the Batmobile from 1966’s Batman, there’s no shortage of vehicles to admire. If your wallet feels a little heavy, you can spend an additional 25 dollars to enter the vault, containing the first Ford car ever manufactured, the 1896 Quadricycle, and many more.

9 A.M. | MODERN ART MASSES 4 P.M. | FILM LOVER'S DREAM

The LA County Museum of Art, better known as LACMA, is home to a myriad of exhibits, ranging from visual, to auditory art. The most time-limited exhibit, “Thinking of You, I Mean Me, I Mean You,” is a collection of works by Barbara Kruger, featuring audiovisual soundscapes and large video works.

With the recent opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, it’s been hard to find a time slot to even get in. If you plan to attend, book your ticket a few weeks in advance, otherwise you’ll be missing out. This building contains something from seemingly every movie, whether it be the typewriter that produced Psycho, or the beloved Bruce the shark from Jaws. Setting foot in this building is like stepping into movie history.

11 A.M. | PREHISTORIC FOSSIL FIELDS

Don’t be deceived, the city of Los Angeles isn’t just an urban metropolis. Where city skylines stretch as far as the eye can see, mastodons and saber-toothed tigers used to roam. The La Brea Tar Pits and Museum host a collection of thousands of fossils, with over 3 million being found underneath the bubbling tar found just outside the front door. In summer, the scent of freshly poured asphalt fills the air, and the sidewalk seems to stick to your shoes with every step.

The drive from Los Angeles to Santa Monica is well worth it for this dinner. Rich truffles are featured in many a dish from this traditional Italian restaurant. Everything that comes out of the kitchen is cooked over a wood fire, giving it a delicious amount of smokiness. The venue also contains art pieces like ornate teapots, jewelry, and murals.

STORY JOSIE B. PHOTOS NETFLIX

Japanese show about toddlers running errands is a charming blend of lighthearted and wholesome

n a cloudy morning in Kagoshima, Japan, 2-yearold Hiroki prepares for a crucial mission. For the first time in his life, his mother has given him a major responsibility: grocery shopping. The toddler is used to accompanying Mom on the onekilometer journey to the supermarket, but today he is making the trip all on his own. He waves goodbye to Mom with his mouth half-open and a vacant stare, as if stranded in baby world. Hiroki is one of many young children, ranging from ages 2 to 6,

who star in the Japanese TV series Old Enough. While the show has been airing in Japan since the 1990s, it was released internationally on Netflix in April 2022. The first season consists of 20 short episodes, each about 20 minutes long. The show’s charm is in its simplicity: kids go on everyday errands by themselves, some of which include buying groceries, delivering packages, or even just making orange juice. Most episodes end with kids glowing with pride as they show off their hard work to their parents, and the show's wholesome atmosphere is reinforced by cheerful background

music and recurring witty quips from a narrator. "Are you sure this is a good idea, mom?" the narrator jokes as she sends Hiroki off. Since its Netflix debut, the adorable show has received international praise. Some American parents have even argued that the show should be a wake-up call for parents in the United States to reassess cultural norms around policing young children. “Our society, as a whole, has somehow forgotten that running errands has massive benefits for kids,” said parent and editor Michaeleen Doucleff.

On a cloudy morning in Kagoshima, Japan, 2-year-old Hiroki prepares for a crucial mission. For the first time in his life, his mother has given him a major responsibility: grocery shopping.

THE NUEVA SCHOOL . 131 E. 28TH AVE., SAN MATEO, CA 94403

The cutest reality tv show on Netflix

7 P.M. | SEND OFF DINNER

CULTURE

Heartstopper tugged at my heartstrings

This Netflix adaptation masterfully explored identity and adolescence STORY GRACE F. PHOTOS NETFLIX

WWW.THENUEVACURRENT.COM INSTAGRAM: @THENUEVACURRENT

6. 6. 22

Grace’s Culture Corner: Culture, Continuity, Connection Looking for something to listen to, watch, or read? Here are some recommendations that will add some interest to your summer media

n an idyllic world, neon lights and perfectly color-coordinated sets would brighten the dullness of mundanity, filling the hole of existentialism left by hours and hours of time on Netflix. Heartstopper provides an answer to queer teenage angst, with complex character plotlines and identity crises set in this idyllic world, portrayed as an ultra-picturesque version of southeastern England. Heartstopper not only provides the accurate LGBTQ+ representation which media had been lacking, but weaves plotlines, setting, and characters together to create a masterful adaptation that explores identity. Originally based on the webcomics—and subsequently, graphic novels—of the same title by Alice Oseman, Heartstopper follows openly gay yet painfully shy teenager Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and rugby star Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) as they pursue a relationship in spite of homophobia and the complexity of self-discovery. They’re surrounded by a cast of equally likeable and distinctive characters, which include Elle Argent (Yasmin Finney), a transgender girl and one of Charlie’s best friends, Tao Xu (William Gao), Charlie’s fiercely protective best friend, and Tara Jones (Corinna Brown) and Darcy Olsson (Kizzy Edgell), an openly lesbian couple. Though a queer identity is a pillar of most of these characters, their main plotlines and characters arcs have little to do with these identities. This type of representation is so important, as it gives an accurate portrayal of queer teenagers: still facing the angst of “normal” teenagers despite being considered abnormal. We know from the first episode that Charlie is gay. But instead of focusing on his coming out story or the homophobia he faces, we see his passion for music, his emotions, and his devotion to his friendships and relationships. Though characters like Charlie and Tara deal with overt prejudice throughout the series, their plotlines aren’t simply boiled down to overcoming the bias they encounter. They are fully-fleshed out, whole characters: Charlie has a personality, interests, and quirks outside of his identity. His initial interactions with Nick, surrounded by charming animations in a nod to the graphic novels, are reminiscent of the traditional butterflies that come with having a crush. His sexuality is only a component of his pining. Meanwhile, the inclusion of Nick’s journey to discovering his sexuality was incredibly important especially given the audience. Though the target audience of the graphic novels is older teens/ young adults, Oseman and Netflix decided to lower the target audience to make the show enjoyable to younger teenagers who are still figuring out their identities. Moments such as where Nick is facing a crisis due to first figuring out his feelings for Charlie and trying coming to terms with his bisexuality,

VOL. 5 ISS. 6

STORY GRACE F. PHOTOS CONAN GRAY, RIO CORTEZ, AMAZON

Superache Conan Gray

THE CHART-TOPPING SHOW WAS BASED ON ALICE OSEMAN'S GRAPHIC NOVELS OF THE SAME TITLE, WHICH HAD BEEN ADAPTED FROM ITS ORIGINAL WEBCOMIC MEDIUM.

Expected by: 6/24/2022

are aspects of queer adolescence that aren’t talked about enough, yet are so integral to selfdiscovery. Sexuality and labels aren’t things that queer people always know immediately, and the fact that the complexities of that facet of identity were portrayed in Nick’s story showed a wider audience the many layers of being queer. This show gave me hope for Netflix. Having this sort of representation on a streaming service this commonly used is not only useful in educating the public, but also helps teenagers see themselves reflected in a way that isn’t shallow. Queer identities are not monoliths, and the way that this show explored these identities is groundbreaking and will hopefully inspire more media that gives a lens into different complexities of life.

Originally popularized for his YouTube videos with masterfully lit shots of him strumming the guitar to a bedroom pop cover or original song, singer-songwriter Conan Gray is set to release his sophomore album, a follow-up to his debut, Kid Krow (2020). Gray continues to experiment with imagery in both the lyricism and accompanying music videos in the tracks of this album, and will further expand his presence as the indie-pop “sad boy” that listeners love.

Golden Ax Rio Cortez

Pulitzer Prizenominated poet Rio Cortez, best known for her works on Black history and culture, weaves together another compilation of poetry about Afropioneerism and Black identity. Golden Ax contains themes of Black presence in the west, Black womanhood, and literature to reframe the notion of liberty tracing back to Reconstruction and the Great Migration.

Expected by: 8/30/2022

Don't Make Me Go Amazon Prime

This Amazon Prime Original is a new creation from one of Rolling Stone’s “25 under 25” presences, filmmaker Hannah Marks. The evocative Don’t Make Me Go follows a single father, who after learning he had a fatal brain tumor, seeked to make a stronger connection with his daughter and reconnect with her distant mother.

Expected by: 7/15/2022

CULTURE

THE NUEVA CURRENT

San Mateo’s neighborhood bakery

STORY ELLIE K. AND AMIYA M. PHOTO ELLIE K.

Backhaus is the newest CA bakehouse—an establishment focused on community and connection

n the sidewalk of downtown San Mateo, a child runs toward the outstretched arms of a worker with “Backhaus” written on their shirt and flour dust on their black pants. Suspended in the air, the child says what everyone in the line at Backhaus, a small café overlooked by a vase of sunflowers and filled with hearts of foam, rows of bread, and croissant crumbs, is thinking: “I want bread.” Before Backhaus opened its doors to downtown San Mateo, it was a Cottage Food Operation—owners Anne and Robert Moser baked all of their pastries and bread in their home kitchen. Eventually, they transitioned to KitchenTown, a commercial kitchen designed to scale up food companies, and a College of San Mateo farmer’s market stand. Finally in 2016, Backhaus opened a storefront “in the heart of the very community” that supported the Mosers from the beginning. Backhaus’ name is reflective of the people it serves. Giving a nod to Anne Moser’s German roots, “Backhaus,” meaning bakehouse, is an inspiration from the many bakeries of Germany in which people could bake large amounts of bread together. These spaces became the location of gathering and socializing. The idea for Backhaus began in their home kitchen, where Moser spent hours baking bread, learning from books and online blogs, and encountering “a lot of delicious trial and error.” The Mosers were not the only ones enthusiastic about opening a café to the community. “My husband, who absolutely loves this place… even offered to help build this, he wanted it so badly,” Janis Kelly, a weekly customer, said. “We're very excited that they're here.” Even as they transitioned from a market stand to a storefront, Anne and Robert planned to “always stay as local as possible.” “Our goal is to become a true neighborhood bakery café: a place where you can gather with friends and family,

enjoy great bread, relax with a cup of coffee and delicious pastries, and even learn how to make bread yourself,” Moser wrote on the Backhaus website. For the customers, Backhaus provides an escape from the buzzing downtown—it is “spacious” and “chill,” with “Fantasy” by Mariah Carrey playing on the loudspeakers. Srinivas Rao-mouw comes down to Backhaus from San Francisco every few months to work in a quiet environment midweek and meet with coworkers, while enjoying a cardamom syrup latte. “It’s a very good bakery and coffee shop, and I feel like that’s harder to find on the peninsula,” Rao-mouw shared. “So, when I do have to meet someone down here, Backhaus is usually my go-to.” Transforming Backhaus into a “go-to” location has been in the making for years. “It is extremely rewarding to watch

your vision come to life and see that both our customers as well as team members appreciate what we wanted to create in the community,” Moser said. Moser’s “creating” is not done yet. In 2024, after hundreds of new loaves are pulled from the ovens, brown paper bags crumble with satisfaction, squishing the flakes of goodness inside, the Backhaus team will open another bakery in Burlingame. They hope to offer baking classes, increase pastry choices, present more indoor seating, and the option to order sit-down breakfast and brunch foods. “We try to reflect on a regular basis and make sure that we are still on the right path,” Moser said. “With every big business decision we make, we check whether it conforms with our core values and the original concept of what we want Backhaus to be.”

HOT OUT OF THE OVEN Backhaus offers an array of freshly baked croissants, scones, muffins, and artisan bread.

STORY ANOUSCHKA B. PHOTO KATHLEEN LUZZI

Kathy's Creative Kakes puts a unique, artistic twist to cake-making

The Cobbler provides more than just clothing services—the family run business is the epitome of customer care beyond their 9-5 STORY NATALIE L., EMMA Z. PHOTO THE COBBLER

Where creativity meets confectionery created this type of cakes: hence, the “creative” in their name. Luzzi first joined the business in 1978, and, following a Berkeley degree and several other careers, returned in 2006 before buying the business in 2008. Inside the dainty, pastel-colored store, wisps of sugar perfume the air as Luzzi and her employees get busy on their latest creation, running to-and-fro between tables overflowing with ingredients. Though Luzzi spends the majority of her time in the cycle of designing, troubleshooting, and baking, it’s the interactions with others she cherishes most. “[I’m most proud of] the relationships with the community, with my customers,” Luzzi said. The cakes she’s baked for birthdays, weddings, and presidential campaigns aren’t just archived photos on the store’s Facebook page—they’re close to her heart, brought to life by the people she made them for (including Tom Brady, who grew up in San Mateo). The kids Luzzi once baked birthday cakes for have come back to work at her store when in high school, and later asked her to bake a cake for their weddings. “I get to have a relationship with them that entire way through,” she said. Community involvement also extends past her regular customers; Luzzi bakes cakes for kids going into foster care programs who otherwise wouldn’t have a birthday cake,

“It’s the hardest job I’ve ever had, but it’s the best that I’ve ever done. Food is... how people celebrate, get together, memorialize: it’s all the special moments of people’s lives that we get to be a part of. That’s the rewarding aspect of it.”

as well as those in local women's shelters. The one cake featured in the store, though, is not for a customer. Far past its expiration date, the Disney-themed cake was the last cake one of Luzzi’s former employees baked before she passed. Luzzi recalls fondly how she would bring boxes of the “most beautiful” hand made flowers. “I keep it as a relic of hers. I don’t have the heart to… I just try and clean it a bit,” she said. Luzzi is exceptionally proud of her employees, especially one named Yomara. Originally from Guatemala, Yomara began working at Kathy’s Creative Kakes when she was 15 years old and knew little English; today, she’s fluent in English, a U.S. citizen, and a mom to Naomie, her one-year-old daughter who watches her mother frost cakes from her stroller in the bakery. “Taking her under my wing and then having her best me and challenge me—it’s been really great to see her grow,” Luzzi said. “Just having influence in that area, for just a little bit, is probably the most rewarding.” The community in and out of Luzzi’s store pushes her baking and creativity. Around 60 to 70 percent of Luzzi’s customers are recurring; with some, it’s become tradition for Kathy’s Creative Kakes to bake a cake every Christmas or Thanksgiving. “That allows you to do more challenging things as time goes by—you did a certain cake the first time, and then you’ve got to best yourself to keep giving them the “wow” factor every year,” Luzzi said. Making cakes that push her limits is no easy task for Luzzi; she jokes that she has the second role of the “cake doctor” for all the “cake crashes” that have happened over years, and has learned about everything from electronics and architecture along her baking journey. “It’s the hardest job I’ve ever had, but it’s the best that I’ve ever done,” Luzzi said. “Food is so much a part of our social network. It’s how people celebrate, get together, memorialize: it’s all the special moments of people’s lives that we get to be a part of. That’s the rewarding aspect of it.”

estled on the corner of San Mateo Drive and 3rd Avenue, in “the very heart of downtown San Mateo,” is The Cobbler. Since 2019, the store has been run by the couple Dana and Jay Calara. The pair met through Dana’s sister after immigrating to the Bay Area from the Philippines. Once in California, the two pursued different career paths prior to meeting, marrying, and deciding to run their business together. Jay’s leather working and cobblery skills budded 15 years ago when he took up an apprenticeship with his uncle, who ran a cobblery in San Francisco called Galletti Shoes. “I didn’t know anything [about cobblery] when I immigrated here,” Jay said. “But my uncle told me, ‘Work with me and I'll teach you everything.’ So I did.” Meanwhile, Dana was pursuing a medical career. She had been working in a laboratory in UCSF before she decided to pivot to support Jay in his trade of cobblery. “I had always thought that I would stay [in the medical field], but I left all of it behind to support him, because I knew that he’d be successful once he got his own business,” Dana said. She added jokingly, “I'm pretty sure he needs me to run the shop perfectly.” Prior to the lab, Dana briefly worked in retail, which provided her with sewing skills that she now adapted to mend and alter clothes at The Cobbler. Despite pivoting to a trade in which she had no previous experience, Dana explained that she was able to transfer one of the most valuable skills from both of her previous occupations—customer service, including “how to properly talk to people, especially with irate customers.” “I think you can always still bring customer service skills—how to properly talk to people, especially with irate customers. There’s always something that you can bring—regardless of what field you’re coming from.” So, with Jay’s well-developed cobblery skills and Dana’s can-do attitude, the couple took a leap of faith and took over The Cobbler in 2019 from its retiring owners. After looking at several locations, the popular location and the versatility of the store won them over. “We were looking at several locations but chose The Cobbler because we could provide services in alteration in dry cleaning here, not just shoe repairs. It’s nice to have a one stop shop,” Dana said. Once the couple settled in, the new business owners strove to build a good reputation in the area. They updated the store’s technology by by installing Apple Pay and digitizing laundry tickets to appeal towards younger customers. Since then, the couple have seen an increase in income and felt that they’ve “turned the shop around” despite being amidst a pandemic. Additionally, Jay and Dana’s friendly attitude towards customers have developed into long-lasting friendships over the past few years. “Most of our customers turn out to be really good friends. They used to just be regular customers, but now they invite us to be at their baby showers and things,” Dana says, “When you care about your customer and the items they entrust you with, quality comes with your work.”

THE NUEVA SCHOOL . 131 E. 28TH AVE., SAN MATEO, CA 94403

mong the Regency Ballroom Bar in San Francisco, Kathleen Luzzi, store-owner of Kathy’s Creative Kakes, watched her work come to life. A fondant indigo and magenta magic carpet glimmered over a turquoise cake; a mechanized, fondant cobra enchantingly slithered up and down the confection. “[Cakes like that] are a mechanical adventure, and just the time it takes to do that artwork — it’s not just a cake,” Luzzi said. “People sometimes find it really hard to wrap their mind around that.” Nestled among the stores of 629 S B Street, San Mateo, Kathy’s Creative Kakes sells custommade cakes which often break the boundaries of what constitutes as dessert, from creations shaped like Louis Vuitton-bags to Nike Jordan Shoes. Back in 1976, when the store first opened under a different owner, Kathy’s Creative Kakes was the only shop in town which

The sole of a community

FEATURES

VOL. 5 ISS. 6

6. 6. 22

Barclay says goodbye to her Beloved Community

After seven years, PreK-12 Equity & Social Justice Director Alegria Barclay departs Nueva STORY SERENA SAXENA PHOTO ICLICK SMILES

hen PreK-12 Equity & Social Justice Director Alegria Barclay describes home, she thinks of the colorful building right across from Bay Meadows park, the place where students huddle in hallways continuing their discussions from their previous class, and the place where whiteboards are covered in artwork and design-thinking webs. She thinks of Nueva. So when Barclay made the decision to depart Nueva after seven years, she felt excitement but also a sense of grief for the bittersweet moment. Next fall, Barclay will assume the Dean of Faculty position at Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco—a job that furthers her love of working with adults to promote just change within education. “This role [at Nueva] has taught me that it's really rewarding to work with adults. And so I was curious to lean into that more and…interested in being able to support that work from a position

that had more power,” she said. Throughout her years here, Barclay has built her role from the ground up. When first hired, Nueva had been seeking someone to oversee justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (J.E.D.I) efforts but unsure of how the position would unfold in the community. What she is most proud of is mitigating the resistance that is often received by institutions in regards to J.E.D.I. work. “I don't feel like there’s any more resistance to how important this is and that took some years to get to. I think everyone has a common language, and I know high schoolers like to make fun of Beloved Community but what it shows is that it’s embedded,” Barclay said. “We have a shared vision and a shared goal.” She is confident that whoever fills her role will continue to promote these ideas and the Beloved Community that is so central to Nueva. “I feel good in the sense that there's a real foundation that's been built…We have this base that people can build on; we're not starting at ground zero if I leave,” Barclay said, reflecting on his decision to depart

Bidding farewell to faculty STORY ELLIE KEARNS PHOTOS ICLICK SMILES

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his June, the upper school bids farewell to 14 faculty and staff. Here’s where they are going: History teacher Arta Khakpour will be teaching at Phoenix Country Day in Phoenix, AZ. During his time at Nueva, Khakpour taught the heavily-enrolled International Relations course. Min Larson has spent six years teaching Mandarin. She will be transferring to Lick Wilmerding in San Francisco, a ten minute drive from where she lives. “The joy and sense of achievements” from her Nueva students will continue to inspire and motivate her to be a “better teacher.” Next year, biology teacher Christine Mak will work at a start-up called Heirloom Carbon

in the midst of a restorative justice process. “Whoever takes my role, my place, will have a lot to work with. And I also think they will hopefully take it in a different direction.” Barclay believes that change can be a good step forward, and a new Equity & Social Justice Director will be able to see the “blind spots” in the work she has done. “If you have one person in the same role for a long time, sometimes you miss things. And so there’s real power to having someone else occupy this role,” she said. Regardless, Barclay’s presence will be sorely missed on campus by faculty, staff, and students. Mia Tavares ’23, who will be next year’s student council Equity and Inclusion Representative, shares how Barlcay has been a core pillar of Nueva’s culture, embodying “kindness, humility, love of learning, integrity, and care.” “She has not only been a mentor to me but a leader to our community that reminds us of our better selves. I know that she will make a great impact wherever she goes next,” Tavares said. Lucie Lin ’23, who also worked

with Barclay on student council, echoed Tavares believing Barclay’s impact to be “immeasurable.” “I’m endlessly inspired by her immense empathy and leadership in nagativing the challenges our community has encountered,” she said. Though Barclay will no longer be roaming the campus halls, as a Nueva parent, she is excited to watch the strength of the community grow from the sidelines. Departing with one last piece of advice, Barclay hopes everyone continues to follow the “beat of their own drum” and never lose sight of the unique qualities that truly shape the Nueva community. The search for a new Equity & Social Justice Director is currently underway.

Celebrating the legacy of leaving teachers and faculty members

Technologies. After one year at Nueva, she will keep in touch with the community and everyone with whom she shared “powerful and memorable moments.” Danielle Dell has dedicated six years to teaching math. At Nueva, she loved how she could participate in a conversation about international relations, Game of Thrones, and Star Trek all at the same time. Next year, she will work at Urban School of San Francisco as the Dean of Academics. After two years working as an associate teacher, David Albán Hidalgo will move to The Kinkaid School in Houston, Texas to teach Computer Science. He will take the “‘learning by doing’ ethos and wonderful memories” of teaching on the Rosenberg Lawn with him as he leaves his Nueva “home.” Elizabeth Rossini is leaving after three years working as the Director of Teaching and Learning at Nueva,

“forever changed as an educator and person.” She loved seeing “backpacks strewn about” and students learning, laughing, and “just being together” across campus. Rossini will become the Assistant Head of School at Agnes Irwin School in Pennsylvania. Qiao Liu has spent three years teaching math. She greatly enjoyed the moments she spent with students in her classes and she especially loved this year’s prom. In the fall, she will be teaching at Head-Royce School in Oakland. After six years as the Equity and Social Justice Coordinator and teaching Science of Mind, Alison Williams will be moving to Los Angeles. She mentioned that her fondest Nueva memories were with the Black Student Union (BSU) and that she “will miss this group dearly.” Ariel Balter spent her time at Nueva teaching english. At the end of this year, she will focus on writing full time. As an art teacher for four years, May Wilson’s next adventure is teaching at Iowa State University in

the College of Design. She describes the Nueva community as “wonderful and welcoming.” After working at Nueva as the I-Lab Manager, Triple Oswald will be traveling the world with his fiancé. Wherever he works in the future, he will take with him the “care, curiosity, and courage” he witnessed at Nueva. Hillary Higgins worked as the Associate Director of College Counseling. She plans to move home to Los Angeles and become the Associate Director of College Counseling and Academic Guidance at Geffen Academy at UCLA. After this year, Assistant Director of Admissions Jamika McNally is moving to Denver to direct an admissions department at an independent school. After more than half a decade at Nueva, Mitzi Mock, the Digital Storyteller/Videographer, will move to the East Bay. She said that “documenting the creativity, heart, and humor of [the Nueva] community” was the most “fulfilling professional experience of [her] life.”

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A picture perfect hobby

Photographers Sava I. '24 and Paul B. '22 capture the essence of birds STORY SERENA S. PHOTOS SAVA I. '24 & PAUL B. '22

he world of birds is wild and unpredictable; though they can be spotted from anywhere on the planet, capturing them on film is a pursuit that requires technique, determination, and patience. Mundane if it weren’t a passion, bird photography balances careful planning with spontaneity, and for Sava I. ’23 and Paul B. ’22, the feeling of flashing the shutter at the perfect moment is incredibly rewarding. For Sava, his love of birds emerged from a hobby of birdwatching and a fascination of colorful complexity layered over grace.

at 6:30 in the morning. When I stood up, I just had sand prints all over me and it hurt, but it was worth it,” Sava said. Paul has also had his fair share of adventure moments. “I’ve spent thirty minutes wandering around a tree on the side of the highway,” Paul said, remembering the time he spotted a Red-shouldered Hawk while driving home from school one day. “With bird photography, you can’t plan when you’re going to see something you want a photo of, and if the time comes, you have to do what it takes to get a decent shot.” “Decent,” but not perfect, as Paul and Sava both agree that even after three hours of shooting and 500 photos per hour, there is no guarantee of a good shot. “Out of those 1,500 photos, maybe one of them is good, five of them are quality, and you end up deleting the rest,” Paul said. In Adobe Lightroom, a photo organizing and editing software, out of his 2,500 photos, only 30 are starred as favorites. Regardless of outcome, Paul and Sava find the process of photographing birds to be quite calming,

SPOTTED: PAUL CAPTURES A REDSHOULDERED HAWK PERCHED IN A TREE IN DOWNTOWN LOS ALTOS.

independent, and fulfilling. Usually heading out either before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m., their favorite local spots to shoot include Shoreline at Mountain View and Bayland Nature Preserve. Looking forward, Paul and Sava are excited to expand their photography portfolios this summer. Paul, who will attend University of California Berkeley in the fall, won’t be far from his favorite shooting locations, and Sava hopes to continue sharing his work with peers and growing his expertise. A PHOTOGRAPHER'S BEST FRIEND Paul uses a DSLR Canon EOS 90D to shoot his photos, and learned how to use it professionally as he learned about birds

THE NUEVA SCHOOL . 131 E. 28TH AVE., SAN MATEO, CA 94403

Sava's photograph of a ROCK WREN from Coyote Hills Regional Park in December is currently the fourth highest ranked photo of the species according to the Macaulay Library (a scientific database by Cornell University).

“I remember I was in Montana and spotted three Western tanagers and two flickers and I was like, ‘wow, they’re colorful,’” Sava said recalling how he gained interest in birds at the age of 12. “The next day, we went to a bookstore and I was like, ‘wait, I’m gonna get a bird guide.’” Sava’s bird watching hobby only grew. In seventh-grade, he joined the California Young Birders Club—a group of 35 kids who went on local excursions to identify birds and their calls. Yet Sava’s interest in photography only spurred after needing a way to keep track of all the species he encountered. For Paul B. ’22, however, photography was already a steady hobby, while birds were just an unexplored subject matter. Paul checked out his first camera from the Writing and Research Center right before lockdown in 2020, and with more time on his hands, decided to photograph different plants and insects in his backyard—a pursuit that got repetitive and boring fairly quickly. Paul soon pivoted his focus to the sky and developed an interest in birds. Drawn to them by their “ beauty, diversity, [and] technical challenge,” Paul took to learning as much as he could about the creatures and his DSLR Canon EOS 90D. Sava, too, believes there is something specifically unique and rewarding about capturing birds on film. “There’s a lot more species diversity than most people realize, and they are difficult [yet] engaging subjects to photograph,” Sava said. “I’ve unironically been lying in the mud for like an hour.” And it’s not just mud that Paul and Sava find themselves photographing in. “When I was in Arizona, I spent an hour and a half lying in the sand

FEATURES

VOL. 5 ISS. 6

6. 6. 22

Packing bits of Nueva into their suitcases How do Nueva students transition to college and life after high school? STORY SERENA S., ISABELLE S. ILLUSTRATION ANOUSCHKA B.

cont. from page 1

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olmes, who is studying neuroscience and education, spends much of her time in introductory courses starkly different from the highly specialized courses Nueva is known for, such as her past classes “Sensory Neuroscience” or “Neuroscience of Addiction.” But rather than introductory neuroscience feeling repetitive, Holmes has discovered ways to “apply it across a broader array of tasks or ideas.” Laura Schneider ’20, a sophomore at the University of British Columbia, affirms that the broader mindset Nueva instilled in her adequately prepared her to question and grapple with topics in order to gain a more worthwhile understanding—especially through writing. “The experience and expectations [at Nueva] in terms of essay writing and bigger projects is nearly college level, so I felt extremely prepared for that,” Schneider said. The relationships fostered between teachers and students at Nueva have also led Holmes and Swint to take advantage of their college professors’ expertise more easily. “I noticed from even the first week at Wellesley that I was much more comfortable than my classmates talking with my professors both in and outside of class,” Swint said. “Being close with my Nueva teachers made that relationship a lot less scary.” For Holmes, her experience with Nueva teachers was conversational and friendly, making it easy to strike up a conversation about anything over a plate of Cafe lunch. However, in college, this was not the default— she had to “choose to show up.” “Professors really do want to get to know you, and they’re happy to do it, but they don’t assume you want to talk to them about anything

outside of your grade,” Holmes said. “Nueva teachers do so much to get to know everyone and really make it clear they care about your educational progress, about the things you’re excited about, and making that accessible to you. And it’s easy to take that for granted.” Beyond interacting with professors, Jeremy Dumalig ’20, a rising junior at the University of Chicago, emphasizes the role Nueva played in his “networking and talking to people in authority positions.” “In college, you’re always networking, meeting people, and forming connections,” Dumalig said. To him, Nueva’s internship program was instrumental in acquiring skills for reaching out to potential mentors and employers. While alumni agree that the Nueva experience helped facilitate the strong professional relationships they have formed in college, some alumni found that personal relationships presented more of a challenge. As someone who joined Nueva in pre-kindergarten, Swint was initially apprehensive of forming new friendships. “I had 14 years of relationships with some of my graduating classmates [at Nueva], and one month into college, those relationships weren’t immediately replicated,” she said. “It was exciting to find people similar to me, but sometimes I was disappointed that it wasn’t happening more quickly.” Schneider, who’s studying the arts and social sciences, found herself utilizing her college dorm to get to know others. Although she initially did not believe her parents when they told her she would make her first friends through dorm life, many of Schneider's closest friends are also her nearest neighbors. “I’m really good friends with my roommates and our neighbors, even though none of them are in the arts,” Schneider said. “Living on campus just helps you slowly settle in and find that group.” As daunting as meeting an entirely new group of people may seem, Holmes believes Nueva has helped her discover what she looks for in a friendship. “Having the same classmates for so long, you learn what it is you love about your

friends,” Holmes said. “You see who you stay close to and you figure out what you really value in a friend, and that definitely impacted the way I went about finding my close circle in college.” To Green, a freshman at Dartmouth College, the varied backgrounds of her college classmates make for a social experience that can sometimes be challenging, but is ultimately rewarding. “You have all of these people from all over, with such different ways of interacting with the world, and they’re just colliding in this one place. It is so awkward and you just have to embrace that,” Green said. “It’s going to make you stronger and more confident.” Green often encounters classmates with differing viewpoints to those of her own, unlike at Nueva, where most students are from the Bay Area and have a shared background. “At Nueva, we have a very similar mindset… and in some ways, we all have a shared understanding. [At college], you can meet someone from the Deep South and they’ll have a completely different perspective on life,” Green said, rarely having witnessed before the stark cultural contrast between U.S. states. In addition to the cultural differences, Green’s transition from Hillsborough, California to Hanover, New Hampshire involved winter coats, gloves, and beanies. “All my roommates would make fun of me because they’re from places with snow,” Green said. “Whenever it was snowing, I’d be at the window like, ‘oh, my God!’ and they’d all be like, ‘yeah.’ The novelty of it made it fun.” Also fond of exploring novel places, Swint, having traveled to many countries in both Europe and Africa during her gap year before Wellesley, believes that the unfamiliarity of the new places she visited forced her to grow as a person in ways she couldn’t have at home. “[My gap year] definitely taught me independence in a different way than college,” Swint said. Though she had her fair share of panicworthy moments, such as getting pick-pocketed on the streets of Paris with only 60 euros stashed in her suitcase, Swint attributes a lot of her problem-solving skills and her self-assured, “you’re going to figure it out” mindset to her Nueva experience.

“Fourteen years of Nueva taking us on trips, teaching us how to learn languages outside of textbooks, and how to figure things out without worrying about the stakes meant that I spent my gap year just enjoying myself,” she said. From teaching design-thinking and project management skills to fostering natural relationships with teachers and peers, Nueva is not a school that follows a traditional curriculum; to alumni, however, their high school experience equipped them with the tools to become better learners and thinkers. “Nueva was so good at teaching me that I could figure anything out,” Swint said. “That even if I wasn’t right, even if I got the wrong answer, it was going to be okay.” Holmes encourages students to walk through the doors college opens for them, but never to shy away from opening a door themselves. “The biggest thing that held me back in the beginning was that fear, but just go into [college] open to those conversations. When you want to learn more about something, go for it,” Holmes advised. It is the same for Schneider, who urges incoming college students to “put yourself out there.” “Everyone’s just as scared as you,” Schneider said. “It’s 150% true. Just reach out to people. I would even just talk to someone in line at a food place. No fear. Everyone wants to make friends.” Swint agreed that what she gets out of college is ultimately up to her. “I have to make those relationships with my professors, I have to go into classes that are difficult, and I have to be comfortable with not knowing anything about a subject and still try to engage in the discussion,” Swint said. “Those are things Nueva taught me to do really well, and those are what have made my college experience really unforgettable and rewarding.” Regardless of where each student ends up, whether across the Atlantic Ocean or just miles away from Bay Meadows, one thing remains certain: they all carry little pieces of Nueva with them.

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Senior snapshots

Seniors share memories, advice, and a little bit about their time at Nueva Who is someone that has helped you grow as both a student and a person?

Romola C. “Amber Carpenter—she first taught me how to write great essays, how to seek and apply feedback. Then she taught me how to take risks, and that it's okay to not implement every piece of feedback."

Connor M. “Coach/Teacher Barry Treseler pushed me to always step up and be a leader.”

What is something you are proud to leave behind at Nueva—or have done at Nueva?

Mira D. “I am proud to leave behind my work in creating the mascot and fostering spirit during COVID-19 with the spirit weeks, proms, and team traditions.”

Sophie T. “I feel very grateful to have gotten the chance to be a part of the yearbook during my last year at Nueva.”

Ajay T. "Cody Alan. He introduced me to music design and showed me that there’s so many more things to explore in this world than just plain old STEM."

STORY AARON H. PHOTO NUEVA DIRECTORY, USNEWS

What will you always remember about your time at Nueva?

Owen Z. “As Thor realized in the Marvel movies, ‘Asgard is not a place, it’s a people.’ I've had a similar realization about Nueva. I will remember Nueva for being a truly transformative place where I got to meet some of the coolest and most passionate people.”

Alanna Y. "That I was able to take classes that interested me and that I was able to challenge myself."

Ben G. Sofia I. "I’m proud of the work I’ve done at THRIVE because I hope that it leads to a lasting impact on future students of color."

"Seeing people arguing over indecipherable math equations, listening to someone compose piano pieces in real time, and working with the robotics team under extreme time pressure were just a few of the unique experiences I witnessed at Nueva.”

Emily L.

Tyler H. “Lelia Youn and Sarah Koning. They were so kind and supportive and helped me learn more about myself.”

Fiona T. "Paul Hauser - he has supported me throughout the pandemic when I was struggling and pushed me to think about the racial and socioeconomic disparities in every encounter."

Eli S. "I am proud to have contributed a lot to Nueva's music program and helped make it a core part of the school's culture."

Nikki A. "I spent three years on the Honor Council helping to make it what it is and I'm really proud of that, especially since it will continue after me."

Raza R. "I am proud to leave behind the Nueva Muslim Student Alliance."

Davis T. "I have fond memories of running in Mammoth Lakes every summer with the XC team. The 2021 trip was a great way to start senior year."

THE NUEVA SCHOOL . 131 E. 28TH AVE., SAN MATEO, CA 94403

"Barak was my advisor through the majority of high school and really supported me though junior year stress and physics stress... I feel really fortunate to have had him as an advisor!!

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VOL. 5 ISS. 6

6. 8. 22

What's wrong with "Made in China?"

Tensions with China give rise to a phenomenon of Japanese-branded Chinese goods STORY ISABELLA XU PHOTOS UNIQLO, MINISO, AOYOYO GAMER VIA YOUTUBE

nter lifestyle retailer MINISO’s towering glass doors. Glance at the bright red and white logo written in Japanese katakana. Walk along aisles lined with unbranded, minimalist home goods and apparel that so closely resemble those found at Japanese chains like Daiso and UNIQLO. The company claims to be cofounded by Japanese designer Miyaka Junya, but Chinese and Japanese media reports question this designer’s existence. Boot up any of miHoYo’s video games, and their loading screen reads, “miHoYo: tech otakus save the world.” “Otaku,” in this motto, is a popular Japanese word which refers to obsessive enthusiasts of the country’s anime, manga, and computer technology subcultures. MINISO is Chinese. miHoYo is Chinese. Genki Forest, a flavored sparkling water company, originally popularized with a logo that uses a Japanese character, is also Chinese. The trend of “pseudo-Japanese” brands may be following the current worldwide fascination with Japanese culture, but it also stems from unstable Chinese and American international relations and the need to cater to both

DISPLAYED SIDE BY SIDE, MINISO AND UNIQLO'S LOGOS BARE STRIKING RESEMBLANCE

domestic and international consumers. Despite rapidly climbing a GDP only 5 trillion behind the United States (compare this to Japan, which has the third highest GDP, approximately one-third of China’s), China has failed to gain any sort of “cultural influence” amongst American audiences. But this disparity is no fluke: with the two nations battling for global hegemony, the United States’ climate has no room for Chinese cultural exports, lest they risk yielding more Chinese cultural “soft-power.” Upper school history teacher Sam Timinsky, who holds a Ph.D. in Japanese studies, explained that China’s reputation for “low quality” products first emerged in the 60s, just as Japan and Korea began dominating the international high-quality exports market. Amidst foreign competitors like Toyota and Samsung, China instead took to “low skill manufacturing exports.” “They gained a reputation for throwaway items like McDonalds toys,” Timinsky said, adding that the products labeled ‘Made in China’ are now typically “cheap consumer goods” that manufacturers can make “with a ton of fingers going—literally.” Timsinky believes that the reputation of Chinese products amongst American consumers is actually a “very accurate representation” of what China initially exported to the United States, citing the Chinese government’s lack of quality regulation as a major perpetrator. As China has risen to be a geopolitical heavyweight, Timinsky believes that it has only added to their negative reputation. “Now it’s low-end products, and I hate them,” he said, playing into his perspective of the average American consumer. “I have even less of an incentive [to purchase from China.]” Eager to shed this negative image, Chinese companies hoping to penetrate the American market have shifted away from branding themselves as proudly Chinese. In an interview with the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Center for China and Globalization think-tank founder Huiyao Wang highlighted that by having Americans

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The Golden City starts to tarnish

San Francisco citizens see new laws generate greater all over the city. crime rates STORY JACK PEMBERTON PHOTO DANIEL PARKS

an Francisco has always been a destination city for many people around the world. However, ever since the COVID-19 pandemic and new laws have been enacted, it hasn't been the same. For example, the tourism industry suffered significant losses—in 2018, San Francisco had 28.5 million visitors, while in 2020, there were fewer than half that many people. Another challenge for the city in recent years is its ever-increasing crime rate. One new law states that stealing up to $950 of merchandise will be considered a misdemeanor rather than a felony or, in other words, a monetary fine rather than jail time. Because of this minimal consequence, shoplifting has become a more and more frequent act. Additionally, there has been an increase in home break-ins in areas

“It seems like every week my parents are notified that someone was robbed down the street, and it’s scary to know that it could happen at any time,” Jasper Fernald ’25, a San Francisco resident, said. “One time I was going to the store to buy clothes for the summer, and when we came back to the car, the window was shattered and my school backpack was gone, [and] so was my brother’s.” This spike in lootings and home break-ins has caused San Francisco residents to reconsider their home security and for store owners to board up their windows. These individuals utilize resources such as the mobile app Nextdoor to remain informed on crime in their area, but that still isn’t enough. Crime is not the only thing that has changed during the pandemic. Dominic Lehane ’23 believes that San Francisco as a whole has become much quieter and many people have left, especially in the business district. “The business district used to have a lot more people then it currently does, but you aren't seeing that as

represent Chinese companies, the corporations could “tell the better story and better explain the quality of the product.” But in MINISO, miHoYo, and Genki Forest’s case, marketing themselves as completely American would have little success, as their products appeal to those interested in East Asian culture. Instead, they’ve resorted to branding themselves and their products as Japanese. And it’s worked. Popular California mall, the Irvine Spectrum Center, described MINISO as a “Japan-based designer brand” on their website, despite the company’s Chinese founders and headquarters. The company continues to piggyback on Japanese retailer, UNIQLO’s, aesthetic, with similar logos, products, and storefronts. A poll conducted on miHoYo’s most popular game, Genshin Impact’s, official Reddit page found that a large majority of voters played with the Japanese voiceovers, greatly eclipsing the few playing in Chinese. Genki Forest has applied for numerous Japanese trademarks, including “Edo Chaliao,” “けしき”, and “ 沢,” and continue to write “produced by Genki Forest Co., Ltd. of Japan” on their drinks’ packaging. The sugar-free, zero calorie drink has made its way into large chain retailers such as H Mart, 99 Ranch Market, and Australian supermarket Woolworths. As these companies have entered American markets, the pseudoJapanese branding has convinced customers. Enter any of their names’ online, and Google’s “People

much anymore,” Lehane said. Although there are still many well kept neighborhoods within San Francisco, popular areas such as Union Square have been going downhill in the past few years. With a wild increase in crime and trash scattered throughout the streets, it will be hard for it to return to its oncevibrant self. Individuals within the government have been working to make San Francisco a safer, cleaner place for the past couple of years, and while they

A 2021 POLL ON GENSHIN IMPACT'S OFFICIAL REDDIT FOUND A DISPARITY BETWEEN CHINESE AND JAPANESE VOICEOVER LANGUAGE USAGE RATES.

Also Asked” feature will present the question: “Is ____ a Japanese company?” But will China be forced to continue using pseudo-Japanese branding as a crutch for their own negative image in America? Maybe not. “Look at China in ten to twenty years,” Timinsky said, referencing the soft hegemony exerted by rapidly growing Chinese companies like TikTok, which frequently plugs Chinese street fashion videos on its For You Page, “and you might be surprised.” Return to the same supermarket which sold only Japanese and Korean soft drinks in a decade. Perhaps, then, the plastic bottles will instead flaunt, “Made in China.”

have done a few small things to help improve the overall environment, there hasn't been any drastic changes. Residents of San Francisco still love their homes, but the current rise in crime has left them on edge, wondering when this craze will be over. have done a few small things to help improve the overall environment, there hasn't been any drastic changes. Residents of San Francisco still love their homes, but the current rise in crime has left them on edge, wondering when this craze will be over.

GARBAGE LITTERS THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO

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...And they're off!

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STORY ANISHA K. PHOTOS ADOBE STOCK

Quick facts on the class of 2022's college matriculation

+ St. Andrews, Scotland + Toronto, Canada

MATRICULATION:

24%

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (1) California State University, Long Beach (1) Carleton College (1) Claremont McKenna College (1) Drexel University (1) Duke University (1) Harvey Mudd College (1) Haverford College (1) Macalester College (1) Oberlin College (1) Olin College of Engineering (1) Pratt Institute (1) Rhode Island School of Design (1) Skidmore College (1) St. John’s College (1) University of California, Los Angeles (1) University of California, Santa Cruz (1) University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (1) University of Toronto (1) University of Utah (1) Wesleyan University (1) Willamette University (1) Williams College (1) Yale University (1) Gap Year (1)

of students are staying in California

1 student is taking a gap year BY GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: West Coast: 28% New England: 19% Mid-Atlantic: 30% Midwest: 17% Southeast: 3% International: 3%

BY SCHOOL TYPE:

Public college: 10% Private college: 90% Liberal arts college: 16%

Students applied to 138 colleges

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Stanford University (10) University of Chicago (8) Carnegie Mellon University (5) Northwestern University (5) Princeton University (5) University of Pennsylvania (5) New York University (4) University of Southern California (4) Brown University (3) Columbia University (3) Dartmouth College (3) Harvard University (3) Tufts University (3) University of California, Berkeley (3) University of Rochester (3) Amherst College (2) California Institute of Technology (2) Cornell University (2) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2) Pitzer College (2) Reed College (2) Rice University (2) University of St. Andrews (2) Washington University in St. Louis (2) Barnard College (1) Bowdoin College (1) Bryn Mawr College (1)

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The secret to a fruitful summer

VOL. 5 ISS. 6

6. 6. 22

STORY NATALIE L. PHOTO JJ MURPHY

Students highlight the importance of spending summer engaging in personal interests rather than attempting to pad a college resume

ith mere few days left in the school year, the long awaited two and a half month period of bliss is hinted at with each locker cleanout and the ever-increasing cases of senioritis. But for some students, June 10 is seen not only as an invitation to “kick back” as Julian K. ’24 says, but also as a segway to self-imposed learning. To Julian, cooking and food preparation has been a life-long hobby passed down from generations of family chefs and bakers. This summer, he plans to work as a waiter for The Village Pub, a one Michelin star American restaurant in Woodside. Although he will not be cheffing for the restaurant, he finds fulfillment in working alongside them and gaining experience in the food industry for the first time. “Since I was 5 or 6, I’ve told myself that when I turned 16 I’d get a job that would teach me how to hustle,” Julian said. Most of all, Julian aims to gain selfadvocacy skills from the job. “I think getting better at self advocating is the most important skill I could get out of something like this,” Julian said. “It will help me later in life with ‘real’ jobs.” During the school year, an academically rigorous curriculum and other extracurricular commitments can make it challenging for students to find the time to fully explore subjects beyond their class schedules. “[Summer break] is a time for me to not have to feel like I'd have to split my

time between flute and something else,” Sydney F. ’23 explains. Without having to work around sixhour school days, Sydney and Lilli G. ’25 will spend the summer fully immersing themselves into topics of interest. Sydney is eager to dedicate her summer expanding and building upon her lifelong passion of playing the flute. She will be performing with the Eastern Music Festival, a nationally recognized five-week classical music program in Greensboro, South Carolina. She hopes to prepare herself with technical and performance skills that she'll need to apply for music conservatories during the next school year. Several hundred miles south of Sydney’s music program, Lilli will spend six weeks researching topics of marine biology, getting her scuba diving license, and exploring the importance of environmentalism with The Island School. The program, located in the Bahamas, will allow Lilli to dive, quite literally, into the ecology of the island and its turquoise waters rich with flora and fauna. She hopes for both educational and personal growth this summer, coming back as a “more grounded person.” “I don’t know what I want to do with my life yet, but I think if I were to go into science, this is a really great way to dive in,” Lilli says. “Also, everybody who comes back from the Island School says they want to go back.” Though each student has contrasting summer plans, they agree that highschoolers should not partake in summer activities solely to “fluff up [their]

college resume,” as Julian said. Instead, the students emphasize the importance of engaging with true areas of interests. “Nueva attracts a lot of perfectionistic high achieving students,” Lilli says. “I think it’s also really important to do things that you really enjoy because summer is a way to shape your identity outside of school and be more than a student.” Lilli strives to find a happy medium between intellectual growth and doing things that are “just fun.” Julian echoes Lilli, believing that

BAHAMA-BOUND Alum JJ Murphy '21 is one of several students in recent years who have attended a semester of The Island School. The program is an immersive crash-course on marine biology and environmentalism.

How the queer experience is changing at Nueva

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n the wake of more transphobic legislation than any other year according to the Human Rights Campaign—such as exclusion in sports participation and prevention from obtaining medical care for transitions—the experience of teenagers in other states contrasts the experience at Nueva, where students can feel as if they’re in a bubble. Transgender Visibility Week was celebrated for the first time at Nueva this past November; students at both the Hillsborough and San Mateo campuses greeted community members during morning drop-off with pride flags draped around their shoulders and transgender rights posters in their hands. This celebration was just one of many efforts which provided visibility for LGBTQ+ students. One such student is Char P. ’23, who worked with their teachers to change their name and pronouns within the school’s internal directory system. “Nueva does a pretty good job of respecting peoples' names and pronouns,” shared Char, who identifies as non-binary, an umbrella term for genders that are not exclusively male or female, but also can be “a gender identity itself.” Terry D. ’25 defines zeeself as graygenderflux, an identity within the nonbinary umbrella, and uses zee/zir pronouns. “I was the first person to be out in our grade,” Terry said. “At the point when I came out, the middle school at least, didn’t know how to handle it.” When Terry entered the high school campus, zee noticed a lot more people who were openly trans or genderqueer, and felt there exists a more open space around trans and non-binary individuals. A number of queer teachers and staff at Nueva are also working to raise visibility and offer support for the LGBTQ+ community at Nueva. Communications and website manager Rachel Freeman, who identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+

community, noted that Nueva was the first institution she joined while being fully out and comfortable with her identity. “It was refreshing to not have to be somebody else to people in the Nueva community,” Freeman said. “It’s been really

“Sometimes it felt like my own identity and comfort came at the cost of other people’s convenience. However, I definitely feel more comfortable coming out these days because Nueva feels like a safe space. I don’t live in fear of microaggressions at Nueva or that I will face prejudice because I’m gay and nonbinary.”

finding a balance between engaging in activities he enjoys and can learn from may be key to a restful, yet fulfilling summer. “I’ll be doing things that I love [this summer] because if I find something that I really like… it will push me farther,” says Julian.

STORY CLAIRE D. ILLUSTRATION NAOMI E.

awesome to connect with other LGBTQ+ staff members.” Freeman hopes that her experience can inspire queer students and staff alike to have a space to express their identities. “At a school, it’s especially important for students to be able to see their identities reflected in the faculty and staff and to know that they have allies in the world,” Freeman said. These sentiments have been welcomed by students and staff. One junior, who identifies as non-binary and wished to remain anonymous, said that in the past, their gender identity felt “disregarded” at school. “Sometimes it felt like my own identity and comfort came at the cost of other people’s convenience,” they shared. “However, I definitely feel more comfortable coming out these days because Nueva feels like a safe space. I don’t live in fear of microaggressions at Nueva or that I will face prejudice because I’m gay and nonbinary.” Turbulent sociopolitical dynamics has been one factor which affected community members’ security in their identities. For Japanese and Electives teacher Christopher Scott, the evolution of political and social atmospheres impacted his comfort with his identity. “I went to Princeton, which was at that time very conservative,” he recalled. “When I began college it was at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic

and it was a difficult time to come out. I was not very out and open about my sexuality, but for the most part I had very close friends who knew and were supportive.” Scott now sees Nueva as a stark contrast to college as well as his experience teaching at Macalester College, being less “filled with paranoia” simply for his identity. “I’m able to be myself more than I was [when] teaching in college,” Scott said. “I’ve really felt more connected with students, colleagues, and the community in general atNueva, which is very queer friendly.” Brooke G. ’22, who is the club lead of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA), also felt this “queer friendly” environment when they came out as non-binary. They recalled entering campus on the first couple days of senior year and hanging a friendship bracelet with the colors of the nonbinary flag by the lockers, despite not being out yet. To their surprise, classmates only gave compliments and asked for their pronouns. A new effort championed by GSA members and the queer community has been creating a space solely for students who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. School counselor Aviva Jacobstein, one of the faculty advisors for the Queer Student Union (QSU), said that while many of the students missed the space that GSA provided when it stopped meeting, they were also looking for something slightly different. The creation of the QSU marks a change in how Nueva’s queer community is becoming more visible in the larger Nueva community. Jacobstien commented that although Nueva has an overall very welcoming community, she has spoken to “many students who have shared smaller microaggressions in the Nueva community related to pronoun usage or gender expression that they have experienced.” In the future, she aims to target these microagressions towards gender-queer students and have more education with faculty and students to create a more open and supportive community. One of the first actions undertaken by the QSU to create more space for celebrating LGBTQ+ identities is a new event, Nueva School Pride Day, on June 7.

FEATURES

THE NUEVA CURRENT

Quick flicks from trips week

Snapshots from a school-wide journey across the country

PHOTOS THE NUEVA CURRENT STAFF

Ninth graders in Hood River, OR

Tenth graders in Big Island, HI

Eleventh graders in Harlem, NY

Eleventh graders in Ennis, MT

Eleventh graders in Washington, D.C.

Twelfth graders in Page, AZ

Science of Mind, a class with too many topics and too little time SOM class and curriculum has undergone near constant change

cience of Mind (SOM) is a difficult class—but not because of complex equations or advanced literary devices or an excessive reading load. Instead, it poses questions like “do flowers make you happier?” and asks of its students to be emotionally vulnerable and open. Currently, SOM is a pass-fail class that meets once a week and is required for all freshmen, sophomores and juniors in order to graduate. (Prior to last year, it was also required for seniors; in the 2020-2021 school year, twelfth graders instead had a “senior block.”) The class is taught by three teachers—Sean Schochet, Matthew Oakland, and Alison Williams—and has one set curriculum for each grade. The school originally intended for SOM to be the upper school’s version of social emotional learning—a hallmark of Nueva’s learning experience for over 50 years. And yet, in the eight years since its introduction to the upper school, SOM has been in a state of perpetual reform. In the past three years, the curriculum has been redesigned each year to make either the curriculum or topics covered more suitable for

students. When SOM teacher Sean Schochet joined Nueva in 2018, there was a push from administration and the board of trustees to make the class more academically rigorous. “When I started, SOM was very much focused on responding to the [students’] current needs and allowing students to dictate what they wanted in the present,” Schochet said. “There was a heavy focus on open session, sometimes study hall, sometimes to watch a funny video. It was whatever it was needed to be. It was responsive.” Since then, the class has shed its “responsive” tendencies. Now, there are 14 units in the spring semester with the 10th and 11th grade sharing one teacher. Due to the mid-year departure of SOM teacher Olivia Barber, Schochet is the only remaining SOM teacher for sophomores and juniors. As a result, Schochet teaches 10th graders for half of the semester, and 11th graders for the remainder. “SOM teachers are given one class a week. Take away half a semester, take away the weeks DrugEd and SexEd courses take—which are right in the middle of units—and you’re left with very few weeks,” Schochet said, as he explained the challenges faced by SOM teachers. “We are trying to make a unit that is cohesive and rigorous when there are a million things and no time.” Students like Joshua K. ’24 notice how

the rapid-firing of units in SOM can be confusing. “I don’t know what we’re learning in SOM,” Joshua said. “One day it’s neuroscience like the class name suggests, then the next is an open session. It just doesn’t flow.” Joshua's personal experience that the class feels directionless comes from, he believes, how SOM tries to do too much with too little time. With so many important topics, the overall impact is diminished when there’s not enough time to do deep dives. “[SOM] lacks a sense of overarching goals,” Oakland said. “You have to know the why of a class or else you won’t learn.” Oakland joined Nueva in 2020 and has experienced two restructurings of SOM. He believes the disconnect between students and the class stems from SOM’s “why?” not being clear enough. Even with its previous struggles and ambiguity, teachers and alumni have reported that SOM is a class which prepares students for the future. “I've talked to alumni and they say, ‘Oh, I came to college, and I actually am realizing how important what we learned was,’ so I really think about this class as planting seeds for the future,”

Williams said. Although Williams is leaving Nueva at the end of this school year, she believes that Oakland and Schochet are leading the class in the right direction, where the remaining teachers prioritize fostering a space in which “students will learn to be resilient, compassionate, and have the tools and skills to succeed with any setbacks they encounter in the future.”

THE NUEVA SCHOOL . 131 E. 28TH AVE., SAN MATEO, CA 94403

STORY AARON H. PHOTO FREEPIK

OPINION

VOL. 5 ISS. 6

6. 6. 22

Hands off

Roe v. Wade being overturned is a backward step in women’s rights STORY SELIN K. PHOTO ICLICK SMILES, CNN

INSTAGRAM: @THENUEVACURRENT

WWW.THENUEVACURRENT.COM

he Supreme Court is voting to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that grants pregnant women constitutional rights to an abortion. I hate how lawmakers are the ones who get to decide what I do with my body, whether or not I am allowed to have an abortion. The fact that the decision is being overturned clearly displays that decision makes on this issue don’t care about the harm their decisions cause, and it disgusts me. When reproductive rights are taken away, we lose autonomy over how we live our lives. This is absolutely terrifying. The Justices on

Under the sun on the Rosenberg Lawn, I am often grateful. For wind and warmth, for the peers at my side I’ve spent years getting to know, for conversation and laughter blowing away on the breeze. And for the heavy ideas and questions and thoughts settling over us like dust.

Capitol Hill do not deserve the right to determine what I do with my body and my life. The Justices writing the opinions clearly do not know why people choose to get abortions, and they cannot comprehend the issues that women have to face when they choose abortion as their last option, when they have nothing else left to do. Without access to safe abortions, women will be forced to turn to underground abortion clinics to seek them. This enrages me to my core. We will still need abortions, whether due to economic reasons, indadeuqate circumstances for a child, or purely due to not wanting a child. Banning abortions doesn’t make them unwanted or unnecessary, it simply makes obtaining them more dangerous. This

decision is largely being made by men, with a 66% majority men in the Supreme Court and a 72% majority men in Congress. These men do not have any conception of what it's like to bear a child, and no conception of why a woman would need an abortion. I find it petrifying that they have the power to destroy access to our bodies and reproductive lives. As a woman who lives in a progressive state with protections against anti-abortion legislature, I feel obligated to stand up for those women who are scared for their lives and well being; those who live in states with white, male, conservative leaders who will immediately implement anti-abortion laws when Roe v. Wade is overturned. It’s dehumanizing knowing I can’t decide whether or not I will suffer all of the consequences of being forced into having a child. It’s us that suffer, not the lawmaker men; and we deserve the right to decide, not them.

The Justices writing the opinions clearly do not know why people choose to get abortions, and they cannot comprehend the issues that women have to face when they choose abortion as their last option, when they have nothing else left to do.

Parts of Nueva I'll take with me The lasting legacy of my Nueva experience STORY ANISHA K. PHOTO ICLICK SMILES

ng period, we make our way to a shady patch of the Rosenberg Lawn and sprawl out on sun-warmed turf, a welcome change from chilly, wellventilated classrooms. Over the next 75 minutes, we end up lying on our stomachs as the shade recedes. From my spot in the circle, I can see everyone else, and everyone else can see me. My block 8 Native American History class has become curiously important to me. There are 10 of us in the class, all girls and all seniors. On the first day, our teacher Barry made it clear he wasn’t “teaching” in the usual sense. Instead of lectures and learning objectives, he provided us with readings every week to examine and then discuss in class. This class was a space for collaborative discussion where he learned along with us.

It was a difficult space to inhabit. No one of indigenous descent was in the class. In the circle, we were bound by mutual learning and mutual ignorance. There was no way of knowing if we were right or wrong, or if there even was such a thing— just discomfort and ambiguity. We’d start every session by discussing the homework readings, then veer off on tangents connecting them to our real-world experiences. And we would always end up reflecting on how much we didn’t know. Sometimes, I feel like I’m trying to find the highest moral ground from which to judge everyone else. Every time I learn something that challenges my way of thinking, I scramble to adopt the next facade of moral superiority before it falls away again. In this class, we existed in uncertainty, realizing eventually that there was no such thing as “progress” when it came to our understanding of Indigenous people’s lives. That we could pick and pull and pry at

this thorny historical knot without it unraveling into a neat line. Nueva has taught me that it is okay to fail. It is okay to not know. To expect to know everything—and know it best—is ridiculous. Nueva has taught me there is always more to learn. I’ve started to enjoy failure rather than run from it, to find a bittersweet satisfaction in being proven wrong, in rewiring my ways of thinking that threatened to become stagnant. Under the sun on the Rosenberg Lawn, I am often grateful. For wind and warmth, for the peers at my side I’ve spent years getting to know, for conversation and laughter blowing away on the breeze. And for the heavy ideas and questions and thoughts settling over us like dust.

Thank you, Nueva, for the best 11 years of my life.

OPINION

THE NUEVA CURRENT

STUDENT STANDOFF: Interdisciplinary Studies of Science, a class required for all sophomores, is being cancelled for future years. Students weigh in on which mandatory class should replace this block.

Making a case for emergency training to be ISOS’s successor The empty block should be used to train students on CPR, basic life support, and self-defense STORY AARON H.

A CRITICAL SKILL A CPR CERTIFICATION CAN TAKE ONLY THREE HOURS TO ACQUIRE.

This is an oppurtunity to teach basic life skills like taxes, politics, and critical media analysis STORY GRACE F. PHOTOS VERYWELL HEALTH, ALISON.COM

s a sophomore, I enjoyed taking Interdisciplinary Studies of Science (ISOS). As someone who loves getting into somewhat philosophical arguments about existence as a concept, it was a great way for me to synthesize the critical thinking skills we were learning with the concepts we covered. Though this class will no longer be a part of the 10th grade curriculum, critical thinking related topics such as falsifiability are still incredibly valuable and should be taught. However, these skills should be applied to the real world, and sophomores should be spending this block being equipped with the critical thinking skills necessary to navigate the real world. Though seeming to be a long way away, life after high school is something that I feel somewhat unequipped for. I've been able to build a good intellectual foundation in high school, but my skills of analysis haven’t extended far past historical trends and literature. Having units on topics such as politics, economics, and basic life skills necessary for independence would help instill more confidence in sophomores for their future lives. Learning these skills earlier on, rather than being thrown straight into them during a supposed adulthood, would also give us a few years to prepare, and practice using these skills so that we can ultimately be more productive

members of society. For example, learning critical thinking skills regarding government policies and economics early on can help instill the skill of analyzing media and political information, and can create a wave of students who will become informed voters. Sadly enough, much of the information I get on how to handle interactions with law-enforcement and signing fee waivers comes from social media platforms like TikTok. I’m taught shortcuts and loopholes by creators whose credibility I’m completely unsure of, yet given that it's the only accessible outlet providing any kind of information, I like and save the videos anyway. This kind of curriculum is already being taught to seniors, but it’s in the form of an optional WoW. Doing taxes isn’t optional, so why should the class be? By modeling off the alreadyconstructed workshop curriculum, the class will be an easy-toestablish yet highly beneficial addition to any students’ day. Synthesizing the critical thinking nature with life skills that should be taught at a high school level will ultimately be a productive experience for sophomores—while learning about philosophy and scientific debates is enjoyable for some, it ultimately isn’t a discipline which the entire class would make use of. Learning real-world skills in a mandatory setting would be helpful in raising a more productive generation which is better informed on realworld issues and how to navigate adult life.

THE NUEVA SCHOOL . 131 E. 28TH AVE., SAN MATEO, CA 94403

hile waiting in line to ride Great America’s Railblazer, I thought I experienced what the news had been so closely covering that year: an active shooter in a public setting. At first, I didn’t know why we were all running and pushing people over as if it was life or death, but then a boy sprinting alongside me screamed, using an expletive, something that no one ever wants to hear. “Someone has a gun.” Within the stampede of fleeing families are snapshots I struggle to forget. Like the mother who screamed for help as her son gasped for air and the little girl who couldn’t find her older sister. To this day I don’t know what happened to them—I have too much fear to find out and too little information to even know where to begin—but I have never stopped wondering if anyone knew how to help that boy or tried to find the older sister or if we all just kept running. Being taught what to do in emergency situations and how to administer first aid are critical skills that people need to learn. By doing so, lives can be saved. And, as ISOS will not return as a class in the 2022 to 2023 school year, I urge Nueva to host mandatory courses on first

aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), basic life support (BLS), selfdefense and how to handle emergency situations (ES classes for short) during this block instead. For 101 years, the U.S. has lost more people to heart disease than anything else according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And even as COVID-19 shook the world in 2020, heart disease still far surpassed the virus in death count that year. So why are there mandated safety precautions for one and not the other? Cardiac arrests that occur outside of the hospital are fatal 90% of the time. Fortunately, if CPR is performed in the first few minutes, the patient is three times more likely to survive. While certification for CPR and other courses only take a few hours, many people struggle with motivating themselves to attend a class. By providing a time and place to learn skills like CPR, BLS and first aid, Nueva can increase the student body’s readiness in case of emergencies. In addition to medical training, self-defense is also a useful skill for all people. Self-defense is not just physical, in most cases, it is how to disarm a situation before it reaches violence. This is an acquired skill that is as important to learn as carrying pepper spray at night. And while Drug and Sexual Education are not within the definition of emergency situations, it is important that there is ample time to delve into these topics. Drug and sex eduation are courses that have been limited to brief lessons within Science of Mind’s greater curriculum, but by having them taught within ES classes these topics can be properly discussed and investigated. ISOS’s removal as a class is an opportunity for 10th graders to gain knowledge that would serve them no matter what happens in the future. Knowing how to save a friend’s life and even one’s own in an emergency situation are vital skills that everyone in society must be trained in. Maybe then I would’ve known what I could have done to help that little boy and lost girl.

Fill the gap left by ISOS with more practical and less philosophical ways to live in this world

OPINION

Senior editors put down their pens

Seniors Anouschka Bechtolsheim and Anisha Kumar reflect on finding their voices through The Nueva Current STORY ANOUSCHKA B. & ANISHA K. PHOTOS ICLICK SMILES

n a Tuesday morning three years ago, we—Anisha K. and Anouschka B.— stumbled into room 216 for our first Journalism class, buzzing with nervous anticipation. We had no idea that three years, over 100 cups of coffee, and at least 20 1+ a.m. nights later, we’d be recalling those early days with bittersweet nostalgia, marveling at how much both us and The Nueva Current had changed since, and struck by the sharp pangs of leaving a community that had begun to feel like a family. We can’t express just how grateful we are for a community responsible for both some of our greatest moments of change and deadliest outbursts of laughter. Writing about the stories and members of our community has given us a rare gift: an opportunity to understand where each and every one of us is coming from. We have learned the behind-the-scenes of the restorative justice at the heart of Nueva’s disciplinary system; the philosophy behind SOM classes, and the experiences that bind

together a sports team. We’ve investigated climate action, teacher turnover, and the local businesses that form the heart of San Mateo. We would never have been able to be so closely connected with our community without writing for and editing The Nueva Current—and for that, we give a deep and heartfelt thanks. In particular, we’d like to thank LiAnn Yim, our faculty advisor, for everything from staying on calls with 10 delirious high schoolers long after school hours to helping each and every one of us find our voice. It’s most of all because of you that we have grown as writers and editors. As the 2022-23 school year dawns, we trust the new batch of editors to take the reins and tell our community’s stories the way they deserve to be told. Even from miles away in college, we will eagerly await the release of every next issue.

Until then, ~A2 (Anisha and Anouschka)

VOL. 5 ISS. 6

6. 6. 22

MASTHEAD THE NUEVA CURRENT Student Newspaper of The Nueva School

EDITORIAL TEAM Editor-in-Chief: Anouschka B. ’22 Design Editor: Emma Z. ’23 News Editor: Isabelle S. ’23 Opinion Editor: Anisha K. ’22 Culture Editor: Grace F. '23 Features Editor: Ellie K. ’24 Entertainment and Sports Editor: Serena S. ’23

Faculty Advisor LiAnn Yim

STAFF Josie B. ’25, Claire D. ’22, Marcus H. ’25, Aaron H. ’24, Selin K. ’24, Natalie L. ’25, Amiya M. ’25, Zara M. ’25, Jack P. ’25, Sam T. ’22, Roan W. ’24, Isabella X. ’24 THE NUEVA CURRENT strives to provide informative and impactful articles for our community. Our issues cover stories related to our school, the Bay Area, California, and other relevant spheres. We are dedicated to helping readers understand the ways in which we can all make a difference in the world around us. The opinions expressed in The Nueva Current belong solely to the writers and are not a reflection or representation of the opinions of the school or administrators. 500 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.

QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR SUBMISSIONS?

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

STAY CONNECTED

www.thenuevacurrent.com Instagram: @thenuevacurrent Twitter: @thenuevacurrent

Anouschka B. '22 Editor-in-Chief

Anisha K. '22 Opinion Editor

131 E. 28th Ave. San Mateo, CA 94403

School shootings are just the surface of the United States’ destructive government

INSTAGRAM: @THENUEVACURRENT

WWW.THENUEVACURRENT.COM

Instead of arguing about the constitution, we should address the tragedies that constantly make headlines STORY GRACE F.

he debate about gun rights has once again seen a wave of relevance following the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Twenty-one students and teachers were fatally shot, and 17 were severely injured, making this the thirddeadliest American school shooting. The perpetrator? Eighteen-year-old Salvador Rolando Ramos, who before the shooting had also shot his grandmother with the same AR-15. However, debating whether it was the fault of Ramos, the government, retailers who carry rifles, or other factors leads to an endless cycle of back-and forth arguments on gun control. Instead, we should be more focused on the root of the problem itself: the government’s incompetence and tendency to politicize life-or-death matters. These arguments are rooted in an age-old discussion about the United States constitution itself: whether the

second amendment should be seen from the standpoint of individual or collective rights. The individual rights theory states that prohibition on individual gun usage is unconstitutional, while the collective rights theory dictates that gun laws should be controlled from a local or state level in addition to the constitution. Despite political theory and analyses on the Constitution, nearly every lens of the argument on gun control misses the fact that this is exclusively a United States problem, and is due to the broken political system in which we live. In order to solve this problem, the United States needs to focus on bipartisan coherency. It’s a well-known fact that the United States has the highest rate of mass shootings in the world—however, the margin is astonishing. According to CNN, the United States has had 288 school shootings between 2009 and 2021, more than 50 times the rates of the other G7 countries—countries with the largest advanced economies—combined. This directly links to the United States government

and the lack of coherency between the two parties. According to the LA Times, the US is among the most politically polarized countries, and factual information— such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic—is politicized. Like any of these other arguments, the fact that gun control is a political argument is absolutely despicable, as common sense is thrown out of the window in order to defend the individual rights theory, which simply seems to exist for an overly romanticized Americana. Violence shouldn’t be a part of the US’s image, and should never be painted as a subculture. Ramos’s actions were despicable, yet simply saying that he is a “troubled teenager” doesn’t capture the sheer magnitude of this issue. The fact that the United States still cannot agree on whether an assault rifle should be accessible to civilians reveals how this polarization is not only unproductive, but destructive for the lives of civilians, and will ultimately continue to spiral unless the government can actually take an unbiased stand on one single issue.

CORRECTIONS The Nueva Current welcomes comments and suggestions. We seek to publish corrections and clarifications in the subsequent issue. Please email any corrections to thenuevacurrent@nuevaschool.org. Corrections: Issue 5, published April 8, 2022: On Page 1, in “Get to know some of the local stores in Downtown San Mateo,” it should say “Pages 8 and 9.” On Page 5, in “Upcoming arts events,” the accompanying photo was taken by Emma Zhao. On Page 7, in “The media fails Kanye West,” Britney Spears was misspelled. On Page 10, in “War in Ukraine hits close to home,” the accompanying photo was provided by Anna A. ’25. Also on the same page, in “International Relations course houses discussions about the Ukraine-Russia war,” the accompanying photo was taken by Serena Saxena. On Page 14, in “Are past Western actions also to blame for the Ukraine Russia crisis?”, it should be “Timinsky,” not “Timinski.” On Page 19, in “It’s Time to Scrap Wednesdays of Wonder,” the accompanying photo was taken by Isabelle Shi. On Page 20, in “Crossword Puzzle,” the clue for 9 down is missing and should say, “8, prefix.” On Page 22, in “Ready, set, spike,” it should say “beating the second seeded team,” not “winning the second seeded team.” In the same article it should say “25-16,” not “5-16.” On Page 24, in “Figure skating’s expiration date,” it is “Canadian Broadcasting Service,” not “CBC.”

THE NUEVA CURRENT

Crossword Puzzle

ACROSS

Comic

BY CHARLIE D.

48 Currently led by Xi Jinping 49 World's largest Baptist denomination 52 Bond's certificate 56 Leave 58 Alfred _, founder of a coffee shop chain 59 Singer known for songs like "Sick of Losing Soulmates" 60 French "true" 61 Guyanese political party 62 Greek name meaning peace 63 Exchange-traded notes 64 _ rainbow every day, apparently 65 Tim Drake or Jason Todd

DOWN 1 Never Let Me Go's protagonist 2 18th century decorative 3 Prickly shrub 4 Old 5 What a community might be? 6 Safe space 7 Love 8 Loath, less commonly 9 Anglicized spelling of O'Caoimh

10 To size 11 Curiosity 12 Kind of yokai 13 Between solid and liquid 21 Place or town 22 Native name for Ireland 26 Cabbage relative 27 Creepy 28 What many 12th graders suffer from? 29 Stock trading company based in Israel 30 Sotto _ 31 Jokes 32 Chowed down 33 What some think Mark Zuckerberg might be? 34 Marketplace for NFTs 38 <3 41 Clapton of guitar fame 43 Tube-like digital musical instrument 45 Eastern European plain 48 Archeological site in Jordan's desert 49 Possible move in SSBU 50 Caviar pancakes 51 Censored or pristine 53 Singer known for 99 Luftballons 54 Religious subset 55 Teacher from Assassination Classroom 56 Killing _ 57 Bio "cult"

BY ANISHA K.

THE NUEVA SCHOOL . 131 E. 28TH AVE., SAN MATEO, CA 94403

1 Meat skewers 6 2008 Beyoncé song 10 Bad air 14 Factual account, with "story" 15 Run _ 16 Sugar or walking 17 Fabric with a diagonal weave 18 Democratic duty 19 Pomegranate seed 20 This year's musical? 23 Pirate's your 24 Wine or car ID 25 Ferocious 28 SOM, for middle schoolers 29 Ninth Taylor album 31 Morbius 35 R =_ I 36 Giant, archaically 37 Book removed from the Bible 39 A person of Indian, Pakistani, or Bangladeshi birth or descent who lives abroad 40 Cuttlefishes 42 Poetry lacking regular meter 44 Teaches 46 Mail client popular case before Google 47 "I'll be there in _"

ENTERTAINMENT

Drip or drown? Met Gala 2022

VOL. 5 ISS. 6

6. 6. 22

STORY ISABELLA X., SERENA S. PHOTOS HARPER'S BAZAAR, VOGUE, POPSUGAR

The Met’s 2022 “Gilded Glamour” theme brought outfits of spectacle, unintentional irony, and an inability to follow instructions. Read our takes on who dripped and who drowned.

BILLIE EILISH

EVAN MOCK

DRIP

Pastels are in fashion. And nobody did it like Eilish this year, whose candied color scheme referenced period-drama favorites like 2020’s Emma.

Even after attending the gala in 2017, Schumer has yet to receive the memo that this isn’t the time to cosplay a waitress. We know you’re a comedian, but you're off hours girl.

Harrier’s gown challenged anyone who claims the color gray is drab. It screams “quality,” from flawless tailoring to the luxurious silver-threaded brocade.

The Gossip Girl reboot star brought androgyny to a notably “tight-laced” time period. Mock proved that “Gilded Glamour” can be more than bland black tuxedos.

KYLIE JENNER

COLE SPROUSE

GIGI HADID

BLAKE LIVELY

Unfortunately for Sprouse, the theme this year was not Wizard of Oz. If it was, though, he would make an excellent Tin Man.

Hadid’s stunning use of the structure and volume of a puffer jacket to create a hoop-skirt silhouette was a genius combination of trendy and period fashions.

DROWN

Jenner’s look, meant to be a touching tribute to fashion designer Virgil Abloh, shows either a lost dream of marrying a baseball player or the Babybel cheeses in her fridge.

WWW.THENUEVACURRENT.COM

LAURA HARRIER

DROWN

DRIP

INSTAGRAM: @THENUEVACURRENT

AMY SCHUMER

DROWN

A summer calendar to spice up your schedule

DRIP

Lively may be known for her spectacular red carpet outfits, but this year, it was eclipsed by her afterparty ensemble: a maroon ultra-mini corset dress that perfectly combined gothic and glamorous, all while staying on theme.

STORY ZARA M. PHOTOS CORGI CON, CNN, YE OLDE TOWNE

CORGI CON JUNE 18

SF PRIDE PARADE JUNE 25-26

BERKELEY KITE FESTIVAL JULY 30-31

YE OLDE TOWNE JUNE 26 & JULY 31

Twice a year, hundreds of corgis swarm the coast of San Francisco to attend the biannual “Corgi Con.” This floof-filled event was founded in 2014 right here in the heart of California. Whether an owner or just a passer-by, all have a place here to enjoy the space. Join in the fun at Ocean Beach, San Francisco from 10am-2pm on June 18 to take photos with corgis in costumes and watch the corgi-Ninja Warrior race take place!

The Pride Parade is back after two years to march the streets of San Francisco on June 25 and 26. The walk itself will start at 10:30am on Beale street and traverse down Market Street down to 8th Street. This year’s theme, “Love Will Keep us Together,” will flood SF with music, dancing, food, and of course, lots of rainbows. Come for the floats, come for the walking, come for the drag events: The Pride Parade has it all.

Kite-fliers have enjoyed the Berkeley Kite Festival for over 30 years, and this year is no exception. Vibrant kites of all different patterns, shapes, and sizes will float over a 90 acre expanse for an enchanting by-the-bay experience. On July 30 or 31st, come to César E. Chávez Park in Berkeley to witness –and maybe even participate in – the largest urban kite festival in all of North America.

Ye Olde Town is filled with musical instruments ranging from tubas to piccolos blend perfectly to create the music special to this old-fashioned orchestra. This environment is perfect for all to lavish: Between the playground and the barbeques, there is plenty for a wide range of ages to do while visiting. Visit Shoup Park, Los Altos the last Sunday of every Summer month from 1:30 to 3:30pm to be thrown into this magical haven.

SPORTS

THE NUEVA CURRENT

BRIEFS

Passing the XCTF baton through summer break STORY ISABELLA X. PHOTO DIANE MAZZONI

Boys tennis swings into their first victory in a CCS qualifier STORY MARCUS H. PHOTO DIANE MAZZONI

ollowing a record-breaking season, the boys tennis team, coached by Dave Tyler, looks forward to next season’s competition. After six years of straight losses and doubt, the boys tennis team was determined to take action against their opponents. “It’s been a long, long time since we’ve had a season this outstanding,” Tyler H. ’22 said as he reflected on Nueva’s most recent tennis matches for the Central Coast Section (CCS) qualifiers. On April 13, Nueva played Priory and won 7-0, the first ever perfect match in boys’ tennis history. “At first, I didn’t think they’d be able to do this,” Tyler said. “But once they got going, we all knew we would win.” Less than two weeks later, on April 25, the team stepped foot onto the grounds of the CCS qualifiers.. First, the team faced The Harker School and won in tiebreak by only two points. Tyler and his brother came out on top, deeming them the first Nueva team to win a match in the CCS qualifiers—a

Swim rebuilds after years on land

rapped within their heavy and fuzzy blue and black coats, the Nueva swim team shivered infront of the Bay Club pool while they cheered on their teammates who reached new personal records. The 16 swimmers—the largest swim team in Nueva history—practice just five-and-a-half miles from the San Mateo campus. Coached by Alex Chan, the team ended their season with swimming passions mended and personal records broken. For Christine Z. ’24, one of her favorite parts of the season was achieving a new personal record of 50-seconds in freestyle, but also watching the improvement of her teammates. “I haven't been on a swim team since eighth grade, so it felt

success met with excitement and elation from the rest of their team members. “We would gather up, arms around each other, and get progressively louder and louder until the other team was bothered. It’s practically a tradition,” Oliver C. ’23 said. He emphasized the teamwork and positive sportsmanship that occurred on the court, specifically the seniors “teaching everybody the ropes” and “bringing positive attitudes to every practice.” Athletics Director Chris Wade echoed Oliver’s sentiment believing the senior leadership this year was “impressive” and a large reason for how the team managed to finish with a record of 3-11 in “arguably one of the most challenging leagues in the region.” The team highly anticipates next season’s competition against top schools and are eager to work together to continue their recordbreaking run.

STORY SERENA S., AARON H. PHOTO DIANE MAZZONI

great to be back,” Christine said. “We grew a lot personally as athletes and team members… everyone on the team achieved at least one personal record this season.” A large reason for the team’s growth was the ability to have actual practices. In prior seasons the team would only be able to do conditioning and strength training as they had no access to a pool. “Across the board, I think that everyone improved in some way,” Ethan K. ’23 said. “For some people it was technique that needed to be worked on… but no matter the level of their initial experience, everyone was capable of doing all three by the end of the season.”

oached by Robert Lopez and Sheryl Taylor, the track and field teams headed into Central Coast Section (CCS) Championships following league wins from both the boys and girls teams. The team switched leagues this year, moving from WBAL, which featured rival schools like Menlo, Sacred Heart, and Castilleja, to the PSAL, climbing the ranks with ease and sending a record-breaking 17 athletes to CCS. Much of the season was reminiscent of cross country in the fall, from the dozens of long-distance runners who continued competing in the spring sport to the dedicated coaching staff of Lopez and Taylor. But the team was thrown a curveball in a group of fresh faces on the roster and an opportunity to compete against public schools ten times Nueva’s size. The addition of ten new freshmen, who joined as sprinters, diversifyed the team’s usually longdistance focused competition. “It was a lot of commitment, but it really paid off because we all got to suffer together,” Leah T. ’23 said. CCS may have been a shock for this group of fresh faces, though, as the runners were met with Gilroy’s grueling heat and Division 1 schools. Kelly P. ’24 explained that because track and field doesn’t have divisions like most sports do, they “ended up competing against these massive public schools,” adding that it was both “exciting” and “nerve wracking” to face such “tough competition.” While nobody on the team made it to CCS finals, Dominic L. ’23 came close, finishing just seconds off in the 400 meter sprint. Dominic noted that he “lost it” on the second turn and got “swallowed up” on the home stretch. “If executed better, I think I could’ve won,” he said. The season also offered plenty of low-stakes opportunities for athletes to rest their track spikes. Kelly competed in long jump and high jump, saying that “mixing it up” was a “nice break” from the stress that running produces. The team wrapped up the season with an end-ofyear track celebration, gifting the graduating seniors with personalized batons and celebrating Lopez’s Coach of the Year award within the PSAL year. The athletes hope to continue their success next year with cross-country in the fall, and will be meeting again on July 17 in the Sierra Nevadas for a week of alpine-lake and mountain-trailfilled cross-country camp.

A hole new record: Golf team sends six players to playoffs

outing its biggest roster in years, the Nueva co-ed golf team took advantage of new resources and an expanded coaching staff to shoot to success this season. From the beginning, captain of the golf team, Raza R. ’22 could tell this season would be different. “We had to get two more coaches this year because of how many people there were,” Raza said. Along with three days of practice time a week and Mariners Point Golf Center, the addition of a TrackMan golf simulator helped members of the team hone their swing even further. “It’s truly incredible how [the simulator] was able to pinpoint the exact areas of my swing that I needed to work on,” Sam T. ’22 said. “Once I implemented what it showed me, I saw near-instant improvement.” Despite ending the season with a record of 2-12, the golf team still sent six representatives to the CCS playoffs this year, the most in Nueva history. While normally the golf team ends the season without a senior send-off, this year, the coaches decided to do things a bit differently. After the season officially ended, the entire varsity team along with some of the seniors from JV celebrated at Top Golf. “It was really cool that we were able to have that kind of senior night,” Raza said. The season’s end was extremely fun for the seniors, who will be sure to miss the team as they graduate. “The season was so fun—whether it was match play or long drive contests at Mariners, it was a blast,” Colin S. ’22 said. Shout out to [the coaches] for making it possible, and supporting us through it all. I’ll miss it!”

track and field athletes made it to CCS this season: a record-breaking number!

THE NUEVA SCHOOL . 131 E. 28TH AVE., SAN MATEO, CA 94403

STORY SAM T., AARON H. PHOTO DIANE MAZZONI

SPORTS

VOL. 5 ISS. 6

6. 6. 22

First year in the league, boys volleyball teams makes strides STORY GRACE F. '23 PHOTO DIANE MAZZONI

Wrapping up the season with a 7-7 match record within the PSAL league and finishing fifth within the league, the varsity boys volleyball team has seen a memorable season filled with moments of growth. This year's focus was both on individual and team improvement as some players began the season unsure of the rules of the game, having touched a volleyball for the very first time this season. “During a match, one of our players somehow set the ball into the bleachers,” Nick Assaderaghi ’23 said. “It completely messed up the rhythm and lost us the match.” However, under the coaching of David Shields ’20 and varsity girls volleyball members Arielle C. ’22 and Isabella Y. ’23, the team has reaped the benefits of meeting for practice four times a week, honing both individual skills and a more organized in-game team dynamic. “As we got more experience from both practice and games, we started to dramatically improve,” Deshan de M. ’23 said. “We were able to play at a higher level and play some of the top teams in the league.” The team has high hopes for the next seasons, and the players hope to continue working on both individual and team growth. “With maybe more practice and some new players next year I think we can turn a lot of those close losses into easy wins,” Cullen D. ’24 said. “This year our team was new to the game, but with this year under our belt I’m expecting us to start winning a lot more.”

2022 NBA Finals, Warriors versus Celtics

he 2022 NBA Finals matchup is set: the Golden State Warriors face the Boston Celtics in a best-of-seven game series where one team will emerge as the 2022 NBA Champions. The Warriors (who previously played the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Dallas Mavericks) return to the Finals for the sixth time in eight years while the Celtics (who previously played the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Miami Heat) are making their first appearance since 2010. On June 2, a dominant fourth quarter run of 40-16 led the

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coached the varsity team

Los Angeles Lakers star Lebron James is officially the first active NBA player to make the billionaires list. The only other NBA player to reach ten figures in history is Michael Jordan. In a 2014 interview with GQ Magazine, James shared how he would one day reach the milestone, and eight years later, he’s done it. According to Forbes, James has “maximized his business,” generating more than $1.2 billion in pretax earnings. Totaling his NBA salary from his three different teams

Stanley Cup playoffs STORY SERENA S. '23

he Stanley Cup Playoffs are well on their way with 16 teams entering the post season tournament but only four remaining in the bracket. As of June 4, the conference final match-ups are the second seed New York Rangers versus the third seed Tampa Bay Lightning in the East and the first seed the Colorado Avalanche versus the second seed Edmonton Oilers in the West. The Rangers currently lead 1-0 against the Lighting while the Avalanche have a 2-0 advantage over the Oilers. Overwhelmingly, however, the Lightning as the reigning 2021 champions and the Avalanche are favored to reach the Stanley Cup Final, according to NHL.com staff writers and editors.

Tatum’s low scoring contribution of just 12 points, the Celtics prevailed, with a memorable 17-0 five minute run. “Clearly, a combination of superior defensive strategy and less reliance on flashy ‘clutch plays’ does the Celtics a favor in this exciting final,” Ryker said. Contrary to Ryker, Nathan L. ’23 believes that regardless of the game one loss, the Warriors still have a solid chance of winning with their unmatchable team chemistry and telepathy on the court. “I think both teams match up really well together but I got to pick the Warriors in six due to their ball movement and depth. Also of course, they have Stephen Curry,” Nathan said. Game two is scheduled for June 5 at Chase Center before a trip across the country to Boston for game three on June 8.

LeBron James, now a billionaire STORY SERENA S. '23 PHOTO ADAM PANTOZZI

Nueva students and alumni

Celtics to victory with a final score of 120-108 against the Warriors. With 20 catch-and-shoot 3-pointers made—more than any team in a single game this postseason—and a combined 62 points from players Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics managed to force the Warriors their first postseason home court loss. “The message at the start of the fourth was: we’ve been here before; we know what it takes to overcome a deficit like that,” Tatum said. Predictions on who will win the series are quite mixed, as many believe this matchup to be fairly even, but after game one’s performance, the Celtics have proven they are not only ready to play, but ready to win. Ryker V. ’23 points out that even with

STORY SERENA S. '23 PHOTO WINSLOW TOWNSON

during the past 19 years equals $383 million. In addition, he "raked in upwards of $900 million in income from endorsements and other business ventures,” the magazine stated. Regardless, James has cemented himself as one of the wealthiest NBA players of all time, and on this same trajectory is estimated to eventually eclipse Jordan’s $1.7 billion net worth before his playing career even ends.

Other Endeavors (aside from NBA) - The Spring Hill Company ($300 million) - Fenway Sports Group ($90 million) - Real Estate properties ($80 million) - Blaze Pizza ($30 million) - Miscellaneous investments ($500 million)

Liverpool and Real Madrid, head to head in UEFA Champions League Final STORY GABE A. '24 (GUEST WRITER)

ith the tournament’s preceding qualifying rounds beginning in Aug. 2021, European soccer teams Liverpool and Real Madrid faced off in the UEFA Champions League Final on May 28, 2022. The left winger Vinicius Júnior solidified Madrid’s title as champions for the 14th time with his lone goal, finishing the game with 1-0 shutout. For online spectators the historic match was the center of attention, but for fans attending the game the chaos ensuing prior to kickoff took forefront. At the stadium’s Liverpool end, what French authorities called an “industrial scale” use of fake tickets caused the turnstiles to jam, as storms of fans began to climb fences or sneak into the stadium. In an effort to quell the chaos, a disorganized security

team bombarded the hordes with tear gas, ultimately leading to a 35-minute delay of the game’s kickoff. “We’ve been stood at this gate since 6:15,” Liverpool fan Angela Murphy, who had been waiting outside the stadium for three hours, told the Associated Press through a fence. “I’ve got really bad asthma and I’ve been tear gassed twice.” Liverpool chairman Tom Werner wrote that the events occuring that Saturday night “raised serious questions about the organization and operation of the event.” In response, UEFA commissioned an “comprehensive report” into the violence, saying in a statement that it would examine the “decision making, responsibility, and behaviour of all parties involved in the final.” The report will be independently compiled and led by Dr. Tiago Brandão Rodrigues, and will be made public upon completion. Following the findings, UEFA will “evaluate the next steps.”