Emmy-winning short film “Three Boys Manzanar.”
What does the upcoming Barbie movie need to get right to rectify the Mattel doll's harmful impacts on young girls’ body image?
Eight faculty/staff members are departing this year. Hear about their favorite Nueva memories, what they’ll miss, and where they’re headed to next.
They come from Florida. Kansas. Texas. Virginia.
They are full of hate, politically charged, and incredibly damaging to queer people.
They are pieces of legislation—statewide bills that ban gender-affirming care for minors and even adults, prohibit trans people from using affirming bathrooms and playing on affirming sports teams, block queer content from being taught in schools, and more.
While anti-LGBTQ sentiment throughout the country has simmered for decades, legislation targeting the community has ramped up in recent years. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reported at least 417 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced at the state level this year, more than twice the amount in 2022. Two hundred and eightythree of those bills target education, such as Florida’s 2022 “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prohibits instruction about gender and sexuality in classrooms from kindergarten to 12th grade.
Lead Upper School Counselor and Queer Student Union (QSU) faculty co-advisor Aviva Jacobstein, who identifies as queer, was “unsurprised” at the recent proliferation of anti-LGBTQ laws.
“Anytime a group of people in an oppressed state come together to demand equality and change, there is often a backlash movement from those in power who don't want to give up their power,” said Jacobstein, who drew a similarity to the civil rights and women’s rights movements.
“For whatever reason, conservatives right now have fixated on trans rights and gender inclusion.”
LGBTQ youth are already at higher risk for suicide or mental health issues, said Jacobstein, who has worked as a clinical social worker for over 10 years with a specialty in queer youth. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, high school students who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual are more than four times as
likely to have attempted suicide compared to those who are heterosexual. The new wave of national anti-LGBTQ sentiment could exacerbate this disparity and create an “unnecessary recipe for disaster,” according to Jacobstein.
“Like any marginalized identity category, you’re more likely to be met with resistance in your life,” she said. “It’s a snowball effect.”
For many, the bans on teaching queer topics in classrooms—such as “Don’t Say Gay”—are the most damaging.
“If teachers can’t talk about [these topics], isn’t that a violation of free speech?” Charlie V. H. ’23 said. “It’s harmful to
As anti-LGBTQ legislation spreads across the nation, Nueva’s new Gender Inclusion Policy aims to solidify a network of student and faculty supportSTORY Owen Y-L. & Char P. PHOTOS Rachel Freeman, WUWF, The New York Times, Freepik COLLAGE Owen Y-L.
Next year, the StuCo program will undergo structural changes to provide more leadership opportunities for students.
READ
made by the cast of upper school musical Something Rotten during one show.
filled by 10th-12th graders through Nueva's internship program.
hours 11
spent rehearsing senior Shakespeare plays during the last two weeks of school.
pairs 450
of disposable slippers ordered for Senior Prank Day on June 2.
Head of School Lee Fertig finds a sea of balloons in his office, each individually blown up by members of the senior class for this year's senior prank day on June 2.
Students, teachers, and college counselors
teamed up to discuss how AI will reshape the college admissions landscape.
READ MORE ON PAGE 3
TRIP WEEK PHOTOS
Upper school students traveled around the world in May: check out some of their pictures!
READ MORE ON PAGE 3
As part of AAPI Heritage Month, somber memories from World War II’s Japanese internment camps came alive as students gathered in the gym on May 18 for the screening of the 2021-2022 Emmy AwardWinning film, “Three Boys Manzanar.”
The micro-documentary, produced by Akemi Ooka and Preeti Deb, tells the story of Mas Ooka, Ooka’s grandfather, who was forced into the Manzanar internment camp as a young boy. The film highlights Mas’ reunion with two other Japanese-American men, Bob Takamoto and Bruce Sansui. During their time in the camp as children, the trio was photographed together behind barbed-wire fencing at the camp in a now-iconic wartime picture.
With its intimate interviews and context of historical tragedy, Deb introduced the film to the student body by speaking on the power of these painful conversations.
“Why is it important to get personal with characters when you're making a film?” Deb rhetorically asked the audience prior to
the film’s showcase. “The reason for this is because when a character shows vulnerability, they show humanity… We're able to empathize with them. We're able to fall in love with them… Your connection with them leads to learning of the heart, which could potentially change the way you think.”
Although “Three Boys Manzanar” spotlights Mas’ poignant story, for his daughter, it is a testament to much greater notion of storytelling.
In this way, the seven-minute running has left a lifetime of impact among Academy of National Television Arts and Sciences, Golden Reel Awards, and the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival. Aside from these recognitions, Ooka and Deb have participated in local screenings in the Bay Area, including on Nov. 29 at the Burlingame Women’s Club.
“It is a tremendous honor for us to be able to share this part of history,” Ooka said. “[Mas’] generation is departing. It's our responsibility to keep this story alive and to make sure we don't make the mistakes we've made in the past.”
STORY Natalie L.
The world's first openly gay chorus is in town—specifically, on campus.
Mitch Galli, the Associate Director of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, came onto campus on May 30 to meet the Queer Student Union (QSU) and Nueva Notes, the upper school a cappella group, in preparation for their all-school performance on June 7.
The choir will perform songs promoting love and inclusivity, including closing with “Love can build a bridge” by The Judds with members of Nueva Notes.
San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus began in 1978 as a trailblazer in LGBTQ
representation in choral performance. Since then, they have grown to over 100 men around the country and was featured in the 2019 movie documentary, Gay Chorus Deep South
During Galli’s visit in room 175A over the lunch block, he spoke with QSU members to hear student experiences of being queer at Nueva. For one activity, Galli gathered students in a circle to share difficult interactions or feelings of outcastedness related to being queer.
“Being queer can often make me feel like I am alone with [my struggles],” Char P. ’23 said. “It was moving to see my classmates
have things in common with me.”
After school, Galli led a rehearsal workshop with Nueva Notes in preparation for their joint performance. Because the lyrics of “Love Can Build a Bridge” highlight the power of standing together, Galli encouraged the choir to engage emotionally while singing.
“Having the opportunity to work with Mitch was really inspiring and helpful for our group,” said Owen Y-L. ’24, the music director of Nueva Notes. “I appreciated how he helped us look beyond the lyrics and really understand the emotions and intentions behind the song.”
STORY Natalie L.
In an open-entry discussion circle, Dr. Sarah Ives, a cultural anthropologist at the City College of San Francisco, opened a conversation to two dozen students, faculty, and parents: “Who can truly claim indigenous ownership over a plant?”
On May 16, Roundtable Team, a studentled club that organizes monthly social science discussions, hosted a discussion on indigeneity: the origins and areas of natural occurrence of humans and other organisms.
Joined by a panel of Elianna K. ’23 and Pearl Bauer, upper school English teacher and lead of the faculty Indigenous Solidarity committee, Dr. Sarah Ives raised thoughtprovoking questions.
the only reason to switch to plant-based meals, she says.
“Much of the word ‘indigenous’ is defined by [an organism’s] ability to occur naturally in a particular place. But, climate change drastically affects where a plant can grow,” Ives said during the discussion circle. “What effect does this have on the definition of indigeneity? What effect should it have?”
For much of the discussion, Ives drew from her decades long research on the indigeneity and politics of South African Rooibos tea, which originated as her thesis PhD dissertation at Stanford University in 2014. Since then, she has published several academic papers and her book, Steepedin Heritage, on the topic.
“If you walked into a South African
It’s out with the beef and in with the eggplant and tofu—at least one day of the week. The Nueva café began its pilot meal program of Meatless Mondays—meaning no meat products are served for lunch that day—on May 1, and plans to run it every other week until the end of the school year.
Mirabella K. ’24, who used to be a pescatarian and considers herself an environmentalist, described Meatless Mondays as a “long time coming.”
“Eating less meat is the single most impactful way that you, as an individual consumer, can live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle,” Mirabella said. She pointed out that the meat industry takes a heavy toll on the environment—in fact, livestock farming constitutes 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations.
But its environmental advantages aren’t
“The health benefits of eating vegetables instead of meat are really profound,” Mirabella explained. For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified red meat as a “probable carcinogen” due to its links to colorectal cancer.
Meatless Mondays are especially important for showing meat-eaters how accessible plant-based meals can be, said Anna A. ’25, who initially became vegetarian for environmental reasons.
“It’s great for people who don’t typically follow vegetarian diets to be able to enjoy meatless meals,” she said. “It shows that you can still eat healthy and well without meat on your plate.”
To encourage meat-lovers to partake, Environmental Club leader Alex W. ’24 hopes the café will serve more meat imitations, such as soy-based substitutes from Impos-
sible Foods. He highlighted that the café already has dedicated vegetarian options daily.
“A lot of people aren’t going to go to the store and buy [meat substitutes] themselves,” Alex said. “[Meatless Mondays] are a great opportunity to expose people to meat alternatives.”
He also pointed out that vegetarianism isn’t a silver bullet.
“The mentality that everyone could go vegetarian or vegan in the U.S. for the sake of climate change seems misleading and almost impossible,” Alex said. “Meatless Monday isn’t the one crucial change we need to solve climate change once and for all, but it helps us recognize that we’re eating animals all the time.”
In the future, Mirabella plans to work with the café to implement a feedback system, with the goal of “making Meatless Mon-
household, they would likely offer you a cup of Rooibos tea. Yet, 93% of this tea’s farmland is on white owned plantations.” Ives said. “Most Rooibos farmers actually buy the tea from the store because they are legally prohibited from processing the plant into a finished product themselves.”
Ives described her research as a “collection of stories” and has periodically visited South Africa since 2001, her longest stay being a year.
days more inclusive and enjoyable”—even for meat-lovers.
Alex hopes more Nueva community members can venture beyond their comfort zone and sample a plant-based bite or two.
“Keeping an open mind to change is a really healthy way to go about these things,” he concluded. “I encourage everyone to try new things.”
environmental stewardship.
For the upcoming school year, Student Council (StuCo) will be implementing several changes in its structure and elections. The team, advised by Dean of Students Jackee Bruno, hopes to offer more diverse perspectives within the council and clearer opportunities for student leadership.
“I thought for a school of almost 500 gifted, brilliant individuals, there should be more leadership opportunities,” Bruno shared.
Currently, StuCo has 13 positions—Coleads, Grade Reps, Equity and Inclusion Rep, Student Life Rep, Spirit and Social Rep, Environmental Rep, Community Service Learning (CSL) Rep, Arts Rep, and Sports Rep. This past year, each role was held by one individual except for the two co-leads and three ninth grade reps.
After the revamp, StuCo will comprise a core team, which meets regularly, and an expanded cabinet of associates who serve under specific positions and meet monthly. The council will include the preexisting roles and potentially several newly-added positions. Bruno is considering introducing the Academic Rep, which oversees academic advising and programing, and the Citizenship Rep, which bridges community service and
By having associates, StuCo intends to provide ample support to all team members. For example, the Spirit and Social Rep will have several people assisting them, so when the time comes to organize an event such as Prom, all of the responsibilities do not fall on a single person.
“This year, most of the student council leaders are decent leaders, and they’re hard workers,” Bruno said. “So they just take care of everything. But there’s more to leadership than that.”
While the plan is not fully developed, current Co-lead Lucie L. ’23 appreciates the intentions to restructure.
“These changes are necessary,” she said. “It’s good that we have the momentum [now] to make them for the fall.”
In addition to iterating current positions and introducing more roles and associates, Lucie mentioned the incorporation of specific leadership training into the new program to ensure the team collaborates effectively.
“I think a lot of the time people will come into student council being really eager to make a positive impact on the school,” Lucie said. She hopes that providing expanded leadership training to eager StuCo members will allow the council to function as a team.
Another significant change to StuCo will
Ninth Graders in Oregon
Tenth Graders in Hawaii
be in its election process, which transformed from traditional speeches to “Meet-theCandidate” sessions. This new system was put into practice during the freshmen elections in the fall of 2022 and proved successful.
“I loved it,” Bruno said, “because I think speeches sometimes tend to purely lie on either theater type experience or charisma [and] not necessarily the speech itself.”
To Bruno, the system of speeches is “a popularity contest” whereas the “Meet-theCandidates” sessions allowed for students to interact with smaller groups of individuals and eliminated the “risk” involved with speaking in front of 300 people.
However, one candidate was a bit more difficult to meet with in person: Maxwell Turing, the world’s first-ever AI Student President built by AI Club, ran to join StuCo in the fall. According to his website, Turing would “perfectly represent and serve” the study body as his campaign platform is built off of the ideals of students.
“I’m intrigued by the idea of it. It’s a popular topic,” Bruno said. “I’m new to Nueva, but I’ve experienced Nueva wanting to be on the forefront of things and to be so innovative and creative, [so] it makes sense to be, hopefully, the first school to have an AI candidate.”
Bruno perceives Turing to be, in part, a “spectacle,” but also a legitimately “useful
Eleventh Graders in New Mexico
thought partner” which can serve as a tool to spur conversation and creativity.
The student body voted to fill the roles of Co-leads, Spirit and Social Rep, Student Life Rep, and 12th Grade Rep in the spring of 2023 and will vote for the remaining positions at the beginning of next year.
Twelfth Graders in Taiwan
STORY Sami K. on how ChatGPT might be used in admission processes, students have been using its chatbot at a consistent rate. According to Forbes, 48% of U.S. students admitted using ChatGPT for an at-home test or quiz, 53% had it write an essay, and 22% had it write a paper outline.
In late April, the student artificial intelligence (AI) team held a discussion with upper school computer science teacher Wes Chao and associate college counselor Paul Gallagher on the impacts of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s chatbot technology, on the college applications process.
For students, the chatbot technology has the potential to disrupt the process of writing application essays and raises questions of academic honesty.
Although data has yet to be released
Moreover, GPT-4 models are not limited to only writing essays, increasing access to personalized college-related advice.
A 2018 survey of 2,251 high school counselors conducted by the National Association for College Admission
Counseling found only 33% of the nation’s public high schools have a fulltime or part-time counselor focused exclusively on college advising, compared to 68% of private schools.
However, Gallagher highlights potential disadvantages in using AI for a college applications.
“Schools like Georgetown are already upset students receive too much coaching,” Gallagher said, highlighting that Georgetown reinstated their requirement for standardized testing in [year]. “They want to know what students can do on their own
and reinstated its requirement for standardized testing this cycle of 20222023.”
However, for some college admissions teams, AI made the process of sorting student applications more efficient.
Currently, many major public universities use an algorithm to sort applications. While all applications get re-checked by admissions officers, the increasing number of applications submitted each year makes it likely for the college admissions process to shift.
FIND YOUR HAPPY PLACE
Emily Henry’s latest novel is romance done right: relatable, nostalgic, and raw
Quick changes, well-executed humor, and strong connection led the spring musical's cast to success
The threequel of the Guardians series leads into a different yet refreshing phase of the MCU
Readers of all ages will love these three examples of the recent surge in queer middlegrade representation
PHOTO Warner Bros.
Growing up, Barbie dolls were banned in my household. As such, there was nothing I wanted more. I scavenged for their disproportionate head-to-body ratios and cold plastic limbs in birthday exchanges, and snuck in “Barbies are the coolest Christmas present” in conversations with my grandparents.
I understand why my mom felt a need to keep me away from those dolls now: the harm Mattel’s bestselling toy has done to young girls’ body image is undeniable. According to a 2016 study published in the journal Body Image, girls ages 6 to 8 who played with Barbies had more complaints about their own bodies than those who played with dolls that had more realistic body proportions. So when I saw a tweet for the new Barbie movie, in theaters July 21, my first reaction was disappointment. Then I saw who was directing the movie, and the pit in my stomach turned to anticipation.
For girls between the ages of 13 and 35, filmmaker and actress Greta Gerwig is nothing short of God. Best known for Lady Bird (2017) and Little Women (2019), Gerwig’s films perfectly capture the absolute mayhem that is the mind of a young woman.
In Little Women, she reinvented Amy March, the youngest of the novel’s four protagonist sisters, from a one-dimensional whiney little sister to a compelling portrait of womanhood in the 1860s. And in Lady Bird, Gerwig delves into the nuances of teenage mother-daughter relationships, orienting the unique turmoil of female adolescence as central to the movie’s plot.
If Gerwig can bring the same level of nuance to Barbie’s hyperfemininity, the movie could be a hilarious and
vibrant commentary on American beauty standards—and from the two teasers that have been released as of May 18, I believe that the film can deliver.
The first trailer teased at Barbie’s commentary on the harms that playing with a doll shaped like an adult woman can have on young girls. Its opening monologue is delivered as a warning; narrator Dame Helen Mirren’s tremulous voice is punctuated by the daunting notes of Richard Strauss’s "Also sprach Zarathustra," a tune popularized as 2001: A Space Odyssey’s theme song.
“Since the beginning of time,” Mirren reads, “—since the first little girl ever existed—there have been dolls. But the dolls were always and forever baby dolls. Until…” the theme comes to a crescendo as the camera pans to a titan-size set of poreless, plastic calves. This is Barbie, portrayed by actress Margot Robbie, in all her terrifying beauty. The opening moments of the trailer are dark, even disturbing. Young girls immediately begin smashing their baby dolls against each other after catching sight of Barbie, sending porcelain facial fragments flying across the screen. Gerwig sent a powerful message with this trailer: Barbie dolls caused young girls to turn against realistic representations of themselves.
The second trailer promises to touch on another key piece of social commentary: the implications of young girls idolizing sex-symbols (as Robbie and the Barbie dolls have been lauded as) without fundamentally understanding what the adult world’s perception of such an appearance entails. In the trailer, Ken, Barbie’s boyfriend played by Ryan Gosling, asks Barbie if he
can spend the night at her’s. When Barbie asks why, Ken finds himself without an answer. For the majority of audiences, Ken’s reason for staying over is clear, but Gerwig wields two adult-presenting characters with child-like naivete as commentary on the harms of engaging with overtly sexualized dolls as an easily-influenced child.
In addition to points of larger social commentary, what also has me so excited for the movie is Gerwig’s incorporation of meta elements familiar to anyone who grew up with Barbie dolls. When Barbie steps out of her heels, her feet stay molded in the shape of stilettos; Barbie dolls famously had permanently arched feet, awaiting the addition of high heels. The second trailer also introduced “Weird Barbie,” played by Kate McKinnon, whose hair sticks out in haphazard
What vicious supreme forces could have brutalized Weird Barbie like this? A child, of course, who found themselves giving their Barbie a craft-scissors makeover.
It’s these small details that give Barbie the authenticity that promises to push it beyond just another performative Hollywood feminist film to something truly subversive of an integral childhood experience so near to my heart. What lies beneath a Barbie doll’s factory-paint blue eyes and hot pink wardrobe? I, for one, will be packing into a local movie theater this summer to find out.
The pop-cultural news-cycle of the last year was so out of control that we found it difficult to focus in class. From showstopping tours to viral televised moments, the 2022-23 academic year came with a whirlwind of highs and lows in pop culture.
The past three months saw a renaissance of mega-star world tours.
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour fulfilled her fans’ “wildest dreams.” Complete a 40-song setlist spanning a broad range of musical genres, the Eras Tour galvanized popcultural headlines since its announcement in November. The start of Beyoncé’s international Renaissance tour, announced at the kickoff of Black History Month, once again re-defined what it means to put on a show. Her diverse group of backup dancers pays homage to the Black queer community, whom she credits as the inspiration behind her latest album, Renaissance
In addition to tours, a variety of iconic award show moments colored the past nine months. Academy-Award winner Ariana Debose went viral on TikTok for her opening musical monologue at the 2023 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs), in which she rapped, “Angela Basset did
the thing” while honoring iconic female nominees, gifting the public with a new catchphrase. This year was also a year of wins for actors like Michelle Yeoh.
After decades of iconic roles, actress Yeoh was immortalized as an Academy Award winner, preaching “Ladies, don't let anybody tell you you are ever past your prime,” during her acceptance speech for Best Actress in the Best Picture winning film Everything Everywhere All at Once.
While award shows saw a host of memorable moments, some incidents in broadcast television will live on in infamy.
On April 24, Tucker Carlson was fired from Fox News, potentially for airing election denialist-rhetoric about the 2020 presidential election. On the same day, CNN news anchor Don Lemon was fired by the network after calling Republican Presidential candidate Nikki Haley “out of her prime” on a live broadcast.
In the world of cinema, M3gan delighted and disturbed audiences with its lifelike AI doll that embarked on murderous rampages, labeled by the Daily Beast as a “queer icon.” In the Marvel Universe, films like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 raked in hundreds of millions of dollars, but nothing topped the long-awaited sequel Black Panther, Wakanda Forever. Released in November following Chadwick Boseman’s
death two years prior, the film honored both Boseman and his character T’Challa, continuing Black Panther’s legacy of afro-futuristic storytelling. Commercially, Disney’s live action The Little Mermaid remake starring Halle Bailey was a major online marketing parade, inspiring fullthrottle excitement, uncomfortably sandwiched between reductive and anti-Black discourse over whether or not Bailey was entitled to take on the role of Ariel as a Black woman. An industry crisis became national when the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) went on strike on May 2. Due to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ refusal to reach a contractual agreement for higher wages, writers and other employees working in television halted production on televised content.
On the social media front, a fire raged its way through the forests of Twitter and Instagram. After a post circulated of Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner allegedly poking fun at Selena Gomez, their so-called feud spun into a social media whirlwind. What was initially a rebuke of Jenner and Bieber became an avenue for social media users to pit successful women against one another.
As students gear up for another highschool main-character Hollywood arc next year, it remains to be seen whether or not 2023-24 will measure up.
WES ANDERSON
EXPECTED 6/16
Wes Anderson’s eccentric filmmaking style takes a supernatural turn in AsteroidCity. The director of TheGrandBudapest Hotel and The French Dispatch is well-known for his symmetrical shots, vibrant color schemes, and absurdist storytelling. Following the catastrophic events of a stargazing convention gone wrong, Anderson balances his signature genres of comedy, romance, and drama. Featuring an ensemble cast including Tilda Swinton, Scarlett Johansson, and Maya Hawke, this movie will be the newest addition to Anderson’s repertoire of timeless and immaculate films.
As the purple curtains of the Kathleen L. Stoney performing arts stage pulled away, bright yellow lights flashed upon the Tudor-themed town and the cast of 27 high schoolers performing Something Rotten. With pointy boots, a Tudor-themed set, and puffy pants galore, the cast extolled the virtues of 1590s England during the first number, “Welcome to the Renaissance.” “Welcome to the Renaissance, where we ooh and aah you with ambiance, ” The cast sang. “We're so progressive, the latest and the greatest, we bring it to you with much ado!”
“It was the first Nueva musical production I watched, ” Athena C. ’26 recalled. “I was really impressed with the choreography and singing.”
Performed from May 12-14, Something Rotten is a musical detailing the Bottom brothers—Nick and Nigel—and their struggle to find prominence in the world of theatre and compete with Shakespeare at the top of the theatre world during the English Renaissance. Humor through dramatic irony, references to other musicals, jokes with double meanings, and most notably the involvement of eggs and an omelettes in a song highlight the importance of jokes during the musical.
To execute these jokes, delivery, and costume changes were important aspects the cast decided to focus on and executed. The cast prepared
EXPECTED 7/7
Released in 2010, Speak Now is Taylor Swift’s third studio album, with themes around heartbreak, rising stardom, and the transition to adulthood. Swift has gained monumental popularity in the music industry in the past 13 years, and announced a rerecording of this album, due to a conflict regarding the ownership, during a 2023 Nashville show. Swift brings a newfound maturity to her re-recorded albums, as well as tracks never heard before “from the vault” (songs which didn’t make it onto the original album); Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) will be an even more heartwrenching version of the original album.
EXPECTED 6/6
Chilean writer Isabel Allende intertwines the stories of children in 1938 Europe and 2019 El Salvador in her new novel, The Wind Knows My Name (translated by Frances Riddle). Focused concurrently on a Jewish family’s escape from Nazioccupied Austria and the immigration policies in the United States, The Wind Knows My Name centers around family, home, sacrifice, and serves as an ode to dreamers worldwide. This work crosses symbolic boundaries and instills hope in readers regardless of background.
hundreds of costume changes during the show and executed each to perfection. Out of all of the changes, one of the most iconic was a change from an omelettes into an egg in the song “Make an Omelette.”
“Because Something Rotten is a really fastpaced show, there is really no break in-between,” said Hazel D. '23, for whom Something Rotten is their eighth and final show. “We had to work on trying to stay in the story, maintain energy, and comedic timing.”
Throughout the hours of rehearsal and production, the cast became closer. With trips to Burger King off of 28th Avenue and massive games of Cards Against Humanity, Drew and director Zoe Swenson-Graham enjoyed seeing new relationships with the cast and crew.
“We were so close with each other and spent so much time carpooling and so much time sharing each other’s sweat, so you kind of get to know these people very well,” Hazel said. “I don’t want to say the best part was the ‘friends we made along the way’, but it kind of was.”
“I’ve never met a kinder, more hardworking group of students,” Swenson-Graham said. “They are each other’s biggest cheerleaders–the most important part of the experience is building community.”
In a sea of romance novels that leaves readers craving for more realism and rationality, Happy Place by Emily Henry stands out as a breath of fresh air. Known for her romances like Beach Read and PeopleWeMeetonVacation, Henry is a New York Times bestselling author whose stories defies all typical jealous-ex clichés and Mary Sue tropes with her relatable and raw storytelling.
The story follows ex-fiancés Harriet and Wyn, who, despite their recent breakup, pretend to be a couple on a vacation with their unsuspecting friends. With a slow-burn unraveling of their past, Henry masterfully reveals the drama and cause behind the ex-lovers’ split, creating an irresistible tension that captivates readers and fuels their eagerness to uncover the mystery.
As for their split, Harriet’s romantic struggles stems from her deeply rooted belief that bottling up her emotions and avoidance of conflict will save her relationships. Her placating facade and attempts to smooth over all conflicts—even when Wyn canceled a trip to see her when they were long distance—was seen as an apathetic, unpassionate demeanor, which eventually led to their falling out.
Henry also offers a realistic and raw portrayal of familial and platonic connections, adding depth and relatability to the narrative. As a kid, Harriet grappled with the burden of being the “perfect child” in hopes of keeping her family from falling apart, which also led to a strained relationship with her older sister due to always being perfect. This portrayal of familial relationship—where not everything is perfect—resonated with me, as not every interaction within the family was the most optimal or supportive; her parents and sibling had
lives of their own, expectations and pressure of Harriet, and portrayed a real family life rather than the perfect family life, which I appreciated. I would recommend this novel to readers who appreciate authentic portrayals of people, personal struggles, and relationships. Fans of books like TellMeThreeThings, The Unhoneymooners, and TheWrongBachelor will find HappyPlace to be a valuable addition to their reading list.
Development in relationships, quick changes, and well-executed humor led to success for Nueva’sSTORY Alvin Y. PHOTOS Lori Mustille STORY Alice T. PHOTO Emily Henry
Romance done right: a raw struggle to sustain love and friendship on the path to adulthoodRENAISSANCE READY Left: Cast poses at the end of Welcome To The Renaissance . Right: During the song A Musical , cast members hold up "head-sketches" in a nod to the iconic musical A Chorus Line
In middle school, I rarely came across books with queer characters. I was uncomfortable with my feminine name and pronouns, but I thought I was a girl; what else could I be? It wasn't until high school, when I started reading YA, that I came across books with queer and trans characters—books that helped me accept my own gender and sexuality.
There has recently been a surge in queer middle-grade representation; according to a 2022 report from the NPD bookscan, US sales of juvenile LGBTQ fiction doubled between 2021 and 2022. While middle-grade novels are targeted at 8-12 year olds, I still find comfort and joy in reading them—not only because they make me feel seen, but also because of what they represent. It's incredibly important for queer kids to be able to see themselves in media, and for their cishet peers to learn about queerness at a young age, especially considering the recent rise of anti-queer legislation in states across the US.
Here are three queer middle-grade books that I wish I had when I was in middle school:
This Is Our Rainbow features 16 short stories that center queer middle schoolers. While queerness is integral to each character's journey, the stories also focus on other aspects of tween life, including a zombie girl inviting her crush over to dinner, a nonbinary kid looking for a less gendered sport after quitting gymnastics, and a budding marine biologist navigating changing relationships with her two best friends. If you want a series of fun reads, this is for you.
In The Key of Us is a novel about two 12-year-old sapphic Black girls, Andi and Zora (she/her for both), who spend their summer at music camp. The book depicts heavy topics such as Andi's panic attacks after her mother's death and Zora's struggles with parental pressure and selfinjury in a way that's accessible to young readers, giving the topics the weight they deserve without stigmatizing them. The more serious moments are balanced out by frequent lighthearted scenes, from campouts to kayaking to the final concert— and the relationship between Andi and Zora is heartwarming.
Ellen Outside The Lines centers on Ellen Katz (she/they), a 13-year-old navigating shifting friendships on a school trip to Barcelona. This book masterfully navigates intersectionality; while Ellen's queer, autistic and Jewish identities are all a part of their character, and all explored during the novel, they are not the only part of her character. Ellen's struggles with friendships will also ring true to anyone who has ever had difficulties with friends, especially neurodivergent individuals.
A return to powerful storytelling clarifies the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s future viability
A sarcastic CGI raccoon, vengeful alien, and emotionally-stunted cyborg brought tears to my eyes in just two hours and 29 minutes. When the credits to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 rolled, I realized I wasn’t alone; I heard sniffles from the elderly woman sitting to one side of me, the gay couple on the other, and the teenage boys in the row below. A middle-aged woman wailed in the back of the theater.
This is the unique power of a Marvel movie: to invite an audience of all ages, backgrounds, and interests into a cinematic experience that doesn’t just promise well-choreographed fight scenes but also beautiful VFX, comedic and developed storytelling, and slightly-flawed characters to root for. Despite fans’ worries over the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)’s decline since 2019's Avengers: Endgame, Guardians almost fully—restored my faith in the billiondollar-grossing action movie franchise.
In the movie, director James Gunn wraps up the Guardians trilogy while setting the team up for the future. Released on May 5, the final film in the trilogy once again follows the Guardians of the Galaxy, an endearing team of misfits from around the universe: Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), a demigod and the team’s leader; Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), a talking raccoon with a knack for engineering and sarcasm; Groot (Vin Diesel), a extraterrestrial tree monster that can only express the phrase
“I am Groot” in a variety of tones; Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), an obtuse and violent but caring alien; Mantis (Pom Klementieff), a half-god and half-insect empath; and Nebula (Karen Gillian), an emotionally-guarded robot warrior.
Notably missing, though, is Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), alien assassin and Peter’s soulmate. (She was murdered by her adopted dad, Thanos, in Avengers: Infinity War.) At the beginning of the movie, Peter is ruined by his grief for her and spends his time on-screen either drunk or moping around. Pratt delivers a surprisingly solid performance of grief—something the MCU has historically failed to do—and invites the audience to empathize with him.
The themes of grief, mourning, and loss permeate the rest of the film, especially once an alternate version of Gamora returns to join the team—explaining this further would require spoilers, unfortunately—that has no memory of Peter. Peter is forced to realize that the Gamora he knew is permanently gone, and the fallout is drastic.
With his destructive drinking, Peter fails his responsibility as leader to protect the Guardians and Knowhere, their homebase. As a result, Rocket is left vulnerable to an enemy attack and becomes fatally injured. His death is imminent—unless the Guardians go on a dangerous mission to steal the cure.
Thus, the journey begins. And the threequel promises the classic elements of a Marvel adventure: thrilling action fights,
endearing humor, and a (generally) happy ending. However, it includes a surprise: numerous gut-wrenching flashbacks of Rocket Raccoon’s past, which New York Times’ critic Maya Phillips, amongst others, determined as “a visually off-putting twoand-a-half-hour A.S.P.C.A. nightmare.”
I disagree. While the flashbacks to Rocket’s past are CGI-heavy and unexpectedly horrific, they provide meaningful context for Rocket and the Guardians’ current identities by explaining their past ones.
It is part of a new era for Marvel. Stories centered on characters that are not necessarily physically-super white men (like Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Hawkeye, etc.) are now relevant and being brought to the big screen. While the shift to spotlighting more diverse characters has left some fans questioning the commercial appeal/viability of the future for the MCU, I think this shift has been happening for much longer than most realize, albeit less explicitly.
In a sense, Guardians has always done this on some level by embodying a team of ‘nonconformists,’ to put it nicely. While Peter Quill generally fits the Marvel “archetype,” the rest of the team hardly does. For one, Nebula essentially has dozens of prosthetics and uses them to her tactical advantage. Mantis is constantly underestimated because of her docile appearance, as are Groot and Rocket. Some even consider Drax a hero for the autistic community (though it is important to note that he is not human
and cannot truly be neurodivergent or neurotypical in our terms).
I resonate most with Gamora, a character often torn between her head and her heart, or her nurture and nature. Earlier in the cinematic timeline, she is pressured to stay loyal to her evil father, Thanos, despite wanting to break free from his control—yet she feels indebted to him for taking her in as a young orphan. I can relate to a pressure to stay quiet or loyal, especially as a teenage girl. At times, Gamora has felt like my very own hero, and that’s the power of Marvel.
This sub-story has always been my favorite in the MCU. Not just because of the humor, space adventure, and stunts, but because the characters’ identity elements that do not fit the standard quo make them refreshing and relatable.
Therefore, it is fitting that the end of the Guardians franchise leads into the new phase of the MCU, where Pakistani American teens (The Marvels), black men (Captain America: New World Order), and other characters of marginalized identities start to take on lead roles on the big screen, amongst the more traditional characters like Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and Ant-Man.
While I am generally hopeful for the future of the MCU, I also understand where critic Phillips is coming from. Some elements of the final Guardians movie definitely disrupted the typical rhythm of a Marvel or Guardians movie. Still, I wonder: what if disruption is just what the universe needs?
Students and parents discuss the effects of family expectations on academic performance.
Jackson L. ’25 gives haircuts to classmates. His shop?
The park across the street from school.
Beloved librarian Marilyn Kimura retires after over 35 years at Nueva.
Parents of departing seniors prepare for life after Nueva.
READ MORE ON PAGE 12
Eight teachers depart from the upper school, heading to new roles, crossing borders, and embracing opportunities
For these teachers, Nueva was once a place of unfamiliar hallways and unrecognizable faces. Soon, they no longer required GPS during their commutes to campus and could recall students’ names with ease. Eventually, coming to work meant connecting with a community. Now, with another school year coming to a close, these teachers bid their farewells as they plan their next chapters in life.
Matthew Oakland has been at Nueva since 2020. He spent his first year working alongside former Director of Equity and Social Justice Alegria Barclay in the ninth grade Science of Mind (SOM) classroom and as an admissions associate. During his second year, he taught Systemic Oppression Understanding for Liberation (SOUL). This past year, he continued working in the classroom while serving the role as Upper School JEDI Coordinator.
“It’s cool to be in a place where I’m intensely curious and find it hard to sit still, and that’s not abnormal at all,” he said. “My hope is that affinity groups, clubs, and any student leads continue to feel really empowered in this space.”
Oakland is headed to Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco where he will be the Director of Student Inclusion.
Superlative: Most likely to freestyle rap, improv on guitar and dance across the Rosenberg courtyard all in one day.
Savannah Strong spent her year at Nueva working as the Director of Social Justice and Equity. In the fall, she will be joining Head Royce School where she will be the Dean of Equity and Community.
While her role has not yet been filled, she has supported the hiring committee by crafting the criteria for the job and thinking through what it means to set up this candidate for success.
“I’m going to miss the students most,” she said. “I’m also going to miss my colleagues and the equity and inclusion team in particular.”
To Strong, “Nueva is a space for expansive dreaming.”
Sam Timinsky just finished his fifth year at Nueva. When he joined in 2018, he worked part time as the debate coach. For the past four years, he taught upper school history.
“My colleagues and students are absolutely wonderful,” he said. “It’s cool to be a nerd at this school, so I like it.”
Timinsky is moving with his wife to Seattle where he will work at Northwest Yeshiva School on Mercer Island as a U.S. history teacher.
As he departs from the community, he advises students to cultivate more kindness for each other.
“When I got here, students in particular were kinder to each other, and [now] there’s
a lot of negative energy floating around below the surface,” he said. “I hope that over the next several years […] y’all can recover a little bit of that genuine care and love for each other because it’s one of the things that makes this place what it is.”
Senior quote: Don’t let capitalism lie to you.
After two years of working as a biology teacher, Rosalind Bump will be moving to New Haven with her partner.
Upper school science teacher Paul Hauser has worked at Nueva for four years and will relocate with his family to Carpinteria this summer due to his wife’s new job at the incoming head of school at Cate School.
While excited to join another community and raise his two kids in Southern California, he is grateful for all the relationships he has created with those at Nueva.
“Seniors, I wish you so well and go bravely forth into the world,” Hauser said. “To the rest of you, it is so clear that this is a school with great vision and lots of potential, and I look forward to seeing how it grows. I’m really excited to stay in touch with the community.”
Although Hauser does not know exactly what he will be doing once relocated, he plans to take a year off of full-time work to
support his family and integrate into the Cate School community.
Senior Superlative: Biggest PHeminist
Senior Quote: Style is not just what you wear but how you think
Upper school physics teacher and advisor Betsy Madden just finished her third year at Nueva. Next year, she plans to be an Assistant Professor in the Geology Department at San Jose University—an opportunity that allows her to return to her passion for rocks and earthquakes full time.
“Despite all of my previous classroom experiences, I can easily say that everything I learned about teaching, I learned at Nueva. Most importantly, my three years have reminded me of the joy of learning,” Madden said.
Burcu Birol has worked at Nueva for two years as an upper school associate math teacher and will be moving internationally to teach math at an American school in Monterrey, Mexico.
After of a year of teaching upper school math, Bayard Miller will continue teaching math next year at Marin Catholic in Kentfield.
Following the Martin Luther King Day assembly in January, co-organized by Matthew Oakland and Savannah Strong, Strong facilitated a screening of the documentary In our Mother’s Gardens, and noticed that the film sparked fruitful and empathetic discussions about domestic life and motherhood. On the same day, a student approached Oakland to reminisce about the lessons taught that day. The conversation morphed into an exploration of marginalized representation, the intersection of food and culture, and cultural resiliency.
These are just a few of the moments they will miss at Nueva. After three years of building connections through such wideranging conversations, working on the admissions team, teaching Science of Mind, and acting as the Social Justice and Equity Coordinator on the DEI team, Oakland will depart the Upper School at the end of this semester. Next fall, he will join LickWilmerding High School as the new Dean of Students.
Strong, who joined Nueva this year, will venture east and assume the inaugural position of Dean of Equity and Community at the Head-Royce High School in the City of Oakland.
For Oakland, Nueva not only offered him the chance to practice diversity leadership, but also provided a stepping stone into the world of academia.
“When I entered this space, I was new to education. I was just trying to learn what it was like to be a teacher. My biggest goal was to make really solid connections within the community,” he said, emphasizing that “all healthy partnerships are based on relationality.”
Oakland has embraced relationality in multiple ways, including anchoring a support group for the parents of LGBTQ+
students, collaborating with Strong on the Gender Inclusion Policy, and cultivating “spaces of belonging” throughout the student body by building structure around affinity groups.
“I'm really proud of the affinity groups and their celebrations this year,” he said, recalling events such as the Filipino affinity potluck organized by the Filipino affinity group in April and the South Asian affinity group’s Holi celebration in the Rosenberg courtyard.
“At a certain point, I was just looking around and I was like ‘this is beautiful.’ It's just really sweet.”
In addition to “lighting the torch of
affinity,” Oakland has enjoyed having a front row seat to the growth of these spaces. And although he will not return in the fall, he has faith in the affinity group program.
“I’m excited to see what students will continue to do,” Oakland said. “I don’t think the energy will dissipate at all.”
Strong’s work this year has been closely aligned with Oakland’s. However, while Oakland was interacting with students on a daily basis, much of Strong’s work was faculty and staff-facing.
“In my previous role, a lot of my work was very student-facing,” Strong said. At Nueva, her work has been more behindthe-scenes, centered around “crafting and
fine tuning the systems and structures that support the student belonging with it.”
In line with promoting belonging, Strong spent much of the year working on codifying an updated Gender Inclusion Policy—a matter she views as both “important and urgent.”
“I know that there are folks within the school who are waiting on the introduction of these policies to be able to show up as their full selves,” she said.
As Strong engaged in diversity work across divisions, she felt supported in her endeavors.
“There's a real deep network of support that I feel here,” she said.
Oakland echoed Strong’s sentiment. “ I've just connected so deeply with so many folks, students, faculty, staff… all the people who also just make this space so beautiful,” he said. “Even in leaving the Nueva space, I'm never really leaving the community.”
Looking forward, the school is in the process of hiring Strong’s replacement for the 2023-2024 school year. They both hope that the new hires will continue to harness the power and drive of the student body to create change. As of June 6, a new Coordinator of Social Justice and Equity has been hired to fill Matthew’s position.
“I'm excited to see someone who's able to take the torch and just run with it. I'm excited for them to see the beauty of all the affinity and club leads and students who have just been building such cool stuff,” Oakland said.
And while she may be departing, Strong says that she considers her Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team “family.”
“I’m a big believer that relationships transcend institutions…I envision that these will be relationships that I will have for the rest of my life,” she said.
The past decade has been a stirring pot of parenting methods in the Bay Area. San Franciscan author Amy Chua coined the term, “tiger mom,” in her 2011 novel, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom, and advised parents to demand straight-A grades. At the same time, Montessori schools have sprung up around the peninsula that promote childled, unstandardized learning.
With a myriad of parenting styles, parents and their unique approaches play a formative role in their child’s relationship with high school education.
Lottie Rezneck, parent of Joshua R. ’24 and Lexie R. ’31, and Grace Li, parent of Vinca L. ’25, are Nueva’s co-chair leaders of Common Ground, a parenting-centric speaker series in the San Francisco Peninsula featuring experts in education and child development.
Li says that understanding personality can be important for parents to learn how to best support their child’s academic journey.
“Parenting is the hardest job on earth,” Li said. “After I failed through a cycle of encouraging, coaxing, scolding, and even threatening [Vinca], I realized that supporting my daughter for who she is and what she wants to do is the biggest gift a parent can give a child.”
Lottie emphasizes the responsibility parents have to help their child(ren) find a healthy work-life balance while simultaneously listening to their feedback.
“We [parents] are not going to be around forever in life,” Lottie said. “Our job as parents is to build the scaffolding and set expectations to enable our children to succeed.”
Even from a scientific lens, parenting approaches seem to play a substantial role in a child’s trust in their parents and ability to cope with stress.
According to upper school psychology teacher Amy Hunt, much of parenting is a “serve and return” relationship between parents and their child(ren).
“If a baby cries and a mother soothes it, that strengthens the baby’s trust in their mother,” upper school psychology teacher Amy Hunt said. “But, when that child gets into the teenage years, a serve and return exchange becomes a lot more complicated. The teen may need something different from the parent than offered.”
Lead upper school counselor Aviva Jacobstein highlighted the specific ways in which parents can support their children through school.
“I think that parents can have a really hard time when their kids aren’t doing as well in school as a parent believes they’re supposed to,” said Jacobstein, who regularly meets with overwhelmed, unmotivated, or perfectionistic students.
“Where I see things work out best for the student is when the parent doesn’t get reactive and invites their kid into a conversation where they try to find a solution together.”
With the nuances of a parent’s intent, methodology, and execution, parenting approaches and their effects on student wellbeing may be best recognized through an agglomeration of stories from families.
Part II. What methods do parents use to promote academic habits?
Three generations gather around a recording device on the dinner table— Brenna A. M. ’25, her father Lee Miller, and her paternal grandmother Dale Miller.
“I believe I do a good job of being of assistance when Brenna asks for help, but I'm still working on trying to figure out when to be or not be involved,” Lee said.
“When she was little, Brenna was thrilled to have my help with school work. Now, she wants more independence.”
Brenna positively views the adjustments Lee has made in involvement with her school work throughout her past two years at Nueva.
“In the beginning of freshman year, he was stricter and more involved with my schoolwork,” Brenna said. “But, after I talked to him about how that was actually adding to my stress, we found a system
that works for both of us.”
Nowadays, Lee occasionally checks her Canvas account for missing assignments and emails her teachers to gauge her academic performance and habits.
“He helps me see that learning is really a collaborative effort and not just something I have to do individually,” Brenna said.
On the other hand, several parents describe themselves as more “hands-off” when it comes to academics.
“We just set expectations very early with Dominic that we expected him to take school seriously given that [Nueva] was such an exceptional place to learn,” said Andrea Evans, parent of Dominic L. ’23. “We don’t get involved unless he asks for help because it's important for students to learn how to advocate for themselves.”
“I appreciate that my parents let me lead my own academic and extracurricular life and let me decide how much advice or involvement I want from [my parents],” Lehane said.
Evans, who graduated from Harvard Law School, recounts past conversations she’s had with her father around higher education.
“After my first year of law school, I told my parents that I wanted to take a break from school and work, and my dad told me I was making a huge mistake. Looking back, I don’t regret staying in school, but it felt like choice was taken away from me,” Evans said.
Moreover, she reflects on how that experience has influenced her involvement in Lehane's college application process earlier this school year.
“For Dominic, I always want him to be able to take risks. [My husband and I] have had a lot of conversations with him about matching his [needs from a school] to the schools he applied to, but ultimately let him choose his college,” Andrea said.
Anjuli M. ’25 and her parents, Amy and Arnab Mishra, estimated that their engagement in Anjuli’s schoolwork was at a three out of ten, with ten being extremely involved.
“Anjuli is really independent, and I honestly wouldn’t know how to engage in her school work and extracurricular activities even if I wanted to,” Arnab said. “Generally, we are there to guide and advise, and watch for whether she’s engaged and putting in the effort. What matters most to us is that she’s always putting her best foot forward.”
Anjuli said that her parents’ relaxed
attitude stems from trust in Anjuli’s work ethic and teachers at Nueva.
“My parents understand Nueva’s academic system and they know that I'm pretty good at managing schoolwork on my own,” said Anjuli, who has been attending Nueva since sixth grade. “I feel like I’ve kept a good reputation in that sense.”
Arnab reflects on how their parenting approaches with their children have been influenced by their own upbringing.
“My parents were never on top of my grades or anything, but I watched my parents struggle financially throughout my childhood and felt driven to take school seriously,” said Arnab, who is a child of first generation American immigrants from India.
“The world that I was growing up in is so different from what my kids experience,” Arnab continued. “When it comes to raising my children, it's more about passing down my parents’ values rather than specific methods.”
Similarly, Jennifer and Christian Sepulveda, parents of Natalie S. ’25, Eva S. ’26, and Michael S. ’29, were both children of immigrant parents who strongly valued education for its job opportunities.
“My father immigrated from Chile, a third world country at the time, so there was a very pragmatic emphasis in our household on the economic benefits of education,” Christian said. “Whereas with our children, we tell them that the end goal of education is not just to find a job. Rather, it’s a tool for Natalie to find something she’s passionate about.”
Natalie reflects on the different academic expectations between the generations of their family.
“I think the values of working hard and pursuing opportunities haven't really changed from my grandparents, to my parents, to me. It’s just the circumstances that have,” Natalie said.
In comparing and contrasting these families’ experiences, it may be unclear to what degree a parent’s attitude towards their children’s academics affects the child. However, students generally seem to respond positively when the parent is able to recognize and respond to the child’s needs.
Despite the nuances and challenges of parenthood, Brenna expresses gratitude towards her parents’ effort.
“From my perspective as a child, a lot of parenting is trial and error,” Brenna said. “[All parents] are really just trying to be the best parent possible.”
“[My dad] helps me see that learning is really a collaborative effort and not just something I have to do individually.”
kept a pile of new books for Tiegel on her desk, each one adorned with a sticky note bearing Tiegel's name.
join the lower school faculty.
In two respects, the library is the heart of the Hillsborough campus. There is its central location: overlooking the café, directly across from the I-Lab, visible during drop-offs, pick-ups, and culminations. More importantly, it is a gathering space—a home for rainy recesses, gratitude circles, and warm conversations.
But what truly brings the building alive? What is it about this space, among all other places on campus, that has become so integral to the community?
The better question would be who.
At recess, one finds the library full. Students snuggle up between the shelves, their faces buried in graphic novels, dystopias, and pastry cookbooks. While the contents differ, many will share a source: Marilyn.
After over 35 years at Nueva as a parent, librarian, and teacher, Marilyn Kimura announced plans to retire at the end of this year. In that time, she has played a pivotal role in transforming the library into the hub of community connection it is today.
“She has a book for everyone; that's how well she knows us all,” said Middle School Division Head Karen Tiegel. “She can identify a book for every person who walks into the library. After a single conversation, she can say, ‘This might be something you'd like to read,’ or ‘I've got this new title. Why don't you check it out?”
Throughout their friendship, Kimura has
“She knows that I love to explore new books. [The pile] is everything from picture books and poetry to the latest historical fiction,” Tiegel said. “That’s the kind of relationship we have; it's what I love about her.”
William F. ’23, like many other students, met Kimura on the back steps of the library, where she would organize book-read-aloud sessions, when he joined Nueva in first grade. In fifth grade, William was placed in Kimura's advisory, which affectionately referred to themselves as “Marilyn’s biker gang.” (“That’s how cool she was,” said Fisher, smiling at the memory.)
“In my eight years of advisory, she was by far the best advisor.” William said. “She would play soccer and poker with us; you wouldn't expect her energy from a librarian. She just really loved what she did.”
Lower School PE Teacher Zubin Mobedshahi ’03 first met Kimura when he was in kindergarten. At the time, the current library had not even been built yet.
“Once [in kindergarten], I was brought to tears when I realized I didn't have any money on hand to borrow a book,” Mobedshahi said. “Marilyn reassured me that checking out a book was free, and she walked me through the process. Marilyn became a very safe and loving figure from that point on.”
Zubin graduated from Nueva in the eighth grade, and returned 10 years later to
“When I first came back to work at Nueva in 2013, it was the same feeling when I saw Marilyn walking across the plaza into the new library. I was just overcome by a sense of ‘I am home, these are my people,’” Mobedshahi said.
Kimura's warmth not only infused the library, but also the programs she founded, such as the Lit Club program, a weekly book club built into the schedules of the lower and middle school where students can develop their analytical reading skills through discussion.
Molly S. ’26 met Marilyn in kindergarten and remembers spending hours in the library. For her, Lit Club was an opportunity to share her love for reading with her peers.
“When I read a book, I often find myself wanting to talk about it. For example, I really enjoy science fiction, and it was so great to get to discuss the possibilities of what could happen,” Molly said.
Tiegel also remembers Kimura's unwavering mission to bring out the best in every student and appreciate them as unique individuals.
“I love that she knows each child so well and is always thinking about their best selves,” Tiegel said. “Over the years I had lots and lots of discussions with her about children. She's so patient. She just sees each person individually and she helps all of us do that as well.”
Across from the entrance to Nueva, Jackson L. ’25 welcomed freshman Jaisimh R. to his barbershop: Landing Green Park. Spring had finally sprung, and the weather was finally good enough for Jaisimh to get his fade and undercut in Lee’s outdoor shop, on Kyne Street, facing the school.
A crowd of students coalesced, phones and camera apps out, as Jackson draped his black-and-white apron cape ($9.99 from Amazon) around Ramanan’s neck.
“The first haircut is free,” Jackson explained, clippers in hand as he lined-up Jaisimh fade. “After that, it’s $15.”
Charging for haircuts is new for Jackson— in fact, it took him seven months of “cutting missing chunks” from his own head before he had the confidence to give someone else a cut.
Jackson began haircutting during the pandemic out of necessity; the barbershops and hair salons in San Francisco that offered a good quality fade or taper were either shut down or too expensive for his allowance to cover. So he bought a $20 kit off Amazon, filled with what he thought were all the tools he needed, and set up to give himself his first self-cut fade.
The result? Well, Jackson never got around to finishing the cut, calling it quits after he had pulled his skin line—the point in which the undercut meets the fade—to the near top of his head.
“I didn’t leave the house until it grew out,” he said. “After that, I knew I had to come up with a new game plan. It was a little bit better. I wanted to keep the skin line as low as possible.”
Over the next few months, Jackson cut his hair as frequently as he could. He watched YouTube videos on the “top TEN most FREQUENT mistakes beginners MAKE,” and tutorials on how to give a proper fade. Eventually, Jackson started to see a difference. So he offered his skills to others.
STORY Samara B.The strawberry vine lifts up its shapely leaves towards the moody sky: a week of storms, a week of relentless sun, a week of fog, a week of warm breezes. In the drippy winter mildew, the fruits of the once-cheery strawberry plant have festered and forgone their shape, their sweet juices turning acrid and vinegary. The vines, having taken over an entire raised garden bed, have to be removed. The work to remove them is arduous and long. Hack at the root, yank from the base, heartily knock the dirt off on the concrete wall to the garden plot, and add the strawberry carcass to the growing compost pile.
On the outdoor walkway between the WRC and the gym lies the beloved skybridge garden. Previously tended to by student volunteers and clubs, the Soil Health: Innovations and Technology class took over caretaking this year.
One of the main focuses of the class, which is taught by Director of Environmental Citizenship Sarah Koning, has been to improve the quality of the soil using strategies like nitrogen-fixing, cover crops, clearing out dead plants, and generally managing the plants more attentively.
“We put a lot of care and love into it,” said Mirabella K. ’24, who is a student in the class. “We weeded, watered, added bokashi compost, and planted new species.”
Soon, the class began to see the fruits of their labor literally blossom into being.
“The skybridge has transformed in terms of its vitality,” said Julia T. ‘24, another student in the class. “When we first started,
some of the beds were sand or swamped. Now we have some that we can harvest and actually use and eat. Seeing the soil become more nutrient-rich during our time in this class has been so rewarding.”
Edible plants include beans, fruits, leaves, and even flowers. The orange nasturtium flower bears a spicy and unexpected kick to its petals, the chard and lettuce have healthily shot up, and fava bean stalks bare their plump green pods, almost ready to be harvested.
Species new to the skybridge garden have found their home: sweet peas with delicate purple and white flowers, soft and fuzzy mint, chamomile and its tender blooms. Synchronously, some existing species have been renewed, like the “three sisters” of Indigenous crops: corn, beans, and squash.
“It’s a lot healthier now,” added Mateo C. ’24. “There are still some invasive plants, but the new ones we planted seem to be thriving.”
The plants weren’t the only ones new to the garden. Students have appreciated the opportunity to step outside of their comfort zones and get their hands dirty.
“I think it was a cool experience to check out a new part of Nueva I hadn’t spent time in before and I loved helping improve it,” Emma Z. ’25 said.
Hopes for the coming school year include the continued stewardship of the space and getting students and staff excited about harvesting what’s seasonally available.
“Teddy [C. ’25] was the first one to take me up on it,” Jackson said. “I gave him a simple cut. It was right here, in the Rosenberg courtyard.”
Reflecting on the lessons he has learned through the dozens of haircuts he has given—to both himself and friends alike— Jackson notes that patience is chief among them.
“Patience is a big thing, especially in the long term because I had to wait a long time before I started giving decent haircuts,” he said.
Jackson will be closing up shop for the summer. Will he return in the fall? Only time will tell.
legislation at a glance: 491 state-level bills introduced so far in 2023 targeting LGBTQ+ rights, a record number
Of those bills: 74 have been signed into law
283 target education around gender and sexualityrelated topics
130 prevent transgender youth from receiving gender-affirming healthcare 45 prevent transgender youth from playing on gender-affirming sports teams
fostering a more inclusive environment is through its new all-school Gender Inclusion Policy, which is scheduled to take effect this fall.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
control what teachers can and can’t say by creating an environment where they are forced to ignore the existence of a whole group of people.”
Charlie added that the legislation could trigger ripple effects beyond the queer community.
“[The bans] harm people who aren’t LGBTQ as well, since they are being robbed of education that could potentially help them become more supportive and informed individuals,” they said.
Director of Technology Rynelle Chen agreed; for her, silence and censorship can be more detrimental than overt discrimination.
“I think the politicians understand that if you’re not able to have a conversation, you’re not able to change. It’s that simple,” Chen said. “You’re relegating people to silence. And that is the worst thing that you can do.”
At the same time, Chen felt a slight sense of gratitude and relief as a queer person living in a more liberal and accepting area.
“I’m glad I live in California, I’m glad I’m in the Bay Area, and I’m glad I work at a place where those are not our policies,” said Chen, who came out as transgender to the wider Nueva community in March.
California has historically been considered a haven for queer people. It was the first state to legally recognize same-sex relationships in 1999. And in July 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law that protects families of transgender youth traveling from states with transphobic laws to seek gender-affirming care.
However, even in a more progressive enclave like the Bay Area, Communications and Website Manager Rachel Freeman still highlighted the “emotional impact” of anti-LGBTQ legislation in other states.
“No one wants to feel like their ability to live freely in this country is under attack, regardless of whether you live in a state that’s on the attack or not,” said Freeman, who is a faculty co-advisor of QSU. “It’s hard to think about the fact that if I lived in a different zip code, my reality could be very different—one where I do not have job protections, housing protections, or healthcare protections.”
Visiting friends and family who live in states “actively pursuing anti-LGBTQ legislation” has also become more difficult, she said.
“I’m not sure how I’d feel visiting one of these states,” Freeman said. “For example, if I get hurt and need medical attention, will the doctor be allowed to refuse to care for me?”
That fear has also manifested itself as students prepare for their life beyond high school. When applying for college, Abi W. ’23 left states with anti-queer laws off of her list.
“The rights of queer people to just exist are being attacked,” Wee said. “I didn’t apply to colleges in states that have strong anti-queer legislation, and I don’t want to go to Florida ever. As a queer person, it’s really scary—what’s going to come next?”
And although Nueva has overall remained progressive and accepting, Jacobstein advised that the school continue to remain proactive in the fight against homophobia and transphobia.
“We tend to give ourselves a pass like, ‘we’re a super liberal community, we’re perfect,’” Jacobstein said, “but we’re not immune from imperfections.”
One of the steps Nueva is taking towards
The policy was not an overnight decision; it has been in the making for almost two years.
In September 2021, a committee was formed with the goal of creating a student gender inclusion policy, as well as one for employees. Led by Alegria Barclay, former Social Justice and Equity Director, and consisting of Frost, Chen, Freeman, and other teachers across all three divisions, the committee first brainstormed issues the policy should address.
Overall, the policy aims to solidify norms around gender inclusion at Nueva, including setting guidelines for trips, privacy and confidentiality, and standardizing the process for transitioning students.
“We believe that all students and adults in our community deserve to thrive in an environment where students, faculty, and staff are not distracted by fear nor disengaged from learning because of non-acceptance by others in our Nueva community,” the policy reads.
“Specifically, we strive to create an environment that welcomes and celebrates all genders and gender identities.”
“Some of what’s included in the gender inclusion policy seems very obvious, like ‘We respect all genders,’” Freeman said. “Yet, it still needed to be codified. We believe that 90 percent of the policy represents what we already do, and 10 percent is what Nueva wants to be.”
the technological aspect of process, including changing student identification cards. especially important to support might have come out at school home.
“One of the questions is: How are we as a school to support a student who or split in their life? And represent something accurately and also accurately to the adding that she had lived years before finally coming know it’s really hard, because it.”
The policy also outlines Support Plan for students transitioning. It includes the student to fill out alongside about how they want to navigate at school.
“There’s a lot of student process,” Freeman said. “Students over who knows this information when, and how.”
After the initial policy Freeman and Barclay, a lengthy ensued. Among those who were Nueva's leadership office, the school's lawyers, members who are parents children. For Freeman, it the time to include those
“We wanted to make sure to sit with the draft and provide feedback,” Freeman explained. would likely have led to holes may have left out some important from whom we wanted feedback.”
Freeman, Barclay, and Savannah Strong also prioritized with students throughout year, the student policy was Student Union’s leadership multiple conversations about were held during QSU meetings.
The main feedback from especially around the transition
“We wanted to make sure have as much information what would be shared and kept confidential,” said QSU N.
The affinity group also think through the implementation of the policy, specifically
Included in that 10 percent was a desire to solidify a network of support for students who are transitioning. Currently, the policy includes two appendices to address this: the Gender Support Plan and the Gender Transition Support Plan.
The Gender Support Plan serves as a guide for ensuring that transgender students have support systems and that students and staff are aware of transgender students’ names and pronouns.
“One of the big pieces of it is around communication and working in tandem with the student,” Freeman explained.
“The plan asks students, ‘Who do you want to know? How do you want the school to tell them? What is the timeline for that?’”
The plan also aims to standardize
As
No one wants to feel like their ability to live freely in this country is under attack, regardless of whether you live in a state that’s on the attack or not.
RACHEL FREEMAN
of the transition changing email addresses and cards. For Chen, it was support students who school but not yet at we are grappling with school going to be able has that bifurcation how can the system accurately to the parent, the student?” Chen said, a dual life for three coming out at school. “I because I’ve lived through outlines a Gender Transition students who are actively a checklist and form for alongside a trusted adult navigate their transition student agency built into this “Students have control information about them, was drafted by lengthy review process who reviewed the policy team, the business lawyers, and two faculty parents of transgender was important to take diverse perspectives. sure everyone had time provide thoughtful explained. “Rushing this holes in the policy, and important constituents feedback.”
Barclay’s successor prioritized working closely the process. This was reviewed by Queer leadership team, and about the policy meetings. from QSU? Clarity, transition process. sure that kids information as possible on and what will be QSU co-lead Nora also helped implementation in
regards to Nueva's trips program—which, at the Upper School, now includes a fill-in-the-blanks template for disclosing information about gender norms in trip locations.
In addition to laying down the foundations for gender inclusion at school, Freeman said the policy also highlighted the need for training for all faculty and staff to ensure that they have the resources to help queer students.
“We need to make sure that teachers know how to engage in those conversations,” Freeman said. “This spring, there’s been a lot of work done around faculty and staff professional development.”
The employee policy was launched in November 2022; Nueva hopes to launch the student policy by the beginning of the next school year.
In March 2023, Chen officially became the first employee to transition at Nueva under the new Gender Inclusion Policy. Gaining the formal protection and backing of the school was a relief for Chen, who had previously feared losing her job due to her gender identity.
“I think it’s really important that the school has this policy,” Chen said. “Independent schools aren’t government-run, so they can be swayed one way or another by a collection of people. The policy is a statement of acceptance and of what the community values.”
Nora is hopeful that the Gender Transition Support Plan will “give a clearer and more transparent process” for what coming out as trans might look like at school.
“I hope that this will make Nueva a safer environment and also ensure that students know how different things regarding gender identity and mental health will be handled, as well as just generally what the process and support looks like,” they said.
Freeman hopes the policy can serve not only as a practical tool that people can point to when discrimination arises but also as a symbol of Nueva’s ongoing commitment to supporting the LGBTQ community.
“This policy isn’t going to solve everyone's problems right away,” Freeman said, “but I hope it is a step in the direction to show queer employees and queer students that the school is invested in making their experience at Nueva better.”
Beyond the Nueva sphere, Freeman also
hopes that the policy can serve as a model for other institutions.
“It is so important, now more than ever, that organizations that have the power to create such a policy actually do,” Freeman said. “This may sound a little lofty, but perhaps other organizations seeing a school like Nueva institute a policy can provide the catalyst.”
Freeman highlighted Nueva’s unique position as “an innovative, forward-thinking institution” and the significance of showing that a policy is necessary even in “what is perceived to be a liberal bastion (the Bay Area).”
difficult to address these types of non-inclusion.
“When people say transphobic or homophobic things, nothing’s done about it in a way that prevents it from happening again,” Abi said. “It makes people feel unsafe, but in a more insidious way.”
Jacobstein also acknowledged the complexities of privilege and intersectionality. For example, she observed that all of the QSU faculty advisors are white and cisgender.
“I feel super comfortable at work, but that might not be true for other people,” Jacobstein said.
To help all queer people feel comfortable at Nueva, the community has taken significant steps outside of the policy to integrate and celebrate the LGBTQ community. In April, QSU led a roundtable discussion on anti-trans legislation to commemorate International Transgender Day of Visibility. And the allschool Pride Month assembly this year featured a performance by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, an event also organized by QSU. This year, Nueva will again be marching in the San Francisco Pride Parade alongside other Bay Area independent schools.
QSU co-lead Sofia T. ’24 observed that there is still work to be done; for example, societal expectations surrounding masculinity might make it more difficult for students who were assigned male at birth to come out and attend QSU meetings.
“I get the sense that it’s harder for AMAB [assigned male at birth] queer people to be well integrated into and accepted in primarily straight friend groups,” Sofia said. “That’s something that we definitely want to try to address next year.”
Chen especially emphasized the importance of cementing Nueva’s stance amid potential changes in the surrounding political or legal climate.
“Our hope is that the school will continue to keep that policy even though the laws may change,” Chen said. “For example, what happens when the state of California gets an ultraconservative Republican governor?”
So far, students and staff agreed that Nueva has remained relatively shielded from the turbulent national landscape, even before the implementation of the policy.
“One of the reasons I came to Nueva was because it seemed like a more accepting place than my last school,” said Charlie, who was one of the early student reviewers of the policy. “My last school didn’t feel as educated [as Nueva] on LGBTQ stuff. At Nueva, I’m able to be out without having to think about it; it’s just who I am.”
“Nueva has not only allowed me to be out but has also really encouraged me to be out,” Frost said. “Administrators have asked me to share stories about coming out with students.”
Despite Nueva’s accepting attitude, Jacobstein noted that subtle biases still exist within the community.
“If you come out, you’re pretty much guaranteed that you’re not going to be shoved in a locker or have lunch thrown at you like in an 80s movie, right?” Jacobstein said. “But sometimes what’s more insidious is maybe a microaggression here, a meme post on the group grade Discord there. It's these little moments of non-inclusion.”
Abi agreed, pointing out that it can be
Next fall, QSU hopes to include more AMAB students and students of color on their leadership team. Abi also hopes that the affinity space will continue to be “a base to spark advocacy,” from standing up to microaggressions to planning pride events.
“More advocacy, more involvement, more events, more roundtable discussions, more opportunities for community building!” Wee said. “I want to expand what we are doing already.”
Overall, Chen ultimately believes that the best way to foster a more informed and accepting community is by engaging in conversation around gender and sexuality.
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion. What they do with that opinion is something totally different,” Chen said. “I hope people can understand that diversity is always good for any community. In the Beloved Community, everyone has a seat at the table.”
One of the reasons I came to Nueva was because it seemed like a more accepting place than my last school. At Nueva, I’m able to be out without having to think about it; it’s just who I am.
CHARLIE V. H. ’23
After the tassels have been turned, dorm rooms have been personalized, and bittersweet parting hugs have been exchanged, a number of parents return to a quieter home. These parents have become empty nesters, people whose children have left the “nest” and moved on to their next adventures.
Louisa and Tom Shields, parents of Eliza S. ’23, have already sent two of their children to college. Eliza’s upcoming graduation marks their inauguration into empty nester-hood and the conclusion of their Nueva experience.
“Nueva has been part of our lives as a family for 17 years. [...] When the older kids left, it was their adventure, but we still had the similarity and the routines of having the same school,” Louisa said. “This one just feels really different.”
For Tom, Nueva has been the “whole fabric” of their existence. Without a need
to attend sports games, Quest Expos, or evening events, the couple considers what their life might look like next year.
“When we drop Eliza off in college, and we have three kids gone, and we come home to a big house—just the two of us—the new routine will definitely hit us,” Tom said.
Diane Zoi, mother of Nixie H. ’23 and Zoe Herlick ’20, agreed, having been a Nueva family for the past 16 years. Even earlier, Zoi’s husband, Zack Herlick, graduated from Nueva in 1982 and joined the Board of Trustees in 1998.
“Even though Nueva isn’t going anywhere, it definitely feels like a line of demarcation, like, ‘wow, we’re not going to have kids in that school anymore,’” Zoi said.
Like the Shieldses and Zoi, Hannah Lu, mother of Isabelle S. ’23, anticipates her next life chapter beyond parenting. Despite already sending one child to college, this time feels “much harder” for her.
“[Isabelle] has been an anchor to me, and it’ll take some adjusting to enter the next phase of my life,” she said.
Grappling with simultaneous sadness, pride, and gratitude, Lu plans to spend as much time with Isabelle as possible before she leaves.
“As a parent, my heart is filled with pride for the person she’s becoming,” she said. “I am really proud that our kids have grown up to be confident and well-adjusted young adults.”
Just as their children are embarking on the next chapter in their lives, these parents are also preparing for their next adventure, one that likely includes fewer trips to grocery stores.
“While I feel sad to leave behind a significant part of my life, I’m embracing the freedom to pursue my own dreams,” Lu said. “I’ll take classes and perhaps go back to school and pursue a master’s degree.”
Elise Maar, Associate Director of Admissions and mother to Noah Van Horne ’21 and Charlie V. H. ’23, appreciates the opportunity to introspect and redefine her purpose. She is considering volunteering at food banks, hiking the Camino in Spain, and taking online classes.
“It seemed like the right time to take that step back so I can be more deliberate in how I’m going to make an impact in the next 20 years,” she said.
At the end of the year, Maar will be retiring from Nueva. In her free time, she hopes to “nourish and expand” herself, learning new things and cultivating her creativity.
The teaching profession has never claimed to be glamorous. Those who teach describe it as fulfilling work, but also grueling.
According to a report from Think Impact, the number of teachers quitting or retiring has risen by 55% in the last 30 years, and new teachers are leaving their jobs within five years of teaching in percentages as high as 30%. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) also found data for elementary and secondary public school teachers in the U.S. are “considerably less racially and ethnically diverse as a group than their students – and while the share of Black, Hispanic and Asian American teachers has increased in recent decades, it has not kept pace with the rapid growth in the racial and ethnic diversity of their students.”
Teachers at private schools are not immune to the trends found in public schools. The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) published an article titled “Retaining Teachers of Color at Predominantly White Schools” that shared two of the main reasons for higher turnover in teachers of color: experiencing additional barriers to belonging and receiving more judgment and pressure.
“The win is not simply greater numbers,” said Savannah Strong, Nueva’s current Director of Social Justice and Equity. “The win is when [faculty] feel happy and healthy in the community.”
Strong, who joined Nueva at the beginning of this school year, will be leaving at the end of the year to take on a role at Head-Royce School in Oakland.
For teachers like Danielle McReynolds-Dell, who left Nueva in 2022 after six years as a math teacher, the happiness she found within a community is rooted in the students.
“I went to go teach because I wanted to provide a physical presence to let students of color who were in a really tough situation know that they could get out of it,” said McReynoldsDell, who identifies as an AfricanAmerican woman. “I also wanted to be someone [students of color] could talk to about how to navigate through [a predominantly white school] because that was really hard for me.”
Davion Fleming, who identifies as a Black man and was the former 9th grade dean and the Associate Director of Admissions, echoed this sentiment.
“A diverse set of non-parenting adults in a student’s life is paramount in their learning about themselves, others, and
their community,” said Fleming, who left Nueva in 2021 after five years to work as the Director of Admissions at LickWilmdering.
And while there are many reasons and contributing factors for why teachers leave, there is more of a stress on teachers of color in independent schools because of the social and historical barriers. Private schools across the country are struggling to build institutional equity and diversity in systems that were historically and predominantly white.
“Generally, teachers want to see themselves reflected in the student body, just as students want to see themselves reflected in the teaching body. So it’s a chicken and egg situation,” said Fleming, referencing why increasing diversity can be a slower process.
These moments are especially impactful as role models change and leave.
“We’re not retaining these wonderful educators—people of color, women— who I think are important for the substantive and general representation of the school and mirroring it to students,” said Matthew Oakland, a Coordinator of Social Justice and Equity who is also leaving at the end of this school year
“It’s going to be a time where Charlie is growing in different areas, and I am, too,” she said.
Louisa and Tom echo Maar’s sentiment and look forward to exploring their interests and spending time together.
“The whole idea is it’s our next era, and so we get to go and do the things that we want anytime,” Louisa said.
The transition will be difficult for these parents, whose lives have revolved around raising children for at least the past 18 years.
“There’s going to be a void that we will figure out how to fill,” Maar said.
However, while these parents’ houses may be less lively, but they don’t feel entirely empty like the title “empty nesters” suggests.
“Empty is kind of a negative word—it generally means [that you’re] missing something,” Tom said. “You can feel some sadness as your kids leave the nest, and there’ll be a hole in your life, but the whole job of it is to fill that hole and to continue to grow, change, and build your life anew.”
Zoi offers an alternative title for these parents’ new roles: free birds.
“Free bird is really positive, and it’s emphasizing the positive part, which is [that] you have more freedom,” she said.
Another silver lining is the pride and joy in accomplishing the greatest feat of parenting: preparing one’s children to no longer need them.
“Yes, the nest is empty,” Louisa said. “But at some level, we have to take that success. They’ve learned how to fly and they’re off starting their own journey.”
after three years at Nueva. Oakland said he deeply values the connections he has made at Nueva and expects to maintain them.
Similarly, during her time, Dell saw many people come and go. Ultimately, she left Nueva because she wanted to see what other opportunities for growth existed elsewhere.
“I hit my threshold on advancement; there was no place for me to grow,” she said. “Learning keeps me in school. So if I can't learn something new or build a new skill, I look for other places to go to do that.”
In the past two years, there have been increased efforts at actively building belonging: this year, the school hosted a series of affinity group dinners on both campuses, providing the community with opportunities to connect through shared cultural experiences. Strong also helped co-lead the People of Color Leadership Institute, a professional development opportunity available to all faculty and staff of color.
“This is challenging and complex work and I don’t think there are very many schools anywhere that are doing a phenomenal job,” Fleming said. “Nueva does a pretty good job, in my estimation, despite the circumstances.”
1,352 total applications sent in by students with an average of 12.7 applications per student
Stanford University (8)
Northeastern University (6)
Cornell University (5)
University of Chicago (4)
Yale University (4)
University of California Berkeley (4)
Cal Tech (3)
Carnegie Mellon University (3)
Harvard University (3)
Princeton University (3)
Wellesley College (3)
Amherst College (2)
Brandeis University (2)
Brown University (2)
California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo (2)
Carleton College (2)
Claremont McKenna College (2)
Columbia University (2)
Northwestern University (2)
Pomona College (2)
Reed College (2)
Tufts University (2)
University of California Irvine (2)
University of California Los Angeles (2)
University of Illinois (2)
Vanderbilt University (2)
Barnard College (1)
California Institute of the Arts (1)
California State Long Beach (1)
Case Western Reserve University (1)
College of William and Mary (1)
Colorado College (1)
Connecticut College (1)
Duke University (1)
Georgetown University (1)
Harvey Mudd College (1)
John Hopkins University (1)
Lehigh University (1)
Macalester College (1)
New York University (1)
PacNW College of Art - Willamette (1)
Rice University (1)
Santa Clara University (1)
Sarah Lawrence College (1)
Swarthmore College (1)
United States Naval Academy (1)
University of California Davis (1)
University of Pennsylvania (1)
University of Rochester (1)
University of Southern California (1)
University of Texas (1)
University of Utah (1)
University of Vermont (1)
University of Miami (1)
University of Wisconsin (1)
Vassar College (1)
Villanova University (1)
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (1)
Washington University in St. Louis (1)
Whitman College (1)
Gap Year (3)
34
percent of the class has decided to stay on the West Coast with 28 percent staying in California
"My key takeaway was how to pace myself. My philosophy was letting go of my to-dos where I deliberatedly rested or recharged with friends."
13 new colleges are being attended by seniors
'23
including Lehigh, Cal Arts, Santa Clara, UC Davis, Connecticut College, Sarah Lawrence, William and Mary, Villanova, Vermont, Texas, Naval Academy, Miami, Vrije University Amsterdam
"It's important to work hard, but make sure you're enjoying high school while it lasts. Make time for yourself so you don't lose passion for the things you love."
ANOUSHKA K. '23
different states (+the Netherlands)
Fun cultural outings are crucial to promoting a sense of community.
EDITORIAL TEAM
Serena S. ’23, Emma Z. ’23
Editor-in-Chief
Grace F. ’23
Managing Editor
Isabelle S. ’23
News Editor
Aaron H. ’24
Opinion Editor
Ellie K. ’24
Features Editor
Isabella X. ’24
Culture Editor
Natalie L. ’25
Entertainment Editor
LiAnn Yim
Faculty Advisor
STAFF
Gabe A. ’24
Samara B. ’24
Josie B. ’25
Gabriel H. ’24
Sami K. ’23
Kayla L. ’26
Char P. ’23
Anuj T. ’23
Alice T. ’24
Alvin Y. ’26
Owen Y-L. ’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.
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The Nueva Current is a member of the NSPA and CSPA.
We welcome your voices.w We accept photographs, letters to the editors, articles, illustrations, and other pieces of work. Please email us at thenuevacurrent@ nuevaschool.org.
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Our culture's obsession with “health” may be more unhealthy.
LETTER FROM THE EDITORS
Graduating Editors-in-Chief
Serena S. ’23 and Emma Z. ’23 bid farewell to the paper.
STUDENT STANDOFF
How productive is Nueva's approach to restorative justice? What could be done better?
Caltrain: As the train pulls into California Avenue station and the yawning sun paints the dirty gray train silver and gold, I step on and find myself caught in between conversations. Stories from fellow commuters traveling in wisps from the front to the back of the train car. Riding the train for the past four years is catching a glimpse of the spaces in between: in between stations, cities, and people. It’s a space to cross paths with old friends who now attend different high schools, with strangers, a space of movement and change but also familiarity—and admittedly, a space to cram my block one homework.
Portable 1: First, it was squares on a screen; then, a portable classroom out in the parking lot behind school. Cluelessly
But now, Journalism reminds me of this portable classroom. Clang—footsteps on the metal ramp as someone walks up to the door. Thump—stacks of our months of work wrapped in string landing on our desks. It is in this temporary classroom where I discovered a lasting sense of community and growth. And while this box of a classroom remains isolated in the back parking lot, it became a portal to all the stories and perspectives we’ve uncovered and stitched together.
My people: I can firmly say there is little time spent in silence when I’m with them. From the shrieks of joy when we see each other to singing along to the new song we’ve become obsessed with, the voices of my friends surround me every day. As we fill our mugs by the tea station or trek up to the third floor,
It’s easy to dismiss magic when you’ve never stepped inside the Fairy House. The quaint blue house, nestled right beyond the edge of the Ballet Lawn on the lower school campus, was where I first experienced the enchanting power of Nueva. As I opened that Fairy House door on my first day of kindergarten, I imagined all the different fairies that would await me. What I didn’t predict was that this would be the place where I would grow wings of my own.
They say you are a mosaic of all the people you have ever met and all the places you have ever been. If that is the case, then Nueva has stolen the largest tile of them all. This school has left an indelible mark on who I am as a person and who I will continue to be. As my time at this school comes to a close, and I begin to write the final sentences of this chapter, I prepare myself to step out of Nueva’s familiar embrace. I prepare myself to leave the only second home I’ve ever known.
Thank you Nueva for 13 years of a thousand moments I have taken for granted— mostly because I assumed there would be a thousand more. Thank you for teaching me to dive head-first into vulnerability and wrestle with the uncomfortable, to separate curiosity and judgment, to make beauty out of the convoluted, and to never lose sight of the unreasonable passion we have for the things we love.
And to my fellow Lifers (you know who
you are), thank you for joining me on this journey since day one. Although we have reached an end that once felt impossibly far, for a long time, we have grown side by side. Our roots will always be tangled, and I’m grateful for that. The 17 of you have shown me how to climb the slopes of life with compassion, curiosity, and perseverance. From mansion sleepovers and gingerbread scavenger hunts to chicken mummifications and brown bag concerts, there is no group of people I would have rather wanted to spend over 20,000 hours at Nueva with.
I reflect on my years with both a bittersweet nostalgia for what once was, as well as an uncertain excitement about what will be. As I roam through the forts on the lower school campus, and wander the hallways of the upper school, I am often reminded of how fortunate I am to have had Nueva. I’ve realized the simple fact that endings are almost always a little sad, even when there is something to look forward to on the other side. While this chapter nears its culmination, I know the ink will bleed into the other pages. I know the Fairy House magic will continue to surround me and the door remains open if I ever feel like coming home.
Thank you, Nueva. It’s truly been the best 13 years.
from the previous night—like how Serena dreamt she had to swim to board the prom boat or how I dreamt we were older but then we laughed because growing old seems impossible when we are together.
Thinking about my time at Nueva, my memories surface through sounds; my inner ear echoes with a melody of voices, music, and laughter. And as I’m typing away on this article for my fourteenth and final issue of The Current, I’m reminded of the beat of our shared “Comms room crunch” playlist (beginning with Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well”) and the voices of my fellow writers, LiAnn, and Jen Paull as they helped craft this with me—a fulfilling feeling I know all too well myself.
“While this chapter nears its culmination, I know the ink will bleed into the other pages. I know the Fairy House magic will continue to surround me and that the door remains open if I ever feel like coming home.”
I've struggled with my body image for years. Constant diet messaging—from weight-loss ads, fatphobic books, PE coaches, and even my family at times—led me to believe that my weight depended solely on what I ate; that I could be skinny and athletic like my siblings if only I ate right and exercised more (even though my siblings and I all exercise daily and eat similar food); that if I was to become overweight, it would be a health failure and a moral failure. Even today, unlearning these messages is still a work in progress, and the continued prevalence of diet messaging doesn't help.
Mass media, from fearmongering "obesity epidemic" pieces to shady advertisements with inaccurate weight loss advice, will have you believing that losing weight is always a positive, that gaining weight is always a negative, that your weight is your fault. None of those are true. Does losing weight really make you more athletic? Not necessarily. Working out might lead you to gain muscle, causing you to gain weight instead of losing it, and it's possible to be overweight and athletic, or thin and unathletic. Genetics also play a role in determining your shape, size, and athletic ability—it's not just what you eat or how often you exercise.
Does losing weight make you healthier? Again, not necessarily. While certain levels of obesity can have some health risks, variations in body type are normal and natural. And while BMI is often heralded as a metric for determining when obesity poses a medical risk, the metric is incredibly flawed.
BMI was created in the 1800s, based on data from white males. It only uses your weight and height, ignoring other health information such as muscle distribution; athletes can be classified as overweight by BMI since muscle weighs more than fat. Yet when people have a high BMI, doctors will
often declare them overweight and advise losing weight as a cure-all, which can lead to fat people not getting the medical care they need.
Pressure to lose weight, from doctors or other sources, can even lead to medication abuse. Ozempic, a drug that limits your appetite, has recently gained mass media attention and celebrity attention as a weight-loss mechanism, despite not being approved for such purposes. The drug is meant to combat type 2 diabetes—it lowers your blood sugar and regulates insulin. This winter, Ozempic was in short supply in part due to its use as a diet fad, causing difficulties for type 2 diabetics who rely on the drug.
While diet drugs do go overboard, there is some truth to diet messaging. Getting regular exercise and eating healthy foods can help your health, both mental and physical. But damaging your relationship with food—or worse, developing an eating
Affinity spaces should celebrate a shared identity—not just foster solidarity and strategy, although those are important community builders.
disorder—is more detrimental for your health than being overweight. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, eating disorders impact at least 9% of the US population, and about 25% of people with eating disorders attempt suicide.
Rather than using weight as a metric for health, find other ways to measure your fitness, from counting your heart rate to measuring how far you're able to run or swim. Don't make comments on what other people eat or shame them for their weight; what's “healthy” and what's not differs for every person.
If you're struggling with food, try to find joy in it, whether by cooking your favorite dishes or watching baking TV shows. When I've been able to let go of the messages diet culture has drilled into me, food has been more than nutrition or fuel—it's been a way to make memories, and it's brought me a ton of joy.
Learning is a central part of an affinity space, and I know this to be true in the affinity spaces I've been in and led. It is important to create a general understanding of one another, thus creating a community where people feel seen and heard. Affinity spaces have always, for me, been places where I don’t need to explain myself.
However, as much as learning and discussing joy and pain can bring a community together, there also needs to be social time to connect with people on a level beyond identity.
This community cannot exist based only on discussion about similar challenges. There need to be fun activities, such as going to eat a meal reminiscent of culture together, or see a movie, or learn a new art.
Most affinity spaces have very low turnout, with about five people attending affinity spaces with email lists of over 40. This is far from ideal, but it is slowly improving with greater focus and celebrations of cultures this year.
The space I colead, Multiracial Affinity Space, held its own event in April; however, though a few new students attended, they haven’t showed up to meetings since.
The conference focused on our own stories and finding connections through food, media, and family as multicultural people. The preparation of this conference was focused on discussion of identity and spreading the word, but I wonder if community-based activities would bring more people to the space.
STORY Emma Z. and Serena S. PHOTO Still Light StudiosWhen the two of us first stepped into our editorial positions in junior year— Emma as design editor and Serena as the editor for the sports and entertainment sections—we celebrated with a series of hysterical, panic-ridden FaceTime calls. Now we find ourselves on our final FaceTime of The Nueva Current Volume VI, hysterical in a bittersweet, heartfelt way.
Our goal with The Nueva Current is only ever to construct an outlet for student voices as a foundation for change. Because of your time, your stories, and your propensity for critical conversation, we have had the opportunity to excavate our community’s wealth of perspectives to report meaningfully on discourse that inspires such change.
In our curation of the paper this year we’ve worked to foreground not only stories that record disruption—both welcome and unwelcome—within our community, but also stories that work to incite positive change. Among other topics, we’ve collected perspectives on the rise of artificial intelligence, affirmative action, and cultures of misogyny, and are grateful to see our work reflected in administrative action and hallway conversations alike. The two of us now stand at the end of our time at The Current as co-Editors-in-Chief and reflect on past issues with nothing less than
regrets. We have you to thank.
We also thank our advisor, LiAnn, for her mentorship, as well as the rest of our staff who see our publication through every step of the publishing process. This year, as four senior editors depart, we welcome three new editors and look forward to previous editors stepping into new positions. We could not be more confident in their passion for and dedication to their work, and rest assured that they will continue to investigate and share the multitude of stories of our community.
With that, we officially pass the torch to next year’s staff of The Nueva Current
Officially passing on the torch, Emma and Serena
INCOMING 2023-2024
EDITORIAL TEAM
Aaron H. ’24, Editor-in-Chief
Ellie K. ’24
Isabella X. ’24
Managing Editors
Natalie L. ’25
News Editor
Isabella X. ’24
Opinion Editor
Owen Y-L. ’24
Features Editor
Josie B. ’25
Culture Editor
In past spaces I’ve been in, from the one at Student Diversity Leadership Conference to my middle school’s affinity ALANA (African, Latino, Asian, Native American), there was always a social component. We would all meet in the same location, eager for the adventure of going to see the new premier that had actually diverse casting or walk to ice cream or go play in the park.
These events weren’t focused solely on our identity or uplifting other people through activism by writing to representatives or holding a bake sale, although they did serve that purpose to an extent. In these times, we understood that this community supported us in our identity and as people.
I remember always feeling seen and energized by these events; even though back then I was shy and my social battery had a short life, I always wanted to go back to the space. In the last few weeks of school, I’ve shifted the Multiracial Affinity Space’s focus to community to build a solid group of people to keep the space strong after I leave.
In the coming years, I hope there will be a core group of at least five to ten people with two co-leads who can rely on each other and the group to center discussion, drive support and numbers for the Mixed Conference, and have fun and enjoy the time together being free without the need to explain the idiosyncrasies of being multiracial.
Affinity spaces need to forge communities based on
As a member of the Nueva Honor Council, I am very committed to the efficacy, use, and future of restorative justice in our community. Restorative justice prioritizes healing over punishment, and conversation over conflict—values I wholeheartedly believe in.
The Honor Council offers student perspectives on complex issues, which are a natural and expected part of the high school experience. It’s impossible to navigate teenagehood, or any institution in general, without some kinds of disagreements and harms. Hateful language, insensitive jokes, and poor digital citizenship just scratch the surface of topics that may call for a restorative circle.
I’ve served on the council for two full years now, in our transition back to a post-pandemic high school experience. The efficacy and use of the Honor Council took a hit during an online era where it was nearly impossible to facilitate restorative justice, especially because of the anonymity that digital spaces can have. With changes in administration and faculty in the past couple years, as well as senior members leaving, it’s been a long process to return to the implementation and prioritization of what the council has to offer to the administration and student body.
Since returning to in-person school, we’ve pivoted from focusing on learning about the application of restorative justice in high schools to learning how we can advise administration on decision-making, as most incidents have been handled by the administration and any involved parties.
As someone who has attended multiple all-school restorative justice circles during my time at Nueva, more as a listener than as a participant, I applaud the administration’s use of well-thoughtout consequences for parties who have harmed the community in some significant way.
The use of research, personal reflection, and small and big group conversations have proven to me a commitment to both helping harmed community members process and express
their feelings and giving offending parties the opportunity not just for forgiveness, but for progress.
One major part of the process of restorative justice circles working in times of crisis is having communitybuilding circles and creating trust before these concerns come up. In order for us to be able to speak peacefully and empathetically in restorative circles, we need preemptive conversations to prepare the community for this kind of strategy, rather than just employing it in a moment of crisis. In order for the process to work, we need adults and students to invest in it. If we only implement restorative practices after conflicts, the process feels disjointed. When adults decide all of the consequences as well as public and private reactions to harmful events, students can feel fully left in the dark, unaware if action is even being taken, and what the relevance will be to the situation.
Student input is a unique and necessary part of the disciplinary process. We are in touch with social and academic situations in a nuanced way that faculty may not be.
The ultimate goal is to prevent what may be our instinct: social ostracization and punitive consequences for infractions. Those two things I believe are the perfect storm to make community members who may have made mistakes feel as if there is no hope for overcoming and moving forward from the incident they were involved in.
While some students may be cynical or dismissive about restorative justice, I believe that it is the solution needed for potential future conflicts or harms, but the student input that Honor Council offers has to be more actively utilized. In order for the disciplinary process to feel more comprehensive and relevant to the people most frequently affected by such conflicts–students–student input is vital.
Ever since the upper school community went through the restorative process as a response to the antisemitism incident last spring, I found myself intrigued but unconvinced by Nueva’s restorative justice approach.
When I discussed the situation in an intimate setting with Jewish students who were able to speak about their experiences and build on their experiences, it was incredibly healing and fostered understanding and solidarity among the community. However, none of this conversation took place in an all-school setting. To then have multiple assemblies rehashing the details of the specific incident, rather than addressing the broader problem of antisemitism and how we could be allies to marginalized communities, felt performative to me.
I felt similarly after the incident with the homophobic slur written in the gender-neutral bathroom (graffiti left by a non-Nueva community member): Were the assemblies necessary, or did they just provoke fleeting sympathy from allies wanting to show they care? Having restorative meetings with queer community members had created solidarity, but much of the school, including myself, hadn’t known that this incident had even occurred until we were given a rundown of the history of homophobic slurs and allyship.
While I appreciate Nueva’s efforts to show the Jewish and queer communities that they care, both of these issues were painted as juvenile mistakes—with statements that the antisemitic Kahoot name was simply a joke made by a Jewish student and that the homophobic slur was “not written by an upper school student,” in an affirmation that Nueva remains a safe haven for its marginalized communities.
Nueva’s action in creating focus groups and specificity of its work since these past two incidents has been an improvement that is visible and felt. With more recent events regarding disrespectful messages in a private freshman group text, the restorative justice process has stayed more community-focused, with a similar approach as the anti-semitism incident: a smaller, grade-wide circle, which will hopefully lead to more transparency on the issue.
Although I think that the ninth-grade circle was an incredibly important step in cultivating restorative justice, I wish that there had been at least half as many assemblies addressing it as there were regarding the antisemitism incident. The difference between these issues is that while it makes sense for Jewish and queer communities to heal on their own first, this more recent incident was not targeted towards the ninth grade population. If anything, the “innercommunity” circle needed to be a wholeschool involvement.
In addition, a series of whole-school assemblies felt to me like they were only serving as a warning, rather than a punishment. Restorative justice is about rebuilding as a community, but there also needs to be more transparency on how community members who have hurt other populations are learning from their mistakes.
I hope that in the future there is more transparency between students, Honor Council, and administration on how larger-scale issues are handled. I do appreciate all-school restorative justice at its core. However, handling these issues more directly and communicating specific efforts to ensure security will help students heal, learn and set an example for what students can improve, and prevent mistakes rather than putting a bandage over them.
The Honor Council needs to be utilized more at Nueva
Nueva’s restorative justice system’s components of community, transparency, and reflection require different efforts for each issueSTORY Grace F. STORY Samara B.
Two students’ opinions how Nueva should restore a sense of community and unity following attacks on identity
As the school year comes to a close and the class of 2023 prepares to graduate, teachers share memories from their own senior years.
"In my senior year, I was one of the lead editors of the school paper…I infiltrated a John Birch Society meeting, which is a right-wing group, and pretended that I was interested in joining [as] a youth member so I could understand what they were really talking about in there. [My article] drew some pretty intense responses."
"We had 12-hour long overnight Risk parties in my friend Paul's basement until 7 a.m.. Eventually we all started writing our own software to model the likelihood of winning an attack, [but] that took all the fun out of it, so we stopped doing it. At one of those parties I was bored and said I would leave and be right back, and ended up walking two hours to the 24-hour grocery store and buying a bunch of smoked salmon. It didn't really occur to me that this was a minor inconvenience because it was my turn. I think [my friend] Rob is still upset about that."
“I went to a boarding school where we stayed there Monday through Friday, and we did the chores. I was on the outside crew, so amongst many shenanigans, me and my friend raced the tractor versus our work car, [which] was an old Honda, around our two soccer fields. I had a solid lead with the tractor, but the car caught up and beat me. And I almost flipped the tractor over when we were turning because I forgot that the mower was attached.”
"To really impress upon us the importance of why you shouldn't drink [on prom night], because you might be driving, [my high school] had this team that came in [and did] a drunk driving reenactment. They had set up two cars on the football field that had been crashed into each other, and I was one of the people that was picked [to] participate…They asked me to be on the hood of the car like I had been ejected and put stage makeup on me to look like blood, and I had to lay with my cheek on the hood of the car [in] 85-degree weather. My character had been killed, and they had real paramedics come in and put me inside a body bag. Then they put me and my friend in a helicopter [and] it went up and came down. I felt like I was a celebrity."
“I really liked the pattern and thought it was a super fun suit since it had lots of bright pops of color... and suits are comfortable. I was going for comfort.”
“I’ve wanted to thrift my prom dress for a couple years now but I really wasn’t expecting to get one the day I bought it. I just saw it hanging there and saw the flower detailing and lace up back and knew I had to try it on. I was amazed at what good condition it was in and how well it fit, and everyone in the store kept complimenting my find. I knew I had to buy it. We even made the corsage and boutonnière ourselves!”
“It was my first time making a dress since 6th grade. I had watched one YouTube video and then I just went for it and even created my own pattern. I am most proud of the fact I put it all together in a month not knowing what I was doing and it turned out exactly how I imagined! Ever since I was little I’ve wanted to make my senior prom dress…I even talked it over with my best friend at the time in fourth grade.”
BY Simone G.
BY Marcus H.
21. Not hor.
22. Down in the dumps 24. In a perfect world 25. Prego competitor
1. Be in debt
2. She plays Dr. Cristina Yang in "Grey's Anatomy"
3. Windy City transportation units
4. "Don't ___ surprised"
5. Surname of Liv the sophomore
6. Letters before an alias
7. Spill the beans
8. Apple product
10. Monopoly token
11. Style for a research paper, often (Abbr.)
12. Wriggly bait
13. Work, as dough
16. Superlative suffix
18. Cleaning cloth
19. Develop gradually
On Wednesday, May 31 the Nueva athletics community gathered for dinner in the Rosenberg Courtyard to commemorate the middle and upper school athletic teams.
The night opened with an introduction from Director of Athletics and Physical Education Brett McCabe, detailing the soon-to-come summer improvements for Nueva athletics such as a more extensive
weightroom, bathrooms closer to the gym, and a room designated for athletes including its own TV.
Subsequently, American Olympian Jeremy Wariner, known for his three-time gold medal earnings and specialization in the 400 meter, spoke to the athletic community in an effort to inspire the 75 percent of the student body participating in sports.
“It was a very unified feeling that
everyone at Nueva was proud of their athletics,” rising captain of the boy’s soccer team, Alex W. ’24, said.
To end the night, a 20-minute slideshow still framed various athletes in their respective grounds of competition— raising anticipation for the athletic infrastructure to come.
and didn’t at all discourage the overall positive experience.
In the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown era, Tate B. ’24 began his journey to national powerlifting alongside his older brother Cole Bregman ’22. The pair lifted together after school in a makeshift home gym in their garage stocked with just sets of dumbbells.
For Tate, weightlifting quickly transformed from a simple hobby to a deep passion and is what led to a switch from casual lifting to competitive powerlifting. Tate notes that this switch came as he began to overtake Cole’s personal records at lighter weights.
As the pandemic conditions improved and restrictions lightened, Tate began going to a real gym five times a week, where he met new people who talked to him about competitive weightlifting. For him, “seeing other people who were actually actively involved in powerlifting that [he] had higher splits than” gave him confidence and direction as he began to enter this new sport.
Tate was then introduced, by way of Gabe A. ’24, to Micah Haugen, a powerlifter from Texas who brought Tate to his first competition, the Texas Strength Classic in San Antonio.
However, Tate was largely unaware of the proper preparation and training needed to maximize performance at these meets and ended up going in after just cutting nearly 30 pounds. Although the particular results of the meet were unfavorable, the exposure to yet another facet of lifting aside from the technical strength gain and diet considerations captivated Tate even further,
On May 13, 2023, Tate competed again, this time chasing both state and national records in the bench and deadlift. Just three days prior, Tate went for personal records on the bench press, successfully completing a 305 pound lift, a would-be national record.
At the meet, Tate opened his bench at 265, five pounds above the previous state record of 260, instantly qualifying himself for the international competition that takes place in October 2023.
“It was definitely a confidence builder to be able to walk in and take the pressure off a qualification right away with what is now a warm up for me” he recounted.
As he progressed further, he found himself lying down with 304 pounds sitting on the bar just feet above him, a national record for his weight class of 181 pounds. While Tate was able to successfully get the bar up, it was called off due to non-continuous motion on the way up. So, he was stuck with a high of 286 on the bench, a new state record and a performance he regards as “not particularly disappointing, just unfortunate.”
With this qualification, Tate has his eyes on the national titles yet again at the global competition where he can show out on an even bigger stage. His performance also landed him an invite at a meet in another federation, where, if he wins in any particular lift, he has the opportunity to be nominated to compete for Team USA.
Despite challenges with attendance and practice commutes, the tennis team was able to close out their season on a positive note.
For team-captain Alex W. ’24 their matches against Menlo, one of the most successful tennis programs in Central Coast Section and state history, best reflected the teams progression.
“It was one of the first times in Nueva [tennis] history that we were able to compete against Menlo,” Alex said. After the match, Menlo’s Coach Bill Shine approached the Nueva team and praised their performance.
The volleyball team ended their winning season at home with a 3-0 victory over the Mountain View Academy Mustangs. Cullen D. ’24 dominated the match, accumulating a total of 16 kills (unreturnable attacks), followed by Zander C. ’23 with eight and Charlie B. ’24 with seven.
“It was nice to see some of our newer players get playtime, since our lead allowed for us to change up the line up,” Cullen said. “With three of our senior teammates graduating, this game helped prepare our underclassmen to fill their key roles.”
To end a successful season the track team competed in the California Interscholastic Federation Central Coast Section Finals on May 20.
The women’s races marked many personal records including Kate V. ’23’s 62.04 second 400 meter, Grace E. ’26’s 49.89 second 300m with hurdles. Furthermore, the 4x100 relay team reached a personal record of 52.01 seconds, the 4x300 team a personal record of 2:16.71, the 4x400 team a personal record of 4:31.70, and the 4x800 team a personal record of 10:34.78.
Meanwhile, on the men’s side Ryan F. ’26 and Ryan D. ’23 both achieved personal records in the one mile during the competition of 4:46.11 and 4:53.66, respectively. Additionally, the 4x100 relay team reached a personal record of 45.77 seconds as well.
STORY Anuj T. PHOTOS Tate B.
STORY Milo K., GUEST WRITER PHOTO Andrew Alexander
On many Tuesdays after school, the upper school campus’ climbing wall, usually quiet and covered with blue mats, is busy with people climbing, coaching, or learning how to belay. These are members of the Nueva Rock Climbing club, founded by alumni Sophia Hoermann ’22 and Alex Plotnikoff ’21.
The long established club aims to share a passion for climbing with the wider community through climbing on and off campus, or fostering discussions on climbing.
The club provides newcomers with an inviting space to try the sport, even if it is their first time.
“People just need to be introduced to it [rock climbing]. And then they're hooked. Because it's such a cool sport, and they can realize for themselves how cool it is,” said Mei Mei L. ’24, one of the co-leads of the club this year. “We're trying to lower the barrier to entry to get started.”
After club meetings, members will often find the motivation to delve more into climbing, and climb on their own. For seniors Colin C., Sam J., and Will W., the club provided them the community and advice they needed to become interested in climbing. Now, club co-lead Coco L. ’23 sees them all the time when she’s working at the gym.
Faculty advisor Patrick Berger experienced the same addictive nature of climbing. Before one of their off-campus WoW sessions, the co-leads asked Patrick to join them, despite his lack of climbing
experience. Following the first session, he was hooked.
“I went there and I was just going to sit and watch, but I tried this little baby wall and it was incredible, all the kids were hyping me up,” he said.
Coco added, “Two weeks after we visited, he took his wife to an intro to climbing class for Valentine's Day.”
One of the main ways climbing club excites students to climb is in WoW sessions. In these sessions, they go off-campus to the Movement gym on El Camino, a more robust gym for practicing and teaching climbing to interested students. These WoW sessions provided the club with a funded, built-in time where members who would not be able to attend due to busy schedules could join the club for the outing.
For the co-leads, who are both dedicated climbing competitors, leading the upper school climbing club helps remind them of the excitement climbing brings them.
“It's really fun to get people excited about a sport that I love so much that they haven't tried. And it helps me remember why I love it so much,” Coco said.
Looking to next year, the climbing club is hoping to increase the amount of meetings and trips off-campus, and even considering some outdoor climbing outings. They are also hoping to increase their involvement in Nueva climbing, helping more experienced climbers develop their climbing abilities, both physically and mentally.
Climbing has changed my life in so many ways — [...] it’s constantly teaching me to approach life with positivity, have persistence and determination, embrace and get excited by challenge, and find true passion in what I do. [...] I hope that in co-leading Climbing Club, I can help remove some of the barriers to entry so that even a few people can realize some of that value for themselves.
Set in Akron, Ohio, ShootingStars is the story of LeBron James and his high school basketball teammates as they became the top high school team in America. Based on the book by James and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Buzz Bissinger (who also authored the nonfiction book FridayNightLights, which inspired the acclaimed TV series), the story follows the success and adversity encountered by the young players, who strive to maintain their close bonds. The story precedes James’ career as an NBA Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist, and the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. It is available for streaming on Peacock.
For the third and final movie in the Creed film series, Creed III centers around Adonis Creed and the return of his childhood friend, Damian, from prison. After eighteen years, Damian resurfaces, eager to prove himself in the boxing ring, especially after watching Creed’s successful career from his cell. With a growing rivalry between the two friends, Creed must place his future on the line by re-entering the ring and challenging Damian.
It Ain’t Over tells the story of Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra, one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Yogi amassed 10 World Series rings, three MVP awards, and 18 All-Star Game appearances. Yet, during his time on the field, Yogi became recognized more so for his personality and catchy “Yogiisms.” The documentary It Ain’t Over, narrated by family members, teammates, and admirers, aims to celebrate Berra’s whole story, all of his success, and the people he impacted along the way.
Air follows the story of Nike’s basketball shoe division in 1984 when basketball talent scout Sonny Vaccaro’s took a risky bet to select rookie Michael Jordan as the new spokesperson for the shoes. Air is the origin story for Air Jordan, the basketball shoeline that saved Nike’s basketball division from being shut down. It is available for streaming on Amazon Prime.
