By the Numbers

Costume Changes 200

made by the cast of upper school musical Something Rotten during one show.

Internship Positions 120

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.

Photo of the Issue: Senior Prank Day

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.

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TRIP WEEK PHOTOS

Upper school students traveled around the world in May: check out some of their pictures!

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Emmy-winning film “Three Boys Manzanar” screens for AAPI Heritage Month

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.”

SF Gay Men’s Chorus visits campus in preparation for all-school performance

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.”

Roundtable Team hosts Dr. Sarah Ives in panel on indigeneity

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.

Café restarts Meatless Monday program

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.” days more inclusive and enjoyable”—even for meat-lovers.

Ives described her research as a “collection of stories” and has periodically visited South Africa since 2001, her longest stay being a year.

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.”