The Nueva Current | November 2021

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

Varsity cross country team advances to states after CSS victory.

Read more on PAGE 15

How to 5 to 11 vaccine approval is affecting Nueva PAGE 3

THE NUEVA

Nueva students take to the stage at the fall coffeehouse PAGE 3

Wes Anderson creates a masterpiece in "The French Dispatch" PAGE 4

Student Standoff: Should the Nueva English 10 curriculum include Heart of Darkness?

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CURRENT NOV. 19 2021 | VOL. 5, ISS. 2

Nueva’s path to inspiring “stewards of the earth” Students and teachers answer the Bay Area’s call to sustainability, taking action to implement eco-friendly practices and student-driven environmental citizenship at school STORY ELLIE K. AND SERENA S. ILLUSTRATION T R

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unch is over. As freshmen rush to class and juniors shuffle through crowds of seniors with plates in hands, a line flows from the compost and recycling bins of students carefully sorting through the remainder of their lunch. Five miles away, middle and lower school students scavenge through the trees for the best sticks to support their forts while chatting with their classmates about the day’s highlights. The scenes are a visible, if endearingly chaotic,

reminder of Nueva’s prioritization of environmental impact on its campuses.

Because of this prioritization, Nueva has been recognized for their environmental innovation; both campuses are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified, and have been awarded with the Green Ribbon School Award and recognition as a “Green Achiever.” While these achievements reflect the school’s commitment to environmental citizenship, steady progress in implementing sustainable practices is still being made by all members of the Nueva community.

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Uncertain future for beloved Crystal Springs XC course

Irate Belmont homeowners threaten future meets STORY EMMA Z. PHOTO JOY F.

S

tudent athletes push up a Crystal Springs Cross Country slope dubbed “cardiac hill,” their sweat visible in the sunlight that pounds down on them. Onlookers— family members, friends, and spectating strangers—stand along either side of the hill’s wide track, waving posters and cheering the high schoolers on through the 2019 CCS finish line and towards participation at states.

For over 40 years, these CCS cross country races have been held on the notoriously demanding but beautiful Crystal Springs Cross Country race course. The course, which is famous for being one of the finest in California, not only overlooks the Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir and Interstate 280—being nestled snugly within Belmont’s residential neighborhood Belmont Heights—but also carries decades of cross country history.

Throw a stone into the sea of cross country-loving spectators and it’s likely that you’ll hit an adult who ran

the course when they were younger.

Athletes from all across the Bay Area have been racing on the track for over half a century, making the significance of comparing times one of the features that makes the track so unique.

“With [these generations of student athletes], runners have had the opportunity to compare with their parents, and soon with their grandparents,” David Grissom, Commissioner of the Central Coast Section (CCS) of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) said.

“This is not something that is duplicated throughout our country.”

The trail, created specifically for the sport, features wide and wellmaintained trails through a variety of terrain that pushes participants to their limits and supports high quality racing. To runners, it is the optimal location to host such large and crucial races.

However, the course is now at risk of limiting meet participants or even closing its doors to large cross country events entirely. The Belmont Home Civic

READY, SET, GO Nueva cross country runners start their watches ahead of a meet at the Crystal Springs Cross Country trail in fall 2019.

Improvement Association (BHCIA), “a volunteer organization established 50 years ago to improve the quality of life in [the Belmont] community,” is reviving an agenda that has been stalled for over a year by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The group claims to represent a growing number of homeowners who believe that large cross country events have increased dramatically in frequency and scale, and are impacting the flow of their daily lives. BHCIA has demanded that strict restrictions be placed on such events.

Homeowner Jennifer Eubeck, who says to have supported the events for decades, explains that over recent years they have had “a detrimental impact on the residential quality of

life.” This stems, she and others argue, primarily from the blockage of cars that is formed in the neighborhood streets during large events such as CCS. “Over the past 50 years, CSM has allowed the scale of runners and the number of events to escalate. The number of events each year has doubled, and the number of runners has quadrupled,” Bill Kurtz, Vice President of BHCIA said. “The only entrance into the course is through our neighborhood—every visitor has to drive past the mile of homes, up the hill, to the course entrance.”

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NEWS

First CSL Day since quarantine prompts community bonding PHOTO CHRISTINE Z.

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A

s students huddled into lines for lunch, relief for finishing the PSAT and talks of the following afternoon’s Community Service Learning Day spread throughout the cafeteria.

Held on Oct. 13, Nueva’s first CSL Day of the year started off with a virtual interview with Mayor of San Mateo Eric Rodriguez. Inspired by the presentation City Manager of San Mateo Drew Corbett gave to the Student Council at their fall retreat in August, Carina T. ’24, Community Service Learning Representative, wanted to bring in another governmental figure to speak.

“Not all students are interested in just volunteerism, so it was important to me to have him not only talk about why community service is important but also his role in government and how that connects to community service,” said Carina, who spoke to the student body over Zoom.

Carina also wanted students to have the opportunity to ask Rodriguez about how he stepped into office. Instead of solely focusing on community service, Rodriguez “interwove community service into all aspects of everyday life and his journey.”

Later in the afternoon, students split into three teams to help low-income students and families through three organizations by packing supplies: they filled backpacks with school supplies for Justice Vanguard, made up baby bags that included things like diapers and baby wipes for Hamilton Families, and made individual hygiene kits for LifeMoves. The primary goal for Carina was for students to enjoy their afternoon by helping the community through working together.

“Whether or not students learned about the organization, whether or not they actually found a dedication to community service, that’s not up to me,” Carina said. “But as long as they enjoyed working as a community, that’s what was most important.”

Moving forward, Carina looks to implement optional community service activities on campus, including during lunch and after-school.

“I’ve learned that students enjoy community service work especially when it involves aspects they enjoy, such as hanging out with friends, listening to music, and actually feel like they’re making an impact,” Carina said, adding it should not be required if it “just adds a burden on students’ schedules.”

For future CSL activities, Carina also wants to prioritize learning as a community rather than merely hosting donations and drives. Carina, along with CSL Club co-lead Adrienne P ’22, are focusing on CSL as ways to raise awareness around community issues through projects like crocheting hats for the homeless and writing birthday cards for children in foster care.

“Students enjoy that, whereas drives can really only be run by one or two people, taking the community aspect out of community service,” Carina said.

For Carina, seeing the group dynamics of each team—and their different systems of organizations—was part of her favorite moments of CSL Day. “There were groups that were super organized and groups that were a little more chaotic, but they all roughly finished at the same time, showing that it didn't matter if it was a little disorganized because students still enjoyed it,” Carina said.

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STORIES ISABELLE S.

Juniors partake in grade-wide game of Assassin

"Y

ou’ve just been assassinated.”

This dreaded phrase has weaved its way through the junior class for the past couple of weeks. Inspired by the game of Assassin played at a summer camp he attended, eleventh-grade representative Drew S. ’23 brought the game to campus for the juniors.

The game, which was kicked off in September, assigns each person a target and a task, and they must “assassinate” their target by tricking their target into completing the

assigned task. The tasks, often silly, include coercing someone into doing a headstand or singing a song during lunch. After successfully assassinating someone, the cycle continues as the assassin inherits their target’s task. The game ends when one person remains.

“Coming back after remote learning, I thought it would be a fun and easy way to create more social interaction and transition back to in-person school,” Drew said.

As the game is increasingly difficult with more people, Drew made it solely

between juniors. forty-two people started out; as of Oct. 26, however, only 13 remain.

“I didn’t expect so many people to sign up. I expected more like 20 people,” Drew said. “My favorite moments are when someone assassinates someone when I’m there, and I don’t even realize they assassinated them until they turn to me and ask, ‘does that count as an assassin?’”

20 PERFORMANCES & 24,000+ 50 PACKS

of hot chocolate at Coffeehouse

BY THE NUMBERS 395 PAPER

CEMPASÙCHILES students made for Día De Los Muertos celebrations

PEOPLE

in the Bay Area reported internet outage night of Monday, Nov. 8

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classes in the portables

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SPOONS

passed out for Blammo (173 people signed up), 129 blammos as of Nov. 10

The future of Bay Meadows What will the construction throughout Bay Meadows bring?

STORY JACK P. PHOTO BY BAYMEADOWS.COM

W

hile upper school students know Nueva’s 135,000 square foot San Mateo campus inside out, other establishments in San Mateo’s Bay Meadows may remain a mystery.

Bay Meadows, one of the largest redevelopment areas in the Bay Area, consists mainly of residential homes, townhomes, apartments, and office buildings. Among the neighborhood are also a few retail shops, cafes, and restaurants that have become popular among students and Bay Meadows residents such as Blue Bottle Coffee, Tin Pot Creamery, Roam Artisan Burgers, and the newly opened Slices Pizza. Although students enjoy getting a scoop of cookie monster ice cream or sipping on a matcha latte from Blue Bottle after school, many long for more variety.

Lately, the rumbling of a construction project across the street from campus

has caught students’ attention. This new addition to Bay Meadows will eventually develop into a new office building, becoming one of many such as Surveymonkey, Zuora, and Guidewire.

It does not seem to be rented to any specific company yet, making it a large opportunity for growth and innovation in the Bay Meadows community.

Down the street lies another major construction plot, this one promising new housing units in addition to the pre-existing homes and apartments in the area. Although these projects will eventually add to the beauty and community of Bay Meadows, they currently obstruct students on their way to school and cause interferences for people headed to their daily jobs by the small amounts of traffic and the closing of a few street lanes.

Despite both the ups and downs of these construction projects, students and faculty of the upper school remain interested in what they will bring to Bay Meadows.

“

I would add more sports facilities because there aren't many in this area.”

- Owen Z. ‘22

“

I would add a boba shop in the Bay Meadows because even though there is one at Hillsdale, it's a bit far. A boba shop in the Bay Meadows would also be a good place to hang out with friends.”

- Charlie V. ‘23

“

I would add a Walgreens because there are many things there that are helpful for everyday life. You can just get everything there.” - Kate J. ‘24

NEWS

THE NUEVA CURRENT

Journey to Neverland with

Relief floods campus as CDC approves vaccines for young children

Peter and the Starcatcher

Will the 5 to 11 vaccine affect Nueva’s COVID-19 protocols?

Student actors present this year’s outdoors production of the Peter Pan prequel

STORY ISABELLA X. & SELIN K.

STORY JOSIE B. PHOTOS SOPHIE T.

H

ow did the beloved characters of J. M Barrie’s Peter Pan such as Peter or Captain Hook come to be? Nueva students answer this question in lively fashion through this year’s fall play, Peter and the Starcatcher.

Peter and the Starcatcher, based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, was published in 2004 as a prequel to the beloved Peter Pan series. The story follows Peter and his friends on a magical and fast-paced adventure, beginning with Peter as an ordinary English orphan and concluding with him becoming an immortal flying boy on the magical island of Neverland. The play combines witty and comedic segments with thrilling and emotional dialogue to further its captivating storyline.

Upper school students in the fall play elective have diligently worked on the production since September. Cast member Terry D. ’25 explains they have been extremely impressed with

the play’s emotional range in rehearsal so far. “[The play]’s really light-hearted and fun, but at the same time, it has these really strong emotional points in it,” Terry said. “The first time we ran through the last scene, I almost cried because of how masterful the transitions from the comedy to the serious emotional part were.”

Zoe Swenson-Graham, Upper School Theater Teacher and the director of the play, coached the student actors weekly, preparing them for the performances in their elective class and Friday’s after-school rehearsals.

“This cast has been extremely adaptable and creative, and been really game for trying things and figuring out what works,” Swenson-Graham said.

The cast’s creativity wasn’t the only factor that contributed to the efficiency of rehearsals this year.

According to Terry, the cast has also forged a close bond over the past few months and continues to communicate

and spend time together outside of rehearsals.

“We have a really amazing time. We have a Discord that’s super active, and we all really like hanging out with each other,” Terry said.

However, despite the cast’s successes, rehearsals this year have not been exempt from challenges. Along with the continuing mask mandate, the play this year was performed outdoors in the Rosenberg Courtyard instead of the gym or on the Hillsborough stage as it would typically be.

“It's hard to perform with everyone masked, it just changes the way you perform,” Terry said. “We have to do the play outside so there are anxieties about, what if it rains during the production?

Hopefully that will all be okay.”

Despite these worries, the cast did not let the difficulties of COVID-19 hinder their creative process.

“Putting together a show with COVID-19 has been hard, but I think we’ve done a really good job of making it work,” SwensonGraham said.

Event’s sense of community make it a uniquely warm and comforting experience

A

s the sun set, the fairy lights illuminated the stage and the smell of hot cocoa permeated the air. It was Thursday, Nov. 4, and the bi-annual Coffeehouse was getting underway, drawing 50 to 60 students and teachers to the Writing and Research Center.

Based on the traditional concept of a coffeehouse open mic, the Nueva Coffeehouse, organized by arts representative Lucie L. ’23 along with editors of The Nueva Current, offers a mix of pre-planned performances and open mic performances and serves as a unique opportunity for artists to show their skills.

“We have people at all sorts of skill levels and polish in their performances.

It’s a space for sharing,” Lucie said.

Winston L. ’23 served as the evening’s emcee, introducing each of the 19 performances, which ranged from stand-up comedy sketches to vocal and instrumental performances of both original and cover songs. The scheduled performances concluded with the a capella group Nueva Notes singing “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” before audience members were invited to participate in the open mic portion.

The supportive audience at Coffeehouse has encouraged many first-time performers to take to the stage.

“The standard or expectation is that you have something that you want to share and it doesn’t have to be anything super polished,” Lucie said. “Less polish doesn’t mean less quality. I’m always blown away by the talent shown in these

performances.”

Jonathan T. ’22, a returning performer, expressed how special the Coffeehouse was for him. Due to the limitations of quarantine of the past year, he was thrilled to have an opportunity to perform onstage instead of through the screen.

“It’s cool to have my voice be heard in-person,” Jonathan said. “It’s a really unique opportunity to share my talents with the school.”

Jonathan had participated in last year’s virtual Coffeehouse, which took place live on Zoom.

“Having it live was a completely different experience,” Jonathan said. “Performing in front of all these people really made me appreciate the hard work I had put into it.”

T

he wait is over: on Tuesday, November 2, the CDC approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 in a unanimous vote, relieving faculty and parents alike.

The Biden administration has secured over 26 million doses, enough to treat all those eligible, and distributed them to the country's pediatric offices and pharmacies. Over the course of the pandemic, 172 children in the newly-approved vaccine’s age range have died from the virus, with 8,300 hospitalized, leaving anxious families itching to get their young ones into pediatricians’ offices.

Upper school English teacher Alexa Hart, who has children ages 4 and 7 attending the lower school, described the frenzy among lower school parents as they searched for vaccination appointments.

"We're all fighting for vaccination slots."

But it seems that parents aren’t the only ones who are overjoyed: Hart shared a heartwarming story, explaining that her son, Alistair, insisted on calling his grandpa to share the good news.

However, Head of School Lee Fertig is doubtful that Nueva’s COVID-19 protocols will be changing in the near future.

The upper school already has a near 100% vaccination rate, but Fertig predicts that it will take a while for the lower school to catch up.

Fertig said, “We probably need January, February, and March, as people are already struggling to find pediatric vaccination appointments," The masks are staying on too: “Unfortunately, I don't think those are going away anytime soon,” Fertig said.

GRIFFIN C., AGE 11 PHOTO MASON C.

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

Students and faculty share the stage at fall Coffeehouse STORY CLAIRE D. PHOTOS MITZI M.

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Blue Banisters: a compilation album done (mostly) right

Lana Del Rey gets personal and moves toward female empowerment—with some key flaws STORY ANOUSCHKA B. PHOTO LANA DEL REY

B

lue Banisters, Lana Del Rey’s eighth studio album, follows on the heels of Chemtrails Over the Country Club, released just seven months prior. The secret to her unusual productivity? Blue Banisters is a compilation album: six of its 15 songs are outtakes of prior albums.

Making a compilation album sound cohesive is not an easy feat, but Del Rey nearly nails it. Each song ebbed and flowed into the next with her hauntingly angelic vocals, the consistent melancholic piano instrumentation, and the larger theme of “blue” woven into nearly every song.

With vulnerable selfintrospection and loose song structures resembling streams of consciousness, Blue Banisters is unlike anything you’ve seen from Del Rey before, more akin to a musical diary than an album.

Collaged into its songs are everything from weight gain to comedic quips like “‘Crypto forever,’ screams your stupid boyfriend / F— you, Kevin,” on “Sweet Carolina.” As she reflects on quarantine and her parents’ convoluted relationship, it’s palpable just how far she’s come from chasing an outdated Hollywood allure through former songs that were more about the toxic men in her life than herself.

The single biggest strength of the album is Del Rey’s newfound

outlook on female empowerment. In her previous work, she glamorized domestic violence and rejected contemporary femist ideals. In “Ultraviolence” and “Smarty” (unreleased), she croons, “He hit me and it felt like a kiss,” and “Beat me and tell me no one will love you better than you do.” In “Roses” (unreleased), she sings “and then we start to fight, tumble down the staircase” before cooing “and then you buy me roses and it’s fine … I’ll let you off easy, it’s all right” and validating his dominance with “show me what you got and put a girl in her place.” And she repeatedly defined herself by how men felt about her: “I need you, I breathe you, I'll never leave you!” she begged in “Off to the Races.”

Things have thankfully since changed, though. In a 2017 Pitchfork Interview, she cringed at the “Ultraviolence” line, saying "I don't like it. I don't sing that line any more.”

This album is evidence of that shift, with songs about herself rather than living for men. The song “Blue Banisters” exudes female empowerment: reflecting on her close bond with friends Jenny and Nikki Lane, she says that apart from healing wounds from past relationships, “the power of us three can bring absolutely anything.” And in “Violets for Roses,” she sings, “Ever since I fell out of love with you, I fell back in love with me / and boy does it feel sweet” and “God knows the only mistake that a man can make / Is tryna make a woman change and trade her violets for roses.”

These symbolic lyrics are pure selfgrowth, speaking directly to her past relationships—Del Rey “needing” to change herself all in the name of “love”—and reflecting on how wrong that was.

I said it was a mostly successful compilation album. And I stand by that “mostly.” Del Rey’s move away from unhealthy relationships is precisely where my criticism also stems from: five songs on the record are outtakes written and recorded in 2012–2014, the same era from which aforementioned problematic lyrics stemmed. Worse, they’re co-written and produced by her ex-fiancé, Barrie James O'Neill, who she alluded to being a toxic individual in a 2014 interview with Fashion, saying “It’s been a tenuous and tumultuous three years…

He’s unwell and I’m unwell in some ways, and psychologically we’ve been

through a lot together… I no longer felt free.” Including songs on Blue Banisters once intended to accompany lyrics like “I can hear sirens, sirens…

Give me all of that ultraviolence,” feels counterintuitive: it diminishes the empowering stance of the album.

Finally, the album is, quite frankly, sometimes boring. Slow and sad can be beautiful, but with plodding melodies, Del Rey makes it at times sluggish.

“Interlude”—practically the only track which actually has a beat—crackles with energy, but it just made me reminisce on the days when more than one of Del Rey’s tracks on an album actually had some oomph to it.

I’m all for female empowerment, self-reflection, and acknowledging sadness rather than glossing over it—but it doesn’t need to come at the expense of musical monotony, and Del Rey needs to define what female empowerment really means to her instead of muddling it with songs of her past.

The French Dispatch: Wes Anderson’s newest meticulous masterpiece This beautiful ode to print journalism both embodied and expanded Anderson’s cinematic tropes

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s print journalism continues to lose ground to digital news channels, film director Wes Anderson took his love of The New Yorker and crafted an ode to print journalism in his latest film, The French Dispatch (2021).

Known for quirky films like The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Anderson is a modern-day auteur—a filmmaker whose visions and influences give a unique trademark to each of their films—whose eccentricity and unique creative lens constitutes films that are incredibly satirical and yet filled with depth.

The French Dispatch is no exception: it not only weaves unconventional plot lines but tackles topics that even the most sophisticated of intellectuals cannot decipher.

It’s a masterpiece not only because of the nuance and complexity that are so emblematic of

Anderson, but also because of how he’s expanded his repertoire by beautifully balanced subliminal messages and raw emotion in a way that he’s never done before.

Set in the fictional town of Ennuisur-Blasé (quite literally translating to boredom), France, The French Dispatch follows the staff of the French bureau of a Kansas newspaper as they scramble to publish their final issue following the death of Editor-in-Chief Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Bill Murray). Along the way, the film embarks on three main stories: “The Concrete Masterpiece”

by J.K.L. Berensen (Tilda Swinton), “Revisions to a Manifesto” by Lucinda Krementz (Frances McDormand), and “The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner'' by Roebuck Wright (Jeffrey Wright).

In terms of cinematography, this film stayed very true to Anderson’s usual style of symmetry and a somewhat consistent color palette when used. That said, Anderson was much more experimental with moving shots, close-ups, and color (or lack thereof ).

The black-and-white elements of the film seem to represent the basis of each story, while the use of color within each story showed moments of raw humanity. The emotional depth was refreshing, as his films are typically satirical and absurdist. However, each of the three stories—especially the first—featured characters that were more fleshed out than those of his

STORY GRACE F. PHOTO IMDB

other films: Moses Rosenthaler (Benicio Del Toro), a convicted murderer who channeled his energy into painting, Zeffirelli (Timothée Chalamet), a young revolutionary seeking a place in the world, and Nescaffiera (Steve Park), a selfless police chef. These characters distinguish this film from his others in both the topics that were covered and the manner in which they were.

In addition, this film meant so much to me as a journalist. Print publications (such as the very one this review is being written for) are slowly being replaced by clickbait headlines and flashy imagery to capture the public’s short attention span.

This film not only showed the nuances of being a part of a print publication—like crunching for a deadline or disputes over a quote—but also the magic of being a writer.

For that alone, I count The French Dispatch among my favorites of Anderson’s filmography. Though arguably one of his most eccentric films, The French Dispatch offers a beautiful new perspective on the world, and highlighted Anderson at his best.

CULTURE

THE NUEVA CURRENT

Slices Pizza: a decent addition to the Bay Meadows eateries STORY & PHOTO ANISHA K.

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or years, the reigning triumvirate of Blue Bottle Coffee, Tin Pot Creamery, and Roam Burgers at the intersection of S. Delaware Street and Franklin Parkway has remained a dominant hangout spot for Nueva students.

Now, there’s a new arrival on the scene, heralded by floor signs and banners emblazoned with “Slices Pizza” and a minimalist logo of a triangular slice—an interesting choice, given that the chain’s claim to fame is Sicilian-style rectangular pizza.

The store itself is tucked into the side of the Quimby Apartments building behind vine-draped pergolas and has a clean, modern aesthetic: long wooden tables, shiny white tile, and brushed steel shelves stacked neatly with cheese wheels and cans of sauce. There’s an accent wall adorned in block-lettered cutesy phrases like “it’s hip to eat square,” “celebrate life with a slice!”, and, cleverly, “let us cater your next event.” On an adjacent wall, a mounted TV plays sports coverage, and through the window you can see the outdoor dining area, complete with spindly red patio furniture.

If you look forward to the Nueva Cafe’s “French Bread Pizza” days, you’ll love Slices.

Their pizza’s crust, about an inch of airy sweetness, makes every bite a satisfying

mouthful, and pairs well with their pepperier take on tomato sauce—hot enough to be noticeable but without any bite, and just shy of too salty.

Slices offers both individual slices () and full rectangular pizzas ($$$) in staple flavors, like a reliable cheese blanketed in stretchy mozzarella with an unfortunate propensity to slide right off its saucy base, or a veggie slice, topped with bell peppers, mushrooms, and green olives, which, along with the sauce, made for an overpoweringly salty bite. Their margherita, with pillowy pockets of fresh mozzarella and waterily sweet halved cherry tomatoes, was a mild, juicy affair, carried in flavor by the thin strips of basil strewn like tinsel throughout.

(As a meat avoider, I sadly can’t speak to Slices’s more exciting flavors, like sausage and veggie, meat lovers, or Hawaiian. Rest assured, however—I have it on good authority from a friend that their pepperoni is “great.”)

Beyond pizza, Slices also offers salads so simple they seem like an afterthought, like the Caesar salad, which had all the fixings and a thick dressing that made me think oh, right, there are anchovies in Caesar dressing. Fishy though it was, it paled in comparison to the Greek salad’s “lemon dressing,” which made

Alec Baldwin is not the one to blame

Despite the ramifications of Baldwin’s, the issue of directors stretching legality should not be ignored STORY GRACE F.

delicately sweet romaine taste like I had drenched it in an entire bottle of Sprite.

The sandwiches were more promising—I got a caprese I could have eaten just for the bread, which the owner assured me was fresh out of the oven, all flour-dusted crackly crust and steamy soft insides. The thick slices of sweet tomato, fresh mozzarella rounds, whole leaves of verdant basil, and liberal dousing of olive oil didn’t disappoint, either, but it was clear they were a supporting cast.

In the way of drinks, Slices offers house-made lemonades in original, raspberry, and strawberry. I washed my meal down with an icy glass of the latter, which had a flavor profile akin to that of a pink AirHead, and grabbed one of their cookies, too—decadent chocolate chip, with crispy edges and a sticky center, hints of salted caramel and orange zest in every bite.

With its sweet, thick crust, and safe flavor combos, Slices rounds out the offerings of the other, more refined stores across the plaza with a simple charm most aptly and elegantly put by one of my friends: “If a pizza bagel was pizza.” I suspect that Slices— as suggested by the tiny sauce heart drizzled on every slice of cheese pizza—caters well to juvenile tastes. And honestly, what more do we high schoolers need?

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hree weeks ago, actor Alec Baldwin made headlines after fatally shooting cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza on the set of his movie, Rust.

Baldwin was filming Rust, an upcoming Western film, when the tragic incident with a prop gun happened. In addition to forever staining his career, the incident has highlighted a debate on using real weapons as props. It has become a prime example of the legal and ethical issues present in the film industry itself.

Though the “blame” could be placed anywhere, Baldwin has unfairly become the face of this controversy. Although tragic, his actions were accidental and traumatic to witness. No actor should have to suffer—whether physically or psychologically— simply due to flawed direction and an extreme commitment to realism.

Filmmakers having the power to bend ethics and moralities is a longstanding trend. In 1978, 12-year-old Brooke Shields portrayed Violet, a child prostitute, in the film Pretty Baby.

Though “consent” was technically given by Shields’

mother, Shields herself was exploited, with the film sparking debates about child pornography. Over forty years later, the legality of this film is still discussed among film buffs—though Shields’ performance was acclaimed, she was too young to consent to her participation in the film’s mature scenes and subject matter.

Baldwin and Shields are among numerous actors who have had to endure the irresponsible direction of a film director, becoming victims of illegal and unethical actions simply for cinema’s sake. Their reputations and mental health were both compromised and put at risk by a director’s poor decision making.

The Rust incident was tragic, and the investigation into the incident is still ongoing. But the actions of the director should not be ignored, and hopefully the rules of filmmaking will soon be more clearly defined for the safety of those involved in it.

STORY GRACE F. PHOTOS IMDB, ADELE, AMANDA GORMAN

Looking for a good listen, watch, or read? Here are some recent recommendations to get you hooked.

30 BY ADELE

F

ollowing a six-year hiatus, Adele is planning to release her fourth studio album, 30, on Nov. 19.

Inspired by her recent divorce, Adkins states that this album will contain themes of pressure from fame and motherhood. 30 will be a musical memoir blending genres with Adele’s signature piano ballads like the lead single “Easy On Me,” but also “a drum n bass record to spite you."

CALL US WHAT WE CARRY BY AMANDA GORMAN

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oet Laureate Amanda Gorman broke headlines when she gave a stunning recitation of “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden’s inauguration. In this collection, Gorman reflects on themes of identity, history, and culture with beautifully crafted lines and stanzas portraying messages that will reach all audiences.

ENCANTO (2021)

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et in the mystical mountains of Colombia, Encanto follows the magical Madrigal family, each containing their own power except for Mirabel. However, when the magic home becomes endangered, Mirabel may be the key to saving its magic. Complete with beautiful animation and a soundtrack written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, this film will be Disney’s newest must-watch.

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

Grace’s Culture Corner: Musical Magic, Bold Ballads, and Persuasive Poetry

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Progressive or problematic? The rise of thrift shopping in the upper-middle class.

The ethicality of second hand fashion among the affluent.

STORY NATALIE L. PHOTO NOEL STOCK.ADOBE.COM

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#thrift has gained 10.1 million posts on Instagram and 3.7 billion views on Tiktok.

Although some consumers shop for personal consumption, there has been a recent surge of online resellers on platforms such as Depop or Poshmark.

Anjuli M. ’25 began second hand shopping last year and has experience shopping on Depop, an e-commerce company. “ I was interested in it and I ended up buying a lot of stuff in the first few months that I had it, but then I realized that it was getting really expensive and so, I started thrifting instead,” Anjuli said.

To accommodate for the crave for vintage clothing, resellers clear out thrift store shelves and sell the clothes for many times more than what they paid for online, pricing the same old pair of jeans out of a lower class families' budget. Benevolent shoppers and Depop resellers have emerged so rapidly and in

such a large quantity, thrift stores have raised prices to take advantage of the high demand. “​Increasing thrift prices seems to come from corporate thrift stores such as Goodwill and The Salvation Army,” as Michigan Daily states.

This effect strips low income families from their most feasible source of clothing.

To the upper-middle class, thrifting may be a hobby or side-hustle for a few extra bucks, but it is a necessity for people who can’t afford to shop elsewhere. Nueva students provide advice on thrifting while minimizing negative impacts. Eva says, “I think shopping sustainably is necessary, but it’s not just a ‘continue on with the way we approach thrift stores now’ situation. Instead, we need to be more conscious to not overconsume when we go into these stores.” Additionally, Anjuli says, “I think it’s okay if wealthy people shop at thrift stores. My only other thing though, is that if you have the money to buy sustainably and price doesn’t really matter, I think that these people should be investing in brands that might be more expensive but are super sustainable.” The benefits of shopping second hand should absolutely be taken into account, however, whether it is taken from a community in need should be considered.

Foundation and future of the 175-A Lunch Club

10th grade dean on the future of the club and student social lives STORY ROAN W. PHOTOS CHRISTINE Z.

TENTH GRADERS AURA M., MEHER B., OWEN Y. AND NAOMIE C. BATTLING FOR THE BINGO WIN

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hat do you get when you mix Survivor, cookies, and potato chips? The class of 2024’s new lunch club!

The 10th grade Lunch Club, which takes place in room 175-A during long lunches on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, provides an opportunity for sophomores to meet and interact with one another in a safe, schoolsponsored environment.

The idea came from a discussion with a parent.

Michaela Danek, 10thgrade dean, worked together with Anna F. ’24, 10th grade Student Council representative, to bring the idea to life.

Lunch Club has evolved from a small group watching Survivor to a space where enthusiastic sophomores can play games like Bingo.

“I wish more people would come,” Anna said. “It is a fun way to talk with friends, meet with people, and have an awesome social experience.”

Students missed more than classes last year; they missed the lunches filled with inperson socializing that foster friendships.

“It was rough making friends,” one 10th grade student, who wished to remain unnamed, said.

“I tried talking on Zoom, and when I did, it was hard to keep up conversations.”

Danek echoes the difficulty of the pandemic and virtual learning for youth.

“We need to reckon with this reality and take steps to mitigate the impacts, and one of those is encouraging young people to have the

chance to make connections with each other,” she said.

“Lunch Club is just one example of a place and a space for tenth graders to get together and connect with each other.”

The club provides snacks to munch on during and after lunch, plenty of opportunities to meet people and chat, and even permits students to Airplay their

OLIVIA C. '24 FOCUSED ON HER BINGO BOARD

favorite TV shows onto the projector for everyone to enjoy. On October 27th, Danek introduced a Bingo day, which offered prizes like an origami-making kit and fidget spinners.

To Danek, this novel introduction to student life has not only allowed for the tenth grade to make up for lost time in an environment that’s welcoming, but can pave the way for other similar opportunities.

“I can’t make everything happen,” Danek said. “But if you bring me ideas, I can explore if and how we can make them a reality.

It’s a tough time, but I’m optimistic things will get better.”

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

s social media grows ecstatic over vintage clothing trends, shopping second hand has gained enormous popularity among Generation Z. Influencers on TikTok and Instagram post themselves hitting the jackpot at thrift stores, flaunting carts of trendy clothing for amazingly low prices. The hashtag #thrift has gained 9.9 million posts on Instagram and 3.6 billion views on Tiktok— but does that lead to widespread gentrification of thrift shopping?

Second hand shopping has substantial benefits.“Fashion production makes up 10% of humanity's carbon emissions,” as a 2019 article by Business Insider states, so it is logical that consumers purchasing clothes that would otherwise be in landfills note themselves for being environmentally friendly. “I do it [thrift shop] because I care about the environment and I don't need to buy brand new clothes,” explained May Wilson, upper school art teacher. Additionally, cheap prices allow for people to express themselves with fashion, without having to splurge on clothes. Eva S., '22 says “ I went to a middle school with uniforms, so when I was actually able to dress how I wanted to, it [thrifting] provided me with a cheaper option to kind of entirely revamp my style.” Additionally, Wilson says that, “Under one store, it represents so many decades and styles of clothing and it’s like a treasure hunt.”

Shopping second hand instead of buying from fast fashion brands like Forever

21, Shein, and H&M allows shoppers to continue buying clothes at the same low prices without supporting large brands' unethical practices and treatment of their employees. In fact, the U.S Labor Department found that H&M workers in Los Angeles were discovered to be paid as little as $4, and an average of $7 an hour, much below the state’s $10 minimum wage. Finding affordable clothes, decreasing clothing waste, and deterring from unethical brands seems like a win-win situation in hindsight, but there may be more to it.

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From ninth-grade Quest project to nationally recognized waste classifying app

How environmental advocate Yash N. ’22 turned an interdisciplinary school project into a climate crisis solution STORIES BY ELLIE K., SERENA S., AND ISABELLE S.

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quick snapshot allows the remnants of lunch to be easily sorted into its various garbage bins, thanks to an artificial intelligence program and a Nueva student.

What originally spurred from his ninthgrade Quest project to a now nationally recognized, usable app, DeepWaste eases the process of classifying waste. On Sept.

20, Yash N. ’22 was nominated as a finalist for the 2021 Children’s Climate Prize award for his app, inspired from a trip to his local recycling facility.

“The sheer amount of waste there was really surprising to me,” he said. “I knew waste was a big environmental problem and I’d heard the importance of accurately throwing your waste away, but for the first time, I really was able to see and experience it.”

This moment prompted the creation of DeepWaste, meant to address the confusion surrounding what items should be recycled, in the hopes that reusable or compostable materials do not end up in landfills.

“A large problem was people’s confusion about where to throw their waste,” Yash said. “The idea behind DeepWaste is that it’s an accurate mobile app to classify ways [to recycle] using artificial intelligence.”

In the past three years, Yash has worked to bring his idea into reality by “field testing” and “getting it into the hands of the people.”

Recently, Yash hosted a demo at Nueva to get real consumer feedback with the hope that in the near future, students sorting their waste into garbage bins may encounter an iPad with DeepWaste open, ready to assist them.

The app’s success relies not only upon its inventive and unique approach to classifying waste, but also its functionality. On average, users of DeepWaste performed 50 percent better in sorting waste than people without the app, revealing the app’s practicality in daily life.

“Seeing those results makes it really promising for real world deployment,” Yash said.

His next goal is to see his app utilized on Nueva’s campuses.

“Hopefully, with the approval of Nueva, we can actually have it tested… so then people can use it and provide feedback,” Yash said.

The app’s success will only rise from here; once more people use the app and upload images to the database, DeepWaste becomes more accurate.

“Getting it into the real world was a big challenge and something I’m still working on,” Yash said.

With the ongoing support and mentorship of Tanya Srebotnjak, the prior Director of Environmental Citizenship at Nueva, Yash’s thinking pushed beyond the technological approach to the environmental justice components, involving the wellbeing of individuals taking environmental action on the frontlines.

Such people, called informal waste workers, collect waste for a living and are “extremely crucial in fighting climate change.” Partnered with these individuals, DeepWaste could benefit from the knowledge of the informal waste workers, and as a direct result from the short year

of collaboration, the workers’ income doubled.

In all of its achievements and progress as a project, Yash has long-term goals to take DeepWaste to a national, if not international, level.

“It’s hard for people to want to use an app like DeepWaste on a daily basis,” he said. “After usage of DeepWaste for let’s say over a month, would people actually become more knowledgeable about where to throw their waste?”

Another important factor of the project is funding. The grants do not take DeepWaste as far as Yash plans.

One such plan is to potentially partner with recycling centers who lose millions of dollars annually due to inaccurate waste disposal by humans.

“I want to see if… we can create an economic business case to have DeepWaste implemented across the world,” he said.

Thanks to the Bay Area’s progressive stance in developing eco-friendly practices, the project has large potential to succeed. The next challenge is combating rules on waste disposal changing on a county basis.

To Yash, specifically implementing the app across counties is not his primary concern. When encountering counties with less sustainable habits, they will require more effort from Yash to incite excitement among people about becoming environmentally focused.

Its next stage in national expansion may start at Srebotnjak’s new job: Williams College, where students can engage in

collecting images for the app.

While artificial intelligence allows people to understand the trends of actions taken to mitigate climate change, Yash acknowledges the complexity of climate change.

“AI is not a silver bullet by any means to solve the climate problem, but it is going to be a really valuable tool,” Yash said. “DeepWaste is one small part of trying to help.”

Yash advises teen advocates to “find their niche” and really become passionate about it.

“Even though [DeepWaste] is only addressing one segment of sustainability… it can make a really big dent,” he said. “If we collectively do this at scale, we can solve the problem.”

It’s raining, it’s pouring, and these teens are soaring Charlotte R. ’25 organizes youth climate action talk to foster climate activism and innovation

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from one of Charlotte’s other projects, The Community Photobooth. Started two years ago from her passion of photography, The Community Photobooth raises money and awareness for important and timely causes through photoshoots. In the past, Charlotte has given photoshoots to donate to local hospitals and food banks in response to COVID-19 cases and wildfires.

Last summer, Charlotte donated her profits to charities combating the wildfires in Northern California. At another fundraising event hosted by the San Mateo County Parks Foundation, families featured in her photoshoots prompted Charlotte to consider a way to multiply the impact and include other students.

“The parents kept telling me the same things like, ‘Oh, I really wish my kid was doing a fundraiser. My kid is uninspired,’ or ‘my kid’s just lounging around on the couch all day on their iPad,’” Charlotte recalled. “It got me thinking about ways to show kids the potential they have and to inspire them. So many kids in our community are doing incredible things, and I wanted them to talk about how they’re innovating change.”

The event was not meant to make changemakers, but for students to discover the changemakers inside themselves.

After the event’s presentations, Charlotte had the opportunity to chat with other students and hear their newfound ideas—one of her favorite and most gratifying moments of the night. She was especially enthusiastic when talking to middle schoolers and even elementary school students who were buzzing with

ideas.

“It was so wonderful to see their creativity and excitement for pursuing climate action.That simply shows everyone is a changemaker,” Charlotte said.

“Everyone has the potential to come up with the next million dollar idea. It just depends on whether they act on it, and I really hope this event helped them find and hone in on their creativity and innovation.”

Charlotte is looking to expand The Community Photobooth and future events, not only having herself fundraise but also opening it up for more volunteers to reach more people—believing “there is strength in numbers.”

She also realizes the importance of enacting her projects elsewhere than solely the Bay Area, as the issue of the climate crisis spans farther than San Mateo County.

“It is an important next step to reach the communities that don’t have much climate action taking place and encourage it there,” Charlotte said.

In the past, Charlotte has primarily used her middle school’s Student Council as a platform for her climate actions—like starting a greenhouse garden at Crocker Middle School. This year, she is focusing on pushing her initiatives beyond the Nueva campus.

“I really enjoy doing projects that aren’t just specific to school because sometimes you are constrained to just helping your school community,” Charlotte said. “I want to open up the door to helping an even greater scope.”

For Charlotte, a firm believer in taking action, hearing about wildfires on the news and seeing signs of severe drought on the freeways only further motivates her to work with other youth in implementing change

in their communities.

“Climate change is literally everywhere, which is why it’s so important to take these steps towards helping the environment. That was the intent of Teen Innovators For Climate Action… it’s not just telling other people to do something about it, it’s you literally doing something about it,” Charlotte said.

Charlotte believes everyone is an innovator; all some people need is a little motivation, inspiration, and guidance.

“A lot of the time, people push the problem onto other people or blame and complain about the issue, but it’s enough pointing fingers,” Charlotte said. “Do your part, go above and beyond, and use your creativity and your innovative mind to do something.

Just act on your ideas. That’s the most important thing.”

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

hile for some, the violent gusts of wind and sounds of pitterpatter against windows are the perfect excuses to stay bundled up on the couch indoors, Charlotte R. ’25 had other plans.

On Oct. 24, the day of the “atmospheric river,” Charlotte organized an event to take “atmospheric” action.

The Teen Innovators For Climate Action talk, which took place on the evening of International Climate Action Day, featured seven teenagers from the Bay Area, including four Nueva students. The student speakers shared their stories about crafting award-winning climate action films, converting gas-powered cars to all-electric, and creating wildfire tracking apps.

These youth presenters are all taking innovative strides to combat climate change.

“Everyone was there to help motivate other kids in our community to take action against climate change,” Charlotte said. “The intent of the talk was to showcase the innovative and creative ways teens in our community are doing so. And it just happened to fall on the stormiest day of the month.”

Attendees sought refuge from the storm in the Crocker Middle School lecture hall, where the event was held. Before the event, Charlotte had hung flyers around town in coffee shops and on telephone poles, and the 60-person turnout was even more than anticipated.

The idea of a climate action talk spurred

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Inspiring “stewards of the earth”

As the Bay Area strives for sustainability, Nueva takes action to implement eco-friendly practices and student-driven environmental citizenship STORY ELLIE K. AND SERENA S. ILLUSTRATION T R.

INSTAGRAM: @THENUEVACURRENT

WWW.THENUEVACURRENT.COM

continued from page 1 Assembled in 2015 to help achieve the school’s environmental goals, the Environmental Task Force’s current intent is to make students better environmental citizens.

Sarah Koning, Nueva’s Director of Environmental Citizenship, says the plan is to help students balance urgency with optimism, and innovatively think and advocate.

“While a LEED certification is great, there is a lot that we are still working towards,” Koning said. Future goals revolve around reducing food waste, making sure lunches are sourced sustainable, and working on divestment from fossil fuels.

Despite strides in finances and lunch periods to develop a greener campus, Koning still has questions.

“What are our students learning, and what are they carrying with them throughout the years that will actually be impactful and make change, not just show the awards that we have?” she asked.

Motivated by a desire to return to outdoor learning, middle school students have already begun designing outdoor classrooms amidst the 33.3 acres of forest.

I-Lab Shop Manager and Engineer Christine Braun and Koning collaborated with sixth-graders this fall in an elective dedicated to designing students’ dream outdoor classrooms—one glimpse into how the school fosters a love for the environment in students from a young age.

“We want students to be out in nature—inspired by it, recognizing the importance of it—and become stewards of it,” Elizabeth Rossini, Director of Teaching and Learning, said in a Nueva News article this fall about the project.

Although the upper school is urban and does not have the advantages of extensive greenery, environmental citizenship remains valuable. One avenue community members are approaching the problem is through new environment-focused classes. Upper school science teacher Jeremy Jacquot will be teaching a Climate Impact class this upcoming spring, open to all, in which students will plunge deeper into the climate

crisis and potential solutions.

“I admit sometimes I feel pretty pessimistic about where things are [in the environment],” Jacquot said. “And while I'm not going to sugarcoat things in the class, I also don't want students, on top of all the other challenges that being a teenager in this area brings, to feel like the climate is given up… like we’re going to enjoy the climate for 20 more years.”

Jacquot, who was initially intrigued by a Sonoma school’s organization called Schools for Climate Action, has big hopes for his environmental science course, as it could strengthen Nueva’s sustainable mindset and environmental citizenship. He aspires to encourage students “to take the lead” in forming their

“What are our students learning, and what are they carrying with them throughout the years that will actually be impactful and make change, not just show the awards that we have?” own chapter, bringing that “same activism” to Nueva.

Jacquot hopes students recognize the severity and challenge of the climate crisis, yet still understand the things that need to be done can be done.’

“It's always a question of the will. And that's tough,” he said.

Students have already displayed the will to take action. The Student Council environmental representative, Caroline P. ’22, feels strongly about guiding students at Nueva to take action.

“I have always felt fear and frustration regarding environmental neglect and I needed a way to do something about it, for at least my own peace of mind if not to actually make change,” Caroline said.

As schools begin to cultivate leadership and environmental

responsibility within youth, Caroline commented on the irony of academic institutions funding

and profiting off of the fossil fuel industry.

“As long as the fossil fuel industry is thriving, our generation, all generations younger than us, and our planet are jeopardized,” she said.

Caroline works alongside Colin C. ’23, a strong environmental advocate, and Andrew C. ’22, the Divestment Club leader, to end Nueva’s financial support to the fossil fuel industry.

“Divestment is interesting because I know a lot of schools focus on the material aspect of sustainability, which is recycling, composting, all that stuff,” Colin said. “But I think Nueva is looking at financial parts of it too, like where the money actually goes… I think that’s really helpful and one of the things I admire about the school.”

Equally significant, the passion expressed by students recently prompted an administrative response. Last spring, the board trustees passed a policy ensuring that future investments will be more ethical.

The Endowment Committee, which manages the schools investments, chose to divest three carbon tested funds. Their initiative “meant a lot” to the Divestment Club and “was really encouraging,” according to Andrew.

Of course, Andrew and Colin’s work is not yet done. One goal the Divestment Club has is incorporating divestment and “environmental citizenship principles” into a strategic plan, so divestment can “explicitly be a part of the school’s future,” according to Andrew.

The future of environmental citizenship will revolve around student action. Current Mavericks call upon the younger generations of students to step up and begin

the long and challenging— yet rewarding—journey to sustainability.

“It is really important that we establish a strong culture of environmental action and caring among the student body,” Caroline said. “We need the next generation of Nueva environmental leaders.”

Students and faculty have ideas in mind to keep Nueva green.

“I think a next step is getting more faculty on board and integrating environmental action more into the greater Nueva education,” Caroline said.

As Mavericks identify daily, education is more than being able to understand STEM and analyze literature; it instills the leadership skills and confidence needed to take actions against a common threat to the world—like the climate crisis.

“It is important to empower students to nurture the place in which they live and learn: their local neighborhood, regional environment, and global ecosystem,” said Lee Fertig, the Head of School. “With increased awareness of devastating climate change and acknowledgement of the unsustainability of certain patterns within the human condition, environmental citizenship and the development of this mindset in schools are now core necessities in the educational process.”

As Caroline said, the future of the environment relies on actions taken by the next generations.

“Nueva students are great at doing things,” Andrew said. “They’re passionate.” The Nueva Way agrees: passion is the first step.

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Regional Sustainability

How Bay Area environmental practices compare across the globe STORY ISABELLE S.

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or Sarah Koning, Director of Environmental Citizenship, having lived around the country and abroad, the Bay Area and California have proved to her to be some of the most sustainable regions in the world.

The peninsula is considered a pioneering, global powerhouse on the eco-scene. From produce to waste reduction to transportation and infrastructure, sustainable practices are weaved into the fabric of the culture.

But outside the Nueva campus and the Bay Area, ecoconsciousness looks different.

During the

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) conference, Koning had the opportunity to see how other schools around the country are advancing their sustainability. For instance, Koning notes schools in Indiana focused on agriculture at a large scale because they have land, as opposed to geographically constricted schools in New York City.

“So what can they do with their space?” Koning said. “I can’t bring back agricultural learnings from Indiana, but I can think about their bigger systems and how we can incorporate that into our environment.”

As noted by Koning, different regions have varying approaches towards

sustainability—including across the globe.

“For instance, many schools in Japan take a very community-oriented direction towards sustainability, and students are expected to pick up their waste and also sort it, which circles back to more community action needed and have everyone pitch in,” Colin C. ’23, a strong environmental advocate, said. Colin believes one of the main areas of improvement at Nueva is the community spirit behind sustainability, especially in recycling and composting.

Divestment Club leader Andrew C. ’22 reaffirmed Colin’s sentiment, arguing that schools, no matter their location, “can always do better.”

Andrew emphasized the ways in which physically being more sustainable, such as having solar panels, and

sustainability-incorporated curricula, can go hand-in-hand.

“When we can see the things we’re learning about, I think that will make our generation more prepared to fight climate change,” Andrew said.

With different geographic and cultural settings comes different approaches towards sustainability.

Around the world, the societal frameworks for sustainability require different educational efforts, expanding the understanding on the importance of geography in formulating educational goals and systems.

“We all have different environments, and I’m hoping we can all find solutions, be impactful even given the constraints of our campuses, and learn from one another,” Koning said.

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

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Mental health crises can’t of accessibility is a detriment be scheduled Lack to students’ mental health STORY GRACE F. & ISABELLA X. ILLUSTRATION FREEPIK

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fter a year in isolation, students have needed more support for their mental health than ever. Academic stressors, social pressures, and simply being thrust into a newly unfamiliar environment have all taken a toll on our wellbeing. For those who struggle with social issues, the sudden shift from isolation to being bombarded with the echoing voices of hundreds of people in our periphery has been especially jarring and overwhelming.

The counselors serve as

a safe haven—they offer a space where students can talk about their problems or draw silent, judgement-free comfort from Mochi, the therapy dog.

Whether they have supported us in a crisis, or offered a professional listening ear as we unburden ourselves about school stress, sometimes they can be the only people we feel comfortable sharing our experiences with.

We’ve found ourselves seeking support more and more this year, yet it seems like every time we make our way up to the second floor, the

door is locked and we’re left outside, feeling stranded and struggling.

We are so grateful for the quality of the counselors we have—they always demonstrate their deep care for our wellbeing, even when they are swamped with students and outside practices. Yet with the sporadic nature of mental health crises and the urgency needed to cope, we feel it’s necessary that the administration provides reliable, dedicated on-site counseling on each campus.

Why Nueva should move the Tutorial block to the morning I can’t choose attending Tutorial meetings over maintaining friendships and practicing my sport STORY ELLIE K.

WWW.THENUEVACURRENT.COM

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grab my bag, scan my ID, and race out of the doors, my backpack slung over one shoulder. As I yell goodbye to my friends, I can’t help but feel disappointed that I have to postpone my afternoon Tutorial until tomorrow’s flex time.

As a competitive gymnast, I have very little time in my day for anything other than classes, practice, and homework. Based on my schedule, I can only attend Tutorial meetings on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during the upperclassmen’s lunch block.

Teachers and other students are frequently occupied during this time, causing me to resort to other, less desirable meeting times, like my own lunch, which I’d rather spend nourishing the friendships I’ve finally fostered

after a remote freshman year.

Still, my availability for Tutorial times is distressing, especially during periods with several major assessments.

Having opportunities in the morning to meet with teachers and peers would allow students to feel supported and encouraged to take control of their learning.

To me, an important and rewarding part of the Nueva experience is receiving such incredible, individualized guidance. The Tutorial block allows me to feel confident in my classes and capable of achieving my full academic potential—is it possible to incorporate a morning Tutorial in order to avoid conflict with after school extracurriculars?

Use Nueva’s college counselors

The college counseling office has knowledge and experience students can’t get anywhere else STORY ANISHA K. PHOTO ISABELLA X.

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ueva’s a unique school. No AP or Honors classes, no GPA, no class rank… the list goes on. It’s hard to explain the accelerated coursework, standardsbased grading, and evals to someone who isn’t already familiar with how things work.

A thorough understanding of a student’s academic background is vital for any college counselor. It seems like many students, in their senior year, turn to external college counseling support and guidance.

While that can be an option, it’s far

from vital to the college application process because we already have access to dedicated college counselors, right here on campus.

The biggest draw of a Nueva counselor over others—besides being covered by our tuition—is that they already intimately know all of Nueva’s quirks and how to faithfully represent students on paper. Even if it’s in conjunction with an out-ofschool counselor, I urge all students to take advantage of the valuable resource that is the college counseling department.

WoW, I wonder which workshop I should take?

INSTAGRAM: @THENUEVACURRENT

The surveys are long, but worth your time to complete in order to access diverse catalog STORY AARON H.

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s I passed the art rooms on a break from my Silent Study Hall, I watched in frustration as my peers used a clay wheel. It was a frustration with myself—that I could have been the one sitting on that stool, my foot could have been the one on the pedal. But instead, I sat bored in the cafeteria, all because I had refused to fill out a survey.

Unfortunately, I had judged

Wednesdays of Wonder (WoW) quickly. I had thought of the Flex Wednesdays—and the surveys they entailed—as a poor use of my time.

I had refused to see the various arrays of classes offered through Wednesdays of Wonder as a glimpse into the great ocean of passions within the Nueva community.

So, out of both curiosity and annoyance with myself, I opened the WoW email for the very first time.

Scrolling through the WoW catalog, I found myself intrigued. I saw gems

like these: Wes Chao’s “Puzzle Room Design Workshop,” Betsy Madden’s “A Science Movie So Bad It's Good! Volcano,” and Lilli G. ’25 and Michaela Danek’s “Beautiful Chemistry and Photography.” As I continued to scroll through the 22-page catalog, my interests were piqued again and again. Like a 5-year-old me pressed against the glass of a candy shop, I hungered to grab fistfulls of classes.

I was too harsh on the new change to the schedule, too rash in

thinking said change could only be a negative one. And unfortunately, I missed out on many weeks of WoW offerings; many weeks to sample the confectionery of classes I would have thoroughly enjoyed.

And so, I give an​​imaginary (COVID-19 safe) elbow bump to the administration, staff, and teachers who helped create WoW, while also asking the student body not to be like four-weeks-ago me. Don’t take WoW for granted—dive in and explore.

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Grappling with "average" How attending a “gifted school” can fuel feelings of inadequacy

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verage” is the revocation of hard work and denial of talent. It’s the erasure of all the times I’ve mentally and physically exhausted myself studying late into the night. “Average” is what my parents assure me that I’m not; what Nueva’s administration inadvertently dismisses time and time again as they label us as “gifted learners.” In every decision I make, every grade I receive, I tear myself to shreds, poking, prodding, and magnifying what I deem mediocre.

When I first came to Nueva, a classmate asked me, “What’s your thing?” My thing? I had never been asked that before.

In middle school, I was the kid who joked around in the back of the classroom, yet managed to remain at the top of every class.

Dumbfounded, I responded that I was good at academics. A few days later, I discovered that the student who had posed the question was

STORY ISABELLA X. ILLUSTRATION CHAIRISH

taking Calculus as a freshman.

And so I uncovered another bit of truth: among Nueva students, I was undeniably, irrevocably average.

For so long, my self-image has been tied to the notion that I was special; that somehow, because I performed well academically, because my teachers praised me, I deserved to be rewarded.

However, as a Nueva student, eclipsed by an array of smarter, more gifted students, my selfesteem crumbled.

My experience parallels the “big fish, little pond” theory: students at lower-achieving schools think highly of themselves, while equally performing students surrounded by high-achieving peers view themselves as less adequate—a negative “academic self-concept.” 34 percent of the class of 2025 joined Nueva after middle school; their academic self-concepts could be greatly damaged if they equated their

self-worth with their relative performance, thus negatively affecting their classroom mindsets. In a 2018 study published by Prashant Loyalka, an assistant professor at Stanford Graduate School of Education, nearly 200,000 eighth-grade students were evaluated, and the results found tangible evidence for the phenomenon.

The research showed that academic self concept affected students' levels of participation, attitudes about the classroom, and placement in advanced courses.

The desire to be better—to be “above-average”—fuels selfsabotaging and overachieving

behavior. In an attempt to make up for my perceived lack in STEM prowess, I’ve thrown myself into all things humanities and literature, pressuring myself to outdo my peers, determining success through trivial measurements.

(This article was conceived because everyone else was writing one article, so of course I had to write two. And when I saw another peer had listed two, I forced myself up to three.) Yet there always seems to be someone better, someone who, despite my best efforts, outshines me in every way. While rationally, I know that “excelling” doesn’t equate to my worth, in a school where gifted learners are abundant and normalized—where anything below “exemplary” is deemed a failure—I can’t imagine ever coming to terms with “average."

Twice-exceptionality: a blurry blessing and a classroom curse STORY GRACE F. ILLUSTRATION MISSLUNAROSE12

INSTAGRAM: @THENUEVACURRENT

WWW.THENUEVACURRENT.COM

T

wice-exceptional. A term that has floated around the periphery of my school experience. A “blessing” almost, being seen as gifted enough to be able to overcome cognitive difficulties.

However, it can be viewed as a curse for people like myself who fall under this category, in that it can allow for the necessary accommodations to simply fly under the radar due to a measure of giftedness.

Twice exceptionality is defined as an individual who is both gifted and neurodiverse.

Neurodiversity is constituted by non-pathological variations

Although giftedness can let neurodiverse students fly under the radar, our stories and needs need to be brought to light

of the human brain, including Autism, AD(H)D, Tourette Syndrome, Dyslexia, and OCD. While twice-exceptionality can be seen as a compliment, it can also have some negative connotations for neurodiverse students.

“The word exceptional, in the context of how it was coined as a term, I think originally had good intentions behind it,” Jane* said.

“And I get that, but I do have a little bit of difficulty with the term because it's basically saying one thing is exceptional about me, but the one thing that's exceptional is *Name has been changed

looked down upon in society.”

Like myself, Jane is part of the neurodiverse student population, being diagnosed with ADHD and Dyslexia. Although we can both perform academically, simple classroom interactions can be incredibly difficult for us. As someone who has sensory issues and difficulties with communication, the “participation” standard on most templates has been a point of contention for me since middle school, as it is often difficult for me to gather my thoughts in a way that is coherent and with the conversation, and large discussions are often overwhelming and can be difficult to navigate.

However, especially when undiagnosed, these issues are often attributed to simply being “shy” or making “silly mistakes.” Before being diagnosed with Dyslexia, Jane found herself frustrated with her inability to complete certain math problems due to trouble reading what was on the page. Although being diagnosed helped Jane with her own academic confidence, it

also gave her more reason to feel isolated from her peers.

“In some way that was very liberating because the problem wasn’t all these other negative things about me,” Jane said.

“But on the other hand, it's kind of a detriment to my mental health because everyone else is performing just as great as me, but they don't need accommodations.

And that's kind of isolating.”

Jane and I share the thought that although Nueva does an amazing job with accommodations for people who struggle with their mental health, there isn’t enough education around neurodiversity as a general topic, leading twiceexceptional students like myself to feel invisible.

“I think it would build community awareness from the ground up,” Jane said. “I think creating a space to discuss this is essential.”

Bringing these conversations to light at a younger age could help to raise awareness to the issues that neurodiverse and twiceexceptional students face in the classroom.

11.

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THE NUEVA CURRENT

ENTERTAINMENT

Top TikToks of the season

T

he last years have been a struggle for all as new COVID-19 updates and political conflicts flood our newsfeeds. However, despite the upsetting news that have long infiltrated the internet, wholesome and creative TikTok trends and accounts have prevailed, bringing joy to millions of TikTok users. Here are three of our favorites to keep you conversant in pop culture.

41.8

13

7.7

percent work all over their house

percent work in an office or at a desk

STORY NATALIE L. PHOTOS NETFLIX, @JONGRAZ, @LAURALOVE5514

7.9

30.5 percent work in their bedroom

12.1

percent work at the kitchen table

percent work in their living room

LAURA’S 3-YEAR-OLD SON COOKING ON THE STOVE. LAURA’S 1-YEAR-OLD SON MAKING A SANDWICH IN HIS MINIATURE KITCHEN.

I normally work at my desk to get on that study grind but if my back can handle it I sometimes work on my bed.

- Brynn S. '24

Kids ruling the kitchen @lauralove5514, a mother of two, shares her Montessori parenting to her 3 million followers. She emphasizes that self-directed, handson learning is the best method for children's development. TikToks of Laura’s 3-year-old and 1-year-old children cooking meals for their family have gone viral, and inevitably sparked controversy. As Montessori parenting is a progressive concept to

most, some viewers worry that these children are too young to be burdened with the chore of cooking. However, these bright boys have proved disquieted viewers wrong. Equipped with their mother’s constant supervision and age appropriate tools—such as their own miniature kitchen—they cook up a storm, brimming with confidence.

KANG SAE-BYEOK, A CHARACTER IN “SQUID GAME” HOLDING UP HER DALGONA CANDY.

My dog’s favorite hobby is sitting on my lap and licking my hands while I type. She is a menace to productivity.

- Eleanor A. '25

- Callisto L. '22

NOODLES HAVING A “BONES” DAY, NOODLES HAVING A “NO BONES” DAY.

“Bones” or “No Bones”?

Noodles, an adorable 13-year-old pug, has become an overnight sensation because of his comical, floppy nature. “Bones” or “No Bones” is a game where this pug foresees how everyone’s day will go.

His owner, @jongraz, posts daily videos of Noodles determining what kind of day the day is by whether

he flops over, boneless, when woken up, or stays upright. A “No Bones” day encourages viewers to spend the day relaxing, while a “Bones” day signifies productivity and hard work.

Luckily, Noodles seems to have more than enough “No Bones” days to go around to his millions of followers.

Comic COMIC ANISHA K.

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

is made from just melted sugar and baking soda, which is mixed together over a flame to create a fluffy syrup.

It is then poured onto a baking sheet and a shape is imprinted with a cookie cutter. Unlike characters in “Squid Game”, TikTokers have been able to try this culture-packed game, risk free, in their kitchens.

I get most of my homework done at school, it's quieter there, so it's easier for me to focus. Usually I find an empty classroom, but sometimes I'll do it on the third floor near all the plants, or on the turf.

- Charlotte P. '23

I move around my bedroom: sometimes I'm at my desk, sometimes my bed, sometimes the sofa, and sometimes the floor.

Dalgona candy craze People all over TikTok are posting themselves making dalgona candy, a traditional Korean honeycomblike sweet, which was featured in the popular Netflix show, “Squid Game.” As appreciation towards the show grew, Koreans shared their childhood favorites with viewers all over the world. Dalgona candy

I like being closer to my family; both my parents spend lots of time in the family room across from the kitchen, so I tend to work in the kitchen.

- Jack T. '22

14

ENTERTAINMENT

One desk doesn't fit all

An insider view into teacher workspaces

Crossword

VOL. 5 ISS. 2

11.

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CROSSWORD SERENA S.

STORY AND PHOTOS SERENA S.

John Feland

I-Lab Engineer / Quest Co-Director

O

ne glance of Feland’s desk and a student might widen their eyes— it’s a seemingly mess of scattered papers, knitting supplies, and dishes from lunch time. However, for Feland his desk houses many of his necessities and as well as objects that may be in demand every blue moon. “You need a motor, I got it, you need a cooler to run an experiment in thermodynamics? I got you covered,” Feland said. He thinks he is “just an embodiment of the old Boy Scout motto: be prepared.”

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Equal supply and demand

1. Proficient superior

3. French pastry (plural)

2. Tablet

7. “Off” antonym

4. Headphone company

9. Safe, protected synonym

5. Number that identifies a computer

Jamie Gao Mandarin Teacher

11. Covid test

6. Doesn’t grow on trees

12. Nueva doesn’t offer these classes

7. Emblem of royal power

arked with a beautifully hung white dream capture curtain and scattered Chinese ink paintings, Gao’s desk aims to “bring good feng-shui,” and “light to a wall-facing desk.” As someone who believes it is essential to have a workspace that represents her personality, Gao hopes each element on her desk cultivates warmth and auspicious energy. “I love to extend kindness and human imagination to block all the unconstructive [feelings] and let all the positive intentions through to enrich my days,” Gao said.

13. “Walk on ____”, 1964 hit

8. “Please reply” minus “v”

15. Leave of absence, acronym

10. Exclusive inner-circle

17. Chip sauce

12. Opposer

19. A work of…

14. City in Andalusia, Spain

20. E.P.A atmospheric stat

16. Roden

22. Taylor’s version minus “e”

17. Poetic foot of three syllables

23. How to Train Your Dragon character

18. Apple seed

24. Show with Love Quinn

21. Rental car company

25. Common spanish phrase ending in “amp”

26. Dash

26. A deadly sin

27. Neon

29. Astatine

28. Virginia

30. Recent café addition

29. Mean distance between the earth and sun

INSTAGRAM: @THENUEVACURRENT

WWW.THENUEVACURRENT.COM

M

31. Lightyear minus “z”

MASTHEAD The Nueva Current Student Newspaper of The Nueva School

Paul Gallagher

Associate Dean of College Counseling

“L

ife’s better when it’s full of flavor,” said Gallagher, when describing the aspects of his workspace.

While he primarily uses his desk to hold miscellaneous items, it is also the place in which he displays his ever-growing collection of hot sauces. “I bring a bottle to lunch everyday,” he said. “I like to kick it up a notch.”

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

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

500 print copies are distributed for free to students

and faculty members in all three of Nueva’s divisions.

The Nueva Current is a member of the NSPA. QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR SUBMISSIONS? We welcome your voices. We accept photographs, illustrations, articles, and other pieces of work. Please email us at thenuevacurrent@nuevaschool.org.

STAY CONNECTED www.thenuevacurrent. com | Instagram: @thenuevacurrent | Twitter: @ thenuevacurrent 131 E. 28th Ave., San Mateo, CA 94403

CORRECTIONS The Nueva Current welcomes comments and suggestions. We seek to publish corrections and clarifications in the subsequent issue. Please email any corrections to thenuevacurrent@nuevaschool.org.

Corrections: Issue 1, published Oct. 15, 2021: On p. 3, in the article "Internship program grows despite pandemic limitations," Deshan de Mel's last name was misspelled. In the accompanying photo, Anya C.’s last name was left out of the photo caption and Jen Paull's name was misspelled. On p. 8, in the "Meet Your New Faculty" feature, Matthew Gill's last name was misspelled. On p. 19, in the sports article "Runaway victories," not all the cross country team coaches were named. The XC team is coached by Robert Lopez, Sheryl Taylor, and Trent Robinett. In the sports infographic on p. 19, it was printed that the girls volleyball players have hit, set, passed, and spiked over 4,000 times a week; this was incorrect.

SPORTS

THE NUEVA CURRENT

Girls varsity volleyball team finishes season as CCS quarterfinalists

15

After a strong season, girls volleyball team falters in the quarterfinal game.

STORY SELIN K. PHOTOS PHOTOGRAPHERS

R

eturning from the missed season last year, the girls varsity volleyball team picked up from their losses, and gained momentum to qualify for CCS championship quarterfinals with just four months of practice improving as a team.

Isabella Y. ’23, who has been playing on the team since freshman year, reflected on the team’s development, “Of course everyone got a lot better skill-wise as the season progressed, but the main way we improved was in our collaboration and connection,” said Isabella.

“We learned to rely on each other and that’s the reason we got as far as we did.”

After losing the first five games of the season, their first win against Pacific Bay Christian on Sep. 23 boosted the team’s morale and

set them up to win the following games.

Isabella also shared her pride for the team in their game against Berkeley High School at the Stockton Classic tournament on Oct 9. She noted that Berkeley was highly competitive and a real challenge, but the team was able to come together and snatch back a set.

“That was definitely the moment of transformation for our team. We realized our full potential,” Isabella said.

She also shared her enthusiasm about winning their game against University Preparatory Academy on their senior night; both teams played well, but defeating them by three points in the fifth set was a “feeling that can’t be beat.”

After beating University Prep academy in the first game of CCS with a score of 3-1, the second game of the tournament

against Castilleja on Nov. 2 after a six game win streak wrapped up the season for the team. Played in Palo Alto in the Castilleja gym, around 50 fans from Nueva cheered for the team.

Despite the rigor of Castilleja, the team still put up a fight, working to hold onto each set until the end. Kaila E. ’24, expressed her pride for the season.

“It truly showed the team’s growth since the start of the season,” Kaila said. “Our dynamic definitely became stronger as we learned how to work as a unit.”

Isabella reflected on how the team’s friendships flowed from the school hallways onto the court, “The team dynamic was great because we are all friends outside of volleyball,” Isabella said. “It just took a little bit of time to transition that friendship into a volleyball environment.”

Varsity girls tennis finishes undefeated in Skyline Division league Mavericks wrapped up their league season with a perfect 10-0, but fell to Menlo in CCS league season, not losing a single game, and nearly beating the rival Gryphons from Crystal Springs Upland School in a nonleague game. In CCS qualifiers, sophomore Lauren S. ’24 came in fourth, finishing just below the podium.

Yet despite their success within the league, the team was sent home after falling 0-7 against

STORY ISABELLA X. PHOTOS NUEVA PHOTOGRAPHERS

SERVING UP WINS The girls varsity tennis team won all 10 of their league games this season.

It was a painful defeat. Varsity girls tennis faced off against Menlo School in the first CCS round, riding high on a dominant 10-0 win streak in the Skyline Division.

Coached by Jennifer Perry, the girls varsity tennis team had a remarkably triumphant

Menlo in the first round of CCS. The girls have taken the loss in stride and used it as a learning opportunity, hoping to grow even stronger in the coming years.

“It was a good culmination of our efforts,” Mira D. ’22 said. She offered Menlo a playful challenge, saying that the rival school offered the team a chance to improve before they “meet again.”

Cross country & varsity volleyball team superlatives Anna F. '24 & Kelly P. '24

MOST ENERGY ON THE COURT Fiona T. '22

BEST PRE-RACE ROUTINE Josh B. '23

BEST CHEERLEADER Anya P. '23

MOST LIKELY TO GET A YELLOW CARD Arielle C. '22

BEST SNACKS Alyssa H. '22

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

BEST ENERGY

STORY SELIN K

16

SPORTS

VOL. 5 ISS. 2

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Chasing after state victory

Varsity cross country place first and second at CCS, advancing to state STORY ISABELLA X. PHOTOS DAVID GONZALES

Uncertain future for beloved Crystal Springs XC course Upset Belmont homeowners threaten future meets STORY EMMA Z. PHOTOS JOY F., EMMA Z.

INSTAGRAM: @THENUEVACURRENT

WWW.THENUEVACURRENT.COM

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 There has been a steady increase in runners and events. From 1965 through 1986, CCS races at the Crystal Springs course were small in scale and consisted of only two events per annual race. Since then, the number of events has risen to eight per race. In 1980, the total number of students running in CCS was 276, while in 2019—the year before this issue was brought to the San Mateo Community College District Board (SMCCD), who oversees use of the land—runners totaled to 971. “[The 2019 CCS race] attracted an additional 2,388 paid spectators, plus hundreds of organizers, officials, and uncounted spectators, totaling nearly 4000 people invading the neighborhood,” Kurtz said.

The BHCIA claims that this increase in numbers is polluting the once-peaceful neighborhood with the vehicles that resort to parking along property sidewalks.

“Streets are not designed for dozens of mega school and tour buses,” Kurtz said. “Nor is there parking for these buses, let alone the 300-500 vehicles that accompany them, of parents and relatives coming to watch their kids run.”

The organization is now asking the board to work with the concerned neighbors, who still “appreciate the course and support its use for youth sports,” to create solutions that can work for everybody. In May of 2020, before the debate was postponed, they wrote a letter to SMCCD with their request.

“The BHCIA Board of Directors held a community meeting and voted to request that the City of Belmont meet with BHCIA representatives to discuss potential solutions that would keep the Watershed open to the public and continue limited events for local schools while addressing neighborhood concerns,” the email

read. “We believe this is a great opportunity to create a communitybased solution. The BHCIA and Belmont Heights residents want to play a role in the management since our neighborhood is adjacent to the course.”

Since then, the request has sparked contention between the BHCIA and many Bay Area cross country runners and athletics directors. At a monthly SMCCD board meeting that opened the discussion to the public, over 30 residents, coaches, and high school runners spoke, the large majority of which spoke against course restrictions.

“I especially love watching the big races like the CCS finals because

The wide variety of terrain makes it optimal for running.

The memory of this race has fueled and motivated me to push myself beyond what is possible.

ANNA F. '24

it brings a lot of excitement and incredible talent to the course— it’s inspiring to feel the energy of the crowds, and witness the determination and the true grit of these runners,” said Lydia Nuasser, another Belmont resident. “I think it would be a shame and a great loss to our community to limit the course availability.”

One citizen, Kira Fulling, hadn’t realized that the issue was being contested, and was “absolutely appalled” to find out that she, as a resident, was being represented by an organization who hadn’t notified her of the issue. Many of her Belmont neighbors were similarly upset, she

said, not only because none of them were notified of the group speaking on their behalf, but also because they were in support of the meets continuing without restriction.

Among the other advocates who spoke at the board meeting were Nueva students Davis T. ’22, Jack T. ’22, and Anna F. ’24.

“This course changed how I thought about myself and my potential,” said Anna, who spoke about how important this course is to her. “It was during one race that pushed me so hard to dig deep to find any and all strength that I possibly had. I realized that I had more in me than I thought was possible.

I pushed beyond what I thought were my limits, in this CS race. The memory of this race has fueled and motivated me to push myself beyond what is possible.”

“Without a doubt, it is the heart of cross country running in the Bay Area,” Davis said. “Plain and simple, restricting who can run on the course is not only bad for high school runners, but for the sport as a whole.”

His brother, Jack, who also runs on the Nueva cross country team, responded to an by disputing a claim that there are other available courses.

“The fact of the matter is that those courses are extraordinarily inadequate for high quality cross country races—whether the trails are too narrow, or the terrain isn’t suitable,” Jack explained. “The Crystal course is the right distance, and it has wide ranging terrain, and it really supports high quality racing that we really can’t get anywhere else.”

He pointed out that the bulk of the concerns being shared related to the increase in car traffic, and offered that a better solution would be to prioritize getting people out of the cars and using alternate routes of getting to the courts.

L

ed by Coach Robert Lopez, both the boys and girls varsity cross country teams have their sights set on making it onto the State Championship podium. Though Nueva’s cross country teams have historically been strong, this season, the team focused specifically on training as a single unit.

“We’re all similar in level, so it’s not like one person’s being left in the dust,” said Kelly P. ’24, a member of the girls team.

Evidently, their training has worked, with both the boys and girls teams posting strong results: on Nov. 13, in a triumphant Central Coast Section (CCS) final, the girls claimed first place, winning the divsion 5 team title, while the boys placed second.

MEMBERS OF THE VARSITY GIRLS XC TEAM TAKE A VICTORY SELFIE AFTER PLACING FIRST IN CCS

In high school varsity races, the first five runners from each team score points for their team, and a team’s final score is the sum of its first five runner’s points.

The girls, who, pre-CCS, were the eleventh seed in the state, outran their biggest league rivals, Castilleja—twotime reigning CCS champions who were formerly sixth in the state.

“Casti has three really strong girls, but their fourth girl is pretty far behind,” said Kelly, who finished in eighth place in the girls race. She explained that because the scores take the fastest five runners’ times into account, the Nueva girls won by fighting to “get in front of that fourth [Castilleja] girl.”

It was a joyous occasion for the girls, prevailing against all odds in an underdog situation.

In the boys divison, Crystal Springs Uplands School successfully defended their six-time reigning CCS champion title, outrunning Nueva and winning by just four points. The Crystal Springs Gryphons boast multiple varsity freshmen with potential to become immense threats in the next few years, making 2021 a “really important year for [the varsity boys],” Poon predicted.

In the individual results, Davis T. ’22 placed highest from the boys team, finishing in sixth place with a time of 16:33.2 and running a 5:36.7 average mile. Callisto L ’22 finished fastest in the girls race, with a time of 20:08.8 and a 6:49.7 average mile.

Spurred on by the medals draped around their necks, the teams will compete in the 2021 CIF State Cross Country Championships on Nov. 27 at Woodward Park in Fresno.

16

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VOL. 5 ISS. 2

11.

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Chasing after state victory

Varsity cross country place first and second at CCS, advancing to state STORY ISABELLA X. PHOTOS DAVID GONZALES

Uncertain future for beloved Crystal Springs XC course Upset Belmont homeowners threaten future meets STORY EMMA Z. PHOTOS JOY F., EMMA Z.

INSTAGRAM: @THENUEVACURRENT

WWW.THENUEVACURRENT.COM

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 There has been a steady increase in runners and events. From 1965 through 1986, CCS races at the Crystal Springs course were small in scale and consisted of only two events per annual race. Since then, the number of events has risen to eight per race. In 1980, the total number of students running in CCS was 276, while in 2019—the year before this issue was brought to the San Mateo Community College District Board (SMCCD), who oversees use of the land—runners totaled to 971. “[The 2019 CCS race] attracted an additional 2,388 paid spectators, plus hundreds of organizers, officials, and uncounted spectators, totaling nearly 4000 people invading the neighborhood,” Kurtz said.

The BHCIA claims that this increase in numbers is polluting the once-peaceful neighborhood with the vehicles that resort to parking along property sidewalks.

“Streets are not designed for dozens of mega school and tour buses,” Kurtz said. “Nor is there parking for these buses, let alone the 300-500 vehicles that accompany them, of parents and relatives coming to watch their kids run.”

The organization is now asking the board to work with the concerned neighbors, who still “appreciate the course and support its use for youth sports,” to create solutions that can work for everybody. In May of 2020, before the debate was postponed, they wrote a letter to SMCCD with their request.

“The BHCIA Board of Directors held a community meeting and voted to request that the City of Belmont meet with BHCIA representatives to discuss potential solutions that would keep the Watershed open to the public and continue limited events for local schools while addressing neighborhood concerns,” the email

read. “We believe this is a great opportunity to create a communitybased solution. The BHCIA and Belmont Heights residents want to play a role in the management since our neighborhood is adjacent to the course.”

Since then, the request has sparked contention between the BHCIA and many Bay Area cross country runners and athletics directors. At a monthly SMCCD board meeting that opened the discussion to the public, over 30 residents, coaches, and high school runners spoke, the large majority of which spoke against course restrictions.

“I especially love watching the big races like the CCS finals because

The wide variety of terrain makes it optimal for running.

The memory of this race has fueled and motivated me to push myself beyond what is possible.

ANNA F. '24

it brings a lot of excitement and incredible talent to the course— it’s inspiring to feel the energy of the crowds, and witness the determination and the true grit of these runners,” said Lydia Nuasser, another Belmont resident. “I think it would be a shame and a great loss to our community to limit the course availability.”

One citizen, Kira Fulling, hadn’t realized that the issue was being contested, and was “absolutely appalled” to find out that she, as a resident, was being represented by an organization who hadn’t notified her of the issue. Many of her Belmont neighbors were similarly upset, she

said, not only because none of them were notified of the group speaking on their behalf, but also because they were in support of the meets continuing without restriction.

Among the other advocates who spoke at the board meeting were Nueva students Davis T. ’22, Jack T. ’22, and Anna F. ’24.

“This course changed how I thought about myself and my potential,” said Anna, who spoke about how important this course is to her. “It was during one race that pushed me so hard to dig deep to find any and all strength that I possibly had. I realized that I had more in me than I thought was possible.

I pushed beyond what I thought were my limits, in this CS race. The memory of this race has fueled and motivated me to push myself beyond what is possible.”

“Without a doubt, it is the heart of cross country running in the Bay Area,” Davis said. “Plain and simple, restricting who can run on the course is not only bad for high school runners, but for the sport as a whole.”

His brother, Jack, who also runs on the Nueva cross country team, responded to an by disputing a claim that there are other available courses.

“The fact of the matter is that those courses are extraordinarily inadequate for high quality cross country races—whether the trails are too narrow, or the terrain isn’t suitable,” Jack explained. “The Crystal course is the right distance, and it has wide ranging terrain, and it really supports high quality racing that we really can’t get anywhere else.”

He pointed out that the bulk of the concerns being shared related to the increase in car traffic, and offered that a better solution would be to prioritize getting people out of the cars and using alternate routes of getting to the courts.

L

ed by Coach Robert Lopez, both the boys and girls varsity cross country teams have their sights set on making it onto the State Championship podium. Though Nueva’s cross country teams have historically been strong, this season, the team focused specifically on training as a single unit.

“We’re all similar in level, so it’s not like one person’s being left in the dust,” said Kelly P. ’24, a member of the girls team.

Evidently, their training has worked, with both the boys and girls teams posting strong results: on Nov. 13, in a triumphant Central Coast Section (CCS) final, the girls claimed first place, winning the divsion 5 team title, while the boys placed second.

MEMBERS OF THE VARSITY GIRLS XC TEAM TAKE A VICTORY SELFIE AFTER PLACING FIRST IN CCS

In high school varsity races, the first five runners from each team score points for their team, and a team’s final score is the sum of its first five runner’s points.

The girls, who, pre-CCS, were the eleventh seed in the state, outran their biggest league rivals, Castilleja—twotime reigning CCS champions who were formerly sixth in the state.

“Casti has three really strong girls, but their fourth girl is pretty far behind,” said Kelly, who finished in eighth place in the girls race. She explained that because the scores take the fastest five runners’ times into account, the Nueva girls won by fighting to “get in front of that fourth [Castilleja] girl.”

It was a joyous occasion for the girls, prevailing against all odds in an underdog situation.

In the boys divison, Crystal Springs Uplands School successfully defended their six-time reigning CCS champion title, outrunning Nueva and winning by just four points. The Crystal Springs Gryphons boast multiple varsity freshmen with potential to become immense threats in the next few years, making 2021 a “really important year for [the varsity boys],” Poon predicted.

In the individual results, Davis T. ’22 placed highest from the boys team, finishing in sixth place with a time of 16:33.2 and running a 5:36.7 average mile. Callisto L ’22 finished fastest in the girls race, with a time of 20:08.8 and a 6:49.7 average mile.

Spurred on by the medals draped around their necks, the teams will compete in the 2021 CIF State Cross Country Championships on Nov. 27 at Woodward Park in Fresno.