2016 2017 Issue 3

The Urban legend

volume 17, Issue 3

The reality of Trump's wall draws closer

by Kian Nassre

vided them with a report citing the wall’s cost at $21.6 billion.

The report breaks down construction of the wall into three phases that would take place over three and a half years. The first phase is 26 miles of wall near several big cities, the second phase is a more expensive 151 miles close to several other cities near the border, and the final phase is a largely unknown 1,080 miles that seal off the majority of the remaining border.

Contrary to Trump’s assertions, the financial analysis firm Bernstein Research estimated Trump’s wall could cost as much as $25 billion. The report considered additional construction

variables such as the obstacles of the deserts of Arizona, jagged mountain ranges of New Mexico, and the Rio Grande river along the Texas border which each pose unique difficulties.

In addition, the analysis notes that portions of the border are privately owned. These would have to be purchased or annexed using eminent domain to complete construction of the wall. continued on NEWS

Spanish language exchange trip to happen in 2018

by Emma Drasin staff writer

In the next academic year, 20172018, a third language exchange trip will be added to the international trip rotation: a Spanish immersion trip to various places around southern Spain.

This trip is the brainchild of Urban School Spanish teachers Mary Lee and Esteban Speier.

Since its conception in August of 2016, the trip has progressed from a dream to a reality. Next April, a group of 16 lucky students who are immersed in the Spanish program at Urban will fly to the region of Andalucía, a historically rich region found on the southern coast of Spain.

Though the Urban community has expressed interest in creating a Spanish language trip in the past, the actualization of this trip was a complex process, and every decision made — from location to activities — was carefully thought out.

Deciding on a destination for the

trip was a logistical challenge.

Finding a place in Latin America that met all the requirements of the school was extremely difficult. The Spanish department was looking to have “a language exchange program, and that premise already limited some of the areas that we considered,” said Mary Lee, Spanish teacher.

Many agencies that coordinate school trips offer service trips or cultural trips, rather than trips with a focus on immersion. Lee and her colleagues were looking to find a language exchange program, which requires a sister school. “Most of the schools in Latin America that can have an exchange are private schools.

It's easy for us to go there, but they have to have the means also, to come here,” said Lee. She continued, “So we're talking about coed, private schools, and in Latin America, the vast majority of private schools are not

The Urban School’s hidden culture of language learning

by Sophia Vahanvaty

staff writer

"The wall is getting designed right now," said President Donald Trump on February 8, 2017. Trump pledged to build a wall on the U.S. - Mexico border throughout his presidential campaign. Now, the U.S. government is officially seeking contractors and designs as the feasibility of Trump’s wall remains under debate.

On September 14, 2015, Trump projected the cost of the wall to be $4 billion. On January 26, 2017, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell cited the cost of the wall to be $12 to $15 billion.

On February 9, 2017, Reuters reported that the Department of Homeland Security had pro-

March 2017

mixed. The system structures are very different.” In looking for a sister school, Lee and Speier reached out to travel agencies as well as their friends. “Agencies didn't have exchange programs in Latin America, and our private friends had gone to singlesex high schools,” Lee said.

Even in the coed private schools that exist, the wealth of those schools was “not the exposure that I think we want to give our students,” Lee said. The huge division of wealth in Central and South America means that, according to Lee, “a lot of these schools, which we were originally talking with, are such privileged, such elite schools, that the students are children who are ridden around with private bodyguards, and live in completely secluded mansions, continued on spread

staff writer

At the Urban School, a hidden culture of language learning thrives outside of Urban’s foreign language program.

Since over 45 percent of Bay Area residents primarily speak a language other than English at home, it’s no wonder that Urban students speak a wide array of languages outside of school and at home, including Hindi, Vietnamese, Russian and Arabic. In an Urban Legend survey of 56 Urban students on March 1, 2017, 25 percent of students said they study another language outside of school and 18 percent speak a language other than English at home.

But the Bay Area is special in this regard. Overall, the United States lags behind other countries in bilingualism. Ilanguages. org estimates that about 60 percent of the world population is fluent in more than one language, while only about 15-20 percent of Americans are bilingual. According to the BBC, the benefits of multilingualism include “a superior ability to concentrate, solve problems and focus, better mental flexibility and multitasking skills” and even “protect against dementia.” But despite the benefits, there are a number of reasons why bilingualism isn’t more prevalent. According to the same BBC article, “being so bound up with identity, language is also deeply political. [In the 19th century] it was regarded as disloyal to speak anything other than the one national language. This perhaps contributed to the widely held opinion...that bringing up children to be bilingual was harmful to their health and society more generally.”

California’s Proposition 227 is prime evidence of the wariness around multilingualism.

The proposition, which passed in 1998, greatly limited the amount of time that English as a second language learners spent in bilingual settings. This came out of a belief that students learning two languages would never reach a high level of proficiency in either one. continued on spread

News

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March 2017

The reality of Trump's wall draws closer

by Kian Nassare continued from front page Previously, former President George W. Bush signed the 2006 Secure Fence Act into existence, which proposed the creation of a border fence for roughly 650 miles, around one third, of the US-Mexico border. In a recent article about Trump’s wall, World Net Daily reported that in 2006, Congress initially appropriated $1.2 billion to close off the third of the border with the least terrain obstacles. According to a BBC article from February 9, 2017, the completion of that third has already cost the taxpayers $7 billion.

During a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing in May of 2015, Ronald Vitiello, Deputy Chief of Border Patrol for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said, "It's a lot more expensive than we expected when we started, and it was much more difficult."

But the issue arises, how will the wall be payed for? As early as the announcement of his candidacy, Trump said, “I'll build a great, great wall on our southern border and I will have Mexico pay for that wall.”

In response, Mexican Treasury Secretary Luis Videgaray told Mexican broadcaster Milenio TV, "There is no scenario in which Mexico will pay for this wall that is being proposed.” Since then Trump has altered his statement, saying taxpayersCongress would pay for the wall but Mexico would reimburse them, a claim he made as recently as January 25, 2017 that has also since been rebutted by the Mexican government.

In the same article from February 9, 2017, the BBC pointed out several meth-

staff writer

ods by which Trump could acquire the money besides an appropriation from Congress. One would be to tax border crossings and increase visa costs, but this probably would not raise enough on its own. Trump has previously suggested taxing or blocking remittances from the US to Mexico, but according to that same article there are loopholes that can be exploited for this method.

Additionally, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer suggested placing a tarriff on mexican during a press conference on January 26, 2017 there was an idea to tariff Mexican imports, suggested by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on January 26, 2017. This would raise more than enough money, but could also start a trade war according to the BBC article. Mexico may respond by selling its exports elsewhere and removing tax breaks for US foreign investment. More importantly, according to CNBC, a trade war would damage the economies of states relying on trade, many of which voted for Trump.

Finally, there is the possibility of a border adjustment tax (BAT) which, according to a CNN article from February 27, 2017, is a popular approach to tax reform among house Republicans.

The article said that A BAT would adjust corporate taxation to reward companies that produce in America while punishing those that produce elsewhere and import to America. Its popularity stems from the possibility of bringing jobs back to the US. But, unless the dollar’s value rose dramatically, a BAT would cause consumer costs to skyrocket. The US could be sued by other

countries through the World Trade Organization for imposing a BAT. According to Trump, a wall would be worth all of this since, as he said on June 16, 2015, “When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best … They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists.”

A Pew Research statistical report from November 29, 2016 indicates similar anti-immigrant sentiments are abundant among Trump voters. According to the article, 79% of Trump voters said undocumented immigration was a “very big” problem in the United States, and the same percent supported construction of a wall.

By contrast, Urban School Spanish teacher Mary Lee said, “California could not be the largest source of food for the country if it wasn’t for the immigrant labor that is coming from the border … even in some of the most racially motivated immigration laws … such as the ban on Chinese immigration

… they always let the border between Mexico and the United States be open.” “[Discussion of the wall] has created a lot of emotional turmoil throughout the whole country, and so in terms of the representative power of the wall, what the wall signifies, let’s just say it doesn’t do anything good for our country, not for its citizens, not for the people living in the country, and not for the United States’ relations with other nations,” said Lee. “It criminalizes human lives and human bodies; it criminalizes a process, a journey, that often is motivated by basic human needs. So it’s a humanitarian issue as well as an economic one,” said Lee.

Infographic by Kian Nassare

Concern for national science funding in the face of the new administration

by Blake Case staff writer

Scientific coalitions nationwide, including the Society for Freshwater Science, The American Geophysical Union, and the American Association of Geographers, are concerned that the Trump administration poses not only a threat to research dependant on federal funding, but also objectivity in the face of topics such as climate change based on his past comments. “There is currently a great deal of uncertainty in whether funding for scientific research will be increased or decreased,” said Dr. Sean Schoville, a molecular ecologist at the University of Wisconsin, “and whether the Trump administration will advise on these decisions.”

In light of the Trump administration’s track record on science issues, Dr. Schoville and his colleagues, along with the members of many organizations publicly opposed to Trump’s policies, are awaiting the finalization of the federal budget in the spring of 2017. Schoville says he is “concerned about the administration's policies that dismiss such research or limit scientists abilities to report and speak freely about such research.” Trump has proclaimed global warming a hoax fabricated by the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing noncompetitive. This statement still displays under Trump’s twitter account, @realDonaldTrump on

November 6, 2012. On the campaign trail, in May of 2016, Trump promised to withdraw America from the Paris Climate Agreement in which a coalition of 132 countries resolved to combat climate change and its effects. Despite Trump saying that he has an “open mind” over the US involvement in the Paris Climate Agreement in November of 2016, his campaign promises tell a different story about the measures the administration could take in May when discretionary spending is decided.

In an interview with the New York Times, Chris Warren, a spokesman for the Institute for Energy Research, said, “What do you expect? A new administration is coming in with a very different view of the world.”

While Dr. Schoville remains confident in his “objective, evidence-based

Nomination of Neil Gorsuch to Supreme students, both today and in the future. there are a number of lowCourt may impact high school students er Today, court cases regarding abortion Zoe Meneghetti staff writer

On January 31, President Donald Trump selected Judge Neil Gorsuch as his nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court.

After nearly a year of vacancy on the highest federal court in the United States, the selection of Gorsuch fulfills one of Trump’s campaign promises: to nominate a judge with, in the words of Trump during the third presidential debate, “a conservative bent.” www.urbanlegendnews.org

Currently, the Supreme Court is split with four justices of primarily conservative leanings, and four who have displayed a history of support for more liberal causes. It is rare in the history of the Supreme Court for the justices to be so evenly divided along ideological lines. Thus, the next justice will have a deciding impact, as they will shift the balance on many Supreme Court decisions that will affect high school

rights. Many of these cases are passing the lower courts, and may soon land on a Supreme Court docket.

In addition, the Trump Administration’s new immigration guidelines could likely be challenged in the Supreme Court System. But, according to Economist Richard Wolf of USA Today, ”the high court might be equally divided” as a result of the current split Supreme Court justices. The verdict on this case will have a broad impact on the social, economic, education, and business structure of the

research,” he is concerned with “policies that dismiss such research or limit scientists abilities to report and speak freely about such research.” In an interview with the Washington Post, Rush Holt, the Chief Executive of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said “I’ve never seen the scientific community so concerned… this goes way beyond funding. When fake news is accepted as just one of the alternate approaches, then there are serious problems to be addressed.”

Schoville agrees that action must be taken, saying “I think scientists have a duty to engage in public discourse surrounding free speech, education and the use of scientific evidence in policy making. These key issues are fundamental to scientific inquiry and scientific discourse.”

United States over the coming years as it will determine both who is allowed to come and stay in the United States.

It is also important to note that several of the judges who have consistently demonstrated a liberal bent, such as 84-year-old Ruth Bader Ginsberg, may chose to retire prior to the next election cycle. President Trump may be able to make further appointments.

Four years from now, just as current high-school seniors across the nation are entering college and the class of 2021 is graduating college, students could walk into a world that is a very different place, from a legal and social protection standpoint, than it is now. please recycle

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March 2017

Remaking the Urban School Schedule Jack Cogen staff writer

With a start time earlier than every other independent school in the Bay Area and frequent discussions about the optimal quantity of homework, the Urban School of San Francisco administration has been working with students on updating the schedule. In the 2013-14 academic year, the school gathered student feedback via surveys on the schedule as well as additional surveys on the Urban workload conducted during the week of September 8, 2015.

Now, the new edition of the schedule is finalized, and will feature (among other changes) a later start 8:30 on Monday through Thursday and 9:10 on Friday. The schedule will also limit the

number of core classes, or A-D blocks, on Monday and Friday to three. The school’s end time of 2:45 PM (or 2:30 PM on Friday) will remain the same. Of course, this means somewhat less time spent in each class per week. The ideas for a new schedule “began with surveys of students and faculty… identifying what was working well” as well as “unmet needs” in the existing schedule, said Geoff Ruth, Dean of Academic Dean.

From there, the Curriculum Committee, comprised of five teachers and two students, whose job is to look at changes regarding the curriculum at Urban, compared the results of their survey with schedules espoused by oth-

er local independent schools. According to Ruth, the group went through “many versions and prototypes” of a new schedule, asking for student input in periodical surveys. According to Ruth’s description of the committee's mission statement, this process to determine an entirely new system while retaining the positive qualities of the existing was refined into one overarching goal in the spring of 2016: “better balance and pace for students and faculty.” Ruth is optimistic about resolving concerns with having to cut down on academic content to fit within the new schedule, though the changes do mean “slowing down the pace of the day.” “The reduction in the amount of academic time is less than 10 percent”, Ruth said. “This will require teachers to adapt their curriculum.” Tutorial

periods, which enable students whose E periods are currently occupied by Jazz Band, Chamber Orchestra, Urban Singers, or the Urban Legend, to have guaranteed in-school study space.

When asked about the usefulness of tutorial periods in compensating for decreased class time, Ruth provided the example of a 9th grade science class. “Say I’m teaching them to balance equations… most kids are going to understand that fairly quickly, while some will struggle. With tutorial periods, I can spend less time on that in class, and work individually with students who are struggling.”

Hugo Holley (‘18), whose commute from Montara can take hours, called the upcoming changes exciting, “especially for people with long commutes or E period classes.

Creating affinity spaces at the Urban School Vivien Manning staff writer

In the past year, affinity groups- groups for students who share a common identity- for students of Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, and Latino heritage have been formed, as the leaders expressed a desire for affinity spaces that would focus on specific racial identities. The most recent affinity space, for Asian/Pacific Islander identified students (API), was created this year.

While Urban has had a Students of Color (SOC) space, McCready said, “I think the danger with the term person of color or student of color or anything of color is that it does generalize and while that is unifying and liberating in some ways, it does suddenly erase identities into one homogenous group of color.”

API co-leader Maceo Anderson (‘18) expressed a similar sentiment and said, “having an affinity space like SOC is very blanketing … Having more specific affinity spaces seems more fitting. Having those different spaces that can be more specific than SOC is appropriate and nice.”

One of McCready’s goals in creating the affinity space was to educate Asian/ Pacific Islander students on their heritage, a knowledge she said “has been erased from most settings.” She heard this echoed in the meetings, when members expressed a desire to learn about their culture and histories.” Just [learning about our culture and history] is really empowering, and it’s kind of a basic need, a basic desire, like I want to know where I come from, I want to know who my people are … It’s not surprising and also extremely surprising for me to hear that basic desire,” said McCready.

She cites lack of representation of Asian/Pacific Islander history as contributing to this erasure. McCready said, “we are not mentioned in US history, or really any history unless it’s specifically Asian history, so there is an erasure …

Sometimes it really feels like there’s no place for us. Making a space specifically for Asian and Pacific Islanders, it is nice for me to feel like I finally fully belong.”

While other high schools in the Bay Area have clubs that are open to students of all ethnicities, and whose goal is to spread awareness about a specific culture or heritage, McCready explained the importance of an affinity space and said, “Sometimes, I please recycle

feel stifled in white spaces. At Urban, I don't necessarily feel like I can express all of my Asianess. But to be with people who share that common identity, it’s very unifying... we don’t have to prove anything, we don't have to prove how Asian we are, we don't have to prove our value and status.”

“Urban needs to have [a cultural appreciation and awareness space.]

We could use that as an opportunity to spread awareness about being an Asian person. That’s a great idea to bring Asian awareness, but before you gain awareness you do have to have that space to begin with, the selfidentifying Asian students. Because if they don’t feel comfortable within their own community, it’s harder to spread awareness,” said co-leader of API affinity space Jade Barnblatt (‘18).

Enyolli Martinez (‘17) and Nick Andino (‘18) are the first co-leaders of Latinx, an affinity space for students who identify as Latinx, a gender-inclusive term that refers to people of Latin-American heritage. Martinez recalled that in the past few years, students came up to her asking if there

would be a Latinx identified space.

“I didn’t see the Latino ethnicity really being represented, so I thought, let’s bring this up...if there was a need for it that I heard, let’s do it,” said Martinez. Martinez emphasized the importance of the tight knit community of Latinx, especially in the predominately white space of Urban (61% of Urban students are white), saying, “Family is a big thing in Latino community and I feel that a lot with my Latinx brothers and sisters. Connecting that [Latino] identity and making sure that doesn’t get faded. I feel like that happens a lot within Latino communities.

Specifically for me...sometimes I’m scared my Latino heritage might be faded out or disappear at one point.”

Andino underscored the value of a Latinx affinity space in light of President Trump’s controversial remarks about Latinos. “I think that especially what’s going on with our President, understanding how that can really affect a lot of people. Especially for me, my dad is an immigrant. So I think that having that sense of ... understanding is definitely important,” he said.

Olive Rynberg-Going (‘18), co-leader of Black Student Union with Cameron Galley (‘17) emphasized the necessity of an affinity space for black students.

“Not that big [of] things have happened, but just microaggressions build up or you just get kind of lonely,” Rynberg-Going said. According to Rynberg-Going, an average meeting consists of four students, and the small size cultivates close studentfaculty relationships. “[There are] definitely good mentor relationships, because it’s almost like a one-to-one faculty relationship in BSU,” she said.

Rynberg-Going noted the importance of maintaining a balance between spreading awareness about issues that affect the black community, and creating a space solely for black students. “Urban needs to talk about the Black Lives Matter movement, and that’d be cool to have everyone come in and discuss that or have a forum on the N word and exactly who cannot say it. I think Urban would love to hear that and should hear that ... but we’d have to have closed meetings just for black kids, too,” she said.

Infographic by Kian Nassare www.urbanlegendnews.org

4

Features March 2017

A lesser-known hearing disorder abuzz

by Olivia Mitchel staff writer

Illustration by Blake Case, Head Illustrator

For misophonics like myself, meals are as much about sound as they are about taste. Each night, when I sit down at the dinner table, I prepare myself for an unrelenting symphony of slurping, smacking, and crunching.

Even the subtlest of sounds seem amplified, inhabiting a space deep within my ear canal. While one might associate hearing disorders with loss of function, misophonia is quite the opposite.

Dr. Steven W. Cheung, an otologist, ear specialist and skull base surgeon in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of California, San Francisco, describes misophonia as a “disorder of decreased sound tolerance,” in which everyday sounds trigger an

Even the subtlest of sounds seem amplified, inhabiting a space deep within my ear canal. extreme emotional response. Related disorders include hyperacusis, which is characterized by decreased tolerance for loud sounds, and phonophobia, a rare symptom of hyperacusis that may evoke an overall fear of sounds. According to Dr. Cheung, misophonia differs from related disorders in its “association with anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders, and lack of association with sound loudness.”

Individuals affected by misopho-

nia may experience anxiety, distress or anger in response to certain trigger sounds, most commonly human-produced sounds such as eating, drinking and breathing, according to a report published on February 2, 2017 in the journal “Current Biology.”

“It’s gotten to the point where I just look at him and he knows the egregious error that he’s made and he leaves the room.”

- Sarah Levin, Librarian At this stage, it is unclear how common the disease is. However, in a survey sent to Urban students and faculty last month, over 80 percent of the 48 responses indicated experiencing some degree of sound sensitivity.

Urban Librarian Sarah Levin says her sensitivity to sound has intensified over time. “It affects primarily my relationship with my husband,” she said. “I’ll be sitting in a room doing something quietly and he’ll come in and be eating something or chewing something and it’s so maddening to me when I hear it ... It’s gotten to the point where I just look at him and he knows the egregious error that he’s made and he leaves the room.”

Lydia Sears (‘18) experiences similar symptoms. “The thing that irks me the most is when people chew ... food noises are the worst and repetitive noises of that sort. I get very anxious and really built up with energy,” Sears said.

The recent “Current Biology” report details misophonia’s neurological connection, presenting MRI data from a study of 20 individuals with misophonia and 22 control subjects. Misophonic subjects “showed more activity in their anterior insular cortex (AIC),” as

well as “abnormal functional connectivity between AIC and a network of regions responsible for the processing and regulation of emotions, including ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), posteromedial cortex (PMC), hippocampus, and amygdala.” This is the first time scientists have demonstrated evidence of structural and functional differences in the brains of sufferers.

Misophonic subjects often exhibit a heightened heart rate as well a galvanic skin response, which is a measure of emotional arousal based on sweat secretion. This manifestation of the disorder resembles the fight-or-flight response, which suggests, according to a 2015 case report written by George Bruxner and published by The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, a correlation between misophonia and general environmental sensitivity.

“There is unresolved debate on whether misophonia is primarily an auditory disorder with abnormal limbic (emotional) reactions or primarily

Although research is limited, a number of case studies support the theory that misophonia is a neurologicallybased disorder of psychiatric relevance. a psychiatric (anxiety, obsessive compulsive) disorder expressed in the presence of a particular sound trigger,” Dr. Cheung said in an interview with The Urban Legend.

Although research is limited, a number of case studies support the theory that misophonia is a neurologicallybased disorder of psychiatric relevance.

In a study conducted by researchers from the University of South Florida in 2014, 20 percent of the 483 participat-

ing students were misophonics, showing symptoms similar to those of psychiatric conditions including anxiety, depression, and OCD. Bruxner’s report states, “The purest form of misophonia can occur without activation of the auditory apparatus.”

Instead, the misophonic response is highly dependent upon one’s associations with a particular sound based on previous encounters as well as the context in which that sound is presented.

The “Current Biology” report states that it cannot yet be determined

One of the greatest challenges in targeting misophonia is the lack of a concrete diagnostic tool and the resulting dependency on selfreporting. “whether misophonia is a cause or consequence of atypical interoception,” which is the awareness of internal body states.

One of the greatest challenges in targeting misophonia is the lack of a concrete diagnostic tool and the resulting dependency on self-reporting. In a 2013 article published in a journal of the Public Library of Science (PLOS), the authors propose a set of diagnostic criteria. One notable indicator of misophonia mentioned in the article is the recognition that one’s response to a human-produced sound is “out of proportion.” In an interview with The Urban Legend, Levin acknowledged, “I know that it’s an inappropriate response to be that angry, but I can’t deny the feeling.”

Moving forward, Dr. Cheung hopes to see more interdisciplinary research and collaboration between otologists and psychoanalysts in order to facilitate developments surrounding this underrecognized disorder.

Urban School students discuss their experiences with socioeconomic status

by Ana Gorski

staff writer

The Month of Understanding (MOU) at Urban is a month dedicated to providing “Urban with an opportunity to focus on and highlight multiculturalism at school, remembering that the work is year-round,” according to the Urban website. In January 2017, as a

“I have been applying to scholarships for the past two months. I don’t think that puts me at a level playing field.

I’ve been preparing to go to college since fourth grade.”

- Enyolli Martinez ('17) part of MOU, students in the Urban leadership group Multi Culti held panels on socioeconomic status, in which teachers and students spoke about their experience with transparency around money, wealth disparities, and changes they would like to see at Urban and beyond.

Although socioeconomic status was discussed in MOU panels, some students interviewed still feel that there www.urbanlegendnews.org

is a lack of awareness around choice and necessity when it comes to financial needs among peers. According to the Urban website, 27 percent of the student body receives some form of tuition assistance. Urban strives to be an “inclusive community to prepare students for lives in a multicultural society,” as stated in the core values, however, the students who were interviewed expressed that there can be insensitivity when discussing money at Urban.

For this article, the Urban Legend has highlighted voices of three senior students, as they have accumulated perspectives on the sort of “money culture” at Urban that have endured class changes in maturity and awareness.

“Urban has given me so much support that I didn’t even know that I needed,” said Enyolli Martinez (‘17). Urban gives 3.36 million dollars in financial assistance each year according to the Urban School website. This covers everything from day-to-day Flik lunches to outdoor trips.

However, some feel that the aid provided by the school does not eliminate discrepancies in student life. “I am shocked at the disparities that exist at Urban. It can be easy to lose my footing in reflecting on how lucky and privi-

leged I am when I going to people's’ houses and they are like museums,” said Madeline Matz (‘17).

In an Urban Legend survey released March 21, 52% of 48 student responses indicated that they did not think students were sensitive when it came to socioeconomic differences. One student answered, “In general, I think that

"When I got into college my financial aid didn’t come through for a few weeks and so I was freaking out. Everyone was just like ‘Congratulations! You got it!’ and that wasn’t something people think about.”

- Evie Hidysmith ('17) many students at Urban are not aware of socioeconomic differences and act as though everyone is wealthy and able to pay whatever is necessary. Of course, many people are aware and act more sensitively, but the overwhelming feeling at Urban seems to be that everyone has the same financial flexibility as everyone else.”

Evie Hidysmith (‘17) said, “In ap-

plying to college [the cost is] just not talked about. People don't think about it. When I got into college my financial aid didn’t come through for a few weeks and so I was freaking out. Everyone was just like ‘Congratulations! You got it!’ and that wasn’t something people think about.”

All three seniors who were interviewed feel that there is a stigma around socioeconomic status at Urban which can make it uncomfortable to talk about. “It’s complicated. I think the level of excess here is not acknowledged here. Having that much comes with responsibilities and I don’t think those are really explored at Urban, even though social class is acknowledged.” said Matz.

How can students improve Urban’s money culture? “Awareness is a big thing. It's not about choosing to spend money. It’s about not being able. The awareness around that it’s not a choice of what you spend your money on- it’s a necessity. The other thing is assuming that everyone at Urban is rich. It’s easy to do. I have tons of friends on financial aid and people just don’t know. It’s easy to forget because it’s something that you can’t see,” said Hidysmith.

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5

Features March 2017

#activism on #socialmedia In 2014, after the controversial murby Catherine Silvestri staff writer

“Make Facebook fun again,” reads a post on my grandfather’s Facebook wall in early March of 2017. Before 2016, my social media feed typically consisted of buzzfeed quizzes, funny videos, and pictures of my extended family. However, recently my feed has become a platform for activism, especially following big news of the 2016 Election, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the continuum of police brutality around the nation.

Illustration by Blake Case, Head Illustrator

der of 18-year-old, black, unarmed Michael Brown, the hashtags, #Ferguson and #BlackLivesMatter were on almost every social media website or applica-

“I think that what we are doing is building a radical new community in struggle that did not exist before. Twitter has enabled us to create community. ” - DeRay Mckesson tion. Within three weeks after Brown’s murder, #BlackLivesMatter was used 1.7 million times and by 2016, the tag has been shared 11.5 million times according to the Pew Research Center.

DeRay Mckesson is a high-profile activist against police brutality. In an Atlantic article in January of 2015, he said,“You are enough to start a movement. Individual people can come together around things that they know are unjust. And they can spark change.

Your body can be part of the protest; you don't need a VIP pass to protest.

And Twitter allowed that to happen. I think that what we are doing is building a radical new community in struggle that did not exist before. Twitter has enabled us to create community. ”

Urban student, Imogen Budetti (‘18), a frequent social media user, posts and shares political news on her page. “I am not looking for a debate after I post something. I just want to share political news. If I want someone in particular to read or see something, I will send it to that person,” said Budetti. She is also the co-founder of Yes We Wear, a clothing, apparel and design working for social and political message. For Budetti and co-founder Skyler Baker, social media has been one of the primary ways they have shared their products.

“Social media will be the activist platform for the 21st century. It is so much easier to do than attending a rally or anything, it only takes one minute on a smartphone” said Alex Edwards (‘18) Although Edwards’ primary use of social media like Instagram and Facebook is to stay connected with people

“Social media will be the activist platform for the 21st century.”

Alex Edwards ('18) he doesn’t often see, he believes it will be the new platform for activism.

“At Urban we live in a very liberal bubble... and I think social media is an incubator for that,” said Edwards.

Activism via social media has been

critiqued by some as a trivial form of activism. One of these forms has been termed as “slacktivism,” “whereby casual participants seek social change through low-cost activities… that are long on bumper-sticker sentiment and short on any useful action,” according to Clay Shirkey, a professor of New Media at the New York University. Shirkey’s article dates to 2011, even before the tags like #blacklivesmatter even existed. In a recent Urban Legend survey on March 13th, a mere 12 students out of the 40 surveyed responded that posting on social media was not a form of activism.

“I feel like it's not because, although I can say that I have done it, you end up targeting and alienating people who follow you who have different political beliefs, and it doesn't really accomplish anything,” wrote one student.

“It is a way to express your thoughts.

However, you are hidden behind a screen that makes you less vulnerable to the immediate consequences,” another student wrote.

Although the majority of students surveyed thought action on social media was a form of activism, several clarified that it depends on the context and is not nearly as effective as others forms of activism.

Recent protests strengthen political beliefs of Urban students

by August Ackley

staff writer

In light of the new presidency and other political events, there have been many recent protests and rallies in San Francisco, including the Women’s March and the No Ban/No Wall protests in the San Francisco International Airport.

While some Urban School of San Francisco students felt as though those who did not protest had responsibility to contribute in other ways, other students felt as though even the people who did protest have responsibilities to do more.

In a survey of 45 Urban School students in February, 80 percent said that they had participated in some form of

protest in reaction to the new presidency. It was reported by The Urban Legend that 126 Urban School students attended the post-election walkout on November 9th.

“I was angry about what was going on and I thought it would be cathartic and a way for me to express my voice and feelings, especially because I can’t vote,” said Renee Theodore (‘19).

“I was in the Elections class this year and that really reaffirmed my political beliefs,” said Hannah Platter (‘18). “...I’ve realized that my beliefs are valid and I feel like I can protect [them] more. When they were in danger, it was my job to stand up for them.”

“If I support something I feel like I have to protest. It's not just that this one protest is going to make everything okay,” said Belle Davis (‘19). “I did miss an important math class but I thought that was worth it. I think it depends how much you care about it and how much you've done otherwise.”

There were also students who stayed behind during the protest, many of whom were in support of the protests but did not feel the same urge to attend.

Daniela Mortazavi (‘18), who did attend an anti-Trump protest, said that protesting is not the only way to show support, “you can protest in other ways, especially by donating money or help-

Urban School students walk out in protest of the recent presidential election. November 9th, 2016. By Will Hoppin.

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ing organizations such as Planned Parenthood.”

“For some people, [protesting] is writing an article or tweeting on whatever platform, I don’t have a problem with people who didn’t go or did go. I don’t think it’s my place to judge which way is right or wrong,” said Theodore.

The turnout to the Women’s March in January was massive. According to the New York Times, at least 470,000 people attended the Women’s March on Washington D.C. alone, and there were marches in more than 600 U.S. cities.

The flipside to finding other ways to speak up is using protesting as the sole mechanism of making your opinion known. Some students found the protesting environment at some of the events to be difficult to be in.

Reflecting on the Women’s March, Ronan Weber (‘18) said, “[my friend] identifies as a queer woman of color, and I identify as trans... the Women’s March was a really weird experience for both [my friend and I] because we were surrounded by white women. [My friend] said to me, ‘I wonder how many of these people actually support me’, and I thought, how many people are just doing this one time?”

At the Women’s March, Theodore said she felt “as if the common experience of the women was all the same and the women of color at the Women’s March didn’t have a place to talk about women’s issues that are specific to women of color…it was very white and cis-women dominated, and it was very alienating and I felt a little silenced.”

“There's definitely a choice involved to keep going with it, and not just go to one protest where everyone you know is going...I definitely think that protesting is the first step,” Weber said. www.urbanlegendnews.org

The Urban School’s hidden culture of language learning

by Sophia Vahanvaty

Continued from front page

This has been proven false by many studies, including statistics by the College Entrance Exam Board who reported that more years of foreign language study is correlated with higher verbal SAT scores. Only this past year on November 8 did California pass Proposition 58, which expanded bilingual education in public schools.

Urban students recounted many reasons why they believe learning languages is beneficial. “My first Chinese teacher told me, “‘[while] foreign language is not a career, it’s a tool that’s going to make you most competitive of whatever you want to do, ’” said Skylar Baker, (‘18), who studies Mandarin, Spanish and Dutch. He went on to say, “I think that really stuck with me because I’m really interested in science and engineering and my opportunities will be so much larger if I have access to populations like China, Spanish-speaking countries and Europe. My opportunities become so much wider and also just having a broader cultural understanding…that’s a quality that really sets you up for success.”

Ben Nguyen, (‘20), whose first language was Vietnamese, appreciates language for more social reasons: “[I like] talking with my sister when we’re in a group of people and having that space to communicate with her and not having anyone else knowing,” he said.

Furthermore, Nguyen and Baker explained how you can learn about the culture from learning the language. Nguyen said, “Language is a huge part of culture. There’s a lot of history that you can learn from the language. The French colonized Vietnam so there are some French words in Vietnamese but it’s still considered Vietnamese because it’s a part of the history of Vietnam.”

Baker said, “A lot of [Chinese] culture is literally seen in the characters. A lot of the way you pronounce things is based on the history. The way that the characters are written have certain pictures that depict an old way of thinking and I think just knowing the language and the way people communicate with each other and a lack of certain things that English has, really makes you understand the Chinese culture a lot better.”

The cross cultural understanding is augmented by one’s ability to connect and relate to people whose native language one is learning. Billy Krassner (’20), who studies Russian, said “The greatest benefit is going to someone who is a native speaker and seeing the surprise and confusion when you start speaking the language.”

staff writer

Baker asserted that learning someone’s native language allows you to interact with their true self because “when I have to translate into Chinese to speak to someone, I know they are not getting my whole self and I can only imagine what it’s like for people around the world who are expected to speak English and communicate their own culture through English … if more people spoke other languages, there would be more communication,” he said.

But other students weren’t as enthused by language learning. Nishad Karulkar (’20), who speaks Hindi and Marathi (a regional Indian dialect) said, “I don’t love languages. I see how it’s useful… and it’s good to be able to learn it.

[But] English is such a powerful language and I find it more useful to just know that.”

Hannah Platter (‘18), who studies Spanish at Urban, said, “I think the global culture and historical relevance combined with language is much more interesting than the current way of teaching...having it all be memorization.”

Another student, who asked to remain anonymous, echoed this sentiment and said, “If we choose not to take it we would have more time to focus on something we actually see ourselves pursuing in the future.”

For those who do love languages, Baker has some good news. He said, “Every language gets easier [after] learning a second one.

When you learn a third language, it [even] improves your 2nd language quite a bit…[After having studied multiple languages] I find patterns and connections to other languages and once you learn how to learn a language, you can learn the next even quicker and so on and so forth.”

This love for language among Urban students also manifests itself in a desire for greater language offerings in Urban’s curriculum.

Over 55 percent of survey respondents indicated a desire for German and Italian to be offered and over 40 percent wanted Arabic, Latin and Japanese course offerings. Baker said, “there should be more options at Urban. I think there should also be German and other languages that are very critical to learn in the world. I think we should definitely have an Arabic program. I’m surprised that we don’t.”

“I feel like the range is kind of limited … I think Arabic should be taught because Arabic is used a lot.” said Krassner. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment of US translators and interpreters will have risen by 29 percent from 2014 to 2024,

a far higher rate than most other jobs, and that is not even including bilingual job listings in business, government and nonprofit sectors. Given the growing need for Arabic, Hindi and Russian (among other languages) speakers

in US diplomatic and corporate positions, it will be interesting to see how Urban responds to these needs.

Regardless of what language is being taught, the benefits of bilingualism are vast. Baker said, “It breaks down barriers that I wouldn’t be able to break down if I didn’t have the language [skills] that I have.”

Chinese program fosters cultural engagement

by Emmy Hicks-Jablons staff writer

Urban’s Chinese program has historically been formatted differently than the other languages taught at the school, and for that matter than any class at Urban. A large part of the program’s unique format stems from the nature of the Chinese language itself. Unlike the other languages taught at Urban that are classified as romance languages, students studying Chinese have to learn how to recognize and write Chinese characters as well as speak the language using correct tonal pronunciation.

Urban’s Chinese program tends to draw a wide range of language fluency within each level taught due to the small percentage of students that choose to take Chinese.

For instance, within one level of Chinese there are native Chinese speakers, students who come from Chinese immersion middle schools, and those who have had no exposure to the language outside of the classroom. For this reason, each Chinese class functions at a very different pace, and as a result lacks the linear progression of other language classes.

Urban Chinese teacher Mia Huang, who came to Urban four weeks into the fall term, said, “I had to learn the language level of each student, and what they had studied. I took a few weeks to experiment and see how I should approach teaching each class”.

Milan Dolezal (‘17), who is currently in Chinese 5/6, also spoke to the alternative structure of the Chinese program. Dolezal said, “I’ve had a lot of different Chinese teachers and they have all had very different teaching styles … I know in Spanish they have a specific textbook and quizzes and in class essays so (Urban’s Chinese class is) definitely less structured.

It feels so different from any other class I’ve taken at Urban, even outside of the language department.

For example, there are no weeksheets, which is odd. I remember Xiaorong always saying there are no weeksheets because language is so fluid and we don’t know what we will get through.”

While Urban’s Chinese program lacks the traditional academic structure of most Urban curricu-

lum, it provides greater opportunities to develop an understanding of Chinese culture. Since the beginning of the school year, several of the Chinese classes have taken field trips to visit the Chinese Historical Society of America Museum, the Asian Art Museum and to explore San Francisco’s renowned Chinatown. Huang has also dedicated class time to teach her students how to make Chinese dumplings, and to engage with other cultural activities, especially those that fall in line with the Chinese New Year. This type of cultural engagement allow students to become more invested in the language that they are studying, and more educated on the culture that fosters this language and community.

“Chinese culture and tradition is embedded within the language.

I think involving students in cultural activities is another way to motivate them to learn such a difficult language … Integrating Chinese culture and tradition is a large part of my teaching style,” Huang said.

The dedication to cultural learning within Urban’s Chinese program can also be seen through the in depth Chinese exchange program with high school students from QingDao, China.

Dolezal (‘17), who went on Urban’s China trip the summer after her freshman year, said, “The China trip was definitely the best three weeks that I attribute with Urban.” She added that going on the trip forced her to speak and engage with the language in a way she otherwise would not.

Reflecting on her time in Urban’s Chinese program, Dolezal said, “It really is just structured so differently from any other class that I’ve taken at Urban. It is like its own little world. I feel really fondly of my time at Urban in Chinese class. I think because they're smaller classes it’s definitely a strong community. I know everyone who speaks Chinese at Urban, and I think the teachers really help foster that community with visits to the other classes and I’m happy with that community created by the Chinese class.”

Spanish language exchange trip to happen in 2018

(which translates to “Mosque”), a monumental mosque dating back to the eighth century.

However, due to the size of the Spanish program, selecting students to go will be a challenge.

Out of the many students in the Spanish program, only 16 will be able to go on the trip. To apply, “students will submit an application demonstrating both their interest and their commitment to that mission. Based on that applicant pool, then we will draw it out of a hat. Qualifying students are rising Spanish 3, 4, [and 5]” Mary Lee says. The trip is meant for upperclassmen in the Spanish program. This is the selection process for both the Chinese and French exchanges, although their applicant pools are significantly smaller. The trip is anticipated to occur biannually, in rotation with the preexisting French trip.

by Emma Draisin

Continued from front page

staff writer

and all this stuff. I didn't see how that fit into our curriculum.”

Finding an existing program that met the specific requirements of Urban led Lee and Speier to hiring the agency Prometour, and “we found this agency that was really great, and they worked with Spain,” Lee said.

Lee and Speier ultimately decided on the I.E.S Seneca School, and students will complete a week long homestay with its students. I.E.S Seneca, the oldest school in the city, is “a school with about 1000 students. It's a public school, it's in the center of Córdoba, and I think it will be a different experience for our students.” said Lee. For the second part of the trip, “We will

Illustration by Blake Case

travel through Andalucía, and also go… to the center part of [Spain], Madrid [and] Toledo,” Lee said. The I.E.S Seneca students will also complete a homestay with Urban students, most likely in October of 2017, according to Lee. Deciding on Spain was not just a logistical decision: “It also made sense curriculum wise,” Mary Lee said. “We were already wanting to expand the focus of the class of 4A,” said Lee. The class currently focuses on immigration in the US, but next year it is changing to be titled “Crossing the line: new subjectivities in a globalized Hispanic world,” and shift to a global perspective. An-

dalucía, Spain, provides the perfect space to do that. This large region’s geographical position and abundant natural resources have made it a historically sought after territory. Remains from its Roman and Moorish roots live on in the architecture of the region. “We want to go to Andalucía because it has a rich history, a history of going back and forth, between being Christian, and being Moorish,” Lee said.

The city of Córdoba, where the school is located, was first a Roman port city, and subsequently the capital of Islamic Spain a millennium ago. Now, the city is a cultural hotspot, with beautiful historic architecture, Fernandine churches, and the Mezquita

Mexican Museum to change location

by Katie Jonckheer staff writer

In the spring of 2019, San Francisco will add a new member to its plethora of downtown museums: The Mexican Museum.

This museum currently resides in Fort Mason, and will “soon call the downtown Yerba Buena Center for the Arts home,” according to its official website.

The new building will be located at 706 Mission Street, and “is being partially built out of the historic brick Aronson Building.”

The building was built in 1903 and survived both the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes, according to Handel Architects. The new museum, therefore, will have a strong foundation of San Francisco history in an accessible location.

Founded in 1975 by Peter Rodriguez, a Mexican-American artist, the San Francisco Mexican Museum is the largest museum of its kind in the United States, as well as the oldest, according to an SfGate article and a Vida en el Valle article, respectively. It con-

tains Mexican, Mexican-American and Chicano art. Rodriquez passed away on July 1st, 2016, and will not be able to witness the completed structure.

There was recently a dedication ceremony for the new building.

Several notable figures spoke at the event, including Nancy Pelosi and Mexican Foreign Secretary Claudia Ruiz Massieu.

Pelosi said, “Celebrating Latino contributions to the community is just as important as honoring Latino art”, according to an NBC Bay Area article covering the move.

In an SfGate article, writer Kimberly Veklerov reported that the museum’s chairman, Andrew Kluger, also said, “We’re establishing now a cultural institution of major proportion that will be for the Mexican community, the Chicano community, the Latin American community as a whole.”

The same article explained that the museum’s change of loca-

tion and size is due to the fact that the collection at the current museum is too large for that old location. According to SFgate, t his has made it so that “many of its 16,000 or so paintings, sculptures, textiles and other artifacts (are being) held in storage because there isn’t any space to display them”. The new space, which is significantly bigger, will no doubt solve this problem.

NBC Bay Area wrote that the new museum “will pull together 16,500 pieces of Mexican and Latin American Art.” This art spans “2,500 years of history” from ancient to modern culture.

The Hispanic community is an integral part of San Francisco, and those involved with the move and building of the museum hope that it will bring a sense of visibility and unity to a community struggling to deal with new immigration policies from the Trump Administration.

A Vida en el Valle article detailing the opening of the museum

said, “Some of the members who identify as Latino and trace their roots to Mexico expressed a deep sense of pride and joy as the Mexican Museum finally breaks ground.”

SfGate reported that the designer of the museum, Enrique Norton, says that he wants the museum to be a “‘home away from home’” for Mexican San Franciscans, according to . He dedicated the building “to the Mexican and Central American people; they are (his) heroes and brothers.”

The building is being developed alongside the City and County of San Francisco, Millennium Partners, and the California Cultural and Historical Endowment.

Museum Operations Manager Vanessa Moreno describes the move as “exciting”, and it seems that all those involved share a similar enthusiasm for the new space.

8

Opinions March 2017

Inappropriate displays of affection distract from academic environment

by Ian Shapiro and Cole Palmer

Editorial

staff writers

Students of Urban, As spring settles in and the weather warms, it will become increasingly likely for students to spend their free time in the garden or on the roof of the Mark Salkind Center.

Urban students will break out their shorts and sundresses, and seniors will become more relaxed as the college process comes to a close and graduation nears. At the same time, it will become more common to see public displays of affection (PDA) all across campus. More people go outside, and Urban students are closer together. Both new and established relationships flourish in the sunlight and carefree atmosphere. This can be enjoyable for those participating, but for some of the student body and faculty, it may be uncomfortable to see people showing romantic or sexual affection at school.

As is the case in many schools, gossip about couples being caught in compromising situations or be-

ing overly intimate in public occurs at Urban. While Urban is undoubtedly a social environment, it is first and foremost a work environment.

In a building full of adolescents, it would be unreasonable to expect interpersonal affection and drama to be completely under the radar; however, many members of the Urban community can agree that some lines should be drawn with respect to PDA. There is not, however, consensus on the issue and the question of PDA is unexpectedly divisive. A March 17th survey of the student body indicated that 28 out of 55, or 51 percent, of respondents found PDA uncomfortable while 27, or 49 percent, didn’t.

To understand people’s differing opinions on the matter, we spoke with several members of the community. Cameron Galley (‘17) has heard of “rumors of things going down on campus” but has “never witnessed anything.” Galley said that because teachers are so present on campus, couples should refrain from anything “too vicious … Anything more than kissing is pretty much whack … wait until you get home.”

Tess Veiga (‘17) had a similar view on PDA at Urban.“Just remind yourself that you’re at school with your teachers … there’s not a specific act (that crosses the line) ... If other people are starting to look, that’s when you’ve got to stop.”

There is of course a difference between explicit sexual behavior and more subtle forms of PDA, like holding hands. The Urban School student-family handbook claims that Urban students are expected “to avoid excessive displays of affection,” which fails to include holding hands or hugging. Since the direction given by the handbook is so vague, it is important for students to hold themselves accountable. We need to be mindful that even a kiss can make someone feel uncomfortable in the school.

“It shouldn’t really go past just like a little kiss (but) it’s evident that it’s going to happen, it’s high school … there’s definitely some couples that show more PDA than others … sometimes it can go too far … I don’t think people in school really want to see that,” said Nicholas Andino (‘18).

It is not the role of The Legend to dictate relationship dynamics or shame affectionate couples. It is important, however, to maintain an environment where the student body feels comfortable learning and the faculty feels comfortable teaching.

This is not to say we should be protected from the romantic realities of the world outside Urban, but instead we should hold ourselves to professional standards practiced in any other workplace.

From left to right, photos taken by Olivia Mitchel, Kian Nassre, and August Ackley

The Urban Legend From the Urban Legend 2016-2017 Application: The Urban Legend is a vehicle of student freedom of expression and a public forum for The Urban School community. It is a forum for reporting school, community and global news and for the exposition of student-generated news coverage, commentary and wit.

Journalism students strive as a team to find, create and publish excellent student work in a timely manner and to provide their peers and the school community with fresh, pertinent news and diverse perspectives on a variety of events and topics.

The Urban Legend seeks writers of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, cultures, races, religions, and sexual orientations.

The Legend is published in print and online several times a year. Find us at www.urbanlegendnews.org.

Adviser and Journalism Teacher: Raina Mast Fundamentals of Journalism Teacher: Sarah Levin

2016-2017 www.urbanlegendnews.org

Editors-in-Chief of Newspaper: Zoe Meneghetti and Ian Shapiro Editors-in-Chief of Magazine: Olivia Mitchel and Catherine Silvestri Editor-in-Chief of Layout and Design: Olivia DiNapoli

Our school campus is not our bedroom. It’s a simple truth, but a worthwhile reminder.

All too often, Urban students walk into class to find a mess of food packaging, crumbs, uncapped pens and paper scraps. The sights and smells are particularly unpleasant following large club meetings and popular forums held in classrooms.

Common areas including the Student Center, the Old Library and the new Alumni Blues Lounge also frequently fall victim to this unfortunate reality.

After lunch, plates of food and empty bottles are left behind on tabletops in spaces where Urban students tend to congregate.

This is an unfitting reality, particularly for a prestigious private high school in San Francisco — a city that prides itself on its environmental consciousness. According to the mission statement of the Urban Green Team, the group “aims to analyze and change Urban's institutional practices to be more environmentally sustainable,” focusing on issues including energy consumption, water usage, and waste disposal. Simultaneously, Urban’s food service Flik works to control waste by using compostable food packaging. With such initiatives in place to reduce our environmental impact, the rest of the Urban community must follow suit and treat our shared environment with respect.

One of Urban’s seven core values reads, “Learning extends beyond the classroom to instill in students a sense of mission and purpose as citizens of the larger community and world.” It is our responsibility as students to learn how to care for our school environment so that we may apply this practice beyond the walls of Urban. We, The Urban Legend staff, ask that the students of the Urban School embrace this duty. As we walk the halls of Urban, we must take the initiative and responsibility to clean up after ourselves.

Page Editors and Managers: News Editor: Katherine Weltzien Opinions Editor: Olivia Mitchel Arts and Culture Editor and Instagram Manager: Katie Jonckheer Features Editor: Emma Draisin Sports Editor: Catherine Silvestri Caboose Editor: August Ackley

Asssistant Editor of Design and Head Photographer: Olivia Meehan

Staff Writers Special Assignments:

Editor-in-Chief of Online News: Colin Heath

Content Strategist- Vivien Manning Head of Copyediting- Sophia Vahanvaty Head of Fact-checking-Ana Gorski Head of Infographics - Kian Nassre Head Illustrator- Blake Case Ethics Maven- Jack Cogen Circulation Manager- Tikloh BrunoBasaing Public Relations- Alyssa Romo Awards Coordinator- Lily Daniel Magazine Paginator- Lola McAllister Coordinator of Guest ContributionsAidan Ryan Staff Writer- Cole Palmer

Assistant Editor of Online News: Diego Lopez Editor-in-Chief of Visuals: Emmy Hicks-Jablons

The Legend is a proud member of the National Scholastic Press Association

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9

Sports March 2017

The unknown talent of Urban School teachers

by Aidan Ryan The Urban School’s faculty is filled with athletic talent, including several previous Division 1 athletes, who dedicated their college years to constant sport for their university. Below are a few of the D1 teacher athletes at Urban: a baseball player from University of California Davis, a basketball player from Boise State, and a laxer from Harvard University.

Richard Lautze:

Richard Lautze batting in a game for UC Davis. Photo from Lautze

This math teacher, who can be found gazing intently at the sky, pointing out star formations and planets, was a baseball stud. Recruited from his high school in junior year in a package deal with his teammate and friend, Richard Lautze led the UC Davis, to some big wins during his 4 years as student athlete there.

“It was fun to be on a winning team,” said Lautze, who won a championship his sophomore year. Richard, the center fielder, who was the lead-off hitter in the lineup, recalls one moment in his four years on the team that changed him.

staff writer

“For the first time in my career, I saw a pitcher that scared me. He laughed at me. He knew he had me,” said Lautze.

Fortunately for Lautze, he grounded out, which he laughingly said helped him “save face.” “It was eye-opening.

The first time that I felt overmatched,” He said. Baseball subsequently made way for teaching, although he's always had a sneaking suspicion that he got the job at the Urban School because of his athletic record.

“I had actually tried out for the Los Angeles Angels, [an MLB team], and I had that on my resume, and I noticed the people interviewing me noticing that. It was a significant part of my resume.”

Charlotte Worsely:

Joe Skiffer:

Joe Skiffer playing in game during his basketball career at Boise State University.

Feb. 2004. Photo from Getty Images

staff writer

Members of Urban's boys volleyball team playing in game vs Making Waves Academy in the Salkind Center Gymnasium Tuesday, March 2, 2017. Photo by Diego Lopez

www.urbanlegendnews.org

Charlotte Worsley, Assistant Head of Student Life at Urban, oversees student life outside the classroom, student discipline, advising, grade-level programs, and safety protocols. However, some students may be unaware that not too long ago, Worsley intimidated opposing attackers as goalie for the Harvard Women's varsity lacrosse team.

“I played defense in high school. I showed up for winter tryouts freshman year, and overheard the coach saying that the goalie was going to take the spring term off. I liked the sweats that the varsity had. I knew that I wasn’t going to make the varsity any other way, so I volunteered to play the goalie.

With no previous goalie experience,” said Worsley. Her junior year, Worsley lead her #2 ranked team to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament semifinals, narrowly missing the championship. “[Losing in the semifinals] was a real let down.” The following year posed another challenge. “I was writing my thesis [senior year] and it was really hard for me to balance my thesis and a varsity sport. So I don’t think I was as good a player my senior year, because I was too distracted.”

(Left) Charlotte Worsley in goal for Harvard vs University of New Hampshire.

Photo from the Harvard Crimson

Urban School revives boys volleyball

by Diego Lopez team

Leo Fine (‘19) bumps the ball, it flies to Riley Chan (‘18) who sets it to Nick Andino(‘18). Andino jumps up and slams it down onto the opposing team.

After a surge of student interest, Urban has brought back their boy’s volleyball team which disbanded in 2012.

The team is seven people of all grades and skill levels. Although the team is not technically a part of the Boys North Coast Section volleyball league, due to a late signup, the team will play seven games against schools in the league.

Cameron Galley (‘17) attempted to create a team in the 2015-16 school year, but there was not enough interest to start a team. By contrast, this year there was more interest from current and prospective students. At a preliminary meeting to gauge the interest in a team, nearly 30 students attended. Although there was significant amount of interest at first, only seven members are currently on the team.

“There is a variety of skill level on the team” said Fine, a member of the team.

While some players are coming from club teams, others are just trying the sport out for the first time. Fine played his middle school volleyball team and

13 years ago, Joe Skiffer spent his time dunking on fellow collegiate ballers.

Now, he is the Director of Athletics at Urban and the boys Varsity basketball coach. Back in his early years, Skiffer was a point guard at Boise State University.

“I rode the bench during the first games of freshman year,” said Skiffer, describing it as “an eye opening experience.” He went on to be captain of the team the next 3 years, going 23-10 his senior year.

“We had some big games, sellouts.

11,500 people went to games. Selling out gym for the last 6 games of senior year...that’s something I’ll never forget.

It’s loud, it’s rowdy,” he said.

“One thing I did recognize is that it is a business. I remember my second coach, he pulled us aside and said, ‘keep in mind. This is how I feed my children."

was excited when Urban finally formed a team. Before volleyball, he played tennis his freshman year and runs cross country. The team aspect of volleyball drove him to the sport, especially when compared to cross country and tennis, which are sports focused on individual performance.

“We have a lot to work on,” said Chan, who plays on a club team outside of school, named Sláinte, and helped bring the team to fruition this year.

The team played their first game in the The Urban School's Mark Salkind Center against Making Waves Academy. Urban won three to zero. After their first game Fine was surprised with their performance. “I was underestimating us”, said Fine. He continued, “We can work as a team better than I thought”.

“I was impressed with us,” said Ronan Weber (‘18), but “apparently we need to be more energetic.” The team is currently 2 and 1. Their next game is against California Crosspoint in the Salkind Center Gymnasium on March 30th 2017 at 4:30 pm.

The Ballers of the Salkind Center Gym

by Lola McAllister At around 11:20 a.m., the newly built Mark Salkind Center is a bustling place.

People wait anxiously for their food from Flik, students hunch over their laptops to cram for their test next period, while some swish threes and break ankles all over the basketball court.

This group of basketballers flock to the Salkind Center gym everyday.

Contrary to popular belief, these basketball fans do not eat their lunch in three minutes then run to class in order to maximize time on the court.

“I’ll grab some food with the boys and we’ll eat … if there’s nothing to do we’ll play basketball,” said Dom Bobila (‘17).

In fact, they try to keep the basketball fairly mellow. “We try to get games going, but everyone says ‘oh I’m not trying to get sweaty,’” Bobila said.

Lunch time basketball can be quite the opposite of the formal games played by

staff writer

Urban’s girls and boys basketball teams with referees, timed quarters, and cheering fans. For some, it is a time to relax.

“I play to relieve stress and take my mind off other academic activities,” said Max McAllister (‘17), a regular on the court who does not play for the Urban team.

“I like shooting around because it’s relaxing, seeing the ball go through the net – the swish,” said Bobila. “A lot of people spend their lunches talking to their friends and sitting around,” said Bobila, “we just do it while shooting around.”

The same individuals for the most part, from freshmen to seniors, can be seen frequenting the Salkind Center gym during lunch.

“Some of the seniors boss some of the younger kids around,” said Nathan Storey (‘20), a usual on the court, but, “it’s a good way for freshmen to get to know upperclassmen.” Storey also said that “more people should come play.”

Students playing basketball in the Salkind Center Gymnasium during lunch period.

March 15 and 23, 2017. Photos by Olivia Meehan, Head Photographer

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Arts & Culture March 2017

Urban school teachers discuss their style

by Alyssa Romo

Sarah Levin

staff writer

I like to wear clothes that are colorful and a little preppy but quirky. I like to shop secondhand. I am concerned about how clothes are made, so to try and combat that I shop at thrift stores and I also make my own clothes.

I’ve gone through a lot of different style iterations since high school. In high school, I had some inkling of ‘a style’, but it wasn’t really rooted in myself, like I was really motivated to wear things that I thought my sister would think were cool. So I kind of had a grunge thing going on for a while. I would, like, go to Buffalo Exchange and get Doc Martens and plaid skirts. And then in college I was more motivated by my roommate at the time and I started wearing what she was wearing. Like, I didn’t have a personal, strong aesthetic yet. And then when I started grad school to become a librarian, that’s when I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I can do this kind of like preppy librarian look, but make it a little wonky.’

I’m intrigued by Urban Student fashion. Just because, you know, I’m 20 years older than Urban students and so I’ve seen a lot of trends. And you know, I feel like there is this 20 year cycle. Like in the 80s it was this derivative of the 60s and in the 90s we started wearing bell bottoms again like the 70s. And now, we’re getting some of this early 2000s stuff. Like, we’re moving out of this 90s derivative thing … so it’s kind of weird for me to witness that. But I appreciate seeing students that kind of go out and take risks and wear something that’s not so status quo. Or put together outfits that are from thrift stores or are from non-mainstream shops.

I would say [my sense of style is] aspirationally androgynous. I really like really shapeless clothes where I can feel the fabric as I walk and as I move. Comfort is crucial. And it always has to feel in balance. So, when I had really long hair I used to wear more masculine clothes – I used to wear men's cargo shorts and men's tshirts and sweatshirts and hoodies, to feel like it balanced me out because my hair was really femme. And then when I cut all my hair off I felt much greater freedom in what I dressed as. I love the architecture of clothing and how things fall and texture and fabrics – that interests me a lot more than necessarily having it fit right.

In high school, it was much more like, sweats, but trying to be ‘on’ fashion trends. I always wanted to have a style that I liked, but I think I was so insecure in myself that I really thought about how other people would look at what I wore. It was so inauthentic to what I actually wanted to wear and what I enjoyed wearing, I wasn't in touch with that at all. I think in many ways the transformation from high school to now, what I wear has very much come along with my acceptance of myself.

And being like, 'this is what feels good and right to me,’ and I'm aware of it and I know what I like, I know what I don't like.

I think it's interesting to learn trends from what Urban students are wearing. I think that Urban students overall are very put together; they look very adult. It's like booties and Patagonia and the classic Reeboks, so it’s interesting to see like what is the new fashion trend and how Urban students can adapt that to be their own. I appreciate Urban student fashion, I think it's very representative of how they want to be in the building, and I think that that's wonderful.

Kaern Kreyling

Charisse Wu

I really like old things. I literally like to wear things from other eras. I would say my style is vintage-y. And I love used clothes and I love old things that other people have worn; there's something really powerful to me about the energy field of shared items and that not everything has to be new. I don't know that I have a singular thing ... I feel like each year I have a different motif that I don't necessarily think about in advance but looking back I can see that there were themes. I don't know, I've sort of done everything there is to do in San Francisco in terms of scrap clothes stores or second hand clothes stores all up and down Mission street and Valencia street. Now, I really like when I go somewhere else, like on a road trip, I love stopping in second hand stores in towns that I'm visiting. I must say I kind of like estate sales; you get a lot of good deals, people just have huge closets from dead people. It's kind of a wild thing.

I think high school I was just really frustrated with what I had the money for, and what I had exposure to, I was in pretty backwater style-wise and clothes-wise. Up until eighth grade, I bought everything in Sears, and I was pretty disappointed in it, but I didn't really have any real mentors. And my 20s seem terrifying to me when I look back at photographs of myself. I lived in the woods. I lived in Vermont, you know, hippie clothes. But I don't think until my 30s that I really felt like I identified with what I wore, like I was wearing something that felt like mine; my aesthetic was evolving. I sort of first found my look – like I used to shave my head and wear men's jackets – and I've really gone more female; my hair's long again, so there's a lot of details like that. I think it was making peace with my female.

I love [Urban student fashion]. I think it could get crazier than it does. I feel like people would dress crazier ... Maybe it's just like life, being free enough to dress outside what seems to be some of the norms. I feel like I witness norms of things, and people in their vulnerability be judgemental of each other. Or maybe people in their own self-consciousness about letting themselves really go for it. I think there's so much adventuresomeness here, and I feel like it could be endless – it may be like kindness, we could be kinder all the time as human beings about so many things including how we look and what we wear. I wish we had more costume days. I just love costuming.

About 25 years ago, a colleague called my style, ‘Wrinkled Preppy’. I was insulted. It's gone downhill from there.

Mostly I wear things that are old, cheap, a little too big, comfortable, warm. Most of my clothes are older than the students here. I almost always have a little wool cap on my head or in my pocket, or both (this is for fine tuning my internal temperature based on wild temperature fluctuations both inside and outside the building).​Lately, I have taken to 'graph paper' shirts, and function diagram (vertical stripe) shirts. I don't think I want to wear polar coordinate shirts.

Th ​ e green wool tweed is essential. Funny it has a Gap label. I didn't buy it at Gap. I got it on the way to a wedding about 25 years ago at the Goodwill store by Van Ness & Market. It was brand new, $20, one of the more expensive items in my wardrobe. Believe it or not I step up the quality a little from when I arrive at school to when I show up at class. I have a locker here with some shirts I rotate, and a slightly better quality of Goodwill wool pant than I wear on my bike.

[I shop at] Goodwill exclusively. Sometimes I find a good hat on the street.​​ I like to see the eclectic individual styles come out. I'm not a fad fan. I have a special appreciation for the 2nd hand clothes folks -- I see you.​My style hasn't changed since high school. I'm my own style icon.

Scott Nelson

Photos by Alyssa Romo www.urbanlegendnews.org

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Arts & Culture March 2017

Urban students engage in activism through art

by Katherine Weltzien staff writer

From lunchtime forums to class discussions, there are plenty of platforms for students to engage in political discourse at the Urban School of San Francisco. However, the public, vocal nature of Urban’s political atmosphere raises the question: How do students who do not feel comfortable speaking in these settings express their beliefs?

Skylar Baker (‘18) and Imogen Budetti (‘18) started the apparel brand “Yes We Wear” with the goal of “allowing people to fight for social justice without feeling they need to be really outspoken,” said Baker. By wearing a tshirt, “you’re not really calling attention to yourself,” said Budetti.

Baker said that the shirts create an “awareness of who believes in what. Though we’re taught to not judge people based on their political views, I find that is something we have to base who we

hang out with off of.”

As far as the design aspect of the venture, Budetti said, “We’re not taking someone else’s images and putting them on a shirt and selling them. We’re designing them … I do art a lot, but I’ve never gone into a project with the goal of making anything political.” In terms of exploring new artistic territory, “I don’t think we’ve been copying anyone, but we’ve been paying attention to digital media,” she said.

Dani Garcia (‘18) also uses visual art to share her beliefs with the Urban community. “It’s kind of an emotional outlet in a way, to express what I’m feeling and what my thoughts are. It’s also political in a way, it’s around, in the halls at Urban. It’s kind of exposing my thoughts in a way I feel comfortable sharing,” she said. “I feel like since the beginning of me taking Urban art classes I’ve leaned towards things that have to do with identity and

politics….I remember in printmaking last term we had a prompt about art as activism. And in my final project I leaned towards that.”

Regarding activism in Urban School art classes, Kelli Yon (visual art teacher), said, “Kate and I just finished teaching two graphic design classes and one of the assignments was to consider an ‘Americanism’ and create a poster that would inspire viewers into action (or nonaction, as the case may be). I was amazed by the thoughtful projects both classes created. There was a variety of subjects covered, but what was most clear is that Urban has a lot of students who are passionate deep political thinkers.”

For those who are interested in viewing more art that conveys political beliefs, Yon said, “I feel that SOC does an amazing job of conveying political questions through artwork.

There have been many identity photo projects done in the past few years that I have been blown away by. I appreciate students willingness to be honest and vulnerable with their community.”

Looking towards the broader Bay

Area community, Yon said, “William Kentridge has a piece at the SFMOMA (7th floor) right now that is one of my all time favorites. Kentridge is a white South African artist who has always made work about his privilege and the politics of his country. It is a multimedia installation that is so completely immersive. I have been twice and intend to go as many more times as I can, for there is so much to see and imagine in it. He is simply a genious.”

Art by Dani Garcia

Album Review: CULTURE With their latest EP, “Culture”, Migos continues to solidify their status as the newest household name in rap. Artistically, “Culture” shows that the Atlantabased trio has grown in leaps and bounds since their first mixtape in 2011, “Juug Season”, which suffered from horrible production and unintelligible mumble rapping. Many of the motifs that have characterized their music thus far, such as the simple storytelling found in most trap music, the styles of beats (which are largely functions of the continual appearances of producers like Zaytoven), and verbal ad-libs as background supporting vocals are present in “Culture”. However, these feel like natural parts of the songs and don’t come off as auditory assault, something the group has struggled with in earlier works.

The album begins with a high-volume monologue by DJ Khaled, which, surprisingly, does not provide an accurate characterization of the rest of the album. Unlike the hard-hitting style of hits and singles for

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which Migos is best known, like “Versace”, “Pipe It Up”, and most recently, “Bad and Boujee” (one of the promotional singles for “Culture”), “Culture” is a more measured album. No song on the album is likely to chart as well as “Bad and Boujee” has, or have as large of a cultural impact.

Anyone who was on Twitter in late 2016 when the song came out was likely to have seen the memes of extraneous phrases rhymed with opening lyrics of the chorus, such as “Raindrop, drop top, I’m Rick Harrison and this is my pawn shop”, a tweet from December 22nd by Twitter user @memeprovider. While “Bad and Boujee” fits in sonically with the rest of the album, it disrupts the flow. On the whole, “Bad And Boujee” is an good song, but its quality is detracted by a lackluster feature by Lil Uzi Vert.

Other tracks stand out too.

“Big On Big”, which opens with a verse delivered by Takeoff where he compares his superior material possessions, drugs, and

by Colin Heath staff writer

women to an unnamed lesser man, is one such track. There are also tracks such as “All Ass”, which do not move the album forward in any meaningful way and come off as being filler material. This is a problem that has typified Migos’ work since the beginning. Their real gems are hidden between dozens of other

Unlike the hard-hitting style of hits and singles for which Migos is best known, like “Versace”, “Pipe It Up”, and most recently, “Bad and Boujee” (one of the promotional singles for “Culture”), “Culture” is more measured album. tracks on their mixtapes and albums that are not necessarily bad, just boring and forgettable. This is less of the case with “Culture”, but at points it feels as if it is dragging on.

All things being equal, “Culture” is a good album. Migos is still the

same Migos they were back in the “Juug Season” days, but their sound is far more refined, and the higher value features (which on “Culture”, include Gucci Mane, Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, 2 Chainz, and DJ Khaled) and production have managed to elevate Migos to previously unreachable heights, both in artistry and popularity. Look out for Migos in 2017, because they are here to stay.

"Culture" Album Art

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Caboose

Changing faces behind the counter

March 2017

by Tikloh Bruno-Basaing staff writer

The faces of the Urban School’s new dining service, Flik, are a friendly sight in the hallways or Student Center, but will not be here for long. Many of the chefs, servers, and cashiers are working with Acrobat Outsourcing, the #1 fastest growing hospitality staffing agency in the country, which is used by Flik, so are only at the Urban School temporarily.

Mike

Mike Morgan has been working with Flik for over 20 years, and currently works as a Field Support manager meaning that, “when we have new pieces of business I help transition the pieces of business from whatever they were into Flik units,” he said. Mike is originally from Stamford, Connecticut. He has worked with schools across the country, from Greenwich, Connecticut to Hillsborough, California. Mike is passionate about his job because he is able to use creativity and problemsolving skills. “When you come into a new unit with very little lead time, like Urban, there was quite a bit of on the fly work to get it done, so those parts

of the job are challenging and interesting,” he said. Mike is also passionate about working with young people, as he has two sons of his own. Although he is not a chef, Mike likes to cook for fun and has done some cooking for his job here. Mike is a fisherman and spends his time fishing whenever he is not working, in places like Florida and Eastern Long Island.

by Colin Heath staff writer

Urban has its own culture and its own vernacular. To an outsider, talk of “throwing down” or “lads” may sound like gibberish. The following is an explanation of just some of the Urbanspecific slang in students’ vocabulary.

Originally described something offensive or politically incorrect, but because of overuse, has come to signal non-descript disapproval of something.

Example: “His statement about FLIK was so problematic”

Grind /grīnd/ noun

The experience of undergoing a strenuous or trying activity Example: “That Calculus quiz was a grind.”

verb

To work furiously or intently on a particular task Example: “I grinded my entire Remaking America paper last night.”

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Salia Salia Vayen works here as new cashier in the Student Center of the Page Street campus. Salia is from Nicaragua and has just started working at the Urban School. Like most of the food service workers at Urban, Salia works for Acrobat Outsourcing

Mike Morgan, taken by Olivia Meehan

Problematic /präblə madik/ - adjective

Salia Vayen, taken by Emmy HicksJablons

and with only be here temporarily. Salia is still young at 20 years old, but when she was a child her dream was to become a doctor.

“When I was about 5, my parents got me this instrument from the doctor, and I've always wanted to be a doctor since,” she saidOne of her passions is reading and in all of her free time, when she isn’t at school, working, or doing homework, she likes to read books, especially those about history. For fun, Salia enjoys spending time and going out with her friends.

urban dictionary

Lad /lad/ - noun

A bro. Can be appended to names.

Examples: Lily Ladhaus “Skyler Silverman is such a lad.”

Throwing Down / THrō doun/ - verb

Roast Hands /rōst hand/ - noun

an action wherein the roaster extends their flattened hand and points it at the recipient of the roast. This action denotes the satirization and mockery of the recipient Example:

To host a party Example: “Max threw down last night, did you go?”

PostSecret /pōst sēkrit/ - noun

A Tumblr, inspired by the book series of the same name, frequented by underclassmen and run by HIPE wherein students can semi-anonymously post a comment.

Example: “Did you see that post on PostSecret last night?”

HSM - noun

Abbreviation for Haight Street Market Example: “Do you wanna go to HSM for lunch?”

Illustration by Blake Case, Head Illustrator

Snaps /snaps/ - noun

A way to verbally replicate the action of snapping one’s fingers (which is done to signal agreement during discussions) Example: Person 1: “FARE’s food was too expensive!”

Person 2: “Snaps.”

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