Redwood Bark 2019 September

redwood

bark.

Wildfire Preparation

10

Water Polo in Croatia

16

Student Photography

redwood high school ● 395 doherty dr., larkspur, ca 94939 ● volume LXII no. 1 ● September 12, 2019 ● www.redwoodbark.org

22

Budget cuts impact daily student and teacher life By Martha Fishburne

larger class sizes, fewer teachers and classified staff and decreased funding In Feb. 2019, the Tamalpais Union to some aspects of student resources. High School District (TUHSD) board AP Biology and Living Earth teacher passed a budget reductions proposal for Amy Mastromonaco finds that one of the 2019-2020 school year, predicted to the biggest difficulties for her regarding save $2.84 million. TUHSD is a Basic the budget cuts is the larger class sizes. Aid district, meaning it receives most of Mastromonaco teaches in a room that seats its funding from property taxes rather 30 students, but several of her classes have than from the state. Unfortunately, that up to 34, making it difficult for her to form funding does not correspond accurately connection with her students in order to with the large influx of new students. provide a more personalized education. The effects of these cuts at “I still don’t know all my students’ Redwood are now visible in the names, and I would like to get to know

Photo by Loughlin Browne

CROWDING IN THE hallways stems from the increasing student body size, something difficult to manage alongside the budget cuts.

Cuts to support staff have also them better on a one-on-one level but I don’t have the time. I also am not able been made, limiting resources and valuable to give such great feedback because time workspace for students on campus. Principal David Sondheim agrees is of the essence,” Mastromonaco said. Kristi Perani, a Physics in the Universe that the budget cuts will have some teacher, also faces these challenges. This immediate effects on students and year, Perani is currently teaching in a faculty at Redwood and the long term classroom that was originally not intended impact will not be known until budget for her subject so it lacks many components cuts have been in place for a while. “I think time will needed for a science tell as to what the class, including a impact on students will prep room, adequate be,” Sondheim said. outlets for labs and a “They’ll certainly see demonstration table. more students in their “Now I have 34 classes. We have larger kids and it’s harder… class sizes than we’ve I’ve fortunately been had before. Beyond that, able to get some TA’s, some services students but still I have to may want—whether make sure the kids are it’s changing classes helping each other more Amy Mastromonaco, or getting transcripts, because it’s harder for teacher stuff like that may take me to get around to a little longer than it every kid,” Perani said. would have before.” Jennifer KennyHowever, Kenny-Baum also Baum, the Wellness Coordinator for the Redwood Wellness Center, also recognizes recognizes that student feedback does have that as enrollment rates rise over the next an impact on the process, and if students couple of years and the TUHSD budget are dissatisfied with what staff and services remains the same, the Wellness Center were cut, their voices can make a difference. “Student input really matters in the staff may have a harder time meeting the needs of an increased student population. process. One of the things that made a real “[The staff is] not growing, and I think difference for us was students who heard that’s a real challenge for a lot of people in about the initial cuts and got involved... their positions,” Kenny-Baum said. “Maybe and I really think that is in part what turned you had 1,800 students and now there’s people’s ideas around,” Kenny-Baum said. 2,100. Whatever the large growth might be, there’s that many more students who are going to have that many more needs and we don’t have the ability to grow with them.” mfishburne@redwoodbark.org

I still don’t know all my students’ names, and I would like to get to know them.

Anti-Racism club SOARS to new heights by becoming an official class By Ryo Weng

Students Organized For Anti-Racism (SOAR) has become an official class as of the start of the 2019-2020 school year, adding to its previous title as a student club. SOAR was introduced to Redwood two years ago under influence from the Pacific Education Group, a consulting firm handling conversations on racial equality. With experience working at an ethnically diverse school in Oakland, History and the Appreciation of Film and US History teacher, David Minhondo was asked to be a supervisor for the club. Alongside Essay Exposition and English 3-4 teacher Danielle Kestenbaum and Drama and Link Crew teacher Erik Berkowitz, the trio originally held meetings during lunch on Tuesdays. However, their discussions and lesson plans would often get cut short with the limitations of the 35 minute lunch period. This year, SOAR has been incorporated into the Ethnic Studies/Contemporary Issues class which is being taught by Kestenbaum and Minhondo. Senior Travis Haskin’s initial reaction to this news was mixed. “I was really excited and I was also kind of worried. For the class to be accepted we needed 25 people. By then I think we had like five people say yes [to taking the course],” Haskin said. “There [were] a lot of debates [on questions like], ‘Is it going to go through?’ Then coming here on the first day of school, we were able to see a lot of new people [in the class] which is really exciting.” According to Haskin, the class is more tailored towards Photo by Ryo Weng educating people on race theory and identities, whereas the club focuses on taking actions relevant to the school. ADVOCATING FOR STUDENTS of color, members from the SOAR club and class aim to make Redwood more After implementing SOAR into Ethnic Studies/ inclusive. Contemporary Issues across Redwood, Drake and San Andreas, the popularity of the class has found, and I can speak from personal experience growing honoring those differences would be a big start increased dramatically to yield class sizes of 30. up in a predominantly white area, is that many people towards making Redwood feel like a more safe During their longer meetings, junior Israa Mussa are unconscious about issues of race going [on] right and welcoming environment,” Berkowitz said. has observed several benefits to this development. around them,” Minhondo said. “Our goal is to wake up While the class requires enrollment, the SOAR “There’s no excuse to not take action. Now we have people’s unconsciousness and realize that there are racial club still exists as an alternate option for students the time [and] we have the resources,” Mussa said. issues happening around [us] everyday all the time.” to get involved. Mussa urges people to jump on Furthermore, with SOAR’s new establishment As the class meets every fifth period now, the opportunity to become a part of SOAR for its as a class, Minhondo sees potential to make Berkowitz’s goals for the SOAR class involves welcoming atmosphere and insightful discussions. a bigger impact on the local community. changing people’s perspectives towards racial issues. “Marin County, and Redwood in particular, is an “[Having] students of color and white students extremely predominantly white area. One thing we [learn] to talk to each other about differences and rweng@redwoodbark.org

September 12, 2019 bark Page 2 • News Historic settlement passed to desegregate Sausalito Marin City School District By Ella Green On Aug. 9, California State Attorney General Xavier Beccera announced the passing of an unprecedented settlement to help desegregate the Sausalito Marin City School District within the next five years. Nine months prior to the passing of the settlement, the Attorney General’s office accused the district of purposefully segregating the primarily affluent, caucasian Willow Creek Academy from the less affluent, minority based Bayside Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. Academy, both of which are kindergarten through eighth grade schools. Beccera announced that the plan is set to start at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. The plan intends to provide equal educational opportunities in elementary school and will pay reparations to students currently at Tamalpais High School who have suffered financially, socially or otherwise because of their district. These reparations include free counseling and tutoring services. The issue came into the spotlight several years prior to the settlement passing. In Aug. 2016, Marin County Superintendent of Schools Mary Jane Burke wrote to the Photo by Ella Green California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom PLAYING ON THE blacktop, students and community members have fun on Bayside MLK’s campus. On Aug. 9, the Torlakson, describing the issues the Sausalito Marin City California State Attorney General announced a settlement to desegregate the school. School District faced. “It appears as though the Sausalito Marin City School a Desegregation Advisory Group formed by the District me and I want to have the same opportunities as people in District Board of Trustees may be engaged in a common Superintendent within 90 days of the judgement, court other schools and I don’t really think that hurts anybody as law conflict of interest,” Burke said. “The report indicates jurisdiction over all allegations and subject matter of long as everybody is uplifted in the process.” Griggs also believes that there is still progress to be that board members have placed financial and educational the People’s complaint, an assessment conducted 180 interests of an independent charter school (Willow days after the settlement to gauge the community’s made in terms of combating racism here at Redwood. “[For] the most part, I would say Redwood does a pretty Creek Academy) above the interests of the students of needs and development of a “Comprehensive Plan” to be good job of combating these issues. However, that’s what the . Sausalito Marin City School District. The report incorporated in all the schools in the district. The Desegregation Advisory Group (DAG) is set to SOAR is for: to call out the tensions within this school. A also indicates a majority of the district’s five governing board members have children enrolled in Willow Creek meet twice a year for the next five years. Additionally, 45 lot of people have experienced microaggressions. There’s days after each meeting, the DAG will still a long way to go with adjusting the [awareness] of this Academy Charter School (WCA), or publish a public written summary of and acknowledge how they’re acting around each other,” are associated with WCA.” what the meeting entailed. From there, Griggs said. Burke discussed several other the District Superintendent will review However, Burke feels very confident that the Final conflicts of interest in her letter, such as the summary to identify any possible Judgement is setting the Tamalpais Union High School agreements that supply fiscal benefits improvements to be made. District up for success. to WCA, WCA’s negligence to pay The “Comprehensive Plan” entails “The best case scenario is where we are right now,” special education encroachment and the a program that provides students in Burke said. “I’m so confident that we’re going to look district’s Governing Board providing grades seven and eight instruction back and say, ‘Look at this, how great!’” facilities to WCA at no cost. from credentialed teachers, longAdditionally, Burke is looking to successfully integrate Torlakson responded in an email to term funding, teacher retention and all the students from Bayside MLK and WCA. Burke two months later. recruitment, consideration of associated “I am very interested in there being a consolidation “My staff reviewed this report and Wesley Griggs, costs and feasibility, transportation that with the Mill Valley School District. So I want to take feel there are a number of issues that adequately serves all students from it even a step further, which has nothing to do with this merit further review. However, many junior throughout the District who attend settlement, but that at some point that we bring together of these issues may be outside of the District-Operated schools and out-of- all the students from Mill Valley as well as Bayside and Department of Education’s scope. As a result, we believe a review by the Attorney General is district enrollment, allowing special funding including Willow Creek. So they’re all going to come together,” grants and interdistrict attendance agreements, according Burke said. warranted,” Torlakson said. “Members of the community definitely are saying From there, Beccera was notified and began to develop to the Final Judgement. At Redwood, members of the Students Organized they’re willing to work together. We think all kids are a plan. Three years later, the settlement was ratified, offering hope for the future of the deprived Bayside MLK Against Racism (SOAR) club have expressed their favor worthy,” Burke said. “It’s hard to know exactly what for the settlement. Wesley Griggs, a junior member, feels it will look like down the road but it will likely be one school. The settlement is arranged to change the makeup strongly that every student should have equal education system, not one school and another school…There’s a very positive way forward now particularly when people of the entire Sausalito Marin City School District in a opportunities. “I just feel like it’s every student’s right to be able have clearly identified how important it is that we get this detailed five-year plan. The plan is written out in the Final Judgement of “The People of the State of California, Ex. to have an equal education and to not be deprived of right after decades of challenges.” Rel. Xavier Beccera, Attorney General of The State of resources. School is supposed to be a place where students California v. Sausalito Marin City School District.” Key can come and feel free to express their opinions in a place parts of this plan include the introduction of a qualified where they can kind of escape their outside lives,” Griggs third-party expert to facilitate and overlook meetings, said. “I want everybody to have the same opportunity as egreen@redwoodbark.org

It’s every student’s right to be able to have an equal education.

Bark Patrons The Baylo Family The Bosley Family The Dahlin Family The Dawes Family The Erickson Family The Epps Family Jon Epps Lynn Gerson Cynthia Goodman The Goodman Family The Hettleman Family Leonardo and Dolly Hom Sylvia Jones The Ladetzky Family Joyce Linker The Loebbaka Family The Mincy Family Frank Rollo The Taunton Family The Silverman Family The Snyder Family The Steele Family The Steinberg Family The Strotz Family Lorna Strotz The Watridge Family The Weng Family

Photo by Ella Green

HANGING IN THE hallway, diverse flags celebrate the various backgrounds of Bayside MLK’s students. The school’s population consists mostly of a minority demographic.

If you would like to support the Redwood Bark, donations can be made by check to Redwood Bark and mailed to Redwood High School. See www.redwoodbark.org for an online payment option.

Page 3 • News

www.redwoodbark.org

bark

Photo Survey

What has been your favorite high school moment so far?

“The Back To School Dance was awesome.”

“Making new friends from other schools that I didn’t know.”

Grant Wheeler

Jordyn Solter

freshman

“Freshman year BTSD, because it had the best DJ and was a new experience.”

sophomore

Miles Crook junior

“Meeting new people.”

Niamh O’Donnell senior

Principal Eric Saibel encourages learning at Hall Middle through new grading system By Charlie Ginsburg On the much anticipated morning of Wednesday, Aug. 21, students of Hall Middle School poured into classrooms to begin the first day of the 2019 school year. The start of school always brings new beginnings and challenges, but for the students and staff at Hall Middle this year, this was especially true.

As of this year, Hall Principal Eric Saibel and his staff chose to adjust their grading system. The vote among teachers concluded with a powerful consensus: over 80 percent of the teachers voted to do away with the letter grading system and replace it with “standards-based grading.” According to Saibel, they considered the letter grading system to be out of line with their fundamental beliefs about learning.

Photo by Charlie Ginsburg

ENCOURAGING VALUES SUCH as responsibility, citizenship and respect, the art around campus is one of the many ways that Hall emphasizes their culture.

“A through F doesn’t align with our values, because we don’t want kids thinking about learning as a process of collecting points,” Saibel said. “Students might say, ‘How come I don’t have an A?’ Or they’ll say, ‘How can I get one and a half percent points more to get the A?’ As long as we have a points-based system, our students will look at their learning processes as one that’s transactional.” Eighth-grader Mayson Weingart believes that at least for now, students have not been able to shake the “transactional” mindset yet. “People are still looking at it as if ‘Mastery’ [the highest level of proficiency on the new grading scale] is an A and ‘Emerging’ is a C. It’s just more in-depth,” Weingart said. Parents have mixed feelings about the new policy. Hall parent Allison Rothbart is somewhat skeptical of the idea of eliminating letter grades. “When I first heard about [the change], I was not happy about it. After [attending] Back to School Night and actually hearing a little bit more about it, it made sense why they were doing it. I’m more on board now,” Rothbart said. “My only issue is going forward what happens when they go from middle school to high school and how that affects them.” According to Weingart, the concern about transitioning to a traditional grading system in high school is a fear held by many students as well. “I think the feedback is good for students, but it might be hard when they get

to high school [because] they [will] have to be the one to go and talk to the teachers to get that extra feedback,” Weingart said. In the past couple years, both Del Mar and Ross Middle Schools have implemented grading systems that stray away from letter grades as well. Saibel believes that by working alongside and taking advice from both of these schools, the administrations can successfully evaluate and adjust their systems accordingly. “Del Mar, Ross and Hall Middle: we all feed into Redwood. We all consider ourselves doing the same job for the same community, despite the fact that we’re in different districts. We get a chance to do this in a unified fashion because we think it’s what’s best for kids… and going to prepare them best for high school,” Saibel said. With the first three weeks of school in the books, Saibel believes that there are still some parts of the system that may need adjusting as the year progresses. He is still optimistic about the future and what the new system will do for the students at Hall. “This is our first year of implementing this model as a whole school: every single classroom, every teacher. Our department teams are in strong alignment with what they’re teaching [and] how they’re assessing the students,” Saibel said. “In the end, it’s about getting kids to ask questions, to synthesize information, to draw information from various sources, to learn through inquiry and to make connections across disciplines.” cginsburg@redwoodbark.org

Sudden disappearance of Marin Pizza yields concern of mismanagement By Maya Holland Marin Pizza’s stark white block letters stand out against the surrounding rooftops in the Town Center mall. With a location at the end of a main entrance, the restaurant’s grand opening in the summer of 2018 showed promise, yet it recently closed in Aug. 2019 after only one year of business. Although the company was bustling with customers at the inception, dwindling popularity and unorganized management led to its ultimate closure. Management could not be reached by the Bark. Junior Keadan Bradley, a former Marin Pizza employee, noticed indications that the business was failing when the main managers stopped showing up for certain shifts and started creating dubious health issues to obtain Workers’ Compensation. “This manager said that he hurt his back on the job, which he never did. He also used to take alcohol from the fridge,” Bradley said. “He was fired and then the one who was working before was hired back.” Redwood graduate “James,” a former employee whose name has been changed for the purposes of remaining anonymous, also experienced mismanagement. “They sat upstairs and didn’t really manage anything,” James said. “We would close early all the time and people would come banging on the doors because it said we were open later.” Natalia Pelico, former Assistant Manager at Marin Pizza, began working around March of 2019. Although she and the general manager took turns covering shifts,

she felt as though they were not as hands-on with workers as they could have been. “I didn’t even get trained. I learned everything by myself and the people who worked there even saw that. I tried to do my best,” Pelico said. Aside from mismanagement and lack of training, Pelico believes one of the main reasons the business closed was due to hiring predominantly teenagers to work at the front of the store; most of the more experienced adults worked in the kitchen. She vocalized to the owner how change was necessary, but it never occurred. Although there is no definite reason explaining the slow foot traffic, once business slowed down, standards began dropping. “It started getting concerning when all of a sudden we were missing cheese, flour and drinks,” Pelico said. “Then I realized we stopped ordering from the man that we used to order everything from. [The owners] were now going to Smart and Final to buy [the food].” According to Pelico, the owner would go to the store daily and buy just enough to make meals for that day. This went on for weeks. “Business was slow and people seemed to not like our food…As it declined, the food definitely got cheaper,” James said. Aside from declining food quality, paychecks also became an issue. According to Pelico and Bradley, paychecks due within the last month `before closing were extremely late, but Pelico and James both received full paychecks by the end. Bradley did not.

“We weren’t getting paid for our work but all of us kept showing up because we were being told that [the paychecks] would come,” Bradley said. Until a new store takes the place of Marin Pizza, the lot sits empty at Town Center.

Photo by Maya Holland

AFTER CLOSING ABRUPTLY, Marin Pizza remains empty, locked and fully redone at Town Center. mholland@redwoodbark.org

opinion

Page 4

Olympic Athletes need a voice to create change By Mia Kessinger

Global Warning: Businesses leap towards sustainability Story and Illustration by Maria Alexander

“Global Warning” is a column discussing relevant enviromental concerns that our planet faces today. The column aims to provide thorough commentary on such issues and offer reasonable solutions that will propel our world to sustainability. Upon Googling the word “capitalism,” the word “profit” is attached to nearly every definition that pops up in the search. Profit maximization seems to be the key driving force of our entire economic system. But where has our greed gotten us? According to Conservation.org, the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is the highest it has been in three million years, and 17 of the 18 warmest years in recorded history have occurred since 2000. We are in a climate emergency and our corporate system, which has degraded natural resources over time, must change if we are to meet the 11-year climate deadline set by the United Nations. One way to start is by having major companies hire a Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), whose duties include but aren’t limited to: creating sustainability strategies, monitoring existing environmental concerns and researching new products and programs. Additionally, CSOs should look towards expanding their role to ensure that sustainability is a key pillar in major companies. One of the most valuable aspects of employing a CSO is that they work directly with the heads of other departments, enforcing a culture of sustainability that reaches into every corner of company operations. For example, Kathleen Talbot, head of sustainability and business operations at fashion label Reformation, has taken on a new sustainability project. She has begun identifying the various components of their clothing’s fabric dye in order to figure out how to reduce pollution. Such a process is not an isolated initiative; sustainability officers must be in communication with the department of operations management and the accounting department in order to implement new practices based on their findings. Because CSOs are evaluating the environmental status of their company from all different angles, they are in an advantageous position to weave the thread of sustainability throughout. According to Business Ethics Magazine, even though companies are increasingly devoting more resources and time to shift towards environmentally-friendly practices, a disconnect between business strategy and sustainability still remains. Instead of being part of a corporate narrative or mission that is presented to all stakeholders, sustainability is often only used as a marketing tool with little action to back it. According to a report by the MIT Sloan Management Review and The Boston Consulting Group, 40 percent of the companies examined lacked an effective strategy to ensure sustainability. More frighteningly, 70 percent of executives who responded to a survey by The Conference Board said that their boards spend four hours or less a year discussing sustainability topics. These statistics not only illuminate the need for a CSO, but suggest that their roles should be expanded. A profit-seeking management board might argue that hiring a sustainability executive is too expensive, as boards often care only about financials and believe that they will give up valuable salary space if they hire a CSO. If they cared about sustainability at all, consultants could be hired at a cheaper cost, covering some of the work that a CSO would be assigned to. However, the firm would be missing out on a more impactful role, and short-term consultant work is often not as tailored to the company. Although every bit of small-scale change does create a positive ripple effect, the most impactful action to save our environment can come only from corporations; they had the power to damage the planet for so many years, but they also have the power to spearhead change. malexander@redwoodbark.org

On Aug. 9, 2019, American Olympic fencer Race Imboden and hammer-thrower Gwen Berry kneeled and lifted their fists in the air on the medal podiums at the Pan American Games. These protests set off a spark of controversy throughout the country, particularly because they were in opposition of President Donald Trump and the injustices that have occurred since the start of his presidency, according to Berry and Imboden. This poses the contentious question: should Olympic athletes be allowed to protest? Yes, they should. The first amendment states: “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech,” meaning as American Olympians, they should be allowed to assert their voice with nothing stopping them. However, with rules and regulations preventing them from expressing their political opinions, it is not that simple. The two American athletes who protested at the games received a punishment of 12-months probation as a consequence of breaching the code of conduct, which they had agreed to before competing in the games. As a part of their eligibility, the athletes had complied with the contract, which stated that they could not make any political statements while at the games. Although the American protests are fairly new to international competitions, there have been many within the National Football League (NFL) throughout the past few years. The athletes in the NFL, most famously the previous 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, kneeled during the playing of the national anthem in protest of police brutality and discrimination against African Americans. As a result, many people, such as Republican congressman Peter King, argued that protesting was “unpatriotic” and “disrespectful” towards the United States and its veterans. According to Berry in an article by the Washington Post, she felt she should use her platform to inspire positive change, not as something to use for attention. “It’s in the Constitution, freedom of speech. I have a right to feel what I want to feel. It’s no disrespect at all to the country. I want to make that very clear. If anything, I’m doing it out of love and respect for people in the country,” Berry said. When asked in a poll conducted by the Washington

Post on Feb. 22, 2018 if it is ever appropriate for NFL players to protest by kneeling during the national anthem, 42 percent of American adults said it was sometimes appropriate, while 53 percent argued it was never appropriate. Kaepernick began these demonstrations in the NFL, saying his intentions were to protest the biases of the justice system targeting African Americans. Nonetheless, many came to believe that he was only taking a stand for attention, because his career was going downhill and he had not been picked up by any NFL teams. Whatever the reasons behind Kaepernick’s decision to kneel, the intentions behind recent protests by Olympic athletes were very different—as they were simply trying to resolve issues within America, and were not seeking attention. While kneeling in the NFL results in a team fine, Olympians who protest receive a 12-month probation, a rather harsh punishment in comparison. It also leaves no room for any rule changes for future Olympic games. In fact, the CEO of the American Olympic Committee, Sarah Hirshland, said that if there were future protests, such as in the upcoming 2020 Olympic games, there would be even more severe repercussions. In addition to the team fine, the rule set by NFL also allows players the option of remaining in their Illustration by Kalyn Dawes locker rooms. If Olympic athletes are protesting with the right intentions, should they not be given the opportunity to express their feelings on political issues? At the very least, they should be provided with the choice to not stand on the medal podium, similar to how football players are given the preference of staying in the locker rooms. This way, Olympians will get an opportunity to use their platform to communicate their desire for change within society. Free speech is in the very foundation of our country; from both the constitution and the people that bring it to life, including Olympic athletes. Imboden was simply trying to raise awareness for issues such as racism, gun control, and mistreatment of immigrants in America, according to his Twitter. Regardless of where you stand in society—from Olympic athletes to high school students— you should have the right to express your political beliefs. This “controversial” question should no longer be a question; the right to freedom of speech is justification for any Olympic athlete to protest. mkessinger@redwoodbark.org

Houston I think we have a problem...with our priorities Stroy and Illustration by Alix Salzer Elon Musk recently stated that in as little as 10 years, a human will land on Mars. As exciting as the proposition seems, it is not where our priorities should lie. With the countdown to ecological disaster already in motion, our focus should not be so literally out of this world. According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we have only 12 years until the damage to our planet is irreversible. Approaching our world’s possible death, colonizing Mars seems more like an escape plan than the next logical step in scientific discovery. Of course, Musk’s company is primarily funded through private contracts, not by the government, therefore making it difficult to instruct the corporation on how to run. However, Musk is not the only one with his eyes on the stars. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced a manned trip to Mars is likely to occur in the year 2037. Unlike Musk’s plan, NASA plans to simply orbit the red planet, not touch down. Still, it will be costly: according to a report by the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI), the total cost of the Mars trip would be 120.6 billion through 2037. So how much is this to NASA really? According to NASA’s 2019 Presidential Budget Request Summary, the administration is projected to receive just over 19.89 billion dollars from the federal budget, with the Mars trip costing about six point seven billion dollars per year. So, how could the space program use their money to help the environment? Well, NASA already has a few programs set up to aid the planet. In the budget, NASA has dedicated over 2.168 billion dollars toward Earth sciences Construction and Environmental Compliance and Restoration. While this is a great start, in the coming years, the administration

should focus more monetary aid to these Earth-friendly programs. A trip to Mars could actually cause environmental damage. According to Scientific American, rocket trips can cause air pollution. During blast off, exhaust is brought to the upper layers of the atmosphere, working to deplete the ozone layer. Then, as the rocket re-enters the atmosphere we see pollution in re-entry smoke particles (pieces of space debris that are vaporized on the rocket’s way to

Earth), and in the burning of large chunks of materials like aluminum, which could change the chemistry of the atmosphere. While space exploration is important to better understand the universe and our planet, it is just not relevant enough to sacrifice the good of the environment. When trying to protect the environment, science should be a top priority. However, creating a plan to run off into space seems too much like neglect than a beneficial scientific advancement. While traveling to Mars shouldn’t be resigned to the realm of fiction, keeping it that way just a few years longer could ensure our focus on more needed aspects of life. This time around, the giant leap for mankind should happen here on Earth. asalzer@redwoodbark.org

Page 5 • Opinion

www.redwoodbark.org

The blame game: whose fault is climate change? Story and Illustration by Maddie Loebbaka Lately, my Twitter feed has been filled with warnings that “no one is talking about the Amazon burning,” or “Hurricane Dorian is the worst we’ve ever seen.” But are these things true? Or is the state of panic caused by impending climate change clouding everyone’s vision? I then saw a Twitter thread in response to the recent natural disasters that said, “Please don’t eat meat or dairy tomorrow! It would help my anxiety for climate change.” But should I really feel guilty? As an individual, it often seems like my actions are inconsequential towards climate change, compared to the large corporations greatly contributing to our rising global temperature. I thought, why not try to go meat and dairy-free? Maybe it will prove to be an enlightening challenge? I’d read the reports and taken Advanced Placement Environmental Science, which taught me of the excess pollution and waste created by cattle farming. Then I found myself the next day with a latte, chicken wing and cheesy pasta––I felt guilty. I wasn’t even halfway through the day and I was already caving. But maybe I shouldn’t have felt so bad. According to the Los Angeles Times, in 2019, over 85 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from only 100 corporations. One of the most famous and destructive of these is Berkshire Hathaway, an enormous business conglomerate. One of their biggest holding companies is Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE), where 90 percent of the shares are held by Berkshire Hathaway itself. BHE preaches a sustainable approach to energy, with an entire tab on its website devoted to its supposed environmental outlook and efficiency plan. However, behind the scenes, the company is not as green as it is made out to be. According to the Los Angeles Times, 45 percent of their energy comes from coal, an electricity source that wreleases more greenhouse

gases per unit of energy produced than any other electricity source,” according to Green America. In fact, the company admitted that an immense proportion of their electricity is sourced from coal, and they even attempt to remedy it by explaining their motivations. “Coal’s importance in a balanced energy portfolio cannot be denied—it plays a large role in helping Berkshire Hathaway Energy deliver the low-priced, reliable energy our customers depend on,” as stated on the BHE website. The owner and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway is probably familiar: Warren Buffett. As the third richest man in the world, Buffett is worth roughly $82.5 billion, according to Forbes. Though he has pledged to give most of his wealth to charity, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, he continues to knowingly profit off of the coal industry. I’m now sitting in a frozen yogurt shop, surrounded by dairy products, and I don’t feel an ounce of guilt. Why? Because blaming individuals for climate change only serves to take blame away from corporations. I’m not saying that regular citizens are blame-free. Recycle, compost, use reusable containers and avoid eating too much meat. The problem lies where people are guilttripped for having eggs and bacon for breakfast or, God forbid, they use a plastic straw. In fact, the plastic straw phenomenon is a perfect example of how companies can actually profit off of climate change. Using single-use plastics should be avoided because of the damage they cause to marine life and other land animals, that’s true, but when a friend of mine whipped out her compactable metal straw, I almost laughed. I’d seen videos on Instagram promoting the product, but I didn’t believe it to be commonly used. Then I took one look on TikTok, which was full of middle school-aged girls flaunting their metal straw keychains with the caption, “Save the turtles.” I browsed online for the product and found dozens of companies, such as FinalStraw, Sunshine Straw Co., Strawesome, all specializing in one product: reusable straws. All these companies have profited off of the younger generation’s trendy anxiety towards climate

bark

change, producing countless straws that mostly benefit the businesses themselves due to the immense amount of money they have managed to make. Though the claims that reusable straws are dangerous––seen with the cases of cut mouths and chipped teeth––may not be as grave as the media makes them out to be, the danger lies in the plastic they use. The silicone tips and lining can not biodegrade, the cleaning brush that comes with the product is made with plastic bristles and the packaging bags and case the straw is meant to be carried in include plastic as well. Is paying $20 for a straw––literally just a straw––worth it when the plastic will still end up in the landfill? Soon the trend will die, and those that hopped on the bandwagon will hop off, but climate change will continue to be a pressing issue. Those 100 companies responsible for 85 percent of greenhouse gas emissions will continue to produce and pollute. So, what’s the solution? In the end, individuals are swept into a system that allows businesses to profit and the environment to suffer. Though the economy works off of both supply and demand, businesses capitalize and create new markets to adapt to a world on the brink of a global change. When we should be working on reducing our output and product usage, businesses allow us to increase our spending and global ecological footprint. Government officials in positions of power hold the key to curtailing emissions and waste, but lobbyists groups are managing to convince congresspeople, senators and other politicians that it is not a pressing issue. And possibly the most condemning part? The fact that the lobbyist groups and research centers uses to support their claims are all funded by those big energy corporations mentioned earlier. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the fossil-fuel industry spent over $2 billion on lobbyists for congress, outspending environmental lobbyists 10-1. In the end, we reach a tricky, balanced conclusion. Individuals are responsible for watching what and how much they buy. But we must recognize that the large corporations responsible for emitting tons upon tons of CO2 into the atmosphere and the government officials that allow it to happen should carry the guilt of our world’s uncertain future. mloebbaka@redwoodbark.org

Deporting gang members is not a quick fix to a long term mess By Maxanne Anderson “Trump administration seeks to deport children with life-threatening illnesses.” “Newest immigration changes under Trump spark confusion.” These are just a few of the most recent headlines in the constant debate and coverage on immigration in America. Countless sources ruminate on the ethics and facts behind deportation, as well as its effect on America and the general population. However, many fail to realize the impact deportation has on the countries receiving these deportees. According to the Washington Post, in 2018, over 57 percent of deported individuals were convicted criminals. These often dangerous criminals are shipped back to their country of origin, where they continue to cause trouble. In fact, for every 10 convicts a country receives per 100,000 people, the murder rate in that country goes up by two, according to the Washington Post. This is especially true when those criminals are gang members, as deportation over time helps to spread the reach of gangs. One example of the damage caused by the deportation of gang members is the gang La Mara Salvatrucha (M.S. 13). In the 1980s, El Salvadorans who fled to America in hopes of escaping civil war in their home country began to form a gang in Southern California for their own safety. Over the next decade, this gang grew and developed into M.S. 13. El Salvador finally signed peace accords in the 1990s, according to Insight Crime, but the United States simultaneously deported almost 4,000 members of M.S. 13 back to their country. Instead of mitigating the gangs, this action led to

members establishing factions throughout El Salvador and the neighboring countries of Guatemala and Honduras, known as the “Northern Triangle,” according to the Washington Post In fact, in 2012, the Department of Treasury classified M.S. 13 as a transnational criminal organization. Essentially, the deportation of gang members allowed M.S. 13 to establish an organized crime association, which would cause problems still present today. The Northern Triangle rates among the most violent places not at war largely due to gang violence, according to Insight Crime, which studies threats to the security of Latin America. Though no one could have predicted the drastic effect at the time, America must not repeat this mistake in today’s world. The Trump administration continues

to promote Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) raids, such as the recent ones in Mississippi. I.C.E. officials have also been posted in areas of Marin with high Latino and Hispanic populations, such as San Rafael. As this occurs, it is important to consider that, like the removal of M.S. 13 members, if handled improperly, it could trigger the international spread of dangerous and organized gangs. In 2017, the Enforcement and Removal Operations of I.C.E. removed over twice as many suspected or confirmed gang members than the previous year, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Though many do not want these people free in America, gang members should be properly detained somewhere instead of being set loose where unstable governments and economies are unable

to curb gang violence. Resources should instead be funneled into preventing young men and women from joining gangs in America, especially in neighborhoods where gang activity is concentrated, as they are at a higher risk. There are many factors throughout all aspects of life, including home and social settings, that can affect one’s likelihood to join a gang. By educating youth on the dangers of gangs and providing alternatives for their future, it is possible to lower their risk of joining a gang. While the ultimate goal is to decrease the number of illegal immigrants in America, the deportation of gang members in large groups does just the opposite. As gang violence continues to rise in El Salvador and its neighboring countries, more and more people come to the United States seeking refuge. According to the Migration Policy Institute, the total number of immigrants in the United States from Central America has doubled since 2000, and the number continues to grow. This is largely due to the increase of crime, especially in the Northern Triangle, which is closely tied to the control that gangs have over the general population. Deporting gang members does not stop or even lessen violence. Rather, it allows crime to thrive elsewhere. When removing these people from our home, we must remember that we are sending them directly to someone else’s. Instead of claiming that it is “not our problem,” we should face the problem of gangs in our country head-on to benefit future generations not only in America, but internationally.

Photo by Maxanne Anderson

manderson@redwoodbark.org

September 12, 2019 bark Page 6 • Opinion New age of political correctness creates barrier for freedom of speech Story and Illustration by Drake Goodman “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press,” the First Amendment states. Ingrained in the foundation of our country, freedom of speech has always been revered and protected. Essentially, democracy depends on the ability to express individual ideas spurred by discourse and even dissent. With the rise of political correctness, the notion of our freedom is being threatened. According to a poll conducted by the Cato Institute in 2017, 58 percent of Americans are afraid to share their political beliefs because of political correctness, and 71 percent believe that political correctness has silenced essential discussions that our society needs. The disturbing truth surrounding political correctness is the first telltale sign of caution: its origin stemmed from the very embodiment of suppression and censorship. According to Angelo Codevilla, a professor of International Relations at Boston University, political correctness was initially used to protect ideas not rooted in factual evidence. “The notion of political correctness came into use among Communists in the 1930s as a semi-humorous reminder that the Party’s interest is to be treated as a

reality that ranks above reality itself,” Codevilla wrote in the Claremont Review of Books. Since then, political correctness has evolved, now employed to defend certain groups from rhetoric that is deemed offensive. The troubling truth in our country is that as we move toward accepting political correctness, or even as it becomes more

mainstream through social media outlets, we are hindering our ability to progress, both socially and intellectually. There are moral guidelines that we are taught from a young age, such as the golden rule: treat others as you want to be treated. What people say is a direct reflection of

their character, beliefs and values. That is all it should be: a reflection, not a barrier. People should not fear backlash for using a politically incorrect word or phrase. Often times, their main goal is to discuss race relations, poverty or another controversial issue that needs to be addressed. That being said, there are individuals who are not accustomed to or feel uncomfortable with other cultures, traditions or new ideas. Nevertheless, whether it is from another individual or our own self-conscience, restricting ourselves from having conversations about political issues in fear of using offensive language is the most dangerous threat of all. Totalitarian regimes across the world today are increasingly cracking down on various forms of free speech in order to protect government interests and their own power, such as Chinese President Xi Jinping shutting down one of his country’s leading free-market think tanks because it opposed his views. In the United States, there is no need for a totalitarian regime. We are restricting ourselves. If we are not careful and continue to restrict ourselves with political correctness, our founding fathers’ vision of a free country will cease to exist in its purest form.

dgoodman@redwoodbark.org

The right president vs. the best Trump competitor By Emma Carpenter When Donald Trump became the 45th president of the United States in the 2016 presidential election, many Democrats were furious about his newly gained position. Despite the fact that some Republicans’ political beliefs and desires for America aligned with Trump’s, Democrats were hopeful that enough voters would see how his flaws outweighed his appeals. According to The Atlantic, in fear that Trump will become president again in the 2020 election, many voters have already decided to vote for the candidate they think might beat Trump, instead of voting for candidates that actually align with their personal beliefs. Voters’ idea of picking a candidate who can beat Trump is not only a flawed method of choosing our president, but hurts the possibility of other strong candidates, especially female candidates, from coming into office. For example, presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, who is a popular candidate so far in the election, is slowly becoming overshadowed by candidate Joe Biden due to Biden’s appearance of being electable. According to NPR’s poll conducted in August 2019, net favorability ratings actually show Warren ranked above Biden. 54 percent of

the nation was in favor of Warren, while 52 percent was in favor of Biden. It’s disappointing to think how Biden will most likely be the Democratic candidate going up against Trump in the election, even though more citizens favor Warren and her ideas. Although some female candidates such as Warren are more favorable to voters, according to The Atlantic, people are

Illustration by Olivia Kharrazi

worried Warren doesn’t have what it takes to win over voters in the more conservative states due to the fact that she is female. Just because the United States has never had a female president in office, doesn’t mean people should see female candidates as incapable of the job in comparison to men. Electability is blocking the possibility for female candidates to have a fair chance of becoming president in 2020. Along with the fact that electability is swaying voters away from the more favorable candidates, it is also distracting voters from remembering what makes up a worthy president. According to The Atlantic, more than health care, climate change, immigration or any other policy, electability is what voters care about most of all. Voters do not trust other voters any longer to make informed decisions regarding important policies due to the outcome from the last presidential election. Instead, it’s easier for voters, more specifically Democrats, to attempt to replace Trump with whatever president they believe will be best at defeating him in the 2020 election. According to a recent Fox News “hypothetical match-up” poll showing who may or may not beat Trump in the 2020 election, Biden is set to beat Trump by 12 points. Polls such as these comparing what could possibly happen in the election are a waste of time. This

Dark money overshadows American politics By Grace Bouton Every year, lobbyists and corporations across the country spend over 2.6 billion dollars on American elections, according to the Atlantic. Those 2.6 billion dollars beg the question: are American elections still representative of the people, or are they simply an opportunity for big money groups to control politics? With America's privately funded elections favoring the corporate voice over those of citizens and producing an inequality among candidates, the answer increasingly seems to be the latter. The detrimental influence lobbyists and the wealthy have on American politics should be eliminated with the introduction of publicly funded elections. Issues such as gun control and climate change dominate the modern political world. However, with the influence of dark money, funds that are given by groups anonymously to political campaigns, the progress that the majority of Americans seek for these issues has not yet been achieved. According to Oil Change International, the fossil fuel industry has spent two billion dollars between 2000 and 2016 on lobbying to kill

climate laws. Corporate interference in politics by industries such as the fossil fuel sector has resulted in few successful governmental actions against climate change. This inaction is occurring in a time when more than 70 percent of Americans are concerned about the effects of climate change according to the Hill. The disconnect between people and government is a

dangerous result of the current election process and needs to be combated with the implementation of publicly funded elections. In addition to the interests of corporations overriding those of actual American voters, private elections foster a climate in which personal wealth and corporate connections are unwritten requirements for people running for office. According to Quartz, a business news organization, in 2015, the median net worth of a congressman was 12 times greater than the median net worth of the average American, thus showing how the money of private interest allows the rich and powerful to Illustration Het- politics continuebytoAudrey dictate at the expense of average Americans. Publicly funded elections can break this cycle. According to a University of Wisconsin-

time could be spent on researching and determining which president’s policies citizens personally agreed with most. Although voting based on electability has become an ongoing trend that holds unfair consequences, the position of Democrats is understandable. It is difficult to advocate for the person whose beliefs you align with when the 2016 presidential election left Democrats untrustworthy of other states and what their voting power was capable of doing. In addition, it is important to recognize that not all voters are planning on making their election decision based on who is most electable. According to The Hill, there is still a large percentage of democratic voters who plan to vote based on what contender is their favorite. Although this is true, electability is still going to have a dramatic effect on the result of the 2020 election, and is currently preventing females from proving themselves as worthy candidates. In order to change the trend of electability, we must go back to the basics and rethink what determines a strong president. Voters must value the ideas and policies presidents make, rather than how electable they are in comparison to Trump.

ecarpenter@redwoodbark.org

Madison study, public financing, which has already been implemented in several states, not only creates a wider field of candidates but also makes political races more competitive than they are during privately funded elections. Some might say that this is irrelevant, as Americans have the right to support who they choose. However, allowing voters to choose from more candidates who live with and understand the problems of actual Americans will, in turn, create far more representation than any donation to a rich, out of touch or well-connected candidate. For too long, the special interests of the rich and corporations have gotten well-connected politicians elected who in turn alter legislature for the groups that bankrolled their campaigns. To restore the connection between the reality of actual American’s needs and government action, the federal government needs to fund campaigns on a national level.

gbouton@redwoodbark.org

Page 7 • Opinion

www.redwoodbark.org

bark

bark

June 22, 2018

July 21, 2018

Redwood High School 395 Doherty Drive Larkspur, CA 94939 www.redwoodbark.org Editors-In-Chief Drake Goodman Bella Roesler Eislyn Snyder Ryo Weng Head Copy Editors Maria Alexander Lauren Steele

Aug. 9, 2019

Aug. 18, 2019

editorial Fact-checking gets real for Marin IJ “Poor parking policy or poor journalism?”

“Do the math. You don’t need to ace trigonometry to calculate that Redwood has a serious parking problem.” “...the school administration needs to take action to limit its parking needs to the number of spaces it has available on campus…” These statements were printed in a Marin Independent Journal (IJ) editorial titled, “Parking gets real for Redwood High students,” as summer was coming to a close and Redwood students were beginning a new school year. In an editorial published on Aug. 18, the IJ criticized Redwood’s parking policy for causing an overflow of parking to nearby neighborhoods while incorrectly stating several major details and causes. Most notably, the IJ falsely accused Redwood of issuing 762 student permits, when in fact the policy changed drastically in the fall of 2018. While these numbers were accurate as of the beginning of the past school year, the updated version did not account for the policy changes since then. Additionally, the IJ reused the same photo of the front parking lot in four different articles published online, displaying their unwillingness to reevaluate and investigate the situation. According to Principal David Sondheim, the IJ never contacted the Redwood administration prior to publishing their editorial to confirm the facts. In their editorial, the IJ inaccurately referred to the former parking policy as the basis for their claims, misrepresenting Redwood’s current parking situation and displaying a prime example of untrustworthy journalism. As one of the dominant news sources in Marin, the faulty information not only misled the community, but also unfairly painted Redwood in a negative light. As fellow journalists, we value the importance of a trustworthy local news source for inspiration and guidance. Unfortunately, the mistakes presented in the IJ’s editorial diminished our trust in their journalistic practices. Although an updated version was published online on Aug. 26, it is necessary that the IJ staff print an apology and correction of their factually incorrect and overly critical editorial. Simply editing the online version without any recognition of their original mistakes is not substantial considering the magnitude of the error. At the Bark, we prioritize fact-checking during the editing process to ensure our pieces are accurate and reliable. This year we are building on our factchecking process by making it a central responsibility for editors, who are required to review interview transcripts and other resources before approving a story for publishing. As the IJ has a larger following A BARK to Ryan Gosling and Blake Lively for donating $2M to help migrant children. That’s not Gossip, Girl. A BITE to the government response to Hong Kong protestors. We would make a pun, but it’s illegal in China. A BARK to the first road-legal car, the Bugatti Chiron, for breaking 300 mph. Almost as fast as John Green talks; Crash Course just got real! A BITE to the sheep that rammed the BBC reporter in the groin. That’s a sheep shot. A BARK to the woman who protected 97 rescue dogs from Hurrican Dorian. The storm is getting so fur-ocious; it’s raining cats and dogs!

than the Bark, we would hope they would conduct a similar process to prevent the publication of incorrect statements. In the event of a factual error, it is better to acknowledge the mistake to not only prevent the spread of false information, but to also redeem the status of being a trustworthy publication. One of the main reasons we are asking for this apology is based on the fact that accurate and quality journalism matters today more than ever. With articles constantly referred to as “fake news” by the public and government officials alike, scores of stories produced by the media are being scrutinized. It is imperative that publications promote truthful information in order to accurately inform the public and local communities about what goes on around us. Without reliable sources of information, citizens are susceptible to believing false claims or can be left guessing in a haze of confusion. Redwood’s parking policy is admittedly not perfect. The current parking policy, implemented last fall, limits the number of parking permits to the number of spaces available, assigning each student to one parking spot for the year. It also does not permit students to drive off campus during lunch or break. This, in turn, reduces neighborhood disruptions. The drawback to this policy is that not every student who drives to school is guaranteed a parking spot, resulting in several students being forced to park in surrounding neighborhoods and along Lucky Drive. There is still room for improvement in Redwood’s parking policy, but that is not our greatest concern. As a publication, we are most troubled by the spread of misinformation and the IJ’s failure to exemplify common standards of high-quality journalism. As journalists, we can attest that mistakes happen, however, the actions taken by the IJ to resolve their errors were done so at the bare minimum and did not measure up to the magnitude of inaccuracy. We encourage the IJ to step up and claim ownership of their mistakes. After all, if we were in their position, we would do the same.

Have an opinion regarding anything that appears in the Bark or in general? We encourage our readers to submit letters to the editor. Letters to the Bark should be 500 words or fewer, typed if possible and signed. They must be submitted to room 177 or in the Bark mailbox in the facility. They may also be emailed to bark@redwoodbark.org.

A BITE to the British Prime Minister for attempting to dissolve Parliament. This isn’t Alka Seltzer Plus, Boris. A BARK to a new cure for peanut butter allergies. Other nuts might be jelly of this. A BITE to MC alumnus Jared Goff for signing a new contract with the largest guarantee ever. We guess daddy’s money pays off in the end. A BARK to the rescue team that found the tortoise who wandered a mile and a half away. What the shell? We’re not turtely sure how it even escaped! A BITE to comedian Kevin Hart being hospitalized after a severe car accident. Talk about getting the short

end of the stick! A BARK to Julie Andrews receiving the Lifetime Achievement award at the Venice Film Festival. Do-re-mifa-bulous! A BITE to Netflix proposing weekly episodes instead of all at once. Netflix and wait a week to chill.

Copy Editors Francesca Fox Olivia Kharrazi Aaron Kim Jacob Mandel Sophia Rocha Alix Salzer Sydney Steinberg Shannon Watridge News Editors Loughlin Browne Morgan Salzer Opinion Editors Jackson Epps Sofi Mincy Feature Editors Audrey Hettleman Anna Silverman Sports Editors Jenna Dahlin Jack Watson Review Editors Sol Ladetzky Sarah Young Lifestyles Editors Devin Bosley Maddie Loebbaka Spanish Editor Nicole Fuches Podcast Editor Mikaela Beberman Video Editor Garrett Cook Business Manager Skylar Strotz Social Media Manager Jack Benbow Survey Manager Bennett Vasquez Art Consultants Taylor Charles Kalyn Dawes Reporters Isabel Ames Maxanne Anderson Grace Bouton Olivia Brekhus Emma Carpenter Alexa Erickson Mara Farese Martha Fishburne Charlie Ginsburg Ella Green Maya Holland Kylie Horstmeyer Emma Ingledew Alex Johnson Nicole Johnson Mia Kessinger Audrey Lightfoot Emma Lightfoot Katherine Parsons Jack Pfeiffer Camille Ray Alexandra Runnfeldt Matthew Smalbach Adviser Erin Schneider

BARKS and BITES are the collective opinions of the BARK staff concerning relevant issues. BARKS are in praise of accomplishments, while BITES criticize decisions or events.

POLICY: All editorials are unsigned and have been approved by the majority of the Bark staff.

español

Página 8

Nuevas políticas de inmigración: la realidad para Marín Por Sophia Rocha

A medida que se acerca el otoño, reflexionamos sobre los cambios que la administración Trump ha traído a la inmigración este verano, y lo que significa para cientos de inmigrantes que viven en el condado de Marín. Aproximadamente 16 por ciento de la población en Marín son hispanos o latinos. Según Pew Research, esta porción de la población probablemente se verá afectada por las nuevas regulaciones y propuestas de la administración Trump, ya que aproximadamente 50 por ciento de todos los inmigrantes son de América Latina. Katerin Herrera es una estudiante del décimo grado en la clase Desarrollo del Idioma Inglés (ELD) en Redwood, cuya familia es de El Salvador. Ha estado viviendo en Marín por aproximadamente un año y medio. Ella cree que de alguna manera, es comprensible por qué los estadounidenses desconfían de los inmigrantes debido a las altas tasas de criminalidad, pero podrían implementarse otros métodos para apuntar a los que son criminales. “Hay personas que no merecen estar aquí porque son delincuentes, como las pandillas y algo así, pero también hay muchas personas aquí que no son esto. No se puede quitar el derecho de estar aquí a todos si no todos están haciendo estas cosas,” dijo Herrera. Las modificaciones de la administración Trump comenzaron en julio con la propuesta de cambiar lo que califica a una persona para recibir cupones de alimentos. Las calificaciones cambiaron de ser reguladas por estados individuales a controladas por el gobierno federal. Según el Banco de Alimentos de San Francisco-Marín, tales cambios afectarían áreas con altos costos de vida, como el Área de la Bahía, porque no toman en cuenta cuánto gasta la gente en vivienda. El Banco de Alimentos de San Francisco-Marín también dice que más de 1,000 de los residentes de Marín podrían perder el acceso a los cupones de alimentos si las nuevas propuestas se promulgan, muchos de ellos inmigrantes. En agosto se produjeron más cambios cuando la administración Trump anunció el fin de la protección de los inmigrantes mientras ellos o sus familiares reciben tratamientos médicos que les salvan la vida. El 7 de agosto, según NBC News, los funcionarios de inmigración enviaron cartas a todas las personas que aplazaban la deportación por razones médicas, diciendo que tenían semanas para abandonar el país o ser obligados a hacerlo. Así, inmigrantes que se enfrentan a una enfermedad potencialmente mortal, dejarían de recibir tratamiento y los deportarían de inmediato si no se marchaban bajo sus propios términos. Sin embargo, después de una reacción violenta, el Servicio de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de EE. UU. retiró esta decisión y dijo que aún consideraría los casos pendientes que se presentaron antes del 7 de agosto. Todavía no está claro qué sucederá con los casos que no se

Foto de Sophia Rocha

ESTE MURAL EXTERIOR del Canal Alliance simboliza la unidad entre culturas, algo que el Canal Alliance representa. afecta a menores, solicitantes de asilo o la mayoría de los presentaron para la renovación antes esta fecha. Mónica Leifer es una madre de un estudiante en residentes permanentes legales, está afectando a familias de Redwood, inmigrante colombiana y la directora del bajos ingresos que ahora tienen miedo de solicitar dichos Programa Bilingüe, un programa que comenzó a ayudar a beneficios. No está claro si estas nuevas regulaciones se los inmigrantes a trabajar en las escuelas como voluntarios. Leifer trabaja con inmigrantes indocumentados con implementarán por completo o cuándo, los cambios en las políticas ya están afectando a los inmigrantes, tanto directa frecuencia y le preocupa lo que pueda sucederles. “Tienen miedo de lo que Trump pueda hacerles [y] como indirectamente. Jaquelin Reyes es una estudiante del undécimo grado en de cómo se mantienen con la ley. Algunos de ellos que han comenzado los procesos de inmigración temen que el la clase ELD en Redwood. Su familia es de Guatemala y se proceso se detenga o que las cosas compliquen el proceso mudó a los Estados Unidos debido a todas las oportunidades ya insoportable de convertirse en ciudadanos legales,” que ofrece para tener mejores trabajos y educación. Reyes expresó su opinión sobre las nuevas políticas de inmigración dijo Leifer. Además de todas estas alteraciones en la política, y lo que se siente ser un inmigrante rodeado del odio que Trump propuso una modificación de inmigrantes de aparentemente está extendiendo la administración Trump. “La mayoría de nosotros aquí venimos a trabajar y “carga pública” que se finalizó el 14 de agosto. Esto establece que los inmigrantes legales que usan beneficios mejorar nuestras vidas. No hay las mismas posibilidades en como cupones de alimentos, Medicaid y asistencia de otros países que hay aquí en Estados Unidos, es triste que vivienda durante 12 meses de un período de 36 meses se seamos discriminados,” dijo Reyes. etiquetará como una “carga pública” que pone en peligro su capacidad de obtener una tarjeta verde o convertirse en ciudadano. Aunque la propuesta de carga pública no srocha@redwoodbark.org

Persiguiendo su interés por viajar Sra. Zeiher ha cambiado su vida Por Hugo Cisneros

Para muchas personas, viajar es algo imprescindible en sus vidas. Hay gente que realmente aprecia el poder viajar por diferentes países y el poder ver diferentes culturas presentes en primera persona. Viajar aporta una riqueza emocional y le da la oportunidad a las personas para descubrir culturas que quizás jamás hubieran podido conocer. Un ejemplo de una persona así es Melissa Zeiher, una profesora de Español en Redwood. Zeiher ha viajado por la gran mayoría de los países hispanohablantes, y muchas veces ha participado en algo para mejorar la comunidad en estos lugares. “Estudié en México, donde hice muchos viajes de servicio comunitario… pasé un mes en Chile, pase un año en Argentina… trabajé en programas comunitarios ayudando a estudiantes de Estados Unidos en la República Dominicana y también en España,” Zeiher dijo. Estos son solo una minoría de los sitios que Zeiher ha visitado e incluso que ha vivido. Su interés por el Español empezó al principio de su educación secundaria. “Empecé a aprender Español cuando estaba en el colegio en el noveno grado y me gustó mucho. Fue una de mis mejores clases, me llevaba bien con mi profesora de Español… además mi abuelo era profesor de Español así que me ayudaba con la tarea,” Zeiher dijo. Este fue solo el comienzo hasta que se

Foto de Melissa Zeiher

A MELISSA ZEIHER le encanta viajar al extranjero. Aquí está visitando el cráter volcánico Laguna Quilotoa en Ecuador durante las vacaciones. dio cuenta que realmente quería perseguir una carrera enseñando en el distrito de Español. “En el tercer año [de escuela secundaria] con mi escuela fuimos a Costa Rica y ahí me di cuenta que era algo que quería estudiar en la universidad y que me gustaba mucho… y ahí decidí que quería ser profesora de Español,” Zeiher dijo. Habiendo decidido que quería perseguir el Español, y habiendo viajado por mucho países hispanohablantes se convirtió en

otras perspectivas y apreciar la diversidad que hay en el mundo específicamente en Latinoamérica y España,” Zeiher dijo. Sus estudiantes aprecian esto y creen que las experiencias de Zeiher la convierten en una gran profesora. Arya Valentino, que tenía a Zeiher como profesora durante el año pasado, fue uno de estos estudiantes en la clase de AP Lengua. “La profesora Zeiher es capaz de enseñarnos sobre las diferentes culturas hispanohablantes de una manera muy efectiva, porque ella ha visto las diferentes culturas en primera persona,” Valentino dijo. Este no es el único estudiante que piensa así. También Adrian De Leon piensa ha notado el impacto que sus viajes han traído a la clase. “Haber estudiado y trabajado en programas en países hispanohablantes hace que la profesora Zeiher pueda compartir experiencias que ella ha vivido, con sus estudiantes,” De Leon dijo. Para Zeiher, viajar ha sido algo que le cambió la vida. Mediante haber viajado y haber pasado tiempo involucrada en culturas hispanohablantes, ella descubrió su pasión y lo que a ella le encantaba. Descubrió su interés pronto y fue capaz de perseguir su interés que a ella le inspira mucho.

profesora de Español. El haber viajado y el haber visto diferentes culturas ayudó a Zeiher mucho en convertirse en una gran profesora, en explorando el español, y en explorando su punto de vista. “Tener esta experiencia me ha enseñado a mi como el viajar puede abrir más puertas y como puede darte más perspectiva… lo que trato de enseñar a mis estudiantes es que hay diferentes maneras de ver el mundo y mi meta es que tengan una mente abierta… por lo menos reconocer hcisneros@redwoodbark.org

feature

Page 9

Wasting away: solving the issue of excess food in Marin By Olivia Kharrazi

From the imperfect produce in farm fields to half-eaten school lunches, tons of usable food is tossed away globally at the expense of the environment. The United States wastes about 30 to 40 percent of the available food supply each year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, which defines food waste as reductions in any edible food during the food production process. This means about 133 billion pounds of food are thrown away on a yearly basis. Through depleting our resources and harming the atmosphere, food waste has become an increasingly global issue. B e c a u s e of this, organizations and students throughout Marin are working to minimize the production of excess food. ExtraFood is one of these entities. The nonprofit organization takes food that would otherwise be thrown away from a range of businesses around Marin Joe Stewart, and donates Redwood teacher it to people in need of meals. Kathy Carver, the manager of food donor and recipient relations for ExtraFood, has worked closely with farmers and in sustainable agriculture in the past, inspiring her care for issue of food waste. “We should all be concerned about [wasting food] because we’re throwing away tons of food in the landfill, which is an absolute environmental disaster. It’s not just the United States. Everywhere there’s a huge amount of food waste,” Carver said. According to the Marin Sanitary Service, approximately 30 percent of Marin’s landfill consists of food waste. For every 100 pounds of discarded food in a landfill, 8.3 pounds of methane are released into the atmosphere, resulting in a serious negative impact on the environment. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, methane is over 25 times more potent when trapping heat in Earth’s atmosphere than carbon dioxide is and consequently contributes much more significantly to global warming. According to Carver, ExtraFood has collected and redistributed almost three million pounds of excess food, considerably helping to reduce methane emmissions. “That food has been delivered to 121 different nonprofit recipient partner sites all over the country. So we’ve delivered to 121 different nonprofits and we’ve kept 237,105 pounds of methane from warming the planet,” Carver said. Since this interview, the amount of methane kept from the atmosphere due to ExtraFood’s deliveries has increased to 25,515 pounds. Donations to ExtraFood are taken from corporations throughout the production chain, from farm to table. According to Carver, food waste is extensive and can be collected from virtually any place that grows, processes or distributes food. It is especially prevalent at the beginning of the production chain: farms.

“A lot of waste is left in the fields. There are very high and exacting standards on produce and what we buy in the store. Everyone wants the perfect apple or the perfect tomato: no bruises, no bumps, it has to be just the right size. So there’s a lot of produce that is thrown away because it doesn’t fit consumers’ expectations and the sort of requirements grocery stores have,” Carver said. Rodriguez Farms, a local berry farm, strives to minimize their overall food waste by donating their excess produce to ExtraFood. Otherwise, the extra food is given to their chickens or composted. Jose Carpio, a salesperson for the farm, attends several farmers’ markets each week to sell a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. “Usually we do quality control from the field, so whatever is not fit for sale we put in the middle row, and we destroy it to prevent any pests from developing. Whenever we come to the market, we sort and pick out whatever is not good, and we save it for someone who is willing to put in the work, and they use it for juices, smoothies, jams. We sell it at a discount, so it doesn’t go to waste,” Carpio said. According to Carver, grocery stores are another substantial source of food waste due to date labels placed on products to inform consumers of the time frame for which the food is at its freshest quality. “Date labeling is very confusing. There’s no standard to it. It’s not federally

On the part of the student body, there’s not necessarily knowledge about how to compost or there’s maybe a lack of caring because they don’t know about composting.

regulated, so you see a lot of ‘best by, sell by, use by, expires on,’ and everyone is very confused by these date labels, so stores have to take products off their shelves when they reach a certain date, and then they can’t sell them anymore, and all that goes to waste,” Carver said. A significant portion of food waste also comes from the restaurant industry. Mark Nicandri, the Senior Vice President of

the excess to ExtraFood or calls their other restaurants for assistance. “We have six other locations in the Bay Area, and if we bought too many hamburgers, we’ll call one of the other restaurants and see if they need any burgers and take a safety in numbers approach where we’ll try to move it around. Throwing it away would be the last case scenario,” Nicandri said.

Photo by Olivia Kharrazi

BOXING UP THE leftover food from the Sunday Marin Civic Center Farmers Market, ExtraFood volunteers work to decrease the amount of food waste. Operations for Gott’s Roadside, is working to ensure as little food is wasted as possible in the restaurant chain. Portion sizes are regulated when dishes are made in the kitchen, and Gott’s provides containers to carry food home to encourage customers to not throw away their leftovers. The restaurant has also developed systems to prevent food from being thrown away before the dishes are prepared, such as software programs to allow Gott’s to estimate the amount of food they will need. These enable them to order as closely to the necessary amount of food needed as possible and decrease the amount of excess food. However, unexpected events such as machine failure can result in large quantities of unanticipated leftover food, in which case Gott’s Roadside either donates

Infographic by Olivia Kharrazi

Despite efforts like these throughout Marin, not all of America has the same priority. Keeping food out of the landfill continues to be an issue in the United States today, including at Redwood. Joe Stewart, AP Environmental Science and Sustainable Agriculture teacher as well as the advisor of Redwood’s Environmental Action Club, is encouraging composting as an alternative to throwing food away. “I think that most people would agree that it makes a lot of sense on many levels to compost. It makes sense for the environment. It makes sense economically because it saves money on many levels. It’s a way to give back to the planet. Basically, if we compost stuff, we’re producing something that will allow us to grow more food in the future,” Stewart said. The Environmental Action Club works to educate students while encouraging administrators to administer changes to the food waste systems currently implemented at Redwood. “Unfortunately, there’s a tradition of not composting. This means that all the systems that are in place, like the administrative systems and so forth on campus, are not used to [composting]. So there’s going to be some hesitancy on the part of administrators to change things,” Stewart said. “Likewise, on the part of the student body, there’s not necessarily knowledge about how to compost or there’s maybe a lack of caring because they don’t know about composting.” Food waste is a global issue, but it can be solved, starting in your kitchen. “It’s difficult to predict how much food people will eat, so often times there is waste. And then of course there’s waste even in our own homes because we over buy. We push food towards the back of the refrigerator. We forget about it,” Carver said. However, with methods from composting to reducing tendencies to over buy to educating people, food waste and its resulting environmental impact can be significantly decreased.

okharrazi@redwoodbark.org

September 12, 2019 bark Page 10 • Feature Marin County prepares for wildfire as season approaches Story and Infographic by Shannon Watridge As fall approaches, people across the country look forward to a cooler season. They are excited to witness a gradual shift from green to red leaves, a nice drop in temperature and steaming pumpkin spice lattes. Unfortunately, the experienced Californian knows that instead of a drop in temperature, there may soon be a cloud of gray looming above the state. From May to November, wildfire season is unpredictable in Marin County, especially for devoted emergency responders. For the past two years, wildfires have ravaged the California countryside, leaving destruction and ash where neighborhoods once stood. According to The Washington Post, the Nov. 2018 Camp Fire destroyed 14,000 residences and killed 85 people. Since this fire, counties statewide, including Marin, have taken thorough measures to prevent major wildfire destruction in the future. Don Stasiowski, Deputy Chief of the Central Marin Fire Department, affirmed that the department is taking new measures to heighten fire safety precautions this year. “The whole county is ramping up, and we are trying to do more when it comes to prevention,” Stasiowski said. “We are sending crews of people to go check people’s properties and make sure that it is in good shape.” Overgrowth on private properties can be a huge issue in regards to fire safety precautions. Joe Stewart, Sustainable Agriculture, Ecology and AP Environmental Science teacher, knows that certain invasive species can be dangerous to the community and may increase wildfire risk. “A really good example of an invasive non-native [species] that is a fire danger is eucalyptus trees since they are really high in oils,” Stewart said. “They were brought over here around a hundred years ago, and they’ve really been successful because they come from a similar habitat. They don’t have a lot of natural predators or diseases to keep them in check.” The importance of maintaining the land can become a life or death situation in the case of a wildfire, especially when the overgrowth appears after an exceptionally wet winter. According to a press release from Marin County, Fire Safe Marin, a nonprofit organization intent on preventing wildfires, has coordinated with the Marin County Fire Department in order to create the Wildfire Prevention Initiative. This measure is looking to apply an additional parcel tax to bring in around $20 million per year. “[The money will] improve and oversee programs in early wildfire detection, improved alert and warning systems, resident evacuations, vegetation

management and fuel reduction, defensible space property evaluations, public education and more,” the release said. On Aug. 13, the Marin County Board of Supervisors expressed unanimous support for this initiative, which will undergo a countywide vote in March of 2020. This initiative only goes so far to protect the residents of Marin County, and, in the case of an actual emergency evacuation, family and neighborhood plans could be essential to staying safe. Martin Wahl is a Corte Madera resident and participant of the Central Marin Neighborhood Response Group (CMNRG), an organization run by residents in Marin to create plans in case of emergency situations such as earthquakes and wildfires. He is impressed with the fire safety commitment and actions taken by the Fire Department. “There has been very effective communication by the fire department on what you should do to prepare, much more than just to clear the brush around your house,” Wahl said. “There is a coordinated effort among the various jurisdictions [in charge of] open space, such as the State Park and the Marin Municipal Water District, to reduce the fuel usage and PG&E has been scared into compliance.” Not only has the department sent out fire marshalls to examine the overgrowth of properties in Marin, but it has also sent out a “Living with Fire” magazine that focuses on how each household should prepare for an evacuation. Ranging from a checklist for a grab-and-go emergency kit to the components of a fire resistant house, this magazine guides families through escape plans and methods for staying in contact with one another during an emergency. Deputy Stasiowski highlights the importance of having an escape route out of your house and neighborhood and that every family should have an emergency plan. “There are many facets to being fire wise and prepared. A lot of that will roll over, not only with fires, but also with earthquakes, floods and all that,” Stasiowski said. “Have your go-bag and your escape routes, at least two ways out of the house and at least two ways out of the neighborhood. Have a meeting place for the family where everybody can meet because you may be at school and your parents may be at work.” CMNRG knows that the key to being fire ready and safe is communication. Each family should know where to meet if they are split up during an emergency, according to Fire Safe Marin. CMNRG was created as a means of communication between the residents and the emergency services. According to the CMNRG website, two of their mottos are “Let no neighbor be overlooked” and “We are stronger together.” They have elected and trained block captains who remain in contact through radios and are in

charge of keeping track of the residents in their designated neighborhood during emergency situations. Wahl, a block captain, understands that communication between residents and emergency responders is of critical importance. “Communication is the key to making any of this really effective,” Wahl said. “We gather information on our neighbors, but it is not publicly available. The people in command can figure out if you have a four wheel drive vehicle, if you have a generator, tents, pumps, etc.” Fire prevention may be improving, but climate change continues to increase the amount and size of wildfires per year. Deputy Stasiowski has noticed how much these fires have increased in the past 30 years. “When I first started in the late eighties we worked on wildfires outside of our area maybe once every couple of years. In the last couple years we go about six to eight times a year,” Stasiowski said. Stewart believes that while humans are helping prevent the fires, they are also the cause. “There is a weird cycle that occurs with fires because a lot of the things that we do as humans might increase the likelihood of there being a fire,” Stewart said. “We are causing global warming, which creates

droughts where it is more likely for fire to burn. But we are also suppressing fires and more fuel accumulates over time. Then, when a fire starts, it is harder to put out as it burns since the intensity of the fire is greater.” As the number of fires in California has increased, the paranoia surrounding the issue has as well. Wahl has noticed that people are more aware of fire dangers than they were in the past. “There is a lot of overreaction,” Wahl said. “In fact, you’ll notice that the sheriff now proactively announces that there’s a controlled burn and not to call 911 because people jam up the [phone] lines.” The first responders have taken it into their own hands to improve the fire safety precautions in the community and many of the residents have noticed and are appreciative of the early safety measures. Although Wahl is more active in fire preparation than he was ten years ago, he knows that wildfires still pose a dangerous threat. “The good news is that [safety measures and preparation] are getting better,” Wahl said. “We are better prepared than we used to be, but is it enough? The bad news is we may have to find out someday.” swatridge@redwoodbark.org

bark Fighting back: what Marin County is doing to combat gun violence Page 11 • Feature

www.redwoodbark.org

Story and Infographic by Isabel Ames Since the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Dec. of 2012, over 2,000 mass shootings have occurred in the United States. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 255 mass shootings in 2019 alone, leaving over a thousand victims injured or killed. As mass shootings have become increasingly frequent, so have the training, collaboration and improved procedures for gun safety and protection in Marin and across the nation. A significant milestone in the history of California’s gun laws was the enactment of the Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO) law in 2016. The law allows individuals to report someone in possession of a firearm who may be a threat to themselves and others. Hamid Khalili, captain of the Central Marin Police Authority, has become well versed through considerable experience on the procedures of the GVRO. “Let’s say you have a friend who’s made some suicidal statements or [threatened] to cause harm to other people and they have possession of a firearm,” Khalili said. “You can call, give us an indepth report of what’s actually occurred, what the statements are and then we do our own investigation. If it meets that threshold we go and apply for an emergency GVRO. The judge will grant that to us and we can then seize the firearm and ammunition immediately.” Despite how useful the GVRO law can be for individuals, the main issue is its low awareness level. The law depends on a general public understanding to be effective, as it is a tool for individuals to work alongside local authorities to prevent gun violence. It is especially helpful for threats made on social media, as it is not possible for law enforcement to monitor every threatening post. In an effort to raise the law’s profile, Marin County officials have made several efforts to increase the awareness of this law, according to Khalili. “Unfortunately, I don’t think [the GVRO law] is something that most people are aware of in Marin County,” Khalili said. “I know that recently our district attorney Lori Frugoli put out an editorial in the [Marin] IJ. Prior to that, Marin County put together a special training session for all Marin law enforcement on the awareness of [the GVRO] and how to go about it.” Marin’s district attorney Lori Frugoli has worked in a number of ways to raise awareness of the GVRO law. She has worked closely with the Brady Campaign and Moms Demand Action, two nonprofit organizations united in their goal to end gun violence.

Together, they produced an editorial on the GVRO for the Marin IJ and plan to publish information on many social media platforms. Frugoli hopes the law will inspire more people to speak up about gun violence suspicions or incidents. “There’s lots of power in [the GRVO] and plenty of room to stop gun violence if people have the knowledge,” Frugoli said. “I think it has great potential if people know if you see something, say something. A family member or even a roommate can do it - those are the two biggest groups of people who can call and they’re the people who usually see things.” At the law enforcement level, a number of changes have occurred in response to mass shootings. “It’s taken these tragedies to occur for all of us, not just law enforcement… to get together, share information and collaborate,” Khalili said. “How we respond to these events has drastically changed since 1999, pre-Columbine. Columbine was really the catalyst for law enforcement in evaluating how we respond.” According to Khalili, gun violence procedure and prevention training has become a larger focus for law enforcement. “We do a lot of training within the local communities to teach them how to respond to a [mass shooting], should they ever be in that situation,” Khalili said. “I just want [everyone] to know that local law enforcement, fire officials and government put a lot of focus on our abilities to handle these types of events.” At Redwood, determined activists are fighting daily to find solutions to the gun violence epidemic. Senior Lindsay Dubin in one of them. She volunteers regularly with the student-led initiative, Team Enough, which educates and mobilizes young Americans across the country to reduce mass shootings. Dubin also founded Redwood’s Students for Safety club, which offers education on gun control and violence as well as opportunities for members to join initiatives to end gun violence. “Team Enough does a lot of lobbying. Sometimes we’ll go to Sacramento to do speeches on [the Capitol] steps and organize rallies. We also do a lot of voter registration drives to get teens voting. I think one of the most crucial aspects of what we do is... educating students on how they can help, what the problem is and how it can be fixed,” Dubin said. Even with the continued action against gun violence in Marin, Khalili still believes that an informed, engaged mindset is the most essential part to keeping Marin County safe from gun violence in the future. “We need to change the mindset that [a mass shooting] can never happen here,”

Data Courtesy of Vox

Khalili said. “Marin is a very safe place rather prevent these events than have to for people to live and raise a family, but deal with responding to one.” the sad reality is that when you look at these events, they happen in small towns and communities [like Marin]. Public education is everything. I would much iames@redwoodbark.org

Illustration by Kalyn Dawes

Title X

The future of Plan

Story and Infographic

How will the Trump Administration’s Title X “gag rule” impact the Redwood community and students? “I went [to Planned Parenthood] the first time I had sex and I just wanted to make sure that everything was ok,” said “Sarah,” a Redwood senior that wishes to remain anonymous. Sarah is one of millions of teens who visit Planned Parenthood for Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) and pregnancy tests yearly, wanting to be safe and responsible. According to a 2018 report published by Planned Parenthood, the organization performs a total of 9,687,070 services every year. These services include birth control, STI tests, breast exams, abortions, hormone therapy, infertility treatments and general healthcare. The nonprofit organization provides a variety of solutions for both women and men of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds, most of which are

federally funded through the Title X Program. Created by President Richard Nixon in 1970 as part of the Public Health Service Act, Title X is a federal grant program that provides confidential and comprehensive family planning services to people in low-income areas. Specifically, it supports operational needs such as patient education and informational technology that are not supported by Medicaid and private insurance. In light of changing policies, however, this type of confidential care is in jeopardy. A recent “gag rule” organized by the Trump Administration could jeopardize the future of Planned Parenthood because it prevents any institution funded by Title X to perform abortions or refer patients to abortion clinics. Planned Parenthood could either remain a member of Title X and continue receiving funds but compromise their

confidentiality policy, or withdraw from Title X and lose funding, but uphold their confidentiality policy. This commitment to confidentiality is a main part of Planned Parenthood’s mission because it prevents parents and other groups or individuals from targeting patients directly. According to the Planned Parenthood website, the nonprofit is shaped around one idea: “Your body is your own. If it is not, we cannot be truly free or equal.” In order to preserve this mission, Planned Parenthood announced on Aug. 19 that they have chosen to withdraw from the Title X Program and deny their federal funds, which will impact people on both a global and local scale. Sarah is a firm supporter of the confidentiality Planned Parenthood embodies because it allows her access to birth control related services without a parent’s approval. “It was a really good experience, especially since everything was free. They didn’t put down any charges on my healthcare insurance so my parents wouldn’t be able to see it. I’m not comfortable with my parents knowing I had sex, so that was a definite plus,” Sarah said. Aside from providing Sarah with a pregnancy test, Planned Parenthood gave her a State Insurance Card that will make any future procedures free. Like Sarah, nearly 1.5 million young people worldwide use Planned Parenthood as an affordable and confidential healthcare resource, but their coverage could be in jeopardy under this new law. According to Jennifer Kenny-Baum, the Wellness Coordinator at Redwood, the laws in the state of Calif. state that children over twelve are able to consent for their own medical and sexual health services. When utilizing Planned Parenthood, services are not only private, but also adjusted for patients’ income level. “They offered me [condoms] right off the bat. They also offered me birth control and

Women’s Services at a glance

Gag Rule

nned Parenthood

cs by Maya Holland

I was going to get started on it, but I decided not to last minute because I was about to start another medication and didn’t want any complications,” Sarah said. Aside from providing birth control methods, Planned Parenthood is the number one supplier of abortions in the United States, according to the Family Research Council. They have relied on Title X since 1970 and received an annual average of 60 million dollars from the federally funded program to sponsor their various services. If Planned Parenthood were to remain a part of Title X, they would no longer be able to provide abortions for patients. “Haley,” a Redwood junior who wishes to remain anonymous, sought out Planned Parenthood to obtain emergency contraception and get an STI test after having unprotected sex. “I didn’t have my insurance with me but I still wanted to get tested. They asked me what type of testing I was thinking of, and I said, ‘Well, it depends how much it is,’ because I was paying out of pocket,” Haley said. “Not even three minutes later, they called me up and [the emergency contraception] was thirty dollars.” According to the Planned Parenthood website, publicly funded birth control services have helped prevent approximately 402,000 teen pregnancies each year. Title X has successfully prevented one million unintended pregnancies every year through birth control, family planning and abortion services. Although Planned Parenthood treats a large amount of female patients, that is not their only client base. They offer a plethora of services for men as well. According to the Planned Parenthood website, the number of male patients treated nationally experienced a 76 percent increase

between 2004 and 2014. They provide services for over 250,000 men annually, the most common being Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) tests, gonorrhea tests and chlamydia tests. The implementation of the “gag rule” may be intended to punish Planned Parenthood for providing abortions, but unintended consequences include cuts to services for men as well. Many anti-abortion

politicians argue that if Planned Parenthood centers are defunded, other organizations funded by Title X would be able to absorb their patients. However, according to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund website, Planned Parenthood treats nearly 41 percent of all Title X patients. This means nearly two million people would need to find new centers, a large portion of which are unfeasible options because of high cost and location. With Planned Parenthood leading the way, other local clinics such as HealthRIGHT 360 in San Francisco have also chosen to withdraw from Title X. For Haley and Sarah, Planned Parenthood was their only option. If Planned Parenthood had chosen to continue receiving funds, they would have run the risk of denying teens confidential care. “If Planned Parenthood wasn’t an option, I would have probably waited it out,” Haley said. “[Planned Parenthood] is cheaper and confidential. It’s so much easier [than using a family physician].” Not only did Haley and Sarah both receive sliding scale fees, but the United States Department of Health and Human Services reports that 90 percent of people who Title X served in 2018 qualified for subsidized purchases

as well. However, subsidized funds are made largely possible because of government funding that Title X provides. Without it, many low-income patients might not be able to afford the care. While the defunding of Planned Parenthood poses a threat to many communities across the nation, KennyBaum says Redwood students still have local options available. “For young people in Marin County, there are a few different places to access support. Definitely Planned Parenthood, because while they’ve pulled away from funding, they’re still going to be providing services,” Kenny-Baum said. Kenny-Baum finds that most students approach the school’s sexual health clinic in search of pregnancy and STI tests, birth control methods and the morning after pill. Students can also access the Wellness Center to make a confidential appointment at other local clinics, but options extend beyond campus as well. According to Kenny-Baum, Marin Community Clinics in San Rafael accepts anyone and charges on a sliding scale depending on income. Huckleberry Youth Programs in San Rafael also hosts drop-in clinics on Tuesdays from 1:30-5 p.m. and on Thursdays from 1:30-6pm, according to the program’s website. For students who are seeking out a safe environment with affordable resources, Planned Parenthood is a reliable, confidential resort, according to Haley. “There was no judgement and they were very understanding people. I felt more comfortable there than I did at my doctor’s office,” Haley said. According to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund website, on June 20, Planned Parenthood requested courts to circle back to the “gag rule” on a later court date.

mholland@redwoodbark.org

Men’s Services by the numbers

Illustration by Kalyn Dawes

sports

Page 14

A peek into flourishing fall sports By Mia Kessinger and Emma Lightfoot

Cross Country

After 31 years of coaching Redwood’s cross country team, Laura Schmitt retired in the offseason after helping Redwood reach the state championships. Now the new head coach, Nicole Graydon, is hoping to pick up where they left off. Junior and captain Hudson Grace believes Graydon’s fresh coaching style is a positive for the team. “It is a good experience to have a new coach. Obviously it is a totally different dynamic because Laura was a much different coach in terms of how she led the team,” Grace said. This year, the team also lost two-time state champion and now Stanford studentathlete, Liam Anderson, who was a role model to everyone, according to Grace. “As a hard worker and a good influence on everybody, I think we lost someone who helped us keep the structure, but we also still have people who know how we used to run things, such as myself, and will continue on that path for the athletes who come after us,” Grace said. Stepping up as a new captain, Grace is hoping to continue Redwood’s successful past through the next generation of runners. Looking forward, Graydon will lead the team into their first meet of the season on Sept. 9, against Novato.

Water Polo

After losing several talented seniors last year, such as captains Mackenzie Allen and Ely Seldon, both the girls’ and boys’ varsity water polo teams are depending on every player to contribute, according to juniors Amy Jordan and Tommy McKnew. Furthermore, the team dynamic has become a key factor in rebuilding for the approaching season. As an experienced three-year varsity athlete, Jordan believes that relying on each other’s strengths will ultimately lead to a desirable outcome.

Photo by Emma Lightfoot

LINED UP FOR the snap, Redwood’s varsity football team demolished Maria Carillo by a score of 51-16.

Photo by Emma Lightfoot

PREPARING TO SHOOT the ball, senior goalie Edvard Messler participates during practice.

After losing several talented seniors

Photo by Mia Kessinger

LAUGHING WITH HIS teammates before their daily run, junior captain Hudson Grace leads the team through warm-ups.

Field Hockey

Still a relatively new sport at Redwood, the girls’ varsity field hockey team is determined to have a rewarding fifth season for the program. With their record set at an equal 1-1, head coach Jen Reidy and assistant coach Aline Copp are fixated on improving their fundamentals. “We really want these young women to reach their peak performance. We feel good about how the season has been kicking off, but we need to dig in and work harder if we want to see and experience greater success,” Copp said. “If we get [the fundamentals] correct, then, with the right field hockey principles, it will just elevate our game to a higher level.” Because the field hockey program at Redwood has not received funding to form a junior varsity (JV) team, they have players from all classes. Despite their difference in age, according to senior and captain Camille Goodhart, the team mixes well together. “We are all super supportive. There is not a big distinction between the grade levels and everyone wants to help each other and improve,” Goodhart said. Self-proclaimed the “competitive sisterhood,” the team’s goal is to strengthen their foundation of skills and win the prestigious MCAL title.

“Since we don’t have one standfocus only on themselves, regardless of out person, we all depend on each other. who they might be tackling. We are working on communicating and After a close loss against Berkeley on playing better together Aug. 31, the team rallied as a team,” Jordan said. against Maria Carillo, On the boys’ side, prevailing 51-16. McKnew says the “Every team is a rival. team aspires to stay After every Saturday we on track with their want to be 1 and 0. Then academics, as it proved we go on to the next week to be an obstacle last and reset all over again, year after struggling so we don’t care who we with ineligibility play,” Talley said. “We are As a result, they are trying to get that attitude more concentrated on of ‘don’t worry about this growing in both the team or that team, just classroom and in the worry about our team,’ pool as a team. and I think this year [we “It is important to are] built around that.” Allen Talley keep in mind that a lot With the majority of Varsity Football Coach of the problems last year the team composed of were that there were all returning upperclassmen, these individuals and Talley recognizes that they there wasn’t a big group are all flexible players. chemistry. I would “A lot of these guys got exposure say that overall the energy is a lot more last year, which is good. We are a little focused,” McKnew said. new upfront on our whole line, so we had guys who really stepped up and changed around positions,” Talley said. With the leadership provided by Coach Although football involves getting Talley and the experienced returning up close and personal with the opponent, upperclassmen, the boys’ varsity football Redwood’s Coach Allen Talley insists that team is off to a determined start. the best way for his team to develop is to

We are trying to get that attitude of, ‘don’t worry about this team or that team, just worry about our team.’

Football

Page 15 • Sports

www.redwoodbark.org • A peek into flourishing fall sports

bark

Continued from page 14

Girls’ Volleyball

After losing the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) championship game to Marin Catholic last fall, the girls’ varsity volleyball team is ready to come back and redeem themselves this year. They ended the previous season going 14-2 in MCALs. The 2019 roster holds 14 players, two of which are verbally committed to play volleyball in Division I schools: senior captain Lucy Walsh and junior Ella Green. The team also carries two freshmen, Kaley Mathews and Katelyn McKnew. Mathews is especially excited to be on the varsity team this year, as she has looked up to several players on the Redwood team when watching her older sister play. “They are really welcoming, Lucy Walsh especially. I love being on a team with her, because I have always looked up to her as a setter and now we are on the same team,” Mathews said. Walsh has decided to direct her focus on the team camaraderie, as it is imperative to a successful season.

Photo by Emma Lightfoot

WORKING ON HER tennis game, senior Lindsay Dubin focuses on spinning her first serve in toward the middle of the serice box during practice. Branson, as they lost to them 4-3 last year during MCALs. “This year, I feel like we’re stronger and The varsity girls’ tennis team is ready to take [Branson] on as a team, not This fall, the girls’ golf team has an conditioned and prepared for this year just with our individual matches,” Harms extremely young roster compared to due to off-season summer workout said. previous years, but they are optimistic programs led by head coach Charlie Fager. about the season and eager to improve According to sophomore and two-year both individually and as a group. varsity player Georgia Harms, the team According to senior captain Cambry was adjusting to a new coach last year and Cheerleading season has just begun, Weingart, the younger age of the team Photo by Emma Lightfoot had a shaky transition into the season. and the varsity cheer squad has been will only create more opportunities to SQUARING OFF AGAINST the Drake However, this season, the team has already preparing for their 2019 season since grow and enjoy playing golf. As someone Pirates, Redwood readies themselves for shown a lot of improvement. According last April. First-year varsity coach and with experience playing at a high school their return. to Harms, the team has Redwood alumni, Shannon McGuinness, level, Weingart feels a responsibility to “The team become more organized sees promise in this year’s squawd due to encourage each player. dynamic is really with the security of coaches their strong connection with each other important to winning and players. exhibited in practices and team events. games. You have to Harms has already The team engaged in clinics, all be on the same established relationships fundraisers and camps at UC Davis this page. The team with her teammates and is past summer. McGuinness is excited to dynamic is not that eager to see how this will advance the skillset of the squad. different [this year affect their approach to “My main goal is for them to have compared to last]. matches. fun and enjoy it, as well as advance their There’s just a lot of “I want us to really skills. Last year the team was still pretty new kids, which support each other as a advanced, so it’s a little harder to advance makes it fun and team because last year it the skills even further. They seem to diverse,” Walsh said. was different. We weren’t already be learning stunts that the team Each player has as connected, but this year prior couldn’t do,” McGuinness said. Lucy Walsh their own goals for I already feel like the team As the season continues, the cheer senior vollyeball captain the season, but the is super passionate about team hopes to fundraise money to bring team goal is clear: supporting each other and in instructors and choreographers. These snag a win against having a really fun time,” new instructors and choreographers will Marin Catholic’s Harms said. help achieve their main goal of improving strong roster of college commits and claim The team hopes to carry this support throughout their fall season and getting the title of MCAL Champions. and passion to a match against their rival, their competition squad ready to perform.

Girls’ Tennis

Girls’ Golf

Cheerleading

You all have to be on the same page... There are just a lot of new kids, which makes it fun.

Photo Courtesy of Cambry Wei

PREPARING TO SWING, senior captain Cambry Weingart practices her form. “I want to help [the] girls who are new to golf to learn the sport and love it as much as I do,” Weingart said. While the team looks forward to competing against other MCAL teams, one of their primary goals this year is development. “Our goal is to have as much fun on the course as we can this season...We just want [the] girls to love the sport,” Weingart said. Weingart also hopes to offer a safe space, not only for golf players but also for all students seeking a sport. “I want the team to start to be a little haven for girls who don’t have a sport or are looking to pick up something new,” Weingart said.

RALLYING FOR THE varsity football team, the Redwood cheer team performs a chant.

Photo by Emma Lightfoot

bark@redwoodbark.org

September 12, 2019 bark Page 16 • Sports Graduates defy the odds by earning last-minute spots on college teams By Jack Watson

Growing up, countless athletes picture themselves playing their sport in high school, advancing to college and one day winning a championship for their favorite professional team. But, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), only approximately six percent of high school athletes advance to the college level. That number is even lower for schools such as Redwood which rarely attracts college scouts for the majority of sports offered due to the Marin County Athletic League being generally regarded as lower quality than others in the country. But graduates Justin Neustaetter, Sam Warren and Jacqueline Massey-Blake have provided a roadmap for future Redwood athletes by obtaining last-minute offers from both Division I and Division II schools, fulfilling their dreams of playing in college. Getting recruited out of Redwood is an arduous process that often proves to be frustrating. Warren, who plans on red-shirting (practicing but not playing) for the Syracuse University football team this year, detailed some of those challenges. “Because I’m not the biggest kid, and compared to other kids around the country [Redwood’s football team wasn’t] in the best league, and Redwood doesn’t have the best history of getting kids recruited for football, I never thought Division I football was really an option; but then I

Photo Courtesy of Syracuse University Athletics Department

RUNNING WITH THE ball, Warren trains during a drill at Syracuse training camp.

get into the school. I could do that by myself,” MasseyBlake said. Warren expressed similar sentiments. “The main thing that took me far was my academics. I don’t think many kids realize how far good grades in high school can take you [for sports],” Warren said. “If you’re diligent in the stuff that you do in high school, build a resume and stay focused in school, it opens doors for you. Without my academics or my test scores, there’s no way I would have been able to play on the football team.” After speaking with the coaches, both Warren and Photo Courtesy of Syracuse University Athletics Department LINING UP AT wide reciever, Warren prepares for the Neustaetter went through long periods of time without hearing back. But eventually, less than a week before camp snap at Syracuse training camp. began, both received an exhilarating email that rewarded found out it was,” Warren said. all of their hard work. Once each athlete decided they wanted to continue their All three Redwood graduates are thoroughly careers and pursue their love of their respective sport, the recruitment process began. Countless emails were never returned, highlight tapes were ignored and all the while the deadline for college decisions inched closer and closer. Neustaetter, a walk-on to the Wisconsin soccer team, and Massey-Blake, who is entering her second year on the Chico State track team, both had frustrating recruitment experiences during their senior year at Redwood. “I was late on [recruitment], so I just traveled with my club team, went to different showcases and tournaments, emailed coaches and reached out. I was able to get a couple of interests from bigger schools, but nothing really followed through,” Neustaetter said. As for Massey-Blake, she had practically given up hope on Chico State by the time they responded to her Photo Courtesy of Massey-Blake email—nearly five months after she first sent it. “I think they had a lot of girls they were looking at and MASSEY-BLAKE SPRINTS after receiving the baton were offering money to, but there were only three other during a Chico State relay race. freshman sprinter girls who ended up coming in… I think enjoying the opportunity to play at the collegiate level, they just realized that they could use someone else in that accomplishing a feat not many Redwood athletes are able [sprinting] area of their team,” Massey-Blake said. to achieve. Warren had some advice for future Giants For all three athletes, the deciding factor that hoping to follow in their footsteps. contributed to their success was academics. They were “Always keep an open mind to situations and never only able to gain the attention of the coaches after being close windows before you reach out or even make an effort admitted to the school, and from that point on, they earned in making those possibilities come true,” said Warren. spots on the teams through interviews, highlight tapes and stats. “Especially for better schools, they rely a lot on you getting into the school. When it came to Chico, it kind of just all fell together because they didn’t have to help me jwatson@redwoodbark.org

Girls’ water polo splashes into international waters By Audrey Lightfoot

This summer, girls from the water polo junior and varsity player Larkin Stodolnic. team splashed into Croatian waters to play “As a freshman, all the upperclassmen against international teams had just come back and explore the historically from the trip and rich European country. This a lot of them were trip is only offered every my friends. They other year for the girls at all had very positive Redwood and is organized reactions to it and through a program called they were talking Water Polo Cruises. The about it for the team traveled around entire season. So, the islands of Croatia, from the beginning, acquiring authentic water I was psyched about polo experiences by [the trip],” Stodolnic scrimmaging clubs from said. around the world, as well The coaching as exploring the towns staff in Croatia within Croatia. consisted of The girls’ journey Redwood’s varsity began on July 21 and lasted Larkin Stodolnic girls’ water polo an entire week. They began junior coach, Kirsten traveling by plane, but once Frazer, as well they made it to Croatia they as Ivan Vranjes hopped on a boat where and Mateo Juric they would sleep, eat and from the Water live for the majority of the time. Polo Cruises coaching staff. Vranjes and Many of the girls had been looking Juric are Croatian and played for their forward to the trip for a while, including national team in the Olympics. Stodolnic thought that the coaching staff provided great advice and trained them well when preparing for scrimmages. “They were big on us perfecting the basics before we got into more things, which was good. They taught us a lot,” Stodolnic said. In addition to Stodolnic, senior varsity player Cassidy Fragakis appreciated that the coaches were helpful throughout the whole week. “It was mainly just about getting better at water polo. It was less focused on who we were playing and more focused on how we were playing. It was cool to learn from other teams and learn about the Croatians’ perspective on water polo,” Fragakis said. Photo by Audrey Lightfoot Although the visit was a fun getaway JUNIOR LARKIN STODOLNIC warms for the girls, coach Kirsten Frazer still had up during practice. a jam-packed schedule for them full of

Being in a different country and going to dinner with the team every night brought us closer beyond an athletic level.

Photo Courtesy of Skylar Strotz

COMPETING IN SIX matches over the week-long trip, the players learned techniques from the various international teams. practice, scrimmages, history and culture. Frazer had a memorable trip in Croatia “We would wake up and have breakfast and hopes the girls had a good time. She while the boat was traveling to some little wants to make sure they left with not only cove. Then we would have a practice, good technique, but memories that they swim around a little island or set up the will look back at fondly. water polo course and do some drills. “Of course I want them to gain After that, we would have lunch as the improved skills and get some conditioning boat moved to the harbor where we were out of it. More practice is always better. going to dock,” Frazer said. “Once we got But one thing I do is take their cell phones to the harbor, we would walk around and from them for the week so there is team find something historical or cultural to bonding and I see girls who go and come experience. Then in the evening we would back they have a good relationship with walk back to wherever the water polo club each other,” Frazer said. had their water polo course set up and we Stonoldic shared a similar sentiment would warm up for our scrimmage against with Frazer about the experience. While a local team.” the trip was centered around their sport, Despite the busy schedule, the girls traveling to Croatia meant much more than enjoyed their experience. Fragakis’s the international level of competition. favorite part was building connections “Being in a different country and with new players from around the world. going to dinner with the team every night “I also loved meeting new people brought us closer beyond an athletic level,” internationally. We played a Brazilian Stonoldic said. team and we were talking with them and we were also talking with the Croatians. We bonded a lot with kids from around the elightfoot@redwoodbark.org world,” Fragakis said.

review

Page 17

Mill Valley shopping center integrates local shops with natural beauty By Skylar Strotz After years of driving past an old beaten down lumber yard with firetruck red, chipping paint and rusted nails sticking out in just about every direction, I was surprised by the newly reimagined and relaunched shopping and dining center that now takes its place. The old lumber yard in downtown Mill Valley is now home to seven shops and restaurants that were hand-selected to occupy the rustic, yet modernized area. However, it was not an easy process to get there. The entire area was bought roughly five years ago by a local couple, the Matthews, whose original intention was to build more apartments and housing for people in Marin. But as the couple began to work, they realized that they didn’t just want another apartment complex. Instead, they wanted to build something that locals could enjoy. The process was not a simple task because they were required to obtain special permits for the area, which caused the project to take three to four years to finally complete. Throughout the past year and a half, shops and restaurants have begun opening and starting their businesses in the Mill Valley Lumber Yard. One of the most popular is Flour Craft Bakery, which is open for breakfast and lunch and sells homemade, gluten-free products. They are known for their delicious scones, cinnamon rolls and avocado toast, but that is not all they have to offer. Flour Craft Bakery makes salads and other lunchtime treats, either to be eaten there, in the shopping center’s lovely courtyard or on the go. The new farm-to-table restaurant, Watershed, opened its doors to the public for the first time on July 4. Since then, they have been booked nearly every night, their busiest days being Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Depending on what produce is the freshest, they serve an entirely local menu that changes nightly. In fact, the food tasted like it came straight from the garden. It was clear that they are still working out a few minor details with the organization as they get their restaurant up and running, but for the most part, it was delicious. I recommend any of their pizzas and the oysters. Both were excellently cooked and unique to Watershed with their addictive and delicious flavors. However, do not start your meal paying for the bread and butter, it is not worth it because the bread came out so cold it seemed like it was just taken out of the fridge.

Photo by Skylar Strotz

OLD MILL VALLLEY Lumber Yard takes on a new purpose as community shopping and dining center. Generally, the service was excellent, but a component to keep in mind is the fairly expensive price. In my experience, it was over 200 dollars for a family of four. The rest of the Lumber Yard is filled with various shops. There is a cute women’s boutique, a casual clothing store called Aviator nation, a jewelry designer, an interior decorating store, an acai bowl cafe called Bōl, a makers market that features people from across the nation and an art supply store. All of the boutiques are open during the day and you can constantly find people shopping around. To add to the ambiance, the middle of Lumber Yard is an open courtyard for everyone to enjoy with benches, tables and cornhole. Overall it is a great space for all family members, even those who are less keen on shopping. The only shop that did not seem to fit in Lumber Yard was Aviator Nation. It almost felt like the overly expensive

company was trying too hard to be “hip” and did not match with the rest of the local Marin community stores. In its entirety, the Lumber Yard is a great addition to the Mill Valley community. The designers did an excellent job of maintaining the beautiful history and wood from the old, run-down lumber yard, while still giving the yard a new purpose. There is still an open space for other local shops to fill, but until then, enjoy the current shops and local food surrounded by the beautiful trees and rustic wood that Mill Valley has to offer.

sstrotz@redwoodbark.org

Sing along with your parents to these movies By Francesca Fox

In the past year, it has felt as though there have been enough movies about music from the 20th century to last a lifetime. If you are anything like I was, wanting to understand the hype behind many of these critically acclaimed films but lacking the time to see all of them, fear not. With hit tracks from icons like Queen, The Beatles, Elton John and

Image Courtesy of Fox Entertainment

THE SILHOUETTE OF Oscar awardwinning actor Rami Malek accurately depicts Freddie Mercury during his famous performance in Live Aid in 1985.

Bruce Springsteen stuck in my head, I have ranked the movies “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Yesterday,” “Rocketman” and “Blinded by the Light” to help you have the best cinematic experience.

Bohemian Rhapsody: 1st Place As the multiple Oscar awards back in February suggest, this film depicting the life of Queen’s lead singer, Freddie Mercury, is of the highest caliber. It almost feels unfair to compare “Bohemian Rhapsody” to the other movies, perhaps with the exception of “Rocketman.” Its impeccable portrayals of actual performers and meticulous detail transported me to the era of 70’s rock and roll. Initially, the quick pace of the storyline was dissatisfying to me, but I quickly adjusted to the rapidly changing scenes after realizing that they reflected Queen’s abrupt rise to stardom. Throughout the movie, I felt like I was experiencing the same excitement and turmoil as the characters, which impressed me because I didn’t feel this way about the other movies. If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t let its popularity dissuade you from seeing it. Not only will it educate you about the tumultuous life of Freddie Mercury, but it will take you feel like you have entered another world while doing so. Rocketman: 2nd Place Like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Rocketman” is a biopic and portrays the life of possibly your parents’ favorite singer, Elton John. Hitting theaters several months after “Bohemian Rhapsody,” I expected “Rocketman” to be a subpar

imitation and was surprised when all of the sex, drugs and rock and roll of Elton John’s life was displayed in the form of a musical. However, despite the undeniable musical talent of the actors, I found myself rolling my eyes each time the characters broke out into song for the more serious moments of Elton John’s life because it seemed inappropriate. “Rocketman” is ranked second because it struck me as too fantastical with its theatrical attributes. Yesterday: 3rd Place “Yesterday” is a quirky drama about how a struggling musician wakes up from getting hit by a bus to a world that has never heard of The Beatles. I appreciated how the movie seemed to effortlessly include elements of humor and romance into the plot and found the uniqueness of the story intriguing. In spite of this, I was irritated by the unnecessary appearances from celebrities in the film including Ed Sheeran, James Corden and Kate McKinnon because it distracted from the plot. Overall, this movie is entertaining but definitely isn’t a must-see, giving it a rank of third place. Blinded by the Light: 4th place Based on the story of a Pakistani teenager growing up in England in the 1980s, “Blinded by the Light” is about how a 16-year-old named Javed is inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s music to fight racism and pursue writing. Although this film had an uplifting and original underlying message, there were many clichés that undermined the substance of the story.

Image Courtesy of Working Title Films

YESTERDAY’S FILM POSTER cleverly displays the main character crossing Abbey roadlines. Some moments in the film were so predictable, like when Javed recited Springsteen lyrics to a group of racist bullies, that I found myself cringing for a significant portion of the movie. Due to how this movie failed to follow through on its potential, it is ranked fourth. ffox@redwoodbark.org

bark Page 18 • Review Is digital meditation the new form of relaxation?

Cost: $155.88 annually, plus a two-week free trial Breethe asks you to explain why you want to meditate by picking out options from a list (happiness, relaxing, relieving stress and anxiety) when you first create an account. Although Aura has the same feature, Breethe is slightly different. It organizes guided meditations under the categories you picked, so if you wanted to work on becoming happier one day and relieving stress the next, it’s easier to do so. I also listened to some of their hypnotherapy—which, according to Psychology Today, is guided hypnosis—more specifically to an episode called “Spiritual Healing.” It focuses on getting rid of blocks in your personal energy field, or aura, that you’ve been carrying since your past lives. It also warns listeners to open their eyes to remind themselves they are safe if they feel too disturbed. This was way too intense and honestly stressed me out more than it relaxed me, so I don’t recommend using their hypnotherapy unless this type of mindfulness appeals to you. Additionally, their ASMR section was mediocre at best because some of the sounds were too loud and not entirely soothing. Breethe offers a wide range of meditation options but is not worth the price.

By Mikaela Beberman

No matter from where stress is derived, it is an everpresent factor in teenagers’ school, home and social lives. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 9 percent of American teens have an anxiety disorder. As teens, we need to be conscious about the state of our mental health and manage stress effectively. The Mayo Clinic reports that meditating not only improves emotional well-being, but also helps manage symptoms of certain medical conditions. This proves we should take advantage of meditation made accessible by the digital world. Here are four ranked relaxation apps to help relieve stress. Calm 4.5 stars Cost: $59.99 annually Calm has an Editor’s Choice Award from the Apple app store, which got me really excited to try it. When you first open the app, it asks you to take a deep breath, which sets the mood for meditation. You can also pick from 35 different moving backdrops with white noise (sounds of nature) on the home page. The main features of the app include sleep stories and guided meditations. However, many of the different episodes are unavailable without a subscription. Fortunately, there is a one-week free trial beforehand. I listened to “Blue Gold,” one of the sleep stories, but I prefered the guided meditations because the heavily-informational stories can be overwhelming. The only guided meditation series that is fully available without a subscription is “7 Days of Calm,” which lectures about the significance of mindfulness while also teaching breathing exercises. Calm also has a free respiration tool that can be customized to your breathing and instruct you when to inhale and exhale, something useful when on the go. Overall, Calm was a very tranquil experience, aside from the inconvenient subscription cost. I highly recommend the guided meditations, as they are not only soothing but aim to break the stigma around mental health. Aura 4 stars Cost: $59.99 annually with a one-week free trial Aura, first asks for an account and what you hope to achieve through the app. A feature I find particularly clever is that the app asks you for your current mood and then opens up a guided meditation session based off of it. As you listen to the meditations, you can manipulate what

September 12, 2019

Photo by Mikaela Beberman

CALM POSTS YOUR most recently explored meditation series against your immersive background of choice. type of white noise (sounds of nature) and music you hear, which adds tranquility to the experience, but what I found most interesting were their sleep stories and life coaching. The sleep stories are more personal and reflective, making them a nice way to unwind, and the coaching offers advice on how to manage stressful emotions. Aura also allows you to keep a gratitude and reflection diary; I’ve always found writing concerns down to be especially therapeutic, so for those who express their worries in such a way, this is a great addition. Aura may be pricey for teens, but compared to Headspace, which is more expensive, it’s worth the price. Breethe 3 stars

Headspace 2.5 stars Cost: $69.99 annually or $12.99 a month Headspace, like Calm, also has an Editor’s Choice award. Upon opening the app, you are asked to create an account and a personal meditation plan based on your past experience with meditating, your sleep schedule and what you aim to use the app for (relieving stress, becoming healthier, personal growth, work and productivity). Although this is a great way to ease people into mindfulness, the app’s cartoonish theme disrupts the relaxing vibe. As soon as Headspace finished creating my personal meditation plan, it opened up a short guided meditation session. The male narrator’s voice was not entirely relaxing and he occasionally hesitated. Put off by the introductory meditation, I moved on to another series. This time, I switched to a female narrator. She was, in fact, worse than the male narrator, as she failed to sound engaged, which in turn failed to interest me. Just like Calm, Headspace requires a subscription to unlock all its features, but there is almost nothing available without one. The price is not worth the quality of the product. mbeberman@redwoodbark.org

Midland’s ‘Let it Roll’ does not lean on country cliches By Lauren Steele If you like country music, this review is for you. If you don’t, here’s to expanding your horizons. So stick around! Country music trio Midland doesn’t stray far from the bluesy authenticity that shot them to stardom in their first album. Faced with the daunting challenge of topping a chart-topper, “Let it Roll” manages to find success following the popularity of 2017’s “On the Rocks.” Nominated for Best Vocal Group at the 2019 Country Music Awards, Midland can also now count Justin Bieber among their fans. Mainstream pop enthusiasts, rejoice! “Let it Roll” has the Bieber seal of approval. Don’t let the cheesy cover photo give you the wrong idea. The 14-song album actually differs from much of popular

country music today, using impressively few country tropes. In fact, they only say the word “whiskey” three times, all in one song. And amazingly, it isn’t the song called “Every Song’s a Drinkin’ Song.” Go figure. Although, they do fall back to country cliches in “Fourteen Gears,” a trucking song set in Austin, Texas. But the catchy chorus and unusual storyline almost make you forget about it. Almost. The album’s lead single, “Mr. Lonely,” is an upbeat, undeniably fun song. You’ll find yourself singing about “Mr. Good Time/Mr. One-You’re-Gonna-Want-ona-Saturday-Night” with a nice southern twang in no time. Cheating and country music go together like whiskey and water. But “Cheatin’ Songs” strays far from the Louisvilleslugging ballads with... a pro-cheating

Photo Courtesy of Midland

3-MAN BAND MIDLAND leans on a vintage pink car for their latest album, “Let it Roll.”

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

TOPPING THE SUCCESS of their first album “On the Rocks,” Midland released “Let it Roll” on Aug. 23. song. Or at least a quick how-to: “Don’t call me after 5 o’clock/Change my name in your phone/Pay cash for all our drinks/ We don’t need those receipts followin’ us home.” By taking a contrarian’s stance on such overused topics, Midland leaves listeners with a country album that’s defying country music stereotypes. Or it’s rewriting them. On top of their unique sound for country music today, Midland gives listeners another surprise in “Let it Roll.” Bassist Cameron Duddy and guitarist Jess Carson take over lead vocal duties on “Lost in the Night” and “Roll Away,” respectively. Though the two don’t quite possess the vocal character that makes lead singer Mark Wystrach so distinctly compelling, these vocal change-ups are just one way Midland avoids the music industry’s dreaded “sophomore slump.” Admittedly, “Playboys” is a bit repetitive. And “21st Century Honky Tonk American Band” is more than a bit cliché, as you can probably guess from the title. But

Midland manages to separate themselves from the other whiskey-drinking, dirtroad-riding, supper-on-the-porch type of songs that blanket the country music scene today. And it’s precisely this separation that earned them No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. They’re self-aware. They know exactly what kind of cliches they’ve written, and they use them strategically. Whether it’s for nostalgic purposes (see: “Fast Hearts and Slow Towns”) or for humor (see: “Mr. Lonely”), all cliches in “Let it Roll” are intentional. So, if you hate country music and you’re still here, kudos. If you’re a huge fan and you, too, made it this far, let’s chat sometime. In the meantime, plan your road trip to catch the “Let it Roll” tour in Reno on Nov. 2.

lsteele@redwoodbark.org

Page 19 • Review

www.redwoodbark.org

bark

The IMPOSSIBLE quest to find the best vegetarian burger By Sydney Steinberg

The Counter: 3/5 stars My ordering experience at The Counter was relatively easy due to how the menu features a pre-created vegetarian burger. It was strategically placed front and center and caught my eye, which was a plus compared to having to search for a vegetarian option at other restaurants. The burger, named the Sprouted Veggie burger, consists of a veggie patty topped with mixed greens, red onion, alfalfa sprouts, dijon balsamic dressing and red bell peppers, all between a multigrain bun. I was not optimistic going into the first bite because it all just seemed too healthy: sprouts, multigrain, come on! However, the dijon balsamic covered up the earthy flavors to make it taste sweet and crunchy. I was thoroughly enjoying myself until I got a bite of something strangely chewy and realized it was a scattering of dried cranberries. Not only am I a strong opponent of fruit in savory dishes, but the sweet, sticky cranberries distracted from the burger-like flavors that should have dominated the patty. The price of the burger was $11.75, which, similarly to Gott’s, is more pricey than I would have preferred, but this time, was not worth the expense. However, The Counter also offers an Impossible burger which although costs a whopping $17.25 without premium toppings, may be more tasty.

Being a vegetarian for nearly three years, I often face the dilemma of not knowing what to eat when I go out with my friends. I’ll step into a restaurant excited to order a juicy burger with a large side of fries, then look at the menu and realize I can’t eat 99 percent of the options. Or so it seems. Lucky for the other herbivores out there, I have conducted a deep investigation into the best (and worst) vegetarian burgers in Marin so together we can eradicate this problem once and for all. I went to four of Marin’s most popular burger joints and ate the recommended vegetarian option. I either ordered the suggested vegetarian option on the menu or asked my server what they thought was my best bet. I then judged the burger on presentation, taste and price to bring you the most accurate five-star rating possible. Enjoy. Gott’s Roadside: 5/5 stars There are no recommended vegetarian options on the Gott’s menu, but they offer both a vegetarian and Impossible patty. Obviously, this decision was too monumental to make myself, so I asked the server what she recommended. I ended up ordering a basic hamburger with lettuce, tomato, pickle and special sauce and substituted in an Impossible patty. For those of you who have not yet ventured out of the world of medium-rare cheeseburgers, take a look around: Impossible burgers are plant based and infused with the molecule heme to replicate a beefy flavor and feel while you’re eating. According to Impossible, heme is an “essential molecule found in every living plant and animal… Here at Impossible Foods, our plant-based heme is made via fermentation of genetically engineered yeast.” Though this may sound gross, the final product is suprisingly good and accurate to a real beef burger. This was not my first time eating an Impossible burger, however, the resemblance to actual meat still surprised me. At first, the unfamiliar flavor of meat made me feel a little nauseous, but by the end of the burger, I was pleasantly reminded of the meat flavor I choose to live without. The savory combination of pickles and Gott’s secret special sauce complimented the meat flavor well, but it also made the eating process a little messy. The overall cost was $11.99, which included a $4 addition for substituting in an Impossible patty. Although this is a little more than I would have preferred to spend on a relatively basic burger, the satisfaction of eating a tender Impossible burger sandwiched between perfectly fluffy buns and slathered in yummy sauce defnitely made this Impossible Burger worth the price.

Photo by Sydney Steinberg

HITTING THE SPOT, Gott’s impossible burger has a juicy patty and perfect combination of pickles and sauce. In-n-Out Burger: 1/5 stars Staring at the In-n-Out menu, I saw absolutely no mention of anything that may resemble a vegetarian alternative, which gave me an uneasy feeling early on. However, the server quickly pointed me to an un-posted menu item referred to as “The Veggie.” The Veggie consisted of lettuce, tomato and secret sauce between two hamburger buns, making it more of a sandwich than a burger. My first observation upon biting into the creation was that the lettuce was extremely crunchy. Yet, this enjoyment was soon overcome by globs of secret sauce which, although good, overpowered the taste of lettuce and tomato and caused the sandwich to become soggy after only a few minutes. Additionally, with only bread and condiments, the burger/sandwich was far from filling. If you’re anything like me and always seem to be hungry, this product is not for you. I only ended up taking a few bites but with a price of $1.25, I didn’t feel too guilty about wasting my food and money.

Shake Shack: 3/5 stars The best words I can use to describe Shake Shack’s only vegetarian option on the menu would be... creative failure. To put a twist on the classic Portobello burger, the mushroom was stuffed with muenster and cheddar cheese and then battered and fried so the edges were crispy. Additionally, it was topped with lettuce, tomato and Shack sauce. The mushroom was satisfying to bite into because there was an immediate crunch as my teeth bit through the fried edge. However, the Portabello itself was undercooked and felt rubbery in my mouth. The cheese combination created a warm, mac-n-cheese-like flavor, and resulted in a mesmerizing cheese pull. Unfortunately, there was so much cheese that I found myself pulling it out of the burger and placing it on my tray. Although I appreciated the creativity, the combination of fried mushroom, gooey cheese and mayonnaise-based sauce was a huge flavor overload. Luckily, although it included flashy ingredients such as Portobello and Muenster, the burger (if you can call it that) was reasonably priced at $7.99.

ssteinberg@redwoodbark.org

Holy cow! This dairy-free ice cream is udderly delicious By Anna Silverman

to maintain their trademark creaminess and delicious flavor complex. The almond milk base is unnoticeable, and the flavor comes through clear and delectable. The brand is known for their wide variety of unique and memorable ice cream options, and their dairy-free line certainly doesn’t disappoint. Here, Ben & Jerry’s has managed to satisfy ice cream lovers of all tastes and diets, because who says vegan has to be boring? In their coffee ice cream, the coffee taste is potent but the caramel and chocolate chunks add a sweetness that creates an utterly delicious balance to produce a whirlwind of flavor. Their pints are available at Safeway for $6.89 or Whole Foods for $5.99. Best flavors: PB & Cookies/Coffee Caramel Fudge

In an age where animal-based products are quickly becoming obsolete, the number of dairy-free flavors, bases and brands for milk and ice cream have multiplied in response. Whether you are vegan, lactose intolerant or simply want to explore other, cow-free options, the dairy-free industry has grown into a delicious franchise that anyone can happily enjoy with a little less guilt. I tested a range of different bases and brands of dairy-free ice cream and selected the best competitors. Here are the best, creamiest and most delicious cow-free ice cream brands for everyone to try. Trader Joe’s Soy Creamy: 5/5 stars Just like its name, Trader Joe’s soybased dairy-free ice cream is lusciously creamy and sweet, perfect by itself straight out of the tub or partnered with pie or another dessert. The vanilla flavor is surprisingly complex due to a variety of added spices and sweeteners, and the soy milk adds to the taste rather than detracting from it. With this product, Trader Joe’s has created a masterpiece that elevates its brand and will leave you wanting to abandon regular ice cream in the past. It is available at the supermarket for $3.69 a quart. Best flavor: Vanilla NadaMoo: 4/5 stars With a subtle hint of coconut added to its delicious natural taste, NadaMoo is quickly rising to the top of the vegan ice cream list with its creative variety of flavors ranging

Photo by Anna Silverman

CRAFTED FROM A variety of vegan milk options, these are some of the best dairyfree ice creams available. from Marshmallow Stardust to classics fix but want to skip on the cow’s milk, like Cookies and Cream. The texture of Trader Joe’s coconut milk frozen dessert is this dessert is smooth and velvety, which the perfect pick for you. Light and creamy makes it one of the most similar to regular with a mild taste of coconut, you cannot ice cream. The taste of this ice cream go wrong with the basic chocolate and proves it is more than just a clever name, vanilla options. The texture is silky and the as the vanilla in both featured flavors is flavor is rich, especially in the chocolate rich and sweet, with just a pleasant hint ice cream. You will not be let down by of coconut. It is available at Whole Foods this sweet and deeply satisfying taste. Market for $4.99 a pint. Their pints are available at Trader Joe’s for Best flavors: Cookies and Cream/ $3.99. Caramel Cold Brew and Cookies Best flavor: Chocolate Trader Joe’s Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert: 4/5 stars If you’re looking for a quick chocolate

Ben & Jerry’s: 5/5 stars With their dairy free version of ice cream, Ben and Jerry’s expertly manages

So Delicious: 5/5 stars So Delicious, a brand known for its vegan milk and ice cream options, is now further extending its domain onto the less traveled road of oat-based products. Fairly new to the milk industry and just introduced to the frozen aisle, oat milk creations are being quickly adopted to vegan-leaning brands and this ice cream makes it easy to understand why. Extremely sweet and indulgent with just a hint of oat, this is possibly the closest one can come to real ice cream while remaining within the delicious bounds of veganism. This pint is available at Whole Foods for $5.99. Best flavor: Oatmeal cookie

asilverman@redwoodbark.org

September 12, 2019 bark Page 20 • Review It’s wise to save your pennies by skipping ‘It: Chapter Two’ By Eislyn Snyder “For 27 years, I dreamt of you. I craved you. I’ve missed you.” When first hearing this quote in the final “It: Chapter Two” trailer, I remember feeling the hairs on my neck stand up. The terrifying drawl of Pennywise’s voice brought about a wave of excitement and fear that I hadn’t felt since the original “It” movie, and I couldn’t help my eagerness to watch. The original film was what broke my extreme hesitation towards the horror genre––beforehand, I hadn’t been able to watch a scary movie without cowering in my seat with a pillow up to my face––and as a result, my expectations were high in terms of the sequel. However, in a whopping 165 minutes, the movie failed to hold my interest for more than ten minutes at a time. Set in 2016, the film follows a group of childhood friends, or the “Losers Club,” who return to Derry, Maine after all receiving a phone call from one of the losers, Mike, who had never left. They had collectively made a

Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros.

PLAYING THE INFAMOUS Pennywise in “It: Chapter Two,” Bill Skarsgärd smiles terrifyingly at the camera.

pact in 1989, 27 years prior, that if “It” ever came back, they would too. However, almost all the losers seemed to forget the initial reasoning behind the oath until they revisited Derry, where all the memories of Pennywise finally came flowing back. The film’s flashbacks split the screen time between the younger actors and actresses, such as Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis and Jeremy Ray Taylor, and the older cast. While many of the adult actors are world-renowned––with considerable names like Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy and Bill Hader––the writing, on many occasions, provided little room to showcase their actual talent. This isn’t to say that all of the script was poorly written. In fact, there were moments where I laughed hard or covered my eyes because I was too nervous to open them. But, there were also times when I thought: did I really spend $13.50 on this movie? I had expected the sequel to follow a similar formula to the original, where the focus would be on character development and the psychological thrill behind Pennywise, not just his physical fear-factor. However, “It: Chapter Two” had a heavy emphasis on scary visuals rather than mental manipulation. The imagery, too, was honestly laughable at certain points. I understand that “It” has the ability to become someone’s worst fear, but there were creatures in the movie that seemed irrelevant and unnecessary. And, by having so many odd visuals of random beings “It” inhabited, Pennywise had very little screen time in comparison to everyone else. This was disappointing, as Bill Skarsgärd is truly the glue behind the “It” franchise, and his performance as Pennywise is unmatched. I went into the movie hoping that Pennywise’s background would be discussed, and in some meager ways, I suppose it was. But the reasoning for “It’s” creation was both underdeveloped and underwhelming, with little to no explanation behind “It’s” motives. As a result, in the midst of an almost three-hour movie, it felt as though something was missing. I left the theater feeling underwhelmed, again wondering whether it was worth the cost of a medium-sized popcorn and a night-showing ticket.

Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros.

DIRECTED BY ANDRES Muschietti and based on the Stephen King novel, “It: Chapter Two” is taking over the box offices. esnyder@redwoodbark.org

The fusion of flavors in Burmese food will brighten your day By Grace Bouton Chinese, Indian and Thai are all popular cuisines. However, Burmese food, a lesser known cuisine from the country of Burma, offers a fusion of Asian flavors due to the geographical influences of China, Thailand and India. In this review, I compare three Burmese restaurants in the Bay Area: Burmatown, Burma Superstar and Mandalay. BurmaTown: 5/5 stars Located in Larkspur, Burmatown is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant down the street from Stefanos and the Marin Primary & Middle School. The single-room restaurant offers customers a festive experience from the moment they drive up to the bright red and gold exterior to when they pay the check inside the lively and decorative interior. Although the space is small, the energy that the various pictures and banners bring to the room eliminates the

need for a bigger room. Beyond the setting, the employees are both inviting and accommodating. After they originally told me there was going to be a long wait time, the staff worked to get a table ready quickly and I was seated within five minutes. This high level of service was matched by the amazing quality of their food and intricate dishes. Though expensive at around $23 a person, the dishes offered were worth it. The creamy texture of the chicken sweet potato curry as well as the contrast between the fried tofu and marinated vegetables in the stir-fry dish made the price worthwhile. Lastly, the unique Baos dish, which yields three fluffy taco shells filled with sautéed meat that melts in your mouth, stood out as my favorite. This dish helped make Burmatown both the best of the three restaurants that I visited and deserving of five stars. Mandalay: 4/5 stars Only a five-minute walk from Burma

Photo by Grace Bouton

WELCOMING GUESTS INTO Mandalay is a festive display decorated with photographs, plants and fruits.

Superstar, Mandalay is located on California Street and Fifth Avenue and is about a 25-minute drive from Redwood. Similar to Burmatown, Mandalay instantly exuded a festive energy that was due in large part to bright decorations such as ornaments and cutouts, as well as lively though not distracting music. The staff was welcoming, but the wait for both the seating and the food was longer than both of the other restaurants. However, when the food did arrive it almost made up for the wait. The chicken curry was perfectly creamy and went well with the tender chicken and potatoes, which were garnished with cilantro. This curry far outdid Burma Superstar’s, but was still a close second to Burmatown’s chicken and sweet potatoes curry. The stir-fried tofu, bell peppers, mushrooms and carrots was one of my favorite dishes from all of the restaurants because of the spongy tofu and spicy sauce. Though the food did not disappoint, it wasn’t quite worth the $25 per person rate. Once the food was on the table, Mandalay was great. However, the slower service and high price per person led me to only give it four stars. Burma Superstar: 3/5 stars Burma Superstar, located on 4th Avenue and Clement Street, is only a twenty-five minute drive across the SF bridge from Redwood. It has more of a modern take on Burmese food than Burmatown and is filled with pictures of various sites throughout San Francisco, such as the Golden Gate Bridge. I was able to be seated right away which was slightly concerning as the street was bustling with people. The waitress checked on my table multiple times throughout my meal and the service went beyond my expectations. While the space was larger than Burmatown, it did not have the same festive appeal and therefore made the overall setting of the restaurant less inviting. Similarly to the other restaurants, the food was expensive and ended up being

Photo by Grace Bouton

BURMATOWN’S BEAUTIFUL AND delicious Baos dish and potstickers were a highlight of the meal. $32 per person with drinks. Although I enjoyed my food, it definitely was not worth the high price and this amount of money. The stir fry of tofu and various vegetables was subpar because of the weak flavor in the large tofu pieces as well as the slightly undercooked and chewy bell peppers that detracted from the quality of the dish. Even though the crunchy exterior and doughy interior of the platha bread was a highlight of the meal, the liquidy chicken curry did not compare to the texture and taste of the curry at Burmatown. Beyond just the flavors of the food, the portions were on the smaller size considering the price. Burma Superstar earned only three stars despite its good service due to the mid-ranged quality of food and high prices. Note for all restaurants: The price goes down with larger parties, as meals are served family style and dishes are commonly shared. gbouton@redwoodbark.org

lifestyles

Page 21

Redwood cancer survivor and her UCSF nurse pioneer a new therapy program By Bella Roesler Spending a night in the hospital for the first time can be downright terrifying, especially following the emotional whirlwind of a cancer diagnosis. The only thing that could possibly make it worse is having a nurse’s full body weight pressing down as they push a long needle through the chest. In April of her sophomore year, senior Zoe Babikian was unexpectedly diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a form of cancer that affects the production of white blood cells. As shocking as a cancer diagnosis is to receive, what can be even more challenging is facing the daunting treatment of chemotherapy. Babikian was fortunate to receive effective breathwork therapy from her nurse, Kate Danziger. Danziger recently resigned to pursue a long-awaited dream: launching a therapeutic program of breathwork and yoga for young cancer patients, their parents and hospital staff. “The first night I was in the hospital, I was scared, I was nervous, I was in pain and I felt horrible. [Breathing techniques] really calmed me down and stopped my mind from spiraling,” Babikian said. Babikian successfully

Photo by Bella Roesler

finished her 12 rounds of chemo by Sept. 2018. Danziger provided her with the coping skills she needed to get through treatment: breathwork. Danziger has worked as a nurse at UCSF’s Pediatric Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant unit for 15 years and believes one of the only aspects of control a patient has in the hospital is their own breath. Breathwork is especially helpful when a patient gets their chemotherapy treatment through a port (part of the central line that goes into your chest when injecting the treatment). As a registered nurse and certified yoga instructor, Danziger has helped many by bringing her outside practice into the hospital wing. “I use the breath organically when we have to access [the patient’s] port with a needle, and they’re freaking out just by looking at the needle. I would just push my tray aside and say, okay. Let’s take three deep breaths. I’m not going to do anything until you get out whatever it is that you’re holding inside,” Danziger said. “Some kids cried, some kids screamed. Some kids it worked beautifully for. For the ones that it worked for, you could tell that there was a mental shift Kate Danziger, in the sense that, ‘I do have the UCSF Nurse power to use my breath to make me feel better.” Babikian met Danziger shortly after she was diagnosed. Babikian had surgery to insert her port and as the anesthesia wore off, she was left in pain. Danziger had already worked a 12-hour shift that day, but decided to spend an extra two hours by Babikian’s side to bring her comfort and teach her breathing techniques to help with pain management. “I was in a really bad state because I was scared and not feeling good. Kate and I just kind of connected. She sat by my bed holding my hand and helping me breathe,” Babikian said. Babikian was preoccupied with the process of chemotherapy and the physical and mental stresses that came with it, unable to think beyond her survival. However, when she recovered, she realized what a gift her partnership with Danziger had been and how it fundamentally supported her through her chemotherapy journey.

After their brief but meaningful interactions in the hospital, Babikian and Danziger randomly bumped into each other around Marin County. One day, while grocery shopping at Whole Foods in Mill Valley, Zoe and her dad, Jeff Babikian, ran into Danziger. This serendipitous meeting was where Danziger’s dream started to become a reality. “Those were the sweetest words I have ever heard… I mean, when in your life have you heard, ‘I want to make your dream come true?’ It felt overwhelmingly beautiful. The thing about Zoe and Jeff is it’s very genuine,” Danziger said. “With everything that’s followed, oh my God, it’s the best feeling in the world. It feels really good to have these incredible people standing behind me and this program.” Zoe, Jeff and Danziger began meeting to put the pieces of this project together. Zoe started doing phone calls and exchanging emails with the marketing team of UCSF and fundraising for the two-year pilot program. “Zoe kickstarted [the program]. She decided that she wanted to do something for Kate, so we talked about options and came up with this plan together,” Jeff said. “Zoe decided that she was pretty fortunate long-term. She felt blessed that she had UCSF [staff] there and she wanted to give back.” The pilot program’s goal is to raise a strong foundation of $100,000, which will ensure staff salary, direct patient care and infrastructure for utility. According to UCSF, the program will initially be located in the Pediatric Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant units, where one-on-one yoga and breathwork sessions will be provided to patients and their caregivers at bedsides. Weekly group sessions will also be offered to parents, grandparents and other caregivers of the entire hospital. If you are interested in supporting Zoe and Kate’s program, please donate here: https://givingtogether.ucsf. edu/fundraiser/2178786

When in your life have you heard, ‘I want to make your dream come true?’ It felt overwhelmingly beautiful.

iroesler@redwoodbark.org

A playlist to get you back into the rhythm of school Story and Illustration by Morgan Salzer

msalzer@redwoodbark.org

September 12, 2019 bark Page 22• Lifestyles Double Trouble: the Bober twins excel in the arts

By Greta Cifarelli Fresh off a New York University (NYU) summer music program, junior Megan Bober is ready to take the stage again this year in Advanced Performance Workshop (APW), ’Til Dawn Acapella Group and open mic nights in Marin. Playing piano since third grade, Bober has always had music as a constant in her life. In early middle school, her piano teacher encouraged her to sing while playing piano and eventually convinced Bober to give it a try. “That’s when I realized I really like singing… I was really nervous because I had never sung before. But I still did it and I’m really happy I did because it’s made a huge impact on me,” Bober said. By the time high school came around, Bober was immersed in the singing world. She took Intermediate Performance Workshop (IPW) as a freshman, where she learned how to further develop her musical talent. Through this class, Bober met other musicians, including fellow singer and junior Berta Bunch. “Megan and I [are] in bands together a lot because we sing well together. We harmonize together. Her and I are kind of like a duo in the class,” Bunch said. The two, along with many of their IPW peers, auditioned for APW at the end Lara Burgert, of freshman year and Junior enrolled sophomore year. In addition to Bober’s music elective in school, she performs with an acapella group called ’Til Dawn. ’Til Dawn’s 15 vocalists come from multiple Marin County high schools and practice twice a week. According to Youth In Arts, the arts program based in San Rafael that runs ’Til Dawn, they maintain an extensive year-round performance schedule, singing at schools and community events. Bober sent her audition to the group freshman year and has been singing with them ever since.

Through ’Til Dawn, Bober was able to meet close friend Lara Burgert. Although Burgert is not a part of APW with Bober, Burgert loves to watch her perform. “Whenever I go to her APW concert at school or I just watch [her] performances, [it is] really inspiring since she’s so confident. She has so much power. It’s taught me about being confident when [I am] singing and performing,” Burgert said. The confidence Bober exudes has stemmed from techniques she has learned throughout her years of performing. Bunch admires this characteristic along with her coordination with her band. “[Megan and I] always make sure that we’re working together on harmonies before performances [and] making them perfect. So that on stage when we’re nervous, we don’t have to be worried about messing up or sounding off-key… she makes sure to put her band first, makes sure to practice enough so that everybody is comfortable with playing [the piece],” Bunch said. Confidence is key when you have a singing passion like Bober’s. While researching colleges specializing in music, she stumbled upon NYU’s summer program “Contemporary Performance Workshop.” In February, she applied with two songs for their July camp. Once accepted in May, she headed off on a twoweek adventure to learn from the professionals. “[The program] was basically a workshop where every day we would learn new things and people would come in [to help us improve],” Bober said. Managing school and music can be challenging for Bober, but she sees a future in singing, so she is motivated to stick with the musical aspect of her life. “I make time for [music] because it’s what I love to do,” Bober said. Bober is not the only one who believes in her future music career. Burgert is inspired by Bober’s powerful stage presence and anticipates a musical future for her. “She just has so much to offer and I feel like she could definitely be a singer or write music and perform,” Burgert said. “She has so much to show to the world and so much to share with everybody.” At her NYU showcase, Bober sang “Manhattan” by Sara Bareilles. Although this was a cover, Bober does not limit herself to covering other musicians’ pieces. She also writes her own music. Bober has not yet performed these original tunes for Redwood, but she has wowed audiences at open mics, including Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley and HopMonk Tavern in Novato. This fall, she plans to go further out of her comfort zone and vocalize her authentic music on the Redwood stage.

She has so much to show the world and so much to share with everybody.

Photo Courtesy of Lara Burgert

’TIL DAWN CREATED a fast friendship gcifarelli@redwoodbark.org between Bober and Burgert.

By Sol Ladetzky In today’s modern society, photographs are a universal language. Due to the technological advancements of the smartphone, individuals can hold hundreds or even thousands of photos in their pocket. Yet there is so much more to photography than just the simple snapshot of a moment. Photographers are our eyes to the world–– they inform, inspire and amaze us. Junior Jack Bober embraces this community by capturing images that fuel his enthusiasm for photography, a hobby he has grown to cherish. Bober’s fervor for photography began in eighth grade. After years of bodyboarding at the beach with his family, he decided he was more interested in the beauty behind the scenic landscape than riding the waves. He started to bring along a GoPro. Fascinated by taking photos, Bober began purchasing more equipment with the money he earned working as an umpire for Little League baseball games. Bober now gets into the water with a Nikon D7200, secured in a waterproof housing– –a case that allows for full control of the camera while it is submerged in water––to pursue surf photography. “I like doing surf photography the most so I do surf photography a lot more than everything else. But during the summer I do more landscape [photography] because the waves are not as good compared to the winter,” Bober said.

Photo Courtesy of Jack Bober

“Whenever I go to Hawaii, [Southern California] or Santa Cruz, I meet up with other surf photographers,” Bober said. “This guy named Andrew Ling was one of the teachers during the [National Geographic] camp. We keep on talking about photography and he helps me a lot.” Ling has taught photography to a countless number of teens. As a teacher, Ling admires Bober’s drive and determination that is replicated through his photos.

Photo Courtesy of Jack Bober

“Most 16-year-olds aren’t quite sure what they want to do yet, which is absolutely normal and perfectly fine. I just feel like Jack knows exactly what he wants to do and what he wants to shoot and he goes after it, which is amazing and stands out,” Ling said. Bober appreciates his role models, but he credits most of his accomplishments to his mother, Leanne Bober. Leanne has watched Jack grow as a photographer these past three years and has helped push him past his comfort zone. She is extremely proud that he is so accomplished in what started as a simple interest. “Jack has found success in his Instagram, website and selling his prints. This summer he was published in multiple surf magazines and famous Instagram accounts have started to republish his work,” Leanne said. Although Jack loves photography, he does not want to make a career out of it. However, Jack does plan to continue his passion during college and onward. For him, the fulfillment of photography, more specifically surf photography, is what is most important. “Photography is almost like an obsession for [Jack]. He loves photography so much and it is very fulfilling for him. He wants to do it in all of his free time,” Leanne said. “He has truly found something that makes him happy and that’s what is important.” Jack hopes to continue improving his photography skills, whether that improvement is with water or landscape work. Jack and Ling agree that doing something you are devoted to is more thrilling and enjoyable. “Knowing I can always get a better photo has pushed me to become the photographer I am today,” Jack said. “I do know that I am not close to being the photographer I will be in five years, and that pushes me to continue sharpening my skills and improving.”

Bober is mainly self-taught, but he has done a few workshops and participated in a two week-long National Geographic camp in Yellowstone. Although this process may have been more time-consuming than taking a class, Bober feels it has been a rewarding experience. “It’s more gratifying being self-taught because it allows me to create my own style of photography and not base it off of what someone else taught me and what they like to do. All I needed was a little inspiration,” Bober said. Bober credits a lot of his success to the role models and people he has met in the sladetzky@redwoodbark.org photography world.

Page 23 • Lifestyles

www.redwoodbark.org

bark

Senior Cooper Sperling sews his way into a new concept of modern fashion By Emma Ingledew

Senior Cooper Sperling, currently enrolled in the Pathways program, satisfies his fascination for design with hours at a denim studio. However, a year earlier as he was just stepping into the fashion industry, he found himself doing something much different: finding inspiration. “I would go to this Goodwill out in Burlingame, drive there at 7 a.m. and stay there until three. [I would] pay per pound and get a ton of clothes for 50 or 70 bucks. I would take all that stuff home and re-work it,” Sperling said. Sperling has always been into the arts. Since a young age, he’s been dancing at Roco Dance’s Mill Valley studio and now teaches younger kids the skills he has learned. While dance will always be a major part of his life, Sperling says his interest and ideas regarding design became more prevalent in the last year.. “I’ve always been into fashion and started out with more retail things and learned about that side of the business through my family members. I naturally transitioned to the manufacturing side. I was curious, so I found a denim factory in the city and that’s how I got my start.” From the factory called Holy Stitch, Sperling only gained more curiosity. He soon started apprenticing at the factory as often as three to four times a week and enjoyed the community that surrounded him there. After Sperling got more exposure to the manufacturing side of fashion, he soon began to trade and sell his own clothes. The factory marked a jumping off point for Sperling. It wasn’t long until he started to create something of his own. “Now I’m starting to think of things in the long-term rather than just the clothes. I’m trying to expand it into different realms,” Sperling said. Sperling is currently participating in Pathways, which is helping guide his work with design. Pathways a l l o w s him to participate in an internship with Julian Prince D a s h , owner of Holy Stitch, who taught him how to sew. His internship focuses on design while he gets to choose classes that are more centralized towards what he wants to do in the future. In his junior year, Sperling completed Tamiscal Independent Studies which strongly relied on self motivation to complete work on his own time. “The first few weeks [of Independent Studies] were intense because I was used to ducking into a class of 30 in a public school, not really doing any work and getting away with pretty good grades. [With Independent Studies], it’s very on you. You have to be your own motivator and that’s why I went. I wanted to kill some of my procrastination tendencies,” Sperling said. For Sperling, Pathways is geared towards his interests and experiential learning. He values lessons that will help him realistically in life, rather than short-term knowledge that most people

will forget soon after. While Sperling stays engrossed with Pathways, he is not alone in this process of designing and releasing clothes. Lily Wyle, Sperling’s girlfriend, frequently helps him with his designs. They connected over an appreciation for the arts. “I try to motivate him while giving him realistic advice on what people might buy and what would look better on a garment. I try to bring in my artistic eye to it,” Wyle said. Not only does Wyle give Sperling a second opinion, but she also plays a major role in keeping Sperling focused and supporting him with challenges he faces in the process. “I’m always there to help h i m

Courtesy of Cooper Sperling

SENIOR COOPER SPERLING models his line of clothing while walking with girlfriend, Lily Wyle. through [the process]. Helping him of having to conceptualize a whole thing. I don’t even through all the stress is important, know my true identity yet,” Sperling said. because it is a stressful industry–– With this mindset, Sperling has received both respect especially starting out trying to build and encouragement from many of those around him. yourself a name. That can be difficult, “His family supports him all the way and I know so trying to make his life as easy as everyone loves his work, and they have been really possible and offering my help where supportive of his clothes. I think right now he’s super it is needed can relieve happy with his work some of that stress,” and I’m excited for Wyle said. him,” Anderson Wyle isn’t said. Sperling’s only People like supporter. One of Wyle and Anderson continue to Sperling’s best encourage Sperling friends since and his work. While birth, Delaney positive feedback Anderson, has helps self esteem, also encouraged Sperling also Sperling’s work appreciates those and has high hopes that don’t necessarily for his future. show interest in his “He has a designs but respect kind of him for what he’s doing. “One person was like, ‘Hey, I don’t really like your spontaneous side clothes but I think what you’re doing is really cool and I to him and respect that.’ I respect that,” Sperling said. While Sperling continues to expand his new clothing he’s super c r e a t i v e line, his recent focus on fashion has made him realize his a n d r e a l l y purpose in creating pieces and has helped him mature as talented, so that a person. “I personally exert myself so hard that I want to lead definitely by example...I’m trying to lead with a lack of branding supports what he’s and say you don’t have to take everything so serious. I feel doing,” Anderson like I get hung up on things and think they are bigger than said. The name of they are but in reality they aren’t that important.” Sperling’s clothing line is Sperling continues to grow. Whether it be with his currently called Still Working, clothes or perspective on himself and others, he uses which is what he described as each design, collection and creation to learn something a representation of everything he new every day. is working on and what he wants to do with design. However, Sperling is sensitive to the idea of branding his clothes. “I try to stay away from any type of branding. I’m enjoying creating these pieces and I’m indulging in that instead eingledew@redwoodbark.org

I try to stay away from any type of branding...I don’t even know my true identity yet. Cooper Sperling, senior