The Nueva Current | October 2025

The Fight over Redistricting Cardi B: Am I the Drama? The Other Side of AI

The Election Rigging Response Act, Proposition 50, put forth by Governor Gavin Newsom, will be some seniors' first votes.

News // Page 3

The award-winning female rapper returns with a fiery sophomore album.

Culture // Page 4

As AI tools settle into the classroom, students and faculty grapple with what AI means for learning.

Students explore chatbots for entertainment, companionship, and support.

Features // Page 12

Student Standoff: Phone Use Policies Rise of the Valkryies

Two students debate over upcoming phone use school regulation.

Opinion // Page 1�

The Bay Area's new WNBA team draws newfound excitment and fans from all corners of the female sports world.

Sports // Page 19

The story was short. Not even half a page long, the tale involved aliens and starry space, composed by Hannah F. ’27 and a friend while in the throes of boredom. There was also a third contributing author: ChatGPT.

Hannah was in 8th grade and experimenting with prompting a generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot for the first time. A story, based on an idea she and a friend had already come up with, seemed like a good idea. Within a few seconds, the screen filled with words. Hannah was shocked by the speed of the whole process, and the personable, adept tone the chatbot used to communicate.

In the three years since OpenAI launched GPT-3.5 to the public, that initial surprise has faded completely. Now, Hannah would be more surprised if any student in the Bay Area—a tech hub where billboards for AI line the highway and OpenAI holds three offices—has been able to completely evade AI.

“I don’t think you can avoid it—or at least, it’s pretty difficult,” Hannah said.

In particular, she pointed to ever-present tools like the Google AI overviews, AI-generated summaries that automatically appear at the top of search results.

“[The overview] comes up and you automatically read it. It’s forced convenience, in a way,” Hannah said.

The prevalence of AI is a well-recognized part of the Nueva student experience. According to a recent survey with a sample size of 100 students—about a quarter of the Upper School student body—87% of Nueva students reported using AI tools for academic or task-related purposes at least once. Chatbots like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, as well as Google AI overviews , ranked among the most common AI tools students engage with.

The rise in AI usage and reliance has been consistent amongst all levels of education. It has not gone unnoticed by AI developers. In recent months, major AI companies have moved to capture a wider student audience, promising tools that will accelerate and enhance the learning process. New products like OpenAI’s “study mode” and Gemini’s “guided learning” are advertised as interactive tutors and often paired with free trials to premium models to draw students in.

As AI tools have become more widespread, academic institutions have attempted to keep pace, with mixed results. At the university level, colleges such as Duke University and California State

University have begun to implement AI use on their campuses, spending millions of dollars to offer unlimited ChatGPT accounts to their students. At colleges such as Ohio University and the University of Michigan, AI fellow programs have been established to support faculty integration and exploration of AI in teaching and scholarship.

Yet alongside these efforts to encourage AI use, tensions have occasionally surfaced around the use of AI by both students and faculty. In one recent case, a Northeastern University senior filed a formal complaint with the business school, alleging that a professor’s use of AI-generated lecture notes was hypocritical in light of the university’s strict policies on student use of AI tools.

With no standardized framework governing AI use in education, schools across the country have had to construct their own policies. At Nueva, this has taken shape through several rounds of policy revisions, with much of the practical details falling to individual teachers to interpret and implement.

As a member of the Bay Area AI Cohort, a coalition of private schools discussing how best to regulate AI, the school has hosted dialogue about AI use on faculty development days and hosted

a panel where students discussed their AI use. Another such faculty development day on Oct. 19 will continue the ongoing conversation.

In addition to examining AI case studies, philosophies, and policies, the administration intends to share a new AI policy grounded in Nueva’s school values. The policy will clarify certain restricted uses of AI tools, while still maintaining each teachers’ individual agency and freedom to direct AI use in their classroom.

Up until this October, Nueva has been in an “exploratory transition period” with regards to the school’s AI policy, according to Dean of Academics Claire Yeo In practice, this ambiguity has meant that the acceptability of AI usage has been decided on a case-by-case basis. Teachers have defined what is allowed in their classroom, as student usage patterns have evolved.

The clearest AI-related boundary for students is the restriction of AI-generated writing—notably in English and History classes, where written work remains the core method of assessment. Violation of this guideline leads to notification of advisors and parents, and possible disciplinary action.

By the Numbers

REPORTING BY ELLIE L.

donuts were handed out by seniors to underclassmen and faculty driving into school at Senior Sunrise, the inaugural event of the school year.

Formalizing the College Bill of Rights

Bill aims to ease stress and foster empathy during application season

STORY BY OLIVER L.

upcoming Coffeehouse performances, from renditions of Beabadobee to teacher flute acts. Coffeehouse will be hosted on the Rosenberg Courtyard, on Oct. 3, at 5 p.m., and is open to all.

new clubs, from Criminal Law & Understanding of Evidence (CLUE) to No Birthday Left Behind, were created this year, joining 76 returning clubs from last year.

During this year's senior retreat, 12th-grade dean Phil Moreno asked the seniors to jot down their expectations for personal interactions with parental figures and other students during this year’s upcoming college admissions process. Using these anonymous submissions, the 12th-grade representatives Aadit B. ’26 and Mylie M. ’26 are working to compile a list of the requested norms to implement later this year.

Known as the College Bill of Rights, this set of expectations is designed to help seniors and their families feel supported and at ease throughout the college application process.

While the College Bill of Rights was not formalized last year, there are unspoken rules at Nueva that conform to fit the needs of the newest graduating class.

Aadit and Mylie believed last year’s informal implementation was effective and made the college admissions process smoother for the class of 2025, so they hope to adjust it to meet this year's class’s expectations.

“We really are just trying to look at what everybody said that they wanted and incorporate it well,” Mylie said. “Guidelines like being encouraging but not evaluative of others make the whole process a lot easier to talk about.”

Barde agreed with Mylie. “I think it'll give people a lot more clarity and a lot more guidance,” Aadit said. “Hopefully it can make people a lot more comfortable being around their peers so they don't

Spirit Store gets a new look

Students can anticipate new Nueva-themed merchandise on a consistently updated platform

STORY BY AVIVA S.

The new and improved Nueva spirit store re-launched on Aug. 7, hosted by a new vendor on a new platform.

Driven by feedback from students and parents on the prior store’s small range of options, a parent-led team spent over three months consulting with community members and looking for a new partner to manage the store.

“We heard feedback that the product quality and options weren't great, and that our customer base of Nueva parents weren't particularly happy with the offerings,” said Susan Hayward, one of the parents who helped launch the new store.

Nueva eventually was able to partner with SquadLocker, which offered a more streamlined system than the previous vendor ApparelNow, and the opportunity to use popular brands such as Champion and UnderArmour.

feel that pressure of college hanging over them all the time.”

The senior grade representatives, in collaboration with Moreno, have invited their classmates to volunteer in forming the final document. Pearl Y.-L. ’26, one of the volunteers, is collecting opinions and perspectives on the college admissions process from across the grade. She aims to amplify the reach of the College Bill of Rights by translating student feedback into meaningful changes that simplify the college admissions process.

Pearl also acknowledged the difficulties of capturing the opinions of all her peers. “While we were drafting [the College Bill of Rights], it was important for us to distinguish best practices versus requirements,” Pearl said. “So as a result, I am certain that we're not encapsulating everyone's wishes—just what seems reasonable."

Moreno hopes that this process will encourage seniors to speak their minds and advocate for themselves.

“[The College Bill of Rights] gets out into the open, some of the things that are unsaid in this process,” he said. “I think it's a great endeavor, because I'm a firm believer that, if you hold stuff in, it just keeps growing till you burst.” The College Bill of Rights, Moreno explained, was intentionally brainstormed at the senior retreat to set a tone of ideation and solutions.

The Class of 2026’s version of the College Bill of Rights is still being finalized and will be released in early October.

SquadLocker offers the Spirit Store team increased insight into the ordering backend, allowing the parents who run it to understand which items are most popular and which items aren’t selling as well.

“SquadLocker provides us really pretty rich information on what items sold to whom and over what time period,” Hayward explained. “So there is an opportunity—if something's not selling, we can replace it with and try something new with data from SquadLocker. On our old website, it was just a complete guess as to what was selling.”

The team is pleased to have already seen a significant jump in sales volume and customers. In the first month since launching the new store, they have already achieved over 60 percent of last year’s total sales volume. This is a huge leap considering last year’s revenue amounted to less than ten thousand dollars worth of merchandise purchased at the store in total.

SquadLocker caters to a wide variety of community members. Apart from athletes, the site also gives clubs and affinity groups a chance to design their own custom Nueva merch and sell it via the spirit store. Lucas R. ’27, one of the Upper School spirit reps, is looking forward to utilizing this feature in the near future.

“It's a really great opportunity to highlight different groups of different inter ests at Nueva,” Lucas said.

Kamala Harris Reflects In her memoir, titled 107Days in reference to the length of her campaign, Harris criticizes Biden and his team for undermining her as Vice President, while pinning her loss on the short timeframe of the campaign.

A Fuller Picture

The Billion-Dollar Question

STORY BY KAYLA L. & ALVIN Y.

In recent months, the AFL-CIO federation of labor unions has led thousands of “Workers Over Billionaires” protests across the country. In the event description for the San Francisco Labor Day rally, organizers asserted that billionaires “continue to wage a war on working people,” calling upon protestors to show that “the billionaire's time is up.” In this issue’s A Fuller Picture column, we looked into the ongoing political and economic impacts of billionaires that have caused such furor.

Recently, the U.S. has witnessed a rise in billionaire support on both sides of the aisle. In the 2024 election, billionaire donations reached a historical high: $2.6 billion of $24 billion in federal election contributions came from just 100 billionaire families. This financial power, according to critics, has weakened government credibility and degraded democratic values.

Elon Musk was by far the largest donor, spending $291 million to support Republican candidates. As a result, Musk was then appointed as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DOGE repeatedly targeted the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)—moves that have made tax evasion easier for billionaires.

Beyond concerns of political manipulation, billionaires and their trillion-dollar companies are often embroiled in legal battles over workers’ rights and prioritizing corporate gain.

In California, Amazon faces legal trouble with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The NLRB argues that Amazon must be a formal “joint employer” of its currently subcontracted delivery drivers. The labor organization’s attorneys claim that Amazon dictates the drivers’ training, constantly monitors them, pays insufficient wages, and fails to protect drivers from intense heat—in alleged violation of federal labor laws.

Musk’s Tesla has also been accused of illegal interference in union organization, where all unionization efforts have been unsuccessful. As of January 2025, the NLRB has 24 open investigations into Musk's companies, and it is also investigating alleged surveillance of X employees after Musk acquired the company in 2022.

At the same time, billionaires like Musk are, by and large, entrepreneurs of inventions and enterprises that have generated several positive impacts—for social good and financial profit—for everyday people around the world.

For example, Amazon has enabled businesses of all sizes to sell their products online, and many of its 310 million active users benefit from the increased accessibility of daily necessities at a range of price points. After Musk led Tesla to announce the world’s first luxury electric car, the Tesla Roadster, in 2008, zero-emission and eco-friendly vehicles became mainstream around the world.

Globally, nonprofits have been able to generate over $5 billion through the platform’s fundraising tools, according to Meta.

Because billionaires’ successes often stem from “public investment” and financial support, according to an essay by Professors Jessica Flanigan and Christopher Freiman, citizens can also hold billionaires more immediately accountable than their periodically elected governments.

Evidently, some billionaires are conscious of this pressure and responsibility, with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Giving Pledge, and Bloomberg Philanthropies being some of the largest of their kind.

Ultimately, billionaires present a moral paradox: being an active part of unfair economic systems while providing large individual support to charitable causes. In trying to estimate their net value to the world, the full picture is thus in the eye of the beholder.

Generations: Gen Z led the Nepal protests, but in his opinion, Jackson H. criticizes the premise of treating Gen Z as a single cohort. Page 13

Will partisan gerrymandering return to California?

Californians weigh whether to tip the scales in Democrats’ favor

STORY BY JACKSON H.

Redistricting was once a niche, periodic concern, with the process of redrawing each state’s congressional map taking place every decade after the nationwide census. But in recent years, and increasingly in recent months, the congressional map has become the battleground, a constant back-and-forth to gain the upper hand in next year’s midterm elections.

But on November 4, Californians will be given the choice to vote on Proposition 50, which would overturn the commission’s 2021 map in favor of a pro-Democratic gerrymander drawn by the state legislature. The new maps would be temporary, set to expire in 2032 and be replaced by a new commission-drawn map.

The measure is a direct response to a Republican gerrymander in Texas, drawn this July at the behest of President Trump. Texas’ new map will likely eliminate five Democratic representatives from the House of Representatives come 2027. California’s retaliatory map is set to unseat four of the nine Republican congressmen in California, with an additional Republican, Rep. David Valadao, pitted in a competitive but winnable race.

In 2008, Proposition 11 granted redistricting power to an independent commission and thereby eliminated the possibility of partisan gerrymandering— the practice of state legislatures drawing district maps that advantage a particular party. Today, seven other states have adopted an independent commission.

A report from redistricting law experts at the University of California, Los Angeles, suggested that Prop 11 did not explicitly revoke the state legislature’s power to redraw maps between censuses. Nonetheless, California Democrats opted to propose the change as a refer-

endum in order to give the move greater legitimacy.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, as part of a broader effort to position himself as the principal Democratic opponent to Trump, has been Prop 50’s leading champion. In the span of two months, he has taken the prospect from seemingly unconstitutional to an intense contest, where both sides combined have already brought in $41 million in campaign contributions.

Most polls have shown Prop 50 passing, but the wording of the poll’s question is key: support outnumbers opposition only if the question notes the map’s temporary status.

For Nueva seniors over 18, the refer endum will be the first election they’ll be able to vote in themselves. Many of these first-time voters remain undecided.

“There’s no good answer,” Grace B. ’26 said. “Either you respond with some thing bad or you don’t respond at all.”

For those who support the measure, the hope is that a stronger Democratic Party will be able to, in the long term, deliver nationwide action against gerry mandering.

“If we get a progressive gov ernment, I’d hope that gerryman dering can be diminished. I don’t know if it can completely go away,” Archie B. ’26 said.

Regardless of how the referendum goes, voters in the Nueva community will not be immediately affected—the seven solidly Democratic congressional seats in the Bay Area are all left virtually untouched by the redraw.

The Gen Z coup d'etat Mass protests in Nepal result in change of government

STORY BY VEDA P.

On September 8, Nepal saw thousands of young people flooding streets, demanding accountability from a government long criticized for corruption and nepotism.

The national outrage among youth exploded after the government banned 26 social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram, and YouTube. Many of the demonstrations quickly turned violent, with protestors setting both the national parliament and presidential residence on fire.

Reports indicate that over 2,100 people were injured and at least 72— which includes protestors, police, and escaped prison inmates—died in the demonstrations as security forces responded with live ammunition, tear gas, and batons.

Their protests led to the resignation

of Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli, leader of the democratically-elected Communist Party, and the installation of an interim leadership. During the transition, young activists took the unprecedented step of using Discord, an online messaging platform, to organize: servers led by groups like Hami Nepal became virtual parliaments where participants debated policies, planned actions, and even conducted polls to select leadership.

This digital movement culminated in the interim appointment of Sushila Karki, a former chief justice known for her impartiality, as the country’s first female prime minister. Her appointment was endorsed by both the protest leaders and the military, which had announced it would “take charge” of the country to quell the protests.

“Social media took a message quickly and broadly to people, and

the leadership generation was caught by surprise,” said Barry Treseler, who teaches the International Relations elective at the Upper School.

He added that the protests also reflected “a level of generational frustration,” driven by limited educational opportunities, economic uncertainty, and the government’s struggle to respond to natural disasters.

CULTURE

Pop Culture Thermometer

On a scale from freezing to blazing hot, here's the latest in pop culture

It’s a bad day for Demna haters, as he crushed his debut as the creative director of Gucci. He reintroduced Tom Ford’s sexiness and clean cuts, Frida Giannini’s botanical patterns, while one-upping former director Allesandro Michele’s maximalism with a flood of bamboo handles, horsebits, and double G’s. For those afraid he would imbue his questionable style from Balenciaga into the historic brand, Demna instead struck a perfect balance.

New York Fashion Week has evolved past the big brand runways, becoming a hub for smaller designers, brands, and influencers, opening doors for new voices and opportunities. At the same time, the scene feels excessive, with hordes of people loitering outside the Rick Owens store, filming TikToks while wearing an entire outfit of statement pieces in an attempt to be noticed. It’s a breath of fresh air, full of energy and creativity, even if the side spectacle can be a little eyeroll-inducing.

COLD: SNLSEASON 51 CAST

Ahead of its 51st season, Saturday NightLive’s revolving door roster has rotated more than it should, losing core members Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, and Devon Walker. Lorne Michaels insists that the decision is to keep the show relevant and appeal more to Gen Z, but the sheer number of departures makes the show feel more unstable than refreshed. While new featured members like Tommy Brennan, Ben Marshall, and Veronika Slowikowska might bring the fresh new talent that SNL seeks, it feels like we are losing the foundation that keeps it afloat.

FREEZING: JIMMY KIMMEL SUSPENSION

In a stunning display of incompetence, ABC’s six-day suspension of Jimmy Kimmel completely backfired. The ban only strengthened public interest, giving the unfunny Kimmel his best ratings in ten years upon his return. This isn’t a question of taste, though; it’s about the administration blowing a comment wildly out of proportion to silence a critic, reinforcing a dangerous precedent.

These Demon Hunters are Saving Animation

KPopDemonHuntersproves audiences are hungry for original animation

Behind the glitter and demons of KPopDemonHunters lies a bigger question: Can original animation survive?

Over the past two months KPop Demon Hunters has taken the world by storm, rapidly dethroning Red Notice as Netflix’s most popular movie of all time. The film follows a K-pop girl group of demon hunters, who fight a rival boy group—of demons, of course—in a battle-of-the-bands setup.

Before I watched KPopDemonHunters, I was skeptical of its cheesy name and hyper-kids-friendly exterior. But, the movie was dominating my social media, and when I witnessed an unprecedented demon hunters-centric obsession overtake everyone around me, I figured I would give it a shot.

Instead of the shallow kids movie I initially expected, I was met with loveable characters and songs that would be stuck in my head for weeks to come. But, above all, I was struck by the amount of passion and artistry apparent in the film: the movie is ripe with zingy, expressive

animation and bright colorful characters whose intricate designs draw inspiration from Korean folklore. The film dazzles with gorgeous color palettes, clever framing, and sharply-drawn characters. As an artist myself, I can feel that every artistic choice is absolutely intentional, and I greatly admire the stunning creativity of this film.

While some plot points feel cliché, each beat of the movie seems to pay homage to classic k-drama tropes, parodying them in a self-aware manner that makes a baseline admiration for the genre apparent.

Beyond an endearing narrative, KPop Demon Hunters felt unique in an otherwise stale landscape of animated media. Frankly, I couldn’t believe that an animated movie in the year 2025 could still contain so much passion in it.

In recent years, authentic animated films like KPopDemonHunters have felt few and far between. Animated blockbusters have become a thing of the past: Disney has resorted to making dry and uncreative sequels—or original animations advertised so badly that no one ends

up watching them.

Still, some animated films have impressed me with their boldly distinctive artistry, like Spider-Man:AcrossThe Spider-Verse, Nimona, and Puss in Boots: The LastWish. Each film had startlingly innovative artistic direction and took its own unique twist on the source material.

KPopDemonHunters has not only broken into the popular zeitgeist, but also has become a great unifier in modern animation. In a time where the world is becoming increasingly polarized and social media is making everyone more disparate from each other, we need original stories that everyone can identify with.

Unfortunately, it’s become undeniable that original animation is dying. Animators are getting laid off under the looming threat of AI image generation, and even KPopDemonHunters itself was forced to fit into a 90-minute runtime—much shorter than had been originally planned.

KPopDemonHunters has made it clear that us audiences—artists or not— want more original, passionate, animated films, and I sure hope studios can see that.

Cardi B is the Drama, and Much More

Am I The Drama?is a bold comeback, but the album lacks a narrative.

STORY BY ALEXIS C.

It’s clear: Cardi B is still the most influential and notorious female rapper, as she’s shown in her sophomore album AmITheDrama?, released on Sept. 19. The record is perfectly fit to her persona—blunt, aggressive, confident. The album excels in personality, but it also proves that her strength isn’t in cohesion.

In the first track, “Dead (feat. Summer Walker),” Cardi B tackles the rumors about her personal life since the release of her debut album “Invasion of Privacy” in 2018. “B****es be out here

raps, flaming with confidence and charisma. Backed by a pulsing bass and organ, “Dead” proves that Cardi is back from her seven year hiatus to defend her title.

The next two songs, “Hello” and “Magnet,” are also self-confident anthems. “Woke up, and I’m still in the lead,” she reminds listeners in “Magnet.” Eerie harmonies and siren synth add unique depth to the two most danceable and catchy tracks on the album.

Then, Cardi begins to sprint in five directions at once—stylistically and thematically. “Pick It Up (feat. Selena Gomez)” is about a stagnant relationship; yearning and almost wistful, the song is about as far as it gets from “Magnet.” The track leans more pop-synth, with hints of a Latin beat. Though opposites, Selena Gomez’s breathy vocals meshes with Cardi’s punchy enunciation in a cathartic way.

Taking a 180, the song “Bodega Baddie” takes a leap of faith from reflective bars to almost-frenzied excitement. In “What’s Going On,” Lizzo's belt

unfortunately overpowers Cardi’s staccato lyricism. “I guess he thought I wouldn’t practice what I preach,” she delivers under Lizzo’s overly excited riffs. It seems Cardi B only addresses her romantic life while featuring a variety of artists.

After some pining and romantic frustration, Cardi is unafraid to stoop low for artist BIA in “Pretty & Petty.” However, through the condescension she shows that her beef is more than just rap; “don’t you ever mention my kids,” she warns.

Soon after, the album reaches a lull. Similar drum and synth beats do little to distinguish “ErrTime,” “Trophies,” and “Killin You H**s.” Yet, in the midst of monotony, Cardi B stunningly features Janet Jackson in “Principal.” Her self assurance is evident as she raps, “I’m too bad to be lonely and too grown to be played with / It’s the principle, the principle.” Even though Cardi has been perceived as aggressive and overconfident, “Principal” shifts the narrative to reveal a self-assurance that sets her standards high.

Am IThe Drama? is an anthem—one of raw, unfiltered confidence. Cardi B brings light to her relationship with the media, and herself. She’s made it clear: in these seven years, nothing can replace Cardi B.

New to the Music Room Sound Experience teacher Max Cowan is one of nine new faculty members. Page 9

The Smashing Machine Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stars as MMA fighter Mark Kerr in the film, to be released on Thursday Oct. 3.

Fall Shows to Binge Now

STORY BY NATALIA R.

Here are four fresh picks that capture the chills and thrills of the season

THE GIRLFRIEND

WHERE TO WATCH: Prime Video

FOR WHO: Those who enjoy twisty, psychological thrillers or family drama with morally ambiguous characters.

THE PLOT: When Daniel Sanderson brings home his new girlfriend, Cherry, matriarch Laura becomes suspicious of her intentions. Over six episodes, tensions rise and perspectives shift between Laura and Cherry, blurring the line between truth and deception. By the end, Daniel—and the audience—are left questioning who to trust. Don’t let its name fool you: this miniseries is anything but a cute romance.

HAUNTED HOTEL

WHERE TO WATCH: Netflix

FOR WHO: From RickandMorty writer Matt Roller, this is for anyone who loves sharp, sarcastic animated comedy with a spooky edge.

THE PLOT: When a single mom unexpectedly inherits a rundown hotel, she discovers it’s occupied by the ghosts of previous residents—including her estranged brother. With eccentric tenants, dry humor, and a humorously dysfunctional family, Haunted Hotel is a bingeable comedy with hints of horror.

ALIEN:EARTH

WHERE TO WATCH: Hulu

FOR WHO: Watch this prequel of Alien (1979) if you are a fan of politically-charged horror sci-fis.

THE PLOT: Two years before the events of Alien (1979) take place, a mysterious ship full of xenomorphs suddenly appears above Earth, intent on taking over the planet. Unlike the original, which confined the terror to the claustrophobic corridors of a single ship, Alien: Earth shows the global consequences as civilians scramble to survive the alien presence. The series preserves the franchise’s signature eerie dread and body horror while adding new layers of political intrigue and class dynamics. Alien: Earth asks the question: what happens when the aliens are no longer far away, but right on our doorstep?

HOUSE OFGUINNESS

WHERE TO WATCH: Netflix

FOR WHO: Anyone drawn to intense historical narratives like PeakyBlinders or family-centered dramas like Succession

THE PLOT: Set in 1868, the series unfolds immediately after the death of Sir Benjamin Guinness, patriarch behind the Guinness brewery’s success. Inspired by the real family, the story delves into the lives of his four children—Arthur, Anne, Benjamin, and Edward— as they navigate their inheritance. Against the backdrop of 19th-century Dublin and New York, the misty streets and warmly-lit mansions make for just the right autumn watch.

The Paper is part sitcom, part eulogy

The new Office spinoff keeps the comedy alive while mourning local journalism’s slow death

STORY BY JACKSON H.

The overproliferation of spinoffs, sequels, and remakes in pop culture today deteriorates cinematic creativity. This point has been made so many times that for me to rehash it here would be itself an unnecessary spinoff.

When I heard that there would be an Office spinoff set at a dying local newspaper, TheToledoTruth-Teller, I was partly curious about how journalism would be portrayed, and partly dreadful spinoff that could never live up to the original(s). However, ThePaper impressed me over the course of its ten-ep isode run by taking an original approach to derivative content.

The connections between ThePaper and The Office are loose at best—the same fictional documentary crew is covering another dying business, this

time in Toledo, Ohio, instead of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Only one named character, Oscar, repeats his role from the original show.

Outside of Oscar, it's a truly new set of characters; nobody can be easily dismissed as a knockoff Michael, Jim, or Pam. Leading actor Domhnall Gleeson’s character, Ned, is both a bright-eyed idealist and a serious, competent leader—a combination that never really appeared

At the outset, ThePaper is meaningfully less funny than The Office: the pilot episode is particularly slow-paced, and the long spaces between jokes do not effectively replicate the cringe comedy of the original. But as the characters settle in over the course of the season, the show improves both its comedic quality and joke-density, crossing the line into laughout-loud hilarity.

ThePaper successfully avoids being stuck in the shadow of its progenitor, but the state of journalism today looms large over the entire show. The economic decline and hollowing-out of the Rust Belt constantly surrounded Dunder Mifflin, which faced a future of irreversible decline. But the show more so hinted at this fact—occasional plots featured layoffs, branch closings, or corporate mergers—rather than placing it front and center. In ThePaper, the grim fate of small local

newspapers is not in the background; it's the point of the show.

For this reason, ThePaper leans into more scathing social critique than the original Office: jokes, or even entire episodes, target online clickbait, popup ads, affiliate marketing, large corporate ownership, independent blogs, and the downsizing of offices—at the start of the season, there is only one full-time reporter at the ToledoTruthTeller

When the show harkens back to the age of prestigious local newspapers, usually through Ned’s mockumentary talking head interviews, the script brims with nostalgia and reverence. Occasionally, an episode will cut to a clip from a fictional 1971 documentary called Newspaper, which boasts of a time when Toledo’s paper filled a multi-story building and kept full-time reporters in New York and D.C.

As such, ThePaper is a sitcom in mourning, written with deep care for its subject matter. But while the everpresence of journalistic decline leads to a slow start, the season ends on a high note and adds up to a worthwhile watch for any

Meet the Upper School's New Equity & Inclusion Coordinator, Evan Vaughan

With years of experience in supporting youth, Vaughan joins Nueva with a goal to uplift students in this turbulent time for DEI work

STORY BY KAYLA L.

Q: YOU’VE WORKED IN EDUCATION AND YOUTH SUPPORT FOR A VERY LONG TIME AND ACROSS MANY DIFFERENT CONTEXTS. WHAT PRINCIPLES HAVE GUIDED YOU THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER?

A: My philosophy of education is that, when I work with young people, I want to be my most authentic self, because I want students to learn to love themselves. I think that's really hard to do when they’re at this age, when they’re just doing their best to literally survive every day, have a giant homework load, and the Western world says you need to know at 17 what you want to do for a career. Also, I grew up with a distance from adults around me, which kept me from really getting to know them. Had I seen adults who were showing up as themselves more authentically, I think it would have encouraged me to do so more, too.

Q: WHILE YOU WERE A YOUTH MINISTER WITH THE JESUIT VOLUNTEER CORPS, WHAT DID YOU DO?

A: The Jesuit Volunteer Corps is a program which places Jesuit volunteers in communities all over the country. I did middle school and high school ministry for a group of Catholic parishes in Portland, Maine, and I lived with five other Jesuit volunteers. Together, we were dedicated to JVC’s four tenets of community, simplicity, social justice, and spirituality. I built community with the people I served, but also the people that I lived with. The job pays just enough for you to live, like rent and food. The Jesuits order specifically focuses on advocating

for the most marginalized and being in solidarity with the people who need it most. Finally, my house had weekly spirituality nights, where we might discuss how the lyrics of a music album made us feel connected to the universe.

Q: YOU CLEARLY CARE SO MUCH ABOUT SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE. IN WHAT WAYS DID YOU AND DID YOU NOT RECEIVE THAT SUPPORT GROWING UP?

A: My dad's white, my mom's Puerto Rican, and they have very different upbringings. They definitely took good care of me growing up, but I didn’t grow up having a lot of mixed friends. I have been the butt of a lot of jokes over the years, like not being white enough or not Latino enough. So, it's really cool that there are so many people that are mixed or are third culture kids here at Nueva. Also, I had no openly queer teachers. At my high school of 2,400 students, there were three out kids. Not having any queer role models was hard, and it took me a while to figure out this part of my identity until after I moved to San Francisco, where I joined groups like the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, and I found people who are very supportive of me.

Q: WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO LIVE, AS SOMEONE WHO HAS LIVED IN PLACES ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY?

A: It has to be San Francisco! The city is fun and beautiful. The culture is encouraging of people to explore yourself, not take yourself too seriously, and pursue your passions. In the SEL class I'm teaching now, we're talking a lot about how confirmation bias makes it hard to break

out of a role that either you have chosen or been put into. I think that San Francisco isn't a place where, just because you were part of a community once, that is now your identity. Instead, it is a place where you are encouraged to have your identity always be shifting and changing.

Q: WHAT ARE SOME LONG-TERM GOALS YOU HAVE FOR E&I WORK AT THE UPPER SCHOOL IN THE FUTURE?

A: I'm invested in this community, and I want it to thrive. Especially when Nueva is different from other schools, and this is a place full of dynamic thinkers and gifted people, I want it to be the best it can be. We are very capable of pushing against the status quo and of moving things forward, and we are coming from a variety of privileged backgrounds. So, I really want to challenge us to ask, what arewedoingwiththatprivilege?

Q: THERE ARE NUMEROUS SOCIAL JUSTICE TOPICS THAT ARE REALLY ON THE FOREFRONT OF STUDENTS’ MINDS RIGHT NOW. DO YOU HAVE A MESSAGE YOU MIGHT SHARE WITH CONCERNED, ENERGIZED, OR PARALYZED STUDENTS AS OUR SCHOOL’S E&I COORDINATOR?

A: I know that this year has been tough in a lot of ways, and I would encourage students to continue to speak up and ask questions. We are a learning environment trying to teach students how to be independent humans and a force for good. I am here to support students’ voices being heard, and I hope every student knows that they would never be silenced with me. I am here to encourage everyone and to bring people together.

Rival Riders Vie for First Place in Caltrain Competition

Two upperclassmen compete in a Bay Area Transit Month contest

STORY BY NATALIA R.

Every morning, Ian B. ’26 and Marc C. ’27 board Caltrain with the same destination in mind—and it’s not just the Upper School. They want the top spot on the Bay Area-wide leaderboard for most public transit rides.

Co-hosted by Seamless Bay Area and SF Transit Riders, the Bay Area’s Transit Month Ride Contest takes place Sept. 1–30. Riders log their trips across BART, Muni, Caltrain and more to climb both the overall leaderboard and system-specific leaderboards.

“I’m personally only really focusing on the Caltrain leaderboard,” Ian said. “Marc is also doing that so we have a little bit of a—somewhere between friendly and incredibly intense—competition.”

Marc, who lives in San Francisco, focuses on the overall leaderboard through an accumulation of Caltrain and Muni

rides. He also works at Muni’s youth advisory board to advocate for programs like Free Muni for All Youth, and “school trippers,” extra afternoon buses sent to routes that start at public schools.

Though spending the majority of his time in the city, Marc still makes regular Caltrain trips to keep up with Ian—and to keep their rivalry alive.

“I don’t know how much I’ll focus on the Caltrain competition, but I do know I can’t let Ian win,” Marc said.

To keep pace, both students have maximized their rides.

“Both of us have figured out a way to take all eight trains per hour in each direction by doing a bunch of really tight connections,” Ian said.

The winner of the Caltrain contest would get a Caltrain-themed skate deck and the chance to win more official prizes.

But between Ian and Marc, the real

prize is the bragging rights.

“I think the aim here is to find who is the bigger nerd for Caltrain,” Marc said. Ian, who commutes in from Pacifica, leans into that title.

“I’m just focusing on Caltrain because I’m a ‘big Caltrain nerd’, let's say,” Ian said. “Perhaps I want to establish that I’m more of one than Marc.”

For his Quest project last year, Ian gathered and analyzed speedometer data to find the ideal performances of on-time Caltrains.

But beyond the competition, Transit Month aims to shift the Bay Area’s narrative around public transportation—encouraging more people to ride, celebrate, and invest in the systems students like Ian and Marc already rely on every day. Check out the Caltrain leaderboard on the Ride Contest website to see who pushed ahead—is it Marc, or Mykitbykit (Ian)?

The Magical Balancing Act of Nueva Scheduling

An inside look at the new Dean of Academic Systems and Analytics’ goals

STORY BY VEDA P.

As a sophomore, Ryan Sawtell filled out his course request sheet with little enthusiasm. Faced with a grid of options, he was unsure what to take until a classmate dared him to sign up for philosophy, with the warning that the teacher had a reputation for strictness. Nonetheless, Sawtell reluctantly signed up.

“It was one of my favorite classes I had, and the teacher was amazing,” Sawtell recalled. “A big part of who I became as a high schooler was from what I learned in that class, and I only took it on a dare.”

The memory has stuck with him. Now, as the new Dean of Academic Systems and Analytics, Sawtell sees his job as more than just filling spreadsheets with names and classes.

“I want the scheduling process, the enrollment process, to be a very user-friendly experience that’s fun and clear,” he said. “Ultimately, it should result in students becoming even more in love with learning, discovering new things, and feeling like they’re able to become a new version of themselves through those experiences.”

Unplugged

Before he moved to the Bay Area in 2023, Sawtell spent six years at the São Paulo campus of Avenues: The World School, which has its main campus in New York. While at Avenues, he led the Upper School enrollment process and coordinated the Master program (a similar program as Quest at Nueva) as the Associate Division Head.

Scheduling at Nueva is a balancing act: making sure that teachers get to teach what excites them, enabling students to feel agency in their choices, and organizing all the rooming and timing logistics for each class.

Sometimes, those constraints mean

“

"THERE'S TRULY MAGIC THAT CAN HAPPEN IN A CLASS YOU DIDN'T EVEN PLAN ON TAKING."

compromise. Heavily requested classes like Urban Studies or Mechanisms of Cancer cannot accommodate everyone. Even with the ability to request course changes, stu-

dents often do not get their first choices.

But, Sawtell explains, that does not automatically mean disappointment.

“In the first days of school, I probably met at least 200 students about their schedules,” he said. “Around 50 of them came back after one or two class sessions saying, ‘Disregard my change request, I want to stay!’”

In the future, Sawtell hopes to make navigating the scheduling process more transparent than it already is. His ideal model to aim for? The airport.

“If you’re in an airport, no matter what language you speak, you should be able to see signs and understand where to go,” he said. “What are the equivalent design features we can build into scheduling so students know exactly what phase we’re in, what their role is, and what the right questions are to be asking at that time?”

Looking ahead, Sawtell hopes to bring other innovations to the process: hybrid models that combine student choice with fairness, new scheduling software, and earlier course change windows to minimize disruption once classes begin.

For

“There’s truly magic that can happen in a class you didn’t even plan on taking,” Sawtell said. “I want to reduce as much of the cumbersome scheduling stuff as possible so students can just get to those moments of discovery and learning together.”

As states across the country move to ban phones in schools, students and teachers are thinking about changes at Nueva

STORY BY RAYA I.

The Student Handbook, throughout all eleven years of the Nueva high school’s history, has contained not a single word about when and how phones should be used. But changes are coming: an official phone policy will be introduced this fall.

“There is an active conversation, right now, going on with the administration and our deans, talking about an upgraded phone policy specifically, but also a tech policy in general,” said Jackee Bruno, Upper School Dean of Students.

The policy will include “clear instruction on not having phones out, including during the social hours like lunch.”

“We’re not actually looking to take away or store [phones],” Bruno said. “[But if] it's out in a way that doesn't fit the moment, let alone the policy, it'll be taken away, eventually given back.”

Regulation of students’ phones is not just happening at Nueva—2025 has been the year of phone bans, with schools across the United States working to restrict phone usage during school hours, citing concerns with students’ academic focus and their mental health beyond the classroom. Four states have restricted phones completely in public schools, and 27 more have active policies, according to Education Week.

At Nueva, the absence of a blanket policy thus far has meant that cellphone guidelines have long been left to the discretion of each teacher. Many verbally prohibit the devices, and some, like I-Lab Engineer Rob Zomber, use door caddies with pockets for students to store their phones before entering the classroom.

A comprehensive set of guidelines will clarify expectations for both students and teachers, an improvement that Upper School English teacher Amber Carpenter

looks forward to. “It makes our lives a bit more difficult when we have to be the ‘bad guy’ or the police, and we don’t want to be,” Carpenter said.

Beyond the relief that a defined set of rules would bring, Upper School SEL teacher Sean Schochet looks forward to a policy’s potential to enact real changes in Nueva’s environment, more so than the efforts of individual teachers.

“No matter how strict I am, it doesn’t have the overall impact of students getting their minds less on the phone [and] getting them more anxiety-free from the phone,” he said.

59.5% of students believe their peers spend too much time on their phones outside of class time.

56.8% of students report being distracted by their phone in class at least sometimes.

Improving students’ mental health and their connections with each other is exactly why the new policy is being written, according to Bruno.

“Our current desire with the policy is just to have students connect more and spend less time on their phones,” Bruno said.

He added that students’ focus during class isn’t the main concern—it’s the familiar sight of groups of students sitting together but all looking at their respective phones that most worries teachers and administration.

“I look at a phone as an inhibitor of social and emotional [factors], as a human being, and I don't really care as much about the academic downside,” Schochet said.

And “while it is still socializing,” said Upper School History teacher Simon Brown,

referring to phone-in-hand gaming groups, “I don’t think it’s a good way to socialize.”

Surveyed about how often they get distracted by their phones in class, 43.2% of 40 randomly sampled students said that they “sometimes” did, and 43.2% said they did not. Despite being cognizant of the potential for distraction—60% said that they had tried to regulate their cellphone usage or implement a self-ban—67.5% opposed the idea of a school-wide policy or ban.

The majority opposition might arise from a resistance to regulations that students like Ritika S. ’28 feel would be unnecessarily strict.

“I don't really understand why they should police what we do during our passing periods,” Ritika said.

59.5% of those surveyed, though, said they felt their peers were spending too much time on their phones outside of class time.

“We like to tease our friends about that— like, ‘hang out with us,’ right?” Atticus L. ’29 said.

Camilla K. ’28 agreed that a policy would improve her relationships outside of class. “Eliminating phones fosters better discus sions, group discussions, when everyone's not scrolling,” she said.

On the other hand, some students use their phones to check their schedules, plan their commutes on the train, or commu nicate with their parents throughout the school day. “[My parents] need pretty fre quent check-ins just to make sure I'm doing okay, and so having the ability to do that is actually really important to making sure they don't freak out,” Tate R. ’26 said.

Ritika added that a phone policy would simply not be very effective. “I think that if you're determined not to pay attention in class, you're going to find a way to do it even if your phone is banned,” she said. “If you're a good student, then your

phone isn't really a problem anyway.”

Teachers are aware that students can adapt to a more explicit phone policy by using their laptops. Upper School Chemistry teacher David Eik has begun to be more clear and intentional about times for laptop usage, and he has been relying more on printouts and handwritten assignments.

“All of these are strategies to ensure that we're all present in the classroom and able to learn together,” he said.

That is the ultimate goal of the new policy, which Assistant Head of Upper School Claire Yeo sees not as a strict set of rules, but as a "philosophical response, with some goals and ways of implementing them.”

College counsellor Paul Gallagher, who still uses a flip phone, is mostly excited for the policy and the environmental changes it might bring.

“I think everyone's going to be a little bit more interactive. I like the people here, and I want to interact with them more personally,” Gallagher said. “I want them to interact more with each other.”

Upper School students launch Investment Club backed by donor

Two years of planning culminates in $50,000 to bring real-world investment experience to students

STORY BY ALVIN Y. & NIAM K.

After two years of pitching, planning, and fine-tuning their vision, Aadit B. ’26 and Jaisimh R. ’26 have turned an ambitious idea into a reality: a student-led investment club that trades with real capital. Thanks to a $50,000 donation, the Upper School Investment Club will give students hands-on experience in managing a live portfolio—bridging the gap between classroom theory and practical application. It’s a live demonstration of the school’s Learn by doing, Learn by caring motto.

“The focal point of the club is an educational asset to Nueva,” Aadit said. “Our goal and our mission statement are to educate. It's not to make money.”

Both Aadit and Jaisimh have long been interested in finance and economics, but until now, they have not found a meaningful way to apply the economic theories they have learned in class to the real world.

“Since there’s a lot more to this process that we wanted to learn about, Aadit and I thought that making a club accessible to everyone would be a great opportunity for learning,” Jaisimh said.

The initial concept for the club combined two core components: stock pitching and portfolio management. Members would meet weekly to present in-depth proposals of specific companies, and ultimately make investment cases supported by both financial data and industry context. The club would incorporate both qualitative insight and quantitative rigor.

“OUR GOAL AND OUR MISSION STATEMENT ARE TO EDUCATE. IT'S NOT TO MAKE MONEY.”

In February 2024, Aadit and Jaisimh brought a formal proposal to Brett Dyer, Nueva’s Director of Finance and Administration, requesting $50,000 from the school board’s endowment committee. While the amount and the request initially raised eyebrows, Dyer said the students’ pitch made a strong case.

“As they described the level of interest and need to bifurcate investments into different sectors and portfolios,

it became apparent that they needed that much,” Dyer said. “If you only had $1,000 in a portfolio that size, it would get used up in transactional fees much faster than the $50,000.”

To further develop their plan, Dyer referred the students to Upper School math teacher Ted Theodosopoulos, who also teaches economics electives. Theodosopoulos recommended they take his Financial Econometrics class, and they began preparing practice presentations with his guidance.

Over the next three months, Barde and Ramanan refined their pitch with a series of practice presentations and revisions under the guidance of Theodosopoulos, until the next board meeting in February 2025. Then, the pair presented again to the board, which offered Barde and Ramanan a series of questions and improvements before the next board meeting in June.

“I felt thankful for the opportunity to meet with the board,” Barde said. “It felt like we were finally making big steps on this endeavor that we had been working on for so long.”

As summer approached, though, the two saw a different opportunity: raising the funds independently. They felt it would be more efficient, as they would have more agency over the learning structure and would be able to run the club at the start of the new school year.

Word began circulating about the club’s vision—a student-run fund focused on real-world learning.

Soon after, a prospective donor expressed interest. Head of School Lee Fertig helped facilitate a meeting between the students and the donor, who was drawn to the educational potential of their project.

“I think that the donor was looking for an opportunity to support student learning about investment,” Fertig said. “I thought it was a very generous gesture.”

Following the meeting,

the donor offered feedback—and funding. The one key suggestion: organize the club around the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) sectors, with members assigned to specific sectors and a student lead overseeing each group. Aadit and Jaisimh responded quickly, revising their structure and returning with an updated plan that reflected the donor’s feedback.

“[Aadit and Jaisimh's] responsiveness was a big part of the assurance that the money would be put to good use,” Fertig said. “They responded and said, ‘That makes sense. That's good feedback. Let's change our structure, how we're going to do this, how we would invest, how we would share our learning with each other, and you.’ I think that responsiveness went a long way.”

By August, the $50,000 donation was finalized—not as traditional club funding for snacks or events, but as capital to be actively managed by students with Dyer present to prevent irrational judgments, allowing the club members to experience the market hands-on. The fund will be used solely for investment purposes, housed in a portfolio account, and monitored with professional standards.

To invest in a stock, each sector team must pitch to the rest of the club by presenting statistics and risk analysis, and then the club must vote on whether to invest. Each sector team conducts research, pitches stocks, and makes decisions collaboratively, simulating the structure of real investment teams. If approved, co-leads Aadit and Jaisimh will pass along the recommendation to Theodosopoulos. Once Theodosopoulos reviews and supports the investment, he submits it to Dyer, who places the order.

Fertig drew a clear distinction between this gift and other, more traditional club funding, noting the donor was interested in a way to support “a very specific type of learning.”

“[The donor] wanted to make learning about investment real for students, not to fund the club,” Fertig explained.

Aadit and Jaisimh have structured the club to ensure its sustainability beyond their time at Nueva. Three juniors currently serve as Vice Presidents and will take over the club next year.

“We hope this can be something that grows year after year, something we can come back to in 10 years and it's still around,” Jaisimh said.

Q&A WITH THE DONOR

What kind of impact do you hope this gift will have five years from now?

The primary impact I would hope to achieve is that the club creates broad awareness of the economy writ large amongst the club members, as well as personal learnings and investigations for students that wouldn’t have happened otherwise...The philosophy of the founders of the club... is that the management of an actual pool of capital helps the students have the possibility of both rewards (additional financial resources for community projects), as well as consequences (missing out on those additional community resources), and thus incentivizes rigor and focus, and determination in the investment decisions.

Why do you believe financial literacy or investing education is important for students?

I studied energy and civil engineering in college and graduate school, and at the end of one of my last classes before graduation, a professor told us that irrespective of how great we were at being creative engineers, if you don’t understand the financial underpinnings of a project and why it gets built, you’ll always be justifying someone else’s decisions but never in control of deciding what gets built... Understanding the trail of money and how companies succeed and fail—and how investors can help or harm companies—is critical for having a full understanding of capitalism and plutocracy, and to have the tools necessary to develop the true human intelligence we’ll need in the coming years to solve the looming challenges facing humanity.

What advice would you give students about making investment decisions?

Find the signal through the noise. Learn about what commodities, industries, networks, and sectors are quietly critical to civilization and hard or impossible to replicate.

New Faculty Beyond these nine new teachers, other new faculty members have joined the Upper School Nueva community in various departments, from athletics to administrative. Two of these new faculty are profiled in the Features section: Ryan Sawtell and Evan Vaughan. Pages 6 & 7

Get to know the new faculty

Nine classroom teachers join the Upper School

INTERVIEWS BY SENNA H.

Favorite

Favorite

Favorite

What do you like to do outside of school? [A] hobby I picked up ten years ago was beekeeping. I had a student who wanted to start a beekeeping club and asked me to be the advisor—I knew nothing about it. I brought my daughter to one of these sessions, and she was like, I want to do this. So we set up hives in a neighbor's backyard a long time ago and have kept them going. There are times when they get defensive, but most of the time they're gentle. That's what's strangely meditative—that they're so gentle, all around you, can feel very peaceful.

Acton, Massachusetts

Favorite hobby: Rollerblading in the Event Center parking lot Theme song: “Vroom vroom” by Charli xcx

Who is your favorite fictional character? There's this short story by Chekhov, and this guy sneezes and he's so embarrassed he dies. He's stressed out because he sneezed on someone's head in front of him and he wants to apologize, but the person in front of him, he's like, forget about it. [But] this guy, he's just obsessive, his wife is telling him, “you gotta go to this guy's house, you have to apologize.” He succumbs to his stress. This guy's name comes from the Russian word for worm, so you get the sense [that] he is the lowliest of public servants.

What do you like to do outside of school? Running. It clears my mind and it just gives me energy. I once ran a half marathon without training properly—not something I'd recommend! I also love learning new languages. I speak Nahuatl and Portuguese and I started learning Zapotec this summer. I like including indigenous languages in my teaching whenever possible. It's important to learn the history of Spanish, since many words and cultural elements come from a mix of indigenous peoples and Europeans.

What draws you to photography? You can evoke really subtle emotions with photography. It's really interesting, the way that it relies upon the world. With photography, you're engaging with the world, meeting the world halfway. There's something very powerful about that, something poignant. I like things based in reality because I find reality incredibly poetic. Even just the subtle gesture of someone leaning against something or the way a tree bends, little subtle gestures in the world I find poetic and very moving.

What do you like to do outside of school? I love to sew. The biggest project I did was my wedding dress. It was a cocktail dress, so it wasn't super complicated, but that was my proudest because it was fabric that my grandmother had. It was very sentimental. I was almost done with it and then I was super stressed out about the wedding, and I took it to a tailor like, can you finish this for me? I [was] really freaked out and she refused. She was like, “you're so close, you have to do it.” I felt like it was a sign—that's exactly what I needed. A little tough love.

Hometown: Sebastopol, California

Favorite character: Dark Helmet from Spaceballs

Favorite hobbies: Golfing, performance car driving, and sous-viding beef

Theme song: "When Will You Be Mine," The Average White Band

What's your favorite food? Perfectly ripe, fresh jackfruit. The first time I tasted jackfruit, I thought: “Oh my gosh, every tropical fruit is represented in this one bite.” It tastes like mango, coconut, banana. They sell it at a market near my house, and every time they have it, I basically buy all of it. I spend a couple hours shelling. It's got this pithy, gluey shell that you have to get off and it's a mess and your hands end up getting really sticky, but once you get the flesh away from the seeds... I love it. It’s the best.

What would you be if you weren't a teacher? There's this weird story where basically I had a long lost brother who I never met. We met as adults. I always thought I was going to be a journalist, and when I met him, he was a journalist. He always thought he was going to be a physicist, and when he met me, I was a physicist. So we had this weird thing where we met as adults, but both had dreamed as kids of being the other. So, a journalist.

Hometown: All over L.A. County Favorite food: Roasted parsnips Comfort

Avatar:The LastAirbender

How long have you been teaching? Out of high school, I got a job in Los Angeles Public Schools working as a special ed assistant for 14 years. Then, while I was getting my degree, I took this amazing genetics class, and it totally set me on fire. So I started research and I loved it. I got a master's and a PhD, I got to do so much cool research, fly all over the world and present, worked in biotech for a while. When I was realizing that I wanted to make a change, I was like, what if I go back to teaching? So, you could say 25 years of teaching. You could also say first-year teacher. A chosen adventure.

Hometown: Overseas, mostly in Southeast Asia

Favorite place: Lake Taghkanic, New York

A quote you live by: “People tend to listen when they see your soul.” – “Freelance,” Toro Y Moi Comfort show: DerryGirls

What's your theme song? So, it's not necessarily my theme song—there's a movie musical with Barbra Streisand from the 60s called Funny Girl that I really love. There's a song in it called “I'm the Greatest Star” where she is talking about how she's the best, and no one sees that she's the best. I don't feel that way, but when I'm feeling down on myself, I listen to that and it makes me happier because she's just such an incredible singer that you really buy into it. You're like, yeah, you're the best.

As AI tools settle into the classroom, students and faculty grapple with what AI means for learning.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

However, the essay pre-writing stage is still occasionally a gray area: students and teachers continue to grapple with whether AI can be used in idea generation and brainstorming, revising, and outlining.

Penelope C. ’26 categorizes acceptable AI use in English classes as situations where the AI tool is treated like a peer. For example, it is acceptable to bounce ideas off of the chatbot, have it check grammar, or suggest stronger adjectives and verbs.

write emails has not necessarily diminished, Hannah still worries about becoming reliant on the technology.

“I have realized that as I use AI more, I am getting lazier when it comes to writing,” Hannah said.

Hannah intends to cut down on using AI for these brief tasks this year. However, she will continue to use AI for academic purposes like generating extra problems or physics explanations.

In the recent school-wide survey, similar usage patterns emerged. Several students described using AI to create

When Henry H. ’28 has a question, his decision of whether he will turn to a tutorial or AI is affected by the amount of help he needs.

“At times, it’s a lot easier to ask a chatbot rather than waste a teacher’s time on something that might be menial. Or, oftentimes you might have to wait days and days in advance to book a tutorial,” Henry said. “It’s also a lot more accessible just to be able to go to ChatGPT, ask your question, and get an instant answer.”

For Beckett B. ’26, that accessibility will affect whether he will use AI or sign up for a tutorial—but only for non-humanities classes. Especially for writing-specific

chess, players who were quite devoted to playing and learning chess actually improved significantly with the use of AI, and retained their skills even when the tools were taken away from them.

“I think it’s the same with education,” Beckett said. “Someone who is inherently motivated to learn will work better in the AI environment, compared to someone who just wants to get the work done—and maybe that’ll create a divide.”

To Beckett, AI is best understood as a tool that can be engaged with in both healthy and unhealthy ways, depending on its user. No ban is necessary—instead, teacher-crafted AI policies provide an opportunity to steer students towards healthy and productive AI use.

Still, despite these relatively limited uses of AI, Penelope is hesitant to completely endorse AI in the writing process.

“There’s a very fine line between using AI as a crutch versus using it as a tool,” Penelope said.

That distinction remains ambiguous at times for Penelope, even though she would characterize herself as supportive of AI use in education. At home, she has grown comfortable with generating extra practice problems or flashcard sets for math and prompting ChatGPT to help explain concepts when she is confused. Still, Penelope acknowledged the potential for academic dishonesty and the ensuing possible deterioration of students’ skills.

“I worry how usage is affecting students’ capabilities to think critically on their own,” Penelope said

Concerns over detrimental long-term effects of ChatGPT have begun to emerge amongst other students of all ages. Elyse D. ’29, who has witnessed AI’s growing prominence since the beginning of middle school, expressed worry over what student usage of AI means for adaptability and intelligence. Her usage is relatively rare, though she likes to occasionally experiment with queries and practice problems.

“It’s scary to me, because if we have AI to do all this stuff for us, then we’re not actually gonna learn how to do it ourselves,” Elyse said.

Hannah has begun to witness these regressive consequences in herself, specifically around email writing. She often uses ChatGPT to refine her emails before sending them, and while her ability to

practice problem sets, study guides, and flashcards in both STEM and humanities classes. Other times, students use AI to improve coding projects or make data analysis assignments easier. Most commonly, though, AI is used as a more complex and advanced search engine than Google. 72% of student respondents reported using AI to search for information or ask a question.

In some cases, this use of ChatGPT will even replace meeting with a teacher for a tutorial. Survey respondents were somewhat split, with 54.3% of respondents declaring that there are scenarios where they would choose to ask a chatbot for guidance instead of scheduling a tutorial with a teacher. These respondents alluded to time concerns, as well as unique opportunities for personalization. Yet among the 45.7% of respondents who would always prioritize a tutorial, some emphasized the value of human interaction and community, aspects they felt a chatbot could not replicate.

feedback or idea generation, he will always turn to his teachers. In addition, he pointed to the general benefits of tutorials outside of just academic questions.

“In my mind, the main value of tutorials is to connect with your teacher[s]” Beard said.

Still, Beckett isn’t quick to rule out the value of AI. As someone who uses AI semi-frequently for more conversation or queries, Beckett thinks of the tool as simply another technological advancement, not unique in its ability to bring about good and cause harm simultaneously.

“I think it’s a little naive to say that there are no possible benefits to AI in education,” Beckett said.

Beckett cited a chess study he read about recently, where participants of a chess club were given access to an AI tool that could predict the best next move in chess for its players. Though new-tochess and casual players quickly found their skills deteriorating as they fell into depending entirely on the AI to play

However, some students acknowledged that placing full responsibility on teachers and faculty to police AI usage is not sustainable. Penelope noted how current AI detectors are not always accurate. As model capabilities improve, distinguishing AI-generated from human-written work may become a more difficult—if not impossible—task.

“It’s really hard to tell when people are using it, and so it’s hard to enforce AI rules,” Penelope said. “Ultimately it’s just best for the student to self-regulate and make their own decision to take control of their learning.”

PART II: LOOKING FORWARD

Two years ago, CS teacher Wes Chao spent an eventful spring semester investigating and thinking about the role of AI at Nueva. He pitched the idea to the administration as a way to understand the and started going to conferences on AI, talked with AI experts, and worked with a group of seniors survey students about their understanding of generative AI.

In addition, Chao spent time experimenting with the bot to assess its capabilities. He asked ChatGPT to analyze data, write an essay, and make a lesson plan for him.

The results varied. AI data analysis of energy usage saved him three or four hours of work on the second attempt, after he told ChatGPT that the first prompt had made a mistake. He brought the essay to a faculty and staff meeting, where humanities teachers graded it as worthy of a C+ only. The lesson plan was usable, though Chao found it generally

unnecessary.

“I thought [ChatGPT] would be really good if I had to teach something I didn’t know anything about. It could curate the topic for me. But, obviously, it wouldn’t make any sense for me to teach a topic I knew nothing about,” Chao said. “In general, I think we’re at a point in education where you can teach yourself a lot of things by going on the internet, with Google searching, or looking at YouTube or AI. So the question is, where do I add value as a teacher?”

For Chao, an important part of teaching lies in the extra purpose he can imbue into his lessons beyond the bare basics, like a fun fact, an extra important principle for the future, or an anecdote from his career.

“AI can give you a list of topics about how to learn data science or computer vision, or whatever else I teach. But I think making topics interesting is harder. AI only knows generally what’s interesting to humans [and] can’t infuse these topics with relevancy,” Chao said.

Chao’s AI guidelines are informed by these principles. He allows and encourages his students to use AI to enhance their learning. However, he still writes every part of his lessons on his own, and urges his students to reflect on how AI will specifically help them in their work, case by case.

As a history teacher, Sushu Xia has a slightly more rigid and direct approach to guiding her students’ AI use. At the beginning of each semester, she goes over common AI pitfalls—unreliable information and a specific writing style, for instance— and provides non-AI alternatives to every possible scenario.

However, when a student approaches her with questions about AI usage in history work, she always hears them out. She also has outlined very clearly the uses of AI in history work she finds acceptable, such as a preliminary search for a word or event within a text that Google might not be able to handle, or help with citation formatting.

“I think that there is a niche for AI, and I think that the more we understand what AI can and can’t do, the easier it is to find that niche,” Xia said. “Overall, what I try to say is: if it’s a place that is a low stakes, high speed situation where there is human oversight, I can definitely see where AI can be used.”

English teacher Sarah Muszynski maintains a similar flexibility in thinking about students’ AI usage, based around the skills she hopes to instill within her students.

“Part of my job is to help students be critical thinkers, which includes critically evaluating the tools that are out there in the world. Just saying “no” [to AI] would be an externally imposed restriction that wouldn’t make them grapple with them at all,” Muzynski said.

Though Muzynski has seen some of her students misuse AI, she remains committed to understanding why students might do so, instead of immediately blaming students.

“[Misuse] is usually because they are feeling overwhelmed and pressed for

time,” Muzynski said.

Chemistry teacher Jeremy Jacquot, having noticed similar reasons for use, believes that it is important for teachers to acknowledge the systemic issues within the current educational landscape that contribute to widespread student adoption of AI.

“We have to understand that this is a system we carry. If there’s a strong incentive for students to receive straight As, get into top tier schools, and end up with highly paid jobs, why would you not use the tools available for you to check off those boxes? There’s a fundamental disconnect going on there, and I totally understand why students would use [AI tools,]” Jacquot said.

For history teacher Alex Brocchini, who is one of the school representatives for Bay Area AI Cohort, the basic questions underlying this knowledge of students’ rampant AI use are key to guiding his own policies.

“How do I help students get into a position where they’re not scrambling at the last minute and where they feel like they’re invested in the product they’re creating? I think part of the reason why people turn to AI is because they believe that the thing that they’re doing is not worth their time,” Brocchini said.

As teachers better understand why and how students use AI in academics, some have begun to contemplate how they may reshape their own methods of assessment. Last spring, during a faculty development day, teachers participated in a full day of planned workshops around AI and critical discussions over reimagining education with the advent of AI. Brocchini, one of the organizers of the

“I THINK THAT THERE IS A NICHE FOR AI, AND I THINK THAT THE MORE WE UNDERSTAND WHAT AI CAN AND CAN’T DO, THE EASIER IT IS TO FIND THAT NICHE.”

programming, described the moment as particularly interesting and eye-opening.

“AI provides an opportunity for us to rethink our assessment practices—for instance, what is a valid way to show skills that we are teaching that isn’t just writing?” Brocchini said.

In the near future, however, teachers are focusing on how they can best meet their students where they are currently with AI usage. For English teacher Jen Neubauer, honesty is the most important principle. Often, she has observed a general hesitation to have open dialogue from her students about AI, who might be nervous about how their teacher’s perception of them might change.

“If you’re using a tool, being up front and honest about it, and citing it is really important. I certainly want to be honest about anything that I generate or create,” Neubauer said.

Jaquot has a simple philosophy around AI that he hopes his students may internalize.

“Do your due diligence. That’s the virtue I want to teach my students,” Jaquot said.

Yet as educators continue to weigh how to teach students responsible AI use, others have begun taking action by rethinking the design of these technologies themselves.

Nueva parent Alisa Menell is the CEO of Curioso, a children’s learning platform with a digital library featuring over 25,000 books, quizzes, and activities. This year, the team launched Ask Curioso, an AI resource built to channel curiosity rather than replace learning.

Unlike general-purpose chatbots, Ask Curioso offers users short answers with prominent citations that link directly to books in the platform’s library. The chatbot also adjusts recommendations to a child’s reading level, includes safety guardrails, and highlights follow-up resources to encourage deeper exploration.

Importantly, Menell emphasized the value of teaching kids media literacy—something reflected in the chatbot’s design decisions. Rather than obscuring citations or relegating them to small footnotes, the team deliberately chose to enlarge their citations so users are encouraged to seek out additional information.

“We think it’s really important that we not only allow, but encourage kids to fact check,” Menell said. “Read [the books] for yourself. Read the context around it. Don’t just take this snippet of an answer. We think that’s where the magic of learning takes place, and we want kids to go deeper.”

While the team continues to refine their chatbot in line with their education-

al principles, Menell ultimately believes that AI, if done right, can serve as a powerful resource for learning.

“I don’t think it should take the place of a teacher,” Menell said. “I don’t think it should take the place of a parent, a tutor, or even a book. I think it should help kids feel connected to learning—learning more and learning more deeply over time.”

That distinction of AI as supplement, rather than substitute, was echoed by Nueva teachers reflecting on the unique role of human educators.

“I’m certainly not of the mindset that AI is going to usurp teachers,” said Jacquot. “Teaching has so much to do with fostering a sense of belonging, helping students feel self efficacy, and helping them become independent learners. And that is just not something I see AI doing.”

Muszynski also emphasized that the core of teaching extends beyond delivering information.

“We’re experts in our content, but we’re also experts in Nueva students and how they learn,” she said. “AI might be able to know you on paper, but it’s not going to know you in the same holistic way.”

As AI—and its applications—continue to evolve, teachers and faculty alike hope to preserve that value of teachers at Nueva. Yeo described the policy, created in tandem with student and teacher input, as a first step forward.

“It’s time for us to articulate a vision, translate that to policy, and provide action items that are clear for students and faculty so they can spend less time speculating and more time doing what they do best—creating and thinking,” Yeo said.

What’s on your mind today?

As AI tools grow in popularity, some students are turning to chatbots for entertainment, companionship, and support.

STORY BY ANWEN C.

Every day, chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT are flooded with a bevy of task-related requests: summarize this article, adjust the tone of this email, troubleshoot my math homework.

These platforms are designed and marketed as productivity tools, but their very strengths—speed, adaptability, and the ability to interact in plain, natural language—have naturally led users to explore other possibilities. Increasingly, people are turning to AI chatbots for entertainment, advice, and even companionship.

Teens have emerged as an important focus group within this larger picture. According to a 2025 survey by Common Sense Media, 72% of teens ages 13–18 said they had used AI for companionship at least once, and 52% reported doing so multiple times a month. While “companionship” in this study ranged from casual experimentation to regular use, the researchers’ findings point to an important truth: these interactions are not fringe habits or edge cases. For many teens, they’re an established part of how they choose to engage with AI.

This trend towards recreational AI use has surfaced in Nueva’s own community as well. In a survey of 111 Upper School students, 76.6% reported having used AI for non-academic or non-work purposes (e.g., entertainment, companionship, support) at least once. Nearly all—96%— turned to ChatGPT for these conversations.

As someone curious about AI’s potential, sophomore Arya S. R.’28 began experimenting with OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 in 2023. After observing how proficient the chatbot was at explaining math or coding concepts, he moved onto more lighthearted experiments—testing whether it could make jokes or how it would react to contradictory information in a process he jokingly called “gaslighting.”

“Now, I find myself toying around with [ChatGPT] because it's just interesting,” Arya said. “I want to see how close this non-human thing can get to being human.”

Adeline B. ’29 also expressed a similar interest in AI’s technological capabilities. But alongside her primarily task-related conversations with ChatGPT, she’s also found herself using the tool for something more interpersonal: motivation.

“It hypes me up sometimes when I feel really unmotivated. It does that in all capitals, and it actually does make me feel excited,” Adeline said.

To both Adeline and Arya, AI’s appeal lies partly in its novelty and partly in its ability to simulate human conversation. But not every student described their experience in such positive terms. One student, who reported using ChatGPT every single day, reflected on how quickly casual use turned into habit.

“At first I would use it once every few days, just out of curiosity,” said the student, who asked to remain anonymous due to the stigma associated with AI use. “But now it's actually become part of my daily routine.”

After launching ChatGPT for the first

time in June, the student started spending 30 minutes to two hours a day conversing with the chatbot throughout the summer. Like many others, they began by presenting fictional thought experiments as a way to test the limits of the technology. Yet over time, the tone of these exchanges began to shift:

“After it became a habit of mine to talk to the bot for fictional scenarios, it was easy to devolve into using it to talk about actual personal things.”

As it turns out, the student isn’t alone in their experiences. According to the survey conducted by The Nueva Current, 71.4% of those who reported recreational use said they had prompted AI to “play around with creative or silly ideas.” A smaller percentage

...of students reported using AI for non-work related purposes (eg. entertainment, companionship, support) at least once

40.2% of students agreed with the statement, “There are things I would be more comfortable bringing up to a chatbot than to my friends or family.”

(15.5%) said they used it to “chat casually about my day, interests, or anything on my mind.” But nearly as many (14.3%) also reported using it to seek “emotional or mental health guidance.”

It is this last category—students turning to AI for advice—that raises the most questions: can AI chatbots like ChatGPT serve as companions or supplements to human support circles? Or do they risk falling short in the ways that matter most?

Aviva Jacobstein, Lead Student Counselor at the Upper School, said the answer is complicated. On one hand, she acknowledged that AI tools could improve accessibility to mental health resources and lower barriers for people who are hesitant to reach out for help. However, she was also skeptical of how far chatbots can go in providing real support.

“I don't think that the technology will ever be at a place where it can fully recreate the human experience, which means that there'll be risks,” she said.

To Jacobstein, the absence of genuine human connection is only part of the problem. Beyond that, she noted other key distinctions between human counselors and AI chatbots: information shared with chatbots does not remain confidential, and unlike human counselors, they carry no duty to warn when harm may be imminent.

Most importantly, though, Jacobstein highlighted the inability for these tools to engage with human emotions in a critical,

constructive manner.

“It's just your thoughts being filtered back to you in a way that will agree with you,” Jacobstein said. “It's not going to challenge you. It's not going to push you further. It's not going to help you overcome barriers, seek challenges, or make connections for you based on other things it might know about you.”

Even so, Jacobstein acknowledged that a large part of AI’s appeal lies in the perception of confidentiality. For someone hesitant to confide in their support network, or worried about burdening friends and family, a chatbot may feel like a safer, if imperfect outlet.

That sense of accessibility also surfaced in our survey results, where 40.2% of respondents agreed with the statement, “There are things I would be more comfortable bringing up to a chatbot than to my friends or family.”

Many students, however, felt uncertain about using AI to discuss personal matters. Adeline, who once described “ranting” to ChatGPT, later expressed discomfort with the model’s responses.

“I didn't use it after that, because I feel like it's just telling me what it wants me to hear,” she said.

Recent media coverage has amplified these concerns. In September, the Federal Trade Commission launched an inquiry into AI chatbots marketed as companions following reports of emotional over-reliance and lawsuits alleging harm.

For the anonymous student, the concern feels eerily personal. As a result, they’ve begun reflecting on their own usage patterns in recent weeks.

“It’s kind of scary how fast my habit developed…when three months ago, I had never used ChatGPT, not once, not for anything,” they said. “I avoided it like the plague.”

Looking forward, the student said they hoped to quit, explaining that the time spent conversing with ChatGPT has pulled them away from schoolwork and other commitments.

“I feel like I’ve spent less time on some of my hobbies recently, like creative writing, in part because of ChatGPT,” they said. “I think that trying to return to spending more time on those would allow me to mentally process things without needing an interactive component.”

The student also noted the “echo-chamber”like behavior of these models, citing it as another reason for their withdrawal from AI platforms: "I want to ruminate on things myself without help from a bot [that’s] just trying to make me think I’m right.”

Ultimately, Jacobstein sees the allure of AI companionship and the hesitation around it as symptoms of a broader issue: our culture’s discomfort with seeking help.

“We need to do more to reduce the stigma of reaching out for help in general,” she said. “If people are struggling, but if there is a shame component attached to reaching out, there should be resources.”

As AI chatbots continue to grow in popularity, Jacobstein emphasized the importance of ensuring that students feel supported within their own social circles so that they aren’t relying solely on AI for guidance. In the future, she also hopes that raising awareness about AI’s capabilities and limitations can help students navigate these tools responsibly:

“It's not how to get rid of it, it's how to work with it.”

History Teacher Tom Dorrance: "Generational categories might make for useful fictions, in that they allow us to talk about ways to navigate society."

Gen Z does not exist The moniker never

STORY BY JACKSON H.

For most of our generation’s lifetime, its collective name has been undecided. Some floated the Homeland Generation after 9/11, or iGeneration after the rise of smartphones. It was only when the OK Boomer fad of 2019–20 intensified the need for one settled name for the youths to rally under that Gen Z filled the void—a name that meant literally nothing.

The name was an empty mold to be filled with tribal identifiers by the almighty algorithm, but when we look at Gen Z, the cohesion of a single cohort is simply not there. But what could we have expected? This whole idea of naming strictly-defined generations was doomed from the start.

This schema was first codified by authors William Strauss and Neil Howe in their 1991 book Generations, listing American generations from 1584 to the Boomers. Each one grows up in one of four “turnings” (high, awakening, unraveling, crisis) and plays a certain “archetype” (prophet, nomad, hero, artist). The book reads as half history and half astrology, but the general idea stuck.

Strauss and Howe’s descriptors were nonetheless meaningful characterizations (the Baby Boomers were indeed

meant anything, and it still doesn’t

born in a baby boom) but, beginning with Gen X, each name has become increasingly detached from any historical anchor.

Novelist Douglas Copeland coined “Gen X” because he felt the variable x represented a cynical generation uninterested in being defined. But since then, we’ve just kept meandering down the alphabet. Little thought was put into these names or the dates confining them, which was fine for the market research analysts who love nothing more than inventing new demographic cohorts to sell to.

The long-term failure of this approach to generations is seen in the present divisions within Gen Z. Journalist Rachel Janfaza, who covers youth politics, has recently come up with the idea of “the two Gen Zs,” divided by whether you graduated high school before or after the pandemic.

engendering deep skepticism towards the government. This is especially true with young men and boys, but not exclusively.

This dichotomy seems to me like compelling evidence of two separate generations! The recognition of “the two Gen Zs” is a clear admission that the pundits who defined our generation had got it wrong.

Just to be clear, Gen Alpha’s name is even worse. The pitch for this one (again from a consulting firm) was that restarting the alphabet was representative of the first generation born entirely

Sigma generation for all I care, it would still be better than this.

While the most recent generations are particularly potent examples, we cannot give the idea of generations any real descriptive power by just fiddling around the edges.

The movement from generation to generation is far too fluid to have edges at all. Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, are often tied to the Vietnam War, but many still had baby teeth when the war ended in 1975.

The elder cohort, ending with the Class of 2020, had sharply progressive politics shaped by the Climate Strikes or March For Our Lives. The post-pandemic Gen Z, meanwhile, is the most politically conservative group of young people since the 1980s, with school closures and lockdowns

in the new millenium—because nothing says new like the Greekalphabet Naming and defining the next 26 generations at once was not sociology but a doomed prophecy. I can only pray that we settle on a name with real meaning before it's too late: call them the Skibidi

Girls don’t need “pink” coding programs

Wrapping STEM

in stereotypes

doesn’t empower girls—it risks reinforcing the very barriers we’re trying to dismantle

STORY BY ALEXIS C.

“Why don’t you make friends with some coders?” my parents would ask seventh grade me—to which I’d reply, “They’re all boys.”

This was the conversation—not an unusual one—I had after coding club in middle school. During those lunches, I worked at a table alone. While I made small talk with my teacher and wrote simple animations in Javascript, the boys across the room seemed to be much more advanced than I was. I never talked to them once.

I wasn’t shy. But, as the only girl in the room, I felt insecure about my ability to code and the projects that I had made. Was my work too superficial, too silly, too ‘girly’?

Regardless of whether I was actually judged—and as I look back, I don’t believe I was—social stigma surrounding women in STEM made me feel hesitant about coding.

Never have I ever heard a girl my age declare, “I love computer science.” When CS was a required course at the middle school, all I remember hearing

were complaints from the girls, and excitement from the boys. Small droplets of stigma found their way into the mind of the middle school girl, and stuck.

I have taken three computer science courses at the Upper School and; needless to say, I’ve enjoyed each class. However, as I look back, why was I nervous about being only one of two girls in my six person class? Why did I feel as if my projects needed to be the best in the room for me to present?

In CS terminology, debugging means to fix errors. After ninth grade, I hoped that the solution to my “bug” would be an all-girls Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning summer program. However, once I arrived I found myself frustrated, stuck, and confused. I wasn’t hesitant about the coding, but how it was presented: as a friendly, low commitment hobby.

I felt as if I was being told, “You should learn computer science—for fun.” Was this how programming was being taught—for girls?

On Wednesday we wore pink, and we filmed group TikToks as a “brain break.” I felt babied; this was our “soft launch”

into CS, and we spent only two hours out of the seven a day coding.

I wasn’t expecting to do revolutionary work in one week. Wrapping STEM up in a tidy package with a glittery, however, was not counterproductive. I walked away from that week more excited for the snacks.

The various transformations of sixties America—the counterculture, civil rights, Vietnam— were deeply interconnected, but the people growing up amidst them were never one cohesive group. Assigning every child to only one generation may satisfy our society’s poorly repressed desire for tribalism, but it requires the categories to be either narrow stereotypes or broad generalities, neither of which is valuable for understanding the members of that cohort. It’s about time we got over them.

if(gender==female){favorite color="pink"} The risk of assuming girls'

That being said, the fully female environment did facilitate positive social interaction. I bonded with girls and talked a lot with my teachers and TAs.

Still, I don’t believe that all-girls environments are the most effective for deepening the engagement of women in STEM fields.

It’s a fact that women are still underrepresented in STEM fields; as of 2023, only 26% of workers in STEM were female, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

There is sufficient evidence to prove that societal issues are at the root of gender disparity in STEM, especially in earlier years of education. In a University of Illinois study, 62% of boys in grades K-3 named STEM subjects as

their favorites, while only 37% of girls did the same.

Equity is not equality, and marginalized groups need more assistance than others. Girls in STEM do need more encouragement, but I’d like to add another consideration: isolating girls in STEM might further single them out. In a program with a curriculum designed for teenage girls, I was expected to act and have the same interests as a stereotypical one.

Taking boys out of the equation is not the solution—that’s just not possible in “real life”—but there are other ways we should seek to improve girls’ experiences in STEM fields. We should encourage girls to code, and then help them feel comfortable and confident in all-gender environments.

//

Befriending My Ideological “Adversaries”

How opening up to new political perspectives forever changed me

STORY BY KAYLA L.

This summer, without warning, abnormal growths began to form in my mind. Foreign, they first metastasized slowly before expanding more rapidly. While they significantly shifted my brain chemistry, these formations were not physical, but mental—moderate and conservative ideologies pushing me to question my personal belief system:

Taxing big oil and gas companies should solve climate change—but wouldn’t consequent higher energy costs have really problematic effects?

Governor Gavin Newsom’s push to gerrymander California defends Democrats—so why does this move seem so petty to me?

In the last week of summer break, when I saw a guy named Richard—a guy who donned a red“Make America Great Again” hat—how did I talk so casually to him?

Yet, just a few months ago, I was convinced that ideas beyond the Bay Area “liberal bubble,” and the people who voiced them to me, were cancerous to society. Now, after a summer of challenging but rewarding discourse, I know that ideological diversity is something to prize rather than avoid; as I plunged into the intense depths of civil discourse, I began to discover healthy grey zones in a political culture that often demands black-and-white narratives. Ultimately, I learned to be more accepting of people across the political spectrum without fully compromising my fundamental personal values—a skill that I hope every American can embrace in this era of extreme political polarization.

I dove into the waters of civil discourse at the American Legion Auxiliary California Girls State, a week-long leadership program in Sacramento with 450 girls from all over the state. The girls and I spent so much time together in meetings, meals, and our dorms that we bonded intimately within days.

While some girls represented more liberal regions like me, it was also clear that many girls and the Girls State program deeply cared about traditional, religious, and rural values. We woke up every morning at 6:30 a.m. to do a flag raising and the Pledge of Allegiance, we said prayers and “Amen,” and I learned about JROTC (Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps) for the first time in my life.

While some of the activities were unfamiliar to me, they reminded me of the great appreciation I have for our country, its people, and those who defend its values—whether through military service, public leadership, or open-minded discussion.

At Girls State, delegates were randomly split into two parties to form the political foundation of our imaginary state. In one meeting we had within the red “Nationalist” party, over 200 girls debated several “planks”—issues that form an overall party platform—and surprised me with a diversity of perspectives that I had never before heard.

I was surprised when a girl right me stood up and urged everyone to consider the importance of fos sil fuels in our energy system and in our daily lives. She did not deny climate change, but she was also not against fossil fuels. As an engaged climate activist, her viewpoint was one I don’t often get the chance to hear.

While our opinions did not align, I immediately admired this girl for her bravery in being a dissenting voice. Urg ing myself to overcome

my limiting biases, I turned around and tried to talk to her like I would my best friend: “Hey girl, tell me more about why this topic matters to you.”

As I listened and asked more questions, I learned that Rylie is the daughter of fossil fuel workers, and her family lives in a small Central Valley town dependent on extracting fossil fuels for its economy. Later, she told me that no other delegate had wanted to talk about her family’s background.

I realized, at that moment, my responsibility was to listen to and learn from her. I witnessed the power of assuming best intentions despite different backgrounds, and I intentionally freed myself of the pressure to “win” Rylie over. I am so glad that I did; now, as I fight against climate change, I realize that we must consider the impact of vulnerable communities like Rylie’s in a transition away from fossil fuels.

Some conversations at Girls State stretched me even more. One night at dinner, girls who had become my very close friends began to share their opposition to abortion. They talked about beliefs I had only heard on social media and from removed GOP politicans, like that a baby’s life is a God-given gift that starts at conception.

I regret that, in the moment, I was horrified into silence. I didn’t understand how young women could so confidently embrace a belief that seemed, to me, profoundly at odds with their own interests. Every ounce of my body rejected the borderline-alien ideas that the other girls were easily agreeing with. See, I had never even met one person who was openly pro-life—my mind was blown that I had shared meals with several for the past week.

Looking back, I wish I had asked more questions or even offered my own perspective. Since I’ve had time to reflect after my Girls State experience, I now realize that the Bay Area’s lean toward pro-choice ideologies and the seeming absence of openly pro-life women—and other people—didn’t mean that I had any moral high-ground over pro-lifers. Instead, I had solely let my imagination fill in the gaps of my ignorance. I reacted so stiffly at that dinner table because I had imagined that pro-life supporters were either evil or uneducated, and yet the girls at Girls State were truly anything but. They were kind, unconditionally supportive, and incredibly intelligent leaders in their communities back home.

Would I still have befriended these girls, if

without any hesitation. Yet, I now feel incredibly disappointed that I once felt confident in denying friendships with brilliant people.

I once thought that writing off Trump voters and conservatives was taking a stand for what I believed in, but I now realize that I just lacked the bravery to open my mind and accept the very real—and unignorable—existence of political beliefs in America different from mine.

To be clear, I’m still learning to have civil discourse, but this summer has pushed me to try having as many difficult conversations as possible.

Recently, while walking on Burlingame Avenue, I encountered a MAGA supporter tabling next to an obviously Photoshopped mug shot of President Barack Obama. As an Asian American woman, I remain cautious of those who don red caps, but I shook Richard’s hand—ideologies don’t have to be deathly contagious.

While I assumed he would celebrate mass deportations or healthcare restrictions—topics on which I strongly diverge from the MAGA movement—he instead raved about fusion power’s economic benefits and globalization’s inefficiencies. These beliefs are, against all odds, often echoed in my eco-advocacy circles! For the 30 minutes we talked, I agreed with his stances more easily than I expected.

Through genuine curiosity rather than confrontation, I discovered shared positions with someone whom I had been conditioned to view as an evil adversary. Neither of us won an argument—but we didn’t have any to begin with. Through conversation, I reduced MAGA's mysterious power over me—it became less frightening and impenetrable.

So, the question is if the new ideologies I’ve been exposed to have infected and altered my longstanding beliefs about political issues, and the answer is… Maybe? I’m honestly not sure yet, and I’m not embarrassed that I am still developing my personal beliefs as a 17-year-old, even though we live in a culture that frequently calls upon people to take definite stances.

This summer weakened my confidence in my views but strengthened my comfort in embracing unfamiliar perspectives. I know firsthand that it’s a grave oversimplification that half the country thinks wrong or differently than me: we are all products of different backgrounds with beliefs worth learning about. I know that good-hearted people hold ideologies different from mine, and those views are often based in lived experience—not ignorance or malice.

We all, regardless of where we fall on the political spectrum, must seek opportunities for understanding our fellow citizens. Lead with nonjudgmental conversation instead of trying to score points or win a debate. Above all, don’t be afraid to reflect internally and question yourself. Challenge your beliefs—I dare you.

THE NUEVA CURRENT strives to provide informative and impactful articles for our community. Our issues cover stories related to our school, the Bay Area, California, and other relevant spheres. We are dedicated to helping readers understand the ways in which we can all make a difference in the world around us.

The opinions expressed in The Nueva Current belong solely to the writers and are not a reflection or representation of the opinions of the school or administrators.

The Nueva Current is distributed to current and alumni members of The Nueva School community. Press run is 600 copies, printed by FolgerGraphics. Fonts used in Volume 9: Optima Nova LT Pro, Basic Sans, and Utopia.

The Nueva Current is a member of the NSPA and CSPA. NSPA Pacemaker Finalist 2020, 2022, 2023. Pacemaker Winner 2022. Gold Crown winner 2023.

QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, SUBMISSIONS

We welcome your voices. We accept photographs, letters to the editors, articles, illustrations, and other pieces of work. Please email us at thenuevacurrent@ nuevaschool.org.

STAY CONNECTED www.thenuevacurrent.com Instagram: @thenuevacurrent

131 E. 28th Ave., San Mateo, CA 94403

E.

use phones as a coping mechanism to avoid bad feelings.”

It’s time to step away from our screens

A policy will help us stay present in class and in social settings

STORY BY SENNA H.

By 8 a.m., blue light has already infiltrated the school. All around, students’ necks crook over their phones, as they play Clash Royale, text their friends back, or scroll mindlessly through TikTok. The school is immersed in the odd silence of shared isolation, and it begs the question: Should we have our phones out?

This debate is widespread—34 states and Washington, D.C., have laws or policies regulating cell phone usage in schools, and 17 states have legislation prohibiting cell phone use during school hours. In California, all public and charter K–12 schools must adopt a policy to limit or ban cell phones by July 1, 2026. Nueva cannot ignore these changes; we must form our own policy in accordance with these suggestions.

This phone ban is one step in the right direction on confronting a bigger, generational problem: overreliance on technology. Phones permeate our lives—during lunch, free blocks, and even passing periods. They are omnipresent, sometimes a ghostly presence in peoples’ hands and sometimes as much an active part of a conversation as a person would be. I myself am guilty of this—at lunch, when conversations grow stale, I’ll reach for my phone and show my friends a new video I’ve seen. That reliance on digital content for interaction is exactly why I

CONSIDER WHAT FUNCTIONS OF YOUR LIFE WILL DISAPPEAR WITH A PHONE BAN. “

believe we need regulations.

In my four years at Nueva, I have never sat through an assembly without hearing multiple phones clatter in the stands or seeing multiple students actively using their phones while someone is speaking, which is blatantly disrespectful. Without phones there in the first place, this would not be a problem.

Nueva doesn’t just want us to be better students, but also to be better people. That includes interacting respectfully with both our peers and our teachers— which is what restricting phones would encourage.

Some may argue that teacher-student relationships will be harmed by bans. But clear boundaries don’t automatically

signal distrust. Rather, they’re a tool for account ability. Let’s have some empathy for the teachers trying to do their job in front of a classroom that can’t be bothered to make eye contact. A 2017 University of Chicago study showed that just the presence of a phone decreases your cognitive function capacity. Though most Nueva students don’t use their phones in class, they’re often out on the table or in students’ pockets without explicit instruction. Keeping them out of sight and out of mind would aid our working memory and other cognitive functions.

In a time of growing screen addiction, it’s important that we are conscious of our technology usage. At lunch, being on our phones can actually have adverse effects. A 2021 article in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence examined digital social multitasking, when someone uses a phone to communicate during face-toface interactions. The study found that while phone use increased autonomy, it decreased friendship quality—after all, who likes talking to someone who’s always on their phone? Let’s stay present with our friends!

Sometimes we might want to pull out our phones during slower conversations, but this is something we, as a generation, need to struggle through. We have to stop depending on our phones as an escape when conversations lull. Learning to push through that discomfort will help us become better communicators.

Practically, there’s no real reason you need your phone during the school day. After-school plans? Make them in advance or after school, like the name implies. It might feel difficult, but it’s a challenge worth facing. Your parents need to get in touch with you? If it’s urgent, they can contact the school, who will be able to keep you updated.

I’d encourage all of you to deeply consider what essential functions of your life will disappear with a phone ban. I expect that they will just be the compulsions of our generational addiction.

A ban fails the students it aims to protect Blanket regulations undermine trust and spiral addiction instead of teaching responsibility

STORY BY CALLUM S.

I’ll be the first to agree that phones are causing irrevocable damage to young people's mental health. But the proposed schoolwide regulations to enforce deprivation are not the answer.

This policy, while well-intentioned, operates on the assumption that social connection can be legislated. But by stripping away our agency, it completely misses the nature of phone addiction and sacrifices the culture of trust foundational to Nueva, all while worsening the self-regulation that us students will need for the rest of our lives.

The imminent phone ban isn’t unique to Nueva; phone policies are making waves nationally. Over 30 states have already enacted guidelines restricting cellphone use. Aligning ourselves with this trend, even in a less extreme manner, contradicts the thoughtful and forward-thinking ethos that is the source of Nueva’s excellence.

Nueva is an amazing learning environment for many reasons, but one of the most important ones is the unique level of trust between students and faculty. The impending phone regulations directly undermine this culture.

We are constantly told that we are budding young adults, yet this policy infantilizes us, as though we are incapable of socializing or managing our own choices.

A sentiment of distrust is naturally reciprocated. Blocking students’ phone usage risks evaporating years of carefully built connections in a single, misguided procedure.

As Nueva students prepare to navigate a world dominated by technology, we should be learning to develop a healthy relationship with it instead of having it blocked from our lives.

Prohibiting phone usage will probably result in more face-to-face socialization between students, meeting administration’s primary goal, but at what cost?

Restrictions will trigger the “forbidden fruit effect:” the NIH-backed psychological response that restricted things become far more desirable. Instead of teaching moderation—in my opinion, the most important issue when it comes to phone use—it guarantees that students will overcompensate with screen time in after-school hours.

These regulations ignore that age-old truth: prohibition fosters ingenuity. As Education Week reports have documented, phone bans in schools nationwide

have consistently failed because students simply adapted. They turned to burner phones, laptops, and smartwatches to access everything they would on their regular phones. The students most affected by a ban will simply become more adept at using their devices secretly.

Screentime discipline can’t be imposed on a student by blocking phones for six hours a day; they need to learn through personal experience and a sensible education of its consequences.

I absolutely prefer a face-to-face conversation over a Clash Royale duos battle, but my preference shouldn’t become a permanent mandate for my friend group. This imposition from the school assumes a universal hierarchy of social interaction, which completely ignores the possibility that, for some students, a shared text thread or a Roblox game is a legitimate way to connect.

The school’s prerogative should be to prepare students for the future, not to rigidly define which forms of social interaction hold more value. Mandating one form of social interaction invalidates others, which I believe is a step too far from administration into the role of social engineer.

Blocking phone usage would also leave a student unable to see a change in after-school plans, receive news of a family emergency, or worse, communicate during a crisis on campus. Regulations aimed at changing social tendencies should not come at the cost of our basic sense of safety.

So what’s the solution? Instead of a blanket ban, I think Nueva needs to take far more direct student input than they have so far on schoolwide phone-use guidelines, defining times and spaces for free use, essential communication, or completely device-free areas. This, in pair with upperclassmen-led workshops covering screen habits, dopamine loops, and strategies for self-regulation, treats phones like they should be, as tools to be managed responsibly, not problems we should be shielded from.

Combatting phone addiction can’t just be done during school hours either. These policies have to come from home too, and administration should seek to work with and provide parents with resources to guide their children toward sustainable digital habits. This bottom-up approach is the best way to genuinely promote student wellness while preserving the culture of respect and responsibility that makes Nueva exceptional.

Editorial: AI's future does not belong to any one field

STORY BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD

We exist in the heart of an AI bubble. Nueva is geographically and culturally linked to Silicon Valley, where the sector’s rise has been so captivating as to plaster seemingly every billboard touting another new application.

We may also be in the middle of a financial bubble: private investment in AI is expected to reach $375 billion in 2025, despite an MIT study finding that 95% of the companies adopting it have received no return on investment. But, despite the oversaturation of AI discourse in the Bay Area today, we still feel it necessary to approach this transformative technology from varied angles.

The future use of these tools does not just concern computer science or the STEM fields, and control over its development must not be in the hands of the technical elite alone. The humanities and social sciences remain essential to the role of technology in society. Scientists are trained to do a lot of things, but shouldering the full scope of their innovations’ consequences has historically not been one.

In the case of education, too often, teachers and schools have been left to adapt to technological advancement without the chance to actually shape it. The Cal State (CSU) system is now spending $17 million providing ChatGPT, a software that the educational professionals using it have no say in, to its students and faculty.

The importance of incorporating multiple stakeholders’ points of view can be overwhelmed by the fast-moving pace of the corporate boardroom. Just as the discourse around AI should not be constrained to one field, the actual direction of it cannot be driven solely by market forces.

We hope that discussing AI throughout this issue from various perspectives can facilitate the kind of pluralistic and interdisciplinary conversation that a rapidly changing world demands.

Sincerely,

The Nueva Current Editorial Board

Director of Equity and Inclusion Shawn Taylor: “We have always seen people try to rewrite minority contribution, but the truth always comes out.” SEL Teacher Lee Holtzman: “The price of stability is sometimes boredom. But the price of chaos is just not having a through-line to anything.”

Struggle

is what made America. Trump wants to erase it from our history. The fight for justice defines our past more than a whitewashed revision ever could

STORY BY NEEL G. '27

When US history teacher Marie Burks asked my class what the one unifying pattern throughout our nation’s history was, up until the present, only one word came to my mind: struggle.

All around us, struggle—the systemic oppression that permeates the lives of citizens— exists. It exists in the people we interact with, in the media we consume, and even our history books. Throughout history, struggle is what remained constant. Struggle is what defines America.

Struggle has followed America through its pivotal moments throughout history: the struggle against colonization, for the abolition of slavery, for women's suffrage, gay rights, and so much more. Struggle is the experiences Americans face as a result of our nation's faults, which inform how we need to change. Struggle is what numerous migrants persevere through to get here, the fight for disabled rights; our society is built on struggle.

But the Trump administration hopes to eliminate struggle from the historical narrative—smoothing over the bumps on the road in order to present the seamless progression of a perfect nation.

President Trump has never been interested in the truth; he’s interested in spreading his agenda of what America is. In a 2023 CNN interview, his former press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, recounted how Trump gave her one critical piece of advice: "As long as you keep repeating something, it doesn't matter what you say."

In a social media post this past August, Trump criticized the Smithsonian museums for being “out of control” and excessively focused on “how horrible our country is, how bad slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been.”

Trump’s administration has under-

mined the Antiquities Act, which grants the president authority to designate national monuments, attacking it as an “egregious” use of government power and directing the government to prioritize resource extraction in land use decisions. But these recognized monuments, like the Chaco Culture National Historical Park which is now on the list for weakened protection, preserve the history of those marginalized and oppressed.

The Trump administration also ordered several national parks to remove exhibits depicting the struggles of slaves and indigenous people, including “The Scourged Back,” an 1863 photo of a scarred formerly enslaved man that has become one of the most impactful images of the Civil War era.

In our schools, his administration has actively promoted the PragerU curriculum, which promotes an explicitly right-wing agenda—expressing slavery as a “compromise,” framing William Lloyd Garrison’s activism as “radical” and ineffective, and addressing the bible as a historical narrative for western civilization. PragerU has already partnered with several states, increasing the political divide among youth and warping their fundamental understanding of what America is—jeapordizing the future of politics. Kids will no PragerU and the censorship of monuments is part of his goal to develop a “patriotic education.” During a speech at the National Archives, Trump said “we must clear away the twisted web of lies in our schools and classrooms and teach our children the magnificent truth about our country".

and the efficacy of advocacy of people’s struggle is hindered.

But advocacy sheds light on a more transparent, accountable history, and sets precedents that will guide how we move forward.

After the Dobbs decision, countless women on social media united to share stories, provide advice and access to care, and urged for change. They advocated for how we are reverting to our history’s oppression of women, and created tangible cultural change despite it not being reflected in terms of policy. We need to remember the historical struggles Americans faced. In order to acknowledge past struggles, we must memorialize and educate. We, as a society, preserve stories in museums, educate students on a transparent and accountable history, document the present, uplift programs seeking to combat historical discrimination, build memorials, and most of all, truthfully remember the past. Kids will now grow up with entirely different understandings of our history, undermining the very bedrock of truth that that is needed for a productive political atmosphere.

Our history is anything but magnificent. Acknowledging struggle should inform how we move forward as a country; it’s how we make America a safer, more equitable place to live. But with the Trump administration, government repression is intensified

All these decisions are part of the Trump administration's efforts to whitewash American history. But American history isn’t American history without acknowledging the struggle it holds. Without the recognition and publicization of that struggle, the painful history that should inform our future will transform into a deceptive narrative that understates the corruption inherent in our nation. How can we move forward without understanding our past?

The end of the Nueva startup Institutional aging in Silicon Valley and at the Upper School

A decade ago, working in Silicon Valley seemed like a lot of fun.

Tech workplaces were infamous for their “perks”: 20-somethings coded while reclined in beanbags, did their laundry or worked out at onsite facilities, rode company-provided bicycles across campus, and took long lunches at deluxe cafes.

Today, the attitude has changed. After three years of mass layoffs, the labor market for tech jobs is highly competitive, companies offer less expansive benefits, and employees are expected to work longer hours.

Silicon Valley today is increasingly oriented around “hard tech,” reliant on enormous computing capacity, and it’s increasingly monopolized: new social media platforms, for example, either wed themselves to corporate behemoths or die as temporary fads. We can float various causes for these changes. Interest rates rose in 2022 and forced companies to refocus from growth to profit, and remote work led to substantial shifts in the labor market. But there is something about this shift that feels cultural: the startup ethos of 2010s Silicon Valley has

faded, and today’s ultra-corporate mindset has supplanted it.

A parallel cultural evolution has taken place at Nueva.

In 2014, the San Mateo campus opened its doors for the first time with two grades and zero precedents. The early years of the Upper School thus became a time of unbridled creativity and total chaos—it was still up in the air what social functions the cafe played host to, what electives had sufficient demand to be worth offering, or whether the beams on the walls sufficed for classroom seating. Ask a longtime teacher for these sorts of stories, and you can find them.

It was a microcosm of the Bay Area startup culture, of the perks-and-beanbags office—all the way from the expansive flexibility to the rapid staff turnover.

Today, this startup culture has mostly come to pass. The four-year Nueva experience is something we come into, tweak and adapt, and then pass down. While new clubs, electives, or trips are created each year, only a small set of legacy programs consistently continue on.

Losing that startup culture has undeniable benefits. A teacher once told me how

they would have to personally stake out a room in order to figure out whether it was available at a given time of day; back then, there was no comprehensive base of information for who would be where and when.

Nueva can never be a perfect analogy for the for-profit tech sector, but we are, like the corporate giants that surround us, an institution.

Institutions seem to age in a similar pattern: first comes the frontier, the startup, the revolutionary state; then comes the organization, the bureaucracy, and the steady hand of the stagnating hegemon.

Silicon Valley has constantly struggled against institutional aging. When the first tech titans began to fade, the industry was revitalized by the web and the smartphone. But today, that cycle of reinvention only slows in the hands of entrenched powers.

Nueva, while a maturing institution past its startup era, has not reached the grinding melancholy of the “Hard Tech” company. We still, at least in our principles, hold on to the frontierist mindset of student agency. It is important, as we move forward, to look to our institutional neighbors for what to expect—and what to avoid.

Crossword

1. Business org.

5. :( in words

10. At any point

11. Half or quarter pounder, for example

12. Alien-seeking org.

13. 51 and others

14. October treat alternative

16. Corn syrup brand

17. Landed, as a fish 19. Forever and a day 21. Dalai ___ 22. Metropolitan 25. Sherlock Holmes foe Adler

27. Flying start?

28. Fireplace grabbers

29. Palindromic cat type

30. Diminutive suffixes

31. Alma mater of Prince Harry and James Bond

1. “___ la vie” (such is life)

2. Done with 3. It’s no longer working 4. Customer’s least-to-most parameter

5. Hoppy brew: abbr.

6. Going price

7. Something provided by a metronome

8. It created a whole new ball game?

9. Big name in vacuums

15. Anywhere else he’d be a 10

18. Lucy of Kill Bill

19. S-tier

20. Deck of wands, cups, swords, and coins

23. Esso rival

24. High time?

26. Tee preceder

Cartoon of the Issue

BY: ANWEN C.

Collecting Colleges

The Hidden Costs of Comfort

Can You Guess the Price of this Nueva Furniture?

You probably walk past them every day without thinking twice: the couches on the first floor, the chairs in the WRC. But this furniture is more than just a place to sit; it is a veteran from the start of the Nueva Upper School in 2014, selected through a partnership with MillerKnoll for one simple reason: durability. After over a decade of spilled drinks, impromptu naps, and crumbs, it’s safe to say the school got its value. We priced out three ubiquitous items that have supported generations of student life, at full retail price, along with Nueva’s discounted replacement price.

Setu Chair

Herman Miller

What supports your teacher while they support you? None other than the Herman Miller Setu chair, found in nearly every classroom spanning the campus.

Retail cost: $960 Nueva Cost: $275

Swoop™ Lounge Chairs

Herman Miller

You know it as the green senior couches. Officially, it's the Herman Miller swoop chair, sporting a sleek, modu lar wavy design.

the

Superb Study Spaces

The third-floor pillow corner outlooking the skybridge is one of the most coveted studying spots at Nueva. Despite fierce competition, when Arisa A. ’29 captures this nook, she maintains that blankets and pillows are crucial for focusing. “There's that little cubby that looks out the window,” she said. “It's really quiet over there, and [has a] nice chair, nice blanket”. This third-floor cubby, offering a similar environment to working at home, may intrigue those looking for a comfy bedroom-like area to study.

Ever need a breath of fresh air while studying? Sofia C. ’27 claims the back right corner of the Rosenberg Lawn brings her closer to nature and helps her focus. “I think that's a great place to study because you can kind of feel like you're in nature”, she said. “Usually there's a nice breeze. You can sit in the shade or sun if you want to”. Additionally, the lawn is expansive, allowing multiple people to sit or lie down at once. However, if a desk and chair are a necessity for studying, the WRC might be a better option.

Retail cost: $~1900 per piece

Nueva Cost: $1200 per piece

At Nueva, studying is an art, extending far beyond just the classroom and home. From the WRC to the Rosenberg lawn, students in each grade have found unique nooks and corners to focus and get work done. We’ve gathered up the best recommendations for you to check out.

It is no surprise that the WRC is a fan favorite for studying, as it provides a quiet, open environment that Nikhil S. ’27 feels helps him focus the most. Nikhil believes working around friends is a hindrance and can distract you from working efficiently. “When I first got to Nueva, I would study with friends, and that was really distracting”, he said. “I just kept trying out new spaces until I went to the WRC, and I really liked it.” Distracted and need quiet to focus? Try the row of tables on the second

of the WRC.

While the Café is normally bustling with people during lunch, this corner by the piano becomes a study spot for Bence O. ’28 after school. Bence picked this spot because it gave him access to toast. “I just like eating toast while I work”, he said. “The crunching makes me focus better.” So, if looking for a place where munching on a piece of toast will help you focus, the table next to the classical corner might be for you.

Niners Magic On Sun. Oct. 19, the San Francisco 49ers will play the Atlanta Falcons on their home turf, Levi’s Stadium.

Sports Report Card

REPORTING BY TIMOTHY C.

After four consecutive years of domination by Redbull’s Max Verstappen, two outstanding McLaren drivers–Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris–have suddenly risen to the top of Formula 1 this season. Piastri and Norris are first and second respectively in the official F1 Standings. As of Sept. 26, Piastri has 324 points, leading his teammate Norris by 25 points and Verstappen by 69. Recently, however, Verstappen has been making a comeback, winning two races in a row by more than 15 seconds. It’s too close to say, but it may be a new era for Formula 1: Verstappen could continue his legacy, or Piastri or Norris could win for the first time.

Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz won this year’s U.S. Open men’s singles. With this win, Alcaraz has returned to No. 1 on the ATP rankings, pushing Jannik Sinner to No. 2, with each having won two grand slams this year. In women’s singles, this was the third year in a row that an American has reached the finals, with Amanda Anisimova placing No. 2.

The 2025 Club World Cup was held in the United States over the summer, which was the first time the country has ever hosted this event. This year, the tournament featured 32 club teams from leagues around the world, and had a record-breaking total prize amount of $1 billion distributed among the participants. It was also the first time three American clubs participated in the tournament: Los Angeles FC, Seattle Sounders FC, and Inter Miami FC. Ultimately, Chelsea FC won the tournament 3-0 against Paris Saint-Germain FC in the finals. B only because many fans and players have called the tournament a profiteering attempt with a lack of logistical planning and consideration for player schedules.

SPORTS

Feminism flies high with the rise of the Golden State Valkyries

Bay Area WNBA team has generated a mass female following

STORY BY NEEL G.

BREAKING BARRIERS

As the inaugural women’s basketball team for the Bay Area, the Valkyries have changed the culture and conversation surrounding the sport.

“It’s not as normalized to see a woman's sports team in our area having success. But the Valkyries prove that wrong,” Elie W. ’26 said. “Seeing successful female athletes like the Valkyries breaking down those boundaries has been so impactful.”

“Teenage boy basketball fans have a god complex or ego issue in a way, where they don’t like to see women succeeding in sports traditionally dominated by men,” Mia B. ’27 said. “In our country, there’s a lot of sexism in sports. But I think with the rise of women's teams, people are starting to put more attention towards disparities, like imbalances in pay.”

“It’s amazing to see women’s sports starting to be taken more seriously in the Bay Area,” Hana J. ’27 said. “I’ve even seen that change in the way teenage boys talk about sports.”

A DIVERSE TEAM

The Valkyries have united fans across teams and the Bay Area for one shared goal: to support the growth of the team. The fanbase, much like the team, is diverse, coming from different races, ages, genders, sexual orientations, and more.

“The Valkyries bring together people to set aside their differences and solely support a team,” Mia said. “Basketball teams are meant to represent their population, and that’s exactly what the Valkyries do. It makes the atmosphere that much greater.”

Mila W. ’27 also noted how the Valkyries facilitated stronger bonds with her basketball team and friends.

“It’s important to be able to find people who you have things in common with—especially with women’s sports. It feels really good to know you’re part of something bigger,” Mila said. “The Valkyries were a connection point for my team.

MEET THE FANS

MILA W. '27

GAMES ATTENDED: 5

SPORT PLAYED: Basketball

FAVORITE PLAYER(S): Carla Leite, Caitlyn Chen

XOCHITL S. '29

GAMES ATTENDED: 5

SPORT PLAYED: Basketball

FAVORITE PLAYER(S): Temi Fágbénlé

Going to games with them made us better players and brought us closer.”

“The Valkyries show different demographics of young girls that they can do this,” Xochitl S. ’29 said. “Diversity is really important in any space, especially with women’s sports, because it’s hard to get light shown on it in the first place.”

“It's undeniably a queer space and a space especially for women of color. I found community. I felt comfortable in the environment,” Elie said.

A ROLE MODEL FOR FEMALE ATHLETES

For Elie, Mila, Xochitl, and Mia, the Valkyries have become role models as women in team sports.

“There aren’t as many girls playing basketball, especially in this part of the Bay Area, as there could be. I'm hoping that they will get more girls playing basketball,” Xochitl said. “Because of seeing these successful women in such a close vicinity, I’ve been motivated to practice more and become a better player. ”

“They’ve been a really strong role model, especially in thinking about how to pick up the rest of your team,” Elie said. “Seeing professionals fail but continue to try is really important, which is something I’ve been thinking on and off court this volleyball season.”

“Seeing that young kids, even boys, hav-

ELIE W. '26

GAMES ATTENDED: 2

SPORT PLAYED: Volleyball

FAVORITE PLAYER(S): Caitlyn Chen, Kate Martin

MIA B. '27

GAMES ATTENDED: 10

SPORT PLAYED: Volleyball

FAVORITE PLAYER(S): Veronica Burton

HANA J. '27

GAMES ATTENDED: 8

SPORT PLAYED: Ballet

FAVORITE PLAYER(S): Cece Zandalasini, Kayla Thornton

ing female models has been so refreshing,” Mila said.

For Mia, being a role model doesn’t just mean excelling as an athlete; being a good human being is just as important.

“They always have fundraisers, invite local girls’ teams, and feature fans on the Jumbotron,” Mia said. “They are bringing more awareness to women’s sports, and taking a stance that we matter too.”

Mila also noted the importance of keeping in mind the true goal of the WNBA: “Eye catching as the game is, pitting women against each other is not the goal of the WNBA. As the fan base continues to grow, we need to steer away from that mentality,” she said. “The whole point is to uplift women and bring attention to women’s success, not their failures.”

The Valkyries are an expansion team of the Golden State Warriors, where they share the same stadium, ownership group, and, naturally, fans. But as much as the Golden State Warriors have increased the hype around Basketball, the Valkyries are paving their own path, especially for female athletes.

“The Warriors have done so much for basketball in the Bay Area, but so will the Valkyries. Fans need to appreciate what both teams are offering,” Hana said.

Nueva’s New Athletic Trainer Meet Angie Purchio

STORY BY SENYA S.

This fall, athletic trainer Angie Purchio joined the Upper School athletics team, filling a position that has remained open for over a year. Last year, approximately 30 different people covered the position, resulting in inconsistent support for injured athletes, according to Director of Athletics Brett McCabe.

As an athletic trainer, Purchio helps with the care, prevention, and rehab of injured athletes. In her free time, she spends time with her fiancé, dog, and nephews. A self-described family-oriented person, Purchio brings her nurturing spirit into her work with students. At Nueva, Purchio hopes to support athletes both physically and mentally.

“For a lot of people, their identity is athletics, and when they get injured they lose

that,” Purchio said.

She enjoys working with students and is proud to have inspired one of her former athletes to pursue a career as an athletic trainer—a path he has now been following for the past four to five years.

"It’s cool to see others grow and know that you were a part of their journey, inspiring them to do what they love to do,” Purchio said.

Purchio shared her excitement about joining the Nueva community and highlighted one of her favorite aspects of being an athletic trainer—the variety of tasks every day: “I always say we're the jack of all trades, but master of none,” she joked.

During the school day, Purchio can be found attending Nueva sports games, treating injuries, and developing personalized recovery plans for student-athletes. Looking ahead, she intends to collaborate with McCabe to hire a team doctor and

continue expanding the school’s athletic training program.

Her advice to student-athletes? “Don't be afraid to come see me with an injury. Even if you're not quite sure what's going on, just come see me. I can help you and we can work to prevent it from becoming more than it is.”

A Successful Start

Girls volleyball rockets to early victories with grace

STORY BY ELLIE L.

The scoreboard was almost taunting. The junior varsity volleyball team was nine points down in their second set, and up against Crystal Springs Upland School, an out of league competitor, the odds weren’t looking great. But then, the team’s focus sharpened; players blocked steep spikes, synchronized their passes, and Nueva ended up winning the full game.

“The energy was up,” Tin K. ’27 said. “We were in their home court, they had a lot more spectators, but we were cheering super loud the whole time.”

A few hours later, though the varsity girls team did not win their subsequent match against Crystal, the team secured a win in the second set and emerged electrified.

“In all my years of playing Crystal, I think that’s the first time we’ve ever been so close to beating them,” said varsity co-captain Sakura T. ’26.

That personal record joins a series of victorious games from the varsity team, an incredibly successful season thus far. Varsity co-captain Elie W. ’26 credited the steadfast consistency of the team for their ability to jump back into the new season. With only two teammates having graduated and three new freshmen, the team is familiar with each others’ paces and hits.

“We have a really strong core,” Elie said.

As for the new freshmen, they’ve been folded into the team rather seamlessly. In fact, for Cate G. ’28 in her second year of volleyball, watching the freshmen come into their own on the team has been one of her favorite memories of the season so far.

“At one of our first games, one of the freshmen got a really good kill, and it was just so much fun,” Cate said. “Everybody’s

always supporting everyone, and our team camaraderie is really great.”

Part of their strong teamwork comes from intention-setting by both captains and Coach Harley Marques Silva, in the form of team rituals imbued with meaning. Coach Silva always has players put in their left hand for a cheer, because the left hand is closer to the heart. For luck, the team has a simple back-and-forth tap pattern with their feet. And most recently, Sakura and Elie introduced a deep breath

“

“I WANT THAT TO BE MY LEGACY, ONE OF KINDNESS.”

before every game, to center themselves and let go of all worries.

Though the junior varsity team has less established rituals, Tin is eager to see the new traditions that will emerge with the season. Already, there’s been hair ribbons, matching pigtails at games, and golfing hangouts.

“It's just little things like that that bring us closer together,” Tin said.

On varsity, both co-captains share a similar appreciation for these joyful moments. In fact, they hope their legacy is cemented in the excitement created by their traditions and the fun they have together. For Elie, she seeks to emulate the mature compassion she saw in her senior captains as a freshman.

“It was important for me to see captains really looking out for each other and helping people feel comfortable when I was younger,” Elie said. “I want that to be my legacy, one of kindness.”

Hitting the Ground Running

The positivity and prospects of the 2025 cross country season

STORY BY AVIVA S.

The cross country team got a head start for the year with a pre-season retreat to the Mammoth running camp. Located in Mammoth Lakes, California, at 11,000 feet of elevation, it provides runners with beautiful views and an enduring experience. While at camp, in addition to many hours together on the trail, the team bonded over karaoke and post-run swims in the lake.

“The team trauma-bonds over getting up at 5:30 a.m. everyday,” said Jules S. ’26, one of the cross country girls team captains.

The high altitude training and bonding have proven beneficial to the team throughout the beginning of the season, as shown at a league meet on Sept. 12, where the team scored highest across both boys and girls varsity and junior varsity.

When talking about the team’s success so far, Lila P. ’26, the varsity girls co-captain, said, “We’re feeling faster than we’ve ever been.”

Off the course, the seniors hope to set an optimistic tone for the underclassmen. “We’re working on drilling in the positivity,” Lila said. Since beginning on the cross country team as a freshman, Pastor has been inspired to continue with the following seasons by both her passion for running and the friends she has made across grades.

The excitement for the future of the cross country team is definitely seen throughout the group. “We have some of the strongest underclassmen this year, more than I’ve seen in previous years,” Jules said.

Girls Tennis Racketing to Success

The team was also looking forward to the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic, held at a soccer complex in Irvine, California. Due to the soccer fields, the course is relatively flat, making it a great location for setting personal records, of which a total of 16 were set across Nueva runners. Towards the end of the season, the team aims to qualify for the CIF State Championships, where they expect to be given tougher competition than usual from a wide range of schools across California.

Early wins and unmatched team chemistry fuel hopes for undefeated season

STORY BY TIMOTHY C.

The varsity girls tennis team has kicked off their season with a strong showing and even stronger team spirit. With several early wins, including the 4-3 season-opener with San Mateo High School, the team is looking to build momentum towards winning the league again and making a return to CCS (Central Coast Section) playoffs.

Led by Coach Gerald Sargeant, who players describe as “encouraging” and “competitive in the best way,” the team is combining grit and an outstanding team chemistry. “He brings out the best in all of us,” said Julia C. ’27, who is in her third year playing on the team.

Changes with training schedules have also been implemented this year. Practices now occur from Monday through Friday, including weight room practices, as opposed to the previous Monday through Thursday.

A number of new freshmen joined the team this fall, including Amaira G. ’29, who has stepped into the singles 1 position after just moving from Seattle in August. Amaira, who previously played only individual tournaments, picked up a memorable win in the second game of the

season against Crystal Springs, one of the team’s toughest opponents so far.

“She’s incredible,” Julia said. "[Amaira] comes in and she’s winning all of her games. It’s awesome. When she won her match against Crystal we all supported and congratulated her.”

Winning 24 out of 28 games, Gupta’s record has also made her the Nueva Athlete of the Week (week of Sept. 7-13).

“This is my first time playing in a team environment, so it’s definitely a change,” Amaira said. “When you’re not playing for a team, your results only affect you, but now results affect the whole team. I remember thinking, what if I’m the only one who loses? What if I’m the tiebreaking match that ends up losing it for the team?”

Support, however, is a constant among the players. Early in the season, the team held a bonding event at the house of co-captain Kayla L. ’26, where players from all four grades got to know each other off the court.

“It was just fun, silly stuff, but it really helped break the ice,” Julia said. “And we came up with a new team cheer together.”

“Tennis was a team that I felt immediately welcome to be a part of,” said Anna V. ’26, a captain who has been on

the team for four years. “Part of being captain is like being able to maintain that environment and keep that going over the years.”

Indeed, the captains have made great impacts for their team.

“They each bring something different,” Julia said. “Caitlyn is always very consistent, helping everyone else stay calm and patient. Kayla definitely has a lot of energy. She's always really positive and supportive of everyone, and that brings Anna er com

throughout matches also really helps us not get stressed out and play well under pressure.”

bounced back against Hillsdale High, where they swept a 7-0 win.

is clear: go undefeated in league games and win the champion ship. “Two years ago, we won the league. Last year, we were co-champions. This year, we want to win

again out of the league and go to CCS,” Julia said.

But beyond just wins and losses, the team is most proud of their team culture.

“I just want to keep getting to know the freshmen. They’re awesome,” Julia said.

“Hopefully, when they’re sophomores, they’ll do the same for next year’s new players.”

In a sport that is often seen as individual, the varsity girls team is proving that tennis can be a real team effort, on and off the court. While they may not always get the spotlight, the team hopes more people will notice their success.

“We’re not just a chill sport. Last year, we only lost one or two matches. We’re actually good, and we’re a really strong community,” Julia said.