CC Spin March 2020

March 2020

NEWS

U.S.-Iran

conflict

impacts

students

–Page 8

NEWS

YGNACIO VALLEY

EDUCATION

ACADEMY

–Page 2

VIEWPOINT

No, men, we

don’t hate

you

–Page 17

FEATURES

ONLINE

DATING

CHALLENGES

–Page 22

CC Spin

BACK PAGE

EVERYONE

COUNTS!

–Page C1

March 2020

By Caroline Hesby

Acalanes High School

Three missing assignments, crumpled papers at the bottom

of a backpack, video games during study sessions -- this common

pattern of freshmen habits appears every year. These students will

soon have a solution to their challenges in adapting to the high

school workload.

After noticing the recurring issue of students, mainly ninth

and tenth graders, not actively using their time wisely in the last

school year, Acalanes High School Associate Principal Mike Plant and

English teacher Erin Barth introduced the Peer Mentor program,

in which older student volunteers will be paired up with younger

News & Views from Contra Costa County High Schools

EVERYONE COUNTS!

Census 2020

See special section, the 2020 Census and how it affects you, following Page 8.

students who need academic support.

Issues included the struggling students’ lack of organizational

skills and useful strategies for staying on top of schoolwork.

“I see students who could use a three-ring binder, and use

some organization,” Spanish teacher Heidi Skvarna said.

In the new program, older students volunteer to spend two

or more sessions every month with a younger student who needs

support.

So far 44 students have signed up to become peer mentors plus

four teachers who have volunteered to host peer mentor sessions.

The pairing process will involve identifying which younger

students need help with certain subjects and connecting them

with an older student accordingly.

See RACIST INCICDENTS Page 7

Rather than having a strict academic focus, Peer Mentors

will take on the task of helping struggling students make more

productive use of their study time, encourage communication with

their teachers, and assist in the development of organizational and

time management skills.

“What we determined last year was some of these students,

it’s not really content that they struggle with, it’s organization,”

Barth said.

“I thought it was a really cool opportunity that I could help

freshmen or sophomores manage their time better,” junior Keily

Sarica said.

Teachers on campus are enthusiastic about the new opportunity

for student growth.

Volume 13 Issue 2

Vaping solution: monitoring the school bathrooms

By Peyton Smith and Matthew Carrington

Miramonte High School

The Acalanes Union High School District has the highest

e-cigarette usage rates in Contra Costa County, according to the

2017-18 California Healthy Kids Survey, doubling between 2013

and 2015 and doubling again between 2015 and 2017.

Data from the survey shows that 25 percent of students in the

district admitted to recent use of e-cigarettes.

Recent medical findings about vaping and a failed federal grant

Northgate ‘senators’

convene in ‘Congress’

Teens practice legislative skills

By Cassidy Baumann and David Allen

Northgate High School

In a week marked by a U.S. Justice Department report on foreign interference

in the 2016 presidential election and pending impeachment charges against

President Donald Trump, members of the Senate still managed to approve dozens

of bills on Dec. 10 and Dec. 11 in two actions-packed days. They approved legislation

that provides social and health services to people, helps small farmers, and

promotes social justice issues.

These accomplishments did not take place in the U.S. Senate or the California

State Senate, but the four legislative bodies of Northgate High School: the Blue,

the Red, the White, and the Stars and Stripes senates where Northgate’s seniors

simulated all aspects of the legislative process.

“People have more differing opinions than we are raised to believe,” said Jon

Wake, who participated in the White Senate. His bill, which proposed funding for

non-embryonic stem cell research, made it to the full Senate and was passed.

“Until Mock Congress, I thought people thought the same way, but I was wrong.

It was refreshing.”

Mock Congress is not a stand-alone event at Northgate. The concept of Mock

Congress in high schools was created in 1887 by at school teacher at Shortridge

High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. Since its creation, Mock Congress has been

incorporated in the curriculum by numerous renowned institutions such as Harvard

University, Columbia University, Yale University, UPenn, and Rutgers University.

Northgate began incorporating this activity into its government curriculum around

35 years ago.

Northgate government teacher Jon Burchett, who has been instrumental

in keeping Mock Congress running, described how Mock Congress has evolved:

“Mock Congress has changed significantly since I’ve been here. When I started,

we had one Senate and a House of Representatives, and everyone was only allowed

to speak twice, with a big speaking list. Since then, we’ve made many, many changes

over the years. This year we’ve changed it to make the president pro-tem position

a separate non-partisan role in light of events last year.”

Students saw bills regarding nuclear energy funding, embryonic stem cell

research, and homeless aid passed, often with added amendments, pauses for

lobbying or even filibusters. Students got heated in these political debates and

were able to observe first hand the excitement and controversy of being in Congress.

“One bill on electric cars and tax deductions that was good,” said Northgate

senior Jafer Noorani, who participated in the Red Senate. “It gave tax deductions

for electric cars,” he said. “It’s the future and our generation is going into the future.”

Students also praised Mock Congress, adding in what they learned and how it’s

helped them. “It gave me more respect for real Congress, and helped me understand

why Congress takes so long to pass a bill,” Northgate senior Garrett Smith said.

Northgate will continue to incorporate Mock Congress into its curriculum for

years to come, because of the benefits it has on how students interpret government.

“It’s important for students to participate in Mock Congress,” Burchett added,

“because it’s something that they experience. It’s just a different way of learning

to experience it rather than just hearing about it. It’s something they participate in

and they have a certain amount of ownership over it. It has been such a successful

program throughout the years here for that reason.”

request by the Acalanes district highlight an important truth: While

Miramonte is doing a lot already to combat the issue on campus,

student awareness and increased surveillance of the girls bathroom

is crucial to counteracting the epidemic.

Looking around campus, it’s not hard to see; during brunch,

lunch, and even passing periods, students crowd into bathroom

stalls to vape.

To decrease vaping in its schools, the district applied for a $1

million federal grant to the Department of Justice to purchase and

install vape detectors and other measures to help students addicted

to nicotine. However, the grant application was unsuccessful.

The grant would have distributed money to detect students

vaping at school and help students dealing with addiction. The

district hoped to install e-cigarette detectors inside bathrooms and

cameras outside to monitor student activity. An additional school

nurse and counselor were going to be added to the staff amongst the

four district high schools to help students struggling with addiction.

The district also asked for nicotine specialists in the grant proposal

to serve as resources for the Human and Social De- velopment class

as well as parent information sessions.

Recent patient studies conducted by the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC) linked vaping with lung illness,

chemical exposure and fat buildup in the lungs, and hemoptysis

(coughing up blood). Within the last few months, 33 deaths across the

Racist incidents spark response

By Claire Chu and Raquel Montelindo

Monte Vista High School

Students refuse to open a classroom door because

a person of color touched the handle.

A teacher tasks students to translate between

Ebonics and English.

Monte Vista High School staff cards a Monte Vista

African American student at a football game against

California High School and moves the student to the

California High side–while not carding white students.

These instances occurred late last year at Monte

Vista High School and prompted the principal to email

parents on Dec. 6 encouraging them to discuss racism

with their children at home.

But then a Twitter video was posted by a Monte

Vista student. He signed and said the n-word to an

African American male online. Principal Dr. Kevin

Ahern sent out a second email Dec. 18 and the school

decided more needed to be done.

“Unfortunately, it sometimes takes a noticeable

incident for people to realize racism is a prominent

issue, but it happens all the time in reality,” said

sophomore Iziyah Robinson, a member of the Black

Student Union (BSU). “You don’t often notice the sparks

of comments in casual conversations.”

Senior Jordan Scates, also a BSU member, feels

that “many students are blinded by racism because it

United States have been connected to vaping, according to the CDC.

Additionally, the CDC linked 805 illnesses across 46 states to vaping.

“While we knew [vaping] was a bad thing for a variety of reasons,

we are now beginning to understand the scope of the damage vaping

can cause,” district Superintendent John Nickerson said.

Regardless of the health issues, the fact that vaping prevents

students from using the bathroom at a public school is appalling.

Using the restroom is a basic human bodily function, and students

should be able to do so whenever they need.

“It’s annoying when I try and go to the bathroom during brunch

By Ronnie Gogoi and Liann Bielicki

California High School

See VAPING Page 7

San Ramon Valley

schools test vaping

detectors in restrooms

San Ramon Valley Unifited school administrators are fighting back to prevent

vaping in campus bathrooms. In early November, new vape detectors were installed

in three campus bathrooms as part of a pilot program being tested by California

and Dougherty Valley high schools.

“The goal is students’ safety,” said Cal ifornia High principal Megan Keefer. “We

believe vaping is unsafe and not okay for the student body.”

The pilot phase is supported by the district and funded through a grant from

the state’s Tobacco Use Prevention Education Program.

A vape detector was installed on the ceiling of the main building’s first floor

gender-neutral bathroom and the bathrooms on the side of the world language

building. They look similar to smoke detectors and are able to detect certain vapors

by their chemical signatures, campus supervisor Chris Torrey said.

Torrey said he and fellow campus supervisor Tim Ford are alerted when the

vape detectors are triggered. After the sensor goes off, an alert is transmitted to

their phones, presumably allowing them to catch students in the act of vaping.

But Ford said that the detectors aren’t perfect, because aerosols such as perfume

can get picked up by the detectors as well.

“Every day the detector goes off,” Ford said. “It doesn’t mean we’re going to

catch [someone vaping]. They can just spray perfume and it will go off.”

Torrey and Ford said they believe the vape detectors can be good deterrents

and will help the growing problem on campus. But they also believe students must

take the initiative to stop.

“Kids have to want to stop,” Torrey said. “It’s on the kids. The detectors can’t

do everything.”

Many students are aware of the vaping problem, but some do not know about

the new vape detector’s installation.

“I see kids vaping almost every time I go into the bathroom,” junior Kimi

Shirai said.

Shirai believes the vape detectors could be helpful, but only if they’re enforced.

One issue with the new system is that administrators may be unable to tell

who, or what, set off the vape detectors. If an administrator is unable to arrive

promptly, the culprit could be long gone.

Especially in the crowded gender-neutral bathroom, it may be difficult to

pinpoint who set off the alarm, which makes enforcement difficult.

Some students who vape said they think the new detector seems pointless.

A junior boy, who wished to remain anonymous because he vapes at school, was

aware of the detectors. But he believes that they would not be a good deterrent.

“I think kids are going to do all that other [expletive] anyway,” he said.

On the other hand, a sophomore boy who vapes said that detectors may be

effective in reducing the number of students who vape on campus.

“It matters that they’re in the back [of the bathroom],” he said. “It’s a risk factor.

People tend to stay out of the area,” he said.

One way students who vape can circumvent the detectors is by “zeroing”

vapor. By inhaling and waiting for the vapor to dissipate, students can reduce the

likelihood of the detectors picking up any signals.

AP U.S. History teacher Troy Bristol believes that students vape because of

social standards, which a detector is unlikely to change. “I think students vape for

the sake of being cool,” Bristol said.

Peer mentors help younger students adapt more quickly to high school

“I thought it was a really cool opportunity

that I could help freshmen or sophomores

manage their time better,” said Keily Sarica.

“I love that it puts students in touch with another peer, that

they can collaborate and that one student can help another student

succeed,” Skvarna said.

“Students who have been through it themselves could give

advice, and perhaps the student who needs help would be more

2

March 2020

News

CC Spin

Gun threat not so distant to county schools

By Edi Zhang


It seemed distant, like a rare event that would never happen to

us. But the plague hasn’t seen its end. School shootings and threats

have become an epidemic across America.

The San Ramon Valley School District is facing many difficulties

against these threats. In the 2018-2019 school year, two instances

of graffiti resulted in several lockdowns. At Coyote Creek Elementary

School graffiti was found in a bathroom, saying “Every body dies

at 12:30.” In the same week in December graffiti that said “school

shooting Fri 13th” at Windermere Ranch Middle School caused a

lockdown. California High School has also been locked down due

to graffiti threats.

This new wave prompts the question: Is Monte Vista High

School prepared? School Principal Dr. Kevin Ahern says the school

is taking this issue seriously.

“We have our protocols that we follow, and the same protocols

that Cal High, Iron Horse, and Coyote Creek have,” Ahern said. “We

see it as a threat and respond appropriately.”

Monte Vista faced a graffiti threat four years ago and took

Ygnacio Valley academy takes education outside of school

By Clara Stevenson, Brian Castillejos, Keydi Perdomo

Ygnacio Valley High School

immediate action.“We had a graffiti threat where we locked down

and did a full sweep of the campus with Danville Police before we

released students again,” Ahern said.

However, no one was caught or disciplined, and the school

returned into operation after the 30-minute incident.

Ahern said there is a low risk that these graffiti threats would

be carried out, but the school takes them seriously in order to keep

students safe

“The odds are that nothing is going to happen, but you can’t be

wrong one out of a hundred times, a thousand times, or even ten

thousand times,” he said. “So we treat every threat like this really

seriously and make sure all of our students are not going to be in

any kind of threat.”

In random interviews with students at Monte Vista, many

showed indifference about the issue, expressing little or no concern.

But Sophomore Arnish Shad was one who felt safe because of Danville

police protocol is coordinated with the school.

“What the school is doing now is very good,” Shad said. “It is

well managed and protected, and I feel 100 percent safe unless I

hear otherwise.”

Monte Vista ran a lockdown drill in the fall to rehearse the the

protocols. The “Hide, Run, Fight” method is what students should

follow in the event of an active shooter on campus. All classroom

doors must be locked, windows covered, and students out of view

in classrooms with windows on the outside.

However, some educators think drills are the wrong approach.

Math teacher Anthony Peña believes that prevention is the key.

“Studies have shown that doing a lot of drills doesn’t improve

outcomes,” Peña said. “Checking in and taking care of students is

what’s important. The work is in prevention,” adding that “once a

gun is on campus, we have failed as a school. We have to address

the root causes and solve those to deal with any issues.”

These root causes include but are not limited to stress, depression,

bullying, family problems, and poor social interaction.

Educators say that preventing school shootings requires the

school to pay close attention to student life, schedule, and trends to be

aware of what students are going through and how they might feel.

(In February, the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety

joined with the American Federation of Teachers and the National

Education Association in calling for schools to reevaluate the use

of lockdown drills. The groups issued a white paper that said they

didn’t recommend active shooter training because they did more

harm than good, terrifying children and causing trauma, according

to an NPR report.)

Educators also say social media may also affect threats and

shootings. People may develop their motive due to cyber harassment

and insecurity, according to some experts. As a result, Monte

Vista maintains constant awareness of the trends and behavior on

social media.

“We pay attention to what’s happening on social media, and

we want people to say something when they see something,” Ahern

said. “We have the anonymous tip line and safety plan that are all

meant to address these issues.”

Ahern said Monte Vista emphasizes the procedure “If you see

something say something” to make everyone aware of situations

going on outside of or within school.

However, situations going on with students

with their family may not be within the school’s reach.

“Schools can only do so much,” Shah said. “There is an extent to

where the school is just too distant to deal with it.”

The school can do its best to understand its students, but

ultimately it’s a collaborative effort by students and staff to be

aware and raise concerns.

Ygnacio Valley High School students interested in the education field have the opportunity to learn

not only in the classroom but outside as well.

The Education Academy is one of the two academies offered at Ygnacio Valley, and it gives students

the opportunity to intern at local elementary and middle schools. The program gives them a chance to

work hands on with young students.

The internship is only available to seniors, although students can apply for the program after their

freshman year. While interning, seniors can gain experience working in classroom settings and it also

helps to build up their communication skills.

“The academy basically offers a career tech education curriculum to students in the education industry,”

said Thatcher Palmer, a teacher for the academy. “We also focus on life skills and building professional skills.”

Senior Jose Araujo said, ”When I was in elementary school I always liked how I had a connection

with my teachers, and I thought to myself that I wanted to be like that one day and have the same

connection with a student.”

As an intern, Aruajo was able to work with students struggling with their lessons. He said he enjoyed

teaching and helping kids. “I would like to keep teaching and I think it’s pretty cool.”

Brenda Maciel, also a senior, said she joined the academy for the experience of being around younger

kids. Even before her senior year she had the opportunity to meet with students and get an idea of what

it would be like to be an intern the following year.

“On the junior achievement day, as juniors, we went with the kids. They were really smart and really

interacted with us and it made me feel like I could do the internship,” she said.

Because of the internship, Maciel said she wants to pursue teaching.

Although some of the students in the academy want to be a teacher, some find that it is a rewarding

experience regardless of whether they actually pursue teaching.

Jose Guillen, senior, said he wanted to work with older kids, so he interned at a middle school. “Little

kids scare me, so I interned with bigger kids to have a challenge,” he said.

Guillen said he remembers there was an intern in his class when he was younger, and he liked

what the intern did. And while he doesn’t think he will pursue teaching, he said it was a good learning

experience in the Education Academy.

Senior Jeremy Payne also interned at a middle school and has had the chance to work with students

in groups or individually. “I probably won’t want to be a teacher, but the skills I learned from it are really

helpful and useful that I’ll probably use for the rest of my life.” said Payne.

San Ramon fights

for mental health

By Claire Chu


With the escalating academic pressure in schools nationwide, the San Ramon

Valley Unified School District (SRVUSD) is making efforts to address and remedy

the mental health issue.

Two SRVUSD high school campuses will install wellness centers next school

year, and then two more will open in the 2021-2022 school year.

Although the school selections have not yet been decided, district staff members

are visiting campuses throughout the spring semester to determine availability.

SRVUSD social worker Lacy Canton began working on the project last spring after

noticing an influx of teens experiencing various forms of mental health through

the healthy kids survey.

“The number of young students who are going through anxiety, depression,

stress, and other mental illnesses concerned us in the district,” Canton said. “That’s

when we decided to start conversations about building wellness centers in schools

as a powerful resource for students.”

Gun brought

on campus

By Diana Gazca

Kennedy High School

It felt like a nomal day on Dec. 6. at Kennedy

High School. But while students went to class that

morning, police officers were removing a student

with a firearm on campus.

The day ended with assemblies all afternoon but

several staff members said they didnt know exactly

what had taken place.

At 7:56 p.m. that night, the Richmond Police

Department issued a statement on Facebook about

what had happened. The post was titled, “Keeping

Our Schools Safe.”

The post said that the Richmond Police Department’s

special investigation section had gathered

intelligence concerning an armed student at Kennedy

High School. The student was isolated by RPD’s school

resource officers and arrested without incident.”

That information raised concern with students

With an undisclosed amount of funding from a state grant, SRVUSD aims to

hire about 10 staff members to run the centers throughout the school day and

after school to establish long-term relationships with students.

“We want to create a welcoming space for any student struggling in school

or family life, so a practical, interactive, and open classroom is crucial for us,”

Canton said.

Whereas school counselors have a limited amount of time to meet with students

and spend time on other tasks, the wellness centers will be available anytime.

The newly hired mentors will set a restricted number of times students can visit

the centers during the school day to ensure that they do not regularly miss class.

The plan is to have a room with a meditation area, stress balls, crafting stations

and space to speak with the counselors.

“We know that every student’s situation is different and may not have an ideal

family to share their struggles,” Canton said. “This is why we are here with open

ears and hearts to listen and help them with our specialized resources.”

Students said they believe the new project will benefit the overall school

climate.

“For too long, student stress and anxiety has been swept under the rug,” junior

Sydney Brandeis said. “Giving students an outlet to express what they are feeling and

have a safe space is truly acknowledging the root problem and need for a solution.”

Brandeis added, “The wellness centers will help students who are afraid to

talk about mental health at home because students have the support of trained

counselors who can empathize with their emotions. In doing so, students can feel

heard and perform stronger in class.”

and teachers because the school had not been on

lockdown. English teacher Myriam Godfrey said, “They

are putting us in direct risk.”

Web Design teacher Mitzi Perez-Caro said, “I feel

misinformed. ”

Assistant Principal Elina Duarte-Ruiz explained

that the school needed to follow protocol to assess

the situation. “If we went on lockdown, most likely

something else would have happened,” she said.

Richmond police did not inform Kennedy about

their post. Duarte-Ruiz, acknowledged that many

Kennedy staff members felt uninformed and said, “In

the future we will have a different protocol.”

By Jenna B. Espejo

De Anza High School

Seeing someone who looks similar to you in

less diverse places can catch your attention, and

depending on the situation, it might even make you

excited. Why is that?

High school can be a significant time for growth

and belief in self-identity. Many student union

clubs meet to provide empowering safe spaces and

judgment-free environments where students are

encouraged to freely express themselves. They provide

an environment in which we can find a sense of community

and support amongst each other.

In an interview, De Anza’s Asian Student Union

club (ASU) co-president Arielle Saechao, a senior,

discussed how giving each other the opportunity to

openly learn about ourselves is crucial to both personal

growth and the betterment of our communities.

ASU was officially founded at De Anza in 2018 and

now has some 80 members. The club is completely

open to all students regardless of racial or ethnic

identity. Currently, ASU has members of Filipinx,

Vietnamese, Mien, Chinese, and other backgrounds,

with an emphasis on diversity and full representation

for Asian students.

The faculty advisors of ASU are Gina Saechao, who

is not related to the club president, and Nam Kang,

whose room (6-111) is used to hold the club meetings

every other Tuesday during lunch.

The club itself serves as a safe space for (but not

limited to) students of the widely diverse Asian identity

“to learn more about their identity, community, and

history that’s been neglected by standard textbooks,”

Arielle Saecho explains. “Our mission statement is to

Ygnacio Valley High School senior Jose Guillen, top

left, leads group discussion with students at the Oak

Grove Middle School where he interns.

Brenda Maciel, left, senior, leads a presentation

about the Education Academy in the Ygnacio Valley

High School library in front of two English classes.

Ygnacio Valley High School Senior Jose Araujo goes

over a lesson plan with a student at Valley Verde

Elementary School in Walnut Creek.

Photos by Keydi Perdomo and Brian Castillejos,


ASU provides unity, community

“I never knew such impact the word

‘refugee’ has and the experience that follows

behind it,” Arielle explains, “This side

of history to me is something that I hold

with significance to my identity.”

expand ASU with other high schools and grow as a

club to be the representation of our people.”

The club’s aspect of educating each other and

learning from one another is really inspiring to me as

it gives students a voice that can often be overlooked

within the education system.

“The club is a community and it’s a family,” says

Arielle. As it grows, the more impact it makes.

Communities have common repeated struggles

that are shared within, which gives strong meaning

to those going through generational hardships and

trauma.

“I never knew such impact the word ‘refugee’ has

and the experience that follows behind it,” Arielle

explained, “This side of history to me is something

that I hold with significance to my identity.”

At De Anza, the Asian Student Union club isn’t

the only club based on “ethnic” or “racial” identity.

There’s the Black Student Union (BSU) and the Latino

Student Union (LSU).

Many students find it inspiring to see student-run

clubs where students meet together in a positive and

empowering space meant to strengthen unity despite

divisions created by the universal oppression that their

communities become so characterized by.

CC Spin

News

3

March 2020

THE FIRE THIS TIME: Brush fires threaten Acalanes campus

By Stella Heo, Emerson Brown and Katrina Ortman


Black smoke billowed into the sky. Heavy branches fell at

unsuspecting pedestrians. Families scrambled to pull together essentials

following evacuation orders. Drivers grumbled in long lines

of traffic. A normal, relaxing Sunday in Lafayette erupted into chaos.

On Sunday, Oct. 27, high winds blew into the Lamorinda area,

contributing to two brush fires that started near Acalanes High

School. One fire south of Highway 24 and parallel to Pleasant Hill

Road, named the Pleasant Fire, was first reported at 1:20 p.m..

Another fire north of the highway, even nearer to Acalanes, dubbed

the Curtola Fire, was reported around 1:23 p.m.. Power remained

on in both areas before the outbreaks.

Lafayette resident Geoff Martin reported hearing the sounds of

electric arcs from power lines that most likely ignited the Curtola fire.

“It sounded like a ‘boom’,” Martin said. “I’m an electrician and

so I know what the sound of an arc is like that and so I knew what

it was when I heard it, I just didn’t know where it was. But my

neighbor that saw it said it happened 3 times that day.”

Prior to a more intensive investigation, Contra Costa County

Fire Protection District (ConFire) released a media advisory on Nov.

1 stating that it believes Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)

power lines started both Lafayette fires.

The Curtola fire soon spread, scorching the Lafayette Tennis Club,

which was hosting a junior tennis tournament when the fire began.

“We just ran to our cars and left,” tennis player Harsha Rebby said.

The two-story tennis club and two of its outbuildings completely

burnt down, and one private residence nearby received

minor damage.

Firefighters and policemen were quick to respond to the

sudden blazes in Lafayette. ConFire managed the two incidents

simultaneously, using Acalanes as a command center to organize

the 56 crews they dispatched.

“We were fighting fires on multiple sides. It was important to

bring them all together at some point. It would be just chaos if they

all converged right on the fire scene,” ConFire Public Information

Officer Steve Hill said.

Lafayette residents living near Camino Diablo and Springbrook

Road received evacuation orders at 2:05 p.m., and those living south

of Old Tunnel Road received orders at 2:44 p.m..

“It was a very chaotic and rushed experience,” sophomore

Ella Tinianow, whose family had to crowd three cats and a dog

into their car, said.

Numerous students fled to the Safeway parking lot in downtown

Lafayette. Residents north of Highway 24 rushed to the Acalanes

parking lot. However, because ConFire occupied the lot, it could

not be used as an evacuation site. Police designated Springhill

Elementary school as the evacuation spot.

Evacuations for the Pleasant Hill fire were lifted at 5:05 p.m.

and the Curtola Fire evacuations were lifted at 7:08 p.m..

During the fires, difficulties contacting friends and family

concerned Lafayette resident. Unreliable cellular service amid

prescheduled public safety power shutoffs by PG&E obstructed

communication efforts. During power outages, cell towers typically

stop working or become overloaded with calls and texts.

“I get in my car and I don’t know where I’m going to go. I have

no contact with my family or literally anyone for that matter,” junior

Shayna Parker said.

The effects of the two fires were not confined to Sunday, as the

Acalanes community felt the impacts of the fires into the following

week; Acalanes remained without power on Monday and Tuesday

of that week.

Administrators said that Acalanes lost electricity

due to a downed power line, which was most

likely brought down by a combination of the fires

and high winds.

Although school remained open on Monday,

the two-day power outage forced Acalanes to cancel

school on Tuesday, Oct. 29. No other schools within

the district canceled school, as power was restored

to the three other campuses.

“What we realized is that we can get through a

day with no power, or losing power in the middle of

the day,” Administrative Services Associate Superintendent

Amy McNamara said. “Going two days

seemed really stressful for staff, and the problem

becomes that some of the local staff have been evacuated;

they’ve been without power in their homes.”

Without power, the fire alarms and the PA system

could not operate. According to the protocol outlined

by the California Fire Code, school campuses must be

checked for fires every 30 minutes if its fire alarms

are nonfunctional. Administration split the Acalanes campus into

two zones and took one-hour shifts watching for fire safety. Fire

monitors also checked how classes were faring through the outage

while patrolling.

Without power, the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning

(HVAC) systems did not function. This led students and parents

to express concern over whether it was safe and healthy to be

at school, considering that smoke could not be ventilated out of

classrooms. Despite this, district officials believed satisfactory air

quality would exist if teachers kept windows shut and limited how

Hula dancer brings Hawaii to Bay Area

By Raquel Montelindo


When most people think of hula dancing, they envision

swaying palm trees dancing in a warm wind, bright blue

water gently lapping against white sand, and people dancing

in traditional Hawaiian attire -- and they think of Hawaii.

Most wouldn’t think of a small town in Northern California.

But that’s where you will find Keara Hedican, a sophomore

at Monte Vista High School who has been dancing the hula at

her Danville hālau (studio), Nā Hula o Moku ‘Aina.

Hedican always has a constant smile on her face, especially

when she dances. She began dancing at four years old and

continued because she enjoyed learning about Hawaiian

dances and culture.

After dancing for a few years and being immersed in Hawian

culture, Hedican received her Hawaiian name, Leianamailelauli’i,

from Catherine Blankenship, her kumu (teacher).

“It translates to ‘adorned with the maile lauli’i’,” Hedican

said. “A Hawaiian name has to be earned.”

Maile laull’i is a type of flowering plant that traditional

leis are made of.

Hedican explained that there are two main styles of hula

dancing: Kahiko and ‘Avana. While Hedican performs both

with her studio in competitions, she prefers Kahiko, which is

the ancient style.

“It gives me an idea of what it was like to dance back then in

a time where hula truly surrounded every aspect of life,” she said.

Hedican values the lessons she’s learned through the

dances she and her hālau perform. The fables and didactic

include valuable lessons of kindness and bravery — which are

all things Hedican has grown to respect more through her hula

120 square-mile iceberg splits

from Antarctica

The European Space Agency’s

satellites spotted a significant

breakup, or calving event,

underway on Pine Island

Glacier’s floating ice shelf. This

glacier along with it’s neighbors

are a massive cache of frozen

water, one that would raise

global sea levels by four feet if it

were all to spill into the sea.

Melting from above and below

Glaciers flow out from the land

over the ocean, with their front

edges afloat; as the atmosphere

warms up, more water

accumulates on the surface of the

ice while warm water weakens the

ice from below causing calving.

Glacier

Grounding

line pushed

inland

600 km

600 miles

training. Her hālau has won a variety

of awards in Hawaiian and Tahitian

dance competitions throughout

Northern California.

When Hedican and her group

perform ancient hula dancing, they

wear traditional Hawaiian clothing.

“When we dance, it’s mandatory

to wear a pā’ū skirt,” she said. “They

are plain when we practice, but when

we compete we have pā’ū skirts that

have specific patterns of stories that

we dance.”

Calf length pā’ū skirts covered

with vibrant colors and Hawaiian images

swish and swirl with the dancer’s

movements. The skirts illustrate

dramatic stories of adventure and

courage and help audience members visualize

images of what the dance is about.

“The stories that we tell with hula can be any sort of event,

or I guess you would call them myths,” she said. “They are tales

about the gods and goddesses of Hawaii. When we dance, the

moves tell a story of what the words are saying.”

Hedican’s favorite dance that she has performed honors

two goddesses: Lilinoe and Poli’ahu. Lilinoe and Poli’ahu are

sisters, and Hedican’s teacher’s teacher, Kawaikapu, is related

to Lilinoe, a goddess of the mist.

“The thing about the gods and goddesses of Hawaii is that

they were once real people, like saints,” she said. “Lilinoe is a

sister of the snow goddess named Poli’ahu who resides on the

Mauna Kea volcano.”

Weddell

Sea

Melting water

accumulates

on surface

Floating

Ice shelf

Original

grounding line

where glacier

ice met ocean

Pine Island

Glacier

ANTARCTICA

South Pole

Cooler water

Incoming

warmer

water

As warm water enters from below, the grounding line

is moved farther inland, weakening the ice shelf.

Source: projectmidas.org, NASA, AP, nationalgeographic.com

Graphic: Staff, TNS

Hawaiian dance with her hālau, Nā Hula o Moku ‘Aina. The competition occurred

at a beach in Long Beach, California. Photo courtesy Bret Hedican.

“In that dance, we honor one of the goddesses of Mauna

Kea, which is one of the volcanoes in Hawaii,” Hedican said.

“It’s significant to me because my teacher’s teacher is related

to the goddess’s sister through years and years of his ancestry.”

Hedican’s biggest inspiration is her kumu because “she’s

taught me everything about life that I love so much.”

Alongside, her kumu and her kumu’s teacher, Hedican has

gained an immense respect and understanding of hula culture.

“Kawaikapu has passed on his knowledge to my kumu,

who has now passed that knowledge down to me and my hula

sisters,” Hedican said.

“We are so blessed and lucky to have such amazing sources

to learn from.”

STREAK! Acalanes High senior Brooke Westphal passes the ball during

Acalanes’ women’s 8-6 water polo victory over Miramonte in the 2019

North Coast Sectional title game. The Acalanes team has gone 54-0

during the last two seasons. Photo courtesy Bret Hedican.

Smoke billows from a fire on the north side of Highway 24 near Acalanes

High School during last fall’s emergency power shutdown. Photo by Stella

Heo, Acalanes High School

often they opened doors.

Administration encouraged students to stay inside during break

and lunch, and all sports practices–both indoors and outdoors–were

canceled on Monday. In the week after, Physical Education classes

and after school sports were limited or canceled depending on

the Air Quality Index.

Beyond athletics, the power outage directly impacted most

classes. The band room is built without windows to maximize

acoustics, and the room was pitch-black. Students could not read

their music without lighting, so none of the four instrumental music

classes played music on Monday.

State law prompts

changes to Acalanes

district dress code

By Tom Bequette


What to wear? Out of the many choices that Acalanes students face on

a daily basis, it’s one that certainly appears small, but with modern schools

becoming buzzing social centers this choice can be quite daunting.

It can become even more challenging when school boards place limits

on how you can express yourself while at school, by way of a dress code.

While this isn’t a new concept for students, as schools have had official dress

codes dating back to 1969, it’s one that has been continuously disputed by

the student body for years.

Schools have dealt with controversy about the dress code by imposing

varying degrees of severity, with some putting no restrictions on what you

can wear, and others going as far as insisting on the dreaded school uniforms.

The Acalanes Union High School District has decided that for the benefit

of its students, it will attempt the daring feat of walking the tightrope

between the two.

But with the standard for what is socially-ignorant and offensive seeming

to change every minute, school policy must be ready to adapt.

This debate took center stage last November, when the school board

voted unanimously for a more socially conscious dress code.

One of the ways that the board majorly updated the policy was by

adding that the dress code shall not discriminate against students based on

their hair texture and their protective hairstyles. Protective hairstyles include

braids, locks, twists and many more.

“That was prompted by a change in state law when SB 188 was passed

earlier this year,” Acalanes Board member Kristin Connely said. “It’s an

example of where our policy needed to catch up with what is happening on

our school campuses.”

SB 188 is a bill by Sen. Holly Mitchell to ensure that minorities in

California public schools do not face discrimination because of the way that

they wear their hair.

While this is a change that may seem minor, according to the bill “hair

remains a rampant source of racial discrimination with serious economic and

health consequences, especially for Black individuals.”

The bill also states that this discrimination is largely due to our current

definition of professionalism and what we deem to be formal attire. “Professionalism

was, and still is, closely linked to European features and mannerisms,

which entails that those who do not naturally fall into Eurocentric norms must

alter their appearances, in order to be deemed professional.”

There is also a slight wording revision to the board policy. The policy

originally said that students could not wear anything that was a “distraction.”

The board revised this to only being opposed to any clothing that’s “deemed

inappropriate for an educational environment.”

“I believe that the new language is more positive and clear,” Acalanes

Board Member Bob Hockett said. “It also helps us to not discriminate against

other minorities and religions at school.”

The new language now states that “students shall not be prohibited

from dressing in a manner consistent with their gender identity, gender

expression or with their religious or cultural observance.”

“I strongly support these additions,” Hockett said. I believe they give

students both greater freedom of expression and greater protection, in their

dress and grooming.”

However, some students are skeptical about how much the changes

will safeguard student expression at school.

“Most teachers really don’t enforce the dress code, so I’m not sure how

much it will affect student life,” sophomore Aidan Shvo said. “But it is nice

to know that they are trying to make certain changes to improve the school

and to help out the students.”

4

March 2020

News

Dougherty shines new light on social justice

By Daniel Shen, Sheyda Ladjevardi, Jade Wang

and Mehek Kandru

Dougherty Valley High School

More than a dozen social justice projects were displayed around

Dougherty Valley High School, drawing attention to their portrayals

of current issues such as school shootings and sexual assault.

Despite being criticized by some for glorifying the subject matters,

the projects received mostly positive feedback for the awareness

and dialogue they nurtured.

In the Social Justice class — which counts for English 12

credit — Dougherty Valley seniors learn about wealth inequality,

opportunity and social privilege through the lens of a traditional

English class by reading, writing and analyzing texts.

For these specific projects, teachers Tim Brown, Rebecca Uscian

and Hanna Love encouraged students to dig beyond relevant texts

for relevant topics.

“They’re not only looking at different sources of information …

but then they’re looking to do some analysis and integrate some of

the research they find,” Brown said.

These projects were inspired by a CNN article titled “What would

make you care about Aleppo?” which used different media to convince

readers to care about an issue — specifically, the Syrian Civil War.

“The website … shows you all these pictures of people in Syria,

and then there’s videos and statistics, and ... the idea [is] like, ‘Would

you care now?’” Uscian said. “The idea behind the project was using

that as a format [to] make the students of Dougherty Valley care

about something you care about.”

The result was a myriad of projects, each focusing on issues

that Social Justice students felt passionate about.

Suraj Malhotra, Shakthi Subramaniam, Zoya Abidi and Haidar

Jafry selected the conflict in Kashmir, a region between Pakistan

and India that has been disputed by the two nations for the past

50 years. The project displayed a mask with the Pakistani flag on

one eye, the Indian flag on the other, blood smeared across it and

red tape covering its mouth.

Subramaniam explained that aside from creating awareness

and discussion, the project showed how “more important than how

proud you are of your country … all these people … are getting

hurt in the fighting.”

Though students are more exposed to the discourse around

school shootings than the Kashmir conflict, Leah Wang, Anoushka

Basu, Anikait Konatalapalli, Malavika Divakar and Hadas Tankel

believed that gun violence is still not discussed enough. Their poster,

which was displayed outside the administration office, featured a

school crossing sign with bloodstains, bullet holes and the words

“ARE WE NEXT?”.

“We needed to make it a little bit more extreme so people would

care about it. Otherwise, people will be like, ‘Oh, whatever,’” Basu said.

Elaborating, Konatalapalli explained how many students have

become desensitized to the issue.

“A lot of people have the thought or the idea that it’s not

something that we need to worry about because we live in the

area that we do,” Konatalapalli added. “I think our purpose was to

make people talk about the issue in a serious matter rather than

a joking matter, because I do see a lot of that around the school.”

Choosing another school-related issue, Nathan Nguyen, Sammi

Cha, Brittney Lum, Josh Downton and Dani Nolasco addressed vaping

in their poster. It was displayed next to the downstairs 1000

bathroom door and included statistics as well as physical Juul pods.

The group felt they had to discuss vaping because it is prevalent at

Dougherty and students are not aware of the health effects of vaping.

“People always think of cigarettes [as] just being so bad, with

tobacco and nicotine, and they don’t think Juuling is as bad,” Cha said.

One last project chose to focus on sexual assault, a pressing issue

for young women. Kim Shum, Leila Amiri, Katie Moore, Sami Frias

and Sam Mass’s display on victim shaming displayed a variety of

attire — from a crop top to a hoodie — on a clothing rack located

outside of the 1000 building. It featured a red Solo cup, common

questions asked to victims such as “What were you drinking?” and

various quotes from them.

Frias said that aside from the CNN website, other projects around

the country on victim shaming also motivated her group’s project.

“Some signs are called ‘What are you wearing?’ or ‘What was

she wearing?’ and it’s just clothes displayed [where] people write

their stories … We just wanted to take that, obviously, on a smaller

scale, make it our own and kind of explore,” Frias said.

Many projects covered delicate subjects that had to be dealt

with carefully. Because of this concern, DVHS administration —

represented by assistant principal Sarah-Acosta Landry — played

a role in producing these projects.

In addition to acting as a “sounding board” for project approval,

Landry also engaged with students to help them achieve the projects’

intended purposes. She considered factors as detailed as where the

projects would be displayed.

“Landry was interested in helping the kids get their message

across. She gave a lot of really good advice on ‘How do you make this

unique?’ and ‘How do you make this more powerful?’” Uscian said.

Landry felt that as an educator and administrator, she needed

to inspire students to “make a difference in the world.”

“What do you want your audience to do, see or feel when they

experience your exhibit or your installation” and “what are the

perspectives that you’ve considered?” are two common questions

she asked students.

Landry emphasized that the Social Justice students understand

the difference between their intended message and viewers’ personal

interpretations.

“You have to be very careful when you’re talking about sexual

assault or gun violence … so I asked them to consider, ‘How does

your project do a good job of raising awareness as opposed to

promoting something?’” Landry said.

Ultimately, most Social Justice students and teachers, as well

as Landry, agreed that the projects achieved their common goal of

spreading awareness and creating conversations on their topics.

Malhotra elaborated on a common question raised about his

group’s poster:

“One of my friends was like, ‘Wow, this is really cool [and]

interactive, but I don’t get the point of the mask.’ … I think people

Langbaum plans four-legged college

By Elisabeth Deplouys


For some high school students, the after school

sport of choice trades sneakers for boots.

At Monte Vista High School, senior Lauren

Langbaum has been riding for 13 years and recently

committed to UC Davis to ride on their NCAA division

equestrian program.

Langbaum rides at Brown Ranch, a boarding

facility and stable in Pleasanton.

“I ride at a boarding facility, so there’s a lot of

other types of riders and horses.” Langbaum said. “I’m

kind of the odd one out because I actually compete

and do something different than most of the horse

owners at the ranch I board at.”

Langbaum started riding young, and her passion

for the sport grew ever since.

“I started riding when I was 4 when my sister

and I had a peak interest in farm animals,” Langbaum

said. “I tried other sports like soccer and gymnastics

but horseback riding just stuck.”

Langbaum trains daily, and spends hours working

hard and riding constantly. Her practices work

on improving certain techniques and improving her

skills. For Langbaum, practices can last around 30

minutes to 3 hours.

She begins with warming up her horse, then

working on a few key things that she thinks both she

and her horse can benefit from. Once she is successful,

and feels that she made progress, the practice is over.

“I ride 7 days a week, riding multiple horses since

a lot of people have allowed me to ride their horses

to improve my skills,” Langbaum said.

Langbaum’s hard work and dedication have

paid off. She has won multiple awards and qualified

for several finals.

Some of her awards include winning 2018

NRCHA Derby youth champion, 2019 Reno SBF top

5 in youth limited and non pro limited, 2018 and

2019 NRCHA World Show qualifier, 2016-2017 AQHA

Lauren Langbaum on her horse “Little Soldado,” also known as Maddox. She is pictured competing in

a youth spectacular at the 2019 NRCHA Derby, and she placed 3rd overall. Photo courtesy of Lauren

Langbaum, Monte Vista High School.

world show qualifier, and being a multiple time class

winner in CCHA.

But despite her awards, college teams require

absolute dedication, and Langbaum had to cross

several barriers to be accepted for UCD.

She said colleges look for people who are able to

show they have mastered beyond their specific discipline,

and can ride multiple horses and still perform

under different circumstances then they are used to.

“Like any sport, being on a college team requires

your utmost attention to your sport,” Langbaum said.

“Colleges look for people that will suit their needs

and will be a successful team member. I had to show

more than I had before in order to prove myself a

strong candidate for UC Davis.”

Horseback riding is hard, and requires balance,

“I ride 7 days a week, riding multiple

horses to improve my skills,”

Langbaum said.

strength, and precision to compete at the level

Langbaum rides. Any change in body language will

affect your and your horse’s performance and behavior,

she said.

“You have to control and make a 1,200-pound

animal perform these tasks and the only form of

communication is your body,” she said. “It really makes

you think and be aware of so many minute details in

order to be successful.”

got a little confused … but the red tape on the mask symbolizes the

people of Kashmir being silenced to bloodshed torture.”

The vaping project also shocked some students and teachers.

“We did get feedback from a teacher when we were putting up

the poster, since she didn’t realize how many cigarettes were actually

put into … one pod,” Cha said. “I think it surprised everyone that

one pod equals 20 cigarettes or 30.”

Though many praised the projects for their social consciousness,

others were less enthusiastic. In an anonymous letter to DVHS

administration, four students expressed concerns about the projects’

effects on the student body.

One of their key criticisms was that the projects failed at their

goal of raising recognition, harming students’ sense of security at

school more than empowering them.

“If the creators of these displays are trying to create a safe

school culture by ‘raising awareness,’ this is not the way to accomplish

it,” the letter read. “Those with PTSD or who are triggered by

mentions of these subjects walk past these displays on practically

every corner of the campus, causing panic attacks, flashbacks and

general discomfort or discontent.”

Sympathetic to their claims, the students behind the victim

shaming awareness project explained how their project’s interpreted

meaning could differ from its intended meaning.

“The way [some people] took it, they thought we were saying,

‘Oh, only girls that wear minimal clothing and girls that are drunk

get raped’ … We tried to say anyone can … but those are [the]

people that get blamed the most,” Shum said.

Notably, the letter’s authors believed that many of their peers

shared their views.

“It was all of us and also people that I had talked to,” one

author said. “As people who are really involved in walkouts — for

the Parkland shooting two years ago — that stuff hit really hard.”

The letter specifically pointed out four specific projects for

“triggering” students.

Addressing an exhibit with “statistics on how members of the

LGBTQ+ community are more likely to be murdered, harassed and

discriminated against,” the letter said that “LGBTQ+ members at this

school already feel threatened enough … and openly displaying

how they might die does not help.”

Then, criticizing a chalk message in the quad that read something

to the effect of, “one out of every 5 women are sexually assaulted,”

the letter wrote: “The display has five circles, in which students can

stand in to ‘see’ if they will be raped. This is absolutely ludicrous, as

it is having young women stand in a circle which appears to decide

if you will be sexually assaulted or not.”

After discussing the victim shaming awareness project, the letter

lastly and most prominently condemned the school shooting poster,

particularly for the violent imagery it employed.

“Its purpose is likely to inform students about statistics of

school shootings, but … no student will look at this poster and be

inspired to make a difference,” the letter wrote. “In fact, the opposite

is happening. Students are avoiding this sign altogether by walking

a different route to prevent panic attacks.”

The authors later said that to alleviate the poster’s traumatic

By Stella Heo and Kayli Harley


What started as a mere vision in the minds of

the editors-in-chief of the Acalanes High School

student newspaper, The Blueprint, to create a

revamped publication has blossomed into a reality.

Moving from a black and white tabloid to a magazine

filled with color, The Blueprint is evolving.

After Advisor Natalie Moore and Editorsin-Chief

Nelson Rogers, Zoe Cate, and Charlotte

Glass presented their vision at

a Lafayette Partners in Education

board meeting last fall,

Lafayette Partners generously

granted Blueprint $17,000

to cover the costs of its new

magazine style.

Acalanes Partners is a

community foundation run by

parent volunteers that works to

provide educational opportunities

to Lafayette schools.

Acalanes Partners Co-

Chair Laura-Kate Rurka said

her group was impressed with

the ambition of the students

who collaborated to create the

magazine product.

“The board was really excited about the

student-led initiative to upgrade the format of

Blueprint and the fact that they spent their own

time over the summer getting together and really

coming up with a business plan. We really wanted

to be able to support that financially,” Rurka said.

The idea of converting the Blueprint print

product into a magazine has been sitting in the

minds of the student editors since this past summer.

Afterthe editors created and printed a physical

CC Spin

effects, they would have “remove[d] the bloodstains,” “the bullet

holes” and “the aggressive ‘ARE WE NEXT?’”.

“The bottom line is, these displays need to be taken down,”

the letter concluded.

After being received by Landry, the letter was then passed onto

Uscian and Love (Brown’s students’ projects were not presented

publicly on campus).

Uscian expressed her initial response to the letter as a sort of

balancing act between engaging the community and being sensitive

about topics such as sexual assault and gun violence. She also

noted that to the extent of her knowledge, there’s never been any

such criticism in previous years.

“I think part of the idea is that they make you feel uncomfortable,

right? That’s kind of part of the project,” she said. “But I also

… don’t want my students’ projects to give another [student] a

panic attack on the way to school.”

After reading the letter aloud to her first period Social Justice

students, Uscian initiated a discussion of her students’ opinions. While

some students agreed that they should have been more considerate,

others said they made their points the way they wanted to.

Indeed, Basu and Konatapalli acknowledged the letter’s point

regarding their school shooting poster. Nevertheless, they believed

that it wouldn’t cause real damage to students.

“When I was walking out of fourth period … I heard some

people making these comments about it. Some of them were, like,

‘Oh, that’s a bit extreme,’” Basu said. “At the same time, there weren’t

any specific accounts of anyone actually having a strong reaction,

like … [having] to avoid this part of the building because it might

trigger them. I feel like they kind of blew things out of proportion.”

Konatapalli said that even if it meant negative feedback, her

group would still have taken the extreme approach in order to spread

awareness. She called for students to judge only after evaluating

the poster’s real message.

“I would hope that the school takes a little more time to decide

on whether they’re angry at a poster for how they feel on it, or how

they fear other people would react … A lot of the negative reaction

that we did receive was other people speaking for what they

believed would happen and not what is happening,” Konatapalli said.

The creators of the victim shaming awareness project also responded

to the letter’s claims pertaining to their project. Though they

understood the writers’ argument, they believed it misinterpreted

their project’s message, particularly given that they had covered

their project with explanatory text cards.

One read, “Rape victims are still being interrogated about what

they were wearing at the time of assault, despite the fact that the

length of a woman’s skirt should never be seen as a measure of

her consent.”

Respecting the letter authors’ own interpretation of her group’s

project, Frias nevertheless offered a final clarification of the message

they intended to convey.

“Some people thought we were saying women shouldn’t be

wearing certain types of clothing,” she said. “The stories … explain

how we’re saying that it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing, it doesn’t

matter what you’re drinking; people can still be victims of rape.”

The Blueprint switches from

tabloid to magazine format

The Blueprint, new style on top of

the old style.

prototype in August, it was apparent that Blueprint

was fully capable of the transition.

The first step was to acquire an Acalanes Parent

Club grant to cover the costs of at least one issue.

Unlike previous Blueprint issues that cost between

$1,500 to $2,000 to print per issue, the new magazine

will cost around $3,000 to print.

With a grant that covers the more expensive

printing costs, Blueprint is still able to produce the

same number of print copies as it previously produced

when it was entirely self-funded.

“If we’re really going to

invest another $1,000 into

Blueprint, we want to be able

to actually see some genuine

improvement in what we do

in improving the quality of the

paper,” Rogers said.

The grant from Lafayette

Partners has the potential to

foster Blueprint’s growth not only

as a student newspaper but as an

established publication.

“Being able to produce a

magazine is incredible compared

to what we’ve done.

“This really takes it to the next

level and gives us a lot of graphical

freedom and really lets us make a product that has

its place in 21st-century journalism,” Rogers said.

Acalanes Principal Travis Bell praised the determination

of the students who formulated the idea

of the magazine as well as the dedication and time

required to make it happen.

“It’s done in a way that’s really mindful and

respectful of upholding those ethical standards in

journalism practice,” Bell said.

“Not to mention a high caliber, high-quality

product,” Bell said, “and constantly not just being

CC Spin

Libraries hit with

ransomware attack

By Liann Bielicki


It was just another normal day at Contra Costa County libraries on Jan. 3 until

a ransomware attack struck, forcing the libraries to close their systems and lock

out library patrons.

The problems persisted through Jan. 22, affecting all 26 community libraries

in Contra Costa County and the administrative office in Martinez.

“A lot of people rely on the WiFi and free services, and because of the ransomware

attack, it was harder for them to do every day work,” said California High sophomore

Richa Prabhakar, who studies at the library every week.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) website describes ransomware

as “a type of malicious software… designed to deny access to a computer system

or data until a ransom is paid.”

“One of the core tenets of libraries is privacy,” Cal High’s librarian Nicole Ogden

said. “[The incident ended up] highlighting to all of us that our data is not as secure

as we thought it was.

“You have to understand that there’s an inherent risk,” Ogden continued.

“Anything you transmit is available for hacking.”

The county library system sent patrons an email about the initial attack and

additional emails providing updates.

“It’s always wise to monitor your personal information on a regular basis,”

the email read.

The ransomware targeted the library catalog servers. In a statement emailed

on Jan 4., the public was assured that their personal information is secure.

“The library has no evidence that any personal patron data has been compromised,”

the email read. “The server that stores patron data related to library card

accounts and transactions was not affected.”

The library worked with local authorities and IT experts to resolve the issue.

“The affected servers have been taken offline,” the email read. “It may be

several days before all library services are fully operational.”

Senior Kendra Lin noted that the attack heavily impacted the community,

especially those who use library services like she does.

“[The library is] an important part of the city,” Lin said. “Students often go

there after school to study, and other children and adults rely on it to read and

check out books.”

She also said that while she was not worried about her personal information,

the ransomware attack likely scared many patrons.

All 26 community libraries remained open after the attack, with visitors checking

out and returning books as usual. But internet access and WiFi were shut down for

three weeks at all locations, and were only restored on Jan. 22.

“I think the biggest impact it had was on the online accounts,” Lin said. “No

one could log in to check their accounts, and they couldn’t put anything on hold

either. It was kind of inconvenient for me.”

This was a big hassle for students who use the library to study and do homework.

“When I [went] to write an essay, there [were] fewer computers instead of

the usual 30,” Prabhakar said.

With systems down, librarians switched to old-school methods of checking

out books. By keeping physical records of library card numbers, names, and ISBN

codes, librarians continued to loan books out although the catalog was down.

“Part of library use is access to technology,” Cal High librarian Stacey Quick

said. “Libraries and technology go together in ways to improve access to information

and resources.”

Ogden stressed the importance of protecting libraries, citing the ransomware

attack as evidence that library systems need help from the community in order to

match the obstacles of the 21st century.

“Libraries are one of the true democratic institutions of our country,” Ogden said.

“It’s up to our community to support libraries and fund the cybersecurity they need.”

“It’s nice to know if you ever need anything, you can go to the library,” said

Prabhakar.

Dress to impress!

By Vanessa Lakthanasuk Neuo

De Anza High School

Everyone’s style is different and everyone has their own taste. A person’s style

has a special meaning that’s demonstrated in how they dress and why they dress

their way. I interviewed three style mavens at De Anza High School to see how

they dress to impress!

Freshman Armon Daniels Westbrook

says his personality reflects his style

because he is “conceited” so “I make sure

I look good every day.

“Instagram models mostly inspire

me,” says Westbrook. Some of his favorite

brands and places to shop at are Jordan,

True Religion, Gucci, Ralph Lauren and

Fashion Nova. Westbrook likes to show

his creative side and that side shows “no

one is my fashion inspiration.”

Aaliyah Trotter

Sophomore Rosalie Phan says her personality reflects her style “because of my

lifestyle. I can wear any kind of color because at the end of the day I’m dressing for

me and only me.” She says whatever she wears people are still going to “judge me

regardless, so I dress how I like.”

Phan mostly shops at Zumiez, Pacsun, Forever 21, & Aeropostale. She says

brands aren’t important to her because “at the end of the day I’ll make it look good.”

Phan treats her outfit in the morning by “taking a jacket with me and taking it off

when it starts feeling warmer throughout the day.”

She says she would like to try “more like an ‘80s/’90s” kind of style, “maybe

for a rally day but that’s about it!” The ‘80s/’90s vibe isn’t really her style but she

would try it!

Senior Aaliyah Trotter. Trotter says her personality reflects on her style by

showing that she doesn’t care what anyone has to say

News

5

March 2020

In the kitchen at Pinole Valley High

By Elana Ignacio

Pinole Valley High School

It’s said that you can’t have your cake

and eat it, too. But at the Pinole Valley High

School Culinary Club, we know otherwise.

At the club’s Jan. 23 meeting we learned

to bake a chocolate cake with pink buttercream

frosting.

We started by gathering ingredients:

baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder,

salt, egg, water, vanilla extract, all-purpose

flour, chocolate milk, and sugar. We combined

the dry ingredients, then added egg, vanilla

extract, chocolate milk and water to the dry

mixture. When it was whisked together

we carefully divided the batter into three

small pans.

Once we put the pans in the oven, it was

time to make the buttercream frosting. We

added melted butter to a bowl and sifted

BSA welcomes females, undergoes growth

By Lauryn Leong


It’s official. Girls are now a part of the Boy Scouts, and Monte

Vista High School now has some of its own female scouts. This

major change is welcomed by many, but implementing it has

had its challenges.

The largest scouting organization in the United States

announced in 2017 it would open its program to both boys and

girls. This change was made official on Feb. 1, 2019, when girls

were finally able to join the organization. Boy Scouts changed

its official name to Scouts BSA.

Sophomore Madison Chamberlain joined Scouts BSA the

first day she became eligible, becoming part of a sister troop

tied to Troop 36 which meets at St. Timothy’s Church in Danville.

“My brother is an Eagle Scout,” Chamberlain said. “Seeing

him do all these cool adventures growing up made me want

to join part of the fun.”

Sophomore Sidney Kalin also joined Scouts BSA in hopes

of participating in more outdoor activities. Kalin is also part of

sister Troop 36 alongside Chamberlain.

“I’ve always enjoyed outdoor activities,” said Kalin. “Scouts

BSA was the program I was looking for to do such activities.”

Sister Troop 36 originally started with six girls, but the troop

has grown to 18 girls. Five of the scouts are from Monte Vista.

“A lot of them were also looking for more adventure than

what Girl Scouts was offering, so when they heard of the opportunity

to join Scouts BSA, they took it,” Chamberlain said.

“Some of them also have family who have also been involved

in Scouts.”

Although it’s been almost a year since girls have joined

Scouts BSA, even troops that have girl members are still

struggling to balance the needs of existing boys and the new

By Alex Ariker and Keith Johnson


For students facing the complications of block schedule,

telling time is a necessity. To ensure all classrooms have the

same time, the administration installed digital clocks in all

Acalanes High School classrooms recently.

Last year, many teachers had analog clocks in their classrooms.

While most of them kept accurate time, some teachers

brought their personal clocks to school with them.

According to Acalanes Principal Travis Bell, the entire

Acalanes Union High School District chose to install the new

clocks.

The Acalanes administration supported the decision.

“We wanted to make sure this is an integrated system that

will also have the bells and the all-call [the announcements],”

Principal Bell said. “We wanted to update that system because

not all places can hear the call.”

The digital clocks can be found in every class around

powdered sugar, adding the powdered

sugar little by little to make sure the frosting

didn’t have clumps. Then came the red food

coloring, which turned the frosting to pink.

We also added vanilla extract and chocolate

milk for more flavor.

After 40 to 50 minutes the cakes were

done. We let the cakes cool because if you

frost the cake while hot it can crumble and

fall apart. When the cakes cooled, we took

them from their pans and layered them on

each other, making a three-layered cake.

Then we coated, the cake with the pink

buttercream frosting

After frosting the cake, we sliced and

tried it. Though it took a while to make, it

was worth it because it was delicious.

If you’re a Pinole Valley student and have

an appetite for making tasty food, join The

Culinary Club. It meets Tuesdays for planning

and Thursdays for cooking.

campus and have given rise to a variety of opinions.

“I think looking at the hands and recognizing the digits

will help people tell time on the analog clocks, which is kind

of a lost art,” said English and French teacher Elyse Johnson.

While some teachers are against the new clocks, Spanish

teacher Heidi Skvarna has no preference between analog and

digital clocks.

“I like them both. I like the analog because it’s kind

of old-fashioned and I like the digital because it’s efficient,”

Skvarna said.

Video Production teacher Austin Briggs feels satisfied

with the new clocks for the most part, although he has one

complaint about them.

“I didn’t actually get to decide the placement of my clock

… It is right where my photos are and I did not know they were

going to put it there. If you look at it, the photos are disrupted

by the clock where the students’ work is,” Briggs said.

Additionally, teachers made note of the second function

as a potential distractor.

From VAPING Page 1

Shirai, on the other hand, believes that kids vape

to relieve stress.

“The vape detectors won’t really discourage

anyone from doing it,” a junior boy said.

Instead, he believes education is how school can

help students with their addiction.

“I think the school could inform students about

nic patches and gum,” he said.

Members of the Pinole Valley High School Culinary Club decorate a chocolate cake with

buttercream frosting. Photo by Angelina Vuong, Pinole Valley High School.

girls. Some troops aren’t even aware that they have a sister

troop tied to them.

“Only 20 percent of our troop is aware that we have a sister

troop,” said junior Brian Leong, who is a former senior patrol

leader and a current member of Troop 805 which meets at

Sycamore Valley Elementary School in Danville. “It’s unfortunate

that only Scouts in leadership positions are aware of this. This

is likely because we don’t meet together.”

Girls who have joined Scouts BSA not only have their

separate troop, but they also hold their separate meetings

instead of meeting with the original troop.

“We have separate meetings, but the program is the

same,” Chamberlain said. “The girls’ meetings and outings are

the same as the boys.”

The addition of girls to Scouts BSA hasn’t come without

controversy. While many are excited for the changes that lie

ahead, some think otherwise.

“I have heard lots of negative comments from former Boy

Scouts,” Chamberlain said. “Many boys have left Scouts BSA

since girls have joined.”

On the other hand, there are Scouts who welcomed these

girls with open arms.

“I’m friends with most of the boys [in our troop],” said Kalin.

“We have a pretty good culture.”

While Kalin is a Scout, she is also currently a Girl Scout

as well.

“Compared to Scouts BSA, Girls Scouts is more focused on

the arts,” Kalin said. “A lot of girls have been quitting as well,

which makes it less fun.”

Chamberlain was also a former Girl Scout for a few years

when she was younger.

“Our troop fizzled out due to a lack of people,” Chamberlain

said. “I never got back into it just because it wasn’t my thing.

I always wanted to do more adventurous activities, which is

what drew me to Scouts BSA instead.”

By joining Scouts BSA, girls now have the opportunity to

earn the prestigious Eagle Scout rank, the highest rank that

one can earn within the program. The Eagle Scout award is

recognized as a milestone of accomplishment across the country

and even the world.

However, that will be challenging for this first generation

of girls in Scouts BSA. That’s because it takes years for Scouts

to reach this rank. Traditionally, Scouts begin their work in 6th

grade and have until their 18th birthday to earn their Eagle

award. They have to complete seven ranks, each with its own

set of requirements. And once a Scout reaches the Life Scout

ranking, the sixth ranking, there are additional requirements

to reach the Eagle rank.

Since girls have just been accepted into Scouts BSA for less

than a year, it’s extremely hard for the older girls to complete all

the requirements in time. However, Scouts BSA implemented

a 24-month extension for new scouts who were between 16

to 18 years old on Feb. 1, 2019.

“There’s a definite increase in workload,” Chamberlain said.

“One challenge of having less time is that as a high schooler, I

deal with loads of homework and extracurriculars while also

having to do the bulk of the work for Scouts now.”

Sister Troop 36 is also aware of their Scouts and their busy

schedules, and they have made some changes in scheduling to

make Scouts BSA more flexible.

“The troop’s supportive,” Kalin said. “Our last meeting of

each month is optional for us if we want to continue working

on their merit badges and requirements.”

Although earning their Eagle awards in a shortened time

frame is a challenge for Scouts like Kalin and Chamberlain, they

said they welcomed it.

Block schedule prompts change to new clocks

“Attitude,” she says. “ I believe I’m going to do

what makes me happy and feel at my best.”

Trotter treats her outfit by depending. “If I been

having an outfit that I have been wanting to wear

for a long time but it’s raining, I’m going to say

forget mother

nature because

I know it’ll still

look good.”

Trotter

He describes his style mostly modern.

shops anywhere;

from

Ralph Lauren

to the thrift

store or Ross.

“There’s no difference,

they’re

Rosalie Phan

all clothes,” she says. A look that she would like to try

is a real gothic look with “ leather pants, chains, and

combat boots.” Overall Trotter has a beautiful and

interesting style!

Vaping solution

Survey

average

“I find that students are more likely to count down the

seconds of a class period than they have been previously,” English

teacher James Muñoz said. “It draws more attention than having

a second hand on the [analog] clock does.”

Some teachers even go so far as to cover up parts of their

clock with a sticky note or by taping a piece of paper over it.

“I chose to cover up the seconds because the constant

ticking of the time changing made me nervous. The swooping

hand on the analog clock doesn’t bother me,” Johnson said.

Others consider this function a useful teaching material.

“I like the seconds feature because sometimes for teaching,

it does come down to the wire,” Skvarna said.

Muñoz believes the clocks show Acalanes’ attempts to

modernize campus.

“I think sometimes students feel like teachers are using

archaic forms of education. To feel like there’s an integration of

new technology reminds them that we are investing constantly

in updating education through what is physically in the school

and the curriculum itself,” Muñoz said.

How Likely Would You Be to

Fill Out the Census Form?

2%

5%

25%

38%

30%

3%

10%

33%

32%

22%

18-34

35-44

45-64

Notes: All estimates were rounded so that the sum of estimates equals 100 percent.

2%

6%

30%

35%

27%

2%

4%

23%

39%

32%

3%

4%

20%

40%

33%

65 and

older

Not at all likely

Not too likely

Somewhat likely

Very likely

Extremely likely

Source: 2020 Census Barriers, Attitudes,

and Motivators Study (CBAMS)

Public Use Microdata Sample

“Couple” icon by Freepik from www.flaticon.com. From the Noun Project: Congress by MRFA · Family by Gan Khoon Lay · Education by Victoria · Library by Rauan.

6

March 2020

News

Voting opportunities available to county teenagers

By Sophia Puentes

or on parole for a felony.


Students can register online at the California government

website at www.registertovote.ca.gov.

Numerous Contra Costa high school students will have an opportunity

Students who choose to register online will need a California

to vote in the California presidential primary on March 3 driver’s license or California ID number, the last four digits of their

and in the 2020 presidential election in November.

Social Security number, and date of birth.

Polls open for the California primary at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Students may also register through a paper registration application,

Primary elections are a preliminary task in the process of

which can be accessed at a county elections office, DMV,

nominating a candidate for president. They allow voters to choose library, and U.S post offices. Paper voter registration applications

a candidate of preference and then narrow the field of candidates. must be filled out and mailed to a county elections office no later

American government teacher Tasneem Khan has helped than 15 days before the election.

hundreds of students register to vote for about 10 years now. “I “I want to vote because this is my country and I want my country

tell students, if you guys don’t go out and make your voices heard to be led by a strong and capable person,” senior Ryan Senjit said.

someone else will. Do your civic duty,” Khan said.

Voters are asked to select a political party preference and can

Like Khan, AP government teacher Brandon Andrews hopes only vote for the political party they have put as their preference

students understand the importance of their civic duty.“By voting, when registering to vote.

you’re giving a better representation of what America thinks,” Voters who registered to vote and did not state a political party

Andrews said.

preference are known as No Party Preference (NPP) voters. For

In order to vote in the California primary and general election, presidential primary elections, NPP voters will receive a non-partisan

students have to be registered.

ballot that does not include presidential candidates. The nonpartisan

Once students have registered to vote, they do not need to ballot includes the names of candidates for voter-nominated offices

re-register unless they change their name, home address, mailing and local nonpartisan offices and measures.

address, or political party preference.

If students are not registered with a preference for a political

Students who have not registered and want to vote in the party but want to vote in the presidential primary, the Democratic

California primary in March must meet the basic requirements: be Party, Libertarian Party, and the American Independent Party allow

a United States citizen and a resident of California, be 18 years or

them to vote in their presidential primary. But the Republican

older on election day, and not currently in state or federal prison primary is closed to people who are not registered as Republicans.

Teacher rides span the spectrum

By Anthony Santa Maria and Cameron Roth


If students would like to vote for another qualified political

party’s presidential primary, they must re-register to vote and

choose the political party they prefer.

If students are not old enough to vote, they can pre-register as

long as they are 16 or 17 years old and meet all the requirements to

vote. If students pre-register, they will be automatically registered

to vote when they turn 18.

Once the election days arrive, students may vote at polling

places indicated on their voter registration packet or by mail.

Those who choose to vote-by mail have to request a vote-by- mail

ballot from their county elections office no more than seven days

before the election.

The last day county elections officials will accept any voter’s

application for a vote-by-mail ballots for the primary is Feb. 25.

A vote-by mail ballot must arrive at a county elections office

no later than March 6, three days after the primary. If students

don’t think their vote by mail ballot will arrive at a county elections

office on time, they can bring it to a polling place in their county

on election day.

Contra Costa County has 646,360 registered voters, according

to the county website.

Around 61.4 percent of the citizen voting-age population voted

in the 2016 presidential election, according to the U.S Census Bureau.

“People just complain about things not happening but voting

equals change. Everyone has that right once their 18 and everyone

should use it,” Kutrosky said about the importance of voting.

The U.S Census Bureau also reported that only 46.1 percent of

The Monte Vista High School parking lots are filled with

cars costing millions of dollars. Students seem to take great

pride in their forms of transportation and show them off. But

what about teachers?

Math teacher Yvonne Spilker doesn’t mess around when it

comes to speed. It may come as a surprise to people, but she

has one of the fastest cars in the lot. Her 2006 Dodge Charger

Daytona is beyond compare. Having 350 horsepower, and

reaching 60 miles in under six seconds, it was one of the fastest

on the cars on the market in 2006.

With vibrant yellow base color and black racing stripes the

car doesn’t fail to turn heads. According to Spliker, the Dodge

community refers to her Charger as “Top Banana.”

“I needed a car with power,” Spilker said. “It just sails.”

And no, Spliker isn’t sailing down Hartz Avenue in Downtown

Danville with Top Banana; she said she is a law-abiding

citizen who would never speed. Although that’s not to say that

she doesn’t enjoy the speed that her Charger has. She explained

“The Tank” is one of five bicycles Monte Vista High School economics teacher Greg “Mr. Bike” Blandino used to ride to

school. Photo by Cameron Roth, Monte Vista High School

how it was nice to have a quick car in order to be able to slip out

of tight spots and out of the way of large trucks on the freeway.

Spilker made it clear that buying the car “was mostly for

safety,” although she enjoys zipping past slow cars.

Long-time economics teacher Greg “Mr. Bike” Blandino has

a slightly different way of transportation. Three times a week

Blandino rides one of his five bicycles to school. According to

Blandino, he rides on Mondays because it “gets him going for

the week,” Wednesdays because “it’s hump-day,” and Friday

because “yahooo.”

How does he choose which bike to take?

“It depends on my mood,” Blandino said. “But I usually take

my tank. It goes anywhere.”

Blandino’s “tank” isn’t a machine made famous by the first

and second World Wars, but one of the names he has given to

his bikes. The bike is a rugged tealish color with white taped

handles and classic black rubber tires.

Like an actual tank, his bike has a few gadgets on the

handle bar such as a speedometer.

Blandino said he’s had the bike for five years, but the frame

(the main part of the bike) is from 1993.

“I bought it for pennies off Craigslist and rebuilt it into the

tank,” Blandino said. “It weighs about the weight of a tank.”

“Mr. Bike” does drive cars but has racked up some impressive

miles on his bikes.

His bikes “ have a couple hundred thousand miles on

them,” Blandino said. “My car has more though. It’s hard to go

to Montana on a bike.”

Tarantulas in the Bay Area? Yeah!

By Paola Campos

De Anza High School

Just in time for spooky season last fall, the warm

weather brought out tarantulas around the Bay Area. Most

of the year they live underground and are nocturnal, but in

autumn they come out at all hours on the search for female

tarantulas to mate with.

The species of tarantulas roaming around the bay is the

Aphonopelma iodius, according to SF Bay Wildlife. These

spiders have unfriendly fangs and hairs all around them

that serve as protection against predators. Luckily, male

tarantulas only live 8 to 10 years, and die within 6 months

after mating season.

A tarantula’s sting is similar to a bee sting and isn’t really

poisonous; some people have reactions while others don’t.

But because they are quite hesitant to bite humans, you can

consider them gentle giants.

Those of you that have arachnophobia may want to steer

clear of warmer places in the Bay. Mostly the East Bay -- Mount

Diablo, Sunol Regional Park, and Henry Coe State Park -- are

filled with tarantulas.

Various places hold reserved tours for spider enthusiast

to watch these tarantulas in action. Particularly on Mount

Diablo, rangers have been protecting tarantulas, since they

have a lot of tarantulas living on the mountain.

Generally, tarantula mating season begins in late August,

but because of people going on trails, it disturbs the tarantula’s

habitat, which causes the spiders to take an extra week or two

to begin mating season.

Mount Diablo, where most tarantulas reside, has limited

the amount of visitors on some trails. This has allowed for

mating season to come back in full swing.

A Chilean rose-hair tarantula (above) is on

display at Harry's Big Adventure: My Bug World at

Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Illinois on May 16,

2012. (Keri Wiginton/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

A female tarantula, (left) about fist-sized, crawls

around in her enclosure at the Austin Nature and

Science Center. (Eli MadaliI/American-Statesman/

MCT)

By Julia Poole and Allie Marcu


CC Spin

18-29 year old’s voted in the 2016 presidential election.

“Political participation is on the decline,” said Andrews, who

reviews the primary election process in his AP Government classes.

“Little things matter like the midterm elections.”

Andrews also hopes students understand that their individual

vote counts and is important to the democratic process.

Lafayette’s ravenous

pigs destroy rec field

Rabid raccoons, psycho squirrels, and dazed deer live among the quirky

wildlife in the Bay Area. Joining the ranks is an infestation of feral pigs that last

fall demanded the attention of many Lafayette residents.

These pigs caused significant damage to the Lafayette Community Field,

leaving behind dangerous potholes and forcing local sports teams to cancel games

on the Saint Mary’s Road. field.

“We had to move to Stanley middle school for the rest of the season in order

to continue our games,” junior and local soccer player Torin Cate said.

According to John Krause, a wildlife biologist for the California Department

of Fish and Wildlife), feral pigs are common in the East Bay.

“Particularly in the fall and during the dry season they work their way into

residential areas to take advantage of rich food resources,” Krause said. Then

“neighborhoods surrounding the hills are often more attractive than dried-out

open land where they usually feed.”

Although the pigs have always lived in the Lamorinda area, Jonathan Katayangi,

Director of Lafayette’s Parks, Trails, and Recreation, said that he and his coworkers

have never seen damage to this extent.

“Fish and Wildlife say that we do and always have lived with them since the

Spanish brought them over in the 1700s. Neighbors would see them from time

to time but they have never done this much damage before,” Katayanagi said.

Sophomore Audrey Jaunrubenis witnessed the damage firsthand.

“The feral pigs ripped up our front lawn and the neighbor’s across the street

from us. Their whole grass yard was totally dug up,” Jaunrubenis said. She lives in

Lafayette Estates, which is located near the Lafayette Community Park.

Katayanagi caught the pigs mid-snack a few days after he discovered the

damage at the Lafayette Community Park. He traveled through the park in a car

to avoid the potentially aggressive feral pigs.

“When we arrived at the park we discovered that a user had left a gate open

and the pigs had found their way onto the field, hence the need for self-closing

gates. Not only were they on the field, but they were also all around the playing

area. We estimate there were over 25 pigs present that night of all ages and sizes,”

Katayanagi said.

“If you see a pig in a residential neighborhood, Fish and Wildlife staff

recommends doing what you can to safely chase them off. You can install fencing

or other structural barriers to keep pigs off your property,” Krause said. “If you have

a lawn, you can reduce watering so it’s less appealing as a food source. Cayenne

pepper can also work as a deterrent.”

CONTRA COSTA

CENSUS

2020

WHY

WHO

WHAT

WHEN

HOW

WHERE

The “Where and How to Vote” page of the California

Secretary of State’s website, https://www.sos.ca.gov/

elections/where-and-how/ connects you directly to your

polling place.

Billions of dollars for our:

Count Me In!

Political Power

Schools Healthcare Children &

Families

Housing Transportation

• One Census form should be completed for all residents in each household

Complete Count

Committee

• The United States constitution requires all residents to complete the Census form

every 10 years

• Under the Law, the U.S. Census Bureau cannot share an individual’s Census data with

the public, state or local governments, immigration enforcement, or other

• The questionnaire takes about 15 minutes, with large household taking longer, and

asks ten questions about: address, age, race, and relationship to the other residents

in the household

• Census 2020 begins online in mid-March 2020

• Starting in May 2020, Census workers will begin going door-to-door to households

who have not completed the Census to ask them to respond

All households will receive a postcard in the mail with instructions about how to take the

Census through the following options:

Online Phone Paper

By computer, tablet,

By a 1-800 number

or smart phone

Available In

English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Tagalog,

Polish, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Japanese

At home

At the library

Households can

request a paper form

Printed In

English & Spanish

At community locations to be

announced in early 2020!

For more information visit www.contracosta.ca.gov/census2020 or email kristine.solseng@dcd.cccounty.us

CC Spin

News

7

March 2020

Powell takes over reins of Dougherty Valley High School

By Daniel Shen and Caroline Lobel


Soph looks forward to

turning ‘4’ on leap year

By Adelaide Berrett


Not many students at Northgate are turning 4 this year. None, in fact, except

sophomore Daniel Pikovskiy. Pikovskiy was born on Feb. 29, 2004. Because the

29th only comes every four years, in a leap year, he will celebrate on his actual

date of birth for the fourth time. Most years, he celebrates on March 1.

When asked if there is a difference between those he celebrates on his actual

birthday -- ages 4, 8, 12 and this year 16 -- and the other three in between,

Pikovskiy replied, “Not really because I don’t think about my birthday that much.”

Pikovskiy attended Foothill Middle School when he turned 12, and more

friends were aware. “It was a lot more people saying ‘happy birthday’ to me. And

it was cooler because it was the actual day,” he said.

What even is a leap year? While the Gregorian calendar most countries use

has 365 days, Earth actually circles the sun in 365.25 days. We add a day to the

calendar - leap day - every four years to keep the astronomical seasons on track

with the calendar.

Julius Caesar created the concept of leap year over 2,000 years ago. According

to timeanddate.com, he made one major mistake. The original concept stated that

any year that was evenly divided by four would be a leap year. As one can probably

imagine, this resulted in too many leap years; ultimately this rule was amended

1,500 years later, adding that century years must be divisible by 400. Thus 1700,

1800 and 1900 were not leap years, but 1600 and 2000 were.

So, how many people are born on a leap day? According to online information,

a baby has a one in 1,461 chances of being born on that day. Statistics show

there were 187,000 people born on such days in the United States as of 2016, and

about 4 million worldwide.

There are some cultural legends associated with leap day. According to one,

if a man was taking too long in Fifth Century Ireland to propose to his love, then

the woman could propose to him on leap year day. If the man refused, he had

to give her compensation in the form of “a kiss, a silk dress, one to twelve silk

dresses, one to twelve silk gloves, or the sum of one pound,” according to online

magazine Bustle.

Pikovskiy said he doesn’t have any big plans to celebrate the actual date of

his birth this year for when he turns 4, even though the day will be a Saturday

with no school. “But the next day I have tickets to the Warriors game,” he said.

So he will be celebrating his birthday this year on March 1 as he did for the

past three years and as he will for the next three years until Thursday Feb. 29,

2024, when he will turn 20 -- or 5, depending on how you count.

From RACIST INCICDENTS Page 1

doesn’t happen to them.” As a result, some students may overlook

the issue due to the perceived distance.

These incidents are not the first sequence of racist and hate

events at Monte Vista and the surrounding community. Four years

ago, the words “colored” and “white” were scrawled over urinals in

one of the men’s bathrooms. Additionally, swastikas repeatedly

appeared on classroom desks.

Although these events occurred a few years ago, students and

teachers say that the underlying issue is apparent and continuous.

According to the school’s web site, Monte Vista’s student demographic

for the 2019-2020 school year is: 60 percent Caucasian, 18.8 percent

Asian, 8.7 percent Hispanic, 0.6 percent African American and less

than 12.8 percent Native American, Cambodian, Guamanian and

Pacific Islander. This racial disproportionality increases the difficulty

of grappling with the issue.

Robinson, who is African-American, said when he moved from

Seattle to Danville in his freshman year, he had to adjust to this

different environment.

“Initially, people didn’t directly use slurs to my face, but earlier

this year, I was called the n-word by a student who was trying to use

it to be funny,” Robinson said. “It was a shock to me because it was

my first incident, but I’m aware the n-word is frequently used here.”

The Twitter video not only attracted the attention of Bay Area

media but has led to a renewed effort by the school’s “Equity Squad.”

This group was formed at Monte Vista 18 months ago in a workshop

with Courageous Conversations, an organization that strives to help

Since replacing Dave Kravitz as permanent principal of Dougherty

Valley High School, Evan Powell has quickly reacquainted with

the community and taken up many of his predecessor’s efforts to

support the school’s students.

Evan Powell replaced Dave Kravitz as permanent principal of

Dougherty Valley High School on Nov. 20 after approval by the San

Ramon Valley Unified School District Board of Education.

The administrative change was one of multiple rearrangements

involving middle schools Windemere Ranch and Los Cerros and high

schools California and Dougherty Valley. Kravitz joined the district

office as the Director of Secondary Education.

Powell has returned to the school that first employed him.

From 2007 to 2012, he taught in Dougherty’s athletic department;

since then, he’s served as assistant principal at Monte Vista and

principal at Los Cerros.

“I’ve been gone seven and a half years,” Powell said. “I’m excited

for what the school has become, and all the great accomplishments

that the students and staff have put together.”

At Los Cerros, Powell’s initiatives included a full bell schedule

change, grade reforms and test score improvements. Most importantly,

he “fostered a community of respect” with “high expectations

and well-behaved students.”

Moving to Dougherty, he has continued Kravitz’s endeavors in

helping students discover their dreams and convictions. “The one

big thing I would really like is to understand where our students are

going … I really want to get information on what they wish they

would have known or done differently in high school,” Powell said.

At the same time, he hopes to build trust in the community and

create a sense of purpose. While leading Dougherty to be, “literally,

the best high school in the state,” he also hopes that students explore

every available option while they can.

“When I was in high school, I stopped playing baseball my

sophomore year. I had two great seasons, [but I] wish I ran track

and field. I wish I played football,” he said. “So there’s things … I

just didn’t do. And once you’re out, you can’t go back.”

Powell says that nurturing school spirit and mutual encouragement

is the first step toward helping students.

“When the school starts supporting, it goes a long way for

morale,” Powell said. “So it’s really important that we work together

and support each other. Get that ASB pass at the beginning of the

year and go to everything.”

Before becoming assistant principal at Dougherty in 2013,

Kravitz spent 27 years as a coach and teacher at Cal and San Ramon

Valley High. In fall 2016, he took up the principal position at Dougherty

upon Daniel Hillman’s move to the district office.

At Dougherty, Kravitz headed efforts to improve student and

staff wellness, encouraging community members to understand

what motivates them while emphasizing work-life balance. In

leading this endeavor, Kravitz learned much about what defines

Dougherty.

“Academics is a focus for our community … and that’s great,”

Kravitz said. “But we have blossomed into a school that is way more

than just academics. Whether it be our athletics, fine arts programs,

clubs, our leadership program … Students have taken advantage of

them and ran with them further than we ever thought they would go.”

Kravitz has kept in touch with Powell on both administrative

logistics and school culture. Simultaneously, Powell has connected

with students in hallways and worked with “staff, students and

parents to find out what we want for a 1-3 year plan together.”

Ultimately, Kravitz said that what he misses most about

Dougherty is “the people.”

“The people whom I work with are phenomenal in so many

ways … I’m amazed by not only [student] achievement … but the

care that … our staff has for our students and our students have for

each other,” he said. “That welcoming attitude of staff and students

together has been something I’ve been very blessed to be a part of.”

Hands-on classes greatly benefit Miramonte students

By Skyler Lee


In the current job market, companies look for more than a

potential hire’s education to determine if they are right for the

position. Now more than ever, organizations seek employees

with applicable, real-world skills beyond purely traditional

intelligence.

To this end, many high schools in the United States have

classes centered on Career Technology Education (CTE) to expose

students to practical skills needed to succeed in the professional

world. Students and the administration in the Acalanes Union

High School District must continue to emphasize and offer

classes that teach hands on skills.

Currently, the district offers a variety of these classes.

Miramonte has Journalism, Oral Interpretation, Foods,

Computer Pro- graming, Sports Medicine, Digital Electronics,

Introduction to Engineering Design, and Introduction to

Digital Design.

Stacy Churchill currently teaches Digital Design and Introduction

to Engineering Design, both of which are considered

CTE classes. “These courses train students using real-world

From VAPING Page 1

in my break and have to wait in a line of 10 girls because the

big stall is full of girls vaping. I am forced to leave my class to

use the restroom which frustrates my teachers when I have

to ask at the beginning of class,” junior Stephanie Dolan said.

“It is very frustrating at times when people need the

restroom but can’t because people are vaping in 2 or 3 of

the 5 stalls. It’s your choice to vape but just don’t do it when

it’s during the bathroom rush,” one senior said.

Unlike the boys bathroom, where campus supervisor

John Fow- ley can periodically check to see if students are

vaping, the girls bathroom lacks frequent security checks.

While a female security guard might help, assigning willing

female staff members to monitor the bathrooms during

“people of all races achieve their highest levels and live their most

empowered and powerful lives.”

A version of the Equity Squad exists at each high school in the

San Ramon Valley Unified School District (SRVUSD), but each is built

on the school’s desires and needs.

English teacher Kimberly Gilles, a member of the Equity Squad,

said she is unsettled by the incidents that have occurred on Monte

Vista’s campus.

“It is in some ways worse than I’ve seen it in 32 years,” she said.

“What’s happening now really alarms me.”

Robinson said he believes that the problem stems from people

not being educated on or exposed to different cultures and ethnicities.

Most of the time, students have established conclusions by the time

they reach high school, so it is difficult to change those presumptions.

“In this area, it can be difficult to find fresh perspectives in regards

to race,” he said. “At some point, you become certain of what you

know. It’s challenging to change our mindsets and be untaught to

hate because our brains become ingrained in particular thoughts.”

Educating students about their choice in using vernacular

language is challenging when the same references are used casually

in popular culture. Scates said he noticed the influence that the

entertainment industry has on young people.

“When students listen to a song, read a book or hear celebrities

use African-American slang, they often justify themselves to use

it,” he said. “It’s hard to avoid these terms because nearly everyone

listens to music, reads and watches movies.”

Gilles and her colleagues say they are determined to confront

the problem and devise a solution. “This is when we get busy,” Gilles

industry skills including critical thinking, communication skills,

and positive work mindsets, all things employers are looking

for in their workers,” Churchill said.

Another class that offers real-life training for students

is WISE (Wise Individualized Senior Experience). WISE is an

English 4 class taught by Steve Poling and can be taken senior

year. Throughout the first semester, students learn an English

4 curriculum at an accelerated pace. During second semester,

students spend their time off campus, pursuing a career of

their choice. Many students choose to do an internship that

fits with their career interests.

“Wise is super fun because it gives us the opportunity to

try something new that isn’t a regular English class, and we get

to explore our interests. I’m going to be coaching gymnastics at

Luna Gymnastics for my internship,” senior Kate Blanchard said.

Blanchard competed with the team at Luna for many

years, and she sees it as a perfect place to expand her coaching

abilities and gain applicable skills.

“It’ll be fun to experience that side of it after competing,

and I’m excited to work with the kids,” Blanchard said.

Campolindo and Acalanes high schools also have several

unique options, such as Architectural Design, Wood Technology,

breaks would also deter vaping on campus.

“I try to frequent in bathrooms as much as I can. It would

be great if we could devote some female staff members to do

some rounds,” Associate Principal Sara Harris said.

Miramonte has recently taken meaningful strides to provide

services for addicted students. “I do believe Miramonte

is trying– we work with our community group ADAPT who

strives in exten- sive education for students and parents,

we have instituted academy sessions put on by Stanford

University to educate students with our registered nurse

about how harmful drugs and addiction can be.

“We monitor as much as we can and try to keep the

campus safe. We hold parent information nights and attend

training frequently as a staff to educate our students,”

Harris said.

said. “We don’t get bitter or scared and we don’t give up. We roll up

our sleeves and get to work.”

Gilles and the other members of Monte Vista’s Equity Squad –

English teachers Carrie Leadingham and Stephen Brooks and math

teacher Anthony Peña – are partnering with educators in the district

to gauge the student perspective that adults often lack and to build

lessons on interpersonal communication.

“Administration probably only hears about a fraction of these

incidents, and we are concerned that these infamous, individual

instances overshadow the racist encounters that happen day to

day,” Brooks said. “I hope we don’t ever get to the point where we

think we’re done with our job because it is an ongoing struggle.”

Brooks and his colleagues have been meeting periodically with

district board members and teachers to discuss issues of race and

equity as they relate to teaching, learning and diversifying cultures

of SRVUSD campuses. “Our goal is to create capacity and tools for

district staff to deal with issues that arise,” Brooks said. “These

include how to have conversations with students about race and

how to approach the tensions. We want to provide mental tools in

the way we train ourselves to think and speak.”

Scates reflected on these new efforts, attesting that they will

establish “a safer place” for all students at Monte Vista.

“More teachers should be addressing racism, so it’s reassuring

that the Equity Squad is comprised of teachers who are willing to

make an impact,” Scates said. “When students see teachers attempting

to change the way we view one another, [we will collectively]

promote equality on our campus.”

In addition to the Equity Squad’s agenda, Monte Vista’s Site

Evan Powell (right) enters Dougherty Valley as permanent

principal. Former principal Dave Kravitz (left) is set to become

SRVUSD’s new Director of Secondary Education. Photo by

Caroline Lobel, Dougherty Valley High School.

“Wise is super fun because it gives us the

opportunity to try something new that

isn’t a regular English class, and we get to

explore our interests.”

and two levels of Auto Shop. Students have opportunities to

work on various design projects whether designing the optimal

office space, building household furniture, or rebuilding an

engine. These real-life projects ultimately allow students to

apply skills they learn in class to a real-world setting.

These CTE classes teach valuable life skills, especially for

one’s career and college experience. Vocational classes are an

important step in many students’ careers, as it gives them

practical and technical skills while also emulating their future

employment experiences.

Overall, they contribute to Miramonte’s mission statement:

“Educate every student to excel and contribute in a

global society.”

Schools confront vaping crisis with monitoring

However, these efforts can only be effective if students

acknowledge that vaping is a prevalent issue, become

informed about the resources available to them, and make

a personal decision to avoid e-cigarette products.

Students need to rise above the popular pressure to

partake in actions that pose real threats to their health.

The safety of such a young and vulnerable population is

at risk. The goal of pursuing stricter surveillance isn’t to punish

more students, but to preemptively stop the consequences

before they become a crisis.

“We have legal obligations to follow through with

discipline, but I want to make sure we are also equipped to

help our students get through the addiction phase with

good knowledge and understanding of the drug itself,”

Associate Principal Harris said.

Racist incidents roil the Monte Vista community

Council met in December to discuss the episodes of racial prejudice

and came up with propositions of its own. The Site Council consists

of five students, five parents, nine teachers and members of the

school’s administration. They convene monthly to share their concerns

about the school’s climate.

“Parents discussed their frustrations at how racist incidents are

still prevalent during the public comment portion of our meeting,

and we plan to dive more into that,” said junior Rachel Eizner, a

student on the council.

Teachers and parents at the meeting were discouraged that

many students are not holding their peers accountable, Eizner said.

When students feel that they can dismiss repercussions in smaller

social settings, a chain reaction occurs which leads to surges of

racist thought.

“I’ve definitely heard about racist incidents but never truly

witnessed them because they happen in smaller groups where

there are fewer consequences,” Eizner said.

Gilles said he hopes to forge the way to a place of deeper

understanding for her and her students. “I refuse to be complacent

in racism by doing nothing,” she said. “If I do nothing and say nothing,

I am complacent. I’m part of the problem. It’s time for [us] to

assume some of the responsibility.”

The BSU said it hopes to initiate a support system for students

of color and to educate students who have not experienced racial

prejudice. “Our goal is to leave a strong foundation to ensure that

our voices continue to be heard for generations,” Scates said. “There’s

very little we can do to erase racism, but we want to dilute it as

much as we can.”

D-PO-LG-EN-043

8

March 2020

By Manahil Rizvi


The increasingly volatile conflict between Iran and U.S. and

increasing tensions has affected the lives and families of some

Monte Vista High School students of Iranian descent.

In January, just days before a missile attack that killed Iranian

Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani and several other Iraqi militia officials,

Sophomore Enayah Aamir was at the Baghdad International Airport

where the drone strike occurred.

“I was there at the airport five days before the missile hit,” Aamir

said. “But when the missile hit I was in Najsg, a little farther from it.”

Aamir was visiting both Iran and Iraq for a holy pilgrimage

(ziyarat) with her local mosque.

While she and the members of her group were safe from the

attack, she witnessed the burial procession because it went through

Najaf a few days after the Jan. 3 strike.

“They were taking the bodies -- General Soleimani’s and four

others -- to famous sites and graves to pay respects,” Aamir said.

“And since the other four bodies were being buried at the mosque

right next to my hotel, it took us longer to leave.”

Aamir described the streets as cordoned off as people gathered

to mourn the deceased. This and flight delays at the airport kept

Aamir and her family uncertain about when they could leave. The

U.S. government and Iranian citizens were telling them they needed

to leave as soon as possible in order to make it home safely.

“We were wondering if we would even be able to leave because

we were U.S. citizens in a country that was bombed by the U.S.,”

Aamir said.

(President Trump authorized the killing of General Suleimani,

who was Iran’s top security and intelligence commander.)

After some difficulty, Aamir, her family and other members of

the holy pilgrimage were able to leave. But they would encounter

more delays upon their return to the U.S. and going through customs.

“Since we were with our molana [priest] who goes there all the

time, he was interrogated for hours,” Aamir said.

Sophomore Jasmine Rezaei, who is Iranian-American, was

also impacted by the attack. Recently her grandmother’s visa was

cleared, she received a green card and she came to the U.S. four

days before the attack.

But other family members, including Rezaei’s grandfather and

uncle, had stayed behind in Tehan for work-related reasons. Now

News

they won’t be able to join her grandmother any time soon.

Aamir said that it’s hard for non-Iranian citizens to empathize

with the hardships and see the destruction being caused by the

U.S.-Iran conflict.

“We live in a bubble here,” Aamir said. “What you hear is what you

hear but since I went all the way there it really opened up my eyes.”

She said the experience of being there changed her. She said

she became aware of the amount of collateral damage the attack

caused innocent civilians.

“When we think of going to war we’re only thinking about

the government but not the people or innocent lives,” Aamir said.

“I felt really angry because I had witnessed it first hand,” she

added. “Little kids and people in the streets are barely living off of

anything already.”

Although frustrated with the current situation, Aamir said

she recognizes how lucky she is to be a U.S. citizen and living here.

But she wants Americans to learn more about what is happening

elsewhere in the world.

“Here, everyone’s eyes are closed because they just take in what

they hear and don’t bother to do more research,” she said. “People

should be more aware.”

CC Spin

Area students impacted by intense U.S.-Iran conflict

Source: Federation of American Scientists, BBC, missiledefenseadvocacy.org Graphic: Staff, TNS

Young California High activist fights for sustainability

By Avni Kalur


Senior Caelan Chamberlain has made a huge impact on California

High School with her effort to help the environment.

Chamberlain’s main projects include last month’s clothing

swap and advocating for the use of biodegradable utensils in the

cafeteria earlier this year.

“Switching to biodegradable utensils really shows that one

person can make a difference,” said senior Anjana Kumar, who is

close friends with Chamberlain.

“She is really aiming to make the world a better place,” Kumar

said.

In order to switch to more environmentally friendly utensils,

Chamberlain researched alternatives for plastic, like biodegradable

material.

Chamberlain said she learned about some options, then emailed

Cal’s principal, Megan Keefer, who then emailed the director of child

nutrition at the district to set up a meeting.

After the meeting, Chamberlain researched the brand Cal was

using and found an alternative called Enviroware, which takes 10

years to decompose in

a landfill.

“While this [was]

not the best option, it

was very much better

than the kind that the

district puts in the

elementary schools,”

Chamberlain said.

In addition to the

switch from plastic to

biodegradable utensils,

Chamberlain had

other ideas in mind,

such as renewable

fashion.

“I condemn fast

fashion, like Forever 21 or Target because the clothing they make

is cheap and will not last,” Chamberlain said. “I think you can get

as good clothing for cheaper by thrifting or swapping clothing.”

After Chamberlain made a

jean jacket out of recycled jeans,

she began to gain more interest in

sustainable fashion.

Because of this interest, Chamberlain

hosted the school’s inaugural

clothing swap the week before

Thanksgiving break.

She worked with Needle Earth,

an organization that helps to set

up clothing swaps in high schools.

“I planned this clothing swap by

first putting up flyers and collecting

bins to hold the [donated] clothing,”

Chamberlain said. “We collected for

two weeks.”

Chamberlain raffled off sustainably-made

beanie babies as an incentive to donate. Chamberlain

said the beanie babies were made out of thrifted fabric filled with

Church comes to a high school campus

By Jamie Lattin


Although most students avoid school on weekends,

some may have noticed the tall banners and clusters of

people gathering on campus every Sunday. This crowd is

Fellowship Church, a Christian organization that meets

weekly at Acalanes High School.

The church began meeting at Acalanes in April 2018

“It probably was about a year of communication from

them on wanting to try to come into the school and figure

out what that [relationship] would look like and working with

the district to figure out how that would play out,” Acalanes

Principal Travis Bell said.

Pastors Shaun and Diana Nepstad founded Fellowship

Church in Antioch in 2002. The church’s expansion to

Acalanes was engineered in order to accommodate 5,000

new members of the quick-growing institution.

“Especially in this area where the property values are

so high it’s hard to acquire property for organizations like a

church. I think it’s pretty common to use other areas where

they rent [space],” Bell said.

Acalanes has rented space to other organizations in the

past, including Scout troops and colleges.

Although Fellowship church is a religious organization,

it is permitted to congregate at Acalanes according to U.S.

By Cayley O’Brien


Baby Boomers, the generation born between

1946 and 1964, recently came under fire for their

political views and social intolerance.

In recent months, the term “boomer” has fueled

a generational battle between the baby boomers

and younger generations. The phrase “OK Boomer”

has gained popularity among Generation Z teens

and Millennials; its purpose is to degrade the baby

boomer whose opinions or perspectives are considered

antiquated or generally conservative. It hits at

baby boomers inaction about current crises such as

climate change or gender inequality.

Although the phrase started out as a joke, some

baby boomers have taken offense at the phrase,

claiming it is derogatory toward older people. But

both younger generations and the older generation

need to recognize that a phrase doesn’t summarize

an entire generation.

Who is characterized as a “boomer” and what

is said to be a “boomer moment” differs from

Supreme Court decisions.

Both Lamb’s Chapel v. Center Moriches Union Free School

District and Good News Club v. Milford Central School held

that allowing religious organizations to meet at public

schools was constitutional if a number of conditions were

met, based on the hours the organizations meet and past

rentals of the school’s space.

Nonetheless, the use of public schools by religious organizations

continues to be a hotly debated issue. Administrators

strive to clarify that their rental to Fellowship Church is not

an endorsement of religion.

“I think that our communication is really clear. We also

really make sure that the church isn’t putting anything on

there like ‘Acalanes Fellowship Church’. It’s just a fellowship

church that meets at Acalanes High School,” Bell said.

According to its website, the church is focused on hope

and healing through Jesus. Attendees undergo a four-step

growth track to become official members of the church. This

growth track examines how God can use each individual to

make a difference and eventually presents participants with

an opportunity to join the Dream Team.

“Dream Team are just people that serve during the

service and then through the week on church activities.

I’m one of the leaders for the prayer team,” church member

Gary Kingsbury said.

“If anyone comes to the service and wants individual

what most believe. Although “boomer” has been

historically used to refer to people born between

the mid -1940s and the mid-1960s, it has recently

transformed into a term that refers to anyone with

conservative or outdated opinions.

For example, anti-abortion advocates and

climate change deniers are often dubbed “boomers”

regardless of age.

But the term is not always aimed to offend. According

to Miramonte senior Julia Lang, a “boomer

moment” can be a small misunderstanding between

teens and the older person.

“I told my grandparents that I’m applying to the

UCs and they don’t really understand that schools are

hard to get into so they kept telling me, ‘Oh that’s

great you’ll definitely get in.’ I’d say that was an OK

Boomer moment,” Lang said.

“I think the phrase is funny because a lot of the

older generation doesn’t understand the culture

that Generation Z has developed. It’s relatable for

many teens to just lightly make fun of the older

generations. Most people don’t mean any harm.”

People from older generations often disagree

one-on-one prayer, our team prays with them. And then

during the week, if they ask for prayer on the phone or email

our people respond to their request and meet with them if

necessary,” Kingsbury said.

The church employs private security equipped with firearms

during church services in order to protect its members.

Students have varying degrees of comfort with the

presence of guns on campus.

Junior Nick Emtage first noticed the security when

picking up a textbook during the weekend.

“I walked right next to the guards and I did actually at that

time recognize that they had weapons on them,” Emtage said.

Many Acalanes students are unaffected by the presence

of armed security on campus. “It doesn’t make me nervous

that they would bring firearms onto campus if it’s just for

protection, especially if they’re a private gathering,” junior

Michael Castelli said.

According to Associate Vice-Principal Andrea Powers,

the Lafayette Police Department has met each guard and

approved them.

Acalanes’s relationship with the church is projected to

continue for the foreseeable future.

“They have filed the appropriate paperwork and have

the appropriate insurance and are doing their thing on

a Sunday. I think they are doing what they do best and I

support that,” Bell said.

with fashion and what is appropriate, such as piercings

and tattoos.

“I get comments from my grandparents about

what I’m wearing or how I’m sitting but I wouldn’t

necessarily say they are trying to be disrespectful.

They just see the world differently than I do,” senior

Sonya Harrison said.

The phrase is teens’ defense mechanism. “We

are all teenagers growing up and it’s hard to see the

world from others’ points of view,” Harrison said.

Although not always easy to understand, there

are valuable lessons to be learned across generations.

“I think it’s really important to have conversations

with people from older generations to understand

why they are the way the are,” Harrison said.

A closer look may reveal that teens have more

in common with older people than they think.

“I think it is important to have conversations

with older generations because sometimes our

generation tends to get wrapped up in trying to be

as socially progressive as possible and we stray away

from issues that are more pressing or immediate.

There’s a lot we can learn,” junior Mia Cohen said.

Art by Reese Whipple, Miramonte High School

Shahab-3 missile

A U.S. Defense Department report describes Iran’s missile forces

as the largest in the Middle East, comprising mainly short-range

and medium-range missiles. The Shahab-3 has the longest range

at up to 1,250 miles.

Source: Xxxxxx

Graphic: Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Med.

Sea

TURKEY

Current version

Range

1,250 mi.

Caspian

Sea

Tehran

Persian

Gulf

Origin: Based on North Korean Nodong missile

Height: 52.5 ft.

Diameter: 4.4 ft.

SAUDI

ARABIA

Warhead: 1,680 lbs.-2,600 lbs

Range: 620 mi.-1,250 mi.

IRAN

Engine: Liquid propellant rocket

Launch vehicle

INDIA

rice and beans. After collecting clothes, Chamberlain stored the bins

at her house while sorting them by size with a group of volunteers.

Many clothes were donated and lots of students were seen on

the school’s stage during lunch, picking up new clothes.

All of the extra clothing will be donated to the Purple Heart

Army, an organization that sells clothes to thrift stores for people

with family in the Army. “Starting the clothing swap was great as

it really builds community,” Kumar said.

Chamberlain’s motivation for starting her projects was influenced

heavily by her friends.

Chamberlain has created a clothing swap committee so she

can host more swaps later in the year. She has been working with

biomedical science teacher Joanna Condon to continue this project.

“[Chamberlain] has always been thoughtful about her place in

the world and the impact on the planet,” Condon said.

“Starting the clothing swap was great as it really

builds community,” Kumar said.

Love can shape your future.

On the 2020 Census, you’ll have the option to identify a

relationship as same-sex—informing community planning

for families and providing vital statistics to advocates and

policymakers who work on LGBTQ+ issues.

For more information, visit:

2020CENSUS.GOV

‘OK Boomer’ meme fuels intergenerational clash

EVERYONE COUNTS!

Census 2020

A CC SPIN SPECIAL SECTION

Art by Allie Marcu, Acalanes High School

D-PO-GP-EN-047

C2

March 2020

2020 Census

CC Spin

Many teens unaware of pending 2020 Census

By Shruthi Narayanan


“I have heard of the census, but I don’t know what it is,”

Dougherty Valley High School sophomore Sydney Mock said. “I

think it’s a document?”

“Even though I know what the census is, I don’t know why it’s

important,” Saadhvi Natarajan, another sophomore at Dougherty

Valley, said.

Mock and Natarajan aren’t alone in their knowledge of the

2020 U.S. Census, which began in late March. Out of 20 students

randomly surveyed recently at Dougherty Valley, 17 said they

didn’t know what the census was. Even after they were provided

with a definition – “The U.S. census counts every resident in the

United States and every 10 years” –15 of the students said they

hadn’t heard of this.

According to the Pew Research Center, “31 percent of 18-29

year-olds say they have never heard of the U.S. Census, and 17

percent say they are still unfamiliar with it even when it is described

as the count of all people living in the country.”

This is a big problem.

“Participating in the census is in everyone’s best interest

because the information on the forms is used by decision-makers

to determine which communities, schools, hospitals and roads

need federal funding,” wrote Dave Roos, a journalist, in his article,

“How the Census Works,” published on the HowStuffWorks web site

which contains explanations of how things work. Roos noted that

By Izabella Ge

San Ramon Valley High School

California is spending big on the 2020 Census, with amounts

totaling $187.2 million. The stakes have never been higher for the

Democrat-controlled state and serious efforts are being funneled

towards obtaining an accurate count of every resident.

One major concern behind the state’s hefty spending is the

possibility of losing a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

According to the Census Bureau’s 2019 population projections,

California could lose one of its current 53 seats.

“We could stand to lose anywhere from one to two congressional

seats,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, in a Los Angeles

Times article, and that could impact traditionally underserved communities

such as where African American and Latino residents live.

The U.S. Constitution requires a census be taken of “every

person” every 10 years on the zero number year and, based on

population change or movement, electoral districts to be redrawn.

If there is no change or movement, then the district stays the same.

Democratic counties often record smaller populations while

Republican counties benefit from increasing populations, explained

Jeff Davis, an Advanced Placement Government and U.S. History

teacher at San Ramon Valley High School. In the past, this has

provided Republicans with the power to redistrict states in a way so

that Republicans are likely to be elected to the legislature.

Using census data, Republicans set up “safe-seat districts”

that were overwhelming Republican, Davis said. That allowed

them to gain control of the U.S. House and Senate in 2012. While

the Democrats may have received more popular votes, Republicans

won more districts.

“A political district is a geographic area from which voters choose

representatives,” Davis said. “For the U.S. Senate, for example, the

entire state is the district. But for the U.S. House of Representatives,

the state has to be divided into districts. For California, that’s 53

districts or 53 representatives.”

Davis said an undercount of the California population benefits

the Republicans because those who get missed are often hard-tocount

communities such as immigrants who generally are more

supportive of Democrats and their social policies.

For this reason, Democrats and immigrant activist groups have

charged the Republican Party of deliberately trying to keep immigrants

from being counted in the census. The Republicans have a

history “of trying to prevent every person from being counted,” said

Maria Alegria, chair of the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County.

Alegria cited the Trump administration’s failed effort to include

a question about citizenship on the census questionnaire as an

example.

“This has never been asked, and in my opinion was an effort

to intimidate individuals who are undocumented or noncitizens,”

she said.

Matt Shupe, chair of the Republican Party of Contra Costa

County, said of this criticism: “I don’t think it’s fair to say that.” He

added, “I believe that when it comes to districts, as far as voting,

Your responses are safe.

Your responses to the 2020 Census will never be shared

with other government agencies. It’s the law. It’s also an

oath every Census Bureau employee must swear to uphold.


2020CENSUS.GOV

California mounts statewide effort for 2020 census

only citizens can vote [therefore] they should be proportioned in a

way that represents American citizens.”

The census does not merely represent the nation’s population,

but a central debate between the Republicans and Democrats

as to whether undocumented immigrants are welcome in this

country. Democrats have been more supportive of accommodating

undocumented immigrants.

“We are a nation of immigrants,” said Alegria. “After all, the

U.S. Constitution was drafted by immigrants who fled England and

a king.” Moreover, “everyone in America should be treated fairly and

with dignity, regardless of their status,” she said.

Both Alegria and Shupe said they wanted an accurate count

in Contra Costa. “Every resident needs to be counted and we

deserve t o have our fair share of federal and state funding for our

resid ents,” said Alegria.

“I think that it is incredibly important every census is accurate

because the census essentially shapes how our government and

budget is run,” said Shupe. “It decides how many congressional

districts each state gets. How we allocate resources is reliant on an

accurate census count.”

Izabella Ge is a junior and a member of the school’s vjournalism

club.

Census officials say state could lose congressional seat

By Faizan Azhar, Nihal Singh, Soham Kinhikar


U.S. Bureau Census officials predict California will lose a seat

in the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in history

following the decennial census due to an exodus out of California

over the past decade.

Representation in the House is proportional to the population

of each state. California currently has 53 of the 435 seats, making it

the most represented state in Congress.

“We predict California to lose a member in the House of Representatives

this year,” Bay Area Census Bureau media specialist

Josh Green said.

California will still have the largest congressional delegation

by a wide margin, leading the second most represented state of

Texas’s 36 seats by 17. However, the loss of one seat may still have

GAO estimates this will be the most expensive census ever

By Nicholas Harvey


The U.S. Government Accountability Office estimates the 2020

census will cost $15.6 billion. If this estimate proves to be correct, the

census is on track to be the most expensive in U.S. history, beating

the runner-up 2010 Census cost of over $12 billion.

And some steps being taken to help reduce cost -- such as adding

the option of filling out the census online -- have introduced new risks.

The census cost has risen over the past few decades, even when

adjusting for inflation and population size. The 1990 Census cost

$49.20 per household to conduct (in 2019 dollars) while the current

estimate for the 2020 Census is a per household cost of $121.30.

(The census is conducted on the scale of households, not

individuals).

The 2020 Census Lifecycle Cost Estimate Executive Summary,

issued by the Census Bureau in 2017, outlined eight reasons for the

cost increase: constrained fiscal environment; rapidly changing

use of technology; information explosion; declining response rates;

distrust in government; increasingly diverse population: informal,

complex living arrangements; and, a mobile population.

by participating in the census one can improve public places and

allow people to live better lives.

Johann Somerville, a Dougherty Valley U.S. history teacher,

noted that the census is used for many things. He said it provides

invaluable data to governments which helps them make important

decisions that affect nearly everyone in the U.S. He said the census

“helps us understand how each community is comprised demographically.”

Then, for example, the data can help governments

“give funding to areas that have a lower income level.”

Somerville, who covers the census as part of his curriculum,

said, “It decides what the appropriate number of members of

the House of Representatives there should be per state. It’s even

more important because it helps appropriate billions of dollars of

funding to each state.”

Many young people, however, fail to see the importance of the

census. The Pew Research Center found that fewer than half of

people younger than 30 said the census is very important for the

country. “I personally am just not interested in the census,” Mock

said. “All of the statistics don’t seem very interesting to me.”

Some may argue that teenagers can be forgiven for being

unaware. After all, they were very young when the last census was

held. But educators and others concerned about civic life say it’s

never too early for young people to learn about events that impact

their lives and communities.

Somerville said that voting districts and federal funding

changes, based on census results, and that “businesses around the

country rely on census results to make decisions, such as where to

ramifications on the broader political spectrum, especially if it is

filled by a non-Democrat.

Currently California’s delegation is comprised of 45 Democrats

and six Republicans, with two vacancies. With the House of Representatives

split 197 Republicans, 232 Democrats, with one independent

and five vacant seats, the Democrats hold a house majority. As the

blue state of California begins to lose representation this opens

the chance of spots being filled by Republicans, threatening the

Democratic house majority.

Over the past 10 years, charts by the Public Policy Institute of

California show that the state’s population growth rate has decreased

by greater than 50 percent. This is due to an immense increase in

people moving out of the state. In 2019, nearly 700,000 people

left California for destinations such as Texas, Arizona and Colorado.

These states are predicted to gain representatives, according to

published reports.

Another concern raised by the National Research Council in

1995, and still valid today, is a change from paying temporary census

workers, who are called enumerators, by each assignment to paying

hourly. The NRC pointed out that workers with little oversight can

take advantage of hourly pay by intentionally working slowly and

driving up costs.

The new census is using new helpful methods that may reduce

some costs. For example, this will be the first census to allow every

person to take it online. A trial census was conducted online in 2000,

but that was only available to a limited population.

“Once you scale up [the online census], it is much more efficient,”

said Joshua Green, a Bay Area media specialist with the U.S Census.

“It’s much cheaper because the more people take it online, the fewer

enumerators you have to hire, you’ll have to send less paper, and

you are saving on human resources.”

Moving the census online lowers costs by reducing the amount

of paper census forms that need to be transcribed by hand, as

well as making it easier and cheaper to give the census in minority

languages. In contrast to the two languages being used in census

paper forms and mailing, the online census will be conducted in

13 languages.

open new stores, restaurants, factories, or offices; where to expand

operations; where to recruit employees; and which products and

services to offer,” all of which affect teenagers’ lives in major ways.

To work on solving this issue, there are a multitude of steps to

be taken. For one, people can work on educating teenagers about

the census, allowing them to be more aware about its existence and

what it entails. The government can also do outreach programs in

high schools that increase awareness of the census and help students

understand its importance.

A program called “Statistics in Schools” makes interactive,

informative, and interesting activities and resources for schoolaged

children using census data in order to better educate them

about the importance of the census. This allows schools to receive

better funding, thus incentivizing them to continue teaching

about the census.

“We need to educate the public on this topic, which in my

opinion can be taken care of outside the classroom,” Somerville

said. “More time needs to be spent explaining what the census is

and how it helps.”

The Census Bureau has taken a number of steps to encourage

educating teenagers about the census. For example, it made a

community outreach tool kit available that schools can use in their

curriculum to increase young people’s general understanding of

the census.

The importance of the census may be overlooked in today’s

world, but “in an era of misinformation,” it’s more important than

ever, Somerville said. Census information “helps us truly fight for

María Alegría, Chair,

Democratic Party of

Contra Costa County.

Matt Shrupe, Chair,

Republican Party of Contra

Costa County.

“I love California; it’s just not the Golden State in my eyes

anymore,” said Susanna Cardenas-Lopez in a Calmatters.org article.

Cardenas-Lopez left Salinas for Idaho.

Cardenas-Lopez, along with countless others who are leaving

California, point to this theme: financial restraints. Studies show

that the majority of people leaving the Golden State are composed

of low and middle-income households. California’s rising cost of

living makes it increasingly difficult for people. In other states, the

average income may be significantly lower, but the immense gap

in cost of living creates a much more stable life for many.

California’s housing crisis is another reason why people are leaving

the state. According to a Bloomberg article the median price home

recently reached more than $600,000, double the national figure.

“About 32 percent of households in California can afford to buy

a median-priced home,” said Oscar Wei, the Realtor Association’s

senior economist and director of research, in the same Calmatters .org

However, with digitalization comes the threat of hackers,

which poses its own monetary costs to fix. During a test of online

U.S. census systems in 2018, Russian IP addresses were able to

access portions of the system that were supposed to remain away

from public eyes, according to a Reuters article which interviewed

two directly involved security officials. One of the two officials

also mentioned a separate incident, where a census site IP address

experienced a domain name service (DNS) attack.

Although no known damage was caused by these attacks, it

suggests the census could be at the receiving end of hacks. Online

censuses have been hacked before in other parts of the world, to

the detriment of taxpayers.

When Australia rolled out its first online census in 2016, a distributed

denial of service (DDOS) attack disabled the census website

for days, which resulted in a total increased cost of $21 million.

Another way malicious actors can hijack census statistics is

using sophisticated algorithms to determine the information of

specific people by extrapolating from published census statistics.

“Hackers are pretty sophisticated; it’s an arms race, you have

to keep up,” said Green when referring to protecting the integrity

of the online census.

what we are owed and what we deserve, and we can’t have it taken

away from us without even a fight.”

To learn more about resources in this story, go to:

https://people.howstuffworks.com/census.htm

https://www.ichabodcrane.org/wp-content/

uploads/2019/11/2020-Census-Stats-in-Schools.pdf

https://www.census.gov/partners/toolkit.pdf

Shruthi Narayanan is a sophomore and staff writer on her school

newspaper, The Wildcat Tribune.

article. If California does lose a seat, a reapportionment committee

will decide how to redraw district lines. The National Conference

of State Legislatures states this committee will be made up of five

Democrats, five Republicans and four from neither party.

To learn more about resources in this story go to:

https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2020/01/notthe-golden-state-anymore-middle-and-low-income-peopleleaving-california/

https://www.ncsl.org/research/redistricting/5-trendsshaping-redistricting.aspx

https://www.bloomberg.com/

graphics/2019-california-housing-crisis/

Faizan Azhar, Nihal Singh and Soham Kinhikar are sophomores and

staff writers on the school newspaper, The Wildcat Tribune.

The 2020 Census will be using a new, state-of-the-art technique

called “differential privacy” to reduce the risks of this occurring.

“To do this, you randomize the data so no algorithm can trace

the data back to anyone, and the data is still accurate,” said Green.

The 2020 Census will also be using satellite imagery to canvas.

This is the process of compiling the addresses of Americans in order

to conduct the census, which should help reduce costs by decreasing

the need for personnel to canvas on the ground. Canvassing in the

field will only be conducted when satellite imagery fails to accurately

assess addresses, according to the Census Bureau.

Social media is also an increasingly important part of promoting

the census at a lower cost. According to the Census Bureau, 29.1

percent of the 2020 Census’ media budget is for digital advertising.

For the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau said it is required by

law to reuse data already held by other government organizations

in conducting the census in order to reduce costs. This data is and

will be confidential.

To watch a tutorial on how census data and privacy are protected,

go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT19VwBAqKA

Nicholas Harvey is a sophomore and a reporter on the student

paper, The Californian.

D-PO-GP-EN-046

CC Spin

2020 Census

C3

March 2020

Census takers on front line of decennial count

By Clara Stevenson


This year’s census can be done over the phone, online, or on a

paper form. But the fourth and final way dates all the way back to

1790 when the first census was taken: people go out to houses to

help people complete the census.

Those people are known traditionally as census takers, although

today’s official job title is enumerators. They are sent to households

where people haven’t filled out the census form using any of the

first three options.

Linda Marshall-Smith, a Los Angeles-based partnership specialist

for the 2020 Census, was a census taker and a manager of

census takers in the 2010 Census. She talked about what it takes to

be a census taker and what you can expect working for the census.

“It’s a really good job, especially if it’s one of your first jobs

because it’s great for your resume that you’ve worked for the federal

government,” she said.

“It’s also a good job for students 18 and older because you can

do it after school,” Marshall-Smith said. “You can make your own

hours as long as you get the job done.”

The current pay for a census taker in the Bay Area ranges

from $21 to $30 an hour. In Contra Costa County, it’s $25 an hour,

according to the Census Bureau.

Marshall-Smith said census takers are assigned to go to

CENSUS 101: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The 2020 Census is closer than you think!

Here’s a quick refresher of what it is and why it’s essential that everyone is counted.

Everyone

counts.

The census

counts every

person living in

the U.S. once,

only once, and in

the right place.

It’s about

$675 billion.

The distribution of

more than $675 billion

in federal funds,

grants and support to

states, counties and

communities are

based on census data.

That money is spent on

schools, hospitals,

roads, public works and

other vital programs.

It’s in the

constitution.

The U.S. Constitution mandates

that everyone in the country be

counted every 10 years. The first

census was in 1790.

It’s about fair

representation.

Every 10 years,

the results of the

census are used to

reapportion the

House of

Representatives,

determining how

many seats each

state gets.

It’s about

redistricting.

Taking part is

your civic duty.

Completing the census

is mandatory: it’s a way

to participate in our

democracy and say

“I COUNT!”

After each decade’s census, state

officials redraw the boundaries of the

congressional and state legislative

districts in their states to account for

population shifts.

Three census tips

By Clara Stevenson


Linda Marshall-Smith, a partnership specialist for the 2020 census, said there

are three important things to keep in mind about participating in the count.

“First, it’s easy. There are many different ways to do it: by phone, on the

computer, on a printed form, or with a census taker.

“Second it’s safe. Everyone’s information is protected and we keep everyone’s

privacy confidential.”

“Third, it’s important. The census and population count determines how many

representatives in the House each state will get … and it determines the boundaries

of the voting districts for the next 10 years (this is called redistricting). Then,

over $675 billion dollars a year gets distributed to states and local communities

services, and it’s all based on population count.

“That’s why it’s very important that we count everyone in the community

because the population count determines how much money your county gets.

That’s why we need to count everyone once and only once. Those are the three

things to remember.”

Five reasons a

robust decennial

census benefits all

1. It is a foundational tenet of our democracy.

2. It determines how to allocate spending for

many federally funded programs.

3. It determines legislative districts and ensures

accurate representation in Congress.

4. It is the foundation for important data

products and projections for the rest of the

decade.

5. It is a key information source for all groups and

stakeholders.

–U.S. Census Bureau

households in areas near where they live so they don’t have to

travel far. Since you are located to work near your home, it is a great

way to meet people and engage with members of your community,

she said, adding sometimes you can find some really nice people.

“One time I was invited to go inside and it was a big family and

I was there for quite some time and they made me lunch,” she said.

You might even get to meet a furry friend along the way, she

said. “Another time I went inside and I made good friends with the

doggy who gave me kisses the whole time.”

But she added that not everyone can be trusted. “You have to

be aware of your surroundings because some dogs may not be as

nice. And you have to be aware of things in your surroundings. You

need to know how to deal with those types of situations and the

training you get helps you to deal with those types of situations.”

Marshall-Smith said there’s plenty of training. “There will

be classroom training, self-study training and person-to-person

training. Even after your training, you also get accompanied by a

supervisor on your first time out.”

Marshall-Smith explained that the first notices to people to fill

out the census form are sent out in mid-March. The Census Bureau

tracks who fills out the census and then mails reminders to those

who haven’t completed the form.

After several reminders to households that didn’t respond,

“then we’ll send the census takers out,” she said.

The bulk of hiring for census takers took place earlier this year,

We keep your data

like you keep your

kids. Safe and secure.

All 2020 Census responses are kept confidential and

private. It’s the law. Your responses cannot be shared

and cannot be used against you by any government

agency or court in any way.


2020CENSUS.GOV

but hiring continues through the summer. The last day to fill out

the census is July 31, 2020.

The number of census takers that will be hired depends on

how many cases are leftover in an area. For example, if Contra

Costa County has only five percent of the houses left to complete

the census by a certain time, fewer census takers will be needed,

Marshall-Smith said. On the other hand, if only 25 percent has

completed the census, a lot more census takers will be needed to

handle the remaining 75 percent.

Once out in the field, census takers follow a procedure in asking

people to fill out the form. They enter the data directly into a

little computer, iPad or iPhone, if completed in English or Spanish.

But the census takers will provide paper forms if the respondent

prefers that, Marshall-Smith said. It takes about 10 minutes for an

individual to answer the nine questions.

Before becoming a full-time employee for the Census Bureau,

Marshall-Smith had a career in marketing and collecting data. “I

thought of the Census Bureau as the granddaddy of all research

because we collect data, so working for the census has always

been a treat for me.”

To apply to be a census taker you must be 18-years-old and a

U.S. citizen. For more information visit www.2020census.gov/jobs.

Clara Stevenson is a senior and a writing editor for the Ygnacio

Valley High School yearbook.

INFORMACIÓN BÁSICA SOBRE EL CENSO:

LO QUE USTED NECESITA SABER

Todos

cuentan.

El censo cuenta a

todas las personas

que viven en los

Estados Unidos una

vez, solo una vez y

en el lugar correcto.

Se trata de

$675 mil

millones.

La distribución de

más de $675 mil

millones de fondos

federales, subsidios y

apoyo a los estados,

condados y comunidades

se basa en los datos del

censo.

Ese dinero se usa para

escuelas, hospitales,

carreteras, obras públicas

y otros programas vitales.

Census Bureau Partnership Specialist Linda Marshall-Smith

at a booth set up at a Carson City festival, where she helped

promote the 2020 Census and recruited census takers. Photo

Courtesy of Linda Marshall-Smith.

Some Contra Costa residents are anxious about

what the census could mean for their families

By Siddhant Gupta


While many American’s enthusiastically fill out their census

forms every decade, some immigrants to our nation fear the

government may use their responses to track them, oppress

them and even deport them.

This group of individuals include people who don’t know

the purpose of the census, people who migrated illegally,

or immigrants from countries with oppressive governments

where citizens fear the government having their information.

Many of these immigrants live with family members who will

be faced with the decision on whether or not to include their

immigrant relatives on their census question.

One 20-year-old undocumented immigrant, who immigrated

to the United States last summer, said his family would

not count him when they fill out their census in spring. (He

asked that his identity not be revealed.)

“Never,” the immigrant said, “I don’t want the government

to have any personal information about me.”

The Contra Costa County census team said it is aware of

these circumstances and it is working with various groups to

try to achieve complete coverage.

“People may have been asylum seekers, undocumented,

or persecuted in their country of origin and the biggest source

of anxiety for these immigrants is the prospect of government

officials coming to the door of where they live,” said Ali Saidi,

deputy public defender and director of Stand Together Contra

Costa, a rapid response and immigrant advocacy organization

run through the public defender’s office. “The stakes have

never been higher for immigrant communities under assault

by the rhetoric and legal aggression of federal government.”

Saidi said the now-removed question of citizenship on the

census was an explicit attempt at census suppression in order

to reduce the representation of the immigrant community. He

believes this effort can be countered by naming it for what it

is, encouraging people to exercise the right to participate in

democracy and standing together as one community.

He said Stand Together Contra Costa’s mission goes beyond

giving adequate representation and federal resources to immigrant

communities. Participating in the census serves as a

first step into integrating immigrants into the civic institution

and democracy. The organization provides free community

outreach and legal services year round.

“If we did a better job throughout the decade – not just

when the decade turns – making sure everyone in our community

regardless of immigration status, socioeconomic status,

race or language, has access to our civic institutions and government

and are incorporated into our systems and resources, they

will become stakeholders in a common enterprise,” said Saida.

“Then hard-to-count communities in this census will not be

hard to count next time around.”


https://standtogethercontracosta.org/about/ourprogram/

Siddhant Gupta is a senior and managing editor of the

student newspaper, The Californian.

Census welcomes you in 59 unique languages

By Sabrina Contreras


Many non-English speakers don’t participate in the census

for a variety of reasons. Some may not understand how to

participate, while others simply don’t feel the need to.

With language being a barrier, many non-English speakers

feel isolated from the community. Some might even be skeptical

about being questioned during the census since they are so

used to being isolated.

“I don’t like to be part of that stuff because I don’t want

the people and the government to know stuff about me,” said

Francisco Diaz, who just moved here from Venezuela. The

20-year-old works at Pizza My Heart in San Ramon.

Diaz understands English but is still having a hard time

speaking it. (In an interview, Diaz spoke in choppy English,

but a few words were translated from Spanish because he is

still learning the language.)

The barrier language can lead to a loss of trust from those

who don’t speak English. “I can’t even talk to the cashier at the

grocery store,” said Elda Arrieche, 83. “How am I supposed to

participate in something like [the census]”

Arrieche also moved to San Ramon

recently from Venezuela with her husband,

Victor Arrieche. The couple speaks no English

and were interviewed in Spanish. They are

living with their daughter who is fluent in

both English and Spanish.

Victor Arrieche said they came to escape

the crisis Venezuela is facing under Nicolas

Maduro who is serving as president but who

the Arrieches regard as a dictator.

Immigrants such as the Arrieches and

Diaz said their experiences in their home

country contributed to them not wanting

to participate in something run by the

government.

“I’m more Venezuelan than I am

American,” said Victor Arrieche, who has

lived in the U.S for half a year. He said he

would have preferred to have stayed in

Venezuela, but with crime at its peak and

food shortages, he agreed to live with his

daughter for the time being.

More than 40 languages are spoken in

Contra Costa County, according to the county

government’s web site. Around 150,000

residents do not speak English, which is

more than the population of the county’s

largest city, Concord: 130,000.

The most common non-English language

spoken in Contra Costa is Spanish, according to county

data. Around 18 percent of the county’s population are native

Spanish speakers, some of whom don’t speak English at all

while others are bilingual.

Reaching non-English-speaking residents is important

because an accurate count determines how much federal

dollars come to the community to support essential services

such as road repairs and schools, said Joshua Green, a media

specialist for the Census Bureau who helps citizens with questions

in the Bay Area.

“It’s important to participate in the census because every

community should get its fair share of federal funding,” said

Green. “Also, every community deserves to be fairly represented

in Congress.”

Green said for the 2020 Census there will be video

¡El Censo del 2020 está más cerca de lo que usted cree!

Esto es un repaso rápido de lo que es y de por qué es esencial

que todos sean contados.

Está en la

Constitución.

La Constitución de los EE. UU.

ordena que cada 10 años se cuente

a todas las personas que están en

el país. El primer censo se llevó a

cabo en 1790.

Se trata de una

representación

justa.

Cada 10 años, los

resultados del censo

se usan para llevar a

cabo la redistribución

proporcional de la

Cámara de

Representantes,

determinando

cuántos

representantes

recibe cada

estado.

Participar es su

deber cívico.

Completar el censo es obligatorio.

Es una manera de participar en

nuestra democracia y decir “¡YO

CUENTO!”.

Se trata de la

redistribución

legislativa.

Luego del censo de cada década, los

funcionarios estatales redefinen los

límites de los distritos legislativos

congresionales y estatales en sus

estados para reflejar los cambios en

la población.

language guides, print language guides, and language glossaries

in 59 non-English languages, covering 99 percent of all

languages spoken in Contra Costa County.

Seema Shah, who has been a U.S. citizen for 17 years, said

she doesn’t find the census a problem even though English is

her third language, especially if it can be translated.

“I personally don’t think the census requires too much

English knowledge because the questions it asks are simple,”

she said. Shah, who came from Afghanistan, grew up speaking

Farsi and Pashto. She added that she was also comfortable with

the census because her children help her with the translating.


https://contracosta.ca.gov/7527/Hard-to-Count-Maps

Sabrina Contreras is a junior and editor of the school newspaper,

The Californian.

C4

March 2020

CC Spin

2020 C

Impact of the CEN

Housing

Schools and Educat

The Dougherty Valley

neighborhood has

contributed to San

Ramon’s growing

population. Photos

by Jake Gerbracht,

California High School.

Signs for new homes for sale are common in San Ramon. Photo by Daniela Wise, Doughtery Valley High School.

Transportation

A Snapshot of Contra

From Richmond to Walnut Creek, the census

By CC Spin Staff

The census has been coined “a snapshot of America.”

“The census is not just a decennial headcount. It is

a snapshot of the nation that affects just about every

important decision policymakers at the federal, state, and

local level will make over the coming decade,” emphasized

Dan Stein, president of FAIR, the country’s largest immigration

reform group.

For Contra Costa County, that means learning about

the need for new housing and how to help big and small

businesses. The census provides important data to support

planning for schools and aid for public services such as

immigration, non-English communication, homelessness

and mental health.

It also provides information so the political debate of

whether there is too much growth or not enough growth

and what kind of growth can be based on facts.

Five high school photographers went out to capture

their own “snapshots” of Contra Costa County for CC Spin.

Their images reflect different issues for the region that

will be impacted by the census.

BUSINESS

In 2017, total employment in Contra Costa County

was 336,654, up 3.3 percent from the previous year, according

to census data. In 2012, men-owned firms totaled

47,721, compared to women-owned firms at 34,296.

Minority-owned firms numbered 35,831.

Daniela Wise of Dougherty Valley High School took

photos of small and large businesses. The Lafayette

Body Shop in Lafayette represented “the many small and

old yet thriving businesses, especially along Mt. Diablo

Boulevard,” she said.

Wise, a junior and social media editor of the school

newspaper, The Wildcat Tribune, noted, “Lafayette hasn’t

changed a whole lot; rather what keeps people coming

are the small businesses,” (Rachel Decker is the adviser to

the school newspaper.)

The long awaited n

Montano. Dougher

Dejean Middle Sch

In contrast, Walnut Creek sports a massive outdoor

shopping space at Main Street and Mt. Diablo Boulevard

that “illustrates the perfect dichotomy of the old and

new,” said Wise. A large and eye-catching Neiman Marcus

dominates the landscape, but there are also boutique

shops along Heritage Walk.

Wise also explained that San Ramon’s changes

include City Center at Bishop Ranch, a massive and

upscale outdoor shopping mall that opened in 2018.

She photographed children playing at Alexander Square,

located in the center.

For Richmond High School Senior Alejandro Durate,

businesses such as Frosty King are vital necessities of life.

“I’ve spent quite a good amount of time eating at Frosty

King on weekends when there’s nothing good to eat at

home.”

Durate’s photographs are part of a visual essay titled

“Home: A collection of pictures from my community that

all relate to the theme of Home.” He said, “These are images

of places where I feel happy and feel at home.”

(“Home” was produced as part of the Advanced Media

& Communications class at Richmond High School taught

by Maya Kosover.)

HOUSING

Housing is a highly controversial subject in the Bay

Area because there isn’t enough and housing costs are so

high. According to the Census Bureau, the median value of

an owner-occupied house was $582,400 between 2014-

2015. There were 2,907 building permits issued in 2018

and a total of 415,919 housing units.

To photograph new home construction in Dougherty

Valley, a neighborhood in San Ramon, California High

School Sophomore Jake Gerbracht used a drone. Gerbracht

said his IPhone X was synced to the controller of the drone

so he was able to view the photos taken while flying the

drone.

“I got into drone photography because I love aviation

as well as photography and drone flying blends both of

those passions together perfectly,” said Gerbracht, who is

City Government an

The Concord BART station is

located between downtown

businesses to the west and

residential neighborhoods

to the east. Photos by Nima

Pendar, California High

School.

Two modes of transporation are seen here in

Danville (right): a bus stop and a bicycle lane. Photo

by Daniela Wise, Doughterty Valley High School.

ensus

CC Spin

C5

March 2020

SUS on our lives

ion

Business and Economy

ew campus for PInole Valley High (left) opened last year after six years of construction. Photo by Mason

ty Valley High from a drone. Photo by Jake Gerbracht, California High School. A stairway leads to

ool in Richmond. Photo by Alejandro Duarte, Richmond High School.

Costa County

will help shape the region’s future

a photographer for the student newspaper, The Californian.

(Brian Barr is the adviser to the school’s newspaper.)

On this assignment for the census project, he said, “I

included Mt Diablo in the background of one shot because

I felt it would tie in the new houses and the school

perfectly with the old time charm of Mount Diablo,”

TRANSPORTATION

It’s a common refrain: traffic has gotten terrible in the

Bay Area, and some of the worst commutes are in Contra

Costa County. For example, the county was included in

four of the top 10 worst Bay Area freeway spots in 2017,

according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission:

Interstate 80 westbound, all day, State Route 4 to Bay

Bridge Toll Plaza (number 2)

Star Route 4, eastbound, p.m., Contra Costa County

Morello Avenue to Port Chicago Highway (number 5)

State Route 4, eastbound, p.m., Interstate 580 to

Wilder Road (number 9)

Interstate 680, northbound, p.m., Sycamore Valley

Road to Buskirk Avenue/Oak Park Boulevard (number 10)

Planners working on the future of the county’s

freeways and roads and public transit depend on census

data. For the period 2014-2018, the mean travel time to

work among workers 16 years old and up was 38 minutes,

according to the Census Bureau.

Nima Pendar, a sophomore and photo editor for The

Californian High School student newspaper, visited the

Concord Bart station, one of seven stations in Contra Costa

County, while Wise captured two other modes of public

transit: a bicycle lane and bus stop in Danville.

GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

Contra Costa County's estimated population is 1.1

million with a growth rate of 0.67 percent in the past year,

according to the most recent census data. That makes the

region the ninth largest county in California.

With that growth comes more pressure on city and

county governments to manage services and to make

decisions impacting their communities. They are aided by

nonprofit and community organizations, without which

many social services couldn’t be provided.

Duarte photographed the Ryse Center in Richmond,

a nonprofit organization youth center “born out of the

organizing efforts of Richmond and West County young

people who were determined to create safe spaces for

themselves and their peers,” the web site said. “Named by

the founding youth council, Ryse is not an acronym but a

bold call to action inclusive of the many diverse communities

that we serve.”

“The Ryse Center is a blessing in disguise for the

Richmond youth,” said Durate. “It has helped provide

many opportunities for youth in Richmond who have

wanted to reach some goal they might have thought

unattainable before.

Not only has it helped the youth but all of Richmond

with its fairs and fundraisers, but it has raised awareness

to many issues and injustices that happen in our community.”

Duarte also took a photo of the Richmond City Hall,

which he called “the heart of the city.” He thought the

fountain “somewhat looks like a heart or veins, which sort

of fits in with the idea of this being the heart of the city.”

Wise’s photograph of directional signs on Railroad

Avenue in Danville reflect the civic life in a community she

described as “homey and comforting.”

QUALITY OF LIFE

Farmer markets are plentiful throughout the Bay

Area, and Wise captured one in Danville. She observed

that they attract both older people and young families.

She also captured some “quirky statutes and iconic things,”

such as the Bullman with Bulldog statue in Downtown

Walnut Creek along North Main Street.

Schools and Education

Pinole Valley High School’s Mason Montand photographed

the school’s new campus, which opened last year.

He noted it was a tough six years for students who had to

endure temporary structures while the new school was

being built. Montand is senior and the music editor on the

school newspaper, Spartan Ink.

Quality of life

Nieman Marcus anchors Walnut Creek’s

upscale shopping. Photo by Daniela Wise,

Dougherty Valley High School. Small

businesses such as Foster King in Richmond

Photo by Alejandro Duarte, Richmond

High School. Auto body shops in Lafayette

are important contributors to the local

economy. Alexander Square is part of

the City Center at Bishop Ranch which

opened in 2018. Photos by Daniela Wise,

Dougherty Valley High School.

d Services

A fountain sits in front of Richmond City Hall, part of a renovation completed in

2009. This mural in Richmond captures the energy and cultural mix of Richmond

and gives a shout out to the public library. Photos by Alejandro Duarte, Richmond

High School. Richmond High School. Signs point to civic buildings in Danville,

including the Town Hall. Photo by Daniela Wise, Dougherty Valley High School.

Ryse Center in Richmond provides important services for youth. Photo by Alejandro

Duarte, Richmond High School.

Downtown Walnut Creek features public art, while a Farmers Market in

Danville is a popular draw. Smart lockers(above) at the Rancho San Ramon

Park in San Ramon allow residents to borrow sporting equipment. Photos

by Daniela Wise, Dougherty Valley High School.

C6

March 2020

2020 Census

Taking away immigrants’ fear of the census

By Vanessa Macias

Making Waves Academy

The last census was in 2010, and I was eight years old and

in third grade. My little sister was three. I remember

going to the San Pablo library with my mother to pick out

new books. At the checkout a librarian told my mom to come

back for a census information

session.

My mom didn’t take up the offer.

The year before my father was in a work accident, rendering

him unable to work. As my mom told me recently, “With

everything going on in my life, the census wasn’t important

to me.”

“Sometimes immigrants are living such hard lives that

they try to be as invisible as possible to remain hidden,” she explained.

“You try to avoid the government as much as possible,

at all costs. Even though it feels bad to be invisible, it’s better

than the alternative.”

I talked to my mom about the 2020 Census to better

understand the concerns immigrants have about the count. She

said she hardly remembers anything about the last census but

she does remember the fears she had.

We were a family of four, living in a one-bedroom studio

apartment behind my aunt’s house. It was cramped and stuffy.

My dad was bedridden. My sister and I slept on a mattress

on the kitchen floor. We were trying to fill up as little space as

possible.

My mom recalls my aunt telling her not to fill out the

census and my mother didn’t disagree. “I had another fear,”

she said. “We’re not going to say you’re living here” because like

many people after the recession we were living in studios and

garages illegally.

We weren’t the only ones hiding. My parents were scared

they would be sent back to Mexico, like so many others.

“As an immigrant you don’t understand the benefits that

come from the census,” my mom said. “I didn’t even know

what questions would be on there. I assumed it would ask me

what government benefit programs I was in like Supplemental

Nutrition Programs and food stamps. How would that help me?

You’re trying to survive above all.”

My mom didn’t see a good reason to fill out the census. “I

was scared. I wasn’t even going to run the risk. I didn’t believe

it. Why else gather so much information on who we were and

where we lived? It’s illogical to think otherwise.”

With a deep sigh, she added, “Fear is the primary reason

COMMENTARY

why immigrants don’t self report. Even now I can’t think of a

reason that would convince them because the fear is so

overwhelming.”

The reality for many immigrants is that they live in fear of

being deported to their home countries that are unsafe due to

violence, drugs, poverty, and human trafficking.

I want to push for a higher self-response rate in Richmond

and San Pablo by educating the community. I urged my mom to

talk with our neighbors and her friends and to encourage them

to fill it out.

She looked at me sadly and said, “I can’t encourage others

to fill the census because when I was in their place I didn’t have

the courage to do it, so I can’t tell them to.”

“Everything you do has a reaction, therefore, I imagine

that if they do complete the census they will have positive

consequences but also negative ones,” she added.

“For example, the more immigrants registered on the

census could anger people and make them feel like we are

invading them. It is both sides. It is positive and negative.”

It breaks my heart that no matter how we try to tell our

community that the census is safe to answer, they won’t believe

us because they are scared of the government that is supposed

to help them. We can try our best to encourage and educate our

CC Spin

friends and family. At the end of the day, the biggest impact we

can make is filling it out ourselves, adding to the other brave

people in our community pushing for a better redistribution of

government funds in Contra Costa County.

Last year my mother and I became legal residents and that

has changed her attitude about the census.

“I think it’s important to participate for me and for all those

people that are feeling the fear I felt. If I can make any difference

now in my current situation I have to do it.”

Vanessa Macias is a senior at Making Waves Academy and

president of the school journalism club.

“Sometimes immigrants are living such

hard lives that they try to be as invisible as

possible to remain hidden. You try to avoid

the government as much as possible, at all

costs. Even though it feels bad to be invisible,

it’s better than the alternative.”

This census defining

moment for all of us

By Alejandro Duarte

Richmond High School

Keep the census

focused on purpose

By Jasmine Vazquez


Census participation

can improve Richmond

By Vivianna Bejarano


This year’s presidential election is probably going to be the most important

one in my life. Not only is it going to be the first year that I am going to

be able to vote, but it’s also the defining moment where I decide what my

political stance is.

As a Latino youth I constantly see the discrimination and oppression that

is expressed by our president Donald Trump. His hate for minorities and illegal

immigrants especially is one of the things I constantly see. I experience the

hate and oppression not only through his words, but through his followers, his

actions, and now the 2020 census.

A census is used to know the population of the country so we can determine

how many seats each state needs in the House of Representatives, and where

government money is needed to help communities. So why did the president

want to put a citizenship question on the 2020 census requiring residents to

state their immigrant status?

Well, other than the fact that it would possibly make it easier for ICE to track

down illegal immigrants and deport them, it would put a big smile on Trump’s

face as well as most Republicans in this country. If the census included that

question it would cause most if not all illegal immigrants to avoid filling it out.

Many immigrants come to America seeking refuge from their countries that

are being torn apart by civil wars and poverty. Talk of a citizenship question on

the census causes fear in immigrants as the last thing they would want is to be

deported back to the place they’re trying to escape.

This puts fear in me as well as I fear that this could cause me to lose my

family members and some of my closest friends. If this census included a

citizenship question it could lead to mass deportation of immigrants, heavily

affecting the economy as many immigrants pay taxes. By deporting all of these

people, our economy could take a pretty big hit.

This census could also make it so the government might want to divert from

giving federal money and political power to states and cities that tend to have

large numbers of non-citizens and instead give it to more rural areas that are

probably leaning towards the right wing.

This could then affect me as I live in California, which is the most populated

state in America and has the largest number of immigrants. My community

which is here in Richmond/San Pablo isn’t one of the best communities to say

the least. Our schools aren’t that good, we suffer from both environmental

racism and food deserts, and we have a pretty high crime rate compared to that

of a white community.

The Bay Area is already one of the most expensive places to live in America.

By taking away both money and political power from this state and area it

would make a hard situation even harder for people who work day and night to

support their families.

On June 27, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that president Trump

could not put the citizenship question in the census.

By Leobardo Ceja


The question of citizenship is very complicated for many people, as it is for me.

Because I’m a product of immigration I always have this chip on my shoulder

and feel tons of pressure. The 2020 Census caused a controversy because

some in the federal government wanted to include a citizenship question. If it had

included that question it could have resulted in a lack of funding for immigrant

communities and worse.

My whole family are illegal immigrants from Mexico. My parents have been

fighting for their citizenship for about 20 years. If the question of citizenship were on

the census, it would scare immigrants and would cause persecution, even though

the government said it wouldn’t.

Illegal immigrants are the reason why the U.S. economy in agriculture and other

industries is doing well.

Just because I am the son of two immigrant parents, I am seen as a minority.

I have many disadvantages and have to try ten times harder than other people .

Although many immigrants hide their true identities I’ve learned to take pride in it.

The Census Bureau was created on July 1, 1902 by the United States Congress

to facilitate the decennial census mandated by the Constitution. It is

used to count the population of every state and with that information the

federal government makes decisions on funding for education, social services

and needs of cities such as Richmond.

According to information from the United States Census website, “The

census tells us who we are and where we are going as a nation, and helps our

communities determine where to build everything from schools to supermarkets,

and from homes to hospitals. It helps the government decide how to

distribute funds and assistance to states and localities.”

This can be a very good thing for towns and poor communities. It is also

very easy to fill out the census. It asks for your gender, race, how many people

live in the household and other questions.

But there is a problem. The government wanted to add a new question

about citizenship. This had a lot of people worrying about their safety. California

has more immigrants than any other state, some without documents or legal

status.

The person who pushed for the citizenship question on the census is the

one and only, President Donald J. Trump,

People were scared about the citizenship box. If they said that they are

undocumented immigrants their safety could be threatened. They feared that if

they answered ICE could use that information to track down undocumented immigrants.

Trump said there was no problem with the question, that if the census

can ask about race, why not ask about citizenship?

The truth is, there was no need to ask. Thousands, perhaps millions, of

people would have refused to participate in the census. And thousands of others

would have hid how many people live in their household.

This would have affected the community. If people refuse to fill out the

census the count would be short and federal funding for cities such as Richmond

would be less than the need.

Richmond would lose money for its community. We wouldn’t be able to fix

roads, schools or even clean the city properly.

Let’s be honest, a lot of our hard-working neighbors are immigrants. They

help small and big communites with the culture of hard work they bring.

Thankfully, a count ruled that the question could not be added to the

census.

America is the land of the free, the land of the dreamer. People come here

for a better life. The Constitution says the census is supposed to count every

peron, not every citizen. It should not matter what anyone’s status is. It matters

only that they live in the community so they are part of it.

We are all Americans.

In the U.S. there are stereotypes about Mexicans that are a product of discrimination.

Stereotypes like Mexicans are lazy or immigrants are rapists and criminals, or

are bad people. Stuff like this is being said by our current president, “President 45.”

Due to stereotypes and how the media portrays us, we sometimes are seen as

evil human beings. However, I beg to differ. I don’t know any lazy Mexicans and we

aren’t all rapists. The Mexicans I know are hard-working, honest and kind human

beings.

When I was a child I was ashamed that my parents didn’t know English and

didn’t do things as other kids’ parents did. My parents had to work weekdays and

weekends, which made me mad, but they had to provide for me and my older brothers.

My Mexican parents taught me the best lessons and have instilled important

These four essays were written by Richmond High School seniors as part

of the school’s Multimedia Academy program for 12th-grade Government

teacher Carlo Juntilla. The opinions expressed herein are those of the

students only.

As someone from a low-income community, an accurate census count of

my community could mean a chance to improve the conditions of my

community. Everyone’s participation could be beneficial for my community,

but according to census report findings by the West Contra Costa County

office, Richmond has a low response score, with roughly 30 percent of residents

completing the previous census.

Richmond is also considered a hard-to-count area because of the heavy

concentration of non-English speakers, homeless and undocumented residents

within the city.

I believe this is a result of my community’s fear and distrust of the government

or maybe an overall lack of understanding of the reason for the census.

I wasn’t aware of the census until recently and didn’t really care for it until I

learned about how the information gathered from the census is used.

Besides the population count, the data from the census allows the

government to determine the number of seats each state has in the House of

Representatives and distribute federal funds for state, county, and cities.

With an accurate count in Richmond, my community can receive more

funding for schools, roads, and local businesses that we strongly need since we

suffer constantly from lack of funds that keeps us with poor infrastructure.

With more funding for schools especially, that could mean better supplies,

updated school structures, and an overall better environment for students and

staff alike that’ll give students the resources and opportunities to thrive. This is

important to me because students that come from low-income communities

are typically at a disadvantage academically.

Many don’t receive a proper education because of hurdles related to the

school’s financial status. At Richmond High for example, there are instances

where there aren’t enough laptops for students, preventing them from completing

work because various classes’ curriculum are technology-based.

Richmond High’s infrastructure is outdated with rotting ceilings and no

windows. This impacts the learning environment and forces students to learn in

an inadequate environment.

I want the best for my community and I believe the consequences of choosing

not to respond to the census can put residents like me and my family at a

greater disadvantage. If funding for Richmond is reduced that would cause an

even greater financial struggle for residents, local businesses and schools that

are dependent on government money.

Although I recognize that for certain groups of Richmond’s population

such as the homeless make it hard to complete the census, I encourage those

who can, to take the time and complete it. Whether it’s through mail or online,

increasing the number of Richmond residents who complete this year’s census

can be a beneficial boost for our community.

Citizenship can be very complicated issue for immigrants in regard to census

values in me. Those values have taught me to be open-minded and to be respectful

of others.

America is benefitting from immigrant labor. California and Texas are the top

two manufacturing states. According to Bloomberg News, in 2017 6 percent of the

labor force in those two states were undocumented immigrants.

The Bloomberg article said, “Unauthorized immigrants can make up as much as

17 percent of the workforce each year.”

This shows how much discrimination is rooted in the United States. It shows how

our president is a hypocrite. He says we are stealing jobs, even jobs like cleaning

bathrooms, working in hard construction, working in the fields. White people don’t

want to work in these jobs.

Meanwhile the illegal immigrants you say are stealing your jobs are the ones

feeding you. They are the ones that pick the produce you get from the store. This

country was and is still being built by undocumented folks. But the president didn’t

want the census to show that. He wants to say terrible things about immigrants, not

count them.

So the next time somebody says this remind them that this country was built off

black and brown bodies.

CC Spin

By Tania Norzagaray

Making Waves Academy

The census is a count by the federal government -- as

mandated by the U.S. Constitution -- of all residents in all

50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories

every 10 years. It is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, a nonpartisan

government agency.

As this year’s census gets underway, I urge everyone, especially

people living in low-income and underserved communities

of color, to answer the short questionnaire -- either online, by

phone, or by mail.

This participation may assist in bringing more government

resources to your communities. The government takes into

account the information that participants provide and uses it to

decide how to allocate funds around the country.

The census consists of questions like age and sex, employment,

family members, living arrangements, race/origin, income

etc. Although these matters may seem basic and the census itself

may not seem important to some people, it is imperative to take

part in it. Especially when it comes to low-income and underserved

communities, participating in the census will help federally

funded programs to determine how to allocate spending.

According to Diana Elliott, a researcher at the Urban Institute,

2020 Census

The huge impact of census participation

By Mahika Arya


Contra Costa County remains an ever-changing

landscape with its demographics diversifying over the

years. The 2020 Census data should reflect this and

assist in the type and amount of government attention in

communities.

Accurate demographic data from the census is essential

because it allows governments to promote local, state, and

national representation. How large are populations by their

enthic backgrounds, sex, income, and where do they live can

aid government and social services in knowing which places

need attention in specific sectors.

And demographic change results in more understanding

of social and economic problems, and their potential solutions,

from market research to economic development.

Contra Costa County has a number of cities with

exceptionally high populations compared to other cities in

the U.S. on average. The county includes Concord (population

123,812), Antioch (population 112,635), and Richmond

(population 110,040).

These cities are growing, which follows national trends

of population growth, with the United States being expected

to grow by 100 million people in the next 40 years, according

“In 2015 states received nearly $590 billion from 16 large federally

funded programs, the allocation of which was determined by

the 2010 census counts.” These programs ranged from healthcare

(Medicaid, or Medi-Cal in California), infrastructure (highway

planning and construction), education (Head Start), and food

security (the National School Lunch Program.)

In addition, the data determines how congressional seats

and Electoral College votes are apportioned and play a role in

how voting districts are drawn.

Elliott also warns that research shows certain groups

-- including people of color, low-income people, and in many

cases in northern Contra Costa County and elsewhere across

the country, undocumented immigrants -- are more likely to be

undercounted.

Why? According to the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty

and Inequality, “Households with low incomes are more likely to

include people of color, who are also historically hard-to-count. In

fact, the 2010 Census undercounted African Americans, Hispanics,

and American Indians and Alaska Natives living on reservations.

The results of undercounting include skimpier-than-normal

allocation of federal resources, underrepresentation in Congress,

and most importantly perhaps, setbacks for civil rights. People in

undercounted areas are denied power they are entitled to.

Because of the undercount, according to the Georgetown

COMMENTARY

Center on Poverty and Inequality, political boundaries may not

accurately represent reality. That means people in some areas

are denied a full voice in policy decision-making, resulting in

their community’s needs to be given short shrift in relation to the

community’s real share of the population.

In 2010, my undocumented mother and many of her friends

who were also undocumented refused to participate in the

census for fear of deportation. Why were they afraid? Because

they knew the census was associated with the government. They

feared admitting their undocumented status would lead census

officials to notify ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

and cause them to be deported.

Because my community consists primarily of people of color,

including Latinx immigrants, we are often undercounted and

underrepresented.

In planning for this year’s census, the Trump administration

wanted to include a question about icitizenship status, but

after court fights it was eventually dropped. Its inclusion would

have resulted in an even more severe undercount of people of

undocumented status.

But regardless of exclusion of the citizenship question, there

is still concern about Hispanic/Latinx participation in the census

because of the current presidential administration’s anti-immigration

policies and rhetoric.

Demographic diversity demands an accurate census

to Smithsonian Magazine.

The county’s cities are becoming more diverse, as is the

entire Bay Area. A 2000 to 2010 census comparison of San

Ramon found that although whites make up the majority

and its population is still growing, its relative population had

dropped from 76.8 percent to 53.6 percent because other

enthic groups grew in greater numbers. Asians more than

doubled its share of the population from 14.9 percent to 35.6

percent.

According to the Census Bureau, data on race is “derived

from answers to the question on race that was asked of

individuals in the United States. The Census Bureau collects

racial data in accordance with guidelines provided by the

U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and these

data are based on self-identification.”

The OMB “requires five minimum categories: White,

Black or African-American, American Indian or Alaska Native,

Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.”

The U.S. faces similar diversity developments. By 2050,

whites are no longer expected to be the majority; the minority

population is expected to grow from 30% to 50% in a

matter of 30 years.

Racial diversity positively impacts the Bay Area, a place

known for its “melting pot” and entrepreneurship and technological

developments. Diversity allows for more incorporation

of ideas and innovation that the world strives for.

The results of the census need to reflect these ongoing

changes because the various races and ethnicities all need

different resources to thrive. For example, medical units

and job opportunities vary among races, and governments

should strive to use census results to discover which areas

need additional help in reaching racial equality.

More immigration into Contra Costa has led to the

springing up of many new households, with about 389,597

households as of 2017. Additionally, the number of teenagers

has increased, with 262,014 minors in Contra Costa as

of 2018. That means more city and state resources should

be directed towards housing and student opportunities to

support these families.

The census needs to provide governments with

demographic information in order to assist them in what

kind and amount of support communities need. Without

this knowledge, Contra Costa and all other locations cannot

adapt to their changing environment.


https://www.census.gov/topics/population/race/about.

html.

Mahika Arya is a sophomore and a copy editor on the

school newspaper, The Wildcat Tribune.

2020 Census projected to decline in accuracy

By Sneha Cheenath


The 2020 Census is projected to be less accurate than

the 2010 Census, primarily due to lack of funding and

changing demographics, according to articles on the

upcoming count.

In an article titled, “The 2020 Census may be wildly

inaccurate—and it matters more than

you think” published by the Brookings

Institute, a Washington, D.C-based research

institution, the author reported that in the

past decade Congress repeatedly curtailed

the census budget. The first instance was in

2014 when Congress voted that the 2020

budget couldn’t exceed that of 2010 and

without adjusting for inflation.

The article went on to explain that the

second cripple to the census’ funding was

when the Trump administration decreased

funding by 10 percent, fully flatlining 2018

funding.

According to the Census Project, the

Obama administration asked for $1.21

billion in 2014. But Congress only approved

$1.11 billion, according to the Census

Project, an independent organization that

lobbies for an accurate census count.

In the Census Project’s fact sheet, “Why

Full Funding Matters,” the organization said

there are many new methods that could

be implemented to improve the accuracy

of the census, but they aren’t possible

because of insufficient funding.

The report said 2015 was a particularly

important year for funding because

that’s when many of the tests were done to

develop a strategy for a more accurate census.

These methods include using administrative or existing

data to count houses that are unresponsive and/or automating

field data collection.

If these and other technologies could have been

Three ways to take the 2020 Census: fill out a paper form, fill out a form online, or

do it over the phone. Cartoon by Rebecca Newman, California High School.

implemented, they had the potential of saving the taxpayer

$5 billion, the Census Project claimed.

Congress ended up approving $238 million less than

what the Census Bureau requested for its 2015 budget,

according to a Huffington Post article.

The other major factor in changing the accuracy of the

decennial census is changes in demographics.

A study from the Urban Institute called “Assessing Miscounts

in the 2020 Census” said that “hard-to-count groups

-- including complex households, renters, young children,

immigrants, and people of color -- will represent a larger

share of the population in 2020 than they did in 2010.”

The higher concentration of hard-to-count groups could

have an overwhelmingly negative effect on the overall

accuracy, particularly in California, the Urban Institute said.

California has the highest population of these traditionally

undercounted groups.

“Our projections show that even under the lowest-risk

scenario -- where we assume that the 2020 Census will

perform exactly as the 2010 Census did -- the national

population count will be less accurate,” the Washington,

D.C.-based think tank said.

To counteract these problems, the Census

Bureau said it has implemented a number of

new initiatives to improve national participation,

most notably the option to answer online.

However the Urban Institute argued that

these programs remain underfunded, which

could be problematic.

“Not only are these new additions insufficiently

tested in a decennial census environment,

but the best evidence suggests they will

disproportionately improve the count of those

who are already easiest to count, leaving the

hard-to-count population a lingering challenge,”

it said.

If the 2020 census ends up being less

accurate than 2010, it will be the break of a

positive trend.

The 2010 census was found to be more accurate

than the 2000 census, and the 2000 census

was more accurate than the 1990 one, according

to a New York Times article.


https://www.brookings.edu/blog/

fixgov/2017/08/31/the-2020-census-may-bewildly-inaccurate-and-it-matters-more-thanyou-think/

https://thecensusproject.org/fact-sheets/

https://www.urban.org/research/publication/assessingmiscounts-2020-census

Sneha Cheenath is a sophomore and co-sports editor

of the school newspaper, The Wildcat Tribune.

C7

March 2020

Although such fears about deportation are genuinely felt,

under federal law, the census bureau cannot share responses that

identify individuals with the public or other federal agencies,

including immigration authorities and other law enforcement

agencies.

This year, as a result of several informational forums with

a nonprofit organization dedicated to immigrant justice, my

mom became convinced to take part in the year’s census. Her

immigration status has not changed unfortunately; she is still

undocumented and will most likely stay that way for a long time

due to this administrations focus on immigration.

To learn more about the resouces in this story, go to:

https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/five-reasons-robustdecennial-census-benefits-all-americans

https://www.npr.org/2019/03/31/707899218/what-youneed-to-know-about-the-2020-census

http://www.georgetownpoverty.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Low-Income-Families-HTC.pdf

https://journalistsresource.org/studies/government/2020-

census-research-undercount/

Tania Norzagaray is a senior at Making Waves Academy and a

member of the school jounralism and media club.

FAQ for the

2020 Census

® U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

This is the official questionnaire for this address.

It is quick and easy to respond, and your answers are protected by law.

Para completar el cuestionario en español, dele la vuelta y complete el lado verde.

Start here OR go online at [url removed]

Use a blue or black pen.

Before you answer Question 1, count the people living in this

house, apartment, or mobile home using our guidelines.

• Count all people, including babies, who live and sleep here

most of the time.

• If no one lives and sleeps at this address most of the time, go

online at [url removed] or call the number on page 8.

The census must also include people without a permanent

place to live, so:

• If someone who does not have a permanent place to live is

staying here on April 1, 2020, count that person.

The Census Bureau also conducts counts in institutions and

other places, so:

• Do not count anyone living away from here, either at college

or in the Armed Forces.

• Do not count anyone in a nursing home, jail, prison, detention

facility, etc., on April 1, 2020.

• Leave these people off your questionnaire, even if they will

return to live here after they leave college, the nursing home,

the military, jail, etc. Otherwise, they may be counted twice.

1. How many people were living or staying in this house,

apartment, or mobile home on April 1, 2020?

Number of people =

By Siddhant Gupta


FOR

OFFICIAL

USE ONLY

to complete your 2020 Census questionnaire.

2. Were there any additional people staying here on April 1, 2020

that you did not include in Question 1?

Mark IJ K all that apply.

Children, related or unrelated, such as newborn babies,

grandchildren, or foster children

Relatives, such as adult children, cousins, or in-laws

Nonrelatives, such as roommates or live-in babysitters

People staying here temporarily

No additional people

3. Is this house, apartment, or mobile home — Mark K IJ ONE box.

Owned by you or someone in this household with a mortgage

or loan? Include home equity loans.

Owned by you or someone in this household free and clear

(without a mortgage or loan)?

Rented?

Occupied without payment of rent?

4. What is your telephone number?

We will only contact you if needed for official Census Bureau

business.

Telephone Number

– –

Q: How do I fill out a census form?

A: Beginning in late March, notifications on how to fill out the census will

be mailed to households. There are three ways to fill out the census: go

online, call by telephone, or request a printed form and mail that in. For

households that don’t do any of these, the Census Bureau will try to send a

census taker to your residence.

Q: How long will it take to fill out the census?

A: The Census Bureau says that the estimated time to fill out a census is

10 minutes. If there are others living at your address, there will be more

questions, so then it will take a little longer.

Q: How many questions are there?

A: There are nine questions to start. Then there are seven more questions

for each of the additional person living at that address on April 1, 2020.

Q: What actually happens on Census Day, April 1?

A: This is confusing to some who think the census is conducted on this day.

Filling out the census actually takes place beginning in late March through

July 31, 2020. April 1 is the date referred to in the census questionnaire:

“How many people were living or staying in this house, apartment, or

mobile home on April 1, 2020?

April 1 is also used by the Census Bureau and other census programs to

“launch” the census, urging the public to participate.

Q: What’s information is in the mail sent out by the Census Bureau?

A: In mid-March the Census Bureau will begin mailing instructions on how

to access, fill out, and submit the response to the census questionnaire.

This physical mail will have the phone number and url listed for people who

want to respond via telephone or the internet.

Q: Still need help?

A: Go to https://www.census.gov/en.html, or:

Call Center: 301-763-INFO (4636) or 800-923-8282 or ask.census.gov

TDD: TTY users can dial 1-800-877-8339 to use the Federal Relay Service

C8

March 2020

2020 Census

Census participation affects school programs

By Hannah Wang and Anvi Vasa


The 2020 census is especially important for government programs

because it sets the amount of funding for many for the next

10 years, including programs that impact youth.

For example, the count provides valuable information for officials

to plan the amount of funding for the Supplemental Nutrition

Assistance Program (SNAP).

SNAP provides meals for economically-disadvantaged students

to help get families out of food insecurity and even poverty. According

to Josh Green, a Bay Area media specialist for the Census

Bureau, the number of students counted is critical because it gives

the federal government an idea of how much funding is necessary

to spend on these programs.

For some students, SNAP is the only way for them to get a

well-balanced meal. According to the Census Bureau, in 2016 the

funding allowed for SNAP to provide around 30.4 million meals

for students nationwide; $71 million was allocated based on 2010

census data collected. (SNAP funding is offered to every school in

the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.)

Amy Hill, the Director of Community Engagement & Advocacy

of the Pennsylvania Central Food Bank, described the importance

More LGBTQ questions sought

By Alyssa Earnest

De Anza High School

Leading up to the census, LGBTQ activists expressed concerns over which

questions would be included in the count.

According to published reports, the Census Bureau began counting same-sex

couples in the 2000 and 2010 census using questions about gender and relationships.

The 2020 Census is expected to provide an even more accurate count of how

many same-sex couples there are in the U.S, census officials said.

But the Census Bureau decided against questions asking about a person’s

sexual orientation and gender identity that would allow them to count noncoupled

LGBTQ individuals. This disappointed LGBTQ advocacy groups, according

to published reports.

In interviews with two De Anza High School teachers who identify as members

of the LGBTQ community, they offered their insights into the issue of inclusivity

and the census.

“When people feel shut out, they’re not going to answer the census or answer

it accurately,” said Erica Lorraine Webb, who teaches English. “So it diminishes the

accuracy of the census.”

Latino, Asian communities fear census

By Lauren Chen


Last June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled

that the Trump administration was not allowed

to include the question, “Is this person

a citizen of the United States?” on the 2020

census. The administration argued that the

question would lead to improved enforcement

of federal voting laws.

However, the Supreme Court ruled that

this reasoning was “contrived.” Chief Justice

John Roberts, writing for the majority, said the

court “cannot ignore the disconnect between

How Likely Would You Be to

Fill Out the Census Form?

2%

5%

25%

38%

30%

Survey

average

3%

10%

33%

32%

22%

18-34

35-44

45-64

Notes: All estimates were rounded so that the sum of estimates equals 100 percent.

Contra Costa County reaches out to include its hard-to-count

communities in the census–ten years of funding are at risk

By Caroline Lobel


2%

6%

30%

35%

27%

2%

4%

23%

39%

32%

65 and

older

Not at all likely

Not too likely

Somewhat likely

Very likely

Extremely likely

Source: 2020 Census Barriers, Attitudes,

and Motivators Study (CBAMS)

Public Use Microdata Sample

The goal of the 2020 Census is to collect responses from as

many households in the United States as possible, but many

are difficult to account for. These are what the Census Bureau

describes as “hard-to-count” or HIC communities.

They can include people who move often, low-income

people, non-English speakers, undocumented immigrants,

and others. Contra Costa County is doing its part to make

sure that people in these communities are represented in the

census because the data helps determine the allocation of

federal funding.

One effort that Contra Costa is doing to reach these

populations is through the Census’ Community Partnership

Engagement Program.

“There are 1,500 partnership specialists hired across the

3%

4%

20%

40%

33%

of the program in a published report.

“SNAP is the number one program that helps people when

they’re faced with the challenge of food insecurity. So, if that

program goes away, there really isn’t enough as it stands right

now to fill that gap.”

Educators say that without the free lunches from SNAP, students

can have a hard time focusing in class, which can adversely affect

their learning experience and academic success in class. The funding

for free lunch also allows for supplementing the food budget, saving

money for low-income families that desperately need it.

A large portion of federal funding also goes towards public

schools.

According to an Education Votes’ article, National Educational

Association President Lily Eskelsen Garcia stressed the significance

of the count towards educational funding, stating, “Being counted

helps ensure that all communities receive their fair share of federal

and state funding for schools and other critical services.”

The census counts children in each state and uses their statistics

to decide which communities are in need. The government then uses

their information from the census to allocate the correct amount of

money towards increasing support for children.

Without these programs, schools would not have enough to

provide students with enough resources, educators say. The $800

the decision made and the explanation given”

by the Trump administration.

Even without the question’s inclusion,

the controversy stoked fear in many minority

communities, critics of the administration’s

immigration policies said.

On Jan. 9, 2019, Congress held a hearing

about reaching hard-to-count communities in

the census, and witnesses testified that many

people in minority communities had worries

about their representation in the census.

Many Latinos and Asian Americans fear

the census and are less likely to participate

because of the Trump administration’s hostile

attitude toward immigrants, according to an

NBC article titled “Latinos, Asian Americans

still fear 2020 census over citizenship question,

witnesses tell Congress,” by Suzanne Gamboa.

Arturo Vargas, executive director of the

National Association of Latino Elected and

Appointed Officials Educational Fund, called

the citizenship question a “failed debacle”

and stated that it “instilled a lasting fear [in

Latinos].

“This is exacerbated by a hostile environment

toward immigrants propagated by this

Webb said she has people in within her family life who are non-genderconforming

and that having those choices on the census would have been highly

appreciated and it would have made the entire process easier on those who might

not otherwise feel comfortable answering the questionnaire.

Jane Shetterly, the school’s resident art teacher, agreed, and noted that she

didn’t think the Census Bureau has done a very good job representing historically

marginalized groups, including the LGBTQ community.

“I think it’s kind of terrible. With the creation of the census, there were so few

choices involving race and gender with the census back then,” she said.

Shetterly said she believes everyone should be represented, whether it

involves ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.

Advocates of more inclusion have said that these issues are of particular

importance in California, which has one of the most diverse populations in the

country. They note that for those who’ve never had to deal with issues relating to

gender identity or sexual orientation, it can be difficult to understand the strain

put on someone who feels they don’t fit into a box, yet still has to be labeled with

a number for a survey.

Alyssa Earnest is a junior and staff writer on the school newspaper,

The De Anza Times.

administration,” he said. The 2010 census left

1.5 percent of Latinos uncounted.

John Yang, president and executive director

of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, had

similar concerns about the census.

“Asian Americans are the fastest-growing

country, including several hundred in California,” said Josh

Green, Bay Area media specialist for the 2020 Census.

“Those who work in the (community engagement)

program have deep experience living and working in their

communities and they make connections with local businesses,

government agencies, nonprofits and many other institutions

to encourage participation,” Green said.

The engagement program uses maps to decide which locations

to reach. The census’ “Response Outreach Area Mapper”

is used to provide socioeconomic and demographic features of

areas throughout America.

The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) publishes an

interactive map that highlights hard-to-reach communities and

explains why these areas are difficult to account for. The two

maps guide engagement program workers.

For example, according to the PPIC map, 11.5 percent of

people living in Contra Costa are noncitizens. Additionally,

billion in government funding for educational

programs is essential because it promotes better

learning for students of all ages and leaves a long

lasting impact toward a child’s academic success,

the Education Votes’ article reported.

The government also puts aside money for

families that need daycare and preschool services

but cannot afford it.

According to Educationvotes.ea.org, in 2010, 10

percent of children in the country were missing. This

meant that over 2 million children were not counted,

leaving many of them vulnerable.

National Education Association Senior Counsel

Emma Leheny said in the article, “Job one is to do

everything we can to support a complete and accurate

census. It’s the first step in understanding the

needs of the next generation of school-age children.”

The census begins in mid-March and ends July

21, 2020.

Sophomore Hannah Wang and freshman Anvi

Vasa are staff writers on the student newspaper, The

Wildcat Tribune.

Schools in Contra Costa reflect the myriad diversity of its population. Students at

Dougherty Valley meet at lunch. Photo by Lauren Chen, Dougherty Valley High.

minority group in the country” so Asian Americans

refusing to answer the census questions

could have lasting consequences, Yang said.

Lauren Chen is a freshman and a copy editor

on the student newspaper, The Wildcat Tribune.

7.7 percent of households in Contra Costa have a likelihood

of no response.

The census considers it critical that these people are accounted

for so they can receive proper representation when

government funds are allocated, whether it be for public

services, infrastructure, or something else.

“These efforts are made year-round, every year at the

census, but the work of (the engagement program) began

as people were hired in the summer of 2019, and it will last

through the count, which officially ends July 31, 2020,” Green

said. “Our mission is to work in every state and territory, and

that’s where we are.”

To learn more about resources in this story go to:

https://www.ppic.org/blog/video-countdown-tocensus-2020/

Caroline Lobel is a junior and managing editor of the school

newspaper, The Wildcat Tribune.

• California receives approximately $76 billion in federal

funding, based upon the state’s population.

CC Spin

CENSUS BY THE NUMBERS

• Each person not counted equates to a loss of between

$1,000 to $2,000 in State and Federal funding per year.

• 72% of California’s population belongs to one of the groups

historically undercounted during the once-a-decade

census process.

• Contra Costa County has just under 250,000 (20 %) people

living in “Hard-to-Count” Census Tracts.

• If the county undercounts by 5%, the county will lose

between $500 million to $1.0 billion over 10 years.

–U.S. Census Bureau

CC Spin

CC Spin

EVERYONE COUNTS! is special feature of CC Spin, a countywide

student newspaper produced by students at participating

Contra Costa County public high schools. Story development

is supervised by journalism advisers at participating schools

and professional journalists who coach the students and guide

their reporting and writing. Staff members from Bay City News

and other local journalism outlets and retired journalists are

available to instruct participating students in professional

journalism standards and practices.

CC Spin is a product of the collaboration of The Dean and

Margaret Lesher Foundation, the Contra Costa County Office

of Education, Bay City News, and the California Scholastic

Journalism Initiative.

All opinions expressed in CC Spin are the views of the student

authors only and do not represent the opinion of the Lesher

Foundation, any school, district or county educational

authority, or the California Scholastic Journalism Initiative.

CC Spin is a product of student journalists and is guided by

tenets of the First Amendment, ethical guidelines of the

Society of Professional Journalists, and the legal guidelines

of California Education Code sections 45907 and 48950.

CENSUS PROJECT CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Mahika Arya, Dougherty Valley High School

Sneha Cheenath, Dougherty Valley High School

Sabrina Contreras, California High School

Izabella Ge, San Ramon High School

Siddhant Gupta, California High School

Caroline Lobel, Dougherty Valley High School

Vanessa Macias, Making Waves Academy

Shruthi Narayanan, Dougherty Valley HIgh School

Daniela Wise, Dougherty Valley High School

Cover art by Allie Marcu, Acalanes High School sophomore and

cartoonist on the school newspaper, The Blueprint.

Bruce Koon, Writing Coach/Editor

Funding for the 2020 Census special project was provided

through the Silicon Valley Community Foundation representing

a collaboration of 10 Bay Area foundations.

Steve O’Donoghue, Director

California Scholastic Journalism Initiative

5818 N Street

Sacramento, CA 95819

CC Spin

Viewpoint

No, men, we don’t hate you

By Nicole Prozan


The second most popular definition of feminist on Urban

Dictionary is “a person, usually but not necessarily,

of the female gender, indoctrinated to find fault in

everything a male does whilst believing all females can do

no wrong.”

The most common phrase I hear used to describe a

feminist is “man-hater.”

This, in my view, pervades the narrative of modern

feminism due to anger expressed toward men all over social

media, with phrases like “I hate men” or “Why do men exist?”

among the most commonly used.

While it is true that feminists, including myself, are not

shy when it comes to confronting and critiquing our male

counterparts, I disagree with the notion that feminists are

indoctrinated to find fault in everything a man does.

Behind all of the anger and seeming disgust toward

men in the feminist movement is anxiety toward the

unpredictability of men.

Should the school be

worried about more

threats of violence?

By Myles Douglas

De Anza High School

Over the past few years, there has been an alarming rise in school

threats on social media and on the internet in general.

This has become a serious problem and something every school

has to look out for. Even our own school, De Anza, was recently threatened,

but the threat was reported and the student was stopped before any

threat could ever become reality.

The incident illustrates that threats are something De Anza must

about in the future.

People began paying close attention to school threats after the Parkland.

Florida, shooting which occurred on February 14, 2018, when a19-

year-old student allegedly brought a semi-automatic rifle to his school

and proceeded to start firing, killing 17 students and injuring 17 others.

After this event, there were hundreds of school threats reported

around the country.

The level of threats rose from 10 a day to 70 a day, a rate that

diminished over time. Still school threats, many made on social media, are

now a daily occurrence around the country, Most threats found on social

media never result in anything serious ever happening, but schools and

the police still have to take these threats very seriously.

Most school threats on social media are posted as sick jokes and

people who post them usually think that the school will never see it and

they won’t get in trouble for it.

However, school officials encourage people who see these threats

to report them immediately so schools can inform the police, who take

required action.

The police handle all school threats as if they are serious so it doesn’t

matter if you are joking or serious. The police can track down perpetrators

from their social media. Everything done on social media is trackable, so

you can’t post carelessly or you might end up being confronted by the

police.

Schools also monitor social media and if school officials see anything

suspicious, they can take action and punish accordingly.

Students who post threats, even as a joke, could end up ruining their

future. It’s no laughing matter.

By Luke Shalz


We have a voice. We matter. What we have to say, what

we think and what we want done in the West Contra

Costa County School District matters. Did you know that

our district spends about $370 million per year to educate us?

Adults can only make best guesses as to how we would like to see

the taxpayers’ money spent on US. If we don’t get involved and

speak up, adults will make all the decisions for us.

Our Board of Education is elected by the people, based on

their values, to set policy and make decisions for students. Their

names appear on the plaque in the lobby at our school, Pinole

Valley High School. They work with our superintendent, Matthew

Duffy, to distribute funds available based on what they think is

best for students or most needed.

Our district has unique and often costly needs mostly related

to our cultural diversity, social/emotional needs, English-as-asecond-language

and free meals for students in need. Most other

districts have these needs, but on a much smaller scale.

I’ve learned that our board’s job is difficult as members

constantly have to consider competing needs and ultimately

decide what is best for students overall.

At the beginning of the school year, my mom and I appealed

to the school board for new band uniforms. We did a lot of

research and brought them facts to convince them how much our

band needed new uniforms as well as the costs and process.

Currently, the band is going through the process of getting

In a survey in which 134 female Acalanes students responded,

78 percent reported that they had been catcalled.

Some 72 percent reported feeling scared or threatened by a

man’s words or actions at some point in their lives.

This isn’t normal. It shouldn’t be normal. Respondents

to that survey are all students at Acalanes who are under

18 and who live in a relatively safe area. Imagine -- we are

the most privileged, yet still, 72.4 percent of women who

responded have felt scared or threatened. If we are facing

numbers as staggering as that, imagine how much worse it

is for women and girls elsewhere.

At a time the most famous names in our culture,

including the president, Supreme Court nominees, and

movie stars are faced with allegations of sexual assault, we

must ask the question:

If men as powerful as these have harrassed various

women, even famous women, then what are “regular”

women facing every day?

With the rise of movements like Time’s Up and #MeToo,

women are tired of putting up with what might seem to be

insignificant actions like being catcalled. Women are tired

By Rebeca Perez

Kennedy High School

Everyone knows that many teenagers do drugs and the

most common one is smoking or eating marijuana. This

is a plant that many people use to relax and it’s why

some doctors prescribe it to some of their patients.

Another reason why it could increasingly be prescribed

is to treat seizure disorders, Crohn’s disease, and muscle

spasms.

If teenagers have any of these problems, it’s fine for

them to have marijuana, but why consume marijuana at a

learning environment like a high school?

Schools do not allow drugs on campus and of course,

Kennedy High School does not allow it. But it looks like most

of the staff doesn’t really care about how much students

are smoking on campus. It does not go unnoticed, though,

because one of the English teachers at Kennedy said, “They

think we don’t know but we do.”

This teacher has even said that all of those little corners

Staff Editorial


new uniforms.

We spoke for students and our voice was heard.

At that meeting, I was approached by board member Mister

Phillips and previously by member Tom Panas. They said that

they would like to see me on the board as a student member. I

didn’t even know such a position existed. I followed the process

of joining the Youth Commission and being elected as a member.

I’ve been serving since September.

I would highly recommend to anyone interested in education,

public policy or law or such to consider being on the board.

It’s valuable, real-world experience.

On the board, I have learned so much. It’s not easy to be a

board member nor superintendent. I have voted alongside board

members on very meaningful issues while being aggressively

and angrily shouted at by attendees all wanting a vote in their

favor.

The board has a “road map,” based on the will of the people

who elected them, which guides their decisions. Those who appear

at board meetings are given a lot of time to make their case

for their requests. The board must vote the will of the people reflected

in the “road map” which is ultimately the adult-perceived

needs of the students.

This is why it’s important that students become more

involved and speak at board meetings. We’re not yet 18 so we

can’t vote for board members but we can speak at meetings and

let our voices be heard.

Here’s an experience I had on the board: I was approaching

the entrance to the school where the board meetings are held.

of living their lives having to plan for what may happen to

them at the hands of men. Women are tired of being faced

with the unpredictable nature of men’s attitude toward

women.

We are cautious. We walk down the streets with our

keys between our fingers. We don’t go out alone at night.

We’ve learned tactics to keep ourselves safe, and even then,

sometimes those tactics fail.

Though some view it as a radical notion, women

shouldn’t have to live their lives struggling to cope with

the irrational and unpredictable behavior of our male

counterparts.

So when the frustration of having to live and plan our

lives to avoid coming into contact with the worst parts of

humanity comes across as anger, I promise you, it is not.

There is something deeper than just anger --- something

that must change within our society.

So, the next time someone refers to feminists as “manhating”

or another derogatory adjective along those lines, I

urge readers to remind themselves of the everyday events

and risks that women must be wary of just to exist.

and “hiding spots” on campus that students go to with

friends to smoke are not so secretive, because most teachers

already know about it.

Much of the time at Kennedy the smell of marijuana will

hit you through the halls, even in many classrooms. For a

learning environment, this is not OK.

Many students at Kennedy claim that they don’t mind

the smell of marijuana, which is probably because they do

the drug themselves. But other students, including myself,

do not like it.

Non smokers say that the smell of marijuana gives them

a headache, which makes it harder for them to concentrate

on their classwork.

A Kennedy student who wanted to remain anonymous

said, “In most of my classes it reeks of marijuana and it’s annoying

because the smell disgusts me and I’m just trying to

get through the class so I can leave as quickly as possible.”

Marijuana also deeply affects people with asthma.

English and theatre teacher Jamie Myrick has asthma and

has strong reactions to perfume, strong fragrant lotions and

The first case of the coronavirus, a highly contagious

virus that can lead to lethal respiratory infections in

humans, was confirmed in Wuhan, China, in December

2019.

Today, the virus spread rapidly to 28 countries and is

infecting more than 30,000 people worldwide. As of Feb. 29,

the virus has claimed more than 2000 lives.

Chinese officials have quarantined infected individuals,

but many fear the Chinese government has not been entirely

truthful regarding the scale of the outbreak and believe the

real situation is much more dire than reported.

Wuhan doctor Wenliang Li, who communicated the

emerging threat of the virus on the Chinese social media app

WeChat, was taken in by authorities for his critical exposés.

He contracted the disease and died.

Many other whistleblowers were taken in by government

authorities and some have disappeared. The government

has also censored social media posts.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Chinese leader Xi

Jinping has been maintaining a low profile, rarely appearing

in newscasts to address the epidemic.

In spite of the virus’s rapid proliferation and immediate,

devastating economic effects, Chinese authorities appear to

be more focused on censoring citizen journalists’ reporting

that contradict the official narrative.

Chinese censorship is no longer a domestic problem. It is

a catastrophic danger to the entire world.

While Chinese authorities are right to remove any

speech that may agitate mass hysteria, they certainly do not

have the right to censor reporting because it deviates from

the state’s speech, especially when the government lacks the

power to fully understand and control the virus.

In 1986, a calamitous accident at the Chernobyl nuclear

power plant in Ukraine occurred, causing severe radiation

sickness and contaminating broad areas around the site.

Many people are still suffering the consequences of the

infamous nuclear disaster today.

Many people were dressed in indigenous clothing, dancing and

banging drums and chanting and yelling while blocking the

entrance to the meeting place due to their sheer number. The

meeting room was filled beyond capacity with hundreds of John

Henry High School parents, teachers, students and many more.

That evening, the board was to vote on whether or not to

continue to fund their charter school. We listened for hours as

John Henry students, parents, staff members and the like spoke

on behalf of their school.

Presentations from district officials presenting relevant data

showed that the school was not meeting certain standards. The

crowd was very hostile and aggressive toward the board and

district officials.

During the voting, the crowds drew closer to the board in

anger. I voted in opposition, along with the majority of the board.

People began yelling and cursing at the board members and

there were fights in the audience.

While the security guards were busy trying to control the

situation, the board members and I exited to a separate, safe

room.

This is a taste of what I personally experienced while a

student board member. This board meeting was just one of many

that gave me real insight as to what it really means to be an

elected official.

I now have a much different understanding of what it means

to be an elected official as well as how much effort really goes

into educating students.

Ralph Bedwell, director of the Pinole Valley High School

Art by Liam McGlynn, Acalanes High School

17

March 2020

Excessive use of marijuana on campus

the smell of cigarettes and marijuana.

Myrick said that at times it gets so bad that she has to

step out of her classroom and have someone else teach her

students. She also said that the people who come to class

smelling strongly of marijuana are simply rude because they

forget about those with asthma like herself.

Myrick said it’s offensive because students smoking

marijuana don’t understand that she and students with

asthma can get an asthma attack that can send them to the

hospital.

Myrick said that she has seen her students get asthma

attacks, which is scary. She said that what she thinks can be

done about this problem is to make people aware.

This got me thinking.

Something needs to be done, by the staff, or students

themselves. Students can make posters warning about the

risk. There can be simple announcements on the loudspeaker

to make students aware of the problem.

The messages can encourage those who smoke on

campus to do so elsewhere.

Deadly coronavirus could be China’s Chernobyl

Throughout the catastrophe, the Soviet Union denied

and lied about the scope of the accident. Their actions

instilled in people a sense of false reassurance and delayed

the evacuation and clean-up processes, thereby intensifying

the aftermath.

As history has shown, transparency is essential to public

health. If the Chinese government does not disclose the

full extent of the new epidemic, the deadly coronavirus can

become China’s Chernobyl.

Getting involved in government on the unified school district board

Luke Shalz, a junior at Pinole Valley High School, is serving as

the student member of the West Contra Costa Unified School

District Board of Education. Photo by Mark Shalz, Pinole

Valley High School.

newspaper, Spartan Ink, approached me months ago to write this

article but I didn’t have much real experience to write about yet.

The issues that have been addressed by the board, the difficulty

of issues to consider and having to vote on these issues have

opened my eyes, deepening my understanding of how things

18

March 2020

What’s censorship?

This editorial cartoon is by Kelly Tran at Pinole Valley High School. It’s a commentary on how the

National Archives handled the photo this year from the 2017 women’s march as part of its elevator

lobby promotional display for our current exhibit on the 19th Amendment. The exhibit erased

Trump’s name. The National Archives later apologized for altering the image.

Bay teams cursed by one another

By Shannah Saul


And Boston makes it look so easy.

It’s either the Niners, the Sharks or the Warriors having

a great season, but it’s never all three. For whatever

reason, the Bay Area just can’t have a year where all of their

sports teams are doing consistently well.

Even our baseball teams are guilty of this. If the A’s have a

good season, the Giants don’t, and vice-versa.

At this point though, they’ve become less relevant because

they’re more detached summer teams. Plus, at least there’s two

of them to root for.

The Sharks, usually first or second in the NHL Pacific Division,

are a whopping sixth this year with a 24-27-4 record. This is

a league where the Vancouver Canucks are now in first.

It’s not like the Pacific Division is particularly talented.

It’s hard to believe, but the Warriors are doing worse. With a

12-40 record, the team that reached the NBA finals the last five

seasons are dead last in both the Western Conference and the

NBA as a whole. Even the Sacramento Kings are better than the

Warriors. Jeez.

Last year should have been the peak of Bay Area excellence,

but of course the Niners crashed and burned when quarterback

Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a torn ACL in his left knee early in the

season. From there, it was all downhill for San Francisco as more

of their roster went down.

OK, so maybe 2019-2020 would be our year.

And it should have been. All we needed were the two most

consistent Bay Area teams to keep it up. The Warriors had another

great season prior to the 2019-2020 season, and were the

champions of the Western Conference for the fifth straight year.

The Sharks lost in the Western Conference Finals to St. Louis,

but their playoff run had been so impressive, nobody was really

too upset.

Fast forward to February, and it’s basically the sports

apocalypse.

The current Warriors have pulled a 2018-2019 Niners and

lost most of their top talent to injuries. Stephen Curry, Klay

Thompson, and the list goes on and on.

The Sharks are more tricky. These guys are scrambling to

first figure out what’s wrong, and it appears we have an answer.

Viewpoint

Everything is wrong.

They thought despite giving up Joe Pavelski, Joonas

Donskoi, and Gustav Nyquist (20 percent of the scoring from last

season), superstars like Brent Burns, Logan Couture, and Erik

Karlsson would make up for it.

Unfortunately, the Sharks didn’t seem to get the memo.

Karlsson is not worth $11 million a year. Burns is flailing. Martin

Jones and Aaron Dell are now fighting for a starting spot in goal

after Jones proved he couldn’t stop a puck if it fell into his glove.

Former head coach Peter DeBoer has been fired and is now

coaching for the Vegas Golden Knights, a powerhouse team that

already gives the Sharks trouble. And oh yeah, Couture is injured.

You didn’t think you were getting through this without an

injury, did you?

And what’s worse, with the Oakland Raiders officially becoming

the Las Vegas Raiders, we’ve lost the resident trash team

that makes the rest of our sports teams look that much better. Is

one of our once-mighty teams going to have to replace them?

Luckily, we’re still fortunate to have two baseball teams.

Unfortunately, these two teams seem to have the same issuethey

can’t both agree on a good season.

Last year, the A’s were second in the American League West

with an impressive 97-65 record, and cinched a Wild Card spot.

The Giants, on the other hand, missed the playoffs for the third

straight season with a 77-85 record. In fact, the last time the A’s

and Giants both finished with a winning record was 2014.

Will we ever have a perfect Bay Area trifecta? The answer:

not this season. And maybe not next season either.

It’s highly unlikely the Sharks and Warriors make it into playoff

position, and in the Sharks’ case, they don’t have a chance at

the draft since they traded away their picks.

The Warriors, on the other hand, may have a shot at a nice

comeback. Their best plan of attack is to just roll over, accept

defeat and a high draft pick, and wait for the stars to come back.

At least we’ll always have the 2015, 2017, and 2018 titles.

At the end of the day, we’re not Boston. But even if we were,

what goes up must come down. The true fans will stay dedicated

to this city (or cities) until we’re back on top, and then it’ll all be

worth it.

And if you’re looking for some optimism right now, just

think of this-- at least the Patriots didn’t win the Super Bowl.

Then again, neither did the Niners.

CC Spin

Homework is a flawed way to learn

By Zoe Edelman


It is 11:15 p.m., prime time to sit down at my

desk and mindlessly complete all the homework

that I effortlessly pushed away all day. Maybe

it all gets done, maybe it gets copied, or maybe it

could possibly be thoughtfully completed. The clock

now reads 1:06 a.m. Rinse and repeat for the rest of

this week, and the rest of the school year.

This pattern is so easy to fall into, and many

students at Acalanes do. It begs the question, is it

really worth it? Is 10 points worth less sleep and

an ever present feeling of guilt and exhaustion?

Is writing that essay in the wee hours of the night

worth the detriment of student mental health?

The stress and poor mental state of students

ties closely to homework, and something needs

to change.

Personally, I enjoy learning. I feel grateful

when I gain the satisfaction of growing intellectually.

However, most of the homework I do doesn’t

contribute to my actual learning. I am guilty of

staying up too late, scrambling to finish worksheets

and sending the “Have you done the homework?”

text.

Or, I end up being too exhausted to fathom

reading another 10 chapters of an ancient text for

English.

The pressure of doing homework for points in

a grade book transforms students into machines,

inputting data for a result. Students do not learn

or retain substantive information when teachers

assign lots of work and short deadlines.

Contrarily, when homework is optional, the

likelihood of students accomplishing the work

improves greatly. In fact, studies continually show

that homework actually does not correlate to

higher test scores.

In a study on high school homework for a

Healthline article, an AP Biology teacher cut down

half of her students’ homework load. Test scores

did not drop because students were using the

new-found time to learn in ways that worked for

them or having the extra time to relax was helping

them as well.

This system is far better because it holds

students accountable for their own learning. The

thought process shifts to “Couldn’t do it last night,

but I can still do it tonight,” rather than “It’s too

late now.”

Homework being an option allows students

to do quality work, where they actually learn the

material as opposed to simply completing it.

Additionally, teaching the mindset that

students have to do homework for a grade value

doesn’t set them up for success in college. Most

college courses don’t count homework as an important

category in grades, meaning only intrinsic

motivation drives students to complete homework

at higher levels of education. Applying the wrong

standards in lower levels of education does not set

up students for future success.

Students should be held accountable for

homework by themselves, not their teachers

and grades. Students who choose to cheat or not

complete homework will see the result with poor

grades on tests and other assignments. Others who

choose to learn and do homework to the best of

their ability will reap the results.

Homework should be an extension of learning,

not a stressor. Reduce the quantity and short

deadlines and allow students time to learn instead

of worry. Teachers should be focused on whether

students have adequately learned the material, not

whether it’s complete by the bell.

Men gain popularity, women lack respect

By Seta Salkhi


Depending on the season, students at Monte Vista attend

rallies for football, see posters for basketball, and

hear announcements for baseball. But no matter the

time of year, women’s sports come secondary to men’s — at

least in the eyes of advertisers.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major

League Baseball (MLB) are two of the biggest sports organizations

in the United States. Americans will likely be keeping

track of one or the other at all times of the year. We have the

media to thank for giving us the latest score updates and

schedules on demand.The Women’s National Basketball Association

(WNBA) and the National Softball Association (NSA)

are probably less familiar to us, and for that we also have the

media to thank with their focus on male sports.

American sport culture is reliant on men not because

their sports are more entertaining, but because they are more

widely advertised and their athletes get more sponsorships.

As a result, the difference in popularity between men and

women’s sports is largely a result of publicity — and lack

thereof.

This trend has been reflected in our school with Leadership

in charge of athletic promotion. Junior Olivia Stark,

a Leadership member and player on the women’s varsity

water polo team, explained.“Within leadership, there are

different committees that [students can be] in, ” Stark said.

“One of those committees is athletic recognition.”According

to Leadership, its focus this year is on acknowledging athletes

from all sports. However, there is an issue that has remained

untouched: women’s sports continue to get less publicity

than men’s.

“People have said that it is unfair some sports get more

hype than others, so this year we are in the process of getting

them the same amount of advertising,” said Junior Emily

Tatum, a member of Leadership.As sports that include both

men and women grow in popularity, the gap in publicity

between genders widens in favor of men.The effect on attendance

is minimal at the high school, according to athletic

director Andy Popper.

But once we get to higher levels of popular sports and

we see greater differences in publicity, American interests

change dramatically.“We all watch the NBA and we watch the

[National Football League], so we’re bound to go to a high

school basketball or football game,” Stark said. “I’m sure you

haven’t watched a water polo game on television.”

However, some don’t blame sponsorships and publicity

for the differences in attendance. Instead, they give credit

to the fact that men are more athletic than women.“I think

there is a difference [in advertising between genders]

because men’s games are more exciting, more fast-paced

than women’s games,” said senior Connor Stechsulte, a varsity

boys basketball player.

However, if this were the case, then why are attendance

rates similar in high school? How come women continue

to bring audiences to their games against all the odds, in

high school?

Male sports are definitely popular because of their players’

admirable athleticism, but it is important to remember

that, even though women play their sports differently, it

doesn’t necessarily mean that the way they’re playing is

wrong.

In the example of volleyball, men jump higher and hit

the ball harder, but girls can rally for a longer period of time.

In water polo, women are feistier than men. In lacrosse, fans

can find that, while men are more aggressive with each other

on the field, women are more skillful in their techniques.

If the reality is that both men and women sports have

their pros and cons, why do we put such an emphasis on male

sports?

“Tradition,” Stark said. “I feel like football and basketball

are going to be fan favorites, at least for the time being.”

However, it is also important to note that our school’s

culture is changing, with Leadership working to ensure that

both men and women’s sports get equal opportunities on and

off the field.

“Leadership was thinking of making a spring sports’ rap

where they include women’s sports, and we’re working on our

Instagram to get the word out for their games,” Tatum said.

While it will be difficult to transform America’s entire

outlook on sports everywhere in the country, at least we are

starting to see the changes here in Danville.

As for why it is so important that we give more recognition

to female sports, Stark touched on that really well:

“They deserve it. Women are bada**.”

The CC Spin is produced by students at Contra Costa County public high schools. Story

development is supervised by the journalism advisers at the participating schools.

Professional journalists coach the students and guide their reporting and writing. Staff

members from local journalism outlets and retired journalists instruct participating

students in professional journalism standards and practices.

The CC Spin is a product of the collaboration of The Lesher Foundation, the Contra

Costa County Office of Education, and the

California Scholastic Journalism Initiative.

All opinions expressed in CC Spin are the views of the student authors only and do not

represent the opinion of the Lesher Foundation, any school, district or county educational

authority, or the California Scholastic Journalism Initiative.

CC Spin is a product of student journalists and is guided by the tenets of The First

Amendment, the ethical guidelines of the Society of Professional Journalists and

California Education Code sections 45907 and 48950.

CC Spin

FACILITATORS

Melissa Stafford Jones

Executive Director

Lesher Foundation

Terry Koehne

Chief Communications Officer

Contra Costa County Office

of Education

Steve O’Donoghue

California Scholastic Journalism

Initiative, Coordinator

Jim Finefrock, Writing Coach

Bruce Koon Writing Coach

Carol Pogash, Writing Coach

Dick Rogers, Writing Coach

FACULTY ADVISERS

Natalie Moore, Acalanes High School

Brian Barr, California High School

Thomas Gagnie, De Anza High School

Rachel Decker, Dougherty Valley High School

Myriam Godfrey, Kennedy High School

Masin Persina, Making Waves Academy

Donia Gousios, Miramonte High School

Paige Crawford, Monte Vista High School

Karen Jenkins , Northgate High School

Ralph Bedwell, Pinole Valley High School

Maya Kosover, Richmond High School

Joseph Alvarico, Ygnacio Valley High School

STUDENT EDITORS

Nicole Proznan, Acalanes High School

Gina Wu, California High School

Alyssa Earnest, De Anza High School

Caroline Lobel, Dougherty Valley High School

Vanessa Macias, Making Waves Academy

Juliet Adams/Lauren Nixon,


Seta Salkhi, Monte Vista High School

Cassidy Baumann, Northgate High School

Mason Montano, Pinole Valley High School

Heidi Carranza/Vivianna Bejarano,


Izabella Ge, San Ramon Valley High School

Clara Stevenson, Ygnacio Valley High School

Printing by

FolgerGraphics Printing

Hayward, California

CC Spin

Viewpoint

19

March 2020

Art by Allie Marcu, Acalanes High School.

Am I diverse just because I’m not white?

By Stephanie Liu


I’ve been building a “diverse” brand for myself throughout my

high school career. But I’ve realized that this brand doesn’t

quite fit me, and it has led me to question whether I am

diverse or not.

In order to determine if I am diverse, we must first consider

its definition. Literally, diversity means variety. However, in

practice, people often associate diversity with racial minority

groups and the ensuing constant oppression.

This one-sided approach to diversity is problematic and

ignores the complexity which racial diversity presents. It does not

take into account the context or environment in which a person

exists.

Take me, for example. I’m Asian. Using the simplified

definition of diversity, I am inherently diverse because of my race.

That label makes sense here in Lafayette, where the majority of

people are white.

By Akira Nannen


From writing on the palms of their hands to hiding answers on the insides of their

calculator cases, students never fail to come up with clever ways to cheat.

Students may be tempted to cheat to improve scores on tests or avoid doing

homework. The intense academic environment at Acalanes may be a factor into some

students’ decision to work dishonestly.

In order to combat student cheating, the administration has created specific

guidelines prohibiting the practice.

The Acalanes Student Handbook divides academic dishonesty into four categories:

cheating, unauthorized collaborating, plagiarizing, and unauthorized publishing of

school materials. Further subsections of cheating include copying other students’ work,

falsifying academic work, and having a parent make major changes to student work.

In an anonymous survey of randomly selected Acalanes students, 57 percent of

students reported cheating at least once. Yet, only 53 percent of students observed a

cheating problem at Acalanes.

The survey found that students primarily cheat after forgetting to study for a

test, while sheer laziness provided the second most common motive. Other students

explained that they cheated since they struggled to find time to study or, sometimes,

because they dismissed certain classes as unimportant.

Desire and pressure to attain good grades and receive acceptance into highly

competitive universities underlies most cheaters acts of academic dishonesty.

“The belief that you have to get into a top tier college and have near perfect

grades and test scores contributes to an unmanageable amount of stress and anxiety for

many young adults,” local psychologist David Matz said.

Although many teachers try to prevent cheating by walking around and observing

students taking tests, some students cheat regardless of their teacher’s level of observance.

But teachers often observe defined patterns of incorrectness.

“The general way I find it is when they get the same wrong answer. They’ll make

the same kind of incorrect statement, or they copy their friend’s work word for word,”

European history teacher Ed Seelenbacher said.

“Occasionally in math, during quizzes or sometimes during tests, me and my

friends look at each other’s papers if we’re confused on a problem,” one student cheater

said. “Sometimes in science class, I may send a picture of my homework or a friend

might send a picture of theirs if either of us are confused,” admitting to both cheating

and unauthorized collaboration.

It’s incredibly easy to poke holes in this definition. Most

of the friends I eat lunch with are Asian, and the rest are white.

There are only two races represented, but since most of the kids

in this group are not white, we are diverse.

Let’s take it a step further. If I went to school in China,

assuming all the rest of my classmates were Chinese, I would

be in the majority. There is only one race represented in this

hypothetical population. And yet, by definition, I would still be

diverse because I am not white.

This classification also implies that white individuals are

“not diverse”. This creates a fabricated cultural divide, which

manifests when my white peers expect me to conform to their

idea of a “diverse lifestyle”: something completely opposite and

new, dramatic and compelling enough to bestir some pity for the

inevitable racism I must have suffered.

Unfortunately for anyone seeking an exciting life story from

me, I’m boring.

Regarding the racism, I’ve been relatively lucky. Having

lived the first 10 years of my life in majority-Asian communities

and being the daughter of successful Chinese immigrants, I have

not experienced the systemic racism in this country the same

way other racial minority groups have. I have additional buffers

in the form of my relatively light skin, model minority status, and

the general tolerance of the area I live in.

As an East Asian, I have two big privileges. Because my skin

is relatively light, I have more privilege-- a phenomenon known

as colorism. Secondly, as part of a “model minority”, people

tend to associate my race with more positive qualities than

negative. Add in the fact that my parents are well-educated and

moderately wealthy, and it’s clear that I have many factors out of

my control allowing me to live a good life.

Further, I have lived in this community since I was 11 years

old. My current life is not drastically different from the typical

white Acalanes student. Maybe I don’t have the same typical dinner

as my white peers -- it’s Chinese food every night -- but I still

ignore my lactose intolerance in favor of a slice of Costco pizza

now and again. My biggest problem is not overt bullying about

my race; it’s my tendency to put off writing my college essays

By Byron Ward and Antela Orduno

Kennedy High School

The Kennedy High School schedule was better the way it

was before the adminisration changed it. This year Kennedy

High’s seven class schedule was reduced to six classes.

If a student needs to make up a class or take a class for their

career or dream job, having seven periods a day is more beneficial

and practical.

Having only six class period is especially hard on Englishas-a-second-language

students. They frequently can’t take the

classes that they need to get to the right level.

Students need every possible chance we can get so that we

may succeed in whatever it is we want to do. Think of all the

students who want to become welders and won’t be able to just

until my mom starts to yell.

I readily admit my privileges, and I am more than comfortable

speaking about my experience as a Chinese-American. I

want to talk about my complex relationship with my ethnicity

and how I feel alienated from my culture because of whitewashing

and my limited ability to read or write Chinese. I want to talk

about different types of privilege.

The problem is, when I engage in conversations about race

I feel pressured to present the “diverse” narrative or risk losing the

interest of my whtie peers. I feel like I must stir emotions, evoke

a feeling of wrongdoing and instill enough white guilt to spur

action. That’s my purpose as a “diverse” individual.

I can’t do that. I haven’t suffered enough to be “diverse”,

and isn’t that a sad thing to say? The fact of the matter is, “diverse”

is a superficial label. It says nothing solid about a person’s

experience or their relationship to the world. Ironically, diversity

has become a term to generalize a population. Until we reform

the connotations attached to diversity, I cannot keep identifying

with such an empty label.

A look into cheating and academic dishonesty on campus

Census

data on

education

levels

and

earnings

– U.S. Census

Art by Stephanie Liu, Acalanes High School.

Students who frequently cheat employ certain strategies to ensure they will not

get caught by teachers.

“I have a solid strategy when the teacher is not paying attention. I may cast a few

glances at the other person’s test sheet, but if I’m sitting next to someone who’s not

very intelligent, I usually don’t copy them,” another student cheater said. “I consider

everything, you know? I need to make my choices smart. I need an A.”

“Plagiarizing papers and essays without appropriate attribution is another

big way students cheat,” comparative government teacher Joseph Schottland said.

Although the students we interviewed did not admit to plagiarizing, teachers report

that they deal with plagiarizers every year.

English teacher Ken Derr has seen entire student essays ripped off the internet.

While technology may have made copying easier in the past, online services are now

very effective at detecting plagiarism.

“Turnitin would be the number one thing to detect plagiarism in essays,”

Schottland said. Turntin is a website designed to detect plagiarism.

Despite Turnitin deterring many would be plagiarizers, Associate principal Mike

Plant reported already having dealt with three cases of plagiarism as of the end of

October.

In addition to plagiarism of essays, Plant also dealt with two official cases of

students copying homework from friends and classmates. Besides these instances

formally reported by teachers, Plant noted that he regularly observes students copying

the work of others during break, academy and lunch.

“Even at lunch when I’m walking around I see people copying homework from

their friend,” Plant said.

Despite the school district’s clear policies regarding academic dishonesty, only 30

percent of students who said they cheat reported getting caught.

Students who cheat may face a wide range of punishments, depending on the

offense. Among other consequences, students may have to meet with an administrator

or counselor, lose credit for an assignment, be assigned detention, and the offense

could appear on the student’s permanent record depending on the severity.

If a student has not completed work or does not feel prepared for an assessment,

instead of resorting to academic dishonesty, a student can always contact their

teacher, an administrator, or counselor to find a better solution for the issue.

“If you feel trapped in a position where you feel you only option is to cheat, I

would hope there’s an adult on campus that you can go talk to that could help you with

that problem,” Plant said. “Cheating is never OK, but also cheating is never a necessity.

There are ways around that.”

JFK should revert to a 7-period schedule

because they couldn’t take the class they needed at the time.

We’ve spoken to a few students about the matter and most

of them agreed that the seven period schedule was and is the

superior way to go.

A few students felt like the six period schedule was superior

because for them it’s easier to keep track of their work and there

are fewer assignments. It’s easier to have six periods rather than

seven.

Another way the Kennedy schedule is inferior is that as it

is now some students are caught up with class work and if they

might want to add a second elective they can’t because there are

not enough openings in a six period day.

We believe that if Kennedy were to go back to the old

schedule the school’s graduation rate and the student success rate

would increase.

20

March 2020

By Nick Harvey


By Glendy Jimenez


Public speaking is a fear shared by many people’s . It’s one of my

fears. I get nervous when speaking in front of people and start to

shake. My adrenaline goes up and I start feeling nauseous. On Jan.

28, I overcame my biggest fear.

I won Poetry Out Loud for my Pinole Valley High School English

class and had the chance to enter the school competition. It caught me

off guard due to the fact I thought I did badly the first time reciting my

poem for my class. I was in shock.

The day before the competition we went into the theater and practiced.

An actual poet was there and gave us tips to improve. I was even

nervous about going up there to practice and missed a couple of lines.

They told us the best way to calm our nerves is to take deep breaths and

exhale for four seconds. I tried it and it worked!

The same night, I stayed up going over my poem. I was reciting it

in my head over and over. I did it while I was in the shower, while I was

in the car, and while I was making a pb&j sandwich. I practiced my tone

and how I could make the poem real.

I broke it down and practiced over and over. I was hardly able to

sleep that night because I was so nervous. I wanted to get it over with

fast. I just didn’t want to mess up and do bad.

It was morning and all I kept thinking about was the competition.

I was anxious the whole day and couldn’t stay still. I had a lot of my

friends help me practice and they gave me pep talks, which helped me

feel better.

At lunch, the other contestants and I met at the theater to set up

and get ready. I couldn’t even eat anything. My hunger went away and

my adrenaline went up. I was shaking and was barely able to stay still.

I kept reciting my poem in my head but since I was so nervous, I kept

messing up.

I was scared and thought I was going to miss a couple of lines. As

more and more people came in I became more anxious. That moment I

just closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I calmed down a bit.

As the competition began I tried thinking on the positive side and

that I was going to do great. When it was finally my turn I zoned out. I

don’t know what got into me but I was able to remember each line and

add so much emotion. It felt as if I was in a telenovela.

I recited “Bent to the Earth” by Blas Manuel De Luna and I was able

to make people feel as if it was my story, my poem, my experience.

When I finished reciting my poem, I smiled and was happy. I didn’t know

I could do that. Going back to my seat I got many compliments. The

other contestants congratulated me and said I did well.

I felt so proud of myself. It was finally time to announce the winner.

I didn’t win but I overcame my biggest fear. I know I did great and was

so proud of myself. I almost made the audience cry and was able to help

them feel the poem. I made many new friends and everyone did great.

Everyone was so kind and I had an amazing experience. You meet

new people from different grades and backgrounds. Everyone did great

and I was so proud of all of us. I definitely would do it again!

Viewpoint

Dark humor is crucial for surviving global tragedy

Surviving the ordeal

of public speaking

Everyone living in your

home counts.

The census counts every person living in the United States regardless of their country of

origin or immigration status. This includes children and newborn babies, grandparents, friends,

nonrelatives, and everyone who is living or staying with you as of April 1, 2020.

The 2020 Census is safe and confidential.

Responses to the census are safe and confidential. Your information is protected by law and

cannot be shared with other law enforcement agencies—not the FBI, ICE, or even local police.

The 2020 Census is easy and convenient.

The census is available in many languages, including Spanish. You can respond online, by phone,

or by mail.

The 2020 Census is important for our community.

Your answers to the 2020 Census will impact funding decisions for the next 10 years for

important local services in our communities, including:

› Schools

› Roads

› Health clinics

› School lunch programs

› After-school programs

› Playgrounds

› Public transportation

› Community centers for seniors


2020CENSUS.GOV

D-HP-LT-EN-133

With the recent tensions between the United States and

Iran looming over our heads, the internet has taken to

Twitter, Reddit, and TikTok with full force to make WW3

memes.

In the aftermath of the assassination of Iranian general

Qassem Soleimani, #WW3 reached more than 200,000 tweets on

Twitter, and “World War 3” was mentioned in at least 1.6 million

tweets.

On TikTok, a social media app where users make short videos,

#WW3 has almost 1.8 billion views.

Which leads us to the question: Is it OK to turn warfare and

possible tragedy into memes?

Of course! Dark humor is ubiquitous in our society. Popular

shows like “South Park” joke about topics such as China’s repulsive

violations of human rights, detention camps on the border

with Mexico, and drunk driving. The Onion, a famous satirical

newspaper, features titles such as “Crack Of Gunfire Resounding

Through Office Gives Woman Perfect Cover She Needs To Bite Into

Crisp Apple.”

Just because people laugh at a dark or offensive joke doesn’t

mean they can’t understand the gravity of the topic.

Black humor could even be good for you. A study published

in the scientific journal “Cognitive Processing” showed a positive

correlation between an appreciation of dark humor and higher

intelligence.

Arnie Cann, a former psychology professor at the University

of North Carolina, said humor is an important part of being able

to cope with difficult situations, according to an interview with

the Association for Psychological Science.

The history of dark humor goes back many years. During

World War I, newspapers around the world published satirical

By David Allen


This year – my senior year in high school– is my first

year as an official resident of California, and I can’t

express how grateful I am for the experience.

Although I miss Washington state, a fantastic place to

live, there is a certain vibe about the Bay Area that is keenly

attractive. With all its icons, influence, history and industry,

California makes a gratifying home.

That aside, here are my foreigner impressions to the

Californian lifestyle.

The pace of life:

Unlike the thoughtful and slow style of a small town,

the Bay Area moves in a constant hustle. Plans are spontaneous,

not sweated over. The Bay Area is an incredible oasis of

opportunity, but the amount of things to do is perpetually

overwhelming. It takes some time to adjust to the new

speed.

The palm trees:

You know you’re in California when you see these topheavy

trees break into the skyline. They give a perfect sense

of warmth and luxury, especially on the backdrop of a clear

blue sky. I can’t get over how cool these are.

The weather:

In eastern Washington (where Washington State

University is), the climate is extremely seasonal: Heat in

summer, high winds in autumn, snowfall in winter, and

thunderstorms in spring.

Here in California, the weather is much less varied. Any

day here can be spent outdoors (except for the occasional

fire day). While this means sports training can continue

By Cayley O'Brien


Life 360, an app designed to track and record an

individual’s actions and share them with family

members, is a popular application for parents of

students in the Miramonte community.

Although this application is a great way to ensure the

safety of family members, Life 360 is a violation of privacy

and destroys the bond of trust between parents and

children. Because trust is an integral part of any relationship,

parents should not install this invasive application on

their teens’ phones.

Life 360 tracks specific locations of the cell phone

that the app is installed on. Not only does it simply track

current location, it sends every family member in a private

and invite-only “circle” a notification when someone

leaves a location, arrives at home, school, or work with

specific coordinates. It also can track top speed while

driving, and instances of fast braking to notify family

members of a potential problem on the road.

While Life 360 may be a good method of location

tracking, in reality, having one’s parents watch and

monitor their child’s every single move creates a sense of

paranoia, leading to the damaged trust between parents

and teens.

Senior Jordan Goularte does not have the app, but

believes it plays a role in the breakdown of trust between

family members. “It’s a terrible idea. There’s little to no

privacy and it makes kids have to try to lie to their parents

just so they don’t get in trouble,” Goul- arte said.

Many teens have found loopholes within the app.

They’ve discovered that putting their phone on airplane

mode for a certain time period and returning to their prior

location to turn it back on, giving the appearance that the

phone has remained in a single location.

There are over 590,000 reviews on the App Store

alone, most of them reported by parents rating the app

highly. But also among these reviews are teenagers rating

the app one star, complaining that “trusting your kid is one

thing, but getting a whole tracking system on their phone

cartoons mocking the war. When First Lady Nancy Reagan visited

her husband Ronald at the hospital after an attempted assassination,

he reportedly joked, “Honey, I forgot to duck.”

The Germans even have their own word for finding other

people’s suffering hilarious: schadenfreude.

But one downside with the storm of WW3 memes on the

internet is the spread of false information. The internet has

panicked over the draft, which ignores the fact that the draft no

longer exists.

Selective Service still exists, and the vast majority of men

18 years of age or older in the U.S need to register by their 26th

birthday.

However, Selective Service is merely in charge of running

the draft. In order to reinstate the draft, both houses of Congress

would need to pass legislation to restore it.

Another example of recent dark memes is a tweet with the

text “gotta start practicing just in case [sic] i [sic] get caught” and

year-round, it’s hard to give up the excitement of a dramatic

climate.

Where I used to live, December meant I had to wake

up early and shovel snow out of the driveway. We could go

sledding and build snowmen in our backyard in winter. The

frozen fog would leave tiny white icicles all on every exposed

surface.

Although California is pleasant, with sunny days late in

the year, it’s not quite Christmas here on December 25.

The people:

Washingtonians are reserved, they keep to themselves.

In Seattle they tend to be passive-aggressive instead of

openly angry. There is a robust reliance on “common sense”,

and mistakes are generally not tolerated.

Even at a young age children call out mishaps, starting

with harmless typos and butchered words in grade schools

and extending to unclear instructions and poor planning in

high schools.

Here in California, the people are much less uptight.

They are noticeably open and friendly. The tradeoff is that

life here can be chaotic and disorganized, but the atmosphere

is overall sunny and warm.

The food:

While you may have In-and-Out and avocados, there’s

nothing like Starbucks and donuts on a cool, cloudy day in

Seattle.

Life isn’t better or worse here, it’s just different. While

my heart will always be in the Evergreen State, there’s

something satisfying in being called Californian. Moving

here has taught me brand names, boba (bubble tea) places,

and emotional intelligence. All in all, it’s been an experience

I would never give up.

to get them in trouble is idiotic,” and “parents didn’t have

any way of being tracked when they were teenagers but

they think they have the right to invade our privacy,” and

“this app makes me feel like a prisoner with one of those

proba- tion ankle trackers”.

Trust is a fundamental part of a parent-child relationship.

As children grow into their teen years, bonding with

parents becomes more complex.

The restrictions placed on freedom by Life 360 causes

teenagers to act out against these limitations, resulting in

more rebellious actions.

With every move tracked, parents are robbing their

kids of the teenage years that should be filled with

mistakes they can learn from, and the independence they

need to succeed throughout the rest of their lives. Life 360

also allows parents to obsess over following every move

CC Spin

a screenshot of Google Translate. The picture features a translation

from English to Arabic, ignoring that 98 percent of Iranians

don’t speak Arabic, according to the CIA World Factbook.

Listen here, parents. Memes don’t entirely deserve the

blame for this. The spread of false, oversimplified news is a larger

problem within modern media, amplified by the rise of cable

news and, more recently, social media.

The transformation of global conflict into memes is merely a

single facet of a larger phenomenon: Millennials and especially

Gen Z-ers have been using memes as a coping mechanism for a

difficult and changing world.

According to Pew Research, 13 percent of American teens

reported having a major instance of depression in 2017. Young

adults are disillusioned with problems they see, but it’s hard for

them to change the world. Most teenagers can’t even vote.

As I watch the world around me slowly burn, I’ll sit back,

relax, and enjoy watching WW3 TikToks.

An outsider looking at life in California

Palms trees are missing in Washington state but

common in California. By David Allen, Northgate High

School

Life 360 invades teen privacy, destroys trust

and action of their child.

“It’s funny how many adults who have downloaded

this app on their kids’ phones had a childhood where they

could go out with friends and not come home bombarded

with questions asking why they were stopped at a certain

place for 7 minutes or why they were driving 5 miles per

hour over the speed limit or why they decided to take a different

route to a certain location,” an individual who spoke

on the condition of anonymity said.

There are alternatives to this app, such as Apple’s Find

My Friends, where parents can track their children’s location

in case of emergency without being notified of every

single movement their child makes.

In order to maintain a healthy and honest relationship

between parents and children, the Life 360 app should not

be installed on children’s phones.

CC Spin

Viewpoint

Mental health days key to lifting stress and depression

21

March 2020

A soliloquy with myself 10 years down the road

By Kayli Ann Harley


Should historical simulations bring suffering into class?

By Vivian Kuang and Kavin Kumaravel


In social studies classrooms around the nation, students are

assigned to participate in debates or simulation activities touching

on sensitive subjects.

Despite controversy, many teachers pursue simulations to

help students understand the experience of living through historical

atrocities and to impart knowledge in an engaging manner.

“Sometimes you just learn about numbers, but numbers

become meaningless over time,” Dougherty Valley High School

World Geography and AP World History teacher Julian Pont

explained. He had conducted a simulation of the Middle Passage,

the route by which slaves were transported across the Atlantic

Ocean, in which students laid under desks in the dark while

ocean sounds played and he read an enslaved person’s diary

excerpt.

“And then you just hear about one case, and that really

impacts you more,” he said.

But while empathy is important, these simulations risk

trivializing historical atrocities. This is largely because despite

one’s best efforts, such simulation can’t possibly replicate what it

was truly like to live through these situations. For example, the

mild discomfort students feel lying on a classroom floor is incomparable

to the Middle Passage’s horrific conditions, and when

students are presented with this comparison, it’s easier for them

to dismiss the lasting and far-reaching impacts of these events.

“Simulations that intend to recreate a traumatic experience

are not a good idea,” World Geography and AP World History

teacher Evan Liddle said. “You run the risk of potentially minimizing

real trauma and a real tragedy.”

Additionally, students often laugh off these simulations

or joke around, and subsequently the activity leaves them less

aware of history, rather than more. Pont explained that at times

during his Middle Passage simulation, students “get goofy, which

kind of ruins it. They just can’t stop laughing and talking, and

then it just kind of kills the whole thing.”

Perhaps the greatest risk of these simulations, however, is

that they chance causing trauma for students with personal connections

to the event being simulated. For example, assigning

African American students to role play as slaves is insensitive,

considering that their own ancestors may have actually lived

through those events and that the horrific effects of slavery still

persist today.

“It was kind of awkward … It just belittles the experience,”

Dougherty Valley junior Gabriel Sebhatu said about a Middle Passage

simulation in which he was one of two students of African

By Natalie Means


(C) TNS 2020

For some students, high school is an exciting and memorable

chapter in their lives. However, many others feel high school

is a source of stress and exhaustion due to challenging

classes and demanding teachers.

Every year, parents, faculty, and students have ignored

issues like depression, chronic stress, and anxiety, but more

students are beginning to vocalize the importance of maintaining

a healthy state of mind, especially after the Parkland High School

shooting of February 2018.

Aspiring to combat these mental illness in teens, students

in Oregon introduced their idea of “mental health days”. Their

goal is to prevent incidents like the Parkland shooting by paying

more attention to the mental well-being of teens.

On July 1, Oregon legislators passed a law allowing high

school students five mental health days for every three months

of school. Utah also accepts “mental health” as a valid excuse to

Dear 2030 me,

I hope you know that I am proud of you. Wherever you

are, whatever you are doing, or however you feel, you are

still here. You are still standing, whether your legs feel strong and

sturdy, or your knees are wobbling and your muscles are shaking

and you are seconds away from collapsing.

No matter how many times you hit the floor when you simply

could not find the strength to stand, you rose each time, finding

the worth in our heart even when our mind could not.

In the moments of life that allow you to embrace happiness,

give yourself permission to relinquish yourself to that feeling.

Welcome the warmth into your chest without trying to quarrel

it with the coldness of the worry under your skin. I hope you are

able to smile without questioning how genuine it is, and laugh

without the weight of guilt pressing on your shoulders.

I want you to know that I do not know you. I only know the

fragments of you that reside within me. I know that you have

changed, and I am okay with the pieces you put back together.

Acknowledge the growth that you have made, even if it meant

leaving some parts behind.

I hope you remember the pain, but I also hope you have

learned to love yourself without it. I hope you are allowing

yourself to live the life you have been given. I understand that you

are only 25, but do not use that as an excuse to undermine the life

descent in the class.

While he explained that his parents immigrated to the

United States from Ethiopia and he thus does not fully speak for

people whose ancestors experienced the slave trade, he added,

“I think it’s a problem for a lot of history classes [in] what is

considered to be OK to do as an activity.”

History classes also occasionally conduct in-class debates

on similarly sensitive historical subjects, such as what civil rights

should have been afforded to blacks during the Reconstruction

Era, or whether the Trail of Tears was justified. Sometimes,

students are asked to determine a winner.

These debates are carried out with the intent of informing

students of the controversy and motivations behind these

historical events. Teachers explain that they engage students

with different opinions and viewpoints, which allows them to

grow as thinkers.

“Being devil’s advocate … is one of the best ways to learn

because when you’re forced to defend your points and your

arguments, that’s when you really fine-tune and make more

connections. Then you’re ready for when you have to maybe

meet somebody in the real world to counter that [argument],”

Pont said.

This is true for some topics, like the benefits of the New Deal

or whether the American colonists should have declared independence.

But at this point in our history, it’s widely recognized

that situations like slavery and the Trail of Tears were immoral.

A productive debate involves an equal division of ground on

both sides, with defensible arguments for both; thus, stances

in favor of historical atrocities often seem legitimized by the

implicit presentation of both sides as seemingly equal, resulting

in a reproduction of the same prejudices society has fought so

hard to diminish. Furthermore, students end up being assigned

to advance morally abhorrent views, making them feel unsafe,

especially when they are students of color.

“I just think it takes away from the integrity of the classroom

when you ask students to have those lines of reasoning,” senior

Lauren Ottley said.

To be clear, we aren’t arguing for the elimination of all

simulations or debates in history classes, only those that cover

potentially traumatic historical events in insensitive ways. We

understand that many activities are often undertaken with

the intention of making learning interesting beyond lectures

or worksheets, and agree that a focus on interactive learning

is beneficial. For example, simulations about federalism in AP

U.S. Government or a reenactment of feudal Japan in AP World

History both capture student attention while avoiding potentially

offensive outcomes.

miss school. Currently, Oregon and Utah are the only states with

revised laws to support students’ mental health.

Schools in Oregon and Utah hope students will use their

time away from school to rest and get help if their mental fatigue

is extreme, but this new law does come at the risk of students

taking advantage of this policy and missing too much school.

Mental health days “could help benefit some students, but

at the same time, I think you would have those who would abuse

it too much and they would start falling behind even more in

school,” senior Mikaela Valerio said.

Every two years, ninth and eleventh-grade students in California

take the California Healthy Kids Survey. The 2015 survey

found that 13 percent of ninth-grade students and 25 percent of

eleventh-grade students have missed school because of a lack of

sleep. Also, 7 percent of ninth-grade students and 23 percent of

eleventh-grade students reported they missed school because

they were unprepared for a test or behind in schoolwork.

“I definitely think it would be helpful to be excused

from school if you were lacking on sleep or extra stressed out,”

that you have lived simply because it is not the life you envision in

your dreams. Trust that you are capable of creating that life.

I can only hope that you are allowing our heart to shine

through over our head sometimes, it always did cower when

our thoughts encompassed everything. Each thought became a

needle that etched doubt and fear into our heart until they seeped

into our blood and swam throughout the entirety of our body. Our

body did not shake, it trembled. Our eyes did not cry, they poured.

Our heart did not just bleed, it shattered.

Once I was done staring at the pieces in awe of my pain,

I picked them up and got to work. I am putting myself back

together.

I blamed our mind for so much, I blamed it for all the pain, all

the anxiety, and I blamed it for breaking our heart. I want you to

know that our mind is still beautiful, even if it hurts us sometimes;

it is still learning to be okay with some things. Forgive it for what

it has done.

I can imagine that there is still fear, that the anxiety still gets

the better of you. Doubt does not have to hold you by the throat.

Uncertainty means that you are in this world. Uncertainty allows

for vulnerability to heal you.

Remember to return home when you need to, it is always

there. Remember to feel the calmness of the ground beneath your

feet when possible.

I hope that you have filled thousands of pages with the words

that pump through your heart to your veins. Run your fingers over

the words sometimes, you are a writer, make sure you feel that.

However, students will still experience engaging learning

overall, even if certain sensitive simulations are eliminated.

There are alternatives to insensitive activities that still

promote engagement in learning.

Social studies teachers we interviewed offered approaches

such as reading firsthand accounts of historical events or watching

documentaries or movies. Sebhatu also wondered if debates

could be modified to discuss these historical events in a more

nuanced way — for instance, debating the different impacts of

the Trail of Tears on the Native American community, instead of

whether it was justified.

Even if not all of these activities are eliminated, we believe

they can be set up differently. Currently, these activities have

logistical guidelines, such as how to prepare for them or how

students will be graded, but these could be supplemented with

guidelines and clear examples that specifically establish how

to be respectful and sensitive when discussing such weighted

historical events.

Expectations and ground rules, as well as carefully choosing

and monitoring such activities to make sure that no lines are

crossed, can help prevent students from being inappropriate.

“Whether you are just replicating an event in history, or if

you’re just putting yourself in somebody else’s shoes, it’s imperative

that expectations are understood,” World History and AP U.S.

Government teacher Holly Herrington said. “I think there should

also be some type of protocol . . . to keep people from going too

far, and understanding that we are not ourselves right now —

we’re playing the role of somebody else.”

For example, a discussion behind the reasons for slavery

could be prefaced with an explicit statement that as an institution,

it was and is morally reprehensible. Furthermore, it could

be added prior to the start of the activity that clearly offensive

statements and actions — even under the guise of a simulation

or debate — will not be tolerated.

While some may believe that this violates potential standards

of teacher conduct regarding not taking sides on political

issues, this isn’t the case. At its core, making statements about

slavery or racism being wrong is not a political stance, but one

that supports basic human rights.

“That’s a moral civil rights issue, not a political issue,” Pont

said. “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, put forth by

Eleanor Roosevelt after World War II, lists 30. A lot of those rights

may seem political, but they’re not; they’re rights that all humans

are born with, and on those issues, you can definitely take sides.”

We understand that teachers have the best intentions

in mind when designing their curriculum and appreciate the

immense time and effort they put into crafting activities for their

sophomore Brooke Blacklidge said. “Sometimes I spend too much

time doing work or sports the night before and won’t get to bed

until late.”

Acalanes teachers recognize the sleepiness of some students

day-to-day but are reluctant to accept mental health days

as the solution to sleep deprivation.

“I do think there are a lot of students at Acalanes who are

really stressed out, experience a lot of anxiety, depression, and

there are a lot of people who are going through that, but I don’t

know that mental health days in itself would be the solution,”

Human and Social Development teacher Monica Voellm said.

Although it does not look like Acalanes will be adopting the

same policy as Oregon and Utah anytime soon, there are plenty

of resources on campus for students seeking help with their

mental health, namely the Wellness Center.

“The idea of the wellness center is to give [students] a place

to go and to connect them back to the classroom and provide

them support and get them back in the classroom,” Acalanes

Union High School District Superintendent, John Nickerson said.

Each word is a fragment of your soul. Each sentence is a piece of

you that you bravely put into the world. Every phrase is vulnerable.

Remember to read me from time to time. I am always in the

pages, in the words. I am in it all.

Remember the girl before me, too. I know you long to get

her back. Remember that she is still in our hearts, in our eyes. She

will never leave us. She is a healthy reminder that we are allowed

to smile, laugh, and be happy. She can remind us of the life that

grows within us.

Life sprouts from the roots of your feet to the branches of your

fingers. From the songs on your lips to the stars in your eyes and

the flower of a heart that beats in your chest. The petals reaching

and reaching into the sky, grasping everything they can reach.

During the sunsets and sunrises they touch the horizon.

At night, the galaxy of thoughts that expands in your mind is

everlasting.

When you look out on the horizons of the earth and admire

the immense beauty it radiates, you are getting a glimpse of the

fabric of your being. The same beauty that writes the stars into the

sky and the trees into the ground is within you. You are life, you

embody it. Begin to love yourself the way you love the world.

I love you.

—You

This essay was selected as a runner-up in the 2019 national

high school essay contest conducted by Lily News, an online

newsletter.

students’ benefit. At the same time, curriculum is always changing

and teachers constantly revise assignments and activities; in

line with that, these activities could be revised to more accurately

reflect the learning and purpose of the activity.

In the process of writing this article, as we spoke to Pont, he

decided to discontinue the Middle Passage simulation for next

year’s AP World History students. We hope teachers around the

country, including at Dougherty, will take similar steps to create

a safer learning environment for their students.

“Most of the time when teachers run those kinds of simulations,

they have very noble plans,” said Courtney Konopacky,

Stone Valley Middle School eighth grade core teacher and San

Ramon Valley Unified School District Teacher on Special Assignment

for History Curriculum. “They just don’t realize the common

negative effects that it can have on kids. So it’s not something to

shame teachers for doing, but to make teachers more aware of

avoiding in the future.”

Considering that about 80% of American public school

teachers are white, as are the majority of social science teachers

here, “good intentions” do not guarantee that students of color

aren’t harmed. While these activities may be perceived as harmless,

they may not share the same perspectives with students of

color, who are burdened by a history of racial oppression that lingers

today. Good intentions shouldn’t invalidate these students’

concerns, and as students of color, we hope to encourage white

teachers to consider how their intentions may be influenced by

their perspective as a white American, as Konopacky has.

“As a white woman, I’ve tried really hard to educate myself

first. History teachers pretty much teach what they know. I know

that I don’t know the whole story — that in many aspects of

American history that I teach, I have to consciously seek out

resources so that I can be more conscious in how I’m planning

my curriculum for my kids,” Konopacky said. “You have to actively

always be working on and extending your own content knowledge

as an adult, not thinking you know everything already as a

history teacher.”

When appropriate, simulations generally provide positive,

engaging learning experiences for students. However, we would

like to see schools across America reconsider the way they teach

hard, sensitive history.

We can and want to have uncomfortable conversations

about race and historical oppression. But there’s a clear distinction

between challenging students in order to confront troubling

parts of history and facilitating activities that make students feel

unsafe in both their premise and execution, even inadvertently.

Ultimately, studying and understanding history is important,

but we’d like to leave these activities in the past.

On top of sleep deprivation, the California survey reported

8 percent of ninth graders and 16 percent of eleventh-grade

students have missed school because they felt depressed, sad,

hopeless, anxious, stressed, or angry.

“Depression, stress, and anxiety are probably the thing that

people come in for the most,” Acalanes Wellness Center Manager,

Allen Choi said. Since the opening of the Wellness Center last

year, students now have a place to go to if they are feeling

mentally fatigued or want to talk to mental health professionals,

without being away from school.

Administrators currently see the Wellness Center as a better

option for Acalanes students than mental health days, especially

since there are certain drawbacks to taking time off from school.

“We know it kind of snowballs when you miss school and

with stress and anxiety. The more you miss, the bigger that snowball

becomes and the more difficult it becomes to re-enter reality.

I love the idea of a no-worry, no-stress, take-a-day-off plan but

I’m not sure how it is going to play out in the other states first,”

Nickerson said.

22

March 2020

Features

Halsey unveils her inner mind in album ‘Manic’

By Lauren Chen and Harshita Neralla


Releasing her third studio album “Manic” on Jan. 17, Halsey

reverts to her hollowed vocals and rebellious lyrics, finding

creative solace within her own life and focusing on the

person behind her persona: 25-year-old New Jersey native Ashley

Frangipane.

Incorporating concepts from her imagination, Halsey’s first

two releases were both concept albums about fictional worlds

and people. However, “Manic” completely reinvents her style,

turning fully to her own story and dropping the stage persona

she’s built up over the years. The songs are disjointed, but this

sheds light on the album’s theme and title, as Halsey has openly

talked about living with bipolar disorder and wrote parts of the

album while “experiencing an extended manic period,” according

to an interview with CNN.

Fans got their first glimpse of “Manic” back in October 2018

from chart-topper “Without Me.” Halsey revealed in an interview

with Zane Lowe last year that this was the first song she’d ever

written as Ashley, not Halsey.

“No wig, no colorful hair, no character … [“Without Me”] is

about my life and about my relationship [with G-Eazy] that the

The legacy of PC

music is growing

By Mason Montano


In case you were unaware, the latter half of 2013 was a pop culture

event! New artists, like New Zealand singer Lorde and American singer

and actress Ariana Grande, were taking the mainstream music scene

by storm, and already established acts, like American singer and actress

Miley Cyrus and pop legend Lady Gaga, were reinventing themselves in

fresh and exciting ways, and it was during this period of pop excellence

that PC Music emerged.

PC Music is a London-based record label and art collective founded in

June 2013 by British producer, singer, and musical genius A.G. Cook that

is known for its surreal interpretation and experimental approach to pop

music through a combination of avant pop, bubblegum pop, and hyper

pop with elements of kawaii, camp, and Y2K culture.

The label’s sound is characterized by high-pitched, feminine vocals

and bright, synthetic textures; and its image embraces the aesthetics of

advertising, consumerism, corporate branding, and cyberculture.

Many of its acts use an alias in order to obscure both their identity

and the number of artists signed to the label, and early on in its lifetime,

PC Music kept tight control over its interactions with the press in order

to maintain a certain image of digital secrecy. Over time, however, the

label gradually loosened its grip and became much more open about the

identity of its artists and the way it operates.

The reaction to PC Music has always been polarizing, with some

critics praising it as “innovative” while others dismissed it as “noise”, and

despite making a name for itself in the U.K. and achieving mild chart success

— Hannah Diamond’s November 2014 single, “Every Night”, reached

No. 28 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart, becoming the first PC Music

artist to impact a mainstream music chart — within its first two years,

the label had not yet impacted the international market, but that was

about to change.

In February 2016, after working on her third studio album with Cook

as her creative director and PC Music affiliate SOPHIE as her primary

producer, English singer-songwriter Charli XCX — a commercially successful

and well-established artist who impacted charts everywhere with

massive hits like “I Love It” and “Boom Clap”, dropped her controversial

Vroom Vroom EP and changed the face of pop music forever.

Vroom Vroom marked a turning point in the pop world, as it was

the first time PC Music was presented to the eye of the mainstream, and

just like anything that dares to bring something new to the tasteless GP,

Vroom Vroom was met with mixed to negative reception upon its initial

release, with some even going as far to deem it “unlistenable”.

The negativity surrounding Vroom Vroom didn’t stop Charli, though,

as she continued this new sound with her 2017 mixtapes Number 1

Angel and POP2, inspiring a new generation of artists to follow in her

footsteps and pioneer a movement within the underground pop music

scene that emulates the sound and style of PC Music.

These new artists; which include American singer Slayyyter, Australian

producer Donatachi, and Spanish singer and rapper Rakky Ripper;

have found great success within this newfound community, receiving

praise from critics, who have not only given PC Music and Vroom Vroom

a second chance, hailing the latter as “bold” and “ahead of its time”, but

are finally starting to recognize the cultural significance of PC Music and

giving proper credit where credit is due.

PC Music isn’t just a weird, British novelty act. It’s a boundarypushing

collective of talented innovators who have pioneered the future

of pop and the future of music in general. This is the legacy of PC Music.

The label’s sound is characterized by high-pitched,

feminine vocals and bright, synthetic textures; . . . its

image embraces the aesthetics of advertising, consumerism,

corporate branding, and cyberculture.

world has watched so closely.” With snappy background vocals

and biting lyrics, Halsey cycled her way through various radio

stations and set the stage for the rest of her album.

“Ashley,” Halsey’s first name, opens the 16-track album and

serves as an introduction to the artist’s mind. The self-focused

nature of this album appears immediately, aided by a sample

from Kate Winslet’s character, Clementine, from the movie

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” This transitions into the

second track of the album, “clementine,” also inspired by “Eternal

Sunshine.”

Sonically, this album is chaotic, tentative of a cohesive sound.

Taking a more patchwork-quilty sound, Halsey explores multiple

genres spanning from country to singer-songwriter. In “You

should be sad,” Halsey blends country and pop in a post-breakup

song while channeling various musical idols, including Christina

Aguilera and Shania Twain, in the music video. Though the song

is catchy, the artist’s overall attempt at genre-blending is ineffectual.

Halsey even steps into a new light as a romantic lyricist,

painting a picture of the shy and daring first few moments of a

relationship in “Finally // beautiful stranger.” She writes unapologetically,

and this song without self-deprecation or a punchline is

definitely a standout.

Other highlights of the album include “More,” an emotional

Online dating challenges 21st Century teens

By Nicole Prozan and Zoe Cate


The new Kanye

puzzles his fans

By Zack Lara


Fans say Kanye West has gone off the rails after revealing

plans to run for president, change his legal name,

and devote himself to Christian music.

Some suspect his ego has driven him mad, while

others say he’s following God. Fans debate whether to

shake their heads or shout Hallelujah as West preaches love

for Jesus and prepares to lead America in his true colors:

President Christian Genius Billionaire Kanye West.

West strives for an entire makeover to his identity

following the fall debut of his album, ‘Jesus is King’. The

renowned hip hop star first announced plans at the Fast

Company Innovation Festival regarding his presidential

campaign and his legal name change to ‘Christian Genius

Billionaire Kanye West’.

In regard to the new album, fans say West’s empowering

Christian influence in hip hop further exemplifies his

unique innovation and pioneer status in the music industry.

West kicked off his revolution in October with the

highly anticipated and rather spontaneous release of “Jesus

song rumored to be about the singer’s past miscarriages, and

“929,” the closing track of the album. “929” takes its name from

Halsey’s birthday, and the stream-of-consciousness lyricism

works surprisingly well over simple instrumentals. Contrastingly,

“forever … (is a long time)” and “I HATE EVERYBODY” are mostly

forgettable.

The album is also interspersed with interludes from featured

artists. Dominic Fike, a singer and rapper from Florida, sings

about “brotherly love,” as described by Halsey. Alanis Morisette,

one of Halsey’s musical idols, joins her on a track about empowerment

in a bisexual anthem. (Halsey has frequently mentioned

her bisexuality, as in past songs “Bad at Love” and “Strangers.”)

Finally, Suga from BTS (Halsey collaborated with the Korean boy

band on “Boy with Luv,” not featured on “Manic”) raps about the

costs of fame in “Suga’s Interlude.”

“Manic”’s tracklist is jarring, jumping from softer songs

such as “clementine” to the roaring “3am” and radio-friendly

“Graveyard.” It’s a drastic change from her previous works, which

followed mostly linear storylines and cohesive sounds. The

constant jumping between sounds is harsh and often pulls the

listener away from the experience. However, the overall album

is a very entertaining listen, with enough variety and appeal for

both devoted fans and casual listeners.

have a new match!”

Gone are the days of love letters, candlelit

“You

dinners, and formal courtship. The new norm consists

of late-night texts, unopened snapchats, and swiping in

a multitude of directions. Though most assume the world of

online dating exists exclusively for adults, Acalanes students

indicate the magnitude of its far-reaching influence.

Some look for love or an escape from boredom. Others

just look for instant validation from strangers. Through an

array of apps, many students explore online dating.

Teens use apps, including those specifically aimed for

children under 18 such Yellow, or apps meant for adults such

as Tinder and Bumble.

We spoke to four Acalanes students regarding their

illicit use of dating apps. Because none of these students

is legally able to use these apps, those quoted have been

renamed Student 1 through 4.

A few apps, such as Yellow, market to children under

18 on the premise of, “Making new friends,” as the app’s description

states. However, much like commonly known dating

apps, users upload pictures of themselves, biographies,

and ultimately swipe left and right on other profiles.

“When I was younger, I used apps like Yellow that was

specifically aimed for teens. It was fun, and I was able to

talk to people who I never would have met otherwise. No

relationships formed from the app,” Student 1 said.

Yellow features include live streaming, private messaging,

and swiping. Users have the option to swipe on people

closest to them geographically, or on others from anywhere

in the world.

Users on Yellow often begin using the app with

innocent intentions. Yellow provides an initial platform for

children to engage in conversations. Once this becomes dull,

however, users often look to more mature apps.

“I used Tinder with a friend of mine. We were bored, so

we got the app as a joke so we could talk to random people

and have conversations that I normally wouldn’t have. It was

honestly pretty fun and exciting,” Student 2 said.

Although dating apps like Tinder sometimes lure

young users, they also highlight statutory issues that are often

overlooked when teenagers first register for these apps.

“I think it is kind of beguiling because unless you

denote your age in the description, I think it touches on a

really charged subject of statutory issues,” senior Camryn

Langley said. “Honestly, under the law minors have so much

protection and that is absolutely not the fault of the people

on Tinder for making advances towards minors.”

Student 2 was conscious of the dangers of Tinder when

she registered, thus she was careful with how she presented

herself on the app.

“I think that as long as you stay smart about what

kinds of pictures you upload and what kinds of conversations

you’re having, they’re pretty safe. I didn’t run into any unsafe

situations and maybe that’s because I got lucky but I think

part of it was because I used a lot of caution when displaying

myself,” Student 2 said.

Some students, feeling as though their dating pool is

currently limited, use dating apps as a way to explore new

possibilities.

“Online dating can be important to gay teens who feel

isolated. I only got the app to swipe through girls. I don’t

think I would have gotten it for guys,” Student 3 said.

According to the Pew Research Center, 1 in 4 teens

have dated someone they first encountered online. As online

dating becomes more prevalent, many fear that young

people have trouble connecting with each other face to face.

“I think online dating is making us stray from dating

Is King,” Kanye West’s first shot at Gospel music.

The album features 11 songs, all generally emphasizing

the importance of exercising Christian values and

pursuing salvation. From start to finish, Chick-Fil-A to Jesus

Christ Kanye exposes his religious side and embraces the

Christian morale.

Though very Christian, many believe “Jesus is King”

briefly relieves the modern hip-hop industry of popular

obsession with sex, violence, and flexing. Modern artists

restrict the genre to these minimal and extensively repetitive

themes, but here West introduces something new, and

he could very well be expanding the horizon for rap as he

has done in the past.

“Overall it’s a pretty good listen with a lot of decent

songs,” Acalanes sophomore Matt Walner said. “But I feel

like his fans, including me, rushed him a little bit in trying

to drop the album.”

Walner expressed that the transition to Gospel did

not concern him, so long as his music can testify to the

traditional Kanye quality.

“I think the music he makes will always be something

to marvel at because of his creativity and his passion

for music,” Walner said. “[Concerning] his new ‘hobby’ of

religion - I think it’s a fad he’s going through,”

Kanye frequently expresses false claims in the media

to get attention.

“He speaks what is on his mind,” sophomore Davis

Frolich said. “He can do whatever he wants. I don’t agree

CC Spin

Manic is the third and latest album by Halsey, released by

Capitol Records, http://www.manicthealbum.com/.

in real life. People nowadays are much more comfortable

sending a message on Tinder or sliding into someone’s DMs

than they are going to go talk to someone at a party. We

are more comfortable behind our screens because it isn’t as

anxiety-inducing or nerve-wracking,” Student 4 said.

Additionally, users find comfort in their ability to mold

their online persona while hiding behind a screen.

“You are really getting a refined perspective of that

person and a lot of times your dating career is determined

by your ability to text well which is just not reflective of one

person’s entire personality,” Langley said. “And especially

with electronics, it’s like you are always with that person

instead of hanging out with them and going home, I think

it can be really harsh on a young person’s mental health to

have that constant connection.”

While some users enjoy the privacy and discretion

of meeting behind a screen, others utilize dating apps to

form real and long-lasting relationships. Student 3 met

her girlfriend on Tinder; an opportunity that never would

have presented itself without the platform that dating apps

provide.

“We talked for a week before the meeting, we also

FaceTimed before meeting. We wanted to meet in real life

because texting is not the same. It was awkward for a bit but

then after a few minutes it was fine.

“Originally, I felt weird about meeting her ‘cause you

never know who someone is based off their profile really,”

Student 3 said.

Many students actively use precaution throughout

online encounters.

“I actively don’t post where I live, or other sensitive

information on dating apps. It even can be unsafe to link

social media accounts, as those contain more sensitive

information,” Student 1 said.

Student 2 was conscious of the dangers of Tinder when

she registered, thus she was careful with how she presented

herself.

“I think that as long as you stay smart about what

kinds of pictures you upload and what kinds of conversations

you’re having, they’re pretty safe. I didn’t run into any unsafe

situations and maybe that’s because I got lucky but I think

part of it was because I used a lot of caution when displaying

myself. “

with some of the [stuff] he says but you’ve got to respect

the dominance it shows.”

Kanye West has now moved his public persona into the

political arena. (Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment/

Abaca Press)

CC Spin

Features

23

March 2020

Generational collision in a decade of cinema

By Lauren Chen, Shruthi Narayanan, Drishti Upadhyaya


The 2010s saw a generational collision. The plastic of the

past. The promises of the future. The world changed as a

new generation came of age. A new, tech-savvy generation

that started the shift to streaming services.

A new, young generation who found comfort in familiar

tales. A new, diverse generation who intended to make the film

industry more accepting. A new generation who took control of

Hollywood’s reins and drastically changed film in a span of 10

years.

As we leave the 2010s, we can see that there were many

changes in pop culture during that period, especially in film.

These changes were monumental, and caused the decade’s movies

to be unlike any others.

Streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu

have created original blockbusters exclusive to their respective

websites in order to garner large audiences. From beloved movies

such as “Roma” to absolute disasters such as the live action

“Death Note” adaptation, original movies captivated people

By Angela Paloma


They’re not seen frequently, and when they are, they’re

typically overlooked. They are the unsung heroes of Cal

High: the custodians.

And they are led by one man: Roberto Manrique.

Manrique has worked at California High School since

April 2007. He and his night crew spend eight to 10 hours a

day preparing the school so it looks as nice as it does every

morning when students and staff arrive on campus for

another day of school.

“[There are] a lot of kids here doing practice, sports,

activities, and meetings,” Manrique said. “So it is pretty busy

at night in addition to the cleaning.”

Ricky Galvao is one of only three custodians who work

the day shift. Galvao, who has worked at Cal since 2012,

arrives at 6 a.m. every morning to unlock all of the school’s

main entryways, turn on all the lights, and set up the

commons.

Galvao prepares and cleans the school, including the

parking lot, every day until 1 p.m., when two more custodians

come take over the cleaning duties.

When Manrique arrives for his shift in the afternoon, he

checks the school calendar and ensures every school event

or activity, such as Fright Fest and homecoming, has what it

needs to run smoothly.

He then assigns the other custodians to their buildings

and projects for their daily duties.

Most of the night custodians arrive on campus around 3

p.m. They have 15-minute to half hour meetings every day,

where they discuss daily work that needs to be done, joke

around and bond as a team.

Many students don’t realize how much work is required

around the world in positive and negative ways.

Many Netflix original movies have managed to gain Oscar

nominations. “Roma,” a Spanish movie, gave Netflix their first

best picture, best director, and best actress, along with many

more nominations and as well as grossing $5.1 million in the

box office, showing how the internet and the rise of streaming

services have allowed people to experience entertainment from

all around the world, which they previously were unable to unless

they looked at independent films, not blockbusters.

Many other films were also able to rack up Oscar nominations,

despite being made by streaming services. In total, 15

Oscar categories were nominated by 16 different films, and four

of them managed to win their respective categories.

Even with so much new content this decade, it’s clear that

moviegoers still enjoy sticking to what they know, a fact on

which movie studios are more than willing to capitalize. Sequels,

series and sagas boomed this decade, particularly within the

science fiction genre.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) released a whopping

20 films between 2011 and 2019, and Star Wars released its final

trilogy as well as two feature-length spin-offs, “Rogue One: A

to clean up after as many as 2,885 students.

But the school and district certainly understand their

important role on campus. In fact, Manrique was selected as

one of the district’s Classified Employees of the Year in 2012.

He also was also honored earlier this year as Cal’s Shining

Star by the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation.

“Our custodians obviously don’t get enough recognition,”

junior Kelly Kyutoku said. “No one really thinks about the

work they do to keep our school looking the way it is.”

It is fair to say that Cal’s campus is very large, especially

with 12 buildings and the outdoor areas, including the quad

and parking lot to maintain.

Many students think Cal has a pretty dirty campus. What

they don’t realize is that the custodians try to clean the entire

school every night, but new messes are inevitably made by

students each day.

“Overall, the custodians do a great job cleaning up,”

sophomore Apara Jella said.

Aside from trash, students have also been seen spitting

on floors and throwing junk inside empty lockers.

“We don’t give [the custodians] enough credit for cleaning

up our mess,” senior Liana Wong said.

Since trash and filth is not uncommon around Cal,

people have simply learned to deal with it.

“I’ve just become accustomed to it,” Wong said. “[It’s] a

major problem, because something has to be done about it.”

Fortunately, Manrique thinks the campus is improving

and students are beginning to pick up their trash. But he’d

like students to know more about recycling.

“The recycling bins in the main building are 50/50,

garbage and recycling,” Manrique said.

Above all the trash and food scattered around campus,

Manrique says the worst mess his crew has had to deal with

is cruel vandalism, which often includes racial slurs, scrawled

Star Wars Story” and “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” Not surprisingly,

the three top-grossing films of the decade were either Star Wars

or MCU movies.

There isn’t one clear reason why these movies appeal to so

many people, but most like the sense of familiarity that sequels

provide, as well as a sense of nostalgia from continuations older

films, as seen with the Star Wars trilogies.

Familiarity sells not only in storytelling, but also in casting.

The world we know today is incredibly diverse, though this wasn’t

always reflected in film. Hollywood pushed films centered around

cishet white leads, often casting people of color or queer actors

as stereotypical caricatures. Whitewashing plagued the 2010s,

notably in “Aloha” and “Ghost in the Shell.”

Despite these shortcomings, representation in Hollywood

drastically improved this past decade. 2013 was a huge turning

point for black representation, with five acclaimed films featuring

primarily black casts. Thirteen black actors and actresses won

Oscars this decade.

Asian representation also took a positive turn, with “Fresh Off

the Boat” becoming the first American sitcom with Asian main

characters. “Crazy Rich Asians” continued this trend as the first

Campus custodians are unsung heroes

By Gabby Ceccarelli


The Jonas Brothers are back and better than ever as

the three brothers lit up the stage at Oracle Arena in

Oakland on Dec. 12, 2019.

The band of brothers sang a mixture of classic, old

school Jonas Brothers songs from their first couple of albums

such as “A Little Bit Longer” and “Lines, Vines, and Trying

Times.” But the majority of the songs were from their newest

album, “Happiness Begins.”

After a long six-year break, Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas, and

Kevin Jonas reunited in early March of last year and released

a new song “Sucker.” This song was a part of the “Happiness

Begins,” which was number one on Billboard’s Top 100 for

26 weeks.

Despite the long absence, Jo Bro fever and fans are

stronger than ever. At Oracle Arena, fans of all ages were

wearing new band merchandise, although most were still

sporting old vintage band tees from their first concerts such

as “The Burnin’ Up Tour.”

Fans came to rock out with the brothers and it seemed

that the band jumped right back to when they were teens,

giving an energetic and enthusiastic performance.

When the band split up in 2013, I was shocked because

they were just at the height of their musical careers. The

Happiness Begins Tour gave fans the chance to hear favorite

old school songs, but also the band’s new mature album.

From the moment the three appeared on the stage,

there were 30,000 fans screaming at the top of their lungs

watching the three brothers belt out “Rollercoaster.”

They performed “S.O.S,” “When You Look Me in the Eyes,”

and “That’s Just the Way We Roll.” Most of the screams came

from when they started singing songs from their Disney

Channel roots.

As the melody to “Gotta Find You” from the Disney

Channel Original Movie, “Camp Rock,” played a wave of

excitement spread through the crowd. Everyone was swaying

their hands and singing. The song electrified the crowd,

bringing me back to my days of yelling this song while

dancing around my room.

Fans were shocked when Nick Jonas began singing his

hit single, “Jealous.” That was followed by Joe Jonas singing

“Cake by the Ocean” from when he was in the band DNCE.

Fans were surprised that Nick and Joe Jonas decided to

include music from their solo careers to the set list.

The Happiness Begins Tour had a variety of songs that

highlighted each of the individual brothers’ strengths. Even

though it has been years since they performed together,

nothing has changed.

Kevin continued to play all different musical instruments

in the school bathrooms.

Unfortunately, it happens more than students realize,

but the hardworking custodians always get rid of the harsh

words quickly. Still, the vandalism is Manrique’s least favorite

part of the job.

Even with all the messes created by students, the

custodians still love them.

“My favorite part of the job is seeing the kids,” Galvao

said.

But contrary to many students’ beliefs, the custodians do

more than simply clean the school.

Sure, they work tirelessly to ensure that Cal is in the best

condition for students when they arrive in the morning. But

without the custodians, many would find that they do not

have all the supplies they need for various events or access to

certain buildings.

One of Manrique’s favorite stories is the time before a

Mr. Cali show, Cal’s annual male pageant, when Manrique

sent newly-hired custodian Jose Flores to be in charge of the

theatre.

At the time, Flores had not worked at Cal for very long,

so he wasn’t yet familiar with campus events.

When students arrived to prepare for the show, Flores

would not let any of them in the theater until “Mr. Cali” arrived,

thinking that “Mr. Cali” was the teacher in charge.

To this day, Manrique and Flores still laugh about this

rookie mistake.

Although their jobs are tough, the custodians enjoy

the time they spend at Cal, especially the time they spend

together as a team.

“[The other custodians] make me want to go to work

everyday,” Galvao said. “Manrique is not just a good boss, he’s

also my friend.”

Jonas Brothers smash return to Bay Area

The Jonas Brothers perform at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., on Friday, Aug. 9, 2019. Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando

Sentinel/TNS.

while Joe sang and did cool tricks with his microphone, and

Nick was somewhere in between often switching between

the two.

The band of brothers made the concert fun and exciting

with fun blow up machines, confetti, and glow in the dark

floating bouncy balls. They perfectly balanced their past and

present songs, so no matter how old you were, there was a

song you could sing.

They ended the night by singing their iconic song,

“Burnin’ Up,” which was literally flaming hot as fire appeared

on the stage. The fire was a captivating touch to the concert

that added an element of danger and adventure.

The last song of the night was their 2019 hit, “Sucker.”

Hollywood film since 1993 to star a majority Asian cast.

With greater diversity came more personal storytelling in

film. Familiarity connects to audiences better than the unknown.

Representation also served as a response to the ever

changing political climate. Under Barack Obama’s presidency,

the LGBTQ+ community was granted greater rights. With the

legalization of same-sex marriage came greater LGBTQ+ representation

in Hollywood, and movies like “Call Me by Your Name”

and “Moonlight” received critical acclaim. In contrast, under

Donald Trump’s presidency, racial tensions rose as police brutality

continued against black people. Films such as “The Hate U Give”

served as a response to the oppression and provided greater

representation.

Overall, the 2010s brought monumental changes to Hollywood.

Movies were released to the world digitally, not just

in theatres. Sequels and sagas abounded. There was increased

awareness of cultural, racial, and social representation. As the

new decade begins, the 2020s are sure to bring many more

changes into the film industry. Maybe a new Golden Age of Hollywood

will arise with glamorous movie stars and films making

lots of money.

A gem in the rough

Adam Sandler at the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards at the

Beach on Feb. 8 in Santa Monica, Calif. (Kay Blake/Zuma Press/TNS)

By Brooklyn Weber


When you think of Adam Sandler, your mind quickly goes to the

loveable, goofy guy he portrays in movies such as “The Waterboy,”

“Grown Ups,” and many more alike. But in his latest film,

“Uncut Gems,” Sandler takes on a pivotal career role that some thought

would garner his first Oscar nomination.

And although he didn’t get the nomination, it was a tough year for

the academy due to so many brilliant performances. But Adam Sandler

will go down as one of the biggest Oscar snubs of the year.

From the minds of filmmakers Benny and Josh Safdie comes this

modern crime film that shows the world that the Safdie brothers have

earned their spot in Hollywood following their 2017 hit, “Good Time.”

With its 92 certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, critics, including

myself, are all in agreement that “Uncut Gems” is one of the best films

of the year.

“Uncut Gems” follows the life of Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler),

a Jewish diamond dealer in New York City with a serious gambling

addiction. Although diamond dealing is usually an occupation built

around trust, Ratner is quite the opposite. The middle-aged dealer is

wrapped up in so many different bets and schemes at once, one could

only wonder how he’s kept it together this long.

“Uncut Gems” is a suspenseful rollercoaster that toys with your

imagination and stresses you out the whole journey. The suspense built

throughout the film is fist-clenching and “Uncut Gems” could only be

described as anxiety-inducing for the viewer, with very high highs and

low lows.

As the movie progresses “Uncut Gems” will leave you at the front of

your chair and you will find yourself with your eyes almost shut at moments.

And just when you think you’ve figured this film out the Safdie

brothers prove you wrong.

Sandler was born to play Ratner. He’s had some lackluster films

from years recently and even the dubious honor of receiving numerous

“Razzie,” nominations and wins, an award given out by the Golden Raspberry

Award Foundation for the worst cinematic underachievements. So

“Uncut Gems” is really a step back in the right direction for Sandler.

I have never seen anything quite like “Uncut Gems.” The use of actual

basketball footage throughout the film and appearances by now-retired

NBA great Kevin Garnett and Grammy-winning R&B artist “The Weekend”

in theory may seem corny, but I can assure it is not. It only makes

the film more unique. In addition, the visually beautiful transitions and

cinematography make this film a true gem.

“Uncut Gems” is one of the best movies I’ve seen start to finish. The

Safdie brothers have done it once again. And although Sandler wasn’t

nominated for his first Oscar, he would go on to win the best male lead

at the Independent Spirit Awards, where he delivered a heartfelt speech

while also poking fun at the academy for his Oscar snub.

24

BACK PAGE

March 2020

CC Spin

We are journalism students at Richmond High School working on a project to showcase the diverse stories that make up our community.

We sought out classmates, teachers, staff members, and complete strangers in order to gather these stories. We recognize

the flawed, one-sided reputation our city has. This project aims to challenge that reputation and reveal multiple truths about

the people who live here. For more stories, visit our website at humansofrichmondca.wordpress.com or find us on Facebook & Instagram

By Abraham Alaniz

“I was a month away from turning 10. I think

like any big event in history, anyone who experienced

it remembers where they were. For me, I was

in my classroom and the secretary from my school

came in, told the teacher something, and they both

started crying.

I remember they were pulling kids out and then

probably 15 minutes later the whole school went

on lockdown and we were all put in the gym. Every

school in the immediate area of New York City was

on lockdown. We were sitting there and we didn’t

know what was happening. Then someone who

worked in the school came in and said, ‘Someone

commited suicide and flew a plane into the World

Trade Center.’

The towers went down around 9:30 a.m. and

around 11, school ended and they sent everyone

home. My mom got us and a bunch of my friends

whose parents were still working and took us home.

She still didn’t know what was going on and nobody

in real time knew what had happened yet, just that

the towers had gone down. As the day progressed,

my mom and I went to a park near my house and

we just looked across the water and the whole city

looked like it was up in smoke.

My dad called and he was on his way to work in

Queens and he was on the bridge and he had been

there the entire time and watched the towers go

down. That night, my mom got a phone call from

one of my aunts and my cousin who worked in the

World Trade Center was missing, and they haven’t

been able to reach him.

In the days after that there were a lot of stories

like that. The way that it worked with that event

was that even if it was very clear weeks after if the

person was still not found, if they haven’t found the

remains yet, they were still declared missing. We

all knew that my cousin was most likely dead as he

hadn’t been heard from or found in the week after.

Starting in October, my school held funerals every

day, as it was attached to a church.

That went on for a good year. And my cousin,

his remains were found, his bones were found

like six months later in March of 2002 and he was

officially declared dead. I think we had his funeral

that month.”

By Jordan Espinoza Ramirez

“The happiest day of my life was getting to see

my parents again after 18 years.

I had to move to the United States to find the

stability that I couldn’t find in my country. I migrated

to the United States to find it.

Moments before I got to see my parents again my

heart was beating super hard. It felt like it was going

to pop right out of my chest.

And when I got to meet them, I didn’t know how

to feel. I was happy, emotional.

It’s something I had never felt before. However,

after that had happened, I didn’t exactly feel happy

when my parents were around. I came here with an

image of how my parents looked and acted, and after

18 years I had expected them to be the same.

But no, everything had changed. I didn’t feel

happy because everything was different and the

melancholy had gotten to me.

It was the price to pay for seeing my family again.”

By Tahayla Sylvain

“My mom almost got deported because of her

being an (undocumented) immigrant. It was back

when immigrants couldn’t get a driver’s license. She

was driving illegally with only insurance on her car

and there was a police checkpoint that checked to

see if you’re drunk or have drugs on you or hold to

check if you had insurance and a license and they

checked my mom and luckily it was an Hispanic cop

and he told us that if it was another cop she could’ve

gotten deported.

I was really scared and thought she would get

deported, leaving us forever.”

By Reyna Ramirez

“I think my dad’s stepmom is a witch. When I

went to Mexico to visit her, a lot of scary things happened.

Last night, out of nowhere, I was fixing my

suitcase. Because seeing it messy bothers me and I

just don’t like it. As I was fixing it, I pulled out a pair

of jeans and I felt something.

So I threw it and a black scorpion came out.

I stepped on it, but then I questioned myself on

how that got inside. Days later I was eating pan

dulce, bien agusto que me lo estaba comiendo. I felt

something and it was a ball of yarn. Pan dulce que

comes de la tienda. Pink yarn. My grandma did a holy

cleanse on me, when I went back she said, ahora

que estabas haya te hicieron algo, which means that

somebody had done something to me.

Then my tio passed away and my step-grandma

had gone to the hospital. I was looking at her and

she was whispering to herself. She stood up and

said, ‘Well, I hope he gets better, I’m leaving now

because I have to do a lot of work.’ After she had left,

three minutes later my uncle died.

I (didn’t think) about it at first but now that I

have, I keep on asking myself what she was saying

to herself, why did she leave all of a sudden.”

Humans of Richmond is modeled after

Humans of New York, a series of photos and

stories that became a model for Humans of

in many parts of the world.

Here the interviewees remain anonymous

with only their pictures for identification.

Listed in each photo is the name of the

reporter who conducted the interview.

By Christofer Leon

“Ever since my father began to work in L.A. I

barely get a chance to see him. But when he does

come, I feel whole again. When my father was

around more, a typical day with the family would

start off with us going to have breakfast at IHOP.

He loves it there because of their omelets. It’s his

favorite place to eat at. We spend a lot of time in

there. Then at around 12 we would usually go to

Ross and do some clothes shopping. My mom and

my sisters would also get clothes. My dad does not

buy anything, so I get two colognes, one for him

and one for me. At the end of the day, we all go

home and talk about how life treats us. He asks me

about school and I ask him about work while we

clean up the yard.

These moments make me happy. Usually, I

work on weekends so I don’t get to see him much.

One day, we will all be together again.”

HUMANS OF

RICHMOND

By Abraham Alaniz

“The weirdest thing for me is that my kid is

transgender. There was never any indication that

‘he’ felt like ‘she.’ I never had any clue. I’m not saying

I’m not close to my kid; me and my kid are so close.

We talk about everything and there was never any

indication.

During her senior year, she seemed more withdrawn

and not really open and forthright, and for 17

years she was open and we talked about everything.

I would ask her, ‘Something’s on your heart, what’s

going on’ and she would say, ‘Oh, I’m learning about

sexuality.’

I thought maybe she was gay. I had the same

attitude towards her decision and it wasn’t until

college, which is in Washington, and we talk every

Sunday having family Facetimes, and it was then

when she said ‘I’m not Greg anymore, I’m Grace.’

At first it felt strange, but I wasn’t unwilling or

unable to say this is my daughter.

The thing that I found to be most interesting

was other people’s reactions, because I would say

‘My son isn’t my son anymore, my son is my daughter’

and some people you thought were OK would

get tense and really tight about the whole situation.

I don’t have any problem with her being transgender

or her sexuality because I just want people to

be the best you every day.”

“When I graduated from high school in 2006, I

was still undocumented. I couldn’t pay for university

even though I was accepted to UC Berkeley. My solution

for that took me a long time. It took me 10 years

to finish college. From 2006 I found a job that I could

use to save money, so I could go to U.C. Berkeley and

pay on my own. I came back again in 2009 and I paid

on my own for that semester, thinking that during

that semester my documents were going to change. I

thought I was going to become a legal resident but it

didn’t happen. I had to go back to my hometown and

continue working. Luckily, my parents had applied for

our legal status in 2001, so in 2012 we finally became

legal residents, and I was able to come back to school

and I finished my degree.

It took a lot of patience: working, saving and

struggling mentally with accepting that this was my

life. But I knew I couldn’t let my dream go.”

By Ronishilla Maraj

“My most terrible memory was when we were

moving out of our house. We were evicted and it

was hard because we were moving out in the cold

during Christmas and New Year’s time. Everyone

was stressed out. We didn’t even know where we

were going to end up and we didn’t really have a lot

of money since my mom is the only one working. It

was stressful then and it is stressful now.

But I feel like the main thing was that there was

drama during the time and the stress mixed with

our overall emotions, making us angrier than we

already had (been).

Leaving the house I basically grew up in broke

my heart and it was like I was leaving a part of my

childhood.”

By Marina Knowles

“My regret is not trying this year in school and

my grades going down just because I wanted to

have fun. I just regret that. I was doing good at the

beginning of last year, but I started to just hang out

with friends and my grades started going down and

they stayed like that through this year. I realized

I was messing up when I started getting a lot of

truancy letters. The principal had a talk with me and

my mom about me coming to school and what I was

going to do after high school – basically just talking

about life.

I realized that messing up in school now is

really going to hurt me later. I’m not trying to make

trouble for my mom because if they make me move

schools, then she’ll have to stop working in the

morning so she can take me. It’s just not worth it so

I decided I should start trying for my mom.”

As individually identified, all interviews

and photos are by students in Maya Kosver’s

Journalism class, Richmond High School.

By Karina Vaca Mora

By Abraham Alaniz

“The way I grew up, we didn’t live in a rich

place, so we would be limited on resources. So to

me I would always feel like we really had nothing. I

remember my parents could only take me to shop at

Marshall’s and Ross.

I wouldn’t wanna go because I would feel

embarrassed to be seen in there. In elementary I

remember I would always want my friends to come

over but we didn’t grow up with fortune, so every

time I would think ‘Oh should I invite him?’ I would

think, ‘What would they do?’ I didn’t have an Xbox

or anything so I couldn’t really entertain them. All

I could do were home games that I made up which

probably seemed poor to them, and I didn’t want

them to perceive me that way.

So I would just avoid every time they would ask

me ‘Where do you live?’ because our house wasn’t

that great. But my parents made the best of it.They

made me feel safe. It shaped me to appreciate what I

have now. I just think of it as ‘that’s all they could get

me’, so I appreciate it more.”

By Christofer Leon

“Around 2005-2006, the U.S government

tried passing a law called HR 4437. It was a law

that would’ve made it a crime to support or help

undocumented folks in any way. It was a very antiimmigrant

law that was aimed at Latinx people. This

made me realize how much racism there is today in

this country and how people who are simply trying

to live their lives are seen as criminals. It pushed

me and motivated me to spark changes in the

community.

We started to organize walkouts for Richmond

High School. At that time, the principal prohibited us

to get out of school to protest, but we did it anyway.

We would take the BART to San Francisco, where we

did our walkouts.

Because of the limitations placed on Latinx

people, I was motivated to go to college and figure

out why people are seen in that way. To this day, it

is an ongoing motivation for me and for others to

fight for justice.”

CC Spin March 2020

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