april 2015 carlmont highlander

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www.scotscoop.comApril 2015 Vol VI Issue VII

@scotscoopnews

IGHLANDERIs public school still secular?

Becca FradkinStaff Writer

In a secular school, how much religion is too much?

Starting freshman year students are ex-posed to different religions through litera-ture and history.

However, some students lack religious backgrounds to fully understand the con-tent of the themes being taught.

According to the Pew Research Center on U.S Religious Landscape Study, 67 per-cent of Californians identify themselves as Christian, while 2 percent identify as Jew-ish, .5 percent as Muslim and 21 percent as atheist.

Given the broad range of religious iden-tities, how are students expected to succeed in classes infused with religious concepts?

AP Literature teacher Victoria Nilson said, “Western society comes from a Judeo Christian tradition where religion exists. To interpret, discuss with intelligence, ap-preciate, critique, interact and get pleasure from literature, we have to speak the language.”

In a country where church and

state are supposed to be separate, some students lack the religious background to understand such language.

The First Amendment to the Constitu-tion prevents the government from creat-ing a religion and bars government from passing laws that prohibit citi-zens from actively partici-pating in any religion.

Now how do these c o n s t i t u t i o n a l rights extend to the classroom?

Senior Frie-da Freeman is an AP Lit-erature stu-dent who has just read Samu-el Beckett's a b s u r d i s t play “Wait-ing for Go-dot.”

“The play is about god and different reli-gious themes and stories, such as Cane and Abel, all relating to Christian faith. When the class started to discuss the play, many students brought up different parts of the play based on Christian themes which I

didn’t know to put together,” said Free-man.

Freeman was then assigned to answer the following

questions: “What other aspects of the play

can be interpreted as Christian symbols?” and “Support the idea that the play is based on Christian themes.”

Freeman said, “It was hard to answer these ques-tions because I knew nothing on the topic. I am Jew-

ish so I don’t know

Continued on pg14

certain parts of the Christian Bible.”Because of a blurred line between litera-

ture and the Bible, students are expected to know basic principles of religion.

Senior AP Literature student Kaitlyn Kelly also had difficulty interpreting the play religiously, “It wasn’t fair that I was asked to answer the questions because I don’t know Christian symbols or stories so I didn’t know what I was supposed to be understanding. I shouldn’t be expected to understand these connotations of a religion that I am not affiliated with,” said Kelly.

Without any lesson plan teaching the Christian themes or Bible stories, those who did not grow up around Christianity are left at a slight disadvantage.

“When other students in the seminar spoke about the play’s relation to the Bible, I would listen and not even know what that part of the Christian faith they were dis-cussing. It was frustrating because I wanted to put in good commentary and make con-nections outside the play but I don’t know certain religious connotations,” said Free-

man.

LARA OSTROFF & ASHLEY KAWAKAMI

Taking a look at Prom: the cost and new styles for 2015 pg 10&11

Death and social media: what happens after you’re gone pg 24

RELIGION 101A quick guide to a few major religions

ATHEISMrejection of a belief in the existence of

deities

Sacred Text: The Holy Bible: Old & New Testament

Sacred Text: The Tanakh - Torah: first 5 books written by Moses under divine inspiration.

Sacred Text: no universally text

Sacred Text: The Quran - verbally revealed by God to Muhammad, through the Angel Gabriel.

Sacred Text: no universally accepted text

BUDDHISMnontheistic religion

based on teachings attributed to

Gautama Buddha

CHRISTIANITY Monotheistic,

Abrahamic religion.Based on teachings

of Jesus Christ.

HINDUISMnontheistic religion based on distinct

philosophical points of view

ISLAMMonotheistic,

Abrahamic religion. Founded by Muhammad

JUDAISMMonotheistic,

Abrahamic religion. Based on belief God

chose them

In the age of social media, everyone can be an obituary writer. The consensus seems to be that as social media continues to invade our lives, it only makes sense that people will post about topics ranging from what they ate for breakfast to the death of a loved one. Facebook claims to have 500 million active users, scores of whom die every day. The social networking phenomenon has fundamentally changed the way we mourn as individuals, families and communities.

Facebook postings have largely replaced marathon phone-calls and gravesite visits, and have led to a drop in sympathy card sales of as much as 30 percent, according to the New York Times.

A deceased person's Facebook page becomes a virtual condolence book; a public, communal mourning place that gives everyone processing a shared loss a place to gather and grieve together.

But Facebook and social mediaÕs inÞltration into every aspect of our lives has been so quick and widespread that there are no rules yet for how to properly use it at life's most difÞcult moments.

We learn a tragedy on social media, and we react in a way that is appropriate for that medium; we see the bad news, we share the bad news—or we “like” or “retweet” or “favorite”—and then we move on to the next story. This forces people to decide where the line is drawn between what’s acceptable to share on social media and what’s considered too personal. "Death in social media creates an entirely different kind of experience than we've ever really had before," says Jed Brubaker, a PhD Candidate at the University of California at Irvine. As our generation becomes increasingly comfortable with sharing more of ourselves online, it is important to remain conscious of what exactly is being posted and what someone’s reaction might be to the post.Using social media to broadcast the news of a tragedy is a good way to help inform a community, but one-click condolences don’t help people deal with loss. In fact, it accelerates and degrades a social norm that would otherwise take several weeks: sending heartfelt letters, sharing memories in person, even showing support by spending a few hours together to help sort paperwork or mail.“I think it’s okay to share loss of loved ones on Facebook because it’s a fast way to tell someone if there’s no way to tell them face to face,” said freshman Miya Okumura. Posting about the loss of a loved one on a platform so impersonally and casually, like on Facebook, can trivialize the death, taking away the good intentions of the original post.“If you post about someone’s death or your divorce, it’s not that different from typing, ‘I’m going to Starbucks,’” said freshman Nicole Tin. Despite our societyÕs Þxation on social media, a wall post is not the same thing as a sympathy card and should not be seen as a a substitution for personally reaching out to those in mourning.“People need to be careful about what they post on social media. Especially when they post about such a sensitive topic as death,” said freshman Hazel Lam. Just as social media has the potential to increase awareness of an event, it has the potential to trivialize it as well. If showing care or interest in a death becomes popularized, the risk of insincerity rises. The skill of Facebooking when it comes to both good and bad news is in the timing, and the simple step of double-checking before clicking the post or send button.ÒThe general rule of thumb is donÕt scoop important news,Ó Daniel Senning, a social media etiquette focus at The Emily Post Institute said. Social media expedites the mourning process but offers little process to the grieving.ÒIf the immediate family has not made the announcement in that space, you should wait,Ó said sophomore Spencer Enriquez.Informing people of any kind of news is best done in the most personal of manners, whether that be the ideal face-to-face setting, on the phone or a private electronic message.The Emily Post Institute has seen a few practical and proactive tech tricks that help avoid such situations. Family members or individuals can turn off the comment capability on their walls, or in order to send a piece of information quickly to a large group of people they can create a private group message.The bottom line is that Facebook, with its pictures of lunch, congratulatory engagement posts, baby announcements and messages of a friend’s passing, is here to stay and only growing more and more rooted in our interactions with other people.“It’s another tool we have at our disposal,” Senning said. “We have to learn how to use that tool with some intelligence.”

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April 3, 2015Alisa Takahashi

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March 28 at 9:36pm

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You and 37 others like this.








In the age of social media, everyone can be an obituary writer. The consensus seems to be that as social media continues to invade our lives,

it only makes sense that people will post about topics ranging from what they ate for breakfast to the death of a loved one.

Facebook claims to have 500 million active users, scores of whom die every day. The social networking phenomenon has fundamentally changed the way we mourn as individuals, families and communities.


A deceased person’s Facebook page becomes a virtual condolence book; a public, communal mourning place that gives everyone processing a shared loss a place to gather and grieve together.

But Facebook and social media’s infiltration into every aspect of our lives has been so quick and widespread that there are no rules yet for how to properly use it at life’s most difficult moments.

We learn a tragedy on social media, and we react in a way that is appropriate for that medium; we see the bad news, we share the bad news—or we “like” or “retweet” or “favorite”—and then we move on to the next story.

This forces people to decide where the line is drawn between what’s accept-able to share on social media and what’s considered too personal.

“Death in social media creates an entirely different kind of experience than we’ve ever

really had before,” says Jed Brubaker, a PhD Candidate at the University of California at Irvine.

As our generation becomes increasingly comfortable with sharing more of our-selves online, it is important to remain conscious of what exactly is being posted and what someone’s reaction might be to the post.

Using social media to broadcast the news of a tragedy is a good way to help inform a community, but one-click condolences don’t help people deal with loss.

In fact, it accelerates and degrades a social norm that would otherwise take several weeks: sending heartfelt letters, sharing memories in person, even show-ing support by spending a few hours together to help sort paperwork or mail.

“I think it’s okay to share loss of loved ones on Facebook because it’s a fast way to tell someone if there’s no way to tell them face to face,” said freshman Miya Okumura.

Posting about the loss of a loved one on a platform so impersonally and casu-ally, like on Facebook, can trivialize the death, taking away the good intentions of the original post.

“If you post about someone’s death or your divorce, it’s not that different from typing, ‘I’m going to Starbucks,’” said freshman Nicole Tin.

Despite our society’s fixation on social media, a wall post is not the same thing as a sympathy card and should not be seen as a a substitution for personally reaching out to those in mourning.

“People need to be careful about what they post on social media. Especially when they post about such a sensitive topic as death,” said freshman Hazel Lam.

Just as social media has the potential to increase awareness of an event, it has the potential to trivialize it as well.

If showing care or interest in a death becomes popularized, the risk of insincer-ity rises.

The skill of Facebooking when it comes to both good and bad news is in the timing, and the simple step of double-checking before clicking the post or send button.

“The general rule of thumb is don’t scoop important news,” Daniel Senning, a social media etiquette focus at The Emily Post Institute said.

Social media expedites the mourning process but offers little process to the grieving.

“If the immediate family has not made the announcement in that space, you should wait,” said sophomore Spencer Enriquez.

Informing people of any kind of news is best done in the most personal of man-ners, whether that be the ideal face-to-face setting, on the phone or a private electronic message.

The Emily Post Institute has seen a few practical and proactive tech tricks that help avoid such situations. Family members or individuals can turn off the com-ment capability on their walls, or in order to send a piece of information quickly to a large group of people they can create a private group message.

The bottom line is that Facebook, with its pictures of lunch, congratulatory en-gagement posts, baby announcements and messages of a friend’s passing, is here to stay and only growing more and more rooted in our interactions with other people.

“It’s another tool we have at our disposal,” Senning said. “We have to learn how to use that tool with some intelligence.”

DEATH

Such an immense loss, they will be missed terribly :(

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Died

RIP

March 28 at 9:36pm

March 30 at 7:02am



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I remember all the times you made me smile, the Heaven gained another angel today

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March 28, 2015

Died

RIP

March 28 at 9:36pm

March 30 at 7:02am



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MINH-HAN VU & ASHLEY KAWAKAMI

Flashback to the 90’s: polaroids and fashion are back pg 12&13



deities








Gautama Buddha



of Jesus Christ.



ISLAMMonotheistic,




chose them



deities








Gautama Buddha



of Jesus Christ.



ISLAMMonotheistic,




chose them

The Highlander April 2015FEATURESExploring what lies beneath the surface

These days, many are quick to judge oth-er’s appearances.

Appearances are the first things that people see when out in public. Once no-ticed, a person will be examined by the way they dress, the way their hair is cut, if they have tattoos, if they have any odd piercings.

According to Science 20, people dress a certain way to show observers a variety of personality traits. While that can be great, it can also send the wrong set of personality traits to persons brain.

“If people judge me for my nose ring, or the way I dress, it’s okay because I under-stand that they’re negative stereotypes in our society. I understand that they could of been raised in a culture that perpetrat-ed these stereotypes so it’s not necessarily their fault. On the other hand, I don’t need people to judge me for superficial things,” said junior Marion Demailly.

Different physical appearances might not be the ideal way for most people to ex-press themselves but, for others it is a way to showcase a more fun, free personality.

Society has become accustomed to judge people by their appearances so much that it is considered normal.

“Personally, I am judgemental based off of first impressions because I believe it’s hu-man nature. I think if a person doesn’t look or act a certain way right away, we auto-matically categorize them as ‘weird’ or ‘dif-ferent,’ One thing I have to do is try to have an open minded opinion on other’s appear-

ances,” said sophomore Victoria Maler. According to the Huffington Post, peo-

ple’s impulsive rejection of people due to appearances has become the new “normal” for the general public.

“I try to dress to benefit myself. First im-pressions are based off of appearances, but I try not to solely base them off the way they look. But I do see others try to put people into a certain category based off of personal looks,” said freshman Lindsay Cho.

For example, society has taught major-ity of the population to dress based off the latest trends, or be friends with a person that is physically attractive be-cause they can possibly be really nice.

According to the New York Times, on a very ba-sic level, judg-ing people by appearance means putting them into impersonal categories, such as ‘weird,’ ‘wild,’ or ‘funky.’

“The way someone looks should not at all reflect how they are inside. For example girls or guys that look attractive or pretty on the outside can be deceiving, but once you meet them they can be totally differ-ent,” said sophomore Brittany Cheung.

According to BGNews, judging others

sometimes gives people a sense of pride be-cause demeaning others can create a false sense of security and identity.

As people of the general public, it is im-portant to help others feel comfortable in the own skin.

Some might not like piercings, having purple hair, or wearing bright colors them-selves, but people shouldn’t be quick to judge because that person can be the com-plete opposite of who we think they are.

“After a while, I just didn’t care about what people said about me. I wear suits every day because that’s how I can express myself and feel com-f o r t a b l e . If people don’t except that, that’s their loss,” said Daniel Thompson.

H i g h school is suppose to prepare us for the real world, and sadly the work field and peo-ple in general are quick to judge, but that doesn’t mean it should be a normal thing.

If a person dresses a certain way, it shouldn’t give others an excuse to make assumptions on the person’s work ethic or jump to racial stereotypes.

“Obviously there is a stereotype for Asians. I’m the definition of one. But that

Hana WongStaff Writer

“After a while, I just didn’t care

about what people said about me. I wear suits every day because that’s

how I can express myself and feel comfortable. If people don’t accept

that, that’s their loss

Daniel ThompsonSenior

Senior Michael Bereket academically excels in his classes and will be attending Stanford University in the fall of 2015. However, those who do not personally know him are unaware that he is also talented in cross country and track.

NAOMI ASRIR

doesn’t mean I should be put into a cate-gory based on my race or the way I dress which some classify to be “chinky,’” said freshman Collin Liao

According to Forbes, physical features such as posture, grooming, slimness, and physical attractiveness can possibly deter-mine how much you get paid when work-ing in the work field.

“Some would classify me as dressing ‘sporty’ all the time. That doesn’t neces-sarily mean that I’m a sports maniac, I just want to be comfortable throughout the school day,” said sophomore Eric Lui.

Big companies that have employers that don’t satisfy their boss’s appearance criteria could easily be judged.

According to Forbes, taller people get paid more simply because of a height dif-ference, larger people will get paid less, es-pecially larger women, and blonde people get paid just about the same amount of money people that have been educated longer earn.

These bosses might be giving better op-portunities to people that don’t do their job as well or isn’t as intelligent because they’re blinded by the way their employee looks.

The reason why employers hire people based off of their looks, is so their buyers will try to look like their attractive employ-ees. But what happens to the people that don’t get a chance, because they don’t meet a company’s appearance standard?

If a person wants to look a certain way in order to express themselves or feel com-fortable in their own skin, it shouldn’t com-promise what job they get or what person they are.

NAOMI ASRIR & KIMIKO OKUMURA

The HighlanderApril 2015 FEATURESBehind Carlmont’s special education service

They are in our classes, but you don’t no-tice anything different about them.

While they go to our own school, we of-ten don’t know who they are.

Who? The students who receive special education support.

According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, 1.7 percent of the U.S. population reports having a learning disability.

The special education program in Carl-mont includes services for learning dis-abilities and physical disabilities.

All public schools are required to have a program that gives special education ser-vices.

According to the Center for Parent In-formation and Resources, disabilities can range from asthma and ADHD to leukemia and epilepsy.

Disabilities include anything that will af-fect one’s educational performance.

What is it like to be one of these stu-dents? How can we be around them every-day and not know what they struggle with, or even who they are?

The Center for Parent Information and Resources said that, “These services in-clude specially designed instruction and a wide range of supports to address the student’s individual needs that result from his or her disability. Special education and related services are available to eligible children, free of charge, through the public school system.”

Special Education Chair Jason Selli un-derstands these students’ needs and how to fit their learning environment to them.

“These students are in your classes and you probably don’t even know,” said Selli.

The goal of the special education pro-gram is to create the least restrictive envi-ronment possible for the students in it.

“We only have a few students with ad-justed schedules. Most of the students days’ are the exact same as any other student,” said Selli.

Sophomore Hannah Wright along with many other Carlmont students, isn’t even aware who the special education students are.

“I don’t believe I have any classes with special education students,” said Wright.

However, there are many special educa-tion students among us in our classes and we can’t even tell.

“The vast majority of the special educa-tion students are not different than anyone else. The students that receive special edu-cation services are in your classes with you. The Carlmont campus is built so that these students can have classes with everyone else and I think that, that’s just great,” said special education teacher Jamie Simpson.

It’s hard to imagine what it’s like for spe-cial education students, and what struggles they face daily.

“I would have a more difficult time throughout high school because certain aspects of school are already difficult to comprehend at times, but with a disability it would be even harder,” said Wright.

The Center for Parent Information and

Resources said that, “ ...Special education and related services are available to eligible children, free of charge, through the public school system. This includes a comprehen-sive and individual evaluation of the child to determine his or her eligibility, unique needs, and what types of services and sup-ports are needed by the child to address those needs.”

“The special education program is a ser-vice, not a place students need to go,” said Selli.

Special education teachers need to be specially certified and need to understand how to serve their students needs. They need to be able to provide special education services and have a higher level of teaching ability, specific to these disabilities.

As a special education teacher, Simpson alters his teaching styles to accommodate to his students’ needs.

“My teaching style is different than other teachers’ because I teach the lesson accus-tomed to each students’ needs. Some stu-dents learn visually, some learn phonetical-ly, and some learn by doing hands-on work, etc. As a special education teacher, I have to be able to recognize when my students are having trouble understanding and I need to change the way I’m teaching, even if it’s in the middle of a lesson,” said Simpson.

Carlmont is designed to have students who receive special education support be able to be incorporated into classes with the rest of the school, while still getting the support they need.

“I don’t think the special education stu-dents are any different than anyone else, they just have different challenges that some people don’t have. It doesn’t makes them any different than other students be-sides the way they learn,” said Wright.

1 OUT OF 5INDIVIDUALS HAVE

LEARNING & ATTENTION ISSUES NATIONWIDE

SPECIAL EDUCATION

National Center for Learning Disabilities

WHAT IS A LEARNING DISABILITY?

NEUROLOGICALLY-BASED PROCESSING PROBLEM

Dress to impress. We all do it. Ideally something as superficial as physical appearance

would not matter. However, knowing that people will make assumptions based on appearance provides the incentive to use their looks to their advantage.

Physical appearances often come into play as a factor for job opportunities. Sophomore Ana Tudor realizes how this seemingly unfair reality can be used in ones favor.

“Interviewers often look for a specific type of person when holding interviews, often for someone that appears professional. If applicants for the job understand what type of character the company would expect, they can dress to match that character accordingly,” said Tudor.

The Equal Opportunity Act of 2010 made it illegal to discriminate based on physical features in the workforce. Nevertheless, physical feature discrimination is a reality that some use to their advantage.

“Dressing professionally is pretty important. It shows how much you care and how much effort you’re willing to put in,” said junior Cassidy Sobey.

According to Business Insider, an Italian study discov-ered that the job interview call back rate for attractive women was 47 percent higher than that of unattractive women, while the call back rate for attractive men was 21 percent higher than that of unattractive men. The resumes used in the study were all identical with the exception of the attached photographs.

For Sobey, looks do matter, especially in relation to her part time job in retail at Nordstrom.

“If you show up wearing sweatpants its obvious to your employers that you’re only here to get paid. I always try to dress the best I can, because I like fashion and I feel that if I look good, customers will want to ask me for fashion advice. People want to look good so they’ll trust someone else who knows how to dress well,” said Sobey.

In 2003, Abercrombie & Fitch was sued for racial dis-crimination in its hiring process. In their attempt to hire young employees who expressed the clothing brand’s look, minority ethnicities were discriminated and employees were fired for not meeting the physical criteria displayed on their shopping bags.

Not everyone can change their phenotype, but anybody

can use assumptions based off of physicality to their ad-vantage.

Professionalism can go a long way. Except nobody will get the opportunity to showcase their qualifications for a position if their resume’s photograph gets them eliminated on the first round.

“Some people don’t like putting effort into their physical appearance and that’s probably why they don’t get as many jobs which is really unfortunate. But nobody’s going to hire someone who looks like they don’t care,” said Sobey.

In some cases, ethnicity can open up shortcuts and win-dows of opportunity.

Senior Liam Young has encountered numerous experi-ences where he was treated a certain way based off assump-tions people made about his ethnicity.

“When I tell people I’m Asian and I play piano they im-mediately assume I must be a genius at piano. They don’t even know I’ve passed all ten levels of content mastery, which I have, but they just assume that because I’m Asian and I play piano I’m really good, so I don’t have to try hard to impress them. Like if I’m at a party and I’m playing pi-ano, I’ll just play something basic and hear ‘oh wow you’re so good’ without trying so hard. Those assumptions make it really easy to impress people,” said Liam Young.

Assumptions in the realm of affirmative action offer more advantage points for students who know when and how to use them.

Affirmative action policies are meant to level the playing field for ethnic minorities or groups who have been his-

torically discriminated against.“Affirmative action is necessary, because not everyone

has the same opportunities in life due to social economics, but it’s unfortunate for the people who don’t get the benefits of it,” said Liam Young.

For example, the scores a Hispanic student might need for college acceptance tend to be lower than the require-ments for an Asian student.

“I do identify as Asian, because I am, but I didn’t write Chinese on my college applications. I said I was Asian and Pacific Islander, but I left out my Chinese heritage because I didn’t want affirmative action to hurt my chances,” said Liam Young.

Despite being half Chinese, Liam Young has often been mistaken as Mexican or Hispanic.

“I got a fix-it ticket, and the officer started speaking to me in Spanish because he thought I was Mexican and was carrying something worse with me. I get profiled pretty harshly, and I haven’t found a way to use this to my advan-tage yet though,” said Liam Young.

His brother, sophomore Peyton Young, who is instead profiled as Asian, not a part of any minority, sees how race and physical appearance can be use to one’s advantage.

“Some people who make up minority ethnic groups can use that as an advantage for a sympathy card in school. In-telligence isn’t about race, it’s about how hard you try. And anyone can try hard. That’s really all that should matter,” said Peyton Young.

How to use assumptions to your advantageHannah Young

Staff Writer

Anya MeredithStaff Writer

KIMIKO OKUMURA

The Highlander April 2015CAMPUS‘One School, One Book’ strives to bring unity

No one likes to do summer reading.

To combat that assumption, Carlmont is introducing a new summer reading program called One School, One Book.

Next school year, Carlmont will become a giant book club.

Cynthia Artiga-Faupusa, an English teacher, and the teacher who is coordinating this program said, “There’s an underlying value of everybody reading the same book. It helps to build communi-ty and gives the school a common language.”

Starting this program means every student and English teacher at Carlmont will be reading the same book over the summer.

According to Read to Them, One School, One Book is a pro-gram designed to create a shared reading experience within a single elementary school community.

Students were given the choice to vote on five different young adult fiction novels: “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” “The Living,” “Will Grayson Will Grayson,” “Shatter Me,” and the winner: “The Beginning of Everything,” by Robyn Schneider.

“If [teachers] picked the book, then it’s still us telling you what to read, and the books that we pick might not be at an independent reading level,” said Argita-Faupu-sa. “The book that was chosen is definitely at an accessible level for students to read without needing help.”

Student choice is a major part

of this being a successful program because if the students are the ones picking the book, then they will feel more eager to actually do the summer reading.

Having a school-wide sum-mer reading book may promote a sense of unity for elementary schools, but it becomes prob-lematic when initiated at a high school that offers many different levels of English.

All of the books that students voted on fell under the category of young adult literature, which students probably noticed as not a common genre read for literary work in high school.

“I did get some push back, be-cause there are some teachers that don’t feel that young adult litera-ture should be the genre that we are promoting, but really we’re

promoting reading,” said Argita-Faupusa.

However, there’s a reason why students have to read the old, classic books for school because they actually correspond with the curriculum. For example, juniors that are going to take AP English-Literature their senior year have to read “Pride and Prejudice” over the summer because the class re-volves around the study of British literature.

“I think that having everybody in the school read the same book won’t be very beneficial because the teachers try to find summer reading that is tailored to each course, and fiction books are unfit for AP English,” said junior Na-than Kinsey.

Reading young adult books may be a refreshing change from

the older books that students are used to, but for many students it’s just additional reading no matter the book.

“Summer reading books don’t really help us, they just make sure we read, but I’d rather read [“The Beginning of Everything”] instead of the older books because those books are really wordy and bor-ing,” said freshman Hazel Lam.

For the sophomores deciding to take AP English-Composition their junior year, reading a fiction novel may seem like unnecessary work because it has nothing to do with the rhetorical analysis and writing curriculum of the class.

“I don’t think the new summer reading book will corresponded with the work we do in AP [Eng-lish-Composition] because we focus on philosophy and learning

how to write rhetorical essays,” said junior Melissa Chee.

Some teachers who teach AS or AP English also see a problem with the inappropriate reading level of the book for an advanced class.

“[The book] is not as germane for the content of [AP English-Composition] and is certainly not a difficult read for any advanced student,” said Erik Migdail, AP English-Composition and Eng-lish II teacher.

AS English II teacher, Joseph Hill said, “I’m all for this program, but I’m not particularly thrilled that it’s replacing a summer read-ing text for AS because it’s a short book and would be a quick read for an advanced student. I think it should be a supplement reading, rather than replacing a book that is important to the curriculum.”

Even though the book might not seem relative to the curricu-lum of every English class, the program will help bring Carlmont together through a week of events centered around the book.

Senior leaders will lead mini book discussions for the students that will end in a final writing piece.

The week of events ends with a visit from Schneider, the author of “The Beginning of Everything.”

If you weren’t able to get the book during the first sale, there will be another sale in the quad on May 13 and 14.

“I think that the One School, One Book program will be ex-traordinary for our school be-cause it’s going to bring people together,” said Hill.

Megan TaoEditor

New ASB Service Council helps to involve more students

Of the few changes coming to Carlmont next year, one will be the introduction of another ASB class.

Previously known as the Leadership II class, this year’s version of ASB voted to combine the Leadership class with their own, creating two separate branches, with Leadership II developing into ASB Service Council and this year’s ASB rebranding as the ASB Executive Council.

“After our Leadership training with our public speaker Scott Backovich and the involvement of our reach out commission with students that our receiving special edu-cation, I saw that there were a lot of kids that deserved the chance to be more involved, but there just wasn’t enough room in ASB to fit them,” said ASB and Leadership super-visor Jim Kelly. “A seed was planted in my head and now it’s come to life.”

Although both classes represent ASB as a whole, each class holds a somewhat separate function.

Service Council is assigned service-based projects that help enhance the school and the community. These proj-ects include many of the ones already completed by Lead-

Kian KaramdashtiStaff Writer

ership II in the past such as the Clothes Drive, Valentines for Vets, and Gowns for Girls, while also continuing their work with the students that require more support.

“I’m really happy with what our class has accomplished this year,” said junior Ariana Crame. “We’ve expanded on some old projects and even introduced some new commis-sions such as Reach Out.”

Many senior members of the Leadership class are cur-rently transitioning into commission supervisors for next year’s Service Council.

“I’m very excited for next year,” said junior Melissa Chee, next year’s Do Something supervisor. “This class has a huge amount of room for growth and it’ll be great to see how we can improve the school. We are basically starting this class from the ground up, so there will obviously be some chal-lenges, but I’m happy to be part of something that can grow into something truly amazing.”

After years of being seen by some as a “step down” to this year’s ASB class, many students in Service Council are prepared to make a name for themselves in the upcoming year.

“Kids have actually called us the ‘B team of ASB’ as an insult,”said junior Izzy DeWood. “I’m hoping next year’s

changes can really help us develop a name for ourselves and hopefully make a significant difference at this school.”

While Service Council settles into their inaugural year, Executive Council will continue to hold all the class offi-cers, most of the commissions, and functions of this year’s ASB. These functions include planning dances, leading Screamin’ Scots at sports games, and conducting lunch-time activities.

“Service Council are not the only ones experiencing some changes,” said sophomore Executive Council mem-ber Liam Jocson. “We have a very large amount of seniors graduating this year so there will be a lot of new faces in our class. I’m sure there will be some sort of learning curve, but the kids picked were picked for a reason and I’m sure we’ll be just fine. A lot of us still in the class will have three to four years of ASB experience, so things shouldn’t be hard at all.”

Although the two classes may hold different functions, they both share the same goal, to better the school and community around them.

“We might be in different classes but we both are striv-ing for the same thing,” said Chee. “To interact with stu-dents and make the school the best it can be.”

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ADRIANNA RAMIREZ

The HighlanderApril 2015 CAMPUSLegacies leave an impact on future students

Shira SteinScot Scoop Editor-in-Chief

Leaving a legacy behind when leaving high school is not a foreign concept to some people. People wonder what their classmates will remember them for, and it affects the way that they perceive themselves.

Students join clubs and activities for college, but they also join to give themselves a sense of pride that they’ve done something important for their community.

“I realized this year that I do not only want to leave Carl-mont as a more positive place, but a supportive, accepting place as well, so I translated that into doing service for the student body,” said senior Elise Dimick.

The craving that some students have to “make their mark” on high school isn’t necessarily the right goal

People as a whole are not completely altruistic or selfish. They are in a grey area of doing things to help others, but also doing things for recognition from their peers.

In a study done by John Darley and Bibb Latané in 1968, the psychologists staged a situation where an emergency occurred and the participant was either alone or in a group of participants. The study measured how long it took the participant to respond to the emergency situation. They determined that 70 percent of the participants who were alone would call out or try to help, but only 40 percent would call out or attempt to help when they were not alone.

They determined that a bystander would decide whether to help based on whether or not they believe the person in the emergency is deserving of help, the competence of the person, and the relationship between the two.

Junior Alex Irby, director of the spring play, said, “Origi-nally, I wanted to [direct the play] for myself, but then I re-alized that it was for all the freshman too. I’m more focused on leaving an impact on the people I’m working with than the entire school.”

Even though the original leaders of many clubs aren’t re-membered for starting the club, their impact still endures.

“I don’t think I came in as a freshman thinking about how to make an impact on the school, but in developing the philosophy club I did think about creating a space at school for a type of thinking that isn’t always focused on in classes,” said Carlmont graduate and current Princeton student Laura Ong.

Finding recognition from others is a concept with which many people are familiar. From small children who want parents to laugh at their actions to students trying to get the right grade, people crave approval.

Dimick said, “Being ASB president has allowed me to realize that I am very capable of holding a high leadership role. Through this position I have gained confidence and courage that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

As seniors get closer to graduation, more and more are realizing that leaving their legacy is something that not all of them will accomplish.

Leaving a legacy can be important because it can make a significant difference in someone else’s life, but getting recognition for making that difference isn’t nearly as com-monplace.

“The biggest impact we’re making on the school is get-ting more people interesting in the drama program. Oth-erwise I don’t think we’re making a significant difference,”

Legacies can leave an impact in multiple areas of high school, such as sports and music.

ADRIANNA RAMIREZ

said Irby.The mission for graduating high school is to have all

students ready to attend college or go into the workforce. It’s the place where children grow into adults and learn to understand themselves better.

Part of learning to be an adult is becoming involved in activities that one enjoys, not necessarily to make an im-pact on others.

where education and dreams meet

R

Since 2002

The Highlander April 2015ENTERTAINMENTTaxis face stiff competition with Uber

Transportation at the tip of your fingers.With the help of smart phones, finding

a ride is as easy as clicking an app. Compa-nies such as Uber, Lyft, and Flywheel have made car services cheap and easy with no reservation required.

All these transportation companies have an advantage over taxis due to the new in-novative technology interaction with cus-tomers via smart phones.

Uber, taking charge of the industry na-tionwide, has built a strong reputation in the peninsula, specifically San Francisco.

Uber users download the app onto their smartphone and can access a wide variety of information the average taxi fails to pro-vide until the end of the trip.

Junior Melody Shanahan said, “Uber fits perfectly into the 21 century, where trans-portation services are based into an app on your smartphone. With Uber’s easy ac-cessibility students are more likely to ride Uber than a taxi because we our generation had grown up with iPhones and Androids.”

By tracking cars in the nearby area via the app, individuals can see available rides and summon cabs. Riders can also pay through the Uber app and split fares where no cash is needed.

Senior Kirra Loucks said, “I like Uber because before getting into the car, you al-ready know the estimated cost, the route you are taking, and the type of car you are in with a certified driver. There is no need to hail a cab if you can just summon one on your iPhone.”

According to Time magazine, Uber uses personal cars either rented out or driven

Mia HoganStaff Writer

Celebrities take a stand against media coverageMedia simply cannot get away with as much today. Before the increase of celebrities’ privacy, the media was

able to ask all their questions and have them answered, no matter how insulting they were.

But today, celebrities are starting to go against the wants of the media and gaining more respect for themselves and their boundaries with the media.

This could lead to more emphasis on talent and ability, rather than gossip and appearances.

One example of this refusal is of the “mani-cam” shown by E! Entertainment during the Golden Globe awards. Ac-tress Elizabeth Moss was asked to show her manicure to the mani-cam, and instead of complacently showing her hand, she flipped off the camera.

“There definitely has been worse on award shows and red carpets, so it’s not completely wrong. But it is highly disrespectful,” said junior Emily Crusick.

Other stars such as Julianne Moore, Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston simply refused to show their hands

to the mani-cam when it had another appearance at the Guild Awards.

“I think it’s great that they’re refusing this kind of treat-ment. Men usually aren’t asked about what kinds of clothes they are wearing and they don’t have things like mani-cams,” said sophomore Elsa Carreras.

This celebrity refusal to bow to the media’s demands extends further than just video and photography; it also includes interviews.

In Extra’s interview with Anne Hathaway for The Dark Knight Rises, the interviewer asked her about her eating and exercise habits for filming. She returned the question back to him by asking: “Are you trying to lose weight?”

Australian radio show, “Jules, Merrick & Sophie,” inter-viewed Taylor Swift and asked her about the critics who claim that she only writes songs about her past relation-ships. Swift put down that assertion by saying that it was a “very sexist angle to take” and no one says that about male artists who write about their relationships.

“Asking about diets and relationships stuff is rude, they are personal and irrelevant to their work,” said Carreras.

Some stars are even acting directly against the hounding

of the paparazzi in more ways than individual resistance. Jennifer Garner and Halle Berry worked together to

pass the California Senate Bill 606 in 2013. This law made it illegal to photograph a child in a way that was harmful to them, regardless of their parents’ employment.

“I think that’s a really good thing because they’re only kids. Paparazzi can be brutal sometimes, which is some-thing children shouldn’t be exposed to,” said Crusick.

This was an attempt to prevent the media from hound-ing the children of stars because their parents are famous, but the media is very persistent with their pursuit for pic-tures to put in tabloids.

Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield use paparazzi to ac-complish their own goals. When they saw that they were being photographed in New York City, they wrote mes-sages on cards about supporting charities such as Autism Speaks, Youth Mentoring, Worldwide Orphans Founda-tion, and Gilda’s Club New York City.

Whether for selfless or selfish reasons, celebrities are fig-uring out ways to dodge the wants of the media and hope-fully will lead to a better media for all other celebrities.

Kiera Pendleton-WhiteStaff Writer

by the owners, ultimately reducing the company’s expenses compared to those in the taxi industry. In the taxi industry, each franchise owns their own cars, therefore is required by state legislation to register each vehicle and driver.

Because Uber is not considered a taxi under state law, the company is able to avoid regulated cab fares and instead use surge pricing, which further lowers Uber’s annual expenses.

Uber’s pricing is based on demand. Dur-ing rush hour, prices increase, and as car demands decrease, so does the price.

Despite fluctuating prices, many still

prefer an Uber over the traditional taxi. In the San Diego Union Tribune article

Taxi versus Uber, Phil Blair said, “[Uber and Lyft] are clean, new, and driven by personable, friendly, self employed people who provide a real value for their services. The current taxi business has become one of surly, non-communicative drivers in old, dirty cabs.”

The upsurge of Uber has led to further growth in the company. Now providing five different types of service in San Francisco, riders can optimize their experience based on the type of car available.

On New Year’s Eve, Uber and Lyft in San

Francisco partnered with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), urging adults to make smarter decisions about driving plans that night.

MADD’s website said, “After the ball drops and rings in the New Year, sadly it also rings in the deadliest day on the roads due to drunk driving. In 2013, 70 people died on New Year’s Day alone. We urge all adults that if your plans include alco-hol, then plan ahead and designate a non-drinking driver before the celebrations be-gin.”

Easy to access with reliable pricing, Uber and Lyft are available year around at all times.

According to Highlander polls con-ducted in March, out of 180 student, 35 percent of students have used Uber or Lyft and described it as a positive experience and 28 percent plan to use these services in the near future. Fewer than 1 percent of students described a negative Uber or Lyft experience.

Uber is a realistic option for high school and college students who are unable to drive themselves safely due to a long night and exposure to alcohol and drugs,” said Loucks.

With Carlmont prom nearing, students look into safe transportation alternatives to travel into San Francisco late Friday night.

Senior Natalie Tussy said, “With Uber’s easy accessibility and pricing, there is a high chance that many students will an Uber of Lyft over a traditional taxi or limo. Provided with many different levels of transportation and car types, Uber can provided more freedom than a limo expe-rience to and from prom because students are not on a schedule.”

The Highlander

The mission of The Highlander is to accurately and honestly cover community and school events. As a student run open forum newspaper, we strive to incorporate multiple views and represent the diverse community at Carlmont.

Editor in ChiefAshley Kawakami

Business ManagerKristen Friis

OnlineShira Stein

Copy EditorJessica Adair

Art DirectorVeronika Dvorakova

Staff WritersAyesha AbbasiArianna BayangosBrooke BuckleyAngelina CastilloHolly ChenAndrew CrossEvan DaviesBecca FradkinKaren GaoBecca Garner

Ravina GujralDanielle HamerMia HoganMiranda IrwinKian KaramdashtiBijan KhaliliVictor LiColley LoumElena MateusAnya Meredith

EditorsAvery AdamsMichael BastakiSarah BoroAlyssa FagelAria FrangosDominic GialdiniSophie Haddad Claudia LeistKimiko OkumuraKelly SongMegan TaoKarissa TomZoe Wildman

Art and GraphicsNaomi AsirirAdrianna RamirezMinh-Han VuLila Schulman

Faculty AdvisorJustin Raisner

Jocelyn MoranMateen NozzariLara OstroffSonia PauloKiera Pendleton Justine PhippsKat SavinSarah SchislaGianna Schuster Marco Sevilla

Victoria Shanefelter Taran SunAlisa TakahashiLauren TierneyStuart VickeryEthan WongHana WongConnie YiHannah Young

ADRIANA RAMIREZ

The HighlanderApril 2015 ENTERTAINMENT

Breaking news: the next big movie is coming out based off of [insert bestselling dystopian society book].

Go figure.The entertainment culture of America is

currently centered on the idea of a dystopi-an future society. Dystopia is an imagined state or place in which the general environ-ment is often oppressive, unpleasant, and totalitarian.

An examination of trending entertain-ment shows how dystopia is a main focus in popular culture. “The Walking Dead” is a clear example of a dystopian television show that has had massive success. Recent movies like “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” the “Hunger Games” saga, and “Divergent” all take place in stereotypical dystopian situations.

Junior Isabelle de Wood said, “I really like both ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘Diver-gent.’ I like how they show the different

ways and possibilities that the future could turn out, and how the main character fights to help everyone achieve freedom.”

This common theme throughout many popular books, TV shows, and movies could reflect different attitudes in society.

In the aforementioned entertainment outlets, there is either a nonexistent gov-ernment or an oppressive government. Audiences devour situations such as these, reveling in the protagonist’s perseverance through the former and overthrow of the latter.

Senior Lauren Pittock said, “I find the genre fascinating. It makes us take a closer look at our own society and all the things wrong with it. However, it also allows us to realize all the great things our society has to offer.”

Some speculate that this is America’s way of expressing views on current po-litical situations both within America and around the world.

“I’ve heard people suggest that the popu-larity of the genre could embody the issues

that people have with different forms of government and politics today,” said Pit-tock. “That’s what makes that genre so in-teresting. You can look at it from different angles. It’s great that we have creative writ-ers like these making us look at our society in new innovative ways.”

The idea of a dystopian society often presents the opportunity to tear down the old and begin anew, as in “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent.” This could be at-tractive subject material to audiences due to dissatisfaction with their own current circumstances. Everyone, at some point or another, has felt dissatisfied with their situ-ation, and the idea of a “clean slate” is ap-pealing.

Although the genre is appealing to a wide audience, some students aren’t as en-thusiastic about dystopia.

Sophomore Dro Avetian said, “I haven’t actually seen either ‘The Hunger Games’ or ‘Divergent.’ The idea of a futuristic society is cool, but it isn’t something that really ap-peals to me personally. I prefer a good ac-

tion movie myself, like ‘The Expendables.’”For today, the genre’s popularity is a

given. According to Box Office Mojo, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1” made $337,135,885 in box office revenue .

Junior Cameron Dennler said, “I think it will maintain popularity until our society becomes some sort of dystopian society or the public realizes clearly that very simi-lar things are already happening in coun-tries today. As of now, the general public sees dystopia as fiction and so they enjoy it. I mean who would watch the ‘Walking Dead’ if zombies actually were killing ev-erybody?”

This trend of futuristic entertainment will continue as long as fans have appetite for it.

Dennler said, “Until society recognizes that this is already happening or eventu-ally experiences aspects of it, they will view it as a detached form of entertainment in the fiction genre and dystopia’s success will continue.”

America’s new obsession: dystopian society

Companies push quality toward the back burnerThe phone you bought this year that will

be replaced by a new, improved model in a matter of months.

A box of light bulbs that will run out within a year.

These are examples of planned obsoles-cence.

Planned obsolescence is when a manu-facturer of a product intentionally designs a flaw in the product.

Once the product has run it’s time, the flaw will force the consumer to buy a new one.

“I feel like companies are taking ad-vantage of their customers when products break down on purpose,” said sophomore Anton McPeek.

One of the most prevalent examples of planned obsolescence are light bulbs.

After one buys a lightbulb, you turn it on, wait for it to wear out, then go buy another one. Halogen bulbs, as well as Incandescent bulbs, which have been used for decades, last for about a month.

While the normal, everyday store-bought light bulbs only last for a little while, they don’t represent the longest time possible. The longest lasting light bulb, which has its own website, Centennial.org, has been burning for 114 years.

Regular light bulbs, however, do not have

a lifespan longer than 100 years. The issue of how lightbulbs last so much less long than they could is explored in the film “The Lightbulb Conspiracy,” which suggests that light bulbs are made to run out sooner to force consumers into spending more.

“Since lightbulbs burn out [so quickly], I’d say that companies purposely make them burn out. It is a great way to make money and it sets a limit on how long the bulb lasts. Most new bulbs should last for about three years or so, but when they will burn out is debateable,” said sophomore Nathan Dougherty.

Another example of planned obsoles-cence is the iPhone.

In 2010 the iPhone 4 was released. Three years later in 2013 the new iPhone 5 was released.

“By the time I’d had my iPhone 4 for a while the battery would go from 100 per-cent to 20 percent in an hour, which isn’t good. It was also really slow,” said freshman Brooke Chang, who owned an iPhone 4 and 5.

While planned obsolescence could be viewed as a way for companies to make more money, it could also be used as a way to promote constructive competition be-tween designers.

According to The Economist, planned obsolescence is one of the reasons that in-dustry grows.

By ensuring that each new model of

iPhone has something new, there is more drive to create more features.

If an iPhone was perfect the first time around, new models would not be different enough to attract attention.

“[Planned obsolescence] works very well because everyone always wants the newest toy because theirs seems outdated. It makes them think that what they have is outdated. I don’t, however, think that planned obso-lescence is good at all because it focuses on

limited technological progress. It centers around sales and profits rather than help-ing humanity,” said junior Akshay Mohan.

Despite the moneymaking advantages of planned obsolescence, companies could instead attempt to provide the best services and products possible to customers.

“It’s in a company’s best interest to dis-play to the buyer or investor that they are completely functional and care for their cli-ents,” said sophomore Nick Tada.

Stuart VickeryStaff Writer

Taran SunStaff Writer

The hopelessness and destruction of a dystopian society seems to be the go-to setting in recent bestselling novels and blockbuster movies.

Many companies, such as cell phone companies, manufacture products with the expectation of failure in hopes of selling a newer product.

ADRIANA RAMIREZ

ADRIANA RAMIREZ

The Highlander April 2015

These maps show representations of historic and current Armenian borders with modern nations’ borders as a reference.

April 24, 1915: The start of deportations and killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks

1918-1920: Armenia’s independence from the Russian Empire

1919: The three Pashas are condemned to death by the Turkish courts-martial

1921: Ottoman leader Talaat Pasha is assassinated in Berlin by Soghomon Tehlirian

1939: “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” — Adolf Hitler

1943: Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin creates the word “genocide” based on what happened to the Armenians

1991: Armenia gains its second independence from the Soviet Union

April 24, 2015: The 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide throughout the world

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Leading up to 1915, Armenians had been oppressed under the Ottoman Empire. They were the only Christians in the Middle East area at the time, and the Ottoman Turkish govern-ment wanted an “ethnic cleansing” of all non-Muslims in Turkey and every-where else. April 24, 1915 is viewed as the start of the genocide because it was the day that the Ottoman government, under Interior Minister Talaat Pasha, rounded up 250 Armenian intellectu-als and sent them away to be assassi-nated. Following this event, and the passing of the Tehcir Law that allowed Ottoman deportations of individuals who “threatened national security,” Armenian families were forced out of their homes and into the Der Zor Desert on death marches. Men, wom-en and children were burned, raped, tortured, starved and brutally mur-dered by Turkish soldiers, all while the world watched in horror. The govern-ment under the three Pashas, Talaat, Djemal and Enver, was aware that the marches could lead to the eventual extermination of the Armenian race. By 1919, the Pashas were sentenced to death during the trials for mem-bers of the Committee of Union and Progress. The Treaty of Sevres called for trials of those responsible for the “barbarous … offenses against the ... principles of humanity.” Records have held that about 1.5 million Armenians were killed from 1915 to 1919 in the hands of the Ottoman Turks, and even today Turkey continues to deny its act of genocide. April 24, 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the genocide and it marks the Armenians’ continuous search for justice and recognition.

Gen·o·cide: nounthe deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation.

HistoryTears roll down my face as I watch, year

after year, the candles being lit and the songs being sung about my people. My mind escapes the world around me and re-lives the past in the shoes of my ancestors, struggling for survival and peace. I hum the songs in my mind, imagining what would have happened if the Turks had suc-ceeded. I dream of being in my homeland, surrounded by the beautiful earth and the resilient people, and emotions flood over me and out of my control.

One hundred years ago on April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Turkish government began their attempt to exterminate the Ar-menian race.

They starved us, burned us, raped us, murdered us and hoped that we would cease to exist. We were forced to march through the Der Zor Desert with no wa-ter or food. Our dead bodies filled the Eu-phrates River until it ran red, and mothers watched as their children were torn from their arms, never to be seen again.

According to the Armenian National In-stitute website, one and a half million Ar-menians perished in the hands of the Otto-man Turks beginning in 1915, and the pain still lives on today.

People always ask me, “Why are Arme-nians still talking about this? Wasn’t it 100 years ago? The Jews don’t protest every year about the Holocaust, so why do you?” Unfortunately, there is a simple answer to these questions.

Turkey and the United States both con-tinue to deny the Armenian Genocide. It sounds atrocious, but it turns into an argu-ment about politics trumping humanity. Turkey claims that it was war, and that just as many Turks were killed by Armenians as Armenians were by Turks. Additionally, ac-cording to the Common Dreams website, the United States, as a prominent ally, sup-ports this claim in fear of losing military bases in and protection by Turkey. No mat-ter how many times Obama promises to recognize the genocide, it gets harder and harder to believe him. In reality, this coun-try cares far more about power and part-nership than about humanity and decency.

Turkey stole our lands and murdered our

people, and the country we live in and call our own now can’t even admit it. Armenia’s land today constitutes only 15 percent of what it did before the genocide. Mt. Ara-rat, Armenia’s symbol of peace and power, is now across the border and Turkey claims it as its own.

It is a heartbreaking feeling to stand out-side of Khor Virap Monastery and see the barbed wire fence that separates us from our territory. It is heartbreaking to watch Turkish soldiers guard that fence from the watchtower, waiting for a desperate person to jump over and run to what is ours. The most heartbreaking is that, standing there, staring at this beautiful mountain with tears in my eyes, I have no idea if we’ll ever be able to call it ours again.

That is why we still talk about this. That is why, even 100 years later, we protest the Turkish government. That is why we are so proud of our culture and why you will never meet an Armenian who hesitates to let you know that.

I was in Armenia this past summer and I visited Dzidzernagapert, the Armenian Genocide memorial in the capital city of Yerevan. An eternal flame burns there, day and night — a constant reminder of how our culture and strength is a fire that will never burn out. I hear the mysteri-ously beautiful melody of the duduk echo throughout the structure, and as I close my eyes I am overcome with sorrow. I stand in silence with my friends and family, praying for those lost and hoping that someday we will achieve justice. Today we have a free, independent and united Armenia, but we still live under a canopy of lies and inhu-manity.

Next time you see Armenians joining to-gether through protests, marches, hunger strikes, vigils and demonstrations, you’ll know why we continue our search for the truth. We educate those around us and make a statement in order to get closer to that goal and to shed light on a dark part of a nation’s history that many people have never heard about.

The pain that our ancestors endured and their perseverance are why I am in a con-tinuous fight for justice, not just for myself but for my country. After such a brutal his-tory and painful past, there are many things to be proud of. After all, we are still here.

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia. See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again.

For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.”William Saroyan, writer

Claudia LeistStaff Writer

Timeline of Events

Armenia 1915 Armenia 2015

Waiting for our justiceA news commentary on the plight of Armenians throughout the world

YEREVANCI|WIKIPEDIA|CC BY-SA 3.0

DOMINIC GIALDINI

The HighlanderApril 2015 FEATURES

Maintaining a positive attitude during school and throughout the day can be chal-lenging with sources of negative energy such as being angry from a lack of sleep, increased hunger, school related stress, or poor attitudes from classmates.

The human brain is more influential through our own actions than many peo-ple give it credit for. Individuals can create their own positive attitudes by training the mind or reminding oneself to maintain a positive mindset.

Smiling at oneself in the mirror when mad or upset, as absurd as it may seem, can have a huge impact on one’s mood. This is called the Facial Feedback Theory and it dates back to the 1980s.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, “The facial feedback hypothesis suggests that mus-cular manipulations which result in more positive facial expressions, may lead to more positive emotional states in affected individuals.”

It is tricking the brain into thinking that it is happy by maneuvering facial muscles. Luckily, it is much easier to control muscles than emotions.

Smiling not only improves individual happiness but others’ moods as well. Smil-ing is contagious and is a fast and easy way to improve mood.

“I can’t stress the importance of Custom-er Service Representatives (CSRs) having a smile on their face each time they answer the phone. We’ve all spoken with an agent that you can just tell they’ve been having a bad day. Yes, it can be very hard to keep that smile, but it is so vital to customer satisfac-tion,” said an article posted on Examiner in 2012, written by Amanda Browning.

CSRs sometimes have mirrors in their workspace so they can remember to an-swer the phone with a smile. Happiness can

Fake it ‘til you make it to keep up a smileMiranda Irwin

Staff Writer

be sensed even by the tone in one’s voice, which is why it is so important for CSRs to answer the phone with a smile.

This is also an idea that Walt Disney had back in the 1930s and 1940s when he was masterfully creating animated works and new ideas like the development of the Dis-neyland theme park.

The same concept of smiling and acting positively applies to actual human interac-tions. Often it is not difficult to interpret how someone is feeling or what kind of mood they are in by the tone in their voice and the way they present their self through the use of facial expressions or physical ac-tions.

“I try not to let other people’s bad moods affect me too much, especially if I have no involvement in their bad mood. Some days I allow myself to be in a bad mood, but if I see friends or teachers that I have a positive association with smiling and being friendly to me it helps improve my mood,” said se-

nior Mariya Chichmarenko. Another way to improve mood and over-

all happiness and contentness with oneself is through exercise.

According to an article published in 2009 by Harvard Health Publications, “A review of studies stretching back to 1981 conclud-ed that regular exercise can improve mood in people with mild to moderate depres-sion. It also may play a supporting role in treating severe depression.”

“Sometimes when I am in a bad mood, I play sports like basketball or soccer to take my mind off of things. Distracting myself with sports or by hanging out with friends is usually helpful when trying to wait out a bad mood,” said senior Giovanni Allen.

Often, students find it difficult to focus at school or outside of school when there is something else going on that is having a negative influence on them.

“When my parents or friends are argu-ing, it usually has an effect on me and puts

It’s the fault of our stars: student belief in horoscopesAlbert Einstein developed the theory of relativity,

along with making many other significant scientific advances. But of course he did, he’s a Pisces.

People debate whether or not astrology is an ac-tual science. It sounds absurd that the date of your birth and something to do with the moon can deter-mine one’s personality and maybe the future.

In summary, astrology utilizes heavenly bodies such as the sun, planets, constellations, and the cycle of the moon in order to predict earthly events. Ac-cording to the Chambers Dictionary, astrology is de-fined as “the study of the movements of the stars and planets and their influence on people’s lives.”

The belief of astrology is primarily based off of the Big Bang Theory, stating that every atom of human existence is made up of some, larger part of the uni-verse. This applies to a theory of quantum physics stating, “as above so below.” In astrology, this means what applies to the larger aspects of the universe ap-plies to the smaller molecule of the individual.

Many people view it as a crank belief, and others fully believe in it.

The astrological community does not participate in traditional scientific practices such as sharing findings or practices of trial and error. Furthermore, astrologists base their findings off of observations in the natural world rather than data. This too causes reason to debate the legitimacy of astrology.

“I don’t see that there is any real reason to believe astrology is real,” said junior Malcolm McClellan, “I see posts about it on Facebook and everything seems really vague, so that their claims can apply to a lot of different people.”

Today, about 55 percent of Americans don’t think

Staff WriterSonia Paulo astrology is “at all scientific,” according to the

National Science Foundation.“It reminds me of superstition in the sense

that it can apply to people if they want it to,” said senior Cole Castro, “it seems more like made up stuff that people want to believe in.”

Despite the insufficient scientific backings, astrology seems to prove true for many people.

Junior Claire Wheeler said, “I think they’re real because you read the astrology report and think, ‘thats me!’ and it’s just so accurate.”

According to the National Science Foun-dation about 57 percent of 18 to 24-year-old Americans think astrology has some form of scientific legitimacy.

“I definitely believe in astrology,” said junior Gabi Dimick. “I don’t believe it should com-pletely dictate the choices in someone’s life, but I definitely notice similarities between people and their signs.”

The National Science Foundation also says that in 1983, 50 percent of Americans believed astrology had no scientific backing.

Between 1983 and modern day, 65 percent of Americans on average believed astrology was a hoax.

“It’s not even like it’s a broad thing, which a lot of people say. There are specific parts of your sign which are so accurate.” Wheeler said. “Sometimes your friends will do something and you can’t help but think ‘oh my God, that’s so Capricorn,’ and it’s spot on.”

The opinions of whether or not astrology is legitimate fluctuates over the years. Although there is no scientific backing, it is evident that astrology applies to multitudes of people.

The Facial Feedback Theory suggests that positive facial expressions can trick the brain into feeling happier.NAOMI ASRIR

me in a bad or annoyed mood. I become unmotivated and it is sometimes difficult to focus in class or get anything done. What I sometimes do to get through days like this is just avoid talking to people and have oth-er friends who are in better moods distract me,” said senior Emilie Andersson.

There are plenty of reasons to get upset or angry or be in a bad mood, but there are also many reasons to be happy and focus on more important things.

Getting rid of a bad mood can be diffi-cult, though, so some things that may make the situation less stressful are listening to music, taking a hot shower, participating in sports or physical activity like yoga or meditating that are supposed to help indi-viduals relax.

Finding things to distract oneself with, like spending time with family or friends, volunteering, or practicing talents or in-terests are good ways to improve overall mindset.

Horoscope signs are determined by one’s birth month. Some people believe a sign can affect individual personality traits.

NAOMI ASRIR

The Highlander April 2015PROMDealing with the cost of prom

Angelina CastilloStaff Writer

“I spent about $1,000 on prom last year.” According to US News, the nationwide

survey conducted by Visa claims the aver-age household will spend $978 in 2014 to dance the night away. That’s a 14 percent decrease from 2013, when families spent $1,139 on clothes, limousine rentals, tick-ets and dinner.

To conserve money, students will often do their hair themselves, borrow a friend’s old prom dress, and put their makeup on themselves.

In a recent Highlander poll, for the 2014 prom, 10 percent of students spent $200-$300 compared to 3.3 percent who spent $800 or more on prom.

Senior Zerena Silva said, “I borrowed my dress from a friend last year. Basically, I just bought my ticket and I paid for my hair which was about $100. This year I spent about $180 just on my dress before getting it hemmed which will cost money as well. I still have to buy my ticket which will prob-ably be over $70 plus I have to get my hair done.”

The expenses of prom increase yearly and pricing varies based on where you live.

According to US News, in certain parts of the country – in states such as Califor-nia, Washington and Oregon – the average cost of prom can get as high as $1,125, the survey found. The Northeast also had simi-lar reported costs, at $1,104. Midwestern and Southern families plan to spend the least, at $835 and $926, respectively.

The typical prom includes buying a dress or tuxedo, buying a corsage or boutonnière, the tickets, hair, makeup, and nails, pho-tography, and a transportation.

Prom pricing comes down to who the individual is and how much they are will-ing to spend on the prom experience.

Junior Gabi Dimick said, “I think that the prices for prom are outrageous just be-cause I don’t see the point of spending so much money just on one night. Although, I do understand if someone had a lot of money to spend why they would be willing to spend it on a prom dress.”

Senior Julia Semmler said, “If you take all the pricing into consideration, nails, earrings, toes and all the fine details thats about $100 on top of the price of a limo and a ticket. Overall I spent about $480 and thats not including hair and makeup.”

Does spending hundreds of dollars on prom really seem necessary?

Semmler said, “The obvious answer is no but if its your dream dress, don’t let $400 or $500 set you back because you can always pay it off.”

Dimick said, “I think it’s a little ridicu-lous to spend an abundant amount of mon-ey on one night but I understand because it’s one of the nights that has the highest ex-pectations in your high school experience.”

There are many alternative routes for students to save money during the prom

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season. Semmler had the help of her family which saved her a lot of money.

Semmler said, “Hemming and altera-tions is something else people have to pay for which can be expensive depending on where you go. I’m lucky I don’t have to pay for that [because] my mom knows how to

do those things.”Dimick said, “Something that can be

done to spend less on prom is borrowing a friend’s dress, sharing transportation with friends, doing your own hair and makeup. I often find that I always end up hating my hair and makeup when I get it done.”

With prom coming up in less than a month, it is up to each person to decide just how much they are willing to pay for this event.

Prom is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but that doesn’t mean one should have to spend over $1000.

VERONIKA DVORAKOVA

The HighlanderApril 2015 PROMProm and its dresses: this year’s trendsThe most popular dress styles that will be seen at prom this season

Weighing the pros and cons of a Friday promLauren Tierney

Staff WriterCarlmont’s prom this year will

be on May 1st, a Friday. Prom on a Friday means less

time to get ready and prepare for girls and for boys.

This also means a possible lack of school attendance, especially for girls getting ready on the day of prom.

Jen Anthony, a member of ASB’s dance committee, said, “We knew what venue we wanted to have our prom at and the only available day was a Friday so we took it.”

For girls, so many things go into getting ready on the day of prom that go far past just getting their dress on.

First, you must try getting a hair, makeup or nails appoint-ment on what seems to be the most booked day of the year so that perfect 4:30 p.m. makeup ap-pointment you were imagining turns into a 10 a.m. appointment.

Senior Sarah Anderson said, “There is just so much to do on the day of prom. In past years it has taken me all day to prepare and with fewer hours it makes the day so much more stressful.”

And then there’s nails, hair, get-ting your dress on, and picking up your date’s boutonniere.

So when in all that time are you supposed to go to school?

Senior Erica Aldenese said, “I think it’s stupid and adds more stress to students. Prom is stress-ful enough as it is; no one wants to go to school and take a test or study when there’s already thou-sands of things to be done on the day of prom.”

For boys things are a bit sim-pler, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t errands for them to run, too.

Senior Toni Lupillin said, “Boys are always so last minute with ev-erything. Especially prom so they really need all the time they can get on the day of prom.”

Lupillin said, “I’m pretty sure my date bought my corsage and picked up his tux all within hours of prom.”

Another issue with prom being on Friday, May 1, is that the SAT is Saturday morning at 8 a.m. for many juniors.

Junior Gabriella Lehr said, “I was originally signed up to take the SAT on Saturday May 2, but now I’m not planning on attend-ing because there is no way I can do well after such a late night at prom.”

Although there are many dates to take the SAT, students who al-ready signed up will not be able to get their money back.

Carlmont has made the day of prom a minimum day with a sev-

enth period 12:12 p.m. dismissal to help with prom preparations.

The reality may be that there are many schools with the same prom date and it is impossible to get appointments that fit outside of your school day schedule.

Although Friday prom creates many scheduling conflicts, it may also have positive impacts, as well.

Prom on a Friday may give students an extra day to sleep and relax after all the prom activities and stress.

Senior Joe Rodriguez said, “I feel like prom being on a Friday is a great idea because you have something to look forward to at the end of the week and also you’ll have Saturday and Sunday after-wards to catch up on sleep.”

Whether you’re attending an after party or just exhausted from the late night activities of prom an extra day to get some rest may be very helpful.

Anthony said, “Prom on a Fri-day gives you the rest of the week-end to calm down because I know on Saturday prom’s I am exhaust-ed for the next two days, so this gives you the rest of the weekend to relax and unwind.”

Prom and school all being on one day may be challenging, but at the end of the day will give stu-dents more time to rest and pre-pare for the school week ahead.

VERONIKA DVORAKOVA

VERONIKA DVORAKOVA

The Highlander

Page 12

The Highlander

As you walk down the street, you spot iPhones peeking out of everyone’s back pockets. Photos are taken in a fraction of a second.

Nothing grants instant gratification more than a pinky-nail-sized camera in the back of your pocket.

But as you keep walking, you notice some people shaking out their wrists impa-tiently, as the chemicals spread across the iconic white-bordered frame.

Polaroids may not be as up to speed as the latest digital technologies, but they’ve made their way back into our digitally grat-ified environment.

According to Creed O’Hanlon, CEO of The Impossible Project, a company that took over the production of Polaroid prod-ucts after the original company’s closure in 2007, the company is seeing a rapid boom in the consummation of Polaroid equip-ment.

“In the past 10 months we have seen a 75 percent increase in the 18-25 demographic, with teenagers turning their backs on digi-tal for something more tangible. Over the past 6 months, we have doubled the volume of films we sell, and refurbished more than 30,000 classic Polaroid cameras. Next year, we expect these numbers to double,” said O’Hanlon in an interview with The Guard-ian.

“Fashion in the 90s is that clothes never fit--everything was way too big or way too small,” said Karen Ramroth.

The 90s fashion is back in style.Marion Demailly

said, “90’s fashion in my opinion is basically grunge inspired. This includes dark plaid, chokers, red lipsticks, ripped jeans, etc. I think the grunge look has definitely been coming back lately though, as I’ve seen more people go for chokers and docs.”

Fashion is like sci-ence, someone gives out a type of clothing which would be the hypothesis and if it works then it’s a success but not all can succeed thus one must try again.

“Most people I knew wore one of two styles. One was the grunge look--baggy jeans, flannels, Chuck Taylors or Doc

Avery AdamsStaff Writer

Connie YiStaff Writer

Martens for shoes and the other was a little more preppy--shorter t-shirts, flared jeans, scrunchies, headbands, chunky heels for shoes, etc.. Girls wore a lot of darker makeup with eye and lip liner. Lots of girls wore big hoop earrings and choker necklaces,” said Ramroth.

According to Ret-roWaste, in the begin-ning of the 90s, “Teens were digging through dad’s box of old clothes to get their hands on some authentic hole-ridden jeans to wear over top of their long john stockings.”

Fashion is always a changing topic.

Trends for clothing can sway back and forth through time.

Ramroth mentioned an observation that her mother made that fashion recycles every 20 years or so and that you aren’t supposed to wear the trends the second time around.

Fashion is always a new or old experiment for many.

Not only are original Polaroid cameras ending up in the hands of this generation’s teenagers, but Fujifilm, another camera company, has introduced the Fujifilm In-stax Mini line to the mix of instant film cameras.

“I love the small size of the photos; I just think they look artsy,” said sophomore Nour Zabaneh, who owns a Fujifilm Instax Mini camera.

Even if someone doesn’t choose to pay the accumulative bill of a refurbished cam-era and film to go with it, the iconic Pola-roid style is reappearing in pop culture.

From Instagram’s Polaroid-like logo to Taylor Swift’s “1989” album cover embed-ded in a Polaroid photo frame, the com-pany’s impact remains branded on today’s society.

“It’s the new, hip, upcoming thing to use, so that definitely was a factor I considered when buying my camera. I think people tend to bring back certain things, like re-cord players coming back, and it’s just the new cool thing to do,” said Zabaneh.

In Polaroid’s heyday back in 1977, its Land Camera became the best-selling cam-era in the United States.

With the ease of digital cameras in the early 2000’s, their popularity dropped rap-idly, leading to the company’s bankruptcy.

“I owned the original big polaroid cam-era, and then I owned their camera that developed sticker photos. I ended up sell-ing both at a garage sale in the early 2000’s

Chokers, flannels, and Doc Martens: the ‘90s fashion revival

Permanent pictures for a digital era

“I think ‘90s fashion

is appealing because it’s generally very

comfortable and laid back but also flattering

and cool looking.Marion Demailly

Junior

ASHLEY KAWAKAMI & KARISSA TOM

April 2015

Page 13

because everyone was moving to digital and people were starting to print pictures,” said Hai Nguyen, a chemistry teacher who was an active part of the original Polaroid movement. “But now nobody wants to set up a printer; they just want pictures right away.”

The one minute processing time of the Polaroid’s film was a groundbreaking dis-covery when compared to the previous week-long de-velopment at pharmacies.

However, it’s no longer in the same ball-park as today’s digital cameras with shutter speeds of a thousandth of a second and wifi capable transferrings.

In addition, the once portable clunk of metal and plastic is being outshined by today’s pocket-sized digital camera that is often taken on vacations, to sports games, and to every outing in between.

Despite the lack of accessibility and ef-ficiency, Polaroid cameras continue to in-crease in popularity.

“I already had a digital camera, but I wanted something that could print out right away. When you’re with a group of friends, a polaroid can create memories that you can instantly have, share and store,

instead of keeping them on a phone where you can easily delete them,” said Zabaneh. “Polaroids are a tangible thing. People don’t have time or want to go print out a bunch of pictures anymore, so the fact that it is a tangible picture that you can instantly have and share is a lot nicer.”

Since the cease in production of the original Polaroid Corporation, a pack of

10 prints pro-duced by the company can

only be bought from second-hand stores, such as eBay, for around $20-30.

The Impos-sible Project,

which is currently the only company man-ufacturing new packages of film, sell their packs of 10 photos for roughly the same price at $25.

Fujifilm sells their smaller, credit card-sized film at roughly $20 per 20 pack of film; a dollar per photo.

Despite the steep price of this recycled concept, instant film cameras continue to awe this generation.

Nguyen said, “Polaroids bring nostalgia. Young people miss the hippie days even though they never lived during that time; they want to go back to a time where they think people were happier.”

Trends are made when top celebrities or bloggers update a new style that their fol-lowers would consider following or copy-ing their look.

This starts a domino effect through-out society. Many asian fashion industries are coming to different places around the world.

According to the Teen Clothing Store, some stores such as Forever21 is a cheap knock off of more expensive shops such as ZARA and American Apparel.

According to the Statistic Brain, US teens spend a total 258.7 billion dollars a year.

If it is in the trend, many teens would do anything to get their hands on a pair of whatever the clothing may be. Once the have achieved their goal in getting the clothing the trend is already gone.

“Everybody had Adidas black jacket in sixth and seventh grade and I really wanted one. I got one for Christmas and cited that for years as my favorite present ever. Look-ing back, I’m not sure why it was so impor-tant, but I guess I really did want to follow that trend,” said Ramroth.

For example, high waisted jeans were in the time period of 1990s, and they are

back into fashion. This high waisted jeans became high waisted shorts which is very popular amongst the teenage group. It has been 25 years and the clothes style is back. Fashion has no stop sign.

“90s fashion is lots of denim, kid-like clothing such as bright shirts and plastic necklaces, fuzzy and holographic textures and prints, platform shoes, etc,” said Isabel Valdes.

Because fashion trends change at any time of place, there is no possibility to find out what the next fashion trend would be.

Junior Marion Demailly said, “I get in-spired by women on tumblr and Instagram and from art and feminism. I think ‘90s fashion is appealing because it’s generally very comfortable and laid back but also flattering and cool looking.”

Ramroth said, “My advice to students is to just do you. Wear what makes you com-fortable and happy and feel like the best version of yourself. Try not to get bogged down in what you’re “supposed” to wear or what people say you “should” wear. Fash-ion can be a really awesome way to express yourself and you can’t do that if you’re just wearing what everybody else does.”

Chokers, flannels, and Doc Martens: the ‘90s fashion revival

Permanent pictures for a digital era

“But now nobody wants to set up a

printer; they just want pictures right away.

Hai NguyenChemistry Teacher

If we’re being honest, the ‘90s was a hot mess. It brought Furbies and frosted tips. But it also brought on new trends. It brought the popular TV show Friends. It brought Doc Martens and flannels. As much as we would like to think of the ‘90s as that embarassing yearbook picture from freshman year, the ‘90s was an era of new ideas and trends that still influence us today. INTRO BY KARISSA TOM

The Highlander April 2015NEWSIs public school still secular?

Understanding religion’s influence on society is necessary in the modern class-room.

“You can’t read Marx if you don’t know the old or new testament. You can’t read Shakespeare without the Bible because you won’t get the jokes; you won’t know they are jokes,” said AP Language and Composition teacher Martin Turkis.

According to the College Board, “Be-cause the Bible and Greek and Roman my-thology are central to much Western litera-ture, students should have some familiarity with them.”

“A number of the great works of Western literature address themselves very directly to questions that arise within Christian-ity,” wrote Pulitzer Prize winner Marilynne Robinson in a New York Times review.

The common entanglement between lit-erature and the Bible is because religion has primarily defined Western philosophies and cultures.

Also consider a freshman AS English class. Among the books assigned to AS English students are “The Chosen” and “Night,” both of which involve Jewish themes.

AS English freshman Mackenzie O'Connell said, “I remember reading the books and not knowing anything about the religion, so I would have to Google my questions because I had no idea what was I was reading. I felt like the people who prac-

Continued from page 1 ticed this religion were lucky because they didn’t have to research all the background information.”

Advancing to sophomore year, European History is dictated by religious themes and conflicts ranging from the crusades to the second world war.

Sophomore AP European student Ilana Hamer said, “I think the religious aspect made learning European history easier be-cause it helped me better understand the motives for some issues. I gained a better understanding for Christianity and its les-sons and values.”

“These religious concepts and stories have influenced and informed Western lit-erary creation since the Middle Ages, and they continue to provide material for mod-ern writers in their attempts to give liter-ary form to human experience,” according to the College Board, which supervises AP testing.

With school and religion being so en-twined, how can gaps in some students’ understanding of material be avoided?

“We recommend at the beginning of the year to go through some kind of primer on mythology and bible basics if you have gaps in your background. Students need to do that on their own because by the time they get to an AP level, we can’t do it as a class because there just isn’t enough time,” said AP Literature teacher Carole Pierce.

Nilson said, “I have Mythology for Dummies, Bible for Dummies and Existen-tialism for Dummies which I reference all

the time. In a perfect world we would have resources, books and time, for closing the gaps for students.”

Once students reach an AP level they are responsible for their own education and need to become proactive.

Pierce said, “Be active, jot it down, ask in class, clarify the lack. We won’t address every reference if students don't ask.”

“Because it’s such a vast area, students need to create a habit of being proactive and intellectually curious which needs to be encouraged and activated in students,” added Nilson.

According to Pierce, Carlmont used to implement an English program which gradually introduced “the most common bible stories and put them into each class level,” getting progressively deeper as stu-dents reach AP levels.

But without such a program, many stu-dents including Freeman and Kelly have

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reached an AP level with inadequate expo-sure to the bible.

Turkis said, “Public schools are all about teaching religion but with a secular mental-ity. I try to teach different world views in my class to create a ground on which stu-dents can critique these other ideologies and religions. There should be a world reli-gions class where every world view is called into question the same way any other reli-gious doctrine is.”

“Realistically at high school level, pri-vate schools can have a world religion class where you get a foundation and critique of worldviews and ideologies. Whether or not we can incorporate this into AP is a vast undertaking because there is barely enough time to address the literature,” concluded Nilson.

Although there is little to be implement-ed immediately, the debate of religious in-fluence on public school continues.


Words To KnowAbrahamic: refers to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Abraham is 1st prophet)

Monotheism: belief in one god

Polytheism: belief in multiple gods

Nontheism: belief in absence or rejection of any god

Theism: belief in the existence of a god or gods


deities








Gautama Buddha



of Jesus Christ.



ISLAMMonotheistic,




chose them

RELIGIONS AT CARLMONT

39.8 %

13.8 %

2.8 %

1.7 %

1.7 % 23.2 % ATHEISM

17.1% OTHER

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The HighlanderApril 2015





NEWS

“So you’re a Christian?,” she says to her friend with complete judgement. She wonders if this will always be be-tween them.

Conflicting religions have divided humans since the be-ginning of time. Religions have started wars and riots not only on an international level, but also on a personal level.

There are disagreements about religion at home, at school, and among friends every day. Sometimes the dis-agreement is so strong that it causes an irreparable rift be-tween two people.

According to a poll of 181 Carlmont students, 27 percent said that religion has affected a relationship they’ve had.

Junior Kate Bryan, who grew up in Georgia and Ala-bama and was raised Christian, said, “I have some very close friends who are not religious, and I have learned not to talk about God around them. I certainly do not change the way I act or am, I just don’t want to make them uncom-fortable.”

Because of the portrayal in the media, religion can sometimes cause a person to make a snap judgement and stereotypes.

“We all want everyone to be treated fairly and not be discriminated against, yet the same people that strongly press for that have been the fastest to pass judgement on me. They think that I hate the LGBTQ community or that I’m a ‘crazy Christian,’” said Bryan.

In Bryan’s case, these snap judgements affected her abil-ity to meet friends.

“I think if certain people hadn’t known my religion, they might have tried to become better friends with me. But once they found out about it, they labeled me as what they wanted, and decided they maybe didn’t want me as a friend. Now of course this is just a feeling I get sometimes, but it still stings a little,” said Bryan.

Religion also becomes very prevalent during adoles-cence when decisions get harder and harder to make.

Senior Alenna Winfield, who grew up in church and was raised Christian, said, “My views made my decisions dif-ferent than others. Making certain relationships got harder as I got older but I never really saw that as a bad thing. If they aren’t supposed to be in my life, then they won’t be, and if they are, then it shouldn’t be a problem.”

In Winfield’s case, her difference in views did not be-come a problem among her friends.

“I know there have been times in friendships of mine where our views of drinking and partying and drugs was very different. At first they thought it was weird, but then they accepted it and all was fine,” said Winfield.

Bryan said, “My own friends don’t really judge me. I don’t think I would be friends with them if they did.”

Sometimes religion doesn’t factor into friendships at all.

Senior Andrew Wach was raised Jewish and is a member of a temple nearby.

“I don’t think any of my relationships have been affected at all by my religion. Most of my friends aren’t very reli-gious, so it just doesn’t come up in conversation very of-ten,” said Wach.

But no matter how much controversy surrounds reli-gion, it can also bring people together and make relation-ships stronger.

“I have a very close friend from my church. Our friend-ship touches on God a lot, and it serves to strengthen our bond as friends to share in our religion,” said Bryan.

Wach said, “I would never judge a friend for because of religion. There are a lot of misconceptions and stereotypes and I think everyone has a different way of practicing what they believe in, so people shouldn’t make any assumptions and form relationships regardless of religion.”

How religion affects relationshipsJessica Adair

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People may not see eye to eye religiously but can still remain friends with each other.MINH-HAN VU


Page 16 SPORTSThe story behind America’s true pastime

Andy CrossStaff Writer

Pro football is moving too slowly in head trauma policySarah Boro

EditorChris Borland, a former player for the San Francisco

49er’s, left professional football due to fear of concussions and other injury at age 24. His actions are reflective of the apparent issue that the NFL does not even attempt to pro-tect its players.

The real question is... why would they?According to Forbes, the NFL has just north of a $9 bil-

lion revenue annually, which means the league remains the most lucrative in the world. American football is also said to be the most watched sport in America, and also one of the most violent.

So again, why would the league want to change the game into a “safer” one and support concussion prevention? The reality is that they would risk viewers, fans, revenue, and ultimately the future of the sport.

However, the longer they wait, the more lawsuits and in-terrogations will be headed their way in terms of the dan-ger the game presents to its players.

“From what I’ve researched and what I’ve experienced, I don’t think it’s worth the risk,” Borland told ESPN, refer-ring to the multiple concussions he had sustained through-out his career.

In 1994, the NFL conducted a comprehensive clinical and biomechanical research study of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). Through this study, researchers attempted to improve their understanding of these injuries so that man-ufacturers could systematically improve and update their

Sports have been a prevalent part of America for as long as we can remember. They entertain us as well as excite and dissatisfy us. Also, they allow people to sit down for a couple of hours and let them get away from their regular lives.

With that being said, there has been one sport that has enter-tained us and has been America’s favorite sport on a regular basis, but which one is it?

According to The Atlantic’s website, baseball is America’s pas-time. They say, “Sure, TV ratings suggest otherwise. But that metric ignores other strong indicators-like local fan-base fervor and enduring cultural relevance-that baseball still matters.”

Baseball was first played in the early 19th century and was recognized as America’s game by the late 19th century. The game has changed over the years from Jackie Robinson breaking the col-or barrier to Jose Canseco starting the steroid epidemic.

“I think that’s why baseball re-mains America’s pastime because the game is always changing. If something stays the same all the time, then it gets kind of boring,” said junior Tyler Brandenburg.

There are many other fac-tors that make baseball arguably America’s favorite sport.

Baseball is played daily and most of the season is during the warmth of summer. Fans typi-cally don’t have to wait for a week or a couple days like football and most of the games are played un-der the sun.

“As a fan, you don’t have to worry about missing a game be-cause there are so many other games throughout the season,” said junior Isabelle De Wood.

Also every stadium is unique. Football fields have the same di-mensions in every stadium.

Baseball stadiums have differ-

ent dimensions along with some-thing in the park that no one else has. For instance Fenway has the green monster while Wrigley field has a wall full of ivey.

Also when it comes to afford-ability, baseball is the cheaper than football. According to Forbes website, a baseball game costs about $200 for a family of four while a football game costs about $400.

One thing that baseball strug-gles with is TV ratings. According to Forbes website, more people tuned into a meaningless monday

night football game between the Jets and the the Houstons instead of watching a postseason baseball game between the Yankees and the Orioles.

Football is the most watched sport in America. It has the high-est attendance out of all the sports leagues in America and the Super Bowl is one of the most watched sporting events in the world.

One of the big reasons why it has high ratings is the physicality of the game.

“I think football is more popu-lar than baseball because football

is more physical. It’s fun to see people hit each other rather than people stand around,” said sopho-more Troy Rice.

Also, football games are always competitive and every game feels like a playoff game.

“Football is intense every game because there are only 16 games. Since baseball has 162 games, it doesn’t have the same atmosphere that football games have,” said Rice.

The biggest thing that makes football so popular is its huge TV audience.

Football never used to be this popular, infact the college level was more popular than the pro game. But it all changed after the 1958 championship game be-tween the New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts.

This game helped football be-come what it is today. Along with the regular Sunday games, foot-ball now has Monday and Thurs-day night football.

With that being said, what is Americas favorite sport? Accord-ing to ESPN’s voting poll, football wins the competition with 34 percent of the vote while baseball came in second.

“I think football is more popu-lar right now, but baseball has al-ways been popular. It took a while before football became popular whereas baseball never had this problem,” said Brandenburg.

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head protective equipment.Yes, it seems that the NFL is applying appropriate efforts

to improve the problem at hand; however, not fast enough.Senior Sam Boyle said, “During football season my ju-

nior year, I was in a head to head collision with another player. I wore all of the gear that was supposed to be worn as well as what I found was necessary to be worn. I had some pretty extensive side effects after the concussion; it was hard to process information and I had migraine head-aches everyday for about a week.”

The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE), the non-profit developer who sets standards for athletic equipment for all sports in the United States, have proposed new standards for what they hope helmets should provide to help prevent concus-sions and other head injuries.

Between now and June of 2015, the NOCSAE said the new standard will be “open for comment” from manufac-turers and scientists. They hope to establish a precise test-ing “threshold” on whether a helmet meets the new stan-dard in reducing forces linked to concussions.

After that, the board will again vote on whether to put the standard into practice in 2016, at the very earliest.

“It’s a pretty dramatic step for us. … I don’t think any other helmet in the world has incorporated these kinds of testing components,” Mike Oliver, executive director of NOCSAE, said in a phone interview.

The NFL organization has no incentive to make any im-mediate changes, especially considering the unknown, po-tentially detrimental changes it can make.

According to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), in the season of 2012, the players in the NFL suffered from 171 concussions and by the end of the 2014 season, there were 123.

The rate seems to be decreasing, and this rate of decline is due to small changes in rules and play, and the NFL hopes that it will last them until major changes are required.

According to the New York Times, the NFL organiza-tion keeps all of their players in the dark in terms of the dangers that concussions cause. Findings found that 5,000 former players who sued the league alleged that the NFL had hidden the dangers of concussions from them.

Changes are needed to fix these problems. However, is football an inherently violent game and therefore this can’t be fixed?

The answer to this question is unknown.They also appear to confirm what scientists have said for

years: that playing football increases the risk of developing neurological conditions like chronic traumatic encepha-lopathy, a degenerative brain disease that can be identified only in an autopsy.

The debate over what actions should be taken to pre-vent concussions for the NFL as well as other organizations such as high schools, for example, are still being questioned now.

The real question is, how long is it going to take before real actions are made and concussions and the effects of concussions are truly discussed and debated?

The answer may be never.

The HighlanderApril 2015

Page 17SPRING BREAK

How spring break has changed over the yearsHolly ChenStaff Writer

“Spring break. Spring break. Spring break fo’ever,” an intoxicat-ed James Franco says during the film, “Spring Breakers.” American media portrays spring break as a time of wild drinking and party-ing.

But for most high school stu-dents, it is a time to catch up on homework and studies.

Sophomore Katrina TaLav-era said, “Usually during spring break, I study for tests or make up work. This year I am studying for my AP European History exam.”

Spring break is also a time to relax and take a break from the stresses of high school.

Sophomore Sonia Mahajan said, “During spring break, I do things that normally during the school year, I don’t have time for.

I might go out with friends or eat out with family or sleep in.”

As students get older, the idea of spring break evolves with them.

Jessica Liao, a graduate of San Jose State University, said, “ Dur-ing elementary and middle school spring breaks, I pretty much bummed around at home and would spend time with family. In high school I started going out, shopping with friends and stuff, but not on major trips or any-thing. In college, with the free-dom of being away from my par-ents, I was able to make choices I wasn’t able to when I was living at home. Since I was in a sorority, we would go clubbing, go out at night, sometimes go to casinos, and go on road trips, either to Santa Barbara or Las Vegas which both have huge party scenes.”

In recent movies, there has been a glorification of spring break and college. In “Spring Breakers,” and

“22 Jump Street,” the protagonists of these films are whisked off to a tropical setting with days of par-tying.

Yet these films fail to address the darker sides of such behavior.

Mahajan said, “ I personally think that people under 21 should not be drinking. It is illegal and harmful. Most people’s brains are developing at this age. It is not good that the media glorifies un-derage drinking.”

One study conducted by the American College of Health found that the average male col-lege student reported to drinking 18 drinks per day, and the average female reported up to 10 drinks per day during spring break.

According to the CDC, alcohol consumption can lead to injuries such as drowning, vehicle crashes, and falls. It can also lead to long term effects such as high blood pressure, cancer, or alcoholism.

For some, alcohol was a form of escapism and a way to find mo-mentary bliss.

Liao said, “On my spring break vacations in college, it was very much about being free, relax-ing, and getting away from the burdens of school. From conver-sations and relationships with people who were in the partying lifestyle, and from being in it my-self, it seems evident that party-ing or drinking is a way to detach from reality and be whoever you want.”

However, it is often exagger-ated by media.

Sophomore Gabriela Gutierrez said, “TV and movies exaggerate the realities of spring break. They are a dramatic representation and I don’t think they really are like those shown in certain movies. Most college students can’t afford to go to Cancun or Mexico for spring break.”

What media doesn’t portray are the ones who focus more on self control and the crowd they chose to hang around with.

A UC Berkeley graduate Sam Shaw said, “No one in my frater-nity did anything really excessive. We were all just hanging out but in a different environment and if the situation arose, then yes, some people would drink, but most people didn’t really go that crazy.”

All in all, spring break is a trea-sured American holiday and is a time to relax, by doing things that are enjoyable to oneself.

Shaw said, “My friends and I would take road trips, but it didn’t really matter where we went. It was more about just us having fun, and taking our minds off of the stress from college and the stress from our communities. Spring break is about you and your friends just having a good time.”

ALYSSA ESPIRITU

The Highlander April 2015CAMPUSTouring college campuses: what to look for

Ethan WongStaff Writer

The student glances down at his list of dream colleges: UCLA, UC Berkeley, Stanford, Harvard. She is ecstatic about these colleges, but then realizes that she knows almost nothing about her so-called “dream” colleges.

Everyone has goals for which colleges to attend, but how does a student know for sure that a college is best suited for him or her?

Before choosing the best college to at-tend, it’s really important for a student to visit the campus of the college they are thinking of attending and explore the dif-ferent aspects of the college.

Senior Alan Yan said, “I do think it’s re-ally important to tour colleges, because you can get a feel for the campus, the stu-dent life, what type of people you would be around. Personally I think the tours make a huge difference.”

Students should look for college campus tour opportunities during their sophomore and junior years, while they still have time before college applications.

Senior Nico Camerino said, “You can start anytime, but I would recommend af-ter the end of sophomore year and during junior year, because that’s when you’re re-ally looking into it. Your tastes and prefer-ences will change over time, so you want to look as close to the last minute as possible so you know what you like at that moment.”

However, the end of college application season in late November is not the defining line that ends the optimal period for col-lege tours.

Administrative Vice Principal Jennifer Cho said, “I applied to eleven colleges in my senior year. I didn’t tour any colleges until after I got accepted into the group of colleges. I chose my top three, toured those colleges and discovered I was most natural

Seniors come to grips with college choicesGianna Schuster

Staff WriterFor seniors, waiting has become a prior-

ity.College is just around the corner and

many seniors are still waiting on schools to send out their admission decisions.

A large portion of colleges require in-coming students to fully commit by the first week of May. With many college ac-ceptances and rejections just now coming out, this gives seniors approximately four weeks to make a decision about the next four years of their lives.

“It’s a bit silly how late we find out,” said senior Olivia Gomez. “The whole process forces students to know exactly what they want and where they want to go by the middle of their junior year so they can plan college tours for the summer.”

The process of college admissions can leave students feeling pressured to do anything they can just to make sure they have options when decisions are released.

“What if you fall in love with a school you find online over winter break?” said Gomez. “There’s no time to tour, so you ap-ply just to secure yourself a place if you get in. Say you do get in -- how do you decide

and at home at UC San Diego and ended up going there.”

Each student is different, so some may feel comfortable touring colleges before college applications, while some may feel comfortable touring after college applica-tions.

“Touring colleges after getting accepted worked for me, because you don’t want to fall in love with a place you can’t have,” said Cho.

There are several things that students should be looking for when touring a col-

lege campus, but it differs for everyone.“When you tour a college, you not only

have to look at the campus. Personally, I look at the weather, the diversity of the stu-dent body, and the area around the school,” said Camerino. “Definitely look at the stu-dents, and see if they look happy or not. On a campus tour, a student should try to ex-plore and look deeper into the college, not just at the outside.”

The lifestyle and environment around the campus is also very important to ob-serve when a student visits a college.

Sophomore Jessica Chang said, “I would look for a college with a friendly and clean environment where I will be able to feel safe and comfortable during my stay at the school. Personally, I’d want a quieter area around the school so that I’d be able to fo-cus. If I’m going to be spending my time there, I want to be happy with where I’m living in the city and in the college itself.”

There are many benefits to touring a college campus, as it helps a student gain more knowledge about his or her desired schools.

Junior Erin Alonso said, “Touring col-lege campuses can help a student find a direction in where he or she wants to go. You’re able to figure out what you want and don’t want in a school.”

However, there is one thing that may make college tours less attractive to stu-dents: money.

Cho said, “A student will definitely have to spend some money going to the tour, so that’s the only downside as it can get expen-sive for far-away colleges.”

Other than going to a college and tour-ing it, there are other ways to explore a col-lege that do not require money.

Yan said, “At the same time, if you don’t have the ability to go there, a student can go on a college’s website and attain some information and explore it that way. How-ever, being on the campus and getting a feel for the school is way different from just looking at the website.”

Despite the costs, touring a desired col-lege is beneficial for a student and can help a student decide which college he or she wants to attend.

Chang said, “Taking the college tours will give you a good idea of what it would be like to attend the college and a bet-ter perspective of how it would feel living there. College tours are extremely helpful, and are necessary for a student who is plan-ning to attend college.”

between a school you’ve visited and one you’ve only seen online? You almost can’t, especially in a month.”

Since college tours can be costly and time-consuming, students prefer to wait until they receive an admissions decision so they do not end up wasting time and money to visit a school that may not even accept them.

“You have to know exactly where you want to go so you can just say yes when you get in, but the decision is one of the most difficult you’ll ever make,” said Gomez. “The problem is a mixture of how late in the game we get our letters and the date for submitting a response.”

In a recent poll of 101 Carlmont seniors conducted by the Carlmont Jour-nalism Depart-ment, around 78 percent of the seniors feel that having admis-sions decisions sent out earlier would make it easier for them to

make such a heavy decision.“It is difficult how we get all our accep-

tances back with so little time to choose a school to commit to. Especially out-of-state schools, because you have to travel there to visit. There is just so little time to evaluate your options and figure out where the right place for you is,” said senior Adelyn Yau.

Because of this time crunch, students that are already sure of where they want to go can submit their applications through an early decision plan.

Early decision plans are binding -- a stu-dent who is accepted as an early decision applicant must attend the college if they are granted admission.

Senior Andrew Yazhgur applied as an early decision applicant and said, “Early decision was definitely helpful because I found out about my admission really early on in the year, and since it was for my first choice, I was really set on going there. I’m

just glad that I don’t have to worry any-more.”

However, there are students that prefer to commit to schools later on in the year so that they have more time to weigh their options.

Thus, it can be frustrating to have to choose between committing very early or waiting until what seems like the very last minute to make such a significant decision.

“It’s already a lot of pressure having to choose your home for the next four years,” said Yau. “The time crunch does not make it any easier.”

While pictures on pamphlets portray college campuses as sunny and welcoming, often that is not their true character. A visit can reveal flaws or further illuminate strengths. Sterling law building at Yale conveys the traditional architecture that makes East Coast schools so attractive.

LILA SCHULMAN

LILA SCHULMAN

Acceptances rain down. Now it’s just about catching the right one.“

It can be frustrating to choose between committing very early or waiting until what seems like

the very last minute to make such a significant decision.

The HighlanderApril 2015 CAMPUSGrowing up and getting out creates anxieties

Jocelyn MoranStaff Writer

You walk on campus surrounded by the many students getting things out of their trunks and into their dorms. Your parents get the last of your stuff. They give you a hug and say goodbye.

And now you’re alone, and reality has hit you. It’s time to grow up.

This is a scenario that many seniors will be facing in the next months.

The transition from high school to col-lege can be difficult, especially for some who don’t have as many responsibilities at home. You have to learn how to do your own laundry and how to manage your money. You have to find your way around school without someone there to tell you where to go and what to do.

Senior Julia Semmler said, “I’m really close to my parents. It’s going to be hard not having my mom there helping me with everything on a daily basis. There’s definite-ly a part of me that feels not ready to grow up and move away.”

A feeling of fear and excitement is felt by seniors as they are anticipating moving on to a new stage in their life. They have more freedom, but they also have to become an independent person and learn how to be responsible.

“There’s a lot of things that I’m scared of, but mostly adjusting to the new envi-ronment. I’m a pretty independent person,

but I’ve never been away for more than a month so that will be interesting. I’m stressed, excited, and scared to go to col-lege all wrapped in one,” said senior Mariko Kondo, who is committed to Syracuse Uni-versity in New York.

Despite the overwhelming feeling of moving on with your life, many seniors are excited to start a new stage in their life. Be-ing able to live in a dorm away from par-ents gives young adults the opportunity to grow and become their own person.

“I’m super excited to go to college, but

also a little scared because I’ll be going to Boston University which is super far from home,” said senior Madison Norman. “I’ll be sad to leave all the amazing people back home, but I’m excited to start a new chapter of my life in a new city, ready for a change in scenery.”

As students get ready to move away from their parents and be independent, US News offers the following tips:

1. Let the school pick the roommate. You could live with someone who has a lot in common with you, or nothing at all. This

lets you appreciate the things that make you unique.

2. Your roommate doesn’t have to be your best friend. You may not have similar tastes with your roommate, but living with someone who you don’t know will teach you how to build communication skills.

3. Don’t bring it all with you. Leaving home can be an overwhelming feeling, and can lead to you wanting to bring everything from home into your room. However, col-lege is an opportunity to make new memo-ries, so leave space in your dorm for those memories.

4. Don’t only focus on academics. Yes, doing well in your classes is important, but it’s not the only thing you should be focus-ing on. Extracurriculars, community ser-vice, and spending time with friends is also essential. You don’t want to miss out on the college experience.

Leaving home to a place where you don’t know anyone can be a scary feeling, but it can also be an opportunity to grow and ex-perience new things.

English teacher Emily Bandelt said, “I was the only person in my school to go to Villanova. I went far enough that I could take a 30 minute plane ride or a six hour drive. I was close enough that I could get there quickly if I needed to, but far enough that I could make my own life. College is an opportunity to find yourself. If you don’t leave the nest, it’s really a comfortable place to be. You don’t want to get stuck.”

Senioritis epidemic leads to mass slackingJustine Phipps

Staff Writer

Seniors -- it’s finally here.The semester we’ve been waiting for

since freshman year.Second semester of senior year.While we once used to shoot for A’s and

B’s and that beautiful 4.0 GPA, we now aim for B’s, maybe C’s, maybe even D’s.

What’s the harm in slacking a little bit? College acceptances have started coming in, and although many are facing rejection, the stress of getting perfect grades is long gone.

In reality, letting grades slip can affect one’s college admission as well as their chance to walk down the aisle with the rest of the senior class.

Many colleges have sent out conditional admission to students. Depending on the college and their rules of admission, stu-dents can have their admission revoked if they do not meet their college’s grade re-quirements for their last semester in high school. Many colleges will check a student’s previous grades with their final semester in high school to see if their grades have dropped significantly.

“If you’re an A student, a D or an F could

certainly do it,” Bev Taylor, founder of The Ivy Coach, a college admissions counsel-ing practice, said in a Huffington Post in-terview. “If you got some C’s, the college would probably just ask you to explain your grades and see if you had a valid reason for their drop.”

In a recent poll of 101 Carlmont seniors conducted by the Carlmont Journalism Department, around 30 percent of the seniors believe their grades have slipped compared to the past three years.

Senior Andrew Yazh-gur, who has committed to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), has kept himself motivated to keep his grades up.

“Well I know, at least for Cal Poly, and this might apply to many other colleges, that when a student is admitted to a college, they are ‘conditionally admitted,’ which means that they have to keep up a certain GPA, or finish each class with at least a C to have the ability to go to that college,” said Yazhgur.

Low grades can also put a senior’s diploma and walking privilege at risk. If a senior has enough credits, failing language classes and electives will not affect graduating.

“If you fail a class, you don’t receive your diploma on the day of graduation,” said senior Alejandro Moran. “You can do summer school, but you miss out on the grad-uation experience.”

On the contrary, failing core classes such as English and History can take away grad-uation day.

“I realized that slacking off is not the best plan, so I picked up my game,” said Yazh-gur. “I think realizing that early on this se-mester helped keep my grades at a normal level.”

Another disadvantage to slacking off on senior classes is the lazy vibe that comes along with it. Seniors get lazy with their work during senior year and have a hard time picking up their motivation in college.

“College classes are hard from what I’ve heard from other people,” said senior Kirra Loucks. “I don’t think there will be that much [more] homework, but the tests will probably be much harder. The content of the classes will probably be harder, but that’s because they are higher level classes than high school.”

In the end, although it may seem like second semester of senior year is the best time to give up, it could seriously affect one’s future.

“Mrs. Ramroth always tells us that we’re running a marathon, and that we’re down to the final mile,” said Moran. “We’re al-most there, so we shouldn’t give up yet.”

Fearful of losing his college acceptance, this senior expresses sorrow at his low grade.

LILA SCHULMAN

LILA SCHULMAN

““When a student is admitted to

a college, they are ‘conditionally admitted,’ which means that they have

to keep up a certain GPA, or finish each class with at least a C to have the

ability to go to that college.”Andrew Yazhgur

Senior

Seniors face the stark reality of independence when they leave home

Grades slip as seniors anticipate the end of their time on the high school scene

The Highlander April 2015FEATURESImmigrants forced to look in from the outside

Sarah Schisla Staff Writer

Stigma against recreational marjuana collapsesIvy NguyenStaff Writer

Fifteen, ten, or even five years ago, most people would not have expected marriage equality to be as widely accepted as it is to-day.

It’s possible that marijuana is beginning to follow the same track. Marijuana, which was previously a taboo subject, might be on its way to being openly accepted.

A 2013 poll conducted by the Field Re-search Corporation showed that a 55 per-cent majority of Californians approved marijuana legalization for the first time since researchers began tracking opinions on the issue in 1969.

Similarly, according to a poll conduct-ed by Carlmont journalism, 69.1 percent of 181 respondents said that marijuana should be legalized.

Since the beginning of this debate, there has been a spectrum of different solutions, due to the numerous factors that can be taken into account, including taxation and safety.

Senior James Xie emphasizes marijuana’s safety consequences. “Legalizing marijuana would garner millions in revenue, but it would also result in more deaths from ac-cidents, especially vehicular ones,” he said.

Many people are currently looking at Colorado and Washington, states that have

legalized marijuana, to see the effect of le-galization.

Xie said, “There was a government study in Colorado that showed that the number of fatal crashes solely involving marijuana hugely increased, compared to the rates of states in which marijuana isn’t legal-ized. Because of this, I think that legalizing marijuana is too big of a risk that we can’t handle.”

Even so, others say that it's possible to prevent the safety issues through regula-tions.

Senior Komei Wang said, “If California takes more precautions, it could work, and the tax money could be used for things like education," he said.

Some states have been introducing bills that offer various methods for legalizing marijuana.

One example is “The Initiative to Tax and Regulate Marijuana,” a Nevada measure that proposes legalizing possession of up to one ounce of marijuana for adults 21 years of age and older. Nevada’s Department of Taxation will be responsible for regulating marijuana and imposing a 15 percent tax on wholesale purchases. The revenue from the tax will fund K-12 education.

A similar measure has been proposed in California. Although it is not anticipated to be passed any time soon, the Washington Post reported that “California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) would not comment on wheth-

er he supports or opposes the measure.”Karen Ramroth, the government and

economics teacher, noted the possible ef-fect marijuana legalization would have on the United States' economy.

"From a theoretical standpoint, taxes on marijuana would reduce the supply and raise prices for consumers. In addition, the government’s increased revenue could be used on a variety of areas," she said.

The effects on law enforcement and pris-ons are also considerable factors.

Ramroth said, "Legalizing marijuana would also reduce the costs of law enforce-

ment and prison systems. The money spent on catching drug users and dealers could be spent in other ways.”

“That doesn't necessarily mean it is the right decision for the state or the country, but economically, I would say we would ex-perience a net positive effect," she said.

Although recreational marijuana used to be an unthinkable prospect, the movement to legalize it is becoming more prominent. With the changing times, marijuana may become something that is not only socially but also legally accepted.

LILA SCHULMAN

LILA SCHULMAN

27 states have not legalized marijuana

19 states legalized marijuana for medical purposes

An 11-year-old boy, a U.S. citi-zen, wrongfully detained for over a month.

A woman forcibly returned to her abusive husband’s control without her attorney's knowledge.

The rampant spread of tuber-culosis and pneumonia among small children.

These horrors may sound like scenes from a movie or news re-ports from a distant Third-World country, but the reality is that these injustices are occurring right here in the United States.

When a spike in violence caused an exodus of refugees from Central America last year, the United States government re-sponded by resuming the previ-ously condemned practice of us-ing family detention centers and rapid deportation, creating what some have called a humanitarian disaster.

Last summer, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) opened a temporary facility in Artesia, New Mexico where de-tainees (mostly single mothers and children) faced poor living conditions and a lack of legal rep-resentation in their immigration proceedings.

In September, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) appealed to Congress and the Obama administration, urg-ing them to "close Artesia and to abandon the strategy of detaining and rapidly deporting families. Based on hundreds of interviews with these detained families that our expert lawyers have conduct-ed, AILA has concluded that Ar-tesia is a due process failure and a humanitarian disaster that cannot

be fixed and must be closed im-mediately."

Although those held in Arte-sia were recently moved to a per-manent center in Dilley, Texas in mid-December, the conditions in the new facility are not signifi-cantly better.

Director of Policy at the Na-tional Immigrant Justice Center Royce Bernstein Murray said, "Artesia was definitely family de-tention at its worst, but the Dilley center continues to have funda-mental issues."

Until the wave of immigrants from Central America last July, applicants seeking asylum in the United States who met a "cred-ible fear" standard and proceeded through a "merits hearing" were generally released to live with family and friends while awaiting their final hearing.

Given the recent influx of im-migrants, the Obama Adminis-

tration has adopted an aggressive policy of detention and rapid de-portation meant to deter potential immigrants, affecting even those currently residing in the deten-tion centers.

One such resident, Geraldyn Perez, said while living at the Ar-tesia center, "I so regret coming. I had [this] huge will to come out ahead in this country, but that's gone here. I have nothing left."

When the Administration's harsh approach was questioned last summer, it responded that the families could not be released, cit-ing flight risk and a threat to pub-lic safety.

However, the vast majority of the non-U.S. citizens being de-tained are women and children with family or friends in the Unit-ed States, and many already have a "credible fear" claim verified by an immigration judge.

Carlmont English teacher Erik

Migdail said, "These people are amongst the most vulnerable in their home societies. Now they've come here to a country that claims to protect its most vulnerable members only to find themselves the victims of politics. This seems exact opposite of what's inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty."

In addition to humanitarian and psychological issues caused by confinement, the detention centers rack up quite a cost to American taxpayers.

Congressman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia (Rep.) recently estimated that the construction of the Dilley center cost $500 million.

Additionally, Murray said, "There are current assessments ranging from $266 a day to over $300 a day per person in the cen-ters, while alternatives can cost between 17 cents and $17 per day."

GPS ankle monitors are one of the more expensive alternatives,

although they are still signifi-cantly more cost effective than the detention centers.

The American Civil Liber-ties Union (ACLU) has dubbed the Administration's approach a "blanket no-release policy," as even those with bona fide asy-lum claims are being detained for months or even years.

Senior Matthew Allen said, “I think any deterrence policy is wrong. I think we are unneces-sarily harsh toward those seeking freedom and a new beginning, which is the same thing our an-cestors sought when they came here.”

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said to the Dilley in-mates, "It will now be more likely that you will be apprehended; it will now be more likely that you will be detained and sent back."

The higher deportation per-centage anticipated by the Obama Administration is not meant to result from a decrease in legiti-mate asylum claims or an increase in apprehensions of non-U.S. citizens. It is expected that more immigrants, even those in need of political asylum, will be de-ported as a result of rushed legal proceedings. And yet, the Admin-istration has chosen to go forth with the blanket no-release policy modeled by the detention center in Artesia.

Migdail said, "It seems to be completely antithetical to the ideals America is supposed to stand for. These people came to our borders at great risk to themselves, seeking asylum un-der threat of rape or execution if they were to return to their home countries. Instead of being met with compassion, they have been met with incarceration."

4 states have legalized for recreational purposes

The HighlanderApril 2015 FEATURES

Iran has been cast as the arch-nemesis of U.S.A.Bijan Khalili

Staff Writer

America, the superhero of the world trying to fight off the dangerous villains of Iran.

This is how we depict the nations of America and Iran.

So why is Iran stereotyped as being the bad guy?

“I think a lot of our influence is based on the media propaganda that often portrays Iran and other countries badly and people believe it,” said junior Gabi Dimick.

Last month, Benjamin Netanyahu from the Israeli Parliament said, "The difference is that ISIS is armed with butcher knives, captured weapons and YouTube, whereas Iran could soon be armed with inter-continental ballistic missiles and nuclear bombs."

Looking at the past, Iran and America didn’t always see eye to eye.

“From America’s perspective we sup-ported a really bad dictator over there and that was tied up with the Cold War. In 1979 a government came to power that we re-ally disagreed with and took Americans hostage for a year and put them on our bad side,” said International Relations teacher Jarrod Harrison.

After the Iranian dictator Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, supported by the U.S., was

overthrown in the Iranian Revolution, all the tides turned and America started sup-porting the dictatorship of Saddam Hus-sein in Iraq. The same Hussein whom the U.S. made public enemy number one and subsequently killed in 2006.

Saddam was the knight in shining ar-mor, and Iran was the dragon that needed to be slain.

In September 1980, Iraq invaded Iran, beginning the eight year long war.

Throughout the war, the Americans looked to aid Iraq. December 1982, Hughes Aircraft sent 60 Defender helicopters to

Iraq according to the Iran Chamber Soci-ety.

Again in October 1983, the Reagan Ad-ministration began secretly allowing Jor-dan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Egypt to transfer United States weapons, including Howitzers, Huey helicopters, and bombs to Iraq violating the Arms Export Control Act.

In July 1984, The CIA began giving Iraq intelligence necessary to calibrate its mus-tard gas attacks on Iranian troops.

The list goes on.

The conflict nowadays seem to be over nuclear weapons.

“Lately, I’d say the big thing is they’re [Iran] claiming that they want to develop nuclear power for peaceful reasons prob-ably for a nuclear bomb to secure them from possible invasion and so both Europe and the U.S. feel threatened by that,” said Harrison.

Nine nations have nuclear arsenals in-cluding the United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea.

U.S. has the second most nuclear weap-ons in the world with 7,315 warheads yet, Iran is the threat.

“If you actually go to Iran, you would not see angry people who would give you dirty looks, it’s actually the complete opposite. For the most part, if you are American they would be excited to see you,” said senior Soha Said.

What they know is what the media shows them not knowing the true story of Iran and its people.

"Where I come from, we have a rich cul-ture. Everyone is so outgoing and welcom-ing. We're not like the angry terrorist that you would see on the news," said senior Parsa Padidar.

Although portrayed as the villains, Ira-nian people are just like any other people of Belmont or San Carlos with feelings, de-sires, and morality.

LILA SCHULMAN

Advance to go: College Board’s monopolyAria Frangos

Editor

Take AP classes and take the SAT, because they’re vitally, irre-futably important for college.

Never mind the fact that the nonprofit, tax-exempt company’s president was set to make almost $750,000 in 2014. That isn’t part of the advertised appeal.

The College Board was found-ed in 1900 to simplify admissions and expanding access to higher education in America, and AP exams have been administered since 1955. To be designated as AP, classes must be audited and approved by College Board.

To earn college credit for these AP classes, students must take and pass the corresponding AP exam for a price of $91 each.

Students often feel pressured to take as many AP (Advanced Placement) classes as possible due to their high reputation in educa-tion rather than an actual interest in advanced study in the subject.

“I have definitely taken more than one class that I wouldn’t have otherwise if I wasn’t getting the AP credit in my GPA and tran-scripts for college,” said junior Suzanna Gevorgyan. “Not only do I get that credit, but AP class-es tend to be concentrated with more serious students, which is an environment I prefer to nor-mal classes.”

While there are other ways to get early college credit, such as taking community college courses in the summer, a dual high school and community college enroll-ment, or the International Bacca-laureate (IB) program like the one offered at Sequoia High School, the most common method is still

through taking AP classes and ex-ams.

AP test fees go toward fund-ing the development and guide-lines for higher-level classes and support for universities and AP teachers. Approximately one third of the $600 million revenue comes from test registration fees.

According to Americans for Educational Testing Reform, the salaries of the 23 executives of College Board average around $355,270.

Despite the fact that the curric-ulum is only an option developed by a private group, many view AP as a necessity to get into elite uni-versities, as well as a way to save money on courses in college.

“Colleges always look for AP classes whether they’re required or not,” said sophomore Celeste Hsu. “All my classes next year except choir are AP, although I’m probably going to drop the one I’m least interested in. I don’t think it’s worth the stress neces-sarily, but I’m just going to do it for college.”

Some, however, are breaking away from the reach of College Board. In 2007, Scarsdale High School in New York phased out AP and substituted Advanced Topics (AT) courses instead. Scarsdale School District spent $40,000 paying professors from top universities to develop the AT curriculum.

AT differs from AP in that it spends longer on individual top-ics in efforts to allow students to more fully understand and digest the material, rather than adher-ing to the strict timeline of study needed to complete an AP exam in May.

After dropping AP courses

in favor of AT, despite some of Scarsdale’s AP test scores dipping slightly, 49 percent of the next class who graduated attended the most competitive colleges in America as identified by Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges.

“I think it’s a step in the right direction in moving away from score-based education in favor of more interest-based education that actually matters,” said senior Sita Chandrasekaran. “Would I have taken AP Euro [sic] if it hadn’t given me college credit? Probably not. But if I could have taken an accelerated science, AP or not, I think that would have helped me more.”

College Board is very promi-nent in American education, but instances like the AT replacing AP in Scarsdale show that AP is

not as vital as many students and parents view it to be.

According to the college admis-sions counseling service The Ivy Coach, many of the most compet-itive colleges are now looking for more “angular” rather than “well-rounded” students, which in-cludes those who focus on classes, community service, activities or clubs that center around a com-mon theme.

The Ivy Coach says that the desired applicant to highly selec-tive schools is not one with many qualifications and talents, but rather one who shows a singular talent, focus, passion, and motiva-tion.

“Part of college is finding out what you want to do with your life,” said junior Jasmine David-son. “High school kids who don’t

LILA SCHULMAN

know our interests yet and want to try it all are turning ourselves into the ‘well-rounded’ type of student. It seems odd to be penal-ized for not knowing what course to take for the rest of your life be-fore college.”

For this reason, taking a slew of AP courses for credit and ap-plication purposes may not be as beneficial as many may think they are. While adding stress and de-tracting from time spent on sub-jects of actual interest in order to take multiple APs may not be as useful as the angular approach of a few focused interests, hundreds of thousands of students continue to take AP exams annually.

As it stands, College Board’s eminence in education may not necessarily prove it to be the good choice that students believe it is.

The Highlander April 2015OPINIONDomi-Nation

Dominic Gialdini Editor

“Blessed is he that can laugh at himself, he will never cease to be amused.”- Anonymous

“I’m going to Berkeley. I’m too good for anything less.”“Well, I’m going to Harvard; I got a 2390 on my SAT.”“I win — I’m going to Stanford, and I got a 2600 on my

SAT (yes, I got a higher than perfect score) and a full ride.”These people sound like competitive buttfaces, don’t

they? Then don’t act like them.Seniors, we are all too aware that final college acceptanc-

es have rolled in; in the dwindling weeks of April, we must finalize our decisions of where we are to go for the next four years. We’re acquainted with the hierarchy of universi-ties that range from those we believe will gild our futures to the ones that lead to careers at McDonald’s. For the aca-demically gifted, the former is the only acceptable option.

Why? There are multitudes of reputable institutions, and yet we, and our society, have resigned ourselves to intellec-tual snobbery; the only college worth getting into is a pres-tigious, elitist, selective one. We scoff at those who settle for state schools and, God forbid, community college.

The whole selection process has been made abhorable; students buy into what everyone else says. I’m tired of hear-ing people saying that they are too good for state schools or that they would never be caught dead at a certain univer-sity because it is way too easy to get into. Newsflash: just because 30,000 people don’t get rejected, it doesn’t mean that a school is academically unsatisfactory.

Surely the likelihood of one’s happiness should be one of the top priorities when selecting a college. And yet, so many people would rather get into a cutthroat Ivy League even if it isn’t really compatible with their needs.

Some who realize this “dream” are among the most un-happy and desperate. It takes no more than a little research of the suicide statistics at top universities to understand the horrible, horrible pressure that is exerted on, and almost sadistically welcomed by, naive newly accepted applicants.

Many of us have fantasized about that one school that would cause the clouds to part and a chorus of heavenly beings to sing “hallelujah” (not the one in “Shrek,” but the one that’s played whenever something spectacular occurs). However, possibly the worst thing to do would be to close one’s mind off to any alternatives.

If you asked me last summer where I planned to go, I’d have definitively stated that I’d attend the International University of Monaco. I was enamored with and couldn’t wait to return to the bizarre principality where the fabu-lously rich flaunt what they have, walking about with noses in the air and sticks up their — well, you get it. I’d also be old enough to get into the Monte Carlo casino that I had been kicked out of (twice — but that’s a different story).

From August on, I was infatuated with the University of Notre Dame; the Golden Dome, the Fighting Irish, the in-credible location in the middle of nowhere (by the Amish!).

Only recently (in April, actually) did I make my final decision to attend Fordham University in Manhattan; it had everything that I was looking for. My decision was re-affirmed when Notre Dame so kindly informed me that I earned a spot on their wait list (after being deferred in De-cember; thanks, Notre Dame!). Who wants to spend four years wandering through cornfields, anyway?

My point is, college decisions should be fluid and people should be open to exploring more options. Don’t nail your-selves down to one university without at least considering other options and weighing the benefits and setbacks that are found everywhere, even at the greatest schools. Don’t avoid certain schools because they are relatively easier to get into (as I almost did with Fordham, until I swallowed my pride and thought about what truly mattered).

The college application system is despicable. The top tier schools reject and demoralize so many people. Don’t let it get to you. And if you did get into your top choice, don’t let it go to your head.

Come graduation, when I walk down the aisle with a big FU atop my cap for all of Carlmont to see (for Ford-ham University, of course), I will be nothing but proud. Whether you go to CSM or Harvard, I hope that you are too, because you are taking the initiative to better yourself.

In your final weeks of contemplation, I urge you to select not the institution with the highest rankings, but the one that truly fits your needs.

Explore your college options

Can you afford your dreams?

Do you remember always being asked in kindergarten and elementary school the inevitable, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

When answering that question, did you ever think of the cost of achieving that dream?

Living in a very affluent area, Belmont and San Car-los residents make a median household income of about $110,000 a year.

In order to qualify for financial aid, a student’s house-hold income usually averages at around $50,000 maxi-mum, excluding students of high academic or athletic achievement.

So then what about the middle class?What about the families who make enough money to be

“well-off ” enough to not qualify for financial aid, yet can’t afford the cost of a university?

With tuitions estimated to rise 5 percent each year, af-fording your dream college seems to become more and more like a dream.

I have always dreamed of attending New York Univer-sity.

After visiting New York City, I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else.

The big buildings, busy people, beautiful sights, endless amounts of opportunity; it seemed like the perfect place for me to begin pursuing my dreams.

It costs me $66,000 per year to live my dreams. (Not in-cluding flights from California to New York for breaks).

I have been lucky enough to grow up in a family that is pretty “well-off,” my parents are able to take care of my brother and me without difficulty, money has never really been an obstacle.

Since my family is middle class, I unfortunately do not qualify for financial aid nor do I qualify for most schol-arships which state “Students who require high financial

need.” No, I don’t “require high financial need” but my family

can’t afford to pay for an out of state or in state university up front, along with many other of my classmates.

We’ve always been told that after graduating high school we will have the independence to do whatever we want.

We can go to college, pursue careers, become the adult we aspire to be.

We have been told over and over that we have the power to succeed, but really is it us or is it our money holding that power?

According to the U.S. Department of Education, around 81 percent of students attending college took out student loans for the 2014 school year.

Those who have already graduated college and took out student loans would average at about $28,400 in debt.

Is that what I have to do to afford my dreams? Take out thousands of dollars in loans to only be in debt,

is it worth it? I plan to major in Media Studies which branches off of

the Communications major and according to Forbes, the average starting salary is $43,000.

Nowadays, it has become more and more common to take out student loans because it is the only way for stu-dents to afford the increasing college tuition.

But, with a $43,000 starting salary (If I’m lucky enough to get a job right out of college), how long will it take me to pay back my loans?

Our generation must evaluate the financial impact of our dreams before becoming too excited with pursuing them.

The most important thing I have learned from the whole college application experience is to incorporate price as a leading factor when choosing colleges to apply to.

I know that I and a lot of my other classmates wish we did give ourselves more options and considered money.

Avoiding that would have saved a lot of seniors the im-mediate worry and stress after the excitement of being ac-cepted into your dream college.

Kat SavinStaff Writer

VERONIKA DVORAKOVA

COLLEGE COSTS HAVE HIKED UP SINCE 1960

VERONIKA DVORAKOVA

The HighlanderApril 2015 OPINION

Is that true or did you hear it on the news?In a nation where respected media outlets were once so

closely followed, there’s now a growing trend to move away from mainstream news outlets.

Truth of the matter is, people just don’t trust the news anymore.

And they shouldn’t.Brian Williams and Bill O’Reilly are not the first news

broadcasters to distort the truth. Nor will they be the last.However, these two powerful men represent a growing

problem that news outlets are facing: they just can’t keep reader’s attention.

According to a study done by Chartbeat, 55 percent of all readers spend less than 15 seconds on a newspage be-fore they click away.

This helps explain why the society we live in feeds off of sensationalized headlines.

We need something really interesting, powerful, and moving in order to stay focused.

If we don’t get “hooked” by the title, then there’s no way that we will read the article.

Now here’s where Brian Williams and Bill O’Reilly come in.

Both these men are paid enormous salaries by news cor-porations (NBC and FOX respectively) to attract viewers.

Brian Williams makes $14 million a year to do this job, and Bill O’Reilly makes $20 million to do his.

Both these men are in high-pressure jobs, and definitely feel the need to continue to attract viewers in order to cre-ate profits for their employers.

Both these men also have a complete lack of a con-science, and are willing to do anything in order to create profits for their employers.

As for Brian Williams, he has lied numerous times. Most infamously, there was the January 30, 2015 pod-

cast that was dubbed “Choppergate.”Brian Williams said that there was, “a terrible moment

a dozen years back during the invasion of Iraq when the helicopter we were traveling in was forced down after be-ing hit by an RPG.”

The pilot of that helicopter later came out and said that not only was their chopper never hit by an RPG, but that they weren’t even in the same division of the army that the downed chopper was in.

Williams is also dogged by other claims of dishonesty.He claimed to have seen people lying facedown in the

water after Hurricane Katrina (even though the area he was stationed in wasn’t heavily flooded) and he also claimed to have received dysentery (whereas the hospital had no re-ports of anyone being infected with dysentery).

As for O’Reilly, his big lie revolves around his alleged combat story during the 1982 Falklands War.

O’Reilly claimed that, “I was in a situation one time, in a war zone in Argentina, in the Falklands, where my photog-rapher got run down and then hit his head and was bleed-ing from the ear on the concrete.”

His claim was quickly rebuffed by his superior at the time, CBS Producer Susan Zirinsky, who said that no CBS reporter was ever stationed on the Falklands Island.

Both of these men lied for a simple reason: they knew that their lies would attract viewers.

Nobody would spend more than 15 seconds on a news piece that talked about an uneventful flight on a helicopter.

Nobody would spend more than 15 seconds on a news piece that reported on a war while the reporter was sta-tioned thousands of miles away.

And the future doesn’t bode well for these massive news corporations.

A Nielsen report found that the three major nightly newscasts have seen their ratings decline by 34 percent in the past decade.

With fewer profits, more and more news reporters and broadcasters will be put in the uncomfortable situation of having to decide whether or not to fabricate stories in or-der to get profit curves back on track.

And when this happens, will you be able to catch all the lies that your media is telling you?

Michael Bastaki Editor

“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”- John Wooden

Lies the media tells

Mike’s CornerEditorial: show some respectThe culmination of four years of sleep deprivation,

homework, and hard work can end in rejection.Even the hardest working students can face the reality of

rejection. Applying to colleges isn’t what is was when our parents applied. It’s far more competitive; this year Stan-ford hit a record low for admissions rate: 5 percent. That means that 95 percent of their applicants, many of whom are highly qualified, were turned away. Although many re-jection letters this year come with a nice, “we had a record amount of applicants” or a “you are highly qualified” that doesn’t take away from the fact that it was a rejection.

Quite frankly, rejections can feel like a slap in the face.A rejection from a college hurts. It’s the fact that the

school you could see yourself at couldn’t see you there, or that they didn’t think that you worked hard enough over the four years at high school.

I think the worst part of it all isn’t being angry or upset or disappointed, it’s feeling inadequate. Rejection hurts. On top of that, as teenagers in the 21st century we live in a world where news from across the world is readily avail-able at our fingertips. It makes the temptation to log in to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and post away about our college admittances very high. Many students can’t contain

their excitement and immediately after seeing they made it into their Dream School they decide to post it. I under-stand. I truly do. However, think. As you get into your Dream School, a lot of other people don’t.

Rejection hurts enough as it is, but taking to social media while the wound of rejection for others is fresh is just hurtful. It feels like a slap in the face from the people that you have worked hard with. Nothing stings more in a rejection than knowing the people you’ve worked side by side with, had study groups with, and shared sympathy with got into the school you didn’t. It makes that feeling of inadequacy far worse.

So while I give you my biggest congratulations on get-ting into your top school, be respectful. There are many people who are so proud of what you’ve accomplished, but think about those people who don’t get to celebrate in that exact moment. Those people will get into another school that will make them happy, but in that moment they don’t have anything to celebrate. They are swimming in feelings of inadequacy.

We’ve all worked hard, we’ve suffered together, so let’s extend some respect and wait until May 1st when we can all celebrate together.

I have white privilege

Kristen FriisBusiness Manager

I am trying to figure out what I can do as a white privi-leged person.

The answer may be that there is nothing that I can do, but is it worth trying?

I am white. I am aware of all the privileges that I have.Even though it is not possible for me to relate to or un-

derstand what privileges people don’t have or what mar-ginalized groups have gone through, I want to help.

I have struggles of my own. I am a woman, which can be considered a minority in

today’s society. I am aware that I am a white person living in a two story

house in the Bay Area, one of the nicest places to live in California.

I am aware that I am part of a middle-class family with two loving parents, and that I have my own car to drive myself to school everyday.

I am aware that I can walk across campus with ease and it might be easier for me to get a job.

I am aware that I am not considered a threat to most people because of my skin color, and that people do not develop certain prejudices when they see me.

If I, as well as other white people, are aware of these privileges, then is it still okay for people to say that they “hate white people,” or more generally, stereotype all white people in a certain negative way?

It is possible to put down a white person by stereotyping them and generalizing them by their skin color, but it is not racist due to the fact that they have not endured oppression and disadvantage.

I personally do not think the phrase “I hate white peo-ple” is particularly racist due to the fact that white Ameri-can people are not and have never been systematically oppressed, though some people believe “reverse-racism” exists.

According to Louis P. Pojman, the author of “The Case Against Affirmative Action,” reverse racism is defined as

“discrimination against white persons resulting from pref-erential policies intended to remedy past discrimination against minorities.”

I see the phrase “I hate white people” as well as many other similar phrases all over social media.

I often see things such as “can white people stop doing this?” or “why do white people do that?”

And yes, there are many jokes about white people that even I think are funny, like that we can’t dance or we have thinly shaped lips or that we love mayonnaise.

But it is still difficult for me to understand, because even though there are white people who are aware of their privileges and try to use them for good, there is still a generalization of the stereotypical “white person” who is characterized as ignorant and unable to understand other’s perspectives.

And even though that may be true, there are still white people who want to help.

Is it fair to generalize people who are willing to support and help others under the large umbrella of “all ignorant white people?”

In today’s world the society of our youth is taught to ad-vocate against stereotypes. There are stereotypes regarding race, gender, religion and anything that can be classified as out of the ordinary.

I know that I can never understand what marginalized groups have gone through and I’m not trying to necessarily understand that, but I’d rather support and help the people that face these issues.

With that being said, it bothers me to see negative posts about generalized “white people,” because many white people really do want to help.

Stereotyping, no matter who is it toward, is not the right thing to do.

I simply ask that people understand that there are white people who are really trying, and that it isn’t appropriate to be generalized as a stereotypical white person.

With that being said, I also ask that white people try harder to support and help those who have less privilege.

If we really want to strive for social equality, the first step is to realize that along with racism, we need to be aware of avoiding generalizing and stereotyping.

EMMA LIN


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In the age of social media, everyone can be an obituary writer. The consensus seems to be that as social media continues to invade our lives,

it only makes sense that people will post about topics ranging from what they ate for breakfast to the death of a loved one.

Facebook claims to have 500 million active users, scores of whom die every day. The social networking phenomenon has fundamentally changed the way we mourn as individuals, families and communities.


A deceased person’s Facebook page becomes a virtual condolence book; a public, communal mourning place that gives everyone processing a shared loss a place to gather and grieve together.

But Facebook and social media’s infiltration into every aspect of our lives has been so quick and widespread that there are no rules yet for how to properly use it at life’s most difficult moments.

We learn a tragedy on social media, and we react in a way that is appropriate for that medium; we see the bad news, we share the bad news—or we “like” or “retweet” or “favorite”—and then we move on to the next story.

This forces people to decide where the line is drawn between what’s accept-able to share on social media and what’s considered too personal.

“Death in social media creates an entirely different kind of experience than we’ve ever

really had before,” says Jed Brubaker, a PhD Candidate at the University of California at Irvine.

As our generation becomes increasingly comfortable with sharing more of our-selves online, it is important to remain conscious of what exactly is being posted and what someone’s reaction might be to the post.

Using social media to broadcast the news of a tragedy is a good way to help inform a community, but one-click condolences don’t help people deal with loss.

In fact, it accelerates and degrades a social norm that would otherwise take several weeks: sending heartfelt letters, sharing memories in person, even show-ing support by spending a few hours together to help sort paperwork or mail.

“I think it’s okay to share loss of loved ones on Facebook because it’s a fast way to tell someone if there’s no way to tell them face to face,” said freshman Miya Okumura.

Posting about the loss of a loved one on a platform so impersonally and casu-ally, like on Facebook, can trivialize the death, taking away the good intentions of the original post.

“If you post about someone’s death or your divorce, it’s not that different from typing, ‘I’m going to Starbucks,’” said freshman Nicole Tin.

Despite our society’s fixation on social media, a wall post is not the same thing as a sympathy card and should not be seen as a a substitution for personally reaching out to those in mourning.

“People need to be careful about what they post on social media. Especially when they post about such a sensitive topic as death,” said freshman Hazel Lam.

Just as social media has the potential to increase awareness of an event, it has the potential to trivialize it as well.

If showing care or interest in a death becomes popularized, the risk of insincer-ity rises.

The skill of Facebooking when it comes to both good and bad news is in the timing, and the simple step of double-checking before clicking the post or send button.

“The general rule of thumb is don’t scoop important news,” Daniel Senning, a social media etiquette focus at The Emily Post Institute said.

Social media expedites the mourning process but offers little process to the grieving.

“If the immediate family has not made the announcement in that space, you should wait,” said sophomore Spencer Enriquez.

Informing people of any kind of news is best done in the most personal of man-ners, whether that be the ideal face-to-face setting, on the phone or a private electronic message.

The Emily Post Institute has seen a few practical and proactive tech tricks that help avoid such situations. Family members or individuals can turn off the com-ment capability on their walls, or in order to send a piece of information quickly to a large group of people they can create a private group message.

The bottom line is that Facebook, with its pictures of lunch, congratulatory en-gagement posts, baby announcements and messages of a friend’s passing, is here to stay and only growing more and more rooted in our interactions with other people.

“It’s another tool we have at our disposal,” Senning said. “We have to learn how to use that tool with some intelligence.”

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Death

Such an immense loss, they will be missed terribly :(

I remember all the times you made me smile, the Heaven gained an angel today.








april 2015 carlmont highlander

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