February - The Burlingame B

Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015
1 Mangini Way, Burlingame, CA 94010
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WHAT’S
INSIDE
OPINION
Paris troops stationed outside of the Eiffel Tower.
Read about Muslims vs. Terrorists:
In response to the recent terrorist
attack in Paris, and the ongoing issue
around the world, Staff Reporter Alex
Lee writes about the unjust correlation between Islam and terrorism in
contemporary society. PAGE 5.
Freedom of Speech
After Paris
By: Noah Lazers
STAFF REPORTER
Comedy about sensitive issues: ChrisJe suis Charlie.
topher Hu talks about whether
It is so easy to say that the
cartoonists should mock religion.
world beat the terrorists. It moved
PAGE 5.
past the fear and intimidation
SPORTS
INDEX
FOLLOW US...
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IMAGES
that those with the malicious
vendettas tried so hard to instill
within the international populace.
Many know about what happened
at Charlie Hebdo, but few think
about how the newspaper still
affects those outside of the extremists groups, even to the point
Check out an article on a helpful new of violence. The events that took
place on January 7th, 2015 in the
forum for teens to share advice and
Charlie Hebdo headquarters left
stories, and ask for help, written by
Staff Reporter Taylor Cotchett PAGE 12 dead and 11 injured. Known
3.
for their satirical depictions of
Look out for the article on senioritis. many world ideas, Prophet Mohammed included, Charlie Hebdo
As Editor Shirsha Basu puts it, “No,
it’s not a stomach ache or the comhad often been targeted with
mon cold. It’s something worse: it’s
firebombs and death threats even
Senioritis.” PAGE 4.
before the events in 2015. The
tragedies of that Wednesday far
surpassed any of these, however.
Claiming and later confirmed to
be members of Al-Qaeda, two
gunmen entered the building and
began to target certain editors and
reporters most “at fault” where
they sat during their first meeting
of the year to discuss the next
issue.
Get all of the information on winter
The ensuing days included
sports: Including a tribute to Stuart
Scott written by Staff Reporter Ana large movement of French
drew Longworth, and information on troops across France as well as
Girls and Boys Basketball, Girls and
demonstrations worldwide. On
Boys Soccer, and Wrestling. PAGES
the more peaceful side of things,
7 AND 8.
January 7th closed with over
100,000 people demonstrating
their support for those who lost
their lives that morning in France
alone, with a number much
larger than that marching outside
• NEWS: PAGE 2
French embassies worldwide.
• FEATURE: PAGES 3-4
January 11th marked the largest
• OP/ED: PAGE 5
• ENTERTAINMENT: PAGE 6 day of demonstrating support
since the shooting, with 2 million,
• SPORTS: PAGES 7-8
including 40 national leaders
marching in one crowd, as well as
3.7 million in places across France
joining together in a rally of unity.
Signifying that it would not give
in to the demands of the terrorThe Burlingame B ists, Charlie Hebdo continued
on with its publications and on
January 14th over seven million
copies in six languages were sold,
@theBurlingameB with a classical depiction of the
Police troops in the streets of Paris.
Prophet Mohammed holding
FEATURES
Black History Month
By: Elizabeth Daskalakis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Black History Week was
founded in 1926 by historian
Carter Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life
and History. Originally, it was
known as Negro History Week
and it took place during the second week of February. Later in
1969, the Black United Students
at Kent State University thought
of expanding it to the entire
month of February. Eventually in
1976, the United States government officially recognized it.
During the month of February, America recognizes the
different African American inspiring figures who accomplished
and contributed to history.
Throughout the states, many
students learn about these figures
and how they have benefitted our
society.
There is no doubt that Doctor
Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa
Parks and Maya Angelou were
some of the most inspirational
figures in America; however,
there were many other figures
that have been overlooked. Burlingame High School students
believe it is important to learn
about all who contributed to
history.
“Last year I learned a lot
about different Civil Rights
leaders other than MLK,” Senior
Madeline Cole said. “My teacher
actually tried to focus away from
MLK and teach us in depth about
other leaders.”
Students also universally agree
that African American history
is important because it is also a
part of American History.
“It is not only a large part of
American history, but it is deeply
rooted in our culture today,”
Senior Reave Hosman said.
When it comes to the Civil
Rights Movement, it is important
to realize that it was the work of
many. There were many different
leaders in the movement including Congressman John Lewis,
Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth and
the Little Rock Nine, including
Minnijean Brown and Elizabeth
Eckford.
“The Civil Rights Movement
was a group effort,” Senior Esme
Brachmann said. “To make a
change there needs to be more
than one person to have an
impact.”
BHS students also believe
that it is crucial that our society not only recognizes these
accomplishments but also the
struggles they helped Americans
overcome.
“There are many issues today
and if we understand the past,
we do not have to make these
mistakes again,” Hosman said.
The district makes a
big splash
By: Erika Taylor
SENIOR REPORTER
the regular maintenance, they
The Burlingame Aquatic
have also taken the time to
Center pool was closed for the
month of January, a direct result address important issues like
of the disagreement between the re-tiling the small pool, resurfacing the pool deck and remodeling
San Mateo Union High School
the locker rooms.
District and the city of BurlinThe pool being closed for
game. In an agreement made in
an entire month as opposed to
August 1999, the district vowed
the usual two weeks in January
to provide the community extended access to the pool, sharing angered club members. Prior to
the closing, a council meeting
it with the Burlingame High
took place where over fifty BAC
athletes. Recently, the district
wanted Burlingame High athletes members wore shirts saying “Save
our Pool”
to have more access to the pool
as well as more space in the pool CONTINUES ON PAGE 2
during water polo and swim
season. However, in order
to give students more access
they would have to restrict the
community’s access to the pool
lhave to restrict the community’s access to the pool limiting
many of the activities the BAC
provides for kids and adults.
January has been productive The Burlingame Aquatic Center
for the district in that besides opens in February.
PHOTO BY CLAIRE MORRISON
a sign that translates to “All is
forgiven.” The gunmen are indeed
at fault for their massacre of those
at the Charlie Hebdo newsplace,
but Charlie Hebdo continues to
disrespect the religion and values
Islamists hold close by publishing their depictions of Prophet
Mohammed.
“I’m not sure why it is okay for
[Charlie Hebdo] to be angered
by what happened and why it is
not okay for Islamists to be upset
when their religion is disrespected,” Kenta Iwasaki, Burlingame
High School junior stated.
The cover for the January 14th
issue was condemned by the Dar
al-Ifta al-Misriyyah, a renowned
institute founded to represent
Islam, as “...an act unjustifiably
provocative to the feelings of
a billion and a half Muslims
worldwide who love and respect
the Prophet.” This prophecy was
proven true on the same day
when areas across the Middle East
and Europe (France included) saw
waves of violence, which included
the burning of 50 churches, the
injury of 170, and the death of at
least ten people.
Valid and irresponsible use of
free speech is often a hard thing
to discern between. Few would
disagree that abuse of the human
right to speak freely should be
just as condemnable as preventing
it from being used. Therefore,
while people such as reporters do
have the absolute right to speak
how they would, the Muslim
world also has the absolute right
to worship with respect that any
other human would want, especially if they are not involved with
extremists. The events at Charlie
Hebdo have made an undoubtedly large impact on the world, but
the reaction and changes by the
world after wake-up call events
such as these may be just a bit
bigger.
Issue 4 Vol. 92
Where does your recycling go?
plastics are all sorted from the
trash.
At the warehouses, Recology
sorts 70 percent of trash, meaning
the other 30 percent is dumped
actually being dumped into the
directly into the landfill, says
trash bin located at the back of
Johnson.
the gym. The roll-off trash bin
Although the system might
contains non-food trash as well as seem ineffective, Zeke Lyles, the
recycling goods while food waste Maintenance and Operations
gets put into a compactor.
Officer at SMUHSD notes that the
To further understand what
process is actually more efficient
happens to the trash container
than it has been in the past.
once it leaves the school, JohnWhile the school may be parson contacted Recology, one of
tially recycling, it seems like the
the companies that manages our system is hiding the truth from
school’s recycling and trash. The the student body, Ecology club
recycling, which is not sorted at
president Lilly Ferris said.
school, is sorted by employees at
To improve recycling at our
Recology warehouses.
school, Ferris hopes to educate the
According to SMUHSD main- student body and staff on recytenance employee Ricky Carrillo, cling at BHS and about recycling
materials such as recyclable food in general. She notes that a lot of
items, metals, wood, paper and
teachers and students at
PHOTO BY JACQUELYNE ZUERCHER
By Rachel Greenwood
SENIOR REPORTER
A small controversy over our
recycling system has come to the
student and faculty’s attention
recently, but biology and environmental science teacher Heather
Johnson says there have been
problems for years.
“We don’t have a good solid
system,” Johnson said.
While there are recycling bins
located all over the school, BHS
does not separate recycling from
trash when the recycling is collected. A few years ago, Johnson
noticed custodians dumping
recycling into the trash bin.
While leadership students have
typically gathered recycling from
classrooms around the school,
the materials they collected were
CONTINUED FORM PAGE 1
By Erika Taylor
STAFF REPORTER
BHS students enjoy Winter Formal at the Fox Theatre.
By Jacquelyne Zuercher
STAFF REPORTER
On January 31, Burlingame
held its annual Winter Formal
the Roarin’ Twenties at the Fox
Theatre in Redwood City.
Following the theme, the Fox
Theatre was elegantly decorated
with dazzling lights and sparkling
stage decor. There was plenty of
food, ranging from cookies and
chips to mocktails. The theme,
along with the venue was chosen
by the class cabinet for various
reasons. Not only was the location and price of the venue ideal,
but what better place to celebrate
the Roarin’ Twenties than the
timeless Fox Theatre?
“This formal was the best
out of the four years I have been
attended the dances. I felt like a
lot of people were having fun. In
past years kids would be hanging
around; this year people were
dancing,” Senior Class Officer
Aoibheann Glavin said.
Indeed there was dancing. The
new DJ Jay Espinoza from Wild
94.9 was a hit!
“My favorite part [of the
dance] was the good music,”
junior Lauren Liberty said.
Not only was the dance lively
News
with its decor and music, but also
the attendance was higher than
past years. Almost 600 tickets
were sold, and all but 12 students
attended.
“Good turnout,” Dean of
Students, Fred Wolfgramm commented.
“The theatre almost felt crowded at some points,” Senior Class
Officer, Aoibheann Glavin, added.
However, not everything
about Formal was fun.
The last few days before the
dance were chaotic due to students having issues buying their
tickets on time. Over twenty students visited either Mr. Bennett
or Ms. Martinez desperate to buy
tickets after sales were already
over. Not only that, but several
emails were received from students pleading to buy tickets last
minute. With reasons ranging
from “I didn’t have my guests ID”
to “I just payed off my parking
ticket,” it was a good thing the
school allowed two days between
the last day of ticket sales and the
dance.
If you weren’t able to attend
the Formal dance, don’t fret!
Prom (for juniors and seniors) is
coming up on April 25th.
in hopes of keeping the pool
open through January.
The district board members
claimed that they felt attacked by
the “hurtful” news articles in the
San Mateo Daily Journal and the
Save Our Pool petition the BAC
created.
“The misinformation about
the District’s intent, and online
and in-person personal attacks
on District staff have been unfortunate, unprofessional and not at
all helpful to the on-going efforts
by the District to resolve its disputes with the City” the district
released in a media statement in
early December.
However, in another article
from the Daily Journal quoting Senator Jerry Hill, who was
shocked by the actions of the
Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015
PHOTO BY DAVID ZHOU
2
the school
waste a lot
of paper and
we should
also focus
our attention
on reducing
waste. Similarly, Johnson hopes
to increase
awareness on The trash bin outside of the gym overflows with both
this import- trash and recycling materials.
ant issue.
rating recycling.
Fifth period leadership has
According to the South Lonstopped collecting recycling from don Waste Partnership, recycling
classrooms because there is no
is an important way to conserve
point for students to gather recyour natural resources and helps
cling when it ends up in the same protect the environment.
bin, leadership teacher Kristin
If we stop sorting recycling
Berglund said.
at school, we face the risk of
The reason the large bins
disregarding recycling outside of
remain in classrooms to promote
school.
and encourage the idea of sepa-
Executive director at the BAC,
Suze Gardner, noted that many
of the younger athletes couldn’t
make it to the practices at CSM
school board.
and now many families were
“Instead of engaging the parconcerned about the scheduling
ents in a dialogue, [SMUHSD’s]
response has been shameful: you changes following the pool’s cloderide them for their efforts, rant sure, prompting them to unfortunately withdraw from the BAC
about what you claim are false
due to this uncertainty. Long
allegations and you point the
finger of blame at the very people time BAC swimmer and BHS
Junior, Sarah Shaffer, had mixed
you are obligated to represent
feelings about going to CSM.
and serve,” Hill said.
“It was a nice pool to swim
Hill, who is angered by the
at, but inconvenient to get to,”
behavior that the district board
Shaffer said.
members have shown and their
Gardner hopes that BAC and
handling of other issues, is calling
the district can make amends.
for a civil grand jury to investi“Resolution still appears to
gate.
The closing of the pool hasn’t be a long way off, but we remain
stopped the BAC swimmers from hopeful that ultimately the right
approach will prevail and that
preparing for their qualifying
both communities will be able to
meet in January and have been
thrive at this great pool,” Gardner
swimming at the College of San
said.
Mateo during the month.
El virus chikungunya afecta América Latina
By Chelsea Lopez
STAFF REPORTER
El virus chikungunya es una
terrible enfermedad viral transmitida por el mosquito Aedes
aegypti y Aedes albopictus. Estos
mosquitos son los mismos que
causan la enfermedad de dengue.
Esta enfermedad fue detectada
por primera vez en Tanzania. En
lengua africana el virus chikunguyna significa “doblarse por el
dolor.”
En la actualidad America
Central y las islas del Caribe
estan siendo afectadas severamente por este virus. Hasta hace
poco, Mexico ha reportado casos
de esta enfermedad poniendo
a las organizaciones de salud
internacional en alarma. El virus
ya ha afectado a cuarenta países
alrededor del mundo.
La duracion de los síntomas
dura por lo menos una semana.
Los Síntomas son graves y varios
pero los que mas sobresalen son:
dolores de cabeza y articulares,
erupciones cutaneas, fiebre, nauseas y vomitos. También el afectado puede sufrir de mucha fatiga
y dolores que pueden convertirse
en cronicos.
Para evitar ser infectado es
necesario evitar
áreas donde
hayan brotes o
tomar medidas
necesarias. En
Nicaragua por
ejemplo el gobierno ha hecho
mucha campana
de salud entre sus
habitantes para
erradicar este virus. Los numeros
de afectados por
este virus siguen
en aumento en
dicho pais segun
las fuentes de noticias nacionales
e internacionales.
La limpieza es
esencial para
detener el virus. Varios paises
del istmo centroamericano estan
fumigando a pueblos y educando
a sus habitantes para combatir el
mosquito.
Contraer el chikunguya
es serio y puede ser fatal. Es
recomendable que las personas
que planeen visitar países en
América Central y el Caribe estén
informados sobre esta enfermedad. Si debe viajar a esos paises
es recomendable protegerse con
repelente de insectos y dormir
con mosquitero.
Features
Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015
Teenagerdom: Where
Teens Help Each Other
Students Battle Against Senioritis
By Shirsha Basu
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
It’s the beginning of second
semester. You’ve just turned in
your applications, and you’re
about to study for that Calc quiz
when you start noticing the
signs. No, it’s not a stomach ache
or the common cold. It’s something worse: it’s senioritis.
Some of us are familiar with
this term, and experience it almost daily. For those lucky ones
who aren’t familiar with it, the
Merriam-Webster defines senioritis as: “an ebbing of motivation
and effort by school seniors as
evidenced by tardiness, absences and lower grades.” In other
words, if your favorite TV shows
are listed higher than “homework” on your priorities list, you
probably have senioritis.
Students here at Burlingame
High School battle senioritis
each and every day, whether it
be simple laziness or a complete
withdrawal from school work
and attendance.
“Yes I suffer from senioritis,”
senior Stacey Chang said. “I never want to go to school and I’m
super lazy; I just want to watch
Netflix all day.”
Many students feel as if they
are no longer pressured to have
perfect grades and attendance,
now that they have finished
applying to colleges.
“At this point in time, college
just isn’t exactly a nerve-wracking deal anymore,” senior Travis
Ng said. “Let’s just say that senior-me is a little less ‘sensitive’
than freshman-me if I don’t ace
every test.”
In addition, some students
feel an overall lack of enthusiasm
to attend school.
“[I’ve been] working non-stop
this past semester to keep up
grades and finish college apps,”
senior Sara Arfania said. “I’m
tired, I’ve lost most motivation,
and I want to sleep. So, yes, I
have senioritis. But rightfully so.”
However, some cases of
senioritis show a bit more optimistic symptoms. For example,
senior Jasmin Mallia’s plans for
college next year motivate her to
keep her grades up and attend
her classes.
“I suffer from [senioritis] badly,” Mallia said. “[But] I usually
just think about going to Santa
Barbara next year and just know
I have to pass my classes this year
to get there.”
So, how much trouble can a
few tardies and a little nonchalance actually cause? Is senioritis
really a big deal? According to
research and various studies,
senioritis causes students to
lose focus, study habits, and
motivation, therefore negatively
affecting their college education
in the future.
The National Center for Education Statistics reports, based
on data collected from various
campuses, that “in fall 2000, 20
percent of entering freshmen at
four-year public institutions took
a remedial course, while 42 percent at community colleges did.”
A 2010 study from the National Center for Public Policy
and Higher Education suggests
that although the number of
students attending college has
increased, majority of these students are taking about six years
to graduate because of remedial
courses and graduation needs
for their bachelor’s degree. As
a result, public universities face
a strain in “budget-crunched
states, according to national
statistics.”
Students also fail to realize that their vulnerability to
senioritis can jeopardize their
college applications. If students
are unable to maintain their
grades, colleges often rescind
their admissions. In some cases,
seniors may have to explain why
they slacked off or did not get
the grades they were capable of
getting.
If, in fact, a student’s admission is rescinded, he may have to
begin the college search all over
again, and have a lack of security
regarding their future academic
career.
Senior teachers often give
their students the “Waiting List”
lecture, in which they highlight
that there are people on waiting
lists in colleges, just waiting for
an application to be rescinded so
they can take the spot.
However, institutions acknowledge that seniors should
not be completely blamed for
this ailment. In some cases, seniors feel as if even their teachers
do not expect them to participate
completely in school.
“They are studying less, and
their grades are not suffering,”
Carol Schneider, president of
the Association of American
Colleges & Universities, said.
“It’s a systemic problem. We’re
not asking enough of them, and
they’re not doing enough.”
Schneider points out that,
senioritis has become such a
strong tradition that at times
even teachers, willingly or unwillingly, allow their students to
slack off. As a result, she suggests
a need for stricter enforcement
of participation and attendance
from seniors.
For example, “governors in
several states are working on
ways to make the year more productive, from boosting graduation requirements to increasing
the rigor of the curriculum to
creating programs that would
allow students to earn credit for
high school and college at the
same time.”
By creating additional
requirements and challenging
students, schools will be able to
keep their students engaged and
actively participating. Therefore,
government action and schools
can create new policies to motivate students to stay focused and
continue attending classes.
“What I recommend for people experiencing senioritis is to
keep busy,” senior Amy Ordubadi said. “I find that I do less work
when I have too much free time,
whereas when I’m busy I use my
time wisely and get stuff done.”
Additionally, individual
student-teacher communication
can also help encourage students
to keep their grades up and not
give in to their nonchalance and
laziness. So, if you, or a loved one
suffer symptoms of the infamous
ailment, please, take action
today and help bring an end to
senioritis.
PHOTO BY DAVID ZHOU
Why is this Door Closed & Locked?
By Jacob Battat
STAFF REPORTER
On a normal Tuesday at
lunch, many of the classrooms
at BHS are filled with students
excited to participate in extracurricular clubs. Before winter
break this year, though, the
Burlingame classrooms were
locked to make a statement
against a recent district contract
proposal. As a result of recent
economic volatility, the San Mateo Union High School District
Teachers’ Association (the local
teachers’ union) has been forced
to negotiate a new contract
for all teachers in the district
almost every year. Although the
Union provides many benefits to
teachers, its main purpose is to
allow teachers to negotiate as a
BHS teachers protest against a recent district contract proposal.
collective body, granting leverage
during contract deliberations.
Teachers can take action as a
group rather than as individuals,
which allows for unified protest.
The teachers believed that
the district’s contract proposal
demanded an unfair increase in
health care prices without a high
enough pay raise. The yellow
flyers posted on doors claimed
that teachers would be required
to pay “over 100% more for
health care.” It turns out it is not
that simple. Teachers can choose
from a variety of health care
plans. Some which require high
co-payments and others that
3
By Taylor Cotchett
STAFF REPORTER
Every teen manages different
issues in their life. Whether it’s
navigating family and friend
issues or accumulating stress
and figuring out how to manage
everything.
However, not everyone has a
person or place where they feel
comfortable talking about these
issues. Charlie Jones, a sophomore at Burlingame High School,
has created Teenagerdom, a
website where teens can have this
comfort they are looking for.
Taylor Cotchett, also a sophomore at Burlingame High School
and the co-editor of this website,
has helped Jones build Teenagerdom into a place where teens
can help other teens get through
any type of issues they may be
dealing with.
Advice can be posted on this
website regarding any topic, as
well as personal stories from
teens themselves. They can be
submitted in the form of poetry,
short stories, or any other form
of writing one may desire. With
the option of having these posts
be anonymous, one can share
a personal experience to help
another teen, but still have the
privacy they may want.
There is a lot going on in the
teenage years of life. High school
starts, puberty has yet to finish,
and on top of that, there may
be some personal issues teens
are trying to manage. Some of
these issues teens deal with are
more severe than others, but that
doesnt matter.
Each issue that is impacting a
teens life in a negative way is serious, no matter the value of how
bad it is compared to someone
else’s life.
“Adults are always beneficial
and necessary for teens to survive
and thrive, but sometimes all we
teens need is a friend, or someone who will listen to them and
help them with their questions,”
Jones said.
On this website, you can find
the advice you may be looking
for from other teens that are just
like you.
“We can benefit off of teento-teen advice in a modern, and
constantly updating format,”
Jones said. This website is available for teens to come to whenever they want and posts are being
uploaded frequently. Friendly,
supportive advice for all teens is
only a click of a button away.
The convenience and feeling
this website gives to teens has
shown to be beneficial to many
students at Burlingame High
School.
“This website is a great outlet
to give advice and to let teens
know they are not alone whenever they are feeling down,” sophomore Renata Servulo said.
“It’s nice to be able to let out
my feelings without whenever I
want, without feeling like anyone
will judge me,” sophomore at
Burlingame High School Ashlin
Pellegrini said.
Jones’ hope for this website
is that it will not only become a
useful website for teens at our
school, but it will also be helping
teens all around the country.
“Teenagerdom can help you
realize that you’re really not
alone. People are here for you,
some you may not even know,”
said Cotchett.
There are teens all over the
country that are struggling with
their daily life and don’t know
what to do anymore. What they
may not know is that there’s
millions of other teens that are
dealing with similar issues just
like themselves.
If these teens could come together and help each other, people would feel less alone. Jones’
goal is for this to happen and to
get teens to help change other
teens’ lives by sharing advice or
their own stories.
If you would like to submit a
story, advice, poem, or anything
onto Teenagerdom, all you have
to do is complete one simple
step. This site will take you to the
google form where you can fill
out your submission. http://goo.
gl/forms/9kgdC6mz1I
Feel free to go to the actual
website to read the advice and
stories from other teens. You may
find the advice you are looking
for.
To go to the actual website,
you can go to www.teenagerdom.
wix.com/teenagerdomusa.
For any other questions you
may have, please email [email protected].
You can also follow Teenagerdom on twitter, instagram, and
tumblr @teenagerdomusa.
are completely free to teachers.
Indeed many of the plans do
require increased contributions
from teachers, but this is in part
due to the rising costs of healthcare throughout the country.
After long debate though, the
district and teachers are close
to forming a deal for next year’s
teacher contract. The current
proposal has been overwhelmingly approved by teachers, but a
vote on February 12th from the
district trustees is still required
to finalize the contract. As it
stands now, all teachers will
receive a 3.5 percent raise and a
marginal increase in health care
contributions from the district. In the end, the lunchtime
lockout possibly played a role
in improving next year’s teacher contract, but the board of
trustee president Marc Friedman
believes it was not the most appropriate course of action.
Friedman stated that the
teacher protest was “regrettable
because it punished students for
a controversy with the district.”
Friedman would like to note,
though, that teachers at Burlingame and throughout the district
are some of the best in the state
and deserve a fair salary. Hopefully, this recent debate ends in
a solution that grants adequate
compensation to Burlingame’s
tirelessly working teachers.
4
Features
Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015
Harmful stereotypes mask the diversity of the student body
By Charlie Jones
STAFF REPORTER
Every student at Burlingame
High School knows about our
reputation. We are considered
the white, privileged and preppy
school of the district. Students
tend to guess that there is a 75
percent to 85 percent white
majority at our school and
therefore, many students buy in
to the white stereotypes. Despite
the reputation, the statistics that
show the caucasian majority is
65 percent, and there is diversity
at BHS. But in order to break
down BHS’s stereotype, we
first have to look at how ethnic
diversity is treated at the school,
because the reputation itself is a
complicated issue here on campus. These “white” stereotypes
can be just as harmful and cause
just as much loss of cultural
identity for the caucasian students at our school.
“If you look at me, I’m white,”
sophomore Felicia Azzopardi
said. “It’s a stereotype, it’s a label.
But I don’t identify with being
American as much as I identify
with being Maltese. I’m white
but I was not even born here.”
To Azzopardi and many other
non-native students on campus,
trying to express yourself as a
European is difficult considering
the color of their skin is the same
as the other American born
students.
Students not only acknowledge the reputation, but intensify
it with stereotypical jokes about
every girl owning a pair of Lululemon leggings, or boys owning
their Sperry or Moccasin shoes.
A tweet submitted to the
SmackHighSF account on Twitter included a picture of Sperry
Top Sider shoes with the tweet
reading, “Official footwear of
Burlingame.” There have been
many tweets on the account
referencing the reputation of
Burlingame.
Other tweets on SmackHighSF said, “Only Burlingame
would have ‘White Out Day’ as
part of their spirit week,” and
“Burlingame High School: Lululemon or stay at home under
your rock.” There’s an assumed
correlation between Burlingame and Hillsborough to white
people to wealth, as senior Aleah
Lauti pointed out, that is detrimental to the reputation and the
lives of the students.
“I’ve gone to school my whole
life in Burlingame and we are
predominantly white,” senior
Matt De Leon said. “I’ve always
been known as the colored kid
in class.”
The problem is that people of
different races are still somewhat
feared in the eyes of some white
Americans. The feeling of being
out of place often turns into
violence. Obviously, this concern
expands beyond the borders of
our campus. All different levels
of racism still affect the lives of
minorities in the country. Just
pay attention to recent movements in the news.
Senior Bayley Hollands says
that many students, and society
at large, naively view people of
different nationalities as aggressive. Most students can agree
with Lauti and Hollands in
saying that one should be only
be judged after getting to know
the person, not strictly off of
their race.
“We all have some sort of
racial prejudice. We all operate
on stereotype,” said Outreach
Director at the Southern Poverty
Law Center, Lecia Brooks in a
tv interview. It’s not the stereotyping that is the problem, as
Brooks said, it is the formulation
of expectations of these stereotypes that turns into a problem.
“There’s a difference between
external and internal,” Azzopardi
said. “Students and society sees
external first because that’s what
our eyes are drawn to.”
“There’s so much more to
a person than just their race,”
sophomore Diana Daniels said.
The issue will never go away
until the day we stop judging
one another from what’s on the
outside--on things we cannot
control.
Despite all of these concerns,
diversity does exist at Burlingame High School. Twenty-one
percent of students at BHS are
Asian, and 10 percent are Latino.
Attend any girls or boys basketball game and the crowd is full
of many different ethnicities. In
additon, every year, there is a
Cultural Week at school highlighted by an assembly at the
end of the week where different
ethnic groups showcase their
culture or various talents.
The assembly is very popular
at school because it is “expressing race in a good way” Hollands
said.
“I think it’s a great idea
because it’s a way for people
who aren’t so adventurous to
try something new,” Ishan Pillai
said. “It’s a way for people to
be exposed to the positivity of
different cultures.”
However, students believe this
diversity is not celebrated nearly
enough and simply scheduling
one “International” week a year
to celebrate the students who are
not white will never rid of the
judgemental reputation. At the
end of the week, most students
get back into their normal routine and continue to ignore and
not appreciate the diversity on
campus.
Roses are red, violets are blue, I like his eyes. How about you?
By Evalynna Ong
STAFF REPORTER
Out of all the facial features, eyes come across as the most attractive for both genders.
While relationships are
usually only discussed with one’s
closest girlfriends or best bros,
we surveyed many of you to find
out what you like most about the
opposite sex. The results show
that abdominals are the most
attractive physical attribute on
boys and the bottom is the most
attractive physical attribute on
girls.
Although many people
do not like to
admit it, a person’s
appearance leaves
a significant first
impression.
Of course, physicality is only one factor
that plays into people’s considerations
of
attractiveness. In a recent study
done by the Huazhong University in China, it was found that,
“personality traits
[tend]
to increase perceptions
of facial attractiveness.”
Although a person’s abdominals and
bottom are visually
pleasing, the attractions created by these physical
attributes do not last long.
Personality is the main
factor that creates true attractiveness. So, whether
they are “hottie lamottie
with the swimmer’s
body” or just an average
Joe, their personality
will be the deciding
factor of true attractiveness.
Junior Lucy Cummings finds
this study accurate. In her opinion, personality is the most important factor in a relationship.
Likewise, when Cummings
first met her boyfriend,
senior Cameron Chen,
she specifically, “liked
how he thought about
things.” Furthermore,
making sure personalities
click is a very important
aspect to think about when committing to a relationship.
Another trait to
think about when
it comes to relationships, specifically as teenagers,
is the possibility of
being in different
grades. Mixed grades
entail different graduation times.
For Cummings and Chen,
“the issue of college is pretty
sad...but if you’re serious, just
talk it out and it’s going to be
okay.”
Despite the problem of leaving
for college after graduation, there
is an upside to dating someone
in a different grade. Mixed-grade
relationships allow each person
the opportunity to meet new
people and expose each other to
different situations.
While teen relationships may
seem simple and overrated, there
is actually a lot of depth to dating
at this age.
People are still in
the process of finding
themselves and figuring
out what they like. This
can make relationships
difficult, but rewarding, in that having
someone close can
make finding oneself easier.
Though it may seem like appearance is the most significant factor
in a relationship, personality is
the real deal.
Likewise, despite the problems created by dating in different grades, it is possible to make
it work. Furthermore, no matter
what it may look like on the
surface, there is much more to
teenage relationships than what
it seems.
While there are differences between what is considered attractive for boys and girls, the face is the most
attractive for both genders.
Op/Ed
5
Should mocking political or social issues be allowed?
Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015
By Chris Hu
STAFF REPORTER
PHOTO BY CHRIS RIDDELL
acceptable. Although
criticisms are seen as
negative forms of expression, they can be beneficial
in reforming policies and
improving people’s lives.
Charlie Hebdo’s
provocative action may
have seemed too extreme,
but their publication
was not purely used for
comedic purposes. The
cartoonists had very
close political stances and
ideologies. They ridicule
any person or country that
goes against liberty and
equality and condemn any
culture, belief, ideology,
and economic system that
restricts an individual’s
liberalization. By playing
with fire, they choose to
stand up for freedom, democracy, and human rights. As
a private publication surviving
solely on readership, the magazine represented the principles of
freedom of speech and freedom
of the press, the fruits of victory
from the long struggle of the
French people and a right for
which twelve victims lost their
lives.
A minority of the world has such
a deep appreciation for boundless freedom of speech, tolerating even blasphemy. However,
freedom of speech is such a noble
concept that is applicable only to
Marianne, a symbol of the French Republic, holds the dead Charlie in her arms and cries for liberty.
Cartoonists, comedians, and
journalists are no strangers to
mocking political, social and
religious leaders. Cartoonists are
especially known for their witty
and sharp sense of humor. However, the January 7th terrorist act
on the French satirical magazine
Charlie Hebdo by three Islamic
extremists shocked the world. In
this tragic event, twelve people
were killed including the great
political cartoonists Stephane
Charbonnier, Jean Cabut,
Bernard Verlhac, and Georges Wolinski. This act of terror
raised an alarming and disputed
question about the limit of free
speech: should cartoonists mock
religion?
Effective satire often tests
boundaries and is offensive.
While the United States, France,
and other Western countries are
built on the foundations of freedom of speech and democracy,
Islamic countries do not condone
attacks on religion. The latter’s
politics are tied to religion and
greatly undermine the credibility
of Western ideologies. This has
created a political divide between
cultures.
The notion leads some people
to believe that there is a need for
self-censorship when displaying
offending content, including
Pope Francis, who stated, “You
cannot provoke. You cannot
insult the faith of others. You
cannot make fun of the faith of
others. There is a limit.” The Pope
has made a sensible point from
the standpoint of a religious leader. Others believe that we should
stand up against the terrorists
and not give in to their requests.
According to a HuffPost/YouGov poll, 65 percent of Americans said that mocking religious
figures through cartoons were
civilized and enlightened people.
The problem is that today’s
world is facing a serious problem
of rising Islamic fundamentalism.
As ignorant as an opinion may
be, tolerating such disagreeable
speech is just part of our commitment to freedom of speech.
Unfortunately, extremists use
cold-blooded violence to fight
opposition against Islamic fundamentalism, believing that all
depictions of Prophet Muhammad should be eliminated.
Freedom of expression has led
to the achievements of liberation
and wealth of the nineteenth
century literary thoughts, which
have greatly contributed to the
progress of society. Therefore,
journalists should continue to
liberally spread information. The
more fearful we are, the easier it
will be for opponents to threaten
us. Private institutions, including
NPR, the Associated Press, the
Telegraph, and CNN, banned
coverage on the controversial
drawings of Charlie Hebdo,
forming a self-imposed censorship. If we submit to intimidation, we will not be able to assert
our freedom of expression.It is
critical to protect our rights of
free speech and to defend it when
necessary. Democracy is more
powerful than violence, and a
pen is more convincing than a
gun.
A false correlation between Muslims & Terrorists?
By Alex Lee
STAFF REPORTER
PHOTO BY STUART MCEVOY
unsettling that the media can
ignore everyday acts of terrorism in the United States. Just
because Robert’s name is not
Ahmed does not mean that he
is not a terrorist. A falsified
relationship between the Muslim religion and terrorism has
developed.
Radicalism has been present for decades. Take a look at
the Klu Klux Klan, the group
of Christian white radicals
who murdered many African
Americans and people of other
religions and races.
Or maybe take a long journey back into European history
and observe how the Protestant
Anabaptists slaughtered Christians. The truth is that religious
radicalism and violence has
People protest against the Islamic religion.
been present since
the start of religion.
Equal attention
should be spread to
these acts of terrorism.
Muslims, and
even other religious
groups who some
Americans assume
to be Islamic, in
the US have actually been victims of
terrorist attacks by
whites ever since the
9/11 bombing. For
example, there was
the Wisconsin Sikh
Church bombing,
in which Sikhs were
People in Australia protest against the Islamic religion.
assumed to be Muslims, and their tembillion people who practice
creates violence, it is the indiple was bombed by
Islam.
vidual people.
a Christian group.
Moreover, in our everyday
When we use this kind of
In addition, the
school environment at BHS,
racial slur, we begin to fall back
government has
we can see how people make
into
the etches of something
detained thousands
the unjust correlation between
as dangerous as segregation.
of Muslim men
Muslim culture and terrorism.
Because blacks were misunderwithout charge
Often times, people will yell
stood, they were mistreated.
while creating secret
phrases like “Allahu Akhbar”
Right now, with these religious
prisons for those
while portraying some sort
slurs, we demonstrate a lack
they believe are
of violent action. This is both
of understanding for other
Muslim extremists.
ignorant and insensitive. Allah
religions.
Clearly, our govis a god to many people, not
This kind of parochial mindernment is under
just radicals.
set once tore our country apart
the influence of an
There are many peaceful
and
we should hope that it
association between
Muslims and Islamists just
does not do so again. Already,
Muslims and teras there are peaceful Christhere has been an abundance
rorism. The people
tians. Just because a religion is
of anti-Muslim sentiment and
responsible for the
different, does not mean that
protest. With all this animosity
9/11 incident do not
it is more violent or radical. It
and hatred, the threat of relirepresent the 1.57
is not the religion or God that
gious chaos looms near.
PHOTO BY BRUCE ATKINSON
Most of us have heard of the
France tragedy in which radical
Muslims murdered journalists,
or the incident in which ISIS
beheaded journalists. Yet, has
anybody heard about Robert
James?
Well, let me tell you his story. Robert James was a caucasian, Texan male who gathered
weapons and was going to
assault havens of religious worship differing from his.
Essentially, Robert displayed
the same ignorance demonstrated by ISIS, killing those
who they believe undermine
their faith. Yet, this was not as
publicized as the ISIS stories.
I am not dismissing the
horrid nature of the ISIS
attacks, but I do find that it is
6
Entertainment
Editor’s Column
Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015
The Burlingame
Kindness Corner
Katherine
One cannot not
Marcan has
Amy is amazing
Stef is bae
be affected by Ms.
been my idol
Josie Licavoli is
Miller’s smile, positivthrough out high
kind, creative and
ity, enthusiasm, patience,
school. She’s incredibly
doesn’t the recognition
and dedication to her
smart, friendly, athletic,
she deserves. You’re great
job. We love you, Ms. When Sara Arfaand not to mention
Josie.
nia graduates I will
Miller!
gorgeous. Keep
go to Kinko’s and blow doing you, Kat! Maddie Eliason is the
up a giant picture of Josiah
bomb.com!
Hawley to decorate her
dorm.
Uma Krishnan is hiAudrey Oliver
Maggie Chang is so
larious and sweet 24/7!
is the sweetest and
sweet and always says
Thanks
for being awesome
funniest! She never fails
hi to me in the halls!
Uma!
to make me laugh!
Hey Panthers! Can you believe
it’s already second semester? We
also only have two issues of The
Burlingame B until the end of the
school year, so we want to make
them they best they can be!
We’ve got you covered on all
sorts of news, from school events
to global current events.
Travel back to the Roaring
Twenties to read about this years’
winter formal, on page 2. Want to
know more about the BAC Pool
controversy? Head on over to
pages 1 and 2 to know the inside
scoop.
¡Por la primera vez, nuestro
periódico tiene una columna
en español! Check out page 2
to read our very first Spanish
column.
If you’re a senior, don’t let senioritis get in the way of reading
the article specially dedicated to
you, on page 3. We feel you.
Do you think sensitive issues
can be used in comedic ways?
Look on page 5.
Be sure to stay updated with
every game; flip over to page 8
for our sports briefs.
We hope you enjoy this issue
until we write to you next time!
We would like to dedicate this issue of ‘The Burlingame B’ to the
Heffernan Family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to you during this
difficult time.
Advertisments:
Do you have a business? Or maybe a band that wants to reach a wider
audience? If so, you may want to think about advertising in The
Burlingame B. This paper reaches over 1000 people in the Bay Area,
making it a great opportunity for outreach. Prices for advertising start
at just $25. Please email us at <[email protected]>. We will
make sure to answer any questions or concerns.
Policy Statement:
The Burlingame ‘B’ is a student-run newspaper with the sole purpose
of providing an open forum for student expression. Anything printed
represents the opinion of the writer, but not necessarily that of the
The Burlingame ‘B’ staff, the administration or faculty of Burlingame
High School, or any person affiliated with the San Mateo Union High
School District. The Burlingame ‘B’ does not discriminate against
race, political orientation, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Although The Burlingame ‘B’ will never refuse
to publish student guest submission based on the aforementioned
factors, we reserve the right to edit or not publish them.
Thank You Ms. Glick
for everything you do.
Emily Everson
can always make
my day just from
talking to her. She is funny and cool and a great
friend :)
Isabela Acenas is
absolutely one of the
sweetest peas ive ever met
Hope jack Phillips gets
off those crutches.
I love Nicole Delc
I think Signora Antonella is adorable and
brightens my day every
time I have her class. I
I think Samantha
love her.
I think Ms. Lukach
Felicia Azzopardi
Hale is a fantastic
is so sweet and hardis a beautiful person
person with a beautiful
working. She is overall
inside and out. She is kind
face and an even more
just a lovely lovely
and beautiful and talentbeautiful personality.
person.
ed and lovely.
Dave Sullivan: the
Nidhi Bandrapahli has
man, the myth, the
a great smile!!
legend
Mr. Chin, you
BHS loves you Sully!
make school fun.
Anna Kurzrock is a
You are the funniest
goddess for setting this
and chillest teacher. I
Priya Patel is so hilarious
up. Thanks Anna!! Spread
loved being in your favorite
that kindness wherever
second period class last
Melissa Milligan
you go.
semester ;)~Motivais the nicest, sweettional Penguin
est, coolest, greatest,
Ms. McLean’s nails are
smartest, funniest, most
so on point every day!
awesome person I have
I applaud
Allison Econoever met.
Sara Arfania for
mou is my inspiraall of her hard work
tion.
throughout high school.
Isabela Acenas is one of the most selfless and intelligent
people I’ve ever met. She has a passion for robotics, doesn’t
let anyone’s opinions get in the way of her happiness, has
true ambitions and loves her friends equally or almost
as much as pugs. Her mind is one of those that doesn’t
get acknowledged as much as it should, so im using this
oppurtunity now to show my appreciation for it. Love you
Jan.
Ariana Ebling is a cutie
and I love her.
Everyone serves a purpose and everyone is deserving of love and happiness.
Please if you ever feel like you are useless remember a that a little darkness is
needed to see the stars. And thanks to the pain you have gone through today, one
day you will be stronger then ever before.
Letters to the Editor:
Disagree with the writers? Bring your letters to the editr room A120
or email them to <[email protected]>. Letters may be considered for publication. The Burlingame B reserves the rght to edit for
clarity, length and accuracy. We welcome all comments.
Teacher Adviser:
Melissa Murphy
Editors-In-Chief:
Shirsha Basu, Elizabeth Daskalakis, Lucy McGarr
Sports Editor:
Colette Weese
Web Editor:
Arly Rivas
Business Manager:
Lauren Bodenlos
Photographer:
David Zhou
Reporters:
Jacob Battat
Taylor Cotchett
Zachary Gold
Rachel Greenwood
Christopher Hu
Charlie Jones
Mallory Jones
Isabella Ko
Noah Lazers
Alex Lee
Andrew Longworth
Chelsea Lopez
Claire Morrison
Evalynna Ong
Victor Pearce
Redmond Peiro
Renata Servulo
Erika Taylor
Emily Williams
Jacquelyne Zuercher
Gizem Akildiz is truly one of the most honest and kind people you will ever encounter
in this earth. To say that, is to know how
cruel this earth can be and that it is rare to
find kind people who put others emotions
before their own. She loves to talk about
her little sister, and talk about ap euro and
things educational. She's rare, and modest as
well as humble in all aspects. She's a smarty
pants and hides her good grades from people, which is just one of the humble things
you don't see anymore. I love her and my
other friends so much. Love you gizzard.
Hi, I'd like to take this oppurtunity to
compliment a boy (according to him *man)
named Jack Phillips. He's a sophomore, but
people mistake him for being older because,
come on, he doesn't look like a sophomore.
Anyways, I'm so fortunate to have been able
to get to know and love the sound-effect
making, hobbit series loving, minecraft
playing dweeb named Jack. He's observant
of everything, probably more intelligent
than I am, very passionate about a lot,
babbles about the things that intrigue him,
and see's beauty in everything. Like many
others, he deserves to be acknowledged. I
think he's so charming, and truly a delight.
Plus he's great on btv, like, hell yes. Love you
nerd. -p.t.
I would like to compliment freshman class coordinator Jasmine Samsami. She is one of my close
friends, and by being one of her close friends I
can see what she does for other people and what
she is a part of. She is class coordinator, on the
principle advisory committee, on the burlingame
youth advisory committee, the youth leader on
the organization Moms Against Poverty, and is
one of the most loyal friends anyone can every
have. Trust me when I say, she is one of the people I look up to in life.
Note: These compliments have been
submitted anonymously by the students
of BHS regarding their fellow students,
teachers, and mentors. The Burlingame B
is not responsible for the content of these
compliments.
Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015 2015
PHOTO BY EMILY WILLIAMS
BHS BoysVarsity Basketball
Sports
By: Redmond Peiro
STAFF REPORTER
As of February 6 Burlingame’s
varsity boys’ basketball team is
coasting at a 11-2 in league games
after the big win over Capucchino
on Friday. The graduation of Burlingame High School basketball
stars Nick Lowe and Frankie Ferrari, combined with a few injuries
of this year’s team, have been an
evident loss for this year’s varsity
squad. However, a number of
the younger players have stepped
up to fill the empty shoes left by
the University of San Francisco
recruits.
Seeming as basketball ability
runs in the family, junior Vinnie
Ferrari has come to replace his
older brother Frankie as a team
captain as well as the starting
point guard. He’s joined by the
seasoned seniors Jack Larratt
and Michael Banchero as team
captains. On the other hand,
junior center Bassel Mufarreh
has stepped up to replace former
center Nick Lowe as the towering
presence in the paint, standing at a
menacing 6’5”.
“Bassel is a great defensive
presence, often chipping in on
the boards and the blocks, but in
the same stroke can run down the
court and jam it, which is a huge
energizer for the team” junior forward Andrew Longworth said.
The addition of forward Tyler
Garlitos, another 6’5” player, also
remains a promising factor for
Burlingame’s success because of
his ability to “do just about anything and everything” Hillsdale
High School senior center Adam
Cook said.
“It’s hard to live up to the lofty
expectations from last year’s Panther squad, but with the season already underway, it looks as though
its going to be a fantastic year for
this equally talented Burlingame
team” senior forward Jack Larratt
said.
Be sure to check out the San
Mateo rivalry game on Friday the
13th at San Mateo High School.
PHOTO BY: DAVID ZHOU
Junior Vinny Ferrari jumps above defenders to make a basket.
Boys’ basketball has one game left- be there:
Katie Karson, a sophmore on the varsity team, goes up for a lay-up against a San Mateo player
BHS Girls Varsity Basketball
By: Colette Weese
SPORTS EDITOR
The Burlingame High School
varsity girls’ basketball team is
developing their skills, learning
how to work together, and making
a strong comeback from a rocky
pre-season. After a close 38-33
win in their Jan. 23 game against
the San Mateo Bearcats, the Panthers are feeling more confident
and ready to continue their hard
work.
Head coach Bill Lepletak says
that the team chemistry is “way
better than it was at the beginning.”
Although the Panthers did not
play as a united team initially,
Lepletak says “we’ve put ourselves second and the team first,”
resulting in more wins and overall
better play.
Senior Aleah Lauti, a strong
offender, has recently returned
from a knee injury that prevented
her from playing for 6.5 months.
The team is glad to have her, and
she played an important role in
securing their 58-51 win against
Carlmont Jan. 21.
Lauti said she is excited about “being on the court with my team.”
“I missed it so much,” she said.
Lauti also acknowledged the
improvements that the team has
made.
“When we first started off we had
no chemistry,” Lauti said. She continued, “We depend on each other
more now instead of depending
on ourselves.”
The stronger team bond has
helped raise the Panthers’ record
from 3-7 in the preseason to 4-2
so far in the Peninsula Athletic
League games. If they keep up the
steady wins, Lepletak believes that
the players are gifted enough to
get to the Central Coast Section
games, but they will have to work
hard and keep developing their
team bond in order to make the
Panthers more competitive on the
court.
Another potential asset to the
Panthers may take form in the
future, when the younger team
members will have had time to
develop into great players. This
season, the varsity team includes
one freshmen, three sophomores,
and two juniors who have potential to become strong team leaders
and even stronger players, given
that they maintain their work
ethic.
By incorporating these younger
Panthers and using “bench swap”
strategies in order to best counter
how the opposing team is playing,
the girls’ basketball team is finding
their rhythm.
“We play slow. We try to slow
our opponents down,” Lepletak
said. He continued, “we’re playing
the right way for us.”
While at first it was difficult for
some players to understand why
they had to stay on the bench,
they have come to realize that all
players have their own strengths,
and it is for the best that the
team uses those strengths to their
advantage.
The girls basketball team is
one to watch now, as well as in the
coming seasons, as they pursue
team unity and CCS goals.
Support girls’ basketball in their last league game of the season:
Remembering Stuart Scott, record-breaking ESPN announcer
By: Andrew Longworth
STAFF REPORTER
kid,” Longworth said.
a person.
In a post-game interview, Kobe
In June 2014 Scott was awarded
“He was an inspiration and by Bryant said, “he was an amazing
the Jimmy V ESPY award, which far the most interesting person to person aside from the fact that he
is given to individuals who perlisten to on SportsCenter and gave was phenomenal at what he did,”
severe, despite difficult circumgenuine feedback,” BHS junior
Even President Obama paid
stances.
Tessa Filipczyk said.
tribute to Scott.
In his acceptance speech Scott
After Scott’s death, the reaction
“I will miss Stuart Scott,”
said, “When you die, it does not
from the media showed just how
Obama said in a White House
mean that you lose to cancer. You much of an impact he had on peo- statement. He continued, “Over
beat cancer by how you live, why ple everywhere. Michael Jordan,
the years, he entertained us, and
you live, and in the manner in
Lebron James, Tiger Woods, and
in the end, he inspired us – with
which you live.”
Russell Wilson all paid tribute to
courage and love.”
Scott exhibited this message
Scott via Twitter.
every day
during his battle. He lives on
as a constant
reminder to
not take life
for granted.
As an anchor,
Scott’s presentation was
unique and
refreshing. But
aside from his
excellence as
a sportscaster,
his caring personality and
love for life
defined him as Stuart Scott, a legendary sports announcer for ESPN, having fun while reporting.
PHOTO BY GOOGLE IMAGES
As wearisome as cancer can be, He also wrote legendary sayings
Stuart Scott continued to perselike “cool as the other side of the
vere throughout his seven-year
pillow,” popularizing SportsCenter
battle with appendix cancer. He
like no anchor had in the past.
passed away January 4, 2015 at the
In a recent interview with
age of 49 years old.
Sports Illustrated, Scott’s colleague
He worked for ESPN’s most
“He was an inspiration
popular show, SportsCenter,
and by far the most intera sports news program that
replays and discusses highlights esting person to listen to on
from sporting events. ESPN’s
SportsCenter and gave genuvice president Al Jaffe hired
ine feedback.”
Scott as a way to connect with
younger audiences. He appeared
Jemele Hill said, “there are plenty
on many different programs for
of broadcasters on Stuart’s level
ESPN, and was best known as an that wouldn’t even take the time
anchor on SportsCenter, but he
to say hello to you, much less
was also known for his interviews establish any kind of relationship
of NBA stars following the NBA
with you.”
Finals, as well as his role on MonSportsCenter fan Daniel
day Night Football.
Longworth was fortunate enough
Scott appealed to Afrito meet Scott and the rest of the
can-American youth, a demoMonday Night Football anchors
graphic SportsCenter had not
Nov. 18, 2012, while Scott was
connected with before his arrival. working at Candlestick Park for a
Scott broke sports reporting
matchup between the San Francisnorms with his hip-hop style
co 49ers and Chicago Bears.
reporting and catchphrases such
“He was a really genuine and
as “BOO-YAH!” although Scott’s nice person. He introduced himcolleague Rich Eisen shared in
self to me and talked to me for five
an interview that Scott spelled it
minutes, while the rest of their
BOO-YOW! on his shot sheets.
crew saw me as some random
7
8
Sports
Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015
Boys’ Soccer looks promising for the season ahead
By: Claire Morrison
STAFF REPORTER
PHOTO BY: DAVID ZHOU
Junior Joshua Levitan pushes through a defender and keeps
control.
The Burlingame High School boys varsity
soccer team is off to a solid first half of the season
with a 4-1-1 record. Senior captains, Baxter Kindler-Balmy, Cameron McCann and Sharif Shibli
are focusing on developing the team’s strengths
after some of the last year’s influential players
graduated. Along with returning coach David
Siracusa, they are working hard to have another
successful Peninsula Athletic League season, as
well as to reach the Central Coast Championships,
where they came in second to the Half Moon Bay
Cougars in 2014.
“The younger players have been working
extremely hard on and off the pitch and have provided the needed support in areas where our old
seniors once dominated” McCann said.
The boys have been working diligently five to
six days a week, but it’s not always just about athletic and technical skills.
Their hard work has made them “a very speedy
and skillful team but [they] still have trouble creating enough opportunities to score,” Sharif said.
On January 28, the Panthers took the field and
competed against the Half Moon Bay Cougars,
coming out with a 4-2 victory.
“Every game is important, but this one was
personal,” Siracusa said.
The team is excited to have a lead over the team
that defeated them last year, which gives assurance
for the remaining six PAL games.
“We are gaining more and more confidence
as the season goes on, however we have yet to
reach our full potential but when we do we will
be a very difficult team to compete against,” Shibli
exclaimed.
Make sure to come out and watch the Panthers
play the Woodside Wildcats on February 13th at
BHS at 4:00 PM.
Girls’ Soccer stays motivated on
the path to CCS
Support boys’ varsity soccer in their upcoming games:
By: Mallory Jones
STAFF REPORTER
PHOTO BY: DAVID ZHOU
Cheer on girls’ varsity soccer as they face more teams:
Oceana rivals
By: Renata Servulo
STAFF REPORTER
Under the leadership of senior Captains
Adam Liberty and Matt De Leon, the Burlingame High School wrestling team has a
record of 2-1 so far this winter season.
The team’s success is due in part to their
year-round program and all the hard work
the coaches and athletes put in.
Throughout the year, excluding the
winter season, the wrestling team will
meet three times a week for an hour and a
half to condition and train.
“Everyone on the team gets along really
well and we all have great chemistry, I
think that’s one of the things that make us
a good team,” De Leon said.
The team plans to stay “focusing on
technique and conditioning,” Coach Adam
Bunzel said.
“The team has progressed tremendously from the beginning of the season till
now, there are minor things to focus on
of course but I think all teams do,” Bunzel
said.
After the Peninsula Athletic League
wrestling season is over, the team will
practice Greco-Roman and Freestyle wres-
tling to learn and practice new skills.
During the off season the wrestlers
goes to tournaments and competes against
some of the best teams in the Bay Area.
The Panthers are looking forward
to competing at the Peninsula Athletic
League and Central Coast Section in late
February.
The PAL season will end in late February but, the team has one last invitational
in March.
The season “has gone by way too fast
and it’s bittersweet because it’s cool to
have a break, but we’ve just been having so
much fun competing and practicing as a
team,” De Leon said.
The Panthers’ last dual meet is against
their rival, the Oceana High School
Sharks, on February 15 at 5:00 pm, at
Oceana High School in Pacifica.
This is one of the most anticipated
meets of the season because Burlingame’s
former head coach now coaches Oceana.
For more information on upcoming
meets visit www.bhspantherwrestling.com.
PHOTO BY: LUCY MCGARR
Junior Ilana Parness dribbles the ball down the field and prepares to make a
pass.
The Panthers varsity girls soccer
is that they know how “lie with the
team is currently in second place in the wings,” senior Nina Chikanov said. This
Peninsula Athletic League Bay Divimeans that the team focuses on using
sion, and with their 7-2-4 record, they
the entire width of the field and taking
are in an excellent position to qualify
the ball down the sideline.
for the Central Coast Section champiA weakness they’ve had to deal with
onships.
is multiple team members suffering
The team is, “a group of outstanding from injuries, but they are heading in
young ladies, who seem to really enjoy
the right direction, and almost everyeach other, and have bonded,” head
one is healthy and able to play.
coach Phillip De Rosa said.
Something unique to this team is
Many team members graduated last
that they do not have the same captains
year, and to adjust the remaining and
all the time. Their captains vary based
new Panthers need “to find a consistent on game days. De Rosa likes to give all
connection on the field,” senior Katie
of his players equal opportunities, so he
Kissner said.
selects two new girls to be the captains
On the other hand, Kissner beat every game. This method encouraglieves they have greatly improved their
es the development of leadership and
communication skills as a team. Their
respect.
teamwork has developed through lots
Soccer can be very unpredictable
of practice and it is an important factor at times, and it is important that the
in the team’s ability to make it to CCS.
team stays motivated and “plays with
The team’s main strength comes
the same level of intensity, focus, and
from a reliable defense, “anchored by
communication,” Chikanov said.
three seniors, goalie Nina Chikanov,
The team’s spirits are high and they
and defenders Katie Kissner and Giulia are confident that they can take on
Flygare,” De Rosa said.
anything that comes their way as the
Another one of their strengths
season continues and CCS approaches.
Come see wrestling tackle more competitors:
Burlingame’s wrestlers stay strong in a meet against the Mills Vikings, a tough competitor.