Editorial

Women must value interpersonal relationships

Perhaps the most devastating oppressive strategy used against people subject to maltreatment is uprooting camaraderie within them. As women, straightforward connections with each other have been complicated by the patriarchy, weaving a toxicity into the formulaic thought patterns of which we extend human compassion.

Lack of substitute teachers burdens BUSD educators

In recent years, Berkeley High School has grappled with a severe substitute shortage, which began during the pandemic. BHS students are no strangers to being greeted by vacant classrooms with no substitute available.  Becoming a substitute requires a four-year college degree, a California Basic Educational Skills Test pass certificate, and the patience to handle students’

BHS must initiate the end to local gun violence now

In the early morning on October 8, Berkeley was shaken by another shooting near the University of California, Berkeley, leaving one person dead and three people wounded.

Passive acceptance of bad teachers is unacceptable

Every student has had a bad teacher. If they don’t, they probably know at least five less lucky students. In any case, it’s unlikely that a student has managed to dodge a “bad teacher” throughout their academic career — that teacher who seems to be learning the material with everyone else, has a complete lack

Fear tactics have no place in education

Students spend a minimum of 720 hours in school every year. Every change and event in a child’s life during the school year reverberates around classroom walls and is felt by those surrounding them.

Oppression Olympics Further Racial Disparity

The artificial construction of race is a spectrum, parallel to the scale of oppression, where, in both the United States and Berkeley High School, Asian Americans have historically fallen into a marginalized gray area between privilege and maltreatment.

Coping With Grief and Trauma After BHS’s Loss

After a Berkeley High School student’s death on April 18, some students and staff are processing grief and learning how to best take care of themselves and support each other.  BHS intervention counselor Jasdeep Malhi believes it’s vital that students communicate how they’re feeling to their teachers in order to receive the support they

It’s About Time to Reconsider Porn

In the last 15 years, pornography has become more accessible than a bag of potato chips. In this same time frame, the rate of teen sex has dropped significantly.

Black History Month Activism Is Too Performative

At the beginning of February, for the fifth year in a row, Target released their “Black Beyond Measure” clothing line for Black History Month. The line consists of clothing pieces preaching sayings like “Radiate Black Joy” and “Noire Icon.”  While the sentiment is most definitely there, these T-shirts and sweatshirts blasted on the front of

BHS Humanities Classes Deserve More Prioritization

The humanities teach us about each other — about how to understand one another and how to understand the world. And yet, they are undoubtedly losing status in education.

Personal Attacks or Harmless Gossip? When BHS Instagram Accounts Go Too Far

Students caught sleeping, making an ugly eating face, or parking badly may find themselves awarded 15 minutes of fame at Berkeley High School. This notoriety is thanks to the student-run Instagram accounts that are unofficially affiliated with BHS, such as @bhs.slump or @berkeleyhighfits.

Fixing a Damaged System: BHS Coaches Must Confront Mental and Physical Issues Among Female Athletes

For many female athletes, the story is all too familiar. Entering high school, an athlete often quickly gains skill, fueled by hormones and a steep increase in training difficulty.

Admin Must Prioritize Student Input

In Berkeley Unified School District, self-advocacy is continuously emphasized. Whether it is through anti-bullying curricula or history lessons about oppression and social movements, students learn the importance of standing against injustice, being critical of those in power, as well as the power of collaboration and compromise.

CalSTRS Must Divest from Fossil Fuel Companies

By investing in fossil fuels, the California State Teachers’ Retirement System is complicit in environmental racism and climate chaos. CalSTRS is the public pension fund for California public school teachers.

After Burgmann and Bissell, District Must Better Fight Sexual Harm

Sexual harassment has long had deep, twisted roots in Berkeley High School student culture. The constant pattern of harm is revealed about every four years in a breaking point incident of sexual assault at the school.

A person stands at a Bay Area Black Lives Matter protest from summer 2020, holding a sign reading, "The ignorance is killing us." The "k" is replaced with an image of a gun.

When Seeking Justice, Imprisoning Killer Cops Should Not Be Our Priority

As several high profile cases of police brutality cause public outrage, including the murder of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant and 13-year-old Adam Toledo, the call to “jail killer cops” has been growing in popularity.

Depoliticizing the Vaccine Is Crucial for Protecting Our Community

A few months ago, scientists across the globe brought us a miracle. In record time, they managed to produce a series of vaccines, each highly protective against severe COVID-19 and death.

Media Must Stop Using Language that Incites Anti-Asian Hate

“Can American Values Survive in a Chinese World?” asked one Foreign Policy headline. “This Is Not Dystopian Fiction. This Is China,” proclaimed another from The New York Times.