In the Easton Addition, many of the streets are named for early conquistadors and explorers who brought genocide and colonization to the Americas.
Elise Spenner, Staff Reporter
March 4, 2021
In my 14 years on this planet, our society has grown more aware of the people we put on pedestals, glorify in textbooks and immortalize with monuments. Slowly, we have realized that the history we celebrate reflects the present values we embrace and encourage. On our schools and our statues, we have replaced the names of oppressors — confederate leaders, slave owners and bigots — with those of...
Amazon is filming its upcoming “Lord of the Rings” prequel TV show in New Zealand, following in the footsteps of Peter Jackson’s previous films. Pictured above is Bag End at the Hobbiton Movie Set in Matamata, New Zealand.
Hubert Chen, Senior Reporter
March 4, 2021
In January of 2021, Amazon released further details regarding their upcoming unnamed TV show that is set to take place in Tolkien’s second age, thousands of years before the events of “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” Previously, in November 2017, Amazon bought the rights to make the TV show from the Tolkien Estate, HarperCollins and Newline Cinema for $250 million. With costs for...
The spaciousness and popularity of Burlingame Avenue make it ideal for a pedestrian street.
Mattingly Germack, Staff Reporter
March 3, 2021
Burlingame Avenue returning to being a pedestrian street would be beneficial to our city. Following San Mateo County’s move to the red tier, retail and outdoor dining can expand their number of customers, and a pedestrian street would encourage consumers to properly follow COVID-19 guidelines while supporting local businesses. Last June, when restaurants were first permitted to open for outdoor...
A student watches her friends on social media hang out together, but knows she cannot safely join them.
Samantha Johnstone, Webmaster
February 25, 2021
I was in second grade when my mom first got sick. She was diagnosed with the condition gastroparesis on paper, but she doesn’t fit all the symptoms. To put it shortly, my mom’s intestinal track doesn’t function so she receives all of her nutrition through an IV, which has led to a multitude of health problems, one of them being a compromised immune system. For the past two years, my mom’s...
When we close our novels, leave the comfort of our couches and head out into the real world, those we encounter will thank us for being readers.
Caroline Yeow, Senior Reporter
February 9, 2021
Stuck in the monotony of quarantine life, I often feel like I’m on auto-pilot, rotating between my bed, the dining table and my desk. Sometimes I feel like I don’t even inhabit my own body —I’m a shell of a person, just going through the motions. That’s a little dramatic. But, I don’t think it’s uncommon to say that people have not only lost touch with others during quarantine, but also,...
Many student athletes find their aspirations for a sports season at risk of further postponement or cancellation, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michelle Moshkovoy, Staff Reporter
February 8, 2021
If you’ve turned on the news in the last ten months, it is very probable that there was one topic dominating the newscast — COVID-19. It is seemingly all we hear about when we click our remote controls or respective devices for updates of what is happening in the world, and as much as many want to steer away from it and feign a sense of normalcy — myself included —the reality is that it is...
Photo courtesy of W. H. Freeman and Company
The Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science textbook students use to guide their studies.
Lexi Goldstein, Copy Editor
February 4, 2021
Curriculum requirements are put in place to ensure students receive a well-rounded education suitable for the demands of future careers and schooling, but sometimes those requirements overlook important courses. With a climate rapidly worsening, students need to receive a more holistic, realistic scientific education beyond the two required years. Environmental science courses successfully build off...
Despite Burlingame High School remaining closed due to state regulations, many students have egregiously broken COVID protocols put in place by the county.
Mattingly Germack, Staff Reporter
February 1, 2021
Anyone with access to social media knows that San Mateo County’s purple-tier status has not been taken seriously by many teenagers. Some have been outright flagrant in their violations of the order — most notably, a group of Burlingame students posted a photo on Snapchat of them partying in Florida without masks. However, this partying is also happening here. Instances of students renting party...
Julianna Oliver, Staff Reporter
January 31, 2021
It started with the Founding Fathers during the birth of America. The revolution was over, colonists were happy to get away from a monarchy that believed in divine right to the crown. The foundation of America was set on democracy. The Founding Fathers, also known as “The Sons of Enlightenment,” were especially keen on a secular country because it was integral to their vision of democracy. After...
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) outline guidelines for English courses in public high schools in the state of California which include reading one Shakespeare play.
Allison Cohen, Business Manager
January 25, 2021
Throughout my four years of high school, I’ve had 18 mandatory books assigned to me, and three of them have been by William Shakespeare. That means that over 16% of the mandatory books I’ve read in high school have been the work of one man. The exact quantity of books and various titles vary with Advanced Placement (AP) and Advanced Standing (AS) courses assigning more rigorous texts. And of course,...
Photo taken by Anca Stratianu.
Julianna Oliver (front), age 7, stands with other church members at church mass.
Julianna Oliver, Staff Reporter
January 11, 2021
I remember my mother driving to Hayward with my grandma and I in the back seat every Sunday. The car always smelled like my grandmother’s perfume. A sweet yet tangy smell that I could pinpoint in a sea of elderly ladies. As we drove across the San Mateo Bridge, the sun shined across the water. As someone who is Romanian-Orthodox, there aren’t many churches in the Bay Area, and we had to travel...
Aidan Hay, Staff Reporter
January 8, 2021
With winter break coming to a close, and the second semester starting up, it’s become apparent that I don’t feel much like a “BHS student” anymore. Sure, I’m a student, but I have never felt more disconnected from my learning environment than right now. Although distance learning is creating this disconnect, very few changes can be made to compensate for it. We are feeling more burnt out...
Companies have a constant watch on internet search habits in order to sell them the most products they can.
Sabina Barrolaza, Staff Reporter
January 8, 2021
Our increased digital dependency in the last decade has paved the way for the growth of online marketing. Since exposure to ad after ad has desensitized consumers and no longer catches people’s eyes, marketing teams develop strategies in order to sell as much as they can. This is where targeted advertising comes into play. Websites track our internet activity and create algorithms of ads to sell...
Listening to music in class allows students to tune out distractions and focus more on their work.
William Chastain, Staff Reporter
January 7, 2021
Listening to music during class was always a risky move, especially back in middle school, when it seemed like the only goal of the teacher was to snuff out the students with one AirPod in their ear listening to popular rap music. But what these administrators who make the “no music during class” rule don’t understand is that music helps students perform better in class. The same rules apply...



