The Inside Scoop: Ben & Jerry’s “Milk” & Cookies

Photo Credits: Keith Homan / Shutterstock.com

By Kati Wilkes and Savonnah Wong

For our second scoop into the world of non-dairy ice cream alternatives, we tried out Ben & Jerry’s “Milk” & Cookies ice cream. We stopped by our local Safeway and picked it up, eager to see if it lived up to its reputation. In place of dairy milk, this ice cream has a base of sunflower milk and butter, making it vegan. Since it’s vegan, it’s an even more accessible choice for those who aren't just dairy-free. 

The sunflower milk base creates a creamy texture that is very similar to traditional dairy ice cream. While either scooping or enjoying this treat, it’s nearly impossible to tell that what you are eating is not “normal ice cream.” There is not much more we could ask of Ben & Jerry’s in making a non-dairy alternative.

As for the flavor and fillings in the ice cream, the “Milk” and Cookies variation really stays true to its name. It’s filled with a swirl of Oreos and chocolate chip cookies, which adds to the creamy yet smooth consistency of the entire concoction. The flavor is rich, yet not overpoweringly sweet, so with every spoonful, you get a taste of everything wonderful that the ice cream has to offer.

Though the frozen desert certainly is a wonderful alternative, it is far from perfect. The vanilla “ice cream” base has a bit of a weird flavor due to the roasted sunflower seeds that are used to make the sunflower milk. The vanilla taste is almost overpowered by a burnt undertone. However, in the scoop that has everything mixed together, the “burnt” taste really is not an issue at all. 

Taste: 🍦🍦🍦/5

Consistency: 🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦/5

Similarity to Ice-Cream: 🍦🍦🍦🍦/5

Overall: 🍦🍦🍦/5

The 100th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage: How Far Have We Come?

Photo Credit: The Guardian

“Ida B. Wells”

By Alison Chabala

August 18, 1920, marked the centennial of when the nineteenth amendment was put into effect and women were able to vote. On that day, a long-sought-after women’s rights milestone was finally reached. Indefatigable activists like Ida B. Wells and Susan B. Anthony led the prominent women’s rights movement while straining under the omnipresent burden of sexism in America. But even after this achievement, many were still motivated to pursue the next steps towards gender equality, because there was still so much more to be done. In fact, it wasn’t until 1965 that women of all races could vote. 

Women across the board have faced adversity due to discrimination. But surprisingly, statistics have shown that more women have voted than men in every presidential election since 1980. According to a Pew Research article, “In 2016, 63% of women who were eligible to vote said they cast ballots in the presidential election, compared with 59% of men.” Where does this disparity come from? Why did almost 10 million more women vote in the last presidential election than men? Statistics show that this trend has become even more prevalent over the recent elections. 

An interview with humanities teacher Stephanie McGraw adds a new perspective to help discern the root of this trend. 

“When you go back in history, like when women got the right to vote in 1920, a lot of people thought there would be this ‘woman’s vote,’ and there wasn’t,” McGraw said. “It starts in the 1970s, what we call ‘the culture wars’, And then in the late 70s, there was a huge backlash against Roe v. Wade, and abortion, the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment), and the ERA actually got defeated in the 80s. So I think a lot of women decided that the way to change society is through the vote.” 

The surge of women voters in 1980 has been attributed to what has been called the “Ronald Reagan effect.” That was the year of the election between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter. In his campaign, Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan advocated vehemently against abortion, and gave his opinions of the role of women. 

According to The Atlantic, “the party dropped its support of the Equal Rights Amendment, embraced an anti-abortion position, and courted conservative Christians who lamented the effect of working women on “traditional” families.”

This, many claim, is when women started to take sides based on their own individual opinions and the incongruences and differences of voting among women were revealed.  McGraw adds how subsequent events helped ignite the fire of the women’s voting. 

“The Anita Hill hearings, 1992, was the year of the woman, and it was part of my coming of age, because women were so upset with the senate judiciary committee, headed by Joe Biden, reacting to Anita Hill, who had accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment, and it was a bunch of like old, white guys who basically ignored this black woman,” McGraw said. “So for me it's women frustrated with the system, frustrated with the patriarchy, and the lack of representation, and feeling that the vote is the way to have their voices heard.” When asked if she thinks if higher voting rates of women have any deeper implications, she said, “Yes. I do.”

Photo Credit: The New Yorker

“The Anita Hill Hearing”

Recent events have swayed potential outcomes of the 2020 presidential election between Joe Biden and President Donald Trump. Democratic Associate Supreme Court Justice and feminist icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away in September due to complications from pancreatic cancer. 

According to by NBC news, “A Pew Research poll from early September also showed that 66 percent of Democratic voters viewed the Supreme Court as ‘“very important’ in the election, compared to 61 percent of Republicans.” Ginsburg’s death has many possible implications: if her seat is filled by a nomination from President Trump, an indubitable threat is posed for abortion rights, LGBTQ+ rights, among other issues.

 “I know statistically, the supreme court energizes the right, much more than the left, so I think Trump being able to get a third, really conservative, pro-life person on the court is really going to energize the right.” McGraw said. “But [with] the supreme court vacancy, I’m not sure, because there’s so much on the line, and I think that a lot of conservative women who were disgusted by Trump and weren't going to vote for him, I think because they are so adamantly pro life, I think they might come out and vote.” 

The consequences of this presidential election will ripple across the country. And regardless of why more women vote, the women’s vote will be very influential. 

“There are so many variables that come into play,” McGraw said. This 2020 election will be very consequential for a myriad of reasons, and the vote is the most important to vocalize your ways to invoke change, because they are intrinsically powerful.”

My Friend, Fire: Native American Practice of Controlled Burns Suppressed

Photo Credit: Alf Manciagli/Shutterstock.com

By Renee Tian

Flickering flames, eagerly stretching their tendrils towards the sky, spewing out smoldering fumes that bring burning tears to your eyes. It crackles, knowing the destruction it harbors, and leaves a barren wasteland behind, ashes dancing in the air. Fire, one of the five key elements of life and spirit, is widely known to be the root of obliteration, wreaking havoc on communities and claiming the lives of loved ones. An average Californian would describe fire as destructive, having seen the frontlines of the chaos it brings. That’s what we have been taught, from only seeing the aggressive aspects. Yet, another side to this narrative exists. Fire is natural and healthy for the ecosystem—a source of life, even. It has existed on Earth for longer than humans have, and it is not the dangerous creature that people see it as. 

For centuries, Native tribes have been utilizing this very element to foster life and create balance on our land. These flames are guardians of the land, not destroyers. According to the Cultural Fire Management Council (CFMC), traditional “cultural burns” are controlled fires annually set to “lead to a healthier ecosystem for all plants and animals, long term fire protection for residents, and provide a platform that will in turn support the traditional hunting and gathering activities of Yurok.” It burns off underbrush and encourages new plant growth, creating healthier forests and less wildfires. 

Rick O’Rourke, a traditional fire practitioner describes it as “an amazing, healing, life-giving, rejeunivative tool” that helps “[make] trees more fire resilient and [into a] fire-adapted landscape.” He started practicing this method when he was 11, taught by his grandmother while spending the summers at her home. It was used for house protection from wildfires then, and has since grown into his greatest passion—one that he loves to share. 

O’Rourke describes performing cultural burns as “to use [fire] and to respect it like a relative or dear trusted friend.” It is a delicate ritual that requires years of experience to become properly in tune with the fire itself. “As the Fire and Fuels Coordinator of CFMC, he travels around California educating communities about the importance of fire in their landscape, while performing cultural burns there. 

In 1910, cultural burns were banned and considered arson by state and federal agencies. O’Rourke, also a Yurok tribe member, stated that his elders determined that since “there were so little [Natives] left, it was not an acceptable risk” to continue their practices. Recently, in the past decade, it has been made legal again, after scientific research proved it was environmentally beneficial, and fire departments across California have started implementing this method for fire control. It took over 100 years for the government to recognize the value of these burns, and they now use the same tactics that they banned Natives from performing. However, O’Rourke holds no grudges against his fellow firefighters.

“One of the most important parts of working with local state and federal agencies is creating a trust relationship and being at the table. If you’re not at the table, you can’t talk with them. You gotta be at the table and invite them in and share,” said O’Rourke. 

He works with these fire departments on a clean slate and encourages them to implement traditional techniques into their routine. Although O’Rourke is a qualified wildland firefighter himself, he asserts, “I’m a firefighter but I don’t like to fight with fire. I like to work with fire.” Their goal is to prevent wildfires before they happen, instead of stopping them once they are already in action. 

While O’Rourke may hold no resentment to the people he currently works with, others feel the hypocrisy of the U.S. government should be acknowledged. Brittany SchlaeGuada, a second-year teacher at Athenian, attributes the exclusion of Native fire to how “in America, we devalue the cultural knowledge of people who are not white.” She believes that the society we live in today does not allow certain cultures and spiritualities to be practiced. History has been unrelentingly oppressive towards minority groups, as she states that our country was built on “the foundation of white supremacy and oppression.” 

At the heart of what she does is the desire to  enlighten future generations about ways to help and discern inequity. SchlaeGuadachooses to teach through a lens “of environment injustice and racism,” highlighting environmental issues that “disportionality [affects] certain groups of people.” 

A common factor both educators stated is how crucial teaching the future generation is, and spreading awareness. SchlaeGuada implements these into her teaching, while O’Rourke teaches kids at local schools. As knowledge is multi-generational, and passed on from elders to the youthful, it’s impactful to teach them how to recognize injustice. 

Each and every culture brings valuable information to the table. Only by acknowledging that, and working together, can we progress and thrive. Mistakes have happened before in the past, and not all of them are amended yet, but it’s imperative that history doesn’t repeat itself. Knowing exactly how to incorporate and value different cultures allows society to flourish and nurture a healthy, trusting environment. 

The first step to ensure that we are on a prospering path is to inform others. To get people to recognize an issue is to talk about it. If we don’t, we fail ourselves and our future generation. Bringing awareness to environmental issues essentially saves civilization, as every single one of us are connected to the environment.In fact, we are the environment. In the spirit of our past and future, SchlaeGuada affirms to “be willing to listen to people that are different from [yourself].”

Does Athenian’s Leadership Pillar Deserve its Place?

Photo Credit: The Athenian School

By: Zoey Patterson

International and Multicultural Understanding, Education for Democracy, Environmental Stewardship, Outdoor Adventure, Leadership, and Service. One of these things is not like the others.

The original Round Square pillars did not include Leadership. It was added later per the suggestion of King Constantine II of Greece, who had long been involved with Round Square, and the Athenian upper school did not accept it as one of the school pillars until 2018. I can only assume the reason for this is that adding it as a pillar simply doesn’t make sense.

In my freshman year, I took the “Dyke Brown’s Mandala” March term class, taught by Gabe Del Real and Sarah Freedman, in which we dove into the history and philosophy of Athenian and, by association, Round Square. This culminated in the creation of a pictorial representation of the Mandala and the Pillars which featured stick-figure icons that represented each section and pillar as simply as possible. While creating all of these icons required a lot of thought, one of the biggest challenges we faced was making a Leadership icon that wasn’t exactly the same as the one for Service. In its purest form, what more is there to leadership?

One way of looking at the issue is that all the other pillars are specific guidelines for how to be what the Round Square website calls a global citizen. Essentially, they represent concrete actions that students ought to take in one way or another. In the context of Dyke Brown’s mandala, they are the way a whole student can use their capabilities and understandings to do not only what is good, but what is just. We should adventure outdoors, or serve our communities, or learn how best to participate in democracy. Leadership, however, is more vague. It’s not a specific type of action so much as a recommendation for how to partake in these actions. 

In taking a leadership role, we choose not only to engage in an activity ourselves, but to help others do the same. We guide a group of people to achieving a common goal, perhaps helping them decide how and what. We work to unite them, with the greater purpose of satisfying a unanimous desire. This is service, and it is why a leader must be selfless. And most importantly, the common goal could be anything, like international and multicultural understanding, or education for democracy, or environmental stewardship, or outdoor adventure, or community service.

When I’ve mentioned to others that I think Leadership doesn’t make sense as a Round Square pillar, I’ve been met mostly with confusion. I have no doubts that this is because most members of the Athenian community don’t really think about the Round Square pillars—why they exist, what they mean or why they matter. Most students can’t remember them all, even with a handy acronym. They’re just nice things that we should work towards. They’re fancy words we use to show off how progressive our school is. We don’t see them as guidelines for how to apply the potential we develop as we become our whole selves, even though they’re fundamental to Athenian’s mission. It would be next to impossible to actually change the Round Square pillars, but the least we can do is think inquisitively and critically about them. Understanding that leadership doesn’t quite belong, and why, means truly understanding the Round Square pillars and taking them as guidelines for specific action, rather than as values we already uphold in how we run the school that are easy to talk about. It means understanding Athenian’s true mission and how it relates to the Round Square pillars, which I think makes being an Athenian student all the more meaningful.

Meet Catherine Lu

Catherine Lu

By Zoey Patterson

Catherine Lu is Athenian’s new Mandarin teacher. She moved to the United States from China four years ago, and is interested in what she could learn at Athenian about American culture.

“I feel that through school, the place I work, I know this country, or this culture...I just feel there’s still so many things about this country I need to know and to learn, and I feel school is really a good place [to do that],” Lu said.

Lu is also excited to learn about Athenian culture specifically, and expressed a particular interest in the international students.

“I’m very excited to now have a lot of students from China, and I just feel, I don’t know, just naturally close to them,” Lu said. “This year, two of them applied to be my TAs, and I’m very excited about that, too.”

The outdoor aspect of Athenian also appealed to Lu when she chose to come here, especially because of her previous teaching job in San Francisco.

“The driving and the commute can be very stressful there, and...I’m not very good at parallel parking, so whenever I’d drive there, I’d just feel so scared...and so I was like, hmm, maybe I should work in a more open space area,” Lu said. “When I found this opportunity came up...I had never heard of this school before, but I see Danville, and there is open space, and you know, it’s more nature—I was like, hmm, maybe I should explore that school.”

Not only does Lu have TAs she’s looking forward to connecting with, she’s also a ninth grade advisor.

“I feel that my favorite part of being a teacher is having a close connection with my advisees,” Lu said.

The fact that they are in ninth grade also interests Lu, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I feel, as ninth graders, they might feel all different kinds of emotions when they join the Athenian high school in this situation, so I will try my best to help them to have a better, more smooth transition,” Lu said.

Lu herself has definitely felt the effects of the pandemic, as it has impacted some of her favorite hobbies.

“I love swimming and hiking. That’s why I feel a little depressed during the pandemic, because I cannot go swimming anymore,” Lu said.

But the pandemic has not put a damper on every aspect of Lu’s life.

“I feel like this is a fun part of my life, especially now, considering, you know, the outside world, and the pandemic, and everything,” Lu said. “Whether I can come to the class, it’s just to calm myself down and to remind me there’s still good things in life and we still have hope.”

How Would A Coronavirus Vaccine Work?

Photo Credit: Joel Bubble Ben / Shutterstock.com

For the past several months, the coronavirus has ravaged the world, forcing the public to incorporate new and foreign practices into their everyday lives. While a few have flourished in the midst of this global pandemic, the general consensus remains that COVID-19 has been disastrous for a significant portion of the international community. In the hope of regaining some semblance of normalcy in society, discussions have arisen in scientific circles regarding the development of an effective and efficient COVID-19 vaccine. 

Firstly, to examine the plausibility, efficacy, and timeliness of a COVID-19 vaccine, two fundamental concepts should be understood: viruses and vaccines. 

“A vaccine gives you a toned down infection… which trains your immune system to know what to attack, but it does it in a harmless way that doesn’t kill you,” biology teacher Elizabeth Wright said. “Outside of a cell, a virus can’t reproduce or hurt you… They are intracellular parasites, meaning once they get inside our cells they can completely take over and turn our cells into virus factories.”

Vaccines, while potentially effective in mitigating the severity of viruses, can be incredibly difficult to contrive. These adversities are often so prevalent that several months ago—when little substantive research on the coronavirus was available—scientists were forced to remind citizens that there was no guarantee a COVID-19 vaccine would ever be developed.  

“We can't make an absolute assumption that a vaccine will appear at all or... whether it will pass all the tests of efficacy and safety,” said Dr. David Nabarro, a professor of global health at Imperial College London, who also serves as a special envoy to the World Health Organization on COVID-19, as quoted by Rob Pichetta, a CNN reporter. 

Fortunately, recent developments in coronavirus research suggest that medical experts may be within reach of vaccine finalizations. The events of September 23 corroborated this possibility, with Johnson & Johnson becoming the fourth firm to enter the final stage of COVID-19 vaccine development. This may seem adequate reason for celebration, but Johnson & Johnson, along with their competitors, are now tasked with conducting the most substantial leg of their research: numerous potential vaccines must be administered to thousands of people to test for efficacy and safety. While the enormous sample of testees may appear excessive, it is a necessary component of potential vaccine evaluation. 

“Different people with different backgrounds have different responses to drugs and vaccines… Certain drugs work differently for different people,” said biology and chemistry Teacher Maria Luca. “It depends on your biological sex, your genetic background, and your family history, and a lot of other factors.”

Thus, given the various immune responses different individuals have to the same vaccine, it follows that the COVID-19 vaccine  must be tested on a diverse sample of people to collect comprehensive data on its efficacy. 

Another logistical challenge is vaccine distribution. To retain their antiviral properties, vaccines must be stored at specific temperatures while they are being transported to various medical centers. The transporters are responsible for preserving the vaccines’ temperature within a range of three degrees celsius, which, in turn, curbs vaccine denaturation.

“Denaturing is when proteins lose shape, sometimes because of temperature,” said Wright. “Our immune system recognizes things that are not us by shape, so in order to train our immune system what to fight against we have to give it the right shape. This vaccine has to have the same shape as the virus to be effective.”

If the logistical nightmare of vaccine transportation is resolved, society has yet another obstacle to overcome in its quest to vanquish COVID-19, namely, acquiring herd immunity. Achieving herd immunity is possible via two methods: mass infection or mass vaccination. The former could entail mass death, whereas the latter mandates the successful development of a vaccine. Once a coronavirus vaccine is procured, herd immunity would be achieved by maximizing the amount of immunized people, incapacitating virus reproduction by barring it from potential host cells.   

“[COVID-19] is a highly transmissible virus,” said Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the Chief Scientist for the World Health Organization, in a published interview with Vismita Gupta-Smith, the Information Officer for the World Health Organization. “We think it needs at least 60 to 70% of the population to have immunity to really break the chain of transmission.”

Obtaining herd immunity is especially crucial for individuals who are physically incapable of receiving vaccinations, and, therefore, have limited protection against the virus. 

“The idea behind vaccines is to expose you to a small part of the virus or a weakened version of the virus,” said Luca. “If you give it to someone who is immunocompromised it might not work like it is supposed to.”

Consequently, those individuals who are incapable of being vaccinated will rely on the rest of society to vaccinate and isolate the spread of the coronavirus. For this reason, vaccination can be considered as more than a self-centered medical operation, but also a public health service. 

Bearing in mind the tribulations that accompany vaccine development and distribution, it is important to continue all safety procedures until medical experts instruct otherwise. Not only will this behavior limit the spread of COVID-19, but it will also lay the foundation for effective and efficient vaccine usage. 

Meet Phillip Hadley

Phillip Hadley

By Zoey Patterson

Phillip Hadley is the new Applied Calculus teacher at Athenian. Though he’s teaching his Nexus class from Nova Scotia, he’s looking forward to interacting with Athenian students.

“Back in 2008, I started swim coaching at Athenian, and I was at another school at the time...the students that I was working with through the swim team, they were mature, they were motivated, they had a tremendous sense of a responsibility to the community and to themselves,” Hadley said.

Hadley also expressed interest in working with other members of the Athenian community.

“I’ve really been enjoying and appreciating the community of educators,” Hadley said. “There are so many passionate teachers at Athenian that care so deeply about the art and the science of teaching.”

Hadley explained what he liked so much about interacting with the teachers in particular.

“When you’re around passionate people about anything, I think that it’s infectious,” Hadley said.

Hadley’s own passion for math was rather latent, and all but absent when he was a student.

“I did not enjoy math in any of my secondary education...and then I ended up doing my degree in physics and philosophy, so I dealt with a lot of math,” Hadley said.

He particularly enjoys the class he teaches, Applied Calculus, partially because of its appeal to students.

“A lot of our examples come from peer reviewed papers, so they’re not things that are just made up, so it’s very easy to answer that question students invariably ask me, which is ‘when is this math ever useful?’” Hadley said. “Well, in this case, it’s super useful!”

The world around us, Hadley added, makes the course’s subject matter ever more relevant and helpful.

“We do a lot of modeling and a lot of data analysis and a lot of looking at graphs and tables, and I think that that is tremendously important, knowing how to do that well, and effectively,” Hadley said. “We are just inundated with graphs and tables and charts, and being able to sort through those and think about them critically, I think, is an important skill to have.”

Math, however, is not the only powerful thing Hadley finds important in his day-to-day life.

“I can talk about film all day long...the power of film, to me, is it’s visual,” Hadley said.

Hadley has two favorite films: M, a 1931 German film, and The Bicycle Thief, a post-World War II Italian film, and loves both because they harness this power.

“With M, it’s a silent film, and yet the storyline is very easy to follow, and I would say even more so with The Bicycle Thief, because...it’s in another language and there’s very few subtitles, and I always say you could get along just fine without the subtitles,” Hadley said. “They really come back to the actors’ acting and...the cinematography.”

While Hadley’s strengths and passions seem to be film and mathematics, less enjoyable things have also played a role in his life and shaped who he is today.

“When I was a teenager, I used to do door-to-door sales in my first year out of college, and then became a car salesman, and the lessons that I learned in people skills in those two experiences were absolutely tremendous,” Hadley said. “I’m a terrible salesman...but I learned an awful lot about people during that time.”

This year, Hadley is excited to learn about the people at Athenian and how they’ve changed since he started coaching swimming here.

“Somehow, miraculously, the kids are even better,” Hadley said.

What really takes place inside China’s concentration camps?

Photo Credit: Huseyin Aldemir / Shutterstock.com

By Ilah Ross

Nestled on the outskirts of the Xinjiang district in China sits one of the Chinese government's “re-education” camps designed for the Uighur Muslims, an ethnic and religious minority group. Places where, according to China’s ambassador to the UK, “Uighur people enjoy peaceful, harmonious coexistence with other ethnic groups.”

However, despite the idyllic description painted by the Chinese government, this re-education camp does not look like a place for introspection and learning. Instead lies a series of cement buildings surrounded by barbed wire fences, with guard towers and military personnel pacing along the perimeter with weapons in hand. Inside these intimidating buildings are an estimated 1 million Uighur Muslims, who are being systematically detained, tortured, interrogated, and forced into labor against their will because of their religion.

The Uighurs are an ethnic and religious minority group originating from Central Asia who have historically had a fraught relationship with the Chinese government. After the state of East Turkestan was annexed by China in 1949 and renamed Xinjiang, the relationship between the Uighurs and the Chinese government worsened.

Following attacks in 2013 and 2014 that Uighur militant groups were responsible for, China introduced restrictions on the Uighur people as a whole. In late 2016, China began to detain Uighur Muslims living in the Xinjiang district, arguing that the Uighur people pose a security threat to the Republic of China. In 2017, the government of Xinjiang further restricted Uighurs’ religious freedom by introducing laws which forbade men from growing long beards and women from wearing head coverings. Since these laws were passed, many mosques have been destroyed in Xinjiang with no compensation for the Uighur people. 

Due to China’s ambiguous and misleading representation of the purpose and inner workings of these internment camps, it is impossible to determine the exact amount of Uighur Muslims that have been detained. However, many sources, including the Washington Post, estimate that the number is around one million. 

Though the majority of Uighurs are denied any knowledge of why they were detained, many leaked documents from a source inside Xinjiang show that individuals are jailed for reasons as trivial as having more than three children, wearing a veil, applying for a passport, traveling abroad, internet browsing, or even the frequency of their prayer. Once an individual is involuntarily imprisoned in the camp, they are subjected to “torture, solitary confinement, forced birth control, [and] forced brainwashing sessions about Communist Party propaganda,” Mark Moore wrote in an article for the New York Post.

By night, the prisoners endure this torturous mistreatment, and by day, many are sent to fenced compounds where they produce apparel which is purchased by US companies, such as Nike, Adidas, H&M, Calvin Klein, and many others. In addition to being subjected to forced labor, there have been many accounts describing hair weaves being sent to salons and individuals in the U.S. made from hair forcibly taken from Uighur prisoners.

The countless disturbing reports which have surfaced exposing what is really happening in these internment camps pose an important question: why are so many Americans unaware of the reality of this situation? There is no definitive answer as to why the situation with the Uighurs is largely underreported in the media. 

“The reality is that things happening in foreign countries can feel far away, so the situation with the Uighurs is unfortunately something that’s fairly easy to slip through the cracks,” Mark Lukach, Chinese History seminar teacher at Athenian, said. “Since there’s so much going on currently in the United States, and even more narrowly, in the Bay Area, there’s kind of a saturation point of attention.” 

Lukach discussed the question of why the Chinese government considers the Uighurs a threat.  

“Since its founding, Communism has been in conflict with religion. Since the Uighurs are a Muslim group, China doesn’t like them. China has gotten scarily good at using modern technology to keep track of citizens, so they are able to oppress the Uighurs very effectively because of this technology”. 

Though many nations vehemently insist that religious, racial, and ethnic persecution are things of the past, China’s treatment of the Uighur people confirms a very different reality.

How Does Climate Change Connect to the California Wildfires?

Photo Credits: StratosBril / Shutterstock.com

By Noelle Woodward

In the last few months, thirty-one people have been killed and over four  million acres have been burned all over California, resulting in deadly smoke, ash, and apocalyptic orange skies across the west coast. 

The California wildfires have been burning since August, with little signs of letting up soon. What started as record heat waves and an unusual lightning storm has grown into the most devastating wildfire season California has seen in many years. Worsened by global warming, these fires are likely to return next year, resulting in even more destruction.

“Experts agree that human behavior, land management, arson, and the effects of climate change caused by human industrial activity helped spur these massive fires, worse than any in recent memory,” wrote science journalist Matthew Rozsa in Salon. 

The fires, which mainly started from a major lightning storm in late August, have escalated due to a lack of rain, record high temperatures, and fierce winds. They are now releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, exacerbating the already dangerous heat waves in California.  

“One thing [heat] does, it causes the ground [and] plant life to dry out, which makes it a lot easier once things do catch fire, for things to spread and burn very quickly,” said Environmental Science Teacher Brittany SchlaeGuada. “The warm air also causes weird things to happen like the lightning surges we had which isn’t typical for this area. The actual temperature effects are due to global warming and climate change, and the fires are a subsequent repercussion of that.”

Beyond identifying the numerous factors that contribute to the escalation of wildfires, it is also important to note the key differences between climate and weather in order to understand the causes behind them.

“Climate is essentially the long-term average weather,” wrote Dean L. Urban, Professor of Environmental Sciences and Policy at Duke University in an email to Salon. “So in the west now we’re seeing a warming climate, plus a long-term drought, plus freakish short-term weather (for example, the lightning storms in [California], and the crazier than usual winds). Climate change and weather are linked, of course, in that under climate change we expect warmer weather but we also expect more extreme events.”

The widespread impact of wildfires this year has caused many Californians to seriously consider the influences and effects of climate change.

“[When] people think about climate change, they think [about how] the weather gets hotter or ice caps are melting,” said SchlaeGuada. “[They think about these effects of climate change] that are far away, not really measurable, and that don't usually come into contact with our lives, but the truth is that climate change and its effects are kind of everywhere and people are starting to realize that with the seriousness of fires this year.”  

Although the denial of climate change has decreased as people start to personally experience it’s effects, it still makes a difference when public leaders recognize and respond to it’s presence. 

California’s governor, Gavin Newsom acknowledged this influence of climate change in a September interview: "The debate is over around climate change. Just come to the state of California. Observe it with your own eyes. It's not an intellectual debate. It's not even debatable.”

However, Newsom hasn’t just accepted the reality of climate change. He has begun taking much-needed action on behalf of California to reduce it’s impacts. 

“One thing that [Governor Newsom] just signed recently was an executive order in the next 15 years to make California's car market 100% emission free.” said SchlaeGuada. “So that all new vehicles sold in the state of California 15 years from now will all be electric vehicles or some other type of renewable source. He's taking strides to try and push California in a better direction when it comes to climate change.” 

Newsom isn’t alone as he combats our climate crisis. Many Californians have been coming up with their own proposed solutions over the last few years. Some popular suggestions include forest management and stronger fire regulations, which although easier to implement, will only provide temporary relief. 

“If we do not address the climate change issue, no amount of forest management is going to avoid this sort of situation in the future,” said Professor Francis E. Putz, botanist at the University of Florida in an interview with Matthew Rozsa.

It is clear that we need a long-term plan set in motion- and soon-  as many climate scientists have predicted the wildfires to continue in the coming years, likely getting worse over time. 

How the Pandemic has Changed College Admissions for the Class of 2021

Photo Credit: Rawpixel.com/ Shutterstock.com

By Amanda Cutrer ’24

In March, Americans were told to shelter in place, changing the world as they knew it. At first, bread baking, puzzles, and “Tiger King” served as pastimes for many. However, as the quarantine progressed, people felt anger and stress from the changing world with many working from home, being unable to see family, or experiencing other hardships. 

For the class of 2021, not only have they started their senior year in distance learning, but the previously unchanging college admissions process is transforming, unleashing a wide variety of emotions among the senior class. 

The SAT and ACT exams were repeatedly pushed back, and many students found themselves unable to take a test. Danielle Nader ’21 signed up for at least 8 cancelled tests, causing her to feel a lot of frustration and stress. 

“Being told I can no longer take the test that I’ve worked and studied so hard for is very disheartening and disappointing, especially because I have zero control over it,” Nader said. Since then, she was finally able to take one, but many students like Nader will be applying without having taken a test.

Though many students feel helpless in terms of testing, the majority of colleges are becoming test-optional or test-blind to accommodate. Even the UC system has already announced it will be test-optional for 2021 and 2022 students and become test-blind in 2023 and 24, so not having a score on a standardized test may be something students will have to get used to. 

Schools are saying that a lack of scores will have minimal impact. They say that when reviewing an application, it is about much more than a test score.

“[The] admissions team takes a wide-ranging and holistic approach to application review,” said Ross Bronfenbrenner, Associate Director of Admissions at Macalester College. “Our system is not based on a formula, but rather on a nuanced understanding of each applicant in their own context.”

Small and large schools alike always work hard to get to know each student that comes on campus, so even though Athenian students won’t have high test scores to show off their smarts, the schools understand the difficulty of Athenian. 

“I know Athenian’s rigor and procedures regarding grades and coursework well. Not having test scores will not affect this year’s applicants,” said USC admissions counselor Will Peters.

Students can take a deep breath when submitting an application without test scores. Unfortunately, the class of 2021 has also been unable to visit colleges, a practice that many students and families partake in and enjoy when getting a sense of which school is right for them. Mark Michelini ’21 was concerned with finding his perfect fit. 

“I always counted on being able to visit one of my top schools in person and having an ‘aha’ moment when I realized what my first choice was,” Michelini said. “This has been completely thrown out the window.” 

He was able to adapt and find new ways to see where he wants to spend the next four years, such as Zoom calls with admissions counselors, alumni, and current students. Seniors like Michelini that expected to discover their top choice in person were faced with a dilemma, but luckily, colleges have done a lot to provide ways to get to know the school. 

“Every single school now has put tons of resources into their virtual engagement options, and it’s astounding,” said Athenian College Counselor Tillie Gottlieb. “I think it’s actually easier and I have so many more students engaging than ever before.” 

The amount of information available to prospective students online has increased immensely this year. This allows any student, even if they would not have originally been able to visit colleges, to check out any school across the world from the comfort of their home. Seniors can go to college nights and explore websites to learn about different schools.

In addition, there are many amazing virtual opportunities to replace the typical extracurricular activities that are not available in quarantine but would normally be included in an application. These opportunities are readily available for Athenian students. 

“I look at people like Mark Friedman who are making amazing opportunities in terms of service that are virtual and safe,” Gottlieb said. She also mentioned the possibilities of  “international and round square opportunities that are there, so much engagement with our equity and inclusion office[...], the athletic clinics, [and] people who lead forum.”

Athenian is providing students with a wide array of virtual ventures that help show what your interests are without having to physically attend a Round Square event, put on a play, or do any of the other activities that used to constitute a significant part of life. 

Right now, the stress surrounding college is very valid and common, but it’s important to look around and see what wonderful new resources are available as a result of a terrible situation. It’s impossible to  know how the admissions process will continue to change in coming years, but for now college applicants will have to explore and embrace the online world we’re living in.

The 1910’s: Music Through the Ages

“Scott Joplin” Photo Credits: The Library of Congress

By Alekhya Maram and Anna Ravid

The 1910’s marked the beginning of a new era of American music. The advent of joyful ragtime amongst African Americans in the Deep South starkly contrasted with the realities of wartime America. Ragtime, a precursor to jazz, quickly flourished, and this new style of playing enthralled audiences, especially the bright piano playing of Scott Joplin.

Joplin, born to a formerly enslaved father and a freeborn mother, is credited with popularizing and influencing ragtime. His most famous piece, “Maple Leaf Rag,” is still widely known today— if not by name, then certainly by ear. While there are no recordings of Joplin, his music was preserved through piano rolls, a preservation method by which each note played is perforated on a roll of paper. This roll can be fed into a self playing piano in order to mirror the live performance of a famous artist.  

According to Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, “Joplin's death is widely considered to mark the end of ragtime as a mainstream music format; over the next several years, it evolved with other styles into stride, jazz, and eventually big band swing.” 

Photo Credit: The Library of Congress

While the springy tenor of ragtime makes for easy listening, it lacks in complexity when compared to blues and jazz. The songs are often so whimsical they border on childish, and after listening to a few, it becomes hard to distinguish one from the rest. 

Around the same time ragtime was developing, blues were born out of the plantations in the Mississippi Delta region. Originally, blues music was improvised, and lyrics usually pertained to feelings of melancholy and sadness. Guitar players often used a bottleneck slide instead of strumming, creating a sad voice-like effect that exemplified blues guitar. One notable artist who emerged during the 1910s was W.C Handy, known as the “Father of Blues.” Born to a family of methodist ministers, Handy was prohibited by his father from playing any instrument other than the organ. Thankfully, Handy did not comply. At the start of the decade, Handy moved to Memphis and began his career as a musician, performing frequently at the Beale Street Clubs.  His most famous compositions, “Memphis Blues” and “St. Louis Blues,” were inspired by his experiences in the titular cities. 

As opposed to ragtime, which was primarily played on the piano, the blues music of the 1910s included brass instruments. Surprisingly, W.C. Handy’s blues music bore more similarities to the buoyant melodies of jazz and ragtime than the melancholy tones usually associated with blues. Those dolorous tones, along with lyrics describing the many woes in life, would reemerge in later decades, bringing blues music back to its roots. Though Handy’s blues compositions represented significant achievements in the genre, his songs don’t capture the deep soulfulness that makes the style so distinctive. 

In 1917, the year of Scott Joplin’s death, ragtime exited the musical mainstream, giving way to jazz. Though jazz and ragtime music originated in black communities, the first jazz and ragtime recordings featured white artists, as black musicians were often barred from entering the recording industry. The very first jazz record produced contained the song “Livery Stable Blues,” performed by the all-white Dixieland Jazz Band. 

The production of this record marked the entrance of jazz into mainstream society, a force that would both shape and reflect the coming decade: the Roaring Twenties.   

The Inside Scoop: Talenti Roman Raspberry Sorbetto

Photo Credits: Alp Aksoy

By Kati Wilkes and Savonnah Wong

For our first scoop into the world of non-dairy ice cream alternatives, we decided to pick up the Talenti Roman Raspberry Sorbetto from our local Target. As suggested by the name of the product, this non-dairy alternative has a similar composition to most traditional sorbets. However, unlike those traditional sorbets, this Talenti “sorbetto” boasts a similar consistency and taste to most fruit-based ice creams. 

At first glance, this sorbetto has a similar, creamy texture as one would expect with any traditional fruit-flavored ice cream. Unlike most non-dairy sorbets, this refreshing treat doesn’t crumble nor does it have an icy texture whilst scooping. This perfect emulation of ice cream’s consistency doesn’t leave much left to be desired. 

In terms of taste, the Roman Raspberry flavor carries a perfect balance between sweet and tart and doesn’t overpower you with pure sugar, which is fairly common in most fruit-based ice creams. The This light flavor and rich consistency meld together to create the perfect frozen dessert. 

Our only complaint would be that due to the sorbettos fruit and water-based composition it tends to melt quite quickly. After having the pint out of the freezer for only 20 minutes, the perimeter of the container had melted into a mildly, thick liquid that resembled the consistency of a smoothie that had been left out for just a bit too long. Though this was a bit of an inconvenience, the liquid still tasted the same as the rest of the sorbetto and it didn’t pose any real issue in the enjoyment of this iced confection. 

Taste: 🍦🍦🍦🍦/5

Consistency: 🍦🍦🍦🍦/5

Similarity to Ice Cream: 🍦🍦🍦/5

Overall: 🍦🍦🍦🍦/5

Personal Responsibility Is A Key Component of the Climate Change Battle

Photo Credit: DisobeyArt/Shutterstock.com

By Alekhya Maram ’21

“Climate change.” Though the phrase is rooted in science and data, it has become fraught with emotion, evoking images of inundated islands, raging forest fires, and cities choked with pollution. Despite the near consensus of the scientific community, the growing body of climate research, and the pleas of younger generations, the United States (and much of the Global North) has failed to make any substantial headway in combating the issue. Emissions have continued to rise steadily, and we have already exceeded 1 degree of warming. 

The question begs to be asked: how have we allowed this to happen? Why have we elected an intellectually impotent president bent on eviscerating environmental legislation? Why are we constantly highlighting the economic costs of transitioning to green energy when the cost of warming-induced damage is slated to exceed today’s global GDP? Why have we continued to turn a blind eye to the crisis when we have seen an uptick in the prevalence of climate-related disasters within the last decade?

At the heart of the climate crisis is convenience. Plugging your phone into the wall, taking a bite of your tri-tip sandwich, climbing into your car each day—none of these actions necessitate any thought. For better and for worse, capitalism has created a culture of convenience, where anything and everything one could possibly want is at one’s fingertips. Everything is just so easy, and for this reason we have allowed ourselves to be lulled into a kind of complacent inertia. 

It’s not just convenience that makes this crisis easy to ignore. It’s the distribution of the climate burden. Despite the fact that the United States and Canada emit some of the highest levels of CO2 (both per capita and overall), the Global South will be most impacted by the repercussions of climate change due to its proximity to the equator, poor infrastructure, and a dearth of funding. South and Southeast Asia will be hit particularly hard, as hurricane-fueled deluges, extreme heat, sea level rise, and malnutrition converge to create unlivable conditions. If we do not take action now, millions—if not billions—of people will suffer. 

If we are to have a chance at preserving humanity, we in the Global North must understand that we cannot continue living in excess. The importance of tackling emissions produced by corporations, and transitioning to 100% renewable energy cannot be overstated. But the change can’t end there.

We must also acknowledge our individual responsibility in creating this crisis. Even if we were to become 100 percent net-zero emissions today, our overconsumption would still be driving Earth towards the point of collapse. Halting global warming will require nothing less than a lifestyle change. We must downsize our homes, make a switch to public transportation, eschew meat in favor of plant-based diets, preserve our fresh water, and much more. We must give up the simplicity of convenience, and most importantly, the privilege of not having to think about the consequences of our actions. Because pretty soon, they'll be impossible to ignore. 

Ask Athena: Athenian's Advice Column

Ask Athena is Athenian’s very own advice column that aims to help readers think through common challenges. Students may submit questions about all aspects of life, inside of school or out. The answers in this column are the opinions of Athenian’s patron goddess, Athena, and are not meant to serve as definitive solutions to the questions posed. Questions may be submitted at any time via pillar@athenian.org.

What should I do about a teacher that I do not have a very good relationship with? 

The first thing to consider is why. Do you show disinterest in class? Do you not complete homework assignments? Make sure your participation and your work show your commitment. Attending C&C is an excellent opportunity to show interest and improve your understanding of course material. Teachers tend not to prefer students who disrespect them or what they teach. But if the teacher is treating you in a way that feels unfair, the best course of action is talk directly to them. This may not resolve the problem but it will inform the teacher that the relationship needs attention. It’s usually in both of your best interests to make sure you have a good relationship. If you’re having a serious issue you can’t resolve one-on-one, talk to your advisor about what to do next.

What should I do when my opinion goes against what a majority of the school thinks? Is it worth it to say anything if people will judge me for having a different opinion?

Open discourse allows everyone involved to develop more educated ideas, and you have the opportunity to express ideas without being shunned. If the issue is important to you, and the opportunity arises to have an open conversation, share your ideas but also show respect. Just as you are smart, capable, educated and secure in what your life experiences have taught you, so is the other person. There is always room to learn and grow and engage in productive discourse. With that said, people’s minds are difficult to change. This has been proven time and time again by behavior heuristics such as confirmation bias. Be prepared for opposing points of view. If you want to stand by your opinion, think critically about whether your beliefs are driven by logical and coherent reasons. When you speak about your beliefs, aim to show a new perspective, even if you cannot convince them. Your goal should not be to have others suddenly agree with everything you say, but for them to respect your point of view. If you aren’t confident in your reasoning, don’t say anything. But if you think you can present your idea in a way that sheds new light, it is absolutely worth it to express your opinions. 

How can we not have terrible mental health while going to a school that is so difficult (and don’t give me self-care, go for a walk)?

DISCLAIMER: This is an advice column asked and answered by students. Responses should not be considered qualified medical advice. If you are having an issue with mental health, please lean on adult members of our community like our upper school counselor, Rose Stoloff, or please consult an outside mental health professional.

Mental health challenges can occur for many reasons. In some (not all) cases, finding strategies to proactively manage potentially stressful situations can be helpful. As an example, if some of your mental health struggles stem from a sense of feeling overwhelmed by the Athenian course load, you might consider rethinking how you manage your time.

Self-care may be a good way to manage stress that’s already set in, but it doesn’t necessarily solve the root causes of stress. Though workload management strategies might not be simple to think through and implement, making small changes in lifestyle and habits can make a big difference. 

Personally, I’ve found that the best way to improve my own mental health has been to manage my time well while doing homework. I do this by regulating myself into not getting distracted (watching YouTube, looking at social media, etc.), and not procrastinating. I find that the best way to finish homework is to get into a “zone” where I’m very productive and sustain this flow for as long as possible. If you try this, you can take breaks if you feel it will help your productivity, but I find breaks to be disruptive. As with all attempts to find life hacks, use trial and error and do what works for you. Hopefully, once you reduce feelings of overwhelm, you can also have time for activities that help you relax. 

Blog Post Title One

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

College Application Season: A Stress Survival Guide

      College applications are quickly approaching for the class of 2023, and many juniors feel that preliminary college-app stress that we’ve all heard seniors complaining about. With their complaints of heavy workloads and high stress levels still fresh on our minds, many wonder how we can possibly survive this dreaded stage of highschool: college app season.

       With advice from Kimiko Sera-Tacorda, a former admissions officer, and Mark Van Warmerdam, an Athenian college counselor, we tackle the issues that past seniors have faced during the application process to learn from their experiences going forward. Here is a guide to lessening that burden and making the process easier on yourself.

How can my application reflect who I am?

Kimiko: Ask yourself: what do they want to hear from me? You’re not doing it for them, what do you have to say for yourself? 

How do I know which colleges are worth applying to?

Mark: A part of our conversation is, we get to know students and talk to them about their interests and their goals and aspirations. Compiling that with our information and the data that we have about colleges, [we] provide suggestions and help students broaden their search. There’s definitely a large amount of it that falls on the student to do the research and the exploration to see what works for them and what they’re interested in. We also do our best to keep a pulse on what’s happening in admissions to use that information to help students understand or estimate the likelihood of admissions.

What are colleges looking for? 

Kimiko: Depth  of involve-ment and a true passion will show up in your writing, and that is much more meaningful than a big laundry list of activities. I would extend that to be true for classes. They want you to absolutely push yourself to do your best, but that you’re doing something that interests you.

One senior brought up a concern about the difference between college essay style and the way students are taught how to write in school. How can students write good college essays?

Kimiko: We write reflections —that’s what they’re looking for, to be reflective. You do have more practice than you think. Reflect on college apps about what your passions are.

How can a non-humanities student approach college essays?

Kimiko: Everyone has to be a good writer and communicator. Colleges aren’t shifting their expectations based on your interests. There’s a sense of being sincere: that doesn’t mean that as a science person you can’t talk about your passions, your passions are just different. Tell a story, no matter if you consider yourself humanities or science. We are all human and we are all storytellers. 

In a senior survey, over a third of mentioned difficulties balancing school work and college apps. How would you suggest seniors find this balance?

Kimiko: Seniors should have most of the college applications done by the time school starts. Most of that work you can do over the summer when you have less stress and your brain is free to write well. When you’re trying to balance all the other due dates, it’s a lot harder.

Mark: We’re really trying to encourage students to begin early, so leading into senior year, a lot of the foundational work has been completed already. What tends to happen is that students don’t make spring a priority to make progress on the process because it’s not a it’s not an immediate deadline, and that’s when it becomes stressful in fall of senior year.

How can deadline-driven students keep on track? 

Kimiko: Use the resources you have—ask teachers for extensions, if you have to. Plan out the week before based on the Canvas agendas. If you care about it, you should plan for it.

Mark: We are providing, particularly through the Canvas now with target deadline dates for the different items to complete. And so sticking to that structure, and making a commitment to that, and building time to do that work into their schedule. A little bit of time every week will allow them to make a significant amount of progress that will benefit them down the road.

How would you suggest a student resolve differing wants and expectations with parents?

Mark: We encourage open communication both ways, between students and parents. A common way to do that is to set up a designated time to talk about the college process. This is about [the student’s] next steps and their college experience. In many cases, if the student can put forward a strong argument, and make a case for what they want, why they want it, and how they’re going to go about doing it, most parents are going to be receptive to that. We’re happy to be part of that conversation at the family meetings or additional meetings if it’s helpful to try and facilitate that communication in any way that we can.

What if there’s a lack of communication between the student and their college counselor? 

Mark: We’re sending out a lot of information. We do our best to be available, approachable, and accessible to students. I encourage them to reach out to us if they have any questions or if they have any needs that they feel aren’t being met.

What would you say to students who find the process especially arduous?

Mark: It depends a lot on how you approach it. There is a lot of work to do but if you plan and manage that in an effective way that can help minimize some of that stress around the workload. If students approach that in a realistic manner and if they’re open to a broader range of possibilities, that’s going to help them. Knowing that there are lots of great options out there can make it a much less stressful process.

If you had to give incoming applicants one piece of advice, what would it be? 

Mark: Start the process by being self reflective, and thinking about what’s important in their college experience. Continually ground themselves in that, and not in all the other noise that goes around the college process.

Kimiko: Plan and start early. As for essays, tell your story.

Blog Post Title Two

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Three

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Four

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

International Cooking: Laskiaispulla

Photo Credit: All photos provided by Gianna Beltramo

By Gianna Beltramo

Laskiaispulla. Also known as semla and fastelavnsboller, among other things, this traditional pastry is eaten in a variety of Northern European countries. There are small differences between each version, but I have decided to focus on the Finnish form, laskiaispulla. They are traditionally prepared during the Lent and Easter season, hence the more generic category they fall under: Shrovetide buns. However, the food actually predates Christianity; Laskiainen is an ancient Finnish holiday in celebration of the beginning of spring which has incorporated elements of Christian tradition. Laskiaispulla themselves are cardamom-seasoned pastries which are often served cut in half with a filling of whipped cream or strawberry or raspberry jam, though I believe that they are just as good plain.

I baked these! It was certainly an experience.

I haven’t baked anything in a while, so it was fun to get back into it, if only for a day. I discovered that cardamom is woefully expensive and that vanilla sugar is not exactly a common ingredient. (I ended up having to substitute it for a mix of vanilla extract and sugar, but it turned out fine.)

The following are a few of the thoughts that were running through my mind over the course of the morning:

“Is this wrong? This is wrong”

“Should I be using a whisk right now?”

“Oh wait...that says teaspoons, not tablespoons”

“I was probably supposed to melt the butter first, wasn’t I?”

“THE YEAST”

For the record, I absolutely loathe yeast. I’ve only baked with it a handful of times, and there’s a reason for that. It’s so...clumpy. I do not like it. Yet I swallowed down my ill sentiments and got on with it. Until I realized that instead of “2 heaping teaspoons of vanilla sugar,” I’d added two tablespoons. Already off to a great start! So, like any sane person, I took the first solution that came to mind, which happened to be eating the excess (which was a lot). It was disgusting. And of course, immediately after I’d decided I had a sufficient amount of sugar left, I realized that I could have just used less normal sugar instead of subjecting myself to multiple spoonfuls of pure sugary torment.

In retrospect, I probably should have paid more attention to the recipe, because I also forgot the butter, which led to me ultimately getting covered up to my forearms in butter-dough slime, a substance that is neither pleasant to the touch nor easy to wash off.

Another interesting dilemma I encountered: the recipe does not mention how big each chunk of dough should be when you separate it into individual buns. The Internet had no answers, so as someone who had never eaten a laskiaispulla in my life, I was left attempting to gauge the size based on the ratio of whipped cream to bread in the pictures. This also was relatively unsuccessful, so I ended up making some 2-inch ones and some 3- to 4-inch ones, just in case.

I baked them at 400℉ for 15 minutes, and somehow all of them were perfect despite some being 4 times as big as others. Except for the bottoms, which were solid black but still tasted good. Baking is crazy like that. 

I had one straight out of the oven to make sure it was cooked properly, and it tasted amazing. I’d never had cardamom before, and I am obsessed. It was crispy and golden on the outside and so nice and warm and excellent-smelling on the inside. And the bit of crunch from the almonds was great; it really accented the softness of the whole thing.

Cardamom is officially my new favorite spice. 

Later that evening, I whipped up a batch of homemade whipped cream (which basically means that I just dumped a bunch of stuff I thought was in whipped cream in a bowl and mixed it) and it actually turned out really good. The coolness was a delightful addition to the warm spices, though it was a bit hard to keep that much cream inside the two halves of the bun without making a mess.

All in all, it was a fun little project. Amazing flavor, good smells, aesthetic Pinterest-esque photos, the whole nine yards. I do have some questions about the appearance of the finished project, however. Judging from the photos of laskiaispulla I was able to find on the Internet, mine turned out a bit...crispy. They also broke apart a bit while baking, which I don’t think they were meant to do, but that was a direct result of me not knowing how big to make them. I tried to cut the decorative almonds into slivers, but my almonds were strangely crumbly and altogether uncooperative so I had to make do with chunks. Other than those two things, I believe it turned out perfectly.

The recipe was super easy to follow and the end result was amazing. 11/10 would recommend.

Jokes aside, here is the recipe I used if you want to give it a try. If you’re considering it, definitely give it a go sometime!