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Archive COVID News

Omicron Cases Hit SCUSD

By Eleanor Love, News and Sports Editor

As of January 3 the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) had about 500 reported COVID cases, according to Communications Manager Al Goldberg. Those who tested positive are now in quarantine.

The district supplied around 38,000 take-home tests to staff and students before and during winter break. Elementary schools were prioritized in distribution to ensure that younger students ineligible for the vaccine received tests. Some high schools like C.K. McClatchy did not receive enough tests to supply its entire student population. 

Approximately 20,000 test results were submitted to the Primary Health website portal. Considering these numbers, 1 in every 40 reported test results were positive. 

Students and families may access the district’s “Reopening Dashboard” website, which provides information and graphics about the district’s overall vaccination rates among students and staff, as well as breakdowns by grade level and school site. The “COVID-19 Dashboard” section of the website (the third section) provides information on positive tests and quarantines in the district and by school. However it does not reflect the number of students and staff who tested positive over winter break and stayed home to quarantine – it only reflects those who came to school and tested positive. 

SCUSD has currently made no indication that its schools will return to online learning. When asked if the district may consider virtual learning amidst the Omicron surge, Goldberg stated “SCUSD and our schools are working hard to provide testing, vaccine clinics, and contact tracing so we can keep our schools open for in-person instruction. We continue to monitor our case rates and public health guidance to be sure that we are operating safely as possible.”

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Archive COVID News

Upon Return, COVID Testing Rates Soar

By Eleanor Love, News and Sports Editor

Tons of students at McClatchy lined up to receive COVID testing in the pool room upon returning to school from winter break. When asked, a member of the COVID aide team in the testing room said “I couldn’t give you a rough estimate. Hundreds. A lot more than usual. Like the whole school.”

The testing center was swarmed with students in the morning before school, during all six periods and lunch, and after school.

According to Principal Andrea Egan, 7 to 8 teachers were absent today due to illness, some because of COVID but not all confirmed. McClatchy has not yet experienced a major substitute teacher shortage and was able to cover all but one of these teacher absences. The class without a substitute was gathered in the library to be supervised by school librarian Lynnette Scott. 

In the case that a teacher is absent and a substitute is unable to supervise, classes are to be sent to the library, gym, or auditorium. 

“While I am eternally optimistic that 2022 will be a better year, it appears that January may be quite challenging given the spread of the Omicron COVID variant,” Egan stated in Sunday’s Roar message. 

As of now, McClatchy will not be reverting to any form of online learning. All McClatchy students will continue to be required to wear masks at all times, with the exception of eating and drinking when outdoors. In the Roar, Egan thanked families and students who have uploaded their vaccination statuses and explained that students without uploaded documentation of vaccinations or exemptions may be moved to independent study. Unvaccinated students with exemptions will begin regular COVID testing later this month. 

SCUSD families and students can submit vaccine records here if they have not yet done so. Exemption applications can be found here. 

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Archive COVID News

CDPH Shipping Delays Impact COVID Tests for Students

By Eleanor Love, News and Sports Editor

The Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) experienced a shortage in take-home COVID testing kits to provide to students after the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) didn’t meet the district’s requests for test kits. According to SCUSD Student Support and Health Services Director Victoria Flores, the CDPH offered to provide take-home tests to the district for students and staff to use over winter break. It was a grant-funded program through CDPH. 

In total, SCUSD received around 38,000 test kits. The district prioritized elementary schools first. Only 1,260 test kits were sent to McClatchy, whose student population is over 2,200. According to Principal Andrea Egan, McClatchy “did not receive near enough for all students.” McClatchy athletes who are required to test regularly were provided with kits to continue sports practices throughout the break, but the majority of students did not receive any. 

Flores explained that SCUSD worked to obtain more test kits after initially receiving fewer than requested, but shipping delays impacted kit delivery. “We are hopeful to get more this week and continue providing these resources to our community,” Flores said. 

The testing complications occurred as the highly contagious COVID variant, Omicron, spreads rapidly across the country – among vaccinated and unvaccinated people alike. Tens of thousands of SCUSD students will return to in-person learning on Monday, January 3 after winter break. 

The district has sent out multiple alerts to its families and students requesting that all students who received a take-home test submit their test results. It asks students who have been exposed, live with someone who has tested positive, or are showing symptoms to stay home and immediately get tested. “If you did not receive a home test, you may also access testing at school tomorrow in the Care room. Remain masked and distanced as possible from others until you get a negative test,” the alert reads. 

According to Flores, all district schools have daily onsite testing. Testing is also available Monday through Friday at the Serna Center from 12 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and at Albert Einstein Middle School from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. On McClatchy’s campus, testing is available in the pool room. McClatchy will not be requiring its students to get tested upon return from break, despite being unable to distribute take-home tests to most of its students.

SCUSD also hosts a number of vaccine clinics, and encourages its community members to get vaccinated. Children aged 12 and older are now eligible for a booster shot if they are six months past their second dose of the vaccine. More information about vaccine clinics can be found here. 

Update: January 3, 9 a.m.

The Sacramento County Department of Education stated that it had not received a shipment of 248,000 tests it was expecting from the CDPH, according to KCRA 3. California ordered six million at-home tests from the federal government to distribute throughout the state. The shortage in tests has affected many school districts, including SCUSD.

This is an ongoing story that The Prospector will continue covering.

 

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Archive COVID News

McClatchy Receives Limited Take-Home COVID Tests

By Eleanor Love, News and Sports Editor 

The Sacramento City Unified School District has sent numerous notifications to families and students requesting that students who took home COVID tests over winter break submit test results. “If we all test before returning to school we can prevent the spread of COVID,” reads the SCUSD notification. 

But according to Principal Andrea Egan, C.K. McClatchy did not receive a full shipment of take-home COVID tests from the Sacramento County Health Department. Elementary sites were prioritized first, but most high school students did not receive any take-home tests. “If more are shipped we will distribute upon arrival,” explained Egan.

All McClatchy students can receive free in-person testing in the pool room when students return from break on January 3. 

This is an ongoing story that The Prospector will continue covering. 

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Archive

THE PROSPECTOR: DECEMBER 2021 HOLIDAY EDITION

Our student editors and staff writers have worked hard to bring you our December 2021 Holiday edition. Please enjoy it here, and have a safe and happy holidays!

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Archive News Racial Justice

Ethnic Studies: Examining the Cultures Around Us

By Jackson Wedel, Staff Writer

As of October 2021, California has become the first state to ensure that students must take an ethnic studies course in high school. While the decision has gotten mostly positive responses, there are still several common misconceptions about the course. So why is Ethnic Studies such an important course, and what purpose does it have?

The concept of a social science course focusing on human diversity emerged nationwide in the 1960s alongside the myriad of other civil rights movements at the time. Not only did schools consistently exhibit discriminatory behavior towards students of color, but they also educated their students on the humanities (a category including subjects like history and literature) purely from a white American perspective. However, it was not until San Francisco State University students protested at their school demanding a more inclusive education that the modern idea of “Ethnic Studies” was born. San Francisco State soon established its own College of Ethnic Studies, and similar programs began forming across America.

The class, at its most fundamental level, revolves around the various cultures that make up the world – particularly marginalized groups that are often overlooked in most academic settings. The curriculum highlights the contributions, experiences, and achievements of African Americans, Asian Americans, Latino Americans, and Indigenous Americans. On a broader level, it emphasizes the impact forces like racism and colonialism have on communities and the world as a whole today.

C.K. McClatchy High School has had a fairly long history with Ethnic Studies classes. Introduced in 2001, the program was intended to help focus on voices and identities that often went unheard. “Ethnic Studies came out of that desire to have something that students of color would feel connected to,” argued Bridget Martinez, one of the school’s original Ethnic Studies teachers.

Ethnic Studies is a constantly relevant course, in part because of how malleable it is to fit current events and related discourse. “The fun thing about Ethnic Studies is that it could be different every time you teach it,” Martinez claimed. “There’s a few basic core concepts, but you can really shape it to what’s going on in the state, in the country, on the campus.”

According to Martinez,the overarching theme of the course is exploring diversity of all kinds. “Identity is the one constant theme that we weave into everything, because the point of Ethnic Studies when it first started at San Francisco State was that students didn’t feel like they had a voice, and didn’t feel like their issues and their concerns were being talked about in academic settings. I kind of stick to that and use it as an opportunity to give students a chance to find their voice.”

Martinez believes that Ethnic Studies is so crucial because it gives students the opportunities to explore otherwise-overlooked perspectives. “Kids start to think about things beyond just themselves and their own experiences,” she noted. “To get them to see that there is a connectedness – that it doesn’t have to be about you for you to care about it, I think is one of the biggest benefits.”

Ultimately, it seems likely that Ethnic Studies will continue to flourish at McClatchy. The school has perhaps one of the most diverse student bodies in Sacramento, so such courses will undoubtedly help exemplify and celebrate those inter-student differences. On a wider scale, now that both the Sacramento City Unified School District and California as a whole have made Ethnic Studies a high school graduation requirement, it seems likely that these courses will continue to bolster students’ intercultural understanding long into the future.

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Archive Opinion

When is it too Early to Listen to Christmas Music?

By Jackson Wedel, Staff Writer; Taryn Yee, Staff Writer

The winter holiday season brings with it a unique atmosphere, a renewed sense of joy, and its own traditions, like Christmas music. Often, this music is the highlight of people’s holiday season, and helps set the mood for the coming festivities. However, there is one constant debate surrounding it: when should people start listening to it? 

According to various polls, by far the most common opinion is that Christmas music should start after Thanksgiving. Others object, and begin listening to music before Thanksgiving (in some extreme cases, before Halloween). In this article, Prospector staff writers Taryn Yee (T) and Jackson Wedel (J) attempt to determine once and for all when people should start listening to their favorite holiday music.

T: Christmas music itself isn’t so bad, but when the radio suddenly switches from regular music to holiday tunes the day after Thanksgiving, it loses its value and excitement very quickly. People who turn on Christmas music before the month of December spread holiday cheer a little too early. It seems as if Thanksgiving is just another obstacle prolonging ‘the most wonderful time of the year,’ and playing music seems to erase that date straight off the calendar. The commercialized nature of Christmas correlates it as a holiday more centered around giving and receiving, and the music associated with it disregards the feeling of gratefulness that accompanies Thanksgiving. 

J: Overall, I disagree with the notion that Christmas music undermines Thanksgiving because the majority of Christmas songs do not actually revolve around gift-giving and consumerism. Most Christmas music focuses on the very same themes that Thanksgiving emphasizes: family, togetherness, and kindness. Holiday classics like “Jingle Bells”, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, “Deck The Halls”, “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”, “White Christmas”, and so many more do not mention presents at all, instead emphasizing other prominent elements of the holiday. The songs simultaneously increase anticipation for Christmas and add to the Thanksgiving mood.

T: Regardless if it reflects the values set forth by Thanksgiving, it’s still inevitably tied to Christmas. While I have the luxury of aux in my car, there are those of us that have to hear the same songs repeated on the radio. Part of what makes the holiday so special is the anticipation of waiting for it all year. Like Jackson argued, music adds to the excitement. However, when it’s played in November it causes the arrival of Christmas to be somewhat anticlimactic. At that point, the suspense has been drawn out and when December finally arrives, the magic of Christmas has been diminished by its overbearing presence in every department store. 

J: Being forced to listen to Christmas music before you feel the holiday season would definitely become irritating fast. However, there is absolutely nothing forcing you to listen to this music if you do not want to. Sacramento’s own holiday radio station does not start playing until a few days before Thanksgiving, giving people lots of time to listen to whatever music they want to without any hindrances whatsoever. Therefore, it seems unfair for people to govern when others should listen to Christmas music if it is so avoidable. 

T: As for my most controversial take yet? Christmas music is annoying and overplayed. While I don’t mind it during December there are some songs I can’t seem to escape. Christmas classics quickly become worn out, and the sound of bells and carolers are only palatable in small quantities. Call me a Grinch, but the soundtrack that accompanies December should honestly only play during December. Singing Christmas songs before Thanksgiving, at the risk of everyone else’s sanity, is Grinch-like in itself. 

J: Obviously, it is impossible to argue about whether Christmas music is annoying or not, because that is simply a matter of personal opinion. However, arguing that all Christmas music can be summed up with bells and carolers is fairly reductive. Lots of Christmas songs have completely different flavors to them. For example, the various Christmas songs written by popular artists of their times, like “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “Last Christmas”, have completely different moods. Whether you like pop, rock, metal, or any other genre, there are Christmas songs that fit those tastes. In fact, many of these songs work fine outside of the Christmas time period. Therefore, while I agree that Christmas music can often be repetitive, there are plenty of songs to listen to that fit anyone’s personal tastes.

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Advice Archive

Heartbreak

Heartbreak is a feeling so strong that it makes you want to crawl into bed and never wake up. It causes you to ask yourself, “What did I do wrong, do I deserve this?” 

The feeling is similar to that of gray clouds on a sunny day. It’s wondering how you’re going to get through the day with this terrifying agony. It’s waking up again and again, believing that the pain will be endless. It’s grieving without death.

I think that the most devastating part about heartbreak is that the person who broke your heart continues on, and you’re forced to live a life that doesn’t include them. You fear that they’ll move forward from what you shared. 

Not only do you lose that person, but also the part of yourself that existed during the relationship.

I know it feels like an everlasting pain, a hole in your chest, a void of nothingness. Heartbreak is such a long process that begins with the “numb stage”. You’re in denial, telling yourself lies in order to avoid the pain. When people ask if you’re okay, you respond, “I’m fine”. In doing so you’re not only lying to them, but yourself as well. 

The next phase, the “clarity stage”, brings the worst of your emotional pain. This is when you stop lying to yourself and others. It is when you confront the pain instead of avoiding it.  You just want to be able to understand the breakup and your relationship as a whole. The only way to pass the clarity stage is to fight it. The reason it brings the greatest emotional pain is because you’re finally letting all the pain come to you. After this phase, the healing starts.

The “healing stage” is next. However, this doesn’t mean things are easy. There are moments where you fall harder than ever, because you are still vulnerable from the last stage. 

The best part of the healing stage is that you can begin to grow from what happened to you, and are able to open your mind to a new perspective of your relationship. Ironically, it takes sadness to know happiness.  

If you are dealing with heartbreak, it is important to remember that you matter and are enough. Sometimes you may feel stuck, like you haven’t learned anything new or felt any better. I encourage you to be patient with yourself. These things take time.

Heartbreak is surmountable, but only if you fight for yourself. Acknowledge the pain and allow yourself to feel it. By doing this, seeking help and embracing yourself, you can begin to overcome a breakup.

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Archive Entertainment Opinion

Spider-Man: No Way Home Lives Up To The Hype

By Jackson Wedel, Staff Writer

Spider-Man: No Way Home has almost certainly been the most anticipated movie of the year. The film not only continues the story of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, following a massive cliffhanger in the previous movie, but also features the return of several popular characters from previous Spider-Man movies. 

The film needed to live up to the nearly-endless amount of hype, fan theories and speculation. In this situation, it would be easy for a movie to end up a muddled mess, overburdened by a desire to appease every fan’s wildest dreams. However, Spider-Man: No Way Home shockingly managed to be not only cohesive, but genuinely compelling.

It opens right when Spider-Man: Far From Home left off: Peter Parker, alongside friends MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon), must deal with the repercussions of Spider-Man’s secret identity being leaked to the public. An attempt from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to magically shield Peter’s identity goes awry, summoning previous Spider-Man villains from their home universes.

On paper, the movie’s premise sounds like it sidelines Holland’s Spider-Man in his own series. It seems to be disregarding the emotional build-up established in the last movie by bringing in completely unrelated supervillains. However, this plot choice is played out phenomenally.

Tom Holland gives perhaps his best performance yet as Spider-Man in No Way Home. He still embodies the same youthful, reckless spirit from the previous movies, but also manages a genuinely emotional performance. Despite the fact that the plot seemingly revolves around completely unrelated characters, his character arc is put at the forefront of the movie. Every major story beat is driven directly by Holland’s actions and their consequences, turning what could have been a mess of surface-level references into an emotionally-satisfying narrative. Furthermore, it also addresses key criticisms of this incarnation of Spider-Man carefully, making him into a much more well-rounded character.

The returning antagonists are also a highlight of the movie. They are very entertaining characters just because of how well they match their original characterizations, but they are also interwoven into the underlying themes and moral conflicts in an engaging and satisfying way. In particular, the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe, reprising his role in 2002’s Spider-Man) is a standout, retaining his eccentric yet menacing personality from the original movie. 

The movie balances maintaining the existing motivations and personalities of the 5 returning villains with keeping an internally consistent narrative. While that does mean that a few of the antagonists are given less screen time and focus than in their original movies, it is a worthy sacrifice to make to keep the story focused. 

No Way Home has a markedly different tone than its predecessors, moving away from the “high school comedy” atmosphere from the previous Tom Holland movies and into a more generic “superhero” tone. Even though this tonal shift takes away from what made the Spider-Man movies unique, it also seems fitting that the movies get gradually more “mature” alongside their protagonist. 

Furthermore, one thing I thought was particularly noteworthy in the movie was its humor (and, at times, its lack of it). The film is certainly not dour: there are quips and jokes throughout it – most of which land fairly well. It also shows restraint in its humor, allowing for certain sequences to feel much more serious and emotional. Marvel movies tend to have an issue with undercutting emotional moments with corny jokes, so No Way Home’s more consistent tone helped it stand out.

Possibly the biggest issue with No Way Home is the pacing of its storyline, which feels underwhelming. It feels as if the movie completely switches gears far too often: initially, the movie is about the public finding out that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, but the focus takes a sudden shift towards tracking down the escaped supervillains. The film is only about halfway done when that plot is resolved, so the story swings in multiple other directions. By the end, the storyline tightens up, and all of the major plot threads converge in a poignant and emotional final act. But before that point, the movie feels slightly directionless, pushing from storyline to storyline with seemingly no rhyme or reason.

 While most Marvel movies intertwine with each other in various ways, No Way Home takes the connectivity even further, linking both to other movies in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe and to the previous Spider-Man movie franchises. Thankfully, all the necessary details and connections are explained well enough that no previous movies are completely necessary viewing to enjoy No Way Home. However, the film is peppered with details and references to previous movies in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. The movie’s connectedness is a huge boon to it: there are enough details to reward longtime fans, but the storyline is still accessible to first-time viewers.

Overall, Spider-Man: No Way Home is both a thoroughly entertaining blockbuster and an emotionally-compelling journey for a beloved character. While it occasionally shows its imperfections, it is very rewarding for those invested in Spider-Man as a character. 

The emotional stakes are among the highest in the series, and are handled very respectfully, while the fanservice and references scattered throughout are enough to please any longtime fan. Despite the movie’s seemingly-convoluted premise, it manages to succeed on almost every level.

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Archive Sports

McClatchy’s Basketball Season Starts off Strong

By Taryn Yee, Staff Writer

McClatchy’s beloved basketball program has officially started the winter season, clocking in late night practices on campus and competing in local tournaments. 

Starting off the season strong, all teams won their first games, with the exception of the boys’ freshman team who lost a close game (37-40). Both varsity teams have impressive records so far: the men’s varsity team has a 6-1 record, while the women’s varsity team has a 4-1 record. The varsity teams have each lost one game in their respective leagues, using the tournaments as preparation for Metro League. 

Both junior varsity teams are working on building a sense of community. Mainly composed of underclassmen, the coaches are working hard to encourage team bonding to strengthen the program for future years. 

“Winning is nice but building the skills to be successful at the next level — that’s important,” Assistant Coach Justin Kumamoto said. 

Varsity men’s basketball had their first win against Hiram Johnson on November 19 and will be involved in various tournaments over winter break. Their first league game is against Monterey Trails on January 5. 

Jeff Ota returns as head coach for the varsity women’s team, as well as Assistant Coach Carlos Vicente who coached the 2015 CIF Championship team. This year, the varsity women’s team is split between seniors and underclassmen. Senior Caila Chappell admitted “We have a lot of young players, so it will be a learning curve.” Despite the makeup of the team, Chappell explained “Our games have been going really well. We’ve been winning by a good margin.” 

Senior Jameel Pongyan agreed, crediting wins to the persistent and supportive nature of the coaches. The ultimate goal is to advance to Metros, but they face tough competition. 

Grant, Burbank, and Folsom high schools pose the biggest threats this season. Varsity thus far shows potential, confident that their continuous practice and driven mindset will give them a fair chance at advancing further into the season. 

As of now, in-district games are limited to household members only. Per SCUSD COVID-19 mandates, each player is allotted four tickets to distribute to household members. Spectators without tickets are not allowed to attend games. Players are also tested weekly for COVID. However, some out-of-district games allow more attendees. 

Coaches and players alike miss the energy of the crowd. “It’s really sad how COVID is making a mark on our season. It’d be great to get Legion back in the gym. They totally change the whole atmosphere,” Coach Antawn Greer said. 

Chappell and Pongyan can testify to the difference the crowd brings too. They hope students can return to the stands soon. Until then, spectators can only watch McClatchy compete at out-of-district games. “We just need the crowd,” Pongyan remarked.