The student news site of Carlmont High School in Belmont, California.

Scot Scoop News
The student news site of Carlmont High School in Belmont, California.

Scot Scoop News
The student news site of Carlmont High School in Belmont, California.

Scot Scoop News
News
Scrolling stops as a student confronts the reality of a TikTok ban. “It was pretty startling to open the app and see this notice pop up on my screen,” said Carlmont sophomore Thea Dumans-Ranum.
TikTok ban gains momentum amid uncertainty
Sarita Josephson, Staff Writer • January 22, 2025

What happens when a country’s favorite app suddenly goes dark? Soon, 170 million TikTok users may find out.  With billions of views and...

Vivace continues to appeal to the Belmont community with its high-quality cuisine. During the pandemic, it showed resilience, even when customers were not dining out as often. "There was always one of my family members that had COVID-19, including me, so we could never go out, as people could risk exposing each other," said Hayden Amurao, a sophomore at Carlmont.
A Belmont gem: Vivace Ristorante spreads Italian delight
Rachel Hong, Staff Writer • January 21, 2025

Vivace Ristorante, a local favorite, continues to serve the Belmont community as it lives up to its name, which means "lively" in Italian. Located...

Customers and employees share mixed feelings about Starbucks' new policy of needing to buy an item to use the restroom and how some locations can force people to leave if they don't make a purchase.
Starbucks brews controversy with new code of conduct
Lara Ibasco, Staff Writer • January 21, 2025

Stopping by a local coffee shop to hang out with friends or to quickly use the bathroom is not as simple anymore. A purchase is necessary to...

Features
A girl articulates her emotions more effectively through the use of profanity. Studies have shown that, although often considered inappropriate in many contexts, the occasional use of strong language can actually benefit one’s well-being. “Swearing is used for expressions of pain, expressions of sympathy, and even expressions of joy, whereas it's possible to be very, very hurtful and even hateful, without using swearing at all,” researcher in computational neuroscience and science author Emma Byrne, Ph.D., said. “Unpicking the difference between using profane language, and acting in a way that is hurtful and obnoxious is very important.”
What the %@#!
Kathryn Winters, Staff Writer • January 15, 2025

Dang it. Shoot. Frick. And much worse. Swearing is a well-known taboo, even considered a sin in some religions and cultures. However, contrary...

Zak Ibsen leads a team discussion, giving his advice to young athletes right before a high-level soccer game. A former professional soccer player and Olympian, Ibsen now uses his experience to mentor the next generation in MLS Next, the top level of U.S. youth soccer. “Part of his role as a coach is to develop the whole person, not just the player. Zak does a great job of helping kids learn from situations, whether they’re good or bad, and believes failure is a good chance to learn a lesson,” said Andrew Ziemer, one of Ibsen's coaching assistants.
Falling from glory, rising from ashes
Sean Zhang, Staff Writer • January 14, 2025

Sweat dripped down his forehead as he watched his soccer team put their all into the game, each sound of the ball echoing memories of his past...

Juan "Wonway Posibul" Amador gets into the jazz of his nightly music set. Amador broadcasts diverse genres on the radio every weeknight.
Behind a radio host’s microphone
Anna Ypodimatopoulou, Staff Writer • January 13, 2025

The car is freezing, your backpack is comically heavy, and you tune into the pop station with the jingle you memorized at 10 and never forgot....

Sports
Opinion
Students hurry to the Senior Lot after school to try and beat the traffic so they can get home faster. With a large student body and just two parking lots, navigating Carlmont after school is challenging due to the heavy traffic.
Opinion: Carlmont needs to change parking lot rules in order to reduce traffic
Samantha Crowther, Staff Writer • January 22, 2025
Opinion: Japan is not the perfect utopia
January 20, 2025
Opinion: If you’re old enough to fight, you’re old enough to drink
January 18, 2025
Satire: The Oppression Olympics
January 17, 2025
Opinion: You will never be rich, and that’s by design
January 16, 2025
Entertainment
With 2024 officially marking 50 years of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), the media is noticing a shift in the game's popularity as D&D is pushed to more mainstream platforms. Evolving technologies are encouraging players to find innovative ways to play online while miles apart, but many feel traditional tabletop D&D will always be a favorite in the community. "The best way I have always found of describing the game is that you get to play through a book with your friends. A choose your own adventure you get to share with your table," said Carlmont teacher and D&D player of 20 years Travis Callan.
Dungeons & Dragons levels up to mainstream gaming
Gabrielle Charest, Staff Writer • January 22, 2025
Women in the past and present march for their rights. Inez Milholland rode a white horse in the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession.
‘Suffs The Musical’ encourages women to ‘Keep Marching’
Piper Nguyen, Staff Writer • January 21, 2025
"Beyoncé Bowl" is now available on the live streaming platform Netflix. "I get to watch this high quality performance whenever I want," said Hana Yamawaki. "It's revolutionary."
Beyoncé debuts ‘Cowboy Carter’ on Netflix’s ‘Beyoncé Bowl’
Johan Sijp, Staff Writer • January 21, 2025
Cartoons
President Donald Trump is of the opinion that children of immigrants in the U.S. should not be citizens because he believes it provides an incentive for people to come to the U.S. illegally. He has made ending this an integral part of his presidential campaign for years. However, these children and their parents are an important part of the U.S. as we know it, and, without citizenship, would do more harm than good to our society. President Trump should not be able to determine their citizenship status.
Cartoon: Illegal input
Julia Cline, Staff Writer • January 22, 2025
Personal style and individual expression through clothing have decreased due to obsession with celebrities and social media microtrend hopping. Several different "aesthetics" and categories stemming from social media trends, such as "clean girl" and coquette," constantly categorize fashion subcultures and discourage exploration. Additionally, fast fashion companies mass-produce low-quality products to fit trends that change every week. These trends make it difficult for people to develop their own tastes and generally make individual expression uncommon, harming the natural growth of trends.
Cartoon: Temporary trends
Leher Kawadia, Staff Writer • January 21, 2025
In today’s society, overconsumption has become a common trend. With the popular app TikTok, influencers constantly promote the latest trend. The Get Ready with Me and lifestyle videos are among the many ways influencers entice viewers into buying items. It creates a sense of craving and need for the latest trending item. Students can feel pressured to buy the newest trending item. However, once purchased, the thrill of the product fades. It’s soon discarded and neglected, placed on a shelf, stored in a box, or shoved in a drawer. The cycle of overconsumption harms the environment through the increasing amount of waste it produces.
Cartoon: Trendy trash
Amber Chow, Staff Writer • January 21, 2025
Games
Quiz: Which social media platform are you?
Quiz: Which social media platform are you?
Jessica Li, Scot Scoop Editor • January 22, 2025
Crossword: Shuffle up
January 21, 2025
Crossword: Game Time!
January 17, 2025
Crossword: Palindromes
January 16, 2025
Quiz: Which high school superlative are you?
January 15, 2025
Trending Stories
1
Quiz: Are you more of a Glinda or an Elphaba?

Quiz: Are you more of a Glinda or an Elphaba?

2
Quiz: Which Jellycat are you?

Quiz: Which Jellycat are you?

3
A viewer selects the second season of "Squid Game" to watch within Netflix's Squid Game Collection. The highly-anticipated second season has dominated Netflix's Top 10 charts since its release on Dec. 26. "Season 2 is a lot more unpredictable than Season 1," said Katelyn Yee, a sophomore at Carlmont. "Unlike the first season, you can't really tell who's going to die and who's going to survive."

'Squid Game' Season 2 tops charts with global impact

4
A girl articulates her emotions more effectively through the use of profanity. Studies have shown that, although often considered inappropriate in many contexts, the occasional use of strong language can actually benefit one’s well-being. “Swearing is used for expressions of pain, expressions of sympathy, and even expressions of joy, whereas it's possible to be very, very hurtful and even hateful, without using swearing at all,” researcher in computational neuroscience and science author Emma Byrne, Ph.D., said. “Unpicking the difference between using profane language, and acting in a way that is hurtful and obnoxious is very important.”

What the %@#!

5
Zak Ibsen leads a team discussion, giving his advice to young athletes right before a high-level soccer game. A former professional soccer player and Olympian, Ibsen now uses his experience to mentor the next generation in MLS Next, the top level of U.S. youth soccer. “Part of his role as a coach is to develop the whole person, not just the player. Zak does a great job of helping kids learn from situations, whether they’re good or bad, and believes failure is a good chance to learn a lesson,” said Andrew Ziemer, one of Ibsen's coaching assistants.

Falling from glory, rising from ashes

Campus
Alyssa Lu starts her Chemistry for Biotechnology class by announcing the agenda for the day. "In class, students work in groups or pairs. Assignments usually consist of labs or check-in worksheets and simulations. Occasionally, there are edpuzzle assignments," Lu said.
Staff Profile: Alyssa Lu mixes passion with education
Olivia Wang, Staff Writer • January 18, 2025
The line for winter formal tickets stretches across the ASB room as students wait to purchase tickets. “The number of tickets sold for formal have definitely increased over the year,” said James Kelly, the ASB director.
ASB launches ticket sales for winter formal
Skylin Yee, Staff Writer • January 17, 2025
Students often struggle to stay motivated in school as they begin the second semester. “By the second semester, everyone’s dreading that they have to deal with school all over again for another few months. I think it’s because we’re all so drained from getting through first semester,” said junior Jolie Zheng.
Second semester pushes limits and tests resilience
Ashlyn Wong, Staff Writer • January 15, 2025
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Podcasts
The Highlander
Editorials
The practice of students focusing their college essays on personal trauma has been referred to as “trauma dumping.” As college admissions continue to become more competitive, the pressure to trauma dump rises, for students feel the need to offer a narrative that is dramatic and evocative to admissions officers.
Editorial: Students need to stop exploiting their trauma in college applications
Editorial Staff • December 11, 2024

Scots Media (@scot.scoop) • Instagram photos and videos

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