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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

Mona Murhamer

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer

Mona Murhamer is a senior in the Carlmont journalism program who seeks out dangerous situations for a good story. Her hobbies include journalism, journalism, and journalism. She hopes to major in journalism and take the skills she learns at Carlmont into her future.

Mona is the editor-in-chief of Scotlight magazine and a staff writer for both the Highlander and Scot Scoop.

All content by Mona Murhamer
Thin Mints, a crowd favorite, are made with vegan ingredients.

Thin Mints, a crowd favorite, are made with vegan ingredients.

A nurse administers a flu vaccine. This year's vaccine is only 10 to 30 percent effective against the virus.

California flu season deadliest in a decade

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer January 16, 2018

Every year, the flu virus evolves, and this year's flu season is proving to be one of the most deadly in recent years. “This appears to be one of the worst seasons we’ve had in the last 10 years,”...

This year's U.N./Gooddler Youth Summit was held on the Stanford University campus. Participants explored the business of charity.

Youth summit connects teens to world issues

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer November 13, 2017

Every year, more than 500 high school and university students come together to change the world. At least, that's the goal. This weekend, Stanford University became the site of the annual Gooddler...

Fans sing along and dance to Travis Scott's set, which included a mechanical bird.

Rolling Loud rolls into the Bay Area

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer October 23, 2017

Another music festival added to the Bay Area's many. On Saturday Oct. 21 and Sunday Oct. 22, Rolling Loud Festival took on Mountain View's Shoreline Amphitheatre for two days filled with music, food,...

Trump and Pence speak at an anti-immigration rally in Arizona. The two publicly denounce football players' kneeling protest on Twitter.

Vice President leaves Sunday football game after players kneel

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer October 9, 2017

Sunday football is a long-standing American tradition. Now, it's a kneeling tradition, and the White House has had enough. On Sunday, Oct. 8, Vice President Mike Pence left the San Francisco 49ers...

Protesters engaged in heated dialogue as multiple sides attempted to understand each other.

Canceled ‘Free Speech Week’ sparks conversation

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer September 24, 2017

Another weekend in Berkeley, another protest. On Sept. 24, a short talk by British free speech advocate Milo Yiannopoulos sparked a day-long conversation between conservatives and liberals on various...

Colin Kaepernick stands on the field before a game. He is not yet signed to play in the NFL's 2017 season.

Colin Kaepernick’s career takes a knee

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer September 12, 2017

The 2017 NFL season kicked off on Sept. 7, and neglected bringing one of its greats along for the ride. Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick officially took a knee on the season after...

Peaceful protesters stand in line to buy food from a food truck at the rally. One man holds a "Here For Heather Heyer" sign.

Liberals declare victory over Patriot Prayer group

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer August 28, 2017

Music, face paint, food trucks, Philz Coffee; people dressed in "Black Lives Matter" apparel, people dressed in colorful skirts and dresses, people dressed in nothing at all. They are all gathered to...

Belmont resident Diana Ross expresses her appreciation for the resolution and its actions.

[Photo] Best of April

Sophie Lynd and Kathryn Stratz May 5, 2017

Belmont resident Diana Ross expresses her appreciation for the resolution and its actions.

Belmont resident Diana Ross expresses her appreciation for the resolution and its actions.

Belmont City Council unanimously approves civil rights resolution

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer April 4, 2017

The crowd buzzed with energy as the council members entered the room. For some, the regularly scheduled Belmont City Council meeting was just that– a regularly scheduled meeting. For others, the...

A man held a sign promoting the acceptance of Islamic immigrants.

Trump Administration’s immigration ban sparks protests

Mona Murhamer and Sarah Tocatlian January 30, 2017

Protesters returned to San Francisco International Airport (SFO), on Jan. 29, for the second consecutive day to protest the Trump Administration's ban on immigrants and travelers entering the country from...

Nationwide Women’s Marches surpass expectations

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer January 24, 2017

Donald Trump is the 45th U.S. president, and women across the country are "grabbing" back. On Saturday, Jan. 21,  an estimated 2.6 million people took part in 673 marches in all 50 states and 32...

Firefighters at the scene of the Ghost Ship fire search for victims in the morning following the tragedy.

Oakland ‘Ghost Ship’ fire shakes art community

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer December 7, 2016

The Ghost Ship has sunk. At least 36 were pronounced dead on Friday, Dec. 2 when an Oakland warehouse, named the "Ghost Ship" by residents and workers, went up in flames during an electronic dance party. According...

‘Love Trumps Hate’ at walk-out rally

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer November 14, 2016

Students flooded out of classrooms and down flights of stairs. Approximately 300 students gathered around the girl in the rainbow cape. "My body, my choice!" yelled the girls. "Her body, her choice!"...

San Jose City Council passed an urgency ordinance on recreational marijuana to take preemptive action on a possible rise in marijuana usage if Proposition 64 is passed.

Urgency ordinance restricts marijuana usage

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer November 2, 2016

The legalization of marijuana has hit yet another obstacle. On Nov. 1, San Jose City Council adopted an urgency ordinance prohibiting marijuana usage prior to the upcoming election on Nov. 8. The...

Many high schools implement a School Resource Officer to prevent shootings and other threats.

San Francisco high school falls victim to shooting

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer October 20, 2016

Another day, another school shooting. On Tuesday, Oct. 18, four victims were left injured, one in critical condition, when shots were fired at San Francisco's June Jordan School for Equity and City...

Clowns across the country continue to terrorize children and adults alike as Halloween draws near.

Scare Wars: Attack of the clowns

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer October 7, 2016

It started as just a sighting. In August, a clown was reportedly seen luring children into the woods in Greenville County, S.C. Since that first clown sighting, over a dozen more have followed suit...

The Soberanes Fire spread across 121,050 acres in a short two-month period, destroying 57 homes and 11 outbuildings in its path.

Big Sur goes up in flames

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer September 22, 2016

Big Sur's scenic coast was engulfed by the Soberanes Fire on Monday, Sept. 19 after unexpected winds pushed the flames over the containment line. In an interview with the East Bay Times, Will Pi of...

Chicago Police Department's Labor Day weekend was far from relaxing following 65 shootings, 13 of them fatal.

Chicago reaches 500th homicide of 2016

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer September 9, 2016

5oo homicides. 9 months. In a midwestern city widely known for its cold winters, murder and death have become so common that the Sun Times has created a Homicide Watch Chicago tab on their website. According...

Junior Maya McClellan drops low to pass a down ball to her teammate.

Varsity volleyball sets up a hopeful new season

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer August 26, 2016

The smell of wood polish fills the gym. New volleyball shoes squeak against the court. Tightened nets split the inside of the Stogner Gym into two halves, while full ball carts line the walls. A newly-inflated...

“When I first started out in the music industry, I was most concerned with freedom. Freedom to produce, freedom to play all the instruments on my records, freedom to say anything I wanted to,” said Prince Rogers Nelson.

‘Kiss’ a music legend goodbye

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer April 22, 2016

Singer, songwriter, producer, one-man band, master showman: Prince. On Thursday, April 21, music icon Prince Rogers Nelson died in his Channhassen, Minnesota residence at age 57. In early April,...

Creative Commons/Pixabay

FDA authorizes broader use of abortion pills

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer April 1, 2016

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the expansion of the abortion pill Mifepristone (Mifeprex) into broader use. On Wed., March 30, the guidelines for using Mifeprex, a drug that...

A car crashed into Gin Mon Chinese Restaurant March 15.

Car crashes into Carlmont Shopping Center

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer March 17, 2016

For the second time in six years, a car has crashed into the Carlmont Shopping Center. On Tuesday, March 15, Gin Mon Chinese Restaurant received a blow as an elderly gentleman, whose name is not being...

Scott Kelly's "Year in Space" mission opened his eyes to some of Earth's environmental issues: "There are parts of the Earth that are covered with pollution all the time. I saw weather that was unexpected. Storms bigger than we've seen in the past. This is a human effect. This is not a natural phenomenon," he said.

Astronaut Scott Kelly’s ‘Year in Space’ comes to an end

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer March 3, 2016

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly is back from 340 consecutive days in space. Late at night on March 2, Kelly landed in the Kazakhstan desert with fellow astronauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov, marking...

On Aug. 1, University of Texas at Austin will allow licensed gun-holders to carry concealed weapons throughout almost all of campus.

University of Texas allows guns on campus

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer February 18, 2016

Gun control's ability to protect schools has suffered a blow. On Aug. 1, University of Texas at Austin's gun control on campus will be virtually dismissed as licensed carriers of guns will be allowed...

Daryush Valizadeh, self-proclaimed neo-masculinist fights for his belief that men are always superior to women: "I’ve been falsely accused of crimes like rape and harassment by my enemies in an attempt to shut me down, but they are too weak to defeat me."

Alleged ‘legalize rape’ assembly cancelled

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer February 4, 2016

165 meetings. 43 countries. Organized by one man. The First Amendment prohibits Congress from obstructing the exercise of freedom of assembly, among other things. Daryush Valizadeh and the...

Students with heavy course loads feel pressured to stay on top of their assignments.

College is hitting students harder, earlier

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer February 3, 2016

It’s three in the morning.  Sophomore Jade Sebti wakes with a start.  She rubs her bleary eyes to find her bed covered in chemistry notes and flashcards.   She panics, worrying about how much she...

A possible new planet may have just replaced Pluto as the solar system's ninth planet.

Pluto’s replacement as ninth planet arrives

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer January 21, 2016

Scoot over Pluto, there's a new ninth planet in the solar system. Thanks to researchers at California Institute of Technology (CalTech), a possible ninth planet was confirmed on Jan. 20. According...

Seniors Elena Mateus (21) and Erin Alonso (5) encourage teammate Maya McClellan (10) to pass the ball.

Varsity volleyball advances into CCS quarter finals

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer November 12, 2015

On Nov. 11, the Carlmont Scots' varsity volleyball team swept the Evergeen Valley High School Cougars, advancing Carlmont into the Central Coast Section (CCS) quarter finals. The crowd's energy was high...

Senior Erin Alonso (5) hits the floor for a dig, but misses the hard kill.

Varsity volleyball fights hard to the finish

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer October 28, 2015

The Aragon Dons fought hard against Carlmont's varsity volleyball team and beat the Carlmont Scots in three out of five sets. On Tuesday Oct. 27, shouts and cheers filled Aragon's gym as the two teams...

Senior Elena Mateus (21) swings hard for a deep-corner kill against the Sequoia Cherokees.

Varsity volleyball defends name in Sequoia-Carlmont rivalry

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer October 14, 2015

It was just another good, old-fashioned game between rivals. On Tuesday, Oct. 13, the Scots and the Sequoia Cherokees battled hard against each other to defend their names in the Carlmont-Sequoia rivalry. "This...

Senior Alexis Morrow (7) winds up for a hit against the Mills Vikings.

Varsity volleyball has a birthday victory

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer September 30, 2015

Carlmont's varsity volleyball shut out the Mills Vikings with a three-set win. On Tuesday, Sept. 29, the Scots stormed the court.  In addition to it being the first home game of the season, senior...

Mona Murhamer

Mona Murhamer

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer September 22, 2015

Mona is a sophomore who enjoys playing volleyball, traveling, and exploring the outdoors.  She is currently a sports writer for Scot Scoop, and she hopes to pursue a career in journalism.

Motivational speaker Keith Hawkins ties in humor to engage and encourage students.

Welcome Back Assembly promotes self-confidence

Mona Murhamer, Staff Writer September 18, 2015

This year's Welcome Back Assembly speaker focused on the pressure of perfection put on students. On Sept. 14, inspirational speaker Keith Hawkins spoke to Carlmont students and staff in hopes of motivating...

Keith Hawkins inspiring students to accept themselves.

Keith Hawkins inspiring students to accept themselves.

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