In a rapidly changing, dynamic society, language now more than ever has the potential to unite individuals across the world and have a long-lasting impact on the children who engage in multilingual immersion. And...

Every August, when Carlmont students finally get their new schedules, the anxiety that follows rarely stems from the subjects themselves — they selected their courses months ago. Instead, it comes from...

An immense share of elite college graduates funnel into the same handful of jobs, and the ones who don't take those paths earn considerably less. Hedge funds, private equity firms, and top technology companies...

While it seems that Bay Area residents are free to live in a bubble, comforted by the wealthy cushion of privilege to even care what’s beyond that, citizens actually have to battle rising housing prices...

In today’s increasingly competitive academic and athletic environment, many teens are flocking to energy drinks to offset sleep deprivation and manage pressure to succeed. What seems like a quick fix,...

In the current age of technology, children's early exposure to the internet has become increasingly normalized. It is seen as a harmless way to keep the kids entertained, when really it is teaching them...

There is a flaw in America’s education system. In my ongoing pursuit of knowledge, I’ve begun to notice a pattern: studying countless formulas, vocabulary terms, and events, only to forget them all...

The idea of “college and career readiness” is central to Carlmont’s identity. Through a wide range of academic and Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways, students are introduced to fields such...

Nowadays, tipping serves as a justification for employers to underpay their staff and has become a key part of the culinary economy in America.  Customers are now doing the job employers should be...

As the top-ranked public university in the nation, the University of California (UC) is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious systems of higher education in the world. But while California’s...

When a plate of steak is served at the dinner table, the meal looks like a familiar dish, cooked and garnished. It’s far-removed from the image of a cow grazing on a field. However, the steak being...

In recent weeks, many protests against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have sprung up across the country.  According to Pew Research Center, 72% of Americans now think that it isn’t...

A quiet competition fills high schoolers’ lives. A constant mode of comparison about who’s the most stressed, who sleeps the least, and who can last the longest until burnout. Classmates brag about...

President Donald Trump's most recent agenda item focuses on the frigid island of Greenland, which he has repeatedly called for the U.S. to acquire.  Trump has cited national security as the chief motivation...

As of 2025, the U.S. has amassed approximately $37.64 trillion in debt, of which about 80% is held by the public.  While many factors contribute to the growing national debt, one of the most important...

Adam Raine’s last conversation was with ChatGPT. When the 17-year-old confided in ChatGPT about his suicidal thoughts, he wasn’t referred to a helpline or encouraged to confide in his parents. His...

It’s common now: multiple shampoo brands in the shower, a fragrance collection nearing the double digits, and the water bottle trifecta of the Stanley, Hydro Flask, and Owala crowding the cupboard. Everywhere...

Black Friday used to signal the true start to the holiday shopping season. Now, it's a marketing scheme by companies, meant only to boost profits and overlook the event's original charm. The day is now...

The healthy food plate we learned about in school has been replaced by social media influencers who claim to have all the secrets to achieving a perfect diet. The result is an onset of eating disorders...

At too many high schools across the nation, getting an A — or even straight A's — doesn't feel like an achievement, but the bare minimum. Inflated GPAs have become the norm in college admissions,...

Most of us have been in a situation where we are performing a task, and while we are doing okay or even well, someone else just seems to be better, more talented. Or, we’ve been enchanted by someone’s...

With the political controversy surrounding the current administration and the polarization it has sparked, a smaller but growing trend has emerged: the rise of the “staying in the middle.” Many...

“One person, one vote.” While this phrase has long stood for fairness and equal representation under the law in American elections, its underlying ideal of protecting democracy is under threat from...

When a friend falls ill, most people will feel a pang of empathy. They’ll express wishes for a speedy recovery and make sure that they’re doing okay. But when a distant classmate falls ill, that same...

The phrase “tough love” is often thrown around by parents, teachers, or even friends, but few really pause to think about its true meaning, especially in sports. Coming from coaches, tough love can...

Two students are in class, eagerly raising their hands to answer a question. The class is heavily weighted on participation points, so naturally, both want to get in some speaking points before the bell...

A student sits down on their first day of school and is immediately handed a syllabus. The rules are listed in bullet points in bold black letters under the large section discussing grade weighting. As...

You finish washing your hands, which drip as you turn around to dry them. When you see the empty paper towel dispenser, slight disappointment washes over you. But rather than using the hand dryer, thereby...

A student opens her phone to find her peers mocking her appearance over social media, tagging her in posts that humiliate her. Tears welling, she swipes past each notification without replying. “Let...

A shopper pushes their cart down the aisle. Brightly packaged items line every shelf, offering an abundance of options. For many of us, this weekly routine feels ordinary. However, in reality, this convenience...

While freedom of the press is a constitutional right in America, in the modern age, it is often used to push a political agenda rather than serve as a facilitator of information. This is extremely harmful...

In 2024, 16,140,044 California residents voted in the general election; however, in 2022, only 11,146,620 voted.  In 2024, nearly 44.79% more California residents voted, despite population levels...

As more teachers assign homework online, the practice of physically turning in homework has diminished, with the easy click of the “Submit” button taking its place.  Similar to teachers at other...

Advanced Placement (AP) exams are administered internationally in May to assess students’ learning throughout the year in various AP courses. These tests are seen as necessary in a student's academic...

Senioritis has struck many Carlmont seniors in different ways. It has manifested itself in the form of excessive absences, countered by teachers offering extra credit points or deductions based on attendance....

Recent reports indicate that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have directed researchers to avoid using specific “controversial” terms,...

A hungry teen opens his phone. A few taps later, he places an order. Within just a few moments, a meal arrives at his doorstep.  In the past decade, food delivery services such as DoorDash, Grubhub,...

When asked to picture a sorority girl, most people tend to conjure the same mental image: a blonde, sun-tanned 19-year-old party animal spending exorbitant amounts of daddy’s money at college bars and...

A parent beams with joy as their child pursues computer science, a field with promise and countless opportunities. Meanwhile, another parent questions their children’s interest in literature, doubting...

Picture a University of California (UC), Berkeley student-athlete forfeiting academics and social life on a random Tuesday to fly cross-country to North Carolina, adjust to a three-hour time change, play...

“To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The Great Gatsby,” and “Of Mice and Men.” These titles ring a bell for many people in the U.S. and even across the globe. In addition to being regarded as some of...

President Donald Trump has signed 81 executive orders since the start of his second term on Jan. 20 just over a month ago. The overwhelming amount of orders has sparked debate over Trump’s abuse of power,...

Misinformation -- a concept that has only been amplified by social media – is likely to spread even further with Meta’s decision to end fact-checking across all its platforms, including Instagram,...

In 2023, 20% of adults said that the U.S. is the greatest country in the world.  Another 52% said that the U.S. is at least one of the greatest countries. However, I would argue that it doesn’t even...

Over 93% of President Donald Trump’s supporters listed his economic policies as the most crucial factor in their voting decision. My question is, did everyone just forget what his economic plans accomplished...

One hundred and twenty-two million adults; 41.9% of the total population.  Despite ever-increasing health discoveries and the heightened prevalence of a health food market, the United States nevertheless...

A ChatGPT search consumes 10 times more energy on average than a Google search, according to Goldman Sachs. According to Joule, OpenAI’s GPT-3 model took 1,287 MWh of energy to train, the rough equivalent...

In 2021, admitted Harvard student Abigail Mack's personal statement went viral, accumulating over 28 million views on TikTok.  In the essay, Mack writes about her resentment of the letter "S" because...

Recent layoffs and departures in the radio industry — most notably from significant conglomerates like iHeartMedia and Cumulus Media — have sparked questions about the medium's future. However,...

Entertainment should be accessible to everyone, not a costly luxury with a growing price tag.  Streaming was supposed to simplify entertainment consumption, an industry built on accessibility that...

One size fits all is possibly one of the most universally disagreed with statements. But what about one size is not the same? Over time, the average size of an American has increased, yet sizing has...

Air travel is the most fundamental mode of travel -- connecting people, businesses, and cultures worldwide. However, despite its various benefits, aviation is one of the most significant contributors to...

The United States had a turnout rate of 63.25% of its voter-eligible population in the 2024 general election, a dip from 2020’s 69.9%, the highest recorded turnout in the nation’s history, according...

Many students aspire to attend an Ivy League University, but low acceptance rates and high tuition costs often discourage students. Yet, achieving an Ivy League education is worth the challenge. Receiving...

In a society where heavy reliance on vehicular transport has become the new standard, it is more important than ever for cities to promote alternative ways to get around by making walking, biking, and...

Fans shouldn’t need to worry about their safety when going to their favorite concerts, yet poor concert behavior continues to persist, resulting in what should have been avoidable fatalities and injuries...

America’s obsession with turning a high-profile criminal case into a TV series that boosts the original felon into a future of fame needs to stop. The latest examples of this phenomenon are Anna Delvey...

Many students have been late to class at least once this year. However, most students are unaware that the tardy policy at Carlmont is different this year -- what they do know is that the administration...

“No seats available.”  These seem to be the only words flashing on the screen when trying to find a test center in the Bay Area to take the infamous Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). According...

If you are vegan, lactose intolerant, seeking to lower your carbon footprint, or prefer the taste of plant-based milk, expect to pay around $0.75 more for your coffee than those opting for dairy milk. Coffee...

In the age where social media has become an integral part of everyday life, it becomes ever more important to safeguard young users. Instagram has started rolling out its new teen policy, and it shouldn’t...

Concussions only account for 5% of football-related injuries in the U.S., according to the National Library of Medicine (NLM). Still, they produce some of the most severe and life-changing effects. The...

Imagine you just got rejected from your dream college only to log onto Instagram to see all of your classmates who got in. This scenario is all too familiar for many Carlmont students as they watch post...

America's youth is severely undereducated on the current state of politics in the United States (US) and across the globe. The problem lies in American high schools' insufficient modern political education. While...

The role of teachers in high school education is monumental. They can be student mentors, wisdom couriers, and role models.  Yet, within Carlmont High School, the variance of course content, grading...

As Carlmont students and staff start to prepare for the 2024-2025 school year, it is easy to miss the new changes made to the Carlmont Course Catalog. The most controversial change? New allowances for...

With its implementation on April 1, California’s Assembly Bill 1228 raised fast-food workers’ minimum wages to $20 per hour, $4 higher than the state’s minimum wage of $16 per hour and $12.75 higher...

As Generation Z teenagers, we know that politics can feel like a lost cause.  We've heard many of our peers complain about the people in power --  they're often either really old or really corrupt,...

As every major holiday approaches, it’s impossible to miss the symbols that adorn our homes, supermarkets, and streets: pumpkins for Halloween, eggs for Easter, and turkeys for Thanksgiving. While...

The fate of the popular social media app TikTok is now in the hands of the U.S. Senate as on March 14, the House of Representatives voted 352 to 65 to advance a bill that could ban the app nationwide.  If...

For many graduating high school seniors, the step into higher education is coupled with one of the most crucial financial decisions they will ever make. With attending a four-year university being a target...

Question, hypothesize, experiment, analyze, and conclude — the five fundamental steps of the scientific method. Designed to help scientists produce accurate results, the scientific method is considered...

In the 2021-2022 school year, Carlmont students without a seventh period started at 8:57 a.m., and students with a seventh period began at 8 a.m. No one left school at 3:45 p.m.; everyone would end simultaneously...

Throughout March and April, seniors will receive most of their decisions from the colleges they applied to. Theoretically, everyone should be excited and supportive of each other as we are all ready to...

Artificial intelligence must be carefully integrated into journalism to keep up with the modern world.  Dating back thousands of years, reporting the latest information is nothing new to humans. From...

“Buy her roses.” “Buy her jewelry." What about him or them? According to Brittanica, the initial origins of Valentine’s Day begin with Valentinus receiving a death sentence and being imprisoned...

The Electoral College is over 235 years old, and a makeover is long overdue. Shortly after gaining independence from Great Britain, politicians in the United States realized the Articles of Confederation,...

There will always be a set of guidelines we are presupposed to follow, whether from parents, peers, or society. Don’t wear that, don’t flaunt wealth, don’t smoke, and smile when you talk, to name...

“It’s murder.” “They’re just giving up.” “Doctors are helping them commit suicide.” Euthanasia, the practice of ending a patient’s life to limit their suffering, is a widely...

"Land Acknowledgement: We acknowledge that Carlmont High School sits on the traditional lands of the Ramaytush Ohlone People... and honor and respect the many diverse indigenous people connected to this...

After a long day of school, a student has a few moments to shove food in their mouth before heading off to warmups. Despite the immense time and energy, practice is rewarding. It's dark outside when they...

In the upcoming presidential election, Americans find themselves navigating a political landscape that seems eerily homogeneous. The lack of diverse options for voters raises questions about the authenticity...

Hamas executed a sudden insurrection of Israel on Oct. 7, with militants storming blockaded areas of the Gaza Strip as they shot people in small towns and communities. The attack culminated in more than...

Sure, we’ve all heard that we should reduce the amount of time we spend on TikTok and Instagram. Parents try to intervene often or have already given up on telling us to put our phones away, arguing...

In the Bay Area, there's an unmistakable fervor surrounding education. While there's no denying the importance of education, the extreme emphasis on being a high-achieving student often comes at a significant...

The American government is amid significant political turmoil, with Senator Dianne Feinstein’s death and Kevin McCarthy’s ouster as Speaker of the House shaking up Congress. These events and the upcoming...

“I need caffeine to get through my day” is a sentence uttered by students all over the globe. No one's surprised when you walk around campus and see a cup of coffee in someone’s hand or an energy...

It was not just the stress of tests or the excitement for the upcoming weekend that filled Carlmont’s atmosphere last week; it was the poor air quality. As confirmed by the Bay Area Air Quality Management...

When prompted to generate a movie script, ChatGPT produced the following: "Title: 'Marshmallow Mayhem' INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT SUSAN screams as marshmallows grow and giggle menacingly. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD...

The Supreme Court, in the case Marbury v. Madison, gave itself the power to conduct judicial review or to declare certain legislation unconstitutional. Recently, however, the court has used this power...

Further integrating the internet into our homes robs our human autonomy. The internet has become a basic necessity for our daily lives. Since its birth in the 1980s, it has become a valuable resource...

Affirmative action's future is in jeopardy, as the Supreme Court is expected to rule on its legality in the coming months. While race-based affirmative action has proven controversial among the American...

Capable of writing essays, solving complex math problems, producing computer code, and more, ChatGPT is truly a renaissance… bot. While powerful, the chatbot is highly polarizing, especially in educational...

COVID-19 forced innovation in many aspects of our educational system. From teachers figuring out the potential of Zoom for lesson plans to students doing what they could to focus while their parents talked...

Recycling has long been touted as a solution to our planet's growing waste problem, but as markets for used paper and plastics have dried up, overconsumption looms as something problematic. According to...

The term “pandemic pet” may sound familiar to many people who have recently brought an animal into their home. According to a Rover survey conducted in January 2021, almost half of Americans said they...

The internet is always right.  Most people have heard this phrase tossed around before in their lives. The speaker might have jokingly tossed this remark around, but a certain danger arises when the...

Vaping, while initially developed to deter adults from conventional smoking, has become an accessory of teenage life. Since 2014, vape pens have been the most commonly used tobacco product among middle...

Recently, the town I live in, San Mateo, was left without a mayor. I discovered this almost by accident when, while scrolling on Instagram, I saw a post from a local politician I follow demanding that...

The United States is a proud beacon of freedom, of justice, of democracy. We wave our flag high and proud, especially come election time. And when you’ve walked out of that poll booth, donning your “I...