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

Isabella Zarzar

Isabella Zarzar, Highlander Editor

Isabella Zarzar is a junior at Carlmont High School and in her second year of journalism. She enjoys reporting on a variety of topics and is thrilled to be editing for the Highlander magazine this year. In her free time, Isabella enjoys reading, photography, soccer, and spending time with her friends and family.

All content by Isabella Zarzar

SciScoop Ep. 3: Space junk: A threat beyond Earth

Isabella Zarzar, Highlander Editor March 18, 2024

In the expanse of outer space, an increasingly concerning phenomenon unfolds: space debris. Left from decades of human space exploration, this debris consists of abandoned satellites, spent rocket...

SciScoop Ep. 2: The impact of 3D bioprinting on medical research

Isabella Zarzar, Highlander Editor February 26, 2024

3D bioprinting is an evolving technology that currently has an important impact on medical research. It's an advanced process that uses living cells, biomaterials, and bioactive molecules to create three-dimensional...

SciScoop Ep. 1: The future of precision medicine

Isabella Zarzar, Highlander Editor January 29, 2024

With the advancement of research and technology such as AI and machine learning, the development and implementation of precision medicine is on the rise. Also called personalized medicine, precision...

A Mariner Scouts member acts as coxswain, the person in charge of navigating and steering a boat. She demonstrates to the rest of the crew what to do and what to avoid when boarding the pulling boat.

The MSS Tradewind sets sail for success

Isabella Zarzar, Highlander Editor December 8, 2023

The Mariner Scout Ship (MSS) Tradewind is more than just a vessel; it's a voyage of empowerment, skill-building, and camaraderie for young mariners. Established in 1954 and based in Redwood City Marina...

An injured patient arrives at Al Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah, Gaza, on Oct. 24, where doctors face severe limitations on medicines, medical supplies, electricity, and water.

Humanitarian crisis deepens in Gaza

Arianna Zhu and Isabella Zarzar November 13, 2023

Trigger Warning: Mentions of violence, hostages, and death. The lights are out in the Gaza Strip. On Oct. 11, 2023, Gaza’s sole remaining power station ran out of fuel, sentencing the lives of...

Nightshade effectively poisons AI models when they train on content that was altered by the tool.

Nightshade empowers artists to fight back against generative AI

Isabella Zarzar, Highlander Editor November 9, 2023

A new tool, Nightshade, allows artists to tweak their art's pixels before sharing it online. These invisible changes can break Artificial Intelligence (AI) generation models if the art is used in their...

Pyrotechnic marine flares are a necessary safety precaution for boaters. However, what many boaters dont consider is how harmful the chemical ingredients in them can be after the flares expire.

Pyrotechnic marine flares ignite concerns for safety

Isabella Zarzar, Highlander Editor September 29, 2023

In the world of boating, pyrotechnic marine flares are a common sight. Many boaters, however, are unaware of the dangers that they can pose to both human health and the environment. These devices are...

SMCLAEG volunteers train in order to always remain prepared in the case of an emergency or disaster within the community.

SMCLAEG stays prepared for disaster

Isabella Zarzar, Highlander Editor May 30, 2023

Every year, millions of farm animals die due to natural disasters. Floods, extreme temperatures, wildfires, and other events present grave risks to animals, especially those in confinement. However,...

As innovators make new advancements in technology, many are finding ways to apply AI to the sectors of healthcare and medicine.

Unlocking potential: How AI is revolutionizing healthcare

Isabella Zarzar, Highlander Editor May 2, 2023

The healthcare industry is constantly evolving. However, it may now have the potential to change more than ever before. With artificial intelligence (AI) development on the rise, many innovators are exploring...

Many American schools continue to use ineffective tactics to teach students to read, causing them to develop bad reading habits such as relying excessively on context provided by pictures to understand a book.

Opinion: Schools are failing young readers

Isabella Zarzar, Highlander Editor March 20, 2023

Two-thirds of fourth graders in the United States struggle to read, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Nationwide, the average reading score on NAEP fell three points...

PFAS contamination is widespread. Over 200 million Americans could have drinking water polluted by PFAS, according to the Environmental Working Group.

Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ pollute humans and animals worldwide

Isabella Zarzar, Highlander Editor March 13, 2023

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances are everywhere.  They could be in your shampoo bottle, dental floss, sandwich wrapper, and thousands of other everyday products. They are probably...

Every student may have their own learning preferences and needs. Thus, choosing what type of school to attend can be an important decision for students and families. The issue of school choice encompasses these ideas; school choice is meant to break the gap between students of different socioeconomic backgrounds, though some argue it does the opposite.

Controversy surrounds school choice in America

Isabella Zarzar, Highlander Editor March 3, 2023

One thousand one hundred thirty hours. That is how much time the average California student spends at school every year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Out of 6,000 hours spent...

At Agbe Health center in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, a mother holds her 1-year-old son who is suffering from malnutrition.

Child malnutrition crisis in Tigray continues

Isabella Zarzar, Highlander Editor February 17, 2023

Thousands of children are suffering from severe malnutrition and harsh living conditions in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, where an ongoing political conflict has aggravated the crisis. In November...

Whale Safe has deployed several buoys equipped with high-tech artificial intelligence (AI) technology to detect whale populations. The Benioff Ocean Initiative has worked with leading whale scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), The Marine Mammal Center, and many other institutions to develop the project.

AI saves whales from deadly ship strikes

Isabella Zarzar, Highlander Editor January 25, 2023

A beloved San Francisco Bay whale washed ashore dead last August. That whale was Fran, the most popular and photographed humpback in the San Francisco Bay, with 277 recorded sightings since 2005. Fran...

As California and some surrounding areas expect another year of drought, dry conditions and water overuse have led to various impacts. Lake Mead’s critically low storage, for example, has cut Hoover Dam’s hydroelectricity production capacity nearly in half as of June, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.

California braces for a fourth year of drought despite rain

Isabella Zarzar, Highlander Editor December 12, 2022

California expects to head into its fourth year of drought after experiencing near-historic lows in reservoir storage across the state. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) recently announced...

The University of California, Berkeley does not use affirmative action in college decisions. If affirmative action is struck down, it will model admissions policies for universities nationwide.

Supreme Court determines the fate of affirmative action

Isabella Zarzar, Highlander Editor November 13, 2022

Affirmative action has recently fallen under reevaluation as the United States Supreme Court began to hear a case that will determine the future of the inclusion of race as a factor in college admissions. The...

James McDowell, a substitute at Carlmont, sits at a teacher’s desk in E1. Amid the national teacher and substitute shortage, schools are working to hire more substitutes to fill in for absent teachers.

Schools work to overcome national teacher and substitute shortage

Isabella Zarzar, Highlander Editor October 20, 2022

The teacher and substitute shortage has become a national challenge for schools as districts scramble to fill vacant positions while the number of teaching candidates declines. Across the country, school...

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