Clara Brownstein

Position

Writer

Meet Enikia Ford Morthel: Berkeley’s New Superintendent

News

The district’s superintendent of three years, Brent Stephens, announced he was leaving Berkeley Unified School District this spring. Since then, the search for a successor led to one finalist, Enikia Ford Morthel, the deputy superintendent of instruction in the San Francisco school district.

Four Years In: Evaluating the Universal Ninth Grade’s Successes and Limitations

Investigative

In 2015, Tamara Friedman and Glenn Wolkenfeld, then-professional development coordinators at Berkeley High School, decided that BHS needed to change.  An achievement gap persisted along racial lines, and students who could have been helped were falling through the cracks.

BHS Humanities Classes Deserve More Prioritization

Editorial

The humanities teach us about each other — about how to understand one another and how to understand the world. And yet, they are undoubtedly losing status in education.

Burgmann (not pictured) hacked into several female students’ social media accounts for nude photographs.

BHS ’21 Alum Charged with Hacking and Revenge Porn

News

Former Berkeley High School student Liam Burgmann was charged this week for “revenge porn,” according to a Berkeley Police Department press release.  BHS officials reportedly notified the School Resource Officer on May 10 that “several female students had their social media accounts hacked to search for and access personal nude photographs.”

“It Feels Unreal:” BHS Students Return to In-Person School

News

Berkeley High School students returned Monday to full time in-person school for the first time since March 2020.  With in-person school now mandatory, students, staff, and teachers are feeling a variety of emotions.  “Our teachers miss you, a lot, they

BHS graduates Dixie Lewis and Ross Schultz brought positivity, laughter, and kindness to those around them throughout their lives.

BHS Community Mourns Deaths of Recent Alumni Dixie Lewis and Ross Schultz

News

The Berkeley High School community was left reeling after alumni Dixie Lewis and Ross Schultz were killed last Tuesday in a car accident in Truckee, California.

Netflix’s Hype House Reality Show Will Prove Damaging for All Involved

Entertainment

On April 22, Netflix announced a deal for a new reality show with several TikTok creators, many of whom are part of the group known as the “Hype House.” While the announcement may not be surprising to those who have been following either the TikTokers themselves or Netflix’s evolving business model, it prompted almost immediate

Shattuck Cinemas, located in Downtown Berkeley, is the only theater in the city that is open for in-person viewing.

‘Reopening Is Going to Be a Process:’ Local Theaters Struggle During Pandemic

Entertainment

After watching the biggest movies of the year from their living rooms, or snagging a ticket to one of the few local drive-ins, — all for movies whose releases haven’t been delayed — theater-goers can finally enjoy the in-person theater experiences they haven’t had access to for the past year.  Local and national theaters have

Taylor Swift Reclaims Her Music in Fearless (Taylor’s Version)

Entertainment

“When we’re eighty years old and we’re telling the same stories over and over again to our grandkids this is the story we’re gonna be telling,” said Taylor Swift after winning Album of the Year for Fearless at the 2010 Grammys.

On April 11, the first group of ninth graders will return to Berkeley High School after over a year of distance learning for BUSD students.

Hybrid Learning Plan Released

News

Hybrid learning plans have been a major subject of discussion since Berkeley Unified School District’s announcement that schools would return to hybrid instruction this spring, once teachers are vaccinated.

Moxie’s Attempts to Educate Falls Short

Entertainment

“Patriarchy sucks. Rebel girls are cool,” reads Netflix’s tagline for the new film Moxie, directed by Amy Poehler. This summarizes the ethos of the movie, as well as its many problems.

Rosa Parks Elementary School is one of 11 elementary schools in Berkeley that will welcome students back to campus by the end of the month.

Berkeley Elementary Schools Will Return to Five Days a Week of In-Person Instruction

News

After the recent decision for Berkeley teachers to return to in-person instruction once vaccinated,  the Berkeley Unified School District and Berkeley Federation of Teachers have now shared a rough hybrid instructional plan for elementary schools.  As previously agreed, transitional kindergarten through second grade students will return on March 29, with the rest of

Safety officers have had to adjust to the deserted BHS campus, with only a few teachers, custodians, and sports teams currently present.

BHS Safety Officers Work Drastically Different Jobs During Distance Learning

Features

Eric Riley, who has been a safety officer at Berkeley High School since 2007, now hasn’t worked on campus in nearly a year. While Riley’s story may not seem all that different from that of countless teachers and staff in Berkeley and many other districts, the nature of his job is.  BHS’s safety officers,

Despite Strong Systemic Efforts, Berkeley’s Unhoused Students Struggle in Distance Learning

Features

For some students — especially those with unstable home lives and housing situations — school can be a kind of alternate home, a place where they can find emotional, and sometimes even financial support from counselors or teachers.

A Berkeley High School (BHS) classroom, which has sat vacant for almost a year, will host students again as soon as April 19.

Berkeley Schools to Return to Hybrid Instruction This Academic Year

News

The Berkeley Federation of Teachers and Berkeley Unified School District have reached a tentative agreement for schools to return after teachers are vaccinated, and established a timeline to do so this school year.  The agreement, which comes in the middle of ongoing negotiations, states that preschool, transitional kindergarten, and K-2 will return to

Berkeley Technology Academy, located on Martin Luther King Jr Way, accommodates students who need to make up credits or graduate early.

BUSD Alternative High School Programs Struggle with Distance Learning

Features

Nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the sacrifices and shortcomings of distance learning at Berkeley High School, and within Berkeley Unified School District in general, are clear to all involved.

Rosa Parks Elementary School, where EON/BAMN protests have occurred after reopening, sits at 920 Allston Way.

Protests Arise as BUSD Elementary Schools Begin Reopening Process

News

Since the November 9 small-scale reopening of multiple Berkeley elementary schools, ongoing protests organized by Equal Opportunity Now/By Any Means Necessary have taken place at both Rosa Parks and Jefferson schools.

Student walks across empty Berkeley High School campus, which has not been reopened yet.

Berkeley to Remain Closed as County Middle and High Schools are Cleared to Reopen

News

Berkeley City Health officer Lisa Hernandez recently announced plans to allow Alameda County middle and high schools to reopen to students beginning as soon as the week of November 9.