Entertainment

Dancers rehearse choreography during lunch.

​​African Diaspora dance class explores Black female identity

“This dance really characterizes what Black women went through,” said African Diaspora dance teacher Dawn “Doc Dub” Williams, speaking on Djouba, a Haitian dance being taught in the African Diaspora Dance class this year.

A man with a TV head on the screen of a laptop.

Outdated film and TV must opt for disclaimers over removal

Thanks to the rise of streaming platforms, old movies and TV shows have been given a second life with a new generation of viewers. Series like “The Office”, “Friends”, and “Breaking Bad” are very popular with young people, despite premiering before some of their fans were even born.

Kathleen McLoughlin hugs Anna Eisen after promposing.

Revival of promposal competition sparks

Boom boxes, big signs, and bare chests painted with the letters P, R, O, and M. These are all hallmarks of an average day in March at Berkeley High School during promposal season.

A painting of Bob Ross held by robot

Artificial intelligence steals techniques to fabricate new ‘art’

Would the Mona Lisa have been as popular if it was created by Artificial Intelligence? Consider people traveling from all over the world to the Louvre.

A brown bear breaking through a strip of film tape.

‘Cocaine Bear’ offers gore, lacks message

In 1985, a bear did cocaine. That’s all that really matters. It does not matter that the bear overdosed and was found dead months later. It does not matter that this event came at the height of Ronald Reagan’s war against drugs, nor does it matter that the taxidermy of the bear, which still exists,

Eisen sets up filming equipment in the G-Building hallway.

BHS film classes combat sexism in industry

The world of film opens doors to new perspectives, brings a variety of stories to life, and helps people express themselves. With all of its wonders, come hurdles.

Artist Spotlight: Ava Distasi

Jewelry is versatile. Ava Distasi, a BHS junior, provides an example of one of its many uses. She creates jewelry for a purpose: charity donations. All of the money Distasi makes is donated to the National Network of Abortion Funds.

The history and impact of sneaker culture

The polarizing 1960s were the beginnings of what is now known as contemporary sneaker culture. A subculture emerged amid numerous protests, the Vietnam War, and the civil rights movement.

Lil Yachty abandons his SoundCloud roots in ‘Let’s Start Here’

On Jan. 27, Lil Yachty opened the listening party for his surprise new album, “Let’s Start Here,” with the words that many eclectic fans of modern music have been forced to hear again and again: “I really wanted to be taken serious as an artist.” He continued with, “Not just some SoundCloud rapper, not some

BHS students perform community stories in ‘Our Monologues’

18 silhouettes stood onstage at Berkeley High School’s Little Theater, applause thundering across the room as the opening night of “Our Monologues” came to a close.

‘Last Of Us’ adds humanity and emotion to the zombie genre

We all know the zombie genre; gory, lumbering, mindless monsters that attack bands of scruffy survivors after an apocalypse. Sometimes slow moving, sometimes fast, always bitten and stupid, the zombie has been used countless times for thrilling, if not basic, entertainment.

‘I’m Not Broken’ author Jesse Leon presents at BHS library

Jesse Leon’s debut book “I’m Not Broken” is a testament to human resilience amidst devastating life struggles.   On February 23, Leon spoke at the Berkeley High School Library, sharing his new memoir and the inspirational pathway he took in order to achieve so much.   Leon grew up in San Diego, where as a young boy

Clubs sold cultural foods for students to enjoy.

Clubs, classes at BHS show out for annual Multicultural Week

On January 26 and 27, Berkeley High School students, dressed in traditional clothing representing their backgrounds, assembled around the campus green to celebrate Multicultural Week.

Jordan Peele’s directing across genres breaks cinematic norms

In 2019, actor Jordan Peele created controversy by saying he wasn’t interested in making films about white protagonists. The comedian-turned-horror-auteur has a clear purpose.

Afrofuturism in literature: Recommendations from BHS Library

“Memory informs, but it’s not where you live,” said Sarah Rosenkrantz, Berkeley High School librarian.  This concept is key to Afrofuturism, a genre of literature where the perspectives, experiences, and culture of Black artists and writers are celebrated within the realms of science fiction.

Berkeley icon Faye Carol uses jazz to unify

March 13, in Berkeley, California, is Faye Carol Day. Carol, a jazz musician who was born in Mississippi and moved to Berkeley as an adult, has made an impact through her music, words, and teachings.

'Uplifting, representing': Local Theaters attempt to diversify

“The why of it is really important, just as a baseline,” said Liz Lisle, managing director at Shotgun Players, a Berkeley community theater. “Acknowledging that there’s a legacy that we really have to undo, in order to support people of color around here and make the theater feel like a place where many people of

Williams demonstrates a song on electric bass for his class.

‘Stories through sound:’ New hip-hop class bridges history

Nestled in the A Building is Sakima Williams, who teaches Inventing Hip-Hop at Berkeley High School. In a room of six students, the course covers the past and present, music and history, and incites inspiration.    Williams grew up in hip -hop and remembers break dancing in the early ‘80s on pieces of linoleum.