Features

Illustration of a person carrying large rock like shapes on their back.

BHS students face hurdles within U.S. medical system

The closer teens get to adulthood, the closer they get to adult responsibilities like insurance, rent, and navigating the healthcare system. American teenagers face this dilemma uniquely, as America is one of few wealthy countries without universal insurance or health care, as well as one of the most expensive countries for pursuing higher education.

Peter Seibel demonstrates tau’s advantages over pi.

Bakers, mathematicians celebrate Pi Day

Pi Day, celebrated on March 14, is a celebration of pi, the constant that represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. The first three of the infinite digits of pi are 3.14, so March 14 was chosen for the annual celebration.

Linda Carr gives her performers the thumbs up

Linda Carr brings art and passion to BHS

Linda Carr holds a multitude of roles at Berkeley High School — the Beginning Modern/Jazz Dance, Dance Production, and Advanced Dance teacher; choreographer for the play Urinetown; and leader for the visual and performing arts department at BHS.  Growing up in Marin County, Carr went to Redwood High School.

Praneshwar Chandra has worked at BHS as a custodian for the past nine years

‘We are family’: BHS custodian Praneshwar Chandra reflects

You can see Praneshwar Chandra on the first floor of the C-Building every day after school, where he’s worked as a custodian for the past nine years.

Cyrus Patten-Ostergard, Magnus Scheffy, Finn Brooks, and Lincoln Roan are all seniors at BHS and former hosts of the Fishbowl Podcast.

Looking back on the Fishbowl Podcast, a student-led production 

During their sophomore year, video production teacher Phil Halpern reached out to Communication Arts and Sciences seniors Finn Brooks, Magnus Scheffy, Cyrus Patten-Ostergard, and Lincoln Roan.

An anonymous person showing off their Zine

Zine making: A guide to educating and inspiring your community

In a world dictated by societal norms and social media, zines serve as a safe and anonymous space to express, educate, and share what you care about with others.

Photo of Orion Canaday.

Word on the Street: How do you feel about Valentine’s Day?

Orion Canaday, a junior, looked beyond the sweet facade of Valentine’s Day. “Valentine’s Day is a day that is very heartfelt, but you have to think about what intentions lie outside of the … aesthetics of it.

Students sit at a SLAM Spoken Word club meeting.

Verse becomes art on stage at the BHS SLAM Spoken Word club

Spoken word is a powerful performance of poetry that, rather than reflecting one’s own story, reflects a broader message about society as a whole. Spoken word centers largely around how a poem is performed using both vocal techniques and physical movements when delivering meaningful lines.  The Berkeley High School Student Led Arts Movement Spoken

Anatomy students dissect hearts and ethics through class

Dissecting animals happens around five times a year in Honors Anatomy and Physiology classes at Berkeley High School. It allows students to have a physical representation of what they’re learning about and gives them a hands-on activity.

Victory Point Cafe: A place for cards and coffee to converge

Victory Point Cafe on Shattuck Avenue isn’t a normal  cafe;  it’s  a  gaming cafe. They have an expansive game collection and serve food for customers to enjoy while they play.

Photo of Corina Blaton.

Where do you feel most connected to the Black community?

“I feel connected to the Black community here at Berkeley High because I take African dance,” said sophomore Corina Blanton, later explaining the connection she gains from the class by being surrounded by other Black youth, as well as the appreciation she feels from others in the class interested in the art of African

Illustration of a young black woman with her head in the clouds surrounded by butterflies.

Spotlight: Young Black women who are up for the challenge

It is their experiences as Black girls and their confidence in themselves that allow Berkeley High School students Markayla Griffin, Amaya Houston, and Tamar McKey to have a positive impact on their community through taking on academic and leadership challenges.

After over three decades at BHS, Alan Miller is proud of what he

Alan Miller reflects on a life of teaching, inspiring, challenging

Over the 33 years that Alan Miller has been a part of the English department at Berkeley High School, he has gained a reputation as a hard working figure who expects responsibility from himself and his students.

Three teachers are standing in front of a whiteboard with math calculations.

Dungeons and Dragons assembles party of BHS math teachers

Benjamin Nathan, Korianna Austera, Michael Weitz: Berkeley High School math teachers by weekday, and Dungeons & Dragons enthusiasts by weekend. Beginning during quarantine, they’ve been meeting semi-regularly to join in playing the game.

BHS students gain new perspectives, foster connections abroad

“Going to school in Spain opened me up to a lot of different opinions and a lot of different insights,” said Liam Graham, a Berkeley High School senior who spent a semester studying abroad at the American School of Madrid, an international school in Madrid, Spain.  For BHS senior Emma Claus, studying abroad at Hiyoshigaoka

Photograph of Charlotte Lee

What’s your favorite place to hang out in the Bay Area?

Berkeley High School senior Charlotte Lee mentioned her love for nature in Berkeley. “Up behind the Claremont, there’s this grove of eucalyptus trees,” she said, “It’s great.” She also shared her appreciation for the Berkeley Hills, “It’s really pretty up there, it’s a great place to go on hikes and stuff like that,” Lee said.

Klea Bajala runs a piece of wood through the table saw.

Carpentry classes allow creative exploration of hands-on skills

Carpentry is a unique class at Berkeley High School: very hands-on, with access to many different kinds of tools. The goal of the class is to introduce the craft of construction to students who don’t have any prior knowledge.

A BHS student, Elias Leung, practices the piano.

BHS seniors reflect on their musical educations within BUSD

Typically, a Berkeley Unified School District student takes their first music class in third grade, learning how to play the recorder. In fourth and fifth grades, students can select an instrument from a range of brass, woodwind and string instruments.