Distance Learning

Despite effort to mitigate the tension surrounding entrance to "big name" schools, including those like UC Berkeley, it

Online Learning Alleviates Competitive Nature of College Process

Opinion

The pandemic has prevented many Berkeley High School traditions from taking place  for seniors. The class of 2021 has lost Red and Gold Day, blowout, Senior Sunrise, and the overall experience of being a senior at BHS.

BHS students attend a socially-distanced symphonic band rehearsal at the Jacket Stadium.

Performing Arts Classes Wrap Up The Year With Virtual Performances

Entertainment

When Berkeley High School students selected their courses for the 2020-21 school year back in the spring of 2020, they had no idea what they were in for.

Sarah Matsumoto, a photography teacher at BHS, works at a desk in her classroom. Now that in-person school is an option, Wednesday classes have been made mandatory for students not attending in person.

Students Should Not Be Forced to Attend Wednesday Class

Opinion

Wednesdays are notorious for being full of exhaustion: motivation from Monday is long gone, and the weekend is nowhere in sight. However, with the asynchronous Wednesday schedule that Berkeley High School implemented before May, the so-called hump day provided a short break from the chaos of the week.

A Year of Virtual Learning Reveals What to Preserve for In-Person School

Opinion

To read the first part of this series on transitioning to in-person school, click here. Distance learning sucks. Nobody likes enduring the boredom, awkwardness, and discomfort that comes with virtual schooling.

BHS Administration Must Improve Communication on Hybrid Learning

Opinion

The pandemic has exacerbated issues of transparency at Berkeley High School, and the communication surrounding the hybrid learning plan illustrates this problem.

BHS Should Maintain Some Elements of Distance Learning This Fall

Opinion

As the 2020-21 school year rolls to an end after crashing, burning, and just generally sucking to a magnificent degree, we look towards the next year at Berkeley High School.

BUSD School Board and Parents Reckon With Reopening

News

On April 14, the Berkeley Unified School District School Board met to discuss a range of issues, including on-campus learning at Berkeley’s elementary and middle schools, as well as the ongoing reopening process at Berkeley High School.

Digital Dance: BHS Dance Production 2021 Launches Film Festival

Features

Faced with this year’s unprecedented circumstances, the Berkeley High School Dance Production class embraced a unique opportunity to explore digital dance in its annual performance, which will take place on April 23.  Linda Carr, who teaches DP, explained the online model for the 2021 showcase.

BUSD parent Mara Kolesas, a leader of the movement to reopen Berkeley schools.

Differing Opinions Abound Within Opposite Sides of Reopening Controversy

Features

After months of back and forth, the Berkeley Unified School District announced it had reached a tentative agreement with the Berkeley Federation of Teachers for a hybrid reopening of all schools, grades K-12, on February 17.

Teachers Combat Increased Temptation of Academic Dishonesty

Features

This year’s model of schooling from home has turned students’ worlds upside down. Homework has drastically increased to fit the shortened amount of class time at Berkeley High School, and with lack of monitoring from teachers, cheating on assignments is now easier than ever.

College Readiness Majorly Impacted by COVID-19, Community Must Support Upperclassmen

Opinion

In a normal year, the transition from high school to college is anything but easy. Amidst a global pandemic and distance learning, previous challenges are exacerbated, and new problems are constantly arising.

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.

BHS International Baccalaureate In-Person Exams Cancelled

News

On February 11, the International Baccalaureate Organization announced to schools that it will not hold a portion of the May 2021 International Baccalaureate exams.

BHS Freshmen Choose Small Learning Communities for 2021-22 School Year

News

On February 17, the freshman class at Berkeley High School chose the Small Learning Communities that they will be in for the rest of high school. Although the process was altered to accommodate distance learning, the registration was similar to past years.

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

Two Sides: Viral Video Shows BFT President Bringing Daughter To In-Person Preschool

Opinion

On February 27, a 45 second clip featuring Berkeley Federation of Teachers president Matt Meyer and his daughter walking into a private preschool was published on YouTube by an anonymous group of Berkeley Unified School District parents entitled Guerilla Momz.

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.