Dear Editor, 

In [Carina Muniz’s] piece “The Drama of Distance Learning,” I appreciate how it brings attention to the drama elective and club. As a beginning drama student myself, I agreed with many of the points highlighted as distance learning has completely changed how I thought my experience with drama would [be this year]. For instance, you mentioned how there is this fear of being vulnerable and judged by your peers as a beginning drama student. I personally felt the same way as I was amongst intermediate students who have two to three more years of experience, which can be a bit intimidating at times. But as interviewed student [and President of the Drama Club] Dana Tween mentions, she tries to create a “‘comfortable,’ ‘kind’ and ‘friendly’” [environment].  There seems to be this connotation that drama isn’t fun and it is not seen as something “cool” as depicted in a variety of media, but it’s completely the opposite. It truly does feel like a family as we’re working more collaboratively together, especially on our latest virtual play, “Left to Our Own Devices,” [which] comes out during the week of finals. We reassure each other that everyone is doing well and we share fun jokes with each other each class period. Although we can’t physically see each other, distance learning hasn’t stopped us from connecting with each other and having a fun semester. So thank you for shining a spotlight on the drama department and hopefully it encourages more students to join. 

Sincerely,

Ashley Ratcliff

Dear Editor,

In the article titled “The not-so-small things,” written by Editor-in-Chief Lucia Rivera, she writes about her experience with distance learning and how she misses the small little details that in-person school offered. I appreciated the perspective that Lucia offered, especially when she mentions that she feels recharged by having a packed schedule filled with social interaction. I can understand where she is coming from, as I also miss the social interactions that my daily school routine offered. From spending time in classrooms with teachers during lunch to going out with friends after school, the lack of in-person socialization is mentally taxing in its own way. 

Furthermore, I can also relate to the struggle that Lucia is facing in trying to find substitutes for real-life relationships. I’ve lately been trying to use virtual communication platforms such as Zoom and Discord to try and stay in touch with friends; however, it simply just doesn’t replicate the same feeling of learning together in-person. For example, each classroom offered a different environment depending on the teacher, the decorations and the students in them. Whether it was my English classroom where my friends and I hosted our own “Hot Ones” interview for our final project, or my Biology classroom filled to the brim with plants and animal decorations, there was something to look forward to each period.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, and I look forward to reading your future articles.

Sincerely,

Darrius Montefalcon

Dear Editor, 

I found the article “BVH athletes push back against SUHSD’s decision to postpone sports season” by Nicole Macgaffey and Rosario Ortiz really interesting. This topic is really important to a vast majority of students at BVH including myself, as I am a student athlete. However, the article covered little about the students’ “push back” and what it entails. It felt as [if] the article was more fixated on the fact fall sports were once again postponed instead of what the title says it was going to talk about. I hoped the text was going to include why student’s pushing back and wanting the sports season to begin, including the fact that sports is the reason that keeps people living and breathing because it is their life. This way, there would be more empathy and momentum for the student athlete’s pushback. With that being said, I’m glad this issue is being brought to attention because playing sports in high school is life changing and [is] a critical component to many students.

Best regards, 

Marissa Carreon

Dear Editor, 

My name is Nicole Hill, [and] I am writing to you regarding the article titled “Rough start for on-campus learning, students break safety protocol” composed by Madison Geering and Lucia Rivera. As the Associated Student Body (ASB) President, this article has great relevance to me as these were my officers breaking the social distancing guidelines. I appreciated the fact that these students, the publishers of the article, reassured us of the severity of the issues. Although we shouldn’t need these reminders, sometimes it is necessary as we are adjusting to [the COVID-19] pandemic even though it has already been almost ten months. Especially with distance learning and the lack of social interaction, it is very easy to forget how much of an impact we have on our student body. After all, I am the one that represents them […] at a district level. Taking this into consideration, I do apologize for the mistake made by us as a leadership team. I agree with everything stated in the article, and once again I thank you for not letting this slip by, as it is more of a concern than we all realized. 

Sincerely,

Nicole Hill

Dear Editor, 

I really appreciate Evan Abutin’s article, “Stepping towards a healthier lifestyle,” because it discusses the various benefits of walking as it promotes both physical and mental well-being. I was particularly interested in [this] story because it not only brought to my attention of how such a simple act such as walking can have a drastic impact on our health, but it also made me reflect upon the role walking has had on my day-to-day life […] Ever since we have been in quarantine and stuck in our homes during distance learning, I’ve noticed that I haven’t been as active as I used to be and it has definitely taken a toll on my mental health as I felt a lot more anxious and stressed having to stay within my home for the past seven months. I never realized how much walking influenced our daily routine when we were physically in school because, as described in the article, walking is something we tend to dismiss; we don’t give much thought into how it shapes our day-to-day life. Thank you for pointing out that we need to spend more time walking because it will help us maintain a healthier lifestyle, especially during these challenging times when we need it the most.

Sincerely,

Wallae Zeidan

Dear Editor, 

I recently read the opinion piece, “In the driver’s seat” by Nadia Martinez on [The Crusader] website. I found the piece to be quite intriguing and something that I had not known about previously. In the article, Nadia explains how Proposition 22 (Prop. 22) essentially “passed right under our noses” and I found that shocking. To know that so many people were oblivious to the major impact that Prop. 22 would have certainly shows that there is a lesson to be learned here. It shows that it is important to know exactly what you are voting for beyond just surface-level knowledge. In this instance, people were blinded from the true nature of Prop. 22 because they were only aware that they would lose the convenience of companies such as Uber and Doordash. I appreciated how this piece was structured to allow the best understanding of the subject matter because I too was unfamiliar with Prop. 22 before reading this opinion piece, but the context and explanation helped me understand the significance of what Nadia was discussing. I agree with Nadia’s stance as well. Knowing now how Prop. 22 has caused these drivers to lose their rights is completely wrong and unjust. More people should have been aware of this and need to be aware of it now as well. Overall, I found this piece interesting and insightful, and it was a great read. 

Kind regards,

Nathan Mitchell