What Being “Patriotic” Means
January 31, 2021
By Opinion Editor Aria Lakhmani “Because being American is more than a pride we inherit / it’s the past we step into and how we repair it.” Listening to Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman’s inauguration…
Gender Fluidity Should Not Start and End with Harry Styles
December 16, 2020
By Staff Writers Helen Tian & Jackie Wong When Vogue Magazine released its cover of Harry Styles in a dress for the December 2020 issue, Styles received immense praise for breaking gender norms. However, claiming…
December Column: Aria's Approach
December 14, 2020
By Opinion Editor Aria Lakhmani Structuring Spontaneity for Productivity “How can I be more productive?” There are thousands of articles, videos, and TED talks addressing this question, yet one thing I’ve noticed is that they all…
Editorial: What We Need to Take Into 2021
December 12, 2020
The Opinion of the Smoke Signal Editorial Board It’s no secret that 2020 has been arguably the most turbulent year in modern history. From COVID-19 placing us in quarantine for months on end to acts of …
Editorial: Losing Sight of Collaboration Online
November 18, 2020
The Opinion of the Smoke Signal Editorial Board Look at a typical Zoom classroom. You might catch glimpses of students’ foreheads on camera and see others looking down at their phones, all while teachers try to…
Student Voices: Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court Confirmation
November 17, 2020
In late October, Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to take the place of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the Supreme Court. Do you agree with the decision to confirm Barrett? “Well, it mostly…
November Column: Aria's Approach
November 16, 2020
By Opinion Editor Aria Lakhmani Not a “Waste of Time” As I set down my brush pen, I looked at my notes from the The Iliad and suddenly thought: Why was I even calligraphing my…
Looking Past Proposition 16 to Increase Diversity
November 15, 2020
By Staff Writers Pradyumn Acharya, Isabella He, & Jerry Yuan Informational On November 3, citizens across California voted on Proposition 16, which would have reinstated affirmative action if passed. After the votes were counted, Proposition…
The Danger of Idolizing Politicians
November 13, 2020
By Staff Writers Kruthi Gollapudi & Jessica Yu “Stan The Squad <3” a user states on Twitter, expressing their love for Democratic Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley. Following Ocasio-Cortez and…
Should Schools Reopen or Continue Distance Learning?
November 6, 2020
By Staff Writers Isabella He & Joanne Park As of November 9, the Alameda County Public Health Department has permitted all schools to open, provided they establish a detailed COVID-19 health and safety reopening plan….
