The Paw Print

A news publication created by Baruch's College Now high school journalism class

Archives for December 2024

Do High Schoolers Feel Prepared For College Applications?

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The story was written by Ryan Xiao

“I knew [college applications] would come eventually–and now it’s senior year, and we’re [at the] submitting deadlines–but I honestly do feel ready for this new chapter of our lives,” Baruch College Campus High School senior Ashley Saltl said. 

Applying to college is a rigorous process, but seniors at Baruch College Campus High School say they feel somewhat ready for application challenges because of support from peers and their school.

“My guidance counselor has helped me a lot with confidence. If it wasn’t because of her, I would’ve been more nervous,” Rosangely Alvarez said. “And also my siblings, they’ve prepared me for what I’m gonna go through.”

Saltl agrees and says she’s been surrounded by support.

“It’s always been talked about for me by my family, friends, and also outside people because I take a lot of extracurriculars such as Girl Scouts, and they also prepare me for that,” Saltl said.

But students also say there’s room for improvement in support for college applications. They feel that preparations for applications should have started earlier.

“In our junior year, college wasn’t talked about because [they made it seem] like no pressure but it is a really big year,” Anabel Suriel said. “[Students] all need support, they all need as much help as they can get. Students shouldn’t have to feel like they’re struggling their junior year.”

Adriana Seminario says she’s felt stressed since junior year and has mixed feelings about college in general. 

Students also face issues concerning counselors. Alvarez says counselors appear to favor certain students, which is damaging to others. 

“I feel like it’s just a communication thing where sometimes they forget about certain students and prioritize others,” Sultl said. 

Saltl suggests that counselors should be “Setting the time for each student to actually meet their counselor one on one [to discuss] what colleges you’re applying to and what your circumstances are.”

Amaya Trotman says that although college advisors are helpful for the application process, she feels she has had to rely on herself because of their lack of availability. 

These issues of leniency towards certain students and unavailability of counselors, as well as the lack of support in earlier years hinder students’ confidence in the college application process. But despite the nervousness surrounding applications, some students persevere and say they feel somewhat prepared.

“I’m a very confident person, especially in academics. I take pride in making sure that I’m prepared,” Suriel said.

Students React To Underfunding At Baruch College Campus High School

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This article was written by Ryan Xiao

With about 450 to 500 students, Baruch College Campus High School is among the smaller and poorer high schools in New York City. The school’s underfunding is a major discussion point among students and staff, and an issue that is constantly brought up.

Many students wanted more programs the school couldn’t provide, and many staff wanted more opportunities for students the school couldn’t afford. 

“There should be an inclusion of musical arts as well as arts itself,” said Lana Denis, a junior at Baruch College Campus High School. “We as a student body create a lot of clubs to be inclusive and have our [extracurriculars] in school, but our school should strive for more inclusivity. … I wish it had a music program and an engineering program for Hispanics and people of color.” 

According to the 2019-20 School Year Financial Transparency Report from the NYC Chancellor’s Office, the per pupil expenditure for Baruch College Campus High School was around $19,269.02 compared to the district’s school average of $26,234.77 and the state’s school average of $22,834.84.

The staff says the underfunding is apparent through missing opportunities–such as programs–and wants more ways to support students.

“More snacks would be nice,” Lily Kepstra, the school’s social worker, said. “I think it is true: kids can concentrate better with more snacks.”

The staff members also say they feel limited in their options because of financial issues.

“I would like to plan more trips, but I don’t like trips with money because it’s not as equitable,” Kepstra said. “I don’t want to ask kids to pay for trips.”

Kepstra said that she fears some students might miss out on trips because of the price, and the underfunding contributes to this. Because of that, she says, she has chosen not to plan as many trips.

Many students were bothered by the lack of funding and felt the school could do more.

Chloe Castera said that the bathrooms are often unsanitary and stink, and that the school could do a better job at maintenance. Many other students agreed with her, claiming that the school seemed old–dusty stars, tiles falling out, a ceiling collapse, etc.

“It’s very dirty and I don’t want to be in this environment,” Castera said.

Other students were less bothered by the lack of funding, but they still recognized the effects. Sarah Seleza says that she went to a poorer middle school, and so Baruch is an improvement. But she still recognizes that change is rare in the school because of lack of funding.

Some students said they didn’t care, even though the underfunding is apparent.

“We don’t get the full experience we deserve. If we’re gonna be here for so long–for four years–this school needs to be better,” Katherin Malik said. “[But] it does not really affect me, I don’t really think about it.”

Despite the great ratings–Baruch College Campus High School scores an A in the “College Prep” and “Teachers” sections, and an A- in the “Academics” section according to Niche.com–many students speak negatively because of the financial hurdles the school faces. 

“They could do better,” Kyle Zárate–another student–said.

(All names in the story were changed and are not the actual names of any students or staff.)

Despite Rain, Cold, Fans Flock to Global Citizen Festival

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This year’s Global Citizen Festival was held on Sept. 28 at Central Park’s Great Lawn. The lineup included Post Malone, Doja Cat, LISA, Rauw Alejandro, Jelly Roll and Benson Boone. Each artist promoted important causes, such as ending extreme poverty, defending the planet, empowering women, and supporting LGBTQ+ rights.

The Global Citizen Festival is an annual event where speakers from around the world promote change toward sustainability, equality and humanity. Fans can win tickets by signing petitions, tweeting and posting videos that raise awareness for these causes.

Doors opened at 2 PM, but fans were expected to arrive earlier to get closer to the stage.

The festival faced harsh conditions, as fans had to wait for long hours in rain and cold temperatures. They persevered and eventually made it to either general admission or VIP section. The concert was exhilarating, with each artist performing three to five songs, some of which included mashups or covers to pay tribute to other artists.

Between each act, activists spoke on various causes aimed at improving the planet, such as poverty, climate change, pollution, deforestation, and rape awareness. Several QR codes were displayed on the big screens to encourage the audience to take a stand and create change.

Fires Spread Across State and City, Leaving Residents Scared

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Lately, due to the ongoing drought, fires have been erupting all over New York City and state. Parks and forests are burning, and a lot of people are scared about what could happen next.

Blanca Lopez lives in northern New York. She says that the fires are making her nervous. “Living up here has felt less and less safe because when I look on the news, I see that counties close to me are being evacuated because of the fire. I’m scared that’s going to happen to me and my town,” she said.

Even people in the city aren’t safe from the fires. Vanessa Alvarado, 45, lives close to Inwood Hill Park, which had recently been on fire. “I was at my second job and I smelled smoke,” she said. “Then I asked my coworker about it, and he said that Prospect Park was on fire. I thought it wasn’t that bad until my daughter called me at work a few days later and told me that Inwood Hill Park was on fire now too. I got scared because I live less than two blocks from there.” The fires did make her conscious about the severity of the drought, so she went to the store that night and stocked up on water.

The fires were surprising for teenagers like Jayden Marte, 16, who lives in Inwood. “When I was walking home from school, I saw the f***ing park on fire. It was freaking insane. All these fire trucks were there and for a moment, I got scared. But honestly, I don’t think it could be that bad,” he said.

His younger sister, Navila Marte, 13, had a very different reaction. “We talked about the fire in school,” she said. “I didn’t think that things like this could happen in our neighborhood. Nothing ever really happens here.”

Up north, a lot of people share this feeling of helplessness and despair due to the ongoing fires. Felix Lopez Jr., a 51 year old man who occasionally works in the city but lives in northern New York, said, “When I drive home past certain areas, there’s nothing but the smell of smoke. Makes me sad. My poor mother and father live here. Last thing I want is for them to have to leave home. I’m scared it’s gonna happen.”

Experts say that the fires keep occurring because the drought dried out plants and soil, making it easier for them to catch on fire. People have been warned to follow evacuation rules and to avoid any actions that can cause new fires. 

These fires have been a wake up call for many. “This is a reminder that we need to take climate change seriously,” Vanessa Alvarado said. “It’s not just happening in places far from us. It’s affecting our homes and our neighborhoods.” 

The fires continue to burn, and New Yorkers are left waiting for rain so the fires can be stopped before things get any worse.

Post Election, New Yorkers Assess What It Means to Them

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(Shortly after the election we asked some New Yorkers how they think the presidential elections and Donald J. Trump’s victory might affect their social lives. Here’s what they said.

“The election hasn’t really affected my social life in a major way but people have cut me off because they think that I am a trump supporter for not caring about the election.”

–Filadelfo Rodriguez (male), 17

“It’s caused me to be more aware of my surroundings.”

–Sanaya Collins (female), 16

“I can’t say that it has really affected my social life because me and my friends share similar [or] the same beliefs, and we fight for the same causes. I will say that when the results came out every one of us felt super bummed out.”

Emma Cambero Gil (female), 25

“It hasn’t really affected my social life. Politics is not my world. I don’t talk about politics in social settings. And I know to steer clear of other people’s political beliefs.”

Dr. Ricky Brown (male), 40

“It’s made me more nervous because it affects a lot of the people I care about. Other than that I haven’t cut anyone off over the election. If anything I’ve spoken to a lot more people and have gotten to know them because of the election results.”

Chace Collins (male), 16

“It hasn’t affected my social life because before the election I had already cut the people I didn’t like off. They were Trump supporters and I didn’t f*** with that.”

Lia Muñoz (female), 16

“I noticed people who were in my social circle were Trump supporters. I usually have a good radar for these things. But I just had to cut these people off.”

Martin Kelly (male), over 50

The Decline of School Meals

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This story was written by Hailey Kan

Murray Hill Academy students do not enjoy their school meals .

“I feel like [the foods] lack nutritional value. Some of the food doesn’t, it doesn’t look edible. And I don’t think many kids would really be excited for lunch when it’s time to eat, because then the food really just ends up thrown away,” senior Jesus said.

And it’s not just in Murray Hill Academy. Hunger Solutions New York, a report by the Food Research & Action Center, “reveals a decline in participation relative to the previous school year; 12.4 percent fewer students ate school breakfast and 4.3 percent fewer ate school lunch. Nearly 793,000 children in New York participated in school breakfast and just over 1.5 million participated in school lunch on an average day during the 2022–2023 school year.”

“Most of the kids really just want to buy food outside and actually enjoy something so that they could be able to go through the day with a full stomach,” Jesus said.

According to Funding Our Schools by the Department of Education, only 12% of the $4.9 billion School Operations Budget goes to food, serving 880,000 meals daily with free breakfast and lunch available to all students.

While this may seem to be a lot, according to Chalkbeat New York, Mayor Eric Adams cut $60 million of the city’s school food budget in November 2023. This forced the Education Department to “thin out” the school cafeteria menu by removing “pricier items.” This included cheese burritos, chicken dumplings, cookies, and more. However, these options were favorites for students, and were eventually restored to the menu.

In the School Meals Report by the New York City Council, the total cost per breakfast is $3.95, while the total cost per lunch is $6.00. So the lack of funding, and food options has led to fewer students eating and more waste. According to Food Service Director, “As the nation’s largest school district, NYC Public Schools generate more than 80 million pounds of trash per year.”

Some people have their own solution for how lunch should be handled.

“I think the problem is twofold. One, the quality of food is bad, and it’s because of the lack of funding and the lack of incentive for people to get good tasting food. In order to fix that, they need to make school lunches paid and only give free vouchers to kids who can’t afford it. And then the people who can pay for it can opt out and instead pay for things like outside lunch. And I think that will improve the quality of food for people who want to eat school lunch whilst not wasting food, because only people who can afford the lunch or people who buy the lunch will get it, so it also reduces the waste,” senior Kiroto said. 

However, other people do not see a problem.

“I feel like you [students] may get better food just because I know over the years they would constantly change the menu. Kids right now might say the opposite, but if you were growing up when I was here, you would definitely say the food is better,” Justin Moore, former school dean of Murray Hill Academy, said. According to the school’s official website, he graduated from Murray Hill Academy in 2016.

When asked about his past experience with the school lunch quality in Murray Hill Academy, Justin said, “It wasn’t the worst because at the end of the day, if you’re hungry, you’re going to eat. So I wouldn’t say it’s the worst thing, but some days I wasn’t really a big school lunch eater. So yeah, I usually do my own things … but that’s what the kids do now. But if they’re hungry, they’ll eat.”

“I lived in Brooklyn for a while and then I moved to Manhattan. I’ve been here since. So the food is okay to me, so it hasn’t changed anything,” Jason Alicea, supervising school aide, said. He graduated from Norman Thomas High School, which preceded Murray Hill Academy, in 1993 and worked at that school in 2001 before it split into four smaller schools. He was a founding member of Murray Hill Academy according to the school’s website.

When asked about his perspective on how others feel about school lunch, he said, “Everybody has their own prerogative on how, you know, eating wise, some kids will want it, some kids don’t want it. So I guess it goes based on who wants it and who doesn’t want it.”

To encourage students to eat school meals, the mayor should increase the school lunch budgets to allocate more money into the quality and quantity of food options that students can have in order for there to be less food waste.

AP Tests Enter the Digital Age

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Many students struggle throughout the school year trying to handle all the work and studying that comes along with their Advanced Placement classes. Recent changes to the yearly tests have shaken up some students.

Starting May 2025, many AP tests will be going digital. Students aren’t in favor of digital testing and feel some disadvantages will occur.

Twenty-eight tests will go digital with 16 of those being fully online while 12 will be taken hybrid.

Tests going hybrid will be math and science related courses where the multiple choice section will be filled out digitally and students will be able to see the free response questions on the computer but will need to write their answers in a booklet.

The tests will be taken on a platform called Bluebook, which has recently been used in schools for the Digital SAT.

According to a statement by Trevor Packer, the head of the Advanced Placement program, the College Board, which runs the program, is speeding up the transition of the AP tests to digital due to an increase in the number of cheating attempts seen this past May. The board hopes that this transition will provide extra security for the tests.

Students expressed their opinions about digital testing .

“It could be better because people then don’t want to write, we could just type. But then on the other hand, I prefer to handwrite. That’s my opinion. It’s muscle memory and core, but I’m also a writer, so I’m biased as hell,” said Lorena Zhang, a student at Baruch College Campus High School.

“Honestly, I’m not a big fan of digital tests in general because I feel like on computers and screens I can’t compute all the readings as well as I could when it was on paper and I feel it’s also kind of annoying to stare at because it’s a bright screen you’re looking at for a few hours so it kind of hurts your head,” Nashita Moula, another student at BCCHS. said.

Moula continues by pointing out some advantages: “Writing it on paper hurts your hands for a long time. So typing it out, it makes it easier and you get your essays done faster. But I think for me the actual reading portion is more difficult on digital stuff,” she said.

However, with this sudden transition, are schools ready to adapt to this change by the end of the school year?

“We will be invited to an online seminar about it, but we mostly learn from doing it. Last year we had digital PSAT and SAT, so we have an idea of what to expect. Even though we went to online webinars about those, we didn’t really get full experience until the day of the test when we were problem solving issues on the spot,” said Michelle Mistretta, a mathematics teacher at BCCHS.

Teachers have also been changing the way they teach in order to prepare students for the testing changes.

Zhang compares her experience from AP English Language and Composition from last year to her current AP Literature and Composition class.

“Mr. Davis consistently gives us assignments online and he gives us things on the [AP] classroom and we just type up the essay so we don’t really handwrite things like we did in [English Language] last year,” she said.

Schools have also predicted that testing day will look easier for the staff.

“The transition is slightly easier only because we don’t have to wait for shipments of the tests to come, and we don’t have to make big piles of tests for each testing room. We also don’t need to ship out the test booklets for grading after testing is done. Overall, it might be easier logistically since there is less packaging and shipping, however, we do need to make sure that all the technology is working properly and that is harder to predict than the paper copies,” said Mistretta.

Baruch is known for its unreliable Wi-Fi by the students and complaints can be heard from throughout the school. Past experiences from the digital SAT has not helped to sooth the school’s nerves over potential hurdles the students may face.

“One concern is that students may not be familiar with the software and aren’t used to writing essays on the computer.  We are also concerned about the Wi-Fi holding up, as well as any software errors that might occur.  Last year one laptop cart didn’t charge overnight, and we had to plug in multiple extension cords to keep a room running. We’re confident that we can have everything run smoothly, but there are still a lot of unknowns,” said Mistretta.

As the word advances in technology, education must do the same and implement it into schools. People have expressed that this can create major problems in public schools that are underfunded and can’t afford new or additional devices for testing.

“I think the transition may be unfair to some schools that may not have access to much,” said Mistretta.

This begs the question: must everything go digital?