Dear Aragon community, The Aragon Outlook published several offensive graphics in its satirical centerspread. After receiving comments and taking the time to reflect, we realized we should not have run them. We are sorry that the damaging content reached any audience. One graphic attempted to satirize students who believe procrastination and poor time management is comparable to a learning disability. Instead, it missed its mark, and the poster compared students with IEP and 504 plans to lazy students, which is not true. We apologize for the harm this graphic has caused. We do not mean to minimize any barriers that students face to maintaining good grades or participating in classes, especially with the added challenges of remote schooling and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Socratic seminar rotation graphic, which displayed a modified version of Da Vinci's Last Supper painting, was also insensitive. Replacing the faces of Jesus and his Apostles with pop culture icons was inappropriate...
The San Mateo Union High School District’s Board of Trustees was completely replaced by community members who ran for positions in an emergency election last week. The new Board is immediately implementing new policies and changing Board processes after watching the way that the coronavirus pandemic was dealt with. “The decision for credit/no credit for this semester came after a five hour meeting that I can only describe as an absolute circus,” said Burlingame parent Karen Wilson, the new Board President. “The meeting was just ridiculously bogged down by democratic nonsense and wanting to allow everyone to share their opinions, even ones that were super irrelevant. I was appalled by how inefficient it was.” Wilson said before announcing her candidacy she had already been involved in Board processes by fundraising for the campaigns of her favorite Board members and threatening to pull program funding on the frequent occasion that she disagreed with administrative processes. “I just wan...
Amidst much anticipation for the 2020-2021 school year, Aragon administrators have decided to implement Yondr, with a schoolwide pilot for the summer before the school year starts. Yondr was first seen in the San Mateo Union High School District at San Mateo High School as a pilot in the spring of 2018, then was fully implemented in the 2019 fall semester, gaining national media attention. It was only a matter of time before Aragon followed behind with ever popular green and grey phone cells. “In the best interests of our students, we decided to purchase Yondr pouches not only for phones but also tablets, laptops and televisions,” said Assistant Principal Lisa Nagendran. “With extra funds that were previously dedicated to now canceled extracurriculars, we decided to invest in Yondr for our students.” While most students are faced with boredom and cabin fever amongst shelter-in-place orders, Nagendran believes the pouches will help students make more time for the ...