![IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Junior Zalie Mann performs “I Love to Cry at Weddings,” an ensemble piece from the fall musical Sweet Charity, to prospective students during the Fine Arts Showcase on Wednesday, Nov. 8. The showcase is a compilation of performances and demonstrations from each fine arts strand offered at McCallum. This show is put on so that prospective students can see if they are interested in joining an academy or major.
Sweet Charity originally ran the weekends of Sept. 28 and Oct. 8, but made a comeback for the Fine Arts Showcase.
“[Being at the front in the spotlight] is my favorite part of the whole dance, so I was super happy to be on stage performing and smiling at the audience,” Mann said.
Mann performed in both the musical theatre performance and dance excerpt “Ethereal,” a contemporary piece choreographed by the new dance director Terrance Carson, in the showcase. With also being a dance ambassador, Mann got to talk about what MAC dance is, her experience and answer any questions the aspiring arts majors and their parents may have.
Caption by Maya Tackett.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/53321803427_47cd17fe70_o-1-1200x800.jpg)
![SPREADING THE JOY: Sophomore Chim Becker poses with sophomores Cozbi Sims and Lou Davidson while manning a table at the Hispanic Heritage treat day during lunch of Sept 28. Becker is a part of the students of color alliance, who put together the activity to raise money for their club.
“It [the stand] was really fun because McCallum has a lot of latino kids,” Becker said. “And I think it was nice that I could share the stuff that I usually just have at home with people who have never tried it before.”
Becker recognizes the importance of celebrating Hispanic heritage at Mac.
“I think its important to celebrate,” Becker said. “Because our culture is awesome and super cool, and everybody should be able to learn about other cultures of the world.”
Caption by JoJo Barnard.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/53221601352_4127a81c41_o-1200x675.jpg)
Food and drink lovers are expressing concerns for a rapidly-spreading boba shortage. Shipments of tapioca to the West Coast drastically decreased in number, going from 40 to just 19 in a matter of two months, according to the New York Times.
News about the shortage emerged mid-April when tapioca, the main ingredient of boba, reached supply levels of an all-time low. The combination of employee shortages and piles of ingredients such as tapioca scratch and the boba balls being left unattended in east and west coast ports caused a traffic jam, according to the New York Times.
Businesses have lost revenue due to the heavy amounts of ingredients being left at the ports for long periods of time. The shortage may last until the summer, leaving many boba shops in the country with concerns over business, according to NPR.
“My family has sent pictures of places in different areas that have signs that say, ‘There’s a boba shortage, and it’s real. You can’t get any boba here,’” owner of boba review account (@sof.and.boba) and sophomore Sofie Tran said. “I also saw a TikTok about the boba shortage and how shops are only giving one scoop [of boba] per person — it’s crazy.”
Repercussions of the shortage already hit the Bay Area, according to ABC News.
“This is an industry-wide shortage,” the Boba Guys wrote in a post on their official Instagram. “Some boba shops are already out. Others will run out in the next few weeks. 99% of boba comes from overseas.”
Redstraw employee and senior Carmen Yang was recently informed about the boba shortage.
“‘Boba will be out of stock until further notice due to the delayed shipment at California ports’ — That’s what they said, just a text to group chat,” Yang said. “I think we’re just going to sell other toppings like lychee jelly or agar boba.”
Although toppings such as jellies, puddings and popping pearls are popular to mix into the drinks, tapioca pearls such as boba are the most popular.
In the beginning of the pandemic, people were running out of toilet paper, but now people are taking boba away in person for their drinks.
— Sofie Tran
“I would be sad because boba is really the only topping I ever get,” Tran said. “In the beginning of the pandemic, people were running out of toilet paper, but now people are taking boba away in person for their drinks.”
This story was originally published on Portola Pilot on May 5, 2021.
