Bear Witness - June 2018 by Branham Bear Witness

BEAR

WITNESS

SPECIAL SENIOR EDITION

Four years gave us room to grow

BY JULIA KOLMAN

hen I reflect on who I was fresh-

man year, I wish I could give my

former self some crucial pieces of advice. You will struggle academically and socially. There are infinite obstacles you will overcome. Some of your friendships will fall through, and that’s okay. You don’t need to be perfect. It’s okay to question your values. Your plans for the future will change. Life gets hard, but it gets better, as well. Breathe. I endured a great deal of anxiety at the beginning of my high school career. I strived for perfection, and beat myself up for anything short of it. And I could have used those words. Each senior has faced their own obstacles and has a unique story to share. Most of the senior class would give similar pieces of advice to their former selves. In a Bear Witness survey that 181 seniors responded to, students submitted one piece of advice that they would tell their freshman self. Most of the advice can be categorized as academic,

Inside

Senior map

Senior awards

Siblings say goodbye

social, and personal advice, and ranges from urging themselves to not take a particular class, to intimate conversations they wish they could have. The advice we needed and lessons we’ve learned have shaped us into the graduating seniors we are now. Many of the seniors who submitted their advice described a lesson learned. Esperanza Herrera-Rivera says that she would tell herself to not allow her shy nature to prevent her from being successful. As a freshman, she feared that her peers would judge her, and therefore did not speak up at school. “I would let my shyness build up to a point where I felt like everyone was judging me,” Esperanza says. “So I would never raise my hand. I wouldn’t sit in the front of the class, even though I needed glasses.” Like Esperanza, other seniors recall perSEE GROWTH • PAGE 6

Keepsakes, real and virtual

Highs and lows through life

SENIOR DESTINATIONS

SPECIAL SENIOR ISSUE PAGE 2

CALIFORNIA

American Musical and Dramatic Academy Los Angeles Sadie Patrick Azusa Pacific University Donald Rocha California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo Edward Chekhanovsky Ai-vy Dang Hannah Hittleman Tabitha Maschmeyer Dino Maslic Dante Reinoso Tanner Scattini Philip Schremp Tushar Sharma Patricia Wilson Irene Wong Shaya Zarkub California Polytechnic Pomona Bianca Medina CSU San Marcos Jessica Wheeler Chapman University Johnny Altwal Rebecca Dieker Barbara Fo Mac Francini Ava Martinson Emma Tucker CSU Channel Islands Jasmine Armenta CSU Chico Samantha Carroll Elise Imfeld Jake Pate CSU East Bay Ja’Naya Harrison Jennifer Ocampo

WHERE THE CLASS OF 2018 IS HEADING

The state has the fifth largest economy in the world, bigger than Britain. Julia Kolman Anthony Macias Francisco Maldonado Aleksei Martynchik Edgar Morales Ariana Murray Emily Ngo An Nguyen Salomon Ramirez Elizabeth Reyes Kasie Rockowitz Jarenia Rodriguez Niklas Savitt Mekye Stancill Delina Stifanos Truman Tang Anna Thompson Nathan Truong Israel Velasquez Saul Villegas Jessica Vo Steven Vo Evergreen Valley College Robert Burnett Tara Lucas Dakota Scott Brandon Sowell Melissa Vallejo Sanchez Foothill College Kyle Albert Luis Esqueda Jason Gant Amie Schiro Macy Wagner Fresno State University Erik Pearson Mission College Tori Ellis-Smith Kyle Loeffler Asher Pedraza Donavan Roman Masen Vilches Modesto City College Chase Morrison

CSU Long Beach Aliya Addo Caleb Lee

Mount San Jacinto College Cutter Reinhart

CSU Monterey Bay James Thompson

Pacific Union College Louise Ha

De Anza College Patrick Acosta Gianna Bondi D’ante Bonnard Kaylie Bui Isaiah Caruso Eileen Castaneda Maurice Chappell Deysi Chavez Victor Chicas William Co Guadalupe Contreras-Gonzalez Israel De La Cruz Samantha Esparza Paul Fonkwo Jr Ruben Gallego III Yisel Garcia Rivera Sami Garza Anthony Gigliello Aileen Gomez Martin Gutierrez Gustavo Hernandez Gomez Calvin Hill Kristian Hurni Romina Iranmanesh Jason Kalaboukis Tyler Khan Grant King Wichayada Klaibua

Pepperdine University Spencer Lindquist Point Loma Nazarene University Claire Carter Holly Hyon Saint Mary’s College of California Grace Clinton Rose Deswal Kassandra Lopez San Diego State University Robert Brodskiy Kylie Chang Alyssa Fernandez Janelle Gruss Adrian Melgoza Megan Sidlow San Francisco State University Alex Alfaro Alexis Bailey Isabella DiMaggio Selene Escobedo Kaleb Fulmer

Matt Garcia Gurneet Nijjar Chloe Stowers Mi Isabelle Trinh San Jose City College Jasmin Barbosa Lesly Fernandez Sabrina Godinez Maegan McElroy David Ortiz Daniel Ramirez Dominic Tomida San Jose State University Jackson Baker Chanze Berti Rylee Blechman Aleander Boggini Marisol Corton Ianna Duran Eseta Finau Keaton Fiske Derek Huang Alysha Kirk Bobby Lacey Natalia Leon Kelly Marlow Mileva Sanchez Erika Tsukimura Sydney Uyeda Samantha Wood Santa Barbara City College Stephanie Johnson Santa Clara University Jake Bermudez Scotti Morrone UC Berkeley Kunal Dutta Yookyeong Kim Andrew Lenz Helen Nguyen UC Davis Kalkidan Agdie Jodi Engelhardt Gabrielle Guevara Emma Ratnaparkhi UC Irvine Miranda Bravo Inbar Michael Bhumi Tandel UC Los Angeles Sophia Desai Nadia Hall Jack Irish Tori Mok Adam Saleh Nathan Vu UC Merced Kaila Intil Julie Pham UC Santa Barbara Jillian Allison Seneca Lent Sarah MacGregor Benjamin Prince Ashleigh Stubbs Gabriella Ulloa Caroline Ware UC Santa Cruz Daniel Chiang Pavneet Kaur Christian Lee Kelly Neal Gabriel Roberts Sai Tummala UC Riverside

BEAR WITNESS JUNE 2018

Alice Yoon Jasmyne Umpierre University of San Francisco Dara Rivas University of the Pacific Sama Jasim West Valley College Hailee Adams Dylan Baldrige Katrina Beaulieu Ian Bergman Juliette Blatt Michelle Brown Miguel Cardenas Donovan Clayton Chloe Cooper Nicholas Corriere Lindsey Cummings Dario Dalecio Matthew DelPrete Mikayla Dimulias Marian Esavi Mitchell Ewing Yanos Ewunnet Antonio Feli Sam Franz Lawrence Garrett Jorge Goitia Ale Gonzalez Rosalie Gonzalez Hunter Hathaway Melanie Hernandez Natalie Hernandez Brooke Irby Marisa Karbowski Eloisa Karp Lenni Landeros Kevin Le Grace Lewandowski Sarah MacFarland James MacPherson Cristian Martinez Paul Maruthanayagam David Mattias Hunter Miramontes Catherine Monroy Connor Moore Dylan Moore Nick Nader Miguel Ordonez Zachary Padro Benjamin Panella Timoteo Parra Levi Pilcher Ethan Ponce Adrian Prado Regine Quintos Kimberly Ramos Devon Reed Sophia Rich Cecelia Rodriguez Oscar Rodriguez Bailey Rudd Gabriel Schell Patrick Scott Jason Segura Guerra Paul Smith Logan Snyder Aleis Solorio Samantha Todd Aaron Townsend Alex Trigonis Sheen Trisal Sandra Villasenor DeShaun White Erin Yates

44% 44% 36 Heading to a four-year college

ARIZONA Arizona’s state fossil is petrified wood. Chandler Gilbert Community College Jacob Lares Grand Canyon University Terynn McNairnie

Heading to a two-year college

MAINE York, Maine is the country’s first chartered city. University of Maine Machias Jamie Merriam

Northern Arizona University Chloe Mannina

NEVADA Home to over 160,000 slot machines.

University of Arizona Colin Lola

University of Nevada, Reno Matt Ross Nicolas Majors Sara Robertson

FLORIDA The city of Clearwater has the highest rate of lightning strikes per person. College of Central Florida Ashley Harris Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Benjamin Sagar

HAWAII The Hawaiian alphabet has only thirteen letters. University of Hawaii at Manoa Emily Nakken Malia Miley

IDAHO Home to Hell’s Canyon, the deepest gorge in the U.S. Boise State University Robert Durrer

NY NEW YORK Subway routes travel 722 miles throughout New York City. Baruch College Lily Mortazavi New York University, Tisch School of the Arts Savidu Geevaratne

OR OREGON Oregon’s state fish is the chinook salmon. Oregon State University Mitchell Braun Brynley Cozzi Craig Elliott Portland State University Savannah Lulualii

Seniors to attend college out-of-state

Alan Kawasaki Jessica Marvin University of Portland Matthew Le

PA PENNSYLVANIA Home to the first computer in 1946. Carnegie Mellon University Victoria Ciplickas

TEXAS The U.S.’s first domed stadium was built in Houston. Rice University Aruni Areti

UTAH The Salt Lake Temple took 40 years to complete. Utah State University Natalie Earl

WASHINGTON Starbucks was founded in Seattle in 1971. Collin College Kameron DeHart

Western Washington University Esperanza Herrera-Rivera Summer Pascual

are taking a gap year

JAPAN Average life expectancy in Japan is 83.4 years (in the U.S. it’s 78.74 years). College in Japan Leo Uchida

UNITED KINGDOM Queen Elizabeth II is the U.K.’s longest reigning monarch. University of Gloucestershire Max Minchin

GAP YEAR

Alexis Reyes Ruby Woodfin Jason Sanders

EMPLOYED

Jared Garcia Nava John Solis Makayla Macias Mikayla Moe Noah Flores Rory West Tony Castaneda

APPRENTICE PROGRAM

Maegan McElroy

UNDECIDED

Yeraldini Trejo Amador

CAREER EDUCATION

Brejanae Goolcharan Kyle Hagopian Lucan Deverse

Southern Oregon University Jordynn Robson University of Oregon Jenna Cardoza Lauren Coke Payton DeCarlo Matthew Dempelein Gianna Duran

“College” title images compiled from social media accounts from San Jose State University, University of California, Berkeley, Santa Clara University, University of California, Santa Cruz, University of California, Davis, De Anza College, and West Valley College. Illustrations by Azura Gutierrez and Catherine Monroy

SENIOR AWARDS

SPECIAL SENIOR ISSUE PAGE 3

BEAR WITNESS JUNE 2018

SENIORS EARNED AN ESTIMATED $860,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS Department Awards

Art Francisco Maldonado “I am... confident that Francisco will continue to make a name for himself as he enters the art world.” Eileen Bertron Yearbook Samantha Carroll “I quickly realized how strong her work ethic is, her attention to detail, and how much pride she takes.” Lisa Pimental Science: Biological Emma Ratnaparkhi

Culinary Art Sebastian Valdivia “Since he was a freshman, Sebastian has always given his best, and has never uttered the words: not my job.” Barbara West English Michelle Brown “I’ll never forget her dedication to the humanity of my curriculum and culture.” Carl Ponzio Science: Physical Andrew Lenz

Drama Samantha Todd

Dance Makayla Macias

“She is outstandingly cooperative and helpful and a go-getter.” Christina Plank

“She puts 150 percent effort. She pushes every performance over the top. ” Eileen Bertron

Leadership Kunal Dutta

Journalism Julia Kolman

“I cannot imagine Branham High School without this leader, social influencer, and dedicated student.” Christina Hillman

“As a journalist, Julia has a passion for advocacy, helping others share their difficult stories. ” Fitzgerald Vo

French Grace Clinton

Social Science Seneca Lent

“Emma has always shown mastery of content, inquiry and has willingly helped other students.” Juan Fernandez

“Andrew has always been an exceptional student- he is quick to help other students when they need it.” Juan Fernandez

“She is a teacher’s dream. She remains unbelievably positive.” Brett Johanson

Hailee Adams President’s Education Kalkidan Agdie President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, World Language: Spanish Department Award, California State Seal of Biliteracy: Spanish , Citizenship Award Kyle Albert President’s Education Alex Alfaro President’s Education Jillian Allison President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Johnny Altwal President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Brandon Anders Robbie Deauville Award, Aruni Areti President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Jasmine Armenta Kiwanis Turnaround Scholarship Alexis Bailey President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, California State Seal of Biliteracy: Spanish Jackson Baker President’s Education, Music: Instrumental Department Award, Citizenship Award Jasmin Barbosa California State Seal of Biliteracy: Spanish Jake Bermudez President’s Education Chanze Berti Country Woman’s Club of Campbell Scholarship Rylee Blechman President’s Education Alexander Boggini President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, PLTW Scholar Gianna Bondi President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, PTSA Scholarship Mitchell Braun President’s Education, PLTW Scholar Miranda Bravo President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Robert Brodskiy President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Michelle Brown President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, ELA/ELD Department Award Samantha Carroll President’s Education, Yearbook Department Award Claire Carter President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Eileen Castaneda President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society California State Seal of Biliteracy: Spanish Kylie Chang President’s Education, National Honor Society Edward Chekhanovsky President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, PLTW Scholar Daniel Chiang President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Victor Chicas California State Seal of Biliteracy: Spanish Victoria Ciplickas

President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Math Department Award Grace Clinton President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, World Language: French Department Award, Citizenship Award Lauren Coke President’s Education Marisol Corton President’s Education, California State Seal of Biliteracy: Spanish William Cox President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, PLTW Scholar, National Honor Society Brynley Cozzi President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Lindsey Cummings President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Ai-vy Dang Citizenship Award Israel De La Cruz California State Seal of Biliteracy: Spanish Matthew Del Prete PLTW Scholar Stacy Demertzis President’s Education Roma Desai President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Sophia Desai President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Rose Deswal Country Woman’s Club of Campbell Scholarship Rebecca Dieker President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society, PTSA Scholarship Isabella DiMaggio President’s Education Mikayla Dimulias President’s Education Gianna Duran President’s Education Ianna Duran President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, XILINX Scholarship Robert Durrer President’s Education, National Honor Society Kunal Dutta President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society, NHS Scholarship, Leadership Department Award, National Merit Finalist , Commonwealth Central Credit Union Scholarship, PTSA Scholarship Jodi Engelhardt President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Selene Escobedo California State Seal of Biliteracy: Spanish Alyssa Fernandez President’s Education, National Honor Society Keaton Fiske President’s Education, PLTW Scholar Barbara Fox President’s Education, National Honor Society Macallan Francini President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Kaleb Fulmer President’s Education

Yisel Garcia Rivera President’s Education Samantha Garza PTSA Scholarship Savidu Geevaratne President’s Education, Music: Vocal Department Award, Citizenship Award Katherine Growitz President’s Education Janelle Gruss President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Gabrielle Guevara President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society, California State Seal of Biliteracy: Spanish Louise Ha President’s Education Nadia Hall President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, California State Seal of Biliteracy: Spanish Ashley Harris President’s Education Esperanza Herrera-Rivera President’s Education Hannah Hittleman President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Brian Hoffman SVCTE Skills USA Gold Medalist (Diesel) Derek Huang President’s Education, California State Seal of Biliteracy: Chinese Kristian Hurni President’s Education Holly Hyon President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Romina Iranmanesh President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Jack Irish President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, PLTW Scholar Sama Jasim President’s Education Jason Kalaboukis President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Eloisa Karp California State Seal of Biliteracy: Spanish Pavneet Kaur President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society, Citizenship Award Alan Kawasaki President’s Education, ROTC Cadet of the Year Yookyeong Kim President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society, Cully R. Plant Scholarship Alysha Kirk President’s Education Julia Kolman President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Journalism Deparment Award Bobby Lacey XILINX Scholarship Lennix Landeros PLTW Scholar Caleb Lee President’s Education Seneca Lent President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society, Citizenship Award, Robbie Deauville Award, Social Studies Department Award Andrew Lenz

Music: Instrumental Jackson Baker “Jackson has been an incredible asset to the department and has left an outstanding legacy behind.” Barbara West Math Victoria Ciplickas “She has time and again demonstrated the ability to think logically and the gift for visualizing.” Ramani Visvanathan Mandarin Bhumi Tandel

Music: Vocal Savidu Geevaratnee “His musicianship is outstanding and he has the voice of an angel. His talent is huge and his dedication is unparalleled.” Barbara West Physical Education Israel Velasquez “He understands what it means to pursue his dreams with determination.” Christie Henebry Spanish Kalkidan Agdie

“She has promoted inquiry into French culture and language.” Laurel Garceau

“She is not a heritage speaker and she worked extremely hard in Mandarin 1, 2, and 3.” Laurel Garceau

“Each task she performs is done so with full-hearted effort.” Laurel Garceau

President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society, Physical Science Deparment Award, Citizenship Award, Cully R. Plant Scholarship Natalia Leon President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Grace Lewandowski President’s Education Spencer Lindquist President’s Education Colin Lola PLTW Scholar Kassandra Lopez President’s Education, National Honor Society Tara Lucas Kiwanis Turnaround Scholarship, Citizenship Award Sarah MacGregor President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Athlete of the Year Makayla Macias Dance Department Award Nicolas Majors President’s Education Francisco Maldonado Kiwanis Turnaround Scholarship Visual Art Department Award Kelly Marlow President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Cristian Martinez PLTW Scholar, Citizenship Award Ava Martinson President’s Education, National Honor Society Aleksei Martynchik President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, PLTW Scholar Paul Maruthanayagam Citizenship Award Jessica Marvin President’s Education Tabitha Maschmeyer President’s Education, National Honor Society Dino Maslic President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, PLTW Scholar Terynn McNairnie President’s Education Bianca Medina President’s Education Adrian Melgoza President’s Education Hilary Merriam President’s Education Inbar Michael President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Hunter Miramontes President’s Education Mikayla Moe President’s Education Tori Mok President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, Bruin Backers Sports Boosters Athletic Scholarship, Scholar Athlete Lauren Clay Memorial Scholarship, Senior of the Year Chase Morrison President’s Education Scotti Morrone President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Lily Mortazavi President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society California State Seal of Biliteracy: Spanish

Emily Nakken Country Woman’s Club of Campbell Scholarship Kelly Neal President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Emily Ngo Citizenship Award An Nguyen President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Helen Nguyen President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Gurneet Nijjar President’s Education Alexander Noffsinger-Kamp President’s Education Summer Pascual President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Erik Pearson President’s Education, PLTW Scholar Julie Pham President’s Education, National Honor Society Ethan Ponce PTSA Scholarship Benjamin Prince President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Daniel Ramirez Citizenship Award Salomon Ramirez California State Seal of Biliteracy: Spanish Emma Ratnaparkhi President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Biological Science Department Award Dante Reinoso President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, California State Seal of Biliteracy: Spanish Dara Rivas President’s Education, California State Seal of Biliteracy: French Gabriel Roberts President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Sara Robertson President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Jordynn Robson President’s Education Kasie Rockowitz President’s Education Oscar Rodriguez California State Seal of Biliteracy: Spanish Matthew Ross President’s Education Benjamin Sagar President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, PLTW Scholar, PTSA Scholarship Adam Saleh PLTW Scholar, Athlete of the Year PTSA Scholarship Mileva Sanchez President’s Education Niklas Savitt President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, PLTW Scholar Tanner Scattini President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, Scholar Athlete Philip Schremp President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, PLTW Scholar, PTSA Scholarship Dakota Scott SVCTE Skills USA Bronze Medalist (Diesel)

Jason Segura California State Seal of Biliteracy: Spanish Tushar Sharma President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Megan Sidlow President’s Education, PLTW Scholar Paul Smith, President’s Education Ashleigh Stubbs President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Bhumi Tandel President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, PLTW Scholar, World Languages: Mandarin Department Award, PTSA Scholarship Truman Tang President’s Education, PLTW Scholar National Honor Society Samantha Todd Drama Department Award Aaron Townsend Kiwanis Turnaround Scholarship Alexander Trigonis Bruin Backers Sports Boosters Athletic Scholarship, PLTW Scholar Erika Tsukimura President’s Education, PLTW Scholar XILINX Scholarship Emma Tucker President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society PTSA Scholarship Sairaghav Tummala President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Leo Uchida President’s Education Gabriella Ulloa President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Sydney Uyeda President’s Education Sebastian Valdivia Culinary Arts Department Award Sofia Vartanian President’s Education Israel Velasquez Physical Education Department Award Citizenship Award Samantha Vinson President’s Education Steven Vo President’s Education, PLTW Scholar Nathan Vu President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude Macy Wagner President’s Education Caroline Ware President’s Education Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Jessica Wheeler President’s Education Patricia Wilson President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude, National Honor Society Irene Wong President’s Education Samantha Wood President’s Education Brooke Yale President’s Education Alice Yoon President’s Education, California State Seal of Biliteracy: Chinese Shaya Zarkub President’s Education, Summa Cum Laude

Other Awards

SENTIMENTAL SIBLINGS

SPECIAL SENIOR ISSUE PAGE 2

Top left to right: Sydney and Turner Uyeda, Jake and RJ Durrer, Matt Ross, Nick Majors, Ashley Harris, Yisel Garcia, Rose Deswal Middle left to right: Olivia and Grace Clinton, Sama and Sela Jasim, Jessica and Matt Garcia, Rachel Ross, Lauren Majors, Haley Harris, Sophia Garcia, AJ Deswal Bottom left to right: Andre and Regine Quintos, Isabelle and Bryce Trinh, William and Nathan Cox, Edic and Max Chekhanovsky, Milton and Truman Tang, Caleb and Kaitlynn Lee

What is one thing you have learned or admire about your sibling?

Memories

BEAR WITNESS JUNE 2018

Julia Kolman/Bear Witness

He taught me to live life to the fullest and always be productive. TAYLOR WONG, JUNIOR One thing I admire about her is how close she is to me and she always makes sure to keep me updated with everything. NOAH WONG

“He’s taught me how to make good ramen, good grilled cheese. He makes food for me all the time.” BROOKE HATHAWAY, SOPHOMORE

She’s always really resilient. She always pushes through no matter how hard her classes are and I think that’s really inspirational. CASSIDY CHANG, SOPHOMORE

Brooke taught me what I need to know about washing my face, which is tight. Self care is tight. HUNTER HATHAWAY

She is such a big open presence..she’s taught me how to be more open minded..she’s shown me that it’s okay to go off the books. KYLIE CHANG

You’re relentlessly positive sometimes annoyingly so and just to find the positive in everything. AMY KAWASAKI, SOPHOMORE

Hard work pays off. He put in a lot of hard work and got accepted to Cal Poly and that’s number two in the nation for his major. CAELAN REINOSO, 10

I admire the fact that even though sometimes she has to deal with a lot with band and ROTC she always manages to do it. And despite the fact the she has opportunities to burn out and she hasn’t and that’s really admirable. ALAN KAWASAKI

There is some people that are going to succeed in life with little help from school...I know for a fact Caelan is going to succeed, but I think he’s going to do something more creative. DANTE REINOSO

What is something that reminds you of your sibling?

An event that I’ll miss, walking to and from school together because we would talk about fun stuff, there would be a lot of fun conversations.

MAX CHEVHANOVSKY, SOPHOMORE

Something that reminds me of Ashley is softball and tournaments and hotels.

HALEY HARRIS, FRESHMAN

BEAR WITNESS JUNE 2018

BROTHERS AND SISTERS, REMINISCING

SPECIAL SENIOR ISSUE PAGE 5

What is your favorite memory with your sibling?

BELLE NGO, SOPHOMORE My favorite memory with Emily is definitely when we went to Hawaii. During the trip I felt that we bonded a lot and got even close with one another. Also going to Hawaii was really exciting, so it was fun to experience everything with her.” EMILY NGO My favorite memory with Belle would have to be after this year’s BOTC night rally. Belle started crying in the back of my car because Shawn Mendes new song came out and she felt so emotional! She was laughing at how ridiculous she was being but still crying because she is a big fan.

SOPHIA GARCIA JUNIOR Since last year I was in cheer and she was on the dance team, we had practices at the same time so we did everything together, it was really nice to be more involved with her at school.” YISEL GARCIA When we were little, we always used to twin and match our clothes. My mom would always dress us up similarly and when she didn’t, we would get mad. We literally do everything together, especially because we’re only one year together. We go shopping together, we get the same clothes sometimes. We were like twins back then.

TURNER UYEDA, SOPHOMORE We went to Disneyland together in February for like three days ... It was just fun to be the two of us together. It was nice to spend time together. SYDNEY UYEDA We went because our dad had to go to a packaging show and he took us. We got to wander around Disneyland by ourselves… We even filmed it and made a vlog. During the trip we went to go ride Winnie the Pooh and we were like “wouldn’t it be funny if it’s closed” then it was, making us laugh at the irony.

AJ DESWAL, SOPHOMORE So I have this scar on my forehead and I got it from my sister because I took a bite of her donut. She pushed me and I fell and then a chair fell on my head and I had to get stitches. And I had a patch on my head for three months in third grade. ROSE DESWAL Trips to Safeway are the best. We live right across the street from Safeway and we go there all the time. We always do random stuff over there. We get Starbucks and then just walk around.

RACHEL ROSS, SOPHOMORE One time when we were little we were wrestling on my mom’s bed and we took it too far and he hit me in the mouth and knocked one of my teeth out. MATT ROSS My favorite memory with Rachel was when we were little I hooked up our little wagon to the back of my bike when she was like 2 years old and go as fast as I could down the street to scare the crap out of my mom.

This year, the seniors were able to enjoy the year with their sibling next to them, encountering new experiences and creating memories, sharing their high school with each other. Illustrations by Elizabeth Posey

I think the thing I’ll miss the most is that at the football games we would always go to like In-n-out Burger with all his high school friends and it was a new experience for me to meet all of the seniors and all the people who I probably wouldn’t have met without him. JAKE DURRER, SOPHOMORE

Video games. He likes playing “Fortnite” and “Call of Duty” and stuff like that.

LAUREN MAJORS, SOPHOMORE

6 | FROM THE FRONT PAGE GROWTH | Seniors give former selves crucial pieces of advice sonal obstacles that hindered their academic and social growth. Anxiety, going to a new school and lacking the confidence to be yourself around your peers are all factors that seniors note were obstacles to overcome. For Grace Clinton, freshman year was a struggle as she was concerned with impressing others and peer pressure. “At this time of adolescence and developing your identity, it’s easy to be influenced by peers,” she says. Grace would tell her freshman self to stick with her core values, and not worry about pleasing those around her. “Now, I know that I can’t please everyone, friend or teacher, so I try to be true to myself,” she says. Tori Ciplickas says that being active in school has helped her become the person she is. Tori has been involved in the Robotics Club, SPARE, Multicultural Club, and the Relaxation Organization club, and said that she wishes she’d joined clubs sooner. She says that her involvement has helped her become more outgoing and self-assured. “I’ve become a lot more extroverted and I’m better at talking in front of people because I was forced to due to the clubs I was in,” Tori says. “I’ve

become a lot more confident as a person because I have found what I enjoy doing.” Getting through the hardships has made many seniors stronger. When Esperanza joined the SVCTE dental assistant program her junior year, she learned to not be concerned with how others felt about her and now believes that overcoming anxiety is crucial to prioritize education. She notes an SVCTE competition as the moment she became a more confident individual. “(SVCTE) gave me the chance to do a competition, and I would never have done that because I’m shy. There was thousands of people competing. I did it. I won second in the state of California,” says Esperanza. For the senior class, the past four years have been centered around growth, and understanding who they are as a student, as a friend, and as an individual. Now, they have come to the point where they look forward. “I want to go as far as I can and succeed,” says Esperanza. “If I pursue my education and I forget about what other people think, I won’t struggle in the future. That’s my goal.” As a senior class, we have all encountered the things that have shaped us into our own individuals, and we can now

focus on the future. When I think of myself freshmen year, I barely recognize that girl, who would obses- Tori sively worry about Ciplickas the minor things Join clubs. in life, and think she wasn’t good enough, and feel insecure about her body, and feel that high school was forever. And now, I Grace know that I can’t Clinton control every fac- Impress tor in my life. I yourself. shouldn’t waste my time worrying. I can reach out for help. I am good enough. My body is my body. And high school went by faster than I could have Esperanza imagined, which Hererrais why I’m glad Rivera that in the end, Thanks I made the most SVCTE. of it. Every obstacle I’ve encountered has shaped me into who I am. High school has given me strength, courage, and wisdom, and brought me to where I am today: looking forward.

SOPHIA RICH

When surviving school went beyond academics Teen overcame mental and sexual abuse, as well as issues with her own identity and relationships

or senior Sophia Rich, F high school was full of obstacles that didn’t show a

clear path to overcome. The past four years were were a struggle, as she dealt with numerous tribulations, including poor mental health, relationship struggles, and sexual abuse. As for her mental health, Sophia has endured severe anxiety, depression, and selfharm, which has been a constant issue throughout high school. Relationships have fallen through for Sophia, between friends, significant others, and family members. Following a break-up freshman year, she went into a depressive state, as the end of the relationship was hard for her. Her partner had helped her combat her depression, anxiety, and self image. Going through the break-up led to failing friendships, as well. “I… made some mistakes that eventually caused me to lose contact with almost all of my friends for a while,

I have become more mature and have learned to find myself through all the experiences I have gone through.” Sophia Rich

which forced me to deal with the aftermath of the breakup myself,” Sophia said. Along with friendship and relationship struggles, Sophia has combated familial troubles. She is aware and involved in the conflicts between her family members, and financial obligations within her family. A prominent obstacle for Sophia was dealing with the sexual abuse she endured from her uncle. “I was molested by my uncle numerous times until I shut him out of my life and brought it to the police at our school, and nearly made it a lawsuit,” said Sophia. All these struggles have added up for Sophia, making the past four years an emotionally exhausting experience. She notes, however, that despite the unfortu-

nate circumstances she has been in, these experiences have made her stronger. She has also accepted her gender and sexuality, shaping who she is. “From freshman year to now, I have become more mature and have learned to find myself through all the experiences I have gone through, both good and bad,” Sophia said. “I find myself being a lot more confident and unapologetic.” Now a graduating senior, Sophia has plans to attend West Valley college and continue to grow as an individual. “There is no specific outline I have set for myself,” Sophia said, ”because people do change, and I am not exempt, but I want to be successful doing whatever it is that makes me happy.”

SPECIAL SENIOR ISSUE PAGE 7

TAKING IT ALL IN

WHAT THE CLASS OF 2018 WILL REMEMBER ABOUT THEIR HIGH SCHOOL CAREER

A soccer ball, Birkenstocks, a sketchbook. In a Bear Witness survey, seniors were asked about an item that will remind them most of their time here. We picked our favorite responses. Illustrations by Elizabeth Posey

BEAR WITNESS JUNE 2018

Favorite memories My fondest memory was passing a majority of my class of mostly guys in weight training. I play ice hockey against boys, so I joined weight training to get in shape to match up. I had started near the end of the running pack but eventually got fast enough to match up to them. It was a proud moment for me as an athlete. TERYNN MCNAIRNIE Going to the Branham vs Leigh football game my freshman year. TYLER KHAN Mr. V’s overjoyed expression when he was watching our calculus videos. EDWARD CHEKHANOVSKY

THE FOOTBALL FIELD I did not have a football team at my high school during my freshman year. Having my own team to root for, with school spirit and my best friends on the team, meant a lot to me. HUNTER MIRAMONTES

SOCCER BALL It means commitment and pleasure. DANTE REINOSO It means family to me because through the soccer seasons I was a part of at Branham, I met the best group of girls that I can fall back on for whatever. I met my school sister, Nayeli Morales, through this, and my school mom, Ms. Andersson. But honestly, I created lifetime friends that will help me keep my sanity. PAVNEET KAUR

CCS BASKETBALL It reminds me of all the good times I had playing sports for my school with my friends on the team and fellow students watching in the stands. BRANDON ANDERS

BIRKENSTOCKS I have basically worn Birkenstocks everyday since freshman year. JODI ENGELHARDT PERFUME My 9th grade perfume I used every day after P.E. I still get reminded of my journey through branham through the scent. It means to me that there was struggle and doubt but I continued and conquered. PAVNEET KAUR

FIELD HOCKEY STICKS Field hockey was the first extracurricular I ever did at Branham and it gave me the opportunity to get involved, learn new things, and meet new people. GRACE CLINTON

BLUE CREW SHIRT I think of the craziness and excitement of a football game. MATT ROSS

SKETCHBOOK [I would] doodle in every class, during lectures and discussion. ALEXIS BAILEY

Sports weight training. I have learned so much about myself and about life with Henebry. My why, my reason, my work ethic — it has been life-changing. HUNTER MIRAMONTES Meeting my lovely boyfriend in my freshman year English class (we’ve been dating ever since!). GIANNA BONDI Beating Willow Glen and breaking their undefeated streak in volleyball my senior year. Not only beating them but being able to serve the last point that won us the game. I will never forget the feeling and emotions from that whole night and falling into a dogpile and then being able to come into the night rally with such a high win. HOLLY HYON Winning male cheer as junior along with emceeing all the rally’s and enjoying all the Homecoming events! ARUNI ARETI Doing shows with my friends and hanging out with them in the green room while we weren’t on stage. CAROLINE WARE My fondest memory of Branham is the Friday night lights, because my friends and I would just laugh and talk and have the best time where we did not need to worry about our grades. PAVNEET KAUR The 3 fire alarms in the month of May as a sophomore. DAVID MATTIAS

MALE CHEER SHORTS It represents the unexpected things I’ve done at Branham, and I can’t imagine my life any other way. KUNAL DUTTA

My fondest memory of Branham is winning Girls Basketball Division III CCS Championships in 2015. TORI MOK

-5

-4

9/11

2000

Dot com boom

Affordable Care Act

Hurricane Katrina

2008

AIRBNB, Uber founded

2013

I raced cars as a kid. One race I was winning until another guy smashed into me and I eventually lost. The guy who smashed my car ended up winning, he was my rival. Buddy Chappell

My grandpa moved away six years ago and it was hard for me. It felt like he raised me more than my parents did. Gabe Schell

When my parents would drop me off for preschool and I would cry. Kaylie Bui

Barack Obama elected

My EDS teacher gave us jelly bellies for correct answers. She was my favorite teacher. Bobby Lacey

The Great Recession My mom accidentally threw a paper airplane directly into my eye. Sam Todd

Apple releases the first iPod

YouTube is founded

Best childhood memory: seeing the Wiggles live Sam Todd

â&#x201A;Ź

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-2

-1

2014

ISIS rises to power

Branham vs. Leigh football games Football games were the best events Kaylie Bui

Aug. 14: First day of senior year

Senior Prom

March for Our Lives

May 23: Senior awards

June 7: Grad Nite

June 7: Graduation Day

World Events Branham Events Childhood Event High school events

Color Key

2016

2017

2018

Reporting by Michaela Edlin and Rosalie Gonzalez TImeline by Michaela Edlin

The clock is ticking, the hours are going by. The past increases, the future recedes. Haruki Murakami, author

Donald Trump elected

Best high school memory: coaching male cheer senior year Alyssa Fernandez

events within their individual lives. With these events, there is the good and the bad. The timeline below highlights many of these aspects that the graduating has experienced together, for good and for bad.

Worst high school memory: failing english freshman year because of dyslexia Logan Collins

2015

Managing Editor

MICHAELA EDLIN vents make up the lives of everyone and timelines are able to highlight these E events in order to tell a story. The graduating class of seniors has their own timeline of events relevant to the world, their high school career and important

Supreme Court: Gay marriage is a right

High school is not like â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;High School Musical.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Eloisa Karp

Aug. 14: First day of freshman year

TIMES OF OUR LIVES

SPORTS

THE EDUCATION OF LETICIA MOLINA

Boys Volleyball takes CCS win

Pg. 6

BEAR

Spanish teacher shares the incredible story of breaking from her parents’ expectations in order to attend college.

HOW K-POP WENT GLOBAL LIFE

BACK PAGE

BRANHAM HIGH SCHOOL

Career options go outside college path In-Depth Editor

ollege and Career specialist Patricia Perez was the first member C in her family to graduate from college and remembers having her parents tell her which one to attend. “My parents were in my ear, saying, ‘Well, it’s a UC, and you worked really hard,’” she recalled them saying. “‘You are not going to community college. You worked too hard to go to community college.’” Perez ended up going to UC Riverside and is now helping students

@bhsbearwitness BHSBEARWITNESS.COM

FOUR-YEAR DEGREE OR TECHNICAL TRAINING?

JULIA MARQUES DA SILVA

Know the difference between your biases and hyungs.

Pg. 7

WITNESS

JUNE 2018

EDITORIAL: In career planning, put all options on table. page 3

KPOP FOR

figure out their own post-high school destiny. In the Bay Area where 52.7 percent of working adults have a college degree, many students are faced with the pressure of being accepted into a prestigious university. Some may overlook opportunities that closely match their interests to pursue degrees that may have tougher job prospects. Each year, 1.8 million Americans earn bachelor’s degrees, and with those student loans and debt. However, five of the top 10 fastest-growSEE CAREER • PAGE 2

“I know that there are other people like me that are scared and that have the same story.” — Maria Jaramillo Corrales, junior

Fastest-growing occupations requiring a high school degree Solar photovoltaic installers Median annual wage: $39,240 Home health aides Median annual wage: $22,600 Personal care aides Median annual wage: $21,920 Physical therapist aides Median annual wage: $56,610 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

NEWS ANALYSIS

MARIA'S STORY

The challenges of being undocumented, from learning a new language to feeling accepted

Uproar after Parkland, silence after Santa Fe Shock fatigue sets in as students move on from tragedies AARON DEANS

Online Editor

en lives were lost in the May 21 shooting at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas. As of Sunday, the United States has had 23 school shootings involving at least one injury or casualty this year. Unlike the Parkland shooting in February, which saw a widespread call to action in response, the tragedy in Houston suburb hasn’t received the same response, from the media or from students. The regular occurrence of school shootings, even to its victims, isn’t shocking anymore. In an interview to a local news station, Paige Curry, a Santa Fe High School student, said that she was not surprised that her school was targeted. “I’ve always felt it would eventually happen here, too,” she said. At Branham, students have been silent. On March 14, one month after the SEE SHOOTING • PAGE 2

DEPARTING TEACHERS

Michaela Edlin/Bear Witness Maria Jaramillo Corrales has been in the United States since she was 2 years old. She recalls being bullied by her school peers because she didn’t speak English.

Few teachers leaving BHS MICHAELA EDLIN

ANNALISE FREIMARCK News Editor

hen junior Maria Jaramillo Corrales was two years old, her family journeyed from Central Mexico to the United States, through the dust and heat of the desert, by foot and by car. They entered the United States illegally. A few years earlier, Maria’s cousin, Janet Gonzalez, along with Janet’s grandma and aunt, made the same trek by bus to the states with the same dream. Janet, who was five at the time, remembers making the trek over the border and leaving her relatives behind. “It was around 3 or 4 a.m.,” Janet said. “I went to each of my relatives’ rooms and I said goodbye and I kissed them. I never knew that that was the last time I was going to see them.”

INSIDE

Campus briefs.................................2 News.............................................. 2

Maria’s family hoped to be able to build the American dream they had always pictured: a better life for their daughter, a better education and job prospects that they lacked in Mexico. New to the country and not speaking the language, Maria could tell that she was being taunted by her school peers in elementary school, but she did not know what they were saying. “I would get picked on because I was the

Editorial..........................................3 Bulletin Board.................................3

girl that didn’t know how to speak English,” she said. “People would tell me things in English and I wouldn't be able to understand.” Maria said that she’s treated better at Branham, in part because of its diverse population. Nearly 30 percent are Hispanic. “I feel wanted because there are more Latinos here and there are people that I know that speak my language,” she said. Both of their journeys echo those of the ap-

Science and Technology..................4 Science/Tech Briefs.........................4

SEE UNDOCUMENTED • PAGE 2 Student Life....................................5 Mini Reviews..................................7

Managing Editor

nly six teachers and one administrator will be leaving Branham this year, a trickle compared to the flood of staffers leaving in years past. In the past three years, the school had witnessed nearly 50 percent turnover, with 23 new faculty hired in the 2016-2017 school year, and 21 hired this school year. Principal Cheryl Lawton said welcomes this change and wants a consistent staff in order for teacher training to make a significant impact on campus. A look at the staff who are leaving: Lisa Lisa Pimental, photography Pimental and yearbook Teacher Lisa Pimental, the photography and yearbook adviser, has SEE TEACHERS • PAGE 2

Sports.............................................6 Sports briefs...................................6

Arts & Entertainment.....................7 The Back Page................................8

BEAR WITNESS

JUNE 2018 |

BHSBEARWITNESS.COM

NEWS

“These shootings are gonna keep on happening, until we do something about it.” Joel Rodriguez, Prospect senior and founding member of March for Our Lives San Jose

Campus roundups

ald, the two had sold 11 copies of their AP World History study guide, proving to be their most popular of the AP testing period.

Sophomores sell study guides for test prep Sophomores Ben MacDonald and Eamon Park started Cram for the Exam, making study guides to prepare students for upcoming AP tests and other class finals. The guides started at $2 and went up to $4. The focus subjects included chemistry, math, and Spanish classes. According to MacDon-

TEACHERS | One heads to China

board supervisor Matthew Dean about harassment and bullying at the schools. In a public message, Dean said he “failed in recognizing the courage it took for our student leaders to share their point of view on topics that are clearly impacting their lives.” Board President Kalen Gallagher responded on behalf of the board, expressing the need for extra “time, training, and experiences necessary to develop mindsets that are better equipped for serving our students.”

School board exchange prompts supervisor apology A heated exchange between two students from CUHSD schools and the district board at the CUHSD board meeting on May 17 led to a confrontation from student board member Muskaan Sandhu targeting statements made by

Black Student Union returning as club The formerly disbanded Black Student Union will return next year, led by adviser and teacher Tobias McLeod. The club is built to give students, especially African-Americans, an opportunity to express their opinions on issues regarding equal rights and opportunities for minority populations at Branham and in the outside community. — Compiled by staff reports

LINGERING CLOUDS

taught at Branham for 10 years. She credits her creation of the photography program as one of her main accomplishments. She will be leaving for upstate New York, in search for "a better quality of life." with their 4-year-old son, Colmar. Teaching at Branham is only her second teaching job, and she plans to continue teaching after a sabbatical. Lisa Martin, Assistant Principal Lisa Martin has been with Branham for 15 years. Martin started as an intervention counselor and recently as dean, then assistant principal. She will be a principal at an alternative high school in Morgan Hill, where she lives. Even though she's leaving, Martin feels loyalty to Branham. “I love Branham, I love the staff," she said. "I would send any of my kids here.” Courtney Kelly, social science teacher Courtney Kelly is also leaving this year, her first year at Branham. Instead, she’ll be teach history at an international school in China, a plan already in the works. “China has one of the oldest, longest histories,” she said. Christina Plank, drama teacher Christina Plank, drama teacher, is leaving Branham after two years. Under her supervision, Branham has produced several productions, including “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Into the Woods.”

Schoolwide survey, in second year, shows more at school are unhappy

Each spring, the California Healthy Kids Survey asks the student population nearly hundreds about topics such as depression, drug use, and atmosphere on campus. Last year, Branham reported that 26 percent of its student body felt chronic sadness or hopelessness. This year, those results, along with many others have seen an uptick, with juniors feeling the most sad or hopeless about their condition.

17.5

percent of students have contemplated suicide

35% of freshmen 36% of sophomores 48% of juniors 41% of seniors have experienced chronic sadness or hopelessness Source: California Healthy Kids Survey, 2018

— Annalise Freimarck and Mahta Delshad

CAREER | SVCTE courses reflect real industry practices ing jobs only require a high school diploma, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (These are not lucrative careers, but are in high demand. Despite this, some Branham students plan to aim high, with a little push from their parents. Junior Claire Young plans to take five AP classes her senior year after taking four this year. She said she has never considered anything less than enrollment in a high-ranking college such as UCLA, UC Berkeley, or an Ivy League. “My parents have hammered in those standards in me for a long time and my brother also went to a four-year,” said Young. “I’m scared what my parents would think when they consider me entering a lesser-known UC as a worst-case scenario.” This four-year-or-bust mentality for some students here is one that Perez wants to change. While Branham is working to have more students CSU- or UC-eligible (currently about 60 percent are), Perez is encouraging students to pursue al-

ternate paths toward a successful career. Silicon Valley Career and Technical Education, which provides access to vocational training programs to high school students in careers such as construction, auto mechanics, forensic science and animation. Juniors Kyra Bouchereau and Emily Pacini-Carlin attend SVCTE for animation. They have been introduced to software applications and practices standard in the industry. “We learned the software that I wouldn’t have been able to learn otherwise because it’s expensive and very unintuitive so we learned a lot of techniques,” Pacini-Carlin said. SVCTE assistant principal Peter Vrabel advises students who are passionate about any of the programs offered to take the course because of the industry insight these courses provide. “The students we have are ahead of the game as far as their career options because they are here

and are in programs of their choice while still in high school, as opposed to waiting several more years to do so in college,” said Vrabel. Students who decide to go to SVCTE gain more experience in their career compared to students who only take AP courses when going into the same field. According to Edmentum, an online educational provider, 80 percent of students from a CTE training program are career- and college-ready, compared to 63 percent of students who didn't take CTE training with the same academics. Despite these benefits, many students still take the typical path towards four-year schools and believe that vocational training are "beneath" them, according to Vrabel. Perez stresses that there is no formula for the perfect application for universities, and career and technical training can help those who aren't interested in the classroom setting and prefer to have a hands-on learning experience.

SHOOTING | ‘I'm used to it now’ Parkland tragedy, hundreds marched to the quad to protest gun violence as talks about the protest started within days of the shooting. There are currently no plans for a similar protest. Freshman Katelyn Anderson said that school shootings were becoming less shocking to her. “It’s not really surprising anymore,” she said. “It’s really sad that I’m kind of used to it now.” Some point to the risk of desensitization: the concept that overexposure to something negative will, over time, make one less emotionally reactive to it. In other words, it becomes less shocking due to one repeatedly viewing something traumatic. Junior Hana Tzou, one of the organizers for the Branham walkout in March, pointed out that desensitization reflects how shootings are happening far too often. “The very fact that we’re no longer surprised when yet another shooting is heard about in the news,” she said, “when yet another group of children or students or people in America are killed, it’s a representation of just how bad this epidemic has gotten in America.” Tzou said that people still need to be careful and not let desensitization change how they fight violence. “We still have to keep our voices loud, and we also still have to keep responding to these shootings with the same amount of vigor that we responded to Parkland, that we respond to Vegas,” Tzou said. “The fact is that people still died and that’s still a problem.” Joel Rodriguez, senior at Prospect High School and a leader in March for Our Lives San Jose, said that people need to break past this desensitization and keep working towards a solution. “Right now, what we’re seeing in the status quo is that these shootings are gonna keep on going on, they’re gonna keep on happening, until we do something about it,” he said. “Until we change desensitization of these shootings, and what they actually mean, then we’re gonna be able to find an actual solution to the problem.” In the months since Parkland, there has been substantial progress toward March for Our Live’s goals of curbing gun violence. Major sporting goods outlets have increased the age of purchasing a firearm, among other measures. In early May, March for Our Lives San Jose helped pass a law that bans the possession and sale of firearms on all Santa Clara County property.

UNDOCUMENTED | Changes in immigration policy upend family’s status proximately 300,000 immigrants who cross the U.S. border each year in search of opportunities that they lacked in their home country. Under the Trump presidency, programs that protect illegal immigrants such as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), have been upended due to a shift in policy. These past few months have rattled undocumented communities concerned about their future in this country. These worries began when President Donald Trump promised to “immediately terminate” the DACA program via Twitter, and these worries grew as DACA was temporarily rescinded in September. In late June, a revised immigration bill is up for consideration in Congress. If passed, it will extend work authorizations for DACA recipients, but also fund a border wall.

In the meantime, the courts have halted suspension of DACA, meaning that students can still apply for protections from deportation, attend college and apply for work. This uncertainty, along with the struggles of being undocumented, have made for an uphill climb for Maria and her family. Despite fear of deportation, Maria said decided to share her story to provide support for other undocumented students. It’s unknown how many undocumented students attend Branham. “I know that there are other people like me that are scared and that have the same story,” she said. “I want others to hear my story and realize that we are all the same and we all have dreams.” Maria’s U.S. dream started in a small house in Los Angeles with two rooms split among 15

other relatives, her family staying in one. “When we first got here, we had nothing,” she said. Maria’s parents searched for jobs and take care of their family in order to survive. Because of these struggles, her parents turned to heavy drinking, ultimately land them each in jail, her dad in 2008 and her mom in 2016. “My dad fell apart because he would get fired from one job to another,” said Maria. Being an undocumented person in legal trouble meant that her dad, Noe Jaramillo, was close to being deported. During his time in jail, he missed Maria’s seventh birthday while her mom was pregnant with her younger brother. After getting out of legal trouble, her father and mother cleaned up. Her father has been so-

ber for 10 years and her mother for two. Noe is now studying to become a plumber and has earned his driver’s license. Maria draws inspiration from the challenges that her parents had to conquer to bring her to the U.S. “I look up especially to my mom because she had to celebrate her birthday crossing the border, crossing that desert,” she said. Her only goal is to be seen as a normal person; she doesn’t want her status to make her feel isolated and different than others. “Just because we come from a different country or because we have a different race and we speak differently, doesn't mean that we're different,” she said. “We're all the same, we're all humans.”

Bear Witness

Editors News: Annalise Freimarck Opinion: Julianne Alvares Science and Technology: Taylor Susewitz Student Life: Uzor Awuzie Sports: Ryan McCarthy Entertainment: Jocelyn Pierce Copy: Anastasia Langner, Mahta Delshad Online: Aaron Deans Photography: Atticus Ahearn In-Depth: Julia Marques Da Silva

Staff Writers Azura Gutierrez, Catherine Monroy, Matthew Follo, Omar Ababneh, Shlok Gore Guest Artists Kimberly Coke, Elizabeth Posey Adviser: Fitzgerald Vo

Contact Us Instagram: @bhsbearwitness Twitter: @bhsbearwitness Website: www.bhsbearwitness.com Phone: (408) 626-3407 Email: bhs_journalism@yahoo.com

Editor-in-Chief Julia Kolman Managing Editor Michaela Edlin Production Editor Rosalie Gonzalez

Mission Statement The Bear Witness is committed to providing accurate, timely coverage of local and world news while connecting these events to the lives of our diverse student body.

BEAR WITNESS

JUNE 2018 |

BHSBEARWITNESS.COM

NEWS

“These shootings are gonna keep on happening, until we do something about it.” Joel Rodriguez, Prospect senior and founding member of March for Our Lives San Jose

Campus roundups

ald, the two had sold 11 copies of their AP World History study guide, proving to be their most popular of the AP testing period.

TEACHERS | One heads to China program as one of her main accomplishments. She will be leaving for upstate New York, in search for "a better quality of life." with their 4-year-old son, Colmar. Teaching at Branham is only her second teaching job, and she plans to continue teaching after a sabbatical. Lisa Martin, Assistant Principal Lisa Martin has been with Branham for 15 years. Martin started as an intervention counselor and recently as dean, then assistant principal. She will be a principal at an alternative high school in Morgan Hill, where she lives. Even though she's leaving, Martin feels loyalty to Branham. “I love Branham, I love the staff," she said. "I would send any of my kids here.” Courtney Kelly, social science teacher Courtney Kelly is also leaving this year, her first year at Branham. Instead, she’ll be teach history at an international school in China, a plan already in the works. “China has one of the oldest, longest histories,” she said. Christina Plank Christina Plank, drama teacher, is leaving Branham after two years. Under her supervision, Branham has produced several productions, including “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Into the Woods.

board supervisor Matthew Dean about harassment and bullying at the schools. In a public message Dean said he “failed in recognizing the courage it took for our student leaders to share their point of view on topics that are clearly impacting their lives.” Board President Kalen Gallagher responded on behalf of the board, expressing the need for extra “time, training, and experiences necessary to develop mindsets that are better equipped for serving our students.”

A HANGING CLOUD Schoolwide survey, in second year, shows more at school are unhappy

17.5

percent of students have contemplated suicide

35% of freshmen 36% of sophomores 48% of juniors 41% of seniors have experienced chronic sadness or hopelessness Source California Healthy Kids Survey, 2018

— Annalise Freimarck and Mahta Delshad

SHOOTING | 'I'm used to it now' Parkland tragedy, hundreds marched to the quad to protest gun violence as talks about the protest started within days of the shooting. There are currently no plans for a similar protest. Freshman Katelyn Anderson said that school shootings were becoming less shocking to her. “It’s not really surprising anymore,” she said. “It’s really sad that I’m kind of used to it now.” Some point to the risk of desensitization: the concept that overexposure to something negative will, over time, make one less emotionally reactive to it. In other words, it becomes less shocking due to one repeatedly viewing something traumatic. Junior Hana Tzou, one of the organizers for the Branham walkout in March, pointed out that desensitization reflects how shootings are happening far too often. “The very fact that we’re no longer surprised when yet another shooting is heard about in the news,” she said, “when yet another group of children or students or people in America are killed, it’s a representation of just how bad this epidemic has gotten in America.” Tzou said that people still need to be careful and not let desensitization change how they fight violence. “We still have to keep our voices loud, and we also still have to keep responding to these shootings with the same amount of vigor that we responded to Parkland, that we respond to Vegas,” Tzou said. “The fact is that people still died and that’s still a problem.” Joel Rodriguez, senior at Prospect High School and a leader in March for Our Lives San Jose, said that people need to break past this desensitization and keep working towards a solution. “Right now, what we’re seeing in the status quo is that these shootings are gonna keep on going on, they’re gonna keep on happening, until we do something about it,” he said. “Until we change desensitization of these shootings, and what they actually mean, then we’re gonna be able to find an actual solution to the problem.” In the months since Parkland, there has been substantial progress toward March for Our Live’s goals of curbing gun violence. Major sporting goods outlets have increased the age of purchasing a firearm, among other measures. In early May, March for Our Lives San Jose helped pass a law that bans the possession and sale of firearms on all Santa Clara County property.

Bear Witness

Staff writers Azura Gutierrez, Catherine Monroy, Matthew Follo, Omar Ababneh, Shlok Gore Guest artists Kimberly Coke, Elizabeth Posey

Contact Us Instagram: @bhsbearwitness Twitter: @bhsbearwitness Website: www.bhsbearwitness.com Phone: (408) 626-3407 Email: bhs_journalism@yahoo.com

Editor-in-Chief Julia Kolman Managing Editor Michaela Edlin Production Editor Rosalie Gonzalez

Adviser: Fitzgerald Vo Mission Statement The Bear Witness is committed to providing accurate, timely coverage of local and world news while connecting these events to the lives of our diverse student body.

BEAR WITNESS | JUNE 2018 | BHSBEARWITNESS.COM “Given the amount of shootings that are happening recently, I was not surprised.” Anmol Dhaka, junior

OPINION

BULLETIN BOARD

Editorial | The opinion of the Bear Witness editors

Santa Fe shooting How did you respond?

All choices valid when choosing career paths

I was sad, definitely, because regardless of how many of these things happen, you can’t turn a blind eye to it. But unfortunately, because of how many shootings have happened, I was desensitized to it. I was like, “Oh, just another shooting,” which is incredibly sad. Emma Tucker Senior I wasn’t as shocked by it [asompared to Parkland], I had a certain amount of sympathy for the students there and the teachers of course, but I wasn’t as surprised when I found out. Donald Cox Sophomore It was just kind of a sense of disappointment that this would happen so soon after something like Parkland. I kind of wish I knew a little more about this one, because the motive behind the shooting was not as clear as it was [in Parkland]. Because that one was very clear-cut, and people knew about it beforehand. There wasn’t much about who did it, or why. Milo Ford Junior

tudents face a tough choice at the end of senior S year. They are forced to decide what path they will chose for their career. For most, the only option con-

sidered is a four-year degree. However, there are other options that should be weighed with the same amount of worth. There is an expectation in American society that the only acceptable career path after high school is to get a bachelor’s degree at a four-year college or university. Trade schools and two-year degrees are left out of this expectation. Going to trade school should be just as acceptable as going to a university. Trade jobs such as plumbers, mechanics, and hairstylists are just as valid as jobs requiring four-year degrees. These jobs are just as valued in society as those one can get with a bachelor’s degree, and you are able to avoid hefty student loans and still have a stable, well-paying career. Another common view is that community college is not a valid form of education. This is also not true. Going to a two-year or community college is just as respectable a choice as a four year. You are still in school and should be validated for continuing your education. The option often viewed with the most stigma is not going to school at all and going straight into the work. This option allows for students to go straight into their desired career path instead of spending time in school. This also allows them to keep their options open. They

can save up for college if they wish or travel with the money they earned. Choosing not to enroll in any school and going straight into work or the military is also a perfectly acceptable option. All of these choices should be viewed as normal and acceptable as going to a university. Regarding all other options other than attending a four-year as atypical can force students down paths . It can make them feel like their choices is not valid. Branham should serve as an environment for students to explore whichever paths intrigue them. All career and education choices are valid and should be treated as such. Students should not feel pressured into

Catherine Monroy/Bear Witness

To stop suicides, we need to talk about mental health In the United States, the suicide rate for males 14.2 for males and 5.1 for females per 100,000 deaths.

Given the amount of shootings that are happening recently, I was not surprised. Of course, I’m devastated and a bit annoyed that the shootings keep happening, but it didn’t come off as a shock to me, and at this point, I’m just really ready for things to start changing, because the nature of our country isn’t doing anything to prevent these shootings, and they keep on happening. Anmol Dhaka Junior I was astonished that there was another school shooting that had gone on. There was almost no news coverage of it at the time. So, I just found out through a bunch of friends talking about it. I was really shocked there wasn’t more news on it. Tiffany La Freshman

a certain path just because it is what society deems as appropriate. They should make their decision based exclusively off their ambitions and interests.

Kimberly Coke/Special to Bear Witness JULIANNE ALVARES Opinion Editor

y middle school classmate committed suicide. M He is not the first teen suicide I’ve heard and, unfortunately, won’t be the last. I reconnected with old classmates, each of us mourning the loss of a friend. After looking through all the in memoriam posts on my phone, I sat down and wondered what could be done to prevent further tragedy. A thought came to my mind, the one thing that was absent from health class was mental health. In physical education, we talked about substance abuse the entire year and had an entire unit of reproductive health, but almost nothing was said about mental illness and suicide. Why did the curriculum not delve as comprehensively into these topics as they did with drugs or sex? Despite not receiving as much class time, suicide is a much more prolific cause of death. According to statistics compiled by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention in 2015, the amount of drug-related deaths

was 3.7 per 100,000 people. Compare this with suicide-related deaths, which was 14.2 for males and 5.1 for females per 100,000 deaths. What can we do to help stop or prevent teen suicide? The solution is straightforward: Put mandatory mental health education in schools similar to what we have for reproductive health education. The plan would look very similar to the California Healthy Youth Act, which began to take effect in early 2016. This act mandated schools provide students with comprehensive sex education, including information on contraceptives. The act worked; the amount of births for teenage girls between 14 and 18 dropped from 15,002 in 2014 to 11,694 at the end of 2016. Given this knowledge, it would be logical to conclude that information on suicide hotlines and help centers could save young people’s lives. According to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, a study conducted in Oregon says that schools with health centers may help lower suicide rates in

teenagers. In the beginning of the year, New York implemented a policy early this year requiring schools to educate students of mental health and hopefully other states will follow suit. Education provides insight and information on otherwise taboo topics of discussion, and should be used to tackle the issue of mental illness. Suicide is a prevalent issue, so why do we mention suicide only a few times throughout a whole school year? At Branham, according to the Healthy Kids Survey 35 percent of freshmen, 36 percent of sophomores, 48 percent of juniors, and 41 percent of seniors say they have struggled with chronic hopelessness or sadness. Chances are you know a friend or classmate who is struggling, and you want to help but you don’t know how. Schools exist to educate students on a wide array of subjects, and one of those should definitely be mental health. No one should ever feel so alone and helpless that they feel killing themselves is the best solution and leave behind friends and family wondering why.

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SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY

“Sometimes the science and engineering get ahead of our legal and moral systems” Barbara Schremp, math and PLTW teacher

Science briefs Astronomers discover the first galactic supercluster in action A set of fuzzy splotches in the sky, upon closer inspection, turned out to be an unprecedented celestial body of 14 galaxies. The close proximity of these bodies was discovered at the South Pole Telescope in Antarctica, and its presence is especially intriguing because the galaxies are on the edge of merging, a process never witnessed prior. Scientists view the discovery as a challenge to current understandings of galactic origin and evolution. Girl Scouts help reduce STEM gender gap thanks to industry exposure efforts The United States Department of Agriculture collaborated with Girl Scout troops in Washington D.C. to expose them to STEM opportunities. Plans are to expand this exposure on a national level, with 23 new badges arranged to introduce the 1.8 million Girl Scouts to fields like robotics and environmental science. USDA hopes to grow the 24 percent presence of women in STEM fields, according to a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, and encourage filling gaps in areas like agriculture and natural resources. Mount Kilauea eruptions and earthquakes a result of tectonic activity The opening of a fissure and spewing of lava on May 3 was only the most recent result of tectonic activity on the Hawaiian Islands. Disrupting life in residential Leilani Estates and forcing the evacuation of 2,000 people, the sluggish flow onto land and spewing of toxic sulfur dioxide has garnered not only the attention of national consumers but also of scientists. The breakage of the fissure was a result of underlying pressure in one of the Big Island’s shield volcanoes, Mount Kilauea, and the concern over a bigger eruption was proven on May 17.

Tech bytes Developing social media scanners could help detect school shooters The Vermont-based company Social Sentinel, a social media scanner, is undergoing testing to examine students’ dangerous intentions. In order to track potential school shooters and students considering suicide, an algorithm has been developed to detect any of 450,000 key words and phrases. This language was found in past legal cases associated with those behaviors. Oculus Go promises more available outlet, but concerns with Facebook ties emerge In response to the expensive hurdles that VR goggles and its tech were forced to confront, the Oculus Go, its compatibility with multiple phones, and its $200 price tag suggest greater accessibility to the consumer public. The benefits of the product include how little physical space it takes up, how easy transportation is, and how versatile a system it is, including entertainment and work. Opposite these pros, a concerning con is that the parent company is associated with Facebook, whose recent behaviors include the leak of personal data and private information. The Oculus Go is currently available for purchase. Radioactivity a hypothesis for why N. Korea has stopped nuclear tests Geological effects may explain why Kim Jong-Un and his scientists have stopped nuclear testing. Radioactivity and fallout at a border mountain between North Korea and China, along with the earthquakes and collapse of the mountain caused by the detonation of warheads, compromised the mountain’s underground structural integrity. For now, it seems that their tests have stopped as a result of their testing facility being unavailable. — Compiled by Anastasia Langner

THE MANY ARMS of AI

How some teachers use smart homes 1. Answer students’ questions Do your students have too many questions, or is there something you simply don’t know? Let them ask Google just anything. Your assistant will give them the answer, or send over some information to your connected phone.

From newsfeeds to real feeds, AI is a large part of life

2. Heads or tails Let Google choose heads or tails to find out who begins. Your smart home can even roll the dice for you during an educational board game. Dices come in handy from time to time. This one, you won’t lose.

3. School Library Smart devices can help students with questions about books, authors, titles and so on. Ask about authors: What books did … write? Who is…? What’s the most popular book of…? Ask about book series: What’s the second book in 4. Story time Ask Google Home to tell a story. Just a random story or a real fairy tale. Think out some questions for your students to answer when the story’s done.

Azura Gutierrez/Bear Witness

UZOR AWUZIE

Student Life Editor

s technology progresses, artificial intelliA gence is advancing -- or rather, simplifying -- our lives.

While the concept of “artificial intelligence,” or AI, is normally associated with robots mimicking human knowledge, many variations of it already exist in communities, schools, and homes. But how has the reliance on machine learning changed our way of living? What does it suggest for the future? Technology has already created a major impact in how the average school functions. The stacks of textbooks that used to break backs can easily be replaced with thousands of educational websites on the internet. Essays were written by hand and in cursive, but now can be done easily with computers at a faster rate. With AI, our lives are constantly changing in and outside of school. “I think it’s [artificial intelligence] going to affect high school in that it might make certain learning aspects obsolete and that certain skills you need to learn will be solve by artificial intelligence, and that’s obviously a big thing because robots take

jobs-like the manufacturing world is run by robots basically — so I feel that somewhere down the line, artificial intelligence will be a big part of our lives,” senior Chase Morrison, an engineering student, said. The use of social media goes beyond technology. Every day, as soon as you log onto your favorite app, artificial intelligence is working to make you experience worth it. When you upload photos to Facebook, the service automatically highlights faces and suggests friends to tag. ML algorithms are programmed to mimic the structure of the human brain and power facial recognition software. Pinterest and other social media apps now use AI to personalize your newsfeed and keep you seeing things you prefer. They identify objects in photos and use it to suggest similar photos that they believe you would like. Even Uber and Lyft, two commonly used apps for ridesharing, food delivery, and transportation network, are prime examples of AI that students commonly use. They use ¨Machine Learning” to determine the price, wait time, and driver you will work with. Math teacher Barbara Schremp believes that artificial intelligence can benefit educational set-

tings, but should be used with caution. Humans have a point in technology where we have the ability to create life-changing devices, but whether we should or not is the question. “We have a habit in technology of sometimes having the science and engineering get ahead of our legal and moral systems,” Schremp said. “With artificial intelligence, it’s kind of like the corollary I draw on that is what we’re doing in biology with creating clones and viruses. Our science and our ability to change the world is a little bit ahead of ‘should we be able to do it?’, ‘is it right to do it?’” Schremp said. Teachers have pondered strategies to teach students in customized ways that can individually benefit each student. Artificial intelligence is one step closer to creating that. However, it may become so credible that teachers may not serve any purpose. As a teacher who works with technology, she and her students often work on projects that relate to machine intelligence. Education is a subject that will always undergo innovation to satisfy its efficiency, so it’s no question that students will see more and more of it impacting their lives.

Students test out new furniture options

AARON DEANS AND SHLOK GORE Staff Writer

uring the past few months, a few D classrooms at Branham have served as testing grounds for new fur-

niture. These modern chairs and tables replaced the older, one piece models. In the selected classrooms, desks with chairs linked by metal bars were replaced with partially gyroscopic seats and mobile tables. Rooms 19, 21, 23, 26, 70, and 71 were chosen as the classrooms to experience, interact, and review the new furniture. Each room has been testing a different variety of furniture styles, with the purpose of figuring out what styles will work best for students. The new chairs and tables greatly differ from the previous generation. Math and engineering teacher Barbara Schremp commented on the curved shape of the furniture in Room 71, saying, “The desks are kind of curvy and weird, they fit together kind of interesting, and what students like is that there’s room whether you’re left-handed or right-handed, that you get in either side of the desk, and that you can easily move it into tables or individual ones.” Student responses to the new addi-

tions were full of positivity and the willingness to adapt. Teacher Michael Espinoza, who teaches AP Literature and English 1 in Room 21, noticed how students were excited when they saw the new additions to the classroom. “Everyone was really excited about the new furniture obviously,” he said. “It was just a lot of positivity at the beginning, and I think even still to this day, they prefer it more than the old furniture for sure.” Although most of the reviews of the furniture were positive, students had some small flaws to report; for example, many of the chairs being tested have wheels and move around too easily. Freshman Nicholas Labosky mentioned this as an issue. “My only complaint about them is that it’s very slick, so you kind of tend to roll around a little bit on the ones with the wheels, Aaron Deans/Bear Witness probably because of the tile flooring. Teachers were given the option to get new chairs and tables in their classOn carpet, it would definitely be a lot room. The new furniture will replace the old models that Branham had. better.” Overall, the sentiments for these new pieces of furniture were positive, as Features that all chairs will students enjoy the newfound mobiliGyroscopic seat height ty and support that these chairs bring. Branham could see multiple more Adjustable shaft classrooms being equipped with the Forward/backward movement compatibility new furniture.

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“he old format hadn’t been changed very dramatically in the past [...] Snapchat just hit everyone with a lot of change at once.” Freshman Carolyn Evans

Bruin

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STUDENT LIFE

Rewind

A look at how many cultural trends found their way to Branham

AUGUST Checkered Vans

NOVEMBER

FEBRUARY The death of Snapchat

Checkerboard Vans were originally released in 1977; however, consistent with this generation’s habit of reviving vintage clothing, they’ve recently made a comeback in popularity. Its grunge connotations have attracted wearers of all ages, from high school students to celebrities. Singer Frank Ocean even wore them to the White House, paired with a navy suit. Junior Katrynah Broer says the shoes caught her attention a while ago, and they’ve been her go-to shoes ever since: “They go with basically any outfit, and they’re easy to just slip on. [They are] convenient and cute.”

Annalise Freimarck/Bear Witness

Fight for BIRTH CONTROL

SEPTEMBER Fenty Beauty Fenty Beauty is a makeup line launched by singer Rihanna. The line received immediate praise from the public for its diversity; the line featured 40 foundation shades, allowing people of most skin tones to find their shadematch. Fenty Beauty claimed a spot on Time magazine’s list of the 25 best inventions of 2017. Junior and makeup enthusiast Isabela Dumo enjoys the quality of the makeup line, but comments that the prices are a bit expensive: “The foundation quality and shade range is really nice, the highlighters are beautiful, and the glosses are gorgeous. I love Fenty, but it’s quite expensive and I, like most high school students, am pretty broke.”

When the Trump administration began plans to defund birth control, Planned Parenthood began the #Fight4BirthControl campaign. The campaign included a petition to stop Trump’s actions, which got many supporters. One of those supporters was senior Jenna Cardoza, who took to Twitter to help draw in more signatures for the petition. “Birth control is more than just a pill, injection, implant, etc. to have sex with. It can help with irregular periods, cramps, acne, and so much more. Even if people are using birth control for the soul purpose of having safer sex, at least they’re taking action to keep themselves safe from unplanned pregnancies. Birth control pills can cost up to $50 a month; a woman should not have to spend $600 each year to have access to something that is beneficial to her body.”

DECEMBER Fight for NET NEUTRALITY On Dec. 14, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to repeal net neutrality. Net neutrality prohibits internet providers from blocking or slowing down services, or charging extra money to access them. Internet users everywhere were up in arms, encouraging each other to contact their lawmakers and fight for their internet rights.

Popular social media app Snapchat saw an extreme decrease in satisfied users in late February. The app launched a format redesign that most people reacted negatively to. Freshman Carolyn Evans believes the lack of positivity for the new format is due the suddenness of it: “The old format hadn’t been changed very dramatically in the past [...] Snapchat just hit everyone with a lot of change at once.” Then, famous online presence Kylie Jenner went to Twitter to ask, “sooo does anyone else not open Snapchat anymore? Or is it just me... ugh this is so sad.” Snapchat’s stock saw a 7% drop following Jenner’s tweet. Despite a temporary falter in popularity, Snapchat is still one of the most commonly used apps among teenagers.

MARCH March for Our Lives A nationwide debate concerning gun control laws occured following a school shooting in Parkland, Florida. The call for stricter gun ownership restrictions was led by teenagers across the nation. March 14 was National School Walkout Day; seniors Mac Francini and Tori Mok and juniors Danika Cho and Hana Tzou organized Branham’s walkout after administration previously advised against it. Their goal was to “call to Congress to make a change,” according to Cho. March 24 was March for Our Lives, when citizens across the nations marched in front of their city halls to call for stricter gun control; junior Bridget O’Shea was Branham’s representative for the march.

Annalise Freimarck/Bear Witness

OCTOBER Scrunchies The popular 1980s hair tie has made its comeback, once again proving this generation’s appeal for vintage clothing. The chunky bands launched back into popularity recently, becoming a staple on the wrists of most teenage girls. Sophomore Emma Le attributes their success to their comfort: “I could wear one in my hair for hours without even remembering I’m wearing it, and they don’t hurt your wrist when you wear them on there.”

JANUARY Fortnite Despite an originally slow rise to success, “Fortnite” dominated the video game scene during the start of 2018. Once the game added a battle royale mode, where players could fight within a constantly shrinking safe zone to be the last one standing, it quickly grew into a cultural phenomenon. Fortnite spread from gaming consoles to iPhones, and celebrities such as rapper Drake joined in on the hype. Junior and frequent gamer Jacob Izor is among the “Fortnite” fans: “I like the game because you can win based solely off of skill, unlike a lot of play-to-win games… Fortnite provides quality gaming mixed with fun opportunities to play with your friends online.”

APRIL Yodeling Boy

The internet went through a phase of obsession with a video of 11-year-old Mason Ramsey singing inside a Walmart in Illinois. Ramsey, who was singing “Lovesick Blues” by Hank Williams, was introduced to major opportunities, such as performing at music festivals like Coachella and Grand Ole Opry. Ramsey quickly became the meme of the month; senior Shaya Zarkub donned his apparel for Branham’s meme day. Photos courtesy Wikimedia Commons unless noted.

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JUNE 2018 |

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SPORTS

“This is a team that I would never trade for anything.” Junior Cole Gillis, boys volleyball captain

Sports briefs Scores updated as of May. 25 Badminton Last game: Girls Singles, Mixed Doubles and Boys Doubles all advanced to the BVAL finals and Girls Doubles qualified for CCS. Varsity Baseball Last game: Varsity dropped their final game 4-0 at Pioneer. The ended the season 9-17-1.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Dream season ends at NorCal, but core team excited for 2019

JV Baseball Last game score: The girls lost their last game of the season at Leigh, 1-0. They finished winless in BVAL, going 0-14-0. Boys Tennis Last game score: The girls lost their last game at Leigh, 3-0. They finished winless in BVAL, going 0-11-1 for the season. Varsity Boys Volleyball Last game: Branham won the Mount Hamilton league, finishing 24-5 and 11-1 in league play. They won the Division II CCS Tournament and advanced to the NorCal Championships, where they lost to Clovis in 4 sets, 22-25, 25-19, 21-25, 19-25. JV Boys Volleyball Last game: JV ended their season with a 11-9 overall record, and a 8-4 league record. Golf Last game: The boys won BVAL with a record of 13-1. They beat Christopher at home in the first round of the CCS playoffs, 61-32, then lost in the next round at Lynbrook, 54-47. Varsity Softball Last game: Branham finished third in the Mount Hamilton league, going 10-10 and 9-5 in league play. They lost in the first round of CCS play to Salinas, 9-8. Swim & Dive At the BVAL finals In the Santa Teresa Division the Girls placed 4th, JV Girls placed 1st and JV and Varsity Boys placed 2nd. Athletes who qualified for CCS were Frej Koch-Matthews in diving, Dakota Herndon in 100 breaststroke and Shlok Gore in the 500 freestyle. Track & Field Seniors Marisol Corton, Eseta Finau and Adam Saleh will represent Branham in pole vaulting and 400 meter at the state track finals in Clovis. Corton and Finau both jumped 11 feet, 11 inches, and Saleh led the 400m pack with a 48.81 finish. Also participating in CCS were Megan Kiefer, Kendall Fowler, Phoebe Roach and Lindsay Gigliello. — Compiled by Ryan McCarthy

Ryan McCarthy/Bear Witness Branham’s boys’ varsity volleyball team celebrates and congratulates each other as a group after their CCS championship after beating Aptos at St. Francis High School in Mountain View. RYAN MCCARTHY Sports Editor

mazing,” “An uphill battle,” “Impressive.” A This is how the members of Branham’s boys volleyball team characterized their season, which end-

ed abruptly earlier this month after winning the Division II CCS tournament and making it to the CIF NorCal Division I Boys Volleyball Championships, losing in the first round against Clovis. It marked the second CCS championship in the team’s history, as well as their first trip to the NorCal tournament since 2010. This journey could never have been possible without the camaraderie within the team, which junior and team captain Cole Gillis calls an “enormous” advantage over their opponents. “This is a team that I would never trade for anything,” Gillis says, the team leader in kills this season. “We have such a good connection together, and it’s something you can’t find anywhere else.” “Even if we were the underdogs at times, we knew that we would fight for every point, guys knew what they needed to do,” says head coach Heather Cooper. “They weren’t going to let down the guy to their right, to their left, behind them, or even on the bench. They knew that they had a job, and that job was going to benefit everyone on the team.” Besides one freshman and one senior, the team is solely made up of juniors, a fact that members cite as the primary reason for unity. Junior Luke Sayre agrees with the advantages of his team’s members being so close in age and grade. “Most of us are juniors, so we pretty much always hang out together,” Sayre says. “We are all really close,

going to team dinners after every game. I think we have a special bond that nobody else has.” “I think we are all just a bunch of brothers,” says junior and co-captain Ben Brigham. “We play as a family; every game we play in, we either all win or all lose.” Reaching the NorCal tournament was unexpected for this season’s team, which they claim was aided by the level of competition at practice. “Competition at practices is always at a high level,” Sayre says. “We are always talking trash to each other, laughing, and trying to get the best of each other.” “There is not a single time in which every single guy there doesn’t want to be the top guy, pushing to be the best,” Gillis says. “We really get into it, try to get into each others’ faces like the other teams would in games,” Brigham says. “We try to replicate what would happen in games.” The end result this season — a CCS championship and a trip to the NorCal tournament — has the team aiming higher next year, with the main core intact for another season. The team expresses a high level of optimism for next season, still seeing room for improvement in every aspect of their game. “We definitely told ourselves that we wanted to start out with a dream, which was to go to CCS and NorCals,” says Cooper. “From there we set more goals to do so, and the final thing was making it a reality. Every game we played up to CCS was the dream building up to reality.” “I think it shows how well we work together, all towards one goal and what we can achieve,” Sayre says. “For next year, I think we’re going to be even stronger, being older and more experienced at this level.”

Ryan McCarthy/Bear Witness Juniors Bryan Cash and Cole Gillis huddle up during their match against Aptos. “We’re all going to come out wanting more, wanting to win CCS, wanting to win NorCals,” Gillis says. “I think we have an advantage, considering other teams have a lot more seniors than we did this year. “With the team that we have staying together, we still have that brotherhood, on and off the court, and we can keep doing damage.”

Sponsors help athletes save time and dime TAYLOR SUSEWITZ

Science & Tech Editor

s student athletes, fumbling around for A sports equipment amidst year-round projects and exams can be a bit of a time-consuming, troublesome venture. That’s why some student athletes at Branham invest in sponsorship deals with apparel brands to help save them time and money. Brands such as Head, Adidas, Nivis Gear, and AIDA play a huge role in students’ performance in their respective sports. How are these sponsors obtained in the first place? The athlete has to either reach out to a sponsor, or the sponsor finds them while the athlete is competing. Sophomore Jonathan Degtyaryov, a competitive tennis player, had to reach out to his sponsors before they gave him an offer. “You have to write to them to get the sponsor-

ship unless you’re really good, then they might give you a full sponsorship.” A sponsorship has many benefits regardless of whether the athlete is fully supported or not. “I’m sponsored by Head, which is a tennis racket company,” said Degtyaryov. “They’re able to give me good deals on their equipment, like with rackets, bags, and strings. I’m also partially sponsored by Adidas so they give me 50 percent off all their tennis gear.” These sponsorships are extremely beneficial to competitors, says Degtyaryov. “Tennis [equipment is] really pricey so it saves me a lot of time and money.” Junior Natasha Mills was sponsored by Nivis Gear, a snow sport company that provided her with their apparel so that she could represent them while she cruised the slopes. “They would give me free t-shirts and free sweatshirts so that I could promote them,” Mills said.

“When I was snowboarding, I had their sweatshirt on, or when I [would] go out to surf, I’d have their shirt on.” Despite their benefits, not every sponsorship is going to be able to cover the full expense of playing competitively. Though the benefits of being sponsored by the dancing shoe brand AIDA exist, freshman and competitive dancer Kennedy Eaton admits that “since our sponsor only covers our shoes, money is definitely a struggle considering the amount of practice, preparation, and competing.” Competing in sports can cost anywhere from $50 to $2,000, so even though sponsorships do come in handy in regards to being able to provide gear, extra expenses such as transportation, hostels, and signing up for the league or class itself can definitely add up to a costly number and have the potential to limit the athlete in their competitions.

Natasha Mills Junior Mills sporting her sponsor, Nivis Gear, an outerwear company.

BEAR WITNESS

JUNE 2018 |

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

K-POP FEVER

Dad sneakers are thick-soled, chunky “nerd” sneakers.

HOW KOREAN POP MUSIC BECAME AN INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL SENSATION

KPOP FOR

SYDNEY UYEDA & ATTICUS AHEARN Staff Writers

t was her I c o u s i n’s trip to Viet-

BHSBEARWITNESS.COM

nam that gave senior Kaylie Bui a taste of South Korea. Her cousin had Bui listen to girl group 2ne1’s single “Lonely,” and she has been “hooked to Korean pop ever since. Bui is among the millions of fans stateside who enjoy Korean pop, known as K-pop. Once a niche genre, it has in the past decade exploded into the mainstream. South Korean songs have cracked the Billboard Top 100 at least eight times since 2009. In 2012, Psy’s Gangnam style further propelled the genre into the stratosphere, being the first video on YouTube to reach 1 billion views (it’s now attracted a whopping 3 billion views on YouTube, the fourth most-viewed). “I feel like after PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style’ [Kpop really went global] because people were more into the music and how aesthetic it was and how much effort they put into it” said Bui, who has been listening to K-pop since she was in middle school. At 2017’s Billboard Music Awards, the boy group BTS took home the Top Social Artist award, beating out Justin Bieber and other top artists. Their flashy clothing, the detailed dance numbers, and catchy music entranced the audience, who were unfamiliar with the tight choreography. The K-pop fandoms and other K-pop stars, however, were overjoyed that their genre of music had reached this level of fame. It seemed like K-pop fever was about to spread like wildfire. K-pop first astonished the world in 2012 with PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style’ which held steady on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for 31 weeks- even reaching number two at one point. PSY’s new, funky dance caught on and inspired other Kpop artists. In the last decade, K-pop fandoms (fan groups) have been the

Guide to K-pop Slang: Bias: Favorite member in a group Bias Wrecker: A person who makes you question your loyalty to your actual bias Visual: The member considered the most handsome in the group, “face” of the group Maknae: The youngest member in a group Hyungs: The older members in a group ‘Line’: A group of people in a group who have one thing in common, whether it be age or skill Comeback: When a K-pop artist or group releases a new album after being on a mini hiatus Debut: When a K-pop artist or group first is announced to the music industry

LIFE

phy to certain K-pop songs on dance instagrams. Freshman Madi Leong has 5,000 followers on her K-pop dance instagram that she created in September of last year. “I went to KCON (a Korean convention in America) last year and I took a dance class- and I was taking dance classes before that but I didn’t realize that K-pop could put me a step up from the choreography I usually do” she said. As for the appeal to actually make the Atticus Ahearn & Michaela Edlin/Bear Witness dance videos public, sophomore Anna Ha said that she was really drawn by the connections she was able to form with other fans. “At first I only learned for fun and honestly I wasn’t very good, but I decided to make an account anyway,” she said. “It takes a lot of courage to post and to just put yourself out there for everyone to see, but at the same time it’s so much fun and everyone in the K-pop dance cover community on Instagram is really nice and welcoming.” Not everything in the K-pop world is this positive and upbeat. A lot of controversy surrounds the process behind the scenes. Kids as young as 10 audition to be ‘trainees’ where they dance, sing and learn English day and night and often still attend school in hopes of becoming a hit in the enticing K-pop world. “The industry can definitely be very negative in a lot of ways,” said senior Mac Francini of the competitiveness in K-pop. “It main takes a lot of people’s dreams and crushes them. But it is also s u p - done in a way that is effective and that makes quality entertainporters of ment and quality music for a lot people to enjoy internationally.” these stars. Freshman Shawdie Sadeghian, who got into K-pop when she BTS has been paving the way for Kpop to become a more “ac- was struggling last year, sees the training as difficult, but underceptable” music genre in the public eye since their debut in 2013: stands where the companies are coming from. they have performed at the American Music Awards, the Billboard “[Companies are] crazy,” she said, referring to “They’re beyond Music Awards, and have won Top Social Artist at Billboard for two anything America could ever do. I mean, the training seems pretyears in a row. Now, other successful Kpop groups like Seventeen, ty tough, but [the idols] knew what they were signing up for, Blackpink, Red Velvet, EXO, NCT, GOT7 and more are being they signed the contract, they know what they’re doing.” recognized by the general public as serious artists with real talent. Large companies like BigHit Entertainment, JYP EntertainSo what makes K-pop… K-pop? It’s not just the music that ment, YG Entertainment and S.M. Entertainment have all been mixes English with Korean lyrics; it’s the entire experience that under the intense scrutiny of adoring fans who want to make involves a tight-knit community and frequent interaction with sure their idols are being treated well and are healthy. fans. If anything, the unique, dedicated fandoms are what define If the idols do make it through training, trainees usually debut K-pop culture. These fandoms are devoted to their idols; each together as a group of around four to 13 members where they fandom has their own chant and each fan has their own bias, continue to work together and create chemistry. bias-wrecker and favorite ‘line’. These fans are also the first to Fans and fandoms like these keep the K-pop industry alive and post on their fan accounts on instagram about release dates, new growing around the world. Many fans are just happy to see their tracks, or something funny in a recent tweet. idols finally getting the recognition they deserve. Some fans even post videos of themselves doing the choreogra-

Dad sneakers: Ugly is the new cool

$885

Bulky, expensive shoes get their foot in the door at Branham OMAR ABABNEH Staff Writer

The newest fashion trend of 2018 is not inspired by your favorite celebrity or artist; it’s inspired by your dad. “Dad” sneakers have recently been making a huge wave in the fashion world, and are slowly becoming the next big thing. Celebrities like Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Jaden Smith, and Kanye West, and many more have been spotted wearing these chunky sneakers. Brands such as Adidas, Nike, Puma, Gucci, Balenciaga, Fila, Reebok, Dior, Asics, and Yeezy have all jumped on the hype, releasing their own iterations of these sneakers. Dad sneakers are thick-soled, chunky “nerd” sneakers that are more associated with a 40-year-old father of two, but have recently become the newest craze for young people. The sneakers are considered unbelievably ugly by many, but have somehow exploded as the biggest fashion trend of the year. And like other popular shoes and recognized brands, sneakerheads are purchasing dad sneakers. Senior Noah Wong, who owns a pair of Yeezy 700s, likes them for being ugly.

“It’s something different from the trainers and runners that have been the trend for the last couple of years,” he said. “It’s something fresh.” The apparent “freshness” of the shoes, however, proves that look do not equal price. Puma’s Thunder Spectra retails for $120. Yeezy 700s have a resale value of around $550. Gucci’s Dad sneakers retail for $820. The Balenciaga Triple S sneakers retail for $895. It is highly debated where the dad sneakers trend originated, as a series of closely connected events may have affected their rise. Last year, model and designer Ian Connor began wearing Skechers, shoes most associated with young kids or dads, hence the name “dad sneakers.” Despite persistent hate, with people hating on social media and doubring his fashion choices, he continued to wear the sneakers, and others began to follow. At the same time, high fashion brand Balenciaga released the Triple S Sneaker, which seemed the first of its kind and completely stunned the fashion world. People were wondering who would wear such shoes. A couple of months later, they become one of the hottest shoes of 2018. The trend is mostly due to hype. Many wear

the sneakers because their favorite celebrity wears them. People enjoy staying in trend and wearing what’s hype. Freshman Dylan Armato owns a pair of Yeezy 500s designed by Kanye West, and he stated that’s exactly why he wears them. “I wear them because Kanye wears them,” Armato said. “I ride the wave. I think they are really cool. It’s a culture thing, that’s why I like it.” This goes to show the impact of celebrities in the fashion world. Something so ugly and “not cool” can quickly become the hottest trend literally overnight. Dad sneakers hit the market so fast that many still do not know what to make out of it. Sophomore and shoe enthusiast Emma Le is unsure how to feel about them. “They just became the thing so quickly,” she said. “So many different dad sneakers have come out and I still don’t know how to feel about the whole thing. It was all too quick.” Fashion critics and students believe the trend will last for a couple of years, as it is still in the beginning phases of its hype. Who knew dads could make such a big impact in the fashion world?

$120

$895

$700 Omar Ababneh/Bear Witness

BEAR WITNESS

JUNE 2018 |

BHSBEARWITNESS.COM

INDEPTH

THE EDUCATION OF SRA. MOLINA

panish teacher Leticia Molina is known at Branham for advocating for her students and encouraging them to do their best in every way possible. However, her journey to receiving an education and becoming a teacher was not easy.

Students who have been in Molina's class may have heard her story before: That she defied her parents for a chance at higher education, literally running away from them for this opportunity. Molina's story, in her own words, is incredible, weaving the emotional and physical conflict she feels with her parents and their traditions and Molina's goals for her own future. Below is the edited interview. — Annalise Freimarck Illustrations by Catherine Monroy

THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF BEING A WOMAN AND A YOUNGEST CHILD

Note: Interview condensed and edited

S the youngest child, my dad would always tell me "It’s your job, it’s the youngest’s job to take care of the parents," so I wasn’t even supposed to get married, actually. Exactly like "Like Water For Chocolate!"

come from a very traditional family with very set gender roles, where women are supposed to get married and have kids and take care of the family. Men are supposed to provide. If you are going to leave your home, it’s because you’re getting married. That is the only reason why you should leave your home.

"LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE" SYNOPSIS

’m the youngest of eight and my older sisters, that’s exactly what they did: They graduated high school, and a year later they both married. They started families because that’s what was expected of them. But being the youngest, I got to see my brothers go to college. Four of my brothers went to college.

he youngest daughter in her family, the beautiful Tita is forbidden to marry her true love, since tradition dictates that Tita must care for her mother.

ENCOURAGEMENT, AND APPLYING TO COLLEGE

was always surrounded by good teachers, who saw in me potential. They all encouraged me to go to college. They would ask me, "What are you gonna study?" No one had ever asked me that before because that was not my expectation. There were programs in my high school that put me on the route to have all my college prerequisites. Not that I went out and looked for them, somehow someone shoved me in that direction and opened up this whole new world that I never imagined.

never told my parents that I was applying to college. So I stole their information, and I filled out my application, and I signed the application. They didn’t know I had applied.

hen the packages started coming in, my mom knew. She knew from experience. She knew that a big package meant that you had been accepted. The first one to come in was from Santa Barbara, and when I came home she was crying, and I’m like, ‘What’s wrong mom?’ and she’s like "You’re gonna go away." And then, "Don't tell your Dad."

hen UC Berkeley came in, I was home alone. There was no one there. I went and I picked up the mail and I saw it, and I just remember dancing in my living room, so happy. I didn't even open it, but I knew because back then a big package meant that you were accepted and a small letter means that you weren’t accepted. I was so happy, I was crying. I knew I was going to go to UC Berkeley.

BREAKING FROM TRADITION

remember telling her, you raised me, so "You know what kind of person I am, you should trust that you did a good job."

AND I LITERALLY JUST RAN

graduated on Thursday, and I called my brother and I said, "You need to come pick me up because I am done with high school. He told me to wait outside on the street corner, because we lived in a cul de sac. “Wait outside ‘cause there’s no way I’m going to the house to pick you up’ because then they were gonna blame him for taking me away.

had never gone anywhere and I had never traveled, so I didn’t even have a suitcase. I just looked around and found my stuff and I put it in grocery bags.

y mom walked by and she said, ‘What are you doing? I said ‘‘Mom, I’m leaving," and then she starts crying.I was feeling all these mixed emotions: My excitement that I was about to go away, knowing that I had broken tradition gonna go live on my own.

y dad told me that if I left, I was no longer his daughter and so I was disowned. I didn’t want to cause conflict by going home, so I think for the first full year I didn’t go home.

ran away to college .I only went to college because I saw what it did for my brothers. I saw what my sisters not going to college did, and I just knew I wanted something better. I grew up poor so I remember a lot of times people making fun of my clothes and my shoes. I just wanted to buy what the other kids had so they wouldn’t make fun of me. That was like my motivation to go to college. I never knew what I wanted to do, I never knew what I wanted to study. And in the end I did Spanish.

Bear Witness - June 2018

Articles inside

The Education of Sra. Molina