Volume 47, Issue 6, April 5, 2017 by El Estoque

Issue VI Volume XLVII

April 2017

el ESTOOUE Monta Vista High School

NEWS

Fire destroys custodianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home

OPINION

Ignorance spreads fake news

A&E

The history of musicals at MVHS

SPORTS

Student athletes on Nike Pro Hijab

*the meme generation P. 25: THE EVOLUTION OF OUR HUMOR

c o n t e n t s

5 8 10 12

14 15 18 19 20 22 25

35 39 46

NEWS HE RISES FROM THE ASHES BIG APPLE, LITTLE CITY SLEEP ON IT WASHED OUT

OPINION IT’S YOUR PROBLEM IT’S UP TO YOU JUST DID IT? GIRLS’ LIFE FAKE NEWS

SPECIAL MADE OF MEMES CLASS CLOWNS

A&E IT’S A DATE CAT’S OUT OF THE BAG

SPORTS BIANCA YONGYUTH

41 36

COVERING GROUND UNDER THE SEA

36 44

UNDER THE SEA

IN THE FRAME SWITCHING LANES

32 38

PAGES OF THE PAST

SPORTS FLASH

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

el ESTOQUE 21840 McClellan Road Cupertino, CA 95014 mv.el.estoque@gmail.com

Editors-in-Chief: Avni Prasad, Mingjie Zhong Managing Editors: Kalpana Gopalkrishnan, Trisha Kholiya, Aditya Pimplaskar, Hannan Waliullah Copy Editors: Bill Cheng, Karen Ma, Jessica Xing Webmasters: Sharjeel Rahman, Krishna Sunder Graphics Editor: Becca Zheng News Editors: Claire Chang, Ilena Peng, Chetana Ramaiyer, Sepand Rouz, Nate Stevens Sports Editors: Amanda Chan, Om Khandekar, Aditya Krishnan, Akshara Majjiga Entertainment Editors: Ananya Bhat, Aanchal Garg, Dylan Tsai, Devika Watawe Opinion Editors: Brighton Balfrey, Vivian Chiang, Shriya Deshpande, Sara Entezar Special Report Editors: Elizabeth Han, Emma Lam, Daniel Lin, ZaZu Lippert, Priya Reddy Beats Editors: Jennie Chen, Andrea Schlitt Visuals Editors: Vijeet Chaugule, Roshan Fernandez, Sharjeel Rahman Public Relations: Sanndhi Menon, Anthony Moll, Himani Yalamaddi Staff Writers: Rana Aghababazadeh, Helen Chao, Ruth Feng, Gauri Kaushik, Stephanie Lam, Shayon Moradi, Katerina Pappas, Karen Sanchez, Mallika Singh, Anjini Venugopal, Kingsley Wang, Jackie Way, Chelsea Wong, Michelle Wong Adviser: Julia Satterthwaite Mission Statement El Estoque is an open forum created for and by students of Monta Vista High School. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the journalism staff and not of Monta Vista High School or the Fremont Union High School District. The staff seeks to recognize individuals, events, and ideas and bring news to the MVHS community in a manner that is professional, unbiased, and thorough in order to effectively serve our readers. We strive to report accurately, and we will correct any significant error. If you believe such an error has been made, please contact us. Letters of any length should be submitted via email or mail. They may be edited for length or accuracy. Letters cannot be returned and will be published at El Estoque’s discretion. We also reserve the right to reject advertising due to space limitations or decision of the Editorial Board that content of the advertisement conflicts with the mission of the publication.

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS... Every “Toolkit Tuesday” in Writing for Publications, we opened class with a different writing tool lesson from Roy Peter Clark’s 50 Essential Writing Tools. Four years later, these tools have become the basis of how we approach storytelling. Tool 40: Draft your mission statement for your work. Over the past three years, El Estoque has given us a platform to collect, investigate and capture stories. This year alone we have heard and shared many stories, from the social perception of AIDS to homelessness in the Silicon Valley to the time a sophomore girl left her parents, half a world away, for the American Dream. And now, as we finally realize that this will be the last letter we write as the current editorsin-chief, we wonder what stories we might be leaving behind. Tool 35: Report and write for scenes. After the final school bell rings, there is often one primary direction of student movement from the journalism rooms: out. Yet, as our staff members file out the classrooms leaving behind their empty potato chip bags and sticky candy wrappers, that’s when he knows — it’s time for him to come in. He’s always there, cleaning up after every mess. Tool 15: Pay attention to names. Over the years, we have gotten know custodian Isidro Goncalves on a first-name basis. We have run into Isidro countless times in A111. By now, we have grown accustomed to his smiling face and his captivating stories. We remember the times when he had to recover from his first wife’s death, when he started dance classes to pick up girls and when he took his new girlfriend to Napa Valley. Each year, we tell each other, “We have to write a story on him.” And each year, he asks “Why me? I am not that interesting.” Tool 29: Foreshadow dramatic events or power ful conclusions. But this time, he didn’t resist. On March 12, Isidro came home to rubble and ruin — his home of 38 years was destroyed in a conflagration of flames with an appetite too big and too greedy. Yet Isidro’s story, as told by our reporters on p. 5, is ultimately not about a devastating fire, a ravaged home or lost memories. In the end, it is about moving forward. Tool 39: Work toward an ending. In the rush to produce stories, sometimes it is easy to forget what journalism is about. But Isidro’s story is one of many that remind us why this publication — and this community — matters. El Estoque’s mission is to tell the stories of our community. It’s about converging the ebb and flow of thoughts, opinions and ideas that circulate throughout our student body. It’s about looking beyond to acknowledge the diversity and richness of experiences each member of our community carries. And here is where one tale ends and another begins, where we say farewell as the current editors-in-chief of this publication. But even as we leave behind countless stories that have been yet untold, we know: El Estoque will continue its mission just fine. Because whether the stories are about looking back or moving forward, we — El Estoque — want to be there for your story.

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

CORRECTION FROM THE LAST ISSUE In “Blacked Out,” the song In “Contra Pop Culture,” the title “Bad and Boujee” was author of “Watership Down” spelled incorrectly. was incorrect; the correct author is Richard Adams.

Statistics for “Contra the Legal Age” were taken from NBC News and a survey of MVHS students.

LPA

KA N|

IO AT

LL OI

ISH

KR AL OP

N EWS

Custodian Isidro Goncalves describes his steps forward from the devastating BY JENNIE CHEN, ILENA PENG, SEPAND ROUZ AND KINGSLEY WANG ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CHETANA RAMAIYER

HE HARDEST THING HE FACED WAS when his wife died of cancer. Fourteen years later, he faced the second hardest thing as he watched flames eat away at his house. Thirty-eight years. That’s how long MVHS custodian Isidro Goncalves had lived in his San Jose house before it went up in flames. It was the house he had purchased with the money he had saved at age 20, three years after emigrating from Azores, Portugal. He’d seen everything in that house, from his children learning how to walk to their bittersweet journey into adulthood. The phone call came on March 12, when Goncalves was in San Ramon with his girlfriend. As the fire reached the back of his house, a neighbor knocked on the front door and his son, oblivious to the flames behind him, answered. That phone call was all it took for Goncalves to start driving home. “I got a little stressed out. It was taking too long for me to get to my house; instead of taking [the usual] 35 minutes it [seemed] like it [took] an hour,” Goncalves said. “I wanted to get there. I just wanted to get there as quick as I could.” When Goncalves finally made it back home, all he wanted to do was assess the

EL ESTOQUE /april 2017

damages at the back end of the house, but the firemen wouldn’t let him. They were still putting out the fire. His son sat speechless in front of the house — he couldn’t believe what had happened. Neither could Goncalves, who, upon arrival, didn’t think the fire would be this severe. It wasn’t an electrical fire, but was sparked somewhere outside near the back of the home, next to the garbage cans. That’s all the information they have – he doesn’t know whether it was an accident or whether it was targeted. To him, it’s one of those things that is better left in the dark. “Maybe it’s better because if somebody did it on purpose then I don’t [want to] know,” Goncalves said. “It’ll be the best way, I guess.” The fire had demolished the family room, kitchen and master bedroom. The other bedrooms, Goncalves estimates, are 75 percent demolished by the smoke and soot. The fire left almost nothing behind, except the smell of smoke lingering in the clothes on his back. It’s been two weeks since the incident. It will take another six to nine months to rebuild the house. Even though some of the mementos in the house will never be

recovered, Goncalves says the memories made there cannot be lost. “I don’t wish [for anybody to have] to go through that. The insurance will pay to build a new home, but you lose things you cannot get back,” Goncalves said. “It wasn’t things maybe worth a lot of money, but [it was] a lot of things things [that] money cannot buy. Pictures, tapes, various things like that.” Some of Goncalves’ most vivid memories in the house include the birth of both of his children, trying to fix their house over the years and having family come over for the baptization and confirmation of his children. Over the years, he’s come to face that these things happen. On March 12, it was his house that went up in flames. On March 28, it was a rock that shattered his car window while he was driving home. In light of these uncontrollable events, Goncalves has maintained his positive attitude. “Those are things we don’t have control over. We learn with life,” Goncalves said. “When we’re younger we’re not as patient — we get mad, we get upset, and we say ‘Why does this have to happen to me?’ We cannot really do that. It was meant to happen to me. There’s nothing I can do about it. That’s how life really is.”

ting fire that destroyed his home Yet what Goncalves didn’t have control over, MVHS’ administration made up for with a swift and supportive response. Principal April Scott sent out an email to the staff notifying them of the incident. Teachers responded with monetary donations and gift cards or relief items such as food and clothes. Goncalves also received cash to be able to spend on anything he immediately needed. Goncalves was touched, and although he couldn’t personally thank every individual who helped, he placed a card in the office thanking everybody for what they did. “He was a little choked up when we gave him the card because he wasn’t aware of how much people cared for him,” executive assistant to the principal Diana Goularte said. However, Goncalves was not the only one who got emotional, as Goularte, who collected the donations for the gift cards, was also emotional after seeing Goncalves’ dedication and exhibition of strong character. According to Goularte, despite the incident, Goncalves did not miss a single day of work he had not planned beforehand to miss. “People saw him at work and were surprised by the email because they knew that he hadn’t missed time,” Goularte said.

“It wasn’t a situation where we didn’t see him for a few days and knew something was going on.” To Goularte, this experience alone was able to illustrate how much of a hard worker and conscientious person Goncalves is. “We have people that might miss work because they get a flat tire and here is someone whose house burns down and he still manages to continue on with work and with life,” Goularte said. Goncalves knows that no amount of money from insurance or those around him can replace everything he had lost. Yet his sadness doesn’t equate to bitterness — he knows that there’s nothing he could’ve

done. With each replaced trinket, he runs farther away from the ghost of that house, leaving behind the hardships of the past.

Those are things we don’t have control over. We learn with life,.When we’re younger we’re not as patient — we get mad, we get upset, and we say ‘Why does this have to happen to me?’ We cannot really do that. It was meant to happen to me. There’s nothing I can do about it. That’s how life really is. CUSTODIAN ISIDRO GONCALVES

nNe EwWsS

BIG APPLE, LITTLE CITY

Looking at Appleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s influence on Cupertino

BY CHETANA RAMAIYER AND NATE STEVENS

ILLU

STRA TION

EL ESTOQUE /April 2017

| CHE

TAN A

RAM

AIYE

WITH 600,000 SQUARE FEET OF RESEARCH FACILITIES, A 100,000-SQUARE-FOOT FITNESS FACILITY AND A CORPORATE AUDITORIUM WITH 1,000 SEATS, APPLE WILL BE ABLE TO HOST NEARLY 13,000 WORKERS AT ITS NEW CAMPUS.

E WAKES UP TO THE SOUND OF big milestone — one an alarm ringing from his iPhone billion active Apple 7. Walking over to his closet, he products. Now, their chooses what to wear from one of the 30 devices are used by Apple t-shirts. He then packs his backpack, 94 percent of MVHS from a only putting in a couple sheets of binder students, paper and an iPad, on which he does all his survey of 257 people. However, with all work. He straps his Apple watch around his wrist and leaves for school. Surrounded by the potential impacts Apple products, senior Alex Erf has been Apple’s new campus influenced deeply by Apple since he was a could bring, it could also create problems within the Cupertino little boy. Erf was first introduced to Apple on his community. 13,000 new employees means eleventh birthday, when his parents bought that 13,000 people will be commuting to the him his first iPad. From that point on, Erf new campus on Tantau Ave. In order to prevent this from impacting became interested in all things Apple. Every day during brunch at John F. Kennedy Middle the community in a harmful way, there have School, he would gather with his friends in been many potential changes examined. According to the pavilion to discuss Cupertino public the current events and works director SCAN FOR MORE rumors regarding Apple Timm Borden and their products. COVERAGE and senior civil With its vision of engineer David changing the way the Stillman, 52 world used computers, college dropouts Steve Jobs and Steve intersections and 11 freeways were analyzed Wozniak founded Apple Computers, Inc. for impact. Of those, 13 intersections and on April 1, 1976. Starting the company 10 freeways showed changes caused by the out of Jobs’ garage, the two partners have new building. These impacts have not been ignored by impacted the world in ways they never could Apple. According to San Jose Mercury News, have predicted. Since that day Apple has changed Apple has agreed to pay $1.3 million in immensely. Forty-one years later, Apple is compensation to the Valley Transportation coming out with their new campus — the Authority and Caltrans — what the city Apple Park. In terms of square footage, calculated as a “fair share amount” to help the Apple Park will be second only to the mitigate the freeway segment impacts. As of Pentagon, and will be the largest privately Feb. 24, 2017, Apple has allotted $750,000 owned office building in the Uniter States, for addressing potential impacts to the neighborhoods around the campus in Santa surpassing even the Empire State Building. “The new campus will be a landmark. Clara and Sunnyvale. Senior Naveen Thomas’s first generation No other building looks like this,” Cupertino Mayor Barry Chang said. “This will be a iPad, which he bought in 2010, was his first of many Apple products. It took him world tourist attraction.” Looking at their numbers, Apple has all summer to get the iPad, spending hours had as much of a local influence as a global on Apple’s website waiting in awe – of one. In January of 2016, Apple reached a not only their products, but the way Apple designed its website. As for their new campus, Thomas believes it is a benefit to the community. percent of MVHS “I’m really intrigued by it. I students feel Apple has really hope to visit there when it had a negative impact opens,” Thomas said. “I think it’s on Cupertino going to be really big hit.” In regards to Apple’s current *out of 257 MVHS students state, Erf feels differently. He has

of MVHS students have Apple products at home

*out of 257 MVHS students

seen his former dedication towards Apple decline, partly because of changes in the company’s management. “I think since Steve Jobs passed away, [Apple has] slowed down a bit,” Erf said. “It seems like they’re making [progress] much more [incrementally]. I don’t like that, but what’re you gonna do?” Thomas, a frequent customer of Apple, sees its changes in a different light. The day that Steve Jobs died, Thomas came home from school and turned on CNN. He started to tear up as he heard that the former CEO of one of his favorite companies was now gone. He discussed his death with his friends and describes how they were heartbroken simply because Apple’s future was up in the air. Now, though six years have passed since Jobs’ passing, Thomas still believes strongly in Apple’s success. “The technology is innovating more slowly, so you can’t really judge something from a year to year basis,” Thomas said. “You have to look at it from a long term [point of view] … Of course it was all started by Steve Jobs [but] I think their products are still getting better to the point where they’ll pretty much overtake everyone without that much competition.” Almost 41 years and seven iPhones later, Apple is opening its new campus, an enormous difference compared to the garage they started in. Yet through it all, the Silicon Valley persevered as the home to this company. With the new campus opening soon, new changes are sure to impact the already Apple influenced community it resides in, both good and bad.

n e w s 19 7

SLEEP ON District considers later start times to combat sleep deprivation BY BILL CHENG, KALPANA GOPALKRISHNAN AND ANJINI VENUGOPAL

“I’m here because my daughter stayed up until 3 a.m. last night doing work.”

HE MOTHER SITS DOWN AND another FUHSD parent stands up in the Homestead High School cafeteria to tell a group of parents, teachers, district workers and a few students their story. Since late 2015, the Community Wellness Taskforce (CWT), a cross section of the FUHSD community, has been trying to address sleep deprivation and high stress levels among students. Though the Taskforce received multiple suggestions on how to fight sleep deprivation, from developing a more effective and mandatory time management worksheet to limiting the number of AP classes a student can take, the Taskforce has decided to hone in on one idea: later start times. That was the purpose of the forum at the HHS cafeteria on March 14. Since December 2015, when the CWT first proposed later start times to the FUHSD superintendent, they gauged community interest to see the extent to which students, teachers and parents wanted later start times. The first step was the Student Wellness Survey, which was administered in September 2016 through email to students across the district. Despite complaints at the community forum that not enough students responded to the survey, results showed that a majority of students favored later start times, with about 30 percent of students getting an average of six hours of sleep per night and 36 percent of students reporting that they regularly go to bed past midnight. Backed by results that suppor ted their plan to institute later star t times, the CW T proceeded to hold t wo communit y for ums on March 2 and March 14, where they were able to gauge the opinions of parents, students and communit y members. From the for ums and sur veys, the CW T thought of three potential ideas to create later star t times: a shor tened

EL ESTOQUE /April 2017

lunch, br unch before school or more available free first per iods. Assistant superintendent Trudy Gross is a proponent of making a free first more accessible to students. Gross thinks that if all of the schools in the district can ensure that students can easily get a free first period, it would benefit both student and family. To Gross, pushing back start times seems to be controversial with both students and parents, who do not want extracurricular activities to run later because of a correspondingly later school start. By providing easy access to a free first, there is a balance between providing a later start time and still having school end at around the same time, so students can arrive at their after school appointments in a timely manner. “I definitely hear the side for families and for students too, because many of the students do talk about [how] they want a seven period day, [that] they’re comfortable with the way that it is and [that] they have lots of things after school,” Gross said. “[The students] would be worried about how they are going to get where they’re getting.”

80%

OF 480 TEACHERS COULD AGREE TO MOVING START AND END TIMES LATER BY AT LEAST 20 MINUTES**

65%

OF 480 TEACHERS WOULD AGREE TO ADJUST START AND END TIMES OF BELL SCHEDULE** **Survey stats from the 2017 On-Going Money Distribution Survey

N IT ILL

AT I

| IL

“I think [changing the start time] is the Gross thinks the concept of free first is the best proposal, compared to other ideas thing we must do as soon as possible,” Yeung such as moving brunch to before school. said. “In the past year, we’ve done nothing. Eleven percent of students in the distric t But then all of a sudden, this year, as soon as get t wo me a ls at s cho ol, wh ich ma ke s January hit, we’ve hit the ground running.” Yeung thinks that if later start times t h is cha nge more complex. “It’s not as simple as saying, ‘Well, don’t get approved this year, they have to be they could eat breakfast before they leave approved three years from now. However, he for school.’ There are students that get fears that if it is still not passed three years breakfast and lunch here at school. And so, from now, the CWT will have moved on to other problems, if we were to say, ‘Well, such as its other they could come and two goals — have breakfast,’ then, is creating a schoolthat a good balance?” life balance in Gross said. “Because terms of stress you’re basically saying and emotional they would still have to wellness. Yeung come to school earlier believes that the to get that food.” CWT’s main goal Senior Patrick Yeung should be to bring is the only MVHS about a districtstudent on the CWT. wide movement He believes that change and benefit as is necessary and has m a ny p e ople to happen now. The a s p o s s i bl e. contract between SENIOR PATRICK YEUNG Yeung, Gross the teacher’s union and the CWT are and the district is rewritten every three years, and 2017 is all striving to focus their efforts into one one of those renewal years. The CWT has area at a time in order to capitalize on the accelerated their schedule significantly prime moment for reform. There are many because of this, trying to get later start other areas of wellness that the CWT plans to address in the future, like mental health times included in the contract. or the meaningfulness of homework. But, for now, the organization’s main focus will be on sleep deprivation. “I feel like it’s a really simplified way of expressing the complexity of the issue. OF 2,127 STUDENTS You need to define wellness somehow, and [this is] a sort of decent way of doing it, but SAY THAT SCHOOLthen [the definitions] overlap, and the way RELATED STRESS that the Taskforce is going about it now is, tackling just sleep deprivation,” Yeung WAS A MAIN REASON we’re said. “And the whole notion that simply a THEY HAD DIFFICULTY time shift will work — it’s been scientifically proven to work to some degree, but whether FALLING ASLEEP* or not it will work here, I do not know.”

YOU NEED TO DEFINE WELLNESS SOMEHOW, AND [AMOUNT OF SLEEP IS] A SORT OF DECENT WAY OF DOING IT

6.16 HOURS IS THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF SLEEP STUDENTS GET FROM A SURVEY OF 1,330 STUDENTS*

41%

*Survey stats from Hanover Research Analysis of 2016 Student Wellness Survey N EWS1 7

“ I

t’s different cultures that make the world go ‘round at the end of the day. -Samantha Fox

though most of us were born in the U.S. Besides, I’ve learned that when those people ask where I’m from, the U.S. isn’t the answer they’re looking for. They ask because I look When I say “Asian-American,” I hope that different from what’s considered American. you’ll take that to mean equal parts Asian Answering “the U.S.” would only warrant and American — the key word being and. a question about where I’m really from. At But I’ve come to realize people selectively least I save time this way, even though I focus on either the Asian or American half. never actually go into detail about where I’m Asian-American is one phrase, one identity. actually from since a long list of my heritage Why should anything or anyone have to be probably also isn’t the answer they were either Asian or American? looking for. Amid inquiries from my classmates in But I am Chinese, so shouldn’t it be only Hong Kong last summer logical for them to assume that I can speak about my seemingly Mandarin? Throughout those few weeks in remarkable ability to Hong Kong, all I felt was a sense of guilt. I speak Mandarin, I was from these two countries and I could realized that to them, I communicate in Mandarin, yet I couldn’t wasn’t Asian-American. speak either of the native dialects nor did I was American I understand their slang. Those classmates American, and that thought of me as American. Did that mean meant speaking they thought I was white-washed? More Mandarin was importantly, am I? incredible. Never Yet I’ve never tried to become whitemind that I grew washed, to fit into stereotypical Western up taking Chinese society. When I say that my Mandarin isn’t classes every great, it isn’t because I’m trying to hide weekend or that I speak my culture in an attempt to fit in. It’s just it at home every day, in their easier to admit that I’m not as culturally in eyes I was more American than touch as I perhaps should be. At least then, I was Asian. And maybe I am. I’m giving you a heads up that I’ll probably After all, when a Taiwanese get something culturally wrong — like that classmate asked me whether I thing about asking if people are full as a was full when c o nv e r s a t i o n I returned to s t a r t e r. my class, I was That way confused until if I get the my mom told facts wrong, me “are you people will full?” is the be a bit e quivalent more lenient to the towa rd s G conversation EN my lack P JUNIOR ILENA PENG A EN | IL starter, “So, of cultural N TIO TRA how’s the tact. But I’m US ILL weather today?” trying and I think that small bit of effort is Yet the U.S. is a place diverse enough to show I’m trying to be both — not enough where we don’t consider just Asian or American. ourselves “American” on a daily I’m still disappointed that I haven’t basis; rather, we identify with learned another two languages so I can talk whatever culture we originated to my grandparents in their native languages. from. If someone asks me where I don’t understand a culture where a dinner I’m from, my first answer isn’t table conversation is more like yelling, where the U.S., even if I did grow up middle school kids take buses by themselves here — which isn’t to say that to night markets at 8 p.m. I’ll probably never I’m not proud I’m American. start a conversation by asking you if you’re It’s just that in this diverse full. But I do think starfruits are better than country, “American” isn’t apples, and that egg waffles are better than something most of us truly pancakes. I’ll never eat Chinese noodles identify with. After all, with a fork. I’m alright with all of that — it’s MVHS is referred to as a part of me now. So I guess I’m not whitean “Asian school,” not an washed. I guess I’m just caught between “American school” even two homes.

WASHED OUT Walking the line between Asian and American

BEYOND THE STATUS QUOTE

el estoque / april 2017

OPINION

2017 ELITE2010

Summer Programs

It’s hard to focus when there are a million things going on at once. That’s why summer is the best time to prepare for the SAT when students are free from the obligations of school clubs, teams, and homework. Elite has a variety of programs, schedules, and locations to give students and their families the flexibility to select the program that best meets their needs. Summer is just around the corner, so don’t let today go by without reserving a spot in an Elite summer program.

SAT/ ACT Summer Programs

>SAT 1400+ Membership Program >SAT Morning/Afternoon Boot Camps >SAT weekday CORE Program >ACT Afternoon Boot Camp

Language Foundation Programs (Gr 9/10)

>PSAT/ACT practice for reading/writing sections >Reading cycles include nonfiction reading articles

College Application Essay Workshops

> Packages include orientation, editing time, and app review > Personalized options for college selection counseling

Northern California Branches

Southern California Branches

Cerritos

Irvine

Northridge

San Diego

562 403 7252

949 252 9124

818 831 4422

858 720 0808

Cupertino

San Francisco

Anaheim Hills

Fountain Valley

Irvine – Northwood

Rowland Heights

Torrance

408 973 8966

415 665 5888

714 974 0484

714 962 7287

949 654 8523

909 444 0876

310 378 4171

Fremont

San Ramon

Arcadia

Fullerton

Los Angeles

Rancho Bernardo

Valencia

510 979 0808

925 830 9200

626 287 1245

714 525 6611

213 365 8008

858 217 2988

661 259 0052

San Jose 408 266 3838

Visit us on the web:

www.eliteprep.com

SPECIAL

IT’S YOUR PROBLEM There’s no sleeping soundly for an MVHS student BY SARA ENTEZAR

AMID THE 2:30 A.M. DARKNESS AND CRICKET CHIRPS, there lies, still and silently, a heaping

handful of MVHS students who just tucked themselves in. Finally, they’re free of the day’s pressures. Only now can they prepare themselves for the seemingly endless amounts of school, homework, intruments and sports of the following days. It really makes a person wonder: did they do this to themselves?

1 146

EL ESTOQUE / APRIL 2017

I HAVE A PROBLEM.

THEY’RE TRYING TO HELP.

BUT THEY CAN’T FIX THE PROBLEM. You can prioritize your mental and physical health. You can communicate with your teachers. You shouldn’t care about what others think.

IT’S UP TO YOU. OPINION

OPINION

15 17

SIX AP CLASSES. COMMUNITY SERVICE. PRESIDENT OF THREE CLUBS. TWO EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. SUMMER INTERNSHIP AT A TOP UNIVERSITY.

WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO GUARANTEE MY TOP FIVE COLLEGES?

t MVHS, conversation almost always ties back to what our campus talks about the most — from class lectures to sleep deprivation — committing ourselves and our stress. As we cycle through our AP classes, extracurriculars and social life, there’s only one other thing that we find ourselves complaining about more than we do about the tests, homework and teachers: the restrictions prevalent at our school. We can’t take history in ninth grade, we can’t double up on science classes, many can’t take AP classes until junior year, we’re forced to take the life science Biology as a freshman and there’s too much of an emphasis on needing our teachers’ approvals to proceed in our courses. But as we overload with college coursees, extracurriculars, sports and time with our friends — we perpetuate our own problems.

WHAT THEY ARE DOING On March 14, the FUHSD Community Wellness Taskforce (CWT) met to discuss ways to combat what they labeled the defined problems — a summation of concerns about student wellness issues related to sleep, stress and balancing

EL ESTOQUE /APRIL 2017

school with their personal lives. It all sounds like they’re set to tackle the obstacles at hand. The problem? All they’re doing is creating more restrictions. The wellness committee may think they’re tackling the three major issues, but in reality, there’s very little they can do to combat any of those problems because they are ingrained in our culture. Pushing the school time later might help combat half-hearted yawns in the class, but it wouldn’t help us get more sleep. Gregg Shoultz, the principal of West High School in Iowa, said their newly implemented later school start time of 8:50 a.m. does not improve students’ sleep schedules. “Practices are later for athletes, musicians and actors,” Shoultz said in a U.S. News article, “which pushes back these students’ entire evening and often doesn’t result in any additional sleep for these students.” But at the very least, studies done at Brown University and the Lifespan health system show that waking up later is beneficial to our circadian rhythms, or in simple terms, our body clocks. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control recommend shifting middle and high school start times to after 8:30 a.m. However, pushing school start times later won’t change the

fact that students will just sleep later and wake up later. In a way, the wellness efforts by administration, students and the district are admirable. Their care for our health and general well-being help create a positive community of trust and support; however, they neglect to understand the simple fact that making sleep the last prioirty in our lives is self-imposed.

THE ACTUAL PROBLEM There’s two types of stress that we encounter in our lives. One is positive stress — a type of stress that motivates us to keep moving forward in constantly trying to improve in some way. Despite its drawbacks, everyone needs and gets some extent of positive stress in their life — be it a local competition that we have with others or the fear of finishing a paper on time. The problem with the CWT is their need to tackle what we’ve come to denote as negative stress: pushing off homework until the last minute, tackling a course load we know we can’t handle, not taking the time to take a break, not prioritizing tasks when we’re running out of time, destressing by allowing stress to stay for a prolonged period of time. And just as we get ourselves into the tangled mess of unhealthy choices, both mentally

and physically, it’s only us who can drag ourselves out of it. Administration and teachers can tell us their thoughts on how to improve our stress and general mental health, but after a certain point, there’s nothing they can do to prevent it completely, and really, it shouldn’t be their responsibility. Though out of concern and responsibility, the administration can’t do anything to pull us out of our self-induced stress and pressure, especially not by restricting options available to us.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

That’s where we have to change the past and take initiative. Of the 160 staff members at MVHS, it’s highly unlikely that students wouldn’t be able to search to find the one staff personnel they feel comfortable talking to about school or personal matters. However, only 141 out of 257 students are comfortable and willing to talk to a staff member. If we think the classes are unfair or the teachers are being too unpredictable, we need to take action to approach teachers ourselves. Most teachers are willing to hear students out and compromise if reasonable. However, part of the brunt work does fall on the teachers. Since every OPINION OF THE EL ESTOQUE AP class is a college-class equivalent, the environment and setting of the EDITORIAL BOARD class, along with the teachers’ plans

STAFF EDITORIAL

55% 82% 71% 47% OF 257 STUDENTS*

and organization, should reflect that. Course syllabuses should be detailed and descriptive with average homework assignment schedules, test days and project deadlines. With concrete plans, students can be more well-prepared for the class and less stressed out about every upcoming assignment as they accumulate. As we complain about the five tests on Friday in our five AP classes next to a stark empty conflict calendar and never having talked to the teacher once about it, the Wellness Committee attempts to beautify our lives and school by tinkering with minute details. But, at least as of right now, the only way we can destress is to take initiative of our lives by understanding what we can handle and learning to communicate our needs and thoughts rather than wasting it in just another MVHS conversation about stress. And who knows — maybe underneath all the complaints and grudges we hold, we’re actually most comfortable with things this way — the stress and competition engrained in our culture.

HAVE AT LEAST ONE STAFF MEMBER ON CAMPUS THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE TALKING TO ABOUT ANYTHING

OF 255 STUDENTS*

BELIEVE THE SCHOOL IS NOT DOING ENOUGH TO HELP REDUCE STUDENT STRESS FEEL OVERWHELMED AND STRESSED WITH SCHOOLWORK IN GENERAL

OF 257 STUDENTS*

OF 258 STUDENTS*

GET 7-8 HOURS OF SLEEP ON AVERAGE *from a survey of MVHS students

O P oI NpIi OnNi o n 1 7

JUST DID IT?

The release of Nike Pro Hijab sparks debate over representation

s students enter the locker rooms and change for P.E., few think twice about the days activities. However, for Nur Khan, now a senior in middle college, P.E. was a struggle. Wearing layer on top of layer was too much for her to deal with everyday, not to mention her hijab constantly shifting out of place. Event ua lly K h a n decided to stop

SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE

EL ESTOQUE /APRIL 2017

wearing the hijab during P.E. because the class had become a burden. So, when she first came across the news of Nike’s new line of Pro Hijabs, Khan was happy that Muslims were getting the recognition they deserve. On the other hand, she thinks recognition should have been given long ago to the Muslim community. “We [Muslims] shouldn’t have to thank you for including us in a society that we have been participating in for years and for centuries. We’ve been in America [and] we’ve done so much for America and now we’re getting acknowledged as people,” Khan said. “It’s kind of offensive, like now were okay to be in your beauty companies, be in your sports campaigns, it sends a good message ... but it’s too late.” Senior Nadaa Moharram, another hijabi athlete, played basketball for three years but, unlike Khan, she never really found the hijab to be much of an issue. However, she knows people who had trouble with it and so Moharram is able to sympathize with others who have the same problem. However, in the midst of positive responses, she has a hard time understanding why the new collection is such a big deal. The Pro Hijab can be seen as a step forward, but not anything major. There is debate over how much it really affects the Muslim community. “Everybody’s saying it’s such a big deal and I’m trying to understand why. You recognize us so we should thank you?” Moharram said. “We’re part of the society, of course we should be recognized. We shouldn’t be bending on our knees thanking you. You’re not God. Now that we’re included, thanks ... should’ve been done a century ago.” No brand should PH be glorified for OT O |M including a AL LIK communit y A SIN t h a t GH should have been

BY KAREN SANCHEZ AND MALLIKA SINGH

included in the first place. The fact that it’s Nike doesn’t mean they deserve any more recognition than the Muslim businesses who have been creating the same product for many years. Khan thinks the Muslim community should support the Muslim owned companies because the smaller companies aren’t receiving the recognition they deserve. Moharram, while she acknowledges the fact that other companies have been producing these hijabs for years, understands there is a lack of variety. As someone who visits Egypt, she has a place where she can buy hijabs and other apparel. But that’s not the case for some of her friends and she’s glad they have a new option. Khan explains that, though she is happy that they’re being recognized, there are downsides. Even with Muslims being recognized by one of the biggest brands in the world, still mostly lighter skinned women are featured, according to Khan. “When [magazines] try to include people of color, they include lighter skinned people, people with eurocentric features,” Khan said. “If they had included more Muslim women –– real Muslim women that –- would have been amazing.” Senior Neelufar Raja, though she is not a hijabi but practices Islam, feels that the Nike hijab would be beneficial to her friends. However, when hearing about the Muslim companies versus Nike both creating hijabs, she responded similarly to Khan. “I think that with Nike’s introduction of their Pro Hijab [they have] definitely gotten a lot more attraction but I also agree that you shouldn’t say that they are the only ones that have ever done [this],” Raja said. However, Raja acknowledges that because she doesn’t wear a hijab, her experiences differ than her friends who do and so she understands that Nike’s new product may have less of an impact to her. She feels that this is certainly a step forward for Muslims as a group and Khan and Moharram supported this feeling. “[They’re] saying, ‘hey look, these are actual people in society that have these problems,’” Khan said. “People don’t understand that it’s really hard to be a Muslim girl and an athlete so I think it’s great [and] sends a good message [to the Muslim society].”

Girls’ Life

Gendered magazines fuel stereotypes BY RUTH FENG

On Feb. 27, eighth grader Janya Budaraju glanced at the covers of two different magazine titles in the Kennedy Middle School library: “Girls’ Life” and “Boys’ Life.” Girls’ Life was more pink and detailed how to “Talk to cute guys” and “Hello new swimsuit. It fits, it flatters.” The Boys’ Life magazine showed machines, gadgets and inventions, with the title “Explore your future.” For clarification, the KMS library does not subscribe to “Girls’ Life” or “Boys’ Life.” They received these issues in a box of donated magazines. Budaraju took pictures of the covers and sent them to fellow eighth graders Roya Ahmadi, Safaa Mouline and Sindhu Vajrala. They could all agree on one thing: the magazines were blatantly promoting gender stereotypes. It is a shame that they are still perpetuated. In America, girls aren’t raised to be housewives anymore, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t discriminated against when they break out of that traditional mold. “I like things that are seen as girly,” Ahmadi said. “I also focus on things that will expand my intellectual capabilities like science and math.” Ahmadi can speak, read and write three languages: Chinese, Farsi and English. She swims and plays soccer. She takes JAVA classes, is a member of Speech and Debate club at school and she takes extracurricular math classes. Our world is changing to become a more accepting place, but there is no doubt in saying that high-achieving women are still discriminated against in a work environment. According to the United States Department of Labor, women make up only 26 percent of computer and mathematical occupations. Ahmadi’s mother was shocked when she saw these magazines. She works closely with women in engineering and science fields, and was disappointed that a magazine targeted at young adults would enforce such stereotypes. Vajrala believes that gender stereotypes are not equivalent to sexism, but instead exist in microaggressions. Vajrala has been told stories of how her grandmothers were treated as lesser because they were girls. Even now, instances of child marriages convince her that sexism is a very real and substantial issue. However, Vajrala acknowledges that she grew up with a small amount of sexism. She didn’t notice that these magazines, ones that could have very real effects on others, were so close to her and made others so vulnerable. “The enforcement of gender stereotypes was lying right underneath my nose and I didn’t even notice,” Vajrala said. To eliminate it means to stop subconsciously giving in to these magazines’ and society’s, for that matter, perception of a “girl” or a “boy.” “You also have the boys and they’re being encouraged not to be in art or fashion or anything like that,” Vajrala said. “It really emphasized to me that sexism has to be taken from both sides, you have to combat it from both sides.”

23%

OF STUDENTS HAVE BEEN BULLIED BECAUSE OF THEIR GENDER *From a survey of 256 students

39%

of students believe their gender strongly affects the choices they make *From a survey of 256 students

66%

of students have been told that something they wanted to do was too “girly” or “boyish” *From a survey of 256 students Opinion

FAKE NEWS PART OF YOUR AGENDA?

The real reason for the spread of false information: consumer ignorance BY SARA ENTEZAR AND KAREN SANCHEZ

dgar Maddison Welch walked Drawing on this past example, Yeip through the front door of Comet defines fake news to be stories that are loosely sourced or not sourced at all, which Ping Pong, a restaurant in Northwest contain wild allegations without being Washington, with an assault rifle in hand and a goal in mind — complete supported by factual what he later called a evidence. I THINK WHEN “self-investigation.” He Recently, however, PEOPLE USE [FAKE fired one or more shots there has been an into the restaurant as a NEWS] TO DESCRIBE effort to redefine the response to the “news” term. “Fake news” is STORIES THAT he had previously read in now being used to refer DON’T ALIGN WITH an article he came across to stories that one is online: Hillary Clinton was critical of, a story which THEIR AGENDA, kidnapping, molesting and doesn’t align with EVEN IF THEY’RE trafficking several children someone’s particular WELL SOURCED AND viewpoint. in the back rooms of that very pizzeria. To Yeip, the most INCLUDE FACTUAL Welch had believed the famous example would INFORMATION, IT story — the fake story be President Trump, PUTS A DENT IN THE — and ultimately, was who has used the term deceived by fake news. PERCEPTION OF OUR himself various times. Randy Yeip, graphics On Twitter as well as CREDIBILITY editor for the Wall Street during public speeches, RANDY YEIP Journal, points out that he refers to stories that WSJ GRAPHICS EDITOR “fake news” is not a new are critical of him as term or notion, but has been around for “fake news,” even when they’re supported decades. For example, 20 years ago, during by documentation and actual facts. Bill Clinton’s administration, conspiracy On Twitter, President Trump has linked theorists spread word of a false story which “fake news” to several publications from gained popularity: Vince Foster, an associate the New York Times, NBC, ABC, CNN and of Clinton’s, had been murdered by a group CBS, stating that such publications are not of people in the white house. his enemy, but rather “the enemy of the

American People.” As a journalist, Yeip believes throwing “fake news” around to describe publications affects the concrete connection between trust and truth. When someone reads an article on the Wall Street Journal, or any other major publication, the assumption is that all stories are true based on the trust people have that these publications prioritize fundamentally factual stories. But, when “fake news” is incorperated into the mix, there is potential for an altercation. “I think when people use [fake news] to describe stores that don’t align with their agenda, even if they’re well sourced stories and include all the factual information, it puts a dent in the perception of our credibility,” Yeip said. “If people are becoming more willing to dismiss things that we report, ... thats a threat to our profession.” However, journalism, in it’s rawest sense, embodies the importance of real news: stories supported by factual evidence for the sake of informing the public: through media outlets, where there is room for criticism, context and fact-checking. This is exactly what occurred during the White House’s Press Conference meeting in January. CNN had refused to air the press conference live, later airing relevant parts which were factually accurate. “CNN’s decision to not air the press

real raal rake fake truth frlsh false fact faet fiet lies

EL ESTOQUE /APRil 2017

conference live illustrates a recognition that the role of the press must be different under Trump,” said Danna Young, an associate professor in the Department of Association at the University of Delaware. “When the White House holds press briefings to promote demonstrably false information and refuses to take questions, then press ‘access’ becomes meaningless at best and complicit at worst.” While journalistic publications make an effort to ensure their credibility, thus securing the role of the free press within society, journalists, like Yeip, face a tragic, new reality. In Yelp’s opinion, acknowledging and understanding the press is an essential part of democracy. Modern democracy can not work without a free press, and that very thought is what scares him in regards to where things seem to be heading. Social Studies teacher Eric Otto shares a similar opinion, perceiving the media as a key attribute to what makes the United States what it is. “The media’s existence is founded upon one of the oldest traditions of the countries: freedom of speech and opinion,” Otto said. “It’s so heavily regarded as being one of the most important freedoms that we put it in The Bill of Rights. A world without the media — I would see that as living in a totalitarian state. We need the media to help keep our government officials accountable for their actions.” However the term “fake news” may be redefined today, the reality is that fake news — stories made up from thin air — does exist in several platforms of media. The cascading shift of news output calls for the public to be more alert to such falsities. What had been demonstrated by CNN had informed thousands about the lies which had been spread in that conference — before they even had the chance to be spread as ‘truths,’ incorrectly. Though CNN is only one of several news networks, many in which remain unfiltered. Otto explains his concerns in how and where people retrieve their news. “It really depends on which outlet you’re getting it from as to whether or not the degree of factuality is there,” Otto said. “I talk about that too, with my government students — we have to take a look at who backs the major media outlets.” However, the detrimental effects of bias sources isn’t what crosses the minds of most, in Yeip’s eyes. As a journalist, he has noticed people have taken sides, labeling lists of media sources as liberal or conservative. The bias in which several publications skew towards draws in viewers accordingly —

often, those with similar ideals and opinions. There are several factors to take into account when analyzing both the reason for false news output as well as the spread of it. The most prominent difference, however, is the contrast between common news transfer compared to decades prior. Not only is it the explosion of the internet, allowing access to various platforms where information can be shared easily, but specifically how the general public decides to make use of the new form of communication. “When you are giving news through [platforms] that [are] designed for quick consumption, that means that there’s not a lot of time or care that goes into the editing [or fact checking] of that information,” Otto said. It’s not a radical idea to presume the spread of false information sources back to the accuser or writer — often, that’s the default mindset of how this entire phenomenon arose. Though, it would be quite groundbreaking to state the obvious: Consumers are biased. PHOTO | SARA ENTEZAR Consumers have bad judgement. Consumers PHOTO ILUSTRATION | SARA ENTEZAR don’t take the time to factcheck. And yes, by sharing incorrect and ignorant information, consumers add gasoline to the fiery take-over that is ‘fake news.’

FALSE CLAIMS

DONALD TRUMP HAS MADE

SOURCE: Huffington Post

JAN. 25: In an interview with ABC, Trump again claimed he “had the biggest audience in the history of inaugural speeches.”

FEB. 6: Trump said sanctuary cities “breed crime.” FBI data indicates that crime in sanctuary cities is generally lower than in nonsanctuary cities.

JAN 27: On Twitter, Trump repeated his false claim that 3 million votes were illegal during the election.

JAN. 24: While meeting with congressional leaders, Trump repeated a debunked claim that he only lost the national popular vote because of widespread voter fraud.

FEB. 16: During an interview with Fox News before the Super Bowl, Trump repeated his false claim that he has “been against the war in Iraq from the beginning.”

JAN. 24: While meeting with congressional leaders, Trump repeated a debunked claim that he only lost the national popular vote because of widespread voter fraud. OPINION1 7 2 1

2004: DANCING BABY 1998: hamster dance 2012: Grumpy cat

2008:: Rage Comics

2004: SUCCESS KID

2013: DOGE

how OUR HUMOR HAS TRANSFORMED TH STORY BY SANNIDHI MENON, PRIYA REDDY, HANNAN WALIULLAH AND JESSICA XING ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY ZAZU LIPPERT AND AVNI PRASAD ILLUSTRATION BY PRIYA REDDY AND HANNAN WALIULLAH

EL ESTOQUE /april 2017

2005: PEPE the frog

2007: badger badger badger

2008: RICKROLL

I 2017: how italians do things 2014: trying to hold a fart next to a cute girl in class

F YOU’RE READING THIS, MEMES ARE DEAD. Because we, as a news organization, are doing the inexcusable: We are writing a news story on them. And according to class of 2016 alumnus Zarek Peris, a meme that has been in the news is a meme already in its grave. A meme that needs to be explained is just as stale as a joke that needs to be explained; they’re only enjoyable when they can relate to an individual’s experiences implicitly. The way we express our humor in the modern day has evolved. While we still do love telling cheesy jokes with slapstick punchlines or planning out elaborate pranks, memes have annexed the otherwise uncharted internet. So here is a toast to memes — those indescribable, indestructible, soon-to-fadefrom-the-collective-internet-conscience Bibles of pop culture. Pantheons of that peculiar brand of online humor, they stand testament to the fast-paced brilliance of the internet.

HROUGH MEMES

S p ec i a l R epo rt

The first meme that Peris himself HE TERM MEME FIRST APPEARED IN within a culture. On the internet, memes “The Selfish Gene,” a book in which first appeared as a term across various remembers seeing was the one that is author Richard Dawkins explores forums and message boards as early as the colloquially known as the ‘bed intruder’ evolution. Dawkins, an evolutionary late 1980s. But it wasn’t until 2011 when the video. It sparked his love, and passion, for biologist, stated in the book that the key to popularity of memes exploded. According to memes. His exposure originally BED INTRUDER MEME: understanding life is not by looking at “gels Google Trends, during October of 2010, the was term meme had only concentrated to the and oozes,” but by looking at “The selfish gene” reached four percent online message board AN NBC NEWS REEL information technology. of its peak popularity. Reddit, but eventually, He proposed that the Book by Richard Dawkins By April 2012, that the memes he saw WHERE ANTOINE DODSON evolution of life is centered that builds on the theory number had risen to started appearing on IS BEING INTERVIEWED around replicators, machines that 26 percent, and in the other social media continuously churn out content. of natural selection such as ABOUT AN APARTMENT following years that channels The human brain began as the Facebook, Twitter and BREAK-IN. HE IS main replicator, allowing it to repeatedly number continued to grow. Instagram. And so churn out ideas through books, music or FAMOUSLY KNOWN FOR ERIS DEFINES MEMES AS A JOKE Peris followed. art. But now a new replicator has emerged, The humorous SAYING THE PHRASE “SO contained to a single work. It can be and while Dawkins still believes the idea practically anything: a text, a phrase, a images, videos and text Y’ALL NEED TO HIDE YO’ itself has yet to fully develop, this replicator discussion was famously termed, by Dawkins, as “the picture — but it must remain individual and spawned with his friends in his KIDS, HIDE YO’ WIFE, AND self-contained. meme.” “When you see something repeated over Drama class. And so, HIDE YO’ HUSBAND.” “Memes propagate themselves in the meme pool by leaping from brain to brain and over especially on social media you during the summer of via a process which, in the broad sense, become infused,” Peris said. “Like why do 2015, Peris’ friend and Class of 2016 alumni can be called imitation,” Dawkins wrote. you like your music? Memes are a style of Zach Sanchez, suggested that they make their own memes. something “They compete with one another for limited comedy, “[Sanchez] was really interested resources: brain time or bandwidth. They that you listen to over MEME: (NOUN) in graphic design, so naturally and over again, and it’s compete most of all for attention.” [while he was] creating images, we Memes, according to Dawkins, are ideas something that’s used an idea, behavior, were talking about memes, [and and behaviors spread from person to person over and over again. the discussion] was all ‘we should When you’re on social style or usage that start a page,’” Peris said. “[Sanchez] media you inevitably spreads from person spearheaded it when we started the will see them.” to person within a page.” Peris made his first meme on culture a Windows Vista computer. He didn’t have Photoshop, so he used

BEHIND

THE MEME

What makes a meme funny? BY JESSICA XING

P COMPUTER SCIENCE PRINCIPLES teacher Debbie Frazier asked her classes to analyze how global networking has contributed to the spread of viral culture. For homework, she asked her students to create and spread a meme through social media over the long weekend. Senior Shivani Chowkwale shared hers through Twitter. Here are three tips they shared that will make your next meme successful.

EL ESTOQUE /april. 2017

1 It’s Concise 2 It’s Universal

“

What makes memes generally successful would be if people have a quick and easy emotional response to something. Memes have to be concise — you have to get it right away.”

Kittens tend to be popular memes because people get a nice emotional response, and it is something everyone can understand regardless of culture or background or age.”

- MATH TEACHER DEBBIE FRAZIER

MEMES IN BACKGROUND USED WITH PERMISSION OF ZAREK PERIS

an alternative: Microsoft Paint. It was the first of many memes he’d make. In the summer of 2015, after two friends banded together and decided to create their own memes, the Facebook page “Squidward de la Future: Chrome and avant-garde memes from the 3000” was born. The page, which has reached 50 likes, is an ongoing hobby for the two of them, and has expanded to include other page administrators. Unlike other meme pages, which Peris explains can be rehashes of already pre-made memes, most of Peris’ memes are original. His meme style, as he explains, is taking a common trend and warping its description to be slightly off. “Like the [meme] I [posted] of Thomas Jefferson — the meme is on the slightly off,” Peris said. “I’ve taken a common trend — like absurdist comedy — and combined with the fact it’s an inside joke.” Memes, according to Peris, have allowed humor to become more accessible, like one gigantic inside joke shared across large online communities. But while the internet has given humor a broader reach, it has also kept these jokes contained to their own niches of the internet, keeping an air of exclusivity. “I mean it’s not really a choice that you have. It’s a side effect of being on your social media,” Peris said. “Once you get into meme culture, you’ll like follow a bunch of different pages or whatever platforms you use, because it’s all a cycle, right? As soon as a news source does an article on the meme it’s dead. Like that’s the end of this life cycle.

3It’s RELATABle

Boom! Killed. The end. Got the sword. Got the axe.”

OR MANY PEOPLE MEMES ARE important tools of social interaction, and they enjoy “tagging” their friends Srikanthan said. “And to a point it’s kind of on social media platforms such as Instagram funny, but you see stuff like that, and you’re and Facebook. For Sophomore Varshini like ‘Whoa.’” Srikanthan her awareness of memes stemmed from the creation of her Facebook T’S DUBBED THE “MEME WALL.” The account two years ago. eastern door of A111, its wooden frame “I just remember my friends would just plastered with creatively Photoshopped keep tagging me in them and I’m like ‘Ok images, all stuck on with strips of clear these are funny,’” Srikanthan said. scotch tape. The common subject of each Now Srikanthan is often described by meme is illuminated clearly under the bright friends and classmates as obsessed with fluorescent lights: history teacher Cody memes, something which she feels has Owens’ face, Photoshopped and edited made her and her friends’ sense of humor with the blocky white text and border both darker and drier. But despite her love characteristic of most memes. of memes Srikanthan finds that their humor It began as a simple prank. A quick can often be divisive, sometimes taking the search of “Cody Owens” on the MVHS joke a step too far. website brought up his picture. The next “I think it kinda divides us into two types day saw the image blown up and of people,” Srikanthan Images with blocky printed out, seven copies to be said, “Like people who exact, and pasted to the surfaces are oversensitive and white text with of his room. In the few minutes people who say whatever black outlines are Owens had taken out of tutorial they want and make to go to the restroom, JV Football jokes about things that also known as player Shakthi Elangovan had shouldn’t necessarily be taped up the images to the walls. “image Macros”. talked about.” Then awhile later, after the JV She recalls an instance They originated on a team defeated Lynbrook, the first of seeing a Hitler meme meme appeared, pasted to the online and that made her messaging board named door of his classroom without feel very unsettled. “something awful”, an explanation. From there it “It’s like you’re taking snowballed and soon not only [it] one step too far,” and then rose to the football players but Owens’

popularity in 2007.

students as well were making their own memes.

“

My mom is a big fan of Candy Crush, so I decided to play off of that with a popular reaction picture. When people looked at it, they could relate to it and that would make them want to interact with it.”

- SENIOR SHIVANI CHOWKWALE SPECIAL

However, for his student Sophomore so you want to follow a common trend that Each photo used is taken either under his people know,” Peris said. “Whenever you nose before class, during tutorial or taken Sidartha Murthy, the answer is clear. “[Owens] seems really post a meme it’s from the picture published with the staff list on gotta be something the MVHS approachable and I feel like a “Once you get into meme lot of teachers almost feel like that’s current and w e b s i t e , Other memes often made for trendy that you before then omnipotent beings, but Mr. culture, you’ll like follow teachers include face swaps being used Owens seems really down- a bunch of different pages see within the to-earth — someone you community, that to create a or photoshopping their faces or whatever platforms you you see other customized could talk to,” Murthy said. onto a popular meme. people posting.” meme. The “We come in here, he has the use, because it’s all a cycle, And while students do March Madness games on, right? As soon as a news memes are not attempt to hide their antics from their we play X-box, 2k, but then source does an article on the c o m m o n l y teacher, walking up to him during these we also come into class and expressed through breaks and taking photos as he watches we also learn a lot and we meme it’s dead. Like that’s do really well in this class so social media’s in confusion. viral nature, it “[Students will] just walk right up and it’s a good balance between the end of this life cycle. hasn’t replaced I’d be like ‘what are you doing?’ and then learning and fun.” Boom! Killed. The end. Got And for sophomore older expressions suddenly their phone’s out and they just snap the sword. Got the axe.” of humor. Instead, a photo [to use for the meme],” Owens said. Rithvik Madhdhipatla, Owen’s it’s become an “There’s one where I have a ‘Welcome to the approachability combined with - CLASS OF 2016 AMULNUS enhancement. Party’ poster, and they just replaced all the his nature to say quoteworthy ZAREK PERIS In fact, for Peris, communist figures heads with my head. There tidbits is exactly why Owen’s memes are a form can be bad ones out there, I’d be afraid to see makes a perfect target for their memes. of expression that those, but otherwise “He says a lot of make the world more connected than it was they are cool — they The Illuminati originally referred funny stuff during before. Their low barriers to understanding, are something fun.” class — we pretty infectious nature on social media and the While Owens is to a Bavarian secret society much use whatever explosion of online pop culture have allowed unsure why students he says against him,” for them to take such prominence online. are so comfortable founded in 1776. They were Madhdhipatla said. “You have people that have difficulties with sharing the suppressed quite quickly, but the “They’re mostly in social situations always on these online memes they make something that communities. You have people that are about him, he knows modern use of the word refers to happened in class, completely comfortable with social other teachers also any event or action that seems something he teaches. situations also on these online communities,” have had memes made of them. He like a conspiracy or the product of He did a whole lesson Zarek said. “The reach of a meme is even on government broader than that of a traditional inside joke. believes it’s the close such a society. surveillance and how It [hasn’t] exed out previous humor — it’s relationships he has we’re becoming like a just given a platform for it.” with his students and the football players that allows them to feel dictatorship, and that’s [when we started] comfortable with making these kinds jokes NSA memes and Illuminati memes. He’s a with him Most of the memes were created conspiracy theorist.” SCAN FOR MORE Peris explains that it’s these communal when he began to build that foundation of COVERAGE trust between his football players throughout trends and inside jokes which make memes the season, trust that has allowed his students work. The current, repeated ideas were produced by those who are and who want to to be open with him. “Sometimes I’d just turn around and see be “in” on the inside joke. “It’s like an inside joke, a student taping a meme to a door and that’s how it started,” Owens said. “They have one where I am sitting back in a chair and it says ‘Why am I a coach I could’ve been a model’? That one is probably my favorite.”

EL ESTOQUE /april. 2017

MR. owens

USED WITH PERMISSION OF RITHVIK MADHDHIPATLA

USED WITH PERMISSION OF SIDHARTHA MURTHY

MR. LORDAN “I was just chatting with some students and one of them asked ‘Did you see the memes?’ and I said ‘No’ and then they showed me the memes and most of them were fabulous. The one with me as Michael Jordan I thought was pretty well done. That was probably my favorite.”

“I liked some of them, because some are funny, but who knows, there can be bad ones out there. I’d be afraid to see those, but otherwise they are cool, they are something fun.”

USED WITH PERMISSION OF NAOMI TAI

THE MEME TEACHERS REFLECT ON STUDENTS MAKING THEM MEMES

USED WITH PERMISSION OF CAROLYN DUAN

USED WITH PERMISSION OF TOMMASO FRAMBA

24 USED WITH PERMISSION OF BHUSHAN BALAGAR

SPECIAL

CLASS

STICKY SITUATION

A decade or more ago, students decided to carry out a prank which shut down practically the entire school. As teachers went to put the key into their classroom door locks, they were met with a layer of super glue barring their entry. Practically every lock on campus had been glued shut, meaning that the day couldn’t start until everything got unglued. What’s more, the cost to fix the locks was five figures. “You are looking at $40,000 to rekey a school,” Deborah Mandac said.

SOMETHING FISHY A strange smell wafted out into the academic quad. Something was fishy. When Calvin Wong was a student at MVHS, students bought 100 pounds of raw fish and stuff it in lockers across the campus. “The thing that made it worse, they bought locks too,” Wong said. “So at first they thought, let’s just clean out the lockers that we see a fish carcass in, but they didn’t do a mandatory locker check like ‘everybody come and open your locker, let’s see what’s in it.’ So when summer or spring came around and it got a little warmer, there were still fish rotting in the lockers. So it would literally sucked to sit in class.”

EL ESTOQUE /APRIL 2016

PROJECT INNOCENCE

*Names have been changed to protect students’ identities.

“Project Innocence.” That’s the name of their secret twomember Facebook group. In this, both MVHS students document and vlog their “little endeavors” of the harmless pranks they have pulled on peers, parents and even librarians. “We used keep to ourselves and not really venture out there, but it’s fun to do something a little rebellious,” Judy said. “Now that I have a little bit more free time on my hands, I thought, maybe [I could] make this school represent not a place of just where you go to work all the time, but somewhere that can bring a sense of thrill or excitement into your day.” The two have pulled minor pranks on the librarians, but admit they are scared of going too far. So far, they have switched out the library supplies sign with a new one, taken down the library printer sign, replaced the book drop-in sign with one that says “trash goes here” and switched the library sign-in sheet with the name of one of the librarians, Laura Utile, written all the way down the sign-in sheet. “I find it hypocritical that the library is so strict [and] have these rules that are sometimes incredibly arbitrary,” Jill said. “So we’re just trying to poke fun at how strict it is, but we keep it harmless.” Librarian Tricia Palomino didn’t know that the pranks were happening until we asked her about it. She had noticed some strange things, like the printer signs getting mixed up, but wasn’t sure what the source was. Curiously, she actually thought the Laura Utile sign was a misprint on her part. Judy said when she grows up, she would like to look back at the videos and posts in “Project Innocence” and reflect on her teenage years. “I like to document my immaturity,” Judy said. “I do a lot of bluffing. I pretend I’m, this intellectual person, but I’m not.” But through all of the pranks, Judy and Jane stay by each other’s side, consulting one another and sharing the thrills. “Most of our endeavors,” Jill said, “we do together.”

CLOWNS BY ZAZU LIPPERT AND AVNI PRASAD ILLUSTRATIONS BY PRIYA REDDY

MVHS' UNIQUE PRANK CULTURE While much of the humor these days is center around the viral culture of the internet, there are other forms of getting a laugh on campus. Between selling teachers’ cars and switching out library signs, MVHS has its own unique pranking culture. While current pranksters speak to the present, Secretary Deborah Mandac and Financial Specialist Calvin Wong can speak to the past MVHS senior pranks. “[The appeal of senior pranking] is trying to get away with something as your last hooray,” Mandac said, “to go out with a bang [and be] defiant.”

FOR SALE

DRESSING THE BLEACHERS In Wong’s senior year, his class spread mayonnaise over all for the bleachers on the upper field. Their prank however backfired when the administration had to cancel the rally outside. “My class was dumb,” Wong said. “I did not have a Farewell rally.”

Another year, students took out individual ads in the newspaper, placing many of the teachers’ cars on sale and giving a general number to call. The phone was flooded with voicemails of people inquiring about different cars they saw in the newspaper listing. “Teachers were [puzzled] like I didn’t put my car up for sale,” Wong said.

SPECIAL

FLEX College Prep

Summer Programs ACE Packages Class of 2018 Get expert guidance on the college admissions process with a FLEX ACE Package.

• • • • • • •

Personalized college list* College essay topic brainstorming Supervised college essay writing College application & essay review Interview preparation workshop* Deferral/wait-list strategy College decision-making support

College Counseling What is your COLLEGE dream?

Use the summer to focus on SAT and ACT prep without the distractions and workload of the school year. Highly qualified instructors with proven track record of improving scores.

Get a head start by previewing upcoming school year courses at an accelerated pace! An overview of a particular Honors and AP subject in the coming year.

SAT I/ACT Classes

Summer Preview Program

Expertise is drawn from former college admission officers including Stanford, Yale, U Chicago, Berkeley and more!

Whatever it is, FLEX can help!

Join regular weekly classes or join our Intensive Summer Workshops: • Proven strategies and techniques • Top notch instructors • Diagnostic exams

SIGN-UP FOR A FREE DIAGNOSTIC TEST!

Summer Discounts

Top Quality Instructors:

$100 OFF CLASSES

From Universities including: Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, Princeton, Johns Hopkins, and many more!

*Restrictions apply

Free College Admission Seminars for All grades Attend our free informational seminars every month. Wide range of topics covered on college admissions such as SAT vs ACT, College admission trends, how to plan extracurricular activities etc. SAT/ACT Verbal Junior Program (8th-10th) classes Get started on building key test taking skills early. Our Junior classes help students gain core skills (reading comprehension, essay writing, critical thinking, etc.) that are utilized in both ACT/SAT testing and competitive high school courses. Middle School 6th-8th graders Book Club, Grammar Classes, Essay Writing classes: Curriculum developed by former instructors of Writing at Johns Hopkins CTY and Stanford EPGY.

www.flexcollegeprep.com

Almaden 408.997.1632

Cupertino 408.252.7742

Diamond Bar 909.784.0820

Irvine 949.743.5660

Pasadena 626.551.3200

Fremont 510.668.0880

Los Altos 650.947.7742

Fullerton 714.249.4031

Los Angeles 213.455.8188S P E C I A L

Plan your Test Preps with Insight Boot Camps for SAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests & AP Tests New SAT & ACT Boot Camps ACT Express Boot Camp New SAT February break Express Boot Camp: Starts February 20, 2017 ACT Spring Express Boot Camp: March 4, 2017 5 Diagnos@c Tests + 24 hours of classroom instruc@on ACT Spring Express Boot Camp: Starts March 4, 2017

Spring SAT Subject Test Boot Camps SAT Subject Tests Chemistry, Physics, Math level-2, Biology Boot Camps: March 25, 2017

Spring AP Test Boot Camps AP Tests Chemistry, Physics 1 & 2, Biology Boot Camps: April 1, 2017

PHOTO | AANCHAL GARG

IN THE FRAME How student ambassadors represent brands and their causes BY AANCHAL GARG AND ADITYA PIMPLASKAR

#WEARTHEWORLD

This is the hashtag sophomore Karina Wang uses to advertise her promotion code for the clothing brand Serengetee on Instagram. Serengetee uses fabric from all over the world to make mainly pocket tees, along with hats, bags and accessories. The hashtag reflects the brand’s desire to contribute to artisans and their communities from all over the globe. Wang is a social media ambassador for the up-and-coming clothing brand, which gives 10 percent of its profits back to rural communities. As companies look to appeal to younger markets, they hire teenagers as social media ambassadors, allowing them to spread their brand’s reputation. Oftentimes, these ambassadors use their personal Instagram or other social media accounts to post photos and videos that relate to the product. However, advertising is not limited to social media as the ambassadors also promote their brand by word of mouth. “For brands [that] rely on a target market of teenagers, it requires other teenagers to spread the word,” Wang said. “You can’t have adults talking to 5-year-olds about toys.” Will Carmack, Wang’s representative leader for the West Coast, agrees that it’s a smart business move. “That’s the smartest way to spread your brand: through enthusiastic young people,” Carmack said. Wang first heard about the brand through her friend, who was wearing one of their pocket tees. An interest in the brand’s mission led Wang to purchase Serengetee merchandise and sign up as an ambassador last November. After waiting two months,

EL ESTOQUE /April 2017

Wang heard back via email that she had been chosen as a representative. Though Wang’s job doesn’t come with a paid salary, it has its perks. Wang gets points for the photos and videos that she submits. “If you rack up enough points, you can get a lot of free merchandise,” Carmack said. Wang also gains Instagram followers through her work and builds connections with other ambassadors in the area. “I met a couple of pretty cool people through this Serengetee private group we have for the West Coast,” Wang said. “On social media, they support me when I do post and I support them back.” Sophomore Sabina Law had a similar experience when she became an ambassador last December for Pura Vida, a bracelet company. Pura Vida bracelets are handmade by Costa Rican artisans and the brand is partnered with almost 200 charities, supporting the local communities and the artisans’ unique lifestyle. As a customer of Pura Vida bracelets, she learned about the

company’s cause and wanted to contribute to their work. Law is paid commission on any sales that use the unique code Pura Vida has given her. Though she doesn’t earn much, Law finds a different value in her work. “You start to realize why they started the company, and then you kind of want to be part of that,” Law said. Both Law and Wang find their job as ambassadors worthwhile because of the brands’ charitable causes. When Wang originally became an ambassador, she was surprised that many people didn’t know about the brand and its purpose. “I thought a lot of people knew about it until I finally talked to people about it,” Wang said. “I just thought it was cool to become a representative — show the world that there’s brands out there like Serengetee.” Wang and Law find value in their work, especially in knowing that they represent brands that strive to make a positive impact. And in the end, that is what motivates them to continue spreading their brands’ names, one photo at a time. “What really stood out to me was how each bracelet actually helps someone’s life,” Law said. “I wanted to be a part of that and help them.”

Sophomore Sabina Law models her collection of Pura Vida bracelets. Law sends pictures to the company to advertise the product. Photo used with permission of Sabina Law.

A&E

THE BIG PICTURE Senior Henry Wang explains the techniques behind his photos BY DYLAN TSAI

N THE DARK IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, senior Henry Wang got a clear view of the Milky Way for the first time. Far from the bright city lights, this immense mass of brightness now towered over him, enveloping the limits of the sky. Looking up at the Milky Way, Wang had to try it — he had to capture the starlit night sky with his camera. In the depths of Lake Tahoe, Wang trekked in the dark once again. First he relies on his phone flashlight to navigate, then he switches to using only the glow of his screen. Once his eyes finally adjust to the darkness, the stars begin appearing. After sliding down a steep, slippery path towards the shores of Lake Tahoe, Wang stops walking. It’s around midnight, nearing the darkest part of the night. He sets up his camera. He’s there, at the secret spot his brother told him about: a place overlooking Bonsai Rock, a large boulder barren save for two bushes and a small tree. “It’s basically known by photographers and that’s it,” Wang said.

Each of the photos that Wang took was a long exposure shot that took 20 or 30 seconds. After each shot, Wang adjusted the camera settings and took another shot. Wang spent two hours at this spot, taking a shot, waiting, adjusting, and repeating. During these 20 or 30 seconds of waiting, Wang was able to appreciate the stars’ beauty, the night’s silence and the nature’s peaceful atmosphere.

OVERLAYING MULTIPLE PHOTOS

BONSAI ROCK

“When you take multiple pictures or take a time lapse, you see the sky moving across,” Wang said. “It kind of gives you perspective of where you are in the universe.” Wang created this photo by overlaying several photos in order to average out the noise, or brightness variation in the photo. Though he was able to see the sky shift throughout his multiple photos, Wang had to adjust his photos on Photoshop in order to make the stars aligned when he overlaid them. In addition, to account for the different foreground and background, he used separate photos for the ground and the sky, which he later combined on Photoshop.

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION OF SENIOR HENRY WANG.

LONG EXPOSURE

“If you click on the geotag of Bonsai Rock, you’ll probably see very similar pictures,” Wang said. “It was just the first time I was down there; I just tried what people had done before to see what I can do. So maybe if I go there again I can figure out another point of view to shoot from.”

AA&&EE

BEHIND THE LENS Melinda Ximen explains her job as an Instagram Ambassador BY TRISHA KHOLIYA

he treks her way up the hill behind her house with her model — already dressed to impress in the picture they’ve been planning to take. Instagram Aambassador and sophomore Melinda Ximen’s Instagram photos begin to take shape. A model, a camera, an outfit, VSCO and her trusty 50mm lens are all Ximen needs to add to her collection of photographs. Tagged on some of the photographs are the Instagrams of other companies — Shop Saturdate and Jewelry by Lia — that have worked with Ximen to help promote both of their content. This is a look behind the scenes.

HOW DID YOU BECOME AN INSTAGRAM AMBASSADOR?

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE IDEA OF PHOTO SHOOTS?

I contacted a lot of companies and only two emailed me back because it’s just hard [...] It was around mid-summerish so I was able to do a couple of photoshoots for that company and I’m featured on their Instagram page and also their website and on the clothing companies’ page it was the very end of summer and I reached out to her and she goes to CHS actually, but I was featured on the clothing company’s Instagram and also their website.

I wanted to take pictures of people because that was the main style of photography that I wanted to focus on. So I asked [two of my friends], “Oh, do you want to climb this hill with me so I can take photos with you guys?” That’s how it happened, and from then on my friends from school asked me to take photos of them and I was like, “Okay, sure,” and also I started reaching out to other people once I expanded my photography knowledge and improved on my style.

WHAT GOES BEHIND-THESCENES OF YOUR PHOTOS? It’s definitely a lot of finding which angle looks best, especially for when I’m shooting during sunset or sunrise. The sunlight will be a huge part of how the photo will turn out because a certain position can look completely different from another because of like where the sun is and positioning behind the model so that you can get a backlit look or a more faded look. PHOTOS USED WITH PERMISSION OF MELINDA XIMEN

HOW DID YOU INCREASE YOUR FOLLOWING BASE? It was mostly based on getting featured by other big [...] accounts because there are a lot of those accounts on Instagram that feature other photographers’ work. It was two photos that really increased my followers base, but recently it’s been really slow because I haven’t been doing as many photoshoots. But I feel like it’s just being active on Instagram and constantly posting and being interactive.

PHOTOGRAPHY HAS BEEN A GREAT OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE I CAN MEET SO MANY NEW PEOPLE AND MAKE A LOT OF NEW FRIENDS. 34

EL ESTOQUE / APRIL 2017

Sure, I’m free that day… What do you want to do? STORY BY HELEN CHAO ILLUSTRATION BY ANANYA BHAT

With the temperature on the rise, it would be a shame to miss out on the summery weather and lounge around at home. Instead, head outside and experience Cupertino’s Cherry Blossom Festival, or “shake it up” during Bay Area National Dance Week. Whatever you do, get some fun in the sun and don’t come back home until you do! 8 a.m. 6 p.m.

April 6 Innovation Hangar

10 a.m. 5 p.m.

L AUNCH Festival Head to San Francisco and attend LAUNCH festival, a gathering dedicated to new startups. Listen to informative lectures by seasoned company founders and view over 100 startup demonstrations.

8 a.m. 7 p.m.

April 21 Various Bay Area Cities

National Dance Week With over 600 free performances, classes and workshops, Bay Area National Dance Week should have you up and doing the salsa! Visit www.bayareandw.org to sign up for free events to attend, all of which vary from city to city.

April 8

Discovery Meadow Park

7 a.m. 11:15 p.m.

11 a.m. 3 p.m.

April 22 Civic Center Earth and Arbor Day Festival

Dust the lint off your yoga mats and get ready for the Earth and Arbor Day Festival. Participants can relax in a yoga session, enjoy a neighborhood tree walk and a “Pedal 4 the Planet Bike Ride.” No tickets are required to attend this free event.

Civic Center

Big Bunny 5K

Fantasy Faire Strap on those fairy wings. It is said time travel is impossible, but the San Jose Fantasy Faire begs to differ. Dress up in themed costumes and take part in this Renaissanceera, fairy-themed festival with live shows and book signings!

April 15

Instead of moping around indoors, sign up for the annual Big Bunny 5K race. You’ll be killing two birds with one stone: getting exercise and taking in some fresh air. Also, five dollars of your registration fee will be donated to a charity dedicated to bringing fresh water to everyone.

10 a.m. 5 p.m.

April 29 Memorial Park

Cherry Blossom Festival In honor of Cupertino’s sister city Toyokawa, Japan, come out to Memorial Park for tasty Japanese food and beverages, cultural exhibits and all-day entertainment at the Amphitheater.

A&E

PHOTO | ILENA PENG

UNDER THE

The changing legacy of musicals at MVHS

BY RANA AGHABABAZADEH AND SHAYON MORADI

HE ACTORS AND ACTRESSES stand in a circle outside the MVHS auditorium, crossing their arms to hold hands with their neighbors. One member presses their thumb into the hand of the person next to them. This form of assurance is sent around the circle, easing the nerves of the cast members. Several members have colored hair, another has claws for hands. The designers and managers alike take their positions off-stage while the directors gather the attention of the cast. But the actors and actresses aren’t the only ones in the spotlight. Just below the stage are violinists, flutists and other musicians tuning their instruments as music director

EL ESTOQUE /APRIL 2017

Ricky Alegria holds up his baton, waiting for his cues from onstage. Unlike a typical drama production, this year’s production of “The Little Mermaid” is a musical, involving not only the drama department, but also MVHS’ instrumental music department. Choreography is also led by dance teacher Dasha Plaza with vocal direction from Kimberly Peterson Braun. These types of musical collaborations didn’t always happen at MVHS. Since the 80s, people had began losing interest in the drama department, and it had started losing funding. But before that, theater played a different role in the MVHS atomosphere. “The theater department saved kids,”

MVHS alumnus Nick Rafello said. “There are kids that are having a hard time, and music does that. Music is so important.” According to Rafello, MVHS had about 300 students involved in the music and drama departments during his time, in addition to several choirs and groups. Rafello stressed the importance of these organizations, especially during the winter season when choir groups, including his own, called “The Magicals” would even skip class to rehearse their holiday repertoire. But singing and acting didn’t always seem like the expected path for Rafello. During his sophomore year, he found himself struggling in school due to stress at home.

After being summoned by his counselor, things,” Capule said. who insisted on him joining theater arts, “So I like that it gives Rafello took up singing and acting. And them opportunities soon, he found his grades rising from a D to grow as actors in average to a B plus. different ways.” Rafello then knew the impact of theater She also believes on him. Being a part of something that was that audiences recognized and respected motivated him are likely to enjoy to do well and excel, even if it didn’t mean musicals. Senior that he was going to win an Academy award. Michael Burgess, “We were all very well-respected because who plays King we were good,” Rafello said. “It doesn’t Triton in “The Little mean you’re going to be the best actor, Mermaid,” believes actress, singer [or] dancer, [but] at least you that musicals are have a respect and understanding.” unique as they give Although he doesn’t think acting is for other students who everyone, Rafello believes that the theater aren’t in the drama industry is less prominent than it was during class the opportunity his time in high school as others subjects are to participate in a more valued today. drama production. “You sit down, you watch some silly TV Beginning in show. Well, how do you think that TV show January, Alegria and happened? From the kids that were in the Capule rehearsed theater department,” Rafello said. “Not separately with because of the kids that were in the math their casts and department.” ensembles, and about But with time, the musical aspect of a month before the MVHS drama faded away. According to performances, the Rafello, the demand for math teachers grew, two groups began rehearsing together. and the number Practices allow for of students adjustments with involved in scoring, cues and drama and music choreography as there depar tments is action both on and declined. off the stage with the However, pit orchestra. this downfall And despite the of musicals was perceived disregard only temporary for theater arts at MVHS. Three compared to 30 years ago drama years ago, Capule teacher Sara hopes to continue Capule decided musicals to extend to restart their interdisciplinary musicals as a legacy at MVHS. way to expose She aims to provide her students to a students with a slew MVHS ALUMNUS different type of of opportunities as drama. actors, dancers and NICK RAFELLO “[Music a ls] musicians. Rafello enable my also stresses their drama students to experience both straight importance in enlightening people in the plays and musicals which address different context of world affairs. “The reality is, it’s important for all of us, especially now in today’s world,” Rafello (Left) Zach Sanchez sings in the said. “We’re all mingled together, in all 2016 musical production of the shapes and sizes, ethnics and religions, and Addam’s Family. This was the it’s exciting, it’s fun, you learn from each other and that’s what makes a great theater.”

MUSICAL THEATER IS SO IMPORTANT. IT DOESNT MEAN THAT THAT’S WHAT YOURE GOING TO DO FOR A LIFESTYLE, BUT IT DOES SHARPEN YOUR TOOLS FOR LATER IN YOUR LIFE.

The Mersisters in the 2017 musical “The Little Mermaid” sing and dance while the pit orchestra plays the music score, conducted by music director Ricky Alegria. Musicals allowed several departments to combine their work to create an original production involving dancing, singing, acting and playing instruments. Photo by Gauri Kaushik.

SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE

second year MVHS performed a musical since Sara Capule became the drama director. Photo by Ananya Bhat.

A&E

PAGES OF THE PAST Teachers’ least favorite book from high school BY ANANYA BHAT AND MICHELLE WONG

RECENT READS While you can learn a lot from the classics, a fresh new read can have much to offer. Here are three books from recent years to check out:

1Catcher in the Rye

British Literature teacher Randy Holaday

“My sister and my dad really liked it so I had really high expectations for the book, and it just wasn’t for me. It was too modern and too, frankly, stupid. I couldn’t see the connections between it and my own experiences. And I guess that’s a common thing. When I was forced to read books that really had nothing to do with my own experience, I didn’t like [them].”

The Adventures of

2 Huckleberry Finn 2

Honors American Literature teacher Hannah Gould

World Core teacher Paola Luna

What was once a network of secret passages and tunnels becomes a real railroad in this tale of two slaves’ escape to freedom.

“I read it freshman year and honestly I don’t remember anything about it. It didn’t move me and I think I wasn’t really [...] paying attention to it, maybe? So that was interesting to teach that again this year also, after so many years off from it. I liked it a little better this time, but it still isn’t my favorite book ever.”

3 3

The Underground Railroad By Colson Whitehead

Of Mice and Men

“It was fine, but there wasn’t a lot to it and I really didn’t like how it ended. I didn’t want Lennie to be killed. I didn’t like that he killed the girl. Maybe that speaks a lot about the book that it got to me so much that I didn’t like it so much.”

The Goldfinch By Donna Tartt A boy’s infatuation with his only memory of his lost mother draws him into the world of art.

4 Billy Budd 4 38

British Literature teacher Lynn Rose

EL ESTOQUE / april 2017

“I still even remember the cover of it. Even looking at the cover, I knew I wasn’t going to like it. It was about a bunch of men on a ship and I don’t even know if there was a single female character, just about what happened on the ship [...] honestly I don’t know any more than that because I don’t know if I actually finished it. I guess I couldn’t identify to it in any way. It was very much more of a ‘boy’s book’ in terms of an adventure at sea.”

All the Light We Cannot See By Anthony Doerr Amidst the post-World War II rubble, a French girl and German boy struggle together to survive the aftermath.

SPAWN OF THE DEVIL

High-functioning sociopath at your service

NTIL LAST THURSDAY, I NEVER obnoxious or vile person, although specific HAD a reason for self-cannibalism. people on the El Estoque staff refer to me as Yes, my dearie, you read that correctly. “Spawn of the Devil” or “Loan Shark.” I do Essentially, that Slow-as-a-Slug Sally not have the slightest inkling as to why. was walking so darn slow in front of me, I To those who knew of me in middle had to gnaw on my own vocal chords and school, I say, with enough conviction to digest ‘em, or else I’d have let fly a scream demolish the stronghold that is the Great of irritability hibernating in my lungs, a dog- Wall of China, I must have been a — no, gone-mad howl to be heard round the world. reader, not a sheep, I have always walked at Reincarnated as a human, Sally a respectable, considerate speed — cat in (anonymous identity for the sake of my past life, claws unsheathed 24/7 and tail her undeserved safety) was certainly a up in indignation. An all-around prissy ditch! bumbling, lethargic sheep in her past life and Oh, my bad. Apparently, “b” has reflected thus incapable of brisk walking. itself to a “d” for a day. She sported pearly white Converse — an I despise emotion-wrought confessions unmarked and and reliving unblem ishe d horrendous “shoe version” memories, which of what I wished is why I’ll boil my bloodied-byit down to the red-pen math basics: As a tests could middle schooler, attain — and I was the “mean walked ever so SOPHOMORE HELEN CHAO girl” of my class. slowly. At her I delighted in rate of walking, int er r upt ing I, the poor schmuck stuck behind her, would people, embracing the ideas they volunteered arrive at school nine years late. and promptly pushing said ideas off a cliff It became the sole desire of my life to — you scallywag, we’re o u t l i n i ng bungee jump on her shoes like the high- t h e t i t l e functioning sociopath I am and dirty ‘em to a mud brown. I did not. Effectively, I was hyper-effective at being ineffective on the outside, that is. I had smiled at her quite enthusiastically and happily, trotting off on my “merry” way. Yet being the high-functioning sociopath I am, I lurked under the eaves of the D building, biding my time … and am still biding my time to this very day. I have not confronted her or trashed her shoes. In fact, I have been a civilized and cultured young lady. However, the inside of me still churns with insanity and anger — a controlled, oppressed evilness which never has and will hopefully never surface. Still, that girl had better watch out. To most, I am not a terribly

CAT’S OUT OF THE BAG

in Sharpie, not pen, capiche? — and into Oblivion, a pithole of rejection. As I grew older, the disgustingness of my behavior grew apparent to myself, and as I’ve mentioned many a column, I morphed into a reserved, more polite girl. Here’s the cat-ch. Unfortunately, I’m still half a ditch (again, the “b” has decided to be a “d” for the time being). I say “half,” because I am still fond of ordering people to walk the plank. Luckily, the splishin’ and splashin’ of the victim is mental, the “evilness” confined to my imagination (although it occasionally trickles into my writing) and expressed solely through a tight-lipped smile. Back in middle school, I’d be screeching and steaming like a boiling kettle if you so much as shook your head at me. Currently, I’ve simply improved in on-the-surface anger management; under the surface, I’m evil, with a muddy ditch for a heart. My fellow adolescents often grapple with becoming so-called “good” and responsible adults. I say “so-called,” because our role model adults may appear composed and polite, but they certainly aren’t wholly “good” or moral. They’ve just got a tad more self-control, a little more skill at hiding their emotions and a tidbit more composure in plastering on a fake smile. Yes, they may only utter a quiet, exasperated cough or simply grit their teeth when children mouth off to them or some barbaric brute cuts them off in traffic. But, my dear reader, adults are just as “bad” and “evil” as us. They simply swear themselves hoarse and unleash their insanity or temper behind closed doors — out of our sight. Or like me, a half-adult, instead of physically swearing at someone to their face, they may quarantine their evilness and mentally curse the person to a thousand lifetimes of extreme dandruff. And then imagine flinging the person into a nearby trash can, who is hungry for trash. And if that’s not the case, consider this. Why am I, a supposed half-adult, also a secret devil child?

ILLUSTRATION | MICHELLE WONG

A&E

SPECIAL

SPORTS Nikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pro Hijab aims to accommodate Muslims in the athletic community BY AMANDA CHAN

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AKSHARA MAJJIGA

PHOTO | AMANDA CHAN

s po rts

“

How can you even walk around like this, much less run?

T A CROSS COUNTRY RACE in middle school — one or two years after senior Salma Sheriff began wearing the hijab — a boy from another school approached Sheriff and asked her a question: “How can you even walk around like this, much less run?” Sheriff, who was wearing long sleeves, leggings and a headscarf in the hot weather, told the boy that was just how she dressed. “I wasn’t very good with strangers so as soon as he came up to me I got a little defensive,” Sheriff said. “And I was kind of suspicious of him like why is he asking me this? Does he have any ill intentions, other motives, Islamophobia?” Experiences like this are not uncommon for Sheriff. As a Muslim athlete who competes wearing a hijab, she is used to standing out. At cross country races, adults sometimes approach Sheriff and ask her if it’s difficult to wear a headscarf or tell her they’re amazed she can keep up with the other runners with a headscarf on. But this may change after Nike’s March 7 announcement of its new product, the Nike Pro Hijab, which will be released in early 2018. Although athletic hijabs are nothing new — smaller brands have been making them for years — Nike made waves in the news and on social media with its Pro Hijab because it’s the first time a global manufacturer is making clothing tailored specifically for Muslim athletes. To freshman softball player Sundus Dwidar, Nike’s new product represents a meaningful gesture to the Muslim community. “I think it’s great that a huge,

EL ESTOQUE /april 2017

nationwide brand is developing something wear the hijab in some areas of the world, that is very … inclusive to all religions and all some people see the hijab as something athletes,” Dwidar which suppresses said. “When a women and Nike’s big brand does decision to make a something like hijab product as a that, it means sign of acceptance something to of this oppression. people.” Some have even But reactions vowed to never to the Pro Hijab buy Nike products haven’t all again after the been positive. announcement of Although MVHS the Pro Hijab. athletes such Ho w ev e r , as Dwidar and Sheriff believes Sheriff back the the Pro Hijab is cause, Nike has beneficial for received backlash countries where SENIOR SALMA SHERIFF on social media women are limited for supporting by patriarchy patriarchy and capitalizing on the oppression because of the opportunities the product of women. Because women are forced to gives for women to pursue sports.

THAT A MAJOR BRAND IS MAKING HIJABS IS LIKE FIRST, WOMEN CAN BE ATHLETES AND SECOND, MUSLIM WOMEN CAN BE ATHLETES

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION OF PATRICK YEUNG

“That a major brand is making hijabs is like first, women can be athletes and second, Muslim women can be athletes,” Sheriff said.

and not ask anyone about it first. I didn’t want anything negative because otherwise I might [have] second guess[ed] my choice.” Maintaining both the religious and the athletic aspect can be challenging at times. MUSLIM GIRLS TYPICALLY START For Ali, sometimes the scarf gets in the way wearing the hijab around the age of puberty, of seeing the ball or it’s a hassle when the according to sophomore field hockey player weather is extremely hot, but according to Hira Ali. For Ali, this was in 7th grade. At the her, the hijab doesn’t really affect her actual time, she played athletic ability. one sport outside “I try not to of school and make excuses in putting on the the sense that hijab took time to just because I’m get used to both wearing more in her athletic and clothing and if I’m personal life. [hotter] or sweating “It was more doesn’t mean definitely a difficult that I’m not as adjustment. Not capable as other just because of athletes,” Ali said. sports, but just in “And so the main general, like, how thing is not making people reacted to excuses and if it,” Ali said. “And other people are SOPHOMORE HIRA ALI definitely when I doing conditioning, was playing sports, then you should there’s a lot of questions about like ‘oh how be doing conditioning too no matter what do you handle wearing a scarf and playing you’re wearing.” sports.’ But honestly, it isn’t that difficult. It’s just a matter of getting used to it.” ALI AND SHERIFF AREN’T SURE IF they’ll Sheriff faced a similar experience when buy the Pro Hijab yet; for them, it depends she began wearing the hijab in sixth grade. on improvements in the design such as She didn’t tell anyone besides her parents having it longer in the front to provide about her decision. Sheriff simply showed up more coverage or having it stay on without to middle school orientation with the hijab being too tight. Ali normally wears scarves on, but didn’t say anything about it because that dangle and has to use her field hockey she was worried about others’ reactions. goggle strap to keep her scarf in place. “I was kind of scared of criticism because Since the Pro Hijab is one piece, Ali thinks even though they were my friends I didn’t it wouldn’t get in the way of moving around really talk about religion much with them,” as much and the breathable fabric would Sheriff said. “So I decided to just put it on help control temperature while exercising.

IF OTHER PEOPLE ARE DOING CONDITIONING, THEN YOU SHOULD BE DOING CONDITIONING TOO NO MATTER WHAT YOU’RE WEARING

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION OF HIRA ALI

PHOTO | ROSHAN FERNANDEZ

Dwidar, however, plans to buy the Pro Hijab more for the cause it represents than for the impact on her athletic performance. “It’s important that when you see something that’s right, to support the cause so people know that it’s not going to waste, the idea isn’t a waste,” Dwidar said. Dwidar and Ali hope that Nike’s new product will normalize the sight of athletes competing with the hijab on. Ali has encountered people who think that those who wear the hijab don’t have a place in sports, despite their recent participation in global arenas like the 2016 Olympic Games. “There obviously have been instances where people think you shouldn’t be able to play a sport [because] the scarf isn’t part of the uniform,” Ali said. “Because if you get injured and they can’t take off your scarf or something like that, a lot of officials make that as an excuse. But I haven’t dealt with that too much recently in terms of field hockey or weight training. But other sports do make that a big deal even though I don’t think it is a big deal.” To Ali, the Pro Hijab represents a big step in opening up athletics to Muslim athletes like herself. She knows people who wear the hijab who are hesitant to go into athletics, but hopes this will change and encourage Muslims to be more confident about wearing a scarf. Similarly, Sheriff sees the Pro Hijab as something which makes a bold statement about accepting Islamic culture. “I feel like it’s bringing together something that’s really popular, Nike, and something that is often very controversial ... Islam, and bringing it together,” Sheriff said. “And if someone were to go out and wear the Nike Pro Hijab, I think [it’s just] like the picture of the woman wearing the American flag as a hijab.”

S PO RTS

SWITCHING LANES Track and field serves as additional off-season training for MVHS multisport athletes

BY HIMANI YALAMADDI

EL ESTOQUE /april 2017

S PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | OM KHANDEKAR

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | OM KHANDEKAR

he backed into the starting block and held her breath. She was running her first 400 meter race — ever. When the starting pistol went off, junior Estelle Yoo leapt out of the block and sprinted alongside her opponents for a solid 200 meters. Then, the fatigue hit her.

“For the last 100 meters I was totally dead,” Yoo said. “I never ran a 400 before, and then having to run it at a meet for the first time—” She laughed. She said she had never felt anything similar when playing field hockey, her main sport. Normally, Yoo plays club field hockey to maintain her stamina and technical skills between seasons on the MVHS varsity team. But this year, due to conflicts in her schedule, Yoo turned to track and field in hopes of preserving her fitness until the next field hockey season. She’s not the only one who made this switch. Yoo is one of many first-year track and field athletes coming in from other sports in hopes of supplementing the rigor of track with the skills of their other sports. Junior Devin Pereira, a varsity soccer player for MVHS and Yoo’s field hockey teammate, is one of these newcomers. Though Pereira initially joined track for the new experience, after a few months on the team, she began to notice its potential as rewarding off-season practice. Running sprints, she realized, could improve her performance in soccer and field hockey beyond simply maintaining her fitness. “Once I’m up to speed, I’m fast, but I can’t get up to speed as fast,” Pereira said. “I think in doing track it’s going to transfer these general athletic skills to my other sports.” For varsity football player and sophomore Jonah Ji, the competitive environment that track creates is what makes it so beneficial to his football off-season training. Ji, who has participated in track since sixth grade, believes that the lack of this environment in more traditional off-season workouts is what makes them ineffective. “Competing helps you deal with pressure a lot better … your skills and your abilities grow much faster than if you were not to compete,” Ji said. “If you were to just go into the weight room and just get stronger every day with no sense of losing or winning, it wouldn’t push you as fast as if you were trying to beat somebody.” Though Ji’s football teammate, sophomore Derek Zheng, feels like the physical benefits offered by track have little to no direct impact on his ability to play football, he maintains that the competitive

element of the sport is the most impactful on his game. “I think just competing a lot made me get used to it and to be able to deal with pressure and nervousness and the butterflies in your stomach,” Zheng said. “So now competing is easier for me, I get less nervous. It’s just another chance to compete, to try your hardest.” This competition drives Yoo to get stronger and faster in a way that she can’t with typical off-season conditioning. She finds that the physically demanding sprinting she does in track — which requires her to maintain her top speed for a long time — is fundamentally different from the sporadic sprinting she’s done in field hockey. Yoo also hopes the physical and competitive nature of track will allow her to gain the strength and the speed necessary to gain the upper hand when resuming her role as a forward, an offensive position, on the field hockey team next school year. “Forwards need that explosiveness to get the ball quickly,” Yoo said. “I think that learning how to sprint is definitely going to help me in field hockey. I’m probably going to be — I hope to be — faster than the other defense people.” Based on the results they’ve seen so far, Yoo and Pereira both believe that they’ll continue track and field next year. In the meantime, the two find that they’ve found the best of both worlds: another supportive team in their new sport and an effective offseason workout. “Learning how to run — learning how to be efficient in that is really helpful for other sports,” Yoo said. “I think what I’ve learned during track is really that mental focus — not being afraid to push yourself.”

SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE

s po rts

BIANCA YONGYUTH F

reshman Bianca Yongyuth discovered her affinity for water nine years ago, as a 5-year-old. She currently swims year-round with the Santa Clara Swim Club and for the Matadors in the spring, as a freshman on varsity. Yongyuth’s love for swimming has taken her to swim meets across the country, from California to Indiana to Texas and has opened her eyes to different opportunities. Yongyuth describes how her journey in the water first started, and where she hopes it will take her. BY STEPHANIE LAM AND MINGJIE ZHONG

EE: How and when did you first get into swimming? BY: I started swimming [competitively] about nine years ago, when I was five. It kind of all started because my brother really wanted to swim. So then my parents were like “Oh you should swim too.” But it turns out I actually started to like really like it and I got really into it. EE: What is something surprising about swimming in races? BY: I found it really surprising that ... it didn’t matter how tall you were or how buff you were — a lot of the people it depended on their technique. There was one girl who was actually shorter than me but she was able to break all these records, and that was really cool to see that height doesn’t matter. It all depends on your technique or how mentally focused you are at the race. EE: How do you personally sustain the high level of commitment? BY: I think it depends on the team that you are on. If you have a really positive and motivating team it’s easier to become more motivated to actually swim your race well because if you have a really negative team it kind of brings you down. PHOTO | MINGJIE ZHONG

EL ESTOQUE /APRil 2017

EE: How long do you plan to swim competitively? BY: I think I want to continue it throughout probably my life, but competitively I want to go to a college ... I’m half Thai, so I can get a dual citizenship, and then possibly swim ... on the Thai national team there. I can probably go to the Olympics in four years if I swim on their team. EE: How does it feel to be a freshmen on the varsity swim team? BY: It is really cool and kind of exciting because I get to meet more people and be a part of a team that can score points together ... I think a lot of people on the MVHS team are very positive. You’re not swimming for yourself now, but you’re swimming for your team and you want to score for the team rather than yourself. I see a lot of the people, like everyone, they’re getting up and cheering for everyone doing the races — no matter if you’re on varsity or JV, everyone cheers for each other. EE: Do you have any advice for other swimmers? BY: I think the biggest thing is to stay positive and keep trying your best. Your mental state of mind is probably the biggest thing that counts.

spORTs FlASh Sophomore Jessica Ji clears the bar in the girls varsity high jump at the MVHS Rustbuster Invitational. The team swept the 4x400 relay events in its first meet of the season, taking gold in all four divisions.

Sophomore Kevin Matthew gets a tip against Harker HS. The team opened its season with a win against Bellarmine College Preparatory, the team that ended their 2016 championship run, and have a season record of 10-1.

Senior Allen Iwamoto pitches in what would become a close 4-3 victory for MVHS against Lynbrook HS. Iwamoto pitched a one-hitter in the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staff appreciation game and they currently hold a 6-6 record overall.

Senior Rachel Hyun warms up with an overhand hit before her varsity singles match. The team lost their first match in two years on March 30 and their current record is 7-1.

17 S psoprotrst s 47

S Po rts

GET THE MOST OUT OF

ELESTOQUE.ORG VASSILI SYSKINE THE MIDDLEMAN IN THE TUG OF WAR â&#x20AC;&#x201D; BUT WHERE TO DRAW THAT MIDDLE LINE IS THE REAL QUESTION AT HAND. HOME AND CORRUPTION, ALL IN ONE PLACE

SPECIAL REPORT

INSTAGRAM @elestoque