Volume 53, Issue 6, June 2, 2023

elESTOQUE

JUNE 2023

19

SENIOR COLUMNS

Eight seniors reflect on the end of their high school chapter

21840 McClellan Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014 elestoque.org

mv.el.estoque@gmail.com

elESTOQUE LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

Editors-in-Chief:

Taryn Lam, Kalyani Puthenpurayil, Lillian Wang

Managing Editors:

Meggie Chen, Lauren Chuu, Sarah Liu, Michelle Zheng

Design Editor: Sonia Verma

Graphics Editor: April Wang

News Editors:

Jason Chu, Brandon Xu, Alyssa Yang, Eric Zhou

Features Editors:

Kathryn Foo, Dahlia Schilling, Alan Tai, Mihir Vishwarupe

Opinion Editors:

Anika Bhandarkar, Crystal Cheng, Megha Mummaneni, Jisha Rajala

Entertainment Editors:

Samika Bhatkar, Ananya Chaudhary, Jami Lim, Aashi Venkat

Staff Writers:

Chiran Arumugam, Nameek Chowdhury, Sagnik Nag Chowdhury, Melody Cui, Abha Dash, Krish Dev, Arjun Dhruv, Mikaylah Du, Avni Gandhi, Tvisha Gupta, Anna Jerolimov, Lily Jiang, Minjae Kang, Pranati Kotamraju, Manas Kottakota, Sophia Ma, Sameer Maheshwari, Gauri Manoj, Kripa Mayureshwar, Riya Murthy, Aashna Patel, Aidan Ruan, Trisha Sannappanavar, Aditya Shukla, Darpan Singh, Jiya Singh, Irene Tang, Yash Thapliyal, Eshika Tiwari, Mira Wagner, Alex Zhang, Angela Zhang, Stephanie Zhang, Vincent Zhao Adviser: Julia Satterthwaite, MJE

Mission Statement:

El Estoque will accurately inform our community through well-researched, unbiased and in-depth accounts of the student body and staff, news and developments and taboo topics prevalent in and near MVHS. Investigating various voices and credible perspectives, we hope to foster active discussion, effect positive change and spread awareness of timely, relevant content. As a trustworthy and reliable source of information, we strive to be accountable, adaptable and ready to correct and address our mistakes. Constantly striving for improvement, we will uphold integrity and ethics to be respectful and empathetic to our sources and our readers. We will exercise our press freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment and California Ed Code 48907 while maintaining a community passionate about our work and journalism as a whole.

To the Class of 2023 —

As we step into your shoes, we find ourselves revisiting the values we’ve gained from your guidance. Throughout the years, we’ve watched in awe as you diligently juggled afterschool activities and managed to persevere despite MVHS’s rigorous environment. On top of that, you took steps to slowly bridge the initial distance between us. While it may seem surface level, driving us to grab Chipotle and paying for our $6 Starbucks frappuccinos meant more to us than you could ever imagine.

As the years progressed, our connection deepened – not only did you help us thrive in a learning environment, you also focused on building strong friendships with us. From helping us solve that one physics problem that simply didn’t make sense to accompanying us to spirit-infused rallies, your dedication has fostered a tight-knit community at our school, and soon, as our turn arrives, we will make sure the threads don’t come loose.

As you embark upon unique paths and experiences, you have shown us that there are endless opportunities past high school — that attending a four year college may not be the right fit for everyone and that a few Bs on our transcripts won’t make us failures. Our Features package focuses on your future paths, such as traveling the world as you continue your education while our Sports section focuses on how some of you will continue playing a sport in college. Whatever journey you choose, we can hardly contain our excitement for you.

Not only will we miss your presence in the classroom, we’ll also miss experiencing with you the memories that make high school special. From driving to In-N-Out after a Friday night football game to experiencing a prom night that dazzled in front of the mist-covered San Francisco skyline, we will always cherish the memories we’ve made together. We’ve followed in your footsteps for three years, and now, as you hand over the reins to us, it’s our turn to leave our mark. We promise to bring our programs to new heights and truthfully, it’s all thanks to the skills you’ve taught us.

Taryn Lam

Lillian Wang

COVER | ADITYA SHUKLA AND LILLIAN WANG

PHOTO | KRISH DEV

Kalyani Puthenpurayil

PHOTO BY SOMEONE | USED WITH PERMISSION

PHOTO | AASHI VENKAT

PHOTO | ADITYA SHUKLA

PHOTO | LILLIAN WANG

PHOTO | KRISH DEV

EQUITY IN DISCIPLINE

Exploring California’s new proposed limits on student suspension and expulsion

BY ALYSSA YANG

Out-of-school suspension has existed as a form of student discipline since the 1960s, but new state legislation may see the next step in its decline. According to Fremont High School English teacher and English Department Lead Camila Torres, California Senate Bill 274 comes in the wake of statewide sentiment — including her personal opinion — that suspension should give way to more restorative forms of student discipline.

“You don’t get suspended in your regular job for mouthing off to your boss or to coworkers, so it’s not a real world consequence,” Torres said. “It doesn’t teach students anything that is actually useful in any way. It just teaches them what behavior is allowed and what behavior is not, and at that point, it’s too animalistic for me.”

SB 274, proposed by Senator Nancy Skinner and currently waiting to be considered by the state Appropriations Committee, could change that. SB 274 would prohibit school administration from suspending or expelling students for “willful defiance” in public and

other FUHSD schools such as MVHS, she acknowledges that FHS and FUHSD view suspension as a severe disciplinary measure. Principal Ben Clausnitzer agrees, noting that these beliefs lie behind MVHS’ policies for student discipline.

“There’s a lot of negatives about suspension, so we try to think a little bit [differently] about it,” Clausnitzer said. “If a student makes a bad decision, let’s focus on the behavior. If there needs to be a consequence, you don’t just talk about the consequence — let’s talk about the learning and let’s get the student the support they need.”

Homestead High School senior Dan Penalosa believes suspensions deprive students of the opportunity to participate in school and should be limited to extreme circumstances, such as violence and drug or weapon possession. She welcomes SB 274 as a much-needed change to keep school administration accountable for equity in terms of disciplinary action.

“I believe that the district should be doing more to protect their students, and to actually

expel students who are, say, abusing other students or just [inflicting] violence [on] other students,” Penalosa said. “But when it’s at the district’s discretion, and [they] have the choice to expel or suspend or just to use other disciplinary actions, I feel like [they] have no place in suspending students who don’t deserve suspensions.”

Recent research shows that in California, suspensions affect Hispanic and Black students disproportionately. According to Penalosa, similar trends exist within FUHSD, which they attribute to implicit bias. For instance, reports by the Civil Rights Data Collection found that in 2017, 41% of HHS’ out-of-school suspensions were given to Hispanic students, who only made up 25% of the overall student body. Likewise, in 2018, 6% of HHS’ Hispanic student population were suspended, compared to a state

PRINCIPAL

“

THERE'S A LOT OF NEGATIVES ABOUT SUSPENSION, SO WE TRY TO THINK A LITTLE BIT [DIFFERENTLY] ABOUT IT.

BEN CLAUSNITZER

“Any system in general needs to be looked at for this kind of institutional bias that might exist, whether it’s unintentional or intentional,” Clausnitzer said. “[SB 274 is] trying to think about a system that has disproportionately affected marginalized communities and is trying to think about changing that system. I don’t think [SB 274] would affect how students are behaving or schools trying to respond to that behavior. I think it’s about getting the support that students need and focusing on learning.”

On the other hand, Penalosa says SB 274 would reduce the fear in students’ relationships with school administration.

scared of admin in general, which is a good thing.”

Torres says that perception of discriminatory discipline at FHS has created divisions not just between students and administration, but also between the entire student body. She recalls students describing how the FHS campus is segregated during free periods, with white and Asian students on one half, and Black and Latinx students on the other. However, she worries that SB 274 could actually make systemic bias worse by allowing critics to argue that the law enables students to behave even more disruptively, thus drawing attention to SB 274 and away from the equity issue itself.

“The problem [is] that putting more laws in place actually also doesn’t get

in San Jose Unified reported discipline inequity

*According to ABC7 in 2021

to the root of the ‘why’ [of systemic bias], so I think that [we are] still very widely missing the mark,” Torres said. “[SB 724 is] almost a shield for teachers to say, ‘This law passed. Now everybody is even more rude. I don’t feel safe in my classroom.’ That’s a very reactionary way to look at what’s happening, because it’s not getting to the root of the cause. It’s only looking at the actual behavior. So it could actually do more damage than good in that way.”

Clausnitzer, Penalosa and Torres all emphasize the importance of speaking with students to address behavioral issues, in lieu of turning directly to disciplinary action. Torres in particular suggests that administrators could place more emphasis on building community structures within schools, in order to provide all students with support networks they can rely on.

“[For] a lot of the students that

FHS ENGLISH DEPARTMENT LEAD

THE STUDENTS THAT END UP SUSPENDED, IT'S BECAUSE NOBODY KNOWS THEM.

CAMILA TORRES

TACKLING NEW ROLES

Three teachers appointed Department Leads

BY KRISH DEV AND ERIC ZHOU

ENGLISH

After English teacher and Journalism adviser Julia Satterthwaite was named the FUHSD English Curriculum Lead, the MVHS English Lead position opened up. In the following weeks three English teachers expressed interest in the position, with English teacher Monica Jariwala ultimately being selected.

Jariwala aspires to expand the curriculum further to better represent Asian American and Pacific Islander students, who make up the majority at MVHS. Having experience leading

the professional development of colleagues, Jariwala says she enjoys working with other English teachers to improve the English curriculum. Jariwala also explains that the team of students and staff on the Equity Task Force that she helped found has helped her update the curriculum.

“I really think it’s important for students to see themselves in what they read,” Jariwala said. “Especially if we’re reading some of the same texts from when I was in high school, maybe we’re not supplementing them with

more updated pieces. It seems like a good idea to just make sure that we’re constantly focusing on the students.”

According to Jariwala, almost every literature class has already incorporated AAPI texts. She anticipates this trend will continue throughout her three years as English Department Lead. Jariwala commends the English Department for the variety of material — ranging from graphic novels to film — and is optimistic due to the consensus among English teachers to modernize the curriculum.

“I also presented to the department back in February [to explain] the importance of talking about race and racism in the classroom, especially because we have such a high population of students of color,” Jariwala said. “Especially if we’re reading a book and it’s written by an author of color [and] there are characters of color, we really have to use the words like race and racism instead of just saying culture and inclusion because we really want to make sure that we are acknowledging that race does play a role in a lot of what we’re teaching.”

One of Jariwala’s goals is to increase transparency and communication in the English Department. Acknowledging the fact she has not had extensive experience with all the courses in the English department, Jariwala hopes all teachers in the department provide input and feedback.

“I still have to talk with [Julia] Satterthwaite about some of the stuff that maybe she wanted to work on that didn’t necessarily happen,” Jariwala said. “I think the main thing is that before the next school year starts, I definitely want to hear from the department [about] what is it that they feel is really important to talk about.”

PHOTO | KRISH DEV

Monica Jariwala will fill the English Department Lead vacancy left by Julia Satterthwaite.

SCIENCE

AVID and Pre-Calculus teacher Sushma Bana, who has also taught physics during her 20 years at MVHS, has taken over the Science Department for the next three school years as science teacher Michael Lordan stepped down. Bana applied for the position with a desire to take on more responsibilities, building on her experience as the Western Association of Schools and Colleges coordinator in 2020, where she worked on implementing equity and SEL practices at school.

“I feel that teachers in leadership positions have a responsibility to take our school forward by leading work actively,” Bana said. “I’ve been part of this work [as a WASC coordinator], and I thought being a Department Lead will give me more ownership of the work and more leverage in taking our group of teachers on a journey that I truly believe in. I wanted to take the [department lead] position [because] I’ve been here long enough — I feel I have the skill, and I also have the will to take this position.”

As Science Department Lead, Bana hopes to help her colleagues grow as teachers, share new instructional practices with them and form common goals for the department, such as incorporating more students in the feedback process, ensuring that courses with different teachers have similar grading policies and making science more accessible for all students. In addition, Bana wants to ensure teachers are not overworked and have time to take care of themselves.

“Of course, it’s not like teachers have unlimited time,” Bana said. “Part of my role would also be to make the process efficient for teachers, because teachers also have to look at their own mental health and self care. Teachers often times forget and as the Department Lead I would definitely watch out for my colleagues, reaching out to them in any way I can support them in their work while making the work more efficient for them and student centered at the same time —

that’s a big ask, but I think that would be an ideal situation.”

Due to the three branches present in the Science Department, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, Bana feels it is inherently difficult to coordinate as each course has its own needs. However, Bana has experience with lab equipment and says she is fully equipped to support newer teachers and make sure materials are distributed evenly. She also says the position has a new role this year as a teacher mentor.

"[I am] helping [teachers in the department as] an instructional lead — that’s the new role that our district wants," Bana said. "They’ve changed the name from department chair to department lead, that’s a new responsibility that was not there earlier, or at least not as defined.”

One of the significant concerns Bana foresees in the coming years is staffing issues as a result of declining enrollment at MVHS, which has already lost over 600 students in the past decade. While acknowledging that it is out of her control, she empathizes with teachers in her department who are stressed about the situation.

“We may have to share teachers the way the enrollment is, [and] it will be sad, but we may have to lose a teacher because we are just short sections,” Bana said. “It’s stressful every year at this time of the year for the younger teachers who have not been here long enough. There is this constant thing at the back of your head, ‘Do I have a job next year?’ — it’s frustrating, but it’s no one’s fault, and you have to deal with it.”

Despite declining enrollment, Bana

PHOTO | KRISH DEV

Sushma Bana will fill the Science Department

Lead vacancy left by Michael Lordan.

is excited about her new position and believes that the Science Department will be quick to adapt, citing the addition of redemptive practices as one way the department demonstrates innovation at MVHS. Not only is she proud of how different teams within the department work cohesively, Bana also says it is a safe space, allowing other teachers to share differences in opinions and new ideas respectfully and constructively.

“In science, I find that people kind of have their learner hat on, and they’re always eager to learn — I think it comes from the subject we teach because science is constantly changing,” Bana said. “[The] Science Department is definitely in [the] forefront of anything that we are trying to change about school, whether it’s SEL or equitable grading practices or just refining our practices and learning new things about how to teach science.”

WORLD LANGUAGE

With 14 years of experience as a teacher at MVHS, French teacher Sarah Finck decided to apply for the role of World Language Department

Lead after former Department Lead Molly Guadiamos, who served for over a decade, stepped down. Having served as site representative for the Fremont Education Association, Finck says she applied out of an interest in leadership roles.

“We’ll start with a three year term and then I think it’s nice if it works for the whole department,” Finck said. “[But] if there’s somebody else that is interested in pursuing that role, I think it’s not bad to have it rotate — I don’t think any of us are eager to have competition and antagonism between each other. [The position] affects your schedule and what you have to do outside of class. So if it doesn’t work out in three years, then I can step down, and if it does work, then we still have to apply again every three years and go through the same interview process, whether there’s somebody

else running or not.”

Finck says declining enrollment in the World Language Department is the pressing issue for most World Language teachers, especially because MVHS will begin phasing out Japanese starting next school year. To address the decline in world language enrollment, Finck wants the department to highlight the incentives of joining its classes.

“I think all we try to do is to make our program as attractive as possible to make our courses enjoyable and to do things like the National French contests that we think are motivating and that kids can put on their resumes for going to college,” Finck said.

Another challenge Finck describes is that the World Language Department is “really four departments in one” since content differs across language courses, hindering collaboration among teachers. Furthermore, Finck wants to ensure equitable grading practices in the department and adequate attention to special education, socioeconomically disadvantaged and English learning students to help them perform at the same level as other students.

“I’m not looking to rock the boat or revolutionize everything,” Finck said. “I think that I don’t have a huge agenda item, [but] I do think that I can sense from the school that we should look at what students are thriving the least in our programs, and that’s going to come from examining data, seeing who’s getting D’s and F’s and if we’re doing something that’s not accommodating or leading to the success of everyone, that’s something that I suppose I’m interested in looking at because as a non department lead, we get some of the data, but it hasn’t been put on my plate before.”

PHOTO | KRISH DEV

Sarah Finck will fill in the World Language Department Lead vacancy left by Molly Guadiamos.

FRENCH TEACHER

‘‘

WE SHOULD LOOK AT WHAT STUDENTS ARE THRIVING THE LEAST IN OUR PROGRAMS. SARAH FINCK

CLOSER TO HOME

Looking into the development of new low-cost teacher housing in Cupertino BY

BRANDON XU

An ongoing project for affordable teacher housing is currently underway at 10333 North Wolfe Road, Cupertino and is intended to help decrease the commute time for local teachers traveling to work. Santa Clara County Supervisors Joe Simitian and Otto Lee proposed the housing development plan last year and acquisition of land for the plan was approved by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on March 14.

According to Supervisor Simitian, the plan is still in its early stages. Simitian states that the plan requires three parts: “a piece of dirt, funding, and community support.” He hopes to select a nonprofit development partner to work with the county later in the year and analyze the site, which will allow the county to understand the amount of housing that can be built and the funding required.

AP Economics teacher Scott Victorine is supportive of the plan, explaining that teachers in the Bay Area are often unable to compete with others who work in the tech industries when it comes to buying homes. Victorine notes that although teacher incomes in Cupertino are high compared to other parts of the country, the cost of living offsets that. As a result, teachers have been forced to live farther away. Simitian hopes that the project will be able to solve some of these issues.

“Time in the car is time that can’t be spent helping a struggling student, or

preparing lesson plans or attending any number of events that make up the fabric of our schools,” Simitian said. “By having teachers and school staff work and live nearby, I hope this project helps strengthen their role in the community. and makes it easier to retain the topflight talent that has made our schools some of the very best in the nation.”

Simitian mentions that one particular issue the Supervisors hope to target is the “missing middle” — people who have enough income to not qualify for traditional affordable housing but still have the same issues with overly expensive housing in the Bay Area. Victorine is one of those who falls under the category that Simitian describes.

“My wife and I, with our joint income, we don’t qualify for a lot of programs that would benefit us, yet we’re still in the same boat,” Victorine said. “It’s challenging because we do have a daughter and we’re not looking to buy a mansion or anything like that. We’re just looking to be able to own our own property like everyone else.”

Senior Abhik Das says the housing plan is an important step in the right

direction but mentions that COVID-19 has caused construction prices and labor to be extremely high. As a result, to avoid raising housing prices to pay for the project, the project may end up taking a large amount of time and government funding.

“If you don’t have the budget to create the project in a certain timeline, the easiest way to do that is to wait until you get more money,” Das said. “So the easiest way to pay off rising prices and construction would be to wait it out to increase the time it takes to open up this facility.”

On the contrary, Victorine sees the project in a more positive light. He explains that the plan “is really only a positive” since it can help teachers and other staff move closer to the schools.

“[The project gets] people more invested in the community that they work in, [since] not only do they work in that community, now they live here,” Victorine said. “I’m really glad that the city is taking a look at this seriously and that they’re actually considering it. It’s an issue that if we leave it to the federal or state governments, it doesn’t always get done. I’m glad that it’s taking place at a local level, and I’m really hopeful that it works out.”

PHOTO BY NHAT V. MEYER | BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

AP ECONOMICS TEACHER

‘‘

WE’RE NOT LOOKING TO BUY A MANSION OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. WE’RE JUST LOOKING TO BE ABLE TO OWN OUR OWN PROPERTY.

SCOTT VICTORINE

TAKE OUR APRIL NEWS QUIZ

Test your knowledge of key events in April

BY KRISH DEV AND LILLIAN WANG

War 1

Armed conflict between rival factions of the military government erupted in which African country?

2

Trump

Former President Donald Trump was indicted for alleged hush money payments to which adult entertainer?

Sports 3

Which college basketball player broke the record for the most points in a NCAA tournament?

NATO 4

Which country officially joined NATO on April 4?

5

Seniors

Who was the leading Republican candidate during the California recall election?

Which game was played in the MVHS Senior Games finale on April 26?

Event 6

Cupertino hosted an event for which celebration on April 22?

7

Cupertino

Who was the leading Republican candidate during the California recall election?

Which sister city of Cupertino was celebrated at the Cherry Blossom Festival?

Guard 8

What was the name of Varsity Winter Guard’s show performed at MVHS on April 6?

Drama 9

10

Holiday

What Indian festival was held at Memorial Park to celebrate the arrival of spring?

Who was the leading Republican candidate during the California recall election?

What was the main character’s name in MVHS Drama’s spring production?

1)Sudan; 2) tormyS Daniels; 3) Caitlin Clark; 4) Finland; 5) Simon Says; 6) Earth Day; 7) Toyokawa; 8) The Moment We Never Met; 9) Iris; 10) Holi Answers:

SHIFTING INTERESTS

Exploring how seniors have changed their ideal career over time

BY DAHLIA SCHILLING, ALAN TAI AND MIHIR VISHWARUPE

ARCHITHA DHAVALA

Growing up, senior Architha Dhavala wanted to be an airline hostess. Her family often traveled during her childhood and Dhavala thought it was fun to dress up in air hostess attire. However, as Dhavala got older, she started to stray away from her earlier passion and instead became fascinated by biotechnology, a field she says that her younger self would have never considered.

“I was more looking at the fun and the cool things, and I think in kindergarten, [I] wouldn’t really know what biotech would be,” Dhavala said. “So I don’t think I would have been interested in it at all. Actually, I would have just [said] it would be a boring major.”

As Dhavala grew older, her declining interest in becoming an air hostess stemmed from her traveling less, and her desires were gradually replaced by a growing fascination with biotechnology. After taking classes such as AP Biology, watching captivating dystopian science movies and connecting biology with her computer science knowledge, Dhavala eventually settled on biotechnology as her aspiration going into college, leaving behind her air hostess days.

ALEX LEE

In elementary school, senior Alex Lee wanted to be either a firefighter or a cop, as they were common heroic figures in shows, but later changed his mind after seeing the reality of the occupation outside TV. Compounded with Lee’s growing involvement in sports, specifically football, his interests have shifted toward sports therapy. He sees sports therapy as a way to further his passion for sports.

“[It] has me wanting to stay sort of in the area if I can’t play,” Lee said. “Obviously, I want to play, but if that doesn’t end up happening, at least [I’ll] be around the environment.”

While Lee only settled on pursuing sports therapy this year, he still believes that his interest in sports therapy would have been appealing to him even at a younger age, specifically because he enjoyed watching the National Football League. Having participated in football since freshman year, Lee hopes that he can find ways to pursue his passions into the sports world.

PHOTO

AASHI VENKAT

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARCHITHA DHAVALA

ANNIKA LEE

Senior Annika Lee wanted to pursue a career in teaching when they were younger, looking up to their elementary school teachers as role models. Throughout middle school, Lee also considered becoming an author because of their passion for writing. Now, Lee is pursuing a different path, seeing both their past desires as unrealistic.

“I don’t think I could handle dealing with kids all day,” Lee said. “I have a short temper sometimes and I also have micro-managing tendencies, so definitely not conducive to working with kids. As for an author, it’s not realistic. There’s a lot of authors who never really make it big, and so there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to make money.”

Lee settled on pursuing Environmental Science and Policy toward the end of their high school career. This decision was partly influenced by their experience throughout high school volunteering with Tzu Chi, a Buddhist non-profit organization, where they removed invasive species from the environment. Lee also says social movements like Black Lives Matter helped them realize how people can contribute to making change, something they want to incite in the realm of environmental science. Still, as editor-in-chief of La Pluma, Lee hopes that they can continue writing to “feed [their] soul and nurture [their] creative side,” even though they have ultimately chosen to pursue a different career path.

KARLY BOWER

From an early age, senior Karly Bower developed an affinity for animals through her passion for horseback riding, a hobby she started when she was 5 years old. This love for animals combined with a fascination with physiology initially steered her toward a career in veterinary medicine during her middle school years.

“I really liked working with horses and dogs growing up,” Bower said. “I had a period of time where I wanted to be a horse vet specifically because of running horses. [But] my parents kind of warned me all about medical school stuff because my dad was gonna go into medical school and he decided not to do it [and pursued] a different career path. I just heard horror stories about going into it and not getting a lot of payback, so I kind of got scared away from doing any veterinary stuff.”

This skepticism led Bower to shift her interests initially toward law, motivated by her enjoyment of debate and writing. However, Bower ultimately settled on majoring in economics after hearing that it would result in a stable career path from current economic major students. Despite these shifts, Bower still cherishes her original passion for animals and physiology and hopes to achieve her dream of combining economics with veterinary medicine in the future.

PHOTO | ALAN TAI

PHOTO | ALAN TAI

TO THE PAST FOUR

Seniors reminisce on their memories from high school

BY TVISHA GUPTA AND MIRA WAGNER

Kelly Tung:

Waking up two hours earlier than usual, senior Kelly Tung was amazed when she walked into her final Homecoming practice. Her hard work came to fruition when she saw the painted backdrops hanging in the Rally Court. From painting at senior Stephanie Zhao’s house to seeing the final product, Tung remembers experiencing a beautiful moment of cognitive dissonance — the contrast between what the posters were and how they appeared finished was unbelievable.

“We didn’t have the best performances in previous years, but I really think this year, we pulled [everything] together perfectly and at the right moment,” Tung said.

“Our hard work really stood out. That was something I was really, really proud of.”

Much like Tung’s love of the senior Homecoming skit, a moment Tung won’t forget was the Welcome Back Rally from her freshman year. Not knowing what to expect from high school, watching the upperclassmen perform dances and play silly games was a perfect welcome to MVHS for Tung. And seeing the event evolve over the past four years has been something Tung cherishes annually.

Before Tung experienced any high school, including the Rally, she was most excited to be independent. She also recalls feeling like the time

between middle school and high school was a gray area in terms of freedom as she wasn’t old enough to do things she thought a high schooler should do, but too old to do the things she felt a middle schooler should do. Now, Tung notes the same transition is occurring for her — the shift from high school to college being the another bringer of independence.

As a senior, Tung says high school truly made her more independent and come into her own.

“I learned to be myself,” Tung said. “I don’t think I would have been able to learn and grow as much if I went to a different high school, so I’m very grateful to be here.”

Looking back upon her four years at MVHS, Tung couldn’t be happier with the way it went. And if she could, she’d tell her freshman self just that.

“It all turns out well,” Tung said. “Even though you’re still feeling a little green, everything will happen the way that [it’s] meant to happen. And just know that we will be in a very happy place four years from now.”

SENIOR

‘‘ I DON’T THINK I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LEARN AND GROW AS MUCH IF I WENT TO A DIFFERENT HIGH SCHOOL, SO I’M VERY GRATEFUL TO BE HERE. KELLY TUNG

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LAIFUNG TUNG

Dillon Huang:

Having previously struggled in John Conlin’s JAVA class, senior Dillon Huang eagerly anticipated the return of a test on which he felt he had performed well. After seeing his grade, which was impressive, Huang remembers Conlin taking a moment to clap for his success.

Prior to beginning high school, however, Huang wasn’t expecting to necessarily find the most joy in his classes — he was more excited for the extracurricular activities and clubs he could join. And he was especially interested in the competitions and trips to other high schools.

Like he anticipated, playing beach volleyball during the AP Chemistry field trip to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk was one of Huang’s favorite moments from both senior year and high school in general. It was a “fullcircle” moment for Huang as he had played volleyball for MVHS freshman year, but decided to let it go his sophomore year and beyond. In that moment, he felt like a freshman again, carefree and without responsibilities.

Similar to his feelings regarding freshman year’s relative ease, before senior year Huang was excited for the promise of a laid-back second

Clay Carson:

Opening up the envelope that contained his grades from his first semester of high school, senior Clay Carson was ecstatic to see the string of bold As on the piece of paper he held. To him, it was an encouraging sign that he had the potential to succeed in high school despite previously feeling daunted.

To Carson, one of the most exciting things about entering high school as a freshman was being part of a larger community. As a student at Kennedy Middle School,

semester. He anticipated both the security of college decisions and the freedom that he expected for himself.

Now enjoying the promises and relaxation of second semester senior year, Huang would tell his freshman self to relax and focus on self improvement.

he often felt as though the student body was small, but he was excited to be surrounded by more students and gain access to more opportunities.

One of Carson’s favorite memories from senior year includes Youth Orchestra, which he says allows him to have a lot more experiences than he did his freshman year. Carson says that Orchestra has allowed him to meet new people and grow as a person. He claims that the orchestra’s four concerts during the year serve as the

“Go with the flow and know that everything eventually will work out,” Huang said. “If you make a mistake, it’s OK. Learn from those mistakes and try to be a better version of yourself and don’t worry about what anyone else is doing.”

culmination for the work that he puts into preparing for the shows.

Carson also says that the extracurricular activities he participated in have pushed him to become more outgoing and social, something he struggled with as a freshman. Carson says speakingbased activities, such as Speech, Mock Trial and Drama have helped him grow the most.

“In freshman year, I was a lot more introverted, and I didn’t interact with as many people,” Carson said. “But trying more opportunities encouraged me to branch out more and push myself out of my comfort zone. It’s showing me that I can still do that, I can have fun doing that and I’ll be more confident than I was when I started high school.”

SENIOR

‘‘ TRYING MORE OPPORTUNITIES ENCOURAGED ME TO BRANCH OUT MORE AND PUSH MYSELF OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE.

CLAY CARSON

PHOTO COURTESY OF HENRY HUANG

NEW PLACES, NEW FACES

Whether it’s sitting in a bustling Seoul cafe or strolling through a park in Berlin, over the next four years, senior Mulyn Kim will have the opportunity to study around the world through an online teaching platform. As a Minerva University student, Kim will travel alongside 20 fellow students to residential areas in various countries, where she will take online classes and explore the culture of each area.

Opportunities outside of the U.S. after high school can range from traditional four-year colleges to taking a gap year to travel and experience di erent cultures. Senior Brooke Frei will attend Concordia University, located in Canada, which leans toward the traditional college experience one might receive in the U.S.

“My parents lived in Montreal for a while, which, first of all, means that I have citizenship there, so I don’t have to jump through as many hoops to go there,” Frei said. “The second is just because I really like to experience new things and explore, especially because I’m a teen. I have a lot of things that I could do with my youth, and I just want to spend that W[time] getting as many new experiences as I can.”

Similar to Frei, Kim also hopes to gain new experiences through her travel. Attending Minerva University, Kim will spend four years traveling to seven cities — London, Berlin, Hyderabad, Buenos Aires, Taipei, Seoul and San Francisco. Although Kim was initially intimidated

by being so far from home, she conceded that attending Minerva was simply an opportunity she was not willing to pass up.

“Minerva is completely di erent [from] what I was looking for,” Kim said. “But I applied because it’s a once-in-a- lifetime experience to be traveling and studying because I won’t have this time after I graduate. So if I’m doing it while I’m in college, that’ll be really ideal.”

On the other hand, senior Amy Hu considered taking a more unconventional route. Following a disappointing rejection letter, she reconsidered the value of going to college and instead thought about traveling the world on her own, an experience that she believes would grow her sense of individuality.

“ BROOKE FREI

“I would take a plane to obviously some cheap country and stay at hostels in the night, so they’ll be like $12 a night,” Hu said. “I’d then spend the mornings traveling and creating vlogs and meeting new people. It would be an experience to grow my independence because I would be the person who’s filming everything. I would be the person

who manages my logistics, finances, safety and everything.”

Still, after much deliberation, Hu is currently more inclined to attend a UC campus. She believes this path is paved with more stability and that solo traveling poses many risks.

“I’d be missing out because all my peers will be experiencing the college experience and hanging out in their dorms and meeting new people at school, [whereas] l would be obviously taking a very di erent path,” Hu said. “There’s also financials. It’s much easier for me to justify my parents spending money on education versus traveling the world. Also, safety [makes it] hard for a girl to go. If I was a guy, I’d probably consider it more, but

with countries that are outside the U.S., [they] might not be super safe.”

Senior Ved Anumala expressed similar worries when he was committing to Northeastern University’s Global Scholars Program. He will spend his first semester in London before returning to California to study at the university’s Oakland campus. Although he has some family members in London, he feels that the experience of living there will be his first time being truly independent, and he is excited about the cultural opportunities it will provide.

“The one perk about [London] is that it’s English-speaking, but it’s a whole di erent experience,” Anumala said. “I get to see a lot of di erent people from a lot of di erent cultures, but obviously I want to just tour the city in my free time. Also, there are a lot

life outside of the U.S. because I’ve lived here since I was 2 years old. I think that just being able to break out of my shell and experience new things will make me a lot more open to having a much more changing and fluid life in the future, [beyond]

Ultimately, while some students choose to rely on the comfort of a traditional college experience in the U.S., others utilize the unique post-grad time for selfexploration through di erent cultures. For Kim, taking that next step on an unfamiliar path is

college.” an experience worth trying as she enters an era of freedom.

“My entire path was set on going to a traditional university, so when I did get in [to Minerva], I remember

I was crying because my decision was going to be harder to choose which school I wanted to attend,” Kim said. “I knew I would regret it if I didn’t choose this option. I think it’s very scary that I’m choosing such a di erent path, but really exciting as well.”

SENIORS IN THREE S’S

A closer look at the class of 2023 out of a sample size of 57 seniors

BY GAURI MANOJ

63% would not attend MVHS again

SCHOOL

87% have senioritis

SUBSTANCES

14%

29% have been under the influence of alcohol

7%

have been under the influence of alcohol on campus

SEX

29% have had sex

58% have seen/read pornographic material

83

is the average Rice Purity Score

PHOTO | FIRSTNAME LASTNAME

ILLUSTRATIONS | GAURI MANOJ

Recalling the role geography has played in my upperclassman years

BY MELODY CUI

fter Wordle grew in popularity, a myriad of knock-off “-dles” games emerged, primarily two geography-based ones: Worldle and Globle, which tested your knowledge of the shapes and locations of countries. I was never a fan of geography, so playing these games was like taking a test on some obscure subject I had a minimal understanding of, like astrophysics. I knew the major countries of the world, but my knowledge stopped there.

However, playing the “-dles” became a part of my daily routine in junior year since both of my math table group members grinded those games religiously. They found their way through the “-stans,” the Middle East and even made a dent in Oceania. Slowly, I began to build my geography knowledge from playing with them, learning that Ivory Coast was a real country somewhere in West Africa and that there were two tiny countries embedded in South Africa (I could never remember the names).

However, in senior year, my table group disbanded and I lost the motivation to play the “-dles”. Although I had a better understanding of the countries that make up our world, it was still basic — I was basically blindly guessing from a limited word bank — and it felt pointless to keep playing.

So the “-dles” fell off, to put it simply, around the same time that you could say I fell off. It was second semester senior year and I felt like nothing was happening. My life was monotonous, a stark contrast from what it was supposed to be — fun, exciting and entertaining after three years of the constant grind of high school. But it wasn’t. I was constantly tired and bored, so instead of reading, which I said I would do more of, exploring niche topics, which I also said I would do more of, and just enjoying life, I would be napping or watching Twitch

streams, which I wanted to do less of.

I was burnt out, and I was tired of being constantly tired. I knew I needed to do something to jumpstart the determination that got me through the last three years to do something fulfilling with my last semester of high school. I tried reading a book that I had previously shelved, learning how to crochet, researching topics I was interested in, but would get tired after a few minutes and go back to bed for a four-hour nap.

One day, during my haze of boredom and exhaustion, I opened up the “-dles,” failed, and then decided to memorize all the countries so that next time, I wouldn’t fail. I searched up “how to memorize the countries of Africa,” and began the grind — I had nothing better to do anyway.

It took me one day to finish Africa, another day for Asia and soon I had all the

games on Sporcle, even memorizing country capitals and general population statistics. Not only was my geography knowledge growing, but rather and more importantly, I was having fun learning more about the world — blood rushing into my fingers as I prepared to spam countries in another Sporcle game; mind sharpening as I memorized the color composition of a flag; a burst of pride mixed with exhilaration as I finished any geography related activity. I revived what I had previously lost: the motivation to learn and do, and as I dispersed that energy to the other activities I wanted to undertake, I began to actually realize those goals (I finally finished that book I had put off!) Now that I found my groove again, it’s a lot easier for me to enjoy and embrace my second semester of senior year.

PHOTO | ADITIYA SHUKLA

BY KRISH DEV

s a 4 year old, visiting Disneyland was a dream come true — seeing my favorite characters in real life, surrounded by mesmerizing sights and sounds made me feel like I was transported to another world. Yet, while meandering through the Winnie-the-Pooh-themed attraction, my attention was drawn to a globe in a corner. I spun the globe, pointing my finger at Anaheim and calling my mom over to tell her about my discovery, “Mama, this is where we are!”

Ever since I was young, I have been obsessed with geography. While most kids my age spent their free time watching Disney XD shows and reading the newest “Diary of the Wimpy Kid,” I stayed up past bedtime engulfed in atlases and spent hours exploring Google Earth, constantly in search of new places.

Despite new responsibilities that came with growing older, my passion for geography continued to thrive. I pored over maps, studied new cultures and sought out any opportunity to learn more about the world. My dedication paid off when I won my school National Geographic Bees in both elementary and middle school, offering me much-needed validation.

However, as I started high school, I began to feel pressure to conform to the expectations of others. Friends, family members and even teachers suggested that I focus on “important” activities that would help me get into college and land a lucrative job. Over time, I began to resent my geography knowledge as it filled my brain with “useless knowledge” and took time away from “things that actually mattered.” I stopped sharing fun facts with friends and scribbling detailed maps on the margins of my notebook and the backs of finished tests.

It wasn’t until the unexpected lockdown my sophomore year that I learned to accept my passion. Forced to spend an unprecedented amount of time alone, I once again fell down the rabbit hole of geography. From browsing maps on Reddit to watching YouTube videos about unusual places, I rekindled my passion — geography was my lifeboat, keeping me sane above the monotony of everyday life, and I slowly learned to appreciate it for its own sake.

As the world of geography reopened to me, I stumbled upon the International Geography Championships, a high school competition like the geography bees I participated in during elementary and middle school. Despite a voice in my head telling me it was not worth doing, especially in the valuable summer before senior year, I wanted to give it a shot and, after passing the qualification tests, ultimately decided to compete.

Arriving at the University of Vermont, I felt intimidated by the other competitors who seemed more deserving of being there. However, as the competition progressed and I managed to string together a series of solid performances, earning two medals, my sense of being an imposter vanished. Instead, I felt grateful to have had the opportunity to meet high schoolers from around the world who shared my passion

and appreciated the little moments — joking around during breakfast, quizzing each other on obscure topics and watching movies past curfew in an overcrowded dorm room.

Looking back, my journey with geography has been entirely worth it, even if I won’t be majoring in it in college. From the moment I opened my first atlas as a young child to placing fourth in the International Geography Championships, my fascination with geography has been a rollercoaster ride of passion, doubt and rediscovery that has brought me memories I will forever cherish. The sense of discovery that I felt as a 4 year old at Disneyland, pointing out where we were to my mom, is the same feeling that geography brings me today, and I am excited to learn about the world with that same childlike curiosity as an adult.

PHOTO | ADITYA SHUKLA

BY ANNA JEROLIMOV

ve always been afraid of growing up. I cry on my birthday every year (a tradition that began when I turned 10 and realized that from then on, my age would always be double digits). I’ve been counting down the months until graduation since the start of eighth grade — but with apprehension, not excitement. For me, time hasn’t really flown by, because I’ve always been acutely aware of its passing. Quite frankly, I’m terrified of change.

I think this fear stems from my fear of forgetting: both forgetting others and being forgotten myself. I have already known and forgotten so many people throughout my life. People I once considered close friends have become strangers, their once-important presence in my life reduced to being someone I now think about fleetingly, perhaps whenever I see them post on social media. Considering that I don’t have much of a social media presence myself, I wonder how often they think about me. I wonder if they ever do at all.

Maybe that’s why the thought of college is so daunting. For me, in comparison to the looming challenge of college, high school, especially senior year, has been easy. Comfortable. Familiar. I’ve started and ended high school with the same friends and I’ve become a leader in the same extracurriculars that I joined at the beginning of freshman year. I thrive on familiarity, but next year, I’ll have to uproot my familiar life to go to a place where nothing is the same — not the location, not the people, not even the weather. Everything is going to be different, and on top of that, I’m afraid of forgetting everyone I’ve ever known. It’s terrifying. Unfathomable, even.

But, in the midst of all this uncertainty-driven anxiety, there’s one thought that gives me comfort. It comes from a Tumblr post I read in fifth grade. The idea: we are the products of the people we meet. Our preferences, our

quirks, our idiosyncrasies. Consciously or subconsciously, we adopt the traits of the people we love as our own. In the words of that Tumblr post, we are the “mosaics of everyone we’ve ever loved, even for a heartbeat.”

I know that this holds true for me. In kindergarten, I copied the way my friend held her pencil because I wanted to be more like her, and I still write that way. I bring warm water to school regardless of the weather, because my mom always drinks warm water. Mentally, I refer to hand sanitizer as “hanitizer” because that’s how my sister pronounced it when she was four. I discovered the band that topped my Spotify Wrapped for three consecutive years when my eighth grade English teacher had us analyze a song from them in class one day. And I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to simply use an Oxford comma again without reminiscing about editing them out of stories during my time as a journalist on El Estoque.

Next year, when I’m halfway across the country and two thousand miles away from all the people I’ve ever known and loved, I’ll reflect on all the parts of me that were originally from other people. I’ll sip my warm water, cleanse my hands with “hanitizer”

and reminisce about memories in room A111. In those moments, I’ll know that I will never forget the people I’ve loved and they will never forget me, because we will carry parts of each other wherever we go.

I don’t have to be afraid of growing up, of getting older or my life changing. Change is a natural — necessary — part of life. My life will inevitably change next year. I’ll meet new people, and some of the people I’m close to now will fade away into memory. But I’ll never truly lose them. Because I will always be part of them, and they will always be part of me.

I am a collage of all the people I’ve met before and all that I’ve held important to me in the past, and that is something that will never change.

PHOTO | ADITYA SHUKLA

Unpacking the weight of the daunting phrase of “I love you”

BY GAURI MANOJ

think I have said “I love you” maybe five times in my life.

Some would say my “Love ya!”s or “<3 you!!!”s over text definitely come close, but I’ve always avoided saying the real scary three words. I probably get it from my parents, who, after every argument with me, leave a plate of strawberries on my bed instead of saying “it’s OK” or “I love you.” And those strawberries have always been enough to dispel any doubts I had about their love — they’ve never given me any reason to believe otherwise.

It’s those words that hold a very uncomfortable amount of weight for only being eight. And, since it’s said so often in TV shows and movies, it’s difficult for me to gauge whether anyone truly means it. I think my fear of saying “I love you” stems from the fact that I don’t actually believe it when I hear “I love you” — if you can prove that you love someone just by repeating the most orthodox string of words ever, then it seems that love is a very simple emotion to prove.

Yet, I’ve come to understand why words of affirmation is one of the most popular of the five love languages. During times when I was anxious, such as during college application season, I could feel the comfort in hearing an actual phrase of assurance more than receiving a plate of strawberries. Since language is a direct pipeline of communication from Person A to B, we can be certain that our message was not misinterpreted or lost in translation. We always say actions speak louder than words, but words are simply easier to use and are sometimes just more practical.

That being said, my fear of “I love you” still stands. I never

heard it growing up, so it only evokes feelings of immediate awkwardness that can instead be avoided with some strawberries, which always makes everyone happy. But all this discussion about why I dislike “I love yous” ignores the fact that maybe others would really appreciate hearing it from me.

It is true that we all seek and show love in different ways, but objectively some are just more effective. I know that the absence of my “I love you” does not equate to the absence of my admiration, gratitude or care for others — but do they know that? We want to not only feel loved, but also be assured that we will remain loved when things get rough. And

the easiest way to do that is to just straight up say it.

As I embark on adulthood, the importance of “I love you” grows infinitely stronger — there are so many more people to love and it’ll be my job to make sure they know it. I’ll have to put aside the awkwardness and unfamiliarity to reassure the people around me, and with only three little words, this seems relatively easy and the payoff is so worth it. And next year, when the only thing my family and I will share is a phone call, words will become the only way to remind them that I really do love them.

So, to my family and friends perhaps reading this: I love you! You don’t have to say it back. I’d prefer strawberries.

PHOTO | ADITYA SHUKLA

Understanding how my obsession with independence led to isolation

BY KRIPA MAYURESHWAR

he first recollection I have of my thirst for knowledge was in kindergarten. Every other day, I would drag my mom to the library, whining that I already finished the 30 books I checked out a few days prior.

“Mom, did you know that your ears never stop growing?” I asked my mom earnestly as she shoved random books from the children’s section into a tote bag, not paying much attention to the content because she knew I’d read it regardless.

Though my mom wasn’t particularly enthused by my descriptions of bodily functions, I wasn’t discouraged. I had discovered an unending source of knowledge, and I was determined to learn everything.

Throughout elementary to middle school, I spent hours scouring Wikipedia for random biographies of celebrities who had died centuries prior. I also started picking up random hobbies that I learned about through my excessive consumption of howto YouTube videos. I learned how to make stamps, sew, crochet, build furniture, replace light fixtures — and furthered my quest to learn how to do, well, everything.

My teachers and parents alike were bewildered with the strange skillset I had grown, but I was rewarded for my knowledge through praise from adults around me, who complimented me on being so self-sufficient. I was filled with pride by the notion of being independent.

My independence was confined to being able to do practical tasks because of my obscure hobbies, but as I grew older, my desire for selfsufficiency gradually pervaded my entire life.

I used my independence as a safety net — if I could do everything myself, I wouldn’t need to rely on others. Although it initially made me proud, I began to feel increasingly stifled by

the expectations I had set for myself.

When I entered high school, I was constantly frustrated with my inability to resolve my problems by myself. At the same time, I refused to sacrifice my pride and seek help when I struggled, and after my first semester of junior year, I just couldn’t function anymore.

Under intense academic pressure and strained relationships with my friends and family, years of bottling everything up culminated and rose to the surface. My overthinking kept me awake all night, leaving me barely functioning in the day and unable to keep up with my work. Midway through the semester, I found myself failing all of my classes except one.

I had no energy to interact with anyone, and I stopped talking to my friends. My safety net of independence suffocated me, and I was left to deal with the fact that the predicament I was in was entirely my fault.

Toward the end of second semester, I completely broke down over the phone with one of my friends as I sobbed for hours.

Everything I had been suppressing for the past year — navigating my first relationship, struggling with my classes, having increasingly tense relationships with my parents and being closeted in my own home —

poured out alongside my tears.

When I was done, I felt awful for not being able to support myself and burdening someone else with my problems. And yet, I felt a weight off my shoulders, relieved that I wasn’t handling everything alone.

Frankly, it’s ridiculous to think about how my love for learning culminated in destructive self reliance, but now that I’ve identified the problem, I can go about fixing it. I cannot undo the damage I’ve already caused, but I can work on being more honest and vulnerable. Sometimes, I need to rely on others and ask for help — but now I know that there isn’t anything wrong with that.

Although I’m still learning to not feel guilty about not being self-sufficient, I think the little girl from so many years ago who was just happy to learn for the fun of it would be proud of the person I’m becoming again.

PHOTO | ADITYA SHUKLA

y fifth-grader heart was beating out of its chest as I examined the words written on the paper. I’d gotten a love letter from my crush.

I had dreamt about this moment for so long, thinking of all the things couples do in the movies: hold hands, look at each other, share straws in our drinks, and laugh at each other’s jokes. I would imagine myself impressing her with my imaginary special powers, causing her to confess to me right then and there. In the end, we’d live happily ever after, skipping away into the sunset holding hands.

So why had I felt like running away as soon as I read that simple “I like you” scribbled on the yellow sticky note? Why had every inch of my body want to hide in the corner of the classroom until she left?

It was a moment that I would come to wrestle with for a long time. I was embarrassed, angered even, that I had felt that way. Everyone else had been so comfortable talking and discussing it as I grew up, so it was obvious then for me to pretend as if I was like how everyone else was, despite it being a blatant contradiction to my own emotions.

I simply had to try again, I thought, and later when a similar confession occurred, I had found myself feeling that same nausea. Tied in knots, I felt utterly conflicted with making my decision. Do I distance myself from this person or do I pretend to have feelings that I don’t have? If I chose the first option, I’d regret not having the courage to be with someone, but with the latter, I’d simply not want to be part of that relationship. Each and every time, I took the first option.

I was faced with a hedgehog’s dilemma.

In times of cold weather, hedgehogs have to huddle together to help keep themselves warm, but can’t stay too

close because of their prickly spines. It wasn’t that the hedgehogs don’t want to huddle together, but rather that they just can’t, no matter how much they want to. Much like the hedgehogs, I just couldn’t take the feeling of reciprocation, no matter how much I wanted it. Desperate to find an answer as to why I couldn’t, I decided to talk to someone about it.

I described how each time someone had confessed to me or tried to connect with me, I’d feel that nauseous feeling each time. I felt like running away and that prevented me from wanting to pursue relationships with others.

“Could you be aromantic?” they asked.

Well, could I be? I thought. I eventually decided to answer the question later that day. Opening up Google, I decided to try some internet soul-searching, reading all about what it meant to be an aromantic person. While initially on the fence as I read its medical definition, what connected me to this label was the experiences of other selfidentified aromantic people. It shocked me that among the community, a common, persistent emotion was that all too familiar nauseating

feeling that rest in their minds after each confession. I began to connect the dots to my past encounters, and things suddenly came into clear view.

While I was initially insecure about how I dealt with romance, I now found confidence in the fact that it wasn’t my fault, rather it was just how I am. I couldn’t change that — I just had to try and embrace that part of me.

In some strange way, I was relieved. It wasn’t that the problems simply disappeared — I’m still struggling to find romantic connections with people. But coming out as aromantic did give me that feeling of self-respect — the idea that fifth grade me was simply being true to himself at that moment in time no matter how alien he felt at that moment. Much like those hedgehogs, I’m still struggling to find warmth, but I’ll at least be true to myself in that desire.

PHOTO | ANNA JEROLIMOV

BY JIYA SINGH

ow’s the josh?!” my dad asked me loudly.

“Um … high,” I responded in a mumbled, annoyed voice.

And just like that, I saw my dad’s face fall, my weak answer falling short of his high expectations.

Contrary to popular belief, “josh” is not just a nickname for the popular name Joshua — it also means confidence or enthusiasm, in Hindi. After watching the Bollywood movie “Uri,” which portrays the lives of Indian army officers, my dad picked up on a phrase the lieutenant in the film would yell to his soldiers before every battle — “How’s the josh?”

In the movie, the phrase was used to hype up army officers as they responded to the question with a unified yell of, “High, sir!” The question was intended to remind soldiers of the joy that existed amid the mentally taxing toll of going to war. While I am no army officer, my dad has asked me this question every morning since Jan. 11, 2019, when the movie was released.

If there’s anything I’ve always known about my father, it’s that when he fixates on something, he doesn’t just appreciate it for a week — he sticks with it. For example, when he wanted to start exercising, he spent six hours in our home gym making sure he would reach his desired weight goal. When a neighbor made a slightly snarky comment about our sloppy front yard, he spent months mowing the lawn to perfection. Yet while I’ve always admired my dad’s extreme commitment to every little thing he does, I simply wasn’t that way at all.

Instead, I have always been more of a tries-something-out-and-likesit-until-she-gives-up kind of person. My achievements — from publishing my own book at age 10 to being an award-winning tennis player — were all accomplishments of mine that I’d just tossed away when things became more

difficult. In fact, being given the label of “quitter” by my parents at a young age created a mental understanding that I would never be enough for my driven father, and his over-excitement of the phrase, “How’s the josh?” was just another reminder of our differences.

I couldn’t understand why I needed to be dragged into my dad’s hyperfixation of the movie dialogue when my josh was most certainly not “high.”

And so, walking down the stairs each morning to my father passionately yelling “How’s the josh” was not a fun experience for 13-year-old me. As my years of reluctant, “High, sirs,” my dad finally took the hint that I did not care about his childish ritual, he slowly backed off. And so, my junior year, after three years of endless eye-rolling and mumbling, our daily exchange finally stopped.

But soon, walking down the stairs to a bagel sitting on the dining table and the sound of peace — what I thought I wanted the most — began to make me feel lonely. Despite the corniness and seemingly stupidity of it all, the simple call-and-response of my father and I each morning was unintentionally hyping me up for the school day.

My father’s look of disappointment when my, “High, sir!” wasn’t happy or loud enough would make me to try

harder for his approval.

I realized that my dad didn’t derive joy from childlessly yelling to me — it was my passionate screams of response that made him satisfied in knowing that I retained my self-confidence. Even if I was having a bad morning, the practice of yelling and training my brain that I had high spirits completely removed the idea of me being a “quitter.”

And so, as my father is currently going through some personal struggles, it is now me who asks him how his josh is every morning, condemning him when his responses aren’t loud enough, to make sure he too can get his confidence back the way I did. As it turns out, whether someone is the commander of the Indian military or a normal Bay Area resident, everyone’s ‘“josh” can use a little uplifting.

How my dad’s obsession with a Bollywood movie changed how I perceive myself

Facing toxic productivity

BY ANGELA ZHANG

Ohen I talk to people about my struggles with procrastination, they usually assume I want to procrastinate less. In fact, my goal is the opposite: I want to learn to procrastinate more and let go of my toxic productivity mindset.

My harmful habits developed at the end of freshman year when the COVID-19 pandemic first sent us into lockdown, giving me more free time than I knew what to do with. Since I had a lot of spare time, I completed every assignment immediately after it was assigned — the start of my extreme anti-procrastination habits.

My sophomore year was also online, intensifying the toxic productivity mindset that I had developed during the lockdown. Before, when we went to school in person, I would spend my lunch break socializing with friends — with online learning, I had nothing to do after eating lunch, and I would end up using my breaks to get a head start on homework. Continuing my habit of completing assignments early, I would often be the first in my class to write my discussion post, an entire week before the deadline. In the case that I did have to wait to complete an assignment right before the deadline due to another commitment, I would feel anxious and worried about not having enough time to finish, leading to my avoidance and fear of procrastination.

My motivation for my work ethic was thinking that if I completed everything early, I would have more time to rest and do what I wanted later on. But this never happened. I always found more tasks to do by working on longterm projects in advance or taking on another extracurricular activity. I was stuck on a hamster wheel — doing endless work, even if it was unnecessary.

By junior year, the consequences of my toxic work habits began to emerge

— I learned that one of the tradeo s of having a strong work ethic is experiencing frequent burnout. After a rough week of tests and papers due, I would completely crash after getting home. However, even when I would get burnt out, my fear of falling behind prevented me from “doing nothing” for an extended period of time, as I often tied my self-worth to how much work I completed.

When I submitted my final college application last year, I finally felt like I could let go of my need to be productive, or so I thought.

The stereotype of second-semester seniors is that we slack o , and I planned to fully embrace this to heal from four years of burnout. But my plans were quickly sabotaged. Once we returned to school after mid-year break, I suddenly had a lot of free time again. Even after completing my homework, I felt restless and guilty doing nothing. I had wired my brain to be a productivity machine to the point where I didn’t know how to be unproductive anymore.

After enduring this vicious cycle for so long, I decided that in order to enjoy my last semester of high school, I had to embrace unproductivity. This period between the end of high school and college was the perfect time to break free from my toxic cycle of productivity.

Over the past few months, I have built up a balanced work ethic that I like to call “intuitive productivity.” If I feel motivated, I will do my work and study for tests. But the minute that I feel tired, I’ll allow myself to binge Netflix for as long as I want. Now, I let myself start my homework the day before it’s due, and procrastinate studying for tests until the night before.

In my last semester of high school, I have become a marginally worse student, but my mental health has improved infinitely. I value myself regardless of how many tasks I’ve completed in a day. Instead of starting weeks before, I only began to write this senior column a few days prior to the deadline — big progress compared to a year ago. I was finally able to break free from the productivity hamster wheel, and have learned to embrace procrastination.

TECH TROUBLES

Examining the impact of technology on MVHS students

BY ANIKA BHANDARKAR, MIKAYLAH DU, MEGHA MUMMANENI, RIYA MURTHY AND KRIPA MAYURESHWAR

UNDER CTRL

Examining student and parent opinions on parental controls

BY ANIKA BHANDARKAR AND MEGHA MUMMANENI

The clock struck ten, and sophomore Lotus Wu found herself unable to continue studying, as the parental controls on her device lock at 10 p.m. each night. Wu felt a sense of urgency as she needed to finish a project and study for a test by the next morning. Despite waking up early the following day and frantically trying to finish her assignments, in the end, Wu wasn’t able to submit the level of work she intended, leaving her disappointed.

Junior Gale Whittle, who has controls on his iPhone, limiting the

amount of time he can spend on social media and restricting 18+ content, has also experienced feelings of panic when parental controls take effect. He has frequently texted people “as [quickly] as possible, then [closed] the app after to not run down the timer,” treating his screen time as a “precious resource that [he] needs to conserve.” Whittle also mentions that disabling his phone at night, which was originally intended to encourage him to go to sleep earlier, ultimately proved ineffective.

“A lot of my friends are online at night because that’s the only free time we have now that we’re super busy,” Whittle said. “I personally hate being isolated, and it was scary to be without contact.”

Similarly, MVHS parent William Lee recognizes that time restrictions are inadequate because his child “winds up staying up to study,” and the controls end up getting in the way of his kid’s ability to do so. He permanently turned off the restrictions once they became more of a hassle than a safeguard, though he still chooses to keep content restrictions on his child’s phone, having enabled them after an information night for parents when his child was in middle school.

“At this age, you need to be more vigilant about what your

kids are looking at online,” Lee said. “It’s not a time to give less oversight. You need to give more oversight because there’s a lot that can happen — there’s a lot of bad stuff out there.”

MVHS PARENT

Wu, who has the same iPhone restrictions as Whittle, also addresses the positives that come with safety controls. She

‘‘

AT THIS AGE, YOU NEED TO BE MORE VIGILANT ABOUT WHAT YOUR KIDS ARE LOOKING AT ONLINE.

is a fine balance between parental controls helping a child be safe online and being overly controlling. While Lee doesn’t restrict his child’s screen time, he plans to lift the safety restrictions he has implemented only after his child turns 18, since he believes that kids should be able to “have that

Ultimately, both Whittle and Wu agree that a crucial part of setting up restrictions is having conversations between parents and their children prior to enabling the controls. Whittle emphasizes the importance of communicating with kids about having healthy relationships with screen time from a young age and teaching them the importance of being able to control the time they spend on their phones.

51% of MVHS students have had or currently have parental controls on their device(s)

*According to a survey of 106 people

49%

‘‘ IF PARENTS AND CHILDREN CAN COME TO AN AGREEMENT, IMPLEMENTING [RESTRICTIONS] WILL BE A LOT EASIER AND THE TRUST WON’T BE SO BROKEN.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS | CANVA AND MEGHA MUMMANENI

STRANGER DANGER

internet is not as safe as many believe

According to a study by the Center for Cyber Safety and Education, nearly 40% of teenagers have talked to strangers online. The ability to establish large communities online, such as Discord servers, provides an easy way to connect people all over the world with others who share common interests, allowing long-distance friendships to become increasingly common. MVHS Alum ‘22 Shivani Madhan has also utilized online platforms to talk to strangers, seeing it as a liberating way to speak due to the lack of face-to-face interactions.

“I feel like the internet is a place where people can portray themselves a certain way because people don’t know [anything] about what they do in real life,” Madhan said. “And if things don’t go well, it’s extremely easy for you to stop talking to people because they’re a stranger, right? They have no other presence in your life besides how you’re communicating with them on the internet.”

However, MVHS school-based therapist Akiko Chung cautions against meeting with strangers, and finds herself concerned about student safety when they tell her that they’ve been conversing with others online. Throughout her tenure as a therapist, she’s met multiple teenagers who were left “traumatized” after they decided to meet up in-person with their online friend.

Most notably, she remembers an incident with a teenager who left home to meet up with an online friend whom their parents didn’t know about. Ultimately, their parents filed a missing person report and called the law enforcement after realizing that their child was not at home.

While the child was eventually

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | MIKAYLAH DU

found, the event left everyone involved frightened. Many students have also reported to Chung that online strangers have trauma-dumped on them to vent frustrations. The end result was not a fun interaction with an online friend, but rather a feeling of discomfort.

72% of MVHS students

“My concern is that once you develop the relationship, even though you are cautious, you’d [be unable] to keep a relationship online,” Chung said. “For example, if you tell yourself you[‘re] not going to see this person [in the beginning], once you develop a really close relationship that leads to you [thinking that you] can trust this person, those thoughts can change.”

have utilized online platforms to talk to strangers on the internet

*According to a survey of 105 people

acknowledging that he was not as safe as he believed, and that he could have done a better job protecting private information such as his location and his family’s details. His experiences online have taught him that the internet is not as safe as he once believed — anyone can be on there, and so it is imperative to keep in mind one’s actions and the friends they make, because anything is possible.

Student experiences with strangers online

WEIRD AND FUN

Although acknowledging that talking over the internet may be dangerous, Madhan sees a benefit in it as well, as the internet provides a useful way to relate to others. When she was younger, talking to people from all over the world who shared her interests brought her happiness, as it was difficult to find people to relate to in real life. Despite this, she recognizes that talking to strangers at a young age is dangerous.

“Reflecting on it now, I don’t believe that I should have been given access to the internet and been able to talk to people back then because when you’re so young, you don’t know a lot of things about privacy and the way that other people on the internet operate,” Madhan said.

Wang agrees with Madhan,

However, despite his experiences online, Wang believes that making friends on the internet is not inherently a bad thing, as long as one takes the proper precautions. Chung agrees, saying that although meeting people online can be dangerous, it’s possible to do it and enjoy it when clear boundaries are in place and no exchange of personal information occurs.

“For whoever is engaged, [you] really have to have self-discipline [and] know that clear boundary you are not crossing,” Chung said. “For example, if I’m not going to see a person, [it should] stay that way. As long as you can maintain the clear boundaries and stay with what your limit is, it can create a safety net.”

MOST OF THEM ARE NICE, I JUST BLOCK THE WEIRD ONES.

THEY WERE FRIENDLY ONLINE AND LIKED SIMILAR THINGS AS ME.

MVHS ‘22 ALUM

‘‘ WHEN YOU’RE SO YOUNG, YOU DON’T KNOW A LOT OF THINGS ABOUT PRIVACY.

SHIVANI MADHAN

IT WAS STRANGE AND A BIT ANNOYING. I GHOSTED HER. GENERALLY GREAT, MY CLOSEST FRIENDS ARE THE ONLINE ONES I’VE KNOWN FOR YEARS.

Exploring how the choices we make on the internet affect our online privacy

BY KRIPA MAYURESHWAR

HERE’S A COOKIE 50%

Most websites offer a pop-up at the bottom of the screen after opening them for the first time — two buttons, one of them reading “ACCEPT COOKIES” and the other reading “MANAGE SETTINGS” or “DON’T SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION.”

According to thedrum.com, as of 2022, 43% of Americans accept all cookies, despite 81% of them saying they are concerned about how websites use their data.

of MVHS students accept all cookies on websites

*According to a survey of 105 people

Website cookies are text files that are stored on your devices by websites in order to remember information about you, such as your activity and preferences on the website — for example, it retains information about what items you add to your shopping cart on Amazon. Accepting cookies allows these sites to follow the trail of crumbs left by user activity, leading them to better personalize people’s experiences on the site.

Although some cookies are necessary for website function, accepting all third-party cookies gives websites the ability to sell and distribute users’ information. While most people are somewhat aware of what cookies do, the danger that these files potentially pose to user privacy remains unknown to many.

According to the book “Blown to Bits: Your Life, Liberty, and Happiness After the Digital Explosion” by Hal Abelson, Ken Ledeen and Harry Lewis, cookies are just one of several major factors that contribute to how websites build a detailed, in depth-profile of users.

In addition to tracking people’s

preferences through leaving cookies on their browsers, websites monitor users by tracking their IP addresses, which are numbers that identify and locate computers on the internet, and access unique browser information like type, version, graphics encoding and language. Websites that require users to log in through their email or an external account also have access to all the information related to that individual that is linked to that account.

While this doesn’t necessarily warrant becoming hypervigilant about one’s online presence, it should encourage more consciousness about where one displays their information and how accessible that information

stolen, primarily as a result of online activity, and people with social media accounts face a 46% greater risk of having their identities stolen. Data breaches can also release information that websites collect about its users, which has proven to be a prominent issue, as around 30,000 websites are hacked daily and 64% of companies worldwide have experienced cyber attacks.

As the most (chronically) online generation yet — 90% of teenagers use social media — we spend a lot of time on the internet, on various platforms, websites and social media, so it’s important to be aware of how that information can be used against us.

We can be more secure online by limiting the amount of places that we input our personal information, using VPNs, deleting old accounts and having distinct and secure passwords. To reduce the information already available to websites through cookies we’ve already accepted, we can clear

PHOTO|KRIPA MAYURESHWAR

ALL EYES ON ME

Uncovering the downsides of overusing Life360

Life360 is a location-sharing application where users can track the precise location of anyone

popular programs with over 47 million uses (as of September of 2022) to trick the app’s settings into falsely

it is first essential for families to have conversations and reach an understanding of what the app will

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STUDYING CINEMA

Exploring the goals of the Contemporary Literature film unit

BY JAMI LIM

As the final unit of the senior Contemporary Literature class, the film unit introduces students to the vast world of cinema through studying filmmaking and editing techniques. These practices culminate in the task of creating their own short films. Contemporary Literature teacher Jireh Tanabe aids her students through this unique opportunity.

“One of the things that I think is really special about this unit is that [students] actually analyze very much the same way that they would analyze texts, but they’re using films to do so,” Tanabe said. “Being able to visually see and tap into that part of your life that we normally use to analyze books is pretty powerful. It’s another way of practicing the same skill analysis and having the creative power to create something on your own.”

Utilizing the intensity of the thrillermystery genre, senior Katherine Chui’s group wrote a script containing heavy themes of social media’s impact. The story follows a teenage girl being peer pressured to maintain a social media presence – but as a result, catches the attention of an online stalker who infiltrates her life.

“We were researching the dangers of social media and how it can affect your life,” Chui said. “We decided to call [it] out because it’s a really prevalent issue in today’s society.”

In the same vein of peer influence and social media, senior Joey Bloom’s short film team, a group of avid gymgoers, felt compelled to explore the issues they were often exposed to in gym culture. Wanting to address its selfdestructive nature, they began creating a story about a gym-goer who sets out on selfimprovement and physical transformation, but is swept under the influence of online gym influencers who promote eating disorders and unhealthy habits as a means of achieving physical goals.

“We wanted to be a little more serious because obviously mental health is an important issue, but also make it something that people can relate to,” Bloom said. “We also want it to be an awareness movie of [how] putting in the work to better yourself doesn’t mean you have to harm yourself. [You can] be motivated to shape the better version of yourself but keep your values and morals so you don’t push things aside to reach those goals.”

Similarly, senior Krupa Shanware’s group wanted to highlight the detrimental effects of competitive high school sports. Shanware describes the story as a portrait of a student athlete as he is catapulted into stardom and overshadowed by his talents. Unsettled by his lack of genuine

connections, he embarks on a period of self-discovery, encountering lifealtering revelations along the way.

“I’m hoping that it’s an insight into someone’s life more than anything,” Shanware said. “I hope anyone who’s watching can connect with [it] if they are an athlete, and it’s a movie that makes you reflect a little bit about people you would consider celebrities.”

As the director of her short film, Shanware is tasked with management, as well as directing for an impactful visual experience. Shanware shares that the experience students gain through the assignment are personally rewarding.

“I’m realizing so much about what I watch,” Shanware said. “When I make my own movie, I’m realizing there’s an infinite amount of conscious choices I have to make and it just makes the film so much cooler.”

“TO VISUALLY SEE AND TAP INTO THAT PART OF YOUR LIFE THAT WE NORMALLY USE TO ANALYZE BOOKS IS PRETTY POWERFUL.”

ENGLISH TEACHER JIREH TANABE

ILLUSTRATION | CANVA

Seniors compete in student run games

BY SOPHIA MA AND ANGELA ZHANG

SENIOR ASSASSINS

enior Assassins was an unofficial event held outside of school exclusively for seniors that ran from April 11 to May 16.Inspired by the Senior Assassins trend from other schools, senior and co-organizer Student A, who remains anonymous because this was not a school sanctioned activity, was motivated to host an event to bring the senior class together. After announcing signups over the Senior Assassins Instagram, Student A recalls receiving phone calls from numbers they have never seen before from people interested in participating.

“My phone number was like a currency distributed around the school,” Student A said. “People were

not as big as other schools, people took this game more seriously. That’s what made it a lot more fun because we don’t have that many opportunities to have fun, [but when] we have the opportunity, we go hard.”

SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE

The game was structured as a roundbased tournament, beginning with approximately 41 duos who contributed $5 per person which culminated to a final prize pool of $340. Students tracked their assigned targets on Life360 with the goal of submitting recordings of them eliminating their targets with toy water guns to the Senior Assassins Instagram reels.

During the game, players would be safe from elimination if they wore protective immunity items — a bicycle helmet, pool floaties and swim goggles. The school campus and places of work were safe zones where players could not be eliminated.

Assassins champions Mulyn Kim and Joyce Lui devised various game plans such as keeping immunity items on them as if they were phones, keeping track of their targets’ houses and strategizing for hours outside Lui’s house. Despite

their tedious planning, they often made eliminations spontaneously after seeing their target’s vulnerability. This was the case when they saw their target off-campus on Life360, which led to Kim running to his location so quickly that she scraped her knee, elbow and hand.

“I feel like a lot of our kills were a spur-of-the-moment thing,” Lui said. “If it happens it happens. It’s kind of like fate sometimes because it’s just under the right conditions.”

During the finale, the nine finalists participated in a free-for-all week-long purge, where the team who eliminated the most players would win. After getting three kills, the most out of all the teams, Kim and Lui won the game.

Despite initially believing they had “zero chance” of winning, Kim and Lui say they joined Senior Assassins to show their school spirit. Throughout the games, they bonded with unexpected people over shared Senior Assassins stress, allowing them to connect with their class one last time before graduation. Kim reflects that Senior Assassins was ultimately a fun and rewarding experience, and was glad to have the opportunity to participate in it.

“My advice is [to] participate in the game,” Kim said. “It was something Joyce and I never would have done so it was a very spur-of-the-moment thing and out of our comfort zone. If we didn’t [participate in] Senior Assassins, we would just be doing our everyday life stuff. Even if you’re scared to do it, you should still do it.”

rom April 6 to 26, 110 seniors competed in MVHS’s first ever Senior Games, a series of challenges that culminated in a free prom ticket for the winner. Senior and Leadership students Itai Lavi and Darpan Singh were inspired to host the games in order to bring the senior class together for the last time.

“We did this to incentivize some camaraderie between our class because we thought that was a bit lacking,” Lavi said. “We were trying to have something exciting for the senior class that hasn’t been done before.”

Lavi and Singh took inspiration from Lynbrook High School’s version of Senior Games but changed some of the challenges to make MVHS’s version unique. Descriptions of each challenge were posted on the Senior Games Instagram account the day before.

The first series of challenges were dress-up tasks, where participants wore hats, mismatched shoes, sunglasses and gloves to school. If another player took a picture of someone not wearing all their items outside of class time, that person would be eliminated. Senior Aditya Mishra, a finalist in the games, enjoyed this challenge.

“One of the days you had to wear four of the items, [which] became a really cool challenge,” Mishra said. “Seeing everybody walk around trying to get people out was also really fun.”

In the next series of challenges, players were assigned randomly to groups and tasked with taking a selfie

together at various locations. Groups that did not submit their selfie in time were eliminated.

“That was actually my favorite part, seeing all the different groups together smiling,” Lavi said. “These are people that for the most part we didn’t think were friends with each other. [This challenge] really brought people together.”

Finally, the last 14 contenders competed in the finale game of Simon Says on April 26. Mishra was one of the first people to be eliminated after raising his hands by accident.

“I was trying pretty hard and I really wanted to win,” Mishra said. ”I was pretty disappointed. I thought [the finale game] should have been more creative because the rest of the challenges were a lot cooler.”

Senior Stephanie Zhao, the final winner of the Senior Games, agreed that the finale game was underwhelming. Nevertheless, Zhao felt proud after ultimately winning the grand prize.

“I honestly expected the finale to be a lot more difficult, so I didn’t think I was gonna win,” Zhao said. “But after there were five people [left], I thought that I had a chance.”

Senior Games was a success due to the positive reactions he saw from fellow seniors participating in the game. However, he says that they could have planned the challenges more in advance, as some of the challenge updates on Instagram were not posted in time.

“We were very grateful that people actually ended up enjoying the games,” Lavi said. “Obviously, there were some bumps in the road, like managing when to post and coming up with different games, but we think for most of us this first ever attempt was actually really successful.”

SENIOR

THAT WAS ACTUALLY MY FAVORITE PART, SEEING ALL THE DIFFERENT GROUPS TOGETHER SMILING.

ITAI LAVI

PHOTOS | SOPHIA MA

MOVIE MARAUDERS

Examining the MVHS community’s personal experiences with pirating movies

BY SAMIKA BHATKAR AND VINCENT ZHAO

Besides streaming, renting and going to the movie theater, resorting to websites that use digital piracy is one of many options for media consumers. Piracy is the act of downloading or distributing copyrighted material without paying for it. In the early 1990s, digital piracy made its way through new technology, particularly the MP3 computer file that compressed data and allowed users to download copyrighted material and upload it onto the internet. Throughout the years, piracy has become increasingly common as overall viewership of pirated content hits an average of 230 billion views a year. Out of a survey of 103 students at MVHS, 69% admitted to viewing copyrighting entertainment.

Sophomore Saanvi Goyal confesses to pirating entertainment and is an avid user of the popular pirating websites Soap2Day and 123Movies. Goyal finds that the convenience of not having to pay for a streaming service and the variety of the websites motivates her to pirate media such as the TV show “Young Sheldon.”

“It’s typically easier to just grab [entertainment] from Soap2Day than to have to go through actually having to buy all the content,”

Goyal said. “With 123Movies, typically they’ll have the mainstream films two or three weeks after they get released. They have a lot of sports content and a good amount of TV

shows that are fairly popular. It has a pretty wide range of content.”

Similarly, sophomore Rohin Garg and anonymous junior, Student A, both admit to pirating content through Soap2Day and other domains for the convenience factor. Garg uses the platform to watch pirated sports content while Student A uses it to watch the TV show “Grey’s Anatomy.”

69%

MVHS

“I feel like piracy is an option for people who can’t afford streaming services including people on low income salaries,” Student A said. “It would just be easier for them to pirate since they can’t buy or purchase the content.”

Goyal agrees and notes the benefits: not only do people who pirate get content for free, but the implications of pirating aren’t expected.

Goyal feels that although she knows she is accessing illegally obtained content, she doesn’t fear facing direct consequences.

As Goyal, Garg and Student A use these websites, they have noticed the poor security and risks that accompany them. Garg and Student A say that frequent pop-up advertisements occur on “Soap2Day.” While Student A simply ignores them, Garg uses an ad blocker to work around these ads. To protect themselves from the poor security of these websites, they use a VPN to hide their browsing history. Since VPNs encrypt the user’s IP address, they prevent the user’s browsing activity from being monitored by their Internet Service Provider. In particular, Goyal has noticed other security risks and ensures that she practices safe measures while using Soap2Day.

“I don’t sign up for any accounts or anything like that,” Goyal said. “A lot of these sites will ask you for your credit card information even though it’s free. I try to keep my information anonymous and just use the guest setting on all these websites to prevent them from being able to have access to my information.”

Although Garg and Student A know they could face consequences for using these illegal streaming websites, their parents’ more lenient opinions on illegal streaming spare them some worry. For Garg’s parents, their only concerns are cybersecurity risks. Similarly, Student A notes that their parents don’t see the point in buying streaming services because they are deemed unnecessary if they already use pirating websites.

of

students felt that pirating movies and TV was ethical

*According to a survey of 91 people

‘‘ I FEEL LIKE PIRACY IS AN OPTION FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN’T AFFORD STREAMING SERVICES INCLUDING PEOPLE ON LOW INCOME SALARIES. STUDENT A JUNIOR

However, Goyal’s parents don’t know she pirates content as they are more averse to piracy. Goyal’s parents have two streaming services and when they feel like watching a new movie release, they use Red Box or rent a DVD.

As each of these students are aware of the consequences of piracy, they are also aware of the ethical and moral dilemmas that accompany engaging in piracy. Goyal feels although piracy isn’t completely ethical, it doesn’t cause major harm and allows people to get access to content they’d have to pay for otherwise.

Furthermore, Garg and Goyal try to stray away from pirating content from smaller filmmakers that suffer more noticeable losses to piracy compared to larger, blockbuster-type films. Specifically, Goyal has noticed piraters on YouTube take advantage of smaller content creators.

“If you’re pirating things like big shows or big movies, it probably isn’t

going to hurt the corporations that produce them that much,” Goyal said. “But for smaller films, for example, on YouTube, there are channels that will pirate movies from small filmmakers, and they’ll do 10-minute movie recaps and people watch that instead. I think that is probably ethically the worst kind of piracy.”

Garg agrees and feels the morality of people pirating movies depends on the context. Typically, he believes that if consumers want to view a smaller industrylevel film, it’s worth it to buy the movie rather than

to pirate. Although Goyal believes streaming websites can try to lower prices and offer smaller plans to media consumers so they don’t suffer significant losses due to piracy, Student A feels there is no solution.

“No one’s going to have a website where everything’s free legally, right?” Student A said. “In the context of capitalism, I highly doubt that solution would even exist.”

PHOTO | SOPHIA MA

‘‘ IF IT’S A SMALLER FILM INDUSTRY THAT YOU WANT TO SUPPORT, IT’S A SMARTER IDEA TO ACTUALLY BUY THE MOVIE.

ROHIN GARG

SOPHOMORE

PROM 2023 LOOKBOOK

Revealing what students wore to prom

BY CHIRAN ARUMUGAM AND AASHI VENKAT

LEMON LIU

Junior Lemon Liu meticulously curated her prom outfit to reflect her personal style and make a statement. Opting for a stunning black dress as the base of their outfit, they found all the necessary components on etsy. com. The dress itself resonated with him, exuding a certain “vibe” that he chose in order to specifically match concept photos from the song “Black Swan” by BTS.

“The dress is personal to me because it’s my favorite color at the moment,” Liu said. “I think the vibe of

the dress really matches what I like to typically wear. It’s giving Black Swan — emo, but sophisticated emo.”

In addition to the black dress, Liu added black wings and leaflike components, finishing the outfit off with black gloves. Although she initially considered another outfit, Liu ultimately settled on the black dress and accessories, which aligned with her style and offered comfort.

“I was looking at other [outfits], but none of them really clicked with me and I was debating whether or not I should wear a suit or traditional cultural clothing, a qipao, but I still wanted to wear black, so I was like, let’s look at black dresses,” Liu said.

Liu originally planned on custommaking some of the parts of their dress themselves, but because of the decision being too close to prom, they had to order some parts online. However, they spent time putting together each part of the outfit in an intricate way to make sure it was the “most personal” to them.

“It felt like an epiphany to add the wings and find that dress,” Liu said. “I feel like there is a certain part of creativity with the whole outfit, so I’m kind of proud of myself for how it

PHOTOS|AASHIVENKAT

VED ANUMALA

Decked out in a black and white tuxedo, senior Ved Anumala describes his outfit as more traditional compared to what others are wearing to prom. However, he says the lines on the shirt add character, setting it apart from the typical plain white dress shirt.

“The shirt has some different lining to it that is from Switzerland that makes it special,” Anumala said. “I was originally going for a plain white dress shirt. But then when I saw it, I was like, ‘Hey, that looks pretty interesting,’ so I kind of just went with it.”

A sage green bow tie adds a pop of color to his outfit. Anumala

ALICIA XU

Dressed in a green hanfu, a traditional Chinese dress, senior Alicia Xu sought to get more in touch with her culture through her senior prom attire. According to Xu, her mother picked out the dress when shopping in China, going with a green dress since green is Xu’s favorite color.

“I’ve been thinking about this dress since last prom,” Xu said. “I have a friend of a friend who [is] Japanese and she’s really into her culture and trying to reconnect with [it more], and I was thinking the same thing. I’ve been feeling really disconnected from my

Chinese heritage. My mom went back to visit China for the first time a few weeks ago, and that really inspired me to reconnect with my roots and my ancestry, [so] I thought it would be really nice to try something different and [wear] a cultural dress.”

attributes this to his date’s dress, as he purchased the bow tie from Tuxedo Warehouse to match her dress.

“I really like her dress and in the process of picking it out, it was between a darker green and sage green and I thought sage green was pretty good,” Anumala said. “And I also thought it works better with the black and white because even though it’s so simple, it still looks pretty good.”

WATCH OUT FOR ...

Movies to watch out for, coming this summer

BY MELODY CUI AND DARPAN SINGH

SUMMER LOVIN‘

Spice up your summer with a new experience

BY MEGGIE CHEN

COST: $

POSSIBLE LOCATION: Santa Cruz

Coming in at around $100 per dive, scuba diving is among the cheaper options and extremely accessible to us in the Bay Area. Take a couple hours out of your hectic day to surround yourself with the serene blue of the ocean.

PARAGLIDING

COST: $$$

POSSIBLE LOCATION: San Martin

Recreational skydiving is a more expensive endeavor, with an average of about $200 per dive. Both indoor and outdoor options are available throughout the general Bay Area. An exhilarating experience that’s over in a matter of minutes, skydiving gives you a spike of adrenaline to spice up your summer break. All it takes is some courage and a leap of faith.

COST: $$

POSSIBLE LOCATION: San Francisco

Paragliding costs about $150 for a 15 minute flight and involves jumping off a high structure with an inflatable wing to glide through the air. Float through the sky and see breathtaking scenery from a birds-eye view. Requiring little movement on your own part, all you need to do is sit back, relax and enjoy the views.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | MEGGIE CHEN

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | MEGGIE CHEN

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | MEGGIE CHEN

COMMITTED!

Exploring the journeys of three college recruits for their respective sports

ALEXA BAXTER

Senior Alexa Baxter committed to the California Institute of Technology to pursue both her academic and soccer career. While it was not her initial goal to get recruited to play a sport, due to the time commitment, she took up this opportunity as Caltech was rated well academically.

“Soccer is a way for me to get away from school for a little bit [and] focus on something else,” Baxter said. “I like [the] teamwork that’s playing into the sport and you can make some really good friends on your team. I don’t really want to [play] soccer past college. It’s not a goal of mine, but I [can] hopefully help the team to score more goals.”

HAYDEN ANCHETA

When senior Hayden Ancheta initially started his college recruiting process, he received multiple offers from a variety of colleges and universities. For Ancheta, this wasn’t a surprise, and eventually, he chose SFSU, which provided a balance between all the aspects he considered while deciding which university to attend.

“I could possibly be competing at a world championship in a year or two years — that’s one of the bucket list [items] I just want to check off,” Ancheta said. “It’s actually insane how the opportunity is just right there in front of me. I want to be an NCAA champion. I want to win the Olympics. I just want to experience this sport at the highest level.”

RYAN TANG

Senior Ryan Tang committed to Occidental College to play Division III Men’s Water Polo, and although he wasn’t initially going to pursue the sport after high school, his coach motivated him to consider it as an option. An Occidental College coach came to watch Tang play to consider him as a potential recruited athlete.

“My coach told me about [Occidental] because one of his kids went there and they loved it, so we reached out to the coach to come watch me play,” Tang said. “In that game, under the pressure of being watched, I was able to play well and built a relationship with the Occidental coach.”

PHOTO | KRISH DEV

PHOTO COURTESY OF HAYDEN ANCHETA

PHOTO | KALYANI PUTHENPURAYIL

ILLUSTRATIONS | LAUREN CHUU AND KALYANI PUTHENPURAYIL

SWITCHING SPORTS

Highlighting athletes who transitioned from playing one sport to another

BY TRISHA SANNAPPANAVAR AND STEPHANIE ZHANG

Despite dancing for over 10 years and being on the MV Dance Team for three, senior Alicia Lee decided to leave dancing for Color Guard. Although it was a hard decision, Lee says the main reason she chose to stop dancing stemmed from management issues and “it [not being] a great environment for [her].” Additionally, she was also urged by friends to join Color Guard.

Lee’s decision to leave MVDT and join Color Guard was one she thought a lot about. Oftentimes, she would think she had solidified her decision, but it wouldn’t be long before she rethought her choice. While Lee felt some initial regret at the beginning of the Color Guard season, she ultimately believes it was the right decision.

Although Color Guard has been a major time commitment for her, especially during competition season, Lee says the community she has found

within the team has been extremely rewarding, as her teammates make an effort to hang out with each other outside of practices.

“The Color Guard community exists even outside the sport,” Lee said. “The mentors are a lot more supportive and care about things outside of just logistical aspects, which forms a really nice community. I’m glad I went through with this decision — I got to get closer with different people, make new connections and try out a new sport.”

Lee recognizes that although she’s not on the dance team anymore, she has still remained connected to dance, as Color Guard has allowed her to utilize the technique skills she learned throughout her many years of dancing.

“[Color Guard and dance] are similar and different at the same time because they both have aspects of

didn’t. Instead, he chose to pursue track and field, which was an easy transition since he was already training for it.

dance and performance,” Lee said. “But Color Guard is more equipment based because you have flags, weapons and other things. I feel like I liked both and I still like both, it’s just that [Color Guard] is something different.”

ETHAN LU

During quarantine, junior Ethan Lu lost the motivation to continue playing soccer. By the end of quarantine, even though a lot of his teammates went back to playing soccer in person, Lu

“After I quit soccer, I dedicated a lot more time to running track, and then during my freshman year season, I wanted to improve and that was why I started getting really into track,” Lu said. “[After quarantine] restrictions were lifted, the school track team could start training together again and start meeting. That was when I started — [it] was good timing, because it was my first year [at] school and I got lucky [since] I could run in the track team.”

SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE

In track, Lu was able to monitor his improvements very regularly and know when his times were improving. While the teamwork aspect made soccer less tiring for Lu, it also made it harder for him to monitor his improvements. Even when he was improving at soccer, his team as a whole might not have improved, which he found disheartening.

“From the beginning, I’ve just enjoyed running track, but I wouldn’t say there’s any certain moment that really made me think that track was the right decision,” Lu said. “It’s just everything — it’s always been fun.”

When Lu quit soccer, he already knew he would enjoy track, as track was also a way for him to stay fit and continue his passion for running.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ETHAN LU | USED WITH PERMISSION

PHOTO | DARAPN SINGH

ALICIA LEE

SPORTS

RECAP

Examining the 2023 spring sports season results

BY IRENE TANG

ABOVE: Seniors Clara Takahashi and Aneesha Sinha and sophomore Lotus Wu pose at the end of a hip-hop performance to “Get on My Level” with all MV Dance Team members. MVDT held its Spring Showcase on May 12, featuring performances from MVDT, Andaaz, Bhangra, Korean Club Dance Crew and Winter Guard, as well as solos performed by dance team members. Afterward, MVDT seniors were given flowers and farewell messages in an emotional send-off.

ABOVE: Senior Joey Bloom competes in the butterfly stroke on against Los Altos High School, where MVHS lost 105-40.

PHOTO | KRISH DEV

stroke on April 18 at a 48-event swim meet

on April 25 due to shaky offense at the start of the game.

trips, sickness, and other circumstances out of their control, but the team bounced back from this setback and were victorious.

ABOVE: Junior Varchas Athreya tips the ball toward two blockers and scores a point in the game against Lynbrook High School on April 26, which the team lost 3-1.

RIGHT: Senior Rithwik Nukala steps into a backhand shot in his doubles round against Palo Alto High School. Varsity Badminton defeated PHS 17-13 on April 26. The lineup was changed because of player absences due to school

LEFT: Senior Xander Mommer throws a fastball in Varsity Baseball’s game against Saratoga High School, which the team lost 15-2

PHOTO | ALAN TAI

PHOTO | LAUREN CHUU

PHOTO | JAMI LIM

PHOTO | SOPHIA MA

PHOTO | BRANDON XU

PHOTO | KATHRYN FOO