Volume 47, Issue 3, Dec. 7, 2016

Issue III Volume XLVII

December 2016

el ESTOOUE Monta Vista High School

13

SPECIAL

One person’s journey with drug use

20

OPINION

Examining the adverse effects of a bragging culture

29

A&E

Exploring activities to do over break

40

SPORTS

El Estoque members try winter sports

AIDS AWARENESS MONTH Reflecting on the progress in treatment and social perception of AIDS since the 1980s

SPECIAL

c o n t e n t s

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EL ESTOQUE /OCT. 2016

6 8 12

NEWS IMMUNE TOGETHER FOLLOWING THE CURVE A PIECE OF ME

OPINION 19 20 22 23 24

TROPHY STUDENTS BRAGGING CULTURE IT’S UNPROVEN SELF SATIRE

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COOK IT YOURSELF

THE WORST OF 2016

A&E 36 38 39

COLOR IT YOURSELF IT’S A DATE CAT’S OUT OF THE BAG

SPORTS 46

44

TAKING THEIR SHOT

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SPORTS FLASH

PRATHIK RAO

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EXPLORE IT YOURSELF

A LOST CITY

ZERO SHOTS ZERO GOALS 90 MINUTES TAKING THE HIGH ROAD

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13

10

A DIFFERENT CANVAS

MAKE IT YOURSELF

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5 BEYOND THE SMOKE SCREEN

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

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

Editors-in-Chief: Avni Prasad, Mingjie Zhong Managing Editors: Kalpana Gopalkrishnan, Trisha Kholiya, Aditya Pimplaskar, Hannan Waliullah Copy Editors: Bill Cheng, Karen Ma, Jessica Xing Webmaster: Sharjeel Rahman, Krishna Sunder Graphics Editor: Becca Zheng News Editors: Claire Cheng, Ilena Peng, Chetana Ramaiyer, Sepand Rouz, Nate Stevens Himani Yalamaddi Sports Editors: Amanda Chan, Om Khandekar, Aditya Krishnan, Akshara Majjiga Entertainment Editors: Ananya Bhat, Aanchal Garg, Dylan Tsai, Devika Watawe Opinion Editors: Brighton Balfrey, Vivian Chiang, Shriya Deshpande, Sara Entezar Special Report Editors: Elizabeth Han, Emma Lam, Daniel Lin, ZaZu Lippert, Priya Reddy Beats Editors: Jennie Chen, Andrea Schlitt Visuals Editors: Vijeet Chaugule, Roshan Fernandez Business Editors: Tyler Lin, Albert Wang Public Relations: Sannidhi Menon, Anthony Moll, Tyler Lin, Himani Yalamaddi Staff writers: Rana Aghababazadeh, Helen Chao, Ruth Feng, Gauri Kaushik, Stephanie Lam, Sannidhi Menon, Anthony Moll, Shayon Moradi, Katerina Pappas, Karen Sanchez, Mallika Singh, Anjini Venugopal, Albert Wang, Kingsley Wang, Jackie Way, Chelsea Wong, Michelle Wong Adviser: Julia Satterthwaite Mission Statement El Estoque is an open forum created for and by students of Monta Vista High School.

Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the journalism staff and not of Monta Vista High School or the Fremont Union High School District. The staff seeks to recognize individuals, events, and ideas and bring news to the MVHS community in a manner that is professional, unbiased, and thorough in order to effectively serve our readers. We strive to report accurately, and we will correct any significant error. If you believe such an error has been made, please contact us. Letters of any length should be submitted via email or mail. They may be edited for length or accuracy. Letters cannot be returned and will be published at El Estoque’s discretion. We also reserve the right to reject advertising due to space limitations or decision of the Editorial Board that content of the advertisement conflicts with the mission of the publication.

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EL ESTOQUE / DEC. 2016

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS... here were 36.7 million people living with AIDS or HIV throughout the world by 2015, according to the World Health Organization. That same year, 1.1 million individuals died worldwide of AIDS-related illnesses.

AIDS. The virus, or even its subsequent infection HIV, elicits a myriad of instinctive responses from individuals today. Some of us will remember the terror of the 1980s AIDS epidemic — the unrelentless panic that lasted over a decade. Some of us will remember, and involuntarily shudder at, the fear that freshman year sexual education curriculums may have struck into our hearts about HIV infection — the lack of a permanent cure only making things worse.

And some of us will think that AIDS is a relic of the past and know almost nothing about the frightening disease.

When our reporters pitch and write stories, one of the primary goals is to spread information. We see our role as journalists as something that equates to an obligation to tell true stories, to provide perhaps lesser known information to our audience and to eliminate the pervasive nature of false information and misguided theories.

Did you know that you can’t contract AIDS through all bodily fluids, that you cannot become infected through saliva, sweat, tears and urine? That mosquitoes cannot spread AIDS? That AIDS can be contracted from heterosexual contact, and not just homosexual contact?

With the purpose of storytelling and raising awareness in mind, on p. 6, staff writers Karen Sanchez, Hannan Waliullah and Jessica Xing explore the medical and social evolution of AIDS for December, AIDS Awareness Month. Our sources were willing to share their stories and their struggles in the face of something we’ve been taught to see as a terrifying disease, something that has borne too many misconceptions, something an entire generation of people were taught to ostracize and fear as a stain upon the LGBTQ+ community.

Coming forward to share your story is hard, and we recognize that. And so we applaud and respect the sources who did come forward in our stories. Because AIDS is not something we can battle individually. It takes a group effort to fight something so invasive, so implacable.

And so we must stand together.

Want to know how to use our

Qr codes?

ADVErTISe WITH EL ESTOQUE Reach an audience of over 2,300 students and parents by advertising for your business in our print magazine and website. Learn more at elestoque.org/advertise, or contact mv.el.estoque@gmail.com.

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I

N 1981, AIDS WAS discovered in America as a rare lung infection in five gay men. In 1982, Santa Clara County HIV planning council co-chair and gay man Bob Reed moved to San Jose. In 1984, the first of his friends started to die.

In 1986, Reed tested positive for HIV, but the test only confirmed what he knew.

AIDS is no longer the death sentence it was 30 years ago, but it still left a significant impact on the American public. This can be seen in how people today deal with the lasting effects of the epidemic: through medication, through awareness, and despite the times, through fear.

In 1988, December BOB REED was named AIDS Awareness Month, but awareness happens through the little things: support groups, free HIV tests and, most importantly, through remembrance.

The first signs of HIV were found in Los Angeles and began to pop up in San Francisco and New York where there where high concentrations of LGBTQ+ people. In 1982 the disease was first referred to as GRIDS, otherwise known as Gay Related Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

“A lot of my friends were in their twenties, and we thought we were going to die. So we just partied that much more, might as well have a good time before we die right?” Reed said.

“We knew that something bad was going on but we didn’t know what it was; we just knew a lot of us were losing our friends.”

He worked as a nurse until he retired in 1997. Reed had first quit his nursing job at the hospital in 1987 when he found out he was HIV positive, but later continued to work as a nurse in an HIV clinic in San Jose. He recounted the nurses at his hospital who refused to treat HIV positive patients and nurses at the HIV clinic who wouldn’t tell their family where they worked in fear of being shunned.

Science teacher Andrew Goldenkranz, who worked in public health at the time, remembered many people dying in isolation. Public community centers were being shut down, the gyms, places where people congregated — it made it easy for people to point fingers. Intravenous drug users and the LGBTQ+ community became scapegoats in a period of growing paranoia and fear.

“Early on the emphasis was on education and prevention,” Goldenkranz said. “We had to address everything one thing at a time because the reality of public health is that it’s a lot easier to scare people than it is to unscare them.”

The disease went from being called GRIDS to AIDS in 1982. Two years later, public health began to heavily emphasize safe sex, especially the use of condoms, which became free in order to combat the AIDS epidemic, according to Goldenkranz.

In 1986, the virus that caused AIDS was officially named HIV. AIDS was then understood as a failure of the immune system, HIV itself infecting T cells so the body was more susceptible to disease.

But the fear was still present in light of the progress. The department manager from Reed’s apartment complex tried to get him and his son kicked out when she found out he was HIV positive.

“I can tell you I didn’t get kicked out, and

SO WE JUST PARTIED THAT MUCH MORE, MIGHT AS WELL HAVE A GOOD TIME BEFORE WE DIE RIGHT?

the department manger left, so I won,” Reed said. “There was a great emotional cost [to having HIV]. I thought I was going to be dead within a year, within two years. I was a single parent and I didn’t know what I was going to do with my son. It was tears, doom and gloom, and it took a long time for that doom to go away.”

Goldenkranz elaborates on the fear in the community, the negative as well as positive reactions. There were many people dying; people would get sick, come out to their parents, and they would get kicked out, disowned. But as people reacted in fear, support systems began weaving their way through the community.

For Reed, his local gay AA group provided him and many young, gay men with support. He believes that drinking wasn’t the problem as much lack of emotional support was. Goldenkranz recounts Cupertino’s action of support: the city sewed together a giant memorial quilt for their loved ones, a public testimony, which was laid on the football field, spanning from one side to the other at Cupertino High School.

“It was called the AIDS quilt and they would just put them in lines so you could walk around all around them,” Goldenkranz said. “After [Cupertino], people would do them in big cities like Golden Gate Park, or you go to National Mall and the quilt would go on for miles and that was when people were really starting to see the magnitude of what was happening.”

HIV IS A FLUID BORNE VIRUS — there are four main avenues which it spreads: blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk. In the 1980s the questions surrounding the virus were driven by other’s paranoia: Could you share a toilet seat with someone who has AIDS? Could you get it from swapping sweat in a sports game? Could you get it from kissing someone?

These were the myths Goldenkranz worked to dispel when he began working as a middle school teacher in the Santa Cruz district in the 1980’s. His students would raise questions regarding spit, toilet seats and kissing. As it turns out, a person would need to exchange a quart of saliva

IMMUNE TOGETHER

BY KAREN SANCHEZ, HANNAN WALLIULLAH AND JESSICA XING

EL ESTOQUE

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EL ESTOQUE / DEC. 2016

ILLUSTRATION| HANNAN WALLIULLAH

1987, he planned to retire, thinking he was going to die within the year. The only doctor he had seen about his HIV was the one who told him his T - Cell count. Then in San Jose he stumbled upon the first HIV clinic he had ever seen.

“I put in an application to see if I could get a job, and I did, because I was just excited to have found the clinic. It gave me hope actually, because a lot of people, we’d literally have hundreds of patients, but not very many of them died,” Reed said. “I wouldn’t have survived if i hadn’t come across this clinic.”

For a long time Reed said his disease made him complacent. But over the years, surviving and seeing progress “activated [him].” In 2004, he joined the HIV council, a group that works to provide HIV/AIDS help to people who can’t afford it.

DESPITE THE PROGRESS, the fear that was once so prominent can still be felt throughout different communities, the lingering paranoia seen in, according to Shankar, people’s perception of AIDS and gay men — the 12 month restriction on donating blood still perpetuating the stereotypes of gay men. “[It’s a stereotype] that all that [gay men do] is have sex all of the time, which is why people think they are so susceptible to passing on AIDS,” Shankar said. “So that’s where [the gay plague] stems from. That’s why [blood drives] are hesitant of them donating blood because they think they are not truthful [about] their sexual activity.”

In the past, blood contaminated with AIDS has been used for heart operations, which is why modern day blood donation policies are strict about donors. Restrictions include those who have had male to male sexual contact, contact with a prostitute or any female who has had sexual contact with a male who’s had previous sexual history with another male.

But as the fear falls more to the background, AIDS is perceived as less of an issue. Shankar, who is a part of a couple of LGBTQ+ Facebook groups, has seen the disease take a backseat to more pressing issues to the community currently.

However, with the recent outcome of the presidential elections, the fight against AIDS may have reached another pivotal point in history. Since the presidential election, there has been an increase in hate crimes.

And while Reed explains that the public has become more educated over the past few

ILLUSTRATION | AANCHAL GARG

with another person in order to transmit HIV. “And since they were middle school kids, they thought it was so gross to even imagine a quart a saliva much less how it would get that into their body,” Goldenkranz said.

“That they decided not to worry about it anymore, So we did the same thing with sweat and soda bottles. We had to work around [the fear] through education.”

Progress has been made in strides — both in terms of medicine and of social perception. People with AIDS can live a long and fulfilling life; the FDA as of 2015 has lifted the lifetime ban on gay men donating blood, instead changing it to 12 months.

And people have worked hard to achieve that progress. According to senior Kush Shankar, who’s a part of the LGBTQ+ community, the progress in the past has allowed the gay youth today not have as many “bad stories” regarding the epidemic.

The progress continues in centers such as Billy DeFrank Community Center. Located in San Jose, Billy DeFrank is a safe environment for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

For the past 10 years, the organization has provided free HIV testing.

Crystal Haney has been the HIV testing facilitator for DeFrank for the past 14 years, and currently works in the organization that runs DeFrank’s HIV clinic, Asian Americans for Community Involvement, or AACI. She states that in getting free HIV testing, privacy and consent are the most important terms clients need in order to not only understand their rights, but also the responsibilities of the organization. Once tested, the organization provides a wide range of STD, mental health and rehabilitation referrals.

“Having it on site here encourages people to feel safe and secure in that there’s going to be less judgment than at another site, especially being an LGBTQ+ community center,” Haney said. “Anonymous testing allows for people to feel more comfortable — they don’t have to worry about their own personal life being disclosed to random individuals.”

Haney believes it’s important to properly manage the virus through awareness, as it allows someone to take the steps needed to prevent HIV infection and live a healthy life.

“We have very close ties with the communities; most of our staff identifies as LGBTQ+,” Haney said. “Back then we didn’t have the Internet as such a big resource.

You had the bars and then you had community centers, and there was some level of anonymity from the outside world. By having a HIV testing clinic on site, people are already here, so why not get tested?”

When Reed quit his nursing job in

years, the stigma that Reed, along with the LGBTQ+ community, has been trying to erase may soon reappear. He fears potential cuts in funding will considerably restrict his and others access to medication.

“People have been gay bashed or AIDS bashed in the name of the new administration,” Reed said. “and progress we’ve made towards stigma, although it [hasn’t been] completely undone because not everyone is that ignorant, we’ve been set back many years now, and [the] stigma will be a new persistent problem for a long time to come.”

Haney feels it’s important to keep AIDS awareness in perspective, no matter how progressive the treatment for the virus may become. There must be effort made to make sure the past is not repeated whether it be AIDS or any other STD. “AIDS was a death sentence; it was something that people your age suffered.

People that shouldn’t be getting sick.

Whether on the medication or not, they were wasting away and dying. A shadow of their former selves,” Haney said. “It’s come a long way from the imaginable death sentence.

Now things look a lot better, but that’s meaningless if people don’t pay attention.”

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E

VERY WEDNESDAY MORNING, MANY MVHS students sleep in — savoring any extra second of sleep they can get, enjoying their late start, seeing as their first class of the day doesn’t start until 9:25. The teachers on the other hand have to arrive on campus roughly two hours earlier, at 7:35 a.m. Instead of sleeping in, the teachers meet with their Professional Learning Community (PLC), which is a group of teachers who typically teach the same course. They discuss essential learnings, common formative assessments and student progress.

Once every other month, during these Wednesday morning meetings, the entire department meets to discuss important issues, including grade distributions. At the end of each grading period, students are given a reminder of their grades through progress reports. Although this is common information, 36% of students didn’t know that teachers are also given a reminder of their students’ grades through their grade distributions. Administration compiles and runs reports to compare the grade distributions of all the teachers in each department. These grade distribution spreadsheets are emailed to all the teachers in that department. That is, up until the recent grading period, when the administration decided to stop sending these distributions out.

“We’re trying to do some discussions about maybe standardizing how they’re shared amongst departments. There’s no really standard or expectation set with [the grade distributions] ... We held back on sharing them until we had a chance to talk about how they’re currently used by each department and how should they be used,” Assistant Principal Michael Hicks said.

This past Tuesday, on Dec. 6, all of the departments leads met with the administration to discuss the sharing of grade distributions. They talked about how these grade distributions are currently used

and discussed what to do with them moving grading for? ... With so much confusion, I forward. really think we need to evolve and come up When sharing grade distributions, it with a system that works for our students became apparent to the teachers that and keeps them motivated and engaged for there is variation in the grade distributions learning.” of teachers teaching the same subject.

Gupta says this confusion is what leads According to junior Albert Yang, this is to variation in grade distributions among a problem. teachers teaching the same classes.

“We should have a more standardized According to World Core and Mythology/ distribution [of grades],” Yang said. “It Folklore teacher Jireh Tanabe, the first step could provide for more ease of stress and is to have conversation. more learning.” “[This confusion] requires a conversation Yang has experienced teachers in the past that we haven’t been able to have,” Tanabe who, compared to said. “I think that others teaching right now we should the same subject, be asking questions have set different rather than looking standards. 86% of for answers and MVHS students trying to figure out have dealt with [what] they actually this issue as well. mean because I AP Chemistry believe questions are teacher Kavita more valuable than Gupta agrees answers.” with Yang in Teachers themselves that she believes have found different AP CHEMISTRY TEACHER students taking ways to avoid these KAVITA GUPTA the same course discrepancies. Gupta with the same used to work with skill level should receive a similar grade, former AP Chemistry teacher Mary Murphy despite who is teaching the course. to ensure consistency. They would grade “From where I sit, either as a parent or as all formal assessments together to ensure an educator, I feel [that the variation in that the students were receiving similar grade distribution] is an issue,” Gupta said. treatment, despite having different teachers.

“If they are getting exactly the same credit “I think then the teachers have to really talk through FUHSD [and] getting the same to each other, have common assessments diploma, then how is it fair?” [and] have essential learnings,” Gupta said.

Although she believes it’s unfair, Gupta “And to me personally, if we are totally in a also recognizes that for teachers, setting a growth mindset, standard space grading is universal standard across classes is harder not a bad way to look at things.” than it seems.

The standard space grading system “I think there’s so much confusion among that Gupta referred to is a system teachers about the purpose, role or criteria that grades students’ mastery for grading,” Gupta said. “Are we grading for knowledge, the content? Are we grading for their study skills? Are we grading for their citizenship? What are we even

FOR ME LEARNING IS NON-NEGOTIABLE … [THE AMOUNT OF] TIME TAKEN TO LEARN IS NOT [IMPORTANT].

I FOLLO W 45% 8

EL ESTOQUE /Dec. 2016

55%

Yes No

Do you have teachers who say that only a certain amount of students can get an A?

*from a survey of 260 students

76%

47% 53%

Yes No

Have you ever selected courses for your schedule to avoid a “difficult” teacher?

24%

*from a survey of 257 students

Yes No

G N Are you aware that teachers’ grades are made public to others in their department? *from a survey of 258 students

of skills. Many teachers adopt the ideals of standard space grading. For example, Tanabe offers students low risk opportunities initially to give them a chance to practice before testing them on these skills. Similarly, Gupta believes in the idea of retakes as a second chance.

“If I don’t give them a retake or don’t retest them in some way, how do I ensure that they learn?” Gupta said. “For me learning is nonnegotiable … [The amount of] time taken to learn is not [important].”

Among all the ideas proposed to fix this problem, having a conversation always resurfaces. Hicks thinks teachers should discuss and come to a consensus about what the expectations of the students should be.

According to Hicks, this will ensure that all the students get equal opportunities.

“You can get closer with grade distribution, you’re never going to get it perfect, or ideally matching and I don’t think that’s necessarily the goal,” Hicks said. “But you can imagine if [teachers are]... working together with what’s most important and how [they are] going to measure and what that means, then you’re going to see some natural alignment with grade distribution.”

Hicks suggests that sharing this data is imperative to move forward.

“It takes a little bit of putting yourself in a “I believe that... the mastery that you vulnerable state to share that information demonstrate should reflect your grade,” with your colleagues,” Hicks said. Tanabe said. “If someone grades differently, “[Teachers] really have to build those levels then that’s just something that you have to and layers of trust to be able to have those get used to because that’s what happens in conver s at ions life. Life isn’t fair … about things such If everything was as grades … The fair, we’d always hope is, as time get our way. It’s not marches on, we get as heterogeneous more comfortable as we think it is. So using that data to I think it requires facilitate those a conversation conversations.” to happen and According to Gupta, collaboration to for the benefit of happen on an the students as WORLD ongoing level.”

CORE AND well as the fairness Tanabe agrees classes at MVHS, MYTHOLOGY/FOLKLORE with Gupta in that sharing these TEACHER JIREH TANABE all people have grade distributions different ways of are vital. learning and take different amounts of time “If there is a vast grade difference… [and] to understand the material. Teachers can’t different teacher’s grades are different, then make their grading standards exactly the we need to feel vulnerable,” Gupta said. “We same because there are many factors that need to understand that there is a problem play into it.

Recognition of a problemis the first step.”

“They’re different people and they have However, Gupta also recognizes teachers different expectations of you and so it’s are also inherently different. They all have learning to adjust in that way,” Tanabe varying personalities and there’s no way said. “I think if we’re completely the same, to control that. completely lockstep … why do we need live human teachers? Why don’t we just have robots teach? Why doesn’t everybody take a Khan Academy class? Here, you do have real, live, people who are different and that’s the beauty of teaching. It shouldn’t be the same because we don’t expect [students] to be the same.”

IT SHOULDN’T BE THE SAME BECAUSE WE DON’T EXPECT [STUDENTS] TO BE THE SAME.

C E H U T R G VE

BY CHETANA RAMAIYER AND MALLIKA SINGH

The practice of sharing teacher’s grade distributions is temporarily stopped in order to evaluate its effectiveness 86%

79%

Do you think teachers grading differently is a problem?

69%

Do you think teachers’ grades being public causes competition among staff members?

*from a survey of 257 students

14% Yes No

*from a survey of 257 students

Yes No

68% 32%

31%

21% Yes No

Have you heard about or experienced teachers who teach the same class grading differently?

*from a survey of 256 students

Yes No

Do you think that teachers are under the same amount of stress students are under? *from a survey of 259 students

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The process of applying to college through art portfolios

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BY RUTH FENG AND ZAZU LIPPERT

H

ad it not been for art teacher Brian Chow, alumna Samantha Shieh would not have pursued art after leaving MVHS. Currently majoring in illustration at the Art Center College of Design, Shieh is all too familiar with the long journey during her time at MVHS that got her to where she is today. That journey started with creating a portfolio.

Those applying to arts schools have to send in an art portfolio, a compilation of an artist’s artwork that shows colleges what the artist is capable of.

The process of making this portfolio is different for everyone, and often is as unique as the artwork itself.

And while the ultimate goal is to get into the school, art teacher Brian Chow believes that the act of compiling the portfolio helps these students grow artistically in a way that no other project can.

“When you say you’re building a portfolio, it’s implied that you’re constructing it,” Chow said. “And constructing it implies that it takes a course of time and skill development to build it. It’s not like, make a portfolio now in three days. It doesn’t work that way. It’s really about the process.”

It starts with a concept. A whisper of an emotion or idea in the back of an artist’s mind. Then comes the process of rationalizing this idea, trying to express it. And finally, they begin creating.

This is how the illustration process begins for senior Nikki Phan. Whenever she feels a strong emotion, she tries to find a way to express it visually through drawing.

“If I feel something really strong, I’ll try to rationalize it and it’ll be super hard, so I’ll kind of associate a picture in my head with the feeling,” Phan said. “Basically, it’s just to try to kind of invoke some kind of visceral response.”

Phan is applying to some schools with a minor in illustration and a major in business and marketing, so she needs to compile a portfolio.

Throughout the process of creating it, she’s learned not to force herself to draw pieces just to add to her portfolio, but rather to draw when she has an idea to convey. It’s always easier for her to draw when there’s a motive or concept behind her idea, something that she feels proud of.

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EL ESTOQUE /DEC. 2016

S

And when she has an idea in her mind, the art follows soon after.

“It just happens really naturally,” said Phan. “And it doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does, it just clicks.”

Sending in her art has changed the application process for Phan. She doesn’t feel like she has to work so hard to stand out from the other applicants, and she is able to express herself through her drawings.

“Everyone’s art is different, so it’s not like you have to be like ‘I’m different because I Shieh volunteer at this place, I do this,’” Phan said.

“I think it’s easier to tell a lot about a person was unsure if pursuing an based on their art.”

Chow agrees with Phan’s viewpoint, arts career could saying that a portfolio can speak volumes support her, and thought of it as more of a hobby. That about an artist’s character.

“I think a portfolio’s really an expression was the case, until after hearing of your voice,” Chow said. “It’s visual guest speaker, illustrator and MVHS storytelling that is curated at a very high alumna Catherine Roy speak in Chow’s art class. level.”

She remembers However, finding this sitting and listening to voice isn’t always easy, the alumna talk about especially with external how she’d created a voices of peers in the successful career through mix. Chow explains that illustration, which gave the variety of comments Shieh courage to move that can be made about forward with her own an artist’s artwork have aspiration. Chow’s words the potential to deflate of encouragement also the creative process. helped.

“Innocent questions “I wouldn’t even have like ‘oh let me see your considered going to art artwork,’ are fine,” school if I hadn’t talked to Chow said, “But the ALUMNUS [Mr. Chow],” Shieh said. next words that come “Being in that class can SAMANTHA SHIEH out of their mouth can really help you. I think it’s be damaging.” easy to forget because This is most [MVHS] is such a STEM commonly seen among environment.

Gosh, it’s quite an experience, people who don’t understand the but we have such a strong art program as creative process, well that gets overshadowed.”

Shieh remembers sending her portfolio according to to dozens of arts schools, just hoping to Chow. get in somewhere. She started compiling her work throughout her sophomore and junior year. In retrospect, she believes that it’s essential to start the Senior Nikki Phan looks through her portfolio building process portfolio, which contains work that early, so that an artist can she will send to colleges that she’s considering minoring in illustration at. have the most time to Photo by ZaZu Lippert. create pieces that they’re passionate about.

Shieh also got professional opinions on her portfolio at events like

I WOULDN’T EVEN HAVE CONSIDERED GOING TO ART SCHOOL IF I HADN’T TALKED TO [MR. CHOW].

Art teacher Brian Chow measures mats to go on the back of his students’ pastel works. The mat keeps the pastel from smearing and is essential to preserving the art.

Photo by ZaZu Lippert.

National Portfolio Day, where representatives from schools travel around the globe to give feedback on art portfolios.

She specifically remembers going her senior year, when she was looking to show her portfolio to schools she applied to. It turned out that the schools she went for had already accepted her, so she just got to enjoy the experience.

And although a career in the arts may seem like a long shot for many, Shieh says that it shouldn’t deter students who are passionate about it.

“For people who don’t think it’s possible, I’m not gonna say that you should just blindly throw all reason away,” Shieh said. “It is hard; it’s incredibly competitive here [at Art Center]. The art industry is full of people who are trying to pursue their dreams. You have to be willing to put in a lot of hard work to make it in this industry.”

But for her and Phan alike, following their dreams is worth the work.

Senior Nikki Phan’s artwork hangs on the wall in Chow’s room. Phan, a co-president of MV Art Club, used this as an example of pointilism during a club meeting. Photo

by ZaZu Lippert.

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ILLUSTRATION | AANCHAL GARG & SHARJEEL RAHMAN

Why I decided to come out and why I shouldn’t need to

F

OR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, I’ve felt different. It wasn’t until seventh or eighth grade that I realized why. It took me years to finally accept it, to stop living in denial. But now, I’m ready to tell the world.

I’m gay.

Oh God. Was this a bad idea? Am I ready?

Maybe I should have waited? I’m not ready. I need to breathe. I can do this. It’s been long enough. I can’t wait any longer. I’m ready.

My sexuality has never been something I’ve used to define myself, mostly because I’ve never felt like I had to. Being gay is one small part of who I am. There’s a lot more that makes me — me. So why do I need to “come out”?

Coming out — it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Opening myself up, being vulnerable, it doesn’t get easier.

The first person I came out to was one of my closest friends. I’ve never been a very open person, especially about something as personal as my sexuality. But this was different. It took until my sophomore year to finally come to grips with who I really was, and by then I had a safety net of friends who I hoped would accept me no matter what.

Yet I still had my doubts.

Will they treat me differently? What if they don’t like me anymore? How can I be sure they will accept me?

These thoughts plagued me for months, always lingering in the back of my mind. But then, two months before school ended, my friend told me he was moving out of state.

At that moment I knew I had to tell him the truth. I joked about my sexuality for a month or so, warming him up to the idea I wasn’t straight. “Why does the gender of who I like matter?” (A question I still don’t know the answer to.)

I had delayed it long enough. It was finals week and I still hadn’t told him the truth. I sat down and rehearsed what I would tell him, trying to calm my nerves. The time came and he asked me what I wanted to

talk about. I stood, staring at my message themselves and those for what felt like forever. Reading it over and around them. This is over. I could barely bring myself to hit send - something I struggled with but I did. And his response? for a long time, and because “Ye I kinda figured already.” of it, there’s a part of me that That was such a relief. Now, we’re closer I’ve never really explored. than ever, which wouldn’t have been possible I intentionally tried to act if I wasn’t completely honest with him. That straight almost all my life. I experience taught me, no matter how hard wouldn’t compliment people on it is, coming out was something I needed to their outfits. I wouldn’t talk do. Since then I’ve developed the courage to with girls out of fear they’d tell a lot more people, think I was flirting. I wouldn’t each one as special as compliment people’s photos the first. on Facebook with “that’s Lately I’ve come cute” or “you look great in to realize that coming this picture.” I wouldn’t talk out is much more about relationships with than explaining my friends for fear the tables sexuality — it’s the would turn on me. Even first time I really get this year, the first year I to be honest. But it’s truly accepted who I was, I not all sunshine and succumbed to the pressure rainbows.

Coming to be “normal.” out also reminds me How would I deal with of the lie I’ve been homecoming? Junior prom? telling people my entire life.

Should I ask a girl and I shouldn’t feel pressured to live a lie. I lead her on? Or would I do should be able to feel comfortable just being nothing and not go — or who I am, but I’m not. And a lot of the time, go alone? I had convinced it’s because of the way other students talk myself that finding a date about LGBTQ+ people. was my only option. But after “Why are you actually going through with finding being gay?” “Ew. a girl to That’s so gay!” go with, “What a f--!” forcing Hearing people myself say these things to be is disappointing. some one Not just because it offends me, but JUNIOR NATE STEVENS I was not, I knew even more than what I that, it shows how had to do. ignorant some people are.

I used to be ashamed People say these things thinking it doesn’t upset anyone, but it does. Do they about myself and my know about the shy lesbian girl in class who sexuality. Not anymore. I overhears their slander? Do they know about don’t live to satisfy anyone their teammate who’s afraid of changing in else. This is who I am and the locker room because he is gay? Do they there’s nothing I can do to change it, so why would know about me?

Through coming out, I hope to change I want to? I’m happy just the way some people think, and maybe even being Nate, and that’s good inspire people like me to be honest with enough for me.

THIS IS WHO I AM AND THERE’S NOTHING I CAN DO TO CHANGE IT, SO WHY WOULD I WANT TO?

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EL ESTOQUE / DEC. 2016

PHOTO | ILENA PENG

TO THE POINT

A former student’s story of substance use

By ILENA PENG

special

13

he fiddles with the tab on her green tea soda can, tapping her fingers on the table.

She glances around a little apprehensively at the people seated at the tables nearby in the Olive Court – perhaps the location is a little too close to the MVHS main office for comfort. Before we start the interview, I tell her that everything she says will be completely anonymous. She double checks. “Not the grade?”

Her tone is light, but the memories she recalls carry much more weight than her voice belies. For the whole interview, she avoids eye contact. Her memories detail an experience few are willing to talk about, yet according to a survey of 267 MVHS students, 31%, have had an experience with alcohol and another 7% out of 268 students have used other drugs.

“Even though this is a really safe community, it’s not drug free,” the former student said.

MVHS staff holds its students to a rigorous standard that is just one of many factors that makes it the 18th school in the nation, according to Newsweek. And although those good grades are what gives MVHS its academic reputation, it also has

MVHS until her family moved to a different school last year, that was where drugs came into play.

“It’s more of a coping skill,” the former student said. “It’s less than dependency on the drug but it’s more like a way to cope with all the stress.”

DRUG usage goes far beyond

the stereotypes of dark alleys in big cities or college fraternity house parties. Drug users are more or less just people in the PHOTO | ILENA PENG throng of students heading to class. And over the years, Dr. she took Xanax for the first time. But even Matthew Kendra, a clinical psychologist though she acknowledged that her group who works in the Stanford Addiction of friends was what introduced her to Medicine Clinic, has drugs, she said her involvement with drugs seen it affect people was never a result of peer pressure. from every walk of “If you have a certain group of friends life. and they’re all into drugs and you don’t “People with want to lose them, then maybe you would addictions, they’re use drugs,” the former student said. “I you, me, they’re our know that most drug users wouldn’t want brothers, our sisters, to share their drugs anyways, so nobody our families,” Kendra would pressure you into using a drug.” said. “I haven’t met a It came to a point where she realized single person who’s that much of the money she was not been touched by earning from her job was going towards it.” prescription drugs like Xanax. And upon The anonymous realizing that, she acknowledged that student first started it was definitely an unhealthy lifestyle smoking marijuana – and the one time that she blacked out her freshman year at completely only reinforced that.

MVHS. After hanging “I was drinking and smoking with my out with a group friends really late at night and the last of friends, the majority of whom were thing I remember was driving to Santa involved in either smoking, drinking or Cruz,” she said. “I woke up at like 7 a.m. doing drugs, she began smoking weed the next day in Santa Cruz with my friend occasionally. Eventually, she became and he was like, ‘Dude we went to like two addicted to cigarettes. At that time, she’d McDonalds’, do you not remember any of never taken Xanax before, but she had this?’ and I was like ‘No. I literally don’t already heard it was rather addictive. remember any of it,’ so that was bad.”

She was hanging out with her friends Some concerns that typically come in a park, and they’d begun smoking along with drug use would be getting and taking various prescription pills. She caught by the police or overdosing. But she didn’t want to seem weak in front of her pointed out how if one’s just doing drugs at friends, nor did she want to lose them. So his or her own house, there’s really no way

PEOPLE WITH ADDICTIONS, THEY’RE YOU, ME, THEY’RE OUR BROTHERS, OUR SISTERS, OUR FAMILIES. I HAVEN’T MET A SINGLE PERSON WHO’S NOT BEEN TOUCHED BY IT. DR. MATTHEW KENDRA another more negative affect – stress.

Students typically seek ways to cope with the academic pressure, whether it be parental pressure or pressure that students put on themselves. From bingewatching TV shows and playing video games to eating, students have found their own ways to handle the stress. But in a survey of 271 MVHS students who use various substances, the number one reason for doing so was stress relief. And to an anonymous student who attended

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SPECIAL

for the cops to know. As for overdosing, she knows that it’s a fatal mistake, but she feels that she knows her limits.

“I don’t really do drugs that you can overdose on really easily,” the former student said. “I know there’s no such thing as responsible use but I try to be responsible – not go on a binge and die, you know?”

Yet her main motivation for cutting down on drugs and smoking was the hurt it caused her parents. She returned home at what she remembers must’ve been 3 or 4 a.m. one morning, when her parents smelled alcohol and decided to drug test her. They discovered that she’d been drinking and smoking marijuana.

When asked whether her parents’ reaction was one of anger or disappointment, she laughed and replied “both.” But the laugh died down quickly, and she fell silent.

BEFORE,

her usage of drugs was simply personal; she thought it was only affecting her so she didn’t see any real reason to stop. But after her parents found out one night, all of that changed.

“My mom would be stressed out all the time and she’d blame me for all her problems and stuff and like I don’t know, one time she just started crying randomly,” the former student said. “I was like ‘okay,

I KNOW THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS RESPONSIBLE USE BUT I TRY TO BE RESPONSIBLE — NOT GO ON A BINGE AND DIE, YOU KNOW?

this is bad.

I need to stop because I’m hurting [ p e o p l e other] than myself.’”

E v e n though the effect on her parents was what drove FORMER her to cut down, losing her parent’s trust was what had the worst impact on her. It’s something she said she had tried to regain by cutting down on drug use. But it still didn’t stop her parents from taking away her phone and her money, nor did it stop them from questioning her every time she left the house.

Then again, she points out that it does make sense that they would do so – after all, she admits that in some way, she did betray her parents.

“Losing their trust made my life a lot harder,” she said.

She has a younger brother who’s in middle school. When asked whether she’s ever concerned he’ll end up doing drugs or being in a situation that’s similar to hers, she begins answering the question before it’s even completely phrased. “Do you ever worry that he’ll end up…?.” The question

ANONYMOUS MVHS STUDENT trails off as she fills the brief silence with her answer.

She was optimistic that he wouldn’t end up in the same situation because her parents, in part because of her, have started to educate him more about drug usage. They’ve come to realize the same thing she’s come to understand – that although Cupertino may be a safe community, it isn’t a completely sheltered community. And even though they never specifically mention her drug use around him, her parents drop subtle hints.

Between being grounded all the time and her parents dropping questions like “hey, what’s that smell?,” she thinks her brother knows what’s going on.

IT’S not unusual for substance use to have an impact that resonates through a

special

15

family, according to Kendra. Along with the physical effects, drugs and addictions often have an emotional impact that weigh heavily on an individual’s family.

“We tend to think of addiction, actually, as a disease of the family in some ways [in] that one person’s addiction can impact the family members in drastic ways,” Kendra said.

Subconsciously, the anonymous former student found herself pulling away from friends who didn’t do drugs, simply because “doing drugs” is something to have in common with others. In a friend group where drug use is common, she imagines staying sober would’ve resulted in drifting apart from the group. Quietly, almost as an afterthought, she added that drifting away from that group might not have been a bad thing.

But despite all of this, she answered without hesitation that she’s still the exact same person as she was before she got involved with drugs and alcohol. And with the exception of the time she blacked out on the way to Santa Cruz, she thinks her experience with drugs was “pretty great”

she still wanted to be on the team, she there that are under the influence that recalled with a laugh how her answer was we’re unaware of.” a blunt “no.”

And in the former students’ opinion, According to a survey of 265 students, there are many others that view the 97% of MVHS students believe that well-educated and financially stable there’s certainly a negative stereotype environment as one that would discourage surrounding substance use. Kendra says drugs, to her, the stress and accessibility it’s part of the problem that brings drug makes it almost the opposite. users continually back to their familiar “In some ways, it’s easier for us to get cycle of highs and withdrawals. drugs because everyone here is rich,” “If we start treating the former SCAN FOR MORE student said. people better and understanding them, “We have COVERAGE we can get them into money to buy treatment better and the drugs, that can help,” Kendra said. “And if you and no one here needs to have a job marginalize them more and more, it’s all outside of school, so they have [a lot of] ‘drugs [satisfy] me, I feel good. I don’t feel time to do drugs.” good around those people, drugs make me feel good [so I’ll] keep using.’” pursed her lips for a moment and There are drugs that impair cognitive paused before saying that perhaps if she function – they affect an individual’s was in a different environment, she’d be ability to focus and think. That might be able to cut down on drugs. where the perception that drug users are But as it was with her friends during dumb comes from. She mused that the her time at MVHS, completely abstaining perception might come from the idea that from drugs is near impossible to her. people who initially choose to drugs might Even so, making those friends is not be the smartest. something she doesn’t regret. The But in her eyes, regrets aren’t in the people she met, but correlation most the decisions she made regarding those definitely doesn’t people. equal causation.

“I don’t regret meeting them and “[I think] having them as friends, but I kind of regret people who choose what I did just to keep my friends,” she to do drugs [tend said. “It’s kind of pathetic that I’m that to be] dumber, insecure about my relationships with and therefore they people.” have lower grades, In the future, in a new environment, but I don’t think and perhaps with a successful career, the drugs cause she thinks things might be different. If [stupidity],” she that were to happen, she believes that said. she could cut down her usage and not let her involvement with drugs become a principal ghost from her past that will impact all April Scott, it is her future decisions. Yet to an extent, it’ll STUDENT foolish to think there aren’t always have an impact on her. drug users on campus. Although it isn’t “I kind of regret getting into the the common problem that it might be in drug and partying scene. It’s like you do other schools, principal April Scott knows ecstasy, right? And then you’re getting that drug use among students exists. But married 20 years later, and it’s still not she acknowledges that many drugs are as great as the feeling you got when you virtually undetectable, making it difficult were doing ecstasy,” she said. “It’s just for teachers to notice if a student is using a like you have something to compare it to substance. That undetectability is also the that is better than all other experiences reason that one of the main substances that aren’t from a synthetic drug so it’s that teachers report on is marijuana, kind of sad to think about it.” simply because of its distinctive smell.

If you feel like you may have a substance “I think all our teachers are dedicated abuse problem, talk to student advocate enough to want the best for kids and want Richard Prinz or call the confidential kids to be in a safe place’” Scott said. “But SAMHSA National helpline at 1-800-662I can’t say that there aren’t students out HELP (4357) available 24/7.

IT’S LIKE YOU DO ECSTASY, RIGHT? AND THEN YOU’RE GETTING MARRIED 20 YEARS LATER, AND IT’S STILL NOT AS GREAT AS THE FEELING YOU GOT WHEN YOU WERE DOING ECSTASY. FORMER ANONYMOUS MVHS until she got caught by her parents.

She dropped out of a school sport — not in direct relation to her drug use, but she admits that perhaps it was indirectly related. At the time of the interview in March, her parents were still upset she left the team. Leaving the sport wasn’t immediate; it started off with a falling out with some of the people on the team, but she still went to practices. Yet when people on the team began speaking poorly of her, her coach took a look at her Instagram and said it looked like she’d been partying all the time. She didn’t say it then, but in her mind she defiantly thought ‘well, maybe I am.’ And when her coach asked her if

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SHE

TO

LOOkING PAst thE smOkE scREEN

“

the story behind the story “It’s all storytelling, you know. that’s what journalism is all about.”

-tom Brokaw There are people who walk into our journalism class and say “I want to write about drugs.” It’s something that should be hypothetically easy to write about, right? It’s one of those things that’s entwined into the stereotypical American high school culture – you’re given “Say no to drugs” lectures in elementary school, you hear jokes about them on campus, you see the occasional photos and videos about them on Snapchat.

So when we were asked to write an indepth article, I chose perhaps the most obvious of serious topics that I could have written about. Knowing that most students wouldn’t want any association with any sort of substance use, I cautiously began asking students who were rumored to do drugs to share their experiences. Most denied the rumors and, as the school year was coming to a close, I gave up on it. It was too much research, too sensitive of a topic. I had too many excuses not to finish the story.

Her story was the one thing that rendered all my excuses useless. I first heard her story on Tuesday, March 1. Considering the sensitive nature of the story, I didn’t expect to get many details or anecdotes out of the interview. I pessimistically anticipated the dodged questions and the selective exclusion of details. A few awkward questions turned into a conversation where she shared more memories than I expected her to. In the end, I left out some of the more identifying details that she had shared from the story.

At the end of the interview I was in awe. From the way stress and a fear of losing friends pushed her to do drugs to hearing about how her family found out

and responded, I was shocked but honored remember her story – which to me seemed that she’d shared her story with me. After like the epitome of a story worth telling. listening to her perceptions about drug use So this time around, I told myself I’d finish and the way it impacted her in every aspect it. I messaged her to check if she was still of life, I left with an understanding that the fine with using that interview in a story. In stigma around drug use was entirely false typical teenage fashion, she responded “lol and more importantly, that it was something ok.” worth writing about.

The last thing I wanted to do was trivialize I backed up the recording of the interview anything she’d told me. And when I found in five separate places – I emailed it to the people I wanted to talk to – people like myself, saved it on Dr. Matthew Google Drive, put it Kendra, who on a USB drive and works with saved it to both my the Stanford laptop and my family’s Addic t ion network drive. My Medicine recently crashed phone Clinic – I had left me in paranoia even left of losing files. And in my beloved JUNIOR ILENA PENG one night, I spent three tex tbo ok hours transcribing behind the every line she’d said, day before a complete picture of the experiences that an unit exam just to speak with him. In the she’d shared with me, and spent another end, I found that each minute I spent in an four hours writing the story. interview for this story yielded something But it was far from a complete story. valuable and I couldn’t bear to leave any of There was always something missing. The the perspectives untold. complete story was one that needed an But storytelling comes in many different expert’s input, survey stats and a variety forms. This monthly column about my own of perspectives. But back in March, I didn’t life is one of those forms. Telling this former know that was the story I wanted to tell. I student’s story is a different form. Perhaps only knew that I wanted to be able to tell it, this story might just be a part of her life, a somehow. part of her identity. But to me, it’s just one The story went unfinished; the interview of the many stories that until now, remained waiting for me in five different places. It untold despite the glaringly common stigmas became just another document categorized and the stereotypes that they debunk. neatly into a series of color-coded folders.

So this time around, I wanted to tell her This year, I found that sometimes when story perfectly. Not just because of her, but I’d try to write this column, my thoughts to bring light to the existence of drugs that were too cluttered. Every topic I thought is masked by the peaceful community and of seemed unimportant. I could hardly be shrouded in misconceptions – hidden behind bothered to write at all. And then I would the smoke screen.

Beyond the status quote

SPECIAL photo | ILENA pENG

17

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The trivial things we brag about

BY MICHELLE WONG

AS STUDENTS AT MONTA VISTA,

it’s no doubt that there’s competition all around us. With so much pressure to be “better” than everybody else, students are constantly trying to prove themselves to their peers. But it’s questionable whether the things we are so proud of are even worth bragging about at all.

OPINION

TROPHY STUDENTS

WE BOAST TO BOOST OUR SELF CONFIDENCE, to draw attention to ourselves, to

compare ourselves to our peers. But ultimately, bragging about sex, grades or a lack of sleep doesn’t work to anyone’s advantage.

opinion

19

Bragging habits take the place of real conversation

I

n the midst of the crowded halls and sounds of pattering feet, it’s almost impossible to tune out the constant chatter all around MVHS’s campus. Conversations are deep-rooted with the need for validation and portray a sort of arrogance unique to our campus. “Real” conversation are diminishing — quickly.

MVHS students brag — a lot.

of students have felt like they don’t fit in due to societal pressures out of a survey of 256 students

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EL ESTOQUE /DEC. 2016

Here, bragging has ingrained itself into our conversation; it’s the default “small talk” of our community. When we speak to acquaintances, mutual friends or classmates, our introduction is often a boast, starting with, “Did you get above a 94 percent?”

When we meet someone, we look for them to have an aura of self-assurance before we form an opinion.

of students have heard a MVHS student talk about something sexual

of students have heard a MVHS student brag about not getting enough sleep

out of a survey of 259 students

out of a survey of 258 students

MVHS students, especially, seem to veer their shallow, self-validating bragging habits towards a set of standard topics: grades, lack of sleep, fitness, sexual encounters and party culture.

It’s common to hear high school students discussing these topics — usually with close friends. But are MVHS students taking it too far? Probably.

Known for its competitive and academically-focused environment, MVHS students can talk about grades like there’s no tomorrow. It’s common to hear, “Are you in Pre Calc. or Calc. BC?” when listening among a crowd, others trying to find someone they’re able to discuss the test or homework with.

It’s a constant rivalry for the top.

Unhealthy amounts of trivial discussion comparing grades leave students with a hunger for validation and a competitive persona — something MVHS doesn’t need any more of.

Rivalry for the top comes in all types of forms beyond mere grades. Popularized by media, sayings like “Do you even lift, bro?” and “Did you smash last night?” are frequently shared among teens.

Resulting in selfconsciousness and condoning such acts as obligatory, 49

percent of MVHS students, from a survey of 256, have said they’ve felt isolated before.

Of 259 students, 87 percent also mention the topic of sex does in fact linger in the hallways at MVHS. Conversations regarding the matter occur over through social media, texts and face-to-face conversations.

It’s a regular circumstance to be at a sports bonding event, for example, and be interrogated about sexual preference, relationships and virginity. Games like “Never Have I Ever” and “Truth or Dare” are often played solely to flaunt who’s the most sexually active. Or at least who says they are.

A popular topic of gloating at MVHS, 93 percent of 258 students suggest, is poor sleep etiquette. Whether one is up late

studying or spending time out with friends, we’ll see the world outside of our MVHS being awake past 12 a.m. seems to have its bubble. We’ll see that most other people own set of benefits: you can brag about it. don’t only want to talk about their test scores Horrible, right? It’s as if students are or how little they slept or what “bad” things promoting and validating negative habits. they did that weekend. In the “real world,” Since when has “I barely slept last night” people will take their tests, go to sleep, live been deemed more appealing than “I slept their weekends and move on. No one wants for eight hours and I feel great?” to hear your insecurities through “humble As a brags” on result of talk repeat. And r e g a r d i ng unlike in s u c h high school, mat ters w h e r e at MVHS, w e ’ r e OPINION OF THE EL ESTOQUE m a n y all stuck associate together, EDITORIAL BOARD confidence in the “real with our w o r l d ” achievements rather than our ability to hold people will move onto someone else. a conversation.

There’s a problem in MVHS’ culture. Our Because when it comes down to the attitude is too self-centered, too linear. So, majority of MVHS, there are not a lot of how do we stop a whole school of over 2,000 those real conversations. The ones where we kids from bragging? ask, “How are you doing? What was the best Yet, that shouldn’t stop us from trying to part of your day? What was the worst part better ourselves. Our attitude is a coice of our of your day?” instead of the popular “How own. Administration can’t write up a policy did you do on the test? What happened at or have a “No Bragging” week that will solve the party?” this problem. What we can do is adjust our To humanize us Matadors, we don’t brag mindset. Look up. Leave Cupertino. Meet because we’re bad people. We brag because new people. Experience new things and we’re insecure and scared. We brag because learn how to hold a real conversation. we want attention. We brag because we need validation.

However, when we go to college and enter the “real world” (thunder in the distance),

STAFF EDITORIAL

ILLUSTRATION | SARA ENTEZAR

OPINION

21

THE CIA KILLED JFK

Sophomore Mia Yang My conspiracy theory is about the assassination of JFK. Basically, when the CIA did an investigation, the lead detective of the CIA said ‘there were three shots fired,’ but later, when the FBI reexamined it, they discovered that there were four shots total. For four shots to hit JFK and actually fatally wound him, the chances were actually really low. And the angle that Lee Harvey Oswald, the guy who supposedly killed JFK, [it] wasn’t a good shot to begin with. Second of all, the angle in which he was shooting was very unlikely [to actually] hit JFK. And when the FBI

IT’S

BY SARA ENTEZAR AND MICHELLE WONG

UNPROVEN

ROTHSCHILD

BANKS

Junior Anirudh Chaudhary

The most interesting one is the Rothschild conspiracy, where this guy, his last name is Rothschild, owns huge banks.

And pretty much what sparked

22

EL ESTOQUE / dec. 2016

this conspiracy was [that] there were three countries that didn’t have his banks in that country, one of them was Syria, but coincidentally right after the, U.S. invaded those countries Rothschild got banks under his name,. So it’s more of an interesting coincidence than anything else. Usually coincidence isn’t the same as causation, so sure it’s interesting that these two things, or two events are related and it’s suspicious, but I wouldn’t believe them until he literally said ‘Oh, yeah, I sent people there to kill people, so I have my bank.’

They’re interesting hypothesis, but they shouldn’t be taken as truth. Some of them are worth future investigating.

tried to run scenarios in which the bullet would end up hitting JFK, they discovered that out of the four shots total, one of the shots came from a completely opposite direction, meaning that it might not have even been Lee Harvey Oswald. Since the lead investigation guy of the CIA was like ‘it’s three shots,’ people believed that it might have been the CIA that orchestrated JFK’s death ... and that they framed Lee Harvey Oswald even though he had no previous record of hating on JFK. [Even though] he did have previous records; like a couple months before the assassination of JFK, he [made] an assassination attempt, so he had a trackrecord which made it easier for the CIA to blame him.

So basically, Lee Harvey Oswald may not have killed the president JFK but the CIA might have.

Conspiracy theories come in different forms. Some are deemed trivial and bizarre, others not so much.

These theories remain unproven and debatable, though it doesn’t stop people from all around the globe to hold them to be true. MVHS students decide for themselves what they choose to believe in — no matter how far-fetched.

LIVING IN A LIE Junior Mayank Singamareddy Well I don’t know if it’s a conspiracy theory because it’s actually true, and we live in a computer simulation. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, is actually the one who gave me this idea and what

he says is, because of the way that technology has progressed, we can see that a civilization begins. So when it eventually creates a technological point at which it can create other universes, it would do so. Which means that there is a very high chance that we’re actually living in a computer simulation of our own. Also, I believe that the U.S. government election is rigged and that they give us these two choices of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to make it look like we have a choice, but in reality, they’re both under the government control and we’re in fact exposed to government propaganda and that there’s no way that the voting numbers are actually real… I don’t listen to all of the conspiracy theories I hear because that would make me insane, right?

RAISING A SUCCESSFUL KID Money isn’t everything, but it sure does help

E

ver since I was a young boy, playing with Pokemon cards and action figures, I’ve been stunting on the other kids.

My parents bought me every single Ben 10 action figure, every Bionicle, every Level X Pokemon card that was out at the time. If I had known about PayPal transactions back then, I would probably have every ex-card too. Now it’s clothes and other expenses — once again, nothing has changed, I still have the material world at my fingertips.

I think raising children like this is actually very helpful, because money no longer becomes a factor in their lives — so, as a result, they can focus on more important matters, like how many carats of diamonds to ice their Franck Muller watch out with.

Money management is also one of the most fruitless things one can learn, because money is nothing but paper. You can’t drive paper, you can’t wear paper, you can’t eat paper, so put it to good use. All of it. Spending money is more of an art than an activity. The material goods are mediums of expression which people can represent themselves with through purchase. Every purchase is a dot on a dotist painting and together, they’re

ILLUSTRATION | SARA ENTEZAR

able to create a full and descriptive image shopping trips and has asked me to spot her of the spender’s taste. If President Obama on those trips, I am able to look past her didn’t have his good taste in suits, ties and forgetfulness and truly appreciate her great limos, he taste in would stuff like probably Louboutin still be h e e l s . s t uck Ultimately, work ing s h o p p i ng at the trips are s a m e like food fast food runs: You SENIOR ALBERT WANG spot your plac e he did friend one while he was in high school, wherever that time, and they’ll spot you back another. place is. If Gandhi did not have his great Although she hasn’t yet paid me back from taste in traditional textiles, do you think any shopping trips, it is because I never people would have still followed him? Of forget the bring my credit card, and not course not! Who on earth would listen to because she is just using me to buy her stuff. and support somebody who can’t even stay It is totally not because of that. I know for fly? Having good taste in cars is important, a fact that she would not do that to me, too, just look at how far driving that Toyota because she assured me of it while we were Supra in “Fast and Furious” got Paul at the Benz dealership last week getting her Walker’s career. If Gucci Mane and Waka a new C-class.

Flocka Flame didn’t both love Ferraris, The most important characteristic a then the Ferrari Boyz mixtape would have child can gain from this lavish, King Louis never released and Gucci Mane would have XIV type of upbringing is to have high probably not been successful enough to be expectations for others, since children who released from jail as early as he did. are given whatever they want typically Raising children like this also allows them expect more out of others. They’ll be able to to examine their friendships from a more root out the snakes and unworthy friends in objective, healthy point of view their lives and only keep a circle of tightknit since money no longer friends. I’ve always been uncertain about plays a role in this certain friendship I had in middle school each friendship. because, while that kid was pretty nice and One of my was the only one to visit me in the hospital most valuable after my Yacht accident where my jetski went friendships to upside down, he only brought me a get well date would card. It is the thought that matters, but when not exist if a get well card was bought from Target and I bickered signed with a Papermate pen, how much over a could that person really care about you? couple of small Actions speak louder than words and him bucks.

This friendship getting a cheap gift speaks volumes about involves me and a girl who only likes his selfishness. A friend who doesn’t buy to go shopping and eat lobster for breakfast, you Louis Vuitton is one that you can never which is why I admire her so much. I just depend on. recently started eating lobster for breakfast too, it is quite sensational. Although she had forgotten her purse at home for multiple

BARKING UP THE RIGHT TREE

OPINION

23

BY VIVIAN CHIANG AND ANJINI VENUGOPAL

24

EL ESTOQUE /dec. 2016

On May 28, 2016, a 17-year-old gorilla by the name of Harambe was killed after dragging around a three year old who had fallen into his enclosure. Harambe’s death caused a lot of controversy, sparking an eruption of countless memes and hashtags.

Junior Avik Jain believed Harambe memes helped to send a strong message.

“I initially saw #justiceforharambe as a direct satirization of “social justice” activism which leverages the virality of short video clips and hashtags in attempt to make political statements,” Jain said. “I don’t think most people who promote Harambe memes are actually protesting the killing; there have been petitions to file lawsuits against the zoo, but they have gained nowhere near the traction that memes have. The memes usually use an event which already occurred to criticize current issues or for light humor, rather than to make a statement about the incident itself.”

THE ELECTION Crooked Hillary and Deplorable Donald.

Controversies ranging from Secretary Clinton’s private email server to Trump’s “locker room talk” plagued the election, which, to many, became more about the morals of the candidates than their policies.

Senior Marcus Plutowski found the intense division between the parties extremely frustrating.

“The tone of this election has not been conducive to a functioning democracy,” Plutowski said. “It’s more like something you’d expect to see out of [a democracy] that is less than a decade old, not a 200 year old democracy that should supposedly have republican traditions that would prevent this deep sided division from ever taking place.”

On Nov. 8, 2016, over two hundred million Americans voted for the next president of the U.S. The people of America spoke, making Donald Trump the presidentelect. Plutowski attributes his victory to the attitudes of liberal Americans.

“Trump himself might have been abrasive [and] aggressive, used [racial and cultural] slurs, but the left overall as a group has institutionalized the use of attacking people… their morality, [and] everything about them just because they disagree with them,” Plutowski said. “It’s been a slow build and a slow burn, but this is what it has come to, and that’s really why you got this outpouring of support for Donald Trump.”

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION BY JASON MIKLACIC

THE WORST OF

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION BY RICH GIRARD

2 0 1 6

HARAMBE

CLOWNS

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION BY IBAI

From Orlando, Florida, to Nice, France, countless terrorist attacks have marred 2016. Senior Rachel Lau was on vacation in Nice, France, with her family after a big synchronized swimming competition. They joined the thousands of people celebrating Bastille Day, eating at fancy restaurants and enjoying the fireworks. Lau and her family went back to the hotel minutes before the terrorist carried out his plan.

“It was kind of surreal, like ‘how did this happen?’” Lau said. “There were so many police cars there … and I didn’t think something like this would happen.”

While the last major terrorist attack in California was in San Bernardino on Dec. 2, 2015, Lau says her first-hand experience of terrorism in another country hit home for her. “[Most terrorist attacks] happen on the other side of the country and all of the wars don’t happen anywhere near California or Silicon Valley,” Lau said. “The fact that I was so close to one, it just makes it seem so much more real and it’s so much bigger of a problem than what people put it out to be.”

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION BY LOAVESOFBEARD

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION BY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

TERRORIST ATTACKS

A year ago, many people probably thought of clowns as innocent characters most often at circuses and birthday parties with red noses you could squeeze. However, in early August, a boy reported in South Carolina that two clowns tried to lure him into the forest. After that, multiple incidents and reports popped up all over the country, as well as in Canada and Great Britain, of clowns terrifying innocent victims. The sweet, childhood image of circus clowns that many people associate with suddenly vanished and was replaced with an evil, killer countenance. Senior Rani Sidhu was not scared of clowns before they were sighted and posted about on social media until she saw a clown when trick-or-treating.

“I got pretty paranoid for a while, just thinking that anyone out there dressed as a clown could be like a pedophile or like a kidnapper,” Sidhu said.

After her encounter with a clown, she got over her fear.

“He wasn’t really doing anything to them,” Sidhu said. “He was just following them around and looking all creepy. I don’t know if he was doing harm but it was just interesting.”

For junior Kavin Sivakumar, he was never and still is not afraid of clowns.

“I’m confident enough in my self-defense skills, so I can walk down alleys at night and not be afraid,” Sivakumar said. “If a clown approaches me, I’m ready to fight that clown.”

POLICE SHOOTINGS

“There’s always been this divide between certain races,” junior Pallavi Sripathi said. “Especially with the tensions of a new president-elect and the whole election, those segregations between races have really come out and people are acting on stereotypes where they assume that a certain race is more likely to be the cause of a crime.”

One particularly scarring shooting was that of the unarmed black behavioral therapist Charles Kinsey who was trying to calm down his autistic patient Arnaldo Rios Soto in Florida. In video footage from a cell phone, Kinsey was lying on the ground with his arms raised when he was shot in the leg by a police officer. This shooting among others sparked outrage across the U.S. Though the media often portrays the police at fault, many times it is hard to determine the true victim.

“From the perspective of the people, police shootings toward the African Americans [are] cruel and most likely unprecedented and in unneeded situations,” Sripathi said. “But at the same time, from the police side of things, they could actually have been using it in defense, so most of us don’t know the full story.”

OPINION

1 72 5

A LOST

I I

city

BY AVNI PRASAD

Tw o y e a r s a g o , I j o i n e d t h e Facebook group “You know you are from Cupertino if you remember…”

With about 10,000 members, the group engages in daily discussion about memories and places in Cupertino.

But even after living in Cupertino for the last 16 years, I scroll through the page seeing names I do not recognize: The Surf Shop. Aloha Boats. Sunshine Supermarket. Winchell’s Donuts. Bob’s Big Boy. These places are foreign to me.

SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE

24 26

This is the MVHS Julianne Lee attended. After 46 years, the marching band looks foreign, but the construction is a familiar sight.

Photos used with permission of Julianne Lee.

EL ESTOQUE /dec. 2016

M

VHS class of 1974 alumni Julianne Lee said their parents plan to leave once their Cupertino resident Susan Pimlott’s first recalls a different Cupertino than the youngest child graduates. job was making falafels at Vivi’s in the 70s. one I know. When she was a young girl, With high housing prices, Cupertino acts About two months ago, the place, to her she remembers getting in trouble for playing as a temporary home for many. despair, was torn down. cowboy in the orchards that stretched Teachers work in Cupertino until they “Vivi’s was a special place,” she said. “A for two-and-a-half acres. In the spring, look to buy a house and can’t afford lot of the early ideas [that led to products Lee would hide among the three-foot-tall one within a reasonable commute. Small like the iPhone] were hatched over falafels.” mustard plants, smelling the air around her. businesses clutch onto their property until Much of the attraction behind the This scene, to her, was idyllic. taxes become unbearable. Parents pay the Cupertino Facebook group has to do with “I remember I would just lie in the ground high property taxes until their youngest child nostalgia: “day of old Cupertino and the where nobody could see me,” Lee said. “It graduates and they depart from their houses. Landmark buildings are gone,” “sad to visit was incredible — the Cupertino anymore,” “a peace. That’s right about real Cupertino tradition when property value gone with the wind.” of students feel like their skyrocketed and things This page, as one of its parents moved to Cupertino for changed.” members pointed out, t h e i r c h i l d r e n ’s e d u c a t i o n This is not a Cupertino “is often an obituary for I recognize. things we enjoyed back in The Cupertino Lee the day.” talks about — the one “It’s just part of human of students have parents who with orchards and horse nature: Change is hard,” plan to leave Cupertino after stables—is a distant place Pimlott said. their youngest child graduates lost under the mask of And I can sympathize the Cupertino I live in with that. I would be — the one that’s home devastated to come back to Apple’s headquarters to a Cupertino where the of students think that and a new downtown. place I had my first kiss — community members and city Development has Three Oaks Park — was council don’t do a good job of inarguably changed the replaced with another set landscape of Cupertino. of apartment buildings p r e s e r v i n g C u p e r t i n o ’s h i s t o r y This November or our family’s go-to election posed the restaurant — Cicero’s Out of a survey of 271 MVHS students question of this pizza — was replaced *Out of a survey of 271 students development to the with another Pizza Hut. citizens with Proposition C — an initiative to Cupertino is constantly changing. Every As Lee put it, “change is coming in and slow development — and Proposition D — 10 years community members are filtered homogenizing everything.” an initiative to revitalize Vallco Mall into The out as they search for affordable housing.

With each development, with each Hills. The community voted “No” on both.

When Cupertino acts as a short-term passing year, Cupertino assimilates to a These results seem to display a residence, the community question can more generic city. A city with more corporate dissatisfaction with modernization and often shift from “how can I preserve this places and fewer family-owned businesses. an influx of people. As Cupertino takes city’s history?” to “how can I shape this city A city with more apartment buildings and strides with its new developments, there to be profitable for myself?” fewer community gathering spaces. is a simmering sense of abandonment of Adding more chain businesses, revitalizing Change is not the enemy. Homogeneity is.

Cupertino’s history.

Vallco and constructing a downtown adds Twenty years down the line, if I join a This modernization is not something tangible economic value to the property Facebook group, “You know you are from unique to Cupertino, but the speed of this in Cupertino at the cost of tearing down Cupertino if you remember…,” I fear the change is disorientating for some. less profitable small businesses and other only name I’ll see is “Starbucks.”

Just in my four years of high school alone, landmark locations full of memories.

Cupertino has built a Main Street, evicted small business stores in Vallco and added hundreds of apartments.

Change, in Cupertino, happens fast.

“A l o t o f c r e a t i v i t y h a s Whether good or bad, it’s time we slow convened in this area, but down to ask “why?” on the other hand I miss my My parents moved here for the same home,” Julianne Lee, MVHS reason many of my peers landed here: class of 1974 alumni, said. education. And next year, when my parents Lee poses on Montclair Drive, will say their goodbyes and send me off to which had orginally been a college, I know they will also be bidding prune orchard. “Even those are our expensive house goodbye. My situation g o n e n o w. ” P h o t o t a k e n i n 1 9 5 8 is not unique. In a survey of 271 MVHS students, 80 percent felt their parents moved and used with permission of here for their children’s education, and 62 Julianne Lee.

80 i o oi 62 i o oi 57 i o oi

opinion

27

Take a breather from finals to explore the world of arts and entertainment: cooking, learning new skills, coloring and exploring music, movies and TV shows.

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a&E

29

cook it yourself Students share their favorite recipes for the winter seasons

BY ANANYA BHAT

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EL ESTOQUE /DEC. 2016

“IT’S LIKE LOWKEY FRIED RICE.” FRESHMAN DAN SACHS

INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 cup cooked rice 2 tbsp oil 4 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp garlic 1 tsp ginger 1/2 cup bell peppers

2/3 cup corn 1 cup green onion 1/2 cup corn 2 tsp Sriracha 1 avocado

fusion fried rice

JUNIOR PRAGYA PARTHASARATHY

INGREDIENTS For crust: 9 whole graham crackers 3 tbsp sugar 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground cloves 6 tbsp melted unsalted butter

SENIOR TEJAL KOLTE

INGREDIENTS For filling: 1 1/3 cups sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1/4 tsp allspice 1/2 tsp salt 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin purée 1 1/2 lb softened cream cheese 1 tbsp vanilla 1 tbsp lemon 5 large eggs 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1 tbsp melted unsalted butter

1/4 cup rolled oats 1 1/8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 cup unsalted butter (two sticks), softened 3/8 cup packed regular dark brown sugar 3/8 cup granulated sugar

A&E

“I MAKE A MEAN PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE, WHICH [MY FRIENDS] REALLY LIKE.”

“MY MOM AND I WOULD ALWAYS GET BOX MIXES FROM SAFEWAY [...] AND THEN [...] BAKE THAT.”

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 large egg 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

pumpkin cheesecake oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

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31

origami

i

t all started in elementary school, with printer paper, spare time and curiosity.

Sophomore Akmal Shaikh used spare printer paper and folded it up randomly, creating nothing but a big mess. But soon, Shaikh’s curiosity sparked a chain of projects. With the guidance of Youtube videos, he ended up creating cranes that could flap, airplanes that could spin in loops and cubes that could collapse.

But he’s never actually sought out a piece of origami paper. Though he’s used it before, Shaikh defaults to printer paper, using folds and tears to make the rectangular paper a square. And Shaikh uses little scrap of paper remaining to create a ninja star.

make it y SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE

Crafts to try during winter break

calligraphy

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EL ESTOQUE /DEC. 2016

BY T R I S H A K H O LI YA A N D DY LA N TSA I P h oto s by t r i s h a k h o li ya

e

very month, junior Ginga Sato sends a piece of his work — a single Japanese phrase — to Japan. There, professionals judge the work: the elegance of the lines, the fluidity of the strokes, how alive the writing is. In short, the quality of his calligraphy.

A calligraphy student since elementary school, Sato is experienced in the art. At first, he enjoyed calligraphy class because the teacher was nice; however, as time passed he grew to enjoy calligraphy itself. Even as his schedule got continuously busier and he was forced to give up activities such as swimming and the Japanese language, Sato continued to attend calligraphy class once a week. Doing calligraphy of Japanese words, Sato is fascinated by the transformation of text into an expressive art form; rather than the stiff lines normally used in writing, Sato can use a brush to bring each stroke to life.

i

t takes a long time to crochet a blanket.

If she looked in the corner of her room, sophomore Elika Hashemi would see what appears to be a too-large, too-wide scarf — the result of an unfinished attempt at crocheting a blanket. Despite its inherent time requirement, crocheting is an easy pastime that Hashemi can sporadically invest her time into.

Hashemi’s experiences with crochet began when her friend’s grandma taught crochet as an option for an elective in fourth grade.

From then on, her crochet hook came with her everywhere, including her fifth grade family trip to the San Francisco airport, and with it, she created baby socks, hats, scarves and that one half-done blanket.

yourself j

unior Amy Ding simply doesn’t like the school planners.

She finds that they have too many colors, are too distracting and are just not her style. In Ding’s daily life, she finds countless opportunities to display her artistic taste, maintaining a Studygram (a study Instagram) called @simple__study filled with pictures and videos of her meticulously elegant notes. One day in April, as she was browsing through this Instagram account, she discovered posts of Bullet Journals.

The Bullet Journal system, founded by Ryder Carroll, uses a dot-grid journal — a simple notebook filled with pages of grids of dots. Bullet journaling provides a way to structure the journal’s organization, while also allowing the user the freedom of customization. To do this, the Bullet Journal system uses ways of organizing the journal as a planner, a diary or just a way to track specific parts of the user’s life, like exercise, sleep, emotions or nutrition.

For example, Ding created monthlies, weeklies and dailies, which are planners for each of those time spans. From her first attempt at bullet journaling, Ding found satisfaction in personalizing her journal, almost as a form of art. Though it started as only a journal, Ding’s Bullet Journal grew into a way to organize her entire day.

crocheting

bullet journaling

A&E

41 33

explore it yourself MVHS students share their favorite albums, movies and TV shows

f

BY H I M A N I YA L A M A D D I

or some, the cure for boredom lies in listening to new music, binge-watching an entire TV series in a weekend or watching a new movie. But finding something you want at the moment you want it can be difficult. There is a seemingly endless stream of music to listen to and movies and shows to watch. To help you narrow down some of your choices, here are a few MVHS students’ favorite albums, movies and TV shows.

1

TV Show “Jane the Virgin” Genre Romantic comedy-drama Watch on Netflix or CW Network Recommended by junior Esha Desai Why “It’s really interesting and it’s funny most of the time,” junior Esha Desai said.

“Sometimes I watch it just for the narrator because he’s really enthusiastic and manages to lighten the mood even when something is crazy.”

Description Entering its third season, this American telenovela is about Jane Villanueva (played by Gina Rodriguez), a hard-working, aspiring teacher whose life begins to unravel when she is accidentally artificially inseminated, and finds her original life plan turned upside down.

34

EL ESTOQUE /DEC. 2016

2

Movie “Daddy Day Care” Genre Comedy Watch on Netflix, rent on iTunes or stream on Amazon Video Recommended by sophomore Prateek Kaushik Why “Eddie Murphy and [Jeff Garlin] are hysterical and the things they do are really [going to] make you laugh,” Kaushik said.

Description This 2003 box-office-hit comedy follows two recently laid-off men (played by Eddie Murphy and Jeff Garlin) who start a daycare service after the other local day care proves to be too expensive.

3

Album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” by the Beatles Genre Classic rock Listen on Spotify or Apple Music Recommended by junior Natalie Standridge Why “I feel it has a bunch of different styles of music all in one, and the singers are amazing,” Standridge said.

Description This classic album is often called one of the most influential and important albums of the last century. It was preserved by the Library of Congress and over 32 million copies have been sold since its release in 1967. Junior Natalie Standridge, a self-proclaimed Beatles fan, first began listening to the band when her father introduced it to her when she was younger, and says this is her favorite album by the group.

it 4

TV Show “Mr. Robot” Genre Drama-thriller Watch on USA Network or Amazon Video Recommended by junior Anthony Mein Why “The show pretty much talks about how society is corrupt and why some aspects of society seem okay [when] they’re really not,” Mein said. “It’s very interesting and really intriguing, it’s always keeping you on your toes.”

Description This Golden Globe and Emmy award winning show follows Elliot Alderson (played by Rami Malek) an anti-heroic cyber-security engineer who finds himself in a group of ‘hacktivists,’ whose mission is to take down a corrupt corporation.

5

Movie “Saving Private Ryan” Genre War drama Watch on Netflix, rent on iTunes or stream on Amazon Video Recommended by junior Yang Yi Li Why “It [is] really eye-opening about how cruel and bad war is,” Li said. “It completely shatters your romanticized views.”

Description The winner of five academy awards, Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” is a look into the Allied Forces’ invasion of Normandy during World War II. Famous for its intensity and the accuracy of its battle scenes, the movie was elected by the Library of Congress to be preserved in the National Film Registry for its significance. Junior Yang Yi Li’s father showed him the movie when he was younger, and though it frightened him then, he now sees it as a masterpiece.

6

Album “Death of a Bachelor” by Panic! At the Disco Genre Punk-pop Listen on Spotify or Apple Music Recommended by sophomore Rachel Lennen Why “It has a different variety of songs, like there’s some softer songs and there’s some louder songs,” Lennen said.

Description Panic! At the Disco’s fifth album, released January 2016, debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 and was the band’s most successful album to date.

The pop-rock band’s lineup is constantly changing, causing “Death of a Bachelor” to be written almost entirely by the only remaining member left of the original band, impacting the way the album was sounds in comparision to the band’s previous work.

A&E

35

color it y Coloring books provide a nostalgic form of relaxation

c

hildhood. When crayon on the walls rivaled the Sistine Chapel’s brilliance.

When fingerpainting made the stars and planets come alive. When coloring books challenged both the hands and the mind, and children could pour their efforts into coloring and creating as they see fit, with the lines as guides.

These books are now returning to the market, with intricate designs intended for adults.

Art and photography teacher Brian Chow has been using coloring books since childhood, and has seen his six year old daughter use them as well. He finds the act of coloring books stress-free as doing it has no consequences attached.

“You can do whatever you want, but there’s no repercussion. You’re not affecting somebody’s life, you’re not making someone disappointed, you’re not hurting anybody, you’re not hurting yourself, you’re just [like] ‘Whatever. I can do whatever I want and it’s done,’” Chow said. “Then, you can put it away, you can throw it away, you can put it up.

You can do lots of things with it, and it doesn’t have to have another life to it.”

Chow also thinks that adult coloring books should be promoted, even if they may not be as popular among their intended audience.

“Sure, why not? I think that anything that engages

36

EL ESTOQUE /DEC. 2016

and encourages people to release stress is not a bad thing,” Chow said. “[If] a coloring book finds its way as being one of those methods or a choice, sure, I’d think that it’d be a great thing to promote.”

Sophomore Madeleine Yung has been an artist and avid coloring book user for ten years.

She says that artwork and coloring books give her differing experiences.

“Coloring is kind of like art without the stress of having to worry about composition.

So art makes me kind of stressed, but it feels better to be done with that because I know that I did something,” Yung said. “But with coloring, I’m just coloring, so it’s nice to destress, but I don’t feel as accomplished when I [finish] it.”

Yung thinks that coloring books can be more relaxing when used by adults than children, and that they should be promoted for that reason.

“I guess it’s a break from being an adult, because coloring books are kid things,” Yung said. “But if adults can do it, then it’s a break from their real life.”

Sophomore Mia Yang also has art and coloring experience from a young age. One memorable moment with art and coloring books came from when she was in kindergarten.

yourself

BY BILL CHENG ILLUSTRATION BY AANCHAL GARG “I remember our first homework creativity and mood differently. assignment was actually to color, and I “I think it’d be really cool if more people remember I got yelled at because I didn’t knew about them.” Yang said. “Right now, there color inside of the lines,” Yang said. “At first aren’t a lot of things for us to do [to relax]. When I was super frustrated because I didn’t think we think of relaxing, we automatically think ‘Oh, it was that big of a deal if I colored outside yeah, on my day off I’ll just watch Youtube or the lines, but as I grew older, even in the watch Netflix.’ But sometimes it’s really nice to first and second grade, I appreciated it more get away from technology and do something as when I did color inside the lines even if it simple as coloring.” was just for myself and not for the teachers Chang retains a uniquely conflicting first ... it also kind of taught me to be patient.” impression towards the idea of adult coloring Junior Iris Chang also had a similar books, but in the end, she still feels supportive experience with towards them. frustration over “Originally, I thought SCAN FOR MORE coloring books, but that was kind of strange, COVERAGE she still found them having adult coloring rather fascinating. books, because usually “It was a it’s associated with a somewhat interesting experience, coloring child’s thing, like in elementary school where already drawn pictures,” Chang said. “I you color stuff to see if you can color within think I got angry at coloring because I the lines,” Chang said. “I guess if it helps you couldn’t color between the lines, or the destress then go for it. There’s nothing holding colors I had weren’t very nice, so everything you back.” just looked like a mess.”

Yang has had exposure to different kinds of coloring books in her life, and she appreciates how they each affect her

A&E

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BY STEPHANIE LAM ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANANYA BHAT

Sure, I’m free that day… What do you want to do?

The holiday season is a time for personal relaxation and family bonding. Take advantage of this break by attending the diverse performances and activities happening around the San José Community. From a Nuestra Navidad ceremony to a Christmas run, check out events that the whole family can take part in and enjoy this holiday season.

10 a.m.

3 p.m.

Dec 10

United Wholesale Flowers

United with Santa

United Wholesale Flowers is having its third annual United with Santa event. This free event includes a meet and greet with Santa and Christmas-themed crafts and activities. Participants are encouraged to bring donatable items that will be given to The Second Harvest Food Bank.

9 a.m.

11 p.m.

Dec 18

Santa Clara Street

Santa Run

The Santa Run Silicon Valley is a run created to help fund community holiday traditions.

Families can come to the run dressed up as a holiday character and partake in additional events like a costume contest.

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EL ESTOQUE /DEC. 2016

9 a.m.

11 p.m.

Dec 11

San Jose Center preforming arts

Nutcracker

The San José Dance Theatre is hosting its annual ballet preformance, The Nutcracker, which follows the story of a young girl who meets a Nutcracker Prince and battles a Mouse King. The play has been a San José tradition since 1967. Ticket prices range from $35 to $65.

5 p.m.

10 p.m.

Jan 16

Circle of Palms

Downtown ice

Downtown Ice is known to be the South Bay’s largest outdoor skating rink during the holiday season. Admission is free, and everyone, regardless of skill level, is welcome to come and skate in the park.

7 p.,m.

8 p.,m.

Dec 16

Montgomery Theater

Nuestra Navidad

The Aztlán Academy in San José presents its 50th Nuestra Navidad. The academy will showcase various Mestizo Mexicano art forms and styles. The performances are a combination of tradition and Christmas entertainment. Admission is free to everyone who attends.

10 a.m.

5 p.m.

Jan 21

Santa Clara County Fair

Amazing Pet Expo

This sixth annual Bay Area Pet Expo will take place Jan. 21-22. The admission is free, and attendees are welcome to bring their pets. The Expo will have events such as adoption centers and entertainment centers.

PART TIME SISTER?

My experience with my older siblings

T

HE INSTANT I MENTION MY “three older sisters,” I am swamped with surprise, acknowledgement and at last, the listener’s envy, echoed by “Oh, you’re sooo lucky!”

I’ll nod, reflexively, and reply with the default: “Yeah, I am lucky!”

Ensue their onslaught of assumptions.

“I bet they do everything for you. You guys must be really close. You can talk about anything with them, right?”

Well, not exactly. In my opinion, we used to be rather distant (emotionally and physically).

I had harbored a SOPHOMORE peculiar grudge against my sisters.

A toxic feeling, festering, as I was reminded of my position as the “part time” sister. It was unjustified, I grumped, for all three to scamper off to college or graduate school for nine months, with a melodramatic sunrise as a backdrop.

They’d return to unload boatloads of gossip and stories until two o’clock in the morning, without me.

Yet in thick black sharpie, I read their hypocritical birthday cards that said, “Happy Birthday! Remember, you can tell me and ask me about everything.”

We were vastly apart in age and distance, considering one sister was out-of-state for college and the other two were at California colleges. While I understood age and distance were unalterable, I hid a resentful loneliness. Granted, it was a grand old time during Christmas break — yet to me, it was a reunion between the three old pals, and me, their little sister and still a measly preteen, an entertaining spectacle on the sidelines.

At 9 p.m., I sat in the midst of their whirlwind, “college girl” conversation, enthralled by this distant world of underage drinking and partying, a world laced with the stench of weed (a nickname for a friendly garden plant, I assumed?) and couches tie-dyed beerbrown. The clock flashed 11 p.m.; the conversation stopped.

“You should go to bed. It’s sorta time

for you to sleep now,” all three of them said.

Conversations with school friends were earnest and giggly. Yet among the sisters I’d conversed with for 13 years, the hubbub and gossipy atmosphere slackened to oneword answers. When a sister confided in me — about serious things, too — sometimes, only to me, the conventional transaction of a secret for a secret fell short. I was unmoving in this ring around the rosie of gossip.

Actually, I’m talking blasphemy.

While I feigned indifference to the gossip, I did have an urge to lasso my fleece blanket, cowgirl style, and yodel away all my secrets. Am I not HELEN CHAO the crazy lady who traps all her “cats” in bags, the writer of this column?

Heavens, it’d actually be a relief to pan all my secrets out, casino dealer style. Take your pick, I’d sniff at my sister and pick disinterestedly at my fingernails. I’d exhale my burdens in a nonchalant sentence.

Prior to the beginning of sophomore year, my greatest talent was my facade of a happygo-lucky girl binging on a diet of rainbows and pixie dust. Throughout eighth and ninth grade, unbeknownst to the rest of my family, I struggled religiously and thus emotionally.

I became accustomed to concealing and refusing to speak of my emotions, independent in the worst way possible — if my stress was at all noted, I related it to school.

CAT’S OUT OF THE BAG

Some battles, I reproved myself, you must fight for yourself. Squeeze your gut and collect that scattered wit yourself, escort the psychiatrist to the exit before they try to sweep it up themselves. Solve your own problems and you’ll truly learn. So I kept the grumbling to myself.

As I grew older, the 11 o’clock bedtime blurred. I was acknowledged as a high schooler and offered admission to this exclusive sisters’ club.

“Come to brunch with us,” they said.

“Watch a movie!” “Another brunch place!”

It was unnerving, to say the least. I was rejecting their offers for sisterly bonding, and they found themselves with a sister who refused to have fun or confide in them. It was certainly better off that way. The worries purveying me were truly personal. It’d take copious amounts of self-reflection, but I’d take on my midlife, excuse me, adolescentlife crisis myself — no sisters allowed.

My personality molded itself to my epiphany, and I became ever more reserved and introverted.

Unfortunately, sisters are annoying.

Persistent. All three latched onto me as overenthusiastic, uninformed sidekicks.

Through a sisterly “sixth sense,” somehow, they recognized how stressed I was. So what if I was unwilling to divulge my problems?

After all, my struggles didn’t matter, in the grand scheme of things — it if my sisters could make me happier. Badgering for me to lay off the homework and go for a boba run, aiding me in their own ridiculous way.

My cumulative rejections didn’t deter their Sunday brunch offers in the slightest. In a teasing way, they despaired of their little sister’s avoidance of sunlight — only to drag me out to face the rays and meet a teetering pancake stack, with all three sisters looking at me expectantly.

I dug in.

Well, we all dug in, chatting between forkfuls of pancake.

We still do to this day.

ILLUSTRATION | MICHELLE WONG

A&E

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Zero Shots, Zero Go 90 Minutes We wanted to know what MVHS winter sports athletes go through; we left our classroom, and went to three workouts for each winter sport. What’s the worst that could happen?

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EL ESTOQUE /DEC. 2016

PHOTO | OM KHANDEKAR

SPORTS

oals Weight

on My shoulders

M

Y ABILITIES LIE FAR OUTSIDE THE realm of sports, so I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this. I found out some sports ran four miles a week and weight trained regularly, and I hadn’t ran a mile since freshman year. Needless to say, I was not looking forward to the experience of joining the wrestling team for conditioning.

Walking into the weight room, I spotted Justin Yu, the strength and training coach, who first sent us on a warm up run. “OK, this isn’t too bad,” I thought. “Just like 9th Grade PE, right?”

Wrong. Taking a PE class freshman year does not prepare you for an actual practice.

Justin explained Sumo Deadlifts, an exercise where you do your best sumo wrestler imitation and try to lift a weighted bar at the same time, and a set of Box Jumps would be first in the workout. I watched apprehensively as others lifted 100, 110 and upwards of 120 pounds. I, on the other hand, was unsure if I could lift the 45-pound bar.

The main reason I didn’t play a lot of sports as a kid wasn’t because I didn’t like working out or found sports boring. I was born with an atrial septal defect, a 26-milimeter hole in my heart, which significantly handicapped my athletic abilities. My parents knew I would never be an Olympic athlete and steered me in other directions. I got the hole closed recently, and after a year of no physical activity, I was, I’ll admit, a little eager to find out what I could do.

I finally spotted someone lifting 65 pounds and decided I would start there. I spread my feet, pulled the bar up, and was surprised.

“OK. My arms aren’t falling off. My back hasn’t broken. This isn’t as bad as I thought.” Famous last words. Justin told me to straighten my back and lift the bar straight up, a modification that made the seemingly easy exercise much harder.

On my second round of the circuit, I couldn’t

PHOTO | PATRICK YEUNG

BY SANNIDHI MENON

find anyone lifting 65 pounds. Instead, I saw the same person who lifted 65 before now lifting 109. As I struggled to remove the excess weight from the bar, Justin came up to me again. “I want you to try it first,” he said. So I stopped trying to remove the weight and picked up the bar. “WOAH. I can actually lift this.” For now.

As the set wore on, my form got worse and worse, so by the end, I began to feel dizzy and faint.

“Maybe I should have eaten more than just a bag of potato chips for lunch. What would happen if I just fainted right here?

Would I hit my head on a weight and die?

Would I be taken off this story and not have to do this anymore?” I decided to keep going.

Thankfully, by the third set, we were out of time and it was on to the next circuit.

We continued working for another half hour, and then the wrestlers went out for a run before practice. I left them to it and stumbled home instead.

The next two days were similar to the first. Because of my pre-existing condition, I only joined the team for conditioning, and didn’t practice with them. But I was surprised at how manageable the workout was. My initial eagerness to find out what my new self could do soon melted into admiration. I had never been able to experience my body performing at full capacity, and wrestling conditioning gave me a unique opportunity to do so.

So what did I learn from this experience?

That many of my classmates put in lots of time and effort to train for their sports. That many of those same people were like me, and couldn’t even lift the bar at first. But with time, they worked their way up to weights that I didn’t think were humanly possible.

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Technical

Difficulties

E

BY SHAYON MORADI

VERY PERSIAN MAN SEEMS TO love playing and watching soccer; unfortunately for me, I never really understood the obsession. My father, uncles and even my brother enjoy both playing and watching the “beautiful game,” but after my first experiences playing soccer as a child, I grew to dislike the sport and have never really played it since. As a proper Persian man, I decided to give soccer one last chance, and see if the mystics of the “beautiful game” could attract me so I could finally make my forefathers proud.

I chose to participate in a series of soccer practices, but since I was unfortunately not cleared to play, I had to settle for the next best thing. I asked a few soccer players to walk me through a normal practice, but most of them flaked, and I had to settle for only one player, junior Sarin Gole. Since it had been years since the last time I played soccer, I didn’t expect much of myself. Also, being really out of shape, I expected to die while conditioning.

The first drill we did was shooting; the first shot I took on goal sailed about a foot

above the top: enough power, but no technique.

This shot foreshadowed how the entire practice would go. I had the strength to do many of the drills, but the skill required was completely beyond my abilities. I had a feeling that making my forefathers Junior Shayon Moradi lines up for a shot. Moradi proud of my actions would underwent shooting drills in his experience working be much more difficult than I originally expected. out as part of the sport. Photo by Om Khandekar.

Later on we got to the part of practice I was least looking forward to: conditioning. a very unpleasant experience, but thankfully Sarin said I would be doing liners from ended quickly. the end line to the 40 yard line. When he The single most surprising part of the said this it brought me back to my football entire practice was how easy heading the playing time, when the coaches would make ball was. I expected that hitting a soccer you run in the heat with 20 pounds of extra ball with your head would both be difficult gear on you, constricting your breathing and painful, but it oddly enough it wasn’t. and making you hate living. But the soccer Whenever Sarin threw the ball towards me, conditioning was not like this. I felt free. I I could with reasonable accuracy, head the could breathe easy — for about 20 seconds, ball right back to him. At this point in the that is, until my body remembered it hadn’t practice I was feeling good about myself. I run at all in at least a year. It soon turned to lived through the conditioning and what I thought would be the hardest drill of the day.

Little did I know the “beautiful game” had Juniors Shayon Moradi and Sarin Gole wait on the upper field before the boys more challenges to throw at me. varsity soccer practice. Gole led Moradi through an abreviated soccer practice.

The technique and flexibility required to to give Moradi a feel for what the team goes through. Photo by Om Khandekar. control the ball and shoot are singularly the most difficult things I tried doing the entire day. Oftentimes the ball would be floating in the air and I, being about as flexible as a fencepost, simply would not have the flexibility in the hip to make contact with the ball. Even if I made contact, actually making the ball go where I wanted took much more technique than I had.

As a whole, the practice wasn’t the most physically difficult thing I’ve ever done, but the techniques needed to be at all effective were thoroughly out of my grasp. My family would have been disappointed at my performance, but I did gain a new respect for the technical abilities of all soccer players. As of today I am still alone, as the only Persian man with no love for soccer.

SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE

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EL ESTOQUE /DEC. 2016

Junior Om Khandekar is overtaken by senior Ron Talmor. Sprints are a common exercise used in most workouts. Photo by Patrick Yeung.

BY OM KHANDEKAR

Back to the

Blacktop

I

BY OM KHANDEKAR

T’S KIND OF IRONIC HOW GOOD I WAS feeling about myself when I stepped onto the cracked blacktop of Kennedy MS. I’m a wrestler, and the last time I played anything even close to basketball was when we took Thanksgiving practice off to play mat ball. Mat ball involves running into people in a confined wrestling room until nobody’s moving and the ball has been smashed into some corner of the room.

Basketball does not have those same rules, and yet I was still feeling cocky.

Growing up, pickup basketball games were the beginning and end of my athletic career. So unique and one of a kind right? I know, I’m special like that. But for most of childhood I was convinced that I was just an inch away from dunking on that 10 foot tall hoop at Garden Gate Elementary. When we had to pick a sport to go hopelessly fail at in the name of all that is “journalism,” I figured I could leave the wrestling, and unleash my inner NBA player.

Wrestling, if you’re listening, I’m so sorry I thought I could leave you for basketball.

Please save me from those ball handling drills and bleacher workouts. Please, please, please and thank you.

I was wearing a snowboarding camp t-shirt and running shoes when I met senior Ron Talmor and sophomore Akshay Gopalkrishnan for the first day of my supposed rise to athletic stardom. I picked up the rebound off of one of Akshay’s shots, but when I put it up, I saw it leave my hands

and fall to the ground without even hitting the rim. Airball.

In all fairness, I wasn’t horrible. I’d credit my wonderful coaches Akshay and Ron for all the sprints and liners that put me on the floor wheezing for breath, but it didn’t go beyond that for me. My shooting form was horrid. My dribbling was somehow even worse. And when we started to work on the subtle things like footwork, I really started to miss the unsubtle, run into em’ until they stop squirming moves from the wrestling mat. But I was trying my hardest to just beat the odds and be better than the extremely low standard I had been setting for myself all my life.

I stopped playing pickup basketball around middle school, right around the time I failed to make the fifth round of tryouts.

I hit my growth spurt since then and shed all my baby weight. And while I had stopped jiggling with every step, going back to the basketball court still hit me with reality: my time on the courts has been over for a long while. No more playing for fun. Now I see basketball practice going from a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon, to a high-stakes practice every day.

The second day of practice helped soften the fish out of water feeling. We

went to the MVHS upper field, because now it was time to work off the ball. After all, how can you make the shots that you practiced if your muscles can’t even last long enough for you to shoot the ball? I ran sprints and then squatted, déjà vu of wrestling practice and football practice and eventually I fell into that familiar rhythm of “Yeah, this sucks and I can’t feel my legs. But at least I’ve done this before.” Then my coaches had me go run bleachers.

I’ve been terrified of bleachers ever since I can recall. I can remember working out on them twice in my life, and once again it was far too late to get comfortable with them.

I practically crawled up the metal spikes, and clung onto the railing on the way back down. Forget those years and endless hours I’ve put into snowboarding, wrestling and even the pickup games of basketball. I still look at bleachers and tremble sometimes.

But by the end of that workout, I was finally looking down at Akshay and Ron at the top of the world on those bleachers. I didn’t get any faster right then and there, but those bleachers did get a lot less scary.

All it took was three days. I flashed back to time spent playing pickup basketball on the cracked asphalt in front of my house, almos as if that part of my life was nothing but a dream. I was happy with how bad at basketball I was, because being a beginner shields you from that sort of self-judgement.

It took three days, but now I can’t think of a single thing wrong with becoming a beginner again.

Junior Om Khandekar does mountain climbers while supervised by senior Ron Talmor and sophomore Akshay Gopalkrishnan. Golpakrishnan and Talmor organized the workout for Khandekar. Photo by Patrick Yeung.

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TAKING THEIR SHOT National Academy prepares players for careers in professional soccer

BY RANA AGHABABAZADEH AND AMANDA CHAN

S

OPHOMORE ITAY RABINOVICH can hardly remember his life before soccer. At the age of five, his grandfather introduced him to the game by giving him a ball to play with.

“He was always kicking something around,” Itay’s father, Roberto Rabinovich, said. “We would always play with him around the block and in the parks. That was his favorite thing.”

Eleven years after the days of four feet high portable soccer goals, Itay now plays for the De Anza Force U-15/16 Academy team. The team is paired with the U.S. Soccer Academy, an elite program of 77 select clubs across the U.S. designed to train youth players for careers in professional soccer. Some Academy players even sign contracts after their U18 season.

Although Itay now plays at one of the highest levels for his age, playing competitive soccer wasn’t always one of his goals.

He started in a beginner’s league in the American Youth Soccer Organization, but soon, it turned into something much more than recreational soccer.

The transition to the competitive ranks happened in middle school when Itay moved to train under a new coach who identified his potential and always pushed him to excel.

Over the years, Itay’s coach recognized his talent, continuously recommending him to the next level and the next. Soccer soon

became a much more serious part of Itay’s life ever since he joined the Academy. “[Soccer]’s always been something that I love doing,” Itay said. “I love waking up at six in the morning and just going to the field and playing around, so I realized that I love it to a point where I want to do it as high level as I can and I realized t h e

opportunities that it gives me.”

Before joining the Academy, Itay played on the second highest level of De Anza Force — the National Premier League (NPL), the team sophomore Soham Mukherjee is currently on.

After playing for lower level teams and gaining his soccer prowess, Mukherjee moved through several higher teams and then onto De Anza Force. He wasn’t accepted into the first Force team he tried out for, but he later tried out and played for the U14 Academy.

Sophomore Itay Rabinovich passes the ball in a game against the Pateadores U-15/16 Academy team.

Rabinovich opted to play for the De Anza Force Academy team over MVHS. Photo by Rana Aghababazadeh.

44

EL ESTOQUE /dec. 2016

For both Itay and Mukherjee, their keeping up with guitar practice, and experiences on the Academy have been on before 8th grade, Mukherjee knew he an entirely new level of competitiveness wouldn’t be able to commit to playing and intensity from club and school teams. the piano. For soccer at this level, even Players on the Academy train two hours when there are no practices or games, every day, five to six times a week. On top of players for teams like the Academy and the heavy practice schedule, the team often the NPL go out to the field to keep their travels for games, going across the country skills polished. to places such as Florida, Washington and “They wake up over the weekends, Indiana, which requires missing school when there’s no games, and grab a about every three weeks. But what sets ball and go to the field to kick or run the Academy a little bit to get apart from more and more in other club shape,” Roberto teams is not said. “[Itay’s] life the amount surrounds soccer of training or in a way that the traveling, ever y t h ing it’s the is dictated profe s siona l by the environment. timeline of “The very his practices first thing ... and his games. they told me The time that when I got he goes to on Academy sleep, the is now I need things that ITAY’S FATHER ROBERTO to represent he eats, so RABINOVICH myself and it impacts represent my e v e r y club,” Itay said. aspect of his life.”

Academy players are connected with But it’s a trade-off that Itay National Team coaches and staff, and there’s and Mukherjee are willing a different energy and intensity, one where to make. The Academy players are always training to become better has allowed them to because of the difficulty in maintaining a train in a competitive spot on the team. environment for a “There’s a big step from recreational sport they love, while soccer to competitive soccer, and then from forming bonds with competitive soccer to Academy is another the teammates big difference,” Mukherjee said. “And they spend so much then for most other club teams, it’s still time with. competitive. But it’s like in Academy, you “You get to be with have to fight for a starting spot.” your team for years and Despite all the opportunities that the years with no change, Academy provides for Itay and Mukherjee so you get to know the to take their soccer to the next level, playing guys as brothers,” Itay for the Academy comes at a price. This said. “But the biggest step year, when Itay signed a contract with the for me I think is Academy Academy, he became ineligible to play for puts you in a professional MVHS. Since the Academy trains so often, environment.” the contract aims to protect the players from putting too much stress on their bodies. Sophomore Soham According to Mukherjee, high school soccer Mukherjee kicks is also known to be more aggressive, the ball during resulting in more injuries than in a higher a passing drill league such as the Academy.

Itay and Mukherjee have also had to in practice.This sacrifice other hobbies in order to fully is Mukherjee’s pursue competitive soccer because the first year playing time-consuming schedule of national level soccer for MVHS. soccer doesn’t allow for much else. At the Photo by Rana beginning of freshman year, Itay had trouble Aghababazadeh.

THEY WAKE UP OVER THE WEEKENDS, WHEN THERE’S NO GAMES, AND GRAB A BALL AND GO TO THE FIELD TO KICK OR RUN A LITTLE BIT

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PRATHIK RAO A

s the college application season draws to a close, aspiring athletes look for avenues to pursue their ambitions in sports. Senior and varsity volleyball captain Prathik Rao, who is on his way to be a collegiate varsity athlete, discussed his volleyball journey and where he hopes it will take him.

BY Rana aghaBaBazadeh and aditYa pimplaskaR EE: How did you start volleyball and when did you start taking it seriously?

PR: I got cut from the volleyball team in 6th grade; then I made the volleyball team in 7th grade, and I’ve been playing ever since. I started with Kennedy Middle School volleyball, then I’ve been playing for Mountain View Volleyball Club. The summer after 9th grade was when I figured out that I can actually make something out of volleyball. That year, we won a national title, so I figured ‘this is cool’ and also I knew I had a strict coach coming in the next year, so then I thought that I’d have to work extra hard if I want to make something out of this.

EE: How do you think prospective college athletes should approach choosing where they want to play?

PR: It’s a really personal decision and it’s not my place to make that decision for everyone, but in my opinion, especially coming from this area, athletics should not be the primary reason you go to school.

School is school. And specifically for volleyball at least, there’s not much of a career after. If you’re waiting for football, basketball or baseball, then there’s a shot at a legitimate career afterwards. Volleyball, not so much.

EE: Tell us about your college recruitment process.

PR: During sophomore and junior year, I was being actively recruited by a lot of schools for full-admission consideration, particularly Princeton, UCSD, UCSB and Emerson College. They were offering me that and this year I had to take a step back and say you know what, ‘I want to get in for my grades, because I don’t want the pressure of having to play to stay in the school.’ So now I’m applying to colleges for my grades, and I’m getting something called assisted admission in certain schools, where if I promise to play volleyball my first year, they’ll get me admission to the school. So San Diego’s offered me that. Emerson’s offered me that. The other schools have not, but with due time, I’ll figure it out.

EE: Do you think people close to you would understand the decision that you’re making?

PR: My volleyball friends for sure understand that’s what I’m going through, especially my coach; my coach was one of the people who actually pushed me in that direction, because he knows that I’m smarter than most of the other guys on the [club] team, and that I have an avenue to get into school besides just sports.

But I think my close friends, the people I hang out with on a daily basis, they understand I’m an intellectual person first and I’m an athlete after, and I think that’s reflective of my character and that’s how people see me.

photo | ADItYA pIMpLASKAR

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EL ESTOQUE / DEC. 2016

W

SPOrTS flash photo | oM KhANDEKAR

Following a CCS quarterfinal appearance TENNIS last year and the addition of new head coach Lu Tang, the girls tennis team was hopeful for another successful season. Unfortunately, they did not qualify for CCS, ending with a 9-7 record and closing out the season with a senior night victory over Lynbrook HS.

photo | EMMA LAM

The girls golf team placed first in the El Camino League and secured two spots at the CCS tournament. Junior Meg Niu and sophomore Tiffany Chen qualified for CCS and the team was promoted to the upper De Anza League. photo | AMANDA ChAN

photo | oM KhANDEKAR

Senior Ellie Cary goes up for a kill in the girls volleyball team’s CCS matchup against Los Gatos HS. The girls followed up an 18-8 season with a CCS second round appearance. They fought hard but fell to LGHS by a score of 3-1.

Rallying behind seniors Kelly Bishop, Paru Meyappan and Bennett Zhang, the cross country teams ranked well at CCS. The boys finished in 6th place, while the girls took o r t at s States.

17 2nd, earningSaPspot photo |oM KhANDEKAR

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SPECIAL REPORT DOWN MEMORY LANE: THE MULLEN FAMILY

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