Volume 48, Issue 5, January 31, 2018 by El Estoque

January 2018

elESTOQUE Monta Vista High School

8 NEWS

16 OPINION

26 A&E

33 SPORTS

Students and counselors discuss experiences at single-gender schools

MVHS staff and students predict how 2018 will unfold

Student reflects on taking daily snapshots in 2017

Climbing Kilimanjaro: Raja family explores Tanzanian culture

BLUNT ABOUT IT

Exploration of weed culture among MVHS students

Issue V Volume XLVIII

NEWS

TAKE TWO

Thousands of supporters turn out for the San Jose Women’s March 2018

WHEN FACTS BECOME FICTION Individuals share their thoughts on media literacy education

LEND AN ARM MVHS Leadership aims to increase blood drive participation A NEW DAY IS ON THE HORIZON Reviewing FUHSD’s sexual harassment policy updates A DIFFERENT DIRECTION Students and counselors discuss experiences at single-gender schools

6 7 8

OPINION

A&E

IN THE DARK

A YEAR IN SELFIES

Students deserved the opportunity to vote on the new bell schedule

A HUMAN ERROR Hawaii’s false missile alert leaves only ourselves to blame

OUT OF FOCUS Why pluses and minuses should be included on official transcripts

REPUTATIONS: RELATIONSHIPS Students share their opinions on dating in high school

UNCHARTED WATERS MVHS staff and students predicts how 2018 will unfold

Student reflects on taking daily snapshots in 2017

NEW TIMES, OLD TRADITIONS How various cultures celebrate the new year

BITTER MEETS SWEET DIY projects to do with grapefruit

MY GAMING ADDICTION A staff member’s journey through a gaming addiction

THE TEENS BEHIND THE SCREENS Students discuss their gaming experiences

WHAT YOU NEVER KNEW A crossword about MVHS staff

SPORTS

CLIMBING KILIMANJARO

Raja family explores Tanzanian culture through mountain trek

STREAK RUNS OUT How girls cross country rises from a loss

CREATING CULTURE Exploring traditions of MVHS sport teams

WINTER OLYMPICS What to look out for in the 2018 Winter Olympics

FOUR TEAMS, ONE RIVAL A glimpse into the culture of quad games

SPORTS FLASH MVHS’ winter sports season through pictures

IN THIS ISSUE

FEATURES

BREAKING IT DOWN How marijuana affects the human body

EL ESTOQUE | JANUARY 2018

DEAL WITH IT A weed dealer and users’ perspective

GREY AREA

A CREATIVE INFLUENCE

Community reacts to recent marijuana legalization

Individuals discuss the use of weed for artistic purposes

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS...

eed’s presence is prevalent on high school campuses, and MVHS is no exception. Students sometimes discuss their peers’ usage of marijuana or wonder whether a certain classmate was high in class. On occasion, administration and teachers have been faced with what to do regarding a student who has been caught. That discussion hasn’t stopped, but the legalization of recreational marijuana for those over 21 years of age has raised some different questions at the national, state and local level. At the national level, marijuana is illegal. It is classified as a schedule 1 drug, which means it’s under the strictest regulations. Under the Obama administration, states that legalized marijuana were met with little government resistance. Yet Attorney General Jeff Sessions has now rescinded the Obama administration’s documents regarding the legalization of marijuana, allowing federal prosecutors to crack down on weed dispensaries in states that have legalized marijuana. At the state level, several marijuana dispensaries have already opened in cities like San Jose, Santa Cruz and San Francisco. The ensuing conflict between the nationally banned substance and the legalization of weed in individual states has sparked a discussion about the power of state and federal governments. Locally, Cupertino has banned marijuana dispensaries, as have other cities in the county like Saratoga and Los Gatos. It’s apparent that even local city councils are wary of how the state’s new laws might influence their city. On MVHS’ campus, everything is the same. Recreational marijuana is still illegal for minors. But a discussion about the legalization’s potential impact — or lack of impact — on MVHS has been sparked regardless. On page 24, reporters Om Khandekar and Anjini Venugopal explore the community’s reaction to Prop 64. Some believe that the legalization could increase marijuana use among MVHS students, since minors often acquire their marijuana from older individuals — and now those older individuals can access marijuana more easily. Others, like guidance counselor Monique Balentine, believe the legalization will have little impact. Balentine expresses her belief that the cultural taboo will unfortunately continue to keep Cupertino’s community from discussing marijuana. Even so, it’s important that we try and have this discussion — weed is a part of many people’s lives and the impact it has is an important topic to be addressed, even more so with the recent legalization. The effects of the legalization of recreational marijuana on our nation, state and community are still unknown, but the conflicting opinions on it at government levels could have larger implications. Taboo or not, this conversation needs to happen — it’s about more than just weed.

Ananya Bhat

Ilena Peng

CORRECTION FROM THE LAST ISSUE “Pathway to their sport” incorrectly stated that freshman Henry Zhai started color guard pre-MVHS.

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

Editors-in-chief: Ananya Bhat, Ilena Peng Managing editors: Aanchal Garg, Om Khandekar, Akshara Majjiga, Chetana Ramaiyer, Priya Reddy Copy editors: Emma Lam, Karen Ma, Andrea Schlitt Web editor: Daniel Lin Design editor: Elizabeth Han News editors: Claire Chang, Gauri Kaushik, ZaZu Lippert, Jai Uparkar Sports editors: Rana Aghababazadeh, Roshan Fernandez, Sannidhi Menon, Anthony Moll Entertainment editors: Sara Entezar, Shar Rahman, Michelle Wong, Himani Yalamaddi Opinion editors: Ruth Feng, Songjun Na, Mallika Singh, Nate Stevens Feature editors: Helen Chao, Vivian Chiang, Katerina Pappas, Karen Sanchez Beats editors: Bill Cheng, Anjini Venugopal Business editor: Shayon Moradi Public relations editor: Jennie Chen Visuals editors: Sunjin Chang, Ankit Gupta, Rajas Habbu, Stuti Upadhyay, Anish Vasudevan, Jacob Wee Staff writers: Robert Borrego, Anirudh Chaudhary, Charlotte Chui, Aditya Dash, Aditi Gnanasekar, Alyssa Hui, Zara Iqbal, Shuvi Jha, Ria Kolli, Sreya Kumar, Hannah Lee, Jasmine Lee, Carol Lei, Maggie McCormick, Andrea Perng, Jahan Razavi, Ishani Singh, Rucha Soman, Swara Tewari, Chelsea Wong, Emily Xia, Claire Yang, Julia Yang, Sarah Young 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. PHOTO | SHAR RAHMAN

WHEN FACT BECOMES FICTION Individuals share their thoughts on media literacy education BY SHUVI JHA AND RIA KOLLI

ccording to Statista, 69 percent of “The rise of fake and misleading Americans have read or began to news is deeply concerning,” Dodd said read a news article that they later in a statement through his website. “We realized was not factually correct. Coined as already require critical thinking skills in “fake news,” which refers to any story that our schools, but they haven’t kept up with contains factually incorrect information technology. Crafting a comprehensive and serves to mislead a person, entity or curriculum for media literacy education is an organization, the inability to distinguish essential to combatting fake news.” between factual and fictional news is Under the proposed curriculum, considered by many students would be taught governmental officials WHEN YOU’RE SOCIALLY to analyze media in a to be a critical threat critical manner, taking ISOLATED, YOU DON’T to democracy. care to note a source’s WANT TO BELIEVE Noting this fact, co m p re h e n s i ve n e s s , California’s District WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS relevance, credibility, Three Senator Bill authority and accuracy. BELIEVING. IT’S VERY EASY There will also be an Dodd introduced a TO IGNORE WHAT IS new bill in the Senate emphasis on digital on Jan. 3 requiring the citizenship — how BEING SAID. integration of media to appropriately and SENIOR literacy education, healthily behave online NICHOLAS CHEN or the ability to without compromising access, analyze one’s privacy. and evaluate online media, in school Library media teacher Laura Utile, who curriculums. Alarmed by the proliferation, considers herself to be an advocate for reach and influence of hoax websites and media literacy, agrees with the contents hyperpartisan blogs online, it is Dodd’s of the proposed bill. She observes that personal belief that there has never been especially at MVHS, where students are a greater need for media literacy classes. often on a tight schedule with very little

ILLUSTRATION | ILENA PENG

EL ESTOQUE | JANUARY 2018

leisure time, vetting sources and verifying information is not a top priority for most individuals. “I think students don’t think about [checking their sources], so [a lack of media literacy] really is a problem,” Utile said. “Are you going deeper when you get to a website? Are you looking at the ‘About’ page? Are you making sure those sources that you’re quoting are legitimate sources?” In that respect, senior Nicholas Chen also agrees with Utile’s belief that factchecking and corroborating sources is often overlooked during the research process. Still, he does not believe that a lack of media literacy, or the inability to distinguish fact from fiction, is a significant issue at MVHS. Personally, he has never had problems distinguishing between what news is real and what is not, as the school-organized mini-lessons he’s received on proper citations and media usage over the years have made him a self-described competent consumer of online news. If anything, Chen believes that it is the social exclusion and political division in MVHS that contributes to the problem of fake news. “[Distinguishing between fake and real news] is not a matter of knowledge entirely,” Chen said. “That’s a big part of it,

NEWS

but another big part of it is the psychological aspect of feeling isolated from society. Because when you’re socially isolated, you don’t want to believe what everyone else is believing. It’s Facebook and various other social media very easy to ignore what is will just reinforce that you like something being said.” To prove his point, Chen notes that and they will give you more stuff that you there are several socially isolated, mostly like, so you never see the stuff that you conservative cliques that stray from the don’t like.” According to Clarke, that need for one’s grain of MVHS students typical liberal beliefs and share factually incorrect news own beliefs to be reinforced also emerges in the way students are taught to write. among themselves. “You wouldn’t really know it from He believes that a close-minded partisan looking at [these groups] because they’re approach to writing, rather than a lack of not very vocal about their beliefs,” Chen media literacy, is the root cause of the fake said. “But between them, they’ll exchange news issue. Media literacy classes, in his a lot of very, very non-mainstream views opinion, simply mask the fact that personal about things like the Holocaust being fake.” bias is the reason for one-sided, often Although these students are believers of incomplete journalism. “It’s not media literacy that’s the issue,” inaccurate information, Chen emphasizes his belief that their situation has less to Clarke said. “For me, it’s the way we do with detecting fact versus fiction and approach writing. We approach writing in more to do with isolation — an aspect a very partisan way. We don’t approach of basic human psychology he believes writing as an expression, in my opinion, of an open mind. It’s an the proposed bill should take into IF EVERYBODY’S WRITING expression of ‘Here are my beliefs and here is why my account. IN A MANNER WHICH IS beliefs are right.’ That’s E n g l i s h JUST REINFORCING THEIR the way you’re taught to teacher David write essays in Literature Clarke shares a OWN BELIEFS, THEN NO classes. You start with similar sentiment, WONDER PEOPLE ARE a thesis, you gather expressing that it BICKERING IN A PARTISAN evidence, you construct is not the inability an argument. That’s not to vet sources or MANNER. research.” recognize bias that ENGLISH TEACHER For this reason, he makes it difficult DAVID CLARKE believes that students to distinguish should be taught to have between fake and real news, but rather an individual’s a more open mind, one that is willing tendency to only believe stories that align to accept, or at least address, opposing with their personal ideologies, which are ideas through the medium of writing. He suggests that instead of following easily accessible with media filtering. “You can avoid seeing news that you the traditional claim-evidence-reasoning don’t want to see or opinions that you don’t pattern, students should begin with a want to see, because you just look at all the question, gather information and then ones you agree with,” Clarke said. “Even present their findings without inserting any

personal bias. Doing so will strengthen an individual’s writing and research skills, and more importantly, reduce the prevalence of fake news. “The notion of proof in the kind of writing that we give you goes against the kind of conversation that we want to have,” Clarke said. “If everybody’s writing in a manner which is just reinforcing their own beliefs, then no wonder people are bickering in a partisan manner, because they’re just talking past each other. They’re not talking about the same thing because they’re not looking at the same set of information. They’re just looking at the information which reinforces what they believe.” As such, Clarke is in agreement with Utile, who encourages students to corroborate their sources and factcheck their information before submitting an assignment. She also suggests that individuals note the role of an author’s personal motivations and consider how it might affect their writing. But most of all, Utile wants to ensure that the conversation regarding media literacy is continual — that it progresses throughout a student’s high school career. In a time and age where technology is everchanging and misinformation is just a click away, it is Utile’s belief that media literacy needs to be woven into all courses. “In zero tolerance [assemblies], you’re supposed to be getting information on digital literacy and citizenship, but there are people that will go [to The Onion] thinking that that is a legitimate site and it’s not satire,” Utile said. “And with technology always changing and the influence of social media, I think it’s important that the conversation [regarding media literacy] starts now.” e

NEWS | JANUARY 2018

LENDing AN

ARM

Jan. 19, 2018 blood drive

68 Donations 204 Lives saved MVHS Leadership looks to increase blood drive participation

PHOTO | SUNJIN CHANG

BY SUNJIN CHANG AND JENNIE CHEN

hree lives. That’s how many a single blood donation could potentially save, according to Stanford Blood Center Field Recruitment Account Manager Monica Doleshel-Aguirre. After the blood donations are tested for infectious diseases, the white blood cells are sent to labs for research, and the red blood cells and plasma are used in hospitals during accidents and organ transplants. According to Doleshel-Aguirre, the blood drives at MVHS used to have around 90 to 100 people register to each donate one unit of blood. However, only around 60 to 80 met all the requirements necessary for successfully donating blood. The number of donors is declining, with the past two blood drives only having produced about 18 to 24 pints of blood. Doleshel-Aguirre attributes the declining numbers to factors such as students applying without meeting the height and weight requirements. In addition, after the Zika virus outbreak in April of 2015, the FDA set more stringent guidelines, which led to the required parental consent form for minors. Without these consent forms, students are ineligible to donate blood. “We want to make sure that the people running the blood drive are really committed and really understand how important it is for us to make the numbers [and reach the goal for amount of blood collected],” Doleshel-Aguirre said. “The hospitals are already waiting for those units

EL ESTOQUE | JANUARY 2018

of blood because we told them ‘On this day “The pain [from the needle] is a second, we’re expecting this many units.’” if that,” Millar said. “It’s a really cool way Senior Mansi Reddy, lead commissioner to donate because it doesn’t cost anything of Outreach, a new leadership commission [and] it’s not a huge investment, but it helps that focuses on drives and giving back to the save lives.” community, admits that there are several Millar and Reddy hope to improve blood people who are organizing the blood drive drive promotions this year by appealing for the first time. to the right audience: juniors and seniors. “Because our team is new to Outreach, And based on the experience Outreach has we don’t really know how blood drives this year, Reddy hopes future and returning work,” Reddy said. “Just getting all the members can use other social media information and knowing how to deal with platforms and promotional methods to waivers and getting people to sign up [is spread awareness to student donating for our goal].” the first time. Speaking Since DoleshelSCAN FOR MORE from personal Aguirre is aware experience, that students are COVERAGE Dolesheleager to make Aguirre also a difference in believes fear their community, plays a factor in preventing students from she is always excited to collaborate with donating blood. MVHS students and encourages more “I’m ashamed to say that the first time I to participate in the blood drive to help donated blood was when I started working make a difference and ultimately help save at a blood center [around 21 years ago],” people’s lives. Doleshel-Aguirre said. I don’t like to look at “I personally love working with high the process — I will pass out if I do. For me school students,” Doleshel-Aguirre said. it’s all psychological.” “The [students] that are helping us are Doleshel-Aguirre’s most recent donation what we call the cream of the crop — the was a couple of weeks ago — it was her leaders of tomorrow.” e 276th donation. Like Doleshel-Aguirre, senior Samantha Millar also had a fear of needles, but realized after her first donation that it’s an easy way to give back to the community.

6. The new policy also clearly defines roles within the district of who handles complaints filed of this nature. Associate superintendent of administrative services Graham Clark serves as the uniform complaint procedure officer, while Paula Robinson, director of human resources handles complaints against employees and Trudy Gross, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, handles complaints against students.

6 5. Clark feels that the internet has added new territory for sexual harassment, as well. “What has changed for education with sexual harassment is that even things which happen late at night or on the weekend can affect the education environment at school,” Clark said. “This means educators are required to address things that happen outside the school day but are still impacting the ability of students to learn at school.”

5 4. The policy provides definitions for sexual harassment, sexual assault, non-consensual touch and cybersexual bullying. “Sexual harassment is a broad and all-encompassing term. It includes everything from telling a sexually inappropriate joke to rape,” Clark said. “Our thought is that it would be easier for staff and students to identify, discuss and deal with issues if we had stronger definitions about the exact behaviors the policies are meant prohibit.”

1. Student district board representative and senior Samantha Millar says the policy change breaks down dealing with sexual harassment on campus into more clearly-defined paths and courses of action for students, employees or volunteers who feel they have been sexually harassed. Both the Board’s official policy and the administrative procedure have been updated in accordance with Title IX changes by the Obama administration.

A NEW DAY IS ON THE

HORIZON Reviewing FUHSD’s sexual harassment policy updates

STORY AND GRAPHICS BY ZAZU LIPPERT Beginning on Jan. 1, the Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) changed its policy regarding sexual harassment, presented at the first FUHSD board meeting on Jan. 9. The news of the change to the public came at a time when sexual harassment was at the forefront of the news. Here’s a look at what FUHSD’s recent changes mean. If you feel like you have been sexually harassed, follow the steps outlined here to seek redress. e

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2 2. “Informal issues and concerns are often resolved by school site administ[trators],” associate superintendent of administrative services Graham Clark said in an email. “When a formal complaint is filed, it will go to the Title IX Coordinator at the District Level. The Title IX Coordinator will assign an impartial investigator to interview the parties and make a report. Depending on the nature of the incident, the police department may also be conducting a simultaneous investigation.”

3 3. Complaints are assigned to an impartial investigator. A police investigation may be opened depending on the nature of the incident. In this case, the District mails official letters that keep both parties informed on the appeal process as well as their rights. Once a report is finished, the findings are sent to both parties. They have the option to appeal to the Board and, depending on the case, The California Department of Education.

NEWS | JANUARY 2018

A DIFFERENT DIRE

Note: Although we refer to the schools in this story as single-gender schools, there are several all-women’s colleges who accept transgender students, as well as other non-binary students.

n movies and casual conversations, the majority of school experiences take place at coed schools. According to Class of 2016 alumnus Michelle Wang, who attends Scripps College, an all-women’s school, this preconceived notion of what schools should look like shapes the stereotypes and negative stigmas surrounding singlegender schools. “People tend to base what they expect out of college on coed education because that’s what most of the higher education institutions are in America,” Wang said.“I feel like the departure from that, you know, is just sort of unsettling to some people.” There are many misconceptions associated with the shift from a stereotypical coed school to a singlegender school. College and career center advisor McKenna Parfet says that when representatives visited MVHS from Scripps and Wellesley College, both women’s colleges, they addressed the stigma that

everyone attending a women’s college is a Wang takes many coed classes with the feminist who dislikes boys. nearby Pitzer and Claremont McKenna Senior Mizuki Kadowaki attended Colleges, and in that way, she says, has MVHS until the middle of her sophomore much of the same academic experiences as year before transferring to Presentation one would have at a coed university. But in High School, a private all-girls high school terms of the social scene, she’s noted some in San Jose. Before attending PHS, she differences, like the increase in femalebelieved some of those misconceptions centric activities at Scripps. herself. Kadowaki believes one of the “We have days where we make face common misbeliefs is that the single- masks and sometimes it is pretty heavily gender school isn’t an accurate depiction gendered in such a way that you wouldn’t of society because a gender is missing. find at a coed college,” Wang said. “But I “I totally understand that — I was guess in a way, it just kind of helps everyone actually skeptical bring together their [THE SCHOOL] FOSTERS A at first, but [after] common interests.” experiencing it Aside from SENSE OF CONFIDENCE AND for myself, I think BEING UNAPOLOGETICALLY student motivations I’m actually better to attend women’s MYSELF. prepared [for the real schools, Parfet can PRESENTATION HIGH SCHOOL understand world],” Kadowaki why said. “[The school] parents would want SENIOR MIZUKI KADOWAKI fosters a sense of their daughters to confidence and being unapologetically attend one, since the threat of assault myself. It’s inspiring to be part of a at college campuses is typically high for community of women who celebrate and women. According to the National Sexual support each other.” Violence Resource Center, one in five The school appealed to her not because women are sexually assaulted in college. of the single-gender aspect, but in part “I know that if I were a parent and I knew because of its smaller size and close-knit my daughter was going to an all-women’s community. PHS’ website cites a school college or high school, I would probably size of 750, whereas MVHS’ 2017-2018 have a little bit easier sense of mind, like student profile cites an enrollment of 2,380 ‘She’s safe,’” Parfet said. “Unfortunately we students. Scripps College’s website cites live in this society where … removing all the its total undergraduate enrollment in fall men could potentially lower the risk factor 2016 to be 1,039 students — less than of any kind of danger, not to say women half the size of MVHS. And although that aren’t capable of that. [But] no matter smaller size isn’t exclusive to single-gender where you go, there’ll be drama.” schools, the smaller community is one of In addition to the greater sense of the reasons students like Kadowaki and community that Wang and Kadowaki have Wang love their schools. found, the single-gender environment Similar to Kadowaki, Wang didn’t choose at PHS allows Kadowaki to participate to attend Scripps solely because it was in discussions that she couldn’t have at a an all-girls school — she chose to attend coed school. In classes like Government, because it has a great science program. Kadowaki says that they can discuss Scripps is one of the Claremont Colleges, a topics like female representation in the group of seven schools in Claremont, Calif. government in a different and a more Through Scripps’ science department, supportive environment.

61% 0

EL ESTOQUE | JANUARY 2018

OF STUDENTS BELIEVE THAT THERE’S A NEGATIVE STIGMA SURROUNDING SINGLE-GENDER SCHOOLS *TAKEN FROM A SURVEY OF 351 MVHS STUDENTS

ECTION

Students and counselors discuss misconceptions and experiences at single-gender schools BY CLAIRE CHANG AND ILENA PENG

Similarly to what Kadowaki expressed BCP has made him feel more comfortable Even though the single-gender about PHS, freshman Andrew Sharp, who than he would be at a coed school, in aspect inevitably impacts their school’s attends the all-boys school Bellarmine contrast to the cliquey feel that Smithline environment, they all reiterate that their College Preparatory, feels that he is more found at PHS. experiences at their respective schools focused and comfortable at BCP. He says “I feel like I could consist of so this is due in part to the single-gender join in any [friend] WHEREVER YOU GO, THERE’S much more than environment, but also to the faculty. group and still GOING TO BE SOME KIND just that. Despite “I like that Bellarmine has a brotherhood have a good time,” the stereotypes OF STIGMA ATTACHED TO attached to singleand that they have such amazing faculty to Sharp said. “I feel work with so every single teacher you have like because my old schools, YOU OR YOUR UNIVERSITY gender is really fun, really different,” Sharp said. school was coed, Parfet emphasizes ... SHOWING THAT YOU MVHS sophomore Mia Smithline, who there was more something that DON’T BELONG WITH THE these students have chose to leave PHS after her freshman drama there […] year and come to MVHS because she here I don’t have to realized STEREOTYPES [IS] THE BEST already felt the environment wasn’t right for her, worry about whether — that the singleWAY TO COMBAT THAT. acknowledges that a single-gender school this girl’s dating this gender aspect is only has its drawbacks. For one, she felt that guy or whatever […] a small part of what COLLEGE AND CAREER the school had a lot of cliques. When I’m just myself and defines them, their CENTER ADVISOR she first visited and was too academic — I can be whoever I school and their MCKENNA PARFET lunches and free periods were always spent want to be here.” experiences. studying. The question “Wherever you “I don’t think [MVHS] is necessarily of dating is one that frequently comes go, there’s going to be some kind of stigma better. I think it’s very different,” Smithline up when it comes to the conversation attached to you or your university,” Parfet said. “So different that they’re not really surrounding single-gender schools. But said. “Whether it’s [a] more positive stigma comparable.” Kadowaki, Wang and Sharp say that dating or a more negative one, I think being just Even though PHS wasn’t the perfect isn’t really much of a problem. Kadowaki the person that you are and showing that school for Smithline, she still considers says that there’s still plenty of opportunity you don’t belong with the stereotypes [is] the experience to be a to meet guys outside the best way to combat that.” e valuable one. of school. Many of I FEEL LIKE BECAUSE MY OLD Wang’s classes are “I learned SCHOOL WAS COED, THERE coed. For Sharp, personally that you find yourself more,” WAS MORE DRAMA THERE ... attending a singleSmithline said. “I think gender school is HERE I’M JUST MYSELF. it was a combination actually better in BELLARMINE PREPARATORY of it being a small terms of dating. SCHOOL FRESHMAN community and a “On campus one-gender school, you’re able to do ANDREW SHARP because you get to whatever you want know everyone there and not be judged and they get to know you and you don’t and not have your reputation completely care what they think of you; you’re not screwed over,” Sharp said. “And once you trying to impress them.” meet certain friends that are guys, they Sharp also feels that the single-gender could’ve been friends with other girls that environment has been positive for him. He you may be interested in, let’s say. Or if says that since boys act differently around you’re interested in guys, there’s a whole girls in comparison to how they act around entire school full of that so it’s whatever each other, the all-boys environment at you really want.”

THE PERCENT OF STUDENTS THAT ARE OPEN TO APPLYING TO A SINGLE-GENDER COLLEGE IN THE FUTURE IS *TAKEN FROM A SURVEY OF 355 MVHS STUDENTS

23% ILLUSTRATION | ILENA PENG

NEWS | JANUARY 2018

TAKE TWO Thousands of supporters turn out for the second annual San Jose Women’s March PHOTOS AND CAPTIONS BY GAURI KAUSHIK

hants of “Not my president” and “Hey, hey! Ho ho! Donald Trump has got to go!” mixed with cheers, singing and laughter as thousands of people filled the streets of San Jose at 11 a.m. on Jan. 20 for the San Jose Women’s March 2018. This march, along with others that occurred around the world on Saturday, marked the one-year anniversary of the 2017 Women’s March. Here are some of the highlights from the march.

EL ESTOQUE | JANUARY 2018

(1) Protesters hold up hand-made posters as they march. In light of the recent debates over the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) and the Dream Act, many of the posters supported “dreamers,” while others condemned Trump’s controversial presidency. (2) A boy holds up a poster during the San Jose Women’s March. Not only women participated in the march — entire families could be seen in the crowds. (3) Protesters also held up signs encouraging people to vote, and people were able to register to vote on the spot through volunteers who were walking around with registration forms. The march, organized by Women’s March Bay Area, aimed to increase voter participation in the November 2018 midterm elections.

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Hawaii’s false missile alert leaves only ourselves to blame BY CAROL LEI AND SONGJUN NA

THE PERFECT WAY TO START OFF THE NEW YEAR: WITH A FALSE MISSILE SCARE.

Before many Hawaiians were even awake on Jan. 13, an emergency alert for a missile attack from North Korea woke up the state at 8:07 a.m. Thirty-eight long minutes later, the Hawaiian Governor David Ige was finally able to retrieve his Twitter password to tweet out that the attack was fake. Turns out, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency employees pushed the button alerting for a real missile strike.

OPINION

A HUMAN ERROR

WHICHEVER BUTTON – red, test drill alert or real emergency alert – it’s ridiculous a button holds so much power. e

OPINION | JANUARY 2018

1 t

IN THE DARK

‘‘

Students deserved the opportunity to vote on the new bell schedule

Monta Vista, how do you feel?

ILLUSTRATION | ANANYA BHAT

EL ESTOQUE | JANUARY 2018

At every rally, we get asked the same question. And at every rally, we answer the same way: We feel good, oh we feel so good, oh! But does anyone really care about what we have to say? Apparently not. It is difficult to believe that FUHSD pays attention to our opinions, with the lack of student input on the final decision for the new bell schedules. Let’s back up. Currently, Fremont and Homestead HS have four block days built into their bell schedules, while Cupertino, Lynbrook and MVHS have two. However, over the last three years, a bell schedule committee was tasked with developing two new schedule options that included parameters such as a later start time and three tutorials per week, while still meeting required educational instructional minutes. The district collected data in years past through student surveys regarding these factors. However, because the teacher’s union had to negotiate the change in bell schedule in their contract, their opinion seemed to be the only one that mattered in the end. After finalizing the two options, the committee presented them to the Fremont Education Association, teacher representatives in our district, and asked them to vote by Jan. 23. In the weeks leading up to the decision, some teachers let their students vote on which one to implement and based their vote off of the majority. Still, that left some without a say — in a survey of 364 students, 31 percent did not get a chance to vote through teacher-led

discussions. Our teachers should not means of hearing about the new have had to take it upon themselves to scheduling options and informing make sure students got a vote, while themselves on its potential impacts. potentially compromising their own It’s understandable for FUHSD to viewpoint in the process. not consult us in every decision — to try The electronic ballot was distributed and gather the opinions of thousands to all FEA members on Jan. 19, and of students every time a decision based on their votes, it has been made needs to be made would be inefficient. official that MVHS and Lynbrook HS will But changing bell schedules not only follow the two-block schedule, while affects the staff, but the students and Cupertino, Fremont and Homestead parents as well. It does not take much HS will follow the four-block schedule effort for administration to simply ask for the 2018-19 school year. the students what their stance is. After Teachers preferred different all, they have polled 2,380 students schedules, leading to a divided vote, before about technology access or how especially at MVHS. While the two- we get to school in the morning. block option appeared to be favorable Despite the emphasis that MVHS for the language and math department administration places on listening to because of the advantage of seeing student input, there is no way to trust students more often and repetition that our opinions are being heard when of skills, the four-block option was we are unable to effectively voice them. favorable for many science and elective All of us are affected by this change, so teachers because it provided adequate we should all have the ability to express time to set up and clean up. ourselves. It’s up to the district whether Although student input helped they want to listen to our point of view in creating the schedule, it wasn’t while making the decision, but our considered perspectives for the final should at decision. least be It would considered seem wise rather than OPINION OF THE EL ESTOQUE to seek assumed or EDITORIAL BOARD feedback neglected. from all of So, to the stakeholders, including us, when answer the ever-so-popular question making a decision that will have such of how we feel, we feel left in the dark. significant impact on our community. We feel ignored and left out of the The new schedules are also likely to decision. We feel as if our opinions impact our parents, who were clueless don’t matter. But who knows? Maybe about the decision for next year, it wouldn’t matter. Maybe our vote — because of traffic and differing start if we had one — wouldn’t sway the times and end times. decision. Maybe it wouldn’t even be District administration, and not just considered by the district. teachers at our school, should have Still, it would help to know that made sure we knew as much as we we have the opportunity to be heard. could about this issue and provided It’s not enough to just be a part of us a voice in this important decision. the process. We want assurance that In a survey of 364 students, only 4 FUHSD cares about what we have percent heard about the bell schedules to say and that our opinion actually through administration. Although the carries weight. But for now, we’ll just district board meetings are available keep on saying we feel “good” — at to the public, we were not aware that least until we’re given the chance to say they were the only avenue to educate something else. e ourselves. No announcements, no emails, only word of mouth. We have been kept in the dark and out of the loop. Students and parents had little

STAFF EDITORIAL

MONTA VISTA, HOW DO YOU

REALLY FEEL?

97%%

believe students should have had a chance to vote on the new bell schedule*

*according to a survey of 367 students

49% prefer a four-block schedule*

*according to a survey of 366 students

51% prefer a two-block schedule*

*according to a survey of 366 students

31%%

did not participate in teacher-led discussions regarding the new bell schedule* *according to a survey of 364 students

OPINION | JANUARY 2018

OUT OF FOCUS MVHS students discuss how grades should appear on official transcripts BY MALLIKA SINGH AND NATE STEVENS accurate representation of what I actually won’t go down, allowing her to focus on the did in the class.” classes where it might improve. For some teachers, like English teacher “It definitely makes it easier, because I David Clarke, there is an important don’t have to study for tests or for finals distinction between an A+ and an A-. He that won’t change my grade,” Karandikar believes that the grade in the class should said. “If we did have pluses and minuses, reflect that important difference. then you’d have to worry about [your Clarke also feels that the grades on grade] going down to a minus, which would Infinite Campus don’t give an honest negatively affect your GPA.” portrayal of how students are actually Karandikar does acknowledge LL THROUGH doing. He explains that the Subbaraman’s and IF WE DID HAVE high school, fundamental idea comes Clarke’s points — whether it is to down to how representative the lack of pluses PLUSES AND MINUSES, review homework our semester grades are. and minuses can THEN YOU’D HAVE assignments or check for “Removing the pluses be detrimental to TO WORRY ABOUT grade updates, checking School Loop has and minuses really creates borderline grades become second nature. Infinite Campus, an unrealistic measure of — but ultimately [YOUR GRADE] however, is checked far less frequently. the performance of our feels the reduction GOING DOWN TO Generally, students will check Infinite students,” Clarke said. in stress outweighs A MINUS, WHICH Campus when transcripts are updated with “We are essentially being the negatives. progress reports or final semester grades. dishonest with them about S i m i l a r l y, WOULD NEGATIVELY For progress reports, what students see their performance which Subbaraman also AFFECT YOUR GPA. on School Loop matches what is posted creates this distortion in feels that adding in on Infinite Campus. Unfortunately, that terms of their behavior.” pluses and minuses JUNIOR RHEA is not the case when official transcripts Clarke also explains that would increase KARANDIKAR are released. it is somewhat unfair to lump stress, as instead Though the letter grades are the same the students who have B of striving for a 90 between School Loop and Infinite Campus, minuses and the ones who have B pluses into percent, students would start to only look a potentially critical component is missing. the same category. Subbaraman strongly towards an A+. According to Subbaraman, Although on School Loop, grades show up agrees with this as he has personally dealt creating more boundaries and therefore as “B+” or “A-,” on Infinite Campus, the with getting stuck in such a broad category. more grades would only increase the “+” and “-” are removed, per the Fremont He explained that in his experience, it pressure to get an A+ instead of an A-. Union High School District Board policy. seems as if no matter how much effort A survey of 353 MVHS students found Students and teachers have one puts into a that 70 percent like the lack of pluses different ideas about whether class, colleges and minuses, and Karandikar feels that IT’S A MORE or not they want to have only see one accurately represents what students want. ACCURATE pluses and minuses on official overarching grade. “That’s kind of just the way things are, transcripts. Senior Nachiket However, that and we kind of just accept it,” Karandikar REPRESENTATION OF Subbaraman feels that using is only one side said. “But I think if you ask people, in HOW I ACTUALLY pluses and minuses gives a more of the argument. general they’d want to have no pluses or DID IN THE CLASS. representative idea of how a With the redaction minuses, because it takes a lot of pressure student performed in the class. of pluses and off when you have mid-line grades.” SENIOR NACHIKET According to him, the pluses and minuses, both high While there are clear advantages to both SUBBARAMAN minuses are important, because and low borderline sides of the argument, Clarke’s takeaway they highlight the difference in grades are is simple — we need to be more honest, work between someone with an 80 percent combined to become the same letter grade. not just with our grades but with ourselves and someone with an 89 percent. With this policy, the only cut off that really as well. “Many of my classes, I felt like I was matters is the one between letter grades. “This is the way it is in college,” Clarke close enough to the A level where it would For that reason, junior Rhea Karandikar said. “I would rather think honestly about be disappointing if the teacher didn’t round likes the policy of not including pluses and dealing with [the way we grade] than simply me,” Subbaraman said. “If the pluses and minuses in the gradebook. She feels that the ignoring it and creating a system that is minuses were included, that feeling would consolidation of grades gives her comfort, fundamentally dishonest.” e completely go away because it’s a more since she knows her non-borderline grades 1

EL ESTOQUE | JANUARY 2018

REPUTATIONS :

HIGH SCHOOL RELATIONSHIPS

How MVHS students view different aspects of relationships BY ANANYA BHAT

RELATIONSHIP STATUS

TOP RELATIONSHIP DEAL BREAKERS

CHEATING/DISHONESTY MEAN OR RUDE TO OTHERS SUBSTANCE ABUSE LACK OF COMMUNICATION

of students ARE MORE PRIVATE ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP

*According to a survey of 340 MVHS students

*The sizes of these words correspond with the frequency at which they appeared in a survey out of 315 MVHS students

KEEPING IN TOUCH

73 79 %

of students are not currently in a relationship

FAMILY DOESN'T APPROVE

PUBLICITY

*According to a survey of 169 MVHS students

BIGGEST REASON FOR NOT DATING ANYONE of students would continue a high school relationship into college *According to a survey of 344 MVHS students

23% 17%

FAMILY DISAPPROVES OTHER

13%

RISKS RUINING A FRIENDSHIP

11%

*According to a survey of 318 MVHS students

ACCEPTABLE AGE TO START DATING ACCORDING TO ....

students

36%

DON’T LIKE ANYONE WANT TO FOCUS ON SCHOOL

PARENTS

SNEAKING AROUND

of students would go behind their parents' backs to date someone

*According to a survey of 336 MVHS students

*According to a survey of 334 MVHS students when asked about their parents’ opinion.

*According to a survey of 338 MVHS students

OPINION | JANUARY 2018

UNCHARTED WATERS Students and teachers predict how 2018 will unfold BY ANDREA PERNG AND SWARA TEWARI

ILLUSTRATION|ANANYA BHAT

rom mass shootings to natural disasters, from sexual assault allegations to violent protests, 2017 was fraught with distress and destruction, leaving many hoping for a better year. The future is an uncertain haze at this point. Some are expecting just as much chaos in 2018, given the trend of the past two years, while others are anticipating a calmer, more peaceful year. The world may be on the path to recovery and rehabilitation, or it may be on the brink of more chaos and violence.

Written in the Stars

Physical education teacher Dasha Plaza believes that 2018 will be a happier year 1

EL ESTOQUE | JANUARY 2018

for the world due to superstitious beliefs. The new year allows her to let go of the past and look towards a brighter future, which is why she is optimistic about 2018. “A fresh start is the best thing,” Plaza said. “Inhale the future, exhale the past. You can forget what happened before — it doesn’t matter at this point anymore. I’m super optimistic and I’m looking forward to an epic year.” Plaza feels optimistic because this year is the Chinese lunar year of the dog. Her mother was born in a year of the dog, and thus she associates the symbol of the dog with good fortune. “I connect [the symbol of the dog] with

being loyal,” Plaza said. “Be loyal and be friendly. I also think it means being able to trust. Looking at this year, I’m hoping to create more connections, relationships and just connect with the universe even more.”

A NEW DAWN

Similarly, social science teacher Bonnie Belshe has a very optimistic view of 2018. Belshe and her family have a New Year’s tradition of spending the holidays in Hawaii and snorkeling very early in the morning of New Year’s Day, which puts her in a positive mental state and gives her the feeling of turning over a new leaf. Belshe has developed a belief around

the tradition, believing that if she snorkels on New Year’s day, the year will be positive, and if she doesn’t, the year may be riddled with negativity. For the past two years, Belshe was unable to uphold her tradition of snorkeling on New Year’s Day due to schedule conflicts, which she sees as the reason for the tumult of the past two years. However, this year, Belshe was able to snorkel on New Year’s Day, making her hopeful for 2018. “[Snorkeling on New Year’s Day] sets me in a good spot emotionally and mentally,” Belshe said. “[Because], that first day of [2018], I felt refreshed. I felt more connected to the environment, and I got to spend New Year’s Day with my family. I [think] superstitious tradition counts, and it does matter, because I kind of started [the year] on this more positive note, and so I feel ready for the year because of it.”

Lee explains that she has to plan just staying the same.” for the worst as she doesn’t want to be disappointed by what the year holds, and A BRIGHTER TOMORROW she just hopes to be able to cope with Contrary to Lee, Plaza feels that the low everything that might to occur. points of last year will actually help society “I’m hoping for the best, planning for reach a brighter future, as more people the worst,” Lee said. have come together “Anyone with sexual to combat those A FRESH START IS THE abuse allegations, tragedies now. Plaza I’m dropping, snip has noticed the many BEST THING. INHALE THE snip. I hope that empowerment and FUTURE, EXHALE THE PAST. more people can be awareness campaigns YOU CAN FORGET WHAT exposed as the bad dominating the media people that they are, and news, restoring HAPPENED BEFORE. and that the U.S. P.E. TEACHER DASHA PLAZA her optimism. She government doesn’t believes that a new start a nuclear war with North Korea, era of equality and peace is dawning. because I’m actually really stressed about “I’m just seeing the positive take from that. ” social media, from Hollywood, from women Junior Priya Goel shares Lee’s viewpoint empowerment movements, how we’re on the course of 2018. She herself has a moving forwards and addressing issues and long, stressful year ahead of her, packed subjects that need to be addressed,” Plaza THE CONTINUING TREND with SAT testing, AP exams and college said. “We’re hopefully heading in the right H o w e v e r, a p p l i c a t i o n s , direction.” not everyone making her Plaza believes a person must consciously shares Plaza pessimistic and choose to live positively, choosing hope and Belshe’s u n e n t h u s i a s t i c over fear and dread. She believes that a optimistic about the year. positive mindset must be cultivated over view for the Goel has also time, as nobody is born with a default year. Many are noticed the negative optimistic attitude. anticipating trend of the past “It’s up to you to make it an amazing Out of a survey of 351 students, another difficult couple of years, how year or not,” Plaza said. “I think it’s going year filled with each year is packed to be a personal and individual approach think the year will be good devastating with more tragedies that every person takes. I just know that and news reports and issues. This the group of people that I surround myself and negative trend has lead her with are also very optimistic about what think the year will be bad. p o l i t i c a l to expect the worst 2018 will bring. I try to surround myself developments. of 2018. However, with friends and people like that so we can Out of a survey of 345 students, students W h i l e Goel believes that elevate ourselves together.” say their prediction on the outcome of the sophomore the many issues Although Belshe understands that her year is based on: Natasha Lee is that occurred New Year’s snorkeling tradition will not hoping for 2018 last year had a change the course of the year for the entire to be a more positive long-term world, she believes it has provided her with — events of the past year peaceful year, effect on society, a rejuvenating start to her year, which she she is expecting as they helped thinks is all she can do at the moment. — a hunch or gut feeling the year ahead raise awareness “I apologize for 2017,” Belshe said. “I to be just as for important didn’t have my New Year’s snorkel and — astrological signs turbulent. causes such as look what happened. We’re working on She finds it gender inequality fixing that, and I did that by starting the — superstitions difficult to be and sexual abuse. [new] year right for all of us — with a New optimistic with Despite the positive Year’s snorkel.” e the direction ripple-effect Goel the country and world are heading in, and believes such conflicts had, Goel still views SCAN FOR MORE believes she has no reason to believe that them as negative and expects many more this year will any better. issues over the course of 2018. COVERAGE “Honestly, I don’t think it’s going to go Goel attributes many of the issues to that great,” Lee said. “Even though I’m the country’s political climate. She believes trying to hope that it’s going to go okay, at that issues are only being amplified by the least better than 2017, it’s turning out to government and leaders of the country. be pretty bad. All the policies that Trump “I think it’ll just continue on the trend it implemented in 2017 are going to take is, honestly,” Goel said. “I feel like things effect now, like net neutrality and all that are just getting worse with our president. stuff. So it’s not looking very good.” Nothing really positive is happening, it’s

GOOD YEAR, BAD YEAR?

50% 50%

48% 38% 3% 3%

OPINION | JANUARY 2018

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FEATURES

BLUNT ABOUT IT EXPLORING WEED CULTURE AMONG MVHS STUDENTS

FEATURES | JANUARY 2018

DEAL WITH IT Perspectives from a dealer and weed users BY VIVIAN CHIANG AND CHETANA RAMAIYER

e’s not a stereotypical dealer. Both his parents know that he smokes weed everyday, he has a job and he views dealing marijuana as a guilty pleasure. For the purpose of maintaining his anonymity, we will refer to this student as Marcus. “It’s really stupid [for me] to be selling drugs because I have [another] job and it’s like ‘why [am I] doing this?’” Marcus said. “But at the same time I’m able to … smoke without having to pay any money because I sell enough where I’m self-sufficient. That’s the main reason it happened. It just makes this lifestyle a lot cheaper.”

EL ESTOQUE | JANUARY 2018

At the end of his sophomore year, Marcus started to smoke heavily and began dealing small amounts of weed to his friends. But the summer before his senior year, Marcus went on a backpacking trip with a group of 15 to 19-year-old guys and didn’t smoke during the trip. Staying sober for a week made him reflect on his usage. “After that [trip] I realized I was smoking solely because I wasn’t dealing with any of the problems I had in my life,” Marcus said. Afterwards, he began to involve himself in more social circles and instead of smoking to numb his feelings, he describes how he started smoking and dealing as a way to simply have fun with friends. He bought his weed from someone who had connections with a dealer that drove to Salinas and Hollister to collect it. But once he made friends who were older than 21 since recent legalization of marijuana, he had easier access to weed. However, the legalization did not have too much of an effect on Marcus’s ability to deal marijuana. But because Marcus often drives high, he describes how the police are more wary of drivers under the influence. “[The legalization of marijuana] made it more of a problem because cops are really on the lookout for mainly DUIs. [That is] the biggest IT’S REALLY STUPID [FOR ME] thing I’m worried about,” TO BE SELLING DRUGS BECAUSE Marcus said. “I drove high like within the first week of I HAVE [ANOTHER] JOB. BUT having my license. That’s AT THE SAME TIME I’M ABLE TO the biggest problem that my mom has, is me driving … SMOKE WITHOUT HAVING under an influence.” TO PAY ANY MONEY BECAUSE I According to Marcus, SELL ENOUGH WHERE I’M SELFthe two rules that his mom has regarding marijuana is SUFFICIENT. IT JUST MAKES THIS LIFESTYLE A LOT CHEAPER. not to have in their house and not to drive while high. ANONYMOUS SOURCE “My mom’s smart. She The first time Marcus smoked weed knows everything, she was halfway through eighth grade. He just doesn’t want to prove it. She knows had always been curious about weed and I smoke everyday, she knows I deal to so when his friend, who was a freshman friends, she knows that I do more than I at MVHS, had access to the drug, Marcus tell her I actually do,” Marcus said. “It’s not decided to try it. Though he doesn’t because she doesn’t care. I don’t want to remember much about that day itself, he give that message off. She cares a lot, but does remember that before his first time, it’s like she’s kind of given up in a sense, in unlike most, he was never strictly against that aspect of my life, as much she wants using drugs. to care.” “Ever since elementary school I’ve According to assistant principal Mike known marijuana existed as a drug … and White, however, providing marijuana can kind of accepted that I was going to try have very severe consequences. it at some point in life,” Marcus said. “So “Once you become a provider then you when eighth grade came around and I met can enter into the expulsion side of things this guy and he was into [smoking] pretty because now you’re providing an illegal heavily, I was curious so I was like … I guess substance to others. Personal consumption I’ll try this.” is not the right choice but [if] it’s the

ONCE YOU BECOME A PROVIDER THEN YOU CAN ENTER INTO THE EXPULSION SIDE OF THINGS BECAUSE NOW YOU’RE PROVIDING AN ILLEGAL SUBSTANCE TO OTHERS. PERSONAL CONSUMPTION IS NOT THE RIGHT CHOICE BUT [IF] IT’S THE CHOICE THAT YOU MAKE [THEN] THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES THAT YOU DEAL WITH. ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL MIKE WHITE choice that you make [then] there are consequences that you deal with,” White said. “If you’re a provider, we would involve the police. Chances [are] you won’t return to your home school if you are expelled.” As for being high at school, the consequences depend on the circumstance. According to White, the student’s respective assistant principal would initially speak with the student. Whenever these kind of situations arise for White, he runs by his decision by principal April Scott. Marcus, however, describes how throughout the past two years, he feels as if some teachers knew that he was high in class, but didn’t say anything. “There’s no way some teachers haven’t noticed I may have looked a little high in class at some point,” Marcus said. “I really try to not make a problem of it for my teachers. I get good grades. I do sports. There’s not much they could say even if they wanted to. I feel like [that has] something to do with why they might have not said something already or tried to make a problem out of it.” One teacher at MVHS turns a blind eye when certain students are high in his

PHOTO | AANCHAL GARG

class. For the purpose of maintaining his anonymity, we will refer to this teacher as Lukas. “I don’t know what the right answer is. I don’t know if they should crack down ... It bothers me that we don’t look at problems at MVHS,” Lukas said. “MVHS, we sell ourselves on this image of being a great school … [We don’t talk] about anything but stress, which is a good-school syndrome. We don’t want to talk [about the] real issues here. We just want to sweep them under the rug.” Principal April Scott disagrees, voicing her advocacy for teachers to be on the lookout for students who are under the influence in class because they may be disruptive to others. “We don’t sweep things under the rug. That is completely ridiculous,” Scott said. “We can only deal with what we know, however. So if I don’t know, then there’s nothing I can do about that. To pretend that these things don’t happen is also foolish. [MVHS] is a microcosm of society, and great things happen in society and great things happen here. Bad things happen in society, and bad things happen here.” However, not all students who smoke weed decide to get high at school. An anonymous senior who smokes regularly describes how he has only ever been high at school once and chose not to continue after that. For purposes of maintaining his anonymity, we will refer to this student as Wilbur. “It was just on a Wednesday morning … It makes it harder to focus in school and I just don’t want to be one of those people that get high during school,” Wilbur said. “Teachers usually don’t find out unless you make it obvious. It was just more that I don’t want to be doing this kind of thing.” Marcus himself is very wary about bringing any weed or paraphernalia to school. Unlike Wilbur and most other

PHOTO | AANCHAL GARG

MVHS students who smoke weed, Marcus doesn’t have to worry about hiding weed from his parents. The one place he does make sure to keep any obvious evidence of weed is school. “It’s basically keeping it off campus. You [have] just got to make smart decisions, keep it away from school,” Marcus said, “[If] I get in trouble in with the cops, my record gets clear when I’m 18. But [if] I get in trouble with the school, my parents are like ‘you f***** up your education and the cops are involved and we [have to] reevaluate hella stuff.’ School is the biggest problem. I’ll go [to] extents to not get in trouble at school. School is the biggest thing I avoid.” Dealing marijuana has now become a part of Marcus’s daily life. According to Marcus, dealing marijuana is convenient because he would drive out to get weed for himself anyways, so he is just earning money in the process. But he has decided to stop dealing once he graduates from high school. “Ultimately [dealing is] one of my weaknesses I would say because it’s stupid and it’s pointless yet I still do it. It’s enough of a small satisfaction in dopamine release when a sale happens or when I think I’m making money or I don’t know, ‘rebellious, cool-kid’ type of thing. That small enough feeling keeps me doing it,” Marcus said. “[So I] look forward to the day to stop selling once college starts because I’m not going to be able to nor would I want to spend time or energy doing that.” e

FEATURES | JANUARY 2018

BREAKING How marijuana affects the human body BY CLAIRE YANG

EYES THC lowers blood pressure because it dilates blood vessels and capillaries. Blood flow in capillaries in the eyes increases, resulting in red eyes. SOURCE: HTTPS://WWW.DRUGABUSE.GOV/PUBLICATIONS/DRUGFACTS/

NERVOUS SYSTEM Vape pens can release formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, which are carcinogens, and acetone, an irritant which may suppress the central nervous system in large amounts. SOURCE: HTTPS://WWW.DRUGABUSE.GOV/PUBLICATIONS/DRUGFACTS/

LUNGS Once the marijuana smoke enters the lungs, Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a chemical present in the smoke, is absorbed by small alveoli sacs and enters the bloodstream. THC may irritate the lungs and cause coughing and phlegm, frequent lung illnesses and lead to a higher risk of lung infections. VAPORIZATION: Vaporizing produces fewer carcinogens than smoking marijuana because it is not heated to the point of combustion, so the lungs aren’t as irritated. It can even reverse the effects of smoking marijuana because not as much carbon monoxide, a harmful gas, is released and absorbed by the lungs. SOURCE: HTTPS://WWW.LIVESCIENCE.COM/24558-MARIJUANA-EFFECTS.HTML

STOMACH After marijuana is digested and its residue travels to the stomach, THC is absorbed by the stomach lining. The levels of THC in the body are lower because the stomach doesn’t absorb THC as well as the lungs, but the effects last longer. Long-term use of marijuana can lead to cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, which causes nausea, vomiting and painful cramps in the abdomen. However, THC also decreases stomach acid, which can help with acid reflux and other stomach acid related problems. SOURCE: HTTPS://WWW.LIVESCIENCE.COM/48073-MARIJUANA-HEART-ATTACK-RISK.

EL ESTOQUE | JANUARY 2018

IT DOWN BRAIN THC circulates throughout the body, reaching the brain within a few seconds. THC activates type 1 cannabinoid receptors, which provides pain-relief and inhibits the function of areas of the brain such as the hippocampus or cerebellum. Users may develop a distorted sense of time, enhanced senses, impaired body movement, difficulty with thinking and processing and hallucinations while under the influence. THC also stimulates dopamine neurons and increases the amount of dopamine the body releases in the reward pathway of the brain, which creates a feeling of euphoria. SOURCE: HTTPS://HERB.CO/MARIJUANA/NEWS/CANNABIS-WEAKEN-STRENGTHEN-IMMUNE-SYSTEM

HEART THC increases the heart rate, causes fluctuations of blood pressure and weakens heart muscles. As more THC enters the body, the risk of getting heart attacks can increase up to 4.8 times after smoking. SOURCE: HTTPS://WWW.DRUGABUSE.GOV/PUBLICATIONS/DRUGFACTS/

LIVER All of the THC is transformed into 11-hydroxy-THC, which more readily crosses the blood-brain barrier, a membrane of cells that act as a filter for blood that travels into the brain. Heavy marijuana use can cause liver fibrosis, similar to the the effects of long-term drinking. SOURCE: HTTPS://WWW.LIVESCIENCE.COM/24558-MARIJUANA-EFFECTS.

GENITALIA THC affects the hypothalamusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; secretion of hormones that stimulate reproductive hormone production, decreasing testosterone and sperm levels in men and delaying ovulation in women. SOURCE: HTTPS://HERB.CO/MARIJUANA/NEWS/CANNABIS-WEAKEN-STRENGTHEN-IMMUNE-SYSTEM

SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE FEATURES | JANUARY 2018

A CREATIVE INFLUENCE Students and art teacher discuss the use of weed for artistic purposes BY ZARA IQBAL AND KAREN SANCHEZ

s she placed one foot in front of the other, making her way slowly to school, her imagination hastened and a series of distinct images flowed into her mind, creating a film. The rock song flowing from her earbuds thumped pleasantly in her head, and the different images formed in time to the lyrics. She found herself brainstorming different ideas of what to draw. Her surroundings were suddenly a little clearer, and she felt consumed by the music — liberated, in a sense. She was 30 minutes late to school, admiring her surroundings and high. She appreciated the random imagery floating around her head; to her, it elevated a soothing sensation that she as an artist believes could boost creativity. For purposes of maintaining anonymity, we will refer to this student as Tiana. “I can get more weird images running in

EL ESTOQUE | JANUARY 2018 PHOTO | OM KHANDEKAR

my head while I’m high and I feel like I am more creative; weed can make you more creative,” Tiana said. “It kind [of] affects people differently, or every high can be a little different, I guess, depending on the environment.” In contrast to Tiana, junior Zinnia Saha is an artist who has never smoked weed before, but questions the drug’s ability to enhance creativity. To Saha, creativity is derived from surroundings more than anything else. “I think creativity comes from the world. I think you look around into the world and things are constantly inspiring you — emotions inspire you and I think it’s the human condition,” Saha said. “We’re trying to understand ourselves and the world better, and these simple thoughts stem inspiration and that is creativity, being able to look at the world in different ways.” To art teacher Brian Chow, the moral judgement of using marijuana as a creative enhancer is left to the person admiring the art; from a personal standpoint, he believes that most viewers wouldn’t mind if the artist smoked while making their creation. “[The consumers] just like the art,” Chow said. “If no one is harmed or nothing is going to harm you in the making of it, then they probably don’t really care so much. In art, there [are] no rules to that. There are no moral police or rule saying you can only make are this way.” Accordingly, Saha thinks weed may have the ability to induce expression instead of generating creativity, the two being different. Now a student in Art 3 who has currently been working on surrealistic creation, Saha has come to understand why some artists may turn to drugs: to dismantle human ration or logic and

to get rid of tension or anything blocking expression. She believes the surrealistic goal of art is to uncover the depth of the world from breaking down politics, corruption, the nature of human beings and feelings in new and creative ways. Saha understands that a lack of human logic could result in the improved ability to express oneself. “When we lose our rational, it stimulates a stream of losing tension or things that are blocking us,” Saha said. “It’s a way to look inside so that we can find a new form of expression.” Chow acknowledges that there are multiple reasons why someone interacts with weed. People may want to rebel or yearn to “escape” the struggles of everyday life. In relation to his own creative process and art, Chow personally doesn’t believe in the use of weed. “I’m pretty much straight edge. I don’t need that stuff,” Chow said. “I get high on life and through my own creativity — to me that’s more powerful. Being able to access my creativity and to express myself from the purity of not doing augmented or added sources … to me that’s super powerful and that gets me really excited about making art.” Saha hopes that artists won’t use art as an excuse to take advantage of the drug, mentioning that if they use weed for the purpose of enhancing creativity, they should keep themselves healthy as well. Tiana agrees that weed could help with the creative process, but still thinks that relying on it in order to secure ideas isn’t something that should be done often. “It [can] be pretty magical to smoke and see the visuals you get and draw it on a canvas,” Tiana said. “I feel like you should have creativity while sober … but I feel like I totally get [smoking to enhance creativity] — that’s stuff I do too. It’s fine, just do what you got to do [to] make the art that you want to make.” Chow gives his perspective as a teacher, and says that there are alternative options in gaining inspiration or creativity as an artist. “[By smoking they] may feel like they’re more creative, a little more themselves, a little more comfortable,” Chow said. “But you [can] do that through meditation, you can do it through rigorous exercise so I don’t see [smoking] really as an exclusive thing that you have to do. Well, I guess if it’s what you want to do, but, again, it’s a very pointed thing you’re doing. Could you try doing it with your own brain? Could you try doing it with your own facilities? Obviously, yes.” e

GRAY AREA Community reacts to recent marijuana legalization

BY ANJINI VENUGOPAL *Names starting with K are false names to protect the anonymity of the sources

ith Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, legalizing the possession, processing, transporting and obtaining of marijuana in Calif., a slew of issues pertaining to the community have cropped up — from the lack of licenses for some dispensaries early on, to the rescinding of relatively lax federal regulations on marijuana. The legalization of marijuana is seemingly irrelevant to the MVHS community, as high school students are not 21 or older, but there are some indirect effects that it may have on the weed culture at the high school level. An anonymous alumnus from the class of 2014 who will be called Kylie believes that the weed culture at MVHS has become more prominent since she graduated. According to Kylie, enough students have adult connections to obtain weed, so since it will be easier, and legal, for these adults to get weed, weed use at the high school level may also be more prevalent. “Well, I think weed is just going to be more easily accessible, obviously, and I think that enough people at Monta Vista already have enough connections to get

PHOTO | AANCHAL GARG

weed,” Kylie said. “I think it’ll just increase from there … it’ll be a lot easier for students at Monta Vista to smoke weed. That would be the same at any high school, I think.” Art teacher Tyler Cripe believes that it won’t affect MVHS at all. Since marijuana is still illegal as far as high school students are concerned, the administrative response would remain the same. Teachers are expected to go to administration if they see suspicious behavior, but that is up to the teacher’s discretion. Cripe tends to err on the side of giving students the benefit of the doubt until he finds it impossible to do so. “How would you discern [being high] from just being tired or just being a kid and being confused or maybe stayed up until three in the morning?” Cripe said. “Having been around, [I] can probably guess most of the time … there’s a pretty good chance that that trip to the bathroom was actually a trip to the parking lot, and maybe something is going on, to a certain extent. If you have a strong suspicion, it’s your job to get to the bottom of it one way or another.” Guidance counselor Monique Balentine agrees. According to her, people can’t be classified by certain mannerisms and one shouldn’t jump to assumptions regarding whether someone is high. For the

Cupertino community, Balentine thinks that weed won’t be talked about openly. However, it completely depends on how individuals treat the issue. “I think if it’s still something that is socially taboo, it’s still going to be something people don’t talk about,” Balentine said. “You’re still going to have people that are using but are hiding the fact because they don’t want their neighbors to know. They don’t want to be shunned socially because they’re that family that smokes. It just depends on how much the community embraces it.” For Cripe, the only foreseeable change with the manner in which marijuana is dealt at MVHS has to do with the blanket statements about its illegality. “Now you’re not treating something as just blatantly, 100 percent illegal,” Cripe said. “Now it’s kind of more of a gray area. We wouldn’t be changing the way we approached somebody who’s actively high in the classroom but we would have to change the way we talk about it as a societal issue … It’s a changing sort of amorphous thing.” e

FEATURES | JANUARY 2018

Student reflects on taking daily snapshots throughout 2017 BY CHARLOTTE CHUI AND ADITI GNANASEKAR PHOTO BY SHARJEEL RAHMAN

EL ESTOQUE | JANUARY 2018

sickeningkumar Day 155: It’s that time of the year for me to embark on my 2 month pilgrimage to my mother land. I leave for India tomorrow morning at 11 AM and I’m gonna miss you all! I live in Coimbatore, Tami Nadu so if you ever wanna know what time it is, add 30 mins to PST and then flip AM to PM or other way around. I cut my hair too! I’m gonna be sending hella snaps and s*** so dw but yeah

USED WITH PERMISSION OF KAVIN SIVAKUMAR

When taking pictures of himself for his side of himself. Sivakumar used resolution, Sivakumar worried about the these daily pictures to create a various factors that go into a selfie, such compilation at the end, spanning as his appearance, facial expressions, the from Jan. 2017 to Jan. 2018. angle and even minute details like how his As Loo appears in many of eyebrows must align with the three by three the group selfies Sivakumar had grid on his phone’s camera. taken throughout the year, she Posting his selfies daily on social media felt that these daily pictures were helped him with this a way to reflect as he became more on moments from EVERY DAY WHEN I comfortable with her own life as WROTE A CAPTION himself. By the end of well. Because FOR [MY SELFIES], I 2017, he had taken of this, viewing over 400 pictures of the final product JUST VENTED OUT himself, including ones was an exciting MY FRUSTRATION with friends. experience for OR SIMPLY GOT MY “I’m pretty her. narcissistic,” “It was like we THOUGHTS OUT. IN Sivakumar said. “I were building up A WAY, IT WAS LIKE A think people think to this moment where we DIARY. of me as very selffinally have a whole video centered, which I don’t made,” Loo said. “We’re SENIOR KAVIN think is a bad thing. obviously not going to have SIVAKUMAR When I realized that an exciting or activity-filled I’ve literally posted a picture of myself day every single day, and just seeing those every single day for a whole year, I was like, moments where we hung out together and ‘This is the biggest thing for my own vanity had good times really reminded me of that I’ve ever done.’” those days.” Senior and Sivakumar’s friend senior Sivakumar did have this purpose in Sydney Ty echoed a similar sentiment. mind when initially posting his selfies on “I thought it was very like Kavin because Instagram, feeling that it was a convenient I know he enjoys taking selfies,” Ty said. way to keep a record and compile the But this experience had another pictures in one place. Eventually, he found unexpected effect for Sivakumar: attention that these Instagram posts served another from followers. Over the course of 2017, purpose as well. Sivakumar’s selfies on Instagram became “Every day when I wrote a caption for an expected occurrence for his followers. [my selfies], I just vented out my frustration “People just got used to [my daily or simply got my thoughts out,” Sivakumar selfies],” Sivakumar said. “When I didn’t said. “In a way, it was like a diary. Every post a selfie for a while, people on my single post, I wrote how I was feeling that Instagram were like, ‘Where’s my selfie? day. I can recount my year.” Where’s my daily selfie?’” For Sivakumar, these daily posts allow Senior and Sivakumar’s friend Danette him to go back and pinpoint a specific Loo is one of these supporters. moment, reflecting upon his changes and “His captions were really funny and I feelings over the course of the year. He enjoyed looking at them everyday,” Loo feels that he has grown more laid-back and said. “Sometimes, I don’t see Kavin so it relaxed with this safe space to express his was nice to see [his selfie posts].” feelings honestly, with a positive mindset Ty had a similar response to Loo, that every day is a new one. commending Sivakumar’s commitment. Though he is unsure of how long Though Sivakumar faced challenges with he intends to take these daily selfies, his goal, such as when he missed a few days Sivakumar is certain of his decision to during a three month long trip to India or continue this project. In fact, he has made during a hectic junior school year, Ty found it his 2018 resolution to document his year his consistency admirable. in selfies but with one change in mind: to “I felt like it was a huge accomplishment smile more in photos. that he kept up with it for most of the year,” “As soon as I posted that last selfie, I was Ty said. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep like, ‘Do I continue doing this?’” Sivakumar up with something like [that].” said. “And then I just said to myself, ‘Let’s Friends such as Ty and Loo enjoyed dive back in.’ Who knows how far I’ll go?” e seeing Sivakumar’s posts and captions every day. Loo in particular liked that they allowed him to express a different

A&E

t was tradition for senior Kavin Sivakumar to come up with a resolution at the start of every new year. For 2015, he made it a goal to run a mile every week. For 2016, he promised himself that he wouldn’t drink soda or eat red meat. Continuing this pattern, Sivakumar’s 2017 resolution was to take a selfie every day for a year and observe how he changed over the course of the year. Sivakumar drew inspiration from a video he saw in his photography class, where a man completed a similar project by taking daily pictures of himself for seven years. Seeing the video pan out sparked his interest in seeing his own growth over time. “Through the process, I just got more familiarized with my face because I feel like a lot of people are scared or are like, ‘Don’t take a picture of me. I don’t want to be photographed,’” Sivakumar said. “I’ve never been like that. But I always get a little self-conscious when I take selfies.”

A & E | JANUARY 2018

NEW TIMES, OLD TRADITIONS

SETTING THE HAFT-SEEN FOR PERSIAN NEW YEAR

How people from various cultures celebrate the new year BY JAHAN RAZAVI AND MICHELLE WONG

rom the traditional Persian Haft-Seen “I think it has something to do with good table to making mochi, different luck throughout the year, but now we just cultures have their own unique ways do it to get together with family and friends of welcoming the new year. Although not sometimes too,” Hada said. all of these celebrations fall on the same Hada appreciates being able to share the day, students can be seen celebrating their festivities with both his friends and family, heritages and hoping for good fortune in which is also a tradition for sophomore the upcoming months. Katherine Chen, who eats dinner at a For sophomore Kamyar Moradi, New Chinese restaurant called Dynasty with Year’s is not complete without a full table. her relatives each year. Since Chinese Each year, Moradi celebrates Persian New New Year is based on the lunar calendar, Year (Nowruz) with his family by setting a the date varies depending on the year. In table with seven traditional Persian items Chinese culture, each dish is representative that begin with an “s” in Farsi — specifically, of a wish for the new year, such as good wheat sprouts (sabzeh), wheat pudding luck and happiness. (samanu), dried oleaster fruit (senjed), “We eat this whole steamed fish which garlic (seer), apples symbolizes that (sib), berries (somaq) every year you will and vinegar (serke). have plentiful things “The history behind to be left over,” [Nowruz] is that, for Iran, Chen said. “We they have a different also eat dumplings calendar than what a because they look lot of other countries like old time money celebrate,” Moradi said. in ancient China. “They have their own My grandma usually traditional thing, where gives me money, their New Year [is] called hong bao.” SOPHOMORE considered the beginning Although she of Spring.” enjoys partaking in KAMYAR MORADI Each of the seven “s” the celebration of words carry their own meaning for the Chinese New Year, Chen does not really following year, from good health to rebirth. believe that these foods can bring her good Junior Ryan Hada also celebrates Persian luck, and sees the celebration as simply a New Year by decorating the Haft-Seen chance to go out and eat with family. To table, although most of the preparations her, it is more of a family gathering, meant are done by his mother. for bringing her relatives closer together. “She’ll always have a hundred dollar bill “[The significance of the new year] in this Persian book [and] once New Year’s is just trying to continue learning ... who comes, we all get the money from it,” you are,” Chen said. “Not forgetting the Hada said. “There’s also a big plant that we mistakes you made, but trying to improve always put on the table. After New Year’s yourself next year.” we’re supposed to throw it in a river.” Just as Chen views Chinese New Year as Half Persian and half Japanese, Hada a way to connect with family, Moradi also also embraces his Japanese heritage finds himself being drawn back to the roots by celebrating the new year early in the of heritage during Persian New Year. morning at his grandparents’ house. There, “It definitely makes me always they use a machine to make mochi, which remember where I’m from,” Moradi said. is then molded into small spherical shapes “And it’s good to hold onto that, and it’s a after being prepared. A portion of the nice celebration to have with your family mochi is eaten at the get-together, while — celebrating a new year, new beginnings, some of it is stored in the freezer to be and during a great time.” e eaten throughout the year.

IT DEFINITELY MAKES ME ALWAYS REMEMBER WHERE I’M FROM, AND IT’S GOOD TO HOLD ONTO THAT.

EL ESTOQUE | JANUARY 2018

SABZEH: WHEAT SPROUTS SYMBOLIZES REBIRTH

SAMANU: WHEAT PUDDING SYMBOLIZES AFFLUENCE

SENJED: DRIED OLIVE SYMBOLIZES LOVE

SEER: GARLIC SYMBOLIZES MEDICINE

SIB: APPLES SYMBOLIZES HEALTH AND BEAUTY

SOMAQ: POWDERED BERRIES SYMBOLIZES THE COLOR OF SUNRISE

SERKE: VINEGAR SYMBOLIZES PATIENCE SOURCE | MYPERSIANKITCHEN ILLUSTRATIONS | JAHAN RAZAVI, PRIYA REDDY AND MICHELLE WONG

BITTER MEETS SWEET Various creations to make with grapefruit BY EMILY XIA

inter has arrived in full blast, but the chilly air and cascading rain are not the only things accompanying the season. It is the perfect time to harvest grapefruit, a sour yet sweet and bitter citrus fruit. With these do-it-yourself crafts and recipes, you may be inclined to drop a few of these nutritious fruits into your shopping cart on your next trip to the grocery store.

1 GRAPEFRUIT JAM

Tired of strawberry jam on your morning toast? Add a unique start to your morning with this homemade spread. Ingredients: 8 large grapefruits 2 1/2 cups granulated white sugar Cheesecloth Directions: 1. Start by cutting the top and bottom off of the grapefruit and removing the rind. 2. Use a knife to separate the fruit from the membrane. 3. Separate the seeds into a clean cheesecloth. 4. Pour the fruit, sugar and cheescloth bundle with the seeds inside into a pot. 5. Stir until sugar begins to dissolve.Bring mixture to a boil and cook until jam reaches 220 degrees Fahrenheit. 6. Pour into jars, screw lids on and keep jars in a boiling water bath for ten minutes. 7. When time is up, remove jars and let them cool. sOURCE | FOODINJARS.COM

2 HANGING GRAPEFRUIT DECORATION

Liven up your room with this easy-to-make, original and dainty decoration. Ingredients: Grapefruit Decorative twine or string Needle A short stick Directions: 1. Cut grapefruit into thin slices, revealing the cross section. 2. Use a paper towel to remove moisture from the fruit. 3.Place grapefruit onto a baking tray and bake at 212 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour. 4. Turn the slices over on the tray and bake until dried. 5. Once fruit is dried, use string to link the fruit slices together. 6.Repeat step five with several strings. 7. Tie all strings to a stick, and tie another string to the stick in order to hang the decoration. sOURCE | THECRAFTYGENTLEMEN.NET

3 GRAPEFRUIT

4 GRAPEFRUIT AND

SORBET

ROSEMARY DISH SOAP

A perfect ending to a dinner, this grapefruit sorbet is light and refreshing. Ingredients: 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup water 2 cups fresh grapefruit juice 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 tbsp grapefruit zest Directions: 1. Combine grapefruit zest, sugar and water in a pot over medium high heat until sugar is completely dissolved. 2. Take off heat and stir in grapefruit and lemon juice. 3. Allow mixture to chill in the refrigerator for two hours. 4. Pour into ice cream maker and turn on until sorbet is thick and frozen. 5. Pour sorbet into container and let freeze for several hours until firm. sOURCE | AROUNDMYFAMILYTABLE.COM

Tackle any tough stains on your dishes using this simple and organic dish soap. Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups filtered water 1 cup unscented liquid soap 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp coconut oil 12 drops of grapefruit scented essential oil 8 drops basil of scented essential oil Directions: 1. Mix all ingredients together with a whisk. 2. Pour into a soap bottle. sOURCE | HAPPYMONEYSAVER.COM

1 4

SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE PHOTOS | SHARJEEL RAHMAN

A & E | JANUARY 2018

MY GAMING ADDICTION Examining World Health Organization's possible mental health designation for gaming addiction

hen I was around five years old, I me. From my middle school years through saw my brother playing World of the end of my sophomore year, going home Warcraft and I was immediately and playing video games was the only thing I interested. After hours of begging, he finally looked forward to every day. It’s all I wanted allowed me to play the game and I was to do with my time. It was an escape — a hooked. To this day, I have over 5,000 hours sort of distraction from the world and my of gametime logged. Now, you’re probably own feelings. Immersing myself in another thinking of that one world for hours at South Park episode a time gave me a that mocks World reason to go on with of Warcraft players my life. sitting and playing And now that for days on end gaming addiction with cheeto-covered is being considered fingers. It wasn’t that. for a mental health It wasn’t just a small disorder designation adolescent spending SHARJEEL RAHMAN by the World Health hours on end playing Organization, it his favorite video game — it affected me on hurts to say that I have been affected by it, a deeper level. because I now realize how bad it is. I have I often missed school events and dances neglected myself by ignoring schoolwork in middle school and freshman year because and basic daily necessities. In middle I wanted to play another game of League school, I lost so much sleep over playing of Legends. I developed social anxiety. Battlefield 3 and I didn’t shower because I Whenever my family went out for dinner wanted to keep playing with my eyes glued with family friends, I would sit at home to the screen. playing video games. I didn’t know how to I’ve seen similar behaviors in some of properly interact with people because I had my friends in the past. One of my friends spent so much time in front of a computer in college often misses class to play video whittling the hours away. In social climates, games because he wants to get a higher all I knew how to talk about were games, rank in League of Legends. Another and in a sense it isolated me from others. person I talked with in middle school used Video games were not just a hobby for gaming as an escape from his family life.

WHAT IT MEANS TO ME

EL ESTOQUE | JANUARY 2018

It’s not just me that this behavior plagues', it’s common behavior among gamers. Oftentimes, gaming addiction is perceived to be connected to laziness, but it should not be. That kind of connection prevents addicts from getting the support they need because it undermines their condition to just a simple factor. I’m glad that this kind of behavior is considered an addiction. Putting it into the same class as alcoholism and smoking allows the addiction to be taken seriously and helps people receive the support needed. If this type of addiction affects people and their surroundings the same way that alcoholism does, as an escape from an underlying issue, then there’s no reason that it shouldn’t be taken seriously. As a senior in high school, I no longer find myself spending hours playing video games anymore. In a sense, I have gotten over my gaming addiction by not being as reliant on video games being an escape from the world. I learned how to manage my emotions and not run away from my problems in reality. Playing video games obsessively is clearly indicative of an underlying issue that warrants therapy and treatment. Gaming addiction taught people like me to ignore reality and put myself in a world that’s not mine, but with help, we can get back to reality. e

PHOTO | KAREN MA

THE TEENS BEHIND THE SCREENS

Students talk about their gaming experiences

JUNIOR RYAN DANG

BY PRIYA REDDY

JUNIOR DEVASHA TRIVEDI

Playing for: 6 years Favorite console: Anything Nintendo Favorite game: Any Pokémon or Fire Emblem game Longest amount of time you spent gaming? Probably like 12 hours. I remember in 7th grade or 8th grade, there was this game called Pokémon XY and I’d got it and I played it for the whole day.

Playing for: 11 years Favorite console: PC Favorite game: Overwatch and Payday Longest amount of time you spent gaming? 27 hours. I had a competition with my friends who could stay up the latest, and it started at 7 a.m. and ended at 10 [a.m.], because we both passed out.

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AI ACADEMY

JUNIOR KILIAN HAHN Playing since: Elementary School Favorite console: PC Favorite game: League of Legends First video game you ever played? Chances are it was probably Robloxs, I think. I know, I know — it’s a silly thing — but I think I played that for a while and then moved on to bigger, better adventures.

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WWW.LEARN-AI.NET A & E | JANUARY 2018

What you

never knew

BY MAGGIE MCCORMICK

Learn something new about 21 MVHS staff members by completing this crossword. Talk to the featured staff members to get the answers and complete the puzzle!

ANSWERS WILL BE REVEALED FEB. 7

Down

2 The last thing social science teacher Hilary Barron did for the first time 4 Something athletic trainer Javier Margarito has been meaning to try but hasn’t gotten around to 6 The state that social science teacher Margaret Platt never wants to go back to 7 Trend attendance technician Joe Roan hopes comes back 8 Something people don’t worry about but math teacher Debbie Frazier thinks they really should 10 Guidance counselor Sylvia Lam’s favorite superhero 11 The celebrity special education teacher Timothy Young thinks is the most down to earth 12 What physics teacher Jim Birdsong thought he’d grow out of but hasn’t 14 Social science teacher Bonnie Belshe’s favorite word 17 The mythical creature English teacher Monica Jariwala wishes actually existed 19 A type of cardio-based dance that Spanish teacher Richelle Griffin is interested in 21 What social science teacher Scott Victorine would make if he suddenly became a master at woodworking

EL ESTOQUE | JANUARY 2018

Across 1 What math teacher Jon Stark collects 3 English teacher Vennessa Nava’s first job 5 The game math teacher David Greenstein has spent the most hours playing 7 Math teacher Alan Wong’s favorite TV show 9 The name art teacher Brian Chow would change his name to 13 The sport AP secretary Deb Mandac could play the longest in a televised game without anyone realizing she isn’t a professional 15 Science teacher Pooya Hajjarian’s favorite pizza topping 16 The most memorable gift chemistry teacher Mia Onodera has ever received 18 Something that a lot of people are obsessed with but physical education teacher Brian Sullivan just doesn’t get the point of 20 The most impressive thing student advocate Richard Prinz knows how to do

“

Raja family explores Tanzanian culture through trek up Mount Kilimanjaro BY AKSHARA MAJJIGA

olepole”

SPORTS

CLIMBING KILIMANJARO

This was a phrase that freshman Daanyal Raja and his family heard repeatedly from their Tanzanian guides as they made their long-awaited climb up one of the world’s highest peaks. In Swahili, it means “slowly, slowly.” And, as they made their way through hail and rain, this phrase encouraged them to take the seemingly impossible trek one step at a time. Their journey up Kilimanjaro was a long one. In fact, it started five years ago, when Daanyal’s father, Saeed Raja, climbed up Kilimanjaro on his own. He returned from the trip with pictures, stories and life lessons, all of which convinced Daanyal that someday, he wanted to join his father and SAEED RAJA | PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION climb the highest peak in Africa. Freshman Daanyal Raja poses for a picture at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. He made this climb “I was in fifth grade at the time, and I with his family last December. was like, ‘Dad, can I please come with you? I can sneak into one of your suitcases if I family] didn’t complain. They just went constantly, and you’d need to drink lots of have to,’” Daanyal said. “But he said, ‘No, happily one step at a time,” Saeed said. “My water. The higher up you go, you wonder, you’re too young.’ So I made him promise compliments to my kids and my wife who ‘Why am I doing this again?’ But I’m just me that before I graduate high school, he did it very well, without complaining and happy that I could keep on going.” would take me.” Although the family had expected the leaving [behind the comforts] of home.” Eventually, Daanyal’s mother Banafsheh A typical day on Kilimanjaro meant climb itself to be rewarding, they had not Raja and his sister Neelufar Raja, who beginning their hike at around 7:30 or 8 expected the various other things they would graduated with the class of 2017, decided a.m., after eating a protein- learn while traveling in Tanzania. They were to join the pair, and breakfast, like porridge, joined along the hike by three guides and THE HIGHER UP YOU heavy they began training as and ending some time in the 12 to 14 porters. The porters each carried GO, YOU WONDER a family, hiking about afternoon between 2 and over 25 kilograms of supplies and were only two to three times a 4 p.m., depending on how paid two dollars a day. Still, like many of the “WHY AM I DOING week. But despite the they were able to reach Tanzanians they met during their 12 days in THIS AGAIN?” BUT I’M quickly practice, there were their camp, where they spent the country, the porters seemed happy and JUST HAPPY I COULD the night. Their meals were at peace with themselves. some things that they could not prepare for “Going to a country like Tanzania was generally cooked by one of the KEEP GOING. until they were actually porters who joined them on the really shocking to me,” Neelufar said. on the mountain. FRESHMAN trek, but the variety in meals “Because the level of poverty you see there “One of the things decreased as they climbed is really different from the level of poverty DAANYAL RAJA I wasn’t expecting higher as the reduced oxygen that we as Americans see. It makes you was that some parts of the trail were very in the air prevented them from cooking realize how blessed you are, and it really strenuous in terms of the terrain, like you complex dishes. Still, the family enjoyed the puts your life in perspective.” were basically climbing up rocks,” Neelufar potatoes, sausages and pineapples they ate So when they returned to California, said. “It was quite intense in that sense, but during their climb. they were not only proud of their once in a it was good because hiking with your family At night, they slept in tents at camp with lifetime accomplishment, but also hoped to means that we all support each other.” a sleeping bag and pad. The sleeping bags carry on this newfound perspective. Kilimanjaro has multiple trails that were intended to keep climbers warm at Although Neelufar may never climb a eventually lead to the summit. The Raja high altitudes, so near the bottom of the mountain again, Daanyal values the physical family decided to take the longest trail in mountain, where temperatures were higher, and mental challenge that came with the order to acclimate to the lower oxygen the family was fairly uncomfortable, waking climb, and can see himself doing something levels as they gained altitude. They hiked up in the morning sweaty. The sleeping similar again in the future. approximately 45 miles from Dec. 18 to situation, like much of the trip, was never “The whole idea of hiking Kilimanjaro is Dec. 26, a total of nine days, seven days comfortable, but it was just enough. this: the mountain is there, but the mountain up and two days down, to a final altitude of “Most of the time it was either snowing, doesn’t send anyone invitations,” Saeed 19,341 feet. raining or hailing,” Daanyal said. “So you said. “So you have to go and you make the “We had very, very long days. [My were constantly wet. You felt out of breath decision to hike it.” e SPORTS | JANUARY 2018

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | ELIZABETH HAN

HOW THE GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY TEAM LEARNS TO RISE FROM A FALL BY ELIZABETH HAN AND KAREN MA

nce the shotgun goes off and the runners disappear into the distance, all Coach Kirk Flatow can do is wait. Unlike basketball or soccer, in cross country, he can’t call a timeout to save a loss or change the momentum. They know to run fast, Flatow says. A reminder wouldn’t help. As the 20-minute race unfolds and runners loop around the course, all he can do is encourage from the sidelines like any other fan, sharing in the team’s nervous energy. “In cross country, the coaching work all happens before you get to the race,” Flatow said. When the race ends and runners cross the finish line, the emotions erupt both on the course and on the sidelines. On Nov. 11 at the 2017 CCS Championships, after four years of placing in the top two and advancing to CIF State Cross Country Championships, it wasn’t victory or relief that came over the MVHS girls cross country team. It was a wave of shock and disappointment, as they realized that their season had come to an end. As a team, MVHS came in fifth — three places behind the two qualifiers, Homestead HS and Carlmont HS. “[They were] basically all the teams that we were trying to beat,” junior Sanjana Borle said. “As soon as I crossed the finish line, I just started bawling.” As Flatow finally broke free from the sidelines and approached the team, he didn’t have any regrets. He didn’t blame the runners because he knew the defeat wasn’t their fault. “What I hope they heard was that I’m disappointed in the result, but I’m not disappointed in them,” Flatow said. “I want the same thing for them. It’s okay to be disappointed [with] the result, but [don’t] be disappointed in yourselves or your teammates because [you] worked hard all season, and in some cases for years, to get to that point. I believe that we did everything right.” The runners rebounded, fueling their determination to train even harder for the next season. However, disappointment still lingers in their minds, as the State Championships had felt within reach all season. Just one week of bad circumstances somehow turned the table for the team, making their wound feel more raw.

EL ESTOQUE | JANUARY 2018

THE 2017 SEASON Teamwork defines Flatow’s cross country philosophy. Every teammate becomes each other’s pacemaker. The more the merrier, the closer the better. This season, teamwork became especially important, due to the lack of one frontrunner who graduated from the class of 2017, Kelly Bishop. “This season we knew going in we were facing a challenge because we didn’t have a runner who was obviously at the front,” Flatow said. “It had to be a complete team effort, and the team put in great effort all year.” Understanding this, the team devoted themselves to the sport, motivating one another at every practice and race. Running daily during the season was no exception — even before the season, runners tried not to miss a day of training, as even a couple days of absence could throw them off. “Especially this year, a lot of the varsity girls were … really close in time,” junior Sarah Feng said. “Whenever you went into a race, it felt like ‘Oh, I have other girls with me to back me up.’” And the efforts showed. Even without a front runner to save the team, they never dipped below third place at any of their races. In fact, a week before CCS at Santa Clara Valley Athletic League Championships, MVHS placed second with a score of 44, shaving off 25 points from last year’s 69.

“We knew if we had had everybody go do exactly what they did the week before [CCS], we would’ve qualified for state,” Flatow said. However, five days before CCS, a string of unfortunate circumstances took over. Two teammates caught a fever, including Borle. With CCS in sight on Saturday, Borle suffered from congestion and a sore throat, calling in sick from school on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. As soon as she felt ill, she emailed Flatow I’M GOING TO PUSH with concerns. He replied telling her to rest and do all THROUGH THE PAIN, she could to recover. On Friday, the day before CCS, Borle returned to AND HOPEFULLY IT practice at last, but still felt sick. She said it hurt to run, GETS SO BAD THAT both physically and mentally, as pain built up in her legs with every step. I CAN’T FEEL [THE “It felt hard,” Borle said. “So I was just like, ‘I’m going PAIN] ANYMORE. to push through the pain, and hopefully it gets so bad JUNIOR SANJANA BORLE that I can’t feel [the pain] anymore.’” Yet she couldn’t risk jeopardizing the team’s efforts due to her illness, so she arrived at CCS, piling onto the starting line with the rest of her team. At the shot of the gun, she ran — but 20 seconds in, the pain overwhelmed her. She couldn’t maintain the positive outlook anymore. Although she pushed through to complete the race, Borle finished three minutes slower than her personal record, a minute per mile behind her usual speed. Borle was the last to join her team sitting beside the trail, who had all suffered to different extents. When freshman Sylvana Northrop — who finished second in the team of seven — completed her race, she was perplexed to see none of her teammates in sight. It concerned her, as she usually finished with a pack of her teammates. Feng had gone into a state of shock with a jacket over her head. Almost everyone teared up, dismissing the usual cool-down routine. After 20 minutes of bleak silence, Feng lifted the mood with an analogy: the team was a bullet and CCS was a trigger on a gun. They got launched, only to do better next year. Increasing the intensity of training, adding in mileage, sticking together on practice runs — they started hatching plans. The team resolved to end their next season with a victory. “We were talking about how next year, we’re going to get 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 — how we’re going to dominate,” Borle said. “We moved on from the disappointment pretty quickly. It’s still there, but we’re just going to use that to improve ourselves as runners and people and racers.” TEAM RIGOR The girls’ team has come a long way since seven years ago, the first year they qualified for CCS. Since then, they’ve made CCS every year and competed in the State Championships for the past four, making this year’s results surprising. Until this year, they held the fifth longest active streak in CCS history, according to an email Flatow sent out to the team. However, instead of being disappointed, Flatow views this expectation as something to be proud of. “Our team accepts that challenge,” Flatow said. “But we should step back and think how amazing that is: that we’ve gotten to that point where that kind of excellence, that we’re expecting to get to

States every year, that we’re expecting to compete for CCS title every year, is really amazing.” Flatow, who has been coaching the MVHS cross country team for seven years, largely credits the team for its impressive and ever-growing success. Although he dedicates much of his time to training and connecting with the team, as well as thinking of ways to improve his coaching methods, Flatow believes that it is the athletes who cultivate the hardworking spirit of MVHS cross country. “This is a really gritty culture,” Flatow said. “It’s the kids who become varsity and even down deep into the team. They join the team ready to work hard, knowing they’re going to work hard.” It’s this culture that convinces Flatow and the girls that this loss is not an end, but merely a new beginning. Borle recalls when Flatow recounted a similar experience faced by Johns Hopkins University’s cross country team, whose streak of going to the NCAA championship was broken. The defeat served as a form of motivation, as the JHU team has since restarted its streak and has even seen improvements in its times. “They came back the next season even stronger,” Borle said. “Maybe that’s inspiration for us to do something like that.” PRESENT DAY Over two months have passed since the end of the cross country season, yet the runners have not stopped improving. A week after CCS, during the time they would’ve spent at States, the team attended the Turkey Trot as the final race they never got. During winter break, the team scheduled a run every day, running up and down hills, cutting through wind and rain. With the track and field season coming up, they plan to increase their training even more, with hopes of dominating the cross country CCS next year. With these efforts, Flatow has faith that the team will succeed next year. “If you resolve to make tomorrow better, that says you are committed to do everything you can to make it better with the full understanding that … I’m going to make an effort to make tomorrow better, next season better,” Flatow said. “I looked at those kids and they’re ready to do that.” e

SPORTS | JANUARY 2018

CREATING CULTURE Exploring traditions of MVHS sports teams

BY ROSHAN FERNANDEZ AND SANNIDHI MENON

hether it’s something as simple as bringing hot chocolate for after a game, in the case of the girls soccer team, or as unique as field hockey’s parent play day, team traditions encourage bonding and bring players closer together. Athletes senior Sara Nordby and juniors Anjali Thontakudi, Jessica Ji, Shakthi Elangovan share some MVHS sports team traditions. e

FIELD HOCKEY

“Basically we have all the parents come in and we give them each a stick and we teach them the basics, how to dribble, how to pass and then we play a short game. Some of the parents get to go in goalie gear and look like giant marshmallows. [Parent play day is] towards the beginning of the season and right after it they do the parent meeting, so it’s kind of a fun incentive to get parents out to the meeting and get the information to them but have fun with their kids. We give out awards to select [parents]: we have the Olympian award which is overall best athlete, we have MVP and then we have Speedy Gonzalez, so it’s like whoever [has] the best skills. And it’s really fun to give to the parents because they are not expecting anything at all, and when you give them Speedy Gonzalez they are like ‘what the heck’ and it’s kind of fun to see their reactions.”

- SENIOR SARA NORDBY 2

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | ROSHAN FERNANDEZ

“What happens is ... every year seniors girls will get together to make hair ribbons for the entire girls team, and they will buy hair bands and ribbons and decorate it with each girl’s name on it, so each girl has a name on it and it’ll say something like ‘MVXC 2017.’ And we wear them at [every] race.”

- JUNIOR ANJALI THONTAKUDI 3

GIRLS BASKETBALL

“We do secret sister [where] everyone gets randomly matched up with someone for the whole season and then every home game we all bring a Target bag filled with little gifts. I don’t know how long we’ve been doing it, but it’s just a fun way to make people happier after games, because no matter if you win or lose, you get to have a little gift bag. It’s sort of funny because on the spreadsheet you can see [what everyone wants], so one person will put something, and everyone else will be like ‘That’s such a good idea’ and they’ll all go put it down. These traditions are like team building off the court, [because] they let us know our teammates better as people and friends, and we build stronger relationships that aren’t just based on practices and games.”

- JUNIOR JESSICA JI 3

EL ESTOQUE | JANUARY 2018

FOOTBALL

“[In past years] we would dress up formally on game day, [but] we don’t really do that anymore. When we dressed up formally it was to give us confidence, because when you dress nicer, you feel nicer. But when you wear your jersey it’s more about pride, [because] everyone knows you’re on the football team and there’s a game today. [It’s] like you have something to look forward to. I feel like when you see your teammate in a jersey it hypes [us] up, because [we’re] excited [we] have a game today, it could be [our] first it could be [our] last, so it just gets everyone excited.”

- JUNIOR SHAKTHI ELANGOVAN

WINTER OLYMPICS Storylines, athletes and events to watch in the 2018 Winter Olympics BY ANKIT GUPTA AND SHAYON MORADI

he 2018 Winter Olympics will kick off in Pyeongchang, South Korea on Feb. 9 and continue through Feb. 25. South Korea has hosted the Games once in the past as well, holding the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. The Games will feature over 100 events across 15 different winter sports including figure skating, ski jumping and bobsleding.e

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THE RUSSIAN SUSPENSION Russia was banned from the upcoming Olympic Games in December of 2017 by the International Olympic Committee, who alleged that the country violated their doping policies. The country’s Olympians will not be permitted to compete under the national flag, but will have the opportunity to enter the games as a neutral party. NHL BOYCOTT The National Hockey League announced that it will not participate in the Winter Olympics men’s Ice Hockey Competition, ending its streak of five appearances at the games. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stated that the Winter Olympics were disruptive to the NHL schedule and as a result majority of the clubs were against it.

N O R T H K O R E A ’ S ATTENDANCE North Korea hasn’t competed in the Winter Olympics since 2010, but that will change this time around. The country will be bringing figure skaters Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik to compete, despite missing the registration deadline in late October. After talks with South Korea, North Korea agreed to compete in the next Winter Olympics — a symbolic gesture after months of tension between North Korea, the U.S. and South Korea. FIGURE SKATING For all the figure skating fans out there, this could be the year the U.S. singles team brings home the gold. The team has a host of young talent, featuring 18-yearold Nathan Chen and 17-year-old Palo

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Alto native Vincent Zhou. American skating star Nathan Chen is coming off his International Skating Union Grand Prix win, and is the first American man to do so in eight years. Vincent Zhou is also entering with momentum coming off his win at the Bavarian Open last year. BOBSLEDDING Watch the U.S. men’s bobsled team on Feb. 18 and 19 for two-man heats and Feb. 24 and 25 for four-man heats. This U.S. team has been a consistent favorite to take home a medal in previous Olympic games but this time looks to be different pilot Steve Holocomb, who had been on the men’s national team for 19 straight years, was tragically killed in an accident last year. His absence will be felt as the team will have to rely on less experienced drivers. The world will be watching to see how the team responds to this adversity. SPORTS | JANUARY 2018

four teams

ONE rival one RIVAL A look at the culture surrounding MVHS basketball quad games

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EL ESTOQUE | JANUARY 2018

spORTs FlASh Junior Peter Heydinger takes on his opponent during a match against Homestead HS. After playing on a joint team with HHS last year, the MVHS team was victorious although they were matched up against former teammates.

PHOTO | KAREN MA

PHOTO | ROSHAN FERNANDEZ

PHOTO | SUNJIN CHANG

Sophomore Noah Rizk dribbles the ball down the field during a game against Wilcox HS. Despite having a lot of talented players this year, the team is struggling to win games, holding a 1-1-5 league record. PHOTO KHANDEKAR PHOTO | OM| OM KHANDEKAR

PHOTO | ROSHAN FERNANDEZ PHOTO | SANNIDHI MENON

Junior Josiah Figeroa shoots a free throw during the quad game against Lynbrook HS. The quad game is a tradition that takes place in the MVHS gym every year, though the competitor changes.

Sophomore Ashley Liu brings the ball down the court in the game against an Australian team from Cary HS with a jump-ball. This was the MVHS girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; first experience playing an international team. SPORTS | JANUARY 2018

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