Volume 48, Issue 8, May 23, 2018 by El Estoque

May 2018

Monta Vista High School

el ESTOQUE 14 NEWS Ben Clausnitzer with take the place as new MVHS principal

18 OPINION Changes in sexual education curriculum in elementary and middle schools spark discussion

40 A&E Behind the scenes of creating graffiti

44 SPORTS Five-year-old Dylan Tagawa takes lead as boys volleyballâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mascot

34 FEATURES Four seniors reflect on their time at MVHS and on the El Estoque staff

Issue VIII Volume XLVIII

NEWS

OPINION

GUESS WHO’S BACK

A&E

Getting to know new MVHS principal Ben Clausnitzer

MAPPED Location tracking apps are intrusive and break trust in relationships

GAME OF FEAR

ED CARTOON

Students describe the experience and impact of receiving hoax threats

FIND MY KIDS Students reflect on their experiences using locationsharing apps

SPACED OUT An increase in ticketing for those without parking permits raises concerns

BEST OF 2017-2018 Top movies, shows and songs of the year, ranked by MVHS students

IN MOTION

Step into the lives of MV dance team officers

SEX ED What students and teachers think about sexual education as a part of the school curriculum

SWEET SUMMER Various creations to make with watermelon

REPUTATIONS: EL ESTOQUE

Students discuss their reasons for collecting sneakers

18 14

MVHS students reveal their thoughts on El Estoque

THE WAITING GAME The difficulty of applying for green cards

Life out of high school isn’t always what it seems

SPORTS

JUST FOR KICKS

DYLAN AND HIS STARS Boys volleyball’s unofficial mascot is 5-year-old Dylan Tagawa

LUNCHTIME LEGENDS The competitive nature of intramural sports

SPORTS FLASH: SENIOR ISSUE Reviewing the full year of MVHS sports through photos

SHOWING TRUE COLORS Artists explain how creating graffiti is a form of expression

IN THIS ISSUE

FEATURES

SENIOR COLUMNS

Four EE seniors reflect on their time on staff and at MVHS 0

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS... A s we stood in front of our sixth and seventh period classes on the Monday before AP testing, the journalism room was filled with empty seats. Our adviser told us we were in charge of the class, but it didn’t really seem like there was anyone left to be in charge of. Sure, the seniors would be back tomorrow, but while they went to the beach or the city, missing a day of school, we were left to contemplate how we would continue without them next year. That day felt strange with the seniors gone. When we were freshmen, we always wanted to find the place where we belonged, and many of our seniors found theirs in A111. On that very first day of high school, we spent our lunch running around with our friends and trying to find a spot to gather, to belong. For many, those spots became their go-to place for the next four years. For others, friend groups changed, and so did their hangout spots. However, regardless of whether they’ve shifted or stayed the same, these areas we’ve marked as our own all have one thing in common — they’re the birthplace of many special memories. We’ve come a long way since that first day of aimlessly wandering around, and one way or another, we’ve found our place. A place where we could eat lunch, make friends and feel safe. A place where we experienced high school. On page 25, reporters Claire Chang and Vivian Chiang explore the friendships and memories that developed at various lunchtime locations. Some seniors found their place in the arts department. A few weeks before their productions, actors, actresses and producers spend hours after school in the auditorium, rehearsing lines until the janitors lock up at night. The stage fright before showtime, the long nights of blocking and making props are all part of the memories drama students associate with the auditorium. There, they found many of their friends, as well as something they were passionate about. On pages 26 and 27, reporters ZaZu Lippert and Ilena Peng explore the importance of arts such as drama, choir and dance and the way they affected seniors’ high school experiences. Back in the journalism room on senior ditch day, the incessant chattering had ceased, and an eerie silence fell across the room. We no longer had to scream to get everyone’s attention to take attendance, make announcements or teach lessons. And it was at that moment we realized the ways high school and the people we surround ourselves with shape us. The sight of many of our seniors huddled together in room A111 during every tutorial, brunch and lunch became the norm, others scattered around campus at places where they’d settled. Soon, they’ll graduate, and a new batch of staff members will fill in the gaps. Soon, each class will shift up to the next corner of the gym during rallies. Soon, new faces will make the trip around campus, in search of their own place. Change is never easy, and as difficult as it is to accept, we understand that the class of 2018 will move on. In a matter of months, many will pack their suitcases and purchase plane tickets, moving into dorm rooms and exploring new grounds. They’ve found their place at MVHS, but like everyone graduating, the time has come for them to rediscover themselves in the outside world.

Rana Aghababazadeh

Roshan Fernandez

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

Editors-in-chief: Rana Aghababazadeh, Roshan Fernandez Managing editors: Helen Chao, Ruth Feng, Gauri Kaushik Copy editor: Charlotte Chui Design editor: Sara Entezar News editors: Sunjin Chang, Jasmine Lee, Andrea Perng Sports editors: Ankit Gupta, Anish Vasudevan Entertainment editors: Alyssa Hui, Hannah Lee, Jahan Razavi, Emily Xia Opinion editors: Zara Iqbal, Stuti Upadhyay, Claire Yang Feature editors: Claire Chang, Shuvi Jha, Swara Tewari, Jai Uparkar Beats editor: Chelsea Wong Business manager: Zara Iqbal Graphics editor: Sarah Young Visuals editor: Rajas Habbu Staff writers: Ananya Bhat, Robert Borrego, Anirudh Chaudhary, Jennie Chen, Bill Cheng, Vivian Chiang, Aditya Dash, Aanchal Garg, Aditi Gnanasekar, Ria Kolli, Elizabeth Han, Om Khandekar, Sreya Kumar, Emma Lam, Carol Lei, Daniel Lin, ZaZu Lippert, Maggie McCormick, Karen Ma, Akshara Majjiga, Sannidhi Menon, Anthony Moll, Shayon Moradi, Songjun Na, Katerina Pappas, Ilena Peng, Shar Rahman, Chetana Ramaiyer, Priya Reddy, Karen Sanchez, Andrea Schlitt, Ishani Singh, Mallika Singh, Rucha Soman, Nate Stevens, Anjini Venugopal, Michelle Wong, Himani Yalamaddi, Julia Yang 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. COVER PHOTO | OM KHANDEKAR COVER ILLUSTRATION | SARA ENTEZAR MAY 2018

BY JASMINE LEE, ANDREA PERNG AND KAREN SANCHEZ 0

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

and panicked.” Similarly, CHS senior Tom Xue ran to his house, under the impression that he was running for his life. “I was just running away,” Xue said. “I thought it was a dangerous situation for me, so I wanted to find a good way to run out of the school to avoid the shooter.” CHS students were notified by email later in the day that the threat had been a hoax and that there was never any real danger. CHS sophomore Lillian Kann began taking the seriousness of future threats lightly. “I think a lot of people started thinking that from now on everything else would be fake, because we got multiple emails and stuff too,” Kann said. “It was just kind of like, okay, this again.” The following day when CHS students returned to school, several teachers discussed the evacuation with their students in class, but for the most part, the atmosphere was calm. “Everyone continued on with their day and everything was back to normal; we didn’t really address it,” Lue said. “I mean, we talked about [the evacuation] in some classes but not all of them.” MVHS executive assistant to the principal Diana Goularte was relieved after hearing that the threats made against CHS were false alarms but emphasized that vigilance is still necessary. “Now that we have more information about these hoax attempts, we are not immediately panicked,” Goularte wrote in an email. “We must be still be focused on safety and investigate every threat.” In contrast to the reaction at CHS, after the lockdown, Qiao described the atmosphere at PAHS as being full of anxiety and tension. “Afterwards, when we were excused and let out of our classrooms, I still think there was a lot of residual anxiety,” Qiao said. “It was obviously pretty traumatic to think that you might die and then come out of there and you have to go through class. People were still really shaken up, and I don’t think they were able to really believe what happened.” e

NEWS

ifth period had just begun when an email to both parents and students to Palo Alto High School senior Julia notify them about the hoaxes. Scott said the Qiao heard the announcement about school would have a small police presence a lockdown. She quickly took action, on campus to err on the side of caution. reaching for the lock block in her classroom Assistant principal Andrew Goldenkranz that would keep the door closed. Working points out that the feeling of fear has quickly, Qiao began to assist her classmates intensified over the past 15 years as the in barricading the door. general public has been met with more As she hunkered down and hid in a shootings, media attention and incidences corner of the room, she texted a group occurring locally. While the possibility chat that she was in, trying to ascertain of school shootings slowly seems more the facts in an atmosphere of anxiety and tangible, the level of prepared we are as a panic. However, that anxiety turned out to society seems close to none. be unfounded: Qiao found out 15 minutes “What if it happened at lunch, when later from the Palo Alto Police Department’s everyone’s out wandering the campus? And Twitter account that the threat of the school we may have 500 kids off campus ... What’s shooting had been a hoax. going to happen when Santa Clara County, we got 2,000 families alongside other districts across THE FACT THAT that are freaking out?” the state and nation, have been SOMEONE WOULD Goldenkranz said. receiving threats of violence. DO THIS COST A “Every time you think All of these threats, according you have a solution, to Mercury News, have been LOT OF MONEY it just opens up more confirmed to be part of a AND CAUSED A stuff you have to figure hoax. The threats have since LOT OF EMOTIONAL out.” been tracked to a group of MV has been hackers in Switzerland. They TRAUMA. I JUST working on their take credit for their spread of THINK IT WAS own drills in case of paranoia across the nation, STUPID. emergency situations. spurred by the recent school “If it’s in the shootings and political divide PALO ALTO SENIOR classroom we’re revolving around gun control. pretty well practiced,” JULIA QIAO “My initial reaction was Goldenkranz said. just confusion, and a little bit “Part of our plan is having of annoyance,” Qiao said. “The fact that communication teams and a triage someone would do this cost a lot of money team. We have a health team in terms of and caused a lot of emotional trauma. I just responding to kids in need, we have a team think it was stupid.” that works directly with law enforcement, Just two days prior, a school nearby, so we actually have an organizational Cupertino High School, also received a chart of what would happen in that kind of threatening phone call. A few days later, on situation.” April 9 and 13, MVHS received two emails CHS junior Lucy Lue had only a small with those very same threats. taste of the panic that arises amist an In response to these events, the emergency at school. She didn’t hear the Santa Clara County Sheriff Office took evacuation announcement at first when it precautions in order to ensure the safety of came over the loudspeaker during lunch students across the district: sending patrol and only realized that the evacuation was in deputies to the schools. effect when she saw other students leaving MV’s school resource officer, Cory Chao en masse. was sent out to Saratoga High School, “The announcement was really quiet and alongside his fellow school resource and we actually couldn’t hear them,” officers, his number one concern is Lue said. “[It was] only after everyone improving the safety of schools. started pouring out of the classrooms and “We already have procedures for bomb screaming that we realized, oh shoot, we threats, procedures for active shooters, run should get out of here.” and defend methods and all those other As Lue evacuated her school hurriedly, drills, but we’re constantly updating out she avoided Main Street, which is where drills and our research,” Chao said. “How most of the CHS students were running we get prepared depends on the time, the towards. She describes witnessing chaos people. Times are changing so we have to around the road. adapt with the times.” “There were binders on the ground,” Principal April Scott informed MV’s Lue said. “I saw a pile of binders just flying student body of the situation, sending out across the ground. Everyone was scared

NEWS | MAY 2018

FIND MY KID MVHS students reflect on their experiences using location-sharing apps BY SUNJIN CHANG AND HELEN CHAO

is meant to protect and connect families, notified of his phone usage, sudden rapid specifically through its location sharing, acceleration, hard braking and the top driving and coordination services. The speed of the car. company was first started in 2008 by co“The biggest thing is that they know founders Chris Hulls and Alex Haro. After anytime I’m driving or I get into a car, just Hurricane Katrina, Hulls and Haro felt because even if I go somewhere during inspired to figure out a better way to locate school [hours] to pick up something, family members after any kind of disaster, they’ll always suspect something,” Shah leading to the development of Life360. said. “They think that I’m doing stuff that Over the next eight years, they’ve expanded I shouldn’t be doing when I’m really not.” from natural disasters to more everyday Shah often receives messages from his applications, such as figuring out whether a family asking him why he is at his current child has been picked up from school or if location and where he is going. He believes anybody has arrived home. his parents altered the settings so they are “What [Hulls and Haro] instantly notified of his location. envisioned was a service to “The only thing I can do on my end is really be part of your life check where they are,” Shah said. “The app in all encompassing way really hasn’t helped me out [beyond that].” [and being able to] very Shah admits that he’d rather not have much [meet] all types of the advanced features on this app. He is needs with your family and fine with a standard app that tracks his your everyday [needs],” location but considers the reports on his Hellebuyck said. “So what driving overwhelming and extreme. [does] Life360 mean, it [is] However, Jitesh Shah, who is Manav’s really about how we’re there father, is thankful for the app. A couple for you at all moments of of months ago, he had woken up around the day, during all aspects midnight and realized his son wasn’t home of your life.” yet. Initially, Jitesh was a little worried and Senior Manav Shah and frantic until he checked the app, which his family use Life360 to showed that his son was at his best friend’s communicate during times house. He acknowledges, jokingly, that he of urgency. can keep track of his His family son if he decides to I’M EIGHTEEN, I’M downloaded sneak out. INDEPENDENT, I the app earlier “It’s just always on this school my mind now,” Manav CAN MAKE MY year. At first, said. “When I’m out, I OWN DECISIONS Shah didn’t have to be like, ‘Okay, [AND] I KNOW mind the they know everything, download, so I have to really make WHAT I’M DOING. as he wasn’t sure I don’t screw up.’” SO THAT’S MY aware of Jitesh first heard APPROACH TO IT. the specific about the app from features and family friends, and SENIOR MANAV expected his decided to download it SHAH parents to only for the family because use it if there Manav had just started is an emergency. However, driving. They were a little anxious about he explains that the app letting him drive long distances by himself. has developed into a bit of However, Manav is now entering college in a hassle. Whenever Shah the fall. While Jitesh doesn’tmind keeping is driving, his parents are the app, he also doesn’t want it to be

Photo used with permission by Creative Commons

ith the installation of phone apps such as Life360, it has become easier for parents to track their teenager’s whereabouts and other miscellaneous information, such as the speed they’re driving or how much battery is left on their phone. In essence, it has become possible to live under 24 hour surveillance with the installation of an app. These features may provide parents peace of mind and also allow them a little more control over their children. According to Life360’s Vice President of Marketing Ariana Hellebuyck, the app

Illustration | Helen Chao

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

uncomfortable for his son. Although Manav independence or you’re being watched all approach to it.” Hellebuyck considers that the app can hasn’t had a major conflict with his parents, the time,” Hellebuyck said. they’ve quarreled a bit regarding the app. Besides checking her location, Anand’s be helpful for users of any age, although So far, he hasn’t found any positives to the parents will also check the battery the age at which to download or delete the app. However, according to Hellebuyck, percentage of her phone. If the phone dies, app is ultimately a conversation between the app has positively impacted families the current location of the recipient is put on the families. She believes families should with autistic children, a pause at the location decide as an empowered team the optimal allowing them to gain the phone time to use the service. IT’S REALLY ABOUT where “It’s really about staying connected more independence, and turned off. Her parents STAYING CONNECTED will then contact one with the people who matter most to you,” also assisted divorced families in being more WITH THE PEOPLE of her friends instead. Hellebuyck said. Jitesh is in agreement. As long as the coordinated. For Manav’s in the future, WHO MATTER MOST However, family, his parents usually Anand doesn’t think parent and the kid understand it’s more TO YOU. use the app if they don’t her parents will check meant for emergencies, he thinks it’s a have a clue how to reach on her location as great app. For example, if there’s a crash LIFE360 VICE them. For example, if much as they do now. or an emergency, the app will alert the PRESIDENT OF they’re in the mall and in Not only will she be a family members. “You hope you never have to use those different stores, the app MARKETING ARIANA college student, she’ll features,” Jitesh said. “But if you use those comes in handy if one also be out of state. HELLEBUYCK can’t hear the ringtone or “I don’t think there’s features, those can be pretty handy. So use isn’t paying attention to a need because I’m the technology when it can help you.” e their phone. going to Texas,” Anand said. “I don’t think Manav believes his parents installed they would see or really know where I am, Life360 specifically because he doesn’t or like what buildings, they just see that have an iPhone. If he had an iPhone, his ‘Oh, she’s at the parents would have likely used Find My university.’” iPhone, which isn’t as extreme: it only However, Anand reports on the location and amount of understands her battery left on the phone. parents’ anxiety. If “Before I go to college, I plan on getting she were a parent, an iPhone so then I’ll tell them we can just she believes that stick with Find My iPhone,” Manav said. “I she would also be don’t think there’s any need for [an app like similarly worried Life360].” if her kid didn’t Unlike Manav, senior Trisha Anand and respond. While she her family only use Find My iPhone to might use Find My locate each other. If Anand does not pick iPhone, she thinks up her phone, the notifications will not that Life360 is too subdue until she responds to the alert. intrusive. Manav “I was once taking a practice SAT ... and holds a similar it went off during the SAT,” Anand said. “It viewpoint. Letting was just embarrassing and I had to turn it his family track his off.” location is a feature For Anand and Manav, there can he is okay with be some pressure from being under — he’d consider surveillance. Anand has left her phone with downloading an friends or in the car. app like that for “There’s [also] been an instance where I his own future [tried] to turn off location services once but family. However, he they got an email,” Anand said. “I was just still considers the like, ‘Oh I didn’t know, I was playing around notifications about with it,’ and that didn’t work.” his driving intrusive. Hellebuyck acknowledges that “I just told them, teenagers may feel constricted by the app. ‘I don’t think there’s And as important as safety is for parents, a need for you guys the company is very welcome to ideas on to know that much, how to make the app more valuable, happy like I’m eighteen, and exciting for teenagers to use. I’m independent, I “One of things we’re really looking can make my own forward to and open it up and would love to decisions [and] Illustration | Ilena Peng talk to students and other students about is I know what I’m how we can make the app more useful for doing,’” Manav them so it doesn’t feel like it’s hindering any said. “So that’s my NEWS | MAY 2018

A NY

usually go to the parking lot and check how many cars I have permits. “We determine when we call [the officers] when we ... get complaints from three or four students that currently have parking permits that can’t park in the parking lot, because there’s no spots out there,” Mandac said. “At that point, usually I’ll have myself or Thomas Michaelis will go out and double check and when we start seeing that there’s 3, 4, 5, 6 cars sometimes up to 25, 30 cars that don’t have parking permits out there, we have to call.” MVHS’ financial specialist Calvin Wong explains that the unavailable parking spots are not just due to the construction. This “I was really lazy. I didn’t time of the year tends to create more want to get a new parking problems than usual, as many students permit and I thought that begin to get their driver licenses in spring. essentially I’d just use the same “It still comes down to [the fact that] one,” Chad said. “It’s actually a really this time of year, more sophomores and good idea, and the trick is to not have the juniors are getting their licenses,” Wong entire permit show because the permit says said. “And they may or may not know, or the year on it.” are deliberately choosing to park in the For over 20 years, MVHS has required lot even though they know they shouldn’t students to purchase a parking permit to be have, so it really puts stress on the ones able to park in the student parking lot. And who are following the rules.” for just as long, many students have broken Because of this situation, however, that rule. MVHS students have taken measures to be In years past, this didn’t seem to be able to drive to school without a permit and much of an issue, according to Chad. This without getting ticketed. semester, however, students have seen an Some students attempt to share increase in ticketing. parking permits as “The office was the officers come giving out tickets THE OFFICE WAS GIVING around to ticket by when they weren’t OUT TICKETS WHEN THEY passing the permit even giving parking WEREN’T EVEN GIVING from car to car. And permits, which others, like Chad, e is really unfair PARKING PERMITS, WHICH IS draw over their old [because] how can REALLY UNFAIR [BECAUSE] parking permit. you expect us to get HOW CAN YOU EXPECT US Even though [the permits] and Chad had been then not sell them?” TO GET [THE PERMITS] AND driving at the senior Mansi Reddy THEN NOT SELL THEM? beginning of the said. year, when there SENIOR MANSI REDDY According to were available Mandac, students parking permits, have the first month of school to buy he still did not buy a parking permit. This parking permits. The officers don’t show was mainly due to the price of the parking up at the school to ticket without MVHS permit. administration calling them. Mandac said “I feel that 35 bucks, I mean, I know in they usually call the officers once in the retrospect compared to like college parking beginning of the year to show the students and stuff like that it’s pretty cheap,” Chad that they must have parking permits. said. “But at that time, I felt that if we go Throughout the rest of the year, however, to the school and ... parking should be administration only calls the officers to included as part of our, you know, our ticket when students who paid for permits whole education.” report that there are no available spaces. Chad thinks lowering the price of After this happens, Mandac or the student permits would lead more students to conduct liaison, Thomas Michaelis, will purchase parking permits. According to TI RA

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An increase in ticketing those without parking permits causes issues for students BY ANANYA BHAT, SHAYON MORADI AND CHETANA RAMAIYER It was that the time of year — he had to once again return to assistant principal secretary Deb Mandac’s desk in the front office with a signed form, a map and $35. Except this time, he didn’t. He noticed something about the spotted plastic medallion that his friend had just bought — it looked the exact same as last year’s. That day, he went home and pulled out some coloring supplies and set to work. With a purple felt tip marker, he slowly colored over the spots of his previous permit. After every dot had been colored in, he lifted up his pen and took a look at his finished piece. This plastic medallion lasted him until October. For purposes of maintaining this student’s anonymity, we will refer to this source as Chad. 0

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

Mandac, the $35 that students pay goes to stopped selling permits. Many students the cost of the parking permit as well as the have tried helping each other by looking for Student Activity fund. officers coming to ticket cars. “[The money] just goes to a lot of the Five minutes after fourth period ended lunchtime activities and things that you see on May 2, seniors in the MVHS 2018 at the rally,” Mandac said. “All the money Facebook group received a notification that is accumulated from parking does go warning students to move their cars. Senior back to what you guys get to enjoy here at Arjun Mathur and his friends drove into school.” the student parking lot and saw Michaelis Within FUHSD, MVHS charges the most speaking to an officer. At this point they money for parking permits. Parking permits decided to park their cars on the street. cost $5 at Lynbrook, $25 at Fremont, But before doing so, Mathur quickly posted $15 at Cupertino and $20 at Homestead. a picture of the officer on Snapchat as well According to Mandac and Wong, there is as a warning in the MVHS 2018 Facebook no specific reason why the price is $35 at group to alert his peers that the officers MVHS, but this has simply been the price were ticketing. of parking permits for over 20 years. “People were generally pretty grateful “If there’s no reason for posting,” for why it’s $35, then $35 Mathur OUR MAIN OBJECTIVE IS NOT “I feel likesaid.it shouldn’t be an amount,” Chad said. “We should TO CALL THE SHERIFF TO BUST was generally stick to a district-wide flat YOU GUYS BECAUSE ... YOU p o s i t i v e fee for parking permits … because] GUYS HAVE ENOUGH STRESS [obviously I think lower prices will no motivate more people AS IT IS. AND YOU KNOW, one wants to to park here and will BABYSITTING THE PARKING get a ticket.” motivate less people to While LOT IS NOT EXACTLY MY FUN the increased move their cars.” Despite the price THING TO DO EITHER. e n f o rc e m e n t point, Chad decided to ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL has pushed get a parking permit in many students October after he received SECRETARY DEB MANDAC to park on a warning for parking nearby streets without a permit. such as Byrne or Alcarez, some students, Around February, the office decided such as senior Neha Jagethesan, continue to stop selling parking permits. Wong to park in the student parking lot without explains that with construction taking up a permit because they don’t see a point in some parking spaces and with the increase getting one so late in the year. in the number of students driving, room in Jagathesan lives 45 minutes away from the lot is limited and so the administration school and has to leave the house by 6 a.m. decided it would be best to stop selling every morning. But she only drives herself parking permits. to school twice a week and her parents “The most frustrating thing would be if drive her the other days. I bought one correctly, followed the rules “If it’s the rules, it’s the rules. I do agree and then when I go into the parking lot, that I should get a permit but I don’t know, I can’t find a spot,” Wong said. “We try to haven’t gotten around to doing it especially sell as close to that max number as we when I’m a second semester senior and can be, but once we have rule-breakers, it there’s such little time for school left,” makes it hard.” Jagethesan said. Senior Shaunak Tulshibagwale has Being an underclassman, sophomore personally experienced the frustration of Sophia Powell isn’t allowed to apply for someone without a parking permit taking a permit, but similar to Jagathesan, she his spot. continues to park in the student parking “When people complain about getting lot because it’s more convenient. However, ticketed in the parking lot because they she feels this is unfair and believes the don’t have a permit, that [is] not very valid school should allow sophomores to because for the people who do buy parking get parking permits. permits you’re robbing them of their spots “Sometimes I’m late to class which they should be allowed to have,” and I just like, I don’t have Tulshibagwale said. time to park three streets Though they don’t blame the down,” Powell said. “I administration, some students are unsure think it’s ridiculous … as to how to park legally now that they’ve I feel like if there’s

extra [spaces], they should give it to the sophomores.” Wong explains that the administration generally only allows juniors and seniors to get permits. As the majority of sophomores do not get their licenses until the end of the year, they feel it’s reasonable to keep the restriction. While some students see the stricter enforcement as unfair, Jagathesan believes it’s fair since the parking lot has gotten so full in the later part of the year. “I feel like getting [tickets] is fair,” Jagathesan said. “Getting ticketed sucks, but they have to do it if the parking lot is full and people with permits aren’t getting parking [spots] so I think it’s fair.” While Mandac understands why students might be upset, she hopes they understand that the office is not purposely trying to make students’ lives harder — ticketing simply comes with the territory. “We try not to call,” Mandac said. “We don’t want to call, you know, our main objective is not to call the sheriff to bust you guys because ... you guys have enough stress as it is. And you know, babysitting the parking lot is not exactly my fun thing to do either.” e

NEWS | MAY 2018

How the U.S. immigration process affected three MVHS students’ lives BY VIVIAN CHIANG AND CHETANA RAMAIYER

er mom was always on time to pick her up after school. So when the dark gray Toyota Camry finally pulled into the lot 40 minutes later than usual, she was ready to yell at her mom. However, seeing her mom’s tear-streaked face when she got in the car turned her anger into anxiety. Her mom said three words that would change everything for senior Haemin Jeong. “It got denied.” On Sept. 14, 2017, Jeong found out that her visa had expired, meaning she would have to leave the United States before she could graduate from MVHS. In 2007, when Jeong was in second grade, she moved from Korea to Michigan because her dad’s company offered him the opportunity to earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, allowing him to study at the University of Michigan. Only a year later, she was moving back to Korea.

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

When she was in eighth grade, Jeong moved to the U.S. again, ready to enroll at MVHS. This time, her dad had an H-1B visa because his company in Korea relocated him to the U.S. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website, “the H-1B program allows companies in the United States to temporarily employ foreign workers in occupations that require the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s degree or higher in the specific specialty, or its equivalent.” A U.S. company can relocate foreign workers to the U.S. as long as the job is highly specialized. The program requires that the worker have at least a bachelor’s degree. According to family immigration lawyer Hemanth Habbu, Jeong and her family were on H-4 visas, which means they were dependent family members of her father’s H-1B visa. H-4 visas allow spouses and children of H1-B workers to come to the U.S.

Habbu explained how H-1B visas allow for immigrants to stay in the U.S. for a maximum of six years, but in three year increments. This meant that when Jeong came to MVHS, she knew she would have to move back to Korea before she could graduate. “I knew that I had to leave eventually,” Jeong said. “But then it somehow got extended so I thought I was able to graduate.” Her sophomore year, Jeong’s father moved back to Korea for his job. But her visa was extended until the end of her junior year. With the good news, Jeong’s mother requested to change their visa status so that Jeong could graduate at MVHS. They waited for months to hear back. But on that Thursday in September, her family finally received the final verdict — they would have to leave. “I didn’t actually think that it would actually happen,” Jeong said. “I was really bummed out and I didn’t know what to do.” That night, Jeong made two posts to her Facebook wall to inform her peers that she would be leaving before graduation. From the letter she and her mother received, Jeong was originally under the impression that she would have to leave the country in less than two weeks. However, after clarifications from her lawyer, she realized she had until the end of 2017 to leave. “I was super emotional because originally I thought I would stay for a week or so after getting the results so I was like ‘okay, bye!’” Jeong said. On December 15, Jeong’s friends threw her a surprise party. Under the impression that they were stopping by Memorial Park before heading to San Francisco with her friends, Jeong walked from the parking lot towards the Quinlan Community Center, arms linked with her friend, senior Michelle Chen. But when Jeong and Chen reached the picnic tables, they saw familiar faces turn around and shout of “Surprise!” At that moment, Jeong realized what was happening and she was brought to tears. “I was so shook, I couldn’t believe it was real,” Jeong said. “I was so thankful for all my amazing friends and I thought, ‘what did I do to deserve them?’” More than 20 close friends showed up, and a couple others dropped in to say goodbye. Realizing that she was taking many things for granted, Jeong tried to cherish each minute of her time left, hanging out with current and old friends and trying harder in classes. “I did things that I would only be able to do in Cupertino, like getting boba and going to Mainstreet,” Jeong said. “I also did

the most touristy things like visiting San Francisco so I wouldn’t regret it when I go back.” On Dec. 23, 2017, Jeong had to say goodbye to all her friends, MVHS and her life in the U.S. A few close friends drove Jeong to the airport. Chen described the car ride as fairly normal as they were all trying not to think about Jeong’s departure. But as Christmas songs came on the radio, the cheerful melodies became bittersweet since they knew they couldn’t celebrate together. Finally, when they got to the airport, Jeong and her friends broke down in tears, as the reality finally hit them. “I remember I started just bawling when [Jeong] got to the front of the line to check in her luggage because I was watching her walk away from behind and it became very real to me that I wouldn’t see her again for a long, long time,” Chen said.

imilar to Jeong, another MVHS student’s dad is also on an H-1B visa, but his family is applying for employment-based green cards. For purposes of maintaining his anonymity during his application process, we will refer to this student as Dexter. An employment-based green card is a permit that allows immigrants to live and work permanently in the U.S for the purposes of employment. The other type of green card is a family-based green card, which is given when U.S. citizens apply to make their foreign relatives permanent residents of the U.S. In ninth grade, Dexter moved to the U.S. from India. Almost immediately, his father started the process of applying for green cards. Though his family was concerned about the possibility of moving back to India, his father’s company was efficient in completing the forms and pushing the application through the process. “It’s not something that I’m particularly concerned about because our processing has been moving along very fast compared to everyone else,” Dexter said. “I’ve had friends who have been here for years and they haven’t entered the initial stages whereas ours started early last year and we are in, I believe, the final stages.” According to Habbu, a big part of the green card application process depends on the efficiency of the worker’s company’s

PHOTO | COURTESY OF SYDNEY OLAY

Human Resources department. “[I see it] happen all the time. The employee wants to apply for the green card quickly, [but] the HR department, for whatever reason, doesn’t work as fast,” Habbu said. “But to be fair, it [could] also [be] true that the employee did not provide the information that is needed.” The employment-based green card application process is long and complicated, involving three main steps and depending on the applicant’s country of origin, can take anywhere from six months to many years, according to Habbu. The first step is filing the Program Electronic Review Management (PERM) application, which requires that the company attempt to recruit U.S. workers before hiring foreign workers. The next step is called the I-140 application, which is when the employer has to prove that they can afford to pay the employee the wage for the job. According to Habbu, at this point, the major part of application is over. The last step is the I-485 application for the adjustment of status, which is simply changing one’s status from an H-1B visa to a permanent resident status. If successful, the applicant can obtain a green card and also bring his or her spouse and children with them. Dexter is still in what he calls the “waiting game” as his application is still in the “in processing” portion of the process. His H-4 visa expires in September, meaning if the green card application is not processed by that point, similar to Jeong, Dexter will have to move out of the country. However, Dexter explains that he is not too worried. NEWS | MAY 2018

Dexter is just one of many MVHS students who are in this “waiting game.” From a survey of 151 MVHS students, 10 percent are not citizens and of those, 18 percent are on H-4 visas.

unior Vishnu Akundi is part of the few MVHS students who are not citizens. He was in fifth grade when he moved to the U.S. Three months ago, on February 20, Akundi and his family moved to Canada. Akundi always knew there was a chance that he would have to leave, but hoped that his family’s green card application would pass. It wasn’t until one day in March of 2017 during Akundi’s sophomore year that he found out he would be leaving. His mom picked him up from school, which he found odd as he usually walked home. When he got inside the car, he found a box of pizza waiting for him. That’s when he noticed something was not right. As they were driving home, Akundi’s mom broke the news to him — their visa would expire before their green card application was processed. In short, he would have to leave the country. “When I came [to MVHS] ... I assimilated pretty quickly especially because I had the [American] accent. I wasn’t the awkward Indian kid,” Akundi said. “But the thought of going back never really struck me.” Akundi first moved to the U.S. when he was in kindergarten, but only stayed for a year. His family moved back to India, only

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

his dad switched jobs twice, which Akundi believes may have further slowed down the process. “[Our green card application is] just ‘in processing’ technically but it’s not happening,” Akundi said. “Our issue is very bureaucratic. It’s more about the company than it is about the government … It’s just their HR department, it’s pretty slow.” When he first found out that he would have to move, his family assumed that the would have to go back to their home country India, which was an overwhelming possibility for Akundi as the Indian educational system is drastically different from that in the U.S. However, he found out that he PHOTO | COURTESY OF VISHNU AKUNDI didn’t have to deal with the stress of catching up to other students in India because four months before their visa expiration date, Akundi’s to return the U.S. in 2012 when Akundi was dad colleague informed him that they could in fifth grade. Similar to Jeong, Akundi and move to Ontario, Canada. And according to his family were all on an H-4 visas, with his Akundi, this was a much better option. “We are technically being forced out father on the H-1B visa. “We knew that [our visa] would last six of the country and so we chose Canada to seven years tops,” Akundi said. “We because it’s the closest thing possible,” were hoping that as soon as we got here, Akundi said. “We’re still going to be close to everybody in the U.S. ... and we have we could apply for a green card.” They applied for a green card in 2012 family there too, so it’s not going to be and for six years, their application had completely new ... The education system been “in processing.” But their visa expired is very similar, in fact I’ll be a few classes in March 2018. This essentially means ahead, so I’ll fit in really nicely there.” As the deadline for his family to move that Akundi’s family did not technically get denied from having a green card, but got closer, Akundi had to decide whether or according to Akundi, there was no chance not he should stay for his junior year. “My parents thought it would be better of them getting the green card before the if we stayed for [first] semester [junior year] visa expired. “We knew the process was slow but we and moved out in 2018 instead,” Akundi never thought it was [this] slow,” Akundi said. “So it was just for my education that we stayed back.” said. In his last months in the U.S., Akundi But throughout these six years, this issue was not always on his mind. In fact, spent time making memories with his close friends, just as Jeong did. Two weeks it rarely was. “Every once in a while, when we’re having dinner, I [would] PHOTO | COURTESY OF VISHNU AKUNDI ask ‘how’s the green card application looking?’” Akundi said. “It didn’t really affect us during our daily lives. Even after I found out [our visa was expiring], I feel like going to school and if I kept myself busy, I wouldn’t have to think about it.” Akundi’s father worked with his company’s HR department to push the application through. But

before he moved, his friends threw him a goodbye party at California Pizza Kitchen. “[The party] was really nice of them … I feel like it made it worse in some aspects because I [saw that I] would be losing [all my friends],” Akundi said. “Obviously, I can keep in touch with all of you guys but it will never be the same. I feel like on that night I realized, ‘I’m going to miss these people.’” Along with enjoying the rest of his time, Akundi dedicated himself to studying and working hard in his classes. Even in his last week in the U.S., Akundi spent every night completing homework and taking tests, despite the fact that he knew none of that would count when he moved to Canada. “I don’t want to screw up my grades, no matter what. I’m known to be a very try-hard type of person and I’m not going to give that up,” Akundi said. “[This was] probably the most stable part of my life so far because we move so much. And so I have gotten used to this whole system.” The “system” Akundi referred to is the U.S. educational system, which according to both Jeong and Akundi, is extremely different from their home countries. Both Jeong and Akundi’s families chose to live in America because of the importance they placed on education. According to Jeong, the difference between the education system in the U.S. compared to that of Korea is large. In America, she describes, there’s more involvement with school spirit, allowing students to bond over things besides academics. Before Jeong moved to the U.S., the only impression she had of American high schools came from movies. “I genuinely thought that high school was going to be like ‘High School Musical,’” Jeong said. “I expected people to be more yappy, or I thought there would be more cliques … but I guess that wasn’t the case … As part of leadership, I was able to see the ‘behind the scenes’ of the events and I just like America so much better. There’s just so many more activities to do or ways to be involved at school.” Dexter also notices the difference in education, explaining how it was really difficult to transition from the education system in his home country to that of the U.S., especially because it was hard to align the curriculum from his home country to the MVHS classes. “They have fewer subjects [in the U.S.] ... but you go really in depth,” Dexter said. ”[In my home country], we used to have all the three science [classes every year], so we had physics, chemistry and biology that we did every year. It was just really branched out there and over here,

you’re really focused on one thing.” Now that neither Jeong nor Akundi are living in the U.S., the cost of attending college in U.S. as international students is too high for either of them to consider. One of the main aspects that Akundi’s family liked about Canada is the high quality Canadian universities. “We started looking into colleges [in Canada],” Akundi said. “Once you leave the U.S., it doesn’t matter if you’re applying from India or if you’re applying form Canada. I mean tuition-wise at least because for us, we’re not the richest family around. So we do care about how much college costs … And even if I go to Canada, you have to be a citizen there so I can’t apply to scholarships there either so we have to look for colleges with cheap tuitions.”

s of now, Akundi has been living in Canada for three months. And those three months have not been easy: Moving from India to the Bay Area was not too much of a culture shock for Akundi as there is a significant Indian population at MVHS, but this move was quite different for Akundi because for the first time, he was a minority. “Obviously, since I’m an Indian person, [the Bay Area] was very unique. There was a lot of people who were just like me who are from similar cultures and they speak the same language, that kind of thing,” Akundi said. Another difficult factor of this process was the fact that he moved in the middle of his junior year, which made adjusting to classes much more complicated. A lot of the classes that he was taking at MVHS were not offered at his new school, Abbey Park High School. Akundi had to put in extra effort to keep up with the curriculum in order to prepare for his AP exams,

which ended up helping him feel less lonely. “The past two months or so, I’ve had to study for APs and my SAT Math, so I have been preoccupied so I didn’t really feel lonely,” Akundi said, “And I found another student who’s also taking a bunch of AP’s and stuff so we usually study together so he’s one friend I’ve made.” However, in terms of school, Akundi describes that he was much more challenged at MVHS. “I feel like any school compared to MVHS is going to be much easier,” Akundi said. “The school I’m going is supposed to be the best public school in Ontario … Even though that’s the case, it’s just nowhere near the level of rigor at MVHS.” As Akundi is just starting his transition to Canada, Jeong has already been in Korea for more than four months. There were many things in Korea that took some time to get accustomed to, especially, she says, wearing uniforms and different makeup styles. Jeong spends most of her days studying. She attends school from 9 a.m. and leaves early to go to a Korean college entrance exam prep class from 4 to 10 p.m. With school and the prep class taking up most of her time, Jeong is unable to spend a lot of time with friends and participate in extracurricular activities. But as days go by, Jeong feels a little more situated and happy. She caught up with old friends and made new ones when she started at Gwanggyo High School. “There is no doubt I hella miss Monta Vista,” Jeong said. “I was really depressed for the first week. But now I’m just telling myself to suck it up and live life because it’s really hard for me … I mean, there’s no way I can go back to Monta Vista so I just have to adjust to the new environment.” e

PHOTO | COURTESY OF HAEMIN JEONG

NEWS | MAY 2018

COMING HOME Getting to know new MVHS principal Ben Clausnitzer BY SUNJIN CHANG

fter 14 years under the leadership of principal April Scott, FUHSD’s coordinator of human resources, Ben Clausnitzer, will fill her shoes next year as MVHS’ new principal. On April 24, Clausnitzer was one of seven selected candidates who interviewed for a panel that included FEA site president Bonnie Belshe, executive assistant to the principal Diana Goularte and assistant principal Mike White. Clausnitzer was one of three finalists invited to speak at the community principal forum in the auditorium on May 2. “I liked somebody who I could trust, somebody that I thought was honest, someone who had some experience dealing with high school students and working at a comprehensive high school,” White said. “I really was looking for somebody who had a high school similar to MVHS, so [a] high performance high school with our type of student population [was] preferred for me, which all three of the top ones had — they all did that.” Clausnitzer’s return to MVHS brings excitement to many on campus, as he is able to continue

the progress on building goals that he what’s in best of student interests and how helped initiate with many familiar faces. do we do that or how do we get there and As a person who often meets with the I think we need someone with that focus.” principal, Goularte is excited to work with Clausnitzer is just as eager to return Clausnitzer as she recalls the memories home to MVHS and reach out to the they shared community. He when he served I LOOK FORWARD TO especially wants as an assistant to make sure all principal five PARTNERING WITH OUR MVHS students feel safe, years ago. COMMUNITY AS WE CONTINUE welcomed and “ I t ’ s TO COLLECTIVELY WORK TO valued. almost like “I look forward he is coming CREATE A PLACE OF LEARNING... to partnering home to MV,” BEN CLAUSNITZER with our MVHS Goularte said. community as we “He has more continue to collectively work to create experience now with his time in HR. He has a place of learning where all students had many roles within FUHSD; he has been are challenged to learn at high levels,” a teacher, department lead, president of Clausnitzer said. e FEA, assistant principal, coordinator of HR … all these experiences will help him as the new principal.” Because of his previous work on the PLC process and collective commitments, Belshe said Clausnitzer was a favorite for the job. “[For example, Clausnitzer] was the one over the last five to six years who helped shift our school commitments that as a staff we make, no homework over Clausnitzer attended break,” Belshe said. “That’s the direction Washington State I think we still need to continue and go in University for his as a staff and as a school, and so I felt like bachelor’s degree he would be the right person to help lead which included a that, because he understands that we have semester of student made some changes but also how we need teaching. to continue to work on those.” The final decision fell in superintendent Polly Bove’s hands, who used the comment cards from the community forum in He enjoyed playing her follow-up conversations with the basketball as a candidates. Scott sent the staff an email teenager. Today he stating that Bove would announce the plays recreational principal at the May 8 staff meeting in the golf, and spends library. Belshe said she had trouble sleeping time outdoors and eating because of her curiosity. with his friends and As soon as 7th period ended, five-year-old son. staff rushed to the library to hear the announcement. “When they said it was Ben Clausnitzer, Cheeseburgers are [I was] ecstatic about the decision and definitely I think it’s going to be really good for Clausnitzer’s guilty our students since he was an assistant pleasure. principal here,” Belshe said. “How he framed conversations was always around

GET TO KNOW

CLAUSNITZER

ILLUSTRATION | SUNJIN CHANG PHOTO | CHETANA RAMAIYER

NEWS | MAY 2018

Life out of high school isn’t always what it seems BY SONGJUN NA

HIGH SCHOOL IS A BUBBLE, AND IT’S OFTEN HARD FOR US TO ADJUST AFTERWARDS.

The culture and the community surrounding MVHS is not a clear representation of what life is truly like in the world outside of high school. Thus, when we choose to leave the safety of this campus, we often experience a cultural shock, leading to difficulty when adapting to the new environment around us.

OPINION

WHAT COMES NEXT

YES, it will be difficult in the beginning, but it’s up to us to make the most out of our college experience.

OPINION | MAY 2018

MAPPED

Location tracking apps are intrusive and break trust in relationships

e have certain established expectations when it comes to privacy. For example, we expect privacy when we are alone, when we’re on the phone and when we’re at home. On a day to day basis, these expectations are seemingly met. The problem, however, starts when our expected privacy is taken away. And we have technology to thank for that — specifically, the apps on our phones. We now have apps for studying, cooking, dating and countless other activities. One app in particular, Life360, takes technology’s presence in our lives to the extreme. Imagine an app on your phone that tracks where you go, how fast you’re going and when you leave or enter certain locations. That is the basis of Life360. Life360 allows users to create several circles for their family or different friend groups and then view the location of others in their group on a real-time map. They can also set notifications for when a user arrives or leaves school, work or home. With the rise of apps that have these features, parents also have a new way to monitor their children 24/7. The instinctive reaction among teenagers when hearing about these sort of apps is one of indignation. It’s too easy to imagine a situation in which overbearing parents use these apps to take the art of micromanaging their children to the next level. Of course, the more rational, reasonable side of using the app is that parents can keep track of their children for safety purposes. But the boundary between safety and intrusiveness is a thin line to tread, especially when taking different family dynamics into consideration. It starts with this vicious cycle: if our parents want to install these apps on our phones, it is easy to jump to the conclusion that they don’t trust us. After all, if they feel the need to keep track of where we are at all times, outside of using it for safety purposes (which is possible to do with less invasive apps like Find My iPhone), it’s synonymous to them saying that they don’t trust us to tell the truth about where we are. It seems like they don’t believe we can make responsible choices or stay out of trouble without

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EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

their constant supervision. Naturally, this can get frustrating. At the same time, if we refuse to download these apps or seem opposed to the idea, our refusal simply gives them more reason to distrust us. In their eyes, our refusal only emphasizes the need to download apps like Life360. It seems that there’s no way to win and that it only harms both sides. However, it’s important to realize that if the relationship between parent and child were built upon trust, the situation above could be avoided. The foundation of a healthy relationship should be established to prevent these situations. It is our responsibility to communicate with our parents and let them know where we are. Simply texting our parents we’re staying after school to make up a test or

that we’re getting food with friends can reassure them, rather than not coming home without telling them beforehand. This way, our parents won’t feel as much of a need to use apps like Life360. This establishes a balance between allowing kids to have freedom and addressing our parents’ safety concerns. Open communication also lessens our parents’ worries and strengthens our relationships with them. If we form this strong relationship to begin with and establish this intial trust, they’re more likely to allow us more freedom. However, it is important to recognize that a healthy relationship isn’t always possible. There certainly will be parents who will do everything they can to manage their child’s whereabouts, crossing the line into the extreme. This

34%

57%

of students use location tracking apps *According to a survey of 287 MVHS students

56% of students are not okay with their parents using location tracking apps *According to a survey of 229 MVHS students

of students who use location tracking apps use them with parents

*According to a survey of 152 MVHS students

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ILLUSTRATION | MALLIKA SINGH

being said, there are also kids who will a relationship that should have originally continually break whatever rules are been built upon trust. set — which only traps us back in the We also have to acknowledge that vicious cycle. Life360 takes invasion of privacy to This is why the exchange of trust must another level. There are various other be mutual. If we choose to break that apps like Find My iPhone or Find Friends trust by consistently lying about where that don’t actively send notifications and we are or updates to sneaking users of the out without app. While permission, Life360 we’re only does only justifying send these our parents’ notifications OPINION OF THE EL ESTOQUE concerns. if a user EDITORIAL BOARD On the sets them, o t h e r it makes hand, if our parents break that trust these options available. In the case of and continue to track us, regardless other apps like Find My iPhone and Find of if we regularly update them on our Friends, it is only when a parent actively whereabouts, it feels like this trust isn’t opens the app to check on their child that mutual at all. they will they receive information about If we’ve shown that we can be their location. trusted, through regular and honest Especially in the age of online communication, it’s then on our parents connectivity, when our data no longer to reciprocate that and allow us a certain feels private, it’s chilling to think that on amount of freedom. It is excessive and the other side of some obscure screen, invasive for parents to constantly track people are watching our every move: and receive notifications about their what we like on Facebook, our Google children’s location because this harms searches, our recent purchases. The

STAFF EDITORIAL

least our parents can do is make us feel safe and free to make our own choices, not like we’re being constantly watched. In addition, it’s inevitable that there will come a time when our parents can no longer watch over us. We should start developing that freedom now so we can develop a habit of taking responsibility for our choices. Unless there’s reason to believe that we’re in danger, it is best for parents to take a step back and let us take our own paths. e

OPINION | MAY 2018

sEX ed

BY CLAIRE YANG AND NATE STEVENS

PHO TO IL LUST RATIO N

| CL A

IRE Y ANG

Changes in elementary and middle school sexual education spark discussion

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

“

“Siri, do you know what sex is?” Siri Konanoor looks up from beneath a heap of blankets at her older sister, surprised. Sex. She’s definitely heard that word before. She fidgets, racking her brain for an answer. “Why are you asking me this at 12 at night?” Her sister sighs and eases herself down at the edge of Konanoor’s bed, silently waiting for an answer. Pulling the blankets a little higher, Konanoor mumbles, “I know it has something to do with a vagina and a penis.” In India, it was not uncommon for many children to experience confusion similar to Konanoor’s. Now a freshman at MVHS after moving to America, Konanoor realizes that such a response from a seventh grader was very unusual; at that age, she feels that she should have had a good understanding of both sex and her own body already. “[My teachers in India] never taught us what sex is,” Konanoor said. “What sexual intercourse is, what healthy relationships are, what kind of relationships you must get into or age [and] what goes along with it. Diseases … gay relationships — they never taught us about [any] of that.” Instead of learning about sexual intercourse, relationships and sexual orientation in school, Konanoor gained most of her knowledge during a short midnight conversation with her older sister in seventh grade. After teaching the basics of female anatomy and puberty, Konanoor’s teachers would refuse to touch on any other topics, even labeling talk of sex before marriage and sexuality taboo. Moving into eighth grade, Konanoor and her family immigrated to California, where she thought she would be given better education on sex. To her dismay, due to a disagreement among the school board, the sex education unit was canceled that year, meaning that Konanoor would not undergo sex education until high school. On the other hand, freshman Andie Liu has had sexual education curriculum every year since fifth grade. As an elementary school student, she never particularly fancied the unit, but as she grew older, her views changed. “In fifth grade it was more of not liking it, because everyone thought it was awkward to talk about,” Liu said. “But then ninth grade it’s just more like learning about the science.” Instead of feeling embarrassed, Liu now feels that sex ed is just as important as any other science unit. In fact, she believes that it’s more relevant since it is crucial in educating students on making smart choices with their bodies.

“[Sex ed] is probably more important than math,” Liu said. “[In] math, a lot a lot of people say, ‘Why am I learning this? I’m not even using it in real life’ ... but for sex ed everyone ... needs to know about it.” From unwanted pregnancies to sexually transmitted diseases, Liu and Konanoor both believe that sex ed teaches children valuable information that can’t be found through a simple Google search. Konanoor hopes that the stigma surrounding sex and everything associated with it will die down, especially since she feels that it is an unavoidable aspect of human life. Yet, Konanoor’s parents are the very people who have never supported discussion of sex and particularly sexuality. Their religious faith and upbringing influenced them to become wary of sex, even scolding Konanoor when she would bring it up in conversations. “When I came here in eighth grade, I saw so many people around who were confident in themselves and who they were, who identified with some kind of sexuality and who knew what gender they wanted to be,” Konanoor said. “After seeing such people and seeing that they’re just like me ... [I realized that] they’re not infecting me, [and] that’s when I started to openly disagree with my parents.” However, some parents of Fremont Union School District students still hold views similar to Konanoor’s parents, even protesting for sex ed to be pushed back to middle school. On May 2, the FUSD school board decided to eliminate sex ed from fourth to sixth grade. Biology teacher Lora Lerner strongly disapproves of this decision, and is convinced that many of these parents hold the false belief that their children are too innocent for sex ed. When Lerner was a child, she was never even given the opportunity to learn about sex ed in school. As a result, she was forced

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to scavenge for information in books and through friends. Lerner believes that maintaining a mindset of being strongly opposed to sex ed is regressive and says students shouldn’t have to resort to doing their own research. “I think one thing is to educate parents that we aren’t on opposite sides here,” Lerner said. “We all want our children to make good decisions. We want them to be healthy. We want them to be able to decide when they have children. We want them to have good relationships. So I think partly feelings run high and people don’t understand, and you end up with these ugly situations where they just end up taking the education away completely.” Although Konanoor admits that the sex ed unit talks about more issues that are more intimate than usual, it’s just another part of the school curriculum that shouldn’t be dismissed. “Every single year we should be learning new things and we should be figuring out ourselves because that’s what science is figuring out — yourself [and] what’s around you,” Konanoor said. “Why is sex so different from studying the heart? Why is it so different from studying light? Atoms? Why is that so different?” Since coming to America, Konanoor has become confident in her belief that sex ed teaches students about one of the most beautiful processes of life. Similarly, Lerner wishes for her teachings to contribute to society becoming more sex-positive. “It addresses the most vital areas for our life and health and happiness,” Lerner said. “At the end of the day, people care more about having good relationships and being healthy and feeling good and having children when they want to. That is the most meaningful stuff in our lives, and it deserves just as much attention and care as all the other of other stuff that we learn in school.” e

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of students think that sex ed is equal or more important than other subjects*

of students WERE NEVER OFFENDED BY WHAT THEY LEARNED IN SEX ED*

*According to a survey of 289 MVHS students

OPINION | MAY 2018

REPUTATIONS : EL ESTOQUE MVHS students reveal their thoughts on El Estoque BY JENNIE CHEN AND ZARA IQBAL

READERSHIP

STUDENT COVERAGE

65 84 %

OF STUDENTS Read OF STUDENTS have been interviewed by el estoque el estoque *According to a survey of 282 MVHS students

*According to a survey of 275 MVHS students

ILLUSTRATION | ZARA IQBAL

REPRESENTATION OF VIEWS

of students feel that el estoque is diverse in its coverage *According to a survey of 273 MVHS students

PRINT VS. ONLINE

of students read el estoque's print magazine more than the website *According to a survey of 265 MVHS students

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EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

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EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

FEATURES NG E CHA TH HAN | CLAIR BE PHOTO TION | ELIZA A R ILLUST

hen the Class of 2018 entered MVHS as freshmen, they viewed the cafeteria as just another aspect of their new surroundings. They did not know that the year before, the campus had been abuzz with sounds of drilling and hammering. They hadn’t seen the construction tools lying across the landscape, or the debris and dust that had carpeted the ground beneath the Student Union. To them, the cafeteria was simply a normal part of everyday school life. Construction began anew, when they were juniors. And as their surroundings changed — along with their friendships, interests and passions — they realized that with their imminent graduation, change would become their only constant. But still, amidst the chaos and the change, the Class of 2018 found each other. They discovered where they belong. For some, it was in the arts; for others, in the relationships they had built with their teachers, their friends or their community. But for all, it was at MVHS.

FEATURES | MAY 2018

BEHIND THE

DESK

Students discuss how classroom experiences have shaped them BY SHUVI JHA AND SWARA TEWARI

Senior Gokul Pillai

PHOTOS | ANISH VASUDEVAN

Math teacher Shushma Bana

enior Gokul Pillai stood in the shadowy recesses of the backstage, squinting into the bright lights. He looked into the vast audience — his friends and family members cheering wildly. A part of him couldn’t believe that Spotlite 2018, the annual show hosted by the Indo-American Student Association (IASA), was over. He remembered the hours of planning and the tedious rehearsals, which had all come to a climax. Backstage, the other performers celebrated, tearfully hugging one another. Math teacher Sushma Bana congratulated the students, embracing them. Pillai hugged Bana, thanking her for the passion she poured into all IASA events. Then all of a sudden, he began crying. Bana pulled back. “No, no, no, don’t cry,” Bana said.

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

Pillai’s friendship with Bana began in his sophomore year, when he was in her PreCalculus Honors class. At the time, the two weren’t close, and Pillai explains that it was a typical student and teacher relationship. It wasn’t until he became an IASA officer that his bond with Bana began to develop. The two would meet frequently, and through these meetings, Pillai noticed that Bana, no matter how busy she was, always seemed to care. “[Bana] does so much in terms of helping us [IASA] out, setting it up and being there,” Pillai said. “When you spend a whole day just planning something as big as [Spotlight], which is on such a large scale, then it inevitably brings people closer together. It increased my respect for her because she did a lot for us.” The most valuable thing Pillai has learned in his four years at MVHS is how to empathize. It was Bana’s matronly personality that taught him the importance of kindness and respect. “Even people who [Bana] doesn’t know so well, she’ll just care so much for them,” Pillai said. “And especially at MVHS, which is a very academically-inclined and cut-throat environment, you’re not really used to seeing that, so just learning to care for people is something I’ve learned through her.” Senior Anika Ramachandran echoes a similar sentiment, having formed a bond with English teacher Monica Jariwala. The two share a friendly relationship in which they discuss both light-hearted topics, such as Bollywood movies and actors, as well as heavier subjects, such as sexism and politics. “[Jariwala] pointed out to me that there are patriarchal themes in the movie [we were discussing],” Ramachandran said. “What I really love is that she gives

me all these other things to think about.” Ramachandran appreciates Jariwala for her unique perspective and how she invites conversation from her students. It is this diversity in thought, the curiosity, that Ramachandran believes has shaped her most. Similarly, senior Amy Ding has developed a strong relationship with biology teacher Pooya Hajjarian, who encoureged her to pursue a career in sports medicine. “I have a very close relationship with [Hajjarian],” Ding said. “He’s helped me make decisions. [Without him], I would have gone down a completely different path in high school. He influenced the classes that I took this year, which solidified what I want to do in college.” For Ding, Ramachandran and Pillai have been uniquely shaped by their relationships with their teachers and their classes at MVHS have taught them more about life than they previously imagined. Pillai has learned that even in the midst of intense competition, students must not lose their humanity. They must care for all. Ramachandran has discovered that every prominent issue in the world is multi-faceted. No one is truly right, and no one is truly wrong. Instead, it is all a matter of curiosity. Ding has realized her passion, her future and her purpose in life. “I’m not going to say that every single teacher is the best teacher in the world because that’s just not possible,” Ramachandran said. “Every teacher you have, even if they can’t each you the subject, teaches you more than that. That’s the whole thing about MVHS. It’s not the curriculum, it’s how to deal with life.” e

Finding their circle As they prepare to leave MVHS, seniors reflect on the impact of friendships

BY CLAIRE CHANG AND VIVIAN CHIANG

ext to F103, far away from the bustling rally and academic courts where most of the MVHS student body hangs out during lunch, a group of boys sit in a circle, most of them with school lunches. To passerby, they seem calm and quiet, but a burst of laughter will suddenly erupt and contagiously last for minutes. Senior Ethan Lin has been friends with most of these boys since sixth grade, although a few joined the group in seventh grade and a few more freshman year; their friendship has only strengthened over time. “Usually on Fridays, after school, we would go out to eat … and we started motivating each other to go to the gym,” Lin said. “That’s a pretty big part since without them, I wouldn’t be going to the gym because going on your own is kind of scary … there are really big dudes.” While some seniors have stayed close with their middle school friends throughout high school, others, like senior Priya Kini,

found themselves drifting apart from their old friends and finding new ones. It took a while for Kini to settle down with a friend group she “clicked” with. However, she noted that she still cherished the friends she made while floating from group to group her sophomore year. “I made a lot of really good friends individually who I stayed in touch with even after I went from friend group to friend group,” Kini said. “[But] junior year was when I found a group that I really clicked with. ... It’s nice because we spend a lot of time together … It makes school a lot According to Kini, the effect her friends better because you always have someone have had on her high school experience to do something with whether [or not] it’s has mostly manifested itself in support and school related.” mutual struggle. She says that, together, The friend group Kini eventually formed they help each other figure things out, like junior year created a community where she filling out SSR forms and how to prepare for felt most like herself. Senior Grace Zhou AP exams. had a similar experience; she grew closer to Friend groups usually hang out at the people who were in the same organizations same spots around school. Though Lin and and groups she was, such as FBLA and his friends originally decided on their lunch Speech and Debate. spot based on the shade and the quiet, over “Because I grew closer to people who the years, the spot held precious memories my interests are more in for them. line with, I was able to Similarly, Kini used BECAUSE YOU WANT to hang out with her get a lot more support throughout my four TO SUPPORT YOUR friends in the rally years here,” Zhou said. during and after FRIENDS, YOU END court “I think freshman year school. Throughout UP SUPPORTING THE the years with her when I was growing closer to people who THINGS THEY DO friends, the rally court had similar interests come to hold many AND THEN THAT has as me, that’s when I valuable recollections ENDS UP IN TURN for Kini. Senior year really found not only friendship, like people GIVING BACK TO YOU. Kini and her friends you can talk to, but also often go out for lunch. SENIOR PRIYA KINI [people who are] going But a few weeks ago, to be with you every step they stayed behind and of the way and support you. And I feel like sat in the rally court, just like old times, to that’s really important.” connect and interact with one another like Kini, on the other hand, found her place they once did. with a group of people who were wildly For many seniors, as they leave different from one another. While she says MVHS and branch out, distance and new that she and her friends vary drastically environments pose a challenge to the in interests and personalities, being friendships they have built in high school. around them has made her a more Kini acknowledges that the relationships adventurous and open-minded person. she has with her friends now will inevitably “Even though it’s easy to get along evolve in the future, but is optimistic that with people who are really similar to they will stay connected. you because you can always do the “I know that our friend group won’t be same things, with different people, you as strong in college, but I think that when get so much more variety,” Kini said. we come back, because we’ve had so “Because you want to support your many memories and so many things we’ve friends, you end up supporting the shared, and we’re already so different now things they do and then that ends up … no matter how different we get in college in turn giving back to you … because and how much we change, we [will be able you get to see what other things go on to] still have a lot of fun with each other,” in your life that you normally wouldn’t Kini said. “I think that it will be less close have.” but just as fun.” e FEATURES | MAY 2018

MVHS seniors reflect on the importance of arts in their lives BY ZAZU LIPPERT AND ILENA PENG

SPOTLIGHTS AND KICK LINES

A sisterhood. A form of expression. An escape. For many seniors, this is how art functions in their lives. One of these seniors is Madi Anderson-Au. “When [I’m] on the stage, it’s like nothing else exists. Nothing else matters,” Anderson-Au said. “It’s amazing that there’s so many things going on in the world, but when you’re performing, it’s just that one thing.” This is how Anderson-Au describes her experiences dancing on the song team and at Dance Academy USA. For Anderson-Au, and dance team seniors Erin Lewis and Nicole Pound, the thrill of performing is almost indescribable. At best, Lewis can only describe it as a rush of adrenaline. “Your heart’s beating really fast,” Lewis said. “Some of my friends say it’s like more of they’re terrified, they don’t wanna go, but to me it’s like I get that feeling and I’m just excited. It’s like a nervous excitement where you get all jittery and you’re like ‘come on let’s do this, let’s do this.’” For both Lewis and Anderson-Au, performing used to be much more stressful. Anderson-Au recalls how she’d get stomach aches and how her head would spin while waiting on the side before stepping onto the stage. Lewis recalls an instance this year when she ended up facing the wrong way during a competition — she said that Senior Shaunak Tulshibagwale performs in a choir concert. Photo by ZaZu Lippert

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

her freshman year, she would’ve panicked. “Dance is my thing,” Pound said. “It’s “What freshman me would’ve done, I my passion, and so being able to do that in would’ve freaked out and probably froze a high school with a group of people that are bit,” Lewis said. “But when I turned around really supportive and who also share the … I put on like the biggest smile I could, same passion — it’s really fun. It’s probably like ‘You did not see me do anything, this is the best thing I’ve done in high school.” meant to be [a] solo.’” Kimm agrees that dance team has As a freshman, she was introverted, helped her form countless friendships. looking down when she walked. Since then, Throughout her time on the team, she’s Lewis has found that formed special bonds with it’s hard to be shy on a many of the members, IT’S EXCITING, IT’S even over something dance team. “Having to perform TERRIFYING, IT’S A as simple as laughing in front of our school together in their hotel LOT OF THINGS. IT’S rooms at competitions. during rallies and stuff, JUST A HUGE MIX especially when you’re But with these four in [the] front — you years coming to an end, OF EMOTIONS THAT can’t be an introverted all four seniors have been YOU KINDA NEED TO thinking about the future, small person — you JUST GET USED TO and the role dance will have to actually have a smile, look like you’re play during their time in AND LIVE IN. having fun,” Lewis said. college. Although Lewis SENIOR ALBERTO For senior Jessica is disappointed that she HARO Kimm, the moments may not have time to between each keep dancing in college, performance have been just as important Anderson-Au and Pound are hopeful that as the performances themselves. they’ll be able to continue their passion. “All the adrenaline is nice but I think “I’m probably going to be doing it until the in-between, like the specific moments my body can’t take it any more,” Pound where like you’re waiting between pregame said. “It’s such a big part of my life I and halftime when you’re just talking with wouldn’t know what to do without it.” your best friends and stuff [are some of my favorite moments,]” Kimm said. SING AND SHOUT For Pound, the performing and the When MVHS’ Variations team bonding aspects of dance have received the spirit award helped her become both more confident during the Anaheim Heritage and extroverted. Festival, senior Mritthika Harish cheered so much that she lost her voice the next day. For Harish, choir trips consist of singing and spending time with her friends, as well as the occasional celebration when they win an award. While she considers herself shy, she feels that choir has helped her make connections easily with her peers. She believes that it’s moments like those that have helped her connect with people. Since choir is something many MVHS students continue throughout all four years of high school, she says she never had to worry about being in a class of strangers. For senior Amanda Zhao, these trips also strengthened her friendships in choir.

Yet although many students continue in choir, it wasn’t senior Shaunak Tulshibagwale’s original intention when he first joined his freshman year. He’d originally taken choir to get an art credit, but ended up really enjoying it. Beyond the singing, the choir room’s environment is also something he appreciates. “Choir’s kind of a comfort zone for me where you know when you’re going to go into this class, you’re going to be either singing and that’s something I enjoy, or working on music or hearing music,” Tulshibagwale said. “The relaxed environment is something that I looked forward to every day.” Although Harish and Zhao say they have improved on skills like singing harmonies and reading notes, Harish says she’s also learned to become more comfortable in the spotlight. “I don’t like being the center of attention; I’m more of someone that hides in a corner. You don’t have that choice being in choir because you have lights on you 24/7 no matter where you stand,” Harish said. “It gave me anxiety [at first], but it [ultimately] gave me more confidence.” Tulshibagwale also feels that his own personal growth has paralleled his growth as a singer. “The way I would sing kind of gives an analogy for my personality,” Tulshibagwale said. “In freshman year, I was really quiet, I was reserved. I wasn’t able to — you know

people would be like ‘oh, you sing?’ and then ‘sing on command right now’ and I’d be really shaken. And now as I’ve grown older, I’ve kind of found my voice and found who I am as a person.” Zhao also says that she’s learned more about working with others, especially during Singing Valentines. Almost every step of the process from the song selection to the choreography is created by students. “The stakes aren’t that high [in class group projects] because if you mess up, only that one class sees it but if it’s Singing Valentines for example, if you mess up it’s kind of like ‘yikes,’” Zhao said. “You have to build up those teamwork skills a lot more so you don’t mess up in front of the school.” Although the repetition of rehearsing songs can be tiring, Harish says that looking back on the experience still leaves a sense of nostalgia. “In class you’d be like ‘Oh my god this is so tedious’ — you just do more and more music,” Harish said. “But now that I’m a senior and I’m graduating, I’m like ‘aw, oh no.’” And in college, both Zhao and Harish hope to continue participating in choir — Zhao feels that it’ll help her find a community and de-stress, whereas Harish just hopes to keep music in her life. “I like singing,” Harish said. “I like music in general and any way to have music as part of my life, I’ll take it.”

Senior Alberto Haro perfoms as Bobby Strong during a “Urinetown” dress rehearsal. Photo by Justin Kim

THE LAST CURTAIN CALL

Although senior Kayleen Nordyke was always interested in drama, it took four years of rehearsals, shows and cast In-N-Out trips for her to realize its full impact on her life. “I didn’t realize that acting was more than just acting,” Nordyke. “It’s creativity,. It’s doing something different. It’s extending a part of yourself. It’s very complicated.” Nordyke recalls the feeling of being backstage before each show. “That’s one of the moments that I treasure, right before the show,” Nordyke said. “It’s when you have that feeling, and you’re excited and you’re scared and I wish I’d treasured it more.”

Senior Jessica Kimm performs her solo at the 2018 dance showcase. Photo by Ilena Peng

Senior Alberto Haro first took drama his junior year, yet after being in only one mainstage drama production, he has found his own passion for theater and creativity. “It’s exciting, terrifying, a lot of things,” Haro said. “It’s just a huge mix of emotions that you kinda need to just get used to and live in.” That feeling, the people he’s met and the overall experience of being in drama has indescribably impacted him. He can’t imagine how his senior year would’ve been without drama, and he says that drama has made him feel more confident. Since joining drama, he has decided that his future will involve acting. “After I did drama, I realized that was something really special,” Haro said. “The experience that I got from drama was really just something that I loved doing and I just love acting ... and I wanted to do that for the rest of my life, that was the feeling that I got … I’ve changed what I’ve wanted to do the second I joined drama.” For both Nordyke and Haro, the department is special — not just because of the people they met and the things they’ve done, but also because of the way those things shaped them. “We’ve gotten so close because we spend so much time together, but I feel so much closer to them than other friends,” Nordyke said. “And you know, that’s what drama does. It leaves you vulnerable. And I’m really sad to leave my friends and this department because I personally feel like I’ve put myself in a spot where I’m truly involved and I’m not just just at the sidelines.” e FEATURES | MAY 2018

International students explore their place at MVHS BY ELIZABETH HAN AND PRIYA REDDY

enior Kcee Yang slightly slouches in her army green jacket, her long black hair framing the shy grin on her face. She chuckles to herself, recalling the first discussion she had about moving in middle school. To her, a seemingly casual remark set forth a journey toward independence, displacing herself from her family in Beijing to a new home in America. “It was a ridiculous reason,” Yang said. “I think I just said randomly [one day], there’s too much homework in middle school, I said to my mom. I heard that homework in the U.S. [was less].” Put shortly, she says this expectation was wrong. At MVHS, she trudged through her homework well past the 8 p.m. finish line she maintained in Beijing. She moved from Beijing to San Francisco in eighth grade for a less stressful environment, and then moved from San Francisco to Cupertino sophomore year — this time for a more challenging education. But she transitioned through it all without the physical company of her parents, moving from one host family to the next. “I expected loneliness. That happens a lot in international students,” Yang said. “I kind of get used to it now.” MVHS had its downsides for Yang, but its benefits too. Her first year, she joined the long-held tradition for many international students at MVHS: sitting in the Student Union during lunch. “It’s a good place I would say,” Yang said. “[It’s] really helpful because for me personally, I don’t really like to talk with people, and knowing there’s another international student, makes me feel comfortable to talk with. I think sometimes I don’t like to talk with the local students because I just think my English isn’t that great. I don’t [want to] cause any misunderstanding.” This year, Yang sits in the corner of the last table, conversing in Chinese with her friends, such as senior Charlie Qin,

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

a Chinese international student who also came to MVHS his sophomore year. Qin’s journey to the U.S. started four years ago when his parents suggested that they move to give him what they believed would be a better education. Like Yang, when Qin first stepped foot on campus, he felt a sense of loneliness and disconnect from the people around him, his own doubts about his English abilities preventing him from reaching out to the American students around him. Qin doesn’t blame this disconnection on anyone, viewing the problem from two perspectives. For international students, talking to American students is difficult due to the fear of butchering the language, but he also sees how American-born Chinese students feel the same insecurity over their Chinese. However, the familiarity of Americanborn Chinese students, due to their shared cultural roots, is not something to ignore. Senior Hugo Liao, who sits one row before Yang and Qin in the Student Union, believes that his parents moved him here due to the large Asian population. And it’s the cultural diaspora that ended up benefitting Liao in the long run as it helped him blend into the society and learn more about American culture in a comfortable manner. In Qin’s eyes, the initial loneliness and disconnect he had felt when he moved here was just a natural part of the immigration process. “I mean it’s a time issue. I mean, after like one or two years it will become better and better. I strongly feel that way, [that] it’s just temporary,” Qin sai d. “When you first come to a different country you feel lonely

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | PRIYA REDDY

A FAMILIAR SPACE

and d i f f e re n t [but] as time goes by, you are likely to learn more and more about the culture and you can have more friends.” As Qin looks to the future, he hopes to stay in the U.S. As a green card holder, he feels that he has so many opportunities and he doesn’t want to move back to China yet. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Yang plans to move back to China for a gap year right after high school ends. Two and half years after his move, Liao too has found his place in the MVHS community. Yet he finds himself wishing to be able to visit his friends back in China, who he still keeps in contact with. In the future, he hopes to have a job that allows him travel and maintain a connection between China and the U.S. “I think it would always be nice for me if I can go back to China for work, maybe [in] some sort of international corporation that I can get into [so] that I can just fly back and forth between the U.S. and China,” Liao said. “I would love to do that because I actually like the weather, the law and the freedom in the U.S., but I also like the culture back in China.” e

CURLY HAIR, SLIGHTLY CARE BY CHETANA RAMAIYER

he first thing you might notice bobby pin and every bad hair day have about me is my big, at times puffy made it hard to love my curly hair. and unmanageable curly hair. The When I was young, I believed that the second thing you might notice is that I straight-haired people won. I didn’t see don’t straighten it. Yet for three years in a anyone with straight hair getting their hair row, at least one of my friends has bought petted or getting advice to curl their hair. me a hair straightener for my birthday. So naturally, I became obsessed — I would I still don’t know why they gave them to point to images of straight hair when the me, but at one point I had a drawer in my barber asked what I wanted. I begged my bathroom stacked with three unopened parents, crying, asking them to let me hair straighteners. permanently straighten my hair so that I’d A year ago, I finally opened one of those fit in. I took longer showers so that the hot straighteners to do my hair for junior prom. water flattened my hair just a little more. For two hours, my sister pressed my frizzy, I had nobody to relate to and came curly hair into submission with the flat iron dangerously close to pulling a Brittany and slowly silenced my loud curls with and shaving it all off. I was obsessed with brutal heat. an elementary school myth that when “Your hair looks so curly-haired much better!” EVERY BROKEN RUBBER people shave their In the hour that heads, it becomes BAND, EVERY BENT my friends and their straight when it BOBBY PIN AND EVERY dates arrived at my grows back. house, I received more As I was BAD HAIR DAY HAVE compliments on my hair growing up, I never MADE IT HARD TO than ever before. But I felt saw any characters LOVE MY CURLY HAIR. horrible. My natural hair on Disney Channel is frizzy, unpredictable with curly hair like and not all that conventionally “pretty.” me. I never saw shampoo ads assuring And yet, it’s really grown on me. But it curly-haired kids of frizz-free hair. Even wasn’t always this easy to love my hair. in my family, nobody has curly hair. My If I had one word to describe having parents told me I was special, but I just curly hair, it would be “difficult.” felt unlucky. Going to school five minutes after I wake This feeling followed me until the up has never been an option for me, as I beginning of junior year. I remember spend at least 15 minutes in the bathroom walking into journalism one day when trying to calm down the frizz and forcing someone asked me what hair product it into different hairstyles until it’s slightly I use. That’s when I noticed that she tamed and presentable. shared my curly hair curse. For the first And getting my haircut is always time, it started to feel less like a curse embarrassing, having to constantly help the and more like a bond with a new friend. hairdresser when her comb gets entangled As the year went on, I began to notice in my curls. more people with the same hair as me. I But worst of all is having to deal with realized that I had never been alone — I people’s comments. Throughout my life, I just wasn’t looking at the right places. I can’t tell you how many people think they chose to ignore what I didn’t want to see are doing me a favor by suggesting that I so that I could continue to hate my hair. straighten my hair or tie it into a bun so it But slowly, as I met more people who doesn’t look as “big.” And then there are (and whose hair) I could connect with, the people who pet my hair, like it’s some my embarrassment of curly hair turned kind of animal, saying, “It’s so soft!” to admiration of its uniqueness. Every broken rubber band, every bent It felt good not to rely on long

showers and be consumed with others’ unpredictable and unwanted opinions of my hair. By no means was it a smooth transition; it was a journey filled with every curl condenser and frizz reliever out there. But everything became simpler once I embraced my quirks and found people to connect with. I do still feel extremely insecure about my hair, and most days, I leave it up in a tight ponytail. But it’s when people like my parents, my sister, my best friends and my journalism teacher encourage me to let my hair down that I begin to love it. Those curls have become a part of who I am. My hair is crazy. But it works out, because so am I. The morning after prom, I came home and showed my dad all the photos, but he didn’t seem that excited. “You look horrible with that hair.” After that entire weekend and after all these years, my dad’s insult to my straight hair was the biggest compliment I ever could have wished for. e

THE THINGS I’LL KEEP BY ILENA PENG

y childhood struggle with the Other things are harder to remember — concept of memories materialized the feel of my worn polyester-silk blanket, in a form that almost all children the taste of my favorite Earl Grey milk tea can relate to — stuffed animals. I’d leave from TeaTop, the melody of my mom’s the house with my mom for a walk, stuffed favorite Taiwanese songs. animal in hand. And often, I’d return I’ll try to remember that one time in without it, bursting into tears upon realizing fourth grade when the air smelled like that it was gone far too late. I could only peppermint after one of California’s rare remember it being there and being gone — rains. I’ll try to picture the green filter of never anything in between. trees curving overhead to form a tunnel Teary-eyed, I kept along my favorite path. THESE COLLECTIONS I’m clinging onto these losing things for another WILL NEVER BE MORE feelings, five years or so — jackets, somehow toys, pencils. My mom fearful that the THAN A PLANE always reassured me that memories will dissolve FLIGHT AWAY. THESE when I leave this city. they were replaceable, but MEMORIES WILL NEVER what frustrated me was It’s only now that the way my mind faltered BE MORE THAN A I realize that I do when I tried to retrace my remember some of the DAYDREAM AWAY. steps. I wasn’t terrified things I left behind. I of losing those items — I was terrified of remember an olive-green knit jacket sitting forgetting about them altogether. on a table next to the door of my elementary And the terror of forgetting spawned a school music room. I remember leaving series of collections, some more ridiculous a bunny patterned with glow-in-the-dark than others. A binder full of National Park stars behind in the dirt lining the sidewalk brochures, a row of bags filled with every on one of those walks with my mom. dance costume I’ve ever worn, a plastic If I can remember those moments, cup from the Hilton hotel we stayed at in surely I will remember these places and Hawaii. This was my way of preserving the the people who occupy them. Surely details. I wanted the ability to put myself it’s impossible to forget the laughter back in that place, to hide in the past. I’d surrounding our family’s mahjong table, never want to go back to high school. But the time my sister came to the airport I know that next year, I’ll try to remember just so she could hand me my new this place again and again, craving the stuffed animal the instant I got into comfort of nostalgia. the car, or the conversations I’ve I remember the room filling with had at 2 a.m. about French incessant shouting during APUSH group homework and friend drama. quizzes and then a sudden silence as we I’m scared that somehow hoped we’d gotten the answers right. the future will find a way to I remember leaning my elbows on the replace these memories stage to take a picture during a drama because I need them — production’s dress rehearsal. I remember they give me familiarity in decorating the whiteboard in room A111 a world where every day with green and red markers, even though is a series of unanswered Christmas was three months ago. questions. In June, Most of high school feels like a blur of I’ll leave MVHS. Two stereotypes — muted whispers of stress, months after that, faint memories of exams, quiet chirps of I’ll find myself alone birds reminding me I should probably be on the other side of asleep by now. Yet these are some of the the country. I know I moments that stand out boldly against the can’t take all the little monotonous backdrop of school. They trinkets I’ve stashed would be impossible to forget. But that in my room with me, doesn’t stop me from hanging name tags and I’m scared that from my lamp, leaving hotel room keys on without them, I won’t my bedside table and listing the events of be able to remember my life in a journal. what it felt like to be home.

I will always stay in the compulsive habit of dividing my life into collections and journals, but next year will be different. Next year, the collections themselves will be divided — my treasured pile of mementos will stay here as another pile builds in my dorm room. Maybe I’ll become so preoccupied with remembering those new moments that this life in Cupertino will seem like it’s fading away. In those moments when I feel too close to forgetting, I’ll comfort myself with the knowledge that these collections will never be more than a flight away. These memories will never be more than a daydream away. Besides, I still remember the little bunny patterned with glow-in-the-dark stars, and I think that perhaps I’ve broken my childhood habit of forgetting. e

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018 PHOTO | OM KHANDEKAR

THE RIGHT WORDS BY ANJINI VENUGOPAL

don’t remember much except the find the most gargantuan words to say the shaking of my pigtails as I tried to spell simplest things (a habit that has stuck). out the word in my head. I froze, but Although I consider words to be a inside my brain was a maelstrom of Greek constant in my life, my words are never and Latin roots, suffixes and prefixes I had constant. They come across as volatile memorized with due diligence. I tested the or impassioned and at other times rude word out internally a few times, tentatively or platitudinous. I sometimes speak the whispering it when I had to say it aloud. pressing things on my mind, while at other Q-u-i-n-t-e-s-s-e-n-t-i-a-l. times, or even simultaneously, I swallow “That is correct.” The entire fourth my words under constant apologies. I am a grade section of the auditorium went wild. paradox of words, a deluge of contradictory It was the annual spelling bee at the school ideas and feelings that end up confusing I had attended from and consuming me. preschool and would My high school I AM A PARADOX OF experience until my eighth grade has been WORDS, A DELUGE defined by the confusion graduation. As the youngest eligible OF CONTRADICTORY that results from not competitor, I ended which words IDEAS AND FEELINGS knowing up getting second to use. I beg my friends THAT END UP or anyone else who place — I proceeded to misspell CONFUSING AND happens to be around me “ecclesiastical” in to proofread emails and CONSUMING ME. the next round. messages before I send My love affair them. I fixate on every with words started long before I competed utterance, so every conversation results in in the fourth to eighth grade spelling bee me stammering and backtracking. at my school; it started with a book. And In a book I read in sixth grade, the main as seemingly cliché as it is to admit now, character describes her thoughts as stars my six-year-old self was enamored by that cannot be fathomed into constellations. the glory that was “Harry Potter and the I wouldn’t classify my own words at such a Sorcerer’s Stone.” My mom or dad would sit next to me and read one chapter every night — no more, no less — despite my desperate pleas to read just one more page. Naturally, after the first two nights, my impatience got the best of me, so I snuck a flashlight into my room and read until about midnight to finish it. My infatuation was likely due to the mysterious allure of words, the way 26 letters rearranged to form all the English words in existence. I loved the feeling of being sucked into the whirlwind of a good book or article. My blue diaries were full of scrawled stories about sisters and faithful dogs. I became best friends with my dictionary and thesaurus — maybe it was pretentious of me, but I would PHOTO | OM KHANDEKAR

stellar level. Sometimes, I ramble on and on until my words begin to resemble the style of the tedious and never-ending “War and Peace.” But other times, my sentences are like the broken chords I create when my fingers slip on the piano — dissonant and cacophonous. Even here, I’ve lost track of where my words are taking me. I like to consider myself a girl of many interests; I’m an academic, an athlete, an artist. But my first love was for words, and I’ve continued to shape my world around my need to be surrounded and enveloped by the comfort of these combinations of letters — both being on the El Estoque staff and the hours I’ve spent volunteering at a local independent bookstore. And of all the words I hold dear, I have always tried to pinpoint my favorite, but it’s difficult to pick from the hundreds of thousands of words in the English dictionary. But if I had to right now, I think I’d pick “quintessential.” I use it for everything. My memories of junior prom include the vast number of Polaroid pictures I took and the possibly deleterious amounts of chocolate I consumed, but it would not be complete without saying it was a quintessential part of my hardest year at MVHS. The sky at senior sunrise may have been disappointingly grey, and I may have complained about waking up at 5 a.m., but that too was quintessential. Admittedly, the word has reached a point of overuse and may have lost its meaning, but that’s because of how excited I am by the novelty of these experiences. When I make memories, I safely tuck them away in a soft cocoon of words. I record all my experiences — through pictures, videos and journal entries — so that I can have the same rush of emotion when I go back to the momentous (and not-somomentous) events of my life as the first time. Definition: of or relating to the most perfect embodiment of something. Quintessential to me: words. e

FEATURES | MAY 2018

M R EA

T U EO

BY MICHELLE WONG

uiet. If anyone had asked me to describe myself a couple years ago, my answer would have been automatic: quiet. That was my identity. The one who never talks in class. The one who never acts silly in front of others. The one who never argues. The quiet girl. For a long time, I despised how shy I was. How my face would ripen like a tomato when someone I barely knew greeted me across the hallways. How my tongue would get caught between my teeth as I attempted public speaking. How my legs would shake when I was called on during class. I used to blame my upbringing. As an only child with two introverted parents, I never stood a chance. My parents never yelled at me and I didn’t have any siblings to argue with, so silence was normal for me, maybe even comfortable. It wasn’t my fault that I never had the opportunity to become loud and outgoing. When high school came around and teachers began to grade based on participation, I blamed society. No one advocates for the quiet people, I thought. Everyone always wants you to be outspoken and loud. They don’t understand how your throat seems to close up. They don’t understand how as much as you want to speak, anxiety tugs your words back down and churns them in your stomach. With every fishbowl discussion, the familiar shaking of my legs and pain in my lungs would appear. But along with that, there was that voice in my head that said it was okay to be quiet. It was society’s fault

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

for pushing these standards. There was myself through written words. With words, nothing wrong with being quiet. I had power. I could give a voice to the Until that point, my reserved personality voiceless, those who couldn’t speak up just had never hurt anyone. Teachers didn’t like me. But then I thought, how could I do seem to mind my introversion, I wouldn’t that if I didn’t even have a voice? get into arguments easily and I was known It was in that moment that I decided as a good student. I thought I could just I couldn’t stay hidden in my familiar continue through life identity any longer. being known as the THERE WILL COME A DAY Whether it was asking quiet girl. The one a question during class WHEN YOU CANNOT who always listens or raising my volume IGNORE THE WORDS respectfully. The one a little higher during who doesn’t argue. a speech, I worked to THAT ARE PILING UP The quiet one. talk more. IN YOUR THROAT JUST But all of that Little by little, the WAITING TO COME OUT. trudge to the front of changed within the first few weeks of the room seemed less joining journalism. I had forgotten to add like a hike up Mount Everest and more like another staff member’s name to the byline walking on a trail. And with that feeling for helping me report on a story. It wouldn’t came another one that I had never felt have mattered if my editor hadn’t praised before. It was only a faint whisper, but it me in front of the entire staff for my was still there: confidence. Up until then, I reporting, the reporting that someone else had never felt the freedom to speak without had done. My eyes widened and I searched fear. for her amidst the sound of applause that Before I leave high school, I want was making my heart beat even louder. Her to fulfill the mission that drove me into eyes met mine and for a second I thought, journalism in the first place: to give a voice she would speak up. She would tell them to the voiceless. So to those who struggle that she did that part of the reporting, not with public speaking, to those who fear me. But she just looked back down, a tinge group discussions, to the quiet ones: there of sadness on her face. My hand left my will come a day when you cannot ignore lap and I opened my mouth to speak, but I the words that are piling up in your throat hesitated. I tried again, but it was too late just waiting to come out. When you know — we were already moving on. that if you don’t say something, no one will. The second there was a break in class, I And I know it’s hard. But the only thing rushed to her and apologized, the familiar worse than feeling the fear in your chest redness of my cheeks engulfing me as my is knowing that you could have made a tongue tripped on every word. She smiled difference if you had just decided to speak. and told me it was fine, but the look of And all you can do is blame yourself for not disappointment was still on her face as I trying hard enough, for not being strong walked away. I messaged my editor the enough. So I urge you not to let this fear truth and added her name to the article, consume you any longer. Don’t be the quiet but I knew my moment to make things right one. Let your words come out. The world had passed. In that moment, I couldn’t will thank you for it. e blame my upbringing. I couldn’t blame society. I could only blame myself. Ironically, I joined journalism with the notion that there was no need for me to learn to speak up since I could just convey

Sophomore Annie Yang wanted her solo for this competition season to mean something to her. And to make her solo as meaningful as possible, she chose to take complete control over her routine — she choreographed the dance and chose the music, “Remedy” by Adele. “The song is saying even if I’m going through dark times or going through struggles, there’s always that someone or a group of people that’s always there for me and lifting me up,” Yang said. “It just really reminded me how grateful I am to have those certain people in my life to help me look at the bright side.” Perhaps that song captures the spirit of the Marquesas accurately — they are a team that values togetherness, in terms of both team friendships as well as the synchronization of their kick lines. Their year was filled with change. P.E. department lead Dasha Plaza became the new coach. They stopped performing character routines and began competing in the hip-hop division. They worked with new choreographers, and their routines had different styles. Small things changed too — they stopped wearing tights and got new shoes. And leading the team through it all has been the officers.

A&E

“When the pain cuts you deep, when the night keeps you from sleeping, just look and you will see that I will be your remedy.”

IN MOTION Step into the lives of dance team officers BY ILENA PENG

PHOTO | ILENA PENG

FINDING A TEAM

PHOTO | ILENA PENG

ophomore Jana Tsai is one of dance team’s newest members. But unlike them, she’s also one of the 201819 officers, breaking the precedent where only returning members can become an officer. Tsai, who dances at Nor Cal Dance Arts, participates in conventionstyle competitions and was interested in experiencing the different atmosphere of competing with dance team. She’s heard about the difference from her older sisters, who are both former Marquesas. “I want to learn what it’s like to be on a team like that because I’m used to other types of competitions from outside dance and I know that dance team is completely different — that’s what I hear from my sisters and other dance teachers,” Tsai said. “I just want to learn how to be able to work under that kind of pressure.” Tsai’s audition was unconventional too — since she couldn’t make the date of the

actual officer auditions, she auditioned during her P.E. dance class which Plaza teaches. She taught a group of dancers in the class a short routine, and Plaza interviewed her after. Next year, Tsai will continue to compete with her studio, but will cut back on her time there to allow room in her schedule for dance team’s practices and competitions. Although jumping straight into a leadership position will be different, she’s excited to learn from her fellow officers and continue pursuing dance in a different setting. “It will be different because I won’t get to have that experience of just being [a member] looking up to the officers but I really appreciate Ms. Plaza [for] allowing me to have this position because she knows, and I know how much I love dancing and I just — it feels like it’s just meant to be,” Tsai said.

A & E | MAY 2018

STEPPING UP PHOTO | ILENA PENG

reshmen Ellie Kim and Isabella He, as well as sophomore Annie Yang were all members of the team this school year. For He, the 2017-18 officers were both understanding and encouraging, continually pulling the team closer while pushing them to work harder. Although their work ethic inevitably faltered at times, the team’s work was rewarded with a series of accolades at Nationals, including placing second in the nation for their kick routine. “There were some times where I feel like we were at the edge of kind of giving up, but in the end we pulled through and it was worth it,” Yang said. As a returning member this year, Yang felt that the team had run differently the year before. She said that last year the team had stayed more consistent in its work ethic, without the distraction of change the Marquesas dealt with this year. Yang said that being on the team has taught her how to adapt to change quickly. Yet, next year guarantees change as well, and Yang is hoping to continue learning how to deal with it. For starters, there are two male dancers on the team, and the Marquesas, the name the team has

ophomore Jennifer Huang was the youngest officer on the 2017-18 team, surrounded by three seniors. Being two years younger than the others, Huang said she held some doubt in her abilities to lead the team. But after completing a year of leadership experience, she encourages her co-officers on the 2018-19 team to overcome that fear. “Every single time we’d have meetings or something, I’d always be really quiet because I was always like ‘I don’t think I have enough experience to be talking up in meetings’ but also in general in practices I was kind of scared,” Huang said. “I feel like it’s gotten a lot better … Just don’t be scared. You were chosen as a leader of this team so you should take that as a tool.” Even with that slight sense of timidness, Huang said she’s learned a lot about

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

had since its creation, is being changed to the Monta Vista Dance Team. The series of changes this year shaped He’s perception of the team as well, and she kept it in mind when auditioning for an officer position. “I just wanted to say [to the judges] that I would be there to be a liaison between the team and the coaches,” He said. “At first I wasn’t really expecting to get an officer [position], but I’m hoping that our whole officer team will be able to help the team go through this year.” This officer team is also unique in that none of them are incoming seniors. Despite the fear that some of the officers have about leading and correcting those who are older than them, Kim believes that corrections are integral to the team’s improvement. “It is scary when you give corrections [to someone] older than you because they might either totally disregard you and not listen to you, but in a dance team, I feel like that’s the weakest point,” Kim said. “If you don’t listen to corrections — older or younger, whoever’s giving it to you — then why are you even there? You’re not going to improve if you don’t listen to corrections so I feel like as officers, we can’t be afraid

to give corrections [and] people have to be open to taking them.” Besides the matter of age, taking a leadership position on the team itself is something new for these dancers. But after leading the auditions for the team on April 9, 11 and 12, Yang says that much of that fear was dispelled. “[Leading auditions] actually made me feel really proud I guess because when I first started off leading, I didn’t know how I’d do,” Yang said. “I [felt] like I’d be a little shaky and nervous but it was actually really fun for me leading and showing them what dance team is like and telling them [about] my experiences.” These officers have already shifted into their leadership positions in the team, sharing similar goals like helping the team bond, running more smoothly and as always, improving their dancing. But at the end of the day, Kim says the most important thing she’s learned this past year is that regardless of the circumstances, the team sticks together. “What happens happens, but it’s good to know that there are people around you to help you out,” Kim said.

FINDING HER STEP leadership over the past year. “It’s taught me that leadership doesn’t always have to be harsh,” Huang said. “It can also be just getting to know each and every single member of the team and trying to see like ‘Oh, what are their good points, what can they improve on’ and taking those good points and applying it to myself.” Over this past year, Huang says the team experimented with more stylistic choreography, which is certainly a learning process. However, she says that figuring out how to express herself through dance during the two years she’s been on the team has taught her to be patient. “It’s going to take a long time to see the results that we want to see sometimes but be patient and it’ll eventually come as long as you work hard,” Huang said.

PHOTO | ILENA PENG

STEPPING AWAY PHOTO | ILENA PENG

enior Caitlin Malone says that part of being an officer is a surprising amount of Target trips. Sometimes it’s to buy candy — the officers like to do small motivational things for the team. Other times it’s to buy gifts for the guest performers at dance team’s shows. Malone’s Target trips continued until the seniors performed for the last time at the spring show. The last show is somewhat celebratory. It welcomes the incoming team and bids farewell to the seniors. They perform a new closing routine, which was superhero-themed this year. Malone says it’s usually put together quickly and is “goofy and messy,” but always fun. Yet as always, there’s still a sense of sadness that comes with leaving the team behind.

“It’s kind of sad seeing how it still goes on when you’re not on the team anymore and everything keeps moving, even without you,” Malone said. Malone and seniors Tiffany Liu and Kristin Li have been officers for two years, and they’ve been on dance team for all four years of high school. They’ve watched people both leave and join the team. “Every year it’s like you have a new team and so you get to see everyone growing as dancers and see where they’re going off to in the future,” Li said. “It’s kind of like a new family every year.” This year, Liu says she went to the dance team auditions to watch the old members of the team re-audition, and to watch the 2018-19 officers lead the auditions.

“It just made me really happy, seeing “Each year is different but it’s kind of the all the old members and the new officers,” same thing so football season as a whole Liu said. “It just made me happy seeing is one of my favorite parts of dance team everyone grow so much.” just because … that part focuses more on For these seniors who have been on the the school spirit, which is why I really did team for all four years, Malone says that it dance team,” Malone said. was hard to adjust after former dance team After the football season ends, the coach and history teacher Hilary Barron other major part of dance team’s year is chose to retire after a decade of coaching the competition season, which culminates at the end of the 2016-17 school year. And in Nationals. Among other accolades, the although Malone says there were conflicts Marquesas were kick champions in both here and there this year, addressing them 2016 and 2017, and placed second this made the team closer. year with a routine choreographed by “It’s like little things, MVHS class of 2014 EVERY YEAR IT’S LIKE alumnus Kelly Yen to but just because we did YOU HAVE A NEW TEAM Shakira’s “Dare.” everything the same exact way, it seems like a lot,” “[Nationals] is my AND SO YOU GET TO SEE Malone said. favorite thing about EVERYONE GROWING dance team because Just as the team is AS DANCERS AND SEE you get to go away constantly evolving, the seniors on the team have WHERE THEY’RE GOING from school and go changed throughout the to Disneyland, but OFF TO IN THE FUTURE. also just seeing the past four years as well. IT’S KIND OF LIKE A NEW other teams there “I’ve honestly grown a lot as a person and a and being inspired by FAMILY EVERY YEAR. dancer,” Liu said. “I’ve the other LA dancers SENIOR KRISTIN LI gotten a lot more confident is really fun,” Li said. — I used to be super shy and I would never “We did amazing, we went into finals for do an interview. But being here today, and kick and even though we didn’t win, we still being a co-captain, I’ve just really grown felt like we gave it our all.” and learned a lot about myself and I never Liu remembers how she felt as she thought I’d be here today.” performed that kick routine at Nationals. For Malone, a lot of being an officer “I was like ‘Wow this is actually one of was learning to communicate with both the the last times I’ll be performing on this team and the coach, and finding a way to stage with all the lights shining’ and it was balance being a friend to the team while sad but at the same time it was happy,” Liu leading them. Looking back on these past said. “I was sad that this was my last time four years, football season stands out as but then I was happy that I was doing it with her favorite time of the year. my team.” e A & E | MAY 2018

SONG 1

“God’s Plan”

“The Middle”

“All The Stars”

BEST 201 201

Drake

Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey

Kendrick Lamar, SZA *BASED ON A SURVEY OF 238 STUDENTS

LU O IL HOT

N ATIO

STR

HA BY S

E RJE

L RA

HMA

ALBUM

“Black Panther” Soundtrack

“beerbongs and bentleys”

“Melodrama”

Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, SZA

Post Malone

Lorde *BASED ON A SURVEY OF 222 STUDENTS

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

MOVIE 1 2 3

“Black Panther”

Action

“Avengers: Infinity War”

Action

“Love, Simon”

T OF 017 018 Drama/Comedy

*BASED ON A SURVEY OF 262 STUDENTS

ARTIST

Dua Lipa

Cardi B

Lil Uzi Vert

“Dua Lipa”

“Invasion of Privacy”

“Luv Is Rage 2” *BASED ON A SURVEY OF 229 STUDENTS

BY KAREN MA AND SHARJEEL RAHMAN

The past school year has seen music charts dominated by a variety of new artists and enticing movies that took the media world by storm. A & E | MAY 2018

SWEET SUMMER Various creations to make with watermelon BY HANNAH LEE

ith vacation just around the corner, stay cool in the hot weather by creating these exciting watermelon DIYs. Learn how to put together simple projects using this popular summer fruit.

WATERMELON LEMONADE

WATERMELON MASK

WATERMELON PIZZA

WATERMELON FACE MIST

Quench your thirst with this refreshing summer drink that will keep you energized all summer long. Ingredients: 1/2 C white sugar 1/2 C water and 3 C cold water 4 C cubed watermelon 1/2 C fresh lemon juice 6 C ice cubes Directions: 1. Puree the cubed watermelon in a blender. 2. Bring sugar and water to a boil over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in cold water and lemon juice. 3. Divide the ice into 12 glasses and scoop two to three tablespoons of watermelon puree over the ice. Top with the lemonade and gently stir.

Do you have extra watermelon rinds? Reuse your leftover watermelon by creating a cooling face mask to soothe sunburnt skin. Ingredients: Watermelon Directions: 1. Slice the watermelon into two inch-thick triangular wedges. 2. Remove the pink flesh from the watermelon so that only a hint of it remains on the rind. Chill the rind in a refrigerator for at least 10 minutes. 3. Slice the watermelon rind into multiple paper-thin pieces using a mandolin. 4. Apply the rind slices directly to irritated skin until the cooling sensation subsides.

Make this unique twist on traditional pizza for a delicious, not to mention Instagram-worthy summer snack. This watermelon pizza is not only tasty, but also healthy. Ingredients: Watermelon 5 Tbsp yogurt 5 Tbsp granola Selection of fruit Agave Directions: 1. Cut the watermelon into a roughly one inch-thick round slice. Then, cut the round slice into pieces like a pizza. 2. Spread the yogurt on the piece and top with fruit. Sprinkle on the granola and drizzle agave on top.

Are you looking for a refresher from the hot weather? This face mist is packed with hydrating watermelon, coconut water and witch hazel to soothe the skin. Ingredients: 2 Tbsp fresh watermelon juice 1 Tbsp 100% coconut water 1 Tbsp witch hazel 3.5-ounce container with spray nozzle Directions: 1. Cube a small watermelon and extract two tablespoons of juice. Pour the watermelon juice into a spray nozzle container using a funnel. 2. Add coconut water and witch hazel. Keep the face mist in the fridge overnight so that it stays fresh.

SOURCE | VOGUE.COM

SOURCE | WELLANDGOOD.COM

SOURCE | BLOG.MODCLOTH.COM

SOURCE | ALLRECIPES.COM

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

TO HO

A NN

JUST FOR KICKS Students discuss their reasons for collecting sneakers BY JAHAN RAZAVI AND MICHELLE WONG

ike Air Max. Adidas Yeezy. Air Force Ones. Over the past decade, brands such as Nike and Adidas have skyrocketed in sales as their shoes, specifically sneakers, gained increasing popularity. This rising trend since the 1980s has grown into a community known as “sneakerhead” subculture. Sometimes it only takes one shoe to trigger an interest in this culture. For senior Kevin Tong, it was the Adidas Stan Smiths. After seeing the pair his freshman year, Tong began collecting sneakers and became integrated into the culture’s community. “I guess the choice to partake in [the community] is your choice,” Tong said. “But I’d say sneaker subculture itself is more the idea that you’re interested in this certain thing that maybe people aren’t necessarily as interested in.” But for Tong, it’s the aesthetic and silhouette, or the shape, that captivate him. One of the sneakers he especially admires is the Alexander McQueen Exaggerated Sole sneakers. “I just like it because it’s so unique,” Tong said. “It looks kind of like a Stan Smith, but it has a very exaggerated sole and that’s part of the aesthetic that I really, really like.” In contrast to Tong, senior Spencer Zou’s interest in shoes began when he was much younger. After Zou’s cousin’s interest in shoes sparked his own, he was introduced to a specific sneaker that drove him into collecting — the Free Mercurial Superfly HTM. These sneakers were released in celebration of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, consisting of the upper cleat from one of Nike’s soccer shoes and the sole of the popular Free Run. Although Zou was unsuccessful in obtaining the shoe when he went to New York to find it at the NikeLab, his interest in sneakers continued.

PHOTO | MICHELLE WONG

Along with learning about the history of they’re buying,” Zou said. “They’re not different shoes, there are other aspects of really making conscious decisions about sneakers that Zou appreciates. what they’re buying. They’re not really “I like putting together outfits. I find it’s developing their own tastes. They buy a good way to express yourself,” Zou said. something expensive and think it’s a status “I like models that have a background and symbol.” a performance aspect. I like learning about Both Tong and Zou say they keep why people like certain shoes and who roughly 20-30 pairs in their collections. made them, what was their idea behind While Tong has kept the first pair of Stan making it and knowing Smiths he bought different models of freshman I LIKE LEARNING ABOUT his shoes.” year, he doesn’t WHY PEOPLE LIKE CERTAIN always Sophomore Roshan keep SHOES AND WHO MADE the Gampala also likes to sneakers collect shoes in order to THEM, WHAT WAS THEIR he collects. He complement his outfits. makes sure to IDEA BEHIND MAKING IT balance the new After seeing his friend AND KNOWING DIFFERENT additions wearing a Supreme by hoodie and Adidas selling some of MODELS OF SHOES. UltraBOOSTS, his his older pairs, SENIOR SPENCER ZOU friend gave him advice buying roughly on fashion and shoes two pairs of which drew him into the “sneakerhead” shoes a month with the money he makes community. Gampala’s reason for from his sales. collecting shoes follows the same paths “As strange as it sounds, there’s a as other collectors: for fun and to enjoy sneaker budget that I have for myself,” an attractive sneaker, although those two Tong said. “I will buy, I’ll sell, buy, sell so I aspects are not the only things that matter. have a very confined amount of money, so “Everyone has their own hobby,” it’s not like I spend $500 a month because I Gampala said. “Some people collect don’t have an unlimited source of income.” stamps and some people collect other As with any collection, shoes run the risk stuff like that. I like to collect shoes that of high expense. Frugal buyers such as Zou look nice and complement the outfit I’m usually purchase sneakers when they’re on wearing.” sale and make sure to keep them in good Along with the rise of the “sneakerhead” condition so that they last longer. Tong subculture has been hypebeast culture, acknowledged that while there’s a risk of which is when people wear expensive, falling into the grasps of consumerism and trendy clothing, in some cases to impress spending a lot, there are ways to collect others. Often, the two are considered to shoes while still saving money. be the same. However, Zou explained that “Just be patient,” Tong said. “Don’t rush the stigma behind hypebeasts is that they to buy a shoe that’s not your size. Don’t are not as appreciative; rather, they opt for rush to overpay for a pair of shoes.” e quantity over understanding their shoes. “What I consider a hypebeast is someone who doesn’t know about the stuff

A & E | MAY 2018

Artists explain how creating graffiti is a form of expression BY AANCHAL GARG, AKSHARA MAJJIGA AND EMILY XIA

ILLUSTRATION | EM

ILY XIA

*All names beginning with the letter “A” are false names meant to preserve the anonymity of our sources.

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

pencil scratches on a thin sheet of paper, forming a rugged sketch. A paintbrush smoothly glides over a canvas, leaving blooms of color in its wake. A stylus hovers over a design tablet, bringing a computer screen to life. There are many forms of art, regardless of what tool or surface is used. To most, a damp, dark tunnel near an abandoned railway isn’t the ideal environment to cultivate ideas. However, for senior Aiden, the concrete walls and privacy are a perfect opportunity to let his creativity flourish. Clutched in his hand is not a pencil, but rather a can of spray paint. With a true feeling of freedom, he begins to draw. This past year, he began creating graffiti to have some fun with friends and gain more independence. “It was just my friends and I wanted something to do,” Aiden said. “[Cupertino] is a small town. There’s not a whole lot going on. So we said that spray painting a tunnel might be fun. I had one of my friends tell her parents that it was for a school project. Someone brought a bottle of black spray paint and we ended up using that.” Senior Ariana began doing graffiti for a similar reason. She’s done it twice — once at the park in eighth grade, and once at Pineapple Express, an area in Cupertino already known for being covered in graffiti. “Graffiti’s a good choice because it’s

easy to get your hands on some spray paint and it’s easy to do almost anywhere,” Ariana said. “The only problem is getting caught, but I think, [with] graffiti, you can create something really pretty out of it. It’s attractive because it’s not always bad. If you use it in a good way, then it can create something good.” Graffiti is illegal, and can have severe punishments. According to school resource officer and deputy sheriff Corey Chow, depending on the price of the cleanup, graffiti can be considered a misdemeanor or even a felony. “It’s an issue. It’s an issue anywhere,” Chow said. “We don’t get too many calls about graffiti in Cupertino, but we do enforce it. There are a lot of people who are considered ‘taggers’ who will have their own signature. So a lot of times when we do car stops, we see a lot of [their signatures in art] and [we] will keep portfolios [of their offenses].” Although neither Aiden nor Ariana create graffiti with the intention of committing a crime, they are both aware that their actions are considered illegal. While Ariana perceives graffiti as an expression of art, she understands why it is illegal. “Because it’s illegal, it stops [graffiti] from getting abused by high schoolers,” Ariana said. “I think it’s a mix of both just trying to do something illegal for fun and for art. There’s different circumstances. It can ruin a lot of beautiful things. I think it’s better that it’s illegal so it doesn’t trash or ruin things.” Despite graffiti being illegal, Aiden is determined to maintain his hobby, as the sole purpose of his art is to unleash his creativity. He finds that putting his art in a public setting is a way for him to share his ideas with the world.

“[Graffiti] is definitely just a fun way symmetrical. It was just something I liked to express yourself,” Aiden said. “All art for myself, especially because I’m such a is just expression, except this is outside, big X fan.” you’re with your friends and it’s also a According to Chow, there are ways little bit exciting that it’s illegal. I don’t to do graffiti without breaking the law. go out with malicious intent or urge to He encourages students to express their destroy public property.” creativity as long as they get official Aiden’s unique music permission from the preferences serve as property owners. ALL ART IS JUST his inspiration. Using “I’ve seen beautiful symbols from his favorite EXPRESSION, EXCEPT murals that are on walls,” artists, Aiden is able to THIS IS OUTSIDE, Chow said. “So I’ve talked make his artwork more YOU’RE WITH YOUR to a lot of people who do enjoyable, while adding do wall art, and they’ve FRIENDS AND IT’S his own personal touches. asked me a couple of Incorporating music is ALSO A LITTLE BIT times, ‘Do you think I another way for him to EXCITING THAT IT’S could do something on connect with people who ILLEGAL. the wall?’ You have to see his art. get the ‘OK’ with [the “I remember I did one ANONYMOUS property owner]. If piece that I actually sent SENIOR AIDEN not, technically you’re to a friend of mine,” Aiden committing a crime. But I said. “It was just a remake of an album mean if you can speak to the person who cover, this original piece that I liked. A lot owns the property and they’re okay with of [Malcolm X’s] music is about love and it, then I say go for it.” heartbreak, so what I did was I took a Because Pineapple Express has been half piece of a shattered heart and stuck abandoned for years, Ariana believes that it next to X’s question mark so it looked adding graffiti has given the building new

life, rather than destroying it. Although she is unsure about the legality of doing graffiti there, she has followed the lead of many others before her who have been using the area for years to express themselves through their art. “I did [the graffiti] because it wasn’t something I was ruining,” Ariana said. “[The building] was something that was already super graffitied. That was kind of something that was not being used anymore and it wasn’t for anyone’s benefit. Now it’s become an art form.” Aiden takes pride in his artwork and plans to continue creating graffiti art. He sees his creations as expressions of his own thoughts rather than just paintings. To him, graffiti conveys messages that transcend words. “All art is just expression,” Aiden said. “It’s whatever you’ve got on your mind. So your dominant thoughts at the time are just your emotions. I know that people who are very mentally broken appreciate art [especially] because there are things that you just can’t express through words.” e

OF STUDENTS HAVE PARTICIPATeD IN GRAFFITI

OF STUDENTS THINK OF GRAFFITI AS ART

OF STUDENTS THINK GRAFFITI SHOULD BE LEGAL

*According to a survey of 287 MVHS students

*According to a survey of 282 MVHS students

*According to a survey of 276 MVHS students

ILLUSTRATION | AANCHAL GARG

A & E | MAY 2018

LUNCHTIME LEGENDS The competitive nature of intramural sports

BY ROSHAN FERNANDEZ AND ADITI GNANASEKAR

he sound of players arguing with the referee and shouting at their opponents bounces off the field house walls. The scene heats up, but after a couple of shoves between the two teams and an argument over the call, the players settle down again and go back to their usual joking ways. This competitive atmosphere is not an uncommon sight during the lunchtime basketball tournament. Although the spring sports teams are wrapping up their seasons, the field house is still bustling with energy. This is due to clubs like Basketball Club and Badminton Club who have just finished hosting one of their biggest events of the year: the intramural tournament. Kicking off on April 25, the intramural basketball tournament consisted of eight teams with six to 10 players on each team. While the Basketball Club has hosted the tournament successfully for several years, current club president senior Manu Hundal encountered some difficulties in organizing the games and reserving the field house this time around. Because the games did not start as soon as lunch begun,

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

many of the games were not completed in that this is just a game ... that the referee time. Hundal planned on restarting the has a job to do,” Shimazaki said. “They tournament, explaining that this would really shouldn’t be second guessing what make the competition more fair for the the referee is calling...nor any excessively teams. However, he ultimately determined physical play. I know everyone is trying that redoing the entire to be very competitive, but tournament would take IT’S JUST A PRIDE there’s a balance that needs to up even more time happen, especially respect for and decided to run the THING. [IT’S JUST] the refs. Those are lines that FACT THAT can’t be crossed.” tournament based on THE the original schedule. Similar to Shimazaki, BY WINNING THIS English teacher and junior Gautham Dasari, an Basketball Club advisor TOURNAMENT YOU athlete who is currently SAY THAT playing volleyball, agrees that Shozo Shimazaki CAN explained that these YOU WERE THE the games can get aggressive. games may act as He explains that his biggest an outlet for many BEST TEAM IN THE priority is avoiding an injury students, especially if SCHOOL. from rough lunchtime they are pressured by the play that could affect his JUNIOR GAUTHAM academically rigorous performance after school, but environment at MVHS. DASARI recognizes that this is a result He acknowledges of competition and passion. the competitive nature and pride that is In contrast to the competitive associated with the tournament, but he environment of Basketball Club’s reminds the players that they should keep tournament, Badminton Club’s “Smashing the level of physicality to a minimum. Stress” on May 4-5 offered a more relaxed “I think the players need to understand atmosphere. Public relations officer and junior Carl Rosenthal (Far left) Shonali Vaidya rallies in her explains that the club match as part of the honors level of the requested that players tournament. (Immediate left) Senior and make a one or two dollar MVHS varsity basketball player Zachary donation when signing up Whong drives towards the basket, for the tournament, and the outrunning his defender, sophomore Praveen Manimaran. In order to level money raised was donated the playing field as much as possible, to the FUHSD Community teams were only allowed to have three Wellness Taskforce, which varsity basketball players and two JV helps combat high stress players.(Below) Seniors Ginga Sato and levels among students. Ethan Low high-five their opponents Players competed after a narrow loss in their boys doubles in different levels of tournament match. tournaments, which were SCAN FOR based on experience. Along MORE PHOTOS with the theme of decreasing school-related stress, the competitions were jokingly dubbed “AP Flight” for the more experienced players, and “Honors” for amateurs and beginners. However, some players such as seniors Ginga Sato and Ethan Low decided to enter as doubles partners despite their distinctly varying levels of experience. Low is a fouryear member of the MVHS varsity badminton team,

SPORTS

while Sato has only played in PE class. Despite this, the two say they enjoyed themselves. “After watching [Low’s] senior night, I was more interested and he asked me [to compete with him],” Sato said. “There was a little pressure ... but I guess I [tried] to have fun and I did.” Rosenthal thinks the competition was a huge success this year, and he hopes to continue it next year. However, he points out that he would like to change the scoring system. This year, the first round games were much longer, and the final round games were rushed due to the lunch bell, similar to basketball. “It [was] definitely rather hectic as we were not super experienced in having organized one before,” Rosenthal said. “However, we did manage to get all the games in. And I think people had a fun time which was the goal of it. There were a lots of smiles all around. So I think it was lighthearted environment.” Dasari explains that despite the competitive environment, it’s a nice change to play basketball with his friends. With less experience than some of his teammates, who are members of the MVHS varsity basketball team, Dasari does his best to try to live up to his teammates’ standards. A former middle school basketball player, he admits that his skills are a bit rusty, but nonetheless he enjoys any opportunity to get back onto the court. “Usually when I play with these guys it’ll just be screwing around, just shooting balls and having fun,” Dasari said. “But this time we actually played and it was actually competitive. We were really into winning, [and] everyone worked really hard and [hustled] up and down the court.” Just like Rosenthal’s plans for next year’s tournament next year, Shimazaki also has ideas for the future of intramural basketball. Currently a coach of his 10-year-old daughter’s basketball team, Shimazaki explains that he would like to see more girls participate in the intramural tournament. He feels the level of physicality that is present now could be preventing more athletes from joining, and he would like to see the club broaden its scope by adding a bracket for a separate girls tournament. “But if [my daughter] was here right now, and she loves basketball, she wouldn’t be all that comfortable jumping in right

PHOTO | ROSHAN FERNANDEZ

Sophomore Julian Kim’s lines up a jump shot. His team wore pink headbands to help distinguish themselves from their opponents.

now with all these boys out here.” These tournaments bring out the prideful nature of those competing according to Dasari. To outsiders, it may seem like just a lunchtime activity, but to those participating, it’s about competition, bragging rights and so much more.

“It’s just a pride thing,” Dasari said. “[It’s just] the fact that by winning this tournament you can say that you were the best team in the school.” e

SPORTS | MAY 2018

DYLAN AND Boys volleyball’s unofficial mascot is 5-year-old Dylan Tagawa BY OM KHANDEKAR AND ANJINI VENUGOPAL

mong towering volleyball players sits 5-year-old Dylan Tagawa. Surrounded by the team’s postgame chatter, he stretches and sits quietly for a few seconds before standing up to make an announcement. The players lower their volume and turn their attention to Dylan, who begins his latest story. “It’s about them moving as fast as hurricanes,” Dylan said. ”They were like crazy scary. Not like usual crazy scary. Like crazy scary on how good they were.” Dylan is the youngest of three brothers; his brother Brendan is an eighth grader at Kennedy and Ryan is a junior at MVHS. Dylan’s been attending MVHS games since Ryan was on the junior varsity basketball and volleyball teams as a freshman, but he used to primarily be an observer.

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

Before Dylan started interacting extensively with the players themselves, he showed up to practically every game. He’d hang out in the stands, sometimes lying down with his coloring book and at other times greeting the parents and cheerleaders near him. After the games, some of the players would greet him, but those were the extent of his interactions. Now, he has found his place in the center of the stretching circle and runs out at the final whistle, ready to share his thoughts on the game. Sometimes, when the team does well, Dylan commends the players, awarding them “stars” for a job well done and crowning one player each game as the “star player.” According to his family, Dylan is outgoing, which is something members of

the team agree with. But junior Nikhil Bapat recalls a time earlier in the season when he and others would approach Dylan and talk to him, rather than the other way around. “I think he’s gotten a little bit less shy,” Bapat said. “Because at the beginning [of the season], at the end of the game, we’d go talk to him and we’d get him involved, but now as soon as the game ends, he just runs in. He knows exactly what he’s doing like he’s leading stretches and giving us a speech … he’s kind of accepted his role as our mascot.” A mascot is supposed to bring luck to the team according to te definition of the word. But Dylan provides more than just luck, according to Ryan. What Dylan’s presence provides is a positive environment for the team.

‘‘

PHOTO | OM KHANDEKAR

I THINK [HE]’S GREAT. HE HELPS ME, HE HELPS THE TEAM, HE HELPS OUT KEEPING THINGS LIGHT. WE DON’T HAVE TO BE ALL PUMPED UP AND NERVOUS AND HYPED UP ALL THE TIME. HE DOES THAT WITH THE TEAM, AND IT ALLOWS THE TEAM TO BOND. HEAD COACH PAUL CHIU ON HOW DYLAN’S PRESENCE HAS BEEN IMPACTING THE TEAM THIS SEASON

D HIS STARS “It’s a morale boost,” Ryan said. “Everyone is happy; everyone is hyped. I honestly don’t know why they kind of just started going crazy once they started seeing him.” The feeling isn’t one-sided according to their mom, Heather Tagawa, who says that Dylan is delighted to spend time with his brother’s teammates and be involved with the team. Heather finds it amusing that due to Dylan’s constant presence, her two older sons are now known as “Dylan’s brothers” rather than the other way around. “[Dylan] just really enjoys being around the players,” Heather said. “He likes hanging out with the basketball team and the volleyball team. He just really enjoys participating.” After an MVHS victory against Mountain

View HS on May 2, Dylan congratulated the team, describing his brother and his teammates as “hurricanes.” During the game he colored, wandered around, sat with different players’ parents and climbed up and down the stairs alongside the bleachers. As the game progressed, he periodically checked on the score and reacted to momentous parts of the game, once even jumping up and down after a kill. According to Bapat, despite Dylan being only five years old, he manages to give speeches appropriate to the team’s mood that give the players something to rally around. After a tough loss against Saratoga HS left the team disappointed, Dylan had words of motivation. “He came up after the [Saratoga] game and we were all really upset, and he was

like, ‘Guys we lost this game, but we’ll win the next one,’” Bapat said. “And it’s something really simple coming from a 5-year-old, but [it] still … had a pretty big impact.” While Bapat and Ryan focus on Dylan’s role in motivating the team, Dylan’s father Leon Tagawa points out another side to Dylan’s involvement. “We’re just always thankful for the team and the attention they provide to him to give him this kind of opportunity, so I think it’s something very special [for him],” Leon said. “He’s always going to remember [this] and whatever can help motivate the team that’s all we’re looking for, so it’s great.” e

SPORTS | MAY 2018

SPOrTS flash PHOTO | OM KHANDEKAR

Senior Owen Malone slips past a tackle from a Cupertino HS defender in the annual Helmet Game. This year marks the second consecutive season where MVHS lost the game, this time with a score of 14-39.

Senior Justin Lin runs track!!!!

Senior Joyce Chen drives to the basket against Fremont HS. The game was played on National Women in Sports Day. The team finished the season with a 3-9 record.

PHOTO | ROSHAN FERNANDEZ

PHOTO | OM KHANDEKAR

Senior Morris Chiang competes in the 100 meter dash against Homestead HS, missing his personal best by one hundredth of a second. 4

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2018

Captain of the girls volleyball team, senior Alia Johnson serves against Mountain View HS. The team finished the season with an even record of 9-9, with eight of the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s losses coming against conference opponents.

PHOTO | ROSHAN FERNANDEZ PHOTO | ROSHAN FERNANDEZ

PHOTO | SANNIDHI MENON

This past year, MVHS athletics faced its share of emotion â&#x20AC;&#x201D; from the heartbreaking loss for football at the annual Helmet Game to an undefeated season for badminton, from the winless season for the boys water polo team to the 12-0 league performance of the boys tennis team. The past years have culminated in a memorable career for the seniors pictured below.

Senior Sarin Gole dribbles away from a Wilcox HS defender in their first league game of the season. The team finished with a league record of 2-9-1.

Junior Damian Pow gasps for air during his freestyle stroke in the swimming meet against Palo Alto HS on March 9. This year the MVHS swimming team has had a mix of wins and losses.

Senior Kevin Tan returns a serve against the Milpitas HS badminton team. The team was undefeated in their league season.

PHOTO | ROSHAN FERNANDEZ PHOTO | ROSHAN FERNANDEZ

Senior Sina Faridnia treads water during a water polo game against Los Gatos HS. The team finished with a league record of 0-13.

PHOTO | ANTHONY MOLL

Senior Devin Pereira chips the ball past a defender. The MVHS field hockey team started off the season with two wins, but finished with a 4-11 record.

SPORTS 3 2018 9 SPORTS | APRIL 2018 | MAY

4 7

NEWS

Retiring staff members reflect on their careers

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