Volume 44, Issue 3, November 20, 2013 by El Estoque

MONTA VISTA HIGH SCHOOL ELESTOQUE.ORG NOVEMBER 20, 2013

ISSUE II, VOLUME XLIV

Contents NEWS 4

Staff members’ secret service

Free period preferences

8 11

Popularity of active learning COLUMN: Little Lessons

OPINION 12

Tumblr decreases empathy

Selfies allow control of self-image

Immersion over memorization

COLUMN: No Monkey Business

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 17

Effects of social media

Students’ guilty pleasures

COLUMN: Out of the Blue

SPECIAL REPORT 26

Stories on the border

Used with permission of Shreveport Sports

“

THERE’S NO DOUBT THAT SELFIES HAVE BECOME A CORNERSTONE OF MILLENIAL CULTURE.

Cupertino’s historical quirks

17 12

At-home entertainment

Odd De Anza Flea Market vendors

SPORTS 34

Football’s championship season

Sports clubs participation

Michael Hicks, Minor Leaguer

Senior night traditions

SPORTSFLASH

Colin Ni | El Estoque

Catherine Lockwood | El Estoque

Cover by Jennifer Lee

ESTOQUE

21840 McClellan Road Cupertino, CA 95014 mv.el.estoque@gmail.com Editor-in-Chief: Amrutha Dorai Managing Editors: Karen Feng, Jennifer Lee, Athira Penghat, Yashashree Pisolkar Photo Editors: Catherine Lockwood, Colin Ni Copy Editors: Tanisha Dasmunshi, Pranav Parthasarthy Webmaster: Ashish Samaddar News Editors: Maya Murthy, Joyce Varma, Varsha Venkat Sports Editors: Nathan Desai, Mihir Joshi, Sarah Ramos Entertainment Editors: Anjali Bhat, Neesha Venkatesan, Kathleen Yuan Opinion Editors: Ambika Dubey, Daniel Fernandez, Eva Spitzen Special Report Editors: Yuna Lee, Namrata Ramani, Yifei Wu Design Editor: Rhonda Mak Graphics Editor: Shuyi Qi Business Editors: Elia Chen, Robert Sulgit Public Relations Editor: Claire Lu Staff Writers: Alina Abidi, Rochish Ambati, Ashmita Chakraborty, Kristin Chang, Elliot Ki, Colin Kim, Christine Liang, Steven Lim, Alaina Lui, Gabriella Monico, Amol Pande, Neha Ramchandani, Manasa Sanka, Lydia Seo, Ruba Shaik, Harini Shyamsundar, Sophia Tao, Joshua Tsuei, Jady Wei Adviser: Michelle Balmeo Credits Some images in this publication were taken from the stock photography website sxc.hu. Mission Statement El Estoque is an open forum created for and by students of Monta Vista High School. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the journalism staff and not of Monta Vista High School or the Fremont Union High School District. The staff seeks to recognize individuals, events, and ideas and bring news to the MVHS community in a manner that is professional, unbiased, and thorough in order to effectively serve our readers. We strive to report accurately, and we will correct any significant error. If you believe such an error has been made, please contact us. Letters of any length should be submitted via email or mail. They may be edited for length or accuracy. Letters cannot be returned and will be published at El Estoque’s discretion. We also reserve the right to reject advertising due to space limitations or decision of the Editorial Board that content of the advertisement conflicts with the mission of the publication.

Letter from the editor CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

earch “Cupertino” in Google Images. Do it dents’ backyards, right now. where they found Seven of the first 10 results are pictures chickens and vibrant of Apple’s “spaceship campus,” which doesn’t murals. Read all of AMRUTHA DORAI even exist yet. One is a picture of Apple’s old, those stories and non-spaceship campus. Switch back to the “Web” more in our Special tab, and Google helpfully Report, “Nothing happens here,” which starts on suggests: “See results page 25. about: Apple.” Flea market vendor Judy Garcia, featured to participate in our Is there really in Chang’s story “Everything happens here” nothing in this on page 32, puts it best: “Kids think Cutown except for pertino is boring? Well, of course they do. one tech comYou know, they just need to get out of 1. Fill in the blank on the cover. pany? A signifithe house...and meet us!” 2. Post to Facebook, Instagram, cant portion of Let’s face it: Cupertino will never be our student body a bustling metropolitan center. But this Twitter or Tumblr. seems to think so: town doesn’t have to be boring unless 3. Like or follow @elestoque. Over a third of 265 we make it boring. Get out there; go some4. Hashtag #supertino. surveyed students place other than Target or the library. Try out rated Cupertino a four that restaurant that only has five reviews on or a five on a scale where Yelp. Grab a friend, get in the car and drive until one means not boring and five you hit something interesting. There’s excitement means extremely boring. And when we asked out there, but it’s not going to come to you. You’re students to pick one word to describe this town, going to have to look for it. the second most popular answer was “boring.” (It We Google Image searched “Cupertino” betied with “competitive” and fell behind “Asian.”) cause we were uncertain as to what to put on the We ourselves were guilty of complaining that cover of this issue and thought the Internet might there’s nothing to do here. But maybe that was remind us of any iconic locations that we had forbecause we hadn’t looked. gotten. It turns out that Cupertino doesn’t really So we did look, and the things that we found have any iconic locations — just a 98-acre flying surprised us and delighted us and changed our saucer that is expected to land in 2016. perception of our hometown. Reporter sophoSo we decided to go with an interactive cover more Kristin Chang met a vendor of mystical instead. This isn’t San Francisco, this isn’t New stones at the De Anza College flea market. Se- York; there’s no Golden Gate Bridge or Statue of nior Yuna Lee discovered a free archery range on Liberty. Welcome to the suburbs. Here, you choose the western border of Cupertino. Junior Ashmita your own adventure. Chakraborty and senior Ruba Shaik explored stua.dorai@elestoque.org

social media

CHALLENGE

ADVENTURE TIME Reporters sophomore Kristin Chang and senior Yuna Lee ventured to the borders of Cupertino to see what they could find. Read about their discoveries in “Exploration happens here” on page 26. NOVEMBER 20, 2013

Yuna Lee | El Estoque

NEWS

the

HEROES

Need

Staff members take extra measures to help school BY LYDIA SEO

Alarm senses tingling

The gym was dark, cold and completely quiet when woodshop teacher Ted Shinta arrived. He headed for the alarm to reset it. Suddenly, he caught sight of movement on the second floor: A couple of students were stealing the camera that was used for video announcements. At that moment, the students saw him, and immediately began to run. Shinta followed. By the time Shinta called the police, the students had escaped. That night two years ago was one of the many times that Shinta, along with attendance administrator Calvin Wong, came to school after being called by Sonitrol Security Systems. From about 11 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., the alarms on all of the school’s doors and inside its buildings are triggered by sounds or opening doors. Sonitrol, the alarm systems company that the school contracts, contacts either Shinta or Wong, who decide whether or not the circumstances demand police attention. If the police are involved, they must act as representatives for the school and assist officers. Shinta is first on the list of staff members to be alerted because he lives nearest to the school. He receives multiple calls weekly, sometimes waking up in the early morning hours to do so. “I would say 90 percent of the time, it’s a teacher or somebody [else] who comes to school and doesn’t turn the alarm off, and then they go into [a] room,” Shinta said. “Especially on the weekends.”

Major incidents such as the camera theft or other break-ins used to occur about once or twice every month. According to both Shinta and Wong, the frequency of such incidents has decreased to about once a year in recent times. However, whether there be minor or major causes, both follow the call of duty at all times. “The latest I ever got a phone call was 2 in the morning… on a weekend,” Wong said. Shinta recalls similar incidents that called him to school on days that would have otherwise been spent away from school, such as Thanksgiving. No matter the time or occasion, Shinta and Wong are ready to keep the school safe for its students. “The reason I do it, mainly, is because I live close by to the school, and I’m concerned about the school,” Shinta said.

EL ESTOQUE

IT’S MATCHIN’

TIME

Ted Shinta, Calvin Wong and Miriam Taba are not the only people who are unsung heroes. Last month, elestoque.org featured different people on and around campus whose work every day goes unacknowledged. Can you match each of these people to the jobs that they do?

Debbie Herrera 2 Monique Balentine

Study Buddy CoordinatOr

Food Service Supervisor

Jenny Liu 4 Alex Friedman

Mock Trial Coach

Crossing Guard

Answers: 1B, 2A, 3D, 4C

Colleges, assemble

Shuyi Qi | El Estoque Photo Illustration

NOVEMBER 20, 2013

Almost every box in Miriam Taba’s personal calendar is filled with the names of various colleges and timeframes: The row of college banners behind her desk reflects the large number of colleges that Taba has interacted with. For seven and a half years, Taba has worked at the Career Center and expanding her knowledge of these colleges, helping students plan for their futures and managing the college visits that occur during the application period. Colleges from around the country and even foreign countries contact her to schedule informational meetings with the students. Taba schedules seventy to eighty colleges every year, most of which are private and out-of-state schools. She attends all of the college visits that she hosts, which amount to one or two, and occasionally up to six meetings daily. “It’s wise to [attend every meeting], because oftentimes, if there’s a problem or you need to get a student into the school, it’s good to know the representative … and the college,” Taba said. Although a few colleges are unable to fit their meetings into Taba’s packed calendar, Taba manages her schedule so that nearly all of the colleges that request visits to the school are able to meet the students and expose them to the different educational possibilities that

are available at their schools. Taba finds it important to learn more about different colleges so that she has more knowledge to share with the students, such as the qualities colleges look for in applicants. Several colleges that schedule visits may be less known but offer financial aid and many career-oriented opportunities. “Sometimes there are no students [at the meetings],” Taba said. “I still do sit down and talk with the rep and find out, ‘Why would our students want to choose their school?’ “ She smiles when she thinks of the wide variety of passionate college representatives who she has met throughout the years, some of whom are MVHS alumni or have relatives who are also representatives. “I like this job,” Taba said. “I find it interesting, learning about all [of the colleges].” Along with organizing the college visits, Taba meets with students and their parents to advise them on their college plans; she also informs students of summer programs, scholarships, and job opportunities that assist with college application and admission. With her vast collection of knowledge regarding colleges, Taba works to help the students achieve their aspirations for their futures. l.seo@elestoque.org 5

1 BY AMOL PANDE

FREE LEARNIN’

Period

What do students do during their free periods?

2 3 4 5 6 7

11 percent have a free first period. 27 percent would want a free first.

During her free first period, junior Gayatri Ketavarapu usually sleeps in to recover from water polo practice and late night studying the night before.

Freshman Jeremy Jacob sits in a booth having breakfast with his father. Jacob gets to sleep in or enjoy breakfast with his father on Wednesdays because of his free second. Other days, he can be found with friends during his free second.

3 percent have a free second period. 6 percent would want a free second.

“I get to do my math homework,” junior Faisal Al-Harbi said. “I hang out in the graphic design room, and sometimes my friends come in.”

6 percent have a free third period. 4 percent would want a free third.

4 percent have a free fourth period. 4 percent would want a free fourth.

“I like [my free period],” junior Oindril Dutta said. “I’ve made new friends.”

Junior Erin Luks’ free sixth period allows her to finish her homework before cheer practice, therefore enabling her to study. Her free period also gives her more time to work at the stable and attend tutoring.

33 percent have a free seventh period. 32 percent would want a free seventh.

*24 percent of students surveyed in an online survey of 265 students do not have free periods.

74 percent of students do homework during their free period.

“[A lot of seniors] have their periods a little messed up because of Gov and Econ, and those are two different periods each 80 percent of seniors will have semester,” senior Justin Cena Government and Economics during said. “I’ll be moving from a free the same period. fourth to a free second.”

3 percent have a free fifth period. 6 percent would want a free fifth.

16 percent have a free sixth period. 17 percent would want a free sixth.

46 percent of students sleep during their free period.

51 percent of students socialize during their free period.

13 percent of students participate in sports during their free period.

“Occasionally during water polo season, we would have tournaments at 2:30,” water polo player junior Anup Sankaraman said. “So if I were to have a seventh [period], I would have to miss 30 minutes of class each tournament.” a.pande@elestoque.org EL ESTOQUE

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NEWS UNDER THE BLACK LIGHTS A fluorescent turtle and heart are among the many projects that science teacher Michael McCrystal has received over the years. The fluorescence project, which he recently assigned to his Chemistry classes, requires students to create an art project that will fluoresce under black lights. Varsha Venkat| El Estoque Photo Illustration

Ashish Samaddar| El Estoque Photo Illustration

MAKING

MEANING

Activity-integrated curricula gaining popularity over traditional teaching methods BY VARSHA VENKAT

n the mid 1990s, science teacher Mike Mc- signed in an attempt to extend students’ unCrystal became acquainted with a group derstanding of the subject material. of students who he fondly called “the engineer bunch.” The group of four students, Engaged in economics all in McCrystal’s Physics class at the time, Images of Mickey Mouse fill the projector were building a trebuchet model at home and screen as history teacher Eric Otto explains asked McCrystal for assistance. his sixth period Economics class’s semester McCrystal found an article from Scien- project, one in which groups of students will tific American and gave it to the students, create a short mock-up commercial for the who used the guidelines to construct a Walt Disney Company. “half-scale trebuchet with a 1,000 pound Such assignments are common in Otto’s c o u n t e r w e ig h t . ” He organized a lab day out on the field with all of the Physics classes and had his students launch “bowling balls, watermelons and great big spherical things,” as he recalls. According to the Duke Center for Instructional Technology, “Presenting a “active learning” is the use of interactive environments challenge and making it open to some devithat place emphasis on student-centric learning. ation shows students like to be creative,” McCrystal said of activities like the trebuchet lab. “I think cre- Government and Economics classes. He deativity helps learning and makes it stick.” cided last year to have his students do more As a result of the recent move toward the class activities, such as weekly presentations Common Core standards for learning, which related to the material learned in class, to fit are directed at increasing students’ applica- in with his team-based learning philosophy. tion skills, teachers like McCrystal believe This year Otto has added another dimenthat more projects and activities will be as- sion to his activities by using pop culture

WHAT EXACTLY IS ‘ACTIVE LEARNING’

references to teach concepts; for one of his Government class projects, he had his students convey Baron de Montesquieu’s separation of powers through plays related to Pirates of the Caribbean or Lord of the Rings. Otto also creates weekly themes and plans related activities. In accordance with his most recent theme, Halloween, he assigned an activity to his Economics students in which they were to determine the best possible foreign location for Willy Wonka to set up another branch, and create a new Wonka product that was tailored to a specific region of the world. Senior Hana Hyder, a student in one of Otto’s Economics classes, worked with her group to create “Charlie’s Coolers,” a soda drink which they believed would best fit the demographic in their assigned country of Bangladesh. Although her group faced small stumbles in coming up with a product that would appeal to the population, Hyder said that the Willy Wonka project was the most exciting one yet as it provided students with an opportunity to be creative. “I love graphic design, [and] I love putting it into everything I do. So in this case since it was Willy Wonka, it was really active, you really get to push it out there,“ Hyder said. “You got to get creative with the project and be really hands-on with everything. I think that was just really the fun part for me.” For Otto, using “active learning” techniques is helpful in that students can improve EL ESTOQUE

COOLING DOWN WITH CHARLIE Senior Hana Hyder holds up a bottle of “Charlie’s Coolers,” her group’s fictional product for one of social studies teacher Eric Otto’s Economics projects. For the project, each group was required to create a new product for the Willy Wonka line.

ALL ALUMINUM McCrystal assigns an aluminum project to his Chemistry classes every year. Students have to create objects such as windmills and trees out of exactly one mole of aluminum.

Ashish Samaddar| El Estoque Photo Illustration

the quality of learning when they engage in activities that they enjoy. He says that the connections that students make with topics of interest, even if only considered as daily entertainment, are effective as students subconsciously understand the content in the process of being entertained by the activity. “If they just remember, ‘Oh, I remember that play that the one group did that sticks in my mind with the pirates and stuff, and the separation of powers between the three different sized ships with different functions,’ on the test that’s a tremendous help,” Otto said. “Everyone remembers everything differently, and for some students they’re able to recall everything easily and some can remember the entertainment.”

for an hour just listening to the teacher talk,” Danese said. “But then it’s also hard to learn as much in a project because you’re focusing on the aspect of it getting completed versus going into the depth that a lecture can.” According to a survey of 265 students, 46 percent prefer projects that are geared towards helping students learn more, rather than just focusing on the creativity aspect. Senior Gina Limón is a self-described “textbook-based person” and finds that some

Learning by lecture Junior Michelle Danese agrees with Otto’s philosophy of activity-integrated learning. Danese, who took World Studies and is currently taking American Studies, finds that projects requiring students to further research specific areas of a topic help her better understand the lesson. However, she acknowledges that it can be difficult to cover all the subject material when a student is only researching a single subtopic. “I think a mix of [lectures and projects] is the best because students can’t sit in class NOVEMBER 20, 2013

Ashish Samaddar| El Estoque Photo Illustration

percent of students believe projects are not as informative as lectures * from a survey of 265 students

projects are overused and don’t convey much information, so they aren’t very helpful. Despite student concerns about the amount of information being learned from projects, McCrystal believes that projects are meant as outlets through which teachers can build connections and provide a background for student learning. He feels that the

main purpose of activities is to break up the rote memorization in most classes. “I think it’s the college model and many of our classes are run that way [where] you sit there, you soak it up, you spit it back out, and you take the AP test and hope to get a 5. This is a big problem with STEM education,” McCrystal said. “There’s not enough people choosing [STEM careers] because they haven’t had enough fun in high school. It’s harder to do science, and if you haven’t had fun [you start to think] ‘Why do science, why work that hard?’” Common Core comes to MVHS Otto says that since the new state curriculum requires students to be better prepared for real-world challenges, it is now more crucial that teachers extend the educational concepts to their application outside of school. “Both the state and the national government are taking into account that in order to stay competitive as a nation we need to have our students thinking about the realworld applications that they’re learning in high school,” Otto said. “Part of that is doing hands-on activities that reflect that. Even though [roles are] fictional in the classroom setting, they exist in the real world, so [students need to be] able to take on those challenges.” v.venkat@elestoque.org 9

Saving Private Rights Blockbuster, CISPA won’t go under

ou know when you try to kill a spider and it just won’t die? You step on it, but it still moves. You drop a book on it, but it still moves. You impale it with a knife, flush it down the toilet and burn the house down, but it still moves. (What, is that just me?) Well, the U.S. government has a pet spider and its name is Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, but everyone just calls it CISPA. (You’ve got to expect these weird names from a country which has been led by people named Ulysses and Millard.) When CISPA wants to know something about you, he always finds a way. He’s like an arachnid Skynet because he can see whatever he wants, whenever he wants. CISPA is sneaky as well because even though he was initially evicted in little lessons 2011, he refused to die and returned to the House this year where he was forced out again due to bookinduced paralysis. Now, CISPA is considering reentering the House despite his prior defeats. With all this talk about getting kicked out of the house, don’t forget that we are talking about the government —- not an episode of Big Brother. However, CISPA 3.0 is likely to attract much more controversy than its prior installments due to recent developments in the field of privacy. It’s pretty surprising that the government is trying to tighten up on

NATHAN DESAI

Catherine Lockwood | El Estoque

NOVEMBER 20, 2013

American privacy in the midst of the NSA controversy. This is worse timing than Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. Essentially, CISPA would allow the government to see personal information without obtaining a warrant or requesting consent. And learn from the Miami Dolphins — Incognito won’t help. At first, my reaction was like how I felt about the NSA — if I don’t do anything wrong, it doesn’t matter. If the government wants to see a surplus of Tumblr, ESPN and Reddit, that’s fine. But then I did a bit of investigation and realized what the problem is. Here’s a fun little game you can play: look up your last five Google s e a rches. My verbatim list is “mississippi abr,” “fifa 14 creatin centre,” “list of nba triple doubles,” “charlie murphy” and (my personal favorite) “foooo.” I can’t give the government limitless access to my search history. If CISPA passes, I can’t even imagine how quickly the government will send the FBI (or a therapist) to my house. When my life turns into a worse police comedy than “The Other Guys,” I’ll remember to let you all k now. Make sure you see it in theaters though, because it’ll be difficult to rent it. You see, Blockbuster recent ly

announced that it would be closing all its remaining stores which I’m pretty sure is the fifth time the company has said that. The problem Blockbuster had is not evolving. Sure, the system worked in 2003, but it’s shocking no one tried to look down the road. Netflix jumped at the opportunity to bring something new to the table and Blockbuster didn’t even take advantage of that when it fell right into the company’s lap. Blockbuster refused an offer to buy Netflix 13 years ago. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Facebook endure a similar fate. (The site isn’t even GIFcompatible.) But I’m no Jim Cramer, so I’ll set the economic talk aside. Although Blockbuster’s demise was imminent, I’m still upset that it’s closing down. I remember sitting in the corner at Blockbuster, reading all the VHS boxes. (I’m tearing up just thinking about VHS.) I haven’t even seen most of the movies I reference — I just remember the details from reading the descriptions at Blockbuster. I feel like a referential Rain Man. (Haven’t seen it.) I’ll Blockbuster, but I definitely won’t go all “Saving Private Ryan” (haven’t seen it) and try to help. With new media like Netflix and YouTube, there was no space for Blockbuster. However, it kept trying to stay alive, just like Tom Hanks in “Cast Away.” (Haven’t seen it. I swear I have actually seen some movies. There haven’t been many opportunties for “Kung Fu Panda” references.) Haven’t these rumors with Blockbuster been swirling around for a while now? I’m definitely not the only one who thought Blockbuster was already dead like how I’m definitely not the only one who thought CISPA died earlier this year. But, both have shown resilience and we’re still hearing about them long after their times in the spotlight were over, like Sharpay in “High School Musical.” (Is it bad that this is the only one I’ve actually seen? Though Blockbuster finally bit the dust after a lot of persuasion and hard work, we can only hope that the same will be the case for CISPA. It’s not like there’s anything we can do about it though. We’ve already burned the house down.

When CISPA wants to know something about you, he always finds a way.

n.desai@elestoque.org 11

FRIEND FOLLOWER or

Getting to know someone through Tumblr results in faulty judgment, imbalanced relationships

crolling through Tumblr, you find the blog of the girl who sits next to you in math class. She is shy and does not talk much during class. Her Tumblr, however, is filled with pictures of dancers and ballet studios. Just a quick look through her blog reveals a part of her you did not even realize existed, despite the fact that you have seen her almost every day this school year. Social media has changed our ability to communicate emotions, thoughts and beliefs. Our ideas now reach anyone with an internet connection — be it our next door neighbor or a friend a continent away. Our ability to communicate has become global. At MVHS 43 percent of students report having Tumblrs. 31 percent of students, not all of whom have Tumblrs themselves, regularly follow at least one Tumblr. According to Quantcast, a digital advertising company, the average Tumblr user views approximately 267 pages per month. Because of the tremendous amount of time that is spent viewing personal stories from other people’s lives, our perceptions of our relationship are changing as well. Social media sites like Tumblr are often used as a way to get to know a classmate, celebrity or crush. The reader may think he

or she knows the blogger well, but the problem is that the blogger-reader relationship is built on limited information and is one-sided. The blogger does not know who is reading his or her post. This anonymity can lead to infatuation with the blogger, as explained by Dr. Drew on his HLN show “Dr. Drew on Call.” When

STAFF EDITORIAL OPINION OF THE EL ESTOQUE EDITORIAL BOARD we know a person well, we may feel anything from admiration and love to hate and jealousy. Yet, any of these powerful emotions would usually require a more intimate relationship. The element of anonymity on Tumblr makes this impossible. The blogger-reader relationship becomes

destructive. The reader feels powerful emotions for a blogger whose online persona is not an accurate reflection of the real person. This is because people can easily choose how to portray themselves through what they write and the pictures they post. When someone looks through another’s Tumblr, he or she most likely learns something new about the person. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it is important to keep in mind that Tumblr makes it so only an aspect of a person is revealed. That is to say, the reader only experiences part of the bigger picture. One blogger fills her wall with artsy pictures of herself in cute outfits, with her hair done and her makeup flawless. In every picture she resembles a magazine model, smiling demurely and looking up from impossibly long lashes. Yet this is not the whole story, as she can pick the pictures which look best and only post pictures of herself when she put extra effort into her appearance. She does not look perfect every day of the year, but from looking at her Tumblr, you would never know. Another Tumblr user reblogs pictures of rainy window panes and cloudy skies. He also posts about all the difficult things EL ESTOQUE

that happen in his life. He rants about failing tests, relationships that are not working out and fights he has gotten into. In reality, however, he does not take the time to write the good things that occur because he uses his blog to vent about all the hard things. No matter the reason, the result is the same. The blogger comes off as a depressed person, when in reality he is not. Following a Tumblr is not the same as understanding the blogger on a deep and intimate level. If we forget this, there could be negative consequences. Since the blogger has the power to select what he or she posts on social media sites, the reader cannot develop a realistic perspective of the person based solely on the blog. These limited perspectives lead to rash judgments based on an incomplete and shallow understanding of another person. People pass judgment before they truly know a person. The opposite of passing incomplete

judgment is the empathy fostered by face-toface interactions — interactions Tumblr can inhibit. According to Dr. Paul Ekman, the author of “An Atlas of Emotions,” we can improve our ability to empathize by understanding a person’s facial expressions and posture. This is impossible to do on Tumblr and empathy is reduced, while judgment is simultaneously passed. Empathy is effective at getting rid of prejudice. Unfortunately, Tumblr makes it more difficult to empathize. In fact, it is a new avenue for passing judgment. Because Tumblr readers know only parts of a person, when judgment is passed on those parts, the perception they form of the blogger is often limited and skewed. Tumblr provides users with the ability to learn more about people who are interesting and perhaps unreachable outside of social media. However, it is not a substitute for authentic relationships. To maximize the benefits, while mitigating the drawbacks of Tumblr, it is important to keep in mind that what is seen is not the entirety of a person. It is the image an individual chooses to project. It is only a part of the whole.

OPINION

TUMBLR TALES senior

KAVYA RAMAN

If someone were to read your Tumblr, how would they describe you? “They would probably think I’m depressed, and that I have anger issues.”

senior

NORMAN MU

If someone read your Tumblr and wanted to talk to you in person, how would you recommend they approach you? “They should probably not mention that they read my Tumblr because that would bias my judgement of them.”

junior

DIVYA CHERUKURU

If someone were to read your Tumblr, how would they describe you?

I feel like they’d think I’m a really angry person. They’d think I really like black clothes, and they’d see what kind of music I like. Oh, and they’d think I like bunnies!

ika

b Am ey |

Dub El E ue stoq on rati

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NOVEMBER 20, 2013

OPINION

Express Yourselfie

Selfies provide simple, valuable means of documentation

lick through the photos on a friend’s smartphone, and you might see a few selfies before he or she yanks it away with a shout and a shove. By the time you recover from the concussion, it’ll become apparent that some people aren’t too proud of their photography habits. The term “selfie” was first popularized by MySpace users in the early 2000s, but self-portrait photographs have been common since the release of Kodak’s portable camera a hundred years earlier. According to an article by Pamela Rutledge, Ph.D, the Director of the Media Psychology Research Center, the impulse to document one’s appearance is hardly a trait unique to our technology-laden generation, but normal human behavior. And while pictures aren’t just for celebrating one’s appearance, it doesn’t hurt to look good in them. Taking your own pictures makes it easy to look the way you want, since selfies are a form of self-expression under one’s own terms: how to angle the camera, what to wear, how to smile. Photos can be cropped, put through colorful filters and edited. Unflattering ones are just deleted, never to see daylight or be spoken about again. This beautification might be self-indulgent, but it’s self-expression nonetheless. However serious or silly, a good selfie offers immediate gratification and complete control over how one is portrayed — a comfort that other photographers can’t provide.

BY CHRISTINE LIANG

The selfie’s transformation from helpful to destructive is only magnified by backlash: shame a person for being self-absorbed in their pictures and they become less likely to take them. Always feeling ashamed of and avoiding selfies could mean having no “good,” flattering pictures to look back on, and a future of tonly school portraits or embarrassing candids is a bleak one. Selfies shouldn’t be abused, and neither should the people who take them. A selfie can capture a special occasion or a time one felt attractive and confident. A cute outfit, smile or fun day out with friends can be captured and saved with the press of a button. Even the smallest moments can be casually captured in a controlled, flattering way, so why choose to regret staying behind the camera in the future when it’s become so easy to get in front of it? Selfies ought to serve as visual reminders of happy times, and if that means pursed ‘duck-lips’ or numerous filters, so be it. Selfie on, and don’t discourage others from doing the same.

A study done by Dr. David J. Houghton at the University of Birmingham found that sharing photos of oneself on social networking sites raises self-esteem, but sharing selfies in excess can be construed as vain and narcissistic by one’s peers. Many of these pictures are posted to Facebook or Instagram, accompanied with self-deprecating captions like “I’m so ugly!” or “Sorry for my face,” only to prompt others to insist on the opposite. Seeking validation is a normal, healthy habit, but not when it is taken so far as to put oneself down just to hear people say otherwise. Selfies ought to commemorate and celebrate one’s appearance, not perpetuate a culture of narcissism. What could be a celebration of one’s appearance becomes a way to fish for compliments. What should be empowering and satisfying becomes insincere and selfish.

c.liang@elestoque.org

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junior Jun Kim

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Brian Fan

Christine Liang | El Estoque Photo Illustra tion

I don’t really post m y pictures online, I’d just take one or tw o to change my profi le picture. sophomore Apanuba

“

Mahmood

EL ESTOQUE

LOST IN MEMORIZATION

Memorization may secure good grades in foreign language classes, but context facilitates understanding BY ALINA ABIDI

ath homework is hard to fake. There are answers to the odd-numbered questions in the back of the textbook, but for most assignments, a few lines of work and occasionally a diagram are required for each problem. There is no math workbook with fill-in-the-blank drawings and matching games that students can fill out during lunch with a list of formulas open next to them. Math homework is difficult to complete without general understanding, but the same cannot be said of foreign language. Scribbling answers into a Bienvenidos or Bon Voyage workbook right before class will earn students full credit on their homework for the day, but completing assignments should not be the goal. Memorization may result in good grades, but rote learning reduces the long-term benefits present in immersion language learning. Immersion is all about context. If reading a flash card with a foreign word on one side and its English equivalent on the other is memorization, immersion would be reading the word in a sentence. While flipping through flash cards is fine practice before a test, context builds a solid foundation to speak and understand the language. “When we’re learning, using context is extremely important because that’s how we learned our first language,” French teacher Melanie Barker-Lhomme said. “When we’re

babies, we pick up words because they’re creases job opportunities to include careers relevant and we associate them with an ex- in communication such as travel and tourperience or a need.” ism, and careers in the global job market. A Foreign language classes also expose 2005 MIT study reported that college gradustudents to culture ates who speak a secand customs that ond language earn 2.8 Immersion is all about context. If readthey otherwise percent more than those ing a flash card with a foreign word on might not see. who only speak one. one side and its English equivalent on Culture proA major issue with the other is memorization, immersion vides a backmemorization is viewis reading the word in a sentence. ground for learning other languages as ing vocabulary, a translation of English. In Spanish, ENCERRAR means TO ENCLOSE. which aids in They are not. There TIP: Running of the Bulls, ENCIERRO in Spanish, is immersion and are nuances and disu n d e r s t a n d i ng. tinctions in different a festival in which bulls are enclosed on a path. When Spanish stulanguages that are not dents learn about exact translations and Encierro, Running of the Bulls, they will form cannot be translated as so. a connection and better remember the verb “L’esprit de l’escalier” is a French term encerrar, to enclose. that describes thinking of the perfect comeFurthermore, language-learning — an- back too late. This directly translates to other primary objective of these classes — “staircase wit”, and while we can imagine involves looking at complete ideas rather someone walking down stairs after an arguthan individual words. The skills that we ment, the idiom is unique to the language. learn in these classes should be applicable Practicing dialogues and orals may seem to any other language we choose to learn. like more work than blindly copying vocabuWhen students learn effectively by studying lary words, but we should pause to realize sentences as a whole, the ability to converse and appreciate the long-term benefits of imwill follow. mersion in foreign language classes, rather Colleges require or recommend a few than the short-term benefits of remembering years of a language, but fluency can be ben- words for an assessment. eficial long after graduation. Bilingualism ina.abidi@elestoque.org

immerse

6 WAYS TO ACTIVELY ENGAGE IN LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE YOURSELF

NOVEMBER 20, 2013

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WATCH TELEVISION SHOWS

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OPINION

THE INNER JERK You have it. I have it. We all have it. Everybody has an inner JERK. It’s impossible to be a nice person all the time.

But if you claim that you donate to charity, volunteer and have rescued a deaf and blind man from drowning, then I guess you are a nice ...

... a very nice JERK.

no monkey business

SHUYI QI

However, all the nearby grocery stores were either out of the pie or only had a weird version. That’s When I finally found a Perfect! good one, I headed to the lady’s house.

I told her that I’ll bring my favorite kind of pie: pumpkin pie.

Last Thanksgiving, I was invited to dinner by an old family friend who I’ve always considered to be a very kind lady.

searching for this.

Um ... Where is the pie?

Hungry for some pie, I sat down and … there was no pie.

After dinner … We’re going to have it afterwards! You don’t have dessert first!

That night, I ended up taking the entire thing home. This “nice” lady is a jerk and she doesn’t even know it!

Oh you You wouldn’t didn’t believe it, I have to! spent an hour

So the pie ... We’re all full! We can’t possibly eat any of the pie! But you can have some if you want!

Anybody who thinks of I mean Just Himself as a “nice” person is eat the damn in denial. Everybody has an pie! inner jerk.

s.qi@elestoque.org NOVEMBER 20, 2013

A&E

logging in Certain social media platforms â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Snapchat, Instagram and Tumblr amongst others â&#x20AC;&#x201D; are popular among our students. Yet there are some platforms trending almost everywhere but MVHS. Why do we use what we use? What keeps us from using other platforms? Log in to find out.

ENTER

Kathleen Yuan| El Estoque Photo Illustration

NOVEMBER 20, 2013

A&E

Who let the blogs out? RHONDA MAK

r.mak@elestoque.org

Q&A with Tumblr famous junior Rikki Lee

Students utilize blogging site for inspiration, writing and everything in between Regardless of where you are on campus, chances are the person next to you has a Tumblr blog. The blogging website, which allows users to set up a customizable blog for free, has become widespread amongst MVHS students. The website allows one to “follow” other blogs, which enables them to see content the blogs they follow post. Users can also “reblog” others’ posts to show up on their own blog. Let’s get personal / thesesaremyrhea-lthoughts.tumblr.com Most students’ blogs, unlike those previously stated, do not fall into one sole category. Instead, they are an amalgam of their interests, creating an online presence for themselves: the “personal” blog. “My blog isn’t really [based on] one thing,” junior Rhea Choudhury said. “But I reblog stuff that captures my interest, so it ends up being a lot of fruits, a lot of people running and a lot of funny text posts. It’s like my brain on the Internet.” Don’t forget to write! / writersyoga.tumblr.com Others use Tumblr to serve the community. Junior Samantha Shieh runs a submission-based creative writing blog managed by herself and a few other friends to improve their writing skills. “We would all get really out of shape in writing between projects,” Shieh said. “And when we would get back to it, we’d SAY, ‘Wait, I suck now. We wanted to keep something that was a running practice.” Each week, Shieh posts a tutorial on a certain element of writing –– plot, character, description –– and a corresponding prompt. Followers can respond with written submissions, which Shieh and her fellow blog administrators publish on a regular basis. I’m your biggest fan! / outside-town.tumblr.com Still other students use Tumblr to post about things they are fans of, called fandom blogs. People who run fandom blogs often form their own fandom communities, where they can all share their likes and dislikes about the media they’re fans of. “I feel like there’s a different fandom community on Tumblr than outside of Tumblr,” senior Stuti Arora said. “There are One Direction jokes that happen on Tumblr and I’ll be telling it to one of my friends who doesn’t have a Tumblr and she just won’t get it.” Interactions within fandom communities aren’t always sunshine and rainbows, though. Some members of fandoms tend to take things too far, claiming that whatever they are fans of is the be-all, end-all best. Thus, “fandom wars” break out. “I think it’s ridiculous when they look down on someone because of what they like.” Arora said. “Whatever, it makes me happy. Why do you care?” Nevertheless, Tumblr still serves as a place for people with the same interests to mingle and communicate with one and another.

by Kathleen Yuan El Estoque: Do you consider yourself “Tumblr famous” ? Rikki Lee (5000+ followers): To me, being “Tumblr famous” isn’t a matter of numbers. It’s mainly how much you interact with the people on Tumblr and how many people actually know you. EE: What would you classify your blog as? RL: I think it’s more urban. I focus on a lot of modern things, like cities and interior design. … I guess I’m just more attracted to it because I grew up in [New York]. EE: How long have you been running your blog, and why did you start blogging? RL: Since eighth grade. This sounds really bad, but at first it was the “mainstream” thing to do, but I actually got really into it and Tumblr ended up being really meaningful to me. It’s like my baby.

Rikki Lee ree-kee.tumblr.com

43%

PERCENT OF STUDENTS SURVEYED HAD A TUMBLR ACCOUNT Kathleen Yuan | El Estoque Photo Illustration

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A&E

ME, MY SELFIE AND I However, a ‘selfie’ may be more than just a face

BY ANJALI BHAT

Catherine Lockwood | El Estoque

SNAPPING AND CHATTING Seniors Samir Akre (above), Kushal Pradhan and freshman Nadia Hyder enjoy themselves at a selfie “photo shoot.” Some students find selfies to be a fun way to share memories with friends.

ive or more selfies a day. Selfie videos she looks particularly pretty. She uses selfon weekends. Selfie battles with friends. ies more for her own enjoyment and will only Selfie photo shoots at parties. Selfies at occasionally share her photographs on Facesleepovers. Selfies at the library. Selfies in book or Instagram. Hyder does not think that the bathroom. Selfies at home. For senior every experience needs to be documented. Kushal Pradhan, there are hardly any bad And according to comments on an Octimes to take a selfie. tober 2013 article from The Atlantic titled With the evolution of the front-facing “Selfies at Funerals,” others agree. The articamera, it has become ever so easy cle revealed a blog, selfiesatto snap a photo of yourself –– now funerals.tumblr.com, that commonly called a “selfie” –– and compiled Instagram photos upload it onto one or more various people had taken at funerof students take social media platforms. There’s no selfies regularly als. Most captions described doubt that selfies have become a how the user felt about an cornerstone of millennial culture. outfit or appearance. A few Joel Stein of TIME magazine commenters did not conseems to say that we millennials of students who share demn the behavior, but othare shallow and obsessed with our- selfies say that likes ers said they were appalled. selves in his May 2013 article “The make them feel more Junior Ruta Joshi feels confident Me Me Me Generation.” He even that if selfies are routinely to 265 online presents data from the National *According shared on social media, peosurvey respondents Institutes of Health: compared to ple may develop a depenmembers of a generation who are dence on others’ approval now 65 or older, the occurrence of of their selfies, eventually narcissistic personality disorder is now three leading to a weakened sense of self-esteem times as high for young people. about their appearance. In a February 2013 But Pradhan, who is confident in himself article titled “The Social Psychology of a and his personality, does not see his selfies Selfie” on Mashable, Dr. Andrea Lemantadi as narcissism — they are a form of self-ex- of UCLA says that our ability to interact with pression and entertainment. thousands of people through social media “With selfies, it doesn’t matter how good has strengthened the impact these people you look or how bad you look,” Pradhan have on self-value. said. “I just take selfies to show what I’m “I have a friend who changes her [Facefeeling that day.” book] profile picture at least twice a week When freshman Nadia Hyder takes a and they’re always selfies,” Joshi said. “Evselfie — about twice a week — she thinks ery time she posts a picture, she’ll be like,

58%

25%

SELFIE STATS

Catherine Lockwood | El Estoque

‘How do I look?’ and wait for the string of comments from people saying ‘You look good.’ I think she has a lack of self-esteem, and selfies are the result of the problem.” However, in an April 2013 article titled “#Selfies: Narcissism or Self-Exploration?” from Psychology Today, Dr. Pamela Rutledge of the Massachusetts Institute of Psychology claims that taking selfies can even be a good thing. She believes the selfie trend has become so pervasive because it is normalizing, celebrating the appearance of “regular people” instead of supermodels. In just two weeks, senior Samir Akre took selfies with over 400 students, both at school and at local conventions. Not all of them were friends and none of them were famous, but all of them were “regular people” –– he was on a mission to photograph as many of these normal people as possible. Rutledge also claims that selfies give us a way to create a narrative through photographs of ourselves, because we are able to mentally revisit the context of a photograph and any emotions or experiences that came with it. This is true for Akre, who used selfies as a way to meet people within a large group and will keep them to remember his experiences in the community. “There’s nothing bad about taking a selfie just of yourself,” Akre said. “But it’s so fun to take it with your friends or other people. No one should be excluded from a selfie.” a.bhat@elestoque.org EL ESTOQUE

no birds twittering Why the world’s a-Twitter but we’re not BY SOPHIA TAO

pdating statuses. Instagramming. SnapDua believes Twitter isn’t popular with chatting. Reblogging. One medium is high schoolers in general because of its visumissing: tweetal format. He says that ing. Even hashtags, social networking which Twitter made sites based on photogpopular, are prevaraphy, like Instagram, lent in the online and are more popular than verbal conversation at Twitter because it is MVHS. However, very text-based. few students actively “Not a lot of high use Twitter itself. schoolers end up usBut according to ing Twitter because Piper Jaffray’s semiof the interface,” Dua annual report on said. “High schoolers American teen habdon’t have the interest @sophomore Jonathan Hsu its, which gathers inin writing 140 characformation from approximately 8,560 teens ters … You can post pictures on Twitter but in diverse areas, Twitter has become the I think Instagram and Snapchat have a more most important social media site for teens. exclusive idea of having just pictures.” Facebook has dropped in popularity, from 42 percent last fall to 23 percent this fall. Instagram has risen from 12 percent to 23 percent. Twitter leads at 26 percent — an interesting contrast to the MVHS student population. Only 1 percent use Twitter the most, according to a survey of 265 students. 58 percent of students use Facebook the most out of social media. Sophomore Jonathan Hsu has zero tweets and four followers — but follows 58 other Twitter users. Hsu uses Twitter as a way to keep up with his favorite YouTubers and celebrities, including Jack Harries and Ellen Degeneres. However, he still finds Facebook more convenient than Twitter. “[Facebook has] the class groups and it’s a lot easier for photos … We have a lot of events and 140 characters isn’t enough sometimes,” Hsu said. “I don’t think we really have a use for Twitter because everybody’s always studying. There’s really not that much stuff that people would use it for. I think Facebook’s good enough.” Senior Archit Dua has a grand total of two tweets. Currently following 59 others, Dua created his account about five years ago to follow his interests, including athletes and celebrities. He doesn’t tweet but uses it now to follow industries and the news, which he says Twitter is good for.

140 CHARACTERS ISN’T ENOUGH SOMETIMES ... I THINK FACEBOOK’S GOOD ENOUGH.

Senior Alana Lee, with over 7,000 tweets, has a different story. One of the 4 percent at MVHS who actively uses Twitter, Lee created an account to keep up with her friends from other schools. She says at first she didn’t get the point of Twitter, but after trying it out, found that she liked it. Lee suggests the fact that she didn’t come from Lawson Middle School or Kennedy Middle School as a possible reason why she and her friends from other schools use Twitter much more. “I think more people should get a Twitter,” Lee said. “People always criticize you for putting things on Facebook, but I always see people putting their feelings on Twitter. It’s for putting exactly what you’re feeling at the moment, so no one hates on it.” s.tao@elestoque.org

DO YOU HAVE A TWITTER ACCOUNT? AND I 4% YES, USE IT OFTEN

24%

YES, BUT NOT OFTEN

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NOVEMBER 20, 2013

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NO*

Kat hl

72%

*From an online survey of 265 respondents.

A&E

INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN guilty A. Yes, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. B. Yes, but I duck and cover. C. No, I’m always taking notes.

2. My friends know about all of my hobbies. A. Yes, even the hobbies that people might consider out-ofthe-ordinary. B. No, I keep a couple to myself. C. No, I have no hobbies.

BY HARINI SHYAMSUNDAR

or some, a guilty pleasure is equivalent to obsessively following a TV show or belting out karaoke when their parents aren’t at home. For others, the term “guilty pleasure” has a milder connotation, with the “guiltiness” referring to the idea that these students feel most comfortable pursuing these activities when they are alone. With Thanksgiving break right around the corner, students are ready to indulge in the activities that bring them the most happiness. Here are some students that have gotten aheadstart. Who: Junior Vishalrathna Nagar What: Doodling in the margins Harini Shyamsundar | El Estoque

3. When I have some extra time, my mind always jumps to one activity in particular. A. Yes, and I try to get other people interested in what I want to do. B. Yes, but I make sure people don’t know what I want to do. C. No, I never have extra time. 4. After reading this story, I felt that I could relate to what students had to say. A. Yes, and I discussed it with my friends. B. Yes, but I was too embarrassed to talk about it. C. No, I didn’t read the story.

Why: “I kind of grew into it. I [draw] whenever I can, and sometimes I really can’t help it. I drew on my dad’s office papers when I was little.” The Guilt: “Because I prefer to draw than to listen to a lecture.”

Mostly A’s: You have a quirky indulgence, but at least you own up to it. Don’t worry, your friends will love you nonetheless. Mostly B’s: You are an in-thecloset fanatic. You enjoy a certain TV show, band, or activity which you aren’t very open about.

instagram CHALLENGE

Embrace your guilty pleasure! Instagram a picture of yourself indulging and tag @elestoque. Include #EEguiltypleasures in your description.

Why: “Over the summer, I found ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ on Netflix and I watched all of the episodes in a month. Then I watched it again, and again, and I can’t stop, and it’s a problem. Like, I even changed my computer screensaver to a picture of the cast of ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’” The Guilt: “Instead of studying, I’ll watch it. Then I’ll feel bad about it. But I’ll do it again anyway.”

Who: Sophomore Joseph Hsiung What: Singing when he’s alone

Who: Senior Tanya Rios What: Astrology Anjali Bhat | El Estoque

Mostly C’s: Hmm, you don’t seem to have a guilty pleasure ... jokes, you’re just in denial. Embrace whatever it is you love to do. It might be fun to share it with the world.

Who: Sophomore Alyssa O’Neill What: “Grey’s Anatomy” Kathleen Yuan | El Estoque

1. In between classes or homework assignments, a certain something distracts me from what I am supposed to be doing.

Coming clean about hidden crazes, favorite obsessions

Why: “[I enjoy] researching every single sign and the way people behave, depending on their sign.” The Guilt: “I know that not a lot of people believe in this stuff. I mean, I try to prove them wrong, obviously. I usually ask them what their sign is, and if they don’t know, I’ll try and explain it to them.”

Kathleen Yuan | El Estoque

DO YOU HAVE A GUILTY PLEASURE?

Why: “Music just sounds good.” The Guilt: “I just feel like it’s more about singing for myself, and not for others. And, in the end, that’s what a guilty pleasure is all about.”

h.shyamsundar@elestoque.org EL ESTOQUE

NO HAIR, SHOULDN’T CARE Why I should have short hair, but don’t

Kathleen Yuan | El Estoque Photo Illustration

hen I was little, my parents cut off my hair. Well okay, maybe they didn’t do the deed themselves, but they did take me to some lady who knew her way around a pair of scissors, plopped me down in a chair and gave the orders for my long, beautiful hair to be chopped off, leaving what is now fondly referred to in my household as “the mushroom cut.” out of the “The mushroom cut” was hideous, and the first thing my male classmates did when I ran to the playground before class was introduce themselves, riding up on their red and yellow tricycles. Naturally, I was confused — in a class of 15, we all knew the names of each other’s dogs, never mind our own. So I looked at them, giggled, and sure that they were playing a trick on me asked them who they

thought I was, the smile slipping off my face when they replied. “You’re the new boy in class, right? My name is Brandon, and here’s Aditya and over there’s Samuel. You can play with us if you want.” To put it lightly, what followed was a dark, dark day full of accusations and tears, and screaming fits and empty threats, and a vow to never ever let my parents dictate the length of my hair again. blue In the meantime, I decided to wear my frilliest, pinkest party dress at my upcoming fifth birthday party to establish my gender once and for all. Considering that everyone attending was at least aware of my status as a female, the gesture probably didn’t accomplish much more than the capture of several photos that now must be burned for the good of society at large. But 10 years later, with hair that now

MAYA MURTHY

NOVEMBER 20, 2013

reaches mid-back, I’m wondering when the length of my hair got to decide my gender for me. God knows most days it’s piled on the top of my head anyways at 7:20 in the morning. A decision between a brush and breakfast always has me spending my precious minutes with my toast and milk before running out the door ready to apologize profusely to my math teacher. Chopping off the mass attached to my scalp would do at least four good things for me — less time washing and conditioning, less time drying, less time detangling, less time angsting over the bad hair days that never seem to end. I don’t wear skirts, or makeup on days that my picture won’t be taken. I put on nail polish to pass the time, and also because when I’m really nervous I bite my nails. I don’t have a boyfriend, and I’m pretty sure that I don’t even want one, what with the drama that seems to follow every single couple on campus. On paper, I should have no problems with embracing the freedoms a renewal of the (in)famous pixie cut should offer because looking like a boy at first glance isn’t a life changing problem anymore. If the idiots can’t tell that I’m a girl, it just means that they haven’t looked at me for more than, oh, five seconds. Not on my list of opinions I care about. And even then, plenty of beautiful, skirt wearing makeup users have short hair and look incredibly feminine while doing so. Emma Watson, for one. Along with Audrey Hepburn, Halle Berry, Anne Hathaway and, well, the list could probably go on forever but my parents aren’t too impressed with all of the online tabloids I’ve been reading lately. Your gender is not tied up with the length of your hair, even if it takes more than a glance to prove it. But even after I’ve laid out all of these fantastic reasons to go and get a brand new haircut, my hands are still tugging on a strand of hair that’s escaped the mess on top of my head. It reaches the desk I do my work on, and represents everything I thought I ever wanted at age five. I’m almost 16, but on days like this, I’m not all that sure if I really ever stopped being that kid who cried for hours in front of a mirror that gave her the image of a boy instead of the girl she knew she was. m.murthy@elestoque.org 23

OCT 26 contact

artclass70@gmail.com or 408-234-6933

for registration or more information

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SPECIAL

pg. 26-27

EXPLORATION

pg. 29

CRAFT

pg. 31

HISTORY

pg. 32-33

EVERYTHING

Kristin Chang, Jennifer Lee, Yuna Lee and Kathleen Yuan | El Estoque Illustration

NOVEMBER 20, 2013

SPECIAL

Steven’s Creek County Park

way from the hustle and bustle of traffic and schools, the Cupertino hills are lush with low-hanging canopies and winding dirt trails. Dusty paths lead to a leaf-littered ground, all with a birds-eye view of the city. The hills are Cupertino’s backyard: always open for play and ready to be explored. Past the perfectly trimmed lawns and 5 p.m. traffic,

gaping ravines and dry riverbeds go on for miles. Visitor centers are located along trails, offering maps and assistance for hikers. Entering the hills is surreal, like crossing imaginary city lines; it’s easy to forget that trees exist naturally and that Steven’s Creek is the name of an actual river, not a road. The fresh air provides an opportunity to study, exercise or snap a few artsy photos. Either way, it’s worth the drive if you’re tired of Rancho San Antonio or if you want to blot out your house with your own thumb.

Batah Brother’s Liquor Store & Minimart

verything about the store is a little aged, a little faded and a little worn. Yet it is more than just another convenience store at another congested intersection; the shop, since the 1950s, has been a part of the Batah family heritage. “Batah Brothers — since 1976,” reads a retro white sign at the corner of the lot. The building itself looks like an aging barn, painted the color of rust. Worn paper signs are taped to the windows, and the interior is an eclectic collage of bottles, colorful labels and wooden shelves. “You gotta look at my wines,” George Batah, owner of the store, said. “The really good ones are right here, come look, come look.” He gestures at the rack with a flourish. It’s a small space, but it’s crammed. The

wine bottles are lined up with the labels pointing out, and above them, a panel along the top of the wall is plastered with handmade drawings and chipped vineyard signs. Checkered vinyl lines the floor, mimicking the 1950s style. A square black television sits behind the glass counters, with black-and-white staticky security footage playing atop the haphazard shelves. There is even an ATM in one corner, the dashboard above labeled “Mini Money Machine.” George Batah and his friend behind the counter, John Mustard, chat with customers and hum along with ‘60s songs playing on the radio. In a city considered the center of technological innovation, it’s surprising to see the past so perfectly preserved.

EL ESTOQUE

Bowhunters Unlimited

few miles to the west of MVHS, a small archery range sits nestled among the yellow hills of Cupertino. It’s quiet. Occasionally, the silence is broken by a twang followed by a firm thud as an arrow hits a bale of hay. Every five minutes or so, the archers join in a chorus of “Clear!”s before collecting their arrows. Forty years ago, “Grandpa Jared” donated 25 acres of land to the creation of Bowhunters Unlimited. The serenity creates an optimal location for archers to find their state of perfect concentration. But the best part? It’s completely free. And every first Sunday of the month, the staff gives free lessons to anyone willing to learn. Russ Hill, a regular of 10 years, now runs the ranch.

“When I first found this beautiful place, I came every day for two years,” Hill said. “But I couldn’t shoot all 30 targets without stopping and fixing something [ on the course]. My goal was to be able to shoot without having to stop and fix things … and after ten years, I’m still fixing stuff. Now I’m the range captain.” His trailer is a dusty shed for the ranch equipment. Above the trailer entrance, a sign reads, “Come shoot your dinner! November 16.” Each month, the staff also hosts a shoot with 28 targets and plenty of prizes. This month, it’s a turkey shoot. Hill gestures at the worn stuffed geese, paper-mache moose and fabric animals lining the walls of the trailer. “Invite your school up to the shoot!” Hill said, eyes lit with excitement. “I’ll get some bows and give you all free lessons.”

Homestead Lanes Bowling Alley

H BY KRISTIN CHANG AND YUNA LEE PHOTOGRAPHY BY YUNA LEE

We made a bet: pick any point in Cupertino, and you will find something interesting. We were right.

eman Childs first brought his granddaughter to the bowling alley when she was only two months old. “She can beat me pretty well now,” Childs said. He smiles down at his now 11-year-old granddaughter, Melanie Katen, a four-time Northern California all-star bowling champion following in her grandpa’s footsteps. “He doesn’t bowl as much anymore,” Katen said. “But he’s always here.” Her grandfather runs the bowling supply store at Homestead Lanes, where he has been maintaining equipment and resurfacing balls for 20 years. “I’m the guy behind the scenes,” Childs said. “I [love] bowling … and I love helping people who bowl.” His backroom smells like clay and glue, and the carpet is worn with the weight of decades of bowling balls and shoes. Just past the window, the bowling lanes are teeming with people trying to escape the Friday night doldrums. Childs stands over a sink, the counter clustered with customer forms, his granddaughter leaning against the counter with a teammate from her bowling league. Her grandfather taught her how to bowl before she could even

remember, and she is used to ma nning the counter and c l e a n i ng the racks. “Bowling’s in the family,” Childs said. “[This] place is like a second home.” Katen smiles at her grandfather, who smiles back and asks if she is done bowling for the night. She nods. “My favorite part about bowling is hitting strikes,” she said. Her grandfather laughed. At the front of the shop, a man in red bowling shoes enters. “Are you that guy on Yelp? Are you the guy?” he asked. “People on Yelp have been talking about a bowling ball master….are you him?” he asked. Childs looks modestly uncertain. “Well, I can try to help you out.”

k.chang@elestoque.org | y.lee@elestoque.org NOVEMBER 20, 2013

by Tanisha Dasmunshi and Neha Ramchandani

Was Cupertino always perceived as ‘boring’? MVHS alumni from the past three decades share their experiences growing up in Cupertino Gail Nordby, Class of ‘78

Helene Davis, Class of ‘75 Shari D’Epiro, Class of ‘79

“We didn’t really think Cupertino was boring,” said alumna Gail Nordby, junior Kevin Nordby’s mother. Nordby remembers cheering for MVHS during all of the football and basketball games. “What mattered was where your friends were,” Nordby said. “It’s not very different from now — you just get together with your friends and have fun.” Similarly, Cupertino Historical Society volunteer and alumna Helene Davis

Calvin Wong, Class of ‘99

claimed that her friends did not particularly care that Cupertino had few social events. Davis, who is a selfproclaimed outdoor person, spent her time with the now-defunct MVHS Rock and Soul club as they hiked up to viewpoints. “We spent a lot of time just hanging out,” Davis said. “Teenagers were more about finding themselves [back then].”

1970s

1980s

“I think Cupertino is … pretty exciting,” choir teacher Shari D’Epiro said. “[My friends and I] would bike around the city, and during the weekends, we would go do parkour at De Anza College.” Parkour, a sport in which people had to run and overcome obstacles at different stations, is no longer popular in Cupertino but she participated in currently existing activities as well. D’Epiro would head Attendance Accounting Specialist Calvin Wong and his friends spent many evenings at Homestead Lanes, dropping pins for a dollar or two, or at Donut Wheel, the only 24 hour spot in Cupertino. “We just did the typical teenager things, complaining at the same time that Cupertino was very boring,” he said. The lack of a local movie theater meant that he and his friends would trek out to the old Century Dome theaters —

out to Rancho San Antonio Park and take walks along the scenic trails.

According to D’Epiro, stuudents’ schedules today are too overwhelmed with after school activities or restrictive parents to allow for that kind of enjoyment. “We had a lot of free, unstructured time,” D’Epiro said. “Kids [now] … don’t play as freely as they used to.”

“which are now probably considered ancient relics” — and leave Cupertino for San Jose’s downtown. Wong was part of a generation in which teenagers felt discontent with Cupertino’s offerings because their definition of recreational activities became focused more indoors. “We were a lot more limited then,” Wong said. “You should consider yourselves lucky.”

1990s

Jennifer Lee | El Estoque Photo Illustration Jennifer Lee | El Estoque Illustration

t.dasmunshi@elestoque.org | n.ramchandani@elestoque.org NOVEMBER 20, 2013

Who says you can’t have fun in your own backyard? Three students describe how they keep themselves entertained in the comfort of their own homes BY ASHMITA CHAKRABORTY AND RUBA SHAIK

For junior Kalpana Prasad, white walls are all the rage, because Prasad is a muralist and her backyard walls are her canvas. Prasad began painting the panels of her mural six years ago. She started with a portrait of an orange sunset against a sea blue background and has since added five more panels to her collection. From the beginning it’s been about the bonding that spending hours painting the wall entails. Prasad, who claims her family has their fair share of arguments, has found that “out here we don’t fight because we’re actually doing stuff.”

Junior Kalpana Prasad stands in front of her six panel mural in her backyard. Prasad is currently working on her sixth and final panel — a mock up of Claude Monet’s famous painting, Venice in Twilight.

Colin Ni | El Estoque

Junior Karen Xu feeds her three-year old chicken Jalepeño a cranberry. Xu has raised Jalapeño and her other chicken, Kevin, since they were two weeks old. “Most people think Kevin is a boy, but she’s actually a girl,” junior Karen Xu said, laughing. Xu is talking about one of her pet chickens, which she named after her favorite character in Pixar’s “Up.” Xu credits her quirky choice in pets to her sister, who was inspired by a friend who owned chickens. Because many people don’t know much about chickens, such as the fact that they can fly, Xu says visitors exhibit varying degrees of surprise and curiosity when they see her chickens for the first time. “People around here have very little understanding of chickens, and it’s funny watching people meet my chickens,” she said. “They freak out when they see mine fly, thinking that the chickens are about to fly over the roof. Their reactions are priceless.” a.chakraborty@elestoque.org|r.shaik@elestoque.org NOVEMBER 20, 2013

Ruba Shaik| El Estoque

Senior Anika Ullah sits on her top of her roof. She frequently goes up there to escape the hustle of everyday life.

Ruba Shaik| El Estoque

Senior Anika Ullah spends just as much time on her roof as she does under it. With her room on the second floor, Ullah simply props open her window and climbs out. Ullah discovered the workspace more than four years ago and has since made it resemble a backyard, complete with a patio table, tropishade and chair, just all on her roof. Ullah admits that her unconventional hideout startles some people. Especially the scene of a table on a roof. “I’ll be on my roof and people will drive or walk by and they’ll be going about their business and they’ll glance up and double take, especially at night,” said Ullah. 31

SPECIAL

Jennifer Lee | El Estoque photo illustration

Photos and story by Kristin Chang with additional reporting by Tanisha Dasmunshi

Community, diversity converge at De Anza Flea Market

Jennifer Lee | El Estoque photo illustration

EL ESTOQUE

“Fifty! Fifty! It’s fifty!” “No, no! I’m only taking it if it’s forty.” “It’s fifty!” “Fifty? Well, that’s just a crime!” The woman huffs and scurries back into the crowd, tugging a stroller of empty birdcages, watches and ivory-handled daggers. People of all ages wander among gardens of lacquered wood, foggy glass and cast iron, their foldable carts ready to be filled. Each object has a history — a past of a past of a past. And like their owners, no two objects are ever alike. At the De Anza College flea market, held on the first Saturday of every month, vendors treat their merchandise as artifacts of lost decades — nostalgia and memories captured by a broken chair or a cracked clock. A tight-knit community bearing bad weather and poor sales, they are committed to expressing the eccentricities of life through everyday objects. “Every [city] is defined by things,” vendor Jackson Pennet said. “People pay a lot of money for the past. You see all of this, all of my stuff? They’ve all got stories to tell. So who’s gonna tell ‘em? Who? Are you gonna let history go in the trash?” He shakes his head and continues to mend the handle of a ceramic teapot, turning the mug over and pointing at four words written along the rim. “To mama. So sorry.” Its price tag reads “Fifty cents. Is not new.” “See that? That’s a story,” Pennet said. As a flea market veteran of 40 years, Pennet has sold all types of ceramic products, from broken dolls to tea caddies. “The De Anza flea market has always been the best. I’ve sold books for about 30 years, and this is the only market I come to,”

thing broken or damaged into an heirloom. “I bought a clock made in 1906 here and I fixed it up. And now it’s worth a thousand bucks. I only paid $25 for it,” Bear said. “There is no greater thrill than this: It was in such bad shape before, cracked glass and everything, and now I can give it to my kids.” “Metaphysical? You want to know what metaphysical means?” vendor Henry Pikoos said, gesturing with his hands. “It’s amazing. It means something that’s there, but it’s not there...It means we can trace back the history of the world just by looking at stones,” he said. Pikoos stands amidst his personal quarry, jagged purple amethyst lined up on one side and dishes of clover-shaped quartz on the other. “A lot of people come and see me, and they say ‘I’ve got a problem with my back, I’ve been taking medication and nothing’s h el p i ng ! ’ ” Pikoos said. Customers linger behind pendulum displays and pause to listen. “And I say, ‘I’ve got a stone for maybe three or five dollars and it might be good for you. Stop taking the medicine and take a stone,” Pikoos said. “People of course don’t believe. But I say, ‘It’s not about believing.’ It’s about feeling.” Pikoos explains that he had been battling a sore throat for nearly eight months. After a combination of antibiotics and antihistamines, Pikoos’ miracle cure came in the form of a circular pendant, speckled blue and white. “It’s azurite with malachite, which people say is the vendor John Bear crystal for respiratory problems. I’ve had it on for three weeks now, and I haven’t coughed yet!” Pikoos said. He cups the pendant in his hands, faithful despite people’s skepticism. “It’s like asking if there is a God. I don’t know, no one knows. But it’s like there’s something there,” Pikoos said. “I mean, look at what the crystals are telling us. They know. They know that we are coming to the end of time, the end of the world.” To him, crystals are not merely shiny baubles or pretty jewelry. They are a powerful way to gauge the world. “There is so much we do not know,” he said. “But don’t you feel the energy in crystals? Isn’t that why we’re drawn to them?” He is interrupted by a wide-eyed bystand-

NOVEMBER 20, 2013

One row away and three stalls down are father-daughter vendor team Roger and Carrie Judd. Shopping at flea markets was an essential part of their childhoods, and now they return to a familiar world. “I always just liked stuff when I was growing up. I loved treasure and treasurehunting, and my dad had a furniture store up in Campbell in the late ‘50s. I was always in-

We’re all just passing down history.

Meeting people is what matters. vendor John Bear said. “To tell the truth, today is not such a good day. But that matters less. Meeting people is what matters.” Despite the struggles of the recession, Bear continues to be a part of the vendor community, where making money is not always the best kind of success. “I’ve been coming here for eight, ten years,” customer Al Mattel said. “If John’s here, I’m here.” He met Bear at a flea market nearly a decade ago, and since then, they’ve maintained their friendship beyond the market. Mattel explains that he has always been drawn to old timepieces. To him, the flea market is an opportunity not only for profit, but for the satisfaction of restoring some-

er, who balances a square black pendant on the palm of his hand. “Well, what does this one mean?” customer Roque Cervantes said. “Ah. This is onyx…” Pikoos rifles through a dog-eared book. “Good for times of pain or sorrow…” Cervantes is skeptical and asks whether these so-called properties are simply a matter of faith. Pikoos answers with a single word: “Maybe.”

vendor Roger Judd trigued,” Roger Judd said. “And when I was 18, I refurbished my first chair. That was it.” His daughter Carrie has been aiding him for the past two years, traversing the Bay Area with hundreds of pounds of dishware in the back of their van. “I grew up on flea markets and garage sales,” Carrie said. “I feel like I’ve been doing this my whole life.” On the Judds’ tables, the past is arranged like a calendar of objects: jug from the ‘60s, dish from the ‘80s, teacup from last week. “Think about it this way: we all like to keep old things,” Roger said. “Our grandmothers kept old things, too, and their grandmothers kept things as well. This is history.” He gestures at his inventory, at the stalls that stretch across the De Anza parking lot, each boasting a unique collection of objects. Sometimes damaged but always beloved. “You see? All of these objects, even everyday objects, are part of our history,” Judd said. “We’re all just passing down history.” Behind booths of fading antiques, there are people with histories as diverse as their merchandise. Local mystics, retired school teachers, professional knife-handle makers: they all gather at the Saturday market with their children and friends, exchanging stories as easily as goods. “Kids think Cupertino is boring? Well, of course they do,” vendor Judy Garcia said. “You know, they just need to get out of the house...and meet us!” 11

SPORTS

GAMES Sept. 6 vs. Overfelt High School

42-13

WIN 40-14

Sept. 13 vs. Sequoia High School

LOSS 29-22

Sept. 20 vs. Westmont High School

LOSS

Sept. 27 vs. Fremont High School

FOOTBALL THE Mihir Joshi | El Estoque

The first game of the season against Overfelt High School marked an unexpected start for the Matador offense. Head coach Jeffrey Mueller expressed his concern about getting the offense into its rhythm, especially with the numbered summer practices. However, the team put up 363 yards of offense on the ground, led by senior Justin Cena who rushed for 221 yards and four touchdowns.

42-8

WIN

Oct. 4 vs. Homestead High School

24-14

WIN Colin Ni | El Estoque

Oct. 11 vs. Lynbrook High School

Oct. 18 vs. Cupertino High School

Oct. 25 vs. Los Altos High School

Nov. 1 vs. Gunn High School

41-8

WIN 28-14

WIN

The Homecoming game against Fremont High School marked another strong performance for the Matadors in a crucial game. The offense put forward a dominant show with five touchdowns on the ground and one in the air. The defense had three sacks and an interception.

Mihir Joshi | El Estoque

VICTORY. The team celebrates after its Senior Night win over Gun sixth consecutive win to end the season. MVHS beat GHS by a score o

TRIPLE OPTION

Mihir Joshi | El Estoque

35-14

WIN 48-7

WIN

The senior game against Gunn High School topped off one of the best regular seasons in Matador football history. The team finished their season undefeated in league play in a performance that had seven rushing touchdowns from six different players.

RB RUSH

In the scenario that the defensive tackle does not go for the running back, the quarterback hands the ball to the running back and he goes ahead to rush. EL ESTOQUE

MATADORS PLAYERS

ON THRONE

SENIOR JUSTIN CENA

Cena has had the most dominant season for any runningback in MVHS’ history. He finished the season with an MVHS record 1,487 yards on 182 carries and had an average of 8.17 yards per rush. He currently ranks fourth amongst CCS running backs.

BY NATHAN DESAI AND MIHIR JOSHI

JUNIOR SAM NASTARI Nastari joined partway through the season as an outside linebacker and fullback and played his first game against Homestead High School. His season’s highlight was a strong performance against Lynbrook High School including a run where he broke two tackles on his way to the endzone.

JUNIOR MAX MCCANN

r Gunn High School on Nov. 1. This game marked the Matadors’ core of 48-7 and finished the season undefeated in league.

VEER OFFENSE

QB KEEPER

MVHS is the only school in the league running the Veer as its primary offense. Senior quarterback Ryan Manley explains how he runs on one of the team’s go-to plays. Illustrations by Rhonda Mak

In the scenario that the defensive tackle goes for the running back and the defensive end does not go for the quarterback, the quarterback will keep the ball and use his wings as blockers. NOVEMBER 20, 2013

McCann contributed greatly to the offensive line in the running back positions this season. He finished the season with 401 yards and eight touchdowns on 45 carries. His biggest game was against Fremont High School during the Homecoming game where he had two touchdowns and 147 yards.

WING RUSH

In the scenario that the defensive tackle goes for the running back and the defensive end goes for the quarterback, the ball gets tossed to the left wing who will go around the back and rush.

Used with permission of Roger Chen

PLAYMAKER. Senior quarterback Ryan Manley runs the ball against Cupertino High School on Oct. 18. Manley manages the offense and reads the defense.

n.desai@elestoque.org | m.joshi@elestoque.org 35

SPORTS

Rally Commences

Friendly I Competition

BY CATHERINE LOCKWOOD AND MANASA SANKA | PHOTOGRAPHY BY CATHERINE LOCKWOOD

Sports clubs invite students to find fun in serious sports

ome students worry when they realize that they cannot continue the game they love in the school’s competitive team due to time commitment, ability or personal reasons. Sports clubs at MVHS, started by passionate players and attended by members motivated by their love of the game and by athletes training in the off season, hold open gyms during Friday lunches.

Across the Net

hile some members train for their season with intense rallies across the net, other members laugh, shooting the volleyball into a basketball hoop. According to freshman Amanda Hua, playing club volleyball can often become very competitive. Volleyball Club is her chance to relax with her friends and enjoy the game during the open gyms, which happen every other Friday. “It’s fun because I get to interact with my friends,” Hua said. “The open gyms are during lunch, so I get to see everyone there. It’s kind of a thing where you can fool around and have fun.” This is apparent from the merged game of volleyball and basketball taking place on one side of the gym while other players either practice setting technique or play a 25-point volleyball match. According to Hua, most of the people in Volleyball Club are either on the school team or are invited by the team members due to their interest in the sport. Volleyball Club officers plan to conduct intramural tournaments so the members can experience friendly competition. “In our tournament in January, we are going to ask them to form teams of up to six members and we form seeds and brackets,” president junior Jasmine Lai said. Because inexperienced club members were intimidated by the varsity team players last year, Lai encourages new players to join the club by offering a chance to experience competition on a lower level or ability than with players from the varsity team.

Boys varsity team members play volleyball in the gym in the offseason on Friday, Nov. 8. 36

n a sweaty, hot gym, students are hitting their rackets back and forth in anticipation for the next match; while players do not score the matches, they persist in continuing their rallies. Badminton advisor Charley Situ promotes the club as fun rather than competitive and has no expectations from the members beyond a passion for the game and a positive attitude. “Badminton Club is for kids interested in participating in badminton, learning the skills and enjoying the sport in-season or off-season,” Situ said. Situ explained that the regulars are mostly badminton team members. Every once in a while, new members come to learn badminton and strengthen their skills. Situ often keeps an eye out for anyone who might be a good candidate for the team. According to CCS rules, club advisors who are also team coaches are not allowed to give advice to players not on the official school team. Situ explained that he will give suggestions from time to time but that any coaching would be unfair to the actual team members.

Paddle Along

utside the B-Building, science teacher Mia Onodera supervises Sophomore Edward Wang returns the ball the Ping Pong Club during a ping pong match on Firday, Nov . 8. members, situated around a single ping pong table watching and cheering on other members. It’s a simple setup, but disproportional to the amount of fun that players have. “Table tennis [is] recreational,” Onodera said. “There are people that really know how to play, but since there is only one table, they don’t play competitive matches.” To keep the atmosphere light, Onodera has found that students often give away points to less experienced players and intentionally lose count of the score, as the regular club members have become very comfortable with each other. “It’s a mixed group,” Onodera said. “People that want to play table tennis... show up and just hang out. The officers [have] known each other for two years, but the people who come and play are definitely [varied].” The Ping Pong Club also holds competitive, miniature tournaments where the winner gets a prize. It is difficult, however, for them to follow all the official rules of a tournament due to limited resources, which have decreased from three to c.lockwood@elestoque.org | m.sanka@elestoque.org a single table. EL ESTOQUE

STILL GOT IT IN ME

To read more about teachers’ sports experiences, visit http:// www.elestoque.org/teacherssports/

Teachers share impact of sports on their lives BY ELIA CHEN AND COLIN KIM COMING HOME

S Used with permission by Michael Hicks

Used with permission by Michael Hicks

BASEBALL Assistant Principal Michael Hicks signs an autograph (above) and slides into home plate (below)

itting in his sparsely furnished, woodpaneled office, Assistant Principal Michael Hicks grins from across his desk. An assortment of pictures lies behind him — pictures from his wedding, pictures of his children and senior pictures of MVHS alumni. But one picture stands out — a framed picture of Hicks sliding to home plate. Although Hicks traded the baseball diamond for the MVHS office years ago, he still treasures his minor league baseball experience. Hicks started his baseball career by playing with his brothers and dad in the backyard during summers and after school during his adolescence. Hicks continued to play baseball through college, starting out at Sacramento City College, which is known for its successful baseball program, and then transferring to Centenary College in Louisiana where he played Division I baseball on a scholarship. After Centenary, he discovered tryouts for an independent minor league baseball team, Louisiana’s Shreveport-Boss-

ier Captains team, and went to the tryouts. “You know there is always a series of luck in baseball. It’s not just about the skills that you can bring or offer but also timing,” Hicks said. “I had a really good tryout, and at that time, they were looking for a right-handed in-fielder, which I was, so they had a spot on the team.” Hicks eventually played for the Shreveport-Bossier Captains for three seasons. Although he did not receive a high salary and taught during the school year, Hicks still managed to play 96 games during the summer each year. Eventually, after two and a half seasons, Hicks’ team let him go. However, he has never truly left the field; he still plays baseball through the San Jose Men’s Baseball League and coaches as well. “Even though I only played for two and a half seasons, I look back at it with fondness,” Hicks said. “[Baseball] was something that was very important to me.”

CLIMBING TOGETHER

P Biology and JAVA teacher Deborah Frazier began her rock climbing career when she started dating her now-husband, and they often rock climbed together in Portland. Frazier credits their shared rock climbing experiences for strengthening her marriage. In one terrifying incident with her husband, she fell 15 or 16 feet from Lover’s Leap. “I remember closing my eyes and when I opened them up again, I was upside down and I was really confused,” Frazier said. After she reached the ledge and reassured her worried husband, she insisted that she could still climb and led her husband for the rest of the hike. Because Frazier and her husband not only followed old routes but also led their own climbing routes, Frazier and her husband developed trust for each other. Frazier recalls that at her wedding, the best man said that if they can climb together and trust each other so much while climbing, then they make a good couple.

Used with permission by Deborah Fraizer

CONTINUED PASSION

elshe loves teaching history at MVHS, but she has another passion as well: field hockey. She played from seventh grade to her senior year in high school, and she continues to show her enthusiasm for the sport through coaching the MVHS junior varsity team. “I am a very competitive person, so I certainly fit with sports,” Belshe said. “Particularly from being a goalie, I put a lot of pressure on myself about being that final stop [to prevent] the other team [from] scoring.” Even though Belshe’s high school required her to take 10 periods of classes each day, playing field hockey did not distract her from academics. In fact, it allowed her to learn about connection and teamwork. She believes that field hockey had a powerful impact on her academic abilities as a young student. “I was captain by junior year, so I got a lot of leadership training as well,” Belshe said. “You certainly learn that you can’t do everything at once, and you have to prioritize when you’re in season.”

Used with permission by Arnold de Leon

e.chen@elestoque.org | c.kim@elestoque.org NOVEMBER 20, 2013

SPORTS

THE FINAL HURRAH

BY ELLIOT KI AND ALAINA LUI

Seniors say a last farewell during their Senior Night

n athlete goes through many ups and downs during his or her career, and it’s often not until their senior year that they are impacted with the realization that their time playing for MVHS is ending. Senior Night is a finale that gives seniors an opportunity to shine and be recognized for their commitment during their last home game of the season. Some teams’ traditions are kept simple with emotional — and sometimes hilarious — speeches and decorations, while others are more elaborate and personalized. Either way, every Senior Night for any sport is a special moment, a once-in-alifetime experience for those who are ending their sports experiences at MVHS.

Mihir Joshi | El Estoque

Smashing for seniors

Girls tennis players make posters and other items for the seniors, and there is a variety of food provided, such as fried rice, egg rolls, cupcakes and cookies. Coach Gene Fortino presents each senior with a bouquet of flowers as a token of appreciation for all their hard work. It’s an informal kind of setting, just like any other game.

Sticking it together

Field hockey celebrates its senior ceremony game by playing under the lights. Similar to every MVHS sports team, posters, signs, balloons and decorations are scattered throughout the stands recognizing all the seniors on the team. Seniors write up brief statements about their field hockey experience, which are read aloud over the loudspeaker as each player walks out onto the field with their parents. At the end of the tunnel of hockey sticks, coaches Denise Eachus and Bonnie Belshe present each player with a yellow rose. “Each team is unique and my experiences with them will be never repeated,” Eachus said. “That is what makes each player special and memorable.”

Hide and seek

Cross country has a senior run, in which the seniors run to Fremont High School and up a special hill where they hide. The rest of the team runs up later to search for the seniors. After all the team members have

Mihir Joshi | El Estoque

Joshua Tsuei | El Estoque

1 As the team prepares for their final home game on Nov. 1, senior captains Tristan Salvidor, Justin Cena and Ryan Manley lead a motivational group huddle. 2 After senior captain Amelia Strom runs through the traditional hockey stick tunnel on Nov. 7, her coaches, Denise Eachus and Bonnie Belshe wait on the other side to greet her. 3 Seniors Justin Zheng, Rahul Madanahalli, Rafael Ruiz, Jackson Ziegler and Colin Hong pose for a group picture with their classic leis on Oct. 29. been found, each senior gives a speech about MVXC and how their experience has impacted them overall. After their last run together as a team, everyone participates in a team cheer. At the end, the whole team has a banquet celebrating the season and recognizing the seniors that are about to graduate and start a new chapter of their life.

Back to basics

Football’s senior night has a simple yet powerful ceremony recognizing all the seniors before their last home game. The seniors are recognized as they walk out with their parents onto the field. The coaches say something about each player. Then, the seniors share their favorite part of football.

“It didn’t really hit me in the middle of the game; it got towards like halftime and all the seniors realized that it was the last time, and we really tried to take advantage of the fact that we were never going to play here again,” senior Alexander Wu said.

Final words

Volleyball, the only indoor sport of the season, has a lunch the day of the final home game to honor all the seniors. The underclassmen and juniors on varsity make posters and hang up balloons in the gym prior to the game. Before the start of the game, the coach introduces all the seniors, and the seniors make a short speech about how volleyball has impacted them. e.ki@elestoque.org

| a.lui@elestoque.org EL ESTOQUE

SPORTS FLASH

Fall season recap as of Nov. 15

For more information on Matador athletics, such as Sports Smarts, Video Game Reviews, and Game of the Week, visit elestoque.org/category/sports

BY SARAH RAMOS

Senior Jenna McGuirk serves to her opponent from Cupertino High School in a singles match during Senior Night on Oct. 30 at MVHS. The Lady Mats ended their season 17-5 overall and 10-2 in league. This is the first season in

several years they did not go undefeated, but are still co-champions with Saratoga High School for SCVAL League and still went to CCS. Their first CCS match was held on Nov. 13 at MVHS. The team won 6-1 against Valley Christian High School due to strong performances from junior Aishwarya Sankar and senior cocaptain Kelsey Chong. The girls then competed against Saint Francis High School on Nov. 15 at MVHS. MVHS won 4-3 over Saint Francis who came off of a 7-0 win against Carmel High School.

Elliot Ki| El Estoque

Karen Feng | El Estoque

Freshman Amy Zhong takes a practice swing in a match against Homestead High School on Sept. 18 at Deep Cliff golf course. The Lady Mats faced a tough loss against HHS, as well as Lynbrook High School at home during the season. Although the team was comprised of mostly freshmen, they showed potential and had a strong season. They also joined the tougher Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, which challenged the girls to play their best in all matches. Zhong, junior Anika Singh and senior co-captain Natalie Ng moved on to league championships by placing in the league’s top 40 players. At the end of the season, the team’s record stood at 2-12 — an improvement over last year’s no-win season. As the team’s seniors, Kathryn Lindsey and co-captains Natalie Ng and Shruthi Perati, graduate, the remaining members look to work to improve for next season.

NOVEMBER 20, 2013

Catherine Lockwood | El Estoque

Junior Kylie Constant passes to a teammate in a home match against Fremont High School on Oct. 10. Constant’s shooting skills made her a key player this season. The Lady Mats had numerous “off-the-water” shots and technical errors and eventually lost the match, as well as another three games, ending the season with a 4-8 record. Their four wins were against Harker High School and Cupertino High School. After six seniors graduated, the team’s coaches decided to move junior varsity members up to varsity to fill their roster. s.ramos@elestoque.org 39

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