Volume 43, Issue 2, October 24, 2012 by El Estoque

page 10

What to do with 700 lbs of goose poop

page 20

Predicting the future of MVHS

page 37

Head aches

Monta Vista High School Issue 2, Volume XLIII elestoque.org October 24, 2012

elESTOQUE

the election issue Why we need to know about the political arena

page 27

elESTOQUE

Contents

news 5 Applying perspective

Looking beyond what we know of college applications

10 Wild goose chase OPINION 15 staff editorial Pathway to politics

Eliminating the goose problem at Memorial Park

12 COLUMN: Little Lessons

How we can use local government as a step toward larger political awareness

16 PULSE Students share their thoughts on what defines their political leanings

16 bottom line Two different propositions argue over who should carry cost of education Athletes should be more open about injuries to aid in prevention

18 column: The Deep End

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 19 Reckless dancing

New club on campus helps dancers refine technique

20 MVHS in the future special report 28 Ballot talk Breaking down the way students would vote on the issues

Students sketch the school as they envision it years from now

23 COLUMN: Family matters 25 COLUMN: 17 Going on 71

30 Student savvy Putting MVHS to the test of election knowledge

32 Parents on the political front Parents and students reconcile different political views

34 Campaigning for the president Experiences and lessons learned from being a campaign volunteer

sports 37 A risky game Athletes play through concussions and other injuries despite risk

42 Tai chi intensified

Two sistersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; excellence in tai chi, and their journey there

45 Putting green The cost of golf, from equipment to lessons

47 Sportsflash A recap of Powderpuff, field hockey, water polo and volleyball 2

EL ESTOQUE

el ESTOQUE 21840 McClellan Road Cupertino, CA 95014 mv.el.estoque@gmail.com Editors-in-Chief: Cynthia Mao, Anushka Patil Managing Editors: Smitha Gundavajhala, Patrick Xie, Amelia Yang Copy Editors: Daniel Fernandez, Forest Liao Webmaster: Karen Feng Photo Editors: Margaret Lin, Catherine Lockwood News Editors: Rachel Beyda, Amrutha Dorai, Athira Penghat Sports Editors: Carissa Chan, Karen Feng, Atharva Fulay Entertainment Editors: Yimeng Han, Gisella Joma, Yashashree Pisolkar Opinion Editors: Simran Devidasani, Mihir Patil, Bryan Wang Special Report Editors: Mihir Joshi, Jennifer Lee, Morahd Shawki Design Editor: Alexandria Poh Business Editors: Albert Qiu, Varsha Venkat Public Relations Editors: Ankita Tejwani, Angela Wang Staff Writers: Anjali Bhat, Shriya Bhindwale, Anupama Cemballi, Nathan Desai, Ashley Ding, Soumya Kurnool, Yuna Lee, Steven Lim, Shannon Lin, Alaina Lui, Shuyi Qi, Namrata Ramani, Ruba Shaik, Christopher Song, Eva Spitzen, Robert Sulgit, Joyce Varma, Neesha Venktatesan 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.

OCTOBER 24, 2012

rom the outside, politics just looks dirty. It’s riddled with scandal and mystery. Polarization is making it seem like politicians base decisions on party lines, not on issues. Mudslinging isn’t given a second look, the ethics of the donation process is questionable, and the media regularly blows nonissues out of proportion. It all makes good fodder for people like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, but complicates the process of learning about politics itself. In spite of this, it would appear that we know where we stand politically. Our survey showed that 68 percent of the student body identified themselves as Democrats, compared to 14 percent who said they were Independents and 11 percent who identified LETTER FROM as Republicans. Registered voters in our city feel differently. According to the 2010 U.S Census, 39.7 percent of Cupertino voters listed no party affiliation. That makes us the most nonpartisan city in California and twice as independent as the rest of the state. The disparity in the views of those under and over 18 in our community makes us wonder if, as high school students, we actually believe in what we say. Who we side with politically is often swayed by our peers and the media, which doesn’t necessarily reflect our views on the issues themselves. To test the long-standing idea that MVHS is vastly liberal, Special Report editor junior Mihir Joshi breaks down the student body’s stance compared to that of the candidates, issue by issue on page 28. Maybe we also don’t have fully developed political views because, at this point, politics seems so removed from our day-to-day lives. Yes, we won’t have to worry about Social Security for another 50 years, and yes, how the government handles foreign trade probably changes close to nothing about your future plans.

But most of us will apply for financial aid to pay for college. All of our parents pay taxes, and if students have ever held part time jobs, they have as well. When we live on our own, we’ll have to think about how we’re going to afford health insurance. And whether or not our parents would like to admit it, we are probably going to need birth control. It’s not our fault that we’re not versed in the what it means to be an informed, concerned citizen. We are taught about history, economics, government, even politics; but we are not taught about awareness, developing personal opinions or getting involved in Cynthia causes that concern us. We never take what we & learn in school out of the Anushka classroom environment, and we are not taught to become the type of THE EDITORS people our democracy is designed for. It will be a long, complicated process. No one turns 18 and suddenly becomes an educated voter. In fact, according to a 2009 census report, the youth voter turnout (ages 18 to 24) in the 2008 election was only 49 percent. It was the second highest turnout for that age group since 1972, but still less than half of eligible voters. We asked our survey respondents what they looked for in a presidential candidate and got back a laundry list of issues ranging from the economy to the environment. But one of the most striking responses was a plea that the ideal presidential candidate would “talk to the young generation.” We’d like that too, but if we want politicians to talk to us, we should be capable of responding with intellectual proposals of our own. As we grow older, we’ll have the option of expressing our opinions through a vote. But voting is about more than casting a ballot, it’s a process of increasing our personal and political educations.

MAO

PATIL

c.mao@elestoque.org | a.patil@elestoque.org

Correction: The photo of the suffragettes group on page 1 of the September issue was taken from the Library of Congress on Sept. 14, 2012. 3

NEWS

the

UNCOMMON APPLICATION

It’s that time of year again. Seniors are caught in a maelstrom of stress, rushing to submit SSR requests, meet application deadlines and still maintain their sanity. But they’re not the only ones affected by the chaos that is college application season. There’s another side to the story.

Margaret Lin | El Estoque Photo Illustration

OCTOBER 24, 2012

NEWS

Teachers aim to satisfy students but struggle to find the time by Daniel Fernandez and Jennifer Lee with additional reporting by Joyce Varma

very night they spend hours hunched choice,” Stark said. “So I want to encourage behind a glowing computer screen, people to be rational about it and to really tapping at the keyboard and reviewing think and to make good decisions in advance each sentence with the utmost because … there’s so much effort put in by concentration. They’re the image of diligent the teachers writing the letters.” high school seniors hard at work on their Similarly, history teacher Margaret Platt college apps, with one minor exception: they’re was asked so many times for recommendation a few years too old to pass for seventeen. letters that she had to place restrictions on the Rather, they are the MVHS teachers, number of letters she writes. Platt adopted a unsung heroes of the college app season — or, first-come, first-served system eight years ago as they affectionately refer to it, the infamous and now only takes the first 30 requests after “rec letter season.” a certain date. Each year teachers are bombarded “There’s no way I could teach my classes, by an onslaught of get my grading done seniors clamoring for and write these It truly is a joyful burden. recommendation letters. letters,” she said. “I And each year, teachers think students don’t It’s what we do, it’s why feel obligated to meet understand that to we teach: because we their students’ needs, craft a letter, a welllove our kids, and we want but the sheer number crafted letter, takes a of requests they receive lot of time, and … I the best for them. leaves them feeling find that I have to put history teacher Margaret Platt overwhelmed and a limit on it.” unable to deliver. Platt adopted a Because so many students ask him for first-come, first-serve system eight years recommendation letters, math teacher Jon ago and now only takes the first 30 requests Stark is forced to turn down requests every after a certain date, usually set around year. For this reason, and to ensure that mid-September. Of those 30, only the first students make informed choices, Stark will 18 are offered early action. In addition, only write them recommendation letters after students need to contact her about a possible they rank their colleges in order of preference, recommendation letter prior to that day. explain why they’re applying to each school This, however, has led to students camping and create “draft letters” for him to emulate. out in front of her room on the day she begins He also only writes letters for a maximum of accepting requests. Platt does not endorse four schools per student. their choices and would in fact prefer that “I wound up getting more and more students discontinue the practice. requests as time went by, and [for] some of Regardless, Platt needs to set a specific them I thought I was probably not a wise date because otherwise students would not

take time to research colleges thoroughly, and instead overrun her with requests in early June. And even with these regulations in place, she still has little free time. Science teacher Renee Fallon faces the same dilemma as her colleagues. Fallon receives so many requests that in previous years, she has had to spend part of her winter break working on recommendation letters. According to Fallon, teachers take so long to finish recommendation letters because each letter they write needs to be customized and tailored to the student. “It takes me about four hours to write a [letter],” Fallon said. “That is above and beyond my work, [and] I think students don’t understand … You are asking for a very large favor when you ask for [a recommendation letter]. It’s really, honestly overwhelming.” But despite the time lost, each teacher continues writing recommendation letters to ensure their students’ educational success. “It truly is a joyful burden,” Platt said. “It’s what we do, it’s why we teach: because we love our kids, and we want the best for them.”

Visit elestoque.org for more information and an opinion editorial on the topic. d.fernandez@elestoque.org | j.lee@elestoque.org

Administration enforces an organized application system to serve students by Yashashree Pisolkar and Neesha Venkatesan

lmost as soon as the school year begins, a long line forms in front of registrar Pat Kruse’s desk in the main office. So many stacks of various forms and documents clutter her workspace that she can barely distinguish the desk beneath. Seniors are quickly approaching their college application deadlines and Kruse is not the least bit surprised by the graduating class’s urgent requests for their Secondary School Reports. The college application season lasts approximately three months during which time the school-site administration works diligently every day to 6

make sure they fulfill their duties regarding the latest graduating class. “For me personally, this time of year is extremely busy, but it’s a good busy,” Kruse said. “It is a very busy time for administrators as well. [Having] the additional responsibility of writing letters of recommendation for between 400 to 500 students is a lot to do.” According to Career Center manager Miriam Taba, the administration aims to constantly ensure the efficiency of the application process by adhering to a step-bystep system that is specifically tailored for MVHS students. “We start by informing students to start looking at colleges — [the students] start

figuring out who they are and what their interests are — and then they backtrack to what steps need to be taken through high school,” Taba said. After the students decide which colleges they would ideally like to attend, students visit their online Naviance accounts to download appropriate SSR forms. Students then fill out student questionnaires and have their parents respond to separate surveys about their strengths, weaknesses and ambitions. Administration believes that Naviance is an essential component in applying to college. Once all the SSR documents are complete, students attach a letter of recommendation, official school transcript and an overall EL ESTOQUE

3500-4000 Total number of SSR forms to be sent to colleges before Winter Break

400-500 Total number of SSR recommendations written by administration as a whole

42-47 Total number of SSR recommendations written by each administrator

Margare

t Lin, Nam

rata Ram

ani and Ne

esha Venk

atesan |

school report to the packet. Finally, the administrator and counselor anywhere from administration requires a $5 fee to fund the 42 to 47 applications. According to counselor guidance department. Kate Duphily, the three A portion of the fee assistant principals, two deans, four finances postage costs We want to help you while the remaining counselor and principal guys apply to college. covers guest speakers’ April Scott all work We know you’ve worked dinners and charges for together to balance and guidance nights. share the number of hard up to this point. applications each one Meanwhile in the counselor Kate Duphily administrative building, has to write. “We want to help Kruse, occasionally seeking the help of you guys apply to Taba, surveys the students’ Naviance accounts college. We know you’ve worked hard up to to cross-check each student’s requests this point and we want to give you a good and documents. Kruse then assigns each [letter of recommendation],” Duphily said. “I OCTOBER 24, 2012

El Estoqu

e Photo

Illustratio

spend two hours per [application].” Kruse, too, acknowledges the fact that SSR requests are tedious at first, but the stacks of paper on her desk are worth it once college acceptances start arriving and she sees students’ dreams come true. “In the end you see the result and see how happy and fulfilled [the students] are,” Kruse said. “And then they come back one, two, three, 10 years later and tell you what a great experience college was and how well MVHS prepared them for it.” y.pisolkar@elestoque.org n.venkatesan@elestoque.org 7

NEWS Special Education, ELD students face similar process but different challenges by Namrata Ramani and Amrutha Dorai

hen senior Matt Huang moved 6,500 miles from Taiwan to San Francisco in 2008, he found himself in a new country, speaking a new language and discovering a new education system. His reason for relocation is common among immigrants. “If we are here, we can learn more,” Huang said. “We can get more opportunities.” The pathway to opportunity for students like Huang runs through college. For seniors in the English Language Development or Special Education programs, college application season offers challenges that are both familiar and foreign. These students use Naviance and submit SSR forms; however, they often struggle to meet graduation requirements and find themselves considering other routes. “The process to apply to college [for a Special Education student] is actually no different than any process a student goes through,” said Nancy Sullivan, Special Education department chair. The same goes for ELD students. Neither ELD nor Special Education students are required to indicate their identity as such on college applications — they may, however,

according to Sullivan and ELD teacher Vivian When you take off from MVHS, what do you Ju, choose to address this in their personal want to remember about yourself?’” Ju said. statements. Colleges don’t judge ELD “‘Do you want to say “oh, I gave it a shot, I students or Special Education students on really tried,” or do you want to say “uh, I don’t different scales; the lack of identification on quite remember anything?”’’’ applications makes doing so impossible. Students unable to meet graduation Since all requirements can opt for applications are community college. De pooled together, Are you wasting your Anza College is a popular these students need option for students from time here? When you take to take the same both programs, whether off from MVHS, what do standardized tests they are seeking to you want to remember as others who plan transfer to a four-year to attend a four-year college or complete about yourself? college: the SAT, ACT vocational education. ELD teacher Vivian Ju and CAHSEE. This, There are other options along with meeting as well: some students go UC requirements, can present issues. straight from high school into a job, some “Students who may have more intensive Special Education students attend Adult classes through Special Education ... Those Education programs and some ELD students classes do not count toward meeting the return to their countries of origin. The college requirements,” said counselor Kate majority, however, pursue higher education. Duphily. “Those students are oftentimes “The reality is 95 percent of our [Special automatically ineligible.” Education] students that graduate ... go to a According to Ju, ELD students face similar college or university program,” Sullivan said. issues. One of Ju’s students — a senior in his “So, really, our numbers are … aligned [with] second year of ELD 1 — will not be graduating MVHS numbers just in general.” because he lacks the necessary history credits. “I said, ‘Are you wasting your time here? a.dorai@elestoque.org | n.ramani@elestoque.org

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COULD BE HERE! To purchase an ad in El Estoque, contact us mv.el.estoque@gmail.com

EL ESTOQUE

NEWS

yuck, yuck by Angela Wang with additional reporting by Rachel Beyda

700 pounds. That’s almost the weight of four refrigerators. It’s also the amount of goose feces produced daily at Memorial Park. Cupertino resident Sharon Heyler took her miniature dachshund Nikko Sunshine out on a walk in Memorial Park on a typical August afternoon. Unfortunately, the “walk” turned into more of a “carry” as the geese — a total of 287, by her count — became so aggressive she had to carry her Nikko Sunshine through the park. She’s not the only one. In early September, Cupertino Council member Rod Sinks spoke out at the City Council meeting about the goose population after noticing approximately 140 geese on the lawn in front of the Quinlan Center. Since his statement at the meeting, he has received many emails and verbal statements from residents voicing the same concerns — that the goose population has exploded to a point where many are uncomfortable using the park. “We can either decide we want to have a geese refuge, or we want [to have] a park for people,” Sinks said. “But I think there comes a time when we have a basic conflict.” The geese that occupy much of Memorial Park are Canada geese,

a migrant species that made Cupertino their temporary home 20 to 25 years ago. However, lack of natural predators in the past decade has resulted in a large residential goose population. Sinks said the general recollection from residents was that the goose population increased significantly starting 2005. The problem has, for unknown reasons, become especially severe in the last season. According to Cupertino Public Works director Timm Borden, a 20-pound goose produces between 2 and 3 pounds of feces a day. With the growing population of geese, this is problematic not only for the city’s recreational movie nights on the lawn during summer, but also for the maintenance of the veterans memorial in the park, which needs to be cleaned every week because of the amount of waste the geese leave behind. “We have to ... take back the park for its original uses and that involves moving the geese, because right now it’s hard to even walk out there without getting your shoes dirty,” Borden said. Goose overpopulation is not a new problem for public parks. A few years ago, New York’s goose problem was so severe the state was forced to round up geese routinely in boxes of 400 and gas them. The city of Sunnyvale implemented a “Geesebusters” program in which trained dogs were released upon groups of geese in attempts to scare the feathered animals away. In Redawood Shore, overpopulation spurred

700 pounds is...

8,000 2,333 El Estoques 10

iPhones

140

Calculus textbooks

school chairs EL ESTOQUE

What would

“

do?

Devise some kind of relocation program to find an... appropriate environment.” — freshman Michaela Murphy

“

I would get scarecrows.”

— sophomore Jovan Jurkovic

“

I would sell them to shops in Chinatown.” — senior Diana Liu

“And eat them!”

— senior Christopher Oh

a newspaper to “declare war” on the animal inhabitants. However, Cupertino has resolved to remove the geese as humanely as possible. “I think a lot of the community would want [a humane solution],” Borden said. “Ultimately we do need to take back some of the recreational places in the city, especially Memorial Park, but I think there’s a lot of different opportunities to do it in a humane way before we get to gassing the geese.” In the past year, the city attempted to alleviate the problem by placing fake swans in the ponds to deter the geese. That worked for about a week. Recently, the city has been working with the Humane Society of the United States to develop a long-term plan and to become more attuned to the goose breeding system. After much research, Cupertino has agreed on a new “harassment” technique, or a strategy to compel the geese to move out of the area. The current plan for the nesting season next spring involves coating the goose eggs with corn oil, which keeps the eggs from growing and hatching — a process called egg addling. The eggs are kept in the nest so that the geese do not lay more. When the geese find that their eggs are not hatching, Sinks said, they are more likely to leave the area. In addition, trained border collies will chase the birds a couple times a day in order to compel the adult geese to move out of the park.

Borden and his professional staff also plan to strategize with other city agencies that own large amounts of land, such as the local school districts and the water district — which owns some of the ponds where geese lay their eggs — in order to make sure the geese do not move to other areas of Cupertino but instead to less urban areas elsewhere. If the city does finalize the plan, it will still take years for residents to see any drastic changes in goose population. Regardless, residents and park users are willing to see even the smallest changes occur. “Some of us are to the point where complaining doesn’t help, [because] we’re dealing with a natural problem and finding the right solution is not easy,” Heyler said. “You can’t all of sudden wake up one morning and say the geese are gone.” She stopped a moment, and then continued. “Although it used to be that way,” she said. The Oct. 16 city council meeting to finalize the current strategy had not yet occurred at the time of this writing. To see the updates about removing the geese from Memorial Park, visit elestoque.org.

r.beyda@elestoque.org | a.wang@elestoque.org

Margaret Lin | El Estoque

ALL YEAR-ROUND Geese have driven away both humans and wildlife from the park. In the past, the geese were only present during the summer and autumn seasons; they now occupy the park year-round. OCTOBER 24, 2012

LITTLE LESSONS

Nathan Desai

Are you SIRI-ous? Yemen. What a new phone and religious invasion say about our expectations

hey gather at midnight for dispute between Apple and Google their annual ritual. The has led to the removal of Google same group of people crowd Maps from Apple products, forcing around this building year Apple to design a replacement after year to receive their GPS system in order to keep the sacred treasure. Some have feature available to its users. stayed for days, camping in tents, counting But it doesn’t work. the hours until the relic is unveiled. Crazy T h e r e a re glaringly obvious cult? More like Apple fanboy. However, mistakes. Bodies of water are at times, worshiping the company’s missing. Bridges are absent. It latest product does seem like a religion. apparently labeled a fast food But religion isn’t something that restaurant as being underwater. But should be taken lightly. Take the recent those are just tiny flaws, right? Once riots that tore through the Middle East. you get past those miscues, and the Trailers for a movie that negatively disappearance of some unheard portrayed the prophet Muhammad led of monument called the Statue of to numerous riots and the invasions of Liberty, it’s a perfect application! the U.S. embassies There are in Egypt and Yemen, We may not kill people plenty of other eventually climaxing over the newest smart- u n p o p u l a r with U.S. Consulate features on this attack in Libya, where phone, but we do tend new smartphone, four people were to highlight its mistakes but the real killed, including U.S. rather than its advances. problem lies in Ambassador John the fact that the Christopher Stevens. discussions of We were shocked by these fatally these issues seem to overshadow horrific events. We were devastated with the cool new features, such as what happened, especially considering the expansion of Siri and the the root of the conflict involved one incorporation of Facebook. person creating an anti-Islamic movie. We may not kill people Most of us thought the rioters were over the newest smartphone, overreacting. A single person’s opinion, but we do tend to highlight its we insisted, could not possibly be enough mistakes rather than its advances. to agitate an entire country. But we are So while we often point out the guilty of overreacting like this as well. flaws in others for doing what we While we may not start riots or kill think is bizarre and crazy, we have ambassadors, we do have a tendency to remember that we are often very to overreact all the time. Take the new similar to those we are critical of. iPhone for example. Those who receive There is clearly a huge difference the token at midnight don’t notice the between poking fun at Apple’s major improvements over the prior newest Map app and killing an version, but instead criticize its minor ambassador, but the events are still issues. Despite its glamorous new somewhat similar, even if one is much features — such as a screen so large more extreme than the other. People that it can hold five rows of apps, which have a right to get this angry when clearly defies the laws of physics — it comes to an issue so significant. the negatives are always ripped apart Who wouldn’t get mad if and publicized more than its additions. their favorite McDonald’s was Take the new Maps app for example. A in the middle of the ocean? 12

Athira Penghat | El Estoque Photo Illustration

n. desai@elestoque.org EL ESTOQUE

APRIL 9, 2012

OPINION

CLIMBING Alexandria Poh | El Estoque Photo Illustration

o many students, government is something that parents deal with. The majority of MVHS students cannot vote, do not pay taxes and have no apparent reason to be informed about politics. What they don’t realize, however, is that someday, government influence will permeate our lives; when they will have to pay income taxes, or try to remove a tree in front of their property, or when ultimately, their economic stability is dependent on a governmentinfluenced economy and a government-issued currency. When that time comes, former MVHS students will have a vested personal interest in influencing politics and electing the most competent officials, to make sure that government makes the best decisions possible for them. But political savvy does not turn on like a switch in one’s brain as soon as adulthood is reached; it should be developed gradually, and that means starting now.

Capitol Hill

Local government gives students a leg up in politics records and participate in local meetings. And although local governments deal with drastically different issues than the national government, they still teach fundamental lessons about all government in general.

Decision making: a universal process One such lesson is how compromise is made between clashing interest groups, a fundamental part of pluralist democracy. Pathway to politics According to Mayor Mark Santoro, city In order to be politically savvy, we not only council recently hammered out a resolution need to understand the issues government approving the construction of 7,000 square deals with and the theory behind government, feet of retail space, 78 housing units and but know how government actually works other features. This project, called the Main in real life. This latter point Street Project, actually is often overlooked, but it is took more than three equally important to know years of compromise how politicians function, how and deliberation compromises are reached between city council and the best avenues for members, citizens influencing government. and developers before The best way to learn about they could agree this is to get in contact with upon a satisfactory politicians and observe plan. “There’s a lot governmental processes in OPINION OF THE EL ESTOQUE of tradeoffs. The EDITORIAL BOARD person — there is only so developer doesn’t much that can be learned make so much money from reading the news. off of a restaurant but Does that entail becoming a politician? makes a lot of money off an office space that Not at all. The approach to getting maybe the public doesn’t really care about. firsthand experience with government is So you’ll give them something in exchange right before us: local government. Local for something the public wants, so at the end government offers valuable accessibility of the day, the public gets the downtown to government — anybody can easily they want, and the developer makes a profit contact local representatives, examine city so they’re willing to do the project,” said

STAFF

EDITORIAL

OCTOBER 24, 2012

Santoro, citing a particular disagreement. A significant portion of the process occurred during city council meetings, which are open to all citizens, including teens. Each citizen has three minutes to speak to the council. It’s a great way to make your views heard, meet the city council members and learn more about current issues; in fact, a Prospect high school student stepped up to the podium to inquire about certain issues in the most recent city council meeting. He was warmly received and the council members directly addressed his question about the purpose behind the Main Street Project. Such direct, informative contact with government officials would not be possible in any other level of government. Where we come in Santoro says that someone recently complained to him about how there are no good politicians. What many of us don’t think about is that a good number of those politicians rose from the easily accessible local level. Had people cared more about the quality and actions of their officials, those politicians might never have been able to climb up the ladder. Last year, El Estoque ran a segment titled “Local Government: Who cares?” And the answer is, everybody, even students, have a good reason to care about our local government and who our local officials are. Even if students have no interest in learning more about government, they should keep in mind that their city council members may be the national government officials of tomorrow. And students have the power to control that. 15

OPINION

the political influence

PULSE extends the conversation from El Estoque to you, the student body, concerning the current issues of the day. Nathan Desai, Shuyi Qi | El Estoque Illustration *This data was gathered from a survey of 568 respondents.

What would you want to see in an ideal candidate for this upcoming presidential election? Honest Economic Change

Does your religion strongly impact your political beliefs and

Universal appeal

Yes

Reliable

We think...

Education

Reconciling politics and faith can be tricky. Religion has the potential to define one’s stance on certain issues, which in turn, decides our political

Logic Environmentally-minded Leadership Decisive Lower taxes More jobs

No 83%

How do your political views align with those of your friends?

Determined

We have differing viewpoints and debate them 9%

We have mostly the same viewpoints but never discuss it 10%

Confident

We think...

We never talk about it 11% We never talk about it 39 %

Politics are not exempt from peer pressure. Friends’ political leanings can tip the balance towards what’s socially acceptable — even if that is not the person’s true political beliefs.

the bottom line

We have mostly the same viewpoints 31 %

Students should do their part in preventing concussion-based Alzheimer’s by Smitha Gundavajhala

Fears about concussions include blackouts and balance issues, but behind those concussions is an even scarier prospect: Alzheimer’s. A study published in the medical journal Neurology on Sept. 6 suggests that concussions speed up the buildup of neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles around the brain, which leads to Alzheimer’s. There is, however, one way to slow the spread of Alzheimer’s: by exercising caution. Students themselves need to be more open 16

about their injuries and be more active in the prevention process. It’s not just a scrape on the knee or a broken wrist. The issue goes deeper, to the fragility of the brain. Students that fail to report their injuries become part of the problem and exacerbate the situation by not allowing themselves to recuperate properly. Students at MVHS are ambitious, from academics to athletics, but health must come first. Just as MVHS culture deems it glamorous to forgo sleep, students may wear

their concussions like medals, or worse— ignore it in order to keep up with sports. New concussion training helps coaches recognize when students are not simply “fine.” With this knowledge, we can finally take the extinguishing of this disease into our own hands. It is the extent of students’ cooperation that will decide whether we progress or regress in the long run. s.gundavajhala@elestoque.org El Estoque

in other words

To what extent do you think the media (television, social media, the press) influence your decisions?

Carilyn Sun senior Do you consider yourself a Democrat or Republican?

Very little 18% Not at all 8% Completely 4% Somewhat 46%

We think...

“I don’t know what I am. To be honest, the two parties agree on a lot of things. Whatever you want, both parties will try to give it to you.”

With Twitter and Reddit now deemed standard campaigning platforms, the person with the best media presence has the best access to voters.

Cynthia Shen freshman If you could vote, what would encourage you to vote?

Very much 24%

Do you and your parents support the same presidential candidate?

“Definitely [having] lots of information because I [don’t] want to make a decision that’s not educated, that’s not informed because I know that every vote counts for our country.”

No 21%

We think...

Yes 79%

Having contrasting political views can polarize a household. Students that oppose their parents do so at their own risk.

James Ling junior Are you going to vote when you become of legal age? Why?

“We’re a democracy for a reason. If I didn’t vote, I’d be completely destroying the reason of being a citizen of the United States.”

The state budget for education has two props, two taxes, and one burden by Robert Sulgit

The state budget for education is finally emerging from our legislative rear-view mirror in the form of two controversial propositions. The issue, as always, is who will bear the financial burden. Will it be those who can afford a small tax increase or the whole of California? Prop 30 puts the burden on those who can take the financial hit, while prop 38 puts the pressure on the entire state, from those living large, to those in the dumps. October 24, 2012

Opposite proposition 30 is prop 38, which raises the income tax on families that make more than $7,316 per year. That’s almost everyone in California. The majority of the money collected with Prop 38 would also be diverted to K-12 education and early childhood programs, not community colleges that are in desperate need of help. With community colleges across the state losing state funding, prop 38 wouldn’t help.

The deficit is no new issue, or the millions of dollars that have been cut education. Prop 30 could help current and future students, while not relying on the less fortunate to solve the state’s budget problems. Unfortunately, the vote is likely to be split down the middle due to the large voter base that each proposition has, and will leave us where we are now — up an educational creek without a paddle. r.sulgit@elestoque.org 17

OPINION

THE DEEP END

Flying so alone

Forest Liao

Post-apocalyptic novel raises questions about whether you idiots matter

o I read “The Dog Stars” by Peter Heller. If you don’t want to read spoilers, then skip the next two paragraphs, but basically it’s about a pilot named Higs. He lives in a post-apocalyptic America, fighting off the loneliness by taking care of his dog. The dog dies and he goes off his rocker with grief, flying his plane past his “point of no return” which isn’t really his “point of no return” because there’s fuel up ahead that he knows about. Go figure. He comes back after he finds meaning in the form of a chick who will have “relations” with him and who conveniently has to go with him because her river is drying up or something. More chicks should have rivers. Anyway, a major part of the book is about dealing with loneliness, what with the oh-my-god-my-dog-died-and-I’m-living-in-aworld-where-almost-ever yone-else-has-diedand-I-had-to-smother-my-wife-to-death-witha-pillow-and-and-oh-my-god-oh-my-godoh-my-god. Oh, I didn’t mention he had to smother his wife to death? Well he did. So I got to thinking. Maybe it would have been less painful for him if he’d had no attachment to others whatsoever. I mean, even though the book is pretty uplifting for postapocalyptic fare, there are pages and pages dedicated to how crappy he feels because he misses the people in his past. Didn’t seem 18

Margaret Lin | El Estoque

worth it to me. And then, because everything’s about me, I wondered whether it’d be better if I had no attachment to others. So I weighed the pros and con. Pro: Not letting others have any impact on what I felt at all. Con: No emotional connections or any of that touchy-feely crap. Pro: Being able to screw other people over and not feel bad. Con: … Con: … Hm... So I decided to destroy my need for other people. But how? I thought for a bit before coming up with a plan. I would take a baseball bat out to the middle of the woods and hit myself over the head over and over again until I lost all my memories. What was the point of this? If I didn’t remember anything, then I wouldn’t remember that any other people existed either. I would be totally free from emotional attachment to others, and I would be able to live out the rest of my life in solitude. Maybe I would even make friends with the wildlife like a Disney princess. But then I came to my senses and realized my plan was completely infeasible. I didn’t have a baseball bat. Also, there was the risk that the only thing I would knock out were the

memories of my plan, and I would go home confused and with a giant bump on my head. So I did the next best thing and asked my brother for help. Me: Can you hit me over the head with a heavy object. My brother: Sure. Right now? Me: No. Come with me to the middle of the woods first. My brother: Nah. I think right now is fine. Me: No, you see, I’m trying t— Why are you lifting that stapler? My brother: … Me: Oh, God. I was just joking. Put it down... OH GOD PUT IT DOWN. After I escaped with my life, I realized something. My relationship with my brother was too beautiful to give up. The wonderful times we had and the way he looked up to me with limitless admiration made my life worth living. Giving up such an amazing brotherly connection would be the worst mistake possible. Any other existence would be drab and meaningless in comparison. Unless I owned a dragon. Boy, do I want a dragon. f.liao@elestoque.org EL ESTOQUE

SIX STEP

A&E

brought to you by Reckless’ Akshay Savale by Gisella Joma and Alexandria Poh and Ruba Shaik

When you think of dancing, the phrase “reckless” doesn’t often come to mind — but for Reckless dance crew, the word embodies their movements to a tee. The dance group recently became a club at MVHS, and is currently led by sophomores Akshay Savale and Sonia Kalwit. Here’s a sample of some of their sickest moves.

This move requires circular rotation of the upper body. Your legs remain grounded and the motion is complete only after a 360 degree turn has been made.

the circle

difficulty level

This move involves forming 90 degree angles with your hands and wrists to form boxes and squares. The faster the movements, the better it looks. difficulty level

tutting

This move demands balance and the ability to hold your weight. Place your elbows on your thighs and hands on the ground in a fetal position. Then balance your head and skew your legs to one side.

bb freeze OCTOBER 24, 2012

difficulty level

This move must be smooth and fluid. You start the roll by leaning your head back, then the shoulders and finish it off by moving your stomach in an inward position and carrying it through the rest of your body. difficulty level

body roll

This move requires an initial kick for upward momentum. Once you find your balance, hold your stance.

the kick

difficulty level

This advanced alternate ending of the “baby freeze” can only be done by the reckless. Please do not try this at home.

alt. end

difficulty level

A&E

FAST TO THE FUT

n n light of all the past and upcoming renovations — the bathrooms, field and cafeteria — El Estoque asked Art, Drafting, Advanced Multimedia and AP Literature students to imagine MVHS’ grounds in the unspecified future.

JUNIOR ESHWAR SWAMINATHAN Advanced Multimedia student junior Eshwar Swaminathan believes there is always room for improvement. He aims to increase school spirit by updating the rally court by adding the school mascot and planting vibrant flowers, one for each student.

EL ESTOQUE

JUNIOR KIRSTEN DO In her six black-and-white sketches, Drafting student junior Kirsten Do imagined the campus 100 years later, when the human population has more than quadrupled. Because the existing grounds are limited in area, Do designed skywards. She added second floors to the single-story structures such as the F building, library and cafeteria. She also placed bridges and escalators in multiple locations to allow students to easily travel between classes. In order to create a more open and relaxed environment, Do implemented high glass ceilings to let in natural light. Lastly, her discontent with the current cafeteria system inspired her to create an alternative: Students place orders on the lower level and eat on the upper-level.

UTURE

To read AP Lit student senior Chandrika Kumar’s interpretation of MVHS in the future, visit elestoque.org

SENIOR JACQUELINE YEE Art student senior Jacqueline Yee drew inspiration from artist Feng Zhu’s futuristic style. Taking symbols of MVHS, the main tree in the Academic Court and the metal letters on the sides of the buildings, Yee imagined an environmentally neglected future. The contrast between the metallic color of the buildings and the dark, bleak tones of the work as a whole reflect Yee’s outlook on what is to come. Still she hopes that as technology advances, the environment won’t be abused.

October 24, 2012

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FAMILY MATTERS

Carissa Chan

Shuyi Qi | El Estoque Illustration

Music can’t calm every soul

My family becomes immersed in America’s greatest creation — pop music

y parents complain that they’re out of touch with my generation. winner. “Call Me Maybe” was not a winner. My family’s favorite song though, was by far “Party Rock Anthem.” “We’re not hip,” they say. I prefer the term “ancient,” since the Even our four-year-old golden retriever, Sierra, adored it. When it came fact that they still use the word “hip” says a lot about them. So I put together a playlist of the most popular songs from the past on the radio while we were riding in the car, all 60 pounds of her year and played it to them for approval. And because my family can’t scrambled onto my lap and she stuck her head out the window, howling stand to be left out of anything, they insisted on singing along to every along to the music. My family shrieked with excitement. “Every day I’m shuffling!” all three of them whooped. And when single song. But after a childhood filled with homemade rockets and forest fires, my father’s hearing — though he refuses to admit it — they decided that the voices of three humans and a dog didn’t do the has obviously deteriorated. So when Nicki Minaj’s “Pound the Alarm” song justice, they used their new webcam to drag my 21-year-old brother into the action. came on, he wasn’t exactly on par with the lyrics. “Now we can have Cupertino-style, San Diego-style and old people“You know we’re getting hotter and hotter, we’ll shut ‘em down — style shuffling,” my sister said with satisfaction. plow the alarm!” Throughout the next several weeks, there was a lot of shuffling “No, Father, it’s pound the alarm. Pound. Not plow.” going on in my house. But each time my father “Oh! That makes a lot more sense. We’ll shut heard the song, he sat down on the couch with ‘em down — plow the farm! You know, it’s really great that America is returning back to its agrarian “Carissa, you can be a a sigh and a forlorn expression on his face. “Father, what are you doing?” my sister roots. It reminds me of my college days back in rapper!... You have ADHD so finally asked one day. Iowa.” you talk really fast.” He mumbled something unintelligible. My mother, on the other hand, was highly “Get up! Shuffle with us.” disappointed with the quality of pop music “I am. Look at me! I’m suffering. See my sad nowadays. According to her, rap is just someone face? ‘Every day I’m suffering.’” talking ridiculously fast. But once she realized this, her face lit up. My sister and I exchanged a look. “Carissa, you can be a rapper!” she told me. “You have ADHD, so “No, Father. It’s shuffling. Like shuffling a deck of cards.” you talk really fast.” He smiled patiently. “Mother, I don’t have ADHD.” “It’s suffering. But don’t feel bad. Everyone makes mistakes.” “Nonsense. A lot of people seem to think you do. Maybe you should We knew, from years of experience, that convincing him otherwise go to the doctor and get tested.” After they finished listening to the playlist, my family finally would be impossible. So my sister and I left him to suffer in peace. delivered their verdict: “Gangnam Style,” “Payphone” and all songs by Adele were winners. “What Makes You Beautiful” was somewhat a c.chan@elestoque.org OCTOBER 24, 2012

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD WOMEN Soumya Kurnool

Shuyi Qi | El Estoque Illustration

Grandpa Kurnool, where art thou? Crazy columnist starts a relationship on Facebook and regrets it immensely

elationships have never been of interest to me. On my list of priorities, I’d say they’re just below scrubbing the toilet with a toothbrush. In fact some people have told me that I must be asexual due to my total lack of interest. I find the notion mildly disturbing. Almost as disturbing as the fact that I said I was in a relationship on Facebook. CAUTION: Do not try this at home. It produces disastrous, albeit hilarious, results. Asking like the wind It was a typical day in sixth period Journalism when I had the brilliant idea to be in a fake relationship with someone for my column. Which was all well and good, until I realized no one wanted to be in a relationship with me for a day. Anyhow, I decided to go “stag” in my relationship, which is a total contradiction, I know, but bear with me. After being rejected by every guy in Journalism, I really didn’t have many options left. <3 In a Relationship After 38 minutes of clicking random buttons on the grandmaunfriendly Facebook, I clicked the button and grimaced for five straight minutes at that heart planted between my name and “relationship.” My friends, on the other hand, could do nothing but like the post to death. Here’s a brief timeline of the responses I got: 1. Three minutes after the post, my best friend posted, “Soumya Kurnool....” I took that as a sign that my post was working. 2. Forty-one minutes after the post, a friend said, “So....we need to have a little chitchat my friend.” I was impressed by how grandma-like the statement sounded and approved it immediately with a like. 3. One hour and ten minutes after the post, another friend, she-whohas-eighteen-cats, posted, “EXCUSE ME???” 4. This is my favorite. Around two hours later, my good friend (Lynn Zeng, I’ll call her) said the following: “My dear Soumya, this had better be with homework or a textbook or something because if not... WHAT OCTOBER 24, 2012

THE HECK ARE YOU THINKING?” I must have really freaked her out because she suddenly started to swear (“hell” is a bad word, right?) in a furious chat message. As she is normally quite a reserved person, I knew I had literally caused her mind to spontaneously combust. (Ultimate success!) 5. And a straggler replied the next day with my second favorite post: “WHO IS GRANDPA KURNOOL?” Who is Grandpa Kurnool? That question was the Achilles heel of my attempt to troll the school; five people brought up the topic, three of which immediately knew that I had done this for the column because I started cackling wildly at their questions. Shucks. The fourth stared me down during the passing period between 6th and 7th and reminded me, “We need to have a little chitchat, my friend.” I gulped nervously as I continued to Stats, where I faced the fifth. “Who is he? Who is he?” she yelled. “I can’t say,” I said, while laughing my guts out. “I’ll tell you three weeks from now.” “What!? You’re going to be pregnant in three weeks?” My laughter immediately stopped. I swear I could hear crickets. “OF COURSE NOT,” I bellowed after a moment. “Wait, you’ll see.” So, my dear friend from Stats, be assured that there will be no Grandpa Kurnool for a very long time; not only does my Physics homework trump relationships any day, but the overly smushy and gooey reactions I’ve received from this experiment have really tempted me to run away and hide in my locker on many occasions. Therefore, when and if the day comes when I decide to scrub the toilet with a toothbrush, don’t count on me going public on Facebook. Instead, count on me deactivating my account, packing my bags, and jumping on the next flight to Patagonia with my dearest Grandpa. s.kurnool@elestoque.org 25

SPECIAL REPORT

★ ★ ★

casting our vote

★ ★ ★

Shuyi Qi | El Estoque Illustration

★ ★ ★

SPECIAL REPORT

Fantasy Politics

77%

by Mihir Joshi and Morahd Shawki Shuyi Qi | El Estoque Illustration

Abortion

77.5% of survey respondents agreed with Obama’s position The Obama administration believes that women have a right to a safe and legal abortion regardless of their ability to pay and that it is a woman’s personal decision. ★ 80 percent of Democrats surveyed said they are pro-choice.

Gay Rights 87%

President Obama recognizes gay rights and believes gay marriage should be legalized. ★ Although Christians surveyed are the religious group that supports gay rights the least, 66 percent of them are still aligned with his stance.

Taxes 64%

Who would you vote for?

83% obama 11% Romney 4% johnson 2% stein

The Obama administration plans to provide tax cuts to the middle class and small businesses, while those with annual incomes over $250,000 will pay a larger tax. ★ 65 percent of first generation Americans surveyed support Obama’s plan.

Foreign Policy 59%

Obama plans to lower dependence on foreign oil and strengthen relationships with other nations. ★ 38 percent of the Democrats surveyed disagree with Obama’s foreign policy.

Debt Control 65%

The Obama administration plans to cut defense spending by $350 billion and will enforce caps on federal government spending. ★ 71 percent of students that would vote for Obama support his debt control plan.

College Tuition 79%

In a potential second term, Obama plans to lower rates on student loans and subsidize schools that provide low fees. ★ 81 percent of Republicans surveyed support Obama’s college plan.

Information about the candidates was taken from their offical party platforms,whichcanbereadat www. gop.com and www.democrats.org. 28

Healthcare Reform 38%

The Obama administration will mandate that insurance providers will provide healthcare regardless of all pre-existing conditions. ★ 58 percent of Democrats disagree with his stance on healthcare. EL ESTOQUE

o gauge MVHS’ overall political stance on issues central to the 2012 election, El Estoque surveyed students about Mitt Romney and Barack Obama’s policies, which were presented without party affiliation. 568 students took the survey.

★

Bold indicates data from one selfidentified subset of survey respondents. Visit elestoque.org for a breakdown of student opinions on California propositions.

the percentage of respondents that agree with Romney’s position was 22.5% The Romney administration opposes using taxpayer money to promote or perform abortions and will not support healthcare that includes abortion coverage. ★ 56 percent of the students that would vote for Romney disagree with his pro-life stance.

13%

Congressman Paul Ryan, Governor Romney’s running mate, has stated that gay marriage is not an “American” value. ★ 97 percent of the agnostics surveyed support gay rights, and they are the religious affiliation most in favor of the issue.

36%

The Romney administration believes that the only way to bring potential economic growth is to lower taxes on all classes to encourage spending. ★ 52 percent of the second generation immigrants surveyed support Romney’s plan.

41%

Romney will limit foreign aid and imports as a means of bolstering the American economy. ★ 58 percent of the Republicans surveyed disagree with Romney’s foreign policy.

35%

The Romney administration will shrink nondefense discretionary spending. ★ 68 percent of Republicans disagree with Romney’s position on debt control.

21%

which political party do you identify with?

68% democratic 14% independent 11% republican 5% libertarian 1% green party 1% constitution

Romney has stated he would encourage community colleges and out of high school jobs as alternatives to fray the costs of four year colleges. ★ 78 percent of Romnney voters disagree with his stance on tuition fees.

62%

The Romney administration plans to repeal Obamacare and to respect consumer choice in health care while promoting individual responsibility for health. ★ 80 percent of students that would vote for Romney support his stance. OCTOBER 24, 2012

SPECIAL REPORT

Puzzled by politics O

by Anjali Bhat

“My sense is that kids are aware to a certain degree of what’s going on out there. But do they know the depth and impact of what’s happening out there — and use that [knowledge] to form opinions and make good, rational decisions? I don’t think that’s there at all; that depth, that quality isn’t there. But I think they’re pretty savvy.” history teacher Margaret Platt Anjali Bhat and Jennifer Lee | El Estoque Photo Illustration

“I actually think that not many people know about politics because we’re all so focused on school and grades … Also, lots of families here are immigrant families, so I don’t think they understand how things work.”

ne may assume the youth of today lack awareness of American politics and cannot piece together the larger political picture — but what about the students of MVHS? We asked students and teachers to define student knowledge of politics: what they know, what they don’t, what they care about and why it matters.

“[What students know] is appropriate for what Americans know about their own government system. We have a government system that most Americans don’t understand.” social science teacher Pete Pelkey Anjali Bhat and Jennifer Lee | El Estoque Photo Illustration

junior Edward Wang Anjali Bhat and Jennifer Lee | El Estoque Photo Illustration

“I often see ... [students] are heavily influenced by the opinions of their parents … I want students to challenge their [own] thinking or their parents’ thinking and earn their opinion [on politics].” English teacher Vennessa Nava Anjali Bhat and Jennifer Lee | El Estoque Photo Illustration

“Students should care about the different candidates’ opinions on education, especially. We’re in school right now, and we’ll be affected. General welfare issues and how they’re treated in politics should be important to [us].” freshman Kirthi Gomatam Used with permission of Kirthi Gomatam

a.bhat@elestoque.org EL ESTOQUE

SPECIAL REPORT

Family forum Francisco Osorio via Flickr | Creative Commons by-nd-sa

Students and parents from different political backgrounds learn to accept opposite views. by Catherine Lockwood

s students grow up, their political thought processes change, which allows them to break away from familiar environments like family. For Class of 2012 alumnus, Nishant Greene, communicating his opinion prevents him from watching television with his family since they assert opposite views on competing politicians. Greene finds it difficult to converse with his mother, a first generation immigrant from Singapore, about politics because of their vastly different cultural backgrounds and political experiences. Often, he will argue with his mom about the state of the nation. “Whenever we are watching news, my mom will complain that ‘America is corrupted,’ because she has no [other corrupted countries] to compare it to,” Greene said. “She assumes [America] is one of the most corrupted countries when there are others out there suffering much worse. Sometimes, I try to support [America] and compare other examples of corrupted countries.” According to Greene, he was able to form his own political ideas by simply participating in class discussions in high school. The variety of perspectives in a classroom setting allows students to see views different from those of their parents, which in turn gives them a better view of where their values lie. Greene believes

that in many cases, clashing political views between children and their parents are caused by their vastly different life experiences. Like Greene, junior Jody Tai gradually underwent a Democratic transformation after entering high school and being exposed to the more liberal viewpoints of her classmates. Originally from a Republican background, Tai found that she could eventually make her own decisions without relying on her parents to make them for her. “When I was in fifth grade … my dad would always say, ‘Go Bush,’ so I would say ‘Go Bush,’” Tai said. “I didn’t really know what I was saying. It wasn’t until I got older that I could see all the candidate and the issues [they represent] for myself.” As she grew up and started to formulate her own opinions, she found various differences between her and her parents’ political mindset. Her usual approach with her parents’ conflicting views is to simply ignore the problem and avoid political discussion altogether, in order to avoid causing unnecessary tensions. Despite Tai’s political differences with her parents, however, they accept each other as they are and do not emphasize the deeper meaning of their parties’ views. According to psychologist Saul McLeod, comprehensive

EL ESTOQUE

October 24, 2012

When [Nishant] comes up with a new opinion, I explore why he has come with that view, [I] don’t try to change his mind on it. Parent Barry Greene

Pedro Ribeiro Simões via Flickr | Creative Commons by-nd-sa

analysis can be linked to the attribution theory “labor oriented” family and exposed to a which explains how people view politics, or strictly democratic environment based on any other major controversy, through entirely traditional independence. In his teenage years, human issues that directly impact their lives. he didn’t enjoy being a part of any political However, to Tai, discussing politics with her affiliation or clique that would restrict him parents is not worth the inevitable hassle. to certain beliefs, and thus he later joined Tai believes that being classified under the Independent party. Barry carried this one extreme of an issue experience on to his son, can make students feel Do you and your parents support encouraging him to express constrained because they the same presidential candidate? his individual beliefs. do not like to be held back As contrasting opinions by the majority of the party. develop, Barry analyzes In her family, no member is the different issues with his categorized under a certain son and compares different label and expected to think viewpoints to help them a certain way. both make educated “We are not the type of decisions for themselves. 79% Yes 21% No family to let political issues Barry believes strongly in * 533 people participated in this survey. come between us,” Tai the importance of critical said. “We usually table it or thinking, and strives to don’t talk about it. Our political affiliation is help his son sharpen those skills. a minor thing for us. The way we see it is [if] “When [Nishant] comes up with a new you are a Democrat, good for you. If you are a opinion, I explore why he has come with that [Republican], good for you.” view,” Barry said. “[I] don’t try to change his Barry Greene, Nishant’s father, supports mind on it. [I] show him different perspectives these differences because he believes that and opinions on the subject. [To facilitate] having contrasting thoughts allows students the evolution of somebody‘s viewpoint … to become independent individuals and helps you should explore with them what they are them prepare themselves for the future. thinking.” According to Barry, he was raised in a c.lockwood@elestoque.org

SPECIAL REPORT

On the campaign trail Students volunteer for the Obama campaign, gaining insight into the process of politics by Soumya Kurnool

Shuyi Qi and Yuna Lee | El Estoque Illustration

he presidential candidates have been on the campaign trail for the past year and students have been right there with them. Juniors Pradnya Narkhede and Joyce Tien have volunteered for the Obama campaign in the Bay Area, representing the youth, one of the least active age groups in politics.

develop interpersonal skills. “The first thing I thought [when people hung up on me] was, ‘You’re rude,’” Tien said. “But I came to realize that people don’t want to get involved, and I saw that you can see one thing from a variety of different perspectives.” Yet by working in the system, Tien started to feel an obligation to politics and being aware of the world around her, and decided to become more politically literate. As a result of working in the campaign, Tien has found herself watching the candidates’ speeches and keeping up with the election. Through her work, Tien was also able to better understand the political attitudes present in Cupertino, especially among students. According to Tien, she was the only teen volunteer in her group, probably because of the focus students place on academics as opposed to politics. “It’s just how schools are oriented here,” she said. “With politics, you need to be very up-to-date with it, and people just don’t have time for it.”

Tweeting for advocacy Narkhede was not very politically literate at first. However, last year, she started to follow political campaigns, even those at the state and congressional levels. Eventually, she stumbled across a volunteering opportunity in the Santa Clara County to be a rally supporter and campaign organizer. More specifically, she was able to advocate the campaign through social media and once had the privilege of tweeting from Obama’s account. “I don’t know the password, but when I went [to volunteer] a couple of times, I had to tweet a few things for the truth team — mainly on economic of young policy — to place verification ... whenever volunteers Romney’s campaign came up with a new Polling ahead volunteer for attack,” Narkhede said.” Government teacher Ben Recktenwald In addition to gaining practical political groups. identifies volunteering as part of the way knowledge on Obama’s contributions to 2006 Civic and Political Health of the Nation to overcome student ignorance about the nation, Narkhede was able to learn politics. In particular, he is providing the the most from the personal stories she Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters heard on the campaign trail, gaining a new perspective from talking to with high school student volunteers who would work at the Cupertino people who had benefited from Obama’s policies, including Cal Grants polls on Election Day. and Medicare. “[Volunteering] gives you an opportunity to feel like your country “I liked to see what sort of tangible impact legislation has on people is a democracy and gives you a chance to be a part of the system [that] because as a youth,” she said. “I just felt so sheltered from politics in your [parents’] taxes are paying for,” he said. “You see how it works.” the beginning because it didn’t really affect me. [Seeing these people] Recktenwald also sees volunteering as a springboard for students to really enhanced the consequences and importance of politics.” get more involved in politics in the future. “[With volunteering] everywhere across the country, there are Hitting up the phone bank little pieces of democracy happening in society,” Recktenwald said. Tien was greeted again and again by the dial tone. “Hopefully, it encourages [students] to get into politics — voting and As a volunteer for the Obama campaign during the summer, she becoming a political person.” regularly phone banked, calling lists of potential voters to urge them to s.kurnool@elestoque.org vote. It was the experience of getting hung up on that really helped her

13%

EL ESTOQUE

SPORTS

playing through the

PAIN

Contusions, cuts, concussions â&#x20AC;&#x201D; athletes play through them all

SPORTS

How many times can you say

‘IT’S ALL GOOD’?

Margaret Lin | El Estoque

Day after day, athletes push themselves to the to play through serious injuries by Carissa Chan with additional reporting by Alaina Lui

hen I walk into the office of MVHS athletic trainer Marie Gishifu at 4 p.m. on Sept. 26, there are already three football players there, each with a different injury. Gishifu is wrapping the ankle of junior Saxon Day. “What are you interviewing Marie about?” Day asks me, blood oozing from under the ice pack taped to his leg. “Concussions,” I reply. “Do you know anyone who’s had one?” Day shrugs. “Pretty much everyone. Chris Flores, Kyle Barry, Amol Pande, Brian Kearns.” Senior Michael Ching, stretching out a pulled muscle, looks up. “T,” he says. “Oh yeah, Tijani Karaborni. And Robert Foreman. He’s had four.” I raise my eyebrows. “Four concussions?” All three of them — Day, Ching and sophomore Wells Chang — laugh. “Yeah, something like that,” Day says. “Foreman’s out for the season.” I later spoke with Foreman, a senior on the varsity football team. And he has, in fact, had four concussions. 38

A growing problem The last few years have seen a rise in both the severity and frequency of sports injuries at the professional and high school levels. With recent high-profile injuries like the Sept. 23 helmet-to-helmet collision between Oakland Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey and Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Mundy — Heyward-Bey attempted to catch a ball in the endzone but was knocked out by Mundy — concerns about concussions in the NFL have increased significantly. The same is true for high school-level athletics; according to the Centers for Disease Prevention, concussions among youth have risen 60 percent in the last nine years. With studies indicating so strong a link between concussions and long-term brain damage, immediate medical attention is critical to prevent further injury. But now, it is no longer about concussions alone. Even seemingly minor injuries like muscle strains can easily become aggravated if put under the strain of sports. The stress of repeated physical actions, such as running, can cause long-term injuries. Out of 28 surveyed football players on both the varsity and JV football teams, 57 percent said they had played with a serious

injury at least once before. And the injuries they reported — fractures, broken bones, sprains — are certainly not minor ones. The mechanics of a concussion The first football-related concussion Foreman suffered was during an afterschool practice his freshman year. Foreman was playing defensive back when one of his teammates tackled him, taking him to the ground — hard. “I fell back, and basically everything goes black and you’re stuck in a daze,” Foreman said. “You fall and you feel like you weigh a thousand pounds and it’s hard to get up, and once you do, you just don’t really know what’s going on.” When a player goes down, the effects of the tackle are not always immediately visible. But according to a study by the University of Michigan, the sheer force of a full-on tackle, even in a high school-level game, often exceeds 40 g, or more than ten times the g-force of the average roller coaster; concussions usually happen somewhere around 90 to 100 g. Weighing in at an average of three pounds, the brain is suspended in cerebrospinal fluid but cannot withstand a sustained force of EL ESTOQUE

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over 10 g, according to studies by the Mayo Clinic. Compound that excessive force with the frequency of contact — the football team usually plays one game per week and practices on the other four school days — and minor symptoms quickly escalate, becoming hazardous to the players’ health. The impact rattles the soft, still-developing brain with hard contact. While the brain is encased in a protective skull, such strong force causes damage as the brain is compressed against the inner backside of the skull. The player stops moving once he hits the ground; with nothing to stop the brain, however, it continues in motion. And if the impact is great enough, the brain rebounds one more time, striking the inner front of the skull and further damaging both the brain and the skull’s lining. “They get headaches, nausea, coordination problems, balance is off ... it gets to a point that [concussions are] just scary,” Gishifu said. Repeated concussions have been associated with neurological damage, including amnesia, dementia and later onset diseases, such as Parkinson’s.

Sport Concussion Assessment Tool At the beginning of the season, each football player takes a baseline test administered by athletic trainer Marie Gishifu. If a player shows symptoms of a concussion later on in the season, especially after a hard hit, he visits Gishifu to take the test again and the new results are cross-checked with the old ones. Try the questions yourself to see how you would score.

1. What team did you play last week/game? of 1

Sideline assessment score

2. Have a friend read you a string of numbers. Then repeat them backwards in reverse order. For example, if he says 7-1-9, you would say 9-1-7. Then say the months in reverse order. If correct, go to next string length. If incorrect, attempt again in trial 2. One point possible for each string length. Stop after incorrect on both trials. The digits should be read at the rate of one per second. Give yourself another point if the months are said backwards correctly.

List 4-9-3 3-8-1-4 6-2-9-7-1 7-1-8-4-6-2

Trial 1 0 0 0 0

1 1 1 1

Trial 2 0 0 0 0

1 1 1 1

Keeping up with everyone else of 5 Concentration score Senior Nathan Facciolla appears in the doorway, blood dripping from a cut on his 3. Stand with your feet together with your hands on your hips and with finger, a grin on his face. your eyes closed. Try to maintain stability in that position for 20 seconds. “Can you fix this?” he asks Gishifu. Gishifu grabs a roll of gauze from the Add up the number of errors, one point for any movement out of the position. The maximum cabinet and swiftly disinfects and wraps the number of errors possible is 10. finger. In less than two minutes, Facciolla is gone, back on the field to rejoin the team in Total errors of 10 their practice. Two more players later come to see Gishifu, Test taken with permission from the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport one with a bloody gash on his leg, the other complaining of shoulder mobility problems. They are both attended to; they both return to role on the team” was the top factor, with well, Gishifu says, making them feel unable — 79 percent of respondents reporting that it or reluctant — to take off adequate time from practice within minutes. According to Gishifu, the players that she affects their decision of whether or not to play athletics to fully recover. “High school kids have the ego stuff going. examines for injuries are frequently impatient through an injury. And in a close second came to return to the field, even if they have not “appearance of being weak/not as tough” with I was a high school kid before, so I understand, 57 percent of the respondents relating to this. but now I feel like I’m responsible for them,” completed the entire healing process. “They don’t want to sit out; they want to Another common response was feeling an Gishifu said. “They need to understand the keep playing. So either they don’t tell me [about obligation to the team, or as one respondent nature of the injury … It only gets worse if the symptoms] or they lie,” Gishifu said. “But wrote, “not wanting to let the team down.” In they just shut it off.” addition, 68 percent of the it’s understandable … that players felt that athletes are Long-term injuries they’re really upset.” They don’t want to sit either “highly pressured” or Many players push through the pain of But as Foreman says, out; they want to keep “somewhat pressured” to injuries to return to athletics, but lingering sitting out to heal and injuries are extremely vulnerable to further receive treatment often playing. So either they play through injuries. Playing through a damage. For Foreman, this experience came makes it difficult to return don’t tell me [about the serious injury is particularly with his fourth concussion. to the sport at the same symptoms] or they lie. dangerous for potential “We were doing hitting drills ... we went level of performance. athletic trainer Marie Gishifu concussions. Though for one last hit ... and everything just goes Several weeks spent the symptoms may fade black, and I start stumbling around, and I can’t recuperating could easily mean losing a starting position, especially in in a matter of days, concussions — even walk in a straight line,” Foreman said. “So my football, which currently carries 39 players on minor ones — are still considered traumatic coach just told me to go sit down and talk to injuries to the brain. A recent concussion the trainer.” its varsity team. But what Foreman had not expected was “[Coaches and teammates] want to make leaves the brain vulnerable to future injury. sure that you heal,” Foreman said. “[But] you Any additional contact can easily provoke a that his most recent concussion, suffered just feel pressured … because you feel like you resurgence in symptoms, leaving the brain in a this preseason, would spell the end of his high worsened condition. school football career. lose your spot.” Pressure sometimes surrounds players as “I went to the doctor and she told me I’ve In the survey, “potential loss of a starting OCTOBER 24, 2012

SPORTS had too many concussions,” Foreman said. “I thought I was going to take, like, a week off and come back. And then I made it to two weeks, but then my doctor called me on the phone and said she advised me not to play anymore ... I was stunned … and it was just the worst feeling ever.” Foreman, however, says that he was fortunate to receive support from those around him, allowing him to put his health as the first priority. “[My parents] were definitely worried … and my coach told me how sorry he was [that] this happened,” Foreman said. “Three or four concussions in the long run isn’t worth risking it in high school.” Difficult to protect against The past decade has seen improvements in protective measures and equipment, especially in football. Concerns about the frequency and severity of collisions were raised — the rate of collisions that occur during kickoffs is disproportionately higher than those of other plays. High speeds and adrenaline rushes are also incurred during kickoffs and kickoff returns, considered some of the most exciting plays of the game. Combine this with the fact that the average NFL player weighs 248 pounds, according to ESPN, and plays like these are dangerous situations waiting to happen. As a result, early last year, the NCAA approved a change effective in the fall season of 2011. Instead of beginning the game with a kickoff at the 30-yard line, teams will kick off at the 35-yard line and the maximum running start for these kickoffs is now limited to five yards in an attempt to make the game safer. Equipment has also evolved with research; after additional studies on the dangers of concussions, a polyurethane cap, which Gishifu now asks post-concussion players to wear, was developed to help prevent recurrent concussions. Helmets have also undergone changes to absorb more shock and offer more protection in the case of head-on collisions. Though direct, helmet-to-helmet contact violates official rules, tackles like these still occur and pose a threat to the health of players; in the recent NFL incident, for example, Heyward-Bey immediately lost consciousness and was diagnosed with a concussion and neck strain, which was considered a miracle given the force and speed of the collision. Though helmets are generally effective at lessening the number of external injuries, their hard nature — necessary to protect against lacerations and other blunt force injuries — make it difficult to prevent concussions. The stiff plastic of the helmet does not absorb shock as well as something more supple, causing vibrations to wrack the brain. The football team, however, primarily uses the Riddell Revolution Speed helmet, which received a full five-star concussion prevention rating in a 4

study by Virginia Tech. Though such helmets are costly, retailing at $264.99 each, they are seen as investments for players’ health and safety.

Behind the mask What do athletes really think about playing through injuries? Members of the varsity and JV football teams leave anonymous comments on El Estoque’s online survey.

Breaking the cycle Players come into the training room with concussion symptoms about once a month, but when football practices “You play through injuries because you first start in the summertime, Gishifu want to.” says it is not uncommon to test one or two players each week; getting back into the routine of football often “Some injuries [you] are able to play means more injuries. And Gishifu’s through, but if you don’t play through office is constantly filled with athletes, these injuries, then you lose respect from whether from football or other sports, with a variety of other injuries as well. the team. If it is a serious injury, then you In an attempt to reduce the risk are expected to come back as soon as you of long-term damage to players, are able to.” the MVHS athletic program has implemented was to recognize — and monitor — potential concussions as “There are injuries you can play through just well as other serious injuries, helping because of the pain, but if it is dangerous improve the safety of a notoriously to your life, [then] that is the only time you physical and dangerous sport. At the beginning of the season, each should stop.” football player is required to undergo a test administered by Gishifu. The “I think playing through a serious injury is results of the test, which includes examining coordination, memory not a smart thing to do because that can recall, immediate recall, delayed affect you for the rest of your life.” recall, orientation and alertness, are recorded and stored. And when a player takes a particularly hard hit or “Having a cast is kind of awesome ... begins to show signs of a concussion, it seems more like an advantage to be he takes the test again with Gishifu, injured.” who cross-checks the new results with the original ones. “After [the test], they’ll be sent “[Some people] just make you feel terrible to the doctor,” Gishifu said. “A if you are out with an injury. They make California law with concussions ... requires [players] to see the doctor for it seem like it’s completely your fault for a second evaluation and a follow-up.” getting injured and unless your bone is Even after a formal doctor’s sticking out of your skin, then you should visit, the football program requires be on the field playing.” a written note from a medical professional as well as an additional test by Gishifu before the player can return to football. If concerns remain, Gishifu more than aware of that,” Gishifu said. “As can order additional recovery time ranging much as we have improved over the years, there’s always room for improvement.” from one to two weeks. And though Foreman’s journey has been “Every concussion is different,” Gishifu said. “You can’t really range it from mild to difficult, his experiences — and the support he received from the football community severe. That’s the thing.” even after his season-ending injury — have helped him keep a positive perspective. He Looking up According to Gishifu, the safety changes harbors no resentment toward the teammates that the football program has undergone has who tackled him, saying those instances were helped athletes and parents become more simply accidents, and he has not ruled out aware of serious injuries, allowing players to playing football in the future either. “We joke around and stuff, and I know that make better decisions regarding rest time and they want me to play,” Foreman said. “I can’t medical treatment following a major injury. “[Football players] are in a contact sport be out there, but I try to help out as much as … they do know the risks, they know the level I can.” of injuries that they can sustain, and they’re c.chan@elestoque.org | a.lui@elestoque.org EL ESTOQUE

SPORTS

BITTER SWEET

VICTORY

Sisters junior Richelle and freshman Isabelle Ju compete against each other for the gold by Shriya Bhindwale and Varsha Venkat

he sudden change from their Isabelle Ju and junior Richelle Ju bubbly personalities to the know that tai chi is a competitive — intense severity in their eyes is and frequently stressful — sport. The empowerment that comes enough to tell us they’re serious. They move their arms and legs with tai chi forces the sisters to spend with graceful fluidity, as though a large amount of time practicing, but they are painting a picture on the it’s more than simply learning a few moves and putting on a game face — floor. With every movement, they tell it takes an open-minded perspective the story of ancient Chinese martial to make a connection with the sport and truly arts. excel. There R ichelle are a For Richelle, she jumps very w a s number of good, [and is] professionally introduced to specialized martial arts C h i n e s e very good. So I train her more through her f i g h t i n g for tai chi, [to make her] more par t icipat ion s k i l l s , stable. For Isabelle, it is more in kung com monly fu, a more known as good conditioning. Tai chi is st renuous w u s h u , a little bit soft and hard … she form of that have knows [that] better. wushu. The branched tai chi coach Yun Jian Zou adrenaline out to that came become with kung fu various types of martial arts, such as kung excited her and opened the doors to fu and tai chi. Over the years, tai the world of Chinese martial arts. “I was in martial arts, it was just chi has evolved and become more popular as a form of stress relief, wushu … It was one thing I really liked, and my mom was like, ‘Oh you rather than actual self defense. While most perceive tai chi as should start tai chi’ and she met this a means for the elderly to maintain tai chi teacher,” Richelle said. “It their health, sisters freshman was the total opposite of the martial

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arts I was doing.” Isabelle started tai chi at the age of eight, and at that young, unfocused age, tai chi — at the surface — wasn’t particularly appealing. But despite the initial lack of interest, it would grow into something that would take up the majority of her time. “You can’t really see the true beauty of tai chi when you’re really young. In the beginning, we were just focused on learning the form and we wanted to learn everything really fast,” Isabelle said. As they began to see the patience and skill involved in tai chi, Isabelle and Richelle grew to enjoy the sport. The sisters spent nearly three years attempting to get out of the sport, but eventually made a connection that changed their view on tai chi. “When we were older and

had more patience, we started to see the true beauty of its speed,” Isabelle said. Richelle and Isabelle began to bond over the countless hours spent in the studio trying to perfect their every move. Though the sisters have managed to connect through tai chi, the sense of competition is always in the back of their minds. “It was a little bittersweet knowing that only one of you can win the medal, or go to internationals,” Isabelle said. The sisters use their time together to their advantage and build their strengths off of each other. With each other’s help, their individual achievements began to grow. “You just feel really proud when you accomplish something you’ve never done before,” Richelle said. The sisters’ coach of five years, Yun Jian Zou, feels that both Isabelle and Richelle have come a long way from when they first started tai chi. He can sense their improvement and believes that while both girls are very different, they have their characteristic strengths and weaknesses which make them tough competitors for each other. “For Richelle, she jumps very good, [and

is] professionally very good. So I train her more for tai chi, [to make her] more stable. For Isabelle, it is more good conditioning. Tai chi is a little bit soft and hard … she knows [that] better,” Zou said. With all the obstacles and challenges they’ve faced, Isabelle and Richelle have made memories and a friendship of a lifetime. They opened their eyes to trying new things and even managed to form a closer relationship as sisters. “When it comes to practice, we help each other like sisters would,” Isabelle said. “But when it comes to competitions, and we’re on the mat, everything just fades away and nothing else really matters.”

s.bhindwale@elestoque.org v.venkat@elestoque.org

It was a little bittersweet knowing that only one of you can win the medal, or go to internationals. freshman Isabelle Ju

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PUTTING A PRICE ON GOLF by Patrick Xie and Ashley Ding

Golf can be an expensive sport. It requires an enormous amount of practice to master, which can lead to an intensive financial investment. But what exactly is the price tag of playing golf? El Estoque looks into the greatest expenses that go into learning and mastering the sport. turbotoddi via Flickr | Creative Commons by-nd-sa

MOST EXPENSIVE COSTS

COST OF WEEKEND GOLF ROUNDS Deep Cliff Golf Course

Louis Vuitton Golf Bag

$9050

One lesson with Mitchel Spearman

$3000

Pruneridge Golf Club

$22

One 9-hole round at Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, NY Player Costs:

$500

Blackberry Farm Golf Course

$19

$38

Average cost of clubs

THE GOLF INDUSTRY IS WORTH

$76,000,000,000 Player Costs:

PLAYER COSTS

Ranked from most to least expensive

1. Driver: $50 - $500 2. Putter: $15 - $300 3. Wedge: $20 - $140

Player Costs:

How much do MVHS golf players spend every year on their sport?

$3,050

$4,440

$7,150

sophomore Lucas Harjono

senior Prianka Singh

junior Bryan Ng

*Statistics taken from National Golf Foundation, golf.com, Sports Authority, and WeAreGolf.org

SPORTS

SPORTS FLASH An update on how Matador teams are doing by Atharva Fulay with photography by Margaret Lin

During Homecoming week, each of the classes competed in Powderpuff football games, the first played in the new stadium. On Oct. 3, the juniors defeated the sophomores 7-0. The next day, the seniors won their game 28-0 against the freshmen. On Oct. 10, the seniors, led by senior Mimi Akaogi (above), fended off the juniors 16-7 in the finals. OCTOBER 24, 2012

Above, junior Hannah Bagley dribbles the ball ahead. Girls field hockey has been dominant while visiting other schools, winning both of their away games; they have yet to win at home. Seniors Caroline Lei and Katie Byrne were selected as part of the All-Tournament team at the Longhorn Round-up tournament on the weekend of Sept. 14.

After making it as a wild card team to CCS last year, boys water polo, including senior Dmitriy Evert (above), looks to go farther in playoffs this year. As of Oct. 11, the Matadors have a 3-4 record. Seniors Brendan Duffy and Omer Yosef lead in scoring this season. The team will host the annual Ron Freeman Memorial tournament on Oct. 26 and 27.

The girls volleyball team has been struggling to get into rhythm with only one victory so far. The Matadors, however, have made significant improvements. Seniors Vivian Duong (above) and Serena Chew lead the team on defense while setter sophomore Maria Balus and outside hitter junior Beverly Yu run the offense.

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