Volume 48, Issue 3, November 15, 2017

November 2017

elESTOQUE Monta Vista High School

Issue III Volume XLVIII

5 NEWS

16 OPINION

30 A&E

34 SPORTS

Army officials inform MVHS students about military opportunities

The debate between dog shelters and breeders

Dissecting the five popular varieties of Indian dances

New wrestling coach pursues his passion for sports

OF MOTHERHOOD 22 JOURNEY The joys and toils of being a mother

NEWS

OPINION

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BLUELIGHT HITS THE LIGHTS Bluelight Cinemas closes down after eight years of memories

SEMPER PARATUS Army officials inform MVHS students about military opportunities

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CRASH COURSE: LOCAL POLITICS Deconstructing the local government’s voting ballot

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PARENTAL GUIDANCE Student advocate Richard Prinz holds parenting classes

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UNPACKING PARANOIA Amazon Key exposes our insecurities about privacy

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A&E

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FINDING A HOME

The debate between dog shelters and breeders

TONE IT DOWN We are focusing too much on skin color

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SCOUTING FOR EQUALITY The Boy Scouts allow girls to join and create controversy

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UNCLE SAM’S DILEMMA Guns and America are starting to seem synonymous

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REPUTATIONS: GUILTY PLEASURES Students share their secret indulgences

SPORTS

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TAKING THE FLOOR OFF THE MAT The differences between five popular varieties of Indian dance

New wrestling coach pursues his passion for sports

FAIR AND LOVELY? Exploring the preference of lighter skin in the beauty industry

SUPERFAN How professional sports impacts the personal lives of fans

RATED E FOR EVERYONE The impact of adult themes in cartoons and comics

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FANTASY LAND Students and staff share their passion for fantasy sports

A BAD REP Students discuss the stigma of buying fake clothing

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A STRANGER TO MY OWN SPORT A staff member’s experience being injured in sports

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SPORTS FLASH Reviewing MVHS’ fall sports season through pictures

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IN THIS ISSUE

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FEATURES THE GIFT OF LIFE Entering and experiencing the early stages of motherhood 0

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THE DILEMMA OF SACRIFICE What a mother has to give up

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THE DIVERGING OF PATHS

THE WEIGHT OF CHANGE

People provide insight on why they don’t want children

Mothers learn to adjust to and cope with the space left in an empty nest

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LETTER FROM THE EDITORS...

O ur mothers have been there for us longer than we can even recall, taking care of us, feeding us and offering us hours of slightly annoying — albeit helpful — advice.

For most of us, having our mothers by our side is a given. Even for those without mothers, we find the same in someone else — perhaps in a friend, an aunt or a teacher.

But as each year passes and we get closer to leaving home, the idea that these maternal figures will always be there for us becomes less concrete. We realize that one day, the comfort and care of our mothers won’t be a given.

For some of us, this may be our last Thanksgiving at home for a while. Our next Thanksgivings may be spent hours away from home, and we’ll find our home-cooked meals replaced by cups of easy mac. Change is not bad, and processed mac and cheese probably won’t hurt us. But there will be a time when we transition into a life where our mothers have a less prominent role. And while it’s hard for children to adjust to living without their parents, it’s just as hard for them to learn to live without us. On pages 25 and 26, reporters Ananya Bhat and Shuvi Jha explore how mothers adjust to this distance between their children.

Motherhood is different for everyone, but there’s one thing all mothers are familiar with — sacrifice. Whether it’s sleep, their job or their dreams, mothers all sacrifice something to take care of their children. Before we are even born, our mothers consider the sacrifice they have to make — whether the pain, the money and the commitment are something they are willing to bear. We are here because at some point, they decided we were worth the things they had to give up. But sometimes we fail to realize that they are still making them day to day, choosing us over their jobs or other friends. On pages 20 and 21, reporters Vivian Chiang and Swara Tewari discuss some of the sacrifices a mother must make.

Many of us have never celebrated Thanksgiving in the traditional way, with turkeys and cranberries. We see it as a simple break from school, a much-needed moment of relief before finals hit. Many of us will spend that short break with friends, catching up on TV shows, or for the more ambitious ones, studying.

But Thanksgiving is supposed to be the day we count our blessings, the day we give thanks to the things we otherwise take for granted. Our mothers deserve much of these thanks. We’re at a time in our lives where we’re eager to get away — away from this school, away from the limitations that come with being a kid, and ultimately, away from home. We spend time on our phones instead of having conversations with our parents and get dinner with friends instead of gathering around the dinner table.

But our parents are still here, providing us with the phones we text on and the cars we drive in. Even as we push to get away from them, our parents are there, supporting us, because that’s what parents do. They love us, despite what we may think when they yell at us for getting that bad grade on our latest test. They care for us, checking in to make sure we’ve eaten and slept enough. They teach us, guiding us through the ups and downs of life and showing us how to be a full-fledged adult. A giver, a teacher, a shoulder to lean on — this is what our mothers are. And now, it’s our turn to thank them for being all of that, and more.

Ananya Bhat

Ilena Peng

CORRECTION FROM THE LAST ISSUE “95014” misspelled senior Hima Tammineni’s first name.

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

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

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

COVER ILLUSTRATION | ELIZABETH HAN

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BLUELIGHT HITS THE LIGHTS Bluelight Cinemas closes down after eight years of memories

BY CLAIRE CHANG AND PRIYA REDDY

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hen Art Cohen bought Bluelight think that niche is not going to be filled, Cinemas in 2009, he knew he even with the smaller theaters that are still was in for a lot of work. The around.” movie theater, which had opened in the For Cohen, the decision to close down 1970s, had gone through several owners the movie theater after eight years was before it closed down for the first time in primarily financial. When he had bought 2001, remaining closed until 2009. It was the theater, it was already in a state of then that Cohen, a former tech industry disrepair, and despite his efforts to patch it worker, decided to buy the movie theater. up, the problems with the theater persisted.

By the time Cohen and his family “The operating expense were too high obtained ownership, the theater was in for us to continue,” Cohen said. “And disrepair due to its eight-year lapse, but that included rent, accommodation with Cohen worked to restore the building’s it by installing new [ h e a ting, YOU LIVE HERE AND THIS projectors and seats. ventilation and IS YOUR COMMUNITY. SO “We opened up air conditioning] WHAT DO YOU WANT a different type of equipment, theater,” Cohen said. which was very HERE? [...] I WOULD LOVE “It was communityvery old, and TO KNOW WHAT YOUNG based; it was designed so it constantly PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO SEE. needed repair for students. We kept our prices much more and to be BLUELIGHT CINEMA OWNER replaced. Plus reasonable than other ART COHEN first run theaters like the roof kept AMC and we did other leaking every special programs.” winter. And it was only being patched and Organizations such as the Cupertino we needed a new roof, so the building was Library Foundation would host weekly film just in disrepair.” series for senior citizens, and according to Beyond the finances of the theater Cohen, local schools used the theater as a itself, Cohen feels that the Blue Oaks Plaza field trip for students. The movie theater owners were also looking to replace the also served as a sort of cultural center, building and much of the complex with holding Indian film festivals as well as newer buildings. partnering with the San Francisco Chinese For sophomore Aman Sidhu, who Consulate to present a Chinese movie night primarily visited the movie theater for every week. convenience, it was the cheap price of the Community member Bob Ng said he tickets and the closer proximity that drew understands why there would be a decrease him to the theater. Still, Sidhu said he in visitors to the movie theater, and he was not all that surprised that the theater believes that this is part of a larger trend eventually closed down. of smaller movie theaters closing down, “It seemed inevitable, overall, I guess something he finds unfortunate.

I’m just surprised as it was [so] quick,” “Bluelight had documentaries and all Sidhu said. “I would like for [something to those little special movies that they show, take the place of Bluelight] but it’s probably which was really great,” Ng said. “And I not going to happen.”

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PHOTO | CLAIRE CHANG

For Cohen, the movie theater provided a community center for watching movies, and gave moviegoers a more comfortable atmosphere, something he feels will be lost when the plaza is renovated.

“The ownership is not interested in that.

They’re interested in maximizing dollars,” Cohen said. “And I’m not going to say whether that’s right or wrong, I’m just saying what it is. That’s a fact. And the city and the community have to decide whether or not that’s what they want. And there is no right or wrong. It’s just about what you guys want.”

Community members Kristy Ward and Bob Durr echoed these sentiments. Though they visited the theater often enough when their children were younger and were still living at home, they found themselves visiting the plaza and the theater less after their children graduated from college.

Ward feels that recently there has been a shift from smaller businesses to larger ones along Stevens Creek Rd. And while that makes her sad, she recognizes that the change may not be all bad. As Bluelight Cinemas closes, Ward hopes that the business that follows will bring commerce and people to the city.

“The bottom line is our world’s changing faster than we can comprehend, I think.,” Durr said. “And it’s just part of life.”

This change is something Cohen also sees in the community and he hopes that the younger generation will speak up for what they want as this change occurs.

“Local politics matters sometimes more than national politics, because that impacts you directly,” Cohen said. “You live here and this is your community. So what do you want here? ... I would love to know what young people would like to see.” e

SEMPER PARAT US Army officials inform MVHS students about military opportunities

BY JASMINE LEE AND ZAZU LIPPERT

oining the army gave Jofferlyn Perpose the opportunity to receive a better education, funding her learning as she challenged herself to redefine her limits. It took her through boot camp, some of the toughest weeks in her life, where she came out stronger, becoming Sergeant Jofferlyn Perpose.

Joining the army gave Matthew Hart options and taught him perseverance. He learned to look danger straight in the eyes alongside his brothers in arms.

Because after going to war in Iraq, his comrades weren’t just good friends. They were family. He became Sergeant Matthew Hart.

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PHOTO | OM KHANDEKAR

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“I turned into [someone who] is not a quitter. I learned that life is extremely precious. There is no point in wasting your time doing something you don’t love.”

Sgt. Matthew Hart Hart and Perpose, who now work with Army recruitment, came to MVHS on Oct. 23 to talk to students about the possibility of an alternative type of education: the military. They hope to give out more information about military academies and attract those who are interested in joining the armed forces.

A group of students crowded around their black and yellow clothed table at lunch, their attention focused on Hart, who wore a crisp white military uniform, and Perpose, in her green army fatigues.

The two handed out fliers that contained information about military life. For some MVHS students, the path to college may be different than going directly to a four-year university. Therefore, Hart and Perpose shared their experiences to help these students better understand what joining a branch of the military means.

Perpose’s interest in joining the military began her junior year of high school. She began to seriously explore the options during her senior year, enlisting after graduation. She used her skills as a former mechanic when she joined to earn a heavy equipment mechanic certification from the Army. But beyond the certifications she’s earned, which also include one allowing her to handle hazardous materials, what she’s taken away most from her experience in the military are lessons from experiences.

In addition to takeaways, Perpose also remembers challenges vividly, such as 0

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when she went to boot camp for training.

Being alone and away from her family at 18, and going through rigorous training helped her grow as an individual. “[I’ve] definitely become a better person, because I learned to be more independent,” Perpose said. “And I learned to be responsible and learned to see the world differently.”

Perpose’s college education is currently being paid for by the Army, allowing her the freedom to continue her education in mechanics without the worry of financial barriers. With opportunities like the reserve program, where members only work one Saturday and one Sunday every month along with two weeks in the summer

while attending school on the Army’s bill, education can become more accessible.

“Everyone can join as long as they’re qualified, can take the challenge if they want to, or those who [have a financial difficulty], because we have a good education program,” Perpose said.

The advantage of not worrying about the financial issue that accompanies college attracted students like junior Kaitlyn Zhou, who was interested in the challenges a military college would bring, namely those found at the United States Military Academy West Point.

“I think [military schools are] definitely not very popular because it’s really challenging and many students join because

Hart and Perpose’s booth features pamphlets on many different sectors of the army. Hart emphasizes that the Army offers a variety of different occupations — it’s not all combat.

PHOTO | ZAZU LIPPERT

NEWS

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they don’t have the financial means to get into a college,” Zhou said. “But over here, that’s not really an issue.”

In addition, Zhou explains how military college caught her eye. She sees it as a motivation to overcome challenges and inspires herself to become stronger.

“I really want to challenge myself,” Zhou said. “And I know West Point is very different from most colleges because it is physically and mentally challenging.”

For Zhou, it’s the challenges that draw her to a military college, but for others, it runs in their family. Sophomore Elvis Lang discusses his ties with the West Point military academy.

“My uncle is the first one in the family to go to Army West Point about 30, 40 years ago,” Lang said. “And then recently last year, one of my oldest cousins got into West Point because of my uncle. It’s like following a family legacy.”

According to Lang, being able to serve in the military brought both excitement and worry to the family. In addition, Lang believes that being able to enroll into a military college is beneficial to the student.

“I think it’s a really good idea [to enroll into West Point] if you’re willing to put the work in because you get a lot of benefit,” Lang said. “For a lot of people, you get college loans that you have to pay back, but with West Point, you don’t have to do any of that and West Point is also a very good place where you can choose where you want to go in your life.”

Hart, an experienced officer, can attest to both the challenges and the payoffs of a life in the military. The military taught him, among other things, to never give up, and to be “always ready,” like the Army’s motto, semper paratus.

“I turned into [someone who] is not a quitter. I learned that life is extremely precious — there’s no point in wasting your time doing something you don’t love,” Hart said. “I think the biggest [thing] I’ve learned is how blessed we are to be Americans.”

Hart was sent to Iraq in 2008, where he was stationed in Kuwait as a tank gunman. His travels opened him up to new experiences and new emotions as well.

“It’s frightening,” Hart said. “I was nervous. I was very scared. I was very hesitant. Of course, everyone goes through the doubts.”

While the fear of being in combat never went away completely, Hart cites those who were with him on his tour as a constant source of strength.

“Everywhere I went, I was never by myself. I was with friends and they become my brothers who I still talk to this day,” Hart

Hart hands out pamphlets to interested students. He says the most important thing to think about when considering joining the armed forces is whether the military is the right fit for each individual.

PHOTO | ZAZU LIPPERT

said. “Everything I did was with someone and it really helps you get used to things when you’re not the only guy scared.”

According to Hart, it was the constant feeling of camaraderie that got him through difficult times, and kept him fighting for his country. His brothers in arms were a constant source of strength, and often, a blatant openness accompanied this.

“Let me tell you the difference between a military friend and a best friend,” Hart said. “A civilian friend you can tell your deepest darkest secret, but probably in a fight, they probably will not take your back.

A military friend, they get your back, they’ll go down with you, they’ll go to jail with you.

But if you tell your deepest, darkest secret, they will tell everybody. They will use it against you as jokes.”

While this feeling of fellowship and brotherhood has taken Hart far, he encourages those interested in joining the service to really do their research before they commit. There are many resources to find information about the military and whether or not it’s the right fit for a person, something that he keeps in mind as a recruitment officer.

“We want to see if this is right for you,” Hart said. “There’s some people we talked to that this is not a good path for them and there’s some people that just don’t know what they are signing up for. Or people think that all we do is go to war and shoot guns, which is not the case at all either. If anybody is interested in this, just educate yourself.” e

Sgt. E5 Jofferlyn Perpose stands in front of the blow up football game that she and Hart brought with them to MVHS to catch the students’ attention.

PHOTO | ZAZU LIPPERT

SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE NEWS| NOVEMBER 2017

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CRASH COURSE: LOCAL POLITICS A look at how Cupertino’s government functions within the federal system

BY ZAZU LIPPERT AND ANDREA PERNG

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overnment often seems like a large, removed, abstract idea. But beyond the overarching national government, citizens can impact their local governments through smaller elections. What are these local governments, and how do they function in Cupertino?

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CITY COUNCIL

STATE LEGISLATURE

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

CUPERTINO CITY COUNCILMEMBERS: MAYOR SAVITA VAIDHYANATHAN, VICE MAYOR DARCY PAUL, ROD SINKS, BARRY CHANG, STEVEN SCHARF

15TH SENATE DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA: DEMOCRAT JIM BEALL 28TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT: DEMOCRAT EVAN LOW

17TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA: RO KHANNA

The City Council makes decisions regarding development projects within the Cupertino city limits. They often work with different groups, such as Walk-Bike Cupertino, on citywide initiatives as well.

Those running for City Council will pick a platform just like those running for Congress would, as former mayor and current councilmember Rod Sinks explains.

“The first time I was elected I ran on education [and] making sure that our economy improved,” Sinks said.

According to Sinks, the city council receives most of its funding from taxes and other local programs.

“We are funded by property tax and sales tax, the tax that businesses in the city charge,” Sinks said. “We also have user fees for everything from recreation classes to rental of facilities to services [that] we provide to people that want to do things like build houses or build buildings.”

Much like the national government, the state government of California follows a bicameral, or two-house structure. The upper house is the State Senate, which is smaller in size than the lower house, the State Assembly.

Vice Mayor Darcy Paul explains that the separation between the legislative and judicial branches which occur on the state and federal levels do not apply to Cupertino, and that many have the misconception that these powers are separated within the city council.

“The misconception tends to place that upon the city level as well, but ultimately just like everything else all the empowerment ultimately derives from the voters,” Paul said. “But for those five people that are elected, they effectively comprise the entirety of the governmental authority.”

EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2017

Junior Palak Jain, who campaigned for Khanna her freshman year, did so because she believed that his opponent Mike Honda was engaging in unethical practices, like taking money from PACs, organizations that raise and spend money for the sole purpose of electing or defeating a candidate. Jain says that Ro Khanna refused money from PACs, unlike Honda.

“It was eye-opening to see what it’s like, to see the different views in our district, to see what it’s like to be behind the scenes with having a campaign and how hard volunteers work,” Jain said. “It also made me realize that those phone calls you get from telemarketers and people who come to your door, it made me really understand what they were doing and it made me kind of connect with them.”

PARENTAL GUIDANCE Student advocate Richard Prinz holds parenting classes for MVHS parents and students

BY ANKIT GUPTA

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VHS parents attended parenting classes taught by student advocate Richard Prinz. The class, which took place every Wednesday at the library from September 27 to November 8, focused on helping parents improve communication with their children.

Prinz originally learned of the concept of parenting classes in graduate school and has been teaching them at MVHS for the past 14 years. According to Prinz, parents sometimes forget to think before discussing issues with their kids.

“I think it is about being more mindful and conscious of your mental state before you interact,” Prinz said. “Get in touch to why you are a parent and the love you feel towards your teen. Your teen is just like you. They want to be happy. They don’t want to suffer.”

Despite being a class for parenting skills, the sessions also attracted students like senior Justin Yee, who attended as part of a physiology project in which he and a few other students had to complete an outside learning experience with a mental health professional. Initially, Yee expected the parents to be oblivious to how they communicate with their teenagers, but that changed after attending a few classes.

“I realized that a lot of parents that actually went to the class weren’t actually parents that needed that much help,” Yee said. “They came to the class to see if they could get more information or see if they could become even better parents.”

For parent Durgadatt Kamath, coming to the parenting class was less about solving issues, but more for preventing any from arising with his son, who is currently a freshman.

“I thought it was interesting to find out how to deal with a teenager well before

PHOTO | ANKIT GUPTA

they get there,” Kamath said. “I’m also a from the [students],” Prinz said. “I think manager at work, so managing people, like it improves their understanding of their anybody else, it’s all about the psychology situation at home because they are getting of things. It’s an interesting topic [and] I a teen’s perspective. It has a lot of benefits, thought it would help me personally as well both ways.”

Though the class only had seven as at work.”

The hour and a half class gave parents sessions in the last month, parents told the opportunity to ask the teens who were Prinz they saw improvement in how they present about specific situations they have communicate with their kids.

“The biggest thing I encountered with their see with parents is that children.

WE DON’T APPRECIATE they start to self reflect “I think discussion helps all the teens OUR PARENTS ENOUGH. more,” Prinz said. that are volunteering WE DON’T THINK ABOUT “And they become more aware of where give our input on [the ALL THEY DO FOR US. they are coming from parents’] problems and [parents] can STUDENT ADVOCATE emotionally and their see how we feel in RICHARD PRINZ assumptions, beliefs and expectations. different situations,” And [parents] respond Yee said.

“We’re supposed to do simulations where we’re rather than react to what their teens say, so being the kids of the parents, and I think they become more conscious. One of the bigger things is seeing where parents calm that’s good.”

Kamath found having students attend down.”

While the class is primarily focused the classes not only enriched the lessons but also helped parents see things from a on helping parents, Prinz believes a good relationship between a parent and their different perspective.

“I think it’s a good thing that [students child involves increased communication were present] because I feel like there are from both sides.

“We don’t appreciate our parents two sides to the story and I was a teenager myself [a] number of years ago,” Kamath enough,” Prinz said. “We don’t think about said. “It’s not like we communicate much all that they do for us. We usually focus on with our parents, so when you can have what’s going wrong, and I think that works the discussion where you are hearing each the other way too. Parents get focused other’s views in totality, it makes for a much on what’s wrong, what the problems are.

[Parents] don’t value what their teens are nicer two-way conversation.”

Prinz purposefully structured the class good at, what their talents are, value what in a way where students could add to they are going through, so I think it goes the discussion, as he too felt it would be both ways.” e important to have students contribute to the learning taking place in these classes.

“When the [students] speak up, sometimes the parents want to hear EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2017

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UNPACKING PARANOIA Amazon’s new delivery service sparks a debate about choosing convenience over security

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ast month, I signed up for Amazon Prime, joining the 85 million other Amazon Prime members for one simple reason — I hate waiting for shipping.

Has anyone ever really received their package in “five to seven business days?”

I sure haven’t.

So when I heard Amazon was testing a service to make shipping easier in the Bay Area, I was ecstatic. That was until I read more about it. The new system, called Amazon Key, made headlines when it was announced on October 25, although probably not for the reasons Amazon was hoping.

Amazon Key is an innovative and optional service that goes live on November 8 in 37 cities around the U.S, including the San Francisco Bay Area. Basically, it allows whoever delivers your package to drop it off inside your house instead of on the porch, even when you’re not at home.

At first, I was taken aback. To me, that sounded like a horrifically unsafe idea and something I would never use. However, it’s more complicated than I had thought.

Despite some bad press, I felt it was worth looking into. It turns out that Amazon

Key is more than just a delivery service, and not leaving the package outside. I totally Amazon is doing a lot to ensure customers understand why people would be cautious have the utmost security when opting to about using this, since it doesn’t exactly use it. scream “safe,” but with a little reflection, Amazon Key requires both an Amazon my opinion on Amazon Key shifted.

Prime membership and an Amazon Key I consider myself a pretty stubborn Kit, which costs 250 dollars and consists person, so I didn’t ever expect to change of an encrypted security camera and my mind about Amazon Key being too risky compatible smart lock for your door. When to use. However, there was one news piece the delivery driver in particular that ended scans your package, up doing just that. it sends an alert to I was watching Good your phone and to Morning America with Amazon’s cloud, my mom when a story unlocking the smart came on about Amazon lock and turning Key. It was nothing on the security too special, going over camera which the details in ways I records the whole had seen before. But thing, according to SENIOR NATE STEVENS after the segment, the Amazon’s website. newscasters debated A lot more thought went into their service for a couple minutes about the ethics and than I had originally thought, but that still safety of the whole thing, and they brought wasn’t enough to make me feel totally at up a very good point. ease about the service.

What makes this any different than The idea is to make delivering packages Uber or Airbnb? All these services require to customers both easier and more secure, trusting strangers in a very big way just to significantly reducing the risk of theft by make life a little more convenient. I thought about it for a while, and I can’t find any real reason Amazon Key seems scarier besides my own paranoia. It’s not like this delivery person is going to walk into your house and rob you on camera, just like your Uber driver isn’t going to drop you off in the Sahara Desert, hopefully.

Technology is always changing, and we’re always adapting to that change one new invention at a time. I’ll be the first to admit that change can be scary, but change is also necessary. Without innovation, we wouldn’t have smartphones or laptops or any of the other services we’ve become accustomed to using.

So for now, I’ll embrace Amazon Key and any other new service that others might be hesitant to use. Not because I’m oblivious to the security issues of the 21st Century, but because that never really goes away. Unless you live in the woods, walled off from society, there’s no way to avoid the risks that come with all the tech we now depend on. What we can avoid, however, is having to wait so long for our packages to arrive. Seriously, what gives? e

TAKING THE LEAD

ILLUSTRATION | ILENA PENG

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Our lack of effective gun control policies are bringing America down

BY SONGJUN NA

THE 307TH MASS SHOOTING JUST THIS YEAR. 307. On November 5, 2017, 26 people were killed at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas by an unlicensed gunman. How many cruel casualities do we have to suffer until we can finally tighten our control on guns?

OPINION

UNCLE SAM’S DILEMMA

WE SHOULD BE ASHAMED. There have been 307 mass shootings, yet no action has been taken. The lack of urgency in the government following a horrific tragedy like this one is ridiculous and is bringing us down. We need to take this more seriously and fix the epidemic plaguing the U.S. right now. e

OPINION | NOVEMBER 2017

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TONE IT DOWN PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | NATE STEVENS

I’ve always wanted lighter skin. I’ve been bombarded with comments telling me not to go out in the sun, comparing me to my lighter skinned siblings. I’ve wanted skin that doesn’t seem to yell out to my grandmother to bring a towel and some moisturizer for a scrubbing. I want lighter skin that spares me the embarrassment of receiving Fair and Lovely for my birthday as if my greatest desire is to be lighter. I would like to avoid the stares at the airport that follow those with people of my skin tone.

I’ve always wanted darker skin. I’ve been bombarded with comments about how my skin is “blinding people,” that I look like a vampire, that I need a tan. I want darker skin because mine does not quite match the beauty standards set by Kim Kardashian or Jennifer Lawrence’s with their perfect olive skin tones. I want to be able to avoid cancerous tanning booths or tanning creams that never fulfill their claims of giving me a skin tone that’s even close to the ideal that Hollywood forces upon me.

LET’S STOP TRYING TO CHANGE OUR SKIN TONES.

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Out of 51 people on our staff, 23 members have been told they opportunity to comment on the “ideal” color of her skin, putting are too dark. Eleven members have been told they are too light. All her on a pedestal for something out of her control. of them have felt that other people observed their skin tones, as if The positive attitudes that campaigns like Unfair and Lovely it was something more than just a pigment. breed should resonate with all of us who have received comments Discrimination against someone of a certain race or religion is at one point or another about the color of our skin. A person easy to point out, but a more subtle type of prejudice is apparent is worth far more than the shade of their skin, despite society’s in our own homes — colorism. Whether our skin is considered too repeated focus on it, whether it’s stereotyping, how our families dark or too light, many of us have been subject to lectures from feel about the color of our skin or the brands manipulating well-intentioned friends and family members that we can be better, consumers to buy their skin-altering products. or look better, if we change the color of our skin Instead of focusing on what we can’t change, we should Even if this is true, we shouldn’t decide our worth by how light minimize the stigma of this in the first place. Like the group of or dark our skin is. In March of 2016, a campaign called Unfair and activists who created the campaign, we should bring awareness Lovely started a hashtag, #unfairandlovely, which started trending to the colorism in our own communities and how wrong it is by on Twitter. It encouraged any person of color with dark skin to avoiding pointing out skin color in the first place. We end up embrace how they look instead of giving in to the comments made comparing ourselves to the general beauty standards of people about them. with whatever we consider the “ideal,” which can be unhealthy in But this is not a one-sided more ways than one. The negative problem. Students within our stigma causes us to constantly own publication with skin they be self-conscious, perhaps even consider “too light” have cited prevents us from accepting feeling uncomfortable with their ourselves for who we are, and the skin tone and being told repeatedly harsh methods of changing our OPINION OF THE EL ESTOQUE to take action to change it. In fact, complexions like tanning booths EDITORIAL BOARD according to JAMA Dermatology, 35 can prove to be dangerous. percent of American adults in 2014 Instead of fulfilling the had used tanning beds at least once, perhaps revealing the national unrealistic standards we are told of at a young age, we should infatuation with skin tone. focus on positive aspects of our lives, like our intelligence or Members of our publication have noted their personal personality. Doing this will allow us to realize that in actuality, the experiences with colorism. One editor has expressed her shade of our skin really doesn’t matter, and that there should not experiences being offered Fair and Lovely, a skin lightening product, be an “ideal shade.” as a seven year old by her grandmother because her skin was “too We treat our skin color like a puzzle, searching and matching dark.” Another noted a more positive experience that revealed our until we can find the right shade. But in reality, it doesn’t exist. e obsession with colorism nonetheless as her family seized every

STAFF EDITORIAL

DIFFERENT SHADES Members of our staff share their stories involving skin tone and colorism

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YOU KNOW HOW YOUR FAMILY ALWAYS COMMENTS, “YOU’VE GOTTEN TALL.” [FOR ME], EVERY SINGLE TIME, IT’D BE, “YOU’VE GOTTEN DARKER.” SENIOR AANCHAL GARG

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THE ONLY [THING] THAT I’VE [EXPERIENCED] IS WHEN MY FRIENDS COMPLAIN ABOUT GETTING SUNBURNED, BUT I DON’T REALLY GET SUNBURNED. OTHERWISE, I’VE NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT [SKIN COLOR].

SENIOR SHAYON MORADI

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BECAUSE MY DAD IS A VERY DARK PERSON, HE ALWAYS MAKES FUN OF ME FOR BEING TOO LIGHT. MY FAMILY TYPICALLY THINKS THAT BEING DARKER SKINNED IS MORE BEAUTIFUL.

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A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY I AM PALE [BUT] I DON’T CARE. I LOOK AT IT THIS WAY: IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT COLOR YOU ARE. IT DOESN’T DEFINE HOW YOU ARE AS A PERSON.

SENIOR SONGJUN NA

JUNIOR KAREN SANCHEZ

OPINION | NOVEMBER 2017

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SCOUTING FOR EQUALITY The inclusion of girls in the Boy Scouts of America starts a debate

BY MALLIKA SINGH AND NATE STEVENS

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ince 1912, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have been a place for youth to participate in group activities and learn more about their individuality, strength and intellect.

Both are organizations designed specifically with each gender in mind.

While Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have been divided for over 100 years, according to the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), they have been getting requests for the integration of girls for years now.

In response, on October 11, the BSA announced it would accept girls in Cub Scouts, a form of Scouts for younger kids, making it possible for them to reach the rank of Eagle Scout.

Senior Jonathan Ho, a member of the BSA for seven years, was initially very surprised when he heard the news. He explained that he saw it as he scrolled through his Facebook feed and, like many other boys in the BSA, did not see it coming.

Ho’s initial feelings were neither negative nor positive; however, he does know other people who did not feel the same way.

To many, the inclusion of girls in the BSA would change a program

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think that girls joining Boy Scouts is a good change*

*From a survey of 273 students

they have enjoyed since its beginnings. allow anyone to join either group and not “Some friends did [react] negatively,” get all worked up about things.

Ho said. “They were like, ‘What’s going on?

“I think that if boys wanted to join That would screw everything up.’ Little kids the organization the way it is — without in Cub Scouts, they would act immaturely changing it — to kind of make it more with girls around and they thought it was a inclusive [they should],” Shyamsundar completely stupid idea, so they were like, said. “If it’s still an organization about ‘There’s Girl Scouts for a reason.’” empowering girls and boys want to join, I Senior Anika Ramachandran, a member think that would be really cool.” of Girl Scouts, feels strongly about creating With the debate in mind, Shyamsundar a completely new Scouts organization still thinks that the change is good for the that includes both boys and girls rather Scouts. She agrees with many others — that than lumping girls in with Boy Scouts by focusing on coming together the Scouts or vice versa. can improve as Ramachandran a whole, rather agreed with Ho than further SCAN FOR MORE in that starting politicizing such a COVERAGE these kids polarizing issue. off in a co-ed “Honestly I environment really think that would be beneficial to them in developing people are making this into something a social skills around the opposite sex. lot bigger than it has to be,” Shyamsundar “I would totally [support] the two just said. “It’s really just an organization opening merging together and creating Scouts of its doors to more people. I don’t think it’s America, but I’m just not for this initiative necessarily that big [of a deal].” of still having them separate but then While it is uncertain what exactly will calling girls Boy Scouts,” Ramachandran happen in the near future for the Scouts, said. “If it’s from a young age that they’re one thing is clear — Ho, Shyamsundar and put together, I don’t see any problem. I Ramachandran are still just as thankful for feel like from a young age it’ll actually help all they have experienced in Scouts. They them learn from each other.” are looking forward to when people can Ramachandran also believes that the move on and let everything die down, since BSA should try to create environment they feel that is inevitably what will happen. better suited for change.

Some have embraced these new changes “They should be focused in getting all seeing it as a step in the right direction. those who are not currently part of Scouts Others feel it may mess with a system that in there rather than creating a feud between was fine the way it was. Even with these the two organizations,” Ramachandran differing opinions, however, the Scouts at said. “Both are really just trying to reach MVHS can all agree on one thing – they the same goal and building a better future should focus on improving the experience generation. That really should be the for everyone rather than worrying about focus.” who can and can’t join.

Senior Hasini Shyamsundar, “Boy Scouts for me has been a major a member of Ramachandran’s part of my life. It changed me completely troop in Girl Scouts, agrees from who I was before,” Ho said. “It has with Ramachandran as created friendships that would last a she felt that the best lifetime [...] I don’t think that would change idea would be to with Girl Scouts coming in. It would be very different at first, however everybody’s going to get used to it and everything will go back to normal.” e

70%

think Scouts should be co-ed**

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EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2017

**From a survey of 270 students

REPUTATIONS :

G U I LT Y PLEASURES

MVHS students reveal their guilty pleasures

BY CLAIRE YANG

29%

ICE CREAM

17% USING THE INTERNET 21% 9% MUSIC 5% SHOPPING 5% GOSSIPING BULLET JOURNALING/ART 2% TAKING PICTURES 1% 10% OTHER EATING

*According to a survey of 284 MVHS students

CANDY

UP WITH NARUTO KEEPING THE KARDASHIANS

CHOCOLATE

CHIPS

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY

XIA

BINGE-WATCHING SHOWS/MOVIES

FAVORITE GUILTY PLEASURE TV SHOW

FAVORITE GUILTY PLEASURE FOOD

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FAVORITE GUILTY PLEASURE

*According to a survey of 241 MVHS students

*According to a survey of 212 MVHS students

OPINIONS ON GUILTY PLEASURES

NUMBER OF GUILTY PLEASURES

86

STUDENTS HAVE

%

of students are not ashamed of their guilty pleasures *According to a survey of 269 MVHS students

FEWER THAN FIVE MORE THAN FIVE ONE NONE

GUILTY PLEASURES *According to a survey of 268 MVHS students

HAVE YOU TRIED TO GET RID OF YOUR GUILTY PLEASURES? EFFECT ON LIFE NEVER

45%

I SUCCEEDED THEN STARTED AGAIN

17%

I TRIED ONCE BUT DIDN’T SUCCEED

16%

I TRIED MULTIPLE TIMES BUT DIDN’T SUCCEED 15%

I’VE SUCCEEDED *According to a survey of 268 MVHS students

8%

52

%

*According to a survey of 265 MVHS students

of students think guilty pleasures only have a small impact on their life OPINION | NOVEMBER 2017

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FINDING A HOME The debate over purchasing a dog from a breeder or adopting one from a shelter continues

BY ILENA PENG

MIKKI, FROM A BREEDER IN

MORGAN HILL

PHOTO | ANNA KOLESOV // USED WITH PERMISSION

NALA, FROM THE PETCO ADOPTION CENTER

PHOTO | MADI ANDERSON-AU // USED WITH PERMISSION

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r. Kristie Adrian has two dogs — Luna, a seven-year-old Blue Lacy and Jinx, a six-year-old mutt — that are both adopted. In her house, there’s a separate area where Luna and Jinx aren’t allowed. There, she fosters underage puppies through the Humane Society of Silicon Valley. The puppies are all under eight weeks old, and are too young to be put up for adoption. By her estimate, she’s fostered 56 puppies over the past five years.

“There’s a need for it — literally those puppies can’t stay in the shelter,” Adrian said. “They might get sick — they could die. So we’re saving those lives, and they’re adorable. Who doesn’t love a puppy?”

Adrian is an associate veterinarian at VCA Lawrence Animal Hospital in Santa Clara, and through her work with animal shelters, Adrian has recognized the importance of understanding the benefits of adopting their pets from shelters.

On October 13, California passed A.B. 485, a bill that makes it illegal for pet stores to sell pets from sources other than rescue groups or shelters starting in January 2019. Adrian thinks that the bill will further the notion of “adopt, don’t shop,” a hashtag that’s been used to promote animal shelters.

“I think that’s a great step in the right direction to promote shelter animals and allow the public to know that that’s an option, and not just an option, but a really great option that we have,” Adrian said. “[There] are purebred dogs that are available from shelters and even mixed breeds that are wonderful family members.”

Although there are purebred dogs in shelters, many still turn to breeders when they want to find a specific breed.

Sophomore Anna Kolesov’s parents purchased from a breeder to find the miniature schnauzer that they had always wanted, although Kolesov says that if she ever got another dog, she would want it to be from a shelter. Kolesov believes that since people seek out specific breeds of dogs, it’s easier for them to go to a breeder to find the dog they’re looking for.

“A lot of people want to get a certain

SUNNY, FROM FURRY FRIENDS RESCUE IN breed of dogs for their whole life — like my parents,” Kolesov said. “So it’s not hard for [breeders] to get their dogs [purchased,] and the dogs live with their [families] in a good condition and a good environment.

But in the Humane Society, these dogs need a home.”

Senior Madi Anderson-Au’s family wasn’t looking for a specific dog which was one of the reasons they chose to adopt both her dog Sunny and her cat Nala from a shelter. e definitely wanted a big dog so Sunny’s part golden retriever, part golden [labrador retriever] and part other stuff — we don’t know and we were okay with that because we didn’t really care much about what kind of breed she was,” Anderson-Au said.

Under the new bill, people seeking certain purebred dogs from breeders can still buy from them privately, but Adrian says that it would require more research to locate where those breeders are. She considers that to be a positive, since she’s seen both responsible and irresponsible breeders. According to Adrian, the responsible ones care for their dogs’ wellbeing, whereas the irresponsible ones care more about the money.

PHOTO | MADI ANDERSON-AU // USED WITH PERMISSION Although Adrian hopes that the bill will simply urge people to research more about their breeders, organizations like probably because, especially for animals the American Kennel Club (AKC) oppose that people brought in for pet surrender the bill. They believe the bill could harm and stuff, they’ve probably gone through responsible breeders. Additionally, since a lot of owners and had traumatizing shelters are not required to provide pet experiences so you want to make sure that stores with animals, the AKC says that pet they get the ability to be adopted first Venkat said. stores could suffer economically.

Kolesov notes that the traumatizing In a press release from the Pet Industry experiences that some Joint Advisory Council, Sheila Goffe, the vice I THINK THAT SHELTER shelter animals have experienced may president of government ANIMALS SHOULD contribute to the negative relations for AKC said stigma that shelter BE PRIORITIZED, that “A.B. 485 blocks all animals are less friendly. of California’s pet lovers BUT EVERY ANIMAL “I feel like a lot of from having access to SHOULD GET THE people have a bias to professional, licensed animal shelters as to CHANCE TO BE and ethical commercial like ‘oh, since they’re breeders.”

ADOPTED. in an animal shelter, Sophomore Purnima SOPHOMORE they probably have Venkat, who volunteered PURNIMA VENKAT like behavioral issues at the Humane Society, because they were out in agrees to an extent. She the street or something believes animals from shelters deserve to be in pet stores more, but animals from like that, right? Like why did they get breeders should be allowed to be sold in surrendered?’ … but that’s completely wrong,” Kolesov said. pet stores as well.

Although Anderson-Au says Sunny loves “[Shelter animals] should be prioritized

FREMONT

other people, she barks and growls at other dogs. Anderson-Au says some people may connect that aggressive behavior to the fact that Sunny is a shelter animal, but Anderson-Au’s vet said Sunny’s more aggressive behavior is more likely caused by genetics.

Venkat and Kolesov volunteered at the Humane Society of Silicon Valley, while Anderson-Au’s family and Adrian made the choice to adopt all their pets from shelters. Their own experiences have led them to see the benefits of animal shelters and they hope that the bill will help others recogni e the same benefits they’ve seen.

But Venkat ultimately believes that every animal deserves a home.

“I think that shelter animals should be prioritized,” Venkat said. “But every animal should get the chance to be adopted.” e

OPINION | NOVEMBER 2017

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FEATURES

A teacher. A giver. A woman.

A mother.

PHOTO | SUNJIN CHANG

FEATURES | NOVEMBER 2017

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The dilemma of sacrifice Mothers discuss their decision to stay at home or continue working

BY VIVIAN CHIANG AND SWARA TEWARI

Photo used with the permission of Eric Wang

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endy Wang walks down the sidewalk, arm linked with her younger son’s while he jabbers on about school.

She listens to his excited narrations, grateful that she has the opportunity to focus on what he is saying, rather than just distractedly nodding. She remembers the rushed mornings when she would be backing out of the driveway in a frenzy, calling for her sons to hurry up. She remembers handing them five-dollar bills rather than home-packed lunches.

These mornings, Wang packs her sons’ homemade lunches and walks her younger son to school, something she never used to have the time for. In the back of her mind, she feels a twinge of regret, remembering all she had to sacrifice for these moments with her sons. And yet, she looks forward to the future because sacrificing her career gave her what she had always wanted: quality time with her sons. As a mother, she’s happy to have made that decision.

Wang quit her job in the technology field one and a half years ago in order to spend time with her sons, junior Eric Wang and eighth grader at Kennedy Middle School Nathan Wang. Wang’s job involved collaborating with co-workers in Asia, and so her responsibilities included taking many conference calls at odd hours. She realized that her job was limiting her time with her family and that pushed her to make the difficult decision to stop working.

“In the past, it was always busy doing housework and then going back to work,” Wang said. “In the past, I would rush them to school, then rush to work. I really have a lot of time with them.”

Sophomore Lakshanyaa Ganesh’s mom made the same decision as Wang — to quit her job in order to ensure that her children were equipped with the tools for success.

She wanted to provide them with support “Ever since Eric was born, throughout their childhood so they could I wanted to quit my job to be go into the world and fend for themselves. at home,” Wang said. “When “She put our needs before her own,” you’re young, you need that Ganesh said. “A lot of her personality is double income. When the time reflected in my personality. A lot of what came that we felt comfortable she believes, I believe too. If she hadn’t with living on a single income, I payed as much attention to us, I don’t even decided to quit my job to be with think I would be who I am today.” [the boys].”

Similar to Ganesh’s mom, English Rapidly transitioning from a teacher Vanessa Otto has noticed that her working mom to a stay-at-home job cuts into her time with her children. mom was difficult for Wang to Otto has twin seven-year-old daughters adjust to, and she often feels who attend Lincoln Elementary School, bored during the daytime hours. The Wang family plays a board game together. Ever since next door to MVHS. She continued her job “I struggled for a long time Wang has quit her job, the family has been able to spend more after the birth of her daughters, and has before I made the decision,” time together as a family. Photo used with permission of Eric sacrificed countless hours of her personal Wang said. “It’s hard giving up Wang. time to ensure that her daughters are given your job, knowing that there’s think she struggled with that a lot but at attention and care. a chance that you might not be able to go the end of the day, I don’t think she regrets “The main back. But I the decision she made.” thing [I sacrifice] made a wish I STRUGGLED FOR A LONG TIME Similarly, Wang found it difficult to is probably time,” when I was relinquish the career she had worked so BEFORE I MADE THE DECISION. Otto said. “Time young [that hard in her lifetime to attain. However, she IT’S HARD GIVING UP YOUR JOB, from myself, time I would be believes that from the family perspective, that could be able to stay at KNOWING THAT THERE’S A her sacrifice was worth it. devoted to workhome with my “In the past, taking care of [the boys] CHANCE THAT YOU MIGHT NOT related tasks kids].” became a chore, or a duty — Just a list BE ABLE TO GO BACK. that need to be W h i l e of things that I had to finish,” Wang said. accomplished, Wang gave WENDY WANG, MOTHER OF “Now, it’s time that I enjoy with them. We chores.

[My up her job play board games together and we have JUNIOR ERIC WANG kids are] the due to the time as a family to do it together.” first priority. So demanding Ganesh’s mom had to relinquish her depending on what their needs are on any hours, Otto has more flexibility with her job. own hobbies and passions during Ganesh’s given day, that can take a while.”

She was able to take some time off work childhood years. Ganesh vividly recalls that When Otto returned to work after her on her daughters’ first day of kindergarten, her mom devoted every waking moment to maternity leave, she contemplated quitting so she could be present for that milestone. her children. her job in order to care for he daughters Otto squeezes in volunteer hours in her “When I was younger, I thought my full time. Ultimately, Otto’s passion for daughters’ classrooms during her own mom’s favorite thing to do was cook her career won out. Since then, Otto has lunch break and prep periods. Despite and clean because it was all I ever saw practiced effectively balancing her job and these adjustments, Otto has missed small her doing,” Ganesh said. “She definitely her children, which is the only way she moments of her daughters’ childhood. sacrificed a lot of her sleep and her mental can fulfill both the roles of teacher and “In general, it’s kind of sad when you’re well-being.” mother. Also, Otto continued working in not there for those little moments that are Wang explains that quitting her job to show her daughters that a woman can big moments was difficult, as do anything she puts her mind to, including to them in their it reduced her juggling a job and raising children. childhood,” SCAN FOR MORE family’s income.

“I love my job, there is no other Otto said.

However, she is COVERAGE profession that I can see myself doing. It’s Ganesh’s grateful that she definitely part of who I am,” Otto said. “I mom was had the choice, as want to serve as an example to my kids i n t e r n a l l y not all families are as somebody that can be a parent and conflicted when deciding whether or not to financially able to made that decision. be in the work force. Particularly having quit her job. Ganesh believes there was no “My husband I agreed that it’s the family daughters, I think it’s important to show “right” decision. She thinks her mom can time that is more important,” Wang said. them an example.” never be perfectly content with having left “So we both collectively made the decision Meanwhile, many factors contributed her entire career, despite the positive effect for me to stay at home. It’s a blessing for to Wang’s decision to quit her job for it had on her family. me to be able to make that decision. There her family. As a child, Wang grew up in a “It was an extremely hard decision for would be working families that must have household with two hectic, working parents her to make because she spent so many two incomes. Then, they wouldn’t have who placed a lot of importance on their years in school and she worked so hard, that choice. Having the choice, the option, careers. Wang’s childhood experiences then she had to sacrifice everything for her it’s already a blessing.” e with hectic parents prompted her to kids,” Ganesh said. “You have to find that formulate a dream: to be there for her own balance between ‘I want to live my own life,’ kids through every step. or ‘I want to help my kids be successful.’ I FEATURES| NOVEMBER 2017

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The gift of life Experiencing the early stages of motherhood

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hen guidance counselor Jessica Coscia reflects upon her experience as a mother, moments with her son spring to mind: calls of “Mama!” when she walks into the room, him coming up to hold her hand or give hugs and kisses, sitting in her lap, wanting to be read the “Dragons Love Tacos” book. Smile wide, teary-eyed, these moments spill out of Coscia fluidly.

“You’re going to make me cry again because I’m a hormonal mess,” Coscia said. “This is what happens when you talk to a pregnant lady.”

While Coscia has a one and a half year old son, Bishop, she is also pregnant with her daughter, arriving in April. Going through this for the second time, she does feel there is a notable difference.

“You don’t know what to expect the first time around,” Coscia said. “There’s so many people giving you advice and telling you different things — it can be kind of overwhelming and scary. You worry more when you’re a first time parent because you don’t have anything to compare to. But this time, I feel a lot more relaxed.”

Theater teacher Sara Capule, expecting her first child in February, has a similar relaxed approach, taking potential difficulties one day at a time.

“I think it’s very easy to have a lot of anxiety about the fact that my life will completely change once I have a kid,” Capule said. “But I just am not the kind of person to worry about things like that in advance. My husband and I are doing everything to be best prepared, so I can’t actually say I’m nervous about anything.”

While Capule did prepare by getting the nursery ready with animal-themed decor and learning about pregnancy through books and online research, she also focused on aspects like taking care of herself and in turn, the baby. Capule also anticipated the change in her relationship’s dynamic and is going on more dates with her husband before becoming parents.

For English teacher Lindsay Stuart, preparation began as soon as she found out about her pregnancy with now eightmonth-old daughter Allie.

“I started making a list of everything I thought I would [and] talking to people,” Stuart said. “In terms of learning different 2

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BY CHARLOTTE CHUI

skills, [my husband and I] took six different parenting classes at the medical center.”

Even with the factors mothers account for, there are still unexpected difficulties, such as the sleep deprivation for Coscia.

Between constant feedings and Bishop waking up every two hours, Coscia didn’t really get any sleep in the beginning.

“People tell you that you’re not going to sleep and you say okay, but you don’t really realize how little you’re going to sleep,” Coscia said. “You are not getting any sleep the first couple months and that was kind of shocking. You’re in a haze the entire time.”

Though Stuart did also experience this lack of sleep, the most surprising aspect was the transition with getting to know her daughter, which didn’t happen immediately.

“As soon as you meet your child, you certainly love them, but you don’t necessarily feel like you know them yet,” Stuart said. “Because even though I’m her mother and she’s my baby, you’re still kind of strangers.”

Another unexpected aspect was the isolation Stuart felt. As one of the first among her friends to become a mother, the

loneliness of the situation was challenging.

However, Stuart feels that some of these difficulties taught her to accommodate unexpected changes.

“The only way to survive is just to be flexible and be willing to change your plans at the last minute,” Stuart said. “It’s also taught me to forgive myself, be less of a perfectionist, because especially as a new mom who’s working full time, it’s just impossible to do everything at the same level as I did before. That was kind of hard for me to accept at first, but I think that’s the only way to try to do it all.”

Even with the changes that come along with raising a child, Coscia is quick to note that the overall experience is undoubtedly still worth it.

“It’s hard when you first have a child,” Coscia said.

“It can be stressful and overwhelming, but you figure it out and it gets better.

The outcome outweighs all of the exhaustion.”

Stuart holds a similar sentiment.

Moments like taking her daughter Allie to meet her PHOTO | JACOB WEE grandparents on the East Coast and seeing Allie interact and respond to her only enforced this opinion.

“As soon as they smile around three months, it’s so rewarding,” Stuart said.

“You finally feel like they’re acknowledging you as a human being, as opposed to just a source of food. Now that she’s more active, just playing with her and seeing her explore the world is really worth it.”

Stuart’s treasured moments are also some aspects that Capule looks forward to.

“I can’t wait to see the kid smile and hear the kid laugh and all those moments where it’s clear, like this is a little human being,” Capule said. “[During the first ultrasound], we got to hear the baby’s heartbeat. That brought to reality how real the situation was, that I was growing a human being.”

Even as a soon to be mother of two, Coscia still finds herself amazed at the concept of motherhood.

“As a woman, you can grow a child inside of you, and then you have this little person that you created that you then get to see grow and change,” Coscia said. “It blows my mind all the time. My husband and I are always like, ‘We made that kid.

That’s crazy.’” e

PHOTO | SUNJIN CHANG

ophomore Alison Chang does not want to be a mother.

There’s something appalling about having children to her. She can’t picture herself on the hospital bed, tired and sweaty, her bones shifting apart slowly, her organs forced to squish together in order to create space for a baby. Ever since PHOTO | ANKIT GUPTA sixth grade, she’s been unable to see the most difficult parts of not having kids. beauty behind birth.

“I think the thing that’s a little sad for From the parent-teacher conferences me is not being able to have grandchildren to the financial burden, she can think of for my parents,” Lerner said. “That’s a little hundreds of reasons why she doesn’t want hard. That’s something where I think ‘that’s a child. She believes the responsibility not my choice’ but my choice affected would stifle her and limit her freedom. them. So I think that can be a difficult thing Although History teacher Bonnie Belshe where you feel pressure from your parents loves kids, she’s made conscious decisions to provide grandchildren.” such as pursuing education or traveling Lerner never opposed the idea of having opportunities that led to other pathways. her own child; however, the right time or “I love my students, circumstance did not I love coming in and SOMETIMES, BECAUSE surface and she made teaching and I love that strayed WE’VE HAD SO MUCH OF decisions getting to spend away from that path time with my niece THIS MATERNAL MESSAGE in life. As time went and nephew,” Belshe PUSHED ON FOR WOMEN, on, there came a point said. “I can just she knew it simply THAT IT CAN BE SEEN where totally spoil them wasn’t going to happen. rotten, and that is my AS A JUDGMENT FOR “When I was little, number one job and I thought I would get WOMEN WHEN THEY’RE goal as an aunt. But and live in a DECIDING NOT TO HAVE married I just don’t want kids house with a white picket on my own. For me, KIDS.” fence and have two andthat’s enough.” a-half children,” Lerner HISTORY TEACHER During her late said. “Certainly when I BONNIE BELSHE 20s to 30s Belshe got older I realized there’s a noticed the default lot of problems with those expectations — assumption that women must become they won’t fit everybody. There’s no reason mothers when family members asked that we can’t choose our own path and that “When are you going to have kids?” Never should be just as successful. But we do did they ask if she wanted them in the first live in a world where there’s bias towards place. However, once her brother became certain paths.” a father, such questions decreased as their This bias is one Belshe was very familiar wish for grandchildren was fulfilled. with. Although she does not receive Chang’s own parents have the same much pressure from her peers, many of desire as Belshe’s: grandchildren to carry her friends who do not have children are on the family legacy. And while her parents judged by others in society. Because of are generally supportive of her decision, this, she is a strong advocate for women’s Chang’s mother thinks she’s too young and choices and encourages women to follow will change her mind in the future. their own desires.

For Science teacher Lora Lerner, “For women, reproductive decisions disappointing her parents was one of the

Individuals discuss life without children

BY KAREN SANCHEZ AND EMILY XIA have the greatest impact on their educational and their financial opportunities,” Belshe said.

“Because we’ve had so much of this maternal message pushed on for women, it can be seen as a judgment for women when they’re deciding not to have kids.”

Through it all, Lerner emphasizes that each individual has a different upbringing and makes a variety of decisions, but they are all equally important. She is content with her own life, finding meaning in teaching and encourages others to follow their own paths.

“To me, my life perspective is that we’re never going to have it all,” Lerner said. “We go to this college, we’re not going to go to that college. We’re in this relationship, we’re not going to be in that relations.

I’m not going to spend my entire life wishing I had gone down some other path. That’s just not the way I want to live. I’m going to spend my life making the best path I can, and appreciating it.” e

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The weight of change Mothers reflect on their experiences after children leave home

BY ANANYA BHAT AND SHUVANGINI JHA

PHOTO | ANANYA BHAT

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hemistry teacher Elizabeth McCracken gets into her car, ready for the fivehour-journey to Quincy, California.

Situated in an area between the booming cities of Chico, California, and Reno, Nevada, Quincy is a quiet town, filled with scenic lakes, green meadows and endlessly rolling hills.

For Samara McCracken, McCracken’s 23-year-old daughter, it is also the destination of her dreams, a crevice of opportunity that satiates not only her love for the countryside, but soothes the dissatisfaction she felt as a long-time resident of Silicon Valley.

Having graduated from Homestead High School in 2014, then attending West Valley College for four years, Samara was constantly on the lookout for the perfect program. She wanted to venture out of the heavily populous San Jose area, to escape

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the traffic and the noise that characterized and [going] to West Valley for a couple of it and to further her interest in equestrian years, she waited to find the perfect school sports. With this in mind, she began for her and the perfect program, and she her research, eventually stumbling upon did, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Feather River College in Quincy.

For any mother, letting go of her child McCracken, is an important moment, IT WON’T BE SO BAD, who had known one that signifies the for a long [BUT AT THE TIME], I [WAS] transition from childhood time that her to adulthood. Because of LIKE I DON’T WANT TO daughter was this, many mothers hesitate GET USED TO IT. I JUST unhappy living before letting their children in Silicon Valley, go, including English WANT [HER] TO BE WITH was delighted teacher Kate Evard, whose ME. by this. She was daughter’s departure to the so delighted, in University of California at ENGLISH TEACHER KATE fact, that she Santa Barbara was an event EVARD enthusiastically that shook her core, leaving supported her her in slight denial for days to come. daughter’s endeavor.

“Everyone says you get used to it,” “It was time,” McCracken said. “She waited. After [graduating] from Homestead Evard said. “It won’t be so bad, [but at the

time], I [was] like I don’t want to get used to it. I just want [her] to be with me.”

With her daughter away, Evard began to notice tiny changes in her lifestyle — the house felt empty all of a sudden. The laundry was neatly folded and stacked, tucked away in its proper position. The socks that were previously strewn across the the living room were now stowed away. For Evard, all these changes seemed to point to one idea — what once was her daughter’s radiating presence had dimmed away, becoming a void in the now-dull household.

Sangita Vasudevan, mother of senior Hasini Shyamsundar, echoed a similar sentiment when her older daughter, Harini Shyamsundar, left for college at the University of California at Berkeley.

“Luckily for us, [Harini] didn’t go to a college far away from home,” Vasudevan said. “But when we dropped her off, it was a weird feeling, even though we knew that PHOTO | SHUVANGINI JHA we could drive [to Berkeley] whenever we wanted, and she could come home if she McCracken sits at her desk, drinking tea after teaching her fourth period class. With her daughter needed to.” out of the house, McCracken has more time to do what she loves, including teaching.

Despite the weight it carried, McCracken, Evard and Vasudevan all I’m spending time with my friends and my involved in working with her friend Michele agree that the disruption in their daily boyfriend and all the things that interest Dauber, a Stanford law professor, to remove routine was not the most significant effect me. So because I don’t have to worry about Judge Aaron Persky, who presided over the of their children’s departure. Instead, all the things that I used to in the same way, Brock Turner sexual assault case in 2016. what unified the mothers was their I get to do more fun stuff and be present in “I’m working with her and 100 other evolving interpretation of motherhood — other ways.” people to get signatures to get him off the what it truly meant to be a mother with McCracken’s relaxation stemmed from ballot,” Evard said. “In fact, the last two an empty nest. the fact that her daughter had turned out nights, I’ve been doing events related to For Vasudevan, it exactly as she had this.” wasn’t a big shift.

MY LIFE IS INCREDIBLY hoped — kind, Like McCracken, she also attempted to “[Harini and self-reliant and rekindle old friendships and reach out to FULL, SO I’M NOT Hasini] are still my levelheaded. Evard those that she had lost touch with.

FEELING LIKE I’M MISSING responsibility, and I felt the same way This summer, I had dinner with two would like to guide ANYTHING. I LOVE MY regarding her own friends I hadn’t seen in 25 years,” Evard them should they need children, though said. “You know, slowly trying to fire up JOB AND I’M SPENDING help,” Vasudevan said. she admits that her and restart friendships that I had kind of TIME WITH MY FRIENDS “It’s my job to make journey to accepting let go.” sure that they are on AND MY BOYFRIEND AND her daughter’s In doing so, Evard realized just how the right track and [are i n d e p e n d e n c e important it is for mothers to find an ALL THE THINGS THAT making] good choices was a bit rougher interest or hobby that does not relate to INTEREST ME. in life.” in comparison to their children.

For McCracken, other moms.

This is a core belief also shared by CHEMISTRY TEACHER however, it also meant “It’s just McCracken and Vasudevan, who not only letting go of certain amazing to me how encourage young mothers to redefine ELIZABETH MCCRACKEN motherly duties. She all of a sudden [my themselves, but to also cherish and found herself worrying less about her daughter] is a young adult [and] woman, appreciate every minute they have with daughter and worrying more about her how she has great ideas and dreams for the their children. own life — something she had not been world, and how she wants to change and “[It doesn’t] have to be hobbies, but able to do for a long time. shake things up,” Evard said. “And that’s volunteer, campaign, so that your self worth “My role as a mother has changed different, to see [her] as a young woman, isn’t coming from your role as a mother,” because with [Samara’s] level of independent of me. And I know that’s how Evard said. “Because it will diminish — it contentment, with her level of [it’s] supposed to be, but it is still hard for will never go away — but it won’t be what independence, I don’t have to take care me.” it was before.” e of her as much,” McCracken said. “My To confront these changes, Evard began life is incredibly full, so I’m not feeling like focusing on new interests, ones outside of I’m missing anything. I love my job, and her role as a mother. She became especially FEATURES | NOVEMBER 2017

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MVHS students compare the different styles of Indian dance

BY RIA KOLLI AND MICHELLE WONG In a school where the student body is 83 percent Asian, influences from different Asian cultures are especially prominent.

One such way for South Asian students to express their cultural heritage is through the numerous forms of Indian dance, whether it be on one of the MVHS dance teams or outside of school. From Bhangra to Raas — teams which recently became official MVHS clubs again — to Bollywood and classical forms of Indian dance, each style is unique in its own ways.

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PHOTO | SURI NARAYANAN // USED WITH PERMISSION

Junior Anjali Thontakudi has practiced Kuchipudi, a style of Indian classical dance that originated in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, when her parents introduced it to her at an early age.

“They would take me to different temples, let me watch the dance performances there and see how long I was interested in them,” Thontakudi said. “I watched a few of them and they were okay, but when I saw the Kuchipudi dance, I was entranced.”

Kuchipudi differs from other classical Indian dances in that different body movements and expressions are emphasized within it.

“Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam are both pretty similar [because of] a lot of their feet positions and hand positions,” Thontakudi said. “But Kuchipudi is more about moving the torso with a focus on grace and expression.”

Thontakudi practices every Saturday morning at 8 a.m., but when she has major performances coming up, she has additional practices on weekdays from 8 p.m. to midnight. While she sometimes dislikes the time commitment, she still believes her decision to dance is worth it.

“It helps me forget about any stresses I have or anything I’m worrying about,” Thontakudi said. “When you’re on stage, you feel like a very confident, completely new person.”

PHOTO | PRASANNA SENJI // USED WITH PERMISSION

PHOTO | TRISHA KHOLIYA

TAKING THE FLOOR

KUCHIPUDI

BHARATANATYAM Sophomore Divya Suresh started learning Bharatanatyam eight years ago when her mother first enrolled her in classes at a studio.

“As a kid, [my mother] danced [Bharatanatyam] but then she wasn’t able to keep it up,” Suresh said. “When I was little, she enrolled me in dance classes as well, and as I grew older, I began to like dance more and more.”

Like Kuchipudi and other forms of classical Indian dance, Bharatanatyam has special features that separate it from other styles. The dance originated in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu and is characterized by a squatting position in which a dancer stands on tiptoes with his or her knees moved apart.

Despite these minor difficulties, Suresh still believes Bharatanatyam is a unique and worthwhile experience.

“It’s totally different compared to other types of dances more popular here in the Bay like jazz, ballet and hip-hop,” Suresh said. “It’s cool to try new things and experience different things.”

PHOTO | DEVIKA WATAVE

BOLLYWOOD FUSION One memory from Andaaz that senior Dhruv Parikh looks back on fondly is when the music cut off during a performance at Cupertino HS his freshman year. Parikh remembers laughing as his team had to start singing the song while dancing to compensate for the lack of music.

“It was really awkward, but it was also really funny and we realized the hard way [to] expect the unexpected,” Parikh said.

From freshman year as an inexperienced dancer to senior year as the co-president of the team, senior Dhruv Parikh has progressed a lot during his time on Andaaz.

While he wasn’t much of a dancer entering high school, a family friend who was captain of the team convinced Parikh to attend tryouts and workshops.

Although the team was initially called Bollywood, the name was changed to Andaaz after the team decided to also incorporate hip-hop and fusion with American songs. According to Parikh, Andaaz mainly resembles the Bollywood dancing seen in Indian movies with an upbeat tempo.

In order to encourage a family-like environment, Andaaz regularly holds bonding events and dinners, in addition the celebrWfWating team members’ birthdays.

“It’s not just an Indian team where you just dance during Indian dances,” Parikh said. “It’s also more than just [a team] — it’s like a family.”

Although he had no dancing experience before joining Bhangra, freshman Krish Kumar is very passionate about the family he has found through the recently re-established Bhangra club.

“Bhangra is a unique kind of dance that makes it special for other people to join in because it makes you feel a lot happier and more joyful with others you know and you make a lot of friends,” Kumar said.

According to senior captain Swati Chayapathi, Bhangra had disbanded in 2015 due to not meeting all of the club policy requirements, but has once again become an official MVHS club this year.

Bhangra, being from the northern side of India, is related to Punjabi folk dance.

They also use saaps, which are X-shaped stick instruments.

Kumar described one of his favorite moments in Bhangra to be when he performs in front of a crowd and hears their cheers and sees their happy faces.

He emphasized that an element that makes Bhangra fun and unique is the family he found in the club.

“When you go into an audition and you make it, then it becomes a family to you because they’re always with you and you can act always normal with them,” Kumar said.

PHOTO | BRIAN LIN // USED WITH PERMISSION

PHOTO | DEVIKA WATAVE

In addition to Bharatanatyam, sophomore Divya Suresh also participates in the MVHS Raas team. When she joined freshman year, she did not have any particular reason to join Raas.

“As an eighth grader, I remember talking to [my friend] and she was like, ‘Hey, let’s try out for Raas next year,’” Suresh said.

“I actually didn’t know what Raas was until I asked her later on. But it just was one of those decisions. It could have been anything.”

According to Suresh, Raas differs from other contemporary Indian dance styles in its costumes and props.

“Raas uses dandiyas,” Suresh said. “We wear skirts and dress up in blouses, and we do different types of footwork [that have a greater emphasis on the ball of the foot] than other types of dance.”

MVHS’ Raas team has practices every Friday after school for two hours, but team members also occasionally practice on Wednesday mornings or Sunday evenings.

Suresh likes to see how the numerous practices translate into her dancing.

“I like how after how you repetitively practice a piece, it becomes so different,” Suresh said. “It’s cleaned up, your moves are more precise and it looks better when you dance.”

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Recent Dove ad stirs up controversy over beauty industry’s preference for lighter skin

BY JENNIE CHEN

E

very time senior Varna Chandar visits near a “before” sign and a white woman India, she notices the store shelves standing in front of the “after” sign. stocked high with skin lightening Senior Amanda Zhao had mixed products and advertisements showing a feelings when she saw articles about the frowning woman with darker skin and a video on her Facebook timeline. happier woman with lighter skin. While the “At first I thought it was pretty insensitive products may be a huge market in India, how they had a black woman and they Chandar is discomforted by the popularity made her ‘clean’ by making her white,” of these advertisements and products Zhao said. “But I also saw some articles that she now believes discriminate against saying how it was taken out of context, so darker skin tones.

I’m conflicted.”

“It kind of imprints in your mind at a Dove claims the implications were a young age when we’re so impressionable misunderstanding, but whether by accident that being dark is bad,” Chandar said. “It’s or not, beauty ads that contain imagery not a value society should have.” suggesting darker skin is “dirty” and white In October of this year, Dove received skin is “clean” leads to a market for skin backlash for its three-second video clip lightening products. of three women of different ethnicities Although Chandar’s family and relatives removing a T-shirt to reveal another woman used a specific skin lightening cream underneath.

The called Fair and Lovely clip, showing a black I DIDN’T LIKE [...] and recommended she woman removing do the same, she states [THAT MY RELATIVES] her shirt to reveal a that peer pressure white woman, went WOULD THINK IT WAS wasn’t an influence in viral on social media. NECESSARY TO TELL ME her final decision to use A statement from the product, but her THAT I SHOULD USE Dove explained that own curiosity. While she the “short video was [FAIR AND LOVELY.] didn’t think there would intended to convey be extremely noticeable SENIOR VARNA CHANDAR changes, there was a part that Dove body wash is for every woman and be a celebration of of her that believed it would work. She diversity, but [they] got it wrong.” However, ended up using Fair and Lovely twice each users lambasted it for its racist implications week for about a year. Chandar isn’t sure because they believed it portrayed women whether or not she became lighter, but says of color in a more negative view than white her mom was pleased. women, insinuating that they were dirtier “My mom was happy that I was using because of the color of their skin. it,” Chandar said. “It wasn’t a big deal, it This is not the first time Dove’s was just a small thing, like ‘Oh good, you’re campaign for women’s diversity has using it.’” sparked controversy — an earlier 2011 Zhao was also exposed to these beauty advertisement was also criticized because standards during childhood. it showed two women of color standing “My mom always told me, ‘You should

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have paler skin and be taller,’ because I guess that’s what I lacked,” Zhao said. “She would also tell me, ‘Don’t go out in the sun too much because you’re going to get tan and tan doesn’t look good.’”

Zhao took her mom’s words to heart at first, and even considered trying out skin lightening products. However, her mom stopped her, warning her the products could cause cancer. Instead, Zhao was told to apply generous amounts of sunscreen.

An article by skinwhiteningnews. org notes that a common ingredient of skin lightening creams is hydroquinone, which is considered carcinogenic.

However, products that contain 2 percent hydroquinone can be sold over-the-counter and products containing up to 4 percent hydroquinone can be prescribed.

In reality, sunscreen only protects users from sunburn and sun damage, not from tanning. Dermatologist Dr. Sandra Yeh also

recommends people to mainly stay out of darkening in certain areas of the skin, the sun and not pick at skin lesions, which which is usually permanent. will turn the skin dark. Yeh also states However, it wasn’t the potential dangers patients with acne are likely to develop dark of skin lightening that stopped Chandar patches, but calls these hyperpigmentation from using Fair and Lovely, but rather problems “temporary her realization fixes” as they are unlikely I DON’T WRITE SKIN that it was a to come back after LIGHTENERS JUST TO waste to use lightening treatments. the cream to Patients who purposefully LIGHTEN SKIN [BECAUSE fit into cultural want to lighten their THE] MEDICINE HAS TO BE s te re ot y p e s . skin, however, receive a CONTINUALLY USED TO C h a n d a r different response. realized she “While I do understand WORK, AND WE JUST DON’T really didn’t that there may be some KNOW THE LONG-TERM care what strong cultural pressures SIDE EFFECTS FOR THIS. color her skin to [lighten skin], I don’t was or what recommend it and I don’t DERMATOLOGIST SANDRA YEH her relatives write [prescriptions] just thought. to lighten skin,” Yeh said. “The main reason “It was kind of interesting because it was I don’t recommend the use is because so big to [my relatives] — how big fairness this medicine has to be continually is and how dark used to work, and we just don’t skin colors in know long-term side effects for India are kind this.” of looked down While Chandar did not upon,” Chandar experience any side effects while said. “I didn’t like using Fair and Lovely, she had the reason why never considered the effects of they were doing skin lightening to be from the it or why they work of chemicals would think it was Yeh explained that the most necessary to tell common side effect of lightening me that I should cream use is irritation, which use it.” causes a burning or stinging Zhao never sensation on the face. She also ended up using skin mentions a more uncommon lightening creams, occurrence, which is that skin will but eventually become more darkly pigmented if quit the outdoor lightening creams are used for too swim lessons she long or certain chemicals are in too used to take in high a concentration. middle school.

The skinwhiteningnews.org Her skin tone was article also states that common side brought up by her effects reported from the use of skin relatives when she lightening creams with hydroquinone back to China, and are “skin rashes, burning skin although they were irritation, excessive redness and a less direct than the dryness or cracking of the skin.” The comments Chandar topical agent can sometimes induce would receive from a condition known as “ochronosis,” her relatives, their where people show a blue-black comments about her

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looking whiter made her realize that the bias towards lighter skin was still there.

“I guess they don’t really say it to your face like ‘You’re tan’ or ‘You’re dark,’” Zhao said. “But if you ‘improve,’ then they’ll point it out.”

Yeh emphasizes the importance of embracing one’s skin tone to her patients.

“The tone of your skin is not important to me actually as much as the health of your skin. You take care of it with sunscreen, good hygiene, don’t pick at it,” Yeh said. “I am aware that there are societal pressures on women in particular. I just don’t want to support that kind of pressure because I just think it doesn’t matter. I have patients with very dark skin [and] very light [skin]; I just want them to be healthy.”

Zhao and Chandar both feel it’s a matter of choice — if one really feels the need to lighten their skin for a certain reason, then the decision is up to them. However, Zhao thinks lightening skin for the sake of being paler is more looked down upon, while using them to try evening out skin tone is more justified. Although Chandar believes people shouldn’t be ashamed to have dark spots or freckles, she advocates for everyone doing what they have to do to make them feel comfortable, saying using beauty products is about making oneself look the best they can.

But to people who want to lighten their skin because of societal pressures, Chandar has a different message: “I don’t think [you] should do it because that’s forcing yourself into society and what they value and not really being true to yourself,” Chandar said. “No one should be ashamed of having dark skin.” e

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The unconventional impact of adult themes in cartoons

BY KAREN MA AND SHAYON MORADI

E

ver since the first cartoon with then there’s the adult humor … a fairytale audio came out in 1928 under nowadays can kind of be for all audiences.”

Disney titled “SteamBoat Willie”, Even with the renowned ogre embodying the subject matters and audiences the typical monster protagonist, “Shrek” of cartoons have experienced an immense exposed its audiences to new ways of shift. In 1993, “Beavis and Butt-Head,” looking at fairy tales through criticism of became the first popular animated series classic character roles that are prevalent in containing adult themes such sex, violence contemporary entertainment. and the macabre in 1993, according to an “It’s kind of tackling the idea of like, article by Rolling Stone. you know, you have a typical monster, you As American culture continues to evolve, have the damsel but she’s not in distress,” popular cartoons have deviated from being Jariwala said. “It’s a fake distress idea, and made only for children to consisting of she ends up being a very strong character more adult themes. New adult-oriented … so it’s like we’re able to talk about the television programming such as Adult stereotypes [of contemporary ideals] and Swim on the Cartoon Network, were also the fact that, ‘Hey, there’s satire here, founded in 2001. there’s humor here,’ because [it shows] For kids, the familiar what the stereotype ogre love story and classic WE’RE ABLE TO TALK was [and how] they fairytale characters of ABOUT THE STEREOTYPES are wrong.” the “Shrek” movies [OF TODAY] AND THE In addition to are a source of lightthe satire, students hearted humor and family FACT THAT, ‘HEY, THERE’S are able to identify bonding. But for English SATIRE HERE, THERE’S a slew of adult teacher Monica Jariwala, HUMOR HERE,’ BECAUSE jokes referencing the movie is a part of her sexual or profane Mythology and Folklore [IT SHOWS] WHAT THE topics, manifested class’ curriculum, for STEREOTYPE WAS [AND both visually and Wunexpected reasons.

HOW] THEY ARE WRONG. audibly in the film.

“When we got into One of the jokes our fairytale unit at the ENGLISH TEACHER senior Benjamin Lam, end of second semester, MONICA JARIWALA a former Mythology we wanted to show [the and Folklore student, recalls in “Shrek” is students] contemporary fairy tales, and when Shrek suggests that the antagonist, contemporary fairytales nowadays are Lord Farquaad, is using his massive castle very satirical,” Jariwala said. “I mean, we to “compensate” for something. He laugh because there’s the kid humor, but also remembers the scene when Shrek 3

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and Donkey watch a musical in Dulock.

Although the ending word in the musical is replaced with a less vulgar word, the rhyme from the line preceding it suggested the phrase: “Don’t forget to wipe your a--.”

“As a kid, you might not know that word exists because you’re innocent,” Lam said.

“But then, as an adult, you instantly fill it in and then it’s pretty funny how that got out of [being censored], you know?”

It’s these concepts that Lam and Jariwala believe make “Shrek” not just a film for kids, but one that anyone can enjoy.

“You could see they made it also entertaining for adults that were dragged to the movies by their kids,” Lam said. “As long as they’re added subtly, I don’t think the jokes going to harm any kids; [they’re] going to go completely over their head.”

However, Jariwala’s classes go beyond satire and fairy tales. During the second semester of her Contemporary Literature curriculum, classes read an excerpt from “Fun Home,” a graphic novel — and now

AN

Broadway musical — detailing the childhood experiences of a closeted lesbian whose father, she later finds out, was also a homosexual.

“It’s a really beautiful story because you see the images, and it’s cool because her images also are very symbolic,” Jariwala said.

“She’s bringing humor [and] it’s just something different for the class, which I really like.”

Although in the form of cartoon-style graphics, “Fun Home” tackles pressing and deeper topics such as gender identity and sexuality. Jariwala believes that through this medium, more intense topics can be brought to the forefront while still maintaining a level of light-heartedness.

“I feel like we have to kind of change things up because it’s not always about text,” Jariwala said. “I feel like graphic novels also have become super big, and there are visual learners, too, so by incorporating some visuals throughout the curriculum,

especially cartoons, it’s just bringing in different modes to make learning more accessible for all learners.”

Meanwhile, outside of the classroom, the sitcom “Rick and Morty” has gained a massive audience since its release on the network Adult Swim in 2013, according to Vice. Featuring adult themes such as sex, depression and alcoholism, the series follows the two main characters, Rick, a super-genius and alcoholic, and Morty, his naive and slightly foolish grandson, as they go on various adventures.

“It’s really funny,” junior Rose Wang said. “I guess that sounds kind of bad because I’m saying dark humor is funny, but it just adds a lot of character [to the show] because Rick is just like a drunk man who’s always doing these stupid things … and it makes it really enjoyable to watch because sometimes you wouldn’t be able to pick the jokes up the first time.”

For some, its popularity can be attributed to the aimless plot lines; for others, it’s the witty Easter eggs with references to “Breaking Bad” and “Inspector Gadget”, for example, present in every episode. And for Wang, the dark humor intermingled with the subtly crude art style is what makes the cartoon one of her favorites.

“It’s just like some drunk old dude and like a little kid; it’s kinda weird,” Wang said.

“I feel like as a cartoon, it was really able to portray the silly nature of Rick, and how their adventures are so stupid that I’m pretty sure a normal action TV show would not be able to capture how ridiculous these adventures are.”

However, watching the show has not just been a source of enjoyment for Wang. She explains that the show has helped her bond with other fans and has had an impact on her everyday speech, with jokes such as “Pickle

Rick” unknowingly slipping into her dialogue. She believes that, ultimately, that is what make animated pictures like “Rick and Morty” one of a kind.

“Cartoons are super easygoing,” Wang said. “You can just watch it and have a good time. And real life kind of sucks, too.” e

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A BAD REP Students discuss the stigma around buying fake clothing

BY HANNAH LEE AND SHARJEEL RAHMAN

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EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2017

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t one point in time, counterfeit designer goods were looked down upon. Buying fake brandname clothing or accessories was often associated with a try-hard attitude and an empty pocket. However, with the increasing popularity of streetwear, more students have been purchasing fake designer clothing to show off their favorite brands without having to pay large sums of money.

Cheap alternatives to clothing from popular brands such as Supreme, BAPE and Gucci are made available on websites that sell near-perfect replicas.

Taobao, a Chinese website similar to eBay, has many of these items available for purchase. MVHS alumni Winston Lee and Victor Yin said that being able to purchase fake clothing is convenient on a low budget.

“I’m literally just broke,” Lee said. “The only way you [can get] these [real] clothes is [by purchasing] them from resellers who mark up a lot. If you do purchase from them, all you’re doing is padding their pockets, so you might as well buy fakes.”

While purchasing cheaper replicas may be a practical option for students, senior Noah Youngs explained how, depending on students’ motivation, buying fake clothes can be seen as shameful by those who regularly purchase authentic clothing.

“If you’re trying to pull [fake clothing] off as real and make people think it’s real, it’s messed up,” Youngs said. “If you tell everyone it’s fake, then it’s [all] good.”

Onbirback shared similar sentiments. He believes claiming fake clothing as authentic is equivalent to pretending to be someone else.

“If you tell people it’s fake, it’s not really embarrassing to have fake clothes,” Onbirback said. “If you’re trying to act like it’s real, I mean, just get the real thing. When people act like it’s real, I frequently get a bad impression [of them]. ” Although he believes that it is not a big deal to purchase fake clothing, Onbirback explained that he would never purchase these items himself.

“The real thing is just too expensive. But I don’t want to get exposed [for wearing fake clothing], so I don’t purchase fake clothing,” Onbirback said. “When you actually get it legitimately, you feel more accomplished.”

Unlike Youngs and Onbirback who believe that it is acceptable for students to wear fake clothing as long as they own up to it, senior Manu Hundal is strongly against replicas, regardless of whether students acknowledge its authenticity or not.

“Why would you waste your money on fake stuff when you can buy the real thing?” Hundal said. “To the people who buy fake clothes, like come on, why do you have to do that?”

Often times, students unintentionally purchase fake clothing. Websites such as Grailed and some Facebook groups for buying clothes allow anyone to resell their authentic brand name clothing. Platforms such as these are favorable to students who have a hard time purchasing designer clothing from the official websites due to the short supply. Brand name clothing typically sells out very quickly because of the high popularity of the items.

While these platforms allow students to purchase rare designer clothing, sellers can scam the buyers by selling a replica piece of clothing that looks extremely similar to the authentic item. Sophomore Evan Yu explained how he has been scammed by sellers passing fake clothing off as the real design.

“Sometimes these sellers will trick you by posting pictures of the authentic clothing, but when you get it in the mail, you’ll be like, ‘what the heck,’” Yu said.

Hundal, who has also witnessed sellers scamming others into purchasing fake clothing, described their actions as unethical and disreputable.

“People who sell fakes as real, that’s pretty funny,” Hundal said. “If [someone] sells it to the wrong person and [on] the wrong day, he’s going to get it, these people aren’t playing. If [someone] spends [a lot of] money and finds out it’s fake, that’s a pretty [bad] move.”

Because it can be easy to get scammed, Yu shared some of his tips for distinguishing dupes and real brand name clothing. According to Yu, there are some key differences between the authentic and fake items of clothing.

“The tags are different. The quality of the real clothes is just so much better,” Yu said.

“The actual clothing might be significantly more expensive, but I would say it is definitely worth the extra money.”

Regardless of people’s opinions, fake clothing proves to be a popular option for students like Lee and Yin because of its affordability.

“You can either buy a real Supreme hoodie, or a fake Supreme hoodie and a lot of food for the same price,” Yin said. “Clearly the latter is the better option.” e

MVHS students and teachers talk about how professional sports impact their lives

BY SANNIDHI MENON AND JAHAN RAZAVI

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any MVHS students enjoy professional sports, but for some, this love extends beyond lunchtime debates and quick checks of the Bleacher Report app between classes. These devoted fans show their love in different ways, from watching every single game of the season to traveling to another state to watch their team play in their home stadium. For these so-called “superfans,” their dedication to a team has had a profound impact on their life, from instilling character values to helping them de-stress.

CONSISTENT EFFORT

Senior Manav Shah has been a Patriots fan for years. According to Shah the Patriots’ head coach, Bill Belichick, doesn’t hesitate to bench star players if they’re playing badly and plays rookies even in crucial games.

“I think that’s what makes everybody work super hard since it doesn’t matter if you’re a 10-year veteran or you’re a rookie,” Shah said. “You’re going to have to play your best every game, otherwise he’ll sit you.”

Shah tries to replicate that effort in his own life as a soccer player. He remembers being completely out of shape and jetlagged after a trip to India.

He wasn’t expecting to play. But after one of the team’s other left wing backs broke his foot, Shah had to step in.

“Obviously I wasn’t in shape [or] anything, but I just had to keep pushing myself, and eventually we tied the game 2-2 and that was enough points to get us into the next round,” Shah said.

At the end of the day, being a football fan is about watching games. For Shah, the dedication his Pats has to playing good football is fun to watch.

“It doesn’t matter where you are in the country,” Shah said. “You can follow them and then you’ll see that [you] just fall in love with the way they play and the amount of effort they put into football.”

started watching the Warriors as well and quickly got hooked.

“It’s mostly because they play with a lot of joy,” Narkhede said. “I like how it’s a fast-paced game, but also when they’re playing, they’re always smiling, they’re always laughing, they’re always having a lot of fun.”

Compared to other NBA teams who she feels can be “too serious” at times, Narkhede feels that the Warriors have found a good balance between work and fun, one that she strives to find in her own life. Narkhede tries to look for small joys in her life rather than getting too caught up in all the work she has to do.

Unlike others, who Narkhede says worry about their future job prospects after one bad grade, she tries not to sweat over the small stuff. “‘Oh, you had one bad day, but it won’t make a huge difference in your life,’” Narkhede said. “If you pay attention to the little things which give you joy, then it’ll have a bigger impact on your happiness.”

LOYALTY

Social science teacher Scott Victorine is unsure where his love for the Minnesota Vikings came from. As a first grader watching football for the first time, Victorine fell in love with the purple and gold.

According to Victorine, being a Vikings fan isn’t easy. Although they are currently

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ranked first in the NFC North division, the team has never won a Super Bowl, and hasn’t been to the Super Bowl in 41 years.

While he would like his team to win, he feels that loyalty is much more important.

“It was just important to stick with your team, cause it’s kind of like life,” Victorine said. “There’ll be ups and downs, but you don’t get to pick when they’re up and when you’re down.”

He sees this loyalty as a character trait that helps him support his friends and family. About a year and a half ago, a friend of Victorine’s went through a divorce, and he saw helping his friend through rough patches as a part of his responsibility.

“It’s not always the most uplifting conversation. But it’s important that, as a friend, I’m there, to make sure he feels supported and that ultimately, he doesn’t get too rough,” Victorine said.

Even if he doesn’t solve every problem, he feels it’s important just to be there with his friends.

As Victorine says, it’s “sticking with people when times are not only good, but [when] times are tough.” e

SMALL PLEASURES

Senior Anita Narkhede’s love for the Golden State Warriors started at her club volleyball tournaments, when parents would always discuss the previous nights’ Warriors games. Catching her interest, she

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | SARA ENTEZAR

SPORTS | NOVEMBER 2017

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OFF THE MAT Ceazar Agront pursues his passion for sports as the new MVHS wrestling coach and personal trainer

BY SUNJIN CHANG AND ADITI GNANASEKAR

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Coach Agront is a personal trainer as well as a paraeducator at MVHS. He meets his clients before school and after wrestling practice. Photos by Sunjin Chang.

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EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2017

t’s 2008- the shrill sound of a whistle announced the start of a wrestling match between MVHS and Homestead HS. Ceazar Agront struts onto the mat in HHS colors as he prepares to take home the winning title.

He does. But little does he know that he would return nine years later as head coach of his rival team.

Agront is a paraeducator in the special education department at MVHS, as well as the new head coach for the varsity wrestling team starting this winter season.

In addition to being an avid wrestler in high school, Agront also ran track and played football, baseball and basketball.

“My favorite sport is football,” Agront said. “It’s always been my passion, as [I’ve] played football since I was six years old.”

But despite his love for the sport, he was unable to pursue it competitively throughout college at UC Berkeley, despite being offered a spot on the team.

Agront experienced a severe concussion, underwent surgeries on both his shoulders

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and broke multiple collarbones, which forced him to spend several weeks resting and recovering, away from practice.

After receiving treatment, Agront was back up on his feet within a few weeks.

Unfortunately, a couple of games later, Agront broke his collarbone again while flying to make a tackle during a game.

Assuming it was just another collarbone injury, Agront didn’t think much of it until a couple of days later. During his training in the weight room, he ruptured his pectoralis major, or chest muscle. Agront found out that it was completely severed from the bone and that he had to endure multiple surgeries to put it back in place.

PHOTO | SUNJIN CHANG “Football is a real hard sport, and doing all the sports … It takes a toll on the Junior Wayne Mak and senior Colin Yang lift weights while performing lunges. The first week of body,” Agront said. “I ended up losing my wrestling practice was held at Homestead HS, because Agront was still wrapping up the season as scholarship, just because it [was] a career- head JV football coach for HHS. ending type of injury from all the different surgeries that I had.”

As much as Agront is excited about his to MVHS to work in the special education But during his one and a half years new position, he is also a little nervous. He department and then coach wrestling in rehabilitation, Agront developed a has previously coached mixed martial arts practices after school. And his day doesn’t new passion for coaching and helping for four years, but this is his first year solely end there. He goes back to work as a others, which led him to switch his major focusing on wrestling. Even so, Agront says personal trainer. Then he attends night to kinesiology, or exercise science. Now he is prepared for the upcoming season. classes at Stanford, earning his teacher Agront owns a personal “I want the kids credentials, concluding his day at 11:30 HE SEEMS A LOT MORE training business. and all the student p.m. Although he admits his schedule is “It’s fun helping others athletes to strive to rigorous, Agront has grown accustomed to UNDERSTANDING out and the knowledge that do their individual this lifestyle since he was a student athlete ABOUT A LOT OF you gain from it helps you best,” Agront said. in high school.

THINGS, AND HE know more about nutrition, “It’s not necessarily “I had to learn how to prioritize at a how to exercise and when by wins and losses, really young age,” Agront said. “Especially UNDERSTANDS THAT there’s an injury how to but it’s win by the in college you have 6 a.m. wake up calls to WE’RE ATHLETES AS prevent it from happening effort of what go to the weight room and then you have WELL AS STUDENTS. again,” Agront said. they’re putting in school and then you have practice and Agront decided to and what they’re then you have more school and then you JUNIOR CHRIS LEE submit his application for getting out.” have homework.” the wrestling coach position In the few This season, Agront only expects two after receiving several weeks of practice things from his team: to show 100 percent requests to teach from his students in his the wrestling team has already had, the effort and no fear. He believes that fear Learning Skills class. Agront considers his athletes have grown fond of Coach Agront and lack of effort are going to make it role as coach to be crucial, for he believes and his teaching style. harder to compete teaching young individuals now will help FOOTBALL IS A REAL at higher levels, “He seems a lot more them later in life, when they experience understanding about a lot of especially with HARD SPORT, AND different sports and possibly in more things,” junior Chris Lee said. contact sports. But DOING ALL THE competitive environments.

“And he understands that we’re most importantly, he “Since I am a paraeducator here, I athletes as well as students.”

SPORTS. IT TAKES A wants his wrestlers wanted to get more into the community Other students who are not TOLL ON THE BODY. to play safely. here at [MVHS], so I felt like, you know, yet familiar with Coach Agront “Every single COACH CEAZAR hey wrestling is open — it’s something that are looking forward to spending practice is an I love,” Agront said. “Let me just give it a more time bonding with and AGRONT opportunity, so bring shot — I can motivate the kids.” learning from him. everything you have.

Not only does Agront want to become “So far, [Agront] is pretty Go hard and go on more involved in the MVHS community, he chill and has been really friendly with us,” all out and we should have a successful believes that wrestling is one of the most junior Satoshi Ueda said. “But I want to get season,” Agront said. “But you’re still a rewarding sports. to know him better and become closer to young individual. Have fun and be your “If you can do wrestling, then you can the whole team.” age. Don’t think of it like a business.” e pretty much do any other sport,” Agront Agront’s schedule for the next few said. “So I feel like helping all the young months will be busy, to say the least. He individuals on that platform [now] will help has to wake up at 4 a.m. to keep up with his them later on in life.” own personal training business, head over SPORTS | NOVEMBER 2017

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fantasy LAND

Students and staff share their passion for fantasy sports

BY ROSHAN FERNANDEZ AND ANJINI VENUGOPAL

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ome people see sports on a TV screen as the end of their viewing experience. Others head out to the stadium decked in team apparel. And then there are those who take it into their own hands and monitor players’ every move to immerse themselves into the competitive atmosphere beyond the game itself. Both students and staff members play fantasy sports, for various reasons and at differing levels of commitment. Fantasy sports require participants to draft individual players from a variety of teams for their own virtual team, and depending on these players’ performance during games, members receive points. They compete throughout the season against friends, family or even strangers. The stakes go as high as thousands of dollars, but many are in it just for the bragging rights.

THE ROOKIE

Senior Pranav Malavalli always enjoyed watching football and had played fantasy football for a few seasons before joining Numbers Never Lie (NNL), an MVHS club dedicated to fantasy football. Malavalli had many friends in the club and learned that it needed a director of public relations, a position that he ended up getting.

Before joining NNL, Malavalli had not played in a league with people he knew.

He played via the ESPN fantasy league, explaining that there is a significant difference between playing in a league with strangers compared to playing with friends, as he does now in the club.

“I did it with random people and I didn’t care as much, but with friends you kind of want to win so you can brag to them,” Malavalli said. “It’s mainly the trash talk [that makes it] really fun.”

Malavalli doesn’t think that the way he watches the game has changed significantly. and believes that he supports his own team, the San Francisco 49ers, above all else.

“At the end of the day, when we’re following sports, we’re just rooting for our own team,” Malavalli said. “Sometimes [an opposing team’s] player may be on your [fantasy] team, but he might have destroyed your [own] team, so you’ll be conflicted some days.”

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THE CASUAL PLAYER

that he doesn’t have enough time to watch MVHS athletic trainer and health clerk every single game and he never really Javier Margarito’s first foray into the world became obsessed with fantasy football. of fantasy football was years ago at a “It’s just not realistic to sit down for previous job with a group of three hours and colleagues. He didn’t really expect things to IT’S KIND OF LIKE know what he was signing up be done, whether YOU CREATED THIS for, but he was told it didn’t it’s at home require much skill, so he with chores or LITTLE ‘DIGITAL PET,’ joined the league. running errands,” IF YOU WILL. AND Although not officially M a r g a r i t o held by the management of said. “So the THEN JUST WATCH IT his previous workplace, he accessibility of KINDA GROW AND saw it as a team-building having a mobile SEE WHAT IT CAN DO device, checking exercise that allowed employees to become closer. scores on that, FOR YOU. Even though playing in the [makes] it league wasn’t necessarily convenient.”

HEALTH CLERK AND required or encouraged, it Margarito ATHLETIC TRAINER was nice to participate. recognizes “Our camaraderie went that fantasy is JAVIER MARGARITO up,” Margarito said. “As a something that team, it brought you closer he has very little with someone you normally wouldn’t have control over because all he can do is pick [had] an association with, at least at the his best team. However, he knows that beginning. In this case, my manager was many people do not view fantasy in this actually playing, so it’s not like [playing] manner. He says that many people who bet was encouraged, but it was nice that [we money get out of control, viewing it more were] all kind of on the same level.” as a job than a game.

For Margarito, fantasy became a fun way “On the flipside, people take it really to stay engaged with the game, while still seriously and start almost dehumanizing keeping things practical. He understands the player and forgetting there is a person

at the end of the day,” Margarito said. “And some people take it very seriously, almost to the point where they’re making threats almost like, ‘This guy ruined my fantasy [team].’”

Margarito disagrees with this extreme, claiming that he prefers banter over intense competition. Overall, Margarito says he prefers to stick to his middle ground when it comes to commitment.

“It’s kind of like you created this little ‘digital pet,’ if you will,” Margarito said.

“And then just watch it kinda grow and see what it can do for you.”

THE DISILLUSIONED VETERAN

FENG ION | RUTH ILLUSTRAT

History teacher Cody Owens remembers a time when he was so committed to fantasy football that he was willing to support successful opposition against his own team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, just for points. He explains that he regularly read analyses on ESPN and other sports websites and would play the players that analysts projected would win the most points that week.

Over the past few seasons, fantasy turned into more of a burden than something to look forward to for Owens, mainly because it adds stress to his day.

He hopes that this will be his last season playing fantasy, because it now feels like an additional task that he needs to complete as opposed to something fun.

Owens says he continued to play this year because of his friends and their ongoing fantasy group chat, where they discuss fantasy matchups, make memes and trash talk one another.

“It stresses you out, the group chat, [because] you don’t want to lose to them,” Owens said. “It sounds silly in that, but people who have seriously been in fantasy football can attest — it’s like a stressor, and it just carries over throughout the week.”

Owens adds that the fantasy obsession runs in the family, with his dad also playing fantasy football, taking it even more seriously than Owens. He says his dad used to play for money, sometimes as much as a thousand dollars in his work league.

“I remember my dad had Tom Brady when he threw 48 touchdowns, and they played the Steelers, and he’s like ‘I want the Steelers to win but I’m okay with Tom Brady throwing four touchdowns,’” Owens said.

At the time, Owens was in more or less the same mindset as his dad, taking fantasy

very seriously and becoming absorbed in the number of points that his players earned each week. But times have changed. Although Owens still plays, he now prefers to root for the Steelers and draft their players for fantasy.

It was fun while it lasted, but he ultimately feels the time has come to move on.

“My dad used to be so into it and be so mad playing f a n t a s y, ” Owens said.

“But he said his happiness h a s i n c re a s e d dramatically since he stopped playing, so my goal is to stop playing [as well].” e

SCA N FO R M O R E COVERAG E SPORTS | NOVEMBER 2017

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A STRANGER TO MY OWN SPORT Why I played through my pain even though it could have led to the end of my career

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knew I should stop throwing. My body knew I should stop throwing. But for some reason, I still put on my uniform and stepped out onto the field.

I began playing club baseball competitively when I was 10. I practically threw the ball every play as a pitcher and when I wasn’t pitching, I was catching.

With tournaments almost every weekend and practices throughout the week, I threw hundreds of baseballs, leaving no time for my arm to rest. Although my arm became sore, I refused to let it affect me, until one day the throbbing pain would just not stop.

In any sport, being injured isn’t taken lightly. Everyone hears stories of people whose careers ended because of preventable injuries. Despite these stories, I still ignored my body. I was in denial. I always told myself it’d be better tomorrow as I threw on some more Tiger Balm and took an aspirin. In reality, the more I denied the burning and played through the pain, the worse my body got.

My coach became aware of my injury.

Instead of making me pitch or catch, he put me at positions like outfield and second base. I thought everything was going to be okay. By that point though, the damage had already been done.

The few times I did throw, my arm was until my sophomore year that I realized the writhing in pain, and once I finally went to severity of the pain I felt in my arm. the doctor, I found out that I had tendinitis Through a sprinkle of rain, I watched my in my right elbow. I refused to realize that if teammate stand on the mound as he stared I continued to throw, I could seriously injure down the batter. He began his motion. His myself and potentially end my career. For arm whipped forward like usual, but as he the next six months following the diagnosis, released the ball, his arm moved in the I went through opposite direction of extensive physical his body, and his ulnar therapy. As a result, my collateral ligament tore. coach took me off the His right arm field against my will, a dropped immediately sixth grader reluctant and dangled, moving to take himself out of independently from the game. his body. All he could I wasn’t playing do was wince and hold baseball anymore. his detached arm as Although it was relaxing SENIOR ANTHONY MOLL he walked off the field at times, what used to be for the last time. My a glove and a ball in my hand turned into sophomore year I witnessed my teammate hours of frustration and anger as I sat at end his baseball career in front of the eyes home and “rested.” I missed playing, and of 30 college coaches. Before witnessing I missed being with my team. I was afraid this, if it were me up on that mound, I I would be forgotten, and that once I got would’ve hurt myself the same way, and I back with the team I would become a almost did. stranger to my own sport. My teammates The reason athletes develop the were growing stronger than me. On the mentality to play through pain is because other hand, specifically my right hand, I nobody wants to be “that guy” – the one was sitting on my bed curling a five-pound who tells the coach his arm is hurting and dumbbell for my physical therapy. It wasn’t who has to watch the game from the bench while guilt eats him away. It’s boring to sit on the bench in a warm hoodie filling out the scorebook as I watch my teammates smile and have fun. Even when the team is getting slaughtered, I’d rather be getting slaughtered with them.

So yes, I ended up being “that guy,” the guy who sat out of many games and practices to heal. I understand why my teammate stayed in the game even though with every pitch thrown he could feel his arm fall apart. But now, I want to be smart enough and brave enough to be “that guy.”

Because he is better and smarter than the rest of the players. In the moment it may not seem like it, but in the end, “that guy” will still be playing while his teammates cheer him on from the stands. e

RUB SOME DIRT ON IT

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION OF DANIEL HADA

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EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2017

Anthony Moll, at the age of 10, plays baseball for club team West Coast Bad Boys. At the time, he had recently recovered from tendinitis in his right arm.

SPOrTS flash PHOTO | ROSHAN FERNANDEZ

Junior Rose Wang moves the ball up the field on offense after intercepting it from Cupertino HS. The team used this game to practice individual and playing skill sets, later closing out its season with a record of 4-11-2.

Senior Kelly Chen and sophomore Anumita Alur attempt to block a kill from Mountain View HS. Over the course of the season, the team focused on improving its blocking and communication, eventually making CCS but losing in the quarter finals.

PHOTO | SUNJIN CHANG PHOTO | ROSHAN FERNANDEZ

Junior Coby Bowman attempts to block the ball to a teammate during the boys water polo senior night game against Palo Alto HS. Despite the 15-12 loss, the team was able to bring a fight to all four quarters of the game through strong offense and morale.

PHOTO | OM KHANDEKAR

Senior Alia Johnson reaches for the ball. The team took Junior Zheng catches homeDerek a 3-0 win in their first a pass during the Helmet game home game of the season. against Cupertino HS. Although MVHS lost 39-14, the team fought throughout the game and celebrated its senior night along with Cheer, Song, the Marquesas, Color Guard and Marching Band.

SPORTS | NOVEMBER 2017

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