Volume 42, Issue 2, Oct 20 2010 by El Estoque

THE INCUMBENTS

MVHS AFTER HOURS Check out a multimedia presentation at elestoque.org

Meet the candidates in the upcoming FUHSD Board of Trustees Election, and see what divides them

NEWS page 5

THE CHALLENGERS

CENTERSPREAD page 13

Varsity girls water polo battles for wins in new higher league

El Estoque staff endorsement of Board candidates

OPINION page 9

SPORTS page 17

HIGH

VOLUME XLI | ISSUE 2 | MONTA VISTA HIGH SCHOOL | CUPERTINO, CA

ON THE

BALLOT

Proposition 19 ignites conversation about the legalization of marijuana in California, which could become the first state to pass such a law

he most controversial personality on this year’s ballot isn’t Jerry Brown or Meg Whitman. It’s Mary Jane.

Proposition 19, or the “Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act,” is an initiative on the Nov. 2 statewide ballot that proposes the legalization of marijuana and permits local governments to tax its production, distribution, and sale. If passed, the law would be the first of its kind and would go into effect statewide even though marijuana would still remain illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act. see MARIJUANA on page 7

MORE ONLINE: Visit elestoque.org to hear student opinions on the measure and voice your own.

The national debate about education is hitting home. Look inside to find out how

54%

PROPOSITION 19

of students think that marijuana should be legalized

56%

of students think that increased state revenue would be a good incentive to legalize marijuana *Results of an online survey of 197 students

OCT 20, 2010

Long-standing teacher leaves unexpectedly Emmett Powers, math teacher of 41 years, takes indefinite medical leave

n Oct. 1, students of math teacher Emmett Powers were notified by Principal April Scott that Powers would be absent. Students entered Portable 1 to find it stripped of the posters Powers had posted on walls. Scott explained to the students that Powers was absent, and introduced Ken Todd as the substitute. She later paid a second visit to the classrooms and informed students that Powers was on a medical leave. Scott declined to comment on the leave, citing personnel reasons, but according to math department chair John Conlin, his leave of absence is scheduled to expire in January of 2011. Powers was unreachable for comment at the time this story was printed. A job position for a new math teacher was posted by the district on EdJoin.org on Oct. 4, and interviews were conducted the week of Oct. 11. According to Todd, the new teacher is scheduled to begin this week. Powers began teaching at MVHS when the school opened in 1969, and he had even taught some of the current teachers. His sudden leave came as a surprise to his students, for he had given them no prior indication that he was going to be leaving. According to Conlin, this is the second time in two years that a math teacher has filed for a leave of absence, either temporary or permanent, with former math teacher Bob Van Hoy retiring during the first semester of the 2009-2010 school year. Further information about Powers’ leave and the newly hired teacher replacing him will be on elestoque.org as it becomes available. Mansi Pathak || m.pathak@elestoque.org Vijeta Tandon || v.tandon@elestoque.org

Blue Pearl pushed Shortage of fields, lights back in question While many fields unavailable, teams struggle with scheduling back to March Fall events postpone 1920s-themed dance

eard that MVHS’s 1920s dance club experience is coming up soon? Think again. Due to a number of events in the month of November, Student Life Commission’s second annual 1920s-themed Blue Pearl dance had been postponed until March 2011 in a unanimous decision between the administration and the Student Life Commission. According to THIS YEAR’S BLUE PEARL Dean of Students WILL BE HELD ON Denae Moore, this year’s Blue Pearl dance will be held on March 25, 2011. “Originally we had hoped that it would be in the fall. We had eyeballed a date of Nov. 19, but that was the same day as the District Dodgeball Tournament, so we don’t want to have to conflict with that,” Moore said. In addition to the tournament, the first two Fridays of November are occupied with play performances, and the last Friday is during Thanksgiving break. Furthermore, the gym is currently booked throughout the school year.

March 25

see BLUE PEARL on page 3

he dispute over the installation of football field lights, still under evaluation by the FUHSD, has raised issues regarding this season’s football schedule. While the data from the district’s recent Environmental Impact Report are still pending and construction is underway at Fremont, Cupertino, and Homestead High Schools, the schools’ football teams are facing a possible shortage of fields for games. The original Nov. 12 game, MVHS’s Senior Night, is currently the biggest contest in question. “On this one weekend we [have] too many teams playing on the same day, so we said, ‘Let’s get creative—what else can we do?’” said Dean of Students Michael Hicks. The first idea, which was brainstormed early in the summer, involved borrowing temporary lights from Lynbrook High School and having the Senior Game on the MVHS field Friday night. However, the night game would then interfere with a longstanding Friday-evening Chinese school, creating a parking and accommodation issue in the area. Plans for having the senior game in the afternoon were also quickly shot down, since the game would have to start before school ended in order to finish before nightfall, at around 5:00 p.m. The current plan, though not definite, is to host the game on Saturday at CHS. According to Principal April Scott, the tentative idea of temporary lights was simply a makeshift solution to the lack of playing fields and the decision was made regardless of possible opposition to permanent lights. “Some could say [in regards to the temporary lights], ‘These are so noisy, this is exactly why we need permanent lights,’ and

Sara Yang | El Estoque

FUHSD FOR LIGHTS On Oct. 6, students in favor of football light construction attended an informational meeting to raise awareness on how to get involved. someone else could say ‘See? You’re able to have a night game without permanent lights, so why do you need them?’” Scott said.

see LIGHTS on page 21

Page 2

NEWS

Oct. 20, 2010 Environment

Health

The number of flu shots administered on Oct. 13 in the cafeteria by Maxim Health Systems. One nurse and one administrator ran the event from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m, and each flu shot cost $25.

OCTOBER

The number of teachers who received a flu shot. Math teacher Jon Stark (left) was one of the 17 who received a flu shot. Community members were invited to get flu shots from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The age of the youngest person who received a flu shot. All those 18 and under who received a flu shot had to get a parental consent waiver signed prior to the shot.

23 The City of Cupertino and Recology Cupertino are offering a free drivethrough drop-off service for recyclable and reusable goods including yard waste, children’s toys, old furniture and batteries for all residents on Oct. 23. All households are limited to disposal of 2 cubic yards of waste. Loading and unloading of materials must all be done by the residents themselves. For more information, view the city calendar on http://cupertino.org. College

Erin Chiu | El Estoque

Exercise

Erin Chiu | El Estoque

Cupertino Teen Commission, comprised of high school and middle school students, will be conducting a week-long event in November promoting walking to school. The event, called Walk One Week or WOW, will target 10 Cupertino middle schools and elementary schools, although high schools may join if they express interest. Students on participating campuses will be encouraged to walk with such incentives as STRIKE, Starbucks and Noah’s discount cards. So far, the Teen Commission has contacted most of the target schools, gained approval from City Council, and received sponsorships. The next WOW is scheduled for April. Safety

Traditions

Residents of the City of Cupertino were asked to participate in a citywide emergency drill on Oct. 16. The city asked that participants stay alert, listen to the radio, and keep an eye on their phones for messages and alerts that provided tips and plans of action during the drill. Residents were also asked to take photographs and videos of the events that were occurring and to submit them to a city email address to earn T-shirts as prizes.

Community

Erin Chiu | El Estoque

Regional Admissions Counselors of California, RACC, came to the MVHS library on Oct. 14 for a college fair. Milwaukee School of Engineering, Bennington College, Drexel University, Bentley University, Maryville University St. Louis, The University of Alabama, Franklin & Marshall College, Whitman College, Hawai‘i Pacific University, Johnson & Wales University, and Oregon State University representatives were all present.

The Diwali festival at Memorial Park on Oct. 9 showcased dances from companies around the community. A variety of ethnic food was sold. There was also a kids zone and arts and crafts centers. Local vendors sold traditional Indian clothing alongside talented henna artists.

The Community Leadership class is doing for a food drive to collect non-perishable food items for the Second Harvest Food Bank. The cans are being collected in all classrooms, and the drive will end on Nov. 19. The third period class with the most canned food will win a pizza party.

Erin Chiu | El Estoque

Community coverage: Mark your calendars and get involved

here are a lot of hot topics on our community’s radar this month, between Board of Trustees elections, state-wide elections and a few important board decisions. Our goal for this issue was to broaden our scope to touch upon all of these subjects, with hopes that our coverage might encourage readers to take action towards the issues they believe in. As you may notice in this issue, many of our news stories correspond directly with an editorial piece discussing an El Estoque reporter’s take on the matter. Senior Vinay Raghuram’s editorial “On Measure B, let’s not be so light-headed” in regards to the senior Mansi Pathak’s “Shortage of fields, lights back in question” points out that perhaps we are putting too much emphasis on the debate over football lights instead of being grateful for what we have achieved. With the successful pass of the Measure B bond, MVHS will be receiving synthetic turf fields and rubber tracks, a new science building, and many other campus renovations.

MANSI PATHAK & VIJETA TANDON m.pathak@elestoque.org v.tandon@elestoque.org

Letter from the editors

This issue feeds directly into the Board of Trustees election, as those who are elected this November will largely define the direction in which FUHSD is headed for the next several years. Senior Joseph Beyda’s article “In Board do we trust?” serves to highlight the prevalent issues in the local election, while the El Estoque Editorial Board presents our incumbent recommendations in a corresponding Opinion article. In fact, the November ballot holds another initiative that also has the potential to affect us and nearby communities—the possible legalization of marijuana, proposed by Proposition 19. While senior Vijeta Tandon’s article explores the multiple facets to this issue, seniors Sarika Patel and Tina Hsu argue both the pros and the cons in “The Flip Side.” With all of this information at your disposal, mark Nov. 2 on your calendar and make sure to get your voice heard, through petitions and rallies, or at the upcoming board meetings.

Oct. 20, 2010

NEWS

Page 3

Cafeteria starts from scratch

New head chef has fresh plans for rewriting school’s cafeteria menu

t’s time for Emerin’s Diner to attractive.” welcome its new worker, and For Lihn, preparing tasty, wellits new name. presented meals from scratch is On Sept. 30, Food Services not an alien concept. Earlier in his Supervisor Frank Lihn took career, Lihn worked as a chef in charge of the kitchen with the such places as New York City’s retirement of long-time supervisor Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Plaza Emerin Wang earlier this month. Hotel, and the United Nations In his new position, Lihn hopes to Dining Hall, among others. Add make significant changes to the 10 years of experience working school’s menu. in schools, and it’s safe to say that “[I want] to try to move from Lihn is no stranger to cooking, what we’re doing now into more whether it be for students or older from-scratch cooking,” Lihn paying customers. said. Lihn’s main concern about According to Lihn, the food transitioning to an all-scratch being served at menu is not his MVHS’ cafeteria own ability, but is processed and whether his staff “It’s called pre-packaged, is prepared for processed for a creating a quick the scale of the Lihn solution to the reason,” transition phase. problem of said. Lihn says that, in “You’re feeding 2,500 any business, it’s going to have hungry students important for a additives. and staff within food manager not to 45 minutes each You’re going to put pressure on day. Though he their staff to do have a lot more agrees that using something with packaged food is salt than [what] which they aren’t faster and more is accustomed. necessary. efficient than Because of this, You’re going to making food he says, the from scratch, have all sorts of transition may Lihn points chemicals.” be a little bit of out that freshly a slow process. chef Frank Lihn cooked food is, D e s p i t e without a doubt, the difficulties much healthier. ahead, Lihn has full confidence in “It’s called processed for a his staff’s ability and readiness to reason,” Lihn said. “You’re going undergo the transition process. to have food additives. You’re “I have an incredible staff going to have a lot more salt than here,” Lihn said. “Chun-Mei [what] is necessary. You’re going [Lundgren, the head cook,] is to have all sorts of chemicals.” outstanding. She’s anxious and Lihn also asserts that the use willing to go to more scratch kind of fresh ingredients such as herbs of cooking.” and spices will make food taste Among Lihn’s favorite foods better. But taste, he says, is not to prepare are soups and salads. nearly enough. In his spare time, he also enjoys “It’s commonly said that you to bake. eat with with your eyes,” Lihn Before coming to Monta Vista, said. “Even if something tastes Lihn worked as a Food Services marvelous, people are going Administrator in several California to pass it by if it doesn’t look school districts, where he tried to

Erin Chiu | El Estoque

WHAT’S COOKING? Chef Frank Lihn takes over the Cafeteria, where he hopes to improve the cafeteria and work with students. implement cafeteria policies of serving freshly prepared food. Lihn described many schools that he visited as being heavily dependent on packaged food, to the extent that the only tools the cafeteria workers needed were box-cutters and ovens. When asked why Lihn chose to work at a school rather than as a district administrator, Lihn replied that he missed working

in the kitchen. Where he can directly with the food. “I also like working with kids,” Lihn said, “interacting with them, watching them grow up.” Lihn and his new policieshave struck up a strong rapport with the student body. Some students anticipate his cafeteria policies, and receive them positively.

Vinay Raghuram|| v.raghuram@elestoque.org

BLUE PEARL:1920’s themed dance suffers delays continued from page 1

Another issue adding to the postponement of the event is the lack According to Jackson and Yao, Student Life Commission originally of available staff to watch over or participate in these events. For planned to have this dance during the first semester, and with the example, both Moore basketball team and Dean of Students occupying the gym BY THE NUMBERS Michael Hicks for the remainder of actively participate the first semester, On a scale of 0 to 5, 0 being worst in each year’s the only solution If there were a Blue Pearl event and 5 being best, how would you district Dodgeball that Student Life and this year would you attend? rate last year’s Blue Pearl? Tournament. Staff the administration members have to could come up with, take time off of without having to 27% 26% their schedules to cancel the event, No chaperone for events was to push the date Yes 29% like dances or sports for Blue Pearl to the 19% 48% games, and having second semester 16% to watch for events However, with this on both Fridays and extra delay comes Saturdays is way too more consideration Maybe 7% much of a burden for and planning to make 25% 5% the staff members this year’s Blue Pearl according to Moore. better than the last 0 1 2 3 4 5 In January, there year’s Blue Pearl. is Winter Ball, in Like last year, *97 students participated in this online survey Februrary is Sadies, the MVHS Jazz and in April is Junior Band will be playing Prom. Scheduling in various tunes from the most reasonable way possible, it made sense to the administration the ‘20s, and this year Student Life is going to try and get Variations and Student Life Commission to put Blue Pearl in March. Other than to perform various songs during the dance. There are also ideas conflicting events, Student Life took into consideration the lifestyle for student-run prom-style photo shoots for the participants. All in of potential attendees during certain time periods. For example, first all, this year’s Blue Pearl dance is expected to have more activities semester finals eliminated the possibility of Blue Pearl occurring on the compared to last year’s with all the additional time for planning. last school week of December. “Actually, November’s a very good month for [Blue Pearl] to be “Scheduling at MVHS is a little bit of a nightmare, [mostly] because held. There’s just not enough time,” Moore said. of the number of sports teams we have and of course everything else,” Elvin Wong|| e.wong@elestoque.org Moore said.

Meals minus the happiness

iping snotty noses, changing dirty diapers, picking up flung pacifiers and wiping away food. It’s pretty clear that parenting comes with a long checklist of responsibilities. Parental responsibilities during the first few years also include making sure babies grow up safely and healthfully. And doesn’t a baby’s safety and health include what they manage to shove in their mouths? This past spring, Santa Clara County placed a ban on selling small toys as promotional items with fast food meals, essentially a strike against the McDonald’s Happy Meal and like combinations of fast food and toys. Now, San Francisco is considering adopting the same policy, claiming that the toys lure impressionable children into a web of trans fat from which they will never be able to escape. As a child that grew up regarding Happy Meals as rewards for good behavior, I fully underst and the appeal of a little toy with your burger and fries. But no matter how much I wanted the toy, and no matter how much I begged for a TRACY ZHANG Happy Meal t.zhang@elestoque.org when I wasn’t supposed to get one, my parents would always say NO. And here’s the problem—a lack of resistance to the hypnotic whining of toddlers. This isn’t an issue of misleading advertising or brainwashing the younger generation. It’s a question of proper parenting. Only by teaching children proper habits from an early age can we expect them to grow up following them. We should be seeing a reduction in childhood obesity levels due to increased awareness of fast food risks—but instead they are on the rise. A 2007 study by the Millennium Cohort Study Child Health Group shows that children born into the middle class are 15 percent more likely to be overweight or obese than those born into lower income families. Parents also have the responsibility of differentiating between what is a meal and what is a toy. A Happy Meal isn’t a healthy meal or an acceptable way of providing toys for children. Parents shouldn’t be turning toward Happy Meals as cheap and fun food for their kids if their children’s health is at stake. Part of being responsible parents is being informed on what’s healthy and what isn’t. When the babies grow up to become teenagers with cars, cash, and choices. the parental responsibility is lifted and it is the teenager’s own problem if they are tempted buy fast food. When we were younger, our parents had to choose if they wanted to succumb to our whining and just buy us the burger and beanie baby. And when we grow up to be parents ourselves, we’re going to have to make the same choice—just not for ourselves, but for our own squalling bundle of blankets. Santa Clara County, and now San Francisco as well, are justified in what they are trying to do—put an end to the obesity epidemic that is now sweeping schools all across the United States. But we wouldn’t have this problem in the first place if negligent parents hadn’t allowed Happy Meals to equate to happiness and a decent meal in the minds of their children. Quit hating on McDonald’s when it is your own responsibility that you’ve been forsaken.

Hating on the Haters

Page 4

Oct. 20, 2010

NEWS

Scenic Circle bypass faces opposition Residents’ protest ignored, city continues construction plans

t’s surprising that something as small as a gate to a park can cause much discontent. But the decision to build a gate on road Scenic Circle in Cupertino has been riling up residents for years. The overwhelming majority of the street’s residents are opposed to this construction, and their repeatedly denied protests are making them weary. Much like the residents protesting the MVHS football lights, people do not want the clamor and crowd of students disrupting their daily routines. However, city authorities boast the advantages of this trail and plan to begin construction soon. The city council has taken many considerations into account in building the new gate., which will give pedestrians and bikers access to the Stevens Creek trail and Blackberry Farms. This is part of the city’s plan to decrease motor vehicle use. It will cost about $243,000 to construct the gate and path to MVHS. If the construction is fully approved, it will be open in the early morning for students going to school and be locked an hour after dusk. Director of Parks and Recreation Mark Linder emphasizes that the project is not as simple as just building a gate. The gate and the trail must be built through the park in a way that doesn’t harm the environment of Blackberry Farm. These matters are being dealt with by the environment consultant firm of David J. Powers & Associates. Environmental concerns include disturbing the nesting season of indigenous owls and falcons or disrupting other parts of the ecosystem such as the clearing of trees from the park. Littering is of the utmost concern of the residents, due to the increased amount of pedestrians the path will bring. However, Linder has positive expectations from the

creation of the trail. “We hope [the bypass will increase] the number of students who walk and bike to MVHS,” Linder said. After the original decision to build the gate was approved on Feb. 16, 2010, concerned residents petitioned against its construction. Their protests were met without success on April 6, 2010 when the city council denied their petition. While the city record may make it sound like the resident’s problem is only months old, the gate has been debated for almost 10 years now. In 2005 a decision was made by the former Cupertino council to permanently insure that no gate would be built, but this decision did not last due to changes in the council. “We’re tired of fighting and we’ve lost faith in the system,” said resident Larry Loo, in

response to the continually denied efforts of the residents. “Council decisions are meaningless if future councils can just change it,” resident Don Bautista said. “From a financial aspect, whether it‘s a grant or if it comes from the city’s budget, they are not spending their money wisely.” Many residents feel that money would be better spent fixing roads by giving them sidewalks and filling potholes. Residents point to people from

Elvin Wong and Morahd Shawki | El Estoque Photo Illustration

BLOCKING THE WAY (From left) Don Bautista, Larry Loo, and Steve Moody are a few of the many residents on Scenic Circle who are opposed to the shortcut.

nearby streets who enjoy biking and walking their dogs in their area as the culprits who keep bringing up this issue. By taking this path, students will not have to go down McClellan Hill, which is notorious for its lack of safety. “We are as concerned about student safety as anyone, but since they [non-residents of Scenic circle] use safety as an excuse, the city council can’t say no,” Bautista said. “This gate is being advocated by people who simply want a convenient fourth entrance to the park, and student safety isn’t their motivation.” Bautista’s wife, Alice Bautista argues that a trail though Blackberry Farm isn’t the safest option. The proposed trail ends in Byrne Avenue, which lacks a sidewalk and is covered in potholes. She states she would not allow her kids to use this path and instead points to the “Sims” property, which she claims is a safer city-owned alternative that leads to the same destination. She and her husband feel that this decision is based on desires of citizens who won’t be affected. Each Scenic Circle resident offers their own view on the issue, but most agree that they simply do not want to see their homes turned into a parking lot. Despite the residents’ petition denial, their concerns were not ignored. The firm of David J. Powers & Associates held two meetings in the months of May and June at MVHS, addressing nearby residents’ concerns. Concerns included an increased amount of littering, method of access, crowded parking, and property lines. After the firm and the residents reached a consensus, a design for the gate was established. Construction plans are expected to be approved by early 2011 and finished by the summer of that year. Morahd Shawki || m. shawki@elestoque.org

Evening class builds communication between parents, teenagers Physiology project allows students to obtain a greater understanding of family relationships

FROM THE STUDENTS arents usually take the initiative when it comes to to see if something they’d like to do in the learning more about how to bring up their children, and future... its something that they get to make Though some students chose the parenting class for the Physiology class’ Outside when students walked into the MVHS library on Sept. the choice of what they would want to do and Learning Experience, others have taken a different approach. Here are a few: 21 to attend the parenting class it was definitely out of the so they get the opportunity to explore their ordinary. The 10 Physiology students involved in the class own interest,” said physiology teacher Jenna Senior Tiffany Do: “I’m creating a blog about the benefits of yoga. I call it iYoga, have the opportunity to let the parents know what works Smith. and I create commentaries made by fake people named after bones. I usually add based on their own knowledge and experiences and gain a “There is no guidebook to parenting,” videos from YouTube about yoga and deep breathing on the site.” new perspective and understanding of how parents make Prinz said, which is what makes the class so their decisions and they learn to appreciate the actions of their important. It allows parents to learn their Junior Kelley Shih: “I’m doing a personal learning thing. Its about stress parents even more. parenting style and how to communicate management, so I compare the amount of stress I’m in to the amount of sleep I get The class was started by Student Advocate Richard Prinz, effectively with their teenagers. According and do de-stressing activities every week.” who felt it was important to involve students. to senior Anusha Koganti, the most common “It would be awkward to talk about teen parenting without misconception people have is that the Senior Stella Ziegler: “I plan for what time I go to bed and I have plans to defeat any teenagers in the room,” Prinz said. The students’ role in the parenting class is only helpful to parents with each of the problems that keep me awake like homework. I keep a journal of the class is crucial and according to Prinz, they act as consultants. troubled teens. times I go to sleep and record why I stayed up past my target time.” Senior Samuel Young explained that the teens help Prinz teach “There’s always a way to improve. There’s the class “because it’s about teenagers,” Young said. no such thing as a perfect parent and I According guarantee that [a parent who hasn’t environment that allows parents to realize that parenting is to Prinz, the attended the class] will get something more than just what parents want, it’s also about what the I remember, after the very first teenagers want and what gets them engaged as well. Physiolog y out of it,” she said. parenting class, there were a lot When the boundaries and differences between teens and students were But Young asserts that the class is their parents are put aside, it is easier to find the commonalities of parents who were about to cry. chosen because good for both students and parents After I got home I was like, ‘Dude, he wanted to learn and grow, “after the very first that students and their parents have, even though they may not now I feel bad.’ So [I told my] to give them meeting I really wanted to change know it. According to Koganti, the most common thing that another option something about how I am as a student both the parents and students involved in the class have had, mom, ‘I love you,’ and I gave her a for their required and as a child, because I remember, after was a desire for more communication. big hug and I was sorry for causing “The great thing about that class is there’s no age divisions; Outside Learning the very first parenting class, there were so much trouble. everyone can talk and be accepted and understood, and there’s senior Samuel Young Exper ience a lot of parents who were about to cry. project, a project After I got home I was like, ‘Dude, now I no prejudices,” Koganti said. The class teaches parents to relate to their teenagers and designed to allow students a well rounded, hands on learning feel bad.’ So [I told my] mom, ‘I love you,’ and I gave her a big will take away from this class an open mind and the willingness experience. hug and I was sorry for causing so much trouble,” he said. to understand their children. Students and parents interested “OLE stands for the Outside Learning Experience, which The biggest hurdle to effective communication is realizing is an opportunity extended to the physiology kids to broaden “you’re not the good person and your parent isn’t the in the class will have an opportunity to attend for the second their physio horizons in some way outside of the classroom bad person, once you cross that step, the class [becomes] session in the spring. that interests them. So whether that means they get to do a job shadow and follow a professional in the health care industry

effective,” Koganti said. According to Young, the students in the class create an

Arifa Aziz || a.aziz@elestoque.org

Oct. 20, 2010

NEWS

Page 5

“In the last four years, the amount going to administration has just skyrocketed...You can’t do that unless you cut somewhere else, so we want to get that money back [to the students].”

“Smart people will know that our district is third in California... You can twist a number, you can play a number game, but you really want to know what a number means.”

—Hung Wei

—Michael Goldman

“We figure that, if the three districts join, we would probably lose about $13 million.”

“The Santa Clara Grand Jury report [said] that it would save $4 million. Who wouldn’t do that, really?”

—Barbara Nunes

—Monet Goldman

“I can’t say what my decision will be until we have all the facts, and we won’t have all the facts until we have the Environmental Impact Report.”

“They’re spending $200 million on football fields, but they can’t afford science labs.”

—Bill Wilson

—Pradeep Jain

Bill Willson

Barbara Nunes

Hung Wei

Michael Goldman

IN BOARD, DO WE TRUST?

Monet Goldman

Pradeep Jain

Cristophe Haubursin and Daniel Tan | El Estoque Photo Illustration

Miyuki Iwata Goldman

FUHSD Board of Trustees election presents a potential challenge to district spending policies

majority of the five-member FUHSD Board of Trustees will be up for grabs on Nov. 2, as seven candidates vie for the three available seats. Incumbents Bill Wilson, the president, and Hung Wei, the clerk, hope to be elected for the second time, while Vice President Barbara Nunes is aiming for a third four-year term. Also in the mix are MVHS parent and engineer Pradeep Jain and the three-member family team of Michael, Miyuki Iwata, and Monet Goldman. Much of the discord between the candidates centers around district spending. Particularly controversial is the Goldmans’ “Better Fremont Union” website, which claims that administrative costs have doubled since the election of new board members in 2006. The website claims that the FUHSD spends a smaller percentage of its revenue on instruction than any of the 26 largest school districts in Santa Clara County, but the data is disputed by the incumbents. “[They’ve] got a fundamental misunderstanding of the facts in the case,” Wilson said, “and I do think that it’s important for a school board member to do a little bit of homework and figure out what figures mean.” A source of the alleged confusion could be modifications in the way funds were categorized. “The state changed the way it has the district code its money,” Nunes said. “We’ve kept the same percentage [of administrative costs]; it’s just that it’s labeled differently. We’ve actually cut administration at the district office.” All four challengers are campaigning for wiser district spending. Jain’s plan is to use more money in the classroom to maintain quality instruction and low student-teacher ratios. “I want to see 5 percent [of the budget] re-allocated to teaching,” he said. “If we do that, that’s $6 million dollars… bottom line, the mission is teaching, not administration.” The Goldmans, in defense of the statistics on their website, assure that the data had been collected from a valid source which they provide links to online. “I know that I have no credibility assigned to me, I have to prove everything,” Michael Goldman said. “The district can just say something and, rightly or wrongly, people just will automatically believe that they’re speaking the truth, although frankly, they lie a lot.” To reduce spending, the family is promoting the unification plan recommended by the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury on Sept. 30, 2009. The plan called for the consolidation of several districts in the county—including the FUHSD, the Cupertino Union School District, and the Sunnyvale School District, which would be merged—to “enhance communication between the high schools, middle, and elementary schools”

and save money spent on administration. “We get the question over and over when we talk to people: ‘Why are we supporting two administrations?’” Michael Goldman said of the FUHSD and CUSD. “And we think it needs to be looked at.” The Goldmans argue that after merging the three districts, the new body should split in two, with a larger district in Cupertino and a smaller one in Sunnyvale, preventing the smaller Sunnyvale schools from being overwhelmed. The FUHSD, CUSD, and SSD have since declined the grand jury’s plan, on the grounds that the proposed mega-district

• • • • • • •

MEET THE CANDIDATES BILL WILSON: Previous board president BARBARA NUNES: Previous board vice president HUNG WEI: Previous board clerk PRADEEP JAIN: Engineer and MVHS student father MONET GOLDMAN: Recent Graduate of FHS MIYUKI IWATA GOLDMAN: Software Engineer MICHAEL GOLDMAN: Consulting software ngineer

of 34,000 students would actually exceed the grand jury’s own recommended maximum, resulting in losses rather than savings. All three incumbents agree. “Unification wouldn’t save us any money at all; as a matter of fact, it would cost us,” Nunes said. Besides $13 million in lost state funds, the incumbents argue that the FUHSD and CUSD parcel taxes would have to be reapproved for the mega-district as a whole. Voters living within the boundaries of the SSD, which does not have a parcel tax, could tip the scales against such a measure—meaning $9 million more down the drain. The Goldmans see things differently, pointing out that the parcel taxes will have to be renewed in a few years anyway. Jain expects that combining the districts would foster more effective communication between the schools. As a proponent of administrative transparency, however, he thinks that unification would have a negative outcome overall. “The short answer is no, I don’t really think that [unification] will achieve anything—it will actually give the administrators more opacity and more power,” Jain said. “The long answer is that yes, I want unification, in the sense that one of our biggest problems is that the middle schools don’t really coordinate with the high schools.” If the districts are eventually unified by the new board, personnel changes would result in order to prevent redundancy.

Also widening the chasm between the candidates is the planned installation of lights and other field renovations for home football games at FUHSD schools, which have brought up questions regarding the balance between spending on athletics and academics. “It’s pretty ridiculous,” Monet Goldman, a Fremont High School class of 2010 alum and former wrestler, said. “Money shouldn’t be going toward sports when the necessity of education isn’t being invested in.” Some of the Measure B bond funds approved by voters, however, are specifically allocated to “renovate, replace or construct physical education and athletic fields.” The incumbents are currently re-evaluating the plan for the lights and will take into account upcoming Environmental Impact Reports and the community’s wishes. Wei insisted that the process is still very open and that the district is going through the planning stages to keep all its options available. “We can’t invite 10,000 neighbors to come and design this,” she said, “but they have not missed anything. Everything that they see is what we see.” Wilson said that he hopes to strike a balance between the convenience the renovations would afford students and the added noise and traffic that would result. “The advantages to students are the ability to play games at their home school instead of having to drive across Cupertino, lugging all of their equipment with them, and the schedule flexibility that would come from being able to have practices early in the evening in the wintertime,” he said. “But there definitely would be impact on the neighbors.” MVHS neighbors argued against the construction at a board meeting on Jan. 25, mentioning that upon moving in, the school had informally agreed not to construct lights. That claim, as well as the environmental, athletic, and financial impacts of the lights, will all be weighed when the board decides. But the people who may take part in that decision have yet to be For candidate bios and their chosen, as new terms start positions on academics in December. The elected issues, see the News section. trustees will represent the majority on the board, so the outcome has the potential to steer district spending policy for the next four years. The fates of spending allocation, the unification plan, and the installation of football lights hang in the balance.

NLINE

Joseph Beyda || j.beyda@elestoque.org

Page 6

NEWS

Protesting lives on the line

MV Students for Life makes effort to oppose abortion, raise awareness

or the next month, one MVHS club will be working to save lives. But not just those of individuals in distant countries— instead they’re making change within our very own community. Starting Sept 22, MVHS Students for Life, a club dedicated to promoting the importance of choosing life over abortion, will be participating in the national event 40 Days of Life to spread awareness regarding pro-life choices at various abortion clinics until Nov. 1. The club aims to begin Christophe Haubursin| El Estoque their effort at the REVOLT: Protestors stand and pray outside the San Jose Planned Parenthood center on Oct. San Jose Pregnancy 16. Students for Life members will be volunteering at similar events throughout the month. Crisis Center, the club’s current partner in the campaign, and then branch out to other similar establishments we should do better and what activities we should do.” throughout the Bay Area. Each day of the forty-day event is planned Regarding the community’s response to the ongoing effort, club to consist of peaceful protests around the Crisis Centers, along with vice president junior Maya Lewis maintains an optimistic viewpoint the promotion of signs bearing towards the aspiration for change to come. slogans advocating adoption. “I don’t know if there will be any concrete 40 Days for Life “We’re starting out small, just difference, but it’s like any other demonstration, When:Sept. 22-Oct. 31 within the area,” club activities you just have to hope that people will be manager Vivitha Mani said, “but affected by what you do,” Lewis said. “But it’s What: we’re hoping that it’ll spread not just like you’re doing it on your own, there 40 days of prayer and fasting throughout the country.” are other people who share your belief to stand Club members of Students for 40 days of peaceful vigil with you.” Life will be given the chance at 1 As of now, Students for Life is MVHS’ 40 days of community outreach club meetings to sign up for two only club that deals with making change on hour protest shifts at the centers pregnancy-related decisions. If the 40 Days of Upcoming: Vigils held at Planned Parenthood in order to make the community Life proves to be a successful and worthwhile 1691 The Alameda more aware about the issue at effort, club president Radhika Gulhar intends San Jose, CA 95126 hand, though anyone interested to organize an identical small-scale version at is free to protest for the cause MVHS in order to involve the entire school. More Information: in their own time. This will be “We’re thinking about a week at school to http://www.40daysforlife.com/sanjose/ their first large-scale awareness explain why life is precious and to bring people event since last year’s Walk for over to our club to participate in different lifeLife, a two mile walk-a-thon in related activities.” Gulhar said. “This could also San Francisco with an estimated be a way for new members to learn about us and 100,000 participants and a number of promotional speeches from join and for old members to gain more experience.” crisis center representatives. Members also recently participated in But for Mani, Lewis, and Gulhar, participating in the effort has Life Chain, a one-day protest event held on Oct. 3, at the intersection gone far beyond involvement for the sake of their club. of Stevens Creek Blvd. and Kiely Blvd. As its first venture into this “It’s something that represents what we believe in, but on a type of nonprofit endeavor, Students for Life also hopes to gain broader scale with lots of support,” Gulhar said. “It’s a great way for learning experience from its participation. us to express ourselves with the backup of the community.” “This will be a first time experience for us,” Mani said. “We’re hoping to get guidance on how to run our club at school, with what Christophe Haubursin || c.haubursin@elestoque.org

Cicero’s Pizza OPEN 7 DAYS!

“The Pizza with the Secret” Follow us on Twitter

@cicerospizza

6138 Bollinger Road San Jose, California 95129 (At Miller next to safeway)

Tel: (408) 777-0690 Fax: (408) 777-0690

www.cicerospizza.com

Try our Lunch Special! Get a small, one item pizza and a soft drink for only $7!

Oct. 20, 2010

Measure E poses new tax Community colleges ask for $69 per parcel

ith our own parcel tax problems with Measure B, it’s easy to forget the crisis that neighbor schools are facing. De-Anza and Foothill Community College District’s new parcel tax is just hitting the streets. The $20 million cut on our community colleges has caused them to cut many teachers and classes. Students are trying to get back on track by proposing a $69 parcel tax for all Mountain View, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino and Sunnyvale home owners. Students from Foothill and De Anza under the direction of campaign manager Melisa Melo have set up a phone banking site in the Oaks Plaza and are educating voters on the content and andvantages of Measure E, Monday through Thursday, 6 to 9 p.m. “I am a biology major, and for some reason it is always the science classes that are getting cut,” said De Anza student Jamie Oesek, “I am hoping that with Measure E, I can finally take my requirements, like Biology 40B.” With only one class per quarter for hundreds of students, many students are unable to fulfill their requirements and receive a quality education. With the parcel tax, they hope to bring back many math, science, engineering and writing classes. “This tax should pass, if people have a heart,” said De Anza nursing student Sarah Ewing The money received will go fully to students without cuts for the state or administration and the tax will only last the next six years. A two thirds vote is required in order for this parcel tax to pass and the community colleges are doing whatever they can to ensure the passing of this parcel tax. Sahana Sridhara || s.sridhara@elestoque.org

Erin Chiu| El Estoque

BANK BOOTH: De Anza and Foothill Community College provide information on measure E on Oct. 9 at the Diwali Festival in Memorial Park

Oct. 20, 2010

Page 7

NEWS

MARIJUANA: Mary Jane in California? Possibility of legalization raises debate regarding revenue and regulation The moral debate Money aside, another major issue tied into the legalization Details of the proposition debate is the moral implication of legalizing a substance A similar proposition attempting to legalize marijuana was nicknamed “a gateway drug.” Both supporters and on the California Ballot in 1972, but failed to pass. Several opponents of Proposition 19 agree that if marijuana were to other states, including Nevada, have also attempted to pass be legalized, usage would increase simply because it would similar propositions but have thus far been unsuccessful. be so much more accessible. Pelkey also points out that California, however, does have a history of being the pioneer legalization would remove the “moral stigma” that prevents in this issue—it was also the first state to legalize the use of people, especially teenagers, from using the drug. medicinal marijuana through the passage of Proposition 215 However, junior Michael Goldman, who is in support of in 1996, which passed with a 55.6 percent majority. Proposition 19, doesn’t see why marijuana is being treated Just last month, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed any differently than tobacco and alcohol, which he claims Senate Bill 1449, a law which made possession of less than an have worse medical consequences than marijuana. ounce of marijuana (for those over 21) an infraction, resulting “It’s on the same line as tobacco and alcohol and people in a $100 fine, rather than a misdemeanor. The law will go have found recreational ways to use those, so why not into effect on Jan. 1. Even marijuana?” Goldman if Proposition 19 does said. “It’s not really a THE ISSUES pass, SB 1449 will leave moral issue—the only misdemeanor charges inreason we think about place for smoking in the it that way is because What will be the new presence of minors or in of the propaganda consequences for driving public places. we’ve grown up As of right now, with.” under the influence? Will those under the California is one of 1 3 The senior legal age be able to states that allows marijuana user also get easier access to the use of marijuana agrees with Goldman marijuana? for medicinal that as long as purposes for marijuana is placed adults 18 years under the same strict of age or older who have legal guidelines as received authorization from tobacco and alcohol, a physician. If Proposition there’s no reason 19 passes, it would get rid of why it shouldn’t be What will be the effects in this medicinal requirement legalized. the workplace, and how and allow individual “You can’t stop will marijuana use be consumption as well as give marijuana usage,” he regulated? the right to grow marijuana said. “So you might as on up to a 25 x 25 foot well profit from it.” private plot of land to all Having personally Californians over the age of used marijuana in the 21. The government would past, however, the also allow authorized sellers senior does agree that of marijuana. while marijuana is a way for people to channel their Strong support has been voiced for both sides emotions, it’s the wrong way and of the issue, with Governor Schwarzenegger only leaves people in a worse place stating that although he doesn’t think it is time for than where they started. In that legalization of marijuana, it is “time for debate.” sense, he does agree that although it would still be illegal for those The tax question under the age of 21, legalization may One of the major arguments being used in favor prompt more teenagers to use the drug of Proposition 19 is the idea that legalization would as an escape. bring about additional tax revenue which could help alleviate part of the state’s budget deficit. According Realistic consequences to the Board of Equalization, there are approximately Nov. 2 is fast approaching and $14 billion worth of marijuana transactions each year, according to a September Field Poll, 50 and taxes would help generate about $1.4 billion in percent of Californians support Proposition revenue for the state. The No On Proposition 19 campaign, 19. Since the race is so close, Pelkey predicts however, argues that this would create more of a legal mess that it is likely that regardless of the outcome, the because rates of taxation are left upon local governments to opposing side will take some sort of legal action that will decide. prevent the law from immediately going into effect—similar Economics teacher Pete Pelkey also points out that these to what happened with Proposition 8 after its approval in the estimates fail to take into account the fact that people would 2008 election. He believes that it is likely that at some point legally be able to grow their own marijuana. the issue will reach the State and Federal Supreme Courts. “The idea that you’re going to get that tax revenue is At this point, even if Proposition 19 were to pass, fine, but if people can make bootleg marijuana and get it at marijuana consumption would still be considered illegal a cheaper price, then they’re going to do that—and the law under federal law—meaning that even within California, actually allows for that,” Pelkey said. it would not be allowed on any Army or Navy bases and Pelkey also notes that there would be no additional revenue federal land. The federal government has already begun to because of the decreased number of marijuana arrests being publicize its stance on the issue. made, and simply because the state government is not going On Oct. 13, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a to lay off large numbers of narcotics officers. letter to the Drug Enforcement Association that the federal Supporters of Proposition 19, however, have a different government would “vigorously enforce the [Controlled opinion. A senior male, who spoke to El Estoque on the condition Substances Act] against those individuals and organizations that we do not use his full name, has used marijuana in the that possess, manufacture, or distribute marijuana for past and supports its legalization. He argues that legalization recreational use, even if such activities are permitted under would inherently save the state money because it would no state law.” longer have to spend time organizing and coordinating arrests It is clear that even if Proposition 19 does pass, it will be for possession of marijuana. This would in turn lead to a less hotly contested by the Federal Government. crowded prison system. continued from page 1

50%

of Californians support Prop 19.

Comprehensive Crime Control and Anti-Drug Abuse Act In conjunction, raised federal taxes for marijuana possession and dealing based on the amount of the drug involved. The penalty for 100 grams of marijuana was equal to the penalty for the same of heroine.

Proposition 215 California becomes the first state in the US to legalize the medical distribution and use of marijuana in 1996.

1996

billion is estimated to be the amount of money raised as tax revenue under Prop 19.

Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act Categorized Marijuana seprately from other drugs, eliminating the federal sentences for possession in small amounts.

1984 and 1986

$1.4

Marijuana Tax Act Passed by Congress, criminalizing marijuana, restricting possession to individuals who paid a tax for medical and industrial uses.

1970

billion worth of marijuana transactions each year.

Uniform State Narcotic Act A federal attempt to create equal legislation for dealing with drug related crimes in every state.

1932 1937

$14

Pure Food and Drug Act Required that over the counter remedies be labled if they contained cannabis.

1906

PROP 19 IN NUMBERS

1600-1890s

Vijeta Tandon|| v.tandon@elestoque.org

Early cannabis regulation Domestic production of hemp was encouraged for the production of rope, sails and clothing.

Page 8

Cupertino Community Hall, 10350 Torre Avenue, Cupertino, CA 95014 - 3 pm Free admission (with promo code 8EZHSS).

Oct. 20, 2010

Who’s to

O OPINION

Page 9

Staff says, work together to solve educational issues; don’t waste time spreading the blame

ver this last month, education has made it into the headlines several times. We are at the start of a new school year and elections are coming up, so it isn’t surprising that there has been a large dosage of educational coverage in the media. Often times the coverage revolves around problems with the education system, such as lack of funding and a need for better teachers. This isn’t a surprise either. All around the state last year, there was news of pink slips being handed out left and right, classes and schools booming to sizes far beyond their designated capacity, and different districts pleading for money from the state. We’ve all heard the horror stories, and the sad thing is, our reality is even worse this year. The facts are known, the word is out. People know that public education in the US is deteriorating and that other nations, seemingly less developed then ours, are flying

hysiology students and MVHS parents attend parenting classes held in the library on Tuesday evenings. So far, the feedback from students and parents has been positive. Now it’s time to get more of the school community involved. For more about the class, see the full story on page 4.

40 $15 10 7 1.5 1

past us in educational rankings. People also the ballot. There aren’t groups or factions that know that California public education is in a are opposed to education, it’s just that those hole and is struggling to get out. groups have opinions regarding what the So what’s the deal? If politicians, teachers, problem is and different solutions on how to and a good percentage of parents know that fix those problems. education is in shambles, why has it not been Ask a teacher in California about what’s wrong with education and fixed? Who’s to blame? The blame falls on they’ll tell you that the roots everyone. STAFF EDITORIAL of the problem are a lack of funding, a broken curriculum, It falls on everyone because The opinion of the none of us are pitching in to and in some areas of the state, El Estoque Editorial a lack of parental support. fix the dire problem at hand. Board Ask a parent and they’ll say It seems that there is a lot of finger pointing, when it should that they can’t pay any more tax money in this tough economy. be compromise that’s taking place. We need to agree to Why can’t the state pick up the disagree instead of playing the tab and why aren’t there more good teachers in the system? blame game. Ask a politician and they’ll say that they The blame game is most commonly played in the political arena. However, education is are allocating as much money as they possibly unlike the other big issues that we’ll see on can to education. Times are tough and school

districts are going to have to learn to manage their allotted funds better. This has log jammed the system and has lead to little improvements, reforms, or revamps from actually taking place. All the parties need to get on the same page and all the problems need to get on the same table. Those problems should be prioritized and plans should be made to fix those problems. Some argue that it just won’t work that way, that there is too much legislature in the way and that simplifying a complex problem such as education would lead to disaster. Unfortunately, we cannot wait. We cannot wait for reforms and revamps to sit in legislation or be tabled at meetings because of differing opinions. The longer we wait, the more kids are getting deprived of a quality education, and that is a true disaster. In the blame game, the only people who lose are the kids.

BREAK Facts, experience matter most DOWN W

El Estoque endorses incumbents for school board

one issue – six ways

PARENTS SIGNED UP FOR THE FALL SESSION OF CLASSES. This number is encouraging and eventually, by word of mouth, these classes could gain popularity. IS THE COST OF THE TEXTBOOK USED IN THE CLASSES. Although $15 isn’t much, if the PTSA could fund the textbooks, then the classes will be even more economical.

STUDENTS FROM PHYSIOLOGY ARE PARTICIPATING FOR EXTRA CREDIT. Having students participate in these classes can give them new insight into the challenges of parenting.

CLASSES COMPRISE A SESSION. Seven weeks is a substantial amount to learn and develop new skills, but it is not an overwhelming commitment for parents. The length of the course is just right. HOURS IS THE LENGTH OF CLASS EVERY TUESDAY EVENING. Having classes in the evening enables parents who work to attend these classes, which is helpful.

HOUR OF HOMEWORK IS ASSIGNED PER WEEK. Although assigning homework is time consuming, homework gives parents a chance to apply the skills they learn at home.

hen the election has turned into what system and Monet is a recent graduate from seems like a second grade fight on the Fremont High School. Both feel that their insider playground, it’s hard to decide who the perspectives will add important student views best choice is. Obviously each candidate has his/her to the board. own proponents but four candidates’ apparent lack Wei, being the head of the student issues of knowledge and illogical arguments allow the newsletter Verdadera, might not have any other three to shine. children in the system but by holding meeting The four challengers with many community consist of family Michael, members and students, BEYOND THE BOARD Miyuki-Iwata, and Monet she stays up to date In addition to electing school board officials, Goldman and MVHS parent on the community’s voters will also decide on... Pradeep Jain. The incumbents interests. While Jain are second-term candidates has input from one Measure E: $69 per year parcel tax for Bill Wilson and Hung Wei and child, she has input community colleges third-term candidate Barbara from hundreds of Nunes. The incumbents have children. Returns: Local funding for educational a clear advantage, and are the The Goldmans have programs suchs as: core science and math best choice for school board their numbers wrong, programs, vocational training for various positions. and Monet is simply professions, much better educated district Barbara Nunes, in too young. Another conjunction with the other obvious problem is that two incumbents, does a they are a family. With good job of supporting the previous board in the three out of five members of the board being last term’s endeavors. Some achievements of the part of the same family we have a different previous board include the lack of teacher lay-offs kind of majority block. While they claim to and furlough days, Barbara Nunes pointed out at have diverse opinions, this is not represented by the community forum on Oct. 6. Even with the their stances. Jain is running a campaign with difficulties the district has faced, it has remained his main proponent being his daughter, leaving the third best district in the state. his ideas on how he will change the board in The Goldmans share similar views on most of the background. The choices are obvious. the issues and in this they looked for facts and We endorse incumbents Barbara Nunes, Bill figures to trash the previous board. Wilson, and Hung Wei. The California Teacher’s Michael criticized the high student to teacher Association ratio, the lack of AP classes and rigorous course also endorses work, and the large cut of money the administration t h e s e seemed to be receiving. However, the district has candidates. For a news story about recently renamed the cost breakdowns explained O u r each of the candidates Bill Wilson. Though the costs have remained the incumb ent s and their platforms, same the percentages look different at first glance. h a v e see page 5 This invalidates part of the Goldmans concern. Also p er for med it’s imperative to remember that we offered over well in the 5000 AP tests last year with an 88% pass rate. past and are On the issue of connecting with the students, well prepared Jain and Monet have a unique view because Jain is for the future. And in the end, they are the only the father of a student currently in the the school ones who might support our lights.

NEWS

Page 10

OPINION

Oct. 20, 2010

The Flip Side

To legalize, or not to legalize?

49%

of students said they know someone who smokes marijuana regularly Legalization of marijuana can introduce both health and economic benefits to California

et’s face it—people on our campus smoke marijuana. Whether you know it as weed, pot, or ganja, it is impossible to deny that high schools are one of the easiest places to obtain illegal drugs. Ask around; it will soon become clear that plenty of students know at least a couple people who have tried it; yet, possession or distribution of the drug is still illegal in California. “Keep a lid on the pot,” joked a writer against legalization in an issue of the North County Times. However, what those against legalizing marijuana fail to recognize is that the simmering discontentment of those for legalization is rising to a boil. Since elementary school, children are taught that drugs are bad. Therefore, marijuana must be bad. Though this is true to some extent, marijuana is simply not as dangerous as many believe it to be; marijuana is safe enough to be prescribed by doctors as a medical treatment. According to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), marijuana cannot be overdosed unless mixed with other substances. In contrast, alcohol and tobacco are extremely harmful to the body, but they are legal in California. The question is, then, why are these other substances perfectly lawful, while marijuana is not? The method of combatting excessive marijuana abuse is not to ban it, but to legalize it. As seen during the Prohibition era, banning a substance only increases its value; people naturally want something more when they cannot have it. Marijuana users who cannot gain access to the drug without taking a risk only want it more, instinctively finding other ways to bypass the law. By legalizing marijuana, most of the mystery is taken out

Why do you think marijuana should be legalized?

A legal market in marijuana would cut down on interactions between users and dealers, which would be good against the so called, “gateway drug theory,” and prevent users from acquiring marijuana that is mixed with a more dangerous drug. anonymous survey responder

of the equation, and the drug becomes merely another product sold with an age restriction, like spray paint and lottery tickets. People would find less excitement in selling and procuring the drug, therefore reducing its use in an ironic fashion. Lately, it seems like everyone has been complaining about California’s extremely large debt. Marijuana legalization is one of the most obvious sources of extra funding for the state. The NORML reported that over 700,000 arrests were made in 2009 for possession, and the government spends billions of dollars to combat the illegal smuggling of drugs by foreign gangs. If marijuana is legalized, this large sum can be reduced, helping out the state’s large deficit. Truthfully, marijuana is nothing more than a plant, and for the everyday person, there is no reason why marijuana is still illegal. To be honest, it can almost be considered organic. Many people have tried marijuana, and it is simply not as wrong as people might believe. There will always be those who smoke marijuana, so voters should legalize it and help the state benefit from its legalization, rather than stay in a sort of self-induced, delusional sense of denial. Murder, arson, and rape are obviously illegal because they harm others, but people have the right to do what they want to their own bodies. If someone wants to smoke a joint, why shouldn’t they be allowed to do so? California has a majority of liberal Democrats and progressive minorities, so why are we still stuck in the Stone Age when it comes to legalizing marijuana? Tina Hsu || t.hsu@elestoque.org

All [marijuana] does is make you lazy. Is the government’s job to illegalize T.V. because it makes you lazy? anonymous survey responder

54.2%

Marijuana legalization has too many social costs to bring in significant tax revenue

rugs are bad for you. Even an eight-year-old child who has been t hrough the D.A.R.E program could tell you that. And that child could also tell you that marijuana is considered a drug. Most of us have learned about substance abuse as kids and know all about its negative psychological effects on the user. Legalizing marijuana isn’t going to change the fact that it’s a drug, and it definitely isn’t going to change the fact that it’s harmful. Just because possession of marijuana may become legal, doesn’t make it okay. As people living in a democracy, we live based on the belief that those with the power to make changes are doing what is best for us. However, it’s hard not to question the common sense of those in power when our state is seriously considering legalizing a substance that is known to cause addiction, hallucinations, and lack of motivation. Those who support legalization argue that since there are no immediate physical consequences of using marijuana it should be open to all users, not just those who are in “medical” need. Although the effects of using marijuana aren’t immediately visible, marijuana has a long term effect on memory, judgment, and increases the risk of certain cancers. Although medical marijuana has been passed, the trade off for cancer risk certainly doesn’t seem worth it. There are those eager to get California out of debt who lay their faith in the tax benefits of legalizing the drug. However, in comparison to the social costs associated with

69.5%

of students said that they know of negative health effects associated with marijuana usage

of students said that they could obtain marijuana easily if they wanted to

legalizing the drug, the billions of dollars we are losing now are far more affordable. Although a significant amount of money will be brought in, there is no guarantee that it is enough to compensate for the decline in worker productivity, academic performance, and further costs to counter addiction, such as rehabilitation and treatment centers. Expecting marijuana to bring in tax revenue is only slightly foolish, but grossly underestimates the common person’s ability to bypass the law. In 1996 California legalized medical marijuana, and if I were a pot head, whose neighbor was allowed to grow “medical” marijuana, I’d much rather illegally purchase from my neighbor, rather than be taxed by the government. Those who believe that legalizing the drug will make the forbidden fruit less attractive don’t realize all the attention will throw the debate back into the spotlight only to glorify it once again. According to a CNBC report, the Alaskan government legalized marijuana in the 1970s, and had to go back and re ban it because the teen marijuana usage jumped to more than twice the national average. Legalization will increase usage of the drug and potentially abuse of the drug. The legalization of marijuana isn’t about what’s good for you, it simply comes down to understanding the numbers and what they mean for our society. Those who believe that marijuana can bring in money for the state don’t factor in the social costs and the potential psychological effects on our society. The couple billion dollars it could theoretically bring in aren’t worth the side effects. Sarika Patel || s.patel@elestoque.org

Why do you think marijuana should not be legalized?

If this bill is passed, then California would get billions [of dollars] for tax from weed. Since weed is illegal right now, and people get it illegally, even if the law is passed, people would just keep on getting it illegally [because] there won’t be any tax. So whether the state will get revenue... that’s hard to say. anonymous survey responder

*197 people responded to this online survey

Oct. 20, 2010

Page 11

OPINION

Friday night lights finally here By supporting the senior game, students can fight for field lights

e’ve got great grades, high test scores and a pretty active community, but we don’t have a lot of the things that other high schools have. Most noticeably, we don’t have football games on our home campus, due to the lack of lights on our football field. The Senior Night game is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 13 at Cupertino High School. Supporting this game and making sure other home games are successful could help convince the district that we deserve our lights. It doesn’t make sense that we have to go to another school to watch our own team play home games, so make sure that our support is felt; otherwise, maybe we don’t deserve a lighted football field. There are people who don’t want our lights to shine. Despite the benefits it would bring our school in terms of profit and morale, these people have been protesting against the lights for quite some time. Neighboring residents of MVHS don’t want the clamor of a football game keeping them up at night and clogging the streets. Many official protests have been made to the district that the football lights should not be built. However, these opponents may be overestimating the inconvenience of football games, which are only held for the first few months of school and only occur weekly. There are usually no more than six home games, they do not run very late, and they are usually done in about three hours. Students should not have reason to agree with these arguments, as they are not as serious as they once seemed. Take a look at residents near CHS. In

Who will win this tug-of-war over field lights? Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque Photo Illustration

will have a clue. Put yourself in the position of a member of the team. Wouldn’t you be so much more motivated and determined if you knew your peers were watching and cheering? Otherwise, games will probably seem pointless to our team in the future. It’s not all for our football team. It’s also important that our school can band together and cheer for a common goal. Some of us do this at every football game, but not enough do. This is why it is so crucial that MVHS students support the team at home games. If students come and have a good time, it can only help our case. If the students and their parents voice their approval, MVHS will finally have what it is so dearly missing.

addition to MVHS home games, CHS also hosts the home games of their own. If our football games get increased support, the odds of lights being installed on the MVHS field are increased and a true home game can finally be held. Then local home games will become a regularity as they should be. Any high school experience consists of many memories—tough classes, fun classes, late nights, friends, and football games. It doesn’t matter whether or not you care for the sport, it’s mainly the social aspect and the idea of school spirit that is important. Granted, we do have football games, but so many more people would go if our home games were actually held where they were meant to be. Go and ask a few random students just how well our football team is doing and odds are, barely any of them

Morahd Shawki || m.shawki@elestoque.org

City-wide walking promotion forgets high school students entirely

Walk to School Day. Student and parent system with an elementary school, where volunteers handed out raffle tickets to the high school students serve as role students entering campus on foot. These models for elementary school students and tickets were used get excited for the event that for a raffle of prizes HOW ABOUT US? way. If Teen Commission and for admission to reaches out to the student the complimentary body at MVHS, we will do breakfast provided in our best to respond. the rally court. Instead, Teen Commission That sounds is sitting back, waiting for just like the goal of high schools to take action. MVHS students participated in WOW, except that If high school students are Community Leadership’s Bike/ Teen Commission harder to motivate, they Walk to School Day last year and doesn’t think high should work harder to include could potentiallly participate in school students them. Teen Commission Teen Commission’s WOW. would participate. should be commended for Env ironment al broadening their spectrum to Commission’s event include all youth; however, had a huge level of by excluding teenagers they are cutting out participation with a total of 786 students a large percentage of their target audience. turning in the raffle tickets they received for The next WOW, scheduled for April, has walking, biking, or scootering to school. a plan to include high schools as well as If Community Leadership can do it, so middle and elementary schools. That is can Teen Commission. High-school teens their opportunity to prove to us that they may be harder to motivate, but that is not are up to the challenge of motivating and a reason not to try—it’s still worthwile involving older students in creative ways to include high schoolers. Additional that can lead to a successful WOW. incentives for high school students to participate in WOW could be a buddy Roxana Wiswell || r.wiswell@elestoque.org

786

El Estoque Online: Your thoughts last month The following was posted on Sept. 20 in response to the story “Club Commission sets the bar for in-class promotion.”

“As an officer of my own club, it is kind of insensitive and ignorant of you to say that clubs need to be resourceful and plan around this change. Wow, do you have any idea just how hard it is to attract members to meetings?” Anonymous

ometimes, it’s difficult being this awesome. Having just beauty, brains, or brawn by itself is hard enough to manage, but when you have all three it just becomes a hassle. That’s what I imagine, anyway. I don’t tend to think of myself as awesome—feel free to contradict me at anytime, by the way—but I know it wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Maybe I really should have more pride in myself. Some more self-confidence could go a long way, and this does not apply only to me.

High schoolers losing recognition in program o motivate students to walk to school, the Cupertino Teen Commission is conducting a week-long event in November featuring incentives for those who don’t drive to school. The idea—to show students how they can make a difference and live in a more environmentally friendly way—is hard to criticize. However, the event, called Walk One Week (WOW) doesn’t include high school students. Although the very name of Teen Commission implies high schools and middle schools, the commissioners chose to focus their event on middle and elementary schools. High schools can participate if they choose to, but unlike middle schools and elementary schools that are being contacted by Teen Commission, high schools have to reach out to Teen Commission in order to be involved. The commissioners reasoned that high school students would be harder to motivate for several reasons—they have cars, they live farther away, and they are involved in more commitments. Therefore, they are focusing the event on those they believe are most likely to do it justice. That’s a very pessimistic attitude, as shown by Community Leadership’s Environmental Commission’s successful

Be proud. You are awesome

Based on the hype, are you going to see “The Social Network”?

46% 27%

Maybe

Yes

27%

*44 people responded to this poll as of Oct. 17

On Sept. 24, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg pledged $100 million to public schools in Newark, N.J. after hearing about the severely under—performing Newark school district. While performance has improved in recent years, one third of Newark schools have a majority of their fourth, eighth, and 11th graders perform below the passing level in state proficiency tests for language and math.

Will money fix the problems? Where should this $100 million be allocated? Go online to elestoque.org to comment.

Classifications of man There are two prominent types of people at MVHS, both of which are sorely missing a sense of pride that separates them from being the kings of the jungle. To understand these species, it is necessary to observe them in their natural habitats. First are the creatures of Type B, scientific name “putselfdownicus.” Type Bs are curious creatures. They are the ones who wonder why that other guy made the soccer team. They hear the about the person who received an A on his essay—and he didn’t even read the book—while they hide their C. Type Bs complain and gripe and think that they just aren’t as good as the others. Don’t tell them to hang their heads in shame. They’re already doing it. On the other NATALIE CHAN side of the n.chan@elestoque.org spectrum are the Type As, scientific name “minimus egota.” This classification is more difficult to understand, but they are the ones who hide their achievements simply because it isn’t cool to be cocky. Type As believe in camouflaging instead of showing off their attributes. In a population of minimus egota, it is common to observe an individual receive a high grade on his math test and turn the paper upside down, hiding the good mark before anyone else can notice. In this animal planet, having pride is worse than being bashful.

What’s normal anyway?

Evolution The problem with both is the lack of pride. This is a school with a pressure to excel and need to succeed, but Type Bs believe whatever they do isn’t good enough and Type As think what they do isn’t noteworthy anymore. There is always someone who can do better, but that doesn’t lessen our own accomplishments. We can still be proud of ourselves. One thing that we can do for ourselves is have a change in identity or a psychological makeover, “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” style. Don’t worry. It will be fabulous. There aren’t many people with beauty, brains, and brawn, and the honest truth is you probably aren’t one of them. But what you do have, what you do better than almost everyone else, is what you should concentrate on. Personally, I am a Type B. I wish that I could sing or draw or dance or do math problems as well as the next person, but as a Type B, I am going to stop focusing on what I can’t do. So what if my drawings are stick figures and I dance with the coordination of a drunk duck? I can still bake a pretty mean chocolate chip cookie. That is something to be proud of. You don’t need to look into the mirror each morning and say how great you are, although you might want to just for that feeling of awesomeness. It’s human nature to be your own worst critic, but remember how well you can play the guitar. Maybe you are great at making your friends laugh. Take pride in the fact that you are an expert on Stargate (and good luck with that, by the way). If you actually do have beauty, brains, and brawn, congratulations. You are just plain awesome.

Page 12

Oct. 20, 2010

OPINION

Students for Life: Awareness or change? Whether or not you agree with their beliefs, club’s approach to outreach courageous, effective

he Students for Life club is going to be very occupied for the next 40 days as they campaign for pro-life beliefs. A majority of their time is spent on making sure that they promote their ideas outside of campus, unlike most other service clubs. Students for Life is a newly founded club with a solid opinion on where they stand, however it’s not about whether you agree or disagree with their stance; it’s the fact that they are actually being proactive for pro-life and trying to make a difference in our community. They’ve made their decision—have you? The foundation of Students for Life is based on the belief that pro-life is the better choice compared to abortion, but even if some may not agree with the club’s beliefs, it will definitely encourage or foster discussion. Students for Life is creating dialogue amongst high school kids, and any type of dialogue about political issues is a very good use of our time. It would encourage the founding of a club that might even go against what Students for Life stands for, but it allows for debate, which most clubs don’t consider. This is especially a good time for clubs like Students for Life to form at MVHS because as high school students, we are forming our own opinions on topics such as abortion now. For their 40 Days of Life campaign, they are taking action and going to as many pregnancy clinics as possible to spread awareness about their cause. They also could consider hosting fundraisers for women who have made the pro-life choice. It would be an additional way that they could help their cause. People want to be able to say that they donated $50 for the pro-life cause because it puts a price on the help they have given, and it makes them feel like they have a stake in the club. Donating money makes us think we’re proactive, which

Supp ort caus our e!

We are RIGHT!

While most clubs only promote events and ideas within club members, Students of Life aims beyond the MVHS student body Dominique Pieb | El Estoque Photo Illustration

is the intention of Students for Life. They may be one of the only clubs on campus trying to raise awareness about their cause outside the barriers of MVHS. Sure, there are some clubs that volunteer and hold major fundraisers, but do they ever really take a hold of their belief? Do they go straight to the people who deny their cause and directly enforce their ideas and suggest change? No,

those clubs don’t. Students for Life has the guts to go directly to strangers and give them reasons as to why they should listen to their cause. The members of Students for Life know that they won’t change every woman’s choice, but they are being active with what they can do. Most service clubs promote their clubs’ ideas within their own club even though their

members already agree with them, and the members probably want to do more outside of the campus. Unlike Students for Life, these service clubs live in their own private bubble, completely disregarding the whole world around them. They should try to make a difference, not just make some noise. Pooja Ravikiran || p.ravikiran@elestoque.com

On Measure B, let’s not be so light-headed In argument over lights, measure’s other benefits forgotten

ost people would agree that it’s completely absurd to off the improvements, it’s safe to say that the funding provided complain about a free sundae because it’s missing a by Measure B is extremely generous—even without football cherry. Absurd as it may seem, that’s almost exactly lights. So why, again, do we complain about not getting new the same as what people are doing by complaining about football lights? It could be because we feel that we’re entitled possibly not having new football lights. The recent Measure B bond provides for the funding of to them. We could be feeling that we should fight for them just athletic improvements on our campus, including football lights. because they’re things we don’t have. We could be fussing just However, resistance by local groups has drastically reduced because, as privileged youth from a privileged community, the possibility that the school will choose to install lights. In we long for something and anything to complain about. But regardless of why response, students and many we are complaining, parents have begun to gather MEASURE B we shouldn’t be. It signatures for a petition to wouldn’t be right if the administration to install Classroom: We will get eight new science classrooms includstudents incessantly football lights. All the while, ing two Flex classrooms. The new classrooms will have better complained about many constantly express lab equipment, and according to the FUHSD website, the new our lack of football their displeasure at how we classrooms will ease overcrowding. lights while working still don’t have any lights. and studying in the To the complainers, it’s Athletics: Renovations include a new track and turf fields, sparkling new science not the end of the world if which will help athletic teams practice at home. Restrooms building. It would we don’t have football lights. and handicapped access for the athetlic fields will also be reflect poorly on our We can definitely manage student body if we added. without them, as we’ve talked of nothing but done for the past 40 years. not having football But more importantly, why Energy: Energy efficiency will be improved at each high lights while doing should we care about football school by adding solar panels. P.E. on the crisp new lights when we’re getting so turf fields, while many other improvements? Campus: Renovated B-building bathrooms and better safety standing in line at our Without a doubt, it is a waste and security for the school, plus an upgraded and revamped new cafeteria, and of energy to constantly pick emergency communications system are added perks. even while using our at one small detail when we renovated bathrooms. have several million dollars Other: An expanded and refurbished cafeteria will be built. Also, pushing for worth of other goodies to football lights will look forward to because of open fresh wounds in this measure. our neighbors, who Measure B provides for up to $198 million in improvement projects to all FUHSD will be even less inclined to tolerate the school events than campuses, and a significant portion of that funding goes they already do. When so much is already happening, we shouldn’t take to MVHS. As of now, the bond measure will fund the construction of a brand new science building, equipped with what we have for granted. We should be thankful for the eight classrooms, including special “flex” classrooms, which planned renovations. Since we are upset, we forget to stop and are rooms containing numerous kinds of projectors and enjoy what we’ve already been blessed with. Everything gets other interactive teaching aids. Measure B will also cover the drowned out by the relatively insignificant fact that we may not cost of a thorough revamp of our current athletics facilities, have football lights. We need to stop thinking so much about which includes the replacement of all of our grass fields with the lights, and start thinking more about what we are getting, synthetic turf, and the construction of new facilities, such as the new classrooms, the turf, and all. It’s time for our chronic light-headedness to end. restrooms, bleachers, and wheelchair ramps, in the track area. Our current dirt track will also be replaced with a rubber one. With renovated bathrooms and a refurbished cafeteria to top Vinay Raghuram || v.raghuram@elestoque.com

2010-2011 Editors in Chief Mansi Pathak Vijeta Tandon News Editors Arifa Aziz Sahana Sridhara Opinion Editors Sarika Patel Vinay Raghuram Centerspread Editors Anushka Patil Roxana Wiswell Sports Editors Shanthi Guruswamy Cynthia Mao A&E Editors Amanda Chen Christophe Haubursin Layout and Design Editor Ashley Wu

Managing Editors Joseph Beyda Jordan Lim Business Editors Vishakha Joshi Pooja Ravikiran Photography Editor Erin Chiu Copy Editor Natalie Chan Print Staff Writers Tina Hsu Danielle Kay Aafreen Mahmood Morahd Shawki Daniel Tan Elvin Wong Tracy Zhang Adviser Michelle Balmeo

Disclaimer 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. Credits Some images in this publication were taken from the royalty-free stock photography website sxc.hu Mission Statement El Estoque is an open forum created for and by students of Monta Vista High School. The staff of El Estoque seeks to recognize individuals, events, and ideas and bring news to the Monta Vista 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 become the sole property of El Estoque and can be edited for length or factual accuracy. Letters cannot be returned and will be published at El Estoque’s discretion. El Estoque also reserves 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. Contact Us El Estoque 21840 McClellan Rd. Cupertino, CA 95014 mv.el.estoque@gmail.com

Oct. 20, 2010

A CLOSER LOOK

the

Page 13

WARon

EDUCATlON

MORE INSIDE: Inspirational teachers >> Teacher evaluation >> Thoughts on the debate >> Survey results >>

ELESTOQUE.ORG: Your opinions on Prop 19 >>New hires by the numbers

National reform movement applies pressure on schools, teachers

t’s hard to see here, at a school with an API score that ranks just 57 points short of perfect, but the quality of education in the United States is on a steady decline. With a 40.4 percent college graduation rate, we have fallen to the 12th position out of 36 developed nations, according to recent statistics from College Board. Ironically, a new documentary on the problems of our education system, “Waiting for Superman,” reports that what American teens do rate number one in is selfconfidence. It’s taken the nation years to realize that our schools are struggling beyond belief— but when that realization hit, it hit hard. The fervor for change built quickly, and many have said that we’re on the cusp of a revolution of sweeping education reform. Studies after studies were released from organizations like College Board and the Education Trust. A succession of documentaries—like The Cartel and The Lottery— about the plight of students whose schools are failing them hit the screens early last spring and caused ripples in the public conscience. Several school administrators made headlines when they took aggressive steps to improve their schools, like the former Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools, Michelle Rhee, who openly fired teachers and administrators deemed incompetent from D.C’s under performing schools. President Obama has reiterated in speech after speech his ambitious plans to raise college graduation rates and allocated nearly $5 billion for his “Race to the Top” program, which gives public schools incentives to raise test scores.

The support for change is undoubtedly there, but the problem is that as a nation, we can’t seem to agree on what needs to be fixed and how. Teacher accountability raises ire Over the years, researchers have been moving closer and closer to the conclusion that what makes the most difference in a student’s education is not necessarily the textbook used or facilities available— but rather, his or her teacher’s quality.

UNDER EXAMINATION

32%

of certificated staff members who responded to an online survey feel that teachers are under unfair scrutiny. In mid August, the L.A. Times took the issue head on and used the controversial value-added method (a statistical method which estimates a teacher’s effectiveness solely based on his or her impact on students’ standardized test scores over the years) to publicly rank over 6,000 district teachers. The analysis sparked a furious debate over how just how accountable teachers should be held for their students’ performances on standardized tests. “There has to be a way for teachers to be evaluated professionally,” English teacher

David Clarke said. Rhee also approved of the analysis, saying that it created “the right sort of pressure we want to see reform the system.” But other teachers strongly disagreed and decried the Times for relying only on just test scores to rate teachers in a profession that they feel is about much more. “The value added method is theoretically a reasonable way to [evaluate teachers]. But obviously, there are practical considerations,” added Clarke. So if the value-added method isn’t considered effective enough to measure teacher performance, then how is it to be done? At MVHS, the administration uses the California Standards for the Teaching Profession to evaluate teacher performance. The six standards evaluate performance based on how engaging and supporting teachers are, how effective the environments they create are for student learning, how well teachers understand and organize the subject matter for students, how well lessons are planned and designed, how students are assessed, and how the teacher develops as a professional educator. More details are listed under each standard, but the entire evaluation is very subjective. Without concrete goals to aim for, the administration must use judgment to evaluate a teacher. This can, and often does, result in teachers who students would agree are ineffective still passing. see EDUCATION REFORM on page 16

Controversial D.C. reformer bows out Washington D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee resigns from position unexpectedly

National Academy of the Sciences via Flickr | Creative Commons by-nd-sa

Michelle Rhee, former chancellor of the District of Colombia Public Schools system, resigned unexpectedly on Oct. 13. Over three years, she reformed some of the poorest-performing schools in the nation, firing several principals and teachers. While praised by her supporters for whipping the school system into shape and refusing to back down, others have called her a dictator, and accused her of firing too many teachers too fast, with too little evidence of their incompetency. Rhee was fought every step of the way, but famously refused to back down without accomplishing her goal. Thus, her resignation was a shock. When Rhee’s strongest supporter, former D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, lost the position of mayor to Victor Gray, Rhee lost the governmental support needed to make changes the way she had been. At a press conference on the Oct. 13, both Gray and Rhee stated that the resignation was a mutual decision. Some have called Rhee’s resignation a tragic loss for the students, others have called it a blessing. Anushka Patil || a.patil@elestoque.org

The revolution will be televised: Documentaries depict education Students’ stories told with recent documentaries showing need for reforms in education system TICKETS

www.racetonowhere.com | Reel Link Films

www.waitingforsuperman | Paramount Vantage

www.thelotteryfilm.com | The Lottery, LLC

OVERWORKED A third grader struggles with stomachaches every night because of the pressures of homework.

SCHOOL OF DREAMS A girl anxiously waits for her number to be called, moments before she is accepted to a charter school.

PRAYING FOR ACCEPTANCE Mother and daughter pray in unison that the child will win the lottery and be accepted to a charter school.

Race to Nowhere Co-directed by Vicki Abeles and Jessica Congdon, this documentary appeals to the number of students in the United States who suffer because of former president George Bush’s “No Child Left Behind Act” of 2001. The act sounded like one of the few great ideas Bush had in his eight years of presidency—until it backfired. Since 2001, everything has become about making the grade. The school’s funding and the teachers’ bonuses are all tied back to whether or not their students reach the national standards. This points out the aftermaths of NCLB. Stress has started showing up in children from a much younger age. It manifests itself in many ways—stomachaches, headaches, anxiety, and depression. In extreme cases, it can even lead to suicide. The documentary is dedicated to a girl named Devon Marvin who killed herself after she received her first F on a math test. If Marvin were still alive today, she’d be a junior living it up with her APUSH textbook every night.

Waiting for “Superman” Directed by Davis Guggenheim, this documentary focuses less on stress and more on inner-city struggles. It makes it a clear argument that NCLB is responsible for failing school districts. Although educational experts blame failing schools on failing neighborhoods, educational reformers believe that when schools fail, neighborhoods fail. And the only reason schools fail is because of the bad teachers they employ. Nicknamed “lemons,” these bad teachers are shuffled between schools in a district, in a process called “the lemon dance.” But if a teacher doesn’t teach, why can’t a district just fire him? The reason behind that, according to the film, is a lovely little thing called tenure. For good teachers and their students, tenure is a blessing. It’s a blessing for bad teachers too, but it’s a curse for their students. The film suggests that the way to get around tenure is by working at a charter school.

The Lottery “The Lottery,” produced by Madeleine Sackler, talks about both the benefits and the disadvantages of charter schools. They are some of the best round, but since they are not a part of the public school system, they must conduct a lottery to enroll students. Charter schools were formed as a way to get around teacher unions and to educate the children who don’t have the same advantages as others, who do have the privilege of going to a higher-performing public school. Those featured have been proven to educate the so-called “uneducatable,” but many public school teachers see them as a threat to the convenient educational status-quo. This documentary follows the lives of different families who were dissatisfied with the education their children were receiving and shows how minute the possibility of being accepted into a charter school is. Shanthi Guruswamy || s.guruswamy@elestoque.org

‘Race to Nowhere’ is screening at Bluelight Cinemas in Cupertino. The next available screening: Nov. 4. Tickets are $10 at www. racetonowhere.com and $15 at the door. ‘Waiting for “Superman”’ tickets can be purchased on Fandango (www. fandango.com) for $10. The closest and next available screening is at Santana Row. Visit www. waitingforsuperman. com for more information. ‘The Lottery’ is available for rental on iTunes at $3.99 for 24 hours or though Comcast On Demand. For more information see www. thelotteryfilm.com.

A CLOSER LOOK

Page 16

Oct. 20, 2010

An insider’s look at teachers unions Fremont Education Association Site President Bonnie Belshe provides insight on unions EE: What is the general role of the teacher’s union? BB: The role of a teachers union is to be the support system for teachers in terms of in the classroom, with the school, and then with the district as a whole. EE: Is it optional to become a member of the union? BB: No, it’s mandatory. EE: Are there any benefits or disadvantages of being a part of the union? BB: There are a lot of benefits to being a member of the union, as I said, it’s about that support system, so in terms of having representation for meetings, that’s very important, the contract, the negotiation, the idea of collective bargaining... so those are all really big benefits of being a member of the union. EE: Any disadvantages? BB: I don’t think so, no. EE: A lot of people—I’ve been watching a few documentaries lately, and they just... they don’t seem to like teachers unions, and they think they don’t allow public schools to operate efficiently. What are your thoughts about that? BB: I think that’s putting the blame on a system that doesn’t really have that kind of power that they’re assuming that unions do. That’s really ignoring a lot of larger, systemic problems that’s happening nationwide in public schools. EE: So it’s not just the union’s fault. BB: There’s a lot involved in terms of what has happened with No Child Left Behind. Teachers are being asked to do more with less resources and more students coming into the classroom for it. So I think placing the blame on unions is kind of misplaced for that. EE: We did a survey [of teachers] and so far, 70 percent or so think that the union is necessary and protects their rights. We also asked the question whether they think that the union protects teachers who don’t deserve it. BB: Quite frankly that is a leading question the way it’s asked. I personally think that everyone deserves representation. It’s not about protection of bad teachers, it’s about making sure that everyone is given due process and the opportunity. So it’s not about looking at protection of bad teachers, but

TENURE: STEP 1 After being hired, a teacher undergoes a probationary period of two years in which he or she is evaluated each year.

about making sure the processes are being followed for all teachers. Everyone deserves to have representation no matter what the issue is. EE: If the union didn’t exist, how would teachers be vulnerable in terms of the process not being followed? BB: There would be no representation. Teachers would be entirely on their own. Here with having the union we know that there are processes in place to follow, like with the observation. If there is a so-called bad teacher, where is the documentation of that? Rather than hearing just a student complaint or a parent complaint, what is the background leading up to that? If there is 15 years of glowing observation in the background, that’s a little different. EE: Are you familiar with Michelle Rhee? BB: I am. She was the chancellor of the DC public school system. EE: With her resignation... BB: I will say that it took a lot of guts to do what she was doing to try and change the DC schools which were a system that were really in serious trouble and they still are in trouble... I know several DC public [school] teachers and they also have mixed opinions. I know several that support the changes she was trying to make and I know several that thought she was ignoring larger factors that were going on in DC as well. EE: Do you have any responses to the documentaries [Race to Nowhere, Waiting for Superman, The Lottery]? BB: I haven’t seen any of the documentaries. I am familiar with them. I read a very interesting article about a counter to the Waiting for Superman and it was titled “Who Taught Superman.” It was this idea that there have always been good teachers, and that everyone has the potential to be a good teacher, and that everyone has the potential to go from

being a good teacher to a great teacher. It’s about getting that opportunity and being given the freedom to do that rather than, “here’s a standardized test, teach your students how to do well on it.” Are you teaching them to learn for themselves? That’s even more important. EE: Do you have anything to say about the value added method? BB: That is, first of all, making a lot of assumptions. It’s assuming [that there are] no other factors in a student’s life that affect how they do on a test that teachers themselves don’t like. In fact, we have to sign a document stating that we won’t look at them either. Teachers are not allowed to look at the standardized tests that you are taking. We have no say in them, and instead what they are doing is making these assumptions that nothing changes for these students year to year. It’s not looking at... did their parents get a divorce that year? Did they get into drugs? Did their parents get back together? Did their parent lose a job and they don’t have enough food so they’re not getting breakfast in the morning? It’s making those assumptions and then trying to have the claim that in a large enough sample that all of that would balance out. Well, quite frankly, it doesn’t. We keep talking here at MVHS about the idea of the whole child. What the LA Times [does] is look at a picture. It looks at a child for two hours on a test that they don’t always feel has a huge effect on their life. Yet it has such a huge effect on teachers that I know a teacher committed suicide after being on that list. Shanthi Guruswamy|| s.guruswamy@elestoque.org Roxana Wiswell || r.wiswell@elestoque.org

TENURE AT MVHS 72% of students are surprised that it only takes two years of teaching to be granted tenure

TENURE: STEP 2 Teachers are granted tenure on the first day of the third year. Permanent teachers are evaluated every other year.

71% of teachers think that a two-year probationary period is not sufficient to evaluate whether a new teacher should receive tenure

After five years of positive evaluation, a teacher can design his or her own evaluation.

70% of teachers think the teacher union is necessary for the protection of teachers’ rights

Tenured teachers are expected to observe colleagues in order to receive feedback.

61% of teachers feel that the teacher union protects teachers that don’t deserve it 250 students and 31 teachers responded to an onlne survey

Education Reform: Problems are recognized, but prove difficult to change continued from page 13

Lifetime job security has its downsides If a teacher does receive a negative evaluation though, there isn’t much that is, or can be done. This is due largely in part to teacher tenure. Once a teacher has worked through a probationary period of a few years (in California, it’s two), the teacher is effectively granted job security for life. “It’s just a way of protecting [teachers]”, said Assistant Principal Dennis Plaza. He also added, “When you protect teachers across the board, you protect everybody. And I think the question is, what if a teacher shouldn’t be protected?” It then falls upon the administration to work with the teacher to improve their performance, Plaza said, and in case nothing changes, take the further steps to prove that the teacher is simply incompetent. But because of the teachers union’s strength, few school administrations actually take action. Unless a teacher has assaulted or acted inappropriately with a student or another teacher, or done something else equally severe, firing a teacher for simply being unfit to teach is a process that takes years of effort and thousands of dollars in legal fees. But not taking action can be disastrous for students. Regardless of their background, students who have several strong teachers in a row will excel over time, while “kids who have even two weak teachers in a row will never recover,” according to the 2006 study “Teaching Inequality: How Poor and Minority Students Are Shortchanged on Teacher Quality.” The severity of the impact of poor teachers has driven many school administrators to adopt strict mindsets toward teacher peformance, something that has been described as Clarke described as “shape up, or ship out.” One superintendent in Rhode Island did just that at Central Falls

High School, where only seven percent of 11th graders are deemed proficient in math by state standardized tests. Because the school was so low performing, the state demanded that the situation be fixed. The school administration was given the options of letting the school be taken over by a charter or management organization, or transformation (which requires extended school days). Or, they could opt for harsher options like closing the school or doing a turnaround, which requires all teachers to be

praised and Obama supported. After coming under intense fire from the media, the teachers’ union eventually backed down and accepted Gallo’s proposals. Underpaid and under-appreciated “If a school continues to fail its students year after year after year, if it doesn’t show signs of improvement, then there’s got to be a sense of accountability,” Obama said in a speech earlier this year about his plan for education. In a separate speech at a meeting

BY THE NUMBERS

68%

of teachers think that the value-added method is not an effective way to assess teacher performance. Value-Added Method: A statistical method which estimates a teacher’s effectiveness solely based on his or her impact on students’ standardized test scores in relation to predicted performance.

32%

of teachers support merit pay as a fair and effective means to determine teacher salaries. Merit Pay: Teacher salaries are contingent upon performance, which may be measured by student test scores. 31 teachers responded to an onlne survey

fired, and no more than half to be rehired. Superintendent Frances Gallo and teachers agreed to go with the transformation method, and Gallo proposed that the teachers work 25 more minutes a day, eat lunch with students at least once a week, and be additionally evaluated. But teachers began to protest, and asked for an additional $90 an hour—$60 more than what Gallo was willing to offer for the changes. In response, Gallo took a bold, unprecedented step and decided to do a turnaround, recommended all 74 teachers at the school be fired, an action that the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union, Obama also supported merit pay if it was developed with teachers, a stance that sides with many who call for teachers to be treated as professionals in the private sector and not only be held accountable for their performance, but also rewarded salary-wise for good performance. In a recent poll by Time Magazine, 77 percent of the respondents felt that teachers are amongst the most under-appreciated professionals in the U.S; 71 percent supported merit pay. Nationally, most teachers’ salaries are based on their years of experience and their education. It’s a system that doesn’t consider

anything else, like the quality of the teacher. “I know there were times in which as a new teacher, I felt that I was working five times harder than many of the veterans and they were making three times as much money as I was... and I think sometimes you almost want to run it in reverse,” Plaza said. “It’s fair because it’s consistent, but is it fair to each person? Probably not.” But Plaza also attributes the consequences of merit pay as reason that it has not been implemented in FUHSD. He believes the competitive environment or politics that would be created, would hurt student learning in general—and that it would be very hard to get unions on board with the idea. Teacher salaries have also come into the spotlight because people are realizing that while as a nation we place a huge importance on education, it doesn’t show in teachers’ salaries. “I do think that teachers should make a little more money,” said para-educator Scott Victorine. But in the end, he said, “[Teachers] don’t do this for the money. It’s because they actually care about the work; and they do want to make a difference in the system.” That system needs work, however, and a lot of it. Only recently have these issues that plague American schools come to light, and like Victorine, everyone wants students to “have the best education they can”—but for that to happen, decisions need to be made, and compromises need to be reached. The Obama administration’s tough stance on education reform and communities’ simple demand for schools to stop failing their kids have set the ball rolling in many aspects of this revolution— and now, in the midst of elections, it’s our time to finally decide which way that ball will roll. Anushka Patil || a.patil@elestoque.org

Oct. 20, 2010

Page 17

SPORTS

New changes present new challenges

PAST AND FUTURE

SEPT. 14 @ SARATOGA (LOSS) SEPT. 16 vs GUNN (LOSS) SEPT. 21 @ PALO ALTO (LOSS) SEPT. 23 @ LOS GATOS (LOSS) SEPT. 28 vs LOS ALTOS (LOSS) OCT. 5 @ HOMESTEAD (WIN) OCT. 7 vs SARATOGA (WIN) OCT. 13 @ GUNN (LOSS) OCT. 14 vs PALO ALTO (LOSS)

UPCOMING GAMES: OCT. 21 vs LOS ALTOS @ LOS ALTOS Elvin Wong | El Estoque

AT THE NET Varsity girls water polo players Juniors Alletta Simons, Shravya Guda, and Kelly Darmawan crowd the net during their league game against Palo Alto High School on Oct. 14 at MVHS. The matadors lost the game 15-5 bringing their record down to 2-7.

OCT. 28 vs HOMESTEAD @ HOME

Varsity girls water polo faces challenge of new team, new league and new varsity culture

he Varsity girls water polo team is a group of the most confident, close knit and energetic girls. Though the team has recruited many new members—most of whom had previously played on the JV team—it has become very close in a short amount of time, increasing their confidence in their ability as a team as well as in the team morale. After an undefeated run in last year’s El Camino League, the girls have moved up to the De Anza League and are now facing the challenge of playing up to its highly competitive standards. But with the undefeated record comes a lot of energy, spirit and confidence. After a rough few games however, with more losses than the team has been used to, the team has been expressing frustrations, according to senior player, Natalie Yates. “Before, the closest games were 9-4, now it’s like 15-3 in their favor,” said senior varsity co-captain, Sonika Singh. Currently, the team is 3-6 in the league with wins against Saratoga and Homestead High Schools. Since last year, the team has lost many experienced players, all of whom have graduated—goal keepers, alumni Alyssa Walker and Naomi Van Nest and field player Alexis Weckel—

which could account for the change in play. However, since last season, the team has grown, with 16 players compared to last year’s 10. It is the first year for many of the girls on the team, but the majority have been playing water polo since their freshman year. The girls have embraced the change and have become close in a very short time, after their trip to Hawaii this summer. “[Water polo] is a demanding sport physically. There’s no dead time in the water. It’s one of the toughest sports,” said new co-coach, Ben Vierra, son of JV and varsity coach Don Vierra. Although it is his first year coaching polo at MVHS, Ben has coached at Live Oak and Independence High Schools. “He is one of the best coaches in the area,” Don said. With lots of experience and determination, Ben has been coaching the girls hard to prepare for the competitiveness of the league. On Oct. 14, the girls played their ninth game of the season against Palo Alto High School. The girls played with determination and vigor. Flat, senior Gaby Antonova, made effective passes to her teammates but the girls failed to maintain good team communication. Passing without prior confirmation called for a rough game in which the girls

averaged about one point per period. Their tough opponents, on the other hand, managed to score upon almost every return play. The girls played hard and with the drive and desire to win. Even after being down by six points, senior hole Nikki Danese made two shots within the third period bringing the game to a score of 10-5. “You guys played hard,” Ben said after the game. Ben later stated that the girls were at a great disadvantage partially because of the experience and speed of their opponents. Even though they lost 15-5, Ben still had encouraging words for the girls during the post game talk. “Whatever you do keep [playing hard], it’s the sign of a champion,” he said. Though they have been at a disadvantage as newcomers in the De Anza league, the team has the confidence that this season will prove to be a great competitive and learning experience. Despite the losses, the girls remain optimistic and hope that their closeness, positive attitudes, personalities and dedication to the sport will speak for itself and manifest in a good season. In the words of Singh, “...lets go to CCS!” Arifa Aziz || a.aziz@elestoque.org

Varsity football loses two straight in early El Camino League play Team slips to 2-3-1; consecutive defeats by Los Altos, Santa Clara reveal team-wide weaknesses

he Status Kuo took a turn for the worse during the last two weeks, as varsity football lost league games against Los Altos and Santa Clara High Schools to fall to 1-2 in El Camino play. After a strong showing in a 24-0 win against Fremont High School on Oct. 1, senior quarterback Freddy Kuo has struggled to string together completions, going just 12 for 27 against Santa Clara on Oct. 15. The five picks Kuo has thrown in his last two games don’t resemble his early-season performance. “We were getting time to throw, guys were running their right routes, and we were making the right reads,” said head coach Jeff Mueller, after the Fremont game. But things haven’t been quite the same ever since. The offensive line hasn’t given Kuo enough time to throw, and has turned out to be costly—Kuo threw two picks in a 7-3 loss to Santa Clara, one of them from the Bruins’ 9-yard line with 25 seconds left. “I’ve been putting a lot of pressure on myself,” Kuo said, “because I feel sorry for the team that I haven’t been doing my job lately. And I know that I can do it.” He did finish the game with a season-best 218 yards, though a large chunk of those yards

came on a tipped third-quarter pass caught by junior Jimmy Roslund and on short plays extended by junior Jordan Sheade. Kuo’s struggles have coincided with the rest of the squad’s. The defensive line, one of the Matadors’ early strengths, also faltered, allowing long fourth-quarter runs after a solid first half. MVHS gave up 182 yards on the ground in the 33-10 loss to Los Altos on Oct. 8, after yielding fewer than 110 rushing yards twice through the first four games. Things were looking up for the Matadors early in the season. A 2-1-1 start, with the lone defeat coming at the hands of a South San Francisco team playing in a higher league, made it look like MVHS had what it would take to earn a CCS appearance. But with two league losses in three games, that chance is dwindling. As Los Altos is unbeaten in league play, MVHS will have to gain three games on the El Camino favorite, which holds the tiebreak. “We kind of lost our chemistry and now we don’t really seem like a team anymore,” Kuo said. “We need to find that drive again.” The Matadors have a chance to do just that on Oct. 22 against rival Cupertino High School, which has lost five straight games by

Joseph Beyda | El Estoque

UNDER CENTER Senior quarterback Freddy Kuo lines up in the third quarter of a 7-3 loss to Santa Clara High School on Oct. 15. Kuo hasn’t had much time to throw in his last two games, resulting in costly interceptions. 17 or more points. The Pioneers lost 34-0 to Fremont—a team that MVHS shut out. With a tough Los Gatos team lurking in the background for Oct. 29, the Matadors need to do well against Cupertino if they hope to

bounce back. “We definitely will,” Kuo said, “and we definitely have to.” Joseph Beyda || j.beyda@elestoque.org

SPORTS

Page 18

Oct. 20, 2010

Varsity girls volleyball gains players

Matadors win in big head-to-head matchups, improve record and chances for post-season birth

he 16-player varsity girls volleyball the game so as to prevent the unnecessary team copes with the challenges of not mistakes that would no longer be overlooked having enough space on the court to by the opposing teams. go around. Simultaneously, they are dealing Having only six players on the court at with being outside their comfort zone after the same time, the team has to switch off moving up to the De Anza League where between their specialists in defense or they are facing players just a little over a foot offense to accommodate for the 16 players shorter than Yao Ming. who all want equal playing time. According According to coach Colin Anderson, the to Urauchi, no one really gets the amount team has never had this many underclassmen: of playing times she wants, even if they two freshmen and two sophomores. are playing a portion of all the games in a With eight new players total, the team match. has developed new drills to play up their “Everybody’s challenged because [they] strengths and improve their weak points. know if [they] are not performing, there Being in a tougher are other people UPCOMING MATCHES league drives them there ready to step Oct. 26: MVHS vs Montain View to work constantly in,” Anderson said. to not only stay on “We’re kind of top of their game, pushing each other, Oct. 28: MVHS vs Homestead but to take it to realizing there’s no the next level. They relaxing.” Nov. 2: MVHS vs Los Altos aim to reach that Despite the upper level by taking challenges the team Nov. 4: MVHS vs Los Gatos advantage of their endures on the court, good defenseive they’ve become a Nov. 11: CCS Playoffs play. Improving their tight, 16-member defense will help family that works Nov. 25: NorCal Playoffs against the more together to play their aggressive offensive best every match, teams such as Palo while infusing Alto and Los Altos High Schools. laughter and inside jokes into their daily “Their hits are harder, their digging is practices. According to captain senior Alex better, they’re faster, and they run more Chiu, one of the best advantages of having complicated plays,” said junior Justine more people on the team is that there is Urauchi, a second-year varsity member. more encouragement during matches, their “We have to counter that. We’re changing excitement for winning a well-earned point our plays, we’re getting bigger blocks, and being audible from every nook and cranny of we’re trying to improve our defenses. We the gym. The friendly and easy-going vibe are definitely changing our game to match of the players during practice while they do with theirs.” their drills turns into solid communication After cruising through league matches during the matches and high fives after every last season with relative ease, the team has play. realized that sticking with the tactics they “I think that at the same time we’re having used previously will not work on six-foot-five fun, we’re trying to stay competitive,” Chiu girls towering at the net, ready to hit the ball said. “We’re laughing and stuff, but we want straight back down before the 10-foot line. to play well and we want to win.” According to both Anderson and Urauchi, Although their chances of winning league the team was able to win against teams in championships are slim, they are determined the El Camino League even after making a to stay competitive and come away with a lot of mistakes. This year, one adjustment few victories. they have adapted to is to refrain from being Ashley Wu || a.wu@elestoque.org casual and keep their head completely in

Ashley Wu | El Estoque

CAN YOU DIG IT? Junior Justine Urauchi makes a pass to the setter, continuing the rally in their match ragainst Palo Alto High School on Oct. 14. MVHS came close during the second game, but ended up losing 0-3. Palo Alto is currently leading the De Anza league with a league record of 7-0. The Matadors are currently 2-5 in league play and are in the bottom half of the league, in fifth place.

Academic struggles impact teams Not making grades leaves crucial positions unfilled

Nobody gets real mail any more. But YOU can. Get a subscription to El Estoque at a great rate, and you’ll get mail every month. Email mv.el.estoque@gmail.com for more.

soccer player gets a red card for intentionally If athletes don’t make up their grades, their position tripping another player. He’s benched. A on the team is compromised. If a starting quarterback football player intentionally socks an opposing is benched, the team chemistry is compromised. The team member in the stomach. He’s benched. A high more a player participates, the more strongly the team school athlete gets less then a 2.0 GPA and only is affected when the player is benched. If a player is passes two classes. He’s benched that is characterized as KNOCKOUT benched. Schools often a bench warmer, their effect on require that athletes need the team is minimal. What is necessary: to have a certain GPA and The necessity of the policy is Passing at least four classes pass a certain number of clear to both coaches and players. At least a 2.0 GPA classes in order to compete Ron Freeman, boys varsity water in a sport, and MVHS is no polo coach, thinks that the Strike 1: different. minimum is necessary because Probation, until the grade is raised. Once It’s a common belief that he believes school is for learning, the athlete’s grade has been raised, he or MVHS is a high performing, and establishing a minimum on she is then is eligible to compete. academically strong school. athletes’ grades ensures that they However, there will always are coming to school for the right Strike 2: be those students who are reasons. “Students should come After six weeks have passed and the more athletically inclined, to school for the learning, not just athlete still hasn’t raised his or her grade, rather then academically to play sports,” Freeman said. the student is ineligible to compete. inclined. Students typically tend to The minimum in CCS agree. “I think its a good rule,” includes passing at least said MVHS swim and cross four classes and having at least a 2.0 GPA. However, country athlete junior Brigitte Hong. “You shouldn’t the minimum for our district, which supercedes that be able to participate in extracurricular activities if of CCS, requires that athletes are passing at least you’re not keeping up with the main point of school, five classes and are earning at least a 2.0 GPA. Our which is the learning.” district has higher standards because of our higher Athletes cannot simply be focused on athletics, performance, comparatively to the rest of the state. because only a select few will ever make a career out The first time the athlete doesn’t earn the necessary of sports. If students are only capable of playing sports, grade, they go on probation, and they have six weeks, they will never succeed in life past high school. or the grading period, to make up their grade. If after The necessity of this policy is clear, athletes are six weeks, they haven’t made up their grades, they expected to be educated and make it to league finals can’t compete. If they succeed at raising their grades every season. by the end of the probationary period, the athlete can compete. Danielle Kay || d.kay@elestoque.org

Oct. 20, 2010

Page 19

SPORTS

Everything you know about cross country

is wrong. MENTALITY

“When you get done running, you taste rusted pennies in your mouth [that is] lactic acid,” cross country coach Jerry Noble said. “You get to a point where it feels like your body is creating so much lactic acid it thinks it’s poison and you want to throw up.”

STRATEGY

Junior Michael Lu, a varsity cross country runner, explained his strategy for a 3.5 mile race. He paces himself the first leg, stating that with the early adrenaline rush it is easy to run too quickly without realizing it. By the start of the second mile, Lu starts to push ahead of other runners before sprinting through the last stretch in a kick.

“You have to temper yourself for the first mile,” junior Michael Lu said. “A lot of people who don’t know how to run go out as fast as they can.”

[

NUTRITION AND HEALTH

1. Carbohydrates

There is a reason people associate pasta with running. Easier to burn than protein and healthier than fat, carbohydrates can mean the difference between running like the Road Runner and molasses on a chilly December day.

With no time outs, substitutions, or water breaks, cross country must be the only true sport.”

2. Sports Drinks

Cross country coach Jerry Noble recommends drinking a bottle filled with half Gatorade, half water after running. The mix has less sugar and doesn’t fill the body with excess electrolytes, while still having the flavor of the drinks athletes know and love.

3. Anorexia

Compared to other sports, cross country has one of the highest rates of anorexia in both girls and boys. When the body loses fat in place of muscle, the runner’s toned, and therefore smaller body, is often associated with being a better runner, and eating disorders step in.

— senior Elizabeth Martin

SHOES

INJURY

Barbie already knew this: Shoes matter. Performance running shoes should bend where the foot bends naturally and provide good arch support. To find a pair of performance running shoes, skip Target or Kmart and go to an actual shoe store. Try on a pair, and an employee can watch how you step to match your feet with the shoes that will fit them best.

“[Shin splints] are when you run downhill and then your shins are like, ‘Good job, retard,’” cross country runner junior Neha Jammu, said.

Elvin Wong | El Estoque

GOOD FORM Sophomore Tiffany Nguyen runs with the cross country team during practice on Oct. 14.

Shin splints, one of the most common injuries runners face, happen when the shin muscles become inflamed from overuse or a poor running stance. One simple trick to strengthening the shin muscles is to keep the heel on the ground while tapping the toe. Natalie Chan || n.chan@elestoque.org

GIRLS VARSITY TENNIS

As of Oct. 12, girls varsity tennis holds a 10-1 record of league and non league matches. On Oct. 12, the Division 1 team won 7-0 against Homestead. At their next match against Saratoga on Oct. 26, the Matadors hope to win after previously losing to the Falcons 2-5. They hope their near-perfect record will lead to success at a De Anza league tournament. Below,

10-1 Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque

BOYS WATER POLO

Erin Chiu | El Estoque

With an important league tournament on Nov. 4-6 quickly approaching, every match is crucial to the team’s success. The team currently holds a 4-2 record. The Matadors won 12-9 against Mountain View after overtime on Oct. 7. They will be taking on Los Altos on Oct. 21. At left, senior Alex Bagdasarian passes the ball on Sept. 10.

sportsnow VARSITY FIELD HOCKEY

The varsity field hockey team currently has a 0-4-2 record. The Matadors recently tied 1-1 in a close game against Prospect on Oct. 8, but lost to Live Oak in another match on Oct. 6. Their next league game takes place on Oct. 22 against Lynbrook. Junior Zelia Ziegler Hunts engages an opponent from St. Ignatius

4:37mile

Cross country recently participated in the Stanford Invitational on Sept. 25. Junior Kevin Bishop, whose fastest recorded mile is 4:37, received first place at this race, making him an extremely strong contender at the end-of-the-season CCS race. The team moved up two places in CCS and is currently fourth in Division 1. The team travels to Los Angeles on Oct. 23 for its next big race.

Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque

Elvin Wong | El Estoque

SPORTS

Page 20

Girl golfers finally get their wish

Oct. 20, 2010

Goal of the brand new girls golf team: get off the ground and develop into a full-fledged team

Daniel Tan | El Estoque

GIVING GIRLS GOLF A SWING Junior Christina Wong practices her swing on the baseball field at MVHS on Oct. 15. Christina is the oldest member of the girls golf team. She has been golfing for five years and typically golfs at Pruneridge golf course in Santa Clara.

or the past few years, it’s been the same old, same qualifying matches. But Sullivan is not worried at all about old. A girls golf team tries to form, only to fizzle. the upcoming league qualifiers, even though the team will The girls try to form a golf team the next year, only not be strong enough to qualify as a whole. Instead, only a couple of individual players will be sent to play. to have it fizzle. Even if the team doesn’t do well at the CCS qualifiers, Well, this year, the girls have finally done it. “Learned.” This was first word the girls golf team this is already a step up from previous years. Before, if coach, P.E. teacher Brian Sullivan, used to describe the girls wanted to play golf at MVHS, they would have had to play on the boys golf team. Outteam’s first match in its entire competed by boys, girls would only history, which was against Lynbrook Upcoming Matches be able to make the junior varsity High School on Tuesday, Sept. 21. Of Oct. 25: vs. Los Gatos at Deep team, which does not play any course, Sullivan did not have high Cliff Golf Course matches. hopes going into that match. As a result, only one girl, Singh, “It was a learning experience,” Oct. 27: BVAL Qualifier at Santa was able to go to the girls golf CCS he said. He wanted the match to Teresa Golf Course qualifying matches last year. show the girls how to improve. “Hopefully we’ll get to do more And that’s what the team of this year,” Singh said. seven—two juniors, one sophomore, However, when Sullivan tried to muster up a girls golf and four freshmen—has been doing. Steadily improving with each practice. The fact that the team doesn’t even team for the past couple of years, only one to three girls have a full-fledged nor definite practice schedule isn’t supported him. He even tried to interest girls in joining a team during the P.E. department’s spring golf elective unit, changing that. The team has already set goals for itself this year: to no avail. But with the official creation of a team this year, grow and learn. One week, the girls practiced their swing by hitting into the baseball field; another, they threw Sullivan believes that next year will bring about a fullfledged team roster and practice schedule. softballs to learn about momentum. ”It sounds like all the girls are planning on going through “It’s about repetition and constantly going out there and just trying to feel more comfortable standing over the the growing pains this year and being back next year,” Sullivan said. He expects next year’s incoming freshman ball,” Sullivan said. class to bring the team up to about 12 players. And all the girls have their personal goals in mind. Then will the team not only be able to stand sturdily on “I want to improve my consistency, because one day I’ll hit decently and the next day I’ll hit it into water,” said its feet, but really be able to thrive. And if there happens to be a couple of struck birdies junior Christina Wong. “I’m trying to get more distance because I don’t hit along the way, then all the better for the girls golf team. very far,” said sophomore Prianka Singh. The team has two more matches until the CCS Daniel Tan || d.tan@elestoque.org

Moving JV players to varsity becomes increasingly common JV players moved up to play for varsity teams creates positive effect for entire sports team

he line between junior varsity and varsity sports teams is no longer as defined as we had once thought it to be. At the start of a sports season, teams are separated based on grade and skill, but what is not taken into account is the room for growth for each player and their potential to play for a team of higher caliber. Thus, the trend of moving junior varsity players up to varsity midseason at MVHS is more common than people think. Current junior football players Austin Burrow and Joe Malcolm played for varsity last season, and JV water polo girls moved up to varsity for tournaments. The only question now is, how are the dynamics within the team between JV and varsity affected by these changes? As it is, moving up junior varsity players is deemed legal by the CCS. The risk that comes with this move, in many sports such as water polo and football, is that this action is irreversible. Varsity girls water polo coach Don Vierra said, “League rules don’t allow you to move someone down. Once you’ve played a varsity game, you’re varsity for the rest of the season.”

However, in some sports such as baseball, empty spots,” said senior Geoffrey Hong, players are allowed a grace period in which varsity football player. Other times, there is they can try out the varsity level, then just a lack of players for a certain position, determine whether or not it is a good fit. They and sophomore athletes that display a talent can move up and down a total of three times. for it can be moved up as well. “Last year, injuries were a factor, and a few Despite the legality of taking people from the junior varsity team, it is not without its of the kids were just good, so if they’re good disadvantages. Depending on the depth of the enough to play on varsity they might as well go up, so they can have three players on the sports team, years of experience at the the effects on the JV team JV players that move varsity level rather than can be very large. up get exposure two,” Bonacorsi said. “Last year it hurt us,” to a higher level, Jeff Mueller, varsity junior varsity football which leaves room football coach, said there coach Nick Bonacorsi for freshmen to were two reasons to move said. “It depends on the get more playing players up: “First of all, players and what we have time. It’s a win-win we may need help on a behind them, because last situation. certain position. And the year we lost four two-way Girls water polo coach Don Vierra second reason is that their starters, which is a big performance has been number, so it takes players such that they probably could be performing away from us.” Despite this negative effect on the JV at a higher level,” he said. Vierra also has a plan in mind for moving team, there are times when there is no other up his JV girls water polo players. “Towards choice but to move players up. “There were a lot of injuries last year, so our league finals, we will definitely move up a we needed to move people up to fill in those number of girls that we anticipate starting for

us next year on varsity,” he said. “Right now we want to get them as much playing time as possible. By moving them up now, they would not get much playing time in varsity games. We want them to improve their skills, get some more in-game experience, and also develop team chemistry, and then towards the end of the season, around league finals, we’ll move them.” Mueller justified why compromising the good players on the JV team was not necessarily a negative thing. “The JV team has different goals,” he said. “First is to have the kids learn how to play football. The second goal is to develop better players for the varsity program, because the varsity program is the one that has the up to move on to CCS playoffs if it’s successful.” According to Vierra, JV players that move up to varsity get exposure to a higher level of competition, leaving room for the freshmen to step up and get more playing time, to be ready to replace those JV players next year. It’s a win-win situation. Amanda Chen || a.chen@elestoque.org

Bishop runs to inspire team Fastest runner at school shares aspirations

unior Kevin Bishop is the fastest distance runner at MVHS. “[Running] is one of those things that I’ve always known,” said junior Kevin Bishop. Bishop has been running track and cross country since middle school, where he broke the Kennedy Middle School seventh grade record for the mile. As a seventh grader Bishop ran multiple sub-five-minute miles and continued to improve in his eigth grade year. But that was only the very beginning. Now, four years later, Bishop was crowned winner of the Division I Championship at the Stanford Invitational that took place Sept. 25, having beaten 213 other runners with a winning time of 15 minutes and 28.6 seconds in a hilly 3.1-mile-long race. Success at the Stanford tournament led to media coverage from the San Jose Mercury News—Bishop was featured as Athlete of the Week in a the Sept. 28 issue. He’s had multiple encounters with peers at school and other strangers who have claimed they’ve seen his picture in the sports section of the San Jose Mercury News. “When I think about my running career,” Bishop said, “the happiness I get from my successes is infinitely more motivating than failure is discouraging.” It’s probably because Bishop is entirely an internally motivated athlete. That drive doesn’t come from his parents or friends, but from himself. With such commitment to the sport that he loves, it’s no surprise that Bishop is one of MVHS’ top athletes. “[Bishop] is going to be successful no matter where he goes or where he runs,” said Jerry Noble, the cross country coach at MVHS. Although Noble has only worked with Bishop for one year, he immediately took notice of Bishop’s outstanding talents. Bishop cross-trains with swimming, which allows him to take stress off his body and rest injuries. Noble considers his varried workout regiment one of Bishop’s greatest advantages. Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque Noble, who stresses “team and family” as a coach, LEAN, MEAN, RUNNING MACHINE Junior Kevin Bishop shows off his is also building trust with Bishop. “I like to use the four-and-a-half minute mile at practice on Oct. 14. analogy: Trust is earned one drop at a time,” says Noble. “We’re close to having a good relationship. We trust each other, and that will improve as time goes on.” going to be a big part of Bishop’s future. In fact, he’s already received “He’s really good,” said junior and team captain Neil Fernandes. a letter from coaches at New York University expressing interest in “He doesn’t usually run with us, but we possibly having him go to school see him every day heading out, and he there. ON THE RIGHT TRACK comes back all sweaty.” That’s where the trust comes Top Times: At practices Bishop helps his into play. Noble, who was a NCAA 1500m - 4:37 One Mile - 4:39 teammates. He provides knowledge on champion in the decathlon, knows courses where he’s run before and gives what it takes to reach that level of 3200m - 9:21 Two Mile - 9:53 tips on technique and strategey for meets. competition in the track world. Helping Although his records and times set him Bishop get there is one of his coaching 5000m -15:29 Three Mile -16:49 apart, he’s really no different than the goals for the next two years. But Noble motley crew that meets by the bleachers also wants to make sure that Bishop Top Finishes: in front of the baseball diamond every maintains respect for the sport of and Division I title at the Stanford Invitational: day after school. his fellow racers. ‘09 - Fifth place, ‘10 - First place Even though Bishop’s not a captain, “It’s hard to do when you’re young he’s taken on a leadership role within because you have the whole world 3200m CCS Finals ‘09 : Fifth place the team and it’s important for him to in front of you. I’d like to see Kevin set a good example for his peers. Before compete with integrity and class,” meets, he sometimes gives talks to the Noble said. “What I want Kevin to do freshmen, but also by simply being on the track and working hard is whenever he battles, to turn around or go to the person who has Bishop is a role model for his teammates. beat him, shake their hand, and say, ‘Thank you for giving me the After high school, Bishop hopes to attend either Stanford University race of my life.’” or University of Oregon, where runner Steve Prefontaine went to school and where Nike was founded. “This is how I’m getting to college,” Cynthia Mao || c.mao@elestoque.org Bishop says. “I’m betting it all on this.” Without a doubt, running is

LIGHTS: Several factors to be weighed in district decision continued from page 1

On Oct. 4, Superintendent Polly Bove made a presentation in the MVHS auditorium regarding the fiscal state of the school and the future of its bond money, including the funds for track and field restoration. As Bove explained, the FUHSD put out a draft Environmental Impact Report with professional studies on the amount of noise, light overflow, and traffic caused by field lighting. The report outlined that regular use of the lights— until 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and during six home football games—would cause a significant environment impact. A suggested alternative involved limited light use, which would allow football practice two days

Page 21

SPORTS

Oct. 20, 2010

a week until 6 p.m. and band practice two days a week until 8 p.m., with lights off at 8:30 p.m. At the moment, the FUHSD is in the process of answering the 16 concerns and questions from the community, which will be incorporated into a finalized Environmental Impact Report, available in late-October or midNovember. The Board of Trustees will review the Environmental Impact Report final report as well as community input in order to make a final decision. Bove clarified that while the Environment Impact Report addresses many of the concerns of surrounding neighbors, the study was not conducted to respond to those opposed to having lights. For those who did not respond to the Environmental Impact Report, Bove encourages them to

GET INVOLVED Community members are encouraged to attend and speak at the FUHSD board meetings regarding the bond measure. Upcoming dates: Nov. 2, Nov. 9, Nov. 30, Dec. 14 Location: District Office — 589 W. Fremont Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA Times: Nov. 2 at 7:15 p.m., Nov. 9 at 7:45 p.m., Nov. 30 and Dec. 14 at 6:15 p.m.

speak at the two upcoming board meetings before the decision is made, Oct. 19 and Nov. 2. She also encourages those who can’t make it out to the meeting to send to the district emails or letters. Many are already doing so. Kenneth Orvick, parent of two MVHS alumni and head of the Athletic Booster Group, circulated a petition in favor of the field lights

at MVHS and within two hours received 139 signatures. Likewise, community members have created the “LMU”—Lynbrook Monta Vista United petition against construction of the lights, while students have created the FUHSD for Lights, a petition in favor of the construction. Mansi Pathak|| m.pathak@elestoque.org

A Giant chance for football

eporting on MVHS varsity football, one thing becomes clear right away: The team isn’t built around one player. Depth is the Matadors’ strategy. With a league record of 1-2, a CCS appearance is unlikely. And in a sport that’s perennially run by stars, it’s easy to doubt the Matadors’ potential in years to come. Yet MVHS is inadvertently following the model of the San Francisco Giants, who made the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons and can smell the World Series. What’s really fascinating about San Francisco is how it got to the postseason, without the superstar bats customary of most baseball success stories. Giant leaders Aubrey Huff, added before the season, would become the Giants’ emotional fire— having played ten seasons with some of baseball’s worst teams, he itched to make it to the postseason. In similar fashion, the Matadors are led by a group of skilled captains hoping to make up for last year’s 4-6 performance. Seniors Freddy Kuo and Giles Van Poetsch have shined, while senior Victor Wan, out with a torn MCL, has still played an active role. Even if MVHS JOSEPH BEYDA falls short this j.beyda@elestoque.org year, the captains are providing an exanple of chipon-your-shoulder leader shipby Huff, who got off the list of active players who had waited the longest to make it to the postseason. (He was third, with 1,479 regular-season games, when the Giants made it there.) Giant rookies The question still loomed mid-season: would San Francisco be able to stay in the mix in a tightly-packed National League West with four viable contenders (resembling the up-for-grabs El Camino)? Contributions from standout rookie Buster Posey, who would go on a 21-game hitting streak, kept San Francisco afloat through the middle part of the season. The Matadors have a rookie surprise of their own in junior Jordan Sheade. Through four games, Sheade had the most touchdowns (four) and yards (523) on the squad, after unexpectedly grabbing the starting spot in the midst of offensive injuries.

The Beyda test

Giant acquisitions As the Giants started to put together a run, new players just started rolling in (and didn’t stop). Late-season arrivals Javier Lopez and Ramon Ramirez put up career numbers as relievers. Hitters Mike Fontenot, Jose Guillen, and Cody Ross cemented a lineup in the midst of a bad year. By September, the Giants didn’t resemble the struggling club of years past. Trades and free-agent deals were not options for the Matadors, but the composition of the squad is similar. Guys doing the dirty work—not pitchers, but senior linemen Jason Jung, Reinhardt, and Van Poetsch—have kept the team going despite offensive struggles. Guys trying to prove themselves—not backup hitters, but juniors Michael Whittaker and Sam McCann, who have battled back from injury—have given the team a long list of personnel options. Giant shoes to fill The Matadors have done well by establishing a deep, balanced team; the Giants’ attempt to do the same thing has produced the franchise’s best results since the Barry Bonds era. MVHS didn’t enjoy similar success this year, and it’s hard to say for sure if it will in the future. But the coaches are on the right track.

Page 22

Oct. 20, 2010

excel test prep PSAT & SAT | ACT | SAT Subject Tests 100% REAL Exams

What Students Say

FREE Tutoring During Course FREE Weekly Practice Sessions for SIX MONTHS After Course First Two Classes for FREE at ANY of Our Locations 200 Point Score Increase Guarantee for the SAT

“Excel helped raised my score by 400 points! Throughout the fun and dynamic classes, I developed excellent test-taking strategies that not only helped me substantially on the SAT, but also on my school work, tests and AP exams! Excel truly makes the otherwise tedious test prep process an enjoyable, unforgettable experience! Who says taking the SAT has to be boring? Have fun - Excel! “ - Parul ’11

Highest Number of Perfect SAT Scores Riju Agrawal Kamna Balhara Victor Ban Christopher Barot Patrick Bhadra Amy Chang Meng Chen Cynthia Chi Geoffrey Dawson Dale Ding Nisha Gadgil Sara Hakeem Waqar Haque Madelyn Ho Aaron Huang Mengfei Huang Kristin Hung Rishi Israni Rishi Jajoo Casey Keller Athena Katsampes Paras Khandheria Kevin Khuong Alisa Lee

Sophy Lee Grace Lin Stacey Louie Joseph Lu A. Madgavkar Travis Meyer Sai Mohan Andrew Nepomuceno Ja-Mei Or Sarah Pak Anish Patel Sarita Patel Christine Peng Abishek Prasad R. Ramchandani Kirtana Raja Shaumo Sadhukhan Steven Savoy Amishi Shah Scott Singer Deren Tavgac Ting Ting Turski Jia Tolentino Rohan Varvadekar

Vik Vaz Ajit Vyas Xinchen Wang Johnny Wong Jessica Wu Nick Xu Risheng Xu Katy Yang Peter Ye Eric Yieh Anonymous Cybil Zhang Hope Lee Shalin Patel Patricia J. Yan Timothy Lin Hojoon Lee Yang Mou Eric Sung Stephanie Ng Nirav Sanghani Rui Mao Sarah Owen Vishal Chenani

Michael Balagia Jason Hsu Cassie Liu Neelaysh Vukkadala Chetan Vakkalagadda Brandon Araki Juliane Tran Alex Han Jyoti Narayanswami Timothy Lin Bernard Goal Lingxi Chenyang Hyunwoo (Samuel) Lee Pooja Shah Nikhil Garg Andrew Kau ** Rishi Sharma**

** read their stories at: www.exceltest.com/blog

excel test prep

510-490-7000 | www.exceltest.com | info@exceltest.com

Oct. 20, 2010

Page 23

ENTERTAINMENT

AFTER

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN BHANGRA MV Bhangra gathers in the rally court to plan and rehearse their newest routine on Oct. 15.

3:00

As soon as school ends, the Song team practices their routine for football games.

HOURS Even after the final bell rings, the MVHS campus remains a center for activities T THE KARATE KIDS Martial Arts Club members practice their moves in the rally court on Oct. 8.

he bell rings. It’s 3:05 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon and everybody is ready to go home after a long, hard day of school. But after a while, as the school empties out, somewhere upstairs in the C building, two students, senior Amanda Hsu and senior Yevgeniya Tarasova, sit in the hallway. They crowd around a laptop, to finish the new “Glee” episode they hadn’t finished watching during brunch. In fact every day, as most of the students finish their classes and leave the school, there is still a buzz of activity happening on campus. Unknown to the rest of the population of MVHS, the campus “after hours” can be a quiet haven to focus or bond or an exciting world of drama—and fun. Near the basketball courts, four students push and shove to get a ball in a hoop. The boys wave their arms in each other’s faces and scream nonsense words to distract each other. Once they settle down, junior Blair Li comments on his use of MVHS campus after school ends. “Usually, we hit the weight room, but we’re going to try out for varsity basketball, so we’re practicing here, “ Li said. “Afterward, you know, after the exercise, we like to get a study session in between.” Back in the main office, as the administrative staff packs up to go home near the end of their shift, they make a last minute announcement at 3:57. “Please excuse the interruption, but we will be testing the fire alarms momentarily. Note that this is just a test.” MVHS Cheer practice And six minutes later, as the fire alarm rings, begins in the Gym

7:00

Lobby while Riverside Chinese School takes place in various classrooms.

the boys and girls water polo teams, practicing in the pool—who may have been too consumed with their sport to hear the previous announcement— start splashing insanely and screaming “fire” at the tops of their voices. Even after sports teams finish their practices, there are still staff members working diligently all around campus. Custodian Noe Higuera spends his time from 3:30 p.m. all the way until midnight, cleaning up after our messes. He carefully goes through every classroom and takes care of anything that’s Martial Arts Club been left behind. “Well, I don’t know how they manage it, but the kids sometimes forget members work their backpacks. And the weight is, like, 20 pounds!” said Higuera. on their strength Even science teacher Jenna Smith sits in her classroom with a computer and form. playing some soft music and an open box of Wheat Thins. Smith likes being at school to collaborate with her colleagues. “[On campus] I get to collaborate and bounce ideas off my colleagues,” The Bhangra said Smith. “Being in a school setting is conducive to school work. Plus, kids can stop by and get help. My door’s open.” team practices in For teachers, working at school lets them work more the Rally Court productively. In fact, social studies teacher Viviana Montoyafor their annual Hernandez says that working on campus gets rid of all Diversity Day the distractions that slow her down elsewhere. performance. “But what’s surprising is that there [are] always people at school,” said Montoya-Hernandez. “Whether it’s 6 [p.m.] at night or 2 [p.m.] on a Saturday afternoon, there are always people on campus. Always.”

3:15

3:30

5:30

Parents meet in the Library for the Parenting Class, taught by Student Advocate Richard Prinz. Vishakha Joshi || v.joshi@elestoque.org

Students ‘check in’ to new Facebook Places feature with caution ‘Places’ gives students new privacy worry on the generation’s top social networking website

ith the rising popularity of social networking systems and micro-blogs such as Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook, it’s always hard to predict OTHER APPLICATIONS what the top companies in the market are going to come up with next. Most recently, iPhone, iPod Foursquare: Released in touch, and Android users 2007, people with iPhones or who have the Facebook iPod touches can download application can update Foursquare and “check-in,” their own location similar to “Facebook Places,” as wherever they want. well as see where friends are. The new “Places” Foursquare allows users to save feature on the iPhone and a list of places they may want to iPod touch “Facebook” check out. application takes the concept “Facebook stalking” to a whole new level. While at any location, you can whip out your iPhone or iPod touch and simply update where

you are. After doing so, Facebook shows the name of your location and a map of the general area. Sound dangerous? Maybe. But not to senior Gurman Kaur. “I don’t feel like GetGlue: iPhone application there is any sort of risk developer AdaptiveBlue took because I’m never alone a different angle on real-time when I update,” Kaur updating, said. “I wouldn’t have allowing users to anyone that’s a ‘stalker’ tell friends what as my Facebook friend music, books, anyway, and I don’t think movies, and T.V. my other friends would shows that they want to stalk me.” are currently enjoying. Users Kaur first began using can “like” or “dislike” books or the “Places” feature media they view. after seeing many of her friends’ updates on Facebook. She began to update about once a week during the weekends from her iPod touch.

“I think that it’s fun when I’m with friends, and when I ‘check-in’ I can tag my friends so that other people know who I am with,” Kaur said. “It’s funny when I check into somewhere and then an hour later I see that another friend checked-in there so you can talk about the place with them.” While Kaur doesn’t see the risks of using Facebook’s new feature, freshman Bhavini Pachauri believes that there is a lot of danger in using “Places.” “I don’t think the people should [check-in] because if you can update from your home,” Pachauri said. “There’s a button that says ‘get directions,’ and people can just come to your house and break in.” This concern has been voiced through many comments on the ‘Places’ page on Facebook. Many iPhone application developers have begun creating applications that are very similar to “Places.” Regardless of the security concerns some associate with the application, it is apparent that many MVHS students will continue using it. Erin Chiu || e.chiu@elestoque.org

ENTERTAINMENT

Page 24

Oct. 20, 2010

Students initiate international action Interact service club hosts annual fall leadership council, proposes community project

nteract is short for International Action. This year, that action started from MVHS. On Sunday, Oct. 17, MVHS was the site of Interact’s annual fall leadership conference. The event, which was organized by members of Interact and its parent organization, Rotary International, played host primarily to Interact members from District 5170, the club district spanning much of the South and East Bay. Interact members from Arizona, Colorado, and even Brazil were present. This year’s FLC, like those of previous years, focused on developing the public speaking and leadership skills of those attending. This was done through various types of group exercises, activities, and bonding sessions. According to the official schedule for the event, the three areas of focus were leadership, community service, and fundraising & publicity. During the conference, the club’s “International Project” was also revealed. According to Club Advisor Math Teacher Terry Yu, the international project is Interact’s over-arching service project for the entire year. “[The Interact members] dedicate their whole year’s worth of effort [into a] giant event, or project,” Yu said. One previous international project, Yu said, was “End Polio Now,” in which Interact and Rotary members raised funds to provide polio vaccines for patients in the four remaining countries where polio still exists–India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria. Another previous international project was Hydraid, in which the Interact District 5170 raised over $80,000 to provide water filters to impoverished communities within the Dominican Republic. This year’s international project is called Shelterbox, after the organization of the same name, and involves providing special supply crates to displaced people in zones affected by natural disasters or conflicts. Each crate, or “shelterbox,” contains survival supplies such as tents, stoves, construction tools, utensils, and fleece blankets, enough to last a family of ten for six months. The shelterboxes also contain supplies for children such as crayons and coloring books, intended to keep children’s minds occupied during conflicts. Finally, the shelterboxes contain teaching aids, intended to bring schools back into operation almost immediately after displacement. According to Shelterbox representative Keith Henderson, the tents included in each shelterbox are highly durable, and strong enough to withstand a category 2 hurricane. Henderson and his team assembled a tent in the rally court, which, indeed,

Vinay Raghuram | El Estoque

COMMUNITY INTERACTION (Clockwise from top left) Students enter the “Shelter Box” designed for victims of natural disasters on Oct. 17; students play Welcome Rally games; a group activity in the field house. proved to be weatherproof on the rainy Sunday afternoon. As far as student involvement is concerned, Henderson said that members of Interact district 5170 would contribute through fundraisers and other awareness-raising events. “[District 5170 members] will hold camp-outs, conduct awareness training, and just collect change,” Henderson said. “We’ve never had this kind of project before,” MVHS Interact Vice President Andrew Shiah said. According to Shiah, most of the previous International Projects had been focused

Vinay Raghuram | El Estoque

on providing food, water, and medical supplies. Members of Interact, Rotary, and Shelterbox are optimistic that this project will prove to be a success, especially since the value provided by the shelterboxes is highly apparent. “It’s something that you can feel the usefulness of,” Henderson said. “Even right now, it’s raining outside, and we’re still dry.” Vinay Raghuram || v.raghuram@elestoque.org

Campus Highlights Fashion Club DAWNS silver

DECA PROMOTes business

Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque

Elvin Wong | El Estoque

CUSTOM FIT Sophomore Sherry Roohi tapes the shirt of a club member, creating a mannequin identical to her body.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Junior James Hong digs into a Marie Callender pie after the DECA Pie Walk on Oct. 12.

his season, duct tape is the hottest new trend. On the afternoon of Oct. 8, Fashion Club members met in F103 for their fifth annual Duct Tape Mannequin activity, where participants clothed in T-shirts were wrapped in silver duct tape to create mannequins of their own bodies. The duct tape figures were then filled with old newspapers to maintain their shape. “Mannequins that you buy at stores are really expensive, and they won’t have the same shape as the person you’re designing for,” said club vice president Katerina Zorko. “Doing it this way helps them sew.” Store-bought mannequins sell for around $100 to $600, making this activity a visibly worthwhile investment of activity time. As the duct tape is the only non-recycled component of the mannequin, the cost can be kept well under $10. Figures prepared in this event will be used throughout the year for future events such as the Fashion Show, and will be highly beneficial for designing attire relying heavily on draping and form.

or DECA members, the week of Oct. 11 meant getting down to business. Each day of DECA Week, which lasted from Oct. 11 to Oct. 15, was dedicated to a different business-related activity open to members and nonmembers alike, though space availability gave priority to members. Highlights came with two field trips to San Francisco, to the Fashion Institute of Design and Mangement on Monday and the Federal Reserve on Thursday, both during school hours. The remainder of the week consisted of a Pie Walk on Tuesday, a guest speaker on Wednesday, and a staff luncheon on Friday. “High school DECA clubs all over the nation will be participating in this week’s events,” President senior Japheth Wong said. “This week is being held so that our club can offer activities to members and to promote ourselves within our own community.” This annual event is held every year in October.

Baking Club gets cooking

D.A. casts its FIRST spell

Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque

Used with permission of Samantha Hung

A SWEET DELIGHT Cupcakes are to be decorated at Baking Club’s upcoming course on cake ornamentation on Oct. 23.

he ovens are fired up and the recipes are ready and waiting. All that’s missing are club members’ hungry stomachs to fill and spirits to entertain. MVHS Baking Club will be hosting a brief course on the basics of cake decorating on Oct. 23 in room F103, in which new members will be instructed on how to use various tools for future ornamentation of baked goods. After their instruction, members will be given time to decorate their own cupcakes with frosting piping bags. The teaching session is scheduled to come to an end with an opporunity to eat the final creation. “Overall, this activity is a chance for members to show their creative side,” Baking Club secretary sophomore Samantha Hung said. “We’ll be using small cupcakes to do that.” Highlights come with the demonstration of piping roses, a process by which frosting is coiled into the shape of a rose for decorative use, allowing for professionallevel instruction in a relaxed environment.

HORCRUX HUNT Senior Andrew Erickson gives Harry Potter trivia at the first meeting of Dumbledlore’s Army on Oct. 8.

ccio, passionate Harry Potter enthusiasts! During lunch on Oct. 8, members of Dumbledore’s Army, a new club designed for fans of Harry Potter, raced across campus in search of hidden scavenger hunt “Horcrux” items scattered across MVHS. Divided into four Houses named after those in the popular series, club member participants brought back their finds—each of which, including a diary and a ring, were taken from the fictional Horcruxes from the franchise—in exchange for jelly beans. From the hidden items to the activity prizes, all aspects of the event paid homage to the series. “We’re planning on hosting events such as this every week from now on,” club officer and head of Hufflepuff Andrew Erickson said. “We can then prove that we are actually going to be a fun club that all with an interest in Harry Potter are welcome to join.” Needless to say, victory, and the resulting prizes, left the competition’s winners sufficiently stupefied. Christophe Haubursin || c.haubursin@elestoque.org

Oct. 20, 2010

ENTERTAINMENT

Photo editing for the starving artist

Page 25

Here’s a look at the best, free online photo editing alternatives to the very expensive Photoshop 1. Picnik Fancy taking an online picnic? Picnik has an eye-catching picnic-themed interface, making photo editing fun and entertaining. WHAT’S TO LIKE: This easy-to-use yet effective photo editing software has all of the basic features including resizing, cropping, and rotating, along with several more sophisticated ones such as adjusting exposure, contrast, saturation and temperature. Each of these features has an “Auto” option as well, allowing the site decide for you the optimal percentage for each of these effects, which is very useful to the beginner photo editor.

2. PIXLR

When looking for a replacement for Adobe Photoshop, Pixlr is the website that comes the closest, as the format, toolbars, and functions match those of Photoshop nearly exactly. WHAT’S TO LIKE: Because Pixlr matches Adobe Photoshop so closely, there are similar smudging, blending, and sharpening tools and numerous photo filters to choose from. It also has a link to Pixlr Express, which allows for simpler quick-fixes and one-click effects. WHAT’S NOT: Though simulating Photoshop is one of Pixlr’s strong points, it is also the cause of the drawback, being that many of the tools and functions are not as user-friendly to the inexperienced photo editor and require some prior knowledge of the software.

WHAT’S NOT: Unfortunately, to access the premium contents of the website such as Touch Up features, professional fonts to decorate your picture, and personalized technical help from the “Community Therapists”, you must register and pay a monthly fee starting from $2.

EDITOR’S PICK

4. FlauntR Within this program come sub-programs like stylR, editR, picasR, and textR, that each focus on a specific aspect of photo editing.

3. FotoFlexer Similarly to Picnik, FotoFlexer provides user-friendly functions for simple photo editing, with just a bit more variety of options in effects, filters, and tools. WHAT’S TO LIKE: Additional features include the ability to layer on other photos, fix skin blemishes and wrinkles, draw over pictures, and erase them. Especially useful functions are the Smart Scissor and Smart Cutout, which detect the objects in a photo and allow for very precise outlines that can seamlessly cut the main object in the photo out of the background.

3 4

WHAT’S NOT: The only shortcoming to this user-friendly interface is that because it is made to be so over-simple, the workspace has a lot of white space, and seems bland and boring as a result.

WHAT’S TO LIKE: From these specialized subsections, you can alter various characteristics of each picture; stylR deals with the basics of resizing, rotating, and cropping, along with adding special frames or overlays. editR allows you to alter the visual affects of the photo, from rendering it to black and white to adjusting color curves. textR, as the name implies, allows you to overlay words on top of your pictures in dozens of fonts, while picasR is a unique tool that can change the entire tone of your picture by combining it with the background of a different picture. WHAT’S NOT: However, to use even the free features requires the user to register for an account on FlauntR. The multiple programs also may end up more confusing for the user when switching in between them for different editing purposes. Amanda Chen || a.chen@elestoque.org

Senior makes transfer to MVHS after numerous school switches With online, private, and home schooling under his belt, senior enters public for the first time

e smiles a lot— if not with his mouth, then with his eyes. And he’s far more outgoing and friendly than you would expect of a new student. But then again, it is senior Luke Lawlor’s open personality that makes the transition easy for him. He’s a new student to MVHS, but he’s definitely not new to the process of switching schools. Lawlor has experienced a multitude of school systems throughout his years— from being home schooled to attending private schools to taking online classes. You might think that all of the moving would take a toll on his social life, but not at all for Lawlor. “I’m the kind of person who will just go up to someone and immediately start talking to them,” he said. But MVHS’s reputation for having a strong academic focus over anything else does bring up a few issues for Luke. “That there’s a push for academics isn’t a problem,” said Lawlor’s mom, Donna. “But [academics] aren’t everyone’s forte.” Clearly invested in her son’s education, his mother, Donna, home schooled Luke until first grade, and worked with him to find good options for a school every time they moved. When Luke and his family moved to this area, Luke’s parents decided that their son would attend MVHS. Here, he finds that the students are friendly, but he notes that he finds the most acceptance in students, who like him, don’t obsess about grades.

But one of the most important things about MVHS for Luke and his family is that they feel they can always go to the administration for academic assistance, if needed. The administration has been working in coordination with Luke to place him in classes that are the right fit for him, and align with the subjects and classes that he has already taken before. It’s not an easy task. Luke has transcripts from several different schools—finding correct placement means going through all of them, and talking to teachers, counselors, Luke’s parents, and of course, Luke himself—versus, say, what it takes to place a current student at MVHS: just a few forms and clicks on the computer. The administration has been working on this since Luke began attending MVHS. Compared to his many experiences with other schools, Luke, in fact, thinks MVHS fares pretty well. At private schools in Maine and Virginia, he believes he received a good education, but says that “it all depends on the teachers.” “They didn’t offer as much assistance there, as they do here,” he said, adding that none of the other schools that he has been to have had an available tutoring system that he knew about. This contrasts greatly with MVHS, which offers not only the Study Buddy program, but also tutorials on Thursdays, and frequent review sessions offered by teachers, culminating into a great academic support system for the students. Still, beyond academics, it’s the school

Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque

NEW ARRIVAL Senior Luke Lawlor sits outside his home on Oct. 16. This year marks Lawlor’s first experience in a public school, after three other schooling methods. environment that Luke Lawlor keeps coming back to. “In smaller schools, there were a lot more bullies,” he said. His mom adds in the vital point that bullies at the other schools weren’t properly dealt with by the school administration. Whether it’s because of MVHS’s Zero Tolerance policy, or because the school environment is perhaps more accepting here than in other schools,

Luke Lawlor says that he hasn’t experienced any bullying at MVHS. But ultimately, Luke Lawlor, with the help of his parents and the school, is still transitioning into MVHS. “I’m pretty used to moving schools a lot though,” he says. “ I adapt quickly.” Anushka Patil || a.patil@elestoque.org

Page 26

ENTERTAINMENT

Oct. 20, 2010

Students design new website simply made for laughing out loud Makesulol.com collects humorous user stories, similar to site fmylife.com, mylifeisaverage.com

Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque

MASTERS OF COMEDY MVHS senior Neeren Patki and Saratoga High School senior Sumant Sabada look through the latest submissions on their website makesulol.com on Oct. 12.

hen senior Neeren Patki first showed the website he had made to his friend senior Aayush Kumar, Kumar’s reaction made Patki laugh out loud. “No, you didn’t make this,” Kumar had said. But in this case, Patki’s reaction was quite fitting. After all, the goal of his website is to make people laugh. Over the summer, Patki and Saratoga High School senior Sumant Sabada had been brainstorming ideas for a website they could make, when Patki came up with the idea of makesulol.com—a submission based website which allows

users to post anything that they think will make others laugh. Posts contain stories from people’s lives, pictures, videos— basically anything funny. Patki and Sabada post a lot of the content themselves, but do get a few posts from other users, which they screen before putting on the website. “If I find something funny or something funny happens, I’ll point it out and be like, ‘Hey! I should post that!’” Kumar, one of the website’s regular contributors, said. This audience-contribution aspect of the website was what initially motivated Patki and Sabada to follow through with

their idea. The two also designed a movie reviews website previously, but found it hard to keep it constantly updated simply because they were the only ones generating the content. On the other hand, with their newest ROFL site makesyoulol. com, anyone can Some of the submissions: contribute stories as “Today, I found this on the net: well as share them ‘Marijuana is a gateway drug...to through Facebook, what, my refrigerator?’ LOL” Twitter, and Digg. Also included is a way “Today my friend was writing on for people to vote his blog and he started writing: on each blurb as to ‘There is nothing wrong with Justin whether they find it Bieber...He just needs somebody funny or not. to love,’ but he accidentally wrote As of right now, someboy. LOL” getting submissions is Patki and Sabada’s main goal. “Today I heard one of the best, if “We want to get a not the best, your mom jokes: Yo legitimate audience, mom’s so ugly, Bob the Builder then maybe we can looked at her and said, ‘I can’t fix think about monetary that!’ LOL” goals,” Patki said. Most of the Find more at: feedback that they’ve http://makesulol.com/ gotten from users of the website so far has been positive, which Patki attributes to his belief that laughter is the best medicine. Yet, on a more serious level, creating this website was also a way for Patki and Sabada to use their HTML knowledge, especially since both are aspiring computer engineers. Both are happy with the popularity that the website has gained and are glad that it provides a way for people to step away from the stress of everyday life and relax. “You could have a bad day, go on the website, and see some humor,” Patki said. “Just have a good laugh and maybe your day will get better.” Vijeta Tandon || v.tandon@elestoque.org

Oct. 20, 2010

Page 27

ENTERTAINMENT

New album presents unique sound

‘The Hundred in the Hands’ album stands apart from everyday music

Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque Photo Illustration

INDIETRONICA The Hundred in the Hands released their self-named debut album on Sept. 21, featuring Jason Friedman and Eleanore Everdell. The band combines electronic and alternative sound, to create a unique style, known as “indietronica.”

Hip-Hop, Country, and other labels, it’s hard for Friedman and Everdell to mark their territory in the music industry. However, their “indietronica” music presents them as being entirely different, and their lack of labels is what in defines the band. The cathartic lyrical accounts of their experiences break the barrier between what is accepted reality. “Lovesick (Once Again),” one of the tracks with darker sounds and complex, choir-like harmonies, describes yearning as “Tarantulas under the skin / Got King Kong battling within / A blood moon looms in the sky above / I’m the Wolfman / I’m frantic in love.” Friedman and Everdell do fall prey to the occasional repetitive croon like “It-it-it-it-it-it-it rips into me,” but here it’s more of an effect rather than a filler. This is the kind of musical inspiration that today’s music needs, but often lacks. With the dominance of tracks like “Lovesick (Once Again)” and “Dressed In Dresden,” others like “Dead Ending” and “Gold Blood” aren’t as memorable, despite the conflicting, but satisfying, arrangement of frantic lyrics and whimsical vocals. But the gauzy electronic feel of The Hundred In the Hands—a mix of Everdell’s sugary vocals and Friedman’s hard-edged digital output—have brought out this underground indie music, and both the hard core music fanatic as well as the occasional listener should enjoy it.

usic is often overshadowed by its the band’s aesthetic, is featured in the band’s outer appearance. Outrageous first full-length, self-titled album, released on hairstyles and armadillo shoes Sept. 21. The album has a digital sound, and shouldn’t be what sets artists apart from their features 11 new songs. competitors. Maybe it’s been forgotten, but “The Hundred In the Hands” has a variety the music itself is what genuinely matters. of tracks: Ones like “Dressed in Dresden” It’s the meaning behind every uttered word, artfully combine live guitar with percussion the orchestrated and electronic arrangement of melodies, creating WHAT TO LOOK FOR... instruments, that pleasing mélanges of Album Name: allows artists to sound; while tracks The Hundred in the Hands define themselves. like “The Beach” Release Date: Sept. 21 Perhaps it’s the go in a different Band Label: Warp fear of being truly direction, as balladKey Tracks: “Lovesick different that limits like as digitized (Once Again),” “Dressed in a vast majority of tracks can get. “The Dresden,” “The Beach” today’s musicians, Beach” incorporates but The Hundred a pulsating In the Hands steps background with into the spotlight, and where other bands a powerful vocal performance by don’t dare try, they excel. Everdell. The crystallized display of sound that Three years in the making, The Hundred is present in the band’s other tracks doesn’t In the Hands is a different, bridge-between- overshadow Everdell’s impressive vocals. genres kind of music. New York City-based Her breathy performance isn’t exactly band members Jason Friedman and Eleanore electronic music, and it’s not easily Everdell derive musical inspiration from categorized. This middle ground, where techno, post-punk, and vintage hip-hop artists find it difficult to define themselves, is bands, but their personal music is a patchwork a blank slate; for The Hundred In the Hands of all three and more. They met in November to venture in armed with synthesizers and 2007 and wrote their first collaborative song analog machines is a risky move. “Dressed in Dresden,” a clever blend of guitar Because music, which is supposed to cover and harmonic vocals. This song, which defines all grounds, is filed into Pop, Alternative,

Cynthia Mao || c.mao@elestoque.org

MUSIC

IN&OUT

There is a ladder on his forehead.

While Bruno Mars is winning our hearts, it’s tik tok on the clock for another hit from Ke$ha. We’re waiting.

It is not photoshopped.

enior Kyle Hultquist knows how to use his head. He’s got a peculiar talent for balancing objects—large and dangerous ones—on his chin and forehead. It’s a skill that started with a soccer ball during spring break of last year. Since then, the daredevil act has gone nowhere but up in its complexity and risk, with past performance items ranging from a lawnmower to a full-size samurai sword—blade tip against his skin, too. Here’s how he does it. 1 Take off your shoes. Being barefoot improves your control over stabilizing your object.

FASHION While cozy moccasins are a must, Shutter Shades should be forgotten faster then Kanye’s interruption of Taylor.

TELEVISION With mothers so ugly, it’s a wonder those poor kids are “Toddlers in Tiaras.” We don’t want to see it. We’d rather spend some time in the “Boardwalk Empire.”

2 Balancing something heavy or sharp? Wear a headband or beanie to protect your skin.

MOVIES We’re tired of rom coms like “Life As We Know It.” But “The Social Network”? Now that’s something to like.

Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque

HEADSTRONG Senior Kyle Hultquist balances a ladder on Oct. 15.

Start simple. Objects with weight centered at the top work best, like brooms.

Never try balancing a stack of objects, as there’s a high risk in having the stack collapse.

Find the item’s center of balance in your hand. Lift it to your face, then watch the jaws drop. Christophe Haubursin || c.haubursin@elestoque.org

New freedom in leap of faith I’m 25 feet off the ground, but it feels like 200. My palms are sweating and I’m starting to shake—both not helpful for what I’m about to do. My mind almost never fails me—but right now it’s blank with terror. Moments later, I’m hurtling through the air. Flying. The room rushes by in a swirl of color. There isn’t space in my head for anything but motion. I was in the Trapeze Arts facilities in Oakland on Oct. 10, pushing my limits to force myself to let go of stress. I have plenty of worries—the deadline for my first college application is fast approaching. Nov. 1 is circled in red marker in my planner, inching closer each day. I’m crippled with fear, just like when I’m up on the Trapeze Arts platform. I can’t submit my personal statements for fear that they’re not good enough and won’t do justice to me. I can’t call up my regional admissions officer and introduce myself because it’s just too intimidating. What if I make a mistake? What if I fail? What if I fall? As soon as I’m in flight on the trapeze, all of my worries are gone. I’m not secondguessing whether I’m strong enough, prepared enough, whatever. I’m free. ROXANA WISWELL Later the same r.wiswell@elestoque.org day, when I sat down to write my supplemental college essay, I thought about that feeling. I thought about my mind set during my second-to-last turn flying on the trapeze. Every other time, as I climbed up the rickety, narrow purple ladder to the platform, I began to stress out. I asked myself what I was doing, whether I could just climb back down and keep my comfort zone if not my pride. Each time, it took me until the moment I leapt off the platform to regain confidence and enjoy the rush. The last two runs were different. As I neared the end of the lesson, I grew more and more nervous. The lesson was structured so that after practicing knee hangs—swinging by my knees on the trapeze—for the first few tries, I would be expected to try a catch. I would attempt to connect with an instructor and swing by his hands. When I finally tried it, I made my first serious error. I’d caught the catcher’s hands but failed to let go of the trapeze with my knees. I slipped, there was a terrifying moment where I felt like I’d fall on my face, and I barely managed to hold on and dismount properly. For some reason, that run empowered me. I’d made a mistake, and I was fine. I looked around at the safety lines and safety net that would have caught me if I’d fallen, and knew I wanted to try one more time. I climbed up the ladder, and instead of ice in my stomach, I had excited butterflies. I smiled to myself with anticipation as I leaned over the edge of the platform to grasp the bar with both hands. My energy felt entirely different, and I could almost taste success. On command, I bent my knees, and jumped into the air. As the trapeze swung back and forth, I tucked my feet up onto the bar, let go with my hands, arched back...and grabbed the hands of the catcher! My knees released without a hitch this time, and I was swinging by his hands, laughing and thanking him in the air before he dropped me into the net. That was absolute freedom—not only the successful run, but the confidence in myself that made it possible. I drew on that when I was writing my essay. Instead of worrying, I just let my words come out and trusted myself. Revising and editing are like a safety net, there to catch me once I make that first leap of putting my thoughts on paper.

The Stress-oMeter

Page 28

ENTERTAINMENT

FUNNY people

Oct. 20, 2010

Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque

Fall plays present Shakespearean comedy as you like it Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque

PLAYING AROUND (above) Seniors Gavin Mueller and Kelly Jackson and junior Max Sorg practice the finale of “As You Like It” on Oct. 6. The Shakespearean comedy is one of two plays to be performed as this year’s fall plays. (top right) Seniors Amanda Perry and Stella Ziegler, (right) senior Lena Jenny, and (bottom right) sophomores Kazmiera Tarshis and Vineet Vijaykumar rehearse.

amounts to hours of wielding drills and paint here are two things to notice inside month’s time. The set will be used for both fall plays. and scripts, but in all the commotion and the Black Box after school: the smell of “Comedy of Errors,” tells the story of two concentration, there is still time for MVHS freshly cut wood and the noise. Power drills remove old screws from sets of identical twins separated at birth and alumnus Alex Martin to joke around as he wooden platforms, the Apple computers a complex tale of mixed identities while the works on construction. “Rule A: No killing people,” Martin said. other fall play, “As You Like It” exaggerates in the room play background It is a light-hearted way to music ranging from the Beatles’ TAKING THE STAGE remind people that they are at “Eleanor Rigby” to The Black work, often with power tools, Eyed Peas’ “Pump It,” and The stage contains to create a stage that is more sawdust drifts from the warm multiple staircases with ambitious than what they have air onto the black floor. an escape stairway so produced in previous years. In Since the first week of school that people can enter tune with the Shakespearean 16 foot tall wood flats Advanced Drama, with the help the backstage. plays and shows, Drama has are used to serve as mock of the Beginning Drama classes, modeled the stage to imitate walls. The spaces between has been working on two fullthem represent doors. the theatres of Elizabethan length fall productions, both era. The students worked Shakespeare plays. Unlike the with professional set designer heavier works students are Kit Wilder, a friend of drama more familiar with, the fall teacher Holly Cornelison, to productions of “Comedy of create the plans for a new Errors” and “As You Like It” stage style. show the cheerier side of the Beginning with only a simple bard. The tone fits the Black black and white blueprint, a This model of the stage was presented at the International Thespian Society’s Box’s atmosphere perfectly. miniature 3D model made with Northern Leadership and Tech Conference at Foothill College on Sept 25. Seniors Lena Jenny and pieces of wood and glue, and Melanie Kim spontaneously a checklist of set pieces to break out singing the build, the tech crew will work preposition song normally to bring the design into reality. The final stage found in elementary school classrooms. A the trials of love and sibling rivalries. One of the new additions to this year’s set will have two stories, along with three sets of moment later, Jenny and sophomore Elad Michael share an elaborate and complex secret list of fall plays is the “Green Show.” Consisting stairs and 16-foot-high wooden flats acting as handshake with body twists and clapping of only six people, the shorter-length show faux walls. To demonstrate how the flats work, Martin hands that ends in matching John Travolta- lets drama students act in a play even if they cannot make the full time commitment pulled up two flats leaning against the wall esque finger points. Even the shop manager, senior Andre of the two longer fall plays. Rehearsals are and clamped the panels together. The two Shepard, leaves the construction area with a during seventh period, and the actors practice pieces of wood transformed into a section of performing a spectacle of songs, sword wall in the low lighting of the Black Box. In joke. “I’m going to go get a drink,” Shepard dances, and even having a joker run through two weeks’ time, the same flats will be on the the audience. The actors will jump and kick stage as part of the ambitious set design for said. “Alright,” said fellow shop manager senior with bells attached around their ankles as they Drama’s Elizabethan theatre, but for now the dance to songs such as “Lads a Bunchum,” an wall slipped. Martin caught the flats as they Joseph Hultquist, barely looking up. “So if anyone kills themselves, you’ll have English drinking song that performers used to came down, and Shepard called out to him. “Alex, don’t hurt yourself,” Shepard said. to call 911,” Shepard said, as he exits through sing in pubs in exchange for free beer. Rehearsals for the green show are during After a pause he continued. “Actually—eh.” the Black Box’s metal garage door. Behind him, students continue building the stairs and seventh period, but work for the two main platforms that will be used on the stage in a productions are mostly after school. It all Natalie Chan || n.chan@elestoque.org

INTERACT TOGETHER Page 24 Interact’s annual Fall Leadership Conference brings the noise

Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque

LET THE DRAMA BEGIN ‘The Comedy of Errors’ Nov. 5 and 13 at 7 p.m., Nov. 6 at 8:30 p.m. ‘As You Like It’ Nov. 6 and 12 at 7 p.m., Nov. 13 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets $8–$16, can be bought beforehand, at the door, and online at www.seatyourself.biz Greenshow Plays Before the play on the Friday nights (Nov. 5 and 12) and between shows on the Saturday nights (Nov. 6 and 13)

Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque

SCHOOL’S OUT

THE COMEDIANS

Page 23 Wonder what goes on after school ends? Here’s an inside look

Page 26 In need of a knee-slapper? Seniors make their own comedy website