EXTENDED TRIBUTE
FREEMAN Hear stories from Ron Freeman’s colleagues and students, as we continue coverage of his impact on MVHS at elestoque.org
MIXED NOTES BURSTING Winter concert blends THE BUBBLE genres A&E page 15
Students, staff honor deceased teacher, coach
Explore other types of schooling systems in the Bay Area
CENTERSPREAD pages 11-14
BACK PAGE VOLUME XLI | ISSUE 5 | MONTA VISTA HIGH SCHOOL | CUPERTINO, CA
FAREWELL, FRIEND
FEB. 2, 2011
Coach, teacher, mentor Ron Freeman remembered for lasting influence
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he Bagdasarian family has been on Santa’s nice list since Christmas Eve 2007. For four years, senior Alex Bagdasarian found See’s candy, apple cider, or wine in a wrapped box outside his front door on Christmas morning. Bagdasarian’s junior year, his father installed a security camera outside the house. That Christmas morning, the family rewound the tape to discover the identity of the mysterious gift giver. He drove up to the house at 4:15 a.m., dropped off the gift, and drove away without receiving, or requesting, recognition. His beard was more like a five o’clock shadow, and he wasn’t dressed in red and white, but their secret Santa was undoubtedly Ron Freeman. see FREEMAN on page 24 Photo with permission of Laurie Stewart
Community distressed by student stress, openly debates the ‘Race to Nowhere’
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he tag-line on the poster for the documentary “Race to Nowhere” reads “The dark side of America’s Achievement Culture.” Organized by the MVHS PTSA in conjunction with the Kennedy Middle School PTA, two showings of the film took place on Jan. 11 and Jan. 18 in the MVHS auditorium. The showings, which sold out within days, were open to students, parents, teachers, and community members. The documentary explores the pressure students feel to succeed academically and the toll that such pressure takes on students. During the forums which took place after each documentary screening, parents and students from both MVHS and Kennedy Middle School voiced their concerns about the movie’s message and its local relevance. Executive Vice President of MVHS PTSA Barbara Goldman viewed the documentary at Bluelight Cinemas with President Pam Siu prior to organizing the showings at MVHS. “We thought the movie had some valid points and some messages that the community might benefit from,” Goldman said. Goldman, Siu, and Principal April Scott all agree that there needs to be follow up to the two “Race To Nowhere” showings, and the PTSA is in the process of determining what that next step will be.
Although there were few administrators and teachers present at the recent screening of the documentaries, Assistant Principal Dennis Plaza mentioned that all the teachers were invited to see it. Administration also hopes to hold a separate screening for staff in the future. KMS Counselor Jessica Williams said that many KMS staff members have seen the movie and indicated that the staff as a whole has been working together to rethink their instructional goals for the school. Teachers and administrators at KMS are placing specific emphasis on improving the critical thinking skills of their students before they graduate. School efforts Although the film criticizes the mentality of “teaching to the test” and not teaching students how to think critically, AP Chemistry teacher Kavita Gupta believes that
Behind closed doors: Gay jokes not uncommon in team locker rooms
“The best part about ‘Race to Nowhere’ is that the conversation has started. What I fear is that this conversation will end six months from now.” —Bluelight Cinemas co-owner Jackie Cohen
Athletes admit immaturity, but argue humor does not equal homophobia
“I Joseph Beyda | El Estoque Photo Illustration
Relief efforts
ultimately it is up to the teacher to structure his or her class in such a way that students receive the greatest benefit. “College Board defines where I need to take [students],” Gupta said, “but how I take them there, that’s totally my call.” “Race To Nowhere” cautions parents against overloading schedules with rigorous courses. At MVHS, there are steps in place to ensure parent involvement in the course selection process. see STRESS on page 3
think I’m gay…I enjoyed the culture already. There are gay slurs in everyday life, and I guess that wrestling match…” it’s amplified in “ D o masculine sports.” you enjoy slapping Twist of Hate This view is my butt? I think we A three-part not limited to any all know what that specific sport; means... ” series on Hamwi agrees, Senior varsity homophobia saying that while wrestler Adnan at MVHS an LGBT athlete Hamwi and senior might get a few varsity football player Jason Jung have heard these derogatory terms thrown at them phrases thrown around the locker once in a while, for the most part rooms after practice, accompanied the harassment would be minimal. “[Within wrestling], none of us with a light manner and joking tone. The gay jokes fly without thought in are homophobic or have anything this sort of “locker-room talk,” but against gay people at all,” Hamwi not all athletes feel that they are ill- said. “We just say a lot of things that could be offensive. We make a lot of intentioned in any way. The issue of homophobia in jokes about everybody. But at the athletics has been recognized same time, it’s like a brotherhood. across the country and at all We’re always messing around, but levels; indeed, in a recent study we treat each other like brothers and by Osborne and Wagner, male giving each other advice.” In many cases, the close-contact adolescents who participated in football were significantly more nature of sports may elicit a fear of likely to hold homophobic attitudes homosexuality within a team. “I would say any wrestling team, than other peers their age. Yet not all MVHS athletes are convinced not just MVHS’s, would more likely that the sports environment here is to be homophobic or have slightly harsh feelings toward the LGBT a homophobic one. “I don’t think it’s a totally community,” Hamwi said. “In a welcoming environment for gay sport where it’s better to be more people, but I don’t think it’s a aggressive and stronger, it might be dangerous one either,” said varsity more susceptible to homophobia.” football player junior Zachary Ota. “There’s a lot of homophobia in see HATE on page 5
Page 2
Feb. 2, 2011
NEWS
BRIEFING ROOM Colorful Commemoration
GLOW-IN-THE-DARK The Technicolor Rally on Jan. 28 started with a commemorative photo montage of late coach and teacher Ron Freeman. In honor of Freeman, there was no class competition; however, the rally did feature performances by MV Song, Cheer, Color Guard and the Bhangra and Dance Teams. The performers incorporated glowsticks and vibrant colors in order to fit the theme of the rally. Above, juniors cheer for their class as well as for Freeman; top right, the freshman class decorations glow brightly; bottom right, the bhangra team stands ready for its performance.
Football lights update
Elvin Wong | El Estoque
The City of Cupertino held an emergency preparedness animal care workshop on Jan. 22.
Mansi Pathak | El Estoque
Seniors Gary Wang and Brian Thai audition for the IDC talent show on Jan. 21.
Student Recognition’s Valentine Gram contest ended on Jan. 28.
Signups were held on Jan. 10 for the Jan. 21 event.
Corrections Page 18: Senior Justin Huang is not a returning varsity basketball player. Page 17: Coach Sara Borelli’s name was misspelled. Page 17: Varsity girls basketball moved up a league last year.
IDC Exchange
Both Lynbrook High School and MVHS are in the process of installing football lights. However, Lynbrook Monta Vista United, a local group consisting of residents near both of the schools, are protesting this installment. They have filed a lawsuit against the FUHSD based on the district’s alleged failure to report the Environmental Impact of the project in accordance with the California Enviromental Quality Act. According to Principal April Scott, cases regarding CEQA guidelines usually last 6 to 9 months. Visit elestoque.org for more information.
Club Day
Pooja Ravikiran | El Estoque
College Board updates AP Biology curriculum
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Kevin Tsukii | El Estoque
A month in photos
Changes in AP Bio course
26
clubs signed up within the first minute
54 clubs signed up
within the first 40 minutes
22
clubs wanted to sell Pearl Milk Tea (one of the top three choices)
18 clubs wanted to sell
Fremont High School senior: Gabe Dominic Carlos
El Estoque: Was there anything you were surprised by? Gabe Dominic Carlos: I was surprised by how serious and competitive the classes are against one another [at the rally]. EE: What’s one thing you hoped to gain from this experience? GDC: I really want the understanding of how people get other students involved in the rallies.
State of the City address Cupertino Mayor Gilbert Wong gave his State of the City address on Jan. 26. He was raised in Santa Clara and before he became mayor he was a part of Cupertino Planning Commission and Cupertino City Council. Wong plans to make changes in Photo taken with permission from Cupertino including extending Rick Kitson. library hours, reestablishing sister city exchanges, and increasing progress on the Stevens Creek Park renovation.
he College Board has put AP Biology under a microscopic lens and has found some holes it hopes to fill. For May 2011, it has already made a major change in the way multiple choice will be scored—now, with no guessing penalty—and even bigger plans are brewing for the 20122013 school year in regards to the curriculum for the most popular MVHS AP course: AP Biology. Other courses, including French for the 2011-2012 school year, are also being changed, but the AP Biology class is looking at bigger changes. The College Board’s main goal for the AP Biology class is to reduce the amount of information the students must learn and instead add depth and focus to the remaining content. Its intent is to make students better equipped for college and more investigative and analytical scientists. However, opinions of previous AP biology students on campus seem to vary. “I feel that AP Biology [already] spreads your knowledge too wide, and you kind of dabble in each field,” said senior Thomas Your. Your agrees with the changes College Board is making, but not all students agree with its decisions. Senior Elizabeth Marten is skeptical about what these changes will entail for the course. “I felt like the class was fine last year. I think removing content would hurt students in the future,” Marten said. “I think adding depth is fine, but I feel that when I took the course last year, there was already [a lot of] depth added to what I had learned in freshman Bio.” AP Biology at MVHS is already cut down and does not teach the complete curriculum the College Board outlines. The Biology teachers have cut certain content themselves in order to fit the amount of time they have. However, AP Biology teachers Pamela Chow and Renee Fallon declined to comment on the upcoming changes for the course. “We don’t [even] know how much of a change this will make on our class [here at MVHS],” said Dean of Students Denae Moore, “but we are committed to supporting the AP Biology program.” The College Board is also stressing the importance of lab-based learning and is requiring schools to incorporate more labs into their curricula. The general consensus about the addition of inquiry-based labs to the class seems to be more uniform, in that many students think it will be a good change. The College Board released a practice test and contacted MVHS with a request to participate in this pilot program. This test is yet to be given but will be administered to AP Biology students later this year. Tests of this kind will help the College Board determine how difficult the exam is and if it is moving in the right direction. AP Biology teachers were contacted two years ago, and the talk of changes has been going on for many years. College Board hopes to make a smooth transition by the 2012-2013 school year. Sahana Sridhara || s.sridhara@elestoque.org
In-N-Out hamburgers
Coming together to remember our human connection Coach and teacher Ron Freeman’s death undoubtedly affected hundreds of people within our community. He was an aquatics icon, a friend, and an inspiration to all those who interacted with him. While we fondly remember Freeman for his quirky characteristics and positive mentality, ultimately it is his magnetic personality which left its mark on the aquatics community and MVHS as a whole. When principal April Scott announced the tragic news of Freeman’s death on the morning of Jan. 24 at 8:30 a.m., a silence pervaded every corner of the MVHS campus. Tears were wiped, hands were held, and a connection was revealed between every individual who calls MVHS a second home. That school day was different. Instead of merely focusing on our routine activities and regarding each other as student, teacher, or acquaintance–we paused. When we looked at each other, we saw people. We saw the unspoken connection that binds us together not only as members of the same community, but as humans who are affected by
MANSI PATHAK & VIJETA TANDON m.pathak@elestoque.org v.tandon@elestoque.org
Letter from the editors
love, sadness, and loss. While Freeman will always remain in our hearts and minds, it is not enough for us to merely remember his existence. We must hold on to the ideals which he taught us through his life and his death. It is easy to forget the pure, human sanctity of what we experienced from this loss–but it is necessary to cultivate our connections with each other and be willing to change for the better. With this outlook, we are capable of seeing eye to eye, of recognizing our flaws and of finding the solutions. Whether it is confronting the issue of homophobia, which senior Amanda Chen explores in her article “Behind closed doors: Gay jokes not uncommon in team locker rooms” or continuing the conversation brought up by “Race to Nowhere,” which seniors Jordan Lim and Vijeta Tandon highlight in “Relief efforts,” we must look beyond our daily labels and routines in order to find the best outcome. As Freeman showed us, there’s nothing an open mind and a determined heart can’t conquer.
Feb. 2, 2011
NEWS
ASB Leadership goes online
Webpage serves as new way to update students on campus activities
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SB Leadership, along with the rest of Silicon Valley, has found a new way to network with students and update information: online. The idea of finding an alternative way to inform the student body of campus activities was proposed last year, and was finally implemented during the first week of January. According to Dean of Students Michael Hicks, the motive behind creating this webpage is to have a central area with access to all necessary information regarding campus activities. It was originally brought up last year in a conversation between Hicks and Dean of Students Denae Moore. Since then, the two made plans to rejuvenate the existing Student Activities tab on the MVHS homepage, but they were unfinished until this year when Hicks decided that it was a necessary change. “The idea is everything is electronic now,” Hicks said. “We thought we needed to be on the Internet. You guys are on the computers all the time; whether it’s on your phone, on a computer, or on an iPad. It just makes sense.” The webpage currently contains information regarding each commission and their contact information, club forms, and a calendar with campus activities. The page, as of now, is currently in its early stages and updated by Histech commissioner senior Badri Krishnan. “He’s done a pretty good job. He’s kind of taken the reigns and ran with it. I’ve really done nothing as far as besides expressing to him what I’d like to see. He’s done all of the input. He’s worked hand-in-hand with [math teacher Scott] DeRuiter with the webpage. It’s kind of his brainchild,” Hicks said. According to Krishnan, four to five meetings were held with Hicks and DeRuiter in which Domonique Pieb | El Estoque Photo Illustration Krishnan was able to familiarize himself with the webpage as the three experimented with JAVA MASTER Senior Badri Krishnan updates the student activities page that outlines it. With a background knowledge of Java and the activities taking place on campus. Computer Science, Krishnan was able to create and upload pertinent information for the student body to view. Through learning with give feedback over areas needing improvement “We could totally put up information about our commissions and activities with ASB.” DeRuiter, he was introduced to various tools to the Leadership class. Throughout the year, ASB Leadership has “What I want the student body to realize is that eased the process of trying to create and develop a new page under the complex School this is their activities program. It’s not the 60 been striving to provide the student body kids in Leadership, “ Hicks said. “Their job is with more information. The recent release Loop system. “I basically developed the website from to help promote and organize that program, but of rally sheets began this pattern and the its beginning and whatever content comes to it’s not their program. It’s MVHS’s program. creation of this webpage reinforces the vision This isn’t a Leadership which, according to Hicks, is to increase the me I just put it in there if HOW TO GET THERE webpage—it’s a student availability of information of every activity it’s approved by Mr. Hicks...I Click “Student Activities” under the activities webpage that is taking place on campus. don’t do anything that Mr. “Student Life” tab on the MVHS “I think it’s like saying, ‘Hey, this is where maintained by leadership, Hicks doesn’t approve,” homepage. and I really made it clear your money is going...if you don’t like it, let us Krishnan said. know. Or if you do like it, that’s cool too.’ But to the class about that.” Managing the website C o m m u n i t y it’s your money, this is your time, these are issues and making updates as necessary in a prompt manner is a challenge Leadership’s Community Commissioner junior your resources, and this is what we’re doing,’” at times, but both Krishnan and Hicks believe Pranati Sreepathy agrees with Hicks regarding Hicks said. “I think it’s trying to build that idea that providing the students with access to the potential effectiveness of this website and of community with more people involved.” In the future, Hicks hopes that the webpage information will foster communication between hopes that Community Leadership will adopt the Leadership class and the student body. This the same idea to increase the availability of grows and more content will be placed on the website, which includes rally release forms, communication, according to the two, is vital information to the student body. “I think it’ll be really good [Community dance guest permission slips, previews of in order to raise awareness of the large amount of campus activities and allow students to Leadership sharing the webpage with ASB speakers and assemblies, and a separate page participate in them. Both claim that allowing Leadership]. We really need help promoting for clubs to post their own activities. the rest of the school to have access to such our class and our events and this would be a information will make it easier for students to really good tool for us to use,” Sreepathy said. Aafreen Mahmood || a.mahmood@elestoque.org
STRESS: Teachers, students, administrators react to documentary
Avakian believes that students are scared to talk to their parents for fear of their reaction, and that schools must play a larger part in “We want to have checks and balances: so we have guidance initiating such efforts. counselors and teachers who are making those recommendations. Then “Schools should encourage parents [to the students are insisting that they want to take [a REDEFINING SUCCESS reconsider their views] because parents think that different] class,” School Psychologist Sheila Altmann they know best, and they do usually,” Avakian said. “The check and balance there, is for the Parent Guidance Nights said, “but sometimes they also need an adult voice parents to say [no to their child]. Parents know their to make them change.” children’s schedules and extracurricular activities 1 March 15, 2011 from 7 to 8:15 p.m. better than any counselor. There is a reason why the at Homestead High School Auditorium In the works parents need to sign that form.” Bluelight Cinemas co-owner Jackie Cohen chose 2 Feb. 9, 2011 form 7 to 10 p.m. at to show “Race to Nowhere” at the theatre in hopes Parental pressures Miller Middle School Gym that community members would see it and enact According to sophomore Elma Avakian, who positive changes within Cupertino schools. attended the documentary screening, often times “The best part about ‘Race to Nowhere’ is that parents are unaware or cannot comprehend the the conversation has started. What I fear is that this conversation will stresses students face and therefore don’t realize when they are pushing end in six months from now,” Cohen said. them too hard. “The follow-up is key. Everybody gets so busy with other things Plaza notes that although parent expectations are high, students must that somehow the energy gets lost—and that’s the challenge: how do also be willing to have honest conversations with their families about we keep this going?” Altmann said. “Somebody needs to be driving what they are going through. change. Make it a priority and keep working on it.” “A lot of it is really back to the selection of courses the student takes, and sitting down with [parents] and saying, ‘I know you want me to take [this set of classes], but here is what I would like to take,‘” Plaza said. Jordan Lim || j.lim@elestoque.org Vijeta Tandon || v.tandon@elestoque.org “Hopefully families can be receptive to students.” continued from page 1
Page 3
Yet another set of riots UK student protests over rising tuition prices turn ugly. Really ugly. If there’s anything to get a college kid’s blood pumping, it’s a good protest. And if there’s anything to get a good protest going, it’s money—or lack thereof. Earlier this school year, we saw the University of California hike tuition prices and the resulting student reaction. Across all UC campuses there were protests, lock-ins, and demonstrations as students defended their educations and their pocketbooks. The United Kingdom recently found itself in a similar situation—student protests in reaction to the proposed increase in tuition prices and cuts to education spending. In a desperate attempt to protect the status quo, students all over the UK have started protesting. And apparently peaceful demonstration isn’t quite enough. In the span of a few weeks, multiple protests turned into fullblown riots. The protests caught the eye of the public when rioters TRACY ZHANG s w a r m e d t.zhang@elestoque.org Prince Charles’ car. Other than this, a total of about 200 protesters were arrested in the span of two months, and the consequences they face aren’t looking pretty. One 18-year-old British student was recently sentenced to 32 months in prison for dropping a fire extinguisher off a rooftop during a protest. That doesn’t sound too extreme until you realize that had he actually hit anyone below, they could have been killed. And now he’s going to be locked away for over two years—that’s half of the college education he was protesting about to begin with. On top of that, two students were just arrested on Jan. 12 for trying to sneak into Buckingham palace with giant protest banners. And the craziness has yet to stop. So far, there are already four large-scale protests planned—three for late January and one for March. The relentless perseverance of the student protesters is commendable, but these student protesters have gone too far. The UC students faced a similar situation, but we didn’t see anyone jumping on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Hummer or trying to sneak into the White House. At this point, the UK students are doing more harm than good. Protests have been going on since November, but Parliament has made no changes to its decision to appease the protesters. Rather, the protests are lending a bad name to the UK students. They aren’t just putting the lives of others at risk—they’re harming themselves. Yes, these protests are happening halfway across the world, but with Governor Jerry Brown’s newly proposed $500 million cut in funding for UCs and CSUs, California students might find themselves in a similar situation in the near future. The UC student protests back in 2010 were commendable in their constraint. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t get ugly this time around. Protests against the new education funding cut are inevitable—in fact, petitions have already started circulating—but if there’s anything to be learned from our cousins across the Atlantic, it’s that we need to keep things peaceful and under control. There’s nothing to be gained in letting our protest turn into violent outrage. Now that’s what we should be learning in schools.
Hating on the Haters
Page 4
Dec. 8, 2010
NEWS
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Feb. 2, 2011
NEWS
Page 5
face to
A new trend in communication
Facebook: A History
2004
Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard sophomore at the time, started thefacebook.com as a way for Harvard students to stay in touch easily.
2008
Two years after Facebook became open to anyone over the age of 13, Facebook hit 100 million users on Aug. 26, 2008.
2010
Facebook rolls out the “Like Button” throughout all public profiles, replacing the “Become a Fan” button.
2011
As of 2011, there are 500 million registered users, and 50 percent logged in at any given day, including 200 million mobile devices.
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CEO of Facebook and TIME magazine’s 2010 very day about 700,000 people join Facebook, every minute 135,849 photos are Person of the Year, Mark Zuckerberg invented uploaded, and in the past year 500 million Facebook for college students across campus people officially joined the social networking site to communicate with one another. According to TIME, Zuckerburg now looks forward to the that is now ruling the Web. Initially created for college students, Facebook “Facebookization” of the Web, so everything on has percolated to encompass college alumni, the Internet has a social context. As of this year, 2 high school students, middle school students, million websites are linked to Facebook, with the option to re-post or “Like” and eventually anyone with an other Web content. active e-mail address. MVHS I miss out on For senior Rachel has been no exception in this really scandalous trend. In the past two weeks relationship Beck, Facebook’s different alone, over 15 Facebook events functions became inspiration changes because for an AP Literature project. were created with the name they happen on Beck and the rest of her “Monta Vista” in the title. group used Facebook Facebook events have Facebook. junior Hannah DeBaets walls, status messages, become another form of publicity that reaches out and relationship status’ to to a larger majority of the student body than portray the characterization of people in the novel any e-mail list could. However, the new form of “The Age of Innocence.” “We wanted to do something that people could communication has replaced much of the personal human connection which we used to thrive on. relate to and something which made sense to most Of 140 people surveyed by El Estoque, only one of the people in the room,” Beck said. “By using person indicated in-person contact as the most Facebook, and changing relationship statuses and ‘Liking’ comments, we could really describe the effective way to inform the student body.
relationships in the book.” Beck says that the project engaged her peers and got a modern perspective of the writing style. Facebook has seemingly taken over all forms of communication, but junior Hannah DeBaets has not conformed to the social norm. DeBaets acknowledges that Facebook is one of the most popular means of communication but thinks that it is too distracting and not worth her time. “There are a lot of communication tools, but there are a lot of games and other distractions,” DeBaets said. “Going through photos and commenting on things would take too long and waste time.” To compensate for not having a Facebook, DeBaets checks School Loop daily and listens to announcements. Her friends know she doesn’t have a Facebook, so they separately e-mail her when planning for parties, but sometimes some things stay on Facebook. “Sometimes I miss out on really scandalous relationship changes because they happen on Facebook,” said DeBaets. “I usually don’t hear about it until the day after.” The website initially intended to keep track
of friends has now become an avenue to publish private info. From the old age status and relationship information to the new “check in” feature, personal information is readily available to those who seek it. The word “friends” has now two connotations, and sometimes being Facebook friends means absolutely nothing in the real world. “If I was on Facebook, I would feel weird having separate ‘Facebook friends’ and real friends because I wouldn’t want all my information out for everyone to see,” DeBaetes said. However, others like Beck appreciate knowing things about people around them that they normally would not. Beck acknowledges that although there is a significant privacy risk, it’s nice being able to contact so many people at once. “Being able to wish someone ‘Happy Birthday’ whose birthday I normally wouldn’t know about, it gets people to know each other,” she said. Whether it’s bringing people closer, making life less personal, or just being a trend, Facebook has been tapped into computers all over the world and is making changes to the way we communicate. Sarika Patel || s.patel@elestoque.org
TWIST OF HATE: Homophobia, offensive jokes in competitive contact sports continued from page 1
According to varsity basketball coach Mani Messy, time and location are also key factors in determining how strongly the anti-gay sentiment is presented within athletics. Additionally, it is not the fear of homosexuals that creates the discrimination; student-athletes tend to take this issue more lightly. “When I was in high school in the East Coast, [staying in the closet out of fear] probably would’ve been the case,” Messy said. “They were always cracking jokes about somebody. The teammates wouldn’t feel uncomfortable [about having a gay teammate] at all. It’s more about the individual; he would’ve been the target. Maybe not maliciously, but if someone felt like cracking a joke, it would be on the basketball player that’s gay.” However, Messy acknowledges that at MVHS, the general atmosphere is much more accepting of LGBT youth within athletics. He would encourage someone to come out rather than keep it a secret because he does not think that a homosexual or bisexual studentathlete would face as much discrimination as one might have in his own high school. “I think in this day and age, people are so open about their experiences, and fairness, and everybody’s got rights,” Messy said.
“In a team setting, you develop a bond, and once you get a bond going, an individual comes out, and I don’t think there’s a problem.” Both Hamwi and Ota expressed similar sentiments, stressing the idea that the brotherhood and camaraderie from being on the same team is strong enough to overcome any barriers that discrimination against homosexuals FINAL PART may cause. This is the last segment of the “The bond you have three-part series “Twist of Hate” with your teammates is really strong, and after you’ve made that bond with somebody, they’re your brother. If you came out as gay, it’d be easier,” Ota said. Hamwi emphasized that any sort of discrimination would not come from someone’s sexual orientation, but rather their personality regardless of whether they were LGBT or not. He drew from the example that if there were a varsity captain well-liked by his peers, if he were to come out, people would react positively. “On the wrestling team, if someone were to come out, we would definitely get some sort of teasing, but at the end of the day, we would go like, ‘Look dude. We don’t care. You’re a brother to us and
we’re going to treat you like one,’” Hamwi said. “The only thing that matters is if you’re a good person. People become negative to someone who’s a jerk.” However, all of these scenarios assume that the athlete remained in the closet until after joining the sport team, and creating that bond. Varsity football player senior Jason Jung brought up another perspective, noting that the case may be different for openly LGBT students that plan to join. “I think if someone joined a team, and then came out, it’d be easier,” Jung said. “But if everyone already knows that he’s gay, and he tries to join the team, he might have a harder time. People might judge him without knowing him.” This fear of judgment may be why there are extremely few, if any, openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual athletes at MVHS. At the end of the day, however, Ota believes that it is the love for the sport and the drive to succeed together as a team that overcomes any barriers created by homophobia. “Everyone’s going to have their own personal opinions but when it comes down to winning, everyone wants to win,” Ota said. Amanda Chen || a.chen@elestoque.org
NEWS
Page 6
Research projects awarded nationally
Feb. 2, 2011
Seniors dominate in nationwide Intel Science Talent Search, rewarded with $1,000 cash reward
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n Jan. 12, four students were called to make an impact on the environment with from their classrooms. Soon after, they continuing research. Tsai’s latest project is returned to their respective classes planned for February, when she’ll return to accompanied by school staff members, their Mississippi to investigate Amazonian soil parents, and a gigantic $1,000 check. Seniors called biochar that is believed to absorb Evaline Tsai, Manali Naik, Robin Cheng, and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Stephanie Wang had made it to the semi-finals of the Intel Science Talent Search, a prestigious The Anti-Inflammatorian Representing California, senior Robin national science competition. The competition, which is based on Cheng did his summer internship at local research done by the student applicant, Stanford University, where he has also been was open to high school seniors who have accepted as an undergraduate. He was sponsored by the Arthritis completed scientific research. To apply, students were asked to submit a research Foundation to do research with implications paper, personal essays, and recommendations for the treatment of intestinal inflammation in the Immunology department at Stanford from their teachers and mentors. Medical School, where he got Mississippi, California, to work alongside graduate Michigan, New York. THE COMPETITION students under a presiding MVHS’ four honorees are professor. As a researcher or as diverse as the locations 1,744 participants professor one day, Cheng’s where they performed nationwide goal is to have a lab of his their research, and their 300 semifinalists own. topics even more so. “It’s the way to enact 26 Bay Area finalists your own visions of science,” Meet the contestants: 4 MVHS semi-finalists Cheng said. The Air Cleaner He is interested Senior Evaline Tsai, in chemistry, physics who worked in her and biochemistry after uncle’s lab at the University of Mississippi, has been reading scientific magazines since participating in competitions such as the middle school as a way to further her interest Chemistry Olympiad and now research in science. When Tsai, then a sophomore, competitions. He suggests research to other decided that she wanted to do research of students leaning toward the sciences. “It provides an environment for like-minded her own, she convinced her parents to let her fly to Mississippi to work with her uncle, high school students to come together,” a chemical engineering professor, and his Cheng said. graduate students. “I think my parents are really proud of me The Computer Combination In contrast to purely biological research, because I really planned this project on my senior Manali Naik’s project introduced own,” Tsai said. Given only the space and materials needed another element as well: computer science. for her project, Tsai was able to design her Combining her interests in programming own project with implications for combatting and biology, Naik searched for a summer climate change. Tsai’s project not only provides program that fit all of her needs and found a mechanism to reduce carbon dioxide in the it at Michigan State University. She used atmosphere, it also transforms that carbon computer programs she wrote to predict dioxide into an alternative fuel to further gene expression in plants, then compared the predictions to actual experimental results to reduce emissions. She hopes to continue in the field of assess the accuracy. “This project really opened up the field of environmental or chemical engineering in college—but she’s not waiting until college Bioinformatics to me,” Naik said.
Roxana Wiswell | El Estoque
GIANT CHECK Senior Evaline Tsai holds up the check she was awarded for her research to reduce carbon emissions. She chose to do research because of her long established love of science. In addition to exploring a potential career, Naik’s summer program also allowed her to meet other high school students and share her work with them through presentations. In this way, she learned about not only her own research, but that of her peers as well. The program also required a research paper to be written, which led only naturally into entering into competitions such as the Intel Science Talent Search. The Bone Detective Fellow honoree senior Stephanie Wang, whose summer internship took her to Stony Brook University in New York, advises fellow students to get themselves involved in research if it aligns with their interests. “Expose yourself to the whole research process... having a good lab is probably the most important thing you can do for yourself
when going into competitions,” Wang said. At Stony Brook, she had the equipment she needed for her research into fine-tuning the ultrasound techniques used to diagnose osteoporosis, the loss of bone mass. She enjoyed the experience of living in the dorms for a full seven weeks, the longest she’d ever been away from home. “I definitely learned more critical thinking skills and got more of an insight into the field,” Wang said. In addition to entering her research in competition, Wang presented at the Orthopedic Research Society’s annual meeting. In the future, she hopes to continue in some sort of research, building on the solid foundation the she has developed throughout high school. Roxana Wiswell|| r.wiswell@elestoque.com
Campus/Club Commission works to install new bins around campus Students welcome permanent garbage, recycling bins placed in order to reduce litter, seagulls overhead
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Erin Chiu | El Estoque
RECYCLING OR TRASH? Sophomore Britni Chon uses new bins.
ehind many of MVHS’s changes on campus is a group of students that has taken on a load of work it was not expecting when it began its time on ASB Leadership. One of the major tasks that ASB Leadership’s Club/Campus Commission took on this year was fully completing the installation of permanent trash and recycle cans around campus. This project was begun by the “Green Team,” an organization created by Campus Commission in previous years. At the price of about $500 per can, the 21 pairs of garbage and recycle cans were
installed at the beginning of the two-week holiday. At the end of last school year, ASB Leadership along with its advisors and Deans of Students Michael Hicks and Denae Moore decided to combine the Club and Campus Commissions to increase efficiency. As a result, the newly converged Club/Campus Commission has been working hard to pull through with the projects that were never fully executed. The recycling bin project was started to encourage students to be environmentally friendly. Through this program, the commission hopes to
reduce the amount of litter as well as the number of seagulls that hover above the rally court after lunch. “We’ve already seen students who have been using the [trash and recycle] bins,” said Club Commissioner junior Ryan Chui. “The workload is immense, and we have a ton of work every day, but we have a lot of fun every day and I know that our commission can take it,” Chui said. Erin Chiu || e.chiu@elestoque.org
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Feb. 2, 2011
Page 7
OPINION
Success is result of effort, not laziness Inactive students do not deserve to win the battle for field lights
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of LMU have jobs, families, and lives, they fought tooth and n October 2009, the parcel tax Measure B was passed by nail to strike down the proposal to build football lights. And voters. In October 2009, it was determined that MVHS in comparison, MVHS students have barely scratched would receive funding for new football lights, among the surface. If the members of LMU are willing to take time other things. In October 2009, it became strikingly clear that and energy away from their other activities to f ig h t it will only be a matter of time before MVHS can host its first against the lights, it’s an unmistakable night-time football game in its entire history. sign that they genuinely care about the That is, until Lynbrook-Monta Vista-United impact on their neighborhoods. brought a lawsuit in tow. What do our sporadic-at-best, This story isn’t about how the lawsuit is binder-paper petitions say about us? bad, or how the neighbors don’t The crux of this argument can care about the well-being of the actually be explained with simple students. Nor is it a recounting physics. Newton’s law of inertia states of how having football lights that an object at rest stays at rest, is somehow MVHS’s manifest unless acted upon by an outside force. destiny. This new turn of events The same can be said about the issue calls for new action, action that of football lights—an issue at rest stays MVHS students have not been at rest, unless acted upon by an outside enthusiastic enough to provide. force. If we don’t provide enough of our The lack of enthusiasm begs the own external force and continue to question: do MVHS students remain apathetic, we can’t expect really deserve football lights? change. LMU is a group of residents If the neighbors living within are working so hard, Ly n b r o o k then maybe they High School STAFF EDITORIAL deserve to have the and MVHS The opinion of the light project cancelled. boundar ies. El Estoque Editorial We may not be able to They are actively Board hire lawyers or fight protesting against court battles, but we the football have voices. We can still all go to lights. Their lawsuit states that board meetings, stage protests, show the other parties involved the district’s plans don’t comply that we actually care about having football lights on our campus. with the California Environmental If we really want those lights, we have to be loud about it now. We Quality Act. can’t just wait until game day to turn up the volume. Despite the fact that members
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ue to the untimely and tragic death of teacher Ron Freeman, the rally was fittingly dedicated to him. While there were certain components already in place that couldn’t be changed, the rally organizers did their level best to pay respect to Freeman and show that he will be sorely missed.
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BREAK It’s a sense of humor, not hate DOWN P
Joking about homosexuality isn’t prejudiced
one issue – six ways
CENTS FOR EACH GLOW STICK, ON AVERAGE This may not seem like much, but considering that classes bought several hundred of these each, changing the theme would have been very expensive.
PICTURES IN THE COMMEMORATIVE SLIDESHOW These pictures were contributed by those who knew Freeman and were put together to form the opening slideshow. The slideshow itself was a thoughtful gesture.
SIGNS IN MEMORY OF FREEMAN hung in the gym. These were made by the classes of 2011, 2012, 2013, and the ASB Leadership class. RALLY VIDEOS Unlike previous rallies, this one was particularly video-heavy, with one video for each class, the opening slideshow tribute to Freeman, and a tribute to all the classes.
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PERFORMANCES BY MVHS DANCE TEAMS Again, there was an unusually high amount of dance performances. Unlike previous rallies, MV Bhangra and MV Color Guard both performed in addition to the usual groups, Dance and Song.
POINTS SCORED Class competition was removed from this rally as a fitting tribute to Freeman, who believed that the spirit of the competition was more important than winning. Vinay Raghuram || v.raghuram@elestoque.org
eople have to understand, the locker room is not a field for serious debate. There are jokes about everything, whether its’ race, beliefs, or sexuality. No matter what you believe, odds are that you’ll be insulted at some point. But, insulted is a strong word because it’s all in good fun. However, there are people who would say that this type of conversation is no laughing matter. They feel that sensitive topics such as these should not be discussed in the locker room, especially sexuality. In my experience on the water polo team last year, and in P.E., homosexuality has never been a hostile topic in sports teams. In fact, most often it is instead treated comically. While it isn’t politically correct, pretending to be gay for laughs is as common as swearing. In a survey conducted by El Estoque, about half of the respondents claimed that they are perfectly comfortable with this type of humor. It’s high time that the other half got over their discomfort. To put it simply, it’s boys being boys, and it’s not unhealthy. While there are many students who do not make any of these jokes, the majority of students don’t object to them according to survey results. There are some who would say that gay jokes are a method of displaying homophobia, which may be true for some. However, if an athlete was asked, most would be unable to say that the locker room has an antihomosexual atmosphere. “I think that we are comfortable with our bodies, so I don’t think homophobia in the locker room exists anymore, only jokes about them,” said sophomore water polo player Adi Iyer. “In fact, I’d say most of us are pro-gay rights.” The locker room sense of humor laughs at all sorts of nasty things, particularly racism. continued on page 10
49 percent of students are comfortable with gay jokes in the locker room
humor or hate?
51 percent of students are not comfortable with gay jokes in the locker room
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Feb. 2, 2011
OPINION
The Flip Side
Dealing with the pressure
Eliminating pressure means being open
Pressure is necessary for success
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NEWS
any parents flock to Cupertino, and put down life savings on the overexpensive houses in order to give their children a top-notch eduction—and that’s what they got. The fierce competition, intense pressure, and immense amount of stress are all just an integral part of that education. There is no question that our current world is riddled with competition, if not driven by it. With the economic state of our country, the job market has become more competitive than ever. Lay-offs are now common. Promotions are rare and infrequent. Proving oneself comes with pressure and stress, and those unprepared to face the challenge are easily trampled over by those who are. By having exposure to a similar competitive atmosphere in high school, Cupertino students are only being trained for the inevitable future. If competition at home wasn’t enough to drive them, the fast pace of the world market should be. With jobs being outsourced to countries like China, not only are there fewer jobs, but also more competition to beat. But in this case, more is definitely not merrier. It’s easy for young Americans to be left behind. Cupertino schools foster students who are prepared for the futures. The schools shouldn’t be chastised or punished. They should be encouraged, even rewarded. With rising API scores, graduation rates, and Ivy League acceptances, obviously someone is doing something is right. And the irony is that parents encourage and insist that their children attend colleges with similar atmospheres. A large percent of last year’s graduating class now attends University of California, Berkeley, a school also known for competition. They weren’t forced to choose Berkeley. This was the college of their choice. Similarly, parents weren’t forced to buy these houses, and put their children into these schools. So the fact that we have an overcrowded school system should serve as proof enough to convince people of the obvious benefits of this school system. Something must be going correctly. Sure, there are hazards to this kind of lifestyle, and maybe it feels like lines are being crossed or students are being pushed too hard. But in the “real world” there is no such thing. The line doesn’t exist and falling flat on your face is just part of the journey. It’s the ability that we have, as well-trained students, placed in competitive environments and mindsets from a young age, that gives us a chance to pick ourselves up and keep going. Going on to be the best. So lets face it—it’s a dog-eat-dog world. We just happen to be the pit bulls.
See “Relief Efforts” on page 1 For more on the impact of “Race to Nowhere” in the MVHS community, and some of the solutions being proposed
Sahana Sridhara || s.sridhara@elestoque.org
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ennedy Middle School counselor Jessica Williams’s questions to the audience at the Race to Nowhere forum on Jan. 18 were simple enough. Raise your hand if you can identify with a parent in this film. Raise your hand if your child spends three or more hours on homework a night. Raise your hand if your family eats together three to four times a week. Raise your hand if your child has ever cried over a test score or grade. Most parents, the majority of the audience, had their hands raised the entire time. Then Williams asked the million-dollar question. Raise your hand if your child has expressed fear or uncertainty about their future. Hands dropped like flies. That was shocking enough—but as the discussion wore on, the issue was barely mentioned among the barrage of concerns parents had about the school system. Worries about teachers giving too much or too little homework. Parents who spoke all wanted to know what the schools were doing to stop this race to nowhere, but no one questioned what parents were doing. Although parents’ concerns about the school system are valid, the first thing that should have been discussed is why the response to Williams’ last question was so low. It should have shocked, worried, moved us to take a look at how strongly parental relationships can influence students’ lives. It’s understandably hard to acknowledge that students aren’t talking to their parents about their fears and uncertainties about their futures. But that doesn’t mean that the issue can be ignored. It’s not the thought that counts—it’s the message that is sent. Parents may think by pushing their kids harder they are showing their love, but if their child doesn’t appreciate that, then no amount of homework reduction is going to help relieve the pressure on students. Too much pressure is the consequence of the real problem: relationships at home. If parents and students can effectively communicate, and together decide on what success means, then progress can be made. They’ll know that they are loved regardless of their extracurriculars and academic record. The moving documentary “Race to Nowhere” gave the nation a wake-up call, and asked us to rethink the definition of success. The response to Williams’ last question was our own personal wake-up call. Parental relationships aren’t completely to blame, but they play a major, undeniable role. Why not work our way from the inside out? Parents, talk to your students—and students, talk to your parents. The progress we make towards redefining success starts with the progress we make at home. Anushka Patil || a.patil@elestoque.org
UNCOVERING THE BUILT PRESSURE
On Jan. 11 and Jan.18, the documentary “Race to Nowhere” was screened in the auditorium for students, parents, teachers, and community members. The film exposed problems of the pressure students face in school about grades, success, and the future. Is this pressure necessary for a learning environment? Do students profit? Or is the pressure a problem with underlying causes that hinder the learning of the kids? tio
n Vishakha Joshi, Sarika Patel and
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Feb. 2, 2011
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OPINION
Points defeat purpose of rallies
The social network
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Sojourn into facebook
Removal of class competition better unites sense of school community s a school absorbed in being the best we are often caught up in the act of winning. In our thirst for first place, rallies are no exception; even at the cost of stinging hands, sore throats or throbbing ear drums. The Technicolor Rally on Jan. 28 marked a pause in the usual scoring of rallies—as it was dedicated to the late Ron Freeman. It allowed students to appreciate and celebrate the legacy of a man who meant a lot to our school and its members. Whether they knew him or not, those that were present cheered and chanted just as loud. The scores didn’t matter—what did was the fact that students were able to put aside their competitive nature and unite for the same cause. Rallies exist so that students can celebrate their hard work, class spirit and, most importantly, display their appreciation for this school. Though their intention was to excite students and increase school spirit and unity, rallies have been creating great divides between classes. Prideful winners take their victory as a right to taunt the losing classes, and sore losers take that as an excuse to engage in inappropriate behavior—like posting hateful messages on blogs and social networking sites. This year, the class of 2012 was met with much resentment when it won the Homecoming Rally. The win caused uproar and spiteful comments circulated the Internet. By eliminating scores, rallies end up serving their purpose more effectively, raising morale, and allowing all students, not just the winners, to de-stress and create fun memories. Students get the opportunity to actually enjoy the performances by their peers, and the performers know that the cheers are directed towards them, not just because a class wants to win. In life, there are always winners and losers,
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found this new thing called a “Facebook.” I don’t know if you have heard of it before, but I decided to join the website. So on Dec. 28, 2010 at 8:13 p.m., I gave it my name, typed out my e-mail, and lied about reading the “Terms and Conditions.” After I clicked on that green “Sign Up” button all I could think was, “Oh my, I’ve done it now…”
United we stand Dominique Pieb | El Estoque Photo Illustration
but for events made to boost morale and school spirit, distinguishing the two retracts from the purpose of the event. If half the people attending a rally walk out feeling dejected, defeated, or outright angry, did the rally really fulfill its purpose? Though some may say that people need to realize that rallies aren’t that big of a deal, the fact is, for the majority of students to whom competition is a way of life, it is a big deal. Although not scoring the rallies may make the atmosphere seem less intense, in the long run, it’ll foster a much more appreciative and united community if the competitive aspect is abandoned altogether.
With the competitiveness eliminated, it would allow more staff and student involvement, more rally games, and maybe even more skits and performances, allowing rallies to serve their purpose in celebrating the school. Even without the competitive aspect of this rally, the emotions were still high, the classes were still able to cheer, and people actually paid attention to the performances rather than panic to think of their next class cheer. In the end, it just goes to show that we don’t need competition to show our spirit— We can do just as well without it. Arifa Aziz || a.aziz@elestoque.org
Dieting, fasting not suited for losing weight
Depriving oneself of food does more harm than good to one’s health
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ome people may love to eat. Others may word “breakfast” broken down is essentially proof or guarantee that it works. Over half of live to eat. But it’s best to eat to live— a “break” from the “fast.” On a school day, if the surveyed students stated that the diets healthy, of course. the average person eats dinner at 7 p.m. and they went on were not effective in helping Losing weight is more than just about does not eat breakfast, it’s almost 17 hours them loose weight. A few of these people even looking good–being before the next meal. stated that after having nothing but water for DIETARY INFO heavy later in life can When the body is a couple of days, they lost no weight at all. lead to or worsen duped into believing And isn’t that a waste of effort? numerous grave it’s starving, it So what should people do in order to lose In a survey of 140 students, of those who medical conditions. releases hormones weight? It’s clear that dieting—basically answered that they do or did diet: Though controlling that cause you to starving the body of essential nutrients— one’s weight is wise, crave sugary sweets, doesn’t work. Nor will sitting on one’s butt 10% drank water only some people take and carbohydrates. and doing nothing. In this case, the key to weight control to The simple weight loss is 31% reduced their intake of food the extreme. In fact, carbohydrates mo der at ion. according to a survey can provide People shouldn’t See “What the health“ on by El Estoque, many the body obsess about 16% ate no food page 23 for related content of those people are at with the whether having MVHS. instant burst something at a 29% ate only fruits or vegetables Almost 45 percent of energy it restaurant will of the 140 students needs. Although the add to their body mass, and then eventually 14% cut their intake of junk food surveyed claimed short burst of energy forgo the coveted dish. People should eat what that they do not is effective, it usually they want, but not too much, and balance it follow a healthy diet, comes at the cost of off with regular exercise. and worst of all, 13 high calories and high Eating is the most vital part to staying alive. percent of these students forget, or choose fat content. Being healthy is so much more important than to skip breakfast. Although it may seem trite, There is a significant number of people at trying to shed a few pounds. So don’t worry breakfast is the most important meal of the this school who go on unhealthy, skimpy diets, about being skinny as a supermodel. You’re day. According to physiology teacher Jenna which is exactly where the problem occurs. beautiful just the way you are. Smith, eating breakfast allows the body to kick There are people who go on water-only diets start its metabolism and provides the energy and eat absolutely nothing for 24hours a day, needed for most of the day. In addition, the many days a week. And there’s absolutely no Shanthi Guruswamy || s.guruswamy@elestoque.org
SPORTS
El Estoque Online: Your thoughts last month This comment was posted on Jan. 7 in response to the Opinion story “Finals should not foster academic dishonesty.”
Have you meditated at school before? 50
I agree that finals should be held by subject...If each type of class, for example Algebra 2/Trig, had the same final, then it would help teachers reach a common goal in teaching students.
40 30 20
No
Yes, with Mr. Only at Prinz home during tutorial
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Anonymous
0
42.9% 28.6%
19%
Yes, in myth class 9.5%
*21 people responded to this survey as of Jan. 23
On Jan. 26, Cupertino mayor Gilbert Wong gave the annual State of the City address. In the speech, he stated that extending Cupertino Library’s hours would be one of his top goals for the upcoming year. The library currently possesses one of the highest circulation rates in the nation and the highest in Santa Clara County.
Would an extension of Cupertino Library’s hours be useful for MVHS students? Go online to elestoque.org to comment.
Natalie Chan and Facebook are now friends. Facebook was not what I expected. For the first half hour, I clicked each button as though I were trying to disassemble a bomb—cautiously. This was the social network that I had heard so much about. There was supposed to be poking and liking and friending. I thought there would be people spending hours upon hours scrolling through posts. Where were the online predators looking to do more than just “friend” a person? For so long when I told people I did not have a Facebook, they would look at me as though I had said I was born on the planet Gallifrey. Then when I got one, I kept waiting for something to happen, s omet h ing shocking and utterly lifechanging. It never did. A l m o s t nothing changed. In real life, I passed by Facebook friends who I never talk NATALIE CHAN to. We were just n.chan@elestoque.org acquaint ances, but Facebook does not have an “Add as Acquaintance” option. I liked some posts, but I never ack nowledged them at school. Even when the website had wormed its way into my daily habits, it would fall between brushing my teeth and taking my gummy bear vitamins. I would consider Facebook just an acquaintance.
What’s normal anyway?
Leave a comment Now that I have said Facebook is not absolutely amazing, you may believe that I think Facebook is terrible. It takes up your free time. It takes away your privacy. Facebook has all of the disadvantages of an active social life, but with more people you care less about—although how much I know about an active social life is debatable. Perhaps because I do not love Facebook, I am supposed to say half of what you see there is untrue. That is part of the Internet Factor: Everyone online is five times more attractive and twenty times more popular. For a while, my profile picture was of Darth Vader and I had eight friends. Do the math—it is the Internet Factor at work. You may expect me to say Facebook is wholly bad for you, but I won’t. The truth is that I am still as much of a friend to the people I knew before Facebook as I am now. Nothing much has happened. It is similar to the feeling you get on your birthday. You are a year older, but you feel the same. Yet, at least on your birthday you get cake. When you are on Facebook, you are just on Facebook. That is why I do not understand how it is the most visited website of 2010, bigger than even Google. Mark Zuckerberg earned billions by essentially saying, “Look at these people you are friends with in real life. Now you can be friends with them online!” Facebook is not bad, but it is definitely not the best thing since sliced bread—that is called the sandwich. When I first decided to join the 500 million people on the website, I told myself that I would deactivate my account once I was done with this experiment. Now, I am not sure if I will. In the end, it will not make a difference. I live in the real world with 6.8 billion active users. Not even Facebook can beat that.
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GAY JOKES: Not meant to hurt continued from page 7
But again, just like the gay jokes, students really mean no harm. Many of these jokes are self-deprecating, Eastern Asian kids make fun of Asians, and Indians do the same for their own race. Students should not feel offended because they need to realize that the jokes that people make may in no way be representative of their actual, serious views on an issue. Never once have I been bullied in a racial or sexual manner—if I was ever offended, people were quick to apologize. If any of my friends said I went too far, I did all I could to extinguish any hard feelings. And other students should be encouraged to speak up when they are really offended. It seems that many students often underestimate the compassion and intellect of athletes just because they don’t believe that jocks are capable of deep t h o ug h t . Kids make See “Behind closed jokes about doors” on page 1 for blondes related content w h i l e blondes are around, and they sometimes laugh with us. The same goes for races, so why shouldn’t it for sexuality, too? It’s all okay until somebody gets hurt, but we know when to stop. Even if some of us are, as some might say, “homophobic,” students are still, for the most part, polite, which is why “homophobia” in the locker room is not an issue. It’s undeniable that, with regards to “homophobia,” the majority of us are immature in general. We make jokes and can laugh at just about anything. We’re just kids being kids; we’re not trying to hurt anybody. We’re mature when we need to be, and that is what counts in the end.
NEWS
Morahd Shawki || m.shawki@elestoque.org
Feb. 2, 2011
OPINION
Woes of antisocial networking Social networking causes deterioration of interpersonal communication
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t’s been a long day at school, and almost instinctively, you sit down in front of your computer and log onto your favorite social networking account to blow off some steam. As you scroll down into the news feed, you learn that John already forgot what’s for homework tonight, Mary bought two tickets to her favorite play, your best friend’s grandma passed away last night, and Victor really needs to go to the bathroom. Now you’ve got probably fifty more posts to go through, and you probably did not catch the third item down the list. Not because you are a heartless monster, but simply due to the fact that you are scrolling through hundreds of posts at a time, and that’s thousands of words you are digesting in under half a minute. There may seem to be no problem in this scenario, but the dilemma in fact strikes home in the way we communicate with others and is not as visible as we think, whether it be Facebook, MySpace, Tumblr, or Twitter. With the average person having the ability to contact 700-plus people who you may—or may not—know with only a few clicks on the computer, people are spending much less time communicating face to face. In fact, in a December 2009 study by the Pew Research Center for the People & The Press, 21 percent of Americans said that social networking will take a turn for the worse in the next ten years. When talking on the computer, there is this added curtain of anonymity, even if you know the person on the other side. People are merely entering emotionless
Elvin Wong| El Estoque Illustration
text into a lit-up screen, allowing sincere and realistic. for time to type, revise, and Also, based on the fact that these respond which decreases the messages are nothing but text and genuineness and sensation that have no emotional value, the way exists in spoken word. we perceive communication is So what is the reason for such greatly skewed from, let’s say, an decline in the quality and meaning in-person conversation complete of what we post online? The with facial expressions and tone of voice. culprit is actually the structure of the At the end social networking of the day, these posts are site itself. See “Face-to-Facebook” on nothing more B e c a u s e page 5 for related content memorable of this, com munic at ion than what over the Internet someone has had for lunch. is clearly Unlike perhaps degrading social interaction as a whole, and the a personal conversation over the fact that people digest a multitude phone or in person, there is nothing of posts and information in one to be remembered from the witty single swipe down a page makes comment someone made three our reaction to them much less hours ago that racked up about
five “likes.” This daily cycle is doing nothing but fueling the death of traditional communication as we know it. However, there is still hope for the Internet as a reliable communication medium. With video and voice chatting becoming increasingly popular alternatives, communicating over the Internet could still retain the effectiveness and feel of face-toface conversation. The Internet may have brought forth wonders like the compendium of all human knowledge known as Wikipedia, but it is destroying the unique way we used to, and should, communicate with one another, the unique way that, in the end, makes us all so human.
NEWS
Elvin Wong || e.wong@elestoque.org
AP content changes detrimental in the end Decreases in breadth costly for focused, interested students
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f you’re planning on taking an Advanced Placement test learning aides to their fullest extent, would have to buy more in the next few years, don’t buy your Barron’s book yet. materials in order to achieve the desired depth—a financial Starting next school year, the College Board will impossibility. In all likelihood, the content that we continue change the curricula for a series of AP exams, in many cases to be taught will not become any more comprehensive, and reducing the breadth of their content. It sounds convenient at the College Board’s changes will result in net learning cuts. first, but in the end it might hang The reasonable direction in which the REVISIONS students out to dry. College Board should move, then, is toward The approach for history more challenging courses. By taking a smaller 2011- 2012 school year and science classes, which will number of more rigorous AP courses, not World History, French, German see their content trimmed, only would we be encouraged to discover raises a question about the which academic fields most interest us, but 2012 - 2013 school year philosophy behind the exams: we would also be able to study our chosen Spanish, Latin Is the purpose of an AP class to fields at a much higher level in college. let students get as much college We would still be able to use our collegeDate not finalized credit as possible ahead of time, level textbooks to their fullest extent, and Biology, Physics B, Chemistry or to allow them to dig deeper teachers could supplement the old content into the subject matter—to the with more advanced concepts. No revisions planned to date college level—in high school? Any individual AP class would be more Physics C, Environmental Science The proposed changes difficult and time-demanding, but the seem in line with the former. workload could be managed with fewer AP By reducing course scope classes overall. significantly—one AP Biology teacher told the New York Yet doing this alone would leave us with more required Times that she would no longer need over a third of the courses to take for the first year or two of college, since we chapters in her textbook—the classes would each require a couldn’t take as many AP exams. So the best way to improve smaller workload, and students would likely take more AP the system is with a two-pronged attack: make APs harder classes as a result. This would mean more credits by the and reduce general education requirements in college, to start of freshman year in college, but an introductory college account for the smaller number of exams taken per student. course skipped by an AP student would include content that There would still be opportunities for interdisciplinary the College Board had removed. studies in college, but we If, for example, you’re an AP Biology student planning wouldn’t be required to to study history in college, that isn’t much of a concern. complete as many general See “Changes in AP Bio But if you’re a prospective biology major, the new system education credits since it courses” on page 2 for related content could create a problematic gap—the forsaken third of the would be more difficult to textbook—between your AP class and a college course. fulfill such requirements And even though the history-oriented student would win with APs. Again, with out by getting college science requirements out of the way, harder AP courses, we couldn’t take as many. his or her history knowledge would take a hit. And that way, we won’t need to buy as many prep books The College Board claims that reducing breadth will in the first place. increase the depth of the content we can explore in class. But Joseph Beyda || j.beyda@elestoque.org our cash-strapped schools, already using textbooks and other
NEWS
Editors in Chief Mansi Pathak Vijeta Tandon
2010-2011
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. 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 http://elestoque.org
Feb. 2, 2011
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A CLOSER LOOK
The recent screenings of ‘Race to Nowhere’ have sparked debate and begged the question, what alternatives are out there? What strategies are being used...
OUTSIDE
BUBBLE? OF OUR
Reinforcing creativity, not grades Waldorf School of the Peninsula teaches students to appreciate learning, provides opportunities to express creativity
BREAK OUT THE CREATIVITY (left) English students work in the student common room that serves as a makeshift classroom. (above) Juniors learn about the human head by molding clay skulls in Carolyn Siegel’s art class.
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isn’t forced for one week and communicated by gesturing and writing on upon by the notebooks instead. And how do students at Waldorf learn grading system. about the anatomy of a human head? By molding a human Even though there skull out of clay Carolyn Siegel’s art class, muscles and all. It’s the way Waldorf isn’t seen as a prison but rather as a are no bells to mark the beginning playground for adolescent teenagers. Before beginning their of class, the students Morning Lesson, Dr. Schmid leads the juniors in reciting at Waldorf are in their countless tongue-twisters. The room bursts in laughter when one respective classrooms on student incorrectly recites, “I am a mother pheasant plucker!” time. Unless if they have to Just minutes earlier, these students had been grumbling about q sto lE the senior prank. They don’t like having to sit on wooden |E go to an off-campus, g n Wo O S N o f f i c e s p a c e T lvin W C E , ALD benches and chairs in the common room instead an el T K FA classroom. Then, ani C OR of their normal couches. l, D l I e i sw U na W It’s the way the school is one tightlya not wanting to be x o ,R Q y Wu Ashle knit community. Before school and during left behind, students lunch, students of all ages hang out in are sitting in the school’s van School population: 39 students the school’s common room. When one minutes before the teacher arrives student muses whether or not juniors to drive them off. Class size: Approximately 10 students and seniors would have a separate It’s the way how, like the common room when Waldorf moves school’s mantra, the arts and Highlight of the school: It has to a bigger facility next year, some daily student life are intertwined. a strong emphasis on community of the juniors object because they Dr. Mark-Daniel Schmid has and humanitarian learning. Each enjoy having everyone together in one his 15 juniors listen to one year there is a three-week ungraded room. The feeling of community is so orchestral piece each morning for unit during which students study the great that, during Waldorf’s first year, a week, such as George Gershwin’s elements earth, fire, water, and air. the students banded together to draft a “Rhapsody in Blue,” to give students proposal that allowed them to spend their a deeper understanding of oftenlunchtime off-campus. neglected classical music. Art teacher All of these traits combine to form one Paula Piemonte tells her students to “just unique learning environment. However, even without love the colors!” and open their minds while they create abstract veil paintings and inadvertently create images knowing what Waldorf is all about, it’s pretty obvious from the first few minutes of the school day that the school is such as ducks and mermaids. It’s the way students participate in unorthodox activities. different. It’s the philosophy behind the school that has given it the In their Ecological Literacy class, students voluntarily give up something they take for granted for two or three weeks: environment it has: the idea that students who embrace their Some go vegan, some eschew from using Facebook, and individuality grow into adults who do the same. others go barefoot. One junior girl actually gave up speaking Daniel Tan || d.tan@elestoque.org
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t’s a four-classroom place with teachers who write with real chalk on real blackboards and don’t use textbooks. It’s a place where students dangle a 10-yard-long electric-blue cord from a pushed-open ceiling panel to hook a computer up to the Internet. It’s a place with a student common room furnished with old-school kindergarten coat hangers, bright-red sofas, and a huge poster with drawings of pig and puppy faces. Welcome to Waldorf High School of the Peninsula, population 39 students. It’s a school that focuses on community and creativity, on student development and the arts. None of the textbook-y and grade stuff. The focus on learning, not scores, permeates the entire school. During Waldorf’s first year—the school is only four years old—its teachers did not give any grades. Although the school administrators soon realized that students needed scores to apply for college, they still shunned the orthodox system of grading. Waldorf uses teacher evaluations, not flat percentages, and even then freshmen and sophomores are not shown their transcripts unless they really want to. Regardless of the unconventional grading system, though, there’s a different feel to Waldorf. It’s the way students are motivated to learn in a way that
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Say ‘bonjour’ to the City by the Bay San Francisco’s French-American school offers unique international experience
CLASSIC ROCK Students play modern instruments in an unconventional band class at The FrenchAmerican High School.
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SPIRIT WALL The students of Notre Dame create a competition to motivate their fundraising.
A second chance for expelled students At the FUHSD Community School, kids learn about respect, karate, girls
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Danielle Kay || d.kay@elestoque.org
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without a collared shirt, and add another half hour to your detention in exchange for the shirt. Headwear is prohibited, as is cussing and general disrespect. The philosophy at the school is this: Behave as if this was a job interview. Anything you wouldn’t do at an interview, you shouldn’t do in class, may it be burping or leaving to go to the bathroom in the middle of class. After lunch, the boys have 50 minutes of karate instruction by a black belt with a calm, slow voice like Cleveland from Family Guy and an attitude toward fighting centered around the idea of not using it unless completely necessary. Some put so much effort into the kicks, blocks, and punches that the strain on the joints is palpable. Others put so little force behind their movements that their cheeks would jiggle. By the end of the lesson, the moves became more efficient after several boys were made aware that their groin would be an easy target for an attacker. The instructor took the few last minutes to talk to the boys about a very important topic: girls. He told the boys that girls ultimately picked them, and that they wouldn’t always be satisfied with “hoodrats.” According to him, the boys had the option to be “fools or intelligent.” He vocalized his hope that they would be intelligent, and on that note left the classroom. His message seemed to resonate with them. Math follows karate and too much chatting ultimately led to one student‘s desk being dragged to the entrance of the adjoining room by the teacher, with the student still in it, protesting jocularly. The end of the day is marked by students remarking about something they liked, learned, or appreciated as a positive end to the day. Then everybody stands, raises both hands in an “I come in peace,” places their palms together and murmurs “namaste.” Previously it was a handshake at the door, as with a job interview, but flu season did away with that. “Can you quote me?” asked one guy at the end of the day. I’m happy to accommodate.
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ehind the district office are two small, nondescript brown portables. On the back wall of the first classroom is a poster that says, “We believe you were born inherently worthy!” above a row of computers. The first classroom is more decorative than the second, with teaching memorabilia covering the shelves and inspirational posters on the wall. The second E COMM is more barren, with computers in the back and a blank H T UN room ON whiteboard in the front. This is the school where expelled kids I S TY go. The Community School. CT The maximum stay at this school is two semesters, after which the student can go back to a regular high school Student population: about 15 to 20 in the district. Students come into class as the semester Purpose of school: a school for expelled progresses and students are expelled from their home FUHSD students for up to two semesters high schools for various reasons. The classrooms are small, and only about a third of the seats are filled at Prominent characteristic: this time of the semester. As the semester progresses, Students must wear non-sagging pants, 15 to 20 students from the tucked-in polo shirts, and can’t have district fill the seats. hats on. Class starts at 8:45 a.m. sharp. The penalty for coming late is detention after class for the amount of time you were late by, may it be a minute or half an hour. Rules dictate a dress code of a collared shirt and belted, non-sagging pants in black, white, or grey; gang colors are prohibited. If a student forgets his shirt and comes in early, fine. There’s a drawer full of black polos in the adjoining room. Come in late
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s a private, Catholic, all-girls These school activities help raise spirit. The girls create CTS ON NOT A school, Notre Dame in bonds among themselves, much like a sisterhood, F R E D tight ICK San Jose is not the because grade sizes are so small. U A Q Grade size: 150 girls vision of neat and proper “Independence High School [has] five times girls who are overly the amount of students here at Notre Location: downtown San Jose cheerful, but yes, they Dame,” said senior Sandra Acosta. Type of school: an all-girls, private Catholic do wear uniforms. When the new class of freshmen college preparatory school The first thing that arrive each year, the freshmen catches the eye is the have a “beginning of the Religion Classes: classes include Spirituality noticeable absence of school” sleepover where they of Leadership and World Religions males when entering all pick their own mascot for Academic Curriculum: Students must take the school, though their year. The freshmen 6 classes per semester, with few exceptions. the school does host this year chose to be The Graduation requirements include 2 years mixers with Bellarmine Red and Purple Phoenixes, of Modern Language study and 3 years of College Preparatory. and the sophomores are Mathematics. Some girls who chose to The Pink and Green Cobras. come to Notre Dame say The juniors chose to be The that they do not really care Teal and Yellow Super Heroes, about that absence. “It’s not like and the seniors are the The Royal we never see boys,” said senior Mia Blue and Orange Warriors. Because Orantia. “We still have dances of all the bonding the school goes like Winter Formal and Prom, however during school it’s more through, it is easier to express their own focused on education, which makes it easier.” ideas shown through their unorthodox The other most noticeable thing? The impressive mascots for each class. architecture. It takes three flights of stairs to get to the Just as much as school spirit, religion uppermost level of Manley Hall, the biggest building at Notre is also integrated in Notre Dame life. Dame. It overlooks downtown San Jose, and the location of the Classes like Spirituality of Leadership school there in the heart of the city often involves them in more teach the girls to find their own leader than their own school. The poster covered in rows of colored inside of them. For one of their projects, paper, for example, is a running chart of which grade has students wrote personal prayers that described donated the most for their school’s program, Student Outreach their beliefs and presented them as a group in for Shelters. It all started when Khaled Hosseini, author of The their campus ministry. In the beginning of the Kite Runner, visited the school last summer, year, a group of girls studied female role models, after they read his book as a group. This who were leaders in their own lives—because Notre happens every year: the school assigns Dame San Jose aims to build a strong foundation for the a book to read over the summer and the students to stand on their own. author of the book visits the school once it resumes. Pooja Ravikiran || p.ravikiran@elestoque.org
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Students combine religion and school with an emphasis on community and leadership
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population of just 340 students, but it works. “The first unique aspect that comes to mind is the international dimension here,” said Assistant Principal Joel Cohen. “We have about 15 nationalities at this school between the student body and faculty. Students come from all over the world, and so do the teachers.” Across a compact side street on the other side of Oak St. lies the Arts pavilion, nestled between apartment complexes and labeled by a diamond-shaped sign jutting out from the facade. The International school places special emphasis on the visual and performing arts, but takes an innovative spin with emphasis on theatre and a contemporary approach to band classes. The three stories of the Arts building are divided between music on the lower floor, art at ground level, and theater on the top floor. Yet there’s no classical orchestra to be found anywhere here. Instead, the lowest floor boasts professional-grade recording equipment rooms, a number of classical, electric, acoustic, and bass guitars, and drum sets for student use during class. The school day is already drawing to a close as senior Catherine Schuknecht finds herself immersed in her research portfolio for I.B. art, which hosts a collection of pieces and an internal essay on a common theme. She takes a sip from the bottled iced tea by her side. “We’re all pretty sleep deprived,” she laughs. “But it’s worth it. It’s a really strong program and good practice for college, from what I hear.” For this tight-knit group of multicultural big city-dwellers driven by independence in learning, education isn’t about going beyond their limits just for the sake of college recognition. It’s about discovering what they love and sticking to the passions that best complement who they are. And, of course, it’s about having a little fun along the way.
All-girl Notre Dame fosters school spirit M
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lass is just about to start on Jan. 21 for Eva Victor and Landis Powell, two juniors enrolled in the French American High School in San Francisco. Today, French class is being held in the library, where panoramic windows showcase most of the city skyline under the midday sun. Powell sets her can of Coca-Cola down as she takes her seat behind one of the library’s collection of new iMacs. She checks her Facebook just as class begins—with no given indication from a bell of any sort—just the clock. During her free periods, Powell likes to spend time here with Netflix Instant Play to pass the time. But now isn’t the time for recreation. Both Powell and Victor are part of the International High School’s International Baccalaureate program, which gives students the possibility to choose a total of six course subjects that last for their two last years of high school. Students choose I.B. advanced or standard level classes from those six. For students, the work inherent to piling on multiple E T R N N I I.B. classes is nothing short of intense. A E T H ION “Almost all of our homework is NT AL O just long-term projects,” Victor S TS said. “But you can’t really start School population: 340 students them early because you have other long-term projects to International’s focus: a strong do, too—it can get tough.” emphasis on the arts, with an extensive Toward the end of theatre program and a modern band class class, a man with dark hair and electric blue International’s I.B. program: eyes escorts Victor to a The school’s International Baccalaureate meeting regarding her program includes two-year advanced classes. In extended essay, a collegethe I.B. courses, students are responsible for an level research paper for extended essay on a certain topic. which students select a topic of their choice—often based on history—and explore the subject over their junior and senior years. Similar essays are required for each of their I.B. classes. Yet contrary to what you’d expect, the International school doesn’t have a majority of students from French backgrounds. There is, however, a French Track option for regular classes taught entirely in French. Classes completely in a foreign language are only offered in French and Chinese, but German, Italian, and Spanish courses are also available. It’s a complicated and rigorous program for a high school
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A CLOSER LOOK
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SMALL SPACE The community high school consistis of this single classroom.
Feb. 2, 2011
A CLOSER LOOK
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New alternative high school provides opportunities and options Co-founder Dale Jones reveals purpose of _proposed charter school
A charter school is a primary or, in the case of Communitas Charter High School, a secondary school which aims at providing a better education than the public schools ne a r by. These schools are opened privately, but receive public money to function. However, even though they act as an alternative to public schools, they are still a part of the public school system and therefore do not charge money for admission. The significant difference between a normal public school and a charter school is in the means of admission. Communitas Charter High School’s admission is granted by lottery, as are admissions in any other charter school. Dale Jones is one of the co-founders who has started Communitas Charter High School in the Silicon Valley. “Charter Schools are public schools of choice designed to provide an alternative to traditional schools and to be free from many of the laws that govern education so that we can be more innovative,” Jones said.
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ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS IN FUHSD
SENIOR TRANSITION
THE VISTAS
The Senior Transition program was created to provide support for certain seniors or students who are 17 years old and/or deficient in credits. It attempts to help students obtain a GED while still remaining enrolledas students in FUHSD.
The New Start program is for all FUHSD students who cannot attend classes in their respective high schools due to economic hardship, employment, or other personal concerns.
The Vistas program is for seniors or 17-year-olds who are behind in credits, not graduating, or lack a connection to high school. Vistas provide options following high school, such as GED, CHSPE, adult education, or preparation for work. For more information on the above three programs, visit http://www.fuhsd.org/EOC.
Offered by FUHSD in collaboration with De Anza College, Middle College offers juniors and seniors the chance to take college courses while earning both college and high school credit. There will be a mandatory information session for both parents and students on February 16, 2011, at De Anza College. For more information, visit www.fuhsd.org/middlecollege.
COLLEGE NOW
NEW START
MIDDLE COLLEGE
Though similar to Middle College, College Now has more stringent admission requirements and allows- students to more fully integrate into the college environment. For more information, visit www.fuhsd.org/collegenow.
Homeschooling is an alternative option for students who are extremely focused on a certain academic path or have special needs that differentiates them from the mainstream high school student. The most popular way is to establish a private, family-run school that could provide the best form of study that the student requires. For a full list of ways for a student to legally become homeschooled, visit www.hsc.org/choices.php.
HOME SCHOOLING
How do they work? Before Communitas Charter High School can be opened, the state of California must have a law enacting charter schools. Forty states and the District of Columbia have enacted these laws, and luckily for Communitas, California is included. “President Obama has said that charter schools should be ‘laboratories of innovation,’ so we try to take that to heart by trying new teaching strategies and different ways of organizing what we do to better meet the wide variety of learning needs and preferences of our students,” Jones said. However, there is much more to the formation of the school than just deciding that they’ll start one. “The school still has to be approved by the County,” Jones said. “Our hearing is on Feb. 2. If we’re approved, then an open enrollment period will be determined, probably in March. But we have to be approved first.” How is it different from a regular school? Communitas Charter High School runs on three basic principles: choice, accountability, and freedom. It gives families an opportunity to pick the most suitable school for their child. While Communitas focuses on reading, writing, and other traditional school subjects, other schools specialize in arts or music. One of the differences between Communitas and MVHS is that the first year it opens, it will only include ninth and 10th grades. To explain this, Jones said, “It would be very difficult to start a high school with all four grades in the first year, but our plan is to add 11th grade the second year and then 12th grade the following year.” There is not much difference between the subjects a charter school offers and the subjects a public school offers. Jones said, “We will offer the UC-required courses as well as foreign languages, advisory, and an array of electives.” Why was Communitas Charter High School formed? In the Silicon Valley, the closest school to MVHS which provides “student-centered” alternatives to traditional education is McAuliffe School in Saratoga. However, McAuliffe only offers kindergarten through eighth grade. “These schools put more of an emphasis on the arts, social learning, experiential learning, and involving parents,” Jones said. “Students and parents at these schools are asking for a similar program in high school, and that’s what’s driving the effort to start Communitas.” This school is not the only charter high school in the county. According to Jones, Downtown College Prep and Leadership High in San Jose also offer and alternative to traditional public high schools. Communitas, according to their website, communitascharter. org, is “a local initiative to offer a collaborative, integrated classroom experience where each student grows in enthusiasm, curiosity, and wisdom. The program combines adult mentorships, academic challenge, a small and close school community, and real-world projects and internships.” Shanthi Guruswamy || s.guruswamy@elestoque.org
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ENTERTAINMENT
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This year’s Winter concert features genres from all ends of musical spectrum
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pening with a deep, fully-orchestrated medley of songs from “The Lion King,” followed by an upbeat pop song from “Hairspray” consisting of 4 soloists and a jazz combo, this year’s winter concert managed to juxtapose symphonic music with modern pop music within one production. Running from Jan. 27 through Jan. 29 with the theme “Tonight on Broadway,” the concert featured all A and B choirs, concert choir, and Variations, along with chamber orchestra, string orchestra, wind ensemble, and jazz combo. Cellist junior Ben Yang and violinist junior Josh Baeg hosted the concert, giving a brief introduction to each Broadway song that was performed. “This year we’re adding the wind ensemble, and we have a drummer and bass player [from jazz combo],” said choir teacher Shari D’Epiro. “Main numbers [included] ‘Phantom
of the Opera’—with the full string orchestra—and others that are more light and pop, like ‘Hairspray’ and ‘Mamma Mia’.” As opposed to last year’s winter concert, which consisted entirely of Vivaldi music and featured only the chamber orchestra, this year’s concert incorporated a much wider range of instruments and musical genres. Some pieces, such as the haunting “Les Mis” song, “Do You Hear The People Sing,” retained the orchestral feel of last year’s concert, while others, such as “Thank You For The Music” from “Mamma Mia”, made use of only the drums, electric guitar, and keyboard. “The one thing that’s mainly different about this year is that there’s a real contrast between a beautiful symphonic, fully orchestrated numbers—and then some really light, jazz combo pieces. It [had] a lot of variety,” D’Epiro said. Amazingly talented soloists added a personal touch to the performances; junior Jacob Lui and sophomore Saee Bhide stood on opposite sides of the stage, singing to each other “Seasons of Love” from the popular musical “Rent”, while senior Guy Sarafty had the audience laughing as he sang “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious“ from the classic Mary Poppins and then danced down the aisle. This was followed by another song in the medley, “Step in Time,” which involved the full orchestra, yet encaptured a fun, whimsical tune. The audience joined in clapping to the beat as the concert ended with the Mamma Mia song “Dancing Queen.” “This year’s concert was a lot more fun to practice for because we actually knew a lot of the songs, and they weren’t all from the same composer,” said senior Brian Thai. Amanda Chen || a.chen@elestoque.org
Erin Chiu | El Estoque
WINTER MANIA A combination of all four choirs, chamber orchestra, wind ensemble, and jazz combo perform in “Tonight on Broadway” on Jan. 28.
StarCraft gamers come out of their rooms, into the spotlight
Han Kook Club hosts StarCraft II tournament, combining Korean culture, gaming entertainment
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or better or worse, StarCraft is in the anticipated—to people with higher ranks. Lee explained why he ultimately decided future of MVHS. Han Kook Club, or Korean Club, is hosting a “StarCraft II: to not play in the StarCraft tournament. Wings of Liberty” tournament for students “I was basically scared of [senior Nasser to compete in. To some, the video game may Hassan, Master League,] entering and be nerdy. Others find it overrated. But for basically destroying everyone,” Lee said. the 17 students playing in the tournament, “He’s the best at our school, hands-down.” Yet because not enough people are StarCraft is worth it. “Here’s the thing, you can ask a lot of playing, the tournament cannot be separated for different leagues. Another people why they think reason for the smaller size is [Starcraft’s] fun, but it’s that the tournament was only hard to explain why,” said For more on Han Kook Club’s advertised on a handful of senior Felix Lee, in the Silver StarCraft II tournament, visit places—Facebook statuses, League ranking of StarCraft. elestoque.org. School Loop, and on the “My friend saw a video of it and thought it was okay, but then he was school announcements. Still, Kim said that like, ‘This is the best game ever. Where have Han Kook Club would like to organize more tournaments over the next semester. I been?’” While StarCraft is extremely popular in Split into two divisions, competitors can play singles or doubles, with a total of 17 Korea, in the United States, most wouldn’t students total among the two. Han Kook expect StarCraft to be a high school event, Club’s public relations officer senior Han but Lee and Kim understand why students Kim stated that, with so few participating, want to play in the tournament. “I wanted to play because I play a lot of the tournament could not be divided into lower-leagued and higher-leagued groups. StarCraft, and I wanted to get tournament But some students had concerns over having experience,” Lee said. “A lot of our friends had a lot of passion to play—and immediately lose, as they
NLINE
Natalie Chan | El Estoque
GET IN THE GAME Senior Jesse He, Platinum League, plays a game of StarCraft II at his home on Jan. 29. He is participating in Korean Club’s StarCraft tournament. for StarCraft, and a big culture in Korea is StarCraft,” Kim said. “So we thought, ‘Why not host a StarCraft tournament?’” Despite the slow start, Han Kook Club hopes to host more events and the easy relationship between students with the
popular video game means that StarCraft will not be leaving campus soon. The StarCraft tournament is the beginning of MVHS’ future competitions. Natalie Chan || n.chan@elestoque.org
ENTERTAINMENT
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Feb. 2, 2011
Online shopping deals attract students Groupon tops search engines as it becomes one of the top deal-of-the-day websites
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ith today’s struggling economy, frugality is the new black—after all, who doesn’t want to save a few dollars? For some, spending less on luxuries is the way to go, and many people often optout of their previously routine yoga lessons or expensive dinners to conserve. However, with the newest surge in online deals, many shoppers, commonly known in the cyberworld as “retail hackers,” have uncovered thrifty treasures in their own cities. Senior Sarah Hsu frequently goes out, whether to shop or dine, and often turns to Groupon as her number one shopping companion. She recently purchased a Groupon for $30 worth of food, at the local Italian restaurant Fontana’s, for only $15. For someone who loves to try new food as frequently as Hsu, the deal is not only worthwhile, but also time-saving. “Groupon lets me buy coupons to places that I like, and it’s a great way to save money,” Hsu said. “With the website, I can keep track of the coupons I’ve used. Using them in store is also a lot quicker than paying in cash.” For those who haven’t heard, Groupon is a worldwide group-buying website that allows users to request different coupons daily to a company in an area of their choice. Groupon promises to offer deals up to 90% off the coupons’ retail values. When a certain number
of people agree to purchase a coupon, the deal becomes available to the general public, systematically guaranteeing a minimum profit for the company. The coupons can then be essentially used as gift cards in store. Groupon has also become a point of connection between people. For example, history teacher Nick Bonacorsi says that other teachers often e-mail him links to their Groupon picks of the day. Groupon’s popularity is also spreading through conversation between students. Senior Christine Yoo recently explored Groupon’s brightly colored website for the first time after she was recommended by a friend. “The idea of Groupon is unique, and I was attracted to the website because it’s easy to navigate,” Yoo said. Due to its success, Groupon competes with many imitators, such as Living Social and BuyWithMe. However, as senior Pranav Sudesh puts it, Groupon is the original. “Groupon usually has better discounts and I usually check there first,” Sudesh said. Groupon has quickly grown over the past two years. It now serves customers in over 100 countries around the globe, and continues to be the largest and most profitable company of its type. Influential companies such as Yahoo! and Google have offered over $3 billion and $5.3 billion, respectively, to acquire the
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College Info Night
Jackie Barr | El Estoque
A SOCIAL AFFAIR Students eat, socialize, and dance at Winter Ball on Jan. 22. he annual Winter Ball was held on Jan. 22 at the Decathlon Club from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. This year, bids were sold as singles for $35-$40 to encourage higher attendance “We tried to encourage more of a Homecoming style dance because we wanted to get rid of this couple culture,” said ASB Vice President senior Elaine Tang. “It discourages some people from going.” In addition, there was a change in the atmosphere due to P.E. teacher and coach Ron Freeman’s death. Teachers were asked not to attend the ball and counselors were present instead for students to talk to. “We wanted people to still enjoy their time,” Tang said. According to Tang, this Winter Ball was most likely the last one that would be held off campus. The cost of holding this event off-campus coupled with low attendance, at 264 students this year, caused ASB to lose money. To prevent further loss without completely cancelling the event, Tang predicts that future Winter Balls will be held on campus in the gym.
If you would like to join in, click “Buy” before the time is up.
company. Groupon has rejected every offer. Although Groupon’s finds are pure gold for the wise consumer, some companies say the coupons are hurting businesses, either because of a sudden demand for their product that becomes too difficult to accommodate for or because it reduces once-luxurious activities into simple-minded, trendy escapes only to be tried once and then forgotten. Reuters reporter Deborah L. Cohen wrote about the negativity of the expanding Groupon phenomenon. “The obsession with price doesn’t necessarily make for a lot of brand loyalty or even brand awareness,” Cohen said. However, for students like Hsu, brand
MV IDC EXCHANGE
Kevin Tsukii | El Estoque
Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque
TIPS TO SUCCEED A speaker presents college information to juniors and families on Jan. 26.
IDC DEBRIEF IDC exchange students gather in the Leadership room on Jan. 28.
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ollege Information Night took place on the night of Jan. 26 during which speakers from private colleges, CSUs, community colleges, and transfer programs spoke to juniors and their parents. The information night began with a 50minute introduction in the auditorium and two 30-minute sessions in separate rooms regarding options for future college plans. “The UCs, because of the budget problem, can’t send anybody out [this year]. Usually we’d have a UC person,” Taba said. Beginning college planning early for juniors, according to Career Center director Miriam Taba, clears common misconceptions about the college application process and guides students in finding the ‘right fit’ for them. “The counselors and I aren’t going to be able to talk with all [juniors] and the same questions come up, so I think [college night] came up as a way of presenting information,” Taba said. A Financial Aid Night, and a college fair on April 4 are upcoming college events to look out for.
Groupon.com | Screenshot
If enough people (a large enough “group”) purchase the deal, it becomes valid and others can also purchase for a limited time.
Campus Highlights
Winter Ball
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HOW IT WORKS
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he third IDC Exchange of the year occurred on Jan. 28 on the day of the Technicolor Rally. Students from other schools in the FUHSD arrived at 7 a.m. and left halfway through sixth period for a debrief in the cafeteria or the Leadership room. This year, over 50 students participated in the IDC Exchange. Exchange students came to experience a different school atmosphere, and many noticed the unique environment while they spent the day shadowing a MVHS student. “I wanted to see the different atmosphere of Monta Vista because I know it’s different than FHS, so I just wanted to have that experience,” said Fremont High School exchange student sophomore Safia Anees. “But I see that there’s more competitiveness and hard core studying. The rally was fun, though. I had a really good time.” Future IDC events include the IDC Talent Show on Feb. 4, Battle of the Bands, FHS IDC Exchange on Feb. 11, Homestead High School IDC Exchange on April 15, and Cupertino IDC Exchange on May 20.
loyalty can develop through Groupon. “If I like a certain company, I’ll keep returning in the future, even if I originally discovered it through Groupon and won’t get a discount next time,” she said. For the casual bargain hunter, Groupon is not the only option; websites like Gilt Groupe, a continuous online sample sale which sells designer clothing at heavily discounted prices, also reap in bountiful profits from smart shoppers. Spending outrageous amounts of money is no longer in-style, and it seems that the time for saving has finally arrived. Tina Hsu|| t.hsu@elestoque.org
RAce To Nowhere
Stock Image from Google Images
ACADEMIC COMPETITION “Race to Nowhere” attracted students and parents on Jan. 11 and 18.
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n conjunction with the Kennedy Middle School PTA, the MVHS PTSA held two screenings of the recent documentary “Race to Nowhere” on Jan. 11 and Jan. 18 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the auditorium. Within the first few days of the announcement of the screening, tickets were sold out for both dates, which did not surprise PTSA President Pam Siu. “We were fairly sure that the MVHS and KMS communities would be interested in attending the showings, but we were pleasantly surprised that both shows were completely filled within the first few days,” she said. “The high level of interest seems to indicate that our school communities are also concerned and interested in what “Race to Nowhere” had to say.” The documentary ran for one and a half hours followed by a half-hour long forum in which parents, students, counselors, and PTA members discussed causes, effects, and solutions for student stress. “It’s beneficial to start a dialogue going on the important issues brought up in the movie. That is the first step to making changes and improvements,” Siu said. Aafreen Mahmood || a.mahmood@elestoque.org
Feb. 2, 2011
ENTERTAINMENT
Driving into the ’60s theater scene Local drive-in theater presents a unique movie-going experience
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The guitar hero Use your free time to learn something new
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Erin Chiu | El Estoque
A BLAST FROM THE PAST You won’t get in trouble for bringing outside food to this movie. Drivers can line up at the West Wind Capitol 6 drive-in movie theater to have the classic experience of watching a full-length movie from the comfort of their own cars.
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n emblem of the 60’s, drive-in theaters leaving the car. Popcorn and other concessions are something that should have can be bought at the ticket stand, after which gone extinct when tie-dye and afros spectators are directed to drive to one of six dropped of the face of the planet. But this different lots each showing different movies. anachronism, while isolated in time, is located But that, perhaps, is where the magic stops. a mere 20 minutes away from Cupertino. The thrill of being in an old-fashioned movie West Wind Theater, right off the Capitol theater quickly fades when you realize that Expressway, manages to be isolated from the there’s a reason that we have gone digital— mini-malls and supermarket complexes that and indoors. For one, there’s the issue of surround it. Immediately after turning off the sound. Movie-watchers listen by tuning into a main streets, the specific radio WHERE TO GO dim streetlights frequency, and apparent lack given by the West Wind Capitol 6 of traffic makes cashier at the 3630 Hillcap Avenue you question t icket-s t a nd. San Jose, CA 95136 whether or not you It is highly Adult ticket: $6.95 took the right exit, sug ge s t e d until you round the that first-time corner and come mov iego er s face to face with a bring a row of cars, all waiting patiently to approach portable or hand-held radio, or at least a set the ticket booth. of jumper cables, rather than relying on a car With the large screens visible in the radio, as the duration of a full-length film can background and the old marquee style letters be too long for some car batteries to handle. I, in the fore, West Wind channels the classic for one, missed all the previews and the first drive-in theater. It’s an instant time-warp-- 10 minutes of the movie because of faulty even credit cards are too futuristic for the radio signal, and even when the radio finally cash-only ticket stands. You can essentially started working, it was nothing compared to enjoy your whole drive-in experience without surround-sound.
The seating arrangement also proves to be a hassle—the most comfortable viewing seats are the front two, convenient for sharing popcorn, but quite inconvenient for getting cozy on a movie-date due to the space in between the seats. Moreover, the difficult viewing angle from the backseat—seeing around the front seats and over the heads of those in the front seats—means that drive-ins are inconvenient for parties of three or more, thereby effectively eliminating the family drive-in night. While the privacy secured by four doors and two windshields is enticing, disturbances in the form of random flashes of headlights or the occasional car that wanders directly in your line of vision are as bothersome as the occasional ringing cell-phone. At only $7 per person ($13 for two), West Wind is well worth the experience of a drive-in theater. It’s a unique experience to be caught in the middle of two eras—West Wind, while maintaining the classic drive-in arrangement, only shows movies that are showing in regular theaters. It’s a fun way to spice up the usual movie night, but beyond that it’s best left in the 60’s. Tracy Zhang || t.zhang@elestoque.org
IN&OUT GEAR
If you love the nifty size and shape of your iPod nano 6g, put it to good use with the Ozaki iCoat Watch, which comes in trendy colors and patterns, allowing you to wear it on your wrist with style.
Need more memory, but no more room? Freecom offers the world’s smallest hard drive, the Mobile Drive Mg, measuring just 10 mm thick.
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TECH
MOVIES For those looking for a movie that incorporates comedy, drama, and a historical backdrop, Oscar-nominated “The King’s Speech” is sure to entertain.
GAMES Just when you thought you’d seen all that EA Games’ 2008 gore-fest had to offer, Dead Space 2 hit stores Jan. 25 with all the uber-creepy monster-killing of the first game—and more.
Photo courtesy of Rei Yamamoto Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque
GET CRACKIN’ Junior Rei Yamamoto performs as Clara in “The Nutcracker” on Dec. 5 2010.
hile the rest of her peers go home after school and absorb themselves in Tumblr posts and Facebook updates, junior Rei Yamamoto prepares herself for dance practice. Yamamoto has practiced ballet, modern, and jazz dance for the past seven years. Yamamoto strives to make her mom, a former dancer and her primary inspiration, proud. “I’ve never actually seen her dance, but I notice myself always being nervous of what my mom will think when she sees me dance,” Yamamoto said. “I feel like I try so hard to get better because I want to show my mom.” Along with her aspirations to do well in front of her mom and continue on in college, Yamamoto has also been working to overcome the challenge of her body type. “[The] ideal body is usually set to a certain standards, and sometimes technique doesn’t matter so much. Some are born with perfect height, legs, arms, and feet for ballet, and looking at myself in the mirror is challenging for me to not care, and focus,” Yamamoto said. Despite this, ballet helps her de-stress after a difficult day at school. Whether shes doing anything from turns or jumps, the challenge of the sport is still what motivates her. Erin Chiu || e.chiu@elestoque.org
o it’s second semester. College apps? Done. Sports? Over. School? Yeah, it’s there, but the pressure is way down. It feels... weird. I don’t even know what to do with free time on weekdays. A hectic schedule has been my reality for so many years that I don’t know how to do without it. I’m proud to report that I’m using this opportunity for something I’ve always wanted to do: guitar lessons. I asked for a (really cheap) guitar for Christmas and signed up for Beginning Classical Guitar at DeAnza with two senior friends with time to kill. Classical guitar isn’t quite what I’d expected. It’s all about technique, and over the first few weeks, we spent a lot of time on basics like reading music. Despite that, those first few classes were so much fun that I think we drove our teacher a little crazy. He’s not used to rambunctious high school students stretching their fun-muscles. Class was like entertainment because we really wanted to be there—it was completely voluntary for the three of us to sign up. When I played my first song—even though it was just two notes repeated over and over— it was ROXANA WISWELL such a sense of r.wiswell@elestoque.org accomplishment that I wondered what had been keeping me from guitar lessons until now. My group of “cohorts” (as the teacher calls us) try—not always successful— to keep jokes at a minimum while the teacher is talking. After all, we want to learn what he’s teaching. But then he hands out exercises to practice, and patrols the room, looking for strugglers and slackers alike. He finds neither when he reaches my friends and me, just three high-school students diligently practicing., even if the practice is happening amid uncontrollable laughter. Humorous moments, such as one friend’s imitation of the other, are just too funny to keep a straight face, even if the teacher is right there watching. When he isn’t present, the jokes become even more rowdy, but we always remember that we’re there to learn. Of course, then the class got harder, and I wondered what a second-semester senior is doing taking on a new instrument. While I’m struggling to play fairly basic songs, I’m questioning whether the time commitment is worth it. Sometimes, the words “give up already!” might float through my mind... but then I remember how great it will feel when I can actually play. I’ve been dreaming of this for so long, there’s no way I’m going to give up now just because I can’t remember how to read music. It’s worth the sacrifice. Now that I’m in cruise-control, I can take a step back and look at who I’ve been for the past four years. Obviously, I’ve made sacrifices for my academic dreams. But learning guitar has been my dream as well, for at least three of those high school years. No one was stopping me—if I’d told my parents I wanted guitar lessons, they would have accepted it. Even if they hadn’t, I could have been persuasive, gotten creative, and won their approval. After all, playing an instrument is an extracurricular like any other. So why is it that over my first three years of high school, I participated in five service clubs, joined DECA and Journalism, played sports... and never made time for guitar? You don’t want to wait until the second semester of your senior year to start doing the things you want to do. I’ve realized that I should have done this years ago. There’s a Guitar Club on campus these days. If you want to, join it. And if that’s not your aim, figure out what is, because no one is stopping you but yourself.
The Stress-oMeter
ENTERTAINMENT
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Feb. 2, 2011
Reading Rainbow: E-book goes color
Barnes and Noble’s new Nook Color revamps the e-book with audio and an LED touchscreen
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ust when you thought your bookshelves were starting to gather dust and reading was only useful for school, Barnes and Noble’s Nook Color has sprung into the market with everything that made its predecessor great— and more.
What’s to like A little over a year after their first entry into the world of tablets and e-readers with the Nook, Barnes and Noble’s updated, all-touch screen features a seven-inch, full-color interface encased in a sleek, graphite-colored cover. And along with the e-reader basics, it features WiFi connection for web-browsing and a whopping eight GB of internal memory. It could just be the breakthrough in making reading cool again. At just $249, it’s got a price advantage over alternatives like the iPad—while its color touchscreen, music and video player, and photo display capabilities send it soaring above its rival Kindle. There’s no better alternative if you’re looking for an ebook with the perfect balance between literary and electronic entertainment, and no better potential replacement for text and paper.
What’s not Despite the attractive interface and superior capabilities that the Nook Color incorporates, it is not without drawbacks. The full touchscreen LCD display eats up battery life much more quickly than the Kindle or original Nook, lasting only up to eight hours per charge. The LCD screen also creates more of a strain on the eyes compared to the typical E-Ink electronic paper display, with low visibility in bright sunlight. Additionally, users are unable to remove and replace the battery with the Nook Color, something that was able to done with the original Nook. The Nook also does not support electronic books from sources other than Barnes and Noble. And compared to its Apple rival, the Nook Color simply lacks too much of the multimedia capabilities to even stand comparison.
Christophe Haubursin || c.haubursin@elestoque.org
Amanda Chen || a.chen@elestoque.org
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SanDisk MicroSD 8 GB: Pop one of these SD cards into your Nook to vastly expand your media capacity. $42.99 - bestbuy.com
$34.95 - barnesandnoble.com
Bytenow.net | Screenshot
Objection, your honor: Small club has realistic court experience Mock trial provides unique judicial experience despite relatively small campus presence
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he room was still as Jesse Woodson sat in the defendant’s chair, staring pensively into space. He was about to answer to charges of assault. The defense attorney representing Woodson approached the stand. And the questions began flowing. Questions about Woodson’s life, career, and association with the victim, questions which made the whole scene begin to look like something out of Law & Order. It was only a matter of moments before the all-too-familiar courtroom word was uttered to complete the picture–”objection.” This time, however, the word was delivered quietly, tentatively, a far cry from the power that TV lawyers imbue it with. A voice replied gently, “louder.” At that moment, everyone in the room burst into giggles, as the source of the command, Sergei Shubin, smiled back at the lawyers, really only MVHS sophomores and juniors. Woodson was also chuckling–his real identity was senior Daniel Ki, who read the role for the evening’s Mock Trial practice. With 14 members, no website, and no School Loop advertisements since 2008, the Mock Trial club seems to be one of the better kept secrets at MVHS. “Mock Trial doesn’t have a very strong history here,” said club advisor and English teacher Jackie Kolbeck. “You have organizations like DECA, which everyone knows about, so it carries a lot of weight. Mock Trial isn’t there yet.” Mock Trial has existed at MVHS for at least
Vinay Raghuram | El Estoque
ORDER IN THE COURT Assistant Coach Sergei Shubin looks on as student club members conduct a meeting on Jan. 25. the past decade. However, especially since the departure of their last coach, the team has not been as competitive as they once were. This year Jim Torre, a retired attorney who has extensive experience as a public defender, took over as coach for the Mock Trial team. He is assisted by Shubin, an alumnus of Lynbrook High School’s Mock Trial program and a student at UC Davis. Both Torre and Shubin coach the team members in various aspects of courtroom decorum. The club’s activities are primarily centered around simulating the activities in a courtroom during a criminal trial. The club’s members,
as a team, compete against Mock Trial teams from other schools in competitions, which are basically full-scale, two-hour simulations of criminal trials. The team members will argue for the prosecution or defense of a hypothetical defendant. In essence, it would seem like Mock Trial is just another version of Speech and Debate, which is already a fixture in MVHS culture. However, according to club members, this isn’t the case. “It’s definitely a different style,” Ki, who also participates in Speech and Debate, said. “You learn different things. [In Mock Trial], it’s really more about knowing the intricacies
of the laws and statutes and how they work in case precedents.” Mock Trial members take on a variety of roles that reflect those on a real prosecution or defense team. Trial attorneys are tasked with delivering opening and closing arguments and questioning witnesses from both sides. Members playing witnesses are responsible for getting into character and delivering their witness statements just as actual witnesses would in a real courtroom. Finally, pre-trial attorneys are responsible for having as much of the opponent’s evidence dismissed as possible using case law, legal precedents established in earlier cases. “[The pre-trial attorney position] is worth triple [the amount of points] as anyone else’s,” Ki, the team’s pre-trial lawyer for the prosecution, said. “There is a lot of pressure in terms of my performance affecting the team.” The Mock Trial team will have its first competition of the year next month, with the preliminaries beginning on Feb. 1. The competition centers around a hypothetical case, People v. Woodson, which involves a man being charged with assault and cyberbullying. The MVHS team will argue for the prosecution against defense teams of other schools, and for the defense against other prosecution teams. The competition will take place in the Santa Clara County Superior Court and is open to the public. Vinay Raghuram || v.raghuram@elestoque.org
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Feb. 2, 2011
SPORTS
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Bladesof
grace
Smooth skating ahead for adept veteran junior Alexandra Lin
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t’s just past 4 p.m. on a Friday afternoon when junior Alexandra Lin slips into her skates, black leotard, and skincolored tights and steps out onto the rink at Sharks Ice in San Jose. She carries only the essentials—a water bottle and a black Peninsula Skating Club sweatshirt—as she makes her way to the opposite side of the ice rink. She’s followed by an array of young skaters, from a girl with sleek blond hair— ”the best,” Lin calls her—to a pair of Asian children who totter along the perimeter
of the rink as they hold on to one another for balance. The students all converge where the coaches are gathered on one edge of the rink for what looks like a pep talk from the adjacent bleachers. Within moments, it begins. The students, a good dozen or so, make laps around the ice, gaining momentum as they spread their arms out like a multicolored team of swans. After only a few circuits, the majority of the figure skaters stick to their rotations about the rink—but Lin breaks off. She begins slowly at first—accented turns and twirls that send ice shavings flying—but her act escalates to dazzling whirling jumps and comfort-defying stretches that bend her back in ways you never thought possible. And for Lin, this has been her prime interest for the past nine years. “My mom thought it would be something that I’d like, so I started with group classes,” she said. “I just never really stopped.” Lin lived in Canada at that time, but began to put emphasized focus on figure skating
in second grade, after having taken some introductory classes. At Sharks Ice, where Lin has skated since moving to California in seventh grade, classes are open for attendance whenever students wish to come in. A staff of personal coaches are available for half-hour lessons at a time. “It’s been a great experience with Alex,” said Sharks Ice coach Tracy Prussack. “She’s very dedicated, and we’ve really grown close over the years after all the time at the rink, and the competitions as well. It’s been great watching her develop her skills as an athlete.” For Lin, dedication is big—and it’s kept her skating in spite of the tendencies of many figure skaters to abandon the sport before reaching their teen years. “For many kids, when they hit 12 or 13, it becomes difficult to balance their competitive skating and school at the same time,” Prussack said. “But she’s always made a good balance between the two.” Lin’s past repertoire includes performances with Theatre on Ice and competitions that have brought her up to the “intermediate”
level of skating—the third of six total ranks possible under Sharks Ice. She’s now practicing for her junior level freestyle exam, with just two remaining levels to pass before reaching the highest available level in her field. It’s a level of talent that’s proven itself impossible to predict, even by Prussack herself. “I remember one time, the first time that I competed, my coach told me, ‘It’s okay, you might not do that well since it’s your first competition, so don’t worry.’” She went on to win that very competition. “She’s extremely focused with what she does,” Prussack said. “It’s unique for her to be skating at a high level at her age—that makes it easy for us to grow close.” And though she intends to pursue skating during college, the true importance of skating remains, as always, for diversion. “It’s mostly for recreation, I guess,” she said. “But it’s something I really like to do.” Christophe Haubursin || c.haubursin@elestoque.org
Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque
Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque
Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque
Shanthi Guruswamy | El Estoque
Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque
Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque
GO FIGURE Junior Alexandra Lin does a layback spin on Jan 14 (above). (From left) Lin demonstrates starting a donut spiral, getting into a haircutter spin, a Y-spiral, a Biellmann and a layback spin. She currently skates at Sharks Ice and has been skating for nine years.
Despite slow start, boys varsity soccer team embraces changes Team faced difficulty in front of the net, but new drills and strategies seem to be paying off
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n Jan. 28, the varsity boys soccer team played against Fremont High School and fared much better than they had previously this season. “The game went well,” said goalkeeper senior Jeremy Dor. “We were able to [make a] comeback after getting scored on and [we] tied the game.” The team, which is now eight games into league play and has its ninth this afternoon against Wilcox High School, has a league record of 1-5-1. This is the team’s first tie since athletic director Jeff Mueller and assistant coaches Jenna Smith and Pooya Hajjarian took the place of coach Mia Onodera. The final score was 1-1, an improvement from the 3-2 defeat the team faced earlier this season against Fremont. Compared to previous years, the team is exceptionally young, with one freshman and four sophomores. Only two players, captains and seniors Joshua LeFevre and Alex Onishi, have been on the varsity team for four years. Because of all the new faces this year, communication has been one of the team’s biggest hurdles. “[In the tie against Fremont] our team communicated well, something we have been improving on a lot lately,” Dor said. “We dominated the majority of the game. We started out slow, but were able to come back.” LeFevre also thinks having such a large amount of new players is presenting challenges. “I don’t think we’ve really gotten to play that well with each other,” he said. The addition of smaller, younger players also means changing up the team’s strategy. “Since they’re a lot smaller,
there’s a totally new look to the team,” Onishi said. “Now we have to focus on skill and quickness.” In addition to having less experienced players this year, the team is facing several injuries, including their two goalies, junior Jeremy Irvin and senior Jonathan Yee. Yee recently had surgery for a fractured cheekbone after an accident during the game against Homestead High School on Jan. 7. And the team’s record reflects these setbacks. The boys have gotten opportunities in front of the net; they’ve simply been unable to capitalize on them. On Jan. 5, during a game against Fremont High School, the team produced several scoring opportunities—10 shots on frame—but none leading to goals. And this far into league games, the team has an average of 1.15 goals per game. “We’ve been unlucky quite a bit,” Onodera said about the team’s difficulty in scoring goals. “But do we need to improve [our finishing] a little bit? Definitely.” And they have. Prior to her stepping down, Onodera had been working on shooting with the team, running drills every day after school, practicing shooting from a standstill, on breakaways, and even one-on-ones to the goal. Onodera had also been working on possession and getting numbers forward to take advantage of the opportunities in front of the net. With a 4-2 victory against Lynbrook High School on Jan. 21, the team’s first league win, the extra practice seems to be paying off. “Shots were going in,” said senior Nathan Burroughs. Cynthia Mao || c.mao@elestoque.org Shanthi Guruswamy || s.guruswamy@elestoque.org
Joseph Beyda | El Estoque
GET THE BALL ROLLING Senior Michael Kute dribbles by a Fremont player on Jan. 28. The final score was 1-1, improving the team’s league record to 1-5-1.
Feb. 2, 2011
Page 20
SPORTS
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Feb. 2, 2011
Boys basketball going uphill
Coach uses new philosophies to help promote teamwork mid-season
N
o man has ever drowned in sweat. Every week, varsity basketball coach Mani Messy emails a saying like this to motivate his team. But 17 games into the season, the varsity basketball team is 7-10 overall and 3-2 in league play, with only seven league games left to improve its record and get from third to first in standing in the El Camino League. However, the team is still hopeful because of the new strategies Messy is promoting and the general adjustment from the team’s point of view. In his first year coaching at MVHS, Messy uses a new style which focuses more on team dynamics rather than individual players. “It’s been a struggle trying to embrace [this]... new brand of basketball,” Messy said. “I think our system embraces team players. No one individual defines us, which makes us a unique team because in order to beat us, you need to beat all five of us, not so much one guy.” Theoretically, the team should be better than others because of this unique style. However, Messy realizes that the strategy did not work as well as he had hoped. During outof-league play, the team went 4-8, with large losses and narrow wins in a few games. Most of the losses seemed consistent, with the team losing by an average of 10-15 points. “We’re just learning,” Messy said. “I think for them, every day when they come to practice, it has to be an open-minded situation, where yes, you’re going to be challenged, but in a manner that’s going to benefit you as an individual, as a player, and as a team.” The varsity players have also been noticing these challenges with the new system, especially the new levels of commitment they have had to face. Most of the team is new to varsity so only a few are familiar with the rigorous training incorporated into team practices. “Last year, practices were rarely an hour and a half long and now we dread that they’re going to be four hours long,” said junior George Geha. “[But on average,] it’s three to three and a half hours long—every, single day...It’s really tough, but we’re trying to work out the kinks.” The team also has noticed the changes moving it from a single player-centered team to a more teamwork-oriented group. “We had the star player [alumnus] Krish [Rangarajan],” Geha said, commenting on the strategy from the previous year. “He graduated. But basically, the philosophy was to dribble the ball up the court, pass it to him, let him score, and run it back on defense.”
N o w , M e s s y incor porates the idea that every player is important to the team and every player has to work as hard as the next in every aspect of the game. During practices, he insists that every player participate in every type of drill, making sure that every player is ready to benefit the team in some way, unlike the previous year, where the players would be separated ac cording to skills to perfect their one area of expertise. “ T h e entire team will do the same drill, so Kevin Tsukii | El Estoque even you’re EYE ON THE NET Senior captain Ryan Michelfelder dunks while the littlest avoiding a Harker player. Harker defeated the Matadors 43-33 on Dec. guy on the 21, 2010. court you’re expected to go in there we are 2-1 and the one game we did lose [was and rebound with the biggest guys on the because] we had some of our guys injured and court and if you’re the biggest guy, you still guys who couldn’t make it because they were might have to handle the ball and bring it up sick.” court,” said junior Adhiraj Watave. “So it’s a But besides just coaching the basketball lot more being an all-around basketball player team at practices, Messy uses unique methods with these drills.” to motivate the players. And although the season started out rough “This one quote that coach sent us,” because of the new ideas and strategies Jennings said. “‘No man has ever drowned in incorporated, the team has been getting better sweat’... that’s one of the quotes that really as the players become more experienced. helped us buy into the system that if we work “You can see our progression,” said junior hard, we can really achieve our team goal, Thomas Jennings. “If you take a look at our which is to win league this year.” preseason, we were well below the 500 record. But if you look at our regular season, Vishakha Joshi || v.joshi@elestoque.org
Varsity wrestling practice pays off with victory After progress on the perfect ‘thwack,’ team won with a score of 43-27 Practice is everyday, afterschool. The boys start jogging in a circle, donning their headgear. Then there’s lunges, side lunges, and high kicks to loosen and warm up the muscles. Wrestling captain senior Andrew Pappas calls out “cowboys” and the boys walk backwards in a distinctive Old West manner, rotating their hip joints, hands on hips. Then the wrestlers showcase their acrobatic skills: rolling on their shoulders, rolling backwards into handstands, and performing cartwheels Nastia Liukin would approve of. The boys get into pairs, and they go through an advanced move one step at a time. The coaches walk around the room giving advice and sliding under the bodies like mechanics under a car to make sure the offensive wrestler has his hand correctly placed on his opponents’ body. “Don’t move, Fellom,” says Coach Nolan Verga mock-threateningly to junior Erik Fellom as he demonstrates a “high risk, high reward” Elvin Wong | El Estoque move. Fellom moves. There is a smattering of PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Junior Philip Tsai puts his teammate in a far-side laughter as Coach Verga picks a new victim to crossface during wrestling practice on Jan. 14. demonstrate the tactic on. All the practice paid off when MVHS won hwack’ is probably the most accurate word to describe the the dual match against Wilcox High School on Jan. 27 with a score of sound of bodies hitting the wrestling mat. The perfect 43-27, and everyone qualified for Bellarmine the following day. ‘thwack’ comes only with practice, and the wrestling team practices every day after school, perfecting the art. Danielle Kay || d.kay@elestoque.org
‘T
Page 21
SPORTS
We have shown support; now show up Field renovations will be wasted unless students attend games
F
ifty-eight percent of NFL games and 64 percent of college football games have at least one thing in common: They’re won by the home team. Those statistics, as Sports Illustrated reported in January, are part of a home-field advantage that’s been consistent across all sports, at all levels, and all over the world for as long as any record book can recall. The same can’t be said for MVHS. In case you haven’t heard, our football team doesn’t have home field advantage. Not yet. The FUHSD’s Board of Trustees approved the plan to renovate MVHS’s upper field and install lights for Friday-night games, so barring a potential court decision to the contrary, all of that may change in a couple of years’ time. As students, JOSEPH BEYDA we’ve taken the j.beyda@elestoque.org battle as far as we can by convincing the district; it’s all up to a judge now in the pending lawsuit over the renovat ions. But if we were supporting the lights for our football teams’ sake, our job isn’t over. SI found that home field advantage is proportional to the number of fans in attendance, and disappears entirely when there are no spectators, regardless of the location of the game. In other words, we still have to show up. But before you shell out those couple of bucks—which, thrifty students may forget, will support a good cause—to go to a game, it’s worth asking: How much of a difference will we make? In professional and college sports, SI claimed, home field advantage was almost entirely a result of referee bias toward the home crowd, which would angrily respond to calls that went the wrong way. And high school sports, in an effort to uphold sportsmanship, are supposed to be free of verbal abuse toward players, coaches, and refs. Yet the cause isn’t entirely lost. Even though SI surprisingly found that professional athletes aren’t actually affected by a favorable crowd, high schoolers aren’t nearly as experienced or poised. So even if NFL kickers make the same amount of field goals at home and on the road, adding many more faces to an audible MVHS crowd will make a difference to a Matador kicker. We’re running out of excuses to not attend games. In the middle of a recession, millions of dollars are being spent to bring football to a student body that, thus far, has just been content with complaining about the 10-minute commute to nearby venues where we’ve held sporting events. Controversy has been raised amongst neighbors that have truly valid concerns about the lights, but we’ve come together as a student body and community to fight for something that we’ve hardly demonstrated much enthusiasm for in the past. The FUHSD is currently in a court battle on our behalf, using funds for legal fees and manpower to resolve the issue. We shouldn’t waste that bond money. We shouldn’t waste those collective efforts. We shouldn’t waste the district’s time. But, most importantly, we shouldn’t waste the chance to have a positive impact on our teams, by being fans.
The Beyda test
SPORTS
Page 22
Feb. 2, 2011
Hundreds show spirit, commemorate
Ticket pre-sale raises $1,200 for charity, Matadors bring largest crowd to dodgeball tournament
O
ne side of Homestead High School gym had empty seats, a couple posters scattered on the wall, and a few people clapping for their teams. But on the opposite side, hundreds of MVHS students and staff were raising their arms in excitement and screaming at the top of their lungs, almost drowning out the amplified announcements of the MC. On Jan. 27, the annual intradistrict dodgeball tournament took place at HHS. With the usual four divisions, the staff and teachers came out to play, accompanied by a crowd of enthusiastic students, decked out in purple. Each time the MC announced the name of the school, the MVHS crowd immediately stood up and began chanting for its teams. As soon as the players stepped out onto the court, their expressions transformed from playful smiles and laughter to looks of intimidation, intensified by water polo caps worn in honor of late teacher, coach and dodgeball player Ron Freeman, as they prepared to take down the opposing team. People didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even have to be able to see all the action to know when the Matadors made the perfect shot or took a hit from the other teams. The crowdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reaction to every play of every match told the whole story. Even with conch shells, vuvuzelas, and drums contributing to the noise, it was obvious who the real noisemakers were. Numerous posters with teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; nicknames showed just how much
mutual support the staff and students had for each other. MVHS walked away with two titles as well as the pride of raising over $1,000 for the charity March of Dimes. The men beat Lynbrook High School with more than just their strong throws and skillful dodging. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Obviously, one of the hardest parts of the game was not having Coach Freeman here to help us out, but we got it done,â&#x20AC;? social studies teacher Nick Bonacorsi said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That last game we did was for him, and we had the crowd behind us, so we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t lose when weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got his support.â&#x20AC;? The empty seats on the other side of the gym could not compare to the crowd from MVHS, a crowd that had to squeeze into seats and shove right up against the team of teachers to get a good view of the game. The rewarding victory was brought with the excitement and emotions melded together with the sweat and exhaustion of the players and supporters. In the midst of taking pictures with students and accepting their high fives and congratulations, the teachers celebrated their success amongst themselves after the longawaited win. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an amazing feeling. Gotta love it,â&#x20AC;? English teacher Matt Brashears said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been wanting to win the [mens division] for a long time. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really exhilarating, and the teams really stepped it up this year.â&#x20AC;? Ashley Wu || a.wu@elestoque.org
Social studies teacher Nick â&#x20AC;&#x153;BAM BAMâ&#x20AC;? Bonacorsi
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Registrar Pat â&#x20AC;?PKâ&#x20AC;? Kruse
Jackie Barr | El Estoque
Kevin Tsukii | El Estoque
Kevin Tsukii | El Estoque
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Math teacher Jennifer
â&#x20AC;?MACDIZZLEâ&#x20AC;? MacDonald English teacher Robert
â&#x20AC;?SMACKDOWNâ&#x20AC;? Javier
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Kevin Tsukii | El Estoque
DODGE THIS The annual district-wide staff dodgeball tournament, hosted at Homestead High School, took place on Jan. 27. In honor of teacher and coach Ron Freeman, MVHS staff members donned water polo caps. Proceeds from the tournament went to March of Dimes.
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Feb. 2, 2011
SPORTS
WATER
Most people believe that they should drink six to eight glasses, or 48 to 64 ounces, of water a day. However, according to Physiology teachers Pooya Hajjarian and Jenna Smith, According to Physiology teacher Jenna Smith, these five principles are essential to maintaining health:
FACT: Certain
chemicals in energy drinks deplete the calcium from your bones.
you should drink half of your weight in ounces of water each day.
what the
? h t l ea
h
ZZ
Z Z Z Z SLEEPING Z Get 9-10 hours of sleep
When sleep-deprived, people secrete more hormones like cortisol and brylen. Both of these hormones make you hungry and crave sugary snacks and carbohydrates. They result in overeating and too much cortisol, leading to abdominal fat, according to Physiology teacher Jenna Smith.
DESTRESS SLEEP
BEFORE A GAME
EXERCISE NUTRITION SOCIALIZE
FOOD
A typical Mediterranean diet, which both Hajjarian and Smith say is the healthiest, recommends that:
50-60 percent of what one should eat should be carbohydrates
20-30 percent should be proteins
10 percent should be fats
Contrary to common belief, loading up on carbohydrates the night before a game or match is not as beneficial as it may seem. According to Smith, storing carbohydrates in your body is a weeklong process in which you must deplete your bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s carbohydrates and then consume them rapidly in order to allow your body to conserve them.
PORTION CONTROL
In order to effectively maintain a healthy weight, wrestling coach Nolan Verga recommends portion control for his wrestlers. According to Verga, three meals a day should be broken down into 15 smaller meals. He believes itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all about self-control and making healthy choices.
Shanthi Guruswamy | El Estoque
After a coaching change, the boys varsity soccer team lost 3-2 on Jan. 26 against Milpitas High School and tied Fremont High School 1-1 on Jan. 28. Their record is now 1-5-1, and they play at Wilcox High School this afternoon.
soccer
Sarika Patel || s.patel@elestoque.org
On Jan. 25, the boys varsity soccer team was defeated 32-51 by Mountain View High School. The boys then lost to Wilcox High School 38-51 on Jan. 28. The team travels to Milpitas High School on Feb. 4 and plays Santa Clara High School the week after at home.
basketball
boys
Joseph Beyda | El Estoque
sportsnow
Kevin Tsukii | El Estoque
TEAM UPDATES
girls basketball
Jackie Barr El Estoque
Page 23
After a close match on Jan. 28, the girls varsity basketball team lost 4345 against Wilcox High School. They play Palo Alto High School at home this afternoon and have an away game against Gunn High School on Feb. 4.
soccer
On Jan. 28, the girls varsity soccer team lost to Mountain View 1-2 after winning 1-0 against Los Altos at home on Jan. 26. The girls played Homestead on Jan. 31 and will play Palo Alto today at home.
Elvin Wong | El Estoque
Page 24
Feb. 2, 2011
SPECIAL
Jackie Barr | El Estoque
FOND MEMORIES Many students left personal items at a makeshift shrine in honor of late coach and teacher Ron Freeman.
Kevin Tsukii | El Estoque
Jackie Barr | El Estoque
BELOVED COACH Students placed flowers, pictures, and cards around a water polo goal following Freeman’s death. A long-time P.E. and social studies teacher, Freeman coached many successful water polo and swimming teams during his 30-year tenure at MVHS.
FRIEND OF MANY Senior IDC Rep Angeline Chen and the ASB team made this poster of Freeman for the Jan. 28 Technicolor Rally.
FREEMAN: Late coach created aquatics ‘family’ for the shallow lanes, as well as more deep water for water polo. With his many connections in Freeman, MVHS teacher and coach since 1981, community swimming and water polo programs, died on Jan. 21 at age 52. According to Freeman’s Freeman managed to raise $160,000. “He believed in giving to everyone else before family and principal April Scott, the cause of death was a sudden heart attack after the varsity you come to yourself,” said girls water polo captain boys basketball game Friday evening. Despite the senior Sonika Singh. “The only thing he ever really efforts of staff members and paramedics to revive did for himself is he would go to Hawaii for four him, Freeman never made it to the hospital. While days every February.” Freeman passed on his love for the islands by Freeman became an official MVHS social studies teacher in the 90s, he was most recognized for his taking the boys team to Hawaii for “Hell Week” last year. The girls team traveled to Hawaii late contributions to the water polo and swim teams. this summer. According to Singh, “We can’t remember when Freeman picked up on Hawaiian Ron wasn’t here. He used to customs and knew bits of the play poker with buddies, he language. was on the dodgeball team, he As the boys water polo just sort of had connections and swim coach, Freeman everywhere,” Scott said. “You was appropriately nicknamed would wonder how can he be “Screamin’ Freeman” for his at the basketball game, and the booming voice and honest football game, and this meeting, input. and that meeting all at the same “They say in heaven you time.” get to do what you want to Freeman spent the majority do, so all the refs and coaches of his life in the Bay Area, better have some earplugs specifically Cupertino. He because Freeman’s coming up,” graduated class of 1976 from Bagdasarian said. Homestead High School and went According to Singh, Freeman on to play water polo at De Anza senior Alex Bagdasarian had a world of his own and College. He coached Peewee even a language of his own. Polo, for kids between seven The water polo players and and 12 years old, summer water polo camps at Bellarmine College Preparatory, and swimmers that he coached weren’t kids, but “dingdongs,” “knuckle-birds,” and “ding bats.” He would was involved in the Junior Olympics. “He had dedicated his life to water polo and to often speak in riddles, his most well-known being Monta Vista, too,” Bagdasarian said. “To being a “Horses eat oats, goats eat oats, but little lambs eat ivy.” But somehow, it seemed that these mysterious part of a family.” After 10 years of coaching at MVHS, Freeman words could solve every problem. “He was always tuned into his own station,” created the school’s first girls water polo team. Mr. Aquatics, as he was nicknamed early on, also played Singh said. “Every picture I have of Freeman he’s a significant and influential role in the remodeling looking somewhere else or doing something else.” Freeman is survived by his mother and stepfather of the pool and deck. According to Scott, Freeman was one of the biggest advocates for a pool that Miriam and Ken Clark, his brothers Richard, Dean, John, and Wayne, and his sister Cathleen. A was suited for all students. “It was easy to think he was maybe only talking memorial service to commemorate all that Freeman about polo, until you really listened to him. He’d has contributed to MVHS and the community say, ‘I don’t want to give up shallow lanes, we’re will be held at MVHS on Feb. 18 at 3 p.m. All are welcome to attend. teaching kids to swim here,’” Scott explained. Instead, Freeman advocated for extending the Mansi Pathak || m.pathak@elestoque.org pool by five meters, which would accommodate continued from page 1
They say in heaven you get to do what you want to do, so all the refs and coaches better have some earplugs because Freeman’s coming up.
Kevin Tsukii | El Estoque
TOUGH COMPETITOR In memory of Freeman, teachers wore water polo caps at the district’s annual staff dodgeball tournament on Jan. 27 at Homestead High School. Freeman played on MVHS’s over-40 and mens squads. His nickname was “The Wall."
PUBLIC MEMORIAL: Feb. 18, 3 p.m. IN LIEU OF FLOWERS: Freeman’s family has requested contributions be made to a scholarship fund named for him, made payable to “Monta Vista ASB/Ron Freeman Aquatics Scholarship.” Donations can be mailed to the school or dropped off in the main office.
LASTING MESSAGES Students signed commemorative posters for Freeman in the gym. Freeman taught or coached thousands of students.
Karishma Mehrotra | El Estoque