Volume 37, Issue 1, September 23 2005 by El Estoque

Books find new home in redesigned library

Class sizes rise, students suffer

Calculators run, bike, swim for calculators

Arangetrams serve as coming-of-age for Indian girls

september

Alumnus gives life for U.S.A. Matthew Axelson dies in Afghanistan by Alex Cohn, editor-in-chief and Neha Joshi, managing editor

n a familiar cul-de-sac in Cupertino, all seven houses display American flags as the wind gently lifts the banners, briefly imbuing them with a temporal life as they unfurl and wave. In the backyard of the well-kept house on the corner, next to a pile of firewood, a rusty, be-speckled two-door Triumph waits to be restored among the leaves, under a gray tarp. Within the house, in a living room filled with family photos, Cordell Axelson thoughtfully said of the car, “We were going to rebuild it when he came home. In fact, on Father’s Day he ordered a big manual for me, for us I should say, that we were going to use when we rebuilt it.” It was only nine days after that Father’s Day that Cordell’s son, Matthew Axelson, a graduate from Monta Vista High School, died on June 28, while on a mission for the US Navy SEALS in Afghanistan. The mission, known as Operation Red Wing, took the lives of eleven soldiers, the highest death toll for a SEALS operation since World War II. His father said of him, “He was just a typical guy that loved to be with his friends… he was not a blabbermouth for sure. He didn’t want to be the center of attention. He [was] very modest and very intelligent and physically and mentally he could do anything he wanted to do. He was a great guy to talk to.” The Axelson family used to raise St. Bernards. In one litter, a puppy was born with a black patch over its eye, an undesirable coloration for St. Bernard purebreds. “Matt said, ‘This is the one I want.’ When we asked why, he said ‘Because no one else would want it,’” said Donna Axelson, Matt’s mother. Matt was part of the graduating class

see Axelson on page 16

Symrin Chawla | staff photographer

Car Wash Senior Onur Erbilgin washes a minivan on Sept. 10 as part of the Class of 2006’s fundraiser, with all funds being given to victims of Hurricane Katrina. The event raised a total of $207 for the cause.

Clubs aid victims of Katrina by Vikram Srinivasan, managing editor

ust two days after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the American Gulf Coast, most of the nation was in a state of shock. Without tangible measures of the extent of the damage, prospects looked bleak at best. But sophomore Chetan Surpur, president of the Monta Vista Hindu Club, already had a plan in mind. “We were struck by the poor, dead victims, so we decided to do something,” Surpur said. And do something he did. In just a week of circulating classroom donation jars and selling candy after school in the bus circle, Surpur and 20 fellow volunteers had raised $1,300—and counting. Plus, $985 of that sum came in the first three days. Though Hindu Club’s proceeds will go to the American Red Cross, MV’s Red Cross chapter has launched an effort of its own, trying to raise funds by soliciting donations at the Cupertino library. A similar endeavor

for tsunami victims last year raised $700. Club Co-President senior Clarence Quah hopes to hit that same mark, if not surpass it. “We all agreed that the conditions [in Louisiana] are really devastating,” Quah said. “The conditions there seem like thirdworld country conditions.” MV’s leadership class seems to agree. The Class of ’06 organized a car wash on Sept. 10 and, with about 30 volunteers, managed to raise $207. Meanwhile, the spirit commission has planned out “Coin Wars,” a competition between classes where students deposit coins in the containers for their classes to win points or insert dollar bills into other classes’ containers to cause them to lose points, for the week of Sept. 19-23. Teachers have been keen to this student grassroots activism and have tried to help out by increasing awareness of Hurricane Katrina through their lesson plans. “A lot of kids don’t watch the news in general, so for me it was a priority to

educate them on the event, and then have them understand the impacts,” said history teacher Robyn Brushett, who discussed the consequences for the people of the country and region in her classes. Fellow history teacher Maria CarterGianinni took a similar approach, while business teacher Jeff Mueller focused on the disaster’s economic impact, and biology teacher Lora Lerner dealt with it in terms of the environmental results and the ongoing recovery. Though most of the fundraising projects last only a few weeks, the recovery doesn’t stop there. With New Orleans in ruins, the road to normalcy will be no walk in the park. However, more plans are in the works. Monta Vista’s club council met Sept. 15 to brainstorm more campus-wide ways to help out. Brushett said, “A lot of it has to do with empathy, to reach out for humanitarian reasons not just extra credit.” So far, it looks like students are keeping that spirit alive.

Plug pulled on wireless internet access by Julia Stenzel, perspectives editor

or several years, any Monta Vista student with a wireless-enabled laptop has been able to access the internet from anywhere on campus. But by the end of fall, this service will no longer be available. According to MVHS network support specialist, Sal Murillo, the school’s wireless internet was never intended for student use. “The wireless access was for the teachers’, staffs’, and campus laptop carts’ use,” he said. “This particular access was [meant] for these computers, and these only.” A major reason for the removal of wireless for student use stems from a concern for the safety of MVHS students’ personal information.

“Security is very important to anyone and everyone. Every single student who attends MVHS has their information stored on our database server,” Murillo said. “Imagine if someone was able to get a hold of this particular bit of information; now multiply this by as many students who attend here.” Another possible hazard of offering wireless access to all students is if a virus were to be “unleashed on our campus network by a student laptop which is not properly protected, or is unknowingly infected,” Murillo said. However, the elimination of student wireless will not affect the existence of wireless for staff. “Teachers will still be able to access the internet and network services, through the wireless connections as always; no changes for them,” Murillo said.

Senior Leon Young said he sometimes uses the internet at MVHS, but this will not affect him very much. In fact, he sees it as a potentially positive change. “It will encourage people to find other ways to study besides relying on the internet all the time,” Young said. “People will learn more by having to do different kinds of research.” But all hope is not lost for wireless internet access. When the myriad of problems surrounding wireless access for students can be resolved, it may return to MVHS. Principal April Scott said, “We want to bring it back, but we have to be safe about it. . We don’t want it negatively affecting the school.” Until then, students will have to leave their laptops at home, instead using desktop computers on campus.

news

september 23 2005

New

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News-Information-Updates

Cheryl Ho | staff writer Elected Officials Freshmen Steven Chien, Connie Ng, Matisse Yoshihara, Ryan Satterlee and Connie Wu show their class pride during Leadership class on Sept. 19 and are excited about serving the freshman class of 2009.

It’s Official: They’re Freshmen n On Sept. 2, freshmen class officers were elected for the class of 2009, resulting

in five new officers with Steven Chien as president, Connie Ng as vice president, Connie Wu as secretary, Ryan Satterlee as treasurer and Matisse Yoshihara as social manager. Asked if she’s familiar with the rest of the officers, Yoshihara says, “Actually at Kennedy in sixth grade we were all in the same village. They’re cool people. We’re having a lot of fun planning things.” Asked why he chose to run, Satterlee said, “I wanted to be a bigger part of the school, to help make decisions.” Asked about her goals for the year, Wu said, “I want to improve communication between student government and the students.” Chien said, “I want to get our class more unified, organized and hyped up for rallies.” Are they prepared to accept all the responsibility? Ng said, “Yes, I’m nervous, but ready and excited.” n During the summer, there were several break in attempts that occurred at Monta Vista. At the end of July, thieves attempted to steal a server and other electronic devices. Thankfully, because of the Sonitrol, the police were able to arrive promptly and apprehend one of the thieves. From the arrest of the first thief, they were also able to track another suspect down and found more stolen items in that suspect’s home. Because MV has been targeted several times by thieves in the past, the Administration has discovered that putting valuable items in places where they are harder to find is effective defense against robbers. “Storing and putting things away helps because it takes the thieves longer,” says Assistant Principal Brad Metheaney. “That way our Sonitrol can pick it up because it’ll take longer for the thieves to take things.” n With homecoming right around the corner, float building starts very soon for all classes. Come out and support your class in the following times and locations. Homecoming is on Oct. 28, and the dance is on Oct. 29. Listen to the daily bulletin for exact locations. Float building starts on Sept. 24 from 9am to 8pm and continues on all weekends throughout Oct.23. On Oct. 27, float building takes place from 3pm to 9pm in the MV parking lot, and on Oct. 28 from 3pm to 5pm in the parking lot. Good luck to all classes!

n The engagement of English teachers Michael Kanda and Andrea Chin was the brightest news at the beginning of the school year. Kanda said, “It was funny; my AVID students who I told [about the engagement] were happy. Then they felt a sense of betrayal and asked, ‘Didn’t we ask you about this last year?’” They have been dating for the past two years. Asked if it was difficult to keep their relationship a secret, Chin responded, “Let’s just say we didn’t deny it. It was hard to keep it from students. People thought we were dating before we really talked. We both live within close proximity to the school, so when we went out, students would see us.” As for hiding their relationship from their teacher colleagues, Kanda said, “[A] few asked me. Kids tend to be more blunt about these kinds of things.” The proposal was a creative one. The two went on a day trip to Gilroy and Monterey on Aug. 20. During the day, Kanda would “randomly pull out flashcards with inside jokes, quotes from movies and things that were significant in our relationship and test me,” said Chin. Kanda explained, “The last flashcard had the date on it, the date that I would be proposing.” Asked if she knew what the quiz was leading up to, Chin laughed, “I thought I knew, but didn’t want to assume it was the day he’d propose, otherwise I’d be bitter if it wasn’t.” In a separate interview Kanda said, “I tried to be deceptive and tell her it was a back-to-school celebration, but I don’t know if she bought it…You can’t fool women. Trust me.” The wedding will be this summer.

n After two years of compromised facility use and a year of construction, the auditorium and library are now in use. “I’m definitely happy there’s a new auditorium. The old one was a challenge to work with,” said senior Nick Constant, a student actively involved in drama productions. The renovated auditorium now has new features, including a changing room. The auditorium officially opened Sept. 15, as did the library. School librarian Megan Birdsong said of the advantages of the new library, “It increases the seating for students by about three times. The computer lab now has a projection screen. We have a total of 65 new computers. I really hope students respect the equipment and facility so that we can preserve the resources for all students.” n This year the classes Oral Composition and AP U.S. Government have been added to the course offerings. Oral Composition had been a class until two years ago. Oral Composition teacher Sharon Prefontaine said, “They said there was no signup for the class; people weren’t interested. Then last spring I found out it was going to be offered again... I think parents are starting to realize how important oral communication is. The skills make all the difference in college and the rest of your life.” Unlike Oral Composition, Monta Vista has never offered AP Government. Asked why it was added, AP Government teacher Ben Recktenwald listed some of the reasons as being, “Students and parents were demanding more APs...Most schools and districts offer the class and it seemed kind of strange we didn’t have it, being such a high performing school.” Asked why students were willing to take a class never offered before, he said, “That’s part of the mentality of MV. If an you offer an AP, they’ll take it.”

elestoque 2005-2006 Monta Vista High School 21840 McClellan Rd. Cupertino, CA 95014 El Estoque seeks to recognize individuals, events, ideas, and bring news to the Monta Vista community in a manner that is professional, unbiased, and thorough in order to most effectively serve our community. Editor-in-Chief Alex Cohn Edward Young Managing Editors Neha Joshi Vikram Srinivasan News Editor Raj Dedhia Perspectives Editor Julia Stenzel Design/Centerspread Editor Stephanie Snipes Entertainment Editor Michelle Tanaka Sports Editor Suzie Smelyansky Back Page Editor Rachel Lui Staff Writers Sarah Bennett Radhika Chandrasekhar Symrin Chawla Austin Cheng Carolyn Chuang Nandini Dasarathy Aniqa Hasan Cheryl Ho Adam Jacobs Jordan Kolb Steffi Lau Michael Leung Judy Liang Melissa Ni Sonal Patel Samika Savanur Prateek Tandon Anagha Vaidhyanathan Matt Wang Daniel Yang Advisor Michelle Balmeo The El Estoque staff can be reached at elestoque06@gmail.com or by contacting advisor Michelle Balmeo in Room C210. Advertisements may be sent to the address above. 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.

Surviving Safari, students find a changed school W by Alex Cohn, editor-in-chief

e’ve all emerged alive from yet another Registration Safari. Thankfully, no lion maulings, nor hippopotamus-related shipwrecks, nor quicksand drownings interrupted the unyielding banality of registration. For freshmen, this safari was but their first time braving the laminated-wood savannas, for they still must endure three more harrowing voyages into the dense jungles of forms and novelty stamps. For us seniors, this safari was our last, moving on to bigger and more convoluted registration processes in the near future. Yet for all, the Registration Safari trumpeted the arrival of a new academic year, summoning us back to MVHS. Inevitably, we have returned to find our school changed with nineteen new teachers, a completely rebuilt library and auditorium, and yet the same venomously shrill bells. As the school has changed, so too has El Estoque. Thankfully, we have arisen from our anarchic dark ages with the help of our new advisor, English teacher Michelle Balmeo and our dedicated new staff members. With this return to order have come many significant changes for the better. This year, readers should expect to see far more consistency, with regular features and columnists. Also, our general design has been extensively retrofitted. Our masthead, section headers, and fonts have changed to a more clean, modern look. In

each edition, there will also be a pull-out section covering one theme in depth. In this issue, our pull-out is dedicated to MVHS’ past. For one story in the pull-out, I had the interesting opportunity to attend the 10-year reunion of the class of 1995. Frightfully drunk, crowded into one narrow walkway in front of a pub, the alumni reminisced about their past days at “old MV High.” Though time drastically changed all of the attendees, with one once outgoing student now quite bitter and a previously rebellious rouge now successful in the business world, one constant for everyone was how clear their high school lives from 10 years ago were in their memory. Perhaps this attests to how fleeting time really is. In what feels like an instant, we’ll all be at our own 10 year reunions. Experiencing the dizzying speed of time up-close, I was reminded of Shakespeare’s warning from Richard II, “I wasted time and now doth time waste me.” With the start of a new year, and all of us marching toward adulthood, let us not waste our time as energetic young high-schoolers. Let’s take some time off from doing the myriad of type-A activities to get into good colleges and actually live our lives, even if only for a few fleeting hours every week. After all, when we’re looking back on our time in high school, we want our most significant memories to be the fun we had, not the safaris during which we waited in line.

EDITOR’S LETTER

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entertainment

New Orleans, New Atlantis

Forgotten and under water?

Reconstruction efforts pay off

Library completed, pool and locker rooms on their way

by Edward Young, editor-in-chief

s soon as the fences guarding the library came down, students rushed toward the remodeled building to catch their first glimpses. Monta Vista’s new library officially opened on Sept. 15, and students were allowed in the following day. The reconstruction project was a major undertaking for both Monta Vista and the District. The architect, Erwin Lee, a Monta Vista graduate in 1975, said, “We worked for probably about two years. [The library] with the auditorium cost about 3.5 million.”

Due to the immensity of the project, many important figures from throughout the District attended the opening, including the superintendent and the board of trustees. Principal April Scott addressed the crowd: “Now that the fences, backhoes, jackhammers, and cement trucks are gone, we can truly enjoy the new public areas and fully appreciate our incredible facilities.” However, the appreciation goes beyond external aesthetics. Librarian Megan Birdsong said, “The books in the old library were accessible, but you couldn’t really see them. Also, the old library had room for

only 28 computers. This one has 62.” Just as the dust from the construction of the new library is starting to settle, several new remodeling projects are set to begin. The signs of the impending construction are strewn throughout campus, from the portables on the basketball courts to the drained swimming pool, and more are set to come. “There will be five portables,” said Assistant Principal Brad Metheany, explaining the school’s plans for temporary

see LIBRARY on page 16

atrina was coming. We all knew she was coming. She was big. She was bigger than big; a category 5. Not even for a second did we doubt her power - yet, there are over 100,000 people stranded after the storm – homeless, hungry, thirsty, angry and confused. The TV and newspaper continue to show graphic images of total confusion – families separated as part of relocation, federal officials learning about marooned people from reporters, and volunteers with food and equipment waiting for directions. Thousands dead, possibly half a million homes lost, billions of dollars in damage, the city of New Orleans lost perhaps forever. Just Do It As I walk around campus, I find students arguing over who’s at fault for the slow response. But finger-pointing doesn’t alleviate the situation when countless are standing waistdeep in water. What’s done is done. Arguing won’t help those who are in desperate need of aid. As one reporter explained on the news, “[The victims] can’t be described as alive and well, but they’re alive.” It’s Been Done Before High School students are reputed as lazy, irresponsible kids with raging hormones. Monta Vista, on the other hand, has managed to refute that theory with our commitment community service. Over 1,500 MVHS students participated in the “Wave of Aid” bracelet drive to build an orphanage for tsunami victims during the 2004-2005 holiday season. The San Jose Mercury News portrayed MV as a school above the rest, where students would sacrifice their personal time and savings to help people they never met. Junior Chelsea Temple said, “During the tsunami aftermath last year, students were bombarded with ways to help. It seems as though less people are asking for donations toward Hurricane Katrina.” If we were able to help third-world countries in need of aid, isn’t there anything we can do for the citizens of our own country? When I posed the question of immediate action to junior Vedika Narayanan, she said, “I feel that it has gotten a lot of coverage in the papers so it is pathetic that no one at our school is taking more of an initiative. It would be nice if [each] class donated a certain percent of what they had in their treasury. It doesn’t have to be a lot. Just something.” From collecting pocket change in classroom jars to planning a large schoolwide coin war, students and clubs all over campus have been turning out with amazing fundraisers over the past couple of weeks. The Hindu Awareness Club raised over $1,300 in their first few days of fundraising. Red Cross and the Leadership class have started on efforts of their own. All I ask is, is it too late? Hurricane Katrina struck the coast of Louisiana on Aug. 29, yet here we stand far into September barely beginning our efforts. Hey Monta Vista, is it too late? America the Great What I find most ironic is that this is taking place in our home country - The United States of America. Didn’t we land a man on the moon? Repair the Discovery in space and bring it back safe? Invent the Internet and the iPod? When the tsunami victims were suffering in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and parts of India, didn’t we offer a helping hand without hesitation? However, when it affects our own country, why are we turning a blind eye? Evacuees are scattered throughout the tip of the Mississippi River simply waiting. Waiting for food. Waiting for water. Waiting for shelter. Waiting for answers. Atlantis Sinks Again New Orleans’ cultural diversity, plentiful oil, and thriving ports once drove our country like none other. New Orleans may be sunk like Atlantis, but let’s not leave its people to slip into ruin with it.

perspectives

What’s

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LETTERSEDITOR TO THE

elestoque06@gmail.com Is there an article that perks your interest, admiration, or fury?

Has something at Monta Vista caught your attention? Send a letter to El Estoque pertaining to articles in the newspaper or relating to Monta Vista. Letters can be of any length, and sent via e-mail or mail. They become the sole property of El Estoque and can be edited for length, clarity, or accuracy. Letters will not be returned. Letters will be published at El Estoque’s discretion.

El Estoque 21840 McClellan Road Cupertino, CA 95014

eniors shuffled into visual machine (with their AP Economics the administration’s class on the first permission). day of school expecting Asked why he uses a an instructor with a fairly bat in his teaching Pelkey traditional teaching style said, ” Only two people that would simply and know why, and one of clearly explain the ins them doesn’t even know and outs of supply and that they know.” demand, inflation and Pelkey denied using it all the other seemingly solely to get his students’ dry economic concepts. attention. Teacher: Social studInstead, they found Senior Patrick Lee ies teacher Pete Pelkey social studies teacher said, “Mr. Pelkey is a Pete Pelkey. very loud person. He Object: Multiple Wielding a splintered, doesn’t really need the frightfully intimidating black wooden baseball bat [to get his students’ baseball bats bat, Pelkey demanded attention].” answers from his students, The most logical reason, by Alex Cohn, editor-in-chief whacking their desks, filling that Pelkey simply enjoys the room with a tremendous crack. baseball, is also incorrect. “I hate baseball Senior Kathy Weng said, “I laughed and and everything about it,” he said. thought he was insane, but the bat had a A former colleague of Pelkey’s at wonderful effect of keeping us wide awake, Homestead High School, social studies as it looked like he was going to knock out teacher Ben Recktenwald has one theory. someone’s head any second, but it actually He said he needs the bat “to feel secure made him really interesting.” about his manhood.” Pelkey denied that the Pelkey obtained the bat after a former bat was used as such a security device. student did a presentation on baseball and So the enigma of why Pelkey brings a left the bat in his classroom. Its gnarled bat to school everyday continues, but a appearance dates to when an AP U.S. little mystery in everyday life never hurt History teacher at Homestead High School, anyone. where Pelkey previously taught, borrowed If you want a teacher’s strange object it to destroy an oft-malfunctioning audio- investigated email ABCohn@aol.com.

Daniel Yang | staff artist

5 Monta Vista says goodbye to Wireless ELIMINATION OF INTERNET INCONVENIENCES STUDENTS’ STUDIES

Rocket Science

Julia Stenzel | Art and Perspectives Editor

he Administration is taking a huge step toward limiting internet access on campus by completely blocking wireless internet from students who bring their laptops to school. Although at the beginning of every year students at MVHS agree to the Zero Tolerance Policy for technology, a few abused the privilege of having wireless internet. Thanks to such students, none of us will have access to it from now on. Tiring waits at the library for free computers will commence again which students like senior Anthony Kwon avoided by bringing their laptops. “A lot of times the library is full for computer uses, so sometimes if I need to quickly type up something, I’ll use my laptop. Then I’ll send it to my e-mail and print it out from my teacher’s computer,” he said. Who really wants to wait for a machine to connect with the world when we could bring our own to do so? Unfortunately, the retraction of wireless internet will take away from the ease to research and communicate with others whenever we want to. High school students have busy lives with barely enough time to sit down

and place quality time into our assignments. However, access to the internet anywhere on campus gave us a head start on them. Even if we only had a minute, it was spent well in looking up our homework assignments, typing a thesis statement, or sending the e-mail that we just remembered.

Staff Editorial

In order to access the internet, students need to remember to bring one more thing: the cable that connects the laptop to a jack. And then, they will need to search the campus for an available internet jack. Occasionally, students need to find materials for classes and bring their own laptops to do so. Now, if the library is not open, they will have to go to a classroom and ask the teacher for permission to use the computer. As more and more students approach teachers to borrow their computers, lines will form as well.

During tutorial, a student may want to use the computer to check what homework is due or complete an online assignment, but someone already already be there. When students wait in the classroom to use this resource, teachers have to stay in their classrooms even when they do not want to. Obviously, the decision to take away wireless internet affects not only students but also teachers. As if we are not annoying enough with our questions about grades, test questions, and homework, we will bother the teachers even more when we ask them whether or not we can use their computers since they are our last resort. Our job as students is to learn, and taking away one of our necessities takes away from our freedom to learn in our own time. Even with the opening of the renovated library which has 65 new computers, 2400 students, a limited amount of computers, and no wireless internet access will create lines that are a waste of our precious minutes. Although computers will be faster without students surreptitiously downloading large files, efficiency of technology does not mean efficiency for students.

Larger frosh classes lead to crowding BIGGER CLASS SIZES AFFECT PARTICIPATION AND UNDERSTANDING by Cheryl Ho, staff writer

ear by year, incoming classes grow larger. Freshmen overcrowd the bleachers during rallies, and compared to them, upperclassmen seem quite scarce. However, in the classrooms, it is quite the opposite. For the new school year, Monta Vista’s teacher staff increased by 19, mainly because freshman literature classes were changed back to a 20:1 student to teacher ratio. “The small size in my lit class allows us to discuss answers very easily as a class since we don’t have to take hours getting everyone’s input,” said freshman Jonathan Chang. “Everyone gets to contribute.”

matador ((vibe))

Austin Cheng | staff photographer Canned Anchovies Calculus BC students take notes elbow-toelbow in a classroom they share with up to 40 other classmates.

Because of the reduced class sizes, freshmen with the privilege feel more comfortable to express themselves, and can easily adapt to the learning environment.

...to senior clerical assistant Sulin Yeh, who stopped a fight between students on Rose Blossom Drive on Aug. 24.

However, AP/Honors classes, consisting of mainly upperclassmen, are getting the shorter end of the stick, where class sizes are growing as opposed to shrinking. “I have about 40 students in my AP/Honors classes on average,” said junior Jeff Gu. Massive class numbers lead to less participation, less comfort, as well as less understanding of content in short periods of time. Though those who take advanced courses attack material with more experience than freshmen, it still becomes difficult, too difficult even, partially due to lack of proper guidance.

See CLASS SIZES, page 16

...to parents who drop their kids off in the student parking lot, and leave the same way they came in. With parents blocking the entrance, how should students enter?

few weeks ago, my parents invited an old friend from college, a military rocket scientist, over to dinner. I distinctly remember being wary. With my parents dressing up the house to look extra nice, it seemed like it was going to be the typical routine. Apparently, my parents’ friend used to work as a scientist at a nuclear power plant. But once our guest started talking, instead of being bored to death, I found myself listening intently and understanding a lot of what she said. Who knew that the spectrophotometry Chemistry teachers Travis Hambleton and Kavita Gupta talked about in their Chemistry classes was the same one that scientists used in real life? And when you work in a nuclear power plant, you get exposed to radiation. With radiation, comes cancer, and so we found ourselves talking about new treatments on the market. At this point, though, it was 10:00, and I’d been up rather late cramming Animal Dreams before school started, yes, while on AIM, so my sleep battery was noticeably undercharged. But then, my attention perked. Our guest mentioned a new, powerful drug being made from the yew tree that was showing a great deal of promise. Struggling to put her finger on its name, she paused. And in that moment of judgment, my countless nights with just half an hour of sleep were worth it. Who knew that the taxol we talked and read about in Bio AP teacher Debbie Frazier’s class was the same one that scientists used in real life? There’s a kind of rush in it, knowing the answer, when the question isn’t on a multiple-choice test. It’s validation— that your efforts in the classroom mean something, that they leave you with some heightened comprehension of the world. I can’t say how many times I’ve known the question to the answer that stumped the Jeopardy contestants, realized why it was taking so irritatingly long for the water to boil, or made sense of the verbal diarrhea on Univision when channel flipping, just because of something I learned in school. Maybe I’m just a nerd. But it seems so obvious: high school isn’t only about getting into college; it’s about learning and preparing yourself for life, whether that involves college or not. But under layers of expectations—from our parents, our teachers, our peers, and ourselves—our focus usually shifts to the bottom line—what’d I get? Oftentimes, especially in course selection and around finals, we talk about our busy lives in terms of what we can and can’t handle. The real issue is what you want to handle. There’s a difference between choice and ability. Our brains would be thrilled at an expansion of their boundaries, even if it involved more honors and AP classes than there are fingers. It’s ultimately how much we want to learn that determines how far we choose to stretch those mental limits. Some of us are just beginning our journey of high school, while others are tying it up. Regardless, let’s all try to make what’s left our education mean something beyond numbers and goals. Whether it’s as simple as asking yourself what you know now that you didn’t before, or as studious as reviewing the notes of every lecture, try to appreciate what you learn. It’s not rocket science. Then again, maybe it is. ...to whoever left paper footprints guiding students to the rally court for Coin Wars, which will aid the Hurricane Katrina victims.

perspectives

Varying

Viewpoints by Prateek Tandon, staff writer

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: Is Summer Reading worth it?

by Sarah Bennett, staff writer

roan! Whine! Students lament the 16 summer reading chapters for AP U.S. ummer reading is ineffective and takes up well-deserved vacation time. Not only History (APUSH) and the three novels for American Literature and Writing Honors. does it take away from the legitimacy of a class, it encourages cheating through However, these assignments are not without cause. For teachers who instruct AP the enormity of the assigned work. or Honors classes, time is a limiting factor. Covering aspects of the curriculum beforehand When a student does his or her assignment correctly, he/she labors through weeks is key. of sunshine. “I am generally uncomfortable pedagogically that [students] are involved The maxim that time is limited holds true. In the heat of clubs, sports, and a host of with the material 12 months out of the year. I see what a toll it takes on you guys,” said other commitments, students lack the leisure to truly bond with a literary work. During the AP Literature teacher David Clarke. “Part of learning is taking time off from learning. The summer months, however, students have a greater opportunity to comprehend a subject summer ought to be yours.” in depth. Summer reading gives students the freedom to Students need their summer vacation to digest the enjoy learning about a subject at their own pace. material stuffed into their heads all year round. It is Senior Sam Rosenberg said, “Summer reading really often said that applying a class to real life is the only helps you to acquaint yourself with the material of the way its lessons will be learned. Yet when will these course. I’m sure that if I had entered APUSH without “real life” applications occur, if not during summer the 496 pages worth of information I learned over vacation? Will a student ever want to know the summer, and hit the ground running, I’d have been lost. velocity of a raft traveling down a river if he never I remember feeling overwhelmed at the start of junior gets the opportunity to go on a summer river rafting year, but having marked up my summer reading books, trip? How about that summer job? It is unlikely that I could easily refer to a certain page. Digesting the many students who worked this summer would have material once over the summer helped to reduce the learned the importance of economics, had they spent anxiety.” the entire summer studying and not had enough time Junior Peter Lu said, “Summer reading helps keep the to experience it firsthand. assignments more spread out so that the Junior Laura Bryson, who is class isn’t too crammed with homework currently enrolled in AP United States when it first starts.” History (APUSH), visited France with Because students have oriented her family over summer break. “I was themselves with a literary work or a history book once gone for over a month, and I had to rush through the during the summer, they have more time to concentrate reading because I only had 3 weeks left. It cuts into on other commitments when school starts. Motivated vacation time,” she said. students will use the summer time to their benefit. While Furthermore, if a teacher must give students it is true that people may slack off on their summer such a quantity of work prior to the school year reading, it won’t serve them in the end. Summer reading even beginning, one must question the validity of gives students a taste of the work they will be doing in the class. A course should be able to cover what the class. If students really want to succeed in a class, it needs to in the time it is given during the year. they will realize it is to their benefit to take summer To dish out homework without an in-class curriculum reading seriously. concurrently running makes one wonder if the course Senior Jesse Cheng said, “People don’t really have is being run efficiently. an argument as they signed up for the class with full “If you’re going to assign half the material before knowledge that it could fill up any and all of the free school starts, then is the class trying to cover too much time they would have.” ground?” asked senior Jim Chin, who is enrolled in Sure, summer assignments are a lot of work but AP Literature. college-credit classes require college-level work. Still, there is always the procrastination disease Students sign up full well expecting the workload to to account for. “The way it’s done currently, it’s not be challenging. If students wanted to focus on other summer reading,” said Chin, “It’s three-days-beforecommitments during the summer, they should not have school reading.” signed up for the class. While some students may do their work For teachers, summer reading is necessary to allocate throughout vacation, a large percentage waits until curriculum time effectively. A recent study conducted the last minute to even start their assignments. Yet JULIA STENZEL | STAFF ARTIST at the University of Missouri reports that students lose by completing their homework in such a cramped two to three months of mathematical and reading time frame, students are less likely to learn what is competency over the summer. Given that many AP required of them. classes are pressed for time, this is certainly troubling. Summer reading allows students to The common practice of putting off work also encourages cheating. “So far every practice basic skills so teachers can move on to more advanced topics rather than focusing question I see is Spark-Notable,” said Chin. While turnitin.com can usually detect direct on things the students should already know from years past. plagiarism, it can in no way account for stolen ideas, nor can it be 100 percent accurate English teacher Michael Kanda said that the American Literature and Writing Honors 100 percent of the time. If a student is cramming to finish up his or her work, she or he can class would have a difficult time covering the popular but lengthy East of Eden by John often use sparknotes.com to answer a question or summarize a chapter. While summer reading assignments are a way of setting a class at the same level of Steinbeck if summer reading weren’t allowed. East of Eden is a very important book that introduces students to critical themes in American literature. Without summer reading, knowledge, they are an inadequate way of doing so. If teachers want their students to start off equal, they might as well teach robots. Homework over summer break won’t stifle however, students would have to miss out on entire portions of the curriculum. Take summer reading with a grain of salt. Students would do well to embrace summer a decade-and-a-half of growing up. Leave the textbook learning for the school year, and let each class teach its own material. reading for its educational value and understand the benefits it offers to the classroom.

Con

Pro

Voices of MV

“In some aspect, [the reading] does help because it gives you an idea of the work load during the school year, but it always gives you the aspect of homework throughout summer vacation hanging over you. I always dreaded it.” – Senior Minh Nguyen

“If we didn’t assign [summer reading] your mind wouldn’t be challenged. [Students] need to be familiar with the style and the type of reading that they are going to be working with. It is a college level course.” – Maria CarterGiannini, AP U.S. History teacher

“I figured something like literature class gives everyone the same background. It’s a good thing- it gives them the same resources, puts everyone on the same level and saves time. But history…I never did the summer reading for that.” – Senior Thomas Oldfield

“I think that [summer reading] is worth doing, because it gets the class ahead. They can get right into the ‘stuff’ when school starts.” – Junior Anneliese Fetterman

“For U.S. History AP, I am not sure how useful [the summer reading] was because we had a test, but we go over the same chapters in class. In American Lit Writing Honors, three books that we would spend too much time on if we had to read them during the school year.” – Junior Javier Little

“For Lit Honors, it is helpful, because you can come in already having read the books and discuss them. [English Teacher Michael Kanda] gave us discussion questions when reading, so it wasn’t like throwing a kid in a pond to teach him how to swim.” – Junior Kate Sackett

Statistics 118

87 46

42 25

About how many hours did you spend on your summer reading? a. 0-20 hr. b. 20-40 hr. c. 40-60 hr. d. 60-80 hr. e. 80 hr. + Average hours spent: 42.4

When did you finish your summer reading? 112 a. Before(!!) or during the 1st half of summer 90 b. 2nd half of summer c. The week before school 57 d. The first week of 36 school 23 e. Um…I never A B C D E actually finished…

*Taken from a poll of 318 students involved in classes that required summer reading.

Mathletes for calculators

calculus teachers unite to compete in triathalon to raise money for supplies by Jordan Kolb, staff writer

onta Vista has seen its fair share of fundraisers, through the emptying of wallets on club days, tedious booster meetings, and the many who send off this-n-that grams to everyone they know. Rarely are fundraisers done by swimming through freezing water, biking up tough terrain, and running with countless others. Rarely does it take just three individuals to raise thousands of dollars, and rarely is there an ultimate goal of TI-83 plus calculators. But “rarely” is about to meet its match. The three MV calculus teachers are embarking on a team triathlon, or as they call it, the “Tri for TI”. The money raised from the event will be for new calculators for calculus classes. The triathlon, the Santa Cruz Sentinel Triathlon on Oct.. 2, goes from Municipal Wharf (off of Ocean Street), up West Cliff Drive, and ends off of Highway 1, most of it bordering (or in) the Santa Cruz wharf. The course is a 1.5 kilometer swim, a 40 kilometer bike, and a 10 kilometer run. Calculus AB teacher Colin Anderson is swimming, calculus AB teacher Jon Stark is biking, and calculus BC teacher Scott DeRuAustin Cheng | staff photographer iter is running. Working out Stark bikes to and from school to train for the triathalon happening on Oct. 2. Anderson will swim and DeRuiter will run in the race. So why are the calculus classes in need of calculators and not other math classes? where he rides hard for 15-20 miles at a time. “I will use Highway “Not everybody can afford a calculator, but it is required on the 1, the actual event route, the weekend before the event,” he said. AP Calculus test. The school has limited funds—we’ve purchased DeRuiter is trying to run three to four times a week, six miles per some, but need more,” explained Anderson. run. On top of weekends, he can be seen running on campus beHow many more? Their goal is at least one class set of 40 fore and after school as well as during lunch. calculators, but they would love two or three class sets. At about None of them are strangers to their sport or to triathlons. An$80 per calculator, they are hoping to raise anywhere between derson says he’s done about six triathlons by himself, and Stark did $3200 and $9600. the Donner Lake Triathlon with his wife a few years back. DeRuiter It’s a lot of money, but the staff knows it is a worthwhile pursaid he’s never done a triathlon, but has done plenty of 10k races chase. before. Stark, Anderson, and four other math teachers bike to “Most computers get obsolete very fast. For example, the brand work almost every day. new top-of-the-line computer from a few years ago is sitting in your “The exercise must make the math department the most fit on garage now. These graphing calculators stay valuable. It is an campus,” said Anderson. Is that challenge? investment that will last,” Anderson said. As physically ready as the three triathletes will be, there are a After discussing the need for calculators, it was Anderson who few factors they may not be able to control. first came up with the triathlon idea. “Are you serious?” DeRuiter “One of my few phobias is sharks,” said Anderson. “I’m always remembers being the first thing out of his mouth after hearing the a little frightened when swimming in the Ocean.” He explained idea. “I really didn’t know if he was kidding or not!” After agreehow on his last triathlon, there had been a shark attack ten miles ing to the event, DeRuiter says he thought to himself, “Crazy Mr.. away the day before the race. However, he hopes his phobia helps Anderson! Now I have to get in shape!” in the long run. “At least the thought of them encourages me to So how exactly do the mathletes plan on training for the “Tri swim a little faster,” Anderson joked. for TI”? While Stark may not have sharks to worry about, he has his “I’ve been training at the YMCA in the morning and on weekown concerns. “I always worry about getting injured or sick just ends” said Anderson. Stark says he hopes to do at least one “time trial” each week, see TRI for TI on page 16

Just keep swimming to Greece

SENIOR NAREEN BAGADASARIAN WINS MEDAL IN THE ARMENIAN OLYMPIC GAMES to represent the region of West United States. While only Armenian athletes are allowed to participate in these World Games, athletes he spotlight’s on you. Over 200 fellow athletes and double are sent from all over the world. Though she was excited about gothe number of spectators all watching as you are awarded ing to Athens, she knew “it was a burden for my parents to drive a medal for your efforts. And you aren’t with us to Los Angeles twice in 2 weeks, let being awarded just anywhere. You happen alone chauffeuring 3 kids back and forth to to be in Athens, Greece in the same facilities our respective facilities once we actually get used for the 2004 Olympic Games, being recthere, but they were extremely dedicated.” ognized for your swimming talent. For many, Bagdasarian’s focus in Greece was on this sounds like a dream, but for Monta Vista swimming. The eight events that she swam Senior, Nareen Bagdasarian, it was a dream were 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 50 back, come true. 50 fly, 50 breaststroke, 100 breaststroke and Over the summer Bagdasarian competed in 200 breaststroke. Of these eight she took the the Armenian World Games which she said, silver medal in all except for one event. Over“Was one of the most amazing experiences of all, her team, West United States, won second my life.” place, losing only to East United States who Like the Olympics, the Armenian World had Olympic trials swimmers as a part of their Games are held every four years and the locateam. tion is changed each time. This past summer, While in Greece, the athletes’ focus wasn’t they were held in Athens, Greece. Twelve completely on sports and competitions. Since - Senior Nareen Bagadasarian teams representing twelve different countries the swimming competition wasn’t until the end around the world came together for ten days of the 10 days, in between practices, Bagdaat the end of July to compete in sports like swimming, volleyball, sarian and her teammates were able to explore Athens. and basketball. “It was a culture shock!” exclaimed Bagdasarian. “You would Just to become a part of the Armenian World Games was a think that with Armenian and Greek cultures being so alike, I would competition all by itself. All Armenian athletes participate in the totally fit in, but the Greeks knew we were American – the way annual Navasartian Games in Los Angeles. Then, based on per- we dressed, how we spoke mostly English, and probably by our formance, people are selected to represent their region at the World Games. Bagdasarian was one of the six swimmers chosen see World games on page 16

by Sonal Patel, staff writer

“

The Greeks knew we were American... by our ridulously confused faces while exploring Athens. However, I was finally lucky enough to experience it!

”

Tangents on Tandem

ath teacher Emmett Powers, when I’m sure he must not have realized what he was doing, woke up one time at midnight and got to school at 1:30 a m . target: Math teacher, When Emmett Powers most of Location: D201 When: September 9. 2005 Monta Mission: To bike to school V i s t a is just with Mr. Powers getting to bed, Powers is cleaning his whiteboard. Thankfully, my wake-up call was only at 4:30 am. For those of you off of the mobius strip, most of the math department bikes to school every morning. And now, I do too. Powers and I decided we would meet at the corner of Winchester and Payne, in front of the Safeway. He even remembered to call me the night before to make sure everything was ready to go. The next morning we would be biking to school. Not on separate bikes, but tandem. At 4:30 am, Queen’s Bicycle Race started me out of bed (ugh) and at 5:20 am I was pulling up behind Powers. As he stepped off the tandem to greet me, the insanity and wonderment of the moment finally struck me. I, a student, would not only be biking with Mr. Powers, a teacher, but doing so on a tandem bicycle at 5:20 in the morning with the stars shining on the way to Monta Vista. This must not have been done before, I was making history. I couldn’t help but laugh. Powers was suited up for the event. He was wearing his usual school attire, a grey business suit complete with a white dress shirt, a tie, fancy shoes, and of course, the customary baseball hat. His bike was likewise, decked out. A 1965 Schwinn tandem with a basket in the back and two bright white headlights on the front replete with a flashing red light in the back. I uneasily got behind Powers and we tipsily started on our way, like a drunk staggering out of sleep. But both of us were sober...and wary—I did not want to tip that bike over. As we left the parking lot, I got more and more accustomed to riding the tandem. I was continuously forced to lean over the left side for some odd weight distribution balance, I kept kneeing his coat tails, and my butt at times felt like it was painfully flattening out, but the ride was ever so peaceful. In fact, at times, when my four hours of sleep kicked in, I closed my eyes, and settled in to, surprisingly, snug weather. I think what finally jerked me awake was when we rode through a red light. We got behind cross traffic, continued on, and then repeated this “trick” of his at a few more intersections. We also ran a stop sign. He wouldn’t even have turned on his light show on his bike had I not been there. He said, “One time, for some days, a police man would hide around the corner and try to catch me with my lights off, but I would second guess him and turn them back on just before he could see them off.” I smiled as we rode past two boys on bikes who gave us the weirdest looks. Riding into a twilight Monta Vista at 6:17 am has such a different feeling with nobody on campus but us tandem riders. As we sat in his classroom, we talked about, among many things, retirement. He said, “I can’t bring myself to do it, because each year I look back and see the fantastic treasures I’ve gained.” He laughed with his big broad grin and said for example this tandem ride. I agree. This man is much more than he seems—but you don’t need a 5:20 am ride on a tandem to find out why. I can’t believe I rode to school with Mr. Powers. Mission completed.

september 23 2005

sports

Water polo boys turn savage in Hawaii

the Nby umbers >>

Team travels to Hawaii to perfect physique during seven day “Hell Week”

5:45 time boys water polo team practices everyday in the

by Anagha Vaidhyanathan, staff writer

morning

consecutive matches won by the girls tennis team for this season

96 runners on the Monta Vista Cross Country

team

21 games played during a span of two days by the girl’s volleyball team on their trip to Reno

>> Health on the run

Problem: Shin splints

Symptoms: Pain or tenderness in the front, inside area of the shin due to running on hard surfaces, overtraining or over pronation (when the foot rolls inward too much). Prevention: - Warm up muscles with light jogging - Strengthen and strech calf muscles - Include resting periods in your training program

Treatment: - Decrease training or cross train with less stressful activities - Apply R.I.C.E. method - Massage muscle along shin - Stretch lower leg Information obtained from http://www.snowpackusa.com

Game: Varsity girls field hockey on Sept. 16 against Saratoga

3:40pm Second half starts 3:45pm Penalty awarded to MV 3:46pm

by Play play >>

Shoulder penRachel Lui | back page editor alty, turnover to Aggressive Junior Sarah Hassman fights for posSaratoga sesion against Saratoga, helping MV win the game 3:50pm Turnover by MV 3:52pm MV takes a close shot, but is blocked 3:53pm Senior Britney Sanford makes a stop 3:53pm MV calls a timeout 3:56pm Great pass by senior Katie Falconer to senior Kaitlin McGrain 3:58pm Close shot by Saratoga 4:08pm Turnover by MV, goal made by Sanford

SCOREBOARD

Final score: MV wins 1-0

When renovation began on the pool early in 2005, the boys water polo team had to share pools with both Lynbrook and Homestead High Schools, where practices were often held late into the night and during the break of dawn when the pool was vacant. Sadly, conditioning possibly sweeps last place for favorite methods of making progress in sports. So it was natural that this routine of inconvenient practices eventually grew tiring, and both Coach Ron Freeman and the varsity water polo team agreed it was time for a change. Varsity player and senior Michael Ahn chuckled and said, “It started off as a joke by Mr. Freeman. After going on the trip with the baseball team to Hawaii, he figured, why not water polo too?” So it was settled. On Aug. 13, the boys varsity water polo team arrived at the Waikiki Ocean Resort Hotel in glorious Oahu, Hawaii for a week of… conditioning? “Sure, you think of Hawaii and you expect hot girls, beaches, and relaxation,” said senior Kevin Leonard. “Conditioning was definitely not what we had in mind.”

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”

Girls Tennis

Varsity: (1-1)

Overall:

Varsity: (2-0)

Upcoming games:

9/23 @MV vs Prospect 3:15pm 9/30 @Milpitas 7:30pm 10/7 @Foothill College vs Los Altos 7:00pm 10/13 @Cupertino vs Fremont 7:00pm

Girls & Boys Waterpolo Varsity girls: (0-2) Varsity boys: (1-0) Upcoming games: Girls (times tba):

9/27 @Los Gatos 9/29 @Homestead 10/6 @Lynbrook

Boys:

9/23-4 @Lynbrook (tournament)

JV: (2-0) Upcoming games:

9/27 @MV vs Los Gatos 9/24 Stanford & Westmoor 3:15pm 9/29 @Saratoga 3:15pm Ram (2:25pm & 9:00am) 9/29 Central Park (3:15pm) 10/4 @Wilcox 3:15pm 10/5 @Sacred Heart 3:15pm 10/1 Artichoke (1:00pm) 10/22 Monterey Bay (9:30) 10/11 @Palo Alto 3:15pm 10/13 @MV vs Homestead 10/27 Lynbrook (3:30pm) 11/1 League Championship 3:15pm

Upcoming meets:

Girls Volleyball

Girls Field Hockey

Varsity: (0-2) preseason Varsity: (1-1) JV: (0-2) preseason

JV: (0-2)

Upcoming games:

9/27 @MV vs Cupertino 6:15pm 9/29 @Santa Clara 6:15pm 10/3 @MV vs Lynbrook 6:15pm 10/5 @Fremont 6:15pm 10/11 @MV vs Homestead 6:15pm

Photo courtesy of Russ Underwood

9/28 @St. Francis 3:00pm 9/30 @Prospect 3:00pm 10/7 @ MV vs Los Gatos 3:00pm 10/12 @Saratoga 3:00pm 10/14 @MV vs Mitty 3:00pm 10/19 @St.Ignatius 3:00pm

Photo courtesy of Russ Underwood

Powerful shots Junior Hermes Huang (top) passes the ball to his teammates during practice at Lynbrook on Sept. 19. The water polo teams are forced to practice at different schools because the MV pool is under construction. Seniors Russ Underwood and David Wong (bottom left) take much needed break in between their three-a-day practices. They relax by enjoying Hawaiin scenary and getting Henna tattoos. Traditional Hawaiin dinners with the team (bottom right) were one of the many activities the boys did to become closer and create bonds.

Conditioning for four hours didn’t seem half bad when you were swimming amongst the fish and turtles.

Cross Country 3rd at Earlybird Varsity girls 2nd at Lowell Varsity boys 3rd at Lowell

Austin Cheng | staff photographer

of dawn. After breakfast in one of Oahu’s fancy diners, the team would head toward Gold’s Gym for a good two hours of weight lifting. This was followed by lunch and afterwards a four hour swimming session in one of the resort’s fancy pools. “Occasionally, we went swimming [at] the beach itself,” said senior Oscar Korz. “Conditioning for four hours didn’t seem half - Senior Oscar Korz bad when you were swimming amongst fish and turtles.” The boys then hit the The average day called for three workouts, start- fabulous dinner spots once ing with a morning session again and made their way of sit-ups, push-ups, and back to the hotel in time sprints along the gorgeous for ‘Movie Time’ in, what Waikiki Beach at the break they liked to call, Coach

Football JV: (0-2)

el estoque

Freeman’s ‘suite.’ Freeman created this daily routine to inspire and engage his players into giving it their all. The team watched a series of movies over the week including: Coach Carter and Miracle, two movies about sports teams that strived to achieve their goals during tough times. The movie session was followed by a night of well earned sleep in the hotel where the boys roomed with teammates from other classes – a getto-know-you ritual amongst many Monta Vista teams. Of course, no trip to Hawaii is complete without a little bit of fun, and this one was no exception. The boys had many remarkable memories including getting [fake] team tattoos, exploring the countless ABC stores that were dispersed throughout the island, fishing for Mahi Mahi on the

sandy shores, and sadly, getting stung by various animals in the ocean. Many players concluded the team Luau they attended on the last night of their trip was a night to remember. “The Polynesian Cultural show was awesome. The fire handlers in mini grass skirts and of course a 5-course Hawaiian style buffet with everything!” said senior Michael Ahn. Soon after the show, a few of the senior boys on the team were so inspired that they purchased ukuleles and grass skirts to put on a show at a local mall for amusement purposes. “The lack of free time made any free time we had worthwhile,” senior David Wong said. “We definitely spent every lasting minute of it and bonded in more ways than imaginable with our teammates.”

entertainment by Daniel Yang, staff writer

my super sweet

arangetram

aving studied dance since elementary school, Sophomore Janhavi Athavale recently made her debut as a professional dancer. Before a crowd of over 300 spectators, she performed as a recognized professional in her own arangetram ceremony. Arangetram is the first ceremonial performance of a professional Indian dancer. Literally meaning, “to ascend the stage,” it represents the completion of training and the passage onto professional status. However, arangetram is no ordinary ceremony. It lasts around three hours and is a huge feat of success in Indian culture. Families customarily begin preparing for the event months, or even years ahead. A lot of work is involved in an arangetram’s preparation: there are dresses to be bought, food to be prepared, invitations to be sent, and performance halls to be booked. Athavale comments, “You can basically say it’s a mini wedding.” The dancer’s preparation for an arangetram is even more intricate and lasts around 10 years. Athavale says, “I began studying Indian dance when I was eight…I had lessons every week, and in the year before my arangetram, I spent around eight hours a week just dancing.” She adds, “I actually started a little late...The average age people start training is usually five, and they train all the way up until they are over 15.” It comes as no

Photos Courtesy of Janhavi Athavale

surprise that mastering the art of Indian dance is no easy feat. For learners of bharatnatyam, a type of South Indian ballet, the first few months of a dancer’s training are spent entirely stretching and becoming familiarized with fundamental step patterns, called Adavas. “First you’re just getting your feet on the floor,” Athavale said, “and then you have your Adavas, which is all you do for a year…basically the teacher wants to grind it into your head so hard that if they woke you up at 3 am, you’ll still be able to do it.” Dancers can only start learning actual dance after having completely mastered Adavas. And it doesn’t get any easier from there. “Stamina, stamina, stamina,” Athavale’s father, Ajay Athavale, proudly comments about his daughter’s long and trying training. All of the hard work often boils down simple endurance. In additional to dancing, Athavale had to run and take - Sophomore Janhavi drama classes to boost her mental and physical stamina. As Guru Vishal Ramani, Athavale’s coach, pointed out, dancing an entire arangetram requires the dancer to be in great physical condition as well as emotionally focused, quick-footed, and extremely well coordinated. “There is a lot of skill, capacity, endurance, and passion involved in the dance,” Ramani says, “To be selected [for arangetram], students have to be able to express their emotions through dance…and do something wonderful that makes you go ‘Wow!’” For her arangetram, Athavale performed a total of eight dances. With drums setting a wild beat and the orchestra playing a contrastingly calm melody, Athavale opened her ceremony. She completed the traditional offering of flowers and gave her thanks to Lord Nataraja, the

“

god of dance, her teachers, her family, and the audience w h i l e a s k i n g for their blessing in return. She then goes on to perform seven other exotic dances, one of the most notable being her finale, the Thilana, which involves a complicated series of frenzied footwork. It leaves the audience feeling dizzy and awed at the complexity of the performance. However, there is more to an arangetram than just physical skill; being mentally prepared is just as important. Developing the right mindset often is a necessary part of training. Athavale says, “If you want to do this, you have to not be afraid to throw yourself in front of a h u g e audience. Stage fright is not going to get you anywhere. That’s exactly why some people have been dancing for eight, nine years, but they don’t think they’re ready. So you could be dancing for however long, but you may not be ready.” Each dancer has to draw on her own past experiences for emotional strength. Athavale used her numerous past stage performances through talent shows and in speeches to keep her footwork steady during her Arangetram. Despite all of the preparations that have to go into a single arangetram, Athavale says it is all worth it in the end. “When I was done with my arangetram…it’s such a wonderful feeling to know you did accomplish such a big thing, and to know that you did something,” Athavale said, “You feel proud of yourself. You feel really, really good.”

If you want to do this, you have to not be afraid to throw yourself in front of a huge audience. Stage fright is not going to get you anywhere.

”

Chamber ensembles fill the park with music Monta Vista symphony orchestra performs at the chinese moon festival by Michael Leung, staff writer

he Monta Vista Symphony Orchestra (MVSO) has had its share of difficulties since inception, but on Sept. 18, the club had its first taste of success. This was the Moon Festival’s seventh year, and on the new stage situated in front of rows of food and advertising booths behind Quinlan Center, MVSO put on their first public performance. Officers and several club members split off into three chamber ensembles – a flute quartet, a brass quintet, and a string quartet – and delivered three strong performances to festival attendees. Such success is especially rewarding for a club seeking to broaden its scope of activities. “We plan to play around the community – retirement homes, hospitals, or other festivals – for community service,” said junior Sunny Wong, president of MVSO. It is certainly a remarkable goal, lofty perhaps, but aiming high and succeeding were always part of the MVSO plan. “My friend and I wanted to form a brass ensemble, but then string players wanted to join, so we decided to make this into a full orchestra,” Wong said. “We also noticed

that Monta Vista and many schools around the area do not have symphony orchestras so we hope that we can eventually be one of the few high schools to have a full orchestra. We hope that eventually this can become a class.” While schools typically have a band for woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments and a chamber orchestra for string instruments, they generally lack a full orchestra that combines all instruments into one group. Junior Raymond Liou, vice-president of the club, explained, “Our school has divided our string players from the brass and the wind players. With this club we can bring out the potential of the strings, wind, and brass to complete what the music should sound like.” To address this impressive goal, the club had to clear impressive hurdles. A conductor was unavailable; sheet music cost $100 to $115 each; rehearsal times were restricted because the band room was closed after school; the membership hardly completed a full orchestra. Still, MVSO rose to the challenge. The club elected senior Eric Christiansen to serve as conductor last year. In addition

to selling sushi on club day, they sold snacks for two weeks after school last May to raise money for sheet music. Because after-school practice space was unavailable, they have allocated one lunch a week for rehearsal,

in addition to practicing outside of school. Finally, the club managed to recruit a number of skilled members, most of whom

see SYMPHONY, on page 16

Austin Cheng | staff photographer Music Members of Monta Vista Symphony Orchestra’s string quartet perform at the Cupertino Moon Festival on Sunday, September 18th.

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september 23 2005

entertainment

cd review OPENING FOR Death Cab for Cutie’s new CD, Plans, “Marching Bands in Manhattan” is a typical Death Cab blend of an organ, a mix of guitar, tambourine, and vocals from singer Ben Gibbard. It’s the perfect opening for the CD, released on Aug. 31, and sets an upbeat, not yet poppy, atmosphere. The piano accompaniment shines in “What Sarah Said,” one of the best songs on the CD, and finishes off with a distortion that plays directly into “Brothers On A Hotel Bed.” “Brothers On A Hotel Bed” maintains the same kind of original style that Death Cab produced in its earlier albums and stands out from the rest of the songs on the CD. Plans ends with the slow “Stable Song” that neatly ties up the CD as it gradually fades to silence. Overall, Death Cab for Cutie has produced yet another excellent and extremely well-produced CD, albeit with some obvious flaws, such as the overabundance of “poppiness” and a lack of the rawness that the previous albums held. Gibbard’s masterful lyrics add a definite plus to the album with their beautiful poeticism, and a faithful student of English AP can easily say that there is close to an infinite amount of symbolism in each song.

Killer Thriller: The Exorcism of Emily Rose

the exorcism of emily rose fails to scare the disappointed audience by Nandini Dasarathy, staff writer

hen we saw the Exorcist, which came about thirty years ago, we were scared out of our wits but consoled ourselves that it was just a movie. The Exorcism of Emily Rose, on the other hand, is said to be based upon a true story, which makes the fear factor level go just a bit higher. Despite being called the first courtroom horror film, it’s easy to see that the horror is really not that horrifying and the so-called courtroom they use is perhaps the least aesthetically pleasing courtroom there is. Of course, the words “horror film” bring to mind zombies, serial killers, chilling sound effects and gruesome visuals that we’ve seen a million times through thirdrate movies. It just shows that as an audience, we’re harder to scare nowadays, because we’ve been accustomed to it. The story is basically an exorcism performed on a nineteen-year-old, Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter), which leads ultimately to her death. The priest (Tom Wilkinson) who conducts the exorcism on Emily at her parents’ farm is charged with murder, defended by a lawyer (Laura Linney), and Emily’s possession appears as flashbacks at court. Granted, there are some scary sequences and potentially disturbing images,

Linney plays a stunning role as an ambitious lawyer, but Wilkinson seems more interested in proving his exorcism, rather than proving himself not guilty in his case. Other minor characters involved seem amateur compared to the expertise of the latter two actors. The film tries to bring out the audience’s emotions about God and devil in a twenty-first century setting, which proves its ineffectiveness. Emily Rose’s farm looks like it appears out of nowhere, and one can see better courtroom scenes on CSI or Law and Order. At first, the movie seems like Photo courtesy of movies.yahoo.com a clash between reliEmily Rose creeps through a deserted family farm, evoking a tingle of fright from audiences. gious extremism and not surpass the creativity of a movie made science, when the priest’s supporters mention that Emily Rose is a victim of epilepsy for television. Apparently, the “true” story is based on a and psychosis. But by the end, it is apparGerman priest who performed an exorcism ent that the clash is potentially between the on the daughter of religious extremists. The director and his inability to use his resourcpopularity this event received was around es effectively. Perhaps he should call on his the time “The Exorcist” was released. Laura own spirit for assistance. but does not possess the qualities of a box office horror film. The set has a potentially eerie feel to it, but the film does not utilize this opportunity, is unimaginative and does

LIST math Jon Stark Bernie Kropp of The Incredibles math Martin Jennings Mr. Bean science Katheryn McElwee Elaine “Seinfeld”

assistant principal Dennis Plaza Santa Claus social science Ben Recktenwald Chandler “Friends”

tv review

modern language Jeremy Kitchen Michael Vaughn “Alias” science Jeff Trevarthen Gary LeVox Rascal Flatts english David Clarke Dr. Gregory “House” math Colin Anderson Andy Dick “The Assistant”

in the

HALLWAYS

science Jim Birdsong Doug Heffernan “King of Queens” Ashlee Simpson’s new cd “I Am Me” comes out

photo courtesy of Sonal Patel

10/18 music

Cupertino Diwali Festival Memorial Park 8am-10pm

Drew Carey and the Improve All Stars at the Flint

10/8 festival

The beginning of school brings new fashion trends and as weather got hotter the jackets got shorter. This season girls sported different styles of cropped jackets and stylish shrugs, varying from ties to zippers to buttons.

9/24 comedy

9/23 movie

Tim Burton’s “The Corpse Bride” premiers

MV IS SO OBSESSED with the O.C., you’d think that the high school was actually located in Orange County. However, after suffering through a torturous hour of clichéd plot “twists” and sprinklings of random romance in the omni-golden world of the O.C., it’s hard to believe that anyone would want to endure it on a regular basis. The O.C. is unrealistic in every sense, with a daytime drama plot based on fluff, like wildly-filmed shots of the cast frolicking in the waves and scattered scenes of characters Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie) and Marissa (Mischa Barton) happily making out. One can only conclude that the reasoning behind such a waste of airtime was due to a lack of more soap opera twists to throw into the script. It does, though, make a mediocre “evening” soap opera: average acting, a winceworthy script, and exceptionally improbable situations. This season, expect more of a world where nothing is too outrageous, money isn’t a problem, and everyone is

MV Choir concert in the auditorium

WEBSITE: http:// www.questfortherest.com IN A LITTLE CACHE of pixels and excellent Macromedia Flash animation, “Quest for the Rest” is a getaway from the modernity of today’s minimalistic websites of white and flashy 3D renditions of robots to the peaceful 1970s-themed world of a band called The Polyphonic Spree. Created as a promotional site for one of its albums, “Quest for the Rest” is an “interactive adventure” with the goal to help return three Polyphonic Spree members to the rest of their friends at the end. By clicking on various hidden objects (hint: sometimes the order matters!), the three little Polyphonic Spree members are able to travel through each of the three scenes. From a technical point of view, “Quest for the Rest” utilizes an amazing amount of coding and animation to great benefit. The free downloads of Polyphonic Spree music in the end features a smoothly animated, cheery little chorus of Polyphonic Spree groupies. For a similar, yet more chilling, edgy and dark experience, http://www.99rooms. com is another excellent Flash-powered adventure.

10/26 concert

website review

the

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september 23 2005

entertainment

Students art leaves mark on capital

MV ARTIST wins recognition in congressional art contest

by Anagha Vaidhynathan, staff writer

delicately sketched depiction of a crowd of faces around a peace symbol hangs in the United States Capitol Building in Washington D.C. As senior Chen-Chen Jiang calmly walks through the Canon Tunnel where her colored pencil drawing is displayed, she reminisces over the event four years ago that inspired her to create the work of art that took her across the country. When two planes hijacked by terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, a 13-year-old Jiang was noisily chewing on a bagel and listening to the radio just before school. “When I first heard what happened, I didn’t really pay attention,” Jiang said with a shrug. “I figured this was just another of the media’s attempts to hype things out of context.” Jiang changed into her P.E. uniform and sat amongst 200 other eighth grade students in Kennedy Middle School’s crowded gym. “We spent the entire period watching the news that day.” Jiang said later. “I couldn’t believe that something of this scale had hit our country.” Jiang was so moved that she felt the need to express her emotions through the medium with which she felt most comfortable – her

art. As a combined r e s u l t of the inspiration of the horrific event and her artistic gift, the y o u n g eighth grader began a project that summer that would take her courtesy of Chen-Chen Jiang to great Capitol Hall student Chen-Chen Jiang poses with Mike Honda, her mom, and others in Washington DC. heights. T h e wanted peace. That’s what I wanted to colored pencil drawing of individuals from capture in my drawing.” many races holding up candles in the In the summer before her senior year, formation of a peace sign was titled “Tears Jiang discovered a flier for the Artist for Peace” and entered in an art exhibition Discovery Contest. Both her passion for that fall. Jiang said her inspiration came the picture and the powerful memories from from her observations. Sept. 11 convinced her to enter “Tears for “People from all over the community Peace” into the Artist Discovery Contest. The were coming together to light candles for young artist was flown to the Washington those who died in the world trade center,” D.C. for three days in Aug. where, as the Jiang said. “It was a feeling of desperation, first place regional winner across 15 districts yet it was clear that the entire nation just see JIANG on page 16

Teachers, we know what you did last summer

by Symrin Chawla, staff writer

It’s one of our oldest clichés here in high school: Teachers can’t have lives. Well we’re going to have to toss that saying out a D-building window pretty soon, because this summer, MV staff went to work to prove us wrong.

ROBYN BR US JAMAICA HETT History teache r Ro ett went on a cr byn Brushuise her from Flor that took ida to the Caribbean an d Jamaica. Then she w Haven, New Yo ent to Grand rk, Connecticut and Cape Co , and snorkeling d. After petting stingrays with a rumored Brushett advise Bull Shark, d, “If you real country, ta ly wan enough time to ke a trip there, because cruise t to explore a s don’t give yo spend at each u stop.”

R UITE

ER TT D SCO mped N zier bu ho a SPAI r F ie bb ,w pe, De tt DeRuiter er, it in Euro co While teacher S amily. DeRu a h f t t a g n e m in s, sp into Spain visit o year ck was in its every tw kicking ba is r v o e who his summ h his tw it lot of xploring w part of e r o d v ite ing to an His fa go boys. ation was Northern his c in a v a e e r and y th s, an a to enjo ’s Ruiter Astudia where De oastal towns xing, that la c , e e r in h a t t s p o S went t r said. were ju family ntry. “We or,” DeRuite f u o the c mmers are u what s

q and a:

“I couldn’t land in Colorado because Dick Cheney was there and for national security, they closed off the airspace.”

platt

Unrecognizable Thai food

most interesting event

Boiled cabbage “We knocked two mirrors and beef stew off our car while driving in Ireland.”

frazier

stark

strangest food

Reindeer meat “In France, I ran through a and blood sau- thunderstorm to get to an Ice cave. I could have been sage electrocuted!”

DEBBIE FRAZIER EUROPE t Science teacher Debbie Frazier spen ugh thro ing her summer backpack Europe. She even got a chance to meet up with a French exchange student who had stayed with her family while Frazier was in high school. “Use Euro rail when ’re 26, you’re young, because after you . said ier Fraz up,” go es the pric JOHN ST FLORID ARK A Math teach e to see the r John Stark went to space shu ttle Challe see Florida After comin nge g throughou home, he flew his r take off. h t the weste rn United elicopter States.

PLATT ARET G R A M PE nd, ScotEURO d Engla Being e it is v d ban er. “ her hus is summ e She and s, and Ireland th t we wouldn’t b a le . a th id W d a , e s fear land Platt dicts, we ery morning,” untry!” d a e e ff co co e ev rinking nd coffe y able to fi going to a tea-d rbucks on ever e ta r S e a w “We e was lly, ther s. Thankfu lfill their need fu to corner

photos courtesy of teachers

Oy vey - the poodles!

ittle dogs are unbelievably cute. Really, they are adorable. And I’m not just talking about puppies to reel you in and then begin my discussion on the construction of the library. Pocket-sized puppies have become a new accessory for us. It seems like everyone has a pretty puppy to accessorize, match with themselves, and carry around. Even at MV. I remember seeing a girl carrying around her own palm-sized pup after school one day in the student center. When she finally placed the dog on the ground –where it belongs- the dog seemed exhausted! The level change had apparently wiped it out. Maybe the dog was just so used to being carried from location to location, it assumed its owner would be picking it up before it had the urge to go somewhere again. Or maybe it just never got the chance to learn how to walk…pity. I liked it better when little dogs were vicious. I actually have a little dog. He’s small, white, fluffy, and meets all the requirements for the perfect carriable pup. I could very easily buy him a Burberry collar and Louis Vuitton booties (which would coordinate perfectly with my own outfit, of course!) and surgically attach him to my arm. Believe me, I’ve tried. He bit me. So why aren’t other dogs just as assertive about their personal space? Even the little ones descended from wolves. Have we seriously pampered them so much that they can’t walk themselves to their water bowls? Toto was small, but look at how much he got around! So I wonder…who actually started this form of intense puppy pampering? Oh, yeah, Paris Hilton. Its an amazing feat that she can actually stay standing, what with her lack of a backbone (which is obvious from the way she stands), but on top of that she finds it necessary to carry around her darling little Tinkerbell Chihuahua. Then, gosh, if Paris does it, we all must. Because, really, once a Hilton deems it cool to be your own pet’s lap dog, it does seem pretty appealing. From Britney to the Simpson sisters, our pop princesses started picking up on the trend, literally. And now it seems to have spread to our own little suburbia. What really confuses me is that the girls who insist on carting their dogs all over Valley Fair are the same ones who obsess over getting even the tiniest mark on their Hollister sweaters. How they deal with all that dog hair, who knows. I’m sure it stresses them immensely though. We’ve basically made objects out of our pets by following this trend. They are nothing more than faceless animals now. Since dogs don’t speak English, they develop their personalities from running around and playing…on their LEGS! So when a dog can’t speak and can’t walk, there’s basically nothing left of it but a hunk of fur. But apparently that’s what makes them fun to have. Because those poor helpless whittle babies need us to be their mommies and schedule their botox appointments for them. Duh. Maybe I’m just resentful because my own dog runs away whenever I try to pick him up, but at least he’ll make a good guard dog. Did anyone stop to think that carrying dogs around all the time is a great workout for our arms, but does nothing for our pets? That’s probably why dogs and cats in our country are becoming obese. What I’m trying to say is, go out and buy your dog a leash. And then use it. Let the dog walk for once, because otherwise it will get fat and lazy, and when you finally put it on the ground, it won’t be able to move itself. If that happens though, at least you’ll have the comfort of knowing that as long as this trend lasts, you’ll look cool like Paris and have really toned biceps. And you know what, that’s hot.

16 axelson

continued from front page

of 1994 at MVHS. Though to many students, the war on terror seems quite distant, glimpsing only brief events through impersonal television news pieces, Matt’s death has brought the war home for many. Although his heroic death was quite extraordinary, his life was strikingly similar to those of many current students. Matt walked through the same halls we do everyday, shared the same interests, and even learned from our same teachers. Spanish teacher Maria Coughlin, who taught Matt, said of him, “He always sat in the front row. He was quiet, shy, but when called on, he always had the answer. He had a wonderful smile and a good hearty laugh.” Besides helping to found Monta Vista’s golf team, Matt was also a member of the Madrigals, an all-senior singing group. After graduating from Monta Vista, Matt enrolled at the California State University at Chico, where he obtained a degree in political science. A year after receiving this degree, Matt decided to join the Navy

Library

continued from page 2 locker rooms as the main ones are closed for remodeling. “Two for the girls, two for the boys, and one for the athletic teams. That way we can lock the other four during after school sports.” This should all happen in the near future. “The Board of Trustees will approve the project on Tuesday,” district superintendent Dr. Stephen Rowley said. The locker rooms will then go down for the remodeling. Metheany said, “We are planning on closing the locker rooms in October.” In the meantime, the gym and weight room will remain open. Eventually, however, they will need to be closed to be retrofitted. Metheany said, “An elevator needs to be

world games

continued from page 11

ridiculously confused faces while exploring Athens. However, I was finally lucky to experience it!” One of her favorite experiences was the many taxi rides taken around Athens. “It was funny because every time we sat in a taxi, we would have to give them a piece of paper written in Greek with the address of our destination, or try really hard to pronounce the words in Greek and they would either nod “yes, hop in”, or roll the window back up and drive away. It was a very interesting feeling to need a translator. For once in my life, I played the “outsider”, I was the different one.”

symphony

continued from page 13 play either in school-led groups or external organizations, bringing the total membership to 58. Yet, challenges remain. They have yet to become a full orchestra, as they lack oboes, violas, and bassoons. Though the club still faces significant challenges, such as the lack of oboes, violas, and bassoons, Wong remains

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september 23 2005

back page

SEALS. Axelson grew up with relatives on both sides of his family in the armed services. While attending college in Chico, Matt often went south to San Diego to take courses there while living with his older brother, Jeff. It was in San Diego that both the brothers were inspired by their mutual friend to the Navy SEALS. The elite troops captivated both Matt and Jeff. Matt ended up joining the SEALS after immense training, while Jeff had to stay back because of an injury. Becoming a SEAL was indeed a great achievement for Matt. On average, out of a class of 140160 soldiers, only 20-30 actually become SEALs. Donna Axelson said, “I couldn’t believe that my gentle, soft-spoken, quiet little boy would be doing all of these dangerous and challenging kinds of things.” Matt was stationed in Pearl Harbor when his troop was deployed to Afghanistan at the end of April. In conversations with his parents and wife, Cindy Ogi, Matt could only say he was working, as the details of his missions were highly classified. Cordell Axelson said that if Matt “had installed in the student center to make it ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] compliant. Also, we are replacing the lights, floor and bleachers in the gym.” The Board of Trustees opens up the gym remodeling contract to bidding on Mar. 3, 2006. When this happens, indoor sports teams will practice and play in the fieldhouse, where portable bleachers will be set up. Yet another remodeling project on campus is the reconstruction of the pool, which has been delayed multiple times due to funding issues. Fortunately the money has finally been raised and the contract awarded. The pools have been drained and construction has already begun. The water polo teams now practice at other schools in the district. Aside from the fun-filled daytime activities, Bagdasarian and her teammates would go to Plaka . She noted that, “The teens are just like us except very, very laid back. The night life was crazy! Three words for you: Athens never sleeps.” After traveling halfway around they world to compete in swimming, Bagdasarian said, “I found that the most amazing experience of my trip wasn’t being honored in from of an Olympic Stadium full of people, climbing the Acropolis to see the Parthenon, or even bringing home seven shiny silver medals. The most unforgettable memories of my trip always seem to go back to the people I met, who traveled to the same place I did, for the same reason.” optimistic. “It will take a long time for this to grow into a full orchestra, but we have set the foundation for the members. Maybe in the future, Monta Vista will be the first school in the district to have this unique class.” Until then, MVSO certainly appears to be headed in the right direction. With one impressive performance under its belt, the club has definitely covered a great amount of distance since inception.

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lived through the episode that took his life, we probably would have never known about it.” In a commendation letter, the Secretary of the Navy, Gordon England, said, “Petty Officer Axelson advised the teammate closest to him to escape while he provided cover fire. A champion of freedom, petty Officer Axelson will be remembered for his self-sacrificing actions.” Matt was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal, the third highest military award for heroism in battle, as well as the Purple Heart. Numerous ceremonies have been held to commemorate Matt’s life. By order of the governor, all the flags in California were flown at half-mast on Jul. 13. Additionally, Matt’s wife and friends in Chico will be organizing a yearly charity golf tournament in honor of Matt. Many locals have rallied around Matt’s memory. The City of Cupertino is contemplating a freestanding memorial in Memorial Park, with fundraising and community meetings beginning in November, around Veteran’s Day.

class sizes

On the court where the Axelsons live, all their neighbors have put up American flags. Cordell Axelson said of one neighbor, “He never thought about flying a flag at his house but after Matt was killed he bought one and he said, ‘I’m going to fly it forever in Matt’s honor.’” “He was just 29 and three days when he died, but he certainly had a full, adventurous life. He got to do things that not a lot of people dream of doing and never get to do,” Donna Axelson said. In the months to come, Cordell will be keeping his promise to Matt by fixing up the old Triumph that was to be their fatherson project. Cordell will be joined by Matt’s father-in-law, the two remembering Matt as they finish restoring the car though in his absence, in his honor. An endowment has been set up in honor of Matt, allowing underprivileged children to attended summer camps, yearly events Matt dearly loved. For information call (650) 948-5698 or send donations to First Baptist Church of Los Altos, 625 Magdalena Ave, Los Altos, CA 94024.

jiang

continued from page 5

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“I feel crowded. It would be better to have smaller classes to get more one-onone time [with the teacher],” said Jennifer Lin, a senior. Since MV is a very academically driven school, students are assumed to be capable of taking on greater challenges single-handedly; the reality is that they still need aid in these college-level courses. It is necessary for students to have more attention in these rigorous classes. “The larger the class, the less quality time there is to spend with students,” said Margaret Platt, an AP US History and US History teacher. “Besides,” she added, smiling, “Teachers who give essays on a weekly or bi-weekly basis can’t grade them all that fast!” And how about that concept called class bonding? “It’s like an every-man-for-himself kind of world,” Gu said. “No one has time to bond.” Due to larger classes, students lack a strong mutual connection and feel lonesome, distracting from the learning atmosphere. Since AP/Honor courses are classes based on more complex content, they should be the ones with smaller class sizes. Though freshmen need to slowly be eased into the high school environment, that still should be manageable with a slightly larger class size, since the content is less rigorous. With fewer students in AP and Honors classes, students will receive the attention they need and deserve, boosting confidence and improving results.

in the contest, she won recognition for her work. Jiang had the unique opportunity to be Congressman Mike Honda’s guest in Washington D.C. and was awarded a tour of the country’s capital in addition to special photo shoots with acclaimed celebrities from the movies Million Dollar Baby, Saw, and the popular T.V. show The Shield. During an interview, Jiang chuckled and said, “I was hoping for Chad Michael Murray.” Jiang began channeling her talent at age 10 when she started art lessons and had the opportunity to use different styles and art forms. She eventually grew to love working with colored pencils and charcoal and used them in various pieces of artwork within and outside of school. Often inspired by nature and the emotions that are evoked by her experiences, Jiang directs them towards honing her art. “It’s like Vincent Van Gogh.” Jiang said. “He channeled his emotions through his artwork, and even though society didn’t understand the pain and troubles that he went through at the time, after his death, they were able to appreciate his masterpieces.” As a fervent believer of the values in East of Eden, Jiang likes to quote, “It’s like thou mayest and timshel. Whether or not you give up or pick yourself back up ultimately depends on you. You have a choice in life to be who you want to be, and do as you please. And that choice is essentially what comforts me in life.” Spoken like an artist.

tri for ti

continued from page 11 before the event, or about getting a flat tire halfway through the race,” Stark said. After discussing the need for calculators, it was Anderson who first came up with the triathlon idea. “Are you serious?” DeRuiter remembers that being the first thing out of his mouth after hearing the idea. “I really didn’t know if he was kidding or not!” After agreeing to the event, DeRuiter says he thought to himself, “Crazy Mr. Anderson! Now I have to get in shape!” So how exactly do the teachers plan on training for the “Tri for TI”? “I’ve been training at the YMCA in the morning and on weekends” said Anderson. Stark says he hopes to do at least one “time trial” each week, where he rides hard for 15-20 miles at a time. “I will use Highway 1, the actual event route, the weekend before the event,” he said. DeRuiter is trying to run three to four times a week, six miles per run. On top of weekends, he can be seen running on campus before and after school as well as during lunch. None of them are strangers to their sport or to triathlons. Anderson says he’s done about six triathlons by himself, and Stark did the Donner Lake Triathlon with his wife a few years back. DeRuiter said he’s never

done a triathlon, but has done plenty of 10k races before. DeRuiter is aiming for between 45 and 49 minutes on his leg, Stark is striving for under an hour for his stretch, and Anderson hopes to complete his in about 25 minutes. As a team, their goal is under two and a half hours. The teachers say they are seeking the help of the community to help raise money. Donations can be made out to “MVHS Calculus” through ASB. 100% of donations go towards the calculators, as the teachers will provide their own equipment. Spreading the word and encouragement can be just as helpful. “[We’d] love it if students came to watch!” says Stark. Questions regarding donations and the event can be e-mailed to Colin Anderson at Colin_Anderson@fuhsd. org. Their adventure is something to be admired, and a definite departure from the normal fundraiser. If calculus students are soon using new calculators, the story behind them will be much different than that of waiting in line at Office Depot for one. If not enough is raised, Anderson still sees it is as “a fun way to raise some money with friends.” And no matter what, the Monta Vista calculus teachers will have a great experience to tell, undoubtedly, in the form of word problems.