GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE Hear GSA advisor Joyce Fortune’s take on the club at elestoque.org
CHAMPS!
STALKING
The Giants won their first World Series since 1954—their only title since moving to San Francisco. Are there sports fans at a school where more students attend review sessions than football games? These folks think so
SAFE FOR SOME CENTERSPREAD page 12-13
Too close for comfort, stalkers take innocent crushes too far, pose a threat NEWS page 5
VOLUME XLI | ISSUE 3 | MONTA VISTA HIGH SCHOOL | CUPERTINO, CA
ENTERTAINMENT page 15
Will these spuds be made by studs or duds? Iron-willed chefs battle NOV. 10, 2010
Government Team shoots election films Members follow District 6 candidates in San Francisco on Election Day
I
Gay male students face bullying, intolerance more than females
Gay-Straight Alliance reborn
illy in Indiana. Asher in Texas. Seth that teens in the Bay Area don’t face in California. Tyler in New Jersey. the same degree of victimization, one Corey in Michigan. They all have trend has emerged—the general feeling something in common, and it’s not just that while gay females find support, that they took their gay males face own lives within oppression. Twist of Hate a month of each “The guys A three-part series on other. The five were aren’t accepting. homophobia at MVHS They say things victims of bullying, and they were all gay like ‘fag’ and or bisexual males. stuff,” said a Harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, freshman male who came out to his and transgender teens has drawn national friends but not his family and spoke attention recently, with President Barack to El Estoque on the condition that his Obama directly addressing bullied teens name not be published. “They’re against on YouTube to assure them that “it gets bisexuals and gays.” better” on Oct. 21. Though some argue see SAFE on page 4
The Gay-Straight Alliance played a game of school-wide hide and seek on Oct. 28, but even though members were hidden in the nooks and crannies of the academic quad that day, the GSA doesn’t plan on hiding its presence on campus. With recent events across America, such as the suicides of several gay teenagers in a matter of weeks and the international anti-bullying “Spirit Day,” the revival of the GSA at MVHS comes in a timely manner with other stirring occurrences in the LGBT community.
B
POTATO FIGHT!
see GSA on page 4
t wasn’t a scene most students expect to find as they attend class on a Tuesday morning. Jane Kim and Debra Walker supporters were yelling in support of their election candidate at a San Francisco BART station, and Gov Team students were there to watch politics play out first-hand. Seniors Gayathri Srinivasan and Katherine Gawlas, the GovTeam President, recall the moment. “There was a gaggle of Latino women with Jane Kim fliers and there was a Debra Walker dude, a huge supporter,” Srinivasan began. “He had a sign that was this big with her head on it,” Gawlas continued, as she spread her arms to show the size of the sign. “He was like, ‘Let’s go Walker!’ [The women] were like, ‘Yay, Jane Kim!’” Srinivasan said. “They were doing it together, and it was really cute, actually.” “It also showed the whole race. [Kim won] and [Walker] was second,” Gawlas added. “That corner of the street showed that they were really fighting for it.” Kim and Walker were two of the 13 candidates running for supervisor to represent District 6 on San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors. On Nov. 2, the last day of the elections, the 32 MVHS Gov Team members traveled to the city to film a documentary about the campaigns. The idea for a documentary came from Gov Team teacher Christopher Chiang, who decided on making the film as the project for the class’ unit. The district was close by, the election was unique for its large number of candidates, and the community had a distinct nature. District 6 is one of the poorest and most liberal sections of San Francisco, and the election represents the diversity with candidates including a Stanford graduate, a businesswoman, and a drag queen. see GOV TEAM on page 6
ELECTION UPDATE California Governor U.S. Senator Proposition 19 Proposition 20 Proposition 21 Proposition 23 FUHSD Board of Trustees
Jerry Brown (D) Meg Whitman (R)
53.6% 4,027,774 41.4% 3,107,586
Barbara Boxer (D) Carly Fiorina (R)
51.9% 3,868,378 42.6% 3,175,028
Legalize marijuana Don’t legalize
46.1% 3,429,703 53.9% 4,000,536
Redistricting No redistricting
61.2% 4,292,368 38.8% 2,725,008
State park funding No funding
41.8% 3,064,701 58.2% 4,250,001
Suspend pollution control 38.9% 2,822,546 Don’t suspend 61.1% 4,426,733 Michael Goldman Miyuki Iwata Goldman Monet Goldman Pradeep Jain Barbara Nunes Bill Wilson Hung Wei
9.3% 8.5% 7.1% 8.6% 20.8% 23.1% 22.6%
7,989 7,234 6,096 7,385 17,818 19,743 19,390
Read more inside about the midterm, state, and local elections that took place on Nov. 2. NEWS page 6
Marketing debates local plant’s plans Class to present to city on Lehigh Cement Plant issue
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ith buildings a drab grey and a constant droning noise caused by the kiln, Lehigh Cement Plant is 3,500 acres in the hills of the Silicon Valley. However, in recent years there has been the equivalent of high school drama surrounding the cement plant that quietly churns out the Bay Area and Santa Clara’s sidewalks. The marketing classes of MVHS are taking a stand on the issue—should the plant be allowed to expand by digging another 200-acre pit, or not? Marketing students will be presenting both sides of the issue to the Cupertino City Council on an undetermined date in January. Neighbors of the cement plant have been complaining about noise, pollution, and the validity of Lehigh’s permits to operate. “A lot of that is just misinformation” said Sandra James, PR Manager of the plant. However, in April the Environmental Protection Agency placed a notice of violation against Lehigh, claiming that the cement plant had changed some of its machinery in the 1990s without approval. The notice of violation only means that the EPA is looking into what happened years ago; as of now, Lehigh is operating under all its proper permits. see Cement Plant on page 3
Danielle Kay | El Estoque
LEHIGH CEMENT The plant was first built in 1939 and currently occupies 3,500 acres. The Marketing class is debating Lehigh’s plans to dig another 200-acre pit.
Page 2
NEWS
Nov. 10, 2010
BRIEFING ROOM Education
For prospective engineers and industrial designers, Woodshop and Electronics teacher Ted Shinta has helped bring the ACE Mentor Program to MVHS. A total of 24 students from around the Bay Area attended its first meeting on Nov. 2. The program includes 16 meetings, eight of them field trips to local engineering companies. This free program is still open for applicantions. To sign up, visit www.acementor.org and click on the “Students” link.
Recycle Leo Club will be hosting a water bottle exchange from Nov. 18-19. In this exchange they will be trading bottles of Nika-brand drinking water for any other water bottle, empty or full. Nika is a non-profit organization that helps bring safe drinking water to third-world countries, and Leo Club is working with Nika to help raise awareness of this issue. All of the water bottles received that day will be properly recycled. Health
Elvin Wong | El Estoque
Community
Halloween
Photo Courtesy of Dan Fishman
On Oct. 28, the Cupertino Senior Center held its annual Hidden Treasures Hunt fundraiser. Seniors donated some of their personal items, such as jewelry, kitchenware, clothing, or fabric in good condition. The event was open to the public, and all proceeds, about $6,500, benefited the seniors and went toward providing them gifts or scholarships for membership.
Prestige
Elvin Wong | El Estoque
The annual MVHS halloween costume contest took place on Oct. 29 during lunch in the rally court. The winner, Junior Keith Yuen, recieved movie tickets.
Service Club Commission will begin its newest MRS Gold project to clean up McClellan Rd.Community members have been complaining about the uncleaniness of the street, so Club Commision hopes that the community will recognize their efforts. Service clubs participating will be given $100 per month and wearing newly purchased yellow vests during the clean-up. Club commision encourages volunteers to participate in the program.
Junior Angela Zhang and senior Eric Huang are two of the 60 regional finalists in the Siemens Science and Technology Competition, a national science fair. After having submitted science research papers to Princeton professors, the two will be heading to the California Institute of Technology on Nov. 12. Both Zhang and Huang received $1,000 for making it to the regional finals.
Robotics The MVHS Robotics Team is participating in the Pepsi Refresh Project. This project is a fundraising competition to raise money for the robotics team. The competition is based on a votes, allowing anyone to cast their vote online. For more information on the project and fundraiser, or to vote, visit the robotic team’s page at http://www.refresheverything. com/mvrtinspires. Voting ends on Nov. 30.
There have been two confirmed cases of whooping cough in the district. Whooping cough, which has been declared an epidemic by the California Department of Public Health, is a bacterial infection that can cause serious coughing fits and difficulty breathing. For more information on the matter visit the Santa Clara County Public Health website: www. sccphd.org/whoopingcough. Violation
The most recent free Virtual Private Network, Hotspot Shield by Anchor Free allows students to access sites such as Facebook and Youtube on campus. However, this website is in direct violation of the student technology agreement, which each student is required to sign before the first day of school. Hotspot Shield was originally made to protect users and provide them with a virtual private network to secure all their Internet transactions. However, by allowing students to access banned sites it can’t be used on campus.
Working in the gray area, finding questions rather than answers
N
ot everything is black and white. And often times, finding a temporary solution to a problem does not even do full justice to the issue at hand. This issue, we hoped to cover the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance on our campus and highlight the acceptance that many club members feel at MVHS. However, as senior Amanda Chen began to talk to members of GSA and other homosexual students, we all realized that the issue was much more multi-faceted than we had initially expected. There were a variety of issues that homosexual students faced, both at school and at home. This lead to our decision to write a three-part series, “Twist of Hate,” in which senior Amanda Chen will be uncovering a few of the struggles of homosexual teens. While this part of the series, “Safe for Some,” explores the differences between how homosexual males and females are treated, the next part of the series will highlight the struggles that homophobia can create between families. The final installment will talk about homosexuality
MANSI PATHAK & VIJETA TANDON m.pathak@elestoque.org v.tandon@elestoque.org
Letter from the editors
amongst athletes and the role that sexual orientation plays in the interactions between teammates. And even beyond a controversial issue such as homosexuality, multiple perspectives still exist. As senior Joseph Beyda conducted his reporting on concussions, he found a field filled with a lot more questions than answers. In his story “Headshot,” Beyda outlines the various skepticisms that doctors, coaches, and players have about what qualifies as a concussion and how they are best treated. While we had hoped to answer the confusion with our article, we found that there isn’t just one answer. The gray area is what framed the story in the end. The conclusion we have reached is that our duty as journalists is not always to answer questions or solve problems, since sometimes there are no answers or perfect solutions. That doesn’t mean, however, that we don’t address the issue. All we can do is present different perspectives and allow you, our readers, to form your own opinion.
Nov. 10, 2010
NEWS
Blood drives can save lives
Health Commission biannual blood drive thrives with many donations
Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque
Christophe Haubursin| El Estoque
LIFE SAVER Junior Faraz Abidi donated a pint of blood on Nov. 5. This blood will help to save three patients. Ninety-three others also gave blood that day.
I
n the course of one day, they changed the face of our school. They invaded the student center. They took the blood of our student body. And by 4 p.m., they were gone without a trace. We knew they were coming.
And we were glad to help them. They were Health Commission, hosting their biannual blood drive in partnership with the Stanford Medical Center on Nov. 5, to a turnout of 124 participants, of whom 93 were accepted as donors and 31 were
rejected on the basis of medical history or blood iron levels. Each donor gave a pint of blood, capable of helping up to three people in need. The drive was open to everyone interested, though donors were required to be at least 16 years old and weigh over 110 lbs. Upon finishing the procedure, those who took part in the drive were rewarded with a movie ticket and a buffet. “It’s an all-day event,” said senior Health Commission member Grace Huang. “Two Commission members will be coordinating the event during shifts every period. We’ll also be helping with the setup and the cleanup.” This year, special attention was given to promotion of the blood drive, including distribution of flyers to students, classroom visits, and, of course, posters. “I figured I could either do something good or choose not to, and at no real cost to me,” said junior donor Faraz Abidi. But for senior Deepthi Mahesh, giving blood is more than any regular act of charity—it’s a family tradition. “My whole family has been giving blood for a couple of years,” she said. “It’s something that I can do now, as before I wasn’t old enough. Taking part this year is going to be really special for me.” Mahesh’s experience with donation stretch back to helping out her sick great grandfather in India. Like both Mahesh and her father, he was A positive, and so they were the first to turn to for blood donation. Though scared by the initial notion of facing the needle, Mahesh’s experience ultimately brought her a sense of pride for being able to help out her great grandfather. “He had done so much for me, so it was the least that I could have done for him,” she said. Though Mahesh was turned down from participation because of a recent trip to India, her experience with family served as encouragement to participate. “It’s my way of helping others,” she said. “I can’t medically assist people since I’m not a doctor, so this is my way of pitching in to help them out.” Christophe Haubursin || c.haubursin@elestoque.org
CEMENT PLANT: Controversy over expansion of Lehigh continued from page 1
According to the West Valley Citizens Air Watch, in 2006 Cupertino had the fifth-most mercury-polluting industrial plant in the U.S., dumping about 496 pounds of mercury into the atmosphere. Lehigh was under different management when the violation took place. The current plant manager, Henrik Wesseling, has been working at the plant for two and a half years and is striving towards the new standards of the EPA. “We will meet all the necessary standards by 2013,” Wesseling said. “We are already ahead of the curve.” So far, the new management has installed newer machinery and that has cut the mercury emissions by 25 percent. Recently, Lehigh’s source of material has been from within its property. There is a crater-shaped ditch on their property Danielle Kay| El Estoque from where it gets limestone, the main LEHIGH CEMENT PLANT This sign marks the entrance to the Lehigh component, for its cement. However, there is only a certain depth the pit can be, and cement plant, a center of controversy in the Cupertino community. it can only have a certain circumference, as defined by the city. As of now, it can toxic emissions are unfounded; the chemical emissions have been potentially widen the quarry in one direction, and deepen it another deemed safe and are below the national limit. 150 feet. The cement plant is attempting to be green in every way However, their supply of quality limestone is running out in that possible. It burns petroleum coke as a heat source, which is more particular quarry, and they are proposing to open another 200 acre environmentally friendly than coal. According to Wesseling, 95 pit from which to get material. This is the issue the two periods of percent of its materials are from local sources, which decrease Principles of Marketing classes are addressing: whether or not the the fossil fuels that would have to be used to transport them from plant should be allowed to dig this pit. farther away. Every day, around the clock, there is a truck driving As of now, the West Valley Citizens Air Watch is asserting that around the property, watering down the roads, to keep the dust opening another pit will result in more emissions situated closer down. To further decrease its carbon footprint, Lehigh uses cloth to inhabitants of the surrounding area. That is untrue according to pipes to filter exhaust gas, and the dust particles are then recycled Lehigh, who say that the new pit will not be any closer to the homes back into the system. than the current one is. The question remains—is all the drama surrounding the plant West Valley Citizens Air Watch claims that Lehigh has three main justified? forms of pollution, from the burning of its fuel, the limestone mining, Danielle Kay || d.kay@elestoque.org and the emissions from trucks. According to Lehigh, complaints of
Page 3
You’re fired— legally Dura Automotives fires workers taking pain killers on the job
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t’s an age-old story: surprise drug test, surprise! drugs!, and no surprise—you’re fired. But here’s the twist: the drugs were prescription painkillers for injuries sustained by a now-former employee while on the job. On Oct. 24, the New York Times ran a story about an employee of 22 years fired after testing positive for prescription painkillers. The employer, Dura Automotive Systems, manufactures car parts and is only one of many companies which has recently begun to hold drug tests. In addition to your typical banned substances, dangerous but legal, narcotics, opiates, and anti-depressants can now potentially get you canned as well. The cry of the employees is well-heard: it borders on cruelty to fire someone for treating the injuries they got while working for you. But once we get past the heart-touching story of the ex-employee who will “never be able to work again,” the logic behind this new testing becomes apparent. Quit hating on these employers when they are only trying to do their job—making sure TRACY ZHANG that nobody else t.zhang@elestoque.org gets hurt. The crux of the issue M a n y prescription drugs, especially painkillers, can cause a host of side-effects that make operating heavy machinery a dangerous task. Even Bob the Builder can tell you that falling asleep while operating machinery that makes car parts is not the best decision to make. Consider all the recent hype about marijuana use to treat pain. Somehow, the image of assembly-line operators standing stoned while car parts whiz by doesn’t resonate safety. But on the flip-side—without the drugs they are in pain. While it is unfortunate that these employees are caught between a rock and a hard place, the employers are in a similar pickle. Their rock: If they fire those who test positive for prescription drugs, they are under fire for unfair policies and possible violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Part of the act states that employers cannot ask about prescription drugs unless employees exhibit behavior that may be dangerous or in other ways impair their work performance. Their hard place: If they allow these druggedup employees to work behind dangerous machines, they risk workplace accidents that, incidentally, might result in more permanent injuries, and more of this same situation, repeated and amplified. Let’s put it in perspective To suggest that we should take prescription painkillers for our sore fingers from speedscantron-bubbling is a bit much. But there are ways in which this situation is mirrored in our high school community. There is an age-old argument on every high school campus—the minimum GPA for student athletes to participate in after-school sports. Like the injured employees, students with less than proficient academic records are caught between their own rock and hard place. If students fail to show proficiency in academics, they are removed from sports. But student athletes give up homework and study time in order to represent their school in sports, and to those removed for poor academic performance, it is like punishment for trying to benefit the school. The primary purpose of school for the student is academics. The primary goal for an employee? If they are unable to perform their job, and pose a safety threat to those around them, it is the employer’s job, as well as right, to intervene. Good call, Dura Automotives.
Hating on the Haters
Page 4
Nov. 10, 2010
NEWS
SAFE: GSA presence raises awareness on campus “I also think there’s a thing that guys have: you don’t hit a girl, regardless of who she is. If it’s another another guy, they’ll be fine [to take the antagonism],” Schuler said. “They tend to be more harsh on other guys.” Yet at a school at MVHS where violence is rare, the bullying of LGBT students takes different forms. “At Monta Vista there isn’t really much of a physical problem with bullying,” Schuler said. “But there’s still the verbal bullying and ridicule that can come up.” Both the GSA presidents and the freshman male student are unsure that those involved in the verbal attacks can be changed. “People talk. They’re Kevin Tsukii | El Estoque staying the same. I think people they think their own UNITY IN NUMBERS GSA officers (from left) Karina Schuler, Michelle Plouse and Wilson Korges lead thoughts at Monta Vista and a discussion regarding religion and homosexuality on a regular Thursday meeting. they don’t want to change,” continued from page 1 all agree that while boys are receiving the the freshman male student said . “It’s an attitude thing, in a sense, which is Gay-Straight Alliance presidents bulk of the bullying, it is also boys that are something you can’t govern,” Plouse said. sophomores Michelle Plouse and Karina dishing it out, both online and in person. However, they remain hopeful that the “I can definitely see it being a problem for Schuler agree that the atmosphere at MVHS a male in high school,” Plouse said. “It’s kind efforts they are taking, in being open about could be better. “They’re tolerating but not accepting,” of a double standard. I’ve noticed that males their sexuality and raising awareness about are less tolerant because guys expect them to the GSA, which they believe can help to make Schuler said. a difference. However, Plouse and Schuler still had a be all manly, while girls are more open.” “I think some people would change. If they The freshman male student agrees with this better impression of MVHS’ willingness to welcome people of all sexualities, saying that statement, saying that all of his close friends, hear that more people are becoming more it was not as hard for them to come out to who are girls, are accepting and congratulate accepting, then I think they’ll adapt to that,” their friends and schoolmates and that they him for being open about his sexuality, while the male student said. his male peers look down on his orientation rarely faced discrimination or bullying. Yet Plouse, Schuler, and the freshman male and make derogatory remarks. Amanda Chen || a.chen@elestoque.org
PROPOSITION 8 Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker struck down California’s gay-marriage ban, Proposition 8, on Aug. 4, saying it was unconstitutional and it “singles out gays and lesbians and legitimates their unequal treatment.” The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decided to stay the ruling, keeping same-sex marriages banned until the appeal of Walker’s ruling.
DON’T ASK DON’T TELL Since 1993, a policy called Don’t Ask Don’t Tell has barred military officers from openly admitting their orientation. Under this policy, more than 13,500 service members have been dismissed. However, on Oct. 12, U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips ruled against this law, declaring that it violates the First Amendment and is detrimental to the armed services by hurting recruitment, and on Oct. 19, the military was given permission to accept applicants regardless of sexual orientation.
GSA: Revival of the alliance continued from page 1
While there have been GSAs at MVHS for several years, they never truly became active in the community, leaving this year’s presidents sophomores Michelle Plouse and Karina Schuler thinking it was time to make a change. “We learned the last [GSA] had a lot of good ideas, but they didn’t really execute them that well, so our goals are to execute our ideas,” Plouse said. Many of these ideas include bonding activities within and out of school. “[We want to] spread awareness, acceptance, and tolerance of people of all sexualities and create a supportive, safe environment for people in need,” Schuler said. “[It’s] to help people who need help with sexuality-related problems and let everybody around here know that it’s okay to be gay.” During meetings, the agenda varies from in-depth discussions to bonding games. Plouse and Schuler also welcome suggestions from club members regarding discussion topics or activities. Having a GSA established on campus is not only for the benefit of the members, but the rest of the students at MVHS as well. “I think it’s important to have a presence to remind the general population of MVHS that there are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual students here,” said GSA advisor and Spanish teacher Joyce Fortune. “Support sometimes just means treating [them] like any other club.” The GSA, which already has 30 members signed up without any publicity, hopes to grow even more in numbers and involvement in the community.
WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH Westboro Baptist Church has been in the news for its homophobic activity. They have picketed over 400 soldiers’ funerals claiming that it was merely God’s punishment. They also run a website in which they have letters, song parodies, and videos supporting their anti-gay stance. They have conducted pickets across the world and they have shown no signs of regret or remorse. A current supreme court case will be deciding whether the WBP has the 1st amendment rights to proceed or if they are invading citizen’s privacy.
New NHS community service project shows signs of promise
Club provides volunteers with an opportunity to help younger students in the community
F
or National Honor Society’s new community service volunteered at the Housing Authority last year. project, it looks as though slow and steady might end up “They had one coordinator who would be there winning this race. The project, based in the Santa Clara every day, Monday to Thursday, from 3 to 6 p.m.,“ TsaiHousing Authority, near De Anza Blvd., focuses on helping local Simek said. “He was just a De Anza student, but he students with their homework would come and take care of the 3 W’s and an H after school on Tuesdays and kids, but [the Housing Authority] Thursdays from around 3 p.m. to ran out of funding, so they had to Who: All residents of Villa Garcia 5 p.m. Although the project has cancel the program.” Apartments, ages 9 to 13 This year, Tsai-Simek tried to had a rough start, the officers are hoping to resolve the issues by integrate this homework-helping What: Help with homework for an attracting more volunteers and program with NHS’s volunteer hour after school, then run a fun activity eventually bringing the project to opportunities. With more for the second hour such as making its full potential. volunteers helping out, funding friendship bracelets, playing board wouldn’t be a problem and the The established program was games, magic tricks or field trips to the a great opportunity for NHS’s program would be able to continue. Vishakha Joshi |El Estoque Cupertino library volunteers, but there were just not She saw that this program gave the HOMEWORK TIME Myerholtz Elementary School students enough NHS students to help at students living nearby something (from left) Jayda and Alli both depend on the Housing Authority When: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 the Housing Authority. According to do after school while their Project to get help with homework. p.m. to 5 p.m. to Junior and Treasurer Ben Yang, parents were at work. The kids one of the main difficulties is could get more attention at the How: Sign up on www.montavistanhs. that the program only gives center because their parents’ work hours to work in some time on the weekends. They would also like com, or talk to any of the officers opportunities in a limited time would run late and the kids would get out to include the rest of the community, including the adults and frame. Because most students of school as early as 2 p.m, leaving them elderly in the area, with some speakers who would talk about health, making good choices, and going to college. are busy with homework and with nothing to do. If, as time goes on, the program becomes more successful, other extra-curricular activities during the program hours, it “[It is] not so much a day-care as an enriching experience,” the officers would like to submit this project for the NHS has been hard to find volunteers to sign up and participate. Tsai-Simek said. “The sign-ups are online but it’s not like an average activity The center focuses on giving advice and educating the Project Award, a national competition for all NHS chapters. where if you sign up and don’t go, you get deducted hours,” participating students on how to live their lives by encouraging But more than just the recognition, it’s the experience the Yang said. “If you have another commitment and you can’t them to “be good, do good and be well, live well,” as their officers want to give to their members. “This is a long-term [project] where we want our volunteers make it, we don’t deduct your hours because it’s on the basic motto dictates. weekday and it’s after school.” The NHS officers have a plan to help connect more to make that connection, have a relationship with those kids,” Although the lack of volunteers hasn’t been too detrimental volunteers to the program because it is so beneficial to the Tsai-Simek said, “because that’s what’s going to be what’s best to the program, Yang thinks that it would be helpful if more students who participate. Both the officer team and the for those kids and what’s best for our kids. It’s those lasting NHS members participated so it wouldn’t just be the officers project team and those delegated to work on this project relationships where [the students] have a mentor to look up to at the Housing Authority every week, because they do want specifically, are working together to try to make this program or a friend they feel is there for them that makes this program different from any other.” this program to be a success. more successful. The idea for this program was first introduced by senior They would like to open up the opportunity to four days a Vishakha Joshi || v.joshi@elestoque.org and NHS Co-President Chelse Tsai-Simek, when she personally week to accommodate more members’ schedules and even try
Nov. 10, 2010
NEWS
Page 5
Elvin Wong | El Estoque Photo Illustration
Stalking, a vicious cycle of unseen violation
MVHS victim speaks out about the frustrations and fears of being followed by an ex-classmate
H
er voice cracks several times, and there’s hesitation in every word. She pauses as if slowly reliving each moment as she talks about it, from the very first text asking about homework to the most recent chain of texts that she received a few weekends ago. It’s been three years and they’re not even friends, yet he continues to make attempts to contact her “At [first] it didn’t seem weird or creepy or anything—he’s in my class so he would call or text me about homework,” she said. But it soon got worse. The female senior, who spoke to El Estoque on the condition that her name would not be used, was in a class her freshman year with a boy who would often attempt to converse with her. Even after he moved to a different school in his sophomore year, the texts and Facebook messages continued. He even showed up at her house a few times and threatened to hurt those that she was close to. As the flurry of one-sided communication continued, the senior realized that she had become a victim of stalking, followed by an unrelenting stream of unwanted contact. Stalking, an offense punishable by law under California Penal Code 646.9, involves “any person who willfully maliciously harasses another person” and “makes a credible threat with the intent to place that person in reasonable fear for his or her safety, or the safety of his or her immediate family.” While it may initially seem far-fetched to assume that these sorts of incidents take place in high schools, a 1998 Stalking in America study found that of the 1.4 million people who are stalked in America every year, 12 percent are stalked before the age of 18. Motivations Behind the Act The female senior tried to deal with the boy as long as she could and give him the benefit of the doubt, but things soon became legitimately scary. “It was weird being threatened and having someone tell you that they’re going to beat you up or beat up your ex-boyfriend,” she said. “Feeling unsafe in my own home; it was just terrifying.” While she figured that the boy just had a crush
THE VICTIMIZED
3.4 million Americans reported that they were stalked
over a year
75%
of victims know their stalkers to some extent
1 in 4
victims are stalked through the Internet
Statistics from a 2006 Supplemental Victimization Survey conducted by the US Department of Justice.
or some form of technology
Elvin Wong | El Estoque Photo Illustration
on her, she also theorized that there was a deeper issue at hand—the issue of control. “Maybe he didn’t have control over other parts of his life or couldn’t control some aspect of his past, and so he tried to control me,” she said. Student Advocate Richard Prinz, who has dealt with students facing similar issues, also recognizes that different psychological motivations exist that propel an individual to stalk another person, but ultimately the action turns into a sub-conscious habit. Prinz adds that the person who is doing the stalking may not actually realize the effects that their actions are having on the other person, and in that sense view the other person as an object meant for possession rather than an actual person. “You interpret the person in a way that’s beneficial to your view,” Prinz said. “With obsessive thinking then comes compulsive behavior.”
studentADVICE
Impact of the Crime While the penal code does attempt to define stalking in clearer terms, Deputy Peter Robinson adds that ultimately the label of the charge depends on the victim and how he or she feels about the situation. Robinson is the Resource Officer for all schools in Cupertino and has dealt with such situations in the past. He acknowledges that teenagers are often reluctant to report the issue to adults and treat it as a serious crime. “A lot of the times teenagers don’t want to embarrass themselves in front of their friends or get the reputation of being a tattle-tale,” Robinson said. “I understand that thought process, but that’s also the reason why sometimes the problem gets to the point that it gets to.” In the senior female’s case, she talked to both her friends and her family—who helped her feel a
Possible Consequences Robinson outlines that the legal consequences for the stalker would depend on the nature and intensity of the behavior, and Prinz affirms that the non-legal consequences also depend on the individuals involved. The female senior admits that although the stalker’s antics have greatly reduced, the impact that this experience has had on her will last throughout her lifetime. “It’s made me look into people more and try to figure out their intentions,” she said. “I start thinking about if they are similar to [the stalker].” Prinz also points out that from the stalker’s perspective, even if the person has realized their habit it can often be hard to change it simply because it is subconscious. In that sense, therapy is one potential option to help the person reform and recover. Robinson argues that one of the ways legal punishment can help is by taking the stalker out of society, which helps the victim feel safer. Punishment is also favored over rehabilitation because if a person doesn’t want to change, it is very difficult to try to treat that person. He remarks that the law always errs “on the side of caution.” “It may be complicated beyond you,” Robinson advises to anyone who is being stalked, “but at your level it is very simple. Let an adult know.”
What would you do if you felt targeted online?
“[I’ll first] ignore them and cut all communications. If [it becomes very] serious and someone’s threatening me, I’ll get help.”
“If I feel unsafe, I’ll try to find out who it was and try to block them. I’ll also start posting [online] less.”
“If I find that someone is on Facebook just to stalk me to find my location, I’ll just block them.”
—junior Sam McCann
—senior George Chen
—junior Allison Win
Elvin Wong | El Estoque
lot safer. Tears still come to her eyes as she reflects upon the support that her loved ones had provided for her. “I talked to my girlfriends about it and I would be like—guess who texted me,” she said. “I felt a lot of support from my dad and my brother, but if I didn’t have them, I definitely would’ve talked to the school or to the police about it.” Prinz advises teenagers to first try and sternly tell the stalker to stop, but not continue to take matters into their own hands if nothing changes. At that point, it’s vital to tell a trusted adult so that further action can be taken.
Elvin Wong | El Estoque
Elvin Wong | El Estoque
Vijeta Tandon || v.tandon@elestoque.org
WHAT TO DO if you are being stalked Firmly tell the person to stop Tell a trusted adult or family memeber Call 911 Call Crime Victims Hotline for help at (866) 689-HELP
Page 6
NOV. 10, 2010
NEWS
Elections end, no local change Incumbents, Democrats win locally while Republicans take House
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GOV TEAM: Producing a film continued from page 1
n Nov. 2, the political winds of change blew almost everywhere in the country. That is, almost everywhere except Cupertino, California. In this midterm election, incumbents remained in power, while open seats were filled by candidates favored in the polls. Meanwhile, many controversial statewide ballot measures were voted down. Statewide Governor, Senate, and Congress Elections Last Tuesday, California Attorney General and former governor Jerry Brown, the Democratic Party candidate, defeated former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, the Republican party candidate, in the race for gubernatorial election. The margin of Vinay Raghuram | El Estoque victory was 12 percent. Brown’s victory POWER TO THE PEOPLE Two people cast their votes at Lincoln Elementary School was widely predicted by many well-reputed polling organizations, and therefore did not on election day Nov.2. The voter turn out at this years’ general election was much come as a surprise to most observers. larger than in 2006, the previous general election. On the congressional level, incumbent U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer was re-elected to The Next Republican Revolution? a fourth term over former Hewlett-Packard California Ballot Measures Proposition 19, which would have On the national stage, the 2010 election CEO Carly Fiorina, again by a solid margin of nine percent. Congressman Mike Honda, who legalized the sale of recreational marijuana, cycle was seen as a resurgence of the represents California’s 15th Congressional was defeated at the ballot box. According to Republican Party to power. This time, the District which includes most of Santa Clara the Secretary of State’s website, the initiative Republicans won enough seats—more than County, was re-elected to the House of was struck down by a margin of 10 percent. they’ve ever won in a previous midterm for Representatives with two-thirds of the vote Proposition 23, which would have suspended the past half-century—to establish a solid California’s strict pollution standards, was majority in the House of Representatives. and token opposition. The winners of these elections reflect the also voted down. Finally, Proposition 21, that While they were not able to do so in the results of the school-wide mock election held would have imposed a tax on automobiles to Senate, they made their minority even in October. According to the MVHS mock pay for state parks, was defeated, again by a slimmer. In addition, there was also a high antiincumbent feeling across the country, with election results, Jerry Brown was elected wide margin. several current senators and representatives governor, and Barbara Republicans in the House ousted in either their primaries or general Boxer was re-elected to Before the midterm After the midterm elections. the senate. House Democrats: 255 House Democrats: 188 As a result of the Republicans winning a House Republicans: 178 House Republicans: 239 majority of House seats, Nancy Pelosi, the FUHSD School Board current Speaker of the House, will lose her Elections position as Speaker starting next congress. Locally, FUHSD “I’m not that surprised [at it’s defeat],” However, she will continue to represent School Board President Bill Wilson, VicePresident Barbara Nunes, and Clerk Hung Recktenwald said, citing its low poll numbers California’s 8th in the House, as she won reWei, handily won re-election. They defeated toward the end of the campaigning period election. It is expected that the next Speaker challengers Micheal, Monet, and Miyuki as his reason. Recktenwald also mentioned will be current Ohio Rep. and House Minority Goldman, and Pradeep Jain, and will each that supporters of the ballot measure ran Leader John Boehner. Though the 2010 midterm election serve another term of four years. Some a relatively poor campaign until just shy of election day. brought about sweeping changes across teachers at MVHS reacted positively. Proposition 19, which was a particularly the country, everything remains relatively “I felt relieved [by the result],” said Social Studies teacher Ben Recktenwald. “[The contentious issue of this election cycle, similar in California. The state still has the Monets and Jain] didn’t know what they were failed in the real election by a margin of same senator, marijuana is still illegal, and talking about [and] didn’t really understand 10 percent. However, it passed in the mock there’s still no automobile tax to fund state election with 61 percent of the vote, an parks. In Cupertino, even less has changed, what their jobs were.” Wilson, Wei, and Nunes all oppose the indication that MVHS Students support as the member of congress, Mike Honda, and creation of a mega-district comprising it more than Californians as a whole do. the same school board members, Bill Wilson, FUHSD, Cupertino Union School District, Proposition 21 also won in the mock election Barbara Nunes, and Hung Wei continue to and Sunnyvale School District. They support with 57 percent of the vote. Finally, just as it hold office. the funding of athletics facilities, including happened in the real election, Proposition 23 was defeated by MVHS students. football lights, in schools that lack them. Vinay Raghuram || v.raghuram@elestoque.org
For almost seven hours in one day, the class was in San Francisco with black Gov Team sweatshirts and Flip Video camcorders. The students were not involved in the actual campaigning process; their role was to film, ask questions, and collect information. Gov Team member senior Michelle Yang said, “Basically we just followed [our candidate] around, acting as a documentary crew, and recorded what would happen in an election day and what a candidate would do in a campaign. Basically capturing democracy in action.” While Gov Team found traditional issues the candidates advocated—helping schools, creating jobs, improving poor housing—there were some ideas that were particular to District 6. One of the candidates, transvestite Glendon “Anna Conda,” believed in preserving the night life of San Francisco and creating more safe-injection sites with clean needles for addicts. Another gov team member, senior Rafal Wojciak, took note of how different San Francisco’s District 6 was compared to Cupertino. “Cupertino is a really well-off area,” he said. “And when you start talking to the people and they’re saying, ‘I’m homeless.’ They were speaking of it like it’s a day-to-day thing because for them it is. It’s really eyeopening because you see how fortunate you are comparatively.” Homelessness and housing are some major issues. Walker had been forced to move in and out of San Francisco due to the cost of rent and in her campaign, Walker was against Proposition L, which bans sitting or lying down on sidewalks, as it would leave many of the homeless with no place to stay. “We got to follow [Walker’s campaign] as they walked around and they would shake hands with people who had clearly slept on the street,” Gawlas said. “They still care and they still know that that’s just the way their community is.” The project’s intent was to allow Gov Team to observe the election process first-hand, and and while it might not have made members politically active, many students stated their views changed on how a campaign is run. “[Politics] seemed more personal, where people are actually going up to people and like, ‘Hey, have you voted yet?’” Srinivasan said. “Not even ‘Who are you going to vote for,’ but ‘Have you voted? You should vote. Make use of the fact that you can.’” Natalie Chan || n.chan@elestoque.org
THE MOCK ELECTION RESULTS
Social Studies teacher Christopher Chiang helps government classes conduct a mock election during lunch on Oct. 26. 593 students voted. Propoposition 19 Legalization of Marijuana
Senate 176 votes 294 votes
Carly Fiorina
Yes
Barbara Boxer
No
Propoposition 21 Funding state parks
Governor
Yes Jerry Brown
Proposition 20 Redistricting
No Proposition 23 Suspension of air pollution laws
Yes
Yes
No
No
149 votes
Meg Whitman
334 votes
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Nov. 10, 2010
Page 7
OPINION
Allies, it’s time to come out Be more active in supporting the Gay-Straight Alliance
T
eens are being driven to commit suicide around the sexual preference. country, and not as a result of of coursework, SATs, or That fear isn’t rational, but unfortunately it doesn’t make college applications. a difference. We’re in high school. People aren’t always As a result of homophobia. rational. And if students aren’t willing to risk their reputation, And even at a school as liberal as ours, with a student body the LGBT community might not get the support it needs. that generally supports the LGBT cause, we shouldn’t consider Male gay students might need even more of that support, ourselves immune to the problem. as senior Amanda Chen has discovered in part one of her In late September and early October, a string of suicides by three-part series, “Twist of Hate” These students have to gay teens erupted across the country, as five teens took their deal with a conflict between their homosexuality with the lives in just three weeks. 13-year-old Seth Walsh hung himself masculinity expected of them by peers. This dynamic is on Sept. 28 after lifelong bullying about his sexual preference; especially prevalent on sports teams, an environment that he lived in Tehachapi, C.A., just a five-hour drive Chen will look into in the final part of her from MVHS. series. The problem isn’t isolated to just a few STAFF EDITORIAL Perhaps just as pressing at MVHS are schools. The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight concerns involving some gay students and their The opinion of the Education Network’s 2009 National School parents—concerns that Chen will investigate El Estoque Editorial Climate Survey of over 7,000 middle and high next month. Parental intolerance could be Board school students found that nearly two-thirds of especially prevalent here; certain parents in LGBT students felt unsafe at school because of any setting might not respect their child’s their sexual orientation. homosexuality, but MVHS has additional cultural factors to For one, the National School Climate Survey also found that, overcome. “Having a Gay-Straight Alliance in school was related to more Indian and Chinese parents, for example, grew up in positive experiences for LGBT students.” Though MVHS’s societies that spurned gays. India considered homosexuality club is in the process of reforming, we haven’t had an active a crime until July 20, 2009; China only lifted its ban in 1997, GSA for several years, leaving LGBT students vulnerable. and officially listed homosexuality as a psychological disorder The GSA took a step in the right direction by participating until 2001. in a worldwide “Spirit Day” on Oct. 20. The club encouraged It would be absurd to say that all immigrant parents MVHS students to wear purple in remembrance of teens such align with their native countries’ former stances on the as Walsh. Though a good portion of the school obliged, there’s issue. Yet there’s a high chance that cultural stigmas carried still an innate fear on the part of MVHS students: if you join, over, amongst at least some of these parents. Their children your peers will think you’re making a statement about your wouldn’t have a family member to turn to if they were gay.
O
n Nov. 5 the blood drive took place in the gym. The blood drive is an annual project of Health Commission and is one of the most participated in by the student body. This time, the blood drive saw record numbers of participants. Let’s hope this trend continues.
12 119 30 4
BREAK Be a man, don’t fear Shakespeare DOWN A Plays should be seen for fun, not for extra credit
one issue – six ways
DONATION STATIONS. The donation stations were enough, but due to the high amount of people-traffic, the Blood Drive continued a little later than planned. THE TOTAL NUMBERS OF DONORS. This is the highest number of donations the blood drive has had, making it the most sucessful blood drive yet.
POSTERS WERE PUT UP AROUND SCHOOL. Although the posters were irrelvent to the cause the posters got the word out and a large number of participants.
LIVES ARE SAVED PER DONATION. A total of 476 lives could potentially be saved after the donations are filtered. Kudos to Health Commission for having the most successful Blood Drive yet.
75%
1
Leaving us, the students, to be the helping hands. It’s our job to suppor t our LGBT peers, t a k ing t h e place of the parent just in case a student’s family— for reasons cultural or otherwise—doesn’t accept their homosexuality. We need to make school a safe place, we need to show LGBT students that they are accepted—and that mandates more than just our passive support. Which means that bullying is off-limits. MVHS hasn’t experienced a suicide of its own amongst the nationwide tragedies, but we’re still susceptible. We’re obligated to prevent the unthinkable from happening, even if that means putting ourselves on the line.
I’m not gay and I’m in GSA
OF SIGN UPS ACTUALLY DONATED. Many people were deffered due to low blood-iron, visiting forigen countries and medical history.
PINT OF BLOOD PER DONATION. Although one pint may seem like a lot, Health Commission provides donors with granola bars, cookies and other refreshments to help them regain their strength.
sinister clandestine plot to overthrow the to the theater that’s to blame. People don’t go government, a broken man seeking bloody to plays because, in general, entertainment has revenge, and two innocent souls locked dumbed down over time. Someone may dispute together in forbidden passion. Many would think this, by saying that, even recently, thoughtthat those situations would make for great movie provoking films with high-order social meanings plots—only if they were not have been produced. written in “old” English and To this, I respond as A SECOND OPINION iambic pentameter by some follows. In the film Drama teacher industry, the best British guy who’s been dead Holly Cornelison is for centuries. selling films are not the director of the That British guy was the deep ones. They’re fall plays. Here’s William Shakespeare, whose the ones without what she thinks famous plays, “As You Like It” greater meanings. about students and and “A Comedy of Errors,” are They’re the ones with Shakespeare. being performed by MV Drama high-tech special this month. Tickets for opening effects, busty women, El Estoque: Do you think that students are night were in short supply as suspiciously similar genuinely interested in Shakespeare? of the day before, seemingly a plots, and nothing Holly Cornelison: I would say no. clear indication that students more. It’s safe to say Live theater in itself is difficult to sell to enjoy Shakespeare plays. that plays of quality students, and to add that component of The sad reality is that many don’t share most of Shakespeare really makes it mystifying to a students attend these plays, or these characteristics. lot of people. any drama production for that That’s why people matter, because their teachers don’t enjoy them. EE: What is it about Shakespeare that you have bribed them with extra It’s not that people think turns students off? credit. If this weren’t the case, can’t think. It’s not HC: I’m guessing what it is, more than few students would give up an that people can’t anything, is that they think they won’t evening of movies or television put in the amount of understand it. So they don’t try because it in order to go see a play. intellect (which really scares them. The root cause of this isn’t much) required aversion to drama is simple—in to enjoy a good play. the world of violent 3D action It’s that people don’t movies and racy television dramas, people consider want to. People seem to associate relaxation actual “intelligent” plays dull by comparison. Such with doing nothing that has to do with work— people could give many reasons as to why they’re including thinking. That’s why they go for the not interested in drama; because they can’t watch popular movies that even an infant can make plays from their living room sofa. Or because it’s sense of, which is a terrible trend for society to not possible to rewind or fast-forward plays. Then be following. People shouldn’t waste their time there’s the fact that the calorie-laden munchies on mindless entertainment. They should instead that everyone loves are considered taboo in the do something from which they learn, and which, formal setting of theatres. It’s strange, then, that in the end, causes them to think. So, please, getting DVDs of plays, an alternative both DVR don’t spend all of your free time on special-effect and junk-food friendly, also seems to be out of the explosions and bikinis. Go see a play. question. In this case, it’s not the inconvenience of going Vinay Raghuram || v.raghuram@elestoque.org
Page 8
Nov. 10, 2010
OPINION
The Flip Side
Do subtle promotions really promote? Support Breast Cancer Awareness
Wear Purple on Wednesday Support those bullied for homosexuality
Write Love on your arm to raise awareness for those effected by bullying and abuse Sarika Patel and Mansi Pathak | El Estoque Photo Illustration
Catchy promotions raise more awareness
L
ately, the importance of an issue is disease,” said sophomore Srisruthi Ramesh. determined by how many people know “It was upsetting... to see people make it a fun about it. It’s the way people get the and cutesy thing.” Other naysayers argue that latest scoop, it’s how the press determines the campaigns are ineffective. what to highlight in their reports. Heck, it’s Try telling that to all of the people who the concept behind Facebook’s News Feed. these campaigns have helped. And that’s why, for any cause or charity, One survey responder wrote , “Participating awareness means everything—it’s the first in To Write Love on Her Arms Day helped me step to solving the problem. get through my rough Supporters of different times.” Try telling those causes have been using viral who are suffering that campaigns to get out the I think that if you those campaigns are word. Campaigns like the participate it spreads ineffective. “I like it on...” and bra color awareness so others Putting that message statuses on Facebook was might support the cause out there can save a life. used to create and raise breast as well. The more people that cancer awareness, and To are aware of an issue, Write Love on Her Arms Day the bigger difference showed support for everyone will be made. Some struggling with depression, suicide, self-harm, might donate to a breast cancer foundation, or and substance and alcohol abuse. Another support a suicidal teen. And others won’t— viral campaign, Spirit, or Wear Purple Day, on but we can’t assume that and give up. With Oct. 20, showed support for bullied youth in so many people suffering, these causes can’t the wake of several recent suicides. afford to give up. All of these campaigns have become And as for offensive? Using “gay” as an so wildly popular that nearly 70 percent insult is offensive, and does nothing to support of survey responders at MVHS said they any cause. participated. Millions more have participated It’s sad that the fact that “black with or heard about them, thanks to Facebook, lace” or “I like it on the counter” gets more and the news—major organizations like Time attention than “October is Breast Cancer Magazine and Newsweek regularly report on Awareness Month!” but in today’s world the campaigns. With their large circulations, people are bombarded with campaigns so they bring awareness to about another 22 campaigners do what they can to get people million people—in the United States alone. to get thinking. The campaigns have, in catchy, clever And it works. The campaigns have opened ways, brought to the public eye issues that eyes and been embraced. This is our way of few recognize, let alone talk about. It must be telling the world that we care. It’s our way of known that we as a community care for and showing support, and being part of a solution. support those that face these issues. It allows It’s our way of doing what we can to help. us to take a moment to support them. Next time these campaigns come around– And yet, some still say the campaigns can go ahead, join in. be offensive. “[Breast cancer] is a really terrible Anushka Patil || a.patil@elestoque.org
63%
of students think that such promotions actually help to advance awareness of a cause.
“I used to cut myself. When [my friends] found out I self-harmed... They distanced themselves from me... if raising awareness can let that one person know, maybe it can save a life from suffering.“ Anonymous survey respondent
Useless promotions far from helping causes
I
like it on upside-down and sideways on because everyone else was. Couple this with the front porch. So what? That’s exactly the fact that 45 percent of students don’t even the problem with the recent promotions think that participating in events such as Wear of charities and causes, like the “I Heart Purple Day supports the cause, and it becomes Boobies” wristbands, bra-color status event, obvious that we are raising awareness for MVHS blood drive posters, and Wear Purple LGBT acceptance and anti-gay bullying in Day: They’ve all been unnecessary and all the wrong ways. Instead of sending a ineffective, nothing more than a waste of time strong, lasting message that our society is determined to combat and effort. mistreatment of the Yes, the causes are LGBT community, promoted with the best How will a vague status Wear Purple Day intentions. But that doesn’t update on a social instead instigated a mean that I want to have the networking site help throng of apathetic exact colors of all my girl students to wear purple friends’ bras thrown into my the cause? I’m sure the shirts for one day and face, right down to “a very women who posted a then promptly forget decadent red,” which was status on Facebook saying about the whole issue what happened during the “I like it on...” to slip in an and why they were bra-color status event. That’s acceptable innuendo. wearing purple in the no longer called promoting. first place. That’s just called TMI. Therefore, the real question is: Why are Embodied in the posters around campus that stated “bad boys donate blood” or “Edward we attempting to promote important issues in Cullen needs you” lies another problem. It’s such a meaningless and ineffective way? Have not a matter of creativity, because creative we really degenerated to the point where we advertisements stay in viewers’ heads. But need Edward Cullen, not our own conscience, even TV commercials convey the spirit of their to tell us that we should donate blood? Have products or causes. But the posters created a we really sunk so low as to think that the only wrong impression, dumbing the cause down way to spread awareness is through sexual into a childish bloodbath based on immature innuendos instead of door-to-door knocking? references instead of advertising the blood Have we really become so hopeless as to rely on purple-colored shirts, not fundraisers and drive as a mature event to save lives. The last problem is that the events don’t rallies, to show that our society is behind the do anything meaningful. Take Wear Purple LGBT community? Because really, I don’t need special Day. Even the claim that we showed solidarity for the gay teens here at MVHS is dubious wristbands—or any special cause, for that at best; at a school where our official color matter—to tell the world that “I Heart is purple, anyone could slap on a purple shirt Boobies.” So let’s choose a different way, something for the day. And how many of these students actually more useful and less silly, to support these cared for the cause? Apparently, not enough— causes. They deserve better. 30 percent of students indicated that have felt obligated to participate in a promotion just
78% of students participated in an awareness promotion.
*116 people responded to this online survey
Daniel Tan || d.tan@elestoque.org
I think people aren’t supporting this for real reasons; they’re supporting it to “follow the trend”. Of all the people who wore purple, I’m sure that only a small percentage knew anything more then “some gay kids commit suicide.” Anonymous survey respondent of students think that such promotions are at least somewhat insulting.
45%
Nov. 10, 2010
Page 9
OPINION
It is time to go Green (Party) Mock election, election results confirm lack of desire for change
A
promise of change was thwarted. A tide of discontent with the current government was apparent when the color red swept the nation on Nov. 2 after the results of this year’s general elections were announced. Nationwide, Republicans ousted Democrats— liberal, moderates, incumbents, and otherwise—from the House of Representatives. What does that mean for change? There will be none. This year’s general election marked the beginning of two awful years for the White House and two idle years for the legislatures. If Americans really wanted a drastic change in their government—something different from the ordinary political agendas—we should have voted for some other party. The problem stems from a lack of awareness. During the government class mock elections on Oct. 26, the only candidates that were promoted in any way on campus were either from the Democratic or Republican Party, leaving students unaware that there were any other candidates or any other parties on the ballot. This lack of knowledge
prevented students from voting role, as a tool to protect the rights for a candidate based on their of the individual, rather than one views on the issues and instead, to diminish their rights to choose they were left to decide between who they marry and smoke the same two parties that have whatever kind. And for those been ruling this nation for the looking to pay fewer dollars in past century-and-a-half. taxes, the Libertarian Party The same lack of awareness offers just that. and knowledge is apparent in Now, at a time when many are the actual general elections. The complaining about high taxes and majority of Americans, though total government control, why displeased not vote for VOTING INDEPENDENT with both a party true Demo crat s to its ideals, a n d with no other Republicans, political of MVHS students of Californians still vote agenda? Why who participated voted for a third for those not allow in mock elections party on the two parties it to prove voted for a third Nov. 2 elections because they itself worthy party candidate on have no idea of holding Oct. 26 who anyone office? It else is. sure as The Libertarian Party believes heck sounds much better than that individual rights trump letting the same people run the the wishes of the government. government. According to their official Around ninety percent of website, they believe that the MVHS students voted for either “government’s only role is to help Democratic or Republican individuals defend themselves candidates for governor or senate from force and fraud.” With the during the mock election on Oct. current majority parties straying 26. But during the real election on away from their own principles, Nov. 2, about ninety-five percent the Libertarian Party offers a very voted Democrat or Republican. fixed view of the government’s Though people express concerns
10% 5%
about having the same people running the government, as displayed through the many incumbents loosing their seats throughout the country, it seems we are not truly willing to take real steps toward change. The promises of change from both the Democratic and Republican candidates have not been seen, so why do we continue to live under the impression that parties that have failed to deliver countless times will really make any difference? Politics have become unclassy—whether it be the usual accusatory, filling pockets with money from Wall Street or pharmaceutical companies, or trying to make the other side look bad because they clearly don’t have any idea how an economy works. It seems as if politicians are running on the basis of making the other side look bad rather than the issues. With that in mind, why don’t we pay more attention to the candidates who care about the issues? Why not pay attention to what they have to say?
Arifa Aziz || a.aziz@elestoque.org
Students mature enough to handle freedom Administration shouldn’t block sites out of fear of misuse by students
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eb comics between classes, social networking sites. Besides just talking YouTube at brunch, and Facebook with friends, people use Facebook the same at the lunch line. Sounds appealing, way they use email, for school and work. right? Well it’s possible now, due to a new, Not everything is on School Loop. Students free program that will let any student bypass sometimes need to log on and ask what school Internet security. This may sound science homework is or if there’s a math test tomorrow. There’s just as important sketchy and mischievous, but is it really? This application is called Hotspot, a information on both of the websites, so why program which offers complete security and is one of them blocked? privacy when surfing Absolutely anything that has to with video the web. However, WHAT’S BLOCKED? most of the students games is blocked. Video games: all games including Metacritic, a site aren’t looking forward Flash Games dedicated to reviewing to the safe aspect YouTube: YouTube is blocked, but of web browsing— movies, music and popular video site Hulu is not instead, they’re using other forms of media Social networking: All social Hotspot for its special is available to students. networking sites except for Twitter are However, the link perk: unregulated and blocked to the game review private web browsing. Adult-rated material: Students are section, leads to a big, inappropriate for school. Period. already accessing any fat “access denied,” website they want to courtesy of iPrism. The same goes for various even if it’s blocked by video sharing sites that MVHS. Immediately, students will see a red flag in the action can have numerous educational videos. While of viewing restricted websites. However, it’s true that some people don’t use video many of those sites should not be regulated. sharing sites for productive means, it’s not Even though there is some horrible, twisted worth blocking them when other people do. MVHS and other schools need to learn material on the Internet, MVHS’ strict web regulations aren’t helping. to take in the bad with the good and trust First of all, social networking sites are students to be responsible. Websites like immediately blocked. This may seem like YouTube and Facebook are blocked out of fear a logical policy, but there are a myriad of rather than necessity. A few weeks ago, five legitimate reasons why students would use out of seven of my classes used Youtube as
an educational tool, but if a student wanted to access those same videos before a test, they’d be out of luck. A mom can’t expect her son to be financially responsible when he grows up and leaves her house to go live on his own, without letting him spend his allowance. The same goes for teaching time management. MVHS can’t teach it simply by blocking all possible distractions. The obvious issue of removing Internet regulations is the fact that some students will abuse their privileges. It’s an unavoidable fact that not everyone would be responsible with this new privilege, but it wouldn’t be as bad as some would think. Not very many students are going have the guts to pull up loud footage of people screaming obscenities in the middle of class. Students don’t want that kind of trouble in their lives, so the odds are that it won’t be an issue. The only time they would dare do that is at brunch or lunch, but what students do in their free time has no effect on their classes. For a news story What they about the Hotspot need for class, firewall see page 4 h o w e v e r , c e r t a i n l y does have an impact on their classes. We can’t be taught responsibility without having any privileges.
NEWS
Morahd Shawki || m.shawki@elestoque.org
El Estoque Online: Your thoughts last month Will you be participating in Community Leadership’s Blood Drive?
This comment was posted on Oct. 28 in response to the News story “AT&T cell tower proposed in Cupertino.”
Please approve this tower, we need to enter the 21st Century and have reliable cell service in all areas of Cupertino. This is obviously very safe and not an eyesore in any way. We need usable AT&T and T-Mobile service in the MVHS area. Anonymous
58%
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25%
18%
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Yes
No, I’m ineligible
No, I don’t want to
*73 people responded to this poll as of Nov. 6
Before the Nov. 2 election, the Net Neutrality Bill did not pass in Congress. The law would have forced Internet providers to charge the same rate for all web content. Even with the bill’s failure, the Federal Communications Commission continues to advocate the Net Neutrality Act with support from Internet providers Amazon and Google.
Should Internet providers charge the same rate for all content on the web? Go online to elestoque.org to comment.
Golden days revisted
A tribute to childhood
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oday I am writing about a very serious issue. It affects many of the students on campus, and it may be depressing. If you can’t handle the truth, look away now because the fact is: We’re growing up. We know the truth about Santa, we have to read books without pictures, and (most of us) understand that cooties don’t exist. Those parts of our youth are gone. But no matter how much we’ve grown and matured, some things don’t have to change. Enjoy an episode of “Blue’s Clues” or “Arthur.” Go build a fort out of the sofa cushions—what else would they be used for, anyway? Getting older doesn’t mean you have to stop loving the things you did as a kid. It just means you get wrinkles. If you have truly grown out of your childhood loves, at the very least you can cherish the memories you have. Set it down. Keep going with your life. Just remember that you can revisit it any time. Adulthood is coming, but childhood friends are always there for you. My childhood friend I expect a certain level of respect and somberness when it comes to him. There will be no jokes. There will be no innuendos. My friend, and yours, had grown up with us for many of our best NATALIE CHAN years. Today n.chan@elestoque.org is the day we can remember him fondly, our beloved Pokémon. Some of you may be thinking, “What do you mean ‘remember’ Pokemon?! It just aired an episode on Nov. 6...Not that I would know, of course!” Regardless, after 12 years since his start in the U.S., many of us and Pokemon have gone our separate ways. As for me, it was inevitable that he and I would become so close. He was a Japanese television show with weird animals and bright colors. I was an Asian child. What can I say except that I knew it was my destiny? I still remember the early days of our friendship. I could wake up every Saturday morning with the promise that he would be waiting for me, right on schedule. There were only 151 Pokémon, the goal was to catch them all, and he was always by my side in a world we had to defend.
What’s normal anyway?
Going our seperate ways But after a few years, something happened between the two of us. We didn’t like the same things anymore. He didn’t understand my new friendship with the outdoors and, let’s face it, real people. As for me, there was no place in my world for a microwave Pokémon (heat Rotom) or an ice cream Pokémon (Baniricchi); mix them together to get a puddle Pokémon. I want to know that my friend is remembered, and remembered well. Sure, he wasn’t perfect. Pokémon had faults from the start, but I could look past them to see the good in him. So there were aspects of forced animal fights. Yeah, there are ethical issues with the suspected human cloning of Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy, but any show that has success for children who drop out of school by the fourth grade is perfectly fine with me. Pokémon gave us the drive to be the very best, like no one ever was. Let us keep the wisdom he taught us: keeping trying no matter how many times you lose; save your work in case you must start over; be careful walking in the grass. No matter what problems we had in the past, I must take this moment to celebrate the good times of our life together. Pokémon, I will always choose you.
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Nov. 10, 2010
OPINION
PE should be mandatory for four years Since PE after two years is optional, students do not get used to active and healthy lifestyles
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merica is fat. That is the stereotype people make about the United States and its validity is difficult to question, seeing as roughly one in three adults are obese, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention. By making Physical Education mandatory for only two years, MVHS is encouraging that stereotype. Most PE students shudder when the they hear “run day” or cringe as they slip and slide through the locker room after the mandatory freshman swimming unit, and have generally bad associations with PE. Although students may hate it when our shins are aching, and we’re red-faced in our next class, PE is beneficial in both the short term and long term. Daily PE encourages exercising daily, a vital habit that students should have as they mature, to prevent students from adding to the obesity statistic. Exercise also releases endorphins and ultimately increases brain activity, which can be beneficial in the classes we have following the exercise. Once many students who aren’t part of sports outside of school finish their necessary years of PE, they spend their time studying or playing video games and don’t have the time to do the recommended daily exercise. Refraining from exercise for a long period of time results in weight gain that can be difficult to lose in the future. By making PE part of the curriculum, MVHS would be granting students time to exercise. Starting healthy habits early paves a way for a long, healthy life. The rate of obesity among children has tripled in the last 30 years, partly due to the fact that kids are not getting the exercise they should be getting, and MVHS should not be contributing to that statistic. As of now, only Massachusetts and Illinois require PE from kindergarten to 12th grade. In some districts of the US, schools have been forced to cut their PE programs due to budget cuts or lack of space. That is not the case at MVHS. So what is the problem? Are we such an academically strong school that we are too good for daily exercise that could ultimately lead to a decrease in the nation’s obesity? As a compromise, all students that participate in sports outside of the school day should be able to count it as PE credit, if four years were to be made mandatory. Currently, students recieve PE credit for participating on school sports teams. Students should have some form of proof that they are
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99 9 Dominique Pieb and Pooja Ravikiran | El Estoque Photo Illustration
WEIGHT OF AMERICA The rate of obesity in America has been increasing in recent years as compared to about a decade ago. Making PE mandatory for four years may not completely eradicate the problem, but it could decrease the statistic. completing their necessary exercise. The teenage years are the time when we begin to grow into our bodies and gangly extremities, and the body we have now is most likely the body we will have in the future. The exercise we do now determines whether we will have a “hot bod” or an obese one. The best thing to do is to get into a
healthy lifestyle now in order to have a fit body for the rest of your life. Otherwie, you’ll definitely regret it later, when losing weight becomes almost impossible. The first step toward our future fit bodies is to make PE mandatory for all four years of high school. Danielle Kay || d.kay@elestoque.org
Barbecue days redefining cafeteria meals New lunch option offers healthy, inexpensive fresh food
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he lunch bell rings, and in the minds of those waiting Day witnesses most students walking away with plates piled to buy food there are only three letters: B, B, Q. The high with food. Unlike paying $3.50 for a small tin of watery new Barbecue Wednesdays, in which the cafeteria staff pasta, on Wednesdays your money buys a full meal, not just cooks the barbecue on an open grill in front of the cafeteria, a noon-time snack. are a delicious addition to an otherwise mundane day. This delectable new event doesn’t come without its flaws, With a defined “BBQ Day,” students can now have the however. The two-step process that requires a hefty wait in cafeteria equivalent of home-cooked food to look forward to line to buy a ticket followed by a second line to actually get every week. If this continues, Wednesdays can easily be defined the food results in a meal that costs an average of 10 minutes by burgers, hotdogs, and ribs—and what in addition to $3.50. better way to overcome a Wednesday Furthermore, the location WHAT’S ON THE MENU? than a good plate of barbecue. of the grill, right outside of The healthy chatter of tables full of the area where tickets are Main Dishes seated kids all eating barbecue gives sold, results in a full-on traffic Veggie Burger the cafeteria space a lively atmosphere, jam of students squeezing in Cheeseburger a contrast to the often-deserted Tuesday to buy tickets, pushing to get Hot Dog lunchtimes. Moreover, students staying food, and cutting left and right. Riblet on campus means these healthy meals The enticing smell of barbecue are replacing the teenage lunchtime smoke attracts even more Side Dishes special of fast food burgers. curious students to the cafeteria Tossed Salad Cafeteria Supervisor Frank Lihn has area, which is a good thing for Cold Salad: Potato or Pasta already made clear his intention to drive Barbecue Wednesdays, but only Beans the cafeteria menu toward containing adds to the chaos. This problem Potato Chips more healthy foods, prepared from could be very easily solved by Fresh Fruit scratch, and this barbecue is a perfect turning the grill so that the line way to let students see just how fresh trails out to the rally court. Condiments and Toppings their meals are becoming. Many students This clearly defined “themed Lettuce leafs who are regular cafeteria diners are still food day” is a great way to Freshly sliced onions unaware that, under Lihn, almost all promote eating cafeteria food Freshly sliced tomatoes of the food being served will be made while showing students exactly Pickle slices from scratch. how healthy their meals are. The Relish On Wednesdays, however, it is recently-added salad bar in the Mayonnaise, Ketchup, and Mustard apparent that there is no such thing as cafeteria, open every lunchtime “mystery meat” in the kitchen. Students for all students who purchase a can watch the riblets being doused full meal, as well as Lihn’s plans in sauce and cooked on the spot, and to set up a Stir Fry Day, similarly patties often go straight from the grill to the plate. Of the structured so that students can watch their food being stirtable-long selection of side dishes, the only unhealthy option— fried on the spot, are the next steps to expand this trend. potato chips—is carefully guarded for limited student access, If this trend were expanded to include themed days for and fresh fruit substitutes for any sugar-laden desserts. All the majority of the week, for example International Cuisine the sides are made from scratch, a surprise to many of the or Deli Days, students may eventually find staying on campus students eating the fresh salad or freshly-baked beans. This is for lunch to be the trendy thing to do. With Lihn and the perhaps the healthiest meal ever served on campus. cafeteria staff open to suggestions and recommendations, But, for once, edible healthy food doesn’t come with a hefty this may not be an unreasonable goal. price tag. At $3.50 for a main dish, access to all side dishes, The next challenge: making Mondays equally as enjoyable and a full bottle of water, the barbecue meal is the same price as Wednesdays. as any other cafeteria meal. And it’s not a skimpy meal either. Students can request “double” cheeseburgers, and Barbecue Tracy Zhang || t.zhang@elestoque.org
2010-2011 Editors in Chief Mansi Pathak Vijeta Tandon News Editors Arifa Aziz Sahana Sridhara Opinion Editors Sarika Patel Vinay Raghuram Centerspread Editors Anushka Patil Roxana Wiswell Sports Editors Shanthi Guruswamy Cynthia Mao A&E Editors Amanda Chen Christophe Haubursin
Managing Editors Joseph Beyda Jordan Lim Business Editors Vishakha Joshi Pooja Ravikiran Photography Editor Erin Chiu Copy Editor Natalie Chan Print Staff Writers Tina Hsu Danielle Kay Aafreen Mahmood Morahd Shawki Daniel Tan Elvin Wong Tracy Zhang
Adviser Michelle Balmeo Layout and Design Editor Ashley Wu Disclaimer Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the journalism staff and not of Monta Vista High School or the Fremont Union High School District. Credits Some images in this publication were taken from the royalty-free stock photography website sxc.hu Mission Statement El Estoque is an open forum created for and by students of Monta Vista High School. The staff of El Estoque seeks to recognize individuals, events, and ideas and bring news to the Monta Vista community in a manner that is professional, unbiased, and thorough in order to effectively serve our readers. We strive to report accurately, and we will correct any significant error. If you believe such an error has been made, please contact us. Letters of any length should be submitted via email or mail. They become the sole property of El Estoque and can be edited for length or factual accuracy. Letters cannot be returned and will be published at El Estoque’s discretion. El Estoque also reserves the right to reject advertising due to space limitations or decision of the Editorial Board that content of the advertisement conflicts with the mission of the publication. Contact Us El Estoque 21840 McClellan Rd. Cupertino, CA 95014 mv.el.estoque@gmail.com
Nov. 10, 2010
Wrong facts lead to complaints City residents fail to notice improvements by Lehigh Cement Plant
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own with emissions! Down with was not following protocol when it came to pollution! Down with whatever else using environmentally-friendly machinery, we can think of complaining about! according to the West Citizens Air Watch For the West Valley Citizens Air Watch, a and the Environmental Protection Agency. group of residents living The Plant’s OUT WITH THE OLD in Cupertino trying to practices were protect clean air, the definitely to Lehigh Cement Plant’s impact has been Lehigh Cement Plant blame, and increasingly positive over the years. seems like a blessed gift the Cupertino sent from above. The Air residents were Before Watch can now stand up right in being • Lehigh Cement did not have proper perand petition for nature’s angry. That was mits to continue production rights as if it were 1973 the time to speak • Cupertino was home to the fifth most all over again. up against the mercury polluting industrial plant in the The group has been dangers the plant US voicing its complaints was causing to • Lehigh Cement dumped 496 pounds of to the plant about the our city. Lehigh mercury into the atmosphere pollution and harm was doing to the environment it something wrong Now is causing. But these and should have • Cut mercury emissions by 25 percent complaints are all just an been stopped. • Uses petroleum coke instead of coal overreaction to a typical But now, • 95 percent of resources from local cement plant. Many are four whole years sources, decreasing fossil fuel usage believing the hype about later, there are • Truck waters down roads to keep down the evils of production new managers dust expansion without really and new rules. • Cloth pipes to filter exhaust thinking about the true And even though effects of the presence there will always of the plant. be pollution The real heart of the matter is that caused by this kind of production, the Lehigh wanted to expand its facilities with plant is making a great effort to reduce a new 200 acre pit to dig for limestone. it. Mercury emissions have reduced since However, they were met with great the high numbers from 2006 and the new opposition from their neighborhood. This management is correctly following all the is because up until 2006, Lehigh was run regulations set by the EPA. Lehigh has under different, and more irresponsible, even gone the extra mile to “go green” management. At the time, Cupertino had and try other, non-mandated methods of frightening levels of mercury pollution from pollution reduction, including using cloth the disruption of the land and the company pipes to filter exhaust gas from trucks and
Letters to the Editor Letters of any length should be submitted via e-mail [mv.el.estoque@gmail.com], mail, or dropped off in Room A111. They become the sole property of El Estoque and can be edited for length, clarity, or factual accuracy. Letters cannot be returned and will be published at El Estoque’s discretion. Dear Editor, Your feature [“National reform movement applies pressure on schools, teachers” by Anushka Patil, Oct. 20] repeats some common myths about tenure and teacher unions, stating that teachers are granted job security for life, that strong unions prevent administrators from firing incompetent teachers, and that the process of firing a teacher costs thousands of dollars in legal fees. First, there is no such thing as “tenure” in the public schools; neither our union contract nor California law uses that term. What really happens is that a teacher starts on probationary status, meaning that one can be fired at any time for no reason at all (with no job security whatsoever). If a probationary teacher survives two years without getting fired and earns satisfactory reviews (many teachers don’t), he or she will move to permanent status. But permanent status means only that a legitimate reason must be given for firing, and that the “due process” steps set forth by the Legislature must be followed to ensure that the teacher is treated fairly. That’s not by any stretch of the imagination a grant of lifetime security. Incompetence is, of course, a legitimate reason for teachers to be fired, and our district has quietly followed the proper steps and removed teachers who did not meet our standards, without spending big legal fees. The only power held by the union is to monitor the process to ensure that all those steps are done; they cannot stop anybody from being fired if the district does it the right way, and doing it the right way doesn’t cost legal fees. The real practical effect of the union is to provide some pressure on the district to keep good documentation of teacher performance, which they should be doing anyway. The notion of “powerful” teacher unions is rather silly if you give the idea a moment’s thought. If unions are so powerful, why are teachers paid so poorly when compared to any other profession? A truly powerful union would be negotiating big bucks for their members, and that’s plainly not the case. — math teacher Jon Stark
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OPINION
petroleum coke as a heat source instead of carbon-loaded coal. Yet, even with all of these positive signs coming from the statistics, management, and even the federal government, the West Valley Citizens Air Watch is still petitioning against the building of a new pit. The main part of the problem is that many of the claims the Air Watch is making are unfounded. They are asking for the second pit not to be built based on all the negative findings from years before, like the high mercury emissions of 2006 and the EPA’s accusations of the plant’s polluting machinery from the mid-90s. Another complaint the Air Watch is posing is that the second pit will greatly affect the air close to the nearby homes, but Lehigh confirms that the second pit will be no closer to residential areas the first pit. It is true that there are still some confusing factors to this whole ordeal. The EPA is currently looking into the problems that occurred with the machinery that the older management changed in 1996 to 1999. And they won’t know for sure what exactly the effects of the older management were until they complete their investigations. But what’s important to remember is that every situation is different. We can’t react to a change being made in 2010 because of events that happened several years ago. And we can’t judge a company without all of the information. Just because this corporation tended to be negligent about pollution problems in the past doesn’t mean that it is acting the same way in this moment. We should give the benefit of the doubt.
What kind of fan are you?
The Die-Hard Fan As far as this fan and his team are concerned, it’s “together forever, whatever the weather.”
Vishakha Joshi || v.joshi@elestoque.org
Cost of education too high AP English books cost exceeds benefits AP English literature might be an typical home printer. Buying a class set, on the other enriching and challenging class, but at hand, could probably save a forest full what price? Unlike students in almost any other of trees. Yes, the books are already class on campus, both Lit. Honors and printed and the paper already wasted Lit. AP students are expected to foot but compare it to buying throw-away the bill for the required reading. Over water bottles. Many make an effort to the course of the year students read 14 buy reusable water bottles to save the environment. Leadership even provided books, costing about $8 per. Lets do the math. Each student teachers with their own reusable water spends an average of $100 on books bottles. They took one step in the right throughout the year. That’s the same direction, and it’s time to take another. hundred dollars that could feed a child It may come to be a pricey purchase for in Kenya for a year or supply five people the district to buy, but the books will with clean water for five years. Okay, last through years of AP students. Okay. So maybe pricey purchase is so that doesn’t mean an understatement, we have to stop AVERAGES especially with our spending money. current financial Online It just means that situation. Let’s New book total: $110 we need to take a meet half way. New book average: $8 per book minute to consider It’s a known fact Used book total: $40 if our purchases that buying books Used book average: $3 per book are absolutely by bulk is whole necessary. With lot cheaper. If every other class Borders the school could on campus being Total: $120 purchase the books provided with the Book average: $9 for the students necessary materials and ask them for to succeed, it seems a single payment unfair that students in upper level at the beginning of the year, it will English classes are charged extra. There is merit to the argument be saving students time and money, that owning your own copy can be similar to other classes that ask material beneficial. Students are required to donations. Students would be saving take notes in their books to be able to money by buying with the school, as sufficiently analyze the text. But let’s well as be able to have the same copy not forget the invention of the post- and version as the rest of the class. The it. A pack of post-it pads that will last advantages are clear. Gives students a hand, and let them through the semester is only about $5. Buying recycled post-its can help save reap the benefits, and discounts, that the school receives. Yes, it might be the environment as well. On the topic of the environment, take a some time and effort, but the something must be said about students school isn’t the only one going through who print their own copies from online hard times. So please do us a favor, buy books versions. Admit it. Printing your own copy is ridiculous and though buying by bulk, and put students back on the a copy seems like the same amount of same page. paper wastage, in reality, publishers use paper more efficiently than the Sahana Sridahara || s.sridhara@elestoque.org
The Universal Fan Every team and any team counts on this fan’s support.
The Fair-Weather Fan The Yankees are ahead? Well, they can count on this fan... until they fall behind, that is.
GIANTS!
The Clueless Fan Did someone say something about the Giants winning the Superbowl? Christophe Haubursin and Pooja Ravikiran
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A CLOSER LOOK
Getting Finatical
As local teams rise to the top, MVHS students are
Fanning OUT
Junior uncovers the significance of sports fandom: community
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SHELVES: A glass case displays an extensive collection of Giants bobbleheads and game balls.
e’ve seen it in the news, heard it on the radio and those who and have choosen to remain loyal to their own team. Senior Sean Hughes AND BATS: Hayes sports a framed Barry Bonds missed it were hit by the Facebook status messages by fans is one of these people who has no interest in the Giants despite the hype 2 HATS baseball card, a Giants hat, a bat that Hayes’ dad caught when rooting for the home team. As more orange and black apparel and his interest in baseball. Giants closer Rob Nen threw it into the stands. Since Nen, as a showed up on campus the size of the Giants fan club sky rocketed. “I’m a fan of the Boston Red Sox, and I’m not just going to leave them pitcher, didn’t bat often, this baseball bat is very unique. On Nov.1 the Giants won their first World Series since 1954 and their because the local team did well,” Hughes said. “Of course I’m not against first ever as the San Francisco Giants. Their last win was 56 years ago them either, but for me it really doesn’t matter how they did.” 3 FRAMED: Hayes and his brother pose in sports fan gear. as the New York Giants. Not only did they win the title, but they won Although both Wong and Pendse think the bangwagoners are 4-1—not even having to play all seven games. temporary fans, Pendse doesn’t appreciate the bandwagon fans as much OF DREAMS: Hayes’ closet doors are covered with 4 CLOSET For most Giants fans this is an impossible feat to imagine, especially as Wong does. a giant photo of a baseball stadium, fans and all. for senior Malhar Pendse, who has been a loyal fan of the Giants for the “Some of those people don’t even follow baseball, and other people RECORD: This frame holds tickets from many of the past ten years and has followed most of their games for every season. you know follow baseball but they follow different teams. It’s weird 5 ON games Hayes’ dad has attended, including all of the Giants “I moved to California and started playing baseball when I was seven because they are now Giants fans just because they were in the play offs,” playoffs, the games where Barry Bonds hit his 600th and 700th and they were the local team so it progressed from there,” Pendse said. Pendse said. home run, and the World Series game where an earthquake “The World Series back in 2002 just gave me a new hope, but they have This influx of people into the Giants’ fan club will definitely impact interrupted the game. Along with the tickets is a bumper sticker been down for the last couple seasons.” their skill for the next season. Wong says that the hype over the team will from the earthquake game in 1989. Old and new fans alike celebrated the Giants’ victory at a parade on die down for sometime since the season has just ended, but the Giants’ Nov. 3 in San Francisco, and according to CBS News about one million have strong young talent which could give them another good season and POSSESSION: This baseball was signed by Barry 6 PRIZED fans came out to the parade to celebrate the victory. their bigger support. Bonds, former Giants manager Dusty Baker, and former Junior Theresa Wong, a longtime Giants fan, was one of the million announcer John Miller. Sarika Patel || s.patel@elestoque.org who went out to show her support for the Giants. While sitting in fourth period, Wong and a friend decided to take the tram to San Francico for the parade. According to Wong by the time they got to the city the parade was over but there was a Junior Brandon Hayes is more than just the average fan. Ever since he was a little kid, he has been surrounded by baseball. His father, the major baseball influence in his rally in the Civic Center. life, started collecting memorabilia long before Hayes was born. He began these collections and passed them, along with his love for baseball, on to his son. Hayes connects with “We got off right at the Giants his father through this interest, and every item in his room is one more memory he gets to share. stadium and it was so packed but we went around and saw everyone dressed up, people dancing on the streets and out of their sun roofs,” Wong said. “There were cars everywhere and they were 1 4 3 playing the Giants anthem from the Youtube video.” Wong and her friend spent an hour in the city talking to other fans about the game and the Giants’ success. The two found the city covered in orange and black with fans honking in their cars and doing Giants cheers. It’s hard to separate the loyal fans from the bandwagoners, especially now that the local team has won the World Series, no one wants to admit that they hitched on the ride just for the smooth sailing. All the new fans are claiming that they have always been fans and say that their loyalty will continue. However, both Pendse and Wong think that the bandwagoners’ 5 fandom will prove to be temporary after next season begins. “It depends on how they do at 6 the beginning of next season. I think they will do really well, but if they start off rocky then all the people who just became fans will probably just go back to their original teams,” Pendse said. However, not everyone is 2 hopping on the Giants’ bandwagon
GIANT FAN
Roxana Wiswell, Erin Chiu, and Vishakha Joshi || El Estoque Photo Illustration
Cynthia Mao || c.mao@elestoque.org
Christophe Haubursin || c.haubursin@elestoque.org
49ERS FANS
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GIANTS FANS
Giants fans celebrate world championship
Students show support for their favorite teams as Giants claim title
While senior Evan Hirsch and math teacher Kathleen McCarty’s Stanford University vs. University of California at Berkeley rivalry hasn’t extended beyond the classroom, it certainly is present. “I’ll joke about how [students will] get points off of something if you’re wearing red,” McCarty said. Whether McCarty is simply egging on her students or not, she claims she wants to get a Stanford pennant into the classroom. “I don’t know if people are afraid to send me one to put up on the wall,” she said, “because right now it’s looking pretty blue and gold.” McCarty’s support for UC Berkeley comes from her college days. She attended UC Berkeley, met her husband there, and got married on the UC Berkeley campus. In fact, she and her husband have been going to Cal football games longer than Hirsch has been alive. Hirsch’s roots in Stanford are related to family as well. His dad graduated from the school and his grandpa taught there. “I’ve been a Stanford fan literally my whole life,” Hirsch said. “Since I was a very, very small child, I’ve been loving Stanford athletics.” Both agree things will heat up on Nov. Christophe Haubursin || El Estoque 20 during the football game between Cal FEAR THE TREE VS. GO BEARS Senior and Stanford. As McCarty puts it, “it’s Evan Hirsch and math teacher always up in the air on what’s going to Kathleen McCarty enjoy their happen.”
LAKERS FANS
SHARKS FANS
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hey were screaming. I think that’s what I noticed first. It was the night of Oct. 30, and I found myself in the midst of over 17,000 exuberant teal-clad fans of the San Jose Sharks crammed into HP Pavilion. Players skated through billowing smoke surrounding a massive model shark head upon their entrance onto the ice: Heatley. Pavelski. Niittymäki. I memorized these never-before heard names over the din of dramatic music and chanting. But before you rip this paper up and throw it away over my ignorance of our local team, there’s something you should know about me. I’ve never been one to like sports. Apart from a short-lived obsession with baseball in the third grade, the idea of watching competitive sports has never at any point in my life struck me as appealing. If I’ve got to be involved in athletics, I want to play, not watch. You get the idea. The World Cup? Didn’t watch it. The Olympics? Occasionally. And I’ll only watch the Super Bowl if I’m forced. But it’s never been a dislike of the sports themselves as much as an inherent lack of understanding about the value behind watching others run around a field for hours on a television that could otherwise provide me with loads of enticing shows. I guess the little sports fan inside me died of a broken heart a long time ago. Yet sports fandom remains a part of culture that I’ve never connected with. I set out to figure out why not. So here I was, with a bag of popcorn and a friend in seats so precariously steep in their position toward the railing of the second story that it seemed my slightest junior stray movement Christophe Haubursin c.haubursin@elestoque.com would send me falling to a very a first-person icy death. narrative Vertigo. It was the feeling that coursed through my veins. It was the U2 song that blared from the speakers over the crowd’s shout of “Ducks suck, Ducks suck, Ducks suck.” It was no wonder they were down 2-0. Who could focus under that pressure? I worried for their feelings. It didn’t take long for everything to take a whole different turn. I started to notice an impressive grace to the skills of the players—from their agility on the ice to their ability to make a shot through a whole crowd of defensemen. Things were getting intense, and my popcorn was disappearing fast. There was hardly enough time to catch my breath in between plays. In the row in front of me sat two strangers, one dressed from head to toe in Sharks apparel and the other wearing a backward-turned Ducks baseball cap. They didn’t seem to know one another, but were constantly arguing. Around then I started to think about what this game was all really about. Maybe showing support for the team was about more than giving them encouragement to hit their puck into the net—it was about pride. Pride in a community lucky enough to be represented by these players, even though they’re nearly all Canadians, whose victory would serve as a testament to our own awesomeness. Maybe what I’d been missing all along was that sense of brotherhood that came from worshipping this 20-man team along with everybody else. But when caught up in the spirit of the game, all of that came naturally. Do I really understand anything more than before about hockey? No. But do I see how 17,000 fans can go wild in the final countdown of the last period? Hell yes I do. So, eventually, I joined in the “Ducks suck” chant myself. And by the time my team scored its last few goals, I was screaming too. And in the end, it wasn’t just the 20 players down below who won. All of us did.
* Amongst 75 students who responded to an online survey, these were the most popular teams.
Headto head In sports, there’s constant tension between teams and fans. When fan loyalty reaches a high, competitiveness comes into play. MVHS houses its own set of sports fans, and between them, rivalry is brewing.
This isn’t the first time Dean of Students Used with permission of Michael Hicks Michael Hicks has had a sports rivalry with a TRUE COLORS Senior Matt student. The first time was four years ago with Hopkins admits defeat after the recent graduate Kevin Wilson, a Boston Red Raiders lost to the 49ers. Sox fan. He and Hicks, who’s been an Oakland Athletics and San Francisco 49ers fan since he was about 12, met at an Oakland Athletics vs. Boston Red Sox game. Hicks was with math teacher Brian Dong and science teacher Jim Birdsong and Wilson was with his friends. They decided to bet on the game’s outcome. “So I said, ‘Here’s the deal: The loser of this game takes the other person’s jersey home and wears it to school tomorrow all day,’” Hicks said. The Athletics won. Hicks handed his green and yellow jersey, emblazoned with a giant “HICKS” across the back, over to Wilson. He arrived at school the next day, greeted with questions as to why he was wearing one of Hicks’ shirts. A few weeks ago, senior Matt Hopkins showed up at school wearing another article of Hicks’ clothing—this time a 49ers jersey. Hopkins, a loyal Raiders fan, and Hicks had decided to bet under the same stakes as before. Word spread quickly this time around due to the picture Hicks sent to all of Hopkins’ teachers of Hopkins wearing the shirt. “You work in a school and [that] makes it fun,” Hicks said. “Thankfully, we’re in an environment where you can dress up—whether it’s Homecoming dress up days or class colors. It’s not like the business world where you throw on a Raiders jersey all day and people think: ‘What the heck’s going on with this guy?’ I kind of enjoy those kinds of things.”
Stanford-Cal rivalry.
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Nov. 10, 2010
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Nov. 10, 2010
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ENTERTAINMENT
MASH IT UP THE TATER TOTS Seniors Sonika Singh and Michelle Hara of Team Koochook and English teacher David Clarke of The Steel Chefs present this year’s secret ingredient, potatoes. Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque Photo Illustration
Student Recognition improves Iron Chef
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n Nov. 19, only one thing will be on the minds of 19 students and six teachers: bags and bags of potatoes. MVHS’ Iron Chef Cook-off is back for the third year in a row, but this time it is not just a competition for the students. With a teacher required on each team, staff members who are not enticed by activities such as Staff Dodgeball are able to put their skills to work. Student Recognition, the ASB Leadership Commission in charge of the activity, has been working behind the scenes to improve the efficiency and organization of the competition to smooth out the process. “No one’s really going to see it: we’re gathering more materials and notifying people earlier,” said Student Recognition commissioner junior Emily Wong. Student Recognition has been working with Leadership advisor Michael Hicks and last year’s Student Recognition Commissioner senior Kriti Garg to improve organization. One of the biggest issues last year was planning for enough portable stoves.
According to Wong, the best way to combat this is to begin the planning process earlier. “Usually we would send out an email to all of Leadership asking for stoves,” Wong said. “But it’s easy for them to say, ‘Oh, I’ll just look at that later.’ So instead we’re asking people in person and asking participants.” After the commotion from last year’s judges—the first 40 students to taste the foods—this year, there will be a set panel of three staff judges, World History teacher Robbie Hoffman, Biology teacher Andrew Goldenkranz, and Japanese teacher Keiko Howard. The judges will score the foods based on a rubric, which measures the quality of the food and the appearance. Like last year, the contestants will be allowed to prepare the food materials at home, which means purchasing the potatoes themselves. At lunch, they will have 15 minutes to put the ingredients together and perfect the dish aesthetically. The winning team will be announced at the end of lunch and will receive a gift card.
No cheap chocolate for this culinary team
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enior Stella Ziegler considers herself a food snob. She admits to scoffing at fake butter and store-bought baked goods. Her Iron Chef partner, junior Aditya Nag, believes that the more quirky a food is the better, like his jalapeno brownies. Ziegler and Nag, both previous Iron Chef competitors, have joined their skills to form what they hope will be a power-team, since Ziegler placed first and Nag placed third last year. The two teammates may have different skills and opposite preferences, but they both have the same passion for quality food. Ziegler’s parents pitch-in on her baking passion by buying all the ingredients, though they often grumble along the way. “I want a lot of chocolate and eggs and butter and they’re expensive,” Ziegler said. “And [I want] a certain brand of baking chocolate. There have like 20 types, and they’re so different.” “I like a certain brand of chocolate chips over the generic,” Nag mentioned. The two began a heated discussion over
the best brand names, Ziegler claiming that Scharffenberger was the best, but expensive. “You can’t cook with cheaper ingredients. It’s not going to be as good,” Nag concluded. While Ziegler and Nag may agree on what qualifies as good quality, their cooking preferences vastly differ. Ziegler prefers following recipes from the multitude of recipe books she has received for birthdays. Nag, on the other hand, finds his base recipes online, but likes to tweak them to his own liking, leading to desserts such as his jalapeno brownies. He also finds some of his recipes in a Joanne Fluke murder mystery novel. As for Food Network favorites, Ziegler enjoys the unique ingredients of Iron Chef. “[The Iron Chef contestants] are like, ‘I’m making a sea oyster custard and I’m going to put it in this shell of sea urchin and then I’m going to have ginger and chocolate,’” Ziegler said. “I’m just saying they combine the weirdest things.” Mansi Pathak || m.pathak@elestoque.org
Shop ’til you drop: Shoppers hit the mall post-Thanksgiving
Seniors choose camping outside stores over staying home to get the best Black Friday deals
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ost people prefer to get a couple extra hours of sleep after a Thanksgiving dinner, but seniors Nicole Yuen and Aamoy Gupta prefer to spend the rest of the night awake in a parking lot. Sounds strange, but every year countless people stay awake all night the entire night of Thanksgiving in anticipation of Black Friday and the massive blow-out sales. Both Yuen and Gupta have their own reasons for enduring the chilly weather and sacrificing more sleep than necessary.
especially when it was so cold and wet out there,” Yuen said. According to Yuen, she didn’t spend more than $80 the whole day, but for her it wasn’t really about buying a lot of things, it was the thrill of it and the accomplishment of staying awake all night just to shop. Yuen said that at first she went because it would be a good one time experience and doesn’t have any plans to do it again because it’s too tiring. However, Yuen said she will be scouting around before Black Friday to see if there are any really good deals.
Senior Nicole Yuen Yuen’s first time camping out for Black Friday was last year with alumni Sandra Cuick, Sharon Cohen, and Daniel Chang. Their night of shopping and camping out began at 10 p.m. in the parking lot of the Great Mall in Milpitas and ended at around 7 a.m. the next morning. Five of those nine hours were spent waiting in line outside of Best Buy for Cuick, who needed to buy electronics for her brother. “It’s perfect because it’s right after Thanksgiving, so you get to walk off everything you eat,” Yuen said. Unfortunately, Yuen saw the dark side to camping out when several people were arrested for selling fake tickets to guarantee people certain items. “It was really bad to see people being so shady to others,
Senior Aamoy Gupta For Gupta, Black Friday doesn’t necessarily mean going to several stores to get what he needs. Gupta, unlike Yuen, has camped out several times with his parents and brother, and typically goes to an electronic supply store such as Best Buy or Fry’s for his items. Gupta compares camping out for Black Friday to waiting in line for Running of the Bulls. “For one thing, the stuff is cheaper, and it’s really the adventure and the thrill of camping out and having fun,” Gupta said. Although Gupta’s family doesn’t celebrate a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, Gupta recalls that in the past, Black Friday has been a teamwork activity for his family. The Guptas prefer to split up and gather everything from their personal
THE SHOPAHOLICS Students share their best deals from Black Friday
Senior Nicole Yuen Two thermals for $5 from Old Navy
Senior Aamoy Gupta Free digital camera iPod for half price Old video games for free
shopping list to maximize their time and efficiency. “It’s not so much bonding time, but I’d say you make quite a lot of friends there,” Gupta said. “You learn how nice people can be and you can swap stuff with them.” Although Gupta has gone Black Friday camping several times and says it is worth the experience, his plans for camping out depend on the sales, but he will definitely go shopping. Sarika Patel || s.patel@elestoque.org
ENTERTAINMENT
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Nov. 10, 2010
Rock on: Guitar Club strums to success Renewed club provides school musical community after previous failed attempts at formation
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oloists, one-man-bands, individual parts—musicians have always been labeled with individualistic units. For junior Aaron Ho and freshman Maria Kosta, their new Guitar Club is more than just a place for guitarists to jam: it’s a foundation for a musical community. Aimed at creating a friendly environment for musicians and guitarists alike, the Guitar Club is on a promising start, attracting fifteen attendees on its very first meeting. It all started as an idea from mutual friend, senior Jin-Min Nam, who had wanted to restore the Guitar Club after it disbanded last year. After a few other friends had approved of this idea, according to Kosta they “hopped onto the bandwagon” and decided to start the club this year. Using the MVHS School Loop news feed, the club advertised for its first meeting on Oct. 13. Having collected $150 in membership fees in just the first meeting, Ho and Kosta both agree that their first meeting was a success. “We had a surprisingly big turnout, much better than I thought,” Kosta said. As club officers, Ho and Kosta are musically experienced individuals. Ho has been playing the guitar for eight years, has been performing on stage since his freshman year, and has played alongside pop singer AJ Rafael in one concert. Kosta has been playing for two years, but despite her fewer years playing the guitar, she has played various instruments throughout her youth, including the keyboard and alto saxophone, and the guitar is just one of the latest additions to her musical career. Inspired by indie musicians such as Aloe Blacc, Ho’s all-time favorite, John West, and several European music videos, Ho and Kosta hope the new Guitar Club would be a source of motivation for all club members who are wanting to find a welcoming place for creativity. Meeting in ROP teacher and guitarist Dale Barcellos’ classroom, they hope
Elvin Wong | El Estoque
THE SOUND OF MUSIC (Clockwise from top left) Junior Ian Ford-Holstege, sophomore Aditya Nag, and junior Brandon Hayes play at a Guitar Club meeting on Oct. 28. All three hope to make the newly founded club more popular and attract new members. to utilize the nearby ROP music studio to consider activities that include club promotion and fundraising for charities by playing music record original songs and compositions. “Right now me and [Nam] are just learning during lunch throughout campus. During the Oct. 28 the equipment,” Ho said. meeting, several guitar “After were done, we can get For a photo slideshow on veterans such as juniors people to record. It’s a lengthy guitar club’s busking activity, Max Sorg, Brandon Hayes, process, but it’s worth it.” go to elestoque.org Ian Ford-Holstege, and The club intends to record CDs and extended plays, EPs, for promotional sophomore Aditya Nag showed up to show and charity uses. Ho was also inspired by Sting, their support and interest for this new club. “We are going to have more experienced former bassist of The Police who frequently goes street performing anonymously, to guitarists show the others what they can do
NLINE
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Elvin Wong || e.wong@elestoque.org
Campus Highlights
Look here “now”
brr! new animal arrivals
what’s that i hear?
Elvin Wong | El Estoque
Elvin Wong | El Estoque
Pooja Ravikiran | El Estoque
NOW OR NEVER (From left) Sophomores Dania Khursad, Stephanie Chang, and Kari Ding lead MV NOW’s Nov. 1 meeting.
RADIO GAGA Freshman Mrudula Vysyaraju informs members about the vision of MV Radio, a new club on campus.
ONE GIFT, TWO CAUSES Plush toys will be sold as Christmas holiday grams from Environmental Commission to support wildlife.
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and the less experienced people will get a chance to learn things,” Kosta said. Although the club has not been cleared by the Leadership Council, it will be on its way in a few weeks. During its first meeting on Oct. 13, the club had already begun with a club t-shirt design contest, and future activities have already been planned. Guitar Club holds weekly meetings in room A102 on Wednesday lunches.
chance for change. This is the central message behind MV National Organization for Women, a club that involves rights activists and is attempting to give the student body a chance to make a change. It is a newly founded club that revolves around women’s rights and protecting them. Issues that this club focuses on include: ending sex discrimination, promoting diversity, ending racism, and stopping violence against women. The club held its first meeting on promoting women’s rights on Nov.1 during lunch in room B204. Successive meetings will be held weekly during Monday lunches. This year is their trial year to see if people are interested. They are going to hold fundraisers throughout the school year and make MV NOW known. “We want to spread the message of equality for women,” said sophomore and PR Officer Dania Khursid. “It’s an issue that everyone needs to acknowledge.”
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et ready for the broadcast. MVHS is going over the air. On Nov.1, MV Radio held its first meeting in A103. This is Monta Vista’s first radio club, standing out from most of the educational clubs on campus because it is a special interest club and can teach many useful broadcasting skills. For students who have wondered how radio hosts always have something to say without any awkward pauses during their show, MV Radio plans on teaching the tricks of the art of script writing. They will also go over broadcasting sessions, the technology behind running a radio show, and news anchoring “MV Radio is a club where students have an opportunity to express themselves and socialize and while running a radio station for Monta Vista,” said freshman and club co-founder Mrudula Vysyaraju. So far about 20 students have shown interest in joining the club, and Vysyaraju is optimistic that once the broadcasts begin, more students will join.
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olar bears, reindeer, and pandas, oh my! From Nov. 22 until Dec. 10. MVHS will be invaded by adorable, fluffy, little animals. This could only mean that Environmental Commission is going to be hosting its annual fundraiser by selling Christmas holiday grams. The fundraiser is for the World Wildlife Fund. “It’s a really fun and cute way to get in the spirit for the holidays without any fuss!” said sophomore commissioner Alice Yin, “and it goes to a good cause.” These adorable plush toys will be holding Christmas presents in their arms to add more to the already perfect package. Environmental Commission will be selling these dolls at one for $3 and two for $5. The commission is hoping to sell all of the grams and is putting a lot of effort into promoting the fundraiser, including advertising using a promotional video on announcements as well as posters. “Last year we weren’t as successful,” Yin said. “This year we’re really trying to step it up with the promotion.”
Challenge Day
Pooja Ravikiran | El Estoque
READY FOR CHANGE Organizers of Challenge Day have outlined the rules of the day-long event, which is taking place on Nov. 18.
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xpression. Bonding. Purpose. These three words hold great significance for this year’s Challenge Day, which is being held on Nov. 18. It will be held once again in the spring, although it now has a waiting list for participation. In regard to last year’s Challenge Day, “It was an amazing day and perfect for anyone who [needed] to vent or share something personal that has been bothering them,” said senior Victor Tran, who attended the event last year. “It’s like a cure, like emptying the bottle that people have been filling up with stresses. I saw a lot of people feeling relieved when they left Challenge Day; it created a very-friendly and safe environment. It kind of feels like a big family.” One of Tran’s favorite parts of Challenge Day is that it is a chance for people to express themselves and not feel like they are being judged on anything they say. He thinks that is why it is such a popular day for students during the school year, one that many look forward to. Pooja Ravikiran || p.ravikiran@elestoque.org
Nov. 10, 2010
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ENTERTAINMENT
Perfect fit: the Internet’s best T-shirts Different T-shirt brand companies provide a variety of prices, quantity, quality in their shirts
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hen it comes to ironic online T-shirts, you either want them or you’ve got them. They’re cool. They’re artsty. They’re downright hilarious. And they’re the epitome of indie fashion.
This season, everybody’s wardrobes are filling up with shirts from online companies that specialize in taking designs from the community. Here’s a breakdown of the best of the best in online T-shirt retail.
Snorg Tees Standard list price: $18.95 Hoodies: $29.95 Sale prices for some shirts: ranging from $9.95 to $13.95 URL: snorgtees.com
Shirt.Woot!
Threadless
“F
og of war,” “Woot shirt of the popularity, it slides down the to the danger day,” “The Derby.” A sister site zone and eventually will cease being printed to woot.com, Shirt.Woot is a once it is no longer in the reckoning. quirky website that applies the Woot Some of Shirt Woot’s online sales model of designs come from custom designed members of its design T-shir t—one teams; others are user new shirt every submitted and voted on by day, sold cheap. the community at the Shirt Woot features a shirt every Shirt.Woot! “Derby.” The “Derby” shirt.woot.com day at $10 with free shipping. After is a weekly design If you’re looking for: trendy one day of being a “woot” shirt, the competition, where users design gets raised to $15 and gets submit designs based off placed in “The Reckoning,” a collection of of that week’s theme and are voted on by recent “woot” shirts that are selling well woot members. The top three designs get enough to continue to be printed. printed and become “woot” shirts. The Reckoning is separated into two The “fog of war” prevents users from parts, the Top 20 and the Danger Zone, seeing the vote totals for the top nine shirts, and is composed of shirts that are currently in the hopes that it’ll “keep the race more popular in the Woot community. When dramatic, and to keep prankstas from trying a design isn’t being purchased and loses to game the vote.”
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Standard list price: $10 After one day: Price hikes up to $15 URL: shirt.woot.com
Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque Photo Illustration
Threadless
Snorg Tees norg Tees sells T-shirts that it describes as “pop-culture inspired, random, and all around funny.” Snorg Tees’ products definitely fall under all of these categories and much more. Around threequarters of its inventory is staff designed, while the other quarter is user submitted. Because there are members of The Snorg Tee’s staff whose sole job is to design T-shirts, there is never a shortage of unique designs. Although not as artistically advanced as some other shirts that can be purchased from other custom online retailers, Snorg Tees has a constant supply of funny and goofy shirts. Many of the Snorg Tee designs are based off of current slang, trends, Internet culture, or are a play on words. Shirts like the “Thesaurus” shirt, which has a Tyrannosaurus rex with reading glasses
Shirt.Woot!
Standard list price: $18 Hoodies: $40 Sale prices: as low as $5 for shirts and $25 for hoodies URL: Threadless.com
reading a thesaurus, are a prime example of the witty and clever meanings behind Snorg products. Besides witty and goofy designs, Snorg also carries T-shirts aimed at the more mature audiences. To fit Snorg Tees: this audience, snorgtees.com Snorg Tees has a If you’re looking for: cheap group of female models and is currently partnering with a modeling agency to hold a modeling contest, “Who Wants to be the Next Snorg Girl.” Its standard list price shirts cost $18.95 and its hoodies are $29.95. Snorg Tees are printed on American Apparel T-shirts. When it print a batch of new designs, it picks a couple and drops them down to $14.95. It also has around eight to 15 shirts at sale prices ranging from $9.95 to $13.95.
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tilizing the power of the Internet, Threadless is a popular online T-shirt and sweatshirt store with products as unique as its business design. Threadless has all kinds of shirts: Threadless serious, artistic, Threadless.com clever, cutesy, If you’re looking for: even hilarious. community of designers Threadless has a diverse selection that covers the whole spectrum of design; it has a shirt for everyone. The variety of creative designs comes from their large consumer fan base. Designs are selected weekly or biweekly via a voting system on the Threadless website. Anyone can score a design, but voters who have registered (completely free) will receive email notifications if a design they
voted for is printed. Besides voting, designs can be commented on and designers can be complimented or given suggestions on how to improve a particular design—the cornerstone to the Threadless community. Additionally, Threadless members get various kickbacks for being active in the community. Members who take photos of themselves wearing Threadless shirts and send them into the site get $1.50 store credit and a chance to win a free tee. The pictures get added to a photo stream on the page for the shirt design they wear. Sales are common and there are always “re-print” clearances for certain designs that can knock down the price—$5 the lowest for shirts, $25 for hoodies. Shipping is $5 no matter the size of the order, unless 3-day or overnight shipping is requested. Jordan Lim || j.lim@elestoque.org
From the home front: Veterans Day allows teacher to reflect English teacher Matt Brashears explains true recognition for those who serve in the military
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ith Veterans Day and Thanksgiving approaching, some students on campus look for ways to show their appreciation for the men and women in the United States military. English teacher Matt Brashears has provided one way to do so with his open-participation letterwriting campaign. Brashears feels a personal motivation to support the armed forces, as his father is a member of the Army Reserves. Originally a policeman, he has been on active duty for the past three years, serving in Afghanistan, locally in San Jose, and in his current location, Kuwait. “When you sign up for the Army Reserves, [the 3-year deployment] is not what you expect,” Brashears said. The extended tour has been a strain on the family, but it rallies with support. Brashears’ mother is the co-leader of the family readiness program for her husband’s unit, a group that helps families adjust when their loved ones are called into military service and ensures that the troops receive moral support from
HOW YOU CAN HELP Send cards to: The Billy Blanks Foundation Adopt a Platoon Army and Airforce Exchange Services Send packages to: Treats for Troops Operation Troop Aid Salvation Army How to participate in Brashears’ second round of letter-writing: Check back around Christmas time Pick up a 5 x 7 index card Fill it out and return it to B105 or his box in the office
home. When she asked Brashears to add a letter to the care packages that she plans to send, he was inspired to include his students as well. “I was like, ‘I see a lot of people every day,’” Brashears said. “Why shouldn’t they be able to help out?” He believes that a
supportive letter doesn’t have to be from a family member to be valuable. Brashears understands the positive impact that a letter can have, because he also knows what it’s like to be called into service. In his college years, he served as a missionary in Brazil. During his time abroad, phone and Internet access were unreliable, so letter-writing became his primary means of communication with his friends and family in the United States. While it may seem old-fashioned, Brashears maintains that a letter is one of the best ways to connect with someone who is separated by distance and circumstance. “Especially that far from home, having to make a lot of the sacrifices that they are having to make, it’s really beneficial to know that people care,” Brashears said. “Getting mail always cheers people up.” So he announced the completely voluntary project to his students on Oct. 22. Letters were due by the end of the following week, with only two of his students choosing to participate. That’s a
disappointment because Brashears believes that writing a letter would benefit the students as well as the soldiers. “We live a sheltered life here in Cupertino,” Brashears said. “It would be good for [students] to remember that there are things going on in the world. There are wars overseas. We’re still fighting these wars.” He knows he could potentially increase participation by offering incentives such as extra credit, but believes there isn’t any benefit to either party unless the letter is genuine. This batch of letters will arrive in time for Thanksgiving, and a second campaign is planned for around Christmas. Brashears hopes to team up with the Matadors on the Home Front club to promote the next letter-writing opportunity and increase the participation level by increasing student awareness across campus.
Roxana Wiswell || r.wiswell@elestoque.org
ENTERTAINMENT
Page 18
Nov. 10, 2010
Music by ear: Jazz band learns improv Students share experiences for upcoming concert as independent musicians in band combos
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t sounds professional, like something from the streets of New York City. But look again, and you’ll see that they’re high schools students and this upbeat music was made up on the spot. For the past three weeks, Jazz Band has been rehearsing for its first jazz concert on Nov. 16 in the auditorium at 7:30 p.m. According to music teacher John Galli, what sets this concert apart from past band concerts is that it is— from selecting the pieces to be performed, to rehearsing, to actually performing them—completely student-run. Students chose pieces to cater to the audience’s enjoyment, which include Dizzy Gillespie’s “Birks Works� and a popular 1940’s tune, Duke Ellington’s “Take the ‘A’ Train.� “We decided to let [the students] make their own decisions on what songs they want to play and they came up with some great selections,� Galli said. “They’re playing all of the tunes that they wanted to play. [Music teacher Jon Fey] and I don’t direct it. We just sit out in the audience.� The jazz band consists of 40 students divided into four “combos,� or performing groups, three of which consist of six to eight students and a larger group of approximately 20. Galli started the system himself 38 years ago, but he altered it into the “combo� structure about 15 years later in order to promote improvisation within the ensembles. For seniors Allison Sanders and Abishek Menon, the jazz concert summarizes their passion for jazz music in a nutshell. Both students feel a sense of freedom when playing jazz music, as the bulk of it is improvisation. Students are able to grow and become more independent musicians as they learn to take responsibility for their own music. Sanders, a first year pianist in the jazz band, sees it as a new threshold in her musical career. She admits to finding it stressful at first, as she had never before been expected to improvise and play solos in front of 40 students, many of which are male. Nonetheless, she embraces the challenge of jazz music and enjoys the experience while doing so. “With jazz, you can’t ever re-create the exact same thing and that’s what’s so cool about it,� Sanders said. For Menon, being a second-year guitarist of the jazz
Mansi Pathak | El Estoque
ALL THAT JAZZ Fifth period jazz students perform improvisations in front of the class on Nov. 5. band has allowed him to improve upon his jazz skills as well as broaden his perspective on this genre of music. “It’s so raw and real and organic. You see much more of what you can do. I feel more free,� Menon said. “I feel trapped by what I know, and I want to know more. It’s kind of a different school of thought.� Being in the jazz band has given students a genuine perception of performing in a professional manner and environment. Both Sanders and Menon have developed cooperation and communication skills from being in combos where players support each other while improvising. “The coolest thing is when someone does something and everyone picks up on it and runs with it and takes the song in a completely different direction that you didn’t expect or couldn’t arrange. And then they somehow bring it together and tie it back at the end,� Menon said. “It’s a trip.� However, not only does the element of improvisation
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separate the jazz band from many of the MVHS bands, but also the element of true passion for jazz. “In freshman band, you’re one of the tons of kids pretending to play,� Menon said. “But here if you don’t play, you’re bringing the group down.� This responsibility is often times the most difficult element in performing jazz music in concerts, for the jazz that is created in combos is a group effort. Group members must be ready to improvise at any point in the piece and take the group in a new direction. Needless to say, both Sanders and Menon love this element of improvisation in jazz and hope that in the upcoming concert, those who are unfamiliar with jazz music will be able to learn to appreciate it more by listening to it with an open mind. Aafreen Mahmood || a.mahmood@elestoque.org
Nov. 10, 2010
Page 19
ENTERTAINMENT
Spend breakfast with Rose Donuts
Local café offers quick service, friendly atmosphere, inexpensive food
The ultimate relaxation Senior rewards herself with post-college app weekend of rest
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Ashley Wu | El Estoque
THE BREAKFAST CLUB A cappuccino (left) and doughnut make for a delectable breakfast meal, or munch on an egg and cheese sandwich (bottom right) for brunch. Rose Donutes and Café is great for both quick bites and longer meals.
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ith our habits of grabbing a piece of toast or shoving a Although the menu is a little unclear as it doesn’t list the prices for handful of Cheerios into our mouths as we run out the door most of the items available, the restaurant offers a variety of breakfast at 7:05 a.m., we don’t always have breakfast sandwiches and bagels as well as burgers and as our top priority. But on those weekends with a little smoothies for lunch. CAFE INFORMATION extra time, it’s nice to take a break from the fast-paced The first item on the breakfast list is the egg and Address: combination of spilling milk and cereal all over the car American cheese sandwich that is offered with five Rose Donuts and Café seat while speeding off to school. different choices of bread. The cheese is incorporated 1818 Saratoga Avenue Rose Donuts and Café is a great place for this. into the egg, so that it oozes out deliciously San Jose, CA 95129 Located a little ways off Highway 85 in San Jose, immediately after the first bite. Combine that with Hours: the café offers inexpensive options for both a quick orange juice or lemonade and you’ve got yourself a Mon-Sat 5 a.m. - 4 p.m. pick-me-up or a longer meal with a group of friends nice, light breakfast. The cappuccino shake, at $3.49, Sun 5 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. or family. There are no formal waiters to take orders, can be considered expensive, especially for the size, Good for: Breakfast, but but somehow the restaurant has a comfortable diner but it has a good, balanced taste of bittersweet. includes lunch as well feel that invites customers to sit down and actually The small tables would have to be moved together enjoy their food while they read a newspaper or one in order to accommodate larger groups, and the of the many magazines laid out in a cabinet next to the display case in the front isn’t always filled with all the main door. Once the order is placed, the food is made right behind the current donut options, but Rose Donuts and Café is a great way to go for counter and ready within about five minutes. a simple breakfast and the usual morning cup of coffee at 6 a.m. before There is a large assortment of doughnuts, including jelly-filled, rushing off to work or school. sprinkled, and plain glazed, visible right as the customers walk in. Ashley Wu || a.wu@elestoque.org
IN&OUT MUSIC Taylor Swift’s ex-boyfriends dominate her new album, but that doesn’t stop it from winning over the hearts of teenage girls. Drake, we haven’t seen you much lately.
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FASHION Flip flops and sandals retreat back into the closet as all sorts of boots step out onto the campus green.
TELEVISION After a six-month off-season, “Glee” is back with catchy tunes, flashy new costumes, and an attractive new guest star. This season of “Dancing With the Stars” could use some of Glee’s shine.
MOVIES “Saw 3-D” brings more feelings of nausea than fear. To get your fix of horror, hop onto “Paranormal Activity 2.”
Elvin Wong | El Estoque
ROLLIN’ Science teacher Mike McCrystal travels around school on his time-saving engineering project on Nov 2.
ost of Chemistry and Engineering Tech teacher Mike McCrystal’s students know that he uses a scooter to get around school, but it isn’t just any plain old Razor. As part of a rolling friction lab, McCrystal connects the subject of engineering for his students with a faster way to get his equipment from classroom to classroom. Carrying mostly power tools and Physics equipment, McCrystal could cut minutes and save energy by whizzing through the rear access road to and from his two classrooms, D208 and F108. “The real reason [that I use a scooter] is that it is emblematic of a good engineering design because it is simple and well engineered,” McCrystal said. After scootering for the last year or so, he has only one thing to say. “The scooter is the secret to the fountain of youth.”
Elvin Wong || e.wong@elestoque.org
here are only so many times that you can re-read an essay before you begin to go crazy. Even worse are the factual questions that leave no room for creatively (or obsessively) tweaking a word here or there. When you double-check your test scores for the twelfth time, you know you’re in danger of becoming completely ridiculous. I could care less about ridiculous; but I really wanted to be done with my first college application. Sometimes being a perfectionist is a good thing, but this time it was just slowing me down. Nitpicking became my convenient excuse to avoid the big yellow “SUBMIT” button that might as well have been flashing red -- and not the kind of button that you can’t resist pushing. I knew that I was done with the application, but I wasn’t ready to let go of it just yet. What if I submit it, and the next second I’m hit with a dazzling flash of inspiration that could have improved it? ROXANA WISWELL Time to call in r.wiswell@elestoque.org the big guns. “Mom!” I hollered. She took her time, but she came to check on me. I made her hold my hand. Her confusion changed to amusement when she saw the drama on my laptop screen. I gripped her hand tightly, positioned the cursor over the dreaded button, turned my face away, squeezed my eyes shut... and stabbed at the mouse with my index finger. One little click, and then... “Was that so bad?” my mom said wryly. She administered the appropriate congratulations, and continued with her day. I considered, and decide that I couldn’t think of any glaring omissions that I should have remedied; my application was the best I could have made it. After the agony of the application, I felt I deserved some major relaxation. I devoted most of the next 24 hours to rewarding myself for a job well done. I started small; walked my dog, visited a friend, took it easy. Gaining ambition, I went out for sushi. Finally, I went for it: three friends and I hit up Gamba Karaoke. We spent an hour in the karaoke box, embracing the off-key, the bawdy, and the ridiculous. Luckily we were in a private room, with no witnesses and no reason to hold back. It was the quintessential girls’-night-out, sleepover and all. With the morning came my real reward: spa reservations for three. My girls and I headed to Lily Salon for our ultimate de-stressing activity. We arrived, and my masseuse, Olga, introduced herself and began the massage. After a few minutes she reached my upper back, shoulder, and neck area—which is without a doubt where I store all of my stress. The events of my week were chronicled in the knots on my back and shoulders. When Olga encountered the minefield of stress-tightened muscles, she stopped short in surprise. “What is your profession? Such tension here!” she said. I laughed in mortification as I told her that I’m only a student; I don’t even have a profession yet to stress me out. She tut-tutted and proceeded to sweep all of that tension away with an amazing massage that included hot, oiled stones run up and down my back, arms, and legs. I forgot the meaning of stress as I luxuriated in my 45 minutes of joy, and when they were over, I stretched, smiled, and left my mini-vacation ready to return to reality.
The Stress-oMeter
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Nov. 10, 2010
ENTERTAINMENT
Students not bored with a chessboard
Members of Chess Club prepare themselves well as the final matches of the season approach Q&A El Estoque: Why did you decide to take on the job of being chess club advisor? Scott Catrette: I’m an avid chess player myself. I’ve been playing for about seven years. It’s something I have a natural interest in to begin with, so it wasn’t much effort to take it on. Amanda Chen | El Estoque
EE: As an advisor, what are your duties?
SC: The students manage themselves. I basically coordinate matches and we talk about advice and strategies; we know what other teams do, what their players are like, and what kind of openings they like to play, so sometimes we talk about plays in chess. I work a lot with the kids who aren’t in the top seven. We try to train them to have a sharper eye, make better moves. I just open up my room at lunch and the kids come in. Sometimes I play if I have time; I just try to inspire passion for the game, which most of them already have. EE: How do you think being in chess club impacts the members? Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque
THE GAME FACE Sophomore Siddharth Manoj concentrates before making his move in a game during one of the regular Chess Club meetings at lunch on Nov. 1.
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hile for many students, chess is considered a “game,” brought out to play for fun and some brain stimulation, for the Chess Club, it’s much more. To these dedicated and skillful players, chess is a matter of fierce competition. The Chess Club competes in a league of nine high schools, including Lynbrook, Saratoga, and current top opposition Gunn, in a season lasting from September to November. “It’s basically round-robin. Every school plays each other once and whoever wins the most games out of all of them is the league champion,” said Chess Club president junior Harsha Nukala. Before each of these weekly matches, the players congregate in room B206 for a pre-match meeting where they find out what color, black or white, they will be playing along with who their opponent will be. From this information, they decide on
what opening they will use and plan out their strategy for the game. “We know what color [and who] each of us is going to play, so we tell them, ‘Okay this is what you’re going to be facing,’ especially if it’s a really high ranked player,” Nukala said. “Some of their games are posted on online databases, so we analyze those games and we’re able to see, ‘Okay he’s going to do this, we know he’s going to play like this.’” With this sort of rigorous preparation and strategizing, it is no wonder that the MVHS team took the league championship last year, though they were up against five-time league winner and six-time state winner Saratoga. The two undefeated teams so far in that season went head-to-head in the final match and MVHS came out victorious, winning 4-3. Outside of the fall season for the Chess Club, there is one other major tournament occuring in February that comes with
SC: I see a lot of side effects and benefits. Chess is not game that you can play like an athletic sport where you can get yourself pumped up with adrenaline; in fact that will often hurt you. It teaches students patience. Actions have consequences. It teaches them to look deeper at what you think you see, so I think that’s really good, especially for teenagers, that appearances aren’t always what they seem. It teaches kids to look at things with more depth and powerful evaluation skills. It teaches them maturity because you realize you have to live with the consequences of your moves, to accept your own weaknesses and mistakes, and how to manage your emotions. great tradition. “All the schools come to the MVHS cafeteria and we all play. The top three scores for each school are counted and whichever team wins gets this trophy that’s been passed around since 1989,” Nukula said. “[It’s] the only really public [game] of the year and anybody can come watch if they want. Normally they take a lot of photos.” Amanda Chen || a.chen@elestoque.org
Twelve hours of family: Senior performs in multiple vocal groups Joshua Ding enjoys company of three choir and a capella groups for memorable social aspect
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ccording to senior Joshua Ding, singing MVHS alumni Clare So and Michael Gu. is only 10 percent of what choir is Though Ding began singing in Crystal about. The other 90 percent—the Choir in third grade, it wasn’t until freshman bond he has formed with his choir—is the year that he truly came to enjoy the activity. main reason why Ding performs in three “I kind of thought choir was a place that different vocal groups: Crystal Choir, Tensync, was really boring [in third grade],” Ding said. and MVHS’ Variations. “[Crystal Choir]’s trip to Texas opened me up Ding’s relationship to what choir’s about with his three beyond singing. It’s a LIFE AND TIMES choirs have all been lot more about fun and Resume different, but each bonding.” Third grade Crystal Choir has it own appeal. As With the two Sophomore year Variations the only sophomore choirs, Ding has Sophomore year Tensync in Variations in 2008traveled to New 2009, Ding said that, York, Texas, Anaheim Future Plans while he got along and various other Engineering with the group, places in Southern he was definitely California for festivals, Levels of Crystal Choir treated as the group performances, and Rainbow baby. As for Crystal competitions. These Red Choir, after every trips have been some of Orange performance, the the best opportunities Yellow - audition required group heads out for a for bonding and Concert - audition required late night meal. building memories. Youth 6 - audition required “We just go “In New York [with Youth 7 - audition required wherever,” Ding said. Variations] we sang “As long as we’re this song where we What’s next? together, that’s all completely went down Possibly join an a capella group in that matters.” a key and then up a key college and coming back to teach B e t w e e n throughout the song,” or help out at Crystal Choir Variations, Crystal Ding said. “But after Choir, and a capella the scores came out, group Tensync, Ding we actually scored spends nearly 12 pretty high.” hours a week singing Or in Texas, during all genres of music, including pop, classical, his freshman year, Crystal Choir performed and songs in foreign languages, including in a small, stuffy church. It was only after the Russian, Spanish, Japanese, and Latin. audience had filed out of the church that Ding “Pretty much every language I’ve heard of realized that they had completed their final I’ve sung in,” Ding said. performance with the graduating seniors. Tensync, on the other hand, chooses and After a touching speech from the conductor, organizes its own renditions of pop songs, the Choir broke out into “You Raise Me Up” as sometimes pulling from YouTube videos and they also, one by one, broke into tears. adding beat boxing to the mix. Ding was recruited to the second generation of the Mansi Pathak || m.pathak@elestoque.org group by original Tensync members and
Kriti Garg | El Estoque
KEY NOTES Senior Joshua Ding (center) reads over his sheet music during Variations class as he prepares to sing the song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” Fellow classmates senior Samuel Young (left) and junior Jacob Lui (right) practice alongside him on Nov. 3.
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great EXPECTATIONS
Nov. 10, 2010
SPORTS
Page 21 Girls varsity tennis ends league with second place finish, heads to CCS for eighth consecutive year
Cynthia Mao | El Estoque
NUMBER ONE Senior captain Sylvia Li, seeded first in individuals, defeats her opponent easily during the team’s last league game against Gunn High School on Oct. 28. With this win, the girls play their first CCS match this afternoon against either Mountain View High School or Carmel High School.
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t a school where athletics aren’t top priority, it’s hard to find a team that’s been a consistent competitor. However, girls varsity tennis has finished as one of the top schools in league, CCS, and NorCal multiple years in a row. They’ve made CCS seven years in a row, winning CCS four out of the past seven years and NorCal five. Gene Fortino, who has coached the girls varsity tennis team for the past seven years, considers himself lucky. Several girls are highly ranked United States Tennis Association players, complete with self-determination and impeccable work ethic. “It’s really just a committed team,” Fortino said. “We’ve got pretty high expectations.” The girls have won nearly every game this season, losing only twice to Saratoga High School. The constant head-to-head with the Falcons’ tennis team, culminating in the 2009 NorCal championships, has led to more unfinished business between the SHS and
MVHS tennis teams. Last year, the Matadors just easier because there’s less pressure.” lost in the CCS finals to SHS, finishing in The players aren’t the only ones who’ve second place, but then defeated it in NorCal, noticed the rivalry between the SHS and taking first. MVHS girls varsity TOP THREE SINGLES “[Winning in tennis teams—the NorCal] was great,” brewing competition SENIOR SYLVIA LI, 5-star recruit said sophomore has also caught Ranked 70th in the nation and fourth-ranked Fortino’s attention. individual player, “We’ve got a nice SENOR VYNNIE KONG, 4-star recruit Jody Law. “We got a rivalry over the last Ranked 142nd in the nation bigger trophy.” seven or eight years SHS hasn’t where both teams SOPHOMORE WENDI KONG, 4-star recruit always been big are really strong Ranked 155th in the nation competition for and could go either MVHS; Archbishop way,” he said. Mitty also has one The truth is, this of the strongest girls tennis teams in the year isn’t going to be the cakewalk it’s been in league. But this year, the rivalry between SHS previous years. While MVHS is second place and MVHS has amplified. in the Division I De Anza League, Fortino “On paper, people will see us as the admits that the top four schools in their underdogs,” said senior captain Sylvia Li, the division this year—SHS, MVHS, Mitty, and number-one seed for individuals. “I think that’s Menlo School—are all close. In the past, the
girls tennis team at MVHS has often clearly been the strongest competitor. However, there’s no question that this year at CCS, the Matadors will face some solid teams that will put up a hard fight. Despite this year’s challenges, Li trusts that the team will play to its full capabilities. They don’t want to settle for a second place finish in CCS again. “Of course we want to win,” Li said, “and I think we definitely can.” The girls finished the season with a strong 5-2 win against Henry M. Gunn High School on Oct. 28. They play their first CCS match this afternoon seeded second behind SHS. Their opponent is the winner of the Nov. 9th game between Mountain View High School and Carmel High School game. “They knew this year it was going to be a dogfight,” Fortino said. Cynthia Mao || c.mao@elestoque.org
Smaller sized teams lead to bigger achievements
Fewer wrestling team members leads to more focus on the individual
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Elvin Wong | El Estoque
WORKING OUT Sophomores James Whall (right) and Pavan Sondhi (left) condition on Nov. 4. Though small, the wrestling team is confident that it will perform well this season.
hen it comes to wrestling, bigger is definitely better. The MVHS wrestling team has been known for its small size for several years, but not anymore. This year, the wrestling team has increased in number and is no longer the tiny team it used to be. “We have the biggest team this year since I’ve been coaching,” said coach Nolan Verga. “Every year I’ve been coaching, it’s been getting bigger... [and every year,] we’ve been better than the last.” The team consists of two seniors and four juniors who have been coached by Verga since their freshman year and 15 other sophomores and freshmen. Although the number of team members cannot compare to the 30 to 50 members on teams from Archbishop Mitty, Los Gatos High School, and Cupertino High School, Verga is confident that the team will succeed in its upcoming season. “We’re a small team, [both in size and stature]. Most everyone on the team is [about 5’5”], but they’re pretty strong,” Verga said. “It’ll be a good year, regardless of our age issues. We haven’t lost anyone, so anyone that’s on the team this year has been on the team since they were a freshman.” Although the team is small compared to those in the other schools—or perhaps due to this small size—the wrestlers have become close friends over their preseason training. Some students have even attended wrestling camps over summer, which has helped
improve their performances significantly from previous years. “It seems like [the size of our team] has a positive impact because it gives the focus more on the individuals, [and the coach] has more time to spend with each individual person,” said freshman Samarth Dua, a member of the team. “It usually motivates us to strive for more,” said sophomore wrestler Sai Mucharla. “Less people, but more individual effort.” Each member of the team joined due to various personal reasons, but the main thing that brought them together was their love for wrestling. “[What I love about wrestling is] the feeling of winning, or accomplishment, when you get someone,” said freshman wrestler Shrav Mehta. The team has grown a lot in the past four years, from having only 18 people on the roster to 25. The team’s dedication and passion for the sport has grown as well, and this certainly will help it succeed in its next season. “[Verga] always says that wrestling is like a ticking bomb,” junior Dmitry Grinenko, who is also on the team, said. “You tick before you go on the mat, and then when you go on the mat, you explode, and you’re a monster.” Shanthi Guruswamy || s.guruswamy@elestoque.org
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[ ‘ ’ SPORTS
Raising the bar
FOR THE NEWBIES
An amateur to weight lifting should work out about three days a week. “You need to start at low weight and a lot of repetitions. As you progress, you start building up muscles, so you get more weights, less reps,” said sophomore Baris Demirlioglu (below).
Weight Lifting 101 “It’s very personal... You’re in a competition with yourself to improve your body.” — weight training coach Jeff Thomas
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Nov. 10, 2010
HOW IT WORKS
If lifting weights actually tears muscle tissue, then how does lifting weights help a person build muscle? That process actually happens while a person is resting, when muscles are rebuilt with protein, stronger than before.
DON’T WORK TOO HARD
High school students should not lift weights any more than four days a week. Doing so will not give muscles enough time to rest and regrow, and over-training may end up hindering an athlete in his or her quest to buff it up.
“When I tell people I take weight training, they don’t believe me at first.”
— junior Mary Kim
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
The difference between boys’ and girls’ workouts is the amount of weight that is used. “If you’re doing a boys basketball and a girls basketball workout program, you could do the same exercises for both groups,” said Thomas.
PUMPING IRON Sophomore Baris Demirlioglu lifts heavy on Nov. 3.
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Daniel Tan || El Estoque
GROWTH SPURT
DID YOU KNOW?
Shaquille O’Neal
Basketball star started lifting weights as a boy and he’s 7’1”.
FACT or FICTION
sportsnow VARSITY GIRLS FIELD HOCKEY On Oct. 29 the varsity girls field hockey team won their game against Live Oak 1-2. The team currently ranks last in the league, but won their game against Prospect on Nov. 3 with a score of 1-4. Both teams ended their season on Oct. 5, playing their last game against St. Ignatius. Aafreen Mahmood | El Estoque
Lifting weights won’t stunt a person’s growth. Many professional weight lifters aren’t short and squat due to their profession. Often, short athletes become weight lifters because it’s easier for them to lift weights over their heads.
DANGEROUS?
There are a few ways in which weight lifting can be dangerous: focusing on a single muscle too often, doing exercises incorrectly, or tearing growth plates, although it’s rarer in weight lifting than in any other sport. “Statistically, [the weight lifting room] is one of the safer places to be,” Thomas said.
MINIMUM AGE
People can start lifting as early as seven to nine years old. As long as children use light weights, weight training will help build muscle in their bodies and in fact help their developing bodies. Daniel Tan || d.tan@elestoque.org
VARSITY BOYS WATERPOLO The varsity boys water polo team, in second place, currently holds a 9-3 record. They defeated Homestead 13-9 on Oct. 28 and hope to keep up the good work for their tentative CCS game on Nov. 9 or 10, which will be determined by their game against Los Gatos on Nov. 4.
VARSITY GIRLS TENNIS The varsity girls tennis team has won the majority of its games, losing 5-2 in two games against Saratoga on Oct. 5 and Oct. 26. The Matadors played their last league game against Gunn on Oct. 28, pulling off a win of 2-5. The team will play the winner of the Nov. 9 game between Mountain View High School and Carmel High school for their first CCS game on Nov. 10.
Erin Chiu | El Estoque
VARSITY GIRLS VOLLEYBALL On Oct. 19 the varsity girls volleyball team also played five intense games against Saratoga, winning 18-16 in the fifth game. On Nov. 2, the team held their annual Senior Night with a game against Los Altos. The team played five games with a close score of 25-22 in the second game, 25-12 in the third, and 25-16 in the fourth, but losing to Los Altos in the fifth game with a score of 11-15. Currently, the team is ranked fifth in leagues with a record of 7-7, but hopes to play in CCS on Nov. 11. Erin Chiu | El Estoque
Cynthia Mao | El Estoque
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SPORTS
Nov. 10, 2010
Preseason builds character
New basketball coach improves players both mentally and physically
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ainting. Constant soreness. Throwing up. All kinds of rumors have been flying around campus about the varsity boys basketball preseason workouts. Although the majority are exaggerations, there have been many changes to the workouts this year, like increased intensity and team development, due to the arrival of new coach Mani Messy. Messy, a longtime basketball player, has played professionally for Germany, Finland, and Switzerland. Though exciting at first, a life of busy travel and constant pressure gradually began to lose its appeal to Messy. “I just decided it was time to for me to put a stop to everything and put some perspective into my life,” Messy said. Coaching at MVHS allows Messy to be a positive and influential role model to high school students. Along with changing the projected team size, Messy has made preseason practices tougher and more structured. They have been moved up earlier in the school year, and while they are not mandatory, the practices are suggested for those interested in making the team. “This year, preseason has been a lot tougher than last year,” junior basketball player Ansh Shukla. “Last year, there were only open gyms and then people used to not show up, and the old coach was a lot more relaxed about basketball practice.” Messy’s style of playing is also very different from what the team is used to. Instead of getting players up and down the court as fast as possible, Messy focuses more on improving specific skills, such as dribbling. However difficult the workouts may be, Shukla does realize their advantages. “I’m in better shape right now than I was at any point last season,” he said. There seems to be a general consensus across the board about the difficulty of preseason workouts across the board. “It’s hella intense,” senior Abhishek Kumar said. Like Shukla, Kumar realizes that though the workouts are harder than before, they’re
Deserting Giant bandwagon was a mistake
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he number one rule of Bay Area sports: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. On Nov. 1, the orange-and-black eggs shattered, the scruffy-bearded chicks were born, and the Giants ran off with the franchise’s first World Series trophy since 1954—the only title the team has won since it moved to San Francisco in 1958. And the next day at MVHS, Giants shirts were nowhere to be found. Despite the outpour of fanhood that built up at MVHS during the playoff run, the day after—the day for celebration—was as dry as the Texas desert that hosted Giants history. Fine, the journey had to end somewhere. But for once, the bandwagon actually reached its destination—with nobody left on board. Elvin Wong | El Estoque
GETTING PHYSICAL Junior Andrew Hsu (center) and junior Mihir Chavan (right) stretch at one of varsity basketball’s notoriously hard preseason practices on Oct. 29. worth the extra effort. “I’d much rather have us build a solid foundation, with all of us at the top of our athletic abilities, before the season even starts, but I can understand if people are complaining.” Messy realizes that the workouts may seem tough, but feels it is only because the players are out of shape. “Naturally, when they start getting back into the groove of things, it’s a little more challenging, and a lot of them don’t even have a foundation for lifting weights,” Messy said. Though this seems problematic at first, Messy sees the players’ lack of training as a method of levelling out the playing field so everyone will have an equal opportunity of making the team during tryouts. Besides new coaching tactics, Messy also brings character development to the team.
“Coaching at [MVHS] is yet another opportunity to reach out to even more kids and to have a bigger influence in how they develop as basketball players and great citizens in the long run,” Messy said. Messy’s characterbuilding strategies, which include responding to inspirational quotes through email, have influenced players as well. “It’s a good way for us to learn more about the philosophy behind sports and basketball,” Shukla said. Although it may be tough, Messy hopes to improve the players both mentally and physically during the preseason workouts. His changes have certainly been felt among the players, and the potential team looks like it is off to a great start. Tina Hsu || t.hsu@elestoque.org
New sport gains popularity while athletes injure Students participate in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu despite obvious, frequent risks
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RACK! That was the sound sophomore David Babanezhad [which are more common], or broken joints and possibly bones. Getting heard while sparring with his opponent during his Brazilian Jiu knocked out is possible as well,” Sondhi said. Jitsu class one day. It was “It’s a fun sport,” said only later that he realized he had Babanezhad, “it’s not really like broken his collar bone. wrestling where you stop when “I got around and [my you get on your back, you just opponent] got around and he keep going…so you can win.” rolled backward and I landed on According to Babanezhad, the my shoulder,” Babanezhad said, drive to win makes it possible to “I didn’t feel it [hurting] until I be successful in Jiu Jitsu, as with got to the hospital.” other sports. Sondhi however, Although as a full contact asserts that in order to win, combat sport Jiu Jitsu has its fighters need to know their limits. obvious dangers, many students “The chances of injury become including Babanezhad have smaller, if you know your limit Brazilian expressed their interest in it. and gauge wisely,” Sondhi said. This modern version of the traditional Senior Sameer Sondhi has also “[Jiu Jitsu is] about measuring Japanese martial arts fighting style recently began taking classes in your strength and not just giving places emphasis on ground fighting techniques. The objective is to get Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. your all into just one attempt, the opponent on the floor in order to put them in a submissive position. “The sport is unique,” he said, you just have to try as many “because it uses a lot of ground times [as necessary] to defeat moves to defeat your opponent. your opponent. It’s also a mental Boxing technique that involves both Most of the fights end up on the game, you can’t be all brute, you kicking and punching. It places ground, so you want to be able to have to use your brain…your emphasis on agility and force of kicks and punches. make the most of that.” common sense,” Sondhi said. The skills and endurance “[It] tests physical limits and the This places an emphasis on grappling which are needed to perform way you work as a person. Every technique, which involves grabbing the this art are mastered through time you spar, you do learn more opponent and putting them in tough constant practice and application. about yourself.” positions, such as a submission or other hold that could cause them pain Sondhi admits, however, that due “As with almost any sport, or weaken them. to the infrequency of his own chances of injury exist, and classes, he has found it difficult although chances might be higher to maintain and remember the in this sport, it still is fun and Judo is a Japanese martial arts technique that is a semimoves such as submissions, a challenge worth taking on,” contact sport. This places an emphasis on all aspects where opponents are put in a Sondhi said. including grappling, kicking, and submissions. position where the only option Though the scar from the they have is to tap out. surgical procedure to repair his The dangerous aspect of Jiu collar bone is still visible on his Jitsu is very apparent through shoulder, Babanezhad remains the numerous injuries both professionals and amateurs sustain while enthusiastic about the sport and hopes that he will be able to continue practicing the sport. as soon as his health will permit it. “The more dangerous aspects are injuries like dislocated joints Arifa Aziz || a.aziz@elestoque.org
The mixed
arts
JIU JITSU
KICKBOXING
WRESTLING
JUDO
Bandwagon benefits I have no problem with bandwagoning; it’s the only way fans are born. Every fan needs a way to learn the rules of the game, familiarize themselves with the players, and talk sports with their friends. A memorable JOSEPH BEYDA playoff run j.beyda@elestoque.org gives the bandwagoner all of these opportunities. Even those people who seem to be inborn sports fans were once bandwagoners. It took a few weeks of confused, uninformed screaming as a oneyear-old—watching alongside my dad as his New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994—for me to become a hockey fan. Best of all, bandwagoning comes with no strings attached: no season tickets to pay for, no schedule magnets to post on the refrigerator, no homework to push aside for nightly regular-season games. But no joy when you win it all.
The Beyda test
A rut in the road That’s where the wheels come off for bandwagoners. They haven’t lived through enough frustration and disappointment to appreciate the opposite. They didn’t see the Giants blow a 5-0 lead in 2002, just eight outs from winning the Series. They didn’t have their hearts wrenched by the controversy surrounding beloved home run king Barry Bonds, whose name will forever proceed a figurative asterisk due to allegations of performance-enhancing drug use. And they didn’t follow this year’s torturous run, which featured 52 one-run games (28 of them wins) and a clincher on the last day of the regular season. It makes sense that a die-hard fan would care more than a bandwagoner would about winning the World Series. But you would expect that, at least for a day or two, there would be some residual excitement for diehards and bandwagoners alike when the Giants came out as world champs. The rookie mistake In a perfect world, we’d all be fans; we could all celebrate and mourn on the same level. But for many people—especially busy high school students, and especially at MVHS—there aren’t enough hours in the day to devote three to a pursuit that only ends well half the time. So if you only want to be a fan when things get interesting, that’s fine. If you want to start wearing orange and black the week of the World Series, you can still become part of the playoff excitement. If you want jump on the bandwagon, you can still get a taste of championship glory. As long as you don’t jump off too early.
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Nov. 10, 2010
SPORTS
A concussion is when a strong impact shakes the brain, which collides with the skull, causing a temporary loss of brain function.
It’s like shaking an egg. The soft part is the brain.
HEADSHOT — athletic trainer Marie Gishifu
Jordan Lim
| El Estoqu e Photo
Illustra tion
The hit was hard. His head was down. He hit the ground and became a statistic.
It took junior Michael Whittaker almost five minutes to get up after delivering a big hit in the second quarter of the football game against Cupertino High School on Oct. 23.
head isn’t going to get hurt if it’s protected by a facemask.” The NFL took a different route, cracking down on big hits with fines and suspensions. Critics claimed that the policy would ruin the physicality of the game—and, alas, more points per game (52.6) were scored in Week 7 of the 2010 season than any other week since 1983. Mueller suggests that removing high school offenders from games could be beneficial. But even though the injury is the same for high-school players, the solutions might not be. “I don’t think we hit hard enough,” Whittaker said. “If you tackle correctly, I don’t think Once he got back to the sidelines, he felt fine—good, even. He was examined by trainers. He we’re good enough yet to hit hard enough to knock someone out.” chatted with teammates until halftime, when he left the field with the rest of the team. Therein may lie the problem—Whittaker blames himself for the concussion, claiming that the He didn’t come back. injury could have been avoided if he had not dipped his head Whittaker was taken to the hospital, diagnosed with a before the hit. And in most of the pictures Johnson has taken minor concussion. of Whittaker, she observes that her son’s head is habitually He doesn’t remember the play. He doesn’t remember the down as he tackles. time he spent on the turf. The only thing he remembers about “My opinion—though I don’t know a lot of technical stuff halftime is forgetting. about football—is that it would’ve been nice if there was “Once we went to half and I was listening to the coaches some kind of instruction... so if the coaches just said, ‘When talking, I was like, ‘Try to remember what they are saying,’” you tackle, don’t look down, look up,’ maybe that could have Whittaker said. “They would say something and…10 seconds avoided it.” later, I would have absolutely no idea what they were saying.” Mueller emphasizes the importance of such instruction. That’s when he knew something was wrong. An MVHS “Our job is to teach our kids how to tackle properly and how player ran from the locker room to tell trainer Marie Gishifu to hit properly,” he said. “If they don’t do that right, they’re that Whittaker wasn’t doing well. Whittaker’s parents rushed going to get hurt.” back and accompanied their son to the hospital, from which he Scientists and doctors also have a crucial role to play, in was released at about 11 p.m. that night. terms of gaining a better understanding of the injury. It wasn’t until Whittaker talked to his parents and friends Joseph Beyda | El Estoque “It’s like shaking an egg,” Gishifu said. “The soft part is later on that he learned he had been out cold on the field. HIT HARD Junior Michael Whittaker watches the brain.” “The hardest part was not knowing what’s wrong,” recalled as his teammates practice before the Oct. Though research centered around athletes and military Whittaker’s mom, Dee Johnson, of the ordeal, “and I just 29 game against Los Gatos High School. veterans with brain injuries has increased, discoveries are wanted to see him get up. The longer he was down and not Whittaker was rested for a week, recovering still being made regarding the nature of concussions and their getting up, it was like somebody was just taking your heart out from the concussion he sustained on Oct. 23 treatment. On Nov. 1, the American Academy of Neurology of your chest and wringing it.” in the game against Cupertino High School. issued a statement “calling for any athlete who is suspected of Gishifu knew right away that Whittaker had been seriously having a concussion to be removed from play until the athlete injured. is evaluated by a neurologist or physician with training in the “[I knew] right when I saw him go for the tackle,” she said. evaluation and management of sports concussions.” ”He laid there motionless...definitely he had been concussed.” The new standard could be most beneficial to high-school Varsity football head coach Jeff Mueller estimates that he players, who do not often have access to a trained professional of concussed high school athletes sees one or two concussions a year at the high school level, at the time of the injury. returned to play too soon mentioning the near-fatal injury to San Jose High Academy “If the kids have a concussion and they go back in, and they junior Matt Blea on Nov. 26, 2009. get a second shot to the head, it could be fatal,” Mueller said. Yet concussions aren’t getting the most attention at the high of sports-related emergency department visits “So it’s up to the coaching staff and it’s up to the trainers to see school level; the biggest concern has been raised at college and from 2001-2005 involved a concussion if somebody has a concussion.” in the pros. Whittaker didn’t practice the week after the injury—Gishifu “You know when [University of California, Berkeley tailback] of all contact sport athletes get concussions explained that players have to go a week without symptoms Jahvid Best got knocked out when he scored the touchdown, every year before returning—but he was back on the field for the Nov. 6 and he had a spasm? They say I sort of did the same thing,” game against Lynbrook High School. He had to bounce back Whittaker said, referring to the season-ending injury Best of athletes that suffer a concussion will from a broken arm his freshman year, so he doubts that the sustained on Nov. 7, 2009. experience Post-Traumatic Migraines or concussion will change his playing style. Best’s concussion was one of many in the past few years “I’ll try to keep my head up next time,” Whittaker said, another type of pain in the future that captured the attention of the NCAA and the NFL, both of “but it definitely won’t make me less aggressive.” which have seen dozens of such injuries this season. Yet there’s of concussed football players in And to Mueller, that’s not a problem. no single solution that’s agreed upon. Some suggest that 2007-2008 who lost consciousness “Football is a violent sport,” he said. “There are going to be equipment should be minimized, as padding and facemasks returned to play the same day violent hits. As long as we teach the kids how to play correctly, have encouraged players to be more reckless on the field. and we punish the people who aren’t going to play correctly, According to: ”I think that the helmet has become a weapon, and I think Sports Concussion Institute hopefully there’s going to be a happy medium in between.” Center for Injury Research and Policy that the facemask has made it even more of a weapon,” Mueller
CONCUSSIONCOUNT
said. “You can basically go head-first into somebody and your
BIGGER IS BETTER Page 21 They may be small, but these big men can pin down wins
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Joseph Beyda || j.beyda@elestoque.org
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