Volume 4.1 Issue 2, October 22 2009

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EL ESTOQUE ONLINE

CHECK OUT HOMECOMING VIDEOS AND SLIDESHOWS ON EL ESTOQUE.ORG

NOT JUST ANY OLD

COLLEGE APP What it means when your classmates say they’re applying to art school ENTERTAINMENT page 19

CITY COUNCIL FORUM Explore the ins and outs of of the 2010 council elections and the future of our city in an exclusive two-page feature NEWS pages 4 and 5 OCTOBER 22, 2009

VOLUME XLISSUE 2MONTA VISTA HIGH SCHOOLCUPERTINO, CA

Competition for classes

PLAN

De Anza another option for students

Financial fate of FUHSD schools uncertain

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248

see DE ANZA page 6

School deals with unexpected outbreak

by Tammy Su

by Christophe Haubursin tudents at MVHS are disappearing.

One by one, they’re turning away from high school courses to a new alternative: De Anza Community College.

A portion of students have recently made the decision to transfer out of certain classes in order to take them for college credit at institutions like De Anza. Though the classes do not count for Monta Vista credit, they do count on a college transcript, which has compelled some students to take such classes outside of MVHS. Senior Sahiba Johar began to attend De Anza at 16, after her two older brothers did the same seven years before her, enrolling in Pre-Calculus and Spanish 3 in the fall quarter of her junior year. She is currently enrolled in speech and math courses, but has previously taken anthropology and psychology classes, among others. She takes one two-hour class per day, speech every other day at lunch and math every other evening.

“I’m just trying to get ahead in my transfer program,” Johar said, “because if I do decide to transfer to another college, I can do it right at the end of my senior year instead of wasting two more years, so I’d essentially be done with college faster.”

Since enrollment in De Anza classes does not appear on MVHS transcripts, classes that are not required for graduation are more popular than classes that are. But even so, some persist in their attempts to drop required classes.

“This year, lots of kids decided they wanted to drop U.S. History and try to take it at De Anza,” guidance counselor Shari Schussel said. “That’s, generally speaking, not allowed.”

All transfer efforts require a brief interview before a drop form can be issued.

Administration asks what class the student wants to drop, who they’ve talked to about dropping the class, and how they plan on making it up.

“We won’t sign a drop form without having knowledge of where the kid will make up the class,” Schussel said.

When history teacher Viviana MontoyaHernandez had a section of her class Number of students cut down who submitted forms for due to unconcurrent enrollment at derenrollDe Anza College. ment, one of her classes was divided across her other periods. The schedules of many students became rearranged, causing some problems with students’ scheduling.

“I had two students who came in and told me that they were considering dropping U.S. History altogether since, at the time, their schedule was going to change.

About a week later, they showed up in my new schedule,” Montoya-Hernandez said.

“Some of the students that I’ve heard talk about it in the past said that it was a time issue, but no one that I know of from the class that was canceled actually dropped.”

Flu season arrives early

by Natalie Chan

C

ampaign volunteers working through the neighborhood on the morning of Oct. 17 wanted to make sure voters understand that Fremont Union High School District may stand to lose 10 percent of its teachers in the next few years.

In 2011, the current parcel tax will expire, taking with it a yearly $5 million from FUHSD schools. Measure G aims to renew the tax, keep class sizes from increasing, and provide funding for the district to keep its teachers and programs.

The measure is a permanent, annual tax of $98 per parcel, or property, adjusted yearly for inflation.

It will help the district keep the roughly $500 of funding per student it would otherwise lose in 2011, as well as fund teachers’ salaries and finance advanced classes and programs.

Measure G is designed to maintain funding when the state has already cut millions of dollars from FUHSD. The district currently receives less money than most high school districts in the Bay Area. see MEASURE G on page 3

Stefan Ball | El Estoque

GO TIME Principal April Scott prepares seniors Adam Song and Alecia Chan for the Measure G precinct walk on Oct. 17 at Lincoln Elementary School.

hough the flu usually has the greatest impact as the weather shifts to its annual low, this year’s flu season has come early—and with greater intensity. According to Assistant Principal Brad Metheany, student illnesses are up right now.

“The attendance records do show that there’s a pattern of illness right now, and that toll is deeper than usual,” Metheany said. “We don’t know for sure how much of an impact it’s been having, but it is true that H1N1 is a concern right now.”

In terms of H1N1, Metheany states that doctors have stopped reporting these cases individually, instead categorizing sicknesses simply as cases of the flu. However, some parents and students have kept the school up to date on cases. Among the cases, several of the players on the football team have been affected.

“It felt like I’d been hit by a truck,” senior varsity football player Christopher O’Leary said. “All of my energy was at the bottom of my stomach.” O’Leary does state that through taking the antiviral drug Tamiflu, he’s felt much better.

Students are being asked to stay at home if they have fevers higher than 100 degrees. Because of the increased risk of illness brought on by the spread of H1N1, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has also approved certain guidelines that teachers must follow in the classroom. In particular, teachers are now being asked to actively identify, and send to the office, students in their classes that don’t look well.

Students can return when their temperatures are back to below 100 degrees without the aid of fever reducers.

City prepares in memory of earthquake anniversary Drills run across Cupertino to raise disaster awareness 20 years after Loma Prieta

by Joseph Beyda

I

t was Oct. 17, 1989, at 5:04 pm Pacific time. Andy Huang, now a volunteer for the City of Cupertino, was in Boston, watching the third game of the World Series between the Giants and the A’s.

“All of a sudden I saw these shaking waves on the TV,” he said. “The next thing you knew, it just went blank.

Then it came back a few seconds later, and people started announcing, ‘San Francisco is experiencing an earthquake’.”

That earthquake would cause 62 deaths, nearly 4,000 injuries, and over $6 billion in damage. Stamped into the memories of everyone who, on that fateful day, happened to be a baseball fan or Bay Area resident, is the name of a peak located five miles from the epicenter: Loma Prieta.

In commemoration of the 20-year anniversary of the quake, Huang helped Cupertino organize a city-wide drill on Oct. 17 and 18, specializing in reaching out to groups interested in volunteering. Scouting organizations and other volunteers went house-to-house to every residence in the city in order to gauge how long it would take to get out information in case of an actual emergency. If an emergency were to occur, “we would have people go knock on doors asking, ‘Are you okay?’ “ Huang said.

The volunteers passed out fliers which included information about the city’s six ARK locations—strategicallyplaced locations that would serve as command centers for relief and information in the case of a real emergency.

The fliers also informed residents of free emergency-preparedness training classes offered by the city and provid-

Samved Sangameswara | El Estoque

BE PREPARED Volunteers at the Cupertino City Center spread awareness of disaster preparedness at the citywide earthquake drill on Oct. 17. ed them with an emergency-preparedness checklist.

Clubs Octagon, Interact, Key Club, and CSF had volunteers stationed at these locations, which include Lincoln Elementary School, Hyde Middle School, and other nearby schools. Members assisted residents, many of whom had been directed to the stations by the fliers passed out by scouts.

“People will be coming to us, asking us questions, and we’ll pretty much be at the help desk telling them what to do,” sophomore Jay Vadiya said in anticipation of the event.

In turn, the volunteers at the ARK locations checked scouts in and assigned them the areas they would cover. see EARTHQUAKE on page 3

EL ESTOQUE NEWS

PAGE 2

OCTOBER 22, 2009

BRIEFING: IN SHORT

FROM THE EDITORS

1

A day’s delay: looking back

by Aileen Le and Samved Sangameswara

I

f something seemed off when you received this paper today, it was because today is Thursday, not Wednesday— when our paper usually comes out. For the first time in several years the El Estoque staff failed to meet their deadline and had to push publication back a day.

We can’t lie, it is a huge disappointment that we’re not going to forget anytime soon.

This isn’t just another high school project that we’ll be glad to stop thinking about the moment we turn it in. We strive to be a legitimate news source on campus, and we put four full weeks of hard work into it.

It’s not something we do half-heartedly. We are trying to be something.

Especially this issue, one in which we worked to be a little more professional through our coverage of the upcoming city election, something we believe to be “real Cupertino news.” We had an hour long discussion with four of the seven city council candidates which we published in a double page spread that covered the city council race. We have even officially endorsed Measure G in our Opinion section on page 10.

It’s too bad that an issue with actual “real” news failed to come out on time.

Sure, we accomplished something new successfully, but it’s obvious that we are doing something wrong. Throughout the past four weeks we have failed to meet the standards that we uphold on schedule.

But that’s not going to stop us, we must be doing something right.

So as we apologize for the tardiness of this issue, we can do nothing but look to the future. We can confidently say that the quality of this paper, both in our internal affairs and the product that you read, is only going up. Expect great things in the future. And expect them on time.

el estoque 2009-2010

Editor in Chief Aileen Le Samved Sangameswara News Editor Varshini Cherukupalli Tammy Su Opinion Editor Vijeta Tandon Jiachen Yang Centerspread Editor Jane Kim Ashley Wu Sports Editor Jordan Lim Hannah Lem A&E Editor Victor Kuo Mansi Pathak

Layout and Design Editor Sabrina Ghaus

Managing Editor Stefan Ball Bhargav Setlur

Business Editor Natalie Chan Christophe Hausbursin Sarika Patel Photo Editor Erin Chiu Copy Editor Kanwalroop Singh Print Staff Writers Joseph Beyda Christine Chang Somel Jammu Sahana Sridhara Roxana Wiswell Adviser Michelle Balmeo

Disclaimer Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the journalism staff and not of Monta Vista High School or the Fremont Union High School District.

Credits Some images in this publication were taken from the royalty-free stock photography website sxc.hu Mission Statement El Estoque is an open forum created for and by students of Monta Vista High School. The staff of El Estoque seeks to recognize individuals, events, and ideas and bring news to the Monta Vista community in a manner that is professional, unbiased, and thorough in order to effectively serve our readers. We strive to report accurately and 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 e-mail or mail. They become the sole property of El Estoque and can be edited for length, clarity, or 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

THE BIG PICTURE Oct. 2, 2009 2010 versus 2013 Powederpuff Game The focus of the Homecoming Powderpuff games is often the reversal of roles in the performers involved, but each year the experience is heightened by the enthusiasm of the crowds that come to support them.

Crowds participate in cheers from the stands led by their male cheerleaders below.

Stefan Ball | El Estoque

2 | CLASSES AND CLUBS Orchestra debuts with first concert of year

3 | CAMPUS ORGANIZATIONS El Estoque Online recovers from hacking incident

Chamber and string orchestras performed in their debut concerts on Oct. 14.

Chamber orchestra played two songs: Grieg’s “Holberg Suite” and Shostakovich’s “Spanish Dance.” String orchestra played four additional pieces: Haydn’s “Symphony No. 3 in G Major,” Dvork’s “Largo,” Offenback’s “Barcarolle,” and Saint-Saens’ “Danse Bacchanale”.

Sophomore Cindy Chao, a member of chamber orchestra, enjoyed the first concert.

“I think it went pretty well,” Chao said. “It’s mostly just to promote interest [in orchestra music].”

Upcoming music department events are choir’s debut concert on Oct. 22 and jazz’s debut concert on Nov. 18.

On Oct. 11, El Estoque Online staff writer senior Tiffany Lau discovered that the homepage of the website had been altered. After editors were contacted, the site was back up within hours.

The website was then hacked twice more. While hackers were able to replace the front page, none of the actual content on the site was changed.

“We’ve gotten past the original state of shock that we were getting hacked, and now we’re just working on securing the website,” Online editor in chief Natalie Wong said. “In a way, it was good that this happened to us because now we know what our problems are, and now we have a much more secure website.”

4 | CAMPUS EVENTS Career Center hosts college visits as seniors start writing applications As college application season continues, the Career Center is hosting frequent college visits for interested juniors and seniors.

“It’s a time to get your specific questions answered,” Career/College Liaison Mariam Taba said. “Sometimes, certain colleges might also take into account ‘demonstrated interest,’ which would give students that come to the visits an advantage.”

A complete list of upcoming college visits can be seen on Naviance. Students should sign up to attend on Naviance, to make it possible to gauge space needs beforehand. Upcoming visits:

Oct. 22 Princeton University 2:15 p.m.

Oct. 23 Swarthmore College 8:15 p.m.

Oct. 26 University of Connecticut 2:15 p.m.

5 | SURROUNDING CITIES Recent storm causes blackouts in nearby areas The storm that hit the Bay Area over Columbus Day weekend has had repercussions in the cities campus, causing sporadic power outages in students’ homes.

“I came home from dance practice when I saw that the power was out,” senior Frances Jih said. “I had to go to my cousin’s house where they had power to do my homework. When I came back, unlike most people, I actually liked it because I could light vanilla-scented candles!”

According to the American Red Cross Silicon Valley chapter, power outages that last less than two hours are not a cause for concern. Do avoid opening the refrigerator and freezer doors, as an unopened refrigerator will keep foods cold for at least two hours and a freezer that is half full will stay cold for at least 24 hours.

7 | CA STATE POLICIES Newly signed legislation lowers voting registration age On Oct. 11, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill into law that lowers California’s voter registration age to 17, effective 2011.

The law, formally Assembly Bill 30, does not change the voting age. However, it could improve California’s low voter-participation rate for young voters—in 2004, only about half the eligible voters had registered.

Previously, the law stated that 17-year-olds could only pre-register if they turned 18 before the next election. In 2011, all 17-year-olds will be able to pre-register, and their registration will automatically become active when they turn 18.

9 | COUNT OFF COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP GARAGE SALE

4 6

6 | COMMUNITY School holds public flu clinic On Oct. 14, close to 100 students, teachers, and parents lined up in the cafeteria to get their seasonal flu vaccine. The clinic lasted from 12 - 4 p.m., cost $25 per person, and was provided by Maxim Health Services. Executive assistant Diana Goularte stated that the event had nothing to do with the newly-developed vaccination for H1N1.

“It’s just a regular flu vaccine,” Goularte said. “The District asked us if we wanted to do this as a service to the community.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, children between six months and 19 years old, pregnant women, and adults over 50 years old are recommended to get the vaccine, which can prevent 70 percent of flu cases.

Missed your shot?

Try some of these other local flu clinics:

SUNNYVALE WALGREENS: 8 p.m. - 9 p.m.

(September through February, $24.99)

MOUNTAIN VIEW SAFEWAY: 9 p.m. - 8 p.m.

(September through February, $30)

8 | FOR THE RECORD Corrections from El Estoque’s September issue

Page 1: Social studies teacher Viviana MontoyaHernandez’s seventh period U.S. History, not World History, class was dissolved. Her name was also mispelled.

Page 16: Junior Nikki Danese’s last name was mispelled.

Page 19: The picture of the painted bees belonged to Class of 2013. The photo labeled as Class of 2013’s painted characters was not part of the freshman float.

Page 21: “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt is a song that reminds social studies teacher Viviana Montoya-Hernandez of high school.

$150 $154.21

Number of booths set up affiliated with Community Leadership

Goal amount to be raised from fundraiser

Number of people in Community Commission

Final amount donated to Rebuilding Silicon Valley

OCTOBER 22, 2009

EL ESTOQUE NEWS

Meditation, not medication

Student Advocate Richard Prinz overcame illness with concentration

by Kanwalroop Singh

B

efore he sat down to have a conversation with Fear, Student Advocate Richard Prinz was scared. He didn’t know what to expect, or even what to say really. So he started by asking a question.

“What’re you trying to do?”

Silence.

“You’re not helping.

Silence.

“I’m not going to do what you say.”

Silence.

It hadn’t always been like this. There was a time when fear did most of the talking: when it coerced and convinced and cajoled Prinz into paralysis.

When he had asthma, and then later what some may call a mid-life crisis (although he refers to it as a “creative illness”), it made him inert, so much so that he wallowed beneath its power over him.

Sometimes it made him cry and it made him anxious, it directed him. So how did he break away from its clutches, how did he silence it?

He meditated.

Prinz trained his mind, conditioned it, toned it, just like a runner training for a marathon. Then he was able to take control, he directed the conversation, he coerced, convinced and cajoled. And he realized: why be afraid of an emotion or a thought,something so intangible and invisible and weak that it could hardly affect a single second of your life—unless you let it.

Meditation led Prinz to recover from hyperthyroidism, a disease resulting in an overactive thyroid gland, causing constant fatigue and hunger, an inability to concentrate, and violent hand tremors. Prinz does not regret having this illness. In fact, he is thankful for it because be believes it is like the Chinese symbol for crisis that is also the symbol for opportunity.

When he was first diagnosed

PAGE 3

BHARGAV SETLUR

Say it like it is

Honey, you’ve got blackmail Stupid Human Habits

Kanwalroop Singh | El Estoque

BREATHE DEEPLY Senior Alexandre Dor meditates in Student Advocate Richard Prinz’s room on 0ct.

15 during tutorial. Prinz gradually led him step by step through the process as Dor concentrated. with hyperthyroidism, he was told that he could either undergo a surgery or drink radioactive iodine.

“I felt [the surgery] was too drastic,” Prinz said. “And to drink something that’s radioactive?

That just didn’t make sense to me. I wanted to get to the root of the problem, not just treat the symptoms.”

So he took medication for six months, underwent acupuncture for one year, took medication for another year, then stopped taking medication all together, and found that he still had the disease. Three years since he had been diagnosed, he called an old meditation instructor from Tibet. The instructor gave him some healing herbs and specific instructions for meditation: he was to prepare the herbs and visualize above his head a healing energy. For two weeks, he let go of his expectations, of his hopes and fears, and then he went back to the doctor and it was gone.

“He was doing everything he could,” Prinz’s wife, Bev Prinz

said. “He was totally focused and it took over his whole life. It was tough but he got over it.”

Although meditation is not the only reason Prinz was cured, he believes that without it, he may not have been cured at all. He believes emotions can cause disease, that cancer, diabetes, and the black plague are the physical manifestations of the anger, attachment, jealousy, and greed that invade the mind before they invade the rest of the body. There is only one solution: to destroy all the negative emotion and energy through meditation.

According to a 2003 article in Time Magazine, studies conducted on meditators have proven that meditation can slow and control the pain of chronic diseases like heart attacks, AIDS, and cancer. It can relieve stress, reshape the brain, increase alertness, and, in general, make people happier. And Prinz is a living, breathing example of its effectiveness.

Every Thursday, during tutorial, he strives to spread its beneficial effects to the whole school.

Sometimes three people, sometimes four people, show up.

“I’m fine if it’s one or none [at meditation],” Prinz said, “Say there are 40, and they’re just here for entertainment, but only one leaves and continues doing it. Which one is better — one or 40?”

On the Thursday morning of Oct. 1, four eager students sit in Prinz’s room.

“Try to relax,” Prinz says, “That’s an oxymoron, it’s like military intelligence.”

“And jumbo shrimp!” someone chimes in.

He is preparing them for meditation, a 20-minute period during which they will sit quietly, empty their minds of distracting thoughts, and focus on the sound of their breathing.

This technique has pulled him through depression and illness, it will pull them through their stressful day at school, and possibly through the rest of their lives.

MEASURE G: Election results will impact budget continuted from page 1

Stefan Ball | El Estoque

GAMEPLAN Principal April Scott and Assistant Principal Brad Methany look at the map for the precinct walk on Oct. 17.

According to Fremont Education Association’s negotiating team chair and math teacher Jon Stark, Measure G is a very low parcel tax with homeowners in the district paying only $98 pery year when homeowners in other areas may be paying five times more.

Schools have already cut back to save money through methods including hiring fewer administrators and building solar panels above school parking lots, but campaign supporters contest that students, parents, and staff will see dramatic changes if the measure fails to pass. Stark said, “When [the school] loses money, it really hurts.

There isn’t any fat to cut out.”

If Measure G does not pass, Head of the School Board Bill Wilson asserts, “There’s no way we could continue with the full set of programs we think the students deserve.”

One of the main concerns expressed by community members is the built-in adjustment for inflation as well as the permanent quality of the tax. However, it is possible to vote away the parcel tax in the future with just a 51 percent vote as opposed to the 66.7 percent vote required to pass Measure G,

and the two percent periodic adjustment for inflation will not begin until 2011.

On Oct. 17, the campaign for Measure G held a precinct walk from Lincoln Elementary School with volunteers distributing informational signs door-to-door.

The campaign also includes 11 nights of phone banking, with five more nights from Oct. 22 until election night.

A running tally from phone banking indicates that roughly 60 to 70 percent of voters approve of the measure, but supporters worry that those who would vote for Measure G will fail to vote on Nov. 3.

“It’ll be a terrible shame if the only people who get out to vote are the people who hate taxes,” Stark said.

FEA President Joseph Kelly says that it is not uncommon for polls to be misleading, which is why he, and other supporters of Measure G, are doing everything they can to get the measure passed.

“History has shown that even if a measure is supported, it might not pass because there wasn’t enough support on voting day,” Kelly said. “The biggest thing that needs to be done right now is to inform people that they do need to get out and vote. Even if they don’t vote with us,

At some point in the recent past, Idiot One had affairs with interns in his office.

No one found out. More recently, Idiot Two fell upon hard times. After his wife left him, the girlfriend he picked up realized why his wife left him, and followed suit. Idiot Two ran into financial problems- he had a pretty expensive lifestyle. Somehow, he got wind of Idiot One’s dalliances. Plus, Idiot One happens to be rich. So Idiot Two hatched a convoluted plot to blackmail Idiot One for two million dollars. If he didn’t get the money, he would make public Idiot One’s dastardly deeds. Idiot One, who apparently had gotten the dumb decisions out of his system, made a smart move and went straight to the cops. Idiot Two tried to cash a fake check that Idiot One gave him, and was arrested. All’s well that ends well, you would think.

A twist

Except not really. Idiot One is none other than late-night comedian David Letterman. Idiot Two allegedly — is successful journalist and TV executive Robert Halderman. Letterman, in a noble effort to protect the identities of the women he had slept with, pre-empted Halderman and divulged his dirty little secret on the Late Show. Impossible as it seems, there is only one word to describe how Letterman confessed — in front of millions of viewers – to some decidedly shameful deeds: tasteful.

Yup, Letterman built his confession up like a story, making the audience laugh and applaud. You can tell a man is special if he can entertain people even when he’s admitting infidelity. Anyway, it’s probably because Letterman waited until the very end of his story to tell the audience what exactly he had done. At that point, it became clear just how skilled a man David Letterman was: even after he said that he had slept with women at the same time he was with Regina Lasko, his long time girlfriend, audience members were still clapping and laughing.

Talk about showmanship.

Expensive lessons

There are two lessons to be learned from this whole affair regarding affairs. The first, which Letterman should have grasped earlier, is that people will always find out. If he understood that, he wouldn’t have carried on with the affairs in the first place. The truth always comes out — just ask one of the many politicians who have had affairs over the years, like Bill Clinton. Usually people put two and two together themselves, but in Letterman’s case, malicious blackmail was responsible. If you ever think you can get away with something, you’re wrong.

The second lesson is that if and when you screw up, you better hope that someone else tries to capitalize on your mistake.

Because if you have the courage to confess to whatever it is you did, not to mention the talent to make it funny, you’ve made a fool of the would-be opportunist. Now, the spotlight must divide its time between one man’s shameful deed and another man’s predatory nature. This is something that Letterman did realize. To a lot of people, the ill-fated extortion plot is at least as interesting as Letterman’s infidelity. Actually, it’s probably more interesting — a lot of people sleep around and have affairs, but only a select few commit blackmail.

Letterman should feel lucky that he was blackmailed. If some John Doe had leaked it to the press, Idiot One would have had to face the truth alone. But not this time— Idiot Two can keep him company.

PAGE 4

EL ESTOQUE NEWS

OCTOBER 22, 2009

MEET CANDIDATES THE

Cupertino City Council Election 2009

O

n Nov. 3, all Cupertino residents ages 18 and over will have the opportunity to cast their vote in the upcoming local election. One of the main issues on the ballot is the election of new city council members.

The people who fill the three vacant seat will have a big say in the future of our city, including the state of our schools, economy, and Cupertino’s future “green” endeavors. El Estoque offers a look at the seven men who want to lead Cupertino.

MARTY MILLER • Chairman of the Cupertino Planning Commission • M.B.A from Stanford University

ORRIN MAHONEY

BARRY CHANG

MARK SANTORO

• Current Mayor of Cupertino

• Former Cupertino Union School District Board Member

• Current City Council Member • Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University

• M.S in Mechnical Engineering from Stanford University

• M.S. in Civil Engineering from University of Cincinnati

DARCY PAUL

MAHESH NIHILANI

DANIEL NGUYEN

• Patent Lawyer

• Member of the board of the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce

• Vice-chair of Cupertino Public Safety Commission

• M.S. in Public Administration and Economics Punjab Univesity

• M.S. in Biostatistics from UCLA

• J.D. from Harvard University

Absentee Ballot MARK SANTORO

Of the seven candidates running for Cupertino city council, El Estoque was able to sit down with four of them for a roundtable discussion. Daniel Nguyen, Marty Miller, and Mark Santoro were unavailable for the discussion; however, they did respond to a questionnaire we sent via email. Here’s what they said.

MARTY MILLER

EE: How will you make sure that Cupertino grows at a sensible rate so that education isn’t compromised?

MS: Last time I ran, the first thing I promised on my ballot statement was to slow condo developments in Cupertino. While I was on the City Council, there was not a single condo project approved. For the Main Street Cupertino project I suggested senior housing in place of condos. Senior housing doesn’t impact schools. While some high density will be mandated by the state, I will do my best to limit its impact on our schools.

EE: How will you make sure that Cupertino grows at a sensible rate so education isn’t compromised?

MM: I will collaborate with the school districts and balance growth to address school and classroom overcrowding. This takes careful planning of the areas in town where further development is likely to occur. I have been advocating this type of planning for years.

Recently, it was employed with respect to the Main Street project (Cupertino’s future downtown area) with great success.

EE: How do you plan to increase job opportunities for youth?

EE: How do you plan to increase job opportunities for youth?

MS: A healthy job market is good for everyone. If there are more jobs for those with advanced degrees, that will leave more entry level jobs for young people. Having companies like HP and Apple help. Attracting new companies and supporting our smaller businesses will help even more.

MM: I propose to revitalize our retail business districts, particularly Cupertino Square. By increasing the number of retail businesses in the city, we will also increase the number of jobs available for young people, in addition to increasing sales tax revenue for the city, and more shopping and entertainment choices.

EE: As a council member, what would you do to increase traffic and functionality in general at Cupertino Square?

MS: I think our City Council needs to take a more proactive approach to this problem. Marty Miller has suggested some excellent ideas like giving tax breaks to new tenants for the first two years and actively seeking new tenants. I think he has some good ideas there and we should try some of them.

EE: As a council member, what would you do to increase traffic and functionality in general at Cupertino Square?

MM: I propose that the city collaborate with the new owner of Cupertino Square to bring new tenants to the mall. The city can help by making it easier for retail businesses to get permits, participating in joint presentations to potential retail businesses, and by providing financial incentives for desirable businesses to locate here. Financial incentives could include a discount off the amount of sales tax they pay to the city.

EE: How do you plan to improve Cupertino’s green image? More specifically, what are your views on the Lehigh Cement company?

MS: I am the only council member to take an active role towards the plant. Many citizens have concerns, and while the plant was there first, they still need to be good citizens and not pollute. To make sure they have been following the rules, I have done several things. First, I have attended meetings for their permits to see what people have to say. I also visited the plant and talked with their management. Finally, at the Oct. 6 City Council meeting, I suggested that we have our Environmental Affairs Coordinator form a group with Public Works and a few citizens to look into the plant and give a report to the City Council.

EE: How do you plan to improve Cupertino’s green image? More specifically, what are your views on the Lehigh Cement company?

MM: In the past, the city has said that the plant is not located in our jurisdiction. However, my position is that if the operation is affecting the health of Cupertino residents, the city has a responsibility to get involved.

The city can conduct its own independent testing of both air and ground water. If these tests reveal air or ground water contamination, then the city can stop it. I also support Mark Santoro’s suggestion that the Council form a resident committee to further evaluate the plant and make recommendations to the Council.

DANIEL NGUYEN EE: How will you make sure that Cupertino grows at a sensible rate so education isn’t compromised?

DN: Part of my platform is to preserve Cupertino’s small-town character. People come to live in Cupertino because of our suburban atmosphere and therefore I will fight to protect it. Don’t get me wrong, the city will grow. However, I will stand up to developers and make sure that any new housing projects must conform to the character of our city.

EE: How do you plan to increase job opportunities for youth?

DN: I don’t believe the city should focus on creating jobs that favor a subset of our community because when businesses grow they require employees of all types of educational and social backgrounds. We have so many empty commercial spaces because our national and global economy is slumping. However, in the near future it will recover, and when it does businesses will sprout up and look for a place to settle. Cupertino needs to keep this in mind and develop a comprehensive plan to bring those businesses here.

EE: As a council member, what would you do to increase traffic and functionality in general at Cupertino Square?

MM: My solution to revitalize Cupertino Square and retail in Cupertino in general is my Shop Cupertino initiative. I want to encourage our residents and visitors to shop at local stores and eat at local restaurants. We need to get the word out that when we spend money inside the city, part of the sales tax we pay gets circulated back into city services.

EE: How do you plan to improve Cupertino’s green image? More specifically, what are your views on the Lehigh Cement company?

MM: The plant is up for their Title V Permit renewal.

There is no doubt that they pollute. If elected, I will support creating and funding an independent monitoring committee to accurately evaluate their impact on Cupertino. I would instruct this committee to determine whether mitigating solutions such as imposing a road impact fee on their trucks and restricting what hours these trucks can operate should be employed.

OCTOBER 23, 2009

EL ESTOQUE NEWS

PAGE 5

Forum Four

On Oct. 5, El Estoque hosted a discussion with four of the seven candidates running for Cupertino City Council.

During the meeting, Orrin Mahoney [OM], Mahesh Nihilani [MN], Barry Chang [BC], and Darcy Paul [DP] weighed in on various issues, including Cupertino’s effort to go green, employment situation, the overpopulation in our schools, and the renovation of Cupertino Square. Here are some excerpts of what they had to say.

GOING GREEN

EMPLOYMENT EE: So one of the things that you guys talked about earlier was that a lot of jobs in the area are centered around companies like Apple or HP. But one of the problems that we see in Cupertino is that there remains relatively few jobs around here that don’t require professional degrees, such as jobs that high schoolers can do, so we were wondering, what would you do about that situation?

MN: My main goal would be to increase partnership of the city with the schools.

Like part-time employment or summertime employment or, kind of, jobs that they can do. Of course, those kinds of jobs would be limited to what is permitted and available. Question for you here is, have you found, like let’s say in your school, people who are seniors or juniors, are they really looking for jobs in the summer time? Because most of them are traveling. In the summertime, we find that a lot of kids are traveling. So do you find that there are people who’d be looking for opportunities to work part-time?

EE: That’s an important point. A lot of students travel, or do summer programs or internships. But another important experience to have is to have work experience.

And so a number of students do seek jobs, definitely, that’s a trend that we are seeing in the area.

OM: De Anza’s the classic case of doing a lot of things right. As a city we can’t do much but as a country the idea that everyone is going to get a PhD is not helping and I think we need to do much more of vocational types of things, and I think De Anza fills that gap better than anybody else right now for us. I think the schools still do some of that, but I think that’s not classically what people come to school here for.

There are jobs in the hotels and the restaurants, we’ve opened up a bunch of new restaurants,which are, fortunately or unfortunately, the classic jobs for people that don’t have advanced education.

DP: What I think you’re really looking for are those types of opportunities and things that we can be providing as a city such as the start-up opportunities. So I think that, as a general scheme, what we like to see as a city from the planning department is that we tend to target the larger tech companies. We have Apple, and we have HewlettPackard, and I think it’s good to have those in your ecosystem. They’re not necessarily the types of companies that are going to say, okay, let’s have a lot of high school internships. But I think what we can do as a city is to look at the general ecosystem. So if you have an amount of companies like that who are thriving, they actually need people to do, you know, what you do in a smaller office environment. So I think the more you have companies like that, the more you’re promoting the environment, the more you’re stabilizing your general economy, the more types of opportunities you provide to the people without the advanced degrees.

BC: For the non-high degree job, the most important is in the retail business. You know, restaurants, bookstores, all types of retail. So you have to make sure that retail does well, and for retail to do well, you have to make sure that it’s designed well.

Designed right. Retail, it’s going nowhere.

If you want people to shop, in Cupertino you have to make it convenient for people to shop and that is why our retail is not doing well. Okay. Cypress Hotel, I mean, the conference room can only accommodate 350 people.

EE: How would you improve Cupertino’s green image? More specifically, how would you do that in relationship to Lehigh Cement factory?

OM: Let me ask a question about the cement plant, do you think it’s important to be globally environmentally good, or— EE: I think I know where you’re going with this. You’re arguing that if we kick the cement plant out, some other country would be making it and— OM: —they’d be held to lower standards and you’d have to transport cement, so you know. We got a report done this morning, and we got to two things for the city. One is, look and see what our own footprint is, establish a baseline, you know, so we’ve got a program in the city to establish a baseline. That’s one of our goals. We’re committed to certain goals already through the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. But in the community report, it won’t have the cement plant.

That’ll be in the county’s part or whatever, because it’s a big stationary source.

BC: On the cement plant, there’s no central stack. There’s no way to collect the pollutant, no one to know. Health is being threatened for all of us. The Bay Area had the highest breast cancer rate —higher than the nation and actually the highest in the world. Then they did another study for Chinese women, it’s four to seven times more likely to get breast cancer than in Shang Hai or in Taipei. I’m not saying it’s related to that— I don’t know, but I mean we’ve got to do some study on it. All I’m saying is there may be some link to it, okay. And also the autism rate in CUSD is more than double the county… and we’re right next to this

SUSTAINABILITY of people do want to come live in Cupertino; how will you make sure that Cupertino is maintained the way it is now?

MN: I agree with the mayor that Cupertino is kind of built out at the moment, and also in terms of information that comes from the school districts, it hasn’t really specified that there has been impact on schools with new accommodations being built out here. With the new projects that are now in the stages as far as the city is concerned, there is a lot of affordable and housing for seniors and everything. So the schools are not really going to be affected anyway. And ever since the last couple of years when the city’s citizens have overwhelming denied any kind of unwanted density, I quite support that. But if there is, there has to be growth, which obviously comes with whatever little development will take place in the future, then that should be restricted

MN: I think the results are available online, if you Google these recent tests that were done, including at Stevens Creek Elementary school, you’ll be able to get information. But see, my thought is this, if I were part of the city, the city government, I would definitely work with the board of supervisors to find out what kind of investigations and tests we have put in place in line with what the norms laid out are for this. And if it is affecting our people, the health of our people, then obviously appropriate steps will be taken.

The cement plants around the world, not only here, have been asked to modernize their equipment, which will reduce their emissions of whatever it is to a norm laid out by EPA and whatever otherfederal and state governments. And actually, if the state finds that there’s no harms, then so be it.

DP: I think that what we can do is because the Bay Area Air Quality department which relicenses the factory to operate every year, has a board of 22 members. We need to do everything we can on the local level to get representation on that board. So currently we don’t have any people in Cupertino who are members of that board. I think we all agree with that.

CUPERTINO SQUARE

EE: How would you make sure Cupertino grows at a sensible rate so that education and other services are maintained? We know that a lot OM: I’ll start off, and then let everybody chime in. Three years ago we approved some projects that people thought were too fast. I was on the 3-2 vote to approve those projects. In that case, it was a lot, a lot of development in a very short period of time in one area of the city. A lot of people were concerned that that was too much. They were also concerned, in particular, about the impact on schools—which, that’s why people come to Cupertino, so therefore, they’re very protective of that. Those projects got overturned, those people got enough votes, to have a referendum and overturn that, and we learned something out of that. So, since then, things have slowed down, projects that have been approved from a residential point of view and have a senior housing component added to them, which doesn’t affect schools. We seem to have the right model now. The projects that have been approved in the last few years have community support, but maybe you have some different opinions on that.

stationary polluter, right here. We inhale the air every day. Because when they crash, when they break off limestone, crash it off, and burn it to 2,800 degrees, it can create some mercury, and according to the EPA it’s about 500 lbs evaporated into the air. We inhale that mercury! Long term effects, we may be fine now, but in a couple years we may be in trouble! Let’s face it, right.

to keeping the neighborhood elements around. As long as it’s within those parameters, I think it should be absolutely fine.

BC: Any development we have to look into carefully, and make sure it’s the right development for our schools and our traffic. Especially around the schools, it’s really hectic right now, and so far there’s been no solution and so we have to find a solution for that. Once it impacts our schools, it impacts our quality of life. What projects we review, have to be thought through and then get input from the constituents also. What happened in the past few years about the growth issue is city council just pushed through it, okay. They have the majority, they think they have the majority, they just don’t care about what the residents feel. I mean, in my opinion, that’s not right, that’s not how the government should be operated.

DP: Yeah, I agree with Orrin and Mahesh, regarding how we keep the sustainability in check, and don’t put too much pressure upon our schools. The Association of Bay Area Government requirements are allocated in 7-year increments, so between the years 2007 and 2014, we have a rough estimate of about 1,015 units that we’re supposed to put into the city. And I think if we were to kind of drill down, and look into the specifics of those units, what I would try to do is to focus those units on being kind of higher density in that focusing on the single professionals, or the professionals that are in couples, so that they’re nice spaces, but you’re not really encouraging a whole lot of families to move in. I think it really helps out, in regards to our overall aims as a city.

EE: Regarding Cupertino Square, what can be done about something that was once popular, but now is, from our perspective, a mess?

MN: So what is your point of view on the situation?

EE: Well, a mall that is empty on the lower level, has a staircase to nowhere, is a complete mess. What can be done about that?

DP: I’ll go. There is no magic solution to Cupertino Square.

It’s a story that can comprise 12 or 13 chapters.

OM: Two of them chapter 11s.

DP: Two chapter 11’s and maybe another one yet to come, but in terms of what we should do with it, if money wasn’t an issue, intermingling with development. There was actually a study done with Cupertino Square about what design would be optimal for it right now, and they basically said, you should take the main mall space, and, and blow it up so that the inside was outwards.

MN: It’s difficult to say, because, like I said, the economy becomes so tough really, you know in these times that it’s very difficult to say that this is the resolution for this. The city has no command over how they should develop it, I mean parameters and everything can be laid out to say, “Alright, this is what the city wants out of it. But you know, finally it’s the investors decide what they want.

BC: If you look at Santana Row, the economics is bad, but business is good. It comes back to the city council. When they approve projects, they have to make sure that the projects are working. I mean the basic rule is there, you cannot change it. The problem is, the city is caving to the developers’ needs and you have more units for residential and then they’re not looking into the retail and so the retail is really bad.

PAGE 6

EL ESTOQUE NEWS

OCTOBER 22, 2009

EARTHQUAKE: Service clubs, Scouts heavily involved in citywide drill continued from page 1

Nearly 350 different community service clubs at MVHS, Homestead, and Cupertino participated.

Senior Soumya Murag, president of Interact, felt the drill was a necessary precaution.

“It’s California,” Murag said. “There’s going to be an earthquake in the future, and I think after the drill, the city will [be ready in case of an emergency like an earthquake].”

Huang hopes the drill will be a reality check for the community and will cause residents to be more conscious of the ARK locations and free training offered by the city.

In the end, though, he feels the drill was as much of a learning experience for the clubs as for the residents.

“The service clubs should know a little bit more than the rest of the student body,” Huang said. “Our approach was that they should take on a higher responsibility in terms of learning how to help others.”

IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY...

You should have:

3

days worth of food and water weeks worth of medications

Communication plan already made with your family Meeting place for your family if you get separated Flashlight with extra batteries

For more information, visit the city’s emergency website: www.cupertino.org/emergency

Erin Chiu | El Estoque

OPERATION PREPARATION Junior Shanny Singer and senior Christine Feng check in volunteerst for a citywide earthquake drill on Oct. 17. The event was held to raise disaster awareness in memory of the Loma Prieta earthquake.

St. Bernard fetches criticism

Internet filter highlights gray area between violating rights, district duties

by Sabrina Ghaus

T

content is difficult to pinpoint.

“The black and white areas are the easy ones [to denote as obscene],” Recktenwald said. “It’s when you get to the gray areas that people’s rights get trampled on. There’s a famous photographer, Maple Thorpe, and all his photos are of naked men. Some people are going to call that obscene, but if you ask an art teacher, they’re going to say it’s art.”

In some other districts, the use of websites such as Facebook and YouTube is allowed and encouraged. In the Palo

here’s an invisible security device on every computer at every school in the district that controls what students and staff are able to see. St. Bernard iPrism.

Ever heard of it?

Internet filters are widespread throughout the nation, especially since Congress passed the Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA) in 1999, forcing schools to block sites that are “(A) obscene, as that term is defined in section 1460 of title 18, United States Code; (B) child pornography, as WHAT’S BLOCKED? that term is defined in section 2256 of Imeem Facebook title 18, United States DeviantArt Share music, Upload, share Social Code; or (C) harmful photos, videos, and discuss networking, to minors,” or they face and blogs works of art share media the prospect of losing valuable technology grants from the NewGrounds Playlist Xanga government.

Upload, listen Upload and Social The CIPA was to music by share Flash networking, originally intended various artists files, forum blogs to restrict schools from allowing sexual content to be accessed, but the FUHSD has extended that restriction Alto Unified School District, students to limited sites that would pose a potential are allowed to access both Facebook distraction to students. This is a violation and YouTube. The Palo Alto High School of freedom of information, according to library has a Facebook page, with links to online databases. However, FUHSD has Government teacher Ben Recktenwald.

“Some political philosophers, like other reasons for blocking access to video John Stuart Mill, say that in your first streaming sites such as YouTube, despite amendment rights you also have the the potential educational value. According freedom to access whatever information to District Coordinator of Technological you want,” Recktenwald said. “If you can’t Services Scott Harrigton, the district’s access information, it can hinder how you limited bandwidth would be put under pressure by the predicted upswing in participate in our democratic process.”

The district is mandated by law to video streaming that would be caused by block websites containing harmful matter. unblocking YouTube.

Teachers do have a way to convert According to Recktenwald, however, the line between “harmful” and “not harmful” YouTube videos so that they may use them

in class, but according to literature teacher Scott Catrette, the conversion files do not always work, and the process of trying to get certain sites unblocked for classroom use inhibits a useful educational tool.

This year, the district will be running a pilot program where teachers will be exempted from the Internet filter and access any information they need, according to math teacher Scott Deruiter.

The program will test the effect that unblocking websites for teachers will have on the bandwidth, and based on the results from the survey, may prompt the district to give teachers access to the entire Internet.

MySpace Deruiter was a Social part of a committee networking, founded by the district share media because of complaints from the teacher’s union about not being YouTube View videos, able to access material some for use in their educational classes. The debate over whether or not students, too, should have open access to the Internet appears to be somewhat of an argument over interpretation of the laws that exist.

In addition to the CIPA, the district is also obligated to adhere to the rules outlined in the California Education Code, Section 51870.5, prohibiting schools from allowing students access to sites which contain “harmful” matter defined by Penal Code 313 as content which “taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.”

Whether this includes blocking sites like DeviantArt, a forum for artists to share their work, YouTube, Facebook and other sites is up to the district to decide.

DE ANZA: Community college classes gain popularity continued from page 1

Johar says that the difficulty and pace of the courses have both benefits and disadvantages. While they might not be easy, the classes allow her to take as many as five AP classes in the time it takes to go through one at MVHS. Her goal is to take the bare minimum amount of core classes needed to graduate from MVHS, and to take additional electives at De Anza, eliminating two years of her college requirements and all the expenses that would come with those two years.

“It’s a different environment,” Johar said of her De Anza class. “Not everything is about the grade. There’s this 60 year-old person in my class, and he’s just there to learn how to do math again.”

Yet according to Montoya-Hernandez, students who decide to switch to De Anza fail to acknowledge a critical aspect of their decision. Classes at De Anza aren’t like those at Monta Vista − they’re actual college courses. They have a college-level pace and a college-level work load that many students might not be prepared for.

The preliminary deadlines on projects, help outside of class, and homework that counts for points, all of which help cushion a student’s overall grade, don’t exist in college. Though students may be doing fewer assignments, they’re each more heavily weighted.

“As much as students may think that classes at Monta Vista are difficult, the truth is, we hold your hand a lot,” MontoyaHernandez said. “In college, you read it, and either get it or you don’t. It’s not necessarily the best option for every student.”

n o i n i p o 7 Paying for grades: Tutors unnecessary PAGE 8

Are business clubs effective?

PAGE 9

Library tackles noise pollution

PAGE 10

Support Measure G

Students spend unnecessarily on tutors, neglect teachers’ office hours and offers for help

W

hy pay for something when you can get it for free? It seems obvious, but that kind of common sense is severely lacking at MVHS. While students can be frugal about everything from food to clothes, when it comes to getting help in classes, they close their minds and open their wallets.

The main purpose of a teacher keeping open office hours and being available outside of class is to provide a service to students by answering questions or clearing up any doubts. Sadly enough, however, most students fail to realize this fact and do not take time to ask their teacher for help outSTAFF EDITORIAL side of class.

Instead, they would rather spend hundreds of dollars getting tutored outside of school.

Almost every other Thursday after school, science teacher Jim Birdsong deliberatly stays after school and spends time in class, waiting for students to come and ask him questions about class material. Considering that his main subject, physics, is widely believed to be one of the hardest subjects offerred at MVHS, one would expect a long line to be forming outside his door. So far this year, Birdsong says that only about six students have come to him during this time for help. Yet students still con-

tinue to complain about their downfall at the hands of a Death Problem.

For some reason, students seem to have a misconception that if they did not understand the material being taught in class the first time, then there is no reason why they will understand it later, if it is being taught by the same exact teacher. What they fail to realize is that the whole point of teachers being willing to spend extra time with students is so that those who need extra help or more individualized attention can receive it.

Instead, some students feel that by being tutored outside of school by tutors who claim to have helped other MVHS students in the past and have copies of old tests, they are somehow getting ahead. If it were truly as simple as that, wouldn’t every student with an older sibling who attended MVHS have perfect grades?

This is not to say that external tutoring centers are by any means unnecessary, but it is vital to realize that the vast majority of students who choose to go to such places could instead be spending that same amount of time with the actual teacher outside of class, clearing up any doubts.

The fact of the matter remains that teachers are willing to help, all students have to do is ask. Instead, students continue their inces-

Anyssa Karnkaeng | El Estoque

sant whining about how they have “bad teachers” that “don’t know how to teach”, but fail to realize that they themselves are the ones who control how much they learn. It is impossible for each teacher to chase after every student and make sure that he or she has understood the material being taught in class. At this age, students themselves should be capable

of knowing when they need to ask for extra help.

So, going to talk to a teacher once a week during lunch and clearing up doubts? Or paying a private tutor $60 an hour to learn what could have otherwise been learned for free from the person who will actually be testing you on the content?

The choice is yours.

With great numbers of cyclists come great chaos and congestion School should improve organization of bicycle storage area for benefit of commuters

by Victor Kuo

W

ith a continually increasing student population, MVHS requires changes to its facilities to compensate for the growth. These chaotic and overcrowded facilities include locations such as the classrooms and the bathrooms, but one that is often overlooked by administration members, who mostly drive to school, is the bike racks.

Students need a way to arrive at school and for underclassmen who cannot drive, biking is the best solution.

However, as the number of students grows, the number of racks in the bike cage remains the same. More and more bikes fill up the cages to dangerous proportions, creating a serious issue that must be addressed.

When asked, numerous students complained about the cramped bike racks and the increasing number of bikers each year. Large numbers of students exiting and entering the bike cage at the same times cause jams — there is only one opening to enter and exit — and the narrow passage ways between bikes simply ask for chaos.

“It should be re-organized,” said junior Robin Cheng, a biker. “It should be easier to get in and out.”

Late-start Wednesdays are especially crowded due to the increased influx of cyclists, since many parents who start work early in the morning cannot drop off their children.

If students are forced to arrive early to find a safe slot for their bicycles, late-start just loses its meaning. Moreover, “Bike to School” days simply cry out irony when cyclists find a metallic mess and fallen bikes at the cages.

It is for days like this that the bike cage should be ex-

QUICK TAKE

by Christophe Haubursin

A snapshot of the issues surrounding campus today

Jiachen Yang | El Estoque

FALLEN FACILITY On Oct. 15, bikes strewn on the ground, twisted wheels, and congestion worthy of rush-hour greet cyclists at the bike cages. panded. In general, facilities have a maximum capacity, rather than a general amount. This maximum should account for predicted influxes of biking students on various days, such as Wednesdays. Obviously right now the bike cage is not prepared to host such large numbers of biking students. If the bike cage is not expanded, various hazards — created by pushing, shoving or other such actions — could potentially take place. In addition to hazards, it is also important for students to feel safe and secure when they arrive at school, rather than feeling stressed, disheveled or worried that there will not be enough spots.

Students, when asked, disagreed or did not know what

School gardening blows A classroom is naturally bursting with distractions. There’s the kid who can’t stop talking and those behind you who keep shaking your desk with every tap of their foot.

And then there’s the campus management employees outside whose leaf blowers emit a steady “brr,” drowning out every word the teacher says. All across campus, teachers can be seen closing their doors to eliminate the drone of the cleanup crew doing their job. Administration should seriously think about taking the initiative to reschedule this cacophonous part of tidying up to a time when class isn’t in session to maintain the best learning environment for students.

should be done about the bike cages but all agreed on the the fact that bike cages should be expanded. “They could put another opening on the other side of the cage,” offered Cheng. His is one of the many plausible suggestions that could greatly improve the bike rack situation. For example, Measure B money could be used to expand the bike cages, since the money is meant to improve the facilities of the school. The school could put the project higher on its priority list for improvements.

Those arguing against these suggestions say that bikers could plan ahead or find another method by which to come to school. Granted, students could plan ahead and arrive earlier, but in reality students at MVHS do not need another item in their schedules to worry about. Stressing about arriving to school on time because too many people might be in the bike cage is both unnecessary and unreasonable. Administration has a duty to ensure that students arriving to campus feel safe and comfortable, not rushed to avoid being late.

Biking is also a much faster way for some to arrive to school. There are those who prefer to avoid the long lines of cars in the morning. “There’s a lot of traffic in the morning so it’s a lot easier to bike,” agreed freshman Jeffrey Chen, who lives close to MVHS and bikes to school everyday. In his case, finding another way to school might not be a better solution.

For a single Wednesday, administration members should leave their cars at home to experience the hassle of navigating through the treacherous bike racks, retrieve their bikes from a mess of metal and see the bent bike wheels.

Website total makeover Thumbs up to math teacher Scott DeRuiter who recently renovated the school website with a significant increase in visual appeal. In addition to looking much better, the site now has an official system through which emails can be sent if someone wants something posted up on the site, and has a full archive of teachers’ daily schedules. The remodeling comes with a series of slideshow windows on the home page that cycle through photos taken around school, as well as direct links to teachers’ websites. All in all, the changes look great and provide students with much better resources.

School Loop, we have a problem For a website that should relay most of students’ crucial homework information, School Loop has become incredibly unreliable.

It’s developed a habit of crashing late at night and early in the morning, keeping students waiting for their academic lifeline to return. The company behind School Loop should take the time to ensure that the site is dependable at all times, thus preventing students from staying up until ridiculous hours clicking “refresh” again and again in desperation. Especially with teachers who use School Loop as their only way of posting homework and exchanging emails, the site needs to be functioning all the time. It’s ridiculous for students to be staying up late just to find out what their homework is.

Enough with the refreshing.

PAGE 8

EL ESTOQUE OPINION

OCTOBER 22, 2009

ROOM FOR DEBATE

Business clubs: Students profit or false advertising?

Clubs offer valuable experiences

by Jiachen Yang

Student Views

S

uppose that, in the near ously involve students in their future, you experience a community while offering singular instant of inspi- them the opportunity to interration: You want to purchase a act with real businessmen, see 20-year-old coffee bar, renovate their perspectives and gain the the entire environment, add a invaluable experience of actual bakery, and, further humoring collaboration. Similarly, DECA your ambition, you even wish members benefit from learning to serve diabetics and offer ca- an effective marketing strategy tering services. while enjoying employee disBut as plans play hide-and- counts at EA Games. seek in your mind, the bubble Though members are reof enlightenment bursts upon sponsible for their own growth, contact with the sharp realiza- these clubs create an environtion, “How in the world do I ment of motivation that fosstart?” That’s when experience ter their enthusiasm. Many of in a business club saves the day FBLA’s officers, like Vice Presi—and rakes in the profits. dent of Projects senior Christine DECA and FBLA, two na- Chang, started their journey tionally-recognized clubs, of- because of their friends’ persuafer students a taste of business sion, but grew to love the camanagement and the chance to maraderie of attending convendiscover their interests through tions and the interaction with hands-on experience. other enthusiastic competitors The coffee bar scenario de- at Nationals. scribed above is in fact FBLA’s Such a social environment state competition prompt, not only infuses energy into the which requires participants to experience, but also nurtures shape a realistic members’ interventure, request personal relationfinancial loans, ship skills and * shapes them into establish business contacts and put agreed business more confident decision-making clubs prepare stupeople. Students skills to the test— simply cannot dents for business gain these traits in short, to present a complete careers. through a class. financial plan.

Of course, A simple comparison dis- simulations cannot offer the inplays the truth: rising business- tensity of high-stakes business men benefit much more from proposals, and real interpersonsuch a high level of concept ap- al relations cannot perpetually plication, than what a potential resemble these clubs’ friendly scientist does from a conven- atmosphere. tional science club, which reBut the essential point is: lates to actual research—in no these clubs actively help memway at all. bers to enter the business arena, Aside from competitions, and experience cannot be reFBLA teams members up with placed by a textbook. Furtherlocal organizations, such as more, how can we blame them NASA, to implement partner- for claiming that they create ship plans, while DECA con- leaders? After all, this mentality ducts tours of businesses like embodies the spirit of a busiEA Games. These simultane- ness venture.

78 percent

Clubs do not teach real business

by Hannah Lem

S

“” “” Jiachen Yang | El Estoque

DECA is way too competitionfocused and it doesn’t devote much time to other activities like internships, so it’s not so useful in the real world.

—junior Lawrence Pan

Jiachen Yang | El Estoque

They’re a great way to learn about business, particularly the speaking parts since one of the major fears and challenges facing anybody who wishes to go into business is speaking in front of people.

—senior Jessica Yu

*Results from online survey of 81 people

tarting a business can be quit his junior year because he difficult, but keeping it felt as if he wasn’t really getting running is even harder. anything out of it. He says that Even though business clubs it’s good for the experience, he at MVHS have competitions was able to learn how to write where students are given a good business plans for compesimulation on how to write titions, but it’s not something financial plans and business that can ultimately prepare plans to get funds for starting a someone for the real world. business, there is no substitute Also, joining a business club for reality. Business clubs don’t is not very helpful if a person adequately prepare students for doesn’t put effort into spending the real world. the time and learning. Joining Although busia business club is ness clubs have not like joining a simulations, this community ser* cannot ultimately vice club. prepare students of those who think After the first for running busi- that clubs do not volunteer serness in the real vice, maybe like prepare students world.

Simulaspending an hour tions can help, for business careers cleaning the park, but they cannot say many of the there is instant simulate all of activities, like tests gratification. But the situations. and written combusiness clubs, There would not if you spend an petitions, are be a prompt askhour at a study ing for students to unrelated to realsession, you may write a financial world business. not have gained plan for starting a much. There is a business during a huge time comrecession with a war going on mitment and huge effort on the in the Middle East. part of the students.

Students would be able If students really wanted to to use their knowledge but it learn about business, and they would not guarantee the sur- spent an hour reading a busivival of that business. ness textbook, they may have There is not just the global learned more than a student situation that would affect a who went to a study session business, but also the personal and took practice tests all day. situations that each individual Many of the competitions are goes through. A couple trying written tests. to run a coffee shop would not “I think that they don’t serve be in the same circumstances the purpose of enriching busias Bill Gates, if he was trying to ness knowledge because you run a coffee shop. could basically get a book and According to senior Tarun reading it and self-quizzing.

Chaudry, the business clubs Many of the activities are just don’t even really prepare you test taking. It doesn’t really help for starting your own busi- you that much more than you ness. He had joined freshman can help yourself. It’s basically and sophomore year because like another class, a schedule he had wanted to learn about that you have to adhere to,” sestarting his own business but nior Naicheng Wangyu said.

68 percent

Aware but not prepared: ‘Duck and cover’ is not enough Current earthquake drill proves ineffective in readying students for next natural disaster

by Jordan Lim

O

n Oct. 16 and 17, fire stations, paramedics, and emergency response teams in Cupertino had a little more to do than usual.

Cupertino held a city-wide earthquake drill aimed at teaching effective emergency procedure. Similarly on Oct. 15, MVHS participated with 6.9 million Californians in the “Great California ShakeOut.” Although MVHS’ drill provided a commendable service to students and teachers by promoting emergency preparedness, when it comes to safety, the slogan “it’s the thought that counts,” just isn’t enough.

Both the Cupertino and state wide earthquake drills successfully promoted the idea that the next big earthquake could happen anywhere, anytime. This “what if” factor alone should pressure students to take our earthquake drills more seriously and urge administration to take one step beyond the usual duck and cover.

The way drills are conducted severely lacks authenticity and instruction. MVHS’ current drill merely consists of hiding under a desk for a minute, on the pretext of the phrase ‘duck and cover’. There is no instruction on what to do if, in the event

of a moderately large quake, the ceiling crumbles on top of the gum-covered desks, under which students chat to one another nonchalantly instead of paying legitimate attention, or what to do if one gets trapped in a classroom.

The current drill is a waste of time and simply not enough to prepare us for an actual earthquake. Since we are setting aside time to do the drill in the first place, we should attempt to make it as realistic as possible, so that students actually gain something from it.

Granted, it would be unrealistic for MVHS to do a emergency drill at the level that the city of Cupertino did, but the way the concept is currently approached is also unacceptable. Once the drill is over, emergency procedure is rarely ever brought up again for the rest of the year.

We should supplement the drill by actually running through the aftermath of the quake. Going through the evacuation procedure would make the drill more authentic and effective instructionally. The administration could also lengthen the drill and have teachers discuss possible scenarios and instuct students on what the proper responses would be.

Right now, not only is the drill insuf-

Anyssa Karnkaeng | El Estoque

ficient in regards to preparing us for any serious earthquake, the attitude of both teachers and students needs to be changed.

Students find the drills as a convenient waste of class time or as a perfect method to cheat on tests, and use the time to goof around. Teachers don’t like drills because it takes up instructional time.

Yes, students hold a responsibility for their safety to participate and take the drills

seriously, but administration and the staff also need to do a better job in improving the school’s attitude towards the drills.

Making sure that students are taking the simulation seriously and are learning how to respond during emergency situations are the supposed goals of the drills. However, the current drill falls short of meeting either one of these objectives, and need to be improved. After all, safety comes first.

EL ESTOQUE OPINION

OCTOBER 22, 2009

The punishment for commitment

We’ve all been taught that practice makes perfect. But CCS’s new policy restricts sports teams from practicing before the season starts.

There goes any hope of true dedication.

Jane Kim | El Estoque

Library volume control quiets students New noise policy allows for calmer studying environment

by Sahana Sridhara

W

hen you catch yourself reading the same line 20 times while cramming for the next FRQ in the library because there is just too much distraction from another person’s conversation, you know that something has to be done.

Librarians Jody Mitchell and Mary Ann Bouchard have indeed done something: they started using a new technique to control the library’s volume. During open periods, students must register their names into a Google Document after reading the library policies; the document is used as a roster for students using the library. They are then expected to sign in every time they use the library, re-establishing that they understand the library policies and are willing to abide by the rules.

An astounding number of students choose to use the library as a way to cut a class. It seems completely ironic that a student would miss out on an academic class to sit and chat in another learning environment. Other students have been seen to come in, open a snack, and begin to eat. When the whole campus is open to student use, students shouldn’t even consider eating in the library, let alone

Sahana Sridhara | El Estoque

PUNCHING IN Senior Sihan He signs the library’s new checklist on Oct. 16 before entering. enjoy their whole lunch inside. Some pull out cell phones and start talking, when they know that the library’s policy strictly forbids these acts. There is a reason why they forbid those things in the library; they are distracting to everyone. The staff can only be so kind while warning rowdy students to lower their voices, because one warning is simply one too many.

The new rules seem to have irked some students; however, if they can’t seem to remember what they signed in the beginning of the year, reiterating it makes complete sense. It’s puzzling as to why students who want to have a friendly conversation can’t do so outside or in the cafeteria, but insist on bothering those who are trying to get work done.

Bouchard has tried everything to lower the volume of the library, such as playing classical music in order to make a better working environment.

With the cafeteria serving as an indoor facility where people can be as loud as they want, Bouchard can’t help but wonder why the library attracts so much conversation. After tiring of having to send the same people out each day, the staff felt that signing the rules of the library would help students understand its purpose.

Kudos to the staff for buckling down.

You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.

If students can’t seem to understand the point of the library, and verbal and written cues don’t get the message across, then students have no reason or right to be there. The library is for working and outside is for talking. Simply said: figure it out or get out.

Naviance proves useful, seniors refuse benefits Statistics provide realistic perspective on college admissions

by Christine Chang

W

Naviance displays the average GPA of students accepted along with the GPA of the Naviance account user so they can easily be compared. Through this system, students can gain a clearer view of how they compare statistically to last year’s class.

While many argue that Naviance’s statistical approach fosters the stereotypical MVHS mentality of succeeding by means of grades and scores, the information it provides is undeniably essential in guiding students come application time. A survey conducted by El Estoque of 33 students showed that about one-third of a random pool of seniors made changes to their college lists or narrowed down possibilities after browsing through statistics on Naviance.

For seniors, applying to colleges has proven to be a stressful and sensitive topic.

Naviance is a reliable resource that provides straightforward background information to prevent seniors from using the “shotgun approach,” or applying to a large number of lowacceptance rate schools and leaning more on luck than on competency.

Rather than overlooking Naviance as just another network of college information, students should start taking advantage of its insightful guidance. The program is tantamount to a stuntman’s hand-eye coordination when aiming to shoot the apple set atop a fellow associate’s head.

So for the sensitive ones who disapprove of Naviance for publicizing those acceptance and GPA statistics, look at it from another angle. How would you like to miss the apple?

hen Naviance was launched for the first time at MVHS last year, hardly anyone took it seriously.

For many students, it simply translated into an additional test of patience during the registration process and another reason for Running of the Bulls to be dubbed Waiting of the Bulls.

But the real uproar came in May when every senior was required to disclose to Naviance their GPA, the colleges they applied to, and the colleges that accepted or rejected them. To many seniors, the new graduation requirement blared, “Fork over that confidential information or be stranded here forever!”

It was almost like blackmail.

But as this year’s seniors embark on the NAVIANCE TOOLS notorious application process, Naviance has How students can take advantage of Naviance: proved to be a valuable tool. But since most applicants still opt for more commonly used search engines such as Collegeboard or “About Me”: Take a personality type survey to decide on potential majors; use the resume Princeton Review to determine their “reach” builder for Secondary School Reports and teacher recommendation letters; construct your own and “safety” schools, Naviance’s resources Game Plan have often been overlooked. As opposed to the holistic range of data provided by “Colleges”: Search up fast facts on colleges’ acceptance histories of MVHS students; keep up to national college search engines, Naviance date on application and financial aid deadlines; get a brief summary of colleges by Fiske Guide centers on localized statistics because it contains an archive of average GPAs in “Careers”: Find out what knowledge and skills are required for a myriad of careers; discover correlation with college acceptances from what kind of tasks members in any field do; analyze wages by state and percentile MVHS’s own class of 2009. For every college MVHS students were accepted to last year,

PAGE 9

SARIKA PATEL

It’s all in your Head

My Paranoia

F

acebook has become a hassle. I can no longer log into my account just to write on someone’s wall. I’m hindered by hundreds of applications, useless quizzes, countless status updates, and unnecessary notifications telling me who has “liked” whose photo. But I don’t really care. Facebook has morphed from a social networking site into a gossip center.

The wall of shame

Cyber stalking has reached a whole new level with the wall-to-wall feature.

You can’t deny that, when someone repeatedly writes on someone else’s wall and their conversation shows up on your News Feed, it takes an immense amount of self-control on your part to refrain from eavesdropping on their conversation. By reading someone’s wall to wall you are following their conversation and invading on their interaction. Wall-to-wall should actually be a convenience for friends, not an eavesdropping tool for nosy people who want in on the latest happenings of one’s life. Furthermore, we are so worried about how others perceive us that wall-to-wall ends up being a fabricated conversation.

It’s censored and changed to appeal to an outside reader and mold their perception of us. Wall-to-wall doesn’t remain a conversation anymore because people know that others are nosy. It just becomes another place where you can tell people what you’d like them to know about you.

Picture imperfect

I see two common trends in Facebook pictures. There are the people who have a thousand-plus pictures, and there are others who continually untag themselves picture after picture and leave only 10.

Both sides seem to have their own view on Facebook pictures, but neither denies their importance. Those with thousands of pictures seem to fill their albums with photos that look exactly the same. The person looks as if they have gone around with their camera, thrown their arm around people, plastered on a big smile and pretended to be best friends. To a new “friend” on Facebook flipping through the album, this guy looks pretty darn cool with so many best friends pictures. Facebook says, Do what you’d like, and we say, “Okay, I’d like people to think I’m friends with everyone.” In comparison, untaggers might seem normal and less interested in what others think. Wrong. Continuous untagging only shows that they care so much about what others might think that they can’t stand to display an even mildly unattractive picture of themselves. So now, all that a new “friend” sees is jaw dropping beauty — the best smile, the best hair and the best disguise of who they really are.

About what I’d like to be

The About Me section is supposedly where the “real” information is, where people whom you have already met and established a decent friendship can “stay in touch” with you. But if you’re at the point where you’d like to stay in touch with them, isn’t an About Me section superfluous? I have a theory: this section gives you a blank canvas. The makers of Facebook say, “Here, take this. You can make yourself to be whatever you wish.”

So, no one is honest in their About me, and it’s all about how you’d like someone to think of you. Facebook should rename it About What I’d Like to Be. Since Facebook has sadly become so important in our lives, it’s almost like another first impression. You want to make sure only the best of the best is out there, and the real you gets dissolved somewhere with your Facebook identity.

PAGE 10

EL ESTOQUE OPINION

Letters to the editor Letters of any length should be submitted via e-mail [mv.el.estoque@gmail.com] or mail. They become the sole property of El Estoque and can be edited for length, clarity, or accuracy. Letters cannot be returned and will be published at El Estoque’s discretion.

Featuring irresponsible behavior hypocritical The article [“Fully licensed drivers, except not really”

by Natalie Chan, Sept. 23] asks why the driving regulations are so restrictive for adolescents. Some of the answers are found on the back page of that same issue, in a “Trend Watch” interview in which you profile with apparent admiration a student who routinely motorcycles as fast as he can, often over 100 mph, and at least once at 148 mph, on public roads. Such colossally poor judgment by a few is enough to make law makers want to protect all, and that’s quite plainly why you have to suffer the license restrictions that you complain about.

I have several decades of experience riding high performance motorcycles on the street and on road racing tracks, and I have been a track marshal for the MotoGP World Championships. I consider riding at such speeds on public highways to be a sure sign of foolhardy immaturity, and not something to be condoned, admired, approved, or endorsed by responsible journalists. You needn’t take my word alone for this. Ask [science teacher] Debbie Frazier, whose husband is now recovering from two broken hands suffered in a crash while riding his motorcycle in the relatively controlled and safe environment of a track day event at Laguna Seca.

Then ask our former EMT turned teacher [social studies teacher] Pete Pelkey, who will probably have insight to share what it is like to scrape up the remains of a street motorcyclist who instantly goes from vibrant young student to lifeless organ donor because macho overpowered good judgment.

Did El Estoque intend to present that reckless, childish, stupid, and dangerous behavior in a positive light?

I urge you to check objectively the context, placement, tone, and photo captions for your piece, and give my question due consideration. It’s a grim life and death matter, not a question of style and trends, and you have obligations to your readers to uphold.

— math teacher Jon Stark

Consider the consequences for interviewees The interview about the motorcycle [“148 mph“ by Victor Kuo, Sept. 23]: what were you guys thinking? It makes me look like a reckless squid who thinks he’s so damn cool. Why would you make the title “148 mph”?

You might as well change it to, “Kevin Chen smokes weed.” Not only does this make me look like an idiot, you are promoting reckless, irresponsible behavior.

I also repeatedly requested the article to be shown to me before being published, and that was never done.

Last year, another article was also written about me when I was kicked out of my house. I refused to have an interview, but [the interviewer] convinced me it may strengthen relationships between other students and their parents. In the article, I was referred to as a “suburban nomad” who “some mornings woke up helpless on park benches.” You didn’t even get your point across about helping others in the same situation.

How about the next time you guys write an article about someone, you put yourself in their shoes before you publish it for the whole world to see? And stop making things up just to fill up your newspaper.

“All letters become the sole property of El Estoque and can be edited for length, clarity, or accuracy. They cannot be returned and will be published at El Estoque’s Discretion.” You guys just can’t resist twisting other people’s words, right?

— senior Kevin Chen

SAT II measures test preparation, not intellect In her editorial [“UC policy hurts” by Vijeta Tandon, Sept. 23], Ms. Tandon seems to have a great deal of faith in standardized tests. Her argument that the UC’s decision to remove the SAT II requirement “sacrifices true intellectual capability for the sake of ethnic diversity” assumes that the tests are an equitable, accurate measure of intellect and that the only diversity achieved through the elimination of the requirement is ethnic.

More so than race, performance on standardized tests correlates with socioeconomic status; the higher the income, the better the resources, the higher the scores.

It seems that the high-stakes test is less about intellectual capability and more about test preparation. I hope that the valuable time kids spend poring over practice tests and prep books can now be used to develop true passion and demonstrate intellectual capability in ways that are meaningful and authentic.

— English and Journalism teacher Michelle Balmeo

OCTOBER 22, 2009

Measure G vital to schools Funds indispensable to maintaining quality of education

by Samved Sangameswara

I

t may seem like $98 doesn’t go very far these days. A couple of tanks of gas, a video game or two, not even a full prom bid. However, that $98 just might be able to save your teacher’s job.

In the upcoming November election there is a proposed parcel tax, Measure G, that would not only secure 50 teaching positions, but also keep class sizes at a minimum and fund technology use in classrooms.

Measure G is renewal of Measure L, a tax that demands the same $98 per parcel, a piece of owned property, to help fund our schools. Measure L is set to expire in 2011, meaning that if it is not renewed the future will be very bleak for the students of the class of 2012 and beyond.

So bearing that in mind it is clear what needs to be done: we as students need to do everything in our power to make sure that Measure G gets the two-thirds majority vote that it needs to be passed.

It’s no secret that we have an excellent faculty at our school. If Measure G fails to pass, FUHSD faces the elimination of 50 teaching positions across the five schools. That potentially means 10 teachers at MVHS. The elimination of the teaching positions will not only affect teachers but will also have a direct impact on the students. A reduction in faculty means an increase in class sizes. The district policy, which limits freshman English classes to 20 students per teacher, would have to be eliminated. Many English teachers claim that the 20 to one ratio is instrumental in helping students ad-

Stefan Ball | El Estoque

GET OUT THE VOTE Faculty and students, assembled in the parking lot of Lincoln Elementary school, plan their measure G campaign walk on Oct. 17. just to high school. The loss of such a program would certainly hurt future students.

In addition to losses from our staff, students will also see their course choices take a hit. The potential loss in funding would force the district to eliminate several classes. In such situations, honors and AP classes could be the first to be discontinued.

With all of these factors working for Measure G, it’s difficult to see why anyone would oppose it.

Still, there are those who are wary of the implications of the tax. The proposal has no expiration date and can be adjusted in response to inflation. However, the only reason the tax is collected and would

ever be adjusted is to secure the financial means to maintain the high standard of teaching and curriculum at our schools. It is not a “get rich quick” scheme for the district.

The fact of the matter is that the money Measure G will bring is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. If we want our schools to continue to function at the same high standards, we must make sure this parcel tax is passed. For those of you that will be eligible to vote, this means getting out and making your voice heard on Nov. 3. For the rest, it’s your civic duty to inform your parents, brothers, sisters, and anyone else who can and should vote to make sure to vote yes on Measure G and support our schools and teachers. Quite literally, we can’t afford to lose.

Illogical curriculum for a logical subject

Class misses the mark by overemphasizing programming

Jiachen Yang | El Estoque

PERPLEXED Junior Lawrence Pan stares at a long list of error messages on his screen during an AP Computer Science class on Oct. 14.

by Bhargav Setlur

O

ne of the main goals of high school is to find out what interests you and what doesn’t. For students who think they may be interested in pursuing computer science in college and after as a career, the wise thing to do is to take AP Computer Science at school. One would think that it is a great introduction to the world of computer science, a good experience whether or not you decide you actually like it. Unfortunately, that isn’t exactly true.

For those who do

not know what the class is all about, the best answer comes from the CollegeBoard website: “The Advanced Placement Program offers a course and exam in introductory computer science.” Selfexplanatory, one would think. But what courses must one complete before enrolling in AP Computer Science? As recommended by the math department, surely a strong background in Java is necessary?

Actually, no: the course is “designed to serve as a first course in computer science for students with no prior computing experience.” In fact, the course overview goes as far as to say that

prerequisites merely include knowledge of basic algebra and experience in problem solving. The words “programming” and “experience” only become conspicuous due to their absence from the description.

If CollegeBoard is not making things up, why is it that students without prior programming experience who enroll in AP Computer Science quickly find themselves overwhelmed by Java, program after program?

The answer is obvious: this course at MVHS diverges remarkably from what it is supposed to be teaching. In fact, AP Computer Science is nothing more than a programming course. The argument is not that the course is too hard – the general consensus among students experienced with Java is that AP Computer Science is not a difficult class. The issue at hand is more fundamental.

Why does a class that is supposed to start with basic principles – in other words, to build from the ground up – start with the assumption that students know something when they in fact may not?

The AP Computer Science class relies too heavily on the Java

programming language to expound the basic concepts of computer science.

This isn’t fair, because it puts students who don’t have programming experience at a direct disadvantage to students who can think in code.

For AP Computer Science to be relevant to its intended curriculum, then it is vital that any teacher who teaches the course takes a fresh look at the CollegeBoard course description. A true computer science would start with the most basic concepts of computers and how they work. If the class followed the curriculum, students with no Java experience should not be at a disadvantage.

Computer science can be understood with paper and pencil — sans the syntax.

The essence of a computer is not the program that it runs. but rather its reliance on logic and mathematics.

AP Computer Science must change — too many students are taught that debugging faulty programs is the key to understanding one of the greatest inventions of mankind.

PAGE 11

EL ESTOQUE CENTERSPREAD

OCTOBER 22, 2009

Students at MVHS are driven toward getting high grades, studying until the wee hours of the morning and employing tutors to help them in different subjects. But is the fad of getting tutoring when a class gets difficult just capitalizing education?

Paying out for grade A education Students shell out big bucks for tutoring to raise grades, solidify content knowledge

by Ashley Wu

F

or some students, attending public school may not be the free option that it is supposed to be. Regularly, students who feel as though they need extra help pay money to hire tutors or go to outside classes.

But when does paying for a private tutor begin to resemble paying for a private school education? Having to pay extra for a private tutor may not cost much at first, but the weekly chemistry and math sessions, along with SAT preparation classes, can add up to high prices that can come close to those of private schools.

Sophomore Timothy Hwang began math tutoring in sixth grade, when his parents felt that he needed a preview of the material being taught in class. His tutors teach a little ahead of the classes at school, giving him a basic idea of the concepts in the class. “[Being tutored] is like a safety net,” Hwang said. He goes to tutoring twice a week: one hour of math on Mondays, and one hour of chemistry on Wednesdays. His parents pay about $70 a month for these tutoring sessions.

Certain private schools have tuition fees lower than some tutors. Mitty High School’s tuition this year is $825. Saint Francis High School’s tuition fee, however, is $12,700. If Hwang were to attend Saint Francis, his parents would have to pay the equivalent of 181 months worth of tutoring fees, making tutoring less expensive than going to a private school.

Tutoring has become so important to some parents that they start their kids in tutoring early on. Some students have been going to tutoring for more than half their lives. Sophomore Rachel Lu went to math tutoring during her elementary school years. She has been going to an English tutor every Thursday since eighth grade not because she was doing poorly in school, but “to improve [her] skills,” according to Lu. “I don’t think it necessarily helps me get my A,” Lu said. “For writing essays, if I stop for a while, I kind of forget how to write, so [tutoring] just keeps me from losing what I’ve learned and helps me review.”

Although Lu feels that if she works hard enough she would be able to do fine without a tutor, to her it is worth the money to go.

See GRADE on page 12

PAGE 14

EL ESTOQUE CENTERSPREAD

OCTOBER 22, 2009

The profiles Three typical students, three completely different tutoring experiences.

The tutee

The tutee

The tutor

Tutored in: math, science, SAT

Tutored in: math, science, SAT

Tutors: Spanish 1, Biology, Algebra II/Trigonometry

Money spent: $3,000 total Thoughts: Does not find teachers

Money spent: $1,000 per

helpful because they just lecture.

Thinks tutors are better because they are paid directly by students.

“ “

I personally feel more comfortable asking friends than a teacher because I feel that I can communicate better with a friend.”

month since sixth grade Thoughts: Does not find it helpful because she has trouble with the tutor’s teaching style.

“

“

I decided to get a tutor because my teacher recommended it.”

— sophomore Avery Hua

— senior Adithi Chandrasekhara

What do you think about getting private tutoring?

[The tutor] improved my grade, but it is more like a bribe because you are paying someone to help you get a better grade.”

— senior Peter Tran

My friends usually understand different things about the concepts or the material in class, and if I don’t get one particular thing, they might have an answer. If not, then there is always the teacher.”

— senior Maunika Gosike

majority of students want A’s, and tutoring is the way to get A’s.

I don’t want to waste the teacher’s time, especially if it’s something I can figure out on my own. I think I learn it better if I go through the process of figuring things out rather than asking the teacher for help.”

— senior Lynn Chiao

“

Salary: $20 per hour Thoughts: Believes that the

“

Teachers have to attend to a whole bunch of kids, but a tutor is just one on one and they know stuff out of the curriculum. If you try hard in tutoring, you can get really far ahead and the tutor, in my opinion, explains in a way I can understand.”

— sophomore Richard Kwon

“

Sometimes in class I don’t feel comfortable asking questions or I have no idea what he is talking about, so I go to a tutor.”

— senior Doris Yeun

sports Interview with Serena Chew

PAGE 17

Athletes commit to colleges

PAGE 18

15

Tennis team on the rise

Stefan Ball | El Estoque Illustration

PAGE 16

Athletes play through various injuries, say playing through pain is just part of the game

by Tammy Su

W

hen senior Alex Spurzem first experienced the initial pain from his torn anterior cruciate ligament, his first reaction was to pray that it was a sprain.

“I was just hoping for no surgery, really,” Spurzem said, “because I didn’t want to be out of the season or out in general for, like, four to six months.”

Recent MRI results have confirmed a complete tear in the ligament, though, for which standard procedure is surgery and then a recovery period of several months.

As crazy as his story is, Spurzem isn’t the only one lying broken on the field.

No pain, no gain, goes the infamous athlete’s mantra. But as the fall sports season moves forward, it is becoming apparent from student-athletes across all fall sports that the “pain” here refers not only to pushing oneself to the limit, physically—but actual injuries.

According to Physiology teacher Katheryn McElwee, pain is a warning indicator, a signal that something is wrong and causing tissue breakage. Although there are “good” types of soreness, McElwee emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between these and the sharp, extreme jolts of pain that show a problem. In fact, sophomore

Rachel Chiou, currently in her first season on the Cross Country team, received an unexpected surprise early in the season when a dull pain began to emerge as she was running. Brushing it off as good soreness, she was surprised when the pain got to an extreme at the Artichoke Invitational Meet on Oct. 3.

“I’m not sure if ‘exploded’ is the right word,” Chiou said, “but the pain got really strong and I didn’t even have to put pressure on it to hurt.”

In spite of her hurt leg, Chiou isn’t backing away from the nature of the sport.

Rather, she anxiously wishes to continue her sport —though she admits that she feels the pain in her leg every step of most runs.

“I want to run again,” Chiou said, “it’s just a lot more fun, and you’re outside and with everyone else.”

Field hockey senior Ramya Kedlaya isn’t a stranger to pain, either. She has been suffering from various leg and foot problems since she was six years old; doctors have been unable to pinpoint a specific cause or problem. Though she participated in classical Indian dance since she was young, her leg pain got to a new level once she joined field hockey her freshman year. She plays left mid for the team, a position that serves as the connection between the two ends of the field, and requires running for

much of the playing time.

“Honestly, I’m in enough pain to basically sit out of practice every day,” Kedlaya said. “I don’t because it’s been with me for so long, and I know it’s not going away anytime soon, and field hockey is important to me.”

She has taken to, carrying around her own tape, because its quicker to tape her injuries out on the field than waiting in the training room. She also copes with the pain using ACE bandages, ice, and painkillers when necessary. Kedlaya does maintain that she knows her body well, and won’t allow herself to be played in a game if she knows she needs to sit out. At the same time, she does push herself to do her best for the team.

“My teammates don’t get upset with me if I can’t play a game or have to sit out of practice,” Kedlaya said. “They’re really supportive and really want me to take care of myself. I definitely don’t play because I know they expect it from me or anything, it’s because I’m a part of the team and I want to contribute.”

For some athletes, sitting out means longer than just a game—and Spurzem can attest to that. Tearing one of the four major ligaments of the knee during the second game of the season, Spurzem has had to sit out of many games and practices. This injury comes at an inopportune time for

Spurzem, because not only is this his senior year, but he has also been playing football since the sixth grade—one of the oldest veterans of the team. Before the fate of his leg was sealed, though, he still entertained the possibility of playing his senior night and expressed his disappointment at not playing that game.

“I really don’t know what’s going to happen—it all depends on the results of this MRI,” Spurzem said, days before results were released to him, “but hopefully, if it’s not completely torn, Coach will let me gradually start training again in time for senior night.”

As it stands, Spurzem is officially out for his last season. Even now, it’s not the pain that’s on his mind—it’s the loss of his last chance to play.

“I’m still going to go to the games, but I’m not going to be on the team anymore. I mean, I like to watch but, not when I can’t be a part of it,” Spurzem said. “It just sucks.

I’ve never been hurt like that before.”

At the end of the day, Chiou summarizes the situation of injured athletes.

“I didn’t go into this season thinking I was going to get hurt, and I don’t think anyone does,” Chiou said. “I’ve kind of accepted the pain, but at the same time, I’ll be sticking with the sport and the team as much as I physically can.”

Basketball adjusts to CCS crack down on off-season practicing Team now holds open gyms, not practices, during fall in compliance with new rules

by Natalie Chan

I

t is time for student athletes to spend more time in the Academic Court than on the basketball court.

According to the Santa Clara Valley league commissioner, Tony Nunes, the Central Coast Section (CCS) of the California Interscholastic Federation has a new rule for schools to follow: no basketball team is to host practices during the preseason. Any basketball played by members of the team must occur without coach supervision.

The new policy was enacted because many teams were being coached year-round rather than just during the season Nunes said. Students could not participate in other activities because they were committed to their teams even off season. The policy is an effort to ensure that players are students first and athletes second.

As boys basketball coach Matt Tait stated, “The rule would be, in theory... to keep coaches from practicing year-round and overworking the kids.”

Nunes stated that this is meant to be enforced by the schools’ own loose-lipped students and coaches. The players would inform their friends of illegal practices and eventually another school’s team would hear and inform CCS. If a team violates the policy, it will be put on probation; if the team continues to step out of bounds, it may be forbidden from entering in the playoffs and denied from CCS. The basketball team has adapted to the new rule by having more open gym sessions instead of official team

practices. The open gym sessions are for all students, not just members of the basketball team. In these sessions Tait does not run any drills in compliance with the CCS rules.

Instead, the boys who show up divide themselves into teams and play games of pick-up basketball or just shoot around with each other. The open gyms are also held during seventh period on Tuesdays and Thursdays, not outside of school time.

Still, many students who would have come to official practices off season give their time to play basketball now.

In this way, the new rule is helping the students grow stronger as a team because there is no coach to order drills and scrimmages; he is only allowed to open the gym doors and take out the basketballs. Tait said, “They want to be there... They have to make the teams. They have to run it... it’s good for them.”

According to him, the policy will not affect the team’s performance this year as it was only designed to control coaches who truly overwork their student athletes. Other schools in the league may have coaches who mandate practices excessively, keeping student athletes from fulfilling the first half of that title.

“Is that how our program works... Is that how the majority of programs work? No,” Tait said. “The rule is made for that one coach who practices year-round, not for the other 99 percent of the coaches.”

Even without Tait during the preseason, the team is not at a disadvantage. Varsity boy basketball senior Krish Rangarajan said, “We can take care of ourselves.”

Samved Sangameswara | El Estoque

OPEN GYM Senior Eli Cagan dribbles past senior Aditya Mangipudi at an open gym session on Oct. 15. In compliance with new CCS rules, the basketball team is now only holding open gyms in the off season, instead of traditional team practices.

PAGE 16

THE PAGE THE PLAYER

OCTOBER 22, 2009

EL ESTOQUE SPORTS

A LOOK BACK AT THE MONTH IN SPORTS

SERENA CHEW - VARSITY VOLLEYBALL

THE GAME

VARSITY GIRLS FIELD HOCKEY VS. LYNBROOK

Serena Chew #1

MinhPhoto Bui | El Estoque Stefan Ball | El Estoque Illustration

Freshman Serena Chew stands at 4 feet 10 inches, but she makes a big contribution to the girls varsity volleyball team. The only freshman, Chew can be spotted on the court in her alternatively colored libero jersey. The libero is a position generally reserved for the best passer on the team. It is clear that although she is one of the newest members on the team, her talent does not go unnoticed. Chew is playing an integral part in the team’s success so far this season.

EL ESTOQUE: Since you are the only freshman on the team, do you feel like you have to work harder to prove yourself?

SERENA CHEW: Well in the past, freshmen had to shag balls for the seniors. But I feel that on this team everyone is like a family, and we’re pretty much equal. But that makes me work harder to prove myself.

EE: Is it easy to get along with the upperclassmen on the team?

SC: It’s not easier but it’s a different relationship. I’m the baby of the team and they treat me like a little sister. At Kennedy I was on the C team, which meant I played with seventh and eighth graders. But I usually play with people of the same age group.

EE: How does having so many injured players affect the team?

SC: We could do better at games with them, but we’ve still won the games that we need to. We have to or else Ando would kill us.

EE: Is Ando different from other coaches that you’ve had?

SC: He’s different and he’s similar.

I’ve had a variety of coaches. Ando works us pretty hard. The first week of tryouts was the hardest, but he’s pretty lenient on us I think.

THE TEAM

EE: Is there anything that you want to accomplish by the end of the season?

SC: I want our team to go to CCS. And I just want to play my hardest every game. Since so many people are injured, everyone has to step up their game a bit more.

EE: Does your height affect how you play volleyball?

SC: Everyone thinks volleyball players are like Barbies, tall and thin. I’m not exactly that. It’s easier to play if you’re taller, but I don’t see my height as a disadvantage for back or front row.

EE: I know that in other sports, like cross country or basketball, that individuals are just as important as the team, is that also true in volleyball?

SC: Volleyball is still an individual sport because I am constantly taking stats and competing with myself. I tell myself that I have to get better and I have to be focused. If one person goes down then the whole team goes down, so it’s very much a team sport, too.

EE: Do you want to continue playing in college?

SC: I’ve never really thought about it, or considered it as an option.

But maybe I will later.

Minh Bui | El Estoque

ATTACK Senior Jennifer Nguyen confronts a Lynbrook player for possession of the ball during the game on Oct. 9. The varsity Matadors were unable to hold off the Vikings and lost 0-2.

MONTA VISTA MATADORS

0

by Sarika Patel

A

ll it took was five minutes. Within the first five minutes the Lynbrook Vikings scored two points and little did anyone realize that was the last time the ball would enter the goal for the rest of the game. The team faced a disheartening loss of 0-2 against Lynbrook.

The team wasn’t ready for Lynbrook’s powerful start. It took them by surprise, leaving them vulnerable the rest of the game. After the quick lead Lynbrook made, the MVHS girls stepped it up and matched the Lynbrook force for the rest of the game.

A majority of the game was played in the center of the field and neither team let the ball near their goal. Junior Mariel Little in the first half, and senior Rhian Hardee in the second half, were strong goalies and were able to hold a strong defense after the first five minutes. “We weren’t prepared for them and we were playing badly overall,” senior Ramya Kedlaya said.

This year the team is faced with a huge challenge of proving themselves to the rest of the league. After the team’s performance last year, they were almost moved down from B League to C League but managed to secure their place for at least one more

LYNBROOK VIKINGS

2

season. This season, the girls must prove that they are capable of staying in the B League.

“We always lose a lot of important seniors, but this year we have ten seniors on the team so our entire starting line up is experienced,” captain senior Crissy Stuart said.

Even after their loss against Lynbrook the girls have a chance of going to CCS but they must win almost every game they play for the rest of the season. “We’ve already lost three games so we definitely need to start working together and scoring more,” Stuart said.

The team’s next game against Prospect looks promising and can help secure their spot in the B League and maybe even take them to CCS. The team never had a chance to play Prospect last year because Prospect was in the C League and was just recently moved up. This levels the playing field and gives the girls a strong shot at beating them.

Hopefully the girls can get their rhythm back before the game against Prospect on Oct. 26 and ensure their spot in B League and move on from their loss against Lynbrook. “Something just didn’t click that day, but I know that our team is skilled and when we get our rhythm going we will be unstoppable,” Kedlaya said.

THE PLAYERS AND PERSONALITIES OF VARSITY BOYS WATERPOLO Stefan Ball| El Estoque

OCTOBER 22, 2009

EL ESTOQUE SPORTS

Gymnast goes for the gold Junior Brandon Judulang climbs national ranks in gymnastics

by Jordan Lim

B

randon Judulang is going for the gold.

Judulang, a 5-foot-6-inch 145 pound junior is a nationally-ranked gymnast who has his eyes set on competing at the collegiate level and hopefully in the 2016 summer Olympic games.

Judulang practices year round, six days a week, four hours a day, with his team at the California Sports Center.

“The practices are definitely tough. My coach says that anybody who doubts how tough gymnastics is should come to our practices and try and do what we do,” Judulang said. All the long hours of practice and dedication have certainly paid off for Judulang. Over his 14 years in the sport he has gone through the rankings and is currently a level 10 gymnast, competing on both the state and national scene.

“I’ve been at level 10 since freshmen year. The ranking goes one through ten. After that it’s the collegiate level and if you’re good enough, the national teams and the Olympics.” Judulang is confident about his future. “I definitely want to continue gymnastics in college,” Judulang said. “I’ll go anywhere that has a gym program.”

Although nationally ranked, there are roughly 150 other gymnasts his age who are competing on the same level that he is. Very few colleges have gymnastics programs and the competition to get into one is extremely high. Judulang will have to very perform well at Nationals next year in May if he wants to stand out in the eyes of the college scouts.

“It really comes down to making nationals. All the scouts are there and you really have to perform well.” Judalang’s competitions start in December. He will compete in several throughout the season to qualify for the regional championship, where he will need an all around score of 76.5 to make it to National Championships.

Last year, Judulang placed 16th in Regionals (West and Southwest US) and placed 38th at Nationals for the 14-15 year-old age group. At both Regionals and Nationals, Judulang will compete in all the male gym-

W

For the LOVE of the GAME

S

ometimes I feel that the way we cover sports here at El Estoque is questionable. Case in point, we have a policy here, a ridiculous policy in my opinion, that states that we should strive to cover all sports equally. Quite frankly, though, all sports are not equal.

Keep in mind I am no athlete by any means. However, I am a fan, probably along with the majority of you. That means for us, sports only serve one purpose, to entertain. I challenge you all to bring me a single person on this campus, who’s not a runner, who finds watching cross country as entertaining as watching football.

Welcome to the real world

Stefan Ball | El Estoque

SHOWSTOPPER Junior Brandon Judalang prepares to tumble in the 2011 powderpuff routine on Oct 1. He employed many gymanstic techniques in the routine. nastic events (high bar, vault,floor Exercise, pommel horse, rings, parallel bars), but will need to improve on his weaker events if he wants to place higher then last year.

“My best event is definitely the floor exercise and I usually get high scores from the judges. But pommel horse is my weakest event by far and I need to do better in that event to boost up my overall scores.”

Ultimately, Judulang is aiming to take his gymnastics beyond competing in college. “I

would like to go to the Olympics. I’m probably not going to be ready for the 2012 games, but I think I can make the 2016 games. I’d be around 22, 23 years old. In my prime.” Judalang could be the first MVHS alumni to represent the US in the Summer Olympic game.

“Competing at the Olympics is one of my biggest goals in life. It would make everything that I’ve worked for worth it.”

Three seniors sign early to play intercollegiate sports

hile students are gearing up for the grueling college application process during the fall of their senior year, seniors Cheryl Kute, Victoria Lee, and Michelle Pao are taking it easy.

They are already ahead of the game.

All three student athletes have verbally committed to the schools of their choice, Division I schools in their sport: Kute to San Jose State for soccer in May, Pao to Pepperdine University for soccer in March and Lee to UC Davis for volleyball in September of this year. To verbally commit is to tell the coach that you will be attending their school after they have given you an offer, but it’s a long process until then.

“When you’re a freshman, sophomore, or junior you have to initiate everything,” Kute said. “You can call [the coach] and if they pick up you can talk to them for as long as you want, but they aren’t able to call you and initiate anything. So it’s up to you to get yourself known.”

Getting accepted to UC Davis was a dream come true for Lee. She had already emailed the coaches asking them about scholarships when they replied, saying that they were already done recruiting. Lee didn’t even think that she had a chance to go to UC Davis to play volleyball, but went to a camp run by the head coach and some players on the team over the summer.

“I thought to myself, ‘Go big or go home,’” Lee said. “I went all out and the head coach took notice of me. The coach told [my dad and me] that they were not supposed to recruit anymore, but [that] they might be

SAMVED SANGAMESWARA

Second class sports

Early decision: Athletes commit to colleges

by Aileen Le

PAGE 17

GOING PLACES

Victoria Lee Lee will attend University of Calfiornia at Davis in 2010 for volleyball.

Cheryl Kute

Michelle Pao

Kute will attend San Jose State University in 2010 for soccer.

Pao will attend Pepperdine University in 2010 for soccer.

interested in taking me on anyway.”

Pao explains that when a soccer player gives a college a verbal commitment, she can back out anytime, but the coach cannot back out from his promise, including financial aid. The email that the coach sends about what his offer is, is the athlete’s hard copy.

“If some other school you like better gives you an offer, you can back out and say ‘sorry, I got a different offer,’” Pao said.

“It’s rude, but people do it.”

Volleyball players can also back out of a verbal commitment, but it’s almost unheard of.

“It’s just something that you don’t do, like an unwritten code,” Lee said. “The coach doesn’t and you don’t unless you look down on college volleyball society.”

While all of their classmates are stressing out about college now, these athletes had to worry about it a year ago. Pao explains that the recruiting process starts earlier every year since the schools are competing

to get the best players that they can, with some athletes committing even their sophomore or junior year.

“People are panicking since everyone is committing and they think all the spots are being taken,” Pao said.

Although she believes it does make life easier, she still has to go through the same application process. The coach will tell an athlete to turn in their application earlier so they can talk to the admissions office if there is a problem.

“I feel kind of bad because I don’t have to go through what everyone else is and stress out over where to put the comma,” Lee said. “People are happy for me, but probably wonder to themselves that ‘dang, I wish that was me.’ I don’t wish that this whole process changed at all. It’s perfect.

I know where I’ll go past high school and can focus more on the people and things that I’m interested in and genuinely care about. And playing college volleyball Division I? It’s so surreal.”

Okay cross country runners, before you all scurry on out and attack me, let me defend myself. I’m sure you are all excellent athletes who are very good at what you do.

However, that does not make your sport at all interesting. Watching people run is the athletic equivalent of watching paint dry.

And don’t worry runners, you’re not alone. In my opinion, we should condense coverage of every sport excluding football, basketball, soccer and baseball down to maybe a page every issue or two, just like it is in the real world. Water polo, track, tennis, and really all other high school sports; keep on doing what you’re doing, just don’t expect anyone to be interested. There’s a reason why baseball players make tens of millions of dollars each year and we only care about the 100 meter dash once every four. Some sports are naturally superior to others in the eyes of the spectator.

My defense

Now I’m not just writing this column to be mean and bash on the boring sports. I’m writing this because in the two years and two months I’ve been a member of this fine publication, I don’t think a month has gone by without at least one random athlete coming up to me and whining about how “we totally ignored their awesome sport in the last issue and they work so hard and totally deserve recognition.”

Being the non-confrontational person that I am, I never have the heart to just tell them that their sport is wholly uninteresting to watch and that no one outside of their parents, sibling, and significant others really care what happens to them. So I came up with the idea of writing this column. From now on I have a published response for that dreaded question and I can easily direct them to this column.

Fire Away!

As I now prepare for the flood of angry athletes that are bound to come my way, armed with reasons why this column is complete garbage and that their sport is infinitely more interesting than football, I want to lay the ground rules down for attacking me. You are all more than welcome to send me all the hate mail you can write, my personal email is samveds@gmail.com and I hope to one day amass enough angry letters to publish them instead of write a column. My one condition for hate mail is that I recieve no challenges. I know all you swimmers, as comotose as your sport is to watch, can absolutely destroy me in a race. I will be the first person to admit that so, there is really no need to send me a, “Do you think you could do better?” letter.

Aside from that, I’m all ears. I would love to hear what you think about my view of your sport. You know where to find me: anywhere but at one of your games.

PAGE 18

EL ESTOQUE SPORTS

OCTOBER 22, 2009

Boy factor in female-dominated sport Only male on both Cheer and Song teams leads through talent, not just novelty

by Jane Kim

O

ne group takes up the center of the gym amidst the roaring cheers. The beat starts. The barrage of movements shows the group dancing through its individual members. In the center is the one who breaks the all-girl uniformity. The only male member in Cheer and Song: and he’s good.

Senior Daniel Chang is captain of both of the femaledominated sports. There’s no questioning Chang’s talent.

He first started to dance on and off in middle school by taking classes for Leaps and Turns as well as Jazz. Then someone suggested that he try out for Cheer in his sophomore year. Later he join Song in his senior year, as co-captain for the team.

“I enjoy [dancing], that’s the main reason I stay in it,” Chang said. “But I like being the best. And I like being able to go to competitions and have people say ‘Ohh, it’s Monta Vista! They’re going to dominate.’”

It is not unusual to see boys on cheer teams at other schools. However, it is very unique to see those boys dancing well.

“Some cheer teams have guys who are really bad and really stand out,” senior and co-captain of Song team, Megumi Sugimoto said. “They don’t really know what they’re doing. They can throw girls into the air but they can’t really dance, and it is really obvious because they’re guys.”

The participation of boys in female dominated sports such as Cheer and Song is unique. Chang draws a lot of attention because of this and inevitably sticks out among the rest of his team members.

“Since I’m a boy, I know I stand out. The girls will blend in with the others on the performance floor,” Chang said.

“But with me, the judges will always be able to pinpoint where I am.”

Senior Wendy Hsiao, current member of Song, agrees that Chang certainly is easily spotted in the routines.

“When we perform [in rallies or at games] everyone mostly focuses on him, so the rest of us kind of fade out,” Hsiao said. “But in competitions I think judges probably look at everyone.”

However Chang doesn’t view the extra attention as negative. He believes it helps him receive feedback and motivates him to do the best he can to help his team.

“Although it is inevitable that I will stand out,” Chang said. “I think about how the team can perform better all together, rather than just me standing out.”

Sugimoto also sees his dance talent as a positive factor.

“Daniel’s different because he can dance, that’s a major thing,” Sugimoto said. “He is strong but he’s also really helpful to have on the cheer team, because he can be a spotter for a flier and he can also dance. He can do that without looking ugly or destroying the routine.”

According to Chang and Sugimoto, the presence of a boy in Cheer and Song help judges to remember the team.

Thus the routines are strategized accordingly.

“Because he’s a guy he’s going to get solos because he’s different,” Sugimoto said. “It’s helpful that he’s good because if he gets all those solos and he sucked then it would destroy the whole routine.”

Chang is always thinking about improvement. He may be the only boy on the Cheer and Song teams, but that doesn’t keep him from thinking about his fellow team members. As captain he is constantly thinking about the team as a whole despite the attention he attracts.

“This is not an individual sport, it is a team sport so I have to notice what everyone else is doing around me so I can give my teammates pointers to help them improve,” Chang said.

Not only does he better his teams, but Chang also enjoys watching the teams’ growth. He may be the focal point in the routines, the minority in the competitions and good at what he does. But he is all for the team. He is the only boy.

But more than that, he is their fellow dancer.

Stefan Ball | El Estoque

ONE AND ONLY Senior Daniel Chang performs with the Song team at the Homecoming rally on Oct. 9.

On the way to the top: girls tennis hungry for championship Team hopes to recapture success of past years, aims for league title and beyond

by Roxana Wiswell

T

Ingrid Chang | El Estoque

FIRE AWAY Senior Annalisa Choy serves the ball in a match against Homestead on Oct. 15.

he girls varsity tennis team is up and coming after a brief lapse in a long history of CCS domination.

A winning streak of four Norcal Championships in the years 2003 through 2006 was interrupted by a second place finish in 2007 and even lower in 2008, but now the team is back on the rise and optimistic about this year.

In the past two years, girls tennis has lost many players to graduation and time conflicts, and not gained enough freshmen to make up for it. But this year, the team has everything going in the right direction.

With four freshmen added, a full roster, and several nationally-ranked players, the team has had great success this year.

Lead by four-year varisty vetrans seniors Annalisa Choy, Tara Nguyen, and Melissa Kobayakawa, as well as junior phenom Sylvia Li, the girls have become a force to be reckoned with so far this season. As of Oct

16 the team is undefeated in league, having won nine matches.

The team also won first place in the California High School Tennis Classic in October, a tournament that the team had not won in two whole years. The deciding match of the tournament was played against Corona del Mar High School, a team that had defeated MVHS last year in the tournament.

“The rivalry was really on,” Vynnie said.

MVHS won, proving the strength of the team this year.

The championship match was suspenseful, since MVHS and Corona del Mar High School were tied until Li won the final round.

“I was so nervous!” Li said. She performed under pressure to get the win. Li has been a key factor in success this year, ranked 78th in the nation for her grade.

The players also have a winning attitude that has helped them do well this season.

“We’re all really focused and intense,”

Vynnie said.

The girls maintain team spirit, despite the fact that they all practice separately with private coaches and only have matches as a team. The players cheer for each other during matches and keep the support going throughout their season.

The pressure is on for CCS in November.

Coach Gene Fortino is hopeful, but careful not to be too cocky.

“We have a very tough league,” Fortino said. “We’re much better than last year, but there’s a lot of good teams.”

As the team prepares for their match against Los Altos today, and they wonder about who they will face in CCS this year, some players are eager to play Mitty again with the team’s stacked roster and new strength and confidence. In 2007, MVHS lost to Mitty in the Norcal Championships, coming in second place. In 2008, MVHS lost to Mitty in the semifinals of CCS, not even making it to Norcal.

“I want a rematch,” Vynnie said.

Do you want to see your ad here?

Contact us at

mv.el.estoque@gmail.com

a&e PAGE 20

Senior’s film-making passion

PAGE 22

Students compare unique sleep habits

PAGE 23

19

Alumna gains fame through YouTube

Art & Soul Photo illustration by Sabrina Ghaus

Prospective art school students recount the process of application and portfolio assembly

by Victor Kuo

A

rt is the human imagination on paper: infinite in possibilities and impossible to fully understand. As free-flowing as art is, it is only natural that art schools follow a similar format. For art school students, everything from the application process to the opportunities offered is as open as the art they create.

The application process for art school contains similar aspects to non-art universities, although some parts are completely different. While most private colleges require similar applications— high school transcript, SAT scores, personal statement— art schools put a much stronger emphasis on the talent and work ethic of the artist rather than his or her grades and other achievements. “[The college admissions officers] don’t

base [their decision] mostly off of academic stuff, though you can’t be failing,”senior Jocelyn Mo said.

Mo is currently working on her application to those schools, especially focusing on the essay and portfolio portions of the application.

“The essay is mostly based on art, like how it affects you or what difference it has made in your life,” Mo said. “Art, art, art; not school, grades or GPA.” Despite all the essays to write and all the forms to complete, the part of the application that holds the most weight is the student’s art portfolio. All applicants are required to submit a collection of works in addition to their regular application. The contents in a portfolio range from sculptures to graphic designs to paintings— whatever will impress the admissions of-

ficers the most.

Most schools ask for a broad range of subjects in the portfolio. “I plan on adding life drawings, acrylic and water color pieces and more still life drawings,” said senior Jamie Lee. Finally, when that long-awaited acceptance letter arrives in the mail, the new student can access the huge range of opportunities and majors art school offers, including fine arts, communications, fashion and management. “[Parsons] is mainly known for fashion,” said Denise Nguyen, an MVHS class of 2007 alumna who now attends Parsons College in Manhattan. “But there’s other majors such as fine arts, communications, such as graphic design and architecture, and management, which includes business and design elements.” But in all of these differ-

ent majors, the art students have one thing in common: the number of hours that the spend on their different commitments.

“You love [art], so it takes up your whole life up until the point that you hate it,” said Nguyen. “There are so many things to do and learn that you end up having to manage time very well.”

Nguyen’s schedule revolves around school. She spends 33 hours per week in class, dedicating 12 hours a day to schoolwork. Her classes include a variety of core classes, such as design and liberal art electives. However, as busy as school gets, she still loves New York City and her major.

“I like making things,” Nguyen said. “I believe art and design can do a lot for the world-most people don’t realize that everything you use or touch is designed by someone.”

Family of six: Yearbook girls to complete fifth year together Girls from the El Valedor staff share inside jokes from their five years of working together

by Mansi Pathak

W

hen senior Katherine Frazer thinks back to her yearbook class five years ago, she remembers crawling under the computer tables and falling asleep. Senior Grace Chao remembers the “late nights” when they would stay after school for one hour. And senior Hannah Lee remembers sneakily eating her lunches in the classroom. Now, five years down the line, Frazer is the El Valedor design editor, Chao writes for the academics section, and Lee is a senior section editor.

Seniors Katherine Frazer, Connie Lu, Hannah Lee, Jessica Feng, Tiffany Ku, and Grace Chao all joined the yearbook staff in seventh and eighth grade at Kennedy Middle School and have been hooked ever since-- joining the El Valedor staff for their sophomore, junior, and senior years. Along the way, the girls have spent countless hours together writing, designing, and taking Photobooth pictures on the A111 computers. Every late night they have a dinner tradition of playing games and listening to yearbook adviser Jay Shelton’s quirky life stories. Shelton also creates nicknames for each of his students; Chao is called Amazing Grace while Feng is known as the Nazi. When it comes to each other, though, the girls have their own nicknames from many years of working together.

“Grace is the lame-joke person,” Feng said. “She’s our mediator. When everyone is angry she will tell us one of

her bad jokes.”

Chao, however, does not believe she is the funniest of the group. With the stress of making the school yearbook, often times tempers begin to run short and the girls must lay down the rules. For instance, when Feng gets angry, Chao explains, she begins making sarcastic comments to everyone in the vicinity.

Lee also reminisces on the tough-loving qualities of her fellow classmates.

“Katherine teases me a lot, and I suck at come-backs,” Lee said. “But I know it is only because she loves me... or I’d like to believe that’s the reason.”

From five years of working together, the six yearbook girls know every quirk and habit about each other.

According to Lee, Feng knows so much about Korean pop culture and music that she might as well be Korean herself.

Feng and Chao believe that Frazer is Shelton’s long-lost daughter, since they share such similars tastes in music, humor, and interests.

After all these years, the girls admit that they are like a true family.

“Hannah acts like the mommy,” Chao said. “Last year, the senior section actually had a little family. [Junior Emily Yi] was the child and Hannah was the parent.”

“I was the grandma,” Feng added in.

Though this may be their last year on the El Valedor staff, the yearbook girls know that they have gained many

skills and made friendships that will hold them together in the future.

“You can say all that cliche stuff like [the yearbook is] a memento for years to come,” Frazer said. “But when it comes down to it, yearbook is interesting because [the staff] is so multifaceted.”

Mansi Pathak | El Estoque

BOOK OF MEMORIES Seniors Jessica Feng and Connie Lu share a joke while working on the 2009-2010 El Valedor yearbook on Oct 13. Feng and Lu have been working on the same yearbook staff since eighth grade.

PAGE 20

October 22, 2009

EL ESTOQUE A&E

Clubs in a flash

Dressing up the bags

by Kanwalroop Singh and Christine Chang

R

ain falls in torrents and gusts of wind seem to provoke four girls as they walk towards room 40 of Cupertino Middle School on the morning of Oct. 13. Laden with stickers and trick-or-treat bags, the youth commission of community leadership is on its way to treat a class of autistic children to an hour of Halloween cheer.

A tradition that started three years ago, Artistic with Autistic is the quintessential example of an event that can make a difference in the lives of disabled children. Each year, the youth commission does a different activity with the students—this time it was decorating trick-or-treat bags for Halloween.

“The interaction between high school students and the [autistic] students adds variety and exposure,” Cupertino Middle teacher Sudha Krishnan said. “It’s an enriching experience for both.”

Although the levels of autism vary, most of the children have difficulty with social interaction, resulting in behavioral issues. But sophomore Stacey Urauchi had no problem establishing a connection. She watched Ashwin, one of the autistic students, write his name in beautiful delicate letters.

“Do you want me to cut that out and put it on your bag?” she asked.

He nodded and she smiled.

As the event drew to a close and the youth commissioners left the classroom, Krishnan asked the students, “Do you want them to come back?”

A long drawn out “Yes!” erupted from all around.

Kan Singh | El Estoque

BEAUTIFY THE BAG Sophomore Stacey Urachi helps an autistic child cut out decorations for his trick-or-treating bag.

Kanwalroop Singh | El Estoque

Paint a Smile On

P

erforming reconstructive surgery on facially deformed children doesn’t come cheap, as the officers of the Operation Smile club have come to realize. Before the homecoming game and rally on Oct. 9, the officers sold face paint to raise money to fulfill their yearly goal of making 400 to 500 dollars. Operation Smile is a non-profit organization that helps children all around the world through its medical missions that cost 240 dollars per child. Although the officers on campus have not yet been able to attend one of the medical missions, they strive to promote awareness of the cause and raise money for it. They plan to sell caramel apples later on in the year and deliver smiles to the children who need them.

Cheese Galore

R

oom A201 transformed into a casual picnic setting on Oct. 2 after school as French Honor Society students gathered to take part in a cultural dinner.

Members and officers alike chatted leisurely while treating themselves to traditional French refreshments, which included baguettes, cheeses, and ciders. Since the French are renown for the variety of wines and cheeses they enjoy, the club dubbed the event the Cheese and Wine Festival. And though wine was not actually served, the “cheese” portion of the festival was served. The cheese-tasting opportunity allowed members to sample several varieties of this delicacy. As the group of students indulged in French food, French hip-hop music played in the background, enhancing the ambiance of the festival.

Art for Measles

N

o one ever said art and medicine can’t go hand in hand. For the past month, Red Cross has helped host an ongoing art contest aiming to raise money for treating and preventing measles. The art contest is part of Measles Initiative, an international project led by American Red Cross to promote global awareness of measles. Since the measles crisis has not received as much attention from the general public as other diseases such as HIV, Red Cross hopes the contest will help bring the problem to light and encourage more donations to the cause. This year’s contest theme, “Celebrating a Child’s best shot at a Healthy Life,” was created to communicate Red Cross’s mission to put an end to measle-related deaths worldwide.

Identity crisis: Student pieces together homemade costumes

Costume designer sees Halloween as creative outlet, a day in the life of another character

by Vijeta Tandon

T

rick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat! Although for some people Halloween may only be about the free candy, for freshman Erin Dowd, it’s a chance to channel her creativity into designing a costume completely from scratch.

Since her parents first dressed her up as a potato when she was only nine months old, Dowd has had an ongoing fascination with Halloween. One of the main reasons why she and her friends still like Halloween is because of the opportunity it provides. “[Halloween is] a chance to be someone new,” Dowd’s friend freshman Karina Schuler said.

Dowd also agrees with this idea.

“It seems like every day you’re this one person, and everyone kind of expects you to be that person,” Dowd said. “And yet, on Halloween, you can be whoever you want and people can’t really judge you because you’re not being yourself.”

Since first beginning in sixth grade, each year Dowd carefully plans out ahead of time what she wants to be for Halloween, and then either sews or assembles her costume using a multitude of patterns and other accessories. She usually starts out with a few different ideas and then narrows them down to one choice.

In the past, Dowd has been an assortment of characters including Kuchuki Rukia, a character from the Japanese

manga Bleach, Holly Short from Artemis Fowl, and Tally Youngblood from The Uglies. Oftentimes, the characters Dowd chooses do not have clear descriptions of their actual costume, and in that case she must research and peruse the book or movie that the character is from in order to be as authentic as possible.

In some years, Dowd has even drawn her own fictional character and created a costume completely from scratch.

This year, she plans to be a character named Lydia Tall who is one of the protagonists in a story that Dowd’s friend, Wilson Korges has written.

“What I’m writing, I hope to get published one day,” Korges said. “So I [think] it’s pretty neat that [Dowd] wants to be someone from my story.”

In general, once Dowd has decided what character she wants to be, she must figure out what materials to use for actually making the costume, and how to put it all together. Generally, she and her mother go to Joanne’s Fabrics and pick out patterns to see what possible materials they can use. After all the materials are gathered, the actual assembly begins.

Depending on the complexity of the costume itself, it can take Dowd anywhere from a week to over a month to piece everything together. In the past, Dowd has even had to completely start over when things do not work out the way she had planned. “[For my Lydia Tall costume], originally we were going to put wires through the wings, but then the wire just

Sabrina Ghaus | El Estoque

FAIRY FLAIR Freshman Erin Dowd sewed her own costume for Halloween last year— a fairy outfit made with shiny, bright blue material. launched into itself, so we had to put paper inside instead,” Dowd said.

Nevertheless, each year Dowd has proven successful in coming up with her own costume and using Halloween to express her innate creativity.

“I like making costumes by hand,” Dowd said. “And I don’t think at the last minute just buying a mask and putting it on and getting free candy is what Halloween’s really about.”

October 22, 2009

EL ESTOQUE A&E

New kind of home movie

PAGE 21

Sound off

by Varshini Cherukupalli

What was your best moment in the rain?

S

“

Senior on film director track, desires full creative control ome might call her picky; others might call her a perfectionist. However, for senior Jessica Gasperini, it’s all part of the job—as a director.

Gasperini has her sights set on directing and has much experience to back her aspirations, including a summer film program at the University of Southern California.

When she was eight years old, Gasperini’s idea of a playdate was making mini-films — with her friends as the actors, she held the camera. These filming sessions helped Gasperini discover at a young age that she enjoys being in charge and having full control.

“I liked being the person who knows what’s going on, the ‘go-to’ person, and after that I started using the video camera more and more,” Gasperini said.

Ever since then, filmmaking has been her creative outlet. She devotes evenings to writing scripts and editing movies, all the while just having fun.

For Gasperini, directing is an extremely personal process. From forming the script to deciding the costumes to placing the actors, the director plays a vital role in every decision made. Therefore, the final movie is in essence a product of her personal effort.

At the USC/Warner Bros. Studio Directing & Producing Course she participated in this year, Gasperini’s aspiration to be a director was confirmed.

In one of the projects that she worked on, she was not the director and therefore could not object to changes made in the script. After experiencing this lack of control over the script, she decided that she wanted to be the person making creative choices. She wanted to determine what was best for the movie.

Since she first started filming, Gasperini has made several movies. Most of them are documentaries because, according to Gasperini, there is not a high number of professional actors in Cupertino.

FAST FACTS

When she officially began directing: Age 11, when she participated in her first film festival Projects she has completed: “Three Brunettes and a Blonde” — comedy “The School on the Hill” — documentary “Unplanned” — drama “Missing You” — drama “Lillies” — drama Her favorite director: John Hughes (“The Breakfast Club,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Home Alone”) because his movies are classics and also because he was one of the first directors/writers to make a movie where the main character was a misfit as opposed to a typical hero.

Her favorite movie: “500 Days of Summer” Where her movies can be seen: She is considering entering the annual Film Festival at MVHS

Swimming in the rain during P.E. freshman year.

”

— senior Reva Bhatt

“Playing a soccer game in the rain — it was slippery and we got to push people down.”

— sophomore Kes Rittenberg

“I played with mud with my baby cousin and we put mud on each other’s faces.”

— sophomore Durva Vaidya

What was your worst cooking experience?

Photo illustration by Kanwalroop Singh

INSPIRATION Senior Jessica Gasperini displays a picture of actress Audrey Hepburn pasted in her journal of ideas and inspirational quotes.

One of these documentaries is a film she made about her elementary school in which all the names of the students could fit on one roster. This comprehensive work won her the “Best of Show” award in the California Multimedia Film Festival.

Even though she has participated in large film festivals like this, Gasperini is still hesitant about showing her creations to friends and family.

“I’m okay with strangers seeing it, like during film festivals, but the thought of showing films to friends and at school is nerve-wracking,” Gasperini said. “I’m always on the edge; I never know what their reactions are going be.”

After her summer program at USC, though, Gasperini is slowly overcoming her shyness. During the program, she had to work on three projects involving writing, directing, and casting. Everything was professional—exactly like what would happen on a real set.

In addition, she had the opportunity to go to a Warner Brothers’ back lot and meet filmmakers editing Clint Eastwood’s next film. Although the process of applying to film school is intensive, USC is now her dream school.

Gasperini knows she is doing something unexpected with her aspiration of directing.

“Stereotypically, I’m not the kind of person who would be interested in film and making movies, so I always feel like I have something to prove,” Gasperini said. “But, I like how it sets me apart from others.”

Gasperini is currently working on a documentary about Homecoming which is focused on the senior class. In the future, she hopes to direct in Hollywood. However, she claims that she would be happy anywhere, as long as she is making movies.

So what is next? Lights, camera, action: film school.

“In [Lawson Middle School] cooking, we made kettle corn and a glass bowl exploded in the microwave.”

— junior Ryan Michelfielder

“I lit the curtains on fire while using the tea pot.”

— sophomore Spencer Selden

“

I microwaved a potato and an egg for a minute and almost blew up my microwave.

”

— freshman Steven Yang

How many things have you ever multitasked?

“Texting while skateboarding at the same time and drinking water.”

— senior William Ma

“Riding my bike, studying vocabulary, and drinking a Slurpee.”

— sophomore Emahn Novid

“Google Talk, AIM, Facebook, phone, eating, music, homework.”

— junior Anuved Verma Sarika Patel | El Estoque

PAGE 22

EL ESTOQUE A&E

October 22, 2009

Seeking a more efficient way to sleep Students experiment with sleep cycles, replacing a full night’s sleep with frequent naps

by Aileen Le

W

hile it’s broad daylight outside and students are busy bustling around, others are sound asleep.

And when it’s pitch dark, they’re up and wide awake, choosing to nap in short spurts instead of the expected eight hours.

While most students don’t give much thought as to how they sleep, others are thinking of innovative ways to incorporate sleep efficiently into their schedules.

Senior Aditi Krishnapriyan is one such student who was inspired by a friend in college and blogger Steve Pavlina to try out different sleep cycles.

“I saw how much time [my friend from college] could save and was inspired,” Krishnapriyan said. “Plus, I’d always wanted to try being nocturnal and this is the closest that I’ve come to it.”

There are multiple stages of sleep including REM sleep—the deepest stage where dreaming occurs. The theory behind polyphasic sleep, which is where a person sleeps multiple times a day, is that since your body does not have time to run through the other phases, it enters REM sleep right away.

“Saving time is a huge plus, but the point is that you get to quality REM sleep

Student schedules a lot quicker,” Krishnapriyan said. “You get more quality sleep instead of just fluff sleep. I’ve gotten more stuff done and have more time in the day while feeling more productive and alert. Plus, it’s not too hard to throw in a nap here and there. Once you get into the cycle you just naturally wake up at the time you train your body to; your automatic body clock wakes you up and your body adapts to it.”

However, for senior Alex Cheng, fitting consistent naps into his school schedule just didn’t work out, although he’ll continue to ake a every nap now and then if he’s tired enough,.

“It’s just not convenient because I have to do something in the afternoon and I don’t have time to take a nap,” Cheng said.

“I did what I could to get by on a heavy schedule, but would like to try a different cycle in the future.”

Unlike Cheng and Krishnapriyan, Junior Anuved Verma doesn’t suggest that other students undertake napping in lieu of eight hours of sleep. Although Verma naps every day, he does not generally feel his best the next day.

“If you can stay awake, then stay awake,” Verma said.

The sleep cycle community

“

When I have a lot of homework, I end up staying up all night after I get my burst of energy from my nap,” junior Anuved Verma said. “The only thing is that my body crashes the next day; I don’t recommend it, but without my naps my efficiency is 0 percent.

”

to try for “It’sthe good typical student

since time is really hard to get,” senior Aditi Krishnapriyan said. “When you come back from school and are tired, taking these naps increase your attention and productivity.

Although it’s pretty easy to get into and out of it, it really depends on what kind of person you are; some people do need 10 hours of sleep.

Junior Anuved Verma Time

Activity

6:50 am–7:15 am

Prepares for school

7:15 am–4:00 pm School 4:00 pm–5:00 pm Homework 5:00 pm–8:30 pm Takes a nap 8:30 pm–9:00 pm Dinner 9:00 pm–2:30 am Homework 2:30 am–6:50 am

Sleep

Senior Aditi Krishnapriyan Time

Activity

7:15 am–3:00 pm

School

3:15 pm–5:00 pm

Track practice

5:30 pm–7:00 pm

Takes a nap

7:00 pm–2:00 am

Homework

2:00 am–7:00 am

Sleep

”

Bloggers share their experiences while undergoing different sleep cycles

Steve Pavlina and the Uberman cycle:

Claire Chiang and the Everyman cycle:

Six 20 to 30 minute naps every four hours for a total of two to three hours sleep per day for about five and a half months.

One three hour nap and three 20 minute naps for a total of four hours of sleep per day. More flexible than the Uberman cycle; occasional changes are fine.

“The number one reason I decided to call it quits is simply that the rest of the world is monophasic. Obviously, when you go to polyphasic, you fall out of sync with the way other people live.”

“So, it is clear that I have had fewer productive hours, but I also get to go to the gym and school events now without worrying about not having enough homework time.”

Taken from http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/10/polyphasic-sleep/

Taken from http://www.clairechiang.net/2009/10/11/my-polyphasic-sleep-everyman-experiment/

October 22, 2009

EL ESTOQUE A&E

Season’s newest additions

Reviews of two modern sitcoms and two dramas, vampires included

by Stefan Ball Cougartown ABC, Wednesdays at 9:30

Three Rivers CBS, Sundays at 9

C

T

outney Cox pulls on her growing flab in the beginning moments of the Cougartown pilot episode while the viewer asks the same thing. What the hell is it, because it sure as hell is not “Friends”.

While the cougar of “Cougartown” is a quality actress in her own right, we all remember “Friends.” It’s hard not to let the nostalgic build-up of Monica bother you.

It’s the way the characters of the periphery play off her that makes for entertaining viewing. Her neighbor who makes fun of married life in an ironic, non-cynical, and surprisingly subtle way is perhaps the best and funniest example of this phenomena. Her son plays a similar role and is arguably the most mature of all the characters, perhaps a testament to his elders, but definitely entertaining. The humor that feeds from Courtney Cox’s character is satisfying when you expect less from the cougar herself, a part of the show that could do with a few notches of maturation.

It’s a 30-minute sitcom that does what it should—makes you feel a little happier about life.

It deserves a semi-regular spot on the DVR, if nothing else.

Screenshot from www.abc.go.com

here’s two ways to kill someone. You can use a high-powered piece of artillery and get to the punch quickly, albeit brutally, or you can use a formulated injection to bring them down peacefully. There’s a similar parallel to entertaining people. You can build a sophisticated plot that pulls at the heartstrings of the viewer and tickles their funny bones with irony and classy humor, or you can jam every peice of clichè drama into an hour of viewing and hope it comes together to do something other than waste 60 minutes of the viewers life.

But goals without plans are, as they say, just wishes and whether it’s because we’ve seen the hospital thing done countless times, and done extremely well, or lack of sophisticated writing and acting, an hour watching Three Rivers is an hour watching hospital television clichès. A kid with “an itch in his brain that makes him want to eat metal”, a pregnant woman in need of a heart, an uninsured immigrant’s troubles with cardiovascular disease, sleazy doctors, you know— the usual.

And while that is all oh-soemotionally painful, “Three Rivers” makes you groan, not gush.

Screenshot from www.cbs.com

The Vampire Diaries The CW, Thursdays at 8

Modern Family ABC, Wednesdays at 9

I

f you take on “Modern Family” after “Three Rivers” as I did, you’ll wonder why it is that Modern Family can tackle a number of “clichè” family matters and make it work without being a fest of, well, clichès.

Centered around a duo of siblings and their father who seeks younger women—the daughter has the traditional American family, and the son is a married gay man with a newly adopted Screenshot from www.abc.go.com Vietnamese child—the show uses shaky-camera “The Office”-style production (diary-type segments from the characters included) and covers the full span of awkward and funny situations.

Shedding the tired feel of the old family sitcoms, it takes on an assertively modern style and adopts our good old friend irony, both interpreted through high-quality acting. The characters are both lovable and easy to watch, and rather than being what it easily could’ve been—a same-old same-old sitcom, it really packs a fresh, funny, and relevant punch, up with the best of modern television comedy.

It’s not the 1990’s and “Modern Family” probably sits more comfortably with the likes of “30-Rock” and “The Office” rather than the sitcom you may expect it to be.

E

specially after all the “Twilight” talk from the female half of the teen world, I had certain preconceptions about what this show would be, aired by the same network that airs “Gossip Girl.”

Sometimes preconceptions are right. Read: It’s exactly what you expect it to be—ridiculous.

The biggest vampire character in the show is pursuing the romantic interest of regular humanScreenshot from www.cwtv.com being Elena.

But it isn’t that simple. Stefan didn’t tell Elena that he was a vampire, and, belive it or not, that he’s been 17 since the 19th century. While I would imagine this probably makes for some relationship rifts, they are both attractive, which might help such pressing issues just a little bit.

I suppose to give “The Vampire Diaries” some credit, it’s fairly mindless watching, and while it may not be everybody’s cup of blood, there is a certain audience that enjoys watching chiseljawed males and equally attractive females repeat the same sort of drama over and over.

The blood-sucking scenes are pretty graphic, too. Overall, it’s every other CW show with different highly beautiful people in different places but with a different food-source involved.

PAGE 21

VICTOR KUO

the Temp

No such thing as easy money

T

here’s something about kids that makes me want to hug them and strangle them at the same time. They complain and whine and cry and eat and cry and spit, but the moment I am about to explode, they look at me with those wide, tear-filled Bambi eyes and my heart just melts. And although they may seem innocent and naive, never, ever underestimate whatever goes through their devious little minds.

In my endeavor to earn money, I decided to undertake the classic all-American job: baby-sitting. This high-paying under-thecounter job may seem easier than being a lifeguard, but don’t be fooled: it is called baby-sitting for a reason.

I began the job by driving over to a neighbor’s house. The house was small and quaint and the boys, eight and 10, were reading quietly in the living room.

The mom smiled warmly at me while she left some instructions before leaving for the night. I settled in at the kitchen table, laying out my homework, confident that it was going to be a quiet, productive night. I don’t think I’ve been so wrong in my life.

For your reference, the following are lessons that I learned while baby-sitting.

Lesson one

Alumna Jenny Suk becomes singing superstar

Always watch your back. Be paranoid.

Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re thinking.

“Oh, what can a bunch of six and seven year olds do to you?” Let me explain.

I had just started doing my homework and I imagined that the kids were quietly doing their own activities. I set up an alarm so I could check up on them every 15 minutes or so. Then, out of nowhere, at least 20 nerf darts fly at my back. I duck and cover but not before stealing a glance as I see the kids running behind a corner. Oh, they were in for it.

And so the Amazing Race began, babysitting style. I chased them through the house, over and under, and finally scooped them up onto the couch. I had to sit on them to keep them from running away again. After a stern lecture—it was definitely more gentle than it should have been due to the wide Bambi eyes—I gave them two books and settled back into my work. First lesson learned. Kids are unpredictable. Whenever dealing with kids ages 10 and under, always be prepared for the impossible.

Class of 2008 alumna gains popularity and following from her YouTube videos

Lesson two

by Samved Sangameswara

I

n just one year MVHS class of 2008 alumna Jenny Suk has managed to amaze hundreds of thousands of people worldwide with her singing. She doesn’t do it by travling the world and selling out football stadiums; she impresses people from right inside her dorm room.

In September of 2008 Suk, an Otis College of Art and Design freshman at the time, started posting videos of herself singing on her YouTube account, msxjenixe. That was only a couple of months before her videos took off, getting view counts numbering in the hundreds of thousands and far surpassing anything Suk had imagined.

"I've only hoped for [this kind of reception to my work]," Suk said. "It's really hard [to be recognized] with all those talented people out there; I would have never expected it."

Now, as she starts her sophomore year, she is hitting her stride. Just about a month and a half ago she posted a medley of "1234" by the Plain White T's and "Best

I Ever Had" by Drake with fellow Youtube artist AJ Rafael. It became an instant hit. In a matter of weeks, the video was seen on the most viewed video pages of YouTube and recieved over 300,000 hits.

Suk says that the popularity her work has gained is due to the exposure that the internet provides for her singing.

"It's world wide, it's not just a certain group of people watching my videos," Suk said. "Everyone can see them."

With that world wide exposure comes the popularity that Suk is still getting used to. The idea that hundreds of thousands of people now view her as a celebrity is still foreign to her.

"I've never had people ask me for autographs and stuff," Suk said. "It was weird.

I'm not anyone famous, but it's really cool that they appreciate what I do."

Suk is only just getting started. Her Youtube popularity has served as the kickstart to a budding music career. She recently began performing in live shows around southern California where she lives.

Although Suk isn't following the tradi-

Screenshot from www.youtube.com

SUPERSTAR Alumna Jenny Suk’s videos are major hits on Youtube.

tional path of a musician, as she is majoring in product design, she has made it very clear that music will be a big part of her future. She is currently writing her own original songs and plans to continue performing, both live and on YouTube. Just like every other budding musician, she is working hard and strives to achieve the dream of becoming a professional performer.

"To be honest, I would throw away everything for music," Suk said. "If I could choose, I would be doing music for rest of my life."

Be firm, no matter how those eyes get to you. If necessary, advert your eyes while talking to them.

I was back at my table doing homework again, a little more wary. I heard footsteps behind me but ignored them, much to my stupidity. Little hands grabbed at my boxers when I realized that they were giving me a wedgie. Wow, really? A wedgie? Kids these days. I whirled around and dove to avoid tripping on one of them. And once they saw me on the ground they pounced on me and started tickling me. Anger was definitely creeping up my collar now and I scooped them up once again and sat them on the couch. To make sure that they listened, I lectured them harshly with a straight face.

They got the message. So, when you need or want something, don’t be afraid to speak up. Voice your opinions and be confident and firm about what you want.

Well, I decided to put them to bed after that endeavor and they fell asleep pretty quickly. I finally sat down again at the kitchen table only to fall asleep of exhaustion. Kids are a lot of work. I don’t think I’ll be doing that again.

TREND WATCH SUBWAY SISTERS

UP2DATE

Seniors Ashley Chen and Kelli Sum describe their experiences working together at Subway. interview conducted by Stefan Ball

The best and worst features of Microsoft’s Zune HD

Q: So what do you guys do?

A: KELLI SUM: Everything! We do everything.

by Mansi Pathak

Q: Okay, start from the morning.

A: K: You make the breads, you put the breads in, you

turn on the units, you turn on the oven, you turn on the front things, you have to put the containers in slots, microwave the meatballs, make cookies, count out the money in the beginning of the day...

ASHLEY CHEN: Just preparing for lunch rush, like making sure everthing’s clean, keeping everything stocked because it’s embarrassing to run out in the middle of making a sandwich.

Q: Do you guys like working at Subway?

A: A: You get to know the frustrations [of being a fast

food worker], which you don’t really get to see as a customer.

K: They want the perfect, perfect thing, their expectations...

A: And then they don’t tip, which sucks!

There’s this really cool application called the Smart DJ Mix where the Zune HD will basically choose songs for you based on a specific genre that you like. They choose from the songs you have and sometimes songs you don’t know and then you can choose which ones you like. the expert: junior Demo Armstrong

Best features: Sound quality, high speed Internet, HD Radio

Worst features: Can’t look up YouTube videos

Q: We’re supposed to tip at Subway?

A: K: Yeah, there’s a clear wonderful box right there!

Q: Any interesting stories about customers?

A: A: One time this guy came in and plopped down a Stefan Ball | El Estoque

bag of nickels and dimes and asked to buy as many cookies as possible with the money. It was just frustrating because you can’t really say anything.

Cost:

$220

Battery Life: 33 hours

“We get a whole new perspective, especially since we’re basically fast food workers.”

—senior Ashley Chen

CAMPUS RUNWAY

“Now I’m more lenient about how my food is served, and I throw away my trash so they don’t have to.”

—senior Kelli Sum

As the first rains arrive, students dig out their colorful, patterened rainboots from their closets.

What’s next?

Diwali ‘Mela’ Oct. 23 at lunch Hosted by MV IASA Enjoy popular Indian music, art, and henna to celebrate Diwali

Pizza My Heart 2012 Fundraiser

Nov. 4 through 6 30 percent of proceeds will go to the class of 2012.

Polka dot boots Rue 21

junior Zohar Liebermensch

Floral print boots Mervyn’s

senior Jenna Valtanen

Neon boots Payless

junior Tasha Bartas

Plaid boots Mervyn’s

senior Lulu Liu

30 Hour Famine Nov. 3 and 4 A 30-hour fast hosted

by Food For All to spread world hunger awareness

Mansi Pathak and Aileen Le | El Estoque

Backpack

Finds

What’s in your bag?

Take a peek into your classmates’ bags this month:

“ ” “ ”

We’re having a performance this weekend and I have to get the pants of my Variations suit hemmed. The red complements my eyes.

My grandpa gave this hand comb to me a long time ago. I went to his house and he was like, ‘Here. Have it.’ It’s really small, so I take it everywhere.

freshman Justin Figueroa

junior Guy Sarfaty

“ ” “ ”

The ribbons are from the Jade Ribbon Youth Council to raise awareness about Hepatitis B. Last year we had a week of Hepatitis B facts on the announcements to spread the word about the disease.

junior Daniel Ki

I was in a rush for school one day and I couldn’t find my black umbrella, so I took my sister’s hot pink umbrella instead. I guess you could say I stole it from her.

sophomore Alex Balus

Photo illustration by Mansi Pathak and Aileen Le