Issue 5, 2014 by Matthew Chow

epitaph

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HOMESTEAD HIGH SCHOOL

VOL. 51

ISSUE 5

Special Coverage Every 15 minutes someone dies due to an alcohol-related collision

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THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2014

21370 HOMESTEAD RD. CUPERTINO, CA

To leaf or not to leaf Debate over removing iconic tree causes controversy among students and staff By Priya Sodlapur In light of the new cafeteria and quad being redesigned, an uproar of students have been protesting the destruction of the tree located in the center of the quad. According to Sophomore Emily Hering, “The tree is an important part of Homestead, it’s iconic and defines Homestead’s social interactions.” However, with the construction and leveling of the quad, being able to keep the tree alive was not possible. Tara Grande, assistant principal, explained that “if we were to just do it [reconstruction] around it [the tree] that would expose so much of the root that the tree would go into shock and die.” While administration is sad to see a part of Homestead go, they

are also really excited to usher in the new design and create a new quad to represent Homestead. The overall quad has a focus on the future and an environment that will be sustainable for a maximum amount of time. Greg Giglio, principal, explained, “the quad has served its purpose for the last 50 years, we’re looking to design it for the next 50 years and keeping it [the tree] has caused more problems than not.” Administration has also expressed how the redesign of the quad is happening to benefit the Homestead community as a whole. The new cafeteria will allow for new classrooms and more space for the growing student population. Also, Grande noted that “part of the reason the cafete-

Political turmoil brews in Ukraine

ria is being redesigned is [to accomodate] new ADA laws for wheelchair accessibility.” The new quad will be more open and easily accessible for Homestead students. In response to the tree being cut down, Hering set up a petition on change.org asking people to sign in order to save the iconic tree. The petition gathered 432 signatures as well as a series of comments from students defending the tree. While the petition was not brought to administration, Hering noted that “It was pretty successful; it reached a ton of people I wasn’t expecting, which was more than I thought.” Students around campus have been defensive towards the tree when asked their opinion on it being taken done. Junior Tin-

gyee Chang said, “It’s sad to see the tree go because it is an icon of the Homestead campus for a long time and I am going to miss it, the shade, the memories.” Sophomore Ryan Hartley agreed. “It’s the only life on campus,” he said. However, Senior Haruna Aridomi defends administration by saying, “I can see why administration wants to [take the tree down]. After everything it just seems to be causing more trouble.” According to Hering, the solution to avoid cutting down the tree was to have “waited till it died ‘officially’ and just preserved it until then or replaced it with another.” However, in previous years this same tactic had been used to preserve the old oak tree in front of

the library, and Grande notes that “we have this void and we want to make sure that doesn’t happen again, so we’re trying to plan not just for the next 10 years, 20 years or however long the tree is going to live, we’re trying to plan for the next 50 years and make sure the quad functions for everyone for the extended period of time.” While students were worried about a possible lack of shade, Grande assured that “there are actually going to be a lot of new trees in the new quad design. There is going to be a lot of cool seating and really cool trees, and there’s even an opportunity to put some really cool shade structures [...] there’s definitely going to be shade for the quad.”

FBLA wins Bay Section By Rachel Hildebrand

By Laura Tang

tion “on the brink of civil war.” Shortly thereafter, Russia sent This past Monday, March troops to flood the peninsula of 3, Russian forces surrounding Crimea, and currently shows no Ukraine’s Crimean military inclination of backing down debases gave ultimatum to the spite world leaders’ urging RusUkrainian navy, urging sur- sia to do so. render. This conThe conflict raises flict began significant when the “Russia’s actions are implications U k r a i n i a n childish, and perfectly for the Unitgovernment illustrative of why Rus- ed States, as accepted Ukraine is Russia’s of- sia is only a first world r e q u e s t i n g fer for a $15 nation in the loosest support from billion bailNorth Atsense of the term” out in place lantic Treaty - Artem Jivotovski O r g a n i z a of a trade deal with tion (NATO) the Europewhich coman Union, giving rise to violent prises 28 sovereign countries, protests and riots throughout including the United States, Ukraine. The government re- which would be directly insponded by enacting a series volved in a potential military of harsh anti-protest laws, intervention. Additionally, which further triggered pro- world leaders as well as Ukraitests and anger among Ukrai- nian civilians fear that Russian nians. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was Continued on page 2, ousted and fled to Moscow, described Ukraine as a na- Ukraine Turmoil

No doubt we’re in a drought California’s worst drought in decades explained See page 6

PHOTO COURTESY OF NITSAN ORR

PHOTO CAPTION: This year competitors for Homestead’s FBLA charter finished first at Bay Section for the seventeenth year in a row, beating out the second place Lybrook High School. On March 1, Homestead’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) hosted the Bay Section Leadership Conference, a competition for 950 members from 27 local charters to competed in 34 competitive events. With almost 300 members, the Homestead charter is one of the largest, and represented well. Homestead finished first for the 17th year in a row. Fifteen Home-

stead students finished first, more than any other school competing. In total, 68 members qualified to move on to the state competition later this year. Homestead accumulated 561 points, where first place is ten points, second place is nine points, and so forth. Homestead beat second place Lynbrook by 271 points. The HHS charter has been the top in the nation for the past

Prom season promises new trends

Colors, styles and more See page 9

13 years. This past summer, 53 Homestead students attended the national competition and combined for 157 points, more than any other of the nation’s 8,000 charters. This year, Homestead expects to do the same. “It gives them a little more motivation to really learn,” said

Continued on page 2, FBLA

Inside:

Lifestyles

News

Entertainment 9

Opinion

Sports

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Last Word

PAGE DESIGN BY EUGENE CHENG AND ANTHONY GARCIA PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY NANCY ZHOU

news

Thursday, March 6, 2014

EUGENE CHENG EUGENE CHENG

Starting February 24, 2014, bikers must now walk their bikes across the crosswalk instead of biking directly into the entrance of the teacher parking lot, as they’ve done for years.

New bike rules result in unexpected consequences By Eugene Cheng

“We feel that its unfair that we got punished for a rule we could not have known about,” Senior Nitsan Orr said. He made these remarks in response to the new rules aimed at student cyclists implemented by the school administrators. They new rule, was implented on Monday, February 24, states that students biking to school are required to walk their bikes across the Mary Avenue crosswalk. In a “Message from the Principal” posted on the Homestead School-

loop website on February 28. the administration announced that “Bicyclists and Pedestrians should not be riding/walking down the entrance, please use the crosswalk at Homestead and Mary to access the campus.” This is a far cry from bikers’ usual route going parallel to the cars entering the parking lot, then cutting through the onslaught of traffic to arrive in the vicinity of the bike racks vicinity. However, the new rule isn’t causing controversy because of the guidelines it

Continued from page 1, FBLA wins

Continued from page1, Ukraine Turmoil

Byron Lee, an advisor and business teacher, on how the legacy motivate students. Lee, the other advisors, and officers have been organizing the Bay Section competition since September. Bay Section is the most competitive section in the nation, competitors like Sherry Luo have to study that much harder for the chance to go to states. “It’s a hundred questions in an hour.” Sherry Luo, who competed in Business Math, explained about her test. Luo, along with a majority of Homestead’s 118 entrants, had been preparing with practice tests and study sessions for the big day. “It’s like everything else in life. What you put into it is what you get out of it.” Lee explained about the students who do well. Student’s who qualified will attend the State Leadership conference in Ontario, CA this April.

Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to create a post-communist Eurasian union. The effects of this ongoing crisis have permeated lives around the globe, and those of Homestead’s students, as well as their family members, are no exception. “I feel that Russia’s actions are childish, and perfectly illustrative of why Russia is only a first world nation in the loosest sense of the term; many have called Russia’s actions ‘19th century,’ and they are not wrong,” said junior Artem Jivotovski. “However...I do not blindly support the protests in Ukraine…although democratic political instability is preferable to totalitarian political instability.”

imposes. The point of contention in the confusion over the new rule was the punishment handed down by the administration to bikers who breached the fresh guidelines in place. “We see two admins standing there,” Orr recounted, “and they’re blocking a group of bikers...and we realize that all the bikers are being stopped and asked for their IDs and names, to get detention.” And according to Senior Jay Kamat, Orr, and many others, did not know of such a rule

until they were caught breaking it. “We were talking to people in the detention itself, and we would say that 50% of the people did not know anything about this rule before detention,” Kamat explained. Attempts at remedying the situation proved to be futile for the two, as they reported that conversations with Dean Dong and Principal Giglio just resulted in further affirmation of the rule. In light of this situation, Orr and Kamat both crafted solutions that they think would have suf-

ficed. “I think at least a week of announcements, both in the daily announcements, emails, signs, anything, would be pretty adequate,” Orr said, “but two days of only verbal announcements...are not good enough.” “The best scenario I could have thought,” Kamat offered, “is that you stand there and you take the ID numbers, but the first time is a warning, so that person is guaranteed to have at least one warning. After that, then that would be a viable time to give detention.”

ASB introduces new club application process “My father is extremely worried and stressed over what has been happening… because he was raised with Communism still around,” said junior Diana Plotnikova. “Though it’s quite unlikely, I hope that all the protests against what Russia is doing will help the Russian government see that they are taking the wrong steps to get what they want.” However, Russia’s refusal to back down looks bleak. “I personally think Russia will instate a puppet government in Ukraine, due to their general immunity as a first world nation,” said Jivotovski. “This will leave lasting political instability in Western Ukraine due to the strong Anti-Russian sentiment there.”

By Shiri Huber February 26th marked the first day of presentations for new clubs, as well as Homestead’s second wave this year of a new club process introduced by ASB in the fall. Five out of nine clubs were approved by ASB vote to proceed to a second round of votes, three of which were new clubs and two of which were reactivations of old clubs. Homestead currently has 49 clubs, and as this number grows, a more stringent and selective club application process comes as a necessity. “We want to make sure clubs are strong enough to withstand our questions, “ said Tingyee Chang, ASB Vice President who is also in charge of clubs. “They need to be sustainable over time.” Sara Frausto, the ASB advisor, explained that the past club application process was both lengthier and less effective. “The problems that we ran into were that some

people would not have everything completed,” she said, “or would sign up but then not turn in their applications at the same time.” TAfter the application is reviewed for completion, clubs must go through a series of presentations, once to ASB and once to both the executive and legislative councils. If all presentations receive a two-thirds vote, the club will be reviewed by an administrative team for final approval. The process takes about a month. “We’re here to help mold really strong, concrete clubs that Homestead really needs,” said Frausto. “In the last round, we were only able to accept three new clubs... it’s getting more and more difficult to figure out where the need is.” Luckily for club hopefuls, there are three waves of club applications each year. “We’re not here to be discouraging”, added Chang. “If you come in and have an idea, we will help you.”

Council reflection awards issued By Anthony Garcia

On Thursday, Feb. 27, Homestead hosted the Council Reflection Award Ceremony to honor the students who were winners at the Cupertino-Fremont-Sunnyvale Council of PTAs (CFSCPTA) “Reflections” program. Of the participating students, 24 were sent to District and 13

were selected as winners and have been forwarded to the State level of the competition. The “Reflections” program is a national arts recognition program put on by the CFSCPTA. The purpose of the event is to celebrate the various talents of students around the area.

The ceremony is broken up into units, in which each unit has a competition with the same theme. The theme for this year was “Believe, Dream, Inspire.” Within each unit, students then enter the competition in one of four categories. These categories include Primary (kindergar-

ten through 2nd grade), Intermediate (3rd-5th grade), Middle (6th-8th grade), and High (9th12th grade). Once students are placed in their category, they are then placed into six art areas: Visual, Photography, Literature, Musical Composition, Film, and Dance.

Once the winners are selected at the unit level, and then forwards those winners to council. The council selects students based on categories comprising Artistic Merit, Creativity and Interpretation of the theme. After the council chooses their winners, they then run a competition.

PAGE DESIGN BY PRIYA SODLAPUR AND EMI KAMEZAKI

news

Thursday, March 6, 2014

It’s kind of a funny story Understanding self-harm By Michelle Fuller

One in 10 teens do it, yet the topic is still taboo; the act of self-harming. The most common form is cutting, but there are many other ways too, such as burning, bruising oneself, carving, interfering with the healing of another injury, hair pulling, scratching with the intention to bleed and bruising the skin. March 1st is Self Injury Awareness Day (SIAD for short), a day intended to raise the awareness of self harm. According to selfinjury.org, “the goal of the people who observe SIAD is to break down the common stereotypes surrounding self-harm and to educate medical professionals about the condition.” Even so, many people don’t know about this day and still associate stereotypes with these unhealthy behaviors. People who self-injure often feel like no one understands. It is the elephant in the room no one wants to talk about ever, in their eyes. All the negative stereotypes can make people afraid to come forward and get help. They are afraid to be labeled as “attention seekers,” as most self-harmers that come forward are dubbed. “How can the fact that these people hide their wounds be called ‘attention seeking behavior’ when they are eventually discovered?” asks FaceTheIssue user insideiamdying. Calling self-injury an ‘attention seeking behavior’ implies that the person harming wants it to be known they self-harm. But some teenag-

ers search for a multitude of ways to hide them, such as concealer, wearing wristbands, or very concealing clothes. On many articles, people will post what they deem as a fitting comment, expressing their opinion about how self harm is ‘stupid’. Some users on CJOnline made such indirects comments. One user, Dave1001, commented, “Wouldn’t have all these problems if they would learn to use a knife properly.” Around the internet, on sites such as Tumblr, self harm is being glorified as some “beautiful sadness,” a trend that is quickly on the rise. Pro ana, one of the trends, promotes a n orexia, which in a sense is self harm for depriving your body of necessary nutrients. Thinspiration is a phrase usually associated with pro ana that is usually accompanied by a picture of a very thin female who has the ideal body for the person who posted it. Pro ana and thinspiration often lead to self-injurious behavior because even when

The real cost

FDA launches new antismoking campaign By Grace He The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just launched it’s first ever tobacco prevention campaign aimed at teens. Launched nationally on Feb. 11, 2014, “The Real Cost”, as it has been named, is directed toward at-risk youth from ages 12-17 who are either smoking or about to. The past few years has seen a rise in teen smokers. According to the FDA, every day in the United States, more than 3,200 youth under age 18 smoke their first cigarette and more than 700 of them eventually become daily smokers. Tobacco usage has quickly become one of the highest percentages behind deaths in the United States. More than 480,000 of the deaths that occur in the U.S. due to health issues are traced back to tobacco usage. Using the campaign, the FDA hopes to spread awareness to the target audience of the dangers, consequences and health concerns of smoking. Two themes that are a focus for the campaign are “Health Consequences” and “Loss of Control Leading to Addiction”. By using advertisements that highlight consequences that youth already have interest in, such as skin damage and tooth loss, these messages intend to make sure that the youth are informed of the risk cigarettes present to the human body. In order to reach the target audience, the FDA has implemented a multi-channel approach that will not only show “The Real Cost” messages through traditional broadcast media such as television ads, but also through social media, print publications and out-of-home advertising. The federal agency plans to spend more than $115 million for the campaign over the course of a year starting from the launch day.

STUDENT VOICES on the campaign

Tristan Barragan (Junior): BEFORE What is your opinion on smoking? “I don’t do it, and I don’t want to get involved with it.” AFTER What is your opinion after watching the advertisement?

these girls reach their goals, they are still not satisfied with themselves. The continual self-disappointment causes these teens to go further into depression, which raises the risk of further self-injurious behaviors. Tumblr, along with some other sites, have edited their terms and agreements to try and limit content that promotes self-injurious behaviors. “Our Content Policy has not, until now, prohibited blogs that actively promote self-harm […] blogs that glorify or promote […] self-mutilation; or suicide,” read the new terms. “Self-harm is a cry for help,” states an article by Raychelle Cassada Lohmann on PsychologyToday. “People who self-harm may feel that there is no other outlet to express their emotional pain and cope with distress.” It is a widespread idea that selfharm is a way to seek attention. Most selfharmers do not parade their scars around, for they are ashamed of their actions. “People who self-harm generally do so in secret [...] shame and fear can make it very difficult to come forward and ask for help,” remarks an article on helpguide. If you or someone you know struggles with self harm issues, please tell them to call any of the numbers listed here. Break the silence. Letting out your emotions doesn’t have to leave a scar.

LEND YOUR SUPPORT What to do if a friend harms himself • • • •

•

Ask how they are feeling Do not be judgemental Do not make them feel guilty about the effect it is having on others Let the person who selfharms know that you want to listen to them and hear how they are feeling when they feel ready and able to talk. When they do discuss it with you, be compassionate and respect what the person is telling you, even though you may not understand or find it difficult to accept what they are doing. Do not give ultimatums such as ‘If you don’t stop selfharming you have to move out.’ This is not helpful and it won’t work. Understand that it is a long and hard journey to stop self-harming. Be aware that someone will only stop self-harming when they feel ready and able to do so.

NUMBERS TO CALL • 1-800-DON’T-CUT • 1-800- 273- TALK • 1-800-784-2433 • 1-800-784- 8433 COURTESY OF BEFRIENDERS.ORG

Austin Wangyu (Freshman):

Joanne Kim (Sophomore):

BEFORE What is your opinion on smoking?

“It’s stupid. Yeah. It’s gonna kill you. You’re gonna die; I don’t know how to elaborate that.” AFTER What is your opinion after watching the advertisement? “It hasn’t changed. You’re gonna die.” Do you think the advertisements will be effective? “Well, to someone like me who has not come in contact with drugs I guess it won’t do much because I’m still not gonna do drugs. To someone who’s already hooked on drugs, I don’t think it’s gonna do much because they’re already hooked on drugs.”

“I think it’s bad to smoke cigarettes, but I don’t judge people who do cigarettes.” AFTER What is your opinion after watching the advertisement? “It’s the same. I feel like cigarettes are bad, but it’s the person’s choice to smoke them, so it’s their problem.” Do you think the advertisements will be effective? “I don’t think it’s that effective, because when you smoke cigarettes you don’t see those effects happen really quickly, so I don’t think it’s really effective.”

“Reinforced. I still think it’s bad, you don’t want to be around it, especially because I have asthma, so it’s like times two.” Do you think the advertisements will be effective? “I think they’ll be effective. I mean, the first one, the bully one, that will get little kids to get away from it. The skin peeling one, I think that will get women to get away from it. And the whole teeth thing, if you care about your dental whatever, that will work.”

STATISTICS 1.

On average, every cigarette takes eleven minutes off your life. 2. In the U.S., more than 2,300 people die each day due to smoking. 3. More than 7,000 chemicals are found in a single puff of cigarette smoke. PAGE DESIGN BY MICHELLE FULLER

opinion

Thursday, March 6, 2014

epitaph Don’t fear the AP

\ the

STAFF Reporters Nicole Chung

Dipshikha Kandel

Donnie Denome

Marissa Lee

Michelle Fuller

Andrew Reyes

Rachel Hildebrand

Priya Sodlapur

Shiri Huber

Nancy Zhou

Editors News

Laura Tang

News

Camille Miller

Opinion

Greg Schrader

Lifestyles

Eugene Cheng Anya Kishen

Lifestyles Entertainment/Sports

Anthony Garcia

Entertainment/Sports Khalil Bourgoub

Matthew Chow

Editor in Chief

Production Team Emi Kamezaki

Business Manager

Grace He

Design Editor

Adviser

Natalie Calderon

Worry is holding students back from reaching their full potential Course selection season has come upon us, and students might hesitate before selecting courses ending with those weighty two letters: AP. For many on campus, Advanced Placement (AP) classes carry a frightful stigma, perhaps overly so. In order for Homestead to improve as a whole, students must overcome this fear-filled AP mentality and risk unfavorable grades for their own personal improvement. Unless students’ focus on maintaining a certain G.P.A. can be curbed, students will continue to select courses in the hopes of bettering their chances at colleges, thus losing the opportunity to challenge themselves. This not only results in a stressful learning environment, but may cause students to forgo the challenge of higher-level classes. While it is understandable for students to take into consider-

ation their future goals, one’s paper record may prove quite disparate from one’s true intelligence. The student who focuses only on his future will lose the learning experiences of the present. “I took APUSH knowing that I was prob-

WRITTEN BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD

IMAGE COURTESY OF FRESH READ

ably going to get a B, but I really wanted to learn, and I learned a lot from that class,” said senior Min Kyu Park. While regular level classroom environments may pose challenges to students, the inherent differences between these and AP classes presents an opportunity for a different kind of learning. Apart from the scholarly prestige and increased workload that most AP classes present, the increased expectation in regards to students’ work ethic can only be beneficial in preparing for life after high school. According to College Board, “studies have shown that the rigor of a student’s high school curriculum is the single best predictor of success in college.” When higher expectations are placed upon students, their expectations for themselves increase directly. While teachers warn that AP level classes are not suitable for all students, those sincerely interested in learning a subject should be encouraged to challenge themselves. With proper application and diligent studying, anyone can be successful in a rigorous class.

epitaph Who’s afraid of the big bad book?

the

The Epitaph is a non-profit publication at Homestead High School, 21370 Homestead Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014. The Epitaph is a forum for student expression and not subject to prior review, in accordance with Education Code 48907. The staff is comprised of Homestead Journalism students. Views expressed do not necessarily represent views of the school, its staff, or the district. Editorials are opinions of the editorial board. The Epitaph welcomes all letters to the editor but reserves the right to edit all submissions. Letters should be limited to 300 words. Include contact information. Unsigned letters cannot be published, but names will be withheld upon request. Send via homestead.epitaph@gmail.com, or drop letters in the newsroom or the office mailbox. If The Epitaph has made an error, please send corrections to homestead.epitaph@ gmail.com. The corrections will be published in the corrections box for the next issue. To reach the Epitaph staff in C-105: call (408) 522-2572 or fax (408) 738-8631.

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Donors Your ongoing support is appreciated. Jing Xu Donna & Avi Huber Valerie Fermor Daniel Schrader Xiaoming & Holly Zhang Debbie Vanni

Why we need to read more

By Donnie Denome Almost a quarter of adults in the United States have not read a single book – in any form – last year. While the decline in literature is upsetting itself, the effects of this decline are just as worrisome. The increasing popularity of social media and society’s addiction to instant gratification through iPhone games and websites has led to a society of decadence and blind hedonism. We, as a society, need to read more books. Contrary to the image of an asocial bookworm frequently portrayed in the media, studies have shown that people who read fiction are more empathetic and are better able to read human emotion. It’s a phenomenon comparable to a sports team practicing; as you read, you learn to identify emotions without fear of getting something wrong. Basic? Yes. Absolutely fundamental? Completely. The need to read – and more specifically, read fiction – goes beyond the black-and-white basic literacy complaint repeated ad nauseum. Fiction gives us something to empathize with. A book is a canvas on which we build our critique. A good story will contain infinite points to debate, criticize, analyze, and react to. One could

spend hours discussing a book with friends, something that cannot be said for the multitude of time-wasting apps that society now cherishes. No longer is “well-read” shorthand for “only reads stuffy old books by long-dead authors.” Now a well-read person is someone who reads a diverse range of books. Literature is our connection to the rest of the world and worlds beyond. It is a passage to discover new interests, our way to discover a macrocosm far greater than our list of Facebook friends and Twitter followers. With so many books available through so many means there is no reason to not read and read often. Unsurprisingly, students who read more tend to score higher on exams. Students who had more than 100 books at home scored an average of 161 and 167 (out of 300) for science and civics, respectively, and 305 (out of 500) for history on exams conducted by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics. Students who had less than 10 books scored an average of 122 for science, 123 for civics, and 265 for history. Regardless of whether the books are owned, checked out of the library, or otherwise come by, exposure to literature is directly connected to higher test scores.

Corrections We apologize for the following mistakes in the previous issue: Front Page: The new cafeteria will be open in 2015, not 2016 as described in the article. Page 6: Greg Schrader was incorrectly attributed . Page 6: Coffitivity was spelled wrong. Page 12: Junior Adi Aharonov was incorrectly attributed as a senior.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DREAMSTIME

By reading more, one supports an industry that is becoming increasingly overlooked in favor of technology and social media companies. While J.K. Rowling and Stephen King have become rich from writing, they are the exception, not the norm. But authors are only the first people in a long process of getting a book published and distributed. An interest in literature is a stake in helping out editors, publishers, bookshops, and libraries. The last, in particular, are all too often

underfunded and understaffed in their attempts to provide free access to all types of media. A community of readers is a community that is willing to support their local library, thus benefitting everyone. The decline of reading affects everyone by decreasing literacy and other test scores, decreasing access to universal themes, and decreasing interest in an already declining industry. The solution, though, is simple and blunt: read more books and read more often.

Let us hear your voice If you have any corrections, concerns or comments about this issue... 1. Send them to homestead.epitaph@gmail.com OR 2. Bring them to room C105 ...and you might have your letter to the editor printed in the next issue! PAGE DESIGN BY DONNIE DENOME

opinion

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Justin Bieber: Model or Menace?

Justin Bieber, misunderstood philanthropist By Rachel Hildebrand Justin Bieber has been in the tabloids for all kinds of things, and gets millions of hits everyday on all forms of social media, receiving criticism from the media and fans who only know the Justin from the latest headlines. Every moment of his life is watched and recorded by people around the world, and the world judges. Bieber receives daily comments accusing him of looking and acting like a girl, telling him to kill himself, and thousands of insults that are hurled in his direction. Millions of people around the world take time out of their day to read and talk about the superstar, following his every move; yet they claim to hate him. “A lot of people say they hate Justin Bieber who haven’t even listened to my music,” Bieber said in an interview with V Magazine, “They just hate the idea of me.” But he’s not that bad. In fact, Bieber has supported many foundations to aid youth. Last year, Bieber raised $1,164,027 in a few days following Typhoon Haiyan to support survivors. Throughout his entire career, Bieber has raised money and donated over $2 million since he became famous. Bieber also supports Pencils for Promise, Make a Wish, and many other charities aimed at improving children’s lives. It’s easy to forget Bieber is a teenage boy, not much older than you and I, and his fame brings an enormous amount of pressure to him. The world literally watches his every move, and the media has made a habit of attacking him whenever

his name is mentioned. People have even gone out of their way to sign a petition requesting that the Canadian-born Bieber get deported from America. Dan Mathieson, the mayor of Stratford, Bieber’s hometown, said they still stand behind him. “As far as I’m concerned, he is a [20] year old person who has made some errors,” Mathieson said. “I don’t condone them, but I also understand that we all have made errors in our life. I hope for his sake that he can get a reset, and get back to music and doing what he loves.” No one will deny Bieber has made some mistakes in his life. While he is not perfect, almost no one is. With so many real problems in the world, the front page of CNN should cover actual issues, not the dramas of a young pop star.

Illegal behaviors invalidate generosity

By Andrew Reyes

Justin Bieber has been in the news for all kinds of things this past month, ranging from cocaine possession and drag racing on the streets of Miami, to smoking marijuana and “hotboxing” a plane - forcing pilots and crew members to wear gas masks. Every moment of Bieber’s life is watched, recorded, and judged by people around the world. He even addresses this breach in privacy in a song, Down To Earth, singing, “How could I ever be normal?” But does Bieber really want to be normal? From what’s been in the news lately, Bieber has shown the world the extent of his ‘maturity’. The arguments circulating the internet claiming he’s just a teenager going through the normal teenage phases ignore the

fact normal teenagers don’t do cocaine while drag racing. On Jan. 7, 2013, Bieber posted a photo on Instagram of him smoking marijuana. Next on March 8, of the same year, a viral video appeared on the internet showing Bieber instigating a fight with a London paparazzo; then, on June 18, he was accused of hitting a photographer with his Ferrari after leaving the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles. June 24, just 6 days later, he was banned for life from a Las Vegas indoor skydiving organization, after he left without paying. These are but a few of the many altercations that Bieber has gotten into in the past year, resulting in many arrests and jail sentences. How can people say that he is going through a phase? It is impossible to justify Bieber’s actions, no matter how popular he is. Bieber has done these things under his own volition, and he should be able to be disciplined for his actions. Bieber is a spoiled teenager that doesn’t know how to handle his money with care and use it for good, or use it on something valuable that would help himself or others in the future. Bieber has to learn how to control himself while having fun when he is not touring; however, up to now, Bieber has proven to the world that he doesn’t care about anyone but himself.

Petition “slacktivism” proves ineffective in enacting change By Anya Kishen

Petitions are not a new concept, but websites such as Change.org and the government-run We The People, are changing the activism game drastically. Established by the First Amendment, petitions were originally intended for citizens to announce their grievances against the US government, but reformers and activists are moving the petition format online, in the hopes that the internet will herald a larger audience for their issues. Though noble, online petitions raise the question: are petitions effective? Studies have shown that the more popular form of online activism, “facebook activism,” does not benefit from any amount of publicity as people are more likely to simply click “like”, rather than donating to the cause. Additionally, online petitions erase the responsive nature of activism because the ease of writing one’s name makes it easier to forget the issue immediately afterwards. Most petitions with favorable results owe their success to the issues they tackle. Insurance battles, corporate concerns and criminal justice gain more traction than smaller and highly localized issues. For instance, in February, a Michi-

gan man won insurance coverage for his mother with terminal cancer after he received 187,702 signatures on his petition. The high volume of signers and negative press pushed the insurance company in question to extend his mother’s coverage for her last few months. Online petitions give rise to the term “slacktivism,” a portmanteau of the words “slacker” and “activism’. Slacktivism, a term that describes the supporting of issues and social causes without having any significant effect on the movement, is counterproductive, causing activists to settle for signing an online petition rather than actively protesting or volunteering. Online petitions are a self-gratifying experience for signers; a place where pseudo-activists can sign their names on a petition without ever having to read or research the issue. With thousands of petitions passing through the White House at any given hour, are they really the most desirable form of activism there is, or even an semi-effective one? Most charities and issues do not benefit from slacktivism, and if online petitions become the driving force behind activism, progress will not be possible. A report done by Canada’s University

of British Columbia stated that “ g i v i n g public endorsement satisfies the desire to look good to others, reducing the urgency to give later.” This is not the intention of petition-makers, in fact, it lowers the chances of success. On a more localized level, in the case of Homestead’s Keep the Tree petition on Change.org, rather than signing a petition and writing a comment on why the tree should be retained, petitioners should opt to research the issue through the newspaper and administration, in

PHOTO COURTESY OF TIME MAGAZINE

search of a factual basis for dissent of the project. There are more effective forms of activism: picketing, protesting, donating, that will benefit others and, if you want, will feel much more self-gratifying that a measly signature. PAGE DESIGN BY ANYA KISHEN ILLUSTRATIONS BY EUGENE CHENG AND ANYA KISHEN

spread

Thursday, March 6, 2014

NO DOUBT WE'RE IN A DROUGHT

California is facing its worst drought emergency in decades The U.S. Drought Monitor has shown that nearly 25% of California is currently in its most severe drought category known as the “exceptional drought category." The rest of California, including the Bay Area, is in the second most severe drought category. Even with the recent rainfall, California is in dire need of water conservation. Here, The Epitaph sheds light on the current drought problem, as well as what you can do to help.

g tips from your p er savin eers t a W

BUT IT JUST RAINED? Defining droughts

Elliot Park (10)

Sophia Dycaico (11) "I think the drought will affect us because running out of water, eventually, will build up and be a catastrophe.”

By Donnie Denome According to the California Department of Water Resources, “there are many ways that drought can be defined. Some ways can be quantified, such as meteorological drought (period of below normal precipitation) or hydrologic drought (period of below average runoff), others are

stead Vo e ic m o

more qualitative in nature (shortage of water for a particular purpose). There is no universal definition of when a drought begins or ends. Drought is a gradual phenomenon.” Because of the many different factors, what would be classified as a drought in California may not be in other states or vice versa.

“My advice for you: take short showers, because we have to save a lot of water. "

Dylan Robinson (9) “I heard you have to put a brick in your toilet or something. That’s what my teacher told me.”

RECORD-BREAKING DROUGHT By Nicole Chung

ONLY WASH FULLY LOADED DISH RACKS

WATER YOUR LAWN ONLY AT SPECIFIC TIMES Watering in the morning and early evening prevents evaporation and saves excessive watering.

REPAIR LEAKS

Using full racks will make the dishwasher more efficient with the water it is already using.

TIPS TO SAVE Water leaks can result in up to $700 in extra costs.

H2O

SAVE WATER WHEN WASHING PRODUCE

Wash your fruits and vegetables in a pan of water instead of running water from the tap.

REUSE YOUR PET'S DRINKING WATER

Don’t throw the old water down the drain. Use it to water your trees or shrubs.

TAKE A SHORT SHOWER

Less than five minutes saves the most water!

TIGHTLY CLOSE YOUR FAUCETS

In 2013, California received a mere 7.0 inches of rain, smashing records from both 1898 and 1976 droughts. According to SFGate. com, low amounts of rain and snow in California prompted a water conservation movement in the 70s, bringing about new water-saving methods, such as low-flush toilets, showerheads, and emergency pipelines. At the present moment, California state officials are urging residents to reduce their water usage in whatever ways they can. Additionally, according to LA YEARS OF MAJOR CALIFORNIA DROUGHTS

Times, California will now have “zero-water allocation,” which means water will be largely unavailable except to “maintain public health and safety.” California has just enough water in store to make it through 2014 without major issues, meaning the state can avoid water rationing for now. However, residents will still have to learn to make accommodations in order to save precious water, in preparation for potential upcoming water apportionment by the state government.

2013 1923 1917 1898 0

AVERAGE ANNUAL INCHES OF RAIN

PAGE DESIGN BY SHIRI HUBER AND NANCY ZHOU

spread

Thursday, March 6, 2014

NO DOUBT WE'RE IN A DROUGHT

g tips from your p er savin eers t a W

BUT IT JUST RAINED? Defining droughts

Elliot Park (10)

Sophia Dycaico (11) "I think the drought will affect us because running out of water, eventually, will build up and be a catastrophe.”

stead Vo e ic m o

“My advice for you: take short showers, because we have to save a lot of water. "

Dylan Robinson (9) “I heard you have to put a brick in your toilet or something. That’s what my teacher told me.”

RECORD-BREAKING DROUGHT By Nicole Chung

ONLY WASH FULLY LOADED DISH RACKS

WATER YOUR LAWN ONLY AT SPECIFIC TIMES Watering in the morning and early evening prevents evaporation and saves excessive watering.

REPAIR LEAKS

Using full racks will make the dishwasher more efficient with the water it is already using.

TIPS TO SAVE Water leaks can result in up to $700 in extra costs.

H2O

SAVE WATER WHEN WASHING PRODUCE

Wash your fruits and vegetables in a pan of water instead of running water from the tap.

REUSE YOUR PET'S DRINKING WATER

Don’t throw the old water down the drain. Use it to water your trees or shrubs.

TAKE A SHORT SHOWER

Less than five minutes saves the most water!

TIGHTLY CLOSE YOUR FAUCETS

2013 1923 1917 1898 0

AVERAGE ANNUAL INCHES OF RAIN

PAGE DESIGN BY SHIRI HUBER AND NANCY ZHOU

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Orchestra performs at CASMEC

lifestyles The Answer is the Sun Interact reaches out to refugees in Afghanistan By Emi Kamezaki

PHOTO COURTESY OF CARL S. GUTEKUNST

ABOVE: Homestead Orchestra performs “Lord of the Dance” at the Winter Pops Concert By Laura Tang This past month, Homestead’s Orchestra performed at the California All-State Music Education Conference (CASMEC) in Fresno from Feb. 20 to Feb. 23. CASMEC is an invitational conference in which a select few orchestras throughout California are chosen to perform in front of music teachers and experts. Homestead was given the honor of performing in this invitational conference after a difficult selection process in which a blind panel listened to CD recordings from around 40 orchestras throughout California. Homestead’s Orchestra was

the only high school orchestra to be chosen to play at CASMEC. To prepare, the orchestra practiced during tutorial every Wednesday and had several three-hour after school practices as well in the couple of months leading up to the conference. “Everyone is super attentive during practices, meaning we don’t waste time between reps,” said senior Keane Virola, a percussionist who plays instruments ranging from xylophone to drums. “We improve a lot from this, so our music actually starts to sound amazing and I could jam out to it in the back.” Despite the conference being held in much closer quarters than expected, the orchestra per-

formed exceptionally. “The area we performed in was not as grand as we thought it would be,” said sophomore Joshua Bao, violinist in orchestra. “(But) I think our orchestra sounded really good despite being cramped and uncomfortable.” “We definitely played better than in rehearsal and previous performances,” added junior Shannon Chiu, violinist. “I think orchestra was immersed in the music and ready to perform.” Aside from Homestead’s Orchestra performance, the conference comprised guest speakers as well as performances by other groups.

Thousands of students wait with bated breath, packed like sardines into the stands of a high school gym. This group congregates annually, at Interact Club’s Fall Leadership Conference (FLC); some to network and learn leadership skills, but others in anticipation of their District Council’s big announcement: the release of the year’s projects. The lights dim and the roar of the crowd lowers to an excited whisper as all eyes focus on the screen at the center of the room. The video begins, leaving the crowd is spellbound by the procession of impactful images and emotional music. A pause, then five simple words appear: THE ANSWER IS THE SUN. The crowd roars in approval and support. This is Interact’s International Project, the goal for which thousands of students in District 5,170 will support this school year. Aimed to assist struggling refugee

families in Afghanistan, “The Answer is the Sun,” calls for the shipment of 5,170 solar-powered cookers and “Wapi” water pasteurizers via the club’s collaboration with Trust in Education. According to Interact’s website, the project will also “provide people in third world countries with solar technologies so they can avoid fossil fuel usage and leapfrog directly to solar.” Through events such as (insert activities here), Interact plans on raising the funds necessary to purchase the “cookits.” In some cases, students will have the opportunity to physically assemble the devices which will be sent to Afghanistan.

“[The project will also] provide people in third world countries with solar technologies so they can avoid fossil fuel usage and leapfrog directly to solar.” - Interact website

From Bell Bottoms to Yoga Pants By Priya Sodlapur

Designers in the fashion world are constantly striving to introduce new and original trends; however, looking back, inspiration from previous decades has played a huge role in current street fashion trends. Fashion in the 1920’s was extravagant and glamorous in attempt to cover up the troubling economic times. In relation to the feminists movements thriving at the time, the iconic “Flapper girl” style was very becoming. Drawing inspiration from masculine fashion, women modeled skinny bodies, short bobbed hair, and taped down chests. In contrast, they wore loud make-up including rouge cheeks and crimson lips. A further rising trend in the 20’s was glitter, from glittery dresses

to champagne-colored clothing, and sparkles and pearls completed any outfit. Fashion in the 1950’s embraced the iconic “girl next door look.” This trend focused on very feminine apparel including full skirts, swing skirts, and poodle skirts; however, trends in the 50’s focused prodigiously on accessories essentially including neck scarves, big voluminous curls, saddle oxfords, and hair turbans or scarves. The 1960’s represented a very different part of fashion that had never been explored before - Mod. Mod fashion essentially embraces bold colors, loud prints, such as checkered, and modern trends. The bold experimentation fostered new dress styles includ-

ing the A-line dress, sack or potato dress, velvet mini dress, baby doll dress and the spaghetti strap dress. Representing the mod fashion trends was the plastic raincoat, which became very iconic for its loud colors. Fashion in the 1970’s branched out far from the 60’s through bell bottom jeans, tie-dye, and subtler, earthy colors. The 70’s embraced a much looser, and idyllic style with cotton tees and midi dresses. Surprisingly, the 80’s completely went in the opposite direction than the 70’s by pulling away from earthy tones and diving into very bold, bright, and loud color palettes. The 80’s was all about leg warmers, miniskirts, stretchpants, and shoulder pads. Also 1980’s fashion is often associ-

1950’s

Peacoat

1990’s

patterns (such as polka-dots and stripes), and adding new detailing to plain clothing, such as lace embroidery. While plenty of fashion has been inspired from previous fashion, new trends have been introduced to street fashion as well. Among the most popular of these trends are yoga pants and leggings, UGG boots, combat boots, and moccasins. The overall sense of fashion among teens has increasingly become more casual and provocative. V-necks and crop tops are often worn along with casuals sweats and large sweatshirts. As fashion on the streets continues to grow into new territory, it seems to still be able to hold onto traditional inspiration.

Floral dress

Headscarf

1920’s

ated with the popular “fingerless gloves”, and big earrings. Fashion in the 1920’s encompassed a very relaxed, simple and classic style. Baggy clothing such as boyfriend jeans and overalls were very popular, and people balanced this trend with crop tops, and bodycons. The iconic accessories of this era ranged from crimped hair and scrunchies to edgy sneakers. Current fashion trends have been inspired by the previous styles of these eras and inspiration from 90’s can be seen in the popular trends of pastel, cool colors, crop tops, baggy sweaters and button-down jean shirts. However; designers have taken a spin on these “vintage” trends and introduced color-blocking, mixing

1980’s Geometric skirt

2010’s

Combat boots ILLUSTRATIONS BY DIPSHIKHA KANDEL & PRIYA SODLAPUR PAGE DESIGN BY DIPSHIKHA KANDEL

lifestyles

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Trends in prom dresses Mary Smith takes over CCC By Priya Sodlapur

The stressful part of prom dress shopping is attempting to find a unique dress that is still fun and represents your own style. Girls often opt for more elegant styles, with dresses that flow or have embellishments with dazzling effects. This year, like past years the most common trends have been crystal embellishments around the waist or bust. Also popular this year is slits along the sides, usually stopping at the calves or thighs. Prom dresses are typically made of chiffon fabric, which allows them to be very wispy and flowy. Sherri Hill is one of the biggest known names. A common trend dividing Junior and Senior Prom is the length of the dress. Junior prom is known for having shorter and more informal cuts to their dresses, while senior prom often is populated by longer and more refined dresses; however, contrary to tradition, juniors have opted for long and flowy this year. Glamourous dresses tend to be an oft debated topic among prom dress shoppers due to their price. A new contender for this year is a website called Rent the Runway,

By Matthew Chow

which rents out dresses for formal events at reasonable prices. Another rising star, currently being promoted by the junior class officers is Mary’s Closet, a prom dress shop that rents and sells pageant dresses. Prom is the biggest reason for girls to get all dressed up and show off their makeup and hair. Most girls like to go all out fixing their hair into voluminous cascades of curls with wands or barrel curlers. However, girls willing to go the extra mile are found doing extravagant up-dos such as chignons. Makeup for prom is a stylistic choice, and most girls tend to amp up their usual amount of makeup for this event. Girls wearing simplistic dresses - plain and often white - tend to lean towards bolder lips, the classic red commonly paired with winged eyeliner. Also very popular among makeup is shimmery eyeshadows and nude lips. Prom is a great opportunity to let girls express their individual styles through formal fashion. While the struggle to find the perfect prom dress may be stressful, it is often one of the most fun parts of getting ready for prom!

What type of prom dress are you?

Upon Homestead students’ return to school after mid-year break, juniors and seniors visiting the College and Career center were greeted by a new witty, charismatic and humorous advisor. “I would say I’m a person of eclectic interest with a passion for education, whether formal or informal,” said Mary Smith, who will substitute for Nicole Deatherage as College and Career Center advisor until graduation this year. “I have a sense of sarcasm that comes out quite frequently. But people soon realize that I’m only teasing them, and that I’m not speaking negatively about them but about the situation.” Smith has worked both full-time and as a substitute in the Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) since 1993. She served as assistant principal secretary at Monta Vista High School and as ASB financial technician at Lynbrook High. As a substitute, Smith has also occupied a plethora of positions ranging from registrar to data tech to assistant principal secretary. “Basically, there isn’t a clerical position that I haven’t covered in the [FUHSD] at one school or another,” Smith said. “It’s a game of musical chairs, and I’m the one that always finds a chair.” Last year, Smith worked as a long term College and Career Center advisor substitute at Cupertino High School. “I worked from March until Christmas break, so I experienced the front end of the college application process at Cupertino. Now at Homestead, I can experience the back end of this process.” Smith’s transition to Homestead has been one void of serious difficulties or obstacles. “The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make while working here is the late start on Monday,” she said. “But then, staff members don’t have that extension anyway.” “Every school has its own personality, and it’s based partly on the students but also on the administration and

staff,” she said. Still, Smith’s experience here is, in many ways, akin to her experiences at other schools. “I’m not out on campus to see every student, but the students I see in here are usually the same type of students I would see at Cupertino. They’re outgoing, friendly and motivated, and they are a pleasure to work with.” As a mother of two daughters that graduated from Monta Vista High

PHOTO BY MATTHEW CHOW

ABOVE: College and Career Cen-

ter advisor Mary Smith will substitute for Nicole Deatherage until graduation. School, Smith has also had first-hand experience with the college application process and accumulated a wealth of advice for applicants. “Once you’ve submitted your application, you’ve done what you can and it isn’t about you anymore,” Smith said. “There’s a different ethnic blend in each high school, but fundamentally, a 17-year-old is a 17-year-old no matter what,” Smith said. “You’re beginning to become adults, and it’s part of my job to prepare you for the next step. Sometimes, my job is simply to provide the same perspective on colleges that moms and dads try to give, but you won’t listen to.”

1. Of these celebrities, whose style do you most enjoy? a. Taylor Swift b. Rihanna c. Kate Middleton 2. Which of these accessories most appeals to you? a. Bows b. Leopard print clutch c. Burberry plaid scarf 3. What is your ideal date? a. Beach b. Rock climbing c. Romantic dinner If you got mostly a’s, you are...FLIRTY! If you got mostly b’s, you are...BOLD! If you got mostly c’s, you are...CLASSIC! Flirty: Lace, sweetheart necklines, soft lines, lighter colors Bold: Bright colors, asymmetrical, edgy, studs Classic: Elegant, refined, clean lines PAGE DESIGN BY EUGENE CHENG

entertainment

Thursday, March 6, 2014

The Flappy Bird Effect The how and why of app popularity

By Greg Schrader

Every day we check messages on our phones, look at Facebook, and, often, spend a few minutes here and there on a game. However, the name of the game will be completely unimportant after a month. There is a trend that has formed in app culture, of a game becoming massively popular – going viral – and then disappearing from our minds and memories in what I like to call the Flappy Bird Effect. Today’s youth click from game to game and app to app with the fickleness of an over-tired toddler. Anything from memes to games to even large business-

es, such as Myspace, can suddenly gain vast followings and then be discarded and forgotten a month or two later. No one can deny the existence of the phenomena. Consider some of the chartbreaking apps that have come and gone over the last few years, such as recently abandoned Flappy Bird, and before it the now forsaken Temple Run. Not long ago FarmVille and Fruit Ninja were played by millions and are now hardly ever spoken of. The fickle nature of the user is hardly limited to games and apps. Websites rise and fall too, such as the now often-mocked Myspace, or for a more recent example,

Lights, cameras... Oscars!

By Nicole Chung

Oscar viewers (million)

integrated in American culture, and the fickle app culture is the result.

Digitized Donations How YouTube has revolutionized charity work

By Marissa Lee

Given that the Academy Awards have such a large influence on the moviemaking industry, you have to wonder: when did it all begin? And why did it begin? Travel back to 1929, when movies were losing value and the industry its profit. According to Yahoo! Voices, the Academy Awards, more commonly known as the Oscars, were created to combat the reputation that Hollywood’s movies had earned amongst the American people. Criticized for the ever-prominent sex and violence in their movies, Hollywood executives gathered to prove to the American people that the movies, even with the explicit concepts surrounding them, can be classy. Additionally, unions began to pose as threats to the moviemaking industry. As a result, various Hollywood studios collaborated to protect themselves against other unions. Today, the Oscars have a completely different meaning. Today, winning an Oscar can catapult the winner above and beyond one’s competitions, putting more value onto the winner and his or her ability to act. For actors and actresses, winning an Oscar means more offers for better roles, a chance to have more control over their acting careers, and more respect from the masses. Movies, just for getting an Oscar nomination, generally soar in popularity and bring in more revenue to the movie industry.

The lights turn on, the camera rolls, and Hollywood’s acclaimed actors and actresses transform into completely different personas. Many of these famous figures are talented, gifted with the ability to transform into a character born from another person’s imagination. After a year of putting on a variety of masks onscreen, these actors and actresses gather together at one venue to see who won the award in some category. This past Sunday, March 2, these actors and actresses gathered at the 86th Academy Awards, located at the Dolby Theater. This past Sunday, the Oscars award ceremony was hosted by popular comedian Ellen DeGeneres and had record-breaking viewership of 43 million, according to Washington Post. Just as ever, the competition was fierce. With the exception of ‘The Wolf of Wall Street,’ all nominations for Best Picture were in the 90s range on Rotten Tomatoes, one of the many go-to sites for those who want to see an accurate rating of a particular movie. However, of all the nominations, the Academy deemed the critically acclaimed ‘12 Years a Slave’ as the Best Picture and awarded Matthew McConnaughey from ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ and Cate Blanchett from ‘Blue Jasmine’ with Best Actor and Best Actress titles, respectively.

Digg (for our younger Internet users out there, Digg was like Reddit way back before people used Reddit). Some predict that even our modern online juggernauts have the potential to fall into disuse. The founders of Google used to say that their competition was just a click away, and Facebook’s teen base has fallen 25 percent over the past three years. It is a craving for the new and stimulating that drives us to find that new game, and it’s through conformity bias that we all end up with the same one. The drive for cheap and instant gratification, the desperate need for an alleviation of boredom is

Whether to post videos or catch up with subscriptions, these days anyone and everyone can find themselves spending countless hours on YouTube. Both popular YouTubers and organizations have taken note of this phenomenon. With his signature “Brofist” and his “Bro Army” of over 23 million people, Felix Kjellberg or better knows as username, PewDiePie, surpassed his goal of raising $250,000 for the PewDiePie Charity: Water Campaign. Kjellberg set up this charity to honor his “Bros” after reaching 10 million subscribers on his channel in which the money raised provided clean water for developing countries. “I feel more compelled to donate because they express a sense of friendship through their videos,” said freshman Kimmy Gronovius. “I feel more connected to them, making me want to do what they ask for.” In 2013 popular YouTubers, John and Hank Green of the Vlogbrothers, began a second round of Project for Awesome. The brothers started an Indiegogo page and received $732,615. They split the donations and gave the money to the top ten charities voted by the viewers. Not only is John Green a man of philanthropy, but an inspiration for fellow YouTuber, Troye Sivan, with his New York Times Best Seller, The Fault in Our Stars. The book revolves around teenage cancer patients who fall in love with each other and endure the consequences of the disease together. The heart-

warming tale inspired Sivan so much he wrote a song about it. The Faults in Our Stars was sold on iTunes and Bandcamp. All of the proceeds he received were donated to his local children’s hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation. The personal connection YouTubers have enables a new approach to attract people to donate. Freshman Alex Hutchins gave her thoughts on YouTube advertisement and TV advertisement: “A YouTuber is viewed because of their popularity and [likeability] whereas a figure on a television is a stranger, so therefore I feel more inclined to donate [to a YouTuber].” “They made that video especially for their viewers, unlike TV ads where it’s just broadcasted on any channel,” Gronovius added. “Also, YouTubers say that from their heart, whereas TV ads [even charities and organizations] are used to make money or [to] promote things.” Despite the overall success YouTubers have convincing viewers to donate, fellow freshman Rhea Chowdhary remains undeterred by their pleas. “I don’t feel convinced or obligated to donate,” Chowdhary said. “I’m used to people telling their audience to do things that will not benefit the audience in any way. It’s usually for money. I will donate if I want to, but not even YouTubers can make me feel more obligated to donate.” Regardless of one’s motive to get people donate, we should all agree that as long as the donated money gets to a good cause there is no harm done by any party. PHOTO COURTESY OF YOUTUBE

SOURCE: Nielsen TV Ratings

45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

2014

2013

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ABOVE: The proceeds recived from Troye Sivan’s music video, ‘The Faults in Our Stars’ will be donated to a local children’s hospital.

PAGE DESIGN BY GREG SCHRADER PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY MATTHEW CHOW

sports

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Homestead sends two teams to CCS

Men’s soccer and basketball adavance to semifinals

Varsity Men’s Soccer Last Saturday, Homestead Varsity Men’s soccer beat Everett Alvarez 2-1 in the Central Coast Section quarterfinals, advancing to its first CCS semifinals in 19 years. After being down 1-0 and seeing team captain, senior Ben Cheng ,sent to the hospital for a dislocated shoulder in the first half, the Mustangs rallied in the second half and managed to score two goals. With just 10 minutes left in the game, sophomore Eli Berman levelled the score and sophomore Guy Rotstein put Homestead on top with a 40yard shot into the top corner. Cheng heard about the win in the emergency room, where the news of victory helped him deal with the physical pain. “I think the entire team feels the enormity of our success,” he said. “Knowing that every

Varsity Men’s Basketball the court with 27 points, seven rebounds, four steals, and two assists. “Each time, we go in with the mentality that this could be our last game,” senior Joel Kitchen said. “But with every win, we earn ourselves the right to play one more game.” Yesterday, the boys played against Independence High in the semifinals, where the score would decide whether the team would move on to the final round of CCS, or fall out of the competition. This deciding score could not be acquired by the time of publication.

Chris Chen (12) and Ari Berman (10) celebrate their win against Everett Alvarez in the CCS Quarterfinals last Saturday.

Team captain Ben Cheng (12) holds the ball for a throw-in during their first CCS round against Sequoia last Wednesday.

game we win makes history is a great feeling, and the team is rising to the occasion.” After a six-year hiatus, Homestead soccer secured a spot in CCS by defeating Lynbrook 3-0 on Feb. 14. Last Wednesday, the Mustangs played Sequoia in the first round of CCS playoffs in a hotly contested match that ended in a 1-1 tie. All five Homestead players scored on their attempts in the penalty shootout, while freshman goalkeeper Jeremy Zielinski saved the single penalty that propelled the team to the next round. The score of the Semifinal round against Bellarmine, which took place at Pioneer High School yesterday, could not be acquired by the time of publication.

Ari Berman (10) prepares to kick the ball across the field in the team’s game against Sequoia.

NBA All-Star weekend raises mixed reactions

Baseball stadium named after Camuso

By Eugene Cheng

By Dipshika Kanter

More rounds and shorter sleeves. Those were some of the sentiments raised at the conclusion of the All-Star festivities. Every year, the National Basketball Association hosts a weekend of activities, ending with the famed All-Star Game between the Eastern and Western conferences of the league. Other noted competitions include the Celebrity All-Star Game, the Three Point Contest, and the Slam Dunk Contest. Every year draws out the detractors from their slumber, and 2014 was no different. Critics were vocal about the lackluster format of the Slam Dunk Contest, which only allowed each dunker to dunk once, as well as the inclusion of sleeved jerseys. In any case, the weekend of basketball competitions has and will achieve many viewers and gain many fans.

“It was awesome how [Kevin Durant] crossed up Lebron [James] and swished that three-pointer!”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIK TORRES

Coach Carmen Camuso, who passed away in Jan. 2012, was quoted as saying, “The love of the game is number one,” and his many years of coaching and teaching were a direct reflection of those passionate words. Carmen Camuso served as a teacher and coach in the Fremont Union High School District for more than 50 years and coached baseball for 25 years. Throughout his coaching years, his team celebrated more than 600 victories, giving Camuso the record for the most wins by an active coach in 2011. In addition to coaching, Camuso also worked as an officiant for the football and basketball

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CALVIN KIM AND CAMILLE MILLER

By Camille Miller

Homestead Varsity Men’s basketball defeated Piedmont Hills by a score of 57-48 in the second round of the Central Coast Section playoffs last Saturday, enabling the team to advance to the next round of CCS. Junior Collin Spence was selected as the Player of the Game, scoring 10 points and having five assists throughout the game, as well as making two important free throws. This victory followed a win against Alisal the Friday before in the first round, where a swarm of Mustangs came to support the team. Senior Troy Whitford dominated

teams and was a celebrated member of the Homestead Athletics department. And now, Camuso’s legacy will live on forever at Homestead, when the baseball field is officially named “The Carmen ‘Chuck’ Camuso Field” in April. “It’s a wonderful idea,” said P.E. teacher, Paula Weismann. “He was an excellent official at coaching football and basketball, and it’s a wonderful honor.” Once the name is approved by the board, at their next meeting, which will take place on April 1, planning will begin for the opening ceremony, scheduled to take place sometime in April or May.

SPORTS SCOREBOARD

-Freshman Arthur Siu

The men’s varsity basketball team finished off their season quite successfully with a 7-5 record while advancing into the second round of CCS.

“I liked the highlights and the dunk contest, but the dunk contest got worse. Like, much worse. I liked how nobody plays defense, that makes it more exciting. And I’m disappointed Kobe didn’t play.” -Freshman Michael Huang PHOTOS COURTESY OF EUGENE CHENG

While only losing one game this season, the men’s varsity soccer team finished their season 10-11, an amazing record. They are another team to advance into the next rounds of CCS.

SPRING SPORTS:

Swimming, track and field, badminton, softball, men’s tennis, men’s golf, men’s volleyball and baseball have entered their preseason. Their official games and matches start within the next week or two. Most of the teams have been participating in preseason tournaments as the teams look forward to the new season. PAGE DESIGN BY CAMILLE MILLER SCOREBOARD BY: KHALIL BOURGOUB

last word

Thursday, March 6, 2014

“The snow is my home away from home. When I’m out there, all the stress from my life just melts away. Ironic, right? ”

Jessica Mazzarino (12) snowboards at Lake Tahoe

PHOTO COURTESY OF JESSICA MAZZARINO

“Climbing is my escape. Turn off your head and go for it.” Sam Loebach (9) rock climbs at Castle Rock State Park

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAM LOEBACH

“It was a wake-up call to meet people who were in the rare situation of having nothing but a story to their name.” Anshul Tambay (10) volunteers with Haight Ashbury Food Program in San Francisco

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANSHUL TAMBAY

A WINTRY COLLAGE What did you do over break?

PAGE DESIGN BY NICOLE CHUNG AND MARISSA LEE

l ia g e ec ra sp v e co

PHOTOS BY NATALIE CALDERON, MATTHEW CHOW, NICOLE CHUNG, DIPSHIKHA KANDEL AND CAMILLE MILLER, AND COURTESY OF SUE LARSON AND EVERY 15 MINUTES PAGE DESIGN BY MATTHEW CHOW AND GRACE HE

g n i

The con victed Name: Au

ad e D

stin Browning Grade: 12 Details of event: Kill ed three while driving under th e influence of alcohol.

Liv

e h T

“People joke about ‘fre sh meat,’ but in that jail, the inmates real ly looked at me like I was fresh meat. There’s no words that can describe the expression in thei r eyes and the looks th ey gave me.”

IT CL A US PH I V d a e D g n i v i L e h t E Walking with ead, Dear Homest dies as the result e on me so s, te nu mi en te Every fif day, I died. To n. io is ll co d te la re of an alcohol

TESY OUR TO C PHO

By Emi Kamezaki

Ford

OF C ALIE NAT RON

E ALD

am 2), B ll (1 e w k c Bla (12), ules 1) naga J 1 e ( n , I ) s (12 oma rly Moll la Th Kimbe avid ), Micae i (12), D , ) ak 11 2) (12 Kamez gan ( er (1 ehra Barra Ayush M 12), Emi ine Vonn n a t r , ( s ) Kathe ) Tri a (11 ovese right nor Bunk ndra Gen iu (11), o t h n a t C o x C lef on Ale (11), from Shann ght) row: Schwartz ft to ri n (11), p o t o e ( y Adam rom l ica L (11), m row: f 2), Dann o 1 t ( (bot Hansen Sarah

rt: o p e R Insider ragedy tin a id Aus t e real,” s as the h o t s ls g e ignated me re, it fe out the , who was des Plannin telling g e in wn le k pt ,

eop Bro stly ut hone river. “P drunk d ood actor.’ B red and ners a ‘g s sca d w m could I wa ’t acting. I wa s so real.” o h ra t notifie g C ro p w the were no and involved d ar- I wasn t ing wa p inutes d a h , e t M y lv ts M r o n e v e v 15 rs y B Paramedic Michael kerbyson briefs micaela starte embe nts in very and e f stud e stude event, staff m er is when we once f the E y, hundreds o cers, medical vous, h o t h ts n g u e v o b a e t fi Thomas (11) prior to her performance. e h d f e o h t lt t o e s e c e l s A h m e n s t r O befo would ck in k r a e e Before sday and Wed , highway patro ibuted countle o e B ) W “ w “ . R . e e d r on (AM efo until th contr puties n Tue sponse e t long b homas B unfold o ers, adults, de nity members cies me sa id Deputy T an Medical Re o the event, w n d e r g u o te a c n m c lu m t a ic o ,” , a r r c s s e e io g h d r m t c . in p n n ent vo n o a o et s ing nA e staff to ten m e (AMR) of- the me usually with a ut two month ks, we’ve met organiz e respons planning and nt takes eight , o s e h b n t w A o n to al Resp ning for a mo ep guiding us. these last two tees.” , e eve hours in r eetings it d n for th merican Medic . As such, plan . n m io P a t m . H ra o h C t a c n p ulous m s the 13 d r o e A ic n o 0 t , m t a Pr e s a 2 a e m in t ts n e s d n d o e ic e n or gu irginia J ched- met tw h parents, stud the periodic a ultimately mak apn in Au utes co [h ing to V Every 15 Min ’s events bega will fit in our s ho it to to w ’s s rt it k a ie e p it e e il ll v w w y e a ib d is a oore, ’t beli no sm spons n e M r a in wang ficer an and Wednesd e out where th c e ir H is I u r e h h , D ,” ’s . “It’s n, C ur othly met t onally o rs ts m e n s a ally P o “ ip Tuesday we have to fig h School dea encies involved mes . out asn’t re all partic ome together d Hig the ag there w n’t so worked “First, a ll is o te c g a s s e in , r e h m h e d it m t h ery ibute hen t progra id Ho a ison w rs ause ev ily distr ule,” sa the school’s li never a time w - pened] bec s were so eas s overbearing.” icipating office is in s ’s m a e d r d a e b a rt h jo w e a T h p t e . d t , a serve h e n , r a its ram e th h sa id. “T gram place he r anyon sting the prog te the program police ty, whic the pro fo fe t a s s s a busy g on.” S o e r h o c t ia h es to pprec in tate,” any s rs of ring the f Traffi ugh yea o grown to a ond sa id. “Du you pull the thing go a school decid the Office o vents in the s hris ro h T e Once through have als the same,” B gle. But once nd senior fficer C -funded sara st apply e for all grant atrol (CHP) o nd staff u a m and gig junior a n always iio chwartz, trat ghous ts. “It’s le mess around e year that the act on the aud way P e, adam s in c s h r e e trucro v ig a s ff o p n n le e H i e c g d of th e imp peop recieve xandra plicate e g e , is “the a alifornia u k Al m h n h im c o C u t t b c a a o r ly p n t d is y in.” on de dis g an d conno ving Dead ere reall it’s the rmous rything actto confi accordin hansen an role as Li rps off, totally quiet. Th nd taking eve ne was a reen o this eno an agreement r i. ta i r k e h s fo t w r g o o a n f e in t: sc re Falk ing are tion nt fund nal cos y 15 classes they’re observ ugh this crash ly be. There a The gra ith one additio phase. . “Ever re o ib d h id s n t a s a s o n , p e e e w v g r c n E en oo mo me nnin l as ca dded, “ it or gram ca ughout the pla f surprise,” M , so it’s much Bond a as true to rea together.” n’t get he d to o e o e r ro w e h o w t s o t m n e ll a y y e n s a h n lit s tia not ed t kid t it wa ion a is sce want a recogniz rt or tting th g to be some ganizat surprise. We’re funding. It’s ment, r u o s p e “They o n w t o e J n r o ts if it’s a isn’t a shortcu ’s always goin es sa id. Still, ever much eff yank ou Minutes r the students e afra id they’ll on ow him to ere J h t H T e “ “ ,” g . if n r d m io o fo ’r t e ra e r n e g id e o w iv k ro t tt m e c p a e s e n n is eff cau eve pay life of o s of th ut it, be never won’t lanning s, plication can save the made p ave class whe ng. talk abo et society.” im l ly u n f e 1990 o e e p .” y ho cr wa o le rec ed in th inutes. in, if w done our job rt t u ta p s like a se is oath of sec t of excuses t enior Helen H sed e m m gra time w rently, we’ve the pro rred every 15 he sa id. But th o make up a lo o plan,” sa id s , which propo diffe u . When t k t ,” e g c d s c e in e in d te r o h e it a te iv o t r h u L m o g I d in a “ e m m e ki dee ficult. ith Mr. M rim Reaper co rticipate as th wellery 30 ms like this, w ions in Falkows meet w a d collis occur about ev ra is te g g la ro e in I had to orked on the G ts that would p ied to choose the p r h lt h some hroug n alcoho tr n t idents , w e o c d ly e n g c t u s n t c io a W u t s a a “ e io a p f w . s v b uc H he st o n im tors “Now, t reness and ed of collisions. O gested li sh scene ac t could make a ly r the sug ra wa a e c a h b t definite e h m g h it u t ts in n n .” W t “ nd de stop selec mething ry and e the o o s e t s r a t e , fo r n Dead a ell-known stu g e c a b in e a w sc wn ’t rst I’ll can d ,w we don ission fi like Bro bling, realistic, member . “And rounded he sa id. re ts’ perm ,” Moore sa id it’s an working, so t participants m n u ll e h r I’ s a s g ” p a l, in yes; nce w meth obta in schoo studen icipate ie y o r o a s r rt t e s o a my life.” p d F p ’s x f e e ts It o e o n “ pare “We n e rest ents t . “This g,” he sa id. ll h d d t a u e t r k t s r o fo o N e .” st. get has w thes shockin be hone tense program nce you in “O

few at Homestead, and Another day begins ke. ri st to t ou ab is that know of the tragedy mpju y, eir day in anxiet 16 students begin th llwe , or do t creak of the ing at the slightes . nding doom aware of their impe in ed enigma, towering od ho e th y, Finall e th to ly and ominously in stature, walks slow ss le ce fa and, standing room. He approaches s in hand, points to hi he yt sc and silent with latest victim. us of a Homestead st Now, all that remain e. on st mb obituary and a to dent, is a rose, an sdi s er fic of service A myriad of public ar qu ad he e th , ing room course in the wrestl ce li po g un yo A . ad ng De ters for the Livi ?” she : “What’s your name me es ch oa pr ap woman inquires. gthe recognition re As I reply, I note o wh n ma wo e th is . This istering on her face e Th g. mily of my passin has informed my fa d an ul rf lds is both powe information she ho ey th d Di d? on d they resp terrifying. How di cry? ay e who have passed aw Conventionally, thos l na io ot em not knowing the have the relief of e th t bu , ed hs have caus disarray their deat d an ng si es bl l ca e equivo Living Dead have th us fr st mo e th s ap Perh curse of knowledge. at th ct r death, is the fa trating aspect of ou

plore therefore I must im for redemption; and nseco e th t ou think ab you, Homestead, to lfse is it e us ca be ons, quences of your acti ire sp in decision that may indulgent to make a ur loved ones. the suffering of yo is exle, to pass off th mp si It would be orary mp te a , on ti simula perience as only a lved, at will soon be reso state of solitude th ibilss po t of death as a but the mere though hest ug to e th leave even ity is enough to ars. witpolice officer in te coroWe sit in silence, have conversed with ad de ng vi we have no voice. li t e ou Th th wi , es drunk on by d our love e affected nessing the pains of discussed with thos , rs ne . acem th nd t ha or st mf fir to co and heard retaining the power this iving collisions, d dr an dbo h, d tc le wa ng ly ma on , n al me, brut The living dead ca counts of the grueso s flood into es n tn me wi ss st la mu rc s pe er up fic d public safety of we do as Homestea at re th fo s be ie g in dy e friends ar the bleachers. Our ing everyday. our shattered glass serv d an the aftermaths of d oo bl our eyes, c ti We have previewed ma au tr is th r fo nd ou sions. as the somber backgr ves deaths, our bad deci ent ree more young li th , ly members of the stud te ma me ti so Ul y, e. dl te scen ub do to Un in er rap cu Re oc rget the ow the Grim ll disregard or fo join us, as we foll wi nwi dy e bo t th bu on m, nd ra ha og aces his Minutes pr nonexistence. He pl ng es of the Every 15 ti nc un re s ha nt is re th pa d ng an vi n, s va agedy of grie dow of the coroner’ ver. to share in the tr re fo es ri mo me r ou . e impact image will remain in the makes an irrevocabl sish, insensitive to your brother, your of fit ne be Some students laug e th r al Fo re g in not ak do re ; tb the hear your mother fact that this is , your best friend, ne r, mi te ke re li mo h, is ic g wh in , lies cause noth ity for so many fami ink and drive, be their dr of of h s at es de in e pp th ha e th wi erving th must come to terms important than pres children. has those we hold dear. , everything that To the Living Dead t. ar ighs down on the he been left unsaid we ance ch a rs fe of e iv pect This alternate pers

Drunk Driving Statistics One in three people will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime.

ree as a ay. i d e l peop ry d e, 28 crashes eve n o l a rica ing In Ame drunk driv f sult o One in ns e six te binge . drinks

Every year,drunk driving costs the United States

$132 billion

INFORMATION COURTESY OF WWW.MADD.ORG

Jules Blackwell (12) gets his makeup done before the crash.

Micaela Thomas (11) and Katherine vonner (12) eat breakfast and chat while waiting for the presentation to begin

BEHIND-THE SCENES PHOTOS COURTESY OF MATTHEW CHOW AND EVERY 15 MINUTES PAGE DESIGN BY CAMILLE MILLER AND MATTHEW CHOW

g n i

The con victed Name: Au

ad e D

stin Browning Grade: 12 Details of event: Kill ed three while driving under th e influence of alcohol.

Liv

e h T

IT CL A US PH I V d a e D g n i v i L e h t E Walking with ead, Dear Homest dies as the result e on me so s, te nu mi en te Every fif day, I died. To n. io is ll co d te la re of an alcohol

TESY OUR TO C PHO

By Emi Kamezaki

Ford

OF C ALIE NAT RON

E ALD

rt: o p e R Insider ragedy tin a id Aus t e real,” s as the h o t s ls g e ignated me re, it fe out the , who was des Plannin telling g e in wn le k pt ,

Drunk Driving Statistics One in three people will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime.

ree as a ay. i d e l peop ry d e, 28 crashes eve n o l a rica ing In Ame drunk driv f sult o One in ns e six te binge . drinks

Every year,drunk driving costs the United States

$132 billion

INFORMATION COURTESY OF WWW.MADD.ORG

Jules Blackwell (12) gets his makeup done before the crash.

Micaela Thomas (11) and Katherine vonner (12) eat breakfast and chat while waiting for the presentation to begin

BEHIND-THE SCENES PHOTOS COURTESY OF MATTHEW CHOW AND EVERY 15 MINUTES PAGE DESIGN BY CAMILLE MILLER AND MATTHEW CHOW

THE WITNES SES Name: Megan Kang Grade: 11

Name: Alec Badra Grade: 12

“I didn’t think the funeral was going to be as intense and realistic[...] I learned that my decisions can not only affect myself, but others that are totally innocent.”

“I’m becoming an emergency medical technician. I’m taking a college course. So I think it was cool to see everything in action. I’m going to be seeing this stuff daily if I do get hired.”

Name: Ben Mendelsohn Grade: 12

Name: Bobby O’Connell Grade: 12

“I actually feel really bad for the guy who got arrested because in that situation, it’s like you make a single mistake and suddenly one person is dead and two others are seriously injured and you’re going to jail for several years.”

“It was kind of morbid, but also, it’s a good thing to have for students to see. My sister was involved in a drunk-driving accident and it was pretty bad [...] I know that I’m not going to [drive drunk] in my future and I don’t think that many of the people who were here would even think about doing it.”

Name: Justin Ford Grade: 11

Name: Christine Carey Grade: 12

“I wouldn’t drunk drive in general but this is pretty convincing. I didn’t know it was this serious; that all of this could happen just because of one drunk person.”

“The people that are directly involved in it are from different groups so hopefully they’ll be good at making sure their friends don’t do something stupid.”

Every fifteen minutes, someone dies due to an alcohol-related collision and yesterday, you died. I never got to tell you... ,

h Mehra

yus Dear A

Dear Sara

Hansen,

“I wish we could have spent our summer in Ta hoe like we planne d to.” -Connor Q

uilici (12)

to do u loved to o y t a h ad in for w assion ut all I h ough “Your p pired me to p th n ins d eve always nted to do. An will never a hI what I w e, even thoug even worry n o ’t g n you’re r you say ‘do e able a never b e ll h I’ in h a g g u a :30 in tho ,’ even ou at 9 about it sketball with y an inspiration ba on as to play will live u o y , a Orteg eace.” est in p to me. R (12) oorthy m a m a vR -Va ibha

Dear Adam Schwartz, “Thank you for everything you have taught me and for helping me to grow into the person I am today. Your legacy will live on through the numerous lives you touched, including mine.” -Judy Alterado (11) *Each member of the Living Dead selected their closest peers to engage in a retreat after school on Tuesday, where the attendees wrote personal letters to the individuals that invited them. These excerpts were taken from the letters. PHOTOS AND PAGE DESIGN BY CAMILLE MILLER