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HUMANS OF HOMESTEAD
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HOMESTEAD HIGH SCHOOL
VOL. 51
ISSUE 6
The faces we walk by each day and the words they have to say
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THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014
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College Board announces changes to SAT Students The resdesigned exam accomodates low-income students rally in support Eight major changes to the SAT of Ronsheimer By Shiri Huber
Relevant words in context
Command of evidence
Essay analyzing a source
Math focused on three key areas
Problems grounded in real-world contexts
Analysis in science and social studies
Founding documents and great global conversation
No penalty for wrong answers
including free test preparation materials and a larger focus on making the exam more useful and clear. The announcement event took place in Austin, Texas, where Coleman was accompanied by other College Board members and students. According to the College Board website, “Every income-eligible student who takes the SAT will directly receive four fee waivers
to apply to college.” This change would benefit low- and middleincome students by omitting the cost barrier that these students frequently face. The second announcement from the College Board addressed how they plan to confront the high-priced test preparation for the SAT. “College Board is partnering with Khan Academy to provide
the world with free test preparation materials for the redesigned SAT,” states the College Board website. The new test preparation material will launch in the spring of 2015 and will be co-created by the College Board and Khan Academy.
By Anthony Garcia On March 5, College Board President David Coleman announced plans to expand their accommodation to college-ready, low-income students by providing them with support in the college application process. In addition, Coleman laid out major changes to the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) exam,
When beloved French teacher Kelly Ronsheimer was diagnosed with colon cancer last fall, the Homestead community immediately sprung to action in her support. As Ronsheimer fought a difficult battle, Homestead students, teachers, and clubs ensured that she would not be fighting it alone, as efforts in support of Ronsheimer poured in, in the form of gifts, letters, videos and other special tributes. In the Fall, fellow French teacher Muriel von Stein’s classroom featured a wall-sized poster board, allowing students to write supportive messages to Ronsheimer. At the same time, von Stein compiled a book for Ronsheimer featuring letters from students wishing Ronsheimer well. Von Stein also began a project amongst teachers to help Ronsheimer and her family with meals. Using the website Lotsa Helping Hands, von Stein organized a calendar, which allowed 20 teachers to make and deliver meals to Ronsheimer and her family. Teachers also rallied together during Homestead’s Canned Food Drive last Winter, by ensuring that Ronsheimer’s third period class won the drive’s competition, even in Ronsheimer’s absence. This led to Ronsheimer’s being crowned “Canned Food Drive Queen” at the Winter Wonder Week Rally. The support for Ronsheimer is still strong. The French National Honor Society is currently selling dark blue wristbands in support of those battling colon cancer, and plans to donate the proceeds from the sales in Ronsheimer’s honor. Senior, Morris Yang, organized t-shirt sales. The shirts read “#strongheimer” on one side, and on the back featured the French translation of the famous Christopher Reeve quote, “Once you choose hope, anything is possible.” Also using the term “Strongheimer,” sophomore Azuki Umeda created a Facebook page titled “Strongheimer Always.” “[Facebook] is an amazing source for
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ASB election results to be revealed Friday
Students and ASB candidates reflect on the election process By Shiri Huber
After a week of campaigning for Associated Student Body positions, ASB election results will be revealed after school this Friday. Homestead students running for ASB this year have faced more competition as more candidates run for each ASB post. Last year, a majority of the candidates, such as current ASB President Anne Gahart, ran unopposed. Candidates this year come from a variety of leadership backgrounds, ranging from veteran juniors to underclassmen with no previous experience. Junior Timmy Beckmann, an ASB candidate, spoke about his experience running for ASB for the first time his sophomore year. “I had helped at a lot of school events, and I wanted to be in a position that coordinated big-
ger events, such as rallies,” said Beckmann. After winning ASB rally commissioner, Beckmann was “the only person who hadn’t been on leadership before. It was daunting.” ASB candidate and sophomore Daniel Moll is enthusiastic about running for ASB. “I want to stay involved,” he said, “and I like to be behind the scenes.” Despite the motivation and commitment candidates display during campaign week, as election day approaches, some Homestead students attest that they have little desire to vote in the elections. “It’s more of a popularity contest,” said Junior Maya Josyula. “It doesn’t matter who gets elected, the same things are going to get done anyway.” Moll agreed that the elections could turn into a popularity con-
Smitten with The ice cream made right before your eyes See page 9
test, and cited the 3.5 GPA requirement as a limitation on who can run for ASB. Beckmann opposes this notion. “They try to make it as [little] of a popularity contest as possible.” Other students, such as Junior Meghan McCabe, are voting to support the candidates. “I
know people who are running who work extremely hard [...] I want to make sure they [are elected] over the people who take it for granted or see it as a popularity contest.” In the end, “the most important thing is to serve your school in any way possible,” said Beckmann. “It really is a thankless job, but a satisfying one as well.”
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PHOTO CAPTION: Candidates for ASB 2014-2015 post election posters around campus.
2014 Staff of the Year
Inside:
Carol Buffum and Paula Weismann take home the titles
News
1
Entertainment 9
Opinion
3
Sports
11
Spread
6
Last Word
12
See page 5
Lifestyles
5,8
PAGE DESIGN BY SHIRI HUBER AND CAMILLE MILLER INFOGRAPH BY ANTHONY GARCIA
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news Cupertino, ready for the dogs Thursday, April 3, 2014
City opens Mary Avenue Dog Park to public By Nicole Chung Dog owners living in Cupertino can now take their canine friends to the dog park located on the corner of Villa Real and Mary Avenue, currently open to the public. Open sunrise to sunset, the dog park welcomes dogs of all sizes, both big and small. The dog park, formerly known as the Mary Avenue Dog Park, was originally set to be open on February 8, but the opening ceremony had to be canceled due to excessive raining. Then, on February 19, the city
announced on its website that the dog park was now open to the public. The opening ceremony also had to be canceled. Originally scheduled to take place on the opening day, February 8, the ceremony will take place on April 3 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The design of the dog park is relatively simple. There are two large, open areas, separated by a fence. One side is designated for small dogs and the other for big dogs. By definition, small dogs should weigh under 25 pounds and big dogs over 25 pounds. Additionally, the dog park does not have
Continued from page 1 New SAT
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This addition is intended to provide all students with the opportunity to prepare for the exam with interactive software that provides students with practice and analysis of their areas for improvement, all at no cost. Currently, students planning on taking the SAT before spring 2015 can go to Khan Academy and work through unreleased practice problems from SAT exams, and have access to numerous videos detailing how to solve each type of problem step-bystep. Finally, Coleman announced the SAT will be completely redesigned. The exam will include a return to the 1600 scale, with the essay having a separate score. The test will also have only three sections: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, Math, and the Essay. Consequently, the test will clock in at about three hours, plus 50 minutes allotted for the essay. Lastly, the redesigned exam will be able to be taken both in print and by computer by the year 2016.
everyone to check in with Madame Ronsheimer,” said Umeda about her motivation to start the page, who encouraged everyone to like the page in support. Other students have given personal gifts to Ronshiemer. As a New Year’s surprise, Junior Lucas Tecot created a video featuring clips of people sending their well-wishes for a quick recovery. As students and teachers participate in various efforts to support Ronsheimer, all share a widespread wish that she will return soon. “Madame Ronsheimer is really passionate about what she does,” said junior Samika Shenoy. Junior Nikita Shirsat added, “She has such a passion for teaching French; she doesn’t do it because she has to, she does it because she loves it.” Umeda mentioned that she will never forget the personal support she received from Ronsheimer during a difficult time. “Cancer is a really tough battle,” Umeda said, “and its amazing to see that Madame Ronsheimer is recovering from it.”
any “playgrounds” for the dogs to play in, save for a few benches for owners, which really allows dogs to roam free and focus on socializing with other dogs and owners. There is one entrance for both areas, called the transition area, which is a small gated box that allows owners to unleash their dogs and place their dogs into the respective area without fear of other dogs running out of the area. Of course, as with any public place, the dog park has some rules that dog owners must adhere to. Owners must clean after
their dogs, even within the dog park. Additionally, owners must clean after themselves not just for the sake of keeping the park clean, but also to keep the dogs for consuming harmful objects. Owners must keep their shoes and should they decide to do so, owners may bring in guests. The owners are responsible for their respective guests. Owners are also legally responsible for their own dogs. Perhaps the most important rule of all is that dogs must be on leash until they are in the transition area.
News in brief: Five teams go to EconChallenge semi-finals By Eugene Cheng
On April 2nd, five teams of Homestead students participated in the State Championships of the EconChallenge, which was held at the San Francisco Federal Reserve. The competitors, all senior Economics students, took several rounds of multiple-choice tests and battled against other teams in the quiz bowl finale. Each school in the nation is allowed to field teams of four students to take an online test on topics ranging from microeconomics, macroeconomics, and applied policy. Teams are divided into regions, and the top scoring teams in each region are invited to partake in the next level of competitions. Although Homestead has always had strong showings in EconChallenge, this
year its students proved to be exceptional. Homestead snatched all five available spaces in the State Championships, with five out of its six teams making it to the next round. The victors of the State Championships will advance to the National Semi-finals, then eventually to the National Competition in New York on May 17th. The final competition will be held at the New York Federal Reserve, in the heart of the Big Apple. The top four teams in the National Competition will receive cash prizes of $1000, $500, $250, and $200, respectively. In addition, the teams will receive a free tour of the famous New York Stock Exchange, as well as an all expense paid trip inside New York City.
PAGE DESIGN BY ANTHONY GARCIA
opinion
Thursday, April 3, 2014
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Media news inflation must stop epitaph \ the
By Marissa Lee
People are almost always willing to do anything for fame and money. Thousands of people put videos online or participate in game shows risking their pride. But when media starts to deceive the viewer in order to make money, that is where it crosses the line. On May 21, a day after the 2013 Moore tornado hit Oklahoma, news and media sources announced that there were 91 fatalities, but later changed it to 24. The same thing happened with the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. They announced that there were 6,700 deaths. However, the death toll later was reported at 2,996. That is less than half of what was originally estimated. There is no reason to release estimate death counts when they are simply over-exaggerated numbers that serve no purpose but to instill
fear in the American people. When the media breakreports ing news, they the portray situation as as bleakly possible because that’s sells what papers — or, in this age of digital news, it’s what sells clickthroughs and ad space. After the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, newspapers and other news outlets printed preposterous headlines, such as the Daily Mail’s “Swine Flu: We’re All Going To Die.” This headline is completely blown out of proportion. The Daily Mail made it seem like the Swine Flu was the start of an apocalypse, when in actuality it was no different than your everyday seasonal flu, averaging in about the same amount of fatalities each year. Media will always try to create witty and creative headlines to catch the reader’s attention, but when the headlines go as far to create paranoia among the public, it is unethical and repulsive. Similarly, many news outlets use the term “Breaking News” when the content of it can be completely irrelevant to the majority of the population.
On the Mercury News website under the “Breaking News” category, there is an article titled “Gwyneth Paltrow ‘uncouples’ from husband.” Nothing about this article is breaking news, nor is it an isolated event. Also guilty of irrelevant “news,” CNN had Miley Cyrus’s VMA twerking stunt as the main article on its website immediately following the award show. Cyrus somehow twerked her way into CNN’s top story, while Syria underwent civil war and Americans celebrated the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Another example of news being replaced with attention-grabbing fluff is ABC News’ article, “Why You Don’t Smell Like A Dog.” ABC promises “Breaking News & Latest News”; but, there’s no reason for me to know I don’t have the smelling capabilities of a fuzzy four-legged creature – or at least, no reason I should learn why through a self proclaimed ‘professional newspaper.’ News corporations should focus on actual news, not pointless blog posts. Articles under the category of “breaking news” should actually be breaking news, not ploys to get more views. Our attraction to death, sex and pop culture has led to sensationalist coverage. In order to end it, we as a society must stop consuming fluff pieces in favor of hard news so we can learn about history as it is being made. Instead of believing everything we read, we must regulate media to further prevent false perceptions of reality.
Letter to the Editor Recently, it was theorized that the only reason gay rights and marriage have made so much progress is because Americans don’t want to be compared to Russians so they strive to be as far from them as possible. On the bright side, it means better rights, but on the other hand it also brings a severe hatred of Russians. Those of us from Russia are still discriminated and brought down with comments, such as “you’re just a Commie,” or “All Russians are Commies and should be put in their place.” These are two of the numerous comments I have heard from kids at my elementary and middle schools, and even from teachers or substitutes here at HHS. I can understand the adults who were around during the Cold War having these lingering feelings, but students who were 9 to 13 years old? This is the future generation and they still believe the same sentiments as those 30 years older than them. How are we supposed to change the anger if it is perpetuated? As someone who identifies as LGBT and has lived most of
Corrections We apologize for the following mistakes in the previous issue: Front Page: Lynbrook High School was incorrectly spelled. Page 8: The incorrect draft for “The answer is the sun” article was placed. View the full article on The Epitaph’s Facebook page. Page 11: Dipshikha Kandel was incorrectly attributed. Every 15 Minutes Pull-out: Sara Hansen was incorrectly spelled.
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
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the
The Epitaph is a non-profit publication at Homestead High School, 21370 Homestead Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014.
America must stay clear of Ukraine
As one of the Russian/Ukrainian students at HHS, I was asked to answer a few questions about the current situation, but declined. However, after reading the article, “Political turmoil brews in Ukraine,” in The Epitaph’s last issue, I chose to offer my thoughts after all. So many students are walking around campus, saying how “those damn Russians should just go drink their vodka and shut up. America is the strongest country and we know what’s best.” But the truth is, America is the one who should be staying out of international business that has absolutely nothing to do with them. If there is one thing history has shown me, it is that the only time America gets involved in anything that requires money or effort is if there is a very strong incentive to gain. In the case of Ukraine? It’s leverage against Russia. Since before the USSR was formed, there has been some sort of tension between the two countries that increased during WWII and then skyrocketed during the Cold War.
STAFF
their life in the U.S., I have mixed feelings about the two countries. Would I want to live there? No. Do I hate them as much as many of my friends because of what they are seeing in movies and continued stereotypes? Of course not. I do not agree with everything that happens in Russia, that is for sure, but I have family in Ukraine who are being told what to do in case of bombings and they are incapable of carrying out those instruction. The standard Ukrainian apartment complex has about 10 stories and the stairs are more reliable than the elevator. How are those on the upper stories supposed to get to safety in time? And if the U.S. decides to act on their threats — which the other countries do not support even though the U.S. claims to speak for all of them — how far is it going to go? Both
countries have enough nuclear power to destroy the world seven times over. The question rests on how far they are willing to go to one-up each other. And given America’s history, it might go too far. By an anonymous student
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
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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PAGE DESIGN BY MATTHEW CHOW ILLUSTRATION BY NANCY ZHOU
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opinion
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Class structures should not hinder introverts By Matthew Chow As a high school journalist who converses with countless students and staff members, I am perceived as one who thrives off constant social and personal interactions. But that’s not the case; I prefer listening to others’ ideas over presenting my own, I require quiet recharging time after socializing for more than 15 minutes, and I always get nervous before speaking with a stranger. This should be perfectly normal. But it isn’t. I frequently feel ashamed when I dislike taking control of a conversation and I often feel – for lack of a better word – lame for choosing to stay home instead of hanging out. Simply put, society unfairly and unintentionally favors extroverts over introverts. Now, in order to approach this topic, it is important first to establish the extrovert-introvert spectrum. According to psychiatrist Carl Jung, extroversion is characterized by an outward flow of personal energy while introversion is characterized by an inward flow. Sounds fair and simple, right? But recently, there has developed a prevalent but twisted idea that successful and admirable people must be loud, bold and extroverted. This idea, coined the
PHOTO BY EMI KAMEZAKI
“Extrovert Ideal” by Susan Cain, author of the New York Times Bestseller “QUIET: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking,” has become ingrained in work settings, social scenes and most importantly in society’s and individuals’ ideologies. This mindset develops primar-
ily as a result of societal structures in which people grow and develop. Take education, for instance. Classes are typically structured to encourage participation and discussions. In her TED talk, Cain even references the popular classroom method of arranging multiple desks facing each other to promote interaction between
students. Of course, these opportunities benefit one’s learning experience and instill values of communication and cooperation in adolescents and children. However, these same discussions also create and stimulate an environment in which students who are boldest and volunteer most often will excel, even if a
student who is more timid might have something more meaningful to say. As a result, classes enforce an imbalanced system where much effort goes into bringing introverts out of their shells, but little effort goes into stimulating quiet thoughtfulness in extroverts. This imbalance stresses the wrong notion that extroverts are successful and introverts have some kind of wrong programming. Classes and teachers should encourage solitude and embrace introversion instead of punishing quiet students with negative participation grades. We should learn more about the famous introverted leaders, such as Abraham Lincoln and Gandhi. These figures made history while exercising the ability to listen, take a step back and process – an ability that students today are not taught in school. In a Silicon Valley dominated by technology, industry and social media, we have learned that success is about hustling and bustling, making one’s voice heard and advertising one’s ideas. While these objectives are ambitious and relevant, one must not forget the importance and the benefit of stopping for a minute and thinking on one’s own.
Pop music: unchanging mediocrity
Radio hits started from the bottom and went nowhere By Eugene Cheng The following conversation will take place at least once a week. It could happen in a car with the radio turned on. It could happen while eating at your favorite restaurant. It could even happen within the privacy of your own home. “Dude, pop music sucks now. It was so much better back when the Beatles were around. Now, everything just sound the same.” Does this banal statement, echoed by people young and old across the country, have any speck of truth in it? Although music taste is in itself a subjective experience, observing the state of music through the objective lens of pragmatism, the conclusion is: no, pop music hasn’t gotten worse, but that doesn’t mean it was ever good to begin with. People tend to view the past through the rosetinted glasses of nostalgia, only remembering the highlights of years prior, rather than the mundane. This also holds true for people that delve into the past history of pop music. One common angle of attack people use when they argue over pop music’s deteriorating quality, is to list
off all the great popular artists of the past, then compare that to the supposed lack of talent in today’s generation of musicians. The inherent flaw in this argument is that it doesn’t take into account all the other, mediocre artists from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s that have the same problems today’s pop artists have: lack of musical talent, originality and substance, among others. One of Prince’s most memorable and critically acclaimed singles is “When Doves Cry,” a four-minute auditory masterpiece. That same year of 1984,
however, also saw the popularity of “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” and “Missing You,” by Phil Collins and John Waite, respectively. People arguing that pop music quality is weaning don’t bring up these songs because unless you were alive during that age, the chance of you knowing and remembering those mediocre soft rock singles are slim at best. There’s probably another reason that you can’t seem to recall a large majority of pop songs in the past: they all sound the same. This is due
to the shameless monotony of lyrics and song structure that has haunted pop music for decades. In terms of lyrical content, the prototypical pop song will probably describe the following: love, fame, hardship, fortune. And that’s about it. Observing the framework and composition of pop songs reveals analogous themes between many songs, especially chord progression. This level of unoriginality can be seen in a sketch performed by the comedy group Axis of Awesome at the 2009 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The
Australian musical comedy act sang a medley of hit songs including “Don’t Stop Believing,” “I’m Yours,” “Let it Be,” and “Under the Bridge,” but only magically playing the same four chords for each one. This can be achieved because those songs, and most pop songs, are written with four basic chords in mind, and most of the time in similar order. This applies to pop songs old and new – classic hits and crummy tunes alike. The claim that pop music is on a downward spiral is completely unfounded. Rather than being an uncontrolled spiral of mediocrity and talentlessness, pop music just started from the bottom and never traveled anywhere. The pop songs of the previous decades only seem more memorable because the boring ones aren’t worth remembering. Furthermore, the very essence of pop music, save for notable exceptions, is to appeal to the lowest common denominator in the music audience by dumbing down lyrics and simplifying musical complexities. So yeah, pop music does suck. It’s supposed to. Just don’t say that it has gotten worse.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY NANCY ZHOU PAGE DESIGN BY EMI KAMEZAKI
lifestyles Classified Staff of the Year:
2014 Staff Awards
Carol Buffum
Thursday, April 3, 2014
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Teacher of the Year:
Paula Weismann By Michelle Fuller
By Grace He
Every year, staff members are asked to nominate a teacher to be recognized as Teacher of the Year. This year, Paula Weismann was acknowledged as such, winning the award for the first time in her 38 years in the district. Weismann has always enjoyed teaching, even at a young age. “When I was a little kid, I used to gather the other little kids in the neighborhood together in the backyard and make them sit, [and I would] teach them things,” Weismann explained. “I was [also] an athlete […] so I wanted to coach and do that.” In college, Weismann not only majored in physical education, but she delved in her other interests: “I always had a real love for English,” she said. “I ended up being a double major for P.E. and English.” Homestead welcomed Weismann to its staff in 1976. She originally started out as a P.E. teacher, but was later assigned to a teacher position in the English department due to the now defunct teacher sabbatical program. “You could take a year off, travel and come back, and your job is held for you,” Weismann described. “There were a bunch of people who did that in English, so there were openings in English. And I stayed in the English department for 21 years.” Weismann later took on the title of Homestead’s Athletic Director, which required more attention than she could give while teaching in the classroom. “It was too hard to be in the classroom with my phone ringing all the time,” she said. Though she doesn’t miss all the work that comes with being an English teacher, she misses the “great discussions and the academia” that happens in the classroom. “I guess the best part [of teaching] is just watching people grow and leave and running into them five or six years later and seeing what they’ve become,” Weismann said. The bestowal of the award to Weismann came as a shock to her. “After 38 years of not getting it [...] I was not even paying attention to it. I was talking to Mr. Hook in the back of the library, and all the sudden it was like ‘Ahh! Who, me?’” Weismann was very honored to receive the award, especially at this point in her career. “I’m getting ready to retire, [I have] about one year left; it’s [...] wonderful,” she said.
“In order to reach [students], motivate them, get them on a deeper level, they need to know that you care about them.” This has been the philosophy that Carol Buffum, a para-educator in the Special Education Department, has lived with during her 16-year teaching career. Due to her hard work and constant support towards the students that she works with, Buffum has been presented with 2014’s Classified Staff of the Year award. Buffum was born in Los Angeles and raised in Burbank, California. Having lived there for her entire early childhood, she attended her local high school, Bellarmine-Jefferson, where she participated in various sports and the student council. Buffum’s passion for teaching started from a young age. “I was probably one of those kids; I had one of those old black chalkboard in the old days and I just always loved to play school.” Before joining the staff at Homestead, Buffum was a stay-at-home mom for about twenty years. She spent a great deal of time during those years volunteering at Dilworth Elementary School, Miller Middle School, the Bobby Sox Softball Association, and her local church. After her eldest son, Josh, started high school in the fall of 1993, she started getting involved in the high school system through volunteer work with the Lynbrook ASB office and College and Career Center. This November will be Buffum’s 10-year anniversary as a para-educator at Homestead. Through it all, Buffum’s passion for her career and students has not wavered. “Mrs. Carol is the sweetest person I know in the school,” said sophomore Douglas Avelar,“she’s an angel.” Her students are not the only ones who appreciate her presence. Special Education teacher Stephanie Crosby says Buffum is “helpful, caring -- that is just her in a nutshell.” As a para-educator, Buffum supports teachers who have students that are a part of the Individualized Education Program or the Special Education Department. “Sometimes I am assigned to general education classes where maybe we’ll have four or five special education students in that class,” she added, “so I am there to support that general education teacher.” With four children and seven grandchildren, Buffum has plenty to do outside of school. “I love to have them come over so I can give my kids and their spouses date nights,” said Buffum. Besides taking care of her grandchildren, she also enjoys reading, hiking, and gardening, among many other hobbies. PHOTO BY GRACE HE
PHOTO BY EUGENE CHENG
PHOTO BY GRACE HE
PHOTO BY GRACE HE
PHOTO COURTESY OF INFINITE CAMPUS
PHOTO BY EUGENE CHENG
“[Buffum] adapts quickly and she knows that each person’s learning style is different and the way she helps as if she has known us since we were children.”
“If [Buffum] hears people bullying [her students] or making fun of the students that she knows are in special ed, she gets extremely protective of them. And I love that in her.”
“[Weismann] has been such a huge asset to this school for so long, and the fact that she’s worked here for as long as she has and hadn’t received it yet, I was shocked. Definitely long overdue, and I’m glad she got it.”
“[Weismann is] a nice person, she tries a lot to increase the variety of sports we do in P.E. She encourages everyone to participate [...] in P.E., which is great.”
- Jessica Adams (Para-educator)
- Lisa Nakamatsu (PE teacher)
- Matthew Wu (10)
- Austin Kim (10)
PAGE DESIGN BY MARISSA LEE
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Thursday, April 3, 2014
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HUMANS OF HOMESTEAD We at the Epitaph think that that there are some pretty cool people at this school. For this reason, we decided to speak with and document a random selection of Homestead inhabitants throughout the past month. Inspired by photographer Brandon Stanton's #1 New York Times bestselling book Humans of New York , we present to you the Humans of Homestead.
HEARD THROUGH THE HALLS: "That's why he has a van and goes to the gym."
"Don’t run the water! We’re in a drought." "What was the happiest moment of your life?" “When I realized my life’s purpose.” "What is it?" “To spread positivity to others.” "What was the saddest moment of your life?" “Seeing my dad cry for the first time.”
"Is 'talentlessness' a word? No? Well it is now."
Angel Feliciano (12)
“I’ve been with her for nine months now.” "How do you make a relationship last?" “Don’t fight. If she’s mad, just let her be mad.” Kevin Figueroa (9)
"I wish I could rub ketchup all over my body."
“I was the new girl. I moved here from Sacramento." "What do you miss the most about Sacramento?" "My life." Jerae Gregg (12)
"Do you have twitter? Get a twitter." "I’m probably gonna fail."
“What is your biggest challenge today?” "I’m not very high on the social scale so a lot of people judge me a lot for the way I walk. I have cerebral palsy in my hips so I get judged a lot for walking with a slight limp." “How did you overcome that?” "Just being taught that I should be myself and not let what other people say affect me." Lucas Wilkerson (10)
"It’s just like regurgitating, you take in the info and spit it back out when you need to." " Ew. C h o c o l at e . "
“The best moment of your life?” “When I figured out what the Internet was. That was also the worst moment of my life.” Grant Wang (9)
"Why do you have to stay positive?" “So I can keep my little sister on track. My mom is in Kenya so I have to be her ‘mom’ in a way and also be there for her as a sister. " Agnes Kagiri (12)
"You buy it and sell it again at a more expensive price." "You don’t eat oatmeal dry?"
"We have a quiz today?" "I was gonna wear yog’s today, but I didn’t."
"I'm a conservative Christian and we follow the Bible. That’s why we wear skirts.” Deborah Allen (12)
"What is your biggest regret in life?" "I haven't learned how to successfully bread chicken yet." Noah Lawrence (11)
“What is your passion?" "Theater." "What has been your best moment in theater?" "Being the lead in ‘Arsenic and Old Lace.’ The year before in the fall play, I was a sheep." Autumn Gonzalez (10)
"What did you do in the State Department?" "I listened to Nixon conversations that were secretly recorded and then I would write them down essentially. I worked in the Security Department. Not top secret but secret. They did a background check on me. Yeah, I’m legit." Scott Wilson, History
“What's your favorite thing about her?" "Her size." "What's your least favorite thing about him?" "How much he looks in the mirror." Peter Regala (11) and Katie Kolda (11)
“I have these expectations that I want to fulfill and that I have to take care of but I still so badly want to do these outrageous things.” "What is one outrageous thing that you want to do?" “I’ve always wanted to go into a random forest in California with only rudimentary equipment and come out with a fully made steel katana.” David Ovsiankin (10) PHOTOS AND PAGE DESIGN BY CAMILLE MILLER, PRIYA SODLAPUR AND ANYA KISHEN
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spread
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
7
HUMANS OF HOMESTEAD We at the Epitaph think that that there are some pretty cool people at this school. For this reason, we decided to speak with and document a random selection of Homestead inhabitants throughout the past month. Inspired by photographer Brandon Stanton's #1 New York Times bestselling book Humans of New York , we present to you the Humans of Homestead.
HEARD THROUGH THE HALLS: "That's why he has a van and goes to the gym."
"Don’t run the water! We’re in a drought." "What was the happiest moment of your life?" “When I realized my life’s purpose.” "What is it?" “To spread positivity to others.” "What was the saddest moment of your life?" “Seeing my dad cry for the first time.”
"Is 'talentlessness' a word? No? Well it is now."
Angel Feliciano (12)
“I’ve been with her for nine months now.” "How do you make a relationship last?" “Don’t fight. If she’s mad, just let her be mad.” Kevin Figueroa (9)
"I wish I could rub ketchup all over my body."
“I was the new girl. I moved here from Sacramento." "What do you miss the most about Sacramento?" "My life." Jerae Gregg (12)
"Do you have twitter? Get a twitter." "I’m probably gonna fail."
“What is your biggest challenge today?” "I’m not very high on the social scale so a lot of people judge me a lot for the way I walk. I have cerebral palsy in my hips so I get judged a lot for walking with a slight limp." “How did you overcome that?” "Just being taught that I should be myself and not let what other people say affect me." Lucas Wilkerson (10)
"It’s just like regurgitating, you take in the info and spit it back out when you need to." " Ew. C h o c o l at e . "
“The best moment of your life?” “When I figured out what the Internet was. That was also the worst moment of my life.” Grant Wang (9)
"Why do you have to stay positive?" “So I can keep my little sister on track. My mom is in Kenya so I have to be her ‘mom’ in a way and also be there for her as a sister. " Agnes Kagiri (12)
"You buy it and sell it again at a more expensive price." "You don’t eat oatmeal dry?"
"We have a quiz today?" "I was gonna wear yog’s today, but I didn’t."
"I'm a conservative Christian and we follow the Bible. That’s why we wear skirts.” Deborah Allen (12)
"What is your biggest regret in life?" "I haven't learned how to successfully bread chicken yet." Noah Lawrence (11)
“What is your passion?" "Theater." "What has been your best moment in theater?" "Being the lead in ‘Arsenic and Old Lace.’ The year before in the fall play, I was a sheep." Autumn Gonzalez (10)
"What did you do in the State Department?" "I listened to Nixon conversations that were secretly recorded and then I would write them down essentially. I worked in the Security Department. Not top secret but secret. They did a background check on me. Yeah, I’m legit." Scott Wilson, History
“What's your favorite thing about her?" "Her size." "What's your least favorite thing about him?" "How much he looks in the mirror." Peter Regala (11) and Katie Kolda (11)
“I have these expectations that I want to fulfill and that I have to take care of but I still so badly want to do these outrageous things.” "What is one outrageous thing that you want to do?" “I’ve always wanted to go into a random forest in California with only rudimentary equipment and come out with a fully made steel katana.” David Ovsiankin (10) PHOTOS AND PAGE DESIGN BY CAMILLE MILLER, PRIYA SODLAPUR AND ANYA KISHEN
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lifestyles
Thursday, April 3, 2014
By Shiri Huber Last year, junior Nidhi Chandra felt something was missing at Homestead. “Walking around high school, I noticed how some people were left out,” she said. “I thought that it was time for something to come to our school that helped integrate more kids into our community.” It was this realization that led Chandra to start The Differences Among Us. TDAU focuses on educating peers about disabilities and provides opportunities to volunteer with disabled children. TDAU has established itself as one of the most active clubs on Homestead’s campus over the course of this year. From awareness weeks to hosting speakers, TDAU’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Chandra has split her club meetings into four quarters of the school year; each quarter, she focuses on a different disability. “We incorporate activities to make our members feel like they actually have that disability,” said Chandra, who uses games and videos to make the meetings as engaging as possible. In addition to hosting awareness weeks and speakers, TDAU events include oneday volunteering opportunities, dances, after school programs and film nights. The club has held volunteering events at organizations such as Angels on Stage and Tommy Cares. In addition, they recently hosted Natalie Regetti, daughter of former San Francisco Giants pitcher and pitching coach, Dave Regetti, to speak about her experience with cerebral palsy.
Chandra has hoped to reach the entire Homestead community through schoolwide awareness weeks, most recently hosting a ‘Spread the Word to End the Word’ campaign to educate students about misuse of the word “retarded.” “A lot of people don’t say it to people anymore, but they’ll say it to objects. That still doesn’t make sense,” said Chandra about the motivation behind the awareness week. While Chandra believes TDAU’s efforts have made a difference on campus, junior Eliza Ruiz expressed concern about TDAU’s impact. “It’s so hard to get people to care [...] if it’s not directly part of their lives.” Ruiz, who has a brother with a disability, added that “education really is key. By learning through TDAU, you’ll have a much more open mind. It really impacts your life.” To address this problem, Chandra’s future plans focus on getting TDAU’s message out to the public. She plans to host a district-wide fundraiser in support of disability awareness and expand TDAU across the nation. “Every school should have a club to help children with disabilities,” she said. Chandra cited the community she works with as life changing. The parents and all the people involved with this group of kids, it’s amazing,” she said. “The challenges that they experience and that they go through every single day has given them this [...] ability to enjoy life for all the small moments that they have. It’s infectious.”
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT, STUDENTS AND STAFF SHOW THEIR SUPPORT: Maylis Basturk (11), Ramtej Pinisetty (11), Muriel von Stein (French), Timmy Beckmann (11), Amani Sastry (11), Bardia Ghayoumi (11), Leslie L. Root (12), Nidhi Chandra (11), Tessa Fong (11), Angie Hernandez Montes (10), Danielle Collett (9), Greg Giglio (Principal), Ishani Palkar (11), Tingyee Chang (11).
Just five more minutes...
Internet addiction poses growing concerns By Dipshikha Kandel
The Internet is a vast world that we can easily lose ourselves in. It is intangible yet we cannot seem to live without it. Most people, on a daily basis, live two different lives: the everyday life where one has a limited say in what goes on in our world, and the one on the Internet where one can crop out all the unimportant things and fill it up with whatever makes one look exceptional. Using the Internet excessively can lead to addiction. Experts say that Internet Usage Disorder (IUD) can be just as any other addiction or disorder. But perhaps an even bigger problem is distinguishing when
excessive Internet use becomes addictive behavior. Dr. Allen Frances, the chairman of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and professor emeritus at Duke University, said, “The concern is that there will not be a clear, bright line in between a true Internet addiction and the rest of us, who are using it recreationally… Addiction implies a pattern of use that you can’t stop.” Experts say most Internet addicts are captivated by online activities because it all appears that “it affects the same pleasure centers in the brain that make people want to come back,” said Dr. Michael Fraser, a clinical psycholo-
gist, professor at Weill Cornell Medical College from New York. “If you look at alcoholism and Internet addiction, it’s the exact same pattern of behavior,” agreed Dr. Kimberly Young, a psychologist and founder of the Center for Online and Internet Addiction in Bradford, Penn. With many cases of Internet addicts, there can also be lurking issues, such as depression and anxiety, even after the patient has gone through recovery. According to research by Dr. Mark Griffiths of Nottingham Trent University, Internet addicts first get hooked on their gadgets when they discover that the Inter-
net is easily accessible and become addicted to online games such as “World of Warcraft” and “League of Legends.” Once the Internet becomes the most important part of their lives, they begin to get the “buzz,” which occurs simply from being on the Internet. As the addict’s love for the Internet progresses, they tend to build a tolerance to it, similar to what alcoholics experience with alcohol. They will begin to carry emotional distress everywhere they go, causing them to be grumpy, irritable and irrational. University of Maryland experimented with their college students when they forced them to
stay away from electronics for 24 hours. The experiment resulted in a crowd of college students having “physical and psychological symptoms of withdrawal, similar to what drug addicts experience while trying to go ‘cold turkey,’” according to The Telegraph. Psychiatrists suggest the best way to overcome an addiction is to take action right away by talking about your problems and getting professional help. “When Betty Ford first admitted she was an alcoholic,” Young said, “we didn’t have people believing it was actually a problem until she came around and talked about her own problems with it.”
PAGE DESIGN BY KHALIL BOURGOUB AND GRACE HE PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE DIFFERENCE AMONG US ILLUSTRATION BY NANCY ZHOU
entertainment
Star-shows dazzle at the Planetarium By Greg Schrader
The sun rises and sets, and the moon follows. Stars spin in the heavens – all over the course of an hour in De Anza’s Fujitsu Planetarium. Walking in, one is greeted by the sight of a serene glowing dome, pulsating with a medley of colors, with a peculiar metallic orb whirring quietly, dominating the center of the room. This main projector is capable of showing 12 thousand stars at once, and seven additional projectors are situated around the room. Plush seats angle upwards – to the luminous ceiling – and the faint sounds of “The Dark Side of the Moon” echo until the show starts. The presentation – Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” laser light show – begins with an announcement that the lasers are being operated live from a hidden booth, and that the audience can show appreciation for specific oscillations with applause. After the announcement, the bombastic introductory chords of “In The Flesh” ring out, with celestial sounding Hammond Organs and wailing guitars – accompanied by a simplified version of the animated aspects of “The Wall” projected onto the now-darkened spherical ceiling. The concert smoothly progresses, and the projections transition to more abstract, oscillating images, vaguely reminiscent of an iTunes Visualizer on steroids. Over the next hour, one is bom-
barded by visual overstimulation and loud progressive rock – and it is fantastic. Unfortunately, several songs were cut to stay within the time constraints. Notably missing songs include “Nobody Home” and the album’s grand finale – “The Trial.” The planetarium is more than just a rock and roll center. The facility’s primary mission, science education, is accomplished through an ongoing series of presentations on astronomy – among them one entitled, Moons: Worlds of Mystery. This astronomy show takes the audience on a journey that “follows in the footsteps of astronauts to our silvery Moon, then venture beyond to unfamiliar and exotic worlds,” according to the Planetarium’s webpage. The astronomy show was mildly entertaining and equally mildly educational. The visuals made full use of the planetarium’s projectors, showing space, stars and a tour of the rocky terrains of the solar system’s many moons. My one complaint would be the quality of the CGI rendering. Watching this show, one would suspect the graphics were produced in the 90s. The narration, though, was engaging and informational. Ultimately the astronomy show is a pleasant diversion for busy families looking for guilt free entertainment rather than a significant educational event.
smitten with
By Nicole Chung I’ll be honest. I’m not a big fan of ice cream. I never liked that it’s so sticky and that you can’t sink your teeth into it without feeling that surge of ice-cold pain in your head. Also, my tolerance for sweetness was never great to begin with and most ice cream brands dump sugar into their products. Make the connection. Ice cream just wasn’t something that agreed with me. Then I went to Smitten. The biggest thing that got me going about Smitten was that the ice cream was made in front of my eyes, and didn’t just appear from behind kitchen walls. Instead, the servers poured a creamy liquid into a mixer and instantly froze it with liquid nitrogen. The moment I took my first lick of my Tcho Chocolate ice cream cone, I could hear angels singing beautifully in the background as I jumped from cloud to cloud. Well, no singing angels and no clouds. But the ice cream was amazingly good. Like many had confessed, the texture of the ice cream was soft, velvety even, and melted in my mouth at once. The ice cream was rich in flavor, a perfect mixture of chocolate and cream. It did not have the small icicles that other ice creams have on the surface, which contributed to its smooth texture.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Homestead students take the stage
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By Laura Tang
PHOTO COURTESY OF HANIAN MALIK
ABOVE: Senior class officers pose with the three winners. Left to right: Yuta Arai (12), Catherine Chang (12), Helen Hwang (12), Alison Khaddour (12), Samuel Willhalm (12), Azuki Umeda (10), Haruna Aridomi (12), Paul Baik (12).
On Friday, March 28, Homestead hosted Homestead’s Got Talent: Season II, featuring performances from 15 students ranging from yo-yoing to slam poetry to contemporary dance. Two weeks prior, students auditioned to be featured in the show. Contestants competed in front of a panel of three judges: Daniela Hurst-Ruiz, world history teacher; Erin Harris, literature teacher; and Anne Gahart, Associated Student Body President. Audience members texted their choice of contestant to a phone number provided. First Place was awarded to Alison Khaddour, grade 12, who performed a rendition of the country song “Broken Wing” by Martina McBride. Azuki Umeda, grade 10, performed her contemporary dance competition solo to Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” and was awarded Judges’ Favorite. Umeda is part of a pre-professional dance company, The Collective at Nor Cal Dance Arts. “The song gives a powerful message,” said Umeda, who hoped to convey a story of vulnerability and emotional
hardship through her performance. Samuel Willhalm, grade 12, was pronounced Most Creative and Unique after he presented a slam poetry piece that he himself had written and practiced extensively in front of the mirror and friends at home. “Being in the show [allowed me to] do my first performance ever,” said Willhalm. “Whether or not I won, I was able to express myself.” Numerous other students competed in Homestead’s Got Talent, including Erin Liu, grade 9, who executed a brilliant rhythmic gymnastics piece. Liu has been the state rhythmic gymnastics champion after having competed in the Junior Olympics for the past three years. “I choreographed my performance in one night by putting together a bunch of my favorite moves into one routine with one of my favorite pieces,” said Liu. Laura Swendig, grade 12, sang a piece that she had composed. “[I loved] seeing the incredible reaction the audience had to my performance. It was a special experience to sing a song I actually wrote that people seemed to really like.”
Another plus for me was that it wasn’t as sweet as I thought it would be. Besides the ice cream, the service and the atmosphere were just as commendable. The moment I walked in, I was warmly greeted by two servers standing behind the clear glass. One of them asked if it was my first time and when I said it was, she kindly explained the process of making the ice cream and why they [Smitten] used this method over all others. After taking my order, she proceeded to make my ice cream as I waited and looked around the room. The place is connected to Whole Foods, which is perfect for grabbing ice cream after grocery shopping. Additionally, the decor is similar to that of Whole Foods, completely eliminating any distractions related to the consistency of design. Good as it was, there were two things that did not quite live up to Smitten’s reputation of perfection. While the ice cream did taste like heaven in my mouth, it began melting only about a minute after I received it. I later figured that was the consequence of having fresh ice cream, but I hadn’t expected it. In addition to the early melting, the tables were placed outside of the ice cream shop. Put freezing wind and ice cream together, and you get just a whole lot of shivering. Other than these small issues, I generally enjoyed my visit to Smitten. Prior to going, I’d heard many compliments from friends and went with high expectations. I’m happy to say that my expectations for Smitten were met and would not hesitate to bring a friend or two here when the weather gets a bit warmer. PAGE DESIGN BY LAURA TANG
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entertainment
Thursday, April 3, 2014
On TPumps: pearls of wisdom
The popular tea store comes to Cupertino for a trial run By Laura Tang The first thought that crossed my mind upon approaching TPumps: Black Friday. Indeed, the swarms of customers effectively camping out around the store was reminiscient of the crazed crowds fighting for postThanksgiving early morning specials...except in this case, it was just for pearl tea. The employees handed out fresh samples while customers waited in line, which made the wait more bearable. TPumps boasted a colorful flavor array ranging from the prosaic (strawberry, peach, mango, the works) to the more inspired, be it almond roca, pumpkin spice, or gingerbread. The freedom to mix and match any two or three flavors made the selection almost overwhelming. Customers were given the choices of three sweetness concentrations, green or black tea and the addition of milk. Toppings included honey boba, red bean, popping boba and taro. The fruit flavors, which I tasted in numerous combinations – blackberry pomegranate, green apple pineapple, tangerine kiwi, guava watermelon lychee, etc. – were refreshing and impressively authentic considering their use of high fructose corn syrup. I also sampled the more eccentric celebrities from the menu--almond roca, one of its most popular milk tea flavors, which was pleasantly nutty, honeyed, and reminiscient of the nougat candy from which it acquired its namesake;
taro, buttery and flan-esque; and hazelnut, sure to please any Nutella fanatic (which should be everyone, in my opinion). Although the flavors weren’t saccharine, they were very sweet compared to the tea offered by other local hotspots like Verde, Fantasia, and Cafe Lattea, so unless you take your drinks fullblown sugary I’d recommend opting for “light.” The consistency was questionable, as customers occasionally complained of their drinks being diluted and luke-
warm. One interesting thing to note is that TPumps uses lactosefree milk, which significantly broadens the palate for lactoseintolerant customers. I tried the famed honey boba, which was soft yet remarkably resilient. It actually seemed fresh, unlike that of numerous other tea places (Quickly, Tapioca Express – looking at you), and pleasantly sweet. The key with boba is to be comfortably chewable but not mushy or firm, and TPumps’ pearls certainly set a new stan-
dard. Why no other tea places use honey boba is a mystery for the ages. The popping boba – which is essentially bursting pearls made of flavored juice – was generic and unremarkable. In short, TPumps offers reasonable grade drinks with the perks of some quirkier options and virtually unlimited (read: 18,279) flavor combinations. It’s
worth a visit, though it’s certainly more of a novelty than a quality shop – a cup of tea doesn’t merit a 45-minute wait, and the consistency is hit-or-miss depending on the traffic. Judging by the touting TPumps has always received back at its San Mateo location, one should expect it to still be a fan favorite when the hype simmers down.
ABOVE: TPumps staffmembers hard at work to create delicious and inventive beverages. RIGHT: A small portion of the typical weekday line at TPumps, which extends out the door and around the building.
“Go and see it, darling....” A review of “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
IMAGE COURTESY OF IMDB
By Donnie Denome
Too often, we insist that “good movies” be heavier fair. They must fit into a rigid set of parameters – one of which is that instances of humor are few and far between. What makes “The Grand Budapest Hotel” shine is that it manages to be a wonderfully whimsical film while still maintaining the feel of more serious “good movies.” The film is a Matryoshka doll of nested stories. A girl reads a book in which the author recounts his long, eccentric life. He chooses to focus on his visit to the Grand Budapest Hotel, where he meets the illusive owner, Zero Moustafa. There the real story – Zero’s recollection of the hotel’s better days – begins. At its core, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is a heist and prison break movie. The hotel’s concierge when Zero (Tony Revolori)
was just a lobby boy, Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes), is accused of murdering one of the old women who frequent the hotel and his company. From there, he breaks out of jail and sets out on an ever-more-ridiculous journey with Zero to prove his innocence. What sets this movie apart from typically dramatic prison break fair is its candy-pink facade. Completely serious dialog will quickly disintegrate into a complicated mess of jokes that, ending with Gustave and Zero escaping while the other party is left to flounder. At every turn there’s another overused cliche. Wes Anderson’s trick, though, is to not pretend that his use of such tropes is in any way original. Rather, he indulges their known overuse to create a movie that at first appears to be a child’s daydream filled with silly happenings.
Such a concept might flop if it were not for the equally tongue-in-cheek performances of the actors. Fiennes portrays Gustave as a foul-mouthed crouching idiot whose antics baffle everyone just long enough for him to escape. Revolori’s Zero, in between falling in love with a pastry girl and then having to utilize her craft to break his boss out of jail, proves himself to have much more in brains and personality than one would expect of a ‘Lobby Boy.’ Adrien Brody makes Dmitri, the scheming son of the recently deceased, into the evil version of Gustave’s bumbling moron/hypercompetent mastermind. When the two clash in any of their many stand-offs, the laughter and tension rise in unison. The setting also contributes to the deli-
cate balance of real and fantasy. The hotel is located in the Republic of Zubrowka, a pastiche of many different European countries, on the eve of World War Two. Although the war takes the backseat to the heist and prison break, it’s a gentle reminder that all childhood fun must come to an end at some point. Indeed, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” could be considered an allegory for growing up. It transforms from light and fluffy to the harsh reality we must all deal with. Yet it does not strive to push its moral message; one can choose whether or not to believe it. Candy pink gives way to steel gray but still lingers in the background, a reminder of childhood waiting to be rediscovered.
PAGE DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION BY DONNIE DENOME PHOTOGRAPHS BY LAURA TANG
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sports
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Breaking badminton
Homestead’s team prepares for a brand-new season
By Nancy Zhou
The badminton season started last week, and Homestead’s badminton team has conditioned for months for the upcoming games. The team consists of 48 members, divided equally into junior varsity and varsity. This year, Freshman Gokul Kalyanasundaram joined the team as one of only two freshmen on the varsity team. Due to the similarity of his name to the name of a popular Dragon Ball Z character, Goku, the team came up with the cheer “Ka-me-hame Homestead.” This references the power move Goku uses in the show and is, as the team says, one of the better cheers they have had in years. The badminton team is very closely knit. “Having played on the team for four years, I think
LEFT: Junior Dana Chan (left) and Senior Anna Phan ready themselves for their opponent’s serve. The duo is the number three doubles on the varsity team.
of everyone as a family,” Senior Catherina Xu said. “We support each other during our matches and create a great atmosphere.” The members of the team often hangout with each other outside of school. “After practice everyone always gets milk tea,” said Sophomore Kenneth Huang. “You burn it off at practice, so it balances out.” Their friendliness is not just restricted to their teammates. At their home game against Los
Gatos, many of the players were casually chatting with the opposition players throughout the duration of the matches. Senior Catherina Xu, the team captain, is looking forward to this season. “We’re excited to hold the SCVAL (Santa Clara Valley Athletic League) Frosh/Soph tournament at Homestead,” she said. “Our team is shaping up to be strong and we hope to gain a good standing in our league.”
BELOW: Badminton captain, Senior Catherina Xu, serves in her match against Los Gatos High School.
ABOVE Sophomore Kevin Lan rallies back a serve from his opponent.
Becoming an all-star athlete:
How playing multiple sports is beneficial to students By Rachel Hildebrand
This previous year, 7.7 million high schoolers were reported to have played high school sports in the United States, according to the National Federation of High Schools. Many students play one single sport, whether it is only
during school season or on club teams as well, with the hopes of playing in college or even the major leagues. However, the NCAA reported that only 7.6 percent of high school athletes continue to play in college, and just two percent of these athletes play on scholarship. As the chances of making it as a professional athlete lessen, students have started focusing on developing skills in one sport instead of multiple. However, the effects of specializing in one sport are more negative than they are positive. Project Play, a report from the University of Florida, shows early
specialization in a specific sport can lead to increased burnout, less enjoyment, higher chance of injury, physiological imbalances and even shortened careers. But, with ideas like those of Malcolm Gladwell circulating, diversification is becoming less common. Gladwell believes that it takes 10,000 hours of focused practice in order to master a sport. The University of Florida report found this untrue. In a study of professional basketball and field hockey players, it took much fewer than 10,000 hours for them to reach their top performance. Yet, many aspiring athletes still cling to the idea, unknowingly hurting their own chances of success. Senior Brandon Sutton finds diversification very important. “I’d play against the best players in the league and sometimes you’d have to go full court and put pressure on them,” said Sutton, who participates in cross
Tennis Boys tennis has started off their season in a great way. Varsity is 7-0 overall and junior varsity is 6-1 overall. In the majority of their matches, the boys teams have dominated nearly every opponent, with games going 7-0 or 6-1 multiple times this season.
Badminton The badminton team began their season on a high note. Although they lost their two preseason games, they won their first two games against Santa Clara and Los Gatos.
country, basketball, and track at Homestead. “They’d get tired and you won’t.” Sutton believes that his year-round athletics allow him to “outlast anyone on the court” and makes him less prone to injury than his teammates that focus specifically on basketball, since he doesn’t have to get in shape again before the season starts. A common misconception about specializing is that it’s necessary to do well in a sport. In a University of California Los Angeles survey of Division I athletes, 80 percent played multiple sports as children. For many, a second sport also provides security. If an athlete is injured playing their only sport, they may have to take a long recovery break or quit the sport completely, which can be devastating if that sport is a major focus in their life. Multi-sport athletes are able to fall back on the other sport that provides new challenges and opportunities, as many use differ-
ent muscles than what the player had injured. “It’s not too bad [managing time].” Ciara Barros, freshman, has played volleyball since fourth grade and basketball since third grade and played on both JV teams this year. Cross training with these two sports in particular improves hand-eye coordination, jumping ability, agility, and other skills players use in both sports. Though it takes up more of her time playing two seasons instead of one, Barros believes it helps her performance in both sports. Students who may currently play one sport can attend camps for other sports over the summer, or try out for a team with low turn out or no cuts until they gain skills to make more competitive teams. By participating in more than one sport, athletes are setting themselves up for success.
Volleyball Swimming & Diving At the time of publication, the swimming and diving record has not been updated. Check the Homestead Athletics page for an update.
Boys varsity and junior varsity volleyball has kicked off their season in a positive way. The varsity team currently has an overall record of 8-2, while junior varsity team has an impressive 7-1 record.
Scoreboard
Softball The girls softball teams have been pretty successful in their season so far. Junior varsity is undefeated, with an 11-0 overall record, while varsity has a 6-4 record so far this season.
Baseball
Boys baseball has had a shaky start this season, with the varsity team showing an overall record of 6-5, and junior varsity recording a 1-6 season so far. ILLUSTRATION AND PAGE DESIGN BY NANCY ZHOU PHOTOS COURTESY OF NANCY ZHOU
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last word
Thursday, April 3, 2014
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PAGE DESIGN BY NICOLE CHUNG AND RACHEL HILDEBRAND PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF SPORTSWURLZ