epitaph
HUMANS OF HOMESTEAD
the
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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21370 HOMESTEAD RD. CUPERTINO, CA
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
Continued on page 2, New SAT
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
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Entertainment 9
Opinion
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Sports
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Last Word
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Lifestyles
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PAGE DESIGN BY SHIRI HUBER AND CAMILLE MILLER INFOGRAPH BY ANTHONY GARCIA