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MARCH 2015 Vol. 41, No. 4
eleven candidates one mr. foothill
Photo Credit: Arthur Hwang, Anthony Minaise, Christine Deng
NATALIE BURGE staff reporter Hey boys, line up! It’s that time of year again! Who’s the next Mr. Foothill? Here’s a look at why each of the eleven contestants think they were meant to be Mr. Foothill. The big event, entertaining to say the least, left us with Mr. November, Jai Srivastav (’15), as our student winner while Mr. December, Roland Huang (’15), stole the overall winning title as our new Mr. Foothill of 2015. From formal to vacation wear, not to mention the talent portion, the competition was fierce among our eleven unique young men. Starting with Mr. January’s magic tricks and coming to an end with Mr. December’s magic piano, the night was truly enchanting, filled with all kinds of acts. Mr. November, Srivastav, wooed all of the single ladies by singing the Beyoncé Hosting one of the most diverse student bodies in the country, Foothill High School makes sure to celebrate its cultures through a special week that everyone can appreciate: Multicultural Week. Run by Foothill’s own Multicultural Club, this very anticipated week is a time when students are free to explore other cultures as well as share aspects of their own. Multicultural Week will be occurring from March 2nd to March 6th, and everyone involved in its production is very hard at work as this special occasion fast approaches. Though the whole school contributes to the making of this week, the main overseers are none other than the appropriately named Multicultural Club, advised by English teacher Michelle Garlit. “MCC Club is all about bringing awareness to the cultural diversity that is present on Foothill Campus,
hit song just before Mr. December, Huang, stole the stage with his magical piano and impressive dancing skills. Srivastav says he’s excited to be the student winner and is going to “party hard” to celebrate. Our overall winner and new Mr. Foothill, Huang, shares how believing in himself is what made this possible, “If we work together, and believe, we can even end world hunger.” His words are truly inspirational, as were the ten other contestants that made this night a good one. What makes you the next Mr. Foothill? January, James Angst “My credible ability to do magic.” March, Yash Ghandi “The fact that I’m better than everyone else.” April, Jack Geasa “I’m humble and I have a lot of good attributes and I’m unique.”
BEHIND THE SCENES
A Glimpse Behind the Glitz and Glamour of MCC Week JENNIFER KIM entertainment editor
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
May, Sam Saldinger “My luscious hair.” June, Brock Gustafson “I’ve got the right attitude for the job. You’ve gotta believe in yourself.” July, Ryan Knop “My sweet thighs.” August, Jack Connolly “My will to win.” September, Josh Lee “My unique act because it’s never been done before plus my charm and charisma.” October, Justin Lee “Cause I ain’t no trick, I’m just a treat.” November, Jai Srivastav “My beautiful voice.” December, Roland Huang “I am the only contestant who was born from a god.”
news MCC, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 and to demonstrate tolerance to all cultures. As one community of students, it is very important for is to be united and be respectful towards each other,” club officer Aaditi Kumbhar (‘16) assures. Multicultural Club meets every other Monday and generally starts planning MCC week around late October to early November. During these meetings, the officers take the time to discuss what events to plan, break up into small committees, then split up the work according to days so only a certain amount of people would be responsible for each day. In their committees, the officers brainstormed ideas that would make each day creative and special while relaying a message of tolerance and diversity. The whole planning process is very collaborative as MCC Week is one of the biggest events of the school year. Club officer Reshma Pyala (‘16) admits that “the hardest part of running MCC week is organizing the events and coming up with creative ideas that everyone will love. The message we are trying to send to the Foot-
hill community is very important, and we try to make it as fun and welcoming as possible.” MCC Week will consist of one event for every day of the week: Trivia Day on Monday, a fashion show on Tuesday, Food Day on Wednesday, a Door Decorating Contest Thursday, and the MCC talent assembly on Friday. While events such as Trivia Day are more easily planned for through MCC Club’s Monday meetings, others require much more time and dedication. In particular, the MCC Assembly involves the efforts of student volunteers outside of the Multicultural Club to offer this entertaining and exciting glimpse into cultures all over the world in a single sitting. Though the performances vary every year, the MCC assembly consists of regular performances as well such as Korean Fan Dance, Chinese YoYo, and the Bhangra Dance. Preparation for these performances began around January, and some others even before the new year. For the largest production of the week, the annual Bhangra Dance, practice with fifty dancers total participating occurs every Monday, Tuesday, and
Thursday of the week until the big show. Bhangra Leader Suman Tripathy (‘15) admits that “It is hard to keep a positive attitude because people don’t show up and teaching the moves is never easy, but seeing people of other cultures have fun learning and enjoying Bhangra really makes all the hard work worth it.” The leaders took about 2 hours to choreograph 30 seconds of each dance, totaling about 10-15 hours of work “and a lot of standing around the living room” put solely into creating the dances.” Despite all of the hard work and time that comes with making MCC Week a success, the amount of insight into other cultures and fun that this Foothill tradition offers is worth all of the effort. “The most rewarding part is definitely seeing the entire school enjoying the acts and events we put on. We get a lot of participation, and to see everyone together cheering for the different performances makes me really happy. It’s rewarding when this event is a success because we do put our entire energy into planning it” remarks Kumbhar.
NEWS RECAP Schedule Changes Defendant Eddie Ray Routh on trial. Photo credit: The Washington Times
AMERICAN SNIPER TRIAL On February 24, the jury announced that Eddie Ray Routh was guilty of capital punishment in the deaths of Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield. Kyle, a former Navy SEAL who called himself the deadliest sniper and the author of best-selling novel “American Sniper”, and his friend were shot two years ago at a shooting range in Texas. The trial began in early February, which is around the same time the movie adaption of the same name starring Bradley Cooper was released. Routh, a former Marine, had confessed that he murdered Kyle and Littlefield, but insisted that he was innocent by saying that it was due to a psychotic break. His defense attorneys argued that he was insane, although prosecutors said otherwise. “Ladies and gentleman, that is not insanity. That is just cold, calculated capital murder. He is guilty of capital murder. He is not in any way insane,” said prosecutor Jane Starnes. Routh’s defense attorney Warren St. John claimed that Routh suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder., which gave him extreme mental stress. John stated that Routh’s mental disorder caused him to create a delusion that Kyle and Littlefield were trying to murder him. He added that Routh was schizophrenic and has been taking medication for it since 2010. However, a psychologist testified that Routh was not legally insane, but instead had a paranoid disorder that worsened through drug and alcohol abuse. In the end, the jurors took less than three hours to vote Routh off as guilty of capital murder. The judge, Jason Cashon, immediately sentenced him to life in prison without parole. “We’ve waited two years for God to get justice for us on behalf of our son and, as always, God has proved to be faithful,” said Judy Littlefield, Chad’s mother, “We’re so thrilled that we have the verdict that we have tonight.”
JESSICA OU news editor
FHS JOURNALISM
Inflight Staff
STAFF ADVISOR Mary Crawbuck EDITORS IN CHIEF Arthur Hwang Kaitlyn Wang ONLINE EDITOR Alice Lee
NEWS EDITOR Jessica Ou SPORTS EDITOR Adit Shrestha OPINIONS EDITOR Tori Knuppe FEATURES EDITORS Monica Azmi Sharon Chu PHOTO EDITOR Anthony Minaise ARTS&ENT EDITOR Jennifer Kim BUSINESS MANAGER Christine Deng
The school board has decided to push back the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year. This is causing turmoil among students, who are being forced to reevaluate the timing of summer vacations and camps, and teacher, many of whom had their schedules predetermined. As before, the school year will start in late August. In addition, many AP teachers are protesting the change due to the fact that many East Coast schools already start earlier, giving them an extra week or two to prepare for the AP test, which helps a lot. Currently, future plans are uncertain.
Measles Previously, Measles was considered to be non-existent in the United States. But now, guess what? It’s back! There have been a reported 102 cases in 14 states! Doctors say the virus has been contracted in Disneyland in Anaheim CA. Sydney Lupkin from Yahoo News says in her article US Measles Outbreak Growing, CDC says “ This is not a problem with the measles vaccine not working,” she said. “This is a problem of the measles vaccine not being used.” The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) issued an official health advisory on January 23. They say the disease is airborne and is contagious long before symptoms appear. Some symptoms include fever, cough, white spots on the insides of the cheek, inflamed eyes, and skin rashes. This horrible disease can lead to hearing loss, pneumonia, and swelling of the brain. If you or someone you love starts feeling these symptoms, call your doctor right away! Video Cameras Ever get the feeling you’re being watched? If you look in different areas of the school, you’ll spot the recently placed security cameras. Why are they there? Due to the recent graffiti incidents at Foothill, the school has felt the need to put up security cameras so that either we can catch the culprits next time something is vandalized or scare those students into not doing anything at all. So watch your backs, Falcons! They’re watching, always watching... Pleasanton Run for Education Pleasanton’s 3rd annual run for education is taking place April 21, 2015. Register before March 9th at www.ppierun.com to take advantage of lower entrance fees. There are 5k, 10k, and 15k runs, and all proceeds go to PPIE and the 2015-2016 school year.
BUSINESS/MARKETING TEAM Michael Jurich Anjali Kantharuban STAFF REPORTERS Gabrielle LaFrank Sanjana Singh Sofia Barrera Natalie Burge Sahna “Charlie” Das Augustin “Augie” Chen Karen Pham Kayvon Heravi Daniel Downey Antony “Tony” Italiano
ANJALI KANTHARUBAN and SOPHIA BARRERA staff reporters
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opinions
The Vaccination Debate TORI KNUPPE and ALICE LEE opinion and online managing editors
Required
Think About the Children No, not just your children. Think about the children who share a water fountain, pencils, and food with your child. Think about the kids who are sitting next to your kid while they cough and sneeze in class. Think about all of the kids who are indirectly affected by a choice you made. These are the children at stake when you choose not to vaccinate your child. One unvaccinated child could potentially harm other kids who can’t be vaccinated due to age or health reasons; these kids often rely on herd immunity to protect them but cannot be guaranteed safety. By choosing not to vaccinate your child, you not only make your child susceptible to a host of easily preventable illnesses, but you also put other children who have not yet been vaccinated at risk. The current vaccination law in California is that children who attend public school can be exempt from vaccinations for religious or medical reasons. Although both excuses are totally valid, many other parents are trying to excuse their kids for “philosophical” or “personal” reasons, claiming that their personal freedoms are at stake. Thankfully, requirements for exemption in the state of California have grown since 2012. While it is reasonable to say that the state does not “own your children,” the state is still responsible for the general well-being of children inwho use public facilities. Because of this, it is perfectly reasonable to require vaccinations for every child without a medical (or more debatebly) religious exemption if they are to use public services. “When it comes to accessing public services, I think it’s reasonable to say that [vaccination] should be required because not being vaccinated puts other sensitive populations potentially at risk,” said anatomy teacher Ken Cuozzo.
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Optional
Freedom of Choice Parents have the freedom to raise their children in the healthiest and most appropriate way they see fit. Some parents consider vaccines to be detrimental to their children’s health; after all, people in the Renaissance era did not have vaccines but could stay perfectly healthy. They choose instead to keep their children healthy by eating organic and taking herbal supplements. By building up a child’s immune system naturally, this lifestyle could theoretically substitute vaccines and ultimately increase longevity. Religious Reasons and Medical Conditions Some children live in religious families that ban vaccination, or have medical disorders that make vaccination impossible. These families will not be able to comply with the law no matter what; state law should not restrict these minorities. Though unvaccinated children carry the risk of being infected with deadly but curable diseases, families who opt out by choice will have to find alternate ways of keeping up the immune system. In the end, parents should not be forced to vaccinate their children, but they do so at their own risk. They will take the blame for encouraging the spread of deadly diseases, and will ultimately pay much more in medical fees than those who are already vaccinated. The vaccination debate will undoubtably be a long, difficult one, but hopefully both sides will end up content.
Moses Wasn’t White SAHNA DAS staff reporter Everyone loves the Academy Awards. Getting to see the top actors and the best movies win the awards, laughing at the hosts, waiting to see if anyone will trip on the stage; needless to say, it’s one of the most popular awards shows. With few people-of-color (POC’s) as nominees, however, many are calling the awards racially biased. Okay, maybe there just haven’t been especially talented POC’s in movies this year. But why not? We’ve all heard that Exodus: Gods and Kings didn’t do too well at the box office. Fair enough. But, there should have been some POC’s in that movie, which was about the Biblical story of Moses (played by Christian Bale). News flash! Moses wasn’t white. He was an Israeli Jew. I don’t consider myself a religious person, but whitewashing Moses? It just doesn’t seem right.
However, it wasn’t just Hollywood blockbusters that changed their characters’ races. Even Disney movies like Big Hero 6 had characters that were not the race they were supposed to be. In the comics the movies were based off, all of the main characters were Japanese. Of course, the film changed the character’s races to make them more ethnically diverse, but in doing so they minimized Japanese representation. Selma, an acclaimed movie, is about Martin Luther King Jr. As expected, this film had black people playing black people. But why did this movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter, receive $48.1 million box office earnings, when American Sniper earned $363.1 million? Aren’t both of them “historical” accounts of important events in our nation’s history?
I find all the whitewashing and race-changing ridiculous. There’s something wrong withchanging a character’s race and cultural identity for a movie. To me, this indicates that Americans just can’t seem to relate to people of color. I was, however, pleased that the Academy Awards did (somewhat) broach the race issue. John Legend’s performance of “Glory” and his Oscar acceptance speech was incredibly impactful. Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexican director of Birdman, won an Oscar. Additionally, Selma won one of their two Oscar’s nominations. And while Neil Patrick Harris pointed out the possible racial bias, it wasn’t serious. Progress is slow, but it won’t happen unless we actually talk about what needs to be talked about.
features
WIELDERS OF THE PEN AND INK
If you’re looking for information on the FHS Writer’s Club and are an aspiring author, poet, or any other type of writer, look no further! While the best source would be to talk to the club (it meets Thursdays at lunch in D-12, English teacher Mary Crawbuck’s room), the following information serves just as well! Typical routine: “In Writer’s Club, we often like to revise or share our writing with each other. Some members have stories they work on independently, but we often discuss and decide on a topic to write about. It’s a very nice and collaborative environment, and members feel really comfortable sharing their writing with others. Students can always receive help or feedback in order to help strengthen their writing,” says Writer’s Club president Leah Daniel (’15). Competition: If you’re one for a challenge, Writer’s Club provides a perfect setting in which to compete head to head with fellow members. The topics assigned can range from culture to coffee, and you can take the topic in any direction you please. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be happy to be faced with a challenge every once in a while and find yourself immersed in new topics and ideas you may not have thought of before. And, perhaps most appealing of this aspect of Writer’s Club, these competitions often have prizes for the winners and runner-ups. “We’re organizing a school-wide event in an upcoming month, so keep your eyes peeled for any Writer’s Club contest flyers in your english classrooms,” explains Daniel. Workspace: Writer’s Club provides a comfortable space for its members to do what they do best: writing. There you can write independently if you choose or in collaboration with another member. it’s also a nice setting to sit and think on where you would like your storylines to go. Community: Writer’s Club accepts any and all people interested in any form of writing. Its members are a wonderful resource for editing or simply doing a quick look over a rough draft and giving suggestions. Struggling with writer’s block? Not a problem! There you can simply throw out ideas for potential projects, and, if you explain why you’re stuck, perhaps you can gain a suggestion that helps you combat writer’s block and continue your writing further. All in all, Writer’s Club is a home away from home for those who truly enjoy writing. If you are an aspiring author, poet, journalist, even a cartoonist, Writer’s Club would be perfect for you.
Foothill Alumnus on idol
Foothill alumnus Maddy Hudson made TV debut with successful American Idol audition. BY GABRIELLE LAFRANK STAFF REPORTER There’s a new name on the list of notable Foothill alumni, and her name is Maddy Hudson. On January 22, the Pleasanton native appeared on air in front of celebrity judges on American Idol. After hearing Hudson’s rendition of Beyonce’s “Resentment”, judge Keith Urban commented, “ I love what’s on the outside but I really love what it’s covering up, and heard and felt every bit of it,” while Judge Harry Connick, Jr. said “You have all of the ingredients to really be a superstar.” Jennifer Lopez gave Hudson a handful of golden tickets and told her that other contestants should “just go home.” Hudson, now 17, studied at Foothill through her junior year. She began homeschooling in her senior year in order to concentrate on her music. Filming for American Idol took place in October, but Hudson kept busy during the wait for the episode to air by working in her studies and singing at hired events. She and her iconic dark lipstick continue to sing outside of Tully’s coffee shop on Saturday mornings in downtown Pleasanton. San Francisco hosted the American Idol judges on the weekend of October 4. Contestants selected from earlier producers’ auditions at the Cow Palace lined up outside the Westin St. Francis hotel for a few hours on Friday and Saturday mornings. A waiting room was set up for singers and their families, and contestants welcomed the judges on the street outside of the hotel. Several hours of waiting followed a brief pep talk from the producers, but Hudson wasn’t rattled. “I wasn’t nervous. I was excited to meet and sing for them,” she told Pleasanton Weekly. “It was the best feeling ever...some love, happiness and excitement.” After her successful audition, Hudson was whisked away by Idol staff for pictures, interviews, and more filming. The rest of the weekend was spent with the Idol crew, filming both in San Francisco and in Pleasanton. Hudson made it to the last of the Hollywood rounds of American Idol.
A SPOTLIGHT ON FHS’ WRITER’S CLUB. ANTONY ITALIANO staff reporter
Debater Edward Im grills his opponent during crossfire in a practice round.
Suit and Tie Foothill’s Competitive Speech Teams Take Bay Area By Storm
Debaters Jeffrey Huai and Bryce Fan discuss strategy before their round at the Santa Clara Marriot hotel.
By Arthur Hwang and Kaitlyn Wang, Editors in Chief
Competition buzz fills the air as students dive into frenzied speeches, preparing notes last minute for the big competition. Breaths in, breaths out: it’s show time. It is competition season for many around the school, but two groups of students dedicated to the art of public speaking have thrown themselves headfirst into the fight. Foothill’s Speech and Debate and Mock Trial teams have worked hard all year, but it all comes down to the competitions they participate in during these few months.
Master Debaters Saturday, 7 AM in the morning. Suit-clad students pile out from buses and cars. In the large Cubberley education hall of Stanford University, debaters and coaches crowd the large wall where the pairings for the first round of the day are posted. Teams gather for last minute strategy discussions and note exchanges. The hall is abuzz with tournament adrenaline. For Foothill’s junior varsity debaters Dhruva Eswar (’17) and Bernie Nguyen (’17), it’s a welcome scene. “I love meeting new people and the tournament adrenaline rush,” Eswar explains. Having started the activity only five months ago, they already have a championship title under their belts, winning first place at the Santa Clara University tournament last November. Dhruva’s debate partner Bernie Nguyen claims, “Winning rounds takes confidence, so much confidence.” Putting his flow pad and blocks—debatespeak for round notes and prepared responses—in his backpack, Bernie continues, “Preparedness also really helps. Both of these make it so that you wont slip up in a round.” What’s his secret to success? “I tell myself my opponents suck,” he says. However, for these up-and-coming sopho-
mores, competition isn’t just about winning, it’s about personal growth. Eswar states, “Through this, I got to know myself better. At first, when I heard the experienced debaters give a speech at our workshop last year, I told myself it was impossible. I didn’t know I could even give a speech, but I have learned a lot so far.” The annual Stanford University Invitational, held on the weekend of February 6th this year, is a prestigious tournament in the United States. These tournaments on the national circuit offer “bids” to the Tournament of Champions, a national championship considered the most prestigious and competitive American high school debate tournament. There are also State and National tournaments, with each team having to “qualify” at regional tournaments to enter. Each school debate team sends students to these tournaments to compete individually or by a two-person team. Individuals or teams of two participate in preliminary rounds head-to-head. Debaters with high win-loss records advance on to the elimination bracket. Nationally, over 130,000 students in over 3,200 schools participate in speech and debate.
As a small club with no coach for the last three years, the Foothill Speech and Debate Club has always faced an uphill battle in a national debate community often dominated by private schools with large budgets. Despite difficulties, the team won its first regional tournament and placed sixth at States last year, and this year, one of Foothill’s teams qualified to the Tournament of Champions. Its immense success owes to its team spirit and preparedness. To prepare for the Stanford Invitational, Foothill’s debaters held practice debates twice a week and gathered hours of research with their partners. “The team makes the whole experience fun,” Bernie states. “We make jokes about our rounds and we get pep talk from the ‘coaches’ who are all of our experienced debaters. They’re funny and inspiring.” Dhruva sums up the entire experience so far, “We have grown to become a kind of a family. I will never give it up for anything.”
sented. “The team is flexible,” Patil says. Students of many different talents can excel in the club. Competitions wrapped up on February 17th for Foothill’s Mock Trial. During practice scrimmages, the team went one to one, with one win and one loss. Actual competitions began on February 3rd, commencing with a win against the Oakland School of the Arts for Foothill’s defense team. Preparation, however, began as far back as October. The team’s attorney coach, Michael Nelson, has worked diligently with the students, as a group and individually, to improve arguments, public speaking skills, and courtroom decorum. “Acting has never been my forte, but it’s definitely something that Mr.Nelson and I worked on to help me become more in character for my role,” Julia Lin (’16) states, “It really helps when you can emphasize certain points and create more flavor in your demeanor. All this combined together has definitely improved my performance as time progressed from
the start of mock trial to the end of it.” Mock Trial isn’t always about how an individual performs, however. The scores are set up so that a school’s total score comes down to the team. It becomes important for a team to know the whole case and each other’s arguments back to front. Such deep knowledge of the case requires hours of practice, and Foothill’s mock trial certainly hasn’t been lacking. They practice one and a half hours each week as an entire group, but factor in prosecution and defense team meetings, attorney and witness meetings, and individual meetings with the attorney coach, and time spent on case preparation could climb to five hours a week. “It’s been a great bonding experience,” Eileen Lu (’16), a second year team member and witness, explains. Once a team, always a team.
Mock & Roll Foothill’s mock trial team is relatively new, on its second year on campus. But the competitions are nonetheless rigorous, requiring months of work of preparation before they begin in late January. Nihar Patil (’16) is a first year participant and a current trial attorney on the team. “We argue hypothetical cases and gain exposure to real courthouse settings,” Patil explains of the competitions, “The judges and scoring attorneys are currently practicing, so we get good feedback and it’s a good way to make connections.” The competitions consist of a condensed two hour trial, with prosecution and defense teams from different schools arguing their cases. Each year, teams focus on one case and split into two smaller groups to present one side of the case, prosecution or defense. Students can be attorneys (trial or pretrial), witnesses, or even take on the roles of court bailiff and clerk. At competition, one school’s prosecution will go against another school’s defense in an actual trial setting: pretrial attorneys present motions and use case law to support them, attorneys make opening and closing arguments as well as examine the witnesses, who are called up to the stand and sworn in by the bailiff. The courtroom experience and energy is very well repre-
ang g, Kaitlyn W
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it: A Photo Cred
sports YOUTH SOCCER RISING IN AMERICA
ADIT SHRESTHA sports editor
It’s no surprise that soccer has been rising in America as a sport that is being taken more seriously and is gaining more interest, especially in the youth. Soccer is becoming more and more popular in the U.S. due to big events such as the recent World Cup in Brazil in the summer. Also, events like the European summer tour in which all the biggest European teams come to America to play our teams and each other. Events like these have immensely helped soccer grow to be a big sport in America. Many people say that soccer will never be as big as gridiron football, basketball, or baseball in the United States. ESPN FC commentator and former United States national team member, Alexi Lalas stated that even though soccer won’t be as big as the major sports in America, there’s still a certain level of popularity that soccer can attain as a sport in America. Nima Habibi (‘16) said, “Soccer is growing exponentially in the U.S. and I believe by 2022 we will make it to the World Cup Final if they keep going at this rate of creating top class players.” Habibi states that the U.S. national team’s efforts in the World Cup has spurred more interesting soccer among Americans because of how far the U.S. got in the competition. Dev Naik (‘15) mentioned, “The expansion of the MLS adding new teams and bringing in exceptional professional players like Ricardo Kaka will definitely help Americans be aware of the beauty of soccer”. Habibi also mentioned, “The rise and popularity of the FIFA video game expands the growth of soccer because a lot of my non soccer friends play FIFA and now they love the beautiful game of soccer. It’s not that we need more soccer players but we need more people to be aware of the rise of soccer.” Soccer is rising through many different ways and is gaining awareness. I hope soccer will be bigger in the U.S. as it’s the most played sport in the world. I understand that it’s not popular in America but theres definitely a certain level of popularity it can get to.
Foothill Falcons power through winter as spring approaches
AUGIE CHEN and KAYVON HERAVI The winter sports season was an eventful staff reporters one, as Foothill’s basketball, soccer and wrestling teams all performed very well. all three respective teams are looking to qualify for North Coast Section Championships. The boy’s soccer team has been strong this season as midfielder Nima Habibi (‘16) said, “We started off hot... We cooled off... Now we ice cold... Now we tryna make NCS.” Despite a rough patch in the middle of the season, the Falcons have bounced back through a 6-2 thrashing of Granada. Habibi added,” Our goal for this season is to qualify for NCS and then win NCS.” The lads now look forward to ending the EBAL season strong, qualifying for NCS and possibly making a playoff run. Both the boys and girls soccer team have performed well this season and have qualified for NCS. The boys and girls basketball teams have worked hard this season with respective teams looking to finish EBAL play with winning records. Once again, Foothill’s wrestling team has been dominant and enters NCS extremely strong. The winter sports season overall has been a strong one for the Falcons and spring sports will hopefully bring similar success. As the new season emerges, Spring sports are once again introduced to the Falcons of Foothill High School. Some of the sports that will be making an eventful comeback include: baseball, boys’ golf, diving, lacrosse, swimming, softball. One of the popular sports with the most athletes is track and field. The Foothill track team is eager to begin the 2015 season as hurdler Raymond Ma (‘15) describes, “Our team is determined to represent Foothill well in our track meets, where we compete
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly DANIEL DOWNEY and SANJANA SINGH staff reporter
Every year in February, Americans and football fans worldwide gather to watch the biggest sports event of the year. Some viewers watch for just the game, some watch it for the halftime show, and others (most people) watch for the famous commercials. The commercials that are shown during and around the superbowl are incredibly expensive (around 4.5 million dollars for 30 seconds). For this reason, companies try to make these ads as short and effective as possible. As a result the commercials are usually funny, sexy or completely ridiculous. This years advertisements were no different, making many laugh, swoon and even infuriated.
Nice- Snickers The Brady Bunch
This commercial, combines the well-known series The Brady Bunch and the pitch, “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” Channeling his inner Marcia, Danny Trejo acts slightly crazy before he’s offered a Snickers. When the camera turns back to him, he’s transformed back into her usual body and appearance. To make it even funnier, ‘Jan’ comes in as Steve Buscemi and plays his part as grumpy and hungry Jan. This commercial is hilarious, witty, and with the times, as new Brady Brunch memes are trending on social media sites like Tumblr and Twitter.
Eh- Coca Cola #MakeItHappy
Showing screens of insults online, and people being affected by it started off this commercial. What was the solution to the bullying? Pouring coca cola all over the motherboard. The ad’s basic message they sent across was if you pour Coca Cola on something, it’ll make it better. If only it was that simple. All in all, this ad was good-hearted and sweet, but didn’t attract attention to Coca Cola like they had planned and sent a useless message across to us.
Uh-oh- Nationwide
The most controversial commercial of the 2015 Super Bowl is without a doubt the nationwide commercial. The commercial features a dead little boy, saying all of the things that he missed out on in life because of his death. The insurance company maintains that they did not make the advertisement to increase sales , rather they made it to future increase awareness. Regardless of motive, many viewers were offended by the disturbing content. Senior Luther Little said “ Nationwide did an awful thing capitalizing on the death of a young boy,” and later mentioned “ I think that it backfired though , most people don’t like Nationwide anymore.” Whether you liked it or not, everybody has an opinion about the commercial , as it brought forth many emotions.
arts & entertainment
The Disney Magic Lives On SHARON CHU and KAREN PHAM Features Editor and Staff Reporter
Far-off places with scenic views, sparkly dresses, mystical potions that can transform you from a conceited, spoiled-rotten king to a llama in mere seconds - Walt Disney Animation Studios has captivated the interest and hearts of billions of viewers with its animated films since 1928. These movies, with some based off of classic fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen and others entirely invited by its story directors, were a regular pastime for many children and adults. Disney has categorized these films into five ‘eras’: the Golden Age (all films made under Walt Disney’s supervision), the Dark Age (after Disney’s death), Disney Renaissance (also known as the stereotypical ‘90s kid’s childhood), Post Renaissance (in which the word ‘Ohana’ gained popularity in teenage culture), and the Disney Revival (when we we were repeatedly told to ‘let it go’). Though these eras include only animated films, the company is creating an entirely new era, one with spin offs of past animated films. From Alice in Wonderland to Snow White and the Huntsman, the studios remake these stories following different perspectives or a slightly different plot. The Walt Disney Studio’s upcoming list of other Disney animated film remakes transformed into live-action shows this recent trend of spin offs will be continuing for a while, whether die hard Disney fans or regular viewers enjoy them or not. Here is what Disney has produced and planned so far:
ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010)
Starring Mia Wasikowska as Alice, Johnny Depp as The Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, this Alice in Wonderland adaptation isn't so wonderful at all. This movie starts off with the usual "Alice falls into the rabbit hole and so forth." The only exception is that, Alice's been there when she was a child but has no memory of it, she teams up with Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter, and there is a White Kingdom that will go to war with the Red Kingdom.
MALEFICENT (2014)
Starring the stunning Angelina Jolie as Maleficent and Elle Fanning as Princess Aurora, Maleficent is a twist from the lovely story of Sleeping Beauty. This storyline is based around Maleficent’s point of view, and how everything really ended. The movie starts off with a background story of the past, before "Belle," or Princess Aurora, is born. After it explains why the princess got cursed and what happened during her 16 years of living.
SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN (2012) Starring Kristen Stewart as Snow White, Charlize Theron as Queen Ravenna, and Chris Hemsworth as The Huntsman. This version of Snow White has a similar, but different storyline from the original animation. The difference are that Snow White is a princess, the "witch" from the original is a queen who killed the king, the queen wants beauty and immortality, and now there's a huntsman planning to capture Snow White.
CINDERELLA (2015)
Like many of Disney's animated-remakes, this adaptation of this well-known story follows the original film quite closely with two exceptions: Cinderella and the Prince meet before the Prince's ball and the Fairy Godmother (played by Helena Bonham Carter) will play a larger role in this version.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (TBD)
In January, Disney revealed Emma Watson had been cast to play Belle in this remake of a beloved Disney classic. Production is set to start late 2015, with the film out in theaters in 2016. No official word has been released on the rest of the cast.
SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN II (2016) On April 2016, the sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman will premiere with Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, and two of the dwarves from the original cast of SWH I. Rumors has it that Kristen Stewart will not be playing the role of Snow White in the sequel and SWH II will be solely based on the huntsman.
What to Watch In Theaters for 2015 ANTHONY MINAISE media editor
2015 will be hosting a wide variety of movies that keep moviegoers on the edge of their seat from live action remakes of Disney princess movies like Cinderella to the next sequel of the Avengers series. Cinderella comes out on March 13th. It is the beginning of the stream of live-action remakes of the Disney princess movies. Cinderella is about a servant step-daughter (Lily James) who wins the heart of the prince. Daniel Hanna (’17) thinks it is a good idea to do the live-action remake and he is “looking forward to see Helena Bonham Carter as the fairy godmother.” Helena Bonham Carter is known for her role in the Harry Potter series as Bellatrix Lestrange, so seeing her as the godmother will be interesting. The creators of Frozen team up again to make a new short, Frozen Fever, about
Princess Anna’s birthday, to come out with Cinderella. On top of that, it was confirmed that Emma Watson would be Belle in the Beauty and the Beast remake in 2016. Avengers: Age of Ultron is set to come out May 1st to continue the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it is up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans. Erin Overland (’15) anticipates the new Avengers movie to be good but “not as good as the previous movie.” Overland goes on to talk about how she hopes to see how Stark deals with the problem he created. Since Stark essentially jumpstarts the main villain, Ultron, to life, this causes lots of conflict within the Avengers themselves.
On February 9th, Sony and Marvel agreed to let Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after lots of debate. Jurassic World takes place twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park (1993) with the opening of a dinosaur theme park. Since ten years of visitor rates declining, they try to spark interest again but things go wrong. Matt Lim (’16) expresses how he can’t wait to see what will happen to the theme park this time and how “Pratt will do in this movie.” Chris Pratt, from Guardians of the Galaxy, comes back in this movie as the main character of the movie, Owen, who tries to stop this man made dinosaur. Kevin and Bob, minions from Despicable Me, are recruited by Scarlet Overkill, voiced by Sandra Bullock, to try to take over the world in the movie Minions to be released
July 10th. “I think it will be very interesting to see how the minions found their master” as Cassidy Hager (’15), a big minions fan, says. Hager goes on to say how they are the best part of the Despicable Me movies and totally deserve their own movie. The long awaited Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens comes out December 18th, a continuation of the saga George Lucas started. It has been a decade since the a new Star Wars movie has been made, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith in 2005, and first to be done by director J.J Abrams. George Lucas first started this series and, unfortunately, will not be part of this new trilogy. This will be the first of a trilogy Disney has planned since they acquired Lucasfilm in 2012.
arts & entertainment Michael’s Car Column
Mazda 3 The Mazda3 is one of the safest and entertaining cars on this list. It is one of the most reliable cars for its price and it gets good gas mileage and also looks great. The Mazda3 comes in a sedan and a hatchback. This is my personal favorite on the list and is something I would take into great consideration when looking for a car and I would highly recommend it for anyone.
Subaru Impreza If you're looking for a fun first car for a decent price, the 2nd generation Subaru Impreza is the car for you. (Even though Subaru has the even sportier impreza wrx I will be focusing on the stock model because it gets better gas mileage and is safer for kids just starting to drive). The impreza has a 4 cylinder engine that pumps out 142 horsepower and 149 pound feet of torque. For its light body this power is enough to zip around town or the back roads. Subaru has a heritage in rally car racing and make all their cars capable of tackling some of the toughest terrain. Even though the impreza is mainly an asphalt monster it can still handle well on other terrain.
Volvo S60 Before you call the Volvo S60 a grandma car, let me give you some facts. Volvo is well known for making safe cars and the S60 follows the same path. It may not be the sportiest car on the list but it has a 5 cylinder engine which is bigger than all the others and can still provide some quickness. What it lacks in speed and looks the S60 makes up for with its safety and comfortability.
Honda Civic The Honda Civic may be boring in looks and isn't the fastest car in the world but it has lasted the test of time. The civic has always been a great first car because its affordable, gets great gas mileage, and is fairly safe. I would recommend looking for a 7th generation civic which were made from 2001-2005. Another plus for the civic is its cheap to insure and finding one won't be a problem because there's been so many manufactured.
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Christine and Sharon’s
FOOD CORNER
AMAKARA Located in Dublin, the drive to Amakara is well worth the time. This is one of the most popular sushi restaurants (if not the most) in the Tri-Valley. From the delectable presentation of their rolls to the variety of options to try out, it’s almost impossible to not be satisfied leaving Amakara. Since it’s on the fancier side, rolls are around $12-$15. Their Beef Teriyaki is highly recommended along with their Escolar sashimi plate.
MR. PICKLES
Often deemed “the best sandwich shop in town”, this place features a variety of specialty sandwiches served with a fresh cookie and pickle slice on the side. From cheesy, hot pastrami sandwiches (“Manhattan”, Order #5) to your typical chicken, bacon, and avocado sandwiches (“The Mr. Pickle”, Order #13), Mr. Pickles may just be your next sandwich destination. There’s also a “Build-Your-Own Sandwich” option, and many of them allow for ingredient substitutions in the specialty sandwiches as well. Each sandwich is made from scratch right before your eyes. They serve salads as a slightly-lighter option too.
Both of us are extreme foodies on the daily. The beauty of food has consumed our lives to such a point that we can sense a new restaurant from a mile away. This year we decided to share our adventures with you all. We hope to introduce new local restaurants for each of you to try out!
DENICA’S CAFE
A go-to restaurant for everyone, Denica’s serves delicious breakfast food alongside a fresh bakery. They open from 5 AM to 3 PM on M - F and is located in Dublin but just opened another cafe in Livermore. They have a variety of options: crepes, sandwiches, benedicts, omelettes, burritos, soups. If you have a sweet tooth, definitely try out their Cookie Dough Waffle. Munch on the free cookie, brownie, and pastry samples they have laid out along with complimentary salsa, chips, and fruit water. Best cookies we’ve ever tried - rich, chewy, crunchy, all around amazing.
BLOSSOM BEE
Perfect for ending the night, Blossom Bee is a cute dessert cafe in Dublin. They specialize in salty and sweet crepes (or make your own). We recommend the Strawberry and Banana Nutella crepe! Their crepes are freshly made and toasted to a crispy crunch. If you’re not in the mood for crepes, sip on their creamy smoothies (we suggest their mango smoothie)! Photo Credit: Christine Deng