Winged Post Volume 18, Issue 3

WINGED POST WEDNESDAY, NOV. 16, 2016 | THE HARKER UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER, VOL. 18, NO. 3

| www.harkeraquila.com

TRUMP WINS ELECTION

Advisee reviews begin this week kshithija mulam editor-in-chief

Annual advisory meetings between advisees and advisors began yesterday. Sign-ups for a 10-minute slot are posted on each advisor’s door.

Republican candidate Donald Trump named president with 279 electoral votes

GOING FOR THE GOAL Arnav Tandon (12) takes a shot at the goal during a water polo game against Lynbrook High.

VIJAY BJARADWAJ

Harker sports teams win recognition for academic performance

kshithija mulam editor-in-chief

Upper school athletics won awards for academic excellence this fall season.

Boys cross country had the second highest GPA among CCS cross country teams, and girls volleyball and boys water polo also won CCS Academic Championships.

The school received certifcates to honor this accomplishment.

Senior becomes National Finalist in Siemens Competition kshithija mulam

Parent teacher conferences to be held over Thanksigiving

ELECTION WATCH Harker Aquila and Winged Post staff members turn to watch the TV monitors on the walls of the journalism room as polling results roll in. On Nov. 8, Donald J. Trump was named the President-Elect of the United States of America.

katherine zhang, tiffany wong & michael sikand

NEIL BAI

asst. STEM editor, Aquila copy editor & Aquila social media editor

EXTRA HELP Galina Tchourilova gives advice to Jessica Susai for French class during extra help.

Teachers, parents and students have the opportunity to talk about student academics during Parent-Teacher conferences.

anvi banga reporter

Upper school parent-teacher conferences will take place at the upper school next Monday and Tuesday.

Parents of lower, middle and upper school students will participate in the conferences.

Students do not have classes on these two days.

Teachers encourage students to attend conferences with their parents because students know how they are doing more than parents do.

“As a teacher, I can get some feedback from the student, and I can also ask the student some questions and [the student] can answer some of the questions that your parents may have,” Latin and history teacher Clifford Hull said.

Thanksgiving break starts the day after the conferences, and classes resume on Nov. 28.

Big Asssembly Day, A2

Excitement, nervousness and angst surrounded voting precincts as millions of Americans exercised one of their oldest, most dear rights. Cars hurry into parking spots and eager voters head straight to the polls after work, with one thing on their mind—casting their vote for the president of the United States.

Just hours after the last voters had filled out their ballots on Tuesday, Donald John Trump was elected the 45th president of the United States as a divisive and polarizing 18-month campaign came to its crux during an unexpected victory and sent shockwaves around the world.

Trump, a real estate developer and reality TV show star, defeated former Secretary of State, First Lady and New York senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who was making her second bid for the presidency. As of Nov. 9, Trump had garnered 279 electoral votes as opposed to Clinton’s 228, and Clinton gave her concession speech to agree to work with Trump last Wednesday.

“I think there would be a lot of working to get things done,” Robert Varich, vice-chair of the central committee of the Santa Clara County Republican

No-Shave November, A7

Party, said. “I think that from what Trump said [in his victory speech], he is willing to work together, even with those who are vocal about their support of the other candidate.”

Trump’s victory came as a shock to political analysts and citizens alike. Prior to the election, numerous news agencies around the country, such as the New York Times and FiveThirtyEight, had predicted that Hillary Clinton would maintain a generous lead over her GOP rival. Despite these predictions, the election played out quite differently, with Trump winning several swing states, such as Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Trump’s unexpected success comes as both a defiance of both parties’ traditional values and a demonstration of the power of overlooked demographics, such as blue-collar workers and rural voters, in the election. The verbal sparring during the election between the candidates shed light on the polarization of viewpoints from different parties.

“I think the idea that we are not unified as nation, that we are very divided, that there’s really underlying anger and that there’s a dangerous feeling to what’s coming and what could be coming makes this a terrifying day for many people,” Donna Gilbert, head of the history department, said prior to the election about the campaign

Backpacks, A8

season.

In light of a divisive election season, many world leaders have expressed their concern about both the current and future states of their countries’ relationships with the United States. President Francois Hollande of France stated that Trump’s victory “opens a period of uncertainty,” while President Enrique Peña Nieto tweeted on Nov. 9 a congratulations not towards Trump himself, but towards “the US for its electoral process.”

While some have expressed their opposition to the United States’ decision to elect Trump as their 45th president with protests occurring at universities all over the country, others remain hopeful about Trump’s presidency and the future of the United States. President Obama invited Trump to the White House on Nov. 10 to participate in a series of transition talks; since Trump’s victory, Obama has vocalized his acceptance of the election’s results and hopes Americans can join him in “rooting for his success in uniting and leading the country.”

“Even though I’m scared for the nation, this will give us the opportunity to start maybe using this as an opportunity to participate in activism or try to make a difference,” Aditi Maheshwari (12) said.

Trump will be inaugurated on Jan. 20 next year.

Homecoming, A10

California votes on House of Representatives and Senate kshithija mulam editor-in-chief

In addition to the historic vote in the general presidential election, California also voted to appoint new politicians to office in Congress.

Californians chose Democrat Kamala Harris over Democrat Loretta Sanchez for Congress in a 63 to 37 percent majority vote. Harris will replace Congresswoman Barbara Boxer. Harris’ victory marks the first time that a black politician will represent California in the Senate and the second time in history that a black woman will serve in the Senate.

California’s 17th District also voted for Democrat Ro Khana to replace incumbent Democratic Congressman Mike Honda as its representative in the House.

Among the 17 propositions up for voting, California most notably voted for the legalization of recreational marijuana and the death penalty.

Khanna and Harris will begin their terms in office on Jan. 3 next year.

Class Spirit, A12

HEIDI ZHANG

editor-in-chief

Senior Manan Shah was recently named a national finalist in the Siemens Competition.

Manan will move on to compete to become a national winner in Washington D.C. from Dec. 2 to Dec. 6.

A2

NEWS

Big Assembly Day to be simulcast

VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 16, 2016

Club calendar alex wang & kathy fang

ALL PHOTOS KSHITHIJA MULAM

M EE

NA

GU D

AP AT I

sports editor & reporter

“I think it’s better to do it in person because it’s just a different experience.”

KARINA BUTANI (11) CANTILENA MEMBER the performance. JV is doing “What’s This,” from Nightmare Before Christmas, while Kinetic Krew is doing a dubstep remix of “Nutcracker Suite.” Varsity plans to dance on “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”

“We are performing our first show at Bucknall, because it’s easier on their schedule at 9:30 in the morning,” Performing Arts Director Laura Lang-

“I know the high school kids are a little sad not to perform for their peers but it’s worth it to have that beautiful building in a couple years,” Lang-Ree said.

“I know the high school kids are a little sad not to perform for their peers, but it’s worth it to have that beautiful building in a couple of years.”

G

Ree said. “We are live simulcasting with Create TV the event here and so the high school will be divided into Nichols and the gym and you will get to scream and yell and cheer and clap along with the little guys during our performance, and then we go to Blackford.”

Downbeat, the co-ed singing group, has started preparing the songs “Let it Snow” and “12 Days After Christmas.”

Meanwhile, the all-girls group, Cantilena, is focused on their upcoming concert.

There are mixed feelings about the performance being simulcast.

“I think it’s better to definitely do it in person because it’s just a different experience,” Karina Butani, a member of Cantilena, said.

“Because [during a live performance] you’re interactive with the audience, it’s not gonna be the same.”

FA N

reporters

Big Assembly Day (BAD) will not take place on the upper school campus this year but will instead be simulcast from the Bucknall Campus.

The gym is no longer viable as a stage space for the performance because orchestra rehearses there after being relocated by construction.

Harker has hired CreaTV, a broadcasting television network, to handle all the technical aspects in broadcst the show live. The school will split up between the Nichols auditorium and the gym, and the performance will be simulcasted to both these locations.

BAD is an annual holiday performance, usually during a school assembly, that includes performances from several groups including Cantilena, Downbeat, Varsity and Junior

Varsity Dance and Kinetic Krew.

Kinetic Krew, Junior Varsity and Varsity dance have all started preparing pieces for

WiSTEM conducted an open discussion on the election, especially focusing on gender gaps.

Last week, during their club week, they sold pearl milk tea and homemade brownies to fund an organization called Wiser.

“We’re trying to raise money so that girls in rural Kenya can get access to health care and education that we really do take for granted,” WiSTEM vice president May Gao (12) said.

Y

ria gupta & anika rajamani

WiSTEM holds club week

KA TH

ROCK Rishabh Chandra (‘16) holds up a rock during last year’s Downbeat performance in Big Assembly Day. This year’s performances will be simulcast due to a lack of space in the gym.

SING & DANCE (TOP) Varsity dancers perform at last year’s assembly. This year, the show will be simulcast. (BOTTOM) Students in Camerata sing during the show last year. This year’s show will be simulcast due to lack of space from the ongoing construction.

PLASTIC EGGS Anooshree Sengupta (11) prepares plastic eggs for a WiSTEM scavenger hunt.

JCL Five members of JCL gather in Mr. Paterson’s room. They attended Ludi Novembres last Friday at Miramonte High School.

JCL attends conference

LAURA LANG-REE PERFORMING ARTS DIRECTOR The Big Winter Assembly Day will take place on Dec. 9 at 9:30 a.m. live at Bucknall while being simulcast to the upper school.

The Junior Classical League (JCL) attended Ludi Novembres last Saturday at Miramonte High School in Orinda, California, a daylong event for classical studies involving classical exams and activities led by professionals. In the spring, JCL will attend the state convention at St. Ignatius High School in San Francisco, which lasts two days.

ASHLEY JIANG

Performing arts groups take stage I BA IL NE NINA GEE

80 DAYS Performers in the fall play “Around the World in 80 Days” act out a scene in the show.

GROUPS TO PERFORM AT SANTANA ROW

WINTER DANCE Members of varsity dance perform during the Santana Row Tree Lighting Ceremony last year.

Downbeat, varsity and junior varsity dance, Showstoppers and Kinetic Krew will perform at the Santana Row Tree Lighting Festival tomorrow.

“I’m just excited,” upper school dance program director Karl Kuehn said. “The holidays are fun for us because we have a handful of perfor-

mances within two months so we hit the ground running, and we’re excited to share our choreography with the Harker community.”

Downbeat will then perform “12 Days After Christmas”, a jazz version of “Let it Snow” and “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”

UNICEF hosts Halloween fundraiser Harker UNICEF hosted a trick-or-treat fundraiser, Trickor-Treat for UNICEF, in Los Gatos to raise money for humanitarian causes. They ate in Los Gatos and then split into groups based on the club’s internal officer teams to ask for loose change rather than candy from local households. Some members invited non-UNICEF friends to support the cause.

The annual Choir Concert featuring upper school choirs Bel Canto, Cantilena, Camerata and Guys’ Gig will take place on Wednesday in Nichols Auditorium.

The name of the concert is This Little Light of Mine, after a song about the little

acts of justice in this world.

“Most of them are American songs, but some of them are spirituals and some of them are just folk songs from the ‘60s,” Sandusky said.

The groups will be performing notable protest songs.

W AN G

CHOIRS PERFORM SONGS OF PROTEST

X

Cupertino residents voted on the November ballot to decide whether revitalization of the Cupertino Vallco Shopping Mall will follow through. Voters either sided with either Measure D, the Vallco Town Center Specific Plan Initiative, or Measure C, the Cupertino Citizens’ Sensible Growth Initiative.

“If they follow through with all aspects that they promised, including the transportation, it would be great for the community,” Mandarin teacher and Sunnyvale resident Shaun Jahshan said. “If they don’t end up finishing it, then it will cause a lot of traffic snarls.”

Measure D developers seek to revitalize Vallco into a 53-acre multi-purpose center, complete with “a variety of entertainment options, senior and workforce housing [and] office space,” according to the official Revitalize Vallco website.

Measure C, as a resident-sponsored initiative, will “support balanced growth where infrastructure is developed in conjunction with offices and housing.”

According to early results reported by the Mercury News as of the morning of Nov. 9, both measures were losing, Measure D by over 10 percentage point and Measure C by over 20.

“I’m very excited for the ending, especially for the audience to see the ending,” said Shyl Lamba (9), a member of the swing cast.

This is the first time that the fall play has been performed on a circular stage in the middle of the audience.

AL E

photo editor & reporter

The Harker Conservatory performed “Around the World in 80 Days” for this year’s fall play at the Blackford theater on Oct. 27-29.

It included a main cast comprised of juniors and seniors and a swing cast comprised of freshmen and sophomores.

BALL PREP Mishu Nitulescu (11) discuss ideas for the backdrop that would be used at the photo booth at last year’s Snowflake Ball.

KJ MULAM

ashley jiang & natasha maniar

STUDENTS PERFORM IN ANNUAL FALL PLAY

NICOLE CHEN

Residents vote on Vallco revitalization

reporters

PICNIC PRACTICE Senior Ashwin Rao of Guys’ Gig sings at last year’s choral concert.

STUDENTS SELECTED FOR HONOR CHOIR

KJ MULAM

80 DAYS The Sand Hill Property Company set up a model of the redeveloped mall. Cupertino residents voted for Measure D or Measure C.

nisha shankar & nina gee

SING! last song at a previous Choral Concert while being directed by Susan Nace.

Selections for honor choir, an opportunity for California students to perform under the direction of renowned conductors, were made last week.

Freshmen Emily Chen, Nikhita Karra, Joel Morel and Kalyan Narayanan; sophomores Rithi Jayam, Karli Sharp, Meghna Phalke and Catherine

Wang; juniors Krishna Bheda, Morgan Douglas, Millie Lin and Sumi Wadhwa; and seniors Ashwin Rao and Tiffany Zhu were chosen.

The performance will take place at the First United Methodist Church in Palo Alto at 3 p.m.

DECA MEETING Students involved in DECA meet at a study session this fall.

DECA hosts mock cconference DECA hosted a Muscular Dystrophy Association walk on Oct. 23, followed by the annual Harker mock conference on Nov. 5 and a noncompetitive Leadership and Competitive Excellence conference last Friday. The first round of Virtual Business Challenge, an online business simulation, began Oct. 24 and will run through Friday, and winners will qualify for the International Career Development Conference in the spring.

VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 16, 2016

A3

OPINION

Editors-in-Chief Kshithija Mulam Meilan Steimle

Reaching the impossible The seemingly impossible events of the past year prove our power to change things

Managing Editor Sahana Srinivasan News Editor Meena Gudapati Features Editor Maya Kumar Asst. Features Editor Prameela Kottapalli

STEM Editor Derek Yen Asst. STEM Editor Katherine Zhang Sports Editors Justin Su Alex Wang

Copy Editors Rose Guan Ruhi Sayana Adviser Ellen Austin, MJE Wingspan Editor-in-Chief Kaitlin Hsu Aquila Editors-in-Chief Raveena Kapatkar Tara Parimi Aquila Managing Editor Trisha Dwivedi Aquila Staff Neil Bai Justin Su Vijay Bharadwaj Maya Valluru Nicole Chen Alex Wang Adrian Chu Tiffany Wong Zachary Hoffman Derek Yen Anjay Saklecha Katherine Zhang Michael Sikand

Reporters Anvi Banga Nerine Uyanik Krishna Bheda Anika Rajamani Eric Fang Jenna Sadhu Kathy Fang Nisha Shankar Nina Gee Neal Sidhu Ria Gupta Jin Tuan Rashmi Iyer Anya Weaver Sofia Kassaras Angele Yang Natasha Maniar Gloria Zhang

Visit The Winged Post Online at www.harkeraquila.com Follow us on social media with the handle /harkeraquila

The Winged Post is published every four to six weeks except during vacations by the Journalism: Newspaper Concentration and Advanced Journalism: Newspaper Concentration courses at The Harker Upper School, 500 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, CA 95129.

The Winged Post staff will publish features, editorials, news, sports and STEM articles in an unbiased and professional manner and serve as a public forum for the students of The Harker School. Editorials represent the official opinions of The Winged Post. Opinions and letters represent the personal viewpoints of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Winged Post.

All content decisions are made by student editors, and the content of The Winged Post in no way reflects the official policy of The Harker School.

The opinions expressed in this publication reflect those of the student writers and not the Harker board, administration, faculty or adviser.

Letters to the Editor may be submitted to Manzanita 70 or emailed to wingedpost2017@ harker.org and must be signed, legible and concise. The staff reserves the right to edit letters to conform to Post style. Baseless accusations, insults, libelous statements, obscenities and letters that call for a disruption of the school day will not be considered for publication. Letters sent to The Winged Post will be published at the discretion of the editorial staff.

The Winged Post is the official student newspaper of The Harker School and is distributed free of cost to students.

SKY’S THE LIMIT This year, events shocked the world. From letf to right, Brexit, Trump being elected President and the Cubs winning the World Series were all, at one point, considered impossible. Good or bad, these seemingly impossible outcomes prove the tangibility of change.

EDITORIAL THE OFFICIAL OPINION OF THE WINGED POST The Chicago Cubs won its first World Series in 108 years, and a candidate with no political experience was elected president. The Panama Papers have held many of the world’s seemingly invincible leaders accountable for their actions.

Great Britain, a formerly central power in one of the most successful unions of recent history, elected to leave the European Union,

causing the resignation of its prime minister and leaving its future in doubt. A rapid series of coordinated terrorist attacks and lone wolf strikes shocked the world. Turkey, a bastion of stability in the Middle East, experienced a coup, leaving a political system fractured by conflict and a leader with more incentive to wield his iron fist.

In the face of such momentous, unexpected and often disheartening change, no one could blame us for feeling scared or helpless. But we can’t use tremendous change as an excuse for inaction; it is a chance to make a positive difference on the world.

When we study revolutions and great events in history (The Great Depression, World War II, the Civil Rights movement, the Cold

To our children and grandchildren, we are the people in history, and the consequences of our actions are the ones they’ll study.

War), they seem almost inexplicable. These events, and the people who experienced and caused them, feel removed from us, fossilized in time.

To our children and

grandchildren, we are those people in history, and the consequences of our actions are the ones they’ll study. If this year has taught us anything, it’s that the seemingly impossible is not only possible, but probable.

Astounding things can happen, so it’s up to us to act now so that they’re the things we want. Climate change needs our action now. Political gridlock persists. Cancer has yet to be cured.

Stay optimistic; precedents have shown that things DO get better.

Change is gradual, and optimism keeps the ball rolling.

Pop Philosophy: Examining philosophical interpretations of Christamas pop music

meilan steimle editor-in-chief

I have a confession to make - I’ve been listening to Christmas pop music since early October.

I know, I know. I’m terrible, but nothing gets my blood pumping like the throaty vocals of Mariah Carey describing her (very short) Christmas list or lamenting a failed wintertime relationship. Why confine that kind of unadulterated holiday joy to a single month when I could be dancing under the metaphorical mistletoe before Halloween?

I recognize this isn’t a widespread opinion. My ilk of overzealous holiday spirits is the butt of every easy Christmas-themed joke in mediums ranging from stand-up comedy monologues to acapella medleys (seriously - Google “The Christmas CanCan”). “You disgust me,” a friend told me (in jest). “Christmas music is only appropriate the day after Thanksgiving.” To many, Christmas pop represents some of the worst things about the holidays - the rampant consumerism, the purported bastardization of a once-religions holiday,

and the use of jingle bells as a main background instrument.

But I think there’s a lot to be learned from these supposedly vapid holiday cash grabs.

All I want for Christmas is You - Mariah Carey I don’t want a lot for Christmas/ There’s just one thing I need/ I don’t care about presents/ Underneath the Christmas tree In a fascinating upset of Maslow’s Hierarchy, Carey con-

“Nothing gets my blood pumping like the throaty vocals of Mariah Carey describing her (very short) Christmas list or lamenting a failed wintertime relationship. Why confine that kind of unadulterated holiday joy to a month?” tends that her love for her significant other trumps corporeal needs like food and water. Truly, she is a philosophe for a new era.

One More Sleep - Leona Lewis I got 5 more nights until you’re next to me/ 4 more days

MEILAN STEIMLE

2015-2016 Gold Crown-winning publication 2014-2015 Silver Crown-winning publication 2013-2014 Silver Crown-winning publication 2012-2013 Silver Crown-winning publication 2010-2011 Gold Crown-winning publication 2009-2010 Silver Crown-winning publication

of being lonely/ 3 more wishes I can make and/ If I could make it till Christmas Eve/ Then it’s one more sleep/ One more sleep until it’s Christmas Lewis makes a cogent contribution to a long-running philosophical problem: if the self is the continuation of consciousness, do we die every time we sleep? Contrasting the loneliness of her current self with who she will be in less than a week, Lewis displays a phoenix-like drive for rebirth.

Last Christmas – Wham!

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart/ But the very next day you gave it away/ This year, to save me from tears/ I’ll give it to someone special The duo uses this mournful 1980s tune as a vehicle for an economic analysis of love. Must love be requited to be valid? Is falling in love voluntary? According to Wham!, love is a tangible resource available for use at our individual discretion, produced by each individual, with variable use-value when converted into individual emotional currency.

Santa Tell Me – Ariana Grande Santa, tell me if you’re really there/ Don’t make me fall in love again if he won’t be here/ Next year/ Santa, tell me if he really cares/ ‘Cause I can’t give it all away if he won’t be here/ Next year Grande’s song is an allegory for a struggle with religious faith masquerading as a simple Christmas ditty. “Santa” acts as an analog for God, and Grande portrays the unsure member of the congregation apprehensive about renouncing material pleasures in the face of deity whose existence remains uncertain.

Are these interpretations a stretch? Maybe. But finding joy in unexpected places? It might be just me, but I think that’s the true meaning of Christmas.

MEILAN STEIMLE

Photo Editor Ashley Jiang

MEILAN STEIMLE, IMAGES WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Opinion Editors Vijay Bharadwaj Adrian Chu

WINGSPAN TAKES FLIGHT Issue 1 and 2 of Wingspan, shown above, highlighted the themes “The Hidden Silicon Valley” and “Love and Ethics.” Wingspan, Harker Journalism’s fourth publication, will return this year after a year-long haitus.

Welcome back, Wingspan kaitlin hsu

wingspan editor-in-chief

Greetings, readers!

Many of you are familiar with Harker Journalism’s three publications: TALON, our yearbook, Harker Aquila, our online news site, and, of course, the Winged Post, our print newspaper. However, making a return in December this year is Wingspan, our award-winning print longform feature magazine.

Wingspan publishes two issues per school year. This year, the December issue of Wingspan revolves around the theme “States of Mind,” covering diverse topics such as safe spaces, mental health and concussions among much more.

OPINION

A4

Monopolizing the airwaves

Talk

Around

AT&T and Time Warner merger limits consumer media choice

The merger’s potential control over internet and the growth of streaming services make the merger even scarier. The company could give preferential treatment by excluding Time Warner content from its data limits.

Such unlimited data access can hurt other large media networks

reporter

like Netflix and Amazon, as well as smaller companies and startups.

In a competitive environment, content creators have leverage in the negotiation process, which allows them to pitch more unique or controversial content. Independently-minded satirical shows such as Saturday Night Live and the Simpsons, would potentially lose their freedom to express their views in a post-merger environment.

AT&T could also either refuse other companies the right to air their content or charge hefty fees to do so. Limiting certain content to specific networks limits consumer freedom. Imagine if AT&T limited HBO content to only its mobile network. Such forms of censorship by omission deviate from the optimal experience.

Mergers like these lead to a concentration of power amongst the few, which limits competition and eventually leads to higher prices. Competition is needed to create more creative products at a better value. With-

out it, all consumers lose.

Vertical integrations of companies like these are unions of businesses that are not in direct competition and therefore are not considered to be in violation of federal laws regarding the creation of monopolies.

However, anti-trust and monopoly laws should allow the government to prevent such vertical mergers from occurring.

If the merger is approved, the creators of media content will not have any authority over the use of their products and will instead be controlled by an entity powerful enough to control not just shows and movies but the very pipeline of the internet.

While AT&T anticipates approval by the end of 2017, the deal is attracting protest from consumers, lawmakers and business analysts and will be under formal review by the Department of Justice. The government should place the consumer first and carefully evaluate the potential for antitrust violations and the increasingly monopolistic tendencies of the industry.

eart of Harker: Joining the upper school as a junior

daulet tuleubayev guest writer

Daulet Tuleubayev lived in Kazakhastan until he was 14, when he moved to Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, and then moved to study in Harker at the beginning of junior year. He has been playing golf for 8 years.

When I first visited Harker in the summer of 2015, I never imagined that I would end up spending my junior and senior year here. I was in the area visiting Stanford and was pointed to Harker when I inquired about the possibility of moving here for my last years of high school, so I could focus more on golf in better weather. When I called the school on that hot July day, they just happened to be having a tour in an hour. I took an uber and arrived 10 minutes late, my very first exposure to the infamous California traffic. Arriving, I was slightly distraught and my

very first impression of campus was unimpressive, seeing as how Phillips Exeter Academy’s campus is almost incomparably bigger. The lady giving the tour, Mrs. Hargreaves, seemed nice, but at the time I disregarded the notion of coming here.

My friends back in Exeter were also shocked at the idea of me leaving the school and moving to a private school in San Jose, of which none of them have yet heard.

Coming here was an amazing decision and I couldn’t have imagined how happy I would be here. Whatever uncomfortableness I had coming to this school, was gone by the end of the first day. My classmates were surprisingly open to me and despite not knowing anyone at this school, I didn’t feel in the least bit excluded. Students approached and introduced themselves to me, and I was blown away by how accepting they were. The class size here is smaller and more tight knit than at Exeter, so I feel more connected with my peers.

Not only that, but I feel that the teachers take on a different role at Harker than they do at Exeter. Plainly said, the teachers here are more supportive and outreaching. I was shocked when after a good test, Mrs. King sent a letter to me

Editor’s Note: Clarifications on our process and feedback kshithija mulam & meilan steimle editors-in-chief

Greetings, readers. We’d like to offer some clarifications on our process and protocols.

Our standard protocol is to

try, whenever possible, to conduct interviews in person or via phone. Our staff members are trained to offer email interviews only when in-person or phone options are either not available or not convenient. We remind our staff to be respectful of a source’s time and to work with

and my parents telling them of my achievement. It feels like they are helping you in trying to improve your learning and grades, and not be some imposing figure who will make your life miserable in their class, even if you try and work hard. They are also much more encouraging in reaching out to them, which helps to connect with them and feel more comfortable in the

It feels like [the teachers] are helping you in trying to improve your learning and grades, and not be some imposing figure who will make your life miserable in your class. class. The fact that there exists a dedicated block of time at the end of every day, where you can meet with your teachers and get help, is a testament to that.

As a golfer, school ending at 3 p.m. has made a world of difference to me. In Exeter, school ended at 6 p.m. and I would have about an hour in between my classes where I could go and practice golf. After school ends, the source to make sure that scheduled interviews are at a convenient time.

We also train Winged Post staff members to have emails approved by editors before sending them out, to provide potential interviewees with plenty of time to respond and be interviewed, and to copy the editors and our adviser on all emails sent to adults in our community.

If a reporter from our pub-

you only really have time to do the homework and go to sleep.

Ending school at 6 p.m. made sense of course though, since as a boarding school, students there didn’t really have the opportunity to go and do extracurriculars outside of school. However, I appreciate that Harker ends the day early and lets the students decide by themselves what they do after school. Those who make use of this opportunity grow in multiple aspects of their life and I feel that is why kids from Harker end up going to great colleges, since they are given a chance to make themselves unique with what they do outside of school.

I don’t regret going to Phillips Exeter; in fact, I’m glad that I did so. Exeter has taught me a lot in managing my time, working hard, and set me a extremely strong foundation which made my transition to Harker easier.

But I feel much happier here at Harker, with the supportive teachers, a friendly community, and school days that end at 3 PM instead of 6 PM. In this repeating guest column, we encourage all student writers from around the community to share their memorable experiences while at the Upper School.

Please email all column ideas to wingedpost2017@gmail.com.

lication interviews you without following the above protocol, please let us know at wingedpost@gmail.com. Our aim as a publication is to represent the opinions and quotes of our sources as fairly and as accurately as possible.

If you would like to formally respond to our coverage, you can submit a letter to the editor to our staff email as well.

Enjoy the rest of the paper!

HARKER.ORG

Andrea Milius Warriors Supporter “Just because you can afford to get good players doesn’t mean that they’re all going to work well together, and I’ve been watching my Warriors and it just seems like it’s all about Kevin Durant right now.”

JIN TUAN

MEILAN STEIM

LE

What are your thoughts on superteams in the NBA?

Satchi Thockhom (11) Warriors supporter

“Obviously, being a Warriors fan, it’s really awesome having Kevin Durant, and it makes it more fun for the home team and other Warriors fans to have him, but I totally understand the frustration of other teams.”

JIN TUAN

“AT&T’s power in the internet industry makes the merger of TIme Warner and AT&T very dangerous, especially for consumers.”

jin tuan

Jason Pan (9) Cavaliers supporter “Superteams are not unfair in the NBA particularly because usually when you have a superteam, it’s just a bunch of good people together, and we call that a superteam because there’s so many good people, but if they don’t work well together, then it doesn’t really affect the results.”

JIN TUAN

Aquila features editor

AT&T, a multinational telecommunications conglomerate and America’s second largest cell phone carrier, announced its blockbuster plans to acquire Time Warner for $85.4 billion on Oct. 22. This deal would allow AT&T to gain control of TV networks such as HBO, CNN, TNT and Warner Bros. Studios.

As customers increasingly move away from cable networks in favor of subscriptions to streaming services, AT&T hopes that this acquisition of Time Warner will help sustain its business and support its growth.

However, a merger between such a large content distributor and such a powerful content creator can create problems for consumers. This combination of companies would allow AT&T the power to control distribution—such as when AT&T acquired DirecTV in 2014 and limited access to certain channel providers. The same situation could occur with Time War-

Campus

Alan Jiang (11) Thunders supporter “About superteams, I actually think that it’s not that big of a thing, because it’s really based on team chemistry, and from the first game we can see that the Warriors lost 29 points to the Spurs, and the Spurs don’t have a so-called superteam, but they still won.”

MEILAN STEIMLE

anjay saklecha

ner’s material and its limits on competitors’ content. We have already seen a precedent for restrictions, when Verizon paid for access to NFL games for its subscribers and denied access to those on AT&T’s network.

AT&T’s power in the internet industry makes the merger of Time Warner and AT&T very dangerous, especially for consumers. In fact, AT&T is in control of large portions of the country’s internet, so it has the power to manipulate its own internet service to give privileges to companies allied with Time Warner.

VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 16, 2016

David Zhu (12) Kevin Durant fan

“I’m okay with them. I’m not a Warriors fan, I’m a Kevin Durant fan. Personally, I respect Kevin Durant’s decision to progress in his career. I think that if that’s the move that he thinks will benefit him the most, then I respect that decision.”

LIFESTYLE

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VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 16, 2016

Top 5 tips to stay warm and stylish this winter ashley jiang photo editor

1. a pop of color

Sometimes, our outfits can become quite monochromatic or contain only a nuance of colors. So to fix this problem, if all your apparel is a shade of the same color, make sure you add in a touch of color to make your outfit pop out! Even if it’s just anaccessory or a belt, adding this element will greatly enhance your outfit and your look.

You can also mix and match your clothes to obtain the perfect look– there are endless possibilities so try out different combinations and have fun!

2. bomber jackets

As the season changes from fall to winter, the temperature also cools down, bringing colder mornings and frosted windshields. Layering is the best way to stay warm, and the secret key to layering? Bomber jackets.

Stylish and versatile, these lightweight jackets can be worn underneath a heavier outer layer.

Pair a striped track bomber with a long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans for a warm-yet-sporty look, or for a more formal appearance, wear a satin bomber jacket over a floral dress. Consider adding in a trendy hat or fashionable scarf to top off your outfit!

3. maxi dresses

Typically, you may think that dresses aren’t suitable for

the cold season since they’re very thin and flowy and short, but an easy way to fix this problem is to put on those floor-lengthed dresses or long-sleeved ones, top it off with a bomber jacket and voila! You have a stylish outfit that suits the season. Not only will these types of dresses help prevent the cold from getting to your arms and legs, you can also bring out the dress’s unique patterns and colors by adding in a flattering accessory or a pair of flats.

1

4. faux fur-lined boots

It’s easy to keep your body warm—just layer up and you’ll be fine. But what about your feet? A stylish way to make sure the cold air doesn’t freeze your toes is to wear fur-lined boots.

From buckled snow boots to a basic pair of UGGs, fur-lined boots keep your feet warm and complete your perfect fall outfit.

2

5. sweaters

One of the best parts of dressing up for the season is being able to wear sweaters––turtleneck sweaters, oversized, but don’t forget the cable and wool knit ones. These sweaters are often seasonal favorites–-they come in a variety of colors and they’re also warm so you won’t have to wear many layers to keep out the cold. Knit sweaters can be worn over virtually anything, from a comfy pair of jeans to a dress accompanied by tights.

3

“I like being covered. I think there’s a lot of really cool mixand-match stuff you can do because there are just more items of apparel.”

Divija Bhimaraju (11)

“I’m always wearing my green corduroy skirt. That’s my favorite, with tights and Doc Martens.”

4

Olivia Esparza (10)

“If it feels nice, you like it, and you like the way you look then that’s good. I like to wear my Warriors sweatshirt because I’m a Warriors fan.”

5

Rakesh Nori (9) ALL PHOTOS ASHLEY JIANG AND PRAMEELA KOTTAPALLI

Recipies to celebrate November’s national holidays

anvi banga & krishna bheda reporters

Flavorful foods and festive drinks, what’s not to love about November’s National Food Days? These holidays range from National Spicy Guacamole Day to National French Toast Day. In the spirit of November and Thanksgiving, here are some national food days that you might not have even known existed.

National Peanut Butter Fudge Day National Peanut Butter Fudge Day on Sunday commemorates a dessert which you don’t feel that guilty about eating. Not only do you get your daily dessert fix, but you also get protein. All you need for this recipe is butter, vanilla extract, granulated sugar and, of course, peanut butter. You just have to mix and microwave the butter and peanut butter, add the vanilla and powdered sugar, spread the mixture onto parchment paper and then let it cool before cutting. This is a great study snack for those stressful finals a great gift to give during the holidays.

National Spicy Guacamole Day

MAYA KUMAR

National Apple Cider Day occurs on Friday.

Apple cider is perfect to enjoy warm or cold or rainy fall days and is a big part of holiday spirit. All you need is an orange, apples, cinnamon, cloves and sugar. Put the ingredients in a slow cooker, strain the mixture in a fine mesh sieve and discard the remnants.

National Spicy Guacamole Day happened in the U.S. on Monday and on Sept. 16 in Mexico.

It is definitely an excuse to call all your friends together to enjoy this tasty dish. All you need to do is mix peeled and mashed avocado, chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, garlic, lime, salt and pepper. It is quick and easy.

National French Toast Day

PRAMEELA KOTTAPALLI

MAYA KUMAR

MAYA KUMAR

National Apple Cider Day

National French Toast Day occurs on Nov. 28.

French toast is a fantastic dish to have on holiday mornings. If you want to cook breakfast for your parents or siblings, this dish is perfect because it is not difficult to make. All you need is cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, bread and maple syrup. And don’t forget the powdered sugar to top it off!

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VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 16, 2016

Perigee supermoon lights up the sky Largest perigee full moon in 68 years illuminates the worldwide sky tonight

FEATURES

Performing arts groups light up Santana Row adrian chu & jenna sadhu opinion editor & reporter

reporter & news editor

Every 29.5 days, the full moon shines amongst the stars, illuminating the darkness with its glow. Tonight, though, the

DEFINITION Perigee (n): The point at which the moon is closest to earth in its ellipse-shaped orbit. full moon will be bigger and brighter than any other moon to light up the sky in the last 68 years, taking the record of the largest supermoon since 1948.

The word “supermoon” refers to a full moon that is larger than average. Tonight’s moon will be especially large because the moon is full at its perigee, the point at which it is closest to Earth in its ellipse-shaped orbit. The last time the moon was

this close to the Earth was in 1948. Astronomers speculate it to be 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than that of the average full moon.

The moon will reach the crest of its full phase at 5:52 a.m. and will reach perigee within 1.5 hours of the crest.

The phrase “supermoon” used to only refer to this type of moon, but it has evolved into a looser term merely referring to size, so a perigee supermoon will often be referred to as an “extreme” supermoon. Supermoons occur about once every 411 days. “[Supermoons] are actually pretty common,” astronomy teacher Dr. Eric Nelson said.

“But this one, in terms of the terminology we use for supermoons, is unusual because it is so close to the actual perigee position rather than just being closer than the mean.”

Tonight’s moon will be visible anywhere on Earth where it is dark and relatively cloudless.

Jimmy Lin (11) participated in an Astrophysics research internship at University of Cal-

ifornia, Santa Cruz in the summer of 2015.

“I think it’s definitely great that this new story is helping astronomy reach the general public, and I think it’s a great opportunity for the common person to get interested in a national phenomenon that also has a scientific understanding behind it,” he said.

“This one, in terms of the terminology we use for supermoons, is unusual beacuse it is so close to the actual perigee position rather than just being closer than the mean.”

DR. ERIC NELSON ASTRONOMY TEACHER

Sneha Bhethanabotla (12) has an interest in astronomy and is aware of the supermoon phenomenon.

“I wish the school would organize an event to view supermoons. Not a lot of people have the time to see it, so if there’s a school organized event it would be cool,” Sneha said.

“More people would see something pretty.”

Although supermoons as large as the one visible tongiht are relatively uncommon, supermoons in general occur relatively often. The next supermoon will occur on Dec. 14.

Observers who miss either of these supermoons will have many opportunities in the near future to witness other astronomical events. The next lunar eclipse, or the passing of the Moon into the Earth’s shadow, will occur on Feb. 11 of next year and will be visible in North America, although it will be a partial eclipse.

The next solar eclipse, or the passing or the Moon between the Sun and the Earth, will occur Feb. 26, although the next solar eclipse easily visible from North America will occur Aug. 17 of next year and will be a total eclipse.

Creepy clown sightings surface throughout nation ruhi sayana & angele yang copy editor & reporter

With vibrant paint adorning their faces, huge red smiles and patterned jumpsuits, clowns have traditionally represented fun and happiness for children and families and been an integral part of circuses. However, recent reports of creepy clowns luring kids into forests have heightened fear associated with these entertainers.

Creepy clown reports have surfaced across the U.S. in at least 39 different states since August. Although some incidents were discovered to be hoaxes, others were found to be real threats and have led to arrests and, in some cases, the closure of school districts.

A creepy clown scaring young children was sighted in the Siever Creek area. The clown was revealed to be an adolescent.

“It’s unsettling, [going] from a viral meme to something a little more nerve wracking and a little less funny,” Haris Hosseini (10), Silver Creek resident, said. “I checked my door to see if it was locked that night.”

Although meant to be sources of comedy, clowns can also terrify both children and adults with their vividly painted faces and exaggerated features. Criminologists agree that the root of this fear comes from clowns’ wearing heavy makeup and paint that covers up their true faces.

Reports of these clowns first started in Greenville, South Carolina, on Aug. 29, where

“It’s unsettling, [going] from a viral meme to something a little more nerve wracking and a little less funny.”

HARIS HOSSEINI (10) SILVER CREEK RESIDENT

residents of a housing complex complained about suspicious people in the woods behind the complex. Local children also mentioned that clowns had tried to lure them into the woods.

A few weeks later, on Sept.

14, children in Georgia reported that clowns chased them on

their way to the bus stop.

Threats directed against students of local schools and areas started to emerge online after this phenomena spread.

On Sept. 15, a woman named Makayla Smith was arrested for threatening students at Flomaton High School in Flomaton, Alabama, with Twitter accounts named “FLOMO KLOWN.” On Sept. 28, the East Side High School district in San Jose announced that it would not allow students to dress up as clowns or in any other costumes that concealed their identities for Halloween. The district also reported social media threats of clown attacks to the police.

“The safety of our students and school communities is a priority. We take threats of this type seriously,” East Side Union District superintendent Chris Funk wrote in a letter sent out to students’ parents. “We will not allow clown costumes, nor any costumes that disguise the identity of students.”

Mobs of students going “clown hunting” to search for the clowns habve emerged at universities including Penn State and Indiana University, in response to clowns being sighted on campus.

Hundreds of YouTube videos of clowns sightings caught on camera have gone viral on YouTube, many of which amassed several million views over the month of October.

Some of these videos have been verified as false, confirmed to depict clowns chasing after and scaring people as part of a publicity stunt to obtain views.

Professional clowns and entertainers have responded to these attacks by creating the “Clown Lives Matter” movement to show that clowns are not dangerous. The subject received many negative responses from users on Twitter, who criticized its use of the words from the “Black Lives Matter” movement.

Nikki Sinn from Tucson, Arizona, scheduled a peaceful protest for this movement on Oct. 15.

The event was cancelled due to her receiving death threats.

Due to the influx in these sightings and the potential danger they hold, the San Jose School District advised students to exercise caution at all times.

“I’d watch out more and be more aware of things around me,” Grace Huang (9) said.

NICOLE CHEN

anya weaver & meena gudapati

Next perigee full moon will be visible in 2034

LIGHT UP THE NIGHT Tamlyn Doll (12) and Liana Wang (11) performs last year Festivities will take place this year on Nov. 15.

Sept. 15 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

PROVIDED BY RACHEL FREED

Will reach crest of full moon at 5:52 a.m.

A woman was arrested for threatening students at Flomaton High School in Flomaton, Alabama, with Twitter accounts named “FLOMO KLOWN.”

Sept. 28 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Ordinary supermoons occur once every 411 days

A woman from Concord, California, reported that a clown tried to grab her baby. The man ran away after she kicked him in the shin.

Oct. 6 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

14% bigger and 30% brighter than the average full moon

Performing arts groups from the middle and upper schools are set to dazzle onstage at the annual Santana Row tree lighting ceremony tomorrow at 5 p.m. This ceremony features performances from the junior varsity and varsity dance teams, Kinetic Krew and Downbeat as well as middle school dance groups Showstoppers and High Voltage.

“I’m always really excited just to see how much the kids grow because they do so much performing,” upper school music teacher Jennifer Sandusky said.

Santana Row kicks off the holiday season every year with its tree lighting ceremony of a 40-foot tall tree as well as a multitude of performances from local groups and special guests.

“I’ve performed for Dance Fusion and Showstoppers in the past,” Haley Keller (11) said.

“I love performing in front of all the people out there. It’s always packed with kids and their parents, and they always cheer us on during the performance.

They’re always smiling, and everyone’s in the winter spirit.”

Throughout the night, attendees will also be able to take pictures with Santa Claus to benefit the charity Toys for Tots, an organization that donates toys to children in need during the holiday season.

“It’s an honor to be able to represent Harker amongst the other schools that perform there,” Kinetic Krew member Randy Zhao (11) said. “Performing for the public is always very fun.”

Three young men were arrested in West Texas. They were found carrying a clown mask, plastic machetes and a bat.

Oct. 15 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Astronomically known as the perigee full moon

Nikki Sinn from Tucson, Arizona, scheduled a peaceful protest for the “Clown LIves Matter” for this day. The event was cancelled due to her receiving death threats.

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VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 16, 2016

ALL PHOTOS MAYA KUMAR

FEATURES

BE HAIRFUL (TOP LEFT) Sophomores Dilara Ezer, Claire Newman and Taylor Vaughan pose in support of the concept of Movember.

(BOTTOM LEFT) Seniors Varun Haltore, Arnav Tandon, Nikhil Manglik and Joyce Zhao pose with the mustaches. (RIGHT) Juniors Jacqueline He, Divija Bhimaraju, Millie Lin, and Jessica Skinner pose.

No Shave November Participants forego shaving during cancer awareness event

FAST FACTS: MOVEMBER over 157,000 participants and $15 million raised in 2015

anya weaver & sofie kassaras reporters

The Movember Foundation funds 1,200 men’s health projects The organization’s aims to cut the number of deaths from Prostate and Testicular cancer in half

SOURCE: THE MOVEMBER FOUNDATION

Netflix releases new shows krishna bheda

Humans of Harker

reporter

Netflix is premiering various originals and also adding seasons to popular shows this winter.

NICOLE CHEN

A Series of Unfortunate Events

The second season of “Fuller House” will be available on Dec. 9. This is a sequel to “Full House,” and many characters remain the same from “Full House”, as do their comedic personalities. The show hopes that the Olsen twins will return to the show. This show was rated 7.2/10 on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).

Voltron: Legendary Defender

Season two of “Voltron: Legendary Defender” is coming to Netflix on Jan. 20. This series is about four teens from Earth who are the last line of defense against a galaxy in an intergalactic fight against the evil King Zarkon. It was rated a 8.3/10 on IMDb and is intended for children.

“I know some people just decide not to shave for the whole month, and that’s kind of what I tend to do most every month, so for me it’s like no-shave 2016,” he said.

Others were interested in the idea behind the event.

This signature series will profile each member of the class of 2017.

To see the entire series visit harkeraquila.com.

Sandip Nirmel

Trisha Dwivedi

athlete * musician * politician

CIODER * artist * journalist

nicole chen

Gilmore Girls

Fuller House

AARON SMITH (10)

aquila features editor

The “Gilmore Girls” revival is coming to Netflix on Nov. 25, featuring the original characters again in four 90-minute episodes, each of which represents a season in a year. The original show aired from 2000 to 2007.

“Gilmore Girls” was rated 8.1/10 on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) in 2007, and this revival is expected to garner similarly high ratings.

A television rendition of “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” a book series by Lemony Snicket, will be released as a Netflix original on Jan. 13. This series stars three kids who, after losing their parents, face a series of obstacles in finding a home while uncovering family secrets.

“I’m growing out my hair and I am not going to cut it anytime soon. because I want to try something new with it. I just want to see how long it can get”

“I’m growing out my hair and I am not going to cut it anytime soon...because I want to try something new with it—I just want to see how long it can get,” Aaron Smith (10) said.

Several other people wished to participate but could not.

“I would, but my mom said she’d disown me if I ever grew a beard while I lived at her house, so I don’t think I can,” Arnav Tandon (12) said.“Also, I can’t grow a beard because it’d be all patchy and weird.”

The Matthew Hill Foundation was set up by the eight children of cancer patient Matthew Hill after he died of colon cancer in November 2007. After its start as a small Facebook tag organization, it soon spread to a nationwide audience.

No-shave November works with St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Fight Colorectal Cancer, Prevent Cancer Foundation and American Cancer Foundation.

“I have a dog and his name is Captain.

In some ways, I’m an only child, so he’s pretty much my brother. I pet him, take him on a walk, run, stuff like that, it really gives me perspective.

His life is so simple, he only cares about food and play and if I’m getting stressed out, if I see my dog, I realize that there’s a lot more to life than just school.”

SANDIP NIRMEL

While Sandip Nirmel (12)’s friends and fellow classmates know him as student body president, he participates in a plethora of activities ranging from golf to three different instruments.

His ambition towards finding new hobbies drove him to start golf at seven years old.

His father first exposed him to the sport, and he gradually increased his time practicing. Sandip practices over the weekends and joins the team to play during the golf season.

“I’m chasing my own goals, and I set those goals really high, so that’s what really drives me,” Sandip said. “If I set a goal to lower my scores in goal by a certain amount of strokes, I’m going to work hard until i can achieve that, and whether it leaves me winning tournaments or losing tournaments it’s not a big deal, but if I can meet my own goals, I’m doing pretty good.”

Other than golf, Sandip spends his time fostering his musical hobbies, including the piano, violin and trumpet. He started the piano, violin and trumpet at the ages of three, five and nine, respectively. Sandip chooses to avoid the competition aspect of music, and instead, plays these instruments for his own enjoyment.

“I’m really detail oriented, so getting the right notes means a lot to me,” Sandip said. “I play for my personal enrichment.

Just doing that and also producing good music that just sounds good to yourself [makes me] feel pretty good about [myself].”

Sandip is also an active member of Model United Nations.

MEENA GUDAPATI

over 14% of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the 2nd most common cancer in men

People all over the country are making a monthlong change to their lifestyle: quitting shaving, waxing, trimming and sometimes even brushing their hair.

No-shave November, also called Movember, is an annual event to raise cancer awareness.

Participants cease grooming their hair, which cancer patients often lose, and are asked by the Matthew Hill Foundation to donate the money they usually spend on grooming supplies such as razors, brushes or trips to the hairdresser’s to cancer research.

While many participate in order to raise money, quite a few people who participate in Noshave November would not be shaving anyways.

“For me it is not that much of a stretch because my religion actually bans me from shaving, so No-shave November is actually just like another month for

me,” Misha Tseitlin (12) said.

Upper school athletic trainer Jaron Olson also commented about having this sort of reason.

“In both my mom’s side and dad’s side, I’m the first child to be born in the U.S. and grow up here.

My parents have given me this opportunity that no one else in my family has had, so I feel like it’s my responsibility to take what I’ve been given and work harder and accomplish something more than what my parents have been able to give to me.”

TRISHA DWIVEDI meena gudapati news editor

As the second-youngest of 18 cousins on her father’s side, Trisha Dwivedi’s (12) life has been heavily influenced by her large extended family. In addition to her cousins, Trisha has a total of six nieces and nephews as well as six aunts and uncles.

Trisha is close with her sixyear old niece, who was diagnosed with a low blood platelet count preventing her from certain activities.

“I FaceTime her every weekend, and my cousin messages me after like ‘oh my gosh she gets so happy and excited to talk to you; you really make her forget that she has to go into the doctor ev-

ery week,’ so that’s taught me [to cherish] those small moments and just reach out to all your family members,” Trisha said.

Trisha’s love of watching sports comes from her cousins’ influence.

Everyday, Trisha wears earrings and a necklace which were given to her by her parents for her 16th birthday. On her right wrist, she sports a turquoise beaded bracelet which her uncle gave her before moving away.

Trisha’s late grandmother on her mother’s side gifted her the ring she wears on her right hand.

“It’s an exact replica of her ring, and she gave it to me few months before she passed away, so it’s kind of like the last time I interacted with her,” Trisha said.

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KAITLIN HSU

STEM

VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 16, 2016

katherine zhang

How much does your backpack weigh?

asst. STEM editor

Name: Nikhil Manglik Grade: 12 Backpack Weight: 15.0 lbs Name: May Gao Grade: 12 Backpack Weight: 14.0 lbs

AQ UI RK ER HA

S N O M M

Despite the common belief that backpacks cannot cause chronic back problems, the heavy everyday burden of textbooks and binders can severely endanger students’ backs.

Of the 147 upper school students who answered the Winged Post’s survey, 97.3 percent carry backpacks on their backs.

Upper school nurse Clare Elchert advises students not to carry a heavy backpack because of the consequences as a result.

“Well, certainly carrying a heavy load on a daily basis and maybe slinging it over one shoulder, not making sure the weight is equally distributed with both straps on your backpack, can affect your alignment over time,” she said.

Dr. Melvin S. Hsu is a chiropractic specialist in disc spinal decompression therapy at Unison Spine Center in Sunnyvale, California.

“It can cause your body to be leaning forward to compensate for the heavy backpack, and the compression, the weight of your backpack, can cause abnormal curvature of the spine,” he said. “We call that scoliosis.”

Joan M. Stevenson for Spine Journal draws the same conclusion.

Damage of shoulder tissue or tendons can also result from carrying heavy backpacks, often on one shoulder.

“I have tendinitis and problems because I carry things and overuse [my shoulder] too much,” said Amanda Cheung (9). “It’s not convenient to use my locker.”

Despite the fact that lockers allow students to reduce backpack weight, 27.7 percent of surveyed students use their lockers everyday, 48.3 percent never use their locker, 8.8 percent use it every week, 9.5 percent use it a few times a month, and 15.6 percent use it a few times a year..

“Sometimes [my parents] say that I should use my locker and put the books that I don’t need in my locker, but I don’t use it because I like to carry everything in a bag,” Karina Butani (11) said.

While many think that students’ backs are strong enough to support the everyday burden of textbooks and binders, both Dr. Hsu and Elchert advise students to use their lockers or carry textbooks by hand instead of in a backpack to prevent chronic back problems.

CO

reporter & news editor

Heavy backpacks, especially those carried on one shoulder, pose the risk of inducing lateral curvature of the spine, also known as scoliosis.

“If you develop a curvature or scoliosis of the spine, it can have severe consequences for a lifetime,” Dr. Hsu said. “it will be difficult to cure, and it can cause chronic back pain.”

Additionally, heavy backpacks cause students’ bodies to lean forward to compensate for the weight. As the student grows older, this can evolve into discomfort and poor posture and eventually may damage concentration.

“I wouldn’t go to medications,” Elchert said. “What a person needs to do is to try to correct the problem that’s causing the aches, pains, or strains,” Elchert said. “Which would be using your locker, only carrying books you absolutely need for a particular day, not feeling like you have to live with everything all in your backpack all the time, doing proactive things to avoid the consequences of carrying a heavy load.”

Dr. Hsu recommends for students to carry backpacks weighing no more than 15 percent of their body weight, and a 2004 study conducted by Heather M. Brackley and Dr.

IA

kathy fang & meena gudapati

ED

Name: Serena Lu Grade: 11 Backpack Weight: 15.0 lbs

Can cause curvature of the spine, pain, poor posture

IM

Name: Maya Shukla Grade: 9 Backpack Weight: 16.6 lbs

Backpacks badly impact backs

IK

Name: Nathaniel Melisso Grade: 9 Backpack Weight: 6.8 lbs

Science Fair Preparation Students participating in the Synopsys Science Fair have submitted their applications to faculty sponsors and are now waiting for approval from the Synopsys Science Fair.

Regional winners for the Siemens Competition were announced today. Winners will participate in the national competition from Dec. 2-6 at the George Washington University.

Applications for the Regeneron Science Talent Search were due yesterday.

W

Name: Aryana Far Grade: 10 Backpack Weight: 7.8 lbs

BACK IN BUSINESS Emma Li (9) checks her phone while walking from class. According to a chiropractic specialist, heavy backpacks can be harmful to students.

ASHLEY JIANG

Name: Swapnil Garg Grade: 11 Backpack Weight: 15.0 lbs

LA

Name: Leon Lu Grade: 10 Backpack Weight: 21.6 lbs

NASA views Pluto NASA collected data relating to Pluto from the spacecraft New Horizons on Oct. 25, over a year after New Horizons first reached the dwarf planet. The data includes images of Pluto’s atmosphere and its surface. New Horizons will continue to fly and is currently being steered towards another Kuiper Belt object.

Scientists discovered the first fossilized dinosaur brain.

“Instead of having to run through every single possible [value in a calculation], instead you have a system where all the possible states of that value exist simultaneously in a superposition of states,” Dr. Nelson said.

“You then look at this ‘answer,’ for lack of a better word, which has the superposition of all possible answers. You observe the answer millions of times and look and see which ones pop up the most. The ones that are most

N O M M CO M ED IA IK I W

S N O M M

“Imagine that all the trapdoors have a nice little elevator built into them,” Dr. Nelson said.

“We’ll have to completely rethink our concepts of data encryption once these things become standard on computer systems.”

While the creation of a stable, economical quantum computer would probably not affect civilian computers at all, they would revolutionize the scientific community.

Though scientists have yet to create a fully functional quantum computer, qubits can be created and applied on a limited scale. But as the technology improves, the possibility of creating a fully-fledged quantum computer approaches—and along with it, solutions to some of the greatest problems ever conceived.

CO

frequent have the highest probability of being correct.”

Current encryption methodologies rely on “trapdoor functions,” functions which are very easy to compute in one direction yet extremely difficult to compute in the other. For example, it is near impossible to determine the two prime factors of the number 4,399 in a reasonable timeframe, but it’s quite trivial to multiply 53 and 83. This exact problem—integer factorization—forms the basis of some public-key cryptography systems, the same systems that protect your digital communications today. But the advent of quantum computers would suddenly “solve” integer factorization and other trapdoor functions, rendering them useless for encryption purposes.

IM ED IA

Qubit (n): The basic unit of information in a quantum computer, similar to a bit.

Achieves a superposition of both 0 and 1.

QUANTUM QUBITS Unlike the 0s and 1s of contemporary computer bits, quantum computer qubits have a value that is partially both 0 and 1 simultaneously.

IK

DEFINITION

Phenomena in Space November will feature a number of astronomical phenomena. Last Thursday and the Friday before that, the Taurid and Leonid meteor showers were visible.

On Nov. 25, Jupiter will be visible next to the moon, and on Nov. 23, Mercury can be spotted next to Saturn.

On Monday, the biggest supermoon known to mankind was visible.

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There exist problems so complex, so inscrutable, that to solve them with even an efficient algorithm would take modern computers more time than the current age of the universe—or even longer.

Quantum computers are a theoretical alternative to traditional computers that have the ability to solve impossibly difficult problems using traditional means. They do so by using qubits (pronounced “cubit”) in lieu of the traditional bits.

Bits, a construct which computers use to perform calculations, can be conceptualized like a binary switch—they are either on or off at any given moment, and are used to represent data.

“The [computers] we use are binary-based, so all you have is a series of off-on states that you can control very, very rapidly,” said Dr. Eric Nelson, upper school computer science department chair and modern physics teacher. “So computers are useful because you can do things really, really fast, so you do a whole bunch of sequential, deterministic calculations, manipulating bits.”

But even with the speed of computers, some problems still take far too much time to complete. This is where qubits come in. Unlike bits, which can only be in one of two states—zero or one—qubits exist as a superposition of states. They are simultaneously partially both zero and one, both off and on, both false

and true. “[Superpositioning is] a really bizarre property of subatomic particles. One way of thinking about it is to imagine you have a quantum coin—[with] a quantum coin, both sides would be heads and tails simultaneously with a 50-50 mix,” Dr. Nelson said. “It’s not flipping back and forth; it just exists as heads and tails on both sides at the same time.”

But whenever a superposed particle is observed, it “collapses” into a single state: it will appear to be only heads or only tails.

By using superpositioning, qubits can simultaneously hold multiple values.

DEREK YEN

derek yen

STEM editor

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Quantum Computing: A Look Inside the Science

Dengue Fever Scientists at York University have discovered that vaccinating against dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral disease, could potentially encourage the spread of Zika virus. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), half of the world population is at risk of contracting dengue fever.

Additionally, cases of co-infection with Zika virus have already been recorded.

STEM

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GLOBAL

RESET

Part three of a seven part series

Coral bleaching threatens marine ecosystems copy editor

The Great Barrier Reef stretches across more than 130,000 square miles off the coast of northeastern Australia.

Its several hundred coral species and associated islands house an abundance of marine life, including many vulnerable or endangered animals like dolphins, whales, seabirds and turtles.

But according to a March evaluation, as many as half of the reef’s corals lack zooxanthellae, the single-celled algae organisms that live inside corals and provide them with both their distinctive vibrant colors and more than 90 percent of their nutrition.

Changing ocean temperatures due to climate change can cause corals to cast out their zooxanthellae as a stress response because they can no longer maintain their symbiosis, resulting in a whitened appearance. This loss of coloration has prompted the common name for this phenomenon: coral bleaching.

“In the process of doing photosynthesis, [zooxanthellae] provide some of the sugars that they make through that process to the corals,” said marine biology teacher and Green Team advisor Dr. Katherine Schafer. “Coral bleaching is when that symbiotic

relationship breaks down. The zooxanthellae provide much of the pigment to the coral, and so when the zooxanthellae are expelled, the corals turn often a bleached white color, but depending on the species, they may go from being brown to being a light purple color.”

Bleaching events have hap-

“Climate change just adds a layer of stress to corals and other marine organisms.”

DR. CROW WHITE PROFESSOR pened around the world. Coral cover off the coast of Hawaii, around Belize, near the Florida Keys and in the Caribbean Sea and Indian Ocean has also been damaged by mass bleaching attributed to areas like the blob, a large patch of warm water in the Pacific Ocean.

Though bleached corals remain alive, bleaching can cause them to struggle and potentially starve. These repercussions have put pressure on the Great Barrier Reef and other reefs.

Fluctuating water temperatures have caused most of the bleaching events in recent history, including the widespread

ZOO TOPIA Zooxanthellae provide coral with its distinctive coloring. When a coral is under stress, it casts out its zooxanthellae, leaving it with a white and unpigmented appearance.

bleaching in the northern Great Barrier Reef from the eight events it has undergone since 1980. Other environmental factors such as infections, irradiation, overfishing and exposure to common sunscreens can also impact coral.

“Climate change just adds a layer of stress to corals and other marine organisms,” said Dr. Crow White, an assistant professor at California Polytechnic State University. “If the ocean is just already warmer because of climate change, then that means the global warming plus the spike in warmth at that particular year add to a super level of warmth, which then hits the coral even harder than normal.”

Large-scale bleaching can also give rise to consequences for other organisms living in or around the ecosystems of bleached reefs, including the many endangered species en-

demic to the Great Barrier Reef. “[Bleaching] impacts whatever’s living in the coral reef,” said sophomore Raymond Banke, who corresponds for the aquarium in Nichols Hall and sponsored an aquarium-based scientific literacy program last year. “It destroys coral reefs, basically, and it hurts the whole ecosystem around it.”

Some reefs have recovered from coral bleaching events by being either taken over by algae in a regime shift or recolonized by their cast-out zooxanthellae, but the exact factors that help reefs survive and recover from coral bleaching are still unclear.

A 2015 study published in Nature magazine found that Seychelles reefs recovered better

when they were relatively complex, young, and in deeper water.

While not all hope is lost for conserving the Great Barrier, the far-reaching effects that climate change has on the oceans of our world cannot be understated.

“We’re a long distance away from the Great Barrier Reef, but it turns out that in many ways we have the biggest role to play in trying to minimize these kinds of bleaching events because we play such a big role in contributing to climate change,” Dr. Schafer said. “The best thing we can do is to press all of our government officials to start taking action now on climate change and to do whatever we can.”

ROSE GUAN

rose guan

Finalists and semifinalists named in Siemens Competition rashmi iyer & helen yang Nineteen upper school students were named semifinalists for the Siemens Competition on Oct. 18. Additionally, Manan Shah (12) and partners Rajiv Movva (11) and Randy Zhao (11) were named regional finalists of this year’s Siemens Competition on Oct. 19.

The Siemens Competition is one of the nation’s most prominent research competitions for high school students.

Students submit research papers to the competition based on their independent research findings. This year, of 1,600 research projects submitted, judges selected 498 semi-finalists, and of the semi-finalists, 96 became regional finalists.

Regional finalists are each awarded $1,000 in recognition of their achievements and the winners will progress to the national level.

Students participating in the competition conducted research in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, either working with partners or individually. Participants submitted research papers to the competition on Sept. 20. These papers were then judged by a panel of scientists, and the top 300 projects were selected to be semifinalists.

Many students participating in the competition conducted their research in labs over the summer with mentors before starting their papers.

In addition to receiving guidance from mentors at labs, students also received help from faculty mentors provided by the upper school science department.

Rajiv, Randy and Manan presented their projects online to judges in the past month, and the regional winners who will compete on the national level were chosen. Manan was named a national finalist, but Rajiv and Randy’s advancement to the next level was not reported at the time of publication.

KATHERINE ZHANG

reporters

SIEMENS SUPERSTARS Siemens semifinalists Sandip Nirmel (12), Akhil Arun (11), Manan Shah (12), Jerry Chen (11), Arjun Subramaniam (12), Scott Song (12), Venkat Sankar (12), Shaya Zarkesh (11), Jimmy Lin (11), Justin Xie (11), Rajiv Movva (11), Randy Zhao (11), Nikhil Manglik (12), Connie Miao (12), Sahana Srinivasan (11) and Amy Jin (11) pose outside Nichols Hall. Not pictured are Rishab Gargeya (12), Joyce Huang (12) and Kevin Xu (11).

Randy and Rajiv’s project project is centered around discovering how some drugs can better treat cancer when combined. Randy believes that when identifying such combinations, it is important to determine whether or not they are safe.

“Our generalized framework has a capability of identifying cancer drugs that might work better when they’re used together for a variety of cancers.”

RAJIV MOVVA REGIONAL FINALIST “The problem in determining synergistic drugs is that sometimes they might be harmful,” Randy said. “But one day,

I think identifying synergistic drug pairs will lead to further research so we can better understand cancer.”

Because their project focuses on cancer as a whole rather than investigating a single specific form of cancer, their research can help develop treatments for more patients.

“Our generalized framework has a capability of identifying cancer drugs that might work better when they’re used together for a variety of cancers,” Rajiv said.

Acquiring reliable data proved to be one of their most challenging issues.

“Time-consistent sources of data that are easy to work with are very important in any sort of computational project, so we spent a lot of time optimizing that,” Rajiv said.

As members of the scientific community, they aimed to find more effective cancer treatments.

“Cancer in general is a very complicated problem that we have to work better in and take little steps to be able to fully un-

derstand,” Randy said.

Manan was named a regional and then a national finalist in the 2016 Siemens Competition for his research on using a computational system to analyze breast cancer tumor images.

“Harker has been really great at promoting a research environment, a reserach spirit and especially an investigative mindset.”

MANAN SHAH NATIONAL FINALIST

The computational methods that he developed tell how serious a breast cancer tumor is based on an image. For Manan, the greatest challenge was editing those methods.

“In general, the methods

that I employed took multiple days to train, so any single mistake could propagate over multiple weeks,” Manan said. “I had to make sure that every single system was working properly before I submitted the jobs to run.”

Manan chose his topic in hopes of improving the current process. “[The pathologists’ method] is inefficient and produces inaccurate results 25 percent of the time,” Manan said. “The method I developed could be able to assess each tumor in less than a second and produce results at the level of pathologists, and it also provides better diagnoses.”

Manan’s project could possibly help screening procedures and also provide information on how the tumors grow and new paths for further research.

“Harker has been really great at promoting a research environment, a research spirit and especially an investigative mindset,” Manan said. “Harker has been pretty nurturing in terms of providing me with avenues for further research.”

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VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 16, 2016

SPORTS

KSHITHIJA MULAM

GAME SNAPSHOTS

KSHITHIJA MULAM

KSHITHIJA MULAM

PRIDE Anthony Meissner (10) stands for the national anthem. The Harker choral groups took the field before the game to sing the school song and national anthem.

INTO THE FRAY Quarterback Nate Kelly (11) darts past Stellar Prep’s defense. The Eagles lost to the Thunder 7-42 during Homecoming on Nov. 5, which also doubled this year as football’s senior night.

alex wang sports editor

The varsity football team lost to Stellar Preparatory High School in the homecoming game on Nov. 5, which doubled as the team’s senior night.

Prior to the game, senior football players Saketh Gurram, Danny Reidenbach, Will Park, Davis Howard, Kailee Gifford, Anthony Crook, Rishabh Nijhawan and Norman Garcia were honored and cheered by the crowd.

The Stellar Prep captains won the coin toss and elected to kick off, leaving the Eagles to receive the kick to start the game.

The Eagles began the game with a touchdown in the first half by Will and a field goal conversion by Kailee. The Thunder responded with a touchdown and elected to forgo a field goal in favor of a two-point conversion, ending the quarter at a score of 7-8.

Stellar Prep began the second quarter with an early touchdown and both teams held each other scoreless for the rest of the half.

The varsity dance troupe performed a routine at halftime, which many spectators enjoyed.

“This was an enjoyable

homecoming because I came with my friends and we really loved the amazing halftime performances,” Sumi Wadhwa (11) said. “We were all impressed by how touching senior night was and pretty surprised that Harker managed to pull this off with construction.”

This year’s tug-of-war competition saw the juniors defeat the freshmen and the seniors best the sophomores during the rally, paving the way for a showdown between upperclassmen in the finals. In the second round, the sophomores defeated the freshmen prior to the Homecoming game in order to secure third place, while the juniors outlasted the seniors during their halftime competition to win this year’s tug-ofwar.

This year’s Homecoming Court consisted of freshmen Alyssa Huang and Phil Han, sophomores Katrina Liu and Katrina Ipser, juniors Isabella Spradlin and Angel Cervantes and seniors Mia Giammona, Kathy Duan, Kailee, Jack Farnham, Ryan Vaughan and Alex Youn.

Senior class dean Jeffrey Draper crowned Kailee and Ryan as Homecoming King and Queen.

The Eagles kicked off to start the second half, but allowed the Thunder to score 28 points in the third quarter.

“We came out strong [in] the first half, played well, but [in] the second half they scored on the first drive and we just put our head down,” Rishabh said, reflecting on the loss of momentum that the Eagles experienced after their first touchdown. “Once we went into that mentality there was no going back. They capitalized on our

“We came out strong [in] the first half, played well, but [in] the second half, they scored on the first drive and we just put our head down. ” RISHABH NIJHAWAN FOOTBALL CAPTAIN terrible attitude and won the second half.”

Each team held the other scoreless in the fourth quarter and the score that ended the third quarter carried through the rest of the game.

Head football coach Mike Tirabassi thought his team played hard and did everything they could against their opponents.

“[Our team] did everything they could possibly do. The other team was just stronger and faster than we were across the board, our guys did everything they could possibly do and we would have to [have] played perfect[ly] to beat them and we did pretty close to that, so I’m very proud of them” he said.

For the seniors, both players and spectators, the game would be their last home football game.

“I feel like because it’s the last homecoming for us seniors, we really came together as a class. Our bond was stronger than ever. The screams, cheers and chatters are all precious memories for use to cherish,” Ray Song (12) said.

Despite the loss, many students still enjoyed watching the game and cheering on their team.

“I really had a great time at homecoming, meeting up with friends and watching the game.

Cheering on our team is a great bonding experience that lets the whole school come together in unity,” Matthew Hajjar (10) said.

The Homecoming game marks the end of the football team’s regular season, as the team begins play in the NCS playoffs.

RUSH Quarterback Nate Kelly (11) tries to run the ball down the field himself during the second half. The Thunder raised their lead to 42 points during the second half of the game.

FAST FOOTWORK Will Park (12) runs down the field after being handed the ball by Nate Kelly (11) right before halftime. The Eagles were unable to score in the second half of the game.

Niki Iyer sets record at WBAL meet Making History

Cubs win World Series against Indians alex wang & neil bai

ALL PHOTOS BY ANIKA RAJAMANI

sports editor & Aquila copy editor

Nov. 2 is a day that Chicago Cubs fans will remember as the day their team broke its 108-year curse of not winning a World Series.

The Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians in a tight 10-inning game seven with a score of 8-7 at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs came back from a 3-1 deficit, drawing many comparisons to this year’s NBA finals be-

tween the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors.

The Cubs’ victory made them the first team to recover from a 3-1 deficit since the Kansas City Royals feat back in the 1985 World Series.

Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist was named MVP of the World Series after the game. Zobrist hit the game winning RBI double in the 10th inning which secured the lead for his team.

An Indians victory would have ended their now ongoing 68-year World Series deficit.

sports editor

Senior cross country runner Nikita “Niki” Iyer was named as one of The Mercury News’ Athletes of the Week from the South Bay/Peninsula area. She was recognized for winning the West Bay Athletic League’s No. 2 race at Baylands Park, completing the course in

18 minutes and nine seconds, recording the fastest time on the course this year and the fifth-fastest time on the course ever.

She had previously been named The Mercury News’ Santa Clara County girls athlete of the week twice, in her freshman and sophomore years.

In her freshman year, she

was recognized for her firstplace finish and Harker record at the Crystal Springs-Serra Invitational, with a time of 18 minutes and three seconds.

In her sophomore year, she was recognized for her tenth-place finish in the Clovis Invitational, with a time of 18 minutes and 18 seconds.

She now prepares for the CIF state meet.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

WBAL WINNER (LEFT) Niki Iyer (12) runs in front of the pack. (TOP RIGHT) Niki takes the lead during the course. (BOTTOM RIGHT) Niki walks to accept a rose after her race. Niki placed first, winning her third WBAL championship.

alex wang

KSHITHIJA MULAM

Upper school spirit week leads up to Homecoming game

DODGE Will Park (12) dodges a defender from Stellar Prep. Will scored the only touchdown of the game against Stellar Prep in the first quarter.

KSHITHIJA MULAM

Spirited away to Homecoming

CUBS CELEBRATE Cubs fans participate in a victory parade. The Cubs won their first World Series in 108 years this year.

SPORTS

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VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 16, 2016

IN THE MOMENT

FALL SEASON UPDATE neil bai & anjay saklecha aquila copy editor & aquila features editor

RETURN Connie Miao (12) hits a backhand during practice.

ASHLEY JIANG

Girls Tennis

A STRONG LEAD Niki Iyer (12) establishes a strong lead over her opponents while running at Crystal Springs at the WBAL Championships.

ANIKA RAJAMANI

The girls tennis team finished their regular season with a 4-4 league record and a 10-4 overall record. They beat Presentation High School and Pinewood both 6-1 as their last games in the regular season to qualify for CCS. The Eagles then played their senior night game against Sacred Heart on Nov. 3, honoring Connie Miao, the only senior on the team. The CCS playoffs began on Nov. 8.

Bringing the spirit to every game

Girls Golf

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Cross country runners go to CCS

Volleyball wins big at senior night

FOCUS Junior Katherine Zhu hits the golf ball during a match.

The girls golf team finished their league championship match beating Castilleja by one stroke to finish 2nd place overall. Vienna Wang (12), freshmen Larissa Tyagi and Katelyn Vo and junior Alisa Su all had their career bests during this match helping them qualify for CCS on Nov. 1. At the CCS championships, the Eagles placed 9th place in Carmel.

Football

TACKLE Will Park (12) is tackled by a Stellar Prep defender.

The varsity football team currently holds a 5-5 overall record this season. The team lost their homecoming game 7-42 against the Stellar Prep Thunder, which also happened to be their senior night, on Nov. 5. They moved onto to the NCS playoffs in a first round matchup against Moreau Catholic last Friday.

Boys Water Polo

SPLASH Peter Wu (12) looks to pass the ball at a game.

The boys water polo team finished their season with a 10-2 league record and a 19-8 overall record. The team beat Lynbrook overtime 12-11 in the SCVAL League Tournament to earn a coleague championship and a spot in CCS for the first time in Harker history. The Eagles lost on Nov. 1 in the first round of CCS playoffs against Half-Moon Bay high school 5-14.

Varsity Girls Volleyball won their senior night game against Notre Dame on October 27 3-1, improving to a 6-18 overall record and a league record of 3-6. The game was the last of their season as the team did not qualify for CCS. “As a sophomore who just

joined I loved playing with upperclassmen, although we had a couple losses our record does not reflect the skill and effort of our team,” Katrina Liou (10) said. “I improved a lot and I think it was a great experience.

I can’t wait to do it again next year.”

PRESEVERANCE The cross country boys take off along with the rest of the runners from the starting line.

The cross country team competed in the WBAL Championships on Nov. 4. Niki Iyer (12) ran her best race of the year in the league event prior to the championships, winning first place. Niki and Lilia Gonzales (10) both qualified for the CCS meet held at Crys-

tal Springs last Saturday.

“I think the season went pretty well for me and I think the team has improved overall. Everyone has improved over the course of the season and I think the freshmen were a great addition to the team,” Akshaya Vemuri (11) said.

SMILE Seniors Sarah Gonzalez and Nina Levy smile with their coach at their senior night.

AlLEX WANG

ANIKA RAJAMANI

VIJAY BHARADWAJ

Girls Water Polo

SPIKE Isabella Spradlin (11) jumps for the ball in a match against Sacred Heart Prep prior to the volleyball team’s senior night.

NICOLE CHEN

“[Young’s] really big on conditioning; we didn’t really do much conditioning last year, [but] this year, we’re conditioning every practice, so we can get stronger,” cheer team spirit coordinator Claire Newman (10) said.

Along with conditioning during practices to improve core strength, cheerleaders learn halftime routines, practice stunts and develop their abilities. Many members of the team attend private tumbling lessons, personal classes geared towards improving flexibility and technique.

“Tumbling private [lessons] have helped me a lot in terms of my progress because I can almost do a roundoff back handspring,” a flyer, one of the people lifted into the air during a stunt, Viveka Saraiya (10) said.

“The stunts we’re doing are a lot more complex. For homecoming this year we [had] a lot of basket tosses, which [required] a lot more concentration and coordination by the bases.”

Another aspect of the cheer team this year that contributes to their success in performances is their early start to learning new routines, especially the homecoming routine, and their willingness to practice their technique.

“We do a lot of cheer bonding, so we’re pretty close,” co-captain Raveena Panja (11) said. “Since we know that we’re always supporting each other, if we mess up on something, it’s ok because we tried our best, and we did our best to make everything perfect. And at the end, it doesn’t matter because we’re having fun.”

The cheer team will perform at the remaining varsity football games for the rest of the season and will also be cheering on varsity boys basketball.

MAYA VALLURU

ALL PHOTOS BY KSHITHIJA MULAM

including homecoming.

Membership in the cheer team dropped from 16 individuals to 12 this year, 10 of which were on the team last year. Despite this alteration in team dynamic, the group remains close through frequent bonding activities such as collective poster-making and team sleepovers.

“They were really welcoming the first time I joined, and it was really exciting to be part of a team,” cheerleader Adhya Hoskote (9) said. “It was really nice because we have a little [cheer] family, and it was really sweet how they accepted me into the group.”

In comparison to last year, cheer coach Jill Bettencourt has seen improvement in the team’s technique.

“The technique [of the routines] is a lot more difficult, so some of the skills that they’re doing [are] a lot more difficult than last year,” Bettencourt said.

“We have more difficult stunts and tumbling, [and] the team as a whole is just more advanced than last year.”

One of the factors contributing to the cheer team’s progress is the new assistant coach, Marissa “Mona” Young. Young has several years of experience, from being a cheerleader throughout all of high school and junior colTEAM SPIRIT (TOP) Olivia Long (11) does a cartwheel while the cheer lege to receiving a scholarship to squad moves into a new formation. (BOTTOM LEFT) Raveena Panja (11) performs for the crowd at Homecoming. (BOTTOM RIGHT) Olivia Long cheer in college.

“Because I used to cheer, it’s (11) prepares for the next cheer in front of the crowd at Homecoming.

The cheer squad cheered at games throughout the football season. nice to coach the younger genSuddenly, the first few notes of a eration so they get the passion I nicole chen & prameela pop mashup blare from the loud- had when I used to do it,” Young kottapalli speakers, and the homecoming said. “It helped with my self-conaquila features editor & halftime routine begins. The fidence. With a lot of the girls, asst. features editor cheerleaders deliver a high-en- I’m seeing them get that extra Twelve figures assemble at ergy performance, dazzling on- boost, that extra morale.” the center of Davis Field, pink lookers with their coordination, Young leads conditionbows sparkling. Shimmering sharp movements and new-and- ing exercises during practices, golden pom-poms gleam in the improved stunts. which cheerleaders participate fluorescent lighting. The crowd So far, the team has cheered in to improve their strength, enis silent, hushed in anticipation. at eight varsity football games, durance and balance.

ASHLEY JIANG

Cheerleading improves their technique despite altered team dynamic

The girls water polo team finished with a 3-9 league record and a 5-15 overall record this season. The girls entered the SCVAL League Tournament in its first round against Saratoga High School on Oct. 25 with a score of 1-7. On Oct. 28, they beat Milpitas High School 7-1, finishing their season with one last victory.

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VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 16, 2016

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CAPTIONS

"I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN" Senior class president Alex Youn (12) leads his class in a cheer before the annual scream-off.

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WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN Varsity dancer Hazal Gurcan (12) does a back flip during one of the rally performances.

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REGAL JAUNT Homecoming King Ryan Vaughan (12) and Queen Kailee Gifford (12) ride a golf cart off the field during halftime.

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CHEERS Cheerleader Olivia Long (11) does a cheerleading routine in front of all the classes during the rally on Nov. 4.

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AYE, AYE CAPTAIN Junior class spirit coordinator Amitej Mehta (11) leads his class in singing the "Spongebob Squarepants" theme song.

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FLY LIKE AN EAGLE One of the Eaglets runs down the field during a performance before Homecoming Game on Nov. 5.

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SCREAM & SHOUT The sophomore class council leads their class as they compete in the scream-off at the Panoply of Chaos.

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JUST DANCE Dance teacher Karl Kuehn dances during the freshman class skit during the Homecoming rally on Nov. 4.

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DRUMROLL, PLEASE The lab band leads the Panoply of Chaos as they walk into the Quad for the annual scream-off.

10 RALLYING CRY Will Park

(12), Norman Garcia (12) and Matthew Hu (12) cheer for the senior class during the rally on Nov. 4

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The senior class forms a semi-circle during the scream-off, going on to win 1st place in that event.

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ALL PHOTOS BY KSHITHIJA MULAM

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Upper school students competed in class spirit competitions for points to celebrate Homecoming Week from Nov. 1 to Nov. 5 on the Saratoga Campus.

“It’s hard to believe this [was] one of the first of many ‘last’s I’ll be experiencing this year, but this last homecoming was without a doubt the most memorable,” senior class spirit coordinator Haley Tran (12) said.

This year, the celebrations started on a Tuesday since Monday was a holiday for students. Each day featured a spirit competition along with a dress-up day for each class.

The seniors dressed up on Thursday for the theme Cartoon Network, the juniors dressed up on Wednesday for the theme Nickelodeon and the sophomores and freshmen dressed up on Tuesday for the themes Disney Channel and Warner Bros. respectively.

To prepare for Homecoming Week, each class gathered on Oct. 28 for Spirit Night, which was held in Manzanita this year to accommodate construction on campus.

“I think that we definitely had a lot more preparation and student involvement this year than last year. For our freshman year, Homecoming Week was a lot earlier, and everything felt really rushed,” sophomore class treasurer Shania Wang (10) said.

To wrap up the week, the annual Homecoming Dance was held on Nov. 4 with the game following on Nov. 5, with the Eagles losing 7-42. Throughout intervals in the game, the finals of the tug-of-war competition took place along with performances from the cheerleaders and varsity dance.

During halftime, the Homecoming Court was driven around the field in golf carts. Seniors Ryan Vaughan and Kailee Gifford were crowned Homecoming King and Queen respectively at the end of halftime.

“Competition aside, seeing each class grow and seeing more people participate in spirit events as the years went by has been such a satisfying experience,” Haley said.

“Despite all the challenges, the only thing I’d have left to say is thank you.”

HOMECOMING WEEK SCORES T IRS

F EAGLE FLOAT SKIT TUG OF WAR SCREAM-OFF OVERALL

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ELECTIONS WEDNESDAY, NOV. 16, 2016 | THE HARKER UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER, VOL. 18, NO. 3

| www.harkeraquila.com

Pulse of the People: Election Memories

NICOLE CHEN

ALEX WANG

aquila features editor

Pulse of the people is part three of a seven-part repeater on social justice or other issues currently relevant to the Harker community.

This issue, reporters asked students what they thought the most memorable image or speech this election season was.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

“I think [Clinton’s concession] was the best speech she has ever given, and it was by far the most power and passionate speech of the entire election. She was still able to thank everyone while treating Donald Trump as someone who did win the election but not someone who stands for her beliefs. She still emphasized the idea that we must continue fighting for what we believe is right .” “[I’ll remember] the entire nation screaming yelling, the sight of the Canadian immigration site crashing and everyone trying to move out of the United States.”

ROSE GUAN

NICOLE CHEN

EMILY CHEN JUNIOR

nicole chen

LIZHI “NEMO” YANG SOPHOMORE

“When the Javits Center had a glass ceiling and it was all happy and crowded inside, and then as the day went on more and more people started leaving, it seemed like a very apt metaphor for everything.”

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

SAHANA SRINIVSASAN

Students reflect on memorable moments of the election

NIKHIL MANGLIK SENIOR

“I’ll remember the first map that shows up when you Google search the word ‘polls’ because that’s what I was refreshing off of throughout the night and that’s definitely the image I’ll remember, when I realized that Pennsylvania was turning red.”

KELSEY WU SOPHOMORE

ELECTION NIGHT (TOP) Hillary Clinton speaks at the Democratic National Convention. (SECOND) The Canadian immigration website, cic.gc.ca, crashed on election night. (THIRD) The states on this map are colored to represent the winning candidate.

(BOTTOM) An election night party for Clinton took place at the Javits Center.

Choosing neither of the above adrian chu

opinion editor

In the 1968 election, George C. Wallace, an American Independent, won five Southern states with his platform of racial segregation. No third-party candidate since has won a state in the presidential election. The two-party system defines the U.S.’s modern democratic fabric.

“Third parties have been around for a hundred, two hundred years; very rarely do they get anywhere,” Gary Jacobson, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at UC San Diego, said.

“The last time a third party became a second party was in the 1850s, when the Republicans replaced the Whigs. Donald Trump has shown why, and that is if you want to mount an insurgency, it’s easier to take over an existing party than it is to start one on your own.”

Third parties gain support by advocating for a platform combining different Democratic and Republican viewpoints or by focusing on issues that the two main parties often neglect.

“With Hillary, so many people feel like they know her and if they don’t like her, they already know that, they feel strongly about that,” Surya Yalamanchili, former contestant on The Apprentice and 2010 congressional

candidate, said. “With Trump, it feels like every week, there’s another story or he’s saying something that gives a lot of people more ammunition to dislike him, and as a result of that third party candidates like Jill Stein are getting picked up [and] they’re getting a lot of support.”

“If you want to mount an insurgency, it’s easier to take over an existing party than it is to start one on your own.”

GARY JACOBSON PROFESSOR EMIRITIUS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AT THE UNIVESRITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO Gary Johnson, nominee of the Libertarian Party, and Jill Stein, nominee of the Green Party, both competed in the 2012 presidential election. With less than 1.5 percent of the popular vote combined, their influence on the election result was negligible, but due to the increasing disapproval of the two main parties’ presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump,

more people seriously considered third parties at the polls.

In the 2016 election, Johns garnered 3% of the popular vote, or over four million votes, and Stein 1%, more than a million votes. In the contentious state of Pennsylvania, with its 20 electoral votes, Johnson earned 2% of the popular vote and Stein 0.9%, according to the Associated Press. Trump won Pennsylvania by a narrow margin of approximately 70 thousand votes, a smaller share of votes than the third party candidates earned.

Similarly, in Florida, which was also a closely-fought swing state, Johnson won 2% of the popular vote and Stein 0.7%, according to the Associated Press.

The state’s 28 electoral votes went to Trump, who won 49% of the vote compared to Clinton’s 48%.

Johnson, former governor of New Mexico, advocates for the legalization of marijuana and is fiscally conservative and socially liberal. Peaking at a popularity of 9.8 percent in June, he lost support while gaining media coverage after asking “What is Aleppo?” in an MSNBC interview.

Stein advocates for the elimination of pesticides and genetically modified organisms in agriculture and shares many of the liberal views of the Democratic Party.

KAITLIN HSU

Millions of voters turn to third-party candidates in heated election

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VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 16, 2016

Capitol Hill:

KAILTIN HSU

What You Missed Part three of a seven part series on American politics

The 114th Congress

rose guan & katherine zhang copy editor & asst.

STEM edior

Besides the presidential elections, a lesser-known political race on Election Day this year was the election of the Representative of California’s 17th congressional district.

California uses a nonpartisan blanket primary, also known as a top-two primary, to elect representatives and senators.

This means that all candidates run against each other in the primary no matter their parties, and the top two finishers proceed to the general election.

This year, Mike Honda, incumbent since 2001, and Ro Khanna, who ran against and narrowly lost to Honda in 2014, advanced to the general election for representative of the 17th district, which encompasses most of Silicon Valley. Khanna defeated Honda 59.4 percent to 40.6 percent according to SF Gate. Khanna lost by 3.6 percent to Honda in 2014 and garnered more votes than Honda in the primary this year.

“The thing about Ro Khanna that I like is he’s extremely qualified, and he seems to be working for the people,” said Alycia Cary (10), a canvasser for Khanna’s campaign. “His grassroots movement really seeks to get major community outreach. He offers a lot of internship opportunities for high school students my age.”

Proponents for Honda often cite his long past in Congress, as Khanna has never held a position in the House of Representatives.

“The biggest differentiator is that [Honda] has actually served in Congress. He actually

has a track record of legislative accomplishments and legislative priorities,“ said Vedant Patel, the communications director at Honda for Congress. “He’s been an incredibly effective legislator and has a track record of getting things done even in the face of Republican obstructionism.”

Although both Honda and Khanna are Democratic, elections for the House of Representatives in more contested districts could influence which party has control of Congress.

Congressional control is especially important this election cycle because it could influence the selection of the ninth Supreme Court justice after the death of Antonin Scalia. A majority of the Senate must approve the president’s choice for a new justice after the justice is approved by the 20-member Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Republican Party will control the House until January 2017, when the newly elected members this Election Day will be sworn in. The Democratic Party controls 39 of 53 Californian House seats until then.

Voters also elected one of two California senators on Nov. 8, following the retirement of junior senator Barbara Boxer of the Democratic Party. The senior senator, Democrat Dianne Feinstein, will remain in office.

Senatorial elections in California use the same procedures as representative elections. State attorney general Kamala Harris and Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez, both Democratic, advanced to the general election after the primary on June 7, and Harris won. The candidates debated on Oct. 5.

“I think people should also

understand that it’s their senators and their representatives that they elect to Congress who are going to have more of a say in what happens in their district, because they control a much smaller portion of the country, and they affect much more of what happens in our daily lives,” Alycia said.

Also at stake on Election Day were Propositions 51 through 67, referendums and initiative measures that could lead to actions altering the Constitution of California. California is the only state that uses such ballot propositions.

One controversial bill was Proposition 64, which, if ratified, would legalize marijuana for people 21 or older and establish laws and taxes on the cultivation and sale of marijuana.

The proposition would allow people over the age of 21 to smoke marijuana in their private homes as well as in businesses that are licensed for on-site marijuana consumption. The bill would not allow people to smoke marijuana in public places or while driving. It also places laws and regulations on the cultivation and possession of marijuana.

According to Patel, Honda supports Proposition 64. Khanna has not publicly stated his stance on drug issues.

Sanchez has considered implementing a “pilot program” for marijuana reform in California, and Proposition 64 did pass.

Although they may not garner as much of a spotlight as the presidential election, local political elections also often prove important, in ways we may least expect.

246 Republicans, and 186 Democrats vacancies 3 88 Women 344 Men

53

California seats in the House

MEENA GUDAPATI

Local races play significant role in American politics

ALL PHOTOS WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Local races play important role in national politics

KHANNGRESS Ro Khanna (pictured above) was one of the candidates competing for for the position of the Representative of California’s 17th congressional district.

HONDA-17 Mike Honda (pictured above) was the other candidate competing for for the position of the Representative of California’s 17th congressional district.

After the election A timeline to the Presidential inauguration

neal sidhu & nerine uyanik reporters

Dec. 13

Nov. 8

In order to ensure legitimacy of the electoral votes they will give to Congress, states must resolve any controversies over recounts or the chosen electors by this date. Otherwise, the electoral votes of that state will not be deemed valid.

Each state’s appointed electors meet and vote on their choices for president and vice president. Many states do not have to follow the popular vote of their state by law but are ex-

ALL PHOTOS WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

This date is national Election Day. Registered voters casted their votes for president and vice president of the United States. Voting also determined if the electors who are chosen to represent each state in the Electoral College system have more liberal or conservative views.

Dec. 19

Dec. 28 The vice president and the archivist are expected to receive the electoral votes a maximum of nine days after the electors meet. If states refuse to share the results of their voting, no legal action will be taken against them.

Jan. 6

Jan. 20 Once the president and vice president have been determined, the oath of office is administered to the vice president-elect and then to the president-elect. Both the president and the vice president begin their terms at noon.

Congress meets in a joint session to count the electoral votes the states have presented. Current vice president Joe Biden, who is also the president of the Senate, presides over the counting and announces the result of the electoral vote. If no presidential candidate receives an absolute majority, or 270 electoral votes, the House of Representatives will choose the president from among the three highest-voted candidates by a majority vote, according to the 12th Amendment.

Jan. 3 The secretary of the Senate and the clerk of the House meet with the archivist and representatives from the Office of Federal Register. This is more of a ceremonial meeting than an official one. Other, informal meetings are usually organized beforehand, to discuss certain arrangements.

OPINION

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VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 16, 2016

Our shared future trumps the past

Talk

Around

Whatever our political opinions, we need unity and communicating going forward

Campus

eric fang reporter

Jay Paranjpe (12)

ERIC FANG

“I think it would be nice to lower 15 percent national vote bar to be in the debates because debates show a lot about the candidates, so if we saw more third party candidates, there will be a cause and effect where with enough exposure, third party candidates will have a larger pull on the election.”

Lauren Russell (11)

ERIC FANG

“I think that what’s important is for everyone to follow the process because this system has worked in this country for quite a while now and I don’t think that there is a huge problem with it. I think that it is important that it is just followed and treated with respect.”

Clifford Hull World History and Latin teacher

ERIC FANG

“I think a problem would be how during the nominating process, superdelegates have two votes whereas people like you and I only have one vote, the fact that these superdelegates get to vote twice, is in my opinion, extremely unfair.”

Nakul Bajaj (9)

ERIC FANG

Miriam Allersma Physics Teacher “I think the electoral process should not last as long. We should be more like countries such as England where it is only 2 months and it’s over.”

“I would change the fact that just because a state gets the majority of electoral votes going to a specific candidate doesn’t mean that all the electoral votes should go to that one candidate.”

EDITORIAL THE OFFICIAL OPINION OF THE WINGED POST Tuesday night, the majority of our editorial staff stood around a television in the journalism room and watched in shock and disbelief as CNN projected that Donald Trump would be our next president.

It’s an overgeneralization to say that our community is completely Democratic, or completely against Trump. But, the majority of our population is comprised of people of

color, children of immigrants and LGBTQIA+ folks, all of whom have at one point or another been on the receiving end of Trump’s outspoken rhetoric policy positions.

For many of us, this is a hard time to feel hopeful about the future. For many of us, this is a hard time to feel safe. The vast majority of the students at this school didn’t have the opportunity to vote, but we’re the ones who will live longest with the consequences of this election.

But here’s the thing Donald Trump will be our president for the next four years, whether that’s cause for celebration or fear.

There’s nothing we can do

to change that now.

For a lot of our community, this is a time to grieve, and that’s valid. There’s a lot to be said for the importance of safe spaces for marginalized groups.

At the same time, this is, more than ever, a time

“Anger and outrage on either side is unproductive. We couldn’t vote in this election, but we do have a say in what happens next. The only way forward is together. ”

VIJAY BHARADWAJ

ECHO OUTRAGE After a divisive result to the election, it’s tempting to retreat to the media echo chambers that created this division. Whether we are grieving or celebrating this result, the time is now to communicate with those who don’t share our beliefs.

There’s a fine line between a safe space and an echo chamber, and it is a lack of exposure to others’ views that primarily caused the hateful rhetoric and virulent polarization of this election cycle.

Donald Trump will be our president for the next four years. The results of this election are our reality now, and anger and outrage and accusations on either side are unproductive.

We couldn’t vote in this election, but we do have a say in what happens next.

The only way forward is together.

to reach out to and communicate with those who don’t share our views.

Decoding the political lying game Voters and politicians must check the bias of their own experiences with evidence

maya kumar features editor

As someone who has the opportunity to voice my opinions on the election publicly, I have a moral responsibility to not let my gut reaction overpower my world view and to hold all candidates to the same standard. Unfortunately, throughout this election season, candidates have spread lies to support their points of view.

Completely unsubstantiated claims often become commonly held notions just based on the sheer number of times that candidates and their surrogates repeat them in interviews and speeches.

This phenomenon calls into question the validity of actual facts and statistics. For example, despite the fact that the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the current unemployment rate across the country is five percent, Trump has claimed a variety of numbers ranging from 28 to 42 percent.

It can be hard to differentiate between fact and feeling when politicians themselves carelessly use the words “I feel” when stating mere hopeful speculations.

We cannot base our decisions off of what we feel to be true because this country is too large and diverse to generalize into one experience, and in many ways that’s the beauty of it. Fake statistics may be reassuring, but we must look beyond our own limited points of view.

I can’t pretend to understand the plight of every single American, so instead of assuming that how I feel and what I see around me translates into

reality, I have to use facts as the underpinning of my opinions.

Examining your biases is one huge step towards maintaining this base of truth. Consider the reasons that people supporting a different candidate than you support that candidate. It can be easy to dismiss them as “deplorables,” but reality is never that simple. Candidates garner support by addressing real problems that people face. While we may not agree with the solutions

“I can’t pretend to understand the plight of every single American, so instead of assuming that how I feel and what I see around me translates into reality, I have to use facts as the underpinning of my opinions.” given, dismissing those problems altogether is counterproductive.

We also need to be able to call candidates out on their lies, especially when we support them. Candidates need to know that voters expect them to be

STATS FROM POLITIFACT.COM

honest, but if we allow lying to benefit them, then they will keep doing it. We can’t truly blame a candidate for doing something that we allow them to do.

Throughout the election season, Fact checkers have been frequently criticized for being too partisan, purely because people don’t want to believe that their candidate is flawed. Ultimately, facts are not like opinions. They literally cannot be biased because then they would no longer be factual.

With only two realistic options, it’s highly unlikely that everyone will truly agree with everything that either candidate says. It is important to recognize where your opinions differ with the candidate you support so that you aren’t under the illusion that they are infallible, because no candidate is.

It’s easy to fall for the politician who tells us what we want to hear and reinforces our existing biases, but we voters need to do more than expect charisma and relatability. We must demand accuracy because now that the election is over, Donald Trump doesn’t get to deal with a world of convenient inaccuracies. He has to deal with reality.

MEENA GUDAPATI

YESON62.COM

ERIC FANG

What is one thing you would change in the electoral process?

Proposition talk: Time to abolish the death penalty

justin su sports editor

This election cycle, the death penalty was on the ballot for fellow Californians to vote on. While is seems like a good idea on the surface level to save this as an option for mass murderers, the death penalty is unviable and complicated on many levels.

Pro-death penalty supporters would make the argument that it saves money, however the death penalty actually wastes a lot more money than it saves.

First, those sentenced to the death penalty will usually be on death row for at least twenty years. Many inmates die in death row rather than actually be executed. During those years, the lawyers of those inmates will be filing for many appeals to try and get them out of death row, which wastes a lot of the court’s time and ends up costing more money than just keeping them in life in prison.

Finally, executing innocent people has occurred in the past.

Someone in life for prison can eventually be pardoned or paroled if found innocent, which sucks, but at least they’re still alive. An innocent dead man is still a dead man.

The death penalty is outdated and inefficient as the DMV and no place in our criminal justice system.

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in the

Third-party votes: free expression or spoiler candidates? rose guan

REARVIEW MIRROR

Voter breakdown by demographic

M is s ed lennials

Men

White

Latino

Women

Black

Asian

What are politicians leaving out that matters to you?

“College” “climate change” “not being imperialist” “corruption in politics”

Political youth movements spring up on either side of the aisle neil bai aquila copy editor

The youth vote has greatly influenced the election through raising concerns on several issues, and their opinions have gained more exposure than past years due to the growing prevalence of social media.

The youth consists of adults ages 18-24 and compose 18 percent of the electorate. They have participated in elections since the ratification of the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

With social media becoming more prevalent in the election, candidates increasingly try to reach out to millennials to gain their vote.

“I think [social media is] kind of valuable so everyone knows what’s going on,” Jack Dawson (10) said. “In this era, social media is people’s lives, so it’s checked daily and everyone knows what’s happening.”

Social media has also publicized groups like the Bernie Bros and the alt-right who use sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Reddit to attack other candidates and attract attention, often starting online debates in comment sections. “[Bernie’s] policies seem very radical to some, but in my opinion those are needed in this society, especially on education reform and the environment,” Sumi Wadhwa (11) said. “He embraces them and that spoke to a lot of millennials and are living in this era, where the economy is kind of screwed up, and I kind of think that he kind of spoke to us and found a message in us that was really impressive.”

The term “Bernie Bros” describes a section of young white males supporting Bernie Sanders who make hostile and sexist

remarks about Hillary Clinton online. Online news websites criticized Bernie Bros for greatly damaging Sanders’ campaign such as in a Washington Post article titled “The Bernie Bros are out in full force harassing female reporters.”

Sanders himself condemned Bernie Bros saying that they did not reflect his campaign’s ideals.

On the Republican side, the alt-right, a segment of conservatives that do not follow typical and generally accepted conservative values, have mainly supported Trump this election and have similarly been accused of making offensive remarks online attacking Clinton. Though not exclusively comprised of youth voters, the group associates itself with ideology such as Islamophobia, nativism, antifeminism and white supremacy and attracted many young white males. alt-right users often use memes such as “Pepe the Frog” to express their beliefs, some of which have attracted media attention.

“Disregarding and attacking millions of supporters is not the way to win this election,” Jay Paranjpe(12) said. “The alt-right and Bernie Bros just trolling online may be making themselves feel better, but in the end [I think] they’re gonna be the reason their candidates lose.”

While Bernie Bros and the Alt-right are more extreme examples of the youth’s negativity towards the election, according to Child Trends, a nonprofit research organization, voting turnout of youth ages 18-24 declined from 44% to 38% in between 2008 and 2012 and is expected to continue trending downwards this election because many believe that their votes don’t make a noticeable difference in politics.

“cybersecurity”

STATS FROM CNN

“wealth gap” SHOCK TO THE WORLD Trump’s victory was a massive upset in part because almost every predictive outlet pre-election presented favorable odds for Clinton.

This graph, compiled with data from fivethirtyeight.com, shows how unlikely a Trump presidency seemed throughout the

“LGBTQIA+ issues” “everything” “technology”

Election process sparks disillusionment MEILAN

MILLENNIAL BREAKDOWN The voter base that won Trump the election was overwhelmingly older. As seen in the map to the left, the vast majority of millennials voted for Clinton. Having to live the longest with the consequences of a president who was so unpopular in their demographic has left many millennials feeling disenfranchised.

STEIMLE

What do you think?

OUT OF 161 RESPONSES

the harker community’s political OPINIONs IF YOU COULD VOTE IN THE 2016 ELECTION, WHO WOULD YOU HAVE VOTED FOR?

ON A SCALE OF 1-5, HOW PRESIDENTIAL DO YOU THINK clinton’s conduct was?

How do you feel about the current political system?

Do you feel that the current presidential candidates accurately reflect the interests of your generation?

what is your party affiliation?

Would you or did you protest vote?

ON A SCALE OF 1-5, HOW PRESIDENTIAL DO YOU THINK trump’s conduct was?

nicole chen & michael sikand aquila features editor & social media editor

In an upset of almost every preliminary forecast, Donald Trump was elected president last Tuesday, in completion to a long and contentious election season.

According to a CBS/New York Times poll, both Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump had the highest unfavorability percentages of 52 and 57 percent, respectively, since 1984, when CBS began polling voters.

Robert Varich, vice chair of the the executive committee of the Santa Clara Republican Party, believes that the disillusionment and low approval ratings come from a sense of frustration.

“On one hand, the Democratic candidate was crowned early, and it was the only choice the democrats really had,” he said. “On the Republican side, people were just frustrated by all the things that were being implemented without compromise.”

The disillusionment that may have caused such low approval ratings extends even more to youth. An article in the Portland Press Herald mentioned that a poll of people ages 18 to 30 showed that 90 percent felt the American political system was “broken.”

This feeling of a political disillusionment among youth reached its crux in July, when anti-institution, democratic millennial favorite Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont dropped out of the race in the wake of controversy regarding the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

“I think it’s probably going to lead to be an uprising of [millennials]. There will be a Sanders candidate in four years, and there better not be any collusion of any political parties to make that person be squashed,” Varich said. “I think it changed some of the things that Secretary Clinton was talking about because

she saw how important it was to Sanders voters.”

After emails were leaked and published from officials in the DNC revealing bias against Sanders and his campaign, it led to the resignation of Debbie Wasserman Schultz from the chair of the committee.

“Sure [Bernie Sander’s] policies seemed very radical to some, but in my opinion those are needed in this society, especially on education reform and the environmental issue, those were things that some other politicians drew away from, but he instead embraced them and that spoke to a lot of millennials,” Bernie Sanders supporter, Sumi Wadhwa (11) said. “I think it was really unfortunate the way that everything turned out, especially with the DNC and everything that happened, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, this whole thing against him from the beginning, I thought this was a horrible way, because its democracy its for the people it’s by

“If you are just cynical without knowing anything, I don’t think that disillusionment is the right word, so that many young American supprters have engaged during the primaries is unusual actually.”

DAMON HALBACK MODERN WORLD AFFAIRS AND ECONOMICS TEACHER the people but by doing this they proved otherwise.”

The controversy that surrounded the DNC affair over the summer led many millennials to evaluate the election system’s effectiveness and integrity, contributing even more to existing

disillusioned feelings of a dysfunctional, in transparent government.

“I think this election is proof that our system is far from perfect and very flawed and can really have bias and tendencies to sway in the wrong direction,” Clinton campaign member Haris Hosseini (10) said. “This election has been an enormous disappointment, in terms of [Sanders] supporters, [Clinton] supporters and probably even Trump supporters too. I think it’s the most exhausting election cycle in American history.”

The growing emphasis on the relationship between candidates and their supporters also creates opportunity for a pessimistic campaigning system.

“While young people were motivated and are still motivated for some campaigns, I think that the way the politics have turned to become so personal and less policy-oriented has lifted a veil for a lot of our youth,” AP U.S. Government and Politics teacher Carol Green said. “[Students] immediately go to hating on personalities or go to thinking that it’s such a broken system that can’t be fixed, so I think in looking at all the negative campaigning on both sides, it’s just something negative and nasty, and people just don’t want to embrace that.”

Even in the midst of disillusionment and dissatisfaction, young people have shown a higher degree of engagement than ever before in this election cycle, contributing to a more widespread and shared political experience among all ages.

“I would say that this group is more engaged, disillusionment implies that there was illusionment at one point, and what I mean by that is that you would have to have been engaged at some point to be disillusioned,” said modern world affairs and AP economics and history teacher Damon Halback. “If you are just cynical without knowing anything, I don’t think that disil-

THE DAILY TIMES

Montgomery, Alabama

THE MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER

Who chose the White House?

With historically low approval ratings for both the Democratic and the Republican presidential candidates this election, many voters dissatisfied with both candidates turned to protest voting as a way to express their malcontent with the current political system.

Protest voters deliberately vote for candidates with very low chances of winning, for ineligible candidates or for no one at all. In the U.S., the first category usually includes most third-party candidates.

Enough people protest voting can create a statistically significant result that could alert others to their estrangement from the political system or from the candidates more likely to win, but since 1972, the first year that state primaries in the U.S. became widespread, no third-party presidential candidate has received more than one electoral vote.

“Third parties have, while winning votes in some elections, have never really succeeded,” said Gary Jacobson, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at UC San Diego. “Donald Trump has shown why, and that is if you want to mount an insurgency, it’s easier to take over an existing party than it is to start one on your own.”

It is difficult to distinguish between abstention from voting as protest and abstention from voting due to apathy towards the election, but despite this seeming lack of impact, protest voting can tip the balance in swing states by drawing support away from mostly one candidate.

“Some people would contend that George Bush was elected in 2000 by virtue of many people taking their votes over to Ralph Nader,” history teacher Mark Janda said. “That obviously has had an impact on American history.”

Missoula, Montana

THE MISSOULIAN

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

copy editor

On the road to the White House, some get left behind

“civility”

Salisbury, Maryland

Albuquerque, New Mexico

lusionment is the right word, so that many young American supporters have engaged in during the primaries is unusual actually, and points to a higher degree of interest in political affairs than previous voting cohorts, where there is apathy, I think disillusion is quite different from apathy.”

“I think the best way for young people who can’t vote yet to influence voting is just to keep talking, keep researching, keep making sure you’re informed.”

THE ALBURQUERQUE JOURNAL

VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 16, 2016

Casper, Wyoming

SHANNON HONG (‘16) CLINTON CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENCE INTERN Even though young voters may feel misrepresented and disillusioned, there are ways in which young people can contribute to the political process that do not involve voting.

“I was like ‘I’m going to speak even though I can’t vote,’ so I think that’s the best way for young people who can’t vote yet to influence voting, is just to keep talking, keep researching, making sure you’re informed, I think that’s the most important thing because it’s about making informed decisions,” Clinton campaign correspondence intern Shannon Hong (‘16) said. “You [also] can’t let the facts get in the way of your humanity. Even if you believe you are right, you can’t convince people unless you understand that they too are human, and they too believe in the facts that they see, and the only way to convince people or to create compromise or to create change is to bring people together.”

THE CASPER STAR TRIBUNE

DOUBLETRUCK

Medford, Oregon

THE MAIL TRIBUNE

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FEATURES

VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 16, 2016

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Current students and alumni focus efforts on local and national campaigns nicole chen Aquila features editor

Behind every great candidate is a crowd of volunteers.

Many upper school students came out during the 2016 elections to take on leadership roles in political campaigns ranging from the local to the national level. Students and alumni participated in organizing and campaigning for candidates, calling potential voters and knocking on doors to raise awareness.

YOU KHANNA DO IT Alycia Cary (10) helped with Ro Khanna’s campaign for California’s 17th Congressional District Seat, which encompasses Silicon Valley.

Ro Khanna defeated incumbent Mike Honda and will take office on Jan 3.

PROVIDED BY ALYCIA CARY

Alycia Cary

Alycia Cary (10) started volunteering for Ro Khanna’s campaign in the summer.

Alycia is involved with educating the community on what Khanna supports and believes in. As a volunteer student, she also knocks on doors and calls local numbers.

“I’ve taken a leadership role in the campaign, and I try to get people out volunteering or canvassing, which is where we try to knock on people’s doors and try to get the word out about his campaign,” Alycia said.

Alycia volunteers for cam-

paigns because she wants to benefit the community by publicly representing candidates that she believes will create positive change.

“I think it’s really great to be able to make a difference in my community even though I can’t vote yet,” Alycia said. “Just by getting the ideas out of the candidate who I support and whose ideals I align with [and] whose issues I support, that’s been really helpful.

Also, learning how to get a message in order to convince people of it has been really great.”

Shannon Hong (‘16) serves as a correspondents intern for the Clinton campaign. Her job entailed her categorizing and responding to the correspondents that visit the campaign.

“We finally have the option to elect the first woman president ever [and] in my perspective, someone who’s amazing [and] who is the most qualified person to run,” Shannon said prior to the election.

Shannon officially became part of the campaign in late May of this year and spent her summer

in Philadelphia as a special projects intern for supporter housing, working to provide staff with respective housing.

She recently decided to defer a semester at University of California, Berkeley to become a correspondents intern for the campaign in New York.

Prior to her participation in the Clinton campaign, her involvement in political campaigns included making phone calls on behalf of the Obama campaign when president Barack Obama was running for reelection.

STRONGER TOGETHER Shannon Hong (‘16) deferred a semester at UC Berkeley to work as a correspondents intern for Clinton’s campaign in New York. Shannon also participated in Obama’s campaign.

PROVIDED BY SHANNON HONG

Shannon Hong

I’M WITH HER Haris Hosseini (10) poses next to a cardboard cutout of Clinton.

Haris worked for Clinton’s campaign for about three months.

PROVIDED BY HARIS HOSSEINI

Haris Hosseini

Haris Hosseini (10) actively campaigned on behalf of the Clinton campaign.

Haris started working for Clinton through exploring her campaign’s website and talking to family and friends who have been previously involved.

He has been aiding the campaign for approximately three months; however, he only continued to be more involved the past few weeks, with the approaching presidential election.

He attended a fundraiser for Clinton in Palo Alto and called local numbers to gain support for Clinton.

Haris enjoys involvement in campaigns because he has learned a lot about the government and general election process. “[I did it] just to know more about the way our government works and just how important it is to vote and how important it is to make your voice heard,” Haris said.

Haris admires Clinton’s policies in terms of minority rights and education as well as her previous work in the government.

“I think she’s always fought for what’s right in terms of women, children [and] education,” Haris said prior to the election.

Propositions Demystified: what are you voting on?

ALL PHOTOS WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

nisha shankar reporter

The Nov. 8 ballot for the Santa Clara County contained 17 propositions numbered 51 through 67, and the voters selected yes or no to approve or reject the respective proposition.

PROPS IN CALIFORNIA THAT PASSED

Californians voted: • YES on Prop 51 • YES on Prop 52 • YES on Prop 54 • YES on Prop 55 • YES on Prop 56 • YES on Prop 57 • YES on Prop 58 • YES on Prop 59 • YES on Prop 63 • YES on Prop 64 • YES on Prop 66 • YES on Prop 67

Proposition 56 suggests increasing the cost of cigarettes by $2 per pack.

The tax will yield $1 to $1.4 billion in the 2017-18 financial year. The money will go to funding health care, preventing of tobacco use, research and law enforcement.

“I am hoping that increasing the cost of a pack of cigarettes will make those people who are just wanting to start or the casual smokers say “Hey, it is not worth it”, Clare Elchert, upper school nurse, said. “Hopefully there will be education and cessation programs to help those who are already smokers.”

Proposition 67 will uphold the ban of single-use plastic bags.

Currently, grocery stores and pharmacies can only issue recycled paper bags and reusable bags at a charge of 10 cents per bag. Customers can bring their own reusable bag if they wish.

“Personally in our store, we give you five cents off for every reusable bag that you do bring.

So, you can even pay for a bag that is paper and then bring it back two times,” said Devin Mitchell, Guest Service Team Lead (GSTL) at Target in Cupertino. “I would vote to keep it just because in my opinion, it just does not make that much of a difference in our community.”

Proposition 62 replaces the death penalty with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

This will decrease the criminal justice cost by around $150 million annually.

“I do not disagree with it, only because [there have been] a lot of people who have been sentenced to death penalty, and a lot of those sentences have never been actually taken to the full extent of seeing it through,” upper school history teacher Roxana Pianko said.

Another proposition also passed addresses the death penalty. Proposition 66 requires changes to the existing process for appeals such as time limits on those appeals.

The state has passed Proposition 64 on the Nov. 8 ballot, which legalizes marijuana for recreational use for adults 21 or older.

Now the state can tax businesses that would then be allowed to grow non-medical marijuana, resulting in tax revenues of over $1 billion. This money would be used for law enforcement, environmental production and youth programs.

“My opinion is that [marijuana] should be legal,” said Tiffany Gelineau, substitute nurse for the lower, middle and upper school campuses. “That way it should be legal for people who are 21 and older who can use it, hopefully responsibly.”

STEM

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VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 16, 2016

UNEARTHING THE ROOTS OF CHANGE Clinton and Trump take different stances on STEM issues and climate change during campaigns ruhi sayana & tiffany wong Winged Post copy editor & Aquila copy editor

President-elect Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton have maintained significantly different views on a number of topics this election, including climate change and energy usage in the United States. While countries worldwide have relied on fossil fuels to provide power for their people since the 18th century, climate change has only recently become a major topic of discussion for political leaders around the world.

Trump and Clinton did not analyze climate change’s impacts on the welfare of the planet in this year’s three presidential debates and did not address either the United States’ increasing energy usage or the country’s growing dependence on foreign sources of oil.

Such lack of focus on climate change and its impacts on both national and international interests worries members of the scientific community.

Dr. Benjamin Santer, climate researcher at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and a 1998 recipient of

the MacArthur Fellowship for his research about human activity and its relation to global warming, believes the absence of discussion between Trump and Clinton about climate change may lead to more serious problems for the world in the future.

“Given the stark difference in the positions [of climate change] of the two candidates, it was very disappointing that no specific question on the economic and policy responses to this very serious problem was posed to them,” Dr. Santer said in a phone interview. “It’s imperative that we do something about [climate change] because there’s a narrow window of opportunity to nudge societies onto a more sustainable pathway.”

Although they did not address global warming in the three presidential debates, both Trump and Clinton have taken stances on global warming.

Trump, echoing the sentiment of his party, supports the reopening of coal mines to put coal miners back into business. The president-elect has also expressed his opposition to the Paris Agreement, a treaty aimed at addressing the impacts of climate change on the global environment that

was ratified by 84 countries at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Dr. Santer believes Trump’s resistance towards an international effort to resolving problems related to climate change, as well as his labelling of global warming as a “hoax” and a “conspiracy,” can influence Americans’ views of climate change.

“If they use intemperate language to incorrectly describe scientific understanding of human effects on climate and climate science in general, they poison the well.”

DR. BENJAMIN SANTER CLIMATE RESEARCHER AT THE LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY

“In my opinion, politicians have a privileged position.

They are capable of making decisions that affect millions of people—arguably, billions of people when it comes to

Atmospheric C02 levels globally increased by 40.2 parts per million in September 2016.

OTHER ISSUES IN CONTENTION DURING CAMPAIGNS VACCINES

In 2008, Clinton was one of the many Americans speculating about a possible link between vaccines and autism.

In response to a questionnaire from the online newspaper the Age of Autism, Clinton stated that she is “committed to make investments to find the causes of autism, including possible environmental causes like vaccines.” Since then, she has pledged to fund research into child brain development.

The U.S. has consumed 40,392 BTU of energy across the residential, commercial, industrial and transportation sectors this year.

Trump’s stance on vaccination, especially for children, historically has categorized him into both the pro- and anti- groups relating to the issue. However, Trump believes he should not be labelled as a person opposed to vaccinations, stated that he is not anti-vaccine, but is “against shooting massive doses into tiny children.” He plans to support vaccination as President of the United States.

dealing with climate change and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases,” Dr. Santer said. “If they use intemperate language to incorrectly describe scientific understanding of human effects on climate and climate science in general, they poison the well.”

Similarly to Trump, Clinton believes the United States should continue using fossil fuels as a source of power, but she also wants to increase the country’s reliance on sources of renewable energy, a development she sees as an opportunity to create “millions of new jobs and businesses” for Americans.

Had she won the election, Clinton pledged to install half a billion solar panels to power U.S. homes by the end of her first term as President.

In response to the need to reduce both the country’s energy usage and impacts on climate change, cities across the United States have begun to implement policies aimed towards improving the state of the environment.Among Bay Area cities, Fremont has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020 and Palo Alto purchases electricity only from renewable energy sources.

Amount of ice in the Arctic Sea has decreased by 13.3 percent in the past decade.

STEM EDUCATION

Clinton has vocalized her support of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs for K-12 schools and considers exposing young children to computer science and coding to be the most important part of raising a new generation of tech-savvy adults. An extension of President Obama’s “Computer Science for All” initiative, the Clinton campaign pledges to “provide every public school

student with access to education in computer science.”

President-elect Donald Trump states that there are “a host of STEM programs already in existence” and plans to reduce funding for the Department of Education. Trump has stated that the Common Core Standards Initiative, an educational program designed to set standards for K-12 reading and math, is a “total disaster.”

PUBLIC HEALTH *All information from NASA and EIA

Trump has firmly asserted his disapproval of Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act, a healthcare policy enacted by President Obama in March 2010. Citing “greater rationing of care, higher premiums, less competition and fewer choices [for patients],” Trump plans to repeal Obamacare completely and institute a new health plan that

will “broaden healthcare access, make healthcare more affordable and improve the quality of the care available to all Americans.”

“Obamacare is a total disaster. Hillary Clinton wants to save it by making it even more expensive. Doesn’t work, I will REPEAL AND REPLACE!” Trump tweeted on Nov. 3.

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BACK PAGE

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VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 16, 2016

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AT THE POLLS editor-in-chief

A car horn blares in the parking lot, shattering the silence of the crisp, cool morning air as a BMW fails to start. The parking lot of Southwest YMCA in Saratoga is filled, more crowded than it usually is at 6:45 a.m. on a Tuesday. Moving past the gates to the facility, the sounds of cars on their way to school die down. The smell of wet grass permeates the air. All the windows on the journey into the gym are dark, the outlines of elliptical machines and treadmills barely visible behind the glass.

Plastered over every navy blue pole, leading the way for future voters, are signs in different languages, all repeating the same word: “Vote.”

Slowly, as the clock edges closer to 7 o’clock, the barely existent line of people trickling through the gate becomes a steady stream. They gather outside a door with peeling white paint next to the basketball court, forming a line wrapping

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I VOTED! Alex Youn (12) walks out of the building after voting for the first time.

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STEPPING PAST THE GATES Alex walks into the Southwest YMCA of Saratoga, where voting is held.

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FOCUS A woman votes at a voting booth in the last few hours before the polls closed.

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STAR SPANGLED BANNER Alex ruminates upon the voting process, an American flag in the background.

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ALMOST THERE Alex and another voter wait outside the voting room.

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around the beaten-up white hoop. The two people at the front of the line, a middle-aged Caucasian man in a blue shirt and an Indian woman in a pink dress, stand silently, occasionally rifling through the documents in their hands.

In the next five minutes, the line of five becomes a line of thirteen, all middle-aged adults except for an Asian teenage male standing with arms crossed at the end of the line. Alex Youn (12), a Harker student who just turned 18 this summer, stands in pensive silence, staring straight ahead before looking down to check his phone as he waits to cast his vote for the first time.

Two young women spot each other, their greetings echoing across the silent court as they join the silent line behind Alex.

The dull murmur of voices fades away again. Everyone waits.

At exactly 7 o’clock, a voice calls from the dimly lit room. Everyone, including Alex, turns to face the door.

“The polls are now open.”

VOTING STARTS HERE A voting sign displays instructions in eight languages – English, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Hindi, Thai, Korean, and Japanese.

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VOTER VERIFICATION Volunteers at Westmont High School sign in voters.

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A BREAK IN TENSION A voter at Westmont High School talks to other voters as he fills out forms to prepare to vote.

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7 ALL PHOTOS HEIDI ZHANG AND KSHITHIJA MULAM

kshithija mulam