The Union - Milpitas High School - May 2014

E D i to r i a l 3

UN I O N

O pi n i o n s 4

May 2014

Volume xxV Issue VII

Fe at u r e s 6

W i ll s 10

M o s t s 12

T HE

C o l leg e s 1 4 L i fe s t y le 16 E n t e r ta i n me n t 19

sports 22

MHSTHEUNION.com For the latest updates

STUDENT VOICE OF MILPITAS HIGH SCHOOL

Lawton named new principal

Lawton said. She plans to work together with teachers in order to better inform herself about the changes Current Hillsdale High School necessary.

Co-Principal Cheryl Lawton was “I’m coming from a school where named the new principal of MHS the teachers are empowered. Everyat the Board of Education meeting thing on the campus where I am right on April 22. She will begin working now is shared decision-making,” as principal during the 2014-2015 school year, Lawton said.

Lawton said. “Administration does not make any deLawton currently serves cisions without buy-in from her eighth year as the the teachers.” co-principal of Hillsdale One issue Lawton believes High School in San Mateo. to be a problem at MHS is Prior to working as an administrator, Lawton taught the achievement gap, she in Los Angeles before movsaid. The issue has to be ading to the Bay Area; she then dressed through the curriculum, she said. taught for ten years at MHS Cheryl in the Math department, “I think we have to look Lawton established the Digital Busiat the programs and look at ness Academy, and then worked at what we’re offering to students and Hillsdale, she said. the rigor that we’re offering students and the expectations that we have,” “One of the advantages at Hillsdale Lawton said. “Maybe it’s time to start is that there are three administrators getting rid of the bottom-level classand we share everything, so there es. That’s something that I did find at isn’t just one person who understands how to budget or how to do the school that I’m at, both schools scheduling or how to do whatever,” I’ve been at since here at [MHS].

Raise the bar, and yeah, there are just Lawton said. “So I feel like I’ve been going to be some kids that don’t meet running a school, a smaller school, it, but a lot of them will.” yes, but I’ve been running a school for eight years.”

Lead Principal Jeff Gilbert worked Lawton does not plan to introduce closely with Lawton at Hillsdale as a any major changes to MHS during fellow lead administrator of the three small learning communities within her first year, Lawton said. Instead, she will be using her first year to obHillsdale, Gilbert said. As principal serve the school. of one of these communities, Law“My first year is going to be a lot of ton was a progressive educator and watching and listening and talking worked hard to understand her students, Gilbert said. to people to just find out what’s “She is a very talented administraworking,” Lawton said. “I’ve already tor,” Gilbert said. “One of the chalbeen asking students as I’m walking around.” lenges she’ll have to face going to Changes to the school will not be Milpitas is that she will be unacclimatized to the culture [at MHS].” implemented from the top-down,

by Sidney le and Brenda su

Amy Nguyen | THE UNION

Senior Michael Le (middle) accepts an award from Mayor Jose Esteves (left). Principal Kenneth Schlaff (right) congratulated winners as they stepped up to receive their honors. Almost 400 seniors were honored on May 21.

Seniors Awards Night honors achievements

by Amy Nguyen

Awards were given to 376 seniors for their achievements during Senior Awards Night on May 21 in the large gym. Students were rewarded for academic successes, community service accomplishments, and scholarships, Principal Kenneth Schlaff said.

Representatives from organizations presented scholarships to the recipients during the ceremony, according to Counselor Cory Nakamoto. Nakamoto presented the MHS Guidance Award.

Scholarships presented at the ceremony were from the MHS Parent

by Ruth Park

MHS Spring Carnival takes place May 30 All MHS students, with an identification card, will receive five free game tickets. Additional tickets will be sold at one dollar for five tickets. The activities including a Velcro wall and slide will be free of charge. Airbrushed tattoos will be $5 and $3 with a ASB card. Food trucks will also be selling food.

School ends June 5 The last day of school will be Thursday, June 5.

Seniors to graduate on June 7 The graduation ceremony will be held on the football field on Saturday, June 7. The ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. There is a mandatory graduation rehearsal on Wednesday, June 4 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Six members of badminton team make CCS Sophomore Alice Lai and Seniors Stanley Cheah, Kevin Chu, Timothy Hsu, Jaime Tran, and Roberto Zeng qualified for CCS.

rian, President’s award; they reward academic excellence.”

251 students received gold cords, 162 received maroon cords, 60 received President’s awards, and 181 received the Golden State Seal Merit Diploma award, Schlaff said. Two students were recognized for being National Merit Scholarship finalists, he added.

Senior Brian Lien received a gold cord, a NHS stole, and an award presented by Superintendent Cary Matsuoka, Lien said.

“It’s not the amount of awards you get,” Lien said. “It’s how you get it and what you did to get it.”

Several staff members to leave

n ews in br ief Leo B. Murphy Athletic Awards ceremony to be held May 29 MHS athletes will be honored at the Murphy Awards on May 29 at 6:00 p.m. in the large gym.

Final exams to begin Final exams will begin Tuesday, June 3 and end on Thursday, June 5. First and second period exams will be held on Tuesday, third and fourth period exams on Wednesday, and fifth and sixth periods exams on Thursday. The school day will end on 12:20 p.m. during finals.

Teacher Student Association (PTSA), Focus Optometry, the Minnis Scholarship, and the Sandy King Memorial Scholarship, Nakamoto said. “Just from outside donors who were in attendance, about $86,000 [in scholarships] was awarded that night.”

The ceremony recognized not only monetary rewards but also academic ones, such as the gold cord, the maroon cord, the President’s award, and the Golden State Seal Merit Diploma recipients, Schlaff said. There are prerequisites for each award, he added.

“There are also internal awards that occur here,” Schlaff said. “Gold cord, maroon cord, valedictorian, salutato-

Bryan Tran | THE UNION

Pool construction takes place in one of the fields behind the school. The pool is one of many renovations scheduled to be completed this year.

Renovations to take place; completion scheduled for Oct.

by Bryan Tran

This summer, MHS will be going through a multitude of renovations in preparation for the upcoming school year, according to Principal Kenneth Schlaff. The renovations will include new furniture and carpeting, improved air conditioning and heating (HVAC), a complete learning center, new wallings and classrooms, and a competitive swimming pool that meets the requirements of high school regulations, Schlaff said.

Renovations will be taking place in the G, E, F, and L buildings as well as the library and the field where renovation has already begun on the

swimming pool, according to Schlaff.

All of these projects will be completed before school starts in August except for the learning center which is predicted to be finished in October, according to Schlaff.

The HVAC and carpeting renovations will be universally taking place in all of the mentioned buildings according to Schlaff. “This stuff has been around for fifteen, sixteen years,” Schlaff said. “Even though it might look clean, there’s imbedded dirt and stuff. We’re talking about cleanliness. The upgraded HVAC will also fix the problems in climate consee Construction on page 24

Three MHS Mathematics teachers, as well as Science Teacher Lisa Brizuela, will be leaving MHS after the 2013-2014 school year, according to Principal Kenneth Schlaff. Two of those teachers, Mathematics Teachers Ruth Hakim and Elena Pages are replacements for Mathematics Teachers Mehrzad Rasti and Nathan Dixon, respectively, Schlaff said.

Mathematics Teacher Stacy Hseu and Social Studies Teacher Carol Weiss will also be leaving MHS, Schlaff said. The open positions are first offered to teachers within Milpitas Unified School District and then opened to the public afterwards, Schlaff continued.

“The job openings have been open and posted,” Schlaff said. “We open them internally in the district for five days, then open it to the public.”

Brizuela will no longer teach at MHS after the 2013-2014 school year, Brizuela said through an interview via email. She plans to continue to work for an education consulting company called Think Tank Learning (TTL), according to Brizuela.

“TTL provides services for junior high all the way to college transfer students to maximize their potential for the best college they could get into,” Brizuela said. “I’ve started part-time and I’m really enjoying it so far. I don’t plan on being there long-term. Hopefully, just a year to learn how the program operates and then either apply to graduate school or see what other doors might open up from that.”

Brizuela has taught various sub-

jects at MHS, including Anatomy and Physiology, Biology, and Life Science, according to Brizuela. Her fondest memories of teaching come from when she hears or sees her students after they graduate, Brizuela said.

“I decided to resign for many reasons,” Brizuela said. “Prayer was the biggest reason. I am a very spiritual person and after some lengthy praying, I saw many things that confirmed this would be my final year at MHS. The second was that I felt I had reached a ceiling in my career. I decided it was time to learn new things and make new goals.

Weiss, on the other hand, decided to resign from her teaching position to increase her involvement in the government as the Humans Relations Commissioner for the country, according to Weiss. She also plans to continue her work on Congressman Mike Honda’s political campaign, Weiss said.

Finding a new, eligible teacher requires a process that includes interviews with the school principal as well as the respective department and program heads for the open job, according to Schlaff. One person is never solely in charge of hiring a new teacher, Schlaff said.

“If we were getting a new science teacher, we would have interviews with at least me and Meyer, since she’s the department head,” Schlaff said. “If we had a position that had something to do with the Academies, then we would interview the candidate with the Academy program teachers. I never make the decision by myself.”

T he U nion

2

May 2014

NEWS

Juniors pilot new Smarter Balanced tests

by RISHIKA DUGYALA

Pranay Patni | THE UNION

Senior Sonny Castillo is about to donate blood during sixth period on May 2 in the library. A nurse from the Stanford Blood Drive finds his vein.

CSF, NHS host blood drive

by Jonathan Ngo

A biannual blood drive was hosted

by MHS’ California Scholarship Federation (CSF) and National Honors Society (NHS) on Friday, May 2 at the MHS library, according to CSF Vice President Lordique Fok. The blood drive itself was conducted by nurses from the Stanford Blood Drive, Fok added.

Approximately 200 out of the 250 donors who came to the blood drive were able to successfully donate, Fok continued. The unsuccessful donations may have been a result of a variety of reasons. All donors who came to the blood drive were required to fill out a questionnaire, providing information such as their personal medical history, family medical history, iron deficiency, current illnesses, certain types of tattoos and piercings, weight issues, and recent travels, Fok said.

“The blood will ultimately go to Stanford hospital. They then separate it into its four components,” Fok said. “They are going to save lives with each component of the blood. For example, they do research with the white blood cells.”

Volunteers assist the Stanford nurses in many ways, according to CSF President Amy Bui. They cut bandages for the nurses, retrieve water for the donors, and escort them to and from the bathroom just in case they faint, she added.

“After a donor completes the blood donation, they are required to rest in the canteen,” Bui said. “Canteens are where donors are able to sit down, rest, eat, and drink to make sure they are not suffering any side effects after donating.”

Preparing to host a blood drive is a three part process, Fok explained.

First, NHS officers contact and coordinate with a representative from the Stanford Blood Drive. Volunteers are then recruited to help organize the event. After, donors are recruited, registered, and assigned a time slot to donate blood.

“All the officers and volunteers basically share the same duties for the blood drive,” Fok said. “They recruit donors, write passes to excuse them from class, make sure they are comfortable after donating blood, and ensure they rest before leaving the blood drive.”

Common Core is a federal program meant to restructure education to move away from the “No Child Left Behind” standards and to bring focus back to critical thinking and writing.

Across California, schools have been incrementally implementing the Common Core programs, changing math and science programs to comply with the standards.

The Computer Based Smarter Balanced Field Tests, the new standardized testing meant to assess Common Core, were administered to the juniors at MHS from April 17 to April 30, English Teacher Matthew Hanley said. The Field Tests utilized the new Common Core standards and were a trial run, but the tests themselves are being used to try to get the students away from multiple choice tests exclusively, Hanley said.

The English teachers were informed where their eleventh graders were supposed to go, when they were supposed to go, and were told to relay this information to the students, Hanley added. Between the assigned dates for each English class, the teachers had to introduce a lesson on intellectual property provided by Smarter Balance.

“One move of Common Core that I am okay with is giving students material to read on their own with minimal teacher direction,” Hanley said. “The only aspect of the Common Core movement that makes me pause is that particularly for English teachers, there’s a bit of a move away from literature and towards non-fiction.”

This year’s test was just to test the

logistics of the tests rather than to focus on what students were scoring on it, according to Principal Kenneth Schlaff. The logistics of setting up the Chromebooks and checking whether the test adjusted to each student’s level were the main focus in schools around the state, Schlaff said.

There were glitches with the administration of the Field Tests, but it was a good learning experience, Assistant Principal Casey McMurray said. “We found how to best utilize the staff in order to proctor and administer to all the students who had needs, or whose computers weren’t working or had an issue with how to answer the question or submit the answer,” McMurray said. “We also learned for next year what to anticipate.”

Next year, both English and Math classes will be taking the new computer based tests, but Social Studies and Science are to be embedded in the ELA portion of the test, Schlaff said. While only juniors will be taking the Smarter Balanced Tests, either the district or Smarter Balance will probably come up with benchmarks for the ninth and tenth grades.

“All classes are responsible for literacy. Common Core is based upon literacy and utilizing that in order to write cohesive argumentative essays,” Schlaff said. “Common Core is more of a holistic approach and interdisciplinary as opposed to these individual classes that are just divorced from each other. That’s not the way life works, nor jobs.”

It is possible to opt out of the Smarter Balanced Tests, Schlaff said.

Students would need to come to the administration and produce a form

signed by their parents stating that they do not want their child taking the test. However, those students who decided not to take the Field Tests this year without a note will have a cut on their attendance, Schlaff said.

“I would tell next year’s juniors to focus on in-depth analysis rather than memorizing facts,” Junior Farhana Haque said. “For the math, it’s pretty general like Algebra. In English, you need to go deeper with your reading to understand what you’re reading, as opposed to writing answers verbatim.”

The tests felt tedious due, having been administered on the Chromebooks, according to Junior Anthony Tseng. The difficult sections included having to read the numerous sources for the essay and having to figure out how to enter math equations into the computer, which had a confusing software, Tseng added.

“I think they should’ve administered the Field Tests on a different day because, especially for juniors, AP testing was coming up and we were missing many of our AP classes, which wasn’t good in the long run,” Haque said. “I think the tests should be timed as well because some people were just sitting there in order to miss their classes.”

Administration tried to create a schedule that had as minimal an impact as possible, knowing that eleventh graders were going to miss, at most, first through fourth periods, McMurray said. It did the best it could not to greatly affect those students’ attendance by trying to get the eleventh graders into testing quickly and efficiently, McMurray continued.

CONSTRUCTION: buildings to be improved from the front

trol during extreme summer heat and winter cold, Schlaff added.

Walling and classroom renovations will also be taking place in all mentioned buildings, according to Schlaff.

In the L building, the teacher meeting area will be turned into a science lab.

The internal space between E and F where Loomis and Marple teach their classes will be the location for building a new wall where there currently is a copier. The internal portion of the

G building will be turned into a classroom area much like the ones in the E and F buildings mentioned previously, according to Schlaff.

These walls are being built to form a mode of separation and distinguish specific work areas, according to Schlaff. “There will be a wall built to separate it from the lunch room, and then there will be a teacher desk put into the lunch room as a work area,” Schlaff said. “All of this will be over before the next school year starts.”

The new swimming pool is being

made for the specific use of the swimming team only, at least for right now, according to Schlaff. There may be exceptions of renting out the place on request, Schlaff said.

Schlaff has been very involved in all of these renovations, attending meetings every Wednesday with all the construction workers, but he will not be overseeing their progress, according the Schlaff. “I won’t be employed here; I wouldn’t be allowed to do that,” Schlaff said.

MHS matriculation to UC campuses changes from 2013 to 2014 24 20

22

19

16

14

14 10 7

9 5

6

6 2

Berkeley

Davis

Irvine

Los Angeles

7 3

2

Merced

11

Riverside San Diego

Santa Santa Cruz Barbara

GR APHICS BY BRENDA SU | DATA COLLECTED BY THE UNION

Empty circles represent the senior Class of 2013 matriculation from MHS students to University of California (UC) campuses. Filled circles represent intended matriculation from the senior Class of 2014 MHS students to UC campuses. The numbers indicate the number of MHS students matriculating to each campus. Collectively, 99 MHS students attended a UC campus last year while the number for the senior Class of 2014 is 98 students. The data above was compiled using student responses to surveys and consequently may not be fully accurate or complete.

May 2014

T he u nion

Editorial

Editor i a l : The Opinion of The Union

3

pat rons

Student knowledge of computer science limited; T MHS should increase programming curriculum We, The Union, commend the school for actively trying to integrate technology and other modern tools into our education. MHS students have more access to the Internet, Chromebooks, and computers than ever before. However, we believe our curriculum itself, namely in the fields of technology and computer science, needs to be expanded and updated in order to keep up with the changing world.

Many schools in the area offer computer science and programming classes as part of the regular daytime curriculum. Some schools, such as the Harker School in San Jose, even require students to take a computer science course in order to graduate.

While we do offer Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science online, the number of students who benefit from this class is small. Fewer than ten students have taken advantage of the class every year; perhaps it is because students would prefer to learn course material in a traditional classroom setting.

MHS does offer a Computer Applications class and other technology-related courses in its academies. However, the coursework centers around basic computer skills that involve typing, Microsoft Office tools, and Adobe Photoshop.

These classes are not computer science. They are nowhere near as in-depth as a computer class should be. Mobile applications, websites, video games — tools we use on a regular basis — are pieced together by lines of code. Coding requires knowledge of languages like JavaScript, Python, and Objective-C. The school’s lack of a thorough computer science curriculum places MHS students at a disadvantage in an ever increasingly competitive world. Many

summer programs require or heavily recommend students to have background knowledge in coding.

Milpitas is located in the Silicon Valley, the nation’s heart of technological innovation. As a result, there are a plethora of internship opportunities available for high school students in the tech sector; likewise, these internship opportunities are usually given to those with backgrounds in computer science. It is ironic that our school’s curriculum lacks something so crucial to the culture of our region.

The Department of Labor estimates that the nation will need 1.4 million computing jobs by 2020.

However, at current rates, the nation will only produce 400,000 computer science students. Part of the problem lies in the current education system and its lack of focus on computer science.

Learning a coding language is essentially learning an entirely new language and can be something learned over multiple years. An entire department could be created and dedicated to computer science, and yet, MHS still lacks a basic coding class as part of its regular curriculum.

Perhaps the problem lays therein the lack of computer science teachers and the lack of gravity given to computer science by the nation’s education system as a whole. The nation’s system and our school’s curriculum are behind on the times.

Regardless, MHS can surely be a leader and strive to update its curriculum. The addition of computer science, coding, and programming classes is an investment we urge the school to make. It will benefit the school as a whole and better prepare students for college, careers, and the modern world.

he Union is a student-run publication that is partially funded by local businesses and private citizens. The patrons listed below have demonstrated their generosity by extending both moral and financial support to our newspaper for the 20132014 school year. The Union staff would like to thank them for their patronage and encourage others to contribute. If you are interested in becoming a patron ($25 donation), please contact our Business Manager.

Alan L. Grimm, D.D.S. Calaveras, Crescent, Main St. Montessori Schools Denny and Marianne Weisgerber Edgie’s Billiards Giorgio’s Italian Food & Pizzeria Jerry Glass, D.D.S. and Staff The Milpitas Public Library Pete McHugh THE

U NION S t u d e n t V o i c e o f M i l p i ta s H i g h

The Union is published by the Journalism class of Milpitas High School.

The views in The Union are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the school, students, administration, or Milpitas Unified School District.

a d v e r t i se m e n t s

Those who would like to advertise in The Union can contact the Ad Manager at (408) 768-3073.

Ads are available in full page, half page, quarter pa­ge, and business card sizes. Inserts are also accepted. Upon request, The Union staff will customize and design your advertisement.

Subscriptions

Yearly subscriptions to The Union are available for $25. Contact the Business Manager for more information.

Karen Shyu | THE UNION

Editor i a l : The Opinion of The Union

Depression, suicidal ideation serious problem; issue left unaddressed by counseling programs We, The Union, recognize that depression among teens, both as a mental health issue and an issue related to substance abuse, continues to grow as a pressing issue. We urge the administration and counseling to establish a more frank conversation concerning this issue, to reach out to the community and assist in the creation of a safe environment for discussing depression, and not to simply allow students to continue without direction.

Approximately one in ten adolescents are afflicted by one of the disorders in the depressive disorder spectrum by the age of eighteen, according to the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement. As the competitiveness of school increases alongside the ever-changing nature of the drug culture, introducing more exotic and chemically-potent drugs than ever before, the risk of losing students to depression increases as well. Despite this problem’s pervasiveness, MHS continues to operate without any considerable programs in place to offer preventative care for depression.

While programs such as Counseling And Support Services For Youth (CASSY) are in place, they operate on a very small scale, offering only a few therapists and counselors. They offer therapeutic care and an atmosphere of safety where discussion can be had, which is commendable but does not go nearly far enough. The estimate which the NCSAS developed was a conservative one, so it would be reasonable to say the proportion of students at MHS who will have a depressive disorder at some point during their teens is about 300 students out of a population of about 3000. A mere few counselors and therapists can hardly manage hundreds of teens,

so there must be a solution—hire more of both and help create a more accepting environment.

Using euphemisms and “beating around the bush” are not effective ways to discuss the subject of suicide. If there are announcements to be made about death, they need to confront death fully and openly. Avoiding the subject of suicide does not save anyone grief, if anything, it restricts dialogue about suicide. Trying to suppress the conversation reveals a lack of desire to speak or hear about these horrible realities of human life. If the administration, the counselors, and all the people in power refuse to acknowledge the truth that some people are suffering from depression, those who suffer may feel as though have no recourse.

A general stigma surrounds the programs aimed at helping students in emotional turmoil, making it socially undesirable for students to participate and receive the help they need. Facing suicide and depression with openness from a position of authority may be an effective method of approaching this social stigma. Awareness campaigns hardly ever have the intended impact or scale they are meant to, but in this case, they may be the first step in a long journey towards better mental health. Community outreach is one way that one might educate parents and authority figures about the dangers of depression—that some teens are not merely being “moody,” but are in fact dealing with something that drives tens of thousands of people to commit suicide every year.

There are no easy paths to good mental health.

Any path of action taken will probably still result in some students facing the depths of hopelessness known as depression, but action must be taken.

C o n tac t u s 1285 Escuela Pkwy, Room E-17 Milpitas, CA 95035 General Info: (408) 635-2800 Business Manager: (408) 674-2941 Ad Manager: (408) 768-3073 Fax: (408) 635-2848 Email: mhstheunion13@gmail.com

S taff Rachel Alvelais Sidney Le Editors-in-Chief

Brenda Su • News Editor Jonathan Ngo • Op-Ed Editor Jennifer Duong • Features Editor Karen Chi • Lifestyle Editor Moshe Yang • Entertainment Editor Akshat Das • Sports Editor Jamie Lam • Copy Editor Rakshit Garg • Web Editor Shelly Hsu • Photo Editor Pranay Patni • Business Manager Rishika Dugyala • Ad Manager

Naomi McCracken • Asst. News Editor Zahra Surani • Asst. Op-Ed Editor Amy Nguyen • Asst. Features Editor Vikram Sastry • Asst. Lifestyle Editor Ruth Park • Asst. Entertainment Editor Neal Bansal • Asst. Sports Editor Shubhangi Gulati• Asst. Copy Editor Sumukh Shekar • Asst. Web Editor Sarah Tang • Asst. Photo Editor Karen Shyu • Asst. Business Manager Amy Bui • Asst. Ad Manager

Jazmin Drop • Reporter Stephen Hsu • Reporter Michelle Huang • Reporter Elliot Ng• Reporter Bryan Tran • Reporter Nhi Tran • Reporter Michelle Wu • Reporter

Jeff Colburn

Journalism Advisor

L etter to the editor Campus and student groups lack student unification As incoming ASB President and Vice President, we have decided to publish our goals for the upcoming school year. In addition to continuing to promote school spirit, we want to stress the unification of our campus.

The petty, passive-aggressive actions of various groups are embarrassing to any member of the student body. It is somewhat disheartening that our school is only truly united when we find ourselves competing with others.

We feel as though many of the student body members do not fully understand the capacity of their voice. The ASB officers run over fifty student-led events throughout the year, but the opinions of the thirty-eight officers are not all that matter. We encourage students to voice their opinions on various events and propose creative ideas so we can try to implement them. Suggestions are welcome during open forum at Congress, CLOG council, and almost all lunches in J17. After all, our goal is to give every student a memorable experience while representing as a many students as we can. While we understand that school is for learning, we would like to enhance the experience by hosting various activities made available to the student body.

The fact of the matter is, several groups on campus face similar issues

that can be resolved if we work together. For example, the Union may not receive as many readers for the articles they spend countless hours writing. In comparison, members of the Student Council find that we often lack attendance at events and SAGA may feel as if they do not meet their minimum quota of yearbooks sold. We feel that all three of these prominent groups on campus are trying to represent the students as a whole, making our ultimate goal the same.

In order to unite not only our student body, but also the various groups on campus, we have come up with a few ideas. We are proposing that the Union, SAGA, and ASB have periodic meeting to keep all information that is distributed to students accurate and positive. An improvement of the relationship of these three influential groups on campus can be substantial if used properly. We understand that these changes may be difficult to make or adapt to, but this is definitely worth the investment. With these efficacious groups working together, we believe we can achieve our common goal to better represent and unite our student body.

Germain Louie & Natasha Gangal Class of 2015

4

T he u nion

OPINIONS

May 2014

PRO

Pressure to succeed necessary; Competition should be encouraged Many have argued that the pres- the competition that will ultimately sure to compete with other students determine your position in society.

The stress that may arise from is a serious issue. To an extent, these arguments are valid. A setting that the pressure to compete is minimal is not conducive to a positive atmo- and definitely worth it when the sphere can be detrimenoutcome is success. After tal. Despite this, I believe hours of studying, if you an environment in which end up with a high score on the SAT, ACT, or an AP competition is encouraged test, the initial stress is can coexist with the idea that high school should be unimportant overall. No less stressful. one ever accomplished Author Alfie Kohn, in an anything by slacking off opinion piece for the New and doing as little work as York Times, contends that possible.

An individual who has as a result of the pressure a strong work ethic is not to succeed, “students sufjonathan fer intellectually as well necessarily overworked ngo as psychologically.” This if they have a good time statement is unrepresenmanagement. Generally, tative of the general student popu- no student in high school really has lation. The average student has the too much homework. Those who capacity to succeed and grow even if believe assignments have come to they are, as Kohn puts it, faced with a a point where they are ridiculously “destructive pattern.” long or time-consuming are either For instance, many students at poor at time management or don’t MHS excel in a high-pressure envi- have the drive to get things done. ronment. They pursue their passions Of course there are limits to everyand enjoy the challenges they set for thing. At some point, too much work themselves. Students who compete and stress will become unbearable. for academic teams, even if they are However, just because a student is overloaded with AP courses, dedicate relentless in their pursuit of a higher hours to prepare for competitions. goal, like getting into the college of They may at times find themselves their dreams or becoming valedictoin stressful situations, but no one can rian, does not mean that their goals argue it wasn’t worth it, especially are unwarranted.

The next time you’re concerned when these students want to engage themselves and emerge successful. that students are suffering because The notion that high school is sim- of a competitve school environment, ply a time to discover yourself is ri- consider their dreams and aspiradiculous. The purpose of high school tions. Those who are driven towards is to prepare for the rigor of college achieving success, especially in a and independence. It is a time to world where being indolent is easier work hard, learn, and participate in than ever, should be applauded.

CON

School becoming too stressful; students too focused on grades You get straight A’s, have perfect at- high-stress lives” they are “potentialtendance. You’re also addicted to caf- ly setting themselves up for a future feine, struggling with insomnia, and of chronic stress and chronic illness,” completely out of shape. You’ve been according to the American Psychositting in the exact same spot for each logical Association.

Even after going through this helland every day of your life for the past four years, working. Now it’s time for ish cycle, it isn’t even certain if the you to go on to college or find a job, best students have been selected. but you’re all out of strength. Was it There are some people adept for worth it? working under pressure and have High school is a time to develop incredible focus that benefits them your ability to think for yourself and for the system. Some others, who learn about life. It isn’t a time for two may actually be more intelligent, are to three hours of sleep a day because not suited for the system and their of excessive homework grades do not reflect them and studying because your accurately. grades dictate what colBesides how the process lege, and ultimately, what weeds out those who cannot work under pressure, career you will head off into. it also doesn’t account for Now is the time to learn outside circumstances about who you are and dissuch as family emergencover your passions, not be cies. Sometimes people crushed by the pressures have to take on part-time of society and be sent into jobs to support their famstress and depression. ilies that are struggling fiBryan The high level of competnancially.

Tran itiveness seen in schools is Do their grades reflect a very selective process the true extent of their which does not truly determine if one abilities? No. This is another example is fit for success in the real world and of the inaccurate system in selecting the brightest students. honestly should not exist.

Students are forming bad habits My word of advice, do not let those in order to get their coveted grades papers define you. Everyone is differwhen they should be enjoying their ent and everyone has their own skills. childhoods. Little do they know these Some people do better under preshabits may lead to the beginning of a sure than others and some just are longer cycle of despair. suited for the system.

What you need to know is that you Findings from studies that covered thousands of teens suggest that the should live your life in the moment unhealthy behaviors associated with and not let the competition and rigstress in high school actually contin- or of school destroy you. When you ue through adulthood. can find a healthy balance between With 21% of adults reporting “ex- life and studies, you will definitely treme” levels of stress, the survey says be capable of understanding yourself that with teens “mirroring adults’ better.

Sarah Tang | THE UNION

MHS full of litter, lack of respect for janitors A lot of people litter on the MHS campus, and an unbelievable amount of students claim that they are “giving the janitors a job.” That is a complete lie and an obvious excuse for laziness and selfishness.

I am not trying to claim that every student at MHS litters and disrespects the custodians at MHS; I’m sure plenty of students are grateful and appreciative. I even know people who consistently pick of litter they come across and contribute their part to keeping our school reasonably clean and that is incredibly admirable. It would be great if more students took responsibility for the state of the school on a daily basis. It would also be great if more students recognized that we should be the ones keeping trash off the ground around the campus, not the custodians. Students complain that MHS is ghetto, but they seem to not care if the school

is covered in litter. up after them or the trash will just reIf anyone cared to think about it, main there indefinitely. It’s shameful it would be obvious that school cus- that janitors have to go around the todians do a lot: the custodians keep campus picking up after irresponsible students during SSR the bathrooms usable by because the students do cleaning them, refilling not do it for themselves. the soap, and refilling the Even the fact that the paper towels. The custodians clean classrooms janitors pick up after us and empty trashcans after students goes underapschool, they lock and unpreciated, in my opinion. lock rooms and buildings, We should be thankful and the list goes on. that the custodians pick For some reason, when up the trash; we shouldn’t just take it for granted and they litter, students do believe that it’s their duty not seem to consider that naomi the custodians might have and their job. mccracken better or more important Mainly because we do things to do than pick up not interact significantly after lazy teenagers. Stuas students with the cusdents also seem to not realize that todians in classes or other school acthey are being selfish by casually tivities, we forget to appreciate these leaving their trash all over the school people and consider all of the work and either someone will have to clean that they do.

Students fail to realize gravity of drunk driving It’s finally the end of May. The dience had laughed and joked about school year is almost over and se- the sober graduation video. The secniors are preparing for their gradua- ond assembly didn’t even watch the tion - a day in which seniors walk the sober graduation video at all. stage to receive their hard-earned I fear that without a solid presendiplomas. It is a day to celebrate, and tation of sober graduation, students though there are many ways to cel- will not understand the possible ebrate the occasion, please consider consequences of their actions. This your and other’s safety first. needs to be taken more seriously.

The number of teenagEight teens across the ers that drive has been globe die every day from increasing in the past driving under the influence. Hundreds die from couple of years, and along with that, teenage-related alcohol-related accidents, accidents have as well. Of and thousands are injured or permanently disabled those accidents, a large every year. It is the nummajority of them are DUI ber one cause of deaths for accidents, linked to an alcohol or drug abuse. teenagers in the US. As this issue grows I remember back in May 2012 a school-wide preworse, I’m asking for the Shelly sentation was set to teach school to stress sober hsu graduation in a more serithe senior class the reperous manner. From what I cussions of drunk driving. witnessed at the first senior assem- The presentation executed the conbly on April 21, a majority of the au- cept of sober graduation well. Not

only did it leave a deep understanding for seniors, but it also affected the underclassmen. The reenactment of the accident was so realistic: a helicopter was brought down from the sky, ambulances were rushed to the scene, and police officers arrested the students that were still alive.

I’m not saying we have to bring down a helicopter to teach sober graduation. The 2012 presentation was probably the one of the most costly expenses incurred by MHS. We don’t need to go that far. Perhaps a guest speaker would suffice.

The reaction to the sober graduation at the senior assembly, treating it as comical, made me uncomfortable. I ask for the school to consider a more genuine way to educate future students. The consequences of an accident have a life-changing effect on everyone; therefore sober graduation must be understood.

Fun is fun. But please, be safe out there, everyone.

Football risks physical and mental damage In every state but 11, the highest-paid employee is an athletic coach; in 26 of those states, it’s the football coach.

It’s ridiculous that we pay the men who scream at athletes more than we pay the ones training the next generation of surgeons, but I understand it.

The entertainment industry will always be a higher priority to consumers than issues of physical health.

I’m confounded that we are so obsessed with a violent sport that’s proven to be damaging to many participants. It’s difficult to find a sport that unifies the American public like football. Art programs can be cut without much protest, but if a football team’s funding is threatened, the public rallies around the sport as though it were a matter of religion.

The fanaticism extends to high school, where the sport gives boys

This dream every football player a dream that they’ll be scouted and recruited to play at a university or has, no matter how scrawny or slow professional level. Their hope is that they are, sadly imparts a stereothey’ll get to play a sport they love typically jockish attitude. You go and get paid so much money that anywhere—from Hollywood to high when they eventually break an ankle school—and you can spot a football or tear an achilles or suffer player a mile away. But brain damage, and when why would they want to it’s all over, it’ll be worth it. put forward any academic But these minors are effort except to scrape the minimum GPA to stay on suffering horrible concussions, injuries that can the team? cause serious brain damIf this sport is one that a age in adult players—adult consenting adult, aware of the consequences, is willplayers who have access to ing to participate in, then state of the art safety gear.

High school students don’t I cannot deny them their have any of that. In fact, on right to do so. But there’s average 12 high school and a reason we don’t have rachel college football players die boxing and MMA in high alvelais schools: they’re dangerous every year from head injuries sustained while on the sports, and minors should field. not be participating in them.

May 2014

A.S.B. unappreciated, work unduly criticized Rallies, Noontime Activities, that’s possible too. And seniors, your Homecoming Week, Prom, Powder- grad night, senior picnic, and senior puff, Jack Emery, Trojan Olympics… class sweatshirts are all a result of All of these come to mind when we A.S.B.’s time and dedication to makthink of what A.S.B. is in charge of. ing your last year at MHS memorable.

But we ignore the smaller things that, It’s difficult not to take A.S.B. for when you think about it, are pretty es- granted when all you hear are people sential to making our lives talking about how boring easier as well as brighter. a rally was or how getting Freshmen Orientation? into A.S.B. is based on Events that helped us get a popularity and how the handle on high school back officers contribute nothwhen we had no clue what ing innovative. People we were doing? A.S.B. hanhave the tendency to only dled that. Athletes, want point out things that A.S.B. to be recognized for your needs to improve on. years on an MHS sports Yes, A.S.B. needs to work on some of the ways it opteam and for your outstanding talent? You are, erates, yet out of all of the rishika because A.S.B. has Athletic organizations on campus, dugyala Senior Nights and Athletic A.S.B. is the only one that Recognition awards. is constantly and openly Need to be a part of a club or organi- criticized, and in which the members zation for community service to pad are not recognized for all that they do your college application, or because well as often as they should be.

That’s why I am writing this artiyou fear the lack of productivity?

Well, A.S.B. is in charge of CLOGs, so cle, because I understand that when

you are underappreciated, even after giving so much of your time towards making this school a more enjoyable place for your peers, you start to think: ‘Well then, why am I even doing all this?’ People have to realize that we need A.S.B. to have a fuller and greater high school experience.

If A.S.B. decided to stop managing all the rallies, senior activities and even dances, administration wouldn’t take on the responsibility for them.

So the real question is, would anyone miss A.S.B. and everything it does if its members decided not to care anymore? Of course we would.

We can’t pretend to understand what people in A.S.B. have to go through, and sometimes we assume we do.

Don’t buy into the negative stereotype that seems to be surrounding A.S.B.. Take the time out of your day to say thank you to the officers. Whatever you do, do something to show your appreciation for the members.

They definitely deserve it.

Plastic water bottles on campus wasteful It is 12:06 p.m., the bell has just rung and students are lining up preparing to get lunch- to get a tray, pick out a main course, grab a water bottle, and go. After lunch, where does all of this end up? The trash. Regardless of the cardboard recycle bins set out by clubs and the help of custodians, most of the water bottles from lunch end up in the trash with everything else.

The United States is one of the world’s leaders in waste and consumption; as citizens, we are not an exception. If we estimate that twothirds of our school gets water bottles during lunch, then that is about 2,000 water bottles not being recycled a day.

Now multiply that by the amount of days in a school year and that is 360,000 water bottles being wasted.

If we were to invest some time and effort to sell those water bottles to recycling centers for five cents each, then we would gain at least $18,000 every school year. That would be enough to pay for proper recycling

behavior, our indifference will affect bins and transportation with money our irreplaceable environment. to spare. There are no cons to recycling, only benefits. We can gain extra There are other alternatives to uneconomical plastic water bottle. The money while reducing waste without school can set up a free water station having to enforce dramatic changes.

It is easy to recycle a water bottle at the lunch areas to encourage people to bring a reusable botinstead of tossing it in the tle instead of buying water. garbage bin, but people The water fountains could don’t do it because it is be cleaned regularly and convenient. Some people remodeled to become anbelieve that they are just one person so they will not other convenient source of water. make a difference. However, if we all have that mind It is pathetic that our set then together we will less populated middle fall in a social trap that schools have recycle bins damages everyone. Indistributed by the school stead of trying to preserve but our MHS does not. If michelle our resources, we remain we can recycle as middle wu ignorant of our individual school students why can power. we not recycle as high We are located next to school students? We must take responsibility for our actions a landfill, which is only going to get larger and larger. If we willingly conand recycling is something we should tribute to that mass of garbage withdo without hesitation. It takes a little out taking initiative to change our effort to cause a big change.

College application process needs reform A college education isn’t just a once- instead be applying to us, the students in-a-lifetime experience, doorway to that made it through high school and greater opportunities, or the anarchi- now want to invest in ourselves. cal, chaotic 24/7 party that Project X It seems radical, when it really isn’t. makes it out to be; it’s an economic Exceptional athletes are often wooed good. One that, in the status quo, isn’t by attractive admissions offers for as easy to get as just picking up some- being great at what they do, and acathing at the local store. demic, artistic, or commuTo get your hands on nitarian excellence should be no different. Ideally, this product, you have to universities should marendure years of challenging courses, strong extraket themselves to the stucurriculars, stellar SAT dents they’re interested in.

This could limit the anxscores, and the seemingly iety that many students perpetual hell that is college applications — essenfeel over college applicatially begging universities tions, reducing the need to spend thousands of dolto take your money in exchange for a degree. This lars for college application Rakshit system is flawed. coaches and standardized garg For one, it doesn’t make test tutors. Because of the sense to have to apply to obvious privacy concerns, buy something. After all, because the school could include a waiver in college is such a subjective decision, registration packets for incoming seas you pick the college that fits your niors, and students that wish to apply personality the best, colleges should could retain the right to do so.

Furthermore, such a process would reduce the need to spend money on application fees while restricting “crapshoot” applicants — people who apply just because there is a chance they’d get accepted. Stanford, for example, received over 40,000 applicants this year, and accepted just 5 percent of them.

Had the application system been different, universities wouldn’t need to reject the bulk of their applicants, because they’d have to apply to the top students that they feel would fit in at the school. GPA, SAT scores, and the like shouldn’t be the sole factors of admission, especially because of the sheer importance of diversity, so universities could expand existing alumni networks and offer interviews to all students that they want to attend the school. Such a process would also allow for the subjective nature of each applicant — what differs one 4.0 student from another — to be revealed.

5

T he u nion

Opinions

top ten things seniors will miss about MHS

10

Bottom row lockers

9

Landfill stench

8

Long lines

7

Filthy bathrooms with long lines

6

Seagulls

5

Tardy sweeps

4

Tardy sweep songs

3

Bells

2

Rallies

1

The Union

College sports undermine education Recently the University of North levels and 10 percent read below a 3rd grade level. At Texas A&M, the averCarolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) was age ACT score was 19.03. At Texas found to be faking grades, mostly Tech, 110 athletes of Football ad Basfor athletes. One UNC athlete submitted a final paper that was 146 ketball scored below 16 on the ACT. We can look to an inept metaphor words about Rosa Parks’ influential violation of segregation and received to shed light on this situation. It’s an A-. My 5th grade history papers like I have two leaves. While one leaf were longer, hell, this opinion piece has a lot of great qualities one would hope to find in a well-rounded leaf, is going to be longer than that final the other leaf is amazing athletically essay, and probably better. College and sports should look into a divorce. and can reign in millions of dollars.

For one, the barrier of entry for Which one would you end up picksports is extremely high. Football, for ing? example, has an extremeUnless you’re a collely low proportion of high giate student that reads school players that will go below a middle school on to play college football level, that joke should be pretty easy to get. Which is (the figure is around 3 to one of the reasons I’m not 4%). Only 7% of the 3500 afraid of any UNC athletes pro declared players (or getting mad if they ever 254) were actually picked for teams in the NFL. came across this.

Simply going pro and The most important being in the NFL is hard thing is that a college is a enough, granted you don’t school. It must maintain vikram mess up and lose 130 milthis integrity by not only sastry lion dollars while in prison looking for students, but for a dog fighting business also educated ones. Sim(Michael Vick). While that sinks in, ply recruiting sports teams means that they are businesses, not schools. it’s important to understand that Divorce is a hard thing. It’s hard on this figure is just for football. For both the parents, it’s even worse for men’s basketball there’s a .03% chance of going pro, .02% chance for the kids. But here’s the silver lining. women’s basketball, .5% for baseYou now have a familial matter to ball, 0.08% for soccer, and .4% for ice write about for your college essays! hockey. Now I’m basically just force But more importantly, now sports feeding you numbers. The point is are sports and education is education. Becoming a biology major does that it’s really, really, really, really hard to go pro. not include conditioning for cross Collegiate sports have also been country and being on a journey to become a pro football player does not show to set kids up for failure. For include a faulty plan B in psychology example, of the 183 UNC athletes, 60% read between 4th and 8th grade that won’t prepare him for a real job.

Question of the Month: what would you say to graduating seniors?

“I hope you do well in school.”

Sophomore Martin Lopez

“Hope you reach awesome heights and do awesome things in the world.”

Junior Kesha Patel

“We will miss you.”

Freshman Samantha Kako

“Go through college with no regrets and fulfill a bucket list.”

Junior Mithalee Thakkar

“Good luck to their future endeavors.”

Sophomore Peter Ton

6

THE UNION

FEATURES

MAY 2014

Seok to attend art school, to major in illustration

BY SARAH TANG

Ever since discovering her passion for art at an early age, Senior Siwan Seok has strived to pursue a career in art, according to Seok. She has been attending classes outside of school since her freshman year, Seok said.

Seok has been drawing since she was a child, according to Seok. As a child, however, she did not intend on majoring in art. Seok simply wanted to be more involved with art, Seok said.

“I was always a drawer ever since I was a kid. I would always doodle, so I decided to take a class outside of school. But at that time, I didn’t want to major in art specifically,” Seok said.

“I just wanted to explore more and

2014’s Top 10 share interests, thoughts

BY SHELLY HSU

1. Lordique Fok (Major: Mechanical Engineering – Massachusetts Institute of Technology) – “I always thought that life’s like a box of chocolates. Sometimes, it’s a homogeneous box, like when you get macadamia chocolates. But sometimes, like when you get a box of See’s… you never know what you’re going to get.”

2. Amy Zhao (Major: Economics – Harvard University) – “Never really was a treble maker. I loved being a natural at service through Key Club and making great pitches in DECA. Bass-ically, I’m glad high school’s ending on a high note. Did I mention my forte’s being a musician?”

3. Ivy Pham (Major: Mathematics – Harvard University) - “Hello! I’m Ivy Pham. In school, I’m involved with Math Club, Science Club, and the MHS Science Fair. Outside of school, I tutor students, and in my spare time, I like to play the piano, read, and help my family.”

4. Forrest Tran (Major: Mechanical Engineering – Brown University) – “My mama always told me that I was as stupid as stupid goes. But look at me now. An Ivy Leaguer and all.”

5. Ariel Bolingbroke (Major: Undeclared – Ohlone College) – “I’m Ariel. I love reading, volunteering, poetry slamming, watching T.V., cats, and food. I know ASL, thanks to

my deaf parents. I work in Games at Great America. I’m proudest of having founded the ACS Club with some amazing people.”

6. Lidia Kuo (Major: Chemical Engineering – Rice University) – “I’m not that complicated. I love churros, singing and beatboxing, science, Jesus, and you!”

7. Sidney Le (Major: Physics – University of California, Berkeley) – “He had intended to take what he could and go—but now he found that he had committed himself to the following of a grail.”

8. Himani Madnawat (Major: Microbiology – University of California, Los Angeles) –“I enjoy being active and doing new things. My friends (BBC) and family are really important to me. I’m going to miss my little brother, Pill, the most when I leave in the fall.”

9. Harpreet Mahi (Major: Computer Science – University of California, Berkeley) – “I like to spend time with my friends and cousins.

Family is important to me. When it’s just “me time,” I like to read, cook, and play games. I’m a huge 49ers and Lakers fan.”

10. Rakshit Garg (Major: Computer Science – University of California, Los Angeles) - “I’m a sarcastic kid hellbent on someday watching everything on my Netflix list. I can usually be found hanging out with friends.”

draw more as I was more in touch with art. I just couldn’t get rid of the thought that I just had to do it, so I slowly started to prepare myself for portfolios. When I officially started to take classes and learn was the beginning of ninth grade.”

Seok will be attending the Art Center College of Design, according to Seok. The school is located in Pasadena, California, she continued.

“I’m going to the Art Center College of Design and going to major in illustration,” Seok said. “In that major, they have four tracks and I picked entertainment art, which is related to animation, motion graphics, and illustration all at the same time.”

Seok takes classes at the Hoosso Art Institute which she attends

three days a week, three to four hours each day, according to Seok.

The extracurricular class focuses on different artistic styles compared to the AP Art Studio class at MHS, Seok said.

“I`d say the attention per person given in each class is surprisingly about the same,” Seok said. “But they`re directed toward different goals; the AP art class focuses on drawing and the other class includes 3-D sculpture, graphic design, abstract art, etc.”

Seok has made several artistic achievements, according to Seok.

She has won several awards and participated in many art exhibits run by an organization called Hope Box, Seok said.

Dela Cruz Class of 2014 President for four years

BY RUTH PARK

What started off as a simple desire to help the school evolved into a passion, and in ways, an identity for Senior Biancka Dela Cruz. For the past four years of her high school career, Dela Cruz has been the 2014 Class President. Dela Cruz’s involvement in A.S.B. traces back to her elementary school days, according to Dela Cruz.

Though many envision A.S.B. as time consuming and stressful, Dela Cruz sees it as an opportunity to do what she loves: to provide memorable, enjoyable experiences for everyone else, she said. Although A.S.B. comes with hardships, Dela Cruz believes that the benefits are greater than the obstacles, she said.

"The number one thing you have to do is question yourself. What are your reasons for being president? Is that reason going to keep me going?

If your reason is not strong enough, then maybe the role isn’t right for you," Dela Cruz said. "I like the whole idea of providing an experience for everybody to enjoy. My favorite part is when everything comes together as a whole event.”

Many may wonder why Dela Cruz remained as the 2014 Class President for four years without running to become the A.S.B. President, Dela Cruz said. She admits that if she had decided to make the switch early in her leadership, she would have enjoyed being an A.S.B. officer, Dela Cruz explained.

"You get attached. I am so in love

with the class," Dela Cruz said. "A.S.B. is like the skeleton and creates the guideline, but class is more of the muscle. It’s a lot of work, but I love seeing that our class is very spirited.

But, for A.S.B., you have to be unbiased, which is hard."

As class president, Dela Cruz admits she has received much criticism and complaints from many students.

However, she does not let the criticism give her an excuse to give up, but rather uses the criticism as a learning experience to better future plans, according to Dela Cruz.

"One thing I’ve learned is to take criticism. People have a lot to say, but you must learn from the good and the bad," Dela Cruz said. "Criticism gives you advice and guidance you can learn from."

Camp Everytown inspirational; moving, memorable experience

BY SHUBHANGI GULATI

Each year, a select number of MHS students known as school delegates make their way to the Santa Cruz mountains. In just a short trip consisting of four days and three nights, students go through life-changing experiences that they will remember for years ahead. This year, several MHS students were able to attend the camp and experience the unique trip.

First time Camp Everytown Delegates Sophomores Rebecca Tan and Crystal Senados decided to take part in Camp Everytown because they heard what an amazing experience it was from fellow students, according to Senados. Camp activities helped her gain a better understanding of everyday problems society faces, such as racism, segregation, social ranking, gender differences, and their effects on teeenagers, Senados continued.

“I have a wider perspective on life and the way I should treat other people. I have realized so many things that it is hard to describe how much of an impact the experience had on me,” Senados said. “Ever since we got back from Camp Everytown, I have been working on being the best person I could possibly be.”

The activities at camp not only enhanced the delegates’ knowledge

about the barriers in society, but also taught them that everyone, regardless of societal differences, goes through similar struggles, according to Tan. Camp Everytown is such an eye-opening experience for the delegates that affects students’ perspectives long after their return from the journey, Tan said.

“Camp Everytown is a leadership camp that centers around respect, acceptance, and responsibility. During the camp experience, delegates and staff members tear down various stereotypes that keep people separated,” Four time Camp Everytown Attendee Kaila Schwartz said. Camp Everytown is such an amazing experience that one “really [has] to be there to fully get what it’s all about.”

Camp Everytown attendees return to school with a similar experience: one that is amazing and eye-opening, according to Tan. It brings together student of all grades and diminishes the walls society has placed between them, Tan added.

“I really wish everyone at MHS could experience this for themselves,” Schwartz said. Camp Everytown is an indescribable event, and if one has the ability to visit Camp Everytown in the future, one should definitely not miss out on such an unforgettable experience.

S������ H�� | THE UNION

The MHS Battle of the Tribes (BOTT) team squats to prepare for the upcoming Tug of War event. BOTT was held on May 23 at the MHS Large Gym. Over nine schools participated in the event, with the MHS team placing sixth.

MHS places sixth out of nine at Battle of the Tribes

BY STEPHEN HSU

As the school year comes to an end, most students have already packed up their books and prepared to be lazy for the summer. However, for Filipino Club President Rhodora Villanueva, the activities have not quite ended. For Villanueva, this was her fourth consecutive Battle of the Tribes (BOTT) event which was an activity to look forward to as well as to learn from.

The annual BOTT event occurred on May 23 at the MHS gym. This year’s Battle of the Tribes consisted of nine schools which sent teams to participate in numerous activities, according to the BOTT event page.

“BOTT 2014 Games include Dragon, Tug of War, and Run Around the Wagon,” the BOTT event page stated.

Other games include “Human Table

and Airplanes.”

MHS took part in the event and placed sixth out of nine schools, according to Villanueva. Approximately 35 students from MHS participated in the event, Villanueva said.

“This year Independence High School took the victory,” Villanueva said. “Sadly, MHS got sixth place out of nine schools, but it is because most of the participants this year did not know what they were getting into since they were newcomers or freshmen.”

Despite MHS not winning first place at BOTT, the team has potential to grow, Villanueva said. For some, winning first is nothing compared to the experience gained by being on a team together.

“I saw all of the team’s faces glow from excitement, happiness, and adrenaline. That really hit home

for me, because through them I saw myself during my very first year of battle,” Villanueva said. “I know that our school will dominate in the years to come because they look ready to relive that night.”

BOTT is hosted by the Filipino Youth Community, Villanueva said.

The event is hosted not only as an event that brings together nine different high schools for a friendly competition, but also as a fundraiser to help the Filipino community, according to Villanueva. “[BOTT] has a central theme for the whole event and subthemes for the schools to base their skits on,” Villanueva said. “This year’s theme was ‘Filipino Heroes.’ Overall, [BOTT] is a fundraiser for a summer program for kids to have a safe place to go to and interact with a series of character building workshops.”

MAY 2014

FEATURES

THE UNION

7

10 seniors dedicate time to help community; acquire most hours

BY PRANAY PATNI

S����� L� | THE UNION

Students visited the Art Show in the small gym all day for three days. Various displays from every art class, from drawing to digital art to ceramics, were displayed, allowing students of every skill level to present their work.

Art Show enjoyable, displays students’ talents

BY JAMIE LAM

The Art Show showcased the hard work of MHS students, according to Photography Teacher Ian Danielson.

The show took place from May 20 to May 22 and was held in the MHS small gym, open during the school day, excluding breaks and lunch, Danielson said.

Students taking Ceramics, Photography, AP Painting, Art Exploration, Drawing, and Digital Art all contributed to the Art Show, Danielson said.

Some of the types of art displayed include paintings, drawings, and ceramics, according to Danielson.

“Outside the art show is a ceramics demo, and inside, there is sometimes

a student painting in the corner,” Danielson said. “The demos add an extra element to make students more interested, and it promotes interest in our art department.”

The Art Show is not only open to high school students, but also elementary school students, Danielson said. Danielson felt it was a good experience for the younger students to see the show.

“It’s cool to see how excited they are to see art made right in front of them,” Danielson said. “For example, Mr. Albrecht has students who saw the ceramics demos when they were in elementary school and took his class when they came to the high school.

[The Art Show] really builds up an

awareness of the arts.”

Senior Bernadette Tolentino shared how she thought the paintings displayed were really good, and her favorite one was a painting of an angel with wings because it was really nice, she said. Tolentino also enjoyed watching the ceramics demo outside because it was interesting looking at how they make the ceramics pieces, she added.

“To me, the best part is seeing all of the work that the students have created, seeing their imaginations come to life and how happy it makes the students,” Danielson said. “I look forward to the art show every year, and I love hearing about how awesome it is from everyone who visits.”

David Ezell: 784 hours “I gave out food at the Second Harvest Food Bank to the less fortunate.

I’ve been doing it since freshman year. I volunteered every Wednesday for about four hours.”

Himani Madnawat: 668.25 hours “I worked mainly at hospitals and the library. I also did a lot of community service for Band and clubs at the school. I did things like help run events. At the hospital I worked at the lobby desk, making deliveries for pharmacy and helping visitors. I also provided moral support and helped things run smoothly at the ER.” Janelle Edwards: 582 hours “I volunteered in the Adoption Center located inside PetSmart through Friends of San Martin Animal Shelter (FOSMAS). I worked with cats to help them socialize, prepared them for adoption, and answered questions and provided information regarding the adoption process. I cleaned cages, administered eye drops when necessary, clipped nails, and notified FOSMAS when a cat was in need of further treatment.”

Tien Le: 527 hours “I worked for the Summer Enrichment Program [at Marshall Pomeroy Elementary School]. It is a summer school for kids from first grade to eighth grade. My job was to help the teachers create different activities for the kids and supervise the kids throughout the day.”

Alyssa Colbert: 522 hours “I worked for the Milpitas night varsity football team as a team manager my sophomore through senior year.”

Tu-An Le: 508 hours “I volunteered at a Vietnamese

school named Van Lang, which belongs to the Federation of Young Vietnamese Volunteers. I was a teacher’s assistant for four years and this year I worked as an actual teacher. I was in charge of first graders and I taught them the basics of the Vietnamese language.”

Christian Quiocho: 476 hours “I interned at Regional Medical Center of San Jose. The main purpose of my volunteer work was to aid nurses, staff, patients, and visitors. There are many departments to choose from such as working in the ER, front desk, or dispersal, where you receive calls from staff for assistance. A few tasks included delivering specimen to the lab, delivering supplies to patient rooms, or discharging patients.”

Pranay Patni: 472 hours “I worked at the Indian Community Center as a camp counselor over the summer. I was in charge of organizing the camp as well as making sure that everything ran properly. I also earned a lot of my volunteer hours through volunteering for the debate team.”

Samantha Harn: 440 hours “I used to volunteer at Weller a lot before school and after school. I used to make photocopies and do other secretarial work. Also, two times a week, I would help at a cat shelter. I would clean cat cages and deal with customers and anyone who was willing to adopt. I had to do customer service stuff.”

Nhi Tran: 425.50 hours “I participated in community service events for CSF, NHS, Interact, Special Spaces, and Autism Speaks. I also worked at the Summer Enrichment program at Marshall Pomeroy Elementary School for two summers.

I also volunteered as the manager for the boys’ varsity tennis team.”

8

THE UNION

FEATURES

MAY 2014

Roller skating rejuvenates Wang; Youth Commission helps her grow

BY RISHIKA DUGYALA

Senior Veronica Wang first became introduced to skating when her neighbor insisted she come along to the skating rink one day, Wang said.

While she has hobbies such as playing the piano, she has been skating competitively since she was nine years old, according to Wang.

Wang used to skate for the Milpitas Artistic Roller Skating Club located at Cal Skate, she said. Once it was closed, however, half of the club members transferred to Redwood City while the other half went to San Jose, Wang said. Wang was one of the few who relocated to the San Jose Artistic Skating Club, but now that the San Jose club is closing as well, she will need to go to Redwood City starting June, Wang explained.

“Skating is like this rejuvenating time since it helps me focus on my homework afterwards. I get in the zone better,” Wang said. “It taught me discipline, how to balance things better, and about hydration, obviously.”

Wang hopes to continue skating throughout her life, according to Wang. She did some research and discovered there were several skating rinks 20 minutes away from her college, she said. One of the skating rinks has a good skating and dance

coach who Wang hopes to learn from, she added.

In addition to engaging in a strenuous, time-consuming activity like skating, Wang dedicates her time to the Milpitas Youth Advisory Commission, according to Wang. Her father, who is on the Milpitas Library’s commission, encouraged her to join the Youth Advisory Commission because it was a chance to see how the government functions, Wang said.

“We put up events for youth in the community,” Wang said. “Recently, we had a spelling bee. We also have scholarships each year for seniors and hold math competitions.”

Wang will be going off to college next year and admitted that she would not participate directly in the Youth Advisory Commission.

However, Wang would like to stay involved in activities wherever she goes, according to Wang.

“The Youth Commission is really fun because it got me closer to the people of Milpitas,” Wang said.

“When we’re in high school, we’re in our little ecosystem and everyone’s the same age. But when you start doing Commission stuff you have to start talking to the council members and they have a different opinion on things.”

N�� T��� | THE UNION

Senior Mary Gutierrez leads other clarinet players in ‘Concertino Op. 26’ during Band’s last performance on May 9. Gutierrez has been in band for eight years and has been playing a variety of instruments for about eight years.

Gutierrez plays woodwind instruments for band

BY NHI TRAN

After four years of band at MHS, Senior Mary Gutierrez was given one last chance to shine during her solo performance in “Concertino for Clarinet Op. 26” at the Percussion, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble’s last concert on May 9.

Gutierrez has been learning music for nine years, been involved with band for eight years, and been playing clarinet for seven years, according to Gutierrez.

Gutierrez practiced the solo piece for two years, she said. She used parts of the piece for her audition for the Santa Clara County Honor band her sophomore year, Gutierrez added.

She also played the solo piece for fun

but went back to seriously practicing the entire piece after learning that it was going to be included in the final concert, according to Gutierrez.

Gutierrez was content with her performance even though she thought it was not perfect, Gutierrez said. Gutierrez is grateful that she joined music as she would have not been able to create memories such as this if she did not, Gutierrez said.

“I first joined music in 4th grade while I was still living in Santa Clara,” Gutierrez said. “I joined just to give it a try, but I didn’t like it because one, I played violin, two, I was really bad at it, and three, the music was so ‘Hot Cross Buns’ that I was just bored.”

Gutierrez, however, became interested in music again in the seventh

grade when she joined band, Gutierrez said. It had everything that she wanted: new people to meet, new music to play, and new challenges for herself on an instrument that she had grown to love, according to Gutierrez.

“I can play the B-flat clarinet, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, and E-flat clarinet, but my favorite will always be the clarinet,” Gutierrez said. “I love it more than any instrument in the world.”

Gutierrez originally wanted to play trumpet, but her sister suggested that she play the clarinet so she can be just like Squidward, Gutierrez said. She plans to continue to pursue music after high school, as she cannot see herself without the clarinet.

Lam to go to China to aid orphans, disabled children

BY ZAHRA SURANI

C������� �� A���� C����

Senior Alexa Cacao positions herself for her dive at CCS, held on May 18 at Santa Clara Diving Club. Cacao placed �rst overall and is now undefeated.

Cacao proves victorious at CCS, champion since freshman year

BY AMY BUI

Senior Alexa Cacao has been pursuing her passion for diving since she was eight years old, and has now reached her goal of winning CCS for four years in a row. Cacao has been diving for the Santa Clara Diving Club and has been participating competitively for six years.

Cacao became interested in diving after watching the Summer Olympics, she said. Since then, she has been diving with the Santa Clara Diving Club since she was eight years old and for MHS since her freshman year.

Diving takes a lot of time and effort, Cacao added.

“I practice six days a week, usually for two and a half hours,” Cacao said.

“In the summer it changes to five days a week for three hours.”

Cacao has been competing in big meets such as nationals, she said. The meets follow in a series from regionals in June, zones in July, and then qualifying to nationals in August, according to Cacao.

“Diving has taught me to be patient, persevere, and has opened my eyes to new perspectives,” Cacao said. “It’s like another family to me and has opened up so many opportunities.”

My greatest accomplishment is becoming more consistent with my diving, according to Cacao. Good execution of her dives has led her to do really well the past three years in CCS, Cacao continued.

“Last year, I made the new CCS record and won for the third year,” Cacao said. “This year, I’m hoping that my training will help me break my own record and win CCS again.”

League finals were held in early May and Cacao once again won first in the division, she said. At the CCS finals held at the Santa Clara Swim Club, Cacao defended her title as CCS champion and became the first diver in history to win CCS four years in a row, Cacao continued.

“For upcoming meets, I hope to keep calm, focusing on one dive at a time,” Cacao said. “It helps me to know that one dive will not make your meet and I have learned not to be too hard on myself.”

Cacao plans to attend University of Southern California and will also be diving with them, she said. She was in contact with colleges beginning junior year and was offered recruiting trips from six schools, according to Cacao.

Summer is often considered as a time for relaxation. Junior Chloe Lam, however, plans to make the most out of her summer vacation.

Lam plans to go to China for a month and a half to visit her family, help children in need, and explore her career interests, according to Lam. Lam will be in Hong Kong for approximately three weeks to spend time with her family, Lam said. After, she will go to China to volunteer at her aunt and uncle’s nonprofit organization ‘Silver Lining,’ which is located in Nanning, China, Lam said.

“The ‘Silver Lining Foundation,’ through altruistic actions, is dedicated to improving the lives of impoverished children and their families,”

Silver Lining’s website stated. “This supports their educational and daily needs, brings joy and creates hope in their lives, and teaches how to give back to the community.”

The Silver Lining Foundation has an orphanage and rehabilitation center which help children living with cerebral palsy in the rural mountains of China, according to Lam. The organization was founded by Chris and Lydia Yeung, who discovered that disabled children did not have many opportunities to improve the quality of their lives and accomplish their dreams, even though they had the potential to do so, Lam said. “[The founders] felt that they had a heart for this service, so they left their lives in America, and moved to China,” Lam said. “At first, things

were very tough due to finances and such, but through many hours of prayer and hard work, they were blessed with everything necessary to keep the organization alive.”

Lam has wanted to explore the field of mental health since she was in eighth grade, but her parents were against having her survey this area because they did not believe it would be a good path to follow, Lam said.

However, they allowed her to volunteer at this organization to get a sense of her future career, she added.

“I think it will really show us that we as a society are very blessed with the surplus of what we have,” Lam said. “It’s important that we invest our care, something we have an infinite supply of to give back to those who lack it themselves.”

Performing arts popular amongst English teachers

BY MICHELLE WU

Every day we see the familiar faces of our teachers only in the context of their classrooms. But have you ever wondered about their lives outside of school? These English teachers found love in theatre and performing arts and have incorporated it in their everyday lives.

Theatre Director Kaila Schwartz is now a retired actor who spends all her energy and dedication into running the theatre program, according to Schwartz. She spent 11 years in the business as a professional actor, stage manager, director, singer, and songwriter, Schwartz said. She was living under the poverty level the entire time during her career, Schwartz continued.

“I think it’s the chance to jump into someone else’s skin that I find interesting. Becoming someone else,” Schwartz said. “I kind of came out of

the womb being a performer.”

English Teacher John Ribovich is currently a director, playwright, and owner of Calaveras Repertory Theatre, Ribovich said. After school hours, he teaches classes at MHS for screenwriting, plays, and beginning acting. He also teaches at a summer drama conservatory in Pleasanton, according to Ribovich. He has written 10 plays and directed over 60 shows, Ribovich added. “[Acting and directing] are something people do for the love of it,” Ribovich said. “The first time I directed a play, which was ‘Pygmalion’ at MHS, I discovered I have a certain knack for it, that it came easily and I enjoyed doing it.”

English Teacher Paula Chenoweth has been the owner of the Broadway West Theatre Company since 1998, while directing and sometimes acting in one show every year, Chenoweth said. She was originally a

singer, but later on in her life she fell in love with acting and moved on to directing, Chenoweth added. She has directed over 60 plays, according to Chenoweth.

“I love the family feeling of theatre people and how no matter who you were, you were accepted,” Chenoweth stated. “Acting can be very challenging, but it was also very rewarding.”

English Teacher Lillian Bogovich directed plays at MHS for nine years and is currently an actress, according to Bogovich. She has learned to go to places in her past and allow her old emotions to surface to make her act realistically. Acting has allowed her to see the world through another perspective, Bogovich said.

“My characters are my teachers.

They help me grow as a person,” Bogovich said. “I can carry my roles with me and not feel like I’m being another character.”

MAY 2014

ADVERTISEMENT

T HE U NION

FOSTER WORLD PEACE host families wanted

Welcome students from our sister cities Dagupan, Philippines and Huizhou, China.

Host a student in your home for 10 days in October 2014.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Milpitas Sister Cities Commission 455 E. Calavaras Blvd Milpitas, CA 95035 (408) 586-3352 www.ci.Milpitas.ca.gov/government/commissions/sister/asp

9

THE UNION

10

SENIOR STAFF

The Union rarely feature staff members.

Brenda Su

Many of our reporters and editors are dedicated CLOG leaders, passionate athletes, artists, and entrepreneurs. While our names appear many times in every paper we produce, we rarely have the opportunity to share who we are with our readers outside of opinion pieces. In this, the final issue of the year, as we say a fond farewell to our talented graduating Class of 2014, we feature the 21 seniors on The Union staff.

Karen Chi

MAY 2014

News Editor

Favorite memory: DECA Internationals 2012 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Words of advice: Happiness is temporary; GPA is forever.

Elliot Ng

Lifestyle Editor

Reporter

Biggest regret: Not getting my license right when I turned 16.

Words of advice: Get your license right when you turn 16.

Proudest achievement: Getting my license...when I turned 17.

Favorite memory: Mahdi Osman’s mischievous activities.

Proudest achievement: Doing number 2 in under 2 minutes.

Biggest regret: Touching an active cooktop.

Shubhangi Gulati

Vikram Sastry

Asst. Copy Editor

Asst. Lifestyle Editor

Favorite class: I had the best teachers sopohomore year. Mr. Harrison’s WHAP class and Ms. Schwartz’s English IIA classes were the highlights of my years at MHS. Words of advice: Always remember to enjoy the sunshine!

Words of advice: Time is like this burning house. if you lose something inside, you can’t go back and get it; just hope that the pieces somehow remain in the rubble. Think before you act. Seriously. Don’t do stupid crap.

Hidden talent: Criticizing ASB (although you guys do a great job <3).

Amy Bui

Asst. Ad Manager

Jamie Lam

Most meaningful activity: Competing in Science Olympiad for three years was unforgettable.

Proudest achievement: Being part of the CSF cabinet and family. I didn’t know what I was capable of and grew into a leader for the club.

Copy Editor

Bryan Tran Reporter

Favorite memory: Late nights with Science Olympiad, food runs for Journalism, and watching my Interact babies bloom.

Proudest achievement: Proudest Accomplishment: Collecting 1,000+ books for a library in Ghana.

Secret Talent: Whistling

Most meaningful activity: Sleeping in class Proudest achievement: Having Escobar sensei accept my Facebook friend request!

Secret talent: I am really good at frying sunny side up eggs

Reporter

Business Manager

Most meaningful activity: Speech and Debate.

Words of advice: Things get better.

Where you’ll be in 10 years: Loaded and retired.

Reporter

Most meaningful activity: Physical Education.

Words of advice: Life is the slowest form of death

Nhi Tran Reporter

Secret talent: Coming up with a comeback too late.

Proudest achievement: Never showing up to school in sweats.

Biggest regret: Not buying a yearbook at the beginning of the year when it was cheaper

Sumukh Shekar

Rachel Alvelais

Proudest achievement: Separating my self worth from male attention.

Biggest regret: Not kissing him when I had the chance.

Words of advice: F*** b*****, get money.

Features Editor

Stephen Hsu

Favorite memory: The first time I laid eyes on the guy who became my high school sweetheart.

Words of advice: Don’t doubt yourself; pursue anything you want, because it’s better to try something and hate it than to regret never doing it.

Sidney Le

Hidden talent: Murdering the game and chillin’ deep in the cut.

Favorite class: Journalism, where I am a godking amongst men.

Words of advice: Give up on your little lives.

Jennifer Duong

Pranay Patni

Michelle Wu

The Editors-in-Chief

Karen Shyu

Asst. Business Manager Favorite memory: Making friends.

Words of advice: Don’t procrastinate.

Special talent: Being fabulous.

Favorite memory: Bonding with my dear friends, especially the ones who are corgi farmers.

Most meaningful activity: Key Club. It makes me feel fine all the time!

Proudest accomplishment: Getting into college.

Rakshit Garg Web Editor

Where you’ll be in 10 years: Back in the bay, making a meaningful contribution to the wonderfully innovative and imaginative culture here.

Words of advice: You might lose some friends, time, or money here at MHS, but never lose your ambition.

Most meaningful activity: Big ballin’ and shot callin’.

Jonathan Ngo Op-Ed Editor

Guilty pleasure: Netflix Biggest Regret: Watching too much Netflix.

Words of Advice: Cancel your Netflix subscription.

Congratulations to The Union Class of 2014!

Asst. Web Editor

Favorite memory: Travel tournaments (for Debate and DECA).

Biggest Regret: Procrastinating.

Words of advice: Don’t procrastinate.

Shelly Hsu Photo Editor

Favorite memory: Del Oro High Marching Band competition.

Favorite class: Honors English.

Super power: My capacity to eat.

Secret talent: My ability to play the piano with my feet.

Guilty pleasure: Ghiradelli’s Sea Salt Soiree.

Moshe Yang

Entertainment Editor

Most meaningful activity: Talking to friends late at night.

Biggest regret: Doing unimportant things.

Words of advice: Don’t wait around for the sky to fall.

(Left to right) from the top: Elliot Ng, Moshe Yang, Karen Chi, Vikram Sastry, Sumukh Shekar, Shelly Hsu, Stephen Hsu, Rakshit Garg, Shubangi Gulati, Michelle Wu, Nhi Tran, Jonathan Ngo, Amy Bui, Pranay Patni, Jamie Lam, Jennifer Duong, Brenda Su, Rachel Alvelais, Sidney Le

MAY 2014

SENIOR WILLS

THE UNION

11

‘It’s times like these you learn to give and give again’ DISCLAIMER

The views and opinions expressed in the following messages are not the views and opinions held by The Union, unless otherwise stated.

I, Julia Lucas, do hereby leave all the stress, all the memories to be made, and all the friendships to be created to ELS, JS, and MA. I’ll miss you guys!

I, Hieu, do hereby leave a few words for my underclassmen, “Go to prom!”

I, Tiffany Le, do hereby leave Milpitas High School.

I, Brian Lien, do hereby leave the rad VSA in the capable hands of Jennifer Nguyen and Sydney Nguyen, and Hip Hop Club to Patrick Ly and Kaitlyn Phan.

I, Jeffrey Baltazar, do hereby leave the Chess Club to my underclassmen club members.

I, Taylor Nguyen, do hereby leave a word of advice: Don’t let anyone put you down, just stay positive, open your mind, and the world will be yours.

I, Nat, do hereby leave my hoodrat high schoool life to my brother.

I, Cindy, do hereby leave all my good memories as well as the drama and enemies so that I may peacefully move on.

I, Ted, do hereby leave my legacy of being awesome so you underclassmen can take notes to be just as cool as me...Haha JK.

I, Jeremiah, do hereby leave the 100 hidden dollars that we left to whoever cleans the perc. room and finds it.

I, Flora Kang, do hereby leave KASA in the hands of Richard Sung. I believe in you, cousin!

a great place to grow and learn.

There are some opportunities waiting for the future.

I, Bryan Tran, do hereby leave my dignity and swagger behind to the Dark Lord Chin Chin. nyessssss

I, Thien Hoang, do hereby leave my swag, my crazy dance moves, and my position in Track for my twin Thien Duong.

I, Alicia Tung, do hereby leave MHS, never forgetting all the fun and heartwarming memories and friends I have made and will cherish for the rest of my life.

I, Howard Liu, do hereby leave all shenanigans to percussion and drumline, all responsibility to Wesley Lin, and all sugar and candy to Alice Lai. Good luck to everyone, have fun!

I, Raul, do hereby leave this town with chinos.

I, Christine Tran, do hereby leave Milpitas High School.

I, Artemio, do hereby leave this great school and off to chase money.

I, Johnathan Yeung, do hereby leave MOVE and the best of luck to Thao, Spencer, Erin, Augustine, Celine, Emily, Cheryl, Isabelle, Stephanie, Sabrina, Andrew, and Tina.

I, Chris Vu, do hereby leave all my love for my #jumperfam. Fly high to reach your goals and make me proud next year!

I, Jamie Lam, do hereby leave my legacy to Sherry, and my clubs in the hands of the upcoming officers. Much love to Science Olympiad, Book Club, CSF, and my Interact babies!

I, Jonathan Ngo, do hereby leave my speech and debate legacy to my brother, David Ngo.

I, Timothy, do hereby leave the clarinet section to Jacky Lu. TREAT THEM LIKE YOUR CHILDREN. I, Tu-An Le, do hereby leave nothing! You’re all on your own!

I, Joan Cobar, do hereby leave the f***s I haven’t given in four years. Don’t be a jerk.

I, Camille, do hereby leave that you focus on school and party at the same time.

I, Troy, do hereby leave that you focus on high school but still leave time for fun activities. Always plan ahead.

I, Victoria, do hereby leave the smelly bathrooms to you guys.

I, Stephanie Black, do hereby leave the BBC table. I also leave everything to Vivi Nguyen.

I, Sumukh Shekar, do hereby leave my laziness to all future seniors.

I, Rachel Alvelais, do hereby leave with the knowledge that the past is immutable, gold is tested in fire, and sometimes it’s okay to burn—that’s how you grow.

here. Underclassmen—take classes you’re actually interested in, and you might find you like school more.

I, Brian Do, do hereby leave high school lol.

I, April Son, do hereby leave all my love to my BBs in Dragonboat, #Jumperfam, and sister. I love you all so much, make me proud.

I, Kevin Lam, do hereby leave all my stupid remarks for you to remember, have fun in school (aka hell).

I, V Nguyen, do hereby leave all you motherf***ing ratchet b****es.

Good luck in this hell hole.

I, Bonny Truong, do hereby leave Ruth Park, Jason Tani, Vyhan Ngo, Michelle Nguyen, Nikita Rai, Germain Louie, Natasha Gangal, Alec Li, Lina Nguyen, Amy Nguyen. LYLT I, Jason Lu, do hereby leave: my future treasurers my treasurer binder so they can learn/become the best treasurer they can be.

Good luck and don’t forget to MAKE COPIES! I, Rhodora Villanueva, do hereby leave Filipino and Hip Hop Club with my uniting footprints and fulfilled dreams. I will always be Auntie Dora. You guys are engraved to my heart.

2014

I, Sandy, do hereby leave my chore to vacuum everyday to my brother, Kevin. Oh, you missed a spot.

I, Lordique Fok, do hereby leave the West Coast to the machinations of the class of 2015.

Sorry, I don’t have a table for y’all.

I, Shelly Hsu, do hereby leave National Honor Society to Ruth, Anthony, and Robert, my silver trumpet to an unlucky successor, and a four years’ worth of high school wisdom to my sister.

I, Thuong Tran, do hereby leave empty tissue boxes. Specifically, tissue boxes that were full when I started here.

I, Kat, do hereby leave the hope that you never fall prey to senioritis, that you never stress, that you get enough sleep, and that you make the best memories.

I, Sidney Le, do hereby leave with words left unsaid, hearts left unbroken, and a trail, blazed.

I, Shubhie, do hereby leave Masti and the school in the hands of the Cult and my favorites: Potasha, Nookie, and Gunjbucks.

I, Sirena, do hereby leave the MHS color guard with amazing memories and a great season. I love you all so much. You’ll always be in my heart.

I, Victor, do hereby leave the school where there is more Asians than China itself.

I, Annie Tran, do hereby leave the theater class to their crazy shennanigans and NJROTC to their addiction to Rugball and pushups.

I, Jasmin Tran, do hereby leave the future of the Milpitas High School percussion section in my underclassmen’s hands. Good luck.

I, Leslie Lau, do hereby leave $5 hidden in one of the front ensemble instruments. I have faith in you guys.

I, Joann, do hereby leave MHS to my brother Jonathan. Know your roots and don’t have too much soda.

I, Jon Padua, do hereby leave Shaina, Christine, and Jordan with the stress of high school.

I, Gerilyn Barairo, do hereby leave Alfonzo Alger and his Drake quotes.

I, Chris Boyer, do hereby leave: be you, an individual. Love because it’s okay to fall. Live your life to the fullest. Live, Laugh, Love, Smile.

I, Thomas Abellana, do hereby leave Austin and Anthony Dinh with you. They’re your problem now. #GoatBoyz I, Chris B., do hereby leave Interior Crocodile Alligators.

I, Sean Ly, do hereby leave the mvdb legacy.

I, Veena, do hereby leave some of the most wonderbar cross country and distance track peeps a girl could ask for.

I, Orizema,do hereby leave the Digital Business Academy, and all the great teachers I’ve had to my brother Saul Cruz! Enjoy the next two years. They’ll go by fast.

I, Amy Zhao do hereby leave Key Club to Shivani, DECA to Zahra, and swimming to Allan, Tan, and Alex. Good luck- make the most out of your experiences next year!

I, Michael Le, do hereby leave the tuba section in the soft hands of Spencer Wong.

I, Jake Pham, do hereby leave Track, Dragon Boat, and Interact to the best leaders I know. I’m sure that these three programs will continue to flourish and grow once I am gone.

I, Amy Bui, do hereby leave CSF to Germain and Tiffany, Science Olympiad to the new upperclassmen, and high school to incoming seniors.

I, Darshana, do hereby leave my heart and soul with my fellow track kiddos. Best of luck you silly dingi.

I’ll miss you all!

I, Nikhil, do hereby leave my world-class legacy for my sister, Sonal I, Annie Nguyen, do hereby leave the PR circle ritual to my #Jumperfam. PR to the stars.

I, Leroi, do hereby leave LEROY JENKINZZZZZ uh, good luck next year. LOL. I, Edmond, do hereby leave that you must work your way down until you’re exhausted.

I, Dat Trang, do hereby leave the adventure I had through these four years.

I, Jonathan Lam, do hereby leave with the thought that all upperclassmen will always look after the underclassmen.

I, Vicky Thai, do hereby leave all you people nothing.

I, Harpreet Singh, do hereby leave the words to the Indian Club that you guys continue working hard and keep up the good work.

I, Avneet Dosanjh, do hereby leave my viola to a future aspiring violist.

I, Thuy Kathy Nguyen, do hereby leave this place to all our underclassmen. Please take care and have fun.

I, Pranay, do hereby leave an empty locker for Natasha and the debate team for Akshat.

I, Jon Jon, do hereby leave MHS with a passion of becoming something in life.

I, Stanley Cheah, do hereby leave my trombone section the responsibility to deal with Vincent Yu. I, Alex Besler, do hereby leave my higher quality marching baritone/ euphemism hybrid to Kiefer Becite. #Baristrong I, Henry Thai, do hereby leave this God forsaken place, yessss.

I, Rakshit Garg, do hereby leave FBLA, all of its members, operations, and success, to Akshat Das. I, V-Dog, do hereby leave everyone everything.

I, Shivani Walia, do hereby leave Milpitas High School. However, I’ll always remember this place. It is

I, Alexander Tran, do hereby leave the Science Department’s stock room in better shape than it was before. But the organic cabinet remains disgusting and putrid.

I, Valerine Leang, do hereby leave this school with contempt and minimal satisfaction, but you underclassmen should make the best of your high school career, it goes by quickly.

I, Teresa Yip, do hereby leave the 2014-2015 seniors in Cummins’ AP Gov class to come up with a better hashtag than CAPGTS (w/o the gov’t shutting down).

I, Michelle Wu, do hereby leave all you motherf***ers.

I, Shail Shouryya, do hereby leave Milpitas High School enjoying all the classes I took

I, Vivian Lau, do hereby leave CSF and Book Club to their new, capable leaders, swim team with my hope, and my friends with my love. I believe in you all!

I, Michael Nguyen, do hereby leave my pride to the marching band alto saxophones.

I, Brenda Su, do hereby leave DECA in the hands of future champions and my cluttered News desktop to the unfortunate soul who will inherit it.

We, The Union seniors, do hereby leave the fate of truth and honesty here at MHS in your hands, Mr. Colburn.

This is your President speaking: a farewell to the Class of 2014 Four years, 720 school days, we have spent here at Milpitas High School. Through these years, we have endure academic struggles, relationships problems, family issues and so much more. We persevered and never gave up in hopes that one day everything will be worth it, and it will be.

With graduation coming nearer and nearer, our shoulders are growing heavier with stoles and cords naming our accomplishments, and many of us are overwhelmed with family and friends weaving us ribbon leis to show us their affection.

Though these tangible things may seem to define us, outwardly marking our achievements, it is important to remember that all these tangible things do not define you. You are more than what you’re wearing on graduation.

They say high school is the time when you find who you want to be, but it’s okay to not know. It’s okay to be unsure of the future.

Most of us will leave here thinking that we know who we are, only to find ourselves waking up the next morning ques-

tioning our decisions.

Don’t question, just do. We can only find ourselves by first being lost. All our decisions, dreams, mistakes, and imperfections make us the person we are meant to be in the end.

So take all that you’ve gone through: all the pain, laughs, tears, smiles, late nights and early mornings, take all the lessons which you learned and remember them.

They may not mean a lot right now, but they will. Remember these four years as more than just graduating high school.

Remember these words: it’s not always the destination, it’s the journey there that makes the trip worthwhile.

It has been a honor to have served as your class president for the past four years. As the class has grown, I have definitely grown with it. Thank you for giving me and the rest of my team so many opportunity to make memories alongside you as your class officers.

Long Live the Class of 2014.

Once a Trojan, Always a Trojan.

Biancka Dela Cruz Class of 2014

12

1

8

T HE U NION

SENIOR

MOSTS

MAY 2014

22

Senior

1. MOST LIKELY TO BE A H Ted Ngo and 2. MOST LIKELY TO MAR Peter Phan an 3. MOST LIKELY TO BE C Timothy Duong an 4. MOST LIKELY Kevin Nguyen an 5. MOST LIKELY TO SPILL CO Brian Do and 6. MOST LIKELY TO SE Forrest Tran an 7. MOST LIKELY TO FAL Abram Reyes a 8. MOST LIKELY TO B FANBOY/ Bryant C Christin

7

T HE U NION

SENIOR

MOSTS

MAY 2014

3

13

Mosts

HAZARD TO PEDESTRIANS d Liala Zaray RRY A PILE OF MONEY nd Brenda Su CAUGHT TAKING A SELFIE nd Rameet Sandhu Y TO OWN A ZOO nd Michelle Lien OFFEE ON HIS OR HER BOSS d Sandy Lee ET THE CURVE IN LIFE nd Lordique Fok LL ASLEEP ANYWHERE and Tram Lai BE A PROFESSIONAL /FANGIRL Chau and ne Tran

6

4

5

THE UNION

14 DISCLAIMER

You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know.”

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.

SENIORS 2014 COLLEGE LIST

This list was compiled using student responses to a survey and consequently may not be fully accurate or complete.

MAY 2014

COLLEGES

“You’re on your own. And you know what you know.”

CALIFORNIA

American River College Sacramento, CA Katherine Eleogo Art Center College of Design Pasdena, CA Siwan Seok Cal Poly Pomona Pomona, CA Kevin Johnson Jessica Ali-Santosa Alexander Tran Paul Truong Cal Poly San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA Michael Le Howard Liu Jason Lu Annie Nguyen Olivia Weins Chabot College Hayward, CA Harrison Bogas Vicky Thai Alexander Wright California State University, Chico Chico, CA Heather Jackson Jennifer Jacobs California State University, East Bay Hayward, CA Aldo Alvarez Pauline Cao Charles Dang Jessica Espinoza Jiamin Kuang Mercedez Lam Julio Pena Sandrine Pham Sabrina Tran

California State University, Monterey Bay Seaside, CA Adam Chavarria David Kruskamp California State University, Sacramento Sacramento, CA Bryant Chau Aaliyah Concepcion Grace Lekberg Rachel Norman Randeep Sandhu Raja Sran California State University, San Marcos San Marcos, CA Alyssa Doctolero Sirena Shreve City College of San Francisco San Francisco, CA Dominique Estrada College of San Mateo San Mateo, CA Christine Paletuin De Anza College Cupertino, CA Thom Abellana Arleen Aguilar Nicole Alfonso Artemio Almanza Bryan Ang Victoria Ayala Christopher Banh Brianna Barnes Mark Bermudo Maria Kendra Brioso Syboney Caballero Johathan Carrasco Sonny Castillo Jose Antonio Contreras Nicho Dawi Biancka Dela Cruz Stefhanie Dela Pena Diego Deras Jiwanjot Dhariwal Karanvir Dhillon Laura Rebekah Dimaandal Ray Domingo Adrian Enriquez Stephanie Escalel Dexter Fan Jessica Nicole Finuliar Julianna Jade Foulks Daniel Galvan Jessenia Garcia Alex Garcillas Faith Geslani Antonio Gonzalez Edger Gonzalez Damel Gunabe Sena Harrlley Govayne Hernandez Hitzayana Hernandez Jose Hernandez Marcos Hernandez Miguel Hernandez Jonathan Hoang Charisse Hulog David Huynh Nikka Huynh

Alyssa Inanoria Chris Jao Jessica Jao Adrian Jose Natalia Reina Joseph Kelsey Kim Kimberly Lam Tiffany Le Jiajing Li Mitchell Lien Zhiwei Liu Melissa Lozano Jiamin Luo Marilyn Luu Sean Ly Adrian Macaraeg Kura Magat Jerome Manera Nicolas Martinez Mahad Mohamed Hydee Monteagudo Daniel Moreno Mark Moua Kenny Ngo Anh Nguyen Brian Nguyen Eric Nguyen Minh Nguyen Nha Nguyen Quan Nguyen Shelly Nguyen Tien Nguyen Kevin Nguyen Jeanelle Nicolette Palo Frank Paniagua Jocelyn Pate Luis Penaloza John Pham Tiffany Pham Peter Phan Jacky Perez Lillian Perez Aaron Reyes Jeremiah Ruperto Dylan Sanchez Amanda Shiv Harpreet Singh Aleta Smith Nikhil Suresh Gian Anthony Tamisin Henry Thai Tuan Thai Andrew Tran Josephine Tran Kelly Van Thuong Tran Minh Quan Tran Danielle Vega-Satchell Rhodora Mae Villanueva Rodnate Villegas Christian Quiocho Delta College Stockton, CA Enriqeu Flores Evergreen Valley College San Jose, CA Ashley Jane Camposano Janelle Capares Christine Dacasin Yeda Marie Donato Hilary Gonzalez Jonathan Lam Juan Antonio Lopez Luis Perez Foothill College Los Altos Hills, CA Alaa Alsharif

Alondra Lopez Juila Lucas Ashley Obrero Dylan Slack Arjun Sutaria Andrew Tong Hao Wez Fullerton College Fullerton, CA John Carlo Lugtu Heald College Milpitas, CA Johaide Martinez Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in San Franciso San Francisco, CA Amber Peña Mission College Santa Clara, CA Andrea Aviles Maria Abouzeid Ivan Aguilera Andrew Balluff Jeffrey Baltazar Raiza Bamberger Samuel Bolingbroke Nikolas Brown Emmanuel Cabral Bobby Cabugao Anthony Edward Canedo Alyssa Colbert Daniel Cordova Asia Cruz Gembert Cruz Chase Da Silva Brianne Dela Cruz Hannah De La Cruz George Del Rosario Taylor Dunn Chriszelle Francia Tiyanna Gillesple Isaac Gomez Aaron Hernandez Cameron Hoyt Gizelle Iglesias Eddson Jose Karishma Kumar Yasmin Lababidi Kevin Lam Nick Lambert Athina Levita Hien Ly Wensley Manalang Blake Martinez Kristen Martinez Jason Mendoza Marygrace Najorda Bryant Nakagawa Lauryn Navarrete Eva Ng Christine Ngo My My Nguyen Troy Ojeda Luis Oseguera Troy Anthony Ojadk La Liza Amor Balatico Erwin Rillera Esteban Salce Bianca Santillan Emilie Santillan Harpreet Singh Phoebe Staten Elton Sun

MAY 2014 Christopher Torres Shirley Truong Adrian Valdez William Ventura Jose Leong Verrero Shivani Walia Dawger Wong Ohlone College Fremont, CA Kimberly Aquino Dessalie Ayran Aliyah Bitanga Ariel Bolingbroke Fatima Christel Catli Raul Chavez Tyler Cheas Luan Doan John Do Ymelynn Mae Flores Kaitlyn Gapuz May Elaine Gutierrez Miranda Hannigan Samantha Harn Anh Huynh Darius Jones Amanda Kako Deion Lagmin Duy Le Kyle Le Phuong Le Ted Ngo Phuong Nguyen Stephany Nguyen Thy Nguyen Anne Marie Pardenilla Pooja R. Patel Delina Perez Brandon Redic Alcina Rosas Zachary Serena Jianing Shau Bernadette Tolentino Georgina Torres Keith Tuzoa Tam Tran Adrian Villanueva Lam Vu Erika Williams Zuo Wu Zheng Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts Santa Maria, CA Annie Tran Sacramento City College Sacramento, CA Victor Torres San Diego State University San Diego, CA Gerilyn Barairo Stephanie Black Jason Dutra Rachael Gollnick Courtney Hyde Jake Pham Bonny Truong Jessie Wong San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA Jalaena Bumagat Matthew Carandang Elizabeth Carrillo Laura Dizon Kimberly Elgar Kimberly Ann Garcia Myles Gasmin Saverick Hang Rhonda Ho Courtney Hutnick Brent Kuhne Andrew Le Catherine Le Ritchie Le Nathan Luu Diego Navarro Thien-Nhi Nguyen Westley Nguyen Brandon Pacariem Jon Padua Natalia Perez Jerlaine Quibuyen April Son Han Vo Emilie Wong

THE UNION

COLLEGES

Maurene Aspiras Saajan Bariana Kirsten Kelly Bufete Amy Bui Raul Chavez Calvin Chung Orizema Cruz Maureen Dela Cueva Timothy Duong Orizema Cruz Darshana Daquigan Quan Dong Avneet Dosanjh Timothy Duong Matthew Ferguson Gerald Carlo Garcia Krisha Gupta Trevon Hartley Perry Ho Vivian Hoang Sam Hon Judy Huynh Trung Huynh Huynh Ho Henry Huynh Cristine Elizabeth Javier Deanne Juson Casey Kitazumi Soham Koradia Angela Ku James Lalu Leroi Lam Chio Lao Christine Le Hieu Le Lien Le Tu-An Le Derrick Lien Zhong Yu Luan Joshua Lucas Earl Magat Gurkeerat Mahi Charles Mai Calvin Malonzo Jocelyn Martinez David N Nguyen Duoc Nguyen Jacqueline Nguyen Linda Nguyen Taylor Nguyen Thuy L Nguyen Kirby Olidan Troy Ojeda Kirby Olidan Matthew Olson Angelia Patterson Brian Park Pooja Patel Tejal Patel Sara Pathiyil Bich Pham Ngoc Pham Alina Ren Jan Kinno Ricaforte Camille Rubio Raymond Bryan Sangalang James Staten Tiana Teixeira Dan To Dustin Tran Harrison Tran Helen Tran Jenny Tran Ngan Tran Stacey Tran Trang Tran Dat Trang Carlos Trejo Alvin Truong Sunny Vansdadia Amanda Vien Zi Chun Wang David Wong Diana Xu Teresa Ying Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA Sharon Diep Joseph Phan Johnathan Yeung Darryl Yin Michelle Wu Sierra College Rocklin, CA David Ezell

San Jose City College San Jose, CA Gloria Crisanto Kyle Indihar Jamal Khan Nicolasa Ojeda Mariscal Steven Susbilla Carlos Rivera

Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA Christina Campos St. Mary’s College of California Moraga, CA Taylor Goldstein Kishan Patel

San Jose State University San Jose, CA Sokaina Alkhafdji Mariela Alvarez Joann Aspiras

University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA Stephen Hsu Timothy Hsu

Sidney Le Vivian Le Harpreet Mahi Pranay Patni Brenda Su Abraham Tien Annie Tram Veronica Wang University of California, Davis Davis, CA Stanley Cheah Joan Cobar Jason Dinh Elizabeth Do Jennifer Duong Chiyin Fei Shubhangi Gulati Shelly Hsu Delvin Huynh Minh Le Thuy Le Janice Lin Michelle Lien David Luong Elliott Ng Jonathan Ngo Michael Nguyen Nancy Nguyen Karen Shyu Shannon Trinh Jasmin Tsai Rosie Ou Aarsh Vyas Liala Zaray University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA Micah Jelica Bondoc Sandy Lee Brian Lien David Nguyen Tianna Pham Hayley Tse Moshe Yang University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Zoe Chen Nathaniel Chu Rakshit Garg Jamie Lam Himani Madnawat Satvir Saggi University of California, Merced Merced, CA Monica La Mabel Len University of California, Riverside Riverside, CA Karen Chi Rochella Gutierrez Vivian Xie Ng Victor Sui Amanda Threet Judy Tran University of California, San Diego La Jolla, CA Sabrina Diec Jarnin Fang Eunah Flora Kang Tommy To Christine Tran Megan Tso Ka Ying Yam University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Rachel Alvelais Lauren Bond Veena Chandran Tony Dao Marisol Guardado Thien Hoang Pauline Nguyen Quynh Anh Nguyen Tiffany Nguyen Nancy Pham Vikram Sastry Amberly Tam Jenny Tran Vincent Wang University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Colin Au Kevin Chu Brian Do Shannon Ho Raymond Khau Leslie Lau Valerine Leang

Jiaming Lei Britney Luong Alberto Mederos Audris Nguyen David Nguyen Vivian Nguyen Katarina Lendl-Palmberg Robert Potmesil Rameet Sandhu Sumukh Shekar William Tran Merari Valdez Christopher Vu Cindy Wang Roberto Zeng University of San Francisco San Franciso, CA Cynthia Cai Hiten Mistry Ei Myar Zeya University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Alexa Cacao Thu Hoang University of the Pacific Stockton, CA Vivian Lau Amanda Le Vanguard University of Southern California Costa Mesa, CA Jacqueline Orcott West Valley College Saratoga, CA Joshua Fernandez Andrea Melara

COLORADO

Colorado State Fort Collins, CO Joseph Drouin Janelle Edwards Alexandria Silsa Natasja Yulo

15 OREGON

University of Oregon Eugene, OR Madeline Gomez Caitlin Caglia-Hilty University of Portland Portland, OR Jonathan Donkers

RHODE ISLAND

Brown University Providence, RI Forrest Tran

TEXAS

Rice University Houston, TX Lidia Kuo Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX Harrison Bennett

VERMONT

Champlain College Burlington, VT Kevin Nguyen

VIRGINIA

Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA Veronica Minor

WASHINGTON

University of Washington Seattle, WA Jaime Tran Evan Zien

WYOMING

Wyoming Tech Laramie, WY Julius DeLeon

INTERNATIONAL

Ateneo de Manila University Philippines Kevin Johnson

OTHER

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Undecided Casey Nguyen Connor Nguyen Grace Nguyen

FLORIDA

United States Air Force Bruce Canlas Victor Corpuz

George Washington University Washington, DC Alexus Camero University of Tampa Tampa, FL Stacey Kramer

GEORGIA

Clark Atlanta University Atlanta, GA Jaistine Arrington

ILLINOIS

University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign Champaign, IL Alicia Tung

INDIANA

Purdue University Lafayette, IN Nikhil Mehta

MASSACHUSETTS

Harvard University Cambridge, MA Ivy Pham Amy Zhao Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA Lordique Fok Northeastern University Boston, MA Patricia Sobczyk

NEVADA

University of Nevada, Reno Reno, NV Wei-Sheng Chou Brianna Gay

NEW JERSEY

New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ Bryan Tran

NEW YORK

New York University New York, NY Edmond Wang Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY Chih-Yang Cheng

United States Army Jasmine Alderete Jeffrey Dumag United States Marine Corps.

Kathleen Mae Albores Christopher Boyer Jr. Cheyenne Centino Krysseltess Edora Thanh Nhin United States Navy Patrick Joseph Galanga Jordon Green Justin Marquez Workforce Jesse Agraz Antonio Ahumada Chris Archey Alex Besler Yadyrra Cravin Jose Cruz

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” #doitforthevine

THE UNION

16

DIY: MAKE A RIBBON LEI

LIFESTYLE

MAY 2014

Public transit expands summer vacation options

BY AMY BUI

During graduation, almost everyone is going to be wearing stoles, leis, and cords. Among all the academic achievements and family gifts, almost no one actually has anything from their friends. Do you want to give your friends something for graduation to show them your appreciation? If you don’t have any ideas or would like to save some money, a simple ribbon lei is the perfect alternative. Make one in these four simple steps:

1 Take two different colors of five-eighths inch satin ribbon and cut them so they are approximately four and a half yards in length. With two loose ends, make a simple knot, leaving about six inches at the ends.

2 Make the first loop with Ribbon A about two inches long and wrap B around it. Create a loop with Ribbon B, and pull it through the first loop. Pull on the lower part of Ribbon A to create the first braid.

3

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia

The grounds and gardens of the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose provide a scenic glimpse into Egyptian architecture and beautiful places to sit. The building is modeled after two ancient Egyptian temples.

BY RACHEL ALVELAIS

What are your plans for summer vacation? Are you going to take the hour-long drive down to Sunset or Ocean Beach, go down to Santa Cruz on the weekend, or head up to San Francisco for a cool afternoon at Pier 39? Chances are, if you don’t own a car or have a friend who does, your summer plans revolve around your family’s schedule and what you can or can’t do on your own in Milpitas.

Thankfully, the best places to hang out in the Bay Area are pretty well connected by public transit lines such as VTA light rail, bus, BART, or CalTrain. The light rail station at Great Mall can take you as far as Downtown Mountain View, where you can take CalTrain anywhere from Palo Alto or San Francisco for around $7. In the opposite direction, the Great Mall light rail station can connect you to Downtown San Jose for $1.75.

With such cheap transportation available, your summers are returned to you! Here are some great places to visit during your free time, and each one is easily accessible through public transportation. Find them online for business shours, photos, and other information.

Art & Museums The Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University is a beautiful, free art museum with rotating exhibitions, lectures, and special events hosted on campus.

The Center is open Wednesday through Sunday, and the Rodin Sculpture Garden is always open to visitors.

The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and Planetarium in San Jose is home to the largest ancient Egyptian exhibition on this side of the country, and the building itself is a must-see.

Shaped like an ancient Egyptian temple, the $9 admission gives you access to guided tomb tours and space films as well as the beautiful grounds, gardens, and exhibits.

Movies & Entertainment The Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto is almost 90 years old and is dedicated to playing classic black-and-white movies on a towering silver screen. The theatre generally hosts festival runs of famous directors, actors, and actresses from Hollywood’s Golden Age—so if you like Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, or Alfred Hitchcock, this is possibly the most authentic venue here in the Bay Area where you could see them in.

Food & Shopping There are no book stores in Milpitas, but there are plenty around the Bay Area. Books Inc. has locations in Mountain View, Palo Alto, Berkeley, and San Francisco.

They’ll have almost any book you can think of: best sellers, graphic novels, you name it—and if they don’t happen to have what you’re looking for, the friendly staff is always willing to order it for you!

Gelato Classico is the best gelato place in the entire Bay Area, if not the world outside of Italy.

With shops in Fremont, Mountain View, and Palo Alto, there’s no excuse not to stop in for a free sample. Be warned: the shops are tiny, popular, and cash-only—but so worth it.

Activities & Events If you have friends attending Cal, or just feel like going on an adventure, head up to Berkeley to tour the campus and the city. On a clear day, the view from the top of the Campanile (the university’s bell and clock-tower) is to die for, and there are plenty of places to eat, get coffee, and be entertained if you just look for them.

There are plenty of other places that are easy enough to get to throughout the Bay Area. The most memorable ones are those you find when you explore on your own.

Tawdry caps and gowns better for alternate uses Continue braiding the ribbon by repeating the looping pattern, alternating ribbon colors for the beginning of each loop. Pull on the lower part of Ribbon A to tighten the ribbon and create the first braid.

4 When you are almost done braiding the ribbons together with about six inches left, tie another knot to secure the braid. Bring the two loose ends of the ribbon together and tie a bow to complete the lei.

BY MICHELLE WU

With graduation coming around the corner, seniors must start planning for the future. The first task that comes to mind is what to do with your graduation outfit. You will only wear this cap and gown once in your life, so how can you get your money’s worth?

One of the most common things to do with graduation gear is to hang the tassel in a car or somewhere in the house. But what about the cap and gown?

The graduation cap could be used as a decoration. Find a place to hang the cap on the wall by using a push pin, with the top of the cap facing outwards. Leave the tassel on it for extra embellishment. It is also popular to frame the cap instead of just hanging it. If you keep or want to create a box of memories, you can just put all of your graduation things in there for future nostalgic items.

You can be creative with your useless gown and think outside the box.

The gown could be purposeful and

can supplement as a bathrobe or a pair of oversized pajamas. It could be paired with a few accessories to create a quick and easy costume for Halloween, such as a wizard or a judge. If you are good at sewing and like to create clothes, the gown could be cut up and used as cloth for your next project.

If you no longer want the cap and gown, then recycle it for reuse. You can give it to any family members or underclassmen friends that go to MHS so they can use it for their graduations. If you do not have anyone to pass it on to, then donate it to the school to help out others that might need it.

Perhaps you do not want to use your graduation outfit as a decoration, transform it into something new, or give it away, then what?

Well if you did not enjoy high school, and graduation has set you free from your hell, then burn it to celebrate or as an act of catharsis.

Burning it can be your last (or first) alternative.

Instead of having to think of cre-

ative ways to make use out of our graduation caps and gowns, a major concern should be why we even need to purchase them in the first place. It is very common for a school to have sets of graduation caps and gowns that are available for rent. It is unnecessary for a school, such as ours, to force its graduating class to purchase brand new caps and gowns when the students will only wear it once in their lives, unless they will coincidentally need the same exact cap and gown for their college graduation. The chance of that happening is very unlikely.

Since our school does force us to waste money to buy a cap and gown, we should get our money’s worth. If we are investing money in something we will only wear for a few hours it should be of good quality and, more importantly, comfortable. Our current gowns are very scratchy and provide no insulation whatsoever. We have to sit in the scorching heat for hours; why is it necessary to wear something equivalent to a blanket?

MAY 2014

THE UNION

LIFESTYLE

Studies find ‘yoga mat chemical’ in fast foods

BY JENNIFER DUONG

Seemingly harmless chemicals are digested each day through food.

Whether they are additives used to preserve potato chips or enhance flavor, they are unnatural ingredients. The “yoga mat” chemical, or azodicarbonamide (ADA), is a bleaching agent used to improve the texture of dough as well as whiten it, according to Forbes Reporter Melanie Haiken.

ADA is referred to as the “yoga mat” chemical because the chemical is the same one found in yoga mats and flip flops, according to Haiken. The chemical gives dough the same elasticity that is found in yoga mats.

ADA is a chemical often used as a foaming agent in products made of plastic or rubber, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stat-

ed. The additive is approved by the FDA, according to the FDA’s official website.

ADA is found in several foods, most notably in Subway’s bread.

Subway uses ADA as a dough conditioner and whitening agent for its bread, according to CBS News.

Subway has been using the chemical before 2006, CBS News stated.

Subway plans to stop using ADA in its bread, according to USA Today Reporter Hadley Malcolm’s article. The removal of the chemical is largely attributed to Foodbabe.com Owner Vani Hari’s petition, Malcolm explained.

“Azodicarbonamide is the same chemical used to make yoga mats, shoe soles, and other rubbery objects,” Hari said. “It’s not supposed to be in food or even eaten for that matter. And it’s definitely not ‘fresh.’”

Although nearly 500 other companies also use ADA in their foods, Subway was used as an example because of its slogan, “Eat Fresh,” Hari stated. The petition serves to not only rid ADA from Subway’s bread, but also in other companies’ breads, such as McDonald’s and Starbucks, according to Hari.

During bread making, ADA breaks down to form other chemicals, one of which is Semicarbazide (SEM), according to the FDA. High levels of SEM have been shown to increase the incidents of tumors in female mice, the FDA stated.

Aside from Subway, Starbucks also uses ADA in its croissants, according to Hari. The ingredient is found in approximately 500 foods, such as Wonder Bread, Smuckers’ Uncrustables, Pillsbury’s Crescents, and Chick-fil-A and McDonald’s breads, Hari continued.

FASHION SPOTLIGHT Bria n n a B a r n e s Senior

1. Necklace gifted 2. Baseball Tee thrifted 3. rings from H&M 4. shoes from Nike

Video games are an integral aspect of many teenagers’ lifestyles.

It is easy to see people around campus talking about or playing a video game. There are many psychological benefits to video games, and in moderation they have little to no effect on school work.

According to a study conducted by Psychology Today, video games hold many psychological benefits for the young mind in today’s society. They provide “compelling social, cognitive, and emotional experiences.”

The American Psychological Association showed that shooter games provide benefits for the

building of cognitive skills. Role playing games showed an increase in grades and an improvement in problem solving skills.

An issue seen in those who play video games is that they take over lives and as a result cause people to fall behind on school work and lower grades. However, many have said that they are able to stop playing video games when the time requires, and keep up an average or above average GPA. Sophomore Sharanjeet Singh said that he spends about one or two hours a day playing video games and maintains mostly A’s, with only 1 B. Singh said that video games have little impact upon his ability to com-

2

1 3

4

Video games provide unprecedented benefits

BY NEAL BANSAL

17

Her Fashion Inspir ation:

“I get my inspiration by looking at others and pulling from them-peers and what I see online.”

plete school work or other responsibilities, because he is able to stop playing if necessary.

Junior Kurdt Raval spends four to five hours a day on average playing video games, having “better than average grades,” mostly A’s and some B’s. Video games have no effect on his school work, but gives him “topics to talk to other people about while at school,” Raval said.

On the more intense end of the spectrum is Sophomore Allen Bernardo who spends eight to twelve hours a day on average playing video games, from 4 pm to 1-4 am the next day. He said that he still is able to maintain average grades, mostly A’s and B’s, with some C’s.

Sidney Le| THE UNION

Senior Christian Quiocho (left) and Senior Brianna Barnes (right) are dressed to impress, all while effectively fighting the heat. Shorts are in!

1

christian quiocho Senior

1. Shirt from J Crew 2. Par acord br acelet from online store

2

3. Watch w/ NATO str ap from Swiss Army, J Crew 4. Shoes w/ Leather laces from Vans, Louis Vuitton

3

His Fashion Inspir ation:

“My inspiration comes from sharpness and subtlety with a little hint of prep.”

4

18

T HE U NION

ADVERTISEMENT

MAY 2014

Play CommonWealth’s TrojansTrivia.

Win Cool Prizes. Learn About Credit Unions.

Correctly answer this month’s trivia questions and you could win a $50 Visa® gift card!* Winning is simple–just visit the Milpitas High School website and click on the CommonWealth banner to see this month’s trivia questions. Then, find the answers on our website and submit the correct answers to be entered to win.

Each month we’ll have new trivia questions and a new winner. Look for us in the paper, on the marque and on the website for more chances to win!

Come Visit Us!

537 E. Calaveras Boulevard In the Milpitas Town Center, next to Peet’s Coffee

*Answers must be correct to be eligible. Winners will be drawn on the 15th of every month. Contest ends June 15, 2014.

MAY 2014

THE UNION

ENTERTAINMENT

19

‘Spider-Man 2’ amazes, swings into success RATING:

•••

BY JONATHAN NGO

“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is an excellent, bang-up sequel to the 2012 reboot of the Spider-Man movie franchise. By no means will this movie satisfy the harshest of critics seeking a dramatic or artistic film.

It’s simply not supposed to. This latest installment of the Spider-Man series does exactly what it should: entertain the audience and immerse it in a plot that is both thrilling and sensational.

In this sequel, superhero and vigilante Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) continues his battle against crime, encountering increasingly complicated dilemmas. For instance, Parker discovers the true reason for his father’s disappearance. He also faces

additional conflicts with several new villains.

In some sense, watching “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” was like seeing a typical superhero movie straight off the assembly line.

In other words, the crux of most great movies—a character’s struggle between the responsibilities of keeping the public safe MOVIE and maintaining strong REVIEW personal relationships or other internal conflicts— was mostly lacking in this film.

Although I was mainly concerned with how many great action sequences or special effects there were, I don’t think we would have been disappointed with a little more complex character development.

If you really think about it, despite there being new villains and



fight scenes, these types of films do get boring over time. Of course, this is still a blockbuster action movie, so the studio gave us exactly what we were expecting.

When deciding whether I liked a movie, however, I find it best to be less analytical and just focus on how I feel as I exit the theater doors. As I exited the theater after seeing “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” I felt a sense of awe.

I wasn’t analyzing every scene or critiquing every bit of the dialogue. I had a feeling of thorough entertainment, and that’s all that mattered.

Overall, if you haven’t seen this movie yet and you want a couple hours of pleasant escape to a world of superheroes, villains, thrills, and moral dilemmas, don’t hesitate to see this film.

Courtesy of Warner Brothers

Godzilla surfaces from the ocean as he hunts down two M.U.T.O.’s in the Bay Area. “Godzilla,” a reboot of the franchise, was released on May 16, 2014.

‘Godzilla’ destroys Bay Area

RATING:

••••

BY STEPHEN HSU

‘True detective’ intriguing, large storyline RATING:

••••

BY VIKRAM SASTRY

When I found out that Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson were going to be acting in a TV show together I was not sure how to feel. I was enthralled that these two actors would be joining forces to battle evil, but was worried it would crash like many TV shows with too many A list actors. However, in True Detective, the show’s story and dialogue tune out any last belief that either of the actors was the major character.

While both actors do a good job of playing conflicted detectives, they are small in the face of the gargantuan plot and all of its intricacies. The show does a good job of incorporating the main characters in a way that doesn’t allow them to run the show.

While McConaughey or Harrelson tries to investigate the main mystery in the story other gears are pushed into motion and we soon forget about the main characters.

The show begins with a quiet yet thoughtful detective, Rust Cohle, arriving at a crime scene. HarTV-SERIES relson’s character, Martin REVIEW Hart, analyzes Rust, in a deposition with two other detectives, explaining Rust’s interesting and abnormal demeanor. True Detective continues down this road of a deep, and perverse story, which only becomes more and more complicated.

The reason for why True Detective was so interesting is that it had such a rich story. Rust’s past is explained with great detail while Martin’s future seems to become cloudy. There



is a sense of abnormal interactions between the different characters. Although this weird nuance is hard to understand, it is explained throughout the show making it easy to follow as well as entertaining to watch. Similarly the story lends a quickness to the dialogue, increasing the substance while also making certain banter seem more important than it really is. The show uses the banter to open up different parts of the story that seemed egregious and ties them in.

It’s not one that will be considered widely loved, but the concepts and the story are unforgettable. Even if you watch one episode you will gain more from it than most shows do in the whole of their series. True Detective takes two great actors, puts them in a demanding script, and reaps a story that is simply stunning.

“Godzilla” details the chronicles of a crazy engineer (Bryan Cranston) who loses a loved one in a tragic event. His desire for truth and knowledge drives his family apart but he continues on his journey to discover what caused the tragic event.

Eventually his son realizes the truth in his father’s words and the duo must figure out the mysterious creature behind all the natural disasters and how to protect the Earth from total annihilation.

Surprisingly, the first creature discussed is not Godzilla, but a new creature introduced, M.U.T.O., a beetle- like creature that feeds off of radiation. The design of the creature is like that of an arthropod mixed with robotic features in a truly terrifying creature. The best part of the M.U.T.O. is that it is neither overzealous in its appearance nor too simple.

When Godzilla finally makes his appearance, he does not destroy buildings, but rather fights against the M.U.T.O. The characters in the story realize then that they must fight a pre-

historic creature with another prehistoric creature. This original take on “Godzilla” as a defender rather than a stereotypical giant lizard is refreshing. In addition to Godzilla’s new role, he is also well designed and truly fits the aesthetics of a true Godzilla. His scales and flexible movements are truly that of a lizard rather than a huge bulky mess.

Despite its rather star heavy cast, the movie MOVIE lacks character developREVIEW ment. Characters, some who may be assumed as main characters, die and are never mentioned again throughout the movie. This lack of character attachment and plot causes confusion as to the importance of characters. After leaving the theatre, I was left feeling robbed of a fully developed story.

Despite the lack of real story plot and character development in “Godzilla,” the fact that it is about Godzilla, the king of monsters, “Godzilla” is a movie worth watching.

The graphics, design, and Bay Area references are enough to justify a visit to the movie theatre to watch this great monster movie.



MUSIC REVIEWS

‘Mad Men’ enters final, split season RATING:

••••

BY KAREN CHI

GHOST STORIES

POP PSYCHOLOGY

SHATTER ME

by Coldplay Alternative Rock RATING:

by Neon Trees Indie Rock RATING:

by Lindsey Stirling Classical Crossover RATING:

BY AKSHAT DAS

BY RACHEL ALVELAIS

BY JENNIFER DUONG

“Parachutes,” Coldplay’s closest comparison to its new album, “Ghost Stories,” was known for its really direct and simple lyrics. “Ghost Stories” aspires to a similar directness, only this time the mood is a good deal more somber.

The backdrop for many of these songs is inescapable: lead vocalist Chris Martin’s troubled relationship with his wife, actress Gwyneth Platrow. The songs play like a soundtrack to the break-up.

Repeated lyrics such as “You’re always in my head” and “I don’t want anybody else but you” further emphasize Martin’s somber tone. The vast majority of the songs in this album is rather empty, with only “A Sky Full of Stars” offering any sort of hope.

Variation has always been one of the key elements in Coldplay’s songs, yet it is completely absent from “Ghost Stories.” From the very beginning, Martin and the band create a rather somber mood, and stick with it throughout the album, a move which doesn’t necessarily give them any benefits.

For those only familiar with the Neon Trees’ hits “Animal” or “Everybody Talks,” the band’s latest album may seem a departure from the pop-rock style that may have been its signature.

Full of playful ballads reminiscent of Disney movies, and soft, sentimental rock tracks, “Pop Psychology,” are softer, sweeter, and more pop-like than the band’s prior work.

Glenn was in the news for coming out close to the album’s release, and much of “Pop Psychology” is devoted to earnestly exploring his sexuality and mental health in songs like “Voices in the Hall.”

“Sleeping With a Friend” was released ahead of the album and is closest in style to the iconic Neon Trees pop-rock songs. Like most of the songs in “Pop Psychology,” it’s a song that’ll have you singing with the band.

While “Everybody Talks” was unabashedly a summer song that teens would blast with the windows down on the way to the beach, no one song in “Pop Psychology” is daring enough to become such an anthem.

Violinist Lindsey Stirling returns after two years with her album “Shatter Me,” which is comprised of unique instrumental music. Stirling not only uses a violin for a classical music effect, but also implements several beats to incorporate a dubstep feel and hip-hop vibe.

“Shatter Me” shows the maturation and improvement Stirling has achieved since her last album. Many of Stirling’s songs have a dark undertone.

“V-Pop” is the third track in the album. The first few seconds of the song contain a soft dubstep beat. The song then speeds up, giving it a cheerier yet darker feeling.

Stirling’s penultimate song, “Sun Skip,” begins with an electronic beat.

Stirling uses her violin to add a catchier tune. The dubstep incorporated in her track provides a cheery beat, reminiscent of the opening of a cartoon show.

Still, Stirling’s new album is similar to her previous album. Despite featuring a similar sound, “Shatter Me” is highly recommended.

•••

••••

••••

The only thing that’s been getting me through my Sundays lately has been the return of “Mad Men.” With seven episodes airing this year and the other seven to air in Spring 2015, AMC seems to think that what worked well for “Breaking Bad” will also work well for “Mad Men” too.

In the early seasons, Don Draper was at his prime. He walked around as if he owned it (which he and his colleagues eventually did). He was attractive and full of himself.

Don Draper had it all. And then he lost every single bit of it, which brings us to season seven.

Anyone who follows Mad Men knows that it’s slow paced and kind of dragged out, but when TV-SERIES things do happen, the REVIEW show truly lives up to its credibility as a drama.

The season begins with reintroduc-



tions of the characters and their situations, but Don—Don is still as cold as ever.

After six long and fascinating seasons, “Mad Men,” has run its course.

The characters we’ve all grown to love probably won’t find the happiness they’ve stopped at nothing to obtain.

“Mad Men,” has never been a show about wrapping up a plot or catching a criminal. It’s a character study of society in the 60’s and the cast’s development from beginning to end.

The episodes are still just as intriguing, and the acting and writing has thankfully not suffered. It’s going to be interesting to see more character development, or decline, in future episodes.

And with this season, the spotlight is more on the women. That’s where Peggy, Draper’s foil, comes in. While Draper descends into a drunken state of madness and lies, Peggy blossoms.

Since the first episode opened with them in completely opposite states of where season six left off on, this final season seems to be promising to watch.

20

THE UNION

MAY 2014

ENTERTAINMENT

‘Thrones’ kills with new season RATING:

•••••

BY SUMUKH SHEKAR

After 301 days of waiting, Home Box Office (HBO) finally delivered the fourth season of its highly acclaimed adaptation of the epic fantasy novel series “A Song of Ice and Fire.” This season picks up right where Season 3 left off, showing how Jamie Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is adjusting to his life without a hand back at King’s Landing after returning from his period of captivity. King Joffrey’s (Jack Gleeson) wedding to Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer) becomes a central point of the season, enveloping two episodes with its consequences being the central plot for the following episodes.

The season also uses the wedding to introduce Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal), a Dornish prince with a greater sexual appetite than Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), who has an interesting backstory related to the Lannisters. Prince Oberyn plays a major role in King’s Landing after the long-awaited death of a major character. In spite of the focus on the affairs in King’s Landing, the season is able to excellently story-tell Daenerys Targaryen’s (Emilia Clarke) conquest, Brandon Stark’s (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) journey Beyond the Wall, the Night’s Watch’s recent struggles, and everything else happening around the Seven Kingdoms.

While there’s always a lot of different plot details progressing throughout Westeros, those who want to see more plot development for the army of White Walkers Beyond the Wall or hope to see Daenerys’ use dragons in combat will be disappointed. Like the previous seasons, characters in Season 4 consider the threat from Beyond the Wall as the biggest threat the Seven Kingdoms has ever faced,

yet the episodes continue to push aside that danger to showcase for another time. Viewers who want to see Daenerys’ dragons in action will be further disappointed with the fact that her conquest of liberation as she approaches King’s Landing comes to a sudden halt in favor of taking time to promote stability within her conquered lands.

However, those who want more action won’t be disappointed. There are many fight scenes that occur throughout the season and are exciting to watch, from The Hound (Rory McCann) and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) fighting Lannister men-atarms to the various fights the Night’s Watch has to endure. Furthermore, those who enjoy Game of Thrones for the amount of drama that occurs throughout the series will be happy to know that Season 4 further inTV-SERIES tensifies the drama.

REVIEW Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister does an exceptionally wonderful job portraying his emotions in episode 6 after he is enraged by the fact that his dwarfism causes everyone, especially his own father, to overlook his impressive accomplishments. But most importantly, this season has its epic award winning moments. This is especially true of Dinklage’s excellent portrayal of Tyrion.

Game of Thrones is known for its sudden plot twists and epic deaths, and Season 4 is no different. In fact, probably the most important plot details that decide the fate of the Seven Kingdoms occur in Season 4 (and I’m not talking just about character deaths). Just when you thought Game of Thrones couldn’t get any more epic, this season has come to prove it all wrong one episode at a time. As the show’s promotional slogan goes, “All men must die.”



‘Elementary’ shifts dynamic RATING:

••••

BY NHI TRAN

“Elementary” aired its second season finale on May 15. Although it was not as thrilling as the last season finale, it offered plenty of change and excitement for next season with the resolution of Mycroft’s storyline and a shift in Joan and Sherlock’s relationship.

The season finale excelled in its vulnerable and emotional moments between Joan and Sherlock as the series always does due to the excellent acting by Lucy Liu and Jonny Lee Miller. Sherlock’s interaction with Mycroft at the TV-SERIES end and his conversation REVIEW with Joan was moving and well-executed by the actors.

The writers’ decision to change Joan and Sherlock’s dynamic by Joan moving out is appreciated, because many crime procedurals tend to get stuck in the same routine and format.

The change is welcome, but it was unsatisfying that Joan’s decision was prompted by her relationship with



Mycroft rather than the growth of her own character. Joan’s personal growth and her search for independence should get more coverage in the third season.

The episode was solid but underwhelming. The mystery involving Mycroft was wrapped up too neatly and offered little surprise. It was an unsatisfying conclusion to his story. Most of the twists in the episode lacked surprise or suspense, and many of them were easily inferred.

Overall, the second season was poignant and entertaining. Throughout the season, the writers did an excellent job with Sherlock’s character development. It was consistently enticing to watch Sherlock’s growth. The best part of this season was Joan and Sherlock’s interactions, and it will be interesting to see what the writers will do for next year regarding Joan and Sherlock’s relationship after Joan moves out.

However, this season also had unsatisfying developments. Joan’s growth was only briefly featured which was especially disappointing.

The relationship between Joan and Mycroft was uninteresting and felt forced. The second season also had

Courtesy of twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

A young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) goes forward in time to confront his future self (Patrick Stewart). Future and past incarnations of “X-Men” characters meet in this sequel to prevent the extinction of mutants across the globe.

‘X-Men’ sequel unites franchise, demographics RATING:

•••••

BY KAREN SHYU

“X-Men: Days of Future Past” begins by depicting the terrifying reign of the intelligent, adaptable Sentinels, robots created to destroy mutants, in a dystopian future. The scientist Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) believes that creating the Sentinels is the solution to defeating the mutant population. The Sentinels, originally built to combat mutants, ran rampant and also start to hunt down those who had the potential of becoming a mutant.

Eventually, only a couple of mutants are left in the desolate wasteland that was once home to many.

To undo what has already happened, Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), a mutant who gains the ability to send a person’s consciousness to the past, sends Wolverine, who is the only one that

can withstand the severe brain damage from being sent back more than a month due to his highly regenerative ability, back before 1973 to stop the Sentinel program from ever being initiated.

A film which possesses both an intricately-woven plot and an expressive, powerful cast “X-Men: Days of Future Past” fulfills and surpasses all prior expectations. Despite having a time-manipulative aspect, the movie succeeds in interweaving the multiple timelines into a comprehensible, enticing story with a skillMOVIE fully-written script.

REVIEW Action scenes occur back-to-back with excellent emotional scenes, leaving no time to catch your breath, and every scene is given a purpose rather than acting as fillers. Characters portray emotions in a realistic manner, de-



veloping relationships rather than remaining stagnant throughout the film, and also including existing character conflict from its predecessor “X-Men: First Class. “ A prominent clashing relationship between Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) is given life and continues to cultivate off the emotions from the conclusion of “X-Men: First Class.” However, Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) is not given much to do in her scenes as the audience would expect.

Overall, “X-Men: Days of Future Past” exhibits excellent cinematography, keeping the audience entranced by beautiful visuals and plot. The film rectifies director Bryan Singer’s past failures and epitomizes the true potential of the X-Men franchise.

‘Bates Motel’ dark, diverges from predecessor RATING:

••••

BY BRYAN TRAN

You may have heard of the movie “Psycho.” No, not the crappy 90’s one, the old one from the 60’s by Alfred Hitchcock that is considered one of the best horror films of all time. Do you remember the name of the antagonist? If you can’t, it was Norman Bates. Currently there is a television show that is on its second season. It’s called “Bates Motel” and the main character is named…. Norman Bates!

This is not a coincidence. “Bates Motel” is made using roughly the same background story as “Psycho” and creates a world similar to the one where Norman is haunted by his dead mother and does insane things. A&E’s “Bates Motel” is an interesting spin-

off of the film and creates an exciting, brilliant adaption for television.

“Bates Motel” features Freddie Highmore as Norman Bates’s adolescent self, highlighting his instability and manipulative mother, Norma. In each consecutive episode, we can see Norman becoming closer and closer to the Norman from Psycho that we all know. Highmore’s acting TV-SERIES proves to be truly captiREVIEW vating. His “blackouts” and unexplainable behavior are developed through a combination of both his own magnificent acting along side his mother’s (played

by Vera Farmiga).

The second season is consistent in the brilliant writing seen in the first. It has begun to diverge from the world of Psycho but retains a dark,



ominous nature that can hold its own.

In season two, we are introduced further into the mystery of the town’s rampant organized crime scene that is creepily insinuated in season one.

Norman’s dark tendencies are increasingly noticeable; he is obsessed with a love interest and a dead teacher. He visits his teacher’s grave almost every day. Norman sends hundreds of letters to his crush while she is in a mental hospital because of her father’s death and betrayal. Norman also becomes incredibly attracted to taxidermy and begins to stuff as many dead animals as he can get a hold of.

In total, “Bates Motel” creates a brilliantly dark atmosphere that is slightly different from Hitchcock’s film and is able to be independent in its own legacy.

‘Transcendence’ explores many topics, lacks focus RATING:

••

BY MOSHE YANG

Transcendence in science fiction is the transfer of human consciousness out of the body into the virtual world.

Dr. Caster (Johnny Depp), a lead researcher on sentient computers, is mortally wounded and is uploaded to a computer by his desperate wife, Evelyn (Rebecca Hall).

The movie begins with terrorists called Revolutionary Independence from Technology (RIFT) trying to stop Caster’s research on sentient computers. Caster is shot with a radioactive bullet, giving him a month to live. His wife, Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) desperately tries to save him by uploading his consciousness to a quantum computer.

Once Caster transcends, he can access all information and proceeds to make money and new inventions.

Along with his wife, Caster transforms Brightwood, a desert town, into a haven for technology and research. As Caster’s power grows, Evelyn slowly begins to question Caster’s morals. The nanotechnology he uses to save lives and create superstrong humans can also be used to remotely control them.

The scope of transcenMOVIE dence beyond the REVIEW cliché ofgoes does man control technology or the other way around. It questions the meaning of human consciousness, the ideas of love and privacy, and on and on. It’s obvious that the director wants to touch on all of these sub-



jects, but his movie tries to do too much and fails.

There’s enough material for three movies, but the movie tries to generalize all of it by fitting into one big overarching cliché. It’s even worse when there are multiple scenes that seem cut straight from the movie “Her.” The themes of sentient computers seeking more knowledge and love between man and machine are done much better in that movie, too.

“Transcendence” was too uneven with too many plots and ideas to fit.

Depp’s monotone, disinterested voice and the somber music slow the movie to a crawl.

The movie is a mess. If you want to watch humans in love with machines, or a film questioning the morality of a technology-centric culture, just watch “Her” instead.

MAY 2014

ADVERTISEMENT

T HE U NION

21

THE UNION

22

MAY 2014

SPORTS

FEATURED ATHLETE On the weekends I like to ride my bike in the Santa Cruz County or Los Gatos area because there is a lot of shade and a nice ocean breeze. I’m on a team called Performance Cycle Coaching and my coach is currently training me for the Junior Nationals in Carson, CA in June.

What are some of your most memorable races and finishes?

My best finishes include the California Junior State Championships 2012, Foothill College Circuit Race, and a few Red Kite Criteriums in Livermore.

Neil Laxamana Junior Cycling

How long have you been cycling?

I’ve been cycling since 2011. My first competitive race was the Northern California State Junior Championships in 2012, where I got first place and was named the State Champion for 2012.

Where do you usually train and do you train individually or with a team?

I usually train around Milpitas and sometimes in Northern San Jose.

What type of racing do you do?

I do both track and road racing. Track racing differs from road racing; track bikes go on a wooden oval that is 250 meters long with 45 degree bankings. Road racing can occur on a closed circuit or a paved road and can be either in a city or in rural areas.

Track bikes only have one gear and do not have brakes, while road bikes have multiple gears and have brakes.

Upcoming locker renovations

BY ELLIOT NG

The boys’ and girls’ P.E. locker rooms will be renovated in two school years, MHS P.E. Teacher Brett Burns said. The athletic rooms inside the locker rooms will also be renovated. The reason for the renovation is that the P.E. locker rooms have not been changed before and need updating. The cost of the new locker rooms, as well as how they will be funded, are unknown.

Both lockers rooms will be taken down and completely changed into brand-new locker rooms, according to Burns. The new locker rooms will be used by P.E. students and athletes, Burns said.

Burns is excited about the new locker rooms and believes that they are needed. There will be new features added to the new lockers, such as increased security and cleaner material.

“The new locker rooms are long

overdue,” Burns said.“I think there needs to be some money allocated to the P.E. department to have new locker rooms,” he said. “Our current lockers are outdated and pretty nasty.”

Athletic Department Head Jeff Lamb also believes that the school is in need of new locker rooms. The locker rooms have not been updated once since their initial construction from over 40 years ago, according to Lamb.

“I think that the P.E locker rooms are the only buildings on the entire campus that never had a makeover before,” Lamb said. “Every other room or building probably has been changed at least once, even the large gym.”

Although Lamb is optimistic about the new locker rooms, he does not feel that they will last as long as the old ones. He believes that the new lockers will be cleaner and more attractive; however, he doubts that they will be as durable.

Interact hosts Walk-a-thon

BY NHI TRAN

Interact hosted its first walk-athon, called Run for the Sun, on May 10 at the MHS Track, according to Interact Co-President Jamie Lam. All the profits from the walk-a-thon will go towards Interact’s international project, The Answer is the Sun, Lam said.

“Through our project, The Answer is the Sun, we will be sending solar cook-its to refugee families in Afghanistan,” Interact Representative Gurpreet Lally said. “They will not need to spend money on buying wood to cook their food, and it’s good for the environment.”

Interact provided water for the walkers and had a raffle at the end of the event, Lam said. The main person in charge of organizing the event was Interact Board Memer Olivia Liev, according to Lam. The walk-a-thon successfully contributed to Interact’s international project, according to Lally. “Milpitas Interact set a monetary goal of $3,333 for our international project, and I am happy to say that we have surpassed that,” Lally said.

Lam said that since it is Interact’s first time hosting a walk-a-thon, she did not expect a lot of people to come.

However, the turnout was better than expected, and the weather was very

nice, according to Lam. “Interact decided to have a walk-athon because we thought it would be an excellent way to raise money for The Answer is the Sun,” Lally said. “It is also a really easy and enjoyable way for people to get involved and give to those who are less fortunate.”

To participate in the walk-a-thon, walkers had to fill out a sponsor sheet and a waiver form, according to Lam. Sponsors could choose to pay a flat fee or pay per lap to support the walkers, Lam said.

The event offered an opportunity for Interact members to bond with each other. “I really enjoyed the event, because it gave me time to bond with other members and officers,” Lally said. “This is the first time our Interact club has done anything like this, and our first shot at it was a success.”

Interact raised over $500 from the walk-a-thon, Lally stated. Lally also said that she is excited to see how next year’s Run for the Sun will go.

“We were able to raise a lot more out of this fundraiser then we expected, so we are really looking forward to future events like Run for the Sun,” Lam said. “We have learned so much from hosting this event for the first time, so we are prepared for next year and beyond.”

Stephen Hsu | THE UNION

The freshmen girls run the ball against the sophomores in the Powderpuff games on the MHS field on May 16.

The freshmen dominated the competition, winning against the sophomore team and the junior/senior team.

Freshmen emerge victorious at Powderpuff

BY STEPHEN HSU

The annual Powderpuff games were played on May 16 on the football field at MHS. With this year’s game came fierce yet friendly competition. The Powderpuff games consisted of MHS girls playing against other MHS girls in a game of flag football.

The games are a great way to defy gender roles and show a different side of the students of MHS. Previous players and current players enjoy this freedom the games create according to Senior Amanda Vien.

“I joined because it was something I’ve done for the last three years at MHS. It was an event where I got to meet new people and show that girls aren’t just about dressing up or looking pretty,” Vien said.

The freshmen girls were the champions of the Powderpuff games, de-

Fi nancial Aid and Scholar ships are availabl e at Miss io n Co l le ge www.missioncollege.e du Fo r Financi al Aid: visi t www.fafsa .ed.gov and re membe r to l ist Mi ssi on Co l le ge as a r eci pie nt of your appl icati on.

Fo r M ission Sch olarshi p oppo r t uniti es : www.missionco ll eg e.edu/stude nt_ser vice s/financ ial _aid/default.htm l

Courtesy of Neil Laxamana

How often do you compete?

On season, I compete every Wednesday at Hellyer Park Velodrome. Occasionally, I participate in a few road criterium races on the weekends.

feating both the sophomores and combined junior and senior team according to Senior Sharon Diep.

The freshmen girls won their games eighteen to twelve and twenty four to eighteen respectively.

“Although we did not win, the girls worked really hard and tried their best. We were able to go into overtime three times. It was a close game and everyone did very well,” Vien said.

The senior versus freshman game was particularly exciting to spectators and players. The game went into a triple overtime match, according to Diep.

“My favorite part of Powderpuff was watching the freshmen play the seniors during overtime. It was really intense,” Diep said.

This year’s Powderpuff games included the tradition of having female football players but also lacked a pop-

Certificates @ MISSION COLLEGE

ular tradition: male cheerleaders.

Typically Powderpuff games consist of female players playing flag football while male cheerleaders dress up and cheer on their counterparts .

“I did not see any male cheerleaders this year; I feel that without male cheerleaders, there is a little less spirit from the crowds,” Diep said.

The reason behind the lack of cheerleaders possibly stems from the lack of volunteers and participants.

Adjustments had to be made, according to Vien.

“Since sign ups were so little, pretty much everyone was on the team. ” Vien said.

Additionally, the Powderpuff games showcased not only the athletic ability of the females of MHS but also their sportsmanship. Competition was fierce, and the attitude was friendly.

MAY 2014

SPORTS

THE UNION

23

Class of 2014: Oustanding Senior Athletes

Courtesy Of Mabel Len

Mabel Len

Volleyball, Basketball, Wrestling, Track What sports did you play and for how long?

I played volleyball for all four years, basketball during freshman and sophomore year, wrestling for junior and senior year, and track during freshman, junior, and senior year.

What positions and roles did you play?

I was setter for all four years, which is one of the leading positions on the volleyball team.

I had the position of guard for basketball. I was a thrower for track, doing both discus and shot put.

What do you like about the sports you participated in?

In volleyball, I honestly like hitting the ball more than setting.

It amazes me how hard I can hit the ball and how fast it goes.

What are some of your biggest accomplishments?

My biggest accomplishment was in wrestling when I placed fourth in the state tournament this year and placed third in CCS for two years in a row.

Do you plan on playing in college? Where do you plan on going for college?

I’m planning on going to UC Merced and I’m going to be joining the wrestling club. I’m also planning to play volleyball in the gym in college, but not for the school team.

Do you have any advice to give to other high school players on the team?

“I expect you guys to get better, so beware because I’m coming back to wrestle you guys!”

Courtesy of Amy Zhao

Amy Zhao Swimming

What sports did you play and for how long?

I’ve been swimming for Milpitas High School since freshman year.

What was your role on the team?

I’ve been on the varsity girls team for all four years. Last year and this year, I was chosen to be a swim captain.

What do you like about Swimming?

I think with every sport there’s the satisfaction of self-improvement and the adrenaline from pitting those skills against another in competition. It’s not any different with swimming.

What makes swimming different is we’d rather work out when it’s blazing hot outside.

Do you plan on playing in college? Where do you plan on going for college?

I’m probably going to be swimming intramurals next year at Harvard.

Do you have any advice to give to other high school players on the team?

Everyone’s bound to get frustrated with one’s own progress at some point, but even though that’s discouraging, it’s always important to keep the right mindset. The psychological aspect of the sport plays a role as big as the physical conditioning too.

Courtesy Of Jonathan Donkers

Jonathan Donkers

Cross-Country, Track , Swimming, Soccer

Courtesy Of Harrison Tran

Harrison Tran Tennis

What sports did you play and for how long?

I did cross country and soccer for all four years. I also did swimming sophomore year and track freshman and senior year.

What are some of your biggest accomplishments?

They include achieving varsity sophomore year in both cross-country and soccer, and going to CCS for cross-country.

What sports did you play and for how long?

Freshman year: JV tennis. I moved up to playing varsity singles and doubles one during my sophomore year.

What positions and roles did you play?

I played midfield and forward on the soccer team. For track, freshman year I was a distance runner and as a senior, I did discus.

Do you plan on playing in college? Where do you plan on going for college?

Most definitely. I’m going to the University of Portland and since I didn’t really look into applying to be on its soccer team, I still have an option of walking on the team.

What positions and roles did you play?

I was captain my junior and senior year.

What do you like about the sports you participated in?

Soccer is always different; as a team sport, soccer is about finding creative ways to move the ball from player to player up the field. Participating in cross-country helped me build my endurance physically and mentally.

Do you have any advice to give to other high school players on the team?

Don’t let injuries take away the pleasure from your game. And always play your hardest and have fun! Also stay on top of your grades!

What do you like about Tennis?

I liked how as a small team, we are able to become close enough to be family. The family is shown in how we work, and we get to experience things together. Tennis is fun because it’s challenging and difficult to pursue. It requires hours and years of practice. Another thing is that this sport combines hand-eye coordination, running, and reflexes all in one sport.

Courtesy Of Timothy Hsu

Timothy Hsu Badminton

What sports did you play and for how long?

I play badminton and I first started playing in my freshman year. I began as a JV extra my freshman year and made it to varsity my sophomore year.

What was your role on the team?

I’ve been the team captain since my junior year.

What do you like about Badminton?

My favorite part of badminton is the speed of the game. The rallies may be short but the intensity is always high due to the speed of the bird.

What are some of your biggest accomplishments?

My biggest achievements in

badminton include reaching rank 25 in the US for under 19 boy’s singles, 43 in under 19 mixed doubles, and 66 in under 19 boy’s doubles.

Do you plan on playing in college? Where do you plan on going for college?

I do plan on playing badminton in college, and I will be attending UC Berkeley.

Do you have any advice to give to other high school players on the team?

My advice to other high school players on the team is to take initiative and play outside of school practice. When the school season ended, I still spent over twelve hours a week playing badminton.

Also, all you need is balls, a racquet, and a friend, given that the tennis courts are free in most parks.

What are some of your biggest accomplishments?

My biggest accomplishment is obtaining the respect of my team. As team captain for two years, I showed my team how tennis is played on the court and established a fair status amongst everyone.

Do you plan on playing in college? Where do you plan on going for college?

I definitely hope on participating in the game in college. I will attend San Jose State University while taking classes at De Anza.

Courtesy Of David Kruskamp

David Kruskamp

Football, Baseball, Basketball What sports did you play and for how long?

The sports I played in high school were football all three years on varsity, baseball with one year in JV and three years in varsity, and one year of basketball in JV. What positions and roles did you play?

My role on every team I’ve been a part of has been a leadership role. I tried to be the best leader possible both on and off the field.

What do you like about the sports?

Football is a very team oriented sport; everyone on the team has to be on the same page and work together as a unit. I also liked the fact we can hit people

and leave our aggression on the field. Also during the summer, it is fun to hang out with the football team practically every day and going to passing tournaments.

What are some of your biggest accomplishments?

One of the biggest accomplishments for me in my four years of high school sports would be winning the Division I CCS Football Championship. It was actually the biggest accomplishment of my entire life.

Do you plan on playing in college? Where do you plan on going for college?

I plan on playing baseball at CSU Monterey Bay.

T he U nion

24

May 2014

NEWS

UC admission rate declines; out-of-state admits increase Senior Zoe Chen, who will also be attending a UC campus next fall, expressed disagreement with the petition. Admitted international and outof-state students are just as deserving of admissions as in-state students, Chen said.

“We, Californian residents, can go

by Brenda Su

Graphics BY Rachel Avelais | DATA From National Center of Education STatistics

Racial disparities have narrowed in college admissions, but not in graduation. National Center of Education Statistics research shows that blacks are more likely than whites to attend a two-year college, go to school parttime, and take remedial classes. However, they are less likely to graduate. About 69 percent of Asians and 58 percent of whites who began college in 1996 graduated within six years, compared with 39 percent of blacks and 46 percent of Hispanics, according to the Department of Education. College degrees do not close the racial gap; college-educated blacks are more likely to be unemployed than college-educated whites, data shows.

Three Milpitas DECA members attend ICDC

by Sarah Tang

Three Milpitas DECA members — Senior Jarnin Fang and Sophomores Ivan Huang and Misbah Surani — attended DECA’s International Career Development Conference (ICDC) after qualifying at the state conference held in February. ICDC was held in Atlanta, Georgia from Friday May 2 to Wednesday May 7.

The competition brings together the top competitors from every state and province. Fang competed in the Principles of Finance event, Huang competed in the Business Finance event, and Surani competed in the Business Services Marketing event.

This was Huang’s and Fang’s first time competing at ICDC and Surani’s second time.

“The first part of my event is a written exam,” Fang said. “The second part is a role play, which is basically a mock interview where you’re put in a situation and you have to talk to a judge and present yourself in the best way possible.”

Huang prepared for the competition by reading economics materials. Competitors were able to review material and take tests released from previous years, according to Huang.

“My preparation was reading economic materials,” Huang said. “DECA also released [official competition prep] which allows competitors to take tests which have been released from previous years and be able to review material on that.”

Testing began Saturday and role plays for the preliminary round took

place Sunday, Huang said. Finalists in each event were announced on May 6, and the top 20 finalists competed in another round. Surani, who placed second in Principles of Business Administration at ICDC last year, was the only Milpitas DECA member who qualified for the final round. No Milpitas DECA members placed at ICDC this year.

There were approximately 17,000 students in attendance, Fang said. He met people from all over the country and described ICDC as “full of energy, intense, and fun at the same time.”

“I became less afraid to talk to people,” Fang said. “There was lots of stuff going on all the time. Competition was intense and people had a lot of drive to win.”

RACIAL DISPARITY:

114

points gap (weighted)

in API score between

in 20 13

RA OVE

OR M A

E C N

out-of-state too, too,” Chen said. “I think admissions should be based on merit.”

In the UC system as a whole, 28.8 percent of students admitted to the freshman class of 2018 are Latino, a record high, while 26.8 percent are white, numbers released by the UC said. Asians remain the largest minority group represented, making up 36.2 percent of all admittees, the statement said.

“The increase in Latino applicants to the UC and in the number accepted is encouraging and demonstrates that Latino families value a college education,” Campaign for College Opportunity representative Audrey Dow said in an interview with the Huffington Post.

Admissions officers across all UC campuses said this year’s applicant pool was more diverse and the most competive in history. For example, the average UC Berkeley admit had an unweighted grade point average of 3.9 and a SAT score of 2071 out of 2400, according to a press release on UC Berkeley’s website.

“We have an extremely talented pool of admitted students who have demonstrated outstanding academic achivement, leadership, and drive,” UC Berkeley Assistance Vice Chancellor Amy Jarich said in a press release.

D

D+

LL PE RF

“We have an extremely talented pool of admitted students who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, leadership, and drive.”

UC Berkeley Assisstant Vice Chancellor and Director of Undergraduate admissions Amy Jarich

Improvement among students of color (African-American and Latino)

MILPITAS HIGH SCHOOL

%

The number of applicants to the University of California (UC) system increased from 2013 to 2014. The UC as a whole accepted more students in 2014 than it did in 2013, but admission rates went down, according to numbers released by the UC. More Latino students than white students were offered admission, the first time in UC history.

THe UC system accepted a larger number of students—4.8 percent more—students than last year. Because more students applied, the admissions rate for the UC system as a whole dropped to 43.4 percent, down from 47.4 percent last year. Applications to every UC campus increased, the statement said.

Berkeley’s acceptance rate was 17.3 percent while Los Angeles’s was 18.4 percent, statements from the two most competitive campuses said.

This marked the first time admission rates at any UC campus were below 20 percent, the colleges stated.

Across the UC. out-of-state and international students have been accepted at higher percentages than instate students. The numbers of outof-state and international students accepted have continued to rise at larger percentages than the number of in-state residents accepted. This year, in the UC as a whole, 16.6 percent of admittees are out-of-state, up from 11.2 percent in 2013, press releases from the UC said.

Some Californian students, like Senior Raymond Khau, who will be attending a UC campus in the fall, expressed that it may have negatively impacted their own admissions. “[Out-of-state students] made it harder for me,” Khau said. “But I think it’s fair for them to also have a chance.”

An online petition on MoveOn Petitions called“UCs for Californians” argued that in order for the UC to raise revenue, qualified Californian students are being rejected in favor of out-of-state students, who pay approximately $20,000 more annually.

The petition, which has over 4100 signatures as of May 27, further states that a portion of the UC budget is paid for by the state government and Californian tax dollars; the petition called for the UC to make “qualified Californians a priority.”

C

Performance among students of color (weighted API average)

F

white students and students of color

Gap between students of color and white students

Graphics by Sidney Le | Data by Education Trust

The West division of The Education Trust publishes yearly performance reviews of school districts in California. These performance reviews guage how well the various districts educate their Latino, African-American, and low-income students based on API scores. Most school districts in California receive poor grades, but the majority of California high schools receive As and Bs. The grades reflect how a given school district performs against the national standard for students of color--API score of 800, five-year growth of 100 points, and a score gap of fewer than 30 points.