O PI N I O N S 2
UN I O N
E D I TO R I A L 3
DECEMBER 2016
Volume XXVIII Issue IV
FE AT U R E S 4 - 5
SPORTS 6
T HE
S PR E A D 8 - 9
L I F E S T Y LE 10 -12
E N T E R TA I N M E N T 13 -15
MHSTHEUNION.COM For the latest updates
STUDENT VOICE OF MILPITAS HIGH SCHOOL
Gender inequality gripes prompt change; plans of new girls team room commence BY JERALD MENDOZA
Courtesy of Natalie Trinh
ASB members (from left to right) Olivia Liev, Maggie Ly, Saumya Mutatkar, Valerie Lam, Vivian Le, and Loan-Anh Pham sort the Jack Emery donations from the clubs, classes, and individuals to donate to the Milpitas Food Pantry.
MHS Jack Emery Drive incentivizes can donations Donations for the Jack Emery Food Drive are being collected between Nov. 16 and Dec. 9, according to Activities Director Joanna Butcher. The Milpitas Food Pantry will be receiving all donations gathered by the Milpitas Unified School District, Butcher explained. MHS has a schoolwide goal of 10,000 and 13,000 cans along with individual classroom goals, with each dollar donation being equivalent to two cans, Butcher said. Each goal comes with rewards to incentivize donations, a break from last year’s competitions, according to Butcher. “Last year, the general consensus was that [a student’s] own class wouldn’t win, as one class would stockpile cans and donate them all at once,” Butcher said. “With the
elimination of competition and the new rewards of hour-long lunch and a minimum day before Spring Break, we felt people would be more inclined to donate.” Individual classroom rewards are based on how many students are in each of their respective first period classes and are given to one student or the whole class. Rewards include tardy sweep, detention, front of the line, and off campus passes; class rewards are donut holes or a full party provided by ASB, Butcher said. “Rewards for each class are tiered this year, with levels starting at an average of three cans per student up to six cans per student,” Butcher said. “Some classes have already reached the highest reward level, so ASB is already planning to give the reward before winter break because at least one of the classes is only a semester long.”
N EWS IN BR IEF
Integrity Policy revisions continue
BY NICHOLAS WAN
Upcoming standardized test dates The next SAT date is Jan. 21, and the deadline to register is Dec. 21. The upcoming ACT date is Feb. 11. Days of observance School will not be in session on Jan. 16 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day or on Jan. 27 for teacher in-service. Winter Break Winter Break will start after the end of finals on Dec. 19, and school will resume on Jan. 3. ASB announcements Winter Ball will take place on Feb. 3, and the preceding week will be Spirit Week.
BY HOPE DO JERALD MENDOZA
The MHS Academic Integrity Policy revisions have yet to be completed, Assistant Principal Skylar Draeger said. Following the School Leadership Team (SLT) meeting in early November, multiple drafts of the policy were vetted and discussed by each department, Draeger explained. Currently, they are in the process of deciding on what types of punishment to implement, Draeger continued. One item that the revised policy will have is an explanation as to what the different forms of academic dishonesty are, Draeger stated. The goal
Donations from the Jack Emery Drive are significant for the Milpitas Food Pantry, according to ASB President Natalie Trinh. The district and community donations enable the Food Pantry to operate for the year, Trinh added. “District donations to the Milpitas Food Pantry provide about 75% of donations for the year,” Trinh explained. “There are some supplements from the Second Harvest Food Bank, but the Food Pantry would not be able to keep its doors open without the district food drive.” The school goals were determined by the total from last year’s donations, which was 9.943 cans, and the number of students in the school, Butcher explained. According to Butcher, the 13,000 can goal was reached on Dec. 7, and as of Dec. 9, MHS has raised 19,876 cans.
is to offer some fair, restorative justice to stop students from cheating, Draeger said. “It’s not just a punishment, the goal is to actually get you to stop cheating,” Draeger stated. “[There’s] something we can do as part of a consequence that helps the student understand what it is they’ve done wrong.” The hope is that the policy will be completed by the January or February department meeting, Draeger said. There are several meetings scheduled for next week and during break, she said. Her estimate was that the revisions would have been done long ago, Draeger continued. SEE POLICY ON BACK PAGE
ASB brings back Winter Wishes in the spirit of giving BY NOEMI CRISANTO
Students at MHS have the opportunity to share their holiday spirit once again through ASB’s Winter Wishes program, according to the Winter Wishes Committee Head Olivia Liev. According to Liev, both students and staff are highly encouraged to participate in the auction and Winter Wishes program. Winter Wishes allows students and teachers to make a wish for someone else, which will be delivered to the other person during SSR starting second semester, according to Liev.
The program will once again only let people make wishes for other people to spread the spirit of giving, not receiving, Liev said. “To be able to do this, we hold an auction where students and staff have an opportunity to submit items or services for the school to bid on,” Liev said. “All the money raised from the auction will be used for granting wishes submitted by the staff and students at MHS.” The auction is held on Facebook and is one of the most successful fundraisers, according to Winter Wishes Committee Member Natalie
Trinh. Last year, the auction brought in more than $1000, which is why the goal this year was raised to $1,300. “If a person knows that someone needs something, like a dinner for their family, we definitely want to grant wishes like that even though material items are great too,” Trinh said. “But we want to encourage people to wish things for people that they actually need and not so much want.” According to Trinh, there is no guarantee that every single wish will be granted. But every cent raised will be put towards granting wishes.
Plans for the construction of a team room for MHS girls athletics are awaiting approval from the Department of the State Architect before renovations can be started, Superintendent Cheryl Jordan stated via email. The construction of the team room is in response to complaints made last year after remodels revealed discrepancies between athletics facilities. The reason girls athletics does not have a team room is girls athletics did not exist when MHS was first built, so they never had a team room for girls built in the first place. Boys athletics have had a team room since MHS was built, Jordan stated. “There has been a boys athletics team room since the opening of MHS in 1969,” Jordan wrote. “However, the original design never included the same for girls.” The plan for accommodating a girls athletics team room involves renovating and possibly removing existing spaces in the girls locker room in order to make space for the athletics facilities. Remodels over the summer will include the building of a girls athletics team room, Jordan explained.
This will require remodeling of some office and storage areas so that there can be a new team room without losing much-needed P.E. and athletics storage spaces, the email said. During last year’s remodel, the boys team room was expanded, bringing the difference to the attention of the staff, P.E. Teacher Deirdre Wyness said. “A wall was knocked down to make that room bigger, and so the girls locker room does not have that same area designated for a sports/team locker room,” Wyness said. “So we’ve worked with the district, and they’re going to create the same layout for us.” The process for planning and approval of renovations takes about a year, Director of Facilities Joe Flatley said via email. “The process involves meetings with stakeholders, preparation of drawings, cost estimating, submittal to the State Architect’s office for review and approval,” Flatley wrote, “and ultimately Board of Education approval.” The lengthy process for planning the athletic facilities remodel was further detailed by Wynesss. The school is waiting for approval and can go on SEE TEAM ROOM ON BACK PAGE
Katherine Hubeny| THE UNION
MHS theater students and the school play cast and crew meet “The Election” Playwright Don Zolidis. Students line up to receive autographs from him.
Playwright of school play visits MHS BY HOPE DO KATHERINE HUBENY
Playwright Don Zolidis, the writer of the fall play, “The Election,” visited MHS on Nov. 2, Play Director Kaila Schwartz said. This is the first time students in an MHS production of a play have been able to meet the playwright of the play they are performing, Schwartz added. Zolidis first talked to the students about his past and becoming a playwright; he later answered questions, Schwartz said. Zolidis then watched their rehearsal, providing feedback to the students, Schwartz said. “He said that he would give feedback, but he spent a lot of time just laughing and enjoying,” Schwartz said. “It’s always a good sign when the playwright leaves your rehearsal happy with what you’re doing.” Zolidis was making a trip to the Northwest and emailed multiple teachers, according to Zolidis. Zolidis has also visited many other schools throughout the country that have performed the play, he added. “I’ve visited probably 70 or 80
schools over the last couple of years,” Zolidis said. “I’ve traveled around, and I’ve tried to visit the shows and see what they’re doing.” Being able to meet and talk to Zolidis was an inspiring experience, according to Freshman Swetha Nair. The opportunity to meet the actual playwright of a play is not one that comes often, Nair continued. “[His] being here was really exhilarating, like, seeing somebody who’s actually successful and famous and world-known,” Nair said. “Having him talk to you one-on-one and taking pictures with him was really exciting.” Zolidis was able to give some of the actors better inspiration for their characters, Junior Krystal Quiocho said. He helped them develop their characters and improve their portrayals, Quiocho added. “We got to ask questions about his thought process about our specific play or any others,” Quiocho said. “Just preferences on how he would want to write a play, and we got to ask questions about our characters or other cast members’ characters.”