The Union - Milpitas High School - December 2016

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.”

2

THE UNION

PRO

Sensitivity in the right context is necessary for a good society

With various online forums and Another new phenomenon involvinternet communities rising in pop- ing sensitivity is the word “triggered.” ularity within the past decade, social While many people have issues that sensitivity has become a large issue. can be triggered, such as PTSD, the Various problems have become belit- word has been used so commonly that tled, and misinformation proliferates such issues are not treated seriously. around America. Mental disorders Internet forums use the word “trigsuch as obsessive compulsive disor- gered” mockingly to poke fun of each der (OCD), post-traumatother. Although it is not ic stress disorder (PTSD), directly harmful, knowing attention-deficit/hyperthe true nature of being activity disorder (ADHD), triggered is imperative to and many more are feigned correctly treating those and self-diagnosed by peowith problems. Many “sople who are perfectly fine. cial justice warriors” are Furthermore, a rising issue also seemingly triggered called “cultural appropriaby anything, such as a simtion” has become apparple Halloween costume. ent. Although cultural The act is demeaning to appropriation is wrong, those who can actually DARRION the word has been used be triggered, and heavily NGUYEN to appropriate cultures. plays down its complexiIn order to become more ties. More awareness for united as a nation, we must these issues should be adbecome more sensitive about other vocated for in order to provide adepeoples’ cultures, and disorders. quate aid for those in need.

When encountering new people, Culture is a part of social sensitivity one begins to learn more about the that should not be overlooked. Amerother, and thus form a relationship. ica has a longstanding history of racDuring this moment, however, many ism, and it is vital that we do not turn people describe themselves as hav- our back on it. Practices such as Black ing ADHD or OCD, which may be far Face or dressing up as Native Amerifrom the truth. People who actually can figures while doing random danchave ADHD or OCD face many det- es are examples of cultural appropriariments to a normal life, such as an tion that are wrong and should never inability to focus for any longer than be done. However, enjoying ethnic five minutes, or a compulsive need dishes are in no way bad. Cultures are to wash their hands. The falsification meant to be shared and enjoyed by of these disorders leads to the public everyone, and to call doing so cultural downplaying their negative effects. appropriation is to objectify a culture.

Although it is fine to joke around Still, it is important to keep a sensitive about having a disorder, it is import- mind towards other cultures. Respect ant to keep its true nature in mind and love for one another are key comand to be considerate. ponents for a better future.

CON

Social justice warriors beware: freedom of speech will prevail As society has furthered and bro- resenting their identities, and they ken through the oppressive eras of will take great offense to my inexinstitutionalized racism and sexism cusable behavior. Pronouns are used (wage gap trigger warning), we find not as a sign of respect, but as a tool ourselves facing another issue–has in English to simplify language and society become hypersensitive? Dis- ease everyday conversation. If I don’t claimer: people who know me prob- know you, then I am not obligated to ably will say I am not the most emo- respect you or your preferences; my tionally sensitive person, actions are done out of my but I still believe that this own will. In the modern is a pressing issue. era, we are ingrained with The prime example of the expectation to receive this overblown sensitivitreatment that is normally ty is on college campuses. considered privileged.

College is meant to be a Political correctness time of intellectual deand oversensitivity have velopment and space for profound effects on the students to get exposure way our society functions. to differing viewpoints.

When people learn that However, colleges have their ideas or beliefs are MIHIR become increasingly seconsidered offensive by HANSALIA lective in the ideas that peers, they will, by hucirculate the campus, such man nature, be reluctant as through speakers and to share these personal curriculum. At one of my cousin’s thoughts. In academic settings, this colleges, two speakers were turned suppression of thought is extremely away because students felt that the dangerous. It stifles intellectual deir beliefs were not in line with theirs. velopment and inquiry and restricts If you’re in college, it’s probably be- our freedom of speech; if I accidentcause you want to learn, so wouldn’t ly call my mailman a mailman even it be beneficial to gain all the knowl- though she is a woman, am I going to edge you can? Blocking out or being cause a trigger that will result in me offended by ideologies that you do being called a patriarch whose hetnot agree with doesn’t help anyone; eronormative narrative is offensive it just makes you close-minded. and contributes to institutionalized Another issue is that of political sexism? These are the questions that correctness and the attempt to cater I ask myself as I wake up every mornto every individuals’ needs and treat ing. Keeping this in mind, attacking them repsectfully. We want everyone someone’s character is reasonable to feel comfortable and equal (unless ground to be offended. you’re a Trump supporter... those Everyone has the right to an opinguys). The problem is not in being po- ion even if it’s “wrong,” and everyone litically correct; it is in the extreme has the right to be offended. to which this movement has taken So please, don’t go out of your way off. Apparently, I have to ask people to get offended. Take a joke. Freedom what their prefered pronouns are, of speech is far more important than because if I do not, then I am misrep- feelings.

OPINIONS

DECEMBER 2016

Playing the college game is as simple as lying As soon as you enter school, you’re behind. By the time you start freshman year, your path seems set for you. And by senior year, as your heart sinks at your scrawny looking resume, you understand just how woefully inadequate you are in the harsh light of admissions officers. This is the college application experience.

No matter how hard you try in school, how good or kind a person you are, how much you care about your community, the odds are stacked against you. The reason for that is simple: college applications are a game of numbers, statistics, and filling checklists. There are kids who have focused their entire lives on measuring up and ticking every box to create the perfect image. For those who’ve developed a true passion for the things they do and find success as a result, I have nothing but admiration. But for the rest--those who amass club positions to pad laundry lists, who fake passion that other students deem sacred, who rob others of opportunities that actually matter to them--they have earned my contempt.

Trying to get into college is a reality that many students deal with, and doing things to help your chances is completely natural. But as students are finding their passions in mean-

ingful service or academic success, more important than the means. No there are just as many students who one’s surprised it happens; in fact, the laugh as they write about experiences only way to keep pace for most people they’ve never had, emotions they’ve is to do the exact same thing. And as never experienced. Their essays we all pass ourselves off for new idenreek of the impression of the “right” tities as the same optimal student type of person, rather than the per- heroes, the people you know, in all son they live every day as. their different quirks and As students struggle to personalities, are cheaplive the life that colleges ened as a result. That rewould be proud of--taking ality is more than a little the difficult path, finding soul-crushing: if the world challenge, being genuwe’re about to enter is one inely good people--other that values appearances students can just as easover being genuine, I don’t ily steal the insight and think I want to grow up just emotion that many have yet. worked so hard for. As I suppose we shouldn’t members try to help their have expected anything JUSTIN community in clubs promore from the most comTSO moting service over self, petitive process in our some officers languish on young lives, a process that the side, with a leadership position crunches years of effort into somethat checks off another college box thing quantifiable and limited. It as their only goal. There isn’t much makes sense to exploit everything one can do, but when I hear students you have and some things you don’t; laugh about lying about being good there’s just too many people doing the people on their UC essays, the injus- same against you. That’s not going to tice of the entire situation makes me change any time soon, not as long as question whether being good is worth those who follow the formula are valanything anymore. idated by acceptance letters. But for You can’t really pin the blame on that reason, the game of college is a anyone in particular--we’re the by- broken one. And from what I’ve seen, product of a culture that’s made col- perhaps the easiest way to win is to lege the endgame, with the end far break yourself with it.

Lack of sufficient teachers affects class availability Statistically, MHS is better than terest. There are also elective classes most schools in California. Compared that only have a few periods available. to other schools in the Bay Area, we Most students do not have complete have a larger campus and a higher freedom in choosing the subjects that graduation rate. However, MHS is interest them, much less having any also ranked among other California choice in their schedule. public high schools as having one of This problem of availability bethe largest student enrollcomes more apparent ments. with the increase of stuThere are two main isdent population. Milpitas sues: Not enough teachers has been constructing and too many students. townhouses en masse There are over 3,000 stuaround the Great Mall dents in MHS, more than area and in other parts of most schools in San Jose the city. The population and in the Bay Area. There has already been increasis also an average student ing and will continue to teacher ratio of 24:1, above rise in the future. Since the national average. There there are restrictions DAVID is an unequal distribution to attending the public NGO of students in all classes, school of a different city, it and our school subjects is likely that there will be a are either overfilled with larger MHS student body students, or lacking open periods for in the next few years. certain in-demand classes.

We’re already feeling the sympNot enough teachers qualify for or toms, but there are some solutions. teach the specific subjects that most We can either expand MHS, increase students are interested in. Popular the teacher faculty, establish another classes such as Advanced Placement public high school in Milpitas, or do Physics or Psychology only have two all of the above. However, all of these teachers for each subject, while other solutions are time consuming. It is classes have less of a demand or inhard to expand the campus or build

an entire new high school because for each of them, there is not a lot of free space available in Milpitas to expand schools; construction requires approval and funding. These processes would be time-consuming and wouldn’t solve any problems we have right now.

Hiring more teachers is a more effective, short-term solution. However, the majority of general education subjects do not need more teachers, and we don’t have very many empty classrooms left. We would have to renovate or expand the campus, which is also unlikely. But by hiring more teachers for the right subjects, we could have more available class periods for the subjects that students are interested in, and fewer people in each class.

I, along with most students, am not aware of any announced plans to accomodate the continued influx of students. In the future the problem might be addressed more transparently, but students will hopefully have greater freedom in choosing their classes and maybe their own schedules. In the meantime, we can still choose most of our classes, with exceptions and limitations.

Tardy sweeps: major punishment for minor offense Your alarm broke, you were stuck in traffic, you had extracurricular activities. You hurriedly run across campus to your first period classroom only to hear the irritating music play and make the walk of shame to the office to receive a detention. How is this fair?

Tardy sweeps are one of the most unjustifiable events that occur at MHS. Students who are usually punctual may be, unfortunately, caught by a tardy sweep because of valid hindrances; for instance, alarms may have been broken or there may have been traffic. Students are then forced to miss valuable class time because they have to walk back across campus, wait in the extensive line of tardy students caught by the sweep, then walk back to class. What is the purpose of this hassle? To teach students not to be late? Administration should acknowledge that some of these students have no control over their tardiness. What are students supposed to do about traffic? Should they speed and run everyone over instead?

While some are coincidentally caught by the tardy sweep, students “experienced” in being tardy hide in the bathrooms, squat on top of the

toilet seats, wait until after the sweep do not even follow, why bother having is over, and then proceed to their it at all? This form of “filter” makes classrooms without being punished; tardy sweeps more unequitable and better yet, they can choose to skip urges students to appreciate the more the period entirely. This is not only “liberal” and criticize the stricter detrimental to students’ educations, staff members. Allegedly, all students but also encourages acahave to do at detentions demic dishonesty because is take their phones out an increasing number of and twiddle their thumbs students are learning how away, texting and playing to cheat the system from mobile games. How does the “experienced” few. this prevent students from Didn’t we just implement being tardy again? This a new list of academjust makes it even more ic integrity policies? I’ll harmful to students’ edeven quote it. Under the ucation and productivity.

“Forms of Academic DisLet’s be real here: tardy honesty” section, it lists sweeps are only there to “Lying about attendance” prevent the school from KEVIN as one of the offenses. losing money. However, ZHANG Now, that’s just ironstudents should not be ic and counterintuitive. penalized for the school’s Tardy sweeps are completely inlosses; you can’t punish a student effective, as not even all staff follows for having a broken alarm, for being the policy. Many students pass by stuck in traffic, or for participating security guards during a tardy sweep in extracurricular activities. I’m and move along to class without being sure that there is a substantial numinterrupted. Additionally, when some ber of students who deserve to be students enter their classrooms, their penalized for constant, intentionteachers do not administer the policy. al tardiness or absence, but don’t If we are going to have a rule that some drag the innocent students along.

DECEMBER EDITION

EDITOR I A L : The Opinion of The Union

MHS diversity underrepresented in classes Looking across campus, it’s easy to see the incredible diversity of our student body. We have a student population that thrives on celebrating our different cultures through food sales and culture shows. Take a look into the individual clubs and classroom settings, however, and you’ll see a much different picture.

School funded organizations such as ASB, Yearbook, Band, AP/Honors courses and our own journalism class, are disproportionate representations of the school’s racial demographics, with pan-Asian students overwhelmingly comprising these populations.

MHS is 68% Asian, 23% Filipino, 19% Hispanic/ Latino, 7% Caucasian, 3% African American, 3% Multiple, and 1% Pacific Islander. Clearly, these numbers don’t add up. The most prominent clubs and classes on campus have very small populations of Black and Latino students that do not match the school’s demographics. Living in such a culturally rich area, our school should be facilitating greater inclusivity for all of its members, not only in academia, but also in social circles.

In an interview with Assistant Principal Cheryl Rivera, she expressed her concern for the lack of inclusivity in certain school organizations. Rivera described a personal situation in which she encouraged a student from Black Student Union (BSU) to join ASB, but they declined because they would not have felt comfortable in a room with no other black students. Rivera pointed the issue towards one of the difficulty in finding comfort in a group of people who don’t look like you do.

“When I go back and talk to kids of different ethnic groups and things like that, who probably have the ability to be successful, ‘why aren’t you going for it?

Why are you not in this class?’ It’s comfortability and ‘I go there and there is nobody that I really connect with. It’s not that I don’t have the skill set or not that I’m not going to work hard to be able to successful, but I don’t feel like I have a skill set.’” Rivera explained.

“That was some of the kids. Other kids would say they felt uncomfortable because the vibe that they were getting from the teacher, unfortunately, wasn’t welcoming. I was like really? And it was unfortunate ‘cause I was at school like way back, not like cowboy days, but way back, and like I had a similar experience and I thought it has changed, and it really hasn’t.”

Experiences like these highlight a very real issue that our administration and student body should be actively working towards fixing. Programs such as the Access and Diversity Collaborative of the College Board are aimed to promote greater integration for racial minorities in higher education. MHS has such programs that are geared towards educational

diversity, such as Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS) that are directed towards getting underrepresented students into AP classes and award ceremonies that honor academic achievements of Black and Latino students, according to Rivera. A great part of these programs, according to Rivera, is “the self esteem that intrinsic value of knowing that you can do it.”

“The first group that went through [EOS], they went through the class, and they survived and, granted they might not have earned an A or B, but those same students then took more AP classes,” Rivera said. “We have second language or kids who don’t speak English very well or at all, and they’re in AP art because they are artists, you know, and there are kids in AP Spanish because they speak Spanish but they may not know them both, but there are things that you can do to build students’ worth.”

While the aforementioned programs are doing great work toward educational inclusivity, as a school, we should also be looking towards how we can make our clubs and student organizations more welcoming to students of different backgrounds. This is not as easy to do as it might be with educational programs. However, one way we can do this is by providing greater visibility to the non-Asian culture clubs on campus like Latino Student Union (LSU) and BSU, both of which are chartered for this upcoming semester and will be active in a variety of activities on campus. As uncomfortable as it may be, we must confront our own issues of social exclusivity directly and determine how to minimize them ourselves. Stories like the ones Rivera shared should prompt conversation in our individual circles on how to become more inclusive.

“We have 40 plus clubs on our campus.” Rivera said. “I don’t think any our our clubs are exclusive to one group--they have sprinkling of somebody in that group for the most part,” Rivera said. “I know our second language kids, especially the ones who don’t speak English at all, they feel like they are on another island. If you look at the L building, that’s where most of the kids who don’t speak English are. They feel safe down there because there are [other] people there who don’t speak English well. [...] We need to look at [a] different bunch of factors that would be more inclusive, and look at all our students and not some of our students.”

Given the amount of time that we spend at school, our socialization as emerging adults is heavily shaped by our experiences on campus. In order for our school to foster healthy socialization of our students, we must emphasize the importance of doing so around students of different backgrounds.

EDITOR I A L : The Opinion of The Union

Starbucks’ holiday cuppery sparks overreaction “It’s too minimalistic...”

“No, it’s too decorated!”

“What do you mean? It’s way too ‘Christmas-y!’”

Every year, people express some sort of dissatisfaction with Starbucks’ holiday­—or non-holiday— cuppery, and the franchise responds by changing its design. This year, Starbucks has created a cup that highlights unity and connection, a contrast from last year’s plain red one, but the public is still unhappy.

What more can Starbucks do?

Starbucks’ 2015 cup design, which excluded symbols related specifically to Christmas, was meant to promote a sense of “belonging and inclusion” among the diverse customers, but many were outraged. A number of religious zealots argued that Starbucks made the cup less holiday-themed because “they hate Jesus,” even though the design, or lack thereof, welcomed everyone’s background and story. So why did these individuals feel excluded and insecure? In 2012, Starbucks’ cup only featured a snowman, which does not indicate love or hatred for Jesus any more than the color red, and they had no issues then.

This winter, criticism has been sparked by one of Starbucks’ cups once again, although it is neither minimalistic nor ‘‘Christmas-y.’ Inspired by the current divides seen in society, the franchise wanted the new cup to represent the “connections Starbucks has as a community with its partners and customers.”

So, on Nov. 1, they released a limited-edition green cup that features faces­—faces of people from different walks of life, existing harmoniously as one. The artist who created the art, Shogo Ona, purposefully used one continuous line to literally connect each of the hundred faces to the other ninety-nine. Sounds pretty solid, right? Wrong! Criticism is rampant yet again. The public is, again, outraged by the lack of Christmas spirit on the cup. No one is attempting to eliminate Christmas culture, so there is no need to be overly sensitive; in fact, connection and unity is tolerating Christianity.

THE UNION

EDITORIAL

Is Starbucks just incapable of putting forth an acceptable design? Probably not. It is much more likely that oversensitivity is simply at an all-time high.

If the cup designs are truly meant to discourage Christmas, why would Starbucks bother making drinks completely dedicated to the holiday or giving customers discounts and deals? Doing so would completely undermine Starbucks’ alleged intention of trying to eliminate Christmas. Furthermore, these cup designs are meant to hold “Christmas-y” drinks, such as the Peppermint Mocha and Christmas Cookie Latte. If the company’s intention was really to eliminate Christmas, this would be extremely counterintuitive and ironic. People are reacting too strongly to something so trivial, something that barely affects their lives. The world does not revolve around them.

Anger at a coffee cup is a clear overreaction by the public and is a response that is stimulated by personal bias. Normally, a cup emphasizing community is not expected to elicit such intense disapproval from, well, anyone, but timing is clearly a crucial factor. In the past couple of years, and especially months, people have been in a constant state of defensiveness, which quite possibly stems from personal worries and fears. With the controversial election results and general racial, socioeconomic, and political strife, individual emotions and societal tensions have been running high. Those who are angered by the new design accuse Starbucks of bringing politics and the consequent negativity into the holiday season, but fail to see that this small cup is meant to do the exact opposite: to combat division among the people.

So, instead of being overly concerned with Starbucks’ cup art this year, just stop the petty arguments, and enjoy some coffee with friends and family. Because that’s what the holidays are really about—spending time with loved ones, warm drink in hand.

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.

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4

THE UNION

December 2016

features

Students Need More Sleep

Hentschkes announce retirement

by Gurshaan Bariana Helen Pham

200 students were asked to participate in this survey regarding their usual bed times and hours of sleep they get a night.

Students work on Black Friday at Great Mall

by Justin Nguyen

Working on Black Friday can be chaotic and busy. Here are a few students’ experiences with working on Black Friday.

Senior Jonathan Trinh Q: Where do you work, and what do you do?

A: I work at American Eagle and I’m on the sales floor, helping other people and getting like the clothes and stuff.

Q: When did you work on Black Friday?

A: I worked on Friday at 9-5.

Q: What was it like?

A: It was crowded, and none of the customers knew what they were doing, and it wasn’t fun.

Q: It wasn’t fun? And was there any crazy thing that happened?

A: Uh... no, not really crazy, but there were people throwing clothes and stuff. They were like throwing

clothes from one end of the table to the other end and just tossing clothes all over.

Q: Then what did you guys do about it?

A: We picked them up, folded it, and put it back on the table.

Q: Overall how was the experience?

A: People were mean, and they weren’t nice about buying clothes and stuff.

Senior Lani Hoang Q: How long did you work?

A: I worked Friday and Saturday about five or six hours a day. My shift was 4-5ish, and I was home at 10.

Q: Okay, can you describe where it was and what it was like that day?

A: I work at Hollister at Great Mall, a retail store. I’m a brand representative which means I do cashier, and I fold clothes around the store and just help customers if they need it. On Black Friday, it was really crowded.

The line to pay was from the middle

of the store, because that’s where the cash registers are, to the back, and it was curving too. [I was] at the cash register for a while, and then I went to fold clothes along the tables. After folding clothes, I see customers come over to that same table. I got annoyed because it was messy. I turned around for like five minutes, and then I look back, and it’s really messy. For cash registering, it was on one of the days most of our systems were down, so only one or two cash registers were working, so it was still crowded, and our managers were really stressed.

We managed to fix [the cash registers], and then we managed to serve everyone.

Q: Was there any bizarre thing that happened?

A: Um, I think some shoplifting occurred because every five minutes I heard the alarm so...

Q: Did anything happen with that?

A: Not really. I think the managers just let them go.

Nguyen receives $180,000 NROTC scholarship

by Helen Pham Brandon Wettenstein

While most high school seniors are rushing to send college apps and readying themselves for the financial burden, senior Harvey Nguyen, or “Steely Eyed” as his friends call him, is in a league of his own after receiving the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) National Scholarship. The scholarship is a $180,000 grant that can be put towards any school with a NROTC unit. By being awarded the scholarship, Nguyen is required to join the school’s NROTC program, or else he forfeits the scholarship.

“For the first year you don’t need to have any commitment [to the NROTC program], and there’s no obligation,” said Navy Petty Officer Chen. “Once you [get] past the first year then you need to make a commitment.”

The scholarship’s selection process is incredibly intense because all applicants are competing against one another throughout the country in

order to get the scholarship. Some of the numerous requirements needed to qualify for the grant include being a US citizen, having a qualifying ACT or SAT score, and being physically qualified according to Navy or Marine Corps standards.

“Candidates for the scholarship are selected on an extremely competitive basis nationally determined through academic excellence, physical fitness, medical qualifications, and leadership experience,” Nguyen said. “To apply for the scholarship, I contacted local Navy recruiters to help me begin the process, [which] includes teacher recommendations, physical tests, medical tests, and an officer interview.”

Earning the scholarship is the culmination of years of hard work throughout his high school career.

Nguyen has over 500 community service hours from his time as a tutor, participating in NJROTC, and being part of Police Explorers. Additionally, he has also participated in wrestling, swimming, and water polo, and has

received numerous awards for his participation in athletics. Nguyen is also the Commanding Officer of NJROTC. For college, Nguyen has chosen to place his scholarship at UC San Diego because of the amazing environment and how distinguished their NROTC program is.

“The NROTC Unit in San Diego is known to be a prestigious unit,” said Nguyen. “In addition, the school itself provides great education programs and the environment seems incredible.”

Nguyen’s family has also felt the benefits of the scholarship because the financial strain that his college tuition would have brought on them has been eliminated. Additionally, they are incredibly proud of his choice to serve in the Navy after college.

“Coming from a financially disadvantaged background, this scholarship has been a blessing for my family and me,” said Nguyen. “And of course, they’re all proud of my choice to serve as a commissioned officer.”

School district must adhere to yearly budget

by Shreeya Aranake

The amount of money that a public school district receives is minimal in comparison to that of a private school. Nevertheless, the intricacies that contribute to the making of a budget are extensive.

There is a yearly budget to which the district must adhere to. The overall amount of money that gets put into the budget, according to MUSD Interim Director of Business Services Linh Le, depends on student enrollment. The more students enrolled, the more money is allocated to the school. In regards to specificities, the Learning and Development Department decides instructional aspects, including which textbooks to buy as

well as what lesson plans the teachers will use in classes. Then, according to those materials, they will submit a budget to the Superintendent, whose cabinet will decide exactly how much money to spend. They will then send their revised version of the budget to the school board, who will ultimately decide what money to spend and will come up with the final budget for the staff members.

In regards to the individual schools in the district, after the budget is revised and released, the administration at each school will look into the budget and decide how much money will go into the different departments, such as PE or music.

The budget itself is broken up in several different ways. The teach-

er salary is what eats up most of the budget, Le said. The teacher salary is dependent on how many students are enrolled in the school.

In the budget, there are various categories and subcategories. Specifically, under the two subheadings of Expenditures and Revenues, there are multiple budgets off various components. Under Expenditures, the cost of base costs, employee benefits, textbooks and supplies, etc are provided.

Under Revenues, Federal revenues and contributions are listed.

Le also said that this cycle of making a budget happens every three months. He said that this allows them to cater to any new needs of the schools and use any new money in the best possible way.

Most couples dream of working together. For Art Teacher Irene Hentschke and Science Teacher Eric Hentschke, that dream has been a reality. After teaching at MHS for many years, both Mr. and Mrs. Hentschke announced they will be retiring at the end of the school year.

Although he was unsure of his profession until senior year in college, Mr. Hentschke decided to follow the footsteps of his family members and has been a science teacher at MHS for 38 years.

“All my family are teachers. So it was only natural that I would become a teacher,” Hentschke said. “Now that I’m here, I’m really inspired by being a teacher.”

Mr. Hentschke believes the current school year has been a perfect time to leave and allow young teachers take over. Instead of teaching, Hentschke plans on pursuing activities that were once precluded by his teaching.

“I’ve got millions of projects,” Hentschke said. “I got jeeps, gardening, hunting, fishing, all kinds of stuff to occupy the time.”

In all his years of teaching, Mr. Hentschke said his role as the advisor of the VSA club for 20 years at MHS is by far his favorite memory, even going so far as to call the students in the club his “babies.” Hentschke continued to say he would definitely miss the fun classroom environment, as well as the relationships that came with teaching.

“When you’re in your four walls, this is your kingdom. The relationships you’ve built with kids, there’s nothing you can compare it to,” Hentschke said. “No other profession has this. Some people never have this interaction.”

Mrs. Hentschke has her own reasons for retiring. She has big plans to further her own art career after seeing her students excel.

“I could become a famous artist one day,” Hentschke said. “All the gold nuggets that I give you guys, I want to do them. I’m going to write books and illustrate books, and I also want to start a TV show with the books and the artwork.”

In addition to art, Hentschke also wants to expand her work to other STEM subjects and introduce coding in her projects. Poor countries will receive all of her profits to pay for free education.

“I want Google to back me up, so they can pay for it, and then I want all of it to go to all of the poor countries so they get free education through the reading the art and the coding,” Hentschke said. “That’s my shortcut around bureaucratic education.”

Hentschke’s inspiration to teach came from her love of being with people. She thinks that young people are really fun and prefers working with them.

“I love being with people. I’m super social, and I have lots of fun,” Hentschke said. “When you’re teaching, it all sort of blends together.”

Hentschke will miss her students the most when she retires next school year. She sees promise in her current group of art students and says this generation will set us back on course again.

“This group—I can really see them becoming that inspired generation that we really need to look to,” Hentschke said. “It’s the most wonderful way to retire, to have the best students you’ve ever had in your 30 years career. You guys, that’s the part that’s going to be really sad.”

Even though she’s starting a new part of her life, she plans to still connect with her students through Facebook. She wants to keep in contact with her students to spend time with them after retirement.

“You guys can come to barbecue with me and Mr. Hentschke,” Hentschke said. “You guys can come to our mountain retreat.”

Schwartz writes fantasy novel

by Sherry Lam henry xiong

Outside of their jobs, teachers have lives of their own and their own goals to achieve. Drama Director and English teacher Kaila Schwartz writes a fantasy novel in her free time.

Her novel takes place in a world that suffers from global drought. Two factions have been fighting each other and have nearly made the drought catastrophic. The story utilizes a mixture of science and magical realism to bring the world to life.

“There are two people who kind of fall into the position of trying to save their people, but in doing so, they will ultimately be saving the entire planet,” Schwartz said.

She came up with the idea fourteen years ago when she collaborated with an artist to create a story behind a paper sculpture. The world that was created through the paper sculpture took ten years to ruminate.

“I actively started writing it about three or four years ago,” Schwazrts said. “But, you know, when you are a full-time teacher and a theater director and you do several full productions a year, it’s difficult to find time to write during the school year. So that’s why it has taken me so long.

Since Schwartz didn’t major in science, she took classes to include scientific background information in her world. She took multiple online courses in geology and environmental science, Schwartz said.

“I took some courses that were definitely geared towards global warming and water issues, just so that I can say there is science behind most of what I’m writing and that just learning more about geology has created new possibilities for the set-

ting for the plot, for various issues,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz also consulted a geologist to gain knowledge for her world.

The geologist explained connections of spirituality with geology, which helped her in creating ideas revolving around rock formations and placing objects in the correct location. Schwartz explained that the geologist said because it was a fantasy novel, she could set whatever rules she wanted.

“I get to make the scientific rules,” Schwartz said. “I get to make my own rationales for why something is placed where it is because it doesn’t have to be based in Earth capital E science/ It could be based in my Earth little e science, because I’m not necessarily basing it here.”

Schwartz planned to finish the manuscript before the start of this school year, but new ideas and a new character emerged when she was at a concert. More possibilities keep opening up over time, Schwartz said.

“There are two schools of thought with writing,” Schwartz said. “There are people who are completely outlined and have all of their plot devices all lined up, and they have their story on note cards, spread across the wall or the floor. I don’t really work that way. I have never been that rigid of a person. I’m what they call a pantser; I write by the seat of my pants.”

Sometimes the characters just won’t speak to her because she needs to know where the characters want to go next, Schwartz said. Right now, she is focusing on getting characters to a specific location in the story. She is also considering making it a twobook series so she has the opportunity to get the characters where they need to be.

December 2016

THE UNION

features

5

Crossing guards enjoy keeping students safe

by Shreeya Aranake Sherry Lam

by Noemi

crisanto

Every day, crossing guards come early before school and stay late after the last bell rings to help manage school traffic. Crossing guards have been there since the beginning of our kindergarten days, working endless mornings and afternoons as we moved from elementary school to middle school and now to high school.

Whenever we pass them, we smile and thank them, but we never really take the opportunity to stop to get to know them better.

Crossing Guard Rey Lingad works at the entrance of the MHS student parking lot. He is a former member of the United States Marine Corps from the 1970’s. Lingad retired eight years ago and became a crossing guard six years ago to volunteer for the community. With his desire to help others around him, he takes regular trips to the Philippines each year to feed the children there. He is also an ordained pastor, someone who can marry people as well as perform the last rites at funerals, Lingad said.

In his free time, he spends a lot of

his time in the gym to stay fit, Lingad said. He also goes to church, Lingad continued.

One of his favorite aspects of being a crossing guard is the fact that he is able to ensure that the students crossing the streets are safe. Lingad would put his life on the line if the safety of a student was at stake, Lingad said. He enjoys meeting the new people who pass by as well.

As a crossing guard, Lingad finds comfort in knowing that the people he encounters on a daily basis are kind and appreciative of him. A memorable moment he treasures is the time one of the bus drivers noticed his different demeanor when both his siblings passed away and took the time to ask if Lingad was alright.

Crossing Guard Barbara Curry works at the front of MHS at the intersection of Escuela Parkway and Russell Lane. Curry has worked as a crossing guard for four years. She enjoys being a crossing guard because she cares about the safety of all the pedestrians and makes sure that they are safe. She also enjoys waving and smiling to students in hopes

of making the students’ days a little better. Furthermore, because MHS is so close to a middle school as well as an elementary school, she enjoys seeing the elementary children grow up to go to the middle school and high school over the years, Curry said.

Her most memorable moments as a crossing guard are when all of the different students dress up in costumes on the MHS spirit days. She loves seeing the diverse costumes for the different spirit days and holidays.

Curry particularly enjoys Halloween because of the plethora of costumes that are worn by the students on that day.

Crossing Guard Vicky Young works at the exit of the MHS student parking lot. She has been a crossing guard for three years now and enjoys her job because it’s fun to be around the kids. Young is able to continue being around kids after working as a crossing guard in the morning and afternoon.

“I volunteer at Rose Elementary,” Young said. “I do lunch duty at Rose, so after this, I go to Rose, work there, and come back here.”

Chenowith owns Broadway West Theatre

by Saba Khorasani

Sherry lam | the Union

The days don’t end for English Teacher Paula Chenowith after the school bell rings. Chenowith spends her time outside of school working on her very own theater. She got into acting and theater in college and has been involved in it ever since.

In high school, Chenowith was quite involved with music, and she participated in choir. She was accidentally placed in a dance class, where she had to act out a dramatic scene, and after that, the teacher suggested that she should really consider taking drama.

When she went to college, she began as a music major but then switched to a drama major, much to her father’s dismay.

After college, Chenowith and her original theater partner became involved in a lot of theater work together. They went to a lot of plays togeth-

er, and eventually decided that they would like to own a theater together so they could do things that other theaters didn’t do.

Chenowith’s theater, called Broadway West Theatre, is located in the Irvington District of Fremont. The theater itself is small and seats seventy people. She has owned this theater for twenty years, and it is currently working on the last show of the twentieth season.

Plays are the only events that take place at Chenowith’s theater, but the company shows many varieties of plays.

From dramas to horror and mysteries, Broadway West has done it all. Not only does it offer six fulllength shows in a year, but it also has summer shorts, where original plays are submitted and the best ones are picked to show by Chenowith’s current theater partner. Some of Broadway West’s more popular shows include Frankenstein, Agatha Christie,

and Sylvia. Every year the theater has a holiday show, and this year it is showing “Miracle on 34th Street.”

“Every time you have a show, it’s like having a kid. Everyone works together to create this child,” Chenowith said.

Each show requires tons of work, and since it is a community theater, everyone helps out. Some people not only act, but also help with set work and lights, while others have just one specific role in the theater. Chenowith partakes in majority of the roles required to put on a show, except the lights and electronics. She does all the producing and managing for the theater, which is very time consuming.

Even when she is not at the theater, she is busy at home, managing things over the phone. Chenowith has even acted in plays at Broadway West herself and does so about once a year on the average.

Even though owning a theater is a lot of work, it’s something that Chenowith truly enjoys, and it makes her very proud. “It gives people joy, [and] it makes me happy,”Chenoweth said.

Music department performs at Disneyland

by Jerald Mendoza Derek Vo

Courtesy of Alec Li

Students from the MHS music department go to Disneyland from Nov. 9 to Nov. 12. The students got to participate in Disneyland’s annual Veteran’s Day parade.

Every three years, the MHS music department goes on a trip to the happiest place on Earth, Disneyland, to perform and record on Veterans Day weekend. The orchestra, color guard, choir, marching, and pep bands go on the trip, Junior Alto Saxophone Player Neil Sadhukhan said. The music department performs at D i s n e y l a n d ’s annual Veterans Day parade.

“We go to Disneyland to perform a parade through Disneyland that entertains audiences and gives the students an experience of a lifetime,” Senior Euphonium Player Tyler Tran said.

The parade is located on Disneyland’s Main Street and performed to honor veterans for their service in the military, Tran said.

The Disneyland trip started on Nov. 9. The first day was a travel day. There was a normal school day before students could leave for their destination. Students and teachers departed at approximately 4:30 p.m. that day, stopped for a dinner break en route, and arrived at Embassy Suites in Ana-

heim at 11 p.m., Tran said.

On the second day, the marching band, orchestra, and color guard had a free day to wander around and explore either Disneyland or California Adventure. Choir, on the other hand, had a recording session in the morning with Disney staff, who showed them how music pieces for films is made. According to many students who went on this trip, their favorite part was being able to enjoy their free time around the parks.

“I met Rapunzel and Flynn Rider in person. I was so happy! Tangled is my favorite Disney movie ever,” Color Guardian Ziyuan Lei said. “We also had the opportunity to go on most of the rides like Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, and the ferris wheel.”

Day three was Veterans Day when the marching band and color guard suited up to perform in the Veterans Day parade. The parade started from It’s a Small World and ended at Town Square, Tran said. Afterwards, band and color guard changed out of uniform and were left to wander around the park for the rest of the day, Tran added.

Many students in both marching band and color guard said they enjoyed performing in the Veterans Day parade. “I performed in the parade! We marched down this super crowded street and played some patriotic songs and got super drenched in sweat! What a fun time!” Junior Clarinet Player Pratima Prabala said.

Instead of having a performance, orchestra students had a recording studio session similar to choir’s. The orchestra students played various cuts from Disney movies in order to get a feel for the recording studio experience, Junior Cello Player Megan Luong said.

Day four of the Disneyland trip was similar to the first day. It was a travel day, consisting of students and teachers leaving the hotel early in the morning and returning back to MHS during the night.

Most students that attended enjoyed the whole experience, from performing to spending time with friends at the theme park. They enjoyed the free time at Disney and got closer to the people they were with, Freshman Color Guardian Jamie Chen said.

“I’m really glad I decided to spend so much money to go on this trip,” Chen said. “It was all worth it and I don’t regret anything. I can’t wait to hopefully go again in three years!”

6

THE UNION

MHS Football Recap

Soccer team meets its goals

by Arvind Kumar

The MHS soccer team has prepared itself for a season that the team believes will be better than last year's.

After working hard through the tryouts, members such as Sophomore Ayush Maheshwari believe the team will be able to redeem and excel this year in comparison to last year’s season, with new players on the team as well as new strategies.

The determined soccer team and its members are all excited to be back on the field to repossess their title. Although Maheshwari feels he’s gotten rusty since last year, he believes that him and the team has been working hard to get back in form and have what it takes improve upon last year.

“I didn’t play soccer last year because I wanted to focus on school, being my junior year and all, but I did play my sophomore year and my freshman year," Senior Derek Vo said.

"I went to some pre-season practices before the school season started, so I had a three-month span to get back into form.”

Many members of the team, such as Sophomore Neel Thakkar, believe tryouts have been easy. However, since there are more skilled people on the team, they hope that they will be able to shine.

“Tryouts haven’t been as hard as usual, because not as many people tried out this year as last year." Maheshwari said. "It’s still challenging, but I still think it’s going

to be a little easier, because we have a lot more skilled people this year.”

Vo believes that even though the tryouts have been easy, the chemistry among the teammates on the field has gotten better. They believe they will be able to use that to their advantage on the field.

“Tryouts have been pretty easy,” Center Midfielder Thakkar said, “and looking at the other teammates, I believe we’ll work really well together out on the field, and we shouldn’t have that many problems.”

Vo believes that everyone adds something different to the table, and everyone is special. The members believe the team will be able to excel by utilizing these skills that everyone brings to the table.

“Pretty much everybody is a key player because we have a lot of good players this year," Vo said, "and everyone brings in their own set of skills, but if one person gets injured, it’s going to suck, so we need all the players to stay healthy.”

Many members, such as Maheshwari, Thakkar, and Vo, are eager for the pre-season to end so that they can test their new skills and strategies out on the field.

“I’m looking forward to working with my team, especially during the games,” Maheshwari said, “because last year, we didn’t have chemistry, and this year, I believe we do.”

“Last year we didn’t win any games, so this year I’m hoping we do better than that, and hopefully make playoffs," Vo said.

Basketball starts season strong by nicolas wan

The MHS varsity boys basketball team has started off very well despite the lack of returning veterans, according to Varsity Boys Basketball Coach Clarence Wrencher. The basketball team played a scrimmage game against American High School and won the majority of the quarters.

This year, the Varsity Boys have only four previous athletes returning as seniors, with the rest of the team composed of juniors and sophomores, Wrencher said. The roster is set for the rest of the season, even when factoring in the incoming fall sports athletes, according to Wrencher.

“I know who is coming in from football and who will help and be on the basketball team,” Wrencher said.

“Maybe some other players [from the football team] that I don’t know will try out, but for the most part, the roster is set.”

Team chemistry is at a high this year because of many players having previous experience among themselves, Wrencher stated. Most of the team members played together since the third or fourth grade, Wrencher explained.

“Most of the kids attended the basketball camp I run every summer, so they have played together and are familiar with each other,” Wrencher said. “We have guys that actually like each other this year. Sometimes that’s all you need to make games fun and exciting.”

Goals for the varsity boys this year are much simpler compared to previous ambitions, Wrencher said.

Competition is the main concern for the team, according to Wrencher, not accolades or achievements.

“I’m trying not to hope for a certain amount of wins or to talk about winning championships,” Wrencher said. “Everything will just take care of itself if we stay competitive every game.”

For dealing with areas in which the team is lacking, the team does not have much to work on, according to Junior Rajveer Dhaliwal. Most aspects that the team could improve on are mostly psychological, Dhaliwal explained.

“We need to be ready to listen to Coach Wrencher’ game plan primarily, then try not to have arguments to keep team chemistry solid” Dhaliwal said. “Working on defense is also a priority, but not as important.”

Coming as a surprise for many basketball team members, Wrencher has forbade any of the varsity boys from playing in the MHS basketball intramural competition during lunchtime. Many varsity boys team members had already signed up for intramural basketball and subsequently had to drop out of intramurals.

“Having students from the school team play in intramurals is unfair for both the intramural process and students who play basketball recreationally due to the difference in levels,” Wrencher explained.

“My main concern is people getting injured, as the worse thing that can happen at intramurals is a seasonending injury.”

Dhaliwal expressed his frustration with Wrencher’s decision to ban school team players from participating in intramurals. Dhaliwal had signed up for intramurals, but his team was forced to scramble for a replacement.

SPORTS December 2016 Wrestling team's increase in size leads to higher expectations

by Helen huynh GRace Chang

The MHS Wrestling team is the largest it has ever been, according to Head Coach Kent Mitchell. This team will bond, despite its larger size, through everything its members will encounter during the season, he said.

This year, the team will have about 21 girls and 44 boys, Mitchell explained. Fortunately, there are far more volunteer coaches to help out this year, he continued.

“So the way that we decide to do cuts was we ended up keeping [all the athletes] that have not cut themselves,” Mitchell said. The remaining athletes that were cleared and have decided to stay in wrestling will be on the team. “There weren't any real outliers that they felt like they wanted to deprive them of the opportunity to give them a shot,” Mitchell explained.

With many wrestlers on the team, many are excited for this season to kick off and are looking forward to bonding with the new team members, according to Junior Jomar Mendoza.

This season will be more challenging, he said.

“I think the team is doing great so far," said Mendoza. "We are

beginning to bond with one another, and I feel confident that this season will be superb. I feel like this season will be much more challenging than last year, but as always, the team and I will be prepared for any challenge that will come in our way.”

Senior Claire Dela Cruz has been setting small goals for herself, and she is hoping to make it to Central Coast Sections again.

"I hope to make it to CCS, take it one step at a time because I need to redeem myself from last year," Dela Cruz said.

Since the wrestling team has moved up a division, it will have to work harder this year, Junior Jenny Yang said. Yang would like to see her teammates win, she said.

“I'm definitely excited for this season," Yang said. "The one thing I'm looking forward to this season is eating out with my team after the tournaments and bonding together.

[In this] season, there are some new changes, [such as] the fact that we moved up a league and will have to work harder this year [and] everyone must take practice seriously every day and try their best.”

Sophmore Kirk Tran states that he believes competition will be

fierce. However, he notes that some teammates have also improved from years past.

"The competition this year will undoubtedly be of much higher quality than before," Tran said, "but then again, I know some of us— shoutouts to John de Gula and Kevin Nguyen!—have been really stepping it up in terms of dedication and skill."

With so many athletes on the team, some athletes won’t be able to consistently compete at tournaments, Mitchell said. The opportunities for athletes in JV will be limited, and it will be up to the athletic department to approve more tournaments, he continued.

Mitchell explains he's not sure if all the kids will get a chance to compete very often. It will cost a lot of money to ensure the JV kids get wrestling opportunities, Mitchell said.

“At JV tournaments, you pay per kids. For varsity you pay as a team, [and] with so many JV kids and multiples kids in all the different weight class, the only way we can ensure they get wrestling opportunities is to schedule several JV tournaments and I'm not sure how much the athletic department will approve,” Mitchell explained.

Tran improves badminton skills in offseason

by Noemi crisanto

Many who see Senior Andrew Tran play badminton believe that he has played since he was young, which is why they are surprised when they are told that Tran has only played badminton for four years and now only plays recreationally. The four years of playing the sport have been tough, yet rewarding, which is why giving up the sport was hard for Tran, he explained.

“Well at first it, was like oh, it’s a different sport. No one I know has played it before, why not just try it out,” Tran said. “And then I got hooked on it, meeting new friends.”

Tran began playing every day at a local gym at the age of 13 and showed promise. By the end of his freshman year, he was one of the few people

on the badminton team who were sponsored to play, according to Tran.

“I was sponsored for a year and a half, during the beginning of my career," Tran said. "There are a couple of ways that you can get sponsored, either by getting recognized, or your own club sponsors you because they believe that you have potential. For me, I got sponsored by my club. They just had a contract with me in which I just had to participate in sports and keep training.”

Tran has competed many times in the junior category and has gone as far as the semifinals in this category.

He has also played in various events, such as those hosted by clubs, and participated in open college tournaments. “[The college tournaments] are separated into categories A, B, C, and

D," Tran said. "Those are the like the fight levels. I am a B-C player for most tournaments. I’ve won a couple of C first places for doubles, which is my main event.”

His rigorous training schedule was what made Tran decide to retire from competing in badminton. Badminton requires a lot of commitment and time daily, which is something that Tran can’t afford.

“I’m no longer sponsored because I quit training to focus more on school because I saw that I was starting to lack in my education,” Tran said. “I still have a passion for badminton, but I don’t have the time to train six to eight hours every day.”

Whether Tran will return to play on our the MHS badminton team is still up in the air, but he hopes to come back, he said.

Courtesy of stephen Balsbaugh

Senior Andrew Tran clears overhead (left) and returns a hit (right) in a match in preparation for the badminton season.

Tran continues to partic in competitions with hopes to refine his game in time for the winter season.

Huynh excels in Taekwondo, strives for black belt

by Harriet Do

MHS Sophomore Leon Huynh holds a red belt as a martial arts student and teaches Olympic style Taekwondo classes at Blue Dragon Taekwondo Academy. Students go to the training school in hopes of achieving confidence and skill, Huynh said.

Huynh began teaching classes during the end of Aug. as a red belt and plans to continue teaching classes next year because he is hoping to get a black belt next Dec. , Huynh stated.

Teaching classes is not required to get the black belt, but it is just like extra practice, according to Huynh.

“First, I would tell the class to bow

in, which is to show your respect.

Then we would do warmups, drills, forms, then kicking drills with paddles and foam shields,” Huynh said. “I really enjoy correcting my peers when they do something incorrect because it makes me feel like a better person than I am.”

Olympic style taekwondo is different from traditional style in the fact that it is more based around the idea of competition, Hunyh said.

Additionally, there are two classes a student can take, which are the competition team class and the demo team class, he continued.

“In the competition team, you would train to compete, and in demo, you would show off your skills to

the new kids,” Huynh said. “I am in demo.”

To complete competition credits to test for black belt. Huynh intends to compete in Jan. In order to train for his tournament, he practices around three times a week in the adult class.

He plans to train harder so he can get a black belt next year in the winter, Huynh stated.

“I expect that I’ll get destroyed, but that’s the fun part," Huynh said. "I’ll try my best and win. In competitions, there are forms and sparring.

Sparring is when you fight people.

Form is when you do your form, and you’re competing against other people in state or district.”

DECEMBER 2016

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Top Songs for Christmas Playlist

BY KATHERINE HUBENY

All I Want for Christmas - Mariah Carey Baby Please Come Home - Michael Bublé Cold December Night - Michael Bublé Last Christmas - Wham!

Underneath the Tree - Kelly Clarkson Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays - Pentatonix JERALD MENDOZA|THE UNION

Fire(place) rhymes: Rapping Presents

BY DARRION NGUYEN

It’s Christmas morning, I start to run.

I awaken my parents; it’s time for fun!

My presents lie there plain to see Set up all over the Christmas tree.

We gather around to unwrap the presents.

Tonight we will feast on delicious pheasants!

As I rip up my gift with ravenous hands, I think to myself, “This will be grand.”

It’s finally open, a sight to behold: A giant piece of crusty mold!

Ho ho hone your knowledge of Santa

BY TUONG-VI NGUYEN

“He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake.”

When taken out of context, this statement is rather unsettling and worrisome. However, it is nothing but jolly when accompanied by the following lines: “He knows if you’ve been bad or good / So be good for goodness sake!” This omniscient “he” is the beloved and big-bellied Santa Claus—bearer of gifts for children worldwide.

Every year, millions of little ones fidget in their beds on Christmas Eve and anxiously await the jingle that indicates Santa Claus’s arriving sleigh. Generation after generation, parents uphold this festive myth for their children... but why? How and when did this long-lasting tradition begin?

Thousands of years ago, in a land far away (a Roman town that would today be located in Turkey), the very first “Santa Claus” figure was born. This figure, a monk named St. Nicholas, rose to prominence in approximately 300 A.D. based on his pious and charitable reputation.

As the legend goes, he was inspired by religion to live a selfless life, so he

journeyed through the countryside to help the sick and poor and gave up his inherited wealth in the name of worthy causes. For example, he once helped prevent three young girls from being sold into slavery by paying for each of their dowries, which allowed them to marry and escape their previous fates.

St. Nicholas eventually came to be known as a protector of children, and his popularity proved to be resilient in the face of time, lasting through the Protestant Reformation, when believing in Saints was highly stigmatized.

However, during this time, the festivities in honor of St. Nicholas did change from Dec. 6 (the anniversary of his death) to Dec. 25 (Christmas).

Towards the beginning of the nineteenth century, the story of St. Nicholas surfaced in American newspapers, and the moniker “Santa Claus” was derived from the Dutch settlers’ name for him—

Sinter Klaas. Although this was yet another era of hesitance in celebrating Santa, poets and writers such as Washington Irving revived Christmas merriment through vivid writing. In his novel, “History of New York,” Irving put forth an initial portrayal of Santa as an old man who flies from home to home on Christmas Eve, delivering presents to well behaved, or “good,” children.

Meanwhile, Clement Clarke Moore popularized the image of a reindeer-drawn sleigh in “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” also known as “The Night Before Christmas.”

From this period of revival onwards, giving gifts to children during the winter holidays became customary, and stores began to advertise Christmas using displays of Santa. However, people’s interpretations of his appearance continued to vary until political cartoonist Thomas Nast created the familiar grandfatherly image of Santa.

From his rotundity, white beard, and red suit to his elves and magical toy workshop in the North Pole, modern Santa (and all for which he is known) is credited to Nast. By the twentieth century, this “American” perception of Santa Claus had turned into a worldwide sensation.

One after another, European countries adopted him into their cultures and traditions, establishing the merry myth of Santa Claus as one that is likely to remain throughout time.

Let’s stalk the history of stockings

BY HARRIET DO

We tend to decorate and put presents into stockings for Christmas, but where did this idea originate from?

Hanging stockings by the fireplace mantel, staircase, window sill, or door knob has long been a Christmas tradition. This custom comes from the legend of St. Nicholas, the inspiration of Santa Claus.

One of the most popular legends has said that there was once a wealthy widowed merchant who was unable to afford dowries for his three daughters because he fell into difficult times. In those days, a woman’s family had to have something of value, such as a dowry, to offer bridegrooms. Because he was unable to afford dowries, his daughters were very unlikely to marry

into good families or find good husbands.

Despite the unfortunate circumstance his family was in, the merchant was a proud man; he refused to accept any gift of charity. Hence, the family lived miserably, with barely anything to eat. Hearing the news of the merchant’s misfortune, St. Nicholas set out to secretly help the merchant.

One night, St. Nicholas rode his horse to the merchant’s house and threw his three bags of gold coins down the home’s chimney. However, the bags were caught by the girls’ stockings that were hung up on the fireplace mantel to dry. When the gold coins were discovered the next morning, the family rejoiced.

The merchant’s daughters were able to successfully marry since he could fi-

nally afford dowries. After hearing the story, children in the village started to hang their stockings by the fireplace too, in hopes of receiving gifts from St. Nicholas. In return, St. Nicholas would place a gift inside the stocking if they were good, deserving children.

If the children were bad and naughty, he would simply reach down the fireplace, grab lumps of coal, and place them in the stockings.

The habit of placing a gift inside a stocking has now become a tradition that is enjoyed by children across the world. Every Christmas, children place their stockings on the fireplace mantels and hope to see presents in their stockings the following morning. Today, we even make personalized stockings and use them to decorate various places in our homes.

Holiday T “My family participates in Simbang Gabi, which means “night mass” in Tagalog, which takes place from December 16th to 24th with the 24th being a midnight mass.”

— Arianne Banlao, Junior

“So basically, my family has a Christmas tree, and instead of presents being under the tree, they’re hidden around the house. Any presents you find, you put them under the tree, and there’s even a time limit to find the presents.”

— Melissa Griffin, Sophomore

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DECEMBER 2016

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Students share holiday traditions

BY NOEMI CRISANTO

Celebrating the holidays can mean different things to different people, especially here in the United States, where the demographics are ever-changing. Our city of Milpitas is a perfect example of how beautiful the mixing of cultures can be.

Students at MHS have different ways of celebrating the holidays and have defined holidays differently. For some students, such as Senior Kyle Santander, it’s all about spending time with family and relaxing during winter break.

“I celebrate the holidays by just spending time with my family in general. We typically go out and travel to Las Vegas to meet up with family and spend time together from there, but if not, we just stay home, opening gifts and watching fireworks,” Santander said. “When it comes to celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s a lot of family coming over and eating.

You would think the huge amounts of eating would only be for Thanksgiving, but that’s how Christmas is for us as well.”

However, some students at MHS don’t celebrate Christmas or Thanksgiving at all, such as Senior Noami

Neo. Because of this, she comes up with different ways to celebrate on those days.

“I don’t really celebrate the holidays, but I do decorate my house with fancy light bulbs! My family wakes up, sleeps some more, and then wakes up later,” Neo said. “I don’t have a ‘special tradition’ because I don’t really actively celebrate anything. I celebrate Thanksgiving by eating special rice, and I clean the house on Christmas!”

Yet still for some other students at MHS, the holiday season is all about bringing together their families and spending time with these family members who live too far away to be seen on a daily basis. Senior Gabriella Alvelais believes that this is one of the best aspcts of the holidays, second only to her cousin’s special Christmas punch.

“You could say that having dinner with the extended family counts as a tradition,” Alvelais said. “I’ve had Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner with either side of my family pretty much every year of my life. It’s really important to my family to have, like, a central hub that we can still come back to and spend time together, especially since everyone is starting to spread out. Family is really important to us,

and so we try our best to meet up once or twice a year.”

Some students who aren’t very religious, such as Senior Alec Li, have found different ways to make the holidays work and celebrate Christmas with a little twist.

“For Christmas, none of my family [members are] really religious, so we just see it as a time to give gifts and be with loved ones,” Li said. “My favorite tradition for Christmas is hanging a Christmas tree upside down from the ceiling! It sounds weird, but it actually looks pretty cool! Since my family sees it as a secular holiday, we think of it as having all the presents dropping from the tree as a good sign for the upcoming year!”

Li also sees the holidays as a time in which different generations can join together despite their differences to celebrate unity and happiness on these special days.

“For me, celebrating the holidays is actually the thing that bridges the gaps between our generations!” Li said, “Everyone, young or old, gets along well, and we all catch up with each other after a long year. The holidays are a way to celebrate the end of the current year with those you love and look forward to the new, upcoming year.”

HELEN HUYNH|THE UNION

Rise before dawn for Ramadan

BY WAFA MALIK

HELEN HUYNH|THE UNION

Traditions “The holiday that I celebrate in December is Hanukkah, and I light candles every night. There’s one new candle added for each night up until eight candles are all lit. And it’s also traditional to eat fried foods, like potato pancakes, or sometimes, I make donuts because they’re deep fried also. It’s not a very healthy holiday, but it is a holiday of light, and so that’s why there are candles.”

— Kaila Schwartz, Teacher

Although Christmas is just around the corner, many Muslim families will instead be celebrating Ramadan later on in the year.

Ramadan is not a holiday, but rather a month of observance; at the end of which is Eid al-Fitr, a big celebration to recognize the efforts made throughout the month. Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr are therefore often grouped together. Eid is the closest Muslim families get to Christmas because they are both beloved holidays, but they have no other similarities.

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, changes every year since it follows the lunar calendar.

This year, it will start around May 26 and last until June 25, at which time Eid will occur. During this month, strict fasts are followed from dawn to sunset. Other religious fasts allow for water and fruit to be consumed during the day, but, Islam allows neither of these (or anything else) to

be eaten. If the individuals are young and healthy enough to participate in these fasts, it is compulsory for them to do so. However, if they are old and have health issues, they are not obligated to keep the fasts. Instead, they can participate in Fidyah in which they pay to feed two underprivileged individuals every day of Ramadan.

Fasting is done for several reasons.

One, it allows for great moral and spiritual development because it requires individuals to control their carnal self and suppress physical appetites. This calms greed and lust and allows for better understandings of themselves. Two, fasting allows for individuals to feel the plight of those not as privileged. Not eating and drinking all day leads to a hunger and thirst not often felt by many and thus allows for more social awareness. Three, as it is a religious event, it does serve a religious purpose: to attain taqwa. Taqwa means a constant consciousness of God. Along with abstaining from eating,

Ramadan is also a time for special prayers that help attain taqwa.

On the last night of Ramadan, friends and family gather for an occasion called Chand Raat—literally meaning “night of the moon.”

The purpose of this event is to spot the new moon, which signifies that Eid al-Fitr will happen the next day.

It is similar to Christmas Eve as it also occurs the night before the main holiday, and people come together in preparation for the celebrations.

The festival of Eid al-Fitr occurs on the first day of Shawwal, the month after Ramadan. Eid al-Fitr is a joyous occasion meaning “Festival of Breaking the Fast.” People wear their finest clothes, special prayers take place, small tokens are given to younger children, a feast is often prepared, and friends and families gather to celebrate. It is also a time of charity in which Sadaqa al-Fitr is given. This is a small donation of food so all can participate in the festivities of Eid al-Fitr.

Will Santa get in or stuck in the chim chim?

BY EMMY YU

“I go with my dad to my aunt’s home, and we wait ‘til 12. While we wait, we make food, we talk to each other, we hang out, and once it gets to twelve, we start opening [presents].”

— Harry Mendez, Freshman

KELLY LUE|THE UNION

When asked to describe Santa Claus, many will inevitably use adjectives such as “fat”—or more kindly put, “round.” In no way will you ever hear Santa depicted as skinny.

Based on popular belief, Santa surely does not gain the energy to deliver all the children’s’ toys by eating kale salads or smoothie bowls. He probably sticks to a strict cookie and hot cocoa diet. So how did people get the ridiculous idea that Santa can squeeze down a narrow chimney

with his spherical stature? Here are two solid theories.

First, it’s the only way to get in.

Historically, Europeans experienced very cold and snowy winters.

Therefore, leaving the windows or doors open for Santa Claus to come wouldn’t have been the most sensible thing to do. Since these homes already relied on fire for warmth, the only opening to houses during the very cold winters would be through the ventilation shafts of the chimneys, allowing parents a convenient excuse for a white lie re-

garding Santa’s entrance into their homes.

Another question though: what is the importance of a hearth?

Throughout history, fires have long symbolized life and prosperity. Hailed as a “gift from the gods,” fire brought warmth as well as a means to cook food. Thus, it is not surprising that the hearth within a house would be held to some degree of sacrality or sacredness. Since the fireplace already brings the gift of life, Santa also emerges from the fire bearing presents.

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FASHION SPOTLIGHT

BY GRACE CHANG

Michelle nguyen Junior

Jean Jacket thrifted

Have fun and stay fit with these video games

BY EMMY YU

The indulgent holiday season is upon us. With Halloween candy supplies quickly diminishing and those second helpings of Thanksgiving mashed potatoes and gravy not doing anyone’s waistline a favor, most people will inevitably gain a few pounds. Although you may practice a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and a consistent exercise plan, these good habits are usually thrown out the window once the holiday season is in full swing. Never fear; while a structured workout may not be the most exciting way to spend your winter break, here are some healthier gaming alternatives.

Pokémon GO: This location-based, augmented reality mobile app developed

by Niantic, Inc. requires players to explore the outdoors in order to catch Pokémon, hatch eggs, obtain items at PokéStops, and battle at gyms. As players

move around the real world, GPS location services allow the in-game avatar to travel around the Pokémon universe. The PokéStops and various gyms also correspond to physical places in real life.

The main function of this mobile app involves users actively walking or biking to play the game, although many try to cheat from the comforts of their cars. Nevertheless, when played as intended, Pokémon GO provides an innovative new gaming experience that also incentivizes exercise. A dedicated fan of Pokemon GO, Physics Teacher Charles Schletzbaum attributes much of his recent weight loss to playing this game, even walking the 2.5 miles every Wednesday morning from his house to MHS in order to play.

Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR (Virtual Reality): The Oculus Rift, recenly acquired by Facebook, and the PlayStation VR are both virtual

reality headsets. With the virtual reality gaming industry gaining rapid popularity, both options are viable alternatives for healthier gaming. No matter the VR brand, most come with hand held controllers that allow users to connect their arm movements to the virtual reality world. Using hand held controllers to fight virtual reality zombies in games such as Resident Evil 7 can prove to be quite a workout.

Without going into too much detail over every function of each model, both the Oculus Rift and the Playstation VR are compatible with different accessories beyond their hand held controllers. This includes the VirZoom, which resembles a stationary bike with the addition of triggers and buttons on its handlebars.

With the VR headsets’ ability to track upper body movements as well, such games, which are included with the VirZoom, allow users to be absorbed into the virtual realities of car racing, horse racing, or even pegasus flying.

Get these unique presents for your loved ones

leggings from Forever 21

BY GRACE CHANG

Shirt from Tommy Hilfiger

Shoes from Costco

Her Fashion Inspir ation: “My fashion is inspired by different celebreties like Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, and Tess Christine.”

Anthony Nguyen Senior

DECEMBER 2016

It’s that time of year again, folks! It’s the holiday season, and Christmas is right around the corner, which means that the time has come to start holiday shopping. Finding the perfect gift can be difficult, especially finding one that is unique to your gift receiver.

Holiday shopping can be fun, but quite expensive. If you don’t know what to get your friends and family, take a look at this list. These fun and unique items will be a memorable gift for whoever you decide to give them to. Prices may vary depending on where you purchase the item.

Avocado huggers: Avocados may not be in season right now, but when they are, you can help prevent your unused half of avocado from browning. This silicone cup can help your avocados stay fresh longer.

Star Wars lightsaber selfie-stick: Now you have a perfect gift for your selfie-, Star-Warsloving friend. Even for people who don’t love Star Wars, who wouldn’t want a lightsaber you can take pictures with?

Foot rest hammock: Whether you’re working or doing homework, you can easily attach this hammock to each end of your desk and adjust to suit your lounging needs.

Heat-sensitive mugs: This is a twist on a classic gift. Instead of any normal mug, give your loved one a heat-sensitive mug that changes color when a hot beverage is poured into the mug.

There are many different ones to choose from. Some even have disappearing images.

Bluetooth shower speaker: Not only can you sing in the shower, but you can perform.

Listen to sad music and reflect

on life without ruining your speaker.

Potato chip bag resealer: Keep your chips fresh when you don’t finish them all (if that ever happens).

Fruit-infuser water bottle: Infuse your favorite fruit into your drink to give your water that extra sweetness.

Portable Sriracha keychain: Carry around a little Sriracha wherever you go. A little spice is always nice.

Touchscreen gloves: These gloves have special material in the fingertips that allow you to text your friends and update your statuses while keeping your fingers nice and warm.

Toe socks: Who doesn’t love socks? Socks are even better when they hug each individual toe for maximum comfort.

Don’t go without these winter must-haves

jacket from Zara

BY SABA KHORASANI

Winter is here, bringing super chilly weather and the excitement of the holidays. Here are some essential items that will be sure to help you survive the upcoming winter months.

turtleneck from Uniqlo

gloves from Banana Republic pants from Zara

1. Scarves: Layering is definitely necessary for winter, and a scarf is a great piece to layer with. You can throw it over any outfit to help you stay warm, and it also makes for a great accessory that adds texture to your look. Knit infinity scarves are definitely the coziest.

2. Candles: Make your room feel nice and toasty by lighting some candles. Scented candles are a super easy way to get into the holiday spirit, and they smell great. Bath and Body Works is a

Boots from Banana Republic

His Fashion Inspir ation: “My main style inspiration is definitely from the downtown urban fashion scene, but I take hints from street wear too. I also take a lot from the Korean and Japanese fashion scenes! ”

SABA KHORASANI| THE UNION

popular place to find a vast array of holiday candles.

3. Lip Balm: There is nothing worse than getting chapped lips in the winter. Lip balm is a great thing to always have with you, because no one wants to have dry, cracked lips. If you’re feeling festive, try EOS Smooth Sphere in Vanilla Bean.

4. Fuzzy socks: Fuzzy socks are probably the most popular winter essential. Keep your feet nice and warm while wearing super cute socks. They come in all kinds of patterns and colors, so you will be sure to find something you like.

5. Sweaters: Thick, warm sweaters are definite musthaves for this season. They are super easy to throw on, and they keep you nice and cozy.

There are many different styles of sweaters to choose from, but cowl neck sweaters are a super cute style you should try out this year.

6. Boots: Boots are necessary winter essentials. They are not only weather appropriate, but also a staple that go with almost any outfit, whether it be booties or over-the-knee boots (which are a popular trend this year!).

7. Layering Jacket: A goodquality, thick jacket is super important to help you stay warm during the winter. Bomber jackets and military jackets are popular choices that are not only great layering pieces, but also act as nice touches to any outfit.

Investing in a good jacket will definitely help you out during the chilly weather.

8. Hot Cocoa/Coffee/Tea: Nothing is better than having a nice, toasty drink on a super cold day. Whether it be a Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Latte, or just some tea you made at home, warm drinks are sure to be your best friend this season. Try and find your signature drink this winter!

9. Blankets: Blankets are definitely a popular choice for outerwear during the cold months. Snuggle up under cozy blankets while watching Christmas movies.

10. Winter Playlist: A playlist

is a great way to compile some of your favorite winter songs, including your Christmas picks.

Snuggle under the covers and listen to your winter playlist, because who wants to be out in the cold when you can just relax in the comfort of your own bed?

DECEMBER 2016

LIFESTYLE

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Restaurant Reviews: Starbucks and dumplings Starbucks Peppermint Mocha

BY JERALD MENDOZA

It’s that long awaited time of the year: the holidays. It’s at this time that the turkeys and hams are pulled out, the shoppers are baited out of their homes with sales, and holiday-themed food and apparel springs up all over, with businesses rushing to capitalize on the holiday hype. Starbucks is one of many companies that panders to the seasonal excitement, with options such as the Gingerbread or Pumpkin Spice Latte, and this year, the Peppermint Mocha is capturing the holiday drink spot-

Dumpling Showdown and Xiao Long Baottle

BY TUONG-VI NGUYEN

Since the grand opening of Din Tai Fung in Santa Clara, soup dumplings have been all the rage in the Bay Area. Many (xiao) long (bao) to get a taste, but this famed Taiwanese dumpling palace requires reservations to be made weeks in advance.

For those who are impatient, is there an alternative? Let’s take an analytic look at the cuisine of Din Tai Fung and a local Milpitas dumpling shop, My Dumpling.

Din Tai Fung: Located in Westfield Valley Fair, its entrance lies amidst an endless sea of shoppers, but despite the chaotic exterior, Din Tai Fung itself has a highly sophisticated atmosphere. Stepping into the restaurant, I was able to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of art (dumplings) in the making. The wait to be seated was short, and I was soon maneuvering my way through clusters of modern wooden tables, topped with baskets of aromatic dumplings.

but it other than that, it was exactly how I imagined it to taste.

The heat melted a good amount of the whipped cream, enough to sweeten the drink overall while still having some whipped cream to add texture to the drink. The sweetness of the chocolate and whipped cream balances with the bitterness of the espresso and would have set up a minty kick nicely. The drink itself wasn’t all that minty, but the sprinkles made up for it. I would have liked it more if the base was already to festive standards, since the sprinkles went with the first few sips of the mocha.

The texture of the drink, which I find almost as important as the

taste, is a different story. While the drink tasted nice for the most part, the texture was sludgy, in my opinion. Although holiday drinks should be on the thicker side to emphasize their warmth, the Peppermint Mocha was definitely on the too thick side, which isn’t the end of the world, but it should be kept in mind when thinking about your order.

Overall, I liked the drink, and I would definitely order the Peppermint Mocha again.

I see why it’s so popular, and I’d recommend ordering it well, especially if you’re looking for a fresh, new, alternative to Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

Fish Dumplings: Whisked quickwere round, steamy, and twisted ly out of the kitchen in a baminto a floral shape. Unsuspectboo basket, the fish dumplings ingly, I took an eager bite, and my were steaming hot when they tongue was instantly burned by arrived at my table. I marveled the generous spurt of hot soup, at the plump, pleated crescents but after some yelps and cooling, and prodded one gently with my I was able to savor the culinary chopsticks before lifting it to my genius. The meat was perfectmouth. Upon taking my first ly cooked and fell apart in my bite, the supple dumpling mouth with the gentlest bite. skin broke and warm 10/10, worth the burn. soup spilled into my Taro Xiao Long Bao: mouth. The firm, For dessert, I oryet airy fish filldered the taro ing was speckxiao long bao led with fresh and wondered if vegetable piecthere was going es, and delivto be taro-flaered a sensavored soup in tional seafood the dumpling. flavor.

9/10, There ended up would slurp again. being no soup in Pork Xiao Long T this “soup dumpN Bao: For those of you uong-Vi ling,” but I had no N IO Ng u y e n | T H E U who are unfamiliar with complaints because these this delicacy, soup dumplings pockets of gooey taro goodness (xiao long bao) are not actually were the most delectable order of part of any type of soup—xiao all. The sweetness was balanced long bao are small dumplings extremely well, and I felt as if I with soup and meat filling withcould eat them forever. I ordered in them. Since Din Tai Fung is extra to enjoy at home. 11/10. famous for its xiao long bao, I was especially excited to try the My Dumpling: With its modrecommended pork ones, which est storefront, My Dumpling is

easy to overlook in the crowded Milpitas Square, but it’s pretty packed once you enter, especially if it’s lunch or dinnertime.

The interior space is small, and the tables are a bit crammed together, but not so badly that it’s difficult to get around. No reservations are needed.

Fish Dumplings: Although they looked less fancy than those served at Din Tai Fung, they were surprisingly tasty. These had no soup inside, but rather, more fish filling; this was kind of strange to me. However, nothing says regular dumplings should be soupy—I think the lack of soup actually made for heartier dumplings. The skin was soft and pleasant to bite into— I prefer these fish dumplings to Din Tai Fung’s. 10/10.

Pork Xiao Long Bao: After my unexpected delight with the fish dumplings, I had high expectations for the pork xiao long bao, but they were pretty average.

Even though there was a generous amount of soup in them, I was disappointed by the filling and skin. The meat filling was mostly tender, but there was nothing added to it—no vege-

light, but does it live up to hype?

The Peppermint Mocha is a regular mocha, with the standard espresso and hot chocolate base with steamed milk to top off the mocha. The ingredient in the Peppermint Mocha that gives it that special minty flavor is peppermint syrup that’s added into the mocha, and the whole things is topped off with whipped cream and mint-flavored sprinkles, all in a gaudy, festive, red cup.

The drink itself was enjoyable, with an interesting flavor profile of sweet chocolate, bitter espresso, and minty syrup and sprinkles. It could have used more peppermint syrup to really get that minty taste of winter,

Jerald Mendoza | THE UNION

tables, minimal flavoring. The skin, upon which I build my first impression of a dumpling, seemed too tough. Overall, the xiao long bao were passable, but they weren’t special. 8/10.

Shrimp and Pork Shiao Mai: I ordered this on a whim because I wasn’t satisfied by the xiao long bao, but this was a bad idea. They tasted strange...indescribably strange. I do not recommend these. 6/10.

Xiao Long Baottle Winner: In comparison, I would have to say that Din Tai Fung is definitely superior to My Dumpling in terms of xiao long bao, but both places offer delectable fish dumplings. For a cheaper and faster dumpling experience, My Dumpling is a great choice, but know that the cooking can be somewhat inconsistent. I have been here multiple times, and the food is either a hit or miss, but what’s life without some risk? And if you have the time and money (and patience), make a reservation at Din Tai Fung and bask in the glory of its carefully crafted dumplings.

LIFESTYLE

DECEMBER 2016

12

THE UNION

r Diys For the Holliday Season r

Make your own ugly Christmas sweaters for this holiday season

BY WAFA MALIK TUONG-VI NGUYEN

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer -

Materials White paper, one sheet Black construction paper, one sheet Red balloon Reindeer headband (optional) Scissors Glue stick Tape Sweater (preferably brown)

Wa fa

1. Cut out two big white circles and two small white circles, these will serve as the white of the eye and the pupil.

2. Cut out two medium black circles, these will serve as the iris.

3. Paste the two medium black circles on the big white circles and paste the small white circles on the medium black circles. Position the circles as you wish, in the picture they are lopsided. Tape the eyes on the chest area of the sweater.

4. Blow up the red balloon and tape to stomach.

5. Place headband on head.

M a lik

ON | THE U N I

Christmas Tree Materials

1. Bend wire into a circle big enough to surround you. Attach the wire to the bottom of your sweater by wrapping the edge of the sweater around the wire and pinning into place.

2. Wrap garland around the wire and twist up the body and pin into place. It helps if someone is wearing the sweater during this process and someone else is winding and inning.

3. Twist garland around arms and pin into place.

4. Attach ornaments with safety pins or cutout

- Garland - Ornaments (or construction paper of varying colors) - Safety Pins - Tape - Star (or yellow construction paper) - Wire - Sweater (preferably green) Wa fa

M a lik | THE U N ION

Trump’s “Great Christmas” 1. Paper 1: Outline the shape of a snowman’s body

Materials - 3 pieces of white paper - Pencil - Markers (orange, red, green, brown) - Print-out of Trump’s face (expression is up to you) - Scissors - Tape - Safety pins - Sweater (preferably grey)

Tu ong -v

i Ng u y e n | T H E U

N NIO

using pencil and cut. Color in buttons on the snowman.

3.

Paper 2: Outline two classic, snowman branch arms and cut; take care to draw the right branch hand in the shape of an okay hand gesture (Trump’s signature). and color brown.

5.

Paper 2: Use remaining paper to draw and cut out a small Santa hat, colored red and white.

6.

Paper 3: Outline the shape of a sign and use the red and green markers to write “Make Christmas Great Again.” Cut. 7. Find an amusing image of Trump online and print out (dimensions: around 6 inches in height). Cut. 8. Tape Santa hat onto Trump’s head, Trump’s head onto the snowman’s body, branch arms onto the body, and the sign to the left branch hand.

9.

Tape or safety pin paper craft to sweater, and put on.

Make your holiday season more festive with these Christmas hacks

BY KATHERINE HUBENY

Christmas Potpourri You can simmer a few easy-tofind ingredients on the stove to fill your home with the smell of Christmas and create a cozy vibe.

What You’ll Need Apple Cider Cinnamon Tangerines or Oranges Nutmeg Ginger Vanilla Cranberries Water

2. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to the mixture inside the saucepan.

3. Include a cut and peeled orange and ¼ cup of cranberries.

4. Add water until the saucepan is halfway full.

5. Put the saucepan with all of the ingredients on the stove on medium heat.

6. Once the Christmas scents fill the house, put the stove on low heat.

Candy Cane Place Card: This candy cane place card is a cute and easy way to identify the dishes that you serve on Christmas Christmas.

What You’ll Need: 3 Mini Candy Canes A hot glue gun One third of a 3x5 index card A marker

Procedure

Procedure 1. Pour ½ cup of apple cider and two tablespoons of vanilla into a saucepan.

Katherine Hubeny | THE UNION

Katherine Hubeny | THE UNION

Katherine Hubeny | THE UNION

1. Unwrap the miniature candy canes.

2. Place the candy canes upside down.

3. Use the hot glue gun to glue together the length sides of the candy canes, with the hooks facing outwards. You can also add glue to the outside to reinforce it.

The hooks should form a triangle.

Katherine Hubeny | THE UNION

4. Use the marker to write the name of a dish you are serving on the index card to make a label for that dish. You can also use these to make place cards for seating arrangements.

5. Place the label inside two of the hooks of the candy canes.

This will create a festive Christmas themed place card that will be perfect for any holiday party!

DECEMBER 2016

THE UNION

ENTERTAINMENT

13

Check out these top video games this Christmas

BY DARRION NGUYEN

K i r b y ’s Planet Robobot: Bringing back the nintendo classic, “Kirby: Planet Robobot” is a great game to enjoy over the break on the 3DS. In the game, a massive spacecraft has come to conquer the planet, and it is up to Kirby to save it.

Dishonored 2: Utilizing a chaos system, “Dishonored 2” is an assassination game that offers multiple play styles.

Reclaim your lost throne as Empress Emily Kaldwin or play as her bodyguard Corvo Attano in this multiplatform game.

Jackbox Party Pack 3: The Jackbox series consists of great party games to play at any event. A host sets up on PC, and people sign in through their phones and play various challenges such as a Trivia Murder Party

or Quiplash.

Pokemon Sun and Moon: The latest installment in the pokemon series, “Pokemon Sun and Moon” brings back classic Pokemon in different Alolan forms.

Fun to play on the 3DS, you play as a trainer catching and training Pokemon to be the very best.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: If you love turn-based games and building toward a more perfect civilization on PC, this is the perfect game for you. Choose a country and make decisions for world dominance in Sid Meier’s “Civilization VI.” Farming Simulator 17: What says a steady life like living like a farmer? “Farming Simulator 17” lets you play as a farmer with multiple vehicles to choose from and crops

to farm, playable on any platform.

Final Fantasy XV: For those who love open-world RPGs, “Final Fantasy XV” is the latest installment of the Final Fantasy series available on the PS4 and Xbox. Go out to explore the fictional world of Eos and battle others in this Square Enix game.

Titanfall 2: Ever dream of riding hugemechs thatcancause utter destruction?

“Titanfall 2” is a shooter on the PC, Xbox One, and PS4. Go online, where you play as a pilot or the mech to fight others and capture objectives, or go through the single-player campaign mode.

Courtesy of goombastomp.com, gamestop.com, polygon.com, wikipedia.com, gamesplanet.com, technobuffalo.com, and pushsquare.com

BY GRACE CHANG & KELLY LUE

ANANYA DONAPATI & JUSTIN NGUYEN| THE UNION

Best and Worst things in 2016

BY ANANYA DONAPATI

Opinion: Mariah needs her time back in spotlight Last year, I published an opinion different times, and holds the record piece on why the world needs a re- for longest running single at #1 for vitalization of Mariah Carey, queen “One Sweet Day,” with a cumulative of holiday festivities and doing the 58 weeks at #1. Furthermore, Marimost, and this year, we have finally ah has written almost all of her songs, got it. After years of media slander save for the covers (which are, let’s and defamation, Mariah is face it, all better than their making a comeback with originals).

“Mariah’s World,” a realWhile we’re at it, let’s also ity television series that acknowledge the FACT premiered on Dec. 4 on E! that Mariah’s interview (a very fitting date for the with ET Canada, in which woman who reinvented she showed up five hours the American Christmas late, is light years better holiday season). than the entire Beatles’ Just for those of you who discography. In addition, still doubt Mariah’s impact The Beatles have notedand icon status, let’s look at ly never come out with JUSTIN her greatest achievement any gay anthems. Mariah, NGUYEN as an artist. Let’s start off however, has cranked out with the most obviousTONS. “Honey,” “Heart“All I Want for Christmas is You” breaker,” (let’s not forget one of the is indisputably the single greatest most iconic live performances in the Christmas song of all time. Mariah history of performance, “Love HangCarey is also one of the most suc- over” and “Heartbreaker” at Diva’s cessful artists of all time: she has sold 2000) and the entirety of “Rainbow” more than 220 million records world- are all timeless bops that have perwide, topping the Billboard charts 18 vaded the gay music circuit.

Mariah is also an abuse survivor: under her marriage with Tommy Mottola, she was kept locked in their house, isolated her from her family and friends. She was exploited as a money making machine for Mottola, who has admitted his abuse against Mariah. Mariah’s longevity as a woman of color in the industry has been incredibly inspirational for many other women of color worldwide-just look at the amount of artists today who cite Mariah as an inspiration for their work. Her appropriately titled “The Emancipation of Mimi” was one of the most celebrated albums of the past decade and strongest comebacks of any artist.

Fans all over the world are looking forward to how Mariah will reinvent herself this time around. Granted, recent media attention directed at Mariah surrounding a lawsuit with an overworked nanny was completely warranted, we can only hope that Mariah has learned her lesson and returned to the musical fairy godmother we all fell in love with.

Best: 1. Advancements in space research 2.The Walking Dead 3. Warriors get Kevin Durant 4. Pokemon Go 5. The Bee Movie 6. DAB

Worst: 1. Deaths of many celebrities 2. Death of Harambe 3. GLOBAL WARMING 4. The presidential election 5. Brexit 6. School Fights

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14

THE UNION

DECEMBER 2016

ENTERTAINMENT

Magic is might: ‘Fantastic Beasts’ is spellbinding RATING (Out of 5 Mariahs):

He befriends a No-Maj Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), as well as PorBY CA-ZAO BUI pentina (Katherine Waterston), a ELAKYA THIRUMOORTHY witch of the Magical Congress of To many, “Harry Potter” is a symthe United States of America, and bol of childhoods filled with wonher sister Queenie (Alison Sudol). der and amazement at J.K RowlThe plot twists into a storyline ing’s wizarding world. With more sinister than the premthe announcement of the new ised lighthearted search for five-film “Fantastic Beasts” lost creatures; an anti-magic series, fans worldwide found organization calling themthemselves immersed again MOVIE selves the Second Salemers in the magic they’d grown up REVIEW spread propaganda against with. “Fantastic Beasts and the wizarding community.

Where to Find Them,” the first The animations consist of movie of the series directed by Dafun little wisps of magic, such as vid Yates, journeys into a familiar characters making strudels, setyet completely new universe. ting the table, and setting clothes The film’s concept is from the out to dry. With the backdrop of textbook used by Hogwarts stuthe quirky American 1920s aesdents in the original “Harry Potter” thetic, the magic looks fun, slick, series. The movie follows the textand effortlessly beautiful. Conbook’s author, British wizard Newt trasting the scenes of casual acts Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), of magic are gloriously animated as he traipses through 1920s New scenes involving Newt’s grand York in search of the creatures that creatures, most notably the scenes escaped from his magical suitcase. with the glowing, rhinoceros-like



erumpent and the grandiose thunderbird.

The film manages to sustain its childish wonder without losing the effect of the intense plot appropriate for a more mature audience: perfect for Potterheads, or any audience members for that matter, who still retain that desire for fun magic without sacrificing a plot with real substance.

As slick as the movie is, there are some noticeable flaws. The story is convoluted at best and simply nonsensical at times. Some of the minor characters are written as simple plot devices with plastic dialogue. While entertaining enough to swallow disbelief, “Fantastic Beasts” is not as polished or ingenious as its predecessors in terms of plot, but these lapses are easily overlooked.

This film is distinct from the original series, and it’s enjoyable.

“Harry Potter” fan or not, “Fantastic Beasts” is worth watching.

Courtesy of imdb.com

From left to right: Hei Hei, Moana (Auli’i Cravalho), Pua, and Maui (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) journey on a boat to restore the heart of the Mother Island goddess Te Fiti. Moana was released in theaters on Wednesday, Nov. 23.

‘Moana’ redefines the standard Disney princess

RATING (Out of 5 Mariahs):

sit back and let the male lead save the day, Moana jumps to action whenever

BY EMMY YU a crisis occurs. Whether it be against a gang of dart-blowing coconut pirates Disney’s latest musical film, “Moaor an evil singing crab, Moana stands na,” follows the story of the next-inher ground while demonstrating her line Polynesian chief (Auli’i Cravalho) quick-thinking and intellect. Another as she journeys to restore the heart of aspect of Moana that is worth menthe Mother Island, Te Fiti, in tioning is her realistically proorder to save her dying island. portioned body that makes her Along the way, she meets Maui much more believably suited (Dwayne Johnson), a boastful for her action-packed conflicts demigod with a magic fishhook the film. She fortuMOVIE throughout that allows him to pull islands nately lacks the thin-waisted REVIEW and stick-like figure that has out of the sea and transform into giant hawks. been characteristic in many of Following the time-honored, stanDisney’s past princesses—many of dard Disney princess storyline, Moawhom look as if they are about to snap na leaves the security of her home and in half. family to venture into the dangerous “Moana” is also distinctly rounknown in order to pursue her own mance-free, and the lack of a love destiny. However, Moana’s character interest for our heroine suits the deviates from the average damsel in film perfectly. While Maui acts as her distress, and she proves this throughcompanion and mentor as she sails out the movie. Not one to passively across the seas, a romantic relation-



ship between the pair never develops. This might be all for the better given Maui’s character is a thousandyear-old demigod that can shapeshift into anything from fish to a chicken.

The rich culture is also demonstrated in the ceremonial dances, legends, music, and storytelling in Moana’s tribe. With musical numbers from “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa’I, and Mark Mancina, “Moana” incorporate traditional Samoan and Maori rhythms.

Disney has taken the classic tale of a hero’s journey and given the spotlight to a strong heroine. Her realistic features and her determined, headstrong personality makes for an admirable leading character who shows that a female hero can save the day. By skipping the sappy romance altogether, Disney has been able to showcase Moana as an independent and self-confident leader in her own right.

‘Arrival’ is an intelligent, creative sci-fi masterpiece

RATING (Out of 5 Mariahs):

with them. Talking to aliens for 2.5 hours seems rather dull, but the

BY JUSTIN TSO plot impressively weaves together themes of global cooperation and I’ll confess: as the credits of this overcoming past traumas to create movie rolled, I had absolutely no something that feels far more huidea what had just happened. But man and real than most science ficas my friend explained to me the tion movies, or any movie for that relevance of a single, subtle line in matter. the movie, the series of menMake no mistake, “Arrival” tal explosions and revelations dazzles with gorgeous, sweepthat occurred in my mind ing visuals and incredible in the following 10 seconds special effects that stand out left me in a complete state of MOVIE even in the sci-fi genre, but shock. For that moment alone, REVIEW an even greater strength lies amidst other fantastic qualin the brilliant performance ities, “Arrival” is an absolute of its cast. Behind its science must-watch. fiction front, the film revolves al“Arrival” brings together an allmost solely around the struggles of Adams’character, and it’s from star cast in Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Forest Whitaker in a Louise that “Arrival” draws all of its emotional depth. Fortunately, slow-burning, evocative sci-fi drama. The premise of the movie is Adams proves that she’s fully capable of handling the role, turning simple: aliens land across Earth, and it’s the job of Louise (Adams), in one of the best performances of her career. Present in almost every a world-renowned linguist, to figshot, Adams expertly balanced on ure out a way to communicate



the edge of confusion and revelation. Renner and Whitaker, while taking significantly smaller roles, are engaging and keep the film grounded­ —but ultimately, considering how ambitious and grand the film’s premise is, it’s impressive how well Adams manages to shine.

The movie’s aforementioned blow-your-mind plot, however, is what makes “Arrival” truly special. With a film as slowly paced as “Arrival” is, audience attention is normally shaky, but “Arrival” is masterfully written and filmed—an action as simple as touching the alien spaceship will leave you on the edge of your seat, and massive plot twists will keep your mind scrambling in the best possible way. I can only hope every watcher has the same revelation I had at the movie’s powerful conclusion—that perhaps it takes a movie about mysterious, strange creatures to showcase, for better or worse, how human we all really are.

mchanzo #1 ship finals week a hotpocket at 1 a.m. post-christmas wallet the entirety of 2016

STARBOY

by The Weeknd Genre: R&B/Soul RATING (Out of 5 Mariahs):

HERE

by Alicia Keys Genre: R&B RATING (Out of 5 Mariahs):

BY DARRION NGUYEN

BY JUSTIN TSO

The Weeknd’s new album “Starboy” hit the road on Nov. 28, featuring Daft Punk, who provides a unique style and beat. The album provides many radio hits, such as “Starboy,” “I Feel it Coming,” and “Party Monster.”

The Weeknd’s music changes from his previous albums, going from a mellow tone to a more electronic style. “Starboy’s” exciting rhythm brings in good vibes, making the album great for a party. Abel Tesfaye, The Weeknd, offers a distinct voice, smooth and snazzy. Combined together, the songs in “Starboy” are amazing hits that are instantly recognizable.

In addition to the voice and beat, the track’s lyrics are well constructed to offer insight into his life. At first glance, it may seem like another party song on the radio, but upon further examination his lines delve into many suggestive themes. The Weekend describes the extravagance of the celebrity lifestyle and the opportunities that he encounters.

Aside from the songs themselves, the videos have amazing production value, providing a mellow yet bright feel. Some of the songs in the album together to form “M A N I A,” a short film produced by The Weeknd involving his music.

Overall, “Starboy” is a great album despite the complete change in style from what The Weeknd has offered in the past. It showcases a strong rhythm produced

by Daft Punk which meshes well with The Weeknd’s voice. You should check it out if you haven’t already heard some of his hits blasting on the radio.

Four years removed from “Girl on Fire,” Alicia Keys makes her return in “Here,” an album that almost perfectly captures her as an artist. Keys has made being real her trademark (she’s sworn off makeup in pursuit of natural beauty), and she proves it with this album in the exploration of herself and Harlem through both song and rap. It’s incredibly admirable how true to Keys the album sounds; whether that makes the album great to listen to is a different matter.

Keys’ unique voice is never in doubt, and her familiar vocal power is present in every song. The songs are the main issue: not quite following R&B tropes, Keys’ songs are original and pleasant enough, but a majority of them fail to stand out. The album has its moments (the interludes and “Hallelujah” shine), but even the high points can’t touch Keys’ greatest hits.

The rest of the album, unfortunately, feels like filler—deep and poetic, for sure, but not great music. Keys noticeably tries to pack her album with emotional depth, but the music is almost dragged down as a result. “Here” lacks the triumphant, soaring feeling that fans have come to associate with Alicia Keys.

If “Here” is a disappointment, it’s only because Alicia Keys has built her expectations so high. As albums go, it passes as something worth listening to, and Keys fans will want to give it a try at least once. However, for this Alicia Keys fan at least, the album’s impression isn’t a lasting one, and in that sense, “Here” fails to live up to its name.

DECEMBER 2016

ENTERTAINMENT

15

THE UNION

WAFA MALIK| THE UNION

From left to right, Drummer Gabe Stein, Lead Singer Brendan Hoye, and Bass Michael Hoye of Finish Ticket appear at UC Theater in Berkeley on Nov. 11, 2016. The band members perform their original song, “Doctors,” for the large crowd.

BROOKE TRAN| THE UNION

From left to right: Carl Merriwether (Jaden Labra), Gary McMaster (Leonardo Vasquez), and Mark Davenport (Henry Tran) discuss their campaign funding.

‘Election’ features great acting, but falls short with poor script RATING (Out of 5 Mariahs):

BY BRANDON WETTENSTEIN

The MHS theater department performed “The Election” for its annual fall production. The play follows high school student Mark Davenport and his student body presidential campaign against his competitor, high school student Christy Martin. The play satirizes the different aspects of a traditional political campaign such as the agressive debates and the questionable campaign funding.

Because the play was performed a week after the actual 2016 presidential election, I was nervous because I was expecting one of the characters to mirror Donald Trump and another to mirror Hillary Clinton. To my surprise, none of the characters were reflections of any of the candidates; rather, they stood on their own, each with its own unique flair. In fact, the entire play stands on its own and is relevant enough to be performed at any time of the year without being constrained by the current election.

All the actors portrayed their characters very well, and they all looked as though they were enjoying themselves. I also enjoyed the characters in the play and didn’t think anyone was annoying or negatively impacted the overall production. Personally, my favorite character was the campaign manager Gary McMaster, who was the sinister, money-obsessed head of a Super PAC portrayed by Senior Leonardo Vasquez. Vasquez made the entire audience and me laugh during a scene between himself and Davenport in which he let out an outrageous laugh

after Davenport said that he didn’t need money for his presidential campaign.

Additionally, the stage crew deserves an enormous amount of kudos because the members managed to swiftly add and remove props from scenes without any trouble, despite the fact that some members were absent. In terms of production, I found it hilarious whenever a fake campaign ad from Davenport or Martin showed up. The ads were a wonderful and surprising addition to the play because of the way they were filmed and what the actors and actresses said in them.

Almost all the faults I had with the production were script related. The script rehashed the same juvenile jokes throughout the production. In fact, I would go so far as to say that if the actors were not as good as they were with their delivery, almost all of the jokes would have fallen flat. Additionally, the play was incredibly predictable. To me, after the introduction of Christy Martin, it was not difficult at all to predict how the story was going to progress and end.

For a high school play, it seemed like its script was geared towards audience members who were just potty trained.

Despite these faults, I would say that I enjoyed the production. In fact, I prefer this play to the the theater department’s last production, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” To me, this was a production that highlighted how talented the actors were, especially considering how subpar the script was. Nevertheless, I wait to see what the theater department does next.

‘Finish Ticket’ ends tour with dazzling lightshow

BY WAFA MALIK

Local band Finish Ticket wrapped up its first major tour this November with a phenomenal performance filled with two exciting opening bands. Finish Ticket started in Alameda, where twin brothers Brendan and Michael Hoye teamed up with friend Alex DiDonato in high school. The band was later completed when twins Gabe and Nick Stein joined.

After high school, some members decided to take a break in order to attend college full time but all ultimately decided to quit a year later and fully devote their time to pursuing a career in music. Their efforts payed off, and the band eventually performed at local festivals such as Outside Lands and Not So Silent Night as well as opened for famous bands such Twenty-One Pilots and Fall Out Boy. The band members’ music fits in the indie pop and indie rock genre, and although these labels may seem to limit their music style, their album and EPs cover a wide array of music that can suit varying preferences.

The concert was a marvelous live

experience and one I would highly recommend if they tour again.

Tickets were relatively cheap at, $28.00, since they are a relatively unknown band, and the venue, the UC Theater in Berkeley, was beautiful. The speakers worked well and relayed the sound clearly, which made enjoying the music easier.

There were two opening bands, Irontom and Run River North, that each gave performances between 20 and 30 minutes long.

Irontom is a rock band based in Los Angeles, and its performance easily enchanted the audience.

Pure rock music is not my favorite, but watching the lead singer passionately dance and sing to the music caused myself and the audience to be fully enticed. Run River North is an indie folk-rock band.

Between the two opening acts, Run River North’s was my favorite because they had slightly slower, softer music and used uncommon instruments like the violin. One of my favorite parts of the concert was the interaction between the three bands. During the last song of each band’s performance, the

members of the other bands came out and danced on stage. Though it made for a crowded stage, it also exhibited unity among the performers that translated to escalating excitement in the audience.

This sort of unity is uncommon in most concerts because bands are usually disconnected from their opening acts and simply have them because it is customary.

Finish Ticket’s set was accompanied by a fantastic light show that was simple enough to not distract from the performance but flashy enough to create the perfect concert experience. Hoye, the lead singer, had a decent amount of interaction with the audience, though I felt there could have been more. This, however, is a personal preference between wanting to have the performers talk to the audience more or simply sing. The setlist was balanced between older songs and recent releases, with a throwback to one of the band’s oldest songs, “Rivers.” Overall, the concert was completely worth the time and money, and I highly recommend attending a Finish Ticket concert the next time they tour.

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16

T HE U NION

DECEMBER 2016

NEWS

TEAM ROOM: Construction plans await authorization FROM PAGE 1 from there, Wyness said.

“From when we first brought our concerns to Cheryl Jordan,” Wyness said, “[which] was in late September of last school year, to when the board approved the plans for the new locker room and storage facility, [which] I believe was in April of last school year. Then, getting all the plans done, and the final approval and adjustments, talking with P.E. and athletics and the architects, that was finalized this year in October.”

The budget for the planned renovations is going to be paid for through general fund money, Wyness said.

“I believe [they’re using] general fund money that the district has in case something comes up and that’s where the money came from,” Wyness explained.

According to Jordan, general fund money is confirmed to be used to pay for the building of the team room.

“Approximately $450,000 [is budgeted] from Bond 2012 funds,” Jordan said. “This renovation will take place over the summer of 2017 with scheduled opening by fall 2017,” Jordan added.

While administration says renovations will start over the summer, there is still uncertainty over the

time table for approval of building plans. And as far as when everything will get done, it is still unsure, Lamb said.

“Hopefully it will be done before the beginning of next school year,” Lamb said. “But there’s no guarantees of that, because you don’t know what the [Division of the State Architect] will say.”

The reactions from students to the renovation plans and the lack of facilities for girls athletics are mixed.

Some believe that it is good that they are adding the girls team room since we mostly have the same sports. And while the boys have football and girls may have volleyball, that doesn’t mean only boys should get a team room, Water Polo Player Yen-Vy Ngo said.

“I think [the remodel] is good, but they should’ve been doing that in the first place,” Ngo said. “Or while they were building they might as well have put in the second one too. It’s good that it’s happening though.”

Not every student cares as much about the difference in gendered facilities, however.

“I don’t think I’m very concerned with this issue because I’ve never seen that room before,” Senior Cross

Country Runner Huynh said. “But they should hurry up and renovate the girl’s locker room to end this controversy.

Some student athletes showed degrees of apathy in their reaction to the building of team facilities. According to Junior Cross Country Runner Grace Chang, the exact uses for the girls team room are unclear, so she is not sure how to feel .

“If you want my honest opinion, I feel like at this point I don’t understand why the girls need the team room, or why the guys need a team room,” Chang said. “What’s the purpose? We already have a locker room; what is a team room? I feel like they’re spending money on things we should be using for other things, to be honest.”

Still, some students appreciate the creation of team facilities. According to Tennis Player Hope Do, she did not know there was a difference between locker rooms and team rooms until she saw it in the paper.

“They didn’t do anything [about the team room] until it was brought up, so maybe they didn’t consider it important,” Do said. “[But] they made a plan to change it after the concern was raised, so I think that’s good.”

Courtesy of Brian Shreeve

The marching band ensemble competes at Cupertino High School for a band competition. Drum Major Allan Zhao conducts at the front for the marching band as Color Guard Member Jamie Chen performs a baton solo in the center.

MHS Marching Band successful in the new season

BY HOPE DO

The MHS Marching Band and Color Guard competed in a new circuit this year, completing a good season and earning quite a few first place wins with their hard work, according to Drum Major Noemi Crisanto.

Since they left the Western Band Association (WBA) circuit this year, the marching band and color guard were able to experience a different style of judging in their new circuit, Crisanto explained.

In the Northern California Band Association (NCBA), the method of scoring the bands is different because there are more judges listening in the stands with the audience as opposed to judging down on the field, Marching Band Advisor Emily Moore stated. Participating in multiple NCBA shows this year in the highest divi-

sion, 6A, the band and guard earned a plethora of awards, Moore continued.

“We had a great show. Everyone loved the music, so they really wanted to practice and work hard,” Moore said. “We did get a lot of first places this year in, like, brass and woodwinds, and fourth place drum major.

Our Color Guard got third place at [one competition], which I think is the highest they’ve gotten.”

According to Crisanto, all of these successes that the band and guard have seen this year can be attributed to the hours of practice that they put in. While the drumline puts in two extra practices every week, the color guard practices every day of the week, Crisanto continued.

“It feels very rewarding to know that our hard work has led us to become successful!” Color Guard Cap-

tain Andy Nguyen said. “I hope that my contributions to the color guard as their peer and captain have helped them to learn a lot about performing, dancing, and spinning.”

In addition to practice and competitions, they had the opportunity to march in a parade at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, according to Moore.

“Being able to interact with the audience is actually really cool,” Junior Jennifer Zhang said. “Normally in a field show, you don’t get to see the audience’s faces but when you’re marching on the street, you can see people as you walk by them.”

While the marching band and color guard marched in the parade, the MHS choir and orchestra each had the opportunity to have their own respective recording sessions at Disney, according to Moore.

POLICY: SLT discusses changes to Academic Integrity

FROM PAGE 1

“It’s been more complicated than we thought it would be, in part because not everybody has been able to be present in all the meetings,” Draeger stated. “We wanted to make sure that we got feedback from everybody.”

According to AP Chemistry Teacher Letta Meyer, cheating is a major problem, and the Academic Integrity Policy had to be edited to address certain problems. There have been problems with people copying from others, not just on minor assignments but on major grades too, Meyer stated.

“There were too many loopholes in [the old policy], and that was really what the biggest problem was,” Meyer said. “The way that it was written, it was basically that you got a reset every class period every year.”

While there is consensus on the importance of deterring cheating, not all teachers agree on what should be implemented, English Teacher Annie Marple said. One of the problems in writing policies is unanimity, she said.

“The reason why it was changed from the old one at all was because there were a few teachers who had some kind of large scale issues,” Mar-

ple said. “I think it that it should be to the discretion of the teacher to handle cheating,.”

The school needs a policy with serious consequences, English Teacher Sanjit Roy said. Cheating has become so rampant, it has reached the point where students are cheating on basic assignments, he continued.

“The issue is what sort of punishment should it be. and I think that there should be serious consequences,” Roy said. “People were talking about possibly affecting college applications, where it’s more on your record.”

Courtesy of Leslie Stobbe

MHS Digital Business Academy students create cards with designs (above) for their annual e-pal program with students in China, Japan, and the Philippines.

MHS sets cultural ties with sister cities

BY ANANYA DONAPATI

Milpitas has three sister cities in total, located in China, Japan, and the Philippines. Currently, the sister cities are collaborating with the MHS Digital Business Academy and the City of Milpitas, to create cultural exchange events for the community, according to Staff Liaison of the Milpitas Sister City Commission, Leslie Stobbe. Students participate in an annual e-pal program, and visitors from the sister cities occasionally visit MHS as well, she said.

The three cities that Milpitas is linked to are: Huizhou, Tsukuba, and Dagupan, according to Stobbe. Every year, approximately 55 juniors in DBA Teacher Ms. Hutchinson’ s class get matched to individual students in any sister city, and they communicate in English with the students through email, Stobbe stated. There were recent karuta card making events with the help of a representative from Tsukuba; also, during Spirit Week of 2017, many students will fly over to MHS, Stobbe explained.

“It’ s up to the students to keep the conversations interesting,” Stobbe said in regards to the e-pal program.

“One of the assignments in DBA is to create a digital montage with the theme: What it means to be a Milpitan, or what it means to be a Californian.”

Along with the e-pal program there was the recent karuta event, where the students created Japanese cards that are going to be printed into actual card decks, Stobbe said. There will also be a sister city student visitation

at MHS in addition to these cultural events.

“In 2017, during Spirit Week, we will have at least 20 students from Dagupan and Huizhou,” Stobbe said.

“The idea is to give visiting students an ‘ American experience’ with home and school life, attending Spirit Week activities, learning about Milpitas and having fun.”

The greatest concern is in obtaining homes for sister city students that visit Milpitas, Stobbe stated.

She is working with Student Liaison Tiffany Dinh to recruit students to get permission from their parents or guardians to participate in the October 2017 Spirit Week before this school year ends, Stobbe added.

“I heard of the sister city program through my academy class,” Dinh stated. “Although I am the student liaison, there is a huge collaboration within the commissioners. There really is no specific job description or limits. My e-pal’s name is Mai, and she’s from Tsukuba! I love talking to her a lot, and her messages are always nice and cute.”

Sister city students come to MHS during homecoming season every year, Hutchinson explained. The students that came recently were from the Philippines, and Stobbe arranged their housing, she added.

“I’m not really nervous since I’m not talking to them face-to-face, so it’ s pretty comfortable,” Junior Jonathan Lu stated. “[My e-pal is from] China. His name is Elvis. He likes to skateboard, and he has a joy for foodhe could eat about anything. We send each other selfies too.”

Food Bank makes large impact

BY HOPE DO

Over a million pounds of food have been provided to a number of Milpitas organizations by the Second Harvest Food Bank this calendar year, Second Harvest Food Bank Brand Manager Sara Todd said. As the holiday season approaches, Second Harvest purchases extra food for those families that can’t handle frozen poultry, Todd stated.

To the Milpitas Food Pantry alone, in 2016, Second Harvest has provided almost 118,000 pounds of food, including 975 turkeys, Todd stated.

It has also provided holiday chickens and gift cards, Todd continued.

During the holidays, Second Harvest purchases extra food like additional eggs, holiday vegetables, and canned fruit. They provide turkeys, whole chickens, and $10 gift cards for those families who can’t handle frozen poultry.

“During such a divisive time, it’s empowering to focus on an issue we can all get behind: ensuring that anyone in our community who needs a healthy meal can get one, particularly during the holidays,” Todd said.

“We can all agree that nobody should go hungry, and it’s great to work for an organization on a mission to end hunger.”

Members of the Second Harvest Food Bank are committed to innovating until we find a way to solve hunger in the communities they serve, Todd said. They want to ensure that anyone who is in need of a healthy meal

is able to get one, Todd continued.

“Many of the people who make our community run—cashiers, store clerks, cooks, gardeners, and construction workers—can’t pay the high cost of housing and are forced to choose between paying rent and putting food on the table,” as stated by a Second Harvest Food Bank fact sheet. “That’s a choice nobody should have to make.”

The work that Second Harvest has been doing is wonderful, especially as the weather gets colder and the assistance the members provide becomes more important, Social Studies Teacher Brian Knitter said. Second Harvest’s support for the Milpitas Food Pantry is great, Knitter said.

“I’m glad that they reach into communities, like Milpitas with the Milpitas Food Bank, because that’s important,” Knitter said.

The Second Harvest Food Bank also organizes the annual Silicon Valley Turkey Trot, an event in which the members raise money and collect cans for the less fortunate with the help of a lot of volunteers, Junior Michelle Li said. The experience of volunteering at the event with other hard-working volunteers was great, Li said.

“It feels really nice, like not only do you make memories with other fellow volunteers, but you also help bring smiles to other people’s faces, Li said. “I think that’s what really makes helping out worth it: when you can see the difference you’re making in people’s lives.”