The Prospector (October 28, 2011)

THE PROSPECTOR

FEATURES: Recent events impact local students and elicit strong responses OPINIONS: Rally Sportsmanship CUPERTINO HIGH SCHOOL’S

VOLUME 53 NO. 2

10100 FINCH AVENUE, CUPERTINO CA

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FLIPSIDE: Remembering October

OCTOBER 28, 2011

Unity Rally brings students together against hate ERIC JANG editor-in-chief HARINI JAGANATHAN editor-in-chief

In response to the Westboro Baptist Church’s planned picketing of the school on Oct. 19, students and staff participated in a schoolwide Unity Rally to encourage non-engagement with picketers and promote acceptance.

Over 1,000 people responded to the Facebook group organizing the event. Over 500 participants came, including members of the student body, teachers, parents, community members and students from other schools in the district.

A few student leaders played an active role in devising a plan for the Unity Rally along with the administration and teachers.

Student leader Achyuth Madabhushi, president of the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), was among the first to find out about the WBC’s plan to picket.

“I felt as though I had a responsibility to do something,” Madabhushi said. “Everything that they do is contrary to what we do in GSA.” Although teachers gave the student leaders some guidance, students made the majority of decisions surrounding the proceedings of the rally.

“Ms. [Kami] Tomberlain and Ms. [Arcadia] Conrad and [Yukari] Kawano Sensei, all of us thought of ourselves as facilitating, so I was really pleased to see students take leadership of that,” GSA adviser Teresa Filice said.

Student leaders contacted administration on Saturday to discuss their plans. A few student leaders met with Principal Kami Tomberlain on Monday to decide on the school’s unified stance.

However, some students feel that discussions with administration should have been a more open process, including not just the most vocal leaders but the general consensus of all students.

“If it was made public, this meeting, I feel that so many more people would have attended, they would have had the opportunity to talk with administration directly about this, not just through some Facebook group where everything tends not to be taken as seriously,” senior Sophie Ye said.

Students came at 7:00 a.m. to set up for the rally.

“I appreciated how everyone was willing to participate in the rally,” Madabhushi said. “I liked how people were willing to come early and set up.”

The Unity Rally began at 7:50 a.m. with 15 minutes of silence, followed by performances from Capella choir and the Homecoming dances of Class of 2013 and the Class of 2012. Students danced and so-

ALL PHOTOS BY JESSE ZHOU

WHERE IS THE LOVE? | Senior Cindy Shi participated in the unity rally by standing on the quad stage and expressing acceptance of all of her peers CHOIR’S INPUT | Cappella choir sings “ We are the World” with linked arms UNITY SIGN | This was one of the many signs held up during the rally

cialized in the quad for the remainder of the hour.

“I was really happy that nobody talked during the period of silence,” senior Shruthi Gopal said. “Even the people coming in — they understood what was going on quickly.”

According to Vice Principal Andy Walczak, the original plan was to have a counter-protest in the bus circle, but when administration found out that the WBC would be picketing on the side of Finch closer to school, the rally was moved to the quad.

This decision prompted mixed reactions from students.

“I myself wanted to be out there to protest,” said senior Al Hassani, another student leader. “I wanted to be on the front lines

picketing them, but if you look at it from the whole perspective, it was a lot wiser to move it inside.”

Other students felt that the rally should have been held where the WBC would have been able to see.

“I thought it was kind of useless being held inside the quad because nobody knew that we were there,” Ye said. “For the moment the WBC was there, they didn’t realize how many of us were standing in solidarity against them.”

The WBC left school campus to picket at Steve Jobs’ Celebration of Life ceremony at 8:25 a.m., which was earlier than the scheduled 8:45 a.m.

Spoken poets and hip-hop clubs collaborate on first joint performance NIKHIL KANTHI opinions assistant

The integrated slam to be held by Spoken Poets and Hip Hop Club on Dec. 2 will be one of the first collaborative efforts between two performance clubs on campus.

The event itself is actually more of a talent show than a slam because it is not a competition, but rather a platform for poets and dancers from both clubs to showcase themselves.

“It’s for students to express their inner talent and express themselves in an open environment,” said senior Devin Williams, Hip Hop Club president.

The reason for this collaboration between both clubs is that

It’s for students to express their talent and express themselves in an open environment.

- senior Devin Williams

poetry and hip hop naturally complement each other. Poetry and rap tend to provide the rhythm, while hip hop adds a visual aspect to the entire presentation.

“At this kind of slam, you get to experience both of the cultures, and poetry and hip hop come together really well,” said senior Derek Cox, a member of both clubs.

Spoken Poets is a performance club that focuses on slam poetry, a free-form type of poetry that is closer to a monologue than a sonnet. The club meetings consist of improvisational activities, such as fill-in-the-blank poetry and solo performances of student-prepared work.

“People can come to meetings if they want to share something they’ve written in an open, accepting environment, or

THE PROSPECTOR

NEWS

the Prospector 2011-2012 STAFF

Cupertino High School Established 1958 Vol LIIl., No. II | 2011

editors-in-chief eric jang harini jaganathan news editor azadeh rongere opinions editor sindhu gnanasambandan features editor jesse zhou lifestyles editor natasha sharma sports editors sunwoo jeong abhishek zaveri flip side editors alya omar michelle cheung copy editors kevin chu victoria duan madhuri sathish business manager virena galotra

news chris yoon assistants anna huang opinions nikhil kanthi assistants laura kao features virena galotra assistants katie martin lifestyles hong suh assistants jason chen sports christopher tracey assistants anand hemmady flipside chris cai assistants

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OCTOBER 28, 2011

Parent volunteers host administrative tutorial JASON CHEN lifesyles assistant

The administration has recently recruited more parent volunteers for administrative tutorial. These volunteers will aid students by managing regulatory procedures and tutoring students. Assistant Principal Geoff Wright, who supervises administrative tutorial, began looking for more parent volunteers in hopes of further supporting the students and giving them the opportunity to succeed. After noting the positive effect parent aides had on student success last year, the administration decided to invite new volunteers this year to further help students. “ W e were very fortunate and we had many parent volunteers this year, even more than last year,” Wright said. “We had parents returning from last year, and a number of new parents volunteering to support our students in administrative tutorial.”

There are approximately four to five parent volunteers present at each tutorial, which is a significant increase from last year. Parent volunteers do much to help manage processes such as book checkouts or student check-ins during tutorial. They also tutor the students in subjects ranging from foreign languages to math to history. “[Volunteering] is very rewarding, especially when I see more and more kids improve and when I am able

to help the kids,” said Sherry Ren, a volunteer since last year.

Ren volunteers not only to benefit the students but also to set an example for her kids. She believes that it is everyone’s responsibility to take interest in the students’ educations. Administrative tutorial is an opportunity for students to receive support and guidance and to help them raise their grades. It is designed for students who, according to their teachers, have the ability to do their schoolwork, but are not turning it in. It is geared toward students that need extra time to work. Administrative tutorial is mandatory for students who have three or more D’s on their progress reports; however, once they manage to pull up their grades to C’s, they regain the privilege of open tutorial. “ [ L a s t year], we had 1,300 hours of students studying, and over 700 pages of student work turned in,” Wright said.

“Many students raised their grades to - Assistant Principal Geoff Wright C’s, and were very successful.”

With the new parent additions, the administration hopes to achieve similar or even better results than last year’s administrative tutorial. The goal is to help every student and maximize every student’s accomplishments. Having more parent volunteers can help make that happen.

“The parent volunteers are gifting their time to our students and our school, so it’s really a wonderful thing they are doing,” Wright said.

The new parent volunteers will allow for more one-on-one time and aid students more effectively.

The parent volunteers are gifting their time to our students and our school, so it’s really a wonderful thing they are doing

Club mash-up: (cont. pg 1)

if they need ideas for a poem,” said senior Rebekkah Scharf, Spoken Poets president. Since the club is always open to new members, anyone can walk in and present an original poem to the club’s other members.

The same open atmosphere is present at Spoken Poets’ monthly slams, and probably will be at the upcoming integrated slam. Here, students can present impromptu works and listen to their peers for artistic inspiration at both events.

Hip Hop Club has the same relaxed, welcoming environment, but it places a smaller emphasis on actual presentations at the meetings.

Since both art forms require the presentation of original work to an audience, it takes a lot of courage to participate in a slam.

“It’s all an effort to get students to find their inner performer and show their true selves to the world,” Scharf said.

The integrated slam is a chance for students to express themselves to an audience that is not accustomed to slam poetry or hip hop. Both clubs expect students’ curiosity of these art forms to increase attendance at the integrated slam.

“It’s a different experience than what you’d expect, because people only see the mainstream stuff, and we offer something new,” Williams said.

Both Scharf and Williams hope for a big turnout because they believe a larger audience means more participants, allowing more people to enjoy the truly fulfilling experience of presenting to a crowd of students.

Students prepare to conquer November National Novel Writing Month MADHURI SATHISH copy editor

Popular authors such as J.K. Rowling and Christopher Paolini have spent years carefully writing and perfecting each of their novels, but not everyone has that much time to devote to writing, especially if it is not what they do for a living. In an effort to give all budding authors the chance to write stories in whatever time they had, freelance writer Chris Baty, who recently stepped down as the executive director of the Office of Letters and Light, founded National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in 1999. During NaNoWriMo, which is held in November, participants such as senior Sarah Presno and freshman Jenna Goldberg attempt to write 50,000-word novels from scratch. NaNoWriMo is a unique method to hone writing skills, improve originality and write a novel regardless of previous writing experience.

NaNoWriMo caters to all age groups; the only requirements are that participants must try their best and express an interest in writing. Many of NaNoWriMo’s participants discovered the program through teachers who required them to participate as a form of Writer’s Workshop. Senior Sarah Presno, for example, joined NaNoWriMo in seventh grade through her English class. “[My teacher] set up a chart where people could view their progress. Once or twice a week, she would get out the laptops and we would just write,” Presno said.

She continued to say that while NaNoWriMo is quite difficult due to the fact that writers must maintain their creative energy throughout the month of November, it is a suitable outlet for selfexpression. “[NaNoWriMo] is a great way to express yourself... Anyone who feels like they want to express their creativity and their artistic side should do it,” she said.

Presno explained that NaNoWriMo both trains participants to write for long periods of time and helps them develop originality over the years.

ERIC JANG

GET INSPIRED | Sarah Presno sits in a tree, brainstorming for her 50,000 word novel she must complete in one month

Unlike Presno, freshman Jenna Goldberg discovered NaNoWriMo in eighth grade through a friend, two days before the first of November. Although it was her first try, she “won,” meaning that she succeeded in writing a 50,000-word novel in 30 days.

“You get discount coupons to some websites and bragging rights,” Goldberg said about winning.

Throughout the writing process, Goldberg had various methods of motivating herself. She rewarded herself with cookies every time she reached a certain word count, and had a word count calendar as her desktop background to remind her how many words she had to write perday.

“Another method that I used was a website called WriteOrDie. It got me half of my word count last year. What it does is it gives you a time restraint

that you can set to easy, medium or hard. [The hard mode] actually starts erasing your words if you don’t keep writing,” Goldberg said.

To fully experience the perks of NaNoWriMo, Goldberg attended several regional writeins around the South Bay. Participants often host write-ins in coffee shops, and they spend several hours working on their novels, occasionally reading excerpts or helping each other brainstorm character names and plot ideas.

Goldberg plans to participate in NaNoWriMo for the duration of her high school years.

Interested writers may sign up for NaNoWriMo at http://nanowrimo.org, where they can join writers’ circles, share their stories and purchase NaNoWriMo gear.

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THE PROSPECTOR

OCTOBER 28, 2011

HOMECOMING : Rally, football game and Homecoming court VIKINGS vs. PIONEERS Prior to the homecoming football game was the school’s first pep rally. The football team, cheerleaders, dancers and band members all congregated in the quad to pump up the crowd and team for the big game. The game was the first one played on the brand new, state-of-the-art football field.

The football team played well and tried their best despite the game result: 14 - 7 for Lynbrook.

Homecoming spirit across cities At the Homecoming rally, all the classes came together with spirited fervor to cheer the loudest and perform their best Homecoming routines. The freshmen represented Cairo, the sophomores London, the juniors New York City, and the seniors Los Angeles. The rally was a close tie between the seniors and juniors, but it was the juniors that walked away with the win.

I pronounce you King and Queen At halftime, Homecoming Court was honored and the names of the King and Queen were revealed. The court consisted of Greg Pommier, Alexus Phomvongsa, Farica Carroll, Michael Hyun, Jackie Ballin, David Won, Tiffany Nguyen, Zack Yuen, Rebecca Tsai, Rodney Tang, Cindy Shi, Jomel Bautista, Ashley Park and Grady Li. After the votes were counted, Zack Yuen and Rebecca Tsai were announced as Homecoming King and Queen.

COMPLIED BY NATASHA SHARMA

ALL PHOTOS BY JASON CHEN

REMEMBERING STEVE JOBS AT APPLE

ID CARDS REQUIRED TO GET BOOKS

Cupertino has undergone much change over the past few weeks. One of the most notable changes is the loss of Cupertino’s most recognizable icon. Steve Jobs, co-founder and longtime CEO of Apple Inc., passed away on

The library now requires students to use their ID cards to check out books instead of allowing them to use their ID numbers as they once did. Contrary to popular belief, however, this policy has actually been in place since 2007.

The library used to be more lenient about enforcing it, and library staff members often permitted students to check out books with only ID numbers. This often led to mistakes when checking out books. Library staff would sometimes enter the ID numbers incorrectly, causing the book to become checked out by another student. This meant that the library would not know who actually checked out the book, leading to numerous CHRIS TRACEY

COMPLIED BY ANAND HEMMDAY

Oct. 5, 2011 from complications caused by pancreatic cancer. Jobs’ death caught many by surprise. Although Jobs had announced six weeks prior to his death that he would be stepping down as CEO due to his poor health, few knew exactly how close he was to death. The impact of Jobs’ death was felt throughout the city, and indeed, the state. The night he died, mourners held a candlelight vigil outside Apple’s headquarters. The next morning, fans left piles of flowers outside the headquarters. Jerry Brown declared Oct. 16 to be “Steve Jobs Day.” On Sun, Oct. 16, Apple employees held a life commemoraNATASHA SHARMA tion ceremony for Jobs.

complications. To remedy this problem, the library began enforcing the policy of using ID cards to check out books. According to librarian Pat Accorinti, there have not been any reports of checking books out to the wrong student since the library began enforcing the policy.

OPINIONS Meat-eaters vs. vegetarians...

OCTOBER 28, 2011

HONG SUH lifestyles assistant

Which would you choose?

Meat-eaters with a bag lunch Vegetarian cafeteria food eaters

Meat-eating cafeteria food eaters

Mission Impossible: Operation Hermit

At the brunch line...

Vegetarians with a bag lunch 27% COMPILED BY SINDHU GNANASAMBANDAN 110 SURVEYED

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What do you mean, “no vegan”?

SINDHU GNANASAMBANDAN opinions editor

It would be great if the cafeteria could expand into offering ethnic foods. It would be more representative of our demographics and would open up new possibilities for vegetarian dishes

ON

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Recall the last time you “stood in line” at the brunch stand. As your shoving got you closer to the hair-netted ladies, the decision between a fruit cup and a bag of chips probably became more pertinent. The fruit cup is $2.75 and chips a mere dollar. Which do you choose? And all of this is assuming that the thought of that one healthy food item in the sea of all-purpose flour, sugar and cheese even stood a chance in a teenager’s brain. While this topic may seem cliched (especially for high school journalism), The cafeteria system is one that can and should always be improved upon as it provides us with our most fundamental need and influences our life-long eating habits. Furthermore, I am not here to say “gross, our food is nasty” but to point out two arenas in which we could use change in our lunch system: the pricing and ratio of healthy to unhealthy foods and the number of food options available to vegetarian eaters.

To begin with, we need a larger quantity of reasonably priced healthy options. Fruit cups and salad shakers are a minority among the chips, ice cream and chocolate chip cookies.

This should not be the case, especially considering that this is a learning environment in which kids pick up habits and knowledge of what is “acceptable.” The Fremont Union High School District Board of Trustees’ website states that the board “recognizes the link between student health and learning desires” and that they have the objectives of “promoting student health and reducing childhood obesity.” They go as far as to say that “food and beverages available to students at district schools should promote optimal health.” So the talk is there. I’m finding it diffi-

cult to spot the walk. There is the argument that healthy food simply costs more money than the budget has allotted for cafeteria expenditures. If this is true, our district must look to creativity to solve this problem. The USDA, for instance, offers the Small Farms/School Meals program in which it pairs up a local farm with a school in need and subsidizes. The small farm is sustained while the school is properly fed. This is an option that our school should most definitely look into.

If options are limited for the majority at our school, they are even more severely limited for the vegetarians on campus. Looking at the demographics of the school, there is a significantly higher percentage of vegetarians than you would find in, say, a school in Alabama. Food options should reflect this. Instead, the pie chart above shows that 12% of vegetarians eat at the cafeteria compared to the 42% of the meat-eaters. This statistic is, to some degree, telling of the deficiency of options offered to vegetarian students.

Options are limited and growing more scarce.

Said senior Rahul Vasanth, “There are some things I could have gotten last year or the year before that simply are not being sold anymore. There used to be vegetarian pizza but I believe they dropped that entirely and when they run out of cheese - junior Siddhant Dange pizza, which they often do, the next best thing is leftover cheese bread from the brunch line.”

Forget limited choice, we are often left with no choice. Junior Siddhant Dange voiced some ideas for change.

“It would be great if the cafeteria could expand into offering ethic foods. It would be more representative of our demographics and would open up new possibilities for vegetarian dishes,” he said.

Overall, change in our cafeteria system is long overdue, especially with our district’s goal being “to provide tasty nutritious food for students daily to help enhance their learning experience.” For this to happen, a fruit cup should not cost almost three times as much as a bag of chips, and acquiring a plate of vegetarian food should not be considered “lucky”.

The mission? A 24-hour fast. The impossible? No communicative technology allowed. Soon enough, I discovered that life is no movie. Operation Hermit is actually impossible — and it should stay that way.

Unprecedented complications of the operation began early in the morning. I awoke to the beeping of my phone alarm, only to be suddenly reminded of my stipulation for the day. Regrettably, I had to leave behind my trusty sidekicks, the netbook and the cell phone, before I left for school. And so I arrived at school with empty pockets, lonely shoulders and a guilty conscience for having already failed my mission.

The rest of my day fared just as badly. The blue and white Facebook logo lingered in the back of my mind throughout the whole day. I found myself becoming jittery as my email grew out of my reach. At 10:30 p.m., I was forced to send an emergency text message to my friend to inform him of urgent club updates. For the rest of the day, I waited in a cold sweat for that second at which the hour hand would point to the heavens and dashed to my connections to the outside world — my phone, email and Facebook. In other words, I failed miserably.

And this was just one day. If the self-imposed experiment were extended to a week or longer, problems of a more profound nature would emerge. Not only would my relationships suffer because of my lack of access to the digital realm, but I would lose my sense of awareness of the external world in the form of the Internet.

Operation Hermit reminded me that I rely on communicative technology in nearly every aspect of my daily life. And that is the way it should be. Though it may be uncomfortable for some people to embrace technological dependence, we must accept the necessity of modern communication and use it to make our lives more efficient and connected rather than in an unproductive manner.

The undeniable truth is that in our developed society, communicative advancements, especially the Internet, connect us to a social web larger than our own selves — the world. Not only are our friends a digital presence, but the entire globe is online. Rather than remaining trapped in our own bubbles, we are increasingly spreading our branches of influence through the Internet. This is a necessary transition to a more compassionate and informed world.

Sometimes, though, we are simply overwhelmed by the endless availability of modern technology and succumb to a fate that the innovators of the world did not want for us. We waste the time and efficiency gained through technological developments by misusing the same developments that have so much potential to better our lives. Facebook is meant to, and does quite admirably, connect people to each other, but it can also lead people to cultivate exclusively online connections that fail to adequately replace true friendships. Like this, the powers of technology can sometimes be misguided to nullify its benefits.

Therefore, I encourage you to try my mission at home. Sometimes we forget the implications of technology in our lives. Operation Hermit is a fine reminder of how technology can impact us in ways we have forgotten. I forgot that it is next to impossible to set up meetings with friends without a phone. I forgot that I receive urgent emails every day that I need to check. But I also forgot about how much time I waste on Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, IMDb and other websites. Try Operation Hermit for a day. It may be refreshing or it may feel like a torture chamber. Test yourself to confirm that you are using the resources available to you in a way that most benefits you, your future and others. Although this mission is impossible without strong willpower, it is unnecessary to succeed in it; it is only necessary that we are reminded of some aspects of our lives that have been buried under technology and other aspects in which we need technology in order to function. That, after all, should be our true mission.

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THE PROSPECTOR

OCTOBER 28, 2011

Enjoyment vs. competition: the case for politeness at rallies CHRIS CAI news assistant

Take Homecoming week and subtract from it the cheers, the screaming and all the fun and games. Then take the difference and divide it by all that wonderful spirit. The result of this equation is stone cold disrespect.

During this year’s Homecoming, some students unveiled their disrespect for other classes with actions that distubed the typically unifying

atmostphere at rallies.

At the Homecoming rally on Friday, many seniors deserted the rally or openly expressed their dismay after discovering they had lost. Even worse, during Monday’s freshman skit, many students left the performance during the final act, before the freshmen finished performing.

What prompts students to take the class competition so seriously?

Homecoming week is meant to be exhilarating and unifying.

It gives students something to be excited about and distracts them from their daily toils. Nowhere between these lines does it encourage students to use the fun and games as reasons to sulk or insult each other. The competition and its results are merely a trivial afterthought to the excitement of the rallies, not a call to get worked up over to the point of rudeness.

There is no justification for this display of impolite behavior and lack of goodwill between classes. In retrospect, more disrespect was shown toward the freshman than any other class.

This was the freshman’s first Homecoming. It must be taken into account that they are still new to our high school’s boisterous rallies. It is still a learning process for them, and other students should help them acclimate to common rally performance or at

JASON CHEN

least acknowledge their efforts. With this in mind, the open display of distaste toward the freshmen skit was extremely inconsiderate of the students. Leaving a skit before it is over is not the norm and it is important that the students continue to show the freshmen the same amount of acceptance.

This celebration of unity, courtesy and fun comes first, and everything else is secondary. Whether the results were what people expected does not matter and should not influence peo-

ple’s behavior at the rallies.

If students are to remain true to the spirit of Homecoming, it is necessary that they start changing their behavior at rallies. For a start, they should stop judging each other and start focusing on maintaining a jovial atmosphere. Students need to rearrange their priorities with respect and enjoyment at the top and the competition further down. Respect at rallies is something students must acquire. It is pivotal to school unity.

Keeping the DREAM alive LAURA KAO opinions assistant

America is the land of freedom, opportunity and second chances.

Although illegal immigration should not be encouraged, undocumented students who have grown up as Americans should not be punished for their parents’ actions. Signed earlier this month, on Oct. 8, 2011, part two of the California DREAM Act gives undocumented immigrant students an opportunity to continue on to college with the help of financial aid.

The second half of the California DREAM Act, AB 131, is set to take effect January 1, 2013. It makes undocumented immigrant students eligible for fee waivers and student aid programs provided by colleges and universities.

AB 131 also gives undocumented immigrant students eligibility to apply for the state aid Cal Grants program for state universities and community colleges. The first half of the two-part California DREAM Act is AB 130, which Governor Jerry Brown signed this past July. It allows undocumented immigrant students to receive privately funded scholarships from community colleges and public universities.

The California DREAM Act helps reduce high school dropout rates, as it gives undocumented immigrant students a greater chance to pursue secondary education. People who receive sufficient education and earn college degrees can use their talent to promote growth in various American business industries. Many are con-

cerned that AB 130 and AB 131 will encourage more illegal immigrants to bring their children over to the U.S. There lies the actual problem — the parents who choose to immigrate illegally.

Measures should be enacted deferring illegal immigration, but the children and students of illegal immigrants should be spared from unjust punishment. Contrary to popular belief, undocumented immigrant students who receive financial aid will not take over classes and no extra taxes will need to be paid. Academic performance is a major factor that colleges consider when providing financial aid, so undocumented immigrant students have to first show through their academic performance that they are worthy of receiving aid. Furthermore, legal California residents remain first priority for grants and fiscal aid. No extra money will be used to help the undocumented students.

America was founded on the basis that every human being is created equal with the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Most children of undocumented immigrants were brought to the U.S. by their parents at a young age and grew up among us as Americans. The current generation of undocumented immigrant students did not have much say in their parents’ actions. In addition, many undocumented immigrants came to the United States in order to provide a better education and life for their children. They came here to pursue the American Dream, as many of our ancestors did when they came here, not to invade the U.S. America should not condone illegal immigration; however, students who had no choice in how they entered the United States should be given a chance at a better life. Instead of shunning these innocent victims, the California DREAM Act gives these undocumented immigrant students a better opportunity for their education and their futures.

STAFF EDITORIAL

Safety before individual desire Unity Rally was a sensible move

T

he outcome of the recent Unity Rally is flirting between being labeled a responsible and mature course of action taken by the school staff and a huge disappointment for students who planned to counter-protest. Though many students feel that the message they were trying to convey was lost with the anticlimactic outcome of the rally, the actions taken by the school’s administrators were born from good intentions and designed to keep students from harm.

News of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC)’s planned protest elicited two extremely different reactions from the school’s population. To administrators, the protest posed a threat to both the school’s image and the students’ safety. All activities on campus that might have resulted in either a lawsuit or the injury of a student had to be closely supervised. To the rest of the school’s population, the WBC protest presented a rare chance for students to express their thoughts and opinions on a touchy subject.

Because completely ignoring the WBC protestors was an unrealistic course of action, the Unity Rally was planned as a passive reaction toward the picketers. However, those who showed up in hopes of “combating hate with love” were immediately ushered to the center of the quad, where they were held until after the WBC picketers had left. Through the messy conglomeration of festivities that commenced, it became clear that the rally’s real purpose was to distract students from the protest occurring just outside campus. Rather than being able to respond to the picketers, students who attended the Unity Rally were kept from interacting with the protesters in any way. Those who ventured away from the ongoing rally toward the back of the quad in hopes of catching a glance of the WBC picketers were shooed away from the cafeteria windows, and those who tried to leave campus found every exit blocked.

Of course, issues of student safety arose from the proximity of the picketers.

Given the few alternatives to the situation, it can be agreed that the school administration took the right route in organizing an event to divert the students’ attention from the WBC picketers. Had students been allowed the chance to interact with the WBC picketers, a disturbance might have occured, resulting in either a lawsuit or a full-blown riot. While many felt overprotected by the administration’s decisions, students were kept safe and no undesirable occurrences arose from the protest.

FEATURES

OCTOBER 28, 2011

A Part of the Vanguard

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Student leader shares what it was like planning the WBC Unity Rally

When the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) made plans to picket the school, a group of student leaders collaborated with the administration to develop a response. Among these leaders was senior Jillian Wolgast, who played a significant role in the movement against the WBC, although she initially knew little about them.

When she first heard about the WBC protests, she was rather unaware of the group’s actions.

Said Wolgast, “I didn’t have any strong opinions about the WBC. They had protested once at my church, but I was very young and I didn’t know what was going on.”

However, as she learned more about the group, she opposed their message and purpose and wanted to do something in response to their protest.

“I didn’t consciously choose to be involved in this — it just happened. The WBC is a professional hate group — they make their living by provoking people and getting them to react so they can sue them. They are a scam organization,” Wolgast said.

As a prominent member of the drama

department, Wolgast was further encouraged by drama teacher Arcadia Conrad to take a stand. She rallied the theater community and asked to help facilitate a Facebook group planning a demonstration against the WBC. Tomberlain then contacted her and other student leaders, asking them to meet with her and a few other teachers on Mon, Oct. 17 to discuss plans. Wolgast was surprised by how supportive the administration was. She initially felt that students would not be allowed to do anything, but Tomberlain supported their ideas.

“Ms. Tomberlain felt it was important that what we were doing came from the mouths of the students, not the faculty,” Wolgast said.

The administration and students at the meeting also decided that instead of directly engaging with the picketers, the students would have the opportunity to participate in a Unity Rally. The idea to change the counter-protest to a unity rally was based on student feedback and a desire to promote unity on campus and within the district.

At the assembly the following day, Wolgast was worried about the student response to these changes, but she was glad to note that the Unity Rally was met with general approval.

“I was very pleased to hear student acceptance of ou

idea to have the rally in th were very supportive becau that being teenagers, they protest,” she said.

Wolgast felt that the U huge success because it did w do. “There was a large group outside in the cold with the we were all inside having a feelings of community and lo She was also pleased b school stepped up to make a Said Wolgast, “I’ve gro people here and kids that I u now lead student organizatio of this rally and we were able Wolgast was satisfied w turned out. She was impresse and glad she got an opportun “I thought it was a kind WBC coming was a chance f did this and show the world of a situation with grace and

VIREN A

GALO TR

A

VIRENA GALOTRA features assistant

REACT AND

RESPOND Online reactions show responsibility and insensibility KATIE MARTIN features assistant

The shootings in the early morning of Wednesday, Oct. 5 resulted in a 27-hour police chase, code red alerts at nearby schools and of course, an online frenzy.

News of Shareef Allman’s rampage at a nearby quarry spread quickly via Facebook. Friends warned one another to stay away from school. Teachers assured students that everything was going smoothly. Posts ranging from caring to just plain insensitive dominated everyone’s favorite social networking sites.

Some students expressed disappointment with their classmates due to the lack of sensitivity shown in many status updates. To several students, the shooting was simply an excuse to stay home, sleep or play video games.

Jokes about hunting down the killer or hoping for more shootings to avoid school circulated on Facebook as well as Tumblr. Though not intended to be hurtful, these insensitive posts provoked anger and flaming responses.

A TIMELINE OF CUPERTINO CRIME COMPILED BY LAURA KAO (WITH HELP FROM THE SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS ARCHIVES)

In contrast, many of the online reactions were both appropriate and relevant. There certainly were some heedless comments, but they were few and far between.

Complaints about missing one’s chemistry test were dwarfed by the number of statuses expressing concern.

Indeed, the most common Facebook post conveyed sadness for the victims and distress for those potentially in danger.

Regardless of whether one believes the Facebook posts were careless or pertinent, there is no denying that the Internet had an influence on the incidents. Teachers and students, hiding in the cafeteria and library, warned others not to come to school and provided constant updates via Facebook and Schoolloop. Messages of concern from all over the country flooded the Internet.

Some people created Facebook pages dedicated to those who had been killed, and they soon attracted the attention of many.

So, two weeks later, when the hateful Westboro Baptist Church announced that it would be protesting at

THE CITY OF CUPERTINO IS A RELATIVELY SAFE PLACE, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL ANOMALIES OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES.

the school, students immediately sprung into action. A Facebook event was created in an attempt to organize a counter-protest. Word spread quickly and soon hundreds of people, ranging from adults to students at other schools to alumni, had accepted the invitation.

Although there were unhelpful posts about throwing water balloons or shooting Nerf guns at the protesters, the vast majority offered words of support. Because of Facebook, students were both aware and prepared.

Above all, these reactions are a reflection on a technology-driven Cupertino. When something significant happens, whether exciting or terrible, our knee-jerk reaction is to post about it on Facebook or Twitter or Tumblr for everyone to see. This online world changes the way we receive news and allows us all to become a part of reporting it. The Internet is a tool for us to communicate, but we must do so in a sensitive manner.

electronics engineer is arrested for possessing 1985: Anandunemployed 1 selling cocaine in a “high-tech manner.”

Lisa Hopewell is found slain in a condominium off Stevens Creek

She was a graduate of Princeton and had a steady job 1991: Boulevard. until she became involved with drugs and alcohol.

7

THE PROSPECTOR

OCTOBER 28, 2011

The Code Red Procedure The protocol can be tricky. However, with some review, it will be simple to remember.

he quad. People use [I thought] would want to

1 2 3

4 5 6

Lock the door and tie it down with the orange strap, located in the blue emergency backpack.

Unity Rally was a what it was meant to p of people standing eir hateful signs and large party spreading ove,” she said. by how the students at a difference. own up with a lot of the used to trade lunches with ons. They were a huge part e to make a difference.” with how the Unity Rally ed with student cooperation nity to make her voice heard. d of blessing in disguise. The for us to shine. We can say we that we can handle a this kind d elegance.”

Build a shelter against a wall that is not across from the door or windows for students to hide behind.

Stack any extra desks against the window blinds to stop any projectiles.

Close the blinds tightly so that nobody can see inside the classroom.

Stack some desks against the door, forming a barricade that would obstruct any intruder that might open the door.

Hide and be quiet behind the previously constructed shelter. Wait until an announcement comes on, ending the Code Red. Then return to normal activity.

COMPILED BY CHRISTOPHER TRACEY

Oct. 5, 2011. Nine people shot, three dead.

Oct. 19, 2011. The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) pickets the school.

The school and the city have been through many hectic changes this past month. First was the shooting at a Cupertino quarry, during which a disgruntled quarry employee opened fire on his co-workers and later shot a woman while trying to hijack her car. Three people were killed and six more were injured. Two weeks later, the nationally infamous WBC picketed the school. Five members of the WBC stood outside school, waving offensive and profane signs while yelling homophobic slurs.

Although these crises were undoubtedly challenging situations, the way the school responded to them is worthy of note. For the shooting, students and parents calmly followed the instructions of administrators and stayed home. Students who were at school when the school issued a Code Red were promptly rushed into classrooms or the library. In response to the WBC, students agreed to hold a Unity Rally while the WBC picketed outside. The school’s reaction to both these crises was definitely unique, and warrents further contemplation.

WRITTEN BY ANAND HEMMADY

The victims’ account of the library lockdown CHRIS YOON news assistant

Silence. This was the only sound that was heard in the library as students hid under desks and behind bookshelves, not knowing the whereabouts of the shooter Shareef Allman. Allman, who escaped after firing on his co-workers at a nearby cement plant, was considered armed and dangerous and had been spotted a mile from campus. The administrative staff assumed that school would proceed with a normal schedule.

“I did hear about the quarry shooting, but I did not even think that it would have any application to [the school],” school librarian Pat Accorinti later reflected.

Surprisingly, the school administrators soon received an official Code Red alert from the county sheriff at about 7:55 a.m.

Once Code Red had been issued, the school went under full lockdown and began moving students already on campus into the library.

Fortunately, only a small portion of the student body – mostly those preparing for homecoming and serving detention – were on campus due to Wednesday’s late start schedule. Even two Hyde students were

Monta Vista High School student shoots his 15-year1993: Aold16-year-old girlfriend through the forehead during a lovers’ quarrel.

2001:

dragged into the lockdown as students got off the school bus.

“I arrived at school around 8:10, and as soon as I got out of my car, [the administrative staff] yelled at me to go into the library,” recalled junior Bianca Walsh.

The students in the library, supervised by librarian Pat Accorinti, quickly followed the Code Red procedure

140 4 2 9

students trapped in the library during the Allman shooting hours of detainment inside the library middle school students from Hyde who joined the lockdown victims of Shareef Allman, who had two guns on hand that day COMPILED BY CHRIS YOON

and barricaded the entrances.

“We had to stay ducked and hidden under [the desks] for about an hour. Afterwards, we could stand and move around but still had to be quiet,” Walsh said.

According to Accorinti, there were approximately 140 students in the library during the lockdown.

Students recorded their names so the office could keep track of students and the students’ parents could be assured that their children were safe and accounted for.

“At first it was really scary because we thought [the shooter] was gonna come and try to kill us, but after an hour we were calmer. We realized that if he hadn’t come by then, he probably wasn’t going to come,” Walsh said.

About two hours into the lockdown, principal Kami Tomberlain brought snakes to the trapped students and took students in groups of five to the restroom.

Meanwhile, the administrators contacted the parents to pick up their children. Although it took a while to get everyone safely off the campus, Walczak said that all students were safely checked out by 1:30 p.m.

Though Wed, Oct. 5, was a tough day for the city of Cupertino and for Cupertino High School, the students and staff worked efficiently to follow the Code Red procedure and effectively reacted to the emergency keeping everyone safe and secure.

44 year old software engineer, Jason Y. Cai, is arrested after authorities find his 2003: A30-year-old wife, Ying Deng, lying face down in the couple’s swimming pool.

19-year-old De Anza College sophomore, Al Joseph DeGuzman is arrested after an employee at Longs Drugs develops photos of DeGuzman posing with homemade bombs and guns. DeGuzman had been planning a “Columbine-style school shooting” and an all-out massacre at De Anza College.

Shareef Allman opens fire at work, killing

and injuring six others on the run.

2011: three Police capture him 27 hours later.

LIFESTYLES

OCTOBER 28, 2011

8

Watching cartoons on a bulky television used to be a sacred moment of advanced technology that was cherished due to its rarity. People would clear their evenings to watch shows that could only be viewed at that particular time. However, now with paper-thin portable tablets, streaming video options on cell phones and an infinite number of websites hosting full episodes, viewers no longer need to adjust their agenda for entertainment; instead, contemporary TV productions are available at the viewer’s convenience.

With the elevated price of movie tickets and gas, previously frequent moviegoers have determined that it is now more accommodating to sit in the comfort of their own homes and access popular films for free on their own portable tablets in a matter of seconds. An example of this scenario is junior Ihab Mezerreg’s entertainment world.

“Now that I am older and I have more homework, I don’t always have the time to watch my favorite show the day that it airs. Instead, I’ll watch it online over the weekend,” Mezerreg said.

Other students, such as senior Sarah Tomimatsu, take advantage of their convenient gadgets as a homework tactic. They hide their small portable devices behind their textbooks to make it seem as though they are doing their homework, when, instead, they are actually indulging in a 42-minute entertainment break.

“I watch shows on Netflix on my iPhone in my room so it seems like I am doing my homework. I use my iPhone rather than my computer so that I can sit on my bed,” Tomi-

matsu said.

Mezerreg’s favorite websites include Mopvideo and Quicksilver because they are reliable and always provide the full episodes of his preferred shows. Other popular video streaming websites are Sidereel and Megavideo.

Although these websites are convenient, the guilt occasionally overpowers the pleasure.

Downloading videos for free is illegal, and watching streaming videos on host websites is a legal gray area.

“I feel bad downloading newer movies… but I don’t feel bad watching episodes online because I don’t want to go through the hassle of asking my parents to pay for cable,” Mezerreg said.

Regardless of consumers’ guilt, a portable media player can become corrupted if they approach the wrong website. Upon launching dangerous websites, their gadget can be bombarded with constant pop-ups and exposed to computer viruses, from which some devices cannot recover.

“You have to know the right websites.

I always exit a site if they request a ‘software’ download to continue to watch the episode.

Those types of pop-ups will give you viruses,” Mezerreg said.

With all of the remarkably advanced technology to which we are currently exposed, watching television for leisure no longer qualifies as a planned event; instead, this entertainment has become a natural instinct.

The antiquated television era has transformed into a modern generation which supports that streaming videos on one’s iPod, iPad, iPhone or iTouch are meant to be only convenient for “I.”

22%

WHERE DO YOU WATCH TV?

AZADEH RONGERE news editor

ALTERNATIVE TELEVISION

BREAKING UP WITH YOUR TV?

33%

45% COMPILED BY CHRISTOPHER TRACEY

WISH UPON A TIME... 11:11:11 MICHELLE CHEUNG flip side editor

The number eleven. People have different beliefs about this particular number. According to the Mayan calendar, the earth as we know it will either end or be reborn on 11:11 p.m. on Dec. 21, 2012. However, these numbers seem to have a peculiar effect on people, and the urge to proclaim a wish at the time of 11:11 is practiced by many.

The power of wishful thinking and hoping for things out of the ordinary has always been the driving force of our desires. It does not matter if the wish is made on four-leaf clovers, airplanes or shooting stars, people make wishes with the intent of making the impossible possible. The year 2011 means something more than the year before the end of the world, the first thing that comes to the wishful thinkers mind is the date Nov. 11, 2011, the first time in a century that the date will be composed of multiple 11’s. Many are planning to make a wish, a hope that their most precious desire will be granted, on 11:11 p.m. on Nov. 11, 2011. The rave and excitement surrounding this day has people anxiously waiting in the hope that their wishes might possibly become true.

“It might become the biggest letdown I’ve ever had, but I’m still excited still hope in that one in a million chance,” junior Mariam Beg said.

What the power of numbers might have against the rules of fate we have yet to find out, but it does provide a sort of relief for those who need it.

“It would be a cute day for someone to ask a girl out,” sophomore John Doe* said. “I know that one of my cousins is having her wedding on that day, but she had to fight for it.”

The uniqueness of having the date and time simultaneously be the same number for the first time in a century is a sign of a special day and something to look forward to. However, the non- superstitious see this day in a different light.

“It’s merely a minute out of 365 days, I don’t think much of it,” junior Irina Kim said. “If I do make a wish, it would be from peer pressure or from the urgings of my Tumblr dashboard.”

To put it into perspective, whether people believe in the phenomenon of 11:11 on Nov. 11, 2011, few will resist the urge to make a wish, as there is nothing to lose. Others, however, are looking forward to this date as if their lives depend on it. It might seem naïve or borderline pathetic to some to put so much hope into a mere 120 seconds of a particular day, but it seems to be precisely what many hold on to. If there is any chance of a better future, people are willing to grasp onto whatever it takes to secure their happy ever after. Whether it is wishing for that special someone to finally ask you to winter formal, or a wish for peace among all mankind, the hope that is put into a wish has the power to encourage and endure. *names were changed for privacy

THE PROSPECTOR

OCTOBER 28, 2011

DONʼT CHICKEN OUT {the smoke eater challenge}

8:21 PM STARE AT WALL OF FLAME 8:16 PM BUY CHICKEN AND MIILK

8:28 PM FINISH FOURTH PIECE 8:25 PM START THE CHALLENGE

SUNWOO JEONG sports editor

Ten minutes. 12 wings. A five-minute after-burn. No napkins, no drinks and six ounces of dried habanera peppers. This is the hellfire challenge.

On Wed, Oct. 12, junior Sam Lee and I arrived at Smoke Eaters restaurant to take on the challenge. When we asked for the challenge, the cashier gave us a knowing grin, mocking us for our foolish attempt. Then we approached the wall of flame, which cosisted of pictures of individuals who had completed the challenge. Aside from three Asian women, it consisted of men with bulging muscles. All of them had red teary eyes and swollen faces.

When the food came, all I saw was a heap of black paste; the chicken was nowhere to be seen. The sauce was so thick that the wings could not be seen. Sam and I hoped for the best and dove into our first wing.

The moment the wing passed my lips, my mouth ex-

ploded. A level of hotness that my mind could not fathom hit my mouth. Every time I took a bite, sauce splashed onto my face, resulting in a burning sensation. I tried to eat the wings as fast as I could, but my body began to reject the chicken as my gag reflex sprang into action. I struggled to swallow at first, but when my throat finally gave in, the first two wings went down with ease. However, the third wing was a completely different story. My entire body felt like it was on fire as tears forced out of my eyes. By the end of three minutes, I had finished my fourth wing and Sam was done with his third. I looked at the container of milk that we had bought before the challenge, in case of emergencies. I turned to Sam through half opened eyes and asked him, “You want to give up?”

A free shirt and a place on the wall of flame were not worth the agony that I was going through. I grabbed the milk and started drinking ferociously. Unfortunately, the milk failed to live up to its purpose.

Although I downed the milk — barely leaving any for

8:30 PM DECEND INTO HELL(FIRE) 8:29 PM GIVE UP

Sam — the burning returned, even worse than before. I tried swallowing ice, but for the first time in my life, the ice in my mouth felt hot. I ran to the bathroom to wash my hands and mouth. With my face and mouth still on fire, I started to rub my face with the ice, only making it feel temporarily better. Then, forgetting that there was sauce left all over the sink, Sam and I started to wash our faces.

The sauce fused with the water and upon contact, it felt like needles were piercing into my eyes. Additionally, at the moment when we most needed cold water, the handle of the sink broke, only letting out hot water. Sam and I had to then wait out the agony; it took roughly 30 minutes for the pain on our faces and in our mouths to recede.

Never again will I attempt this challenge as it was an experience that cannot be fully comprehended in its entirety through words alone. Although I do not encourage any of you to try this challenge, know that if you do, you will be spending a lot of time in either the bathroom or your bed. You have been warned.

9

SPORTS Neck: Repetitive spine rotation is required to swim freestyle, causing water polo players’ necks to seize up frequently.

10

OCTOBER 28, 2011

Wear and tear: imperfections of the body

Stronger. Smarter. Sexier. Exercise does all these things for you, and has often been called “the wonder drug.” However, the body is not the perfect exercise machine and injury can easily result from poor exercise habits or hereditary differences. Exercise is absolutely necessary to stay healthy, but beware that sports have their own exercise risks.

COMPLIED BY ERIC JANG

Spine: Tennis and water polo shots require a lot of trunk rotation and spine twisting. Serving a tennis ball hyper-extends the lower back and compresses lumbar discs.

Elbow: Volleyball spiking, water polo shots and baseball pitching all result in strain on the inside of the elbow (tennis serves put strain on the outside), often from overuse.

Thigh: Stress fractures are common in basketball players, ballet dancers and runners. Bones usually adapt to cope with stress, but if bone stress changes too rapidly (such as sudden increase in training), small cracks can appear in the bones.

Feet:The foot is not well-suited to run in thickly cushioned shoes or on hard surfaces. Unnatural running form can injure the feet.

Brain: Contact sports pose the highest risk of injury. Concussions to the head in football can cause unconsciousness or short -term memory loss.

Heart: People who attempt to run a marathon without proper training risk damaging their hearts from hypertension. Other complications include high blood pressure.

Knee: The Iliotibial band (ITB) is a long tissue that connects the hip all the way down to the shin bone. When running, the ITB flicks back and forth as the knee bends. Excessive hill running can irritate the ITB, a condition commonly known as Runner’s Knee.

Striving for excellence in the pool

Said Conroy, “I quit DACA [DeAnza Cupertino Aquatics] and joined Water Polo a few months later.

My dad suggested for me to try water polo, since he was an All-American [a college or high school student recognized nationally for being one of the best in his Don’t think. Just focus on one play at a time. or her sport] back in the day.”

Don’t think about the warm water today, don’t Conroy practiced relentlessly, and became a star in think about the scoreboard, don’t think about how the the water polo arena. He was once described swimball just skipped over the goal. Think only about the ming into the opposing goal with the ball in hand, next play. That is all that matters. which is a play that is deemed extremely difficult to Senior Brandon Conroy explains the mentality he pull off in general and embarrassing to the enemy has when he is competing. He is in thought, because he has never before had to describe the exhilaration he goalie. Similar actions additionally have set in stone his near professional status. However, Conroy suffers experiences in the pool. The exhilaration is brought from his blunders every now and then. about his vast and long experiences in the water.

“If I learned anything from water polo, it’s to not Conroy’s parents first introduced swimming to him use my feet to gain possession of the ball,” Conroy said at a young age. with a chuckle. “I once scored into my own goal that “I was pushed into swimming when I was around way by accidentally kicking the ball past my goalie. It five or six,” Conroy said. “I was a little scared at first, was pretty bad.” but soon, I got better at it.”

Conroy is currently recovering from a broken finWhen Conroy was eight, he competed in the Far ger. He is bitter over the fact that he cannot complete Western Championships, which is described as “the his final season with the team, and it is hard to watch largest and fastest Age Group Championship Meet in his peers compete from the sidelines. However, he is the country,” and won 11 events within a five day period. Eleven itself is a staggering number, but to be first determined to go back into competitive swimming nationally within all of those races is putting Conroy’s this year because of his unfortunate accident.

“I hope I’m still good at it,” Conroy said. skill in the water in a whole new perspective.

Conroy’s journey brought him from the swimming However, at the age of twelve, Conroy decided to to the water polo. Along the way, he has learned how discontinue swimming because it lacked the exhilarato work in a team, and has seen true triumph and loss. tion he needed in a sport. Conroy eventually discovThese experiences have undoubtedly left indelible ered water polo and grew very passionate about it. He marks on his life, marks that he will continue to carry took the competitive route, rather than staying in a with him. recreational enviornment.

JESSE ZHOU features editor

BRANDON CONROY

BRANDON CONROY

GOING FOR THE GOAL Senior Brandon Conroy attemps to shoot the ball in a match

against Lynbrook. In order to be able to perform this type of shot, Conroy undergoes rigorous training on a daily basis.

11

THE PROSPECTOR

OCTOBER 28, 2011

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: TOTAL FITNESS AND WEIGHT TRAINING

SPOTTING A BUD

PUSHING TO THE LIMIT Junior Daniel Lee utilizes the bench press with the help of senior Jason Lee.

GETTING YOKED

YOU’RE SO RIPPED

PUMPING IRON

TONING MY BODY

WEIGHT TRAINING LINGO SKULL CRUSHERS DEAD MAN’S LIFT BENCH PRESSING

B AC K T O SCHOOL

“What is your college

STRIKING A POSE Senior Shruthi Sriram starts her yoga routine, part of Total Fitness’s core curriculum.

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HAPPY COW

SUN SALUATION

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WATER AEROBICS

ANNA HUANG

Although both are PE courses offered at on campus, Total Fitness and Weight Training conjure contrasting images in the minds of students. Weight Training is seen as the domain of bulky jocks while Total Fitness has a reputation for being an easy and lazy way to earn PE credits. Although it is true that each class focuses on a different aspect of exercise, they both provide students with lifelong ways to maintain fitness and health.

The main focus of Weight Training is, as the name implies, gaining weight and muscle. The class almost exclusively consists of lifting and running, but students utilize a variety of techniques, including bench presses, pull-ups and squats, to strengthen different parts of the body. For some, the class is an ideal opportunity to take advantage of a school requirement to achieve their own fitness goals.

“I joined Weight Training mainly to become stronger, and also because I kept putting off going to the gym,” senior Rahul Vasanth said. “I want to be able to open the spaghetti sauce on my own, like a man.”

For others, the benefits of Weight Training extend past the immediate results of being able to open jars.

Along with dietary modifications, the habits that students develop in Weight Training can help them maintain their physiques after high school.

Senior Moshabeer Hossain said that Weight Training has more real-life applications than lower-level PE classes.

The more unconventional activities included in PE 9, such as square-dancing, will probably not become integral parts of students’ exercise routines.

“Now I can choose want I want to

do,” Hossain said. “It’s more individualized.”

The consensus in Total Fitness is also surprisingly similar, despite the class’s different focus. Total Fitness emphasizes endurance and flexibility and involves aerobics, yoga and other elements of exercise. While the course sometimes gets a bad rap for being “the easy way out,” some students find that it is just as effective in improving fitness, albeit in a different way.

Sophomore Jasmine Cherng agrees that many underestimate how difficult some of the class’s activities can be.

“It’s actually harder than people say it is,” Cherng said. “For example, some of our warm-up exercises take a lot of ab strength.”

The Total Fitness curriculum is less regimented than most PE courses; however, some find that more freedom is actually beneficial. Like Weight Training, Total Fitness sets students up for a healthy lifestyle by showing them ways to keep active, even outside of class.

“It’s more on the adult side,” junior Akshita Agrawal said. “When you’re older, this is how you’ll exercise. It’s for the long term.”

In addition to yoga moves and aerobics steps, students in Total Fitness also learn about physiology and how their physical actions actually affect their well beings.

“It’s interesting to learn all these facts about which exercises builds which muscles,” senior Michael Cho said.

While Total Fitness and Weight Training employ different methods of exercise, both help students reach the same goal. Whether it is by benching 100 pounds or doing the downward dog, leading a healthy lifestyle is something that students in both classes learn to do.

DOWNWARD DOG

ANNA HUANG news assistant

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12

OCTOBER 28, 2011

OCTOBER IN PHOTOS JASON CHEN

JASON CHEN

JESSE ZHOU

JESSE ZHOU

MARSHMAL-LOLS| Krystal Allen struggles to keep a handful of marshmallows in her mouth during the last Comedy Hour show of the semester. A WEEK OF MAGIC| Raunak Mehra, Cleo Lagrange and Gene Wang set out to find potion ingredients in the sophomore skit during Homecoming week. MARCHIN’ ON| The band performs a number during the Homecoming game halftime show. FIGHT HATE WITH LOVE| Students from around the district gather in the quad to unite against the Westboro Baptist Church’s picketing. SO-LO TI DO| Gayatri Sabne sings a solo during the debut choir concert.

f

eo d i s s ’ iu N L y h t HA Ka NAT

r e t n u the co

AGA INI J R A H f in-chie editor-

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CHR

“Could I please have some pizza? Here’s three dollars. Thank you.”

Senior Kathy Liu, who works in the cafeteria, does not often hear such polite words when serving students in the lunch line.

Liu finds some student behaviors and habits at the lunch line irritating, but she enjoys the benefits of working at school.

Liu has been working at the cafeteria since her freshman year. During her time as an employee, she has cycled through various stations, having worked at the line in the teacher’s lounge, the hot lunch line and the snack bar.

Some of her frustration toward students is a result of students shoving and pushing in the line.

“There’s this panel thing that prevents students from reaching in and grabbing food, but then, because the line is very crowded, they push and that falls and then we have to put it back every single t i m e ,”

she said. “And it’s noisy and it’s annoying.”

Liu finds that students sometimes fail to use polite language when speaking to cafeteria workers.

“The most annoying thing that I get is people throwing the money at you and being like, ‘Munchies,’” she said. “And they’re not even like, ‘can I have a Munchies please,’ or they don’t even say thank you.”

She also feels that students need to be aware of the day’s menu before asking for a particular food.

“When you come, please look at the food we have, and don’t just blindly be like, ‘can I have a burrito,’ when it’s lunch,” Liu said.

Although she dislikes dealing with some of the rude students, Liu finds that working at the cafeteria comes with valuable perks, like being able to eat free food.

“It’s practically like getting paid to go to school,” she said.

To avoid the lines, Liu advises students to buy food at the the end of lunch.

“There are extra perks if you come late and there’s extra food left,” she said. “There’s always room for leniency and we may or may not give you extra food towards the end of lunch when we want to get rid of our food.”

Liu is surprised by how casual some students are with their money. Students often leave change behind. “[A student] would hand me a ten dollar bill and buy a three dollar thing and leave, as soon as you give them food,” Liu said. “I’m like, ‘yay!’ Tips for me!

No, just kidding.”

NEXT MONTH: NOVEMBER CAHSEE (make-up)

Veterans Day — No School

Cross Country DAL League Finals

Fall Play: The Government Inspector

Girls Volleyball Senior Night

Turkey Trot

Varsity Girls Tennis League Finals

Thanksgiving Break — No School

Field Hockey Senior Night

Fall Sports Awards Night

Tue and Wed, Nov. 1 and 2 (all day) Tue, Nov. 1 (2:15 p.m.)

Tue, Nov. 1 (5:30 p.m.)

Wed and Thu, Nov. 2 and 3 (3:00 p.m.)

Thu, Nov. 3 (3:30 p.m.)

TRUTH & WISDOM

Fri, Nov. 11

Fri and Sat, Nov. 11, 12, 18 and19 (7:00 p.m.)

Tue, Nov. 22 (3:00 p.m.)

Thu and Fri, Nov. 24 and 25

Tue, Nov. 29 (7:00 p.m.)

Thousands of people are currently protesting on the streets of Lower Manhattan, calling for the end of economic inequality and corporate greed.

A 3.9 magnitude earthquake shook Cupertino on Oct. 21.

Muammar Gaddafi, former Libyan dictator, was captured alive but later shot in the head on Protesters are currently rioting in Athens, Greece after the country fell into national debt and subsequently raised its national taxes.

Oct. 21.

Kevin Chu

CHRIS TRACEY

Men in skirts To Romans, trousers were barbaric. They conceal a man’s legs, shapely shafts of strength and virility. If Hu Jintao and Vladimir Putin were Roman leaders, for example, they would don skirts. Those who aspire to wisdom may also avoid pants. Ecclesiastical leaders from the Pope to mullahs prefer robes, as do magnificent wizards like Gandalf and Dumbledore. Men in skirts can represent the full sexual and philosophical spectrum, and historically, the skirt belongs to both sexes.

My cause was championed by the Bravehearts: Men in Skirts exhibit at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which shed light on the motley cultural messages sent by men who wear “non-bifurcated garments” (a term indubitably penned by a gowned professor).

From this exhibit, I learned of the 17th-century ignition of a great masculine renunciation that reduced the variety of clothing available to men. Before this purge, skirts were customarily regarded as a somewhat exotic reflection of a refined sensibility. The kilt, for example, became an epitome of rugged paradise. Wearing a kilt signified that a man enjoyed a shot of ale and could whack off the heads of sheep and peasants with a broadsword.

Empowered by this mentality, I asked my aunt to lend me her newly acquired brushed wool gathered skirt, boasting inverted pleats and a balloon hem. That was the first time I wore a skirt, and I was utterly shocked by the greatly expanded legroom. It was the antithesis of pants, which bind and chafe. In fact, I felt like a baby Goliath who had graduated potty training and been emancipated from diapers.

My mother surprisingly grinned from ear to ear upon seeing the dazzling skirt, and gave me permission to walk outside in this attire. Then came the screeching yawps from thoroughly disgusted bystanders, accompanied by bulging eyeballs nearly dangling from their sockets. My first and last experiment with unique apparel incited unimaginable derision.

I am saddened by the slim prospects of men severing their faithful commitment to pants anytime soon. For that to happen, men would have to assert social power, in the same way women did when they borrowed “male” elements of fashion over the last two centuries.

French designer Jean Paul Gaultier, who has been known to send a men’s skirt or two down the runway, is an unsung hero who voices my animosity toward this social repression.

“Historically, men had the panache when it came to getting dressed. They had the lace, they had the makeup. They dressed exuberantly, it wasn’t considered either masculine or feminine. Look at Louis XIV or the Greeks in togas,” Gaultier said. “I’m not trying to put all men in skirts. I just want to give them the freedom to wear a skirt if they want to. “ So please share this idea with anyone who holds the slightest sympathies toward trouser tyranny. Men in skirts remain a useful modern fantasy in line with gnomes and unicorns. In the West, men dressed like peacocks until the black suits of the British managerial class trumped male finery. This is an era of gender equality. Let us do more than flutter our inner feathers — let us secure the right to be peacocks again.