Issue 1 - October 2023 by The Prospector

Inadequate Menstrual Education pg. 10

INVESTIGATIONS Effects of Declining Enrollment pg. 20

SPORTS

CHS Girls Fall Sports in Jeopardy pg. 22

FEATURES

Señora Aguilar’s Heart Transplant Journey pg. 14

ISSUE 1, VOL 66 | OCT. 2023

THE PROSPECTOR OPINIONS

IN THIS ISSUE

news

Robotic’s New Rig....................... 04 Campus Security Crackdown...... 06 Campus Renovations.................. 07

sports

Athlete of the Month: Catherine Cho............................. 08 CHS Girls Fall Sports in Jeopardy.................................. 10

opinions

investigations Effects of Declining

Enrollment................................. 16

features

Señora Aguilar’s Heart Transplant Journey..................... 20 Arangetrams & Rangapravesams....................... 22 featuring Rishika Santhebennur and Vyshnavi Nallandigal

postscript

Digital Testing Pro/Con............... 12

Tino Word Search...................... 24

Inadequate Menstruation Education.................................. 14

What Your Boba Order Says About You......................... 25

THE PROSPECTOR

STAFF 2023-2024

A LETTER FROM THE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

editors-in-chief Jolie Han Lisa Zivanic Sania Mehta

photo editors Evan Lu Rishita Shah

Dear Reader,

news editors Andrew Qin Benjamin Liu

online editors Alexander Liu Andrew Qin Hailey Ryu Joyce Lee Katie Kim Rishita Shah

Welcome back to school! As we kick off another school year, this publication returns to your hands under new constraints. Budget shortfalls have necessitated a shift to blackand-white printing for the foreseeable future. While this transition presents challenges, our commitment remains to deliver insightful student journalism with integrity and passion.

opinions editor Shaona Das features editor Angie Li investigations editor Benjamin Liu sports editors Alexander Liu Hailey Ryu postscript editor Jolie Han copy editors Anoushka Gokhale Joyce Lee Riya Malik Shaona Das

business manager Anika Rao writers Amrita Brar, Brian Kuo, Ira Lele, Jade Wong, Jeongwoo Choe, Katie Mak, Miya Widman, Nikhil Krishnaswamy, Nitya Dhulipala, Noah Kang, Scarlett Guy, Victoria Hunt, Yeechen Pang, Zain Haseeb

adviser Ann Shriver-Peck Editorial Policy The Prospector is an open forum of expression for student editors to inform and educate their readers. It will not be reviewed by or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution. Advisors may and should coach and discuss content during the writing process. The staff of The Prospector seeks to recognize individuals, events and ideas and bring news to the Cupertino community in an accurate, professional and unbiased manner. The Prospector will not avoid publishing a story solely on the basis of possible dissent or controversy. If the reader believes an error has been made or wish to have your opinion expressed in The Prospector, please contact the publication via mail or email at chsprospector@gmail.com. In the case that inaccurate material is published, the staff will assume responsibility for the error and correct it as soon as possible. Letters sent become the sole property of The Prospector and can be edited for length, clarity or accuracy. The Prospector editorial board reserves the right to accept or reject any ad in accordance with its advertising policy.

Some of the most prominent chatter on campus surround the new security rules. Noah Kang provides in-depth coverage on page six of how policies like hall pass changes and free-period restrictions will impact daily student life. The new year brings difficulties for the Fremont Union High School District as well. Anoushka Gokhale and Nitya Dhulipala report on page 16 how decreasing enrollment numbers lead to packed classrooms, overburdened teachers and reduced course offerings. Despite the challenges, there are also hopeful stories that uplift us. Brian Kuo shares an inspiring account of Señora Aguilar’s heart transplant journey on page 20. Her perseverance and recovery provide a ray of light during this difficult time, giving us strength and optimism for the year ahead. In this year of transition, our mission endures: to inform and connect the student community with reliable reporting and emotional, human-interest storytelling. We’re grateful you’re along for the journey.

COVER DESIGNED BY JOLIE HAN

Sincerely, Jolie Han, Lisa Zivanic, Sania Mehta

NEWS

ROBOTIC’S

NEW RIG 4 | DESIGNED BY ANDREW QIN

The benefits and process

of acquiring Cupertino Robotic’s new CNC Mill

take team, “ [The CNC mill] speeds up the fabrication of more complex shapes or metal parts that are otherwise harder to mill. [...] Since CNC is computer-operated, it’ll be a lot more accurate than us milling by hand.” The CNC mill’s addition translates to better competition performance for Cupertino Robotics by bringing two major advantages. Firstly, since the CNC mill is automated, the team can run the machine outside of their lab time, allowing them to work on other tasks such as branding, outreach and writing essays for their competition. This year, Cupertino Robotics plans on using its freed-up time to expand its outreach program and spread its values internationally. “That’s the part that actually wins our awards and tournaments,” said Murugesan. “It’s important to have a good robot, but if you’re looking to get an award, like the Inspire award or anything like that, then you want to have good essays and good outreach.” Second, the CNC mill is capable

BENJAMIN LIU

news and investigations editor

he Cupertino Robotics team recently received a new stateof-the-art Tormach 770MX Computer Numerical Control mill through grants and donations from the Gene Haas and Fremont Union High Schools Foundations. The team hopes to utilize the machine to increase the production speed of high-quality, complex metal parts for their competition robots. The Tormach 770X was not easy to acquire. “We’ve wanted to get one [CNC mill] for a while, but we just needed to have enough funds to do it,” Kayal Murugesan, Cupertino Robotics president, said. Each year, members of the team’s sponsorship division contact sponsors and grants, hoping to secure funds. Last year, the division led by Akshat Mehta struck gold, acquiring $8,000 through the Gene Haas Foundation and $5,000 through the FUHS Foundation. Furthermore, Tormach, the company that made the CNC mill, gave Cupertino Robotics a discount, making it easier to acquire. The CNC helps improve production efficiency for the team. During the offseason, the team struggled to meet deadlines as they were overwhelmed with parts to make. Said Shih An Chang, an understudy lead in the hardware i n -

Y T

S U

I V

The intake, con-

structed out of a lightweight polycarbonate

frame, spins four compliant wheels to collect cubes and cones.

The robot utilizes a telescoping arm mechanism to pivot

and extend the intake in order to grab and deposit game objects.

NEWS | 5

of constructing more efficient, accurate designs. Said Chang, “A big concern of our robot is always weight cutting. So, if we were to use a CNC, we’d be able to make parts with complex shapes, something maybe with many holes in them. That way, we can maintain the rigidity of the part while cutting down on materials. Now, these parts would be pretty hard to mill if we were to do it by hand, but if we had a CNC to do it for us, it would be done really quickly.” Additionally, the part milled by the machine will be more precise than the ones traditionally manufactured, helping with alignment issues that the team had previously struggled with. Although the mill has many benefits for the team, it is not easy to operate, and as of now, only the head mentor knows how to use it, as the mill requires G-code, a code that operates 3D printers, to function. The mentor will train the team members on using the CNC mill, and by competition season in January, several students should be able to operate it

CAMPUS SECURITY

CRACKDOWN CHS has implemented new regulations to improve campus security

NOAH KANG

A 6 | THE PROSPECTOR

writer

t the commencement of the school year, Cupertino High School administrators implemented new policies regarding on-campus regulations. These included tightening on-campus security, implementing hall passes in every classroom and mandating students without an off-campus pass to stay at designated locations in CHS during their free periods if they have a class afterward. Students have expressed dis-

appointment and frustration about these new restrictions. Said junior Arshi Kaur, “I think it makes it much harder for students to leave class and take a moment for themselves to relax and do what they need to do so that they can properly function in class.” Some teachers have also expressed concern about the new adjustments. Said American Literature Honors teacher Jenny Padgett, “[In previous years,] the campus had such a good feeling of autonomy

and of trusting students to make good choices. So for me, it made me feel like [the new regulations were] a de-evolution of what a good campus could feel like.” The hall pass system has also been criticized for being unsanitary, especially due to the new COVID-19 variant’s prevalence in the local area. “It’s why I never had a hall pass in my entire career,” Padgett said. “The idea that a student is carrying something into the bathroom back and forth and wherever is always something I felt icky

about.” However, CHS administration Freshman Elly Huh also voiced members stand by the new reguher concerns about the hygiene lations. of the hall passes. “We wanted to create a pro“I think it’s very unsanitary be- cess by which we could tell who cause it’s brought into both girls’ was here [on campus] to keep the and boys’ bathrooms, and they’re halls quiet so that we can all learn not able to wash their hands in the in our classes,” CHS Principal stalls,” Huh said. Kami Tomberlain said. “It’s also Aside from the controversy sort of a safety issue for folks as surrounding hall passes, the new our campus is pretty wide open.” rules about off-campus policies Tomberlain further elaborathave similarly ed on sparked disher ideal WHAT I’M HOPEFUL FOR appointment. outcome IS FOR A CAMPUS THAT Sophomore with the Anjali Channew meaFEELS SAFE, INCLUSIVE, drasekar has a sures, AND TO FEEL LIKE PEOPLE free third periemphaBELONG HERE […] AND TO od, which she sizing TREAT EACH OTHER WITH would have the imKINDNESS AND RESPECT previously portance used to study of strucKAMI TOMBERLAIN off campus. ture in a Said Chanschool drasekar, “Being in the library and environment. not being at home is more dis“What I’m hopeful for is for a tracting because there are a lot campus that feels safe, inclusive more people around you. I tend to and to feel like people belong work much better alone at home.” here […] and to treat each othCHS offers off-campus pass- er with kindness and respect,” es to students with free periods Tomberlain continued. “I think upon completing an Informed that having some limits on our acK-12 application form, but some tions are helpful in creating that students said they have yet to re- space.” ceive the pass despite having applied in the first weeks of school.

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”

RULES 3.

RENOVATIONS ANDREW QIN

news editor

upertino High School recently completed several new renovation projects aimed at improving the experience of students and faculty. Among the recent changes is the installation of new hardwood flooring in the main gym. Said Josh Kiernan, the Facilities Manager at CHS, in an email, “We hope that the athletes enjoy playing on a new floor. It updates the look of the gym and makes the space brighter, as this is a clear finish, not a yellow finish. I think it makes the interior of the gym feel current and not like you are in a space built in 1958.” In addition to the gym renovation, the school worked extensively over the summer with partners at Bach Construction to provide a modern redesign to classrooms in the 200s and 700s wings. “The wings received new paint, carpet/flooring, as well as new ceiling tiles, lighting and audio-video equipment,” said Kiernan. “We also were able to help design a wellness space for students. We do this work to bring the students the best environment possible for learning.”

Hall passes must be worn by students leaving class Breaks need to be in line of sight of faculty Students cannot leave in the first and last 10 minutes of class

NEWS | 7

NEW 2. 1.

CAMPUS

SPORTS

ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

JOYCE LEE copy editor

SOCAL SHOWDOWN | Cho readies to fire at SoCal Show-

down, a USA Archery event.

8 | DESIGNED BY ALEXANDER LIU

ith a mindset centered on development and the journey rather than purely results, Cupertino High School senior Catherine Cho, a competitive archer, shoots for her goals. After suffering a knee injury in her sixth-grade year, Cho was forced to turn away from her more physically intense endeavors in track and volleyball. She began archery to continue pursuing athletics through her injury and started competing in 2019. “In the very beginning, it was a little too calm for me,” said Cho. “I was more of an energetic person. But I feel like it’s helped me learn a lot about myself and a lot of self-control, mental control.” As Cho continued to practice ar-

chery, she grew to have a passion for the sport, appreciating it for the character growth she experienced throughout her career. “I’ve done archery for basically all my puberty years, which I think has really impacted me because it’s in the most emotionally turbulent stages of my life [that] archery has been there for me,” said Cho. “And I think it’s been an essential factor of mental stability and learning about myself.” However, Cho has experienced ups and downs, especially in her sophomore year, with her archery career and academic endeavors.

“I don’t know how I was so successful at the beginning of my career. About one year in, I started ranking really high. But I think that was really coupled with my passion for it and my practice schedule because I loved it so much,” said Cho. “Then I had a period when I was kind of struggling, and my rankings were not too high.” Rather than pressuring herself into letting scores dictate her career, Cho realized that focusing on her personal growth and mindset would allow for greater improvement. Said Cho, “Literally yesterday, I ranked fourth place in California for

a competition in Sacramento. I think maturing, in general, has helped me realize there’s so much more potential and growth, other than just success all the time.” Throughout her career, Cho has found support in the tight-knit archery community, where she has been touched by moments of generosity and closeness, such as when her fellow archers offered her replacements and repairs for her broken equipment. “I feel like a lot of people think that archery is very competitive, very clashing because I guess you’re comparing score versus score. [...] But I would say there’s not much of a comparison culture,” said Cho. “And a lot of people know that in archery, it’s really hard to just shoot tens all the time.” Cho considers her parents her greatest supporters and experiences varying forms of support from them — her father tells her to have confidence in her ability and strive for perfection, while her mother tells her to focus on her form and the process. “I’m really relaxed because my parents always try to help me realize that [archery is] about growth,” said Cho. “That support system is so important to me because it helps you have that confidence and learn that

your failure’s okay. Before that, my confidence was like, if I shot bad, I would be bad.” Cho’s archery coach, a former South Korean and United States national team member, has also been a formative part of her career, encouraging Cho with her unique story. “She told me about this paradox

“

THERE’S NOTHING MORE GROWTHPROVOKING THAN FAILURE.

CATHERINE CHO

”

she had — she would do amazing in national competitions, but whenever it was the Olympic trials, it would go terrible for her,” said Cho. “So she never actually qualified for the Olympics, though she did make the Korean national team, the U.S. national team multiple times. [...] She was telling me how if she actually made it to the Olympics, she wouldn’t have improved, and her mindset would have stayed the same.” Over the summer, Cho co-founded an archery class to make the sport more financially accessible to interest-

ed students and donated the profits to a Ukrainian refugee program. “That starting step of really building up empowering other people, people that need help — I think that building that culture of just naturally helping others [...] is so important,” said Cho. “And it’s really something I learned from archery.” In the future, Cho hopes to attend the Olympic Trials for archery. Although she could not participate in the trials in Pennsylvania this year due to academic conflicts, she plans to continue competing throughout her lifetime and potentially on a college team, depending on the recruitment process. To her fellow student-athletes, Cho advises embracing failure. “There is nothing more growth-provoking than failure is,” said Cho. “You can be the most perfect student, the most perfect person. [...] But once you fail, you really start to chip away at the things holding you back.” “I feel like my biggest takeaway from archery is you’re not a human doing, you are a human being. You can have all these things that define you, like your score, your grades, your personality, your looks and maybe your family — all these things that define you. But none of them actually make you, you,” said Cho

SPORTS | 9

G. Field Hockey G. Tennis G. Volleyball G. Water Polo

CUPERTINO HIGH SCHOOL GIR

Changes to girls fall sports tea

HAILEY RYU | AMRITA BRAR

10 | DESIGNED BY HAILEY RYU

sports/social media editor | writer

everal Cupertino High School girls athletic teams began the fall sports season with setbacks due to numerous team changes. Girls volleyball, field hockey, water polo and tennis have all been impacted by declining participation rates and coaching changes. VOLLEYBALL Cupertino’s girls varsity volleyball team struggled to fill their roster due to coaching changes and star players resigning before this season started. As a team of 13, the team is short of the 15-16 players needed on a high school team. The team’s morale deflated, with their overall record being 11-7 L so far. “Our team connection was off at the beginning of the season since we were used to having people on the team that sadly aren’t on the team anymore, but we’re working on it,” junior and Captain Shreya Sinha said. Because they suddenly started the season with a new coach, Ed Mattson, the team’s first few preseason games did not have promising results. However, Mattson recognized the team’s weaknesses and immediately jumped in with new strategies, pushing the team to learn new plays and catch opposing teams off guard. Said Sinha, “Every single practice [Mattson] says, ‘If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten,’ and it’s ingrained into our minds so that we know we have to change something up.” Although the team dealt with multiple changes, they heavily focused on teamwork and technique to collectively improve their skills. Sinha believes the new coach’s strategies are helping the team improve, as

they won a plaque at the volleyball tournament Spikefest. “Our team is hoping we do well enough in the league to make it to CCS and stay in the upper league for the next few seasons. We want to encourage people to try out for volleyball since you can grow your leadership, communication, and hand-eye coordination skills and get to know more amazing people,” Sinha said. FIELD HOCKEY Similar to issues with girls volleyball, Cupertino’s girls field hockey program is struggling to retain members this season after 11 of their seniors graduated, and several players left the team. Tryouts were extended over a long three weeks due to the number of attendees fluctuating each day and a lack of sufficient players to compete. After a number of seasoned players graduated, field hockey had to combine their varsity and junior varsity teams on several occasions for pre-season games. Despite these setbacks, after finally gaining ideal numbers, team captains and coaches are working hard to jump back from the massive loss and ensure a promising season ahead. “I had 11 seniors graduate and a handful of other girls didn’t come back, so it was really hard to lose essentially the entire starting core of my team. And to add to that, we were pushed up to a league that we shouldn’t be in, so we started fresh in a division way too competitive for us,” said Field Hockey Coach Allyson Matsuoka. The field hockey team does not let their losses diminish their spirits; the girls morale has remained high despite field hockey’s losing streak. Said Matsuoka, “I think they definitely feel defeated after some of the games, but overall, they have good attitudes about it even though getting demolished every game isn’t al-

ways easy.” To gain enough players to play competitively, which is 16 or 17 total, Matsuoka and her athletes resorted to actively recruiting students on campus. For players on the team for the past three or four years, this steep decline in popularity has been difficult to combat. “Our sport is a fall sport and I feel like nobody really comes into high school knowing what field hockey is, so people are nervous at first because it’s new to them, and they don’t want to try something new. And with it being the first sport in the fall, they don’t hear too much word about it throughout school, so it’s definitely a struggle to raise interest,” Matsuoka said. WATER POLO Cupertino’s girls water polo team is currently classified in a fairly rigorous, competitive division o f Californ i a sports. H o w ever, many o f the

team’s current players are incoming freshfolk or students lacking prior experience in water polo, making them unequipped to compete at this level. Players of multiple skill levels have no choice but to compete above their abilities due to the lack of a junior varsity team, which can be dangerous when playing an aggressive,

CUPERTINO GIRLS FALL SPORTS ROSTER

RLS FALL SPORTS IN JEOPARDY

ams for the 2023-2024 season

high-contact sport such as water polo. “Having more people just gives you much more stability and security when people get injured or can’t show up and play. And water polo is a vicious game, so people get injured for sure; it definitely takes a toll on you,” senior and Captain Leila Guerrero said. When asked how recent changes have affected the team’s game performance, Guerrero added, “It was really tough losing people we played so much with, and it makes it a lot harder and more tiring because we have to play for the entire game. There’s a lot relying on us seniors this year, who are the most experienced, because we have many less experienced freshmen.” Despite having a smaller team than they would like, the CHS girls water polo team performed well this season in terms of success rate, significantly increasing the team’s motivation to keep the sport active a t

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SPORTS | 11

CHS. However, after nine of their most skilled players graduated in June, many of whom were club players, the girls have struggled to get their numbers back up and increase overall participation and interest in the sport. Instagram graphics and team TikToks have been their primary methods of promotion so far.

Coach Yuri Ujifusa, the girls wa- utive years. Despite the struggle ter polo coach for the past five years, to garner more players, girls tenhas new plans in the works in effort to nis had an incredibly successful end the trend she has been witness- 2022-2023 season, undefeated ing of consistently lower numbers of throughout the season and winning freshfolk trying out each year. state championships. However, the Ujifusa said she is trying to start team suffered a significant loss this middle school water polo, field hock- season after seven players graduey and tennis leagues to increase ac- ated. cessibility to typically costly sports. With a team of 12 players, “If we were to start a middle school the girls tennis team has enough league and get support on that from players for their lineup, with two the middle school principals, it would make those sports available for free alternates; the alternates play in for those kids who wanted to join at matches when other teams bring their alternates as well. an earlier age Said senior and and then hopeIT IS A LITTLE BIT Captain Cindy Lin, fully generate TERRIFYING GOING INTO “For tennis, varsity and more interest NEXT YEAR NOT KNOW- junior varsity practice for the ninth together on the same graders coming ING IF I’M GOING TO HAVE A TEAM OR NOT. courts, so there’s defiin, having that experience,” nitely a lot of interacYURI UJIFUSA Ujifusa said. tion between them. Unfortunately, if girls water polo Not having a JV just [means] there is not able to garner more popularity are fewer people, but team bondwith incoming freshfolk by the next ing, it doesn’t really affect it.” season, the team is at risk of being To jump back on the loss of removed from Cupertino’s autumn graduating players and to improve, athletics season entirely. the tennis team’s coach has strate“The declining participation is gies to have a successful season. casting a shadow on this season As of the end of September, the because I have ten players. When tennis team has won four games four graduate, I’ll be left with six, and lost one. and I need at least seven girls in “We used to not have practice the pool at once. So, if I don’t have any freshfolk come out next year, on Fridays just to let people take I literally will not have a team. So it it easy, but since our matches are is a little bit terrifying going into next getting started, we have one or two year not knowing if I will have a team matches every week on average. because I love this work so much,” So, he wants us to resume Friday Ujifusa said. “And if I’m not getting practices,” Lin said. “Last year, he interest coming in, not only do I not did Saturday practices as well, on get to do my job, but these girls who occasion. But yeah, definitely like have worked really hard for the past more practice hours. And I think two or three years for me won’t have he’ll also make the practices a bit an opportunity to play.” more intense.” TENNIS To increase participation in The Cupertino girls tennis team the team in the future, Lin hopes to has combined their junior varsity see the team utilize their Instagram and varsity teams for two consec- account to recruit people

OPINIONS

The

Prospector Review

DIGITAL

TESTING

12 | DESIGNED BY SHAONA DAS

Pro/Con

Analyzing the benefits and Analyzing theofbenefits and setbacks of setbacks transitoning to transitoning to digital standardized and digital standardized and Advanced Placement tests Advanced Placement tests

JEONGWOO CHOE

F writer

ollowing the rapid digitalization of schoolwork, the College Board announced a major shift in the SAT and Advanced Placement testing format — seven AP subjects from May 2023, and complete digitalization of the SAT starting from March 2024 — to be more relevant and potentially make it less stressful for students. However, it is still uncertain whether or not this shift would be beneficial. Cupertino High School junior Jai Nair will take both the digital fall 2023 PSAT and the March 2024 SAT for the first time. “Personally, I prefer paper because it stood the test of time and it’s proved to be very efficient,” Nair said. “[But] since it’s new, there will always be bugs, so it will cause some level of confusion.” The digital exam will be an hour shorter than the paper exam,

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THERE ARE PROS AND CONS IN HOW IT CAN BE GOOD AND BAD AT THE SAME TIME, BUT I THINK IT’S OVERALL A GOOD CHANGE.

JAI NAIR

”

dents of some of the skills that we’ve been working on and some of the practices.” Due to the sudden switch from paper to digital, the PSAT will also be offered digitally this fall to enable students to familiarize themselves with the new format before the first digital SAT in the spring. Despite the digital format’s numerous inconveniences, the College Board decided to switch for a reason. According to The

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THE DIGITAL SAT OBJECTIVELY ASSESSES STUDENTS’ SKILLS WITHOUT THE INFLUENCE OF EXTENSIVE TEST PREPARATION

JEONGWOO CHOE

”

National Center for Fair & Open Testing, 84% of four-year universities are becoming SAT optional in 2023. This shift aligns with colleges’ prevailing perspective that the SAT is a weak indicator of academic success and often lacks relevance to college. Consequently, the transition to digitalization is a logical step, as it not only reduces the difficulty of the SAT but enhances its fairness by minimizing the extent to which students can prepare. The digital SAT more objectively assesses students’ skills without the influence of extensive test preparation. After these changes, future students may have to take a slightly different approach to college preparation strategies. With reduced SAT preparation, students might want to allocate more time to engage in school or extracurricular activities, corresponding with the College Board’s intention

OPINIONS | 13

with only two sections: Reading/ Writing and Math. Unlike the paper version, the English section in the digital test is combined, and students will be able to use a calculator directly provided into the interface for the entire math section. The new format would also have one question per short paragraph. The biggest change is that digital tests will be adaptive. Every question on the paper test has equal weight, while the digital scoring system changes question difficulties based on the student’s

performance. Some benefits are that the digitalization of the SAT allows for faster scoring, and students can quickly determine whether or not to retake the test. Additionally, digital tests will reduce the potential of cheating because different questions are provided. A major drawback is that students will initially find it harder to prepare for the digital SAT. Being in circulation for the past decades, the paper version of the SAT has a plethora of available practice exams, contrary to the digital exam. Moreover, according to experts at Cedars-Sinai, prolonged screen time could lead to loss of focus and eye strain. Such risks apply to digital AP exams as well. Cupertino High School only offers a digital test for AP US History, AP English Language and AP World History. “At least for the AP, it’s easier to type things out and you can crank out more writing in a shorter amount of time because you don’t have to worry about things like writing cramps or anything like that,” Nair said. “There are pros and cons and how it can be good and bad at the same time, but I think it’s overall a good change.” AP English Literature and Composition teacher Nikki Merrick said that she and other AP English teachers in Fremont Union High School District discussed whether or not to make the test digital, but the majority wanted a paper exam. She mentioned the technical bandwidth it would take to run all those tests and the inconvenience of the digital testing platform. “The process for AP Literature of being able to read and annotate and dissect a text is something that we spend a lot of time doing in class,” said Merrick. “So to switch the platform at an exam time is potentially depriving stu-

INADEQUATE MENSTR

Discussing methods of improving CH

KATIE KIM | SCARLETT GUY

14 | THE PROSPECTOR

social media editor | writer

upertino High School’s comprehensive sexual health education is a unit in the ninth-grade Introduction to Biology course. The curriculum focuses on relevant topics such as making healthy d e c i s i o n s , sexual orientation, preventing pregnancies, etc. However, menstruation is minimally covered despite its importance in understanding sexual health. Menstruation, more commonly known as a period, is a multifaceted subject relating to the regular discharge of blood from the uterine lining. Menstruation directly affects about half of the student population at CHS, and several health and social issues surrounding menstruation are critical for all students to understand. For instance, menstruators experience various health effects during their cycle, like abdominal cramps and mood swings. Educating students about these health effects will alleviate ignorance and promote

empathy in both menstruators and non-menstruators. Proper education on period stigma is also vital to fostering an environment where menstruators are not ashamed of their periods, considering the lack of social acceptance in discussions regarding menstruation. While menstruation is

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THE SEX-ED UNIT DOESN’T TEACH GIRLS ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF THEIR PERIODS. INSTEAD, THEY’RE LEFT TO FIGURE IT OUT ON THEIR OWN.

AMRUTA GURUSU

”

briefly mentioned in the curriculum when covering physiology and the reproductive system, it is not a primary focus or objective because of the assumption that it was already extensively addressed in previous grades. Said Life Science teacher and Science Department Lead Daniel Stavis, “We don’t want to just look at what happens in ninth grade, but what happens across the scope of comprehensive sexual health education with the lens of age appropriateness. I think it’s important that education about menstruation begins

before the high school age.” The California Healthy Youth Act requires CHS’s feeder elementary and middle schools from the Cupertino Union School District to teach students about human growth and development in fifth and seventh grades. The proposed curriculum aims to teach how stress and environmental factors contribute to the timing of menstruation, proper menstrual hygiene, defining the various menstrual products and more related topics. Unfortunately, some students do not believe they received sufficient menstruation education before high school. Said Hannah Wawda, a CHS junior and Assistant Director of local period poverty activism nonprofit Students Against Period Poverty Cupertino, through a message interview: I don’t remember learning anything about menstruation at [CHS]. In elementary school, I remember we vaguely learned about menstruation; however, the curriculum wasn’t very thorough. In middle school, I remember being separated by gender and being

RUATION EDUCATION

HS’s education on the menstrual cycle taught about menstruation. The primary problem in the inadequacy of menstruation education in high school is the time constraint. Introduction to Biology teachers only have two weeks out of the school year to dedicate to comprehensive sexual health education. “There’s a lot of things that I wish we had more time to spend on, lots of things where, if we had more time, we would get more indepth and look at it from a more

nuanced perspective,” Stavis said. CHS teachers have the flexibility to customize the health curriculum on the professional learning community level, which are the teacher teams at schools. They can choose to address specific topics provided by Health Connected, the organization partnered with the district, within the boundaries of the law. If students notice areas for improvement in the curriculum, it is vital

that they communicate this and prompt their teachers to make necessary adjustments. The current CHS comprehensive sexual health curriculum covers appropriate topics pertaining to high schoolers. However, the insufficient menstruation coverage in earlier sexual health curricula leaves the responsibility to high schools to educate students on such matters thoroughly

OPINIONS | 15

INVESTIGATIONS

EFFECTS OF DECLINING ENROLLMENT

INVESTIGATIONS | 23

16 | DESIGNED BY BENJAMIN LIU

Investigating the effects on district solutions to declining enrollment

Language Department

Because [the district] said they’ll only give me six sections and they are not hiring anybody. Otherwise, they’ll eliminate a class […] I hope French is not next on the list.” She described her methodology to separate the two classes’ learning. Other French teachers had told her they taught the same concepts to both combination classes. “So I resisted that. I don’t want to scare the Honors class with AP learning, and for AP, I teach the students critical thinking so they

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OTHERWISE, THEY’LL ELIMINATE A CLASS […] I HOPE FRENCH IS NOT NEXT ON THE LIST. IMENE AGGOUN

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have enough language to talk and prepare for the test,” Aggoun said. Students appear to have a positive experience with the class so far. “I will say, yes, we are in a unit, and we do have content and stuff, but it’s also very much based on your own learning and own experience,” Hrishita Das, an AP French student, said. “And I think that’s okay because we’re in AP French, and that’s what’s expected of us.” Because electives are subject to fluctuation, it is more difficult for the administration to guarantee certain classes for students. “These are programs that our teachers have poured their lives into in many cases,” said Paula Robinson, Director of Human Resources at CHS. “So to hear that we may have to limit some of that, I think can be personally and professionally probably very difficult.” Robinson mentioned that the concept of combination classes is

not necessarily unique to declining enrollment and that it is simply one method of maintaining a course on campus. “Most of our courses contractually have a ratio of 32.5 students to one teacher, but it doesn’t always work out that the exact number of kids request a course, so we sometimes have to make hard decisions,” Robinson said. FUHSD is also considering phasing out Japanese I. Stefanie Fan, a longtime CHS teacher now teaching World Literature, has devoted significant time to the Japanese program and reflects on this decision’s impact. “It’s unfortunate for incoming students, and that’s why it’s important for the parents to say something because it’s their kids who are the future of our program,” Fan said. “As it is, it’s not a huge program [...], but a lot of people are very upset that their siblings are saying that they want to take it, but they can’t.” Senior Hana Winebarger, taking AP Japanese, said, “Japanese has been really influential in my high school life here. I’ve made so many friends because of it, and I really connected with my own heritage. I’m half-Japanese, but I never really learned about the language or the culture, so I think it was nice to have a program that allowed me to figure out my own identity.” Each FUHSD school’s changes vary, but the district aims to retain classes and teachers when possible. “There aren’t any World Language courses being cut at any schools this year,” said Robinson. “I am working with a team and we are all looking at the implications of declining enrollment.”

INVESTIGATIONS | 17

ANOUSHKA GOKHALE copy editor upertino High School’s and Fremont Union School District’s continually declining enrollment has caused changes within language programs, creating combination classes of four honors and Advanced Placement for both French and Japanese. After French teacher Janissa Zahn took on a full-time teaching job in Los Gatos, Imene Aggoun remained in charge of five French classes. Similarly, Stefanie Fan is the only Japanese teacher on campus. FUHSD had to make elective changes to each of its five schools, especially World Language courses, based on class sizes. CHS opted to cut Japanese One and change the French program, leading to a large combined honors and AP French class of 38 students. The administration also provided another option: to cut French I completely. The previous years’ French classroom continues to be used to ensure that Aggoun can monitor all her students. District guidelines also state that students can be outside the classroom in sight of the teacher. Aggoun has taken advantage of this by allowing her AP or honors students to sit directly outside and complete worksheets while she teaches the other class. When Aggoun first began teaching, she taught a combination class of AP and Honors, with a consistently small AP class of 15 or 16 throughout the years. Being the only French teacher on campus is challenging, and Aggoun expressed her frustration about the class. Said Aggoun, “Oh, yes, I cried.

Subject Changing NITYA DHULIPALA writer ue to declining student enrollment and teacher shortages over the past few years, a handful of teachers at CHS have been teaching subjects that differ from their typical curriculum. One major reason enrollment is declining is the notorious housing crisis that makes the Bay Area increasingly inaccessible. Whether they are students or teachers, the impact of a surge of people moving out is evident at schools. One of the many consequences of declining enrollment is the introduction of involuntary transfers, which occur when teachers unwillingly transfer schools, and split transfers, which occur when teachers instruct at more than one school. These transfers move teachers from different schools, so the number of educators is distributed more evenly in the district. This method of ameliorating the effects of declining enrollment is never favored because of how strenuous the relocation process may be for teachers. As this method is a last resort, in some cases, the district offers teachers another option to stay at their original schools. “We want to provide you an op-

18 | THE PROSPECTOR

portunity to let us know if you have another teaching credential. So maybe you can teach a different subject and stay at your school,” said Paula Robinson, the Human Resources Director of Fremont Union High School District. Robinson assured that “our district has done a really good job of providing support to [teachers] and also looking at [declining enrollment] as an opportunity to help develop and build curriculum with colleagues.” Chris Oswald, the head varsi-

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SOMETIMES YOU THINK YOU HAVE A MOMENT TO YOURSELF, BUT REALLY, YOU NEED TO BE SOMEWHERE CHRIS OSWALD

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ty football coach who also teaches Physical Education and World History, has a degree in Social Science Teacher Prep from Humboldt State University and is credentialed in Physical Education. Oswald originally only taught history at CHS but later transitioned into teaching P.E. fulltime. Now, after years of teaching just P.E., he is back in the history classroom. He discussed the increased workload and how he adapted to this drastic teaching change. “ S o me times you think you have a moment to yourself, but really, you Mr. Oswald’s commitment of teaching PE and History requires him to need to be balance his time both indoors and outdoors.

somewhere else,” said Oswald. “Especially now that we’re getting into writing our essays and things of that nature, to make myself available to [students] will be a balancing act as well.” “As the school started to shrink every year, they asked us what we wanted to teach and our priorities. And then they tried to best match that,” said Oswald regarding the decision process to teach World History. “And then, I put in there that I’d be willing to teach history again. As there was a need, and P.E. was shrinking since our freshman class is smaller, [...] it just seemed to work well for the school. And it kept me here on campus, too.” Another staff member on campus facing this is Arcadia Conrad, who teaches American Literature Honors and multiple levels of Drama. However, she is optimistic about her experience transitioning between the two classes. Conrad stated that because of the similarities in skills needed to succeed in Drama and ALH, the transition between the two was not as difficult, as she enjoys teaching both classes. “I have my roots in American Literature, [but] obviously, that was a long time ago when I went to college,” Conrad reflects. “But it’s generally something I’ve always been interested in. So I feel like because I’m interested in the subject matter, and I have a point of view on the subject matter, that that part of it has been easy.” Given that the entire FUHSD is predicted to continue declining in enrollment, teachers and administrators collaborate to create the solutions most in favor of students’ education while aiming to keep teachers satisfied with their positions

Smaller Freshman Class

Teacher Transfers ANOUSHKA GOKHALE copy editor s fewer students enroll in the Fremont Union High School District, more teachers are transferred to other schools within the district or are teaching splitsite, meaning they teach at multiple campuses. Declining enrollment is partly due to systemic factors, including fewer people moving to California after the pandemic and the high cost of living. FUHSD lost

183 A Fewer Total CHS Students than 2022-2023 Sections Cut

Number of Sections in 2022-2023

348

Number of Sections in 2023-2024

316

District Solutions Involuntary Transfers

District-decided transfers that usually result from a last-resort need for staff in a section at a different school.

Teaching Other Subjects Teachers have the options to teach another subject they have credentials in and stay at their campus.

NORMAN TSAI

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400 students across all campuses between the spring and fall of this year. Teachers who have had sections cut — particularly for elective courses with voluntary sign-ups and fluctuating amounts of students — have multiple options to deal with the complex issue. Carley Stavis, president of the Fremont Education Association, is a liaison between teachers and administration to better convey their needs and difficulties. The FEA consists of 500 members across all schools in the district. “My job is to advocate for teacher needs, teacher rights, teacher responsibilities and safety in the workplace, all based on the contract that we work off of,” Stavis said. She describes that she meets every two weeks with Superintendent Graham Clark, Associate Superintendent Tom Avvakumovits and Bonnie Belshe, the lead ne-

INVESTIGATIONS | 19

Split Transfers

Teacher who teaches between different campuses.

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ACTUALLY, [TEACHING AT LYNBROOK AND CUPERTINO] WAS KIND OF FUN TO MEET THE STUDENTS ON BOTH SIDES.

gotiator for the union. Stavis has gained a better understanding of declining enrollment, which there is a union committee for, through her involvement in community organizations and frequent meetings with teachers in small groups. Unions allow long-time teachers to have increased job stability. “[Teacher transfers] are triggered when we don’t have the number of sections based on student signups at the school to support the permanent teachers we have on staff,” said Stavis. “But in our district, once you’ve taught the first day of your third year, in the district, you’re considered a permanent teacher, meaning you have job security, to some extent.” Teachers who teach split-site receive an additional stipend to cover transportation costs and necessary materials. While the situation is not always ideal, the union aims to advocate teachers’ rights based on their contract. Their biggest goal is not letting teachers go — known as getting pink-slipped — and instead providing them with alternate opportunities. Norman Tsai, currently teaching math at Lynbrook, reflected on his year-long experience teaching split-site at Lynbrook and Tino. “Actually, it was kind of fun to meet the students on both sides,” Tsai said. “Also, you get a bit of a stipend for travel expenses, but the schools are so close together. It was pretty worth it, I’d say.” Depending on the distance between schools, teachers who move across campuses can have varying experiences. While teacher relocations are not always necessarily ideal, FUHSD works with teacher unions to guarantee the best solution given the circumstances

FEATURES

Señora Aguilar’s

HEART

TRANSPLANT JOURNEY

Señora Aguilar shares her journey from diagnosis, to transplant and recovery BRIAN KUO

20 | DESIGNED BY ANGIE LI

writer

he interesting thing about transplants, or at least the heart one, is that the nerve that connects your brain to your heart no longer functions. So your brain is not telling your heart that you’re beating too fast or you’re beating too slowly. It doesn’t have that connection; [your body] has to learn the science.” For Cupertino High School Spanish teacher Liza Aguilar, the process of learning her new heart’s rhythm has been routine since her heart transplant. In January 2010, Aguilar began working at Cupertino High School. Six years later, almost two decades after she started teaching, she was diagnosed with cardiomyopa- thy. Heart muscle disease affects

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IT’S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD WHEN SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS, BECAUSE THERE MIGHT BE A SOLUTION THAT YOU’RE NOT EVEN AWARE OF

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LIZA AGUILAR

Said Aguilar, “I was tired when I had the device because it got to the point where even that was kind of a struggle. And that’s why I ended up going on the transplant list because I knew that long term it wouldn’t help.” After a year on the transplant list, Aguilar received a call about an available donor. In November 2022, she underwent the procedure and successfully received a heart transplant. Joy Keifer, Aguilar’s longterm substitute, came out of retirement to substitute for Aguilar throughout her medical complications.

“I feel very lucky that I’ve never needed a heart,” Keifer said. “It’s been tough for [Aguilar], and I wanted to share some of what I could with her. So I promised her that when she got her heart transplant, I would be there for her.” At the start of the 2023-2024 school year, Aguilar returned from her leave. Besides taking medication to prevent her body from rejecting the organ, she can resume her regular activities. Despite her autonomy, Aguilar remains cautious about her actions. Said Aguilar, “I do everything I need to. I take my pills and I eat healthy; even though I could eat everything I want, I would never want to reverse my life in that way.” Aguilar is currently in a rehabilitation period, where she attends classes to help with heart regulation. Although it has been an adjustment for Aguilar to return to full-time teaching after years of working on and off, she is extremely grateful for her students’ understanding of the situation. Aguilar emphasizes the positives of the experience. Said Aguilar, “I feel very fortunate, and I hope that I convey, at least to my students, that things come up, and you can’t control things. But hopefully, you’re still positive that it’s not the end of the world when something bad happens because there might be a solution you’re not even aware of”

FEATURES | 21

the heart’s ability to pump blood into the rest of the body, potentially leading to heart failure. “[My condition] was treated with medication until 2019 [when] it just got worse,” Aguilar said. “It got to the point where my body just couldn’t function on its own, even with medication. And then that’s when I had my first surgery.” During the surgery, a device intended to help pump blood was implanted into her body. Without it, the rest of her body could not get the oxygen and blood it needed. “That device was, I guess, life-saving in the fact that it allowed me to continue with my

job, with my daily life,” Aguilar said. The device needed to be either powered by a battery or through an outlet. “I had to limit a lot of activities because I was carrying around a backpack, and I had a cable coming out of my abdomen that connected to the battery,” Aguilar said. Aguilar continued to use this device into the COVID-19 lockdown, where she could teach remotely for the entire year. Digital learning made it much easier to avoid the setbacks of the device. Coming back from the pandemic, Aguilar began to realize its disadvantages.

Arangetrams & Students reflect on this pivotal moment in their Indian classical dance journeys. IRA LELE | YEECHEN PANG

S writers

22 | THE PROSPECTOR

himmering jhumkas, gold bangles and palettes of makeup lay still on a vanity as a spotlight illuminates the stage. Cupertino High School junior Rishika Santhebennur and senior Vyshnavi Nallandigal have each felt the glow of this stage as they marked the transitions of their classical dance careers with an Arangetram and Rangapravesam, respectively. W h i l e the words Arangetram and R a n gapravesam originate from different languages,

both translate to “ascending the sists of more sculptured poses stage” in Sanskrit. The perfor- and rhythmic gestures. Commances typically last two to four paratively, Kuchipudi originates hours and are accompanied by from the state of Andhra Pradesh a live orchestra. “It doesn’t mark and focuses on expressions the end of your dance career, and acting steps. However, they but the point in both strongly your dance focus on storyjourney where telling through WHEN I’M DANCyou have bedance. ING [...] I DON’T REALLY come inde“ T h e HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT pendent and p r e paration ANYTHING. IT’S JUST mastered that [for an AranME AND MY DANCE dance skill,” getram] realRISHIKA said Nallandily starts like SANTHEBENNUR gal, who had two years beher Rangefore. That’s pravesam in when you start the summer of learning all your 2022. pieces, and we start with learnA n ing our Varnam, which is our A r a n - longest piece — it’s 30 minutes g e t - long. It’s a combination of pure r a m dance and expressive dance, is a so it takes a while to learn,” said Santhebennur. “So, in the beginning, I practiced for nearly Bharatanatyam danc- two hours every day. And then, er’s debut perfor- as it got closer, like the months mance, just as a once summer started, it was Rangepravesam is eight hours a day.” the first solo perAlthough both experienced formance for a Ku- challenges throughout the prochipudi dancer. cess, Nallandigal faced addiBharatanatyam is a tional difficulties as she learned style of Indian clas- the choreography through Zoom sical dance from with her teacher. During her inTamil Nadu and construction, she would learn new

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Rangapravesams “

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er small or big. You need willpower, and it comes from inside. It doesn’t come from other people. [...] Now, I start to take things that I do more seriously. I feel like I start finding meaning in everything I do.” Santhebennur has been dancing for about ten years, and her Arangetram was a momentous milestone in her career. “[The] whole proc e s s

taught me more about who I am as a person, how I learn and how I grow,” said Santhebennur. “I think dance is my true passion in life. That’s the one thing that brings me so much peace and joy. When I’m dancing, it feels like it’s meditation. I don’t really have to worry about anything. It’s just me and my dance”

FEATURES | 23

pieces and perform them at tem- your performance, you ples every weekend for practice. realize it brings you a lot Reflecting on the circumstances, closer together.” Nallandigal shared, “It was realOn the day of the ly stressful because there was performance, the endalways a due date in the back of less hours of practice [my] mind. Can I do more? It’s finally amounted to an only three months. It’s only two expressive and beautimonths away. And managing ful performance. Family that while going through school.” and friends all watched Nallandigal connected with with anticipation as the other dancers at her studio who dancer stepped onto the were also completing their Aran- stage. getrams and Rangapravesams. “In the beginning, She remarked how grateful she obviously, I was very was for the community connec- nervous. This was my tion in which she gained new first time doing friends and formed close bonds. any solo fullSanthebennur shared a simi- length perforlar sentiment near the end of her mance. So it process. was definitely “When you’re training you feel a little detached from YOU NEED WILLeveryone benerve-wrackPOWER AND IT COMES cause you’re ing. But I think FROM INSIDE. IT kind of in your maybe after the DOESN’T COME FROM own bubble. second dance, OTHER PEOPLE You’re not reeven after the VYSHNAVI ally hanging first, you get NALLANDIGAL out with anymore comfortone. You’re able on stage,” not talking to said Santheanyone — you bennur. just dance. Your mind is just Nallandigal remarked on her fixated on dance,” said Santhe- growth from the age of three to bennur. “But at the end of the performing her Rangapravesam. day, once you invite all your fam- “I really learned through dance ily, friends and relatives coming how much determination you from out of the country to see need to complete a task, wheth-

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