W ED N ES DAY, O C TO B ER 26, 2016
Making an imprint: how pets provide emotional support to owners
The Gears and Cogs of CHS
LIFESTYLES page 9
Age discrimination in the Silicon Valley
FEATURES pages 6 and 7
VOLUME 58 NO. 2
Water Polo: Boys and Girls
A love of learning
SPORTS page 11
FLIP SIDE page 12
OPINIONS page 4
The Prospector
CHSPROSPECTOR.COM
Student Newspaper of Cupertino High School
FUHSD student wellness survey XINYI ZHANG lifestyles assistant
In a stressful environment where students take on intense workloads in and out of class, the number of parent, teacher and administrative concerns about the well-being of local high school students has been steadily growing. For FUHSD to gain a better grasp on the issue, a district-wide student wellness survey is conducted online every September with the goal of monitoring the rest and stress levels of returning high school students. The results of Cupertino High School’s most recent survey will be announced in Jan. 2017, along with a proposal of a later start to the school day aimed to provide students with more sleep. In the meantime, CHS’ administrators and teachers have been analyzing the collected data to select viable courses of future action. Specifically, FUHSD’s survey was founded on the prompt: “Students struggle with school-life balance, stress and sleep deprivation.” Survey questions targeted students and their parents, ranging from those about school in general to specific study habits at home. Time dedicated to daily sleep was a major focus, as well as student comfort on and off campus. The staff works with gathered data before the release date. Ted McLeod, a computer science teacher at CHS, says that the analyzing process has been similar every year. Said McLeod, “[We] basically look at a given year’s data and compare the trends to previous years’ data so we can tell if things are improving or going in the wrong direction. Then [we] work together to come up with ideas to address the problems that we see across multiple staff meetings.” According to McLeod, “negative” trends addressed in past CHS surveys include miscommunications between classes and student discomfort in talking to teachers and staff. Said McLeod, “We implemented the classroom schedules that students themselves can edit … and encouraged teachers to build stronger relationships with individual students and talk to students who feel like they are ignored.” However, the late start proposal is not simply a matter of looking at trends. The selected course of action must take into consideration all sides
FUHSD student survey, continued on page 2
Robotics undergoes restructuring
COURTESY OF PRACHIN ANNE
UTKARSH TANDON online assistant
Old systems require significant modifications for the better, and this year, Tino Robotics did just that. For the past eight years, CHS students have participated in an illustrious robotics club. Members are split up into FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) and FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) to complete an annual challenge and collaborate closely with each other to build a robot. They compete against other teams from around the Bay Area in hopes of winning awards to advance to more prestigious competitions. In response to a satisfactory performance last season, Tino Robotics as a whole has gone through significant restructuring and is thus confident about future successes. What sparked reform, however, was a lack of organization and planning. Olivia Qin, a Robotics officer,
CHS teacher honored with STEM teaching award ETHAN QI news editor
MICHELLE MA online assistant CATHERINE SEOK
PHOTO BY CATHERINE SEOK
MARK ST. JOHN | Mr. Mark St. John teaches AP Calculus
BC along with Algebra II/Trig and was recently awarded a Texas Instruments STEM teaching award
10100 FINCH AVENUE, CUPERTINO, CA 95014
On Sept. 29, mathematics teacher Mark St. John was awarded the Texas Instruments STEM teaching award in the Santa Clara County at its 47th Annual Teacher Recognition Celebration. This is the second time Mr. St. John has been awarded by the Santa Clara County Board of Education. The celebration is one of the oldest and largest for teachers in California and offers awards to local teachers. Mr. St. John was one of just six educators in the county being awarded with the Texas Instruments STEM teaching award. Said St. John, “It definitely says that what I’m doing is appreciated, but more important than saying something about me, I think it says something about our school. You need the right environment to be successful — you can’t be successful in STEM unless you have motivated students and a whole school environment that supports studying and success and encourages kids to do well. I don’t see it as necessarily just an individual award.” Over the past 16 years, Mr. St. John has worked to the benefit of over a thousand students who have passed through his classroom. His results show no less, with consistently extraordinarily above-average performance by his students on Advanced Placement exams at the end of the year. Just last year, over 95 percent of his students received fives on the AP Calculus BC exam, one of the highest performances in the country. Said junior Sneha Sridhar, a student of Mr. St. John, “I think that Mr. St. John really cares about his students and he always take the time to explain everything to make sure that they
STEM teaching award, continued on page 3
felt this was due to subpar team bonding and scheduling. Said Qin, “Last season we worked in a mostly disconnected fashion. Members were unaware about how their contributions affected the team as a whole. This year, we have made it a priority to follow a master schedule and keep the entire team informed of future deadlines and how to plan ahead.” Therefore, officers like junior Deeptanshu Sethi took it upon themselves to design a new method of planning for greater success. Said Sethi, “Although it is really important to know what our overall goal is as a team, we designed a backwards planning system that makes us look several weeks before a deadline and maximize our efficiency.” Qin, Sethi and officer and junior Abhinav Ayalur feel positive about the new system and are witnessing its
Robotics restructuring, continued on page 2
New state laws aim to increase diversity in state universities SANTOSH MURALIDARAN features assistant
On Sept. 21, 2016, Calif. governor Jerry Brown signed into law a State Assembly bill that aims to increase the diversity of students attending four-year universities after high school by creating the California College Promise Innovation Grant Program. After multiple amendments, Assembly Bill 1741 was passed by the State Senate on Aug. 17, 2016 before being approved by the governor, enabling the establishment of this $15 million program. This program will fund partnerships between universities and high school districts across the state with the goal of motivating students to achieve more in high school and heightening their college eligibility. The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office will administer the California College Promise Innovation Grant Program, necessitating the distribution of grants to community college districts’ governing boards. The community college districts will then use the money to create partnerships with local high school districts to improve college preparation and access to four-year universities. The law was passed predominantly because many of its supporters believe the partnerships between the high school districts and the colleges in California will be more beneficial to students, given that high school students would have spe-
AB 1741 and SB 412, continued on page 3
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News
The Prospector
The Prospector
S TA F F 2016-2017
Cupertino High School Established 1958 Vol LVIII, No. 2 | 2016 editors-in-chief melissa silva meilinda sun news editor ethan qi opinions editor peter martin features editor aishwarya laddha lifestyles editor allison lo sports editor erin song flipside editor amy zeng copy editors caroline gee sudarshan kannan ethan qi saagar sanghavi photo editors catherine seok jenn zaratan online editors lily rosen marvin josephine robinson
Robotics restructuring FUHSD student survey continued from page 1
presented in the collected data. Yukari Salazar, an assistant principal at CHS, believes that differing circumstances is a major hurdle in the policy’s progression. “In fact, there have been discussions about the subject ever since I started working at [CHS] ... often because of outside factors like sports and clubs … everyone is approaching things differently and that is why we do not see big results yet,” Salazar said. Although extra time to sleep is cherished in the eyes of upperclassmen like senior Rishan Girish, many do not see a practical course of action to implement the policy. “I do not see any major reworks that could be made without conflict. The workloads of the courses that students are taking are rigid, and at the end, the school day has to be the same length.” Girish said. What happens next based on the results is up to the staff and district representatives, but changes will ultimately begin with the student body. Said Salazar, “The surveys started the dialogue between students and staff … but it is up to [the students] to reflect back on their life and make adjustments according to those results.”
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benefits. Said Ayalur, “During our meetings now, we see more productivity. Since everyone is on the same page, it becomes easier to implement our original ideas. We can easily see this sort of technique being implemented in other clubs.” Although it has only been a couple weeks into the season, the revamped Tino Robotics has already experienced success due to their new procedure. From Oct. 7 to 8, the team attended CalGames at Fremont High School and returned victorious. They reached the quarterfinal round and became 5th place alliance captains in
gene kim anshul rajwanshi
opinions assistants
esha radhakrishnan leo rassieur
features assistants
edward hsu santosh muralidaran
lifestyles assistants
nico chilla henry zhang
sports assistants
neerali shah christina shao
flip side assistant
elena chang
online assistants
michelle ma utkarsh tandon
photo crew
justine qiu matthew webb
adviser ann 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 you believe an error has been made or wish to have your opinion expressed in “The Prospector,” please contact us via mail or email. 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. Contact Us The Prospector 10100 Finch Avenue Cupertino, CA 95014 prospector.chs@gmail.com
a competition with schools from across the Bay Area. As much as Robotics is about building the best robot and winning various awards at competitions, it is also heavily focused on giving members the most valuable experiences for their futures, which is why the team continues to follow their motto “Building people, building robots” — a phrase coined by their mentor and CHS teacher Mr. Charles Williams. Said Sethi, “Our new system forces us to interact with members in a more involved manner, leading us to build better communication skills and overall become more prepared for our future.”
NEWS BRIEFS
There has been a surge in reports of creepy clown sightings. For many, the issue has become worrisome as the clowns start to perform increasingly dangerous pranks that endanger lives and breed concern in communities. There have been countless reports of clown sightings across the entire nation; however, they are mostly concentrated on the East Coast and to a lesser extent in the Northwest.
Hurricane Matthew, an alarming and destructive hurricane that struck just off the coast of the Atlantic, affected parts of the Caribbean, Haiti, Cuba, the Bahamas as well as southeastern parts of the United States, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. It is estimated that over 1 million structures were wrecked and resulted in nearly 1 billion dollars in destruction. COMPILED BY AMY ZENG
Hills at Vallco Innovation Center CHRISTINA SHAO sports assistant
business manager amy zeng news assistants
October 26, 2016
JENNIFER ZARATAN
Since the 1960s, the Vallco Shopping Mall has been a vital part of Cupertino’s culture. Recently, the Sand Hill Property Company has made plans to rebuild the shopping mall and transform it into the “Hills at Vallco” by constructing two million square feet of office space, 800 apartment units and retail stores. It has also agreed to build an “Innovation Center,” which was originally proposed by the FUHSD. “[The Innovation Center] will be given to [FUHSD] on a charitable lease for 34 years … [Sand Hill’s] job is to deliver a space that students can use as a laboratory, as a venue for robotics competitions and [as a space] to build,” Sand Hill Managing Director Reed Moulds said. Despite the promise of an Innovation Center, Cupertino residents are questioning whether or not it will actually be built in the end. “Main Street is a prime example of the final project bearing little relation to what was originally promised. The senior housing was removed. The health club was not built. There is no supermarket. Main Street’s developer is the same developer as [the Hills at Vallco’s],” city council member candidate Steven Scharf, a resident of Cupertino for 17 years and a “sensible growth” advocate, said. Proposed the FUHSD, “We envision a 10,000 square foot space, bathed in natural light with moveable walls, a second level viewing deck or promenade and areas dedicated for wet lab equipment, building large-scale projects, conferencing and teaching, viewing productions and storing a variety of technologies to support student invention and learning.” Although the proposal itself seems beneficial, residents are concerned that the two million square feet of office space will bring negative impacts. “The Vallco initiative allows heights of 144 feet. This is way too high for a suburb like Cupertino … The Innovation Center is a thinly veiled attempt to get residents to [support The Hills at Vallco] … The community benefits that are proposed are of little value compared to the negative impact that the development will have on Cupertino,” Scharf said. “The residential area they are going to build is going to make Cupertino High School even more crowded … The two million square feet of office space will only make [traffic] worse,” CHS parent Qin Pan said. Residents are concerned that commuters to the offices at both Vallco and Apple will interfere with parents driving their children to school. “Growing up, one of the big factors that caused people to come [to Cupertino] was the lower stories. Being able to see the mountains when you are driving on Stevens Creek or just being able to see the skyline, that was a big deal for me. Having the super tall buildings would really hurt,” junior Emily Lou said. The Innovation Center is another contentious battleground in the broader debate about commercial development in Cupertino and its impacts on students.
Dear Editor, The opinions expressed herein are not representative of ASB as a whole, but they do represent the opinions of two members of ASB Exec who care very deeply about our school. We first would like to thank the Prospector and Anshul for their article on freshmen elections. Despite our differences in opinion, which we shall hereafter articulate, we are pleased to see interest in improving student government at CHS. We too share these sentiments, and have of recent been working to improve the critiqued election process. We will begin by evaluating the arguments made in the September Issue article “Class Council Elections: Declining Voter Turnout.” To begin, we believe that the title itself is somewhat misleading; the author essentially attempts to compare apples to oranges. In years prior, freshmen elections have followed a mandatory voting system, but this year we have made the switch to a ”go out and vote” system. The mandatory system presented a variety of issues, mainly that most voters made very uninformed, spur of the moment choices, rather than voting based on real campaign issues. Needless to say, the transition from a mandatory to an optional voting system will inevitably result in a “decline” in voter participation. That, however, is not to suggest that voter participation is poor. In comparison to the usual council and ASB elections, a 60% turnout is actually a record high, indicative of a positive trend of voter engagement. The author’s other criticisms focus mainly on the lack of realistic policy proposals from freshmen candidates. Though we agree with the sentiment here, it’s important for the author to put his demands into perspective. While it would be fantastic for freshmen to already have specific, feasible changes to campaign upon, they are only Pioneers for two short weeks prior to elections. Even when it comes to upperclassmen, expecting candidates to hold well-articulated positions is not the responsibility of ASB, but rather of the students should they feel so strongly. However, ASB has done our best to foster that kind of constructive campaigning. This year we eliminated mandatory videos, which in years prior largely misled voters by placing importance on editing and gimmicks. ASB puts time and effort into preparing the voting booths and ballots, a process that is typically not seen by the average observer. In many ways, we agree that voting and campaigning needs major reform, but the article glosses over the fact that ASB has been and is moving towards these changes including online voting, changed campaign periods, and a possible candidates forum for Exec elections. Fundamentally, ASB is not the Federal government, the State government, or even city council. It is a group of high school students and budding leaders doing our best to serve our school’s community. The author of the article was correct in pointing out the flaws in the system. We merely hope the school body recognizes the effort being made to steer our elections in a positive direction, and hope they will work with us to make our school even stronger. Sincerely, Alex Young, ASB Vice-President Shankara Srikantan, ASB Treasurer
October 26, 2016
STEM teaching award continued from page 1
are not really stressed out.” On preparing his students, Mr. St. John commented, “Students are doing a lot more hands on work so that when I present a concept, I try to make sure students are using the concept and not just taking notes but I’m posing a problem where they can actually use that concept. I’ve also tried, over the years, to pose questions that are slightly different than the routine so that kids have to think slightly differently about the problem than might be posed in the textbook.” Mr. St. John’s hard work and dedication benefit not only his students, but also the math department at CHS. Said Stella Demetriou, a current AP Calculus BC teacher, “I want to be as inspiring for my students [as Mr. St. John is], and I want to give them the same hard questions for them to think about and work on and get excited about math. He has been a great resource to all of us here, the math teachers, and the students. His door is always open, literally. We usually say if Mr. St. John does not know the answer to a question, then there is no answer to the question.” Apart from inspiring students inside the classroom, Mr. St. John is the advisor for Cupertino High School’s award-winning Future Business Leaders of America club. Several times a year, he attends meetings and conferences with students in the club. Said senior Sanika Mahajan, “Mr. St. John has really been there as FBLA advisor. I’m on the state team and I have to go to a lot of meetings and there’s often a lot of travel. He’s always willing; he’s never once complained about it. Sometimes the meetings are hours at a time, but he’s always been there for all of them.”
Best Buddies Club designs mural NEERALI SHAH sports assistant
The Best Buddies Club is one that aims to forge great friendships. In this club, members are partnered up with other students with special needs. The goal of this club is to build bonds and bridges among high school students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and with those in general education. Often they hold social events, such as the annual Thanksgiving potluck, and the students meet with their buddies one-on-one every week during lunch. Said junior Noa Nevo, an officer in the club, “Because it is all about making the relationship very natural, we do things that you would do with your friends. We do not do things like coloring or stickers because we are in high school and we want to make [our friendships] as realistic as possible.” Co-advisor Rachel Zeim, who studied at the University of Colorado and received a degree in psychology, had studied art for a few years in hopes of becoming an art teacher before changing her career path. Zeim began working with kids and decided to go back to school to get her education specialist credential for students with moderate to severe disabilities. In order to complete her credential, she has to conduct research as her master’s project. Best Buddies adopted her master’s project as their first semester project this year. The club plans on making a mural and getting involvement from all the members. Zeim decided to have a mural as her master’s project because she believes that art has an impactful effect on students. Said Zeim, “Art is very abstract in a lot of ways, but also is structured. It helps the kids express themselves in a way words cannot because they think in a linear and more concrete way.” Zeim considers art to have a therapeutic effect on people. Once people are engaged, art can allow people to build connections with each other in a safe community. This has been tested through play-based therapy, which is when younger children with intellectual disabilities work with people who are in general education. While there has been a lot of research that shows its effects on younger students, there is little research done with older children. Although play-based therapy differs from the creation of the mural, Zeim decided to conduct an experiment where high school students use play-based therapy techniques in the process of making the mural. The mural has not only been useful for research but also correlates with Cupertino High School’s belief that school learning environments should be safe and inclusive. Said Zeim, “The conversation [to begin making the mural] with Mrs. Tomberlain was really quick because the administration really pushes the idea of inclusion within students.” The club began brainstorming ideas that are important to them. They will then create a meaningful message that they want to send to the community through the artwork of the mural. The mural is not only an impactful research project, but also an incredible opportunity for all students to embrace inclusion and friendship in our school community.
The Prospector
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AB 1741 and SB 412 continued from page 1
cialists from different colleges to help them. Additionally, it will increase the number of students who graduate on time, help community college students transfer to four-year universities and provide financial aid to students who need it for college purposes. Primarily because of its aim to improve high school education and increase access to education, there is little opposition to this law. When voted on in the Senate and State Assembly, all senators and representatives voted for the bill, resulting in its passage. At Cupertino High School, because of its location in an affluent community and high-quality education, most students at CHS often go on to graduate high school on time and attend four-year universities or high-ranked community colleges around the nation. Said Cupertino High School’s College and Career specialist Jessica Yazdani, “The biggest struggle students face here at Cupertino is narrowing down their college lists. A lot of students have 20-30 schools that they want to apply to, and it is difficult for them to decide what school they should ultimately go to.” However, when Ms. Yazdani previously worked in southern California, she noticed the disparity between the number of students who had a plan after high school compared to the number of students here. “I just let students
know that if they go to college straight after high school, it increases their chances of doing well and sticking with it as opposed to taking time off,” Yazdani said. “I let them know the importance of education and what it can do for their future.” This program aims to do the same — allow students to acknowledge the benefits of working hard in high school and move on to pursue a field of interest at a four-year university. Said Jasmine Till, current senior at Cupertino High School, “A lot of colleges that I am applying to actually have admissions officers come to our school, so I can ask them a lot of questions.” When the California College Promise Innovation Grant Program begins funding partnerships between high school districts and public universities across the state, such measures will be reached. Said Belinda Olson, a guidance counselor at Cupertino High School, “I think there are a lot of pros [to our education. However], sometimes realizing that we cannot do it all and we cannot expect our students to do it all is a really important message so they can find who they really are and grow into what they want to become.” The California College Promise Innovation Grant Program recognizes this concern, aiming to help students of all backgrounds and interests to succeed in high school and college.
4 ALLISON LO
Opinions
October 26, 2016
OBSOLETE: age discrimination in the Silicon Valley
lifestyles editor
Despite the abundant employment opportunities in Silicon Valley, job seekers are finding the search for employment increasingly difficult as they age. Even when equipped with decades more experience, veterans of the industry must compete with recent college graduates and often face discrimination for their age. In 1967, Congress passed the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, which prohibits discrimination against people over the age of 40 in hiring, promoting and any other aspects of employment. However, while ageism in the workplace has been illegal for decades, it is as prevalent as ever. According to a Payscale study in 2014, the median ages of employees at Silicon Valley’s top tech companies were all below 40 — Google, Apple and Amazon, in particular, had employees with an average age of 31. While nearly all industries experience similar declines in employment
in older age groups, the effects of ageism are especially pronounced in the tech industry: few people on the older end of the spectrum are being hired, and many who are employed are losing their jobs when they reach a certain age. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has also documented a sharp decrease in the employment rate of engineers as they age, compared to workers in other industries. This disparity is especially conspicuous for engineers who are aged 45 and above — and some of these technologists, software engineers and programmers are our parents. In a place where entrepreneurs like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Tumblr founder David Karp become millionaires before their 30th birthdays, age carries the stigma that older workers are not as capable as their younger counterparts. Silicon Valley heavily favors young engineers, casting aside older workers as if they are expendable. Even workers who are only middle-aged are viewed as out-of-touch and unable to keep up with changes in the industry. The belief that one must be young in order to be successful, forward-thinking and innovative is
Age discrimination in the Silicon Valley, continued on page 5
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS STIFLE CREATIVITY CAROLINE GEE copy editor LEO RASSIEUR opinions assistant
Many students at Cupertino High School pride themselves on their outstanding academic achievement and contributions to the world around them. This reputation of Silicon Valley students is prevalent across the nation, so it is surprising to find some seniors at this school cramming classes like PE Total Fitness, Art I or Spanish I into their already hectic schedules. One would likely find that these students are taking such classes not because they are passionate about them, but rather because they are requisites for graduation. While valuable in certain ways, these courses may not be nearly as useful or engaging when forced upon the student body. Graduation class requirements ultimately fail to facilitate a healthy diversity of academic interests. Instead, they force students to conform to unproductive expectations which detract from their own goals in learning. Many class requirements force students to take classes which do not interest them, wasting valuable time which could otherwise be spent in more personally rewarding classes. To graduate, students at CHS must complete one year in two of the three “selective electives,” which consist of world languages, fine arts and applied arts. However, this standard forces students to take these classes simply because they must, rather than because they are interested. These students often fail to take the class seriously and instead see the class as a filler in their schedule. It is naive to imagine that someone who is forced to take a course in music theory will benefit from it as much as someone who is actually interested in music. Moreover, stuffing a class full of apathetic students makes the experience worse for those who are actually interested in learning the subject. PE requirements can also be a frustrating roadblock. All students at CHS are required to complete two years of PE; however, students can also earn their credits through school sports after their freshman year. Since freshmen cannot earn PE credits through school sports, this rule can compel those who do not join sports teams to sacrifice more challenging classes for PE later in high school.
The extra elective credits that freshmen earn through school sports are poor consolation; they still have to complete two of the three selective electives to graduate, rendering the elective credits practically meaningless. Furthermore, mandating PE classes is not making large gains in improving student health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 95 percent of high schools in America have a PE requirement for graduation, but teen obesity has still risen from five to twenty percent between 1980 and 2014. Additionally, the lack of freshmen sports credits dissuades athleticism altogether. Parents and teachers often reason that strict elective guidelines force students to challenge themselves. Elective classes are intended to cultivate students’ creativity and individuality; however, mandatory classes defeat this purpose, forcing students to conform to obsolete standards. Simply put, these requirements neglect to address the issue of students taking a compulsory foreign language or art class, only to forget all that they have learned a year later. Schools cannot force students to be passionate about these fields, and should instead focus their resources on attending to students’ genuine interests. In a perfect world we could all develop an artistic eye, learn an instrument, become fluent in a foreign language and maintain physical fitness throughout high school and beyond. Unfortunately, people cannot be expected to accommodate these ideals when choosing their schedules — and given the competitive nature of Silicon Valley schools, imposing such harmful standards is the last thing students need. Graduation requirements must reflect freedom of choice in course selection and foster students of diverse interests. Students are all incredibly unique and aspire to achieve different goals in the future. Applying the same cookie-cutter education to everyone crushes this creativity and is why we often hear students complaining about classes they are being forced to take. The solution is to do away with these requirements and replace them with ones that are far more flexible. Freshmen should not have to face arbitrary limitations on sports credits. Likewise, students should be able to earn selective elective credits through fine arts, applied arts or foreign languages — but not have to feel restricted by these options. In a world of increasing individuality and specialization, it is time to finally move on from the graduation requisites that far more students dread than enjoy.
Political CAMPAIGNs TAKE ADVANTAGE OF STUDENT Interns ANSHUL RAJWANSHI news assistant
SAAGAR SANGHAVI copy editor
As election day draws nearer, more students than ever before are excited to be involved in the political process. Many high school seniors who are already 18 years of age are ready to have their voices heard as voters, and some younger students have stepped out of their comfort zones to take active roles as political interns. Candidates for local and state elections frequently look to high schools to recruit interns, and many students see these internships as great opportunities to become involved in civics and gain experience in speaking and persuasion. However, campaign internships often turn into ways for candidates to exploit free labor, use a letter of recommendation as leverage and are characterized by a lack of transparency, ultimately making them unethical in nature. Though these internships may seem like incredible opportunities, campaigns often end up taking advantage of high school students for grunt work. Students who serve as active campaigners usually learn very little about politics. Most campaign interns participate in door-to-door canvassing or phone banking and are restricted to following a prewritten script that discusses the stump points of their candidate. There is little room to go off script or develop a meaningful conversation, thus devaluing the experience for most interns. Additionally, most candidates are not personally accessible to their interns, and many interns support their candidate with little actual understanding of their policies. Moreover, many students join political campaigns solely to earn a letter of recommendation or to improve their resumes. Candidates and campaign managers often use this as leverage to gather support and proceed to assign busywork to student interns. The purpose of a letter of recommendation is to allow someone who knows a student well to evaluate his or her performance and talk about their personal interactions with the student. However, while a letter from a potential member of Congress may contain a signature and seal that seem to look nice on college applications, it is far
from personal and offers almost no insight on who the student is — most of the time, the candidates have no interactions with their interns whatsoever. In addition, campaign internships fail to generate legitimate support by mobilizing non-voters. Most high school students are unable to vote in the elections that they work for, making the system a poor campaign strategy by diverting resources to non-voters. Instead, campaigns should energize adult voters who can claim accountability when speaking to potential voters. Campaigns that rely on non-voters to champion their message ruin their reputation. While there are exceptions, adults tend to be more politically intelligent since more policy actions directly affect adults as compared to students. This allows adult campaigners to empathize more with potential voters and explain issues with clarity. While no one expects an intern in any field to know everything about the organization they work for, political campaigns are especially notorious for their lack of transparency. Interns usually know little about where a candidate stands on the many issues of a campaign, making it difficult to accurately articulate the position of the candidate. Campaigns rarely tell the full story of any situation. While this is inevitable to some degree, it is highly unethical for campaigns to mislead students. Students often develop their political viewpoints through these internships. Feeding them inaccurate or incomplete information, therefore, is unacceptable. That being said, not all high school campaigning internships have to be unethical. When implemented correctly, campaigning does indeed provide incredible opportunities for high school students to be active in the community and gain valuable experience. Campaigns should push for more transparency among high school volunteers, and candidates should be more accessible to their interns. Additionally, campaigns should recruit student volunteers who are genuinely interested in the candidate and their platform, rather than people who only want to boost their college resumes. Finally, campaigns should focus on developing their student interns and giving them meaningful experiences instead of taking advantage of them for free labor. Student interns should supplement the campaign but not become the basis of it. Ultimately, campaigns do have the potential to be great ways for high school students to gain experience; however, this can only be achieved if they offer students the ability to take part in political analysis instead of grunt work.
Age discrimination in the Silicon Valley continued from page 4
a harmful mentality that is deeply embedded in Silicon Valley’s culture, which wrongly assumes that older employees are inferior. Instead of promoting ageist behavior, tech companies should be making an effort to end age discrimination towards older workers. Tech companies are placing too much emphasis on workers’ ages and not enough emphasis on actual performance. Many companies prioritize speed over skills and appearance over experience, selecting young hirees under the flawed assumption that younger employees work faster and better. Whether these companies are trying to improve their public image or build a more efficient workforce, such actions have consequences that hurt the companies themselves in the long run. Frequently laying off and hiring workers reflect poorly on companies, whose prospective employees may be deterred due to a lack of job security. By selecting younger employees and often ignoring the talents and skills of older engineers, tech companies are also significantly narrowing their own hiring pools and weeding out many potentially valuable employees. Admittedly, working in an industry as demanding as high tech can become more difficult with age. The rapidly changing industry puts younger generations at an advantage, as seasoned workers must compete with new engineers who have more updated knowledge from new training and education. Tech-related jobs also require much time, energy and focus, which creates
NICO CHILLA
Opinions
The Prospector
October 26, 2016
conflicts as people begin settling down and devoting more time to their families and home life. Still, there is no denying that ageism creates an unhealthy environment for employees in the tech industry. The shelf life of workers can be as short as 20 years, but finding a job in the industry can become nearly impossible once engineers are out of their “prime time.” This means that newly graduated students may only be able to work in tech for a short 20 years before they are replaced by younger employees. The ageist mentality of Silicon Valley is beginning to affect younger workers, too — even people who are not yet in their forties are worrying that may not hold a job for long. Employers in the tech industry cannot continue to hire people based on trivial performance indicators such as age. It is not uncommon to hear interview questions like, “How is your health?” or “Are you married?” — subtle indicators of age — and it is time for the tech industry to change its mindset. Instead, employers need to be asking, “What are your skills? What contributions can you make to improve our company?” Silicon Valley is aiming to be increasingly diverse and inclusive. Technologists often participate in organizations and campaigns to fight for diversity regarding race and gender. However, one critical component of diversity that is still overlooked today lies within the age groups of the tech industry workforce. Silicon Valley can strive for changes in the tech industry like gender equality and cultural sensitivity, but it must also include people of different age groups in order to call itself truly diverse.
TUBE:
lifestyles assistant
September has been a heated month for the YouTube creator community, which was up in arms about recent changes to the site. In reality, the changes were minor: YouTube now notifies creators by displaying a small icon next to videos when advertising is removed. This is an improvement, since YouTubers take a large cut of ad revenue and deserve to know when this happens. However, this increase in transparency has caused outrage as creators discover that many of their videos have been unjustly demonetized (advertising removed). Although YouTube’s advertiser-friendly guidelines — policies that restrict ad placement on controversial or vulgar content — have been in place for years, their viability is now brought into question. “Taking away the ability to monetize videos where you’re saying things [YouTube] doesn’t deem okay [has] been described as censorship with a different name. If you do this on the regular and you have no advertising, [it is] not sustainable,” YouTuber Philip DeFranco said in response to the demonetization of some of his videos.
Taking away the ability to monetize videos where you’re saying things [YouTube] doesn’t deem okay [has] been described as censorship with a different name. - YouTube Content Creator, Philip DeFranco YouTube has declined to respond to the serious concerns of creators, continuing a trend of poor communication with users that has existed for years. The company maintains a fragile balance between the demands of advertisers, consumers and creators that has been enormously successful in the past. These circumstances have allowed for the development of unique industries that would never exist on television, such as gaming commentary and vlogging. However, the company threatens to tip the scales too far in favor of advertisers, which would be detrimental to the site in the long term. If YouTube’s vibrant community and unique features are to survive against competition from companies such as Twitch, Vimeo and Facebook, it needs to show support for the creators it hosts. The motivation behind YouTube’s behavior is easy to see; it is receiving complaints from advertisers that are wary of being associated with controversy. At the same time, the site is reluctant to budge from the full content experience that it has provided to viewers thus far. The result is inconsistent enforcement of the policy to stretch rules and accommodate specific situations. This strategy is ineffective in a website so vast that an algorithm controls whether content is profitable or not. The algorithm often miscategorizes videos as innappropiate based on tags and titles; these videos are immediately demonetized without human verification. Although DeFranco’s ads are often reinstated after sending a claim that the demonetization on a video was false, he loses the majority of his revenue since the first few hours of uptime have the most viewer traffic. In the first place, the primary advantage YouTube holds over mainstream television is its lack of an obligation to reach a general audience. Consumers have the ability to tailor their viewing experience to specific interests. With so many diverse genres, the company has access to a broader audience than any TV network. However, the company owes this edge to their community of vloggers, gamers, comedians, teachers, producers and countless other creators. When YouTube discourages controversy under the threat of demonetization, it closes its doors on a large portion of users that are searching for a place to share unique videos. This only brings the site’s content closer to the clean, marketable television of cable networks. Thus, in the long term YouTube will lose money as its audience and user base narrows down. In reality, the advertiser-friendly guidelines exist to make the site seem like a worthwhile investment in marketing. On the management side, YouTube rarely enforces the policy strictly. This leaves users on uncertain ground when making videos. The site has created a platform that sustains careers and entire businesses; accordingly, YouTube should clearly define and enforce rules for creators. The company should establish a relationship in which it works with YouTubers to facilitate their needs. YouTube is left with a seemingly unsolvable dilemma: it has to satisfy both advertiser and consumer demands without the two coming into conflict with each other. In approaching this, it is first necessary to investigate the viability of marketing concerns. The concept of associating advertise-
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ad monetization standards hurt content creators
ments with accompanying video is an outdated one; the very presence of YouTube as a third party prevents the consumer from making a subconscious connection between ads and content. It is also important to consider the fact that viewers have complete choice over what they watch, meaning that it is unlikely that they would watch videos to which they strongly object. With this taken into account, YouTube simply needs to embrace its community. While it may seem counterintuitive for YouTube to argue against the interests of their direct sources of revenue, doing so is the only way for the company to move forward. By advocating the viability of diverse audiences and demographic targeting, the company could expand the way marketing functions. The priority now is to overhaul the advertiser-friendly guidelines to support the “laissez-faire” ideology that the platform should facilitate. YouTube has the opportunity to revolutionize entertainment, but only if it rejects the norms of the industry.
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6
Features
Gears and Cogs
The
October 26, 2016
IN THE BACKROOM
WHAT'S COOKIN'
of cupertino high school BEHIND THE FRONT DESK
AFTER HOURS
October 26, 2016
The Prospector
PETER MARTIN opinions editor
Roger Swendig works in the Copy Center and described his job while running papers through a large blue machine. Said Swendig, “My job is to support the teachers so they don’t have to be in here, making their own copies. They can ask me instead. I run the copy center, which includes laminating, copying and prepress. I make teaching materials for them.” Swendig has responsibilities beyond the Copy Center as well. “The printers at the school are my responsibility. I return service calls and check [the printers] out, but I’m mostly responsible for this room and the supplies for the teachers. I have the pencils, the pens, the paper clips.” Swendig said. Before working for the Fremont Union High School District, Swendig worked for Kodak as a printer copier technician and later started his own business. Said Swendig, “I have worked here for about eight years. I used to have my own copy shop so this is nothing unfamiliar to me. I repaired copiers, I repaired Kodak’s for a long time and I still repair a couple of Xerox’s out there.” Swendig does not just work at CHS; his job takes him to multiple campuses in the district. “I am at Cupertino High School for four hours in the morning and [I am] at
JENN ZARATAN photo editor
JENN ZARATAN
The cafeteria has always been host to a sort of disordered frenzy, as students push and shove to get the one thing they seem to care about more than academics — food. Working quickly and patiently in the center of it all stands the cafeteria staff. Seven people make up the main team, with five food service assistants, one cook, and one manager. Food service manager, Chean Hoang and head cook, Alex Rivera are some of the very first people on campus in the morning. Arriving sometimes earlier than 6am, Hoang orders the food products for the day while Rivera starts to set up all the equipment. Even with their early start, part of their preparation has to be done the after to have food ready for brunch. Said Hoang, “Our normal day is extremely busy, and very hectic. Everything needs to get prepared for brunch, and then as soon as we finish, we get ready for lunch, and then after that, we get ready for the next day.” The first thing Rivera pulls out is the cookie dough; he bakes seven to eight sheet pans every morning, and then works until 1:45 to cook every other menu item. Up until two years ago when he came to the school, he worked in the healthcare industry for 25 years. In addition to preparing all the food, Rivera oversees each work station and guides the student helpers. “Every day is different. We go through a lot of challenges, but if you like what
GENE KIM news assistant
JENN ZARATAN
Although mainly visited for late passes and transcripts, the office staff is responsible for more than just keeping records of student attendance and academic performance. Other larger responsibilities — such as enrolling new students, finding substitutes for absent teachers, and typing the daily announcements — are often overlooked. Judy Lim, Custodian of Records or Registrar, manages a variety of issues concerning student information. The Registrar receives students’ final grades and enters them into the official transcripts, being sure to fix errors and input last-minute changes by the teachers. The Registrar is also responsible for keeping an accurate student profile, which contains important information about the individual since their earliest years of school; this data is requested by colleges when students graduate high school. Additionally, the Registrar manages all legal documents and transcripts for new students and incoming freshmen. Corie Walker, the Senior Clerical Assistant, is responsible for a variety of teacher-related concerns. The Clerical Assistant helps to find substitutes for absent teachers. If a contracted substitute does not sign up or if a sudden absence is noted, an email is sent to all teachers with an open period requesting assistance for the appropriate times. The Clerical Assistant is also responsible for keeping a record of
CATHERINE SEOK photo editor
JENN ZARATAN
From 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., the custodians of Cupertino High School work to keep our campus clean. Though many are not aware, the entire team of nine custodians work together not just to clean Cupertino’s campus, but to make it better than how it was when they began the workday. The jobs of the custodians are more than just picking up trash; they work in every setting to make our school better for both students and staff, from sweeping floors in classrooms to maintaining the gardens and field. Leonard Perry, manager of the team, is responsible for ensuring that the campus is running smoothly. Said Perry, “I have to balance [keeping] both students and staff safe and happy. I make sure [everyone] has their needs [fulfilled] throughout the day.” Josh Kiernan keeps watch over the swimming pool and upper and lower fields, working the morning shift from 5:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. “I start by opening the gates, and then I check the pool, field, and garbage cans. My work depends on the day; I don’t have a specific schedule.”
Features
7
Fremont High School for four hours in the afternoon,” Swendig said. “The room’s a little smaller over there. It’s a little nicer over here as far as size of the room, but the equipment is the same and the requests are the same.” “This,” Swendig said as he pulled a long roll of plastic covered paper from behind the machine, “is laminating. I’ve been doing it for the past half an hour.” The row of laminated papers is already several feet long, but Swendig is not done yet. “Nothing is hard, but it can be very repetitive. I’ve still got this stack to do,” Swendig said as he pointed to a large pile of papers next to the machine. “So the repetitiveness gets boring once in awhile, but there’s a lot of different things I do.” When the teachers need something copied, printed, or made, they turn in a form to the Copy Center with the specifics of their requests. “Then what I do is when I’m done with it is I put it over there,” Swendig said, and gestured to a long table covered in two-foot stacks of papers. “Those are just from today.” One of the things Swendig enjoys most about his job is helping the teachers. “I do help them in any way I can, and it’s nice coming to work because I feel very appreciated. The teachers make it clear that they appreciate what I do. I got the Cupertino High School ‘Employee of the Year’ a couple of years ago,” said Swendig. “This is right up my alley and I enjoy doing it. It’s something I can do pretty well, and it does really feel like it’s helping the teachers.”
you do, everything is well. It doesn’t matter how bad the day is, it’s just about the kids, so I try to put a good attitude out,” Rivera said. “Sometimes the food isn’t delivered, or the ovens aren’t working properly, but I have to figure something out. The bottom line is whatever it takes, we’re going to do so [the students] have food no matter what.” Hoang has been at Cupertino since 1993. She arranges for the food to be delivered, communicates with the other schools in the district, and manages the staff throughout the day. Any new dishes that pop up in the cafeteria can be traced back to her; all six cafeteria managers and the director from the district work together to keep the menu fresh and catered to student preferences. “We pick what we like, what the kids like, and what the majority of people will eat. We also go by season, and it depends on the weather. For example, certain days it might be really hot and you want cold food, and when it’s hot, you want cold food. Other times we have certain ingredients that we need to use, so my cook comes up with something [the students] have never had before,” said Hoang. Rivera and the student helpers often discuss suggestions and new ideas for the menu as well. Along with providing their valuable perspective for the menu, student helpers play a vital part in helping the lunch rush go smoothly. “My job is just to help out wherever there’s work to be done. I stack plates, organize the food, and small jobs like that,” said freshman Dexter Zhang. “[The rest of the staff] are all really nice people, and they help me when I need something, or have a question.” teacher work hours at the end of each month, which is converted to a paycheck. The announcements are also typed and edited by the Clerical Assistant, who receives student-written announcement requests. The completed file is sent to the teachers at the end of each day, posted on the school website and is read each morning during third period. Christina Orozco is the Attendance Account Technician who is primarily responsible for student attendance. Teachers input absences and tardies on Infinite Campus. If a teacher is absent, however, the substitute will receive a paper copy of the attendance sheet, which is manually recorded by the Account Technician. A printed attendance sheet is required for every class period for every substitute teacher, which can accumulate to a large workload at times. In addition, the Account Technician manages all absences reported outside of the school schedule. Around fifty voicemails regarding student absences are reviewed each morning, and changes to attendance are made accordingly. If a student is continually absent or late, the Attendance Account Technician notifies other staff members to help with truancy letters and Saturday School assignments. Although not immediately visible, the office staff play a vital role to support CHS. The staff addresses most of the logistical and legal issues concerning both students and teachers. They help maintain a stable school environment. Without their efforts, the simplest tasks such as recording attendance would be inefficient at the very least.
Francisco Zepeda, on the other hand, begins work at 3:00 p.m. and ends at 11:30 p.m. He empties the garbage, cleans the whiteboards, vacuums the carpets, and mops the floors. Said Zepeda, “Each person is in charge of different area of the school. I’m in charge of 300s and 600s [wings], the boy’s locker room, and the weight room.” Though the morning and evening teams work at different times and have different responsibilities, they both enjoy their jobs. Said Kiernan, “I’ve been working here for about four and a half years, and even though it’s work, there isn’t much to dislike. [My co-workers] here are great, everyone gets along. It’s just a really great team. Some of [my co-workers] have been working here or with the district for over twenty years, and that shows that Cupertino’s a pretty nice place to work.” Zepeda, too, has many positive comments about the job. “I like working here because I like the school, the students, and the teachers. Everyone is friendly [to each other],” Zepeda said. Said junior Kayan Jan, “I feel like the custodians are the nicest people I’ve ever met. When [the class councils] prepare for rallies, they always came in and helped us clean up, even when we told them that we can clean it up. They insisted on helping, even though we were always there pretty late.” Although the custodians of Cupertino High School often work behind the scenes, they are undoubtedly a crucial part of our school.
8
Lifestyles
social media side effects
JOSEPHINE ROBINSON online editor
Social media is useful for many reasons; it allows friends and family to connect with one another and is a medium where people can share their pictures and videos. However, there are also many harmful effects of using social media. For example, social media inevitably leads to the unhealthy comparison between peers, which gives rise to feelings of insecurity. These effects are most detrimental to teens because they are still mentally and physically developing. They are also the largest of any age group to use social media –– according to Common Sense Media, over 75 percent of teenagers in the U.S. are active on social media. One of the biggest struggles that teens face while using social media is staying up late and losing hours of sleep. The loss of sleep can elevate the stress that students may already have from their classes and extracurricular activities. It can also decrease focus and lead to acne. In a survey taken by The Prospector of 181 local students, 66.9 percent reported that they lose sleep because they often stay up to use social media. The survey also found that 52.5 percent teens spend more than one and a half hours on social media on an average school night. Independent researchers have verified that social media can be addicting. Another issue with social media is cyberbullying, most of which takes place on sites like Facebook. In the U.S., one in every three teens has experienced cyberbullying, and 95 percent of teens have witnessed it. According to The Prospector’s survey, 61.3 percent of students have witnessed cyberbullying, and 26.5 percent
OF A POLL CONDUCTED . . .
25.4%
40.9%
say social media negatively impacts emotional well-being
say social media positively impacts emotional well-being
of teens reported to have experienced some type of cyberbullying. Some students also stated that they had been told by their peers that their grades are a measure of their worth through social media, which adversely impacts their self-esteem. Social media can damage teens’ confidence; 25.4 percent of students claim that social media negatively impacts their emotional well-being. Many mentioned that social media sites like Facebook led to them to inevitably compare themselves to other people. This mentality has adverse effects on their emotional and mental health. Said senior Olivia Shearin, “It is hard to interpret what someone says online. I cannot tell if they are mad at me or if they are joking, so I feel like it has taken a negative toll on some of my relationships. Also, I feel like when you post a photo on social media, you are constantly looking for validation, so if you don’t receive it might lead to negative impacts on your self-esteem.” However, 40.9 percent of students in the survey reported that social media positively affects them. Several students wrote that social media allows them to connect with people they might not otherwise talk to. Said senior Roei Cohen, “As long as you can monitor the time you [spend on] social media and not get distracted, I would say that the benefits are that if you need help on homework or projects, you can get help quickly and easily.” There are both advantages and drawbacks of social media for teens. While it is a fast and efficient way to connect with friends, it can also damage teens’ self-esteem. Social media affects everyone differently, and ultimately it is up to each person individually to decide how long they should stay online.
Upcycling 101
October 26, 2016
ONLINE SHOPPING HACKS MEILINDA SUN editor-in-chief
Most clothing websites such as Forever21 and H&M offer consumers thousands of choices, which can be overwhelming. Fortunately, most clothing websites allow clients to sort items by price. Using this feature, I can set a limit or the highest price I am willing to pay for an article of clothing — $17 tops for a casual dress, for instance — and search wisely rather than blindly fumbling through an endless inventory.
Prepare your shopping cart on the eve of Cyber Monday and click “purchase” at midnight –– don’t shop when the servers are overloaded. Clothing websites — especially fast fashion retailers that must process an especially large volume of data on Cyber Monday — will load slowly, creating a frustrating experience for all shoppers. Stores like Forever21 enable consumers to do just that, giving subscribers coupon codes several days before Cyber Monday. Therefore, it is far more efficient to click “purchase” immediately after the sale kicks in.
SORT ITEMS
PLAN AHEAD
change sections
SUBSCRIBE
A study released by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs reported that on average, women’s products cost 7% more than men’s and that women’s jeans cost 10% more than men’s. Many items of clothing need not be bought from the women’s section. Consumers can buy almost identical apparel in the the men’s and children’s departments — often for a cheaper price than in the women’s section. It may be best to buy that oversized flannel or gray sweater in the men’s or children’s departments.
Online retailers offer discounts to incentivize consumers to subscribe to their mailing lists. Customers can subscribe and unsubscribe multiple times to obtain the initial coupon code, or use multiple email accounts to maximize the number of discounts received. Retailers will send exclusive and early discounts to people on their mailing lists so that insiders can take advantage of a deal before it is made public (ensuring that coveted items do not go out of stock). It is wise to sign up for email — especially for expensive brands.
ERIN SONG sports editor
Transforming CATHERINE SEOK grocery store trash bags into fashionable jewelry may seem an impossible task, but junior Rajee Shah has mastered the art of creating beautiful crafts out of commonlydiscarded items. The reuse of discarded objects to create products of UPCYCLING CLUB | President Rajee Shah leads a group club activity higher quality, known as upcycling, has become an increasingly popular activity. Shah, who exhibits an intense passion for art and environmental protection, has spread her love of upcycling within the school community through creating the Cupertino High School upcycling club. Shah first discovered her interest in upcycling in the eighth grade when she found a variety of upcycling tutorials while browsing Pinterest. Intrigued by the many ways materials could become recycled in the form of art, Shah began to future explore her interest in upcycling by creating works of art using old magazines, plastic bags, and cardboard. Said Shah, “I used to just upcycle in my own time, but I wanted to expand that interest, so I started a nonprofit that sells earrings made from used magazines. I wanted to share my interest in upcycling even more, so I created the upcycling club at our school.” Since its conception, the Upcycling Club has been teaching a CHS students a variety of ways to reuse old materials. “We create small projects every week using materials commonly found at home like magazines and plastic bags,” Shah said. “Our goal this semester is to create a large art
piece like a bottle cap mural that can be hung up in the school.” Shah’s non-profit organization To Green and Beyond recycles old magazines to create jewelry, primarily earrings, and sells them to patrons. The funds generated from these sales are then donated to organizations dedicated towards female education. Said Shah, “I want to allow underprivileged girls to receive the education they deserve. Doing something that I am passionate about and helping others at the same time is eye opening, and I’m glad I’ve been able to make a difference with upcycling.”
MAGAZINE FLOWERS
a tutorial from the club
1. Cut scrapbook paper sheets into 6” x 6” pieces. Trace a spiral circle onto each piece of paper. 2. Cut the spiral circle on the pencil markings. Trim off the end to make it circular. 3. Start with the outside and roll the paper. Make sure to roll the start of the flower tight. 4. Once you get to the base, let your flower loosen up a bit. At the base use a glue gun to glue down the flower. 5. After the glue is dry, gently poke through a piece of floral wire. COURTESY OF THE CASUAL CRAFTLETE
October 26, 2016
The Prospector
Lifestyles
9
THE PAWS-ITIVES THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT OF PETS ESHA RADHAKRISHNAN opinions assistant
EDWARD HSU
features assistant
In times of stress or unhappiness, most students naturally reach out to their parents, friends or significant others. In some cases, however, students seek comfort from their pets at home. “[My dog] never has a bad day,” junior Suki Patwardhan said. “Every time I get home, he is always excited and happy to see me. He makes me feel special, like I am the highlight of his day.” Not everyone has a pet at home that is able to greet them at the doorstep every day. However, the abundance of animal videos online has made it possible for people without pets to emulate the heartfelt affection in human-pet interactions. Said sophomore Grace Till, “I love animal videos because it is relieving see cute animals jumping around. The animal video I love the most is the one with the little dogs with haircuts that make them look circular.” In addition to relieving stress for students on a daily basis, animals can provide medical assistance to disabled individuals. Emotional support animals such as dogs, cats, rabbits and even teacup pigs can be trained and registered as official companions to help mitigate the psychological and emotional conditions of those with disabilities. “Animals can provide comfort for people,” senior Wave Moretto said. “I think that a lot of times people with mental and physical disabilities feel that others don’t understand them. An animal is really nice to have because they don’t know everything about you, but they want to be there for you.” Furthermore, animals assist people with physical disabilities. Many animals, not just dogs, undergo intense training to become a certified service animal for visually impaired and hearingimpaired individuals. Along with simply being a friend, a service animal can quickly become one’s protector and guide. At the end of the day, seeing an animal greet you at the doorstep is another reason why many people look forward to going home. Having that companion is what carries many people through the day. Even in the hardest of times, animals help people navigate through the happy and the messy parts of life. Without a doubt, animals are great companions to children, adults, and disabled individuals alike. If you are ever having a bad day, consider spending some time with your pet … or maybe find the video of the dog that can balance ten Girl Scout cookies on its nose.
pioneering “found-footage”-style horror movies I am typing this article from the midst of the shadows cast by the door of my parents’ room. Why you may ask? My parents have no idea that I have risked my life to watch a highly acclaimed horror movie at one o’clock in the morning. Later, I will need to investigate the mysterious ghost that may or may not be slowly closing and opening the closet door directly across from me. You see, I have suffered a great deal. The Blair Witch Project, an American psychological horror film released in 1999, paved way for modern horror films through its uniqueness and vivid authenticity. One of the actors himself recorded much of the movie by as the group trekked across a state park in Maryland. Considering that all the dialogue was impromptu, the writers of the film monitored the events of the actors’ journey, generously intervening to induce fear within the performers. They left wooden stick figures, loudly blared the recorded screams of children, and stomped around the actors’ campsite at night, only leaving after vigorously shaking their tent. Thus, the code word ‘taco,’ used to break out of character, was utilized by the actors liberally. Most people regard the Blair Witch Project with respect as it was one of the first movies to document footage using a conventional video recorder and terrify an audience without a visually conceivable entity. The film’s impact on Hollywood led to the production of Cloverfield and the Paranormal Activity series which employed the use of handheld cameras and improvised dialogue as well. The most intriguing aspect of the movie itself, however, is its sinisterly simple storyline and the lack of a hideous face to represent the ghost. Even when the actors weren’t speaking at all, the tension and fear in the atmosphere were visibly prevalent. The appearance of the spirit was left to the audience’s imagination and thus has resulted in my nonexistent relationship with sleep. By notably changing the perception of the content the audience saw, this movie succeeded in terrifying its viewers with terror and apprehension. The film’s exclusive qualities have lifted it to the pinnacle of the horror genre that it now rests upon. The movies’ sequel, the “Blair Witch,” has recently been released after over ten years since the screening of the original. Now, as I conclude this blessed article and pre-order a Beyonce-themed casket, I leave with a word of advice — one o’clock is not the best time to watch a horror movie.
10
Sports
ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT:
October 26, 2016
CATHERINE SEOK
POWERLIFTER NICOLAS KRUZMAN
SUDARSHAN KANNAN copy editor
On Oct. 29, senior Nicolas Kruzman will be participating in his first competitive powerlifting meet, the United States Powerlifting Association’s Spartan Push/Pull at SJSU, competing alongside 60 other individuals of various age groups and genders. In freshman year, Kruzman took up weightlifting, hitting the school weight room five days a week after school with his friends. However, in sophomore year, he took his passion for lifting to the next level, introduced himself to the sport of powerlifting and began researching training methods, eventually joining a gym and refining the three power movements. Power movements, or the bench press, squat, and deadlift, are the primary events at a powerlifting meet. With a goal of deadlifting 500 pounds and bench pressing 375 pounds, Kruzman has to closely evaluate his training and physical condition, making sure he focuses on the meet events and making sure he decreases fatigue. As powerlifting is an injury-prone sport, Kruzman understands the importance of adequate resting, safe training, and proper nutrition. As his meet draws closer and and closer, he focuses more on perfecting his technique and working on the meet-specific events, while trying to maintain his weight in order to stay within the limits of his weight class of 181 pounds. Although powerlifting is technically an individual sport, Kruzman credits the community he surrounds himself with as a source of motivation, teamwork, and constructive feedback. Said
Kruzman, “The powerlifting community is this huge network of people around the world, and people reach out to each other via internet and social media, discussing training methods and other topics. In individual gyms, you have training partners and friends, and exchange ideas and feedback to improve. You learn a lot from other people, such as training methods, nutrition, and philosophies.” As he does not have a coach, Kruzman looks to his training partners and fellow powerlifters to provide him with feedback, tips to improve his performance and positive encouragement. Said Kruzman, “The training goes year round, and you don’t have to stop something if you really love it.”
SCORES PROVIDED BY CHS ATHLETIC COACHES
MONTHLY SCOREBOARD GIRLS VARSITY TENNIS: 15-2-0
GIRLS VARSITY VOLLEYBALL: 8-1-0
BOYS VARSITY WATER POLO: 2-6-0
GIRLS VARSITY FIELD HOCKEY: 9-3-2
GIRLS VARSITY GOLF: 8-4-0
BOYS VARSITY XC: 2ND BAYLANDS
VARSITY FOOTBALL: 6-1-0
GIRLS VARSITY WATER POLO: 1-14-1
GIRLS VARSITY XC: 5TH BAYLANDS
MATTHEW WEBB
GIRLS GOLF MATTHEW WEBB photo assistant
The well-prepared Cupertino High School girl’s golf team hit the ground running by winning three matches at the beginning of this year’s fall season. Pushing on to go 8-4 overall and 6-2 in leagues, the team shares the league championship title with Monta Vista and Homestead. The CHS golf team initially existed as a co-ed sports team, until the ending of the 20152016 sports season, when two separate boys and girls teams were created. In accordance with the new changes, girls golf now plays during the fall season, while boys golf plays during spring. Because they lack space to practice on campus, the golf team must travel to Deep Cliff Golf Course, a full 18-hole golf course, to practice. Although golf season occurs during fall, the girl’s golf team hones its skills well before the season starts. “Most of our practice comes from the off-season, which is dedicated to major changes, while during the season, it is all about small tweaks and making sure our swings are manageable,” said senior Samiksha Pal. Most CHS golfers consult separate coaches for practices to improve. “I practice every day for about an hour. When I have a lesson, it usually lasts for only 30 minutes,” junior Hayley Jang said. CHS teachers James Gilmore and Kyle Fitzpatrick give pointers and correct each player’s form during practices, but act primarily as mentors and motivators before each match. Returning players who have played matches against male golfers in the past note a difference in the environment of the girl-versus-girl matches this year. “When we played against the boys only teams, it was harder to stay calm. They seemed more intimidating at first, and they had harder, more powerful swings compared to us girls. The environment, with the opposing boy’s teams, was quiet, and they did not converse much, making matches awkward. I found it easier to relax when my opponents seemed comfortable and made conversation with us,” Jang said. Keeping the stress to a minimum during each game proves difficult when minor mistakes occur, as they steer a player’s mindset away from the objective. Having a relaxed and positive outlook while also being competitive is an effort worked on by both the coaches and the players. “Golf is 90% mental and 10% physical, and that mentality plays a huge role in games. You have to put yourself into the mental zone — being nervous will affect my game, so I am not going to let it do so. It is all about staying relaxed and calm, and telling yourself, ‘I have one match completed, let us focus on the next match.’ It is a lot of work to keep up with that mindset, but it is worth it every time,” Pal said.
October 26, 2016
Sports
The Prospector
11
BACKHAND-TO-BACKHAND Boys and girls water polo teams make a splash this season AISWHARYA LADDHA features editor
MELISSA SILVA editor-in-chief
On Thursday Oct. 13, Cupertino’s boys varsity water polo hit the Lynbrook waters for their second meet against the team this season; the game ended with a final score of 17-4 for Lynbrook. Lynbrook dominated the first quarter with a score of 6-1. Goalie and sophomore Stephen Cho (Cap 1A) successfully blocked two Lynbrook shots within the first half. Co-team captain and junior David Tung (Cap 2) played point for the first quarter and attempted Tino’s first shot of the game. With a strong midline shot, co-team captain and sophomore Casper Wu (Cap 8) scored Cupertino’s sole point of the quarter with 1:48 minutes remaining. Tino did not fare much better in the second quarter, with a score of 8-2. However, Tino attempted five shots and gave up only two points. Near the beginning of the quarter, Tung was granted a five meter penalty shot. Hoping to fake the goalie out, Tung aimed high and right, but ended up shooting the ball low. The unexpected shot worked in Tino’s favor; Lynbrook’s goalie was unprepared for the low shot, putting up another point for Tino. A full team sub was employed by Lynbrook mid quarter. At halftime, teammate and senior William Tzou lead the cheer and said, “It is a brand new quarter, a brand new game.” Tzou’s words did their job; Tino came back in the second half with renewed vigor. The boys
BOYS
demonstrated excellent movement up and down the pool, making passes and rebounding off each other’s shots. Mid-quarter, Tzou (Cap 13) picked the rebound of a teammate’s shot, nailing it to bring the score to 9-3. After receiving a pass, Wu was jumped by a Lynbrook player, leading the referee to call another five-meter penalty in the last minute; Tung took the shot for Wu to close the quarter with a score of 11-4. Throughout the quarter, Tino kept up their defense of man on man, while Lynbrook’s offensive strategy of quick drives put pressure on Tino’s defense. In the third quarter, Lynbrook made a total of three of its five attempted points while Cupertino scored one of its eight attempted shots, with an additional point earned through a penalty. The boys drove through the fourth quarter in spite of Lynbrook’s heavy lead. With the shot clock counting down and the pressure of the quarter ending, Tino attempted but missed two last shots in the last minute but neither went in. The game finished with the final score at 17-4, in favor of Lynbrook. For both the players and spectators, communication within the team seemed to sport a problem. For Coach Sarah Scott, the team will also have to work on consistency. Said Scott,” When we move and when we execute things, that’s when we’re playing to the level we’re capable of playing. It’s just being consistent with that — consistency is our issue.” As with every high school sports team, adjustments must be made each season when seniors graduate and new players come in. Said Scott, “Last year we had a really good support structure and really good leadership on the team, so again, [the solution is] finding kids’ strengths and using them to our advantage.”
“Water polo is a team game. I like how I can rely on other people in the game, and other people can rely on me.” -Sophomore Kirill Rogovoy The girls of Cupertino High School’s varsity water polo team fought hard in a game against Palo Alto High School on Tuesday, Oct. 11. The game ended with a score of 16-5 for Palo Alto. The first quarter ended with a score of 1-5, in favor of Palo Alto. During the second quarter, senior Anna Rajaratnam (Cap 2), who played utility, was able to intercept some of Palo Alto’s shots. The second quarter ended with a score of 7-2 for Palo Alto. Within the first 30 seconds of the third quarter, Palo Alto scored a point. Rajaratnam struggled with Palo Alto for the ball, but eventually was unable to prevent the opponent’s next shot. Through teamwork and repeated passing, Tino put up one more point in with 2:22 left on the clock. Within seconds, though, Palo Alto struck back with a shot of their own. Palo Alto’s defense proved strong. Said junior Ria Bhatt (Cap 4) on an attempted shot blocked by Palo Alto’s goalie, “It was in the midst of the moment. I was open, so I called for the ball immediately, but the pass I got was a little a wet, which means it fell in the water. By the time I picked it up, my defender was coming so when I shot it, it wasn’t the best shot. I am glad I took the shot because we were running out of time.” Tino fought hard to get in more points before the end of the third quarter, but the quarter ended at a score of 11-3 for Palo Alto. Palo Alto started the final quarter off with a powerful shot. After a few attempted shots made by Tino, Coach Jennifer Townsend called a timeout with 2:47 minutes remaining. The last
GIRLS
minute of the game involved numerous changes in ball possession by either side; the game ended with a final attempt at a shot by junior Kelly Sawyer (Cap 7). The final score of the game closed out 16-5 for Palo Alto. After a spectacular last season, the girls moved up to the De Anza league this year but suffered the loss of six seasoned seniors from last year’s team, contributing to this game’s challenges. Said spectator and government teacher Oliver Yeh, “I think that our players fought hard. I think moving up to a new league is always really tough, and having a lot of graduating seniors … Replacing that void is tough. But they’re still fighting, and that’s important. There are bigger lessons than just wins or losses.” Co-Team captain Kelly Sawyer comments on the girls performance. “You need to practice with the same intensity you are gonna put out in the field … And if you don’t practice how you play, you aren’t dependable.” Improved communication among the team, however, was apparent. Said Bhatt, “We were good at switches … I think the communication was better in this game, and we did a good job of staying on our defenders.” The obstacles the girls encounter are all part of a process of improvement and will undoubtedly pay off in the end. Said William Shearin, spectator and father of senior athlete Olivia Shearin, “[This year is] a good building year, because there’s a lot of younger players on the team. So I think next year, they’ll be in much better shape. Just from having a lot of freshmen and sophomores who are getting good playing time … I think next year will be a stronger year for the team.”
GYMNAST CAMBRY DEL VALLE VAULTS AND TUMBLES INTO ACTION
ELENA CHANG flipside assistant
“Gymnastics? That’s a girl’s sport!” People immediately associate some sports with a certain gender, but these associations do not determine one’s talent in that sport. Junior Cambry Del Valle is a male gymnast at Tino that has been practicing gymnastics for three years. Del Valle first became captivated by gymnastics after seeing his brother do it for five years. Del Valle practices at Cal Sports Center alongside the 25 male gymnasts on his team, who vary in levels ranging from six to ten. He competes in prestigious competitions, including regionals, as he is a level ten gymnast, the highest level. Del Valle has eight tournaments per season, in which he must compete in all events. “Competitions give me the chance to show off all my hard work. It is an enjoyable team experience. The fact I made it to regionals means that I have come a long way, and my persistence got me to where I am now. To me, competitions are the best part of gymnastics,” Del Valle said. Many people know little about the differences between men’s and women’s gymnastics. Male gymnasts have the opportunity to participate in six events, while women have four events available. The men tend to focus on their upper body strength for gymnastics, while females work more with leg-oriented strength. Men’s gymnastics events include floor routines, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar. Women, on the other hand, compete in vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercises. “If I ask people what the six main male gymnastics events are, they would just say floor, and that is about it. They would not know parallel bars, pommel horse, any of those events,” Del Valle said.
Due to the fact that Del Valle practices for three and a half hours a day, five days a week he is accustomed to making sacrifices for gymnastics. During competition season, he must attend all practices, maintain a proper diet CATHERINE SEOK and stay focused. Del Valle practices year round, with no off-season. “Gymnastics has made me a more determined person. I stay committed to things, and that has trailed into my school work. I have to keep up, and gymnastics keeps me from being lazy since it is always giving me something to do and forcing me to stay healthy,” Del Valle said.
Flip Side
October 26, 2016
OCTOBER IN PHOTOS
12
JENN ZARATAN
a
CATHERINE SEOK
HOMECOMING | Seniors Jasmine Yao and Duncan Chung perform in the Star Warsthemed senior group dance
CHRISTINA SHAO
TOURNAMENT OF BANDS | Homestead High School marches in the parade during the 46th annual TOB
CATHERINE SEOK
FIELD HOCKEY | Varsity team member, sophomore Hoa Doan, plays in a game against Saratoga High School
HAL LOWEEN
CHOIR CONCERT | Cantos performs at the annual CHS Debut Concert on Oct. 18 and 19 in the theater
CATHERINE SEOK
ULTIMATE FRISBEE | Senior Alex Young intercepts the frisbee thrown to junior Amie Boyle during a game
around the world
Halloween, one of the oldest holidays around, is celebrated almost everywhere in the United States. Many of us dress up and go trick-or-treating, watch scary movies with our friends, or attend Halloween parties. Most schools even join in on the fun, allowing students to come to school in costume. Though the holiday of Halloween as we know it is not commonly celebrated in the same way in different countries, other cultures have their own unique way to honor the Halloween season. Here are a few of the traditions that are practiced in different places around the globe. CATHERINE SEOK
china
In China, the Halloween festival is known as Teng Chieh. The Chinese place food and water in front of photos of departed family members, and lanterns are lit in order to light the path that they believe spirits take when they travel around the Earth on Halloween Night. The Chinese also celebrate a festival called “The Feast of Hungry Ghosts”. The purpose of this day is to make earthbound spirits feel welcome and placate any anger they might have.
germany
In Germany, people always put away their knives on Halloween night. This is because they do not want to risk harm to the spirits that they believe return to Earth during this festival. However, most Germans do not go trickor-treating, preferring to dress up in costumes or attending events like the famous Retz pumpkin festival in Austria. The oldest and most revered event takes place at Burg Frankenstein, a castle near Darmstadt. The perfect location for a chilling Halloween event, the ruins are open for visitors to roam in, and actors dressed up as various monsters accompanied by flickering lights and an uncanny soundtrack make the castle feel like a real haunted house. Notably, the Germans celebrate another centuries-old holiday on Oct. 31 — Reformationstag, a Protestant holiday.
FRANCE
IRELAND
Ireland is often said to be the birthplace of the Halloween festival. In Ireland, a traditional fruitcake known as barnbrack is eaten on Halloween Day. If one finds a ring in their cake, it means they will soon be wed, and if one is to spot a piece of straw in their baked good, they are said to be looking at a prosperous year ahead of them. Often, Halloween is celebrated with a large street parade with various performances such as drumming and singing. Over 30,000 people take to the streets dressed up as ghouls, witches, vampires and other monsters from the “Otherworld”. In some areas, there are even firework shows, concerts and ghost walks.
In France, Halloween is treated as a time to gather at a friend’s house or a bar to party. Stores, malls and households decorate their windows and special Halloween desserts are often served in bakeries. The French have also adopted some American Halloween traditions, including jack-o-lantern carving and dressing up in scary costumes. Costume parties are popular for both adults and children, usually taking place on special occasions that include Halloween. Since Halloween usually falls during one of the mid-season breaks, school is almost never in session during this time, allowing celebration for students. COMPILED BY JUSTINE QIU
Next Month: November End of Second Grading Period
Fall Musical
SAT
Robotics Tournament
Election Day Voting
Fall Sports Awards Night
Friday, Nov. 4
Saturday, Nov. 5 Monday, Nov. 7-Tuesday, Nov. 8
Friday, Nov. 11-Saturday, Nov. 12 Sunday, Nov. 20
Monday, Nov. 21
a love of learning LILY ROSEN MARVIN online editor
For the first six years of my education, I called all my teachers by their first names, never took a quiz or a test, and completed a grand total of zero homework assignments. In fact, I did not receive my first letter grade until I enrolled at a traditional middle school. Christa McAuliffe, the elementary school I attended, focused on fostering a love of learning. While that may sound like a load of bull, it was effective. I enjoyed my education, especially when I found it challenging. Mcauliffe provided an environment where failure was just another step in mastery. There, the main goal of every student went beyond simply getting a good grade and was instead seeking to fully understand the material. However, as I transitioned to middle school, this mentality faded. Part of that shift came from the mentality of students around me. There was a competitive nature to school that I had never experienced before. After every test, my classmates would run around the room asking “what did you get?” I learned that the smart kids got straight A’s and anyone who didn’t was either lazy or stupid. Not wanting to be seen as either, I started to approach my assignments differently. Instead of focusing on understanding the subject matter, I was content with surface level learning. Instead of asking myself, “how can I make this creative?” I asked “how can I get an A on this?”. This grade tunnel vision only worsened when I got to high school. Every little thing I did was for the sole purpose of attaining good grades, because these grades suddenly mattered. I started feeling anxious every time my teacher gave me a “hard” assignment because I was convinced it would bring down my GPA. I felt like I had lost any room for failure. I started feeling relieved rather than proud when I scored well on assignments. Finally, I realized that I had lost the love of learning I once had and replaced it with a paralyzing fear of failure. In a school with a sink or swim mentality, I couldn’t help but feel that I was barely keeping my head above water. Changing the way I think about school won’t be easy. My grades and test scores matter more and college is looming in the distance. I’m still struggling to regain the spark — the unabashed enthusiasm and curiosity that made my eight-year-old self excited about different ways to solve math problems. While I won’t ever address Mrs. Peck as “Ann” or opt out of the CAHSEE, I know that I still love to learn. I get excited when I master a new concept in math or when I win a debate in History. The way I learn is far from perfect, but I still have plenty of time to make a change.