The prospector issue 1

F RI DAY, S EP T EM B ER 18, 2015

White Feminism OPINIONS page 4

VOLUME 57 NO. 1

Friendships

Gay is O.K.

Fighting Fatigue LIFESTYLES page 9

FEATURES pages 6 & 7

FLIPSIDE page 12

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MIDDLE-EASTERN AND AFRICAN REFUGEES FLEEING CONFLICT ARRIVE IN EUROPE

COURTESY OF JULIEN HARNEIS

THE ROAD TO HOPE | Humanitarian aid is offered at a refugee camp in Congo. Many refugees heading towards Europe escape contemporary conflicts in Africa and the Middle East

MEILINDA SUN news editor

ETHAN QI news assistant

In early September, a picture of a dead Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi lying face-first in the sand became the subject of inflamed media attention. In late August, Austrian authorities found 71 bodies in a refrigeration truck, citing the deaths as a result of poor ventilation in the truck. Such incidents serve as crucial reminders of the dangers that pursue refugees fleeing conflicts in the Middle East and Africa for Europe and, in turn, Europe’s struggle to contain the crisis.

Many refugees and migrants are caught in the crossfires of the Syrian Civil War and clashes between two competing governments in Libya and Yemen. They often have no choice but

to employ people smugglers who then transport the refugees across the Mediterranean Sea to more secure European countries, where they can apply for amnesty and begin a life anew. The migrants undergo deplorable conditions. Boats capsize often and the smugglers frequently abandon refugees after they receive payments.

For many migrants from Africa and the Middle East, the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean Sea is the closest route to Europe. Many of them first land in Greece, Italy, and Hungary, countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, and then find ways to travel to France, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Germany, where there are often better employment prospects.

Currently, the large influx of migrants is creating a myriad of problems for the European Union (EU), a confederacy of mainly Western European countries who use the same currency –– the Euro –– to expedite trade. After heated arguments, EU leaders

have agreed to triple the funding for their border control organization, Frontex. Among the plans created include beefing up maritime patrols in the Mediterranean and disrupting trafficking networks.

Due to the inundation of migrants, many EU countries are finding themselves infrastructurally overwhelmed. Despite this, said United Nations Club member Sandalina Sattar, “Humanitarian needs definitely outweigh the [...] economic backlash that countries will face.”

EU law requires member states to process asylum applications in the countries in which refugees first arrive, and Greece is a common destination due to its convenient geographic location. Currently shouldering an economic crisis, Greece is simply unprepared to follow through with this law as they neither have the resources nor the energy to cope with the large inundation of

EU migrant crisis, continued on page 2

New school policy allows student athletes to take seven periods AMY ZENG news assistant

ERIN SONG features assistant

With over 100 options and only six to seven class slots to fill, students struggle to find the perfect combination between fulfilling graduation requirements and taking classes that appeal to their individual interests. The challenge is heightened for those who receive their mandatory PE credits by participating on school sports teams; not only are student athletes required to commit a considerable amount of time and energy to their sport, but they must also sacrifice one class period in order to receive the PE credits necessary for graduation from said sport. However, a new policy now

allows students to enroll in seven classes and still receive PE credits for taking a sport.

The new policy was established May 2015 by the district Board of Directors. Previously students were limited to receiving 70 credits per school year. However, several students, particularly sophomores, who often enroll in at least six classes to fulfill graduation requirements, found it difficult to decide between taking a recurring elective, such as art or choir, and participating in a school sport.

Said Assistant Principal Cathleen Rodriguez, “[Frequently] students would have [had] to choose [if] they [should] give up [a recurring elective] or just wait and earn their PE credits. So, the board modified that policy in the spring to say students can earn a maximum of 85 credits a year if the classes they are in are within the Fremont Union High School District,

Changes for athletes, continued on page 2

36% of all students are athletes

over 100 class options for 7 periods

2

News The Prospector

S TA F F 2015-2016

Cupertino High School Established 1958 Vol LVII, No. 1 | 2015 editors-in-chief maithilee kanthi brian zhong news editor meilinda sun opinions editor shalmali patil features editor stephanie shi lifestyles editor isabel lin

The Prospector

EU migrant crisis

copy editors daniel fertelmeister delanie medina rishi nair anirudh pai photo editors jason muñoz jeremy xue online editors michelle pyke jay shroff

Changes for athletes

continued from page 1

continued from page 1

migrants. As a result, Greek authorities have turned a blind eye as migrants slip out of detention camps and head north in hope of better employment prospects.

As countries struggle to cope with the migrants, both politically and economically, the arrival of the thousands of migrants have also manifested social problems.

While some migrants have been greeted with cheers and humanitarian aid at German train stations, far-right anti-immigrant protests, which German Chancellor Angela Merkel has condemned as “shameful” and “vile,” are still somewhat pervasive. German law enforcement is struggling to cope with the riots and protests that have been stemming from the hostility of minority groups, including neo-Nazi’s and other rightwing extremists. Said Sattar, “[Countries] should deal with it [...] because at the end, we’re talking about lives at risk here, and I think it’s really what it comes down to.” In the coming year, the country expects 800,000 applications for asylum, far more than any other EU nation.

As Germany’s population ages, the government is scrambling to fill the labor gap, organizing German language classes and completely removing the limit to the number of refugees it can take. Similarly, the United Kingdom, having originally promised to take in no refugees, has finally acquiesced, promising to take in 20,000 refugees by 2020. President Obama, too, has proposed that the US absorb 10,000 migrants, although detractors say that because refugees often carry little paperwork, identification of them is difficult: it may be difficult to discern Jihadists from refugees, thus creating “backdoor” entry terrorism.

Europe has not seen an emergency of this magnitude for decades. Amidst a crisis that threatens to disunite the European Union, the United Nations and European Union officials must stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity.

sports editor peter martin flip side editor melissa silva

September 18, 2015

On Aug. 21, three Americans stopped a terrorist attack on a Paris-bound train. The gunman, a 26-year-old suspected Islamist militant, opened fire on passengers, injuring two people. Authorities are planning to tighten rail security throughout Europe, and the French counter-terrorism agency is currently investigating the suspect’s motives.

and then the other 15 credits are from 3 different sports.”

Because the new policy was not publicly announced, most students are still under the assumption that in order to receive PE credits for a sport, they are only able to take a maximum of six classes.

Said junior Jehannaz Dastoor, who plays on the school badminton team, “I often have to find myself cutting down on the classes that I take because I do a sport. If I knew that I would get credits even if I took seven classes, then I definitely would have taken more classes because I would love to still do sports and also pursue my academic goals.”

Underclassmen also find themselves being affected by the policy. Freshman Angela Ding, who is planning to try out for girls’ basketball this year, had to decide between completing her art elective requirement by taking choir and enrolling in Principles of Business. “It would have been really helpful if I had the information [that] I could do seven periods and a sport so I could take both choir and business,” Ding said.

Now that the student population is beginning to become aware of the new policy, only time will tell if this lifted schedule restriction will benefit student athletes.

NEWS BRIEFS

Chinese authorities punished nearly 200 people for allegedly spreading rumors about its stock market collapse and explosions in Tianjin.

While some have indeed been reporting false information, others have been prosecuted for reporting the hundreds of explosion-related deaths and injuries. The media have partially attributed the explosion to governmental corruption.

Later this year, Google, Inc. will transition into Alphabet, Inc. Google, along with other companies like Calico and Nest, will become subsidiaries of its “parent company,” Alphabet. The new CEO of Google is Sundar Pichai.

The goal of restructuring is to allow smaller companies to be more independent and to have more organized management overall.

On Aug. 30, MTV held the Video Music Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by Miley Cyrus, the show broke a U.S. Twitter record as the most tweeted-about non-sports event, and yet it had the lowest viewership on MTV in VMAs history. With approximately five million views, viewership decreased almost 40% from last year’s show.

COMPILED BY ALLISON LO

business manager mark wang news assistants

ethan qi amy zeng

opinions assistants

sudarshan kannan saagar sanghavi

features assistants

josephine robison erin song

lifestyles assistants

aishwarya laddha jennifer zaratan

sports assistant

mark wang

flip side assistant

caroline gee

online assistants

CHINEsE sTOCK MARKET CRASH PROMPTS GLOBAL PANIC 20.0%

allison lo lily marvin alex shieh

22.9%

SHANGHAi STOCK EXCHANGE

1000 points

COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

photo crew

GERMAN DAX IN FRANKFURT

DOW JONES

SOURCES: MARKET REALIST, NEWSWEEK, WALL STREET JOURNAL

catherine seok 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.

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SUDARSHAN KANNAN opinions assistant

ANIRUDH PAI copy editor

On Aug. 24, the Chinese economy was dealt a devastating blow by a collapse in the stock market. Termed “Black Monday” by Chinese state media, the stock market collapse would spell the beginning of a weeklong decline in the Chinese stock market. On that Monday alone, according to The Guardian, the Shanghai composite market hit an 8.5 percent slump. By the end of the week the Shanghai Stock Exchange (a share index) had dropped by 22.9 percent. The effects of the Chinese stock market crash were felt throughout the globe, with the American S&P 500 stock index dipping 10% from its peak and the German DAX (stock exchange) in Frankfurt dropping by about 20 percent from its peak in April.

In response to the crash, the Chinese government implemented a series of directives to stabilize the markets and reduce the potential for continued damage. The People’s Bank of China, for instance, lowered national interest rates to stimulate the economy. Furthermore, to fill the void left by panicking investors rapidly selling their shares, the Chinese government bought 1 trillion yuan worth of shares (equivalent to 156 billion USD). However, only 20 percent of Chinese households invest in shares, suggesting that the majority of Chinese families may not be directly affected by the crash. Despite government efforts, the growth of the Chinese economy is expected to slow down to 2 to 3 percent annual growth from nearly 10 percent annually over the past decade according to The Economist.

In the United States, the Dow Jones’ steep drop panicked Americans and

investing firms. The Dow Jones, a stock index calculated using the stock prices of 30 companies from various sectors of the economy, indicated that the American economy was affected in various different sectors. However, within a day, the Dow rebounded by 600 points, dispelling immediate fears of a potential American economic recession. Yet, there are lingering concerns due to a strengthened dollar, as many entities invested in Chinese securities placed their money in American treasury bonds. In addition, the devaluation of Chinese yuan did not help the situation. Thus, the US dollar gained 3 percent in value as a result of the sudden investment, raising concerns of increased prices.

Furthermore, China owns $1.252 trillion of American debt (approximately 7.2 percent), inherently tying the Chinese economy to the American economy. Due to volatility in the markets, investment is expected to decrease as well.

With a decrease in investment, the American job market could potentially slow down as companies lack the resources to expand and create more jobs, and the housing market is likely to slow down. In addition, the Federal Reserve may be forced to maintain low interest rate policy rather than increase interest rates as originally planned, suggesting that they are expecting a slowdown in the US economy and are planning for the worst. By prolonging the lower interest rate policy, the American economy could suffer in the longer term.

Experts say that various sectors of the global economy will likely be affected; however, analysts believe that European and American economies may escape the crisis without much harm, whereas the Chinese economy will take much longer to recover due to a crash in the property market and a weak currency.

It may be cliche to say that when the Chinese economy sneezes, the whole world catches a cold. The next few months will indeed be important times for the health of the world economy.

September 18, 2015

News

The Prospector

3

METEROLOGISTS PREDICT DRASTIC WEATHER CHANGES IN CALIFORNIA DUE TO EL NIÑO STEPHANIE SHI features editor

JAY SHROFF online editor

This year, high ocean surface temperatures combined with the reversal of the trade winds toward the West Coast lead climatologists to conclude that this year’s El Niño may be as severe as the 1997-98 El Niño, which killed seven people and caused more than $550 million in damage in California.

Said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “There is a greater than 90 [percent] chance that El Niño will continue through the Northern Hemisphere winter 2015-16, and around an 85 percent chance it will last into early spring 2016.”

El Niño, Spanish for “the boy,” is the warm phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, in which the Pacific Ocean waters become warmer than usual and consequently disrupt weather patterns globally. El Niño occurs more frequently than its counterpart cold phase La Niña, which is Spanish for “little girl.” Each event occurs on average every two to seven years.

An El Niño event was also predicted last year but failed to actually occur; however, recent warming trends in upper-level water provides concrete signs that an event will occur. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), surface water temperatures may be at least 2ºC above average, making this year’s El Niño event one of the four strongest since 1950.

The impact of an El Niño event can be felt globally. Due to the increase of ocean water temperature, the atmosphere becomes more heated, changing circulation patterns around the globe. El Niño

causes an unusual amount of rainfall in North and South America, especially in California, while Southern Asia and Australia generally suffer droughts.

Many of the “symptoms” of the El Niño season have already been felt by Cupertino and the rest of the Bay Area, including a constant pattern of scorching temperatures followed by very mild weather and even a few rain showers.

However, scientists are still unsure as to whether this El Niño will be able to solve California’s severe drought. Based on this year’s predictions, the average rainfall in California will be well over 20 inches, enough to make a significant contribution to the drought relief efforts, but not bring California back to pre-drought water levels.

Likewise, due to the change of global circulation patterns, the Pacific faces greater hurricane activity. For instance, there are already currently three category four tropical storms near the Hawaiian islands.

On the flipside, there are fewer hurricanes in the Atlantic, a trend normally found to correlate to the shifting of high pressure regions from the West to the East Coast. As a result, the El Niño that benefits the West Coast may benefit the East Coast as well, providing less swirling pressure for hurricanes to form in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Florida.

El Niño is not a guarantee this year, but there is a strong chance that it may arrive, and if it does, will solve many climate problems for the US at the same time. The drought has choked many Californian neighborhoods and decreased the productivity of California’s booming agriculture industry in the San Joaquin Valley. Although the storm may cause property damage and potential loss of life due to mudslides and floods, the impending El Niño may be a viable solution to the current drought.

85% 90% chance that El Niño will continue through early spring

chance that El Niño will continue through winter

20 inches of predicted rainfall are expected to make a significant impact on the drought

the coming El Niño event is to be one of the four strongest of its kind since

1950

SOURCES: REUTERS, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

NEW ADVISORY ARRANGEMENTS AFFECT ASB-SANCTIONED EVENTS BRIAN ZHONG editor-in-chief

Beginning this school year, the school administration replaced closed tutorial with advisory. Students, who were once assigned a closed tutorial teacher based on grade level and last name, now go to their third period teacher for advisory.

The change was enacted after the administration and select faculty and students held discussions about the current campus environment. Explained Principal Kami Tomberlain, “We noticed in the Challenge Success survey that only 57% of students believe that there was an adult on campus that they were comfortable going to if they have a concern, and that to us was just really low...”

Noting this statistic, Tomberlain and other members of the Challenge Success team sought ideas to cultivate a more caring school environment. “We wanted to come up with a way to build in some more opportunities to connect with a teacher in a way that wasn’t just about the curriculum,” Tomberlain said. “We also wanted [this relationship] to occur with a teacher that [students] were going to see 4 days a week, so there was actually an opportunity to build a relationship over time.”

The adjustment to advisory, however, impacted the freshmen elections process. Instead of voting for their class council during their closed tutorial period, freshmen had to vote during brunch and lunch. Furthermore, the candidate speeches, which were once viewed during closed tutorial, became more challenging to distribute to freshmen. Said ASB Records and Elections Commissioner Jade Harrison, “freshmen don’t really use Facebook, so

43%

of students do not believe there is an adult on campus they were comfortable going to if they have a concern SOURCES: CHALLENGE SUCCESS SURVEY

We wanted to come up with a way to build some more opportunities to connect with a teacher in a way that wasn’t just about the curriculum.

-Principal Kami Tomberlain

we couldn’t really post the video on there... [they mainly] use social media on Instagram, but you can’t put a 30-minute video on Instagram. So... not a lot of freshmen saw [the speeches].”

But Harrison noted that despite this change, 326 freshmen still turned out to vote for their class council. “I don’t know if it was just word-of-mouth, but that just shows that [the freshmen] want to make a difference in our school and elect someone who they think will contribute to our life at school,” Harrison said.

Freshman Naomi Gau, who ran for class council, agrees that the revised freshmen election process compelled the candidates to engage more with the freshmen class. Said Gau, “Since now,

carrying around a poster and genuinely talking to people has become so much more important, this council will become a lot more dedicated because... [we] had to especially campaign [our] hearts out and really get people to care.”

With a greater emphasis on campaigning by walking around campus, Gau found the experience more enjoyable and eyeopening.

“I really love that when you talk to people they genuinely see you care and their eyes light up when you ask them about what they personally care about,” Gau said. “Instead of just walking up to them and telling them [to] vote for me, I actually sat down and took a few minutes out of my lunch to talk to them.”

Although the adjustment to advisory may have impacted freshmen elections, the change ultimately laid the groundwork for a more open, connected campus environment. Said Tomberlain, “the value of having [advisory] connected to a class where relationships can develop over time was greater than the inconvenience of shifting around freshman elections.”

Tomberlain believes that the entire campus community can benefit from advisory. “[Advisory] would be a signal that... [the faculty] care enough about [students] to give up maybe a little bit of time to teach less [academic content], to make sure that [students] are developing in ways that we want young people to develop,” Tomberlain said.

Now, the task of the school administration is to generate activities that teachers can facilitate during the advisory period.

Noted Tomberlain, “I want to take the time to plan [the advisory activities] and then implement them second semester or even a year from now.”

4

Opinions

Hills at vallco

The recent announcement of The Hills at Vallco, the redevelopment of the Vallco shopping mall and surrounding commercial districts, brings to light how Cupertino’s development rate is outpacing the rate of infrastructural growth. Sand Hill Property, the development company in charge of the project, identified a huge potential for growth in Cupertino, and like many other contracting companies in the area, is taking advantage of any conceivable land acquisition for commercial and real estate use. This constant push from the city and developers for the urbanization of Cupertino is becoming infrastructurally and socially taxing.

The project is intended to bring life to what most shoppers call a “dead mall”; the majority of shops and services inside of Vallco receive only a meager clientele, with the exception of AMC theatres. Redevelopment would bring the area a multi-use community park, commercial retailers, entertainment options and dining venues. In an effort to make the proposal more appealing, Sand Hill Property will be constructing another K-8 public school, giving a one million endowment to Cupertino middle schools’ Yosemite program, and creating a large “innovation center” for high school students. Sand Hill Property claims that “The Hills at Vallco is a win-win for the community and our schools.”

However, this project would in reality do nothing more than add to the existing problem of overpopulation and limited infrastructural flexibility here in Cupertino. With the city’s approval, land development corporations have already completed multiple housing projects including Pruneridge and Biltmore Apartments, and have many commercial ones in progress, namely Main Street Cupertino and Apple’s new campus. Amplifying the problem, The Hills at Vallco will create an additional 800 new apartment units. With the rapidly growing number of new residential areas, it is inevitable that a large number of young families will come settle here; however, their children will start to crowd the already overflowing schools. Even though Sand Hill Property is constructing a new elementary school, this would not solve the problem. As students grow older, they funnel into a smaller number of middle and high schools; Cupertino has only 5 middle schools and 3 high schools for students from over 20 elementary schools in the district. Obviously, adding another elementary school will not help relieve the strain on educational resources at higher levels. Instead, Sand Hill Property should be focusing on the development and expansion of middle and high schools, which are currently taking the most strain from Cupertino’s population boom. The said “innovation center” being

September 18, 2015

S T A F F EDITORIAL

built for high schoolers, though useful for extracurricular activities and events, still will not release pressure on the demand for school resources.

As students here at Cupertino High School, we can directly observe how development is affecting us. Even with the completion of the recent renovation one and a half years ago, the school is still overflowing with students; each class is bigger than the last. Over the past four years, the graduating class size has increased by 8.93 percent, according to the school Registrar. With the resources the school has right now, adding an entire new elementary school flowing into this same school would be simply absurd. Even now, many students who apply do not receive a locker due to the insufficient number of lockers available. Each year, new faculty is added to compensate for the increase in student population in compliance with the district teacher to student ratio standard.

However, the physical resources are not increasing at the same rate. Getting seven period schedules is also becoming harder every year because there are not enough spaces in classes.

The traffic flow on Stevens Creek would also pose a problem. Not only are three major schools: Collins Elementary School, Lawson Middle School and Cupertino High School, already using this same road at approximately the same times, but with the new development of Apple’s campus, the new elementary school, and downtown Main Street, traffic would be a nightmare. Sand Hill Property has tried to address this problem by saying they will fund the expansion of Wolfe and I-280 as well as a free shuttle for commuting around Cupertino. However, this would not solve the problem of traffic congestion on Stevens Creek. Expansion of Wolfe and 280 would only increase the amount of traffic onto Stevens Creek by funnelling a larger mass of cars onto an alreadycrowded boulevard. Road safety conditions for pedestrians and cyclists would also deteriorate with the increase in traffic.

At first glance, The Hills at Vallco may seem like a cutting edge and innovative project that would solve all of Cupertino’s problems, but if one closely evaluates the individual components of the plan, it becomes apparent that The Hills at Vallco is a proposal that would turn Cupertino from a small suburban city to a metropolitan city bursting at the seams with overcrowding and infrastructural problems.

WHITE FEMINISM MAITHILEE KANTHI editor-in-chief

White feminism is a form of feminism that assumes that all women experience misogyny in the same way. It is not a term used specifically for feminists who are White, but rather those who erase the struggles of women of color and queer women in their version of feminism. For example, one of the main goals of feminists in America is closing the wage gap between men and women. Most feminists are aware of the common example of how for every dollar a man earns for a certain job, his white female counterpart earns just 77 cents. However, not many are aware of the wage gap that increases according to race. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, black women are shown to earn 64 cents to every white man’s dollar, and latina women are estimated to earn just 56 cents to every white man’s dollar. Under white feminism, these stats are ignored. White feminism is harmful to the overall feminist movement, because until issues such as cultural differences, race, and queer erasure are addressed, the fight for gender equality cannot be won.

While white feminists promote sexual liberty and economic independence, both worthy causes, they often assume that women from other cultures naturally desire the same rights. Such views can glaze over the work that women of color are doing to reach equality on their own terms. In applying one brand of feminism to all women of color, white feminism pays no heed to the specific needs of various cultural groups, causing more harm than good in the long run.

Additionally, white feminism ignores the subject of race in American feminism. White feminists believe that the subject of race does not go hand in hand with feminism, because their idea of oppression does not have to deal with systematic racism every day. However, everywhere from the “angry black woman” stereotype that belittles black feminists to the inherent impression within society that all latina women are promiscuous and sexually active, racism is as much a part of feminism as is misogyny.

One tool that is often used to silence the complaints of women of color in the conversation about misogyny and race is “voice policing”. When women of color start to express signs of frustration in conversations regarding race and feminism, society has a tendency to immediately ignore the actual complaints being made and instead focus on the tone that the women used to express it. People often jump at the opportunity to write off these women as being too harsh or extreme. What

white that

feminism (n) feminism ingores intersectionality

people don’t recognize is the pileup of microaggressions and gender discrimination that requires them to yell in order to be heard. In ignoring all women of color who do not speak their problems “politely” (which is never polite enough anyways), white feminists are able to wipe their hands clean of dealing with the sticky subject of racism. It is as much a reality for women of color as sexual objectification is for all women, and thus needs to be included in the overall discussion of feminism.

As women in the LGBTQ community fight their own struggles with sexual discrimination, they also have to fight to be a part of the feminist movement and, for transgender women, to even be recognized as women. Transgender women are often told they have no part in the feminist community because they were born as males and thus benefited from the privilege of being a male. Not only is this accusation incredibly harmful to vulnerable women as it tells them they are not “woman enough”, but it also assumes that, while growing up, a transgender woman experienced no difficulties due to her gender identity. Additionally, through the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that women in the LGBTQ community face alarming rates of sexual violence compared to straight women. The survey states that “44 percent of lesbians and 61 percent of bisexual women experience rape, [or] physical violence [...] compared to 35 percent of heterosexual women” and that one in three transgender girls experienced sexual assault of some kind before the age of 17. It is crucial, therefore, to remember that while women who are a part of the LGBTQ community may face problems that straight, cis women may not have to on the same level, their struggles are as much the entire feminist community’s struggles.

White feminists are not necessarily bad people; they simply have more they need to learn. Expanding the definition of feminism to include all types and voices of women requires a conversation in which all parties need to be open-minded and receive the stories of their sisters without turning the conversation back onto their hurt feelings. Sometimes there are stories that simply need to be heard and struggles that can only be observed second-hand. It is only when women are able to accept every woman’s’ story as valid, as worthy of fighting for, that the goals of feminism could possibly be reached.

Opinions

The Prospector

September 18, 2015

5

ASHLEy MADISOn HACK A blatant invasion of privacy

JEREMY XUE photo editor

“Life is short, have an affair.”

Pretty sh***y slogan, right? That’s what the members of the hacker collective Impact Team thought when they unleashed to the public the personal information of the 37 million users of the adultery website, Ashley Madison.

The general public quickly swarmed to praise these hackers for revealing the identities of the site’s unfaithful users. They found their way onto the various websites popping up as a result of the breach, allowing curious individuals to search for the names of loved ones, some even going so far as to searching through their entire email contacts list to identify which emails were linked to an Ashley Madison account.

However, no matter how lowly the users of Ashley Madison may be, the leak is still a breach of privacy should not be praised.

You might be thinking to yourself, “How can you defend cheaters/adulterers?”

Despite their lack of fidelity, these users are still people, and as people, they have both the individual and human right to privacy.

This isn’t a defense of cheat-

ing; this is a defense of the right of privacy as both an individual and a human right. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center this year, 93 percent of Americans believe that it is important to be able to control who can obtain information about them. In another survey in the same year, also by the Pew Research Center, 55 percent of Americans support the idea of anonymity when using the internet. Take for example, almost exactly a year ago, when the hacking of iCloud data released the nude photos of over 100 celebrities. While tabloids rushed to obtain these scandalous images, the majority public opinion quickly became apparent: this hack was a breach of privacy and cannot be tolerated.

So why is it not the same case for those exposed in the Ashley Madison hack? Many individuals say that their unscrupulous actions justify revealing their information to the public. Why not just slap a scarlet ‘A’ on their chests and call it a day? Hawthorne’s rolling in his grave.

To call oneself a defender of privacy, yet to jump on those hacked is complete hypocrisy.

It can’t be justified to violate an individual’s privacy just because they do something that isn’t agreed with. For now, it might be adulterers on Ashley Madison, but who knows what’s next? Public reaction to this hack sets a frightening precedent for the future of privacy. After Ashley Madison, what’s next? The information of anyone who’s registered on a porn website? Anyone who’s checked into a Planned Parenthood? Anyone who identifies as a certain religion? The users of Ashley Madison expected privacy when they registered for the website. Privacy is privacy, and the users of Ashley Madison deserve to not have this fundamental human right be infringed by those who may disagree with their actions.

Even if you’re thinking to yourself, “I have nothing to hide,” the next big security breach could happen to anyone. Who knows? Your personal information and your bank account information could be breached just because of that premium Neopets membership you bought way back in 2004. Both users and corporations need to take extra precautions in securing information, and the public should think twice before praising such breaches in privacy.

APUSH & CENSORHSIP MICHELLE PYKE online editor

Revisions will be enacted for the 2015-2016 school year

<

50

There will be 19 learning objectives now, not 50

Curriculum change passed by a vote of 3-2 SOURCE: CNN

Recently the College Board, the creator of the much beloved SAT and AP tests, significantly altered the structure of the AP U.S. History curriculum after a storm of criticism reached its shores in regards to the 2014 framework. Conservative critics were outraged by the course’s heavy emphasis on the negative aspects of American history and a curriculum that they felt was ultimately “anti-American”. In response, the College Board revised the tone of passages that previously referenced racial attitudes, prejudice, and white superiority in early American history as well as implement more passive language towards other delicate topics. In its defense, the opposition to the previous system does make a valid claim about the importance of language and how present politics should not influence the historical foundation of our country. Generations upon generations have struggled with the idea of retelling history because it is often directly applied to current standards even though the values of the past have been significantly altered by time.

In a Newsweek article published last month, author Zoë Schlanger contrasts the previous edition with the one students will be using this year. For example, the old document from 2014 directly addresses the racial landscape of Antebellum America (1800 to 1848); in one passage it reads:“Many white Americans in the South asserted their regional identity through pride in the institution of slavery, insisting that the federal government should defend that institution.” (p. 50) The 2015 version, however, removes the reference to “pride” in slavery, replacing it with a more subtle argument: “Antislavery efforts increased in the North, while in the South, although the majority of Southerners owned no slaves, most leaders argued that slavery was part of the Southern way of life.” (p. 51) History is an incredibly difficult topic in the education system because it is written by only a small fraction of the population, oftentimes by those gifted with power or reflecting the “majority perspective”. In this particular case, the institution of slavery continues to initiate heated controversy despite it being formally abolished more than a century ago. Modern politics has a stronger voice over the curriculum than most would assume. The first

HOW CONTROLlING WHAT STUDENTS LEARN IS DESTORYING PROGRESS

passage specifically targets southern Americans during the 19th century as those who were proud to use slavery, but is enslaving people the source of pride or just one of the social benefits from being unjustly marked as “superior”? The word choice is critical and in order to better understand history, the curriculum needs to focus more on what happened, not how students interpret it with their modern moral compasses in the way. The second passage, however, is the polar opposite because as it sugarcoats the South’s very heavy reliance on slavery both economically and socially. It was an integral part of that culture and justifying the past simply adds yet another layer of bias to the curriculum and education system.

I realize that I am by no means a historian and I respect the College Board for taking it upon itself to create a neutral curriculum about U.S. history, but the fact is, it is impossible to teach using unbiased documents. I would like to think that history is simply a nonfiction book ready to be opened to any particular chapter, but instead, it is volumes upon volumes of primary accounts that contradict each other and connect to current issues, igniting a wave of cries for action. What is interesting to me is how future generations will judge our actions? Will they see us with the same critical eye? My point is, opinions infiltrate every aspect of life and history is no exception.

The new framework for 2015 definitely softens the blows of our past in some respects, but last year’s curriculum suffered due to the heavy emphasis on what is considered “evil” versus “good.”

I think that everyone agrees that slavery is a shameful mark upon America’s record and ultimately caused the Civil War, but by evaluating the people involved using modern standards, students simplify that complex history. Additionally, history should not be a manipulated to make individuals feel better about the actions of their ancestors because its worth is not merely a personal gain.

History can teach us lessons as a society if we acknowledge our contrasting ties with the past and accept what has been written for decades as a challenge. We know what humans are capable of because of history and disillusionment never fails to ruin the progress that we so readily desire.

Features

6

September 18, 2015

JEREMY XUE

FRIENDSHIPS

KELSEY BOHANNAN JASMINE PAPAS

FRIEND BUDDY ACQUAITANCE SOULMATE COMPANION PLAYMATE SECOND SELF CLASSMATE PLAYFELLOW CONFIDANT ALTER EGO ALLY COLLEAGUE COUSIN PARTNER PAL SIDEKICK COMRADE CONSORT ROOMMATE BOSOM BUDDY SPARE CRONY CHUM EXPLORE SOME OF THE DIFFERENT LONG-LASTING FRIENDSHIPS AT TINO ROOMMATE COMPATRIOT WELL-WISHER MATE COHORT FAMILIAR FRIEND BUDDY ACQUAITANCE SOULMATE COMPANION PLAYMATE SECOND SELF CLASSMATE PLAYFELLOW CONFIDANT ALTER EGO ALLY COLLEAGUE COUSIN PARTNER PAL SIDEKICK COMRADE CONSORT ROOMMATE BOSOM BUDDY SPARE CRONY CHUM ROOMMATE COMPATRIOT WELLWISHER MATE COHORT FAMILIAR FRIEND BUDDY ACQUAITANCE SOULMATE COMPANION PLAYMATE SECOND SELF CLASSMATE PLAYFELLOW CONFIDANT ALTER EGO ALLY

SHALMALI PATIL

MELISSA S

opinions editor

flipside edito

“We were both blonde. We were both new,” sophomores Jasmine Papas and Kelsey Bohannan recounted as they thought back to their first day of first grade, when they first met each other.

Said Papas, “We were the two new girls, and everyone knew each other from kindergarten.”

Ever since first grade, Papas and Bohannan have stuck by each other and consider each other as siblings rather than just best friends.

“Our friendship really hasn’t changed,” Papas said.

Added Bohannan, “We [still] stick together.”

The two of them giggle, retelling their most memorable experience together.

Said Papas, “We spontaneously decided to make cookies one time. We put them into a toaster oven, and someone [rang] the doorbell. We both go over to the door and as we were talking to the person [at the door], all of a sudden, we smelt smoke.”

“The toaster oven was smoking...We almost set off the smoke alarm,” Bohannan recalled. “[The cookies] weren’t even edible because the top was burnt and the bottom was completely raw,” Papas added.

After much thought, the two could not think of any bad memories of the friendship. “I’m sure we got into fights in elementary school but I don’t remember,” Bohannan said.

Despite their effort to think of a hardship they faced during their friendship, they could not think of anything. They claimed that none of their fights ever stuck with them, as Papas later explained: “We are like siblings. One day you can be mad at someone for doing something really dumb and the next day you are totally fine with each other.”

They plan to take their friendship across the United States, as they plan to take a trip to Hawaii and road trip across mainland America someday.

From an outsider’s perspective, it is very obvious that the two have most definitely stuck by each other for the last eight years of their friendship. Although their friendship started off “very naive,” as they described it, they have formed a tight bond that they anticipate will develop, mature, and tighten in the years and travels to come.

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Features

The Prospector

September 18, 2015

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JEREMY XUE

JONATHAN PAN RYAN CHU

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ALEX SHIEH

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online assistant

ood friends have been there every step of the way, with you and your disastrous project to being the one you talk about anything and everything. Such is the f juniors Jonathan Pan and Ryan Chu, who have been since they met in third grade at Eaton Elementary

Childhood friendships, though rare and not essential, are important to an individual’s growth. It requires a pair to develop long-term trust, respect, and patience for one another. Not only are seniors Pia Mandrekar and Niharika Sanghavi currently close friends, but they also have been friends ever since their young years.

Said Mandrekar, “I’ve known Niharika for 13 years. That’s [even] longer than I know my actual sister.”

The two met each other on the first day of preschool, both satisfied that they had at least made a new friend. As time progressed, this friendship grew. From putting salt and pepper in toilets at Fresh Choice to attempting to convince people that they are sisters, this friendship has allowed Mandrekar and Sanghavi to obtain numerous memorable experiences. But most importantly, this friendship has allowed both of them to benefit from each other and grow as an individual.

Said Sanghavi, “We’re both very different people. Pia’s more energetic and outgoing than I am, so she basically helps keep me spirited in school.” “[Niharika] helps me keep my focus. When we work on homework, I would never pay attention. But, she would make sure I do my work,” Mandrekar said with a smile.

While creating friendships may feel a tad easy and simple, developing and maintaining friendships are difficult. Mandrekar and Sanghavi are able to do so through their similar personalities.

“We’re both pretty accepting, I would say, of each other in the circumstances we’re in. And we’re not people who hold grudges, take revenge, or something like that,” Sanghavi explained. “Overall, I think our personalities help us get along with one another.”

As the end of high school approaches, Mandrekar and Sanghavi realize that the likelihood of them attending the same college is slim. Still, nothing will put a halt to their friendship.

Said Sanghavi,“We have different friend groups [now], so we don’t see each other very often at school… But even though we’re not always next to each other, we always still try to keep in touch.”

The transition from high school to college will be an obstacle to Mandrekar’s and Sanghavi’s friendship, but neither will allow it to impact their friendship. Their childhood friendship is rare, one strengthened by their unique personalities, one developed by time, and one that they hope may become a lifelong friendship.

hu, “He’s probably the person that I talk to most, so need help with anything I ask him.” ing I want to share, I feel free to share with him... I’m tell him anything,” Pan agreed. alk as they walk down the hallway, constantly joking Pan reminisces of the pair’s failed fifth grade project, eep in his laughter. d a project where we were supposed to do a tutorial on how to make something... We were in the library cked up this random book. It was like ‘How to Make with a bunch of random instructions, and we just did idn’t really prepare for our presentation, so the day of ation, he just typed [the url] in and the screen popped unch of html broken stuff,” Pan said. wo have always been close, as they are constantly me together and going to each other for help. They’ve uite literally close. lly, [we’re close]. He lives, like, a few streets away,” . n easily note the differences between the two. Pan deas shy and creative, while Chu sees Pan as talkative. hey have in common, though, is their weirdness. weird,” Pan stated. he’s pretty weird, too,” Chu said. st people do, Pan and Chu have a few things on their

told him that when we’re fifty and old, we’re going to America and ride all the fun rides,” Pan said. d Chu’s tightness has clearly been strengthened by rusts and confides in the other. Each can understand ithout completing a sentence. Each can be himself other. Each is the other’s “bro”. ould go travelling sometime,” Chu said. re. Where do you want to go?” Pan responded. t know.” n?” sure, let’s go there.”

FRIENDS....

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ANDY WALCZAK WES MORSE PETER MARTIN sports editor

Assistant Principal Andy Walczak and history teacher Wes Morse have worked and taught together for many years. Today, they maintain a strong partnership as coworkers and friends, rooted in their similar backgrounds.

Said Walczak, “In Sunnyvale [and] where he grew up in Cupertino, [we went] through the [same elementary and high] schools. We both did journalism in high school, [and] both liked local history, so there’s just a lot of similar interest there. I think anyone around our age automatically likes the same music and movies.”

Morse and Walczak have worked together for many years, and a common administrative background helps them collaborate even now.

Said Walczak, “I left Cupertino to go teach and coach at Fremont and then became an administrator. So just that transition of leaving, leaving the classroom, and then coming back here to work with Wes [Morse] again, it was like there was no time off. I mean the job is different, but I don’t think the way we work together has changed at all. Again, it goes back to what we value, what we want the kids to experience, what kind of school we want to have. I think that’ll be the same as long as I’m in education.”

Added Morse, “I think his experience at Fremont and Lynbrook gave a different perspective. I left here to go to Homestead for a year and a half [as an administrator] that gave me a different perspective. I get what it means to be an administrator. It wasn’t for me, but I understand the limitations or the expectations. I understand what it means to be an administrator and I think that helps us work together, [because] I get it.”

Background aside, shared values and goals form the foundation of their friendship. “I think we trust each other’s judgement.”

Morse said. “I think we also understand where our roles were, and I think for me, my first year back doing ASB, I had to make some adjustments because the first time around I did it there wasn’t a Mr. Walczak to support leadership. So we figured that out pretty quick. We know our domain and we talk to each other. We don’t play the mom versus dad thing. What we value for activities, what we value for athletics, what we’d like to see the school be and do, I think we’ve been on the same page since day one.”

Stated Walczak, “I think we both share the belief that school should be a really community based place, where kids want to be, where adults want to be. That kids have a positive experience and want to go to events and be involved in activities and really supplement the academics with some fun stuff.”

Concluded Walczak, “Kids are awesome, they’re ambitious, they want to have fun, they’re passionate about activities and doing stuff for their fellow students, and that’s a lot of fun.”

“My best friend from kindergarten and I have these [...] conversations with our eyes where we can 100% understand what each other is saying.”

7

Lifestyles

8

September 18, 2015

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

THE POWER OF MUSIC DANIEL FERTELMEISTER copy editor

Talk to any musician, and they’ll tell you that their job is to make people feel. Talk to any good musician and they’ll tell you that their job is to go beyond that: to leave a lasting impact either on the listener or the world. Bob Dylan’s music inspired millions to stand up and protest for civil rights and against war. Marvin Gaye’s set a precedent for how protest music can be made popular and soulful. The Beatles brought the entire world together, standing up against social injustices and changing the way the world dressed in the process.

Throughout history, the most influential artists have been those who have been able to bring to cause a social change without necessarily ruining the harmony of the world. F. Gary Gray’s film, Straight Outta Compton, throws some new names into that conversation, a group who definitely didn’t mind hurting the harmony. The movie showcases Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, DJ Yella, MC Ren, and the late Eazy-E – N.W.A. – a group that

A SHIFT in SOCIAL MEDIA JENNIFER ZARATAN lifestyles assistant

JOSEPHINE ROBISON features assistant

had no problem disrupting the “harmony” of the world they lived in.

Set in the gritty neighborhoods of 1980’s Los Angeles, the movie is as much about the black musicians’ struggle with the police and the overall racism of the time as it is about the music they created. Throughout the film, the rappers’ violent encounters with law enforcement around the country showcase the state of racial relations at the time. The group’s lyrics focused on gang violence, drugs, and especially the police.

N.W.A. attacked the parts of society that people didn’t want to hear about. Instead of talking about love and happiness, they talked about pain, drugs, and violence. Millions rebelled against the records, saying it wasn’t music, just a violent mess. But as the movie points out, their art was simply a reflection of their reality.

And more than almost any other artist in recent history, their impact was seen far beyond their record sales. Their music was seen as instrumental in causing the 1992 LA riots – the

In April of 2008, the Internet witnessed Facebook taking over Myspace. Within five years of its creation, Myspace became obsolete. But as Facebook nears its 12-year anniversary, the website that revolutionized the Internet is showing signs of fading out.

As freshmen adjust to the school community, it has become apparent that their social media presence is very different from that of upperclassmen. 55 percent of seniors use Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram equally. However, only 11 percent of seniors choose to primarily use Instagram and Snapchat. Still, 34 percent of seniors are committed to Facebook and rarely use Instagram and Snapchat.

When asked the reason for choosing to use Facebook over other social media apps, Senior Katie Johnson said, “Facebook is much more personal than Instagram...you learn more about [others’] lives”.

On the other hand, only about 23.3 percent of the freshmen class indicated that they used Facebook as their main social media choice above all others; there’s nearly a 10.7 percent decrease in Facebook’s popularity among the freshmen than among the seniors. In comparison, 31.8 percent of freshmen that said they used Instagram and Snapchat more, adding up to a 20.8 percent difference from the senior class. The other 44.9 percent said they used them equally, or not at all. The rise in popularity of Instagram and Snapchat among the freshmen

FRESHMEN VS SENIORS

118 seniors & 107 freshmen were polled Use Instagram as main social media platform 26 seniors 30 freshmen

Use Facebook as main social media platform 52 seniors 25 freshmen

Use Instagram and Facebook equally 38 seniors 48 freshmen COMPILED BY JENNIFER ZARATAN AND jOSEPHINE ROBISON

worst race riots the country had seen in decades. The results however, were clear to see: the LAPD was reformed, race relations in the city began to improve, and rap had become a legitimate art form.

Looking back, Ice Cube has said that their music was their weapon, their form of non-violent protest. They found a completely new way to get their voices out, and the impact of their art was profound. They inspired millions to pick up the mic and talk about the world they live in, and forced the world to begin a new wave of social change in America.

When interviewed about the importance of their movie, the stars of Compton showed that the movie, just like the music of its subjects, aimed to do much more than entertain. Corey Hawkins, who played Dr. Dre in the movie, said, “we want to inspire people our age and younger than us to speak up and use their art.” His cast mate Jason Mitchell, the film’s Eazy-E continued, “and you just have to have your own light and not be afraid to let that shine.”

class may be due to a difference in interface and features unmatched by their competitors. While the seniors may disagree, Instagram, which features a simple format focused on usually more thought-out pictures, seems more appealing to some when compared with Facebook’s more complicated interface, often cluttered with ads.

The shift could also be an example of the bandwagoning effect in play: an essential part of social media’s popularity depends on what other people are using, as the whole point of social media is to interact with one another. When asked, freshman Conny Yang agreed more with this second explanation rather than the first.

“There’s nothing [special on Instagram],” she said. “[It’s just because] more people use Instagram than Facebook.”

Although the school’s social media platform of choice today is Facebook, each class’s graduation may be the start of another website’s end. While today’s freshmen may be influenced by the upperclassmen’s tendency to use Facebook, the case will likely be different once the upperclassmen leave and the younger classes use their preferred social medium for school activities. Though it outlasted Myspace, the iconic social network will not be around forever, and neither will Instagram or Snapchat. Regardless, what is for certain is that people are inclined to shift and change the way they interact with one another.

DATA OBTAINED BY SURVEYING SELECT 9 AND 12 GRADE LITERATURE CLASSROOMS

10.7 %

less freshmen use Facebook than seniors

20.8 %

more freshmen use Instagram and Facebook than seniors

FIGHTING FATIGUE method 1: TAKE A NAP

Lifestyles

The Prospector

September 18, 2015

9

ISABEL LIN lifestyles editor

Confession: I’m not a morning person …. nor am I a night person. Even after a healthy eighthour sleep, I still find it difficult to wake up in the morning and stay awake throughout the day and night. Coffee and caffeine may be the traditional ways to stay alert, but I decided to try several other unconventional ways to stay awake. The following five methods were tested over various sleepy nights.

PHOTO BY JASON MUNOZ

In my half-awake, zombie-like state, a nap was greatly welcomed. I set a countdown timer to 15 minutes, and within 30 seconds of my head hitting the pillow, I was knocked out. Alas, I awoke all too soon to the ill-sounding beeping of my timer. It took all the willpower in me to get out of bed and refrain from resuming my sleep. Returning to my desk, I felt even more tired than before; I was also bitter after being awakened from my blissful sleep. However, once the sleep had cleared from my eyes, I was able to resume my work with greatly enhanced clarity and energy.

Recommended nap time: between 10 to 25 minutes long.

METHOD 2: TAKE A COLD SHOWER Alternatives: splash face with cold water, drink cold water, chew on ice.

METHOD 3: exercise Recommended actions: dancing, going for a stroll, working out intensively.

VERDICT: EFFECTIVE

Desperate times truly do call for desperate measures. Like any other sane human being, I wasn’t the most thrilled to have to submit myself to the unpleasant activity of taking an ice cold shower.

Nevertheless, the biting, cold water that hit me provided me with sudden clarity and alertness.

After conquering the cold shower, I felt noticeably more refreshed, awake, and ready to brave the challenges of homework.

VERDICT: EFFECTIVE

As I was not the most inclined to perform intense physical activity, I opted to go for a 20-minute walk outside. The cool evening air proved to be a refreshing change from the stuffiness of my room.

While walking, I felt distinctly more relaxed and awake. However, upon returning to my room, all the energy I had gained seemed to drain immediately. Despite this, I found that I was able to continue my work with a more focused mind.

VERDICT: EFFECTIVE

method 4: EAT A (HEALTHY) SNACK Suggested snacks: yogurt with fresh fruit, peanut butter with apple, celery with dip.

METHOD 5: ACCUPRESSURE

Did someone mention food? Count me in! I decided to snack on a bowl of greek yogurt with blueberries and granola. While it was delicious and I enjoyed eating it, I was no less tired after eating. I did, however, feel hungrier after snacking, which led to an unfortunate late-night binge eating.

VERDICT: NOT EFFECTIVE Massaging my temples, wrists, and earlobes made me feel not only ridiculous but also uncomfortable .... perhaps it was because I was massaging incorrectly? Nevertheless, the unpleasant soreness that remained after my acupressure exercises left me alert—for about five minutes.

Recommended actions: pull earlobes, massage temples, press against the back of knees.

VERDICT: NOT EFFECTIVE

FOOD TRUCK (REVV)OLUTION

DELANIE MEDINA copy editor

Like many amateur chefs, Matt Cohen had a foodie dream. In 2010, to keep up with the popular “food truck revolution,” Cohen built a business that has continued to fulfill the dreams of other ambitious foodies: Off the Grid. Off the Grid, a for-profit business, assists mobile vendors with everything from location scouting to social media presence. However, before new trucks are allowed to join the exclusive group of vendors, Cohen’s team taste-tests all the food, reviews the quality of the truck, and makes suggestions on how the business can improve. Said Cohen, “We don’t book anyone whose food we don’t like, and if we have concerns with how you’re running your business, we’re going to be brutally honest.”

In just five years, Off the Grid has expanded to support nearly 260 food vendors at 35 weekly events around the Bay Area, including the Whole Foods at Cupertino.

Consumer demand for new and inspiring food, combined with a need for an enjoyable atmosphere, has propelled mobile cuisine to its current status, with food options ranging from creme brule to Hawaiian egg burritos. The groups of brightly painted vans serving unique cuisine in open spaces draw huge crowds of happy eaters and, unsurprisingly, have come to define the local upscale food truck experience. The food truck revolution has exploded in cities across the

United States in recent years thanks largely in part to the ambitions of passionate foodies, like Matt Cohen, who believe that food is meant to be enjoyed everywhere by everyone.

Similar to Off the Grid, the annual San Francisco Food Truck Festival provides guests with exceptional cuisine made by local food connoisseurs. Unlike Off the Grid, however, it draws in over 300 food trucks for the whole day and features free cooking demonstrations from local chefs. Both festivals host live performances from local musicians to entertain guests while they dine.

Not only do food trucks provide amazing dishes, they provide a distinct and inimitable atmosphere appealing to people of all ages, genders, and races. Regardless of the location, food truck festivals provide an unparalleled experience in an atmosphere propelled by its ability to make anyone feel welcome.

VENDORS such as...

THE CHAIRMAN CREPE ‘EM COMING CURRY UP NOW HONGRY KONG ROAD DOGS FROZEN KUHSTERD & MORE

@ Cupertino Whole Foods on 9/22, 5-9 pm

Sports

10

September 18, 2015

C.J. Cummings Teenage weightlifter and future olympian

RISHI NAIR copy editor

The United States has not won an Olympic medal in men’s weightlifting since 1984, when Guy Carlton and Mario Martinez both took home Bronze and Silver, respectively, for the Heavyweight and Super heavyweight events. And the only real reason they were able to place was because of the 1984 Summer Olympics Boycott, led by the USSR, one of the most dominant forces in the sport at the time.

But it seems as though things are about to change. The United States’ strongest hope for an Olympic medal

in thirty years has come around, and he looks poised to break the title drought. Clarence “C.J.” Cummings, Jr. has been breaking records left and right. In May of 2014, he won the Youth Pan American Title for 17 and under.

That is right, America’s best hope for Olympic weightlifting is only a teenager. A teenager brought up in humble surroundings in the rural Lowcountry area of Beaufort, South Carolina.

Unlike most of the world’s leading athletes in the sport, Cummings is only 15-years-old.

While most weightlifters and bodybuilders peak around their mid-20s in terms of strength and performance, Cummings already lifts more than many of the greatest weightlifters in history. No lifter his age has ever broken a USA weightlifting national record.

Cummings has posted some mind-boggling records already at such a young age. All this success Cummings has enjoyed so early in his Olympic weightlifting career suggests truly unbelievable performance later on when

By the weights Clean and jerk 126 kg

DROP SNATCH 150 kg

MARK WANG business manager

to

18

For many years, student athletes went through the process of filling out the paperwork printed from the athletics website in order to be eligible for sport participation.

Starting this school year, however, all schools in the Fremont Union High School District switched to a website called 8 to 18, requiring all student athletes to complete the signup process electronically. Similar to completing and turning in the paperwork in the previous years, athletes now have to make a 8 to 18 account and complete the process by filling in the information along with their parents.

tion, he went on to set football aside to focus on his true passion of Olympic lifting.

Having seen the heavy lifts he executes so well, many have renewed the decades old debate of youth weightlifting with regards to stunting growth. Standing at 5 feet, 2 inches, weighing 132 pounds, the concern has been expressed that lifting weight at a young age will damage a youth’s growth plates. The epiphyseal, or growth plates are located at each end of a long bone, such as the spinal cord, and control growth in height. However, a 2009 study by the NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) revised the common stance on youth resistance training. It attributed any reported injuries to inappropriate training techniques, excessive loading, poorly designed equipment, ready access to the equipment, or lack of qualified adult supervision. And so C.J. Cummings should thrive just fine doing what he does- leaving the best Olympic lifters in the dust.

62 KG 1984

The weight of c.j. cummings

FRONT Squat 201 kg

8

he hits his peak performance age range. There isn’t much question about Cummings’ dedication to weightlifting at such a high level, as his coach, Ray Jones, told the Washington Post, “Yes, he works at it. He trains hard, and he does all the things I ask him to do, but you really can’t concretely say why he does what he does.

He was just given a gift from God to do special things.”

Having first begun Olympic weightlifting in a class at St. Helena Elementary School in his hometown Beaufort County at age 10, Cummings talent shone and his trajectory in weightlifting quickly shot upward. By age 11, Cummings could clean and jerk 90 kilograms (roughly 198 pounds), double his bodyweight.

Since he first started weightlifting, Cummings has broken over 50 youth American records and holds all the records in five age-weight categories. While Cummings started out lifting only to supplement his speed and power on the football field playing the running back posi-

Born in south carolina

The last american olympic weightlighting medalists Mario Martinez SIlver heavyweight 110kg class guy carlton bronze heavyweight 110kg class

STUDENT ATHLETES REACT TO SCHOOL’S NEW ONLINE SPORTS REGISTRATION Senior Jed Lee, a water polo player and a swimmer for four years, describes his experience with the 8 to 18 process: “From what [8 to 18] looked like, it seems like all you have to do is to press some buttons, read, and get it done. It seems like a more efficient way to do things because you don’t have to deal with paperwork, you’re saving trees, and everything is online already.”

Being the new athletic trainer at Cupertino High School, Rochelle Collinwood is the one who directly responsible for helping the student athletes to complete the electronic forms.

Said Collinwood, “[8 to 18] was a good concept although the execution [for 8 to 18] was terrible for this semester. I think it is important that we educate students on how to use it because I spent a lot of one on one time with kids that don’t know how to do it.”

Despite having an easier access to the forms, some students may still encounter issues during the process. One problem, in particular, is the donation process in which athletes must go through a section regarding to donating money. It has caused some frustrations since some students are not able to opt out of donations. The administration has taken notice and so far given students a “decline” option on the website.

Craig Ellegood, the athletic director of the school who is currently coaching boys basketball, has said that the donation option is there to get people to donate due to the school’s need for monetary support.

However, Ellegood is optimistic about the change that has taken place in the athlete signup process.

Said Ellegood, “People [may] have some issues, but part of that is because [8 to 18] is new and people don’t quite get it. The more times they do this, the better they [will] get at it.”

T H E B U F F E R Z o n E

Sports

The Prospector

September 18, 2015

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Student athletes find themselves between Varsity and junior varsity LILY MARVIN online assistant

The buffer zone: a fancy term for a simple concept. Being in the “buffer zone” means that an athlete is on the edge between starting on Junior Varsity ( JV) or benching on Varsity. For some players that choice is made by the coach, but the many others need to make that decision themselves.

So is it better to play up and spend a year on the bench watching your teammates play, or is it better to stay on a team that won’t challenge y o u but get the chance to play all t h e time?

Every player wants as much game time as possible, and choosing JV guarantees more of that. However playing time isn’t set in stone. Coaches notice and reward hard work and improvement. If players push themselves, they could end up earning the playing time they want on the stronger team.

Being t h e big fish in the small pond sounds appealing, but being more advanced than the other players on the team can also be aggravating.

Buffer zone players who stay on JV will be spending the season with players who are younger and less experienced. It could be frustrating when the coach has to simplify drills because the rest of the team can’t keep up.

On Varsity, the play is harder and buffer zone players have to push themselves to keep up with teammates.

-improve skill

While it may seem intimidating at first, it could get easier with hard work.

Buffer zone players who spend the season on Varsity have the opportunity to improve considerably faster than they would on JV. For most sports, Varsity offers more conditioning, longer practices and more out of school tournaments, but that’s not the only advantage.

The game moves much faster at the Varsity level. Even if players don’t see much game time, just practici n g with more advanced teammates will help with the adjustment to the fast pace of Varsity games.

Playing on Varsity can be intimidating, and some buffer zone players may choose to play JV because the idea of Varsity scares them. Varsity is a big step up from JV, but it should be exciting not intimidating. No matter if a player is on the buffer zone or not, playing Varsity is the ultimate goal. Players who push themselves to play Varsity get a season to ease themselves in, work hard, and secure their spot for the next season.

Though it could be fun to be a star all year on JV, in the long run, it’s better to play varsity.

The level of play is more challenging and there is more room for improvement. Spending an extra season playing and learning to adjust to the fast pace of varsity games can only help, and there is always the possibility that hard work will get you more playing time.

CONS

- being benched

-rewarding victories

- intimidating to be a novice player on Varsity

-opportunity to grow within team

PROS

- larger time commitment

BREAKING THE ICE Alexandria Yao skates ahead of the competiton

CAROLINE GEE flipside assistant

While most athletes struggle to perform their best in any given sport, figure skater Alexandria Yao is able to compete successfully at a high level despite the difficulty of her sport - where not falling down is an accomplishment in itself.

A sophomore pairs and singles figure skater, Yao first stepped on the ice when she was seven years old and was immediately drawn to the sport. “It’s just a feeling you get inside, you can’t really describe it,” Yao said about her love for figure skating.

Yao currently skates at a novice level (two levels below the Olympics), and placed seventh in pairs skating against twelve other teams at the 2015 U.S. Nationals, held in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Every sport has its own commitment, and figure skating is no different. “Because I go to school full-time my training hours are more limited,” Yao said when asked about her schedule. “I skate six days a week and [during] weekdays I skate for at least two hours.”

Yao frequently cross-trains to strengthen her other muscles.

“I have one hour of off-ice [which are] pilates [exercises that are designed to increase muscle strength and flexibility] and ballet depending on which day of the week it is,” Yao said. “On weekends I try to skate as much as I can, which is usually three hours in the morning and then I have an hour of off-ice.”

While figure skating is difficult physically, it can be even more daunting mentally. “Some people see a psychologist and I just started seeing one, so I’m playing around with different methods that people use,” Yao said when asked about how she deals with her nerves.

Yao also alters her sleeping schedule before every competition.

“I don’t like to wake up too early for my performances so I usually only wake up one or two hours before so even if I skate at three in the afternoon I’ll usually wake up at one,” Yao said. “That way I don’t have to wait too much in between the times because the more you wait, the more nervous you get.”

As intense as figure skating can be, Yao prefers to keep her school life and her skating life separate from each other. “I like to think that school is half of my life and skating is half of my life so they’re not too overtaken by each other. Otherwise if something bad happens in skating, it won’t bring me down in school,” said Yao. Still, no matter how demanding the sport can be, Yao knows how to handle the pressure. “This summer I had great progress and I started to land high triples and that’s just a huge step in skating,” Yao said.

Even so, Yao knows to take things one step at a time. “While my improvements...are great, I just have to keep my pace nice and steady.”

Flip Side

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September 18, 2015

SEPTEMBER IN PHOTOS JEREMY XUE PHOTOGRAPHY

JASON MUNOZ PHOTOGRAPHY

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BACK TO SCHOOL RALLY | Senior Ulyana Tkach cheers at the school’s first rally of the year

SPIRIT WEEK | Government teacher Oliver Yeh dresses up for Mismatch Monday during spirit week

BACK TO SCHOOL DANCE | A group of freshman girls pose for a picture during the back to school dance

Birthday Traditions Each country has its own unique birthday traditions. Whether it be simply carving a name into a pie or having a great celebration for a girl’s 15th birthday, each is special and significant.

Money means A that the pencil child will suggests be that the In a child will be Korea, a wealthy a scholar. baby chooses an entrepreneur. item on its first birthday. This item is said A stethoto determine the A scope indicates baby’s future. paintbrush the child will symbolbecome a izes becoming a doctor. painter.

COMEDY HOUR | Senior Emerald Lacy impersonates Miley Cyrus at the school’s first comedy hour show

Around the World

pies” which have the child’s name carved in the crust.

photo editor

The Japanese celebrate the third, fifth, and seventh birthdays on November 15th, for odd numbers are considered lucky.

COMPILED BY CATHERINE SEOK

NEXT MONTH: OCTOBER

September 21 - September 25

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Capture the Flag Week

Wednesday, September 30 October 5 - October 19

Gay is OK JASON MUÑOZ

The Asante people of Ghana wash them- selves with a special leaf that purifies one’s soul.

Homecoming Week

JASON MUNOZ PHOTOGRAPHY

Rather than eat birthday cakes, Russians eat “birthday

In China, eating noodles on one’s birthday represents longevity.

In Latin America, a Quinceañera, a girl’s fifteenth birthday party, symbolizes the transition into womanhood.

CLUBS FAIR | Interact members endorse their club by taking pictures of potential new members at Clubs Fair

Wednesday, October 14

Debut Choir Concert

Tuesday, October 20 Wednesday, October 21

For the first sixteen years of my life, I believed that I was straight. I never doubted that - most people don’t - not seriously at least. After all, we’re all raised with stories of princes and princesses, love songs about kissing the special girl, and terrible romantic comedies where women fall in love with Adam Sandler. But then one day, I woke up, and I realized I liked boys. It felt like it came out of nowhere, and yet, I didn’t doubt that feeling either.

I woke up, and I texted my best friend that I thought I was gay, or bi… not straight, for sure. And she was happy for me. She accepted it just as quickly as I did. In fact, the first thing she mentioned was being excited for us to gush over cute boys together, with a mess of exclamation points and uppercase letters for good measure. This is a reaction that was echoed by every close friend I had – acceptance of my sexuality. Not only the acceptance of tolerance, but the acceptance of unconditional support and even excitement. On that end, things had gone smoothly. But not everything was sunshine and rainbows.

My friends accepted me, but I couldn’t, and oftentimes I still can’t. It’s not that I’m denying my sexuality – I’m gay, no doubts about it. My struggles stem from becoming comfortable with who I know I am.

When I notice a cute boy on the street, I feel guilty – like I’m not supposed to look at another boy that way.

When I give someone fashion advice or sing along to a Britney Spears song, I’m terrified of falling into a gay stereotype. When I find myself with a group of female friends, I feel like I’m just the “gay best friend”. When I mention to a male friend that I’m gay, and they show even the slightest sign of discomfort, I feel ashamed of myself just for being around them. When I told my mom that I was gay she cried, and I cried too.

So, why do I feel so guilty about things I can’t control, things I know aren’t wrong? I don’t know for sure, but I do know that I’m not being fair to myself letting myself feel all this guilt. I owe it to myself to learn to love every part of myself. I know that being gay is not the norm, and hell, it’s scary to be different, but it’s normal. You may feel like an outsider, I sure do, but you’re not alone on the outside.