Volume LII, No. 1

MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL

VOL. 52, NO. 1

September 23, 2016

41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539

MSJ introduces Thursday advisory period New period designated for teacher and student interaction

By Ella Chen & Andrew Kan Staff Writers MSJ adopted a new bell schedule in which an advisory period took the place of the read period on Thursdays. The idea for the new schedule, implemented September 15, began when Assistant Principal Jeff Evans attended a conference last year and saw how other schools had incorporated block schedules and advisory periods into their school week. Evans proposed the idea to Principal Zack Larsen and gathered a group of teachers to begin drafting a new schedule for the 2016-17 year. “We showed the schedule to all stakeholders to get their feedback. We threw out the idea of a block schedule, and we wanted something that didn’t drastically change the current bell schedule we had last year,” Evans said.

Originally, the staff team working on the proposal had wanted to create a period during the school day in which teachers could come together and collaborate in their respective departments. In order to make sure all students were engaged during the collaboration period, the team integrated the advisory period so that half of the faculty would be working together while the other half of the staff maintained “open door policies” for students.

During this time, teachers can hold activities in their room or allow students to use the workspace for projects and study sessions. Classrooms for these teachers are available for students to work together or individually, read, or relax. Before every advisory,

period a “menu” is sent out and posted around campus to let students know which rooms and areas are available during advisory. Outside of the posted classrooms, the gym, mini-gym, B-Wing Cafeteria, new A-wing Flex Room, and library are all available. To ensure that all students stay on campus, each student is given a time card to keep track of where they were during the advisory period.

When the new schedule was proposed to the entire faculty, the vote passed with a large majority.

However, because the new bell schedule is being implemented for the first time, logistical problems may arise. According to Evans, the departmental rotation

“Everyone likes the time outside of class time to build relationships and de-stress in the middle of the day.”

— IRVINGTON HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL SARAH SMOOT between collaboration and advisory could potentially prevent students from having sufficient time to meet with teachers, and students may find it difficult to spend the period in a particularly busy room. Evans said, “The system will get better with experience. It is going to feel a little odd at first, but soon enough, it will become as normal as going to your next period.”

Both Kennedy High School and Irvington High School have had an advisory schedule for several years. This year, Kennedy changed its advisory sched-

Students collaborate in the A-Wing Flex Room during MSJ’s first advisory period.

ule to, as Kennedy Principal Edward Velez said, “emphasize 28 minutes for sacred academic time.”

During the new advisory period, students are not allowed to use the bathroom, announcements cannot be made, and administrators walk through the halls to ensure that every classroom is doing an academically related task. On the other hand, Irvington High School has different types of advisory periods that depend on the day of the week. Some days are devoted to completing homework and reading, while

STAFF WRITER ELLA CHEN

other days highlight school culture and safety or emphasize working on projects and making up missed assignments. Irvington High School Principal Sarah Smoot said, “Everyone likes the time outside of class time to build relationships and de-stress in the middle of the day.” ▪

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Students create WarriorHub to streamline club signups Students launch a mobile application for club activity and announcements

By Sayan Ghosh & Kevin Li A&E Editor and Feature Editor Sophomores Yash Gupta, Apurv Prabhakar, and Abhi Uphadyay created WarriorHub, a mobile application that simplifies the process of joining clubs as well as keeping track of club events, deadlines, and membership.

Gupta, one of the developers of WarriorHub, conceived the idea for the app during the second semester of his freshman year. “I was a part of

each club’s Facebook group,” said Gupta. Another problem that arose was that students without a Facebook account were unable to receive regular updates about club activities and events. Gupta, along with Uphadyay and Prabhakar, aimed to solve this issue by creating a unified platform for all club-related affairs that would be separate from social media platforms such as Facebook. The group presented a basic prototype to ASB President Senior Shiv Salwan at the end of last school year and developed the entire system over the summer, de-

Store, allows club officers to claim access to certain clubs and act as administrators. They can send announcements, organize events, and easily add new members at the beginning of the year to both member and mailing lists within the app. Students can browse clubs they want to join in WarriorHub’s directory, “subscribe” to any club, and be notified of any special announcements or events. The app presents these notifications in an organized manner to prevent members from missing important events. MSJ Interact Treasurer Senior Kate Lin said, “The app itself seems useful since all club activity is located at a single hub.” She also noted that the web interface could be improved upon. “The original website interface used for officers to sign up and claim their own officers was extremely confusing and difficult to navigate. It would be help-

“The app itself seems useful since all club activity is located at a single hub.”

— MSJ INTERACT TREASURER SENIOR KATE LIN

A&E EDITOR SAYAN GHOSH

The creators of the WarriorHub app: Sophomores Abhi Uphadyay, Apurv Prabhakar, and Yash Gupta.

several clubs, but it was really hard to keep track of events and important announcements because the only way they were usually announced was through

buting it during the MAZE days.

Currently, the application, which is available for free on both the Google Play Store and Apple App

FRESHMAN SURVIVAL GUIDE Freshmen, check out this useful article for tips on how to succeed in high school.

ful if there were a way to add officers through the app,” said Lin. In the near future, the WarriorHub team aims to implement several new features such as organizing all club events into one calendar, which can be exported for integration into Apple or Google calendars. They also plan to expand the service to

VOICES: ADVISORY SCHEDULE MSJ implemented a new advisory period on Thursdays. Read to discover what students did during their first advisory period and what they hope to do in the future.

FEATURE EDITOR KEVIN LI

Students can browse for clubs on WarriorHub’s complete directory of clubs at MSJ.

individual grade levels and athletic teams. Although they are entirely focused on WarriorHub at the moment, the team also aims to expand beyond MSJ and into other FUSD schools. ▪

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Friday, September 23, 2016

New DECA Marketing Class Created Career Technical Education class constructed for DECA’s continuation

By Carolyn Ge & Richard Chenyu Zhou Web Editor and Staff Writer For the 2016-17 school year, MSJ implemented a Marketing course for students who are interested in participating in DECA. The class was created in response to the CA requirement for Career Technical Student Organizations such as DECA to have an accompanying Career Technical Education (CTE) course. The 120 students who take the class, taught by Social Studies Teacher Belinda Eugster, are split across sixth and seventh periods.

The CA Board of Education required Career Technical Student Organizations to have accompanying CTE courses in February 2015, which MSJ did not offer alongside its programs. Through letters sent by parents and students to FUSD emphasizing the value that the DECA program offered to students, the district decided to implement a Marketing class to ensure that DECA complied with the

“Students can focus on DECA on a daily basis and get a significant amount of practice ... Instead of once a week, they now get five times a week.”

-— DECA ADVISER TYLER ROBINSON new standards.

In each week of the Marketing class, there

AC Transit Implements Service Changes Line 624 has new improvements that cater to MSJ students

By Brian Tseng Feature Editor Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) made service changes on August 21 that included schedule changes on the 600 lines serving schools in the Bay Area. The AC Transit 624 line to Paseo Padre Parkway and Mission Boulevard, which serves both MSJ and Hopkins Junior High School, will now operate every weekday, whether school is in session or not.

The updated schedule follows a recent series of service changes. AC Transit provided dedicated buses for students up until late 2014, when policy changes such that federal funding required the buses to be open to the public as well. The school bus was dropped, which forced students to wait for the regular bus at

STAFF WRITER RICHARD CHENYU ZHOU

The new Marketing class, taught by Social StudiesTeacher Belinda Eugster, meets during sixth and seventh periods.

The class allows DECA to continue participating competitively at conferences.

are three workshop days and two lecture days.

Each workshop day covers a different aspect of DECA: the role-play, the written exam, and the case study. On lecture days, students cover business and marketing curriculum and listen to guest speakers, such as local entrepreneurs, who share their experiences in the business world. Eugster is developing a hands-on curriculum with the DECA officers geared towards producing results in compe-

titions. Once the district-approved textbook arrives, Eugster also plans to include it in her teaching plan.

DECA also implemented a secondary membership program for students who want to be part of the organization but cannot enroll in the class. Secondary members prepare for competitive events just as Marketing students do, but secondary members compete at mock conferences instead of real ones. This

benefits them if they decide to sign up for the class next year because they will already have experience with DECA conferences.

One major difference between this year and last year is that fewer students will participate in DECA. This year approximately120 students are enrolled in the course, a significant decrease compared to the 400 students in the program last year. Students will only need to take the course once to be able to participate in DECA for all following years of high school, so class sizes are expected to drop significantly in the future.

An advantage of this change is that students will have more time to collaborate and work on their projects than before. DECA Adviser Tyler Robinson said, “Students can focus on DECA on a daily basis and get a significant amount of practice throughout that.

That’s huge for them. Instead of once a week, they now get five times a week.” The DECA marketing class requirement allows dedicated students to commit more to the program and lessens the pressure to spend extra time on DECA as an extracurricular.

Regarding the future of the program, DECA Co-President Senior Alisha Agarwal said, “We’ve already seen a great deal of interest from students wanting to take the marketing class in future years, so we’re confident that DECA is only going to continue to grow.” ▪

3:40 p.m. After students and parents raised concerns, Mission Possible Parent and Faculty Association (MPPFA) members Monica Melville and Vivek Prasad collaborated with AC Transit to provide an extra-long 60-foot articulated bus that left the Bay Area Rapid Transit station immediately after the regularly scheduled bus on line 624, ensuring that the new bus would arrive with enough room for the students.

“I am thankful that [AC Transit’s] leadership at the highest level has worked with the MPPFA and school administration to find a workable solution for the school kids to get home.”

— MPPFA MEMBER MONICA MELVILLE NEWS EDITOR LUCILLE NJOO

In addition, students often pay with cash, which takes much more time than using Clipper cards. In one instance, 50 students paying in cash took over 15 minutes to board, though with Clipper cards, 50 passengers are expected to be able to board in less than three minutes.

To prevent students from taking excessive amounts of time boarding the bus, AC Transit representatives came to MSJ to sign students up for Clipper cards in 2014, and Melville handed out Youth Clipper card applications to

students at the bus stop. Despite this, most students continue to pay with cash.

Though the loss of the bus dedicated to MSJ continues to affect students, the additional bus on line 624 has solved many of the problems associated with the removal of the school bus. Melville said, “Not having a dedicated bus is not ideal, but AC Transit is not affiliated with FUSD. I am thankful that their leadership at

the highest level has worked with the MPPFA and the school administration to find a workable solution for the school kids to get home.”

To provide feedback on bus issues, contact MPPFA president Betty Bai at president@mppfa.org.

Youth Clipper card applications can be found online at www.clippercard.com. ▪

EASTBAYTIMES.COM Protestors march around the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton during the Urban Shield police training.

ABCNEWS.COM Wells Fargo will pay $185 million for opening fake bank accounts and applying for credit cards without authorization since 2011.

WSJ.COM Rodrigo Duterte warned Obama not to question his policies, which led to cancellation of a meeting between the two leaders.

Protesters arrested at Pleasanton’s “Urban Shield” Police Training Local police arrested 23 protesters for civil disobedience on September 9 outside the nation’s largest first responder exercise known as Urban Shield, according to Alameda County Sheriff Department officials. The event, which was hosted at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, was a combination of training, competition, and trade show. Local police forces gained emergency situation training as well as adopted military weaponry such as riot gear and armored vehicles. However, protesters claim that Urban Shield is a forceful display of the growing militarization of police forces across the country.

Wells Fargo to pay $185 million for fraudulent accounts Wells Fargo was fined $185 million on September 8 for illegally opening fraudulent accounts since 2011. For years, the largest bank in the US created millions of fake bank accounts and applied for hundreds of thousands of credit cards without the authorization of customers in order to meet sales targets and receive compensation. In addition to the heavy fine, Wells Fargo also laid off 5,300 employees, saying it would take “disciplinary actions, including terminations of managers and team members who acted counter to our values.”

Obama cancels meeting with new Philippine President President Barack Obama called off a planned meeting with new Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte after Duterte warned Obama not to question him about extrajudicial killings taking place in his country. The two were scheduled to meet in Laos for a regional summit, but on September 6, National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the meeting with Duterte was off, due to Duterte’s comments. Although Duterte has been under global scrutiny over these comments, he is currently enjoying a 91 percent approval rate within his own country and has been praised for taking action against the country’s drug problems.

AC Transit’s changes to bus line 624 make taking the bus more convenient for students.

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Compiled by Andrew Choi, Michelle Dalarossa and Mallika Gupta Web Editor, A&E Editor, and Centerspread Editor

Friday, September 23, 2016

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tanushri’s tangent

The Smoke Signal Mission San Jose High School Est. 1964 Vol. 52, No. 1 | Sept. 23, 2016

Why scientific integrity matters to students

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By Tanushri Sundar Opinion Editor

41747 Palm Ave. Fremont, CA 94539 510-657-3600, ext. 37088 MISSION STATEMENT The Smoke Signal’s mission is to represent the voices of the MSJ community and serve the public by providing accurate, meaningful, and engaging information presented through print and digital mediums.

SCHOOL POPULATION 2014 students EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Rishab Ramapriyan, Monica Tang NEWS Ishika Chawla, Lucille Njoo OPINION Anthony Chen, Tanushri Sundar FEATURE Kevin Li, Brian Tseng CENTERSPREAD Ashley Chang, Mallika Gupta A&E Michelle Dalarossa, Sayan Ghosh SPORTS Mustafa Ahmed, Cindy Yuan GRAPHICS Zen Thumparkkul, Victor Zhou WEB Andrew Choi, Carolyn Ge TECH Andrew Kan, Julia Park BUSINESS Ansh Patel CIRCULATION Deeksha Raina ADVERTISING Ella Chen, Richard Chenyu Zhou EVENTS Amber Lee, Heather Gan WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS Shivani Avasarala, Evangeline Chang, Gloria Chang, Amy Chen, Hannah Chou, Joelle Chuang, Stephanie Dutra, Katherine Guo, Ian Hsu, Jessica Jen, Jonathan Ko, Anagha Mandayam, Jenny Miao, Michael Ren, Hana Sheikh, Evie Sun, Helen Wang, Bethany Woo, Vicki Xu, Maggie Zhao ADVISER Sandra Cohen Send letters to the editor to opinion@thesmokesignal.org. Letters under 300 words may be considered for publication and must include a full name and school affiliation. The Smoke Signal reserves the right to edit for clarity and length.

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I remember guiltily standing next in iry has validity and sho ld serve to my trifold poster at my second as an honest resource for all people. grade science fair. Would anyone ever A small set of data often inspires the guess that my yellow daffodils didn’t larger, more complex scientific experiactually grow taller when exposed to ments that we deem important.

Bach? But when my science teacher And in science, where researchers placed a second place medal around are the experts of their area of study, my neck, I started wondering some- it’s incredibly simple to be dishonest. thing else — would anyone ever care? There are few people who have the It's important to remember that time and reso rces to prove findings that there is no glaring neon sign that incorrect. In cases similar to that of warns s when o r scientific research South Korean Researcher Hwang becomes important. The boundary Woo-Suk, who falsely claimed to have between "legitimate" and "illegitimate" extracted stem cells from a cloned science is faint, and in all cases, fabri- human embryo, dishonesty is devascating or falsifying scientific data has tating. Woo-Suk’s “discovery” promits conse ences. e gain new experi- ised cures for Parkinson’s disease and ences — a summer internship grows Alzheimer’s disease, and he himself into a job and later a career — and no promised a paralyzed 10-year-old boy matter how far we go, we’ll always face that he would walk again. Understandthe same pressure to take the easy way ing the importance of scientific integout. rity from childhood prevents us from Just a few months ago, I was work- falling down a slippery slope and traming with a team of high school students pling other people in the process. to engineer a medical device. Our goal Furthermore, prioritizing the end was purely educational; we wanted goal, such as a prize, points, or presto learn about the biodesign process tige, strips us of the opportunity to and experience working in a lab, but understand that science is more unsucthroughout the entire project, I felt a cessful than it is successful. We should nagging pressure to produce some- embrace inconclusive results, not mathing successful by the end of the sum nipulate or discard them. There should mer. And the more tests our prototype never genuinely be an end goal because failed, the easier I felt it would be to fake o r in iry contin o sly adapts. the data, get approval, and move on. single experiment can open up more After all, would my device, the “Safety hypotheses than can be tested in a lifeShell," ever hit the market? time. We are so motivated to complete n fact, it most definitely co ld, and and achieve, but the best education and I would only cheat myself of this oppor- the most prominent discoveries almost tunity by jumping toward a short-term always come from losing and trying reward. My mentality would not only again. ▪ hurt myself but also take away from the integrity of scientific research. very

The Opinion of the Smoke Signal Editorial Board

The Impact of Patriotic Protest In a stand against racism and police brutality, San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem in two preseason games. “I am not going to stand p to show pride in a ag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL (National Football League) Media. “To me, this is igger than foot all and it wo ld e selfish on my part to look the other way.” In light of Kaepernick’s refusal to stand, we bring attention to the weight of participating in acts of patriotism, such as the Pledge of Allegiance.

Everyone has the right to choose to or not to participate in patriotic acts. Just as Kaepernick is not officially re ired y the F to stand for the national anthem, students are not legally re ired to stand for the pledge.

We often don’t stand for the weekly recitations, even though many of us were taught and asked to memorize the Pledge of Allegiance in kindergarten. As we grew tired and busy, the pledge faded into the background of our lives, becoming as routine and mundane as the morning announcements. But while we are within our rights to remain seated, we should not take this non-participation lightly.

Showing dissent in ways such as refusing to stand for the anthem or pledge sends a powerful message to those around us. By sitting for the anthem, Kaepernick uses his platform to make millions of Americans aware of injustice and oppression. Similarly, by staying silent for the pledge, a student has the power to tell his or her peers that he or she disagrees with the nation’s current policies on social issues such as gun violence, illegal immigrants, or hate crimes. Students can educate their peers about their perspectives and points of view, starting valuable conversations with a simple, silent action. Protesting against patriotism is a powerful way for individuals to raise awareness and spark change. We cannot let this method

of protest ecome insignificant thro gh o r indifference.

On the other hand, participation in acts of patriotism is e ally powerf l t only if we understand the meanings behind our actions. For example, the Pledge of Allegiance is not meaningless. In reciting it, we verbalize belief in our nation’s promise of liberty and justice and strengthen our unity and loyalty.

Like Kaepernick, we ought to think about what our seemingly ritualistic words and actions stand for, and evaluate whether or not they ring true.

In today’s world, we can easily express our patriotism online by using the hashtag #PrayFor rlando or filtering o r Face ook profile pict res with the pride ag or the French ag, t these feat res are so accessi le that we don’t always consider what they truly represent. We click the “post” button, thinking that we’ve done our part to initiate change when all we’ve done is contribute to a wave of passive sentiment. We don’t process the fact that we, as citizens of the United States, need to make a greater effort to stand against hate and stand up for tolerance. Would our world be the same if each person who publicized his or her despair in 140 characters or less genuinely gave a trending social issue some thought? Would our world have more openended conversations, contributions to charitable causes, and empathy?

Staying silent and speaking up both have the ability to draw attention to important ca ses, t the in ence of these two methods are dependent on how we choose to use them. Choose wisely. ▪

Opinion 3

anthony’s answer Using Social Media: Con-troll yourself

By Anthony Chen Opinion Editor When I get bored online, I often find myself tagging my friends in silly pictures or jokes on Facebook. However, the uses of social media have been expanding beyond pure entertainment. When a majority of our community is online, we must be wary of how we conduct ourselves on social media and how those actions contribute to our culture.

Social media has become a platform that can easily facilitate offensive or toxic comments. Going online to post offensive or irrelevant statements just to provoke a response from people is widely referred to as “trolling.” While trolling is often considered harmless, the MSJ community is all too familiar with the offensive comments on Facebook regarding MSJ’s decision to suspend the football program and how upset those statements made our community feel. Because people do not have to meet face-to-face, the Internet offers a barrier between the aggressor and the victim. This barrier makes people more insensitive or hurtful than they would be face-toface. This effect is amplified f rther when "trolls" can remain anonymous.

A fellow senior recently showed me an anonymous Twitter account created in August that posts offensive tweets about our school, its class, cl s, and even specific people. osting these statements is so easy because there are no conse ences for saying them anonymously. While the tweets do sometimes mention legitimate issues, such as the Class of 2017’s debt or the concerning price of the Senior Getaway, posting anonymous tweets

and rudely calling out people contributes nothing but negativity and toxicity to our community.

In contrast to these harsh comments lie the lass of officers’ online communication methods.

The officers have sed Face ook as a platform to clarify the intricacies of MSJ’s issues and accept the students’ feedback in polls and ask-me-anything-style posts about the class debt, Senior Getaway, and Homecoming.

This kind of communication gives everybody a fair voice to legitimately discuss issues that concern us.

Examples of good communication online go far beyond just the senior class officers, however. The newly developed application WarriorHub will also provide a platform for clubs and its members to communicate. Its subscription service will potentially give smaller clubs a louder voice for delivering messages to its perspective members.

Social media is simply a platform for self-expression. While it can act as a barrier when people insensitively do as they please, it can connect people in productive conversations about our community’s issues. On social media, a versatile platform that can either divide or connect people, we must remember that our actions, online or face-to-face, contribute to our community’s culture. When we have a problem with how things are, let’s consider how we’re contributing to the conversation ourselves. ▪vv

By Lucille Njoo & Zen Thumparkkul Graphics Editor and News Editor

GRAPHICS EDITOR ZEN THUMPARKKUL

NEWS EDITOR LUCILLE NJOO

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Opinion 5

Public awareness holds politicians accountable shows that even if politicians are accused of a crime, they will try to argue that their actions were minor offenses or blame othWith Election Day rapidly approach- ers instead. ing, the words and actions of political candidates are rising to new heights of Even if politicians do come unexaggeration as well. In both current and der scrutiny, they often deny their past elections at every government level, guilt while navigating the line bepoliticians have lied and bribed their way tween “illegal” and “immoral.” to power. However, despite their false accusations and made-up “facts,” these poliBeyond alleged illegal campaign acticians aren’t always investigated by the tivity and bribes, politicians often aren't law. These unpunished breaches of ethics held accountable for factually inaccurate point out the inability of our legal system or manipulative rhetoric. If there were a to hold politicians accountable for their rule that punished politicians for making actions. To make up for the legal system’s false statements, politicians could abuse weaknesses, we must value media scrutiny this rule to “hush up” opponents by suing and voter power as important methods of for minor exaggerations. This lack of ackeeping politicians accountable for cor- countability leaves room for politicians to rupt practices. make statements that can yield unwanted The current legal system prosecutes conse ences. For example, the So thern politicians for actions that are explicitly Poverty Law Center conducted an online against the law, but catching politicians en- survey in which nearly 2,000 teachers disgaged in criminal activity is difficult. Even cussed the effects of the 2016 presidential if politicians do come under scrutiny, they campaign. The report found that the camoften deny their guilt while navigating the paign rhetoric is “producing an alarming line between “illegal” and “immoral.” For level of fear and anxiety among children example, Congressman Mike Honda is of color and inflaming racial and ethnic currently undergoing an ethics probe after tensions in the classroom,” including elthe nonpartisan Office of Congressional ementary school classrooms. In particuEthics reported “there is substantial rea- lar, more than 1,000 comments out of the son to believe that Representative Honda 5,000 collected mentioned Donald Trump, and members of his congressional staff who has talked about deporting minorities. used official resources, including staff Teachers also stated that students have time, to benefit his campaign.” By exten- become encouraged and emboldened to sion, that means Honda might have used harass classmates that are different from taxpayers’ money for campaign purposes them. This shows how Trump, with his instead of official government duties. In outrageous statements, serves as a bad poresponse to this report, Honda’s office has litical role model. released a statement saying that the events Media scrutiny provides an informal under investigation are “largely clerical in method of holding politicians accountable nature, involving sloppiness by staff relat- for their claims, because news sources ofing to administrative rules.” This response ten fact check what a politician says and

By Amber Lee & Cindy Yuan Staff Writer and Sports Editor

STAFF WRITER AMBER LEE

broadcast the results to the public. For instance, websites like www.PolitiFact.com evaluate statements by politicians and rate them as true or false. However, media scrutiny

"[Presidential campaign rhetoric is] producing an alarming level of fear and anxiety among children of color and inflaming racial and ethnic tensions in the classroom.”

— SOUTHERN POVERT Y L AW CENTER

only works when the public is willing to spend time keeping up with political news.

In addition, the media often puts a biased twist to align reports with their own interests, so citizens have the added responsibility of reading and comparing multiple news sources to figure out the facts. Even if news sources are entirely unbiased and only serve

to inform the public of the truth, many people are more inclined to believe fictitious rhetoric if it includes statements that protect or agree with their personal views.

One of the strongest ways to enact political accountability is through voter power. If a politician doesn’t serve his or her constituents well, voters can elect another official in the next term, and this system encourages political candidates to keep the public’s best interest in mind. However, in communities that are not aware or informed of what their elected officials do in office, voters relin ish their power. It is absolutely necessary for voters to inform themselves about political activity, and therefore, the power rests in the hands of the people to hold politicians accountable for what they say and do. ▪

Do you think that summer enrichment programs that cost money are a worthwhile use of time?

SANIL

Summer programs

EV

ONG, 12

YA RAN

G

CELINA

LE 11

DIV

Have you ever felt pressured to participate in a summer program or internship?

E,

“I think it’s necessary for some people, like the summer of sophomore year, but I really do feel bad for people who have to do it. It’s such a waste of summer because you can be doing so many other things.”

“I was pressured to apply to a UC Davis research program and I literally had no clue what it was about, except that it was a UC Davis program, and it was research, good, and hard to get into…[A]pparently doing stuff that’s hard to get into over the summer helps you get into college. I’m not a fan of this system.”

THAN KRET A C N

2 ER, 1

“Yes. It seems like everyone's doing them and they're almost bragging about how awful their summer is. Everyone's competing to see who had the worst summer, who had to do the most SAT stuff, who had to work the most hours, but they're not thinking of it as something enriching.”

HM

JHALA, 11 AJ AV

“Standardized tests are supposed to be gone into without any type of extreme preparation. However, the stigma at MSJ around these things is extreme and competitive. These boot camps simply fuel the fire that is peer pressure, and in that aspect, they aren't beneficial in the bigger picture.”

“I usually try not to go to the camps that cost a lot of money, but I mostly think the camps that are expensive usually are worth it. They usually provide books and other utensils, and don't waste time [while] teaching. I'm not sure if this goes for all expensive summer programs though.”

JO

A SAR

H

CH

YUN, 10 YN L E

10

"I feel that many of them are great opportunities to prepare for tests because they plan out a schedule which helps a lot when it comes to discipline."

N WON HA G, T E

11 LA,

How do you feel about summer standardized test preparation "bootcamps"?

A

W

“Summer programs really are a mixed bag, and students should take into account the program’s specific benefits and talk to alumni before deciding whether it’s a worthwhile use of time and money for the student.”

CH

PHOTOS BY OPINION EDITORS ANTHONY CHEN & TANUSHRI SUNDAR & FEATURE EDITOR KEVIN LI

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Feature 7

This s mmer hiked over menacing glaciers, ehind drenching waterfalls, thro gh knee deep snow, next to recently er pted volcanoes, in front of rare arctic foxes, and nder the serene midnight s n in celand. Those hikes, while stren o s and at times terrifying, were still infinitely more peacef l than arriving in the U the day of rexit, which also did.” nglish Teacher yan arple

ryan marple

lane melcic took a few ights this s mmer...

June: SFO-MCO-SFO July: SJC-NRT-BKK-SIN-JNB-CPT-DUR, JNBDOH-LAX-SJC g st SF U D S ,S S here will go next ” Science Teacher ane elcic

ilt an open faced media ca inet in three days asically . mean scratch eca se doodled it one night on the ack of a piece of card oard. The next day o ght cherry oards from a hardwood l m er store of varying si es, slapped it together and sanded a few lemishes along with a first go at sanding with grit. got it a little wet to raise the grain and left it overnight to dry.

Day two, went ack to sanding, scraped off a few gl e drips. sanded it fo r more times, for a total of five, sing , , , , and grit. Then stained it with lack cherry stain and sanded it again with grit.

Day three needed to to ch p a few spots, so did that and moved a nch of river rocks to landscape my garden while the stain dried. fter a o t six hrs. of rock moving landscaping, sanding and recoating and, of co rse, more drying and sanding, went ack to my new piece of f rnit re and p t on a good final coat of shellac. ore rock moving and a little electrical work, yo know for f n while that dried. nd then sanded it again with . applied a little more shellac, sanded it one last time, wiped it down with an old shirt and listened to Tom aits lo dly sitting on my co ch and admired my handiwork. Doodle to art in a few days.” Special d cation Teacher ess c a ley

jess mccauley

staff summer adventures

By Ashley Chang, Anthony Chen, Sayan Ghosh & Zen Thumparkkul Centerspread Editor, Opinion Editor, A&E Editor, and Graphics Editor

A

The Smoke Signal s rveyed

S staff online to find o t all sorts of interesting experiences that their students.

morgan goldstein

S ’s staff had over the s mmer and ro ght ack to share with

This s mmer clim ed t. ierstadt, my first er a mo ntain with a s mmit at or a ove , feet . hile hiking the last part of the ridge, an F ew close overhead. The pilot t rned the plane so the cockpit was facing all of s on the mo ntain and waved yes, the plane was so close we co ld see him waving at s . t is y far the coolest thing have ever seen ” nglish Teacher organ oldstein

The S Tsingh a pro a ly was the most advent ro s trip since this was only the second time ever that was in hina. verything was interesting and challenging, from the hot and h mid weather to the cool ree e after a rainstorm from learning a o t the wild Dendro i m officinale an endangered potent Traditional hinese edicine to listening to Dr. olfgang etterle o el a reate descri es the process for discovering the ose instein condensate as cooling a c p of hot tea sic . loved the experience and non stop stim lation in ei ing. t was one of my most press red o s ever. t s rely topped my experiences developing c rric l m for Stanford University, working at ockheed artin for ission S ccess, and watching the whole department getting g tted at pplied aterials. y o was to g ide the elite high school st dents to ask themselves the right critical thinking estions every step of the way, and pick p the stressed o t st dents y ringing hot noodle so p or saying enco raging words as some of them reali e that they no longer are the est there is. t the end of the th week, we co ld not elieve we did it. ne of my st dents got the est paper and est presentation. othing is etter than that to wrap p this advent re. The o rney contin es on even when am ack in the States. am admiring my large collection of hinese her al ooks. am practicing together with my h s and how to play the clay tes that got from the night market. have yet to get to the ea tif l hinese calligraphy that rofessor i gave as presents. am still feeling sentimental from walking the footsteps that many emperors and conc ines walked along the crowded t now emptied alaces in For idden ity.” Science Teacher ing aty ei

Ling Ru katy kuei

ivy lee This past s mmer, had the opport nity to go to am odia. was in ngk’ eay illage, ampot rovince for the first week, and in hnom enh for the second week. So different than alifornia opeds everywhere, pedestrians do not have the right of way, and chickens and cows r nning aro nd the village, t it was ama ing D ring my weeks, ate a lot of good food, went to visit different to rist sites, went rice planting, t also worked with st dents of all ages. ta ght nglish, did arts crafts, led vario s workshops i.e. leadership, emotional intelligence , and also learned a lot from the st dents and families. ne of the things reali ed is that the high school and college st dents have the same str ggles and oys as many of the st dents here at S don’t know what was expecting ll in all, am odia is a ea tif l co ntry filled with s ch welcoming and loving people an’t wait to go ack one day D sic ” o nselor vy ee

PHOTOS COURTESY MORGAN GOLDSTEIN, LING-RU KATY KUEI, IVY LEE, RYAN MARPLE, JESS MCCAULEY & LANE MELCIC

8 Feature

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wesley wei

The Smoke Signal

“Over the summer, I joined the Moderation team. It’s for a gaming group. And then I also joined another gaming group. And all the two groups had like a thousand players in them, and yeah it was pretty cool. Both groups were, I think, Steam gaming groups, and they focused mainly on Team Fortress 2 and CS:GO, so that was pretty cool.

And the second one was a trading group.” – Wesley Wei, 9

upasana mustafi

Friday, September 23, 2016

“Over the summer, I rolled down the Mission amphitheater with my friend and I went to Europe.

My favorite summer memory was going on a boat cruise down the Danube river in Budapest because we got to eat lots of good food and see all the places we saw during the daytime except it was all lit up, and we got an ocean view.

Also, our entire tour group was there, so food and friends on a river at night in Budapest was super f n ” Upasana stafi,

student summer adventures

By Anthony Chen & Michelle Dalarossa Opinion Editor and A&E Editor

A

The Smoke Signal reached o t to st dents to find o t what advent res they went on over s mmer reak, and selected a few to e featured.

“I went to Carnegie Mellon University for their pre-college program. I was in the APEA program, which means that we took two college courses, except we took six two-week college courses, which they squished into six weeks for the purpose of the program. So I took a[n] arguments and logical analysis course, which was a part of the philosophy department. So we had to read philosophical works by like Bertrand Russell and other philosophers. And we had to write essays about it, analyzing their logical arguments, and the rhetoric that they use, and the logical fallacies that they had in order to persuade the audience. And my other course was an intro to psychology course, which is like AP Psych, I guess. We all had to individually watch a movie about someone with a psychiatric disorder, and that was cool because I watched The Three Faces of Eve, and it was based on actual documents from the woman’s therapist. That was really cool, so you got to see a different side of the human mind.” – Caroline Chen, 12

caroline chen

“I had my Indian classical dance debut solo performance that I practiced all year for, and it went pretty well, so I’m happy. t was the first time that the entire three-hour performance was devoted to just me, and it was a really nice experience because I had a lot of support from all my family and friends. t was like my first real performance in dance so I can become a professional.” – Prerana Kiran, 11

prerana kiran

PHOTOS BY OPINION EDITOR ANTHONY CHEN & A&E EDITOR MICHELLE DALAROSSA

Friday, September 23, 2016

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THE

DIEHARD TRYHARDS take on

Pokémon was pretty much a foreign subject to me until I ventured to download the game over the past summer. It was more out of curiosity than anything else. Needless to say, it’s been quite exhilarating, running around Fremont day and night for those prized catches. I’ve had my share of video games as a child, and ’m confident that I’ll bring my excellent hand-eye coordination skills to the challenge.

RISHAB

Feature 9

Three eager Smokies decided to venture into the exciting world of Pokémon, determined to catch them all and conquer gyms with their might. Each trainer represented a different team and competed to take over a local gym. Who will rise above to become the tr e ok mon master ead on to find o t

By Carolyn Ge, Rishab Ramapriyan & Cindy Yuan Web Editor, Editor-In-Chief, and Sports Editor

A

Pokémon Go

I’ve been a loyal Pokémon fan since the ripe age of six. I’ve played nearly all the Nintendo DS games, collected the cards, watched all the movies, you name it. So naturally, I downloaded Pokémon Go the moment it was released, and I’ve been hooked ever since. My extensive background knowledge and dedication to this game will surely give me a decent advantage against my competitors.

CAROLYN

Ever since I was a small child, I was an enthusiastic fan of the Pokémon anime. Sadly, my interaction with the game itself was limited to staring wistfully at my friends, each of whom possessed their very own Nintendo DS while I was left lonely and empty-handed. But ever since the release of Pokémon Go, I’ve been eager to make up for that lost part of my childhood, and ’ve finally started the journey to become the very best.

CINDY

Competition My strategy is simple: capture and evolve as many gym-ready combatants as possible. I plan to literally put in the “extra mile” to craft my dynamic team of Pokémon, however physically demanding that may be.

Patience will be the key to victory, as I amass stardust, candies, and items. My methods may be a bit old-fashioned, but I’m sure victory awaits Team Instinct and me.

Although I can’t reveal all my trade secrets to the world, I will say that my motto is gotta catch ’em all ven seemingly-useless Pokémon such as Pidgey will be crucial to my success because evolutions bring valuable experience points. My strategy involves leveling up as quickly as possible in order to catch Pokémon with high combat power to take that gym for Team Valor.

Points

Casting all temptations aside of solely catching the cutest little pocket monsters, I plan on focusing all of my week one efforts into leveling up and building a sizeable amount of stardust in order to compete with the gyms around Fremont. Once I’m as strong as possible, I’ll power up my best Pokémon with the stardust and be well prepared to take down that gym.

Gym Captures: 0

Gym Captures: 2

Gym Captures: 2

Medals Won: 1

Medals Won: 14

Medals Won: 9

As ambitious as my plans were, my team of underpowered Pokémon was practically eliminated during my vain efforts to battle the gym. I scrambled to treat my Pokémon with revives and potions, only to be decimated again. I may have taken the first week of the challenge st a it too slow, compared to my enthusiastic competitors. Well, I guess this is a sign that I need more preparation before my next attempt to enter the cutthroat Pokemon realm. It won’t be long before I return stronger to claim my victory; Pokémon trainers beware.

Reflection

Catching every Pokémon in my sight (except for the Rattatas who simply refused to stay in their Poké Balls) was no easy feat t first tho ght wasted my evee nings y scrambling back and forth between Pokéstops, but now I Bayleef that it was all worth it. I watched my experience points shoot up faster than I could say “Pikachu.” With powerful companions such as Bubbles the Vaporeon and Bzzt the Electabuzz, I managed to control the gym for the majority of the competition and sec red myself an nix pected victory

I was eager to hunt Pokémon and become the Pokémon master, t my eagerness proved ins fficient in the face of to gh competition. I leveled up quite rapidly, but compared to my competition, was a Slowpoke was m ch too la y to frequently walk to the gym, despite my Pokémon being strong enough to take it down. Despite the loss, I think my collection of the most adorable Pokémon was a satisfying consolation.

Next time, I won’t be so easily deterred from traveling the extra distance, so watch o t trainers

PHOTOS BY FEATURE EDITOR KEVIN LI, PHOTOS COURTESY WEB EDITOR CAROLYN GE, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF RISHAB RAMAPRIYAN & SPORTS EDITOR CINDY YUAN, GRAPHICS BY IMGUR.COM

10 Centerspread

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The Smoke Signal

English and Drama Teacher Morgan Goldstein is originally from Fremont and graduated from Washington High School. She did her undergraduate studies at Ithaca College, majoring in English and Theater. Goldstein later received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Theater and Drama at Harvard University and has worked on various productions such as All Our Tragic and The Tempest. She received her teaching credential at University of California, Davis, and is currently working on getting a master’s degree in education.

Goldstein is especially looking forward to teaching 10th grade English and describes its curriculum as being one of her favorites.

Friday, September 23, 2016

Friday, September 23, 2016

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By Mustafa Ahmed, Ella Chen, Andrew Choi & Victor Zhou Sports Editor, Staff Writer, Web Editor, and Graphics Editor

As a yearly tradition, the Smoke Signal interviewed the newest and returning faculty members in each department to welcome them to MSJ.

Student Resource Officer Kelly Robinson is from Kent, Washington. After graduating from Kentridge High School, Robinson attended Central Washington University. Robinson served for four years on patrol in the Fremont Police Department before becoming a school resource officer. He looks forward to getting to know the student body, creating a safer atmosphere at MSJ, and having students feel comfortable enough to stop by and talk about their issues.

Resource Specialist and Core Support Teacher Shanthi Kathiresan grew up in Chennai, India, attending school there before she immigrated to the US in 1996. Kathiresan worked in curriculum enrichment at MSJ for 10 years, then returned to school to get her credentials at the Fortune School of Education. She then worked at Newark Memorial High School for two years before moving back to MSJ this year. She works first and second period at MSJ and spends the rest of her day at Irvington High School.

French Teacher Herveline Sartori is returning to MSJ after a two-year break. Sartori attended a military school in France before moving to the US 17 years ago. She originally settled down in Chicago and later CA in 2009. Although she has taught elementary and middle school students before, she prefers teaching high school students. Sartori would like to see her students become proficient in French and learn more about French culture. She is saddened by how students at MSJ are often under a lot of pressure and hopes to see this situation change for the better in the future.

English Teacher Joyce Wong is a veteran to MSJ. She taught English 9 Honors and 11 Honors from 2003 to 2013 before taking a leave about three years ago due to the birth of twin girls. She loves the parent and student community at MSJ and is excited to be back teaching two periods of English 9 Honors. Wong is from southern CA and received her undergraduate degree at University of California, Irvine, before receiving her master’s degree at University of California, Berkeley. She looks forward to making sure her students understand the value of their education and that school is not about rote memorization, but life application.

Assistant Principal Jeana Nightengale previously worked as a counselor for nine years at American High School and as an assistant principal for one year. Her first administrative position was an assistant principal at Washington High School’s summer school last year. Nightengale is originally from a small country town in CA’s Central Valley, but after completing her master’s degree at Sonoma State University, she permanently relocated to the Bay Area, beginning her career as a high school counselor. She hopes to get to know all the students and staff during her first year at MSJ.

English Teacher Tiffany Stelle grew up in Fremont and attended Irvington High School. She spent her college years on many different campuses, including Sonoma State University, Ohlone College, Humboldt State University, and California State University, East Bay. Stelle worked as a campus monitor, attendance clerk, and school secretary before becoming an Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) assistant at Kennedy High School. She has noticed the increased pressure to do well on tests such as the SAT and ACT, and as a result, one of her primary goals this year is to prepare her students to survive high school with a positive mental health outlook.

Ethnic Studies and World History Teacher Tanya Salazar is returning to MSJ after having previously attended the school as a high school student. After attending college, Salazar taught at Milpitas High School for 18 years before returning to her alma mater. According to Salazar, she took the excellent quality of education she received at MSJ for granted. Salazar looks forward to having interesting class discussions and working more closely with her students than she has in the past.

The Smoke Signal also welcomes back returning AP Japanese Teacher Yumi Konishi.

new returning first full year

Centerspread 11

Physical Education Teacher Melissa Kaeo was born and raised in Hawaii, before moving to CA to pursue higher education at Whittier College. Kaeo continued her studies and obtained her teaching credential at California State University, Long Beach, and started as a substitute teacher in the Bay Area this spring.

Before becoming a teacher, she taught swim lessons and managed swim schools in southern CA. Kaeo hopes to learn more about all of her students and to get them to enjoy physical activity outside of a classroom environment.

Special Education Teacher Michael Rasmussen joins the MSJ faculty for his first full year after teaching second semester last year. Rasmussen grew up in Watsonville before attending National Hispanic University in San Jose. After graduating, he worked in the snowboard industry for six years and then started his teaching career here at MSJ. Over the course of the school year, he wants to develop his students into people who will be ready to tackle the world with a solid outlook on life.

Assistant Band Director Bill Flaherty is starting his first full year at MSJ, having joined a few weeks into the school year last year. After graduating from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, he turned his focus to teaching. He taught English and music in China and India, then returned to the US to get a Master of Music from Northern Illinois University. Flaherty only teaches sixth and seventh periods, as he is also Assistant Band Director at Hopkins Junior High School. He looks forward to working with the talented and hardworking students at MSJ and making good music.

MSJ welcomes Social Studies Teacher Spenser Peterson. At the end of the 2015-16 school year, Peterson was surplused to Hopkins Junior High School, but after the departure of Ethnic Studies Teacher Risha Krishna, he was given the opportunity to return again as MSJ faculty. He is teaching four periods of American Government and one period of US History.

welcome back PHOTOS BY SPORTS EDITOR MUSTAFA AHMED, STAFF WRITER ELLA CHEN, WEB EDITOR ANDREW CHOI, & GRAPHICS EDITOR VICTOR ZHOU, COLOURBOX.COM

12 Arts & Entertainment

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The Smoke Signal

Friday, September 23, 2016

Music Streaming Services Launched by Apple Inc. in June of 2015, Apple Music combines a user’s pre-existing iTunes library with the service’s streaming catalogue of over 30 million tracks. Members also have access to radio stations available 24/7, alongside human-curated playlists that are personalized for each user. Apple Music allows iTunes users to retain all their music in one place, without third party applications, while using the iCloud Music Library to ensure streaming from any connected device. Its integration with previous Apple music libraries and extensive Siri commands continue to increase convenience for Apple users, while it’s availability on Google Play expands its user interface to Android devices as well.

Although membership requires a monthly fee of $9.99, Apple initially offers three months for free.

Pandora Internet Radio operates with data from the Music Genome Project—think biology meets new music. The platform creates a radio station based on a specific song or artist that the user inputs, but with only 1 million songs in its library, Pandora has one of the smallest music selections of all music streaming services. In addition, users cannot access music offline, as Pandora streams its songs from the Internet. However, Pandora Users can create up to 100 stations and provide feedback to specific songs by hitting a thumbs up or thumbs down button. Free Pandora accounts have occasional advertisements and limited skips, but for $4.99 a month, users can upgrade to Pandora One, which removes advertisements and increases the number of skips available.

Price: 4/5 Music Range: 1/5 Convenience: 3.5/5 Listening Experience: 3.5/5

Price: 3.5/5 Music Range: 4.5/5 Convenience: 4/5 Listening Experience: 5/5 A Swedish startup launched in 2008, Spotify is one of the most popular “freemium” music streaming services. It’s useful for those who enjoy creating playlists as users can connect their Facebook and Twitter accounts to collaborate on and share playlists with their friends. It has a well-developed platform for introducing new music to users with its custom “Discover Weekly” playlists and recommended artists, albums, and concerts tabs.

Though users can access its library of over 30 million songs on-demand for free on a desktop, the mobile application quite frustratingly only allows shuffle-play. For a monthly rate of $9.99, however, users can skip pesky advertisements as well as access their playlists offline!

The well-known online commerce and cloud platform Amazon.com offers a music streaming service called Amazon Music to people with Amazon Prime accounts. Amazon Music currently has a catalogue of 29.1 million songs. It allows users to stream songs and albums, without ads and with unlimited skips and repeats. Users can create their own playlists, and can also add songs and playlists to a cloud, allowing users to stream them from any Windows, Android, or Apple device. Amazon Music also allows users to upload up to 250 songs from their own computers. Amazon Music is free for users with Amazon Prime accounts, which cost $99 per year or $10.99 per month. For people without Prime accounts, Amazon Music has a wide range of music in its MP3 Store, where anyone can buy individual songs and albums as MP3s.

Price: 4/5 Music Range: 5/5 Convenience: 3.5/5 Listening Experience: 4/5

Price: 4/5 Music Range: 5/5 Convenience: 4/5 Listening Experience: 5/5

By Mustafa Ahmed, Mallika Gupta, Lucille Njoo & Tanushri Sundar Sports Editor, Centerspread Editor, News Editor, and Opinion Editor

Google Play Music is a platform free for anyone with a Google account, offering users over 35 million songs. Based on keywords, songs, or artists users search up, Google Play Music generates an ad-free playlist of similar songs from various artists. Users can give each song a thumbs up or thumbs down.

The songs that users give a thumbs up to are set aside in a playlist of all their “liked” music. For each playlist, users can skip a maximum of five songs, but for $9.99 per month, users have unlimited skips and receive Youtube Red in the same package. Unlike Pandora and Spotify, Google Play Music allows users to upload up to 50,000 songs from their computers into their music locker, as well as download up to two songs per playlist from online streaming onto their personal computers. Google Play Music can be accessed on any computer, tablet, and smartphone that is connected to the Internet.

Price: 4/5 Music Range: 5/5 Convenience: 4/5 Listening Experience: 3/5

Online streaming is quickly becoming the most common way to consume media, as users are inundated with membership offers for dozens of new music streaming services. The Smoke Signal has put together a guide to distinguish between some of the most popular subscriptions, highlighting price, music range, convenience and listening experience, to help discern where your time and money would be best spent.

Spinrilla is a free online mixtape-marketing platform that allows hip-hop artists to upload their mixtapes for streaming and downloading.

Users who create accounts have the option of listening to or downloading mixtapes and singles. The online interface allows users to search for a mixtape and listen to each song in whatever order they choose; there are no ads on the website that could act as an impediment to the listening experience. A mobile app is also available and can be downloaded through the Google Play Store on Android devices and the App Store on iOS devices. The mobile app, while free, has advertisements that occasionally appear after an individual song finishes. Users who find these advertisements meddlesome can pay $0.99 to upgrade to a Spinrilla Pro membership, which removes all advertisements.

Price: 4/5 Music Range: 2/5 Convenience: 4/5 Listening Experience: 4/5 GRAPHICS BY AMAZON.COM, APPLE.COM, PANDORA.COM, PLAY.GOOGLE.COM, SPINRILLA.COM, SPOTIFY.COM

Friday, September 23, 2016

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Arts and Entertainment 13

C R I T I C S’ C O R N E R M us i C: CAR S E AT H E A D R E ST, Fr a n k O c e a n | F ilm : SUL LY | BOOK : H AR ry Pot ter

Sully Soars

Under the radar Car Seat Headrest

By Brian Tseng Feature Editor With a name inspired by the location where frontman Will Toledo used to record his vocals, Car Seat Headrest is the epitome of an indie rock band, thanks to angst-ridden lyricism, catchy guitar riffs, and classic lo fi so nd ality.

Toledo released his first al m, 1, in May 2010, and the following albums, 2, 3, and 4, were issued within the next three months with the disclaimer that they “were not very good.” Car Seat Headrest’s seventh release, Twin Fantasy, won the attention of critics and lo fi fans around the world with the intimacy of Toledo’s unique lyricism and the raw emotion of his reverb-drenched vocals.

It was the 2014 EP How to Leave Town, however, that caught the attention of independent label Matador Records, who signed an album deal with Car Seat Headrest following the EP’s release.

Toledo describes the band’s newest release, Teens of Denial, as the most ambitious thing he’s ever done. Though the teenage angst permeating the album is familiar ground, Toledo reaches new highs with a bigger budget and proper studio production. From the driving album opener “Fill in the Blank” to the bleak allegory of “The Ballad of Costa Concordia,” Toledo paints a picture of powerlessness in the face of modern life.

As some critics say, Toledo may be the next savior of indie rock. One thing’s for certain: with a career that’s just beginning, Car Seat Headrest is definitely a and to keep an eye on.▪

Book Bites

Music review Frank Ocean

YOUTUBE.COM

By Deeksha Raina Staff Writer Sully tells the story of airplane pilot Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) and his famous landing on the Hudson River on ly , after a ock of geese destroy both engines on US Airways Flight 1549. Though he is hailed as a national hero, the National Transportation Safety Board sets to out to prove that the water landing could have been avoided and that the accident was caused by Sully’s error in judgment.

Hanks does a phenomenal job portraying the troubled but humble Sully, who begins to suffer from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder after his dangerous plane landing and the accusatory questioning from the Board Throughout the entire ordeal, Hanks maintains hints of Captain Sully’s level-headed personality and calm demeanor amidst his unstable moments, continuing to show Sully as a hero despite his circumstances.

Besides the amazing acting, Sully also utilizes amazing cinematogra-

phy and seamless transitions from scene to scene, to clearly separate present day from ash acks. arly in the film S lly mentions that he has een ying airplanes for his entire life, and immediately, an old-fashioned biplane rises up onto the screen as the present-day scene fades into Sully’s youth.

The film’s impactf l and powerf l editing also helps create a sense of sympathy for Sully. In one emotional scene, as Sully looks out of a building window, he suddenly imagines an airplane crashing into a nearby skyscraper and panics, reminded of what might have happened d ring his ight. The a dience, at first, does not know if this is a real scene or a horrible daydream, and feels Sully’s horror and distress quite acutely.

Additionally, the blue-grey color scheme matches the somber mood of the film and adds tension to the film. The only right colors in the entire film are sed d ring a happy ash ack scene, where we see S lly smile in the movie for the first time.

The se of so nd in the film also adds another dimension to the scene and viewing experience. During the plane’s takeoff, rumbling white noise makes viewers feel as if they are sitting right there next to the passengers.

The film’s only aw is that in order to maximize the runtime of oneand-a-half hours, several scenes are shown over and over again, albeit each with a slightly different perspective of the situation. The landing on the Hudson River, for example, is shown three different times and begins to drag on after the second re-telling.

Though Sully is not a fast-paced action movie or a laugh-out-loud comedy, it manages to charm the audience and keep viewers engaged.

There are comedic moments here and there, and suspense sprinkled thro gho t the film, t most importantly, Sully is a powerful and emotional testament to Sully Sullenberger’s story. ▪

Rating: A-

Harry Potter and the cursed child CAsts a spell

By Andrew Choi Web Editor

Student Recommendations Title: Red Plenty Author: Francis Spufford ating Diffic lt Genre: Historical Fiction

Red Plenty is about the brief era when, under the rash leadership of Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet Union looked forward to a future of rich communists and envious capitalists, when Moscow would out-glitter Manhattan.

“I like the book Red Plenty by Francis Spufford because of the history involved. It is interesting, provocative, and personal, and I enjoyed the story of socialist Russia told from the perspectives of fictional people living in the very real conditions of an idealist government.” - Alex Yin, 12 Title: The Recruit Author: Robert Muchamore Rating: Easy Genre: Spy

James is the latest recruit by teen spy organization “CHERUB”. James has no idea what to expect, but he’s out of options.

“I enjoyed the book The Recruit because I like books about spies and action. It’s similar to the Alex Rider series but it has more action.” - Hanbyul Oh, 9

Staff Recommendation

Title: Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World Author: Adam Grant ating Diffic lt enre onfiction In Originals, Adam Grant addresses the challenge of improving the world from the perspective of becoming original.

“Originals is based on history and research; it gives practical advice about how change makers enacted change.

It’s a must read for anyone unhappy with the status quo with the desire to improve some aspect of the world.” Social Studies Teacher Jaime Richards

POTTERMORE.COM

By Ishika Chawla News Editor Harry Potter and the Cursed Child picks up 19 years after the conclusion of the original series by J.K. Rowling, and follows the story of Harry Potter’s son, Albus Severus Potter. This book takes the format of a rehearsal script, which was originally performed at the Palace Theatre in London. It was written by Jack Thorne and based on an original story

by Thorne, Rowling, and John Tiffany.

The script provides an engaging eighth addition to the original series; however, it lacks Rowling’s distinctive zest.

The plot starts off with Albus and his experiences as a misfit at ogwarts with his best friend Scorpius Malfoy. Albus has a strained relationship with his father due to the latter’s fame, and hates being simply known as “Harry Potter’s son.” He feels burdened by not having the same accomplishments and goals as his father. Along with Scorpius, he tries to make a name for himself by undoing wrongs that he believes his father committed during the original series using the Time-Turner, but instead realizes that changing the past has formidable consequences for both the present and the future. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy, and Hermione Granger then join Scorpius and Albus to undo

their mistakes and fight enemies from the past and present in order to preserve the worlds as they know it.

The story provides a welcome addition to the series with a gripping plot and Rowling’s characteristic storytelling ability. However, the book seems extremely fast-paced due to all of the action that is involved, and has too many plot twists that reduced their shock value toward the end of the story and veers on cliché.

Also, it lacks the humor of the original series, and the film script str ct re of the novel makes it more diffic lt to appreciate the quality of the writing. Regardless, the main characters are well developed and have unique back-stories. Albus is portrayed as stubborn and naïve but has strong beliefs, and his eccentric and nonconformist personality adds an extra layer to the story, especially with the contrasting characteristics to his father, Harry. For example, Harry acknowledges that sacrifices have to e made for a larger goal; however, Albus is unable to come to terms with the losses that were endured for success. Additionally, Albus is much more socially isolated than his father due to his placement in the Slytherin ho se rather than the expected ryffindor, and experiences hardships as a result.

Scorpius represents the ideal best friend and sidekick for Albus, and is extremely

sensitive and caring, once again a sharp contrast to his father, Draco Malfoy. The minor characters play a significant role in pushing the plot along, and keep the novel from getting too boring or overwhelming. The stage directions also help readers imagine the situations and setting to a greater extent. The authors also gave in-depth insight into the lives of the original characters after the conclusion of the original series with new aspects of their personalities that were not previously explored by Rowling. However, the dependence on the previous books, simply for background knowledge, prevented this play from being a stand-alone piece that could be enjoyed without information regarding the earlier plot.

The play is an adequate addition to the series and will be satisfactory to most “Potterheads,” but does not have the same level of magic. Regardless, it expands the wizarding world with new characters to get to know and love, and is worth a read for all Harry Potter fans (especially with a nice c p of tter eer . ▪

By Ansh Patel Staff Writer After a series of name changes, rumors, and release date delays, Frank Ocean’s latest album, Blonde, finally hit shelves on August 20. Eager fans awaited the release of his new work for four years after the release of his debut studio album Channel Orange. Since then, Ocean had been noticeably absent from the public eye but he relays much of what he has learned from his disappearance in his newest release.

A day before releasing Blonde, Ocean created a stream on his website for his visual album Endless, which is intended to show his fans the painstaking care he puts into his work. Metaphorically comparing Ocean’s music production to the construction of a staircase, the visual album was prolonged and slowpaced; it even featured a scene of Ocean watching paint dry. Though many were pleased by the album’s 18 tracks that shed light on the artist’s process and work ethic, Ocean’s true talent was on display the day after, with the surprise release of Blonde.

While it carries over some of the moods and sonic-pallets from Channel Orange, Ocean’s newest work distinguishes itself from its predecessor. Rather than delivering loud, hard-hitting choruses backed by elaborate instrumentals, the record focuses on the candor of Ocean’s message to his listeners. The modest instrumentals and ballads on the album may turn away those looking for extravagance, t they carry significance on their own. There may not be a lot of ashy eats or ass, t a lot of the ideas Ocean goes for in Blonde are adventurous. The song “Pink + White” reects this theme with its string sections, bubbly baseline, and crisp drums. The song’s easy-going nature is contrasted by Frank’s powerful lyrics, as he describes his failed relationships and his experience with drugs.

There are moments when we are reminded less of Ocean’s previous work and more of Indie artists. For example, the acoustic melody layered over rock samples at the end of “White Ferrari” can’t quite be placed, but still feels at home in the eclectic album which combines a variety of different styles.

The variation of genres and forms in the album doesn’t come as a surprise considering the very diverse list of names that Ocean includes in the credits of the album. Modern artists, like Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar are listed, but odd-mentions such as Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, the Beatles, and David Bowie hint at the varied nature of the record.

The album takes a lot of risks, but they often come off as random nfinished ideas. For example, “Pretty Sweet” features Ocean’s vocals over a disorgani ed assline that feels diffic lt to listen to. It’s very odd and experimental, especially with the peppy percussion and really fast baseline, but it’s these strange standouts that give the album its uniqueness. Overall, the album starts and ends very weak, and has standouts througho t, t ows awkwardly eca se each song’s different style fails to unite the tracks. Although the record feels unorganized, its eccentricity plays into the character of the album. ▪ Rating: B+

Rating: B+

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“My counselor was organized, had flexible scheduling for meetings, and was very active in the application process. We were always on task and he answered all questions at the end of the meeting and went over every section of apps before submitting. He always replied quickly through email. Also Karen was a really good editor and helped me greatly with my college essays.” –W. C. “It is an unforgettable life time experience to work with IvyBoost and my mentor.

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Friday, September 23, 2016

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Service

Arts & Entertainment 15

Ambiance

When we arrived on a Saturday afternoon, the line stretched out the door. However, the staff put forth its best effort to make the one-hour wait more tolerable. A menu, instructions, and TV positioned outside provided some entertainment, while wooden benches, overhead umbrellas, and a water dispenser helped ease the wait. Plus, there was free Wi-Fi. The employees were very friendly and eager to explain the ordering process to us. They offered samples from leftover ice cream rolls to people standing in line and when the ice cream rolls didn’t turn out perfectly, they immediately asked if they could remake the order.

The exterior looks like an average hole-in-thewall spot and has an eclectic feel and is cluttered with overhead lights and umbrellas. Four clean wooden tables and benches stand outside along with a couple of painted chalkboard signs. To the left of the door in the interior of the shop lies the topping bar, which is composed of two rows of plastic tubs.

The inside is small and quaint, but too crowded to be comfortable, and only two benches run along the side of the wall. The only decent seating is outside, where a crowd of people are usually waiting to purchase their ice cream.

Rating: 5/5

Rating: 2/5

Icicles

By Monica Tang & Deeksha Raina Editor-in-Chief and Staff Writer

Icicles serves Thai rolled ice cream with an unlimited self serve topping bar. Located at 1275 Lincoln Ave. in Willow Glen, San Jose, the ice cream shop had a soft opening on July 2 but quickly garnered popularity on social media. As it gained the attention of MSJ students, the Smoke Signal decided to see if it lived up to the hype.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Food

Price

Icicles offers nine flavors, each with either a custard or tea base. After you pick a flavor, employees pour the liquid base onto a chilled metal surface and mix it with toppings until it solidifies into ice cream. The ice cream is spread into a thin sheet over the surface and rolled up in sections.

Customers then choose from a variety of unlimited toppings. The final ice cream is creamy, flavorful, and served in large, single portions. The Nutella & Chill ice cream tasted strongly of nutella and bananas, but the graham cracker was overwhelmed by the former two ingredients. My Thai was less creamy than the Nutella & Chill, but still packed a punch with its strong taste of Thai tea. Both ice creams were filling yet light due to their rolled shape.

Though a bit pricey — $6.50 per ice cream bowl — the ice cream itself is quite filling, and customers are allowed unlimited toppings. The experience of watching your ice cream being created by hand right in front of you compensates for the hefty price. Taking the price, wait time, and unique ice cream into consideration, Icicles is great as a one-time experience, but is probably not a place that we will revisit over and over again.

Rating: 4/5

Rating: 5/5

PHOTOS BY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MONICA TANG & DEEKSHA RAINA

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SEPTEMBER

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“Hello Autumn” * For our monthly Smokie Playlist, each editor chooses a song relating to a set theme. Check out our Spotify playlist at www.thesmokesignal.org/category/ae/smokieplaylist/ this month to listen to songs under the theme “Hello Autumn.”

16 Sports

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The Smoke Signal

Cross Country

Friday, September 23, 2016

Cheer

Cross Country is composed of Boys’ Frosh/Soph, Boys’ and Girls’ Junior Varsity, and Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity teams. The team’s goal is for every member to have an enjoyable time and improve at cross country. After having its Boys’ Frosh/Soph and irls’ arsity teams each tie for first place in the league last year, the team is aiming to have even more of its teams win first this season.

As of now, Cheer is not split into subteams, but Captain Senior Jiti Sarkar acknowledged that it could change. Cheer welcomes many new freshmen, as well as a new coach who has increased the skill level of the team. The team hopes to improve this season by learning as much as possible from the new coach.

Girls’ Golf The Girls’ Golf team has 11 players, six of whom compete in each match as part of the Varsity lineup. The team has high expectations for themselves – they hope to maintain a perfect record throughout the regular season, as well as be serious contenders for titles in both the MVAL and North Coast Section competitions. They also hope that new players will be able to gain valuable experience and improve the team for years to come.

Fall Sports Preview

By Andrew Kan & Kevin Li Staff Writer and Feature Editor MSJ’s numerous sports teams compete in the Mission Valley Athletic League (MVAL) during each high school sports season. Take a look at how each of our eight fall sports teams are gearing up for their seasons.

Girls’ Tennis Girls’ Tennis is split into Junior Varsity and Varsity teams. The Varsity team is made up mostly of returning players, while the Junior Varsity team is welcoming many new players who are already showing improvement. The team, with the addition of two new coaches, hopes to encourage new and old players to continue improving their games, and the team’s goal for this year is to make a run into the latter stages of the North Coast Section tournament.

Girls’ Water Polo

Gymnanstics Gymnastics is composed of three divisions, Junior Varsity, Varsity, and Varsity Elite. The team has gained a lot of freshmen this year, and its returning members are excited to get to know them all. They will participate in meets against James Logan High School, Washington High School, and Irvington High School, and hope to retain their title as MVALS champions.

Girls’ Volleyball Girls’ Volleyball is composed of Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Freshman teams. There are plenty of both returning and new players, each making up about half of the team. The team aims to play in the North Coast Section Finals this year, and plans to do so by playing better as a team with more confidence and tr st in each other.

Boys’ Water Polo

This year’s Girls’ Water Polo team, split into Junior Varsity and Varsity teams, is the biggest in recent history and has a wide skill range of players. After years of building, the team is stronger than it was before and hopes to win the MVAL tournament. The team will be playing in 12 league games and 10 tournament games.

Boys’ Water Polo is composed of Junior Varsity and Varsity teams.

The majority of this year’s team is new and the coaches hope to bring out the individual skills in each of the players. With only two returning seniors, they hope to develop into a play-driven team, and keep their title as MVAL champions. The team will play in 14 league games, as well as three outside tournaments.

GRAPHICS BY CLIPARTS.CO

Cheer enjoys summer success

By Mustafa Ahmed Sports Editor Cheer attended a National Cheerleaders Association summer camp at University of California, Davis from July 22 to 25, where they won several awards and were distinguished for their ability to choreograph routines and show spirit. The camp offered a curriculum that provided in-depth lessons on choreography with an emphasis on game day and performance style routines.

Members of the team practiced basic skills and routines, as well as more difficult maneuvers twice a week in the month leading up to camp. At camp, they learned new dances and skills while preparing for intra-

“As cheer captain I want to see [the cheer team] grow and see what they can accomplish from the start up until the end. I also want to see [the cheer team] execute more stunts and dances, promote school spirit, and become one big family in the end.”

— Captain Junior Maya Bernstein mural competitions against other teams.

MSJ had a successful run, winning first place in the game day category and the Herkey Award for having the most spirit out of all participating teams. The team also won the “Spirit Stick” on multiple occasions, which is awarded at the end of each day to the team that demonstrates the most spirit during practice and competitive events. According to Captain Junior Maya Bernstein, the time spent at the camp was a positive experience overall. “We won more awards and had more spirit and energy than we usually do,” said Bernstein.

Since returning from camp, Cheer has

WEB EDITOR ANDREW CHOI

Cheer performs at the Homecoming Kickoff Assembly.

been preparing for performances at assemblies and sporting events that will take place this school year. The team has also been developing new choreography for their dance routines. Because the current squad consists of mostly new members after last year’s seniors graduated, team members will practice their routines on a more frequent basis than in the past. In an effort to reduce mistakes and injuries that occasionally occur during performances, coaches are now providing additional feedback to individual members of the team by giving weekly evaluations

and through other means. This differs from past years where team members had a system through which they would critique each other’s performances. Cheer is also hoping that several advanced maneuvers that they attempted to incorporate into their routines last year can be successfully implemented this year.

With the football program suspended, Cheer plans on spending more time focusing on performances that take place on campus and preparing routines for other fall sports.

The team recently showcased its efforts at

the Newark Days Parade. In terms of longterm goals, Bernstein would like to see her fellow teammates experience a camaraderie that unites the team towards a common goal of promoting school spirit. “As cheer captain I want to see [the cheer team] grow and see what they can accomplish from the start up until the end. I also want to see [the cheer team] execute more stunts and dances, promote school spirit, and become one big family in the end.” ▪

Friday, September 23, 2016

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Sports 17

MS defeats merican with powerful o ense

By Victor Zhou Graphics Editor Varsity Boys’ Water Polo played American High School on Thursday, September 8 at Ohlone College Aquatic Center. In the dominating, fast-paced game, the Warriors started strong and never subsided, winning 12-3. merican took the lead early in the first arter, scoring their first goal efore the first minute had passed. MSJ bounced back with a forceful counter offensive led by Captain Junior Nathan Lau. Both teams shot furiously in the opening period, and soon American retook the lead. Undeterred, the Warriors’ scored three consecutive goals in less than two min tes, firmly placing them ahead. ven with a late retaliatory goal from American, S led at the end of the first arter .

The first half of the second arter was uneventful, with back-and-forth passes and incomplete scoring attempts. In an effort to get back in the game, American called a timeout to reorganize their strategy. However, the plan ackfired as the arriors’ offense dominated the rest of the quarter and scored another three goals before the buzzer, making the score 7-3 at the end of the half.

American started the third quarter a man down due to a foul in the last few seconds of the first half. fter winning the sprint to the ball, MSJ called an immediate timeout to give them time to set up their positions for a power play. Riding off the momentum of the first half, S played with energy and intensity on both sides of the pool. On offense, the Warriors dictated the game, shooting and scoring an additional four points; on defense, clear communication and saves from goalkeeper Junior Rohan Dayal prevented American from mounting a comeback.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the pace of play slowed down considerably and neither team made a successful shot on goal. Captain Senior Christopher Ha led an attack that con-

tributed to MSJ scoring and further cemented the team’s lead in the game. With just one minute remaining on the clock, American called another timeout to reorganize their offense to try and bring the score back in their favor. Despite their redoubled efforts, MSJ’s defense shut them out, and MSJ took the win with a final score of .

This impressive game gave the Varsity team a chance to show their skills. Lau was a stando t performer, scoring five goals in the first half, reaking the deadlock of the first quarter and propelling the Warriors to a definitive lead. a was also integral to the arriors’ success in the game, scoring one goal and directing the team’s positioning and tactics throughout the game.

In a compelling battle against American, MSJ pulled away to take the victory. The Warriors demonstrated an overpowering offense and hope to continue to adapt and win through the loss of three alumni. They are looking to continue their streak through the season, win the MVAL tournament, and qualify for NCS play. ▪

Junior Rohan Dayal blocks a shot.

Freshman Aref Malek looks for an open pass.

Sophomore Connor Sayle takes a shot on goal.

Junior Albert Li guards against a possible shot or drive.

Junior Nathan Lau takes off on a fast break.

PHOTOS BY GRAPHICS EDITOR VICTOR ZHOU

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Equestrianism

The Smoke Signal

Underrated Sports

Equestrianism, an Olympic sport and common university club sport, has been a practical, competitive, and recreational activity for hundreds of years. Between the two main riding styles, Western and English, there are a wide range of equestrian disciplines to suit every rider’s interests and goals, including barrel racing (Western), in which riders race around barrels in a test of speed and agility; dressage (English), which evaluates the horse and rider’s movements; and jumping (English), in which riders jump horses over obstacles – just to name a few. The Bay Area is home to dozens of stables that offer training and instruction for riders of varying levels. Many of these stables also host competitions for every discipline. Whether riders compete or ride for recreation, horseback riding is a rigorous physical sport for both horse and rider.

“[Horseback riding] is unlike any other sport. It is considered an individual sport, but you’re partnered with an animal that has its own brain and its own mind, and you’re working as a team together to, in my case, jump over these huge obstacles. You’re telling this animal what to do, which is super cool and super fun.”

— Aiza Gill, 10

By Ashley Chang, Michelle Dalarossa, Amber Lee & Lucille Njoo Centerspread Editor, A&E Editor, Staff Writer, and News Editor On top of the many team sports offered at MSJ, students play a wide variety of sports that are less well-known. The Smoke Signal set out to spotlight some of these sports and introduce the MSJ community to the world of typically unconventional sports. Next time you’re bored and looking for a change, consider trying one of the following five sports!

Rock Climbing “Within climbing, there are two different categories, sport climbing and bouldering.

Sport climbing is climbing really high and focuses on endurance, and bouldering is climbing on smaller boulders and focuses on strength. I do both but prefer bouldering.”

— Rushil Chakrabarty, 12

Rock climbing is popular as both an outdoor and indoor sport. The practice of rock climbing goes back centuries, but the modern sport started in the 1800s. There are various types of rock climbing. Mountaineering combines hiking and rock climbing to ascend mountains. In traditional climbing, climbers must place their own gear on the rock wall and remove it afterwards. By contrast, in sport climbing, there are anchors already fixed to the rock for protection. Bouldering involves making short climbs over large boulders rather than cliffs or rock walls. In free soloing, extreme athletes climb with no protective equipment, relying only on physical strength to prevent themselves from falling. There are rock climbing gyms throughout the Bay Area, including one in Fremont called The Peak.

ON

I IN

P

O Sx

T

R PO

The dangers of blind nationalism

S

By Ansh Patel Staff Writer Idealistically, the Olympics is a platform to celebrate the greatest athletes in the world, and for countries to put aside their differences and unite in the spirit of competition.

Pitted against their opponents, teams come together and work towards a gold medal. At the same time, many ignore the consequences of taking nationalism too far at the games.

Stephen Walt of Foreign Policy Magazine contextualizes blind nationalism in his 2012 article where he argues that people have an innate urge to support athletes from their country. He continues that people rationalize their nationalism by reasoning that their country’s athletes are superior, even if those reasons aren’t based on fact. When fans cheer for athletes at the Olympics they don’t cheer for people they know personally or for people who they know are more deserving of a title.

Yet, spectators get a certain pleasure when someone from their own country that they have never met does will. Although there may be exceptions to this rule, Walt argues that we are all, in some way, in enced y nationalist biases, especially during the Olympics. ften times, nationalism and fierce competitive spirit is destructive and works against their intentions. Athletes and fans become so caught up in the rivalry that they lose sight of the ramifications of their actions. For example, after the US Women’s Gymnastics team won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Gabby Douglas did not put her hand over her heart during the Star-Spangled Banner, sparking national outrage. Even though it later became clear that Douglas’ hand placement was innocuous and the gymnast apologized, Twitter users continued to harass her.

The outrage represents the differing opinions and ideologies that are brought to light during the Olympics. Since the games foster an

environment of nationalism, people are easily offended by even the slightest act of contempt towards a country.

This idea was reinforced during the women’s 400 meters event, where Bahamian thlete Sha nae iller, dived over the finish line to win the gold over Allyson Felix. NBC News reports that many took to Twitter to rant about why Allyson Felix deserved to win, even though the dive was completely legal. In an interview after the race, Miller explained that she had exhausted herself during the race and stumbled when she tried to lean over the finish line, t the defense did not deter the wave of criticism from Team USA fans.

Aside from the overreactions and cyberbullying, some argue that the Olympics encourage a healthy form of patriotism, one that unites a country and strengthens its principles and culture. Citizens want to prove their country’s superiority and the Olympics pull those nationalist views into the spotlight. And while it may seem innocent or even healthy for a country to prove itself to the world, the past shows us the reality of the discord that follows when nationalism isn’t controlled. ▪

Friday, September 23, 2016

Archery

Originally used for hunting and combat, archery is now a recreational activity and an Olympic sport. Competitive archery consists of aiming at a specified target from a certain distance with the goal of shooting accurately. California is one of the top places for archers to train, as the Olympic Training Center and the US Olympic Archery Team are located in San Diego. In the Bay Area, there are several indoor and outdoor ranges as well as many competitive Junior Olympic Archery Development clubs such as Cal Archery Academy JOAD and Stanford Archery. Here at school, the MSJ Archery Club welcomes members to join them in learning about the sport and participating in various events. Contact an officer for more details on how to sign up.

“Archery is a sport for life. As a high schooler, archery helped me tremendously to develop critical skills including focus, determination, and goal setting...contrary to popular belief, archery is statistically one of the safest sports, with an injury rate of only one for every 2000 participants (according to the National Safety Council).” — Nidhi Kanchumarthi, 10

Ultimate

Ultimate is a team sport played with flying discs or frisbees. Players compete to throw the disc from one teammate to another down the length of a playing field, and running with the disc is prohibited. Points are scored when the disc is caught in the field’s end zones. Surprisingly, the game rules do not require referees; athletes play for the “spirit of the game,” abiding by a mutual agreement to follow the rules and respect other players. Ultimate was invented in the 1960s by high school students, and since then, it has grown into a worldwide competitive sport. Now, teams gather to participate in Ultimate championships, and the International Olympic Committee recognizes the sport, making it eligible for potential inclusion in future Olympic Games. Locally, the Bay Area Disc Association organizes Ultimate teams and playing opportunities for both youth and adults, and MSJ also has an Ultimate club.

“I don’t think there’s another sport where you run as much, and if there is, somebody come tell me. And there’s something that’s rather majestic about the flying patterns of frisbees that are very different than balls, because they don’t have the same influence with gravity. I think those are the two things that make it unique and particularly special.” — Math Teacher Tyler Robinson

Squash Although squash was invented in England in the 19th century, it is now a popular sport played both professionally and recreationally in over 150 countries.

The most common form of squash is played indoors and involves two players who use racquets to alternately hit a soft ball against a wall. However, athletes from around the globe play variations of squash such as hardball squash and squash doubles. Squash court and clubs can be found all over the Bay Area, with the Northern California Squash Association helping to organize and support squash players from cities like Sacramento, San Francisco, and Santa Clara.

“I started playing squash around five years ago, and I fell in love with it immediately! Even though here on the West Coast not that many people know what squash is, it’s extremely common on the East [Coast], and the tough competition has always pushed me to try my hardest. I started playing squash competitively around eighth grade...Being able to see my hard work reflected in the results I get at tournaments is always rewarding and is what makes me want to continue to practice every day.” — Radhika Joshi, 12

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Julian Kim, 12 Radhika Joshi, 12

Friday, September 23, 2016

Seniors Julian Kim and Radhika Joshi begin their race on the obstacle course.

Science Teacher Lane Melcic

Tai Dakin, 12

Jonathan Lin, 12

Andy Zhou, 12 Science Teacher Lane Melcic prepares for the plunge into the dunk tank.

Senior

Senior Tai Dakin jumps over the Meltdown's spinning arm.

2016

Getaway

By Anthony Chen Opinion Editor

Senior Andy Zhou challenges the rock-climb wall.

The Class of 2017 visited The Ranch at Little Hills for its Senior Getaway field trip on September 8. Offering some variation from the traditional Water World trip that previous senior classes attended, the trip featured activities such as archery, rock climbing, karaoke, and human foosball.

Anjali Joseph, 12 Marching Band’s ID Unit

Apoorva Prakash, 12 Sabrina Liu, 12

Seniors Apoorva Prakash, Sabrina Liu, and Anjali Joseph spin their rifles.

The ID (Identification) Unit leads the guard and band with MSJ’s traditional green and white banner.

Newark Days Parade awards

Color Guard and Marching Band kicked off the 2016-17 season with a performance at 1ST PLACE GUARD the Newark Days Parade on Saturday, September 17. Their renditions of 1ST PLACE BAND Martha and the The Vandellas’ CLASS "A" “Dancing in the Street,” Abba’s 1ST PLACE “Dancing Queen,” William Paris ID UNIT Chambers’ "Boys of the Old 2ND PLACE Brigade" and The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There” DRUM earned them four awards MAJOR in the awards ceremony hosted toward the end of the day.

Cheer greets the crowds as the parade moves along.

By Ella Chen Staff Writer

Jiti Sarkar, 12

Maya Berstein, 11

Patrick Lu, 10

Members of the trumpet section march and play in synchrony.