MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL
VOL. 52, NO. 5
February 3, 2017
41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539
Investigative Report: Copy Machines Copy machines at MSJ have attracted increased attention History MSJ received its first copy machines in the 1990s, from staff after frequent malfunctions. In this investigawhen FUSD schools still leased their machines individtive report, the Smoke Signal takes a closer look at copy ma- ually. At that time, a copy clerk who managed all copy chines, in regard to topics such as issues and maintenance. machine-related issues and requests still worked at the Information was gathered from a survey sent to all teachers, of which 49 out of 89 responded, and opinions were collected from students. Insights from Principal Zack Larsen, FUSD Business Services Assistant Superintendent Raul Parungao, FUSD Director of Purchasing Bryan Wakefield, Grade Level Secretary Jennifer Schneider, Teacher Librarian Maile Ferreira, and principals at other FUSD high schools are included as well. MSJ has a total of five copy machines: two in the copy center, one in the office, one in the library, and a small copy-printer in the library as well. Teachers primarily use the two in the copy center, but when the copy center is at maximum capacity, they can also use the machines in the office and the library.
school, but the position was eliminated in 2008 due to budget cuts. According to Larsen, MSJ spent $20,000 to $25,000 per year to maintain all the machines and cover the salary of the clerk, but not as much after 2008 since the clerk position was no longer there. FUSD first began renting copy machines for elementary, junior high, and high schools through a collective package lease from the company Ricoh in July 2013. This lease will expire in June 2018. When FUSD chose the machines for the package lease, the district considered each school’s previous experiences with copiers to decide what brand and models to purchase. MSJ, along with the rest of FUSD schools, is now on the package lease deal. Altogether, the five copiers
16% 10% 41%
33%
How often are you unable to use copy machines due to malfunction or too many people waiting? Never (0%) Sometimes Usually
Rarely Often
Number of Responses
By Ella Chen & Hana Sheikh Staff Writers
36
If you can’t access the copy machines, what do you do? 27 13
19
13
Wait another day Project a “class copy” onto the whiteboard Post materials onto School Loop Modify curriculum Other at MSJ cost about $7,900 per year, including service and black ink, but not including paper. The machines print 75 pages per minute or more to speedily accommodate demand. At MSJ, the copy machine models include the Ricoh MP C5502G, MP 9002, and MP C4502, which are geared to manage heavy workloads,
See IR NEWS Page 2 graphics by piktochart.com
New science curriculums to Rachel’s Challenge presents be implemented next year at MSJ CA’s new Next Generation Science Standards will be gradually implemented for grades 9 to 11 over the the next two years By Ella Chen & Michael Ren Staff Writers FUSD approved a new science curriculum pathway for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors at its board meeting on Dec. 14, 2016. It will be phased in during the 2017-18 school year and fully implemented by the 2018-19 school year. The new science standards are known as Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which are a set of content standards developed by states that focuses on three dimensions of scientific education,
which, according to the NGSS website, are disciplinary core ideas, cross-cutting concepts, and science and engineering practices. Compared to the old science standards, which focused on specific content to be covered in each individual class, NGSS emphasizes building research skills and understanding trends and concepts through the four domains of science, which are physical science, life science, earth and space science, and engineering. The disciplinary core ideas are the key points that build on each other as
“NGSS shows the relationships between subject matters instead of compartmentalizing concepts into just biology or chemistry.”
Rachel’s Challenge assembly encourages acts of kindness By Amy Chen & Hannah Chou Staff Writers Rachel’s Challenge, an organization dedicated to raising awareness on bullying and violence in schools, visited MSJ on January 9. The assembly recounted the story of Rachel Joy Scott and encouraged students to realize how small acts of kindness can have a major impact on someone’s life. Rachel Joy Scott was the first person killed in the Columbine High School shooting on April 20, 1999. After her death, many students shared their stories about how Rachel reached out to
them during their darkest times. Her compassion for others inspired her parents, Darrell and Sandy Scott, to create Rachel’s Challenge. Since then, the program has reached out to more than 1.5 million people and prevented at least 150 suicides a year, according to the Rachel’s Challenge website. Through the use of school-wide presentations and assemblies, the program strives to promote a positive climate in schools across the US. In order to achieve the goal of creating
See RC NEWS Page 3
— Science Department Co-chair Lisa Ishimine
nextgenscience.org The three dimensions of NGSS learning on which the standards are based, promoting a cohesive understanding of science.
students progress through each grade level. Because of this more integrated teaching method, students will “cross-cut” concepts by applying broad thematic questions to connect and apprehend the relationships between the four scientific domains. Under the new plan, freshmen will take Physics in the Universe, sophomores will take Living Earth, and juniors will take Chemistry of Earth Systems. As the
See NGSS NEWS Page 2
STUDENT BLOGGERS SPOTLIGHT
The Smoke Signal interviewed bloggers, Sophomores Shivang Shelat, Anthony Gao, and Ashley Wang about their respective blogs. Check out this article to find out their experiences and hopes regarding blogging.
staff writer hannah chou
Rachel’s Challenge Speaker Cody Hodges presents five challenges for students to start chain reactions of kindness. MSJ SENIORS EXCEL IN REGENERON TALENT SEARCH
Senior Catherine Zeng was named a semifinalist and Senior Jessika Baral was named a finalist of the Regeneron Science Talent Search. Read on to find out more about their projects and awards.
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as well as the Ricoh MP C305SPF, which is smaller and lighter than the others.
The Package Lease Contract
According to Wakefield, FUSD currently has 158 copy machines on lease for schools districtwide. Parungao said that FUSD schools can make up to 55 million copies in total within the five-year contract time frame without any additional cost; any additional copies each cost $0.0072. FUSD pays a monthly lease payment for renting the copy machines, as well as a monthly maintenance payment that covers repairs and supplies, such as toner. For the 2016-17 school year, the lease payments districtwide total up to $305,602.18, while the annual districtwide maintenance payments are $202,225.68. Another part of the lease contract requires Ricoh to send employees to do repairs as well as preventative maintenance check-ups on the copiers to prevent them from breaking.
Copy Machine Selection
When machines experience systemic problems, calls go to Wakefield, who ensures action is taken to address those problems. In addition, Ricoh has a toll free number for school employees to access in case Ricoh employees are needed to solve the problem.
NGSS| Science continued from page 1
starting course, Physics in the Universe unifies physical science with earth and space science, with particular emphasis being placed on forces in the universe and power plants. Living Earth is a laboratory science course that will focus on the biology and history of Earth systems. Topics that will be discussed include molecular biology, heredity, evolution, and organismal biology. Chemistry of Earth Systems is also a laboratory science course. It will place more emphasis on how chemistry works in Earth systems, focusing on
“Yes. I think each department should have one. This should help reduce the strain on the machines being used too much.”
YES (29)
NO (14)
STUDENT VOICES On average, how many times per week do you not have enough copies of class handouts? “My classes don’t run out of handouts often. It's usually once or twice a week. Sometimes when classes have class sets, some disappear and then we don’t have enough for the whole class.” — Connie Chou, 12 “I don’t think I really get class handouts. So we pretty rarely are missing copies.” — Cristiane Nguyen, 9
1 2 3 4 5
43% 2%
Do you believe quality and quantity of copy machines have an impact on your learning? Why?
“No. What we need are reliable and robust machines that are designed for the workload.”
On a scale of one to five, how satisfied are you with the current state of the copy machines?
14%
“It is not uncommon for at least one of the copy machines to be out for service. This contributes to a backlog for faculty and puts excessive pressure on the single machine that is working.”
What would improve your satisfaction with the copy machines? 25
15 8 0
Better quality of copy machines More copy machines Easier access to copy machines Other
Friday, February 3, 2017
capacity. Occasionally the copy machines break down but they are always quickly fixed.” American High School has four copy machines in total: three in its staff work room and one in the main office. Although more copy machines are preferred, the staff’s primary concern is “the maintenance of the current machines so that they work every day,” said American High School Principal Steven Musto. In addition, Musto would like to spread the machines out over campus to improve accessibility for teachers, but that is not possible, given American High School’s facilities. At the time of publication, administrators at John F. Kennedy High School have not yet responded to the Smoke Signal’s request for information. ▪
“In the long-run, more Chromebook carts would off-set the expense of maintenance, frustration, paper usage, and the subsequent toll on natural resources that copy machines currently cause/create.”
%
Issues with Copy Machines
Do you think more copy machines are required on campus for faculty to use?
14
District employees evaluate copy machines from different vendors before making a final decision on which company to lease from. The leased copy machines are then distributed to each FUSD school. During the selection process, FUSD employees look for speed; technical specifications; features such as copy, scanning, binding, paper size, and stapling; quality and clarity of prints; quality of service; reputation of the company selling the machines; and finally, the cost. Parungao said, “Cheap is not always good, and that’s why we have to make sure that for the price that we’re paying, we need to find the best value ... We want to make sure that we bring the best value of the equipment.” Whether or not the copy machines are good fits for the school’s purposes is also important. Parungao said, “Districtwide, there are varieties of models, but when [FUSD] selected them, we made sure to align them to the historical uses of the school.” For example, schools with larger populations have larger, heavy-duty models; schools with smaller populations, meanwhile, have smaller, lighter models. In addition, an important goal that FUSD considers when evaluating copy machine brands is “100 percent up-time”; in other words, having a working machine at any given point in time. This is why each school has at least two machines, so ideally, if one breaks, another is running.
Number of Responses
continued from page 1
According to Schneider, who is in charge of main- but also from administrators … we take [all feedback] taining copy machines at MSJ, simple malfunctions oc- as an opportunity for us to improve the services.” cur due to a variety of reasons. Common causes are Other Schools’ Copy Machines Staff at other FUSD high schools have experipaper jams, lack of toner, lack of staples, and lack of ink. For issues she cannot fix, Schneider places a call enced similar issues with copy machine functionalfor a Ricoh employee, who usually arrives and helps re- ity. The Smoke Signal reached out to administrators pair the machine within hours. However, more serious at Irvington High School, Washington High School, problems, such as replacing damaged parts, may take American High School, and John F. Kennedy High weeks to solve as the machine parts take time to arrive. School to gather information about their copy maMalfunctions also vary by time of year. Schneider chines. Irvington High School has six copy machines, said, “Sometimes a month would go by and I wouldn’t put in any calls, then suddenly in a week I get two to three and an office assistant is responsible for managing calls. That’s usually around the beginning of the year and the machines and making copies for teachers. Irduring finals time, when copy machines are in high gear.” vington High School Principal Sarah Barrious said, FUSD releases a survey every year inviting staff at “The biggest frustration expressed by teachers is acFUSD schools to give feedback on the machines. Ac- cess to the machines … If the OA [office assistant] cording to Parungao, most responses concern preven- is absent, there is a delay in processing jobs.” Howtative maintenance, which helps ensure that machines ever, Barrious has not received feedback saying that do not break. Larsen added that most comments he there are not enough copy machines. Washington High School has four copy maheard about the machines regarded whether or not they were functioning correctly at all, and Ferreira agreed chines. According to Washington High School Printhat a main source of frustration stemmed from how cipal Bob Moran, there are enough copy machines often the machines seemed to break. Parungao said, to accommodate the staff and students. Moran said, “Periodically, we get feedback not just from teachers “Everyone seems satisfied with our copy machine
%
IR| Copy Machines
The Smoke Signal
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2 News
“I don’t think there’s much of an impact, since a lot of things are going digital, especially, a lot of handouts are becoming PDFs, and Word documents, and it’s all on School Loop, so there’s not much need for copying handouts.” — Brian Liao, 11 “I do think that it affects our learning because copy machines are what teachers use to give us materials for our lessons. So if having bad copy machines makes it so that it gives teachers a harder time to teach, then it would have an impact.” — Annie Meng, 10
photos by staff writers ian hsu, deeksha raina & amber wang. graphics by piktochart.com
subjects such as chemical reactions, climate change, heat flow, and ocean acidification. All of the classes will be available as either honors or college prep courses. Science Department Co-chair Lisa Ishimine said, “NGSS shows the relationships between subject matters instead of compartmentalizing concepts into just biology or chemistry.” The transition into NGSS will happen over two school years. Currently, the Class of 2020 are taking two available science courses: NGSS 1 and Honors Biology. In the 2017-18 school year, these two courses will no longer be available, and all students taking Honors Biology will take Honors Chemistry in its last year offered as an available course. Students
in the NGSS 1 classes will be eligible to take either honors or college prep Physics in the Universe. By the 2018-19 school year, the Chemistry of Earth Systems course will be implemented and a required course for incoming juniors. Some AP classes require a chemistry course as a prerequisite, so students will only be able to take those AP classes in senior year under this new pathway. Current sophomores and juniors are unaffected and will continue on their current pathway to graduation. The change will have little financial impact in the coming years. “As of right now, there are no textbooks aligned to the new standards yet and they won’t be out for another few years. But that’s not a big deal because
we’ll only be using the textbooks as a reference anyway” said Science Department Co-chair Julie Luikart. However, materials for experiments may have to be purchased, especially for Physics in the Universe and the Living Earth. With these new science courses, teachers hope to make learning more intuitive and engaging. Luikart said, “There will be less lecturing and less frontloading of information. NGSS will focus more on teachers demonstrating natural processes and asking openended questions about those processes.” ▪
corrections
for the DEC. 23, 2016 issue News Pg. 2: The 21st Century Cures Act was passed in the Senate with a 94-5 vote. News Pg. 2: Twenty-five teachers were surveyed for By the Numbers: Technology. News Pg. 3: Raúl Zamora’s name is misspelled. Opinion Pg. 7: Army Corps of Engineers is misspelled. Opinion Pg. 8: Susan Bonilla’s name is misspelled. Centerspread Pg. 12: Darrell Scott’s name is misspelled. A&E Pg. 14: Photos were taken by Staff Writer Deeksha Raina. Sports Pg. 23: Freshman Malia Santos attended the Central Pacific Regional Championships. Photo Pg. 24: Winter Ball was hosted on December 16.
NEWS IN
brief
Compiled by Amy Chen, Jonathan Ko & Vicki Xu Staff Writers
usatoday.com Karen Chen performs her routine at US Figure Skating Championships.
Karen Chen wins US Figure Skating Championships Hailing from Fremont, CA, 17-year-old Karen Chen won the 2017 Prudential US Figure Skating Championships. She outperformed three Olympians with a total score of 214.22, the second-highest total ever recorded at the event. Her first-place finish at the competition won her a spot at the 2017 World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
nbcnews.com Chelsea Manning is escorted from her trial in 2010 for espionage.
yahoo.com Avalanche buries the Hotel Rigopiano in Central Italy on January 18.
Obama commutes Chelsea Manning’s 35-year sentence During the last days of his tenure, former President Barack Obama commuted army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning’s sentence on January 17, who was jailed in 2010 for disclosing confidential US diplomatic and military documents to WikiLeaks. Currently held at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, Manning was originally sentenced to 35 years of prison, the longest for any leak conviction. She is to be released in May 2017.
Avalanche buries Italian hotel, trapping over twenty people After a series of earthquakes in central Italy on January 18, an avalanche buried the Hotel Rigopiano on the Gran Sasso mountain, trapping more than 20 people under rubble and snow. Rescue teams traveled by foot and helicopter to reach the four-star hotel, located about 30 miles from the coastal city of Pescara. In response to the onslaught of earthquakes and heavy snows, Reuters reported that Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni called for national unity.
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News 3
Students attend presidential inauguration Social studies teachers and students travel to Washington, D.C. to watch President Donald J. Trump’s inauguration By Richard Chenyu Zhou Staff Writer In partnership with student trip organization WorldStrides, 29 students as well as Social Studies Teachers Brian Soria and Spenser Peterson visited Washington D.C. for President Donald J. Trump’s inauguration from January 18 to 22. The 2017 inaugural trip was originally planned by Government Teacher Belinda Eugster in January 2016 but is now headed by Soria. The event is organized in partnership with WorldStrides. WorldStrides, founded in 1967, is a travel organization that focuses on bringing affordable travel packages to over 400,000 students every year. The organization offers the inauguration trip every four years, which MSJ plans to make a regular event. Previously, US History Teacher Nancy Benton led a group of students to former President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2008, but not in 2012.
“The ceremony itself was quite moving as we witnessed a key part of the US democratic system in the peaceful transition of power.” — Senior Jainav Gohel One day of the trip is set off especially for the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony. Students lined up starting at 5 a.m. to see the President-Elect and Vice President-Elect sworn into office. “The ceremony itself was quite moving
as we witnessed a key part of the US democratic system in the peaceful transition of power. The ceremony had an aura of history and power that I have never experienced before which made it a memory of a lifetime … There was a vibe that
“Whether you agree with who’s president or not, it’s still an experience to see, which is why I’m happy so many students wanted to go ... I think it’s an important historical moment and shows the roots of our country.” — Government Teacher Spenser Peterson
we were witnessing history,” said Senior Jainav Gohel, who attended the trip. In addition, students on the trip visit the National Mall, monuments and memorials such as the Vietnam War Memorial and Lincoln Memorial, museums such as the National Air and Space Museum and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Capitol building, the Supreme Court, and other attractions such as Ford’s Theatre and Arlington National Cemetery. “Personally, the [Franklin D. Roosevelt] Memorial was something I really enjoyed. As a group, seeing the [Women’s March] and Arlington National Cemetery were definitely the highlights,” said Gohel. Besides MSJ, other high schools from around the
People gather at the inauguration of President Donald Trump on January 23.
country also participated in the trip. On January 22, all of the students and staff gathered at the Inaugural Dance before heading home. Not only was the trip a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students to witness a president getting sworn in, but it also immerses students in American history and culture. “We were there for five days and we barely even touched the surface of what you can do in D.C. I’ll never forget the trip, especially the inauguration. Whether you
DECA members bring home victories at SVCDC Students win many awards at the Silicon Valley Career Development Conference By Evangeline Chang & Joelle Chuang Staff Writers More than 100 MSJ DECA members attended the Silicon Valley Career Development Conference (SVCDC) from January 6 to 8 at the San Jose Marriott Convention Center. All MSJ DECA members attended this annual conference, which was the first competitive conference of the year. Overall, MSJ had a total of 61 top-eight finalists and 26 top-three finalists, including individual and team events. Members had been preparing for this conference since September and competed
“I always saw CTE as an opportunity to improve, and I think we’ve definitely done that.” — Marketing Teacher Belinda Eugster
against countless other schools from the Silicon Valley region in their respective events. The conference kicked off with an opening ceremony and a competitive talent show, “SV Factor” where Sophomores Rishi Chillara and Advait Marathe performed water bottle flipping stunts. Members competed in two events: roleplays and writtens. They had the great opportunity to network with members from all over Silicon Valley at the DECA Dance and throughout the entire conference. January 8 was the awards ceremony and final day of the conference,
MSJ DECA poses for a picture with its awards.
where MSJ had a total of 31 finalists in the top three for mini awards, which were awarded given on high scores in specific parts of an event, such as exams or roleplays. For grand awards, which are givenbased on overall performance in an event, 26 students were top-three finalists in their respective events. MSJ DECA Co-president Senior Alisha Agarwal said, “The biggest highlight of the conference was seeing so many of our members make it on stage and win awards at this conference. I think it really brought our chapter together and I’m so proud of everyone.” She said that this year’s conference was very similar to past conferences. Although MSJ DECA had decreased in membership because of the newly required Career Technical Education (CTE) class, Agarwal said, “I always saw CTE as an opportunity to improve, and I think we’ve
“The biggest highlight of the conference was seeing so many of our members make it on stage and win awards.” — MSJ DECA Co-president Senior Alisha Agarwal
definitely done that.” Marketing Teacher Belinda Eugster said, “The students get the
staff writer joelle chuang
Sophomores Rishi Chillara and Advait Marathe win their event.
opportunity to do practice tests and quite a bit of roleplays, learn basic fundamentals of marketing, the stock market, and entrepreneurship, and we are currently studying communication styles.” MSJ DECA will participate in two more conferences this year: State Career Development Conference and International Career Development Conference. In the upcoming conferences, they hope their lower membership will not impede their ability to dominate. Eugster said, “I just hope the students do really well in future conferences and are pleased with their performance.” ▪
courtesy christine park
courtesy senior kenneth leung
agree with who’s president or not, it’s still an experience to see, which is why I’m happy so many students wanted to go. I highly recommend it. I think it’s an important historical moment and shows the roots of our country,” said Peterson. ▪
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RC| Assembly continued from page 1
a safe learning environment for all students, the program aims to encourage students to support each other through life’s constant challenges. “I think through Rachel’s Challenge, students realize that they’re not alone and that there is hope,” Rachel’s Challenge Presenter Cody Hodges said. “We can’t control what people do or control what people say, but we get to choose who to be. I think that is hope that we can choose to be kind and choose to show compassion.” Hodges shared Rachel’s story during the assembly and concluded by asking students to close their eyes. Students listened as he led them to consider the past choices and actions they have made throughout their lifetime and the influences they have had on the people around them. Five years ago, Rachel’s Challenge came to MSJ after Activities Director Ben Breazeale heard Darrell Scott tell his daughter’s story at the California Association of Directors of Activities. Five years later, the program is back, as Breazeale hopes that “every time we go through the student
“I think through Rachel’s Challenge, students realize that they’re not alone and that there is hope.” — Rachel’s Challenge Presenter Cody Hodges
body ... we have it again.” Senior Victoria Schmit said, “The presentation and the speaker were really good. It managed to cover many topics which ended up being very effective and relatable.” Even after the presentation had concluded, students approached Hodges to discuss their own experiences and thoughts about Rachel’s Challenge. Fifty-five students who were unable to talk to Hodges directly after the assembly also attended a lunch forum for Rachel’s Challenge in N7 on January 12. In addition, Breazeale is looking to create a Rachel’s Challenge club called Friends of Rachel at MSJ to continue her legacy and ensure that the results of this assembly will continue on for years to come. Sophomore Ashni Mathuria, who attended the lunchtime meeting, said, “I believe that each moment is a choice to either make the world a better place or make it worse, and starting a Rachel’s Challenge club at Mission is a good place to start making the right decisions and to inform others of how they, too, can make a difference.” ▪
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The Smoke Signal is the official newspaper of Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, CA. The Smoke Signal was founded in 1964.The Smoke Signal is the official newspaper of Mission San Jose High School i n Fremo n
Smoke Signal is the official newspaper of Mission San Jose High in School Fremont, CA. The Smoke Signal was founded in 1964.The Smoke Signal is the official newspaper of Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, CA. The Smoke Signal was founded in 1964.The Smoke Signal is the official newspaper o f Mission S a n Jose High Sch ool i n
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The Smoke Signal Mission San Jose High School Est. 1964 Vol. 52, No. 5 | Feb. 3, 2017
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www.thesmokesignal.org 41717 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 Jonathan Ko CIRCULATION Deeksha Raina ADVERTISING Ella Chen, Richard Chenyu Zhou EVENTS Heather Gan, Amber Lee WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS Shivani Avasarala, Evangeline Chang, Gloria Chang, Amy Chen, Hannah Chou, Joelle Chuang, Stephanie Dutra, Katherine Guo, Ian Hsu, Jessica Jen, Anagha Mandayam, Jenny Miao, Ansh Patel, 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. To advertise in the Smoke Signal, email ads@ thesmokesignal.org. Advertising that is included on the pages of, or carried within, the Smoke Signal, is paid advertising, and as such is independent of the news and feature content. The Smoke Signal’s right to freedom of speech and press is protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. All policies on distribution, corrections, and bylines can be found at www.thesmokesignal.org/about.
By Tanushri Sundar Opinion Editor As I flipped through German artist AnnChristine Woehrl’s photo series “In/Visible,” I wondered what her subjects had done to deserve such violence. They were survivors of acid attacks, their faces and arms permanently disfigured from corrosive substances. Many were blind and had lost use of their noses or mouths. One woman wore white bandages around her head, leaving only a small slit for her mouth to prevent scaring other people. Their crimes? Turning down marriage proposals. Asking for divorces. Going to school. These are simple acts of autonomy, but they were enough to earn these women a lifetime of physical and psychological pain. According to Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI), acid attacks occur worldwide but are particularly concentrated in South Asia, where the majority of victims are women. According to an estimate by ASTI, there could be as many as one thousand attacks a year in India alone, many of which go unreported. Survivors often fear reporting attacks will result in further punishment, so they allow perpetrators to escape justice. My reaction to this discovery was a feeling that we’ve probably all experienced — untainted ambition to change something blatantly wrong with the world. I was outraged by such cruel gender terrorism. In poorer, patriarchal societies, a female survivor would be left unable to work and ostracized by her community, all for rejecting an unwarranted romantic or sexual advance. How could anyone justify such inhumanity? As I started to research how to prevent acid attacks, however, that burst of ambition proved to be shortlived. Solutions seemed to require large-scale legislative change in countries oceans away, and I was tempted to think that there was nothing I could do. How could I change
the fact that in India, a perpetrator could purchase an over-the-counter bottle of concentrated acid for as little as three cents? How could I reform Bangladesh’s legal system to better protect and compensate acid attack survivors? My motivation dwindled. I felt as influential as a speck of dust. But as I closed my browser window, I wondered how many other individuals had gone through the same motions and thought processes that I had. I couldn’t be the only person who had wanted to impact the world but underestimated my ability to do so. I realized that there is danger in believing our actions are insignificant — if we never act to prevent crimes we abhor, we can never expect anything to change. Reforming foreign law isn’t exactly a one-step feat, but by starting smaller, we can work our way up to creating a substantial impact. For example, a simple fundraiser can help raise money for the dozens of surgeries a survivor will need. Asking a contact in India to consider hiring a survivor featured in Make Love Not Scars, an Indian nonprofit organization, can help a survivor find employment and reintegrate into society. The possibilities to act are as diverse as becoming a regular donor to ASTI or working towards a medical career in treating survivors. By taking an initial step, we gain experience and expose ourselves to further opportunities, building the momentum to establish a growing network of advocacy. As high school students, we have to be passionate and driven enough to forge these possibilities ourselves. We will never be too small or busy to better our world, because doing so is the only way to transform our concerns into actual change. ▪
The Opinion of the Smoke Signal Editorial Board
Giving teachers the credit they deserve
Teachers put far more effort into educating the student body than they are recognized for. Although students regularly experience the impact of dealing with stress, especially during the recent final exams, it is inconsiderate to solely recognize challenges that students face. Conversations about educators in our community often fail to acknowledge the work that teachers put into supporting students in the highpressure atmosphere at MSJ. Teaching over-sized classes for several periods a day while under constant judgment from students, parents, and other teachers is no easy task. Teachers must constantly deal with a flow of email inquiries regarding grades and course progression. In addition, they face complaints from parents about coursework being too hard, and are frequently disrespected by students who consider their class “a waste of time.” Students have a tendency to associate their teachers with their grades — often a negative association due to the pressures they’re under. Although teachers have to work tirelessly to balance all the nuances of high school learning, in the end students may still remember the teacher and class as just a grade. In the midst of schoolwork and extracurriculars, many students miss the extra efforts made by teachers at MSJ to support and educate their students. Teachers are paid simply to educate their pupils to state standards and to update parents and counselors on student progress. However, teachers do much more than the bare minimum in order to help us learn and thrive. Hosting extra office hours, uploading supplemental material and resources online, and writing many letters of recommendation are just a few examples of the lengths they regularly go to in order to help. In ad-
dition, teachers are also involved in student body activities, performing duties as club advisers and conducting field trips to further engage our demanding student body. Teachers work to keep up with the individual needs of each student. Within the high-performing environment at MSJ, they often further challenge students who excel in their classes. More importantly, teachers find ways to reach out to students who may be struggling. When working with a population that frequently normalizes being overwhelmed, mental health is something that many students struggle to maintain. In addition to counselors, many teachers also open their doors to students who need a confidant for mental health issues, family conflicts, or simply want to converse with an adult. If students make efforts to foster interaction with their teachers outside of what just needs to be done for a grade, they might find mentors who are genuinely concerned for their well-being. When academics can feel like the most important part of a student’s life, it is easy to scapegoat teachers for daily frustrations. As students, each of us should be aware of the extra mile that teachers go for us despite the high stress factor of their jobs. Keeping sight of what teachers do for their students, unwarranted and hurtful comments should not be carelessly tossed around. Something as simple as treating teachers with respect and appreciation would go a long way on a day to day basis. ▪
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anthony’s answer
Opinion 5
Speak up: start the dialogue for change By Anthony Chen Opinion Editor
Recently, I came across an article that newly elected Congressman Ro Khanna published in the San Francisco Chronicle, outlining his five-point plan to combat high school stress and student wellness. It was encouraging to see our local representative — for whom many MSJ students campaigned — look out for students’ wellbeing. However, instead of always waiting for others to address their needs, students must actively speak up about their challenges. In order for other people to notice and understand the problems MSJ’s student body deals with, students must make their voices heard. Khanna said in his article, “My political campaign succeeded because of the help of hundreds of students. Their ambition and drive will allow them to flourish, but I am concerned about their well-being.” He also describes conversations he has had with these students about how the stress and pressures at school called for solutions. Students are able to make connections and draw attention to what they are dealing with only when they speak up about their issues. When students encounter problems such as homework and testing policy, bullying, or mental health, students have the power to discuss and address them. Instead of waiting for MSJ faculty, FUSD, or local politicians to tackle these challenges — although their guidance is greatly influential and appreciated — students need to focus on a bottom-up solution that begins with themselves. Taking the initiative in addressing student issues could also bring perspectives that outsiders may have missed. This begins with acknowledging that high school problems, even at MSJ, extend beyond academics. For example, speaking up about pressures of identity or of mental illness is crucial to
highlighting their existence on campus. Be it through social media, campaigns, or the Smoke Signal’s Humans of MSJ series this issue on dealing with stress, students can voice concerns and share solutions in a variety of ways. Communicating these things will be vital in showing that no one is alone in this community and that students can tackle these issues together. Former President Barack Obama said during his farewell address, “None of [social change] happens on its own. All of this depends on participation. On each of us accepting the responsibility of citizenship.” This citizenship applies to MSJ as well. Students must make it a habit to speak up, even without the outside stimuli for them to do so. If students wait until the next elections to worry about whether our generation’s voices can be heard, it will already be too late. While this may conceptually sound like an easy thing to do, starting and maintaining the momentum of that conversation is difficult. On the Internet, movements such as the Ice Bucket Challenge or Push-up Challenge and the causes they stand for quickly lose the spotlight. Within MSJ, a similar trend exists. After initial protests against the dress code or rallies against the new president, the conversation soon stopped. This does not mean that the protests or rallies were necessarily bad, but rather that the MSJ community does not maintain the dialogue after someone speaks up. As Obama said in his farewell address, “We have to pay attention and listen.” With issues such as mental health, it often requires a lot of courage to step into the spotlight and spark conversation, so it is up to the rest of the community to speak up, be supportive, and keep our ears open so that we will be heard, and we will effect change. ▪
By Lucille Njoo & Zen Thumparkkul News Editor and Graphics Editor
graphics editor zen thumparkkul
news editor lucille njoo
6 Opinion
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The Smoke Signal
Friday, February 3, 2017
Are there too many clubs on campus? By Julia Park Staff Writer
Clubs enrich their members’ education, offering students unique opportunities to learn, compete, or serve. Currently there are 94 ASB clubs on campus, a sharp increase from the 40 clubs of 10 years ago. However, more clubs does not necessarily mean a better campus. Both students and council members should be stricter about the organizations passed as ASB clubs because students will benefit more from a smaller number of well-developed clubs rather than several inactive clubs. Additionally, students should think of alternative ways to form communities to share their ideas and hobbies. Forming a club is a long and difficult process. A potential club must write a constitution, choose an adviser, and have 200 students sign a petition. After receiv-
It is not uncommon to see classmates passing around a club petition and signing it without asking about the club’s purpose. ing the ASB Vice President’s permission to present, the club must be approved by a majority of the ASB Council. Those who manage to pass this rigorous application certainly deserve praise. However, this system falls apart when students are not serious about their responsibility to only pass truly promising clubs. It is not uncommon to see classmates passing around a club petition and signing it without asking about the club’s purpose. It is also not uncommon for a club to pass by a surprisingly small margin
after little discussion during council. This trend has resulted in an unusually large number of clubs being passed each year. Although the first semester of the 201617 year has barely ended, eight clubs have presented to the ASB council and six of them have passed. There are drawbacks to having close to 100 ASB clubs on campus. Exploring new clubs can be overwhelming when many of these clubs have similar goals. For example, while numerous service clubs are interesting, having so many options can make it difficult to choose which to participate in. Additionally, since some clubs pass with little scrutiny, students may not actually be as interested in the club as they claimed to be, resulting in inactivity. ASB recently implemented a policy that limited the number of clubs a teacher can advise to two. This rule encourages teachers to give each club the attention it deserves. However, the overwhelming number of clubs makes it difficult for new, promising clubs to find an adviser. “I’ve seen really recently passed clubs spend weeks trying to contact the available list of advisers. We give them a list, but slowly the number of available teachers is exhausting,” ASB President Shiv
adding any value. Last year, ASB implemented monthly reports to check for inactivity. But students can take action to improve the quality of MSJ’s clubs as well. Before club starters, petition-signers, or council members try to pass an ASB club, they should not only consider how good the idea is but also whether it should become an ASB club. This does not mean nitpicking constitutions and shooting down potential clubs that are less than perfect, but recognizing that students can create organizations without ASB approval. There is no reason students can’t form interest groups without official ASB club status. Students can also expand and
improve existing clubs instead. For example, if a club already focuses on writing fiction and a student wants to create a community of poets, the student can expand the fiction club to include poetry rather than pass a new ASB club for a narrow subject. The ASB system was meant for clubs who need formal control over funds and an official school affiliation. Students should remember that forming communities in other creative ways could still succeed. ▪
“I’ve seen recently passed clubs spend weeks trying to contact the available list of advisers. We give them a list, but slowly the number of available teachers is exhausting.” — ASB President Shiv Salwan Salwan said. At the end of the day, the abundance of clubs only confuses students and clogs ASB procedures without
staff writer jessica jen
do you think msj could benefit from a block schedule?
Bell Schedule
n Je
nifer Yu, 12
are you satisfied with the current bell schedule?
“I think it’s satisfactory because I have enough time to get to my classes most of the time. Even cutting passing period down by one minute in exchange for advisory was a good tradeoff, and I’m happy with it.”
Jumi Y oo
“No, because if the classes are much longer, not everyone would be actively engaged in it for that long. If classes are longer, it is likely that there will be people who are not able to concentrate. I know some of my friends have ADHD, and it is hard for them already to concentrate throughout the whole class period.”
Vic
1 “No. Personally, I procrastinate, and taking more classes is nice, but being in one class for over an hour is tiring. The average person loses their attention span in 20 to 30 minutes. Class is often boring enough as it is, for 50 minutes.”
Se
r, 10
11
n,
tor Do ng
2 ,1
e nd
gela Yi An ,1
Nisha
Tiffany Ba s
9
“Six-minute passing periods are really scary. That one minute makes a huge difference in being late and not. You don’t have enough time to go to the bathroom and then go to class. And then teachers get really mad when you ask to use the bathroom.”
“Advisory for two days? That’s a pretty good schedule, because I like advisory. Also, they said an 8:45 start for Wednesday and Thursday, too, and that’s nice because you get more sleep. Nice. I’m open to it.”
n,
C n, 10 he
l
i, 12 a r
“I think it’s all right. It’s weird how school ends at 2:58 though. Why not just at 3? … But I actually like it. It’s two periods, then break, then two periods, then lunch, then two periods, and you get to go home. You get a little bit of class, and there’s a lot of variety.”
Ishan Mau
Andrew
o,
“I think they’re very well thought-out, especially with advisory Thursdays and late start on Wednesdays. I think the passing period is just right because this campus is pretty big, so it takes a long time to get from class to class.”
rla Mur Sta il
“I think so! I have Ceramics, so we can spend more time on projects and cleaning up. Teachers can make people do more practice AP tests. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to experience it, since I’m a senior.”
11 “I think that the block schedule that Irvington High School has actually works pretty well. Some of my friends have said that having only three classes in a day results in a shorter day, which also helps them out with the workload for those classes. If MSJ were to do that, it would help them a lot with stress.” photos by staff writers helen wang & richard chenyu zhou
Friday, February 3, 2017
The Smoke Signal
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The Electoral College
Opinion 7
explained
By Jenny Miao, Vicki Xu & Maggie Zhao Staff Writers
In the December issue’s “Looking Back at 2016” story, student and teacher voices regarding the 2016 Presidential Election results addressed the Electoral College. In this issue, the Smoke Signal provides an overview of the Electoral College’s origin and processes, as well as points from both sides of the heavy debate surrounding the issue.
visit www.thesmokesignal.org for more information and student interviews
Balances power between more populated states and less populated states,
A brief history
ensuring that larger states’ interests do not override those of smaller states.
When America’s most prominent thinkers met in the Constitutional Convention Keeps safety measures in of 1787, discussion soon turned to the presidential election system. The Virginia place to prevent election of a Plan, as proposed by James Madison and Edmund Randolph, suggested that Forces charismatic but tyrannical Congress choose the President, but this method was rejected. After long, populist that charms candidates to visit heated debates, attendees finally agreed upon establishing an Electhe majority. less-populated states toral College, in which selected representatives from each state would choose the President. to win votes, since otherwise candidates would be attracted only
The original process
to major population centers.
Each state is allotted a number of Electors equal to the number of its Senators and Representatives combined.
Allows electors, who are often more involved in political matters, to make decisions,
Delegates assumed that electors would be chosen on a district-by-district basis by popular vote. Each elector was required to cast two votes for President, of which at least one had to be for someone outside their home state, to avoid deadlocks.
be as well-informed.
example, an individual in sparselypopulated South Dakota has proportionally a greater voice than an individual in the more denselypopulated CA.
If there was no absolute majority, the House of Representatives would pick the President from the top five choices. Federal employees like Congressmen were forbidden from serving as Electors.
Maine and Nebraska set aside two electoral votes for the winner of the statewide popular vote, and allocate the other votes district by district. Electors who vote independent of their citizens’ choices are known as faithless electors, or Hamilton electors. Faithless electors have never affected final presdiential election results. Following contentious results in 2000, some states formed the National Vote Interstate Compact to cast all of a state’s electoral votes to the winner of the popular election. As of January 2017, 10 states and Washington, D.C. have made this a law: CA, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, totaling to 165 electoral votes.
Alternative Systems Popular vote
Choose Presidents solely by popular vote. While this equalizes votes on an individual basis, decisions of areas with larger populations would also override those of areas with smaller populations every time.
Allocated ballots All states adopt Maine and Nebraska’s electoral process, setting aside two electoral votes for the winner of the statewide popular vote, and allocating the other votes by district.
Cons
A vote’s value fluctuates based on geographic location. For
The candidate with an absolute majority of electoral votes became President, while the candidate with the second most votes became Vice President.
Modifications and Exceptions
Pros
since ordinary Americans may not
The Electoral College incentivizes parties to ignore more than 40 states that they know they cannot lose or win in (i.e., states that usually swing one way or the other)
The current Information Era makes an Electoral College obsolete, since most Americans now
TRUMP WON 304 ELECTORAL VOTES.
have access to the Internet. They
CLINTON RECEIVED 227 ELECTORAL VOTES
do not need to rely on electors to stay informed.
TRUMP RECEIVED 46.1% OF THE POPULAR VOTE
CLINTON WON 48.2% OF THE POPULAR VOTE
THERE HAVE BEEN
5 IN
STANCES IN WHICH THE
ELECTED PRESIDENT LOST THE POPULAR VOTE
Candidate ranking Allow voters to rank their preferred candidates, as proposed by Harvard University Economics Professor Eric Maskin.
Legislative branch tie-breaks The House of Representatives and the Senate decides the President when Electoral College results do not agree with the popular vote.
8 Opinion
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Friday, February 3, 2017
Mission Peak parking lot calls for student attention By Evie Sun & Helen Wang Staff Writers
The East Bay Regional Park District’s Board of Directors approved a new Mission Peak parking lot with a 7-0 vote on Sept. 20, 2016. The 300-space parking lot is set to be complete in the early 2020s and will provide increased access to the popular hiking spot. However, the Chochenyo Ohlone tribe has pointed out that Chochenyo and Tamyen Ohlone cultural sites are located where the parking lot is set to be built. Mission Peak is a well-known landmark in our community. Unfortunately, the immense popularity of Mission Peak has been hurting the Ohlone
“I and my family do not want anything built here. This is our sacred place in this part of the world.” — Ohlone Elder Ruth Orta tribes. Ohlone elder Ruth Orta of Newark said to the East Bay Express, “I and my family do not want anything built here. This is our sacred place in this part of the world.” The lack of media coverage on the new Mission Peak parking lot is shocking in light of protests such as the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). We share posts on social media pages supporting one protest after another with pride, but, ironically, we have turned a blind eye to currently one of the community’s most pressing issues. This construction hardly differs from the highly publicized construction of the DAPL in North Dakota. Both the Mission Peak Parking Lot and the DAPL involve the infringing of sa-
cred ground and burial sites with large commercial locations. However, news articles concerning the new local parking lot garner little to no attention, and the ones that end up on social media are simply waved to the side, with no further action. We are often so caught up in the trending topics that we forget to re-shift our focus to the events that impact us locally. We have become consumed by social media platforms, liking and sharing the posts of protests that have already been heavily publicized. Due to the theory of Mob Mentality, we find it easier to join largely-supported causes such as the DAPL protest. We would rather take a stand for widespread causes because we are backed by a large group of likeminded supporters. On the other hand, when taking a stand for lesser-known events, we often need to take the initiative to start a movement on our own. Therefore, we often fail to apply the morals present in widely-broadcasted protests to local issues, and instead paint a public image of being an advocate through our use of social media. Without recognition for our achievements, we lack the incentive to take a stand on community issues. In addition,
promoting publicity in our community. As Chochenyo Ohlone community leader Corrina Gould said to the East Bay Express, “East Bay Regional Parks needs to listen to the first stewards of this land, the Ohlone people,” and as students of
Rather than diverting our attention to causes that have already garnered support, we need to address our local problems and take a stand against them. This entails including local news events in our everyday news sources. Instead of letting the information come to us through It is quite disappointing that we, social media, we need to go out and seek as a community that prides our- it. It is quite disappointing that we, as a selves on our acceptance of vari- community that prides ourselves on our ous cultures and races, have failed acceptance of various cultures and races, to acknowledge this event. have failed to acknowledge this event. We need to make the effort to stand up a larger community, we must do our part for not only large public causes, but also to aid them in their efforts. for local ones. ▪
We often fail to apply the morals present in widely-broadcasted protests to local issues, and instead paint a public image of being an advocate through our use of social media. simply sharing a link is much easier than taking a stand through telephone calls, organizing protests, or directly
oaklandnorth.net
Demonstrators show their support for the Ohlone people at a September 2016 meeting of the East Bay Regional Park District’s Board of Directors.
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Friday, February 3, 2017
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THE
DIEHARD TRYHARDS play
BOCCE BALL
Bocce Ball
By Amy Chen, Hannah Chou, Heather Gan & Andrew Kan Staff Writers
With finals just around the corner, the Diehard Tryhards decided to wind down and play a friendly game of Bocce Ball. In an intense match involving precision, geometry, and miraculous comebacks, two teams fought to determine who would become the Smoke Signal Bocce Ball champions.
Bocce Ball, an Italian sport, is played with two teams of one, two, or four people on a rectangular court. Each team receives four colored balls to throw. The team that starts off the game throws or rolls a small target ball into the court. They then throw in one of their own colored balls to try and land as close as possible to the target ball. The opposing team then has a chance to do the same. After the first round, whichever team does not have the closest ball to the target gets an opportunity to throw another ball. Once all eight balls are thrown, the team with the closest ball wins the match. The game itself lasts some number of matches: the Tryhards played until one team reached 12 matches.
RED TEAM AMY ANDREW If there is a sport I am doomed to fail at, it is Bocce Ball. Whenever I play sports, I try to outscore my opponents based on power alone, and hope that is enough to accommodate for my lack of finesse. Unfortunately for me, Bocce Ball is a game about precision, and even penalizes one for using excessive force. Luckily unlike my fellow players, I do have experience playing Bocce Ball. That may have been from elementary school, but experience is still experience. As long as I control the urge to send the ball speeding down the court, I feel confident I can score at least a handful of points.
Feature 9
GREEN TEAM HEATHER HANNAH
Bocce Ball is undoubtedly my favorite sport. Yes, I’ve only played an unofficial version of it once in my eighth grade physical education class, but I’ve found that it is one of the few sports that doesn’t require agility or a quick reaction time, which is all I look for in a sport, really. A skill it does demand, however, is the ability to aim. Through my experiences in basketball and golf, I’ve learned that this definitely isn’t one of my strong points. Somehow I managed to be pretty skilled at the game the first and last time I played it. Here’s to hoping that my second attempt will be as successful as the first.
When I first heard of Bocce Ball, I expected a sport that required an extensive amount of strength and endurance, and having past experience as a volleyball player, I believed that I would grasp the new sport quickly and breeze through the game. However, it wasn’t until I asked my fellow competitors what exactly Bocce Ball was when I found out that the sport was the complete opposite of my expectations. Instead, control, which I unfortunately don’t possess, is the key to being successful. Although my incapability of aiming has been confirmed countless times, there’s always a chance that I’m naturally talented at Bocce Ball and will leave my opponents in the dust.
I originally thought the years of strength and endurance training from swimming would play to my advantage, but unfortunately that is not the case. I was not familiar with Bocce Ball, but after doing some quick research, it is clear that this game is all about control. I am notorious for being clumsy, and during my short-lived tennis and water polo endeavors, I have injured myself numerous times, including hitting myself with a racquet. Although taking home the win would be ideal, my only goals are to do my best and to take myself home in one piece.
If there was a Ball Control for Dummies book, I would definitely buy it. Sure, I already knew that I lacked aim and precision, but I did not see myself rolling my first ball and sending it smashing against the back wall. Although I did manage to get the hang of it, I quickly realized that I was no Bocce Ball prodigy. However, Heather and I made a great team, and although we ended up just short of victory, we gave our opponents a run for their money. After all, I am proud to say that we came back from a nine-point deficit.
My teammate, Hannah, and I had a rocky start, but we quickly learned and began devising unique strategies to win. After seeing Hannah roll her first ball into the back wall, I decided to throw the ball granny-style because I felt that it gave me more control of the ball. Although Hannah and I fell short of victory by two points, we made a comeback from a nine-point deficit by using geometry to calculate the angle we rolled the balls with. I am proud that we improved so much over the course of one match.
THE COMPETITION
The game was as exciting as I remembered, and my heart was racing every second of it. It started off rough, with Amy and I both rolling our first two balls into the back wall, but it quickly turned around from there. While my aim and power still weren’t perfect, I could tell that I was was definitely improving as the game went on. After some coolly calculated plays, I was able to help my team obtain a massive lead.
Every team has a carry. As soon as the game started, I realized that this time it definitely wasn’t going to be me. Fortunately, thanks to Andrew, we managed to achieve a nine-point lead, but by a series of ridiculous and unfortunate events, Hannah and Heather caught up to us at a score of ten to ten. I couldn’t have been more stressed, but the sweet taste of a well-deserved victory was worth it in the end.
Despite playing over a dozen rounds, each round remained as exciting as the first. The game’s low skill floor, emphasis on finesse, and unpredictability all contributed to that and to its appeal as a casual but still competitive sport. Even though most of us were beginners, we were all able to make some impressive rolls, and the skill gap didn’t have an impact on my experience. I hope that others who try out this game will have as much of an exhilarating time as I had. However, as evident from Heather declining my good game handshake, I fear that playing too much Bocce Ball may break a friendship or two.
I thoroughly enjoyed my first official game of Bocce Ball, even though I started off not quite sure of what I was doing. The game was much more competitive than I expected, and the level of strategic plays my fellow players employed never ceased to stun me. My favorite aspect of the game, however, was everyone’s expressions of pure shock and incredulousness every time someone scored a seemingly impossible point. I’ll definitely continue playing Bocce Ball for fun, just to witness that look over and over again.
THOUGHTS AFTER
Even though my team did not win, playing Bocce Ball was an enjoyable experience. What started off as a game that I wasn’t particularly interested in became an activity that I would definitely recommend to anyone. My lack of Bocce Ball skills did not stop me from having fun with everyone else, and when our session ended, I couldn’t help but wish we could play another match. The next time I get a chance to play Bocce Ball, I will definitely claim victory and have a great time!
I did not have high expectations for Bocce Ball, but after playing, I can say I had an amazing time. The game was unpredictable — one team would be about to win, but the other team would make a clutch play and take the lead. Even though this was the first time Hannah and I played Bocce Ball, it was easy to learn and we had fun competing against Andrew and Amy, who are more experienced players. I definitely recommend trying Bocce Ball to everyone, and I look forward to playing it again in the future.
FINAL SCORE
12 - 10 photos by graphics editor victor zhou
10 Feature
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Student Spotlight: Lavanya singh By Ansh Patel Staff Writer
The Smoke Signal: How do you balance school work and your debate career? Lavanya Singh: I always prioritize schoolwork over debate, so whenever I’m busy with standardized testing or other academic projects, I put debate on the back burner for a bit. Usually, I prepare one to two hours a night a few weeks before major tournaments. Junior Lavanya Singh
SS: Can you give us a brief summary of what your College Preparatory School Debate Invitational topic was about? LS: The CPS topic was about whether or not public colleges should be allowed to restrict free speech. This has been a hot issue lately, with debates about speech codes and free speech zones erupting on various campuses. One core argument on the topic that is very relevant in today’s political climate discusses hate speech and whether or not censoring hate speech effectively combats bigotry. SS: Can you describe your experience at CPS? LS: My experience at CPS was nerve-wracking since I felt very underprepared for the tournament and I wasn’t really sure how to best ap-
Student Spotlight:
ABHINAY&AERUVA Venkat Uppalapati
staff writer ansh patel
proach the topic. At the same time, the tournament was a lot of fun because I got to hang out with my teammates and because CPS gives out really good cake as an award! SS: Do you plan on continuing debate in college? LS: College debate is a lot more work than debate in high school, so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to commit as much time as I do now, but I would like to stay involved in the activity, regardless of whether I’m coaching, judging, or competing. SS: What advice would you give to new debaters? LS: Don’t give up! Debate, especially LD (Lincoln-Douglas format) debate, is challenging and daunting, but it’s also been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I almost quit debate when I first started in eighth grade, and I’m so glad that my parents pushed me to stick with it. ▪
The Smoke Signal: Can you give a brief description of your business? Abhinay Aeruva: Royale is essentially a clothing brand that we created to help those in need and our main focus is children’s cancer. All of our profits go towards St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. We first started off on a website called Tee-spring, which is almost like a kickstarter way for clothing brands and stuff like that. From there, selling for about a week and a half last December, we made over $250 in profit; and then from there, starting in January, we made more and improved designs, and started on the website, which is www.royale-apparel.com. SS: How did you get the idea of your business? Venkat Uppalapati: We saw a lot of other high brands, and they’re very expensive, so overpriced, and we saw their designs [sic]. Some of them only had one word and they costed $200, so I was like, 'I’m pretty sure we can come up with something better.' SS: What was the hardest aspect of creating your business? VU: Figuring out how to start it — that was definitely the hardest part, because we had no money; our parents didn’t want to give us any money to start it off, so we had to find a way to start a business without any capital invested forefront. [sic]
THOUGHTS BEFORE
6 1 20
By Jenny Miao & Helen Wang Staff Writers
staff writer helen wang
Seniors Abhinay Aeruva and Venkat Uppalapati
SS: What is unique about your business? VU: On top of having cool designs, we also donate a portion of our profits to St. Jude’s and the other portion goes to buying the clothes. As of now, we have not taken any money for our personal use out of the company. It goes towards St. Jude’s Children Hospital. We chose to donate there because both of us volunteered there and it’s a really good cause and we really connected with it, so that’s why we chose to donate to those places. SS: Other than your St. Jude’s donations, what are your other goals for your business? AA: One thing we were planning on doing is, once we get a little bit more traction and more popularity, is going to different children’s hospitals in the area, like Oakland Children’s Hospital and just handing out clothes to kids and just talking about what we do and what our logo represents and just trying to give them a good experience and a little gift, because they’re fighting against cancer there. ▪
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Seniors Abhinay Aeruva and Venkat Uppalapati partnered together to create Royale Apparel, an online clothing brand. The Smoke Signal interviewed them to learn more about their business development and aspirations.
Junior Lavanya Singh recently competed at the College Preparatory School Debate Invitational (CPS) where she won first place. The Smoke Signal interviewed her about her debate career and plans for the future.
SS: When did you become interested in debate? LS: I became involved in debate in eighth grade after having done speech for a year. I realized that I had no natural artistic abilities and that I am a terrible actress, so I switched over to debate.
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Feature 11
B UCK E T L IST By Jessica Jen & Bethany Woo Staff Writers
Actually read during read
Have stable WiFi for an entire day
Those minutes between second and third period are there for a reason, and it is not meant as crunch time for those essays we never started, due in two periods. And no, reading assignment instructions or messages on your phone does not count!
The school’s notoriously shaky WiFi is a source of relief and despair: relief when you finally have a strong connection and despair when you lose it again. However, keeping in mind areas where there is consistent connection (such as the library) is always helpful.
join and actively participate in a club attend a sports game Try to make it to one school game and cheer on our dedicated and talented athletes!
Clubs are one of the many great ways for students to become more involved in the MSJ community. Here is a chance to change up your lunchtime routine and meet people with similar interests. Find one or two you like and stick with them for the rest of the year. Who knows, you might just discover a new hobby.
read an entire participate in SMOKE SIGNAL an asb friday issue activity
If you are reading this then it is likely this particular item does not apply to you, but for everyone who reads only the Feature section and the graphic opinions, try making it through one entire issue. Just one. We promise it is not that hard, and it will be worth it.
Loud, upbeat, and large crowds attract students to the BTQ or ampitheater for Friday Activities by ASB Activities Coordinator Senior Ali-Sadany. High school is zooming by, so get out of your comfort zone, ignore that half of MSJ is watching, and try something new!
Survive running a mile after rain Running miles in the winter is torture. Not only are your face and fingers at a constant temperature of freezing, but the heavy rain turns the track into a maze of mud puddles and wet geese poo. It seems like it’s sayonara to your new clean shoes, but if you watch your step and keep a good pace, your mile time will turn out decent.
try everything at the student store
Who doesn’t get hungry at school? Luckily for you, the Student Store is chock full of an assortment of snacks and drinks for hungry students. If you’re ambitious or a junk food connoisseur then we challenge you to sample everything on the menu!
not leave anything behind in class for a week Almost every day there’s an exclamation as a student realizes they’ve misplaced their textbook, pencil pouch, gym clothes — or all three. Here’s a tip! Before you l eave the classroom look around your desk area to make sure nothing is left behind. graphics by staff writers jessica jen & bethany woo
12 Centerspread
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Friday, February 3, 2017
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Centerspread 13
By Shivani Avasarala, Gloria Chang, Jessica Jen & Hana Sheikh Staff Writers
With education being a central part of society today, the Smoke Signal took a look at different education systems around the world, comparing those of foreign countries with that of the US.
Canada’s education system shares similarities with the US system. According to the World Bank Group, Canada spends approximately 5.4 percent of its gross domestic product on education. Canadian children can attend kindergarten, which is not legally mandatory, for one or two years, and begin school in first grade at the age of 6. Students graduate high school around 17 or 18 years old in 12th grade, except in Quebec, where they finish a year earlier. They then attend community colleges or universities, which prepares them to enter the workplace. Of the population, one in seven adults have a university degree.
The education system in the US is structured to prepare students for a higher education and encourage them to explore future career options and become actively participating members of society. Students, beginning at around age 4, attend pre-school, followed by kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, and high school. The age range for compulsory education varies from state to state. Higher education facilities, including universities and colleges, both public and private, offer a four-year undergraduate program for incoming students, and graduate programs in more specific fields of interest. Students can choose to pursue their desired level of education, such a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate degree.
Brazil established a standard educational system in 1996, which includes a compulsory nine-year primary education followed by three years of secondary education and either three or four years of vocational training. Both lower levels of education are free in public institutions. Municipalities are required to oversee early education, while states and the federal governments are responsible for primary and secondary levels. In 2011, the Brazilian government implemented the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program to grant 100,000 Brazilian students scholarships to study STEM topics in worldwide universities.
“A major difference between classes here and in Canada was that in Canada, the required foreign language elective was replaced by mandatory French classes in elementary school. As most of my experience of school in another country was during elementary school, there was little homework and lessons were mainly project-based.” — Adelpha Chan, 10
Finland’s education system works to provide equal opportunities and cultivate lifelong learners. The education emphasizes learning the curriculum, not testing. Primary and lower secondary schools are compulsory for children ages 7 to 16. Upper secondary and vocational schools are optional for teenagers ages 17 to 18. Higher education institutions, such as universities or polytechnics, are independent from the government and can develop their own research and education programs. Approximately 85 percent of students that complete the compulsory schooling attend secondary or tertiary levels of education. All levels of education are free, except for non-European students at universities.
There are four parts to education in England, with education being compulsory for students ages 5 to 16. Stages one and two of education are completed in primary school, and after age 11, students move on to stages three and four in secondary school. The General Certificates of Secondary Education (GCSE) are exams in five to 10 subjects ranging from English to Sports Science that students must complete by the end of secondary education. Following the GCSEs are the Advanced Level exams, which are qualifications for university courses based on three elective classes a student selects. These three classes are often indications of a student’s future specializations. “The commute to school would’ve been like five to 10 minutes in primary school, which is the equivalent to elementary school, and in secondary school, which is junior high and high school put together, I started walking, which took 30 minutes. Our classes were around an hour each and we only had five classes a day, but our schedule wasn’t daily. It rotated by the fortnight so we could fit around 17 different subjects into our schedule. We only had a few subjects every day, such as English, math, and science.” — Anushri Nair, 11
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, most Ethiopian people believe that working to support family income is more important than education. Thus, even though Ethiopia has implemented a primary, middle, and secondary school system to improve literacy, children in rural areas are less likely to go to school than children in urban areas. Primary schools teach English, mathematics, social science, natural sciences, and art classes, preparing students for secondary education. However, the gross enrollment rate of 93 percent in primary education has dropped to 38 percent in lower secondary education.
“We had a lot of tests in China. We need to take about four tests every day. We had a lot of homework every day, usually takes four to six hours. A big difference is, in China, there’s about 40 students in one classroom, and they will be your classmates for every class, and your class will stay the same before you graduate from that school. We will also get a lot of homework during a vacation, like a lot.” — Ziyu Cui, 10
The Ministry of Education manages the education system in China, and mandates that all citizens attend nine years in total of primary school and junior secondary school. In their years of compulsory education, students are required to pass standard exams in certain core subjects including mathematics, science, and politics. Students then choose between continuing on the learning-based senior secondary school or career-focused vocational education. Acceptance into higher education is primarily reliant on students’ scores on the National College Entrance Exam with some exceptions made for students with extraordinary performance in secondary school.
The goal of India’s education system is to prepare students for life outside of school. Students attend compulsory primary school from ages 6 to 14, and their classes include history, general science, mathematics, and languages such as English, Hindi, or a regional language. In most parts of the country, students attend secondary school until age 18, and testing is the main emphasis. Board exams are taken from ages 15 to 17, and these scores are crucial for admission into higher education. Afterwards, students can receive bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees at colleges and universities, which are mostly private institutions.
“In India, I didn’t have as much flexibility in the choice of classes as I did here. All classes were mandatory except for my language classes, French or Sanskrit. It was mostly a lecture-based learning with a few projects each semester. Homework wasn’t too bad, but the tests were really intense. It was majorly paragraph responses with max ten multiple choice.” — Alita Mary, 11
photos by staff writers shivani avasarala, gloria chang & jessica jen. graphics by commoms.wikimedia.org, wikihow.com
14 Arts & Entertainment
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History of MSJ Drama By Shivani Avasarala, Evangeline Chang, Katherine Guo, Andrew Kan Staff Writers
The Smoke Signal
Friday, February 3, 2017
Throughout the years, MSJ’s Drama program has put on a variety of shows. To commemorate these productions, the Smoke Signal has compiled a timeline of several significant productions and accomplishments over the past few decades.
History
The Theater Department has been around since the founding of this school in 1964. John Faunt, the first Theater teacher, later founded Universal Performers (UP) in 1969, making it the oldest club on campus. Since its inception, UP has never been disbanded. MSJ Drama has historically placed consistently well at National High School Musical Theatre Awards, CA division, receiving awards there multiple times and a number of other festivals, including winning the Henry Kemp-Blair Shakespeare Festival, an annual Shakespearean festival for CA high schools at Chapman University, 16 consecutive years. A particularly notable event was when Alumna Courtney Stokes won Top Honor’s Best Actress in 2006.
Bri
In 1969, MSJ performed the musial, Brigadoon. First performed on Broadway in 1947, Brigadoon soon established itself as a classic and gained recognition for its famous tracks, including the hit, “Almost Like Being in Love.” The story follows the journeys of two American tourists, Tommy Albright and Jeff Douglas, after they unknowingly discover a Scottish village that appears for one day every 100 years. The plot deepens as Tommy falls in love with Fiona, a resident of the mysterious village, and the tourists learn of the curse placed on the village centuries ago.
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The Alumni Andrew Jones and Elisha wellEyre dance in the 1989 MSJ proknown duction of Once Upon A Mattress. American musical Hello, Dolly! is the story of a playful matchWritmaker, Dolly ten by Gallagher Levi. The Mary first version of the Rodgers musical was A Day Well with lyrics Spent by John Oxenford by Marshall Both in 1835. Since then, Barer and MSJ there have been multiple based on and adaptations, and in 1969, a the book by Irvingmovie was made. MSJ’s Drama Jay Thompsen, ton High department performed this muMSJ Drama’s School sical in 1976. Hello, Dolly! begins production of students in New York City in the 1890s, and Once Upon a Mattress performed Dolly is a friendly, bubbly woman starred Alumna Rose together in a who helps out friends and neighbors E. DuLude, class production of when she can. The story follows her as of 1990, as Princess Fiddler On The she finds herself a love interest, Horace Winnifred, a courageous Roof in 1992. Vandergelder, and hilarious chaos and unapologetic princess, The spring muoccurs around Dolly. Alumnus Tim LaTorre, sical was directed Class of 1989, as Prince by the Irvington Dauntless, and Alumni Jenn High School drama Choi and Daryll Davidson, teacher, Linda Jackson, Class of 1989, as the Queen and and was performed in King, respectively. The musical the Valhalla Theatre at revolves around the Queen’s search Irvington High School. Perfor a “suitable princess” for her son. The story set in 1905 formed As a result, she sets a number surrounds the parents of at the of tests for all prospective a Russian Jewish family Little candidates, including that are trying to marry off Theater Winnifred. The their daughters. They count in MSJ, the MSJ on the matchmaker Yenta to 2004 Spring Drama find suitable men to marry their production program daughters, however the three of the classic attended daughters plan to choose their musical boasted the National own husbands. a talented cast Festival of from MSJ, IrvingPerforming Last ton High School, Arts held in New year’s Washington High York City in 2008, spring School, and several with a nomination perforelementary schools. based off of their mance Students under the distellar adaptation of in MSJ’s rection of Director Anne The the musical Les Misérables. Little TheRiley and Vocal Director curThere, students performed ater was Fools, Lee Glover took part in the rent a self-written and self-proby Neil Simon, directing and production Drama duced piece centered on the directed by then Senior processes behind the musical. Adviser AIDS epidemic, earning them Drama Adviser Rushalee The production also featured Morgan the special judges’ award and a Nirodi in Valerie Carattini a live orchestra conducted by Goldstein tremendous positive response. Anthe 2016 and adapted by Instrumental Director Monica other notable achievement was that production is excited to Assistant Director Kraft. MSJ’s rendition of Les meet and work of Fools of Alumna Beatrice Crosbie, now an Alumnus AllamapraMisérables earned the program a with students to actress and musician on Broadway, who bhu Pattanashetty. Fools nomination to attend the National bring forth their won the award for Best Actress for the is a comedic play about Festival of Performing Arts the next talents. This year, the MSJ production. the ecstatic Leon Tolyear. schedule for producchinsky, who unluckily tions is lighter, as it is her gets a job in KulyAlumnus Jeff Oliveira was the lead actor first year being in charge. The cast of MSJ’s 2004 production enchikov, Ukraine, a of the production, playing the character There will be a spring of Les Misérables village cursed with Jean Valjean, and told the Smoke Signal performance later in the year, perform a musical “Chronic Stupidity” that, “This was a production that brought The Importance of Being Earnest number. for the past 200 together so many groups of people across by Oscar Wilde, but other years. Four shows were several schools, social groups, and class levels. productions will be on hiatus held, each showcasing It raised the bar for future productions and we this year to allow MSJ Drama to the talented 25-member were able to accomplish so much more than we prepare to make a resurgence. cast. Mission Night thought we could. The process was challenging, The Performing Arts Gala in Live, an original comedic exhausting, and at times I felt I was going to lose May will also be a great opporimprov by UP, was also my mind — but it was all worth it in the end.” tunity to fundraise as well as performed three times showcase the department’s throughout the year. work.
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photos by the smoke signal archives, courtesy jeff oliveira & monica kraft. graphics by curtaindesigns.rosariouniveersal.org, pinterest.com
Friday, February 3, 2017
The Smoke Signal
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Arts & Entertainment 15
student Spotlight: Claire Wu By Bethany Woo Staff Writer I chose Raymonda Act II Variation II. We had four days of classes beforehand. The days started with a technique class followed by short coaching sessions for the two solos we prepared for the competition and a rehearsal for a new commissioned piece that we all learned there. Twelve candidates made it to the finals located at the Sydney Opera House. I didn’t make it to the finals, but it was still an amazing experience.
In December 2016, Senior Claire Wu was invited to the Genée International Ballet Competition hosted by the Royal Academy of Dance in Sydney, Australia. The Smoke Signal interviewed Wu about her progress as a dancer and her experiences at the competition. The Smoke Signal: When did you start dancing and why? Claire Wu: I started when I was four, but then I had to quit when I was around five because of scheduling problems. A few years later my mom asked if I wanted to go back to Rachel’s Ballet when I was nine. I just love it. SS: Who is your role model as a dancer and how has he or she inspired you? CW: I have a lot of role models. Just how they interpret dancing and how they put so much emotion into their dancing. I love Lauren Cuthbertson [an English principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London] and Fumi Kaneko [a Japanese Soloist for The Royal Ballet]. Although I have never seen them perform live, The Royal Ballet in London has posted videos of the two, and they always take my breath away. They inspire me to strive for their clean, precise technique, and their ability to make the hardest steps look effortless. I also love their soft, flowing quality and how they are able to transform into the different characters they are performing on stage. SS: How do you balance school with ballet practice and competitions? CW: My ballet schedule varies from day to day. I usually have classes five to six times a week, and I take multiple classes that add up to two to five hours a day. It usually consists of one and a half hour long technique classes and a half to one and a half hours private
SS: What have your experiences during practices and competitions taught you? CW: They’ve taught me to be versatile and work really hard towards my goals. It [Genée] gave me an experience to see dancers from all over the world. SS: What advice would you give to an aspiring dancer? CW: Just to follow your dreams, and to be really determined and not give up on working and improving on it. I believe like any other hobby or interest, you need to be very driven and passionate about the craft. Dance is such a subjective art form and not courtesy claire wu Senior Claire Wu performs at Genée Ballet Competition in Sydney, Australia everyone will like what you have to offer. All [classes] working on exam work and solos for on technique and artistry. A “pass” grade is 40 to that matters is that you are doing what you competitions. [The] styles I dance are mainly bal- 54, “merit” is 55 to 74, and a “distinction” is 75 love. let and contemporary. It’s hard, but you just have to 100. We had to prepare a classical and contemSS: What are your future goals for ballet? to manage your time really, really well. Sometimes porary variation, so I worked [on] one the whole I have to do my schoolwork during lunch and year, and then we learned another variation there (i.e continuing in college, dancing professionally) things like that. as well, so we did those three. CW: Right now I’m auditioning for colSS: How did you qualify and prepare for the SS: What was your schedule at the Genée leges, and I’m going to try to go the professional route. I don’t have any specific comGenée International Competition? Competition? CW: I take this exam called Royal Academy of CW: At Genée, there were 86 candidates from panies yet, but I’m trying both right now, so Dance Exams. Once you get to the highest level, around the world, and I was one of three Amer- we’ll see. ▪ which is Advanced II, if you get a Distinction [in icans. The competition consisted of a three day the exam] then you qualify to go to Genée. The semifinals — one judged class on stage, a classical score is out of 100 split into 10 categories based variation solo, and a ‘dancer’s own’ original solo.
Restaurant Review: Poké House By Anthony Chen & Carolyn Ge Opinion Editor and Web Editor
Ambiance
Service The restaurant offers friendly
The music and atmosphere at Poké
service in their food recommen-
House create a modern dining envi-
dations and side conversations.
ronment, with a long wooden bench
The servers are quick to explain
against one wall, metal chairs, and
the options that customers aren’t
tables for two. Its casual atmosphere is
familiar with, and guides posted on the glass in front of the bar also
evident as soon as you enter, with a fun graphic of breakdancing footsteps at the entrance. The restaurant’s selection of pop music serves as white noise that doesn’t distract from conversations, although it also brings little special to the table.
Price
help out confused first-timers. However, there isn’t a lot of service or Poké House’s main attraction is the poke bowl, a traditional Hawaiian dish with rice, raw fish, and seasoning. After Poké House’s grand opening at 46813 Warm Springs Blvd. On December 9, the Smoke Signal visited the restaurant to try out its poké and other items.
interaction after ordering due to the nature of its Subway- or Chipotle-style ordering process, much like other poke restaurants.
Food
Overall rating: The house signature bowls are priced at $11.50, while the build-your-own bowls are $10.50
Poké House features a decent variety of options in its signature poke bowls, from the House
for a medium and $12.50 for a large. The drinks are slightly expensive, hitting the $4 mark.
Salmon Bowl to the Tuna Lover Bowl, and it also offers the chance for customers to build
Although the bowls are more costly than those at other local poke restaurants, the quality
their own poke bowl from an array of ingredients. Portion sizes are generous, and the fish
of the meal is
are cut up into
well-worth the
small pieces for
price. Each order
easier mixing.
comes with a base,
The restaurant
protein, dressings,
also offers sides
and toppings of
and drinks, such
your choice served
as miso soup
in a plastic bowl.
and coffee, to complement the main entrée.
photos by opinion editor anthony chen & web editor carolyn ge
16 Advertisement
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Arts & Entertainment 17
C R I T I C S’ C O R N E R M u si C: t h e x x , 2c e l lo s | F ilm : h i d d e n fi g ur es, s leeples s
Under the radar 2CELLOS By Jessica Jen Staff Writer The musical duo 2CELLOS consists of Croatian cellists Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser, who are noted for the wide range of musical pieces they play. Šulić and Hauser both started playing the cello as children, won multiple international music competitions, and graduated from music schools in 2011. Šulić and Hauser perform classical, pop, rock, and film covers and sprung into fame with their rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal,” posted on YouTube in 2011. This performance garnered the duo the chance to tour with Sir Elton John. The same year, the duo released 2CELLOS, their first album, followed by IN2ITION in 2012, and their latest album CELLOVERSE in 2015. Their covers of already existing songs range from “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay featured in 2CELLOS to “Live and Let Die” by Paul and Linda McCartney in CELLOVERSE. 2CELLOS reaches its audience through both international live shows and YouTube videos. Notable performances include the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, The Ford’s Theatre Annual Gala in 2015, and shows such as China Central Television New Year’s Gala in 2015. Šulić and Hauser have garnered significant acclaim in countries such as Japan, where they have an enthusiastic fan base. 2CELLOS completed its 2016 USA and Canada tour and will perform in Serbia, Italy, and Slovenia in early 2017. ▪
Book Bites
hidden figures shoots to the top
Music review the xx
imdb.com
By Anagha Mandayam Staff Writer Hidden Figures, set in the late 1960s, portrays the struggles and victories of three ambitious African-American women who fought to achieve equality in the South during a time of racial segregation. Directed by Theodore Melfi, the movie features a seasoned cast, with Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe in the lead roles. The movie is an adaptation of the book Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, and depicts the true story of female African-American human computers Katherine Johnson (Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Monáe). The movie tells the story of the three women at the National Aeronautics and Space Association (NASA), showcasing their successes, hardships, and everlasting friendship in an empowering light, as they do their part to send a man into space. The movie begins in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia in 1926, where we see a young Katherine Johnson being promoted two grade levels and being offered a full scholarship to finish
her education. Fast forward 35 years, we see Johnson, Vaughan, and Jackson riding to the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, working as Colored Computers, colored women who compute mathematical equations by hand. As reassignments are handed out, Johnson receives a promotion to work for the Space Test group as she is the only one with advanced knowledge of analytical geometry, a promotion which is not well received by her white colleagues, specifically Paul Stafford, the lead engineer played by Jim Parsons, and Vivian Michael, one of the project supervisors played by Kirsten Dunst. These two characters represent the majority of the population who are purposefully shooting colored women down, as they still strongly believe in and support the idea of workplace segregation. In addition to demonstrating acts of racism in the workplace, the movie gives the audience a glimpse of the era itself, whether it’s by showing Vaughan walk to the back of the bus and take a seat with her children, or by having Johnson use another coffee dispenser
because none of her white counterparts want to drink the same coffee as her. However, Al Harrison, played by Kevin Costner, demonstrates his support for Johnson and other female African-American workers at NASA through his actions such as tearing down the “Colored Only” sign outside the bathroom. One weak point of the movie is that the story line never progresses to a climax or resolution, instead playing out in a predictable manner. In addition, the minor subplot portraying the love story between Johnson and her future husband, while romantic, was unnecessary and reduced the impact of the movie. However, the stellar acting by Henson, Spencer, and Monáe more than compensates for the weaknesses of the movie. The three do a wonderful job bringing out the chemistry between the real-life characters and move the audience through every twist and turn the movie has to offer. Although the movie is not completely historically accurate, Hidden Figures is an empowering, feelgood movie. ▪ Rating: A-
Don’t sleep through sleepless
By Helen Wang Staff Writer
Student Recommendations
Title: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) Author: Mindy Kaling Rating: Easy Genre: Biography A series of stories documenting Mindy Kaling’s endeavors as an Indian-American, this book discusses the endless challenges that Kaling faces finding her identity. “Kaling sprinkles life lessons and perspectives into her writing through engaging anecdotes about her life. This book would be a great read for anyone looking for humor with substance beneath it.” — Ankush Swarnakar, 11 Title: Empire Author: Orson Scott Card Rating: Medium Genre: Speculative Fiction Empire depicts the fictional second American Civil War and follows US Army Major Reuben Malich and US Army Captain Barthomolew Coleman as the US falls into turmoil. “It’s based a lot on politics and how a country gets pushed to the limit, and the political disparity between groups.” — Kanav Kalucha, 10
Staff Recommendation
Title: David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants Author: Malcom Gladwell Rating: Easy Genre: Self-Help, Personal Growth Like David and Goliath, this book highlights the positive aspects of an underdog, and how the traits one develops even with disadvantages benefits them in the world. “It’s a book about taking your weaknesses and turning it into your strengths. I especially liked it because it talks about learning disabilities like dyslexia and turning that into your strengths.” — Librarian Maile Ferreira
By Ansh Patel Staff Writer As an action-packed thriller, Baran Odar’s Sleepless keeps its audience at the edge of their seats. Though a remake of Frédéric Jardin’s 2011 French film Nuit Blanche (Sleepless Night), Sleepless adds its own novel elements. The new movie changes the setting from a nightclub in suburban Paris to a Vegas strip casino hotel and brings more gore and violence along with it. Vincent (Jamie Foxx), a supposedly dirty Las Vegas police officer, partners with Sean (T.I.) to steal 25 kilos of cocaine from drug lords Stanley (Dermot Mulroney) and Novak (Scoot McNairy). In retaliation, the criminals kidnap Vincent’s teenage son (Octavius J. Johnson) and leave Vincent one night to return the stolen drugs before his son is murdered. The situation is complicated further with the appearance of internal affairs officer Bryant (Michelle Monaghan) and her partner Doug Dennison (David Harbour), who are intent on exposing Vincent as a corrupt cop. However, the movie never clarifies whether Vincent truly is bad or simply undercover in a crooked unit. Though its lack of solid visuals and effects and extraordinary acting make
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Sleepless an unlikely candidate for an Oscar, the film is a perfectly enjoyable, escapist action movie that doesn’t do much beyond that — it offers a generic plotline and tries to force suspense onto the viewer with a script that relies heavily on action scenes. It doesn’t try to overreach or send a message to its audience; rather, the film simply entertains. The rolling shots of the Las Vegas strip at night are beautiful and are the perfect backdrop for the movie’s nearly non-stop action. Since Vincent only has one night to rescue his kidnapped son, there is always a sense of urgency, and Foxx conveys that sentiment very well. The characters in Sleepless are interesting and well-developed, unlike typical action movies. Though it’s difficult to determine whose side Vincent is on for most of the movie, he is not simply a throwaway cop character who’s only fighting to save his son. He has his own backstory, life, and reason to prove himself as a worthy police officer. Similarly, Bryant, the internal affairs officer, has a lot on the table during the film. After botching a drug bust early in her career, Bryant must regain the trust of the people and of the police department by trying to arrest Vincent and the drug lords.
Despite the amusing brawls and compelling characters, Sleepless does have its share of flaws. For example, the audio mixing in many scenes was done poorly, with helicopter sounds and gunshots often drowning out character dialogue. Furthermore, McNairy delivers a shaky performance as villain drug lord Novak. The character makes some poor choices during the film for the purpose of suspense alone, and makes the movie feel as if the characters are fighting simply for the sake of fighting. Despite its setbacks, Sleepless accomplishes its goal by providing intense action sequences, continuously building suspense, and keeping the viewer on the edge of its seat. The fast-paced movie is rounded out with strong performances from Foxx and Monaghan and is nearly guaranteed to entertain its viewers. ▪
By Michael Ren Staff Writer British pop trio The xx recently released their third album I See You on January 13. The album offers a brighter and more open take on the style The xx are known for. The xx shot onto the international stage in 2009 when they released their first album, simply titled xx. With a distinctive hushed yet brilliant style, The xx became critically acclaimed around the world for their unique style of music. In 2012, the band followed up with their second album, Coexist. After another five-year gap, The xx released I See You, in which the band plays with a generally much more upbeat tone while still reserving its closed and surreal style. I See You starts out strong with catchy and upbeat songs such as “Dangerous” and “Say Something Loving.” The feeling of anticipation and confidence here reflects on the optimistic musings of one heading into a relationship. This atmosphere is not only brilliantly crafted by the voices of singers Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim, but also by the music itself. Much of this can be attributed to James Smith, also known as Jamie xx, who serves as the band’s producer and DJ. With the new album, all three band members have grown in their respective roles since Coexist. Croft and Sim have figured out how to complement and contrast from each other’s lyrics and voices to great effect. Arguably the biggest improvement, though, comes from Jamie xx. Influences from the solo album he released last year, In Colour, can clearly be heard in all of this album’s tracks. A perfect example of the growth the entirety of The xx have undergone as artists can be heard in “On Hold.” The track features Croft and Sim alternating their voices to describe a prolonged relationship, with a fitting sample from rock and roll duo Daryl Hall and John Oates’ “I Can’t Go For That” implemented as well. Midway into the album, there is a slight shift to the darker and more reserved tone that was the core of what originally made The xx great, featuring fragile lyrics and naked melodies filled with silent implications. Although this general atmosphere isn’t quite as prominent in I See You compared to previous albums, it makes up for it by having those parts sound even more refined and polished. This is particularly true for “Replica,” which begins quietly and sorrowfully, but opens up quite a bit near the end. This also brings up the album’s biggest weakness: its lack of variety. No song really struck out as clearly better than the others, with instead all of the songs having similar merits attached to them. With this in mind, The xx still manages to deliver a series of stunning tracks, especially when compared to their previous releases. Individually, Croft and Sim certainly don’t have the best vocals, but these problems are more than made up for by the emotion and feeling that are conveyed in the intonation of only a few choice words. Combined with Jamie xx’s perfectly tailored sounds, the result is an album that adds a new dimension to the band while still retaining its former elegance and magnificence. ▪ Rating: A-
Rating: B+
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Sports 19
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By Gloria Chang & Stephanie Dutra Staff Writers Fitness technology has the potential to further progress the health and exercising habits of a person, but without motivation and commitment to fitness regimens, the technology falls short of its purpose. The most advanced fitness technology for consumers includes easily-accessible mobile apps and wearable monitoring devices that provide a diverse array of beneficial functions. Trackers produced by popular companies such as Fitbit and UP are wristbands that are worn throughout the day and can measure the steps taken, calories eaten, and more. The newfound awareness of their overall health helps users to get started. Apps, like MyFitnessPal, help assess food intake and exercise to balance the number of calories the user should consume based on their fitness goal. Other accessible trackers include ones such as the tracker built into Apple’s iPhone, which tracks the number of steps taken every day. Even apps not fully focused on fitness, such as Pokémon Go, motivate non-athletes to walk or run extended distances so they could earn rewards, including hatching eggs and catching new Pokémon. Different technologies appeal to different types of people, but they all present the same end-goal: to engage users. Fitness trackers and accelerators will best help committed athletes or people with a constant workout routine analyze their movements. Some of the technologies integrate a social aspect by encouraging comparison amongst friends, thus fueling the competitive user. Across the entire market of fitness technology, trackers offer virtual rewards for achieving various milestones. The main appeal of fitness technology is to aid in achieving a healthy and fit lifestyle, but it
is difficult to attain results without personal motivation. Devices may not give perfectly accurate data, but their short-term motivational properties, like daily reminders and virtual awards, lead them to become best-sellers in the fitness and tech industry. Purchasing a tracker and using it initially provides a temporary motivation to perform to one’s best ability. Whether that enthusiasm continues after the first few months depends on the person. A study by research firm Endeavour Partners found that one-third of fitness tracker consumers abandoned it within the first six months, while a study by The Obesity Society found that trackers could replace counseling in a weight-loss program. The discrepancy between those studies is likely due to the behavioral tendencies of individual users. If those who already exercise and eat well purchase
Fitness technology assists short sprints towards mentally-designed, physical goals, instead of serving as the sole motivator that will transform one’s lifestyle. a fitness tracker, it aids their fitness journey. However, beginners trying to start a healthy lifestyle will become bored of the device after its novelty fades and noticeable results are not attained immediately. Fitness technology assists short sprints towards mentally-designed, physical goals, instead of serving as the sole motivator that will transform one’s lifestyle. Often, fitness tech is bought for its fashionable appeal. Advertisements display attractive, toned models wearing colorful exercise outfits and enjoying themselves on a sunny beach. As a result, consumers buy the tracking devices, in hopes of buying the same advertised lifestyle together as a package. These marketing methods follow the same psychology as purchasing a pair of Nike
Spotlight: Nidhi Kanchumarthi By Maggie Zhao Staff Writer Sophomore Nidhi Kanchumarthi was recently process in order to shoot a ten. Similar to that, selected to be a part of the USA Archery Junior I don’t go into a test thinking that I need to get Dream Team, a highly selective team consist- a 100. I instead review my concepts and focus ing of 36 of the most promising young archers on things I can do to influence my outcome, from across the nation. In order to be accepted, instead of just thinking about the outcome. archers must meet a minimum set of performance criteria, send in a written application, and SS: Do you have any archers who you look up to attend a week-long training camp at the Chula as role models? Vista Olympic Training Center. The Smoke Signal NK: My role model at the moment is Mackenzie interviewed Kanchumarthi about topics from Brown. She is currently 21 years old, and she was how she started archery to her future aspirations. also on the Junior Dream Team at my age. She qualified and went to the Rio Olympics this sumThe Smoke Signal: When and how did mer. It’s amazing to see how far someone has proyou discover you were interested in archery? gressed in such little time because a lot of people Nidhi Kanchumarthi: I started archery about in archery don’t make it to the Olympics that early. two years ago. It actually started with a Groupon that my dad and I got for a local archery SS: What are your future goals for archery? range. We figured we should probably go so NK: Coming into archery two years ago, I just we wouldn’t waste the coupon and after a cou- wanted to do it for fun. I really enjoyed it, and it ple of lessons, the coach told me that I should was a thing my dad and I used to do. Now that think about taking it as a competitive sport. I’ve started getting more competitive, and I’ve seen better results in such a short amount of SS: How do you balance archery prac- time, I would like to go the Olympics. As an athtice, schoolwork, and other extracurriculars? lete, everyone’s dream is to go to the Olympics. NK: It’s really hard. The thing about archery is I like to say that if your dreams don’t scare you that I have to practice when there’s light outside, then they aren’t big enough. Going to the Olymso after the sun sets I can’t practice anymore. I pics is such a huge dream, but I want to do it. ▪ immediately come home, eat a snack, and practice for about two hours, shooting about 120 arrows a day. Then I spend the rest of my evening working on homework. It does take a lot of time because I practice every day, leaving Friday as a rest day. If you don’t shoot on consecutive days, when you pick your bow up a couple days later, it’s like starting from square one. SS: What are some lessons that archery has taught you? NK: I definitely learned to focus a lot. Archery is always about not worrying about the outcome. You don’t [go] into a tournament saying that you want to shoot a ten every single arrow, because then your mind is focused on shooting a ten. Instead, you think about your shot
courtesy nidhi kanchumarthi
Sophomore Nidhi Kanchumarthi
staff writer gloria chang
Jordans that basketball stars sponsor — not for playing basketball, but to appear “cool” and basketball-savvy. Following a fitness fad will not immediately improve appearance or health, yet a tracker’s mere presence on a wrist may provide temporary motivation. A purchaser must evaluate their personal commitment to an altered lifestyle and whether the device will be useful long-term. Motivation and discipline are core traits to fitness technology users, but there is no quintessential user. The myriad of activities individuals may engage in leads to multiple, often contrasting, paths. Intense weight-lifting demands high caloric intake to build muscle bulk, while slow jogging encourages consuming a low number of calories to remain slim. Their methods of remaining fit and using
trackers are different, as are their goals. “The successful use and potential health benefits related to these devices depend more on the design of the engagement strategies than on the features of their technology,” said Mitesh S. Patel, M.D., M.B.A., M.S. and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania in the medical journal JAMA. If seeing one’s improved body and feeling comfortable in one’s own skin is not mentally stimulating enough, technology engages, using rewards and achievements as an entertaining push. These fitness trackers remain a great supplement to workout routines and monitoring one’s lifestyle, but ultimately, it is up to the individual, not the machine, to push himself or herself forward. ▪
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Best Books for Sports Fans By Jonathan Ko, Deeksha Raina & Hana Sheikh Staff Writers
The Smoke Signal compiled a list of sports-related books based on student suggestions to reveal different perspectives of the sports world. As the basketball season passes the halfway point and the Superbowl is upon us, now is a great time to start reading sports books. Ranging from inspiring tales of overcoming hardship to the philosophy of sports, each of these books delivers a unique story fit for any reader.
eleven rings
by phil jackson
Known as “the Zen master,” Phil Jackson is considered one of the best basketball coaches ever to live, having won 11 National Basketball Association Championships. He coached some of the greatest teams to ever take the court, including all six of Michael Jordan’s championship Chicago Bulls teams and all five of Kobe Bryant’s championship Los Angeles Lakers teams. In Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success , Jackson reveals his methods of coaching, but his advice goes far beyond basketball: he offers personal insights into the art of effective leadership and facilitating collaboration between talented but selfish players. Though at heart a basketball story, the book teaches the reader a larger lesson: to bring out the best of their peers and the experiences shared with others.
“Personally, I liked how Phil Jackson gave real insight on the players and the feelings and tension associated with the game. For example, when Kobe [Bryant] and [Shaquille O’Neal] were together and [Bryant] was going through the sexual assault case, Phil gave his unique point of view as a coach.” — Amit Chigurupati, 10
Moneyball
by michael lewis
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis, is a 2003 book about the Oakland A’s. It tells the story of Oakland General Manager Billy Beane and his quest to put together a winning baseball team despite having only a fraction of the money his competitors wield. When traditional knowledge fails him, he turns to analytic statistics to find market inefficiencies in Major League Baseball. At the time, such an approach was practically heresy to the established members of the baseball community. Moneyball is an iconic story with a powerful lesson: statistical analysis and smart usage of resources can often overcome sheer power or wealth.
“This book shows the harsh reality that underpaid baseball teams undergo. It’s a great book that all baseball fans can enjoy.” — Yash Doshi, 11
the sports gene by david epstein David Epstein explores the impact of nature versus nurture, technology in sports, and the passion of athletes in his compelling book The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Performance, which was published in 2013. The book delves into several controversial topics, such as using genetic testing to determine future athletes, how geography can influence athletic performance, and gender differences in sports, with a scientific and well-reasoned approach. With plenty of scientific evidence and real-life stories, The Sports Gene is thought-provoking and nuanced. It was chosen as the best nonfiction book of 2013 by The Washington Post and was a topten New York Times Best Seller.
the blind side
by michael lewis
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game tells the inspiring true story of a football star who came from humble beginnings. Michael Oher is a teenager that came from a broken home in Memphis, grew up virtually parentless, faced homelessness, and struggled in school. Yet, he overcame the odds and became a sought after football star. After being taken in by the wealthy and kind family of a classmate, he is transformed by their love and dedication, and works hard on and off the field. The book also analyzes the evolution of football strategy over the years, and spotlights the importance of the offensive left tackle position. Three years after the book’s publication, the award-winning movie, The Blind Side , was released.
“The Blind Side was a great read, even though it was a little slow at times. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in sports because it teaches readers how to use their personal experiences and memories to become better. For people not interested in sports as much, it is also a touching story about a homeless boy’s journey through life.” — Timothy Ng, 10
heat
by mike lupica
In Heat by Mike Lupica, 12-year-
old baseball prodigy Michael Arroyo is a Cuban immigrant living with his older brother in New York. He is known for his powerful pitching arm, and dreams of playing in the Little League World Series. After their father dies, the brothers are left without a legal guardian and live alone. They must avoid Social Services while keeping their father’s death a secret to avoid being separated or deported. With so much talent at such a young age, Arroyo is challenged by those questioning his identity, and his future is put at stake. This fictional story is packed with action and diverse characters, and will keep baseball fans intrigued. “I really liked the book because I was into baseball at the time I was reading it. It was really easy to relate to the characters, and the plot had a lot of unexpected twists. I thought that since the protagonist had the same dream of making it to professional baseball as I did at the time, I found it very inspirational.” — Jason Tan, 12
muhammad ali by thomas hauser Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times, written in 1991 by Thomas Hauser, details Muhammad Ali’s transformation from the Kentucky-born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. to the national hero and revered boxing legend. Written in chronological order and often supplemented with insights from coaches, friends, rivals, and enemies, the book offers unique perspectives to Ali and reveals his personality, beliefs, and values. Thorough and detailed, Muhammad Ali gives readers a refreshingly honest view of the human behind the legend and explains how he influenced and changed the rules of boxing. graphics by amazon.com, kstarr.com, contentful.com
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Girls’ Soccer fights hard against Irvington By Richard Chenyu Zhou Staff Writer Playing through the pouring rain, Girls’ Soccer competed against Irvington High School in an away game at Tak Fudenna Memorial Stadium on Tuesday, January 10. While both teams showcased their skills and talent, Irvington High School won 1-0 in a hard-fought match. The game opened with the Warriors controlling the field and probing the Vikings’ defense, looking for openings to turn into goals. The Vikings soon found their footing and answered with their own attacks. The Warriors showcased their ability to play as a single unit, flowing back and forth to counter any approaches the Vikings made. However, Irvington managed to score in the 23rd minute. The goal reinvigorated the Warriors offense, and they responded with speed and control that resulted in several shots on goal, but were blocked by the Vikings’ goalkeeper. The first half soon closed with the score remaining 0-1. The Vikings started the second half by repeatedly pressuring the Warriors, but the Warriors slowed the pace of the game with quick steals and smart clears. With the rain clearing up, the Warriors pressed for a goal to even out the score. Despite several good breaks that raced past the Vikings’ defense, the Warriors were not able to score. Every attack was met with an equally energetic counterattack, filling the back-and-forth game with nonstop action. The Vikings were awarded a corner kick in the 12th minute that nearly led to them scoring, but the shot was deflected by Goalkeeper Senior Maleni Morales. The Warriors speared a final attack in the closing minutes of the game, but the whistle ended the match before any more goals were scored. Although MSJ ultimately lost the game, the Warriors were able to prevent the Vikings
staff writer richard chenyu zhou
Forward Sophomore Rachel Lin fights for posession of the ball.
from scoring any further points through their teamwork and communication. “We played together as a team [and] worked together very well,” said Head Coach Terry Dalziel. Morales and Senior Hayley Arima coordinated MSJ’s defense and stopped many of Irvington’s attacks in their tracks. Their leadership was further apparent during the Vikings’ corner kicks, preventing the
Vikings from capitalizing on any of their corner kick opportunities. Morales’s quick reactions in the second half saved the few shots that made it past the Warriors’ defense. Another standout player was Midfielder Senior Laila Rahman. Her speed and game sense allowed her to weave past Irvington’s defenders and give MSJ several goal-scoring chances. Rahman also assisted Arima in holding the Vi-
kings’ counterattacks and controlling the pitch. The game was full of action, with both sides swapping possession of the ball and responding to each other’s aggression with their own. Scoring opportunities for both teams kept the audience riveted until the final whistle. Moving further into the season, the Warriors aim to hone their skills and come back fighting harder than ever. ▪
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Three-point record broken as Warriors beat Newark
Coaches and players huddle prior to the start of the game.
By Joelle Chuang Staff Writer Girls’ Basketball faced off against Newark Memorial High School in an exciting home game on Tuesday, January 8. With accurate shooting in the second half and effective defense against some of Newark Memorial’s key players, MSJ won 59-47 in a fast-paced, hard-fought game. Junior Shannon Chau broke a school record for the most number of three-pointers in a single game by shooting eight, and together with Freshman Meghna Nair scored 50 of the 59 total points. The game began after team member introductions, accompanied by spectators cheering from the sidelines. The Warriors charged out to a 7-0 lead halfway through the first quarter. Newark Memorial responded swiftly, fighting back with seven points to tie the game. There were quick turnovers due to steals by both teams, keeping the ball constantly moving around the court. Towards the end of the quarter, Chau made two three-pointers, giving the Warriors a 14-13 lead at the conclusion of the first quarter. During the second quarter, MSJ had a harder time making their shots while Newark Memorial pulled ahead with two threepointers towards the middle of the quarter. With about two minutes left on the clock, Nair scored a three-pointer, bringing the score to 21-25 with Newark Memorial still in the lead. The evenly matched teams continued to trade baskets in the last two minutes. The first half came to a close with MSJ still behind by a score of 24-27. The third quarter was a low-scoring period due to stingy defenses by both teams, but the Warriors managed to close the gap to 32-33 by the end of the quarter.
Junior Shannon Chau attempts to dribble past a defender.
An action-packed fourth quarter saw MSJ scoring a total of 27 points and pulling ahead with numerous three-pointers. Chau made her eighth three-pointer of the game, breaking the MSJ record for the most number of three-pointers in a game by a single player. The Warriors continued to amp up their defense by double teaming Newark Memorial’s key players, resulting in a few timely turnovers. With a couple of minutes left, Newark Memorial started to intentionally foul MSJ to stop the clock and regain possession. However, the fouls were on one of the Warrior’s accurate free throw shooters, Nair, who consistently made almost all of her free throw shots throughout the game. Despite Newark Memorial beginning a full-court press to prevent MSJ from running out the clock, the Warriors had built a significant lead of 56-45, so they were unable to catch up. The game finally came to a close as the Warriors secured the victory with a final score of 59-47. Captain Junior Michelle Lin attributed the team’s success to coming together during the second half and pulling ahead of the opposing team. “The team did a good job with containing Newark Memorial’s key player who is a lot taller than any player on our team,” Girls’ Basketball Coach Doug Sakamoto said, “... so we did a lot better defensively in the second half.” The highlight of the game, in his opinion, was that Chau and Nair together scored 50 of the 59 points in total. He notes that even though the team is at a disadvantage in terms of physical size, if they continue to improve on rebounds and shots, they can excel at upcoming league games. ▪
Sophomore Erin Zhu goes for a layup.
Freshman Meghna Nair prepares to take a shot.
photos by staff writer joelle chuang
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James Logan Martin Luther King Invitational The MSJ Speech team competed from January 13 to 15 at the James Logan Martin Luther King Invitational, a speech and debate tournament that offers interpretation, oratory, expository, and extemporaneous speaking events. Freshmen Kriti Vajjhula and Apurva Aluru, Sophomores Rahul Iyer and Katherine Guo, and Senior Anthony Chen were Quarterfinalists in their events. Freshman Ayush Agarwal was a Semifinalist in Thematic Interpretation, and Sophomore Brendan Shih won first place for the Expository category.
By Maggie Zhao Staff Writer
Members of the Mission San Jose Speech team, (left to right) Sophomores Abeed Nazar, Mingjia Wang and Rahul Iyer, Senior Anthony Chen, Sophomore Samir Banerjee and Durga Arjun, Freshman Ayush Agarwal, alumnus Abhishek Singh, and Freshmen Apurva Aluru and Kriti Vajjhula competed at the James Logan Martin Luther King Junior Tournament from January 13 to January 15.
Juniors Robert Chen and Devesh Kodnani were double octofinalists in Public Forum at the tournament.
Sophomores Shreya Srinivasan and Katherine Guo, competing in Impromptu Speaking, pose after their fourth preliminary round.
PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITER MAGGIE ZHAO. GRAPHICS BY THECARPENTERS-SQUARE.COM
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Nathan Lau, 11
I think there’s always something that we could work on to improve in helping students feel less stressed, and I think there’s an ongoing platform for that. I know the district has a stress committee that is developed and district-wide, so you know that that’s a pretty big thing when the district’s doing it, so I know there’s representation from all the high schools and some of the elementary schools. So that The thing includes anybody that wanted to be a part of that, and it’s about feeling just an ongoing look at what we can do. overwhelmed is that it’s a mental Counselor Joanna Jensen thing, and you basically experience it twice. Let’s say I worry about failing a test, and I actually fail it. I’ve experienced that feeling twice, since I worried about it and then it actually happened. I think the best thing to do when you’re overwhelmed is to stay calm and relax, and whatever comes your way comes your way. You just need to be able to deal with it when it happens.
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By Evangeline Chang & Heather Gan Staff Writers
Humans of MSJ:
As first semester finally comes to a close, students, teachers, and counselors share ways in which they care for their physical and mental health in preparation for the new semester.
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I see myself as an ambivert, so I don’t mind talking to other people when it comes to relieving my stress and talking about what’s going on, because some people go through the same situation as me. You’re not the only one who’s going through that situation. When you have someone that you realize has a similar situation as you, then you can comfort yourself in that notion, but if you are stuck alone, you might as well remind yourself that there are people that are coping with stress better or worse than you.
self - care edition
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Sapna Parihar, 10
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PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS EVANGELINE CHANG & HEATHER GAN. GRAPHICS BY PINTEREST.COM