MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL
VOL. 57, NO. 5
January 28, 2022
41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539 41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539
By the Numbers: Student Perspectives on COVID-19 By Jacob Han, Amy Luo, Angela Xiong Staff Writers
Survey Overview As the Omicron coronavirus variant spurs a resurgence of coronavirus cases across the Bay Area, FUSD has updated its COVID-19 protocol, distributing at-home COVID-19 rapid antigen testing kits to families over Winter Break and revising contact tracing procedures. However, concerns regarding possible virus transmission during in-person instruction have resurfaced amongst the MSJ community. In light of these recent updates, the Smoke Signal conducted an online survey from January 13-19 with 150 total responses to gauge student input and concerns on the current pandemic status.
In light of the current status of COVID-19, which method of learning would be the most suitable for you?
1
On a scale of 1-5...
Views on FUSD Covid-19 Protocol
2
3
4
5
How comfortable are you attending school in-person in terms of COVID-19 safety?
Based on 150 survey responses, 81.3% of MSJ students expressed anxiety regarding the potential transmission of the virus to people they are in close contact with, with 64% citing concerns with in-person instruction. 83.9% of students would prefer a distance or hybrid model of instruction instead, though support of in-person learning is also present. “In-person school is better for my mental health overall,” one anonymous respondent said. In regards to MSJ students’ assessment of FUSD COVID-19 protocol, 49.7% of those surveyed rated the accessibility of testing resources at MSJ and in FUSD favorably, and 50% are likely to utilize these resources. 16.1%
How concerned are you about the potential transmission of the virus to people you are in close contact with? Rate the accessibility of COVID-19 testing resources at MSJ and in FUSD. How likely are you to take advantage of COVID-19 testing resources?
49%
In-Person Learning Hybrid Learning Online Learning
34.9%
Updates on FUSD COVID-19 Protocol
From January 5-8, FUSD distributed more than 25,000 at-home COVID-19 rapid antigen testing kits at three distribution locations across Fremont in order to mitigate positive coronavirus cases amongst students and staff prior to the reopening of schools on January 10. According to the FUSD Superintendent CJ Cammack’s January 14 Newsletter, FUSD is also in the process of implementing more targeted positive coronavirus case notifications to parents, guardians, and staff; in addition to those designated as close contacts, who are individuals that were within 6 feet from an infected person for at least 15 minutes over a 24-hour period according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all students and staff in the same classroom as an individual who tested positive will also be notified. “Exposure notifications will be more timely, but also more broad,” Cammack said. For more coverage and additional information regarding FUSD’s COVID-19 response, visit thesmokesignal.org.
Students were asked to select the ways in which COVID-19 has impacted them over the past year: Improved Mental Health Worsened Mental Health Increased Social Stress Increased Emotional Stress Academically Beneficial Academically Detrimental Better Sleep
17.3%
Worse Sleep
64% 57.6% 48.9% 23% 49.6% 24.5% 42.4%
Feeling Disconnected Changes in apetite, energy, and activity levels
61.9% 51.8%
Impact of COVID-19 In response to the current COVID-19 status, Cammack stated that FUSD will not be returning to distance learning at this time, but temporary, targetted closures specific to any class or site level outbreaks are possible with consultation the Alameda County Public Health Department. “FUSD, along with all other school districts in [CA], does not have a mechanism to independently move all students to distance learning under current state regulations,” Cammack said. Regardless of the type of instruction received, 64% of the 150 student survey responses express that the pandemic has negatively impacted their mental health. Additionally, 61.9% of students report feeling disconnected, and 57.6% of students report experiencing social stress as a result of the pandemic. Students also state that COVID-19 had an impact on their physical health, with 51.8% of students citing that COVID-19 has caused changes in appetite, energy, and activity levels. “[COVID-19 has] led to a lot of instability and constant fluctuation in my mental, emotional, and physical health,” one anonymous respondent said.
Science Bowl and Science Olympiad triumph at Davidson and Aggie Invitationals Science Bowl secures first place at the Davidson Invitational and Science Olympiad Teams place 2nd and 3rd at the Aggie Invitational. By Chahak Gupta & Annie Xu Staff Writers
On January 16, Science Bowl Team A won first place at the Davidson Academy SciBowl Online National Invitational (DASONI). The day prior, MSJ Science Olympiad Team Lime placed 2nd at the Aggie Invitational, and Team Marigold placed 3rd. Having participated in no scrimmages or invitationals so far this school year, the MSJ Science Bowl Team A was initially worried about their skills relative to those of other schools at the DASONI. However, they gradually built up their confidence throughout the day. After triumphing in all of their rounds in their round-robin division, a competition format where competitors were split into groups of four, and each team played the other three teams once, the MSJ team advanced to the double-elimination as the third-place team. From there, they progressed to finals where they faced the Dulles Team A. Despite an initial 42-98 loss in the
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first round, the team redeemed themselves with a 70-42 win in the subsequent round, securing first place at the competition. “After we started doing pretty well during the round-robin, I felt pretty good about our chances for the invitational and essentially it
Despite an initial 42-98 loss in the first roung, the team redeemed themselves with a 70-42 win in the subsequent round, securing first place at the competition. helped affirm that the time we spent studying and at practice had tangible, positive effects,” Academic Challenge President and Science Bowl Captain Senior Titus Tsai said. Science Olympiad saw similarly positive results from their online invitational from the day before, with MSJ Science Olympiad Team Lime winning second place out of 46 teams by a one-point margin, scoring in the top five for 10 out of the 21 events, and first place in three. MSJ Team Marigold also
performed exceptionally well, placing third overall and scoring first in four events. Initially planned to be in-person at UC Davis, the Aggie Invitational was moved online after recent rises in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron coronavirus variant. Although the captains had originally chosen to attend Aggie to give the team in-person experience with hands-on events, the team adapted well to the change. “I personally think going online does not truly impact the team performance as the partners still take their tests on Scilympiad, merely from different locations. Our team members adapted quickly to the new format; the biggest challenge was doing builds, [events where competitors submit physical contraptions] online and submitting videos of them,” Academic Challenge Vice President and Science Olympiad Captain Inimai Subramanian. Considering the team’s commendable performance in past invitationals this year, Academic Challenge Activities Coordinator and Science Olympiad Captain Junior
SMOKIE PODCAST: MINDSET
FUSD COVID-19 UPDATE
With a new semester afoot, many of us are striving to change our mindsets and live up to lofty New Year’s Resolutions. Don’t miss this episode of the Smokie Podcast on all things mindset.
Amidst the rapidly-changing state of the pandemic, MSJ and FUSD are doubling down on safety measures. For more information, visit our FUSD COVID-19 update.
Ayushi Kashyap had expected positive results from the Aggies Invitational Awards Ceremony on January 22 streamed live on Youtube. “I thought we did a great job at the invitational ... especially with our consistent performance in past invitationals, doing well against teams from all across the nation,” Kashyap said. After performing well at both invitationals, Academic Challenge has high expecta-
“I thought we did a great job at the invitational ... especially with our consistent performance in past invitationals, doing well against teams from all across the nation.” —Science Olympiad Captain Junior Ayushi Kashyap
tions for their performance at regionals this year. “These invitationals have definitely helped with team mindset, being able to compete with teams that have made it to na-
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