MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL
VOL. 57, NO. 9
2022
41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539 41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539
School Changes After nearly two years of distance learning, students and staff finally returned to in-person learning back on campus, albeit with some changes. Masks were mandated except when eating, and social distancing was recommended. On March 11, Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted the CA school mask mandate, which optionalized the requirement for wearing masks in MSJ. In addition, MSJ switched its online user portal from School Loop to Infinite Campus when School Loop was acquired by IgniteTech. Despite initial complaints about the switch, students and staff managed to adapt to the new portal throughout the school year. In February, the MSJ sound system in the Bell Tower Quad, amphitheater, and C-120 was revamped thanks to the efforts of Leadership 2 (L2), MSJ’s administration, and FUSD.
May 27, 2022
YEAR IN REVIEW
By Karina Han, Waylon Li, Julia Peng & Aaron Zhou Staff Writers
In the first year back from distance learning, MSJ has persevered and excelled throughout the 2021-22 school year. To recognize these occasions, the Smoke Signal highlights some major events, school changes, clubs, and sports of the first year back to in-person learning.
Clubs
On Oct. 11, 2021, MSJ Interact attended the Interact District 5170 Fall Leadership Conference, an annual event for all high school Interact clubs across the Bay Area to participate in district-wide bondings and workshops. In November, a MSJ-William Hopkins Junior High School chess team competed at the Expo 2020, Dubai World Expo as the only US representative, placing ninth out of 12 teams. MSJ Speech and Debate attended the Tournament of Champions from April 23-25, with members making it to runoffs, octafinals, and semifinals in Dramatic Interpretation, Lincoln-Douglas debate, and other categories. In addition, MSJ DECA placed fourth at the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) from April 23-26, and 19 members placed in the top 20 of their events.
STEM MSJ Academic Challenge, MSJ Computer Science Club, and MSJ Math Club combined efforts to host a guest speaker event featuring Professor Po-Shen Loh on Dec. 13, 2021. During his speech, Loh talked about the power of simple ideas and his COVID-19 tracking app, NOVID. On April 2, MSJ Youth4Climate successfully launched and retrieved a high-altitude weather balloon at Natividad Creek Park in Salinas, CA with the purpose of analyzing atmospheric data. In the Science Olympiad, MSJ Academic Challenge proudly claimed 2nd and 3rd at the Aggie Invitational, and in Science Bowl the club won first place at the Davidson Academy SciBowl Online National Invitational, making nationals for the first time in eight years.
Arts MSJ Universal Performers earned seven awards at the annual Lenaea High School Theater Festival from February 4-6. Later that month, on February 12, MSJ Ishaara performed at Dil Se, an Indian cultural show featuring Bay Area dance teams, for the first time in more than two years. On April 30, MSJ Band attended the Northern CA Band Association (NCBA) Large Ensemble/ Jazz Festival at Del Mar High School in San Jose, with Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band scoring a Superior ranking and Orchestra earning the highest ranking of Honors for their performances. MSJ Percussion also won first place at the San Mateo Winter Show, and Winter Guard placed third within their category at the NCBA Winter Championships, marking their first championship placement since 2016.
Sports MSJ Girls Tennis and Boys Tennis both won the NCS title for the first time since 2009 on Nov. 13, 2021 and May 14 respectively, following undefeated 20-0 and 22-0 seasons. The teams battled through the NCS tournaments, beating the first, second, and third seeds to take the title. MSJ Badminton also took first place overall in their NCS tournament on May 14, while other MSJ teams such as Girls Volleyball, Boys Golf, Girls Basketball, and Boys and Girls Swimming qualified for NCS this year. Additionally, Physical Education Department Chair and PE Teacher Pete Vaz received the NCS 2022 Boys Basketball Honor Coach Award on February 26 for his contributions as the Boys Basketball coach.
Mental Health
Schoolwide Events
The Mental Health Committee organized “12 Days of Self-Care” in early December, introducing students to different forms of self care and recommending daily activities to maintain balance. From February 7-14, LINK Crew also hosted LINK love week, which included love language quizzes and polaroid pictures with friends to spread love through MSJ. Based on proposals from SURFBoardE, the FUSD Board of Education approved mental health days as excused absences on March 9. Later that month, seven MSJ students participated in Fremont’s third annual Youth Wellness Ambassadors’ Community Service Project, which focused on promoting social and emotional health in youth using technology.
Coming back from the pandemic, schoolwide events returned in full swing. In October, MSJ hosted its first in-person Homecoming since 2020, and hyped up the school year with astonishing performances of dances, skits, and the first in-person Homecoming Extravaganza (HCX) since 2019. On March 17, MSJ hosted Spring Fling in place of the Winter Ball, an annual semi-formal dance which was canceled due to COVID-19 regulations. Multicultural Week took place during the first week of April, where clubs sold foods from all over the world, ending on April 8 with an assembly featuring performances that celebrated each culture through dance and music.
PHOTOS COURTESY STAFF WRITER CHARLIZE CHIU AND AARON ZHOU, WENLU SHE, SMOKE SIGNAL ARCHIVES
ONLINE
THIS MONTH
www.thesmokesignal.org
SMOKIE PODCAST: TEACHERS AND CLASSES THAT MADE AN IMPACT
PROM GALLERY
As the school year closes out, join three Smoke Signal staff writers as they reflect on their favorite classes, teachers, and experiences at MSJ.
Recap on MSJ’s first prom in two years, featuring music, dancing, and food through the Smoke Signal’s photo gallery online!
FOR MORE COVERAGE, VISIT www.THESMOKESIGNAL.ORG