MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL
VOL. XLVIII, NO. 3
November 16, 2012
41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539
Go online for lost-and-found
Bull in a China Shop
By Irisa Lee Staff Writer
By Aamir Rasheed Staff Writer
This past summer, Juniors Kushal Chatterjee, Basava Jonnala, and Abhinav Prasad have been developing a lost-and-found website for MSJ. Chatterjee and Jonnala were trying to create an iPhone app when they realized they could create one to improve MSJ’s lost-and-found system. When Prasad joined their project in the fall, the trio focused their energy into creating a website. On the new website, a student can easily submit an online form for lost items. Lost-and-found items are classified into five sections: Clothing, Electronics, Wallets, Textbooks, and Other. Each section then has forms with specific questions about the item. For example, in a form for a lost Electronics item, students can answer what type of device they lost and provide its description or model. This organization will be more efficient than the general paper forms used right now. Students could later check the ‘Found’ page of the website to see if their lost items were recovered. The current lost-and-found system is largely based on paper forms and campus supervisors’ efforts. A student would fill out a form with information about the lost item so that it could be identified if it was found. If the item was recovered, the staff would then try to return it or the student would come pick it up. Campus Supervisor Brandi Speier currently has a large stack of such forms in addition to a miscellany of found objects on the shelves by her desk.This system is still functional, albeit time consuming. Speier says that while the current system does have a fairly good success rate, some of the more unusual items often cause complication. Hopefully, the new lost-andfound system would be a huge improvement for both students and staff. “We want to reduce the paperwork that Brandi has to go through and make it more efficient for the students,” says Prasad. Chatterjee adds, “We hope this will centralize all the data to make life easier for MSJ’s hardworking staff.”The online system also makes the lost-and-found system more accessible for students, who often ignore the lost-and-found during school. “A lot of people don’t bother looking and people don’t listen to the bulletin for lost items,” says Jonnala.
Bull in a China Shop follows the actions of four elderly ladies who’ve become sensually fascinated with their neighbor, Mr. O’Finn, a detective in the homicide department of their local police station. To satisfy their desires, the women lure him into their house, entrapping the poor detective in a situation that turns out to be much more than a routine murder investigation. Throughout the play, suspense, humor, and plain audacity keep the audience on the edge of their seats. ▪
See LOST NEWS Page 2
November 16, 17 at 7:00 PM Doors open at 6:30 PM Tickets: $10 General; $8 Child/UP. Order your tickets online (www.msjpups.org). You may also call (510) 668-6077 or email up.msjhs@ gmail.com.
staff writer aamir rasheed
(Top Left) Aashka Pandya, 10. Cierra Facha, 9. (Top right) Sumedh Bhattacharya, 12, Cierra Facha, 9, Ardele Shen, 9, Akshatha Muralidhar, 10. (Bottom) Sumedh Bhattacharya, 12, Sonam Bhupathi, 9, Aashka Pandya, 10, Akshatha Muralidhar, 10.
Investigative Report: Pushing for policy changes By Laura Chen & Nina Krishnan Staff Writers This month, the Smoke Signal talked to District Superintendent James Morris, MSJ administrators, and Mission Possible PFA Treasurer Christina Broadwin to investigate the most effective ways MSJ students can take action on issues of concern at the school and district levels. Students and parents should first talk to Principal Sandra Prairie and Vice Principal Zack Larsen to better understand the administration’s views about the pros and cons of the change, especially because the same issues may have been brought up before. Planning ahead of time to push for changes to the school schedule is also essential, as the staff votes on the schedule the spring before the new school year. “It definitely is something that would have to be a year ahead,” said Assisstant Principial Carli Kim. Although certain causes have substantial student support, petitioning is not the most effective way to bolster the platform. Instead, it is often more effective to conduct a survey for the student as well as teacher population. Kim said, “Any proposal for change has to involve all different stakeholders.” A survey frames a proposal in a way that shows movement towards a cause and gets feedback from the parties that would be affected by the change. For instance, instating a block schedule would require teachers to revise their curriculum to adapt to longer class periods; a survey can help a student understand whether or not different stake-
11/19 - 11/23 Thanksgiving Break
December 21 Winterball 7:00 PM Gym
12/24 - 1/4 Winter Break
Policy Change at the School Level
holders in the reform are on board with it and the reasons behind their stances. Meaningful survey questions might include the following: “How significantly will curricular scheduling need to be adjusted to make use of block scheduling?” and “What are the benefits of block scheduling to students?” Attending the Mission Possible Parent and Faculty Association (Mission Possible PFA) and School Site Council meetings is the next step to take to voice an opinion. The school site Principal, as well as dedicated parents and faculty members, are present at the meetings, which take place monthly and are welcome to everyone. Mission Possible PFA Treasurer Christina Broadwin said, “It’s a very effective way if students want an issue tackled. Students should bring it up there first before the district level because the school can handle a lot of things on its own.” Before Mission Possible PFA meetings commence, the platform is open to the public for any comments or concerns. To prepare for a proposal presentation at a Mission Possible PFA meeting, students should be organized, do thorough research on the topic, and anticipate what questions they would be asked. By politely asking key PFA leaders to make the motion to vote for their proposal or create a small PFA committee to look into the proposal further, students will have a
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