5 CENTERSPREAD
OPINION
TRANSFORMING POLICE CULTURE
THE VOL. 59, NO. 2
20
19 GRAPHICS
9-12 SPORTS
SPORTSXOP: HOMECOMING PE REQUIREMENTS
GUIDE TO: BRUNCH SPOTS
SMOKE SIGNAL MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL
October 20, 2023
41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539
Investigative REPORT: SCHOOL TRAFFIC OVERVIEW
areas of traffic
On Nov. 21, 2008, the Smoke Signal published an investigative report about traffic at MSJ, surveying the student body and detailing all aspects of the topic from safety concerns to daily crimes. In the 2008 survey, 60.8% of respondents reported commuting to school by car. In contrast, the 2023 survey shows that 72.9% of surveyed students drove or were driven to school, a 19.9% increase. In response to this changing landscape, the Mission Possible Parent Faculty Association (MPPFA) Traffic Safety Team has taken proactive measures to address increasing traffic around MSJ and ensure student safety during drop-off and pickup times. The organization oversees frequent drop-off and pickup locations by deploying a team of parent volunteer crossing guards across designated drop-off zones, coordinates with school administrators, and hosts informational sessions during MPPFA meetings. These initiatives have received positive feedback from community members. “When the parent volunteers are out there, [traffic] runs much more smoothly,” Math Teacher Melissa Saldivar said.
Major areas of school traffic include the parking lot loop, the Horseshoe Loop, and the Mission Boulevard Loop. Residential streets adjacent to Palm Avenue across campus, namely Mission Cielo Avenue and Mission Creek Drive, also attract notable congestion. Though conveniently close to MSJ, these residential streets offer little space for the influx of cars before and after school, causing significant backups. Moreover, the Mission Boulevard Loop’s proximity to Interstate Highway 680 (I-680) can also lead to traffic, with commuters accessing the freeway utilizing the same routes that cars heading to and from MSJ, Hopkins, and Chadbourne use. This creates long queues on the street despite it having multiple lanes, increasing commute time to arrive at school. Students from the Mission San Jose Elementary School attendance area often must pass the Mission Boulevard entrance to I-680, contributing to the traffic as well.
Nearby Schools This school year, William Hopkins Middle School added a sixth grade, increasing its student population from 940 to 1,417. To help safely accommodate the influx in students, Hopkins has expanded its drop-off and pickup areas. Cars can now drive through a new three-lane bus loop, stopping in the rightmost lane for students to exit. In addition, many parents have also used side streets such as Amapola Drive and Driscoll Terrace to drop off students. “We were actually anticipating more traffic because of the higher volume of families that we’re supporting, but … it’s been going really smoothly,” Hopkins Principal Nancy Kuei said. As a direct impact of its proximity to MSJ and Hopkins, Joshua Chadbourne Elementary School also experiences a lot of traffic. “If there’s any backup on Mission [Boulevard], we feel it immediately and that grows and flows into the other neighboring streets,” Tan said. However, the recent change in release times for MSJ, Hopkins, and Chadbourne has helped stagger and alleviate traffic. MSJ, which changed its schedule in compliance with CA Senate Bill 328, now ends at 3:19 p.m., while Hopkins and Chadbourne students finish school at 2:27 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively. “With the change in schedules, I think that kind of tiered release has helped reduce traffic,” Chadbourne Family and Faculty Association President Alison Tan said.
Recent changes MSJ administration has taken several steps to help reduce school traffic. The Horseshoe Loop, which was previously blocked off afterschool, has been opened to cars this year, alleviating backups in nearby streets and neighborhoods. In addition, funds accrued from the sale of student parking permits have been used to improve school traffic. “This year, we purchased a lot of new signs and signage and a lot of new poles to help [better] the traffic flow,” MSJ Campus Supervisor Janice Wren said. MPPFA is also working with administration on a plan to involve students in the volunteer guard to help combat the effects of frequent parent volunteer shortages, as some drop-off and pickup areas sometimes have no parent volunteers monitoring traffic. Though the plan is in the initial stages of development, students would sign up and work in designated areas approved by administration, directing vehicle and pedestrian traffic and potentially receiving service hours for their work. How do you typically get to/from school?
By Anandita Devata, Michael Qu, Vidyuth Sridhar & Lucas Zhang Staff Writers Morning and afterschool traffic has become a recurring issue, affecting students as well as parents and staff from MSJ and nearby schools. The Smoke Signal conducted a school-wide Google Forms survey with 214 student respondents on September 25 and interviewed students and faculty to gain insight into the causes, areas, extent, and impact of traffic congestion.
Pedestrian Traffic The lack of crosswalks and pedestrian paths across the parking lot loop and Palm Avenue affects pedestrian traffic near MSJ. This often leads to students crossing roads at undesignated places, especially near the Mission Creek Trail. “If you’re on the other side of the creek, it’s a little bit [frustrating] to go all the way to the crosswalk, so [people] just cross through the cars, and that’s a little bit dangerous,” Tan said. In addition, the absence of a bike lane across Palm Avenue burdens bikers, causing additional safety issues. “My friends and I have been run off the road and not given [enough] space by drivers,” Junior Ishaan Awasthi said.
Have you noticed certain areas near MSJ backed up due to traffic? Mission Boulevard
16.8% 8.9% 62.1%
Palm Avenue
14.3% 34.5%
4.6%
Mission Creek Drive
10.7%
Mission Cielo Avenue (5.9%)
40.7% Walk Bike Drive: self-driven
Marigold Drive
Drive: drop-off Public Transport (1.4%)
safety assessment
In December 2016, the City of Fremont published an MSJ School Safety Assessment, “When there [are] this many cars … someissuing 13 site recommendations that the city, district, and school could take to improve body can get hit from behind as they’re taktraffic conditions. These improvements, which were estimated to cost $529,000, ining their backpack or their instrument out of the cluded installing nine high visibility crosswalks between Palm Avenue, Mission Boulevard, trunk.” — William Hopkins Middle School French and adjacent side streets, modifying the stoplight at the intersection of Mission Bouleand Leadership Teacher Kerrie Chabot vard and Palm Avenue to increase traffic flow, and building separate Class IV Bikeways on the west side of Palm Avenue and south side of Mission Boulevard. The city also “I think [the traffic at MSJ] is pretty well con- proposed seven policy recommendations, such as having the school distribute trolled. MSJ has always had a pretty stable vol- recommended walk/bike maps to students and families and participating unteer group that will do traffic.” — Joshua Chad- in Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools events, to increase the frebourne Elementary School Family and Faculty quency of alternative forms of transportation. MSJ has implemented some of these directives like holding monthly Walk to Association President Alison Tan School Wednesdays. However, other suggestions, such as building separate Class IV Bikeways along Palm Avenue “Occasionally the traffic gets really and Mission Boulevard, have currently remained unjammed, but usually it’s to the point that you realized. “It had to have more approval [such as from the city, county, or state] can still get to class on time. It makes sense that than just us wanting it done,” the traffic builds up because there’s like 1,600 Wren said. kids at this school.” — Tze Yao Chan, 10 PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS MICHAEL QU, VIDYUTH SRIDHAR & LUCAS ZHANG. GRAPHICS BY NEWS EDITOR KAYLEE LIU
ONLINE
THIS MONTH
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THE ERAS TOUR MOVIE REVIEW
HOMECOMING EXTRAVAGANZA
On October 13, Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour released in theaters for a one-time only concert experience and is set to be one of the highest grossing concert films. View the Smoke Signal’s review on our website.
This month, students enjoyed food trucks, student performances, and games at MSJ’s annual Homecoming Extravaganza. View the Smoke Signal’s coverage and photo gallery of the event on our website.
FOR MORE COVERAGE, VISIT www.THESMOKESIGNAL.ORG
2 News
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NEWS in
BRIEF Compiled by Tanvi Deshmukh, Abha Kulkarni & Catherine Qin Staff Writers
LOCAL Mike Blake / Reuters Strikes are ongoing at nearly all Kaiser Permanente locations, including branches in California, Oregon, and Colorado.
Healthcare workers on strike at Kaiser Permanente. On October 4, more than 75,000 healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente, the largest non-profit health organization, went on strike over unresolved staffing problems. With the ongoing staff shortages, healthcare workers struggled to tend to multiple patients at a time. The strike was the last organized action by the labor union of the year amid the increase in inflation and staff shortages. Unions ultimately reached a deal with executives for a 21% wage increase.
National Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Senator Dianne Feinstein was the longest tenured female senator, serving for 31 years.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein dies at age 90 Dianne Feinstein, the longest-serving female senator, passed away on September 29 at 90 years old. Starting as the mayor of San Francisco, she moved her way up the political ladder and became a US senator at the age of 59. She was the first woman to lead the Senate Intelligence Committee and to serve as the Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat. Feinstein paved the way for many women in the world of politics and passionately advocated for liberal priorities such as gun control, environmental protection, and reproductive rights. Newsom appointed Laphonza Butler on October 1 to fill Feinstein’s seat.
INTERNATIONAL Rizwan Tabassum / Agence France-Presse via Getty Images Pakistan’s decision faced resistance from advocacy groups.
Pakistan announces mass deportation of illegal immigrants On October 3, Pakistan announced the launch of a mass deportation of its “illegal immigrants.” Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti announced a November 1 deadline for those residing in Pakistan illegally to leave, warning that law enforcement agencies would deport them thereafter. Pakistan hosted more than 1.3 million registered Afghan refugees and 427,000 individuals in “refugee-like situations” from Afghanistan as of the end of 2022. Bugti claimed that Afghan nationals were involved in 14 of the 24 major terrorist attacks in Pakistan this year.
corrections for the SEPT. 15, 2023 issue News Pg. 1: “vampire” should be capitalized as such. News Pg. 1: Ellsworth St. should be written as such. Opinion Pg. 4: affirmative action increased minority enrollment by 20% across six of the UC campuses. Opinion Pg. 5: Twitter should be referred to as X. Feature Pg. 7: CardsbyJai should be written as such. Feature Pg. 7: Katie Zou is misspelled on second mention and in photo credits. Centerspread Pg. 10-11: Keith Kottenbach is the Universal Performers advisor. A&E Pg. 12: Sway Soturi is misspelled on last mention. A&E Pg. 12: Shreya Viswanathan is misspelled on third mention. Sports Pg. 16: chenille flowers is misspelled. Sports Pg. 18: San Francisco 49ers played the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Sports Pg. 19: Paul Nissler is Girls Tennis Head Coach. Web GUTS Review: “drivers license” is misspelled. Web GUTS Review: SOUR released two years ago.
The Smoke Signal
Friday, October 20, 2023
Chuseok Festival returns, bridging cultures in San Francisco The Fifth Annual Chuseok Festival showcased Korean culture with activities, performances, and food. By Brittany Lu & Maryam Naseer Staff Writers
From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on September 30, Korean Center, Inc. (KCI) organized the Bay Area’s largest public event celebrating Korean culture. The non-profit organization KCI held the festival in San Francisco, where attendees enjoyed a lively celebration featuring impressive performances, traditional Korean cuisine, and festivities. Chuseok, one of the most significant and widely celebrated holidays in South Korea, is often described as Korean Thanksgiving as it is the time for Koreans to celebrate the mid-autumn harvest and express respect for their ancestors. Chuseok falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, and over the course of three days, people celebrate by wearing traditional clothing, gathering with family, and participating in festivals. Inspired by Chuseok cultural traditions, Former KCI Staff Member Eugeine Huang introduced the idea of celebrating Chuseok in San Francisco back in 2019. When Huang moved from New York to San Francisco, she missed the old festivals and traditions she grew up surrounded by. “She brought the idea up to KCI, and we decided it would be a great event to [have] the whole community … celebrate the Chuseok holiday together, kind of sharing Korean culture with everyone, whether they’re Korean or not,” KCI Communications and Outreach Coordinator Donna Mo said. The San Francisco Chuseok festival gave the local Korean American community a way to celebrate the holiday with friends and family, providing an opportunity for non-Kore-
ans to learn more about Korean culture. To further promote a sense of community, there were family-friendly activities including traditional Korean games like hit the tombstone and arrow toss for the kids to enjoy. Additionally, children had the opportunity to create their own chopsticks and craft colorful paper lotus lanterns, all while immersing themselves in Korean cuisine. Attendees enjoyed traditional Korean cuisine like rice cakes and bulgogi barbequed beef bowls as well as fusion foods like Korean-Mexican candy. An array of food trucks continued along the entire street, providing a large range of options. Besides the food, vendors also offered handmade crafts, vegan and gluten-free kimchi, play kits, and more to purchase. Tether Play Kits provided children’s books, game activities, and a learning booklet centered around Korean culture. “Our mission is to start getting kids to think about culture at a young age, to get them excited about culture and ask questions, … a bit of fun and education at the same time,” Tether Play Kits Co-Founder Michelle Wang said. With emcees announcing the programs in both English and Korean, entertainment featured performances from people of all ages. K-pop performances, ranging from enthusiastic dancing to live singing, excited the crowd. The headliner for the festival was Art Taekwondo, a South Korean dance taekwondo team that traveled from Korea to perform in San Francisco. Starting with impressive board-breaking demonstrations, backflips, and spinning kicks, they smoothly transitioned to a choreographed dance showcasing their martial art skills. Their perfectly synchronized and meticulously controlled choreographed routine demonstrated the con-
siderable effort invested in their performance, making it a fitting choice for both opening and closing acts of the Chuseok Festival, “I think that events like these are an opportunity for performers to showcase all the hard work, … showcasing what they’ve worked so hard to learn and do,” Art Taekwondo Performer Tanvi Kesavaprasad said. The 5th Annual Chuseok Festival marks the return of people gathering together to celebrate as a community after the pandemic. Thousands of people across all ethnicities attended and enjoyed the diverse activities and performances. “I think it’s good because it gets to show other people other cultures, and we do live in the Bay Area, where that’s so important for us to be able to see other cultures, experience them, and get a better understanding of what we’re all like,” Attendee Dina Coriel said. ▪
chuseok festival
PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS BRITTANY LU & MARYAM NASEER. GRAPHICS BY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JULIA PENG & NEWS EDITOR VEDESH KODNANI
MSJ Speech and Debate members start the season strong at Stephen Stewart Invitational At their first in-person tournament of the season, MSJ Speech and Debate reached late elimination rounds across events. By Abha Kulkarni & Alice Zhao Staff Writers From September 22-24, MSJ Speech and Debate independently competed at the Stephen Stewart Invitational at Milpitas High School, the first in-person varsity tournament of the season. With one Public Forum (PF) team moving on to the elimination rounds, one speech entry reaching the quarterfinals, and one team reaching the semifinals, MSJ students achieved promising results at the tournament. Although it was set early in the season, competitors performed remarkably well at the tournament. With seven PF teams, one Lincoln Douglas (LD) team, and two speech entries, students advanced in several events. PF competitors debated the harms and benefits of US military movements in the Arctic region but faced several drawbacks at the competition. “The judging pool at Stephen Stewart is almost exclusively parents, specifically parents who are judging for the first time … we needed to adjust some of our arguments to make them more understandable to people with little to no debate experience,” Captain Sophomore Diya Sharma said. In addition to a novice judge pool, limited literature on the PF topic also stood in the way of thorough preparation.
MSJ Speech and Debate competitors pose for a photo at Milpitas High School.
However, this did not deter the teams. Vice President of Debate Senior Yuvraj Walia and PF Captain Junior Vedatman Duhoon, as a team, received a gold bid to the Tournament of Champions (TOC), one of the most prestigious national tournaments held in Lexington, KY. Two gold bids are needed to qualify for the TOC at the end of the year. With one bid secured, Walia and Duhoon are working towards earning their next bid. They ultimately advanced to the semifinals after ending with a 5-1 record in the preliminary rounds. Walia and Duhoon are proud of their success at the Stephen Stewart Invitational despite initial hardships with preparation and a rocky start in the online University of Kentucky National Speech & Debate Season Opener just one week earlier. “As long as competitors have fun and learn from their losses, they will Duhoon and Walia advanced to semifinals. be successful in the long run,” Duhoon said. nament. Stephen Stewart was one of the first tournaments the new members attended, but “As long as competitors have fun the freshmen and sophomores still shined in and learn from their losses, they their respective events. “It was a great first will be successful in the long run.” tournament to get practice in for the current -PF Captain Junior Vedatman Duhoon topic and a great way to open the season overWhile many teams competed in debate, all,” Sharma said. speech competitors also obtained notable reDespite the team’s impressive performance, sults. In Oratorical Interpretation, in which the season has just begun. With five months speakers deliver their own interpretation of left, debaters have many chances to compete published speeches, Vice President of Speech in upcoming tournaments. However, with the Junior Shardul Marathe took fourth place. shift to a new advisor and coach and school regEven though Marathe had trouble balancing ulations, the club is undergoing many changes, tournament preparation and academic re- impacting registration and the number of toursponsibilities, he is taking this as a learning naments the team attends. “[These changes] experience to better coordinate his academics have caused some drawbacks but we’re getting and extracurriculars. “My goal for this season back on our feet and working to ensure that is to … qualify to states, [TOC], and [nation- these changes don’t impact competitors. After als],” Marathe said. all, the changes are only for the better,” SecreIn addition to more experienced compet- tary Junior Ashwika Jani said. ▪ itors, four freshmen also attended the tourPHOTOS BY STAFF WRITER ABHA KULKARNI
Friday, October 20, 2023
The Smoke Signal
THE SMOKE SIGNAL Mission San Jose High School Est. 1964 Vol. 59, No. 2 | October 20, 2023 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 1800 students EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Karina Han, Julia Peng NEWS Vedesh Kodnani, Kaylee Liu OPINION Annika Singh, Annie Xu FEATURE Anushka Vasudev, Callie Yuan CENTERSPREAD Chloe Gao, Ashley Pang A&E Goonja Basu, Sanah Bhardwaj SPORTS Aaryan Suri, Aaron Zhou GRAPHICS Jiyun Guo, Hannah Shen WEB Waylon Li, Elton Yu TECH Keerti Koya BUSINESS Sarah Hu CIRCULATION Maryam Naseer, Vidyuth Sridhar ADVERTISING Tushara Devapatla, Lucy Yao EVENTS Anandita Devata, Shuhan Jin WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS Padma Balaji, Hannah Bi, Rajorshi Chatterjee, Angelina Chen, Novak Chen, Navya Chitlur, Tanvi Deshmukh, Sahas Goli, Sally Han, Abha Kulkarni, Naisha Koppurapu, Jeffrey Li, Brittany Lu, Howard Lu, Ivy Lu, Trisha Parikh, Catherine Qin, Michael Qu, Daphne Senecal, Priyanka Shah, Arushi Singh, Stella Wang, Ethan Yan, Fiona Yang, Lucas Zhang, Alice 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. To stay updated with our online content, see our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/msjsmokesignal. All policies on distribution, corrections, and bylines can be found at www.thesmokesignal.org/about.
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AnnikA's Angle
Opinion 3
Annie's Anecdotes
The perfect trap
The nature of motivation
By Annika Singh Opinion Editor
By Annie Xu Opinion Editor
When I was young, I loved into good or bad — there’s no to paint. I would grab a canvas in-between. This contributes to from the shelf, select a reference increased stress over achieving image, and let my brush take goals, constant comparison, and control. I don’t always remember self-criticism. It’s exhausting to the things I would paint, but to aim for perfection at all times, this day, I remember the mis- and it’s crucial that we dismantle takes I made. Mixing the wrong this harmful way of thinking and colors, painting outside the lines encourage a little failure in life. — anything abnormal led to In order to overcome pertears and frustration. But these fectionism, replace self-critical feelings weren’t limited to my ar- thoughts with realistic statetistic ventures: acne, uneven eye- ments. Instead of thinking you’re liner, and a bad grade on a test a horrible person for messing up all made me feel disappointed in a dance routine on stage, tell myself. The cause? Perfection- yourself that “nobody is perism. fect,” and try to view the situaFor as long as I can remember, tion from another person’s point I’ve been a perfectionist. I used of view. They may be thinking, to consider it a good thing; it “wow, they did amazing!” meant I had strong attention to Furthermore, remind yourself detail and a good work ethic, but to live in the moment and look at now, as I’m getting older, I’m re- the big picture — don’t try to asalizing the value of making mis- sume or predict problems in your takes. Mistakes are a necessary life. Worrying about tiny details, part of growing and learning as a like the font used in your Instahuman. They make you better at gram story, won’t matter a week your career, friendships, relation- or a year from today. ships, and life in general. Being It’s hard to let go of being a a perfectionist holds you back perfectionist and embrace imfrom being your most successful perfection, especially when culself, and it can also lead to nu- turally, perfectionism is often merous mental health issues, in- viewed as synonymous to succluding anxiety and depression. cess. But, recognizing its negaI’ve always set high standards tive effects and replacing critifor myself, ones that are often cism with compassion allows us impossible to meet, and when to grow and learn. It’s a step by I don’t accomplish my goals, I step process, but it can be liberatthink I’m a failure. This mind- ing to accept and celebrate your set is also known as catastrophic mistakes. So, remember that it’s or black-and-white thinking, okay to just be okay, because bewhere our minds think that our ing the best at everything all the actions can only be categorized time is unattainable. ▪
I’ve always heard passion described to me as something all-consuming — something that lets you forget yourself. I imagine DaVinci waking up at 4:30 a.m. and ignoring food and drink the entire day for the art, the science, and the wonder. And, to some extent, I guess I’ve found my own passions. It takes a special kind of fascination to dedicate most of my evenings to reading textbooks for my favorite subjects, listening to lectures, and poring over novels. But passion doesn’t cover the times when I feel like subjects I’m supposed to love don’t love me back, and when I care more about improvement than innate exploration. Discussions about talent and hard work often go hand-in-hand: “Hard work beats talent every time, talent is nothing without hard work.” But people always assume that passion encompasses the work — that once you’re passionate, work doesn’t feel like work. I do love learning very much, and that sentiment is true to an extent. I happily set aside time every day for my books because I love the explanations that let me look at the vivid colors of fruit and feel satisfied because I know why. If it weren’t for this genuine enjoyment, I would have stopped coming back to it a long time ago. But as much as I would like to owe everything I’ve learned to passion, I have to credit drive as much, if not more, for pushing me through. I remember parts of my laboratory work when passion definitely wasn’t pushing me to the finish line, and
when I worked through exhaustingly repetitive algebra for the end punchline of a solution. A romanticized love story is much easier to envision than the ugliness of trying and failing and the years of yearning for goals that seem trivial when I look back. Studying and education haven’t become my life. There are a lot of other things I like to do, like photography, which often seem more appealing than my textbook. But that’s when a lot of external motivation comes in: I want to make progress, and I want to be successful in this subject. And a large part of that is because interest alone won’t sustain me. My love for certain fields has to be balanced practically by whether I can find a job and make a living out of them as an adult. Nothing is ever infinitely fun and engaging, and coming to terms with how interestbased motivation isn’t always linear has made consistent effort and hard work much easier for me. And when I burn out my passion, and feel like only drive is left over, I like to return to what made me interested in the first place: laughing with my classmates at Ms. Frizzle’s journeys through the stomach in The Magic School Bus, watching light reflect off different crystals with my best friends in elementary school science class, and my cozy, yet exhilarating afternoons spent reading Rainbow Magic stories from the library. All journeys are combinations of passion and drive, and pure enjoyment will never be our only motivating force. ▪
The Opinion of the Smoke Signal Editorial Board
Age is not an excuse to escape accountability Disclaimer: Trigger warning of sexual assault and sexual harassment In 2016, 19-year-old Stanford University Freshman Brock Turner was convicted of raping 22-year-old Chanel Miller at a college party. Despite the crime, Turner served only three months in prison, largely a result of his status as a young collegiate swimmer. The judge invoked the CA Title Four Rules, which reduces the severity of a sentence on the grounds that “the defendant is youthful ... and has no significant record of prior criminal offenses.” Turner’s case is just one of many in which defendants receive a significantly reduced sentence due to age. While juvenile courts serve to address important factors in adolescent justice such as community disinvestment and underdeveloped brains, age-based precedents are often abused. Time and time again, minors from affluent backgrounds commit serious crimes but are exempted from notable consequences due to youth and promise. Such cases foster unjustified tolerance towards egregious crimes and discredit victims’ worth and suffering. Regardless of a perpetrator’s age, the severity of their crime should never be downplayed, and punishment should stem from intent rather than juvenility alone. Reducing punishments on the basis of age fails to address the core issues with juvenile perpetrators’ actions. In the Stanford rape case, Turner never fully took responsibility — during sentence proceedings, he not only claimed that Miller, despite
being heavily intoxicated, consented, but also attributed the rape to alcohol consumption and college culture rather than issues with himself. The judge’s flagrantly light sentence failed to hold him accountable, cementing the idea that Turner, with his bright future forever tainted by the charges, was the victim. The Turner case follows a disturbing pattern of leniency towards sexual assault when the perpetrator is young. In 2016, 18-year-old David Becker was convicted of raping two sleeping women at a party but received just two years of probation. According to the Republican, Becker’s lawyer said this would let Becker go to college without the “stigma of being a sex offender.” The same year, 22-year-old college student Austin Wilkerson was convicted of raping a drunk woman at a party but was only sentenced to two years in prison. By ordering minute sentences to protect perpetrators’ futures, these judges blatantly disregard the victims’ pain and trauma, minimize the severity of the crime, and perpetuate the destructive mindset that serious crimes are acceptable if the offender has a promising future. In schools, ageist bias can cause administration to neglect bullying, fostering a hostile environment. In 2019 at Moreno Valley’s Landmark Middle School, 13-year-old Diego Stolz was beaten to death by two classmates. The same students had assaulted him just one week before the fatal altercation. “No steps were taken by the district to address that assault, which allowed the fatal assault to oc-
cur,” Moreno Valley Unified School District Lawyer Michael Marlatt said. The 14-year-old assailants were sentenced to 47 days in juvenile hall despite pleading guilty to manslaughter, a decision that failed to give the late victim and his family justice. The lack of accountability in the Stolz case is not an isolated incident. According to a 2019 report by the National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice, 12.6%, 41.4%, and 53.8% of public primary, middle, and high schools, respectively, took serious disciplinary action against physical fights or attacks, indicating a correlation between younger offenders and greater inaction. This kind of leniency can give rise to more severe perpetration, impairing both the growth of young students and the well-being of their peers. In daily life, as well as extreme cases of culpability, the MSJ community should strive to avoid ageist pitfalls. When cases such as Turner’s arise, students can support petitions to hold perpetrators accountable and change faulty legislation. To prevent youth violence, students can support organizations such as Youth Alive and the National Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention. As students prepare to cast votes and play a role in public policy, it is critical to keep in mind that accountability is independent of juvenility. ▪
By Stella Wang & Alice Zhao Staff Writers
STAFF WRITER STELLA WANG
STAFF WRITER ALICE ZHAO
4 Opinion
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The Smoke Signal
Friday, October 20, 2023
LGBTQ+ Rights to Privacy and Self-Expression in Schools By Rajorshi Chatterjee, Angelina Chen, Arushi Singh & Lucy Yao Staff Writers
On July 20, trustees in the Chino Valley Unified School District in southern CA referred to gender identity with the terms “delusion” and “mental illness,” before promptly passing a new policy that would require teachers to inform parents if their child identifies as transgender. Currently, the forced outing policy has been temporarily halted, with Attorney General Rob Bonta arguing the policy violates the students’ civil and privacy rights and citing possible harm to transgender students if forcefully outed. Unfortunately, this is only one of many of the recent cases where schools have attempted to limit students’ gender expression. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, there are currently 501 bills that roll back gay and transgender rights nationwide. In fact, just recently, multiple school districts across CA have voted to ban pride flags or endorse parental notification policies. Painting gender and sexuality as an issue of parental rights fails to consider that students also have the right to privacy and freedom of expression at school. No one disputes that parents have certain rights over their children, but the disregard and politicization of this issue negatively impacts vulnerable groups. According to youth LGBTQ+ advocacy group The Trevor Project, less than 40% of LGBTQ+ minors say their home is a gender-affirming place, meaning forced outings might put children at risk. While informing parents might seem like the right thing to do, schools have no understanding of a student’s situation at home regarding their limitations on expression. Students’ rights to privacy and self-expression, along with their health and wellbeing, should be given equal, if not more, importance as parental sentiments. Additionally, teens often experiment to learn more about their own limits and passions, which for members of the LGBTQ+ community, might include thinking about sexual attraction or figuring out which pronouns, name, and gender feel authentic. For these LGBTQ+ youths,
the journey to find and accept their identity is much more difficult and frightening if societal, political, and especially parental acceptance is lacking. Politicians have begun including this issue in their political agendas, redirecting this issue from parental rights and teenage expression into one of political propaganda. More specifically in regards to pride flags, Sunol Glen Unified School District Board President Ryan Jergensen asserted one of the more common justifications to the banning. While defending their decision to remove pride flags from schools, he explained that the resolution would help the district remove itself from endorsing any one particular group by “restricting the speech of the district itself." However, this argument implies that the acceptance of all students, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, is a political topic. Rather, matters of equity, inclusivity, and respect are human rights issues and should not be weaponized for political matters. Being inclusive of marginalized people does not mean endorsing one group over another. Flying the rainbow flag during Pride Month is no different from celebrating Black History Month, both of which demonstrate that schools value inclusivity. Beyond acceptance, schools have a responsibility to protect the privacy of their students and secure a safe environment for them, especially for LGBTQ+ students. According to the Trevor Project, “LGBTQ + youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers," which can be attributed to minority stress, lack of social support, discrimination, and other factors. For this vulnerable group, pride flags are symbols of inclusivity, and banning them from schools gives LGBTQ+ students the message that they are unwelcome. Allowing self-expression in schools will actually benefit both LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ students. According to one study from the National Library
of Medicine that interviewed 68 LGBTQ+ students, “youth spoke about being visible as LGBTQ+ as a way to express a sense of pride in their identities and not conform to stereotypical gender roles.” In addition, it will help non-LGBTQ+ students empathize with and understand people of different backgrounds. The Trevor Project affirms that it is essential for schools to create a supportive environment for LGBTQ+ youth to better address harassment, discrimination, and resource scarcity.
Being inclusive of marginalized people does not mean endorsing one group over another. Flying the rainbow flag during Pride Month is no different from celebrating Black History Month, both of which demonstrate that schools value inclusivity. School is a place where everyone should feel comfortable exploring their identity. While parents do have the right to know certain details about their children, it is purely the choice of their child to divulge information about their gender or sexuality. MSJ is not immune to transphobia or homophobia, and with many families’ immigrant cultural backgrounds, there is much of this internalized hatred within the school that students may not be aware of. There is no easy way of tackling this, but students can start by joining clubs such as the Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA) to not only be more aware of the LGBTQ+ community, but also have a space to explore these aspects of themselves. Students can show their support against the policy banning pride flags by displaying them openly, whether as keychains or stickers. By visiting the Wellness Center or speaking with their counselors, they can also discuss possible cases of homophobia that have been affecting them. It is only by actively advocating for their own rights that students can ensure such policies don’t spread further and are abolished as soon as possible. ▪
MSJ VOICES
“No, I do not think flags are a divisive symbol. I think it does represent inclusivity. I can’t speak for other communities but you know even the colors themselves represent different groups, different viewpoints, and they re trying to make it all part of it. And I know it s even changing and it had that triangle on it. So they re trying to be as inclusive as you can.” Civics and Government Teacher Cyril Macasero
“The bans on pride flags misconstrue what it means to be anti-discriminatory. Calling pride flags "divisive" for promoting inclusion is akin to calling antibullying campaigns divisive. They are divisive because select members of the community want to continue bullying or discriminating against others without their behavior being addressed.” nglish Teacher u “To create a safer environment, schools Cong Colin Low should have more accessible systems set in place
“I do think that it’s important for students to see different flags on campus because it introduces students to new cultures while also showing students who are part of those communities that they are safe and welcome at school. In doing so, we create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students, regardless of race, gender, religion, etc. Although these flags are not strictly necessary on a campus, it generally promotes a positive and open-minded learning environment. However, considering that many parents could be old-fashioned in their ideologies or ways of thought, there could be some backlash towards the school on their behalf.” GSA Secretary van Pang, 12
to help with students’ mental health and wellbeing. I think students at MSJ are a bit hesitant when it comes to speaking to counselors, but I think this can be fixed with more awareness on counselor services. Teachers should be aware of mental health struggles within our community, especially with MSJ's academically competitive environment. Students should be educated on ways to relieve stress. I feel that MSJ s student population is quite open-minded, which is a huge step forward in a time of rising divisiveness.” — GSA Secretary Evan Pang, 12
“For 15 or 17 years, I was in Parks and Rec. And so I was part of a private organization but we were in a public facility, because we were contracted by the city to run operations. One of our policies was always to establish a blanket that nothing discriminatory was allowed. I think many of our Supreme Court decisions are similar to that, where to avoid discriminating, have a blanket policy. So I can see why some governments would want to not have any other flags because they don t want to discriminate against other groups.” Civics and Government Teacher Cyril Macasero GRAPHICS GRAPHICSBY BYOPINION OPINIONEDITOR EDITORANNIE ANNIEXU XU
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Opinion 5
Jaahnavi Kandula: not just another victim of police brutality By Keerti Koya, Abha Kulkarni & Priyanka Shah Staff Writers “Just write a check — 11 thousand dollars. She was 26 anyways,” Office of Police Accountability (OPA) drug recognition Officer Daniel Auderer said regarding the murder of 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula. In January, Kandula was killed by a police car in Seattle, Washington. Seattle Police Department Officer Kevin Dave was driving at 74 mph without a siren on a street with a speed limit of 25 mph. Kandula was thrown 138 feet by the car before she fell and succumbed to her injuries in a hospital. In September, body-camera footage of Auderer, who was assigned by the OPA to examine if Dave was impaired at the time of the accident, was released, showing him making jokes about the situation. Auderer said Kandula had “limited value” and that the city should write a check as compensation. The disturbing experiences of Kandula highlight the need for social reform within the criminal justice system. Her case should serve as a reminder of the harsh realities faced by individuals from marginalized communities — especially those who belong to immigrant backgrounds — and as a platform to implement long-term political and social change. Kandula was a student at Northeastern University, expected to graduate with a master’s degree in Information Systems this year in December. She came to the US in hopes of financially supporting her mother, only to lose her life a year before graduation. The footage of Auderer has drawn nationwide outrage, only heightened by the fact that Kandula’s death was only brought to
Currently, there are 37 states that allow offithe public’s attention eight months after it occurred. Although it has been three years since cers to postpone training — officers can arrest, the 2020 George Floyd protests, appropriate incarcerate, or even kill individuals without conmeasures still are not being taken to prevent sequence even if they are untrained. This oversight police brutality and the police’s lack of regard has resulted in many controversial cases such as for the danger in their actions. Because of loose George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arconsequences, violence by police officers bery. In these cases, the victims were doing norhas only continued to take its toll on mal daily activities — Arbery was on a jog and victims from minority communities. Taylor was had just awoken — when the police According to policeviolencere- shot them. Police officers raided Taylor’s house port.org, 1,201 people were killed without a search warrant and while she and her by US police in 2022, which is 54 boyfriend were defending themselves, Taylor more than 2021. Of that count, over half was shot to death. Similarly, police officers killed the deaths were of POC, even though POC Arbery because of “vigilante justice,” the act of make up less than 45% of the US population. punishing people for alleged crimes without legal Kandula is one of many POC women who permission. The criminal justice system should have been subject to discrimination and po- have taken extensive measures of reform after lice brutality in the US. According to Public these deaths instead of continuing to display their Books, since 1892 “the United States has de- authority. ported more immigrants (over 57 million) than any other nation.” In 1917, Congress passed Currently, there are 37 states that the Asiatic Barred Zone Act which was cre- allow officers to postpone training — officers can arrest, incarcerate, or ated to prevent individuals from immigrating even kill individuals without consefrom Asia. During Mexican Repatriation, the quence even if they are untrained. US Border Patrol launched several campaigns Through newer legislation, activists proposed to detain Mexicans and expel them across the border, resulting in 2 million Mexicans and implementing reeducation programs, but due to Mexican Americans being deported. Through- a lack of support and funding, they were not carout history, the US government has consis- ried out. However, cities and counties throughout tently shunned immigrants and treated them the nation, including Austin and Los Angeles, poorly, which explains the lack of consequences ensured citizens that there would be a restructurin cases where immigrants are victims of police ing in how law enforcement is deployed after the brutality. The only way to combat such xeno- Black Lives Matter protests. Yet, states are struggling to pass police rephobia is targeting the source: the criminal justice system. Xenophobia is exacerbated by the forms due to several early reforms being altered profit the US receives from exploiting workers and police complaining that changes interfere of color in the workforce. They’re often dispro- with their duties. According to an analyportionately underpaid, and typically seen as sis by the Howard Center for Investigative cheap labor, which has perpetuated increased Journalism at the University of Maryland, “States collectively approved nearly 300 police brutality towards POC.
police reform bills after Floyd’s killing in May 2020.” However, many local governments did not carry through on their guarantees. For example, Minneapolis had promised to disband its police department but instead spent $6.4 million to recruit more officers. Though governors in 45 states signed police reform laws, many of them protected police actions. For example, “no-knock” warrants had no additional restrictions placed on them, though one such warrant led to Taylor’s death. Government officials and law enforcement have to educate the police and institute harsher punishments for hate crimes. By implementing education in the police training system, we can shift away from racially biased police action and ensure equal treatment in all cases. Furthermore, increased public awareness can hold police departments accountable and reduce violence against minority communities. MSJ students can contact local elected officials and encourage them to enforce stricter rules on our local police department. By joining organizations such as MSJ BAStA and advocating through petitions, lobbying, and protests, students can encourage change in the local community. Students can also push for transparency from local police departments on their practices and data on cases that involve the use of force. Ultimately, it is up to the public to work together and ensure that cases like Jaahnavi’s don’t recur. ▪
GRAPHICS BY OPINION EDITOR ANNIE XU
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CA SB 43 Mental Health
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“When people have completely lost their ability to sustain a lifestyle, whether it's because of like ! " # $% & '( mental illness or drug addiction, the government has its job to help them by the means of medical care. And if action is not taken to remove these people from the streets, they may die and the chance of their death and sickness might actually [be] increased by a lot because ... trust in the government by the public is [at] an all time low.”
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"On September 21, CA Legislature unanimously passed SB 43, designed to involuntarily hospitalize 'gravely disabled' people, expanding the definition from people who were unable to meet their needs for food, clothing, and shelter because of mental illness to those who cannot ensure their own medical care or personal safety. While conservatorships can sometimes be life-saving interventions, previous individuals targeted by SB 43 have often been turned down services or supportive housing. Additionally, this legislation also calls into question the quality of hospitalization, as significant numbers of people may leave psychiatric units having made poor progress mentally. Do you believe that this bill is approaching psychiatric treatment from the right angle, or do you believe that it’s a violation of civil liberties? Do you think there are better solutions to ensuring that people who need mental health services receive it?"
“I believe that generally, if you're hospitalizing people that could be taken care of better and other facilities ... it is a violation of their civil liberties and possibly their dignity. They should be treated in whatever facility is able to care for them best. From what I read, having the legal power of conservators and other health professionals decreased in favor of giving a court judge that decision to choose where they go. It shouldn't happen because generally, conservators and licensed social workers etc. will know better than a judge. I think a better idea would probably be better funding towards facilities that would care for the these 'gravely disabled people' ... better than just hospitalizing them.”
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“I feel like this bill isn't really [approaching] psychiatric treatment with the right angle because you're kind of forcing people to go to an institution that might not really help you, as evidenced by the number of people who've been to [forced treatment]. I've seen a bunch of people online being forced to go to psychiatric treatment only for it to be a much more traumatic experience than for it to be if they were at home, going to therapy and all that stuff. So I do think it's about lawyers and civil liberties because [by] the definition of gravely disabled, you can really easily take advantage of that label and kind of extend it to whatever you want. And definitely, there's better ways of ensuring people who actually need mental health services get it, like making therapy probably not as expensive. Therapy, at least some part of it, should be in our healthcare plan, instead of just emergencies and stuff like that.”
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“I think that the bill has good intentions, but is going about it the wrong way. It’s completely unfair to forcefully #:#$(%1; hospitalize people, especially if conditions in 9 "' these institutions may be unsupportive. I believe that it would be much better to inform people who struggle with their mental health that these institutions are available for them, and allow them and their loved ones the opportunity to collectively decide if taking advantage of these services is a good idea or not.” PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS CHLOE GAO, ASHLEY PANG, JASON TANG, ANUSHKA VASUDEV & LUCY YAO PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS PADMA BALAJI, TANVI DESHMUKH, BRITTANY LU, MICHAEL QU & FIONA YANG
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Feature 7
Dear Diary: Moon Goddess By Ivy Lu Staff Writer
Families rejoice while eating mooncakes and gazing upon the Moon in honor of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday that celebrates harvests and families. During this festival, people often tell the tragic and often misunderstood story of two lovers: Hou Yi and the Moon Goddess Chang’e. They were given an immortality pill to share, but due to unexpected events, the Moon Goddess ate the pill by herself. While the Moon Goddess has been portrayed as greedy and selfish, she has also been associated with self-sacrifice, so who is she truly?
SEPTEMBER 12, 2023
The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up, and every year, there is a flood of misinformation regarding my legend. As a result, I work until my hair falls out from stress to correct the legend. My first target is Wikipedia — everyone trusts Wikipedia, right? However, as soon as I open the page, the first thing I see is that Hou Yi is credited with stopping global warming by shooting down nine of the 10 suns. Personally, the fact that he tried to shoot the last sun — potentially plunging the Earth into an eternal night — was a red flag, but he was so sweet when he proposed to me with the immortality pill. It’s the small things that make a girl’s heart flutter, you know? I always kept an eye on the pill, as if it were my wedding ring, and we agreed to eat the pill together, one-half for each of us. Still, I’m curious to see what eating a whole pill would result in, but not curious enough to risk death, or worse.
SEPTEMBER 15, 2000
I’ll admit, I didn’t read the label of the pill fully. It’s like reading the terms and conditions of using a
website — it’s not that deep. Everyone knows that the endless list of side effects aren’t useful anyway, so I just read that half a pill was enough for immortality before throwing the label out the window. My question went unanswered for a while, but so what? I mean, what could go wrong? Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. It all happened so quickly. Intruders suddenly broke in and lunged for the pill, but I knew I couldn’t let them gain immortality. Who knows what they would do with such newfound power? Create a tyrannical dynasty? Deny the existence of the Moon? Start an army of surveillance birds? Oh, the horror! I had to make a move, or the pill would be gone forever.
SEPTEMBER 15, 2000
My hands moved before I could think and, even before I fully swallowed the entire pill, I knew I had made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. As soon as my feet started to float off the ground, I was convinced I had died. That was until I spent a few days in denial on the Moon, and I realized I had to accept that I was stuck here forever — never to see my husband again. To top it off, word got out on Earth that I’m supposedly an evil, selfish witch for stealing my husband’s pill. I mean, if I were an evil, selfish witch, I would have rather turned all the thieves into toads for Halloween decorations than be deported by 6 to the Moon.
SEPTEMBER 26, 2023
The only thing I can do to redeem myself now is furiously spam threads on X, edit hours worth of videos for YouTube to expose the haters, and rant for paragraphs in Facebook Groups. However, I believe
I finally have the perfect solution to get my true story out: newspapers. I’ve already rallied a spirited supporter willing to expose my truth in her school newspaper, the Smoke Signal, for me, saying, “It’ll be done before 11:59 p.m.” I’m not quite sure what that means, but I love getting things done quickly.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2023
I arranged a meeting with the writer, and I’m prepared to spend hours spilling the beans. I’ll probably start with how I threw away my whole life by eating the pill. Unfortunately, I haven’t found Hou Yi yet. Before you call me out for having poor eyesight, I swear I searched every corner of the Earth for him! Although, maybe because the Earth is round, I can’t find him in corners. Searching for him is too difficult since it’s too sunny during the day, but too dark at night. Good thing for light pollution! Makes searching at night a whole lot easier.
SEPTEMBER 30, 2023
I finally found Hou Yi! He was roaming the woods again, but I’ll ignore it since I’ll be meeting with him for the first time in, like, a million years. I’m also pleased to announce that this Mid-Autumn Festival is going fantastically, and I enjoyed the many offerings and appreciation for my efforts from families all over the world. The Smoke Signal writer pulled through, even though the deadline was tight. I was thrilled to see that there are others online that remembered the accurate story (with a side of flattery), since they could write on my behalf. My bravery, self-sacrifice, or something along those lines. I mean, if you want to think of it that way, I won’t stop you!
GRAPHICS BY FEATURE EDITOR CALLIE YUAN
Alumni Spotlight: Mahika Valluri By Sahas Goli & Tanvi Deshmukh Staff Writers After graduating from MSJ during the pandemic, Class of 2021 Alumna Mahika Valluri has embarked on a creative journey, gaining accolades in dance, content creation, modeling, and pageantry. Dance was one of the earliest artistic forms Valluri explored as a child. At 3 years old, she started receiving training in Semiclassical and Bollywood styles at Aerodance Academy. When she was 8, Valluri began learning Kuchipudi, a form of Indian Classical dance, at the Sanskaar School of Dance. Through these early dancing experiences, she learned “a lot about the Indian foundation of dance, which is really different from the American foundation of dance,” Valluri said. She later explored hip-hop and jazz styles, and soon, her diverse dance backgrounds fused into her own unique style, incorporating both Western and Indian dance techniques.
Mahika Valluri walks at the 2022 Miss San Joaquin County Pageant
Upon entering MSJ in 2017, Valluri joined MSJ Ishaara, leading the team as a co-captain during her junior and senior years. She also qualified for state and international competitions with MSJ DECA, and co-founded MSJ Radio Club, with the goal of increasing students’ knowledge of communication and public speaking. When the pandemic emerged in her junior year at MSJ, Valluri stayed active with her club endeavors through Zoom. Using the extra time offered by online schooling, Valluri explored content creation by posting videos of her dancing on TikTok.
As her videos gained traction and her followers increased, Valluri started to collaborate with brands such as The Saree Room and Glamourental for modeling. Eventually, Valluri built a community centered around Indian American youth in the US. “There are a lot of people who watch my channel … so I thought, ‘Okay, I’m going to make an Indian American account [for a] community of Indian American kids,’” Valluri said. She now has more than 171,000 followers on TikTok, and her popu-
lar videos her popular videos feature dances to Bollywood or Western pop songs. Currently, Valluri is a third-year student at UC Berkeley, studying computer science and economics in hopes of pursuing a career that bridges her passions for business and technology. “I’m a creative person so I’ve enjoyed the business side and strategy, and with my computer science and tech background, I think something along the lines of tech, strategy, and product is where I want to be,” Valluri said. Beyond academics, Valluri dances on UC Berkeley’s premiere Bollywood fusion compet-
itive dance team, Azaad, serving as the co-choreography director in the 2022-23 school year. Recently, Valluri has also been exploring the world of pageantry. She was inspired by Jaanu Patel, who was crowned as the 2017 Miss California Teen USA on television, and she realized pageantry was not restricted by race or ethnicity. With more free time in college, Valluri debuted her career in pageantry by entering and winning the Miss San Joaquin County competition as a freshman. This June, she advanced to the Miss California America competition for the second time and placed third runner-up. “I was used to dance c o m p e t i t i o n s, but [pageantry] is super different and a lot more about the way you carry yourself and how well-spoken and knowledgeable you are,” Valluri said. As a part of her pageantry campaign, Valluri launched a social impact project, Invest in Yourself, focusing on improving financial education among youth. Having previously interned at the financial company Okta, she spent time researching the lack of financial literacy among college students. “It really brought to light what an issue this is … so I’ve spoken at schools and [created] a personal finance curriculum,” Valluri said. She also posts short videos on her social media platforms unpacking complex financial concepts to educate others. “My main goal is to have
Mahika Valluri with her Bollywood fusion team, UCB Azaad.
people be able to better manage their money … so making financial education more accessible has been my social impact work,” Valluri said. Reflecting on her multiple endeavors, Valluri finds her greatest challenge to be balancing her time. From dance to pageantry, she aspires to fulfill her goals on all avenues while she is still young. “Everything that I’m doing is because I’m very passionate about it, so I will always make time for it. The hardest part has been juggling all of it together,” Valluri said. By developing time management skills and focusing on her passions, she maintains a now-or-never mindset. To MSJ students, Valluri advises that “dreams can get pushed away so far if you keep waiting for them to happen, so the time is now.” ▪
“Dreams can get pushed away so far if you keep waiting for them to happen, so the time is now.”
— CLASS OF 2021 ALUMNA MAHIKA VALLURI
Mahika Valluri wins the 2022 Miss San Joaquin County pageant. PHOTOS COURTESY MAHIKA VALLURI
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Centerspread 9
“The most memorable part of the freshman class performance for me was probably their fight scene because it really captured their essence. It showed that they had a lot of spirit despite being the youngest class.” — Allyson Wang, 10
By Jeffrey Li & Ethan Yan Staff Writers “I think that they had a lot of teamwork and I could really see that especially during the singing airband and the K-pop airband, I think they were really in sync and matched each others energy really well.” — Alyssa Gong, 11
An array of blue balloons greeted viewers in the amphitheater to kick off Freshman Homecoming. With gradient shades of blue, the main banner took the audience to Republic City with Korra, the skit protagonist, and her polar bear dog, Naga. Along with the wave-like designs of a side banner, swirling around an avatar-state Korra, the warm music from the live band created a calming atmosphere. The live band opened with an arrangement of “The Magical World of Pixar” arranged by Robert Longfield, setting up a light-hearted mood for the first scene of the skit. With authentic voice acting and exaggerated hand gestures, the actors immersed the audience into the world of Korra’s struggles with airbending and academics. An ominous, cloaked Amon, the main villain, wanted to destroy all bending and believed only in pure studying. Korra was eventually able to learn airbending not by constantly studying, but by competing in a bending relay competition, showcasing the importance of balance between extracurriculars and academics. Contrasting the dark, mysterious tone underlying the skit, the freshmen began their airbands with a lively and energetic K-pop performance, featuring iconic songs like “Super Shy” by NewJeans that the audience enthusiastically sang along to. The dancers skillfully shifted between different styles of music such as that of the powerful “S-Class” by Stray Kids, and the lighthearted “SET ME FREE” by TWICE. The singing airband followed with “Symphony (feat. Zara Larsson)” by Clean Bandit as they swayed back and forth to the music. The audience cheered loudly as the singers, wearing matching pastel blue dresses, performed “Dancing Queen” by ABBA. Afterward, the hip-hop airband took the stage with a vibrant performance of “Vegas” by Doja Cat, which featured impressive somersaults. During their performance of Dua Lipa’s “Dance The Night - From Barbie The Album,” the freshmen put on blue heart-shaped sunglasses and moved smoothly across the stage, mirroring Margot Robbie’s moves in Barbie. Although they had more performers than the previous airbands, the Bollywood airband remained organized throughout and delivered a stunning performance. With blue tops, white pants, and golden pant chains, the Bollywood dancers attracted the audience’s attention with their stylish outfits. The performance included a variety of exciting dance moves, such as when dancers leaped over each other’s backs, all while both traditional Bollywood songs and popular American music played. The performance concluded with a dancer lifting a blue “27” for all to see while other members raised him on their shoulders. With similar energy, the fight scene members performed a series of aggressive punches, kicks, and somersaults, and it was incorporated as the ending of the skit. There were many instances where characters were able to bounce back from struggles in the fight against Amon, keeping the atmosphere tense and the audience engaged. The waving of bandanas to represent element bending made the fight more colorful and graceful. Despite losing most of her powers, Korra was still able to unleash a torrent of airbending which emphasized her profound character development. To the cheers of the audience, Korra and her team collectively took down Amon, preserving bending forever. Ultimately, all of the freshmen’s hard work and performances built up to their climactic final chant of “Never second, 27.” Even though homecoming was a new experience to them, they did not hold back with their energy, hyping up the audience along with them. Overall, they placed fourth and left a lasting impression for years to come.
“I think the most memorable part about the freshmen was the song selection. From singing to hip-hop to Bollywood airbands, the freshmen had the audience singing along the whole time.” — Varsha Sathish, 12
“The passion and expressiveness of the dancers really made them stand out. The synchronization and chemistry of the dancers were clear through their cohesive performance.” -— Sophia Tran, 9
SKIT: FOURTH DECO: FOURTH AIRBANDS: FOURTH OVERALL: FOURTH PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS IVY LU & TRISHA PARIKH. GRAPHICS BY CENTERSPREAD EDITOR CHLOE GAO
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“I think the Bollywood and K-pop performances were the best. I thought the choreography was really well synchronized and fun to watch. You could tell the sophomores put a lot of effort into the performance.” — Megha Rajanikanth, 12
“I think the most memorable was the Little Apple performance because I really liked that song. The amount of effort they put into it really stood out to me.” — Zoya Chowdhury, 9
“The hoco proposal at the end was so cute. I was not expecting that at all. The K-pop airband was also really energized and exciting. Everyone was singing along and hyped throughout the whole performance.” — Amanda Loh, 11
DESPICABLE SOPHOMORES
As students filled the amphitheater, the By Ivy Lu & Catherine Qin backdrop decorated with Minions Staff Writers each depicting a different expression caught their attention. Bright yellow balloons hung across the sky while white and yellow streamers wrapped around the railings. Despite facing initial challenges with falling backdrops, the sophomores used duct tape to hold the decorations in place throughout the performance. On a count of three, the live band began its jazzy repertoire, extending a warm welcome to the audience as they kicked off the Homecoming of the “Despicable Sophomores.” Opening with “Happy - From “Despicable Me 2”” by Pharrell Williams, the live band featured string and wind instruments — cello, violin, clarinet, and flute — blending seamlessly to create a beautiful harmony. At the start of the skit, however, events took a darker turn when Wild Knuckles, the villain, convinced Gru, who was clad in a convincing bald cap, signature nose, and iconic outfit, to help ruin Homecoming. Following the skit, the Jazz Funk airband ran onstage and performed a dynamic tango-style choreography to “Starships” by Nicki Minaj. The crowd’s energy began to ramp up as the J-pop airband swooped in on a parade of infectious spirit. Lively song choices such as “Dramaturgy” by Eve and “FIREWORK” by &TEAM electrified the audience, prompting cheers. Just before the audience’s excitement began to die down, the C-pop airband launched into a mesmerizing and synchronized performance, reigniting the crowd’s energy with their popular song choices, such as “Little Apple” by the Chopstick Brothers. The song rose to popularity shortly after its release in 2014 because of its simple yet catchy rhythm and lyrics. The crowd added to the excitement and nostalgia of the song by dancing and singing along with the airband. If the vibrancy of the J-pop and C-pop airbands were palpable, then the fresh enthusiasm of the fiery singers in their performance to “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars reverberated in the audience’s bones. The singers’ passion invigorated the crowd, especially in “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic, as the audience waved their hands to the beat in unity. Before the enthusiasm of the audience died down, the K-pop airband burst onto the scene with their sparkling smiles and dynamic formations, paired with upbeat music such as “I AM” by IVE, “ZOO” by GISELLE, HENDERY, JENO, TAEYONG, and YANGYANG, and “Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard’s wife” by LE SSERAFIM. The dancers’ stunning charisma and powerful moves stirred up the audience, showcasing the sophomore class’s fervent spirit. Meanwhile, in the skit, the Minions gained sentience and a moral compass, realizing that they should not blindly follow a villain. In a stirring display of bravery, the Minions stood up against Gru in the fight scene sequence that left the audience breathless. The opening aerial flips and flashing nunchucks were just a taste of what would follow. The swift and powerful kicks and punches charged the audience with suspense before reaching the climax: a false gesture of reconciliation before a fighter struck down for the kill. After Gru’s defeat, he and the Minions had a heart-to-heart chat, where Gru admitted to his fears of being unable to control his life and being stuck in a competitive race for college. After the Minions convinced him that ruining Homecoming meant losing control over his life, Gru broke out of his cycle of pessimistic overthinking and reconciled with the Minions, walking off stage together. To close the show, Bollywood dancers clad in golden costumes twirled in their long dresses and leaped to the beat of the music in a seamless blend of traditional Bollywood and hip-hop movements. As the music ended, the sophomore performers ran on stage chanting, “26, We don’t miss.” During the height of their celebration, a sophomore, holding a sign and a bouquet of red roses, asked his partner out to Homecoming, adding to the crowd’s excitement. The special moment was the perfect conclusion to the sophomore performance. With their action-packed scenes, sparkling costumes, and energetic choreographies, the sophomores took third overall. "The most memorable part of the sophomore performance was the Bollywood airband, specifically the intro and finale dances. The intro was really hype and got the audience in the mood for our airband. You could really see all the effort everybody put in, and it was a really exciting experience." – Bhavika Mehndiratta, 10
SKIT: THIRD DECO: THIRD AIRBANDS: THIRD OVERALL: THIRD PHOTOS BY OPINION EDITOR ANNIE XU & STAFF WRITERS HANNAH BI & HOWARD LU. GRAPHICS BY CENTERSPREAD EDITOR ASHLEY PANG
Friday, October 20, 2023
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Centerspread 11
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR
By Hannah Bi & Trisha Parikh Staff Writers
Purple and black balloon chains hung over the amphitheater and vertical black denim jean flag banners lined the railings. Backdrops depicting four different colored designs draped the stage, welcoming MSJ students to the viking world of How to Train Your Dragon and kicking off Junior Homecoming. The live band greeted waves of onlookers pouring into the amphitheater with “Love Story” by Taylor Swift and “Cupid” by FIFTY FIFTY, eliciting enthusiastic cheers from the audience. As students filled into the seating area, the skit began, with Stoick forbidding his son, Hiccup, from participating in Homecoming festivities, preferring he focus on schoolwork instead. However, when Hiccup befriended a dragon, the humans’ apparent mortal enemy, chaos ensued alongside sound effects and relatable jokes teasing MSJ students with stereotypes. Singing airband soon took the stage, spurring applause from the audience with their vocal harmony and popular song choices. Students sang along to Taylor Swift’s “...Ready For It?” and “Style,” and joined in for the chorus of beabadoobee’s “Glue Song” and Vance Joy’s “Riptide.” Adding a unique touch to each song, backup performers waved phone flashlights to the slow, sweet tempo of “Glue Song” and pretended to play mini ukuleles to match the indie folk melodies of “Riptide.” The first of the dances, Jazz Fusion airband took the stage with synchronized routines of pop classics such as Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull’s “On The Floor” and WALK THE MOON’s “Shut Up and Dance.” Smooth transitions and the addition of sunglasses left the crowd erupting with cheers up until the performers’ united ending pose. Following Jazz Fusion, Bhangra wielded long sticks called khundas to sweep the audience away with their traditional Punjabi dance. Bhangra rotated through formations designed to feature each person at the center for a dance to an upbeat Bollywood song, such as “Sadi Gali” by Lehmber Hussainpuri and “Zaalima” by Arijit Singh and Harshdeep Kaur. From sporting trendy knit boleros to their impressive groundwork, K-pop airband flourished on stage as a vibrant group that evoked shouts from the audience. The heart-shaped position they ended with acted as the cherry on top before the Michael Jackson airband swept the crowd away. Michael Jackson’s legacy was honored when backup dancers entered the stage with sharp, synchronized movements in their all-black attire. The airband leader stood in front with a costume adorned with silver jewels, complimenting his rendition of the iconic moonwalk step to some of the singer’s most popular songs, such as “Bad.” All eyes then shifted to the C-pop airband as dancers showcased their dancers’ elegance through twirls in flowy skirts. The crowd screamed in awe at their stunts and were left starstruck when they ended their performance with a dance featuring long, white ribbons. As C-pop dancers rushed off the stage, the Bharatanatyam dancers took the spotlight, clad in gold-lined black balloon pants and jingling gold coin belts. The five performers twirled and turned to the rhythm of popular Bollywood hits such as “Jai Jai Shivshankar (From “War”)” by Vishal Dadlani and Benny Dayal, and “Oo Antava Oo Oo Antava” by Indravathi Chauhan. Capturing the audience’s attention, the fight scene performers then impressed students with their extraordinary acrobatics, realistic punches, and creative use of folded purple paper to imitate the fireballs of dragons. Next, Ballroom dancers stunned the audience with arabesques and passés, showing off their flexibility and skill. Carrying on the infectious energy, Bollywood airband entered with a couple opening steps of the iconic Dance Moms Boss Ladies routine, earning roaring screams from students. Performers continuously switched in and out, incorporating black roses and “CO25” glasses into their dynamic movements and energetic stunts that kept the audience captivat“I loved ed. The skit closed with an apology from Stoick and an emotional the use of purple in reunion. In addition to comedic comments with emojis and their deco, especially in the Disney songs, the display demonstrated the impornumbers and bottom banner. I liked the creativity of tance of forgiveness and second chances. The the skit since acting as a dragon is a little bit difficult. The performance ended with performers gathering dancers had so much energy as well.” — Angel Li, 10 at the center of the stage cheering the 2025 “The best part class chant: “Come alive, 25.” Ultimately, was hands down the the juniors’ complex choreography and K-pop performance because the synergy and immaculate deco tied the entire perforsynchronization were better than all the other dances. mance together, emphasizing their class Also, it was the most high-energy out of all the other performances.” spirit and allowing them to take second place — Dennis Xiao, 11 in the overall rankings.
“The Michael Jackson performance was definitely the best because the moonwalking was super cool and I had never seen it performed live before. Also, I really liked how the performers were dressed like soldiers. That was a cool touch.” — Rahil Parikh, 9
“I feel that the most memorable part of the junior class performance was the Bollywood performance because it was so diverse and had a lot of people. Everyone was in-sync and performed so well. Just seeing their performance inspired me to consider joining Bollywood next year.” — Vishnu Puri, 10
RANKINGS SKIT: SECOND DECO: FIRST AIRBANDS: FIRST OVERALL: SECOND
PHOTOS BY OPINION EDITOR ANNIE XU & STAFF WRITERS ETHAN YAN & LUCAS ZHANG. GRAPHICS BY CENTERSPREAD EDITOR ASHLEY PANG
12 Centerspread
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Friday, October 20, 2023
“I think the senior class arguably had the best atmosphere. Despite the gloomy weather, their exhilarating performance and animated expressions demonstrated their passion for performing. From complex tricks to fluid motions, their unparalleled energy made every part of their performance memorable.” — Emma Zhou, 10
“The best part about Senior day was seeing our whole performance come together and knowing that this is one of our last moments together as a class. It felt sad, but nostalgic because it will be a good memory to look back on.” — Asma Markar, 12
By Howard Lu & Lucas Zhang Staff Writers “The speeches definitely stuck with me most because it was so nostalgic and a ‘growing up’ moment for the class of 2024. It was really nice to see them encourage not only the seniors but the other classes as well; it really said a lot about school spirit as a whole.” — Danielle Rayne Fermin, 12
“I think the thing that the seniors did the best was having a lot of energy. They were always supporting their class during performances. The seniors were also singing the song during the dance and screaming their chant when they were preparing for their next performance.” — Aashrith Morumganti, 10
As the lunch bell rang, students rushed to the amphitheater to claim seats for the Class of 2024’s final Homecoming performance. The stage was set for a Cars-themed show, with a vibrant backdrop featuring Lightning McQueen racing through Radiator Springs. Red and gold balloons, as well as racetrack flags, hung in the sky, while inflatable tires were wrapped around lampposts. The crowd walked past railings decorated with road signs, ready to watch the seniors showcase their class pride and put on an unforgettable performance to close off Homecoming Week. Opening with Rascal Flatts’ “Life is a Highway,” the live band set the scene for what was to come. The seniors started their performance off with high energy by chanting “Wish you were a senior, hoo haa” before the singing airband entered with a bang, as its leader introduced the airband in a lively manner and opened with Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love (feat. Jay-Z).” While the singers performed “Getaway Car” by Taylor Swift, other seniors accompanied them in the background, including one who drove across the stage in a red toy car. After the seniors sang the class’s song, “Night Changes” by One Direction, one last time, the senior skit began with the actors maneuvering fake steering wheels and bumping into each other, mimicking the movement of racecars in the midst of a decisive match. In the week leading up to the tiebreaker match, Lightning McQueen arrived at “Missionator Springs” and shared her experiences on the track with residents from different grade levels, referencing MSJ stereotypes while reminding students in the audience to stop stressing too much about academics. As a thrilling chain of events in the skit drew the attention of the audience, large yet organized airbands provided attention-grabbing dances for the crowd to watch. These performances began with the Jazz Funk airband, which featured dancers that kept the energy going as they danced to “Vroom Vroom” by Charli XCX. As the speakers blasted “You’ll Find a Way (Switch and Sinden Remix)” by Santigold, the dancers put on vibrant red baseball caps, making the crowd roar in excitement. The Chinese Fusion airband then took center stage, with traditional red folding fans that created wave-like motions, showcasing a blend of typical Chinese dance moves and contemporary styles. After the elegant Chinese Fusion dancers exited the stage, the hip-hop airband kept the intensity going by dancing to anthems and chart-topping hits such as Rihanna’s “Rude Boy,” which mimicked her Super Bowl choreography, and Ice Spice’s “Princess Diana (with Nicki Minaj).” Just as the crowd started to quiet down after a humorous skit scene with actors dressed in cow onesies, the K-pop airband delivered a show-stopping performance to hit songs such as BTS’s “DNA” and NewJeans’ “OMG.” Donning bunny hats, the dancers drew up well-rehearsed moves in which the height of their hands matched the changes in the pitch of the melody. Then, pairs of Ballroom dancers adorned in formal velvet vests and red dresses, took the stage, dancing along to groovy tunes like “Suit and Tie (feat. Jay-Z)” by Justin Timberlake and “Havana (feat. Young Thug)” by Camila Cabello. Toward the end of the Ballroom airband’s performance, the dancers lifted two people in the air, and the airborne performers struck a pose as if they were two Cupids about to shoot arrows. In between each of the attention-grabbing airband performances, the events of the skit led up to the climactic tiebreaker race between McQueen, Chick Hicks, and Sally “the King” Weathers, in which McQueen stopped right before the finish line as a show of integrity. After McQueen realized that getting into a D1 race did not matter to her so much anymore, she gave the other cars a chance to qualify. A large group of dancers then continued the senior tradition of performing the Haka. The audience maintained a hushed silence, magnifying the rhythmic shouts and stomps of the performers. A riveting fight scene that featured boisterous heavy metal remixes and a fight between juniors and seniors followed the Haka, with the seniors eventually knocking the juniors down by its end. The skit actors representing each grade level gave motivational advice to their corresponding class before the Bollywood airband closed out the Homecoming performances, dancing to upbeat songs with both English and Hindi lyrics. Dancers used chairs as props, and some members came below the stage to dance towards the end. With the bell about to ring, gold confetti popped on stage as the performers raised a sign that read “Seniors on top” while the rest of the seniors rushed on stage to engage in the senior rollercoaster that traditionally marks the end of each year’s Homecoming performances. In between each scene and airband, the senior class showed their spirit by yelling “Seniors” and “Wish you were a senior, hoo haa.” After coming in third place behind the Class of 2025 last year, the Class of 2024 returned much stronger this year with a thrill ride of a skit that came with airbands that were just as engaging to watch. Despite having only experienced three Homecoming performanc es due to the pandemic, Seniors won first place overall by a narrow margin.
SKIT: FIRST DECO: SECOND AIRBANDS: SECOND OVERALL: FIRST
PHOTOS BY OPINION EDITOR ANNIE XU, STAFF WRITERS JEFFREY LI & CATHERINE QIN. GRAPHICS BY CENTERSPREAD EDITOR CHLOE GAO
Friday, October 20, 2023
The Smoke Signal
Feature 13
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DieHard TryHards:
Henna
By Anandita Devata, Naisha Koppurapu, Maryam Naseer & Stella Wang Staff Writers With fall comes an influx of Hindu festivals and poojas, which involve rituals and prayers, such as Navaratri, Diwali, Garba events, and many more. In South Asian cultures, henna, also known as mehendi, is often seen as an elegant activity, commonly found at festivals, holidays, and weddings. Cones, which are the most common way to apply henna, are difficult to control, requiring both patience and creativity. To celebrate the upcoming Hindu festivals, four Smokies went hand-to-hand to design the best henna.
An
Ste
a
1st
I should be jumping up and down in excitement, but when I saw the results, I just slumped down, relieved that my five hours of arduous work didn’t go to waste. While I want to say that my artistic skills pulled me through to this victory, I have to thank the real star of this project: my phone camera. When I finished the henna and examined it in the mirror, I was dismayed to see that the design had shifted slightly to the right from the center of my forearm. However, thanks to the magic of photography, this egregious error, along with my lack of symmetry, shaky linework, and deformed shapes, were all masterfully hidden away. I may suck at holding the henna cone and freehanding lines without sketching, but my overly ambitious plans and conveniently low lighting somehow made up for it this time.
n d it a
Some might assume that henna comes naturally to me considering my art expertise. However, this is in fact, not true, as I struggled to hold the cone and create a straight line at the start of my henna journey. With my recent exploration of different henna techniques and honing my skills through personal practice during holidays and weddings, I am confident that I am equipped to claim victory. Staying patient and mastering the art of holding henna cones steadily is something I’ve accomplished after many failures, often ending with smears across my hands. By observing my older cousins create intricate and elaborate designs for cultural celebrations and weddings, I aim to showcase my newly learned henna skills in this competition.
2nd
So that was a little unexpected. I mean, I wasn’t confident at all at the beginning, but after seeing the other designs, I thought I could have won. However, I did enjoy seeing the creative liberties my competitors took, such as steering away from the traditional cram-everything-into-onesquare-inch approach and leaving a lot of empty space for contrast. I’m not complaining, though; it could have been a lot worse. Getting fourth place would have been just a little bit disappointing for the girl who’s obsessed with her culture and its traditions. Well, since I’m not last, I think I’ll live through the humiliation.
m a ry
3rd
I was absolutely convinced that victory would be mine. But as soon as I started my design, I realized I was screwed and entered henna mayhem. My skills fell painfully short of the mark, and I began to mess up on simple patterns creating jigsaw puzzles. For hours, I continuously erased and redrew parts of the design until I got the result I was happy with. Even then, the outcome was slightly lopsided and far less complex as I hoped. Despite the setbacks, I am determined to come back stronger in another field where I can truly display my skills. With the right opportunity and dedication, I believe that I can achieve success another day.
3rd
After years of trial and error imprinting henna patterns on my younger cousins’ hands, I have to admit there may have been more errors than I anticipated. Yet as I surfed the internet for inspiration, a crystal-clear master plan sparked in my mind. Aiming to meticulously adorn my palms in strokes of a gorgeous deep umber, I believe losing is the least of my concerns. Overconfidence is not my only forte; with my semi-professional expertise in fashioning elaborate designs, I guarantee I will easily walk away with first place.
N
lla
There’s no way I’m going to win. The only henna I’ve ever done are simple circles and filling in my fingertips using boxed henna — I still have orange on my nails from a dance performance two months ago. As for henna cones, the last time I used one I somehow managed to rip it in half, so I don’t have high hopes for this challenge. Despite my artistic incompetence, my secret technique for getting a deep maroon stain will hopefully help me avoid last place. Well, clearly I’ve got a lot to do if I don’t want to be last place, so I’m going to go figure out how henna cones work — hopefully without tearing them this time.
Ma
My only experience with henna is seeing gorgeous images of final works online and reading a single book about a henna artist. I have no clue what the process is like, and I’ve never touched a henna cone in my life. But, with my giant libraries of Pinterest posts and years of artistic experience, I hope to do this new medium justice. My biggest obstacle? My own hands. I can’t put two LEGO bricks together without shaking, and I’ve never caught a ball from farther than 5 feet in my life. When I discovered that the cones were difficult to handle, my heart dropped. My pages of design drafts and left-justified key terms notes on henna techniques will be useless if I can’t even make a single line on my arm without smearing it. Forget about winning, I’ll be happy if my arm doesn’t turn into a blobby mess after this.
sha i a
4th
Me? Embarrassed? Maybe just a little. After viewing my opponents’ designs, I witnessed my own downfall; getting last place was inevitable. The brilliant artists I was up against had unmatched talents. I clearly did not stand a chance, even with my overconfidence helping me pow- e r through. However, at heart, I honestly feel like I could’ve done better, if only I hadn’t been preoccupied trying to finish my overdue chemistry homework. Last place is for the weak, and making a comeback in the near future is on my to-do list.
PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS ANANDITA DEVATA, NAISHA KOPPURAPU, MARYAM NASEER & STELLA WANG. GRAPHICS BY FREEPIK.COM. GRAPHICS BY FEATURE EDITOR ANUSHKA VASUDEV
14 Arts & Entertainment & Advertisement
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The Smoke Signal
Friday, October 20, 2023
Wes Anderson’s disappointing return to Roald Dahl By Arushi Singh Staff Writer
Billed by Netflix as a “very Wes Anderson autumn,” the acclaimed director has brought four more of Roald Dahl’s children’s books to the screen. 14 years after Anderson’s successful stop-animation adaptation of The Fantastic Mr. Fox, he now casts well-known stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, and Ben Kingsley for roles in the four comical short films, including The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. Even with these talented actors, Dahl’s famous prose, and Anderson’s filmmaking prowess, these bite-sized films unfortunately fall short of the standard of his previous works. Starting with the release of The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar on September 27, the quartet dropped on four consecutive days on Netflix. The first film is a substantial 37-minute, followed by The Swan, The Rat Catcher, and Poison, which run only 17 minutes each. Henry Sugar, played by a funny, aloof Cumberbatch, is a bored, rich man who finds a book, written by a Dr. Chatterjee (Patel), about an Indian mystic (Kingsley) who can see without using his eyes. Kingsley’s character is based on the real life mystic Kuda Bux, who gained worldwide fame
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for having X-ray vision and walking over hot coals. Roald Dahl interviewed Bux in 1952 and used some of the mystic’s exact words in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. Unlike Dahl’s most famous works like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the stories Anderson chose for this series of short films are not meant for young children. With the exception of the touching story of Henry Sugar, The Swan deals with violent bullying, Poison centers around racism, and The Rat Catcher displays revolting animal cruelty. Besides the subject matter, Anderson’s narration style is also not suited to children. The actors narrate compellingly into the camera but speak overly fast, almost as if they are speed reading Dahl’s book instead of acting it out. Given the caliber of actors, the focus on the narration does not fully utilize their talents. In fact, for a realistic feel and comedic effect, all narrators speak in a monotone, emotionless voice, making the movies feel drab. The only exception is Patel in Poison, whose exhilarating performance transforms Dahl’s simple story about saving a friend from a potential snake bite into a suspenseful, yet funny, nailbiter. Although the other narrators are a little lackluster, this technique does allow Anderson to tell several stories within a story and stay true to Dahl’s prose in the movies. A fan of Dahl since childhood, Anderson includes the author and even his whimsical writing hut in the stories. Fiennes’ straightforward and deadpan portrayal of Dahl gives audiences insight into the dry-witted author,
but cutting abruptly to Fiennes’ scenes in the middle of a story is also somewhat disruptive. Similarly, Anderson’s use of rich stagecraft is an attention grabbing example of his inventive cinematography, but also an unnecessary distraction from the plot at times. Approximating the real-world feel of theater, extras hand the actors props and the sets visibly move around as they travel from fancy British mansions to colonial India. Despite Anderson’s creative attempt at magical realism, having the actors narrate and act in front of moving painted sets leaves the audience hanging between reality and fantasy. When portraying the Indian mystic’s powers of levitation, for instance, ac-
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tors keep pulling out a box to sit on. Although amusing the first time, it ultimately creates a disturbance in the story’s flow. Whereas Dahl masterfully uses fantasy or exaggerations to reveal deeper truths, Anderson’s attempts to do so on film are confusing and fall flat. Although Anderson’s admiration for Dahl and his obvious talents as a filmmaker shine through, these short films feel more like dry audiobooks and fail to fully transport viewers into a different world. Despite the strong cast, intricate cinematic techniques, and a few laugh-out-loud moments, perhaps the fantastical nature of Dahl’s writing is best left to a reader’s imagination instead. ▪ Grade: B-
GRAPHICS BY A&E EDITOR GOONJA BASU
Friday, October 20, 2023
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The Smoke Signal
Arts & Entertainment 15
C R I T I C S’ C O R N E R
Mitski’s The Land...: Emotionally Vast By Brittany Lu Staff Writer Indie-pop artist Mitski is well known for her achingly intimate lyrics and haunting melodies, with several of her songs on Spotify’s “sad girl starter pack” playlist. Although she has expressed her desire to never return to the industry again after her previous album, Laurel Hell, fulfilled her contract with her record label, after her well-deserved break, The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We was released on September 15. Featuring a 17 person choir arrangement, Mitski continues to captivate the listener with angelic vocals and tasteful elements of country. In contrast to Laurel Hell’s more upbeat and synth-wave vibe, The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We features simple mixing and incorporates acoustic instruments, leading Mitski to describe it as her “most American album.” This is most prevalent in “Buffalo Replaced,” with lyrics like “Freight train stampedin’ through my backyard / It’ll run across the plains like the new buffalo replaced,’’ displaying a country spirit balanced by the loud guitar and her melancholic voice. However, the messy synth embellishments and dragged out lyrics make it a tedious listen, despite the meaningful lyricism. Unlike the country theme with loud guitar strumming in “Buffalo Replaced,” Mitski’s first single starts off with a light acoustic guitar. “Bug Like An Angel” appears to be a quiet track, but unexpectedly and with great intensity, a chorus of voices joins Mitski as she draws a parallel between alcoholism and the concept of family. The chorus of voices continues to harmonize beautifully with
By Vidyuth Sridhar Staff Writer
Mitski throughout the song, further emphasizing the lyrics, which show how her unhealthy coping mechanisms affect her. As she tries to justify her inability to keep promises by affirming that God created good and bad, “I try to remember the wrath of the devil / Was also given to him by God,” it’s clear she lacks the accountability to change. Mitski’s unfiltered expression of her emotions and experiences adds depth and authenticity to her music. Mitski continues the theme of everyday suffering to distract herself from her issues with “I Don’t Like My Mind,” where she portrays a self-loathing workaholic who only grants herself rest on “an inconvenient Christmas,” indulging in cake only to vomit it back out. Reliant on her job to distract herself from her problems, her haunting plea echoes “Please don’t take / Take my job from me,” as her job is helping her cope while simultaneously causing more issues. Her passionate vocals perfectly portray her distress, evoking an emotional connection with the audience. A fan favorite, “My Love Mine All Mine” is the first love song in
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Mitski’s discography that does not have toxic undertones. “Nothing in the world belongs to me / But my love, mine, all mine, all mine,” this is one of her simplest choruses, but she delivers the lyrics with so much emotion that the listener can feel how in love Mitski is. In contrast to “My Love Mine All Mine,” the lyrics of “I’m Your Man” state, “You believe me like a god / I betray you like a man.” On this track, rather than a passionate love story, she sings with an eerie tone as she admits that she is the destructive factor in the relationship. In addition to Mitski’s unique vocal delivery, “I’m Your Man” ends cinematically with a long instrumental accompanied with the dogs barking. The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We marks a new era of music for Mitski. After near-retirement, her new music shares her stories of love and self-discovery with a sense of maturity, leaving fans excited for her future projects. ▪ Grade: A-
October 2023 Student Faves
GAMEBYTES By Padma Balaji Staff Writer Venba, an indie game developed by Visai Studios, is a cooking narrative game in which players cook South Indian dishes and play as Venba, a Tamil mom that immigrates to Canada in the 1980s. The story is centered around Venba’s cookbook, a farewell gift from her mother received when Venba left India that was ultimately damaged during her immigration. Throughout the game, players try to restore Venba’s cookbook by making homestyle Indian food and piecing together the missing parts. The game is an homage to South Indian culture, featuring authentic, nostalgic foods, a soundtrack inspired by Tamil music throughout the ages, and absolutely stunning artwork that will leave anyone salivating. More than that, the game encapsulates the Indian experience, especially as an immigrant. As Venba and her husband, Paavalan, make the choice to raise their son, Kavin, in Canada rather than India, they see how he grows up in a completely different world – one that’s alien to them and home to him. When their son grows up to resent the culture from which he comes and refuses to speak the language, Venba turns to food as a way to bridge the gap between them. For both her family and to the player, food becomes a way to show love and tell stories. Through this, the game tells stories of family, loss, and what it means to be Indian. Ultimately, Venba is a game that emanates love. Its wholesome food, artwork, and characters will leave your heart full. The game’s storyline is simultaneously heartwarming and heart-wrenching, as it leads players to explore the reality of being an immigrant. Out on PC, Playstation, Switch, and Xbox, Venba is a must play for anyone interested in Tamil culture or just looking to immerse themselves in a touching story. ▪
For all the dogs is all bark, no bite
MOVIE: Blackberry — Michael Liu, 10 TV SHOW: Suits — Evelyn Zhao, 11 ALBUM: Bewitched by Laufey — Melissa Jin, 11 BOOK: In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead — Nisha Khan, 9 GAME: Brawl Stars — Arushi Iyer, 12
Released on October 6, rapper and megastar Aubrey “Drake” Graham’s For All The Dogs features flashes of musical brilliance — but ultimately leaves listeners with little to chew on. From his “Old Drake,” cult-generating Take Care, to his most recent record Her Loss, Drake has garnered acclaim throughout his career for his head-turning lyricism, bombastic persona, and focus on the complexities of love and status. First teased in January at a concert in New York City, For All the Dogs was formally announced in June as a companion to his released debut poetry book, Titles Ruin Everything. In addition to revealing the album’s title, Drake adamantly proclaimed “They say they miss the old Drake girl don’t tempt me,”, whipping fans into a frenzy in anticipation of its release. This excitement reached a fever pitch as the lead single “Slime You Out (feat. SZA)” was released on September 15, even as the record was repeatedly delayed due to conflicts with Drake’s current It’s All A Blur tour. For All The Dogs immediately validates listeners’ intrigue with its first track “Virginia Beach.” A reflection of a toxic relationship, it features a catchy guitar and synth intro reminiscent of a rock/Electronic Dance Music track, an infectious chorus, and an anthemic trap beat sampling Frank Ocean’s unreleased “Wise Man” in the background. Indeed, the album’s variety of multi-genre soundscapes and production is undoubtedly its greatest component – from incorporating experimental hip-hop elements on “IDGAF (feat. Yeat),” to embracing Caribbean dembow/reggaeton beats on “Gently (feat. Bad Bunny)” and virtuosic pianos on “Amen (feat. Teezo Touchdown)”. While engaging production-wise, the 23 song, 84 minute runtime ren-
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ders much of the tracklist tiring and banal. Throughout the album, Drake projects himself as a larger-thanlife, savior figure. He unabashedly boasts about his fame, heralding that he is as “Big as the Super Bowl’’ on “First Person Shooter (feat. J Cole).” Simultaneously, Drake praises his “charity” towards women, musing that “She prayin’ asking God for a sign / I just went and paid her car note” on “Amen (feat. Teezo Touchdown).” Reminders of his lyrical originality do appear on For All The Dogs. “Away From Home,” provides a fresh perspective into Drake’s life before and whilst becoming famous. But the album’s depiction of Drake as both arrogant and benevolent quickly grows overbearing, as it has already and more profoundly been examined Drake’s previous records (including Scorpion and Her Loss). Furthermore, it renders his equally-present lamentations over the struggles of love and fame reminiscent of “Old Drake” ballads painfully more myopic than meaningful. Overall, whilst offering an exciting mix of genre-melding melodies and production, Drake’s starkly contrasting unwillingness to stray from age-old lyrical themes diminishes much of For All The Dogs’ listenability and significance, ultimately leaving much to be desired. ▪ Grade: C
A Haunting in Venice : A beautifully flawed horror
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By Catherine Qin Staff Writer Released on September 15, the murder mystery film A Haunting in Venice directed by Kenneth Branagh brings on a new, yet disappointing, take on Agatha Christie’s book Hallowe’en Party. The success of the previous two films, Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, got fans’ hopes up, but even with famous faces, the movie falls short of viewers’ highly-built expectations. The movie takes place in postWorld War II Venice, already diverging from the original book. With little background introduction for the audience, Hercule Poirot meets his only friend Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey), and is invited to a seance at a Halloween party hosted by Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly). Everyone fascinated by the murder story of Alicia Drake (Rowan Robinson) arrives at the seánce, where supernatural events occur, leaving everyone shaken. The palazzo, where the seance is held, is said to be haunted by the or-
phans who died there, each holding a vendetta against nurses and doctors, leaving everyone in unease as they solve the murder of Alicia. The star-studded cast, featuring familiar faces such as Michelle Yeoh and Fey, delivers a captivating performance, pouring out raw and spine-chilling emotions. Mrs. Reyonds’ (Michelle Yeoh) screams of terror in the seánce and the occasional jump scares left the audience on the edges of their seats. Fey’s embodiment of Ariadne Oliver, however, brings a touch of much-needed humor and satire into the film. Oliver is always there to keep Poirot on his toes while bringing out his playful and amusing nature. Although the portrayal of the characters by the actors was intriguing, the movie falters in its execution of the storyline and character development. It can’t be a Hercule Poirot movie without hidden subplots, but the introduction of various subplots and characters felt disjointed and ultimately detracted from the overall narrative cohesion. The lack of focus
on the main plot makes it challenging for the audience to fully grasp and invest in the story. Additionally, some of the supernatural elements and twists in the plot seemed forced, undermining the sense of mystery and horror Branagh initially intended. The doors slamming, parrot screeching, and ghostly hallucinations were overused and eventually lacked purpose, and the element of surprise and horror was absent in many places that needed the extra special effects. Running significantly shorter than its predecessors, the film’s one hour and 43 minutes fail to fully execute the plot. The pacing of the investigation leading up to Poirot finally solving the murder case was rushed, unlike the Death on the Nile, where the clues throughout the film were prominent. The final reveal and explanation of the murder mystery mainly relied on Poirot explaining everything out loud rather than slowly developing it and using hidden clues. Although lacking in other areas,
the film’s striking cinematography encapsulates the luxurious old-fashioned buildings and landscapes of post-WWII Venice. The aerial views of the Venice’s canals and quick blurry angle shots and close-ups added extra suspense and unknown to the story. However, because some of the scenes were shot using a dark exposure technique, the scenes were sometimes so dark it was challenging to depict what was playing on screen, losing the intended horror and mysterious effects. Despite the rushed conclusion to this murder mystery, the overall stunning cinematography and well-chosen cast still leave the audience with lingering feelings of uncertainty and horror. As this is only the third installment of the Branagh-directed Hercule Poirot film franchise, more mysteries featuring the iconic detective are expected to come. ▪ Grade: B
SMOKIE PLAYLIST: AARON: “I KNOW ?” by Travis Scott | AARYAN: “Hate Bein’ Sober” by Chief Keef | ANNIE: “YOU AND I” by Dreamcatcher | ANNIKA: “I Know The End” by
Occult October
Phoebe Bridgers | ANUSHKA: “vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo | ASHLEY: “Kill Her Freak Out” by Samia | CALLIE: “Bag of Bones” by Mitski | CHLOE: “willow” by Taylor Swift | ELTON: “goosebumps” by Travis Scott | GOONJA: “Ptolemaea” by Ethel Cain | HANNAH: “Year Zero” by Ghost | JULIA: “Buzzcut Season” by Lorde | KARINA: “Teen Idle” by MARINA | KAYLEE: “Happy Face” by Jagwar Twin | JIYUN: “Red Right Hand” by Arctic Monkeys | SANAH: “mary magdalene” by FKA twigs | VEDESH: “O Green World” by Gorillaz | WAYLON: “Pipe Down” by Drake | MRS. COHEN: “Thriller” by Michael Jackson
16 Arts & Entertainment
the
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1975
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Friday, October 20, 2023
are still ... at their very best
By Navya Chitlur & Tushara Devapatla Staff Writers
pecially when the mini screens split, playing Subway Surfers and slime videos as a ploy to retain the audience’s attention, causing the audience to laugh while he spoke about the importance of interpersonal connections. He also spoke about the band’s upcoming hiatus that they had mentioned in previous shows, reassuring fans that the band would
Pink and white stage lights flash around the crowd; thousands of fans start cheering
not be splitting up, merely taking a break after the tour ends, a statement met with sighs
excitedly in anticipation. The lights stop suddenly, landing on The 1975’s lead vocalist,
of relief from all their fans. When “People,” the last, loudest, and most energetic song of
Matty Healy. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the tour,” he says, before the guitar
the set played, the audience matched his energy as Healy chanted the lyrics, giving the
and drums start beating wildly.
rock song an air of desperation and fury. In stark contrast to the soft and warmly lit start
Held on September 28 at the SAP Center in San Jose, rock band The 1975’s Still …
of the set, Healy pulled a lever that stopped all the music and plunged the audience into
At Their Very Best tour marks the band’s fifth tour and a follow up to their previous At
darkness, ending the show with a bang. The once thunderous music was easily replaced
Their Very Best tour, both for their 2022 album, Being Funny In A Foreign Language.
by the raucous cheers of the crowd, marking the end of the exceptional night.
Popularized in 2013 following the release of their third EP Music for Cars, the band
After a long, enthralling show by The 1975, hundreds of happy concert-goers filtered
has since grown a large and devoted fan base that has stuck with them, even through
out of the venue, excitedly discussing the performance filled
Healy’s recent controversial behavior.
with stunning set and light displays, and energetic
The show started with the opener, bedroom-pop artist Dora Jar. Though she was
songs. The concert, though not the most profession-
energetic and captured the attention of the small audience, she did not receive their
al, was an entertaining one, filled with humor and
enthusiasm throughout the majority of her set. The crowd finally began to dance with
energy,
her as she played and introduced an unreleased song, “Puppets.”
well as in-
Fans were ecstatic as the curtain opened to reveal the 1975 on stage, and the band started their first song of the night, an instrumental cover and mash-up of “Love
as
credible music. ▪
Me Tender” by Elvis Presley and “Flying” by John Williams, setting a soft and emotional start before launching into their more upbeat songs. Behind the band was an elaborate set design, made to look like a living room, complete with chairs, sofas, and even a staircase. The set design, coupled with the colorful, flashing lights, only got more colorfully and technologically advanced as the night went on, with more and more complex backdrops. The lights shone from the band to the crowd and back, and the stunning visuals on the big screen improved, showing closeups of the band. The impressive set display was best expressed halfway through the show when Healy ran from side to side on the stage, before stopping in front of a display of stacked make-shift TVs and jumping inside one of them, disappearing from the view of the audience. A naked replica of Healy then appeared on a second grass stage, confusing and disgusting the audience greatly when Healy, with slightly perverted behavior, silently lay down beside him for a few minutes. However,
when
the next song, “Be My Mistake,” finally succeeded the
demonstra-
tion, fans waved phone flashlights in time with his guitar, marking it as the most raw and intimate part of the show and connecting Healy with his fans. Throughout the set, Healy kept the audience amused with his ridiculous antics, es-
PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS TUSHARA DEVAPATLA & NAVYA CHITLUR. GRAPHICS BY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF KARINA HAN
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Sports 17
Guide to combat sports By Sahas Goli, Shuhan Jin, Jeffrey Li & Howard Lu Staff Writers
Combat sports are contact-based activities that involve one-to-one action between two or more athletes. There are various combat sports worldwide, ranging from boxing to mixed martial arts, each incorporating various movements and designated techniques specific to that art form. In this article, the Smoke Signal has compiled information and interviews about a few of the many popular combat sports that MSJ students participate in and the many resources around the Bay Area to do so.
Boxing The sport of boxing started 4,000 years ago when soldiers in the Roman Empire integrated punching, wrestling, and other moves into their military training. In the late 19th century, this would evolve into gloved boxing, where different rules and regulations were established for officiated matches. The laws of boxing involve two opponents of similar weight classes, with protective gloves on exchanging back-and-forth punches. The arsenal of punches includes the jab, hook, cross, and uppercut. Jabs are used in longer-range combat and thrown with the lead hand, setting up a powerful straight punch known as the cross. The more effective the head or body shot is, the more points awarded. Different variations of boxing techniques include kickboxing, in-boxing, and out-boxing, which are practical for certain competitive sport and combat scenarios. Boxing involves great hand-eye coordination, conditioning, strategy, and mental toughness. Local facilities include Koa Fitness in Newark, which offers classes with professional fighters and certified instructors.
Kendo Kendo is a Japanese sport that started in the Heian period and began as a way for Samurai to practice sword fighting. Now recognized as one of the national sports of Japan, over six million people are practicing Kendo worldwide. Participants are equipped with a bamboo sword, a Shinai, and traditional Japanese armor, a Bogu, which includes a face mask, gauntlets, breastplate, and leg protectors. Like fencing, two contenders attempt to hit specific parts of their opponent’s body through strikes and thrusts while maintaining proper form. There are four specific parts that contestants must aim for, and each attack is composed of three parts: the ki, the ken, and the tai. However, the sport also teaches many spiritual lessons beyond the physical aspects. “Learning Kendo has helped me discipline myself and motivate me to go for the things that seem too hard at first,” Sophomore Noah Yang said. Local facilities where students can learn kendo include HSSK Kendo Dojo in Fremont and Palo Alto Kendo Dojo.
Taekwondo Originating in Korea during the time period of the Koguryo Kingdom, Taekwondo is an art of self-defense and is recognized as one of the oldest forms of martial arts in the world, with over 2,000 years of history. The name, which can be separated into three parts (“Tae,” “Kwon,” and “Do”), means “foot, hand, and art.” As the name suggests, this form of martial arts involves punching and kicking techniques, with the occasional corporation of weapons such as the Sahang Naht, a curved metal blade. Furthermore, those practicing Taekwondo must wear a uniform called the “dobok,” which is often white with a belt tied around the waist to signify the level of mastery. Most importantly, Taekwondo incorporates both the mind and body and requires several disciplines to be performed successfully. “From stretching to strength, Taekwondo taught me how to manage my physical health. It also taught me time management and discipline to not miss practices,” Junior Truman Nguyen said. Nearby facilities to train in Taekwondo include Mach Martial Arts in Fremont and Martial Arts America in Pleasanton, which both provide classes for all ages and levels.
Fencing Although sword use has ancient origins as far back as 1190 BCE, the organized sport of fencing as we know it began at the end of the 19th century. Olympic fencing has three forms: Foil, Épée, and Sabre. Foil involves a light thrusting weapon targeting the torso, Épée uses a heavier thrusting weapon targeting the entire body, and Sabre is a light cutting and thrusting weapon targeting almost everything above the waist. The fencing rules vary depending on the style but generally involve specific target areas and whether or not double touches are allowed. Fencers use specialized equipment, including a jacket, mask, glove, trousers or knickers, and weapons. The weapons are electronically wired to register hits, ensuring accurate scoring during bouts. “Fencing is also known as ‘physical chess.’ The sport is extremely strategic, as you must calculate every single parry, preparation, or lunge,” Senior Darren Watt said. Nearby fencing facilities include the Academy of Fencing Masters in Sunnyvale (Épée), Bayside Fencing Club in Brentwood (Épée), Silicon Valley Fencing Center in Sunnyvale (Foil), and Halberstadt Fencers’ Club in San Francisco (Sabre).
Kung Fu Kung Fu is a form of martial art that dates back to ancient China over 2,500 years ago. The range of moves includes kicks, punches, acrobatics, and rapid counters. “For me, the hardest move to master was the head flip. I had to build back flexibility, head strength, and overall technique,” Junior Black Belt Shardul Marathe said. The main styles of Kung Fu include Shaolin, Wing Chun, and Tai Chi, each with its distinct features. Shaolin originates from Buddhist teachings in the 5th century CE. Some techniques involve weapons, hand forms, sparring, and grappling. Most Kung Fu matches include two to three-minute rounds with one minute of rest in between. Fighters can win by knockout, submission, or judges’ decision if the game goes far. Fighters wear traditional sleeveless tops with loose pants and soft-soled shoes during the competition. Right here in Fremont, facilities like Dragon Rhythm Shaolin Kungfu offer Kung Fu classes for all different age levels.
Wrestling
Wrestling is one of the oldest combat sports, with origins in ancient Egypt and Greece. Wrestling also has many variations ranging from Olympic-recognized Greco-Roman wrestling to more traditional forms like Turkish oil wrestling. These styles differ significantly; for example, in American folkstyle wrestling, using legs is allowed, but in Greco-Roman wrestling, touching legs is a penalty. However, all of these types of wrestling have one common goal: to subdue the opponent for a set amount of time. Wrestlers gain points whenever they successfully pin down their opponent, called a takedown, or expose their back, called a nearfall. Wrestlers commonly wear a unitard and protection gear like a mouthguard and headgear. Competitions are also split into different weight classes to ensure fairness. MSJ has its own wrestling team open for all interested, and local facilities include Big Time Wrestling in Fremont and United Wrestling Club in Hayward.
GRAPHICS BY SPORTS EDITOR AARON ZHOU
18 Sports & Advertisement
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MSJ Cross Country Sweeps Second MVAL Meet at Newark By Novak Chen and Sally Han Staff Writers On September 27, Boys and Girls Cross Country competed at the second MVAL meet, held at Newark Memorial High School. With stellar performances from athletes across multiple divisions, MSJ swept the Freshmen and Sophomore Boys, JV Boys, and JV Girls divisions, while the Varsity Boys and Varsity Girls teams finished second out of the eight teams competing. MSJ has traditionally dominated the Freshmen and Sophomore Boys division, with an undefeated record of 10-0 in the past two seasons, including the MVAL Championship Finals. Sophomore Zaky Salhi, who had won the previous Freshmen and Sophomore center meet race, continued this winning streak by claiming his second straight win in MVAL this season, 15 seconds ahead of second-place Sophomore Max Dou. In the first race of the meet, Freshmen and Sophomore Boys got off to a great start with
Salhi leading and Freshman Ahaan Sood in hot pursuit. Salhi and Dou were able to maintain their leads and get a one-two finish, despite the tough competition from Irvington High School’s Vikings and John F. Kennedy High School’s Titans. MSJ had a strong first place finish out of the seven schools by placing five runners in the top eight, setting the team up for the fantastic performance for the rest of the meet. JV Girls were similarly dominant, with MSJ runners leading the race from start to finish. Although Senior Allison Lee and Junior Fiona Hsu led the race with a strong start, Sophomore Atrisa Forouhar finished first, winning her first MVAL center meet in the process. The JV Boys race were able to push their limits with Senior Shreyas Kiran winning for a second time in his career in 11:18, followed by Junior Jay Gokani, who trailed less than a second behind. Junior Daniel Chen also had an impressive result in the race, setting a personal best of 11:49, twenty seconds faster than his previous best, and finishing just shy of the podium in fourth.
xxxxWhile the previous divisions had great successes, excellent competitors and injuries to Sophomores Andrea Ishananto-Rotsidis and Anvi Narula gave the Varsity Girls a comparatively difficult race to run. With the Vikings holding on to their lead, Varsity Girls Co-Captain Senior Ania Wong was unable to progress much farther after the start of the race and eventually took second place, leading MSJ to a second place finish in the division. Despite not winning the division, Freshman Kaylin Teo performed an absolutely fantastic debut Girls Varsity race, finishing in eleventh with a time of 20:40. “We still had a lot of successes, especially with the underclassmen, with Kaylin and [Freshman] Isha [Cheetancheri], both Freshmen, already running Varsity,” Varsity Boys Captain Senior Walter Chang said. With injuries from Varsity Boys athletes, the Varsity Boy race was tough for MSJ. Due to an injury to Sophomore Aris Mackenzie, last year’s Frosh-Soph Division Champion, Junior Otis Koo was elevated to race in the Varsity division at Newark. The start of the race was extremely fast, with Varsity Boys Co-Captain Senior Walter Chang slotting in third place after the first quarter mile. However, the tough race resulted in many athletes falling down the order, and MSJ would only finish second in the Boys Varsity Division while Chang placed seventh overall.
“Looking forward, we’ll concentrate on refining our racing strategy, enhancing mental resilience, and speed training.” — Varsity Girls Co-Captain senior ania WonG
Cross Country athletes prepare for a race.
Cross Country had faced many challenges this season with player injuries and two new coaches. In the beginning of the season, Cross Country was without a coach, and without a way to coordinate sign-ups to the team, resulting in an early deadline to sign up. With this
Varsity Girls Cross Country athletes fights to lead the race.
early deadline, many students who had originally planned to join the team were unable to provide the sports physicals needed to attend practices and races for several weeks. Runners who did attend practice sustained injuries, but in the following weeks, were able to adjust and correct their training intensity to better fit their body’s limits. “One thing that has to happen, almost like a rite of passage, is that a lot of runners have to make mistakes to understand where their physical limits are. And I think that it’s just trial and error, that those self-inflicted injuries will be something that our athletes learn from,” Cross Country Coach Brian Singleton said. In the future, the team would like to focus on the racing strategies and training for the meets in order to ensure the teams success moving forward. Each captain has laid out a plan for the team to follow to ensure their success in competition. PHOTOS BY NOVAK CHEN & SALLY HAN
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Sports & Photo 19
SportsxOp: Should Playing a School Sport Count for Students’ PE Requirements? By Sarah Hu and Ethan Yan Staff Writers Years ago, MSJ’s PE policy included that participation in a school sport team would be enough to satisfy the requirements of PE, removing the need to take the course. Dublin High School (DHS) utilizes a similar policy: students are allowed to exempt PE as long as they reach a required exercise amount of 75 hours per semester in a sports team, all supervised by the coach. The policy allows student-athletes to have an additional period to rest and relieve academic stress, rather than spending time on an already fulfilled course. The policy’s removal should be properly evaluated because of the benefits it once gave to student-athletes. According to the California Department of Education, in PE, “students develop positive social skills, cooperate with others, and accept responsibility for their own actions.” However, these benefits are more than satisfied in a school sport, which fosters a lifelong drive for athletics and lasting relationships. According to a study by the National Federation of State High School Associations, “high school [student-athletes] cultivate a second family and learn to value each other; to maximize both team and individual potential, teammates learn to care for each other both on and off the field of play.” This is due to the competitive aspect of varsity sports, as student-athletes are compelled to build lasting relationships with each other in order to win. A 2015 study conducted by Kevin Mifflin, et. al. of Cornell University on 931 people, 43% of which were high school athletes, found that the categories of “Leadership, Self-Confidence, and Self-Respect as well as Donations of Time and Money [were
rated] significantly higher among former high school athletes.” Moreover, student-athletes far exceed the required number of exercise hours per day as required by PE. A medical study by Gagliardi AG, et. al. about sports participation volume and psychosocial outcomes among healthy high school athletes found that the average student-athlete on a varsity sports team participated in around 11.6 hours, or around 700 minutes of exercise every week. According to the California Physical Education Guidelines, every PE student grades 7-12 must participate in 400 minutes of exercise for every 10 days. Participating in a school athletic team almost doubles the number requirement in only six days. Additionally, varsity sports spend more time exercising than the band students at MSJ who receive PE credit for their participation in school team exercise. The band students hold weekly practices Tuesdays and Thursdays that last for two hours and also attend seven-hourlong weekend competitions. Marching band students receive PE credit because after one semester of the class for four years, their exercise adds up to a total of around 260 hours. However, for varsity athletes that participate in
teams for all four years, they exercise around a total of 300 hours throughout the four years of high school. This difference in hours can be attributed to their weekly two-or-more-hour practices for around seven school weeks for four years as well as their weekend tournaments. In schools such as DHS, student-athletes are allowed to receive PE credit as long as they fulfill a certain amount of hours exercising. In comparison, varsity athletes at MSJ are not allowed this same luxury despite exercising more than the band students who do receive PE credit. Additionally, removing PE for student-athletes relieves academic stress. Due to long afternoon practices and weekend competitions, student-athletes have much less time available. Utilizing the extra 40 minutes per day, students can study for tests, complete unfinished homework, or even catch up on sleep. These practices are essential to improve mental health and time management for a high school student, which in turn encourages more commitment and dedication to their respective varsity sports, benefiting school athletic performance as a whole. Despite the intensive exercise periods varsity athletes participate during their season, there is concern that because the seasons
only last for a few months within the school year, athletes do not receive adequate amounts of exercise for the remaining months of the year. Athletes that only choose to participate in one school sport would therefore exercise a few months less in comparison to PE students that exercise the entire school year. However, research by National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has shown that the majority of student athletes who participate in school varsity sports, also compete in their respective sports with club teams. Club sports often start after or before the athlete’s school season meaning that before school sports start or after school sports end, these student-athletes are still meeting their daily exercise quota through club sports. Some club sports even participate in competition year round which means that athletes exercise without breaks for months long. In a survey also done by the NCAA, they found that in sports such as basketball, 92% of women and 91% of men competed on both the school team and club team, in baseball, 85% of men participated in both, and in softball, 94% of women participated in both. These large percentages draw attention to the passionate drive for athletics that student-athletes have and will undoubtedly carry on throughout their lives. From student-athletes exceeding the daily exercise quota set by PE requirements through attending their school sports practices, games, and tournaments to the impediments caused by PE, it is evident that they should be given the option to fulfill PE requirements with their participation in these school teams. While PE has a wide range of benefits for lifestyle, it should not always be defined as a one-size-fits-all course, and MSJ should account for this by allotting PE credit for a specific amount of varsity sports participation per semester. GRAPHICS BY SPORTS EDITOR AARYAN SURI
By Tushara Devapatla & Fiona Yang Staff Writers From 12-6 p.m. on September 23, ZaiGeZaiGu Chinese Community hosted the Mid-Autumn Festival Culture Fair at Discovery Meadow, San Jose. The fair showcased classical Chinese dance, a hanfu fashion show, as well as more than 30 booths housing cultural crafts and games such as Chinese calligraphy, diabolo, and Pitch-Pot. Held six days before the celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the fair gave attendees an early glimpse into the bustling atmosphere and intricate culture of the holiday. Traditionally celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Lunar Calendar, the Mid-Autumn Festival is devoted to showing gratitude to the gods, and the moon goddess extends her blessings to couples. At the park, the fair showcased activities ranging from Chinese calligraphy, diabolo, and Pitch-Pot, to face painting, balloon animals, and ring toss, drawing in kids and adults alike. Rich scents of curry rice wafted through the air from market sponsors and harmonious music traveling from the stage illuminated the lively atmosphere, while beautiful Chinese calligraphy adorned the gates and tents. Throughout the festival, artistic decorations such as strung-up paper lanterns, fish kites, and a moon inflatable decorated canvas tents, enticing attendees to photograph the vibrant scene. The fair also housed a major performance program with a large range of performances such as solo singers, traditional Chinese flute, and a magic show. On the stage, performers donning graceful and flowy hanfu gowns danced to the rhythm, gracefully moving across the stage. The hanfu fashion show and kung fu performance displayed historic Chinese entertainment forms to onlookers. In addition to being a time honored tradition, the Mid-Autumn Festival brings back heartwarming nostalgia. “I remember doing similar [festivities] when I was a child. It was one of my fondest memories,” Attendee Maichi Hoang said. The event connects not only families, but also the community as a whole. “The Mid-Autumn Festival is a festival that unites all the family members … it helps bring together the Bay Area,” Mid-Autumn Festival Culture Fair Coordinator Yichi Wang said. This fair did exactly that, bringing friends and family alike to have fun and celebrate a festival through easy games and amazing performances. ▪
PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS TUSHARA DEVAPATLA & FIONA YANG. GRAPHICS BY GRAPHICS EDITOR HANNAH SHEN
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Guide to Local Brunch Spots By Tanvi Deshmukh & Brunch, Lucy Yao the delightful fusion of breakfast and Staff Writers lunch, offers a variety of flavors and dishes that cater to many palettes, allowing friends and families to gather for a relaxing meal. The Smoke Signal visited a few local brunch spots in Fremont to spotlight their unique takes on this mid-morning meal and appreciate the inviting ambiance of the brunch scene.
Located at 43737 Boscell Road, Tamper Room is a relatively new addition to Fremont’s brunch houses, having opened in February of this year. From 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, Tamper Room serves its specialty croffle, a crispy, tender croissant-waffle hybrid that originated in South Korea. Offering a diverse array of sweet and savory, Tamper Room’s most popular croffle flavors include Ube Yam Jam, Yuzu Egg Salad, and Tomato Mozzarella. The restaurant’s interior is decorated with a gallery wall of art portraits and canvases, contrasted with minimalistic black furniture and chandelier lights. The aesthetically pleasing cafe also features a display wall of goodies from local small businesses for sale, such as mental health zines, crochet flowers, and clay earrings. “I really enjoyed how unique this restaurant is. There’s a wide variety of art that you can look at while waiting for your food … and a lot of different small business items that are really fun to talk about with other people,” Tamper Room Customer Adya Kadam said.
Located at 37324 Fremont Blvd., Renegade by Devout Coffee opened on March 8 as a sister shop of the modern Niles coffee shop, Devout Coffee. Renegade aims to create a new concept of cafe dining experience for customers, having crafted a menu of elevated brunch dishes, Detroit-style pizza, and coffee that is meant to be shared with good company. Open from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Saturday, the cafe’s popular brunch dishes include the Crunch Avocado Toast and the French Toast. Renegade also offers seasonal drinks that match the climate and mood, such as its currently-served Autumn Spice Latte, which includes hints of pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and vanilla. Aligning with its modern theme, The two-story cafe has a dark, minimalist aesthetic, balanced by elegant wood furniture and diverse greenery. “There’s a lot of variety here … they do the classic brunch dishes really well but also have their own unique dishes,” Renegade Customer Lucas Peng said.
At the heart of Niles at 37378 Niles Blvd. lies Skillet’z Cafe, a homey, vintage brunch restaurant that has been open for the past seven years. Open from 7 a.m.- 3 p.m. all days of the week, Skillet’z is a traditional American brunch restaurant and sister restaurant to Billy Roy’s Burger in Fremont. Their small cafe serves classic American breakfast dishes, such as pancakes, omelets, and beignets. Although the interior itself is quite small, fitted with just six tables, there is an outdoor patio that gives more space to the customers. The interior decorations also make the place especially memorable, such as one table featuring souvenir tickets and customer notes dating as far back as 2016, and sarcastic signs hung around the room with sayings such as “Beware of Attack Waitress.” All these factors have contributed to its stunning popularity, sometimes even having wait times of up to 1 hour. “We were kind of iffy [on taking up the cafe] because Niles was a little slow at the time … but everything in Niles is so perfect … the people are amazing,” Owner Priseilla Moreno said.
Now approaching its 25th year of business, Cabrillo Park Cafe is located at 4949 Stevenson Blvd. The cafe serves both brunch and dinner from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4 p.m.-9 p.m. respectively. With floors lined with velvet red carpet and unique paintings planted along the walls, the restaurant maintains both a classy, yet cozy atmosphere reminiscent of holiday family dinners and reunions. Although serving primarily American food, the restaurant also hosts many Mexican specialties such as their Chorizo Breakfast Burrito, Carnitas Special, and Pozole, along with Italian food only available for catering. The owners originally opened the restaurant to give theirs and other immigrant families a place to work. “[Opening the restaurant] was just an opportunity to give all the family a job … working together as a family is probably our best memory [over the years],” Owner Ricardo Calderon said. In continuing that mission, the owners have recently opened a full Mexican restaurant nearby on August 15, hoping to keep giving families new opportunities in the coming years.
PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS TANVI DESHMUKH & LUCY YAO. GRAPHICS BY GRAPHICS EDITOR JIYUN GUO