Volume LX, No. 7 by The Smoke Signal

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Bay Area cat cafes & Lounges

BY THE NUMBERS: removal of course prerequisites

By Dhaeshna Booma, Jennifer Li, Aarav Vashisht & Lucas Zhang Sta Writers

Background

FUSD’s recent course prerequisite policy aligns with CA’s broader educational reform e orts, speciﬁcally targeting inequitable course placement practices. The district has a history of implementing educational reforms, beginning with the implementation of Senate Bill (SB) 359, the California Mathematics Placement Act of 2015, which established objective and transparent course placement procedures for students as early as 6th grade.

In 2024, the district decided to eliminate several prerequisites for science and math courses, reducing them to recommendations to give students more ﬂexible academic pathways. “This would provide students opportunities that would possibly lower stress levels for students who were previously stressed out to meet prerequisites to get into the next advanced level class,” Principal Amy Perez said. The district also sought better alignment with College Board recommendations to increase access to AP courses, many of which previously had grade prerequisites based on grades in previous math and science classes.

The district’s policy for K-12 education mirrors broader state-level reforms in California’s community colleges. Assembly Bills (AB) 705 and 1705, passed in 2017 and 2022 respectively, eliminated traditional placement testing and remedial course requirements in higher education after data showed many students were incorrectly placed in remedial courses, creating barriers to academic progression. FUSD’s removal of course prerequisites aligns with AB 1705's goal of increasing access to advanced courses, providing more ﬂexible pathways to success in STEM education. However, this change sparked debate regarding potential implications such as student unpreparedness and educational gaps due to missing foundational courses.

Potential limitations

The shift of increased accessibility to higher-level STEM courses raises potential concerns over student readiness for rigorous honors and AP college-level content. While 26.6% of survey respondents remain opposed to course prerequisites, students who do not meet the recommended requirements for a course need to consider the potential challenges, as teachers have voiced concerns about student course readiness as more rigorous courses such as AP Calculus BC and PreCalculus Honors, which are built upon previous required math courses, including Algebra 2/Trigonometry and Geometry. “If someone got a C in Algebra 2/Trigonometry … it is di cult to make the jump [to an A] in Honors Pre-Calculus … [However], as long as the student is okay with putting in extra e ort, the removal of prerequisites opens up a chance for students to sign up for courses they are interested in taking,” Math Teacher Mugdha Patil said.

Speciﬁcally, some teachers worry that those who bypass academic pathways may face potential academic pressure, failing to meet the preparation level of each class, leading to increased mental stress and poor grades. “Greater accessibility, greater enrollment, greater opportunity for the educators to teach the courses, and greater opportunity for the students to enroll in courses and try out new subjects that they otherwise wouldn’t. So that’s a pro, but each pro comes with its own cons. Let’s say a student is not ready, then a lack of readiness will also create a potential gap in the knowledge they need for the course.”

Science Teacher Sailakshmi Kumar said. Reﬂecting these concerns, 39.8% of survey respondents believe this policy change will harm MSJ and its learning environment.

Despite removing course prerequisites, students who previously met existing prerequisites are given higher priority in course selection. This may mean that the prerequisites change will not signiﬁcantly improve access, as currently popular courses, such as AP Physics C, are already unable to o er class spots to all interested students due to high demand. Some students, however, still support giving priority to students who meet prerequisites even though others question the equity of the policy. “[The students who meet the prerequisites] probably already set on that pathway and want to take that class … it is deﬁnitely important to prioritize those people rather than people who just want to take a higher course because they want another challenge,” Sophomore Viraj Walia said.

During the 2025-26 school year course registration season, MSJ vice principals notiﬁed students of an impending change to the FUSD course catalog: all course prerequisites have been changed from requirements to just recommendations. To gain insight into the motivation behind this change and its implications for MSJ, the conducted an online survey with 128 student responses over March 3-7 and interviewed faculty and students regarding the district-wide modiﬁcation.

"It is maybe not the most equitable [policy], but the most equal standing that we can take on this. Students who've taken the hard courses before and been prepared with the prerequisites should deﬁnitely get a higher say, compared to those who maybe on a whim, just wanted to try out a harder course, because they've put in more work and more e ort into the subject."

A key motivation for FUSD’s removal of course prerequisites is to improve equitable access to STEM education. FUSD has developed ﬂexible academic pathways, allowing students to improve their initial math placement after sixth grade as opposed to being stuck out of the accelerated pathway should they not qualify for it initially. Rather than primarily using performance in previous courses to determine math placement, the district plans to use multiple objective measures in its assessment of students’ readiness for advanced courses in that subject for the upcoming academic year, including data from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), district benchmarks, and course grades, with mandatory checkpoints throughout the year. For students who need additional support for their math classes, expanded summer math academies for all incoming middle schoolers, rather than only eighth-graders, also give students options to increase enrollment in accelerated math courses, providing the same ﬂexibility that the removal of prerequisites does to the math pathways. While these changes primarily a ect STEM courses, other subjects like English and foreign language courses will remain una ected by this new policy, as they traditionally have not had prerequisites.

In alignment with students being prevented from taking a course due to prerequisites, FUSD reasons that the previous nature of its math pathways harmed equitable access to STEM courses, prompting a necessary revision. Additionally, the shift would increase access to AP courses, aiming to aid students in preparation for college-level STEM courses.

In response to the administrative change, students and parents supporting the policy have argued that previous prerequisites for math courses, such as ending with a grade of at least 93% in Algebra 2/Trigonometry to take PreCalculus Honors, disproportionately limited opportunities for capable students. These course and grade requirements have stopped 37.5% of survey respondents from taking at least one course at MSJ, representing a concern that extends beyond math courses. The courses most students are prevented from taking are AP Calculus BC, AP Physics 1, AP Statistics, Accelerated Algebra 2/Trig/PreCalculus, and AP Physics C. “A lot of students have gotten bad grades in fundamental classes during their freshman and sophomore years, which has hindered them from taking more advanced courses later in their high school career, even if they have developed the skills to be ready for it,” a survey respondent said.

Besides the direct e ect of the change to the course selection process at FUSD, allowing students to take more rigorous courses encourages them to develop skills applicable in the future and build the decision-making skills required of them at the college level. The increased ﬂexibility in students’ schedules provided by the new course catalog gives them an opportunity to truly think about which courses they can truly handle and whether those courses align with their interests. “Even if [a student] does not have an A, if they sign up for a more advanced course because they like the subject matter, there is no reason for them not to register for a more rigorous course in that subject,” Patil said.

student actions

Students debating whether to take the rigorous courses they now have access to due to the removal of prerequisites have access to support systems and resources directed toward helping them, including MSJ STEM Success and additional information sessions regarding the rigor for honors and AP courses available.

— Junior Prahlad Vangeepuram Canchi

Smoke Signal

MSJ Ishaara and Darshana represents MSJ at annual Baazi competition

MSJ Ishaara returns to the Baazi stage as MSJ Darshana performs at the competition for the ﬁrst time.

Elon Musk’s controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) made headlines last month for listing the two largest federal buildings in San Francisco for sale. DOGE has directed its staffers to sell off more than 500 federal office buildings across the US in a bit to reduce government spending. The city’s landmark Nancy Pelosi Federal Building is among the properties scheduled to be sold, a massive downtown office building that boasts 650,000 square feet of office space. Thousands of San Franciscan federal employees will be impacted by DOGE’s recent decision, further complicating newly inaugurated Mayor

Daniel Lurie’s vision of downtown recovery. The move will likely decrease the number of government employees in San Francisco’s already struggling downtown.

On March 5, the US Department of Justice launched a civil rights investigation into the UC system regarding allegations of an antisemitic work environment across its campuses. To assess “pattern or practice of discrimination” against Jewish professors and staff during the student protests surrounding the Israel-Hamas war in 2023, the investigation will focus on the impact of the protests on the workplace atmosphere for faculty and determine if any employment discrimination occurred. Amidst the investigation surrounding the protests, President Donald Trump threatened to pull federal funding from any school that continued to allow what he called “illegal protests.” The ongoing investigation and warnings against dissent may reshape the UC environment for both students and staff alike.

US stock markets dropped as President Trump has followed through on a threat to impose 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, and a 20% levy on China. The S&P 500 hit its lowest level since Trump's election, while the Dow Jones fell 1.5% and the Nasdaq declined 0.35%. Canada and China swiftly retaliated with tariffs on US goods, and Mexico plans to announce countermeasures. US retailers and carmakers, including Best Buy and Ford, warned of rising prices and economic strain. Analysts caution that tariffs could slow global trade, increase inflation, and harm businesses and consumers worldwide.

By Varun Madhaven & Aaqib Zishan Staf Writers

San Francisco is known as a City of Dance, and the Bay Area as a whole is renowned for its vibrant dance culture. To celebrate dance styles brought by South Asian immigrants, every year, Showstopper Productions hosts Baazi, one of the Bay Area’s largest high school Desi dance competitions. is year’s show featured MSJ Ishaara and Darshana, MSJ’s Bollywood fusion and Indian classical dance teams.

Around November of each year, the production company holds its highly competitive auditions. e qualifying teams then compete in a theater venue in front of judges and an audience. is year, the competition was held in the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose.

First, MSJ Darshana, the classical Indian dance team, performed as an exhibition act. ey didn’t compete but instead got an opportunity to put on a lively act to highlight their culture and traditions. Darshana came with two unique costumes: a South Indian Bharatanatyam costume with bright pink and orange notes and a vibrant saree with luminous red and white base colors. Complementing the outﬁts, dancers wore golden jewelry, such as the nethi chutti on their heads, enhancing the dancers' beauty and

“Classical dance has been around for centuries… there's a right and a wrong way to do it”

divine presence. Around their ankles, Darshana wore bells called ghungroos that helped accentuate the rhythmic percussion sounds made by the dancer’s complex foot movements.

Meanwhile, MSJ Ishaara, the contemporary Bollywood fusion team, competed against 9 other teams from schools around the Bay Area, including American High School’s Tufaan, Irvington High School’s Sitaare, and Washington High School’s Taal. Ishaara used matching outﬁts to connect the dancers. e boys wore white formal shirts with a red ﬂower pattern that complemented the girls’ red tops

and white sequin balloon pants. eir second outﬁt consisted of a similar vibrance –– girls wore black skirts and bys wore a black kurta with sparkly red accents. Darshana did their best to ensure their show matched long-established customs of Indian dance. “Classical dance has been around for centuries… there's a right and a wrong way to do it,” Darshana Captain Junior Sanaa Singh said. As a newer team, they took Baazi as an opportunity to see others dance, take inspiration, and apply it to their own routines. Even though most other teams performed modern dances, Darshana showcased an older style of dances, as the team found the event insightful and a chance to learn how to collaborate professionally with a production team. Ishaara, on the other hand, stressed the fact that they are a fusion team, straying away from

traditional dance. “We want to emphasize that we're a Bollywood fusion team, not just Bollywood. So we want to incorporate other dance styles,” Ishaara Captain Junior Haasini Bhupalam said. roughout their dance, they utilized movements from Bollywood, hip-hop, and more. e captains each had a slightly diﬀerent vision of what they wanted the dance to be, so they compromised by mixing steps. To stand out from other groups, they also used a variety of props such as chairs, silk fans, and petals.

Last year, Ishaara was awarded best choreography with an overall second-place ﬁnish. e team carried over that same triumph this year with a back-toback second-place ﬁnish and

“We want to emphasize that we're a Bollywood fusion team, not just Bollywood. So we want to incorporate other dance styles.”

CapTain Junior haasini Bhupalam

another trophy on their record. And while Darshana didn’t compete, both of MSJ’s dance teams left a lasting impression at Baazi. “We need to be bigger and better every year if we want to stand out and continue placing in the future,” Bhupalam said. ▪

MSJ Academic Challenge competes at the Stanford Science Bowl

MSJ Academic Challenge's Teams A and B prevail at the annual Stanford Science Bowl Invitaitonal.

By Roshan Annamalai, Scarlett Huang & Ekasha Sikka Staf Writers

On March 1, more than 170 students from 25 schools across the nation attended the Stanford Science Bowl Invitational, an annual science bowl competition held at Stanford University. MSJ Academic Challenge’s Science Bowl Team A and B achieved impressive results in the playoffs, with one team even winning first place. Science Bowl is a buzzer-based competition that tests on topics ranging from biology to physics. Participants race to buzz in with the correct answer before the other team to earn points. Additionally, teams have the option to interrupt the reader, although this strategy carries risks, as an incorrect interrupt incurs a penalty. The Stanford Invitational had 5 Round Robin matches to determine seeding in the subsequent Double Elimination playoffs, which led up to the finals.

with other team members who specialized in the same subject.

The tournament started off strong, with MSJ’s primary team, Team A, consisting of Co-Captains Junior Advaith Mopuri and Sophomore Roshan Annamalai, as well as

“We played too aggressively and gave up way too many points by [buzzing in before the question is fully read and answering incorrectly]. If we were able to play a little bit safer, we might have performed better”

Team B memBer Junior aravind muralidharan

P11: The 24% increase in oil refnery was on CO2 emissions, not greenhouse gases. Centerspread: P11: The Los Angeles wildfres burned 50,000 acres, not 23,000.

A&E: P13: The Great Gatsby should be written as such.

A&E: P13: Kushaan Tewari should be written as such.

Sports: P17: Harp Mangat should be written as such.

Sports: P17: Competitors sign up, not qualify for, the Junior National Badminton Championships.

Graphics: P19: Felicity He should not be in the photo credits.

In preparation for this invitational, the team continued their regular practices every Saturday. Team members also committed several hours every week to individual studying to improve their foundation. In the week leading up to the Stanford Science Bowl, the team participated in daily online scrimmages with other schools. To further improve speed, team members practiced optimal buzzing techniques and played 1v1 matches

members Sophomore Theenash Sengupta and Freshmen Anish Agarwal and Rutvik Arora, sweeping all five Round Robin matches and earning the fourth highest total score. Team B also almost dominated their bracket but ultimately tied against Davidson High School. In the Double Elimination playoffs, teams compete until they lose twice. Team A started off rough but managed to emerge victorious by close margins against Palo Alto High School and Cupertino High School. Team B, on the other hand, faced defeat against BASIS Independent Silicon Valley in Round 1 but got a second chance in the subsequent round against Irvington High School. After a heated game, Team B was eliminated by only two points, losing due to a risky

playstyle. “We played too aggressively and gave up way too many points by [buzzing in before the question is fully read and answering incorrectly]. If we were able to play a little bit safer, we might have performed better,” Team B Member Junior Aravind Muralidharan said. Team A faced their first loss against Middleton High School in Round 4. Despite being sent to the loser’s bracket, the team performed impressively in the subsequent three rounds leading up to the finals, defeating each team by substantial margins. Once again facing Middleton in the finals, MSJ’s Team A prevailed, sweeping a victory in both final rounds and thus winning the Stanford Science Bowl Invitational. The exceptional performance of both MSJ teams reflects the dedication and teamwork of MSJ’s Science Bowl program. MSJ Science Bowl

“[The Stanford Science Bowl Invitational was another chance to play against high-ranked teams and prepare for nationals” Team a memBer Freshmen anish agarwal

Team A’s conclusive first-place victory at the Stanford Science Bowl was especially impressive considering the ranking of the teams they played against, including multiple quarterfinalists at previous years’ national competitions. Though the team is already guaranteed progression to Nationals from their success at the Science Bowl Regionals in January, this victory was still a considerable achievement. “This was another chance to play against high-ranked teams and prepare for nationals,” Agarwal said. ▪

(Left to right): Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau; President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum; President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping

Business Standard/File Photo

Parents at UC Irvine hold banners and shout "One year of genocide on the people of Gaza"

Mike Black/Reuters

The Nancy Pelosi Federal Building is one of the buildings in San Francisco at risk of being sold after DOGE.

Academic Challenge team members (Left to Right): Theenash Sengupta (10), Hank Sun (9), Aravind Muralidharan (11), Ishaan Kabra, (9) and Advaith Mopuri (11)

PHOTOS

Compiled by Jennifer Li, Michael Qu & Cham Yu Staf Writers

MSJ Ishaara celebrates their second place win.

ishaara

darshana CapTain Junior sanaa singh

DISCRIMINATORY EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES

BECOME ILLEGAL

The assault on DEI reinforces systemic oppression

By Rajorshi Chatterjee, Navya Chitlur, Alex Duan & Janet Guan Sta Writers

1960s The core ideas of DEI can be traced back to the Civil Rights Movement, when former President John F. Kennedy used the term “afrmatve acton” to describe reducing discriminaton in hiring for government jobs in a 1961 executve order. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 formally outlawed employment practces that discriminated on the basis of race.

INTRODUCTION

1970s-80s

dei expands to combat other forms of discrimination

1990s2010s

Dei gains inflence in the workplace

From the 1990s to the 2000s, businesses began implementng DEI training programs for their employees and creatng specifc jobs to enforce DEI in the workplace to increase inclusivity. From the 2000s to the pandemic, widespread social movements, such as #MeToo, Black Lives Mater, and Stop AAPI Hate, increased public awareness of systemic inequalites and discriminatory biases, renewing support for DEI.

Following the second wave of the feminist movement, women began seeking greater inclusivity and equitable treatment in the workplace. The movement brought public atenton to inequality, especially in sexual orientaton and gender identty, ethnicity, and religion. These social changes caused DEI policies to expand from primarily addressing racism to combatng additonal forms of discriminaton.

President Donald Trump issued a memo giving schools and universites across the US two weeks to remove all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initatves from their campuses or risk losing federal funding on February 14. On February 27, the US Department of Educaton also created a new “End DEI Portal” for students and staf to report any DEI practces within their schools. These developments were only a fracton of Trump’s extensive sweep on DEI — within his frst month in ofce, Trump erased all DEI practces in the federal government and also numerous executve orders related to DEI, datng all the way back to 1965. Beyond targetng DEI programs, the Trump administraton has also blamed the initatves for events far beyond the scope of diversity, equity, or inclusion, from the LA wildfres to the Washington, DC plane crash. By using DEI as a scapegoat for complex events and issues, Trump reinforces the idea that diversity is a threat to stability and trivializes the obstacles that individuals of minority backgrounds face in their pursuit of opportunity — from obtaining white collar jobs to accessing higher educaton. The atack on DEI also perpetuates the idea that existng disparites are a result of a lack of merit exclusive to minority groups, sidelining systemic inequalites and threatening decades of social progress.

impact on education

One of the foundatonal reasons for the existence of DEI programs is that diferent groups receive different access and opportunity, which is especially relevant in educaton. Poorly funded school districts have consistently had primarily non-white student populatons. Between 2015 and 2020, the majorityBlack Druid Hills High School in Georgia spent $960 per student on school maintenance, facilites, and upkeep while the majority-white City Schools of Decatur district nearby spent $3,500 per student for the same spending category. This discrepancy extends to funding as well; DeKalb County Public School District, a majority-Black district that Druid Hills High Schools is part of, received about $132 per student in federal funding, whereas Decatur recieved $345 per student. CA schools in the Oakland and San Francisco Unifed School Districts, which have diverse student communites, are also facing severe fnancial debt. Meanwhile, school communites such as the Palo Alto Unifed School District, which is predominately white and Asian, are far beter funded, highlightng the signifcant economic gaps in educatonal opportunity. With the government and schools’ lack of funding for scholarships and grants, students may not be able to aford a four-year college tuiton, which would lead to increased dropout rates and unstable futures with their families, compounding disparites. According to a Lumina Foundaton report, 44% of Black adults who have dropped out of college say they have student loans, double the percentage of white adults (22%) who have loans. 57% of Black adults said they would

2024-25

dei rises in contention following trump's 2024 campaign

be likely to reenroll if their loans were forgiven, compared to 37% of white adults. By slashing educatonal scholarships, funding, and grants supposedly related to DEI, Trump's Trump’s policies have only exasterbated economic opportunites and widened the opportunity gap.

Trump’s policies also target research aiming to expand representaton of minority groups and culture in academia. His administraton recently issued a list of “Prohibited Words” including “woman" and “underrepresented,” banning their use in federal agencies and government documents. The administraton further slashed funding for facilites, programs, and resources they believe to be related to DEI, shutng down numerous art showcases, museum exhibitons, and parades. Cancelling DEI programs reverses the work put towards fghtng against systemic inequalites, forcing minority citzens to return to a world where equally qualifed students are barred from equal opportunity.

dei is essential to american meritocracy

Within politcal discourse, DEI policies are ofen seen as prioritzing personal background over merit. However, the purpose of DEI is not to disadvantage majority groups, but rather to help mitgate systemic barriers to combat the discriminaton that minorites ofen face. Though DEI is ofen scrutnized for allegedly considering factors like race over qualifcatons, most DEI programs focus on minimizing unconscious biases that provide certain groups an advantage over others. For example, Boeing’s hiring practces include using artfcial intelligence and machine learning to reduce bias in job descriptons as well as candidate assessments. Similarly, United Airlines uses blind screening to review resumes.

DEI programs also exist outside of recruitng practces. Training programs that increase awareness about issues such as implicit bias and prejudice are also considered part of DEI. According to a 2023 study by the Pew Research Center, among US workers who have access to DEI training in their workplaces, 53% found the programs “very or somewhat helpful,” while only 13% said they were “very or somewhat unhelpful.” Programs like these that provide broad, popular benefts without disadvantaging any group of individuals account for a signifcant porton of DEI, contrary to right-wing beliefs. Furthermore, in a 2023 study by the management consultng company McKinsey & Company, companies with women consttutng more than 30% of their workforce were “signifcantly more likely to f nancially outperform” those with 30% or less. Com panies with the most ethnic diversity also had a 27% “fnancial advantage over others” on average. These results challenge the idea that companies use DEI in their workforce purely for the sake of diversi ty, and that a diverse workforce is unqualifed and incompetent.

To tout a lack of DEI programs as a re turn to meritocracy is to ignore the glaring realites of racial and gendered bias in edu caton and the workforce. A 2024 study by researchers at the University of California,

Afer Trump began campaigning for his second term in 2024, oppositon to DEI has risen drastcally. Last year alone, several large corporatons, including Walmart, Amazon, and Meta, downsized on DEI initatves, indicatng a mainstream shif towards the disapproval of DEI. In additon, a 2024 study by the Pew Research Center found that 21% of US workers believe that DEI is a “bad thing,” compared to 16% in 2023.

Berkeley and the University of Chicago found that applicants with “Black-sounding” names were called back 9% less than applicants with “whitesounding” names by employers. The subconscious and underlying biases that set minorites at a disadvantage are something DEI policies try to undo — giving everyone an equal opportunity to demonstrate their merit and fostering diverse environments. Though policies cannot undo the injustces at their root cause, they look to prevent future discriminaton, allowing people to climb back up from the ground rather than bury themselves deeper.

scapegoating minority groups

As DEI encompasses a broad range of programs, conservatves have been able to avoid precisely defning the term and circulate vague interpretatons to further their own critcisms of lef-wing ideals. Trump took advantage of the ambiguity of the term in his own policies as well. In an executve order ttled “Ending Illegal Discriminaton and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” he claimed that the programs “violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws” and “deny, discredit, and undermine the traditonal American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement” essentally framing DEI as a threat to American meritocracy. His rhetoric implies that DEI allows diversity to be an advantage for minority groups, where individuals of minority background are only able to obtain greater opportunites because they are underrepresented, and not because they are capable or qualifed. In trivializing minority accomplishments as a product of DEI, the stance also reinforces the idea that minority groups are intrinsically less competent or deserving of status in American meritocracy than majority groups.

conclusion

Ultmately, cutng DEI programs only undermines the progress made since the Civil Rights Movement toward a more tolerant, equitable society. To combat this shif against diversity, students can challenge their own views by discussing them with their peers or at clubs such as MSJ Civics or MSJ Model United Natons, both of which foster healthy politcal discussion regarding the importance of diversity in American culture and equity in the workplace and educaton systems. As DEI contnues to be portrayed as the detriment of American meritocracy and society, opportunity gaps exacerbatng economic and social disparites will persist and contnue to limit generatons of minority groups to come.

THE SMOKE SIGN AL

Mission San Jose High School

Est. 1964 Vol. 60, No.7 March 21, 2025

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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 1796 students

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Kaylee Liu, Callie Yuan

NEWS Shuhan Jin, Catherine Qin

OPINION Padma Balaji, Keerti Koya

FEATURE Tanvi Deshmukh, Trisha Parikh

CENTERSPREAD Naisha Koppurapu, Ashley Pang

A&E Goonja Basu, Brittany Lu

SPORTS Howard Lu, Ethan Yan

GRAPHICS Hannah Bi, Ivy Lu

WEB Sarah Hu, Alice Zhao

PUBLICITY/TECH Fiona Yang

BUSINESS Rajorshi Chatterjee

CIRCULATION Novak Chen, Tushara Devapatla

ADVERTISING Angelina Chen

EVENTS Navya Chitlur

WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

Gaurasundara Amarnani, Roshan Annamalai, Dhaeshna Booma, Rajorshi Chatterjee, Angelina Chen, Eleanor Chen, Novak Chen, Navya Chitlur, Tushara Devapatla, Alex Duan, Ariel Duong, Kanupriya Goyal, Janet Guan, Felicity He, Scarlett Huang, Abigaile Lei, Jennifer Li, Varun Madhavan, Vikram Mahajan, Kaiwei Parks, Michael Qu, Michelle Qu, Ekasha Sikka, Rishab Shah, Kaylin Teo, Aarav Vashisht, Luna Venturo, Prisha Virmani, Fiona Yang, Ariana Yi, Cham Yu, Aaqib Zishan, Emily Zhang, Lucas Zhang, Matthew Zhang

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TEAM

Muyang Li, Megha Vashisht

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Keerti's Key Padma's Perspective

For the love of it

By Keerti Koya Opinion Editor

For the past four years, DECA has formed the basis of my identity at MSJ. And because of that, business — by association — has dened me too. But the truth is, my future has never really been about business. I’ve never envisioned myself as a CEO in a glass-walled o ce or mapping out ve-year pro t projections. Yet, DECA has shaped me in ways I never expected. It taught me the value of networking, the ability to think on my feet, and how to present ideas with con dence. It gave me genuine friendships built on late-night hotel conversations, inside jokes from Entrepreneurship 2, and the adrenaline rush of hearing our names called up to the stage. But for a long time, I felt like everything I did had to lead somewhere and every activity needed to t into a larger plan. at’s a pressure so many of us face in high school: to have everything gured out, to commit to a career path, and to mold our experiences around it. We tend to focus on career goals, dedicate ourselves fully to engineering or medicine or law, and build a path that leads directly to where we’re supposed to be. While passion and ambition are valuable, we forget something just as important: joy. Why don’t we consider the things that make us happy, even if they don’t t neatly into our future plans?

It’s not just about nding joy in extracurriculars outside of our career goals. We should recognize the value in all the things we do — whether that’s business, the arts, or something entirely di erent — sim-

ply because they make us happy. It’s okay to dedicate time to something that won’t be added on a résumé or strengthen a college application. It’s okay to be part of a club without the constant drive to climb the leadership ladder. It’s okay to embrace an activity just because it makes you feel alive. Not everything we do has to serve some greater purpose beyond making us happy in the moment.

I made the mistake of once letting go of a sport that meant a lot to me because I was told it didn’t “ t” with my future. Since I wasn’t seeking a future with a heavy commitment to the activity, I constantly felt like participating in it now would merely be a waste of time. I convinced myself that if it wasn’t leading anywhere, it wasn’t worth the e ort, even if it brought me joy. But in trying to be practical, I forgot that passion doesn’t always need a destination — it can simply exist for its own sake. Looking back, I wish I had held on, even if just for a few more years. Now, I’ve learned to recognize and grab onto those moments of excitement, the once-in-alifetime opportunities, and the spark of genuine interest. I now know that not every passion needs to be tied to a career path to be meaningful. So maybe DECA doesn’t align with my career path. Maybe business won’t be my future. But for the past four years, it has been part of my story and that’s enough. Because sometimes, what we do doesn’t have to de ne us forever. Sometimes, it just has to matter right now. ▪

The Opinion of the Smoke Signal Editorial Board

Breaking the model minority mold

“Why you no study more? Arranged marriage at 25!” and other caricatures of Asian stereotypes have made a resurgence across the Internet over the last few years. Despite being dismissed as harmless entertainment, these videos contribute to a trend of stereotyping Asian Americans in media, particularly by reinforcing the model minority myth, a set of generalizations that characterize Asians as hard-working academic overachievers.

Historically, Hollywood serves as one of the core perpetrators of the model minority stereotype. In the rare instances when lms include Asian representation, the characters are framed as caricatures rather than realistic people. Baljeet from Phineas and Ferb perfectly ts Indian stereotypes — he has an exaggerated accent that’s played for laughs, spends his summers studying, and excels in math and music. Similarly, Lilly Onakuramara from Pitch Perfect encapsulates the image of a shy, socially awkward, weird Asian girl.

Although Asian representation has diversi ed in recent years, many of those portrayals, even by Asian creators, still reinforce stereotypes. Notably, South Asian actress, producer, and screenwriter Mindy Kaling consistently writes characters that embody the Asian nerd — Never Have I Ever follows academically-driven Indian American teenager Devi Vishwakumar, and Velma stars a highly intelligent Indian woman passionate about solving mysteries. While there’s nothing wrong with shows that have Asian characters who are smart, it’s a problem when that is the only repre-

sentation of Asian characters in mainstream media, pigeonholing all Asians to the same experience.

To her credit, Kaling’s leads are awed and complex, challenging the idea of the perfect and submissive Asian. However, she reinforces other harmful stereotypes and dismisses authentic cultural representation in the process, o en framing her characters as “Indian losers” who desire to assimilate into white culture. As one of the few well-established South Asian women creators in TV, Kaling has the power to shi the modern narrative of Asian Americans — and the social responsibility to do so — but instead, reverts to stereotyping and encouraging conformity to an arbitrary white standard.

Meanwhile, model minority stereotypes have taken center-stage on social media as a number of Asian in uencers build careers on propagating the stereotypes that have plagued their very own cultures. For instance, Steven He, a Chinese-Irish social media personality who gained online fame for his comedy sketches. His characters embody the model minority stereotype — putting on a heavy, dramatized Chinese accent, he depicts countless sketches focused on tiger parents and academic overachievers. Topped with his signature phrase, “emotional damage,” he delivers a onedimensional caricature of Chinese immigrants, making fun of an egregious oversimpli cation of his own race as “comedy.” His content normalizes the narrative that the model minority stereotype de nes all Asian households and that it is acceptable for both Asian

Stop chasing golden opportunities

By Padma Balaji Opinion Editor

I’ve spent the entirety of my high school career obsessed with time: I vigorously plan out my days to squeeze every drop of productivity from my time, mourning as the time still slips elusively from my ngers. All the while, I nd myself romanticizing about the day when I’ll nally have time. I tell myself that on the weekend, after nals, during the summer, or in college — I’ll nally have enough time to do the things I want to do. I’ll regain my reading habit once I no longer have APs to worry about, I’ll go out with friends once school gets out, and I will de nitely x my sleep schedule in college.

As I’ve constantly drowned in the stress of school, extracurriculars, and a seemingly never-ending to-do list, it felt much easier to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. Yet, I found that the light at the end of the tunnel never seemed to arrive. As the weekend rolled around,nals wrapped up, and summer break nally arrived, my romanticized vision of endless free time never seemed to come alongside it. Something or the other, whether it was unexpected schoolwork or an extracurricular event or an impromptu family vacation, would pop up, and I’d be left romanticizing about yet another day when I’d nally have time.

It was only last summer, when all of my plans fell through and I was stuck with nothing to do for ten weeks, that I realized I had forgotten how to be bored. After years of having a schedule lled to the

American and other communities to ridicule those households for entertainment.

ese stereotypes ignore the diversity of the Asian American community, reducing more than 19 million people to a singular, monolithic identity. Stereotypical portrayals, by dominating media, shape both external and internal perceptions of Asian Americans. Within MSJ, a predominantly Asian American school, the model minority myth permeates every corner of our school's culture. We often laugh at Eric Ou Instagram reels or tiger mom reenactments on YouTube, internalizing stereotypes of our own community for the sake of humor. By internalizing these myths and laughing o the model minority stereotype, we unintentionally perpetuate negative narratives, further alienating peers who don’t t the unachievable mold of the perfect Asian kid. Instead of holding everyone to this unrealistic standard, we should broaden our denition of success to be more inclusive, recognizing that success isn't de ned by a single archetype.

It’s time to challenge the myth of the passive, Asian nerd who remains in the background. Take initiative to build your own path, become actively involved in your community, and nd personality outside of what external media depicts. Beyond traditional media, it is imperative to engage with diverse and nuanced narratives in our daily lives and conversations. Deconstructing the model minority myth is the rst step toward fostering a more inclusive and authentic representation of the Asian American identity.

brim, scarcely taking the time to nurture my own interests, I found myself utterly lost with what to do with so much free time. More than anything, I had forgotten what it was like to slow down — to step away from a never-ending stream of homework, emails, and to-dos and have the time to re ect, relax, and invest in my own hobbies and interests. at summer, for the rst time in years, I really took the time to rediscover what I liked. I nally picked up the tub of yarn and crochet sitting in my closet, catched up on the TV shows on my list, and temporarily regained my voracious reading habit.

I’ve since realized that there will never be a perfect moment or a perfect time to get started on everything I want. Between high school, college, work, and family, there are a million opportunities in life to push o prioritizing yourself and your interests. And although I still don’t have the time to read a hundred books a year or commit to learning a new language, I don’t have to wait until the perfect opportunity to start. Whether it’s inching my way through the stack of unread books on my nightstand or remembering to do my daily Duolingo, what matters is not having the perfect circumstances, but making small, consistent e orts to carve out time for myself. After all, doing the things that make you happy — whether it’s learning a hobby, spending time with others, or just catching up on your favorite TV show — should start today. ▪

By Naisha Koppaporu & Kaiwei Parks Centerspread Editor & Sta Writer

New camp ordinance simplifes the homelessness crisis to “out

of sight, out of mind”

By Tushara Devapatla, Vikram Mahajan & Cham Yu Sta Writers

Introduction

On February 11, the Fremont City Council voted 6-1 to approve a new encampment restricton of unprecedented scope and scale. The Camping Ordinance prohibits camping on public property and initally implemented a now-repealed ban on “aiding ”and “abetng” such camping. Approximately 866 unsheltered individuals were located in Fremont in 2022, with 13% congregated near train tracks and public sidewalks — camping locatons that are now rendered illegal. The ordinance was passed amid the increasingly visible presence of homelessness, which has alerted Fremont residents and prompted fears of public safety erosion as incidents of violent crime contnue to increase in Alameda County.

Background

Several cites across CA have also pursued more aggressive approaches to tackling rampant homelessness. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Bay Area experienced a 6% increase in its unhoused populaton in 2024 alone despite billions spent by the CA government in loans and grants to afordable housing developments. These eforts have been stymied by the state’s high cost of living and expensive building costs. Most council members supported the recent proposal, while major nonprofts in the city denounced the clause regarding “aiding” and “abetng” homeless encampments. The clause classifed such actons as misdemeanors that carry up to a $1,000 fne along with six months in jail for violators. While two dozen CA cites passed, strengthened, or are considering ordinances that penalize public camping, none contain the aforementoned phrase, and its ambiguous language prompted fears of retaliaton against nonproft aid workers. “The language is broad and vague … A person who lets a friend camp on their own private property can be cited or arrested,” Andrea Henson, executve director and legal counsel at Berkeley legal aid non-proft Where Do We Go, said. Although City Council subsequently voted to revoke the “aiding and abetng” clause, the incident only underscored the many faws in the hastly-passed original ordinance.

Punitive rather than effective

Across the Bay Area, homelessness is a major concern that contnues to afect many residents. In Alameda County alone, approximately 9,450 individuals face homelessness; in the Bay Area, that fgure rises to more than 35,000. These statstcs from the 2024 Alameda County Point-in-Time Count, a census on the unhoused populaton, illustrate sustained homelessness around the region. According to the survey, 76% of Fremont’s homeless populaton also has no access to shelter.

of Fremont’s homeless populaton has no access to shelter

The restricton of all homeless encampments means that unhoused individuals will not have access to shelters, which collectvely have only 111 year-round shelter beds across three permanent shelters along with temporary transitonal housing. According to the Fremont Police Department’s 2023 annual report, 76%

its total operatng budget exceeds $118 million, while the amount allocated toward addressing social issues such as homelessness was a mere 0.9% of the annual police budget. This indicates a severe trend in the devaluaton of funding towards addressing homelessness. The new ordinance follows behind these statstcs as it does not provide any resources to help the homeless populaton.

The camping ordinance is ultmately a bandaid soluton to the complex issue of homelessness. It works to displace homeless individuals from Fremont but does not provide them with any signifcant resources to improve their current living situaton. Moving unhoused people out of the public eye does not make them go away, nor does it work to actvely target and fx the underlying social inequalites that lead to homelessness in the frst place. The ordinance thus refects a lack of care and empathy toward the unhoused populaton in Fremont and showcases the board’s inability to provide for their less-abled consttuents.

A strain on Fremont Police's resources

With no additonal resources for the homeless under the ordinance, unhoused individuals contnue to be more vulnerable to assault and crime. According to a study done by the Natonal Coaliton for the Homeless in 2024, acts of violence against homeless people occurred in 24 states, with 19.5% of those incidents happening in CA alone. CA had already expanded its shelter bed capacity by 5.9%, an initatve that should have accompanied the or dinance, where vital resources provide a sustainable means to clear encampments.

The unusualness of the unprecedented initatve is made clear with the criminalizaton of all public camping, and its “aiding” and “abetng,” which drew natonal oppositon as the ordinance was repeatedly spotlighted and widely circulated on social media. These posts characterized the ordinance as reactonary and inhumane, and prompted strong reactons from social media users. The phrase was only retracted by the City Council weeks afer the original approval date.

A persistent lack of affordable housing

This quick fx delays the possibility of overcoming systemic barriers for people experiencing homelessness. Restrictng camping simplifes the complex nature of homelessness which cannot be resolved by simply reducing its visibility — especially when oversimplifcaton can cause misconceptons that discourage productve policy solutons. By framing encampment-clearing as a viable soluton to the crisis, the ordinance reinforces prejudiced notons against homeless people that neglect its actual causes, like CA’s cost of living crisis.

Perceived softness on crime

Despite the implementaton of compassionate homeless policies in recent years, the rapid spread of homelessness in the Bay Area has drawn online commentators and voters to prefer stricter measures, like the Camping Ordinance. The number of people experiencing homelessness in the Bay Area rose by a quarter from 2017 to 2020, according to the Bay Area Council Economic Insttute, even in such cites as San Francisco, where more humanitarian policies were pursued. When elected to ofce in 2018, former San Francisco Mayor London Breed made headlines for her progressive initatves on the homeless crisis, promotng safe injecton sites and a prioritzaton of new shelter beds. Unfortunately, Breed’s contropolicies failed to curb the burgeoning homeless crisis, with the public preferring a tougher stance on combatng homelessness instead. Breed ultmately lost her bid for reelecton in 2024. Proponents of more stringent homeless policy also point to the difculty of housing constructon in the Bay Area, with an average new unit of below market rate housing costng $664,000 for buyers. Even with ubiquitous afordable housing, job insecurity and unemployment stll need to be addressed in order to resolve the root cause of homelessness: poverty. Municipal governments, like Fremont, lack the funds to pursue housing projects, and the wider goal of lower housing costs must be pursued en masse with CA government support in order to substantally address the root cause of homelessness.

According to real estate website Zillow, the average Bay Area home is valued at $1.15 million as of 2025, while home prices have contnued to grow substantally faster than wages in the past two decades. The natonwide housing crisis has driven rent prices up and directly contributed to the rise of homelessness in major cites throughout America, including CA. Inaccessible housing is the primary driver of homelessness, as it exacerbates poverty and systemic inequality.

The cause of the natonwide housing shortage is multfaceted, a complexity that also applies to any long-term soluton to homelessness. Potental solutons to homelessness will need to contend with systemic causes of the housing undersupply. Instead of exacerbatng humanitarian concerns and neglectng the impending need for housing, state and local authorites should consider implementng a variety of afordable housing solutons that have already been successfully implemented in such natons as Singapore, where 77% of the populaton reside in public housing. These low-cost housing solutons are constructed by the government and lent to citizens, a program that the California State Legislature sought to emulate in the proposed Social Housing Act, which was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year. The ordinance ultmately fails to address the underlying causes of homelessness, like job insecurity and inadequate solutons for drug abuse. It diverts atenton and resources from long-term solutons to these problems in favor of short-term initatves.

The complexity of the homeless crisis ultmately requires components of drug and mental health policy to beter refect the diverse causes of homelessness, making long-term solutons difcult to implement and impossible to be addressed by Fremont alone. However, surface-level policies like the proposed ordinance will only delay the implementaton of comprehensive changes. Instead, eforts should be made to overhaul existng shelter systems and promote low-cost housing before stringent camping restrictons are enforced.

Conclusion

Ultmately, far from the substantve soluton this issue demands, the City Council opted for a quick fx that essentally seeks to get homelessness out of sight, out of mind. Yet the needlessly rushed ordinance puts a strain on police resources and criminalizes not just homelessness, but human compassion as well. Despite being a convenient politcal fx for those on City Council, the Camping Ordinance creates more problems than it does solutons. The clause’s eventual revocaton afrms that humanitarianism should maintain a priority when determining homeless policy. Students should involve themselves in actvism against this ordinance through organizatons such as MSJ Poverty Patch-Up and Fremont for Everyone in order to speak out in favor of compassion over cruelty.

AviationRelated Tragedies

thesmokesignal.org/ smokie-crossword

Congratulations!

Welcome to our incoming staff writers:

Jessica Cao

Cecilia Cheng

Amber Halvorsen

Amy Han

Kayla Li

Erika Liu

Veer Mahajan

Finn McCarthy

Joseph Miao

Mansi Mundada

Kelly Shi

Saesha Prabhakar

Michael Qin

Warren Su

Leland Yu

Andy Zhang

roughout the past month, an anomalous number of aviation-related tragedies have occurred across the US, including the commercial jet-helicopter crash at Washington, D.C., the Delta upside-down landing at Toronto, and another plane crash in Philadelphia. With changes in national policy that include the decrease in the priority of air safety-related jobs, these aviation incidents may seem like a direct e ect of the change to the policy following the D.C. plane crash. With Spring Break and its respective travel season fast approaching, these incidents could bring strong safety concerns to MSJ students taking a ight to get to their destinations. is new trend could also be an overexaggeration by the news that may have just chosen to report more plane crashes following the D.C. helicopter incident.

Who do you think is at fault? What should be xed at the policy or government level to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future? is does not mark the rst time we’ve seen numerous aviation-related tragedies, so why do you think recent events have seen a new level of attention? What can we do as individuals to ensure that we’re being safe and that our facts are accurate?

“It first off started with the D.C. plane [crash] that killed a lot of people. That attracted a lot of the media’s attention, so any subsequent plane crashes or plane incidents were therefore more tracked by the media, more tracked by people, and therefore more reported, making it seem like we’re having more crashes and more incidents as well. If you look at 9/11 — right after the 9/11 incident, [there was] increased media coverage on terrorism, security breaches, etc. After such a huge issue, there’s more attention given to that subject area. And therefore, it seems like there might be more incidents happening, which is true, but it’s a little disproportionate to reality. Go to town halls, voice your concerns to your congressman who can create legislation to actually solve this issue.” — Aman Shah, 11

“I don’t really think it’s about who’s at fault. This is more like an ethical and moral, international crisis. We should hold aviation companies accountable for tragedies and [make] sure that international and domestic aviation safety policies stand true to saving human lives rather than maximizing their profits or flights. The reason why there’s increased attention in aviation crashes is because in progression into modern times, we often choose to look into international crisis by finding scapegoats in a higher authority ... As passengers of aviation companies, we should have responsibilities to seek truthful knowledge, and being knowledgeable about our safety and security will ultimately help us prepare for any emergencies.” — Emiley Chen, 11

“It is the government’s fault, and more specifically the FAA’s, for not invest money into air traffic control measures. The government should ploy more of these workers and change their policies and be more stringent regarding flight policy in the air. Also, recent events have seen a new level of attention because they have been more and more frequent and now pose a more significant threat. As individuals, we should fact check reports on the in ternet and support organizations that help these air control workers. The recent events have seen a new level of attention because they have been more and more frequent and now pose a more significant threat.” — Rohan Reddy, 11

“The government is mainly at fault in the situation, and the people who specifically controlled the industry of these airplanes and the airplane companies as well. At the government level they should improve their focus on safety overall, for American society and American passengers, and really try to try to prioritize [Americans] and their needs. I think with the whole rise of technology and business and economy, a lot of people’s safety has been thrown away to the side because so many people are focusing on new industries. So they don’t think of the most basic things ... We should check our sources and make sure that we’re looking at more mainstream sources that others around us associate with and also ask what viewpoints are. Get a lot of the opinions of a lot of other people from different backgrounds, not just people who may look like them or talk with them or have kind of the same political views.” — Maya Sarkar, 9

Dear Diary:

By Ariel Duong

Served annually at McDonald’s in the weeks leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, the infamous Shamrock Shake is a seasonal favorite, with its minty green shade and refreshing taste. Before meeting the grasp of hungry-eyed customers, this shake will explore the terrains and personal growth of shake production — from the cutthroat shake community to the mystifying farlands of Mission Boulevard McDonald’s. In this Dear Diary, a Shamrock Shake syrup pouch hopes to nd its place in the ruthless shake community before its expiration date on St. Patrick’s Day.

Dec. 31, 2024 @ 1 p.m.

coloring, what did we do that night? Par-tayed, duh. We playedpranks on each other and played pin the tail on the liquid pouch, which did not go well—rest in pieces SS Syrup Bag #0317—until dawn, or what we assumed to be dawn, considering the absence of light in our small yet ful lling cargo box. I think I like this little life.

January 15 @ 7:30 a.m.

I think I hate this little life. mischievous pranks and same old green pouches got boring real fast and left me reeking of mint (maybe I usually smell like that?) Why are we all green, and why do we all smell the same?

When my eyes adjusted to the dim light of the uncomfortably damp box, all I could sense around me were the cold touch of other liquid-carrying pouches and the smell of a sweet aroma tickling my nose. While I probably shouldn’t have blindly extended my arms into the lightless beyond, eliciting a urry of “ow’s,” “umph’s,” and “you weirdo, keep your green hands o of me!’s,” I couldn’t help but notice everyone’s green hands, or legs, and everything green about them! As we examined each other’s pouches and complimented our

A creative hobby blossomed into a thriving small business for Junior Tanvi Ramesh, who combined her love for ber arts with her commitment to sustainability to found Tanvi’s Crochet Closet in June 2024. Ramesh showcases and sells her handmade creations on her Instagram account (@tanvis. crochetcloset), specializing in unique designs crafted with eco-friendly yarns.

Ramesh’s passion for the arts stems from the weekends she would spend with her mother’s craft group as a young kid. As she grew older, she continued this hobby, often crocheting gifts for her friends. Last summer, Ramesh launched her Instagram account, intending to use it primarily as a digital diary to share her yarn creations, though she also listed them for sale. As she posted more of her items, including uniquely designed tops and seasonal garments, Ramesh realized the demand for her art. e volume of commissions grew, and her mission evolved alongside it. Inspired to integrate her passion for environmental

But green syrups pale in comparison to the rumors I’ve heard about the other syrups, with pleasant aromas and pastel colors. Why can’t I be like them, not green and minty? As I peeked my orange nozzle between the box and peered around the expansive warehouse, my gaze landed on the surrounding shelves of pink, white, brown, and even yellow syrups organized in a methodical array of restaurant locations, lling my senses with garish colors and scents. When my eyes settled on a particular container of syrups, labeled “Fremont Batch,” I knew we were going to be friends.

February 3 @ 2 p.m.

You know what’s even worse than being surrounded by the overbearing stench of minty

sweet syrup and repeating the same pranks? Being surrounded by people who hate your pranks and minty stench too. I’ve done everything to t in, from hiding my green coloring with a french fry box to making them laugh by drawing mustaches over their labels, yet their initial contempt turned into relentless jeers at my limited time of menu limelight or my noxious green coloring and minty smell. Fortunately, Cargo Shipment Day swept me my feet. I’ll spare you the details, but a nauseated, carsick syrup paired with the sickly sweet smell of heated sugar makes my liquid churn. e only thing assisting me through my emetic expedition was the fact that I, SS Syrup Bag #94539, would reach the blissful beyond of McDonald’s Mission Boulevard, a nutritious heaven, prided on serving their customers ve-star meals. I just have to nd a way to get rid of this green avor and I’ll be perfect. I can’t wait!

March 2 @ 3:30 p.m.

belly-round, pint-sized human with blinding amber dreads and elf-like ears, Lucky, as his splintered nametag read, was just as shamed by coworkers as I am by the other syrups! I get you Lucky—I’ve played these games before. I don’t know how he just ignores them though, and continues on with oversalting the fries without caring what anyone says, especially not the customers who complain about the fries. But this will be a fresh start, my new life — at least before my expiration date, surely a shake by then!

March 17 @ 9 p.m.

Did I say I can’t wait? I can wait. Nobody told me that McDonald’s reeked of oil or o ered anything but quality service. e manager, Linda, sneered at my unnatural coloring and minty stench, grateful that my avor is only o ered at select locations once a year. Maybe some people very pleasant, Lin-duh. Well, at least I’m not the only one with problems. A suspiciously

Cold sweats, or maybe condensation, rimmed my liquid pouch as the store began to close up. e dreaded day had fallen upon us: my expiration date. As my eyes began to well with tears at the thought of expiring unused and unloved by the other shakes, Lucky wrapped his gloves around my pouch and brought me to the shake machine, uttering the words I’d longed to hear my entire life: “Yum.” at “yum” taught me a lot: that Lucky has great taste, that, like Lucky, I shouldn’t care what people say because I’m unique, dare I say, limited edition, and that, despite everyone’s insults, people don’t choose you for what’s on the outside, like your color or smell, but your avor inside. Content with my newfound peace in life, why not stir up some mischief one more time? I thought as I clogged the shake machine.

Spotlight: Tanvi’s Crochet Closet

By Ekasha Sikka & Aaqib Zishan Sta Writers

policy into her work, Ramesh started using eco-friendly yarn and shifted the focus of Tanvi’s Crochet Closet to being a sustainable business, appealing to customers with a shared desire for more eco-conscious fashion.

Ramesh’s journey in founding Tanvi’s Crochet Closet was not without obstacles. She rst struggled with logistical challenges, such as creating systems for inventory and nding time for her business venture. Her biggest barrier, however, was the initial fear of sharing her work. “I feel when it comes to art and overall creating, there’s always this little feeling that, ‘Oh, I’m not good enough,’ or, ‘My art isn’t great enough to be shared,’” Ramesh said. However, as her creations gained recognition, Ramesh better understood the value of her talent and felt more and more comfortable sharing it online.

“I feel when it comes to art and overall creating, there’s always this little feeling that, ‘Oh, I’m not good enough,’ or, ‘My art isn’t great enough to be shared.’” — J UNIOR T ANVI R AMESH

Despite facing challenges, Tanvi’s Crochet Closet continues to expand, with an emphasis on its core value of sustainability. Utilizing eco-friendly yarns and additions allows Ramesh to stay grounded in her values –– con-

necting with the community and doing her part in ensuring a healthier world. e business will be taking a step forward at the Fremont Earth Day Fair on April 19, where Ramesh will be tabling a booth. rough this opportunity, Ramesh aims to grow more involved with the community and expand the business’s customer base and social media exposure. Additionally, Ramesh hopes to expand her business’s product line soon, launching accessories like crocheted scrunchies and bows.

Ramesh has grown alongside her business, learning the importance of communication and storytelling, all while sharing her talents with others. Looking ahead, Tanvi’s Crochet Closet plans to partner with local businesses and organizations to promote crafts more ethically and sustainably. As she takes her business to college, Ramesh wants

to do her part in minimizing the carfootprint by crocheting with more renewable sources. “For me, it doesn’t matter about the success of my business, but rather the message ... I want to represent a business that promotes a meaningful message, something everyone can resonate with,” Ramesh said. ▪

“For me, it doesn’t matter about the success of my business, but rather the message ... I want to represent a business that promotes a meaningful message, something everyone can resonate with. ” — J UNIOR T ANVI R AMESH

GRAPHICS

Junior Tanvi Ramesh poses for a picture.

Ramesh's crocheted peplum top.

Ramesh's crocheted hair accesories.

Guide to

Dr. Seuss Bo oks

By Roshan Annamalai, Abigaile Lei & Michael Qu Sta Writers

Seuss’ Legacy

Growing up, Seuss showed an interest in drawing, attending local art classes and often sketching in his notebook. After graduating from Dartmouth College, Seuss worked as a political cartoonist for popular magazines such as Vanity Fair and Life. When he rst entered publishing, he faced many early obstacles. More than 20 publishers rejected his rst children’s book, And to ink at I Saw it on Mulberry Street, before Vanguard Press accepted it in 1937. Despite the rough start, his unique drawing style and creativity set him apart, and his popularity soon grew. Horton Hatches the Egg, released in 1940, marked the rst of a series of more than 60 bestsellers that propelled Seuss to literary stardom. While Seuss’ stories left a lasting impact on readers of all generations, his legacy remains somewhat controversial. In recent years, some of his earlier works faced criticism for containing racist illustrations and stereotypes, leading to the decision to cease publication of six titles in 2021. Despite this, several of his characters and phrases remain ingrained in popular culture, with many of his stories adapted into lms and television series.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Published on Oct. 12, 1957, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! began as a short poem in a magazine, titled “ e Hoobub and the Grinch.” Seuss took inspiration for the Grinch from himself — a man who had lost his youthful passion for Christmas and was attempting to rediscover it. story follows the Grinch, a grumpy, green, furry creature whose heart is two sizes too small and despises the annual Christmas celebrations of the Whos, the inhabitants of Whoville. One Christmas, he decides to ruin their celebration by disguising himself as Santa Claus to steal presents and food from all the houses in the village. Despite expecting the Whos to be dismayed by the missing presents, he nds them joyously singing and re alizes that Christmas means more than just its festivities, teaching children to look past material desires to develop genuine human connections and a deeper passion for the holiday.

Green Eggs and Ham

National Reading Month, celebrated every March in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, emphasizes the joy of books and the impact of storytelling. Dr. Seuss, born in 1904 as eodor Seuss Geisel, authored more than 60 books that are still a staple of children’s literature to day. To highlight this celebration of reading, the plored Seuss’ legacy and spotlighted some of his most beloved stories.

The Cat in the Hat,

e Cat in the Hat is the book that propelled Seuss to fame, published on March 12, 1957. in uenced by everyday aspects of Seuss’ life. For instance, the signature red bow tie and white gloves were inspired by a woman Seuss saw in an elevator. lows Sally and her brother, who are stuck at home on a rainy day. e Cat and his sidekicks, One and ing Two, step through their door with to make their day more fun, but end up leaving the house in ruins. Sally and her brother quickly realize the importance of listening to others, even when faced with fun or tempting situations, and must clean up the mess the Cat made before their mother comes home. energy of the Cat, Seuss emphasizes the importance of balancing play with responsibility to young readers.

One of the most famous Dr. Seuss books originated from a bet — for $50, editor Bennett Cerf said that Seuss couldn’t write an engaging book with just a 50-word vocabulary. Stepping up to the challenge, Seuss published e story follows a young boy, ers an unnamed man a plate of green eggs and ham. fuses, insisting he doesn’t like the food, but Sam-I-am sists, suggesting several locations and companions to try thedish. Fed up with the badgering, the man nally agrees to taste the dish and realizes he loves green eggs and ham. By reversing the role of an adult forcing their child to eat food, the story teaches children to try new things in an engaging manner.

The Lorax

Catered towards older audiences, Seuss highlights the dire consequences of corporate greed in his 1971 book e Lorax. Inspired by plants and animals Seuss saw when visiting Kenya, e Lorax emphasizes the need to protect and conserve the environment. e book follows a human-like character called the Once-ler, who stumbles upon a beautiful land of Tru ula trees. Realizing the pro t he could earn by making Tru ula sweaters, the Onceler starts to chop down the trees, ignorant to the destruction he was causing. Seeing what would happen if the Once-ler were to successfully get rid of the Tru ula trees, the Lorax emerges from a tree stump and criticizes the Once-ler for destroying his home. e Once-ler, blinded by greed, ignores the warnings of the Lorax and continues to chop down the Tru ula trees until the forest is destroyed. With a message to young and old readers alike, Seuss’ e Lorax re ects the truth about the modern world and teaches children about actions and consequences, and the dangers of possessing too much greed.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish encourages children to expand their imagination when solving problems in the form of a playful and visually appealing story. In the story, Seuss creatures to young readers, using imagination and introduce simple yet crucial skills, such as riding a ing oneself into bed. Told from the perspective boy and girl, Jay and Kay, the story follows the as they stumble across a number magical creatures, including the hairy Zeds and hunchbacked Wumps, and learn essential skills while appreciating the whimsical aspect of life.

“Take it SLOWLY. is Book is DANGEROUS!” Starting o with a cheerful warning to young and old readers alike, Seuss’ Fox in Socks is meant as a challenge to read aloud. Published in 1965, the book is lled with a series of increasingly complex tongue twisters about a fox in socks teaching his friend Knox how to say them correctly. After Mr. Knox refuses, the fox suggests many di erent rhyming games and events for them to narrate together, like sewing with a girl named Sue and playing tricks with some chicks. Eventually, Knox gets frustrated and pushes Mr. Fox into a bottle with other animals before walking away. Although the book was written without a strict storyline, Seuss makes reading aloud fun through the emphasis of similar sounds and double meanings in tongue twisters. Additionally, the story teaches readers to stand up for their personal choices and to learn to be independent.

“ e most important Dr. Seuss story to me was Oh, the Places You’ll Go! because it taught me that life has challenges, but I can keep moving forward. Dr. Se- uss showed me that even when things are tough, I can stay pos- itive and keep trying. e nar- rator in the story stood out to me because they encouraged me to stay con dent and face new challenges. I believe Dr. Seuss’ stories will keep inspiring kids to believe in themselves and keep going.” — Daniel Liu, 12

“ ose books made me appre- ciate the value of creativity and thinking outside the box. Dr. Seuss’ playful use of language made reading enjoyable, and I loved how his stories often had an unexpected twist or a hidden lesson that made things more meaningful towards life. As a whole, we all had life challenges, and I took his stories as a message of optimism.”

— Library Media Technician Sandeep Kaur

Pivotal Figure: Julius Caesar

Caesar was a military general, statesman, and dictator whose leadership transformed Rome. He achieved signi cant military victories, most notably his conquest of Gaul, which expanded Rome’s territory and boosted its economy. Caesar also implemented social and political reforms, such as the Julian calendar, granting citizenship to conquered peoples and restructuring debt

March 31, 1889 — Paris, France

Julius Caesar, the dictator of Rome, was assassinated in the Theatre of Pompey by a group of senators led by his former followers, Brutus and Cassius. The conspirators, fearing that his growing power and self-declared dictatorship threatened the Roman Republic, saw his death as the only way to preserve their political system. However, rather than restoring the Republic, the assassination plunged Rome into chaos, igniting a series of civil wars that would reshape its future.

The Ides of March marked the violent end of Caesar’s rule and the unraveling of the Roman Republic. The assassins sought to preserve senatorial authority, but their actions had the opposite effect. Caesar’s death sparked chaos and in ghting, as his supporters, including Mark Antony and Octavian, rallied against enemy factions. The ensuing power struggle led to the downfall of the Roman Republic, resulting in Octavian’s victory and the establishment of the Roman Empire. The phrase “Et tu, Brute?” often translated as “You too, Brutus?” — whether Caesar said it or not — has become a recurring symbol of betrayal, frequently alluded to in past and modern literature. The event reshaped Rome, replacing centuries of republican rule with imperial authority.

Pivotal Figure: Martin Luther King Jr.

The Articles of Confederation, rati ed by the 13 states, served as the US’s rst constitution. The document established a loose confederation in which each state retained its independence while delegating limited powers to a national Congress. The Articles were drafted during the American Revolution to unify the colonies, but their approval was delayed due to disputes over western land claims. However, after its rati cation, its limitations became very apparent.

March 1, 1781 — Philadelphia France approached the centennial of the French Revolution with plans to showcase its innovation and technological prowess at the 1889 Exposition Universelle. The country sought a monumental structure to capture global imagination and demonstrate its industrial capabilities. Gustave Eiffel’s proposed iron tower would become the fair’s centerpiece, a controversial design that challenged existing architectural conventions and pushed the boundaries of engineering possibility.

The Eiffel Tower became more than a temporary exhibition piece; it quickly became a permanent global cultural symbol. Its innovative design served multiple functions, from a scienti c laboratory to a communication tower. The structure hosted critical telegraph and radio transmissions, becoming a practical marvel. Initially criticized by artists and architects, the tower gradually won public admiration and became an iconic representation of Paris. Its enduring presence inspired future architectural innovations, such as the Tokyo Tower.

Gustave Eiffel was a prominent civil engineer and metallurgist who led the tower’s construction. His expertise in metallic structures had earned him recognition for projects like the internal framework of the Statue of Liberty. In addition to the Eiffel Tower, he built several other notable structures, such as the Dom Luís Bridge in Portugal, the Budapest Nyugati railway station in Hungary, and the dome of the Côte d’Azur Observatory in France. The Eiffel Tower represented the pinnacle of his engineering achievements, demonstrating advanced iron construction and structural design techniques.

By Dhaeshna Booma, Michael Qu & Rishab Shah Staff Writers

Martin Luther King Jr. played a signi cant role in the Selma to Montgomery marches, leading the nal, triumphant march to Montgomery. His commitment to nonviolence, despite police brutality, inspired millions. His speech, “How Long, Not Long,” delivered at the Alabama State Capitol following the march, expressed the civil rights movement’s goals and commitment. Martin Luther King Jr.’s leadership left a lasting impact on the racially divided US at the time, advancing the ght for equality and inclusion.

Civil rights activists organized three protest marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama’s capital, demanding voting rights for African Americans. The rst march, on March 7, 1965, became known as “Bloody Sunday” when state police brutally beat nonviolent marchers with batons and tear gas on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. This violence was captured on national television, shocking the conscience of the nation.

Marching Through Time

While March is often associated with spring and St. Patrick’s Day, it has also been the backdrop for pivotal historical moments. To celebrate the month's rich past, the Smoke Signal researched and compiled some of the most pivotal historic moments in March.

The Selma to Montgomery marches were a turning point in the American

As a high school student in Cheonan, Yu Gwan-sun organized protests, mobilizing fellow students and residents to join the demonstrations. However, she was arrested by Japanese authorities and subjected to torture before dying in prison at the age of 17. She became a martyr for the movement, becoming one of the most notable gures in Korea’s ght for independence. Her dedication and sacri ce, along with the hundreds of her comrades, inspired many Koreans to continue the struggle for freedom and ultimately break free from their colonizers.

Alexander Hamilton advocated for a strong government and criticized the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. As a key gure at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Hamilton called for a robust federal authority to maintain economic and social stability. Hamilton signi cantly in uenced drafting the US Constitution, although his vision of a highly centralized government was not fully realized. The Constitution transitioned the nation from a loose confederation into a more enduring system of government.

The rati cation of the Articles marked the states’ rst attempt to create a uni ed national government for the newly independent US. Under the Articles, Congress had authority over diplomacy, war, and the management of western territories, but it lacked the power to tax or regulate trade. This weak central government struggled to address economic instability, interstate disputes, and national defense, lacking the necessary power to govern. In response, delegates met to draft the US Constitution six years later, creating a more balanced national government still used to protect individuals’ liberties today.

The early 20th century marked a period of growing demands for expanded democratic participation, with women’s rights activists establishing a multi-generational movement to challenge political exclusion. Advocates meticulously organized and developed strategies to draw national attention to their cause for voting rights. On March 3, 1913, more than 5,000 women staged a carefully orchestrated march down Pennsylvania Avenue, timing their demonstration to coincide with Woodrow Wilson’s presidential inauguration.

First Movement in South Korea

In Seoul, Korean nationalists publicly read a declaration of independence, protesting Japanese colonial rule and demanding independence. The demonstration quickly spread throughout Korea, sparking protests nationwide. Despite the peaceful nature of these protests, Japanese authorities brutally suppressed the movement, killing and arresting thousands of people.

The March First Movement demonstrated resistance to Japanese colonial rule. Despite being violently suppressed by Japanese troops, it inspired future generations to continue the ght for independence. The movement also resulted in changes in Japanese colonial policy, such as cultural reforms and a centralized government. To commemorate Korea’s freedom ghters, Samiljeol became an annual holiday in South Korea, celebrating the courage and sacri ce of the ghters. The movement would continue to inspire Korean resistance against Japanese colonialism until Korea was liberated in 1945 after Japan surrendered to the Allied forces.

Off March

Alice Paul was a transformative leader for the women’s suffrage movement. Her strategic approach, cofounding the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage and authoring the Equal Rights Amendment, positioned her as a critical architect of women’s political empowerment. Paul’s willingness to employ controversial tactics, such as picketing the White House, marked a radical departure from previous suffrage strategies and signi cantly advanced the movement’s visibility and effectiveness.

The 1913 suffrage protest represented a transformative moment in the women’s voting rights movement. By staging a large-scale, disciplined public demonstration, activists drew unprecedented national attention to their cause, fundamentally shifting public perception of women’s political capabilities. The march introduced innovative advocacy tactics, such as picketing and hunger strikes, that reshaped political protest strategies. This single event contributed directly to the growing momentum leading to the 19th Amendment’s passage in 1920, accelerating a decade-long struggle for political representation.

Pivotal Figure: Alice Paul

Pivotal Figure: Yu Gwan-sun

Pivotal Figure: Alexander Hamilton

Pivotal Figure: Gustave Eiffel

civil rights movement. The televised brutality increased public support for voter rights legislation, directly contributing to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 ve months later. This landmark legislation criminalized the discriminatory voting practices that had disenfranchised African Americans for decades. The marches demonstrated the power of nonviolent protest.

DieHard TryHards:

By Rajorshi Chatterjee, Kanupriya Goyal, Kaiwei Parks & Matthew Zhang Sta Writers

Just a simple piece of thin latex or rubber can be carefully transformed into a diverse range of whimsical creations, such as animals, swords, hats, and more. In this edition of DieHard TryHards, four Smokies will compete to twist, tie, and tug balloons into the best balloon animals they can.

1 2 3 4

Kanupriya

Rajorshi

C R I T I C S’ C O R N E R

Automatic Finds The Lumineers at a Crossroads Between Intimacy and Stagnation

By Angelina Chen Staf Writer

For more than a decade, the alternative folk band e Lumineers have balanced rustic folk tradition and stadium-sized indie rock, crafting anthems that feel both intimate and communal. With Automatic, their fth studio album released on February 14, the band attempts to re ne their signature sound while steering away from the foot-stomping exuberance that rst catapulted them to fame. e Lumineers move forward with polished production and introspective lyricism, with a shift that results in an album that is as emotionally earnest as it is compositionally restrained — rich in atmosphere yet lacking the raw immediacy that once de ned them.

From the start, Automatic presents itself as an album of confessions and contrasts. “Same Old Song,” the opener, sets a familiar but pensive tone — guitarist and lead vocalist Wesley Schultz’s raw, full-throated delivery contrasted against a backdrop of swelling instrumentation. It’s quintessential e Lumineers: heart-on-sleeve storytelling with an anthemic, communal feel. But as the album unfolds, it becomes clear that the band is stepping away from the clap-along energy of their early hits like “Ho Hey” and “Ophelia” in favor of something more introspective. is is the album’s central paradox; though it sounds like it’s delivering big emotional moments, the lyrics betray this mission. Schultz and multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Jeremiah Fraites dress up vague ideas in earnest-sounding delivery, and while this remains e ective in

BOOKBYTES

By Kanupriya Goyal Staf Writer

Student Recommendation

Title: The Novice

Author: Taran Matharu

March 2025 Student Faves

MOVIE: Isle of Dogs — Arshia Sen, 10

SHOW: Suits — Shaurya Verma, 11

ALBUM: Trauma Lullabies by mehro — Gaurisha Gupta, 11

BOOK: The Notebook of Doom by Troy Cummings — Riya Ashok, 11

GAME: Subnautica — Danny Lou, 10

The Chaotic Beauty of Mayhem

By Luna Venturo Staf Writer

Batting out of the gate with two hits, “Abracadabra” and “Disease,” Lady Gaga makes a strong entrance to an even stronger experimental album. Released on March 7, MAYHEM is Lady Gaga’s sixth foray into a solo studio album, reminiscent of her dark pop roots from her debut album, e Fame e heavily ‘80s-inspired tracks make use of heavy synths, at times almost evoking a sense of dark pop, moody and melancholic while also being extremely compelling and danceable. Conversely, at times, Gaga also elicits a more upbeat, trancelike disco sound that is equally as captivating, which lends the record to wider appeal and the listener’s delight. While Gaga’s lyrics aren’t always the most introspective, they bring back a much needed joy and fun to music and pop. Given the rise and the oversaturation of 2010s and early 2020s angsty indie and bedroom pop, Gaga’s strong ‘80s presence is a breath of fresh air. “Garden Of Eden” is particularly captivating, with its droning grungy post-chorus, repeating the motif “I’ll t-t-take you to the Garden of Eden.”

Another catchy hit is “Killah (feat. Gesa elstein),” a glam rock and industrial inspired song featuring producer Gesa elstein, with lyrics like “I’m gonna make you scream, that’s a matter of fact / I’ll be your fantasy / I’m a killah /And, boy, you’re gonna die tonight / Oh, killah, killah, killah, killah.” e repetitive nature of the lyrics let the brash and beautifully grimy melody take center stage, resulting in a snappy yet memorable classic.

Additionally, in contrast with much pop in the past few years, even when Gaga leans more melancholic in her melody or balladic in her lyrics, she still brings a forceful and motivating energy as opposed to a more commonly apprehensive ap-

proach. “Blade Of Grass” does this especially well, featuring lyrics like “I’ll give you something / Yeah, it’s no diamond ring / e air that I’m breathing / Forever’s not enough” and “Come on and wrap that blade of grass / Around my nger like a cast.” e succinct nature of the lyrics allows Gaga to draw out and experiment with her voice to its full extent, while still retaining meaningful verses.

e only aw in the album is that some of the singles, like “Die With A Smile,” may not blend as well with the rest of the album, due to the fact that Gaga leans more into an operatic style, along with featuring Bruno Mars solely for “Die With A Smile” making their production and performance feel incongruous with the rest of the record. However, it doesn’t sound too out of place, given the existing mix of genres and sounds on the record.

Despite being slightly rough around the edges, Gaga’s MAYHEM demonstrates her skill as a musical chameleon, playing with lots of di erent inspirations and sounds to create a powerfully varied yet united sense of a late ‘80s and early ‘90s mix. e album is a celebration of Gaga’s journey as a musician and ful lls and raises up her already acclaimed legacy while exploring new genres and sounds. ▪

Grade: A+

Ne Zha 2 has a whole bunch of firepower

By Felicity He Staf Writer

“Nezha, the demon child, wreaks havoc upon the ocean.” Much like its namesake, Ne Zha 2 has caused chaos in its wake, seemingly coming out of nowhere and taking the box o ce by storm. Released in the US on February 14, the lm has become the highest-grossing non-English lm of all time, the highest-grossing lm in a single country’s market of all time, and the highest-grossing an- imated lm of all time, and deservedly so.

Ne Zha introduces us to Nezha (Yanting Lü), the human reincarnation of the demon pearl, and Aobing (Mo Han), the dragon reincarnation of the spirit orb. e rst lm ends with Nezha’s and Aobing’s physical bodies destroyed. In Ne Zha 2, released ve years after the rst, a misunderstanding with Aobing’s father derails Taiyi Zhenren’s (Jiaming Zhang) attempt to restore their bodies. Nezha and Aobing must overcome various obstacles, such as sharing the same body, joining the Chan sect immortals, and retrieving

the ingredients that will help rebuild their bodies, lest their spirits dissipate.While the lm is overall excellent, the visuals especially stand out. From characters to settings, the animation is jaw-dropping, o ering a feast for the eyes from start to nish. Most impressive of all are the creative combat sequences. Each ght scene is jam-packed with action and remains fresh and entertaining due to excellent usage of unique weapons and abilities. Blasts of re, ice, and lightning coupled with the various ips and tricks make for a positively overwhelming watch. Ne Zha 2 is also an aesthetically pleasing movie overall. e locations depicted in the lm, such as Nezha’s hometown and the home of the Chan sect immortals, are all beautiful beyond words. e characters have distinct designs so that everyone is equally interesting visually. Nezha, despite being a literal demon, has an ugly-cute quality that gives viewers the urge to adopt him, while Aobing carries himself with all the regalness of a prince, as shown by his owing blue hair and pristine white robes.

However, in contrast to Aobing’s elegance, the rst act features copious amounts of potty humor that feels a little too uncouth. However, they disappear as Nezha begins his journey. e lm’s tonal shift is somewhat jarring for the viewer because of how sudden it is, but the tone shift does make sense in the story’s context because it represents how Nezha has to grow up quickly after catastrophic events. Additionally, the lm attempts to develop Nezha as a character but falls at for the most part. He loses his childlike cheer and becomes vengeful and angry. His emotions are his driving force throughout the story, and the audience feels what Nezha is feeling with him; however, he does not change much as he does not outgrow his impulsivity. Aside from Ne- zha, other characters also su er from lackluster character arcs that aren’t bad but certainly aren’t great either. Because of its static characters, the lm’s emotional aspects pack less of a punch, especially compared to Ne Zha, where the characters are its strongestLuckily,components. shoddy character work is

neutralized by a sophisticated story. Sharing his body with Aobing weakens Nezha signi cantly, but simultaneously, he faces multiple foes of his caliber for the rst time, raising the stakes higher than ever. Nezha is spotlighted less in Ne Zha 2 compared to the rst movie because of the many new characters and plotlines. Nevertheless, his journey is of epic proportions, from the various trials he has to undergo to reach immortal status to the spectacular nal ght and the unexpected plot twist, making for a thrilling watching experience.

Ne Zha 2 has its pitfalls, but its strengths are strong enough to counteract them successfully. e gorgeous animation and compelling storyline truly make this an amazing watch worthy of a trip to the theater. Leaving viewers on a cli hanger, hopefully, the next sequel doesn’t take another ve years.

Grade: A-

ALICE: “party 4 u” by Charli xcx | ASHLEY: “Love Sosa” by Chief Keef | BRITTANY: “Noid” by Tyler, e Creator | CALLIE: “Animal” by Sir Chloe |

CATHERINE: “Unstoppable” by

Budget cuts are a threat to the arts in student education

Cuts to arts funding threaten creativity and student expression—advocacy is more crucial than ever

MSJ’s choir Pops performance brings Broadway to life

With creative student-led performances, Cantus’ Pops Concert brought musical theater to C120

By Jennifer Li & Ariana Yi Sta Writers

Cantus, MSJ’s main choir, brought the C120 stage to life on February 26 at 6 p.m. with their highly anticipated second annual Pops Concert. Unlike traditional MSJ choir performances, the Pops Concert is entirely student-run, with singers being responsible for selecting songs, creating original cho reography, and organizing rehearsals. After two months of intensive preparation, the singers developed an energetic and capti vating concert featuring vibrant covers of musical theater hits.

e concert opened with an electrifying performance of “Tonight” from the Broad way musical West Side Story, instantly cap turing the audience with its dramatic ener gy. e choir maximized their performance space by standing along the walkways in the

two popular tracks from Hamilton and Dear , which provided an emotional depth to the performance. In “Can’t Catch e Hunger Games: e Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” the group dressed in deep red and each student held ower in their hand. As the song reached its emotional peak, the group owers together in the ed bouquet, symbolizing the emotions in the song. “30/90” from then burst onto the stage with high-energy choreography and playful party hats. “Dear eodosia” slowed the pace of the concert with its tender, bittersweet melody as the singers mirrored each other with solemn expressions and ecting the song’s introspective tone. Suddenly, the energy reignited with a cover of “We Don’t Talk About

Bruno” from Encanto. Singers dressed in out ts similar to those in the movie and theatrically wove in and out of playful formations. With the lyric, “When he calls your name, it all fades to black,” the ceiling lights dramatically turned o , plunging the room into a sudden moment of darkness — a standout moment in the show highlighting Cantus’ creativity and immersive performance. e concert reached its grand nale with a whole-choir performance of “One Day More” from Les Misérables, with powerful vocals and a striking visual of a large red ag which unfurled as they marched to the front of the stage, a powerful ending to the concert.

Preparation for the event entailed months of rehearsals, planning arrangements, and practice. In conclusion to the show, choir teacher David Belles acknowledged the independent role students took on to bring

were kind of out of my range, or too low or too high. It was really hard, but it was worth it,” Sophomore Kennedy Tran said.

As an event open to the public, the concert drew a large crowd full of students, teachers, and parents, who all came together in appreciation of the students’ hard work. rough music, the concert served as a lively display of MSJ’s creativity, demonstrating the value of performing arts to the community. As a takeaway, Senior Bass Section Leader Isaac Lichman encourages students interested in choir to join. “Anybody can sing, even if you think that your voice is bad or whatever, that’s not true. Some people need more training than others, but everybody can sing, as long as you go in with open arms and an open heart.”

Choir teacher David Belles acknowledges the student performers to conclude the show.

WHO WE ARE

2025

www.asdrp.org

The Aspiring Scholars Directed Research Program (ASDRP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, private research institution in Fremont, California.

Application Details

ASDRP is the Bay Area's premier precollegiate research & development institution, run by a consortium of highly skilled scientists, engineers, and researchers with years of academic and industry experience who collectively seek to push forward the current frontiers in biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, psychology, medicine, engineering, and more.

We mentor high school students - budding scientists in 9th through 12th grade - who come from every corner of the greater Bay Area, California, and across the United States. We seek student researchers who are passionate, who are unafraid of a steep learning curve, and who want to be involved in real science that has real impact on society.

WHAT WE DO

Quite simply, we do research. Our investigators and student researchers strive to make impact in fields ranging from cancer biology, drug discovery, environmental science, and computer-guided drug design to radioastronomy, machine learning, and urban sustainability.

As in any other R&D establishment, we publish papers, present work at conferences, and generate intellectual property. Check out some of our latest preprints, publications, and conference proceedings online.

MISSION & VISION

ASDRP is not a class, not a tutoring center, and not a summer camp. We are scientists and engineers who aim to push the frontiers of scientific discovery through and cutting edge basic & applied research sciences, physical sciences, and engineering, while bringing out the best in the aspiring scientists we mentor.

External queries: admissions@asdrp.org

Administrative services: asdrp.admin@asdrp.org

Spring 2025

Early Application Deadline: November 15, 2024

Final Applications Due: December 30, 2024 @ 11:59 PM PST

Summer 2025

Early Application Deadline: February 1, 2025

Final Applications Due: April 15, 2025 @ 11:59 PM PST

Applications are competitive, and each term, ASDRP receives far more applicants than there are open research positions. Apply online at www.asdrp.org/apply.

2025 OSCAR PREDICT

Percentages are based on student responses on tinyurl.com/msjoscarpredictions25. sent out February 26 to March 2.

Dune: Part Two (36.4%)

Wicked (27.1%)

Anora (10.1%)

The Brutalist (7.8%)

Emilia Perez (3.1%) Conclave (2.3%)

A Complete Unknown (5.4%)

I’m Still Here (3.9%)

The Substance (2.3%)

Winner: Anora

Timothée Chalamet - Bob Dylan (A Complete Unknown) (55.8%)

Sebastian Stan - Donald Trump (The Apprentice) (18.6%)

Adrien Brody - László Tóth (The Brutalist) (14.7%)

Ralph Fiennes - Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Conclave) (9.3%)

Colman Domingo - John “Divine G” Whitﬁeld (Sing Sing) (1.6%)

Winner: Adrien Brody in The Brutalist

Cynthia Erivo - Elphaba Thropp (Wicked) (42%)

Karla Sofía Gascón - Emilia Pérez (Emilia Pérez)

Mikey Madison - Anora “Ani” Mikheeva (Anora) (11.6%)

Demi Moore - Elisabeth Sparkle (The Substance) (8.9%)

Fernanda Torres - Eunice Paiva (I’m Still Here) (6.3%)

Winner: Mikey Madison in Anora

By Michael Qu & Kaylin Teo Staf Writers

Stephen Curry becomes 26th in NBA history to score 25,000 points

In a game against the Detroit Pistons on March 8, Golden States Warriors Point Guard Stephen Curry became the 26th player in NBA history to score 25,000 points in their career. Curry reached the record with a three-pointer during the third quarter of the game, which the Warriors won 115-110. Out of every NBA player who has scored 25,000 career points, Curry also holds the record for the least number of free throw attempts — 4,355. Curry had not expected to reach 25,000 points so soon. “It was a surprise actually. I knew I was coming up on it but I didn’t think about it until I heard it in game,” he said. The achievement marks yet another impact Curry has made on NBA history.

Football Hall of Fame Jimmy Johnson retires

After 31 years of service with Fox Sports, legendary NFL and college football coach Jimmy Johnson announced his retirement from broadcasting on March 3rd. Johnson has served as an NFL studio analyst since 1994, and turned 81 last summer. Before his career as a broadcaster, Johnson was an NFL head coach for nine seasons, including taking the Dallas Cowboys to victory in the 1992 and 1993 Super Bowls. Johnson was also head coach of the Hurricanes in 1987, which won the college national championship. Johnson’s decision to end his lengthy broadcasting career was ultimately supported by his family, solidifying his legacy as an exemplary football coach and analyst.

“I’m going to miss all the guys. I’ll see them occasionally. It’s been a great run starting 31 years ago,” Johnson said.

9th Asian Winter Games concludes

After two weeks of thrilling competition, the 9th Asian Winter Games ofcially concluded on February 14th in Harbin, China. A total of 64 events were contested across six sports and 11 disciplines, including newly added ski mountaineering and curling mixed doubles. With over 1,200 athletes from 34 nations and regions, this edition set a new attendance record, welcoming frst-time participants from Saudi Arabia and Cambodia. The closing ceremony emphasized unity and sportsmanship, with athletes and fag bearers forming a Lilac Ruyi, a Chinese emblem of good fortune. As the Games move forward, Neom, Saudi Arabia, will host the 10th edition, continuing eforts to expand winter sports and encourage inclusivity throughout Asia.

Compiled by Janet Guan, Vikram Mahajan, & Cham Yu Staf Writers

By Ariel Duong Staf Writer

From placing Top 10 in Girls Hurdles for MSJ’s Track and Field team to leading the San Jose Jr. Sharks 19U AA team to victory in the Western United States Pacifc Girls Hockey League Championships (PGHL), Sophomore Lily Lin is a jack-of-all-trades in any athletic environment she puts her mind to. Lin’s noteworthy balance of academics and sports alligates to her honed leadership as both a starter and the team’s emergency backup player, highlighting an athletic future built on resilience and determination.

Inspired by her uncle, Lin sought out competitive hockey training at 10 years old after recreationally ice skating for nearly six years. Developing a passion for two of her beloved hobbies, skating and hockey, Lin joined the San Jose Jr. Sharks 16U AA team at age 14 as the youngest starter. While her initial memories of entering the rink were flled with apprehension and anxiety, her current passion for hockey couldn’t

Athlete Spotlight: Lily Lin

“What inspired me was my uncle, who played D1 at San Jose State. He’s helped me learn plays, taught me the basics, and how to shoot.”

— LILY LIN, 10

be further from it. “What inspired me was my uncle, who played D1 at San Jose State. He’s helped me learn plays, taught me the basics, and how to shoot. The teammates … and my coaches, they’ve all been really sweet and understanding, what I hope to have in life,” Lin said.

With common goals to advance to state championships and hours of training together, Lin and her teammates built a steadfast bond with one another. Lin attributes stong leadership qualities to her team’s dynamic, learning and growing both in skill and confdence as the backbone of the team. “I wasn’t really used to playing with a team, so it took me a minute to adjust. I played with a bunch of older girls, and

they taught me how to stand my ground,” Lin said.

Additionally, she notes that her bond with her hockey teammates has helped her mentality shift from panic and dread to eager and ease.

“When I play [too] seriously, I play really badly. … It just depends on the games [and] what the situation is, but a lot of times I try my best to not be too serious,” Lin said.

In addition to hockey, Lin was introduced to Track and Field freshman year, progressing rapidly through achievements such as winning

Lin waits patiently in anticipation of the puck.

Top 10 in the 100 meter hurdles in Frosh/Soph and placing 3rd in the Rising Stars Heat for the 2024 Dan Gabor Invitational Track and Field Event. Climbing heats and eventually qualifying for MVAL, Lin concluded her remarkable season plcing fourth in the 300 meter hurdle for Frosh/ Soph. As a stalwart and gritty athlete, she remarks that balancing two sports she shares such zeal for does not come without pivotal sacrifces. “You need to fnd rides, and you have to sacrifce hanging out with your friends to [go to] practice. But it’s worth it in the end,” Lin said.

Moving forward in her athletic career, Lin places high value on maintaining her progress in both hockey and track. She attributes her dil-

igence and resilience to her desire to continue breaking her personal records, taking her passion to collegiate levels and entering in D3 hockey leagues. Lin remarks that despite her deep passion and dedication for her long-term sports goals, they are not her predominant focus in her current stage in life. “I want to break my [personal records] and be able to continue doing [track] to my senior year, and maybe even become a captain. [For hockey], I want to play beer league or D3 in college,” Lin said. ▪

MSJ Boys Tennis season opener ends in upset

By Gaurasundara Amarnani & Alex Duan Staf Writers

MSJ Boys Tennis faced unexpected hurdles in their frst match against American High on March 4, marking their frst MVAL loss since 2017. While certain players shined in this matchup, others struggled and lost close games, resulting in a 3-4 upset.

The match began with tough matchups on the singles courts. While MSJ’s top singles player Senior Nikhil Ramani secured a relatively easy win, other singles courts struggled. Singles 2 saw Freshman Yash Shekhawat lose in a tough match where he struggled returning serves and rallies. At this point, allegations of stacking, or placing higher level players in lower courts, arose among players and coaches. Singles 3 and 4 faced similar challenges with closely contested

matches by Freshman Caden Yang and Junior Vittesh Maganti, ultimately resulting in tough losses. Yang’s game ended in a tight tiebreaker where he overthought ball placement, leading to points for the other team. As for Maganti, he struggled to win longer rallies due inconsistent placement and timing. Specifcally, it was his positioning in the frst set that led to a quick loss.

Co-Captain Rohan Kolala noted that he could see the players were tight or more cautious than normal, likely due to frst game nervousness. “They didn’t always turn of the game, [they were] not confdent with their shots and stuf. But it’s just the frst game, so we’ll just have to go from there,” Kolala said.

Meanwhile, the doubles courts proved to be notable strengths for MSJ. The Doubles 1 pairing of Sophomore Abhay Shankar and Senior Jayden Kim cruised to a commanding victory with great serves and fawless rotations. Similar results appeared with the Doubles 3 team

of Sophomores Cody and Callan Pang, who held on to a competitive match throughout due to their seamless chemistry. The latter hit a slicing dropshot, winning a close tiebreaker that earned MSJ an extra game in the set. On the other hand, the Doubles 2 paring of Senior Howard Lu and Freshman Archit Shenoy had a few miscues in serve returns and court positionings. As the longest game, the court had the support of the entire team and coaches but fell short in a difcult tiebreak. “I think the pressure got to them a little bit, especially in the last moments of the match,” Ramani said. Following the match, the team refected on possible areas of improvement. “The team needs to be mentally strong in certain close points,” Coach Cyril Macasero said. Match experience played a vital part in this game as well with the shift from a senior-dominated Varsity team last year to a younger, less experienced team this year.

The team seems to look ahead with high hopes for the rest of the season, as their 6-time streak as undefeated MVAL champions leaves the team with big shoes to fll. “[I] wanted to recreate some of those hyper pressure situations with simulations,” Ramani said about challenging, high-stakes games. The team may need to work on composure to deal with challenging environments, especially with the high amount of underclassmen on the team. Nevertheless, MSJ’s high efort plays and quick tactics allowed for a competitive match. Whether it was Ramani’s powerful forehand or both Pang’s angled slices, the team’s precision play was key to a strong performance.

Overall, while some believe potential stacking played a part in the outcome, the loss marks a rare setback for MSJ. With a powerful drive to win, MSJ Boys Tennis looks to reevaluate training, meet pairing, and strategy to remain competitive. ▪

Lin weaves past a defender during her match.

Lin shoots a slap shot with a defender in her face.

Sophomores Cody and Callan Pang regroup after a match point.

Senior Nikhil Ramani delivers a powerful forehand.

Senior Howard Lu serves during his Doubles 2 match.

Lin poses for an of cial photoshoot.

Sports Trivia

By Roshan Annamalai & Kaylin Teo Staf Writers

Quotes

“Limits, like fears, are often just illusions” — Michael Jordan (Basketball)

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” — Wayne Gretzky (Ice Hockey)

“The more dif cult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning” — Pelé (Football)

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”

— Tim Notke (Basketball Coach)

Sports Records

1. In the ________ Summer Olympics held in St. Louis, Missouri, Team USA set the record for total medals won in a single Olympics at 239 total.

Major Athletes

1. The world record for the most Olympic gold medals in history is held by ________ with 23 golds.

2. True or False: In 2017, Usain Bolt exited his career while taking home gold on Sabbatum at the IAAF World Championships in London with a time of 9.92 in the 100 meter men’s nals.

3. Tennis superstar Serena Williams has remained victorious against which of the following athletes in the 2017 slam nals?

A) Naomi Osaka

B) Simona Halep

C) Bianca Andreescu

D) Venus Williams

4. On Feb. 7, 1994, Michael Jordan of cially signed with which team, shocking the world.

A) Chicago Bulls

B) Birmingham Barons

C) Washington Wizards

D) New York Knicks

5. Argentine Football Star Lionel Messi has accomplished all of the following except:

A) 8 Ballon d’Or Awards

B) 6 Champions League Scoring Titles

C) 3 FIFA World Cup Titles

D) 2 Olympic Gold Medals

2. Swimmer Katie Ledecky has had an impressive career, breaking 16 world records along with 37 national records. Which event(s) does Ledecky hold world records for?

A) 400 m freestyle

B) 800 m freestyle

C) 1500 m freestyle

D) 50 m backstroke

3. What is the record for the fastest mile ever run, held by Moroccan runner Hicham El Guerrouj?

A) 4:00.72 B) 3:59.54 C) 3:43.13

Terminology

1. Select all of the following skills that the Pepper drill uses:

A) Setting

B) Spiking

C) Serving

D) Passing

2. Which of the following is key to Fartlek training?

A) Running steadily for long distances

B) Sprinting followed by walking

C) Sprinting at maximum intensity followed by a light jog

D) Interval running without any rest

3. When a rower “catches a ____,” the oar’s blade gets caught in the water and the rower loses control of it.

4. In which sport do athletes use a “Spoon” to play?

A) Lacrosse

B) Hurling

C) Camogie

D) Hockey

History of Sports

1. Which sport was introduced to the Summer Olympic Games in 1900 but was later discontinued in 1924? A) Baseball B) Cricket C) Rugby D) Golf

2. True or False: Ice hockey originated in Canada, but it was rst played on frozen lakes and ponds in Russia.

3. Tracing back more than 2,000 years, ____ was rst played with a ball made of rock or animal hide stuffed with hair in ancient China, Greece, and Rome.

4. The sport of badminton originated as “battledore and shuttlecock” in the country of ____ in the mid-1800s, often played by army of cers stationed there.

Sup fine Art Fair: A Wond land of Creativity

Sup fine Art Fair: A Wond land of Creativity Sup fine Art Fair: A Wond land of Creativity Sup fine Art Fair: A Wond fine Art Fair: A Wond land of Creativity

By Abigaile Lei & Emily Zhang Staff Writers

Featuring more than 150 artists and 3,500 artworks, the annual Super ne Art Fair returned to San Francisco over March 6-9. The event showcased a variety of original art pieces, aiming to make art collecting accessible to all and expand public knowledge about the art industry.

Held in the Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture, a two-story warehouse, the fair captivated visitors with unique pieces, providing insight into the art community through diverse mediums and styles, ranging from landscape wood carvings and traditional oil portraits to giant, colorful yarn displays. Upon entering the building, visitors were greeted with a pop-up coffee shop, adding a hospitable factor to the experience. The interior of the building, adorned with vibrant yarn draped across the walls and railings, enhanced the fair’s colorful, festive atmosphere. The artwork was displayed on white movable walls, each holding a distinct collection and connected in a maze-like pattern to form two giant rows, allowing visitors to navigate and explore the diverse pieces. Expressing grief, joy, or nostalgia through their works, creators welcomed the public to connect with their art’s emotional aspects, prominent through works such as symbolic self-portraits. They also highlighted its creative elements, like the inventive use of mediums or unconventional concepts. On the second oor, artist Risa Iwasaki Culbertson set up an interactive doodle wall and photoshoot corner for visitors to sketch small doodles for staff to hang up, eliminating the intimidation of personally displaying original art. “I want people to interact with [the wall], and I want people to feel not only connected to art, but [to be] a part of it too,” Culbertson said. Concession stands and picnic tables also added a familiar touch to the fair, where guests intermingled and chatted with creators and other attendees.

Beyond its stunning exhibitions, the Super ne Art Fair bridged artists and their audience: the local community. Showcasing their work in person, creators engaged with fellow artists, collectors, and enthusiasts, sharing the stories behind their pieces, exchanging ideas, and forging lasting networks, opening the door for potential collaborations.

The Supe ne Art Festival played a crucial role in making art more accessible, bridging the gap between artists and the public, and reinforcing the cultural importance of creativity in everyday life. Through this exchange, the event not only supports artists, but also enriches the creative community, emphasizing the value and signi cance of artistic expression. ▪

Bay A a C Caf & L ng

By Ariana Yi, Eleanor Chen & Fiona Yang

Sta Writers

Relaxing and playing with cats are satisfying ways to destress by enjoying a therapeutic experience. In our hunt for these adorable critters, the Smoke Signal compiled a list of four di erent cat cafes and lounges across the Bay Area.

K T C L nge

Situated between a bustling bakery and an assortment of vintage goods shops and restaurants on 1266 Valencia St., KitTea Cat Lounge is one of San Francisco’s most popular cat cafes. Upon entering the establishment, customers are greeted with the shopping area. All around, shelves display cat themed art prints, stickers, blind boxes, and ceramics. Separating the shopping area from the cat lounge is a window and door frame. Entering the lounge, relaxing music greets visitors, creating a calm ambience. So toned blues compliment tans, and 28 cats of diverse breeds stroll along, sleep, and climb around the wooden play structures.

Cats situate themselves on the chair swing, inside cat beds mounted on the wall, under the benches, and on the muted green-and-cream-colored cushions scattered throughout the lounge. In addition to resting on pillows, the cats engage with visitors, o en jumping into their laps. “ e coolest thing about the cats is that some of them jump on your shoulders. When I rst started working here, it was a surprise if it just got on top of me like a scarf,” KitTea Cat Lounge Host Grace Beltran said.

Itty Bitty Kitty Cafe is hidden in Cambrian Park Plaza on 14420 Union Ave, San Jose. At rst glance, the establishment seems almost cramped, but both playrooms house energetic and playful kittens that e kitty playrooms are collled with huge cat play structures made of wood and embedded with cushions and cozy houses situated in corners. Cats play ght with each other and climb onto sofas, and especially enjoy comfortably resting in the hollow space of a large cardboard cat lounge scratcher placed next to couches. All of the kittens are welcoming and playful with both visitors

“I hope that when [customers] leave, they feel like they got their money’s worth, and they had a good time, and they enjoyed themselves.” Itty Bitty Kitty Cat Cafe

Owner Laurie Melo

M i C Town

Mini Cat Town is located in ve di erent shopping centers and malls throughout the Bay Area, including Great Mall and the Stanford Shopping Center. It is a nonpro t organization dedicated to rescuing neonatal kittens and nding them loving homes. Since its establishment in 2015, Mini Cat Town has saved more than 1,500 stray cats and kittens. e lounge provides a peaceful and inviting escape for visitors to interact with adoptable cats. While multiple cat beds are placed for sleepy kittens to rest, a wide range of toys are also scattered throughout the room to encourage playful interactions between visitors and the cats. rough these engaging experiences, the kittens become more comfortable with human companionship and socialization. “I love working here because it’s such a good cause with all of the cats being from shelters. I really enjoy having the opportunity to help someone nd a cat they love and a cat that loves them,” a volunteer at Mini Cat Town said.

D c g C Cafe

Located in a residential area, Dancing Cat Cafe is tucked away on 702 East Julian Street, San Jose. Walking into the cafe feels like being invited into a warm and cozy home with tasteful decor and couches to lounge on. e cafe o ers an assortment of events that bring the community together, including Purr Yoga, cra workshops like cross-stitch style knitting, hand-writing lettering, zen drawing, and water-color, and a trap and neuter workshop to educate the public. Run entirely by volunteers, the nonpro t organization aims to nd adopters for adult cats at-risk of euthanasia from the San José Animal Care Center. In the nine years the Dancing Cat Cafe has been open, the cafe has been able to nd forever homes for more than 1,700 cats. “If people are coming in to adopt, we’re able to, you know, guide them to a cat that might suit them,” Dancing Cat Cafe volunteer Leslie Knechtel said.