Student store introduced for coming year BY LAUREN TAI
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VIKING RED, WHITE BOAT AND BLUE” REDEDICATED JOEY LI—EPIC
ext year, a school store headed by the Academic Community Transition (ACT), or Special Education Program, will be opening in the cafeteria. Education Life Skills teachers Jim Schussler and Ashley Fox are currently planning the store’s creation, having included their idea on a schoolwide poll to get a better feel of how the students and staff feel about the idea. While the store will be selling simple products such as pencils and lanyards, its goal is not to make a profit but to become a second classroom for special education students. Schussler and Fox’s ultimate vision is to have students in the ACT program run the store. Their hope is that students will develop work skills that will potentially open up more job opportunities for them in the future. This way, says Fox, “students have a functional skill to work towards and prepare for adulthood and the jobs they could potentially be exposed to.” She adds, “Their options used to be very limited. But we want them to have more chances and more opportunities open, just like everyone else.” At the same time, students will be assigned shifts for the store based on their interests. This way, the store helps students discover skills sets that they like to do, or things in which they may be interested in the future. The ACT program is supposed to help foster working skills in students and have so far applied this requirement by having them help out with the food cart during brunch and lunch. The store would be another extension of this goal, falling under a more structured format controlled by the two teachers. More specifically, Schussler adds, “This store is for our students to learn how to work, such as by practicing how to stock items, keep records, greet people, work the cash register, and improve customer service. Even through saying ‘hello,’ the skills they can develop will help them in the future.” He says that the store will let the students apply the math and reading lessons they learn. It “puts a purpose” to their education. The money transferred through the LHS store will only be used to restock items, functioning at a non-profit level. The only real profit will be measured in the skills and experience that the students gain.
“BLEEDING
BY JANE JUN & YASMINE MORTAZAVI
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uring lunch on Tuesday, May 29, Lynbrook will celebrate the rededication of the new viking boat, replacing the original 42 year-old boat. During the celebration, Principal Gail Davidson, Associated Student Body (ASB) President Kevin Tu and alumni from the class of 1970 will speak to commemorate the history and culture of Lynbrook. Davidson says the ceremony is a time “to pause for a moment and rededicate to all vikings the past, present, future” and the new ship is a “reflection of what always was and updating it in a beautiful way, while maintaining history and tradition.” The graduating class of 1970 built the original boat 42 years ago. Says Patricia Kruse, a class of 1970 alumnus, “We wanted a lasting memorial to the school and our class and for future classes. We also wanted a special meeting place for current students, like, ‘Hey, at brunch
meet me at the ship’.” Class of 1970 alumnus Joe Coleman, who will be speaking at the rededication, says “It seemed like we were doing a grownup thing, ‘building something permanent.’ It soon became ‘the place’ to meet.” Within 10 years, however, the monument had been vandalized, and was missing its head, tail and mast. Throughout the years, classes such as those of 1986 and 2001 donated money for a new boat. In 2009, when the National Honor Society (NHS) proposed the construction of a new boat, the administration wanted a contract with the company building the new ship to ensure durability against future damages. The demolition of the old boat, which occurred during the summer, was funded through the Bond project, a contribution of the district administration. At the May 29 rededication, the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA), as well as classes and families that donated more than $1,000, will be honored with a plaque. Students were actively involved in colllecting donations and designing portions
District considers social media usage
BY JOEY LI & BRIAN ZHAO
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he FUHSD is currently re-evaluating its stance towards social media technologies, hoping To include them in school curriculum as valuable learning tools. With an Advisory Committee consisting of select teachers and administrators chosen for their varied perspectives as well as dedication to improving the quality of education, the goal is creating a policy that balances the benefits of collaborative online technologies with their potential drawbacks. The District has recognized that the ability to collaboratively gather and share information may be the most useful component of what is frequently referred to as “Web 2.0.” The new policy aims to reflect the changing nature of information access, and discussion
came naturally as wireless Internet became available at all of the district’s schools, and teachers and students began requesting more internet-based content. FUHSD Director of Technologies Menko Johnson explains, “In general, collaborative learning engages students to use higher order thinking skills such as analytical and creative thinking. It is an active process that teaches students to gather and utilize information to support their original ideas. Giving students experience using online tools will better prepare them for life beyond high school and our increasingly digital world.” The new curriculum will mirror the six key areas of modern student learning the International Society for Technology in Education has identified, including communication skills, appropriate online behavior, and
media-rich presentations. Although the policy is currently being drafted with the belief that educating students about proper use is better than merely blocking access to certain websites, filtering software will still be used in accordance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act. Two of the most challenging aspects of the process, however, are yet to come: how to integrate the new standards into the curriculum, and how to educate teachers and students about the changes. Creating and implementing the education program to go with the policy will be a multiyear effort. While the role of the committee is to facilitate the communication of ideas between teachers, administrators and students of different schools, ultimately, it is up to the district as a whole to implement the new policy once it is in place.
of the new viking ship, such as the shields. Says freshman class president Amit Pasupathy, “The donation process was informal; we asked freshmen to give any amount of money.” The majority of the freshmen of 2015 donated at the $5 level, but it added up to over $1,000. Freshman Hima Rajana says, “I was collecting charity money for my birthday; when I realized we were still $15,000 low for the viking boat, I thought it would be cool to donate my money towards the boat.” Freshman Gauri Patel hosted a dance performance earlier and raised about $2000 in ticket sales. The senior class of 2012 donated $1,000 to the boat. Senior class treasurer Jared Kim says, “We’re leaving a little piece of our class.” Additionally, the PTSA gathered a total of $10,000 in donations. Kruse says, “The class of 1970 so appreciates the fact that Lynbrook wanted to continue this tradition. We are very proud of our school and will always bleed red, white and blue.” All students are invited to attend the rededication at lunch on May 29.
Depression and support groups pg. 5
JOEY LI—EPIC
3D Design classes make tiles for art wing BY EESHA KHARE
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any students place their art pieces either on the wall, in their closet, or in the trashcan. However, students in second and third periods of 3D Design 2 and 3 have recently made an art project which will be permanently installed and forever displayed on Lynbrook walls. Their art tiles, which spell out “Lynbrook Arts,” will be mounted on the outer wall of the art wing running under the 12 windows from the choir classroom to room 71 this week. These tiles contain detailed carvings encompassing aspects of various forms of art at the school including drama, art, choir, and band. 3D Design teacher Charlotte Kruk decided to start this permanent project earlier this school year when she saw some of her students throwing their art pieces into the trash. She was disheartened by the number of stu-
dents that had no respect for their teacher, their materials or even themselves. For this reason, Kruk determined that her students should make art tiles which would permanently be placed on Lynbrook walls. In addition, she wanted students to be able to contribute part of their art to the Lynbrook community. Kruk says, “The project was not commissioned but rather envisioned as a way to “beautify” Lynbrook’s campus and give it a distinct personality that includes work created by students.” Kruk and her students have been working on this project since early in January. Kruk says, “The major challenge was to unify our design concept collaborating diverse student ideas to make a cohesive whole. I wanted to make sure that each student had a say in the project.” Students would come with different design ideas and inspiration pieces from different artisits and then discuss how they
JOEY LI—EPIC
NORSE DESIGN| Norse patterns behind the letter “S” represent Viking origin and heritage. The artists researched Norse artwork and heritage using books from the school library. This ancient Viking design from year 1132 represents school pride and honor.
JOEY LI—EPIC
CAMPBELL SOUP CANS| The Campbell’s Soup cans behind the letter “T” were inspired by Andy Warhol’s 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans. These cans bear the different names of creative fine-arts groups on campus including girls’ choir, Dolcissima choir and Bhangra.
could combine their ideas into a cohesive art piece. Kruk emphasizes the importance of each student’s contribution motivating them to create artwork that reflects the best of their ideas and ability. Once they had the design plan ready, the students created 12 maquettes, or miniature models, to represent the actual larger art tiles that would be installed. This miniature model was displayed at the District Annual Arts Showcase held from April 3 to 21. At the awards reception that was held on Thursday April 21, Principal Gail Davidson awarded the maquette her “Principal’s Award” which was given to many students who had contributed to the project. In her monthly newsletter, Davidson later praised the project for its artistic creativity and for how it embodies Lynbrook’s values of creativity, collaboration and contribution. After creating and receiving an award for
JOEY LI—EPIC
VIKING PERSPECTIVE| Inspired by Keith Haring’s stylistically abstract human characters, these miniature people wearing Viking helmets represent various aspects of schoolwide culture. The Vikings are modeling for fashion, dancing, singing and acting.
the mini model, the students tackled the final tiles. They had to learn the techniques of Bas Relief sculpting and twelve large 8-inch by 8-inch tile. The tiles were then slowly fired under the kiln twice to maintain the consistency and hardness of the tiles. Once the tiles were completely fired, they were adhered to wooden boards, and students put grout to set the tiles in place. Throughout this process, the students learned many techniques for sculpting, architecture and grouting. This experience has helped students not only learn the technical aspects of tile architecture, but also contribute their artistic ideas to the school and expand their knowledge of different famous artists such as Bansky and Michelangelo. Through their focus on detail, artistic creativity and group effort, the art tiles truly espouse Lynbrook values and add unique flavor and style to the school community.
JOEY LI—EPIC
MUSICAL SCORE| Behind the letters of “Lynbrook Arts” is a musical staff that sings out Lynbrook’s alma mater. These notes play out the actual tune of the alma mater and represent the collaboration between the 3D Design and Choir Department.
Waxenbaum to retire after 18 years BY AUSTIN YU
Letter from the editors
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e’re finally here. For the class of 2012, it’s the season of sentimentality; for the Epic, it’s time for our last issue of the year. Following this theme, we’ve included the annual senior pullout (after pg. 8). Also included are stories of reflection: staff members’ reflections of the Vietnam War (pg. 10), a look at kpop (pg. 7), and aspirations left unfinished by students in our photoessay (pg. 16). On behalf of the staff, we hope we were able to cover the stories deemed relevant by the Lynbrook community. As editors-in- chief it was our privilege to provide the community with timely news and discussions of thought-provoking issues. While this year the Epic took on a new look and style, the paper will only grow from here. It’s our last issue, but expect more in the years to come. For the last time, happy reading!
Namrata Singh and Candy Chang
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dedicated teacher since she first started teaching at Lynbrook in 1994, para-educator Bonnie Waxenbaum, who teaches mainstream and resource and special education classes, has decided to end her 18 year career as an educator at the end of this school year. Waxembaum is known for her devotion to teaching, which stems from her initial training. Says Waxenbaum, “I was taught that if a student couldn’t learn, it wasn’t his or her fault; it was something I wasn’t doing right. That’s how my background is. So if they weren’t getting it, it was something I had to try different ways different approaches and change myself in getting through to them.” Throughout her career, Waxenbaum stuck with what she had been trained to do: focus on the student. By making time for one-on-one tutoring opportunities for students who needed help during the now-retired Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) time, Waxenbaum ensured that all of the students were given the proper help they needed. “When I first came on board they had the SSR and when we were in a math class and everyone starts to read and I’m thinking, ‘They could read at home,’” says Waxenbaum. “I’m here, and I felt it was silly to not utilize my services. So, we got
permission to get them out of the room, so I thought that we made a lot better use of the time to let the students receive the help. It seemed like a better use of time.” Even when currently available services, such as homework center, did not exist, Waxenbaum took advantage of the time she had with students to tutor them personally to make sure they understood the material. Waxenbaum found her strategy to be particularly successful in helping students who needed assisting in math. “I’ve had many students tell me that if it weren’t for me, they wouldn’t have passed Algebra, or they wouldn’t have passed Geometry or both, or done as well as they did.” Students found it particularly encouraging that they could relate to Waxembaum, even when it came to struggling with understanding select concepts. “I can empathize, and I like that one-on-one bond, too, and that helped me with tutoring [students]. I get to talk to them about their other interests too, like what they did on the weekend. I’m a people person, so I thrive off of connections like that.” The personal interactions that Waxenbaum emphasized became a kingpin in her succes an an educator at Lynbrook. Of her decision to retire, Waxembaum reflects, “I leave with mixed feelings; I know it’s time for me to move on, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to forget or miss all the positive experiences that I’ve had here.”
AUSTIN YU—EPIC
DEVOTEE| Para-educator Bonnie Waxenbaum will be retiring after 18 years of teaching at Lynbrook. During her career here, Waxenbaum resourcefully engaged in one-on-one tutoring with students during Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) time.
News in Brief Graduation The graduation ceremony for the Class of 2012 will take place on Friday, June 8th, at 9:30 a.m. This will be the first graduation on the newly renovated football field. Also, on Monday, June 4th at 7:00 p.m., there will be Baccalaureate held at the Church of Ascension in San Jose. Following the ceremony, refreshments will be provided. Aloha Dance
It’s back! This year’s Aloha Dance will be on Friday, June 1st, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in the quad. Tickets will be sold at the top of the quad beginning on Tuesday, May 29th. Prices are $7 with ASB and $9 without. Tickets will also be sold at the door for $9. Be sure to come out to the last dance of the year in your best Hawaiian gear! Yearbook Distribution
Yearbook distribution will take place on Thursday, May 31st, in the library. Senior pickup starts at 12:45 p.m. and ends at 2 p.m. Juniors can pick up their yearbooks from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m., and sophomores and freshmen can pick up their yearbooks between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Drama Awards
Another year of performances put on by the Drama department has come to an end. The Drama Awards ceremony serves to honor specific individuals for outstanding achievements in the productions of this school year. It will take place on Tuesday, May 22 at 7 p.m. in the newly refurbished rm. 74. Photographic Guild of Los Gatos Educational Foundation Junior Awards
The Photographic Guild of Los Gatos Educational Foundation holds an annual, regional photography contest for high school students. The awards ceremony for this year’s contest was held on May 16 at Los Gatos High School. Lynbrook winners include junior Frank Wang, who won third place for the Photojournalism category; junior Albert Chang, who won second place for Portraits; sophomore Andrew Lee, who won first place for Studio Photography; and sophomore Elly Fan, who received an honorable mention in the Animals category.
By Joy Shen & Vik Waghray
Kitchen to co-lead athletics department BY GLORIA LIN
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t’s no news to anyone that teacher Jeremy Kitchen wears many hats: sensei, economics teacher, coach, the list goes on. And soon Kitchen will take on another role: next year’s athletics director. Despite his previous experiences as a coach, most notably for the girls’ basketball team, Kitchen anticipates that the role of athletics director will be much different: “it’s stepping back in the sense that I will be more administrative... [it will involve] a lot more overseeing the programs [and] checking in with coaches.” Instead of focusing on the well-being and training of just one team, Kitchen will manage all teams. While this means that he will not be able to directly interact with teams as much as he did as a coach, “Some of the neat things I get to do include presenting and supporting different coaches, and I’m excited to work with all of the great coaches we have here,” he says. Kitchen will be replacing current athletics director Ray Wright. As the title of athletics director is a three-year position, Wright chose not to return: “the position of athletic director should be a full-time job because it takes up so much time,” he says, “Living in Livermore and having two children, I have begun to miss some of their activities and I am not willing to do that.” Wright will instead be coaching football at California High School. Seeing a posting for the title, Kitchen decided to apply because he “was excited about the possibility of being able to still be a part of Lynbrook athletics since [he]
was stepping away from basketball while still being able to make time for [his] family.” Now that the job has been given to Kitchen, he is truly excited, especially to utilize the new field in all plans for athletics and teamrelated activities. Because Kitchen will be leaving the girls’ basketball team for this role, a hiring committee, consisting of people including physical education Linda Nichols and Assistant Principal David Erwin and finalized by principal Gail Davidson, was formed to find a new basketball coach. Current assistant coach Cynthia Ting was eventually chosen. While Ting is nervous to take on the role, she is also ready. “I know there are expectations for us next year... and I don’t want us to get caught
up in that,” she says. “The fun part about coaching is being creative to find the right style that fits your personnel, so I am looking forward to that. My philosophy is that we need to focus on getting better every single day that we are in the gym, and the rest will take care of itself.” Meanwhile, Ting is aspiring to “come out of every game feeling like we deserved to win” as Kitchen is ready to take on his own new job to “support and be a part of all Lynbrook athletics.” And so, as one coach elevates to serve more than just one team, his assistant coach carries his legacy, also stepping it up in support of Lynbrook athletics— both bringing truth to the proverb, “with every end, a new beginning.”
USED WITH PERMISSION OF MIKE DYSLIN
ON THE COURT| Jeremy Kitchen reviews gameplay strategies with the varsity girls basketball team at CCS semi-finals on Feb. 28, where the team faced the Archbishop Mitty Monarchs at Oak Grove High School.
ELD students win at district speech contest BY SHANNON CHAI
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t the fifth annual district-wide English Learner Speech Contest held on Thursday, May 17, eight Lynbrook English Language Development (ELD) students qualified as finalists, and four of these finalists proceeded to place in their respective speech categories. Junior Ivy Wu and sophomore Rex Yun won first place in the informative speech category, sophomore Kento Nii took second place for his informative speech, and freshman Aaron Yun placed third for his informative speech. Over 300 students from all five schools in the Fremont Union High School District competed in the contest, which included 29 participants from Lynbrook. Students were given the freedom to compose either an informative or persuasive speech on any topic of their choice. Wu, for example, presented an informative speech about the hardships that immigrants face
in the U.S. and the differences between life in China and America. On the other hand, Yun chose to focus his speech on a more modern topic—Facebook. “I chose that topic because it’s easier to talk about, and it’s a topic that everyone is interested in,” says Yun. This annual, year-end speech contest presents an opportunity for ELD students to showcase how both their English and public speaking skills have improved over a school year. Yun says, “I enjoyed the contest this year because I got more confident. Last year I got first place as well, but I was nervous when I gave the speeches. Now I started to get used to public speaking and not be afraid of it.” Besides stage fright, the contest participants also had to deal with the barrier of a second language. Wu says, “The most diffi-
cult thing is the speaking part because English is our second language and we need to memorize the whole [speech]. Imagine you are doing a speech contest in your second language, like Spanish, French or Japanese— it’s hard.” Many of the ELD speakers also had to manage another obstacle—their accents. Wu says, “You have to speak clearly and try to get rid of your accent so that others can understand you.” The speech contest acts as both an academically and socially enhancing experience for ELD students. It serves as a chance for students across the district to meet other students with similar backgrounds and current struggles. Wu says, “I can meet lots of ELD students from other schools in the district, and I feel comforted when I know that there are also other ELD students.”
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JOEY LI & OPINION SECTION
BY SABRINA SHIE
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o no one’s surprise, Lynbrook usually has around thirty valedictorians. This year is no exception, even with the new requirements. Instead of asking for just the first seven semesters of high school, seniors are now required to demonstrate academic excellence in the last semester as well. But with the opposition meeting this change, as well as the huge number of valedictorians being awarded anyways, being selected as valedictorian is becoming meaningless. At this point, it would be better for Lynbrook to simply do away with the award. Though this suggestion may sound outrageous, at nearby schools like Monta Vista High School, the decision to stop giving out the award happened years ago. According to Monta Vista’s principal, April Scott, this decision happened because “[Monta Vista] does not have weighted GPAs, [thus] we have a number of 4.0 GPA graduates.” Lynbrook is in the same exact situation, with an estimated thirty-three valedictorians this year, a good thirty-two more than schools traditionally have.
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enior ditch day should be a day to be feared by the administration. It should be a brazen show of balls, where seniors take a “cut” on their attendance records without batting an eyelash. But this year’s senior ditch day wasn’t exactly characterized by civil disobedience. Although the senior class had an unprecedented amount of absences--a “real” ditch day, as some called it--the triumph was diluted. The few who ditched and owned up to it were overshadowed by people who called in absent, expecting to be able to make up the material they missed. Some asked to have their absences excused, when they should have been more than willing to deal with the consequences of their actions. Senior ditch day became a glorified version of getting parents to call in sick the day before a test, except this time there wasn’t even a test. Claims that the administration and teachers are being unfair for imposing consequences on those who ditched school are also unfounded. Senior ditch day will not cease to be a high school tradition anytime
With such a large number of seniors being awarded, the medal is no longer seen as any grand honor, something that could be attained relatively easily. Because Lynbrook does not weight grades, getting the highest GPA (4.0) is much easier for students. This makes the selection of valedictorian comparable to smaller awards, like the Scholar Athlete Award, which also requires a 4.0 GPA. As senior Yifei Xie says, the award is nothing more than a way “for students to receive recognition for their hard work.” Since this is the case, seniors can still be recognized for maintaining a 4.0 in other ways. At Monta Vista, Principal Scott says, “All 4.0 graduates are recognized as the Roll Callers for graduation, reading the names of their fellow graduates and have a number of ways of being recognized during Senior Awards.” Even worse is the mentality that begins to arise when the award is given to so many students, especially given the negative reactions to this year’s changes in valedictorian requirements. Senior Sandeep Peddada says, “We seniors are so ready to be done with school and catch up on having fun before college that even the slightest task given to us seems
like too much. Lynbrook students romanticize the glorified “Second Semester Senior” status right from freshman year, and to rob us of that experience [by requiring the eighth semester is] both wrong and unnecessary.” This mindset already implies that the valedictorian status is just a prize to win; if the eighth semester is required to earn the valedictorian spot, more seemingly unneeded pressure is placed upon seniors. But a valedictorian is someone who is an overachieving academic, regardless of how many semesters are required. Seniors here believe they should earn the award without actually working the whole nine yards. Since that seems to be the case, are those vying for valedictorian really genuinely interested in their education, or are they just keeping their grades up for the medal? The backlash towards the valedictorian changes point to the latter. Since valedictorian is only regarded as a nice personal reward for “the great work ethic and academic achievements that you’ve maintained,” as senior Cynthia Day puts it, it should not be given out at all. The worth of the award is only being pulled down by keeping it at Lynbrook.
Seniors should ditch legitly soon, but that doesn’t mean seniors should act as if what they are doing goes without repercussions. It’s supposed to be an act of disobedience, after all. Although it would be nice if the administration and staff decided to turn a blind eye for one day, it’s within their rights—and their job descriptions—to dish out punishment. Seniors who are borderline and care about getting that grade should make the right decision for themselves. If that means forgoing ditch day, then that’s what has to happen.
The chance for leniency shouldn’t be what gives seniors the courage to not come to school, and the fact that seniors traditionally do it together does not exempt them from the aftermath. In fact, what the administration has done is about as much as they can do considering the circumstances: according to senior Annie Mei, “If a parent calls in excusing their kid from school, there’s not much administration can do about it. On the other hand, I heard the office called the parents of unexcused se-
niors and people whose voices didn’t sound old enough, which was a pretty appropriate thing to do.” Considering that many seniors had their parents call in for them, the administration has remained pretty quiet on the matter, something which some seniors should be very thankful for. Having a ditch day is a fun and fine idea— as senior Stephanie Zhou, who ditched to go to Malibu Grand Prix says, “Those people that usually don’t have time should’ve skipped school to make time for hanging out like they usually can’t.” It is a chance to bond, another “senior” thing to do and just a mischievous way to start ending the school year. In fact, in the grander scheme of things, calling absent is smarter than getting a cut. Some seniors probably just felt like taking a break that day, without jeopardizing futures or grades by breaking school rules. It’s just that senior ditch day can only be a ditch day if seniors don’t play by the school’s attendance rules. If a senior doesn’t want to break the rules, then he or she can just go to school. After all, summer’s just around the corner.
Support groups may be the solution to the increased cases of depression BY IRENE HSU
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hen a prolonged change in appetite, voluntary seclusion, and sense of hopelessness accompany sadness, it is no longer called being “down in the dumps.” These may be symptoms of depression, a much larger issue that rarely has a happy ending when left untreated. Especially in high school, there needs to be greater attention paid to the buildup of stress among high schoolers. With more students afflicted with depression than ever, structures such as support groups will be a way of letting others know that they are not alone in their experience. Many students speak to school therapist Dawn Bridges about depression. Bridges says, “If a high level of stress is sustained for a long period of time, a person could exhibit symptoms of depression. The competition at Lynbrook may be, for some students, a contributing factor to this stress. So if someone is exhibiting symptoms of depression, the sooner they get help, the quicker they get better.” Says sophomore Tiffany Tsai, who suffered from depression in her freshman and sophomore year, “When I was going through depression, I would hear people say things like ‘life sucks so much right now’ or ‘I just want to kill myself,’ and I really wanted to reach out to them and say I was going through the same thing. I’d want someone who had gone through what I was going through to just reach out to me.” Currently, Bridges’ policy regarding students who speak with her about personal issues is that she maintain confidentiality. While this allows students to open up to adults about stress and depression, students cannot discuss their issues with peers with similar experiences. While knowing that friends care matters, it is not a solid base of support because the advice they give is empty—they haven’t necessarily gone through similar experiences. No matter how many times people mention the light at the end of the tunnel, those who are depressed will not be able to see it unless there is a “guide” to show it to them—a guide who had once searched for the light as well. The support of peers is something that can be offered through a support group, where those who understand depression can reach out to one another and offer first-hand accounts as solid advice. As junior Mary Kim says, “Just having someone to vent to who understands—it feels so, so much better.” Though clubs such as Straight Talk About Issues Related to Students offer support as well, congregations are usually limited to one major meeting a year, such as
stress-free night. They only focus on prevention and issues like sleep and bullying, rather than illnesses such as depression. One reason for this may be that the clubs themselves are mostly run by students; though they bring in guest speakers, the bottom line is that those who are leading the club aren’t able to offer professional advice and support. By having an administration-run support group, students can alternate between seeking one-onone advice and between discussing their problems with peers, especially since many like Tsai “wouldn’t really trust [the students in a support group] because they’re high school students. I feel more comfortable talking to the school staff because I know that what I say is confidential.” Kim says, “High school kids can be too gossip-y. If [the support group is] a dumb club that a lot of people do for college, I wouldn’t be interested, but if it were led by
an administrator, I think it’d definitely be helpful.” To balance one-on-one and group therapies, the regulation and organization of support groups should be directly in the hands of administrators. Says Bridges, who once held a student support group for quitting smoking, “[The group] didn’t work, mostly because not a lot of people were willing to give up a set time every week, and commit to the group. Talking about these kinds of issues in a group format has not been well-received by students.” A solution to this could be moving the support group online, such as in a group chat format, which will preserve flexibility and anonymity. While some students may feel uncomfortable with others knowing about their depression, they should at least be given the option to share their experiences with their peers; right now, they might as well be getting through this alone. Depression is not an illness that can be treated alone. According to the Uplift Program, antidepressants are effective as low as 30 percent of the time, while Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has an 80 percent relapse rate. Support groups may not be 100 percent effective, but they will at least give students an outlet for their emotions. *Name has been changed
ART ILLUSTRATION BY JESSICA CAO
What makes 1D relatable
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hese X-Factor stars have swept the globe, and while picking up a gaggle of crazy fangirls (and fanboys), One Direction has managed to revive the classic boy band. With catchy songs like “What Makes You Beautiful” and “One Thing”, they’ve somehow convinced once cynical girls to believe in their cliché lyrics. The band is capitalizing on teenage girls who have awaited the return of great boy bands since their Backstreet-Boys-and’NSYNC-filled childhoods. But after so many failed boy band attempts of the early 2000’s, how has 1D managed to take on the world one love song at a time? Perhaps it’s the swoon-worthy accents, or the abundance of hair (ever since Bieber came on the scene, hair has been a big deal in the music biz), or the innovative dance moves. But above all, these boys have been able to draw in a crowd because of their relatable personalities. In a business filled with blue-haired, scandalously-clad, meat-dress-wearing celebs, the One Direction bandmates provide a refreshing change of pace. They’re relatable, and they feel like your cool, down to earth next-door-neighbors, even though they’re from across the pond. It’s easy to become invested in their success because their attitudes make you want to root for them. Somehow when you watch them perform, they seem so approachable, like you’ve known them forever. Unlike so many other celebrities, they actually seem like real people. You see yourself in them, your siblings, or your friends and you gravitate toward the qualities that remind you of the people you know. It’s like watching your best friend instantly become famous and then seeing what happens next; it’s exciting, and you feel like you get a closer glimpse into the world of fame. These days, the entertainment industry is perceived in a very negative way. Between the craziness, scandals, and off-beat flamboyance, many people view the industry as being very fake. Lady Gaga would literally rather cover herself head-to-toe in raw meat than let the world see what she really looks like. I can’t even imagine what would happen if (God forbid) Ke$ha left the house without make-up. And if Justin Bieber forgot his swag at home, would he still be Justin Bieber? The difference between One Direction and other famous musicians these days has to do with being relatable. Though you can belt out Gaga songs in the privacy of your own room, you can’t connect much further with her because you don’t know who she really is. One Direction songs may include the epitome of vague and cliché boy band lyrics, but are fun to sing, they make you feel upbeat, and you know that these guys aren’t hiding behind anything. They’re just singing in their own skins. Nothing about them seems like a scam or publicity stunt, it feels authentic, and you root for that. The stigma of being fake doesn’t come to mind when you see these guys goofing around and having a good time. You realize that they’re just pretty normal guys in a pretty unusual situation. And c’mon, I know I’m not the only one who hears their lyrics and occasionally sighs thinking, “awww, he thinks I’m beautiful” even though I’ve yet to meet any of the band members and there’s no way the song was actually written about me. Somehow they hook you, and maybe it’s because they’re relatable, or maybe it’s because we’re just naïve enough to believe it. But they’ve somehow managed to create a fan base of supportive, Tumblr-addicted teens who have been on board since the XFactor and will stay with them wherever their careers take them.
What makes it art?
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or centuries, intellectuals and common-folk alike have fiercely debated on what exactly constitutes as art. What are the criteria? According to dictionary.com, art is “the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.” The key phrase is “more than ordinary significance.” The problem with the above definition is that everything can be interpreted as art. As long as someone appreciates it a piece can be considered a work of art. For example, Nigel Tomm takes pornographic images then crumples them up. He gives them absurd titles such as ‘Beautiful Girl Admits Her Public Nudity as a Photo Inside the Best Installation Art’. There is no explanation as to the meaning of the works but people hail them as masterpieces. This is why I can’t stand abstract artists. They abuse the criteria as to what is art. They throw a bunch of shapes and colors together without making a point and allow the audience to interpret the piece themselves. One artist took a canvas and painted it entirely black. The piece sells for several million. Unfortunately, today many artists take the lazy route and create abstract pieces because they know it is easy money. The public, wanting to seem educated and sophisticated, buy these outlandish works and create meanings for meaningless pieces. Go look at abstract sculpture. There’s no point to them. They are colorful, strangely shaped rocks that convey no meaning or emotion. Yet these moldings that look like a two-year-old’s playdoh sell for millions. Strokes and color splashes that do not compose a coherent image is called “furniture.” There’s not meaning to it. It just makes the room look nicer. So what is real art? To me, art should be a medium that conveys a message between the artist and the viewer. Russian writer Leo Tolstoy offers this example: a boy that has experienced fear after an encounter with a wolf later relates that experience, infecting the hearers and compelling them to feel the same fear that he had experienced—that is a perfect example of a work of art. As communication, this is good art, because it is clear, it is sincere, and it is singular (focused on one emotion). A real artist makes strong or thought-provoking statements using any medium at his disposal. His or her art should stir the viewer and bring out emotion or understanding. Simply coloring a canvas with darks and reds and titling it “Anger” does not make it deep or meaningful. European street artist Banksy, on the otherhand, is a true master. Go look him up. His works make strong points and address many issues. People can relate to these images and they immediately take sides to the issue that is brought up by the work. So now I bet you’re wondering: “What about the Mona Lisa?” No. It’s not art. It displays masterful technique and skill, but it doesn’t mean anything. I think it’s a wonderful example of aesthetic perfection, but to me, it’s not art. There are, however, speculations that the Mona Lisa is a portrait of Da Vinci himself, hinting at his homosexuality. I guess then that the piece can be considered art, because it reflects the artist’s emotions. The Mona Lisa’s faint smile almost says, “I know something that you don’t.” The definition of art will never be clear. I’ve given my two cents. Now you decide for yourself.
BY KATHY LI
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n increasingly common phenomenon these days is for young people to blindly adopt the same political views, influenced by school and the greater environment, without ever being aware of their biases. At Lynbrook, the student body is pervaded by an undeniable liberal ideology. Though students are likely to be affected by the beliefs of their parents from a young age, there is nothing more influential than the formal education they receive in school, and classes tend to lean toward the political views of the teachers. Especially for students who have limited historical and political knowledge, it is easy to form biased opinions based on the non-neutral information presented in school. An example is found in the US History textbook, The Americans: Reconstruction through the 20th Century, which uses victorious images of Democratic leaders while often depicting Republicans as upset or villainous. Senior Dwight Naylor also feels that the texts students read enforce certain religious beliefs, too. “We read books about all the terrible things Christians had done,” he says, “It’s taught that every bad group in history was somehow vaguely related to Christians.” Teachers can also transfer their political preferences to their students, even inadvertently. Senior Carrina Dong recalls that her US Government teacher “sometimes points out the hypocrisy of Republicans,” leading to what appears to be a Democratic bias in the class. Political bias appears rampant in social studies classes due to the nature and relevance of the subject. Since they involve politics and ideology, history and government courses tend to be the most controversial. Senior Ray Chen had a similar experience to Dong in his government class, and says, “School is a source of political indoctrination, but I don’t think it’s the teachers’ fault. There is a liberal slant in my gov class, but students just agree with their teachers because we’re already inclined toward liberal ideals.” US Government teacher Mike Williams contends that it’s difficult to teach a politics class without introducing personal opinions. For example, it’s factual information that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is richer than most Americans, but pays relatively low taxes on capital gains instead of employment income. However, discussing this topic could be
perceived as being anti-conservative, making it impossible to remain completely objective. Government teachers seem to agree there should be some lively political discussion in class. “If you’re not upsetting or challenging someone as a teacher, you’re not doing it right,” says Williams. David Pugh, who also teaches US Government, says that despite the majority of his students being self-declared Democrats, “It’d be a dull class without those who are Republicans.” Nonetheless, teachers can go too far when imposing their political beliefs on their students. Just this month Tanya Dixon-Neely, a social studies teacher at North Rowan High School in North Carolina, was suspended from her job after threatening her students that they would be arrested for talking badly of President Obama. In one student’s recording of the conversation uploaded onto YouTube, Dixon-Neely is heard protesting against her students’ freedom of speech and yelling that President Bush “was sh-tty.” Thankfully, Lynbrook teachers don’t nearly go to such extremes, but the incident is indicative of the extent to which teachers may promote their own political agendas in the classroom. Compounding the problem is young people’s tendency toward groupthink, to jump on the political bandwagon. “Politics is not removed from trends,” says Williams. “And on top of that, ignorance fuels further ignorance.” Dong also agrees that groupthink can certainly impede individuality and propagates ignorance. “ Ta k e the Kony 2 0 1 2 movem e n t , which spread like wildfire online,” she says. “A lot of people claimed to be activists without ever doing the proper research, not knowing that Kony left Uganda 22 years ago.” So there should be a lesson to everyone. For teachers, the political indoctrination that resulted in Dixon-Neely’s suspension from work is a reminder to focus on teaching the curriculum and leave personal political beliefs aside as much as possible. For students, it’s imperative to stay informed on current political issues so as to not blindly adopt other people’s ideologies and biases. “Be open to opinions that are different,” says Pugh. And Chen sums it up: “When we grow older and learn more about politics on our own time, we should gain a clearer view of our own political beliefs.”
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY CLAY SONG AND THE OPINION SECTION
Are we brainwashed?
Letter to the Editors: Amnesty International To the editors:
All Talk and No Walk? Actually, we did walk. Literally. The Bay Area Walk Against Genocide was just one of the actions that we took during our genocide campaign. While we appreciate Sonika Subramanian’s opinion in her column, “All Talk and No Walk,” it seems she didn’t research our campaign before writing. We would thus like to bring up the following points to clear up any misconceptions: First, the bone display was a purposeful action, far from “passive” paper bones. Through One Million Bones’ Students Rebuild challenge, we generated $500 to CARE International for their fieldwork in the genocide-ridden countries of Somalia and the Congo. An immense amount of energy was put in by Amnesty and other Joint Service Committee clubs—over 300 hours in April alone—to create the 500 bones. The article addresses a difficulty we know all too well as young activists: engaging seemingly apathetic students in human rights. The display and die-in were designed to shock and encourage people to learn more, but they weren’t all that we did. During lunch, we had
informational stations with petitions addressing current genocides. Students may have come for extra credit, but through our presentations they learned about genocide and took meaningful action. Ultimately, we gathered 600 signatures that will be sent to the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, calling for the suspension of arms transfers to Syria; the UN Secretary General, insisting on the arrest of war criminals; and to the Obama Administration to support the Arms Trade Treaty. With every signature, students add their voices to the public’s demand to end current mass atrocities, and prevent future ones. Considering our group’s purpose, we completely respect Subramanian’s right to voice her opinion. However, what we don’t appreciate is the discounting of our efforts by failing to present our work holistically. Nevertheless, we hope to use feedback to hold even more impactful events for our school in the future, so speak up. It is, after all, your basic human right. Sincerely, Amnesty International
The Eastern pop music craze hits The Bay BY CLAY SONG
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he music rocked the amphitheatre as the flashing lights illuminated the night sky amidst a deafening crowd. The performing groups listed in order after an opening by Kara were MBLAQ, Sistar, f(x), Kara, Beast, Girl’s Generation (SNSD), Wonder Girls, Super Junior, and TVXQ (DBSK). Hosted by SNSD’s Tiffany and Kim Tae-Yeon, the concert celebrated Youtube’s seventh birthday and the partnership between MBC and Google. “The wait was worth it. Something like this doesn’t usually happen locally,” says junior Yuqing Zhu. Some, like as senior Roy Qu, got up at four in the morning and waited almost fourteen hours in line. Apart from standing in line in the blazing hot sun for almost nine hours, fans from as far as Miami, Florida also displayed their love and devotion to the Korean stars by making “Marry me” signs and donning group-themed clothing. During the performances, fans danced and sang along in sheer exhilaration. Many claimed that it was
the happiest moment in their life. A few even cried tears of joy. Some, however, were not pleased. According to senior Karen Wong, a non-enthusiast and objective viewer, the show was at best mediocre. “All the songs had similar beats and sounded the same. The dance routines were unoriginal from each other and got stale after the fourth or fifth song,” recalls Wong. Based on comments shared on Facebook statuses and other conversations, it seemed as if the main drive among fans were the physical appeals of the stars. When fans spoke of the stars, it wasn’t about their music, it was about their looks. During the concert, many fans cracked raunchy jokes about the artists. Another turnoff of the concert was the long wait. “Most people only had to wait three hours because they would cut in line to join their friends. People pushed, argued and fought,” recalls Qu, who was disappointed at people’s attitudes and behaviors. Things were so bad it got to the point where even Christian
past o r s muscled their way into the front of the line. Many people got hurt and senior Patrick Wen was even run over once the gates were opened. The 2012 Google Wave concert was also the first time in history where K-pop was broadcasted on a global scale. Qu was even interviewed by reporters from the South Korean TV channel, MBC. He excitedly says, “K-pop has branched out a lot in the past two years. Many of the artists have recently spent half a year or more in America. Hopefully, over time, it will earn a larger niche in the American entertainment industry.” After all, a lot of the attendees were not of Asian descent, proving K-pop’s global influence.
A Korean girl’s perspective
of the dances was. On TV, it is he plan was clear: easier to see memsprint as fast as bers as individuals, as I could after the camera zooms on facial sixth, climb into a car full of ex- expressions and the slightcited girls and get in line fast. est hair flick. At the concert, sitMBC’s Korean Music Wave Google ting a distance away, I only saw the concert was performed by the cream of band move as a whole, and was almost the K-pop crop, and one of the most reblinded by how perfectly synchronized markable things was the sheer abundance the members were. At first, this dawned on of celebrities. K-pop is characterized by bands me as too staged. Later, however, when I joined with hordes of members, and with nine bands in on the moves, I realized this was the magic of present, this amounted to almost 40 performers on K-pop, why the concerts were so popular. With prestage within two hours. The concert began with clips of dictable dances and repetitive song sequences, it was the bands and a dramatic countdown, an anticipation well extremely easy for the crowd to join in and follow along. built. The biggest difference between watching K-pop videos The huge amphitheatre was singing the same line, dancing and a live performance was how noticeable the choreography the same move, and for the first time, K-pop was an experience.
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BY JANE JUN
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY CLAY SONG
Peace out, girl scouts!
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he epiphany of Maroon 5’s words “Where have the times gone, baby?” hit me sometime between when the clock struck midnight at prom and finding a white
grad dress; thus the bittersweet season has begun. Although I hope my childhood dreams and imagination never die once I leave high school Neverland like Wendy, I realize that sooner or later I will have to grow up and stop publicizing my detailed wedding plans if I don’t want to scare off the cute boys in college. Luckily, here are some ways I expect to sophisticate myself when I begin my studies at Northwestern University’s Medill School this fall: Become a coffee connoisseur Because coffee is a substitute for water in college, I expect to become very acquainted with the cocoa bean and create my own iconic coffee, like an “iced double half-caf brevé Aztec mocha with six ice cubes” (props to Jared Kim) and be able to taste out la crème
de la crème of coffee shops on campus. Soon, I will actually know the difference between a latte and a cappuchino and can apply for a job at Norbucks. (Yes, Northwestern’s Starbucks has a name!) Dancing with Admiring from afar the stars Last week at the Cupertino IDC Exchange, I met one of the original creators of Tangled and almost hyperventilated trying to get a pen. After getting an autograph and doodle of Maximus the horse, I haven’t missed a daily oogling session of it. I’m sure in college I’ll have even more chances to stay “simple sweet, calm and collected” (in the words of Miley Cyrus) during these star-struck moments with Zooey Deschanel and John Legend. Maybe one day I can even get One Direction to go in one direction: northwest to
Northwestern. (I know, I know.) With or without sophistication blueprints, I’m excited for the simple things in college, like the Taco Bell by campus (they have a taco shell made of Doritos…tell me this is not the best thing ever) and upperclassmen in Chuck-esque scarves (I still don’t know how I feel ‘bout them peacoats). For now, I’ve still got four lounging months ahead of pearl milk tea-filled afternoons before I’m off to a whole new world in September. If you ever need help planning a wedding or want to help me with my 1000-piece Van Gogh puzzle, you can find me in Chicago under The Bean reenacting scenes from The Vow. Until then, it’s been real, Lynbrook. Adieu, Adieu, to you and you and you, Alice
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY JOY SHEN
Rings of fire: Tammy Taller and her creations BY BRIAN ZHAO
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rt is paradox. Take the sculptor, for example: she’s telling you something, but you don’t understand. You’re trying to quantify it with ink and paper, but art can never be fully explained, only be experienced, which is why junior Tammy Taller is oblivious to your confusion. She reacted very enthusiastically when you asked her about the jewelry she makes in her third year of 3-D Art, but even though she can’t stop talking, her words trail off and start again sporadically. She’s telling you why she doesn’t like templates: “When you have to fold paper to make a box, you have to measure all the sides perfectly, because otherwise, when everything meets up in the middle, it looks worse than it really is if you’re just a little off. Instead of following something so closely, I’d rather have something more freeform, so no one can ever be like, ‘Oh, that’s supposed to be a square, but it’s off.’” If you ask her to draw her dog, Skippy, she finds it easier if she sculpts her first. She doesn’t view having to work from all angles as a challenge; she feels more pressure when she is limited to only one dimension. And while her words fail to convey the
amount of talent she has, her rings, which helped win her the Red, White and Blue award this year, are more than able to speak for themselves. She enjoys sculpting most when wax is involved. The polishing, the buffing, the cutting off of extra parts: it comes with different colors and textures that are lost in the kiln. Yet, for a brief moment, she’s made something that’s not just jewelry, an introspective satisfaction for an extroverted girl: “I don’t like things droning on, my interest just dies down…” Works hard despite loose grading, feels bad for her teacher because not enough students take the class as seriously as she does, but admits that “Sometimes, I don’t know what to do.” Energetic and friendly, but doesn’t bother applying for any leadership positions. These are facets of her complex personality. Still, to her, jewelry is simply “fun.” “You can wear it around. It’s a little creativity piece, something you made
that’s on display, not something that’s done for a class project, a papiermâché thing that you leave in your garage.” As a kid, she would often say to her mother, “Shh, I’m in the middle of a story in my head.” Looking to the future, she wants to pursue a career in advertising or design. But as a junior, sometimes she “cheats.” “That’s the thing: you don’t have to sculpt everything that you can put on your ring.” A piece of lace, a plastic figurine, she didn’t make those, but the mixed media does look good. “There’s already been a billion ideas here, and it’s hard to think of something super original. But creativity doesn’t have to be something no one’s ever seen before, just something that you’ve never thought of before, something you didn’t really expect.” And putting a spin on something, putting some thought into it, so that it’s a little different, defining for herself what creativity is, so she can at least put forth beautiful art: she can’t just get a hunk of metal and carve a ring out, and she’s thankful for that.
AUSTIN YU—EPIC YU—EPIC AUSTIN
AUSTIN YU—EPIC
TALENTED FINGERS| Tammy Taller works patiently to construct the perfect ring
AUSTIN YU—EPIC
AUSTIN YU—EPIC
THE FINISHED PRODUCT| Tammy Taller showcases the end result of her hard work
AUSTIN YU—EPIC
USED WITH PERMISSION OF KEVIN TU
USED WITH PERMISSION OF KEVIN TU
AUSTIN YU—EPIC
TRIUMPHS
THE EPIC CLASS OF 2012 first class to graduate on the renovated field won Homecoming twice cheapest (junior/senior) prom bids in years undefeated class at tug o’ war pulled off a successful senior ditch day all-around best-looking you know you want to be one two
JOEY LI—EPIC
IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW| The graduating seniors of the Epic, class of 2012. From left to right, beginning at the top: Sonika Subramanian, Alice Zhang, Michael Park, Namrata Singh, Gloria Lin, Vicky Ro, Kathy Li, Danielle Lerner, Charu Mehra, Clay Song, Yasmine Mortazavi, Brian Zhao, Candy Chang Not pictured: Sucheta Korwar
a letter for the 417 seniors of the class of 2012 from the 14 seniors of the ’11-12 epic
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ome guy named Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.” However, he is now dead. And it’s hard to believe that after four years of ups and downs, we’re still alive. Looking back, the trail left by the class of 2012 is a winding and at times even a rocky one, but unmistakably there. When we were freshmen, we took our first steps under the arms of Link Crew leaders, we didn’t know what lay ahead of us, except for maybe Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Nonetheless, we kept walking with the notion of making it to the end. When we were sophomores, we won Homecoming, and then proceeded to stare at the seniors in horror, silent and uncheering, as we were flooded with images of getting beaten up in the parking lot the next day. When we were juniors... actually, let’s not talk about that. The point is, through triumphs and sorrows alike, our class was able to push through and prevail. At times, it is hard to convince a Lynbrook student that in life they will encounter challenges much more difficult than those faced in AP Lit, but our class
was taught this the hard way. No number of setbacks could lead us off our path, and with the ability to make the best of everything, we soldiered on. Now, four years later, our carbon footprints have paved the way for the future generations of Lynbrook. Our trail has led us to two Homecoming victories, to incredible universities around the world and of course, and for the first time in history, to a brand new turf field. From here on out, our paths continue on in separate directions; some may never cross again, while others may converge somewhere down the line. No matter where your path leads you, remember, class of 2012, if you ever need it, you can always look back at the trail behind you and find your way back home. Congratulations on how far we have come, and how far we have yet to go.
EPIC SENIOR PULLOUT 2012 FRONT PAGE: GLORIA LIN LETTER: NAMRATA SINGH, BRIAN ZHAO BEQUEATHALS: SUCHETA KORWAR, YASMINE MORTAZAVI, MICHAEL PARK SENIOR MAP: KATHY LI, VICKY RO
I, Abhishek Yellapu, bequeath my drafting skills to Daniel T.
I, Aditi Pradhan. bequeath my FRAPing skills to Nivi, my title as “Boss” to Angela Kong, and my optimism for the future to Akruti Gupta. I, Akhil Batra, bequeath to those who deem it necessary to delve into the world of AP Lit my sincere condolences, and to Clarence Tan my exceptional skill at finishing work on time and sleeping before 11:30pm everyday. May it be known that procrastination sucks. I, Alan Chung, bequeath Joy Shen and Molly Chou my dictator skills, ASBO’s my light hearted leadership, Daniel Sun my body rolls, Kevin Qian my fade away, Gary Chen my muscles, Divya Saha my massage techniques, Annette Ma my quality jokes, and the rest of LHS my LOVE.
I, Alex Sireci, bequeath the trombone section’s stlye to Shouvik Neogi, my presence in marching band to Austin Holland, and my desire for excessively loud music to Frank Lee.
I, Alexandra Cong, bequeath binary stars and gravity to Victor Xu, my chemistry knowledge to Derek Lou, my excellent driving abilities and big-sisterly love to Connor Wen, my love for mayonnaise to Don Kim, and scooters, PMT, sushi blankets, Criminal Minds, yes (it’s on and poppin’), cheesecake, Albert Camus and his dashing good looks, pretty flowers, and all of my love to my one and only (pocket) Irene Hsu.
I, Alice Pang, bequeath ArtReach to Ziqi Chen as well as Janselle Justo, Haruko Matsuda, Yuri Wada, Jennifer Yang, and Jessica Zheng; FBLA Business Communication to Alice Tang; and FBLA Economics to Rex Yun. Excelsior!
I, Alice Zhang, bequeath (in alphabetical order) everlasting royal wedding fever and my naiveté to Austin Yu, my prom dresses to Irene Hsu, and the toothpaste tube in the shower, role as Mom and Dad’s pop culture educator/Beatles quizzer, and Jayla to Joseph Zhang. To Joy Shen my college acceptances, magazine-esque layouts, multitude of cute scarves, and a legacy of Features gossip sessions; my happiness (like a shower of sparks), Chinese skills and ever-present beauty to Noorsher Ahmed, my height, senior prom bid, and lack of yoga pants to Sarah Tarter, a bright year in Spanish Honor Society to Silvia Signore, my suaveness in front of Disney princesses to Yunqing Chen, and Tom Brady to Vik Waghray. Finally to my small group girls a forever-supply of s’mores, blushing boy stories, and my headstrong love for God. Remember to find joy in whatever circumstance <3 I, Allen Yu, bequeath my eyes to Christopher Ma so that he can actually see and do better at baseball next season.
I, Allison Kenney, bequeath words of wisdom and advice for senior year to Cindy Kang, my love of GSA to Sabrina Woolhiser, Quinn Winters and Raj Chanda, my love of acting to all those who are taking Advanced Drama next year, and my singing voice to the sopranos in Concert Choir. I love you all and will miss you terribly. :) <3 I, Allison Ngo, bequeath passion to CAA’s officers, the love of counseling to Annie Liu, Caroline Lee, and Izumi Shimanouchi, a college major decision to Debbie Chang, a physics-free life to Sara Wen, the color magenta to Alexander Lin, vocal prowess to Reo Shibatsuji, and Great America rides Helen Li. I, Allison Tani, hereby bequeath all of my drum majoring experience to Daniel Sun and Emily Su, and all of my love to the Lynbrook marching band. I bequeath my speed and passion for running to Jessica Fan and Grace Ling, and my (relatively) uninjured legs to Jocelyn Sheih.
I, Amanda Tam, bequeath my making fun of certain people and bean leadership to Jacqueline Hudepohl, my not lazy, hardworking attitude and running on the curves to Kathy Jang, a finished 4x1 at SCVALS to Gianna Wu, and motivational pep talks and nickname Bean to Daniel Sun. I, Amanda Zhang, bequeath my multitude of ugly faces to Irene Hsu in hopes that she will utilize each and every one to its full extent while trolling passing cars, my secretly retarded sense of humor to Shirley Kiang (my twinsie!), and my many complaints/quater-life crisis situations to my birthday buddy Joanna Chou (: I love you guys and will miss you all very dearly!
I, Andrew Wong, bequeath my collection of Yiassoo coupons to Irene Hong should she ever grow hungry for good memories, my lack of 3D Design skills to Howard Hsieh, my confidence, upon request, to Joseph Wei, and a hopeful future for LHS to next year’s fabulous ASB Officer team.
I, Andy Yang, bequeath my horrendous online shopping habits along with my superior eBay knowledge to Kevin Shen, undefeated puma shoes and sexy black jackets to Arjun Manimaran, Dirk Nowitzki fade away jumper to Huy Bui, and my Rafael Nadal superfan status to Eric Chuu and Steven Zheng. I, Angela Hu, bequeath lots of passion, bones, and changing the world to my lovely Amnestians, tight leather pants and deceitful bottle cap necklaces to Brina Woolhiser, my amazing physics abilities to Varsha Cidambi and Soumya Kandukuri, Cal headbands and what’s left of my hockey skills to Eesha Khare.
I, Angela Tu, bequeath my ultimate driving skills, “not middle” seat, and brilliant theories to Emily Pang and the ability to respond to emails faster and think optimistically to Monica Shih.
I, Anika Dhamodharan, bequeath my big eyes to Jason Feng, my absence to Diva Saha so she is no longer mistaken as me, brown pride to Amit Pasupathy, my unconditional love for Division 34 South to Larry Zhang, and the joys of eating at La Cueva to Joy Shen.
I, Annie Ho, bequeath my laughter and hops to my hurdlers, my smiles and waves to Denis and Lindsay, my identity and accomplishments to Jenny Ho, my voice and love to my Dolcissima girls, hugs to Byrne, Lida, Mahsa and my best wishes to Joanna, Michelle and Tiffany. I, Ashley Wu, bequeath my literary spirit to Helen Jun and the Vertigo team, my Japanenglish to Ann Xu/JNHS/JBowl, my Sniffer love to Aaron Yuan, my lack of Tetris reflexes and Brown legacy to Julie Jin, something very special to Jane Jun, and my everlasting shortness to Samantha “Squirt” Tseng. I, Austin Chen, bequeath half of my cardboard addiction to Albert, Brian, Rory, Winnie, Jack, and any other interested underclassman (I’m taking the other half with me xP).
I, Barbara Lam, bequeath my obsession with nail polish to Cheryl Chang, Paige Song, & Stephanie Juang, as well as my baddy team managing skills (or lack of) to Agnes Tang, Diana Kang, & Nikita Saxena. I, Brenda Hunt, bequeath my OCD to Amanda Lu, almostempty badminton GD spots to Christina Day and Emily Zhang, and my SWAG experience to Derek Yuan.
I, Bryan Le, bequeath my butter churn to Connor Wen and Paul Kim, my directions to Spiketown to Don Kim and Aaron Huang, my overpowering skills at virtually all OMGPOP games and my ability to facialize any opponent to Victor Xu, and my best wishes to next year’s Varsity Volleyball Team.
I, Candace Liu, bequeath 1Dlove to Cheryl, beauty to Karen, nerdiness to Shirley, 1234 Yemen St. to Victoria, sisterly-love to Elsie, my biology textbook to Jeanette, OTHlove to Divya, Chinese conversations to Aaron, Irene, Arnav, and Amit, love for baseball boy to Sunaina, a rose to Albert, yogurt to Ethan, dry ice to Frank, apples to Joy, and a huge hug to Isabel. I, Candy Chang, bequeath all my missed sleep to Michael Chang, goodluck and courage and the ability to be an emotionless rock to the ENCs, the specter of my wrath to all staffers who miss deadlines next year, anime/drama distractions to Sabrina Shie, Jane Jun and Yunqing Chen, a shady story filter to Noorsher Ahmed, the tact I don’t have to Austin Yu, the passion and drive to take Epic to the next level to everyone on the 2012-2013 staff, warmth for morning workshops and cliché-killing skills to Vertigans, patience with MUN meetings and knee-healing vibes to Anna Her, serious game faces to Nanxi Wang and Katie Lam, doubles luck to Christina/Emily, birdie-dodging skills to any mixed doubles girls next year, and Durarara!! love (but not my wall scroll) to Amanda Lu.
I, Carol Lin, bequeath FHS to all its 2012-2013 officers (especially Thejas Kamath and Étienne Flamant). I also bequeath my amazing murdock bio skills to Edward Ding. I, Carrina Dong, bequeath my awesome butt slapping skills to Annette Ma, my S&S magical powers to Divya Saha, some eyeliner to Stephen Lee to make his eyes visible, and my good health to Jason Feng because he’s a cripple. I, Casey Ficovich, bequeath Maddie Ficovich no regret about anything about high school!
I, Cathy Wang, bequeath my senpai responsibilities to Zoe Pennington, the joy of cashing out Kumon paychecks to Rebecca Yang, my Spanish skills, fangirl spazzes and undying love for our oppas to Melody Jeng, Aakanksha Sinha, and Michelle Ng.
I, Cecily Lan, bequeath scary mem tests to the flute section, my love to Catherine and Christina, fun times in CYS to Eric, MG, and Nick, teeth to Nick so he will smile, cookies to Juesato (if he beats me), fobby waves to Cheryl, and the best of luck in high school to my brobro, Winston. I, Celina Liao, bequeath all the fun/stressful/annoying/boring/enjoyable.. times at Lynbrook to Caitlyn Liao. I’ll miss your dorkiness when I’m gone D: Don’t do anything stupid. I also hereby bequeath you Daisy and Cyrus. Enjoy the rest of your high school career. Leave no regrets because these four years fly by quickly!
I, Charu Mehra, bequeath my bipolar love of AISA to Sunaina Aluru, my craziness to Deeksha Kohli, my sanity to Nikita Dhesikan, my love and appreciation for three amazing years to all my wopo girls, saying hello in the halls without fail to Noorsher Ahmed, my fear of the parking lot in the morning to Joey Buckmaster, my sincere thanks for getting me through junior year and beyond to Austin Yu, constant, cute, effective nagging to Eesha Khare, my rudeness to Yunqing Chen and Jacob Antony, my love of food porn daily to Vik Waghray, Kelsey Hurwitz, and Shannon Chai, full possession of Jasvinder to my mother, and my love of baking, ice cream, and flowy dresses to my sister, Aish.
I, Chengyi Lee, bequeath my tablet-less (lack of) drawing skills to Lydia, Laura, Liz, Jen, Ingrid, Crystal, Grace, Anna, and other underclassmen I probably accidentally left out, second semester senior year to Totodile, Tuna, Harold, and Ayumi, SCIENCE to Erica Soup Cup, fabulously fashionable ponies to Beth, my ribs to Luce, some inbred fish to a certain foolish underclassman, SAT skills to Sharon, Magikarps to Weian, an (unclosed parenthesis to Juliette, and 1 whole club to MG. I, Chris Doi, bequeath my ability to function and Little Caesars to Kyle Williams, my love for Farica to Youngsub Lee, saariya vassi to Divya Saha, and idgafos to Tiffany Tsai.
I, Christine Fujiki, bequeath Bessie to Neal Thekdi (treat her well, son), my house to Amy Fujiki, the title of Queen to Miranda Ashland and my $15 rule to Brina Woolhiser. I, Christine Lee, bequeath my hard work, non-procrastinating skills, love and hope to my younger sister, Jennifer Lee, hoping that she enjoys the rest of her high school years at Lynbrook High, surrounded by an abundance of luck, success, and joy every single day. I, Christopher Kim, bequeath my Key Club heritage and Moongchi to Caitlin Lee, my impeccable collection of jokes that she loves so much and Mingky to Grace Lim, Aegie(Eggy) and brand new Antivirus Software to Elle Kagi, and my flawless act of driving away from Elle to Paul Kim. I, Clarence Mah, bequeath my orch dorks and band geeks Juesato, Nick, Matthew, Mark, Jane, Jack Li, Cheryl, and Nikhil my love for all things music. To Aurea and Winston I bequeath my avid interest in robotics and technology and good luck with the funky monkeys. I, Clay Song, bequeath nothing at all.
I, Cynthia Day, bequeath Math Club to the lovely new officer team, my multiple-choice guessing skills to Albert Dinh aka Harry Potter, my lucky streak to all the juniors about to start struggling with college apps, and my dubious math ability to Julia Huang. Love you all <3 I, Daniel Kao, bequeath the radical pursuit of changing the world to Jane Jun, Jerry Luo, Irene Hong, and the rest of the Agape core team.
I, Daniel Nishijima, bequeath the Drumline to Michelle Shieh, my love for the Red Sox to Arkadip Saha, my amazing hair to Lucy Li, and my Japanese music to Kento Nii.
I, Daniel Truckai, bequeath my extra weight and strength to Zsolt and Tamas Truckai, and my lineman skills to Aneesh Shreedhar and Ali Zarrabi. I, Danielle Lerner, bequeath my shady photoshop skills, muscles and chill music to Jacob Antony, my legacy as the blue-eyed Jewish girl in Epic to Kelsey Hurwitz, my inappropriate jokes to Yunqing Chen, the ability to do good thinking in the shower to Joy Shen, my aiming skills and inspirational quotes to the varsity tennis team, my mother and room to Annette Ma, the strength to survive our parents’ bad jokes to Greg Lerner, vectoring talent and garage-door openers to Sarah Tarter, my sugar addiction to the soccer girls, my gangsta traits to Sam Chang, my love of food to Vik Waghray, my sharp wit and sports editor $wag to the staff of the 20122013 Epic, and Namrata Singh to Rishabh Hegde. I, Darren Shim, bequeath my ability to dime creamy, wet, buttery digs to next year’s Varsity Volleyball Team, my love for Link Crew to Stephanie, Silvia, Jeffrey, and Victor, my sheer greatness to next year’s ASB Officer team and Tech kidz, and my heart to Erica Wang! I, Daryl Kwong, bequeath all of my random change and singles to Irene Hong, my alien powers to Jane Jun, my impeccable taste in TV shows and superior wisdom to Shirley Fang, all my Pokemon and Bulbasaur attacks to Howard Chen, my Cheese-its and infinite supply of bacon to Howard Hsieh, a lifetime supply of facepalms to Jerry Luo, and my prayers and blessings for the entire upcoming agape core team.
I, David Lu, bequeath a chocolate statue and a hammer to Grace Deng, a (big) box of band-aids to Irene Hong, three bags of apples, an egg-shaped rock, and my sleeping schedule to Emily Liu, more luck/animation skills than I have to Michelle Chang, and my “productiveness” to Howard Chen.
I, Delaney Nicholas, bequeath all the balloons, streamers, and dance themes to Molly Chou and Joy Shen. My keeper gloves to fellow goalie Hannah Chambers. And finally Josh Hutcherson to Divya Saha. I, Delia Sundar, bequeath my awesome fluteyness to my band buddy, Eva Chen. Hope you have a great marching season as a senior! ...and my excellent physics homework skills, to Apoorva Agrawal.
I, Deniz Oktay, bequeath my support for STELIA to Steven Hao and Julia Huang, my JETS officer position to Julia Huang, my epic fingering and osu! skillz to Johnny Ho, my senior year stress to Jessica Qian, my chem legitness to Aaron Yuan and Julie Jin, my HI DENIZ to Cody Tsao, my amazing sleeping habits to Yutong Chen, my … room to Karen Ouyang, and Joseph R. to Keegan Mendonca. I, Dinesh Jay with Travis Chen, bequeath Chinese Chess club ownership and game board materials to the Asian Board Game club.
I, Eileen Bang, bequeath the right to be TOP’s wife to Diane Kim, and my great looks to Caroline Lee, to Jia Gao, I can’t bequeath anything to you because you’re already beautiful, my love for Coca-Cola to Austin Yu, my bitter humor on Sunday nights to Helen Jun, and my sassy attitude to Jane Jun. I, Eliza Tsai, bequeath my GG-ness to Grace Lin, my imaginary red wagon to Monica Shih, my green swim trunks to Arnold and Pamela Tao, my salt-n-pepper to Jia Gao, my awesomeness to Harrison Chen, my life stories to Lo Tuan, and my love for chickens to Paulina Lei. I, Elodie Chen, bequeath my vast knowledge of lesbian lore to Brina Woolhiser and my fandom geekery to Miranda Ashland. Use it well. I, Elyssa Hurwitz, bequeath the spot on the grass to my beloved sister Kelsey- you know what to do with it ;) Niki and Sara, I bequeath you Kelsey. You two are truly my sisters at heart. I love you all so much. Good luck next year with everything. XOXO
I, Emily Chao, bequeath my sexy, chiseled abs and spontaneous hyperness to Cheryl Chang, grand aura of fobbiness and daily spazzing to Hubert Tsen, artistic and physics genius to Alex Wong, deliciously-made sushi rolls that will incite instant energy to Yuka Sugino, and non-existent flares and spiffy top-rock to Shouvik Neogi who must use them in future cypher battles! I, Emily Yang, bequeath my laptop’s GarageBand and my Mardi Gras beads to David Yang; enjoy the next three years, little brother! I, Emma Cosaro, bequeath my folder getting and putting away skills to Ethan Wang, my drop off lines to Nick Lie, and my British TV show fangirling to Tasha Tchetchetkine.
I, Eric Shen, bequeath the memory of my nickname to Victor Xu, my work ethic to Kevin Lei, and my passion for soccer to Mike Zhong, Shuvam Chaudhuri, Alex Wong, Andrew Bae, and all the other underclassmen on the Varsity team.
I, Erica Yin, bequeath my hideous facial expressions to Divya Saha, my love of pinkberry to Eric Wu, my astounding height of 5’3 to Weian Wang, my ability to find the ugliest formal dresses to Anna Her, and nothing to Kimberly Tan. I, Erin Callary, bequeath all my love, herman’s, and pasta parties to the field hockey girls, late night verde runs and squeaky hellos to Maddi, and to Tim I bequeath Valerie and his official ‘walrus’ status. I, Evelyn Chu, bequeath my dashing looks, non-existent golf skills, and blessings to Katie Stalker, Sam the man, Jackie Cutie, Kim Vazzy, and Somya Pomya. I, Evelyn Tan, bequeath my driving skills to Ladina Thoeny, my smooth dance moves to Rachel Song, my flashy smiles to Nick Lie, my imaginary R13 to Jack Yu, and my ability to not stress over a flood of incoming game scores to Diana Kang, Agnes Tang, and Nikita Saxena.
I, Frances Guo, bequeath obscure words and embryonic artistry to Vertigo, integrity to Aletheia, innovative explosions to SciClub’s dream team, fearlessness to Helen and Jane, late-night philosophy to Aaron, shenanigans to Nidhi, portmanteaus to Steven, and a thalassic menagerie with inspiration and serendipity to Johnny.
I, Gavriela Fine, bequeath my ability to make Billy semi-nice to Sarah Tarter along with all my skills and my awesomeness to Paul Kim, Rock it next year!
I, Gina Chacko, bequeath my superiority complex to Jasmine Dioguardi, and my fail math skills to Landi Luo.
I, Gloria Lin, bequeath the first spot as promised a year ago to Lauren Tai, eternal freedom to Joey Li, Joey Li to Frank Wang, Hoey Ree to Divya Saha, my heart to Irene Hsu (and/ or Joey’s if she doesn’t want mine”, the birthday present I have yet to present to Jessica Cao, DTSJ and all the pictures we never took to YMCMB, all my support to Sam Chang and Nikita Dhesikan, less beauty to Jia Gao, a pop star future to Noorsher Ahmed, 50 lb to Vik Waghray, CE Honor Day to Sarbina Shie, no Pinkberry and my empty Neopets account to Kimberly Tan, a nanny, a Russian maid, and the patience I never had to Austin Yu, plans for a joint birthday celebration and a long run to Rishi Debnath, the walks we never went on to Joy Shen, the Candy Chang Fanclub to Yunqing Chen, my room to Grant Lin, protection against Kalvin to Alex & Kimberly Zee, a lap buddy and manly laughs to Shannon Chai, my (lack of) height to Sarah Tarter, an actual chance at getting a girlfriend (for once in his life) to Jacob Antony, permission to touch me to Kelsey Hurwitz, a well-publicized year to Aletheia, and a senior ad, Epic Assassins, a winter social, and fun days to well-produced content and all my zest, zeal, & general enthusiasm for journalism to Epic for years to come. While I’m at it, Divya, you can have Austin too. I, Gordon HO, bequeath my ‘good at coming up with come backs on the spot’ skills (accidental spit= holy water, you’re blessed LOL), sexy parking and guessable draw-something skills, and not forgetting my high metabolism to Tiffany L.
I, Helen Cassell, bequeath my Film skills to Kelly Masterson and Neil Thedki, my Tech skills and love of theatre to all my techies, my Art skills to Sabrina Woolhiser, and all my sunshine to Miranda Ashland. I, Howard Yang, bequeath my GPA and my senioritis to Rebecca Yang, my voice to Aaron Chien, my indoor voice to Grace Miao, my Cross Country prowess to David Tsai, Rohit Sarathy, and Andy Shen, my dance moves to Davis Catolico, and my work ethic to Eric Chuu.
I, Ivan Tieu, bequeath my size to Alexis Thoeny, my intelligence to Albert Yang, my speed to Albert Xu, and my intimidation to the badminton team. I, Jack Li, bequeath CS Club to Johnny Ho and the rest of next year’s officer team, my support for Stelia to Steven Hao and Julia Huang, and my totally legit work ethic and knowledge of Green’s Theorem to Myung-Geun Chi.
I, Jack Wang, bequeath all my love to Anna Her, my hand in marriage to Joseph Wei, my Shaco skills to Albert Xu and Daniel Wang, my Rune 2h to Joshua Huang, my non-existent dumpling making skills to Emily Pang, my beauty to Will Wang, my MUN bowtie legacy to Pranay Patil and Rishi Debnath, my LoL skills to Patrick Zhu, my breads to Andrew Wang and my Superlative Conspiracy tee to Jennifer Liaw. I, James Hu, bequeath to Peiru my ability to eat normally, and to Kisame my clandestine admiration.
I, James Thi, bequeath my unfinished labs, homework packets and unicycling skills to Avi Gopal and Brian Shu, and my beautiful hugs to Mridhula Venkat. I, James Zhang, bequeath my coolness and thrusting intellect (or lack of) to Jessica Zhang, my math abilities to Kimberly Zee (Zeek), and spontaneity to Edward Yeh and Farhaan K.
I, Jamie Chen, bequeath my awesomeness to Harrison Chen, my non-b.s.ing skills/Chinese ability to Steven Yang, my “madness” to Patrick Fox/Steven Yang, my best hopes to Rebecca Yang for her senior year, my cool factor to Sabrina Woolhiser, my artsiness to Jacquelyn Lin, and best wishes to students in Engage. I, Jamie Lo, bequeath my organizational skills to Andrea Tucker, all of my guard skills to my guard children, my love for guard to all of the guard underclassmen, and my sightreading skills, height, and flat screen-ness to Vivi. I, Janet Chu, bequeath my love for Parli Pro to Angela Kong, Kathy Dong, and Eric Wu, my manliness to Isabel Yang, my affinity for “minus wan” to Aaron Chien, my dedication to FBLA competitions to Alex Lee, my hilarious jokes to Patrick Zhang, and my Intensity to Thomas Kim.
I, Jared Kim, bequeath my awesome class officer skills to Divya Saha and Jessica Wu, my amazing art skills to Young Seo, my gossip powers to Malka Kausar, and minty fresh altoids swag to Austin Yu. I, Jasmine Liu, bequeath the window seat of the portfolio room as well as the Kingdom of Yorkshire to Eric Chiu.
I, Jason Jin, bequeath So Masuoka XC responsibility to make it fun, mongolian bbq sessions, abs and a shoe, Andy Shen more basketball sessions and 10+ hours of sleep, Arthur Tung future stickshift driving abilities, Jennifail a relaxing year, Silvia Signore sprint abilities, and Rohit Sarathy Lakers/Warriors pride. I, Jay Park, bequeath my undying flame of beauty to my sister Sarah Park, in hopes that she will follow after my legacy of everlasting physical allure, half of my room to Don Kim for him to share with Sarah in case of dire emergency or need of additional lodging for Emperor Maxwell, and the future of AMP club to Vidur Sanandan, who will undoubtedly lead it to success in the coming years.
I, Jean Wang, bequeath my cheap-but-useful kanji skills to Ann Xu, Rachel Song, Amy Wei, Jessica Cao, Winston Liang, Jessica Lin, and Kristen Chen.
I, Jeff Liu, bequeath a seductive sphinx dance and a foreverdisorganized band folder to Eric, a badly-sung Pathetique Sonata to Jonathan, a hipster in denial to Daniel, ten thousand hugs to Frank, scientific names of every chordata to MG Chi, my moldy A clarinet to Nick, and tuba roars and a jazzy ‘Happy Birthday’ to Mikhail.
I, Jefferson Yau, bequeath all the eye drops in the world to Youngsub Lee , the love for Anna Ning and my sister Juliana to Elsie Wang, the gym to Gary, my super awesomely good looks to Patrick, my desire and drive to improve in water polo to Daniel, BBQ pork and rice to Rishabh, my appetite and my weirdness to Steven, the passion for music to Alex, the desire to know God and find a Church and my love to him as an older brother to Nathan, and my undescribeble love and the ability to stay strong no matter what the situation is to my most beloved sister Juliana <3.
to the water polo team. My vocal cords to the Jazz Choir and Franklin Lee, my bass buddy. Good luck next year!
I, Jocelyn Chen, bequeath all of Link Crew’s fun and awesomeness to Stephanie, Silvia, Victor, and Jeffrey. The future of ASB S&S in all it’s love to Divya. High school spirit and loudness to Sabrina, tumblr and facebook to Sandra, and cool looking flow charts to Winston. I, Jocelyn Shieh, bequeath Connor W to Sarah T, licentious pickup lines to Monica O, and all the potstickers in the world to Tammy T, secrets from the Robotics division to Diane W to “make the world a better place,” a lot of luck to Harvardbound Renee H, Yearbook memories to Louise Z, and sexy red pumps to Kevin H. Thanks for the great memories, and try not to miss me too much!
I, John Park, bequeath my Chemistry skills to Hubert Tsen, my intelligence and luck to Yihao Xu, my statistically significant rolling dice skills to Andy Tsai, and my sky-high pizazz, obnoxiously attractive behavior and eyebrow raising skills to the Track and Field Jumper team.
I, Jon Wang, bequeath my hypebeast powers to Clarence, golf skills to Jon, jap skills to Aaron & Joe Wang, knowledge to Eric, fried chicken to hooligan, leftover cookies to Dylan & Jon, Oswaldo to Diane, pink nalgene bottle to mona, my Tiffs to Patrick & Raymond, and my loyalty to princess.
I, Jonathan Hwang, bequeath nothing to JSA (you guys don’t need anything! :D), my openness to members of Viking Buddies, my inclination to “talk to myself” to my java buddies, innocence to any band person who remembers me and dedication to Justin. Oh, and something to anyone I missed! I, Joyce Chen, bequeath my fishing pole, contacts, orange tees, and appetite to pipsqueak, Samantha Tseng, and my winning, love for Deep Cliff French fries, and broken Homestead golf bags go to my amazing ladies Katie Walker, Kimberly Vaz, Soumya Khare, and Jackie Kim. I bequeath my passion for eating cheese, my American accent, and my franglais to Etienne Flamant and Thejas Kamath. My wonder, knowledge, and desire to know “why” go to Stacey Jeong, along with my big brown box full of chemicals and magic <3
I, Kaitlin Aquino, bequeath my West Valley walking cheers, patience for dealing with defiant children, and affinity for feta chocolate crêpes to Zoë Pennington, and my history study guides, cat-feeding duties, and One Direction infection (you know you love them) to Aaron Aquino.
I, Karen Wang, do hereby bequeath lots of fun to next year’s JNHS club and officer team, hipster-ness to Jia Gao, punniness to Varsha Cidambi, smexiness to Lucy Ge, absolutely nothing to Jackie Zhang, and sufficient calcium to everyone at Lynbrook.
I, Karthika Pai, would like to my floppies to Sandeep, my memories of a promless night to Ayesha, my second-best books to Ramya, my chair to Ann Xu, and money to buy raspberries to Julie and Ashwin. To Landi, I give apples and good wishes. To all my friends whom I did or did not mention above, I give my fondest hopes they will make the world a better place than it was before. I, Kate Yu, bequeath my backstroke skills and complementary goggle tan to Sabrina Shie, my superior vocabulary to Erica Wang, and permission to see Tiffani once a year to Derek Lou.
I, Kathy Li, bequeath my list of pretty blogs, superior baking skills, and love to Joy Shen; craziness and success to Eesha Khare; YAK, dance, vintage shops in Marfa, and Super Junior to Victoria Li, Holly Paul and Imani B; French Club to Steven Chao; 3 years of great French memories to Mme. Amzallag; MUN domination to Anna Her and Tara Pichumani; my lack of tan lines to Yunqing Chen; my warbly singing and love of roller coasters to Shannon Chai; my throw-on-anything fashion to Jessica Cao; my short height and fun senior prom to Sarah Tarter; the most hours as a YAC junior to Jacob Antony; lift-me-up chats and hugs to Noorsher Ahmed; my beautiful all-black hair to Vik Waghray; my good Chinese to Austin Yu; my next 4 years in Texas to Karen Lee; my rant sessions and shared problems to Shirley Fang; my inspirational talks and Friday hangouts to Lauren Tai; and my addiction to K-dramas, K-pop, 9 Ends 2 Outs, Lee Jung Jin, and SNSD, my appreciation for great writing, a great trip to Tibet, my family values and strong morals, and my everlasting love and best wishes to my one and only Jane Jun.
I, Katie Chon, bequeath my love for the field hockey kilt and my vocal talent to Dana, Zoe, Emily, Jackie, and Varsha. Good luck next year! RAH HOCKEY! My ability to make friends and my love for food to Paul Kim. My love for horses and playlistmaking skills to the softball team. My charm and ability to take ugly pictures to Assley Shak. I, Kavitha Aravindhan, bequeath the Boat and the responsibility that comes with it to Sabrina Woolhiser and Miranda Ashland. Don’t forget to be awesome. I, Kazu Otani, bequeath my captain’s armband and extensive list of chores to Tatsu Otani, and mastery of the English language to Yoshi Wang... hope this was regible!
I, Kelly Zhao, bequeath love and “senior leadership” to all my swim babies, my height to Viviana Yee, my double chins to Yunqing Chen, the daily stories to Erica Wang, and perfect smile to Natalie Popescu. To Jia Gao, I bequeath our romantic conversations, derpiness, and lots of love and laughter.
I, Kevin Jiang, bequeath my mad Spanish skills and love for Spanish Honor Society to Silvia Signore, Sebastian Ramirez, and other society members.
I, Kevin Liou, bequeath my smarts to Gary Chen, my shot to Kevin Qian, my hops to Gabe Rosales, my infinite wisdom to Ashley Shak, my total hatred and disgust to Stephanie Hahm, and of course, my heart and love to Molly Chou <3
I, Kevin Tu, bequeath my inspirational emails to Stephanie Hahm; My guitar playing and off-key singing to Shirley Kiang; My cardigans+abs to Divya Saha; My handshakes to Roy Kim; My early bedtime to Daniel Sun; My stylin’ fashion to Jenny and Annette; My thuglyfe to Nikhil and Naren; My drama-filled life to Diane Kim; My car door to Philip Chen; My eternal love to sister Rachel Tu - Deuteronomy 31:6 I, Kingston Xu, bequeath summadat sariya vaasi to Divya Saha, years-worth of family parties to Aaron and Ryan Chien, Cee Lo/Tyrone Burlington to Joshua Huang, and gud penguin spirit to Clarence Tan.
I, Kritika Iyer, bequeath the many hidden pockets of my clarinet case to the amazing wind ensemble clarinets, mon mot “favorit” (le compte rendu) to Ramya Auroprem, my AP lit wisdom to Thejas Kamath, my thinking-in-French-whilewriting-in-English skills to Etienne Flamant, and my knack for nicknames (Emmeline Vance!) to Steven Chao.
I, Kunaal Goel, bequeath my undying love of AP Literature to Etienne Flamin.To Kevin Lu I bequeath my love for HIMYM. To Max Dunn and Hyun Kang, I bequeath the true sprit of cross country. To Rishi Erik Debnanth I bequeath my class schedule, obssession for pizza, passion for night runs up priyas hill, and love. May you all keep and pass on these torches of light illuminating the way for future classes. I, Kunal Rathi,bequeath my ruined AMSCO book, a Rubik’s cube, and my stress reliever for this year to Kimberly Tan. To Chinmayi Manjunath, I bequeath my inquisitiveness and good nature :) To the entire LSD team, I bequeath upon you determination and courage. You all will do great things, believe in yourself! I, Lillian Li, bequeath Character Design Club to its prospective officers: Laura Cheng, Crystal Xiang, Zareen Tasnim, and Ingrid Chang. May the deities of character designing be with you! I, Liz Liao, bequeath golf skills to Sammy Tseng, Katie Walker, Jackie Kim, and Kimberly Vaz, driving skills to Somya Khare, and “birthday presents” to Kevin Higashihara.
I, Lucy Mou, bequeath my orange pen to Miles, weirdness to Aurea, non-existent secret stash of food to MChang, nearsightedness (to increase the difficulty of scouting) to MLin, my “love” for SNSD to Vincent, nothing to Baxelrod (:P), and lastly I bequeath Jocelyn to Tony and Raphael.
I, Madeline Sun, bequeath my deep voice and fatness to Karen Lee, my beauty to Kathleen Ko and Cheryl Sun, and also to Cheryl my shoes and dresses, my creepiness to Shirley Fang, my looks and eyebrows to my apparent twin Irene Hsu, and to Victoria Li my love for watching Once Upon a Time. I, Madhav Srivastava, bequeath my will of fire to Numair Baseer, Chaitanya Khoche, and Kenneth Vaz, the dream kick to Rohit Sarathy and Ethan Chiou, and to Mackenzie Shimojima my will to do workout.
I, Marcus Schorow, bequeath Science Club and all its dirty beakers to Aaron Yuan, my buzzing skills to Steven Hao under the condition that he actually study, everything shady to Keegan Mendonca, my Ultimate flick to Joshua Yuan, and sleep deprivation, delving, and intense fun to everyone taking AP Lit! I, Marcus Yee, bequeath my math skills to Geeta Bharathi, my smile to Eileen Chien, and my cool handshakes to Gabe Rosales. I, Matthew Deng, bequeath Connor Wen to Sarah Tang.
I, Matteo Timpanaro-Perrotta, bequeath my hugs to my Huggy Bear apprentices Patrick Smith and Eshaan Gandhi. I bequeath my cooking inspiration to Erika DuBoff. I bequeath my love to the Drama Department for being like a second family to me for the past four years. I bequeath Sam Khan, Alexa Burn, and Sana Sethi to being what it means to be a techie YOLO. I bequeath Matthew Lund and Kevin Schoenfeld brotherly love, gonna miss you guys. I, Maureen Lee, bequeath my top-notch driving skills to Reo Shibatsuji, and my perfectly punctual timing skills to Emily Pang. Enjoy the rest of high school! (: I, Maya Parthasarathy, bequeath cool socks to the super amazing Nivi, my fondue-making skills to Angela Kong, my spot in party quirks to Stergiana, the spirit of interp to Akruti, my swag to Naren (he’ll need it), and a mancave to Varun (but only if he cleans up before I get home).
I, Mayu Nishimura, bequeath my amazingness to Stacy J.; my musical talent to Nick L., Eric X., Jonathan U., Helen J., Ksenia K., Jessica F., and Cheryl C.; pho and Shirley Temple to Bruce Z., Edward Y., and So M.; asian songs to Jesse C.; mochi to Hyun K., Tommy C., Kevin W., and Samantha T.; my awesome smile to Angela K., Mickey C., Lucas R., Shuvam C., Amar B., Philip S., and Nitya D. I, Megha Pokhriyal, bequeath a marvelous British accent to GEOFFRAY of the physics senior table.
I, Michael Hsiu, bequeath a Quiznos cookie to Albert Chang, Shouvik Neogi, and Christopher Wong, a K-Pop poster to Christina Zhu and James Wang, my point and shoot camera to Andrew Lee and Joey Li, my love for videography to Neil Thekdi and Eric Eckert, my love for bold colors and design to Austin Yu and Samuel Chang and to all aspiring animators/ photographers/artists: to break all boundaries to try new things, the sky’s the limit! I, Michael Park, bequeath the legacy and memories we made, stupid competitions we always had and a win at CCS next year to my PMAB 8> boys Sungmin Hahn, Adam Brunmeier, Patrick Kim, Danny Nguyen, Rishabh Hegde, and Gary Chen and a shoutout to my boy J-rock with his girlfriend, my dreams and Totoro to Irene Hsu, jokes to relieve stress and triple words to Lauren Tai, freedom and an awesome senior year to Austin Yu, a kind heart to Eileen Chien, rides everywhere, pictures together, all out inside jokes, big smiles and awesome formal/prom askings to Caitlin Lee, Elle Kagimoto, and Grace Lim, a protective cup to Youngsub Lee, a car to Roy Kim, happiness to Tiffany Tsai, a design god shrine to Nikita Dhesikan, DTSJ and Pinkberry to YMCMB, roti buns and Jones to Sarbina Shie, a sad staff without me and crazy and stressful production nights to Vik Waghray, Sam Chang, Joey Li, Jacob Anthony and Noorsher Ahmed, one boyfriend each to Sarah Kim and Faline Tran, and sunblock, a vacuum, and my amazing looks to Erica Wang.
I, Michelle Kwan, bequeath Donato and Jason in all their glory, rousing passages that make me nearly collapse, brutal weekday rehearsals, rehearsal emails filled with typos,”are you sleeeeeping”, and fun YO carpools to Inga Liu, my crazy renditions of “Boyfriend” and “Payphone” to Anamika Kumpawat, my tardiness to Michelle Lee, and the physics video guy to all the juniors in Coble’s 2nd period. I, Michelle Xu, bequeath my love for art, writing, and laughter to Diane, the scent of my hair to Sunaina, daily greetings to Stephen, pick-up lines to Divya, my tolerance of kids to YAK, my love for (eating) food to Stergiana and Karen, and
my love-hate relationship with dance and offbeat yet stubborn counts to all CDA-ers.
I Namrata Singh hereby bequeath my long legs short torso and an amazing senior season to Emily N., Zoe R., Jackie P. Varsha R. and Dana R., you guys will be amazing! My wild partying and title of Indian Queen to Malka Kausar, make me proud! My love of Harry Potter and Hot Cheetos (way better than goldfish) to Rishabh Hegde. All the Tumblr fame in the world, sketchy Altoids, all my love, and the best of luck in everything to my yultimate cutie Austin Yu. Boring family parties without us and plenty of Pinkberry and DTSJ to Vik Waghray. Double talk, YOLO, DTSJ, my love for Vampire Diaries and a fulfilling Epic career to Lauren Tai. All my breath taking sighs to Joey Li. My ability to get the guys, eyedrops and third base Katie to Jacob Antony. Intense gossip sessions during 5th to Joy Shen and Sarah Tarter. Indian entourage to Divya Saha. American Beauty to Irene Hsu. YMCMB to Da Crew. The position of mini me on Epic to Khaya Bhatia. Fun productions that end before 8 to Ms. Gordon. Design so edgy that it will cut you and the ability to maximize your potential to the staff of the Epic. Goodluck to the new ENCs. My love for sports games and being a Viking to everyone at Lynbrook. Love you all! I, Nancy Yang, bequeath my Biggie playlist to Monica Ou and Sarah Wong, the shake n’ bake dance to Nitya Dhanushkodi, and all the best for the rest of high school to Theresa Moffet. I, Nina Kamath, bequeath my Pinkberry stamp card to Sandra Chang and Claire You, my FBLA gavel to Kathy Dong and Alex Lee, my ambition to Tara Pichumani, my hugs to Kimberly Tan, and all my cinnamon waffles with icecream to Susmitha Bhat and Amit Pasupathy. I, Noopur Goel, bequeath Viking Buddies to Soumya Kandukuri and Noopur Gosalia and Bookzilla to Varshaya Visvanathan and Rajesh Sakhamuru. Good luck guys, I’m so excited for you! :’)
I, Parth Dhebar, bequeath all my classmates for a very memorable four years. I also bequeath my passion for Apple to Jeff Bale. Thanks for coining the name iParth! I, Patrick Wen, bequeath my charisma and enduring tenacity to Jeffrey Yang, my number one badminton idol.
I, Pranjal Gaur, bequeath a title I never officially held as well as my expertise in trolling to Shouvik Neogi, my dry wit to Henry Yi, my privilege of making offhand comments to Fujia Luo, my loyalty to jane Wei, my photobomb pictures to Prachi Athavale. I, Prateek Bhatt, bequeath my soccer prowess to Shuvam, my fashion sense to Rishi, my good looks to Andrea, my toughness to Nikhil, my persistence to Lauren, my good personality to Byrne, my hours wasted on League to Kevin Lu, my crude humor to Geeta and Sunaina, my intelligence to Silvia, my good times to Ashley.
I, Rashmi Raviprasad, bequeath la société and my tissue paper flower making skills to Thejas Kamath and Etienne Flamant, the masters of Franglais; my not altogether punctual carpool arrival times to Ramya Auroprem and Zareen Tasnim; and the ability to balance multiple APs, college apps, and fandom blogs while retaining a minimal amount of sanity to CJ Ji. I, Ray Chen, bequeath, Ethan anti-procrastination skills that I usually lack, Shirley and Louise patience with planning, Frank the ability to compromise, Isabel and Sunaina luck with selling (2013: BUY SENIOR ADS!), Albert the assertiveness to deal with missing requests, the whole yearbook staff my love. Chris Ma the Toga 2 group, Model UN a gavelwinning year, and my prayers for everyone! I, Roopa Shankar, bequeath the ability to write QT e-mails and statuses to Eric Xu, my great methods of asking people to Winter Formal to Eric Wu, Kathy Dong, and Angela Kong, and my talent for spotting extra spaces and awkward punctuation to Kimberly Tan.
I, Roy Qu, bequeath Jeff my super epic 7th period physics powers, a drivers license to Ann, K-pop superpowers to Rachel and Amy, lots and lots of future shopping money to Jessica, tons of Miku figurines to Winston, katakana reading powers to Jessica, Japanese club fun to Kristen, Columbia application luck to Julia, NYU application luck to Amanda, and badminton training to Sanjay. I, Sam Paul, bequeath the legacy of Ultimate Frisbee to Aaron Yuan, my room to Holly Paul, and the most merry time at The Tech Museum to Nicholas.
I, Sameer Kausar, bequeath the role of sexy Indian to Rishabh Hegde, the six spot to Dirty Dan, another league championship to Phat Mike and the Boie$, and all the home chores and such to my little sister Malka Kausar aka Indian Princess.
I, Sandeep Peddada, bequeath my big blocks to Connor Wen and Don Kim, my deep hits to Aaron Huang and Alex Lee, my honesty and integrity to Clarence Tan, my genuine kindness to Jia Gao, my discerning eye to Victor Xu, and my swag to Sunaina Aluru and Geeta Bharathi. I, Sean Wu, bequeath my sarcastic comments to Helen Li, my weirdness to Hillary Pan and Eugenie Zhu, and my midgetness to Grace Miao.
I, Shannon Jones, bequeath my height and ability to make friends with the other team to all my basketball girls, and my singing voice and mean girls quotes to Emily Novakovich, Zoe Rathbun, Dana Rothwein, Jackie Pratt, and Varsha Cidambi. You girls keep me young!
I, Shany Sun, bequeath my dancing skills to Jason Feng; the mission to beat you-know-who and fist pumps to the only sun sister left, Cheryl Sun; -$50 to Shirley Fang because that’s how much she owes me; a heart tattoo to Karen Lee; random dance moves to Victoria Li; my aerials to Amy Wei; my sarcasm detector to Allie Young; and love to the Valks! I, Shreyas Bharadwaj, bequeath my fashion sense and knowledge of philosophy to Rishi Debnath, my exceptional DECA abilities to Diane Wang, Amar Bhatia and Christina Zhu, and my status as GOD of Calculus to Shuvam Chaudhuri.
I, Sonika Subramanian, bequeath my love for boy bands and excellent catch phrases to Kelsey, my amazing taste in music to Jacob (because he needs to expand his musical horizons), my knowledge of witty comebacks and the job of making
production fun to Yunqing, my experiences as a staff member sans the stress and inspirational to love for celebrities (something only we understand) to Nikita, my hopes that he’ll become president one day to Noorsher, and the most amazing high school experiences to Skanthan.
I, Stephen Abeshima, bequeath my 3-D tetris and emergency fix-it skills to Jasmine Chou, Sanjana Surkund, and Nadine Javier; and my technical knowledge and ability to never pay for a concert to Amy Tuck, Rory Burtzlaff, Tiffie Chien, and Howard Hsieh.
I, Steven Aragon, bequeath my wonderful humor to Sabrina Woolhiser! I’d also give a dash or two to my wonderful drama buddies, Maya Kapilevich and Helen Li. I’ll miss you guys, use it wisely.
I, Steven Wei, bequeath to Gary Chen my ability to actually make shots and free-throws. Also, I bequeath to Amy Wei the responsibility of taking care of Sushi, Brownie, and Oreo. I, Sucheta Korwar, bequeath awkward conversations and a matching outfit to Nikta Dhesikan, Channing Tatum and the ability to annoy Yunqing to Kelsey Hurwitz, less obnoxiousness and the ability to annoy Yunqing to Jacob Antony, an infinite amount of insults, physical pain, but mostly good luck to survive the next year to Yunqing Chen, a successful next year to the CSF ‘12-’13 officers and ‘12-’13 Epic staff , and inane rom-coms, sugary things, responsibility for Fats, and a positive next two years to Medha. I, Sun Shin, bequeath the honor of being Lynbrook FBLA’s Public Relations Officer to Nikita Dhesikan. Best of luck to you next year!
I, TaeJin Park, bequeath math problems to Steve Hahn, freckle cream and eyedrops to Youngsub Lee, Hansub Lee to Stephanie Hahm, zabu-zabu-zi to Nathan Toh, link-crew responsibilities to Sunaina Aluru, friendly hello’s to Juliana Yau, and all of my AIM conversations with Michelle Xu to Maggie Xu.
I, Tiffani Lau, bequeath the positions of trailer, #5, and 2-meter defender to Jessica, my flip-flops and 50 Fly to Emily, the spot at the top of the pyramid to Sarah, my peanut butter & jelly sandwiches to Natalie, my hyper-extending limbs to Sabrina , my punctuality to swim practice to Erica, and my OKs, chocolate covered gummy bears, appetite, and <3 to Derek. I, Tiffany Shi, bequeath everything I’m not taking to college with me to Amy Wei. I bequeath to Andy Wong my ability to win at Monopoly. Also, I bequeath to Paulina Lei and Haruko Matsuda my creativity in 3D. I, Tyler Hsieh, bequeath my trollness to Nadine Javier, and my love to Jesse Chou.
I, Vaijayanti Duraphe, bequeath my amazing dance moves to Malka, Nisha and Nikita, my good looks and artistic ability to Jason Feng and Nathan Toh, my wisdom and photogenic smile to Rishi, my love for Jusreign, A.K and Bollywood movies to Sunaina, my passion for sarcasm and clumsiness to Kasturi P., Divya M. and Sam K., my ability to make nicknames to Henry S. and my love for DECA to Diane, Amar and Tejas. I, Vicky Ro, bequeath lots of pokes to Julia Huang, sleep and stress-free days to Joy Shen, ice cubes to Leo Chen, my inability to whistle and luck in science fair to Noorsher Ahmed, bad bio puns to Philip Shieh, excellent pre-med ideas to Eesha Khare and the rest of next year’s pre-med officer team, and peace and love to next year’s Interact officer team.
I, Virup Gubba, bequeath the bio monopoly (duopoly?) to Albert and Aaron, “a sandwich!”, acing chem, and a love for weird things to Julie, a temperature immunity to Leo, metric prefixes and poke fails to Julia and Shirley, De Anza classes to Irene Hong, hair clips and hair flips to Karen Ouyang, shadiness to Keegan Mendonca, late college apps to Kevin Lei, missing mirrors and thermodynamics to Johnny Ho, and the OSB team to Matt Wang, Albert Ge, and Aishwarya Nene.
I, Vishal Kalyanasundaram, bequeath Astronomy Club, Philosophy Club, and MUN to their respective officers, wittiness to Tom Ward, some mellowness to Ashley Shak, sanity to Lucy Matveeva, talent and success to Nathan Kastle, all my knowledge to Byrne Greider, and too much to be put in here to Andrea Christensen. I, Viveka Jagadeesan, bequeath my talent for endurance running to Jonathan Uesato, adorable cheeks to Christine Wang, tolerance for LSD drama to Kimberly Tan, love of debate to Dhruv Walia and Nikki Girish, and finally, my annoying but justified ego to Haziq Siddiqi.
I, William Cheng, bequeath my love for Cupertino cell group to Ethan Wang, Renny Ko, Katie Lam, and Harrison Chen, my musical geniusness to Shirley Kiang, my amazing bedtime storytelling skills to Renny Ko, and my extraordinary handsomeness to Nathan Toh.
I, William Xu, bequeath the following advice to those who need it: live life without regrets. Life is beautiful but short; create memories worth holding onto, and don’t let anything pull you down. Don’t let your perceived mistakes and problems demoralize you, because what is most critical to you is your happiness. Always smile. I, Yasmine Mortazavi, bequeath my witty/cultured sense of humor to Shannon Chai, my man sweaters to Irene Hsu, my excellent taste in music to Noorsher Ahmed, my strong eyebrows to Joey Li, my love for weddings to Jessica Cao, my notnasally voice and the ability to say ‘Hi my name is Yazzy’ to Kelly Masterson, Barbara Jackson and Stergiana Amberiadis, a chance to meet me to Varun Parthasarathy, a bequeathal to Jacob Antony, the ability to live without me to Yunqing Chen, the ohjoy blog to Joy Shen, awesome sauce to Sabrina Shie, Jess’s quirks and Schmidt’s hair chut-a-ney to Sunaina Aluru (aka Cece), and weird humor, amazing raps, loud voices and improv that ends in strange ways to Sam Khan. I, Yoko Matsuda, bequeath Veronica Baban and Wakana Ishihara my muscly man arms, Savannah Pumphrey my crazy spirit, Malia Servito my cuteness, Eric Wu my Japanese skills, JR MacPherson my bs skills, Niknaz Oghabian and Monica Shih my beautiful soprano voice, and Haruko Matsuda lots of love.
I, Zia Syed, hereby bequeath the soul of perseverance to Ruhi Sharfuddin, who faces the challenges coming her way with courage. I also bequeath the soul of compassion to everyone who has ever touched my life, and the soul of love to those who believe distance is never a boundary.
Beyond the school year: staff summer plans BY VIK WAGHRAY
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Drew Coble: Physics teacher Drew
ith the end of the school year quickly approaching, many students tend to forget that summer vacations apply to teachers as well. Various staff members utilize the long break as an opportunity to pursue interests and experience things they normally wouldn’t be able to do, due to the busy school year.
Coble will be entering her Australian Shepherd dog, Jackson, into dog agility competitions, which are obstacle courses that are measured based on time and accuracy. This summer, Coble hopes to enter Jackson into three weekend-long competitions. Her four year old dog has been training for competitions since he was six months of age. The training includes weekly classes, and the duo has only been able to enter four competitions in total. While the number may be small, Coble remarks, “It gets hard to go to competitions during the school year, since they take up an entire weekend. However, I’ve entered three competitions for this summer. Hopefully, we’ll be able to step up our game, since Jackson is a novice.” When asked about why she and her dog do these competitions, Coble explains, “When my youngest daughter went to college, I needed something to do with my time, so I decided to train Jackson for dog agility competitions. Through my experiences with Jackson, we’ve developed a strong bond, which is nice since I’ve had him for so long.
Maria Jackson: This summer, Assistant Principal Maria Jackson
will be traveling to Azerbaijan to visit her son, who is a member of the Peace Corps. Her son, Stephan, helps teach people leadership and entrepreneurship skills. His commitment with the Peace Corps began in September of 2011, and will last until December of 2013. Jackson comments on this long absence saying, “While it has been a little difficult with him being gone for so long, I fully support and am proud of his decision to join the Peace Corps.” During her excursion, Jackson does not plan to do much sightseeing; instead, she intends to fully experience her son’s life as a Peace Corps volunteer in Azerbaijan. She says, “I am interested in seeing how my son lives, what he goes through on a daily basis—basically understand what life is like for him out there.” Overall, Jackson is excited for the upcoming summer, adding that, “I am grateful that I have children to visit and do things with, as they have opened me up to new experiences that I never considered before—they inspire me.”
Kenny Iams: Math teacher and windsurfing enthusiast Kenny
Iams is hoping to try something new on the waves: kite surfing. While windsurfing combines the elements of a surfboard and sail, kitesurfing is as its name suggests—using a kite to propel oneself along the water while riding a board. Iams says, “Some of my windsurfing friends switched to kitesurfing years ago and have been pestering me to switch as well. I hope to find the time to learn how this summer.” On the shores of Waddell Beach in Santa Cruz, Iams will attempt to learn how to master this different type of surfing. Ever since high school, Iams has windsurfed, a skill that is difficult to learn, so he hopes that he will have a bit of a head start on kitesurfing. While the learning curve for kitesurfing may be tough, Iams explains that, “I intend to apply the strategies of effective effort I promote in the classroom toward learning to kitesurf. My plan involves hiring some expert instruction and lots of strategic hard work. Success will be measured by avoiding injury, being able to maneuver with complete control, and of course how high I can jump.”
USED WITH PERMISSION OF MARIA JACKSON
USED WITH PERMISSION OF KENNY IAMS
A new form of British invasion: an attack on entertainment BY JESSICA CAO
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here have been three British Invasions over the course of America’s history. First, during the Revolutionary War, during which we tried very hard to kick them out of the country. Second, during the 1960s with Beatlemania taking teenagers by storm. And now, a new wave of television has been imported from across the Pond. Some students are huge fans of British culture, others indifferent and unknowing of just how much it has influenced American pop culture. While British TV does not top American charts like some of its music does, shows like Doctor Who and Sherlock have a decent-sized, loyal following. “I found about Doctor Who from my friends, who made me watch it,” says senior Rashmi Raviprasad, “When I joined Tumblr the users there had gotten into a lot of British stuff and that’s how I found out about Sherlock.” Both are produced by BBC and have an element of
modernity that appeals to today’s audience. Doctor Who is the longest-running sci-fi TV series in the world, and eleven actors have played reincarnations of the titular Doctor, keeping up with the times. Sherlock features main characters with a mastery of modern technology and depict classic stories like The Hound of the Baskervilles and A Study in Scarlet (renamed A Study in Pink on the show), ingeniously tweaked to restore the scenarios to current times. “TV in the U.S. is overly dramatic; television from Great Britain is more refined and they feature a lot of topics that shows here try to stay away from. For example, they talk frankly about disabilities and gay rights. And unlike CSI, Sherlock really delves into the crimes,” says Raviprasad. Like its musicians, British television is sometimes more relatable to the average teenager than what
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY AUSTIN YU & SABRINA SHIE
American writers come up with. Senior Aditi Pradhan, who watches Skins says, “British televisionis a lot edgier and written better; the humor is dryer and the drama is a lot more relatable. A lot of the times, when teenagers watch shows like Gossip Girl, questions such as ‘What is this? Why is the plot so stupid’ tend to pop frequently into their minds, whereas Skins makes one think to themselves, ‘No, I feel so bad for [the characters].’ Pradhan continues on, saying the fact that British shows do not tiptoe around issues such as abortion, makes them more appealing to teenage viewers and ultimately easier to watch. America’s Next Top Model (ANTM) is an original American reality television show; however, in the latest season, or Cycle 18, the producers have brought on British girls to compete with the Americans. Not all viewers are happy with this change to the show. Senior Roy Qu says, “It’s a whole lot of rubbish to generate drama for the American audience. Where there’s sophisticated British television, there’s always going to be the antithesis: American. Overall, it just seems like a whole ploy to get more views and give Tyra more branding appeal.” The focus on drama and cattiness between contestants is more of an American thing, whereas Britain’s Next Top Model places much more emphasis on modeling and the fashion business. There are many reasons why British entertainment appeals to the American public. Kohli says, “Entertainers are different enough that they appear exotic, in a way, but still speak English so we can relate to them.” Some find the written content in British television shows to be more interesting and meaningful. But really, all things aside, no one can deny how appealing those British accents are.
BY AUSTIN YU
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etting bashed across the scalp by a police officer dressed in full riot gear in the midst of a studentheld lockdown of the Columbia University math wing. Going to your dorm at Kent State University when gunshots, followed by hundreds of screams from the campus green, quickly begin to envelop the school. Commuting between classes, passing trees marred by tear gas on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley. Vietnam was a war that transformed America and its people forever—three Lynbrook teachers: Fritz Torp, Laurel Cohen and Nelda Clark can all attest to that. While the realities of war for our generation may seem familiar, with the falling of the twin towers and the news broadcasts about Iraq and Afghanistan, life for some of our teachers during the Vietnam era involved much more than the few debates and sporadic coverage that the war against terror receives today. Welcome to the 1960s: a time when the world was changing rapidly. Clark explains, “The country tried to establish some post-war normalcy during the 50s, and then there was a major shakedown in the sixties as we crept into Vietnam—the catalyst that disrupted society and caused people to question traditional institutions. The changes instilled a new distrust of the government, especially. By the time we got to the 70s, I wanted noth-
ing to do with politics. I eventually recovered.” It was a time of radical beliefs, including those both in support of the war and against it. With the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in ‘63, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy in ‘68, and the Watergate scandal of ‘72 all occurring in the span of just over a decade, America was in turmoil. “There were uprisings and riots all over the western world. And a lot of us, especially as we listened to more of these radical speakers, kinda got the idea of, well, maybe there’s a revolution coming, or maybe it’s here, and we’re a part of it already,” says Torp, who attended Columbia University during that time. It was a time when the prevalence of anti-war sentiment was attributed to the type of media coverage received by the public, and how it shocked and awed those who saw it. Being the first televised war in our nation’s history, the media’s role regarding the war was much different than how it is today. Unlike what is broadcasted to the general public today, much less censorship of information occurred during the Vietnam era. Torp describes, “It was the first time where the cameras were right on the battlefield and we would see people getting shot, we would see the coffins coming home, we’d see the famous photographs, the little girl running down the street with clothes burned away by napalm. All of those images were very powerful.”
Clark recalls the reports of the legendary Walter Cronkite. “We watched him nightly on the news reporting on Vietnam, always ending the program with the latest escalating body count—the total number of soldiers who had died in the war. It was yet another sobering, daily reminder of the turmoil of the times.” It was a time when traditions started to break apart. Cohen recalls being sent home many times from high school for wearing pants instead of skirts. “We came from an era of very conservative lifestyles. Wife made dinner, dad came home and put on his smoking jacket and had a martini. There was something called women’s rights at the time, and Gloria Steinem and Bella Abzug really influenced me to be able to say, ‘I can do what I need to do to make myself happy.’ “I chose Kent because I knew it was a school that had progressive theater department that really advocated women’s rights. I was there the weekend of the shootings. I had actually left campus to go to my dorm and I was a couple of minutes away when it all happened.” The concept of a foreign war remains the same between the current war against terrorism and the Vietnam war of the 60s’ and 70s’. The same cannot be said for occurrences on the homefront, however. What we go through and experience today and what unfolded in the American public during the Vietnam War are indisputably different—our teachers are proof of that.
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY NIKITA DHESIKAN & BRIAN ZHAO
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ohan Shitole loves flying planes and it was this passion that steered his direction in life. “I decided I wanted to join the military for sure when I was a freshman,” says Shitole. More specifically, his dream is to serve as an aircraft pilot for the Marines, a job he views as rewarding and challenging. He has been flying since the age of seven, completing over 80 hours of flying in three different aircrafts, all propelling his desire to fly as the years pass. Shitole has been training moderately in boot camp and left last week to embark on a three-month summer boot camp. “At first, when I started training, I did not like the change. I used to be an average, lazy kid who just watched television all day. But after I started training, I changed, and realized the change was good,” says Shitole. He changed in that he now has a stronger mindset when approaching difficulties and is no longer that lazy kid. After summer, he will attend the California Maritime Academy, where he will receive a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering while undergoing steady training, all in uniform. When comparing the differences, he says, “Instead of the free time and parties at normal colleges, the time will be replaced with drill meets, exercise and leadership classes.” He does not feel like he is missing out because his desire to “do something that is noble, matters and would keep people safe” overpowers the common need for a usual college experience. However, his goal does not stop here. After getting his degree, he plans to commission as a lieutenant in the Marine Corps and spend an additional two years getting a masters degree at flight school for the Marines. After that, he hopes to become a captain. After that, he plans on going wherever he is sent, spending the rest of his life serving as a fighter pilot.
Applications to the Navy can be sent in all year round: just fill out some forms about your background, your health, and if you pass your physical exams, get sworn in at a Military Entrance Processing Station like Moffett Field. Just two weeks after he applied, Yuh was accepted: the lack of drama was a stark contrast to his junior year, when he had four hours of calculus homework every night, when he quit nearly a decade of competitive swimming after he found he could no longer improve, when he first started wondering about the value of college, because his mom, who has Masters Degrees in history and business administration, never held a job before. His parents were initially concerned that it would be dangerous, that there would be racism, that the rigid, structured environment of the army would be too demanding. “But the Navy is very dynamic,” explains Yuh, excitedly reading from a brochure. “It’s twenty weeks of bootcamp and training, and then you can be a ‘Fire Controlman,’ or an ‘Electronics Technician,’ and, ooh, ‘missiles,’ that’s exciting.” Yuh can’t predict what he’ll do when his first tour ends in six years, whether he’ll re-enlist or go to college. What he does know, however, is that he’s honestly looking forward to life after high school. He expects plenty of surprises. “I guess I like taking orders. You never know what you’re going to do.”
I
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY NIKITA DHESIKAN
an Yuh’s mom talks about her son. “I want him to be happy. It seems to me that he won’t be happy if I force him to go straight to college. And I think the Navy will give him a lot of training in electronics and computer programming.” Ian smiles as he interrupts. He’s been through this before. “So you want me to go into a computer field afterwards?” She hesitates. “No, it’s up to you.” But that’s the problem. If it were up to Ian, he wouldn’t do anything. Yuh can’t make up his mind about what his interests are, so he wants the Navy to make it for him. It showed in his college apps: he chose a different major for each UC. “I just can’t sit down in a classroom and just study,” says Yuh, reflecting upon the decision he made last December. “My grades were okay, but I would say I struggle. I like adventures more. I want the opportunity to go anywhere in the world and travel to different places every month.”
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ive years ago, Gordon Ho moved to the U.S. However, he is still a Singapore citizen. Due to the Enlistment Act in Singapore, every male citizen must serve in the Singapore Armed Forces for two years. In December, Ho will relocate to Singapore and serve as part of the Singapore Air Force. Since Singapore is not currently fighting any wars, Ho does not believe he will be deployed. “We won’t actually be fighting. It is basically just being paid to work out,” he says. Besides the normal training, including running, shooting and survival skills, there are also some more enjoyable aspects. “There are some things that I’m looking forward to. My brother told me that sometimes they have simulation battles, but instead of using real guns, they use paintball guns,” Ho says. Ho comes from a family of military officers. His father worked as part of the Air Force for six years and his brother is currently in Singapore serving his two years. He also has one uncle who was a general and another who was an officer. Although he is forced to enlist, Ho still has a positive attitude. “If I had a choice, I probably wouldn’t go because it is a waste of two years. But since I have to go, I might as well make the most out of it,” says Ho. Two years from now, he plans to come back to the U.S. and attend college here.
ADHD: under-stimulated and overexcited M
BY DANIELLE LERNER & SARAH TARTER
any people use the term ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), as a general way of describing having a lack of focus. While the diagnosis may be widely known, however, there are many misconceptions regarding its treatment and symptoms. Although ADHD contains the word “hyperactivity,” the disorder itself is characterized by an under-stimulation of the brain. The brain’s constant craving for stimulation is what leads to fidgeting and the stereotypical symptoms of a lack of focus, prolixity and carelessness. School psychologist Brittany Stevens says, “There are a lot of strategies we suggest for students with focus problems that will help them cope.” She recommends studying while on a treadmill, listening to instrumental music while reading or talking out loud to oneself while doing homework. For studio art teacher Lee Akamichi, having ADHD has actually helped him. He was diagnosed ten years ago while in the process of diagnosing his daughter. When reading over ADHD symptoms, he recognized some of his own characteristics, such as his constant need to move around. “I laughed that [the diagnosis] was so late in my life. That’s probably why I’m a teacher; I’m curious about everyone and everything. I’m not embarrassed by many things, so it certainly wasn’t a stigma,” Akamichi says. He finds stimulation by maintaining a loud and en-
ergetic classroom environment, explaining that he deems it advantageous that he is able to juggle so many things at once. Treatment for ADHD can be provided through either medication or psychotherapeutic guidance. While usage of psychostimulants or antidepressants can be helpful in providing the necessary stimulation to relax the patient, if a student takes ADHD medication without having been diagnosed, it can actually have a negative effect. Stevens explains, “If you were to take a stimulant without having ADHD, there’s a possibility your brain would become over-stimulated, which would actually lead to a lack of focus.” Senior Jason Chang* mentions, “I probably won’t [tell people] I have ADHD because they’re going to ask me for Adderall and Ritalin.” Chang believes that it is best to avoid taking the medication whenever possible and says, “I do other activities such as yoga that help me focus.” Akamichi advocates instead for an ADHD discussion forum at Lynbrook where patients could gather to talk about their struggles to gain empathy and eliminate stigma associated with the condition. Overall, Akamichi challenges those with ADHD to accept it, saying “I hopefully serve as an example, that [having ADHD] is not like wearing a scarlet letter. It’s a way of life. Learn to recognize and embrace it.” *Name has been changed
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U AUSTIN Y E Y LI & NER, JO LLE LER BY DAN IE ILLUST RATION GRAPH IC
Football Homecoming One of the biggest moments in the history of Lynbrook football and sports was the 2011 homecoming game. Notorious for having a streak of losing every homecoming game for the past 18 years, the football team this past year made a strong comeback and managed to break this streak with a 28-7 win against Harker High School. MVP for the varsity team went to senior Austin Brady and for the JV team went to sophomore Joseph Chang.
Outside of the field, players worked industriously in the weight training room a few times a week and also managed to squeeze in yoga once a week. The hard work paid off and in the end, after defeating the Harker Eagles, the varsity team managed to end with an overall record of 5-5 and a league record of 3-3 while the JV team finished with an overall record of 6-4 and a league record of 4-2, ultimately ensuring that this football season was one to be remembered.
“I was pretty excited when we won homecoming. It was great being on the team that broke the streak, and I’m proud of what we accomplished that day,” says senior Kalvin Zee on being a part of the football team that made history this season on Oct. 19. RACE TO FINISH| Junior Anthony Huang passes a runner in the 400-meter dash at the De Anza Division Finals at Los Altos on May 3. Huang was one of ten athletes to compete in SCVALs.
BREAKING HISTORY| The homefield advantage helped the Vikings break their 18-year homecoming losing streak in the homecoming game against Harker on October 19, eventually ending their season with a 5-5 league record.
Track & Field After having ten athletes make it to SCVALs, the track team sent eight of those ten athletes to CCS, around the same number it sends each year. Junior Shaelyn Silverman, junior Grace Ling, senior Andrew Kuo, junior Jacqueline Hudepohl, senior Amanda Tam, junior Daniel Sun, and junior Ethan Chiou competed at CCS semi-finals on May 19th. Only Silverman advanced to the CCS finals. Although the team did not expect to have many members move on to States, Hudepohl says, “We were still hoping to set some personal records and maybe knock out some teams.”
“I really wanted to PR so I told myself before the race to push myself to the limit,” says junior Shaelyn Silverman of qualifying for the CCS finals.
Swimming Unfortunately, despite sending seven boys and nine girls to CCS this year, the swim team placed last at Leagues for the second year in a row. This means that the team will be moving down to a lower league, where they will be competing with schools such as Cupertino High School and Wilcox High School, who don’t have precision touch pad timing. This change comes after an expectedly poor season for varsity for both boys’ and girls’ swimming.
DIVING IN| Girls’ swimmers from Lynbrook, Saratoga and Los Altos jump off of the starting blocks during a March 30 meet at Saratoga. Despite losing every meet, the team still advanced to CCS. However, next year the team will be dropping down a league.
“It just means our faster swimmers are gone,” says senior Ian Yuh of the swim season’s end.
Boys’ Water Polo Despite a loss against Saratoga early in the season, the Vikings pulled themselves together for a well-deserved victory, capturing the league title for the third year straight. “There were definitely some nerves felt by the team because we’d had some trouble against Saratoga throughout the season,” junior Patrick Kim says. After placing first in leagues, the boys advanced to CCS. Despite a first-round loss at CCS against Gunn on Nov. 8, the team is still immensely proud of the way they performed throughout the season. “Although we lost the first round, we played well and some of our players even played their best of all season there,” sophomore Matthew Lund says.
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LI & RNER, JOEY ANIELLE LE TION BY D RA ST LU IL IC
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“I’m extremely happy with the way we played at leagues. We performed as well as we did in previous games and we’re satisfied with the outcome achieved,” says sophomore Matthew Lund.
PHAT MIKE AND THE BOYS| The boys’ water polo team captured the El Camino league championship for the third year in a row.
Girls’ Tennis Team
“We surpassed expectations,” says sophomore Annette Ma.
SWINGING TO VICTORY| After placing third in leagues, the tennis team advanced to CCS quarterfinals, where they lost to Monta Vista.
Boys’ Basketball
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After moving down into the El Camino league this season, Lynbrook was once again in the same league as rival Monta Vista, leading to the revival of Friday-night Quad games. Games were intense because the boys were playing teams very close to their own skill level. There were a few close games against Monta Vista that left the crowd on their feet, including one where Lynbrook triumphed, winning by a close two points.
“I’m glad we get to play MV because they’re our biggest rival,” says junior Marshall Cheng.
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SWING, BATTER BATTER| Junior Manisha Sriram makes contact during her at-bat in a game against Mountain View on April 5. Despite finishing the season with a losing record, the softball team thrived on team chemistry.
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JESSICA CAO —EPIC
“We never lost hope because we always played each game with a new mindset, and there were amazing moments in each of our games. We always put up a fight,” says Manisha Sriram (11) of their efforts.
“Our team was not playing as expected and the majority of the team and I struggled with hitting, as well as a lack of pitchers,” says Marcus Yee (12) of the baseball team’s disappointing season this year.
A SLIDING FINISH| Senior Marcus Yee slides into first base. With a particularly experienced upperclassman-dominated roster, the baseball team’s 0-8 record fell short of expectations.
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had all the support, coaching and time I needed, but what I lacked was the motivation to do my best. Instead of going to practice constantly ready and excited, I regularly made it to practice just barely on time, and reluctantly would begin working on swim sets I could hardly do in the first place. This made me wonder what could possibly give boys and even girls the motivation to work harder. In my eyes, there was only one answer that made sense: each other. Boys and girls are interesting creatures motivated by the smallest things, especially the opposite gender. They are always trying to show off to each other and stand out so people will notice them. And when you put an attractive girl or boy in front of them, watch as their efforts double to try to get that attractive person’s attention. This idea is foolproof. The two genders don’t necessarily need to play against each other (that would be a little awkward especially in water polo, if you know what I mean) but when they practice alongside each other, it can produce the same results. Many people think that girls will interfere with “men” sports, but a bigger issue at hand is the laziness of team members. What’s missing isn’t the proper skills required to conquer each respective sport; it’s the right mentality. Coaches will be able to motivate their teams much easier and the teams’ morale will be raised. Personally, if there was a pretty girl coming to my practices, I would make a conscious effort to get to practice as early as possible every day, eager and ready to do my best. I would groom myself, check myself, and check myself again and make sure that I would try and impress her with my skills. Likewise with the ladies, when there is a cute boy on the team, it’s only logical to look your best and put in 100 percent of your effort. If you want the boy (or girl), you want to look good and not like a lazy fool who can’t even put in the effort to look like he or she belongs on the team. It’s basic common sense. Letting more sports hold co-ed practices is nothing but a win-win situation. The boys can impress the girls, the girls can attract the boys and the coaches will never find any reason to complain about a lack of motivation on the parts of their teams. And if all goes well, you may even end up with a future prom date.
“I think it gets everyone more involved than football since everyone gets a chance to throw and dodge,”says Emily Fong (11) of Powderpuff’s transistion from football to dodgeball this year. The Powderpuff tradition originated last year. JOEY LI —EPIC
The girls’ tennis team’s season was filled with consistently close matches, culminating in a 8-4 league record with losses only to Monta Vista and Saratoga. The girls’ winning record was complemented by a first-place finish in the Paly Invitational tournament, Lynbrook’s first time capturing the championship trophy. The team went on to barely qualify for CCS by beating Palo Alto in their last game of the season, making it to quarterfinals.
Coed sports are an attraction for everyone
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WINDING UP| Junior Emily Fong rears back to throw a dodgeball during the May 22 Powderpuff game versus the freshmen. The juniors won, moving on to play the sophomores in the May 25 final championship.
RIDING THE ULTIMATE WAVE
Junior James Otani and sophomore Ajay Shenoy describe their experiences in the California surf scene. For them, it’s more than a sport.
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SURF’S UP| Junior James Otani rides a wave at Davenport Beach, Santa Cruz, California. Otani has been surfing for two years, visiting the ocean twice a month to practice and hone his skills while committing to safety.
BY AUSTIN YU
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he first time sophomore Ajay Shenoy stood up was “indescribable.” The feeling of weightlessness and the “rawness” of the whole experience were things he will never forget. And ever since then, Shenoy has been addicted to that same feeling, riding waves as much as he can in his free time. Shenoy and junior James Otani are both avid surfers, and though Otani is definitely the more experienced one, both can agree that, as Otani puts it, “[they’d] rather be surfing than doing anything else. I know it sounds corny, but it really does help you forget about everything, have a good time and become one with nature.” Otani started surfing as a way to explore his sports interests: “My friend took me out one time just to try it. I took his big foam board and he just taught me basic stuff. I caught my first wave and I was hooked; it’s a lot like boogie boarding!” From there, Otani discovered a gen-
uine passion and a real talent for riding the waves. Due to his experience in the water while surfing, Otani knows to always adopt and strictly maintain crucial safety measures when surfing. Says Otani, “Overall I just use my judgement and patience which are both crucial. Proper judgment can keep you from getting yelled at, smashing against sketchy cliffs, and rocks, and catching good waves.” By following his better judgment, Otani has never faced anysignificant injuries during his surfing career. “I can’t really think of any too intense situations,” says Otani. “I’m pretty conscious ofwhat I’m doing so I don’t get screwed,” says Otani. This lesson in practicing safe surfing came the hard way for Shenoy who once got injured when he was injured by a fellow surfer in the water. “I was paddling back from a wave and an older gentleman lost control of his board and it ended up smacking me straight in the gut,” says Shenoy. As enjoyable as surfing is as a pastime, the sport does not come without its
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own hazards and dangers. According to Shenoy, “there are definitely environmental hazards, because [you’re] essentially [surfing in] an open water front so you need to watch out for [things like] currents, other surfers, wave size [and] obstacles under the water.” These dangers pose obstacles for all surfers. Since initially learning to battle such dangers, Shenoy, who first began with a simple lesson on vacation in Oahu, has matured into a much better athlete, becoming so familiar and experienced with the sport, he is proud to report he “can now surf head-high waves.” Otani attributes his most memorable experiences while surfing to his strict adherence to safety and carefulness. “I remember one time I was surfing at a break more south of Santa Cruz and a dolphin pod came within 10 feet of me,” recalls Otani. “It was really scary but it’s cool to see nature at its finest. It’s really nice just being out in the water and catching waves, especially when it’s firing.” Otani has also encountered a whale during one of his surfing excursions. In general, both boys find surfing to be a pastime they would recommend to anyone, despite its dangers. And to those who might feel nervous, Shenoy asserts that there is no need to worry: “It’s one of those things that everyone can do,” he says.
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JOEY LI—EPIC
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Unfinished business BY GLORIA LIN, MICHAEL PARK & AUSTIN YU AUSTIN YU—EPIC
AUSTIN YU—EPIC
AUSTIN YU—EPIC
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t’s the end of the year, but for these Vikings, an unfulfilled promise isn’t something to be ashamed of—it’s something they will continue to strive towards. Clockwise from top left, senior Jason Jin proudly displays his Acura RSX Type S. Since he got it two years ago, he has continually added parts to it, such as an Injen Short Ram Intake and Function and Form Type 2 Coilovers. These won’t be the last mods. Hopefully, seniors Michelle Xu, Anika Dhamodharan and Erica Yin will continue to go on lunch dates every Tuesday trying to conquer every single eatery in the Bay Area. Junior Jia Gao works tediously on a painting in her second period Studio Art class. Senior James Hu rocks his Pure Blue Japan XX-013 collab with Blue in Green raw selvedge denim jeans. He has been wearing and fading them for over five months now. Finally, freshmen Sriharsha Addepalli, Edward Li, Vikas Shukla and Sasha Romanovsky work in their studio where they create their own stop motion films.
AUSTIN YU—EPIC MICHAEL PARK—EPIC
AUSTIN YU—EPIC
MICHAEL PARK—EPIC
MICHAEL PARK—EPIC