Issue 1, 2012

BY JANE JUN &YONI ZEMLYAK

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new harp, 40 dissecting microscopes and 80 TI-89 calculators.

This year, the school will enjoy many new assets provided by Lynbrook Excellence, an organization that works to expand technology and infrastructure as well as raise money for curriculum-related resources. The organization, whose main sources of funding are family donations and grants, was started in November 2011.

Sandeep Pandya, father of sophomore Ruchi Pandya, is the founder of Lynbrook Excellence. He said he wanted to start the organization as a way to combat the everdeclining amount of money schools all over California are receiving.

“Last year we raised a total of over $86,000 with $66,000 from 185 families at Lynbrook and $20,000 coming from corporate matching funds,” said Pandya. “The largest contribution was $10,000 from an incoming Lynbrook parent.”

Pandya got the idea to start Lynbrook Excellence from his experiences working at National Center for Edu-

cational Statistics at Miller Middle School.

“When Principal [Gail Davidson] came to Miller to give a speech, I talked to her about the need for an organization similar to NCES, but for Lynbrook,” said Pandya. Gail Davidson agreed, and soon after, Superintendent Polly Bove approved the decision to begin the Lynbrook Excellence charity.

With California spending $484 less on every student than in year past, and funds decreasing, Lynbrook needed a way to keep all its departments supplied with the necessary funds and equipment.

Lynbrook Excellence, which raised $86,000 during the 2011 to 2012 school year, is helping meet this demand.

These funds have been distributed to many departments, such as math, science, music and more. This year, Lynbrook Excellence aims to raise $250,000. The amount the organization has raised since the beginning of this school year has already exceeded the $86,000 raised last year.

The Science Department is enjoying a large portion of the bene�its provided by

Lynbrook Excellence. Chemistry teachers and students throughout Lynbrook will be enjoying the bene�its of 16 new hot plates to be used for lab experiments.

“The [hot plates] cost a couple thousand dollars, so we were able to buy them with the funds. They are really expensive,” said chemistry teacher Jon Penner. The hot plates will serve many purposes in chemistry, biology and physiology classes.

The hot plates are an upgrade over what the Science Department had previously. ”They’re digital and you get a temperature readout.

The old ones had a scale of one to ten. You had no idea what the number was. These will help us be more accurate,” says Penner. “[The hot plates] are small, they’re easy to store, it’s an upgrade.”

The biology classes have used their share of funds wisely, purchasing 40 new dissecting microscopes. The microscopes will also be used in experiments, such as

dissections. The microscopes will be utilized in both freshman biology and AP Biology.

For the Math Department, Lynbrook Excellence has purchased 80 brand new TI-84 graphing calculators, which generally cost approximately $100 each. Due to their high cost, graphing calculators are prone to theft, especially when left sticking out of an unsuspecting student’s backpack. Having calculators available in classrooms will help to minimize this risk, as students

see EXCELLENCE page 3

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY NEWS SECTION

New classes are introduced to the curriculum

BY EESHA KHARE

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his year, new classes of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) research, Accounting and European Literature allow students the opportunity to explore different subject areas.

The STEM research class allows students to conduct individual research during school hours to compete in science fair.s Students deconstruct scienti�ic journals and learn about using scienti�ic resources to conduct successful science projects.

“Our goal was to institutionalize it and spread it to other schools,” STEM teacher Amanda Alonzo said.

The Accounting class teaches the basics of accounting, which is communicating �inancial statements. Accounting combines conceptual learning and case studies with an online program called Aplia, which allows students to apply knowledge to hypothetical scenarios. The Accounting class allows Bhat to explore a different facet of business.

Junior Susmitha Bhat said, “I’m in the process of �inding my career path and why not give accounting a try?”

The European Literature class has also been added to the English curriculum.

Designed to better prepare students for college literature, the class offers more substantial novels to improve students’ interpretive and writing skills.

Novels in the curriculum include The Inferno by Dante Alighieri, among many recognized novels.

The STEM Research, Accounting and European Literature class will become permanent additions to the school curriculum.

Legislative council takes on more responsibility Food Trucks

BY SABRINA JEN

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he school’s legislative council will play a larger role for the current school year by being more involved in ASB decisions and delivering information to homeroom classes. Legislative Council can now be a better communication tool between homeroom classes and ASB, while developing stronger leadership skills.

As of now, the legislative council also carries the important role of passing clubs on campus. Community Link Commissioner senior Marshall Cheng said, “Legislative council is an important part in planning and organizing new events as well as having other responsibilities, like passing clubs, and people should realize this.”

Many students are not aware that the legislative representatives actually have a large amount of rights regarding school decisions,

which Cheng feels is very important.

“I don’t really feel that the student body takes legislative council as seriously as the ASB expects,” said sophomore Allison Tam, who was a former legislative representative.

Tam felt that students didn’t pay attention while she was talking and didn’t “value legislative council.”

ASB decided to give legislative representatives more opportunities to be involved in ASB-related decisions and activities.

“We felt like the legislative council system wasn’t being formally utilized in helping to create better student leaders,” advisor Andrea Badger said.

The ASB of�icers have decided to change the announcement system since many staff and students were concerned about its inef�iciency. Intercom announcements are only on Mondays and Fridays. Tuesday and Thursday announcements will be delivered through

the class representatives.

ASB president Stephanie Hahm said that the report from representatives will make announcements more focused because the representative “can choose from the announcement sheet which ones are more relevant to the audience.” The ASB team also hopes that students will pay more attention to the representatives since they physically see the person communicating with them.

Hahm hopes that revamping the legislative council will allow ASB to get a better idea of what students are thinking.

To create a more formal atmosphere during the congregation, legislative council meetings have been moved from the cafeteria to the auditorium.

For more on this topic, see “Addressing the root of the ASB legislative council” on page 5.

• pg. 9

USED WITH PERMISSION OF LYNBROOK HIGH SCHOOL

SANDI STOBER HONORED BY REDEDICATION

BY FRINA REDOLOZA & VIK WAGHRAY

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he recent rededication ceremony of Stober Field on Sept. 1 was held in honor of Sandi Stober, an icon of dedication, determination and inspiration, and the momentous contributions she made to the Lynbrook athletics department.

A committee of staff members began planning the rededication last year. Approximately 150 alumni from the 1960s to the 2000s celebrated the rededication of the �ield named after Stober, who had passed away in early 2001 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Linda Nichols, Gail Davidson, Stober’s family members and alumni gave welcoming comments in the new football stadium, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and an alumni �ield hockey game. There were several activities for children, including a bounce house and face-painting booth.

More than just fun and games, the rededication ceremony was a reminder of Stober’s contributions to and achievements for girls’ athletics. “There were no of�icial Lynbrook sports for girls before Stober got here,” said history teacher Jeffrey Bale, who attended Lynbrook when Stober taught PE and coached sports. “Stober was a big pioneer for high school sports, especially for women. She started the �ield hockey program at Lynbrook in only her second year.”

Stober was known for being dif�icult to impress during her years at Lynbrook. “I had her for PE and even then she was very demanding, always trying to get the best out of you—that’s what I liked the most about her,” said Bale. “She never allowed us to become complacent with where we hap-

pened to be; instead, she always strived to coach us to become better.”

Stober’s desire for improvement drove her to create a �ield hockey program, one that amassed 20 league titles and ten Central Coast Section championships in Stober’s 32 years teaching at Lynbrook.

Stober reached beyond the boundaries of high schools by emphasizing the equality of girls and boys. In Stober’s years, boys were given the spotlight in sports. PE teacher Nichols, who was a student, colleague and best friend of Stober, said, “Girls were not allowed in the gym for sports, they had to play their basketball games on the outside courts. It wasn’t until 1977, when the girls were allowed in the gym, but the only time they could have it was �ive o’clock in the morning.”

Stober was especially instrumental in making Title IX a reality at Lynbrook.

Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, says that “no person, on the basis of gender, will be excluded from participation in, be denied the bene�its of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity.” Stober implied that sports was a part of education and should be subject to the same rights under Title IX, emphasizing the fact that girls and boys had the same potential and that girls should act upon their rights. Because of this, Stober took a stand on exposing sports to girls, starting with the launching of a �ield hockey program.

When the �ield hockey program took off, it was a “glamour sport,” Bale said. “Because of the immense success the �ield hockey team was having, many girls wanted to be a part of it, and those who were on the team were de�initely proud of it.”

Lynbrook’s newly made �ield hockey team turned out to be a dominant force, one that would be known across California for its high level of performance. “For the most part, private schools had the reputation of commanding the �ield, but because of Stober’s coaching, Lynbrook �ield hockey took the high school sports world by surprise. Stober managed to exceed expectations and create an unprecedented powerhouse,” Bale said.

Additionally, since Lynbrook did not recruit athletes for its athletics program, Stober created championship-caliber teams from students, with or without �ield hockey experience, who were interested. She accomplished the challenges of creating a successful �ield hockey team from scratch through coaching. Stober received the National Western United States Special Sports Coach of the Year award, an annual honor recognizing exemplary coaching, in both 1986 and 1992, for her work on the �ield hockey program.

The effects of Stober’s coaching methods were evident even after players graduated. More than 50 Viking �ield hockey players went on to compete in �ield hockey collegiately.

“Every year from 1977 to 2001, at least one graduated Lynbrook �ield hockey player played for Cal’s �ield hockey team,” Bale said. “That shows just how consistent Stober’s teams were.”

Although it has been a decade since Stober passed away, her legacy as a one-of-a-kind coach and teacher at Lynbrook is still felt today.

“The thing with Stober was that she just had such a warm personality,” Nichols said. “When everybody got to meet her, they just fell in love with her. We had some great times together and shared some wonderful memories.”

Pictured above, from left to right, is one of the several �ield hockey teams Stober coached, Sandi Stober and the rededication ceremony, where relatives of Stober cut the ribbon.

BY PRASANN RANADE

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n Oct. 5, Lynbrook will host “Coming Home 2012,” an event for alumni to revisit the Lynbrook campus and watch the �irst homecoming game held at home.

The Lynbrook Alumni Network planned for and organized this event as a way for all alumni to get together and come home. The event will be held in the cove at 3 p.m. and cost $30 to enter. The alumni, led by members of the leadership team, will tour the campus, watch the varsity football game against Fremont High School, get meal tickets for food and receive alumni memorabilia at the end of the tour. Unlike previous years when the Homecoming game was held at Cupertino High School, this year’s game will be held at home.

The highlight of the event will be watching the homecoming game in the new stadium. Construction on the new stadium began Sept. 2011, and it of�icially opened Sept. 1, 2012.

“It’s at our own home stadium and that’s really special because it’s exciting and you feel pride for your team,” said varsity football player junior Rahul Chander.

On the other hand, math teacher and alumnus Linnea Romander still

thinks about the memories she had at the Lynbrook homecoming games she attended at Cupertino High School.

“Every time I go over to Cupertino, I get a wash of memories coming back,” said Romander, “When I go out to this �ield, I don’t have those memories.”

Nevertheless, other alumni are still excited to be a part of this signi�icant milestone.

“It won’t be nostalgic [for the alumni], but it’s going to be as monumentally cool to them as the �irst home game was to me,” said business teacher and alumnus Andrea Badger.

Principal Gail Davidson said, “This is a historic event, to actually have a real Friday night Homecoming game at home.

Lynbrook students have never experienced that, so they don’t know what that’s like.”

“It’s an opportunity to see our players, at our school, at our own school, instead of going somewhere else to cheer them on,” said sophomore Rahul Sabnis, “It’s kind of a way for them to feel pride for their own team.”

The LAN will plan two more reunions in the next few years, the Lynbrook Mega Reunion in 2013 for the classes from 1960 to 1980 and Lynbrook’s 50th anniversary in 2015.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY NIKITA DHESIKAN & JEFFREY YANG

Alumni return for Coming Home 2012 event

News in Brief

New media room open for business

Halloween Concert Choir will host a Halloween-themed concert, “A Little Fright Music,” Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium. Tickets will be on sale starting Oct. 16 at lunch and brunch in the ASB of�ice. They will also be on sale at the door for $8.

The PTSA will hold its annual Night on the Quad event Oct. 9 at 5:30 p.m. in the gym. There will be a dinner, silent auction, club presentations and several performances. Clubs and other school extracurriculars will hold fundraisers and informative presentation booths. Tickets are $15 pre-ordered and $20 at the door.

There will be Italian, Chinese, and Indian food available.

Cupertino Diwali Festival

The 10th Annual Cupertino Diwali Festival will be held at Memorial Park in Cupertino Oct. 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission is free and planned activities include multicultural music, dance performances, arts and crafts. Ethnic food will be available for purchase.

Facilities Construction Updates

Phase 2 of the Lynbrook Sports Facilities Improvement Project has been initiated. The majority of Phase 1, reconstruction of Stober Field, Main Field and the track, has been completed. Work on planting, landscaping and installation of irrigation bubblers continues.

Homecoming Dance

The theme is “Bright Lights, City Nights.” It will be held on Oct. 6 from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in the gym. Tickets are $13 with ASB and $15 without and will be sold on the top of the quad. They can also be purchased for $15 at the door.

There will be photography available at the dance.

By Shouvik Mani and Hima Rajana

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JOEY LI

Night on the Quad

NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR NEW INNOVATIONS| The new media room (from left to right): strobes, various backdrops and screens, cameras, and new computers.

BY JOEY LI

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ynbrook’s new media room has been completed and is now open to Valhalla, the yearbook; the Epic, the newspaper; Vertigo, the literary magazine; and photography and �ilm clubs.

Last year, the Fremont Union High Schools Foundation gave a $20,000 grant to support media communications programs in Lynbrook, raised through parent donations. Advisors of the aforementioned clubs planned out the $5000 conversion of the storage

EXCELLENCE| Departments receive funding continued from EXCELLENCE page 1

will not take home the calculators while leaving them unattended in their backpacks.

Having calculators available in classrooms will help to minimize the risk of theft, as students will not have to take home the calculators while leaving them unattended in their backpacks. Graphing calculators are used extensively in classes such as AP alculus and Statistics, and these new calculators save students hassle and time.

The music department has also used its share of funds well, the highlight of which has been purchasing a brand new harp, the single most expensive item bought. This addition has allowed students such as sophomore Sunny Wu to perform in the school orchestra. She said that when she received the Lynbrook Excellence 2011 to 2012 Annual Report in the mail over the summer, she was “astounded” by how much of the funding went towards purchasing a harp, which can cost more than a cheap car.

Wu said, “The music department isn’t always considered a top priority. I truly appreciate the amount of generosity Excellence has provided, and I can’t thank them enough for their support. I know that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to play the harp in the orchestra today if it wasn’t for them.”

In addition to providing funds to almost every department on campus, Lynbrook Excellence in Education has opened a gate to a brighter future for all Lynbrook students, while helping students discover hidden talents and passions. The Lynbrook Excellence charity has provided resources that may never have been obtained before. The organization itself will continue doing its job, expanding students’ academic horizons, while giving teachers the opportunity to enhance their instruction.

room attached to Room 611 into a media and production studio.

The rest of the funds were left up to students; as Principal Gail Davidson said, “The people that best know what they want to do with the money are the students themselves.”

“Students in publications could all integrate some multimedia into their work, and this studio could just be the catalyst that makes it all happen,” said junior Albert Chang, a photographer for Valhalla. A student committee met near the end of the 2011 to 2012 school year to make plans for the

new production studio. The �inal package they came up with includes video cameras, studio photography lighting, backdrops and computers for video editing.

“I think it’ll help us with smaller specialty projects, such as photoshoots and object photography,” said Valhalla Editor-in-Chief senior Ethan Chiou. Regardless of which students or which clubs are using it, the possibilities for the studio are nearly limitless.

“Everyone has a slightly different image for the studio but it has the potential to be functional, scalable, and timeless,” said Wang.

Ashley & Serina Wei Ashley and Serina Wei’s favorite thing to do together is shopping because they can get trustworthy feedback from each other. With normal friends, people tend to censor frank critique to avoid hurt feelings. As twins, however, the two can be honest with each other and thus get more valuable advice. Like other twins, the girls enjoy similar hobbies. They share the same fascination for music and dancing. The twins’ fondest memory together is a comical one. They both attempted to conquer the cinnamon-eating challenge together, “but failed and coughed it up all over each other,” said Ashley Wei.

Elin & Ethan Chee Elin and Ethan Chee are both in cross country and share other extracurricular activities. Elin Chee said, “we experience a lot of the same things and help each other go through hard stuff together.” They have their twin moments, such as bursting into song—the same one—simultaneously. “We get along surprisingly well,” said Ethan Chee, “It is relaxing to hang out with [Elin].”

The two are different from the Babins in that they share fewer things in common. Other than their mutual passion for soccer, their preferences, such as taste in food, music and hobbies, differ. Despite these differences, and though “they may not read each other’s minds” according to Elin Chee, they understand each other extremely well, more so than normal siblings.

BY JANE JUN

With multiple pairs of twins in this year’s freshman class, reporter Jane Jun gets to know four sets of twins a little better.

Alice & Evita Babin As both best friends and sisters, the two girls say that they “can tell each other anything.” The twins have moments after dinner when they laugh together so hard that they test their parents’ patience.

The Babins just moved to the Bay Area from Israel and did not attend Miller Middle School, so they are in the process of acclimating to the new environment. “Having a twin really helped me [adjust] because on the �irst day or so we didn’t know anyone. But each of us already had one friend,” said Alice Babin.

The most remarkable aspect about their relationship is their level of communication. So quickly they understand each other, the girls say they can often tell what the other is thinking. A word is enough to express a longer thought.

Jim & Anna Sussenguth The Sussenguths say that they like to bring humor into their relationship and always treat each other with mutual kindness.

Though they may be fraternal twins, Anna and Jim Sussenguth both enjoy similar hobbies and share similar interests. They both like to stay active and enjoy activities such as Taekwondo and long distance running.

Anna Sussenguth says that her favorite memory with Jim is when they went on a luge for the �irst time during a vacation in Europe. “Basically a luge is a cart on a metal track in a hill. It was amazing! We had a blast!” she said.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY FEATURES SECTION

LHS welcomes new staff members JOEY LI — EPIC

NEW FACES ON CAMPUS | Lynbrook welcomed seven new teachers this year. From left to right: Patrick Kitson, Jennifer Griffin, Brad Fulk, Stephanie Wu, Mitch Basin, Jennifer Taylor-Smith and Jason Lee.

BY PRACHI LAUD & RANI MAVRAM Patrick Kitson: “I’m a different kind of guy,” said new Special Education teacher Patrick Kitson. Kitson enjoys motorcycle riding in his free time. He also built a cottage consisting of an of�ice area and bedroom. Kitson majored in History at UC San Diego. “I was interested in the stories of the people of the past,” he said. His teachers at UCSD in�luenced him to pursue a major in educational leadership at San Jose State University, and he previously taught for nine years at Fremont High School. He looks forward to sharing his adventures with his students for years to come.

Jennifer Grif�in: Physical Education teacher, Jennifer Grif�in, is a Lynbrook alumnus. This is her fourth year at Lynbrook, but her �irst as a teacher. This year Grif�in is teaching PE 9 for freshmen. Grif�in studied at San Jose State University and majored in Kinesiology for her undergraduate degree. “This is what PE is, human movement, physical activity

and how it impacts health and quality of life,” said Grif�in. “Teaching gives me the chance to work with students everyday while doing something that I really enjoy,”

Brad Fulk: What did the little acorn say when he grew up? “Geometry!” For any student taking Brad Fulk’s Geometry or Java this year, this joke might be familiar.

“I’m goofy for a math teacher,” he said.

Fulk originally chose to pursue a career in Electrical and Computer Engineering, but having enjoyed coaching high school sports, Fulk chose teaching computers and math as a profession. “I’ve always been kind of a computer nerd,” said Fulk, chuckling.

Stephanie Wu: Challenged by students who dislike math, Algebra 2, Trigonometry and Pre-Calculus Honors, teacher Stephanie Wu wants to help every student succeed in math. As she found during her teaching career at Dorsey High School and San Jose Downtown College Prep, students “have a history of struggling with math,” said Wu.

Her policy is not to abandon students, but to aggressively help and encourage them. “I can’t read their minds,” said Wu, “so I need them to talk. I want them to discover the belief that they can succeed in math,” she said.

Mitch Basin: “Jack of all trades, master of none” is a saying disproved by the new teacher at the Voyager Program, Mitch Basin. His career began with a four-year enrollment into the Marine Corps, leaving him with a respect for discipline. After that, he managed a home for the mentally disabled while he worked toward a graduate degree in Psychology at the University of Nevada, but he eventually left that job because, “It was just too demanding,” said Basin. Basin’s goal is for students to learn. “If I have to use me as an expense for them to learn,” he said, “I don’t mind.” Basin hopes to bring his experiences into the classroom and challenge students to be their best.

Jennifer Taylor-Smith: Originally from the Bay Area, Jennifer Taylor-Smith is work-

ing as a Special Education teacher this year. She studied at Santa Clara University, majoring in Sociology. For her masters and teaching credentials, Taylor-Smith went to Notre Dame de Namur University. She was inspired by her cousin, “who has severe special needs, and we got along really well. I never thought I would end up as a teacher, but I wanted to try it out.”

Jason Lee: A student teacher last year, Jason Lee is back this year as a science teacher.

After majoring in Marine Biology at UC Santa Barbara, Lee worked at marine labs. “I got to play with various marine organisms when feeding and cleaning their tanks and serving as a tour guide for �ield trips,” said Lee. Lee was inspired to teach because of the enthusiastic AP Biology teacher in high school. When asked why he chose to major in Marine Biology, he replied eagerly, ”Honestly? Finding Nemo.” Lee enjoys teaching so much that he said, “I hope to be teaching Improv on a cruise ship in the future.”

How to take the perfect profile picture

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hile there may be no socially scheduled event for changing your pro�ile picture, a new school year means new pictures, which means new pro�ile pictures, which means new opportunities to bask in some well-deserved attention. But in a world where likes make right, how exactly do you pick the perfect pro�ile picture that will get all the ego-�luf�ing, grammatically impeccable comments like “OMGGG so pURRTTYY!!” or “wau ur eyes are gorg0us” under your belt? Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place. Here are a few sure�ire ways to make yourself more interesting online, from least recommended to most: 1. Your Actual Face 2. The Myspace Angle Let’s be honest. There are two ways to get someone to click on something these days: it’s either pretty or it’s creepy. In the event that your face is not earth-shatteringly, soulpiercingly beautiful, I suggest going for the shock factor in your admirable journey to acquire all the likes. Looking extraterrestrial is eye-catching enough to get a decent amount of attention that will distract from any �laws you might have.

First, take your camera and make sure it’s facing you. Then tilt the lens downwards so that your head now looks disproportionately large compared to the rest of your body. For maximum good-looking-osity, wear circle lenses of an obnoxious hue like that of a highlighter, get gauges larger than Gatorade caps and don’t forget to wear a t-shirt that thoroughly conveys the depth of your mommy problems. Now, make your best I’m-somuch-better-than-you face, throw up a gang sign or something equally appropriate and voila! You have the Myspace Angle.

3. The Surreptitiously-Pose-Next-To-Nature Picture We get it, you like to ponder life’s big questions while stroking a tree. Moving on.

4. The Whatever-Club-You’re-In/Advertisements/Vote-For-Whoever Photo Because if people don’t read the �lyers, listen to announcements or talk to their friends, they’ll de�initely take the time to read the minuscule font for an event now that you’ve substituted it for your face. This isn’t to say that you’re not supporting a good cause, but considering we’re already bombarded with club noti�ications at school, the last thing I enjoy seeing is more of that on Facebook.

5. Siblings or Other Adorable Relatives Your siblings are a lot cuter and overall more likable considering they’re not the ones we have to see at school everyday. Any picture involving them doing something as complicated as crawling is enough for me to like it and then comment about how “OMgGGg i wish there was a LOVEEE buttun” like the pinnacle of literacy I am.

6. Your Actual Face + Photoshop Suddenly, you’re a lot more interesting.

Popular poses include the K-pop model, the forced laughing-with-friends or a group photo with the sunset conveniently in the background. Whatever it is, making yourself look constipated-ly happy is guaranteed make people wish they were in on the not-at-all staged fun.

So that’s it! How to make your pro�ile pictures awesome while maintaining the dignity and poise you may or may not have lost in the process. If you’ve read this far, I don’t know whether to feel sorry for you or try to be your best friend. Next time you go online, keep these in mind and thank me later.

Peace out girl scout, Yunqing

Double take on Hero Movie Mania

BY PRACHI LAUD

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’m gonna put you on hold,” Natasha Romanova says as she turns away from her phone call and back to her interrogator. In a swift movement, she slams her foot into his shins. I roll my eyes. Doing a shoulder roll, she jumps up, crashing down on the �loor to break the chair she is tied to. And yet, as I watch her strutting off the screen, there isn’t a scratch on her low-cut, tight black dress and pantyhose.

In action movies such as The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises, women are being stereotyped as sexual objects or mere “assistants” to the male protagonist. Our movies need females brought to the foreground, more than male heroes, to provide role models for young girls.

Women’s real purpose in superhero movies is little more than to provide eye candy to the male viewers, a fact accentuated by their standard black leather, curvehugging leotards and tights, almost always accessorized by provocative poses. “Women are shot in ways that men simply aren’t,” said senior Aakansha Sinha.

I’d like to see the day when a girl can wear her favorite �luffy bunny jammies and still save the world.

In a few recent movies, directors of modern action �ilms have attempted to introduce stronger female characters, like Catwoman and Black Widow by giving them more active roles. Female superheroes, while they might be lacking in the buff department, are unequivocally more skillful than their male counterparts. But even when women are powerful and wily, their chief weapon is seduction, building up an image

BY JAMES WILHELMI of women as manipulative people. For example, in The Dark Knight Rises, Catwoman, although a quick-witted and skillful ony Stark offers a slight smile as he calmly observes the character, spends her time using men as playthings in order Chitauri �leet descending upon New York City. “How to obtain what she wants. about that,” he deadpans. He then blasts off into the sky, As a woman in a modern society, “I �ind it offensive fully prepared to �ight to the death to protect mankind from the that we aren’t portrayed as equal, just as eye candy alien invaders. or a sideshow,” said junior Toshita Jagadish. Female Male superheroes like Iron Man are extremely superheroes are the calm, cool decision makers that save positive �igures in every aspect, and far exceed their the world, unlike the passionate males that are calling all the female counterparts. Superheroes have all of the physical shots in action movies. Oh, boys. Imagine what kind of a huge and mental characteristics that any man could possibly want. mess your lives would be in without Heroes usually embody what most people aspire to become: perfect. the girls.

“They [superheroes] have superhuman strength, they are really smart, Yet it is not fair to put all the and they are really rich,” says sophomore Eric Liu. blame on the writers and directors.

Additionally, these superheroes are highly moral beings who It is hard to think of situations that take on evil that is present in the world. This combination of “bring out the more courageous ideal ethical qualities creates role models for young men to look side of women,” said sophomore up to. “That’s why parents don’t mind letting their kids watch Sunny Wu. these movies,” says sophomore Conover Wang. “It gives us Men will be men. The movie a chance to put good morals into the younger generation.” industry needs more Hermione Doing the right thing seems cooler when Green Lantern, Grangers and Katniss Everdeens Captain America and Wolverine do it as well. than it does Iron Mans and Green Although these superheroes have powers that no man could Lanterns. ever attain, male viewers are given the feeling that they are “You want not so different from these heroes because of the presence to be able of an alter ego. The alter ego makes superheroes seem to look at less mythical and more like ordinary people. Wang says, these women and say, ‘I “Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Spiderman...all these can respect her,’” said Wu. superheroes embody someone with a real-life identity. For Step by step, the movie industry instance, Spiderman is a reporter who is a grandma’s boy. Batman’s is giving women more value a rich man who owns a major company, but he feels like it’s his duty as in�luential leaders. With to make a difference in Gotham City.” Each of these heroes has qualities more girls assuming this that make them relatable to a male audience. The thought that these men role in Lynbrook and our feel compelled to do good encourages viewers that they, too, can make a community, I hope the difference, ordinary as they may be. future will bring more In contrast, female superheroes are extremely �lawed characters. While they reverence for women, may have desirable physical traits, their morals are often questionable at best. and some While male superheroes treat women in a gentlemanly fashion, female heroes, badass female such as Catwoman, view men as mere objects to be used for reaching their goals. superheroes.

Their subpar sense of ethics makes female superheroes in�initely poorer role

T

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION

BY JESSICA CAO AND KELSEY HURWITZ

models for girls compared to male superheroes for boys.

Male superheroes are ideal both in body and indeed, but are also everyday people when they take off their capes. They both inspire and entertain in equal parts, making them far superior to their female brethren.

MOGO SHORT RIB BURRITO | For $7, Chipotle offers a better lunch burrito deal in size/taste.

MOGO PORK TACO | These $2 delights offer an interesting Asian twist on the traditional taco.

Taking a bite out of the Bay Area food truck invasion

BY JOEY LI

F

ood trucks are making a comeback. Initially invoking a nostalgic image of a shiny bullet-shaped truck serving lunch to cheery workers, the food trucks of today are personality- and sustenance-�illed wonders located via Twitter or Facebook. The Bay Area is home to a number of food trucks, each with their own individual �lavors.

I stopped by one of many regularly occurring organized food truck gatherings after tracking its scent through the internet and settled down to partake in a hearty meal.

Such congregations often have a picnic-like feel, where people of all sorts come to eat.

Disclaimer: I split much of the food with a friend, lest anyone accuse me of having un-

healthy eating habits.

I began at a Mogo Korean barbecue truck with the pork taco ($2) and short rib burrito ($7). I don’t know what it is about them, but I’m just a huge taco guy—for long and far I have scoured the land for the perfect taco. Mogo’s offerings may not be the most faithful to traditional tacos, but faithfulness takes a backseat to the ecstasy of the KoreanMexican fusion. Korean barbecue pork with a mixed slaw on top offered a unique sweetness to the taco, while the meat was very tender and the double tortilla was a nice touch.

My only complaint was slight greasiness at the end but I suppose that can’t be helped.

The taco was quick work though, and it was on to the burrito. To me, Chipotle burritos, despite their ubiquity, are something

TASTEE BYTES CHILI FRIES | Basic $6 chili fries, nothing spectacular but nothing to complain.

of a standard against which other burritos are measured. Their size per dollar is unmatched, and Mogo goes to prove my point--$7 bought me a foil-wrapped item about 2/3 the size of a typical Chipotle burrito. I found the meat to rice ratio to be off, erring on the side of too much rice. I’m not the biggest fan of kimchi either, though their kimchi fried rice had an interesting �lair.

My friend purchased chili fries ($6) from the next truck, Tastee Bytes. The truck serves various American-style foods like pulled pork sandwiches and wings. There was nothing special here but the fries were “tastee” indeed. Mixed up and eaten with a fork, the only problem was the guilt that came upon peering at the empty paper tray.

I sort of wish I got more fries for the money,

but that could have dealt quite a blow to my waistline. I ended the meal with a scoop of mint cookie ice cream ($3) in a cone from the Scoops ice cream truck. This is no runof-the-mill ice cream truck; Scoops offers �lavors like pistachio crunch and salty caramel.

The ice cream was smooth and well �lavored, with bits of Oreo cookie blended in. Unfortunately it was soft to the point of melting and I had a mess on my hands to deal with afterward. On the bright side the single scoop was rather large.

So I left feeling contented and full, though slightly craving more tacos and chili fries.

I suppose there are plenty of food trucks around to satisfy me though, and for now, I’m off to refresh my Twitter feed to �igure out where to go for lunch.

SCOOPS MINT COOKIE ICE CREAM | A good value for a $3 respite on a burning summer day.

PHOTOS BY JOEY LI — EPIC

Lights, Camera, Lessons from Nathan

BY IZABELLA KIPNIS

J

JOEY LI — EPIC

unior Nathan Kastle has been acting since he was nine years old, but still faces challenges every time he steps onto the stage.

He struggled to get signed with independent agents and �ind a casting director he was pleased with. In addition to taking acting classes that helped in�luence his abilities as an actor, Kastle has been in multiple short �ilms, at least ten stage productions, and has taken intensive summer acting courses.

For Kastle, acting is more than a passion, it is a life commitment. When Kastle plays a role, he spends a huge amount of time exploring the character. For him and many other actors, it is essential to understand character motives, how they would act in certain cases and what they think of certain ideas.

While Kastle loves performing, he faces challenges with certain roles but has succeeded by learning from his struggles.

Through his experiences, he has picked up some helpful tips that would bene�it other young aspiring actors.

The most pivotal task is becoming the

character. Last fall, when Kastle played a lead role in Lynbrook’s 2011 fall production, Death Trap, he struggled to connect with his character, Clifford Anderson. In dramatic plays such as Death Trap, it is hard to act spontaneously. “It’s hard being natural when people expect extraordinary,” said Kastle of the most dif�icult aspect of acting.

To avoid seeming stiff, Kastle has to pay attention to small details every day. When he catches himself doing small things such as stuttering, laughing, sighing, or hiccuping, he stops and thinks about the action to remember how to reenact it in the future.

Kastle can always �ind something to improve

on. Whenever he starts a new play or �ilm with which he has little experience, it all goes out the window.

Kastle is conscious of the fact that an actor can never reach perfection. There are always new concepts to learn, and there is always someone better or more experienced. It is important to not take these facts as barriers, but rather to use them as resources in order to improve.

This past summer he studied with teachers who were past students of the famous actress Stella Adler, who founded the acclaimed Stella Adler Academy of Acting.

He learned concepts at the program that he would not have learned if everyone there was not at an advanced level.

In the long run, to supplement Kastle’s advice about character acting, it is important to have a technical background in theater. Having a head shot, being on a casting website, taking acting classes and reading acting books can enhance one’s versatility. With all of these tips, Kastle demonstrates that the world of acting is not as intimidating as it may seem.

BY EESHA KHARE & FRINA REDOLOZA

W

ith the increasing prevalence of technology, it has become more important for schools to implement technology into curricula so students can become more familiar with and better utilize online resources. Khan Academy, university courseware, TED Talks and Quizlet are online resources that are thorough, easily accessible and valuable, and should be used to supplement the traditional classroom learning environment at Lynbrook.

One helpful online resource is Khan Academy, a non-pro�it organization that provides over 3,400 step-by-step instructional videos and accompanying practice problems in math, science, computer science, economics and the humanities.

Khan Academy has been successfully incorporated into curriculums of over 25 schools in the Bay Area, including schools in the Los Gatos School District.

Instead of students turning to unreliable resources such as Wikipedia and Yahoo Answers for help with their homework, they should instead refer to a reliable forum like Khan for supplemental guidance. In addition, teachers can use the exclusive online teacher tools to monitor and assist students who need more than an instructional video.

Similarly, Quizlet can be incorporated, as students and teachers have the ability to create sets of anything from terms to practice test questions and share it with the rest of the class. The language teachers at Lynbrook are already putting Quizlet to

use. French teachers Valerie Amzallag and Denise Schang assign students certain sets as homework, since Quizlet keeps records of the sets each student creates or edits.

students to an effective, reliable source.

Despite the enthusiasm of students who use online resources, some prefer being able to directly interact with teachers.

Such online resources are worthwhile because they can be used in addition to textbooks. Senior Ethan Wendler said, “They’re both helpful, but I use the Internet more than books for studying. It’s easier to access.” Online resources have been key tools in studying for a majority of Lynbrook students. Resources such as Quizlet should be added to this list to help turn

Sophomore Katherine Cheng, who sometimes uses Khan Academy at home, said, “I think books and asking teachers for help is better. If you ask teachers, they get what you’re saying even though you don’t really know what you’re asking.” While teachers do offer this advantage, Khan Academy can be used in addition to communicating with teachers. Khan Academy is intended to be

used as a supplement to the teaching done in a classroom, not replace it.

Online resources including TED (Technology, Engineering, Design) Talks and university courseware such as MIT OpenCourseWare are also free and available online, full of short videos that cover a variety of topics. Like Khan Academy, MIT OpenCourseWare offers a speci�ic Highlights for High School program that allows teachers and students to learn many courses at a college level through supplemental exams, lecture notes and problems. .

Students can watch videos for homework and come to class with speci�ic questions so the class can be directed by what students do not understand, helping teachers and students use class time more effectively. Moreover, online teaching supplements offer an easily accessible, useful resource for students to �ind information to supplement reports.

Junior Charles Taylor said, “With books, a lot of things can be dif�icult to �ind. You just have to keep searching through libraries.” On the other hand, technology provides an easy way to search for the direct information needed for a problem or report. Students can speci�ically locate topics in their reports to save time searching for information and spend more time learning.

Textbooks and teachers have been a powerful force at the core of education. However, it is possible for classrooms and the Internet to join forces to further fortify these walls. With the advent of online resources becoming a popular resource in many schools, Lynbrook too should establish such a system to incorporate the new generational skill of technological learning.

Time for ASB to sweep away the club pile-up

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aving to pick and choose from over 75 clubs is yet another decision for Lynbrook students to worry about. Although ASB has revised the clubs handbook to be more clear and strict, there is still much room for improvement. ASB should enforce the new regulations more strictly, and students should be held accountable for their organizations to make sure these clubs truly impact the Viking community.

Just scrolling down the clubs list on the Lynbrook website is overwhelming for students looking to �ind a club to join. Freshman Crystal Mah noted, “When I �irst saw the page, I noticed that a lot of the meetings were at the same time, so if you want to join both [clubs], you have to choose.” Most students �ind that this choice is an unnecessary burden, especially because clubs do not make their goals clear.

“Clubs could have made their descriptions on the school website a lot clearer because after I read some of them, I still had no idea what they were for. Also, a lot of clubs just said they were for community service, but that didn’t help me see what made them different from each other,” said Mah. The whole

point of the clubs website is to make it easier for students to �ind out about the clubs on campus. Freshman Bobby Ma said, “From the clubs list, I couldn’t tell what the difference was between FBLA and DECA, and after club meetings, I noticed Toastmasters was sort of like extra Speech and Debate practice. The only way I chose clubs was by word of mouth about which ones were better.” If clubs really want more members, they should start accurately portraying what they do.

Despite the fact that ASB manages clubs, it should not be blamed for overlapping meeting times because it is the club of�icers’ responsibility to consider their potential members when coming up with club plans. “ASB can’t tell clubs when to have their meetings.

With limited classrooms, advisors, and time, there are bound to be schedule con�licts, but it’s up to clubs to �igure out meeting times for their members,” said ASB of�icer junior Arnav Mishra.

Clubs on campus share more than just meeting times. As senior Yu Lin Chen put it, “All the service clubs we have on campus practically do the same thing—serve the community. This is why I decided that service clubs needed to be brought together through a Joint Service Committee.” While

the creation of club alliances is an option, merging clubs proves to be an improbable solution. “I question the existence of some clubs, since many overlap,” Mishra said, “but ASB cannot force clubs to combine, and club of�icers won’t like the idea either because in the end, many of them merely hold these positions to write about them on college applications.”

Clubs Commissioner senior Irene Hong said, “I have less of a problem with too many clubs than I do about students creating clubs just for the sake of of�icer positions. It’s not the number of clubs, but the question of whether these clubs are actually making a difference in the community.” While ASB has changed regulations so that clubs have to be a part of at least two Lynbrook-sponsored events a year, meet at least twice a month, and have a minimum of 15 members present at 2/3 of every club event, they have yet to enforce these rules strictly.

ASB has been working on changes to Legislative Council in addition to the revised Clubs Handbook, but it must be clearer in its execution in order for plans to work. Change can only be seen if participating students,

like Legislative Council Representatives, are more keen in determining which proposals are worthy of club status, along with the moral obligations of club founders to create clubs that aren’t just for college applications.

ART ILLUSTRATION BY KHAYA BHATIA, ANAND CHUKKA & MICHELLE SU

BY MICHELLE SU

For more on this topic, see “ASB and Clubs: What de�ines success?” on page 11.

Addressing the root of legislative council issue

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hange—for better or for worse.

From the completion of the football stadium to the incorporation of social media for classroom instruction, students have experienced quite a bit of change coming back to school. One of the most notable changes so far lies with the renovation of legislative council and its role as a branch of student government.

In addition to passing clubs, legislative council duties have broadened to include daily announcements as well as volunteerism with school activities such as dance set-ups.

The push for such a change came as a result of student representatives on the council feeling neglected as a contributing unit to student activities on campus. While allocating more tasks may provide legislative council with more responsibilities, the central issue of the council is still not targeted: student attitudes towards the legitimacy of legislative council.

In previous years, legislative council has been seen as the lowest form of student government and illegitimate as a result of two factors: how easy it is to

become elected as a representative and how unproductive the council has been in serving the student body.

The �irst factor stems from a strong sense of apathy demonstrated by students towards campus issues. Perhaps this is simply an extension of the lackadaisical attitude young adults harbor towards government and politics in general, studies show.

Regardless, this sense of indifference affects how students view the importance of selecting a legislative council representative to express their views and opinions.

Because students regard the selection process lightly, the result is usually a representative who grows to feel apathetic—perhaps even burdened—of their responsibilities as a classroom rep.

This is not to say all leg reps feel this way; however, the generally unconcerned attitude of these council members has led to somewhat poor decisions regarding club approvals in the past. Senior Clarence Tan says, “[Legislative council] is a very good practice of democracy, but I think it’s too lenient about passing clubs.”

It makes one wonder if these legislative representatives truly have the entire student body’s interests in mind when passing or failing club proposals.

It makes sense for students to view leg council on the lower end of student government since the group has not served the campus on a large enough scale for the entire student body to recognize its contributions. Sure passing clubs is important and essential to student life, but the majority of students do not see this action taking place.

In order for the changes within legislative council to truly aid the student government, legislative council representatives need to shift their mindsets and begin to think about the entire student body when at meetings.

Simple tasks such as bringing up student concerns from each representative’s respective homeroom, or even just having homeroom reps show up to meetings during Tutorial, will help make the council more respectable amongst students.

This will ensure that a variety of student voices are actually being represented in these meetings. Community Link’s decision to provide apparel for the representatives this year will also bring about a sense of legitimacy and respect for the legislative council.

Legislative council is on the track towards reestablishing its role as an important branch of student government.

Perhaps by the time the �ield renovations are complete, the council will have gone through enough changes to reaf�irm its prominence to the general student body.

Evaluate students with words, not labels

BY SARAH TARTER

S

chools have established a black and white criteria in order to evaluate a student’s worth; if you earn an A, you are smart, and if you earn an F, you are stupid. What they fail to recognize is that intelligence cannot be boiled down to a spectrum of �ive letters.

The purpose of school should not be to test a student’s ability to stay up late and memorize facts, but to teach students how to become well-rounded individuals that will make a positive contribution to society in the future.

The best way to do this is to abolish the letter grade system, which encourages machine-like production, and enforce a system of narrative evaluations, which would encourage students to focus on their personal, cumulative growth rather than being represented by a series of scores.

AP English Language and Composition teacher Rick Hanford attended UC Santa Cruz, where he was graded based on narrative evaluations. Hanford believes that, in most circumstances, narrative evaluations are more bene�icial than letter grades because, “If you get an A, it means you’ve done excellent work but nobody knows exactly what you excelled in.”

The current grading system is very effective at producing the employees of tomorrow. It teaches students to work hard, memorize information and perform upon demand. It molds human beings into robots who can receive instruction and implement it as directed. However, it is quite ineffective at producing well rounded individuals with the ability to solve problems and think creatively. Written evaluations of a student’s performance throughout the

semester would drastically change their mindsets, better preparing them to be successful in the future. These evaluations would create a generation of entrepreneurs and CEOs, because students would feel encouraged to think outside the box rather than conform to the monotonous system.

The letter grade system encourages students to be sel�ish, dishonest and deceptive. It teaches them to do whatever is necessary in order to ensure that they get an A, which causes them to cheat, lie and think only of themselves in order to be successful. These are not the kinds of people that should be running the country in the future. It is important for leaders to genuinely care about their peers, to value honesty over mone, and to understand the importance of originality.

History and economics teacher Nate Martell, who also attended UC Santa Cruz, mentions that, “I liked it because for each class you got a written, detailed explanation of your performance. It gave a more complete or well-rounded picture of your performance.”

However, he adds that it may be impractical to ask teachers to write hundreds of evaluations, because of the heavy workload. While writing evaluations would be much more work than calculating letter grades, the bene�its would outweigh the costs because written evaluations are more valuable in the long run.

They would prevent students from feeling like their worth is determined by scores and letter grades, and would encourage students to work in a manner that will help them make them better contributions to society.

Get out of the class spirit mold, school unity is gold

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lass spirit is overrated. Rallies, Powederpuff, football, Homecoming you name it. It’s all in good fun from a neutral perspective, but we all know what actually goes on during inter-class competitions.

It’s nothing less than a class war, disguised by games and decorations.

Walking out from a rally, the topic of conversation is never about rally content, but rather an endless stream of “We beat the sophomores!” or “Wow, their decorations sucked.” Class unity has always been dominant to school unity simply because it’s easier to partake in. Intense competition without consequence draws us in, and while schoolwide cooperation is desired, it certainly isn’t as captivating as rivalry.

Most students from each grade have been with the same general group of people since middle school. Naturally, comfort zones have stayed in the same nearby vicinity of each class’s milieu. But that doesn’t suggest, by any means, that everyone else is an enemy!

We all enjoy a challenge, and teams are conveniently separated by class. Lynbrook’s academic program is already more rigorous than those of average schools, so do we really need yet another area to compete in? We already bring everything we’ve got to excel in school, and that’s perfectly �ine. Don’t carry your academic frustrations into class competitions. Shout your stress away, but you don’t need to beat another class in order to go to that Ivy League school you’ve dreamt about since kindergarten. These activities are not signi�icant enough to reserve so much negative emotion. Spirit is meant to be fun, not just a competition.

Rarely do we stumble upon healthy interclass competition. The so-called “fun” that goes into the process of rallies and Homecoming leans dangerously toward abhorrence of the “other side”, and we fail to see the alternative: Lynbrook’s fabled concept known as healthy competition.

Rallies are no longer rallies without constant scorn and contempt. Homecoming is not Homecoming without rumors of tireslashing and vicious resentment. Powderpuff contains quite a good bit of violence that everyone secretly relishes. These intra-school competitions, instead of being primarily spirit and fun laced with a bit of indignation, are actually quite the opposite.

On the other hand, competition isn’t completely bad either. When given in the right context, competition can bring a group together. No, it’s never tranquil when you’re pitted against friends from another class.

Conversation reaches that ineffably awkward moment when you let slip your true opinions of their class. And that’s why inter-school competitions are such a relief. Suddenly, class labels are gone, and you’re left cheering on the same side as everyone you see on a daily basis. Past grudges are forgotten, and you join forces with other classes, everyone who was originally on the opposing team.

Those involved in sports or school activities understand the bene�its of inter-school activities. After a game or tournament,the need to distance yourself from those of another grade never appears. You’re on the same team as the people you see daily, so you’re free to celebrate a win or wallow in loss obnoxiously without directly offending anyone—because the only ones who might take offense don’t go to the same school.

We’re all together here at Lynbrook whether we like it or not. So let’s prove we’re more civilized than a pack of British boys on a desert island. Remember, we’re all playing for the same team. Not only does it feel more rewarding, but it also prevents unnecessary enmity. Spirit is Spirit. Let’s keep it that way.

What in the world happened to ‘May the best candidate win?’

More respect for the quiet population

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umans love to categorize things— we love �it people into neatly ordered spectrum. In terms of personalities, it may appear black and white, with those who are looked up to and those who are not, the good and the bad, those you want to be like and those you do not.

Naturally, extroverts become praised and preferred in American society whereas introverts are not.

Such a polarization can be seen in today’s education system, which is heavily geared toward the extrovert. Desks are arranged in groups, allowing us to face one another and engage in conversations.

There is a constant stream of group projects, group discussions and group presentations all encouraging us to be loud and bold in expressing our opinions, and to completely utilize our First Amendment rights. In fact, we even get rewarded for speaking up by getting participation points. Consequently, it becomes intertwined with our grades.

This shapes a very verbal culture as per our taught philosophy. People become quick thinkers and familiar with one another through explicit social cognition.

There is constant pressure to produce on demand and to think quickly on our feet.

But in such a culture, being silent could be a problem.

For example, when people do not attend rallies or dances, others may call them “unspirited” or “antisocial”—strong words intended to negatively portray that individual. That person might just not enjoy the loud, the noisy and the crowded.

After all, rallies and dances are optional school events. Regardless, the doctrine prevails; the “quiet” are strongly looked down upon. But this train of thought is not right. We need to respect the preferences of others instead of criticizing their nonconforming choices. Simply put: people differ. This difference should be appreciated because it contributes to the diversity of human life. Despite this movement towards producing a population full of extroverts, it is projected that one third of Americans are introverted. It could be nature or it could be nurture, who knows?

The quiet still exist, as a minority, and thus need to be protected from judgment and respected. Their voices are still heard.

When it comes down to it, people need to be more accepting and not judge based on what they do not know.

Being an introvert or extrovert elucidates a person’s societal preferences: whether a peaceful, quiet environment or one �illed with people and conversation stimulates a person. According to Susan Cain’s de�inition in her novel Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, introverts often offer their creativity and insight and engage in deep conversations. They enjoy activities of quiet concentration, listen more than they talk and think before they talk. Extroverts tend to be more aggressive when seeking social stimulation.

But, against the stereotype, being introverted does not mean a person is shy or antisocial. It just means that they seek quiet in order to collect their thoughts and to recharge.

In the spirit of respect, for introverts, it is okay to enjoy the quiet settings. For extroverts, it is okay to think unconventionally but respectfully when realizing the power the introverts have.

The division is not black and white; it is not good or bad.

It’s gray.

BY HENRY SHANGGUAN

R

omney Hood? Obamaloney? The presidential election is less than 40 days away, yet the back-and-forth between President Obama and Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney resembles more of a childish playground dispute than a respectful debate between two mature men vying to head a country. High school students deserve a higher level of dialogue between their two presidential candidates: more time and focus on issues, like revamping our struggling economy, and less time Tweeting snide remarks about each other.

In what is becoming the most negative and muddled presidential campaign in recent history, both Obama and Romney have sunken to “mudslinging,” utilizing insults and lies, in an attempt to get a leg up in the campaign. Both candidates have shown utter disregard for integrity, approving ads built upon stretched truths and tenuous claims.

The 2012 Presidential Race seems to have become less about showcasing a candidate’s policies and more about sullying the opponent’s reputation. “It’s become natural to know that they’re just trying to get at each other,” said freshman Rahul Iyer.

For example, the Romney Campaign’s claim that Obama’s new welfare plan would allow recipients to collect checks without working is a wild distortion of a plan which aims to do the opposite. A pro-Obama ad implying that Romney holds responsibility for a woman’s death after his company shuttered her husband’s factory is equally unreliable.

Both ads received the lowest possible honesty rating of “pants-on-�ire” from fact-checking website Politifact.com. “The Fiscal Cliff is December but no one is discussing that. It’s all about personal attacks,” said senior Harish Rajaram.

Familiar with the realm of politics and campaigning, especially at a high school level, ASB Secretary junior Divya Saha believes

mudslinging has no place in any election effort. “Mudslinging should not be your way of getting the upper hand. You should have other qualities and skills that appeal to the public,” said Saha.

ASB President senior Stephanie Hahm, agreed: “They should be higher than that. If they want to lead, they should show leadership qualities. A lot of people are looking up to them.”

According to both Hahm and Saha, Lynbrook students are courteous during campaigns and refrain from slandering or belittling their opponents. Yet, while even high school candidates do not hurl insults, mudslinging on the national level becomes more rampant by the day.

Saha believes “the unfortunate matter of fact is that after candidates mudsling and win elections, people forget about what they said.”

For many students, though, mudslinging only makes politics less appealing. “Politics already have a reputation of not being entirely truthful,” said freshman Ethan Chee. Lynbrook JSA President senior Andy Tsai added that—for students who have little interest in politics—“negative campaigning only serves to disillusion them about the election system in the United States which results in even more political unawareness and apathy.”

There are dangers in leaving this phenomenon unchecked. Some students may turn away from political activity, while others who continue to internalize candidates’ lies will have “political views for the rest of their lives formed by mudslinging and campaign issues,” said Rajaram.

However, politicians are not the only citizens at fault. Negative campaigns thrive

...citizens try to fix the rundown country.

on ignorance and acceptance. To frame ourselves as helpless to these candidates’ indoctrination or powerless to compel our candidates to speak candidly about the issues, especially at an academically and politically active school like Lynbrook, is inexcusable.

Nobody is forcing us to accept these insults as truths. Our negligence in �inding out the truth and questioning the politicians’ statements has been our own doing. Freshman Amrita Iyer said, “There just aren’t many high school students who are concerned.”

As upcoming voters, it is our civic responsibility to take action against this national deterioration of campaign politics. The easiest solution is to take a few minutes to check facts, think critically, and question the media. Factchecking websites such as Politifact. com are great for �iltering information and verifying our candidates’ claims.

Take a few minutes to make your voice heard by writing a letter or tweeting your district representative; start a group, initiate a movement.

For those who have come of age, get to the polls. Tsai referenced the 2005 Virgina gubernatorial election during which Kaine made his opponent’s attack ads a campaign issue: “Kaine proceeded to overcome a poll de�icit and win. Taking this race as a precedent, there is a way for candidates to end the deterioration of campaign politics,” said Tsai.

“Young people have the biggest opportunity for change,” said Rajaram. “Young people can go to the booth and vote and stop mudslinging from continuing.”

It’s time to take action. After all, if we don’t take a stand, who will?

From the perspective of LGBTQ

BY NIKITA DHESIKAN

T

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JANE JUN & JOEY LI

he lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community at Lynbrook is a prominent, but often overlooked group on campus. While members of the LGBTQ community may only be recognized during the annual Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) panel, they still face battles to be accepted and treated equally by their peers all throughout the year.

The path to coming to terms with one’s sexuality is not an easy one. From �ifth grade, senior Joseph Buckmaster, who identi�ies himself as gay, was constantly teased. The jests were sometimes as direct as “You’re so gay, dude,” while at other times, Buckmaster received spiteful comments on his Formspring website.

“At that point, all I wanted to do was deny it,” Buckmaster said. “I just kept telling myself that it was people being immature and dumb. I tried to convince myself that it was not a big deal because all I wanted to do was �it the stereotype of a normal, straight guy.”

After repeatedly receiving similar comments, Buckmaster thoroughly thought over his own sexuality and eventually came to the realization that he, in fact, was not straight.

“It was really dif�icult to come to terms with being gay,” Buckmaster said. “But with the help of a couple friends, I managed to accept it as part of me.”

While acceptance can be dif�icult, most LGBTQ students identify coming out as the hardest part. Because sexuality is now a controversial topic in politics, the media and society, it is impossible to predict how others will react.

“Coming out was one the most nerve-wracking things I’ve ever done because I didn’t know how people would feel,” Buckmaster said. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to lose friends or gain friends. I didn’t know what would happen.”

“It was just terrifying,” said senior Sabrina Woolhiser, who identi�ies herself as bisexual. “There is not really any other way I can describe it.”

Both ended up �inding a generally positive support circle at school from both friends and the GSA. But not everyone at school has been as accepting. Although no one has ever said anything directly to either of them, they both have heard people talk about them behind their backs. As a result, LGBTQ students have developed a sort of shield from all these verbal attacks.

“The fact of the matter is that people are going to say what they want,” Buckmaster said. “I just don’t associate with people who talk about me like that.”

Freshman Cosette Madeleine, on the other hand, has had people insult her directly on multiple occasions. In fact, when she originally came out in seventh grade, her friend called her “disgusting.” The small word has left a powerful impact. As she describes the conversation, which took place around three years ago, her voice still wavers slightly.

“It was devastating,” Madeleine said. “I felt like an outcast. For the �irst time, I felt like I couldn’t be myself.”

Lynbrook has taken several efforts to limit attacks like these; however, according to Madeleine, it is the students that need to step up and be more respectful. Although signs saying “No homophobia” and having the words “That’s so gay” crossed out in nearly every classroom on campus, stu-

dents still throw out the word “gay” as a negative adjective without thinking twice.

“The use of ‘gay’ actually hurts,” Madeleine said. “How would someone feel if their name was used as an insult?”

Not everyone in the LGBTQ community, however, shares the same feelings.

“My friends use the word ‘gay,’” Woolhiser said. “I’ve used it. I just don’t care that much because most of the time, people don’t even mean it.”

Members of the LGBTQ community, while they may often go unnoticed, have developed strong characters and attitudes, which help them get through any hurdle that is put in their way.

Woolhiser mentions, “We will always care what people think. But, this is who I am and I am not going to change because of the opinion of uninformed people.”

This mentality, along with companionship of other LGBTQ students through GSA, helps students keep their pride in who they are. Even Madeleine, who had previously been at the breaking point because of peoples’ words, said, “I don’t even care anymore. If people say things, it doesn’t bother me because they are just being immature and don’t know what they are talking about.”

Although there is much distance to cover before the LGBTQ community is completely accepted at Lynbrook and throughout the community, Madeleine said, “I believe there is a future for gay people. Things may not be perfect now, but we’re getting there. My hope is that by the time I get married, I’ll be allowed to marry who I want and be accepted for who I am. “

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY IN-DEPTH SECTION

Looking into all aspects of the rave culture

BY JESSICA CAO

Location

O

riginally following the principles of PLUR, or Peace, Love, Unity and Respect, raves are dances featuring electronic music and light shows. There are several de�ining characteristics of raves: the music, location, people, and attire.

Location

In the Silicon Valley, raves are usually held in San Francisco and the East Bay Area, and occasionally held in San Jose. Legal raves take place at concert venues, while illegal or underground raves can be held anywhere from warehouses to studios to restaurant basements. Holding underground raves, though not necessarily permitted by law, still includes a well thought-out planning process.

“It’s not something that people just do randomly one night,” said junior Jasmine Johnston.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JANE JUN

Costumes Though scantily clad, what girls wear to raves can be extremely elaborate and sometimes involve a measure of both fashion design and creative doit-yourself projects.

Johnston makes and sells rave attire such as custom bras, corsets, tutus and bottoms from her company, “Under the Stars,” on Facebook. Johnston takes hours to decorate bras with carefully arranged rhinestones, pearls, tulle, fake �lowers, spikes and ribbons. One of her designs is named “cherry blossoms,” while another is named “pink punk with spikes.” Many designs are asymmetrical, with �lowers on one side or a large bow dominating the piece.

Junior Tiffany Tsai, on the other hand started making bras and corsets for other people at the

Drugs

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JOEY LI

“There’s a whole crew of people who have to get permission from property owners to host events and make sure people attending know about the possible consequences of attending.”

Raves can last anywhere from half an hour to several days. One-night rave concerts last for about �ive hours, underground raves start at night but are sometimes broken up immediately, and rave festivals start in the daytime and end the next day.

At bigger raves, there are LED panels �lashing with different colors and patterns behind and around artists on the stage.

Common genres are house, dubstep, trance and techno music. Each has subgenres such as deep house and futurepop, classi�ied by the tempo, bass line, use or lack of vocals and �ilter effects.

“There are typically three artists on the line-up during a �ive-hour rave, but raves with different stages and rooms will sometimes have different genres playing at the same time,” said Johnston.

Costumes

beginning of 2012.

“I began making rave bras for my friends’ 16th birthdays as like a ‘party in a box,’ because a lot of the events now are 16 plus,” she said She also considered selling her works, “but setting up a payment system ended up being too complicated.” Tsai sources cheap bras from Burlington Coat Factory and decorating supplies from cloth and crafts stores like Michael’s and Hancock Fabrics. Said Tsai about her working process, “I kind of just improv[ise] by bedazzling pieces with a few colors, then continuing on with whatever I have.”

Glittery, colorful clothes are not a requirement for raves, according to Johnston, but she said that bras for raves with themes “are fun to make.”

“I don’t think making these takes that much skill,” said Tsai. “All it really takes is a creative mind and having the materials out in front of me.”

Drugs “The age limits for raves are mostly because of the drinking and drugs,” said Tsai. “A lot of events which used to be all ages were changed to 18 plus or 21 plus because someone overdosed and the organizers just don’t want to deal with the liability issues caused by deaths of minors.”

This brings up another thing raves are infamous for: drug use. There is the ubiquitous concert drug, marijuana, and then there are the more dangerous hallucinogenic drugs generally reserved for raves.

“I’ve seen people snorting cocaine and taking pills like ecstasy and acid,” said Tsai. “Personally, I go sober and still have a lot of fun.”

Tsai also abstains from using drugs because she does not know how she would react to a drug in an unfamiliar and public place and does not want to take the risk of putting herself in a dangerous

PHOTO BY KELSEY HURWITZ

situation. So what is it like being on certain drugs?

A Lynbrook alumni who wished to remain anonymous says, “Being on ecstasy is like the name suggests. It’s an unexplainable feeling, that you can only really know how it feels when you’re on it and there’s nothing quite like it. Which makes you want to do it more and more and more. But that can be said for any kind of drug really.”

“Whip-its,” involve inhaling canisters of nitrous oxide meant for whipped cream. “[Whip-its] cut the oxygen �low from your brain, causing you to feel dizzy. Kind of like a high,” said Johnston.

Johnston explained what happens when somebody overdoses, “I know people who overdose start going into seizures and their head starts to fall back. And they’ll most likely pass out.”

“And yes, they still do drugs,” she replied when asked whether those who had overdosed before, continued to do drugs.

New clubs search for the secret to success

BY SHOUVIK MANI

A

SB de�ines an active club as one that has a minimum of 15 active members, but there is a fundamental difference between activeness and successfulness.

Though 75 clubs may currently exist on campus according to community link commissioner sophomore Ruchi Pandya, only a few new clubs, de�ined as those passed in the last semester, can retain members year after year and develop a permanent presence on campus.

For example, while some clubs such as Laminar have fallen apart amid leadership disputes, others such as the Philosophy Club have been discontinued due to lack of interest. What has been consistent, however, is the nature of successful clubs chartered recently. Many seem to transcend the requirements that ASB sets for them.

For instance, Neuroscience Club, a club that was newly charted in January 2012 and

grew from 30 members to 74 members, went beyond classroom meetings to organize a Think Gum study and a school-wide STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) speaker event. This school year, the Neuroscience Club will organize more

events, such as a TEDx (Technology, Entertainment, Design) event in January 2013.

“We wanted to be more than just another science club,” said junior Shritama Ray, vice president of Neuroscience Club. “Our mem-

bers are not the type of students who want to become neurosurgeons in the future, but are people with a variety of interests.”

Other new clubs, however, struggle to stay a�loat. For instance, Guitar Club, which was passed by Legislative Council last year, was left without an adviser; now, junior Ryan Lin is looking for a new adviser and must resubmit his club to be approved again.

“It’s so frustrating,” Lin said.

“Since there are so many clubs, it’s a logistical issue, and it’s hard to �ind an advisor.”

ASB is now playing a greater role in club management as a response to the struggles that clubs face. Legislative Council, which is in charge of passing clubs, has been reformed greatly in recent years.

“Before we came in, there was no process whatsoever,” said junior Arnav Mishra, former community link commissioner and current IDC representative, of passing clubs through Legislative Council. “We put in a system in which you had one minute to pitch your club and two minutes for questioning.”

The new ASB Club Handbook, formerly

known as the ASB Clubs Constitution, also outlines policies for clubs to follow.

Also, each club is required to have a constitution describing the of�icer election process. Not everyone is comfortable with a more involved ASB. Among them is junior Vidur Sanandan, an of�icer of Toastmasters Club and Aspiring Music Producers (AMP), who complains that ASB’s policies in the new club handbook are too rigid.

“The club handbook itself is very streamlined and very effective, but in general, I don’t really see the problem with having too many clubs,” said Sanandan. “In fact, I don’t see why more clubs shouldn’t be there,” Meanwhile, ASB maintains that its new policies effectively address concerns.

“We created the Club Handbook to give clubs a centralized location to refer to when they have questions,” said Assistant Principal of Activities David Erwin. “We wrote this with �lexibility in mind.”

Erwin believes that if there is enough demand for a club, there will always be room for that club to exist.

“Clubs are most successful when they start out from the grassroots and their of�icers and advisor are engaged with them,” said Erwin. “But I can never be sure that a club will be successful 100 percent of the time. I have no crystal ball.”

BY JACOB ANTONY

S

eniors Karen Ito and Kento Nii are seniors, but not really. Both skipped their junior year this school year, which will allow them to graduate a year earlier than a typical student at Lynbrook.

Nii’s reason for skipping a grade is that he has to move back to Japan next year, because of his parents’ work.

“Colleges in Japan starts a year earlier, so I would have to redo senior year in order to have to the proper credit needed to graduate,” he said. Nii, who was born in Japan, heard from a friend about how he would be able to skip a grade in high school in order to ful�ill the requirements to attend Japanese school wtihout repeating a year. From then on, junior year wasn’t an option for him.

Ito’s story, however, is a bit different

from Nii’s. “I heard about the process from Kento,” she said. “Since I’ve always wanted to move back to Japan, I thought it would be a good idea to graduate earlier.”

Though she is taking typical senior classes like European Literature and US Government, the school still lists her as a junior.

“My ID card lists me as a junior, but since I’ll never be able to participate in activities as a real senior, I get to be involved in them this year,” Ito said.

The impact of skipping a grade on social lives is small, but still noticeable.

“I remember before the �irst rally I had chosen to wear the navy blue color for the junior class,” said Ito. “When I walked into class that morning everyone was just wearing red, because the class of 2013 is just so spirited. And here I am standing there in front of all these red people! It was the most awkward thing!”

“My friends sometimes call me a ‘traitor’ be-

cause I cheer with the senior class,” Nii said.

“It’s a joke of course, but still.”

Both acknowledge, however, that despite the fact that they will not be graduating with their friends in 2014, they have not faced any barriers when it comes to making friends that are in different classes.

“I’ve made friends in both classes, and the groups can be juniors or seniors.” However, Ito mentions she is concerned that “I won’t be able to do a senior ad with my friends, because they’re all juniors.”

People have incorrectly assumed the two skipped grades because they are are too advanced for their current grade level. “People always tell me I must be smart, but then I have to tell them my story,” Nii said. “I’m no genius.”

Both have come to the consensus that anyone can skip grades, but they just have to “be willing to take online courses as well as summer classes,” according to Ito.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KELSEY HURWIRZ AND SARAH TARTER

Skipping grades

Ito highly recommends that people skip grades if they are interested, but not for the college application process, “because you shouldn’t load up on AP classes.”

Nii, however, disagred with this perspective. He said, “Given the choice, I wouldn’t skip any grade in high school. I’m just doing this because it’s necessary.”

It can be dif�icult to take a path like Nii’s or Ito’s through high school.

“We do allow for ‘early grads,’ kids who graduate in three years,” said assistant principal of guidance Kathleen Sullivan. “However, they still have to take all courses and credits to graduate. They do this by taking summer classes and a few, approved, virtual classes. Anyone is eligible to request this and very few do. Kids almost have to know they want to do this by the end of their freshmen year so we can start planning their classes accordingly.”

Facebook transforms into an online store

BY NOORSHER AHMED & KATHY JANG

I

n the past, people mainly used consumer-to-consumer (C2C) electronic commerce sites such as Craigslist and eBay to sell merchandise. Many students now, however, use Facebook as a virtual marketplace because it is more convenient than posting items on C2C sites.

For example, junior Eric Chuu sells shoes, wallets, clothes and purses at a pro�it after purchasing them online or in stores during sales.

“Facebook is more interactive and easier to communicate with customers,” said Chuu. “It also promotes the product more when multiple people are asking about info and prices.”

Students can also bypass the fees of tax and shipping that exist on other C2C electronic commerce websites.

Facebook is a free social networking service, so any student advertising or transactions done is without cost.

Because of this, student entrepreneurs �ind Facebook to be the ideal market place.

For example, it is against eBay’s policy for a minor to sell merchandise on the site or to even be a member. eBay also charges for auctioning and selling items, as well as for optional features such as PayPal. These factors may sometimes discourage students from joining in.

“I didn’t want to invest any money in this endeavor,” said senior Lucy Matveeva, who sells shirts, purses, jackets, a TI84 graphing calculator and SAT books on her pro�ile. “I did not want to risk losing any money in this.”

More than being exempt from tax and shipping fees, using social networking sites for commerce also allows young entrepreneurs to target their products to speci�ic audiences, such as a more localized consumer �ield.

Personalized clientele, such as Facebook friends, allows for a more condensed area of sales to friends and family.

Other young entrepreneurs �ind that Facebook also pro-

vides a network of people with similar interests; in this case, students often look for clothes and books online.

Senior Jacqueline Lin, for example, makes and sells One Direction-themed shirts for three months. In this case, Lin took advantage of her interests in art and One Direction.

Matveeva, too, chose to use Facebook as her marketing tool because while her family shops at C2C sites, she �inds Facebook “easily accessible.”

“Facebook is not only easily accessible, but the scope of your sale is limited to your network of friends,” Matveeva said. “While it may seem like a bad thing that you’re limiting sales, it’s actually a good thing because you know you can trust the people you’re dealing with, and it’s easier to make transactions when everyone lives nearby and we have a de�inite place to meet.”

Facebook’s easy communication appeals to buyers as well, such as junior Jessica Lin, who bought Japan tsunami relief shirts off Facebook.

“Buying stuff on Facebook is easier because you should at least have an idea of who is selling the goods, and usually the transfer of money and goods is direct rather than online or through shipping,” Lin said of her experience.

For Lin, Chuu and Matveeva, their experience with selling items through Facebook has been quite a successful one.

Lin has made more than $300 from selling One Direction shirts, while Chuu has made around $250 this past summer from sales on Facebook.

Matveeva earned about $300 from clothes and about $50 from selling SAT books for herself and her friends.

“I needed to make money and gain sales experience, and honestly, I had nothing to do over the summer,” said Matveeva. “I was inspired to sell things [on Facebook] after I made $10 selling my friend’s TI-84. I thought it was an easy way to make bucks, so I �igured why not sell more?”

USED WITH THE PERMISSION OF LUCY MATVEEVA

SKY HIGH | Senior Lucy Matveeva posted this picture on Facebook to showcase all the SAT workbooks she has sold to her Facebook friends.

JOEY LI —EPIC

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS| Senior middle linebacker Kyle Williams breaks away from the pack, recovering a fumble en route to a touchdown. The Viking defense scored twice in their 27-6 win over James Lick.

New coaching staff revitalizes football program

BY SARAH TARTER

T

he varsity football team is undergoing a makeover this year. Because of a new coach, a new set of goals and a new mentality, the team is gearing up for a revamped season. The coaching staff is hoping to focus on getting the players to maintain a positive mindset, while promoting players to consistently encourage their fellow teammates.

Coach Jim Grassi is new to the program this year, and is looking forward to his �irst season working with Lynbrook athletes. Grassi played football in high school at Archbishop Mitty, as well as in college at the University of Redlands, which was a Division II school at the time of Grassi’s attendance. He has previously coached high school football at Santa Teresa High School and Evergreen Valley High School, and has been coaching for a total of seven years. Grassi believes that this year’s team has a lot of poten-

tial, and mentions that, “[the players] are all such good kids and they’re smart to the point where they can pick up the offense and defense we want to install.”

Many of the players are excited about the new coaching staff, and believe it will bring about a positive change. Senior Aneesh Sreedhar says that, “The coaches came in with a new system and a new attitude for our program and I really like it. I love the vision they have for our school and I think starting this year and in the years to come it is really going to change the way people think of Lynbrook football.”

In order to put this change into effect, Grassi wants to “make sure that these kids aren’t only physically tough but mentally tough.” He adds that he hopes his players will see that “we’re not out there for the individual, we’re out there for everyone.”

In order to develop a uni�ied team that focuses on cooperation, the players participate in various events that help them bond with one another. For example, team dinners are held every Thursday night, and after games, the players often go

out to pizza together. The team also began a weight training program last February, and worked out together nearly every day during the summer.

Senior Stephen Lee believes that these activities are de�initely helping improve team unity, and says that, “No matter what happens, we don’t get on each other. If someone makes a mistake during practice or in a game, our team always encourages one another and we always stay positive, and that’s a really important attribute of the team.” Junior Carlo Isola agrees with Lee and mentions that, “a de�inite strong point we have is our unity and reliance.”

Grassi’s main objective is to help each of the players improve upon fundamental skills so that they can play some “quality football.” He says that, “I don’t really look at wins and losses as a successful season,” and adds that he judges success based on how the players have improved throughout the season, and whether or not the team played to its best ability.

Grassi is optimistic about the games in the future, and mentions that, “I think we have a chance to win every game, it all just depends on how we play. Every opponent we play is a good opponent, but I think that if we play to our potential, we’ll be just �ine.”

Rededicated Stober Field leads to rebirth of passion

BY KELSEY HURWITZ

T

his year’s �ield hockey team is no longer desperately trying to drag the ball down a �ield plagued with unexpected bumps and dangerous holes: instead they’re gliding down their new turf �ield and recreating their style of play. They are the �irst ever to use the newly-dedicated Stober �ield, and the result of this has not only changed how they play the game, but their attitudes as well.

“I think that the new Stober �ield has really helped equalize our playing,” says Coach Jenny Dumas. “I also feel like our game has gotten faster, and the passing looks better.” Dumas prefers to see a game played with a lot of passing, rather than a few players dribbling the ball up the �ield. She says, “I think it’s turned into more of a possession game and also more of a �inesse game rather than just hitting it up there.”

One of the captains, senior Emily Novakovich, recalls playing on the old �ield, saying, “We had a really big disadvantage going to away games because it’s so much faster on the turf that we couldn’t stop the ball.”

With the new �ield, they are experiencing growth in their skills. Co-captain senior Zoë Rathbun also mentions how the new �ield is boosting morale, saying, “It’s also kind of made us feel like the school cares about us,” which has given the players even more motivation. The constant encouragement from Dumas is serving as motivation for the players who

have noticed a change in the way Dumas has been coaching.

Says Rathbun, “I think that the new �ield has reaf�irmed her passion as a coach.”

With seven seniors on the team, there’s no shortage of leadership and drive toward CCS, which is one of the team’s main goals for this year. Dumas hopes to see improvement in players’ fundamental skills. She says, “I just want to make sure that everyone’s basics are improved, also, that we play together as a unit. In our games we’re being really cohesive, and that’s what I like to see.”

But it’s not just basics that they’re working on. Dumas has been trying to throw in a new move each week in practice, to get them more experienced on the turf. Rathbun says, “We’ve been doing a lot more sweeps, which is where your stick is completely on the ground, and reverse sweeps and just skills that you would not be able to do on the grass.”

Playing as a unit is another main focus for the season.

Rathbun says, “We work together really well. There’s no con�licts within the team, we all feel really close to each other and that’ll probably get even better as the season goes on.”

To achieve this chemistry, Novakovich says, “We do a lot of bonding [activities],” such as making Bear Scares bracelets, and having team sleepovers and pasta parties.

Overall, Rathbun sums up her goals for the season by saying, “I just hope that we can go to CCS, and bring back the tradition of Lynbrook �ield hockey being a dominating sport.”

KELSEY HURWITZ —EPIC

BALL CONTROL| Senior Jackie Pratt maintains control of the ball, while advancing to the opponent’s territory in hopes of scoring.

Cross country team runs the Iolani Underrated and underappreciated

T

here are three types of teams in the sports world: the underdog, the underrated and the undervalued. At Lynbrook, however, there is only the much hyped varsity team and the underappreciated, “Who cares about them,” junior varsity team.

Sure the varsity teams might be good, but what most of the Lynbrook community doesn’t understand is that the varsity team is essentially a more developed junior varsity team. Last year, I played JV baseball for Lynbrook and in my �irst season we �inished second place in our league and compiled the �irst winning record for the junior varsity program in God knows how many years. We could not have come close to our second place �inish without the leadership and strong play from the second year junior varsity players.

This year, however, we will be losing all these second year players to the varsity program.

As much as I hate the varsity team to have to steal these guys, it was then that I realized that it is the JV team that determines if the varsity will even be worth watching.

Now, I know that baseball doesn’t generate much buzz around Lynbrook, so let’s draw some attention to the ever changing football program. This year’s varsity team is solid. After a tough loss in their opener to Gunderson, the team has rebounded well by winning their following two games. But before we jump on the bandwagon, which is acceptable in high school sports, the Lynbrook community needs to know what this team is really made of. Believe it or not, all varsity players have spent time down at the JV level to hone their skills and learn what it takes to lay down the big hits and pick up the big yards. And after attending JV games last season and watching the returning players dominate, I knew that the varsity team was going to be stacked the next year. And guess what? I was right. This year’s varsity boasts a strong combination of speed and power fueled by the strong play of the “rookies” and “veterans.” As great as this may sound, all the talent that the varsity team possesses originates from none other than the strong player development at the JV level. Crazy, right?

Despite having the next generation of varsity players at our disposal to watch and cheer for, the average attendance of a junior varsity football game is the approximate equivalent of a Washington Wizards vs. Charlotte Bobcats NBA game. From my understanding, that is not something that any team wants to be compared to. However, I was encouraged by the support at the JV team’s �irst game at the new stadium. If you don’t want to be surprised by how well the varsity is doing in football, then you should watch the JV team play; it may save you from a heart attack.

Now here’s another team that �lew under the radar last season. The JV girls’ volleyball team �inished 19-1 last season en route to taking home the league championships last year and that’s not even the best part.

Because of their strong season, the JV team allowed varsity to compete in CCS and both squads moved up to the A-League this year.

Take a second, read that again and exhale.

Meanwhile, the old “Who cares about JV” stereotype just took another spike to the chest.

To be honest, there is no better way to summarize the plights of the JV teams than this quote: “Because everyone else in baseball undervalues them. Like an island of mis�it toys,” says Jonah Hill in the �ilm Moneyball. The community must understand that showing support towards not only the varsity teams, but the JV teams as well, will really determine how the varsity teams will perform. Afterall, JV teams are the future of Lynbrook sports.

USED WITH PERMISSION OF KIM SILVERMAN

THREE DAYS IN THE ALOHA STATE| 25 athletes, two of whom placed, from the cross country team represented Lynbrook at the Iolani invitational in Oahu.

BY SHOUVIK MANI

T

he rolling hills and tranquil beaches of Oahu, Hawaii welcomed the cross country team as they took on the Iolani Invitational on Sept 15. The team attends this event once every three years, which consists of a three-mile course on hilly terrain.

The team of 25 came in fourth place in four races and sixth place in one. These results were impressive considering that many players were injured or faced other dif�iculties. With standout performances from freshman Justin Robison, sophomore Grace Ling and junior Rohit Sarathy, they built on their success from earlier in the season at the Early Bird Invitiational.

“It was my �irst race this season. Our basic strategy was to get out fast and maintain it. Since I have been injured for the past three weeks, I lost my endurance near the end,” says Robison, who clinched fourth place overall in the boys open.

Coach Jake White, who has been running the cross country program for the past �ive years, has witnessed some stunning individual performances among his pool of 75 runners. He asserts that cross country is a sport based on perseverance and commitment.

“Anybody that ran in my program for four years was invited to go,” said White as he stressed that selection to attend the competition was based primarily on commitment. In order to prepare them

for the season and Iolani, White had arranged a rigorous training routine for his athletes, which focused on building strength, speed and endurance.

“Jake [White] made us run more this year, especially with hill repeats,” says Ling, who placed sixth overall in the varsity girls division. The team prepared for Iolani by doing speed work on the track, developing an aerobic base and running three miles with hill repeats. The hill repeats were meant to simulate the sort of terrain that the team would encounter in Hawaii.

Besides running, the team also engaged in bonding activities some 2500 miles from home. “It was good, warm and fun. We had team dinners and went to the beach. I have a lot of great memories,” Robison said.

With their recent successes and future prospects, the cross country team is surrounded by a positive vibe. Building on their performance in Hawaii, the team hopes to continue their successful run and pursue greater endeavors in the future.

“We prefer to make states this year. We want to prove that this is a team sport, as opposed to an individual one, so we are focusing on our overall performance,” said senior So Masuoka, outlining the team’s plans for the rest of the season.

With a boost from their performance at Hawaii, the cross country team has gotten a head start into the season.

the Epic reporter Shouvik Mani interviews varsity runner, Rohit Sarathy

Shouvik Mani: How was your performance in at the Iolani meet in Hawaii? How did the team do?

Rohit Sarathy: I placed 17th out of around 110 runners. My time was 17:02 for three miles. It was not an improvement because I ran 16:42 a week earlier.

Coach said not to feel bad because it was a much different course than what we were used to. There was a lot of wild grass and rough terrain. It threw a wrench in all of our rhythm. Our team placed fourth; I guess that we were a bit off the podium.

Despite the mediocre race, Hawaii in general was a good experience because we got to know one another a lot better.

SM: How has cross country affected you as an individual?

RS: I can say to myself that I have de�initely gotten much faster. But also, my academic work ethic got better because I have become more disciplined. The rigorous training that we go through helps us gain more discipline and focus.

SM: What are the team prospects for the rest of the season?

RS: Our prospects are simple. We want to create a strong team that can compete successfully on the section level. And we hope to send a team for the �irst time to States at CCS. We just try to pull everybody up. That’s the goal.

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Rohit Sarathy (11)

Girls’ water polo team moves up a league

BY JACOB ANTONY

A

fter coming off a 10-2 season last year, the Lynbrook girls’ water polo team is looking to start new.

With this year’s season comes numerous changes, including an increased roster, a higher league and a new coach.

After the �iring of former coach Scott Blake last year, the athletic program brought in Kenneth Delp, who coaches the West Valley water polo club.

“The coach is great. We’ve had some pretty rough coaching experiences in the past, so it’s really nice to have someone who we work well with, who teaches us a lot and who we can also have fun with,”

says senior and co-captain Natalie Popescu.

Delp was brought in after issues with Blake’s attitude and coaching style forced him out of the program. Naturally, the girls welcome Delp’s more easygoing style that still works.

“I really think he’s doing a good job. Many of these girls have never played competitively...

But he’s really patient and understanding. He de�initely knows his stuff and how to best utilize our players,” says senior and co-captain Emily Fong.

Despite having a short eight player roster, that fell to seven after Fong, the leading scorer, was injured, the Vikings managed to dominate their league last year; the two games they lost were very close.

However, in a new league with inexperi-

enced players, there are de�initely bound to be some dif�iculties.

“It’s going to be an interesting year,” says Fong. “We moved up a league, so there’s going to be tougher competition.” The De Anza League (DAL) “has it’s obvious challenge— like playing harder teams—but it also puts a lot more stress on the players,” explains Popescu. “The team’s newcomers were accepted onto varsity without much playing experience, which is scary...to have people yell at you all the time for doing things you didn’t know were wrong.”

With only �ive returning varsity players and seven newcomers, the team has its work cut out in bringing the new players up to speed.

“Right now, it’s just about going 110% in practice, giving it your all and being as motivated as you can possibly be,” Popescu explains. “If you don’t have the will to improve, you’re not going to. The �irst step begins in your head.”

T

he remarkable trait in any sport is bouncing back after being knocked to your knees. But when coming back is physically impossible, you �ind another way to do what you did best, and that’s exactly what junior Sasha Wootton, a gymnast turned diver, did in her dif�icult situation.

Wootton was a regular at the West Valley Gymnastics Center ever since she was �ive. She went through every level of coaching they offered, starting in the recreational level all the way up to the competition level, in which she even got a choreographer to help her with routines. Gymnastics was what Wootton lived and breathed, something that can be seen through the 89 medals lining the walls of her room accumulated over time.

But the number of awards stopped increasing in December of 2010, when Wootton went through an injury that altered her long term relationship with gymnastics.

Wootton’s shin had been hurting for a while since her �irst meet of her Excel gymnastics program in December of Wootton’s freshman year. After an excruciating runthrough on the vault, Wootton knew she had to visit a doctor. After some x-rays and evaluations, the problem was discerned: Wootton had 12 stress fractures in her right leg.

“I can still the feel the pain,” says Wootton, clenching her �ists at the thought.

“The doctor told me I needed yet another cast and I just ran out of the doctor’s and went into the bathroom and cried.” Her cast was only supposed to last for two months, but Wootton had gotten the handwritten “worst patient ever” award from her doctor for a reason.

Although she was unable to use her legs, Wootton and her coaches decided to be creative with upper body workouts that would allow her to continue her gymnastics training. One year and 15 different fractures later, the array of casts were �inally out of Wootton’s life, but the impact was not.

“I felt like an outcast from the gym. The normal time for an injury is 6 weeks and I had been out way longer. I didn’t feel like I’d �it in again. I didn’t want to go back,” explained Wootton. It didn’t help waking up every day to see the medals and gymnastics memories �illling in her room either, which is

Jumping off the beam, landing in the water

BY KASTURI PANTVAIDYA

JOEY LI—EPIC

89 MEDALS AND COUNTING| Junior Sasha Wootton stands beside her hard-earned gymnastics medals that she has accumulated over the years. She hopes to have similar success in her endeavors as a diver.

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“There’s a lot of talent on the team and we’re going to carry ourselves to a fourth consecutive league championship this year,” says Steve Hahn (12).

TAKING THE SHOT| Senior Steve Hahn rises out of the water in preparation to score another goal for the Vikings. The boys came out on top, defeating Wilcox 8-5.

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“We’re trying to work on our skills [in order to try and become] number two in the league.

Coach Poon is getting more and more serious and all of us are trying to get better,” says Angela Yung (11).

STARTING THE RALLY| Junior Angela Yung finishes her forehand shot in a match against the Saratoga Falcons.

when diving entered her life.

Wootton was allowed to do low-exercise water sports because it wouldn’t impact her leg and diving turned out to be the perfect activity. Swimming coach Patrick Ellington heard of her situation and encouraged her to be a part of the Lynbrook diving team that was nonexistent at the time.

“After being on crutches for over a year, having barely 3 weeks of an introduction to diving, and almost qualifying to CCS after all that? That’s a heck of an athlete right there.

That’s courage,” said Ellington. Ellington recognized Wootton’s skills from the gym, and pushed her towards trying out diving.

“Mr. Ellington was a really big motivator for me, and that’s when I started getting really serious about diving,” says Wootton. “He would tell me how it could really be my thing.

He gave me a brochure for a diving camp in Indiana, and I went.”

She tried to perfect the dives coaches at the Santa Clara Diving Club had given her, so that she could make it to the state Junior Olympics. Because of her experience with gymnastics, she was naturally able to work towards her new goal.

“One thing I really missed from gymnastics was that adrenaline rush. That’s what I wanted from diving,” admits Wootton. Gymnastics was never a workout for her. Instead, it was a way for her to get that adrenaline she yearned for, as well as a way to have fun.

Nonetheless, Wootton regrets not going back after her injury. Whenever she exercises, she remembers “how gymnastics taught me that skill.” Even though she sees diving in her future now, gymnastics is still a part of her life. She coaches young girls at the West Valley Center, feeling a sense of contentment as her students perfect their newest skills.

Wootton sees herself pursuing diving throughout the rest of high school and college as well. But for now, she’s still holding on to her life in gymnastics by a thin string.

As a coach, one of her responsibilites is to sometimes lock up the gym after practices.

With a happy smirk on her face, Wootton admits, “sometimes before I have to lock up the gym for the night, I’ll get on the bars and try my level six routine. I can still do it! It’s an amazing feeling.”

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“The varsity team is really close this year.

We all like each other and can always have a good time on the court,” says Joelle Shieh (9).

KEEPING THE PLAY ALIVE| Freshman Joelle Shieh dives for the ball, keeping the Vikings from conceding a point.

BY JOEY LI

T

he start of the school year means the start of school sports, and school sports means competition. To motivate athletes to compete their hardest, play their best and let loose their inner vikings, each sports team has a variety of cheers, chants and other traditions.

At the top, varsity football players hold up their helmets in a traditional cheer. Their lineup of dialogue includes “Y’all ready to get jacked? AWOO! Who are we? We are the Vikings! The tougher it gets? The better we play! What are we gonna do tonight? Win, win, win!”

Center, the boys on the water polo team lean into the pool gutter in a customary pre-game cheer, screaming, “Ooh, aah, LHS!” for adrenaline boosts to start their game.

Bottom right, varsity �ield hockey meets up on the day of their game at the top of the quand in the beginning of brunch for a chant. The entire team huddles in a circle to cheer, “1, 2, 3, WOO, 1, 2, 3, BEAT [opposing school], 1, 2, 3, RAH!” No matter the sport, Vikings �ind their own unique ways to get pumped up and perform their best in the game.