Issue 2, 2015

Autism uncovered

BY ESHANI MEHTA AND ALLISON YUAN

W

hether it’s from Sheldon Cooper, a friend’s sibling or the news, autism is ubiquitous.

Some view autistic individuals as anti-social pariahs with sky-high intelligence, but the true workings of autism are much more intriguing and complex.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is as a group of complex disorders involving repetitive behavior and social impairment.

“Because it’s a spectrum, you have a huge range of kids,” said special education teacher Tania Yang.

“There are individuals who are nonverbal. On the other end, there are individuals who are very successful.”

Affecting around one in 68 children, ASD manifests itself in many mental complications. Autistic individuals may have difficulty interpreting non-verbal communication and expressing empathy toward others.

Sophomore Kai Tsao has a brother, Aiden Tsao*, who was diagnosed with autism at three years old.

“My mom told me stories about when he was young; he was really smart,” said Tsao. “But then gradually he went downhill. He stopped talking and became introverted.”

Tsao has been helping and teaching his brother for as long as he can remember. Although interacting with Aiden can be challenging at times, Tsao has formed a tight bond with his brother.

“A lot of times, I had nothing to do, so I would teach him stuff,” said Tsao. “I think that’s how I formed my relationship with him, by teaching him a lot of things. I was the one who taught him how to climb stairs, [and] how to dribble a basketball.”

While most diagnoses occur at a young age, diagnoses can occur in the early teens and sometimes even well into adulthood.

“I was diagnosed with autism toward the end of seventh grade, and I figured out that I was autistic when I read a book written by an autistic teen, and I thought, ‘that is me,’” said junior Puja Uppalapati. “I felt relieved because I already figured out there was

1 in 68 GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY MICHYLA LIN

children is autistic

something different about me.”

While some autistic individuals are intellectually impaired, others show “savant” abilities.

“You can have a kind of superbrain,” said Yang.

“Some people on the spectrum have really good memory; if you like painting or music, that could totally trigger [an autistic individual] to be a great musician.”

“Special interest is when you get into a topic and study about it a lot,” said Uppalapati. “I like to research the struggles of oppression and problems like that.”

Scientists have not been able to pinpoint a cause of autism, but it is likely caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. Genetics may also play a role.

Although there is no cure for autism, therapeutic and behavioral interventions help remedy some symptoms and early ones are usually more successful than ones taking place in later years.

“We learn a lot of social development automatically,” said Yang, “but a student on the autism spectrum would benefit from having a class for it, to teach them how to figure out subtleties and other items.”

In Lynbrook’s special education program, different autistic students have different needs, but the teachers try to accommodate all of them. Some students have sensory issues so they are given something that’s similar to a stress ball for them to feel and hold on to. Others students feel comforted by weight, so they wear a weighted vest; additionally, one of the special education rooms has a service dog specifically for autistic students, which helps put them at ease.

While therapy can be extremely helpful for some individuals, Uppalapati believes that some programs outside of school can also be dangerous.

“Some therapists are more interested in pleasing the parent than doing what’s best for the kid,” said Uppalapati. “[For example], Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy is supposed to teach kids how to talk but it ends up just teaching them how to pass as neurotypical, without teaching them communication.”

Many people with autism have other related symptoms such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), sleep disturbances, and seizures.

“OCD is something that for my brother, comes alongside autism. My brother lines up shoes neatly every time he comes home,” said Tsao. see AUTISM page 2

Challenge Success combats student stress

BY RENUKA BELWALKAR

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n Oct. 15 Challenge Success, a student support program from Stanford University, hosted its first Lynbrook event in the auditorium. Juniors Eileen Mao, Justine Iwata, Andrew Park, Trevor Aquino, Eugene Yang and sophomore Jessica Peng initiated Lynbrook’s partnership with Challenge Success. The event was led by assistant principal Eric Wong, where eight other students shared their personal experiences.

In the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year, Challenge Success surveyed Lynbrook students on homework level and stress, and the results showed room for improvement.

“It’s great that students are taking AP classes and honors and doing well in their SATs,” said Wong. “But I think that parents, teachers and students would agree that there is a lot of [pressure] going on underneath Lynbrook [such as] competition.”

The survey showed that 44 percent of students did not find their schoolwork valuable. During the week, 30 percent of students spent ten hours on extracurriculars, and only 29 percent of students had more than two hours of free time. On average, students slept for five to seven hours per night.

“On one hand [the motivation] is great because it’s driving all of us to do great things, but that also comes with a cost,” said Wong.

At the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year, junior Eileen Mao immediately agreed when Wong approached her about involving Challenge Success at Lynbrook.

“I wanted to support its goal of changing the [competitive] atmosphere at Lynbrook so that it’s not purely focused on academics and getting a 4.0 GPA,” said Mao. “Instead, [Challenge Success] places a student’s own definition of success in a passion.”

At the event, many said they were exhausted on Monday mornings. Some said that they only looked forward to the end of class. The Challenge Success student team hoped to help parents understand their child better and develop closer relationships.

“For parents, this is your time to listen to students talk about some obstacles that they encounter,” said sophomore Jessica Peng.

The students participating in the fishbowl activity talked about high expectations from parents and peers, as well as why spirit, homecoming and clubs mean a lot to them.

Many felt that these activities are an escape from work and a way to have fun, while some felt that these activities were moments

where students forget about competition and unite to reach a common goal.

“I use [homecoming and clubs] as a way to put school aside,” said sophomore Garrett Riley. “It is hard to have fun at school because of all the pressure to be perfect.”

With the pressure to be successful, students are resorting to break the academic honesty policy, as there are around 75 academic dishonesty cases yearly at Lynbrook.

Wong then raised a question about why students are reluctant to be honest.

“When you’ve done something wrong and you are honest about it, there’s more weight on the consequence rather than the honesty,” said senior Justin Robinson.

Challenge Success at Lynbrook will be trying more activities in the future to reduce stress, such as having therapeutic puppies.

While the student Challenge Success team wants Lynbrook students to maintain their achievements, it also wants to relieve the pressure that is placed on the students.

“If you want to redefine the idea of success at Lynbrook and want to find ways to reduce stress contact us,” said junior Justine Iwata. “Many students have lost the passion to genuinely learn, and we are trying to get rid of that stigma towards learning.”

CROSS COUNTRY pg. 14 SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY—EPIC

BY HEDY ZHOU

Letter from the Editors Dear readers, We welcome you to our second issue of the year.

Turn to our centerspread about gun control to get a more comprehensive look into how America is managing its gun policies. Learn about student opinions on gun control and families that own guns.

Discover the new developments concerning The Hills of Vallco (pg. 2) and how students unite on Challenge Day (pg. 3).

Read an opinionated story about the Syrian immigration crisis (pg. 4).

Check out the features section for tips on how to how to dress for the fall season (pg. 6) and read about a multitude of ways to enjoy your Halloween this year (pg. 7).

In in-depth, continue reading our front page story on autism and learn about an Epic staffer’s experience with an autistic brother (pg. 12).

Keep up with Lynbrook athletics in the sports section and find out more about a student’s journey playing archery as a Junior Olympian (pg. 13).

Here’s to hoping we have another great year—for us editors at the Epic, of course, but also to all our readers, new or otherwise.

Happy reading, Kristen Wong and Stephanie Lu

O

n Aug. 26, new remodeling plans for the Vallco Mall area were released to the public. Rumors about these plans have been spreading for months but now the public can see what really has been happening and what is to come, such as the review of this project in the summer or fall of 2016.

Vallco Mall is well known in Cupertino and first opened as the Vallco Fashion Park in 1976. Once a very popular mall in the late 1970s, attendance has dropped ever since, mainly due to competition such as Valley Fair and the Stanford Shopping Center. Business continued to decline into the 1990s and 2000s. In October 2014, the entire mall was bought by the Sand Hill Property Co. (Sand Hill). Sand Hill was established in 1988 by Peter and Susanna Pau and is a real estate investment and development company based in Silicon Valley.

“More than five years ago [Vallco] was actually pretty popular,” said sophomore Joanna Miao. “But then you realize that this mall doesn’t actually have the stores that people really go to.”

Sand Hill plans

to tear down what is left of Vallco Mall and build a mixed-use center, The Hills at Vallco. It will include living space, entertainment, and public spaces for the whole community to use.

Additions will be created such as the 10,000 square foot Innovation Center for high school students. Family entertainment includes the AMC, the ice rink, bowling and banquet facilities. New restaurants, food markets and stores featuring organic foods to create a more modernized atmosphere will also be key features in the mixed-use center.

Due to feedback from the community about the lack of recreation opportunities, the mixed-use center also includes a rooftop community park and natural reserve. The nearly four miles of trail and bike paths planned for the rooftop are key aspects to encourage families and individuals to be more active. Play areas will also be built for younger children to enjoy.

“I think that the idea of the roof garden is a really good idea,” said Miao. “Many students or even young adults spend a lot of time on the internet whether it is Facebook, Youtube or just any social site.

It’s a good way for teenagers and young adults to expose themselves to nature.”

Another aspect that this new plan has to offer is a 700 student elementary school to accommodate the growing pop-

ulation in the Cupertino area. Sand Hill will donate $40 million to the funding of the Cupertino and the Fremont Union School District. However, some residents disagree with Sand Hill’s school plans.

“I don’t think adding a K-8 school is generally smart in this particular area because there’s so much going on in that [mixed-use center] area,” said junior Jordan Morris. “I feel like students are going to get really distracted because there’s going to be a movie theater and walkways.”

There were some concerns about features of this project affecting traffic on Wolfe Road and at nearby Cupertino schools. In response, Sand Hill plans on widening and rebuilding Wolfe Road as well as creating a privately funded shuttle service to reduce traffic.

For anyone who would like to give input to the creation of The Hills at Vallco, an online portal on their website is available for people to send in their thoughts to better understand the wants and needs of the community. Open houses are also available for community members to come in and familiarize themselves on the progress of this project.

From the thousands of comments already given by the community, Sand Hill plans to create a space that the entire community is able to use.

USED WITH PERMISSION OF VALLCO MALL

The Hills at Vallco: revamping the mall

News in Brief

Challenge Day unites students

BY CHELSEA LI

A Little Fright Music Come to the Lynbrook Auditorium on Oct. 30 for a night of spooky music and fun. Lynbrook’s music department will be performing at 7:30 p.m. Admission tickets are $5.

Daylight’s Savings Daylight’s Savings ends on Sunday, Nov. 1. Make sure to set your clocks back an hour before bed.

Winter Sports Winter sports will officially start on Nov. 2nd. Athletes planning to join a winter sport, be sure that all forms have been filled out and remember to sign up through the Lynbrook 8 to 18 website in order to be able to try out!

Veteran’s Day In recognition of all our military service members, there will be no school on Wednesday, Nov 11th. Be sure to check that week’s schedule for additional details on how the week will be arranged.

IDC Fantastics Lynbrook won last year, attend this year’s IDC Fantastics to watch us defend our title. The rally will be on Friday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. Admission will be $5. The location of the event is to be announced, so keep an ear out for it!

Lynbrook Craft Faire Lynbrook is hosting another Craft Faire on Saturday, Nov. 21. Be sure to come out to check out all the neat things that local craftspeople can make!

Principal’s Coffee There will be another Principal’s Coffee on Nov. 27 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. in room 72. Students and parents will be able to meet with the Principal to discuss the latest news and any comments or concerns anyone may have.

By William Guo

On Nov. 2, a group of students and teachers will be spending six and a half hours together during Challenge Day in the Cove at Lynbrook High School. This is the beginning of a yearlong movement, Challenge Stigma, which involves activities planned by ASB that promote connectivity and understanding among everyone in the Lynbrook community.

Challenge Day is dedicated to helping students, staff and parents connect with each other and confront issues such as bullying, cliques and stereotypes, as well as promote positivity and connectivity at the school. More importantly, it was a day for students, teachers and parents to spend time together in one place and get to know each other. They were advised to be kind to others, as well as themselves, and gain self-confidence, emotional control, and intellectual flexibility.

Last year, Challenge Day leaders began by encouraging participants to step out of their comfort zones with interactive games and music. As the day progressed, participants were able to break down the walls of stereotypes and get to really know each other. By the afternoon, participants were able to explore the effects of social expression in their community. They also learned how to open up to their family and friends, and how unhealthy it was to keep in negative feelings.

Last year, students were required to have a student or teacher recommendation in order to join the event, while this year, sign-ups were open to everyone. Because the program extended through the entire day, students and teachers were excused from classes. “[During Challenge Day,] we talk about problems in high schools, and how we can solve them and make a difference,” said sophomore Raymond Lau, who attended Challenge Day last year. “[Afterward], I felt like I could make a bigger impact on my community, by giving back a little more. If I give to my community, they can give back as well.”

Challenge Day is a also a chance for students and teachers to make new friends

Corrections from issue one: In Issue 1, there was an error in our news story “Students for Hire: Cafeteria Hires Workers”. The story said special ed students were paid for their work in the cafeteria. However, the special ed students do not get paid; work in the cafeteria as volunteers, earning valuable experience.

that they would not have otherwise met.

“Everyone [can participate], because the idea is, we’re a community, and we’re a blended community.” Jamieko Gruenloh, Student Therapist, said. “[At first,] not all of us knew each other,” said sophomore Agrima Sharma, who also attended Challenge Day last year. “I think what I enjoyed most was [meeting] people that I thought I knew, and even people I didn’t know. I [got] to know them in a way that I didn’t before, [and realized that] there’s a lot more to people than I thought.”

At Challenge Day, p a r t i c i pants are

able to understand their peers and teachers more deeply, and realize that they are not alone in their struggles.

“It’s kind of an intense day, since you’re sharing a lot of emotional things that are stressing you out.” said Spanish teacher Kim Revilla. “I feel that their focus was on connecting, and [the fact that] you can triumph over [whatever you’re going through].”

Challenge Day also serves as a break from school, allowing students to express themselves freely in a nurturing environment.

“One thing that I really enjoyed about

Challenge Day is the break from school,” said Patel. “[It was] one day where I could have deep conversations with someone, [which] was a stress reliever that I needed after all the constant school work.”

At Lynbrook, besides social pressure, teachers place high expectations on students as well. Thus, it is important for them to take a well-deserved break and open up.

“I think it was a beneficial experience… especially at a school like Lynbrook, where you have a lot of pressure,” said Sharma. “[Challenge Day is] a way to open up and kind of realize that you’re not the only one with problems.”

Once they realized that everyone was vulnerable on the inside, participants began to adjust their way of thinking and reconsider their actions.

“I started to change some of the things that I said to people because I now know how it can be offensive,” said Patel.

“Everyone has a breaking point and I want to make sure that I don’t accidentally say something that might push [someone] towards that limit.”

Challenge Day has helped students and teachers alike empathize with each other. Gruenloh, who is organizing this event, stressed the importance of connection in Lynbrook’s community.

“When I talk to kids, I hear the same thing: everyone’s really disconnected,” said Gruenloh. “There’s not a common ground of really knowing each other. There’s a lot of competition, there’s a lot of doing, but there’s not a lot of connecting. [Challenge Day] is a full day of just learning how to connect.”

Despite being a relatively new program, Challenge Day has positively influenced students and staff at Lynbrook. This year, through Challenge Stigma, students and staff will be able to further connect with each other. The movement involves a photo campaign centered on struggles everyone has, spreading positive messages, and music and dancing in the quad. “So it’s not just about our AP classes, or getting into a summer program, or whatever it is,” said Gruenloh. “It’s about being connected.”

Locating justice for lost Syrian refugees Why the U.S. must take a definitive stance on the Syrian refugee crisis

BY ANYA POPLAVSKA

I

n late September, conflict from long years of war in Syria caused thousands of refugees to flee from the Middle East and migrate to nearby countries. Over 40 percent of the four million refugees have immigrated to Turkey, and their numbers are only increasing, as are their casualties. The plight of these refugees begs the question of why the United States, a great, hegemonic country with a wealth of political power, stands by and watches as these Syrian immigration conflicts unfold.

Since the Syrian refugee crisis is now a global issue, the U.S. should be taking an active stance by proposing a way to improve the lives of these immigrants.

“There has been a Syrian civil war going on, and as a cause of that there have been many refugees who have lost their homes,” said junior Kaveh Zare, who moved here with his family from Iran six years ago for a better life. “A lot of western nations have been accepting refugees.”

The Syrian conflict began a few years ago during the country’s ongoing revolution, though the strongest consequences of it have been felt only recently.

“There is a battle between the president and the rebels, so people who are losing their homes and freedom are moving out; they’re going to Europe,” said junior Kasra Askari, who immigrated from Iran one and a half years ago to escape the corrupt government. “They pretty much have the same problem as me, but immigration must be harder for them because they’re not in the best situation.”

America needs to become more involved with these types of conflicts and, consequently, become accepting of the immigrants themselves. Syria is a good example of an issue that the U.S. could help with by admitting more refugees.

If America took more time to look beyond its own issues, a new stance on the Syrian conflict could potentially transform America: not only would bringing in Syrian immigrants drastically improve America’s reputation, but it would also expand its workforce.

“Support people when they come here,” said sophomore Kimia Ghasemian, whose parents immigrated from Iran years ago. “These people have most likely

MICHYLA LIN//IN MY OPINION

You cannot put a price on life

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n Oct. 2, California State Governor Jerry Brown passed the Assisted Death Bill, which grants mentally capable, terminally ill Californians the right to end their life through a painless, lethal prescription. This decision makes California the fifth state in the nation to legalize physicianassisted suicide. Legalization of assisted

been through things you have never gone through, and never will go through.”

The reason the U.S. is hesitant is quite clear: they are afraid of Syrians dominating the domestic job market, an abundance of immigrants, terrorist attacks, and various complications in the refugee admission process.

According to a recent survey, over 30 percent of Americans oppose the idea of Syrian refugees getting transferred to this country. Any reforms Obama has tried to make have been greatly opposed by most Americans. It’s evident that U.S. citizens need a shift in viewpoint to see this issue in a new light.

“I feel like the U.S. should follow Germany as an example of what they’re doing. They’ve been accepting a lot of refugees recently,” said Zare. “We really need to help the refugees out, or there will be more refugee casualties.”

Reforms can start by thinking about why the U.S. has not opened its arms to these people yet. As stated in the Washington Post, the U.S. has accepted only 1,400 Syrian refugees thus far, compared to European countries such as Germany, who are predicted to take in 800,000 refugees by the end of the year.

If Germany, with only 80 million people compared to the United States’s 320 million, can take in that amount, there is no excuse for the U.S., a country with a much bigger economy and capacity to take in more peo-

ple.

While many believe that admitting refugees would be too costly, the truth of the matter is that sponsoring these potential immigrants would not be unfeasible nor vastly expensive.

The government has had multiple successful welfare and financial programs in the past, and if the U.S. took a portion of military spending and used it for the good of the refugees, this goal would be quite achievable.

For instance, the International Business Times states that social security and financial aid would already cover most of the costs for every refugee until they find employment.

Contrary to popular belief, too, accepting Syrian refugees would not destroy the economy. Rather, the influx of refugees would bolster it, since people with lower skill sets complement a growing job market with higher end jobs.

As reported by the Brookings Institution, the middle eastern country of Jordan has accepted approximately 650,000 refugees and has seen no consequent unemployment increase. Syrian refugees tend to look for lower-skilled jobs, and therefore their actions do not detrimentally affect the labor market.

And while opponents argue the possibility of increased criminal activity, foreign terrorism is not a significant issue; according to The Economist, out of the 750,000 refugees who have been admitted to America since

9/11, only two of them have actually been charged with terrorism.

As for the issue of complicated logistics and overseas transportation, there is a certain method of accepting refugees that the U.S. can adopt, similar to Germany’s.

Germany’s acceptance process is very efficient, and each processed application is reviewed within a few hours at different registration offices along the German border. Considering the power and wealth that America possesses, enforcing a policy similar to Germany’s is more than reasonable.

America has the most powerful economy in the world, while Germany is ranked fifth; this statistically proves that the U.S. should be taking in just as many, if not more refugees than Germany.

The arguments against immigration pale against the positive impact that the U.S. could receive by taking in a couple thousand more immigrants in.

Not only would this philanthropic move help alleviate the burden placed on European countries, but it would ultimately have minimal negative impacts on our country itself.

“We have to open our doors to other immigrants, or help other countries develop [to] become like the U.S.,” said Ghasemian. “Our constitution is modeled after by other countries; we want others to strive for that. From a political standpoint, there are other factors, but I still think we should help no matter what.”

The U.S. has the capacity to improve the Syrian refugee crisis; it just needs to take the right steps. While the rest of the world and significantly smaller countries take on this responsibility, the U.S. should do the same.

SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY—EPIC

suicide took twenty years in California--proponents argued its implementation in the 1990’s, and the issue continued to resurface throughout the following years. I have mixed feelings towards the bill, as it gives people an option to end their lives on their own terms; however, it goes against my moral conscience by undermining the value of life.

The last memory I have of my grandparents, took place seven years ago, when I was eight years old. I visited my grandparents over winter break. I had contracted a high fever, but I remember my grandfather joking about how he would eat enough for the both of us, and my grandmother bringing me soup, telling me to eat so I could go last-minute Christmas shopping with her.

Three years later, after my grandfather’s death, my mom received a phone call from her brother, telling her that my grandmother was missing. It was two days before they found her six miles from her house. That was when we learned she had Alzheimer’s disease, an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and

cognitive skills.

In the years following, she went missing three more times. She is no longer able to recognize my uncle and mother. She lives alone, in a conjoined house with my uncle’s family. All doors are locked to prevent her from getting lost again. Less than five people are allowed to approach her --meeting anyone other than those five people could send her into a fit of hysteria. Due to her condition, I haven’t seen her since that last visit when I was eight.

The people supporting this bill do so because they cannot bear to watch their loved ones in pain. While visiting my uncle last summer, I could hear my grandmother knocking on the doors, looking for company which I sadly could not provide. The fact that I can never see or speak to her again is worse than hearing about her death. If she were to know what would happen to her health, and had chosen to take her own life, my first reaction would be to support her decision as a family member.

However, when I think about what I

would be doing, I realize that I would have encouraged someone to take their own life.

Schools are call in speakers such as medical professionals and psychologists to discourage suicide. Now the government is telling us that we should help terminally ill people die?

Euthanasia, or lethal prescriptions, costs about $500 for one injection. Treatment of cancer patients costs approximately $1500 a day, including nursing care, medical equipment and diagnostic tests. At this rate, the bill makes it seem as if keeping a loved one alive is a burden compared to the cheap cost of euthanasia.

This bill has put an official price on life by contradicting everything that we have been taught since childhood-- to respect and value every individual’s life, and to help people in need. Rather than arguing over how to help people die, we should be discussing how to better care for terminally ill patients. Instead of accepting their fate, we should be fighting for our family and friends who have terminal illnesses and bring an end to terminal status rather than lives.

Abolishing Homecoming’s gender throne

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n the beginning of October, Palo Alto’s Henry M. Gunn High School announced its decision to replace homecoming king and queen with a gender-neutral homecoming court in order to promote an environment of inclusivity. The decisions, in response to student and faculty requests, follow in the footsteps of other schools such as the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire which have made similar changes of gender neutrality at homecoming events. While such changes have only recently been implemented, Lynbrook should take inspiration from Gunn’s decision and restructure its own homecoming court to mirror these changes.

By eliminating gender barriers at homecoming events, Lynbrook can foster an accepting environment that places an emphasis on those that deserve homecoming honors--no matter their gender.

Gunn’s changes to its homecoming are the results of the debate between Gunn’s SEC (Student Executive Council) members, who received help from student and staff feedback.

“We wanted to make everybody feel as included as possible,” said Gunn junior and SEC secretary Tone Yao Lee. “The decision has been in discussion since last year, and this year we knew we had to take a leap of faith, or risk having to put off [such an important issue] for next year.”

Lynbrook ought to consider similar changes for its homecoming court for the next school year. Such changes promote inclusivity while supporting the various minority groups that would benefit from an environment of gender neutrality.

Staff Editorial

The Voice of the Epic Lynbrook’s current homecoming court system consists of one prince and princess from each class except from the senior class, from which four princes and four princesses are chosen, with one homecoming king and queen from the eight senior royalty. As it stands, there is no position for one who don’t identify as a male or a female in the court.

ASB vice president senior Sophia Meng noted that making homecoming court gender neutral would be a positive move accepANDY LONG towards tance that is feasiJUNIOR ble to implement and may lead to greater changes in reducing the fixed gender binary structures that permeate our culture today.

“When we’re trying to develop that mindset, that people don’t have to conform to one gender or the other, it’s good that we start with the little things,” said Meng. “[That way] it can ripple out to a bigger effect.”

It is important that any changes ASB makes reflect the views of Lynbrook’s population. Meng believes that assessing student opinions on these topics of social change would be no different from how ASB currently solicits feedback for their events, through student surveys.

The main targets of such changes would be certain LGBT groups, such as the transgender population. Over the past few years, the struggles of the LGBT movement have been well- documented. The Human Rights Campaign found that 42 percent of LGBT youth live in communities that do not socially accept LGBT members, and a staggering 92 percent of LGBT youth have endured

“I WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF A CHANGE AT LHS. IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR THE LHS COMMUNITY TO NOT BE SO GENDER SPECIFIC.”

negative comments about their sexuality or sexual preference. While the transgender are represented in such organizations as the GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance) club, a non-discriminatory homecoming would help the connection the group has with the school. Members of this community, such as junior Andy Long, support a gender neutral change.

“I support [Gunn’s] move, and I would be in favor of a change at LHS,” said Long. I think that [homecoming] shouldn’t be [gendered].

[This issue] falls under the same category as Barbies for girls and cars and trucks for guys. The gender divide doesn’t matter and you should just be who you are without having to be labeled.”

While gender neutrality may be gaining popularity across the country, a score of adversaries and homecoming traditionalists would like to retain the status quo. Opponents claim that eliminating the tradition of homecoming princes and princesses would get rid of the gender quotas, leading to the possibility of having more females than males on court, or vice versa.

The purpose of homecoming court, however, is to recognize and honor those who have contributed the most to the homecoming celebration of their class, regardless of gender. Taking away the requirement for a set number of princes and princesses would effectively commend the students who put in the most time and effort into homecoming, regardless of gender.

Instead of separating the royalty by gender, classes should elect a specific number of students to homecoming court, regardless of gender. Although these changes challenge decades of tradition, they insure that Lynbrook maintains an impartial, tolerating society which fosters an environment in which anybody can feel comfortable while being applauded for their work on homecoming.

SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY—EPIC

CATHERINE HUANG//IN MY OPINION

Stop the sexism of Halloween

A

s I strolled through the aisles of Party City the other day, the first thing that caught my eye was the unmistakable difference between numerous gender-specific costumes.

The feminine version of a cop costume, for example, showed considerably more skin in comparison to the offered male version, and differed significantly from the attire worn by actual police.

The sexual costume names “Adult Purrvocative Cat,” “Seductive Snow White” and “Lusty Leopard” also caught my attention.

Similarly, when I visited Spirit Halloween, I saw groups of women swarming around short skirts, corsets and fishnet leggings.

The skimpiest of costumes would be thrown in the air as a group of women scrambled to find their size, and others would hurriedly snatch up the remaining sexy costumes.

My initial reaction was to look down upon these costumes with contempt and disgust.

However, after reevaluating the roots of my disgust, I realized that my distaste was influenced by society’s double standards, and that women should actually be able to dress confidently and express their feelings through fashion without having to be categorized as slutty.

The Halloween costume trend for women has been evolving to include costumes with more sex appeal, ranging from the infamous bunny costume we saw in Mean Girls to the “sexy nurse” getup that seems to be in every Halloween store.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find store-bought costumes for women that aren’t provocatively short or skin-tight.

As Halloween costume retailers continue offering skin-baring costumes to their content costumers, society assumes that there are no complaints about different treatment between genders.

Thus, many seem to find it hypocritical that the same women who purchase these costumes then go on to support the ongoing movement for feminism, and that this hypocrisy is the reason why sexist stereotypes are still considerably prevalent.

They believe that women are counteracting their hard-earned progress by purchasing costumes that encourage such stereotypes.

Consequently, they suppose that the more practical approaches to achieve gender equality would be to discontinue selling costumes that initiate gender stereotypes or to prevent consumers from purchasing these costumes.

However, rather than limiting costume choices, there must be increased awareness that women should be able to wear whatever they like-- without being slut shamed for their attire.

Women should be able to dress like Captain America in the same way that men do, without receiving weird looks from their peers.

Likewise, they should also be able to wear revealing nurse costumes if they choose to. The clothing that a woman wears or the way a woman presents herself should never represent her personality.

Putting on a steamy costume does not symbolize that a woman is a slut or “thirsty” in any way, and does not mean she is seeking sexual attention.

So next time, if you see your friends opting for the sexy nurse costume, don’t judge their choices, because everyone has their own preferences.

Dressing right for the fall season oversized sweaters are just a few favorable remedies that undoubtedly make fall one of the most popular seasons of the year. Make fall fashion a critical aspect of your full autumn experience this year and bring your fashion fantasies and style aspirations to life with the help of a few of our school’s

fashion experts. Whether you are in need of fall festival garb, back to school attire or simply activity inspiration for a fun night out with friends, here are a few outfit and activity ideas from a few of your stylish peers to complete your 2015 autumn bucket list.

Maggie Pan // junior

Leia Chao // sophomore

Dara Jovkar // senior

What she wears in the fall: “In general, I wear flannels and big sweaters. I also focus on layering and I wear jackets with tank tops or t-shirts underneath. I like stores like Brandy Melville and Forever 21, because their clothing is cute and affordable.”

What she wears in the fall: “In Cali, fall weather is relatively warmer, so I typically wear shorts and break out my cardigan collection. They’re really versatile and convenient for the fall. I wear cardigans all year round, so I like to buy nicer quality ones from Nordstrom.”

What he wears in the fall: “I usually wear a shirt with a jacket on top to compensate for the transition from cold mornings to warm afternoons.”

What she likes to do: “I really like going to cafes. I also go to Halloween Haunt at Great America every year with my friends. It’s kind of a fun little tradition for me.”

What she likes to do: “I like making myself tea from tea leaves and hot water at home, which is always pretty comforting.”

What he likes to do: “I like looking at the clouds, especially when the wind is blowing!”

BY AURELIA YANG

W

ith the arrival of autumn, fall fashion and lifestyle become prominent topics among students.

Pumpkin spice lattes, combat boots and fuzzy

ALL PHOTOS BY SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY—EPIC // ART ILLUSTRATION BY ALLISON YUAN

Fashion inspiration: “For inspiration, I follow fashion or beauty vloggers, such as Jenn Im. Her style is really nice and easy to recreate.”

Fashion inspiration: “For inspiration, I follow a lot of fashion bloggers on instagram and on tumblr. I like Jenn Im a lot, just because her fashion style is really wearable and she changes it year round.”

family. Decorations are hung up, bags of candy fill the store shelves, and people revel in the one time a year when fake blood finally has a practical use. I personally have been extremely hyped about the holiday and all the fun it brings. I’m sure that you’ve all experienced your own fair share of fun Halloweens.

However, as a certified specialist on all things spooky, I have compiled a few tips to help you all go out and have the best Halloween ever.

How I enjoy Halloween

I

love Halloween. I don’t know about you, but there’s something about the fact that it’s now socially acceptable to jump out of dark places and freak people out that really gets me going.

With Halloween just around the corner, many are looking forward to enjoying the festivities and celebrating with friends and

1. Make sure your Halloween costume is California weather-friendly.

We’ve all had first hand experience dealing with the warm Californian weather here.

I myself have finally warmed up (ha, ha) to the idea that I can wear shorts year-round and still be able to sweat in the afternoon.

Now this may dismay those who were hoping to get bundled up in a bulky superhero costume, but do not fear. The California heat is nothing to be afraid of. There are still many options available that’ll keep you both creepy and cool. But no Frozen costumes, please.

Fashion inspiration: “I’ve always been a fan of J-Crew, and I practically live in their forty percent off final sale section. If there’s anything I’d recommend, it would probably be the basics… basic colors, basic shirts, etc. Solid colors, in general, are really versatile, so they’re generally a good place to start.”

Your best bet would be to dress in layers, like going as an onion or a model of the Earth’s crust or something. That way, if it gets too hot you can easily dispose of any excess parts in your neighbor’s ornamental shrub or other local foliage.

2. Avoid anyone who says you’re too old to trick-or-treat.

This goes without explanation. Haters will always hate. I would also advise incorporating sunglasses or any other vision-obstructing accessory into your costume so that you will be physically unable to see the haters on the big night while you’re trick-or-treating.

Another option would be to whip out the baby costume, but you’d have to be put in a bit more effort and be willing to lose a few friends to pull that off.

3. Make healthy choices and eat candy sparingly.

Now as that weird chick who drinks too much PMT, health advice may not seem like

much coming from me. But trust me, there is a reason why I’m still alive and kicking today. When it comes to eating my candy after a long night of trick-or-treating, I don’t just immediately shovel it into my face like some kind of animal. Much like a fine wine, Halloween candy is to be consumed slowly in order to enjoy the full experience. I usually take some time in between bites to reflect on my existence and the choices I’ve made so far in life. The saltiness from my tears really adds a whole new richness to the candy.

4. Keep an eye out for freaky creatures.

Kid in your lit class that wears the same thing every day and is in desperate need of a shower? Zombie. That teacher who always turns the air conditioning up weirdly high and has never been seen exposed to direct sunlight? Probably a vampire. Person who thinks Halloween is lame? Actual monster.

Happy Halloween!

Sophia “Spooky” Ling (Boba count: 33/50)

BY HARSH JAIN

A

s the end of October approaches, everyone has already gotten used to the boring routine of school and is avidly awaiting Halloween. After all of the tricking and treating this Halloween, you might be unsure what to do. Or if you don’t trick or treat, you might want to find something fun to do on Halloween night. Whether or not you’re into

Halloween, the 31st is a great time to binge watch horror movies on Netflix. Halloween in on a Saturday this year, so it’s the perfect chance to switch from the show you usually watch to a couple of Halloween movies and continue to proscratinate on homework. There are a wide range of Halloween movies so it’s okay if you’re not sure what you like to watch. Take this questionnaire to find out which scary movies on Netflix are the best fit for you!

CLAIRE CHIANG—EPIC

Do you like zombies? a. I love them b. They’re okay c. I don’t really like them d. I HATE THEM

Would you get scared by a noise in the woods? a. Not at all b. Not really c. Possibly d. Totally 100%

Do you enjoy going to haunted houses? a. All the time b. If I’m bored c. They’re a bit scary d. I’m way too scared

Are you afraid of bats? a. Who is b. They’re meh c. They’re pretty spooky d. YES, I have bat-phobia

Would you survive a zombie apocalypse? a. Of course b. Probably c. Perhaps if I’m lucky d. No way Jose

Can you watch a surgery? a. Blood doesn’t faze me b. If I really have to c. Not really my type d. I faint at sight of blood

Are you a germaphobe? a. What are germs? b. You’re probably clean c. Please wash your hands d. DON’T TOUCH ME

Have you had a nightmare about a psycho-killer? a. Nope, psychos are sissies b. Maybe once or twice c. Every month d. Every week

Are you afraid of the dark? a. Nah, I live in the dark b. Sometimes c. Yeah, I am not to fond of it d. Cannot go into the dark!

Are you afraid of clowns or rag-dolls? a. I love clowns and dolls! b. If they are super scary c. Yeah, not a big fan d. NO CLOWNS OR DOLLS!

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY SAMHITA HONNAVALLI

If you picked mostly A’s, then you are a hardcore horror fan! You may want to subscribe to Shudder (horror movies streaming service). You can survive zombie apocalypses, and you aren’t afraid of blood. Some great movies for you would be classics like Scream or the Cabin in Woods. To enjoy Halloween to the best of your ability, you should watch movies that have a lot of gore and suspense.

If you picked mostly B’s, you can handle horror pretty well, but you do occasionally get scared. For the most part you aren’t too afraid of zombies or apocalypses, and creepy animals and blood don’t faze you too much.

Some perfect movies for you would include the Awakening or The Mist. Of course, you can watch some of the scarier movies like Sinister, but watch at your own risk!

If you picked mostly C’s, you aren’t too fond of horror movies, but you can hold up pretty decently. Granted that you may need to grab your friends/family members hand every so often, you can get through a movie without crying! It probably would be best if you watched movies like Paranormal Activity and Chucky--movies that don’t have too much greusome horror.

If you picked mostly D’s, you hate horror movies. Whenever your friends put one on, your parents happen to call you home. Forget movies, trailers are even a struggle to watch.

The best types of movies for you would be family-oriented Halloween films like The Addams Family or Paranorman! Hey, maybe you could even pull out some Christmas films and get a head start!

How to collect the most treats this Halloween

BY ANYA POPLAVSKA

S

ure, high schoolers might not be 9-year-olds anymore, but who doesn’t love Halloween? More importantly, who doesn’t love candy? With Halloween coming up along with the inpending grand feast of candy, candy 1. Plan a route.

If you’re going to take trick or treating seriously, then sit down beforehand with your friends and figure out which neighborhoods are best for this.

Cupertino is probably a six on the ‘candy abundance’ scale. Los Gatos, Saratoga, and other ‘rich’, cities are a much better choice. If your parents aren’t willing to drive, hitch a ride with one your friends; the neighborhood will surely be worth it.

is bound to be on everyone’s minds. It’s hard to figure out how to get the most candy, but there must be a way to collect so many sweets since almost every household gives out free goodies. Motivation will come easy once you imagine all the possibilities from the potential garnered candy you will find.

So what are you waiting for? Get pumped for Halloween! Get 2. Set a goal.

You can’t go out on a candy streak without deciding on what you want to achieve beforehand. You have the what, but now you have to add in the ‘how’ aspect. How will you go about the neighborhood? Which houses are first? Will you drive, bike or run? Figure out your game plan and how many bags you want to fill by the night. For instance, an achievable goal could be to fill up two bags in two hours.

4. Reward yourself.

After you get home, hopefully with at least an enormous sack of candy, sort it out and then relax! You did well and you had fun.

Don’t get caught up in the moment, and enjoy the experience while it lasts. Remember that we’re not teenagers forever and that we won’t be able to experience this fun when we’re, perhaps, 30 years old and working in a office. Hopefully, after you’re done eating, your new weight won’t exceed 200 pounds.

off the couch, and instead of staying home on the 31st, get into the spirit this season. Be ready to be rewarded pleasantly for all your future plans for this exciting day. Without further ado, here are a few steps to help you achieve your goal this Halloween: how to get the most candy while trick or treating.

3. Follow through with the plan.

When approaching your candy target, be polite. The more polite you are, the more candy you’ll get.

You know you’ve hit the jackpot when they leave a bowl outside with a label that says ‘just grab one’. That’s the perfect opportunity to take at least three handfuls.

For that exact reason, it’s super strategic to go to houses where there are bowls of candy outside.

Another added bonus is to go with a younger sibling, since they always get more candy.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY FEATURES SECTION

TAKING AIM AT GUN CONTROL

Exploring both sides of America’s gun cul

BY THE EPIC STAFF

A

s I said just a few months ago, and I said a few months before that, and I said each time we see one of these mass shootings, our thoughts and prayers are not enough,” said President Obama hours after the Umpqua Community College shooting on Oct. 1, 2015. “It does not capture the heartache and grief and anger that we should feel.

And it does nothing to prevent this carnage from being inflicted someplace else in America next week or a couple of months from now.

The recent shootings at Umpqua are part of a larger trend of gunrelated shootings in America; in the past year the United States has born witness to over 294 mass shootings, following on the heels of such atrocities as the Virginia Tech shooting at 2007 and the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012.

Following these incidents, our country has entered stages of mass mourning, and in these bereavement periods, numerous politicians have advocated for stronger gun reform in the hopes of never witnessing such heinous crimes again. Time and time again, President Obama has delivered speeches to citizens, urging massive change.

That Obama--a man known for his reticence, even in the face of previous mass shootings--has finally spoken so bluntly makes an increasingly relevant question even more urgent: what have Americans been doing with their guns, and what should they be doing instead?

Guns have become prominent in every corner of American society, to the point where 32 percent of Americans have or own a gun in their household. Americans alone own 270 million firearms, and the United States has the highest gun ownership per capita rate in the world, with an average of nine guns for every 10 Americans. Even the gun owner-

ship rate of the Middle Eastern country Yemen, which has the second highest gun ownership rate, is only half that of America’s..

“The accessibility of firearms in the U.S. is very different from those of other countries. Part of the [reason we have mass shootings] is the mental health [aspect], but part of it might also be due to the access to guns,” said history teacher, former National Rifle Association (NRA) member and current gun owner Kyle Howden. “Even so, [mass shootings] are not a uniquely American problem,” he added, referencing the August shooting

was outlawed and a mandatory gun buyback program, was implemented where civilians were compensated for turning in their guns to the government. There have been no mass shootings in Australia since, compared to the 11 mass shootings that Australia had experienced prior to the legislation.

But Australia’s nation-wide policy was a bipartisan deal with the support of both state and local governments.

The feasibility of passing similar legislation in the U.S. is questionable, given America’s burgeoning pro-gun culture, as well as the NRA/Republicans’ current

in Sweden that left one dead and three injured.

“We should only sell guns to people who don’t have a criminal record,” said freshman Eileen Yang, who is undecided about her political stance. “As long as we don’t sell to people with criminal records, it’ll be safer. The laws should be stricter about who can own guns.”

domination in Congress. Following the midterm elections for Congress in 2014, Republicans gained the majority of gubernatorial positions, as well as winning control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, creating a conservative Congress opposed to major gun control. Republicans have passed approximately ⅔ of the modern pro-gun laws, and despite more frequent mass shootings, states passed more laws expanding gun rights than laws restricting them in 2015.

American gun control laws are notoriously difficult to tighten, especially with the NRA’s increasingly secure hold on the Republican party. Over the past few years, the NRA has become one of the most significant conservative lobby organizations in America, with 87 percent of all Republicans supportive of their ideologies. The NRA stresses American’s rights to bear arms and the proper education of firearms, beliefs strongly

Gun control measures That the United States is not the only country facing issues with gun violence and mass shootings is arguably true. The question then becomes whether restrictive government actions would directly decrease the number of mass shootings.

Australia’s strict gun legislation, enacted in 1996 after 35 people were killed in the country’s largest ever mass shooting, is a widely referenced example of successful gun control measures.

Following the shooting, importation of semiautomatic and automatic firearms

emphasized by most Republicans. This year, leading Republican candidates in the presidential election, such as Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush, have all expressed anti-gun control sentiments, instead directing the blame for mass shootings at mental illness and repeating the old adage that people, not guns, are the true killers.

Republicans and other pro-gun advocates argue that the primary causes of gun-related violence are not guns themselves, but are largely due in part to the mental conditions of the individuals.

According to Mother Jones, a non-profit news outlet, 43 of the 72 perpetrators of the mass shootings that occurred between 1982 and 2015 showed signs of mental illnesses before their shootings.

“Whenever a mass shooting tragedy occurs, Democrats and liberals bring it up and say we need to address the issue of gun control,” said senior and Mock Trial co-captain Aditya Kotak. “But then Republicans and conservatives respond saying that those liberals are politicizing the issue, and instead, we should be mourning the tragedy. But if we keep acting like everything’s alright, nothing is ever going to happen, and these tragedies will continue.”

“Without guns, the world would be a safer place,” said senior Brandon Strong, whose guns are family inheritances. “If you look at what happened in` Australia, where they restricted guns outright, not much has happened since--it’s been a lot better. I don’t have anything against owning guns or using them for fun, but they do have their side effects.”

Gun ownership at Lynbrook Despite recognition of the correlation between guns and violence, gun owners also point out the benefits of having a gun in the home. In addition to security benefits, owning a gun is not always an intentional decision, but rather a family tradition passed down through generations.

“My parents were raised with guns in their homes, and it’s kind of a norm for them,” said sophomore Logan Stormo,

whose protec poses. about paren cause They protec

Gun o Tho islatio Califor gun la autom genera sales fore th The lence nia’s r the na nians Yet creasi had d fornia Califor versal from u ers,, w of a sc “A s with b and a “The o by def shooti Ano a high magaz law h senior “Th essent isn’t a can pu it only is a wa Wh tion o trol ne nation

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e family owns guns for ction and recreational pur. “There’s so much stigma t gun ownership, but [my nts] don’t feel the stigma bethey weren’t raised with it. feel safer knowing they can ct our family better.”

ownership in California ough national gun control legon appears to be stagnating, rnia has some of the strictest aws in the nation, where semimatic and automatic firearms are rally prohibited, and all firearm have a 10-day waiting period behe buyer is given the gun. e Law Center to Prevent Gun Viofound that in the 1990’s, Califorrate of gun deaths was higher than ational average, with 5,500 Califorkilled by gunfire in 1993. t by 2010, after consistently ining state gun control, the number dropped to 2,935, decreasing Calia’s gun death rate by 56 percent. rnia’s harsh gun laws prevent unil gun use. Among those prevented using guns in California are teachwho may need firearms in the case chool shooting. shooter is not going to be stopped barricaded desks against a door a group of students,” said Lopez. only way you can stop a shooter is fending yourself and your class by ing [the attacker]. other of California’s rigid gun laws, h-capacity magazine ban, limits gun zines to ten bullets. In theory, this helps prevent mass shootings, but r Tyler Strong disagrees. he [high-capacity magazine ban] is tially a useless law because there a limit to how many magazines one urchase,” said Strong. “Considering y takes a second to reload, the law aste of legislation.” hether the U.S. has lax gun regulaor not, a dicussion about gun coneeds to occur on both the local and nal level.

1,173 Lynbrook students were surveyed for their opinions on the following questions:

CONSERVATIVE

LIBERAL

MODERATE

Healthy and trendy food spots

BY RENUKA BELWALKAR

F

rom frozen yogurt to french fries to pearl milk tea, food trends often tempt students into jumping on the

MAHALO BOWL Located on El Camino Real in Sunnyvale, this food truck is well-known for its acai bowls, and is also the Bay Area’s first ever acai bowl food truck. The acai berry is an exotic tropical fruit from South America famous for the serious punch of antioxidants and other nutrients it packs. These acai bowls consist of a thick, frozen smoothie made from acai berries and other fruits, and are topped with oatmeal, organic honey, coconut and tropical fruits. Mahalo Bowl also sells smoothies.

your body focused all day long. Especially in times of heavy work loads, stress and testing, it’s important to make sure your body stays strong and healthy. The cliche of going out to eat and getting fat doesn’t have to be true

bandwagon, even if the food happens to be fat-laden and likely to cause you to become lethargic. Food trends rarely include healthy foods that nourish the body to help maintain physical and mental well-being and help keep

NÉKTER

This juice bar is known for selling juices that help detoxify the digestive system, like the Toxic Flush Juice, which contains parsley, spinach, apple, lemon and ginger. This juice bar also sells smoothies and vegan acai bowls. Some of the newer menu options include mochas, cold brew coffee and vanilla lattes. You can also order a Classic or Advanced Nekter Clean package from their website, with a total of six drinks and a schedule to follow to ensure your digestive system is cleansed.

PRESSED JUICERY Known for its rejuvenating drinks made of vegetables and fruits, Pressed Juicery is extremely popular for its healthy yet tasty juices. Greens Three (kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, cucumber, celery, apple, lemon and ginger) and Citrus Two (pineapple, apple, lemon and mint) are two juices well known for their sweet and sour taste. Pressed Juicery has a variety of juice ingredient options including fruits, coffee, citrus, roots and more. When in doubt of which flavor to purchase, you can always ask for samples.

as long as you know what and where to eat. When you decide to go out with your friends. Here are some of the latest juice bars and restaurants that make it possible to stay healthy while still staying trendy.

VEGGIE GRILL

As its name suggests, everything at Veggie Grill is vegetarian. All of its menu items--including wraps, sandwiches, salads and burgers--are made of the healthiest ingredients possible.

For all the meat-lovers out there, Veggie Grill offers convincingly tasty “meat” made from a combination of vegetarian products. Especially popular selections include the Santa Fe Crispy Chicken sandwich, Bombay Bowl and the All Hail Kale salad.

ALL PHOTOS BY SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY—EPIC

Overdose on social media The consequences of social media addiction PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY NANDA PANDIAN

BY NANDA PANDIAN AND JESSICA LUO

W

nessed cyberbullying and 33 percent have do. Or, at least this is the case for me,” said been victims to it.

Peng. “However, generally people are drawn “I have had bullying experiences. I think to observing others through social media the main source of it was from ask.fm,” said because it is easier for them to get to know Kim. “For example, my friends would prank someone without socializing with them in me by using another person’s email, and I person, which is hard for people who are would think it was that shy or go to different person. But basically, schools.” once I created it I startAmong issues such ed to get a lot of hate. If “PEOPLE FOCUS ON THEMSELVES as insecurity, social meI got ten questions, six AND ON THEIR AUDIENCE, AND dia also prompts many would be hate.”

SO THEY CONSTANTLY UPDATE to search for an idenIn addition to the It is no secret that THEIR STATUS AND TAG THEM- tity. pervasiveness of cyber many often hide their bullying, The Fear of SELVES IN PHOTOS. IT’S NOT true personality online, Missing Out (FOMO), a ABOUT NETWORKING AS IT IS and platforms such as recorded psychologi- ABOUT PERSONAL BRANDING.” Facebook or Instagram cal syndrome, is also are breeding grounds directly associated with DR. JOHN OMAHA for such incertitude. spending extensive PSYCHOTHERAPIST For example, there are amounts of time social misconceptions that the networking. FOMO is more “likes” a person the sole reason as to gets on Facebook, the why people periodically check their devices, more accepted they are in society. fearing that they could have missed an im“The likes I get on my Facebook profile portant post or event. picture are the most important thing to me,” “Smart phones and social media give said senior Brandon Strong. “I enjoy getting people some control over their social com- them.” parisons and thus over their self-esteem,” This causes people—especially teenagsaid Dr. Omaha. “Adolescents and people un- ers, who are particularly susceptible to outder 30 use social media to gauge how to act side influence—to adjust their life according in particular situations, and they do this by to what they experience on social media. comparing themselves to others.”

“Ego pushes users to connect with others In addition to neglect and isolation, FOMO through electronic media,” said Dr. Omaha. also targets insecurity and self-conscious- “People focus on themselves and on their auness. For example, Facebook and Twitter dience, and so they constantly update their users may feel less self-worth if they were status and tag themselves in photos. It’s not left out of an event or not tagged in a pub- so much about networking as it is about perlic photo. However, despite the self-doubt sonal branding.” caused by constantly checking social media, Although spending profuse amounts of people are typically prone to examining the time on social media platforms may seem to lives of others. be the norm nowadays, the statistics clearly “I feel like most people post things for show that today’s generation is heading their friends to see, not everyone else who downhill toward addiction.

STEPHANIE LU—EPIC

ith the introduction of popular social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, hardly an hour goes by without a glance at a screen or a post on a wall. As today’s generation sinks deeper into the addictive effects of social networking, it becomes harder to escape the consequences.

As of 2015, there are 2.2 billion active social media users—almost a third of the global population. In data collected by GlobalWebIndex in 2014, 28 percent of the time online was spent social networking. Although it is clear that people are spending copious amounts of time networking online, the reason why remains widespread and debated.

Psychologists and researchers are constantly collecting new data and examining new platforms in an effort to reach a reason.

In June 2014 a study conducted by Dr. Larry Rosen examining the social media accounts of 1038 people of different ages, Dr. Rosen discovered that about a fourth of the subjects, especially the younger subjects, admitted to feeling medium to high levels of anxiety if they were unable to check Facebook as often as they would like. After organizing the responses, Dr. Rosen concluded that the need to know more, or social anxiety, was the primary factor as to why people were inclined to periodically check updates on social media.

“I’ve tried to close Facebook to be productive, but it’s impossible to because clubs, groups, classes, always update stuff and I end up always checking Facebook,” said sophomore Jessica Peng.

Social networking is similar to drugs since it activates the same areas of the brain. The nucleus accumbens, frequently described as the “reward system” in the brain, and regulates two key emotions: desire and safety.

The feeling of receiving a positive reaction to an online post and the effect of using a controlled substance both trigger the nucleus accumbens, leading to a heightened wave of desire, controlled by the chemical dopamine.

Without access to dopamine-inducing activities, such as social media or drugs, the user experiences high levels of anxiety. Serotonin, the chemical responsible for safety, ensures a feeling of relief when a user logs onto their account or takes drugs, sliding them inevitably into the cycle of addiction.

Dr. John Omaha, a psychotherapist specializing in emotional therapy, attributed the copious amount of time spent online to Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, which states that children learn from watching their parental figures. Because teenagers have grown up watching adults interact online, they themselves have integrated technology intimately into their lives.

Another plausible reason for spending lengthy amounts of time online can be attributed to boredom. According to a survey administered by GlobalWebIndex, 41 percent of users checked “to fill up spare time” as one of the main motivations for using social media.

“Social media makes me lose my sense of time management. I lose my sense of prioritizing,” said sophomore Catherine Kim. There are many consequences that can occur after spending excessive amounts of time on these social media platforms, many of which affect one mentally and intervene with one’s thought process. In 2009, the journal Science published a study of how social media affects our cognitive abilities.

Internet is mainly based off “visual literacy skills,” causing other more pertinent and applicable skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, imagination and vocabulary to diminish.

Also social networking encourages cyberbullying—95 percent of students have wit-

“Social media is a pertinent issue in our society because it limits face to face interaction and doesn’t allow people get to know each other.”

“Social networking causes false hope because you’re not getting a real experience in life. It doesn’t express emotions and feelings.”

HELEN LI JUNIOR

KRISTINA LEONG JUNIOR

*Taken from go-globe.com and expandedramblings.com GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY ALEX XU & RENUKA BELWALKAR

continued from AUTISM page 1

AURELIA YANG//IN MY OPINION

My unique younger brother

L

iving with an autistic sibling has not been an easy task. When my younger brother Aurick was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at the age of 2, I was merely an immature 4 year old who had no idea of the extent to which his disorder would impact me in the later years of my life. Yet the older he grew, the more severe his condition seemed to become. Often times, I would be embarrassed to be seen with him, as he would constantly throw loud temper tantrums, steal food from strangers and even urinate freely in public areas. To Aurick, his actions were completely normal. To my family and I, his actions were exceedingly humiliating.

In order to ensure Aurick’s well-being, my family and I are obliged to take extra precautions. For example, we have locks around nearly every cabinet in the house to prevent him from binging on junk food or ripping up books, though he always finds a way to outsmart us. In addition to my brother’s tendency to destroy household items, he also engages in a lot of self-injurious behavior. Similar to the conditions of most autistic children, Aurick is extremely sensitive to loud noises. Whenever he is exposed to the sound of a baby crying or a sick man sneezing, the first method of coping he resorts to is furiously hitting his head against a counter, often until his forehead begins to bleed.

Yet by far, the most frightening incident I have experienced was the first time my brother disappeared. My mom had brought Aurick along with her to pick me up from dance. I entered the car while she went into the building to pay for the upcoming semester, only to find that Aurick was gone. My mom and I were in a stage of complete and utter shock and drove everywhere looking for my brother. Eventually, we found him swimming around happily in the DACA swimming pool, being yelled at by a frazzled employee. He was peacefully doggypaddling his way from one side of the pool to the other, smiling and giggling the entire time. My mom and I learned an important lesson from that experience - to never EVER leave Aurick unattended.

As I grew older, I would often think to myself, “What if my brother was normal?

Why did I, of all people, have to live with an autistic sibling?” These thoughts led me to envy my other friends who had siblings without disabilities. I would often find myself thinking about life if Aurick were normal, of how we would share a close sibling bond and conspire against our parents for fun. I remember one of my friends once told me that “if Aurick were normal, he would attract so many girls.” As I thought about her comment more, I began to realize all the important milestones that Aurick would never be able to achieve due to his disorder, such as landing his first job or having his first real relationship. With these thoughts came another realization - that I should be grateful for the opportunities I have, rather than complain about how hard life is with an autistic brother.

At the end of the day, I am grateful for my brother. Aurick’s autism has taught me to appreciate life and to view my situation optimistically. I am compassionate to those in need and I do not worry about trivial matters. I am more patient and understanding when put under stressful situations. Having Aurick as a little brother has led me to develop into a more mature and appreciative individual. Everything that I have put up with has shaped me to become a stronger, more empowered human being. I have given up a lot for Aurick and his disability, but one thing is for certain--I would not want my brother any other way.

Special education teacher Jim Schussler finds it much more rewarding to work with the special education population than the general education population. “[The autistic students] are eager to be here, they want to learn,” said Schussler.

“The expression on their face and the smile when they get [something] and they realize that they got it, that’s what it’s all about.”

Job opportunities for autistic children and adults are abundant. For example, autistic high school students can become part of a program called Project SEARCH, a school-to-work transition program for students with developmental disabilities such as autism. The program provides real-life work experience and training in independent living skills to help autistic students to transition from school to productive adult life with competitive employment.

As prevalent as autism is in popular culture and general knowledge, most people know little about what autism is truly like.

“There’s a misconception that autistic kids are stupid,” said Tsao. “They might be in some ways, but really they’re not.

My brother is definitely really smart. He plays piano and violin. He can read chapter books, and many more things like that.”

Since autism is a spectrum disorder, symptoms vary greatly in intensity. Individuals with relatively mild symptoms are diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome and can generally live independent lives.

“With autism, you can be very, very successful,” said Yang. “It’s just [that] the ability to adapt to and function in the environment is somewhat weaker. You can truly live on your own, and many people have.”

Uppalapati has also noticed that some people make connections between autistic people and mass shooters.

“I hate that any time there’s a mass shooter people think it’s someone who is

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY CATHERINE HUANG

mentally ill or autistic,” said Uppalapati. “Ac- been both exhausting and rewarding. Aiden tually, almost every single shooter was neu- takes classes regularly and works with therarotypical. People who are autistic actually pists to improve his condition.

“You learn a lot of stuff from just being are less likely to be violent and more likely to with him,” said Tsao. “You have to be really be the victims of violence.”

While some media positively portray au- patient with him. He developed my symtism, the ways in which autistic individuals pathetic side, because with him in my life, are misrepresented creates misconceptions there’s always this kindness. One thing I would like everyone to among the public. know about autism is “A misconception is that it’s a blessing.” that kids would rather be “JUST LISTEN TO WHAT AUTISTIC Schussler finds it alone or work alone, and PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY, RESPECT much more rewarding that’s not true,” said Yang. to work with the spe“Students on the spec- THEM AS PEOPLE AND RECOGNIZE cial education populatrum really enjoy [work- THAT AUTISM MAKES UP WHO THEY tion than the general ing with others]. There’s ARE. I LIKE THAT I AM AUTISTIC education population. an assumption too that “[The autistic stu[students] are not aware BECAUSE THAT’S WHO I AM.” dents] are eager to of certain social contexts, PUJA UPPALAPATI be here, they want to but they actually are.”

JUNIOR learn, they want to Stereotypes of autistic try,” said Schussler. people are generally what “The expression on is shown in the media.

“Autistic people are often stereotyped as their face and the smile when they get [someeither child-like, where they need to be saved thing] and they realize that they got it.”

Yang’s experiences working with autistic by the neurotypical, who can turn them into a normal human being who we can respect; students have also been quite rewarding and or when they’re a brilliant, cold, heartless have led her to admire the spirit of the autisgenius,” said Uppalapati. “Neither are really tic students she works with.

“Resiliency within the students is faswhat autistic people are like.”

Sesame Street and Autism: See Amaz- cinating to me,” said Yang. “It’s a very chaling in All Children is a nationwide initiative lenging world to live in, and for you to have to raise awareness for autism and is aimed a disability in which it’s hard to understand at communities with young children. This the world and still keep going is just very enprogram not only offers families with autis- couraging and inspiring.”

For Uppalapati, autism is a part of her tic children ways to overcome common challenges, but also provides a positive narrative personality and it makes up who she is. As an autistic individual she believes that people about autism for all families and kids.

On Wednesday, Oct. 21, Sesame Street have to start accepting autism.

“Just listen to what autistic people have introduced a new character, Julia, who is the first autistic muppet. Julia’s story shows that to say, respect them as people and recognize while she does some things differently, she that autism makes up who they are,” said Upis still capable of playing with other children palapati. “I like that I am autistic, because and socializing, creating awareness and em- that’s who I am.” *name has been changed due to parental pathy in children.

For Tsao, having an autistic sibling has request

Aiming for a championship run

Junior Hope Safranek’s journey from amateur to Junior Olympian

BY ESHANI MEHTA

T

he twang of the bow. The whoosh of an arrow. The thunk on the target. Junior Hope Safranek steps away from the shooting range, appraising her shot from a distance. After a glance, she’s back at the firing line, getting ready for her next shot.

Safranek, a Junior Olympic level archer started archery as a freshman in high school. Safranek became interested in archery when she read about the Stanford archery club.

“I thought that archery sounded cool, so I went to a few lessons,” said Safranek. “I ended up loving it.”

Contrary to popular belief, archery is not a laid-back sport. Safranek has faced difficulties and setbacks that have hindered her playing, but have inspired her to improve her game.

While some may not think of archery as a very physically challenging sport, Safranek disagrees.

“When you go to tournaments, you have to be standing for eight hours,” said Safranek. “Once you get tired, it’s over because your aim will be off. So, it’s crucial that we’re able to withstand standing up and shooting for so long.”

Not only is physical training necessary for archery, mental training is equally key to performing successfully at tournaments.

“When mentally preparing for a tournament, you cannot strike yourself out,” said Safranek.

“When I went to my first tournament, I got nervous which affected my score, because I was not as focused as I could’ve been. You have to be confident in your skills and practice definitely makes perfect.”

Safranek practices archery for at least four to five hours a week to prepare and condition for competitions. Archery consists of strong discipline and repeating motions, so the archer has to be in the right place when he or she is shooting.

Safranek believes that her coach, Dakota Sinclair, has helped her set certain rules and reinforce discipline.

“Coach Sinclair requires me to maintain a positive attitude, with no excuses allowed,” said Safranek.

Sinclair lives in San Diego, so he only comes to San Jose to teach the lessons. Because of this, Safranek has more than one coach, just in case Sinclair cannot attend her practices.

“The distance is not that bad because he is available to answer questions and makes it a priority to address any of my concerns or questions,” said Safranek. “My coach isn’t the type of man to let things go or to sugarcoat things when I’m not improving enough.”

In addition, Safranek’s peers have noticed her development and her improvement over the years. Senior Austin Kwon has been shooting at the same range as her since his junior year, which was when he began archery.

“I had never seen her around when I started, but the first time I

Evaluating eSports

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any Lynbrook students play video games, whether it be a casual round of Candy Crush or a hardcore marathon of Call of Duty (COD), League of Legends (LOL) or Starcraft. Events such as the LOL fundraising tournament that took place at Lynbrook last year prove how popular video games are at our school. Although eSports have gathered a large following around the world, there are still those who condemn eSports and express a strong bias against them.

I believe that it is unfair that eSports are treated with contempt. Esports are similar

to traditional sports in the way that they are activities that can bring people together, like the nature of many competitive games.

The difference is the kind of crowd these competitive activities bring together. Both eSports and traditional sports appeal to different kinds of people, and bring them together to share their interest at events like tournaments. However, the crowds share more in common than most may believe.

The people that come together to watch eSports tend to be people I am more familiar with, which is why I feel more accepting of the eSports community. Growing up, I watched my brother play his video games, and occasionally played with him.

Even when I didn’t fully understand how to play a game, I still found it fun to watch my brother play. Though people may not know how to play football, they still enjoy watching and cheering on a team with their friends.

Esports have been rising in popularity within the past decade, peaking last year when the worldwide market reached about 70 million viewers during last years’ tournaments. 32 million viewers sold out last year’s LOL tournament in Los Angeles’ Staples Center, more than doubling the viewership of the 2014 baseball World Se-

met her, it was kind of funny,” said Kwon. “She was freaking out over the pressure the sport contains. I remember her outbursts about her little screw-ups and my coach trying to get her to focus.”

Two years later, Safranek has not only improved her archery skills, but has also learned valuable life lessons from the people she works with.

Safranek enjoys archery not only because she loves to shoot, but also because she has the opportunity to help children with special needs.

Safranek coaches the special needs students while they shoot, suggesting tips for them and encouraging them to shoot to the best of their ability.

Helping the same students for a year gives them the time and trust to confide in Safranek and ask her for help in numerous things.

“Their trust gives me a feeling of accomplishment in what I’m doing,” said Safranek.

Archery is a sport that requires a lot of mental focus and strain, so it helps calm the special needs students down and tires them out in a positive way. “[My students] have so much energy and applying it to archery is good because the only thing they’ll focus on is hitting the target,” said Safranek.

“Keeping still for so long trains their mind to be alright with not rapidly trying to think of various things at once and provides them an outlet for stress and anger.”

Archery for kids with special needs is something unique to Safranek’s archery club, LukAsip archery. While she teaches her students archery, they teach her important lessons too.

“My students continue to teach me that certain materialistic aspects of life are incomparable to things like happiness and kindness,” said Safranek. “A struggle for me is the emotional experience that sometimes comes with witnessing the love and patience their families have with them and the kindness and love my students treat their parents.”

Safranek hopes to continue archery throughout college as well as continue helping kids with special needs.

“Hopefully one day, I’ll compete in the Olympics,” said Safranek. “But I’m definitely far from there with my skill set now. Hopefully with practice, I’ll get there.”

SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY—EPIC

ries and the NCAA’s basketball Final Four combined. This year, eSports have garnered about 134 million viewers worldwide during the fall season alone. The whole eSports market in the U.S. is set to be worth $465 million within two years, much more compared to today’s $143 million, catching up the NCAA’s current value of $627 million.

Around the world, there are largely popular professional gaming leagues, similar to traditional sports, where there are huge leagues for the popular sports in different countries. For example, soccer is widely popular in South America, while American football is more popular here in the U.S. Similarly, Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) are very popular in Asia, while First Person Shooters (FPS) see a larger following in the west.

Esports have even appeared on ESPN, which sparked controversy between traditional sports fans and eSport fans. Arguments range from how one defines the word “sport”, to categorizing eSports as mind sports, like chess.

In my opinion, there is no way we can truly say that eSports are not sports. Though not as physically taxing as traditional sports, eSports prove to be mentally exhausting. In

order to maintain their status as top gamers amid the millions of gamers worldwide, professional gamers must commit to an extremely rigorous and unsociable schedule. There are even reports of people having heart attacks and dying in the computer cafes of South Korea--a country noted for its pertinent video gaming culture--as gamers skip meals and sleep in order to improve their rank. While players in the NFL lift weights for four hours, pro-gamers are playing for 12-14 hours a day, often getting four hours of sleep at maximum. As far as effort goes, it is not fair for someone to say that pro-gamers are not hard-working.

In reality, eSports share the major characteristics of sports that traditional sports fans enjoy. Professional organizations for both activities have a nearly identical format in the way players must qualify to play and how they train. Most importantly, the appeal of cheering for a team with other people and watching the best play against each other is the same for both traditional fans and eSports fans. Whether or not someone is supportive of eSports, we should not discriminate against what others are interested in, especially because sports and eSports are the same in so many ways.

Athletes first, women second

Escaping the American sports media’s shadows of sexuality

BY SOPHIA LING

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY SOPHIA LING

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.S. women’s national soccer team goalkeeper Hope Solo is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and holds the current record for having the longest undefeated streak with 55 straight scoreless games. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star Ronda Rousey could dispatch her opponents in less time than it would take to finish reading this sentence. These two are just a part of a growing population of dominant female athletes that are taking the world by storm.

Over the past few years women’s sports have attracted national attention and entered the public consciousness. Yet even with these incredible achievements, the media still shows that when it comes to female athletes, sex appeal is prioritized over strength.

Whether it be photographing them in suggestive poses, being acknowledged for their appearances and not their ability, or even being denied the same on-field opportunities as men , female athletes have constantly been scrutinized to enforce gender roles. Women have long been seen as submissive and held to a lower priority under men, a sexist belief that female athletes are subject to as well.

“I think that as a general idea, women are seen as pretty and not much else. And [the media] feeds off of that belief,” said sophomore Kennedy Miedema, a field hockey player and wrestler. “Magazines and movie posters [are all gorgeous women]. You don’t see that in sports. That kind of look isn’t realistic for a woman because no one really looks like that all the time, but it’s expected anyways.”

Sports have long been considered a primarily maledominated area. They are seen as activities that requires aggressiveness, a trait that women are not expected to have. Female athletes are held to the double standard where they not only have to perform well in their sport, but to also maintain the traditional expectation of women.

“Society has yet to fully accept women as equivalent athletes to men.” said Lynbrook’s girl’s basketball coach Lynley Takaki. “While our society is becoming more accepting of women no longer being [in domestic roles expected of them], there is still a gap between what is acceptable [for women] and what is acceptable of males and of male athletes.”

Although there exists amendments such as Title IX, a federal law prohibiting discrimination based on sex in federally funded education program or activity, the media still maintains a sexist traditionalism by giving female athletes’ appearances more attention and coverage than their accomplishments.

Unfortunately female athletes are subject to criticism no matter how they behave. American professional tennis

players and sisters Serena and Venus Williams have both been ranked the world’s number one women’s tennis singles players on several separate occasions. But even with those achievements, most of the media focus is on their bodies and not their 28 combined Grand Slam singles titles. After the 2014 Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) finals, Russian Tennis Federation president Shamil Tarpischev joked and referred to them as the “Williams brothers” during an interview, describing how he felt frightened when looking at them play.

“It’s just kind of a sexist thing. There’s that [inherent belief that] women are not supposed to have as much power as men,” said freshman Adam Katz. “So when female athletes can compete with them it’s seen as bad because they’re challenging that belief. Also, the guys feel threatened because they feel like these women are trying to challenge and steal their masculinity.”

Female athletes who are on par with male athletes in terms of strength are seen as trying to usurp the men for the position of being more powerful, instead of simply being recognized as outstanding athletes.

Yet when female athletes accept the media’s emphasis on femininity and sexuality in order to gain publicity, they are seen as promiscuous and their athletic prowess is shadowed by an unrelenting media.

Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, was placed under harsh criticism for her swimsuit feature in the Sports Illustrated magazine’s annual swimsuit issue. She was accused of taking the “easy way” of gaining publicity by using her body to gain attention instead of proving her worth on the field.

The media’s lack of coverage on female athletes’ accomplishments and discouragement of anything beyond the stereotype the ideal female body causes female athletes to feel pressure to change their bodies to what is considered acceptable instead of what is best for their health and athletic performance. “[In the sports that I’ve played before] I have seen a lot of girls who are not working out to get better at the sport or even to be healthier.” said junior Danlin Lillemark, field hockey and basketball player. “They just want to be skinnier. What [people need to understand and accept] is that not everyone can match exactly with that ‘perfect body’ the media portrays.”

When women reject traditional values and express qualities such as independence and physical power, they are categorized as gross and undesirable. There is no way for female athletes to present themselves comfortably in their bodies without receiving immense backlash.

When covering news related to female athletes, the media should only discuss their bodies if it is relevant to their performance. Female athletes should not be subject to judgement and sexualization based on their build. The public should also realize that there is no “right” or “wrong” body for a player to have as long as they are working hard on the field. When it comes to sports, the focus should be on the game itself.

Heartbreak to happiness: Cross country sprints to states

BY RAKSHA NARASIMHAN

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ast year ended in excitement and disappointment for the Lynbrook Cross Country team. The boys made the state championships, while the girls barely missed the cut.

In order to have a shot at sending both the girls and boys to states this year, the team has had to concentrate all of its efforts on constantly building upon their stamina and speed.

“We practice six days a week. During practice each day, we either run fastpaced short distance courses or slower long distance runs of up to eight miles,” said senior Justin Robison.

The boys’ cross country team, which

is performing well this season, is composed mostly of seniors. With college applications and plans for the future to worry about, time management is a challenge for the seniors.

“It’s necessary to find that perfect balance between academics and sports,” said senior Ryan Sadjadi.

This year, the girls have faced some challenges as well. The team has lost a few of its strongest runners, including team leader and graduated senior Grace Ling. In addition, senior Anna Sussenguth--one of the faster runners of the team--was sidelined due to an injury.

“Since we lost some of our strongest runners, we’ll have to put in that much more effort at making States,” said soph-

omore Angela Liu. Many of the new runners were inexperienced when the team began to train, but they can now run five to eight miles at a time. Their hard work has paid off, and the upperclassmen have noticed their improvements.

“I met this year’s freshmen in June, and now I see that they are running so much faster because they have been training hard every day,” said junior Maryam Jawid.

On Oct. 20, the team performed well at the Baylands meet in Sunnyvale. Senior Justin Robison placed second and the boys came in third place overall. The girls finished in seventh place, with Jawid and Liu placing in the top ten.

The girls fell just short of qualification for states in the 2014 season. This year, they have felt less pressure to qualify and are more focused on improving their individual times.

“It’s less stressful this year,” said Liu. “Last year we were really stressed and got our hopes [of making it to States] up, and we ended up not making it although we were really close.”

After consistent strong performance at their meets, the team is optimistic about the rest of their season.

“We’re not really nervous about making it to States and CCS right now,” said sophomore Kevin Chacko. “We trained really intensely during the summer, and we know that it will [continue to] pay off.”

SHIVAJETA VEMIREDDY—EPIC

TEACHERS’ HIDDEN HIDE-OUTS

BY SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY

W

hile most students get excused after the bell and go out during brunch or lunch to their hangout spots with their friends, they don’t realize that the teachers have their own exclusive getaway spots. The history, math, science, and English departments all have their own prep rooms where teachers can not only prepare for their next class, but chow down and relax at the same time.

Top right: A group of teachers gather in the staff lounge during brunch and share a bag of peanuts as they chat about their lives and their students.

Middle right: The math department’s prep room used to contain a ping pong table but it was later removed because of it being unused. That space is now occupied by a stack of old Trigonometry textbooks. There is also a box of leftovers from Panera Bread frequently provided by math teacher, Mark Kwong. On the whiteboard, math teachers solve problems and compare their answers with each other Bottom right: Meanwhile, the English teachers in the prep room gossip about certain topics and drink fresh-brewed coffee from their very own coffee maker. The whiteboard in the english department’s prep room lists out all the books that the teachers are currently reading with their students in their classes.

Bottom left: History teacher, Mike Williams, checks the refrigerator in the history prep room and finds a single cup of yogurt. All of the other departments here have a book room for storing their textbooks and a prep room for them to relax, however, the history department’s prep room had been converted into another history teacher, Nate Martell’s room. Therefore, their book room had to be converted into the prep room, commonly known as “The Dungeon” because of its small size. Many history teachers prefer to hang out in the staff lounge because there is not enough space in their “prep room”.