Issue 1, 2015 by the Epic

MOMENTARY MOVEMENTS

An analysis of the temporary eﬀects of viral activism on social media BY SOPHIA LING

n June 26, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage throughout all fifty states. Celebration broke out as Americans rejoiced and commemorated the event with parties. At Lynbrook, students used Facebook’s “Celebrate Pride” campaign to show their support, along with 26 million other users and public figures such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Arnold Schwarzenegger. It seemed that the flood of rainbow-patterned profile pictures would go on forever. But a month later, search term activity for the “#LOVEWINS” campaign had dropped by about eighty percent. Parades and marches died down. Social media profile pictures slowly changed back to their original photos. It was as though nothing had ever even happened. From KONY 2012 to the ALS ice bucket challenge and countless other short-lived but extremely popular online movements, the rise and subsequent disappearance of these profile pictures is the most recent addition to a long line of online movements to raise awareness for social issues all over the world. Internet activism is not actually a new phenomenon. In early 2012, the Invisible Children, Inc. organization released a short documentary titled “KONY 2012,” promoting their “Stop Kony” movement to arrest Uganda war criminal Joseph Kony for abducting children to become child soldiers and sex slaves. The film instantly went viral, hitting the hundredmillion view mark on YouTube six days after its release. Its social media presence rose exponentially, and within a week, more than half of all young Americans had heard of the Kony issue. However, despite the various developments that followed the video’s release, such as the film’s director Jason Russell’s naked meltdown in San Diego, interest in the movement began to wane just as quickly as it had risen. “I remember watch-

ing [the video] when it just came out and thinking [about how] I would want to help out or participate in it,” said senior Michelle Chiu. “But I definitely think that the fact that it ended up being a joke was detrimental to its cause. [The Jason Russell scandal] ended up reflecting on the video, which made [the movement] seem unprofessional. And the fact that it drew so much attention made the impact a lot worse because so many people knew of it already.” With a prominence of youth activism in the news including the #BlackLivesMatter campaign, and young stars such as Amandla Stenberg and Rowan Blanchard speaking out on feminism and other social issues, teenagers are seen as this age’s new advocates for social justice. “I don’t think people are necessarily pressured as they are just hearing of these issues via social media,” said sophomore Amber Lee. “But if their friends or others mistakenly convey the message of some social movements then there is definitely [pressure to stand up and correct them].” Youth are also influenced by their peers to take part in social media “challenges” set by diverse organizations to raise awareness for a cause. In this case, teens are pressured to participate in a popular activity in order to draw attention and acceptance from others for their activism. In fact, teenagers often participate in Internet activism not because they truly believe in the cause they advocates for, but because they are concerned about how their peers view them. see VIRAL ACTIVISM page 12

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY SOPHIA LING

NEWS//

ASB changes for the new year BY SANA SHARFUDDIN

New Legislative Council System n an effort to change the former, representation-lacking system, ASB created a new system that required interested students to fill out an application. Each selected Legislative Representative presents to one to two classrooms every Tuesday with information from weekly Legislative Council meetings. ASB hopes that the system will push Legislative Representatives to receive information from the classrooms they represent, as well as a chance for ASB to receive constructive feedback in return. The first Legislative Council meeting was held on Sept. 29 with an unexpectedly large representative attendance of around 38 students out of the 41 that are a part of the council.To ASB, the new system is already proving to be effective.

Monthly PR Videos ASB has decided to release monthly PR videos in order to increase outreach and transparency with the student body through the videos that seem more engaging and easily accessible for students, since many do not listen to announcements. The videos will promote events throughout the year, and inform students on what ASB is planning. Community Engagement Program ASB is creating a Community Engagement Program for students and the community. To get students’ opinions on which program they prefer, ASB sent a survey giving students three options: CA Drought, Homelessness and Mental Awareness and Stress Reduction. The official theme became Mental Awareness and Stress Reduction, and the project starts in November.

Club Handbook Revision A complete club handbook revision is being issued to make club management more effective, from digitizing club portfolios to allow them to regularly upload member presentations, to requiring that regular attendance for clubs be switched from two-thirds of total members to 10 members, making it more fair for larger clubs who don’t attract two-thirds of their members at all meetings. The handbook also enforces a May 20 due date for fundraising forms, a deadline previously ignored by Club Commissioners. Furthermore, a volunteer waiver form, open to all club activities rather than just volunteer activities, is now included in the handbook. ASB implemented the form to allow clubs to have the flexibility to hold activities and offer clubs the ability to fulfill the purpose of their organizations freely.

ICE SKATING// pg. 14 SHIVA VEMIREDDY - EPIC

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letter from the editors Dear readers, To those who are unfamiliar with us: welcome to the Epic! And to our returners: thanks for not abandoning us. The new year brings in its own surprises, so we’ve featured the newest additions to our campus. From new history teachers (pg. 2) to the recently added student-work program in the cafeteria (pg. 3), the Epic has all the details. For more serious pieces, turn to the indepth section for analyses of Lynbrook’s social pyramid (pg. 10) and the recent wave of online activism (pg. 12). And finally: to learn more about ASB’s possible cancellation of Winter Formal. as well as the student body’s responsibilities in these decisions, flip to our staff editorial (pg. 6). 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

Katherine Orozco Katherine Orozco comes from a family of teachers and has always been surrounded by the teaching environment. Before she came to Lynbrook, she was student teaching at Sunnyvale Middle School and served as a substitute at many different schools. This year, her first year teaching at a high school, Orozco teaches five classes of World History. She is also currently working toward a master’s in education. “Teaching is about mentoring and being a role model, and I love that aspect of the job,” said Orozco. “In high school especially, students may need a role model to guide them, and I love having the opportunity to do that.” She enjoys teaching at Lynbrook because she sees the motivation and drive in the students, something she noticed is hard to find in many other schools. Outside of school, Orozco loves to play tennis and read books. “I have a lot of favorite books, but I most enjoy reading ‘The Metamorphosis’ by Franz Kafka,” said Orozco. “I think that the book is awesome and hilarious, and the whole aspect of it being weird attracts me.” Orozco can also speak three languages fluently: English, French and Spanish. She grew up in Nicaragua, so Spanish is her native language. Orozco has set many goals for her students this year. “My goals for my students this year are to develop their language skills, so they are able to articulate events in history and state their positions, because history isn’t only about remembering dates,” said Orozco. “I’m excited to teach at a school where kids are so responsible, and the staff is very supportive. It’s like I’m part of a big family.”

Steven Roy Steven Roy is a U.S. History and World History teacher at Lynbrook this year. Inspired to start teaching because of his experiences with helpful and unhelpful teachers from his past, Roy wants students to learn and enjoy the material in a similar way to how he enjoyed his classes taught by good teachers. Roy just completed student teaching at Wilcox High School after getting his teaching credentials and master’s degree in education at Stanford University. “I’m really passionate about my subject,” said Roy. “I like focusing on historical thinking skills, so it’s not just having students memorize things from the textbook, but having them actually do the work of historians.” Having graduated from Monta Vista High School, Roy is familiar with FUHSD. He believes that at Lynbrook, all students are here to learn, to succeed and to get better. Roy has many years of experience tutoring high school students and college students, and also working with executives in many fields. Some of his hobbies include hiking, reading and walking his dog. He also enjoys woodworking, metalworking, working on cars, and fixing things. Having traveled to Istanbul, Roy loves to travel, and would like to visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia sometime. “My wife and I were interviewed by the Turkish News in Istanbul,” said Roy. “We stumbled into a 50,000 person Free-Palestine protest, and the news singled us out to ask us about our thoughts.” With his strong passion for history and his large amount of experience, Roy is looking forward to teaching at Lynbrook.

SHIVA VEMIREDDY - THE EPIC

Denise Stuart Denise Stuart is a new teacher for the Voyager program, a therapeutic special day class for adolescent students with social and emotional problems, and is teaching environmental science and U.S. History there. On the main Lynbrook campus, she teaches environmental science and the Learning Skills class. Before teaching at Lynbrook, Stuart taught at Summit Public Charter High School in Redwood City. Stuart has had a strong interest in teaching since she was a young girl. “I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I got swayed to go into engineering because I like the hands-on part of science,” said Stuart. “I used to teach my brothers when I was around eight while playing ‘school’ with them. My passion for teaching started back then so it was my calling to become a teacher.” In her free time, she loves to go to music concerts and plays, and enjoys all forms of theatre, from drama to comedy. From her journey through high school to college, Stuart played many leading roles in a variety of plays. She also loves to travel. “I’d really like to teach overseas,” said Stuart. “I want to go overseas and work there for a year, but it won’t be any time soon. I think it would be a great way to explore and learn about different cultures.”

SHIVA VEMIREDDY - THE EPIC

his school year, Lynbrook is welcoming 12 new staff members, ranging from teachers to paraeducators to food service assistants to counselors. Four teachers share some facts about their life and their experiences before joining Lynbrook.

Paige Robinson Paige Robinson, a Lynbrook alum, is a new World History teacher this year. After majoring in history at CSU Monterey Bay and recently getting her teaching credentials at UC Davis, Robinson came back to Lynbrook as a first year history teacher. “I like history because it’s a story, whether it’s looking at wars, politics or religions,” said Robinson. “For history, going chronologically just makes sense in my mind, as opposed to these abstract ideas like finding imaginary numbers or understanding chemicals. As people, we already understand half of what’s going on, it’s just understanding the terminology that historians have given it that makes it more challenging.” Robinson makes sure that her lessons are helping students learn as opposed to just finishing assignments. For this reason, she has discussions in class about homework and classwork and makes sure that everybody is participating. “I feel like I’m more equipped to help students that are struggling, because I’ve been through the stress of Lynbrook and can help students succeed through the mistakes I made so they do not have to make them,” said Robinson. Besides teaching, Robinson enjoys swimming and playing water polo. She is coaching girls water polo at Lynbrook this year. “I love coaching water polo because I get a chance to share my experience with the players,” said Robinson. “As a kid, I was always on the pool deck, and surrounded by the water. My life has always revolved around the pool.” As the school year progresses, Robinson wants to be able to help her students grow and learn history more efficiently.

Lynbrook celebrates fifty years at Jubilee BY SHIVA VEMIREDDY & HARSH JAIN

n Saturday, Sept. 12, students, alumni and staff members gathered to celebrate Lynbrook’s 50th birthday at the Jubilee. Lynbrook began teaching its first classes in 1965, but a lot has changed. Students gathered on the quad that morning to represent their clubs, volunteer or have fun. Many of the clubs there sold food or had activities that everyone could participate in. For the visitors, food was sold on trucks which were driven on campus. The Jubilee was an opportunity for many students to get points for volunteering. Students from Link Crew were in charge of different stations: games, photo booth, arts and crafts. Junior Hope Safranek, a Link Crew leader, volunteered in the Cove, where every issue of the Epic and Valhalla yearbook since 1965 were laid out. “It gave alumni a walk through the past, as I saw many look through the yearbooks

and chat about their time at Lynbrook,” said Safranek. Amid the reminiscences, Dan Chase and Vince Stornaluolo, two activists from Lynbrook’s class of 1970, tell their story about getting the dress code removed from the school system. “Dan and I struggled like every other high school student now,” said Stornaluolo. “But there was a big difference. We weren’t allowed to keep our hair longer than three inches, women could not wear pants, and we didn’t like that idea because we got suspended all the time.” “We were stoned one day,” Chase added. “And we wanted leave our mark on our school.” “So, we decided to form a more perfect union by trying to abolish the dress code,”said Stornaluolo. I guess you could say we were the campus radicals.” Many acclaimed members of the San Jose/Cupertino community also came to speak at the Jubilee. The headline speaker

was Congressman Mike Honda, who just won his recent election to retain his position as congressman. Other speakers included councilmember Evan Low, Spanish teacher and alumnus Julie Morelos, history teacher Jeffrey Bale, ASB president and senior Prashant Pokhriyal, principal John Dwyer and various other alumni. “I thought it went pretty well,” said Mr. Tuana, one of the organizers of the event. “We were happy with it. The speakers did a really nice job; I think they articulated what Lynbrook was about..” The ceremony was concluded by cutting Lynbrook’s very own birthday cake. “It was pretty obvious that over the years, certain things haven’t changed like the spirit, quality of students, and the care for the teachers, and everything else like that,” said Honda. “The Jubilee was great because it is always important to celebrate who you are and where you come from. And school spirit never dies.”

PAST AND PRESENT | Visitors reminisce about previous years in the memory room

FUTURE VIKINGS | Kids create viking hats at a crafts station

ALL PHOTOS BY SHIVA VEMIREDDY

SHIVA VEMIREDDY - EPIC

BY ESHANI MEHTA

SHIVA VEMIREDDY - T HE EPIC

new arrivals on lynbrook’s staﬀ

IMPARTING WISDOM | Mike Honda poses with ASB president Prashant Pokhriyal

News in Brief

PHOTO BY SHIVA VEMIREDDY

Homecoming Dance The Homecoming dance will take place on Saturday, Oct. 10 from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The theme is “A Lasting Moment”. Results from Homecoming week will be announced at the dance. Tickets are $10 with ASB and $15 without at the door.

Homecoming Football Game The Homecoming football game will occur on Oct. 9 at the Lynbrook football field. JV will play at 4:30 p.m. and Varsity will play at 7:00 p.m. Lynbrook will be playing Cupertino High School. Make sure to come out and support our Vikes! PSAT The PSAT will be administered on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 7:35 a.m. at Lynbrook High School. Second period will start at 11:20 for students who are not taking the test, and there will be a different bell schedule for the rest of the day. Cal Games The Western Region Robotics Forum’s Cal Games will be held on Oct. 2 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Lynbrook Gym and Field House. The event is a robotics competition in which Lynbrook’s team, the Funky Monkeys, will also be participating.

Food Club Day Club Food Day will be on Oct. 23 at lunch in the quad. Buy tickets ahead of time to be able to enjoy PMT, fries, pizza and more on the day of! IDC Exchange On Oct. 8, Lynbrook will be hosting students from other schools in FUHSD during Lynbrook’s IDC Exchange, which also takes place on the day of senior homecoming. by Urmila Venkat

PHOTO BY RENUKA BELWALKAR

TEDx takes center stage at Lynbrook BY RENUKA BELWALKAR

n Saturday September 26, 2015 at 3p.m. in the auditorium, TEDxLynbrookHigh hosted seven guest speakers: author of The Employee Engagement Mindset, Shane Cragun; CEO of Power Communication Corp., Joseph Prabhakar; CEO of Simple Wardrobe, Linda Yao; Director of Marketing for Addrio Lung Cancer Foundation, Kathryn Cox; founder and executive chairman of Sankara Eye Foundation, Murali Krishnamurthy; manager of a Microsoft strategic sourcing group, Arnon Kraft; and head of the Brayer Group, Opher Brayer. This TED event was independently organized by four juniors – Marilyn Zhang, Sumukh Setty, Mihir Pandya and Ankur Duggal. The event started with a video about what TEDx talks are about, “It is a day of curiosity, inspiration, and action. The more you take in it, the more you take out of it,” the video said. Prabhakar, the first speaker, explained why telling stories is extremely important; there are three parts to telling a good story according to Prabhakar - setup, struggle, and solution - struggle being the most important. “As a leader, you have to say ‘I have been through struggle and I can help you. I’ve been there, I know what it feels like, so I can help you,’” said Prabhakar. The next guest speaker, Crugan, compared how the outside world changes faster than a human internally would, so it is always important to keep reinventing oneself. “We need to be more effective and efficient. We need to reinvent and rethink. You need to change as fast or faster than the rate of change outside,” sad Crugan.

The third speaker, Yao, spoke about her company, and the importance of innovation. “As a freshman, I didn’t know much, but my sense of fashion and business took a bigger place in my life than I thought. One thing I want everyone to take away from this is: innovation makes our life easier; innovation is what has helped me along the way,” said Yao. Next was Cox who emphasized entrepreneurial skills and solving problems. She began with her history, her high school experiences, and how those helped her reach her goal. “Surround yourself with people who are going to help you get there. I was very geeky in high school and I didn’t have any friends. That’s okay because now I’m working and they’re probably still unemployed,” said Cox. The fifth speaker, Krishnamurthy, emphasized thinking big and never giving up. “There is no limitation. All the limitations are put in your head and that is what is stopping you from doing something. There is no limit whatsoever,” said Krishnamurthy. After an intermission, Zhang introduced Kraft. He talked about the best way to adapt to a new office environment; he called it the cheat sheet: listen and observe (30 days), understand (60 days) and create (90 days). “Innovation is about pushing yourself, and those [first] few 90 days are about being outside of your comfort zone,” said Kraft.

The final speaker, Brayer, presented “Talent Redefined,” and explained the importance of analogies and the importance of finding a pattern to a certain element in order to learn a concept in an easier way. “What is talent to me? One thing: can you do it faster? Why would you read a book for two hours if you can read in a half hour? People told you to work hard? Forget it. Work smart,” said Bryer. Lynbrook parents of freshman Amol Singh - Baltaj Singh and Rupinder Kaur thought it was amazing to listen to the inspirational talks. “We are all kids still learning so we found it very inspiring and [the program had] very good variation also,” said Singh. Kaur felt the event was very eye-opening and shares how it affected her. “I think it was fabulous. DANA MORGAN JUNIOR I think I’m walking out very inspired and there are things I’m going to change in my life from today onwards and there are things that I’m thinking about that I want to do. So I think it was a great event,” said Kaur. Junior Dana Morgan also was inspired by the different perspectives of innovation and motivation. “I liked it a lot. All the speakers had a very different ideas about innovation and they all built up to the fact that you should not let anything stop you from doing what you want to do, and that that was a great message that they all spread,” said Morgan.

early helps you later on,” said Pei. While working at the cafeteria has many benefits, it does have a few drawbacks. Since many of the student workers are busy for the entire lunch period, they often cannot spend time with their friends or eat their own lunches during this time. Rios, for one, is unable to eat during lunch and must eat in class; nonetheless, he has come to an understanding with his teacher as she often lets him bring food to class. Because he is also occasionally late to class due

to his full-time lunch work hours, his teacher does not mark him tardy unless he is enters more than a minute after the second bell. Despite the challenges the students face in working during school hours, for both the cafeteria staff and the students, the new cafeteria hiring program has been a success “I am starting to get all my ducks in a row, and it is much easier [to manage the cafeteria] now with the students helping out,” said Lynch. “I look forward to continue working with the students.”

“...you Should noT leT anyThing STop you froM doing whaT you wanT To do...”

BY SAMHITA HONNAVALLI

or the first time in 50 years, Lynbrook’s cafeteria is hiring and paying students. This program was introduced at the start of this academic year to help students gain work experience. The hiring began this year when Bill Schuster, the District’s Nutrition Coordinator, asked Megan Lynch, Lynbrook’s Food Services Manager, to hire students to work at the cafeteria. The first thing that Lynch did was put an advertisement in the cafeteria with job requirements. There was no formal hiring process that Lynch followed; instead, it was based on a first come, first serve basis. There are currently no positions open, but positions will open up if a student decides to opt out of the program. According to Lynch, more positions may open up when the cafeteria is remodeled in spring of 2018. As of now, there are four student cafeteria workers: sophomore Nicolas Rios, freshman Diana Pei, junior Allen Chen and one special ed student who is part of the special education program. This program requires one special ed student to help out in the cafeteria each year. The students are paid $9 an hour and work for an average of three hours a week. Lynch logs the time each student works on a timesheet and sends it to Schuster every month. Students are paid through the district food budget, which amounts to less

than $100 a month among the three student workers. For the workers, however, the job means more than the salary. “I think it’s really cool, as you get to meet the people that make your meals,” said Rios. In the cafeteria, every student’s job is different. Some students help serve food and hand out the utensils, while others help wash dishes and store food. On Wednesdays, the students help Lynch set up the barbeque and get ready for the next day. Students, however, do not not help the staff cook and are not allowed to use knives. Rios, who was coincidentally looking for a job at the time the position opened, finds it convenient to work during school hours. Additionally, working in the cafeteria is very flexible and if he is unable to work during a certain time, the cafeteria staff allows him help out some other time instead. In general, the new program has increased the cooperation between the cafeteria staff and the student workers. “It’s fun because I get to interact with the students a lot more,” said Lynch. “There are definitely more pros than cons while working in the cafeteria with students.” Likewise, students also appreciate the opportunity to work in the cafeteria. Pei and her fellow student-workers are eligible for free cafeteria food during the time period in which they work; additionally, Pei is grateful for gaining the practice and real-life skills that come with the job. “I feel that getting the work experience

SHIVA VEMIREDDY -- EPIC

STudenTS for hire: CafeTeria addS workerS F

Kim Davis: in contempt of justice

Examining the impacts of Davis’ refusal to issue gay marriage licences

BY KATHLEEN CUI

woman who has been divorced not once, not twice, but three times, is the last person you’d expect to be blazing the trail for marriage sanctity in the name of the Lord. One would also expect a U.S. county court to be the last place exhibiting religious discrimination, intolerance, and hypocrisy-yet Kim Davis has managed to prove us wrong on all counts. The Kentucky county clerk was released from jail on Sept. 8, allowed to continue working on the contingency that she would not interfere with the issuance of marriage licenses. She is the residing county clerk of Rowan County, meaning she earns approximately $80,000 a year with six clerks beneath her. Her job is to ensure that the couples who want a license comply with the state marriage requirements. Thus her religious opposition to the actual marriage is “absolutely irrelevant in this context,” affirmed Columbia Law professor Katherine Franke to NPR. Rather, Davis is treating her religious observance like public policy, abusing her authority as county clerk. County clerk is a position Kim Davis ran and was elected for--therefore in running for the job, she legally sacrificed all objections to issuing marriage licenses, regardless of sexual orientation. And while the first amendment does protect freedom of religion, it does not condone the blatant disobedience of laws enacted to ensure nationwide equality. “Kim Davis’s religious beliefs are in conflict with her job description, and

while I respect her religious beliefs--although I disagree with them--she’s not performing her job as mandated,” said AP Government teacher Mr. Williams. “She should lose her job--or, start doing her job.” During her court trial, Davis asked for religious exemption, which would allow her to forgo putting her name on marriage licenses; her request was declined. After her release, Davis has been allowing the court to issue marriage licenses, yet persists in removing her name from these licenses, drafting an entirely new document that does not require her legal signage. “I think there’s law, and then there’s faith. Religious exemption is a way to get around the issue, and in my opinion, allows her to continue to not perform her role as mandated by her job description,” said Mr. Williams. “If you take this to its logical conclusion, religious exemption would allow you to get around many things in this country.” “I personally believe she shouldn’t be allowed to continue serving as county clerk, since she’s refusing to do part of her job,” said junior Katherine Sanders, VP of Lynbrook’s GSA Club. “But unfortunately it’s extremely difficult to remove her from her position, since her position as county clerk means she’ll have to be impeached by the county first.” And while it’s clear that Davis is refusing to do an integral part of the job that she’s paid for, the chances that she will be impeached by the General Assembly are slim--especially since

she was voted into the position by a matter of popular opinion. Davis’s reasoning for contempt against court lies in religious convictions; as the Bible dictates, two people of the same gender scar the sanctity of marriage. “To issue a marriage license which conflicts with God’s definition of marriage, with my name affixed to the certificate, would violate my conscience,” said Davis in a public statement. Yet Davis seems to have conveniently forgotten that God’s definition of marriage is a lifetime commitment between two people, condoning divorce only in the case of marital unfaithfulness. And unless Davis is implying that there was marital unfaithfulness in all three of her prior marriages, she too conflicts with God’s holy definition of marriage. If one’s ultimate goal is to take a stand for God and pioneer his marriage values, hypocrisy proves to be countereffective. Though Davis claims that her actions are in the name of Christian-

ity, her decisions have been cringed at by many fellow Christians. In numerous cases, other Christians have been peeved by what Davis did in the name of the Bible-and justified through Christianity--even though they believe in the same God as she does. “I think she’s representing Christianity in the wrong light,” said junior John Um. “The foundation of Christianity is love and the fact that she is promoting hatred of gays is misrepresenting this core value.” Other Christians have no issue with gay marriage, with the understanding that different people are entitled to different beliefs. “I’m fine with gay marriage because people who aren’t Christians aren’t bound to follow what the Bible says,” said senior Alyssa Zhang. “Christians have no right to judge non-Christians by Christian standards.” By framing Christianity as a discriminating religion that attacks the innocent, Davis counterproductively propels the negative impression some may have of Christianity. Rather than proving her faith in God, she has only succeeded in exacerbating others’ opinion that religion is bigoted and homophobic. And while this situation is a small step forward for Davis’s ego, it is a huge step back for religious individuals everywhere. Thus while Davis does have the right to freedom of religion, making her personal opinion into public policy is both illegal and hypocritical. And if one decides to defy national law in the name of marriage, she should at least ensure that her own marriage(s) are also in compliance.

SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY—EPIC

ANYA POPLAVSKA//IN MY OPINION

My experiences in the school kitchen

e’ve all seen them--working behind the glass counter, making the food, serving us plates full of pasta. And yet, what we never think about is the work that goes into our food. “What is this?” we groan, never once realizing how much effort it took to make that lasagna we just threw into the trashcan. I realized this ingratitude was a growing

issue, so I decided to seek it out myself in the best way possible: by actually going to the scene, the cafeteria kitchen. Behind the counter, it’s like a whole new world. What most students probably don’t realize is that there are at least six employees working nearly full time to provide Lynbrook students with home cooked meals. Little do students know how much credibility these employees have; their levels of experience range from 10 to 35 years. I actually talked to Megan Lynch, the cafeteria head, who has over 12 years of experience in the cafeteria. As part of my experiment in touring behind-the-scenes, I walked around and instantly smelled fresh aromas from the kitchen, followed by the scurrying of the Lynbrook chef. At the same time, hundreds of demanding kids started to run into the cafeteria impatiently, while the workers struggled to serve food and appease everyone. To my right were three workers running back and forth hectically with stress drawn all over their faces. To my left were a few more workers who sprinted to the kitchen to change a

production error, all the while having kids to serve. Employees in the cafeteria labor for hours on end, always working with new ingredients and restlessly preparing food, if not dealing with angsty students. That alone should be able to win them any award. All this is incredibly draining work. Seeing all of this hard work in action made me realize that the underlying biases Lynbrook students have towards the simplest things, such as school lunches, dig into a much deeper issue. The truth is, we’re all too unappreciative. We have full time hired workers to adhere to all of our needs (management, food, facilities), and yet we still find any reason to nitpick the food we’re given. There’s not much more you can ask for. We have a full staff of people, waiting on hand and foot to fulfill all our requests. They try to keep us healthy and serve us in any way possible, but instead of trying to acknowledge the fact that we’re privileged enough to go to a school that offers us these possibilities, we

disregard the work that people have put in for us. The solution is quite simple. We need a shift in viewpoint, in which people actually have the motivation to discover the hidden work put in by people around us. This concept can apply to not only school food, but to other adults we associate with on a daily basis. This can be anyone from the waiter who served you last Saturday, to your very own Dad who works eight hours a day to put food on the table for you. Often, our lack of interest to discover what happens behind the counter, or behind the scenes, leads to our (unintentional) thoughtlessness. At times, it seems difficult to realize and acknowledge the fact that there are people who put in hours of work to increase our personal standard of living. But with a little bit of effort and more open mindedness, we can work to improve our mentality by giving the cafeteria workers the appreciation they deserve. Consider this next time you wrinkle your nose at your plateful of school lasagna.

Target hits bullseye on gender equality BY WILLIAM GUO

n a newsletter sent out on Aug. 7, Target announced that there will no longer be a “girls” or “boys” section in its stores, in an effort to phase out gender separation. It’s a bold move, but one that has been a long time in the making. Target’s decision to abolish in-store labels is the right step in a gender-neutral direction, allowing children to have greater freedom in deciding their identities, as well as encouraging gender equality. While deciding to abolish gender labels, Target still recognizes the convenience of buying certain items based on gender, like clothes, but acknowledges that in sections such as toys, labels are not necessary. “Right now, our teams are working to identify areas where we can phase out gender-based signage to help strike a better balance...You’ll see these changes start to happen over the next few months,” Target said in its newsletter. Target’s Westgate location declined to comment. While some believe Target’s decision to implement has opted for genderneutral labels to be too politically correct or even to encourage homosexuality, Target’s move is merely an effort to give children more choice in their lifestyles. Others have interpreted Target’s abolishment of gender-labels as an appeal to the liberal public, but these accusations do not recognize the distinction between gender and sexuality. The change does not have anything to do with promoting what kids should play with, but rather opening more options for individual choice--it is in no way meant to convert kids to different sexual orientations. “The separation between genders is disappearing now because of the more [contemporary] movements,” said junior Arsh Malhotra. “But as a kid I was kind of

brainwashed to play with cars, and those stereotypical ‘boy’ toys, and to play basketball.” According to the American Psychological Association, sex is one’s biological orientation, while gender is society’s attitudes toward that biological orientation. Thus the definition of gender, not sex, is evolving into a matter of nurture, not nature. It is important to recognize others’ choice of gender and allow them the opportunity to discover their gender. By getting rid of gender labels, Target is encouraging kids to make their own decisions, and grow independently, unhindered by what is considered “normal.”

“The people who are afraid of homosexuality being promoted are going to be afraid of that anyways, and of so many other things that may turn their kids gay. “

FRITZ TORP LITERATURE TEACHER

In a study by Ann McGillicuddy and Richard De Lisi, researchers found that kids would immediately avoid toys that they were told to be “sex-inappropriate.” Continuing down this path, kids begin to associate activities as gender specific, creating the basis for gender inequality, while also perpetuating the idea of what girls and boys should be. The problem with gender stereotyping is that it is a universal concept, introduced to children at a young age. As it turns out, children are extremely susceptible to what labels are put on different activities or toys. The study noted that gender labels are effec-

tive even in very young children; older children and boys seemed even more susceptible to the labels’ effects. For example, boys who are playing together may shun the idea of playing with dolls, or with objects colored pink or considered “girly” if they are told to do so. “I was definitely subconsciously affected by [gender stereotyping]. When I grew up I basically only played with dolls…and I know if I asked to play with more ‘male oriented toys’ I would be denied,” said sophomore Yichen Zhu. “My parents would be like, ‘Why are you trying to become more masculine?’” Abolishing gender labels allows both genders to pursue what they want without fear of judgment. A boy who likes to sew and a girl who likes to play with cars can be left to do whatever they are passionate about. “Definitely, [Target’s decision] is a great move for gender equality. It bites into how society defines us by our sex and gender, expanding a girl’s role in society from just a housewife or a mother to whomever she wants to be,” said Zhu. “It doesn’t [force] children, when they are young, and so easily molded, to conform to gender normativity.” Literature teacher Fritz Torp agreed. “[Target] is really ahead of the industry,” said Torp. “The people who are afraid of homosexuality being promoted are going to be afraid of that anyways, and of so many other things that may turn their kids gay.” At the end of the day, Target is trying to build a better store that promotes equality in what both boys and girls may want. It simplifies to what is promoted to the younger generation, and it is the first, but hopefully not the last, great step in the right direction.

ILLUSTRATION BY SOPHIA LING

CATHERINE HUANG//IN MY OPINION

The real-life Socality Barbie

was scrolling down my cultivated Instagram feed with my toes nice and toasty in Doc Martens and a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte in my hand when I stumbled upon Socality Barbie’s instagram page. As I was scrolling through her feed, one of her many satirical posts caught my attention. It features her holding up an ice-cream cone against a vintage sign. She captions this photo, “Cuz holding your ice cream up to a wall turns it into art.” And all of a sudden it hit me--I was devastatingly, irrevocably basic. Socality Barbie shows us that, contrary to many users’ beliefs, people actually appreciate creativity and singularity. Around a year ago, Socality Barbie made an Instagram account so she could start sharing her opinions about following mainstream by posting pictures of the same generic beverages, shoes and scenery in order to mock them. Created by a photographer from Oregon, Socality Barbie whose mission is to let everyone feel more comfortable everyone to feel more comfortable posting photos that actually represent themselves. The general image of Barbie is a basic doll who encourages superficial behavior and gives the wrong idea about one’s body image. Yet Socality Barbie has taken the initiative to advocate against the “ideal” image that certain people have created as an attempt for more friends and likes. Socality Barbie showed me that a bird’s eye view of new Australian Uggs boots and Starbuck’s pumpkin spice lattes aren’t worth posting because of the reasoning behind such posts. Because of her, I now realize just how ridiculous a trend in society is becoming: people strive to be “basic” by posting unoriginal and unauthentic posts for the sole purpose of acceptance and more likes. At Lynbrook, I often find people posting pictures taken from different angles at a cafe of their brilliant boba or coffee --that, may I add, they have every week-- alongside of a laptop or other aesthetic items. I believe that Instagram has the potential to become the epitome of inspiration and imaginative, original photos. What’s preventing Instagram from claiming this title is the significant amount of users who believe they can only post certain photos and captions to accommodate their peers’ expectations. We, as users, are only posting what is generally accepted amongst our peers, not what truly represents us as individuals. Socality Barbie continues to use an effective approach in discouraging shallow and frivolous actions: her feigned but apparent desperation for an adventure-filled life. She allows users to reflect on themselves and become more aware if they reek of plasticity. She also subtly mocks “basic” posts by posting satirical photos of the cliche and sarcastically labeling them as authentic by using irony. With her newfound fame, she reveals to teens that individuality should be appreciated and embraced by drawing negative attention to examples of posts that are seen everywhere on Instagram. Her artificial reenactment of the virtual world shows how ineffectual people’s posts are when they post the same types of unoriginal photos. Without Socality Barbie, there would be no one to point out how unoriginal everyone has become. She is a role model and shows us that there is no need to be identical to every other teen. So next time, I think I’ll spring for Peet’s coffee instead.

Out of step with Lynbrook’s culture

n Aug. 30, ASB sent a survey to the student body regarding whether Winter Formal should be held this year. Contrary to changes made to last year’s Welcome Back Rally without the consent of the student body, ASB took a step forward in letting the students decide Winter Formal. Even after ASB attempted to get student opinions, students continue to blame ASB for underwhelming dances. In this case, ASB is not entirely at fault. Other factors out of ASB’s control, such as low student attendance and a limited budget, contribute to these unpopular changes. “I am slightly disappointed that Winter Formal may be cancelled, because I go every year,” said junior Amy Huang. The decline of dance quality, culminating in the possibility of cancelling Winter Formal, is partially owing to the students. Students need to understand the parameters ASB considers when hosting events, as well as their efforts to give students a chance to have their opinions heard. In 2014, ASB drastically changed the Welcome Back Rally by eliminating competition among the four classes in an attempt to create a more welcoming atmosphere for freshmen. The homecoming dance became informal rather than semi-formal, with class points awarded for attending the football game. While ASB made these changes to boost participation, students felt ASB’s decisions were ineffectual. Now, with the possibility of Winter Formal being cancelled, students are again crestfallen. “I don’t think that a traditional dance such as Winter Formal should be canceled. I went last year, and I feel like the experience should be open to future generations,” said senior Nicholas Wong. This year, however, ASB has opened its system by consulting the student body, such as through a survey sent out on Aug. 30 asking students if they would prefer to have Winter Formal or an alternative event. “We want to make sure that we give the student body the best possible outcomes, therefore, all 316 responses from the survey will go into consideration when we make the final decision about Winter Formal,” said junior Mira Thekdi, ASB Social Manager. Low student participation is reflected in the fact that only a few hundred students replied to the survey, a fraction of the 1800+ student body. ASB has considered student opinions in the past, but a major concern is that profits from dances don’t justify the effort put in. During Winter Formal in 2014, ASB took students’ input about lowering ticket prices from $55 to $35, only to lose $3,167 from low attendance of only 168 students. After attempting to increase attendance by providing a photo booth, variety of foods, and games such as Ping Pong, ASB has realized that this is a problem with an elusive solution. The cause of low attendance is not, as some think, due to ASB’s flaws. The problem lies with the culture change at Lynbrook that has progressed over the years. In 2013,

Staff Editorial

The Voice of the Epic the Welcome Back Dance had an attendance of 458 students, with a majority of students suggestively dancing. However, since enforcement of the new no-grinding policy in the past two years, attendance has dropped heavily. And while some students consider the policy to be ASB’s fault, ASB had little say in its enactment. Given the impact the new policies have had on dance attendance, it is clear that administration should not have required ASB to implement decisions they did not agree with. “The concept of creating a dance policy was put upon ASB, and it was something that was beyond their control,” said Andrea Badger, the leadership advisor. “They were told it was something that had to be created, and while ASB was free to develop the policy and advocate for students, ultimately they knew students didn’t want a policy at all.” While the administration did conduct a meeting with ASB to discuss these decision, ASB had little input in the execution of said decisions. “Some of rules and policies that are present at dances and other events represent no part of ASB’s decisions,” said sophomore Hiral Kotecha, ASB’s Social Commissioner. “We’re forced to implement certain rules and policies, regardless of our opinion on it. There are plenty of things we wish weren’t there, but we can’t do anything about that.” This year, the Welcome Back Dance had a lower attendance of 298 students without suggestive dancing due to the new restrictions. Such an environment proves unappealing to many students. “I feel like events like mixers tend to be a lot more fun because there aren’t strict rules like the dance policy restricting students from having fun,” said senior Michael Kasof. On Aug. 8, the popular mixer Summer Vibes was held by senior Raaghav Minocha, who partnered with a Cupertino High student. It had an attendance of nearly 300 students, many from Lynbrook. However, the mixer environment is one ASB cannot replicate, due to many school regulations. An off-campus mixer tends to have less supervision, without restricting students from engaging in provocative behavior. “When we are planning dances, we have far more factors to consider than a mixer might have,” said Thekdi. “For example, we spend about $12,000 on Winter Formal itself on bids, the venue, the DJ, food, and so much more. Most of our concern, however, goes into security and making sure that the rules/ regulations are being followed.”

While ASB makes efforts to conduct reasonable changes, it is the student body’s responsibility to utilize when ASB reaches for input. Students who for whatever reason do not fill out surveys can talk directly to ASB about their concerns, while keeping in mind that ASB cannot accommodate every individual’s personal concerns. Students should also retain that lack of attendance at events such as Winter Formal will directly affect decisions that ASB makes. Failing to attend dances or filling out surveys will cause ASB to lose money and believe that students are not interested in the dance. And to address attendance at dances, the administration should revisit its policies regarding behavior at dances, but now with the influence of ASB.

SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY—EPIC

Trumping Trump’s fallacious H-1B immigration policy BY RENUKA BELWALKAR

elf-made billionaire Donald Trump brought a controversial topic to the 2016 presidential race and blamed companies who hired through H-1B visas, a work visa for jobs usually related to STEM, as a cause for the underrepresentation of minorities such as African American and Hispanic in STEM companies in Silicon Valley. It is ironic that Trump, who has said racist comments about these minorities previously, suddenly supports their representation in STEM fields. If elected for presidency, he plans to increase wages for foreigners who come to the U.S. through H-1B visas until companies won’t be able to afford hiring them, forcing more consideration of the domestic pool of applicants. At Lynbrook, many students’ parents work in the STEM field, which would not have been possible without the H-1B visa. “Since the H-1B visa let us move here, it really changed our lives in a positive way. Because of this visa, we were able to come to Silicon Valley and live in a very prosperous, focused and motivating community,” said junior Raghav Sreeram. Trump claims that companies are only hiring internationally, causing domestic candidates to have less opportunities. Contrary to Trump’s view, for every person hired through H-1B visa, 2.8 American citizens are as well,

shown by Hoover Institution’s statistics. Companies are not discriminating against minorities, but rather selecting people with a high skill set. “The only criteria we have while selecting employees is the interview and the skill set. We absolutely do not discriminate against any race,” said Sushmita Ganguli, a manager at f5 Networks. Low minority representation in STEM companies, is rooted into the education

system, not the hiring process of companies. American universities are not graduating huge numbers of minorities like African American, Hispanic and female STEM majors, exemplifying minorities’ lack of access to education, poverty and stereotypes. For literature teacher Andrew Seike,

growing up in poverty made education his last priority. “A lot of parents here are engineers. With that [knowledge] comes [the] ability to teach your kids - you’ve been integrated with education since you were young,” said Seike, “For me, I was integrated in education zero. My parents would never check my grades. They couldn’t take active steps to improve my life.” In fact, College Board’s statistics show that there are only three percent of African Americans and four percent of Hispanics earning at least a bachelor’s degree in the STEM field. The irony of it all is that immigrants are a minority in America. The H-1B visa allows skilled workers to come to America and help companies such as those in Silicon Valley improve. Trump’s idea that H-1B wages should be raised to prevent the hiring of foreigners is not justified, since these very foreigners who often eventually become citizens - are the minorities that he’s trying to support. In fact, on Aug. 18, Trump tweeted “I want talented people to come into this country - to

work hard and to become citizens. Silicon Valley needs engineers, etc.” Trump has clearly not thought out the effects of his H-1B plan, as the very H-1B visa is what allows intelligent people to improve U.S. companies. For example, the current CEOs of Google and Microsoft are both immigrants, while Hoover Institution states that 50 percent of Silicon Valley startups are founded by immigrants. Forcing companies to hire less qualified people will place them in an unsuitable position, while stunting many companies’ growth. Thus a negative ripple effect would be created, potentially slowing down Silicon Valley’s growth, undermining its prestigious, technological status as the innovation hotpot known throughout the world. “We are the hub of innovation,” said senior Tanvi Varma. “So it seems fitting that our area has people from all sorts of backgrounds bringing different types of perspective to our workforce.” Without H-1B visas, Silicon Valley would not be the same innovative, prosperous place it is today. If Trump’s plan is implemented, not only will companies start to lose profit, but also Silicon Valley may lose the reputation that immigrants from all over the world have built.

Picture perfect princess

BY SAMHITA HONNAVALLI

“We were so tired that we went to the tech rehearsals in pajamas,” said Li. “Since all of us were like sisters, none of us n the hoodies and shorts she wears at school, senior Jen- really cared that we would be seeing each other in pajamas.” nie Li may seem like just another Lynbrook student. HowThe pageant was held in the evening and started off with ever, Li also holds the title of Miss Asian San Francisco and everyone wearing clothing from their country. Li wore a 2nd Princess as of the 2015 Asian American pageant. qipao, a traditional Chinese dress. Li first began modeling in middle school, but did not join “For me it was a lucky qipao,” Li said. “There is a tradition her first pageant until a few years later. where Miss Chinatown San Francisco wears Li’s first pageant was the 2014 Sing Tao a white qipao, and I wore the one which Miss Pageant, held by Sing Tao, a chinese Chinatown San Francisco wore.” “The pageanT haS newspaper company. The delegates also wore bikinis and helped open My eyeS “I did not have any experience, so I walked the ramp. did not win the pageant, but I became the “For me, modeling in a bikini was not very To The world, SinCe Cucover girl for the June 2014 Sing Tao maghard as I didn’t have prominent self image isperTino iS a relaTiVely azine,” said Li. “I felt disappointed, but I sues,” said Li. “ The only uncomfortable thing ShelTered plaCe." felt honored as well.” was that there were people I knew and I did She originally joined the pageant to not want them to judge me.” JENNIE LI help her become a news anchor in the By Saturday evening, Li became Miss 2nd future and get in touch with the media SENIOR Princess and Miss Asian American San Franworld. It was from these connections that cisco of the 2015 Asian American pageant. the Sing Tao company decided to sponsor As a title holder, for her one year reign, her for the Asian American Pageant. Li has special duties that she must complete. The events inOnly 17 years old, Li is currently the youngest contestant clude attending charity and community events while wearing to hold the Miss Asian American San Francisco title. Earlier her sash and tiara.This pageant led to many volunteering opthis year, Li started preparing for the pageant by preparing portunities, but also enabled Li to work on her social skills. for the pageant’s interview questions as well as the walk on “The pageant has influenced me to open my eyes to the the runway. world, since Cupertino is a relatively sheltered place.”” said “Because the training was hard, it motivated me to do Li. well,” said Li. “It was sometimes mentally and physically exLi can participate in other pageants after her reign ends hausting since I had to write long essays and walk in six inch next August, however she is not planning to do so anytime heels.” soon. During pageant week, she was so sleep deprived and her “I want to enjoy the experience of college before I join any eyes dry that her contacts popped out of her eyes. other pageants,” said Li.

USED WITH PERMISSION OF ALAN LEW

1. Exercise and eat healthy Recent studies show that moderate exercise can reduce the number of times you get the cold or flu by 25 to 50 percent because exercise boosts circulation of infection-fighting cells. Meals with various vitamins and minerals can also help strengthen your immune system, particularly foods containing vitamin C.

3. Get enough sleep According to a recent study for The Archives of Internal Medicine, people who sleep for an average of fewer than seven hours a night are three times more likely to get sick than those who average at least eight hours a night. Just an hour more of sleep can make a huge difference in your health.

2. Don’t share personal items or food It may seem like no big deal to share your PE clothes, earphones, or makeup with your friend. But, your friends might not know they are sick, and if they are, by borrowing their earphones, you are welcoming the germs into your body. Sharing food and drinks is worse. Their saliva is in the drink or on the food, meanign you’re almost guaranteed to be falling sick soon.

RENUKA BELWALKAR—EPIC

s summer transitions into fall, there are often classes filled with students sneezing, coughing, and blowing their noses. It’s even worse when the sick kids are sitting near you, or maybe even right next to you. Falling sick leads to possibly missing school, and nobody wants that, because it results in makeup tests, a giant load of homework, missing sport practices and more. So here are six ways to strengthen your immune system and stay hygienic to protect yourself from the germs that are sure to be spreading to your own body, even right now.

RENUKA BELWALKAR—EPIC

BY ESHANI MEHTA

RENUKA BELWALKAR—EPIC

how To noT fall SiCk when your friendS are

One teacher, multiple subjects Teachers take on teaching multiple diﬀerent subjects at Lynbrook this year BY SOPHIA LING & MICHYLA LIN

U.S. History and Japanese teacher Jeremy Kitchen is no stranger to tackling a variety of subjects. He got his history credential while he was studying to be a teacher, but opted to work toward his Japanese one once a teaching position at Lynbrook opened up. When he began coaching basketball and track, he was encouraged to become a P.E. teacher as well. Kitchen’s jack-of-all-trades reputation is known to students that have attended his classes and played the sports he coaches. Still, he never fails to surprise. “It’s so weird because when I first knew about him it was when he was a P.E. teacher, and then my track coach in freshman year, and now he’s my Japanese teacher,” said junior Julia Catolico. “So when I heard he was teaching history too, it was pretty unexpected. I think it’s cool, since teachers usually

stick to one subject like math or science.” Out of the five classes Kitchen teaches, four of them are different subjects. Although the variety is exciting, it is still a challenge. For every subject he teaches, he has to develop an individual lesson plan, answer all sorts of questions, and even switch the language he speaks in. Luckily, with that experience and a genuine interest in what he does, Kitchen enjoys teaching every lesson. Students in each of his classes may notice that Kitchen’s personality does not change across his classes. He strives to make sure that students understand the importance of what they are learning. He incorporates current events and culture into his lessons so that they can make connections between the textbook and the real world. “Being a Japanese teacher [Kitchen] has to

SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY—EPIC

Similar to Kitchen, Java, Geometry and AP Computer Science teacher Brad Fulk stands out from other teachers at Lynbrook for teaching three different subjects. While pursuing his degree at the University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC), Fulk switched from engineering to education, because he felt teaching would allow him to make the biggest impact. He graduated from UMKC with a degree in math education. However, Fulk never anticipated that his engineering background would lead him to teach engineering tech courses. “Engineering was not something I went into thinking that I would teach, but I love it,” said Fulk, “I feel that I enjoy teaching computer science more than I anticipated.” When Fulk

engage the students in the language, so he’s very outgoing,.” said junior Kathy Lam. “So instead of making history very boring, like it has been for me these past couple of years, he makes it a lot easier to understand [history] with connections, such as going on YouTube to show us recent events and how those events relate to the past.” Though he has many departments to choose from, Japanese has, and always will be Kitchen’s passion. “There’s more freedom in teaching a language, as you can talk about anything as long as it is relevant to that culture and language,” said Kitchen. “I would say first and foremost I am a dedicated Japanese teacher.”

started at Lynbrook, he taught Java and math, but prefered teaching multiple subjects. He then looked into teaching AP Computer Science. This year will be his first year teaching AP Computer Science. Teaching a course like Java requires Fulk to use classrooms that have access to computers. Similarly to some other teachers, he shares a room with business teacher Andrea Badger when he teaches math. With a laptop and backpack, Fulk stays mobile in order to get to--if not out of--a classroom on time. “This is the first year that I had that [many classrooms] to bounce around to,” said Fulk. “I’m still trying to find a balance of what’s the easiest way to make myself available [to students] at all times. ” Despite the hassle of changing classrooms, Fulk maintains a focused and engaging attitude as a teacher. Fulk does his best to

Out-of-state transfer Lynbrook students relate their experiences BY ALLISON YUAN

hile everyone in high school experiences hardships, for students transitioning to a new school, the adjustment to a new culture is an additional challenge. Senior Daisy Todd attended Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland until she transferred to Lynbrook this year. Although there were some differences between Walt Whitman and Lynbrook, the academic atmosphere was quite similar. “Since the academics are on the same level, the transition for academics wasn’t as hard as it may have been,” said Todd. Although sad about leaving her friends in Maryland, Todd quickly made new friends at Lynbrook.

“One of my friends from another school does Interact with Lynbrook people,” said Todd. “She met me on the first day of school and showed me around.” A gymnast, Todd had to leave behind her old gym, teammates and coach when she moved to California. Fortunately, she found a new gym, Airborne, and continued training there. Todd is committed on a full ride to Temple University in Philadelphia, where she will be reunited with her old teammates next year. Todd feels that she has had a better experience adapting to the Lynbrook community than expected and anticipates the developments of senior year. “People here are generally welcoming,” said Todd. “I’m excited about making new friends, [as well as] all the senior activities.” Another new Lynbrook student, junior

Cynthia Lee, originally attended Corona del Sol High School in Tempe, Arizona and transferred to Lynbrook last year. For Lee, the culture at Lynbrook is quite different from the culture at her old school. While Lee’s old school focused on art, Lynbrook is more competitive and STEM-oriented. “At my old school, you can challenge yourself, but there isn’t as much peer pressure to do well,” said Lee. Unfamiliar with the Lynbrook community, Lee had some difficulty finding her niche. “I felt like everyone was judging me for not being good enough,” said Lee. Furthermore, most students at Lynbrook went to Miller Middle School together, and it was more difficult for Lee to make close friends. “People are still friendly,” said Lee, “but it’s hard to make really good friends because people have already formed

SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY— EPIC

s Jeremy Kitchen calls out vocabulary words to his students in Japanese, his mind is already on the history test he’ll be giving next period. Meanwhile, across the school Brad Fulk lectures the class on computer science concepts in a classroom plastered with art projects from his geometry students. It’s not that these teachers have their curriculums mixed up-- they both simply teach subjects from different departments.

make sure his students are given equal and full attention. Students in his classes describe him as amusing while also being informative. “I really like Mr. Fulk as a teacher,” said sophomore Mikayla Kerba, “he connects with the students, and makes the learning process a lot more enjoyable.” Lynbrook teachers who teach a variety of subjects such as Fulk and Kitchen give students a glimpse of how truly amazing our teachers are. The fact that teachers can and enjoy teaching multiple subjects goes to show how much extra effort teachers put into educating their students. “You get a kind of unique insight of what teachers are capable of,” said Liang. “You see these [teachers] branching across different fields, and you get a new perspective of that teacher. At least for me, [it’s] a new level of admiration.”

their own groups.” Lee believes that students should not sacrifice their mental well-being to improve their chances of attending a prestigious college. “Pick your classes based on what’s best for you, not based on what you think other people want from you,” said Lee. “Try to balance out your life.” As for senior year, both Todd and Lee have some worries. “I heard about the SAT scores here,” said Todd, “and the averages freak me out a little.” Despite having made friends at Lynbrook, Lee still does not feel fully integrated into th community. “I feel like the worst thing is when it comes to me being a senior is that people will have all these memories of them and their friends,” said Lee, “and I feel like I don’t have that.” Despite some problems, Lee and Todd have generally had positive experiences at Lynbrook. “In general, people have reached out to me and I’ve been able to handle the workload with my classes better than I expected,” said Todd.

BY SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY & SHREYAS IYER

or most Lynbrook students, fall season brings about change, be it from vacation to school, hot weather to cold weather or baseball to football. These

changes generally have some effect on students, but one major annual change has steadily grown in impact over the years, creating an unequivocal happiness amongst students and adults alike: the premiers of new television shows. Recently, the

Thirteen years after Tom Cruise stunned the movie scene with his death-defying escapes and shocking revelations in the hit film Minority Report, screenwriter Max Borenstein has recreated the movie into a FOX serial, filled with the same crimes, detectives and “precogs” that fans of the old movie have come to love. The show, which premiered on FOX on Sept. 21, showcases the return of the decades-old plot of intertwining science fiction, crime and justice with a new approach to the

Empire, which premiered on Sept. 23, 2015 on FOX. as one of America’s hit television shows from last year, Empire swayed its viewers and critics alike with its strong character portrayals, engrossing drama and entertaining soundtracks. By the end of the season, Empire ended up having one of the most commercially successful finales in recent memory. Back with the same star-studded cast led by Taraji P. Henson as Cookie Lyon, the show will recount the experiences of a feuding family struggling for domination over a father’s booming entertainment business. With Jussie Smollett’s character, Jamal Lyon as the new man in charge, and previous head Lucious Lyon in prison, the show is primed to focus on Jamal’s clashes with his family and his incarcerated father while managing one of hip-hop’s biggest enterprises. Unlike the first season,

classic film. Although the movie released quite a while ago, the show has been eagerly anticipated by fans, and it did not fail to temper expectations. The first episode was executed excellently, with an attention grabbing intro that slowly leads to action. It opened up with a tranquil peaceful shot, but then quickly changed to a shots of genetic disruption which show the dark reality of the show. Besides the overarching darkness, the show gives a good attempt at humor and has beautiful animations and special effects. Some of the acting in general could use improvement, but the show itself shows promise and will definitely be entertaining for those who like action. Expectations are high for Borenstein and FOX to replicate the blockbuster movie, and so far the show is off to a flying start.

the second season skips the introductions and gets right into all the drama. Judging from the first episode alone, it is clear that this season is going to be even more serious and dark than the previous season, including murder. Although Empire is known for its hit soundtracks, the premier did not seem to focus on the musical aspect of the show as much as it could have. However, because the story has already been kicked off, there will surely be more intense drama and action in each episode.

ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat, which released this past February, appealed to fans of the comedy genre and struck a chord with the Asian demographic by being the first TV comedy to center on an all-Asian family since the 1990’s. The popular TV series, led by Randall Park as father Louis Huang and Hudson Yang as Louis’ son Eddie, returned on Sept. 22, 2015 on ABC. Unlike the first season, Eddie Huang, whose memoirs the show was originally based on, refused to do the narration. According to him, the show completely strayed from

As America bids adieu to biting satirist and political commentator Jon Stewart from his longstanding run as the host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, new host Trevor Noah gets ready to not just succeed a legend in satire but also to create a new image of one of America’s most famous and most watched satirical news programs. The new season of the show will continue reporting on the slew of political mishaps and humorous missteps that characterized Stewart’s tenure as host. Filled with the familiar correspondents Daily Show fans have come to know and love, Noah debuted on Sept. 28, 2015 on Comedy Central and was quick to criticize the media portrayals of the Pope and John Boehner’s resignation. Noah’s upbeat nature kept the show going until the first guest star, Kevin Hart made his appearance. Noah, in similar style to the Dai-

release of new TV shows has brought along quite the fanfare, so the Epic has decided to jump on the TV bandwagon. Here are a few shows that have caught the eyes of the Epic, with descriptions and reviews of each premiere.

what his original memoirs described. Despite this, the show built off its previous season and created a more caricature-like version about growing up in an Asian household. Although the premise may seem somewhat directed to a specific audience, the comedy has a universal appeal. The acting by Forrest Wheeler and Ian Chen, playing Emery and Evan Huang respectively, could have been less awkward. However, they are little children so the expectations for their acting were never high. Unlike the first season, Wheeler and Chen’s characters have bigger roles with each of them getting their own subplots. With the saeme witicisms that fans have come to love, Fresh Off the Boat is still as humorous as ever, and is a great watch for all.

l y Show guests of the Stewart era, bickered with Noah on a range of topics, from his worldwide tour to giving Noah tips on standup. The premiere ended by going back to the show’s roots, with a Jon Stewart-inspired “Moment of Ze n” featuring former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. While it is clear Noah is remodeling the show to fit his personal style, Daily Show fans need not worry; Noah excelled as a host, and appears ready to take on the mantle of America’s Next Great TV Satirist.

Boba on a budget

efore school began, I compiled in my journal a bucket list of things I wanted to achieve by next summer. This is partly because of my neverending desire to be the heroine of a chick flick, however I was also curious as to how many of items I could actually achieve. These activities ranged from simple tasks, such as “don’t wear flip flops every day like last year and get an atrocious tan”, to the less feasible “get a boyfriend”. I also promised that I would drink 50 cups of boba by the end of sophomore year. About a month or so in, I am both horrified and strangely proud to admit that I am halfway through my goal. I have no idea how I have managed to not only consume this stupid beverage as many times as I have so far, but also keep an accurate record of what drinks I got and what the occasion was. (Protip: don’t go to homecoming decorations meetings when your vice president lives within walking distance of Tea Top) I could probably conduct a statistical analysis and create a model to predict what my next boba order will be, which would cut down the time I take thinking of what to order, time that I could be spending drinking more boba and therefore maximizing my intake. Unfortunately, my quest has left me near broke and unable to afford any more boba for the time being. My parents have refused to fund my milk tea endeavors, as they are still pissed off that I’m “ruining my life” and that I “don’t do anything productive anymore” or something lame like that. Luckily there isn’t anything in the world that could get in between me and my ultimate goal (except death, which may be coming for me very soon if I keep this up). I’ve learned to stretch a dollar far past its limits for the sake of that extra topping, and now I’m going to teach you how to keep your stomach, wallet, and arteries full. 1. Order extra pearls. This strategy will save you both a drink and a meal, so I suggest you use this to your full advantage. First scout out stores that give out the highest pearl-to-tea ratio, and avoid those that hand out a measly five or six pearls per cup. (not going to name any names, but they rhyme with knee-bumps) The amount of time you spend eating each individual pearl will let the drink last longer. For example, I myself am still working my way through a cup I bought last week. If possible, just request a cup full of plain pearls and get chewing.

2. Save those stamp cards. Many stores offer stamp cards that get you a free drink after purchasing a certain amount of boba. If your favorite store does not offer this sort of customer loyalty system, it is totally acceptable for you to make your own card and demand a free drink for your faithfulness to the business after a few visits. You may need to present a case before the store manager, but remember: Persistence is key.

3. Eyes on the prize. My friends are always asking me about my boba-drinking regime. More specifically they ask me how I’m still alive and why I’m still doing this, but I always tell them that when there’s a will, there’s a way. I’ve stooped to unimaginable lows to get what I want. For example, I once had to squat down behind the counter to grab someone else’s order so that the worker wouldn’t see me. Another time, I risked my relationship with my best friend as we fought over what amount “one sip” corresponded to. Was it worth it? Of course it was.

PHOTO BY RENUKA BELWALKAR

Blurred barriers of the social pyramid

Examining the hidden effects of popularity between the levels of hierarchy BY AURELIA YANG AND SHREYAS IYER

seen as a hierarchic distribution of power or popularity. Those at the top of this rankypical students encounter many differ- ing typically have a larger influence on their ent types of people at school: acquain- peers, both negative and positive, than those tances, enemies, people they have who are not classified to be as high up on not talked to since elementary school, up- the pyramid. Juxtaposing the characteristics perclassmen they admire, students they are of the pyramid to those of the power strucsecretly jealous of and, of course, their own ture in the animal world, the social pyramid group of friends that they have known for the is ultimately a framework of the different last few years of their lives. Although these interactions between separate crowds, esindividuals make up a highly diversified stu- sentially defining an individual’s reputation dent population, students seem to mainly and place in society. Historically, social hiassociate with a particuerarchies, oppressive or lar group on campus that not, have created great consists of the same peo- “i’d Say ThaT iT’S a SorT of change in various nations. ple who dress the same as recent as the hierarChy of how people Events way, talk about the same Supreme Court’s decision things and hold the same inTeraCT wiTh eaCh oTh- to legalize same-sex marbeliefs. Everyone seems er, or who exTendS To Be riage throughout the nato have their own unique in Charge… i Think of tion represent the change place in the pyramid. ThiS More froM an ani- that backlash over social Subconsciously, how- Mal BehaVior perSpeC- hierarchies has created. ever, the divisions among Having been denigrated as TiVe.” the student population rea group for decades, memmain apparent to all. The BRITTANY STEVENS bers of the Lesbian Gay invisible boundaries that Transgender alliSCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST Bisexual exist between different ance are slowly ascending groups on campus, also America’s social pyramid, known as “the social pyraas America has changed to mid,” essentially control the students’ per- foster a more LGBT-tolerant society. ceptions of one another and their eagerness Lynbrook’s social structure is ubiquitous to interact with others. The pyramid plays a to students. Most schools, including Lynkey role in defining their character, placing brook, have a variation of the structure, with restrictions on who they talk to, where they different underlying principles that form the socialize as well as how they act around their background of each school’s social pyramid. peers on campus. Sophomore Maggie Yuan sheds light on what “I’d say that it’s a sort of hierarchy of how she feels is Lynbrook’s peculiar social trait people interact with each other, or who tends and how it determines a high social status. to be in charge… I think of this more from an “I think that the ideal popular person is animal behavior perspective,” said school someone who does a lot of clubs, gets good psychologist Brittany Stevens. “It is a way grades, has a lot of school spirit [and basicalto frame the different interactions that each ly] does everything,” said Yuan. “Since [Lynsocial group has with each of [its] members.” brook is] pretty academic, we tend to look In other words, a social pyramid can be down on people who don’t get very good

PHOTO BY RENUKA BELWALKAR

“Some people find that popularity depends on physical appearance. Or if you take a lot of hard classes and get a lot of good grades, then in that group you’d be popular. I think it just depends on how you define success.” DURGA GANESH SENIOR

grades or don’t participate in school activities as much.” Yuan touches on the importance of academics in Lynbrook’s hierarchy. For years, Lynbrook has cultivated an academicallydriven culture that instills in students a sense that academics should be prioritized over all other facets of one’s daily life. Those who receive excellent grades are revered as paradigms of perfection at Lynbrook, and those who receive poor grades are generally degraded by their peers. For some students, Lynbrook’s social ladder constricts the way they act at school through psychologically controlling their acts, beliefs and opinions in relation to others of the same or different steps of the social pyramid. For example, a notorious element of social pyramids deals with actions of those on different levels of the social pyramid. Junior Adhiv Dhar elaborates by mentioning the social context of a student. “For me personally, I try to avoid the idea [of avoiding those of a different social step in the social pyramid], but I have seen instances where it is difficult for people to talk to others who are above or below them [status-wise],” said Dhar. “Once you’ve established yourself in a certain social context, it is difficult to try to permeate other ones. It’s difficult for someone random to insert themselves.” Pain of the lower class The social pyramid hits those in the supposed lower classes of Lynbrook society the harshest; these people consist of the academically inferior, the socially-averse population, and, at least initially, new students. Stevens associates the feelings of being in the lowest level in the social order with a pack mentality. “I think it can be stressful for people who feel that they don’t fit well socially, because it’s human nature… they all want to be part

of a pack,” said Stevens. “ Humans are pack animals and it feels good to be part of a pack, so when you don’t feel that you have a pack, when you don’t have a sense of belonging, that can be stressful to some people.” Often times, those who are considered to be less socially inclined feel pressured to change who they are as well as how they act in order to fit in better with everybody else. They may be tempted to change the way they dress, how they communicate with others and even the group of friends that they typically associate with in order to do so. This kind of behavior is especially prominent in the lower grades. Students struggle with anxiety and distress when they are not as socially accepted as they would like to be. It is not until the latter years in high school that people begin to realize that being “popular” is not as significant as finding a group of close-knit friends who will constantly be there for moral support. “I see shunning and ostracization by popular groups, but it seems like I see that more in seventh, eighth, and ninth grade,” said Los Gatos area therapist Matt Larkin. “In general, I’ve seen a lot of depression, and kids struggle until they start turning towards the latter parts of high school, and then they begin giving up that idea that the popular kids are so great to be with, and they start making friends who are not necessarily part of the popular group and form really meaningful relationships.” The aforementioned conformity is one of the negative effects of a hierarchy, claims Lynbrook government and economics teacher Jeffrey Bale. “People try hard to conform, and where life is lived is where you [should] be yourself. You [should] be the best person you can be with your [already existent] talents, skills see SOCIAL page 11

“In Lynbrook it’s more about how nice you are to people. I don’t really think academics put you anywhere. It’s just a bonus.”

NICOLE WARING FRESHMAN

Taking learning inSide and ouT

Discovering the effects of environments on academic success BY CHELSEA LI AND URMILA VENKAT

n an air-conditioned, well-lit classroom, some students sit at desks, taking notes, occasionally raising their hands to ask or answer questions, while others listen intently. Meanwhile, a teacher uses the projector screen or whiteboard to teach material. They pose questions to the students and answer any queries they may have. But when the weather permits, there will be groups of students outside, discussing material with each other, filming videos or just writing or reading quietly. Instead of sitting at desks, students use the picnic tables, concrete ledges or even their laps as surfaces. Sunlight serves as natural lighting, and an occasional breeze replaces air conditioning. Outdoor learning, whether it be having students perform hands-on activities or just completing a worksheet outside of the classroom, is used at Lynbrook for many classes, from the sciences to math. Weather plays a beneficial role when learning outdoors. For instance, natural sunlight has been proven to improve one’s mood and even physical condition. Just exposure to sunlight without physical exercise can positively influence mental health and relieve tension, and is also a welcome change from the electric lights of a classroom. A 2006 study done by researchers in the UK showed that outdoor learning decreased risk of adult depression by 15 percent. “Over the last twenty years, there has been quite a lot of research that demonstrates that students are doing better in

their classroom work. Attendance seems to improve when students are involved in outdoor learning,” said Dr. Gerald Lieberman, director of the State Education and Environment Roundtable. For history teacher Mike Williams, the sunny California weather is one of his motives for letting his students work outside. According to Williams, the decision to move a lesson outside almost always occurs spontaneously. “If it’s a nice day and the activity is suitable, then the challenge is making sure that the lesson can proceed in the same way outside,” said Williams. “If I think we can do this outside, if the lesson lends itself to that...then why not? Let’s do it.” Senior Rujuta Munshi’s outdoor classroom experiences also occurred on days where the weather was cooperative. Last year in English teacher Erin Levin’s class, Munshi and her classmates went outside to write their journals and were required to sit at least five feet from each other. “We sat out on the field and reflected on life as we wrote our journals,” said Munshi. “It was nicer being outside because there was fresh air and more relaxing than a classroom environment.” Sophomore Anney Tuo also feels that the outside environment is liberating, but expresses some concerns. “Everything seems to be more open and free, which could let your brain be more open as well, [and] facilitate your thinking. [But] it might make [students] want to just go out to have fun instead of actually focusing,” said Tuo. Allowing students to work outside can also be a sign of trust. Williams some-

times uses working outside as an incen- have a large group and everybody’s attentive or a small reward for his students. tion when you’re outside,” said Harlin. “The flip side is stuGiving students a dents might do better choice, however, does and the discussion might mean more work for be taken more seriously “eVeryThing SeeMS To the teacher. because they know I’ve “It’s harder to Be More open and free, monitor given them the responall students whiCh Could leT your if you have to go insibility and trust to go Brain Be More open side and outside to [outside],” said Williams. Teachers would also [and] faCiliTaTe your check that everybody allow students to move Thinking. [BuT] iT MighT is staying on task and outdoors, as there is a said Harlin. Make [STudenTS] wanT focusing,” bigger area for students Students may also To JuST go ouT To haVe potentially disturb to interact and work on fun inSTead of aCTually other classes, because larger projects. Group projects and class size the volume of their foCuSing.” is also considered when voices would naturalANNEY TUO ly rise while outside, moving a class outside; SOPHMORE which is another confor example, Harlin allows her English Lancern for teachers. guage Development “I prefer to study (ELD) students to work indoors because if I at picnic tables, as they are a small class. study outdoors, I tend to get distracted Despite numerous benefits, not all a lot… I think that when I go outside, I teachers use outdoor space for teaching. would want to have some fun and run There are some instances where a class- away from my work,” said Tuo. “[Inside], room setting can be more effective. you have an actual desk and a space to “Sometimes for the lesson that we’re organize everything. It’s more of a tradidoing, I have to command [students’] at- tional working environment where you tention, and that’s more easily done in the can focus.” classroom,” said Williams. While it does entail drawbacks, outHe adds that other small things, like door learning is frequently used in high the audibility of the teacher’s voice, the schools. Especially in California, both availability of a writing surface and the teachers and students hope to take adpropensity for students to get distracted vantage of the good weather conditions are all reasons to stay within a classroom. by going outside. Reinventing the idea of “I’ve done small group discussions a traditional classroom space through the outside. I think it works better with small- use of outdoor classrooms can augment er groups than larger groups. It’s hard to the learning experience for all.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY HEDY ZHOU AND SOPHIA LING

continued from SOCIAL page 10 and interests,” said Bale. “A social hierarchy tends to compartmentalize us, stereotype us, and allows us to be self-critical. A lot of competition at this school is created by the social hierarchy, and [the students] attempting to get to the top. “ The negative environment contained within the social hierarchy also creates, according to Bale, a sense of depression among students. “A real issue with Lynbrook is a lack of self-confidence verging on depression that comes when people realize they can’t match up to some of their peers,” said Bale. “We have a culture that shames students that aren’t elite in academics.” Bale touches on a critical component of one’s character: confidence. Confidence plays a role in how one views the social pyramid. Junior Ashwin Muralidharan claims that his apathy toward appearing popular in school stems from his own high self-esteem. “I don’t need to be popular in order to feel happy, and I don’t need to care about other people’s popularity in order to feel happy,” said Muralidharan. “I’m pretty confident in

who I am. I wouldn’t call myself arrogant or prideful, but I don’t really care about what others think of me.” Muralidharan, who professes that he is not a part of the school’s social “elites,” claims that for himself, popularity is secondary to both happiness and confidence; his indifference about popularity stems from the fact that he believes it to have no effect on his happiness. His self-confidence allows him to be himself, and to not have to conform to the standards of those at the top of the social pyramid. His true nature, therefore, is unhindered by elitist standards. Attitude of the elites On the opposite side of the spectrum, those who are socially accepted tend to give off an intimidating vibe, putting on a façade that makes them seem almost unapproachable. This contributes significantly toward the reasons for social divisions, essentially mapping out the boundaries between each social group and placing restrictions on who students can or cannot interact with. “I think there are some cases in which [systematically being an elitist] is true, and some cases in which it is not,” said Dhar. “The

moment when certain people walk into a room, everyone just has an unsettling feeling. [Certain people] have established a social context that is very awkward, and others make the assumption that you cannot bond with him or her.” The behavior Dhar describes is generally attributed to elitists, or those with high social standing who tend to look down on their peers. These people make up the top of most social pyramids, including Lynbrook’s, and with their aforementioned condescension, are stereotypically considered snobbish and pompous. Elitists, like most other groups, tend to solely associate with members of their own level in the social pyramid. Consequently, Lynbrook’s social pyramid plays a key factor in defining an individual’s character as well as their general place in society. Individuals of different social groups often abide by the social barriers that exist within the student population, constraining them to socialize with only a specific set of people. These social confines, however, are not necessarily beneficial toward the students, as they can easily hamper an individual’s ability to express their true personality around peers.

Future of our hierarchy “I am ready to accept that we can live in an environment in which all of us can easily establish ourselves within any friend circle and where we don’t have to worry about where our social status lies,” said Dhar. “But it starts with whether you are ready to accept that you can move to a different social group. The moment you accept it and any other person accepts it, you can break that barrier, but if you are not ready to accept it, then you can’t expect to see any change.” Muralidharan, on the other hand, views a social hierarchy to be ubiquitous. “I don’t think you can change a social hierarchy,” said Muralidharan. “It will always exist, but it is not necessarily a bad thing. It exists in many societies, and for the most part, people are not impacted negatively.” For many Lynbrook students, a change similar to the one mentioned by Dhar would bring about a society free of judgement that would pride itself on inclusivity. But such change, as Muralidharan noted, is idealistic. Until such developments are made, students will have to face the oppression, isolation, and elitism that Lynbrook’s social pyramid has fostered over the years.

VIRAL ACTIVISM OVER THE YEARS

Below are a few viral activism events within the past few years known for their short lived but extremely popular movements. .

2012 GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY CATHERINE HUANG

Kony 2012 was a strong movement both online and on lynbrook, rallying students together to raise awareness.

continued from MOVEMENTS page 1 “For the [ALS Ice Bucket challenge], everyone was doing it and people were nominating each other on Facebook,” said sophomore Diana Magnusson. “So when it becomes a cool trend is when people really start advocating for something. Otherwise they don’t get that kind of attention so they don’t really care.” Before the rise in popularity of the Internet, most people expressed their activism through more traditional methods. Helen Chen, a youth counselor and Lynbrook alumnus, reflects on how she and the rest of the Lynbrook Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) advocated against California’s Proposition 8. Proposition 8 was created by those opposing same-sex marriage to eliminate marital rights for same-sex couples. “A lot of folks always had their own things going on, school, extracurricular activities, home life, being a teenager, SAT prep, etc.,” said Chen. “But [the GSA] did activism in our own way. We did mini fundraisers for Prop 8, had a car wash and bake sale. I was an officer of the club when we posted those ‘don’t say that’s so gay’ posters.” The key to Internet activism’s success, albeit short-lived, is its convenience. Through technology, anyone with an Internet connection can promote a cause to others, spreading information with a click of a button. Un-

Students from Lynbrook’s French Honor Society debate about the importance of natural rights that the terrorist attack symbolized.

Public rage speaks out against the violence af terZimmerman and Ferguson incidents, calling for racial equality across America.

2014 2013 Mr. Dwyer joins in the ALS ice bucket challenge campaign designed to raise awareness for ALS, a devastating brain and spine disease.

like previous movements, which relied on protests and speeches to get their message across, Internet activism is available on a platform easily accessible for any demographic to participate in. “I feel that activism holds a stronger impact in real life.” said junior Owen Quindipan. “Writing your opinion takes five seconds online, whereas physically going out for a cause tells people that you’re willing to risk that safety that you have behind the screen to support something you believe in.” Although Internet activism is an effective way to raise attention towards an issue, the support the issue receives is inconsistent and not usually helpful toward the cause once the hype dies down. People who are not invested in the cause and who are only participating because of its popularity usually will not follow up with it in the future. The ALS Ice Bucket challenge, after its wild success in 2014, was declared to be an annual event held every summer until a cure is found. This year, however, the ALS Foundation struggled to take hold of people’s newsfeeds and only raised $500,000, a miniscule amount compared to last year’s $220 million. As is evident based on the statistics, many of last year’s participants, such as Principal John Dwyer, did not continue the challenge. “It was a fun thing to do, but [afterwards]

2015 Same sex marriage finally becomes legal after years of protesting and court cases, creating the hashtag #LOVEWINS in celebration.

there was the question of what actually came out of it. We have to consider how much our participation will actually make an impact towards the cause.” said Dwyer. “I would hope that if we have future events like [the challenge] that we also think about ways we can be active and take action rather than just having fun for a day or so.” Along with the advantage of convenience, there are other aspects that strengthen the recent surge in viral activism. “We seem to like convenience in our culture and our institutions don’t always seem to encourage folks to be critical or commit to community building and social change.” said Cassandra Blume, the director of events at the LGBT Youth Space. “I also think exhaustion, competition and stress might factor in as people consider how much energy and time they can devote to activism.” Facebook’s “Celebrate Pride” campaign did not directly contribute much to the LGBT movement. The overwhelming amount of activity performed by users with their “Celebrate Pride” profile picture tool, amassed over 565 million total combined likes and comments. Yet Facebook has not donated to any LGBT causes or offered any support besides the changing of profile pictures in their #LOVEWINS campaign. The lifespan of Facebook’s campaign was cut short, as it

carried no fundamental purpose for change besides allowing people to label themselves as supporters of the legalization of same-sex marriage. Facebook’s campaign, however, has parked a difference in the Lynbrook community. It achieved its purpose to raise awareness, and students on campus have shown more interest in supporting LGBTQ+ rights. “I think recent campaigns do make a difference.” said junior and GSA secretary Andy Long. “Our [GSA] club turnout was a lot larger this year compared to previous years, so there definitely has been an influence.” The technological age has brought various traditional methods to the web, and activism is no exception. Although the ultimate meaning of the cause is sometimes lost in all the hype, when it comes to activism, any amount of attention helps. If one is unable to actively advocate for a cause, staying aware and informed is the next best thing to do. “[Rainbow profile pictures are] an act of support. To me, I think it’s saying, ‘Hello, I care.’” said Blume. “Role modeling and behaving consciously is important. [It makes] the support visible. Folks had to consciously change their profile picture and let folks know that they’re a safe space for them or at least they’re celebrating same sex marriage with the rest of us.”

Skating her way to the highest levels

Sophomore Sarah Zhang glides to a national gold BY RAKSHA NARASIMHAN

n September 26th, 2015, sophomore Sarah Zhang stepped off of the ice rink at Lansing, Mich., both exhausted and triumphant after a long day of skating. This, however, was no ordinary day for her--Zhang had just won gold medals in both of her events at the 2015 National Solo Dance Series Final competition. Zhang passed through the qualifying rounds with flying colors at Lansing, receiving first place in every dance she participated in. On the last day, she faced fierce competition at the final rounds of her events. Though slightly nervous, Zhang strapped on her skates and focused on doing as well as she possibly could. “When I found out I won [both events], I thought of how all my hard work [had] paid off,” said Zhang. “I also sighed out of relief. After I finished, I watched the competitors from the other events and they were really good too. But I felt that [my performance] was probably just as good because I poured my heart into it.” Zhang has been skating since she was 8 and a half years old. However, she first set eyes on an ice skating rink long before then. “When I was really young, I would always pass by the ice rink at [the] Vallco [Shopping Mall], and I would beg my parents to let me skate there,” said Zhang. She never set foot on an ice rink until a few years later, when her parents signed her up for skating lessons. At the 2013 National Solo Ice Dance Competition, Zhang wasn’t expecting much because it was her first national-level competition. She merely saw it as an opportunity to gain experience and to enjoy herself. “When I stepped on the ice [at the World Arena], at first I was really nervous. But after a while, I was like, ‘You know what? This is your once-in-a-lifetime chance,’” she said. The road to Zhang’s success has not always been a smooth one; Zhang revealed that she was filled with self-doubt during the 2014-2015 season. “I wasn’t doing as well in the season as I wanted to,”

deflating the haters

ey Harsh! Is it me or does [Insert literarly ANYTHING in here] look deflated? (*everyone laughs at the same corny deflate joke for the hundredth time*)” For the last six months ever since the New England Patriots annihilated the Indianapolis Colts on January 18th, I have constantly been pelted with deflating jokes left and right. The day after the Patriots crushed the Colts 45 to 7, there were alleged reports that the Patriots had deflated their footballs below the league mandated level against the Colts. Eventually, the Patriots went on to

said Zhang. “I’ve been skating for such a long time that not being able to do well makes me feel like I’ve wasted my time.” During the entire season, Zhang had a negative outlook that reflected poorly on nearly all of her competitions. However, she altered her perspective at the beginning of the 2015-2016 season. “Instead of caring about what people thought of my skating, I thought about getting to where I want to be,” said Zhang. While getting through the highs and lows of her skating ca-

win the Super Bowl on the last play, with an outstanding defensive showcase in the end zone against the Seattle Seahawks. This incident isn’t the only one where the Patriots have been accused of cheating in the past decade. The Patriots have been the only NFL team during this time period to have faced so much scrutiny due to countless accusations of cheating, and as a result their four Super Bowl titles have been disregarded by most fans as being the result of said cheating. This legacy began right before the 2000 season, when Bill Belichick became the head coach of the Patriots. The Bill Belichick era is one filled with great moments but also great controversy, amounting to four Super Bowl championships and counting. Depicted as the evil genius of the NFL, he is touted as the greatest head coach of all time, and has, as a result of his success, accumulated numerous haters. No team has ever been continuously successful for 15 years due to the strenuous nature of football, but he was able to lead the Patriots to that type of success. The team’s first main infraction, the one that has come to define their legacy, was “Spygate” in 2007. After the end of that season, evidence surfaced suggesting that the Patriots had been videotaping the formations and play calls of other

reer, Zhang has found great friends to share her experiences with. Her teammates have noticed distinct changes about her both as a person and as an ice skater. “She used to fall a lot onto the ice, and she wouldn’t be able to focus. Now she’s able to rework herself when she makes a mistake instead of getting frustrated,” said teammate Stephanie Yu, who has been skating with Zhang for the past two years. Yu, a national-level ice skater as well, studies Zhang’s skating style in order to improve herself. “She definitely knows how to compete and how to focus herself toward a goal rather than just practicing for someone else. She’s realized how she needs to practice to get somewhere with her technique, and she practices for herself rather than for anyone else,” said Yu. When she began to skate, Zhang would practice for her parents’ satisfaction rather than for her own. However, over the years, Zhang developed a deeper passion for the sport and began practicing with a desire to improve. Sergei Ponomarenko, Zhang’s coach of five years, is extremely proud of how far Zhang has come over the years. “Watching her is just so amazing,“ said Ponomarenko, a former competitive ice dancer. “When others see her on the ice, they just stop skating anddend up watching her with open mouths.” With all this success come substantial sacrifices that must be made. Zhang wakes up at 4:30a.m. every morning to go skating at the Sharks Ice rink in San Jose, and returns to practice again after school. In order to have a healthy night’s rest, she goes to bed at around 8:30 every evening. “I sacrifice a lot of my free time [for skating],” said Zhang. “I don’t get to hang out [with my friends] or have a lot of extracurricular activities like normal people do.” When asked about her plans for the future, Zhang stated that she sees skating as a significant part of her personal life. “[Ice] skating is a really difficult sport, and I just want to be able to be [at the] national level,” said Zhang. “Thinking about the Olympics is too big for me right now; maybe one day [I’ll consider it].”

teams, giving them an advantage by knowing the plays that the other team was running. Ever since “Spygate”, the “Cheat-riots” campaign has snowballed. In this season’s AFC Championship game, the Patriots bashed the opposing team, the Indianapolis Colts, but the next day the Patriots were accused of deflating their footballs, making them easier to throw. The Patriots ended up winning the Super Bowl, but the “Deflategate” case dragged along for another six months. The team was once again being subjected to cheating, over unsubstantial evidence. The big question is why? Why are the Patriots the only team to be subjected to all of this scrutiny? The reason for this is jealousy. The Patriots have won more Super Bowls in the last ten years than 81 percent of the NFL teams in over 60 years. Due to their high success rate, they are seen as the dream team, being able to maintain greatness for so long. Not only do the Patriots go through rigorous training every single day, but they review game film and are supposed to be able read defenses and offenses upon seeing them for the first time. The coaching staff of the Patriots creates game plans like no other. Known for their creative yet effective plays,

SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY—EPIC

the Patriots are ready for any situation. For example, in the AFC Divisional round, the Patriots played the Baltimore Ravens, who may have been a better team than the Patriots. Being the prepared team they were, despite being a worse team, they beat the Ravens by using various trick plays and schemes unseen beforehand. The Patriots have also had multiple Hall of Fame and All-Star caliber players over the years. From the years 2000 to 2010, in which the Patriots went to five Super Bowls in 11 years, the Patriots had 13 first team All-Pro players, including quarterback Tom Brady, as well as defensive stalwarts like Richard Seymour and Ty Law. Starting with Brady, greatest quarterback of all time, Belichick and Brady create an environment where players can thrive, and they bring the best out of every player. That is the secret. They don’t cheat. They don’t bend the rules. They don’t deflate footballs. They just work hard. So this February, when you see New England playing once again here at Levi’s Stadium at the Super Bowl, don’t be a hater and join the hating “Cheat-riots” wagon, appreciate their craft. In the end, they’re the best team in the league, so get over it!

America’s favorite fantasy returns again

Three Lynbrook students share their beliefs on a popular pastimes BY CLAIRE CHIANG

s the National Football League (NFL) season kicks off, many NFL players and fans are getting ready for the season and its upcoming milestones. Game-watching fans, however, are not the only people that are eager for this season. Many people, adults and teenagers alike, have begun to explore the excitement and enjoyment of fantasy football. Fantasy football allows people to act like managers by drafting players from the entire NFL for their own team. The

success of one’s team is determined based on the statistics of the real life players during the season. Many students who are interested in football play fantasy football and the game has experienced a tremendous surge in popularity recently. Fantasy football has actually been around since 1962, when a group of officials designed the basis of fantasy football as a prognostic game. Wilfred Winkenbach created the first form of this game, a golf tour game where players could draft pro golfers and then add up their scores after the weekly tournament. Winkenbach did the same with baseball,

A loyal San Francisco 49ers fan, senior Pradyumna Raghunath saw an ad for fantasy football four years ago and has been in love with the game ever since. “It started out as a love for the 49ers,” said Raghunath. “Eventually it turned into a love for the sport of football.” Raghunath says that personal ownership of every player requires keeping up with each player and making sure that the player is doing well. “Fantasy football is a lot like stock trading, checking and making sure that everything is in your favor,” said Raghunath. “You need to try to make sure you get the most production out of your players.” Raghunath actively participates in multiple leagues, including one money league. “Playing in a money league isn’t more competitive,” said Raghunath. “But since it has more at stake, I definitely put more time into that league.”

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Sophomore Andrew Destin has been an active fantasy football player for eight years. Destin’s love for the game was inherited from his dad’s love of the game For Destin, football is not the only sport he enjoys keeping up with. Destin perceives fantasy football has a way to see how much more knowledgeable he is about the football compared to his peers. “I basically have a wide range of sports knowledge and I try to stay involved with every sport,” said Destin. “My favorite sport to follow has ended up as football.” Although Destin currently plays in a regular league with his friends, he has played in his dad’s competitive money league in the past. “Everyone puts $100 down at the start, and the winner gets $1000 in the end,” said Destin. “Because so much money is involved and at stake, the game becomes extremely competitive.”

and these games became the inspiration for today’s fantasy football. When the first publicly free website was launched in 1997, the game quickly spread across the nation. Today, the most popular sites used are ESPN.com, NFL. com, and Yahoo Fantasy Sports. There are many different types of leagues, some of which are regular leagues, which last the whole season; money leagues, which have a gambling aspect; and daily games, in which players are drafted only for a day. Due to the sudden rise in popularity of fantasy football, many Lynbrook students have also started to love the game.

A Lynbrook varsity football player, junior Arnav Virmani has consistently been involved in football and keeps up with the sport regularly. “As a football player and as a loyal fan of the sport, fantasy football gives me a chance to stay more involved with the sport,” said Virmani. For Virmani, fantasy football has an athletic aspect that allows him to keep up with professional players of his sport. “Fantasy football allows me to see how other players are doing,” said Virmani. “Some of the players are really good and it makes me want to be like them when I play. football.” Fantasy football, ever the competitive game, also has a beneficial social aspect to it for Virmani. “It gives you a sense of achievement and also bragging rights,” said Virmani on any sense of victory of achievement in the game.

The California heat: what it’s been doing to you BY JESSICA LUO AND ANYA POPLAVSKA

does physically, if not more so. “[The heat] can pull them out of the game, or practice, he seemingly endless heat wave that crashed into and can affect [athletes] mentally if they’re in the game the Bay Area didn’t just become a popular com- and they don’t want to leave. It’s really hard for them to plaint; it also became a nightmare for many of pull away and realize their health is more important,” said Lynbrook’s student-athletes. With practices directly un- Lynbrook’s athletic trainer, Alex Viveiros. der the blistering sun, it’s hard to ignore the detrimental The heat contributes to numerous negative effects dureffects the high temperatures have had on the athletic ing games. Ellsworth explained that initial exposure to the population. sun would hinder the athlete’s ability to focus. Ever since Sept. 7, temperatures have been reaching “As you start to have difficulties physiologically, you’ll the high 90s, even breaking 100 at times. The cross coun- also start to have difficulty mentally,” said Ellsworth. “You try team began practicing at 6 a.m. have to be 100 percent focused for execution.” “Usually when it’s really hot we’re limited in where we As the body loses liquids, the brain cells become less can go,” said junior Irene Han, a member responsive, resulting in a less effecof the cross country team. “On warm days tive short-term memory. we go to [Murdock Park] because there’s “iT’S really hard for During a game, information remore shade, so [our coach] thought if we ceived from the five senses allow TheM To pull away and trained in the morning we could do track an athlete to make crucial decisions realiZe Their healTh iS workouts.” such as when and how to execute cerMore iMporTanT.” In addition to having fewer practice tain movements. options, it was likely that the heat had an A delay in the short term memory ALEX VIVEIROS impact on each athlete’s performance. would prove disastrous, and would LYNBROOK ATHLETIC TRAINER produce ineffectual executions that “You would expect the times to slow about five percent,” said Lynbrook’s cross could be the difference between a country coach, Jake White. win and a loss. With the added pressure of competition and the urge “In [severe] heat, you’re perspiring a significant to push themselves, several athletes overheat and suffer amount and you begin to question why it is that you’re from the consequences. missing shots,” said Ellsworth. “It all comes to staying “Suffering from heat exhaustion means [the athletes] completely hydrated.” are not even trained for it,” said White. “When racing in The main issue to be concerned with, however, is the 100 degrees runners need to be more cautious.” coach’s attitude toward these various issues. High temperatures do not only complicate athlete’s “I think coaches are well educated and avoid the probpractice schedules and games, but they are also detri- lem so it doesn’t happen as often as it could, but I think mental to their health. if the coaches aren’t as educated then [heat illness] could According to John Ellsworth, a sports psychologist become more common than it should be,” said Viveiros. who specializes in strengthening athlete’s mentalities, Lynbrook is fortunate enough to have students who athletes are likely to get dehydrated, run into headaches, are aware of the detrimental effects of heat. By taking get dizzy, or even pass out. steps such as consuming nutritious foods and avoiding But perhaps the most threatening aspect of heat is practicing during the warmest part of the day, athletes are that it influences an athlete mentally just as much as it one step ahead of the heat wave.

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Swimming through the competition Girls water polo attempts to return to CCS with the help of a new system

BY CATHERINE HUANG

aving taken first place at leagues last season, Lynbrook’s varsity girls’ water polo team has high expectations for another year of stellar performances. Just last season, the girls clinched the El Camino League championship and advanced to the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs. Unsurprisingly, the team has been reassigned to the De Anza League this season--a much more competitive and experienced league--more commonly known as the upper league. Although the team lost against Palo Alto High School in its first preseason game, the coaches are in the process of planning their girls’ practices to improve on speed and strength. Playing against more skilled and aggressive opponents has not been easy, but the girls have been adjusting with new goals and strategies. Thus far, the preseason has been a challenge for everyone, players and coaches alike. “It’s always hard moving up a league. The girls are working hard during practices, but it’s still an uphill battle,” said Coach Alex Hseuh. While first-year varsity players are adapting to the pace and intensity of varsity games and practices, returning varsity players have been familiarizing

themselves with opponents from the upper league. “There’s definitely this big gap between JV and varsity, and in addition to that, there’s this big gap between the lower league and the upper league, so it’s definitely been difficult.” said junior Victoria Chen, a first-year varsity player. “We have to always try our best, even if we don’t feel motivated, or else we’re going to do poorly in the upper league.” Returning varsity player and junior Amber Masse, who plays goalie, said, “I’m the one who lets the goals in, so if I block the goal, there’s no goal. [That’s why] I need to prepare myself for stronger and more accurate shots because we need to compete with other girls.” The preseason has encouraged the girls to make better passes, swim faster and shoot with more strength. For another successful season, the team identifies its strengths and weaknesses and adjusts accordingly to avoid any potential blunders in their games. “We’re pretty fast as a team, but we’re a very small team,” said Masse. “Most of the other girls we play are really big, and we’re tiny compared to them.” Because of this, weight training has now become a significant part of their workouts in their efforts to become a physically stronger team. In addition to weight training, the team has also made other plans for progress. “We’re trying new plays to try to confuse

the defense. We’re also trying to work on our shooting, as well as our communication,” said Masse. The team works together to attain such goals with intensive training and team bonding. In the process of achieving their goals, the girls are becoming even closer because of their common interests. Team bonding events like bi-weekly pasta nights increases the girls’ communication and allows them to gain trust and motivation with each other. “We all talk to each other outside of practice, so we’re friends inside and out,” said cocaptain senior Enisha Sehgal. With two and a half hours devoted to intensive practices each day, the girls are determined to take their skillsets to the next level. The girls have been developing their skills to be able to compete with other teams. Nevertheless, the number of wins does not concern them much. Rather than focusing their game lineups and starters around winning, the team is starting this season off with a different mindset and mentality from last year, with emphasis on having fun and staying positive. “[For a lot of us], it’s our senior year, so we just want to have fun. We want to win, but we’re not going to sacrifice everything to win. We want to make the most of this season,” said co-captain senior Phoebe Winters. Two years ago, Lynbrook girl’s water polo

team was also in the upper league. However, the team believes that they will surpass their performance from earlier. “Seniors were in this league when we were sophomores, so we know what type of competition to expect,” said Sehgal. Furthermore, a majority of Lynbrook players have been playing year-round, giving Lynbrook an edge over some of the other schools. “Since a lot of us play club water polo, [this season will] be a lot better,” said Winters . “In our sophomore year, we lost every league game, so we know that we need to step up our game.” Sehgal and Winters are both confident that the team’s diligence will allow them to compete with other teams in the new league. Despite their large area for improvement, the Lynbrook girls water polo team were satisfied with their performance in their first preseason game against Palo Alto. “We did better than we thought we would against Paly. Two years ago, we were also in the lower league, and we’ve improved a lot since then,” said Chen. The girls agree that their season is promising and they hope to be able to reach their full potential. The team’s next home game is against Mountain View High School on Oct. 6.

SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY—EPIC

FASHIONABLE W &FUNCTIONAL

BY SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY

ith the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is important for students to be on time. Whether for getting to the next class or finding out how much time you have left for that one math test, we are bound to a structured schedule. We need to check the time every now and then to prevent being that one kid who shows up to school in their pajamas and messed up hair at lunch. Although many students check their time on their phones, a few students come prepared with watches that are not only functional but fashionable.

Top left: Spanish teacher Kim Revilla has her Apple Watch

Top right: Dara Jovkar, along with Revilla, show off their Apple Watch. Although the watches do not vary in functionw, they can be customized with many possible wristbands to suit their wardrobes. Center left: Junior David Kim displays his shiny Rollex and checks the time with style.

Center right: Junior Andrew Park checks the time on his subtle, yet elegant, Casio wristwatch. ALL PHOTOS BY SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY

Bottom left: Freshman Noel Alexander reveals her “Secret Watch” from Loot Crate. Alexander’s watch seems to have no display, but shows the time at the click of a button.