the Epic, Volume 59, Issue 1 - October 10, 2023

Sections News // pg. 2-4 Opinion // pg. 5-7 Features // pg. 8-10 In-Depth // pg. 11-13 Sports // pg. 14-16

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Volume 59 Issue 1 | October 10, 2023

Lynbrook High School, 1280 Johnson Ave., San Jose, CA

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY VALERIE SHU

opening students’ eyes to

Increasing awareness for colorblindness

Editors’ Picks

STAFF EDITORIAL: THE VOICE OF THE EPIC

Lynbrook implements new bathroom hall pass system pg. 2

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icture an American history class full of eager students learning about the 13 original colonies of the United States. The teacher tasks them with color coding the different regions on a map using a set of colorful Crayola markers. Most students have no problem picking out the colors they need and quickly get started on the project. But for other students, the process is not as simple. Instead, the dark blue and purple markers look almost identical to each other, while several others such as pink, red and orange all seem to be very similar. Challenges such as these that students with colorblindness face on a daily basis can sometimes be overlooked in academic settings. To promote inclusivity and awareness for colorblind students, it is important that students communicate with their teachers about any circumstances that may affect their ability to learn. story continues on pg. 6 || opinion

Universal pre-K encourages equal education opportunities pg. 6 Peppermint and Zo: Baking the community a better place pg. 8 Confronting the silence surrounding sexual assault pg. 11 Cheer team bounces back after the pandemic pg. 16 Horror across the globe: Pari lhsepic.com

NEWS

02 the Epic

2024 Lynbrook summer trip to Europe canceled

BY GRACE ZHU

throughout the school to advertise the opportunity to students. he 12-day Grecian Odyssey Trip, While Lynbrook has a history of originally set for June 2024 and curriculum-based overseas trips, EF trips at organized through Education First Lynbrook were initiated by Takahashi as her Tours, a well known for profit educational final project before retirement. Kruk was travel company, was canceled due to invited on a training tour with Takahashi unforeseen policy violations in student to Lisbon, Portugal and attended the 2022 recruitment.

Italy tour as a teacher chaperone before On previous similar trips, students organizing her own trips. traveled to a country or two in Europe, The infringement was first brought to the viewing landmarks, touring museums and district’s attention through Kruk in March. completing guided activities. For the past Kruk’s intention in alerting the district of two years, the infraction the trips have was not to been led by cancel the trip, art teachers, but rather to though not work with tied to the art the district in curriculum and the hopes of open to the continuing it entire school. as a Lynbrook “It’s so tradition. important for While the all students to violation also see the breadth pertained to of the world the 2023 trip, beyond this USED WITH PERMISSION FROM CHARLOTTE KRUK an exception little bubble was made for that we live in,” Students on the 2023 France and Spain trip pose in front of the Sagrada Familia cathedral, a notable work of Antoni Gaudí, an the students said Charlotte artist the students learned about on the trip. who had Kruk, art already paid teacher and in full for the trip. The 2024 trip fell under head of the 2023 Spain and France Trip. “So further scrutiny, however, as it was over I think it’s so important that students have a year afterward, with only five students an opportunity also to travel independently, officially scheduled. to start to grow their independence and Another district concern was that lower empathy for other types of people and income students would not be able to cultures.” participate in the trips. EF Tours trips are The trip was called off because it quite costly; the Spain and France trip cost violated a California Department of more than $5000 per student. By contrast, Education policy — FUHSD staff are all district-approved trips have extensive prohibited from promoting or hosting an EF financial aid programs available to allow trip in any way that implies a connection to equal opportunities across the student the district, giving the impression of being population. When questioned by parents on school or district sponsored. This includes their strict policies, FUHSD cited California soliciting students through FUHSD email state laws mandating district approved trips chains and organizing a trip on school be equally accessible to students, regardless grounds as it presents a liability for the of economic status, a criteria EF trips do not district in case of a lawsuit from a family fall under. member.

“I thought it made sense; I understood Barbara Takahashi, College and Career the money aspect of it,” parent Sudhir Center adviser and initiator of EF Trips Narayana said. “But it’s also not fair to those in 2022, sent mass emails throughout the who can afford to send their kids, and telling school, recruiting students for the first 2022 them that, ‘Hey, since this trip is not fair to Italy trip, unaware of these limitations. everyone and it’s fair to only a few people, The following 2023 trip also used emails

T Letter from the Editors Dear Vikings, Welcome to the Epic’s first issue of the 2023-24 school year! the Epic is Lynbrook’s award-winning student newspaper that seeks to cover stories that matter to you and our community.

We are Myles and Susanna, your Editors-in-Chief for the 2023-24 school year. We would like to acknowledge our staff of 40 students and our adviser Mr. Miller, who all work tirelessly to write, design and edit our monthly paper.

Our publication strives to share inclusive and diverse perspectives in our storytelling. We hope our content not only raises awareness about important issues, but also sparks conversations that ignite positive change.

This year, we hope you join the Epic’s mission in sharing stories that matter to you. We encourage you to submit Letters to the Editors and Guest Columns that focus on your individual voice and experiences, at lhsepic.com/submissions.

Selected submissions will be published on our paper and/or website.

Be sure to check out the Editors’ Picks! In News, learn about the administration’s decision to implement bathroom passes; in Opinion, delve into the recent controversy over the newly planned Westgate Costco; in Features, indulge in delicious treats handcrafted

by Peppermint and Zo; in In-Depth, investigate Lynbrook’s culture of silence among sexual assault survivors; in Sports, explore the cheer’s transition to their pre-pandemic former glory.

Check our website lhsepic.com and Instagram @lhs.epic for web-exclusive content including playlists, podcasts and videos.

Thank you for your support and readership. We hope you enjoy Issue 1 Stay epic, Myles Kim & Susanna Tang Editors-in-Chief

BY SARAH ZHANG

A

iming to forestall potential acts of violence and safeguard student safety, all five FUHSD schools have implemented the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System this school year. The 24/7 reporting system, through which students are encouraged to submit information about observed threats and violence, consists of a mobile app, a hotline and an online form.

Submitted tips are transferred to the Say Something call center, where trained crisis counselors evaluate the severity of the situation, which usually involves asking follow-up questions to gain as much information as possible. If the tip is determined to be a credible threat or an imminent danger, the call center not only sends school administration text messages about the threat, but also calls district staff until someone picks up. A wide net of phone calls counteracts any potential situation where multiple people are unreachable,

allowing for faster intervention. The call center concurrently contacts police dispatch for a more robust response. Even if a reported case is not life-threatening, Say Something crisis counselors will email and text information to the school site team about how to provide support.

“When we get tips, we’re going to take them seriously and investigate them,” Assistant Principal Tara Grande said.

“We’re going to make sure that we’re overly cautious, as are the police.”

FUHSD admin and teachers were trained on using the SS-ARS before the school year began. In the auditorium, teachers watched a Sandy Hook Promise video that introduces the system, which was shown to students on their Aug. 28 advisory. Furthermore, the importance of an avenue like the SSARS, where students can feel comfortable reporting their concerns, was stressed to the faculty.

“We want to be able to respond to any issues our students may be going through in a timely manner,” English teacher Joanna Chan said.

The SS-ARS replaces a Google form previously used at Lynbrook, housed in the student section of the school website. Though the content is similar across both forms, a trained staff responds to tips submitted over the SS-ARS, making it more immediate.

“The new system wraps around way more than our little Google doc did,” Grande said. “It’s more responsive, so we can better help the students that need help.”

A large concern for staff was that students would not take the system seriously, and therefore their inboxes would be filled with trivial information from false tips.

Nevertheless, this has not turned out to be an issue. Furthermore, the sorting at the call center helps minimize the disingenuous reports, so genuine concerns can receive the attention they deserve.

Another source of unease was that the SS-

we are going to deny it to everyone.’”

Unlike band and choir trips which are curriculum-based and are only open to students in those programs, the EF trip was not tied to any academic course aside from its loosely art based locations.

Instead, it was intended to attract a wide range of Lynbrook students beyond those in the arts programs. Other schools have held similar trips with students directly recruited by teachers from numerous schools, but it is uncommon to have approved trips with students from only one school as hoped for by Takahashi and Kruk..

“I was definitely very disappointed, especially since I planned to go with one of my friends and we wouldn’t get that chance to go,” sophomore Amolika Sudhir said. “It would be difficult to find another opportunity like that, especially since summers can get quite busy.”

Through consecutive phone calls from FUHSD Associate Superintendent Trudy Gross, families were notified of the cancellation and presented with their options — to keep their nonrefundable deposit with EF Tours and look for another trip for their students as a private person or group, talk to surrounding districts about joining any offered trips or cancel the trip altogether.

Despite efforts to seek another trip through another school, all families ultimately decided to cancel the trip and were fully compensated for their monetary investments by the district using district funds.

“The support for these trips is critical,” Kruk said. “Another trip is on a total back-burner for me right now, but it’s such a great opportunity for students.

You learn, grow and you just become a new, wonderful person through that experience.”

Despite the cancellation, both students and teachers remain optimistic for future travel opportunities. Overseas curriculum trips for Lynbrook students such as those through the music programs continue, but EF trips stay unavailable for now.

“This is not the end of EF trips,” Gross said. “But trips with for profit organizations do need to be coordinated outside of school.”

ARS would be unused by students. This has not been the case so far, owing in part to the Say Something posters in many classrooms and around the school. These posters encourage students to report any threats they worry about, which may help them feel more comfortable coming to school.

The SS-ARS has proved helpful, as, according to a statement released by Principal Maria Jackson on Sept. 14, admin and police were called in to address a tip about threatening messages left in a girls’ bathroom. Ultimately, the situation was deemed not to be an imminent danger, but admin are thankful that the student reported their concerns.

“I hope the SS-ARS will give students the peace of mind that they can be helpful and they can report something,” Grande said. “Our ultimate goal is for all of our students to be safe at school.”

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY CRYSTAL ZHU

October 10, 2023

NEWS

03

Lynbrook implements new bathroom pass system

BY NICOLE GE

eliminate any uncertainty regarding student safety in case of an emergency on campus. o improve student safety and “There was a lack of uniformity as discourage meetups with friends teachers were all doing their own thing,” during class time, the Lynbrook Principal Maria Jackson said. “We thought administration proposed a more structured we’d propose a new system so we’d know bathroom pass system for the 2023-24 where students are.” school year. The new system aims to The new policy is meant to restrict streamline the process for all teachers and breaks to a duration of five minutes to encourage students to responsibly use their time. Students are also not permitted to leave for bathroom breaks within the first and last 10 minutes of each class.

Prior to the implemented bathroom pass system, some teachers required PHOTO BY ANUSHKA ANAND students to place Students can be seen holding this bathroom pass signal their exit from class to go designated to the restroom. As image of the clock suggests, bathroom breaks are now limited items such to five minutes .

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easier to keep track of where students are.” as traffic cones or globes on their desks to However, some students are against signal that they were leaving the classroom. the rule that students can only leave one These teachers have been instructed to at a time. There have also been concerns incorporate the new rules, which has taken regarding hygiene since students tend to some time to adapt to. touch it while using the restroom, passing “In my previous system, I had students along bacteria to the next user. Some put a globe on their desk so that when I teachers are brainstorming alternatives looked around I’d know immediately who to solve this issue while preserving the was gone,” chemistry teacher Connie Leung purpose of the hall pass. said. “Now with the addition of the hall pass, Although the new I don’t immediately know system aims to increase who’s out since students productivity in the often forget to use both classroom and foster a the pass and globe.”

“We thought we’d propose more focused learning Both teachers and a new system so we’d environment, most administration have teachers have not yet know where students expressed concerns about noticed obvious effects student safety on campus are.” resulting from the new due to the previous lax policies. system, since teachers Maria Jackson, “Right now, I’m at could be unaware of their Principal a stage where I really students’ whereabouts for haven’t changed anything,” extended periods of time. government teacher Jeffrey Bale said.

They hope that with these new regulations “There has to be a degree of trust with a will help them know where students are teacher and students. I try to make my during emergencies and keep students class as welcoming and fun as possible, so focused in class. that students will be less likely to go to the “I actually think the new system is a bathroom out of boredom.” really effective method because it’s kept a lot of students in class longer,” sophomore Aarit Parekh said. “The fact that most teachers I know have you sign out before using the bathroom class makes it much

Revised election boundaries to reshape the future of FUHSD Board

BY APURVA KRISHNAMURTHY

and campaign materials can be cut down, so hopefully sions on how to draw maps using software to encourage strong candidates who weren’t previously able to run can submissions of alternative maps from voters. This allows he California Voting Rights Act of 2001 restricts now pursue the opportunity.” the demographer to tailor the map to the ditrict’s needs. the use of At-Large elections if groups are able to Community members recognized a potential drawback: “A lot of community members were concerned about prove they are being disenfranchised. The At-Large representatives only advocating for the needs of the school their community being split up,” Floyd said. “So that’s method is where eligible candidates are pooled from in their designated area, rather than looking at issues holisanother reason why we want community members to across the district and gain votes from voters throughtically from the perspective of the entire district. contribute to maps, so we know how to preserve these out its boundaries. A long time follower of thismethod, “One way to alleviate this is by drawing the lines to communities.” the FUHSD Board of Trustees, was notified of the law’s include two schools in one area,” Floyd said. “Each area However, these lines cannot be drawn haphazardly. restrictions in 2022 and noticed an increasing trend of will have some overlap to not bind each area or trustee to a Not only must each area have a similar number of resiother districts and agencies transitioning away from this certain school.” dents to equally distribute votes, but the boundaries must format, encouraging them to do the same. On March 7, Board members also identified a possible downside of also be in accordance with the Federal Voting Rights Act. the board passed a resolution shifting to By-Trustee Area the new format: no candidates running at all. With a smaller This act outlaws any discriminatory practices preventing elections, which are immune to litigation under the CVRA. scale comes a smaller pool of trustees, and less options for citizens from voting or gerrymandering — the manipulaIn this process, voters elect a representative from each of voters tion of electoral boundaries to favor a party — a concern five new subdivisions within the district, who will repre“Or maybe, somebody says, ‘Hey, no one’s running, I’m go- frequently voiced in the pre-map hearings. Moreover, each sent and advocate for their respective sector. ing to put my name down,’ ” Moe said. “And then, they would subdivision within the boundary lines must share a com“I think it’ll be a great opportunity for the Board to automatically become the board representative, without any mon border with at least one other sector and be respecthear from all different areas,” FUHSD Board of Trustvoter oversight.” ful of the inhabited communities, following pre-established ees President Rosa Kim said. “It will bring their area’s To determine where these boundaries lie, the Board held geographic and man-made features. perspective into our discussion, and discussion leads to two pre-map public hearings on Aug. 22 and Sept. 19 where “Legally, we had been advised that this is something all decision making.” they collected input from voters and addressed communischool districts might come to,” Nakano-Matsumoto said.

The Board members believe this will bring great pros- ty input. The goal of the pre-map phase was to notify and “But it was more of a moral decision and we wanted to do pects for better representation and more equity within engage the public. the right thing.” the district, since historically, some geographical areas The Board will soon begin work on the second phase of At the Sept. 19 public hearing, Superintendent Graham have had few representatives on the board— namely, the transition: map development and adoption. The Board Clark announced he would form the Community Trustee Northern Sunnyvale. This has created gaps in equity as the has set three dates to communicate with the public, the first Area Districting Commission, a committee consisting of demographics in this area are generally of lower income being on Oct. 17 and the latter two at an unannounced date FUHSD residents championing local issues. Through regular status and underrepresented ethnic groups, largely from in 2024. At each Map Public Hearing, a demographer will meetings, Clarke aims to effectively synthesize community the Latinx community. The new method aims to amplify present multiple drafts of potential maps curated with data input and understand the concerns of the voters. It has those voices throughout the community and foster a level from the 2020 census and local demographics gained traction through the support from groups such as playing field for all residents. Moreover, each new division and complying to all legal requirethe Women’s League of Voters and will release informaintends to contain an equal number of residents allotted ments. The demographer will tion regarding the application process shortly. under each trustee, to make policymaking more equitable. hear from the Board and gain In order to enhance public outreach, the Board is “As you know, with money comes power,” FUHSD Board perspective from the public working on ensuring Spanish and Mandarin language of Trustees clerk Naomi Nakano Matsumoto said. “So to create more equitable translations for school board meetings to break down when we learn from new people, it opens our lens to what maps. Moreover, any language barriers as well as pop up booths at the goes on within our district.” the Board FUHSD college fair. They have also sent out informaAlthough FUHSD was not struck with a complaint will host tion to families through school messaging channels prompting the shift, numerous agencies, such as local training and have used postcards and social media to spread school districts, county and city boards, and community sesawareness. colleges cannot say the same. After seeing others being hit “A major concern is the gap in knowledge,” Floyd with complaints from community members or lawsuits said. “The main question was, ‘Why are we doing from local law firms, the board decided to reconsider this?’ which the board knows, but clearly hasn’t their election format. been communicated well enough. So one thing “We saw the writing on the wall, and we decided to we took away from the second public hearpreempt it, which allowed us to have a little bit more ing is that we need to up the public outreach.” control,” FUHSD Board of Trustees Vice President Jeff It is important to note that these divisions are Moe said. unrelated to school attendance boundaries and any adThis format also facilitates the process of camjustments made to the election boundaries will not affect paigning, as candidates now only need to campaign for the high school that students residing in the corresponding the votes of one fifth of the original area, local to them, area can attend.

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION which may send a more authentic and effective message FROM ROSA KIM The implementation stage will follow with the Board to community members. finalizing the boundary map after putting it to a vote and Above is a geographic depiction of the entire FUHSD district. As part of the “It will also make running for the school board more gaining approval from the superintendent. The final trustee new By-Trustee Area format, election boundaries will be drawn within the accessible because it’ll be less expensive,” student board map and sectioned into five seperate and contiguous subdivisions, alloting area will be sent to the county’s voting registrar in 2024 to representative Elisabeth Floyd said. “The cost of flyers each to a representative from the area. be used in the Nov. 8, 2024 Board of Trustees election.

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04 NEWS

October 10, 2023

LEXE grants $1.4 million to Lynbrook programs

BY AUDREY SUN

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unding more than 200 projects and assisting more than 4,000 students since its creation in 2012, Lynbrook Excellence in Education is an Internal Revenue Service-approved, 501(c)(3) public charity that supports 14 departments at Lynbrook with resources and grants for crucial learning tools such as STEM equipment, updated technology and infrastructure projects.

LEXE was created 11 years ago as a way to increase the excellence of education at Lynbrook. As of September, LEXE has granted roughly $300,000, reaching 55% of their funding goals. More than 25% of the funds came from parent contributions.

LEXE’s aims to provide equipment to departments, expand technology and infrastructure, support extracurricular programs and provide resources for professional development for teachers.

“We are a part of a very generous school district where we get a lot of resources,” LEXE Co-President Parthasarathy Ranganathan said. “However, we want to go above and beyond what the district

provides. We want to move faster.”

Ten years ago, none of the schools in the FUHSD district had an established system to provide technology for students. Through LEXE, Lynbrook became the first school where each student had access to their own technology. Over the years, LEXE has provided more than 2,000 devices, licenses for network monitoring and wireless access points to Lynbrook’s student body.

To obtain funds for specific classes, school staff file grants to LEXE, making a proposition to their department lead, which is then sent to Principal Maria Jackson. After Jackson reviews the grant and sends it to LEXE, LEXE votes on its approval. Approval criteria include whether the grants affect a large number of students and enable the enhancement of a specific curriculum.

LEXE invests about 62% of their funds in classroom equipment to improve STEM programs at Lynbrook. This equipment includes research work-stations, lab tools and electronic balances. LEXE’s support has greatly improved the life science curriculum and offered a more hands-on lab experience.

Lynbrook’s art department has also had support from LEXE for many years

in purchasing washing machines, sewing machines, wax machines and more. Art teacher Charlotte Kruk believes that, because of this, Lynbrook students have access to unparalleled art opportunities, in unique units such as the lost art of wax casting. In addition to providing new resources, LEXE also helps maintain existing projects. For instance, the torch stations in the art classrooms were previously shut down by the fire department due to proper steel surfaces not being installed under the torches. LEXE’s funding for this renovation allowed the art department to keep this equipment and continue learning with it.

“LEXE has made Lynbrook the most creative of all the schools in the district because of their generosity,” Kruk said.

In the future, LEXE plans to create a research program for students to conduct research in any academic field they are interested in. They also hope to create a Hall of Fame of alumni so students can connect with alumni to ask questions about jobs and internships.

“We are interested in hearing from students and having them let us know what we can do for them,” Ranganathan said.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY CHELSEA LEE AND YVONNE WU

Upcoming Viking Events Homecoming Week, Oct. 13-21 Skits and dances in the theme of Fairytales & Fantasies will be performed throughout the week.

These follow with a football game on Friday against Monta Vista High School and the “Tangled” theme dance on Saturday.

Indesign Fashion Show, Oct. 11 The Indesign fashion club will hold its first show this year during lunch.

Fentanyl Awareness and Information Event, Oct. 17 A district-wide event informing on fentanyl will be presented by the Fremont Union High School Foundation and Rotary Club of Cupertino.

Fright Night Music, Oct. 25 The music department will perform at 7 p.m. in the auditorium.

Halloween Festivities, Oct. 31 Students will get to trick-or-treat in teachers’ classrooms during lunch while spooky music plays from the quad throughout the day.

% of grants approved from each department

Photo and reporting by Chelsea Lee.

CUSD guarantees access to pre-kindergarten education

BY MYLES KIM

Moore, Chief Executive Director of Kidango, a leading Bay Area nonprofit in the early wo years since Governor Gavin childhood education and care space. “If Newsom signed California’s you’re eligible for programs like Head Start, flagship Universal pre-Kindergarten preschool or TK, you can choose among the program into law — scheduled for full three. The real answer depends on what implementation by the 2025-26 school school environment and classroom would year — educators across the Bay Area are be the best fit for a particular child.” optimistic about the future of expanded School districts across the Bay Area have early childhood education. been ahead of the curve in expanding these “We’re really grateful for the programs. For instance, Santa Clara Unified opportunity to expand our transitional School District and CUSD have provided TK kindergarten program,” said Dr. Michelle programs at select schools since 2012 and Herridge, Director Of Educational Services 2015 respectively. In contrast, as of the Department at the Cupertino Union School 2023-24 school year, CUSD has implemented District. “It’s a really great opportunity for at least one TK classroom in 11 out of 18 of families and children to get connected to their elementary and alternative schools. their school sites at an even younger age.”

Educators and community members The law, passed in 2021 as a part of have generally responded positively to the California the expanded Department programs, of Education’s despite a Transforming nationwide Schools Initiative, teacher shortage stipulates that and the $2.7 California public billion price tag. schools are to “It’s provide expanded wonderful that early childhood public education education PHOTO BY MYLES KIM is expanding services, including In 2023 Meyerholz Elementary was repurposed as the new to what would universal typically be site of the district’s preschool program: Cuperdoodle. UPK transitional preschool-age could lead to a decrease in enrollment for the program. kindergarten, a children and future. form of pre-K, by having that be the 2025-26 school year. In total, it budgets a part of the public education system,” said around $2.7 billion over the course of four Kate Lee, president of CUSD’s teacher union, years toward early education initiatives the Cupertino Educators Association. throughout the state. This includes According to Lee, although CUSD and additional funding for public and non-profit other districts across the Bay Area have preschools. had little trouble hiring new credentialed Since the 2022-23 school year, the state teacher positions, hiring enough nonhas been annually increasing the range credentialed teacher aides to meet the of birthdays eligible to enroll in TK, and required 1-to-12 teacher-students ratio has by the 2025-26 school year, TK should be proven to be a challenge. The law mandates accessible to all children who turn 4 years that all TK classrooms are required to old by Sept. 1. The law only mandates have a credentialed teacher and a teaching access to TK in elementary schools, not aid. Additionally, teacher aides may have necessarily requiring that parents start their lower salaries than their credentialed child’s public instruction a year earlier. counterparts, which could explain the lack “Parents do have a choice,” said Scott of interest in the positions.

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“There is a very clear answer to how to address teacher shortages: money,” government teacher Jeffrey Bale said. “There would be no teacher shortage if there were higher salaries.”

In addition to staffing concerns for teacher aides, there were other issues that districts encountered. For instance, the state didn’t provide any mandated or approved curriculum, creating inconsistencies for teachers and TK students across the state.

Another problem that arose amid the expansion was that most public school infrastructure in districts across the Bay Area and California were not designed to accommodate TK needs, failing to account for the shorter height of students, or located too far from cafeterias. Similarly, meeting the required one toilet per 20 TK and kindergarten students as well as implementing other quality of life improvements for TK classrooms, has prompted some districts to prepare for upgrades to infrastructure. That may involve implementing new plumbing lines, constructing an entirely new complex or making modifications to existing buildings.

“I think it’s a learning process, and in developing these TK programs, it is crucial for administration to listen to the TK teachers because they’re the ones who really know and understand what student’s needs are and how to improve it,” Lee said.

Research frequently referenced by advocates of expanded early education has been shown to provide students with critical socialization, arithmetic and reading skills helping them to better succeed in kindergarten and beyond. Improved early childhood education has also been credited with an increase in high school graduation rates and college attendance. According to a study published by the American Psychological Association, these initiatives can also lead to improved performance in STEM subjects through high school.

“During the one year that my son was in a preschool program run by our local school district, we were very pleased,” Bale said.

“It really was a great introduction to school, and he made the transition to kindergarten

pretty flawlessly as a result.”

Some critics aren’t convinced by the potential benefits of the programs. Their concerns lie in the negative effects that expanded provisions may bring for the for-profit early childcare and education industry. They argue that universal TK will lead to an exodus of both teachers and families as they choose a more affordable state offering, thereby decreasing profitability. Moore, however, sees this shift in a more positive light.

“We know that there’s a real lack of capacity for infant and toddler child care in California and across the country,” Moore said. “Now that transitional kindergarten will be able to serve all 4-year-olds, hopefully, for-profit providers will start to serve younger children, which is really going to help meet the needs of families.“ Moore also emphasized that while the law is a step in the right direction, there is still much that needs to be done to ensure the benefits are sustained. He proposes that the state should now focus its efforts on expanding pipelines for early education employment — enabling educators to continue their studies in higher education while simultaneously and affordably obtaining their teaching credentials. For instance, a program that would allow individuals to start as preschool teachers, even without any college education or just a high school diploma.

Looking to the future, districts across the state will continue to expand TK access through the 2025-26 school year. With its expanded early education initiatives, California’s investments will hopefully make a tangible impact on the next generation of students and eventually the state itself.

“Education policy is always challenging, and it’s pretty evident that the new programs will have positive effects for some groups,” Bale said. “Will it be worth the cost and energy to do it? That’s what California needs to decide — and I think that down the road, we’ll have a better idea, but the bottom line is we won’t know unless we try it.”

OPINION

the Epic 05

Is the Westgate West Costco worth the chaos?

community.

If this Costco is built, the intense customer base will create severe traffic he plan for a Costco to be built at the that will stall commute routines and pose Westgate West shopping center has a genuine danger to pedestrians in the been pending for over a year, and its area. According to plans submitted to the approval or denial by the city of San Jose City of San Jose, Costco expects more than draws closer, a decision that could affect 6,500 customers daily, which translates to the way of life of many of the surrounding a significant increase in drivers crossing communities. If the project proposal is the intersection of Prospect and Lawrence. approved and construction starts on the The already busy intersection will become new center, many aspects of life — from crowded and impassable for everyone. daily commutes to the survival of local Opening hours will further exacerbate businesses — will be negatively influenced congestion issues, as the Costco will open for a multitude of people. City council at 9 a.m., on weekdays and weekends, members should reject this plan before crowding the streets it has the opportunity with shoppers during to create unnecessary peak commute time. chaos within the The closing time, 8 p.m. community. on weekdays , and 7 These concerns have p.m. on weekends, will spurred community cause a steady stream members to take of traffic throughout action to stop the plan new parking spaces the entire day. from being passed. will be reserved only “I feel very Driving through the for Costco customers concerned about safety neighborhood behind with such a big box Westgate West, one can store going in such a see dozens of houses small footprint,” said sporting yard signs Sara Ludwig, a member of Save West Valley! protesting the Costco. Many of the signs and mother of four kids, two of whom go in the neighborhood have been created to Prospect High School. “I’m constantly and distributed by Save West Valley!, the around the traffic in this area as it is now organization that has been the driving and I can’t imagine adding thousands of force behind protests against the store’s cars.” construction.

The residential neighborhoods behind “In a nutshell, Save West Valley! gives the Costco will likely receive many Costco a voice to the residents of West Valley,” shoppers and daily commuters searching for founder Marc Pawliger said. “Costco alternative routes in order to escape from and other developers have expert the parking overflow and excessive traffic. representation, but residents of the An influx of cars parked on previously community have none.” calm streets will force residents to adapt.

Pawliger and his co-founder Connie In addition, the Costco plans to restock Tietze believe that the Costco will make the warehouse from 2 a.m to 7 p.m, with an irreversible impact on West Valley, and the majority of it happening in the early that this project will be the first domino morning hours. This raises many noise to fall on a future of an industrialization of concerns for residents with the noisy nature West Valley that puts businesses before the

BY ALEX COTTEREL

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of supply restock that may keep residents up during the night.

“Traffic will inherently build up not only on Prospect, but on Saratoga and more,” Tietze said. “The issue there is that it will start coming down and filtering through the neighborhood. We have a highschool right across the street and an elementary school that’s in the neighborhood right behind the Costco, and the concern is that on top of the layers of traffic, the Costco employees are going to be parking in the neighborhood as well.”

The Prospect and Lawrence intersection is directly next to Prospect High School, so its students will also be heavily affected by the new traffic. Hundreds of students walk and bike home from school or walk up Prospect to meet their rides each day. Afterschool traffic will directly compete with the Costco traffic during prime shopping times which will increase the likelihood of accidents and will severely endanger pedestrians, including local high school students.

“There will be a lot more cars and traffic, and I don’t think many people will know how that’ll function in the beginning,” Prospect sophomore Aarna Sahu said.

“I think it would be very dangerous for freshmen as well.”

The construction plan largely ignores the community surrounding it, but maintains a facade of uplifting the nearby neighborhoods and residents.

Costco representatives claim the plan has been adapted to help the surrounding communities by placing a portion of parking on the roof to save space. However, the proposed Costco plan for Westgate West has a stark contrast to nearby Costcos. The proposed Westgate West Costco will shut

down the Smart & Final and Good Will to create an overall site that is 35% smaller than the nearby Costco Sunnyvale, with a 20,000 square-foot larger warehouse, leaving minimal room left for parking. The Costco site will be cramped and the intense traffic coupled with Costco parking overflow will overwhelm the entire shopping center, impeding the business of the surrounding stores.

“Almost 400 of Costco’s parking spaces will be on the roof,” Tietze said. “The customers are not going to go up to park, they are going to take the surface parking first. This is going to impact access for people that want to go to local businesses as well.”

Although the Costco customer base may bring some new business to surrounding stores like Super Duper Burger and Trader Joe’s, the intense traffic coupled with the lack of parking may also turn away many loyal customers of other stores at Westgate West. As a result, small businesses in the shopping center and across the street may face declining clientele if people decide that it is not worth it to navigate the chaotic Costco traffic to visit nearby stores.

“A lot of the time I choose to go to the stores at Westgate because of convenience,” history teacher Nhat Nguyen said. “If I don’t have enough time to navigate the traffic, I would rather not go there.”

The proposed Costco threatens an unfavorable shift in the way of life for nearby communities. Everything from the stores at Westgate West to the adjacent streets, will all be strongly affected if a Costco is built. In order to prevent this danger, the community must raise their voice by joining protests, signing petitions and speaking out against the Costco plan before it gets approved.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY VIDUSHI UPADHYAY

PHOTO BY ALYSSA WANG

EMILY PEDROZA// IN MY OPINION

Coffee shop survival crash course

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mber light seeps from windows, smiling faces shaded by olive branches that sway with wind and coffee-house jazz music. I’m writing this column during my 15-minute break, honey lemon tea nursed in one hand and my keyboard under the other.

But it hasn’t always been this way. I’ve been working at my parent’s coffee shop since the summer before my freshman year.

When I first started working, I would drag myself out of bed, pull on my black uniform and head to work — motivation sparked solely by my duty to my family who were largely in debt after recently opening a business.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, it wasn’t the job or the labor that made my shifts feel miserable, but my own mindset. Growing up, my parents had always lectured me about thoroughness, saying, “If you’re going to do something, you should do it well.”

I took these words a little too seriously, thrusting perfectionism into my time at the café. Every moment I tried to keep moving, desperate to make myself useful. This turned shifts into slogs of mumbling recipes and steps in dizzied hazes. I had associated my self-worth with how many toasts or

drinks I could make in 10 minutes, or how often I would perform the arduous labor no one else wanted to do. I felt more like a cog in a machine than a human: sweaty, sore, muscles aching. What’s worse is that through my discomfort I would refuse to take breaks throughout my seven hour shifts, darting from one blurry task to another.

But when I started to allow myself to take breaks and my mind to drift from rigid tasks to the little things, I was no longer solely driven by a sense of obligation to support my family. Instead, I started to find love in the coffee shop. The atmosphere, the people.

I saw Bill, a war veteran, wheel in through the door daily to find solace from haunting memories in smooth, sweet lattes. Watched as his lashes closed, chin tipped back, savoring the space under sunlight. Even my understanding of fellow staff members, whom I had once viewed as intimidating,

started to sprout. I grew to smile at disproportioned Garfield cat sketches and bubble-letter-cheer-up notes left on our storage-room whiteboard. Soon I left some of my own, scrawling pastel reminders to stay hydrated in the back, drawing smiley faces into the condensation-coated cold brew dispensers.

I found wonder in the way friends and families circled the checkered toasts we had previously made, food and beverages serving as diverging points, conversation starters and sources of smiles. Their chiming laughter, blending with the drips of pour-over tea.

Focusing on these human aspects allowed me to find value and appreciation for both life inside and outside work, as I learned that creating small, joyful moments in someone’s life is priceless, even if that act seems as small as brewing someone a cup of tea.

06 OPINION

October 10, 2023

Opening students’ eyes to colorblindness P icture an American history class full of eager students learning about the 13 original colonies of the United States. The teacher tasks them with color coding the different regions on a map using a set of colorful Crayola markers. Most students have no problem picking out the colors they need and quickly getting started on the project.

But for other students, the process is not as simple. Instead, the dark blue and purple markers look almost identical to each other, while several others such as pink, red and orange all seem to be very similar. Challenges such as these that students with colorblindness face on a daily basis can sometimes be overlooked in academic settings. To promote inclusivity and awareness for colorblind students, it is important that students communicate with their teachers about any circumstances that may affect their ability to learn.

Color blindness is a genetic condition typically inherited from the X chromosome that causes a decreased or lack of ability to perceive or differentiate colors due to abnormalities in the retina or the optic nerve. According to Clinton Eye Associates, there are about 300 million people in the world who are colorblind, with males making up

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY VIHAAN PATEL

students should not have to avoid taking classes involving art or design just because of this limitation. Instead, they shouldn’t be afraid to expand their horizons and focus on forms of art that they are capable of doing.

“I would highly encourage students to not shy away from taking art,” art teacher Judy Schulze said. “There are so many different forms of art that anyone could do regardless of 95% of the colorblind population. The same source also their vision. In fact, our whole first semester in Art 1 only states that 1 in 12 men and one in 200 women suffer from uses black, white and grayscale values.” this condition. Furthermore, colorblindness defines a To help colorblind students with the daily struggles wide spectrum of conditions and is different for everyone they face in the classroom, teachers have made individual depending on the type or degree of color blindness they accommodations for those students in need. There is no have. A common form of color blindness is Protanopia: an single policy implemented to help everyone, but rather caseinsensitivity to red light that makes it easy to confuse colors by-case, personalized scenarios for each student. This would such as red and green. Tritanopia, on the other hand, makes help ensure students are receiving necessary help it difficult to perceive blue and also makes customized especially for them. Teachers colors in general appear less vibrant. Only have also actively communicated with the 1 in 30,000 individuals worldwide with these students first about learning issues Achromatopsia, a condition often referred they could possibly face. to as complete color blindness, see purely “In my Art 1 class, we learn about “If there are any students black and white. how some people can see color “My brother and I both have who are colorblind, I differently than others and use photos Deuteranopia, which is mainly a red-green always check in on them that show what colorblind people would color blindness with a little bit of to help.” see to help build awareness,” Schulze blue-purple,” junior Sebastian Cave said. “If there are any students in my said. “When shown the colors red and class who are colorblind, I always make Judy Schulze, green, I can tell that they are different sure to check in on them so they get help but not which one is which. As for Art Teacher if they need any.” purple and dark blue, they sometimes Students should be willing to voice look exactly the same to me.” any concerns they may have about their ability to learn Although color blindness is an invisible condition, properly because teachers will most often be there to aid the struggles that come with it can be very prevalent them. This extends to other learning impairments outside in daily life. In the classroom, this condition often sets of colorblindness, such as ADHD or dyslexia. Students up challenges when it comes to assignments involving who have invisible conditions like these should not be color, such as art projects and color-coded charts and afraid to bring up any problems they could be facing graphs. Lynbrook clubs such as Indesign and Virtuosity to their teachers so that they can be provided with the also participate in projects related to color with support they need. clothing and art design. Outside of school, colorblind “There are kids who have color blindness and tell me students face other obstacles while coordinating colors about it, but I am afraid that there are some kids who have in outfits and putting on makeup. When driving, it can it but do not speak up about it until we reach out to them be difficult to differentiate between traffic light colors first,” science teacher Connie Leung said. or interpreting street signs. Photo editing can also be Lynbrook currently has sufficient measures set in confusing for colorblind students, who would have place to help students with learning impairments, and trouble telling the level of hues in the picture. the staff is ready to personally accommodate students “Last year in June, the extra credit problem on with conditions such as color blindness. Because of this, my chemistry final required me to tell the colors of students should be encouraged to be more vocal about different test tubes,” Cave said. “I struggled to find the any learning impairments that they may have to get help difference between the colors, so my chemistry teacher, if necessary.

Mrs. Leung, told me the colors of the test tubes.” the Epic voted 34-3 in favor of this stance with 2 Despite these inconveniences, students with abstaining. learning impairments should not be discouraged from pursuing certain subjects. For example, colorblind

Staff Editorial The Voice of the Epic

Universal pre-K encourages equitable education opportunities

BY CHARLOTTE BOLAY AND IRENE HWANG

T

he Universal Pre-Kindergarten program guaranteeing access to public transitional kindergarten in California will take effect by the 2025-26 school year, providing free TK and improving the quality of existing classes for all families regardless of social class or immigration status.

This decision supports children from underprivileged families so they can thrive with minimized financial constraints. For families who struggle financially, pre-K’s high cost can often discourage them from enrolling. As a result, children born after the cutoff date can possibly miss an entire year of education if they do not enroll in private preschool programs. According to the Center of Developing Child at Harvard University, 90% of brain development occurs before age five, meaning the period before kindergarten is crucial to a child’s development. By spending time in a classroom setting in this period, children are given the opportunity to foster relationships, develop important social skills, improve executive functioning and better prepare students for elementary school and beyond.

“The type of experiences that children have had is very important to their growth,” said Michelle Herriage, a director in the Educational Services Department at Cupertino Unified School District. “After the children arrive in our classrooms, we work with them from there on helping to develop skills, whether they are academic, social or emotional.”

Transitional Kindergarten, a form of

pre-K meant for students born after the Sept. 2 cutoff date, enriches childrens’ learning experience, though they are too young to enroll in the regular kindergarten program.

“TK is a place where we learn a lot about social emotional learning,” said Jamie Sung, a TK teacher at Campbell Unified School District. “Our students learn how to identify and express their own feelings, as well as how to socialize and collaborate with other peers.”

Social emotional learning is very important in pre-K education. According to Sung, many children in her TK classroom hold egocentric and narrow worldviews.

To combat this problem, TK teachers have implemented activities into their classes that allow children to develop these skills.

“In TK we talk a lot about other people’s feelings and how our actions and our behaviors can affect other people,” Sung said. “Prior to kindergarten, their thinking is typically very much self-centered.”

Along with increased student enrollment in TK classes offered at school, class sizes will be reduced, granting each student more individualized care, because teachers can devote more of their limited attention to fewer students at their critical early learning stage.

The change also fosters more interaction between teachers and students, helping students build social and emotional skills.

Pre-K presents a social and educational challenge for children while maintaining a supportive environment. In a pre-K setting, students are given the opportunity to collaborate, engage in group discussions

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY ROHAN KAKHANDIKI

Without the addition of mandatory pre-K or TK, young children miss out on the developmental stage of fostering relationships, develop important social skills and improve executive functioning.

and interact with their peers. As a result, students who attend a pre-K program are more likely to have higher confidence, social skills and academic learning skills.

The UPK program is already improving educational settings at CUSD. According to Herriage, there are now 22 TK classes compared to the 11 classes from the past, each holding 24 students. This increase in enrollment numbers in the number of classes provided shows that access to free pre-K is already making a mark on families.

Some experts have expressed concerns that this new law would lead to young children feeling academically pressured.

These critics believe that the solution would be to emphasize play-based learning, where children mostly socialize and play in small groups, easing them into the school environment. Many educators are already

working on ways to implement play-based learning in pre-K and TK classrooms.

“Preschool is about community and being social and kids being kids,” English teacher Jane Gilmore said. “I don’t want that to be lost.”

While the UPK program is still in development and will only be fully implemented in a couple of years, multiple aspects of pre-K have already been improved. Pre-K is slowly becoming more accessible to low income families and all age ranges, setting new standards for pre-K classrooms in the future. In this critical period of a child’s life, the UPK initiative will ensure that every child has the right to receive the education they need and are set on the right path for success.

October 10, 2023

OPINION

07

Dissecting the dark truth behind dissection labs

BY DAVID ZHU

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very year, millions of preserved specimens ranging from frogs to cats are brought into science classrooms for students to learn about animal anatomy. However, behind all the eager faces of the students lies a dark secret: many of the animals used in their labs are seized from their natural habitats and inhumanely slaughtered for dissection purposes. When a method of student learning comes at the expense of biological life, it should be replaced with more humane learning strategies.

Animal dissections were first implemented in the American K-12 curriculum in the 1920s. At this time, the most common dissected specimens were frogs, cats and fetal pigs due to their availability and anatomies. Since then, the overwhelming majority of schools have used dissection labs to teach students about animal structure. Other animals such as dogfish sharks, rats and salamanders have also been incorporated as dissection specimens within high schools. According to the American Anti-Vivisection Society, it is estimated that around six million animals are dissected in American schools annually.

“Traditional methods of dissection are very prevalent,” said Joseph Akpan, a Professor of Science Education at Jacksonville State University. “We need to be careful about how we use animals for education and use them ethically. Schools need to be transparent and document where these animals are coming from.”

Despite the popularity of dissections, educators and students alike fail to recognize the inherent unethical nature of these labs. The issue stems from the industry responsible for providing schools with preserved specimens. Oftentimes, animals are directly taken from the wilderness and forced to live in inhumane conditions within biological supply companies before they are put to death. The Humane Society of the United States finds that many animals are captured from the wild in large groups, violently handled and ultimately killed.

In a landmark study from the Animal Welfare Institute examining frogs bound for dissection, researchers found that the frogs were captured and crammed into large sacks before being shipped off to the supply company. At the

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXANDRA WU

supply company, the frogs were placed in large tanks where they were kept for many weeks without food until the company received a shipment request.

“There are millions of animals killed for the specific purpose of dissection,” said Nicole Green, the Director of Animalearn at the AAVS. “Animals like pigs and cows are taken from slaughterhouses and different sources. There’s so much cruelty that’s involved with all of these industries where animals are basically seen as a tool, they’re not looked at as living sentient beings.”

Awareness around this issue often falls to the wayside due to the secrecy of the sourcing process. Like many other schools, dissection labs have been a longtime staple of FUHSD science courses. Most of the specimens purchased by schools within the district are sourced from the Carolina Biological Supply Company, the largest international supply company in the industry. While Carolina itself claims to use humane sourcing practices, it is difficult for educators to determine the details of how the company obtains its

specimens prior to their arrival in classrooms. Regardless of the ethics of their practices, all supply companies, including Carolina, should ensure that schools know the source of their specimens.

“We get all of our preserved materials from ethical sources,” said Keith Barker, the manager of product safety and compliance at the Carolina Supply Company. “Most come from food industry sources. Cats are procured from governmentally supervised shelters and have been euthanized before we receive them. We believe in the humane treatment of animals and ethical sourcing, and that’s how we operate.”

Despite the humane practices of Carolina, many other companies use unethical methods to supply high schools with dissection material. Because of this, some teachers choose to implement alternative methods after learning about these unethical practices. Computer programs and virtual activities have subtly started to gain prominence within science classrooms. Digital dissection programs such as Expandable Mind Software, Digital Frog 2.5 and Merge Labs allow students to explore animal anatomy without using products from the dissection industry. Despite viable alternatives, most American schools still rely on the practices of dissecting animals.

“Students don’t really think about where the animal parts are coming from, so more knowledge on that would be beneficial,” said Esha Rai, a senior who participated in a recent dissection in her physiology class. “I think schools should definitely be more transparent about where these animals are coming from, and based on that students should be able to make the decision if they want to continue with the dissection or not.”

As the issue regarding dissection labs comes to light, schools should be aware of how dissected specimens are sourced, and supply companies themselves should strive to be more transparent to customers about where they source their animals. No animals should suffer for the sake of a student’s education.

“I think there’s a long way to go in terms of eliminating dissection,” said Green. “It’s important to have discussions, especially among students, because animals are living beings and we should be thinking about them as individuals.”

The hidden faults behind our efforts to “go green”

BY ERIN FITZPATRICK

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nnovators are constantly pushing out new green technology with promises of reducing carbon footprint. But when trying to reach net-zero carbon emissions, small actions won’t make the cut. With threats from climate change on the rise, there is reason to be concerned about the corporate-driven approach in which society is choosing to handle the impact of climate change.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY LILLY WU

In August and September 2023, weather and climate-related natural disasters exceeded $1 billion in damages. California suffered from the Category 4 Hurricane Hillary which accumulated roughly $600 million in damages. Wildfires with extensive return periods are indicators for just how dire our need for change is. The estimated intervals between natural disasters of the extremity that they’re occuring at are becoming shorter and shorter.

“Many people do not realize how detrimental climate change is and that they are living in the period of time where, if we don’t take action right now, the repercussions will be endless in the future generations,” Conservation Action Association officer Jennifer Chua said.

To address these problems, businesses have taken it upon themselves to innovate new green technology, which gives rise to a common issue: in the constant search for new solutions, we lose our sense of direction. Green innovations are helpful in covering the smaller components of climate change, such as household chores. However, technological innovation cannot fully mitigate the problem — in the grand scheme of global warming, these innovations aren’t nearly enough to decrease one’s carbon footprint. By the time these innovations can be implemented full scale, years or even decades later, it will be

too late to foster concrete change on the environment. The real solution to climate change would require a worldwide change in consumption patterns.

Although taking the steps as a consumer to become more aware of the climate impacts of a product is important, many companies capitalize on the growing demand for “greener” innovations and present themselves as such under false environmental premises. One example would be Elon Musk, who has brought Tesla to the forefront of Electric Vehicle sales, which have been marketed largely through greenwashing. But just how green is Tesla?

With both street-credibility and greencredibility it seems like the Tesla is a sweet ride that just happens to be environmentally friendly. EVs are powered by rechargeable electric batteries. However, local grids rely on dirty fuel to generate electricity, the net difference in carbon emissions is no different from that of a gasoline car.

“It’s morally corrupt to manipulate consumers into buying more products under the guise of sustainability,” Chua said. “And it’s especially wrong to to do that for the benefit of sales: good business, bad ethics.”

Another important aspect when considering the capitalization of greenwashing is the implementation of carbon credits. Carbon credits were devised as a method to reduce the amount of greenhouse emissions companies produce.

When more environmentally friendly companies like Tesla end up with an excess of carbon credits, they can sell them to other companies for monetary gain. Tesla’s sales in carbon credits has reached $1.78 billion in revenue. The issue with this is that carbon credits have allowed companies to essentially stay dirty, as long as they have the funds to stay that way.

Tesla isn’t the only example of a superficially green market strategy. With the consumer electronic market growing each year, finding ways to recycle electronics in

an ethical and “green” manner is difficult.

With each new iPhone release, millions of people toss out their old phones in favor of the newer model. With the sudden spike of e-waste, recycling hasn’t been able to catch up. Only about 15% of e-waste ends up being recycled, so falling back on the idea that your phone will just be taken apart and repurposed is incorrect. Because the production of electronics requires vast amounts of energy and resources to manufacture, recycling of e-waste is not efficient enough to the point where we can rely on it completely.

The sad reality is that most of what consumers can do is not nearly enough to make up for the effects that climate change already has on rising temperatures and weather extremes. Drastic decreasing of fossil fuel use and emissions would only spare the Earth of future catastrophic events, but would not reduce Earth’s temperature. So what should the future of climate action look like?

By becoming reliant on companies to create climate change solutions, people lose sight of actions that can be taken by themselves. For instance, one simple way to cut down on carbon emissions is to avoid taking long flights for travel — a round trip from California to Hawaii creates the same amount of carbon emission as the average person driving for a quarter of a year.

Another possible measure is cutting down on single use plastics. This not only reduces pollution, but it also reduces the demand, and therefore the production of more plastics. It’s important that consumers stay educated about the impacts their actions make on the environment.

“Be the change. A little goes a long way.

One person switching to a reusable straw will not make a dent in climate change, but the awareness of our drastic situation and sharing these sustainable practices will unite us to combat the problem that we created,” Chua said.

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Peppermint and Zo bakes the community a better place

BY GARY PAN

A

fter struggling to get their new business Peppermint and Zo off the ground, juniors Sophie Mak and Zoey Lim were disappointed by their initial lack of success. In their efforts to find an answer for the lack of demand, the pair concluded that the issue was a lack of social media advertising. Despite a rough start, Mak and Lim were able to overcome the challenging workload of school and business while also giving back to the community.

First meeting in a math class in their freshman years, Mak and Lim quickly bonded over their shared enthusiasm for baking. Within a week, the pair decided to bake a roll cake together and brought it to school.

Peppermint and Zo soon became an avenue for both to indulge in their passions for baking goods. Beginning an Instagram account and using an online order model to conduct sales, they soon found it more effective and impactful to make sales in person.

The pair focuses on creating baked goods with an Asian twist — for instance, they make traditional Asian baked goods but with unconventional recipes.

The pair bakes at Mak’s home once a month, working on a strict timer to meet demand and to bring their menu to life. To ensure customers receive a unique and diverse assortment of food, the pair decided to experiment with the menu seasonally, altering it to suit the different holidays that appear around the time they begin selling. Their menu ranges from roll cakes to marshmallow cookies and even mooncakes.

“When creating the menu items we don’t have any recipes to follow,” Mak said. “I usually try out the food to see if the menu item is suitable for our customers, and if it

doesn’t work, we scrap the item.”

So far, customer feedback has been largely positive.

Customers attribute their enjoyment to the variety of highquality baked goods present on the menu, and Peppermint and Zo’s cordial and friendly owners. To connect more with the community, Mak and Lim have decided to donate a portion of their monthly sales to a charity organization of their choice.

Before starting Peppermint and Zo together, Lim volunteered at Animal Assisted Happiness in San Jose, appreciating the

opportunity to experience the wonders of caring for different animals. For the past few months, the pair has chosen to work with AAH for their bake sales on the second Sunday of every month. Their table was very popular — they set up at 7:45 am and their goods usually sold out before closing time at 4 p.m.

“We look at things that we see on the news and choose to support issues that we are most passionate about,” Lim said. “However, as of now, we really want to stick to the AAH Farm as we want to make an impact on the farm life in a tangible way. Most recently we donated to the tortoise and pig pens.”

Hoping to donate more to the different animal shelters and to refurbish the worn-out gazebo in the future, Lim and Mak have decided to continue to support AAH with all of their profits.

“I’m really proud of the girls for taking something that they enjoy and turning it in a way that helps others,” AAH president Vicki Haga said. “Zoey and Sophie have become role models for AAH.”

USED WITH PERMISSION FROM PEPPERMINT&ZO

October 10, 2023

FEATURES

09

Speedy Garage: Signore’s journey from History to Biking

BY CLAIRE GUO

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about his little pet project. At first, the video obtained a small smattering of views and likes, as most of his previous videos had. Yet, about a month later, Signore logged onto his account to find that the video had taken off, racking up 40,000 views to date.

“A lot of people commented on it, saying: ‘I love the story, I lost my

ne sunny afternoon in September 2021, history teacher Luca Signore stumbled upon an interesting bike.

Little did he know, this bike would later become the very object that would make his youtube channel, Speedy Garage, “all worth it.”

“Throughout the stages in which we were still at home, it was kind of just my side gig: something to work on for fun,” Signore said. “But this grandfather was the video too.’ Or, that made my ‘I really channel really connected with worth it.” that,’” Signore said.

The bike The video, succinctly in question and beautifully narrated, was nothing touched viewers with special — the retelling of his grief it was old and growth — how his and rusted, grandfather had kept a bike propped waiting for him every time up against a he visited Italy, always in topdumpster like a relic working condition, never in of someone’s forgotten GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION need of fixing. Repairing the past. With one look,

BY INAAYA YOUSUF new bike and giving it a chance to Signore knew that it was have a new life, a chance to be what in desperate need of repairs — paint jobs, replacements for the wheels and handlebars his grandfather’s bike was to him, — a labor of time and love. But Signore took transported Signore back to those the bike home. He found himself resolving to soothing summers and allowed him to feel connected to his grandfather once repair the bike, as it reminded him of happy more. times with his late grandfather, whom he “I made something that was valuable would bond with over bikes, and who had sadly passed away just a year prior. Not only for me, but it was also something that that, Signore documented his entire journey, other people got value out of,” Signore said. “That made me really happy.” from the moment he took the bike home to However, this was not Signore’s first cinematic shots of the finished bike cruising rodeo. His YouTube journey began far a mountain road, on his YouTube channel.

What he didn’t expect was the outpour of earlier — in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. March to August of the newly support that he would receive from posting

digital 2020-21 school year had flown by without much excitement, and Signore had begun to feel the need for a new hobby.

He had always thought about making videos about cars — being interested in photography from a young age and recently exploring cinematography as well — but had previously been too busy. Suddenly, with abundant free time and cars that needed fixing, Signore created Speedy Garage out of both passion and perfect timing.

In fact, Signore’s first video was on how to repair a car’s window and center console.

His car, a Miata, was quite a popular model, yet the videos explaining how to repair or upgrade such a car were few and far between.

“I was always looking at other people’s YouTube videos and learning from them, but I was having a hard time finding stuff specific to the car I was working on,” Signore said. “After a while, I thought it’d be cool to make a video to help someone else out on how to do these things.”

But it wasn’t just his passion for photography and cinematography that gave Signore an edge. Signore says that being a teacher also helped. Signore knows

that something he understands like the back of his hand may be new information to his viewers. But his viewers also have some of their own previous knowledge.

To be an effective teacher, it is important to strike a balance. This principle, and others, supported him in his videos, allowing him to create imaginative yet easily comprehensible stories.

“I don’t want to talk down to people,” Signore said. “You have to assume people have some knowledge of the thing they’re watching if they’re looking for it. But you have to simplify it to the point where it’s understandable but still informative, and also hopefully somewhat entertaining.”

Two years later, Speedy Garage has now shifted from a car repair channel to a channel that focuses more on bikes and bike repairs.

“That’s what I do more of now — I work on bikes and ride bikes,” Signore said.

The change was not a purposeful shift, but rather, a gentle redirect of attention.

Signore’s beautiful, newly repaired bike leans against the door of his garage, the inside teeming with projects and parts.

These projects are a testament to his final goal, the very basis for his entire channel.

Through these changes, no matter what happens, his goal remains the same.

“I just want to make videos that make me happy,” Signore said.

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION FROM LUCA SIGNORE History teacher Luca Signore showcases his modified mountain bike.

In memory of Dave Herz, Academic Community Transition Teacher

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he Lynbrook community warmly were on the train to Avignon in France and remembers Academic Community we talked the entire three hours about how Transition Teacher David Herz, a he grew up and how he became a teacher. loving husband, father and role model He had a lot of really cool stories to tell.” for Special Education students. Herz After graduating from UC San Diego, Herz passed away unexpectedly on July 1 after met his wife, Kelly Herz, at his first teaching enjoying a road trip with his family. job as a first grade teacher at McKinley The Lynbrook community warmly Elementary School. Shortly after, the couple remembers Academic Community married and welcomed their two children, Transition Teacher David Herz, a loving Maile and Danny. Later, Herz founded the husband, father and role model for elementary school Success Academy in San Special Education students. Herz passed Jose’s Franklin-McKinley Elementary School away unexpectedly on July 1 after District, where he served as the principal. enjoying a road trip with his family.

He taught first and fifth grade as a general Joining Lynbrook in the 2019-20 education teacher for about 15 years prior school year, Herz inspired his students to arriving at Lynbrook. Alongside owning and cared deeply for a school, Herz achieved his their successes. Herz long-standing ambition “He was such a happy helped his students of opening his own person, always the life thrive both inside and wine-bar restaurant, of the party. That’s how outside the school Pizza Vino, in San environment, taking Jose. After returning I’ll remember Dave — a them out to bowling to school in 2017 happy and involved alleys for fun, and to to earn his Special person.” grocery stores to plan Education teaching out their meals for the credential, Herz taught Beverly Herz, week. Nurturing strong Special Education to David Herz’s mother personal relationships elementary and high with his students, Herz school students. always looked forward to seeing them “He was such a happy person, each year and embraced the challenge always the life of the party,” said of figuring out how to best meet their Herz’s mother, Beverly Herz. “That’s needs. how I’ll remember Dave — a happy Outside of teaching Special Education, and involved person.”

Herz was very active in the school Beyond education, Herz was an community, working closely with Viking avid baseball fan, always sporting his Buddies, coaching the JV boys tennis San Francisco Giants jersey at local team and being the freshman class ballparks on the weekends. Kelly Herz adviser. He was one of five teachers cherises their time together attending who supervised the annual Europe trip Giants games and playing Fantasy by prioritizing their safety and sharing baseball — her interests sparked stories with them throughout their by his. She warmly remembers a travels. baseball game they attended together “He was a really, really kind and gentle in Cincinnati, where Herz befriended person,” senior Delaina Scott said. “We multiple Giants fans in the stands.

“He made friends easily, and that impacted my life because I got to meet a lot of cool people that I probably would’ve never met,” Kelly Herz said.

Herz is lovingly remembered for his humor and the countless smiles he brought to his family’s faces. His family treasures the laughter they shared as they played games during family trips. Herz loved to travel whenever he got a chance, and especially loved Mexico.

Maile Herz cherishes her special moments with her father on their vacations — often spending time during summers camping or backpacking together — and the wisdom he instilled in her.

“He definitely taught me to go for my dreams, because he had many dreams of his own in his life,” Maile Herz said.

USED WITH PERMISSION FROM KELLY HERZ

USED WITH PERMISSION FROM KELLY HERZ

October 10, 2023 10 FEATURES Joshua Chu implements martial arts into Lynbrook’s drama classes

BY AMANDA JIN

and invited them to critique the scene and icture this: one student’s fist narrowly add in parts that they misses the face of another, who lifts thought would better their arm to block the blow. The fit. While the script was exhilarating demonstration wows the being finalized by writers, drama students who fill the room, watching Chu would teach the the scene unfold. Class of 2023 alumnus actors how to perform Joshua Chu watches the actors replicate the each of the movements, carefully crafted fight scene he coordinated, correcting their posture supervised and critiqued as the fight and form along the way. progresses.

During the process At the beginning of the school year of creating the list before Chu left for college, he taught of movements, Chu Lynbrook drama students to perform basic encouraged students to martial arts moves and choreographed fight come up with their own scenes for students to perform. Chu plans impromptu ideas rather to continue his visits to Lynbrook drama than taking standard classes in the future while he continues his moves that everyone had studies at UC Santa Barbara. witnessed before, helping Fights in plays often make the make the choreography performance much more dynamic and pack more unique and Lynbrook alumnus Joshua Chu mentors students in fight choreography. the atmosphere with action. These scenes personal to the show. often require careful planning in order to “Joshua doesn’t lecture be realistic and engaging, while ensuring although he took a break shortly after. us for hours on end,” the safety of the actors. Chu’s process for In the beginning of high school, Chu senior Ohana Miura said. “He does a lot of choreographing a fight scene starts by rediscovered this interest when he joined one-on-ones, where he will give specific discussing with the writers Martial Arts Club. Later becoming the club’s feedback on how to fix your posture or how and actors their preferred co-president in his senior year, type of fight scene. He then Chu saw the club as an outlet writes down a list of distinct for stress and a way to socialize moves on different cards, with his friends and let himself such as an uppercut or a left exercise strenuously to relax. He hook, numbering them in the persisted through the physical process. A random selection challenges of the club and his of cards were chosen from the confidence to teach others list and those were the main was bolstered through his actions that he implemented experiences. later on.

Chu also partook in Studio “I would tell my partner, 74, Lynbrook’s drama club.

‘I’m going to do moves one, After taking a drama class, he three and five and then we discovered his new passion for would try that out to see how acting. Joining Studio 74 was that looks,” Chu said. “Once a way for him to continue his Chu putEs his self-choreographed fight scene into action. we got it down, we would interest even without enrolling make it faster, speed it up to in the course. He was able to the point where it didn’t look as if we were perform and learn the process of creating to attack someone more accurately so that doing three very basic strikes. It looked like scenes, writing scripts and acting out the audience can see it better or so that you a genuine fight.” the scenes. Not only was Chu able to gain don’t accidentally take someone’s eye out.”

Once he had a general plan for the scene, knowledge, but he also gained various Chu started his journey with martial he shared it with the rest of the students enjoyable experiences while participating. arts when he was in elementary school,

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PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION BY VIVIAN CHEN

It was a place that allowed him to be himself and let loose.

“Drama is really just where I have fun,” Chu said. “That’s where I got to be my own person and do my own thing — Create and execute fights, blending in some acting and funny accents.”

As Chu continued pursuing these passions, he decided to use his skills in martial arts to help those in the drama community who wouldn’t otherwise be able to learn the techniques behind fight scenes. He spread his love of martial arts with his peers by helping them perform different fight sequences while still pursuing something they love: acting. Chu was able to combine these two interests in a way to benefit students at Lynbrook even after graduating. He hopes to continue to share these passions with other students.

“It’s just really nice to see others learn from me,” Chu said. “I can leave Lynbrook knowing that there will be other people who can do fight choreography.”

Falling into fall with Starbucks’ new menu

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s fall rounds the corner, pumpkin spice and cinnamon-themed food and drinks pop up in shops and restaurants. It’s only a matter of time before one encounters the familiar scent of pumpkin spice, especially in coffee shops — a popular gathering place for students. Starbucks reopened its annual fall menu on Aug. 24, accompanied by staff and students ready to try limited-season drinks. From the traditional Pumpkin Spice Latte, to new additions like the Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte, Vikings offer their opinions on the popular fall items.

The sun beats down on fallen leaves, but the heat is chased away with an iced cup of coffee in hand. It is not just any normal coffee. Apple aroma laces through the smell of spices in one of Starbucks’ new drinks. The Iced Apple Crisp Oatmilk Shaken Espresso may be a mouthful, but it’ll take less time to cool you off than its name suggests.

This drink may well be for those who enjoy stronger tastes and the extra flavor, since shaken expressos feature more shots of espresso than a regular coffee, like lattes. For an extra autumn punch, you can ask for a drizzle of apple spice, and aside from that, the apple crisp syrup is the only sweetener.

“I think it tastes like other shaken espressos, just with a hint of apple,” sophomore Valerie Liu said. “I don’t really like it because I don’t think fruit should

be mixed with coffee, especially if it’s warm.”

If coffee isn’t your thing, then tea might just hit the spot. Another new Starbucks drink, the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte encompasses both worlds, complete with black tea and a cold foam top.

“It was milky and a little on the sweeter side,” culinary arts teacher Megan Miller said. “I wouldn’t mind it being a bit less sweet, and paired with the pumpkin cold foam, it was a cool combination of flavors that I didn’t expect, yet it makes a lot of sense.”

If sweetness and dairy make you happy, you may just become a big fan of this drink, and if you prefer non-dairy options, don’t worry. For an oat milk-based replica of this drink, you can order an Oatmilk Cold Foam with two pumps of pumpkin sauce and one pump of vanilla.

As the sun dips behind clouds and the season’s chilly air creeps in, a cup of Pumpkin Spice Latte can warm you to the core.

Of course, this all-time classic can’t be missed. This drink has remained on the menu since its debut in 2003, complete with milky espresso and nutmeg, and embellished with whipped cream.

“It was really nice, and the pumpkin spice wasn’t too strong, it had a really good balance,” sophomore Jasmine Kwan said. “I would recommend it to other people.”

Another of the returners, the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, makes its fifth comeback. Dark brown cold brew sets the base for a decadent layer of pumpkin spice cold foam. Regular lovers of this milky, frothy addition GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY INAAYA YOUSUF

BY CRYSTAL ZHU

to coffee may find its pumpkin spice doppelganger thoroughly enjoyable.

“I think it’s really good,” sophomore Jie Xia said. “It has a pumpkin spice flavor, and it’s slightly sweet but not too sweet.”

After enjoying a drink, you might want something to fill your stomach. Similarly autumnthemed, the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin and Baked Apple Croissant, as well as the decorated Owl Cake Pop, all serve as seasonal choices for your fall palate.

“The muffin is pretty unique,” Liu said. “The only one I don’t really like is the baked apple croissant since I’m not a big fan of warm fruit.”

Although these seasonal items are great for people seeking unique varieties of goods, some believe that Starbucks has yet to innovate in this category.

“I would like to see them do something with caramel and other fall flavors because I feel like pumpkin is a polarizing ingredient; people either love it or hate it,” Miller said. “Starbucks could make a caramel apple or cinnamon spice beverage that would allow for more options. That would expand it a bit because if you don’t like pumpkin, three of the four options are out.”

IN-DEPTH

the Epic 11

Confronting the silence surrounding sexual assault

BY ANUSHKA ANAND

stereotypes and societal misconceptions.

One out of every 10 sexual assault survivors This story contains references to content is male. Society’s expectations of male that may be triggering for those who have behavior often pressure survivors to experienced trauma or are sensitive to topics suppress their emotions and perpetrate concerning sexual violence and assault. toxic masculinity — the state of embodying *Names kept anonymous for privacy reasons. the worst elements of stereotypically masculine attributes — and can hinder In the heart of our school culture, a the emotional healing process. The lack of distressing truth remains covered in awareness and education about both male silence. Behind bustling classrooms and female survivors makes it difficult to and the lives of busy students, there recognize their experiences as exists a grave issue that often goes assault and for them to seek unspoken and help. unnoticed: sexual Furthermore, victims assault. of sexual assault often Any unwelcome experience a reaction and inappropriate “There is help out there. known as tonic immobility sexual advances, But nobody should have which means that the body comments, requests loses voluntary mobility. to talk.

You get to choose for sexual favors or what you want to say and This is not a failure to act any other verbal or or respond, but rather an physical conduct of when you want to say adaptive survival response. a sexual nature that it. When you are ready, Unaware that this reaction creates a hostile there are friends, parents, is a natural response to or intimidating and staff who will help assault, survivors may blame environment themselves. you.” for the victim is The blurred line between classified under assault and harassment often sexual harassment.

2022 Lynbrook Alum leaves students confused Conversely, sexual about what constitutes an assault constitutes touching someone offense, making it even more challenging for without their valid consent. them to report.

“A person committing sexual assault “People don’t really know the definition is failing to give another person a of what sexual assault means,” Aanya Mishra, choice, and failing to respect that junior and supporter of sexual assault choice,” Center for Respect founder survivors said. “If they think it isn’t sexual Mike Domitrz said. assault, they just end up pushing their Despite the gravity of sexual assault, feelings away and try to move on with their the challenges in reporting these cases lives.” are complex. Survivors often face a Many fear the potential judgment or culture of silence that discourages them apathy from their family members finding from coming forward. Many individuals out about their experiences. The added who have experienced sexual assault prospect of involving police or school feel the stigma attached to being a officials can be further intimidating, and the survivor and worry about being treated fear of judgment or unknown consequences differently if they speak out. can be paralyzing. The lack of a reliable “Unfortunately, sometimes our support system from peers and adults is one society will ask survivors what they did of many factors that can leave or did not do in a sexual assault instead survivors feeling isolated. of focusing on the perpetrator,” Domitrz “One of the best said. “When people focus on the ways for students to survivor and incorrectly blame support themselves them, then that can make is by calling into the survivors start to think an anonymous that it is their fault.” hotline,” schoolIncidents of sexual based therapist assault in public high Jenna Starnes schools are more said. “It’s super common than most important to be think. Sexual assault can affect anyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. The experiences of male survivors have long been overshadowed by

I

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY ANUSHKA ANAND

able to talk about your experience and mitigate any feelings of shame because it is never your fault.”

A number of initiatives have been taken by Lynbrook’s administration to break the culture of silence and to better support survivors’ mental and physical needs.

Among these initiatives, all staff members are mandated reporters, ensuring that incidents are properly dealt with and that survivors can receive the support they need. All mandated reporters are required by law to report all known or suspected cases of child abuse for students under 18 years old to the police or Child Protective Services.

It is common for survivors to have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after the assault.

They might be triggered by specific people, places, or objects that serve as reminders of their experience. PTSD can be very debilitating, and it affects both the brain and the body. It often manifests itself through panic attacks, flashbacks, feeling on edge, withdrawal, difficulty sleeping, muscle tension, avoiding certain social situations, and much more.

A survivor’s journey toward healing is undoubtedly challenging, but it is an essential path to embark upon. community However, for students who don’t choose work together to self-report, talking to a therapist in a to challenge and dismantle these hypothetical context can be a safe way to stigmas, it can become easier for talk about their experiences. If the student survivors to come forward and share does not give specific details about their their experiences without fear of personal situation, it is likely that there will judgment. not be a report.

“We collectively have more power,” “I talked to my therapist about Starnes said. “The more people band everything for two hours straight for the together and start calling incidents out, first time in five years by just implying what the more things will change.” happened,” 2022 Male Lynbrook Alum* To further assist survivors, students said. “I felt so much better, like I just flushed have access to various resources for everything out.” support. On campus, the school-based If a student decides to report an therapists are trained to offer a safe and incident, Associate Superintendent and confidential space to provide guidance Title IX Coordinator Trudy Gross will and assistance to survivors. Off campus, initiate an investigation. Title IX stresses students can contact organizations like that the investigation be prompt, thorough the Rape, Abuse and Incest National and impartial. All information will stay Network which provides an anonymous confidential between the student, Gross, hotline for survivors to access 24/7. the administrator who reports the Students can also join support groups incident, the police and the student’s such as Teens for Empowerment, parents.

Support, & Safety, or can find other “I felt like I had to tell my parents,” groups through Sexual Assault Support 2022 Male Lynbrook Alum* said. “So, Services to connect with others who have I worked with Ms. Starnes to come similar experiences, providing them with up with a contingency plan, running a sense of community and understanding. through every scenario of their “There is help out there,” 2022 Male reaction, which made me feel Lynbrook Alum* said. “But nobody should ready to tell them.” have to talk. You get to choose what you If a community hopes to want to say and when you want to say it. work toward a more inclusive When you are ready, there are friends, culture, it is essential that parents, and staff who will help you.” survivors feel supported By addressing sexual assault as an and that their voices are ongoing issue, the Lynbrook community heard. In an effort to create can work toward fostering a culture for an environment where every student to feel heard, supported students can come forward and protected. without fear. To do this, the administration is Resources for sexual assault survivors: enhancing transparency about the reporting process and emphasizing survivor protection through annual advisories.

For students, confronting the stigma can play a major role in creating safe spaces for open dialogue. When students, faculty and the wider tinyurl.com/SASurvivorResources

12 IN-DEPTH

October 10, 2023

Nuclear family: An outdated social construct

BY EMILY PEDROZA AND TAEK KIM

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he nuclear family, a term coined by anthropologist and ethnologist Bronisław Malinowski in 1949 and popularized during the Cold War, is regarded as the quintessential form of family structure by sociologists, more commonly described as a family that consists of a husband and wife along with their children.

While not inherently toxic, the idealized and common social expectation of a nuclear family has been criticized to be an outdated social norm.

Though the term “nuclear family” is relatively new, the social norm was prevalent in the 18th century. While men were expected to be the leaders of their households, women were forbidden many basic rights to the point where the husbands assumed all legal responsibilities for their wives, both inside and outside the house.

Nonetheless, many reforms gave women their basic rights over time. The concept of a nuclear family and its formulaic structure was further popularized as World War II and the Great Depression came to an end, a period in which people gained a restored sense of confidence and security after a prolonged period of war, economic hardships and uncertainty. This paved the way for a middle class that was infused with certain expectations about culture and social behavior, including the traditional notion of a patriarchal family with clearly defined gender roles.

“Growing up, it was expected that, when girls became wives, they would have more responsibility than their husbands for childcare and anything related to home life,” English teacher Terri Fill said. “But today

with more and more dual-income families, that’s really difficult to sustain.”

While conceptions of marriage and family have largely modernized as society has evolved, the outdated societal expectations have trickled down to modern-day practices within a household.

According to the European Institute for Gender Equality, globally, 91% of women with children spend one or more hours daily on housework, while only 30% of men do the same.

“I feel like a lot of people undervalue housekeeping because, without it, your life would be really hard,” sophomore Amelia Chi said.

Furthermore, many women past their 20s often feel pressure to get married, seeing it as a standard for happiness. From societal and family pressure to healthcare benefits granted by the government, marriages that solidify certain financial advantages and resolve family tension may seem appealing to many individuals.

Despite the weight of housework and raising children, few families receive government aid unless their household income falls below the poverty level.

Families often resort to overworking

themselves to receive affordable healthcare, like speeding up the process of marriage or picking up second jobs. The nuclear family expands beyond the idea that it’s an outdated expectation since it’s prevalent today, as seen when women’s labor is seen as obligatory attachments to their family, rather than fulltime jobs, therefore unessential for the government to

compensate.

“Watching people around me for the last 40 years, it does seem that a lot of labor in the household is almost de facto — it’s associated with which gender role you play in a relationship,” school counselor Shana Howden said.

For instance, if a wife or husband has a household task to tend to, like dropping kids off at doctor’s appointments during working hours, the wife’s career obligations may often be deprioritized in comparison to the husband’s job. In this case, the woman is

then expected to take time off work to take care of domestic duties. Because domestic labor isn’t paid for substantially, it often becomes invisible. Wives who take on two jobs — housekeeping and waged labor — are often only recognized for their job that brings additional income to the family.

Regardless of the overall flaws of the nuclear family, the pressure for nuclear families continues to be enforced by influential individuals in modern-day society. During the first Republican debate for the 2024 presidential election, candidate Vivek Ramaswamy touted the nuclear family as a system that needs to be preserved and encouraged by the government. While critics acknowledge the advantages of the nuclear family, many believe that his comments solidify harmful gender stereotypes and undermine the toxicity of the nuclear family.

On the contrary, the private sector is implementing initiatives with the goal of giving flexibility to its employees who have children. For instance, flextime is a system that gives employees the choice of when to start and finish their shifts at work given a certain amount of hours they need to fulfill, while also mandating core hours in which they are required to be at work. As flextime is available for both parents, it mitigates the constraint of unequal distribution of domestic labor between the two parents.

“Things have certainly changed to be more equitable,” Fill said. “It may not be perfect yet, but I think it’s 1 million times better than it was for my mother.”

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY IRENE HWANG

BART: The Bay’s Aging Railway Transit

BY MEADOW SHEN AND VIDUSHI UPADHYAY

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ecent debate over budget proposals to fund Bay Area Rapid Transit system and to replace legacy trains with new cars have turned public attention back onto this transportation network. Considering the discourse around recent changes to the system, it is an opportune time to dive back into BART’s history and lasting impact in shaping public transportation across the Bay Area over the past 50 years.

Original proposal

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ART was originally proposed in 1946 as a potential solution to the intense traffic that plagued the Bay Bridge. While the initial idea was to build an underwater high-speed tube, little was done to execute the plan for several years due to a lack of a concrete plan and funding.

Continuing Plans

BART Commission

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he first step taken toward the construction of the BART was the founding of the BART Commission in 1951. The commission consisted of 26 members, with representatives from all nine counties that touched the bay. The commission declared that any transit plans they proposed must align with future plans of urban development in the counties surrounding the Bay in 1957. However, because no county was willing to create the urban development plans themselves, the committee was forced to draft the plans themselves alongside their transit plans.

Through careful consideration and meticulous designing, a proposal for a high-speed rail network was born, linking major commercial centers across five counties: Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Contra Costa.

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arin County and San Mateo withdrew from the plan citing high costs. Forced to revise the layout, the new threecounty system emphasized high-speed transit between San Francisco, the East Bay and the suburbs of Alameda and Contra Costa. It was put on the ballot and required the approval of 60% of the District’s voters. The BART system was passed after receiving 61.2% of votes in favor of the plan, in spite of political analysts’ predictions that the measure would fail. Construction began almost immediately but was halted when a lawsuit was filed against the District, questioning the validity of the election and the District itself. Although the District won both cases, $12 million was lost due to delays. Despite many other delays that stalled the construction process, the plan stayed in action and BART was eventually ready for use in 1972.

Setbacks

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hree months after opening day, BART faced a major setback due to a failure in the Automatic Train Control system, killing four passengers.

After extensive court hearings the case was resolved when BART agreed to return to manual controls between stations and replace its old board of directors. In the following years, BART operated steadily, expanding its network of routes into the San Francisco Airport and Silicon Valley.

New Trains

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ore recently, BART has replaced its legacy fleet of trains with new cars for faster transport and a better user interface. This transition was scheduled to be implemented by Sept. 11, 2023.

“The new fleet adds to a much more comfortable and reliable system because some of the legacy cars have been in service for over 40 years,” Allison said. “You can get on and off much faster because the new cars have three doors on each side.”

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS BY EILEEN ZHU, CHELSEA LEE AND VALERIE SHU

COVID-19 Impact

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OVID-19 posed a new financial crisis for BART. Prior to the pandemic, over 70% of the operating budget was covered by passenger fares. Now, ridership has decreased to around 40% of its pre-pandemic status, forcing the BART to rely on a limited supply of federal emergency funds. Due to the financial setbacks of the pandemic, it is projected that there will be a $93 million operating deficit by 2024.

“The years beyond 2024 are when it really becomes difficult, BART is looking at yearly deficits of $300 million unless we find additional funding,” said Jim Allison, Media Relations Manager of BART.

13 IN-DEPTH

October 10, 2023

Navigating through Lynbrook’s neurodiversity speech therapists are also a part of the education and neurodivergent students assessment. If students are identified with collaborate on arts and crafts and a disability in one or more of California’s different activities.

While a common 13 Individualized Education Program “In Viking Buddies, we don’t like to say symbol associated eligibility categories, individualized we work with or help special education with autism is the puzzle academic and career goals will students because we aren’t trying to piece, the community be created by a team consisting change them,” Wu said. “Rather, we has widely shunned the of their parents, teachers and collaborate with them as we would with a symbol because of the negative district administrators for the neurotypical high schooler to foster social connotations associated with it. students to work toward. skills and form bonds.”

A puzzle piece can be perceived “Although Lynbrook Lynbrook is also the only school in The symbol of the butterfly as a symbol that conveys the offers many programs for FUHSD that offers a specifically designed quickly replaced the puzzle message that individuals who are neurodivergent students, we physical education class where students piece, representing change neurodivergent do not fit into should have more activities with special needs participate in the and acceptance. It also society. It is now widely known to be throughout the year that are adaptive class curriculum, while being symbolizes how the autistic outdated. school-wide and bring attention supported by general education students. community leads fulfilling to being more inclusive of these Students are also given an opportunity lives. Furthermore, the groups,” Wu said.

“By doing this, to socialize with their peers from other rainbow butterfly is associated we can increase communication FUHSD schools at the annual ACT and with ADHD, derived from with neurodivergent students Special Education Local Plan Area Fall the neurodivergent rainbow and raise awareness.”

Festival and Dance. infinity.

To identify the specific needs Developed and piloted at Lynbrook for students, they complete in 2008, AC is a diploma-track program several evaluations to determine targeting higher-functioning students whether they qualify for special with social or cognitive disabilities. The common misconceptions, not all support and services Moreover, Lynbrook program organizes activities like Monday neurodivergent individuals are offers an exhaustive list of assistive Mindfulness where students do various similar in terms of their experiences technology tools, ranging from tools as mindfulness activities or yoga to reduce and abilities. In reality, neurodiversity simple as pencil grips to speech to text or stress in the classroom. encompasses a broad spectrum of speech-generating devices. Lynbrook offers Another program that Lynbrook neurological differences, and each several programs that are accessible to provides is Specialized Academic individual’s experiences are unique. qualified students including Voyager, ACT, AC Instruction, which is a resource class

BY DAEUN CHUNG AND ALYSSA WANG “People assume that neurodivergent and SAI. for diploma track students. Formerly students are less intelligent and are “The neurodivergent students sometimes known as the Resource Program, it eurodiversity encompasses the incapable of completing activities simply have difficulties finding a place where helps neurodivergent students attend variation in neurological traits because they have trouble speaking up they fit in a high-achieving academic classes with neurotypical students. The among humans — from thinking and expressing themselves,” senior and environment,” lead resource specialist Anne students in SAI are either in small group and learning to behavior — when Viking Buddies co-president Allison Wu Greene said. “Through our Special Education classes or in general education courses — interacting with the world. The term is said. “However, with the right assistive programs, we want to provide a space for sometimes with teacher aides depending often used to describe individuals with technology, they can communicate as well as them.” on the curriculum. For additional conditions such as Autism Spectrum anybody else.”

ACT is a special-day non-diplomasupport that students might need in the Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Due to some people’s ignorance of track program that supports students mainstream courses, students can get Disorder or other neurological or neurodiversity, misconceptions and with moderate-to-severe disabilities. assistance on their assignments from a developmental conditions. Lynbrook stereotypes sometimes prevent neurotypical These students then transition to the Learning Skills class. Since 2021, as a part has channeled its effort toward students from being more open-minded district’s post-secondary options, such as a of SAI, the Special Education department developing special education programs toward the neurodivergent community, thus program that provides extended support to has managed evening office hours for that advocate for a more inclusive, prompting neurodivergent students to have individuals who require more training to students who had difficulty meeting with neurodivergent-friendly community. In to combat others’ underestimation of their assist their transitions to adulthood. Because their teachers during the regular school the 2021-22 school year, 110 students abilities. most students in ACT have already been day. were participating in Voyager, Academic “Neurodiversity is not just an illness,” diagnosed since their childhood, additional “I think I am getting all the Community Transition, Academic said senior Jerry Yang, a student with assessment from the school is often not accommodations I need,” Yang said. “Our Communication or Specialized Academic moderate autism and ADHD. “Everyone necessary. However, if either teachers special education program is excellent.”

Instruction, all programs that were has different brains and everyone has or parents have any questions about the Career Technical Education, operated created with the neurodivergent different strengths and weaknesses. Maybe students’ neurological conditions, the

by FUHSD, also allows Special Education community in mind. my neurotypical friend is extremely good students would then be reassessed. Under students to explore their post-secondary The term neurodivergent originated at explaining something, but he might the Child Find program, schools are required options. Particularly, Special Education when Judy Singer, an Australian not be the most kind and compassionate. to identify, locate and evaluate all children partners with the Department of Rehab sociologist, defined the word Meanwhile, one of my neurodivergent with disabilities, regardless of the severity and often takes students on virtual and neurodiversity in 1998 to recognize friends is really clumsy and socially of them. Additionally, the Student Assistance in-person tours of technical schools and that each individual’s brain develops awkward, but he has a heart of gold and he Team referral offers interventions to community colleges. Collaborating with in a unique way, similar to how no two wants to help others.” students who may be struggling, or prompts many local businesses, Special Education individuals’ fingerprints are identical.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of assessment with school psychologists, also makes working experiences more In the 1990s, the neurodiversity 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities speech therapists, occupational therapists or accessible to students. With exposure to movement emerged, aimed at increasing Act of 1990 guarantees that qualified adaptive PE teachers. a variety of jobs, it aims to consistently inclusion and the embracing of students should not be excluded from school “Our goal has always been to provide an employ a significant number of Special neurological differences. Due to the activities and events solely because of their inclusive environment to neurodivergent Education students through the growth in awareness of neurological disabilities, meaning that it is mandatory for students,” Greene said. “FUHSD is very good Workability program. and developmental disabilities, more schools to identify students with disabilities at looking ahead and developing things for “When we’re in high school, we’re still clinicians began researching the and provide support and services that these students so that they can be successful learning about different types of people, symptoms and possible treatments for give the same and equal opportunities on their own in a comprehensive high and when we go out into the real world, the neurodivergent community. The to all students. In order to get into a school.” there’s going to be different people and most common types of neurodivergent special education program, students are In order to better integrate ACT students circumstances where we might encounter conditions people experience are assessed, usually by school psychologists into the school community, Lynbrook Viking someone who has autism or a disability,” ASD, ADHD and dyslexia. According to and special education teachers. If needed, Buddies, an on-campus club, where general Wu said. “There’s no reason to the Centers for Disease Control and be treating them differently, Prevention, more than 75 million people, but we have to learn the or around one in every 100 individuals etiquette now, so we can are diagnosed with ASD and an estimated treat these people with 139.8 million adults worldwide have respect because they are persistent ADHD that first manifests in people too.” their childhood.

ASD is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain, typically leading to struggles with social interactions and restricted or repetitive behaviors. For example, The rainbow infinity an individual with ASD may often symbol advocates exhibit characteristics such as for the diversity of avoiding eye contact, not showing human brains as facial expressions and repeating shown through the words and phrases consistently. spectrum of colors with Oftentimes, individuals diagnosed infinite variations and with ASD also show signs of ADHD possibilities. which can include having a short attention span, difficulty organizing tasks, excessive physical movement GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY IRENE HWANG, GRACE ZHU, DAVID ZHU, VALERIE SHU or repetitive fidgeting. Despite the

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14 the Epic

Electrolytes: Hydrating the dehydrated? instance, BodyArmor drinks contain high amounts of potassium due to their coconutwater base while Gatorade contains more he familiar, unwanted aches calories and sodium. during an intense game can be “The biggest mistake I see athletes an athlete’s worst nightmare. As making is not consuming enough sodium Gatorade described in a 2023 comedic around workouts, as this is the main advertisement with basketball player electrolyte lost in sweat and needs Damian Lillard, it is as if athletes simply replenishing in order to rehydrate and “disappear in clutch moments due restore fluid balance properly,” said Erin to falling hydration levels.” Sporting Pettygrove, associate athletic director and continual edits of athletes vanishing into sports nutritionist at Santa Clara University. thin air while performing activities, the The multitude of ingredients in sports ad ended with a simple motto: “Gatorade drinks can lead to — rehydrate, replenish, electrolyte imbalances; refuel,” connecting to similar to how marathon the general consensus runners can experience of sports electrolyte hyponatremia, or overdrinks, yet the impact “Rather than assuming hydration and sodium of electrolytes may be that you’re dehydrated loss. An abundance of less clear cut than what and drinking more electrolyte products online media reports. and lack of proper Electrolytes are electrolyte drinks, it’s hydration can result electrically charged important to check in in hypernatremia — a minerals that the body with yourself and assess surplus of electrolytes needs to regulate your symptoms.” and not enough water hydration, balance pH to balance them out. levels and maintain Electrolytes can slow the neural activity.

Dr. Grant Lipman, Drinking electrolytes Professor at Stanford loss of sodium but don’t necessarily prevent any replenishes those University diseases. lost through sweat “Rather than assuming during training that you’re dehydrated and drinking more when dissolved in the body. Of these, electrolyte drinks, it’s important to check in the most crucial electrolytes for main with yourself and assess your symptoms,” bodily functions are sodium, calcium, said Dr. Grant Lipman, M.D., an emergency potassium, chloride, phosphate, medicine physician and former professor of bicarbonate and magnesium. emergency medicine at Stanford University.

The popular image of electrolytes “By drinking too much, no matter what you appears in the form of replenishing drink, you’re still going to dilute the salt powdered or liquid drinks for athletes, levels in your blood.” packaged in bright colors to emphasize A 2021 study led by Lipman found the rejuvenating qualities of electrolyte that 41 of the 266 marathon products. Common brands include runners enrolled in the study Gatorade, Drip Drop and Vita Coco. To had sodium imbalances by understand how electrolytes deliver the end of the race; on the promises of rehydration brands 11 experienced claim, it is crucial to delve into its exercisescientific properties. associated However, the amount of each type of electrolyte in electrolyte products can vary drastically depending on the brand.

For

BY QIANZI LOO AND VIHAAN PATEL

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hyponatremia due to insufficient sodium and 30 developed hypernatremia with excess sodium in their blood.

Thus, while electrolyte products offer a unique advantage compared to regular water in rehydration, the common misconceptions surrounding electrolytes can result in electrolyte misuse. The association between electrolytes and hydration has often been muddled through online advertising as the cure to dehydration. In reality, electrolytes take part in a complex system as they enter the bloodstream and concentrate the blood with necessary minerals, directing water towards the cells that need them most.

“If your body was a car, and you didn’t have the right kind of fuel — whether that’s electrolytes, calories or fluids — your body, just like the car, is not going to run properly,” PE teacher Ray Wright said.

When taken in moderation, electrolytes can maintain a healthy homeostasis in the body, which results in the perceived effect of fewer cramps and reduced risk of fainting.

For the average person, a consistent, balanced diet is enough to make up for the natural loss of electrolytes. In professional athletes who typically sweat more, other supplements or drinks may be used to help restore electrolyte levels.

“I love drinking Gatorade after cross country meets,” junior Shannon Tai said. “It’s a boost of sugar and tastes good.”

In regard to performance benefits of taking electrolytes, there have been mixed results from

studies and surveys, showing that while there is no discernable difference between athletes who hydrate exclusively with electrolytes and plain water, the combination of electrolytes with simple sugars is helpful for performance.

“Over the years, I’ve heard many experts speak about nutrition in athletes,” Wright said. “The one that stands out the most was the nutritionist from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Pirates and the University of Pittsburgh.

She stated that the best thing to replenish your fluids with is water. There’s nothing wrong with having sports drinks sometimes, but some of them have a little too much sugar.”

Despite the possible side effects, though, electrolytes still offer convenient alternatives to quick hydration and hormone regulation. There are many types of electrolytes and avenues to obtain them, which emphasize the importance for athletes to know what works best for their body, whether it be through targeted electrolyte products or salty snacks high in sodium. Athletes can also calculate their sweat rate and which electrolytes they lose more to better understand their physical conditions.

“At the end of the day, listening to your body and ‘drinking to thirst’ regardless of what you’re drinking is most important,” Lipman said.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY GARY PAN

HELP STUDENTS REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL THROUGH AFTER SCHOOL READING AND WRITING ENRICHMENT COURSES

26%

of total sugar-sweetened beverage intake in adolescents are comprised by sports drinks according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

BUILDING YOUR STUDENT’S FUTURE, TOGETHER 21801 STEVENS CREEK BLVD 408-490-4315

October 10, 2023

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15

District solutions to coach shortage fall short

BY OLIVIA YUAN AND YVONNE WU

However, since Edjoin only promotes education positions, coaches, to oversee one match while he oversaw the other. it frequently escapes the notice of potential candidates Though they have not undergone the training required of cant on-campus coaches, slim hiring windows and who are not based in education. The human resources coaches, their prior experience with the sport gives parent scarce external outreach: these are only a few of the department has addressed this lack of reach by establishing supervisors a unique advantage. many factors contributing to the ongoing district-wide presences on other platforms such as Indeed, although they “I think the parents are really supportive,” senior varsity shortage of available coaches. As a result of the shortage, often draw tennis player existing coaches have borne the additional responsibilities candidates Jeslyn Mi said. of coachless teams facing the possibility of disbandment, with the “Sometimes the and parents have stepped into supervisory roles at games. misconception parents come to The grave situation of a coach shortage necessitates urgent that coaching our matches and and effective solutions. at Lynbrook then Coach Tsai “If we didn’t get a JV coach this year and no parents is a full-time goes to the JV stepped in, we would have lost the JV team,” JV and varsity position. matches.” girls tennis coach Norman Tsai said.

As a school, Practices Without solutions that address the root of the issue, Lynbrook were adjusted coaches, team captains and parents alike must continue to has tried similarly. Due to shoulder additional duties. The lack of available personnel other venues, the size of the could oblige current coaches to take on two positions for the especially for tennis courts, salary of one. To prevent consequent cuts to the variety of more niche Tsai only fully sports Lynbrook has to offer, the district could broaden its sports like field oversees one search for potential applicants by relying more heavily on hockey, which team at a time hiring methods and platforms not limited to internal faculty. is relatively while the other For decades, the number of on-campus coaches — obscure on the team’s captains teachers who undertake the necessary training to become West Coast. monitor their coaches — has dwindled drastically. Previous heights of The athletic players.

20 on-campus coaches a year are now far from attainable. department has Although the In fact, this year’s six on-campus coaches are considered a contacted local involvement PHOTO AND GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY TAEK KIM record high for recent years. colleges with of parent The JV girl’s tennis team is still looking for a coach. Norman Tsai has taken on the role of “It’s easier if you’re an on-campus coach because field hockey supervisors has coaching both the JV and varsity girl’s tennis teams. it fits into the schedule better and you have a better programs year been successful understanding of high school athletics,” Athletic Director after year to no for the girls Jennifer Griffin said. avail. This year’s JV field hockey coach, a Lynbrook alumnus, tennis teams this season, it is not a long-term solution. Any No clear remedy for the lack of on-campus coaches was found through a field hockey Facebook group. team without a coach has no choice but to dissolve, unable exists, nor can one be easily found. Faculty members have The hiring process for all coaches, including to successfully run practices or attend matches. Securing different priorities and responsibilities that may change former parents of student athletes, includes rigorous parent replacements, especially on short notice, is largely as time goes on, preventing them from easily taking up an training and many courses that are not only required by based on luck and schedule availability. additional coaching position. Finding additional on-campus Lynbrook but by all districts in California. They include “I think the main reason we have a coach shortage is coaches is largely a matter of luck, and therefore out of the an 8-hour fundamentals course, as well as CPR and firstbecause the positions are only posted internally,” Tsai said. administration’s control. aid certification. Additional required “They send out faculty emails and post on Edjoin, which The time frame during which applicants courses vary from sport to sport: football is a website mostly only checked by teachers. So a lot of seek coaching positions is highly specific, coaches take a tackling course while water potential coaches don’t even know these positions are ending months before the season begins, polo coaches must also be water-safety open.” to ensure adequate time for necessary certified. When it comes to background Near the end of the 2022-23 school year, the former “If you don’t have the and lengthy preparations. In the case of experience in the sport, however, some cheer coach departed from the Lynbrook athletic coaches, you don’t have teams must settle for willingness over fall sports, hiring and preparing coaches department, leaving a scramble to secure a new coach for the teams.” for the season takes around half a year in expertise in the face of the shortage. the following year. Members of the team reached out to total. Ideally, fall sports coaches are hired “We want somebody who knows coaches from other Bay Area schools through social media in December of the previous year to early what they’re doing, but if it’s between channels such as Instagram and Facebook.

Norman Tsai, February to give ample time for spring having somebody out there or no program Before last year’s Farewell Rally, the department hired JV and varsity girls practice managing, summer activities and at all, which would our students prefer?”

Coach Janae Applegate, who worked with the girls for the tennis coach scheduling matters.

Griffin said. “The impression I got from rally and continued her work throughout the summer with “A lot goes into getting things set up,” the girls field hockey team was they would the team, prepping them for this season’s tryouts. Applegate Griffin said. “That’s true for all sports.” rather have a season with a coach that might not know has years of personal experience with local competitions at After the window of opportunity passes and the current everything than not have a season at all.” both the high school and college levels. season is approaching or in full swing, sports teams have far After the previous varsity girls tennis coach retired after However, not all sports will be this fortunate if the coach fewer options to fill last-minute vacancies. Most applicants the 2022-23 school year, Tsai was appointed as the new shortage problem persists in the absence of permanent, are no longer available because they have already found varsity tennis coach. Following the abrupt departure of a sustainable solutions. Addressing limitations in outreach positions elsewhere. newly hired JV tennis coach two days into the season this is vital to ensuring the preservation of all Lynbrook sports Other obstacles in the hiring process include the year, Tsai also took over the JV team. Since the two teams teams. platforms the district uses to advertise. The district play back-to-back games on separate sites, it was necessary “If you don’t have the coaches, you don’t have the teams,” primarily posts job listings on the website Edjoin. to bring in two parent supervisors, not registered as Tsai said. “It’s absolutely important we solve this shortage.”

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Junior Preston Kao kicks his soccer journey up a notch

BY EILEEN ZHU

H

aving traveled the world to play soccer throughout high school, junior Preston Kao is a self-motivated and talented model student athlete. He started playing soccer recreationally when he was just 8 years old and has since been invited to numerous tournaments across the world and transitioned to playing for the most competitive league in Santa Clara Sporting Soccer Club through his recent years of dedication and hard work.

From a young age, Kao was motivated to play soccer because of the enjoyment he gained from playing with his friends. His initial devotion to soccer, paired with his support system, allowed him to enjoy soccer to its greatest extent. From the beginning, his biggest supporters have

always been his parents, coaches and teammates. At the age of 11, Kao started playing competitively on a local soccer team, where he played three times a week. Unlike some student athletes, his passion for soccer has always been rooted in his selfmotivation and love for the sport itself.

“My motivation to play soccer has remained the same throughout the years, which is to have fun,” Kao said. “Some of my idols include Luka Modric and Johan Cryuff.”

Since joining Santa Clara Sporting, he has had extraordinary opportunities to attend tournaments all over the country, as well as various European countries including Sweden, Germany and Spain for special matches. He joined Santa Clara Sporting when he was 13 years old with the hopes of playing soccer at a more competitive level to improve his game, and has since remained on the team. Beyond the development of his skills in soccer, he’s been able to meet friends and coaches who support him along the way.

“Preston was always quiet and didn’t talk much,” junior and teammate Rayyan Ghafoor said. “But when the game started, he turned into a whole different person screaming and shouting at everyone. He would turn into a leader by trying to motivate his teammates. He

always made sure to get to the ball first and his mentality was unmatched, which made him a good player.”

Additionally, being a player on a prestigious team comes with solid time management skills and a good work ethic — traits that Kao has either demonstrated or picked up over time. While traveling and competing, he also stays on top of his rigorous schoolwork by managing his time spent on each class in order to keep up with all of his classes.

“I keep up with my schoolwork by trying to stay focused and set myself goals,” Kao said.

At just 16-years-old, Kao has already been able to achieve what many athletes can only hope to achieve during their careers. He envisions himself to continue playing soccer in college and in the future as it has become such a large part of his life already.

“Soccer is not like a job to me, it is a passion,” Kao said.

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION FROM PRESTON KAO GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY TAEK KIM

16 SPORTS

October 10, 2023

Lynbrook’s views on the tennis legend Novak Djokovic

BY LILLY WU

“I

want the same thing I’ve wanted since I was 7 years old,” professional tennis player Novak Djokovic said in an interview with New York Times in 2007. “I want to be No. 1.” Since becoming a professional in 2003, Djokovic has made his mark in the tennis world.

Throughout his career, Djokovic won a total of 24 grand slam titles and ranked No. 1 in the world for 391 weeks by the Association of Tennis Professionals.

“I

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY DEEKSHA RAJ

started playing tennis at the age of four and watching professional tennis at six.

Since then, I have always looked up to the Big Three: Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. I think Djokovic is a great player and it’s insane that he has been at the top of the world for so long. A lot of people say he may be a little rude, but I think he’s also really funny and definitely an entertainer.” — Keigo Kamata, sophomore

managing editor anushka anand copy editors katie chin surya saraf

“W

hen it comes to his legacy, Novak Djokovic is one of the greatest tennis players of all time and I really look up to his skills. Sometimes my coaches would reference his game during practice and we would all learn from the way he plays.” — Kylie Liao, junior

“T

he level of concentration and athleticism Djokovic has is absolutely incredible, but he is also a controversial player. I think that when you rise to the level where there are a lot of people looking up to you, you should be mindful that your behavior will be emulated by your fans. Regardless of his controversies, I do believe he lives up to the legacy of the big names and will go down in history as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.” — David Erwin, vice principal

Cheer bounces back after the pandemic

BY ALEXANDRA WU

“R

editors-in-chief myles kim susanna tang

eady, One, Two!” Coming back from the COVID-19 pandemic, cheer is rebuilding bonds: among themselves and the crowd and most importantly, among each other. Motivated by their newly set goals, the team is improving at rapid speeds under the guidance of their newly appointed instructor, Janae Applegate.

Staying out of the competitive circuit for more than five years, the team was taken aback when Applegate announced that they would be trying out for regional competitions, and, if possible, national competitions. This announcement greatly motivated everyone on the team and was a huge step toward their growth.

Cheer will soon hold another set of tryouts for their competitive team, a subteam that focuses mainly on perfecting stunts for performances rather than

representing school spirit. Seniors and co-captains Ayanna Beberg and Minchae Kim are looking forward to competing because this is their last year on the team, so they want to make sure that this year is memorable for everyone. They are looking forward to improving their team’s skills.

“For members, being part of the competition team will solidify their skills because of all the advanced stunts, cheers and choreography that we will have to perfect in order to compete,” Kim said. “It’s a great environment for personal growth, as well as growth for the whole team.”

The team is no stranger to pressure during practice. Since the sport entirely relies on each member of the team to perform well, it can be discouraging for many members when they don’t perform a stunt perfectly because they might feel as if they are letting down their team. During these times, Applegate has them take deep breaths and envision how they want a stunt to follow through as a group. Applegate doesn’t allow any negative tension in the room, as negativity brings down the whole team.

Furthermore, she likes to balance the amount of time they spend on each routine. She believes that in order for the team to move forward and succeed, everyone on the team must believe in themselves as well as each other — that strong bonds between members are the most important factor to succeeding.

“Coach Janae is very ambitious,” sophomore Olivia Hu said.

“She thinks that nothing is perfect and that it is better to explore new stunts and routines instead of being stuck on one routine. This has helped me a lot as a cheerleader because I learn better when I get the general idea of what I need to cover instead of being frustrated over the same stunt.”

Due to COVID-19, there has been a noticeable shortage of students trying out for cheer. For the team, this means that everyone’s role in the team holds even more weight than before. This has had both positive and negative impacts on the team; a close-knit team leads to stronger bonds, however, one member’s mistake can take a huge toll on the performance of the team.

Despite the setback, the team is focusing on rebuilding bonds and facilitating more spirit within Lynbrook. For the current football season, they have been cheering at all home and away games, whereas previously they only participated in home games. For the team, this means more time dedicated to the sport to polish stunts as well as additional opportunities to provide encouragement and support for the football team this fall season.

“This year, we want to focus on connecting cheer, the football team and the crowd,” Beberg said. “We missed out on a lot of things during the pandemic, so getting everyone together again is the main goal this year.”

design editors chelsea lee valerie shu adviser josh miller news editor apurva krishnamurthy opinion editors alyssa wang lilly wu features editor emily pedroza in-depth editor eileen zhu sports editor ashley huang web editors daeun chung qianzi loo business/pr manager deeksha raj social media manager riki murase staffers alexandra wu alex cotterel amanda jin audrey sun charlotte bolay claire guo crystal zhu david zhu erin fitzpatrick gary pan grace zhu inaaya yousuf irene hwang meadow shen nicole ge robert yu rohan kakhandiki sarah zhang taek kim vidushi upadhyay vihaan patel olivia yuan yvonne wu

small print: the Epic is the official newspaper of Lynbrook High School and is a student-run open forum not subject to prior review, as protected under the California Education Code.

Views expressed in the Epic do not necessarily reflect or represent those of the administration or faculty of this school or district. Letters to the Editor, guest columns and other materials to be considered for publication are welcome. Visit lhsepic.com/ submissions for the guidelines and submission form. valued contributors: Soo Yeon Choi and Lisa Liu.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY AMANDA JIN