02
NEWS
the Epic
Letter from the Editors
“Gender in Classrooms” project takes effect BY MEERA NAMBIAR
To create this project, Dhanda worked with Principal Maria Jackson and Assistant n hopes of making the Lynbrook Principal Yukari Salazar to find feasible community a more inclusive place solutions that would help students feel for LGBTQ+ students, senior Venus heard. D h a n d a “As someone created the who’s part of “Gender in Lynbrook’s Classrooms” G e n d e r Girl Scouts Sexuality project, in Alliance and which she the LGBTQ+ presented community, I a workshop noticed that I to teachers was very lucky at a monthly to have people staff meeting around me on Oct. 12 who were okay and created with me being PHOTO BY MEERA NAMBIAR a website open about with public Senior Venus Dhanda led “Gender in Classrooms” to my identity,” resources. Dhanda said. promote inclusivity in classrooms. T h ro u g h “But I knew that the Girls Scouts Gold Award project, which a lot of other people didn’t have that same aims to promote long-lasting changes in support system, and I didn’t want kids to deal the community, Dhanda wanted to help with that because of who they are.” queer individuals who struggled to gain Dhanda interviewed teachers like GSA support from family and teachers. Rather adviser Jessica Lu for background information than focusing on how queer individuals and measures teachers can take to promote could adapt to uncomfortable situations, inclusivity to add in the presentation, which Dhanda decided to provide others with focused on how to ensure that students resources to make them feel welcomed. can feel respected and safe and included “I wanted to help educate teachers on practices that staff can implement to be more how to approach queer students,” Dhanda inclusive. Dhanda also included scenarios to said. “Teachers have a lot of influence help staff visualize situations queer students over their students, considering they’re might experience in classrooms. some of the most important adults in “I hope that teachers implement these students’ lives.” little things and that queer students feel more
I Dear Vikings, We hope you all had a spooky Halloween! Seniors, congratulations on submitting early applications. Only two more months to go! As we head into the final stretch of the semester, we would like to welcome you to Issue 2: learn about Lynbrook’s first programming competition in News; uncover the politicization of school boards in Opinion; explore stories of alumni in Features; delve into LGBTQ+ representation in the media in In-Depth and congratulate Lynbrook’s girls golf team for a successful season in Sports. Did you know that we also have content exclusively online? Visit our website lhsepic.com for a review of Taylor Swift’s monumental album Midnights. If you’re feeling nostalgic about Homecoming, take a travel back in time through a behind the scenes video featuring class officers, leaders and participants on our Youtube. We encourage you to submit Letters to the Editors, your opinions on any published stories this year such as our Staff Editorial reevaluating Lynbrook’s Homecoming culture or our In-Depth story about male body image. We’re excited to read your Guest Columns, first-person articles that focus on the your perspective and experiences, and would love to celebrate our first Guest Column, written by Minchae Kim on her experiences with cheerleading. Submission guidelines can be found at lhsepic.com/ submissions and those chosen will be published on print and/or our website. Thank you for your readership. Stay in touch for Issue 3! Rock on, Elizabeth Cheng & Amy Liu Editors-in-Chief
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heard and included, rather than having to go out of their way to be included,” Dhanda said. Many teachers have already started initiatives in classrooms to further inclusivity for LGBTQ+ students. “When my students fill out their notecards at the beginning of the year with your information, there’s a field for pronouns, although it’s optional, because you don’t want to out someone if they don’t want to share their pronouns with you,” Lu said. “So in general, I try to foster an environment in my class where everybody’s different strengths and personality are celebrated.” Dhanda has also been working with student organizations like ASB and Valhalla about changing gendered terms for Homecoming royalty and dances, as well as using students’ preferred names in yearbooks instead of dead names. Dhanda hopes to expand her project and have presentations by the GSA become a regular part of staff meetings. She hopes that her work with GSA clubs at other FUHSD schools will allow members to share resources like the website that Dhanda created to show student experiences. “Ideally, the hope is for more inclusivity in all classrooms so LGBTQ+ students feel safe at school,” Salazar said. “This workshop did a great job including tips for teachers and very doable things to be accepting of all gender identities. Hearing how students are feeling from the students themselves can be powerful.”
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GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY ALYSSA WANG
Funky Monkeys robotics team gears up with a new practice field BY VALERIE SHU
“One of the big things we recognized is that having machines lans for a new robotics on the field gets very loud and practice field are in the works it’s hard to work on your robot at after a three year campaign the same time, which is one of the by Lynbrook’s Funky Monkeys reasons why we want the field at robotics team. The project relied Lynbrook, where it would be right on the passing of Measure G, a $275 next to the machine shop,” Dhadwal million school bond for repairs said. and upgrades to FUHSD facilities. The location of the facility remains Part of this money will fund the undecided between Lynbrook and construction of a robotics field to be Cupertino High School with issues shared by the district’s five teams. being considered for both sites. In self-evaluations the team Cupertino’s designated construction found their current practice setup area is larger but farther away to be one of their biggest obstacles. from their machine shop, causing With a cramped machine shop and supervision and convenience robots being stored in students’ USED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE FUNKY MONKEYS concerns. At Lynbrook, the building garages, a new facility would The Funky Monkeys and their head coach, David Giandomenico, met with Superintendent Graham Clark to discuss the field. would be placed on the blacktop provide desperately needed space. basketball courts with easier access The team also recognized the value of to offer his support for the initiative. He the 55% of votes required to pass. to their machines. being able to practice against fellow FUHSD continued meeting regularly with the team The field itself will be a standard “When it was finally approved, we were teams and host scrimmages with other and became FUHSD Superintendent in ecstatic but we recognized that there are FIRST Robotics Competition field housed in school districts. Without a real field, they July 2022 with enriching FUHSD’s robotics ze/zir a lot of other projects besides the field,” a facility similar in size to Lynbrook’s field couldn’t test certain mechanisms or program programs as one of his main goals. senior and robotics team co-president Yuvraj house. The building will include a central autonomous routines until immediately “Robotics is an important program and Dhadwal said. “This is why we’re pushing for arena, bleachers, designated storage spaces before competitions. and pit areas for the teams to work on their we want to support it the best we can,” Clark it to get started first.” “Every day, we have to roll out this said. “Hundreds of students across the five The teams are working with Clark and robots. The team hopes that having a more massive fraying carpet to practice,” senior schools are involved in it and a field would architects to draft plans and incorporate prominent and accessible facility on campus and robotics team co-president Arjun Kumar really help our teams grow.” custom components in the field design. In will introduce more students to robotics. The said. “It’s a lot of work, and a field will To lobby for support in the community, September, the Funky Monkeys showed field is expected to be fully operational by make practicing a lot more convenient and the team reached out to parents via social Bellarmine College Preparatory’s field to 2028. accurate.” “I’m very excited for the incoming classes media and mailing lists. Students also posted Clark and in October, representatives from The Funky Monkeys attended a district more than 1000 flyers on the houses of all five FUHSD schools toured the NASA Ames who will have access to the field,” junior office board meeting to campaign for the new registered voters in local neighborhoods. Research Center’s robotics field to ask Team team member Aishwarya Poolla said. “We’ve field in 2019. Afterwards, former Associate Measure G was approved on June 7 with just 1868, a girl scout troop robotics team, about been working very hard on this initiative and Superintendent Graham Clark reached out 55.71% of votes in favor, barely surpassing challenges and features of their field. it’s great finally seeing it come to fruition.”
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