Police department brings changes for road safety pg. 3
The power of petitions in student advocacy pg. 5
Studio Raindrops sculpts success with Emma Liu’s creations pg. 8
Californian Democrats push for ‘Trumpproofed’ policies pg. 17
Coaches Ajay Singh and Ajit Vijayakumar play in the past and present pg. 18
The problem with turning everything into a joke pg. 9
How brain rot has shaped American consumer society pg. 10
The marginalized-to-mainstream pipeline of online slang pg. 11
Doomscrolling away from reality pg. 12
BY IRENE HWANG AND QIANZI LOO
Collapsing onto their bed after a stressful school day at Lynbrook, a student absentmindedly opens their phone. From one Instagram reel to another, the clock suddenly strikes 3 a.m., but all they can remember are the Costco guys bringing the BOOM! and propaganda to buy “property in Egypt.” Once again, they have scrolled to their DOOM! — their senses bombarded by vivid colors and exotic noise, overstimulated by the onslaught of brain rot.
This instance refects a widespread generational epidemic: doomscrolling. The incessant need to scroll and overstimulate the mind has grown amid the rise in social media and technology use. Generation Z and Generation Alpha, in particular, have developed habits that reinforce this digital overload, leading to lasting psychological effects. In other words, “we’re cooked.”
Brain rot can be found on almost every social media platform, particularly Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. While generally nonsensical, this type of content is highly addictive. In a survey given to staff and students, 75.2 percent, or 203 of 270 Lynbrook respondents, reported that they sometimes or often scroll through social media or watch videos when they feel bored.
Story continued on pg. 12 || centerspread
Le er from the Editors
Hey Vikings!
Looking back, Lunar New Year has just passed and we have stepped into the Year of the Snake. Looking forward, Valentine’s Day is approaching.
Right now, welcome to the Epic’s Issue 4, featuring a centerspread on brain rot! Immerse yourself in learning the overstimulating effects of brain rot and examining the ways brain rot distracts from real-world problems.
As Valentine’s Day is coming near
Be appreciative of those you hold dear
Cherish every moment, big or small
For love is the greatest gift of all
There’s so much for us to adore
As love can come in different forms
From friends and family you embrace
To the one who makes your heartbeat race
Chocolates, fowers and a cute teddy bear
It’s time to fnally face your fears
There’s no room to be in doubt
Ask that special someone out!
Poem by Lilly Wu.
XOXO, Ashley Huang & Alyssa Wang Editors-in-Chief
BY ALEXANDRA WU
“Screenagers Under The Infuence” is the latest addition to the “Screenagers” trilogy, a documentary series that explores the impact of modern day technology on students. The Parent Teacher Student Association sponsored the screening, which took place on Jan. 29 in the Lynbrook theater, followed by a Q-and-A session with Lisa Tabb, the series’ co-director and co-producer. The flm tackles issues like substance abuse in the digital age.
Previous screenings of the trilogy explored how parents, counselors and educators can support teens in navigating mental health challenges as well as how the digital revolution has reshaped adolescence.
On Jan. 24, federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement attempted to search Hamline Elementary School in Chicago undocumented immigrants but were denied entry. Two days earlier, on Jan. 22, President Donald Trump revoked a directive that had barred arrests in “sensitive” locations, including schools, courthouses and places of worship.
FUHSD sent out an email on Jan. 23 addressing community concerns over the possibility of ICE visits. The district is focused on ensuring that students have the right to equal access to free public education regardless of immigration status, as per Resolution No. 2425-15.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s $20-billion plan to build a 45-mile tunnel to transport water from Northern to Southern California under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta gained support from the Santa Clara Valley Water District on Jan. 14. In a 6-1 vote, the board approved $9.7 million for geotechnical studies and planning, positioning the district as a key partner in the tunnel’s development.
Supporters argue the project is essential for Santa Clara County’s future water supply. However, opponents have criticized its high cost and cited its potential ecological impact on the Delta.
South Korea’s Constitutional Court offcially began suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial on Dec. 16 after his controversial attempt to impose martial law on Dec. 3. Yoon declared that “anti-state” forces, who sympathized with North Korea, controlled the country’s parliament. The hearing was a pivotal moment in the political crisis surrounding Yoon as the court considered the legal and constitutional implications of his actions.
Tensions escalated on Jan. 19 when Yoon’s supporters stormed the court after his detainment period was extended. On Jan. 26, prosecutors indicted Yoon on charges of leading a rebellion.
BY JENNY SUH
The Racial Equity Student Leadership Academy is an initiative that aims to foster racial diversity, equity and inclusion across all schools in the district. Through a team of 50 FUHSD student representatives, RESLA aims to further diversity and inclusion through workshops, both online and in person, to create race-conscious and equity-minded classrooms.
The University of Southern California Equity Center is a professional learning community that aims to illuminate, disrupt and dismantle racism in all its forms.
In June 2024, they reached out to multiple school districts, including FUHSD, offering opportunities for collaboration to create a program expanding equity initiatives on campus. With support from the schoolwide Equity Task Force, the FUHSD board was ready to continue similar work. RESLA was designed to bridge differences across campuses, encouraging students from different schools to collaborate.
Dr. John Pascarella, director of the USC Equity Center. After exploring how this collaboration could further current DEI initiatives at FUHSD, a proposal was presented to the FUHSD Board in August. Once approved, nine student representatives were chosen for Lynbrook, led by Assistant Principal and Lynbrook RESLA administrator David Erwin.
“We have always been working toward building the different ways we get support regarding equity efforts,” Gross said. “Superintendent Clark and I thought that it aligned well with efforts already in place.”
learned at RESLA meetings at their campuses. Furthermore, it serves as a pilot to assess the effectiveness of these strategies and their impact on creating lasting change within schools.
“With more concentrated leadership focus, we hope to create more longstanding strategies,” Gross said. “With also an increase in student advocacy, student representatives will have more control and infuence on the climate at each school.”
providing some variety to the strong campus focus on STEM. The club also aims to host guest speakers with different experiences on DEI topics as a way to keep students actively involved, rather than relying on limited perspectives within the school community.
“As a part of RESLA, I hope to make an impact by changing the way people think about how they use racial slurs and similar language,” freshman and RESLA representative Adam Salme said.
Starting in June 2024, Superintendent Graham Clark and Associate Superintendent Trudy Gross met with
RESLA’s main purpose is to encourage students to take an active role in improving campus climate by addressing issues related to race, LGBTQ+ inclusion and other aspects of diversity. While the district has been holding advisories on topics of DEI, RESLA aims to teach strategies that student representatives can use to navigate challenges of racial inequality and implicit bias in classrooms. The program also focuses on fostering student leadership and agency to empower these representatives to implement strategies
RESLA held its frst in-person meeting on Nov. 20, 2024, bringing together students across the FUHSD schools to discuss issues of DEI, focusing on brainstorming common experiences and challenges surrounding racial equality on campuses. The workshop will host six meetings throughout the year, consisting of two workshops held on-location at FUHSD and four online. Students then broke into smaller groups to discuss strategies for navigating these challenges and responding to explicit acts of racism within the school community.
Two educators from the USC Equity Center, Dr. John Pascarell and Dr. Shaun Harper, engaged with FUHSD staff to discuss methods of confronting racism and leading conversations around racial justice on school campuses. In future meetings, topics on confronting anti-AAPI racism, sustaining safe environments for LGBTQIA+ students, and interrupting colorism will be discussed.
At Lynbrook specifcally, representatives are working toward creating a race and equity club on campus,
Looking ahead, RESLA aims to empower student representatives to embed racial equity in leadership practices, fostering campus and classroom cultures that are inclusive for all students. RESLA workshops led by USC educators have equipped them with strategies to identify and address racial inequities on their campuses. FUHSD plans to measure the program’s impact through annual surveys sent out to assess student experiences, including the use of racialized slang and incidents of racism on campus.
At RESLA, our ultimate goal is to disrupt those unconscious and conscious biases that hinder other people that are underrepresented in our society.
David Erwin Assistant Principal and RESLA administrator
BY ANUSHKA DESHMUKH
Community members and school offcials have recently called for stricter regulations in the roads and drop-off areas around campus. In response, the San José Police Department has announced new plans to improve road safety.
Currently, the Johnson Ave. and Rainbow Drive as well as Johnson Ave. and Donington Drive intersections are congested before and after school as drivers, bikers and pedestrians converge at the same time. The SJPD and Assistant Principal Tara Grande note that traffc violations have been observed near school.
“People are very anxious to get their kids to school on time,” Grande said. “But they’re not following the laws or waiting their turn.”
The updates include painting high-visibility crosswalks on both intersections, bracketed by painted curb extensions and plastic posts to make them more visible to drivers.
“It would be helpful because
people don’t always ignore crosswalks — they just can’t see them,” said junior Olivia Hu, who walks to school.
They plan to build a 260-ft hardened centerline between the car and bike lane to prevent drivers from making illegal U-turns using the bike lane on Johnson Ave., as well as create an extended left turn pocket for drivers.
“Everybody tries to drop off their kids before the crosswalk, so they block the bikeway,” said sophomore Aarav Karasi, who bikes to school. “I have to get onto the sidewalk to avoid the cars.”
Administration predicts controversy from these changes as they will slow down drivers. Thus, Principal Maria Jackson has recommended in her weekly emails that students allot fve extra minutes while coming to school.
“It’s going to take students longer to get here, but it will also allow things to fow more smoothly,” Grande said. “So once everyone gets used to it, there will not be a big delay.”
However, these changes took great effort from school offcials and the community.
“I reached out to the Department of Transportation in San José, but it’s a big city and ours is not the most problematic area,” Grande said. “Fortunately, we were able to start talking about some changes that we wanted to see.”
One factor that led to progress in Lynbrook was San José’s District 1 Youth Advisory Council. Including many Lynbrook students, this board developed their own proposals to advocate for increased road safety. Junior Yuvraj Gill has led this project since last year.
“I worked with San José State University to conduct road audits,” Gill said. “We looked at the safety of roads, whether there is a distinct bike lane and the cracks in the roads to address where there can be a lack of safety.”
Construction will continue around the surrounding roads of Lynbrook. The SJPD and many students and staff expect the roads to become slower, but safer.
“Parents might have to choose different locations to drop their kids off, which would be better as to not congest that whole area,” Karasi said. “It’s a good idea overall.”
FUHSD Band Exchange Concert, Feb. 5
Come to Fremont High School at 4-9 p.m. to watch our talented FUHSD bands perform!
Culture Festival, Feb. 13
Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14
Didn’t we take a class together? I could’ve sworn we had chemistry. Happy Valentine’s Day, Vikings!
President’s Week, Feb. 17-21
Enjoy the week off, Vikings!
Wind Ensemble Exchange Concert, Feb. 27
Watch the FUHSD wind ensembles perform at Saratoga High School from 6-9 p.m.!
Coffeehouse Talent Show, Feb. 28 Sit back and relax with a cup of coffee from 7-10 p.m. in the cafeteria to enjoy the performances by talented Lynbrook students at the Coffeehouse Talent Show.
Grading Period Ends, Feb. 28
Photo and reporting by Anna
BY ANGELINA FENG
In 1990, Section 51203 of the California Education Code deemed that instruction on alcohol and its effects on prenatal development was required for all schools. Receiving a DUI in November 2023 motivated Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo to author AB 2865, providing young people with the knowledge to make more informed choices about alcohol. AB 2865 expands the curriculum to include the effects of excessive alcohol consumption, ranging from mental health problems to the risk of chronic disease. For example, according to a California Department of Public Health report, over 50 Californians died per day due to excessive alcohol use between 2020 and 2021. School boards are responsible for deciding which grades and courses this instruction happens in. At Lynbrook, alcohol education is currently taught as part of the health course and is not a part of the science curriculum.
“Because it’s a social and cultural norm, teenagers may be encountering alcohol before they should be legally consuming it,” social studies teacher Mike Williams said. “Students should learn healthy, age-appropriate behaviors regarding alcohol as a young adult.”
Under AB 1078, a school board cannot ban materials, including novels and textbooks, from appearing in school curriculums and libraries simply for including “the contributions of ethnic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic status groups.” The bill reinforces Section 60040 of the Education Code, which states that boards should only approve materials that represent the cultural and racial diversity of California. The exceptions to this are materials that portray people negatively because of their identity or socioeconomic status. Last year, AB 1825 was also passed, which prohibits book bans from public libraries on the basis of similar characteristics, except in cases of legally defned obscenity. The FUHSD board policy maintains the stance that curriculum material cannot be excluded solely because of controversy, for both classroom books and library materials.
“It’s important that people have the right to choose what to read,” librarian Amy Ashworth said. “If students are going to be reading books in school, it’s because they’ve been vetted by publishers, teachers, administrators and the board. I have faith that these picks are good.”
With AB 2353, nonproft organization-owned affordable rental housing can be given a welfare exemption, which absolves developers from paying property tax. Previously, affordable housing developers had to pay property tax until their submission for welfare exemption was approved. The approval process could take up to three years, and developers weren’t refunded money until after the approval. Therefore, this process became a cost barrier for the developers. Proposed by Assemblymember Chris Ward, AB 2353 amends the tax code so that if they apply for welfare exemption, developers do not pay property tax until that application is reviewed. This bill encourages the development of affordable housing and is one of many laws addressing the housing crisis that is going into effect. According to a California Housing Partnership report, affordable housing production in California dropped 38 percent from 2023 to 2024.
“California’s Chief Fiscal Offcer is very aware of challenges around affordable housing in the State of California,” said Evan Johnson, Deputy Controller for Legislative Affairs, in an assembly hearing testifying for Controller Cohen. “Reducing development costs is critical to improving the utilization of state dollars on affordable housing. I think these changes will really improve the implementation of the welfare tax exemption.”
AB 2999, authored by Assemblymembers Josh Lowenthal, Gail Pellerin and Pilar Schiavo, encourages school districts to adopt guidelines for homework by the 2028-29 school year and update them every fve years afterward. FUHSD currently does not have an overarching homework policy, but Lynbrook’s homework policy states that homework should “enrich and extend classroom learning experiences” and “prepare students for classroom assessments.” A 2023 Challenge Success report of California high school students found that 45 percent of students regarded homework as a primary source of stress. AB 2999 cites concerns that excessive homework causes sleep deprivation, stress, health issues and less time for socialization.
The bill encourages districts to consider a list of recommendations when developing and updating their homework policies, such as if homework is appropriate for the grade level, the equity of homework practices and different types of homework.
“In my AP Government classes, I try not to give homework over the weekend,” Williams said.
“I think teachers need to refect on the appropriate amount of homework for students, especially in advanced classes.”
AB 1955 prohibits school employees from disclosing a student’s sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression without the student’s consent, unless required by state or federal law in cases like a health emergency. In recent years, states have passed laws that could identify transgender students, requiring schools to notify parents of a student’s name or pronoun change and prohibiting employees from withholding information about gender identity from parents. More than a dozen districts in California have implemented similar policies. California is the frst state to ban such disclosures. Proposed by Assemblymember Christopher Ward, AB 1955 requires that the California Department of Education develop additional resources for LGBTQ+ students’ families, such as counseling services and support groups.
“Even if your parents are accepting, there’s still a lot of fear and anxiety involved in coming out,” Gender and Sexuality Alliance offcer Ishana Subrahmanyan said. “After recent changes in the political atmosphere, I think this law will make transgender students feel safer.”
If you visit change.org, an online petitioning site, you’ll fnd a petition titled “No Homework” that has over 40,000 signatures. Another one advocating for no school after Halloween has over 70,000. In today’s digital age, petitions are a universally accessible way for students to voice their concerns and make an impact. However, with increased access to advocacy comes the responsibility of using it for positive, necessary change. When petitions are misused for jokes or to target individuals, they cause disruption rather than progress, with online spaces increasing the likelihood of counterproductive petitions that lack the credibility to address local and school issues.
Starting with the right approach to creating a petition is essential for positive change. Student petitions should use respectful language and support a positive educational environment. These student petitions should also be thoroughly researched by both students who start them and those who sign them. To make sure the petition is credible, students looking to start a petition can reach out to a staff member to help organize and factcheck the information they are putting forward.
A petition without support or justifable reasons lack validity. A petition without prior discussion with related authority lack seriousness.
Lester Leung Science teacher “
One notable example of a productive petition was started by Lynbrook’s French Honor Society, or SHF, advocating to preserve Miller Middle School’s French program. When they heard it might be cut for the 2024-25 school year, SHF started an online petition, sharing it through social media and Lynbrook’s French classes. This petition helped reignite the conversation about Miller’s French courses, and the Cupertino Unifed School District ultimately decided to preserve them.
“The petition had a big role in clarifying misinformation that the students were hearing,” French teacher Elizabeth Louie said. “It was a great way to put an issue out to the community and clarify why it is important.”
While petitions can bring attention to a student’s concerns, they also help address misunderstandings in the community. When students are engaged and organized, they can inform decisionmakers about changes they wish to see in
their education.
“It’s defnitely important to know all of the information regarding your case so that everything is accurate and you can be as transparent as possible,” SHF president Amine Ali Chaouche said. “Don’t be afraid to reach out to be administrators because your voice is important.”
Another way students can use petitions responsibly is to recognize when a petition is not credible. Many online student petitions fail to make an impact because they lack credibility. On change.org, people with fake names or sign multiple times with different email addresses. This makes the petition susceptible to inappropriate or unrelated comments because these online platforms usually do not require people to verify their identity. In addition, these petitions are available for anyone with internet access to sign, including those who don’t have any connection to Lynbrook. Online petitions can also suffer from a lack of student follow-up since they require less effort to make and are often abandoned by their creators. The purpose of a petition should be to eventually open communication with administrators, but an anonymous list of signatures on change.org does not contribute to making an impact.
“On change.org, it’s easy to get a lot of people to sign your petition,” FUHSD Superintendent Graham Clark said. “But do the people signing the petition really have all the information?”
Maintaining credibility in a petition can be as easy as starting a physical one, where the organizers can monitor students’ comments and know who they are getting input from. Getting signatures in person also maintains local, relevant input and attaches real names to an issue. This creates a community of people who strive toward the same goal, creating more unity when advocating for their cause.
“
It’s
really easy to spread misinformation online. I’ve seen online petitions that just aren’t true. But on paper, someone is there to overview the signing.
Albert Shao Sophomore “
However, whether on paper or online, petitions can be subject to hurtful exploitation. Petitions that target specifc individuals may attract a lot of attention and signatures but can create unnecessary confict. In other cases, a petition may have been created out of genuine concern
editors-in-chief — ashley huang, alyssa wang
managing editor
— lilly wu
copy editors — qianzi loo, emily pedroza
design editors
— vidushi upadhyay, eileen zhu
over an issue and escalates into a joke due to the signers’ counterproductive behavior such as leaving negative, “trolling” comments.
No matter how easy it is to anonymously post negative comments to insult another individual or cause, we should still be accountable for the words we put online, since everyone, including the person who is the subject in the petition, can view these comments. This means students organizing petitions should ensure that any input submitted is from a reliable source, and signers need to strive to curate well-thought-out contributions.
“It’s very concerning when people use a petition to take out their personal grievances, instead of looking at something that is a real issue,” Principal Maria Jackson said. “It uses a lot of resources to follow through on that and is hurtful to those involved.”
It is important to note that even when petitions are made responsibly and successfully, they are not a surefre solution to every community issue. They do not make decisions; rather, they serve as a tool to inform decision-makers about a community issue.
“Petitions inform us of public opinion,” Jackson said. “On the grand scale, it’s people making their voices heard at board meetings or by meeting with school leaders. It’s conversations with feeder schools. It’s looking at data. Petitions, alone, do not sway decision making.”
Petitions can be successful if we
stafers
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opinion editors — crystal zhu, david zhu
in-depth editor
sports editor
web editors
akash anand
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treat them as a patient, well-thoughtout process involving research and communication. They have the potential to make a serious impact, but the administration will only respect the petition if we take them seriously ourselves. By treating the petitioning process with the respect it deserves, we increase our chances of being heard and making meaningful changes.
“Students are important stakeholders,” Louie said. “They are the people our schools are here to serve. Districts are more willing to listen to students than a suggestion from an individual teacher but it is important to know the petitions’ limits and implications.”
the Epic staff voted 29-0 in favor of this stance with 10 abstaining.
rohan kakhandiki
brian lee
ethan wong
alexandra wu
adviser
— josh miller
business/pr manager features editor — claire guo
— alex cotterel
— amanda jin
— meadow shen, yvonne wu
— taek kim
social media manager — inaaya yousuf
rebecca cai
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erin fitzpatrick kieran hau
irene hwang
stuti jain
valued contributors: Guojing Liu
gary pan
saavan saraf
jenny suh
olivia tu
cecilia wu
robert yu
BY STUTI JAIN
Astudent scrolls through Instagram to take a break from schoolwork, enjoying a carefully curated feed of reels they absorb without a second thought. Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Threads, Whatsapp, Messenger and Facebook, serves as an information source for 3.29 billion people worldwide. However, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to dismantle Meta’s fact-checking program on Jan. 7 will make reliable information scarce on its platforms. Without professional oversight, users will be vulnerable to manipulation and polarization and must turn to other media to stay informed.
First introduced in 2016, Meta’s fact-checking program was created as a response to Russian operatives seeking to spread disinformation during the United States election. To combat this issue, Meta began partnering with independent groups such as the International FactChecking Network to verify the accuracy of a small percentage of its platform content. False information was downgraded in users’ feeds and supplemented with context, while dangerous content was removed entirely.
However, Zuckerberg recently chose to dismantle Meta’s fact checking program. Many viewed it as an effort to to appease Trump, after he previously criticized Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg chose to implement a far-right board, who promoted traditional Republican ideologies of “free speech” and less censorship in comments online, despite such changes making users more susceptible to false information, according to a 2019 Pew Research Center poll. However, fact-checking truly only aimed to ensure that the media others were intaking was true.
“Fact-checking is not censorship,” said DeAnza’s
Journalism Chair Farideh Dada. “It doesn’t infringe on First Amendment rights or silence voices.”
Unfortunately, pleasing Trump and his fellow conservatives will mean a food of misinformation across Meta platforms and polarization between parties. Changes have already begun: for a period of time, while Republican-related content functioned normally, Democrat related searches showed restricted results.
“A board that leans heavily in one direction, whether right or left, may infuence the platform’s policies, moderation practices and the kinds of content that are prioritized or deprioritized,” San Jose State University political science professor Adam Bakr said. “This could alienate users who feel their voices or views are underrepresented, further intensifying the partisan divide over social media platforms.”
Despite the dismantling of the professional factchecking system, Meta will still attempt to allow fact-checks through a new feature, Community Notes.
Following Elon Musk’s initiative on X, Zuckerberg has explained that such notes would allow its users, rather than professional organizations, to add context or debunk claims in posts. However, this feature will simply add to the disinformation and polarization, as some may innocently support a wrong while others may make deliberately false claims.
“It feels a little disingenuous, like they don’t really care about validating facts,” DeAnza College’s La Voz Editor-in-Chief Ingrid Lu said. “It’s also become easier to lie publicly, so not having more counters or checks in place? I think it’s a misguided decision.”
Now, more than ever before, the younger
generation relies on social media to stay updated, so teenagers need to be wary of which sources they are receiving information from. While it is impractical to expect to fnd absolutely biasfree information, in order to ensure their news is neither polarized nor blatantly false, they must turn to other channels of information.
BY ALEX COTTEREL
“D
eny. Defend. Depose.” These words were found written on three bullets at the murder scene of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The echoes of these bullets spread across the internet and captured public attention in December, leaving discussions about the role of insurance in the American healthcare system in their wake.
Following the killing of Thompson, dialogue criticizing the exploitative nature of medical insurance surged on social media and in public discourse as stances critical of Thompson’s role in the healthcare industry have garnered widespread support. While Thompson’s death should not be celebrated, the long-due conversations criticizing the healthcare industry that Thompson’s death has served as a catalyst for is necessary.
The shooting took place on Dec. 4, 2024, in midtown Manhattan, beginning a 6-day-long investigation that prompted media coverage and public attention. Immediately afterward, many reacted with little sympathy toward Thompson due to his role as CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Discussion on social media shifted to criticism of the insurance industry, refecting the broader anger Americans feel toward those involved in handling healthcare insurance claims. While these discussions have been happening for decades, the broader public’s approach to this extreme action on behalf of this issue should serve as a wake-up call to those in power and those who are able to begin making change.
“I understand that Thompson is being mourned by his family, but I’d rather acknowledge the many other families who have been impacted by his actions,” senior Kelly Chu said. “While I do not support capital punishment under any circumstances and therefore do not condone the killing of Thompson, I fnd it diffcult to sympathize with him.”
This attitude was illustrated across party lines on social media. When UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare, posted on Facebook the day of Thompson’s death to remember his legacy, within two days, over 70,000 users reacted to the post with a laughing emoji. While Thompson’s death is not a laughing matter, this reaction suggests that
many Americans reacted without much sympathy for those sustaining an industry worth $4.3 trillion that makes its proft by denying average citizens sympathy.
“Platforms like TikTok shed light on a lot of normal people sharing their stories, where they’re forced to appeal decisions or pay exorbitant outof-pocket costs while their health is at risk,” Chu said. “It’s increased class consciousness, and most students are thinking critically about the system that we’ve inherited.”
Over the course of the New York Police Department’s investigation, several details left at the scene gained public attention. One of these details is three bullets: each with words written in Sharpie from the phrase “Deny. Defend. Depose.” The phrase was likely inspired by Jay Feinman’s “Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About
1 in 5
claims are denied on average throughout the insurance industry
According to the Afordable Care Act
It,” a book that explores the tactics insurance companies use to exploit consumers. The phrase details three steps insurance companies use to increase proft at the expense of those fling claims, a fundamentally abusive practice that takes advantage of people at their lowest, shoehorning claimants into medical debt, which as of 2021 signifcantly affected 15 percent of US households according to the US Census Bureau.
“Delay” refers to the practice of insurance companies delaying the processing of claims intending to frustrate the claimant until they give up or can no longer pursue the claim. Companies are known to do this, especially for long-term illnesses or injuries, by creating procedural blocks. This means adding additional forms to the process or claiming that forms were not flled out in order to complicate the claimant’s ability to receive a payout. This approach takes advantage of those in physical, mental and often fnancial distress; a 2022 study documented a connection between chronic and long-lasting conditions, such as cancer, brain trauma or physical disabilities, with increasingly high debt.
“Deny” references the method of denying claims with the expectation that claimants often do not have the resources or knowledge to legally challenge the denial. The medical insurance industry does not disclose the majority of its data, however, an analysis of numbers released under the Affordable Care Act revealed that, while numbers vary signifcantly throughout the industry, an average of 1 in 5 claims are denied. Out of the reasons cited by insurers, only six percent of these are denied based on lack of medical necessity, meaning the majority of denials occur when a patient is seeking necessary medical care. However, fewer than one percent of denied claims are appealed, leaving those who may not have access to resources undergo signifcant medical charges or forgo medical care altogether.
BY DAVID ZHU
In a dystopian society where everyone but the rich struggle, desperation leads people down dark paths.
“Squid Game” encapsulates this scenario, telling the story of hundreds of debt-ridden people competing in a gruesome, unforgiving game for a slim chance at a better future. “Squid Game” is not just a show meant to portray a messed-up dystopian society where its inhabitants suffer and engage in a rat race to the very bottom; it’s grounded in real-world issues, refecting a deeper anxiety about the current state of human society and its future. Through each of its characters, “Squid Game” can be seen as a social commentary on the rising wealth gap, human greed and an economy that works for fewer and fewer people.
The show takes place in a modern setting where hundreds of people in South Korea are baited into playing a mysterious game in exchange for a chance at a large sum of prize money. The driving force behind people’s participation in the games is their extremely high debts.
characters who were at their lowest in order to portray true and inherent human nature,” senior Chloe Chan said. “They were trying to show the desperateness of trying to leave a hopeless situation.”
circumstances seem beyond hope, they refect the real circumstances of today’s middle and lower class, with an increasing number of people unable to dig themselves out of their economic crisis. In the show’s birthplace, South Korea, household debt has risen to over 100 percent of the country’s GDP. Due to the ever-growing
cost of living, many people borrow large loans to cover their expenses, leaving them vulnerable to a volatile market. These growing issues don’t just plague South Korea; they affect the entire world. Global infation has risen signifcantly in recent years, driven by sky-high energy and food prices. The burden of infation falls on millions of people. According to the United Nations, the global cost of living crisis pushed 71 million people from developing countries into poverty in just three months. Nearly 700 million people worldwide live in extreme poverty, and more and more people fnd themselves struggling to stay afoat. In California, cost-of-living has gotten so expensive that a six-fgure income is considered barely “middle class” in most parts of the state. The Pew Research Center fnds that nearly one-third of Californians worry about housing costs and retirement savings daily. Gi-hun’s story is a relatable story for people living in today’s economy, which is why many root for him as the main character. The games, where people compete to the literal death and are forced to give up their morality, represent the desperation that many individuals feel today.
In Season 1, the backstories of a few other players are revealed. All of the characters share something in common: they struggle to keep themselves afoat in a society that doesn’t help them, mirroring how many people in the real world are no longer able to fnancially sustain themselves. In the end, their only option is to turn to a ruthless game that ultimately kills them. This “survival of the fttest” mentality plays out in today’s society, with few people succeeding economically while everyone else is left behind in ruin. Oxfam fnds that the
While the VIPs live a life of extravagance and privilege, the players are forced to endure hopeless and unbearable circumstances. Through this juxtaposition, the show comments on the growing divide between the rich and the poor. According to the World Inequality Database in 2024, the poorest 50 percent of the population consistently lags behind the top 10 percent in every region of the world in share of income.
Today’s billionaires, similar to the VIPs and those in control of the games, possess an exponentially greater amount of resources and wealth than those in the middle or bottom of society, and the gap is only growing.
“It’s a critique on how the rich unfairly exploit the poor,” junior Arnav Thota said. “The VIPs obviously have a lot of power and infuence, and their actions are at the expense of people’s lives.”
BY CRYSTAL ZHU
TikTok is a platform famous for its viral trends and addicting algorithm. Over the past months, TikTok has faced impending bans, which would impact millions of Americans if put into effect. Ultimately, banning TikTok would be ineffective and potentially harmful, as it would improve neither national security nor mental health concerns caused by social media.
“
On Jan. 19, users opened up the app to fnd the message: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now.”
accessing user data of American journalists. TikTok saw its frst pushback in 2020 when Trump cited the app as a national security threat and signed an executive order to force its sale. This was subsequently reversed by both the court and the Biden administration. It would be four more years until former President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan bill: ByteDance had to sell the app to an approved buyer by Jan. 19 or it would face a ban in the U.S.
Social media addiction is a serious issue, but I don’t think that cutting out a singular example of social media is going to do.
Jefrey
Bale
Social studies teacher “
Just 12 hours later, the ban was lifted; President Trump had extended the deadline for 75 days, although the Supreme Court itself had decided to uphold the TikTok ban.
TikTok was frst founded by the Beijing-based company ByteDance as an alternative to their popular app Douyin. It gained traction in 2018 when it became the most downloaded app of the year, but garnered controversy concerning its Chinese ownership. Matters of national privacy between the United States and China were especially infamed by ByteDance employees improperly
Though user data privacy is a real concern, the TikTok ban has partially proved counterproductive to its initial purpose. TikTok “refugees” have fooded RedNote, a Chinese app with far more censorship and direct government regulation than TikTok. TikTok is also only one of many tech giants, including Instagram and Facebook, that collects an extensive amount of user data. In addition to privacy concerns, many argue against the harmful effects of TikTok; its scrolling system encourages endless user engagement, while also harboring toxicity. It can expose young children to insensitive or inappropriate content. Yet banning TikTok would have little effect on the regulation of similar content on
is going to solve it,” social studies teacher Jeffrey Bale said. “It needs to be much broader if you actually want to have an impact. Otherwise, it’s just like getting television and saying, ‘You’re not allowed one of your channels.’ You still have a bunch of channels.”
The ban of an entire social media platform also brings up concerns of a First Amendment
violation, which can set up a worrying precedent for the future. The Supreme Court has asserted that TikTok belonged to a Chinese company, and therefore was not subject to the First Amendment protection of free speech. Despite this, millions of American users express their voices on the platform. There is no saying what will ultimately happen to TikTok since the viability of the Trump administration scrapping the impending ban is uncertain. If the ban is realized, however, millions of users will gain very little and lose a valuable platform of speech.
BY ASHLEY HUANG
Delicate hands carefully shape a once boring lump of clay into a miniature marshmallow charm.
For senior Emma Liu, moments of artistic creation like these are the heart of Studio Raindrops, her handmade business selling phone charms, earrings, clay fgurines and more. Born out of a summer project in 2023, Studio Raindrops has since grown into a thriving small business.
Inspired by her father, a part-time self-taught watercolor artist, Liu grew up surrounded by creativity. As Liu began sharing her creations on Instagram, the positive responses encouraged her to take her craft to the next level by launching her business on Etsy. What began as a simple interest in beaded jewelry quickly evolved into crafting intricate phone charms and clay pieces.
“I didn’t have a formal plan. It was all trial and error, but that made it exciting because I could experiment and learn what worked along the way.
Emma Liu Senior and founder
True to its name, Studio Raindrops refects a serene, rainy-day vibe. Liu’s signature colors — dusty blues and greens — mirror the calm and nostalgic feeling she associates with rain. Her products often draw inspiration from nature and seasonal themes. The “Studio” in the name, however, pays homage to Studio Ghibli, whose animated flms like “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Kiki’s Delivery Service” were a key part of Liu’s childhood.
“Those flms hold a deep nostalgia for
me,” Liu said. “We had a DVD player, and I’d spend hours watching those flms.”
One of Liu’s frst creations, a keychain she originally made for herself, quickly became a best-seller after she decided to list it online. Its success taught her the value of experimentation and the unpredictable nature of entrepreneurship.
“I usually start with a color palette or a theme,” Liu said. “I experiment with bead placements and create prototypes until I fnd a design that feels right.”
Recently, Liu has felt a deeper connection to clay work, describing it as more hands-on and rewarding because she can create each piece entirely from scratch — molding, baking and even fnishing it with UV resin.
“Clay allows me to bring a vision to life from start to fnish,” Liu said. “Each piece feels uniquely mine, and I love seeing how it all comes together.”
However, running Studio Raindrops hasn’t been without challenges. From navigating shipping errors to adapting unpredictable social media algorithms, Liu has faced her fair share of obstacles. Shipping mishaps, such as packages getting delayed or lost, have taught her how to problem-solve and communicate effectively with customers. Meanwhile, learning the nuances of marketing across different platforms has been a continual process of trial and error.
“One time, a package meant for Riverside, Calif. ended up stuck in New Jersey,” Liu said. “It was stressful because it contained 85 dollars worth of products, but I learned how to fle claims, communicate with USPS and keep my customers updated throughout the process.”
One of Liu’s most memorable experiences was participating in her frst craft fair: 2024 Lynbrook Instrumental Music Boosters Craft Faire. While
preparing for the event was stressful, from designing displays to borrowing materials from family friends, the effort paid off.
“It was amazing to interact with customers face-to-face,” Liu said. “Hearing their feedback and seeing their reactions to my products made all the hard work worth it.”
Despite her busy senior year, Liu manages to balance her business and academics by treating Studio Raindrops as a creative outlet rather than a job.
“It never feels like work,” Liu said. “It’s something I enjoy doing during my free time. It’s fulflling and gives me something to look forward to.”
Her ability to prioritize school while staying consistent with her business habits, such as regular social media posts, has been key to her success.
“Emma is a very committed person, and she’s motivated not just by results but by her genuine love for her business,” senior Sanya Badhe said.
“I’ve seen the hours of work she put in before her business ever blew up, and that commitment is what keeps her going even when it gets hard.”
opportunities like that,” Liu said.
As Studio Raindrops continues to grow, Liu’s dedication to her craft and the joy she brings to others remain at the core of her work. Liu hopes her journey with Studio Raindrops inspires others to pursue their passions fearlessly.
“Just go for it,” Liu said. “Don’t let the fear of failure hold you back. Share your art, your hobbies and your passions with the world. You’ll fnd your audience, and you’ll learn so much along the way.”
Liu envisions an exciting future for Studio Raindrops, including participating in more in-person events like craft fairs and farmers’ markets. She also hopes to adopt more environmentally conscious practices by reducing plastic in her packaging. While her college plans may impact the logistics of her business, Liu is determined to continue growing Studio Raindrops wherever life takes her.
“I’ve seen universities with markets for student businesses, and I’d love to explore
BY INAAYA YOUSUF
Sitting at her desk, Noor Ahmed carefully crafts various pieces of jewelry. Her room transforms into a workshop where she intricately weaves wires and beads into stunning necklaces and earrings. So far, she has sold to around 45 customers and donates 50% of her profts to Ene Elna Elak, a GoFundMe campaign focused on providing clean water and food to people in Gaza.
Ahmed started making jewelry in 2024, drawing inspiration from a friend. She taught herself through online tutorials and independent practice. Each piece of jewelry sold is handcrafted, and Ahmed makes each completely customizable. She focuses on two main types of jewelry — beaded and chained — each requiring different steps for creation and time commitments.
“I really enjoy making chain jewelry,” Ahmed said. “It’s challenging because it takes three to four hours, but I love the process.”
Soon after learning how to create jewelry, Ahmed started her own business in 2024, creating an account on Depop to sell online. She used social media to promote her business, reaching friends, local peers and online customers, which helped her business grow.
“I knew that Noor had a jewelry-making background, and when I found out about her business, I purchased a necklace,” freshman and customer Wendi Sun said. “All of her products are incredibly good.”
Though most of Ahmed’s works are custom orders, she describes her overall
style as nature-based. She often includes fower charms and incorporates earth colors into her work.
“I cater my styles to what the customer wants,” Ahmed said. “If I’m given a reference, I can make any jewelry.”
In addition to expressing her creativity, Ahmed’s jewelry business allows her to support a cause she deeply believes in. Since the beginning of her business, she has made around 300 dollars in sales, half of which she has donated to Ene Elna Elak.
“I was really upset with what was going on in Palestine, and I thought there was something that needed to be done about it,” Ahmed said. “Since a lot of people
like jewelry, I thought this was a good way to be more vocal about this particular topic.”
Many organizations provide humanitarian aid in Gaza, but Ahmed was particularly drawn to Ene Elna Elak. This campaign donates directly to people in Gaza, ensuring resources are delivered more effciently compared to larger organizations like the Red Cross, which can face challenges in delivering supplies.
“I feel like it is more benefcial to donate directly to people in Gaza because aid can get destroyed easily,” Ahmed said. “The GoFundMe was started by actual people in Gaza.”
With the business’s success, Ahmed often must fnd ways to juggle schoolwork while keeping up with orders. Though the task may seem daunting at times, Ahmed manages her work using spreadsheets, setting deadlines for herself and keeping track of business inputs and outputs.
In the future, Ahmed plans to expand her business by selling at craft fairs and boosting her social media presence to attract a broader customer base. In addition, she hopes for the opportunity to donate to more organizations and causes as she fnds her footing as a small business owner.
Do you think “brain rot” distracts from real world issues?
Henry David Thoreau was considered the frst to pen the phrase brain rot.
BY MADDY CHANG
As the cascade of short-form content flls our screens, a phenomenon coined as brain rot has become the backdrop for engagement with popular videos, memes and terms. We laugh, we scroll and we share — each minute spent pushing society into a world that focuses less and less on realworld issues.
Using humor as a way to cope with unfortunate realities is not an entirely new concept; historically, people have always turned to often short-lived distractions for comfort. For Generation X, it was MTV and sitcoms. For millennials, it was the rise of meme culture. Now, for Generation Z and Alpha, it’s the instant gratifcation we get from doom-scrolling on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
“Students and adults enjoy humor — they always have and they always will,” English teacher Terri Fill said. “Shows like ‘Saturday Night Live’ or ‘The Daily Show’ make jokes about very serious real-world issues.
“Peanut Butter Jelly Time With Lyrics!!!” went viral.
BY ROHAN KAKHANDIKI AND GARY PAN
IWhen it starts to feel like there’s nothing that we can do about them, humor can act as a tension reliever.”
Although the entertainment value of brain rot and other short-form content is not to be ignored, the rise of brain rot in media has changed what society deems valuable. In a survey given to staff and students, 64.6 percent, or 174 of 270 Lynbrook respondents, reported feeling that brain rot distracted from real-world issues. Instead of having nuanced discussions, people have turned pressing topics into light-hearted jokes and memes, leading to surface-level engagement that disappears as quickly as it begins.
“There was this one video I saw on TikTok a while ago with a Chinese speaker talking about media censorship,” junior Ryan Xue said. “Another guy duetted it and translated it all into brain rot terms. I immediately closed the app after that one.”
n 2024, Oxford University Press named “brain rot” its word of the year, marking a new level of social relevance for the term — though it has existed in popular culture for decades, appearing in everything from internet memes to viral sensations.
The phrase brain rot originates from transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden,” his account of a 2-year stay at Walden Pond in Massachusetts. There, he criticized the rapidly industrializing world of the 19th century — particularly the rise of the telegraph, which he viewed as a distraction rather than a necessity. Thoreau wrote, “While England endeavours to cure the potato rot, will not any endeavour to cure the brain rot — which prevails so much more widely and fatally?”
Since then, the phrase has evolved into a staple of meme culture. The rise of digital communication has made it easier than ever to spread content, allowing memes to go viral overnight.
“I’ve heard a lot of people calling brain rot immature,” senior Ashwin Kamchetty said. “But as long as you remain open-minded to it and take it less seriously, it defnitely has humorous value.”
Brain rot memes get their name from their seemingly meaningless nature, serving no purpose other than to “rot your brain.” With the onset of short-form content platforms such as TikToks and Instagram reels, brain rot memes have become even more prevalent.
The creation of the internet accelerated the spread of brain rot culture. With new tools of animation, creation and communication at hand, memes and trends began to form and gain notoriety. Early examples of this cultural shift include texting slang like “LOL” and viral animations like “Dancing Baby.”
Brain rot’s modern roots in social media trace back to the early 2010s, when platforms like YouTube and Vine became hubs for random, absurd humor. Websites such as Reddit and 4chan also became key centers for meme-sharing.
By the 2020s, brain rot had evolved into its current form, fueled by platforms like Instagram and TikTok. The endless scrolling format of shortform video content gives users unlimited access to all kinds of content. Memes like “Skibidi Toilet” gained massive followings, despite having no particular meaning within itself, with Skibidi Toilet in particular becoming an icon of the brain rot
Infuencer Haley Welsh released the “Hawk Tuah” coin, her signature crytocurrency.
movement. The channel’s creator gained over 45 million subscriptions, with tens of millions of fans watching his content.
“Short-form media has defnitely affected attention spans,” said Philip Bair, communication studies lecturer at San José State University. “My students often admit to me that they spend hours on TikTok a day. They’re simply not bored anymore, and it causes people not to take risks anymore, causing them to be more withdrawn.”
The 2020s also saw a rise in AI-generated nonsensical videos. Many internet personalities have embraced intentionally “cringe-worthy” performances to generate views. Streamers like Malik Ambersley, also known as “NPC Miles Morales,” have gained viral fame by performing exaggerated, over-the-top antics in public.
Read the full story at lhsepic.com.
BY CLAIRE GUO AND OLIVIA TU
Sporting a “Brat” shirt, a vibrant green owl strikes a pose outside Charli XCX’s concert venue, while fashy owl heads bop to pop music under strobe lights inside. This surreal scene wasn’t concert chaos, but rather, Duolingo’s clever marketing stunt. Tapping into the relatable “#bratsummer” trend, Duolingo captured the attention of a wide online audience, leading to a nearly 60 percent annual growth in daily active users. Similarly, in an age of technology when countless people are chronically online, an increasing number of industries have established a casual online presence, leveraging brain rot to broaden their reach and engage younger audiences.
Brain rot refects the growing desire for relatability or inauthenticity in content, rejecting former traditions of professionalism. With Generation Z estimated to have the highest spending growth, industries have leveraged this phenomenon to their advantage, seeking to ft in with the algorithm for engagement.
“Brain rot is non-threatening,” professor of communication at Montclair State University Benton Bond said. “It allows you to tune out the negativity in the world and enjoy content that makes you feel
How does an industry or company’s use of “brain rotted” social media trends normally afect your opinion of them?
BY OLIVIA YUAN
“Crash out,”
good.”
In the gaming industry, companies often incorporate brain rot-inspired merchandise, characters or dance moves to garner attention. A well-known example is “Fortnite,” which boasts a wide repertoire of brain rot content, including a “Skibidi Toilet” skin, “Among Us” Back Bling and an emote inspired by Hugo Hilaire, a popular content creator with distinct dance moves.
“It adds a fun aspect to the game that they’re building on current trends,” senior and Fortnite player William Devanney said. “I think it’s mostly just marketing. For example, I have a Ninja skin, which came from a popular brain rot content creator.”
Read the full story at lhsepic.com.
“slay,” widespread slang from younger generations, brain rot. In reality, before they slang terms originated in marginalized identity markers.
“A lot of slang is about identity,” professor of linguistics at California Beach. “Knowing the right slang you’re trying to blend in with with people and positioning yourself community.”
Even outside of groups like that have an outsized infuence
BY YVONNE WU
The ever-evolving online generations, growing social polarization makes it diffcult to keep rot culture has infltrated to slang, the younger generations and Generation Alpha — and humor. As a result, the have taken on multiple forms online and in-person interactions.
Misogyny and Violence
ncels, according to author “a group of men and rejected by women and it.” Existing commonly in or 4chan, these individuals set of vocabulary surrounding feminist views and the rampant women. In these spheres, “chad” is commonly used lot of sex with women. Similarly, it is customary terms like “alpha” and “sigma” These individuals often self-identify
“slay,” “basic” and “ate”: these are all slang terms, often assumed to come generations, the Internet or even they became mainstream lingo, many marginalized communities as ingroup identity,” said Dr. Anna Bax, assistant California State University, Long slang for the particular social group with is huge for building relationships yourself as an insider to that like black and LGBTQ+ communities infuence on mainstream vernacular, slang can
strengthen a sense of cultural identity through informality and wordplay. In fact, this is one of its core functions: to differentiate members of a smaller “ingroup” from members of a dominant “outgroup” — in this case, the broader online mainstream — who look in as observers. More so than other forms of language, slang is a measure of belonging.
When outgroup members adopt ingroup slang, they’re often seeking to adopt desirable traits they associate with the ingroup, according to Bax. Sometimes, these traits are rooted
world of chronically generations, combined with the polarization on the internet, keep track of all the ways brain our lives. From memes generations — Generation Z — often reinvent language the infuences of brain rot forms and shifted both interactions.
author Siam Norris are boys who feel sexually and are very angry about in online spaces like Reddit individuals have curated a unique surrounding sentiments of antirampant dehumanization of spheres, the popular brain rot term used to label men that have a customary to come across popular “sigma” in incel forums. self-identify as “betas” or
“omegas” — characteristics that contrast those of “alpha males” and “chads.”
Still, the credit for introducing these terms and ideas of hierarchy to the greater community is not assigned to the incel community. Instead, the popularization of these brain rot terms can be accredited to blogger Theodore Robert Beale who came up with the “sociosexual hierarchy,” a pyramid visualization that introduces alphas at the top and omegas at the very bottom. According to an article from The Guardian, Beale claims that separate from the pyramid exist sigmas: “outsiders who don’t play the social game and manage to win at it anyhow.”
Do you believe that people outside of marginalized groups should use cultural slang terms (terms like “slay,” “basic,” “ate,” “crash out,” etc)?
In addition, Patrick Bateman, a fctional character from the flm “American Psycho,” became a central sigma male fgure and intertwined with his previously idolized embodiment of “hustle culture.” Thus came the new internet trend of the “sigma male grindset.” This development led to the mass creation of brain rot content like “14 signs that you’re a sigma,” closely relating to the content and ideals that misogynistic creators endorse.
What kind of meme content do you view as most popular or appealing?
BY IRENE HWANG AND QIANZI LOO
Story continued from front page.
“Especially when I’m stressed and don’t have work, I use social media,” senior Leo Song said. “Social media engages me in a way where I don’t have to think about the stress.”
In the short term, interacting with online content releases dopamine, temporarily boosting a user’s mood. However, according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, doomscrolling has also been shown to be associated with longterm
symptoms of anxiety and depression. Beyond just consuming mindless content, doomscrolling also exposes users to a constant stream of distressing news. Even content that appears to be humorous is often satire that hints at darker realities.
Among younger generations, addiction to social media has exacerbated a fear of missing out — not just on news, but on trends, slang and viral content. The fear of falling behind on online trends and content can be a contributing factor in doomscrolling, usually accompanied by anxiety.
Cycles of doomscrolling have fueled the constant need to stimulate the mind, leading to a state of perpetual overstimulation. During this digital age, external factors contributing to overstimulation include excessive use of social media, music and screens. The short bursts of dopamine from rapid content consumption create a dependency on stimulation — one that makes it increasingly diffcult for users to focus without distractions.
The rise of short-form videos — Instagram reels, TikToks and YouTube shorts — has intensifed this phenomenon. These videos are fast-paced, visually striking and contain eye-catching visuals and loud noises. With such content seemingly everywhere, they perpetuate the need to be incessantly interconnected on the internet. Shortform videos follow an algorithm, feeding viewers the content they seek, the element that keeps one “glued” to their screens.
Some videos with text have “Subway Surfers” or “Minecraft” playing in the background, leveraging high-speed visuals to hold viewers’ attention amid a generation of increasingly shorter attention spans. This creates a dependency on constant stimulation — an inability to stay marginally capable of consuming material in text form — without unnecessary stimulation.
“When I’m scrolling, I feel overstimulated just because the content is so short, which makes me consume so much of it,” junior Yuyao Wen said. “And in the end, honestly, I don’t remember half of what I watched.”
Overstimulation can also come in other forms, such as the dependency on music to do daily tasks. Some listeners on Spotify, the largest global music streaming platform, have over 100,000 minutes of listening per year — nearly
BY ROBERT YU
With a diverse sundry of internet memes ranging from “Chopped Chin” to “the Costco Guys,” it’s nearly impossible to avoid meme culture. While “Ninja getting a low taper fade” is still a massive meme, others have fallen obsolete, almost like the booming peaks and troughs of the stock market. Brain rot, due to its newly-risen social signifcance, has become a currency of knowledge.
Ever since the advent of the internet, early brain rot has taken the form of cultural currency. Beyond brain rot, internet memes have always had roots in culture. Through humor, the main purpose of memes is to deliver a humorous expression, however, it often needs a prerequisite
of cultural knowledge to understand the respective reference. Memes and brain rot have become platforms for communities to banter and exchange knowledge.
“In media fandoms, brain rot manifests in forms of memes, analysis, theories and other community-driven content,” senior Kelly Chu said. “While seen as obsessive, this behavior is welcomed and celebrated in its respective space.”
Like modern currency, the popularity of brain rot is infating rapidly. Memes and brain rot have reached nearly every corner of the internet, and after seeing many online examples, people are often incentivized to try these trends with the intention of exchanging memories.
“During the end of one class, a student asked me to flm a Tiktok with him,” English teacher Evyenia Ene said. “I said, ‘Sure, why not?’
one-ffth of their waking hours. For these groups of people, listening to music has become more than just entertainment; it’s a necessity. Similarly, white noise and other background sounds provide constant auditory stimulation, reinforcing the brain’s craving for input.
“I feel like people nowadays are much more uncomfortable being alone and they need someone to talk to, or at least someone to listen to all the time, and music provides that for them,” junior Patrick Krupa said.
For older generations, brain rot content is often perceived as unserious and disposable. However, for younger teens whose brains are still developing, early exposure to brain rot content poses a risk to their development and highlights the unintended consequences of causal acts of relaxing on social media.
Additionally, students may struggle to complete academic tasks, such as writing essays or taking tests, without the added stimulation of screens and music. Concentration is crucial to do well in school, and being exposed to social media for much of one’s waking hours leads to a decrease in attention span.
The addiction to constant stimulation poses challenges outside of school, affecting interpersonal relationships for instance. Before the widespread use of online communication, people relied mostly on in-person interactions, in stark contrast with the way modern technology is integrated into nearly every aspect of daily life. Thus, while personal relationships are essential for social and emotional well-being, reliance on digital engagement can erode real-world connections.
Read the full story at lhsepic.com.
That would be a fun way to deepen my connection with my students.”
Coming into the 21st century, people have now begun to establish memes as standard knowledge. In daily conversation, TikTok slang has made its way into offcial dictionaries, as seen in Merriam-Webster’s defnition of rizz.
Read the full story at lhsepic.com.
BY VIDUSHI UPADHYAY
Amid piles of schoolwork, sophomore Saharsh Satish reviews his football prediction record and suddenly fnds inspiration. He calls his prediction partner, sophomore Krishna Anbuchelvan, and proposes the idea of starting a football account to share their analytics, predictions and other interests. What began as a spontaneous idea quickly evolved into Takes With the Greats, surpassing expectations by building a community of football fans and fnding support among fellow students.
While similar to other football fan accounts, Takes With the Greats distinguishes itself by fostering student interaction and participation. As a studentrun account, it resonates more with peers, particularly those at Lynbrook, making it both relatable and engaging.
We’ve been able to get more followers to share their opinions and it’s been nice to have people come and talk to us about football.
content. The account’s spontaneous founding meant that they didn’t have a posting schedule or distinct plans in place. Instead, they adopted a fexible approach, creating a large amount of content during their more creative periods and posting it periodically during busier times.
“Over the summer we were
working on posts for hours everyday,” Anbuchelvan said. “We made an average of fve posts per day, and that got us all the way through October.”
The account was created in April 2024, and since then, they have garnered reels with an average of approximately 100k views, with one video reaching one
million views. They are actively working to expand their channel and broaden their audience.
“It was never about the followers or the views,” Satish said. “We just wanted to get our own ideas out there. But getting your work acknowledged and appreciated is always motivating and a great side beneft.”
Looking ahead, Anbuchelvan and Satish hope to continue developing Takes With the Greats. They are eager to explore new opportunities as their account grows and are excited to expand their football community beyond Lynbrook.
“Our account has defnitely progressed and I hope that we can start making a larger variety of content,”
Anbuchelvan said.
Saharsh Satish Sophomore and founder “
Anbuchelvan and Satish primarily use Instagram and TikTok to share their
“Having a platform to share our voices and opinions is an incredible opportunity and I want to continue making the most out of this channel that we’ve built from scratch.”
BY MEADOW SHEN
Growing up watching YouTube Kids, where creators shared videos of their Roblox gameplay, sophomore Shreshtha Rmaji was inspired to create an account of her own. She frst started playing Roblox in fourth grade after being introduced by her friends and found herself immersed in games like “Fashion Famous,” where players design outfts and compete for the best look. Determined to create her own YouTube channel, Ramji decided on the username Bunicorn, combining her love for bunnies and unicorns.
“I started content creation to feature some of my favorite Roblox games and also to connect with the
community of people who play the game,” Ramji said.
Embarking on her YouTube journey with limited editing and videography skills, Ramji taught herself how to flm and edit videos by watching tutorials and practicing on iMovie and later CapCut. Upon acquiring more experience, Ramji began to create videos that shared her Roblox gameplay, tutorials and speed-builds. As her audience grew, Ramji decided to integrate her passion for digital art into her videos as well, alternating between art and Roblox content every week. Her digital art videos include speed-paintings, sketching and commissioned art pieces.
“I love going on Procreate, drawing images that my viewers request in the comment section and sharing screen recordings of my drawing process,” Ramji said.
Navigating YouTube as a young creator, Ramji faced many challenges, from questions about intellectual property rights to issues with protecting personal privacy. In the process, Ramji learned the importance of understanding copyright laws for digital creators and has also become more aware of securing personal information like her name and age on social media platforms.
“One of my biggest lessons from this journey was taking risks,” Ramji said.
“By posting what I love to do, I was able to fnd a community of people who shared my interest.”
Over the past summer, Ramji visited Gardens by the Bay, an urban park in Singapore consisting of
conservatories that house thousands of plants. She found herself flling her camera roll with photographs of the rare plants and fowers she encountered. Hoping to share her photos from the trip, Ramji created an Instagram account called Artsy with Bunicorn, dedicated to her nature photography. Spreading her love for ecology through this platform, Ramji aims to feature endangered species and exotic plants not commonly found in the United States.
Besides ecological photography, Roblox and art content, Ramji hopes to create more cinematic videos in the future, transforming her hobby for content creation into a more professional interest. Inspired by her favorite YouTube content creator, Nicole Laeno, who would share multiple vlogs a week as a high schooler, Ramji wants to be more active about vlogging in order to document the candid moments in her life. She acknowledges that it would be diffcult to vlog consistently with her busy schedule, so she may choose to just record special occasions such as feld trips and vacations. Earlier in the year, Ramji vlogged her experience at the Distributive Education Clubs of America conference and ASB Disneyland trip.
I asked a couple of friends to join me in vlogging. In that process, we were able to capture a lot of cool things that we wouldnt have noticed otherwise.
Shreshta Ramji Sophomore and founder
Through her YouTube videos and Instagram posts, Ramji found an avenue to express her artistic side with her video content and photography, connecting with a large audience through social media. Refecting on her journey, Ramji is proud to have been able to cultivate connections with peers by sharing her love for art, gaming and videography online.
“I encourage everyone to represent their true selves in creative ways, whether that be through making videos, posting pictures, making a podcast or anything that lets them express themselves to the fullest,” Ramji said.
BY KIERAN HAU
The overhead light shined brightly from above, illuminating the dentist working over him. Though slack-jawed and under mild anesthesia, junior Derrick Han watched the dentist work in curiosity as he lay on the dental chair. Noticing the way the dentist worked his tools in a practiced and methodical fashion, Han realized that this was where his passions lay.
“It was pretty fascinating to feel a surgeon working on my teeth,” Han said. “I don’t know if this is a broad way to describe it, but I feel like dentistry is a type of art. Just watching the precision and the surgeon, who has so much confdence and experience that they know that they’re making the right cut, is super amazing.”
Generally, applicants are required to go through an application process with the Silicon Valley Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery offce manager to become an intern. However, Han, following a dental appointment, spoke about his passion to the surgeon, securing an invitation to the offce for a day as a trial day.
Before being able to work at SVOMS, Han had to train at an outside program to learn the skills required to handle the specialized tools and properly assist the dentists. While he was training, he helped the doctor, checked patients in and shadowed surgeons and anesthesiologists. After acquiring his x-ray and sterilization
certifcation, he aided in the cleaning process and helped sanitize tools. Most importantly, he was able to get much more access to viewing surgeries.
Han generally goes to the offce once a week after school. His day as an intern starts by changing into his gown, gloves and other protective equipment. He then has a priority list which he goes through, involving helping patients prepare for surgery by doing tasks such as taking their blood pressure and x-rays, picking up calls and scheduling appointments and
“I love watching surgeries,” Han said. “I know it can get pretty scary, but I like the fact that everything about the surgery is for a patient’s better health. Watching the surgery and anesthesiologists go through the surgical process is the most enlightening part.”
Surgeries, to him, are particularly interesting for their unpredictability, importance and high stakes, especially those with general anesthesia.
“The frst time experiencing that was really eye-opening,” Han said. “And it’s
really, really amazing.”
While working in the offce, Han was able to pick up many skills outside of dentistry, including speaking with people in a professional manner and handling the day-to-day life of a professional environment.
“You have to learn a lot of observation and adaptation skills in a professional workplace, and I came to learn that the hard way,” Han said. “The surgeon I work with is strict and blunt, so when I asked her about something while she was in a big hurry, she ignored me and told me to get out of her way. I realized I needed to know how to be more effcient and helpful. When you realize that you’re actually in a professional setting working,
inspired by his story and ambitious achievement.
“The fact that he’s following his passion makes me want to do the same because I know he really enjoys what he does, and that’s what I strive to do as well,” junior and Han’s friend
Through this experience, Han was able to learn many things
“Before, I didn’t really have a clear idea of where I was going to go, and this defnitely made it more clear,” Han said. “I feel like you come to like the things you’re around the most. After spending familiarizing myself with everything, I
BY REBECCA CAI AND ETHAN WONG
In the heart of Silicon Valley, a United States technology hub, H-1B visas play a pivotal role in shaping the workforce by bringing in qualifed foreign workers. In the past month, this program has become controversial among President Donald Trump’s supporters who question if the H-1B harms domestic workers.
The H-1B is a temporary visa allowing employers to hire individuals with specialist education or experience from foreign countries to work in roles that require at least a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent, most often in felds such as mathematics, engineering and medical sciences. The visa is initially granted for three years, but an employer can apply for a three-year extension to retain hires for prolonged periods.
Established in 1990 as part of the Immigration Act signed by former President George H.W. Bush, the H-1B visa program has signifcantly increased the number of foreign professionals working in the U.S. Currently, almost all major tech companies rely on specialized labor. This has led to continued calls for increasing H-1B visa
quotas to meet the demand.
Leading up to the 21st century, the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act — created in 1998 — increased the annual visa cap to 115,00 in fscal years 1999 and 2000. The lifted capacity for H-1B visas resulted from the labor shortages that impeded the industry’s economic growth when more than 1.6 million people lost their jobs. The H-1B visa was a key resolving factor in the Dot-com recession of 2001; it helped companies recover from the massive loss of the workforce and helped the economy recover in times of rebuilding by making new technological advancements. The early 2000s marked the start of a new era — a technological era that would later transform Silicon Valley into what we know it as today.
In late December 2024, billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who are closely connected to Trump, called for expansion of the program, emphasizing its role in fostering innovation and economic growth. However, their stance provoked many of Trump’s supporters due to Trump’s past efforts to restrict the H-1B program, including reforming requirements governing the H-1B visa.
“I think people’s views on the effects of H-1B visas are dependent on their level of education on economics,” Rocklin High School junior Cole Roberts said, “If you have a semi-decent grasp on economics, then you realize that right now H-1B visas are great things for the future.”
As applicant numbers continue rising, it becomes increasingly diffcult, if not impossible, for many to gain access to the H-1B visa. The increased number of H-1B immigrants has sparked debate that the program could negatively affect domestic workers by creating additional competition for job competition. However, reports on the number of H-1B visa applicants in 2025 have declined by a staggering 38.6% due to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services making a rule to ensure only eligible candidates fle an H-1B registration. As the economy evolves, the balance between supporting foreign talent and domestic labor remains a discussion, with ongoing debates about the program’s impact on
In contributing to the workplace, H-1B visa immigrants have had a large impact on the U.S. labor force. Supporters of the H-1B visa believe that immigrants bring unique skill sets from their education
If you bring in skilled people, native-born people have more competition. But nothing is stopping locally educated people from going into those felds.
Social studies teacher
David Pugh
abroad, create new businesses and develop new ideas for various industries. In agreement with this sentiment, Musk suggested capitalizing on the opportunity offered by expanding the H-1B visa program, arguing that it is the bedrock of many tech companies.
“There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent. It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley,” Musk wrote on X.
Conservative Vivek Ramaswamy, a notorious right-wing politician, agrees with Musk. However, he advocates for additional restraints on the visa program.
“H-1B visas shouldn’t use a lottery [system], it should be based on pure merit,” Ramaswamy wrote on X.
Republicans remain divided between stances on the visa program. Right-wing infuencer Laura Loomer criticized Musk’s statement, saying the H-1B visa contradicted “America First” policies and accused tech business executives of choosing proft over national interests, a common critique among Make America Great Again — MAGA — supporters on Silicon Valley’s use of foreign labor.
Musk and Ramaswamy’s infuence on conversations about immigration has increased since their appointment to the Department Of Government Effciency, implemented by Trump on Jan. 20, 2025. As Trump signs executive orders against immigrants, such as his order to remove birthright citizenship for children of visa holders, the future of the H-1B visa remains unclear but at risk.
BY OLIVIA YUAN AND EILEEN ZHU
imbre and tone, rhythm and pitch: music’s erent forms of life, from humans to plants and animals, are as varied
ccording to the National Institute of Health, plants produce and perceive sound. Scientists have proposed that sound vibrations act as chemical and
When plants are exposed to sound vibrations, signaling mechanisms related to redox reactions alter translation, which converts DNA to RNA. Subsequently, a changed RNA forms a different protein. In short, exposure to specifc vibrations can increase carbon dioxide fxation, an integral step in photosynthesis, by affecting gene
Unlike animals, plants don’t perceive sound through a hearing instrument. Researchers are still trying to understand exact gene changes and sound signaling networks within the plants. So far, research has shown that genes such as ALD and RBCs are activated when plants are exposed to specifc frequencies, correlating to enhanced carbon dioxide fxation. In another 2018 study, treatment with 500-hertz sound causes increased production of growth-related hormones in plants.
Though the process may be as simple as pressing “play,” the effects of listening to music are complex and varied. Through stimulation and mood, music shapes cognitive and emotional states, such as by preventing boredom during repetitive work.
“When I’m performing routine tasks, such as doing my laundry or making myself breakfast, I’ll listen to fast-paced music,” said senior and Society for Psychology and Sociology president Mahati Ramakrishnan. “It helps me stay interested in the mundane task, and because it doesn’t require a lot of focus, it allows me to complete the task more effciently.”
While some studies suggest that music improves memory and cognition, others propose wit distracts from language processing. Managed by the same regions of the brain, music and language are similarly complex: the brain connects words to read paragraphs just like how it relates sounds to interpret songs.
The cognitive effects of music listening may vary by listener. Studying with
As in humans, music also infuences behaviors in animals. Animals respond well to sounds resembling their natural communication signals. For example, music with frequencies and tempo similar to a species’ natural environment has sometimes been shown to calm animals down, according to the NIH. However, animal responses to different sounds vary even within the same species.
On the contrary, orangutans prefer silence over music. Gorillas showed mixed responses: classical and forest sounds could be calming, increase stereotypic behavior or have no effect. Dogs responded to classical music by sleeping for longer periods of time; rock music was linked to more barking in one study, but had no effect in another. Animals communicate to share information. Rapid sounds are associated with arousal; long, tonal sounds with calm and dissonant sounds with fear or aggression.
background music may be detrimental to students who seek stimulation, and vice versa.
“I usually listen to classical music when I’m studying because it helps me focus more,” Ramakrishnan said. “I work better in an environment where it isn’t pitch-quiet.”
Listening to music can reduce feelings of stress and anxiety by acting on emotion, as well as enhance memory: research has shown that Alzheimer’s disease patients with severe cognitive decline still recognize and respond to their favorite music.
By activating regions of the brain like the limbic system, which processes emotions and manages memory, music boosts moods. Upon hearing a favorite song, the brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that triggers feelings of pleasure.
Music also has ties to heart health. By lulling the body into a state of relaxation, soothing music can lower heart rate and blood pressure.
BY AKASH ANAND AND ERIN FITZPATRICK
INn August 2020, California experienced a series of lightning fres throughout many Northern California counties, including Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz. While these fres could have been caused by human disruption in natural surroundings, researchers have shown that the root of these fres and many other California fres stem from increased temperatures and dry climate in the already drought-prone environment of California.
Stress on vegetation due to a prolonged drought, lasting from 2012 to 2016 and returning in 2020, led to many crops becoming increasingly dry and fammable, thus making them susceptible to major burnings. Additionally, high temperatures in California caused an expanding amount of dry lightning storms in the Pacifc Coastal Mountains surrounding Santa Cruz county, leading to hundreds of fres spreading throughout Northern Californian counties to combine.
From Dec. 26, 2022, to Jan. 17, 2023, nine atmospheric river foods fushed into California, harming Southern, Central and Northern Californian counties. Initially, heavy rainfall and snowfall caused atmospheric rivers across the state to overfow, causing a downpour onto surrounding land and a narrow stream of water vapor, fooding the streets of nearby cities.
Early education on environmental disasters such as wildfres and earthquakes is important so that homeowners can understand their risks.
Jennifer
Chua Senior and Conservation Action Association ofcer
atural disasters like wild res, oods and coastal disasters are extreme events that change and disrupt the California landscape. Due to climate change, these events are becoming more frequent and severe, heavily driven by changing weather systems and rising temperatures. According to the California Climate Adaptation Strategy, California experienced four of the 20 largest wild res in its history, with over 2.5 million acres burned across the state.
Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow sections of the Earth’s atmosphere carrying large amounts of water. They are created because water vapor in the sky mixes with the rising warm water and robust winds carry the vapor through the atmosphere, subsequently rising as it moves farther through land. While many areas of California are known to not have an abundance of heavy snow even during the winter, regions in Central California, such as Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, are surrounded by the Sierra Nevada region which typically has a surplus of snow due to mass rainfall.
A study by the Stanford Report suggests that the sudden disappearance and reappearance of major rivers throughout the state will harm the state’s natural vegetation. These impacts may make the anticipation and prediction of such disasters
IDue to the San Mateo–Santa Cruz Unit, CZU, Lightning Complex fre — one of the three major fres — nearly 700 homes were destroyed in Santa Cruz County. According to a report by the Santa Cruz Civil Grand Jury, only around one-third of the homes were fully rebuilt four years later, pushing many previous homeowners into the homelessness crisis. With total economic damages estimated at nearly $10 billion, according to a report by ABC7 News, Santa Cruz County offcials are working toward restoring the Santa Cruz area by alleviating the homeless crisis and preventing any future economic hardships.
“There are many proposed conservation, preservation and environmental strategies that have been proposed,” San José evironmental studies professor Rachel Lazzeri-Aerts said. “We need to use good scientifc knowledge to determine the best actions related to environmental management.”
exponentially harder.
Over $3 billion worth of damage and losses were reported, and further studies showed that the mass foods generated three to four times more economic damage than each would have if they had individually struck the area. This stems from deeply watersaturated soil soaking and elevated food risks in the area, forcing residents to relocate to places farther away.
Despite the foods’ lasting effects on the California droughts and vegetation, researchers and professors of environmental studies have found positive outlooks after analyzing the economic and environmental details of mass foods like this. California offcials will be able to quantify the total economic damage and make quicker and easier decisions ahead of foods and storms to inform the public. 2024 Santa Cruz Wharf Collapse
n December 2024, a 150-foot segment of the Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed into the Pacifc Ocean. This event was triggered by increasingly harsh weather conditions and the wharf’s deteriorating structure due to deferred maintenance. The collapse occurred during an unusual period of high waves — heights reaching over 19 feet. The Wharf collapse underscores the effect of climate change on local communities, showing how extreme weather events are increasingly affecting familiar places.
Increased ocean swells, long waves generated by wind over long distances, amplifed the conditions. These swells are a direct cause of climate change, which has been linked to their increased intensity and frequency. These waves now occur more regularly and compromise coastal infrastructure when combined with stronger winds. Rising ocean temperatures have intensifed storms, causing swelling and fooding in the California coast, stressing structures like the wharf. Increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have led to ocean acidifcation, a process in which seawater becomes more acidic due to excess carbon dioxide being absorbed from the atmosphere, reducing its pH. This increased acidity degrades materials like wood, concrete and steel.
Another direct cause of increasing rainfall in Santa Cruz has been mudslides. This has led to more frequent infrastructure disruptions and more dangerous roads for commuters.
“The recent mudslides have made it so that the trees on the sides of the roads and highways are unstable and fall, blocking
roads,” English teacher Maggie Welsh said. “I’ve been commuting for 20 years and never seen anything like that.”
The rise in aggressive ocean conditions have created a growing risk for coastal infrastructure. Authorities keep the public informed with offcial updates to ensure that residents are aware of any anticipated evacuation notices. Santa Cruz provided sandbag stations in the case of fooding and had crews working to clear storm drains to reduce the likelihood of blockages. The efforts of Santa Cruz authorities and volunteers aim to minimize the damage that heavy rainfall and natural disasters bring. As climate change continues to drive extreme weather events, coastal communities can expect more severe and frequent fooding, stronger storms and higher tides across California. These could lead to more serious coastal erosion and cause damage to existing infrastructure.
A few years ago, a section of the West Cliff Drive collapsed due to a wave. The same waves that damaged the wharf also damaged the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor and destroyed many piers and slips.
Nate Martell Social studies teacher
On Jan. 7, the Palisades Fire ignited in the Pacifc Palisade Hills, one of the most affuent neighborhoods in Los Angeles, Calif. Aided by the extreme Santa Ana winds and an unusually dry October, the fre spread quickly, rapidly engulfng thousands of acres of land within days of its start. The Eaton Fire in Altadena destroyed a historic Black community, erasing its rich heritage and historical landmarks. Mandatory evacuation was issued for those in the Pacifc Palisades and certain areas of Malibu. As the week went on, the fre had burned over 24,000 acres of land, making it one of the most destructive wildfres in the history of Los Angeles County. With hundreds suffering from injuries that ranged from burns and smoke inhalation, over 200,000 residents were forced to leave their homes as professionals struggled to control the damage of the fre.
With winds reaching up to 55 miles per hour, the Palisades fre spread quickly and effciently, burning everything in its path. Warmer ocean temperatures and
changing atmospheric systems contribute to more intense wind events in places like Southern California. These winds, commonly known as the Santa Ana winds, have become increasingly strong due to rising temperatures. Pressure systems that drive the winds have intensifed immensely, increasing the speed of the winds.
Climate change has contributed to the increased frequency and intensity of extreme dry spells, which dry out vegetation and create ideal conditions for wildfres to spread. The relentless dry season has left vegetation highly fammable and brittle, creating fuel that worsens advancing fames. The increased temperatures and prolonged droughts only intensify these conditions, making wildfres more diffcult to contain and more likely to start. The Environmental Defense Fund warns that unless signifcant policies are made to contain the present damage of climate risks, wildfres and extreme natural disasters of this nature will become more frequent. According to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, a one-degree Celsius increase in the average annual temperature can lead to a median increase of 600% in the area burned by wildfres.
BY BRIAN LEE AND EMILY PEDROZA
Two days after the re-election of President Donald Trump, California Governor Gavin Newsom and other Democrats called for California to “Trump-proof” itself — the process of enacting policies or measures at a state level to shield against potentially harmful federal policies from the Trump administration. Such policies include, but are not limited to, mass deportation of illegal immigrants, rollbacks on current efforts to prevent climate change and reproductive freedom. But California is not the only state to attempt to “Trump-proof”. Other Democratic-leaning states, such as Colorado, Massachusetts and New York similarly pushed for measures to fght against Trump’s expected policies and executive orders signed after his inauguration. “The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack — and we won’t sit idle,” Newsom said in a statement on Nov. 7, 2024.
However, experts say that the battles may be even more diffcult, stating that Trump plans to bring back his policies from his frst term, but in a more strategic way.
“I’m very fearful of what might happen. It’s important constitutionally that the states maintain their aspects of power. State power should not be intentionally usurped by the federal government where the states have clear control in certain areas of power and policy-making.
Mike Williams Social studies teacher
On Oct. 27 in a New York City rally, nine days before the 2024 election, Trump said, “On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history to get the criminals out.”
In response, Newsom has pushed for a senate bill that would allocate $25 million to fund nonproft organizations in California, protecting and supporting undocumented immigrants against the mass deportations. On Dec. 24, 2024, it was also reported that Newsom and Democrats had developed a draft plan for these individuals to provide further access to legal services, schooling and even local governments. However, some have doubts about whether Newsom’s plan will be able to fully protect undocumented immigrants from the upcoming anti-immigration efforts.
Trump’s administration followed through with their plans, with the president announcing in his Jan. 20 inaugural address that “all illegal entry will be halted” and that millions of “criminal aliens” will be deported. Subsequently, he shut down the Customs and Border Patrol One app that had allowed migrants and many asylum seekers to schedule immigration appointments at the United States border for the past four years.
Thousands of incoming legal migrants had their appointments canceled as a result.
Additionally, Trump signed a bundle of executive orders cracking down on immigration. Executive orders allow the president to implement policies and make decisions without needing new legislation passed by Congress. Included in the 26 orders signed on inauguration day is one attempting to dismantle birthright citizenship, a right guaranteed in the Constitution. Senior U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour of Seattle quickly issued an order blocking the policy from taking effect for 14 days. The order will either need to be approved by the federal courts or passed as a constitutional amendment by Congress in order to take effect, which is unlikely given that there are already four states — Arizona, Illinois, Oregon and Washington — seeking to block the order.
“Birthright citizenship is deeply ingrained in the Constitution,” said Dr. Cynthia Kaufman, a social justice studies professor at De Anza College. “The president can say that it’s gone and scare people, but laws and rules are powers frozen in time.”
California’s Democratic leadership seems unlikely to comply with the new order: in the Dec. 17 news briefng about immigrant protections, California mentioned that they have pushed for new guidance and resources to support law enforcement, prosecutors and victims of xenophobic hate crimes.
On the day of his inauguration, Trump announced his intent to lower infation by making changes to the gas industry. His current plans are to lower overall gas prices in the U.S., refll strategy reserves, export more oil around the world and remove any current policy or limitation that blocks him from his gas goals.
“Californians are paying a devastating price for the climate crisis, as escalating disasters destroy entire communities and drive insurance costs through the roof,” said San Francisco Senator Wiener in a Jan. 27 press release. “Containing these costs is critical to our recovery and to the future of our state.”
“We have the largest amount of oil and gas of any country on Earth, and we are going to use it,” Trump said in his Jan. 20 inauguration speech.
He also immediately withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, an international agreement aimed to reduce the effects of global warming. He stated his intention to end the Green New Deal and revoke the electrical vehicle mandate, with expressed hope to “save” the auto-vehicle industry and to challenge California’s mandate to end all gas vehicles by 2035 and achieve a net zero carbon pollution by 2045.
Trump is also considering ending the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a national agency created to support and protect citizens from hazards and provide disaster relief. Since January, Trump has been questioning FEMA’s effectiveness in dealing with the wildfres and has suggested that the government should directly send funds to states. On Jan 24., he established a 20 person committee via executive order to examine the agency.
Topics of climate change have also been highly discussed recently in the face of the Los Angeles fres this January. Responding to backward climate change progress, Gavin Newsome quickly released a Jan. 20 statement after Trump removed himself from the Paris Agreement, commenting “If you don’t believe in science, believe your own damn eyes” with clipped photos from the Los Angeles fres.
On Jan. 23, Newsom also implemented a $2.5 billion fund to immediately “bolster ongoing response efforts and jumpstart recovery and rebuilding,” although it is uncertain whether this
is enough to fully fund California’s wildfre response.
Newsom is just following the interests of the people here. In AP Government, we’re learning about how our legislators and representatives are supposed to pick what’s best for the majority that they represent. That’s what California stands for, and what people in this area want to protect.
Zoey Lim Senior
Trump campaigned with the policy of allowing states to legislate their own abortion rights, but has not released policies regarding access to abortion pills. Regardless, some — including National Public Radio writer Selena Simmons-Duffn — predict that Trump may bring back the Comstock Act, an act used to limit abortion medication and restrict abortion rights silently. This theory is based on the actions Trump and his political supporters have made since taking offce.
When Ohio passed a constitutional amendment protecting abortion up to 20 weeks, Vice President J.D. Vance turned to X, posting: “There is something sociopathic about a political movement that tells young women (and men) that it is liberating to murder their own children.” Additionally, “abortion” search results are now missing from the Department of Health and Human Services, where there were previously 166 results.
Newsom and other California Democrats plan to prevent the Trump Administration’s potential legislation from challenging existing reproductive rights for Californians and other Americans. Historically, California has been known as a sanctuary for those who need access to an abortion. Lawmakers have spent the past few years passing policies to preserve access to abortions, including a $20 million grant to help fund travel for individuals in other states to travel to California and to protect insurance coverage for abortion, providing support services such as transportation, lodging and child care. In the face of Trump’s new administration, California lawmakers have introduced the AB-54 Access to Safe Abortion Care Act on Dec. 2, 2024, which aims to ensure access availability to abortion pills by reflling California’s stockpiled doses of misoprostol, a medicine prescribed for a safe medical
BY CECILIA WU
As Lynbrook’s boys basketball program takes off this season, its coaching staff features dedicated mentors with distinct journeys. Having once faced off on the court as opponents, freshmen head coach Ajay Singh and varsity assistant coach Ajit Vijayakumar now bring their shared love of basketball into the program, drawing from their own high school and collegiate experiences.
of the game, Vijayakumar quickly picked up the sport. Although he had played previously, he only began taking basketball seriously in high school.
Singh, however, had a different introduction to sports. His athletic journey began with fag football. After playing four weeks of fag football, he found he disliked the physicality of the sport and decided to transition to basketball where he discovered he had a talent for the game.
the Lynbrook program. For Vijayakumar, returning to Lynbrook as a basketball coach was always a goal.
“I just love being around basketball and want to give back so kids can have a great experience,” Vijayakumar said.
said. “It’s the same with basketball: preparation is key.”
Similarly, Singh hopes his players can learn from his own experience as an athlete and work ethic. Additionally, he looks up to Vijayakumar as a mentor.
Looking ahead, Vijayakumar and Singh hope to see Lynbrook’s boys basketball program become more competitive with top public schools.
said. “That was
Though they attended different schools, Vijayakumar and Singh grew up competing against each other in local basketball leagues. Vijayakumar played at Miller Middle School before moving on to Lynbrook, while Singh played at Hyde Middle School before continuing at Cupertino High School.
One game in particular stands out to both of them — their junior-year matchup, where Singh scored 39 points in a double-
After graduating from Cupertino, Singh initially doubted his ability to play at the collegiate level. He began at a community college, where he quickly became the second-leading scorer in California and won his conference’s Most Valuable Player award. He then transferred multiple times, ultimately ending up at Westmont College, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school, where he continued to excel as the team’s leading scorer. After graduating, he played professionally in Eastern Europe and Canada for two years before transitioning to coaching due to a torn labrum.
“I wanted to stick around the game,
“I tell the boys to take it game by game
BY TAEK KIM
According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, more than 520,000 studentathletes participate in collegiate sports. In fact, it doesn’t even come close to the actual number of college student-athletes who participate in sports — many students participate in college sports through club and intramural teams as well.
Students who fnd themselves looking to play their sport professionally often consider being recruited to a collegiate sports team. Collegiate athletes represent their college, actively playing against teams from other schools. Governed by large sports organizations such as the NCAA, collegiate sports are divided into three different divisions: Division I is the most competitive, time-consuming and generous in scholarships; Division II tends to be less competitive with fewer scholarship opportunities than Division I, but is still a popular among students looking to commit time to collegiate athletics; Division III is the least time-consuming and for students who are seeking a more traditional college experience.
“Being recruited to play a sport typically means you’re at the top of the game — not just in your high school, but also probably in the county — and colleges have heard about you,” College and Career Adviser Shveta Bagade said.
“But you can also be the one to initiate communications with college coaches following recruiting rules. You can email a coach and say, ‘Hey, I’m interested in playing for your team.’”
However, some students may be looking for more casual and less timeintensive opportunities that would still allow them to participate in college athletics. One option is club sports, where students can compete against clubs from other colleges normally within the same region. Club sports also offer sports that may not be recognized by the NCAA, such as bowling and esports. While entry to the club team is not as selective as that of collegiate sports, some teams can still be competitive in terms of recruitment. The process differs by the school and sport, but prospective athletes typically fll out an interest form to be invited for tryouts. Tryouts are similar to high school sports: prospective athletes can expect conditioning, an evaluation of physical ftness level and endurance and an assessment of technical skills specifcally for the sport.
“While NCAA teams and games are run by professional staff, many club teams tend to be run by the students,” Bagade said. “They often have coaches that are hired, but it’s the students who are really taking care of logistics. In a way,
it helps students gain leadership and management skills.”
Another alternative for students is intramural teams, where multiple teams for a sport exist within an institution and compete against each other. Intramural teams are known to be low-stakes and can be as simple as a group of friends starting their own team.
professionally in a varsity team or competing for fun in an intramural team, there’s always a place for anyone of any level to fulfll their athletic passions in college.
“As a college student, you have so many different ways to be involved in sports,” Bagade said. “It all comes down to the level of your skill and how
BY ALYSSA WANG
Nested within the shelves of Room 603 are four black-and-white Lynbrook yearbooks and two special photo albums, preserving the memories of business teacher Andrea Badger’s time on the Lynbrook cheer team.
Badger participated in the cheer team from 1992 to 1996, but her cheer team looked a lot different than Lynbrook’s current team. At that time, they had four different cheer teams: JV and varsity cheer and JV and varsity song. The cheer team performed chants and stunts without any background music, while the song team danced to music.
Not only were there four different teams, Badger
times a week for around two hours in the evening,” Badger said. “Evening practices also depended on when our coaches could be there.”
However, Badger’s coaches were more similar to advisers due to their lack of cheer experience. Some years, they had parents who were specifcally hired to be their adviser, and other times, they just had two teachers at practices.
“All of our coaches were like supervisors,” Badger said. “We ran our own practices and did our own warm-ups and choreography. Some of the coaches didn’t know anything about cheerleading at all.”
Despite these challenges, the team did well at competitions. In competitive cheer, teams advance to Nationals if they receive a “superior”
beyond
competitions — they were also deeply involved in “We were so much more involved in the community,” Badger said. “On back-to-school night, we would always come in our uniforms and help direct parents. We did a lot of the things that ASB now volunteers for. We were more school leaders than we
really struggled to connect with their new coach.
“It showed in our attitudes and ultimately in our record,” Morelos said.
Luckily, Morelos reached out to Standy Stober, the athletic director at the time, to express her team’s concerns about continuing with that mentorship, and by the end of the spring of 2000, their coach was removed from his position.
a.m.,” Morelos said. “We always played in spring and summer leagues too. For me, it never stopped. Everything was
Howden played for Lynbrook’s water polo team from 1991 to 1995 as a feld player, mainly positioned at the wing, which is the position off the sides of the goal cage. He competed with the JV team but quickly advanced to the varsity team for the next three years. “It was a lot of fun,” Howden said. “There was a sense of camaraderie. We were all friends and had played together for so long.”
At that time, sports seasons lasted a few weeks more
entire frst semester up through Thanksgiving that we didn’t have tournament play,” Howden said. “We played upward of 36 to 40 games a year.”
Luckily, the team had a sizable roster, which meant more effcient practices.
Because both varsity and JV had enough players to feld two full teams, they were able to have a lot more scrimmages, actively implementing new plays and
learning what to avoid in competition games.
“We practiced a lot more than they do now, and we played a lot more games than they do now,” Howden said.
BY CHARLOTTE BOLAY
Dancers lift their legs from the ground with toes pointed outward, each member of a team moving in unison. The team has been anticipating the Universal Dance Association college nationals, widely known as the “Super Bowl of dance.”
The UDA was founded in 1980 by Kris Shepard and Jeff Webb, originally named “Universal Dance Camps,” hosting camps then known as “drill teams.” To appeal to new dancers, the term “dance teams” was coined. Today, the UDA provides high-quality training and competition to dancers across the country, packed with performances and passionate dancers.
“I didn’t know about UDA until I joined the dance team in high school. I watch it every competition season on YouTube because it inspires me to keep working hard.
Angelina Zhou Junior and dancer
“
Categories of dance performed include jazz, pom, hip-hop and game day. Each category of dance has characteristics that set them apart. Jazz prioritizes fuid
movement; hip-hop focuses on highenergy and complex footwork; pom includes sharp movements and clean acrobatics, while game day is a test of spirit and boldness.
“When I watch UDA, I notice how in sync the dancers are,” sophomore and dancer Eunice Leung said. “You can see the passion in each of the dances and that’s really inspiring for me.”
The UDA college nationals were hosted at Disney World in Orlando from Jan. 17-19. After an intense battle on the foor, 11 teams won in 12 divisions, with the University of Minnesota securing two frst-place wins.
In 2024, Ohio State University’s victory in the jazz category caused controversy. OSU and the UMN have had an intense rivalry. UMN’s routine included some of the most diffcult choreography ever performed at UDA college nationals, leading some watchers to believe they deserved the victory. However, captivating performance eventually secured their victory with incredible twirls, jumps, synchronicity and a gravity-defying stunt to open the number.
“My favorite UDA performance is the 2022 Louisiana State University Dance Team hip-hop,” Zhou said. “This was the frst UDA performance I’ve ever watched and is the most memorable.”
Although practice is arduous, as each motion must be perfected, nothing compares to competition day. Fueled by excitement and nervousness, dancers anticipate the moment they step onto the foor.
“I don’t get nervous until about an hour before the competition,” freshman and dancer Emma Wu said. “Then, right before I go on stage, it hits me.”
While glory awaits winners of the UDA, a mistake can be fatal to a dancer’s reputation. “I wouldn’t like to compete in college nationals because there’s too much pressure involved,” Zhou said. “If you make a mistake, people will post about it on social media”
Although teams are extremely competitive, the atmosphere is generally welcoming. Dancers who attend top competitions often share the same passion and determination for dancing.
“When I am at a competition, it’s very supportive since even though we are
competing against each other,” freshman and dancer Celina Chen said. “We get to be with so many other people who love dancing, it’s like one big family.”
The UDA college nationals provide a way for dance teams to connect and celebrate their hard work amid the ferce competition. The Valkyries and many other teams across the country often use the UDA college nationals as inspiration for ensuring a successful and powerful performance.
BY ISABELLA CHIU
Hands shaking from high pressure, sophomore Justin Liu raises the white ball to serve to the best player in the 15 and Under Boys’ Singles event at the 2024 United States Open Table Tennis Championship. Eyes locked directly with his opponent’s, Liu remembers his coach’s words: Just play your shots. Have confdence. Whatever happens, happens. Still shaking, but with a renewed sense of resolve, he tosses the ball in the air, ready for the match against his opponent, Charles Shen.
Since June 2017, table tennis has been an integral part of Liu’s life. What started off as a curious interest in his family’s table tennis table grew into a passion and commitment that surpassed Liu’s initial expectations. Before he began playing table tennis, Liu competed in multiple sports such as club soccer, gymnastics and swimming. His diverse athletic background helped him effciently pick up table tennis during a summer camp hosted by the World Champions Table Tennis Academy.
“It’s a fast sport,” Liu said. “There are many small details to pay attention to such as the spin, speed and arc trajectory of the ball. It’s challenging, but it’s also fun.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Liu took a break from training, yet his passion spurred him to fully commit to the sport soon after. Two years behind his peers who had spent the pandemic training, Liu’s comparatively stagnant progress led him to slightly regret his choice of committing. Regardless, for the next eight months after August 2021, Liu pushed through, determined to improve as much as possible.
“Every single day of training, I always see him working hard,” 888 Table Tennis player Kef Noorani said. “He’s very serious, and I think that pushes me to be even better and try to beat him every time.”
To further develop his skills, Liu went through the two-week 2024 China-U.S. Youth Table Tennis Invitational and Training Camp in Beijing. Staying at the Nord Anglia School Beijing Shunyi dorm, Liu spent two weeks balancing sightseeing and fun with hardcore training. From receiving feedback bequeathed upon him by experienced coaches to making friends with Beijing’s A team table tennis players, this rigorous exchange program marked a highlight in Liu’s entire experience.
“I was so happy to do what I loved nearly every single day,” Liu said. “I was exposed to a new training
environment and worked with so many talented athletes and coaches who graced me with invaluable knowledge.”
One aspect of table tennis that drew Liu in was the opportunity to compete individually. This gave him the freedom to focus on refning his own performance, rather than worrying about his teammates. Although Liu does not have teammates playing alongside him directly, he has a community of coaches and friends he practiced with at the 888 Table Tennis Center who provide Liu immense support.
“Having people on the sidelines cheering and coaching you emphasizes that strong community aspect,” Liu said. “Also, trying to be at the same level, or even better, than my friends is a big motivator for me to be the best player possible.”
In addition to support from his table tennis
role in supporting his passion. The countless hours of accompanying Liu to his various tournaments and their focus on his enjoyment of the sport instead of his results provides a supportive and low-pressure environment for Liu to thrive.
“My parents never discouraged me,” Liu said. “Even if I don’t perform well or if I’m frustrated, they don’t get upset because they know that I really enjoy the sport.”
Table tennis has not always come easy for Liu. He grappled with keeping his emotions in check during and after matches. To combat this, he focused on what he could do in the future instead of dwelling on prior mistakes. Over many years of practice and discipline, Liu has improved in this aspect of emotional control, contributing to his own overall maturation as a person.
“The greatest growth that I’ve seen from Liu really is his psychology: handling and understanding of his own emotions,” 888 Table Tennis coach Sean Lee said. “You can only handle your emotions if you understand why you have them, how you feel in those moments and what the best path forward is when you feel those feelings.”
Liu applied these very same lessons as he battled Shen in the U.S. Open match. Despite injuring his sacroiliac joint just days before and losing to Shen in previous matches, Liu’s confdence and observations of Shen’s prior matches gave him an advantage in the game.
Staying calm, playing his shots and sticking with his strategy, Liu emerged victorious in a close game. Cheers erupted from the audience, his dad, friends and coaches, all there to see his
“I felt like I was dreaming,” Liu said. “It’s kind of crazy. All our previous encounters were entirely one-sided, so beating him was a sign that I was getting closer to being on pace with the other kids in my age
Aspiring to eventually make the U19 Pan American table tennis team, Liu continues to train for future tournaments and competitions. With a National Junior Ranking tournament coming up on the weekend of President’s Day, he is working harder than ever to be as prepared as possible.
“This tournament is important for the national team qualifcation system,” Liu said. “I’m looking forward to going there to compete and see what I can do.”