Epic Issue 2, 2018

HOMECOMING ENZO CALBATIC

E ONG — EPIC

AUDREY WONG AND NICOLE ONG — EPIC

SADHANA SHAR

MA AND SRINID

HI SESHARDRI

— EPIC

RACHEL WU — EPIC

S

ince Lynbrook’s first Homecoming took place in 1968, the tradition has become one of the defining highlights of the school year. Decorations, skits, dances, a football game, a dance and usually, a rally come into play in this annual display of school spirit.

With the changes to the campus and this school year, however, the long-running tradition was shaken up a bit.

Amid the spectacular skits, dazzling dances, elaborate decorations, football game and dance came adjustments due to construction, scheduling issues and other factors. For instance, the pickle ball courts replaced the currently torndown quad as the stage, while the first Homecoming parade replaced the typical Homecoming rally, which was scheduled to take place a couple of weeks after Homecoming week.

To ensure a successful Homecoming, each aspect, from decorations to skits and dances, must be coordinated and planned in detail. With new and long-standing challenges arising along the way, classes and Lynbrook staff alike must battle their way to Homecoming week. During the final week leading up to Homecoming week, those involved in creating the class backdrop and various decorations usually stay up late to finish painting and putting things together, ultimately transporting them to Lynbrook the night before the class performance. Furthermore, those participating in dances wake up early in order to attend practices before school.

BY RISA MORI

A

A AND NICOL

BY JESSICA LI

The reality of local housing for teachers

Homecoming was not, however, always like this. Fifty years ago, Lynbrook Homecoming simply involved a football game, a rally, Homecoming princesses accompanied by male escorts (there were no princes yet) and a Homecoming dance. As Lynbrook Homecoming became more prominent, classes also started decorating the school with planters and a backdrop, setting up gauntlets, performing skits and participating in dances. In 2003, to push back the freshman Homecoming day since it fell on a Jewish holiday, teachers began their own tradition of acting out skits of their own.

Although Homecoming is found at almost every high school across America, even high schools in the FUHSD district celebrate Homecoming differently. While Lynbrook and other schools celebrate with themed skits, dances and decorations, schools such as Monta Vista High School do not have class gauntlets, while Homestead High School does not feature skits or dances at all. In addition, other schools outside of the district may only have a football game and a dance.

What remains the same, though, is the goal of Homecoming: to welcome back alumni and unify the school.

This issue, we welcome you to dive deeper into the world of Homecoming. From the changes and challenges faced this year to the history of Lynbrook’s Homecoming and comparisons with how other schools celebrate this event, relive the memories and experiences of a tradition fifty years in the making. see HOMECOMING pg 10

mid protests, the San Jose Unified School District (SJUSD) proposed to build affordable housing for teachers and other employees at its Sept. 27 board meeting. While some community members are concerned over the plan’s negative impact on home values and taxpayers, the district’s proposal addressed a concern of many Bay Area school districts: providing affordable housing for teachers and staff in the costly Silicon Valley market.

The proposal targets the housing shortage within the community and retain employees who have long commutes.

The SJUSD identified nine district-owned properties on which it could build several hundred new units of affordable housing for teachers and other school employees. Some of these properties include schools such as Leland High School, which the SJUSD is considering tearing down and relocating to renovate aging school buildings and make way for housing.

Following news of the proposal, many community members reacted negatively to low-income housing in a prosperous area, as it would lower the value of their homes and tear down the well-established schools. A petition against the SJUSD Board of Trustees, who drafted the plan, received more than 6,000 signatures within a month.

The SJUSD is not alone in its efforts to create affordable housing for teachers. The Los Altos School District Board of Trustees is seeking to set aside $600,000 that could create up to 120 below-market units in Palo Alto that teachers could afford. For this project, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors have already set aside $6 million, as well as a $3 million contribution from the city of Palo Alto. Housing shortages drive out employees, potentially decreasing the quality of education available at schools by turning away experienced teachers.

The affordable housing issue is a reality at Lynbrook as well. According to special education teacher Miguel Alderete, in the last decade, Lynbrook teachers have continually been pushed outside the area, as they can no longer afford the rising housing costs.

“When I first got hired here in 2002, there were five, six teachers who lived in the neighborhood,” Alderete said. “Now, there aren’t many teachers in the Lynbrook attendance area, and no one has a house unless they got it through family or are married and have dual incomes. Pretty much everyone here now lives outside the community, and some teachers even live in Santa Cruz.”

As housing prices have risen in the years following the 2008 financial crisis, Lynbrook teachers face the dilemma of earning too much to qualify for low-income housing, but too little to afford market-rate rent and home prices in the Lynbrook attendance area. see TEACHER HOUSING pg 14

MARCHING BAND // pg. 16

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NEWS

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

Lynbrook debaters make history with gold bid win

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CINDY XU

sk any debater, and the ultimate goal for his or her debate career would be to compete in the most prestigious competition for high school debaters: the Tournament of Champions (TOC), held annually in Kentucky. For juniors Cindy Xu and Rachana Muvvala — Public Forum debate partners and Vice President and Secretary Treasurer, respectively, of Lynbrook’s Speech and Debate Club — this dream became a reality at the Stephen Stewart Invitational, which took place from Sept.

29 to 30 at Milpitas H i g h School.

Despite how early

in the school year the tournament was, Xu and Muvvala attribute their success to their extensive preparation, tarting from the summer. When the school year began, their preparation only intensified.

“We did a couple of practice debates and continued researching,” Muvvala said.

“Going into the tournament, we were feeling more confident than usual because we had a decent amount of preparation done.”

The two got off to a strong start in the tournament, winning four out of six rounds in the preliminary competition, and entered the elimination rounds. After advancing through three elimination rounds, the team received the silver bid by qualifying for semifinals, and later earned a gold bid upon reaching the final round, qualifying them for TOC. The pair is the first team in Lynbrook Speech and Debate history to qualify for a gold bid, which gained them an entry in the TOC, which teams qualify for by earning either a gold bid or two silver bids.

“After each round we won, we got a little more excited,” Muvvala said. “After we won [the semifinals], we were like, ‘No way, this isn’t happening;’ it was not expected at all, but it was also really rewarding to feel like the hard work we put in really paid off.”

Xu and Muvvala participated in Public Forum debate, a form of partner debate, in Miller Middle School’s Speech and Debate Club, . The two ended up debating together by chance, as both entered the club without partners.

Though they both admit that there was some discomfort initially, the dynamic has since changed.

“I remember being a bossy partner in the beginning, so the partnership was a little weird at first, but by the end of seventh grade, we had become way closer,” Muvvala said. “We became Public Forum partners

again halfway through sophomore year. This time around, the relationship was different because we had been good friends for a while.”

After debating Public Forum at Miller, the two switched to Lincoln-Douglas, a style of one-on-one debate, throughout eighth and ninth grade. They decided to switch back to Public Forum in sophomore year due to time constraints and travel costs. Upon their return, they reunited as debate partners.

Working as a team has since been their preference. Both have found that having a partner during rounds has been beneficial.

“I think two heads are better than one,” Xu said. “Sometimes in a round, I’ll blank out and be like ‘Hey Rachana, help me out,’ and she’ll know exactly what to say. Other times, she might ask me to explain something to her; it makes for good partner support.”

Their close-knit relationship encourages them to push one another to fulfill their responsibilities.

“Working together helps us grow as debaters; we try being pretty critical of each other in practice,” Muvvala said. “It’s a team effort, we check each other to make sure everything is going well and our speeches are coming along.”

Though Xu and Muvvala cannot begin formal preparation for the TOC until the topic is released a couple months before the tournament takes place in April 2019, they plan to employ their usual preparation style, and potentially ramp up their regimen in anticipation of the tough competition. They continuously seek the feedback of other team members and consult with their coach to strengthen their arguments.

“Our case will go through tons of revisions,” Muvvala said. “We build a

case, either on our own or together, then we have an informal debate about it. If we are able to quickly find holes in our arguments, we will probably get rid of that argument, and we repeat the process until we find something really strong.”

In spite of their success, the pair remains humble going into the TOC. “Four years ago we would not have expected this. We still did not expect it this year, but sometimes luck goes in your favor,” Xu said. “We obviously do not only debate just for wins, but those are definitely an additional confidence boost. We keep on doing d e b a t e because we g e n u i n e ly just love it.”

RACHANA MUVVALA

BY DIVYA NELAKONDA

ARUL GNANAVISAM — EPIC

Fright Night: An evening of Halloween fun

Letter from the Editors Dear readers,

Be sure to flip to our first centerspread in this special 20-page issue of the Epic.

Our Homecoming centerspread is located at middle of our paper (pg. 10, 11) and reflects upon a trademark tradition of the beginning of each school year. These two pages include coverage of the changes to and challenges of Homecoming this year, as well as its history at Lynbrook and a comparison with what local schools include in their festivities.

Our staff editorial (pg. 6) highlights the various traffic incidents that have been occurring around Lynbrook and proposes ways in which students, parents and staff can help improve the traffic safety situation before and after school. Other stories to look out for this issue include a recap on the first choir concert of the year, “Fright Night” (pg. 2), the recovery journey of junior Trisha Sengupta after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma disease in the eighth grade (pg. 7), an investigation of the difficulties in providing affordable teacher housing in Silicon Valley (pg. 1, 14) and a feature on the expanded PE Inclusive class this year (pg. 17). Be sure to visit our website, lhsepic.com, for related photos, infographics, other multimedia packages and additional stories as well.

Your Editors-in-Chief, Justine Chen and Michelle Lum

BY ELENA WILLIAMS

he lights dim. Flying bats, black cauldrons and sinister mummies frame the darkening stage. The back of the auditorium is awash with an eerie red glow, the color shifting as the performers take their places in front of the stage. Dressed in all-black gowns, the Dolcissima girls choir faces the audience, some donning witch hats, others wearing skeletal makeup. Together, they take a breath and a soft minor chord rings out, opening the Fright Night concert.

This year’s annual fall concert for choir and band, themed “Fright Night,” was a musical adventure into the world of Halloween. On the evening of Oct. 24, the choirs, symphonic band and wind ensemble performed a repertoire of spooky pieces for their first concert of the year, captivating their audience with the spirit of the fall holiday. During the intermission, the colorguard team sold an assortment of festive homemade and store-bought baked goods to fundraise for the Lynbrook music program.

For many band and choir students, the fall concert is their first performance of the

season. While the marching band performs frequently at games and tournaments, the symphonic band, wind ensemble and choirs have fewer opportunities to showcase their talents, making their time in the spotlight even more meaningful.

“We want to give the band students who aren’t in marching band their chance to perform,” said instrumental music director Michael Pakaluk. “So, we always have a midOctober concert. We try to mix up the themes year to year so it stays interesting.”

Because the theme was less formal and more whimsical than those of other concerts, Pakaluk and vocal music director Crystal Isola had the liberty of choosing pieces from a diverse range of musical genres. From classic ghostly choral arrangements to even modern pop tunes, all of the songs shared some connection to the spirit of Halloween.

The boys’ choir’s rendition of “Gone, Gone, Gone” held undertones of dark humor, as the choir serenaded a plastic skeleton with the words, “I’ll love you long after you’re gone.”

The combined boys’ choir lightened the mood with Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” featuring two soloists, sophomore Austin Huang and junior Gaurav Rajan. During the second half of the concert, the girls’ choir

GIRLS CHOIR | Girls choir dances to “I’m in Love with a Monster,” a song many may recognize from the movie Hotel Transylvania 2.

BOYS CHOIR | With faces painted in spooky make-up, the combined boys choir performs “Superstition”, a pop song by Stevie Wonder.

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even danced as they sang Fifth Harmony’s hit song “I’m in Love with a Monster.”

“I feel like [Fright Night] is relatable to the audience,” said junior and girls choir member Anna Chiang. “People who don’t know much about music can still watch the performance and feel welcome. Everyone enjoys the Halloween vibe, which makes the concert more fun for us and for the listeners.”

Several band and choir members felt that the concert provided a unique experience for the performers to express themselves in their presentation.

“I thought it was a fun experience because of the spooky theme,” said senior and wind ensemble member Jay Tong. “We were all able to dress up in costumes instead of our normal concert attire. There were witches, saints and all kinds of different quirky characters on stage.”

The last notes of the final piece, “Nausicaa Requiem,” marked the end of a night filled with song, dance and celebration. As members of the wind ensemble took their bows and Pakaluk, dressed as a hooded samurai in black and red, bade the audience good night, the performers and all in attendance left the event ready to embrace the spirit of Halloween.

ELENA WILLIAMS — EPIC

WIND ENSEMBLE | Wind Ensemble plays two festive arrangements to end the concert: “The Witch and the Saint” and “Nausicaa Requiem”.

NOVEMBER 9, 2018 News in Brief

Veterans Day There will be no classes on Nov. 12 due to Veterans Day. On Nov. 11, the City of Cupertino is holding a ceremony at Memorial Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the dedication of the Cupertino Veterans Memorial and to honor our veterans, active duty military and first responders.

Attend the ceremony as a way to salute those who have served.

Drama Fall Showcase The fall drama showcase will be from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 15, Nov. 16 and Nov. 17 at Studio 74. Students will present acts that they have written themselves and from the class library.

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students playing other sports such as football, baseball and basketball.

“You guys are much more liberal,” said exchange student junior Jyotiraditya Mohanry. “It’s pretty strict [in India].” Babu explained differences between student life in India and California. “[Their] school does not even allow them to take their phones on to the school campus,” said Babu. “Here, we can use our phone in some classes.”

Despite their differences, the exchange students also observed similarities they shared with Lynbrook students. They wore American brands such as Abercrombie and Fitch, and due to Cupertino’s large Indian population, they felt at home.

“I think they are just like us,” Babu said.

“They are addicted to their phones, and most of them are also studying for the SAT.” For both the students and hosts, the program was a fun way to learn about different cultures. Most importantly, perhaps, was the fact that the hosts and students discovered that they share many things in common with each other.

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isiting a new country often fosters an appreciation for other cultures, with new experiences and friends. On Oct. 17, 13 students from SAI International School in Bhubaneswar, India, visited Lynbrook as part of the Cupertino-Bhubaneswar Sister City initiative, a program established to initiate positive relationships between the sister cities. This event marked the first student exchange between the two cities since they became sister cities in Nov. 2012.

The SAI International School is in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, a state in northeast India. The school, which is named after the Indian saint Sai Baba, ranks first in Odisha and third among all international schools in India. Prospective students applied for the exchange program and were selected by their student government.

During their week-long stay in the Bay Area, the exchange students lived with host students from one of the five schools in the FUHSD. The exchange students met mayor Barry Chang at the Cupertino City Hall and attended a city council meeting. They also toured the Apple Campus and spent a day at Great America, where they were lucky enough to meet Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry.

“I took my exchange student to get the classic Cupertino food: boba,” said senior Keerthana Babu, one of the Lynbrook student hosts.

“Everyone was just really crazy about boba; one student

bought it every single day she was here.”

While at Lynbrook, the students shadowed their hosts to each of their classes. Lynbrook junior Aanand Kaith, junior Amlan Das’s host student, noted that Das enjoyed meeting Lynbrook teachers, such as Economics and U.S. Government teacher Mr. Williams.

“At Lynbrook, teachers will make lots of jokes, and keep the students interested,” Kainth said. “In India, if you fall behind, the teacher won’t slow down, and you will have to learn by yourself.”

In general, the students enjoyed Cupertino’s relaxed atmosphere, which they said differed from life in India. Students in India have to wear uniforms to school, and soccer and cricket are the nation’s main sports. At Lynbrook, the exchange students wore the clothes they wanted and observed

Y RAC ION B

by Sunny Li

BY ENZO CABALTICA

T USTRA IC ILL

Thanksgiving Week Schedule During the week of Nov. 22, enjoy Thursday and Friday off for Thanksgiving.

There will also be a special schedule that week with periods 1, 2, 3 and 7 on Tuesday while periods 4, 5, 6 are on Wednesday. Be sure to take the week to spend time with family and friends and eat some good food!

India exchange bridges cultural gap

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LIMB Craft Faire Come out to Lynbrook’s annual Craft Faire to do some early holiday shopping and support our music programs! The event will be is at Lynbrook on Saturday, Nov. 17, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be handmade crafts and artwork for sale, as well as music, food trucks and a bake sale.

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NEWS

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Students face unsafe traffic conditions daily

BY KAVYA IYER

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n their way to school, students may worry about the math test they have first period or the presentation they have in history.

Some, unfortunately, worry about getting injured and not making it to school. During drop off and pick up times, the streets around Lynbrook become congested, making it hard for students who walk or bike to navigate the roads safely. Crowded streets have been a constant problem over the years, and multiple Lynbrook students have either witnessed or personally experienced dangerously close encounters with drivers due to the congestion.

The actions of students as well as parents contribute to dangerous conditions. Parents often make illegal maneuvers to save time, while students do not always ride with the flow of traffic, making it hard for drivers to

ARUL GNANAVISAM — EPIC

identify where student bikers will be.

“I see many students riding their bikes with their helmets dangling on their handlebars,” said Assistant Principal Eric Wong. “While drivers should watch out for students, bikers should also be following standard procedures in order to stay safe.”

Additionally, bike lanes are often occupied by cars attempting to make turns, resulting in bikers having to maneuver around the motorists.

“I think, honestly, it comes down to time and time management. If you are in a hurry and you know that you are going to be late, and you do not want to be marked tardy, you are going to cut corners. Everybody does this: it’s human nature,” said literature teacher Jessica Dunlap.

Lynbrook parent Madhan Rangaswamy has personally experienced the dangers of campus traffic. In September, his daughter was biking to school when she was knocked off her bike, resulting in a concussion.

“This is your school and your neighborhood. Students should be finding

ways to bring attention to traffic safety issues since it directly affects them,” Rangaswamy said. “If students are vocal about it, it’s more likely that parents will listen.”

Students, too, have witnessed such accidents. Sophomore Shasta Narayanan has biked to school since sixth grade. As he was biking to school at the beginning of October, a student riding in front of him attempted to cross the street. At the same time, a car made a right turn and hit the student, knocking him off his bike.

“I was extremely scared because it was equally likely that it could have been me, or even my friends,” Narayanan said.

The driver immediately got out of his car to help the student. However, Narayanan noticed that the student did not take down any information about the driver.

Similarly, junior Rin Ha has also experienced the unsafe traffic conditions surrounding Lynbrook. From her years of biking in the vicinity of crowded streets, she has learned to avoid biking right when the school day at Miller Middle School ends, as

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that is when the road congestion is at its worst.

“If you go near Di Napoli Drive and Countess Drive when Miller students get out [of school], it’s scary because there’s no one controlling the traffic at that intersection,” Ha said. “It’s crammed with cars, so it’s hard to get around safely.”

There are currently many safety measures already in place: crossing guards at the main intersection of Johnson Avenue and Rainbow Drive help students cross safely, staff members stationed inside the Lynbrook parking lot watch over students and guide cars and school administration has sent out emails to Lynbrook students and parents about the traffic rules and ways to stay safe.

Although it may never be entirely solved, as traffic safety is an ongoing problem on campus, the community may continue working to reduce future incidents.

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OPINION

lhsepic.com

LYNBROOK HIGH SCHOOL | THE EPIC

New legislation promotes female inclusion Two staffers offer their opinions on new California law regarding female board members

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omen have traditionally been underrepresented in leadership roles in business, but a new California law aims to change that. On Sept. 30, Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 826 (SB 826), which requires publicly-held companies based in California to have at least one woman on their boards of directors, typically a group elected by shareholders to oversee the activities of a company, by the end of 2019 — the first law of its kind in any U.S. state.

BY SUNNY LI

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ART ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTY YU

school. When my younger brother was born, my dad left his job in fiber optics to take care of the four kids in our family, so my mom became the main provider for our household. While this didn't strike me as strange, some of my classmates couldn’t help but notice that my dad was one of the only fathers picking up their child from school, and they often questioned me about it. I never really understood why there was so much confusion: what difference did it make if my mom worked, and my dad took care of the children, compared to the so-called parental roles, where the dad typically has a working career and the mom cares for the children at home? Although others’ surprise regarding the unique parental roles in my family was never a huge concern to me back in elementary school, as time passed and more questions from classmates arose, the existence of rigid conceptions about gender biases in even young children started to worry me.

My parents were able to provide an environment just as supportive as a family with traditional parental positions could foster, yet our supposed unusual gender roles were constantly met with

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rustration filled my head as I heard the question: “So your mom works, and your dad… stays at home?” For what felt like the hundredth time, I replied with an exasperated “yes.” No one seemed to understand, or accept, the non-traditional roles my parents took on: my mom, the breadwinner, and my dad, the homemaker and caregiver.

Growing up, I would always wait for my dad to walk me home from elementary

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Challenging gender roles

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t surface level, SB 826 seems to be a step forward for women struggling to reach top leadership positions in companies. There are cracks, however, in this apparently progressive stride for workplace diversity.

Although it strives to combat the pressing problem of gender diversity in the workplace, SB 826 is inherently flawed. It might just be that many men are qualified for board positions in one company, while very few or no women meet such standards. But due to SB 826, the company would be required to have a woman on its board, forgoing a better candidate to abide by the law.

Mandating that companies must have a certain number of female board members would undercut the organizational structure

USTR IC ILL

ALISHA NAIDU //IN MY OPINION

BY MICHELLE LUM

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B 826 addresses a pressing issue: the lack of women on company boards.

It is both necessary and effective in promoting diversity in companies, as well as a step toward the larger goal of female representation.

Studies show that there is still a severe lack of women on company boards, necessitating SB 826’s implementation. Board Governance Research LLC, a research firm focused on corporate board practices, conducted an analysis in 2017 that revealed about one fourth of companies based in California had no women on their boards. This indicates that women are underrepresented in companies’ leadership: women may make up about half of California’s population, but they do not have a voice in making many of the decisions that may affect them.

Due to instances in which women may be discriminated against, such as the hiring process, the bill is necessary to help qualified women earn leadership roles in companies.

Employers may not be actively trying to exclude women, but could be unconsciously drawing on deeply ingrained stereotypes.

For example, employers may not promote women because they do not pay as much attention to their progress due to biases against hem. SB 826 would allow for the conscious inclusion of women.

Though SB 826 would force companies to include more women on their boards, this change will actually benefit the companies.

According to a 2013 Thomson Reuters analysis, companies with no women on their boards had worse returns when compared to the Morgan Stanley Capital International, an index used to measure equity performance in global markets.

Companies will realize, based on their returns, they will grow as businesses through inclusion and will be encouraged to take action beyond what is required.

Moreover, the quota system requiring companies to have a certain number of female board members has been proven to

be effective in many European countries, including Norway, France and Italy. When Norway passed a law in 2003 requiring companies to have boards that are at least 40 percent female, the quota was met by 2008. In addition, concerns of appointing unqualified women are unfounded. A 2014 study by Marianne Bertrand of University of Chicago analyzing the effects of that quota in Norway shows that the average qualifications of women on company boards actually increased after the quota was implemented.

SB 826 sends a strong message to companies, as well as to ordinary people, regarding the importance of gender diversity in leadership roles in the workplace.

Whether it will be implemented successfully remains to be seen, but the idea is clear: women should be valued and represented as leaders in the workplace.

criticism, leading me to wonder why people experienced so much shock from my parents’ defiance of these conventions. In elementary school, when classmates asked me why my mom worked and my dad stayed at home, I didn’t know how to respond. To me, it was normal. But to other students, it was unnatural. Eventually, I became embarrassed about my family’s parental roles and felt uncomfortable talking about them because I was afraid others would perceive me and my family differently.

From what I’ve seen and experienced, gender roles create a false sense of who a person can or cannot be by forcing them into a certain category. By confining someone to behave in a manner deemed appropriate by society and suppressing their full potential, gender roles encourage sexism. Traditional gender roles defined my mom’s responsibility in the family as the caretaker, but since she challenged those stereotypes, others often subtly hinted to her that she should be at home fulfilling her duty as a mother.

Despite the surprise, and even disapproval, that my parents faced when others discovered that they took on nontraditional roles, they continued to make

of many businesses, including large companies like Apple, which currently only has two women on a board of eight. This could lead to less experienced boards or a lack of qualified women.

On the other hand, qualified women who are elected onto company boards may be undermined by claims that they were only chosen because of law’s requirements. Such claims would be detrimental to their careers.

Additionally, the legality of the law is rocky. According to Stanford University law professor and former Securities and Exchange commissioner Joseph Grundfest, 7 percent of companies headquartered in California are not chartered in the state. SB 826 would impact all companies headquartered in California, going against the internal affairs doctrine, which states that companies are subject to the laws of their states of incorporation, not those of the states where they are headquartered.

The equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits states from denying citizens equal protection of the law, is another legal hurdle. In order for SB 826 to be recognized by the national government, California would have to prove that women are truly significantly underrepresented on boards.

Furthermore, SB 826 focuses solely on gender when there are other forms of diversity to take into consideration. The 2016 joint report by the Alliance for Board Diversity and Deloitte found that of those serving on boards of Fortune 100 companies, only 17.5 percent were minorities.

To introduce true diversity to boards, factors like race and sexual orientation should also be considered.

Despite having been drafted with the right intentions, SB 826 does not completely address the lack of diversity in high-level positions at companies throughout the state.

This act of legislature is not the right way to introduce needed diversity of all kinds into the workplace and fails to solve the diversity issue for Californiabased company boards.

every effort to support my siblings and me, teaching us valuable lessons about independence and acceptance along the way.

Even with the challenges of discrimination that women frequently face in the workplace, my mom worked hard to provide a high standard of living for us, often telling me how important it is to be self-reliant. My dad also faced a lot of criticism from the outside.

When family friends or other parents reacted to my dad’s role in the family with harsh judgment, he wouldn’t feel shame or fear at the stigma that surfaced; rather, he embraced his unconventional parental role as a stay-athome dad, saying that he loved being close to his children and being there for them.

Observing the reactions of those who criticized my parents made me disappointed in the restrictions of traditional gender roles.

No one should try to control or criticize others for the way they live their lives; instead, they should learn to be more accepting.

My parents have shown me that people can accomplish so much more if they venture out of the narrow mindset that society has established. We need to start taking action against gender roles to introduce longawaited social equality.

OPINION

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

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Kavanaugh case reveals flawed past Lessons from the Supreme Court nomination for students

BY MEDHA UPADHYAY

that Kavanaugh had been intentionally misleading with his testimony, referring hen Brett Kavanaugh was to a 1985 bar brawl that ended with police nominated for the Supreme intervention. Kavanaugh’s actions during Court in July 2018, media high school may not be representative of attention was relatively minimal. This who he is today, but he is still responsible changed, however, when Senator Dianne for their consequences. Many claim that his Feinstein revealed that she had received heavy drinking in school proved that he was a letter detailing claims of sexual assault not qualified to be a Supreme Court Justice, against Kavanaugh from a victim who while others argue that he was unqualified preferred to remain anonymous. While because he had lied under oath about his the decadesdrinking problems. old accusation For many students, left spectators partying is an across the country “We all have hopes and ambitions. irreplaceable part speechless, it of the high school provided a unique we have to keep ourselves in experience. However, lesson for students: check with that, and use our goals teenagers’ ideas of mistakes from having fun can often as motivations to stay away from border on unsafe or high school and college can impose downright dangerous. trouble.” unprecedented “A lot of people implications on think that having Alicia Wu a good time is just their futures.

Senior doing what their Days after Feinstein’s friends are doing,” revelation, the said senior Alicia Wu. victim disclosed “If there is something you enjoy that may her identity and made her accusations come back to hurt you, you should work public. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford shared to change yourself. It’s not just about your her experiences via The Washington record. Rather than something tangible, it’s Post, claiming that Kavanaugh had more about your character; the decisions you assaulted her at a high school party in make when you’re younger will shape who the early 1980s. Two of Kavanaugh’s you become in the future.” classmates from Yale University, Deborah Still, high school and college students Ramirez and Julie Swetnick, also came often make mistakes; it’s a part of the forward with similar accusations. The learning process. Since they are young and confirmation hearing took place in inexperienced, it is almost inevitable that September, a routine procedure that they will make bad decisions. However, there allows senators to interview nominees is distinction between careless errors and for the Supreme Court. After the crimes, and the latter may never be forgiven. hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee “There’s a line between kids being kids requested that President Trump order and being a bad person,” Qureshi said. “Most a FBI investigation, which he opened on of the time when you make a mistake, people Sept. 28. During the investigation, proof are going to hold it against you. You can ask that Kavanaugh had been a heavy drinker for forgiveness, but you won’t always receive in high school and college surfaced. it. Sometimes, people realize that they were “You hear your parents and teachers wrong, and they are trying to change for the saying it all the time: don’t do anything better, but in some cases it’s not possible.” you’ll regret in the future,” said Throughout the sophomore Ibraheem Qureshi. “Now, ordeal, witnesses it suddenly feels real; they may have and investigators a point. And now, with the addition of across the social media, everything you do is online.

A lot of people are deleting their social media pages. They don’t want what they posted online in high school to be used against them.”

It may never be clear whether Dr. Ford’s allegations are true or not, but they have nonetheless left an ugly smear on Kavanaugh’s reputation. Even if the accusations of sexual assault are false, the investigation has exposed Kavanaugh’s rowdy behavior in high school and college, revealing that he may have been downplaying his alcoholism. Former classmates came forward with claims

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country stepped in to unearth every piece of evidence about Kavanaugh’s student life. His actions during school posed a serious threat to his career nearly 35 years later. The same could potentially happen to any student, years from today.

One seemingly insignificant mishap can have resounding consequences, and high schoolers should be careful to protect themselves from these unintended ramifications. This incident may lead students to monitor their own behavior more closely. On the other hand, it may simply convince students to put up a facade for the people around them.

“I don’t think that the Kavanaugh case is going to force anyone to change,” said World History teacher Nhat Nguyen.

“Students might be really good at putting up a front for other people to see, but in private, they are still who they are.”

Adding on to the case’s complications, many have wondered whether evidence from so long ago can be considered an accurate representation of a person today. After all, people can change over the course of several years.

“High school is a really strange period of time for everyone,” Mr. Nguyen said.

“It’s hard to see if it really reflects who a person is years later. We need to see if there is anything consistent, if there are any constants. One point in time doesn’t give you any progression, you need more data to see if they’ve changed over time.”

Whether or not a person changes, it is irrefutable that incidents from high school and college are now acceptable reasons for attacking public figures. High schoolers have been quick to realize that anything they say or do can be used against them. Students may refrain from going down the wrong path if they realize that bad decisions can keep them from accomplishing their long-term goals and aspirations.

“We don’t just live for the moment; we live for our futures and what we will become,” Wu said. “We all have hopes and ambitions.

We have to keep ourselves in check with that, and use our goals as motivation to stay away from trouble.”

Despite the scandals, Kavanaugh was sworn in to the Supreme Court on Oct. 6. While we may never know whether or not Kavanaugh is guilty, his ordeal battling the ghosts of his past has brought high schoolers a sobering lesson: the past never stays buried.

GRAPHIC ILLUSRATION BY OPINION SECTION

JESSICA LI//IN MY OPINION

China’s oppression of Uighurs

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s the words “China holds one million Uighur Muslims in concentration camps” flashed before my eyes on the screen, to say I was shocked would be an understatement. At first glance, I thought it was one of those misleading ads frequently seen at the bottom of web pages. But when I clicked on the article, the facts rang true. As I continued to research online, more headlines popped up: “China’s brutal crackdown on the Uighur Muslim minority,” “Uighurs abroad cut off from relatives in Chinese detention” and so many more. I was appalled and disgusted by what I read in the articles.

Mainly found in the Xinjiang province of China, the Uighurs are an ethnically Turkish and Muslim people with a distinct culture and language apart from the Han majority group. While the Uighurs have long faced discrimination from their Han counterparts, China’s government has further oppressed them in recent months, with high security surveillance violating the privacy of almost all Uighurs, separation of Uighur families into unethical “re-education” camps and the murders of those who don’t comply with the camps. The government deems the Uighurs “religious extremists” who need to be put in internment camps to be “re-educated.”

Essentially, the purpose of “re-education” is to indoctrinate the Uighurs to relinquish them of their Islam roots so that they will have nationalist loyalties to China.

Now one may wonder why I, living thousands of miles away, a Christian and not a Muslim, should care. Simply put, I condemn the treatment of Uighurs on the grounds that it violates basic human morals.

As a Christian, I am called to love the Uighur people, not hate. That is why, despite my loyalty to my Chinese heritage, I must voice my dissent toward the Chinese government’s handling of the Uighurs. Any behavior that is derived from hatred and inflicts cruelty is unacceptable. Therefore, I feel a moral nd emotional obligation to campaign for the Uighurs’ release from such oppression.

After spending an hour reading articles about the Uighurs’ plight detailing their frightful experiences, I closed the lid of my laptop, disillusioned. Just a few months ago, Myanmar’s genocide of the Rohingya Muslim people was brought to my attention.

To see something so similar happening in China, essentially my home country, I am disgusted. While the Chinese government has committed terrible atrocities in the past and cracked down on protests against communism and for the right to practice religion, I never thought that it would go so far as to brainwash and kill. Even more so, as China has recently risen in the ranks of world power, the government is setting a toxic example for other countries.

I may not know the whole story behind the “re-education camps” or the high monitoring and the persecution of the Uighurs. But one thing is certain: my Christian faith especially compels me to vouch for the rights of the Uighurs, and I firmly believe that oppression and human rights violations are never acceptable.

There is hope: with the U.S. considering placing economic sanctions on China in response and numerous groups, such as the U.N., criticizing the government, there is at least opposition. And most importantly, in our everyday lives, we can work to prevent future occurrences of such atrocities. Despite our differences, we all have the choice to love and not hate in every moment. At the end of the day, this is what will stop the seemingly endless cycles of violence and oppression.

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OPINION

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

RateMyTeachers: the hate behind the rate

BY PRANAV MISHRA

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hen a student sees a twostar review next to her new biology teacher’s name on the website RateMyTeachers, images of a dull classroom and poor grades start to form in her mind. What those two-star reviews may neglect to acknowledge, however, are the grueling hours the teacher has put into making his lesson plans, the sleep he has sacrificed in grading papers and the money he has spent on chocolate and sticky-notes for his students.

From the time it was established in 2001, RateMyTeachers has stated that its purpose is to “help students, parents and faculty make informed decisions by promoting transparency within education.” It has become apparent, however, that the website can cause major problems within the teaching community due to the insensitive comments left on the site.

“RateMyTeachers is a website that is often hurtful because its comments can get more personal than necessary,” said Nelda Clark, English Department

Chair. “I often tell new teachers to avoid the site for this reason. I know that while most high school students are incredibly warm and encouraging, they are prone to fits of anger and poor judgment, which can lead to personal attacks on teachers online.”

Clark herself has had her own history with the website. A few years ago, she visited the site to find that someone had left her a poor rating, and the only comment attached to the review was “horrible and worthless!” Clark, however, was not deterred by the insult, and instead found it almost amusing. She joked about the comment in her class, and to her pleasant surprise, the student behind the review came to her a few weeks later to apologize. Needless to say, she forgave him.

Not all teachers have the capacity to take uncivil feedback with such dignity, however.

Due to the fact that the RateMyTeachers website has no form of registration or screening process, students are free to leave whatever ratings they wish without the burden of responsibility or justification. As a result, ratings on the website tend to be very polarized, and students are often inclined to leave negative reviews out of frustration at a poor grade rather than genuine dissatisfaction with a teacher’s class.

“I think a number of students that use websites like RateMyTeachers often forget to consider the amount of effort teachers put into their their daily lessons,” said math teacher Sarah Kraemer. “I know that it can be really disheartening for teachers to read rude comments [about themselves] online.

It might even make them less motivated to teach because they feel so discouraged.”

According to teachers like Clark and Kraemer, RateMyTeachers is likely better suited to the college graduate rather than the high school student. In a secondary school environment like Lynbrook, students generally tend to like the classes that are easier to receive good grades in, rather than those which prepare them for college life and beyond. Consequently, the ratings on the website are rarely representative of the actual teachers or their classes, and instead may portray them in a detrimental light.

“Coming into Lynbrook for the first time, I felt that RateMyTeachers was often inaccurate, and it gave me wrong firstimpressions on teachers whom I gradually have gotten to know on my own,” said freshman Kevin Li. While RateMyTeachers may not be the ideal way to give teachers criticism, many

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY KAVYA IYER

teachers at Lynbrook do feel the need for an increased transparency between students and themselves.

Physics teacher Mr. Nguyen, for example, has started using “perts. me,” an alternative feedback system suggested by the district.

“Perts.me has structure, which websites like RateMyTeachers lack,” Nguyen said. “The fact that it is anonymous is a double-edged sword, but it helps me gauge which students need help and helps me structure the classroom to suit everyone’s needs.”

Nguyen thinks that perts.me is a step forward, though far from perfect.

In the future, he hopes to establish direct student-teacher conversations for more direct feedback.

Although it is true that Lynbrook needs an improved system to link its students and teachers, it is important for students to remember the destructive power that websites like RateMyTeachers possess. After all, clicking that “enter” button could send tremors through the life of someone who has dedicated their profession to the happiness of their students.

BELINDA ZHOU — EPIC

Preventative measures to eliminate traffic hazards

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very morning, parents and students rush in cars, on bikes or on foot to get to class on time. Amid the rush, the chance of an accident or collision is increasingly likely, putting pedestrians and bikers in dangerous situations. In hopes of mitigating this issue, staff, students and parents can all take extra cautionary measures to make the Lynbrook campus a safer environment.

In response to recent traffic incidents, Lynbrook administration has stationed pedestrian crossing guards at the school’s entrance and near the swimming pool gates where most students enter the campus.

Parents and students alike have suggested the addition of more pedestrian traffic guards to help ease traffic. However, the administration has pointed out the difficulty and complexity of this solution.

“Right now, we feel that we have enough people out there. Because of the construction, we added one more administrator and two more staff members in the drop-off area,” said Assistant Principal Eric Wong. “In the past, we’ve brought out civil engineers who have looked at the stop signs and curbs. The [San Jose city government crossing guards] that you see at other street corners, those are [for] schools in the Cupertino Union School District. They’ve somehow set aside funds for that. We [as the FUHSD] do not.”

The responsibility also falls on students to maintain safety regarding traffic on and around campus. Regardless of mode of transportation, students should leave home earlier in an attempt to avoid traffic and any possible accidents caused by haste.

Additionally, students should be more aware

Staff Editorial The Voice of the Epic of their surroundings, abiding by common safety norms such as staying off of phones when crossing streets and making eye contact with drivers at intersections. To avoid collisions with cars, they should walk only on the sidewalks and cross using designated crosswalks with pedestrian crossing guards.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY OPINION SECTION

On campus, they should walk inside the fences in the parking lot in order to avoid collisions with cars.

Bicyclists should make sure to wear their helmets rather than hanging them on their handlebars or not having them at all. Once on campus, bicyclists should walk their

bikes and stay within the boundaries that set walkers and bikers apart from the heavy influx of cars.

“On days when I run late, it's a hot mess,” said senior Michelle Zhou, who drives to school. “Parents are bending the rules left and right — at the intersection in front of the entrance, people cut corners and go two to four [cars] at a time instead of waiting for one car from each direction.”

Student and parent drivers should pay attention to bicyclists and pedestrians crossing the road, keeping their eyes off of their phone to prioritize safety over trying to prevent a possible tardy. Parents driving their children to school should drive cautiously and refrain from making illegal U-turns to beat the traffic, since these U-turns only worsen traffic by causing further congestion down the line. They also should not drive on bike lanes to cut through traffic or open their doors on the side facing the road to step out of the car because students biking to school are blocked.

“I see parents taking wrong U-turns, going fast, parking in wrong places,” said Lynbrook parent Madhan Rangaswamy. “These kids have their own cars and I see high school students doing the same. Parents need to be a role model for their children who are driving.”

By students, parents and staff coming together as a community with each individual doing their part to alleviate the daily traffic, hopefully, the preventative measures the Lynbrook administration have taken will prove effective. *the Epic staff voted 38-0 in favor of this stance

FEATURES

LYNBROOK HIGH SCHOOL | THE EPIC

lhsepic.com

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Trisha Sengupta's battle against lymphoma

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he was thirteen when she first saw her life expectancy as a percentage on an illuminated screen: 85 percent chance of survival after five years. She felt caged. Numb.

Suffocated. It hit her then: she could die.

Just days earlier, junior Trisha Sengupta and her family had been celebrating Thanksgiving in the tranquility of Lake Tahoe. Now, back at home, they anxiously awaited a phone call from the hospital.

Hours later, the doctor called, bringing news that would change Sengupta’s life forever: she had Stage IV metastatic Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system, a network of vessels that helps defend against infections and circulate important bodily fluids. The cancer had already spread to other parts of her body.

“I completely shut down emotionally,” Sengupta said.

“I don’t remember anything else [my parents said]. I just remember white noise. I was just thinking, ‘I need to get out of here, I can’t.’ I felt suffocated.”

The symptoms were seemingly negligible, yet undoubtedly noticeable, especially in the appearance of her lymph nodes, small glands in one’s body that comprise the immune system.

A couple months prior to her diagnosis, Sengupta had begun to notice swelling of the lymph nodes around her neck, throat and collarbones, which doctors had dismissed as intimations of a common cold. However, when her lymph nodes remained swollen for over 5 months, and Sengupta began to deal with problems of fatigue, her mother suggested that they go see an otolaryngologist, a specialist in the structures of the head and neck. The doctor recommended that Sengupta get a lymph node biopsy, a test in which a lymph node or a piece of a lymph node is removed to be observed under a microscope.

A simple biopsy would confirm the final diagnosis.

“It was as if the ground beneath me fell through,” said Shubhra Sarkar, Sengupta’s mother. “I was in utter shock. I didn’t know what to do. I wondered, ‘What happened? Why did this happen?’ I felt responsible to a certain extent. I knew I wasn’t, but I thought, ‘Was there something I should have been watching out for? Why Trisha? What went wrong?’”

While cancer is an illness almost always associated with death, Sengupta was more frightened by the prospect of missing out on life than the possibility of death. Sengupta never doubted the expertise of her doctors or their proposed treatment plans, however, she was scared of the impact that chemotherapy would have on her and her future.

“Middle school is already difficult, and regardless of what she went through every day, she’d still always be smiling,” said junior Maanvi Thawani, one of Sengupta’s closest friends. “Her resilience and strength were honestly so admirable. At school, even though she was suffering from so much [from treatment and everything else], she was still the same person.”

Sengupta’s treatment plan included six rounds of highdosage chemotherapy, each lasting for approximately one month. For Sengupta, the side effects of chemotherapy extended far beyond its discernible physical changes, such as hair loss or weight fluctuations; they influenced her selfimage and psychological well being as well.

“Even now, I don’t feel like myself. Who I was before [I was diagnosed] was me, and who I am now is just a body that I’m trapped in,” Sengupta said. “It’s scary to wake up and see your hair in clumps on the pillow. I felt like I looked sicker when I didn’t have hair. I gained a lot of weight, and I still have stretch marks everywhere. Everyone said that they looked like tiger stripes, but to me, my stretch marks were

just another reminder of how sick I was.”

During this emotionally challenging time, her family and friends were her strongest supporters. Prior to her diagnosis, she had always been rather independent, as her parents directed most of their attention toward supporting her older brother, who has physical disabilities. After her diagnosis, there was a noticeable shift in the family dynamic.

Sengupta began to require more attention and assistance from her parents in regards to not only her physical health, but also her emotional wellness.

By witnessing Sengupta fight her battle with cancer, her family perceived her relentless resilience: they recognized that she had something in her that wanted to survive — that wanted to live — and so she did.

On April 30, 2016, doctors declared that Sengupta had no evidence of the disease in her body; she had fought her battle against cancer with incredible courage and resilience, and won.

“You have support,” Sengupta said.

“You have people who you can reach out to, whether it be your friends, family or support groups. Never be afraid to ask for help.

Just live each day as it comes. Keep going.”

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY FEATURES SECTION

BY BELINDA ZHOU

ENZO CABALTICA – EPIC

"Bohemian Rhapsody" film bites the dust

BY CLARA FERNANDES

Q ART ILLUSTRATIONS BY CLARA FERNANDES

ueen: British rock sensation in the 70s, now a worldwide classic— the controversy behind lead singer Freddie Mercury’s queer status and the band’s revolutionary sound still captivates many.

Named after the band’s most influential hit, the biographical film “Bohemian Rhapsody” follows Queen’s rise to success, especially focusing on Mercury’s personal life—exploring his struggles with fame, sexuality and terminal illness. All events in this twohour-long motion picture lead up to a life-like recreation of Queen’s iconic performance at the 1985 Live Aid concert, which was organized to raise funds for the ongoing Ethiopian famine.

Young or old, many have heard the iconic rock opera tunes of “Bohemian

Rhapsody” at least once in their lives.

From Mercury’s genius at the top of the charts twice within two decades, this anthem still holds cultural relevance today. The song is accredited with the birth of the modern music video, seven years prior to the creation of Music Television (MTV), a program which might have not existed without the band’s efforts.

Mercury’s struggles with AIDS have crowned him as a homosexual icon to many, yet he actually identified as bisexual. Although this is acknowledged in the movie, the script invalidates his bisexuality and he is only shown having affairs with men after breaking up with his wife. This is viewed as queer erasure of the LGBTQ+ community, who despite slowly getting the representation in media that they deserve, still have to fight to be more accurately portrayed.

While actor Rami Malek’s depiction of a 1970s Mercury is strange and comical, he plays the lead singer more realistically during Queen’s 80s era. The Live Aid concert scene is filmed so phenomenally that it is easy to forget that the person on the screen isn’t in fact Mercury himself, yet the rest is simply mediocre. Freddie Mercury is painted as a clownish figure rather than a respected singer, and while the film does contain some emotional, tear-evoking moments, they are hard to take seriously because of the almost mocking portrayal of the singer.

In my opinion, this is not a movie worth seeing on the big screens, but rather during a lazy Netflix afternoon, as this would allow the option of skipping to the end of the movie and seeing the Live Aid performance, which is the climax and the only worthwhile scene that this two hour film builds up to.

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FEATURES

BY AUDREY WONG

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xplore the different art museums around San Jose that feature unique styles of art. Each museum has defining exhibits that connect the art pieces with the community. The four museums that one can visit nearby is the San Jose Museum of Art, with hanging glass sculptors; Triton Art Museum, that features unique points of view; MACLA with walls integrated as part of the museum and San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles that has a unique twist from a “typical” art museum.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY KELSE

Y LU

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

The San Jose Museum of Art (SJMOA), known for its distinctive exhibits, showcases the Bay Area’s modern and contemporary art and is known for its distinctive exibits. The entrance of the museum provides a clear view of three glass sculptures of red, yellow and blue created by American glass sculptor Dale Chihuly.

An exhibit called “True Journey is Return” features different perspectives of the Vietnam War. Artist Dinh Q. Lê uses photographs of people’s experiences to convey the life before, during and after the Vietnam War. Another exhibit the museum features is “Conversion: Art and Engineering”, which focuses on STEM education and the intersections of engineering and art. Even though the museum is small, each exhibit holds compelling artwork.

The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles promotes the arts, creators and history of quilts and textiles. This museum is perfect for anyone who has a love for fiber art and wants to preserve its history.

From the entrance, one can either go to the exhibits or the studio museum-goers can watch artists develop art pieces.

One interesting exhibit is “Seeing the Threshold,” which uses human hair to create intricate geometric designs. This was really interesting because this is the first museum I saw use human hair as a focal point of their art. On the other hand, in the “Excellence in Fibers” exhibit, current trends in floor works, wearables, installations and sculptural work are featured. Another exhibit, “Suture and Stitch,” features the work of Mark Newport who connects skin with textile. Each of the museum’s exhibits that are composed of unconventional materials.

The Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latina Americana (MACLA) is a community-based art organization that features Latino art pieces. Each year, MACLA produces four exhibits: performance and literary arts, visual arts, youth art education and community development in various mediums.

This museum only has one exhibit to visit at any given time. This museum is unique in that it uses walls as part of the exhibit, one of which features a large number of records lining two walls. These records range from all genres and age.

Another interesting piece is a wooden cart with a disco light hanging from the top of the cart. While this museum is the smallest of the four mentioned in the story, it is a nice museum to visit.

VE: A click away from traditional business

BY CLAIRE CHIU

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hile a basic education curriculum consists of the liberal arts, mathematics and sciences, learning business provides a break from normal academic subjects at school but still applies the same concepts. Furthermore, implementing interactive courses, such as business, fosters student creativity. At Lynbrook, business teacher Leslie Robledo teaches just the right course for students to dip their toes into the world of business and express their creativity: Virtual Enterprise (VE).

VE classes started with the purpose of giving Lynbrook students the opportunity to try running businesses.

Businesses are entirely student-run, from setting up platforms to managing finances. In the first semester, students solely focus on developing their business and entering competitions offered. If they are selected to be one among many VE businesses chosen nationwide, they will attend a summit in New York where they will have the exciting chance to present their business and offer their ideas up for criticisms.

“In VE, you can compete in many competitions such as elevator pitches and we are working forward on these competitions,” said senior Indali Bora from business Cherry Tree Co. “Hopefully we can attend a summit in New York.”

As of now, many businesses have already begun promoting their businesses and searching for outside vendors to work with. Before receiving the green light to start their businesses, however, students must first outline their business purpose, products, management and structure.

“We learn about how to create a business, finance, budgets, manage human resources, marketing and managing other business sectors by ourselves,” said junior Amanda Zhu, one co-leader of the business Kami Apparel.

While students are largely left to themselves to run their business, Robledo and real-life business owners still guide them through the complex entrepreneurial process.

In addition, student businesses collaborate with other businesses as well.

“I’ve been working with Lori Riehl, Coordinator of Pathways to Postsecondary Success in the Fremont Union High School District, and we’ve been planning to bring in real business figures to help guide the students,” said Robledo. “I’ve also been working with an artist in downtown San Jose that can help with artwork, he’s a business owner. They can help with marketing and things like that.”

Students are expected to apply technology, such as creating websites, to help spread the word about their business. To appeal to more potential customers, many

students have chosen to promote their businesses through Instagram, a popular platform for Lynbrook students. They aim to gain more exposure by following Lynbrook students.

If promotion methods are not effective, businesses can go back to the brainstorming board and consult with Robledo to identify and fix the problem.

“We keep changing, slowly improving where we think our weak spot is and eventually, all our customers will feel confident in our unique style of clothing.” said senior Iman Haq of The Shirts and Pants Co. While the class is a simulation, some businesses have gone above and beyond the course requirements and are in the process of creating real products, such as sweatshirts and bracelets, that will be sold.

“Kami Apparel is currently looking for T-shirt vendors and printers,” said junior Jessica Admadja, the other coleader of Kami Apparel. “We are still learning about finance and factors that will help us break even in budget.”

Nevertheless, creating and running a business with others can come with difficulties. For instance, differences can pop up when working as a team.

“Some difficulties in our group setting was making sure we all understood our roles and finished our projects on time,” said Haq. “Groups also make it sometimes difficult to communicate and cooperate with each other because sometimes we’ll have different perspectives.”

In the end, it is through compromise and combining everyone’s suggestions that leads to a pleasing end result.

For most, the experience has been an eye opener.

“We each bring something unique to the table ourselves,” said senior Tanvee Joshi of Cherry Tree Co. “I think each person brings in something new.”

Although their businesses may not all turn out successful or to their expectations, they are not graded on the success of their businesses, but rather on their effort and diligence.

The profit students make off their businesses go toward the class bank account, where it can be used to help sustain and fund other businesses.

Many businesses have inspiring background stories to their creation and goals. In Ziya Bracelets’ case, they’re all about raising awareness for a African charity because they are involved.

“We decided to link ourselves to a charity,” said junior Nyna Velamuri, who is one of the founders of Ziya Bracelets.

“For every bracelet sold, we want to give a certain amount to the charity Unite to Light which gives electricity to underprivileged countries.”

It is safe to say that Virtual Enterprise is no ordinary business class. In addition to the lessons taught in standard business courses, Virtual Enterprise offers students handson experiences. Its interactive curriculum leaves a deeper impression with students through the creation of their very own business, allowing for a better understanding of the business world.

Meet Our Team Leaders

Kami Apparel | Juniors Amanda Zhu and Jessica Atmadja are co-leaders of Kami Apparel

Cherry Tree Co. | Senior Tanvee Joshi is a co-founder of Cherry Tree Co

ASHLEY SONG AND KELSEY LU – EPIC

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

FEATURES

09

HOMECOMING

A deeper look int

PHOTOS 1

The girls from the Class of 2020 dance to famous songs such as Big Bank by YG and Machika by J Balvin.

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The Class of 2022 kicked off the week with their Harry Potter themed-skit, full of fun surprises such as the split pictured here.

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Girls from the Class of 2019’s powderpuff team had a cameo in the Senior’s Kingdom of Imagination skit.

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Homecoming King Ben Shapiro and Queen Michelle Chen crowned at the Homecoming football game against Monta Vista.

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Class of 2021 President Michael Zhao lifts Thor’s hammer in their Kingdom of Asgard skit as fellow classmates cheer him on.

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Two staff members duel in an intense battle of rock paper scissors in their Olympianthemed homecoming skit

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4

5 MICHELLE LUM — EPIC

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ince the 1980s, Lynbrook has had Homecoming skits in the quad. Since most can remember, there has been a rally at the end of Homecoming week. Since 2010, students have hung personalized decorations for teachers on classroom doors before the start of each school day.

Yet, this year, backdrops were hung by the tennis courts. There was no rally; instead, Lynbrook had its first ever Homecoming parade. And classroom doors were conspicuously bare, with no teacher decorations in sight.

Due to construction, the quad, the setting of Homecoming skits for many years, was inaccessible.

As a result, skits took place on the paddle ball courts, and backdrops were hung near the tennis court fences using scissor lifts.

“We had a few other options, including the stadium or the gym, but we eliminated those because of issues with sound and the backdrop,” said Assistant Principal of Activities Brooke Chan.

“I was pleasantly surprised with how we could maintain some of the feel of the quad out on the blacktop.”

Due to the limited number of home football games, Homecoming had to take place on a four-day week. Thus, ASB scheduled a rally for November instead, and the ASB Spirit Commission spearheaded the organization of a parade.

The parade included music from marching band accompanied by colorguard, as well as shoutouts to the football team, which was accompanied by the cheerleading team. At the end of the parade, the Homecoming court was introduced.

“Seeing everything was a really fulfilling moment, but it was definitely a challenge, and we didn’t know how it would go,” said senior and ASB President Emily Zhang.

Despite ASB’s best efforts, for some, the parade fell short of truly capturing the essence of a Homecoming rally.

“The parade was a nice show of school unity, but it didn’t feel the same as a rally,” said junior and Class of 2020 Vice President Anna Chiang.

“Rallies are just more exciting and also allow for more student involvement, especially during rally set up.”

Furthermore, teacher decorations were eliminated this year because many ended up getting thrown away anyway, and some thought teacher decorations also created too much work for students already stressed about Homecoming.

Not everyone was in favor of this decision, however.

“Since teachers keep the decorations in their classrooms and remember Homecoming for years after, teacher decorations are one of the only pieces of Homecoming that actually last beyond the week,” said senior and Class of 2019 President Ben Shapiro.

“Teacher decorations bring people to decorations meetings who otherwise wouldn’t have come.”

Some additional changes were made as well, including a new senior Homecoming court voting system, in which the Homecoming king and queen were voted for after senior Homecoming princes and princesses were chosen. Additionally, instead of throwing decorations away, ASB Community Link decided to showcase them as part of an art exhibit at the football game and the Homecoming dance.

To maximize communication between the different parties involved in Homecoming, the ASB Staff and Class Committee (ASCC) was formed so that ASB officers, ASB Adviser Jason Lee, Chan and class officers could meet every other week to go over how each group could best collaborate. During meetings before Homecoming, the committee discussed issues such as the stage layout and how to increase audience seating.

“The ASCC acted like a forum in which each side would be able to voice their complaints,” Shapiro said. “Administration and ASB did a good job of communicating the new parameters of Homecoming to the class officers and what they expected from us.”

Many of this year’s changes were only temporary. In future years, Homecoming will likely fall on a five-day week and once again take place in the quad. The new quad, with a targeted completion date of August 2019, will showcase a stage, along with a designated backdrop set-up area.

Nevertheless, Homecoming will definitely see more changes. Some have expressed hopes of seeing Homecoming become more about school unity.

“I would like to see more about Lynbrook as a whole. There needs to be more Lynbrook spirit in the form of the football game and its attendees both student and staff, as well as more of a focus on our returning alumni,” Lee said. “We want to preserve the spirit of Homecoming as much as possible, which means involving all of Lynbrook, its past, the game and the people involved in it.”

Nevertheless, the 2018-2019 school year will surely remain a year to be remembered for the numerous changes it brought to Lynbrook’s Homecoming.

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JESSICA LI — EPIC

BY MICHELLE LUM AND AILEEN XUE

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SADHANA SARMA — EPIC

Changes: Adapting to a new campus

to the multiple sides of a beloved 50-year tradition The recurring challenges of an elaborate week

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ountless hours and meetings are put into the festivities of Homecoming. With the elaborate nature of the annual school welcome, planning Homecoming comes with many challenges during its four-month planning process. Currently, Homecoming consists of seven main elements: decorations, gauntlet, skit, dances during the skits, the football game, Homecoming court and the Homecoming dance. The Lynbrook community prioritizes overarching goals to keep in mind while carrying out each of the seven aspects.

“We want a week of fun and school spirit,” said Brooke Chan, Assistant Principal of Activities.

“Connecting with people outside of your traditional friend group, creating unity and having a lot of school spirit are the main priorities of homecoming.”

There are numerous groups involved in carrying out Homecoming’s many facets. One of the biggest challenges that arises each year is communication between all those involved.

“If I had to estimate how many committee heads each class had, I would say 20, including the class officers,” said ASB adviser Jason Lee. “Imagine staff and 80 people across all four classes.

That’s a lot of people to coordinate, get feedback from and communicate with.”

This year, the ASB Staff Class Committee (ASCC) was formed to ease communication. This group, consisting of Mr. Lee and Ms. Chan, ASB officers, class officers and class advisers met a total of four times. Additionally, Lee suggested a Google Group could be NICOLE ONG — EPIC

RACHEL WU — EPIC

BY ANUSHA KOTHARI AND SADHANA SARMA

created to ease coordination for future Homecomings.

“It is sometimes difficult to inform a class officer team and ask the officers to tell committee heads because sometimes, the communication might not be immediate or even if it is, people might have questions,” Lee said. “Creating a Google Group would be helpful to make people aware of what’s going on.”

Homecoming dance choreographers make one group that faces obstacles each year. Homecoming dances are no cuts in efforts to encourage participation from the entirety of the class, but when attendees show a lack of commitment, it becomes difficult for choreographers to come up with strategies to better their participation.

“Homecoming is a voluntary event and anyone that wants to do it should be able to do it,” said Amy Sun, choreographer of 2021 girls dance. “It’s just that I feel like sometimes when you say that you don’t cut people, they put in less effort. If you’re going to put some time into it, then you should pour all your effort into it.”

When it comes to decorations meetings, there is often a lack of diversity among people that attend, which contributes to low attendance. It is important to use these meetings to generally promote collaboration among entire classes.

“There’s a weird stigma with decorations because people think ‘Oh, only that group goes to decs and if I go, I’ll feel left out.’ It’s hard to change that.” said junior Priyanka Pereira, one of the decorations hosts for the Class of 2020 this year. “The whole point of homecoming is to create a community. It isn’t just to be productive and make an amazing outcome.”

Divya Pereira, 2020 class officer and decorations host, further emphasized encouraging more positive outreach to everyone rather than just one crowd.

Creative solutions have been proposed to tackle this issue in the future.

“There have been talks of having more effective promotions for decs, like blogs, so people can see how they can come and help out,” said Divya Pereira.

While Homecoming week does consistently make for a spirited and united school, a recurring issue is the exhaustion leading up to and the burnout that follows all this excitement and energy.

“Before Homecoming, students might be falling asleep on their desk because they were up until 2 a.m. dancing or making decs,” said History teacher and 2021 class adviser Steven Roy. “Afterwards, everyone is just tired. It’s different. It’s exhaustion versus burnout.”

This challenge significantly affects teachers because they often often have to alter their lesson plans based on the energy levels of their students.

“There is a general feeling that you shouldn’t give tests or quizzes or projects on or near Homecoming,” said Roy. “I showed a movie relevant to what we were studying during Homecoming week because I am aware of students’ stress levels.”

Numerous steps have been taken to mitigate student exhaustion after Homecoming, such as reducing the number of planter boxes to be decorated from four to two in 2016 and removing teacher and gauntlet decorations this year. While Homecoming will likely never be perfect, addressing problems that have persisted with Homecoming week and maintaining the right attitude will help to improve the overall experience.

“Make sure you’re aware of why you’re doing what you’re doing because at the end of the day, Homecoming is a way to make new friends and become closer with the ones you already have,” said 2019 secretary Aayush Shah. “I came to this realization this year and I think it just makes the experience so much better, despite any challenges that we do face.”

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RACHEL WU — EPIC

tudents at Saratoga view Homecoming differently compared to Lynbrook students. Compared to Lynbrook’s Homecomings, Saratoga’s are much less intense but still focused on fun. Also, while Lynbrook skits are often motivational and inspire the school to unite as one against its opponents for the Homecoming football game, Saratoga skits often involve poking fun at other classes and the school itself. Practices for dances are also much less intense, with some dance practices only starting a week before the actual Homecoming skit.

Beside all these factors, everything else is very similar. Saratoga has a staff skit, class skits during lunches, a Homecoming rally, a Homecoming football game and a Homecoming dance. Saratoga also has slightly different versions of Homecoming dances, featuring K-pop dance, in which students dance to a famous K-Pop song, in addition to dances Lynbrook does.

Similar to making planter decorations at Lynbrook, Saratoga’s classes are assigned to decorate one specific area.

Freshmen decorate the cafeteria, sophomores decorate the school entrance, juniors decorate the front of the office and seniors decorate the quad arch, a big arch structure located in the quad. Saratoga Homecoming skits do not have backdrops, but the rest of the class decorations are very similar to Lynbrook’s planters, with items that create the world the theme exists in. Ultimately, both Lynbrook and Saratoga have share the same Homecoming structure, but with slight differences.

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ecause Homecoming at Monta Vista is one of the largest events of the first semester, students are competitive, but it is seen as friendly competition that provides students a break from school stress. Additional activities, such as charity competitions, set Monta Vista’s Homecoming apart from other schools. Every day of the week, there is a “Lunch Game:” some examples from this year nclude tug of war and frozen T-shirt pyramid, in which teams tear apart a bundle of frozen shirts that they must wear and create a human pyramid. Additionally, the Monta Vista student leadership team runs a charity drive throughout the week by collecting pasta, canned foods and cash to donate to Second Harvest Food Bank.

Homecoming at Monta Vista is also themed. This year, the overall theme was Pixar films, with themes for each class: “Toy Story,” “The Incredibles,” “Finding Nemo” and “Monsters, Inc.” Like at Lynbrook, students are encouraged to support their class skits by participating in spirit days, but instead of a staff skit like at Lynbrook, the main highlight of the Friday before Monta Vista’s Homecoming is a spirit day to sport school colors and show Matador pride.

Unlike Lynbrook, which usually awards first place to seniors, second place to juniors and so on, this is not always the case at Monta Vista: this year, the senior class came in second place after the junior class. Although it was disheartening for the seniors after nearly four months of preparation, they remained spirited. On the other hand, a loss for the senior class at Lynbrook might result in an uproar.

Saratoga Homecoming: The Falcons junior boys dance alongside a pig in their skit.

EL ESTOQUE — MONTA VISTA

BY RISA MORI AND JONATHAN YE

MUTHU PALANIAPPAN — SARATOGA

Compare and contrast: Lynbrook versus Saratoga and Monta Vista

Monta Vista Homecoming: The Matadors enjoy lunchtime activities such as tug-of-war.

IN-DEPTH Uncovering the effect of race on college admissions

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LYNBROOK HIGH SCHOOL | THE EPIC

lhsepic.com

BY SRINIDHI SESHADRI AND RACHEL WU

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o college application is complete without questions about an applicant’s demographics. In some cases, listing one’s race does not come lightly due to policies that limit the number of enrolled applicants based on ethnicity and race. For some students, checking the box that indicates Asian origins has made them feel stressed and anxious, as they believe that doing so could have a largely detrimental impact on their chances for admission.

In May 2015, Students for Fair Admissions, a nonprofit group that believes that preferences toward a certain race in college admissions are unnecessary and unconstitutional, filed a lawsuit against Harvard University with allegations that the university was discriminating against AsianAmerican applicants. The organization had backed up its claim using statistics to show how an applicant’s race contributes to whether or not the applicant gets accepted into Harvard and how being Asian reduces one’s chances of getting accepted. The Center for Equal Opportunity, a non-profit organization that specializes in Affirmative Action, immigration and bilingual education, published a study of college enrollment data from fall 2016 that outlined how universities that did not consider race, like Caltech, had more than 40 percent Asian American enrollment, while Harvard consistently enrolled less than 20 percent despite a growing Asian American community.

Affirmative Action is a program that the U.S. government takes part in to help increase diversity on college campuses.

Originally established by President Lyndon B. Johnson, Affirmative Action provides historically discriminated minority groups, like African Americans and Hispanics, the opportunities toward success by leveling the playing field for all Americans. The policy promotes accessible education and supports employment of these groups. It seeks to bridge inequalities in accessing education and employment while promoting diversity.

Similar allegations to the Harvard lawsuit were also raised against other Ivy League universities, and while the charges against Brown University a n d Dartmouth College were dropped due to insufficient evidence, the investigation of Yale University remains. Both Harvard and Yale University defended themselves against the allegations by stating that their application processes are holistic, meaning that they consider factors beyond test scores and GPA, such as academic achievement and demonstrated leadership.

“Most colleges strive for diversity in every shape such as geographic diversity, cultural diversity, r e l i g i o u s d i v e r s i t y and diversity of experiences, like being a first generation college student, versus someone whose family has a longstanding history of

ALISHA NAIDU — EPIC

[attending college in the U.S.],” said guidance counselor Malissa Goldstein. “And that’s because students from different backgrounds are going to bring different perspectives to the college setting, so that they can learn and grow from one another.”

Colleges value racial diversity on their campuses, as it allows their students to explore various cultures and interact with peers of different identities and backgrounds.

The American Council on Education, the nonprofit major coordinating body for all the nation’s higher education institutions, states that students “learn from those whose experiences, beliefs, and perspectives are different from [their] own, and these lessons can be taught best in a richly diverse intellectual and social environment.” A culturally diverse environment allows for a stronger development of an individual’s ethnic identity, helping students achieve of their goals for a college education.

“University of California, San Diego (UCSD) is more diverse than Lynbrook, which has been good for me to get other people’s perspectives and opinions on various things,” said Lynbrook alumnus Sahil Khan, a current student at UCSD. “To hear stories of my peers working two jobs or doing odd-jobs to raise enough money to pay tuition is really eyeopening. It’s been a huge part of my college experience and I think that’s important to be a part of every college experience.”

Affirmative Action may also be contributing to discrimination in certain cases.

In Regents of the University of California v.

Bakke, Allan Bakke, a white man, was rejected both times when he applied to the University of California Medical School at Davis, despite how his college GPA and test scores exceeded those of all of the minority students admitted in the two years he applied.

After this case, Affirmative Action was no l o n g e r considered in the admissions process for California’s public universities.

Nevertheless, the program is still used by many private universities; it is considered constitutional as long as universities are taking racial background into account to create more diverse learning environments for the benefit of their students.

“The whole point of Affirmative Action is to provide applicants with equal chances of admission,” Khan said.

“Families of a higher socioeconomic class often have the money to spend on SAT classes, PSAT classes and college consultants while other minority races may not have access to those kind of resources.”

Some Asian-Americans believe that Affirmative Action works against them even though they are also minorities who have faced hardships in the U.S. For example, the Congressional Exclusion Act, which prohibited immigration of Chinese laborers and the Japanese-American Internment during World War II, when

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY IN-DEPTH SECTION

Asian-American applicants sue universities over discrimination

Japanese Americans were forced to relocate and were incarcerated in concentration camps, have impacted many AsianAmericans. The Harvard lawsuit has gained national attention due to Asian- Americans arguing against a policy which is harming them when it is meant to benefit them.

“No Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal,” a book by Princeton University sociologists, Thomas Espenshade and Alexandra Radford, showed that Asian students would need to score higher on standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT for them to have the same chance of admission to top universities as Caucasian students. For example, on the SAT, they would need to score 140 points higher.

“Because Asians are seen as the model minority, I feel that colleges sometimes group us by viewing us all as well-rounded and studious applicants,” said senior Heather Kong. “So colleges may not feel like they’re getting as much diversity when they have a bunch of Asian-Americans who are all perceived as the same.”

Affirmative Action has been a controversial topic over the years.

Supporters of Affirmative Action have said that Affirmative Action helps reach out to groups that are underrepresented and compensate for America’s history of racial, social and economic oppression, while critics have said that Affirmative Action is hypocritical as trying to level out the playing field among ethnicity would produce the opposite result as it would favor one group over another, basing admissions on racial preference rather than academic merit.

Students for Fair Admissions believes that a colorblind admissions process would be more equitable, saying that any consideration of race itself is discrimination.

The organization hopes to remove any indication of one’s race in the student’s application p a c k e t , maintaining that through this proposal, it is definite that colleges would admit students not based on the student’s race, but rather on the student’s individual merit.

If this were the case, anything related to a student’s ethnicity or culture would have to be censored.

Yet,

cultural identity is often discussed in many college essays, so having that censorship would silence the stories of those who have been shaped by race, thus preventing students from sharing stories that are essential to their identity. Furthermore, people who oppose the Students of Fair Admissions’ proposal have said that racial and cultural background is vital to understanding one’s identity. They have stated that this kind of censorship is extremely hard to achieve, if not impossible.

“There are other clues on applications, and sometimes, those just give that information about [race] away,” Goldstein said. “Something as simple as your name, or organizations that students are involved in already identifies their race.”

For the Students for Fair Admissions v.

Harvard case, it is highly likely that the case will reach the Supreme Court as each appeal brings the case closer to being presented before the Supreme Court. Whether or not this will occur is uncertain, but one thing is sure: the lawsuits have pushed Harvard to reflect upon its admission process.

“I think colleges need to better define these other qualities that they’re looking for because when you leave them subjective and vague, that’s where part of the frustration comes from,” Goldstein said.

Whether it be through lawsuits like that against Harvard or through discussions about college applications, the debate on policies that place race-based quotas on enrollment will continue. Advocates of this policy argue that it ensures equality to the college application process while critics maintain that it simply furthers discrimination. With both sides presenting justified arguments, it is up to people to decide where they stand on this issue for themselves.

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

IN-DEPTH

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Raw, real and unromanticized

The effect of growing up with divorced parents

ART ILLUSTRATION BY CLARA FERNANDES

BY BELINDA ZHOU AND DIANA XU

with one parent, others may opt to alternate between their parents’ houses, both of which are options that may seem alista Kerba was in the second grade when she was giv- daunting. Children who settle for the latter must accustom en 10 minutes to make a decision that would alter the themselves to an entirely new family dynamic, which for a course of her life forever: choose to live with her moth- while may provoke instability and insecurity, with the underlying notion that they cannot be with one parent without er or her father.

“All I remember of that day was that everyone was at home having to be apart from the other.

There are two basic types of custody that must be ac— my sisters, my mom, my dad — my sisters and I were all really confused when we were taken into our bedroom,” said counted for in any scenario involving child custody: physical Kerba. “They told us how we had to choose whether to live custody and legal custody. Legal custody refers to the parwith my mom or my dad. We got 10 minutes to discuss what ents’ responsibility of making decisions for their child while they are still a minor, and encompasses decisions regarding we wanted to do and who we wanted to live with.” schooling, religion, housing and counFor as long as she can recall, juseling. Under the umbrella of legal nior Calista Kerba has had divorced custody lies joint legal custody and parents. Kerba was primarily raised sole legal custody. Joint legal custody by her grandparents; her mother had “They told us how we had to implies that both parents have legal moved to New Mexico to steer clear of choose whether to live with my responsibility to decide on those deciany custody-related issues that may have arisen with the separation, and mom or my dad. We got 10 min- sions, while sole legal custody implies her father was often absent in her life utes to discuss what we wanted that one parent is solely responsible for making decisions on behalf of his due to his demanding job as a dentist. to do and who we wanted to live of her child. Physical custody estabTypically, as in Kerba’s experience, lishes where the children will live on news of a divorce without much con- with.” a regular basis. Granting a parent sole text evokes immediate shock, confusion or fear of the unknown. In other Calista Kerba physical custody relays a vast amount cases, however, children are not surJunior of power to that parent, as he or she can legally move across the country prised when their parents make the without informing the other parent, announcement. Unlike Kerba’s unforeassuming all other tenets of custoseen exposure to divorce, some children begin to notice a rather discordant family dynamic or dy are being followed. Granting parents with joint physical unfamiliar tension that may foreshadow their parents’ sepa- custody would establish the cooperative involvement of both parents in their children’s lives. ration in the future.

In the time following a divorce, the dynamic of a child’s “[My parents] separated in my freshman year,” junior Rosemary Howley said. “It wasn’t a surprise to me. When I family life may change drastically. Marital disruptions typiwas in elementary school, I had suspicions that they would cally worsen the relationships between the parents and their be getting a divorce, and I just hated the idea of [not living children, yet some children may find themselves developing a more personal relationship with their parents that did not with both parents] so much. It was overwhelming.”

Divorce usually divides a family into two households, re- exist prior to the divorce. When divorced parents no longer sulting in the children of divorcees choosing a parent to live have each other to turn to, they often rely on their children to with, but the living situations of children vary from family to have meaningful cons with.

“Sometimes, when I was with my dad, I really didn’t want family. While some children, like Kerba, will choose to live

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to be there. I just wanted to talk to my mom,” said sophomore Analiza Smith*. “But sometimes when my mom and I get into an argument, I usually want to talk to my dad, so it’s kind of difficult. However, I spend half of the week in each house, so it’s equal.”

According to a study conducted by Verywell Family in April 2018, approximately 50 percent of American children will witness their parents’ divorce before they turn 18, begging the question: how is the psychological well being of a child impacted by their parents’ separation?

An analysis conducted by the National Survey of Children, which examines the physical and emotional health of children under 18, David Popenoe, a professor of sociology at Rutgers University, concluded that mental health issues such as depression, aggression and withdrawal are often associated with children who have previously been exposed to a divorce. Popenoe observed that divorce contributed to mental disorders or illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder and dysthymia, a persistent mild depression. The younger they are, the more children tend to be reliant upon their parents’ care, so young children whose parents divorce are often more vulnerable.

“The older you are as a child or young adult with divorcing parents, often, you get told more information from the parents going through the split as opposed to what much younger children are told,” said school psychologist Dr. Brittany Stevens. “Parents may desire to not let their young child in on their conflicts. They are often more protective of younger rather than older children.”

Despite the considerable changes in a child’s life following a divorce, parents separate because they do believe their marital relationship will be more harmful than beneficial. Focusing on the positives, such as less familial conflict or a more cooperative family dynamic, may improve a child’s emotional well being and ease the rather unpleasant aspects of divorce.

Kerba encourages these who find themselves facing divorcing parents to keep a few things in mind.

“Focus on the fact that your parents created you, they love you,” Kerba said. “Think about everything they’ve done for you. Recognize how they’ve devoted half their life to you.” *names have been kept anonymous for privacy reasons

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IN-DEPTH

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

The hunt for affordable housing for Bay Area teachers continued from TEACHER HOUSING page 1

“Teachers are in the professional workforce, yet they can’t make enough to live in their own communities,” said Jeffrey Bale, a teacher and one of Lynbrook’s Education Association representatives.

“That’s detrimental because any time you don’t allow teachers to live within their community, there’s going to be a natural distance between students and staff.”

For teachers and staff that live far from the Lynbrook attendance area, long commutes are the result. Yet, other consequences occur from living in distant cities, such as the detachment between the teachers and the school community.

“My family chose a shorter commute over a nicer house,” said Japanese teacher Jeremy Kitchen. “If I lived an hour away, I’d never bring my children to a school event. When teachers participate in things outside of our classroom, that contributes to our student interaction and our ability to be a community together.”

When a Monta Vista teacher emailed Assistant Superintendent Tom Avvakumvits about how the school had lost four teachers who had moved out due to California’s living cost, Avvakumovits formed a committee of teachers to investigate the issue. Around May 2017, the committee sent

a satisfaction survey to all the staff that indicated more than 60 percent of staff spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing, and of these staff members, 16 percent spend more than half their income on housing. Additionally, 56 percent said they expect to leave the district sometime in the next six years due to housing costs.

“It’s concerning, and having an education system where people will work for a couple years and then move on to something else doesn’t work for the teaching profession,” Avvakumovits said. “We want to develop teachers, as they get better over time. You want to create a culture, but you can’t do that when you have constant churning. So losing our great teachers would be really troubling.”

Because the FUHSD does not own property to build housing on, the district is providing other ways for staff to access affordable housing; a committee was formed to explore different options.

Included is a program with Landed, a company which aids in homeownership for professional workers, who seek financial security and desire to live near the community they serve. Landed covers part of the down payment needed to buy a home. In return, the company receives 25 percent of the appreciation when homeowners sell the house. However, school staff must meet certain

criteria: they must be a qualified educator, in need of up to $120,000 in down payment support and have two years of working experience in the district, plus an additional two year commitment.

The housing situation in the Bay Area is not a situation that can be easily fixed.

“Solving our affordable housing shortage is like making diamonds cheaper,” said Terel Beppu, a real estate broker in Cupertino. “You have to dramatically increase the supply of available housing, or significantly decrease demand for it. Increasing supply isn’t very likely, as we’ve used up most of the buildable land. A dramatic decrease in demand for Silicon Valley housing won’t happen unless the area becomes significantly less attractive. If some of the large employers decide to relocate out of state due to operating costs, this could quell demand. This being said, when Apple, Facebook and others invest billions in new buildings, it doesn’t appear this will happen soon.”

The housing shortage for Bay Area teachers is beyond the control of a single organization. While other school districts are addressing the concerning situations, these measures are still in their beginning stages, as are FUHSD’s own experimental options. For many students, this may seem a distant issue, but for teachers, this is the reality they must face every day.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY JONATHAN YE AND ALISHA NAIDU

Emojis fill a gap in today’s remote communication

BY CHRISTY YU and CHLOE LEE

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ive billion emojis are sent through Facebook Messenger in just one day. Nearly half of the comments on Instagram posts are captioned with emojis.

With a total of almost 3,000 types of emojis out on the web, the Internet is filled with people expressing their thoughts and feelings with emojis every day.

The term “emoji” is derived from the Japanese word for “picture” and “character.”

The first emoji was created by Shigetaka Kurita in Japan in 1999. When he was working for the Japanese mobile carrier NTT DoCoMo, Kurita created the first set of 176 emojis. In 2012, when Apple added an emoji keyboard to its latest software release at that time, the iOS 6, the popularity of emojis skyrocketed among the users of Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites. Now, more than 10 billion emojis are sent each and every day.

When people have face-to-face conversations, their tones and feelings can usually be easily interpreted not only through words, but also by facial expressions, body language and the tone of the speaker’s voice.

But when people communicate through electronic devices, words alone cannot always fully convey their emotions. This is where emojis come into play.

Owen Churches, a data scientist and psychologist at Flinders University, discovered in 2014 that when people see an emoji, their brain acts the same way as when they see a human face with the same emotion. Furthermore, looking at emojis can trigger the facial recognition response in the occipitotemporal parts of the brain, which are responsible for processing visual information from the eyes. This is a learned

response ingrained into our heads by Internet culture; over time, our brains have created a link between an emoji and the emotions they trigger in our brain.

“In online games where people are trying to trade for my valuable items, I usually say something like ‘sorry, not exactly what I’m looking for,’ and then I add the ‘grinning face with sweat’ emoji to make my statement less harsh,” said sophomore Patricia Huang.

“Without the emoji, it sounds rude and arrogant because many items in these games are hard earned.”

Other times, emojis can prevent harmless jokes from being misinterpreted as rude or hostile commentary. Including something as simple as a smiley face to the message not only adds a human touch to the text, but also makes the message easier to get across and more personal.

“Emojis can give extra information if I just want to make a comment that’s not to be taken too seriously, then I can put like a little smiley face after it,” said math and computer science teacher Mark Kwong. “If you are not face to face with somebody, some information is missed.”

Emojis can bridge the gap between remote communications on the Internet.

Now referred to as the “universal language” of the Internet, emojis have changed our speech patterns. Many habits we use online are influenced by speech. In fact, people have started using only emojis to respond to texts.

“Emojis can often be overused when somebody utilizes emojis in formal communication,” said math and computer science teacher Bradley Fulk. “For example, I wouldn’t put an emoji in a letter of recommendation or into communication that is intended to be professional.”

As time passes, the number of emojis

created has increased enormously and evolved with the advancing of technology. For example, in 2015 Apple added five different skin tones for each emoji that depicts a face or body parts to better reflect human diversity.

“I think recently the range of emojis with the skin tones that has become allowed us to be more inclusive,” said tech company employee Shanhari Sivagnanasundaram.

“In terms of the impact of emojis on society or culture, it definitely makes texting more human.”

Apple has also added an Animoji feature, starting with the iPhone X, which uses facial recognition to animate an emoji.

With the Animoji, people can use their own face to animate their facial expression.

“I tried [Animoji] when it very first came out,” Fulk said. “I did it once to wish my sister happy birthday, and it was because I thought it was funny.”

The impact of emojis in today’s communication is significant toward our everyday online language and has become a part of the Internet culture. As emojis help fill the emotional gap when texting, people will continue to use emojis to express themselves emotionally in the digital world.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTY YU

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

IN-DEPTH

15

SPORTS Marching band and colorguard keep up the pace

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LYNBROOK HIGH SCHOOL | THE EPIC

lhsepic.com

BY MELISSA CHEN

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arching to a 120 beats-perminute tempo with perfect posture, measured steps, precise technique and a 35-pound instrument is no simple task. For students in the Lynbrook marching band, however, these are tasks they are able to execute skillfully as a result of the athletic training each marcher and colorguard member undergoes during the season.

“It takes time and effort,” said senior and alto saxophone section leader Richard Lin. “We only have a month and a half to bring our show together and make it into something we’re all proud of.”

The marching band and colorguard perform a different show every school year with a new theme and corresponding music repertoire, choreography and visuals. They have presented this year’s show, “A Matter of Time,” at various competitions, including the Cupertino High School Tournament of Bands, the Bands of America (BOA) NorCal Regional Championship and the BOA SoCal Regional Championship, which was held in Los Angeles on Nov. 3 this year. The SoCal BOA is a prestigious competition the program decided to enter this year following a successful past season, in hopes of growing as a program.

“The SoCal BOA is a more competitive circuit,” said band director Michael Pakaluk. “Our band has gotten better where we can hold our own and place in finals. We’ve improved greatly over the past few years. We’re consistently scoring higher and placing higher.”

The band holds three-hour practices on Mondays and Thursdays and sevenhour practice on Saturdays, which consist of running show segments, polishing visuals,

rehearsing music and of course, physical training.

“We want the students to perform at a higher level and do not want the performance to suffer because they’re physically overwhelmed,” Pakaluk said. “That’s why we prepare more with conditioning.”

For weekday practices, three-minute planks are often the most demanding part of the workout, done in sets with short breaks between every repetition. The goal of the exercise is to build core muscles and physical endurance, which are essential to marchers, as they must maintain a steady and strong airstream for full sound and controlled tone when playing instruments on the field.

“The planks are difficult for me,” said freshman marcher Yixuan Liu. “Sometimes I want to give up, but the people around me are all pushing through, so that helps me to stay motivated.”

On Saturdays, the marching band and colorguard assemble in a tight block formation on the track to run laps. The leading drum major, a student conductor, begins to tap slowly on a wood block.

Marchers and colorguard shuffle forward to the beat. As the drum major increases the speed of the rhythm, shuffling turns into marching, marching moves into a slow jog and jogging settles into a light run. During the run, a few people do end up dropping behind, but the tradition is that those who complete the laps earlier return to cheer on and run with the people behind them, and everyone ultimately finishes together.

Beside helping students develop strength and stamina, physical training is also a bonding experience.

“The training is definitely

challenging,” said junior and colorguard captain Emily Zhang. “We work together to help each other out. We encourage each other.”

In addition to regular practices, the colorguard holds its own sectionals, or group practices, on Tuesdays and Fridays after school. During these afternoons, colorguard members practice with flags and other equipment while working on training specific to colorguard, such as dance and flexibility.

The athletic training not only strengthens each marching band and colorguard member’s physical capabilities, but it is also rewarding in that it builds self-discipline.

“You have to have strong willpower,” said sophomore colorguard member Alicia Chuang. “You have to breathe and push through even though it’s really hard.”

In marching band and colorguard, the mind must concentrate on a number of tasks that the body must execute. For marching band, beside the concrete steps of the show and music, there are horn angles, upper body position and projection. Beside knowing the choreography, colorguard members need to be aware of the emotions conveyed through their body movements. These seemingly insignificant details are just as central to the overall performance.

Arguably, the most crucial task is to be conscious of surroundings when moving between one’s dots, or specifically designed positions on the field during the s h o w .

Practically, spacial awareness helps avoid collisions and errors, since the marchers and colorguard, totaling at more than one hundred, are on the field at once. Artistically, awareness is integral to creating synchronization. Marching band and colorguard is not designed to showcase the individual. One must move accordingly with the people around them.

“It’s not really what a marcher has to do,” said sophomore drum major Catherine Zheng. “It’s more of what a marcher has to do with everyone else.

There’s no special marcher. Everyone is one and the same.”

As emphasized by the physical training, unity is a core theme in all marching band and colorguard shows. Ultimately, the marchers and colorguard put in hours of practice and training together to present the best show possible. Under the bright floodlights, the energy and connection between the members is palpable.

Though each marcher may be on their separate dots, and colorguard moving through their individual choreography, the eye is not drawn to any single person, but instead, one mesmerizing and constantly transforming body.

AUDREY WONG — EPIC

ANUSHA KOTHARI // IN MY OPINION

Love one team, respect all

I

walked into SAP Center, anticipating the sea of blue and gold I had seen the last time I watched a Golden State Warriors game in person. Instead, I saw fans decked in blue, gold and purple. Despite being a preseason game, this game was no ordinary one. The strongest team in the league, the Golden State Warriors, was up against the Los Angeles Lakers, who had arguably the best player in the league, LeBron James.

Over the summer, the Lakers signed James

to a four-year deal. For many Lakers and Warriors fans, James’ decision to sign with the Lakers strengthened their loyalty to their favorite team. I am a Warriors fan, and as a result, my enthusiasm for the Warriors grew because I was excited to watch the competitive matchup between the Warriors and Lakers. Other fans, however, could not decide which team to support, and instead of respecting both teams, disregarded each team’s skill. Throughout the first few weeks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) season, I heard students calling either the Lakers or the Warriors “trash” and declaring that the other team is better. A few days later, the same students would say the exact opposite. These claims infuriated me because the students were switching between which team they supported and in doing so, they were diminishing both teams’ skill. At the Warriors and Lakers preseason game I attended, a similar situation occurred: spectators bandwagoned onto the winning team.

Halfway through the game, the Warriors were winning by a considerable margin.

Consequently, head coach Steve Kerr decided

to play less experienced team members, which is typical for preseason games.

However, in the third quarter, the Lakers outscored the Warriors by 16 points, taking the lead. Numerous Warriors and Lakers fans left the building, believing they could predict the outcome of the game: the Lakers would win. I understood these fans; they had come to watch an action-packed, entertaining game and were disappointed that their favorite players weren’t playing, but leaving in the middle of the game was rude and disloyal.

My family was in the same situation. In the fourth quarter, my brother, a diehard Stephen Curry fan, started crying and saying that he wanted to leave. My parents were also getting restless; they could foresee the outcome of the game. Despite my family’s wishes, I was determined to stay until the final buzzer rang because I support the Warriors no matter what, even when they are losing. Although I was disappointed that the players I was looking forward to watching weren’t on the court, I remained to cheer on the younger, less experienced players. In fact, after watching them play at this game, I was excited to see what skills they would bring to

the table in the upcoming season.

As expected, the Lakers ultimately won.

After the game, I stepped outside the arena and heard some Lakers fans chanting, “Let’s go, Lakers, let’s go!” I didn’t mind this at first, but what started as praise for the Lakers eventually turned into hate toward the Warriors. These fans unfairly diminished the Warriors’ skill by exclaiming that the “Warriors suck.” What surprised me the most was that some Warriors fans joined in as well. Although they didn’t announce their disdain for the Warriors as vehemently as the Lakers’ fans, they still made it apparent by saying that coming to the game was a waste of time. These fans completely neglected the first half of the game, in which the Warriors played significantly better than the Lakers.

They were making claims based on who won and who lost.

Ultimately, sports fans should not only demonstrate team loyalty, but also respect both teams. Both teams have driven and talented players that deserve to be respected, so it does not matter which team a fan chooses to cheer for, as long their support does not waver.

SPORTS

NOVEMBER 09, 2018

17

Students compete for virtual victory in fantasy football

N

ART ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTY YU

ew York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. catches a 76-yard touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers.

“Yes, that’s 13.6 points for my Fantasy team!” Senior Tatsumi Eng, a lifelong 49ers fan, cheers as Beckham performs a celebratory end zone dance. If this had happened in an actual game, 49ers fans nearby would have looked at Eng in disgust.

But in Fantasy Football, where friends draft individual players, an athlete’s team no longer matters. Fantasy players only care about an athlete’s performance, and with every reception, interception, touchdown and yard gained, players gain points.

Fantasy Football is an online game in which participants become virtual managers of their own football teams. They draft real players from any National Football League (NFL) team for their respective positions, such as quarterback, wide receiver, tight end and running back, however, the whole team’s defense counts as one position. Points are gained through player scoring and yardage. Fantasy Football is like a version of the stock market where athletes are the stocks, and how well they perform is equivalent to a stock’s value. Both are unpredictable: green NFL players may suddenly dominate one game and become popular through Fantasy. On the other hand, veteran players who have proven themselves to be excellent at the sport may suddenly get injured, making them an unpopular choice in Fantasy. In the game, players are only valued for their individual performances.

At Lynbrook, many students and teachers take part in Fantasy, forming leagues together with friends to compete with each other. Fantasy gives students an incentive to keep up with football, which in turn creates more passion for the sport. “[Through playing Fantasy Football], I found more reason to follow football games,” said senior and varsity football player Jay Lee. “I now watch many games to learn the best lineups that I can choose for Fantasy.”

In addition to serving as entertainment, Fantasy allows students to share memorable moments with their friends.

“My best moments from playing Fantasy Football come from the enjoyment of playing against my friends on a weekly basis in a friendly but competitive manner,” Eng said. “We can all get some bragging rights when we beat each other.”

Teachers who play Fantasy Football have found this game another opportunity to connect with students in a way that they usually would not within an academic setting.

“My TA’s and students who play football or Fantasy help me set up my team’s lineup,” said literature teacher Diana Albaker.

“We talk about football often, and it becomes a way for us to bond over something other than academics.”

Some leagues even form a cash prize pool, in which each participant pitches in varying monetary amounts. The participant who wins the finals keeps the entire cash pool.

But players who lose one year do not have to worry: with the NFL season resetting every year, Fantasy players always have a fresh start to the game. New rookies enter the playing field, and player performance varies, making each year’s Fantasy experience unique. With its replayability, Fantasy allows students to correct mistakes they made in the previous seasons.

“Our league creator was a teacher who used to work here,” Albaker said. “I plan to play in the future as it is a way to engage with friends and coworkers who both live here and far away from us.”

NFL and football are a major part of American culture, and Fantasy Football is an extension of it. With Fantasy, participants who do not play football in real life can feel more connected to the NFL and the players they love. At Lynbrook, Fantasy Football is a way for teachers and students to connect with each other. With a shared hobby, they can bond and share memories of fun and friendly competition.

In America...

Football is the most popular Fantasy Sport 34 % of teenagers play Fantasy Football 59.3 million people play Fantasy Football

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY SPORTS SECTION

BY JONATHAN YE

PE Inclusive fosters bonds with special needs students

BY AILEEN XUE

I

nspired by her daughter with special needs, Athletic Director Jennifer Griffin came up with the idea of PE Inclusive with Special Education department chair Anne Greene, a new PE class designed to build strong interactions between mainstream and Academic Community and Transition (ACT) learners.

“You always want the least restrictive environment for any special education student,” Griffin said. “With PE Inclusive, we have the mainstream students in the class help teach the students in our ACT classes some sports and skills at a slower pace so we are able to break skills down more for better understanding.”

Special needs and Physical Education teacher Lauren Blazek, who came to Lynbrook four years ago as a para educator, a teaching aide for the special needs class, took on the adapted PE teacher role. Previously, Blazek worked at the Santa Clara Parks and Recreation Therapeutics Recreation Department where she helped adults with disabilities.

“Growing up, I was around a lot of different disabilities,” Blazek said. “My uncle had Down syndrome, and almost everyone in my family worked with people who had special needs or in therapeutics. I just knew that was what I wanted to do with my life.”

In its pilot year during the 2017-2018 school year, PE Inclusive consisted of 15 ACT students, seven mainstream students and five paras. The mainstream students are referred to as buddies and mainly include students who are Viking Buddies Club members. This year, the number of buddies has grown to 10 following an informational meeting inviting students to join the class.

PE teachers also introduced it to freshman PE classes as an option for students to take the following school year. The class numbers

rose in the numbers of ACT students and paras, 19 and seven respectively.

Held during first period, PE Inclusive operates like any other PE class. The ACT students start every day with stretches and warm ups, then participate in simple activities related to the sports unit they are on, allowing them to slowly build their way up to playing the sport. The class is currently on their basketball unit, and students participate in activities such as monkey in the middle and dribbling competitions.

“It warms my heart watching the friendships, which would not naturally happen out in the hallways, build between the students,” Blazek said. “I love seeing our buddies and ACT students talking to each other after class or even having lunch together.”

After joining Viking Buddies her freshman year, junior Julie Lee hoped to form stronger connections with the students she met through the club and thought that PE Inclusive was the perfect opportunity.

“The class really lifts up your spirits for the rest of the day,” Lee said. “The students are very optimistic, which makes me realize how lucky I am to be able to play the sports that I can.”

However, PE Inclusive does not come without its challenges.

“Each day is very different with how the ACT students come to school feeling,” Blazek said. “Some days, it may go very smoothly, but other days, they may be having a really rough day, and things may be a little more challenging.

As PE Inclusive continues to foster connections between mainstream and ACT students, Blazek and Griffin hope that the class will be offered at other schools.

By bringing together mainstream and ACT students, PE Inclusive creates a deeper sense of community between the two groups of students.

PATRICIA WEI — EPIC

18

SPORTS

NOVEMBER 09, 2018

Students sweat off stress at new weight room

BY KELSEY LU

W

hile other changes on campus take time to adjust to, students are eager to use the new weight room, coming in after school, ready to get their sweat on.

Read on about the experiences of two students who go to the weight room regularly.

Try This Workout!

ENZO CABALTICA — EPIC

ENZO CABALTICA — EPIC

Varun Agrawal

A

fter the opening of the new weight room, senior Varun Agrawal decided to make daily trips to the weight room a part of his lifestyle. He goes after seventh period and stays for about an hour, focusing on one workout area at a time. His daily trips help him to prepare for the upcoming volleyball season in the spring. Although he is able to train at a local gym, he chooses the weight room at Lynbrook instead, as it is more convenient for him and his friends.

“When I’m alone at the weight room, I don’t always feel motivated,” Agrawal said. “However, with my friends, I feel more motivated to go as they push me to work hard on the workouts we do.”

Along with Agrawal’s group of friends, PE teacher Ray Wright and Para Educator Tim Wehner have helped Agarwal perfect his form during workout activities.

“One time, when I was struggling with the shoulder press, Coach Tim actually went over to the weight rack and brought better weights for me,” Agrawal said. “He helped me correct my form, which helped me feel the full range of the motion of the workout.”

Before this year, Agrawal did not go to the weight room frequently, as he felt the old one was closed-off and cramped; there was not much natural light or space in which he could do activities that did not rely on a machine. However, the new weight room has motivated Agrawal to go more often. Also, by working out often, Agrawal has been getting better sleep and having more productive study sessions, helping him focus on everyday tasks such as writing college essays.

KATIE CHEN — EPIC

JESSICA LI — EPIC

Natalie Semersky Warm up by rowing (25 minutes)

Bench press (3 sets of 10 reps)

Leg press (3 sets of 10 reps) GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY SPORTS SECTION

J

unior Natalie Semersky started going to the weight room after joining track and field; she would go work out three times a week, performing box jumps that her coach recommended her to do. After the season, Semersky has continued to go every Friday after school for an hour or two in order to stay in shape for the next season.

Although Semersky does not have a set workout routine for each visit to the weight room, she starts off with a few light stretches to prevent any injuries during her workouts.

She then moves onto arm workouts, doing bench presses.

Legs are next and her favorite exercise is box jumps in which she performs three reps of 10 to 15 jumps, working her way to jump over larger blocks each time. Semersky ends off her workout with a set of core workouts including planks.

“When I do box jumps, I feel stronger as I see myself improving from jumping onto small blocks first and moving on to larger ones,” Semersky said.

Semersky has been going to the weight room since tenth grade. She prefers the new room as it not only has more machines, but also has more space to perform certain exercises.

“The new weight room is more inviting and because of that, I feel more motivated to go,” Semersky said.

By having a workout buddy, Semersky feels more motivated to push through each additional bench press.

Working out is a way for her to de-stress from her school tasks such as chemistry tests and math problems; it is a good outlet for her to clear her mind.

DIANA XU — EPIC

AUDREY WONG — EPIC

NOVEMBER 09, 2018

SPORTS

19

20

PHOTOESSAY

lhsepic.com

Mr.Bale’s

LYNBROOK HIGH SCHOOL | THE EPIC

Terrific Ties

Formal Tie

Game Day

Best Tie

Worst Tie

“This is actually a tie that was purchased for me by students, and you’ll notice it’s a Beijing Olympics tie, but it has a nice formal appeal. I really enjoyed this tie because it allows a little shout out that this is an Olympics tie and it differentiates myself from everybody else.”

“This basketball tie is the game day tie. This is the OG tie. It’s tie I actually received on my birthday. Our coach had us wear ties on game day, which is why I make my players wear ties as well. Because the moment you wake up, you’re already in game mode, and you’re presenting yourself as a player.”

“I bought this in New Orleans, in the late 90’s, and I just love the vibrant colors. Although I will say sometimes people think these are little bacterias or something. But I love the vibrancy of this tie, and it works well with a lot of different color shirts. I like the feel of it, it’s just really nice.”

“There’s a tie that I have that’s like orange and green, and it’s basically unwearable. It doesn’t even go with black which, you know. It doesn’t even go with itself. That’s a real hot mess. But this is a unique tie, the SpongeBob SquareTie. I love this tie.

It’s very unique because of the square bottom, which makes people think that I accidentally cut it off.”

When did you start collecting ties?

It started with basketball in the fall of ‘97. I had this New Hope tie, which really kicked it off because I went to my sister’s graduation at Pepperdine, and people were giving me mad love.

Random people would stop me and say, “Wow, you that’s a really nice tie.” I was about 15 at the time, and I was really impressed.

That was kind of when I really started collecting ties. By the time I started teaching I had maybe 35, 40 ties, but it was after I started teaching that it really blew up, because people wanted to be a part of the process. Because they knew that it would be something that would be seen by people.

How much money did you actually spend?

Yeah, relatively little. I mean, occasionally I’ll buy a tie. I bought a zebra tie, and I had zebra suspenders for a prom a couple years ago.

Similarly, there are things that I specifically wanted to buy for certain occasions, such as weddings and other formal events. But honestly, I’ve probably only spent like $200. Because once you start the ball rolling, it’s remarkable, it’s remarkable how many people want join in. I would suspect by the end of the school year, I’ll probably have at least 10 more ties, just from students and friends. And I’m flattered. I always say if you give me a tie, I’ll wear it, no matter what it looks like.

When you wake up, how do you choose which one?

I just pull the next one off the rack.

I have them organized in miniature dry cleaner things in my closet.

They’re rotating racks, and when you press the button, it lights up.

It actually rotates in there slowly, and I have several of those next to each other. So yeah, I just go down.

There’s a few that I kind of pull out and I make sure. Like I have one that’s like a crocheted tie That one’s a little harder to wear with some shirts. There are certain things that work better with some some colors, so I occasionally I’ll do a shift. But for the most part, I just rock and roll, I grab the tie, and I try to find an appropriate shirt.

If you could choose any other article of clothing to accessorize what would you choose?

That’s great question. I think a lot of people go on with the socks, and that’s not really my gig. One of the things that I do is during my basketball practices, I wear like different college shirts. I try to find some kind of some crazy colleges people don’t represent very much and so I have a whole lot of college basketball t-shirts, maybe like 50 colleges. When I’m in my dress clothes, I’m wearing the ties. And then when I’m coaching basketball, I’m wearing things that are affiliated with basketball programs that I would love for us to emulate. So I think the college t-shirt thing, that’s something that I would do.