“A LITTLE PARTY NEVER KILLED NOBODY” INSIDE THE LYNBROOK PARTY CULTURE
BY MICHELLE LUM
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riday night. Bright lights, excitement shining on faces, worry-free dancing of teenagers with nothing more incriminating than a bottle in one hand. A group of teenagers crowds around bottles of alcohol in a designated corner of the kitchen, some circle around a table of red Solo cups for a game of beer pong and a few bored attendees sit on a couch. Some spend the night taking drugs outside and throwing up in the host’s treasured vase. Others spend the night listening to the music playing in the background and catching up with friends, never touching drugs or alcohol. Monday morning. A boy high-fives his classmate as they chat during a passing period, girls share notes on the last chapter of the history textbook and a student looks over answers to a math test before turning it in at the front of the classroom. An outsider looking in would never be able to tell what any of them were doing on Friday night. Party culture may be hidden, but it is still prevalent. Though 60.5 percent of 415 Lynbrook students surveyed by the Epic rated the prevalence of Lynbrook party culture from one through four
ARUL GNANASIVAM — EPIC
on a scale from one to ten, with one being nonexistent, 19.3 percent of the students surveyed had attended a high school party where there was underage use of substances like alcohol and drugs. In a study conducted by Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation Principal Investigator and Researcher Bettina Friese; the University of California, Berkeley, adjunct professor Joel Grube; and other researchers, about 25 percent of respondents in a 2011-2012 survey of 1,121 teens from 50 mid-sized California cities had had a party at their house within the last 12 months. Thirty-nine percent of that quarter of respondents stated that there was alcohol at their last party. To many, partying in high school may seem like a staple of teenage life — even a rite of passage. An invite means that one is part of the “in-crowd,” and students often find pleasure in rebelling against parental and societal rules on staying out, drinking and using drugs or just in satisfying their curiosity about parties. Among Lynbrook students, parties often take place in unassuming homes on otherwise quiet streets, and sometimes even beaches. Alcohol may be purchased by older siblings, parents or even teenagers with fake IDs. Invites come through text messages, Facebook events or quick exchanges between classes. Attendees are well-
aware of the risks involved: on the smaller scale, those unaccustomed to drinking may experience vomiting and temporary clouding of the mind, and on the larger scale, drug use may lead to accidental overdoses, while over-the-top alcohol consumption can spur drunk driving. However, not everyone attends parties for the sake of drinking or doing drugs; some attendees who only attend a party once in a while may be simply curious about the party scene, while others may attend with the sole purpose of socializing with friends. Behind every stereotype lies reality. That is no less true for party culture. In this issue, the Epic presents a centerspread on party culture in an attempt to shed light on the realities of those who attend parties, as well as their experiences and perspectives. In what forms does party culture manifest itself in the Lynbrook community? Why do students party? Who should take responsibility, and how? What is the significance of the drinking age? We welcome you to flip through our pages and take a deeper look at the Lynbrook party culture and its implications.
Lynbrook honored as a CA Distinguished School BY MELISSA CHEN
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his year, Lynbrook is the only public school in Santa Clara County beside Monta Vista High School to be honored under the 2019 California Distinguished Schools (DS) Program. In 2019, school eligibility for the DS Program was determined by the new system of assessment and accountability implemented in 2018. Eligible schools applied to be considered. Part of the application allowed schools to highlight their Model Programs and Practices. Lynbrook focused on its STEM and Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. Both were described, along with their respective awards and accomplishments, and how the programs promoted skills such as collaboration and critical thinking. The STEM research class and resources available for Lynbrook student research in and out of classes was explained in the application. Also included was the importance of Robotics, JETS and other
science clubs in allowing students to explore. For Lynbrook’s CTE business program, pathways between classes were emphasized, and how business clubs DECA and FBLA supported these classes by giving students opportunities to apply their learning. Though the DS award highlights Lynbrook’s rigorous and excellent academics, academics are not the only defining aspect of Lynbrook. “[Lynbrook students] are very highly academically achieving,” said assistant principal David Erwin. “But to me, what makes us outstanding is that students are polite, respectful and always very mindful. They are just friendly students who are willing to help people.” Lynbrook embraces this thoughtful behavior with programs like the STTAR peer tutoring program and most recently homeroom, which tries to encourage reciprocity between teachers and students and foster empathy in the community. “Within a competitive environment, Lynbrook students still choose to uplift each
other,” said sophomore Amory Gao. “That we can maintain such a positive environment makes me proud. People hold themselves to moral standards and they’re genuinely good to their friends and work to make a positive difference in our community.” The students and staff are what makes Lynbrook community special to many. “At Lynbrook, we just keep finding ways to improve,” said Principal Maria Jackson. “We constantly ask ourselves, ‘How we can better serve our students? What opportunities might we able to provide for them? What curriculum would be interesting to help them be successful in the future, and what we can do to support every student in our campus to help every student succeed?’” All schools honored under the DS program will be officially awarded on April 5 at a ceremony in the Disneyland Hotel at Anaheim. This prestigious award celebrates Lynbrook’s outstanding academic programs and is a symbol of trust of Lynbrook’s continued excellence in both education and community.
see PARTY CULTURE pg 10
BOYS VOLLEYBALL //pg. 18
Starting off the new season