Santa Clara County expands afordable housing pg. 2
Future wellness center is a step toward aiding student mental health pg. 5
Aidan Tung dives deep into the world of coral keeping pg. 9
White House institutes unanticipated deportation policies pg. 13
Alice Wu shoots her 1000th point toward
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shoots her 1000th point toward success
BY INAAYA YOUSUF
With precision and quick movements, senior Alice Wu sprints to the net to shoot a layup. The ball effortlessly falls through the net, and the bleachers erupt in cheers as Wu scores her 1000th point, marking the result of years of hard work and dedication. As a point guard, Wu has been an instrumental part of the varsity girls basketball team over the past four years. As she rounds off her fnal year as a varsity team captain, this milestone is a testament to the dedication, determination and perseverance Wu has shown both on and off the court.
Wu began playing basketball in elementary school after being encouraged by her parents, who wanted her to have an athletic outlet. This passion grew during her middle school years, when she joined the Miller Middle School basketball team in sixth grade. During COVID-19, she continued practicing, often visiting a nearby park to shoot, dribbling at home and training with other players and her coaches through Zoom. Story continued on pg. 15 // sports
journey from the court to a Bay Area nominee
BY AMANDA JIN
Dodging and weaving past opponents, junior Ethan Jin leaps and scores his 19th point against Monta Vista High School’s varsity boys basketball team on Jan. 24, securing a close victory of 6563. Jin’s outstanding performance at that game secured him a nomination from the Mercury News Bay Area Boys Athlete of the Week.
From Jan. 20-25, Jin was nominated for his exceptional athletic abilities in recent games, along with 10 other high school athletes across the Bay Area. In the respective week, journalists reviewed performances from athletes who stood out, selecting those who made the greatest impact and showcased their skills the best. A poll was then released, where the public voted for who they believe is the most qualifed. Although another player won the poll, Jin’s nomination for his performance among the hundreds of thousands of athletes in the Bay Area is an exceptional feat.
“We went out for a team lunch, and one of my teammates showed me the post,” Jin said. “I was honestly surprised, but also really happy.”
Story continued on pg. 14 // sports
Page by Vidushi Upadhyay and Eileen Zhu
Welcome to the Epic’s Issue 5!
Flip through the pages of this issue and learn about new executive orders taking place, discover upcoming plans for a wellness center at Lynbrook, explore what it takes to be named a Regeneron Talent Search Scholar, examine the potential impacts of oligarchy, view a recap of winter sports with our sports scoreboard and dive into what Epic staffers think about popular rom-coms.
Moreover, with class offce elections right around the corner, don’t forget to check out our Instagram page, @lhs.epic for more information on your candidates.
We are also opening applications for new staffers for the 2025-26 school year! Make sure to apply by Tuesday, March 18, by 4 p.m. Show up to our recommended informational meeting on Friday, March 14, during lunch in room 611.
Happy voting, Ashley Huang & Alyssa Wang Editors-In-Chief
Campus, community and world events
BY CRYSTAL ZHU
Community School
From Feb. 10 to 14, the Future Business Leaders of America’s American Enterprise Project hosted an e-waste donation drive. The initiative, known as Project Teach, aims to teach digital literacy to young children. All items collected were donated to the nonproft Human-I-T, which provides digital devices and training to disadvantaged communities such as low-income families. The organization refurbishes, resells and recycles collected items, which include keyboards, microphones, hard drives and other offce equipment.
Starting Feb. 4, one day following the containment of the Los Angeles wildfres, Governor Gavin Newsom signed executive orders reducing regulations and extending deadlines for crucial fre relief pathways. Newsom lifted regulations on the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Coastal Act, suspending regulations that may delay rebuilding efforts. A Feb. 6 executive order prepared for future fres by adopting “Zone 0” — a 5-feet, ember-resistant area around buildings in Very High Fire Severity Zones — among other changes.
National International
Chilly winds swept across the United States as a polar vortex from the Arctic plunged temperatures 30 degrees below normal in Midwest and Plains states. Polar vortexes feature strong, freezing winds that usually blow counterclockwise near the Arctic pole, though they can occasionally stretch south.
Subzero temperatures reached at least 108 million residents in the U.S., the highest number affected since 2019. In combination with the hotter-than-usual winter this year, scientists say it could be a sign of a changing cold season in a warming world.
In a major decision in the feld of artifcial intelligence, the U.S. and the United Kingdom declined to sign a declaration outlining AI regulations presented during the Artifcial Intelligence Action summit on Feb. 10 and 11. Explaining the decision, Vice President J.D. Vance voiced concerns that the declaration would “kill a transformative industry just as it’s taking off.” 61 other countries, including Australia, Canada, Japan and Mexico signed the agreement. Discussions surrounded fve central themes: Public Service, Future of Work, Innovation and Culture, Trust and Global Governance.
Santa Clara County expands affordable housing
BY MADDY CHANG
Santa Clara County has launched numerous ongoing efforts to address homelessness and the housing shortage, including temporary housing and budget changes. With over 9,900 homeless residents countywide, the changes aim to improve shelter conditions, resource allocation and the accuracy of previously undercounted data. These efforts have sparked both support and contention in votes.
“The root causes of the homelessness issue are so historical, which makes it an extremely complicated issue to address,” science teacher Connie Leung said.
Among the most signifcant developments in San José is the implementation of “no-return zones.” The new zones will clear out homeless encampments in neighborhoods, which have elicited safety complaints from residents, and prevent homeless people from returning. The plan has 11 zones that will be enforced by the San José Police Department and BeautifySJ, a program under the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. While the exact timeline remains unclear, the city has already allocated at least $500,000 for police offcers and around $407,000 for BeautifySJ employees to the zones. However, critics have stated that this
will only lead to encampments around places like San José Mineta International Airport, pointing to drug rehabilitation or mental institutions as more effective solutions.
“There’s a problem of whether no-return zones are humane or not,” sophomore Shannon Zhang said. “But it is a two-sided issue — you have to look at whether it’s good for the people in the city and the people who are currently suffering from homelessness.”
San José Mayor Matt Mahan called for a reallocation of $30 million in Measure E — a property tax passed in 2019 originally meant for permanent housing initiatives — to instead prioritize temporary housing development. Despite some community backlash, the reallocation was eventually confrmed in the hopes of removing unhoused individuals from the streets more quickly, as temporary housing can be built faster than permanent units.
These recent changes aim to address immediate shelter and safety concerns. However, an increase in temporary housing can inadvertently increase
permanent housing prices, an issue that has plagued many families living in the Bay Area.
“If you look at Zillow or Redfn, there are houses going for $4 or 5 million, and most people cannot afford that number,” Leung said. “There are a lot of jobs here where you can afford that, but there’s also probably many students here whose families are renting, and the high prices can be a struggle for them.”
Consequently, Mahan has also begun to advocate for the increased implementation of accessory dwelling units, commonly referred to as ADUs. These are smaller, separate homes attached to the main building, creating more housing options for residents in need.
Beyond San José, the county continues to refne homeless tracking and shelter initiatives. Instead of venturing out streetby-street to count individuals, which often leads to undercounts, it now surveys concentrated homeless populations to ensure more comprehensive data. Despite this, the city council of Fremont, Calif. recently passed a law criminalizing aid for homeless camps,
Court ruling enabling communities to prohibit homeless people from sleeping outside.
Additionally, Santa Clara County’s state-mandated low-income housing plan has been approved. The motion comes after an extensive 2-year delay rooted in debates over whether the county had suffcient infrastructure to support increased urban development, as well as whether the units would compromise land for agriculture. Per California’s Housing Element law, the county must construct 3,000 housing units by 2030 for individuals earning less than 80% of the region’s median income, which is about $62,532 for the county. Ultimately, the plan was approved by California after county offcials committed to addressing these infrastructure challenges and meeting environment and safety standards. County projects still pending approval include paving over land initially dedicated to farming to create 4,300 family homes and 1,200 single-family units.
Le er from the Editors
Photo used with permission from David Robert Crews
Photo used with permission from Nothing Ahead/exels
Photo used with permission from Focall Foto
Photo used with permission from the CA Department of Forestry
Aloha!
Graphic illustration by Rebecca Cai
Ba le of the Classes ignites school spirit
BY OLIVIA TU
After a three-year hiatus, Battle of the Classes made an energetic return during the week of Feb. 10. The event pitted all four classes against one another in a series of games ranging from relay races to paddling cardboard boats in the pool.
On the frst day, the upperclassmen faced the underclassmen for a match of Ultimate Frisbee. The upperclassmen had an early triumph with a score of 42-0.
On the second day, classes raced against each other in a 4x200-meter relay race, where the juniors secured victory with a time of
1:44.87. The freshmen made a comeback on the third day in Capture the Flag, where they captured fve fags, resulting in a tie with the seniors.
Nearing the fnal day of the event, classes constructed cardboard boats to prepare for the concluding game on Friday: boat racing in the pool. Despite vigorous efforts, only the juniors’ boat made it to the end without sinking. Emerging as the ultimate victor, the Class of 2026 was awarded with donuts.
“Battle of the Classes turned out great and was a fun experience for all the people involved,” junior and participant Maulik Agrawal said. “I’m happy that our class won, and I wish we did something like this every year.”
Unlike many other school events, Battle of the Classes aimed to foster interclass unity through friendly competition.
“We wanted to start the semester with something new, especially since this was highly requested,” sophomore and
Class of 2027 president Arnav Kodavati said. “We saw how much fun activities like homecoming were and wanted to bring out Lynbrook’s competitive spirit.”
Restoring the event proved to be a struggle in previous years, as class offcers were simultaneously occupied with planning other events like junior and senior prom. However, this year, the offcers were determined to carry it out.
“We timed it well by adding this event to the calendar at the beginning of the school year,” senior and Class of 2025 president Dishita Aeron said. “Therefore, we didn’t need to worry about being too busy planning other events.”
In December, the class presidents began brainstorming for the activities. They decided on physical competitive games, inspired by their initial idea for an Olympics-themed event.
“Instead of a certain class or commissioners planning, the various class presidents were all working together, which was unique,” Kirsh said. “They’re all good listeners and cooperative, which is one of the reasons the event turned out successfully.”
The chance of rain posed a challenge, as class presidents were only notifed two weeks prior. With no knowledge of the
Kayla Hwang and Jenny Tian work together to build the Class of 2028’s ship.
rain’s intensity, they prepared alternate indoor activities like four-corners soccer. Despite the light rain on Wednesday, the battle played out smoothly.
“The rain and gloomy weather deterred some people from coming outside to watch,” junior and Class of 2026 president Vihaan Patel said. “However, everything went as planned, and with the energetic cheering, it was exciting.”
Following a successful turnout, the class presidents hope to continue Battle of the Classes annually, incorporating even more games and participants from each class.
“Battle of the Classes was super fun to watch, and the boat race was very thrilling,” freshman and Class of 2028 president Hannah Zhang said.
“In the future, we could add games that aren’t necessarily athletic and advertise the event more.”
Upcoming Viking Events
Last day for AP exam refunds, March 3
To cancel an AP exam and receive a partial refund, submit the 2024-25 AP Exam Refund Form.
“Meet Your Adolescent’s Brain” webinar, March 6 Learn tips on how to support, interact, and connect with middle and high schoolers during this impactful time. Register for the zoom link at tinyurl.com/FUHSDPC. Sponsored by FUHSD and Project Cornerstone.
“Safer Choices” parent presentation, March 10 Center for Respect speaker Mike Domitrz will present parents/ guardians with suggestions on how to encourage teens to have healthy relationships, especially when it comes to dating, sexual decisionmaking and personal safety.
CAASPP Testing, March 11-13
Teacher Non-Duty Day, March 17 Enjoy your day off, Vikings!
FUHSD Earth Day, March 24 Held from 4 to 8 pm at the Computer History Museum, the event will highlight student projects, feature inspiring speakers, and celebrate the district’s commitment to sustainability, with special contributions from the FUHSD Climate Collective students.
AISA to donate $10,000 to the India Literacy Project
BY REBECCA CAI
Following the colorful cultural celebrations of Sanskriti and Silsilay, the American-Indo Student Association will be donating tickets and concessions revenue to the India Literacy Project, a nonproft organization that helps students in India without access to adequate education.
Silsilay and Sanskriti are some of Lynbrook’s biggest ethnic events, bringing students from all over the district to celebrate together and watch dance performances by cultural dance teams from all over the Bay Area. AISA hosts these events annually to celebrate Indian culture and generate funds for various charities.
This year, AISA will donate $10,000 to the ILP, which will utilize these funds to purchase school materials, hire teachers and enroll children in school in India. The ILP’s prior projects have impacted numerous cities in India, notably Chennai and Bangalore, by bringing science kits and new teachers to underserved students in these areas.
“The impact of a lot of what we do isn’t really measurable,” junior and ILP volunteer director Apurva Sistla said. “But we know that we’re making a difference for those 10 or 20 kids who get better science equipment.”
AISA began its partnership with the ILP in 2022. However, due to the cancellation of Silsilay in 2022, AISA was not able to donate to the ILP like they had wanted that year. This year, they’ve decided to resume
their original plan and leverage their proceeds from Silsilay and Sanskriti in 2023 and 2024 to foster greater educational opportunities for students in India.
“Three out of my four grandparents were only educated up to eighth-grade standards,” senior and AISA co-president Athreya Iyer said. “So the fact that there’s an organization working to educate people further and make them something greater than they could be otherwise is really great.”
Rohan
The majority of the club’s proceeds come from food and ticket sales, which AISA collects for donation. AISA is able to
donate $10,000 from their 2023 and 2024 event proceeds, and the donation will be processed once the 2025 Silsilay ends. From 2025 Silsilay alone, AISA expects to raise a total of approximately $9,000, which they hope to utilize in a second donation of $5,000 to $10,000 to the ILP.
“When we reached out to the ILP, they told us the thought that we wanted to donate was good enough for them,” junior and treasurer Riddhi Maharana said. “I thought that was sweet.”
The ILP plans to split AISA’s donation of $10,000 into different aspects of their initiatives. $5,000 will be put toward providing science kits for 5,000 students. $2,500 will be put toward setting up libraries in 10 schools. The last $2,500 will go to training 1,000 teachers on utilizing the science kits in classrooms and career guidance for their students.
“What stood out to the previous offcers about ILP is the fact that they’re working to educate people in India and bring literacy rates up,” Iyer said.
In the future, AISA plans to continue donating to the ILP, with a goal of making donations twice a year. The AISA offcers encourage other clubs on campus to follow suit and support charities around the world.
“Donating is really rewarding, and it makes us a lot more passionate about planning our event,” senior and AISA co-president Kimaya Pantvaidya said. “It makes it all worth it.”
Photo and reporting by Alexandra Wu
B.
C.
A.
A. Seniors Avani Khanvilkar and Ethan Shih attempt to cross the pool on Day 5. B. Junior Maulik Agrawal and senior Rayyan Ghafoor compete in Capture the Flag on Day 3. C. Freshmen
Photos by Anna Cen, Angelina Feng and Stuti Jain
Trump signs multiple executive orders into e
BY CHARLOTTE BOLAY AND OLIVIA YUAN
EO 14190
On Jan. 29, President Donald Trump signed EO 14190, “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling.”
The order aims to cut federal funding from schools with “gender ideology,” “discriminatory equity ideology” and “critical race theory” in their curriculum.
The order addresses divisive issues such as gender-affrming care for transgender youth and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in public education. It points to school employees facilitating minors’ social transitions as a reason for pulling federal funds.
The order also restricts curricula that promote “radical, anti-American ideologies,” including those that suggest an individual’s status as “privileged, oppressing or oppressed” is primarily determined by their race, color, sex or national origin. It reinstates the 1776 Commission, frst created during Trump’s frst term and later dissolved by former President Joe Biden. The committee will “promote patriotic education.”
While it does not impose immediate changes, EO 14190 echoes existing laws in 21 states that restrict discussions of topics like race, gender and sexual orientation in classrooms.
EO 14168
Signed on Jan. 29, EO 14168, “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” unlinks gender identity from biological sex. The order promotes “sexbased rights,” asserting that labeling a male as a female deprives women of their “dignity, safety and well-being.” It defnes being female as “belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the large reproductive cell” and being male stems as belonging to the sex that produces the “small reproductive cell.” Biologists argue that these defnitions are scientifcally fawed, as egg and sperm cells develop only after conception.
While the order promotes biological sex, it dismisses “gender ideology” — which it defnes as the belief that a “vast spectrum of genders” exists apart from sex —
EO 14159
Citing threats to national security and public safety, such as espionage and human traffcking, EO 14159, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” addresses illegal
EO 14162
EO 14162, “Putting America
First in International Environment Agreements,” seeks to prioritize economic growth. Though the Jan. 20 order declares the U.S.’s intent to take on “a leadership role in global efforts to protect the United Nations. The order directs the U.S. to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.
Rohan Kakhandiki and Olivia Yuan
OPINION
Future wellness center is a step toward aiding student mental health
Academic stress is at the forefront of many Lynbrook students’ daily lives. Over the past few years, FUHSD has mandated that all schools build and maintain a wellness center for students. Currently, three of the fve FUHSD schools have established a wellness center. Following in the footsteps of Cupertino High School, Fremont High School and Monta Vista High School, Lynbrook plans to add its own wellness center in the near future. While the center is a promising step toward improving student well-being, its success will depend on how well it meets student needs. With the upcoming wellness pop-up serving as a prototype for the future center, Lynbrook is taking important steps to support student mental health needs.
In 2023, Governor Gavin Newson awarded $150 million in grants to 262 organizations to support mental health awareness, with $50 million for youthdriven programs. Since then, this funding has helped Santa Clara County set up wellness centers across FUHSD. It is intended not only to alleviate mental health issues but also to help students learn self-management skills and destigmatize mental health so students are more willing to ask for assistance.
Led by Associate Superintendent Trudy Gross, the Equity Task Force and the ASB Legislative Council, the wellness center will be a space that students can drop by during the school day to destress and practice self-care. With other FUHSD schools already benefting from their wellness centers, Lynbrook students should look forward to this addition and consider how they can integrate it into their own stress management.
A Wellness Space Support Specialist will serve as a supervisor of the center. The specialist will encourage students
to seek assistance and engage in the wellness activities offered, such as potential coloring and yoga stations. The specialist will also monitor the space to ensure students are utilizing the center appropriately. This structure has been proven effective at other schools, demonstrating that wellness centers can function as a real support system and will help Lynbrook students if used as intended.
“
The
wellness center is really
a place for a student to spend a little bit of time to decompress and relax.
David Erwin Assistant Principal and Equity Task Force administrator
“The center bridges the gap between classroom support provided by teachers and school-appointed therapists. It provides a space for students to take a break and collect themselves before returning to class, which contributes to its effectiveness. Unlike school therapists who offer structured counseling, the center focuses on immediate stress relief. The wellness space specialist will determine if students are ready to return to class or need to be referred to the school-appointed therapist for additional support.
“The opportunity for students to check in and decompress in a wellness space opens people up to be more calm and centered to be able to participate in therapy if needed,” Gross said.
In an effort to support student wellbeing ahead of the planned opening of
Staf Editorial // The voice of the Epic
the wellness center in Fall 2026, the Equity Task Force, alongside Principal Maria Jackson, is launching a wellness pop-up, a temporary pilot for the future center. Set to begin in May, the pop-up will take place once a month during tutorial in quiet corners on campus such as the theater lobby, providing a place to relax and explore different wellness activities. The pop-up will also aim to gather student feedback through digital or physical surveys on what resources and programs should be included in the offcial environment.
If students actively participate in the pop-up, they have a direct opportunity to shape the future center into a personalized space. While the district is investing in this initiative, its success ultimately hinges on student engagement. Without meaningful participation and feedback, the center risks becoming an underutilized resource rather than a valuable support system. Students should take advantage of this opportunity to ensure the wellness center is designed with their well-being in mind.
“Equity Task Force came up with the wellness pop-up because we wanted to come up with an immediate solution to improve student mental health,” junior and Equity Task Force member Shreshta Kondla said. “We hope it can be a place where students can drop in and out quickly during tutorials while enjoying fun little activities.”
While the wellness center will provide stress-relief services, the communal nature of these spaces can deter students who want confdentiality while facing emotional challenges. Without private areas, students might feel uncomfortable utilizing the resources available,
potentially limiting the effectiveness of the wellness center. To accommodate all students, the wellness center should incorporate both open spaces and private areas, such as curtained areas or meditation pods. A more inclusive wellness center will ultimately encourage more students to take advantage of its resources.
While initial setup costs are fully funded by various grants and district funds, ongoing maintenance for the centers and salaries for support staff will come from yet undecided school and union funding, raising questions about whether fnancial support for the center is sustainable. The source of funding is still being discussed among Lynbrook and FUHSD staff. While mental health resources are essential, some students and staff have expressed worry that the wellness centers’ funds could be spent elsewhere, such as on electives programs in the face of declining enrollment across the district.
“It takes around $500,000 to $600,000 to modernize a classroom into an offce space like a wellness center,” FUHSD Superintendent Graham Clark said. “But after that, the cost of maintenance is just the salary of the employee that works there.”
The wellness center rollout at Lynbrook can achieve success by continuing to gather student feedback, actively promoting its purpose and potentially collaborating with ASB. The wellness center can and should be a good step in helping to address underlying issues that cause stress in Lynbrook culture.
the Epic staff voted 36-0 in favor of this stance with 3 abstaining.
editors-in-chief — ashley huang, alyssa wang
managing editor
— lilly wu
copy editors — qianzi loo, emily pedroza
design editors
— vidushi upadhyay, eileen zhu
news editor — olivia yuan
opinion editors — crystal zhu, david zhu
sports editor
web editors in-depth editor
stafers
akash anand
charlotte bolay
anushka deshmukh
angelina feng
rohan kakhandiki
brian lee
ethan wong
alexandra wu
adviser
— josh miller
business/pr manager features editor — claire guo
— alex cotterel
— amanda jin
— meadow shen, yvonne wu
— taek kim
social media manager — inaaya yousuf
rebecca cai
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valued contributors: Guojing Liu
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Graphic illustration by Anushka Deshmukh
BY IRENE
Valentine’s Day was never really fun for us (singles). Sure, there’s Single’s Awareness Day (also known as SAD) and Galentines, but we never truly had a holiday to ourselves. Feb. 14 is often accompanied by sad sobbing into pillows and
chocolate-binging accompanied by Laufey’s “Valentine.” Sound familiar?
I have a couple (Ha! get it?) tips to ensure your survival on Valentine’s Day as a single person. And yes, I’ll be using them too.
1. STAY AWAY from romantic-comedy novels and movies.
Peter Kavinsky isn’t real and neither is Heath Ledger singing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” while sliding down a pole. They’re marketed specifcally to feed your delusions. Speaking of delusions…
2. If they wanted to, they would.
Imagine this: your crush turns their head to look at your friend. But it’s so obvious that they want to stare at you but are too shy to. They’re defnitely in love with you, and the next thing you know, you guys are getting married on the beach while your 15 future children look down at you from heaven.
If this sounds like you, you may be suffering from “the delulu.” Once afficted with the delulu, everything is a sign, from the temperature of the water during your chemistry lab to the 0.001 milliseconds they took a glimpse of you while scratching their neck. Think about it — they even breathe the same air as you!
Unfortunately, they’re probably not into you — an amazing, smart, kind person. And as the Yale Admissions podcast says, “Your loss, baby!”
The delulu often leads to a lack of rational thinking
and inevitable heartache. If they really liked you, it would be painfully obvious.
3. Don’t compare yourself to your friends. In this day and age where not a single preschooler is unmarried, this comparison trap is easy to fall into. But you’re not alone.
If it helps, most relationships — especially in high school — don’t last long, averaging about a few months to a year. If you’re worried about missing out on the experience of teenage love, just know that you missed out on a preschool relationship as well. And you turned out fne! (Or did you?)
4. Celebrate it with your friends!
Remember, in elementary school, everyone was required to give out a Valentine to each of their lovely classmates.
Entering middle school, I was appalled that we resumed classes with not a single chocolate kiss in sight! There were no parties, no celebrations and only the middle school couples were the ones that remotely received something.
Recreate this tradition with your friends, family and loved ones! Even if they’re in relationships, they still have lots of love left to share!
5. You know what? Send that risky text! I mean, the worst they could say is no, right??
Thank me later, The GOAT (coaches don’t play)
Trump’s federal aid freeze sows confusion and threatens communities
BY KIERAN HAU
After the Trump Administration’s Jan. 27 memorandum placed a temporary pause on grants relating to Federal Financial Assistance and non-governmental organizations, communities believed they would lose federal funding vital to daily operations. While the order itself was soon rescinded, the disorder and confict inficted by the freeze on such programs indicate the necessity of being informed about similar scenarios and the importance of community support in the face of funding cuts.
The memo called for a pause in federal funding while the Trump Administration reevaluates if the organizations’ spending aligns with President Donald Trump’s priorities. While some forms of direct assistance like Medicare and Social Security are not affected, the memo’s impacts on other programs can still result in devastating effects in California and the country as a whole. One-third of California’s $490 billion budget comes from federal funds. About 80 percent of this goes into healthcare, meaning a cut would disrupt the effcacy of healthcare programs such as Medi-Cal — California’s Medicaid program — and Obamacare. Even though it was intended to be temporary, a freeze executed like this only causes confusion and harm to the very people they have allegedly pledged to help. Future potential freezes would almost certainly have similar effects, especially for those who rely on this funding the most.
“Healthcare and healthcare services for elderly, for low income, for single mothers and for people with disabilities are going to be hit the worst,” West Valley College political science professor Jamilya Ukudeeva said.
development and transportation. As a result of the funding freeze, programs like CalFresh and California Earned Income Tax Credit would have to make cuts on provided services. Furthermore, House Republicans’ recent plan to pass a budget resolution gutting funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will leave the 40 million people who rely on it without a sense of food security.
On Feb. 10, the Trump administration also issued a 15 percent limit of “indirect costs” in federal research grants from the National Institute of Health, which has historically averaged between 27 and 28 percent. While this does not affect direct costs spent toward research, other areas vital to labs would be negatively impacted. This includes money used for facility maintenance, along with general administrative and overhead costs. Such a cut could severely hinder crucial research into medicine with the loss of funds for maintaining lab operations and the scientists who foster it. Research centers at universities across the United States heavily depend on federal grants from the NIH, but funding cuts would not only affect research but have a real impact on graduate admissions and jobs.
Another 10 percent of California’s budget goes into social services, which includes crucial services like education, labor
The University of Pittsburgh, University of Southern California and Vanderbilt University have all had to temporarily pause Doctor of Philosophy program admissions, pointing in part to NIH
funding cuts.
“This is how the U.S. has been at the top of the scientifc world for quite a bit — professors want to come here,” sophomore and Politics Club offcer Prajwal Avadhani said. “They don’t want to go anywhere else because of the funding that the federal government offers.”
The administration argues that it is necessary to freeze funds in order to ensure accordance with Trump’s policies. However, the attempted evaluation has led to confusion, especially following the rescission of the memo. After multiple federal judges placed halts on the funding freeze, some funds have still not been released. Farmers throughout the country have yet to receive U.S. Department of Agriculture grants, and states have reported being shut out of Medicaid payment portals and unable to access vital resources and billing services. Child education programs such as Head Start have also been shut out of federal funding, leading to several programs temporarily shutting down. Unable to access their funds, many families and their children may lose out on early care and educational services. Losing out on this means a severe impact on people who rely on it for development, education and work.
It would be challenging for California to address the $170 billion absence in its budget. To make up for it, cuts would have to be made to a wide range of public services including education, healthcare and safety programs. While the likelihood of this process going through is slim due to heavy legal scrutiny — at least two federal judges have placed halts on the freeze and multiple states are suing the administration — people should remain informed about the potential impact of such freezes. People can show support by speaking out against current and future executive orders and voicing concerns to state representatives via call or email.
“Even if it doesn’t affect me directly, I’m not living in isolation,” Ukudeeva said. “I’m surrounded by people who are sick but cannot see a doctor. I will be surrounded by people who need assistance but cannot get that assistance. I prefer living in a society where people are able to see doctors, able to get education and improve their lives, so I consider that a direct hit on me.”
HWANG // IN MY OPINION
A single person’s survival guide to Valentine’s Day
Photo by Crystal Zhu
Graphic illustration by Angelina Feng and Olivia Tu
Dear Forever Alone,
Public health should be safeguarded, not stifled
BY OLIVIA YUAN
In the frst weeks of his second term, President Donald Trump has already issued sweeping executive orders that strike at pillars of national public health.
Changes like deleted data, disappearing webpages and the dismissal of a global group are more than mere bureaucratic shifts. By isolating both Americans and the United States itself, the Trump Administration’s policies threaten to majorly compromise national health and safety.
So far, Trump’s policies have already adversely impacted many instruments of public health. On Jan. 21, a memo ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to freeze all external communications until Feb. 1, plunging agencies into chaos and the public into a federal health information blackout. The depth of this disruption was signaled by a historic forced hiatus of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s primary scientifc voice, which had not been interrupted since 1952.
In the face of continuous health threats, withholding such information from the public is exceedingly dangerous.
The current bird
fu outbreak has resulted in sky-high egg prices and millions of infected birds slaughtered. Out of 70 confrmed human cases nationwide — including one death — 38 belong to California; Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency to address the fu. As the virus continues to spread and the risk of a human pandemic increases, access to upto-date information from credible sources is crucial for protecting community and individual health.
“Data sets that track public health are so important,” said Dr. Janet Coffman, professor of health policy at the University of California, San Francisco. “It’s important to know the prevalence of infectious diseases, where there are more or less severe outbreaks and if they are more common among younger people or older people, or certain racial and ethnic groups.”
Additionally, the National Institute of Health announced dramatic cuts for indirect costs, which support medical research through expenses like lab maintenance and safety protections for human subjects. Slashing support so vital to research institutions like the UC system will devastate scientifc progress and the scientists who foster it.
“If they get no federal funding, new faculty will have a diffcult time building labs or getting their research programs off the ground, which will mean that they won’t be able to get academic or tenured positions,” said Dr. Miranda Worthen, professor of public health at San José State University. “I think there’s a pipeline that we’ll see play out for a long time, even if someone can fip the switch and restore funding and the workforce to an appropriate level.”
The Trump Administration’s policies of erasure are signifcant for all
Americans; however, they especially impact marginalized Americans disproportionately suffering certain health issues. Federal health agency websites were “modifed to comply with President Trump’s Executive Orders,” including those that terminate diversity, equity and inclusion and “gender ideology” initiatives. Webpages mentioning topics from LGBTQ+ rights to HIV temporarily vanished, then reappeared with lasting changes: the CDC’s AtlasPlus, which tracks sexually transmitted diseases, remains stripped of race and ethnicity data. Still, the full extent of modifcation remains unknown.
On Jan. 31, the CDC mandated that pending scientifc manuscripts be stripped of terms like “gender,” “transgender” and “nonbinary.” However, these terms are critical for addressing the health issues of different populations, like the disproportionate effects of HIV on transgender communities. Data illuminates; if the government distributes resources and funds in the dark, public health threats could spiral out of control and worsen healthcare disparities, especially in marginalized populations.
“The research that we put out there as scientists relies on trust,” said Dr. Marcelle Dougan, associate professor of public health at SJSU. “In order for us to be a well-functioning society, we need to have that transparency and trust. You also can’t conduct research using faulty data. That means your fndings are faulty, and that means any kind of intervention you make as a result of those fndings will be faulty as well.”
The consequences of these public health mandates are already rippling across the globe and will eventually return to the United States itself. Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order mandating a 90-day aid freeze has crippled foreign initiatives that globally address critical health issues. Another order to withdraw from the World Health Organization, where the U.S. supplies 16 to 18 percent of its revenue,
threatens to do the same. These efforts immediately impact populations around the globe, such as a halt in the supply of lifesaving medications. They also foster research that informs U.S. progress in pertinent areas like infectious disease.
“Even apart from a strictly humanitarian perspective, we have a national incentive of cooperate and work collectively. The idea that we can insulate ourselves from the repercussions of ending federal foreign aid is totally reidiculous.
Worthen
Miranda
Professor of public health at San
José University
“
Trump’s approach to public health, though perhaps halted temporarily by federal court rulings, now reveals only a glimpse of the potential havoc of the next four years. With vital health information and processes under attack, staying informed, protected and engaged is more crucial than ever. As reliable resources dwindle, misinformation has room to abound; as such, health information should be critically evaluated and fact-checked with trusted sources, like healthcare providers and scientists. Basic protocols, like handwashing and keeping up with recommended vaccines, can protect immensely against current and emerging disease threats. These practices safeguard both individuals and wider communities, which can provide networks of support and facts. Contacting elected representatives and other forms of personal advocacy can fortify local and state protections. The dangers and disruptions of the Trump Administration should not be underestimated, but neither should the effcacy of our own actions.
“We can do our own research on things like new diseases around the world,” said Elvis Hou, senior and vice president of Stanford Team Hepatitis B Virus’s Lynbrook chapter.
Words fumbled out of my mouth in a blur, each one coming faster and faster like I was trying to outrun my own thoughts. My hands tensed and became clammy, and I felt the eyes of my classmates around me as I tried to think of an
argument. How could I be wrong?
This was my frst political debate, and at that moment it was clear to me: I had no idea what I was talking about.
My interest in politics arose from my strong opinions in elementary school. I remember my parents telling me about Donald Trump in 2016 and thinking, how could we elect this guy? I threw around words like “privilege” and “racist” without knowing their true meanings, but I was sure I was on the right side of history. I saw the world as black and white; some people were right while others were just wrong. I believed the same things as my parents, not caring what other people thought.
As I got to middle school, I started using social media, and my rigid worldview only got worse, but in the opposite direction. I found Ben Shapiro, whose rapidfre delivery and confdent takedowns appealed to me. I watched as he dismantled everything I thought I believed. He was unafraid to challenge mainstream beliefs and criticized “feelings over facts,” which appealed to me. I started questioning my liberal views, dismissing entire perspectives as “leftist nonsense.”
I thought I had discovered the truth. I thought I had outgrown my childish brain and discovered something new. In a way, I had changed; I learned to question my beliefs rather than accept them blindly. However, I still treated political beliefs as right versus wrong, black and
white. The only difference was that I had switched sides.
Then, as I asked myself, ‘How could I be wrong?’ I realized it wasn’t the opinions I held that were wrong but the way I thought about them. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to come up with a quip or shutdown like political commentators online. I was drawn to them not because they actually refected my beliefs, but because they made me feel smart by “winning” the arguments they were in.
But maybe that wasn’t the point. Maybe I didn’t need to win the argument but rather focus on learning others’ perspectives. It seemed clear to me at that moment that politics was much more than anger and disagreement. Many conservative arguments were based on the assumption that feelings didn’t matter, but those arguments were also based in anger and the desire to prove oneself right rather than have open conversation.
I don’t regret any of the opinions I have had. While I may have been misled in the moment, they taught me to reexamine my worldview when it was challenged. It’s easy for people to follow ideologies that make them feel validated but hard to accept that true maturity comes from embracing disagreement, not running from it.
BY SAAVAN SARAF // IN MY OPINION
Photo by Angelina Feng
Graphic illustration
by Stuti Jain and Crystal Zhu
Developing dotjkae through Jiwon Kim’s cinematographic lens
BY STUTI JAIN
Lights cast a cool glow around the room. Homework lies in a corner, forgotten. Hours of footage, perfect framing and music all come together as sophomore Jiwon Kim stares intently at his screen, carefully assembling a new cinematographic edit for his TikTok account @dotjkae.
Kim began his journey in flmmaking at 5 years old. Inspired by popular YouTubers such as Dude Perfect and Ryan Higa, he decided to try his own hand at flmmaking and editing.
“When I was fve, I just wanted to be famous,” Kim said.
By age 10, he had outgrown iMovie’s simplistic format and began editing his content with more sophistication, splicing and transitioning clips with updated editing software such as Final Cut Pro to upload a more relevant genre of videos: gaming edits. In sixth grade, his channel blew up. In shock, he repeatedly refreshed his account page as views climbed. The numbers on his videos had skyrocketed — 1,000, then 10,000 then 50,000. Not much later, he had crossed the 100,000 mark, and within a few days, his top video hit one million views.
“The channel was pretty successful,” Kim said. “I had like 35,000 subscribers at the time. I’ve noticed that consistency is key; no matter how good your video is, if it’s not consistent, it’s not going to do well.”
Kim continued to hone his abilities in content creation as he grew. Upon entering high school, Kim was introduced to a wide variety of opportunities to foster his talent. He joined Film and Photo Society his freshman year, and eager to showcase his talent and gain visibility, he signed up to create the homecoming hype video. To his surprise, he was selected.
“I made the video, and though I thought it wasn’t that good, people told me it was,” Kim said. “That motivated me to keep going, and I bought my own camera.”
Throughout the homecoming video flming process, he worked with senior Colin Chow, who encouraged and supported his journey. The two later collaborated on an edit of their day-to-day life, and more recently, a viral travel edit of Shibuya Station.
“Jiwon’s very driven, hard-working and cares about what he does,” Chow said. “I want to see him chase
opportunities more. I hope he never gets content, never gets comfortable and keeps evolving this Lynbrook wheel of flmmakers. There aren’t many of us, but the few I can name, we’re all very different. So I hope he keeps changing the narrative, and maybe one day there’ll be more of us.”
With growing experience in flmmaking and editing videos, Kim applied to ASB Tech in sophomore year. Within the commission, he has publicized and documented major school events, such as the Fantastics
Intra-District Council Rally. However, flmmaking on a larger scale has posed its own challenge: time.
“Sometimes I have a bunch of homework, and I get carried away with editing,” Kim said. “I just lose track of time because editing and managing freelance video takes a long time.”
Although it often takes away from other schoolwork, once he starts editing, Kim fnds himself spending four to fve hours a day simply working through the process. Generally, his frst step is to set the tone.
“Music is the thing that inspires me the most,” Kim said. “That’s one of my most important steps because everything builds off the music and sound.”
Once a song has been chosen, he sorts through all of his footage. Oftentimes, he doesn’t have an idea of how the fnal clip will look until it has all been done. He takes the time to place each clip in the order and adds effects once everything else has been completed.
With a growing portfolio, Kim realized that he could reach his goal of fame by simply diversifying his platform presence. He began by publishing an edit of the student-vs-teacher basketball game on Instagram. When he realized that solely his followers were interacting with his posts, he decided to repost his content on TikTok in hopes of reaching a different and broader audience. Initially, he wasn’t focused on gaining viewership; he simply wanted to put himself out there. However, as his content gained traction, Kim was excited to see two videos hit over 100,000 views.
“When my TikTok frst blew up, I felt like I was fnally getting the recognition I deserved,” Kim said. “It might sound a bit egotistical, but it just felt really good that fnally, it was doing better than I expected it to. Becoming viral wasn’t my main objective, but gaining views was defnitely a bonus.”
Every video, Kim either adds something new or changes something he didn’t like about the previous one. As he continues to experiment with his style, he embraces the fexibility of flmmaking and the growth it brings.
“In flmmaking, there’s no actual rights or wrongs,” Kim said. “It’s all about artistic belief and what you want to do. It’s creativity. Whatever you want to make, you make. There are some soft rules, but rules are meant to be broken; you need to step outside your comfort zone in order to make something good.”
Sophomore Eesha Iyer finds a new way to celebrate national days
BY TAEK KIM
Every day is a special day for sophomore Eesha Iyer because every day is an opportunity to celebrate a national day. Through her Instagram page @e2d2natdaycal, Iyer makes sure every national day gets the recognition it deserves.
Managed and tracked by the National Day Calendar, national days celebrate a theme, activity or cause. For example, Feb. 7 is National Send a Card to a Friend Day while the day after is National Kite Flying Day. Though they aren’t offcially recognized by the government, they have gained popularity through media promotion and cultural adoption.
At frst, Iyer did not expect to be involved with celebrating national days. She was frst exposed to them when she discovered the National Day Calendar app and downloaded it out of curiosity. She and her sister were visiting their cousin on National Mac and Cheese Day.
“Sometimes, I would say random facts just to annoy my sister and cousin,” Iyer said. “I started to tell them what the national day for each day was. One day, I started to keep track of all of them, which evolved into an Instagram page.”
Now, on her Instagram account, Iyer posts short videos of where she celebrates each national day by completing the activity involved. The name E2D2 came from her love for “Star Wars,” and particularly, the character R2D2. Because
she has two E’s in her name, people would often call her E2D2. The process is simple: Iyer checks the National Day Calendar app for the day’s celebrations, picks one and flms a short activity based on it. Then, she posts it on Instagram. For instance, on National Chopsticks Day, Iyer posted a chopsticks competition with her friends.
“For a lot of the activities, I’m able to do them with my friends,” Iyer said. “For example, on National Weatherperson Day, I was drenched from the rain, and I would have someone ask me, ‘What’s the weather?’ and I’d answer, ‘I think it’s raining.’”
Iyer’s most memorable moment while working on E2D2 was when she dedicated an honorary national day for her friend on her birthday. Coinciding with National Pecan Pie Day, she surprised her friend with huge pecan pie balloons.
“Since it’s a public account, a bunch of people saw the post, and they went up to her and asked to take pictures with her,” Iyer said. Though lighthearted, E2D2 still comes with challenges. It requires dedication, and sometimes Iyer forgets to celebrate or has to prioritize other commitments.
“Sometime after Christmas, I had a lot of school work, so I didn’t celebrate until mid-January,” Iyer said. “But what really pushes me is the fact that my friends
enjoy the content I produce. They would comment on my videos, ‘When is the hiatus over?’ and I’d feel motivated to do it because I know that they like watching me celebrate.”
fun if others wanted to join me more consistently, especially because sometimes it gets hard to do every single day,” Iyer said. “At the end of the day, I love doing this because it’s fun and
Photos used with permission by Jiwon Kim Graphic illustration by Claire Guo
Jiwon Kim takes and edits photos of himself from places he has been, uploading the photos to his social media channels.
Photos used with permission by Eesha Iyer Graphic illustration by Isabella
Aidan Tung dives deep into the world of coral keeping
BY CECILIA WU
While most people decorate their homes with posters and lights, junior Aidan Tung brings his space to life with an underwater world. Under his attentive care, vivid corals sway and tiny ecosystems fourish inside his aquarium.
Since childhood, Tung has been fascinated by the many aspects of nature. He was particularly drawn to growing plants and maintaining small ecosystems, leading him to dream of having his own fsh tank.
species such as otocinclus catfsh and plants. Soon after, he experimented with fsh breeding, raising guppies, mollies and freshwater shrimp, which he sold or traded to local stores.
I thought, ‘Oh, I would really love to grow plants,’ and I wanted a little fsh tank. Eventually, I was like, ‘Okay, let me actually do the research.’
Aidan Tung Junior
“
It was not until eighth grade that Tung brought home his frst fsh — a small mosquito fsh — from a school lab. As he became increasingly interested in aquatic life, he decided to set up a larger aquarium, flling it with other aquatic
By sophmore year, Tung was drawn to the beauty and complexity of coral reefs. To fund his new hobby and gain more hands-on experience, he took a job at a family-owned aquarium store, where he managed around 80 tanks alongside seasoned professionals.
“It felt really daunting to just jump into something like this,” Tung said. “So it was great having some people with years of experience guiding me until I could learn enough to really start progressing on my own.”
Now, Tung’s 20-gallon saltwater tank houses over 46 species of coral, including branch-like Acropora. Tung monitors the chemistry of the water weekly using commercial test kits and prepares his own specialized blend of salts to create an optimal environment for his corals.
Although Tung has successfully maintained his reef ecosystem, the journey has not been without its challenges. He once received bleached corals from Florida, which was experiencing major coral death at the time. The process of recovering and recolonizing the corals with symbiotic algae took months — a
slow but valuable learning experience for Tung.
“One thing I’ve learned from reefkeeping is patience,” Tung said. “It’s not about trying this miracle and that panacea constantly — when you just let the ecosystem stabilize, that’s when the animals can really start to thrive.”
Despite the diffculties in his journey, Tung fnds excitement in seeing his aquarium fourish.
“There was a point when I looked at my aquariums, and I realized things were really growing and thriving, and that it was from all I’d learned since starting,” Tung said. “I was really proud. It’s been amazing being able to experiment and push the envelope of what’s possible.”
Looking ahead, Tung hopes to grow non-photosynthetic corals as well as attempt to spawn corals, a practice that even large research institutions struggled with until recent years. Now there is more research publicly available.
Above all, Tung emphasizes the importance of research for those interested in starting their own fsh tanks and reef ecosystems.
“Learn the heck out of your subject,” Tung said. “And you’ll realize that you can never know everything. There’s always more to learn or discover.”
Revealing the magic behind Lynbrook’s annual Singing Valentines
BY ALEXANDRA WU
It’s a chilly February morning at Lynbrook, but the classrooms are flled with warmth as choir students walk in with cards, fowers, stuffed animals and smiles. They hit their fnal poses in a choreographed dance as the last notes of their song fade away and students applaud their performance. The Singing Valentines tradition, which is an annual Lynbrook event, has turned into a school-wide appreciation for music, love and connection. Started by a former Lynbrook student in 2021, this tradition has been carried on ever since. While each performance looks fawless, the behind-the-scenes process is anything but simple. For weeks leading up to the event, choir students work together to curate their performances.
“There are spreadsheets, budgeting, purchasing stuffed animals, managing cards and stickers,” choir teacher Crystal Isola said. “Then there’s decorating the cafeteria for the concert. There are so many loose ends to tie together. It’s a lot, but there’s lots of opportunity for leadership in this process.”
From tracking orders to making sure that payments are collected and setting up the cards, every detail is managed by students in leadership roles within Lynbrook Choir, ensuring that the event goes as smoothly as possible.
“The biggest organizational logistics we have is selling and organizing the cards,” senior Janhavi Gowaikar said. “I make the PR videos and posts and handle logistics with Ms. Lawrence. We also cut the cards, number them and sort them by room before delivery.”
that all minor details are addressed. Rehearsals are often challenging, as planning and executing choreography with a group is no easy task. This process involves collaboration, and teamwork is essential every year for the performance to go smoothly.
“When we have choreography block, we can ask for help from other group leaders,” senior Ayla Oner said. “It’s really helpful because when you get stuck and you need advice on how to advance.”
Although every
“It’s easier to connect with people on a smaller level,” senior Vaishali Ravikumar said. “This sense of camaraderie extends beyond just the day of the event — it helps foster long-lasting friendships that continue to grow throughout their time in the choir.”
For many students, the performance serves as a moment for the school to appreciate the hard work and dedication they put into their passion for performing. As the day of the long-awaited performance dawns, there is a mix of excitement and anxiety in the air.
Along with these tasks, students handle promotion through PR efforts to remind Lynbrook about the upcoming event. They promote Singing Valentines through videos on social media and colorful posters on campus. There are layers of organization behind the entire planning cycle that ensure each performance is as enjoyable as possible for students.
In addition to the logistical aspect of preparation, there is also the critical work of rehearsal. Choir members practice their songs, perfect their self-choreographed dances and check in with leaders and Isola to ensure
year poses a few challenges — like adjusting choreography last minute to accommodate unexpected changes, leaders solve these challenges with fexibility.
The preparation for Singing Valentines also offers a chance for bonding and connections between the choir students. The small group setting creates an environment where students can forge new friendships and strengthen old bonds.
“The emotions you feel before and after performing are so giddy and fun,” Gowaikar said. “The blend of nerves and joy is really common among the students, but the experience makes it all worth it, regardless of the end result.”
In addition to the heartwarming Singing Valentines performances in classrooms, the choir also holds a special Valentine’s concert to showcase both the songs performed by each group as well as the pieces that students have been working on. The students pour in a lot of effort into these performances, which adds a layer of anticipation for how their performances will turn out.
“It’s such a fun experience every year, and it’s really exciting when everything comes together after weeks of practice,” Oner said. “The anticipation and energy of the day are contagious, and you can clearly see how the performances bring
As this infectious energy spreads throughout the school, it extends beyond the students to include the faculty as well.
“At frst, the teachers were hesitant, but now, every year when I email them about Singing Valentines, some reply, ‘This is my favorite day of the year,’” Isola said. What makes Singing Valentines so special is the heart and dedication poured into every detail. Whether through the weeks of preparation or the joy shared through music, this event serves as a testament to the choir’s commitment to spreading love and positivity throughout our community.
“We put a lot of love into this,” Gowaikar said. “Even if students don’t remember everything about the experience, we can see that it brings joy to our campus. That’s what makes our efforts worth it.”
Photos used with permission from Aidan Tung Aidan Tung watches over the coral he has meticulously maintained.
Vrishank Chandrasekhar named Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholar
BY MEADOW SHEN
Surrounded by medical notes, senior Vrishank Chandrasekhar immerses himself in lines of code — developing an algorithm to help doctors create targeted cancer treatment plans. By analyzing clinical free text, or typed notes from medical practitioners, Chandrasekhar designed a digital biomarker for early pan-cancer survival and recurrence prediction. He was recognized as one of the top 300 Scholars in the 2025 Regeneron Science Talent Search, earning both himself and Lynbrook $2,000 awards.
“The prospects of using machine learning to revolutionize healthcare systems enraptured me,” Chandrasekhar said. “Seeing a gap in current prognostics through an intensive literature review further inspired me.”
A year before designing his digital biomarker, Chandrasekhar competed in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair with a project in computational pathology. Applying data science to analyze images of cancerous tissue for patient biopsies, he developed an algorithm that can predict gastrointestinal cancer occurrence events. The feedback that Chandrasekhar received at the contest was invaluable, leading him to his latest project.
“I wanted to expand the scope of my prognostic model to predict the survival outcomes of patients across multiple cancers,” Chandrasekhar said. “I was also inspired to design a predictive biomarker with noninvasive data.”
Chandrasekhar dove head frst into implementing his innovative goals. He switched from analyzing full-sized medical images to text-based clinical notes, challenging himself with a new approach. By applying advanced language processing algorithms to free-text data such as medical notes, Chandrasekhar identifed digital biomarkers that could predict a patient’s likelihood of survival and risk of recurrence across multiple types of
“As an independent researcher, one of the biggest challenges I faced was a lack of mentorship specifc to my feld that I could really build off of,” Chandrasekhar
Without direct mentorship, tackling a niche problem like predictive health analytics was challenging.
Realizing that he needed to build a solid foundation of the scientifc concepts behind his project, Chandrasekhar made use of online resources such as seminar presentations, scientifc literature, informational videos and LinkedIn to connect with experts in the feld.
Chandrasekhar soon realized that training complex machine-learning models required immense computational power. Without access to supercomputers or high-performance computing clusters needed to train his resource-intensive models, Chandrasekhar explored online initiatives that provided computational resources to projects like his own and simplifed his models to increase effciency.
“A lot of my algorithms took from 30 to 70 hours just to train for a single iteration,” Chandrasekhar said. “It was an excruciating process.”
As Chandrasekhar sifted through clinical notes, he discovered not just patients’ symptoms, but also their life stories. From the social history section, found in many clinical records, he learned about patients’ personal
who provided advice on my statistical analyses and experimentation.”
Awarded a $2000 prize for his outstanding achievement, Chandrasekhar plans to save a portion for his college tuition. He also plans to invest in future research, like purchasing a graphic processing unit to run more extensive analyses and overcome his current computational limitations.
For Chandrasekhar, being named a Regeneron Scholar is just the beginning. He plans to continue bridging artifcial intelligence and healthcare, translating the discoveries made in the lab to the bedside for patients.
“In research, you should pursue your interests boldly,” Chandrasekhar said. “Don’t be afraid to reach out to people, attend conferences and really engage with your feld.”
Photos used with permission by Vrishank Chandrasekhar
Graphic illustration by Claire Guo
A.
B.
C.
D.
A. Vrishank pictured with the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair team. B. Regeneron Talent Search awards Vrishank for his fndings. C. Vrishank experiments using Lynbrook’s chemistry equipment. D. Vrishank at the 2024 ISEF.
Vrishank’s project utilized clinical free text in a unique way and taught him how to better connect with his feld.
IN-DEPTH
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BY ANNA CEN AND ANUSHKA DESHMUKH
The birth of the meet-cute
Staf and students’ favorite rom-coms:
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became more common. It was during this era of flms that the term “rom-com” was frst coined.
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he allure of comedic relief in romantic tales led to flms like the 1924 silent flm “Girl Shy,” which many consider to be the frst rom-com, despite the term not yet being coined. Though similar movies were marketed as female-centered, female leads had little agency in their roles.
Soon after, radical comedies featuring progressive themes gained traction, focusing on topics of individuality and selfacceptance instead of true love.
numbers to see the flms in theaters. According to Reuters, the only rom-com to make the top 20 grossing flms of its year since 2010 was “Crazy Rich Asians.”
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One example of a “radical” romcom is “Annie Hall” from 1977.
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“My favorite rom-com is ‘500 Days of Summer’ because it shows how you can’t force it and sometimes you just have to let go.”
Megan Miller
“At frst, women were less empowered, but over time, female characters gained more agency, appearing stronger, less dependent and more self-suffcient,” English teacher Maggie Welsh said.
The directors focused on the main character’s personal growth rather than romantic relationships. This era of rom-coms explored the idea that love isn’t always the answer.
The flm “Crazy Rich Asians” is one of many rom-coms to embrace diverse casting in its lead roles. While some still criticize a lack of diversity within the genre, modern rom-coms often display different cultures and storylines.
“My favorite rom-com would be Princess Bride because I remember watching that as a kid, and I just loved it.”
“In ‘Annie Hall,’ there’s the Pygmalion trope of the disheveled woman that gets made into the ideal and then eventually rejects the one who’s recreated her,” Welsh said.
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Rom-coms at peak popularity
“No longer is it necessarily a straight white woman falling in love with a straight white man,” San José State University professor of flm studies Alison McKee said. “All bets are off because the culture has changed.”
Kirthi Saravanan
In 1935, the iconic romance movie “It Happened One Night” became the frst flm to sweep all fve major Oscar awards. It was later credited as the frst screwball flm, a sub-genre of rom-coms centered around older, married couples, often featuring the growth of their relationship.
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“My favorite rom-com would be ‘10 Things I Hate About You,’ and like it because it’s really cheesy and very predictable. ”
ORather than painting an idealistic image of a couple, the modern era of rom-coms highlights the ups and downs of modern relationships.
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ften called the golden age of rom-coms, flms released between the 1980s and early 2000s — sometimes referred to as neo-traditional rom-coms — dominated the box offce.
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Maggie Welsh
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“‘Annie Hall’ in particular has just topnotch writing,” Welsh said. “It’s flmed well and it’s highly cinematic.”
It led to the birth of a rom-com trope, the meet-cute, when the two leading characters have a memorable frst meeting. Many consider the frst meet-cute in television to be in “Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife” in 1938: a man and woman enter a department store. This well-loved screwball continues to be referenced for its meet-cute in many other pieces of modern media.
Expanding the genre
S“They played a lot with color and costumes back then,” sophomore Akshara Israni said. “The stories were more innocent and more carefree compared to now.”
Though the genre has changed over time to encompass the different joys and struggles of love, enjoyers of rom-coms fnd hope in the predictability of romcoms and the knowledge that in these flms, love will always prevail.
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“They played a lot with color and costumes too back then. The stories were more innocent and more carefree compared to now.”
crewball’s repetitive plots led to a decline in popularity as sex comedies took over. Sex comedies, a genre that gained traction in the 1950s, popularized one of today’s most beloved tropes: enemies to lovers. Rivalry between a man and a woman in the flm leads to mounting tension, eventually resulting in love. During the 1950s-1970s, flm censorship was eased and sex comedies
This era was characterized by blockbuster hits such as “When Harry Met Sally” in 1989 and “10 Things I Hate About You” in 1999. These movies utilized many tropes such as acceptance, makeover scenes and second chances.
“It’s really cheesy and predictable,” junior Kirthi Saravanan said. “There isn’t much of a plot, but the characters’ journey is fun to watch.”
During this time period, romcoms became mainstream media that not only did well at the box offce but were respected as a genre by critics.
Downturn in audience
By the 2010s, rom-com box offce earnings plummeted.
According to a study from Madeline Goldberg at Bridgewater State University, although the guaranteed happily-ever-after was the reason why so many hopeless romantics loved the genre, it was also why mainstream audiences were showing up in fewer
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Graphic illustration by Akash Anand and Anna Cen
Graphic illustration by Taek Kim
Akshara Israni
WEALTH GENERATES THE AMERICAN
At the turn of a new presidential administration, tech giants and multimillionaires appear alongside politicians in the limelight, sparking dialogue about changing power dynamics in America and the infuence that those with extreme wealth have over America’s politics. In his presidential farewell address, former President Joe Biden warned about the dangers of an oligarchy taking shape in the United States. In the wake of his address, Google searches on the meaning of oligarchy spiked as more Americans pondered the true meaning of this system of government.
A tech giant that has garnered a signifcant increase in public attention since President Donald Trump’s inauguration is Elon Musk, Trump’s appointed head of the newly-created Department of Government Effciency. Despite the absence of an offcial government position and lack of political experience, Musk met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Feb. 13, at the white house to discuss advancing international relations between India and the U.S. Musk has used his market dominance to immerse himself in a broader political role, emerging as a powerful fgure in the current administration.
With powerful fgures like Musk at the forefront of policymaking, worries among the American public mount about the formation of oligarchy within the U.S. Merriam-Webster defnes oligarchy as a government by the few. It is a form of government that places a large and disproportionate amount of political and economic control in the hands of members of society who only represent a small subset of the entire population. These members can range from larger groups, such as notable families and corporations, to company CEOs.
“In every society, this small group
of people has different characteristics,” Santa Clara University professor of sociology Enrique Pumar said. “In modern-day U.S., people who make up the upper skeleton of the upper class are very infuential in politics. They have regular access to political leaders in the executive branch and Congress.”
The development of oligarchies around the world depends heavily on the national context, so oligarchies in different countries are often not formed the same way. For example, oligarchs living in a capitalist society rise to power in vastly different ways than oligarchs in a formerly communist society. In the former Soviet Union, people rose to political and social ranks by expressing immense allegiance to communism or the leaders controlling that society.
“In historic communist societies, the main currency to have access to power was ideological commitment and affnity toward communism,” Pumar said. “Leaders of those societies may have been oligarchs with a lot of support towards the well-being of the political system.”
However, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, a small group of wealthy business entrepreneurs and bankers rose to power, quickly establishing themselves as oligarchs in the newly formed capitalist infrastructure. In many European countries that once operated under a monarchy, an oligarchy would be seen under an aristocratic system. In other countries, oligarchy can be established by a dominant ethnic or religious minority, such as South Africa during apartheid, where a white minority institutionalized racial segregation over a nonwhite majority.
Concerns regarding the skewed infuence of wealthy groups frst became prominent in the U.S. in the late 19th to early 20th centuries with the emergence of the Gilded Age, when the U.S. adapted to a newly industrialized economy flled with large-name corporations dominating major markets. This incline in monopolies formed a system of complete market domination by railroad tycoons, which later expanded to political infuence and gave rise to U.S. power structures with wealthy elites at the top.
The concentration of government power under a few people leaves the majority of the population without equal representation. In an ideal democracy, those in political power are chosen by equitable voting, and their power is limited by systems of checks and balances. In an oligarchy, those at the top have unchecked power, and they are not bound to the will of the people while the decisions of the government disproportionately favor the interests of these elites.
“Oligarchy does not take into account the opinion of the common people,” junior Archis Nene said. “People are forced to live under new rules and new policies that they don’t get to determine.”
In modern American society, the ability of individuals to hold vast amounts of power is rooted in many factors, but in the U.S., a few characteristics of powerful people have become welldefned. According to economist Daron Acemoglu in an article published in Project Syndicate, power usually stems from status or prestige. In the modernday U.S., status has become intertwined with money and wealth. Wealth can give people immense social and political
infuence, creating a system where those with more money acquire more power. More than spending power, wealth faunts prestige and status relative to one’s peers, ultimately resulting in a mad dash by the top 1% to acquire as much wealth as possible.
However, not all wealthy individuals exhibit the traits of an oligarch. In an interview with the Washington Post, Dartmouth sociology professor Brooke Harrington described that oligarchs are simply a subset of the wealthy population who infuence political and governmental decisions outside of the typical system, such as being active members in offce.
“There are some very, very wealthy individuals that have chosen not to get involved in politics or to get involved in politics in a more benign way, so it’s important to note that not everyone with money is part of an oligarchy,” Pumar said. “Nonetheless, others enjoy that access to power very much so.”
Sheldon Adelson, the former CEO of Las Vegas Sands who had a net worth of over $30 billion, is an example of an American oligarch due to his hefty donations to politicians sharing his beliefs, donating an estimated $93 million to Republicans seeking offce. He was also known for his involvement in U.S.-Israeli relations, infuencing Trump to aid Israel, a country that Adelson strongly supported. Following a $5 million donation by Adelson to Trump’s inaugural committee, Trump terminated over 50 years of U.S. foreign policy — one that advocated for a two-state solution with Israel and Palestine — and recognized the city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Graphic illustrations by Maddy Chang and Inaaya Yousuf
White House institutes unanticipated deportation policies
BY ISABELLA CHIU AND ETHAN WONG
President Donald Trump’s recent immigration policies have increased the presence of United States Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents in communities, inciting fear and uncertainty among local residents. The Trump Administration’s objective to detain and carry out mass deportation of undocumented individuals has prompted several unanticipated measures and made some foreigners wary of their status within the U.S.
Deportation initiatives and tightened immigration laws are nothing new to the U.S. Throughout U.S. history, various policies have led to the alienation or removal of certain demographics, often driven by economic concerns, national security threats and social pressures to maintain a specifc racial makeup.
Several former presidential administrations created initiatives to strengthen immigration security by building a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border, keeping a database of illegal immigrants’ fngerprints and allowing federal agencies to collaborate with federal authorities.
criminalizing them,” University of San Francisco professor of politics Marco Durazo said. “He is hyping the military might of the country — and doing it in a boneheaded way — because they are spending $800,000 to deport 100 people on military cargo planes when a regular plane with the ICE would have cost them $8,000.”
In addition, the administration has repurposed facilities such as Guantánamo Bay in Cuba for detaining migrants with alleged criminal backgrounds. The detention facility has traditionally housed serious terrorism suspects and is infamous for its torture and harsh treatment of detainees. Under the Trump Administration, the facility now houses many migrants with no prior criminal record besides being undocumented. Legal due process is not granted to the captives., meaning that these migrants could be held there indefnitely.
Irish immigrants were largely state-driven initiatives, contrasting with Trump’s federal crackdown on illegal immigrants. According to The Irish Times, with Trump’s focus largely on Latin American foreigners, the nativist sentiment against the Catholic Irishmen has drawn comparisons to the anti-Latino sentiment throughout the U.S. now.
Less than half a century ago, the Republican Party supported immigration reform and the legalization of undocumented immigrants. Under former President Ronald Reagan’s Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, employers were penalized for hiring undocumented immigrants, but previously undocumented immigrants also were given an opportunity to legalize. This effectively prevented an economic crisis that would come as a result of mass deportations, but also addressed concerns over undocumented immigrants not abiding by immigration laws.
Alien
In the months leading up to and after President Donald Trump’s Administration previous policies,
President Bill Clinton’s Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility
administration has implemented several unprecedented policies, such as enhanced border security
increasing arrests of undocumented
immigrants using military cargo
Recently, the Trump Administration used the 1798 Alien Sedition Act to bypass laws limiting the military’s role in immigration disputes. This act has only been used three times prior to the Trump Administration in the past 200 years, the latest time being in the 1940s. In all of these previous scenarios, it was enacted in the context of Congress declaring declared, those in Trump’s base that support military involvement argue that the increase in immigration is an “invasion” of the U.S. by foreign countries. Trump’s unconventional appropriate to use the military for military plane, Trump is essentially
Among previous administrations such as that of former President Barack Obama, most deportations targeted those with serious crime convictions. Even when Obama deported new arrivals without criminal backgrounds, they were generally not settled in the U.S. Trump’s policy of deporting undocumented immigrants without regard for criminal or settlement status thus contrasts with Obama’s layout of specifcally deporting criminals and new arrivals.
The largest distinction is that Bush and Obama focused on ‘criminal aliens’ in their language. But now, Trump is trying to deport them all. They’re removing women. They’re removing children. There’s a documented instance in New York where they actually tried to deport a veteran — someone who had served in the military.
Marco Durazo University of San Francisco professor of politics
Additionally, ICE agents have been deployed nationwide to conduct operations in schools, hospitals and churches that ICE designated sensitive locations where enforcement actions were previously avoided. A Justice Department memo issued on Feb. 5 lifted this restriction, declaring that state and local government offcials, sanctuary cities and areas, such as schools and places of worship, will no longer legally be allowed to hinder the federal initiative to oust illegal immigrants. Consequences for not complying with federal ICE searches include budget cuts for institutions that heavily rely on government funding.
Restrictions on immigration similar to those established by the Trump Administration were implemented during the early and mid-1800s. With an overwhelming number of Irish migrants nationwide, nativist sentiment spread among working-class Americans, who worried about religious confict and competition in the employment market. Similar antiimmigrant sentiment has arisen in the past few years, in light of 11.7 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. as of July 2023.
In response to the infux of Irish immigrants in the 1800s, Massachusetts implemented laws that made it legal for Irish immigrants, regardless of age or citizenship, to be forcibly arrested and sent back to Europe without basic supplies. Deportations of the
DEPORTATION
Sedition Act of 1798
A series of laws was passed in 1798 that restricted immigration and speech. Three administrations during wartime and the Trump Administration have used the Alien Sedition Act of 1798 to bypass certain laws that prevent or limit the use of the
Operation Wetback
Due to the increased pressure from ICE and the recent surge in concern from local communities, FUHSD has reviewed its policies and reaffrmed its stance to maintain a safe learning environment for all students in Resolution No. 2425-15. FUHSD’s policy for cases when ICE offcers come on campus. When an ICE offcers comes on campus they may come with or two requests: subpoenas requesting information or judicial warrants. Before acting, the district may consult an attorney to seek the best course of action.
“Beyond the front offce of a school, it is private,” FUHSD Associate Superintendent Trudy Gross said. “So when someone comes to the front offce, they have to state their business and have a legitimate reason to be at school and move beyond the front offce.”
As the Trump Administration continues exploring policies to restrict immigration in an attempt to protect national security and economic stability, the public warns that it could violate civil liberties and families. Regardless, conversations persist and the administration has put forth even more aggressive plans for the future, utilizing all available resources on deportations.
“Immigration is more than just a political issue,” Mountain View Academy freshman Ismael Salazar said. “It’s also a human issue. I see all the resilience and determination that drives people to seek new opportunities here in the U.S. and all the challenges they faced, from all the legal problems to having to adapt to a whole new culture.”
“Operation Wetback” targeted many Latin American immigrants. Operation Wetback utilized military strategies and Border Patrol resources to round up an estimated 1.3 million immigrants and send them back to Mexico on crowded boats and planes.
Alien
Act of
Taking offce on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump announced dozens of executive orders related to immigration. His new set of actions include utilizing the military and deporting illegal immigrants to Guantánamo Bay.
During the early and mid-1800s, an overwhelming number of Irish migrated to the U.S. As a result, in 1855, Massachusetts deported Mary Williams, an Irish widow and her American-born daughter. Many more were deported after as a part of this effort. This was largely state driven.
The Immigration Reform and Control Act, which was passed by Congress and signed in by former President Ronald Reagan, was the frst major revision of immigration laws in decades. The act made it illegal to knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
Sedition
1798
Graphic illustrations by Alex Cotterel, Maddy Chang and Alexandra Wu
Ethan Jin’s journey from the court to a Bay Area nominee
BY AMANDA JIN
Story continued from front page.
Monta Vista’s team played man defense, where each player guards another player, rather than zone defense, where each player guards a specifc spot on the court. Jin credits this as the main reason he was able to excel.
“When we need him to step up and have a big game, he does it for us like he did in the game against Monta Vista,” senior and varsity boys basketball player Vasisht Kartik said. “When he was nominated, I was pretty excited for him. I knew what he was capable of on the court, so I expected this kind of achievement from him too.”
Growing up, Jin’s father and grandfather were both huge basketball fans, introducing the sport to him at the age of 4 years old. They would often watch basketball games together, where he grew fond of players, such as LeBron James, and drew inspiration from them. Aside from basketball, Jin also played soccer, though he ultimately found his skill set excelled in the former and decided to commit to basketball.
Previously, Jin had played basketball with coaches outside of school. However, in sixth grade, Jin decided to join Miller Middle School’s boys basketball team. When COVID-19 hit in seventh grade, he was left unable to practice and compete with the team, but he continued practicing on his own. Luckily, the basketball team and other athletics were able to resume in 2021. Jin immediately joined back in eighth grade, but as a starter this time. He gravitated toward being a point guard, one of the most demanding positions, where he defends against opposing guards, sets up plays and controls the ball.
“I was nervous at frst because I thought the coach was scary,” Jin said. ”I fgured out later I just wasn’t familiar with the team yet,”
When he moved up to varsity in his sophomore year, Jin was able to form deeper bonds with his teammates and play at a more competitive level. As he grew as a player, Jin continued to hone his skills as a point guard on the team. His dedication and practice proved valuable; he became the team’s starting point guard in his junior year.
to their advantage when communicating during games. Whenever they won a game, the team would go out for a team dinner to spend time with each other and share stories. Jin has been able to become close with all his teammates, constantly interacting with them on and off the court.
“When we’re playing badly, being close helps us not fght with each other,” Jin said. “If there’s an argument, it’s easy to forgive each other because we are all good friends.”
Since many players played together from JV to varsity, they’ve been able to watch each other grow and develop into stronger players.
“I met him when he was a freshman and I was a sophomore on the JV team with him,” Kartik said. “Over time, he became a better shooter, a better ball handler and a better passer.”
Despite his growth, Jin has faced issues with his confdence on the court. In ninth grade especially, he wasn’t confdent in his skills and gameplay, and these nerves often resulted in careless mistakes. With the aid of his coaches and teammates, Jin has grown to become more self-assured and is able to approach a game with renewed confdence.
Compared to other basketball players, Jin has found his physical size to be a challenge on the court. While guarding, those who are taller and larger in size often shove him on the court, throwing him off balance.
Entering high school, Jin joined the JV team, continuing to play as the point guard. He began working with his new teammates, but the competitive environment was still unfamiliar to him.
“I enjoy playing point guard,” Jin said. “There’s a lot of pressure because I’m the one who has to dribble the ball, and other people don’t have to deal with the pressure of turning the ball over as much. But there are no other positions I would prefer.”
This season, the boys basketball team has formed an especially tight connection with each other, which works
“Usually, I just take it since there’s no way around it,” Jin said. “When I guard another team’s point guard — which some schools have pretty tall and strong ones — it’s hard to guard them well, and I have to deal with getting pushed.”
Despite these diffculties, Jin has found his place in Lynbrook’s team as the starting point guard. As Jin continues to train and hone his skills, he hopes for the team to continue bonding and becoming close, ultimately improving their record and winning in their league.
Santa Clara Board rejects a push to ban synthetic turf
BY BRIAN LEE AND ROBERT YU
On Jan. 29, 2025, a ban on turf in recreation areas was rejected by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in a 3-2 vote. For communities in Santa Clara County, the rejection opens the door for continued use and further implementation of the synthetic grass. Santa Clara County’s recent board decision followed Assembly Bill 727, which sought to limit the use of certain chemicals, but was vetoed by California Governor Gavin Newsom in 2023.
The bill was referenced in order to address concerns regarding exposure to potentially harmful polyfuorinated substances. Though Newsom supported the bill’s intent, he vetoed it, arguing that statewide management would not be viable. According to Newsom, the bill did not “identify or require any regulatory agency to determine compliance with, or enforce the proposed statute,” effectively leaving synthetic turf regulation to individual corporations.
Of the fve
supervisors on the Santa Clara County Board, three Santa Clara County supervisors who voted against it cited budget concerns. Given that the county already funds certain turf felds, such as the Reed & Grant Sports Park, county supervisors favor the fexibility to choose between natural and synthetic felds on a case-by-case basis. Contrastingly, supervisors who favored the ban referenced similar health concerns to what Newsom mentioned in AB 727.
Some Lynbrook students and nearby community members have also raised public health concerns over synthetic turf, advocating for alternatives. In response to widespread synthetic turf use at Lynbrook and other schools, county residents partnered with the Sierra Club — an environmental advocacy group — to petition for a ban. The Sierra Club has previously organized meetings at local hotspots such as the Cupertino Library, rallying together 90 named residents. As artifcial turf is unrecyclable, advocates cite the environmental disparities that come with not just the disposal of the turf, but also human exposure to the grass
substitute.
“We were disappointed that the board ended up choosing not to ban artifcial turf,” said senior and Conservation Action Association co-president Daphne Zhu, who signed the turf petition proposed by the Sierra Club. “Although this doesn’t mean that replacing turf with natural grass is not possible in future projects, the ban on artifcial turfs would’ve been an important step toward prioritizing environment and health.”
The FUHSD Board of Trustees has chosen to retain synthetic turf. In 2024, the board affrmed Santa Clara Board’s decision, unanimously voting to renovate turfs with the intention of improving shock-absorption capabilities and swapping the types of inflls — grains mounted under the artifcial grass fbers in turfs — in order to maintain safe temperatures and optimize chemical safety. During various district board meetings, updating synthetic turf proved to be advantageous for many decisionmaking criteria, including programmatic needs, safety, maintenance, water use, drainage, schedule, cost and population preference. By planning to replace rubber pellet inflls with thermally treated olive pits, temperatures can drop while alleviating possible health risks that come with polyfuorinated substances.
vote on rejecting a ban on turf in recreation areas
By Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
“The olive pit infll system can reduce turf temperatures by up to 30 percent, as tested, when compared to traditional crumb rubber infll. There have also been complaints about rubber inflls sticking to shoes and clothing.
“The district has allocated approximately $33.5 million for turf repairs, with $14 million already invested. The schools that will receive these changes frst are Homestead High School and Fremont High School because of their need for shock absorption capabilities. By choosing to refurbish synthetic turf, the district can support around three times the on-turf activity that natural grass would otherwise support. This accommodates the typical daily use of the felds, along with the time necessary for standard maintenance.
Santa Clara County’s decision to overturn the synthetic turf ban proposal comes with many advantages and disadvantages. Public county spaces will retain the fexibility of being able to choose their desired type of turf, taking into consideration safety and budget. This decision preserves fexibility, and the narrow board decision against the ban serves as a valuable insight into both perspectives of the debate.
Alice Wu shoots her 1000th point toward success
BY INAAYA YOUSUF
Story continued from front page.
“With basketball, I was immediately hooked,” Wu said. “I was naturally good, had a great experience playing on a team and had fun becoming friends with my teammates.”
At Lynbrook, she joined the varsity girls basketball team in her freshman year, as a point guard. Over the years, as she continued practicing, bonded with her teammates and became a captain, basketball has been a way of helping her grow in overall confdence in her skills as a player on the court and her ability to be a mentor and leader.
“When I frst joined the team, I was not as comfortable with my abilities, and I didn’t talk much,” Wu said. “Now, I’m much more collaborative. Basketball is about communication and working with your team, so being a part of the team has helped me.”
As a freshman, Wu made sure to use practices and games to showcase her talent. She worked hard to get more and more playing time, eventually playing a full game before the end of her frst season.
Sometimes the coaches made it hard on me when I made minor mistakes. But it’s because they saw potential and wanted to make me a better player, so I’m grateful they did.
her back from gaining experience on the court.
“I’ve known Alice since sixth grade,” senior and cocaptain Sarah Wei said. “I think her ability to maneuver through so many people, play through injuries and her overall effort in basketball is really admirable.”
To avoid her injury returning as a potential problem during her last season, she wore an ankle brace during games and practices as an extra precaution. Despite this minor diffculty, Wu remembers her high school basketball journey as one full of team bonding and fun. Some of her favorite memories from the team include team dinners, an annual Christmas party at their coach’s house and the multitude of tournaments the team has competed in.
During the 2024-25 season, with her 1000th point on its way, Wu focused on maintaining the hard work she had put into the sport throughout her high school career. During the milestone game, she treated it as any other.
“I just went up for a layup,” Wu said. “After it went in, I realized it was my 1000th point. But I kept playing. It felt like any other point.”
Despite Wu’s calm reaction during the game, the achievement was marked by joyful congratulations from friends, teammates and family. In a short ceremony following the game, Wu was awarded a customized basketball with her name, number and graduating year on it. The celebration was carried on to the next day, when the team celebrated with cupcakes during their practice.
“It felt good to be recognized for my achievement, even though I’m not someone who likes too much attention,” Wu said.
As the season’s close readily approaches,
Wu continues to put her all into the game, determined to make the most of her fnal games as a Viking. In the future, Wu hopes to continue playing basketball in college, either on the school’s team or through other tracks such as clubs and intramural sports.
“I love the sport,” Wu said. “It gives me something to look forward to and I can’t imagine how boring it would be to just study without being able to hoop. In college, I hope to keep improving my game and having fun with it.”
Faith Carrillo FUHSD bond operations manager
Alice Wu Senior and varsity girls basketball player
During her time on Lynbrook’s basketball team, Wu experienced multiple setbacks due to injuries. In her freshman year, she suffered an ankle injury that had held
Graphic illustration by Cecilia Wu
Photos by Epic staf Graphic illustrations by Amanda Jin and Ethan Wong
Winter sports score recap: “My favorite moment from this season was...”
Scores are reported as wins-losses-draws when applicable.
“...winning our senior night game by one point,” senior Alice Wu said.
“...our senior night; ending the season with a win felt good,” senior Rayyan Ghafoor said.
“...the Masters Tournament where I wrestled with my teammates one last time,” senior Aidan Phattanaphibul said.
“...senior night, everyone really went above and beyond in giving it their all,” senior Shefali Gokulnatha said.
“...the team dinners after games, when we all chilled and hung out with each other,” senior Ethan Shih said.
Growing closer through sports mentorship
BY LILLY WU
Sophomore Dale Liu and senior Preston Kao frst met on the feld at the beginning of the boys soccer season this school year. Although both knew of each other previously, their frst interaction was a formal handshake during their frst practice together, which the two still continue to do.
“My frst impression of Dale was that he was a very smart person who knew where to move on the feld,” Kao said. “I often found myself passing the ball to him.”
a lasting bond Nikhil Nair and Aidan Pha anaphibul build strength and support
Sophomore Nikhil Nair and senior Aidan Phattanaphibul met at the beginning of the wrestling season in October 2024. Phattanaphibul was entering his fourth year in wrestling as the team’s captain, while Nair joined as a frst-time member of Lynbrook’s wrestling team.
“When I frst met him, I thought he wouldn’t really talk to me or remember me, but he turned out to be a really good leader,” Nair said. “He got my phone number in the very frst week of practice and is always checking up on me to make sure I am alright.”
Despite knowing each other through wrestling, their interactions were not limited to just in the wrestling room. Outside of regular practices, the wrestling team would
During Liu’s frst year on the varsity team, Kao often helped Liu adjust to the new environment. Through their interactions, Liu became more comfortable, and the two soon became good friends, forming a strong connection.
“When I frst joined, I was intimidated because I didn’t know most of the people,” Liu said. “But Preston was really welcoming to me, and he also showed me how to be a good player.”
From their time together, Kao proved to be both a mentor and a teammate to Liu, taking the initiative to impart soccer techniques and methods drawn from his past experiences.
“I taught him a lot about the timing of certain runs in soccer,” Kao said. “When I pass the ball to him, he needs to time his run perfectly so that defenders don’t intercept it.”
As the soccer season went on, Kao and Liu grew closer to each other on the feld. They became a strong
schedule team lifts in the weight room to work out and get stronger together. Although most wrestlers do not always go to these team lifts, Nair and Phattanaphibul were very consistent about showing up, and it was during this time at the gym that they bonded with each other.
attacking duo on the team with Kao assisting many of the goals Liu scored during their games.
“In basketball, it’s good to have someone older than you who can walk you through your struggles, especially after a tough game,” Sabari said. “With her, I can talk to someone who has been through what I am currently going through.” Dale Liu and Preston Kao kick
Sophomore Aditi Sabari and senior Sarah Wei initially met during the summer before Sabari started high school in 2023. The two were participating in summer conditioning, which included many training drills and exercises. While the players were doing bleacher runs, Sabari tripped on the stairs and twisted her ankle. Witnessing the event, Wei helped Sabari with her injury, and this initial interaction marked the start of their friendship.
“I was a little scared of her at frst because she was a lot older and more experienced than me at
“I was once able to score a hat trick, which is three goals in one game,” Liu said. “Preston assisted every single one of those goals.”
Unfortunately, Liu injured his arm in a collision with an opponent during a game, causing his season to end early. Despite these diffculties, their friendship is still strong.
“I really enjoy providing him with advice and allowing him to realize that at the end of the day,
“We are in different weight classes so we don’t wrestle each other during practice, but in the gym, we are always working out together,” Nair said. “There was one day when only Aidan and I showed up for lifting, and that was the day we really started to get to know each other.”
Phattanaphibul mentors Nair along his wrestling journey by teaching him specifc techniques for wrestling as well as methods for lifting. Under the guidance of Phattanaphibul, Nair has improved his skills in executing a double-leg takedown, which involves grabbing the opponent’s legs and pushing them to fall back. Phattanaphibul would help Nair by walking him through the proper technique and fxing any of Nair’s mistakes.
“One thing about Nikhil is that he is always open to criticism and really wants
basketball,” Sabari said. “I didn’t really know what to say to her as she’s been on the team for so long, and I was just fguring out what to do. However, once we started playing together, she helped me a lot and was a really good captain.”
Throughout the basketball season, Sabari and Wei spent a lot of time together and would talk to each other about anything and everything. With practices and games almost every single day, they bonded over basketball and their shared experiences. Whenever Sabari faced any struggles with basketball, Wei would always be there to comfort and care for her.
“He is always showing up to practice, showing up to lift and asking questions about how to improve.”
Through their time together in both the wrestling room and the gym, Nair and Phattanaphibul formed an unbreakable bond that continued throughout the entire season.
“The fact that Nikhil is so dedicated makes me excited to come to practice and be able to work with someone who is trying to get better,” Phattanaphibul said. “It’s great to have someone who appreciates what I am trying to do for them.”
“I remember once she was really frustrated with how she played after a game, and it was pretty much the same thing I went through before,” Wei said. “I told her I knew exactly how she was feeling and that it takes a while to get to where you want to be. Most importantly, I wanted her to have fun playing basketball and to enjoy her time on the court.” Wei often gave Sabari advice on various topics, from basketball techniques to general life tips.
Photos by Gary Pan and Lilly Wu Graphic illustrations by Saavan Saraf, Jenny Suh, Ethan Wong and Lilly Wu
