Issue 6, 2011

Fire in boys’ bathroom, graffiti discovered around campus by

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY NAMRATA SINGH

At around 2:30 pm on Feb. 2, a fire was discovered in the boys’ bathroom across from the Main Office. Although the investigation has currently been handed over to the San Jose Police Department (SJPD) Arson Investigations Unit, preliminary investigation revealed that the fire was started by a roll of toilet paper lit by an incendiary device. Having been adopted by the SJPD, the case has been classified as arson. “There’s no way you set a fire in the bathroom on accident,” says Assistant Principal Sydney Marsh. Although the Wednesday fire was not severe enough to affect class, many students were inconvenienced with temporary closing of the boys’ bathroom.

“The staff really cares about the students and I hope that someone will come forward to help this

Recent car vandalism incident resurfaces memories among other affected Lynbrook student drivers by

anthonyDING

ireneHSU & michaelPARK

Parked by the side of the road, an Infinity G35 is suddenly illuminated by the lights in the driveway of a house nearby. With one side lit, the car appears to be in good condition, relatively clean, free of scratches and dents. Upon further inspection on the other side— gashes, the longest stretching from the hinge of the driver’s door to the fuel tank, are impossible to ignore.

Senior Joseph Lin was celebrating at a party when word began to spread that someone’s car was vandalized. Ignoring the rumors floating around, Lin stayed with his friends; however, later on that night, Lin found his car keyed, with four to five slashes along the side of his car from

the front to the back door of his car.

Still searching for the culprit, Lin is forced to repair the damage done to his car estimating a total of $6,000, out of his pocket. He states, “The people who [vandalize other people’s cars] really have no self-respect. They are truly the scum of this earth. I don’t see any point to this unprofitable crime.” After this incident, Lin is more cautious with his possessions, especially his car, because of the severe damage inflicted on his vehicle.

Vandalism, which includes keying and slashing cars and shattering windows, concerns many students at Lynbrook, particularly juniors and seniors who received their licenses and drive cars to school. However the major problems lie in prosecuting the offenders after the incidents.

investigation,” says Marsh. Student Conduct Specialist Ramirez echoes her sentiments and adds, “Our students have a lot more respect for this school than students at other schools.”

Two weeks later, on Feb. 14 at around 11:15 pm, the custodial staff at Lynbrook discovered graffiti covering the wall of the wrestling room. Upon further investigation, they discovered that the bleachers, boys’ locker room and a vast majority of the school’s property were covered in red fluorescent graffiti. The cryptic tags ranged from “Lynbrook is the best!” to “F*** you snitch.”

School Facilities Manager Steve Chamberlain expresses surprise at the graffiti along the boys’ locker room because the vandals used white house paint, and not spray paint, and the letters reached 8-feet tall. Regarding the locker room graffiti, Chamberlain says, “It was nasty stuff...the worst I’ve ever seen.”

At this point, the custodial staff called the district and Chamberlain, his custodial staff and the district staff arrived at 5 am to work hard and clean the graffiti before students came to school.

Although there is no real evidence yet that the graffiti is linked to the arson incident, Chamberlain believes they are.

see DAMAGES pg3

Food Club Day ticket system to be enforced due to past theft by

suchetaKORWAR Hoping to make Food Club Day less of a frantic food-selling frenzy and more of an effective and organized event, Lynbrook ASB is creating a ticket system for the upcoming event on March 11. The tickets will need to be purchased prior to Food Club Day and money will not be allowed for purchases during the event.

The ASB decided to implement the ticket system after hearing about its effectiveness at other schools in the Fremont Union High School District. The new system is intended to help club officers sell food faster and in a more organized manner because time will not be wasted on counting money and giving change. Club Commissioner Sofia Rojasova says, “I’m really hopeful that

this system will make Food Club Day run more smoothly and effectively.”

Theft is another reason the ASB chose to use a ticket system. After several instances of clubs having their money stolen while selling food items, a ticket system represents a good solution to help prevent theft. Rojasova says, “Once money is stolen, the ASB is powerless, [and] we can’t do anything to help the club.”

Photography Club was one of the clubs that had cash stolen during the last Food Club Day. The club initially broke even and was starting to make a profit when the officer recording the sales noticed that the club’s profits had dropped. By the time the lunch of Food Club Day had ended, the club had barely broken even.

Photography Club president Kaushika Vayyala is doubtful about the ticket system and raises an opposing side, “Clubs always make the most sales during the last few minutes of Club Day when they raise prices. If people don’t have enough money left in their tickets to buy something, then the money is wasted. A lot of people also don’t know how much they are going to spend before the actual Club Day, so they might be reluctant to buy tickets.”

There were several more instances of theft during the last Food Club Day with students stealing small amounts of money from the cashboxes of several different clubs.

Reller says, “The ticket system is mainly for safety, to keep Food Club Day as the fun day it is supposed to be.”

Tickets be sold for 50 cents each from March 7 to March 11 during brunch at the top of the quad.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DANIELLE LERNER

French Honor Societies’ debate emphasizes fluency and culture by

yasmineMORTAZAVI

On the morning of Jan. 29, French Honor Society (FHS) students from Lynbrook, Monta Vista, Cupertino and Homestead gathered in the Lynbrook cafeteria for the second annual inter-district FHS debate.

Students debated topics such public transportation and freedom of the press in French while an audience consisting of parents, teachers and fellow FHS members ate pastries and snacks. Judging the debate were members of French Alliance of Cupertino, an organization that offers French language classes and activities. Judges made decisions based upon students’ French accents, vocabulary, grammar and arguments.

The main objective of the debate, though, was not so much to win an argument as to create an environment for learning. “I don’t want competitiveness,” says Valerie Amzallag, French teacher and advisor of Lynbrook’s FHS. All FHS students were invited to join, and debaters were split up into groups with students from other schools to create a non-competitive and educational environment.

The debate benefited students in numerous ways.

Amzallag says, “It helps them to say that French is useful

outside the classroom; it’s not just something I’m studying because I have to.” French Alliance member Bernadette Theisen, agrees and says, “In class, you only hear your peers speak. At the debate, students get to hear and speak to native speakers, which is very important.”

Debaters showed competence as they spoke with confidence. “Their accents, vocabulary and impromptu skills are all impressive” says Barbara Vinolees, a French teacher at Cupertino High School. Sophomore Ramya Auroprem, a debater from French 3, was initially worried that her French skills would be insufficient for a debate. On the contrary, Auroprem had an excellent experience, and reflects, “FHS is about going past just studying at school—it’s about actually practicing French in daily life.” Amzallag insists that students go out of their comfort zones when learning a language. “If you always do what you are confident with, you don’t grow. I’m doing this because it gives [students] a growth experience.”

Amzallag hopes the debate will become a tradition for all schools in the district. Fremont’s FHS, the only society in the district who did not attend, showed great interest despite not being able to come.

Teachers visit from Korea to observe classes by

jasmineMIRESHGHI

For many students, Lynbrook is just an ordinary school environment. To various international visitors, it offers a plethora of educational insights. On Jan. 31, as part of a two week-long trip in California, English teachers from Korea visited the high school campus. Coordinated through the City College of San Francisco, the teachers were given a chance to observe the environment and culture of an American high school and to learn new teaching techniques from the Lynbrook teachers and administration.

After completing a teaching course in English through the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Inc. (TESOL) in Korea, the Korean government organized their trip to the United States to learn about practice-based education and other teaching techniques.

“The teachers were interested in seeing the World Language and English Department classrooms,” said Assistant Principal Ellen Reller, “However, we also took them to see other classrooms as well including the drama and PE classes; I think that was an interesting experience for them.”

Throughout their tour, the teachers were able to observe a variety of classroom activities and lessons such as watching students in Joshua Miller’s Sheltered Literature class engage in a Socratic seminar, as well as seeing a drama lesson taught by Laurel Cohen. In addition, the teachers were able to have a true American experience as they watched Tim Kenworthy’s freshman physical education class practice square dancing.

For many of the teachers, this was their first trip to the United States and many were surprised at the contrast between the two education systems. Korean teacher Chong Un says, “your school begins much earlier while ours extends to much later in the afternoon and when our students are done with their normal schooling, they must take more classes that carry on late into the night to prepare for the Korean Scholastic Aptitude Test, the KSAT. In addition, students here are more focused on extracurricular activities while in Korea, students do not because they only focus on the KSAT which will get them into a good school.”

The visitors were also surprised that many of their previous perceptions of American schools were inaccurate. “Before I came, I thought that American schools were very relaxed and informal. But I see now that American high schools are more serious than I thought,” says Un. “I am impressed that you have art, music and drama classes and [also at] the students’ attitude, good manners and etiquette.”

Though it appears the teachers observed many differences between the American and Korean schooling systems, the experience was fulfilling and culturally informing for both the Lynbrook staff and the Korean visitors.

“The Lynbrook staff was very pleased to have the visitors,” says Reller, “And we hope that they have some new ideas to take back home with them.”

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY IRENE HSU

PTSA Job Shadow Job Shadow provides students the opportunity to experience a day in the working world as possible career choices. Jobs available include shadowing a San Jose Mercury News reporter, a nurse and more.

Registration will begin on Feb. 28, with priority given to juniors. There is a mandatory meeting for students on March 16 at 8:30 am in the auditorium.

Job Shadow day takes place on March 21.

Spring Drama Production The Advanced Drama class will be hosting their One Act Festival starting March 17 at 7:30 pm in the auditorium. The festival which has been put on for the first time will feature short scenes with some student-directed pieces, as well as others directed by drama teacher, Laurel Cohen. Students directed pieces will be performed. Come out and support the Drama Department by purchasing your tickets at the top of the quad starting March 14. The show will continue every night through March 19.

Chamber Music Benefit Concert Students from Lynbrook’s very own chamber and advanced orchestras, directed by John Felder, will be performing on March 4 at 7:30 pm in the auditorium. Tickets will be sold at the top of the quad for $7 with ASB and $10 without. All proceeds from the concert will be donated towards the LHS music department to help fund the program.

March Madness Love basketball? Then come out and compete in Lynbrook’s March Madness! 3 vs. 3 teams will be competing against one another for a chance to face off against the teachers in a final matchup, and win a special prize. Each team is allowed only up to one member of the boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball team. There must be at least one girl representative from each team on the court at all times. The competition begins on March 14 at lunch in the gym and continues through March 18. Don’t miss out on some intense balling!

FBLA’s Connect EDU Help support Lynbrook’s FBLA club by creating a Connect EDU account today! FBLA is currently competing in a national competition for a shot at winning a $10,000 grand prize package. The contest is in partner with Connect EDU, a national partner of FBLA. The FBLA chapter that successfully creates the most accounts on Connect EDU wins. Connect EDU is a technology company whose goal is to help high school students find the right college and career to fit their needs. The accounts can help you build your resume, find college and job opportunities, communicate with your guidance counselors, and more!

By Danielle Lerner and Joy Shen

by

sahilaJORAPUR

Drama department plans to build surrounding sound-proof walls by

shannonCHAI

The wind and rain thrash noisily on the shaky metal doors, interrupting a student’s Macbeth dramatic monologue. The chamber orchestra next door plays the first notes of its next piece and completely drowns out the actors’ lines. The Lynbrook drama department has long been the subject of many noisy disturbances due to its thin insulation, but not for much longer. The drama room will soon have a new, sturdy wall in place of its old metal doors to help soundproof the room.

Students in the drama room have long been distracted by the noise from the surrounding area. Sophomore Andrea Christensen, who takes Advanced Drama says, “We can hear what’s going on in the other rooms, and it’s super loud when it rains or if the wind pounds on the doors.” The drama room was originally the classroom for a metal shop class, which explains why there has always been a metal garage door instead of a regular wall and door.

After many years, Lynbrook is finally making strides toward reconstructing the wall upon making a request to the district to do so. Principal Gail Davidson says, “The wall is being constructed by the district maintenance to correct the noise problem. It is not one of our current bond

projects. We’re going to roll up the metal doors that are in place right now and build a wall underneath, so nothing has to be torn down in the process, which would make the project more expensive.”

Additionally, a few minor renovations will be implemented inside the drama room. “We’re planning to have risers put in the room that allow you to set up chairs, so the room will be converted into a black box theater. The Visual and Performing Arts grant will help to purchase these risers,” says Davidson.

A black box theater is one with a simple design which allows for an extremely flexible space, so the director may create whatever kind of environment he or she desires, such as any different arrangement of seating on the stage. It allows drama students to hold more rehearsals and performances inside the drama classroom instead of in the popular auditorium. Junior Christine Fujiki says, “It’s going to be nice because we do a lot of our rehearsals both inside and outside of the classroom, and we can hear each other practicing through the old walls.”

Construction of the wall will take place next week, so class time will not be interrupted by the construction. By the time students and staff return from winter break, the project is expected to be done and ready for use.

DAMAGES|Arson in the boys’ bathroom, graffiti on campus continued from pg 1 When English teacher Robert Richmond came to school at 7:30 am, the next morning, he saw the custodial staff finishing up cleaning his classroom. He commented that to his knowledge, this is the first time something like this has happened in the four years he has been teaching at Lynbrook.

Richmond’s room, Rm. 213 was vandalized with a swastika. Considering that nearly the entire school had been tagged, Richmond believes that the attack was not personal but as for whether or not the swastika was used with full awareness of the anti-Semitic impact of the symbol, Richmond said he did not know. “I think we have to take it seriously,” he says, “it’s not just the teachers who

got hit, it’s all of Lynbrook that is diminished and affected by [the vandalism].”

Like Richmond, many of the students arriving at school the next morning were not aware of the graffiti. Senior Dennis Zhao says, “I had no idea that there was any graffiti on the buildings.” Zhao, who is also the ASB Secretary, spends a lot of time around and about the school. “If there was graffiti on the walls, it was dealt with extremely efficiently,” he says, “If no one told me, I would have never have known.”

Amidst a string of vandalisms, the administration is working with the police and arson investigations and urges anyone with any information regarding the latest vandalisms to come forward and speak to either Marsh or Ramirez.

Current t-shirt policy should be color-blind by

gloriaLIN

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SUCHETA KORWAR

“That isn’t blue, it’s turquoise.”

“But that’s still practically blue!”

“It doesn’t matter; rules are rules.”

As ridiculous as a conversation like the one above may sound, this is exactly what Lynbrook is at risk of by instigating a policy regarding club t-shirt colors like the one that currently exists. Created in the 2008-09 school year with the help of ASB and Legislative Council, the rule has since then done nothing to benefit the school campus, and instead only prevents members of clubs from expressing themselves.

According to the official policy document, all apparel made for an organization on campus must have a base color of red, white, blue, black, gray or, if applicable, one of the official colors of the larger organization that the club is a chapter of, such as Key Club.

According to Assistant Principal Ellen Reller, the rule, which is meant to unite the school and identify Lynbrook organizations off-campus, permits the usage of more than just school colors.

Reller says, “At the time, black and gray sweatshirts were being marketed by the sweatshirt companies and many students liked them. Also, black and especially gray were not seen as being able to be confused with any other school’s colors.”

But what makes gray or black more supportive of school spirit than other colors, such as orange or yellow? Lynbrook should not allow black and grey shirts if the rule is meant to promote school spirit, since the extra colors just water it down.

Because organizations are given a limited set of colors, many are unable to effectively express themselves. When the Lynbrook Robotics (LRT) team considered ordering yellow shirts to stand out from other teams at competitions, its design was rejected. Officers were told to switch to a red base color instead and Robotics members found themselves unable to stand out at competitions.

Class on class hate isn’t great “You wish you were a senior!” I laugh to myself when I hear that absurd chant. As long as we show up to our classes half the time, we will all become seniors.

If we exceed those requirements, then we will become freshman again. We are proud for the wrong reasons: our identities will change, but our hard work will not.

Lynbrook students love to hate each other. I knew that unfortunate fact ever since freshman year, when

I was still naïve. I had gone to my first rally to see the Valkyries dance, but everybody started shouting even before they came out. It wasn’t for our love of the school, and it definitely wasn’t for our love of each other.

This class against class system defeats the very purpose of school spirit. What do upperclassmen have to be proud of anyway? All being a junior now means is that you spent the previous years of high school acting proud of being a freshman and a sophomore, and you will spend next year acting proud of being a senior. How are you supposed to be proud of your identity if it keeps changing? The current system is merely promoting the idea that you should be proud of being born in a certain year.

Class t-shirts, which further divide us, are therefore useless. In theory, class shirts are meant to show class unity. In reality, these tacky accessories represent chauvinism, and are now coming at the expense of school unity and individualism. Take the much-desired senior shirts for example. Should you really feel special about being part of the other 99% of students who graduate from Lynbrook?

Of course, these senior shirts, these symbols of pride, help us realize we have accomplished something great.

Since several schools wear red, including Gunn Robotics (GRT) team, many alumni commented on Lynbrook Robotics’ new apparel, saying, “Wow. LRT magically became GRT.” The policy prevented the organization from expressing its uniqueness, rendering it unable to stand out from other organizations. It therefore backfired in terms of allowing the Robotics members to identify themselves as Lynbrook students; dressed in red as many other teams are, LRT cannot be identified as a separate team from other groups at competitions, let alone be identified as students of Lynbrook.

In addition, the policy lacks enforcement because it is so easy to get around. Senior Anna Lee*, president of a club with black shirts and non-Lynbrook-colored print, states that the club did not get their shirts approved before ordering them. “I think because there are way too many clubs on campus, the [administration probably overlooks some things.],” says Lee. Junior Angela Hu, treasurer and t-shirt designer of Amnesty International, also admits to be ill-informed of the club t-shirt policy.

Hu says, “I didn’t know about the policy. The other officers and I discussed what color we wanted the t-shirt to be, and we all knew we wanted the t-shirt to make a statement and be eye-catching.”

Granted, Amnesty International is an international organization, and thus its Lynbrook chapter has the freedom to wear whatever colors it wants. However, the shirt itself was made only for the club: the fact that “Lynbrook” is clearly written on the back of the shirt illustrates this.

Shouldn’t they be asked to abide by school rules as well, since these shirts are made strictly for use by Lynbrook students?

If Lynbrook truly wishes to allow clubs to show proper school spirit, it must realize that there is no real need for this rule. A simple alternative would be to have the school name on club apparel, which would already show an ample amount of school spirit. Since many clubs on campus already write “Lynbrook” across their shirts, such a rule would not be a nuisance, but more of a formality and a gentle request to ask Lynbrook organizations to consistently do so.

Should the administration choose to keep the current rule, then it must enforce it much more than it has already.

The first step to achieving full recognition of the rule must start with informing all club presidents. Clearly explaining to presidents how they can abide by the guidelines and allowing their input on the rule’s affect will certainly allow for a more widely-accepted and known policy.

When it comes down to it, Lynbrook’s club t-shirt policy can be described with one word: fragile. There is no other way to describe a rule that can be brought down through a mere discussion on color identity. After all, who’s to say whether a color is more red than pink, blue than violet or white than tan? *Name has been changed.

It gives us bragging rights. When you see freshmen, you can say to them, “Ha! You’ll never get here! It’s an impossibly tough road, traveled only by a select few!”

When you wear it in college, you can say to a room of people who are just as qualified as you are: “See this shirt? I graduated from high school!”

It also doesn’t make sense to be proud of just being a Lynbrook student; all that means is you live close to the school. If you are an Intel Finalist or a quarterback or a Juggling President, you can be proud of representing Lynbrook, but why does putting lines of paint on some guy’s face at a rally make him worthy of respect?

We should all be grateful for going to Lynbrook as it is a great school. However, having “school spirit” not based on self-reliance takes credit from others and leads to a false sense of pride. Pride is not something you can be entitled to simply because you are present and cheering at a rally, it must be earned through hard work and personal achievements. Real school spirit is about gratitude, so show your appreciation for the school by taking off the class shirt that divides us and putting on a sports jersey to support our teams.

staff editorial

Voice of the Epic

Campus security must improve In popular television shows, the perpetrator wears a low slung hat and carries a newspaper to hide his face from the multiple security cameras posted around the nearby area.

However, the police always end up catching the criminal, by piecing together all of the evidence and uncovering the identity. If only the administration at Lynbrook were able to do the same, instead of having to let go of each case and pose it as an “ongoing investigation.” These criminals who have been loitering at Lynbrook for the past couple days could have been caught with surveillance cameras, located around school campus under extreme supervision by the administration.

Students will not be able to pull any Chuck-esque stunts and jump from wall to wall to cover the camera with black cloth; instead they will be seen vandalizing school property, and will be deserve the repercussions that come with such a deed. Bond money that is supposed to be allotted towards cameras should be used for this purpose only, and cameras should be installed to fix this problem soon.

Smart-lights that only light up at night can accompany these security cameras, in order to catch all troublemakers before they are able to escape. They will also make the perpetrator’s face more visible for cameras. School administration should and will be able to access these cameras to find the perpetrator and should regularly check for unorthodox behavior.

The troublemakers would not even have to be caught if more clearly defined school hours and a stricter perimeter around the campus were implemented. This will ensure that students are unable to access school property outside of school hours for vandalism purposes.

Although places like the front of the auditorium and the choir wing are accessible at any time of the day, gates in less used entrances need to be fixed to save the rest of the school from vandalism.

Gates that close after school hours still have gaping holes and the height of some fences are low enough so that they can easily be bypassed. Entrances of the school need to be secured so Lynbrook can be less like Hogwarts from Harry Potter and its Marauder’s Map, and more like an impenetrable perimeter.

Furthermore, the school should make an active effort to connect the police investigations with the school itself.

If students have information about the crime to share, or if new case-changing intelligence has been uncovered, they are not able to easily access the people who are in charge of the investigation. An open-ended investigation makes the school unattached with the process, and makes it harder for students to talk about the crime and talk to the people in charge of the crime. However at the moment, because there is no means to get such evidence and protect the school as it is, the administration should think of better ways to encourage students to confess what they know.

The slips of paper that were passed out in every third period class required students to write their name along with any and all information that they knew, but an anonymous way of gathering information could result in more people confessing and more information for the school to gather to find the real culprit of the scandals.

After all, it is not so much important as to who confesses, but more so who the suspect is.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY NOORSHER AHMED

Venture into the humanities by

anthonyDING

Living in the Silicon Valley comes with sacrifices. You have to be willing to accept the common stereotype applied liberally to Valley-dwellers: engineer. The Silicon Valley is home to a handful of tech titans including Apple, Google, IBM, AMD and HewlettPackard, among others.

As a result, many of these companies sponsor competitions for annual contests. Lynbrook students have recently participated in one of the larger competitions, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

In addition to the Intel ISEF, AMD offers cash scholarships for burgeoning game developers. Students interested in both the math and science and the humanities should not be afraid to pursue the humanities or take part in the handful of humanities contests offered throughout the year.

Certainly, there is no dearth of humanities-centered contests.

The JFK Profiles in Courage Essay Contest and the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards are among the largest.

Besides the larger few, there is a never-ending supply of smaller essay, poetry and writing contests to be found. The biggest problem is finding these contests and having the motivation to take the time to participate.

Junior Matthew Deng, who is taking both AP Statistics and AP Language and Composition this year says, “I have done a lot of math contests but I haven’t really taken a look at any of the essay contests.”

Even for students in math and science, essay contests and general humanities contests can be beneficial.

In addition to diversifying college applications and resumes, contests

in the humanities prepare students for the writing they will be required to do in the future.

It’s all fine and dandy to go off to college and never take an advanced literature or art class again, but having knowledge of writing and presentation will make preparing research papers, research proposals and presentations a lot easier in college.

In the words of Albert Einstein, “All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.” Therefore, the importance of humanities even in a society that is advancing primarily on the back of science and new technology is vital.

Humanities is the study of the human condition. Understanding ourselves is the first step towards improvement and it is this knowledge that helps science and technology remain applicable to humanity.

Students in the sciences and mathematics should not be afraid to pursue the humanities.

Medical school students at the Harvard Medical School have begun to take more art courses because this helps them be more observant and analytical.

Due to recent budget cuts, many schools have begun to reevaluate the humanities. Some of the first programs to go have been the humanities. This is a big mistake. Granted, it may be more difficult in today’s job environment to find a well-paying position coming out of college with a major in the humanities; however, it is certain that proficiency in the humanities, which students can start building up in high school by being involved in classes, contests and programs in the humanities, will definitely help your chances in getting a job in any career.

Tune in to possible Lynbrook “Communication Arts” class by

Yes, we can love too!

Valentine’s Day. The most romantic (supposedly), overhyped, sexist holiday of the year. On Feb. 14 of every year, couples prove their fervent love for each other by spending copious amounts of money on meaningless, expensive items like chocolates, flower arrangements and my personal favorite, customized bobbleheads.

Frankly, I’d much prefer to celebrate on an anniversary or some other special day unique to my significant other and me.

But on to bigger and better things, like the fact that it would have been Susan B. Anthony’s 191st birthday on Feb. 15. Yes, one of the world’s most celebrated feminists was born on the day after what is, in my opinion, one of the most sexist holidays of the year.

The questions here are why is it sexist, and against which sex? Contrary to popular sexist propaganda, which usually argues that women are the victims, I’d like to put on the table that Valentine’s Day is sexist against men.

One hundred and fifty years ago, poor education and a life of house-wifery or work in lesser professions were permanent fixtures for a woman. Then along came Susan Brownell Anthony, who fought her whole life to better the lives of future female generations.

Today, not only are women able to vote, they can decide whether they want to be the secretary or the executive; and they can wear whatever crazy outfits their hearts desire, in most parts of the world. But they’re still frequently regarded as the weaker half of the relationship. Men tend to have the last word on important decisions like financial investments, be the primary breadwinners and serve as the voice of the relationship.

After pondering over why this is the case, from the bottom of my cynic’s heart, I’d like to declare that it’s because our society is unfair, women are oppressed and all men think they are from the superior gender.

But my heart isn’t that frozen yet, so my verdict wouldn’t be sincere. So what I will say, albeit grudgingly, is that women often enjoy being lavished with love and gifts. To an extent, deep down, we like having someone to take care and protect us from the big, bad world. But is that fair to men? Who gets to protect them, and make them feel like nothing will ever go wrong?

The answer, in today’s slightly balanced world, should be…ding ding ding, women!

Ladies, when we fight for equal rights, it should translate to also shouldering our weight in the relationship. Which brings me back to my original point regarding Valentine’s Day. Sure, I think it’s a B.S. holiday with no purpose except to bring in money for overpriced gift sellers. However, if Valentine’s Day absolutely has to exist, then it shouldn’t be a sexist holiday.

This is when I revolutionize the art of feminism and declare openly that Valentine’s Day is sexist against men. If they have to make an effort to prove their love, and waste their money on stuff that’ll sit in a vase and wilt away, then so should we!

Ladies, to be honest, how many of you did something for your significant other this Valentine’s Day? I’m fairly sure the number of men who answer yes will be considerably higher. Why the disparity?

Next Valentine’s Day, Viking women, let’s show our men what we’ve got. Go out and exercise those rights that Susan B. Anthony fought for, and prove that we are equal in every aspect of life. Order a ridiculous flower arrangement, or pay for a romantic dinner for two, but definitely do not sit idly while the men prove their love!

janeJUN

Every morning at the beginning of third or fourth period, there is a five minute period when students either nap, cram for an upcoming test or hastily finish the incomplete homework assignment due that period. Another more official name for this time is the “daily announcements.” Daily announcements could potentially be a very powerful venue for getting the word out, but they are currently boring and need to be more engaging.

Two years ago, Miller Middle School introduced a class called “Communication Arts” which produced daily televised announcements. Within the Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD), there are courses like Journalism Broadcasting and Advanced Multi-media Technologies that a potential communication class could be modeled after.

These courses, however, target video editing and broadcasting but do not include producing televised announcements in their curriculum. Monta Vista has televised an-

nouncements but not a separate class for it. An integration between these two—a separate communications class that films televised announcements, with different delegated tasks like scriptwriter, cameraman, footage editors and anchormen—will be an interesting course offering.

The class could also aid the social committee with producing promo and rally videos and would be a great way for students to learn more about broadcasting, which is currently an undeveloped field at Lynbrook. Though it has become a sort of a custom for ASB to read the announcements, the opportunity should be extended to the rest of the student body who also want to do this.

Freshman Steven Chao, who took Communication Arts as a Miller student, says the class benefited him and agrees that Lynbrook should have a similar class. “I got camera, on-air, editing, and directing experience…I learned how to use iMovie to edit and capture footage. I also learned how to use Garageband to make music,” he says.

Televising announcements will be a great foreground for students interested in having a career in the field of communications or broadcasting. Miller’s current Communication Arts teacher Valerie Cypert also says that having a Communication Arts class will be “a great addition to their course offerings, as a career in Communications can be very rewarding and fun.”

This innovative school has been helping students find their passions and pave their ways for future successes in the past. It would be a shame if it missed out on this opportunity.

Says Spanish teacher Elizabeth Valdivia, “I always wondered why Lynbrook didn’t have televised announcements...Lynbrook has all the technology and resources...it’s just about getting it started.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY NOORSHER AHMED

Kenya dance is out of step Kenya Dance’s original purpose–charity–has now been overshadowed by entertainment. by

joySHEN

GTFO. Public Figures. We Are Heroes. Poreotics. What started out as an inspiring cause to raise funds for underdeveloped schools in Kenya has turned into a futile compilation of television dance crews promoting their overpriced merchandise to diehard fans during intermission.

Excessive advertising of the crews and the use of local celebrity stars to endorse the cause have quickly turned it into a congested social gathering to meet idols. With presale tickets sold at $20 each, Kenya Dance continuously generates funds to support its humanitarian projects. However, attendees demonstrate more interest in the post-dance autograph session and hypebeast commodities on display rather than focusing on the purpose of the event, which is raising awareness about the positive impacts students can make through community outreach programs.

Originally put together by Cupertino High School’s Class of 2010, Kenya Dream started out as a humanitarian project with the goal of providing Nthimbiri Secondary School in Kenya with enough funds to construct instructional facilities. Throughout the course of four years, Kenya Dream has successfully raised over $50,000 through various fundraising events.

Despite its success, the amount of recognition concerning the goal of Kenya Dream has declined after each dance. With appearances made by various season winners of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew, many guests attend the charity showcase to meet celebrity stars rather than support the root cause. “Because I’m a dancer and watching dances are of interest to a dancer. I wanted to see the local talent, as well as the national competition winning talent,” says sophomore Ethan Chiou. The fact that

all proceeds from Kenya Dance III goes directly to Mukua Secondary School in Kenya is insignificant to many in comparison to being able to stand in the same room as Yuri Tag from Kaba Modern or RJ of Supreme Soul. “I don’t think anyone actually goes to Kenya Dance for its cause.

People really just go to see the dancing and the celebrities,” says sophomore Daniel Vallejo. “Honestly, I know I just went for Yuri and We Are Heroes.”

Mobs of fans rush out the doors during intermission, hoping to get their hands on items being sold by the dance crews. “A poster that took at most 50 cents to print cost five dollars to buy and you had to buy it because the crews were only permitted to sign [on the poster],” Chiou adds.

Other merchandise include the obscene GTFO sweatshirts and “Know Your Rank” t-shirts that many students wear around campus. However, Dream Team member, sophomore Brian Shin says, “The personal sales each crew makes go directly into their own separate funds. [The crews] pay for a booth to sell their merchandise at, and those funds go into Kenya Dream; however, the profits they receive from individual sales aren’t donated to the cause,” which defies the purpose of the charity showcase.

Kenya Dream started out as an inspirational effort that proved students can make a difference in the world. Instead of putting forth so much energy promoting celebrity stars endorsing the event, Kenya Dream should go back to its roots and obtain support through community charity acts such as the “Million Cans Recycling Challenge” it held last January. Regardless, Kenya Dream has demonstrated how, with the right type of support, a simple high school project can provide substantial support to third world countries.

by

dianaDING

Most people go online when they need entertainment, but some who have a way with magic take matters into their own hands. Magic has become much more than a hobby to these students; it is a channel of self-expression which has greatly impacted their lives.

Senior Willy Wang, pictured above, was inspired to start doing magic tricks after watching magicians like David Copperfield perform on TV. “I just [wanted] to have a special talent that other people didn’t have; so, I picked up a deck of cards,” he says.

Wang has practiced magic since sixth grade, starting to learn after purchasing magic books and watching others entertain. Since then, he has performed for friends and family, in the IDC talent show, and even once on the street to strangers at Pier 31 in San Francisco alongside Magic Club President senior Pavan Upadhyayula.

“I really like to see when people react [happily to my performance]…after they walk away, they

still talk about [the trick] and that is really the best feeling,” says Wang, regarding what he loves most about performing magic.

Wang moved to the United States from Taiwan when he was 13 years old and learned English as a second language. Performing magic allows Wang to overcome the initial shyness that comes with moving to a new country.

He says, “I used to be scared of talking to people in public, but after a few talent shows [my confidence has boosted greatly]. Performing improves the confidence in your magic and actually your life as well.

To do magic successfully, you have to trust yourself and believe in yourself, and only then will the audience believe you too. Once you have [confidence], you can do anything.”

According to senior Kenneth Poon, there are two types of magic: stage magic and close magic. Stage magic involves a larger audience far away from the magician, who performs with costly materials. Close magic often uses smaller equipment like a deck of cards and is performed nearby the audience. Poon prefers performing close magic. He says, “[With]

close magic, you can do anything as long as you have a deck of cards with you or ask someone for a coin and show them a trick. It’s more believable because you’re doing a trick right in front of them right under their noses. Card magic is most accessible most of the sleights for card magic and people just feel more comfortable.”

Poon and Wang encourage people to learn and perform magic tricks. Poon advises people new to magic to really make sure they are interested in magic before starting.

“After you start to learn a bunch of tricks, you learn the secrets behind the magic and all of a sudden it’s not magic anymore, it’s a performance. It doesn’t wow you as much.”

Poon adds, “The important thing to remember is that even if you know the secret, the people you’re performing for don’t. Just keep at it; people think they can learn magic fast but that’s really impossible and it’s really those things you have to stick with and don’t give up.”

As for Wang’s future, he will most likely try to find a job but give performances on the side.

Fan out the cards in a deck and allow a spectator to randomly select a card from the deck.

Give him time to memorize his card.

Regroup the cards into a pile.

While he is looking at his chosen card, quickly secretly memorize the card at the bottom of the deck.

Let him put the card on top of the deck. Split the deck and cut the bottom card to the top, so the card you memorized and the spectator’s cards are touching.

Flip out the cards in succession from the top of the pile. Pretend to “feel” out the correct card.

Add dramatization to make this step interesting for spectators.

Once you flip over the card you have memorized, you are aware that the spectator’s card is the one underneath it. File it out and impress viewers with this trick.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY LAUREN TAI & AUSTIN YU

How to be a magician: follow these five simple steps

LHS students audition for worldwide pop fame by

gloriaLIN

Dressed in an eye-catching, fobby outfit, junior Emily Chao steps out from a car as she sings along to catchy Korean pop music. There is no doubt that this break-dancing enthusiast is unafraid when it comes to her aspiration of becoming an Asian pop star.

Chao first developed an interest in the Asian pop universe when she came across opportunities to audition to be a part of the world of entertainers she idolized. “Because [auditioning] was an opportunity to allow me to do what I love (dance), I decided to audition [to become a dancer] in order to express myself,” says Chao. From there, Chao made plans to submit a dance showcase video to South Korean companies JYP Entertainment (JYPE) and Cube Entertainment—and unlike many other applicants, she carried more confidence when making such a big decision. “All I had to do for the [JYPE]

audition was what I’ve always been comfortable with, so practicing for a few days just boosted my confidence,” she says.

If accepted to either company, Chao predicts that her reaction would be one of initial disbelief—and then determination. “If I get accepted, I would definitely continue my education—at least finish high school first because [it’s] important. I wouldn’t mind going through several hours of training [a day] because that’s something I’d already accepted [as part of my dream],” she says.

Junior Chesley Mok’s decision to attend a live audition in San Francisco for JYPE and record videos of her singing for SM Entertainment (another South Korean entertainment agency) began first with hesitation. “I had this friend who always made recordings for Asian music companies, and she bugged me to audition because she liked my voice—I really didn’t see what was so good about it though. After I got into Asian music [and landed a few solos for choir, which was encouraging], I started reconsidering the idea.”

After tackling this obstacle, however, Mok found a much larger one to overcome: her parents’ unwillingness to see the benefits of auditioning. “They told me it would be just another childish obsession and I’d get over it pretty soon…but in the end, my mom agreed that I could try out as long as I still focused on school,” she says. Mok claims that artists such as Charice Pempengco and Kim Jaejoong of South Korean boy band TVXQ inspire her to continue hoping that she will one day make it big as an Asian singer. “I love their stories of how they started from scratch and still [became] great singers,” she explains.

With hopes of being the Michael Jackson of the Eastern Hemisphere, both Chao and Mok realize that success cannot be achieved without training. To make it in the entertainment industry, says Mok, “just practice by yourself, and ask for advice from people around you as much as possible!”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DANIELLE LERNER & AUSTIN YU

by

noorsherAHMED

Dorothy wakes up with her trusty dog, Toto next to her. Looking around her, she finds the faces of toddlers from the San Jose Family Shelter staring back at her. Dorothy is a paper bag puppet made by Lynbrook’s Bookzilla, which will perform a rendition of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz on March 12.

Work for Bookzilla’s rendition of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz began in January, Bookzilla’s drama month. The writing process was conducted through “Short Writes” where each member adds lines to the play for two minutes and then passes the paper to the next person, who adds more lines. The process was repeated and after several meetings, the officers

picked their favorite scenes or lines and compiled them together into a script.

“Previously drama month was one act in which the club got together practiced and performed the act, however the act was found online. This time we wanted to do something new. Once we started we didn’t want to just end with a school performance, we wanted to [show] the community so we decided to present to the [shelter],” says Bookzilla’s vice-president, junior Kunaal Goel.

Bookzilla chose to perform at the San Jose Family Shelter because, “Many kids aren’t interested in pursuing education and we in Bookzilla feel that by encouraging them, they can become more self-motivated to succeed and appreciate literature,” says Goel.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY SHANNON CHAI & GLORIA LIN

Club will perform for shelter

is back with its virtues by

yunqingCHEN

After two members left the band due to “creative differences,” the remaining half of the Grammy-nominated band Panic! at the Disco has a new album, Vices & Virtues, which will hit stores late March. Their first single, “The Ballad of Mona Lisa,” has fans craving the return of their signature pop sound.

With a strange but familiar steampunkthemed video, complete with church pews and a top hat, “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” hooks the listener in. The video teems with similarities to their first-ever single, “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” thus bringing back the old Panic! while still introducing the new.

The songs on Vices purposefully use old ideas from the days of A Fever You

Can’t Sweat Out and Pretty. Odd. and their lyrics complement each other nicely. The song, “The Calendar,” dedicated to the departure of the two ex-members, offers closure and coming to terms with the past. In “Sarah Smiles,” lead singer Brenden Urie explores the obsession behind romance for the first time (“You’ll never escape the spell/When Sarah smiles”) and deals with pride in “Oh Glory.” Whether Urie is accompanied by organs or 80s-esque guitar in the background, he still can sing about relatable growing pains.

The hype that has surrounded this CD is expected, and Panic! has deftly kept aspects from their debut days to highlight the changes they have gone through. Fans are sure to be satisfied on March 29.

Lessons in Loving

by

candyCHANG

“You were right to come in the morning,” said the AMC employee checking tickets. “In the afternoon, you can’t hear a thing. The girls scream a lot.”

And “the girls scream a lot” nicely sums up Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. The movie provides ample opportunities for fans in the audience to scream a lot, and its scenes are filled with girls of all ages screaming (a lot).

While the movie does have its compelling moments, its ultimate failure to go beyond servicing fans is disappointing for a movie which promised to be more than just a money-burning opportunity for die-hard Justin Bieber lovers.

There are moments where the film’s potential as a documentary about an underdog’s rise to fame shines through—Bieber’s journey from radio station to radio station in order to promote One Time is impressive, and the way he deals with getting sick before the Madison Square Garden concert is surprisingly real.

But these moments are quickly lost in the whirl of adoring fans and obligatory Bieber-as-a-normal-teenplaying-basketball scenes, not to mention the few pointless seconds of shirtless Bieber and the slow-motion hair-flipping interlude.

Documentaries are meant to dig below the surface; Never Say Never only scrapes it—and it scrapes rather one-sidedly. The audience hardly hear from his parents; Bieber only sits down before the camera to share some safe sound bites about never saying never.

There is no mention of the anti-Justin Bieber camp, nothing about how he deals with hate mail, or even in-

terviews with people who could care less about him. In fact, the one-sidedness teeters on the edge of becoming shameless self-promotion and fan gratification. While director Jon Chu refuses to use the term “concert film,” the screen time given to footage from Bieber’s concerts speaks otherwise. Many scenes seem more focused on making fans scream their hearts out with joy than on revealing anything about Bieber.

Even more disappointing is the blatant effort to make more money from tacking 3-D onto the end of the movie name. Never Say Never is not a crazy action movie; it does not take place in a fantastical, Pandora-esque world. As a result, the technique glorified by James Cameron is reduced to menial tasks, like making the beginning credits pop out.

So fans, buy those tickets and purple 3-D glasses; there are more than enough opportunities to loudly express love. For anyone else, it’s a matter of how much screaming one can endure.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY LAUREN TAI

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY GLORIA LIN & LAUREN TAI

Today is Feb. 18. Monday was Valentine’s Day, which probably explains why all those suckers were walking around with balloons and flowers for their significant others. I’m sure that most of you are now frantically thinking of methods to beg and grovel for forgiveness for forgetting the most important couple’s holiday because you were playing Maple Story. Lucky for you other irresponsible boyfriends, Gossip Boy has missed Valentine’s Day for the third time in a row and is now a self-proclaimed expert on apologizing for ditching holidays.

1. Admit defeat There is no doubt that last Monday was Valentine’s Day. It doesn’t matter how much you attempt to confuse or argue with your lady friend, Feb. 14 was the day she expected to be covered in high-class chocolates, overpriced flowers and cheesy Hallmark cards. The day was probably circled on her calendar, and she crossed out each day leading up to it. On Monday when she was in the parking lot, she was probably expecting something just as grand from you. If you have read this far, you probably didn’t do anything, so this is where you’ll want to admit that you are at fault. Admitting defeat won’t make your punishment any less painful, but it’ll probably make your period of suffering less lengthy.

2. Present an apology gift To those of you who are already planning to run out at lunch to Rite Aid to get the $4.99 Hershey’s Pot of Gold, I just went, and they are all sold out.

Regardless, you really shouldn’t go out and buy some crummy chocolate now; nothing screams “I forgot” more than the $10 chocolate from the nearest pharmacy. Fortunately, because Valentine’s Day has passed, all Valentine’s goodies are marked down over 50%. Skip out on lunch for a few days, and you can probably get more candy and heart-shaped dust collectors than you can fit in the shopping basket.

3. Mark your 2012 calendar After cleaning up your messy predicament, the last thing you want to do is to repeat your mistake next year. Unlike us guys who are unable to remember breakfast from the day before, our lady counterparts are somehow able to recall events from well over a year ago. The same mistake again will result in her anger increasing exponentially similar to the power curve you learned about in physics last week. This is a good time for you to start fashioning a wonderful date and three backup plans, because as males, we are somehow prone to failure. A trip to AMC 14 or Chipotle probably won’t cut it; try a hot air balloon ride or something of the sort. (If anyone actually somehow manages to get in contact with a hot air balloon ride vendor, let me know!)

4. Don’t toot your own horn Don’t go out bragging to your buddies that you got away with blowing off Valentine’s Day because all of your hard efforts will have been for nothing and you will be back at square one. This is the one time you don’t want to be feigning to be a big macho man. Everybody knows that all girlfriends (except mine) wear the pants in the relationship, so don’t bother pretending otherwise. Should your girlfriend catch you talking like a big shot about how you can dodge important dates, it’ll probably take more than a couple chick flicks and chocolates to solve your predicament. If you manage to screw up at this point, you’re probably looking at a mani/pedi package and a boring shopping trip that you’ll have to endure (look to previous issue for survival tips).

If it hasn’t been made clear to you yet Wendy (Ms. Gossip Boy), I have missed Valentine’s Day again.

This is my public apology to you, and I hope you will continue to buy me lunch on Thursdays, and put up with my Maple Story addiction. However, this by no means suggests that I will be remembering important holidays and dates in the future, as I am unlikely to grow smarter or more responsible. xoxo Gossip Boy, The Jake Lu

Hit-and-run vehicle vandalism continued from pg 1

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY CLAY SONG & NOORSHER AHMED

In most cases offenders are unidentifiable and evade punishments; however when they are caught, severe punishments follow. Under California Penal Code Section 594, car vandalism constitutes as a misdemeanor if the offender has not been convicted before. Depending on the amount of damage caused, offenders, or their legal guardians, must pay a fine of around $1,000-$50,000 and make reparations to the owner of the car. Community service may also be required in addition to the fines. Under certain circumstances, such as if the offender had previously been convicted of a vandalism or if the damage amounts to more than $400, car vandalism may be considered a felony.

The first two rows of the parking lot closest to the entrance of the school are labeled as “senior parking,” reserved for, as the label indicates, seniors during school hours. Students from other grades who ignore this label and park in the area have been known to face risks of car vandalism, sometimes accredited to seniors. In one instance, junior Jordan Servito unwittingly parked in senior parking and found his tires deflated when he returned to retrieve papers from his car. While no pecuniary damage had been caused, he had to pump all four tires before being able to head home.

More serious incidents have been reported regarding violations of the “seniority rule,” for example last year, when now-graduated seniors poured flour on current senior Madison Holzworth’s car. “They waited until it rained [to pour flour on my car],” recalls Holzworth.

“When it rains, flour sticks to your car, and it dries on-- I couldn’t get it off with just water. Some of it is still there; [the flour] never comes off.” The damage totaled to about $230.

Earlier this year, junior Jason Jin was jogging back from cross country practice when he found

his Acura TSX model S with several scratches on the side of his car. Every once in awhile Jin finds trash and toilet paper scattered over his car. “I don’t know who it is but it gets really annoying and is just a dumb thing to do.

When I have to clean the trash off my car my day gets ruined-it’s seriously a waste of time.”

Reasons for vandalism range from none at all to revenge or animosity between the offender and the owner of the car. It is generally classified as a hate crime; Holzworth states, “It’s not justified at all; it’s really immature of people to think that they [can do something like that], and there isn’t really a point in causing damage.”

However despite the pointlessness of the simple crime, many students still damage their peers’ properties, sometimes ranging from cars to lockers, to even houses.

On the other hand, in vandal Roy Kim’s* point of view, vandalism had no real point: “It is all just for the fun of it. I usually get back at the people I don’t really like, though, instead of just targeting someone random.” Having vandalized several cars ranging from egging to keying, Kim continues to go around vandalizing peoples cars. “I have never been caught, and I know how to avoid being caught, so I am not worried,” Kim states and because law enforcement cannot identify aggressors, car vandalism will continue to be a serious problem.

According to the Comprehensive Car Insurance Guide, an online informant for car owners on various issues regarding cars, the first steps to dealing with car vandalism are contacting the police to “file a formal report and document all of the damage,” and assessing all damages to estimate the cost of repairing the vehicle.

Restorations of the vehicle may be reimbursed by filing a car insurance claim, which lets the insurance company know of the incident, the damage, and the monetary assistance they could provide. *Name

has

been

changed.

On their honor: towards Eagle and Gold Boy and Girl Scouts share their award-winning community service experiences by

claySONG

Often taken for granted, they work behind the scenes to better the community in any way possible. On their honor they promise to serve God and their country, to help people at all times, and to obey the Scout Law. They are the Boy and Girl Scouts of America.

Boy Scouts are often incorrectly viewed as happy young boys in preppy, clean uniforms helping the elderly across the street, and Girl Scouts are incorrectly seen as just cute girls who annually come knocking on your to sell their delicious cookies.

In both organizations, scouts are taught to live by strict moral codes of conduct. Their laws and oaths provide guidelines that strive to mold them into righteous and dutiful citizens of the community. Requirements for rank advancement also include hours of community service. Junior Tiffani Lau, a Girl Scout of Troop 60267, worked together with West Valley Community Services (WVCS) to host a school supply drive for underprivileged elementary students in the summer of 2008 to complete the community service requirement for her Silver Award. The following summer she continued to donate backpacks and school supplies to underprivileged schools specifically in Fremont and San Jose.

This most recent summer, Lau donated to WVCS and Sunday Friends, another two community service organizations. “Community service projects really open your eyes,” she comments. “You think you have it bad until you get out there and see what others go through.”

Apart from drives such as this, community service projects include planting small flags in the cemetery on Memorial Day, fundraising for special organizations, and building structures for schools. And sometimes these services are right under our noses. Senior Mihir Angal, for example, built the four blue-framed bulletin boards on the Lynbrook campus for his Eagle Project.

Many of the scouts became experienced leaders as well. Through community service and rank advancements, sophomore Bhargav Annam claims, “I’ve become much more self-confident, responsible, and organized.”

Annam achieved the highest rank of Eagle Scout after

completing his Eagle Project, which was building Miller Middle School’s garden. He spent hours planning, organizing, and executing the project.

Annam also had to step up and lead his peers into finishing the project without adult guidance. This means that he reaserched all there was to know about wood-work, electronic installations and gardening.

Senior Amber Yuan, a Girl Scout from Troop 61617, is currently a Senior Girl Scout working towards her Gold Award. Her Gold Award project promotes reusable chopsticks in an effort to raise environmental awareness. While promoting her Gold Award project in a booth during an Asian festival, Yuan took the initiative to confront many strangers.

Last week at a festival she worked together with an environmentalist organization called TzuChi and passed out pamphlets. She is also creating posters and websites to spread awareness, and will be giving presentations in various Chinese schools.

She is even collecting cloth to create portable pouches for the reusable chopsticks. It took Yuan eight years to reach where she is today, and she says that scouting has improved her leadership and social-interactive skills.

Over the years she has worked with other members of her troop to host summer camps that were assigned by the Council. Gradually, she became an experienced leader and a model for younger Girl Scouts.

“I never would have thought I could accomplish these events myself, if not for the opportunities scouting afforded me,” she explains.

It seems Lynbrook has more to be proud of than just its average GPA.

Junior Tiffani Lau displays her school supply packages for less-fortunate children. This project was completed for the service portion of her Silver Award.

PHOTOS USED WITH PERMISSION OF TIFFANI LAU

The evolution of modern literature by

eeshaKHARE

world where all we have to do is follow along, ask questions, and answer questions.” English teacher Fritz Torp agrees that “the modern hero is more vulnerable, such as in The Kite Runner, and novels show a different pathway to solve problems which in some way or another, relates to the reader.”

For most people, modern literature’s greatest appeal is its emotional catharsis, offering escapism and relaxation. Bookzilla’s vice president, junior Kunaal Goel agrees that “dystopian fictions offer the [same] range of emotions the characters feel, ranging from intimidated to intimidating, suffering and selfevaluation in one book, such as in Hunger Games.” He explains that Suzanne Collins made the book such a success because it “creates an atmosphere that made you feel like you were in the book and takes you away from the stressful high school life you are in.” As for emotion, Torp says that young adult fiction today is “more like TV, which is more action oriented, and requiring less effort, in terms of interpretation, on the part of the reader.”

As Ji sums it up, “For trending realistic fiction, it’s not about the end of the world—it’s about living past it, overcoming it.”

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY ALICE ZHANG & KATHY LI

Sparkling vampires, invading space ships, family conflict. Just by browsing the titles in the fiction section of the library, one can see that the themes of popular books for young adults have changed over the past few years.

The focus of the popular young adult fiction has shifted, allowing readers to engage and reflect on personal experiences because of relatable themes. The biggest change in today’s popular literature is that it is morphing to match the technologically changing world and addressing emerging conflicts in society.

As a greater audience of young adults reads fiction novels, authors work harder to make their work relatable to experiences of the youth, using romance, grief, competition, bonding and speculation. The biggest difference between today’s popular books and those of the past is that modern novels go to extra lengths to connect with the audience. As librarian Roz Davis says, “John Green, author of Looking for Alaska, he speaks to you through his writing, and once you enjoy one of his novels, you will probably read the rest of his books.” This new emerging style of self-exploration grips

readers through bold and brave characters and the element of surprise makes it a page turner. Davis reflects, “Back when I was in high school, most of the reading I did was for class, such as Tale of Two Cities. But perhaps the biggest aspect that has changed in today’s time is that the author uses more adult, analytical questions which are what teenagers are experiencing—and that really ‘hits home.’”

Authors today try to prevent conflict by framing societal and international problems in futuristic settings to show what would happen if these problems persist and to inspire students to change their habits. Many recent speculative novels present a futuristic world with the same problems that plague students today. Sophomore CJ Ji says that contemporary books “address the issues concerning humanity in a way that no one would say aloud.”

Many teenagers who read dystopian or realistic fiction are looking for an answer to their problems, such as fighting the “status quo” in the Uglies. A reader of survival stories such as Hatchet and A Series of Unfortunate Events, sophomore Ann Xu suggests that because the world is complex, “the dystopian novels in particular are a place to lose ourselves in a

Upper league brings out tough competition by

namrataSINGH

don Yamauchi.

With one win over Los Altos and two over Los Gatos, the boys have qualified for CCS based on their successful pre-season performance. The boys hope to win at least one game in CCS, and feels that the move up in leagues has provided them with good experiences.

“Although it was tough, moving up was beneficial for the team. We started off extremely strong, but losing games has made us stronger, because we are getting the opportunity to play physical and talented teams,” says Szymanski.

The boys will be playing Palo Alto tonight at 7:45 for their last league game of the season The team says they are going in with low expectations, but hoping for the best possible outcome.

INFOGRAPHIC BY YASMINE MORTAZAVI

Last Friday, the Lynbrook gym was packed with students, teachers and parents anticipating another exciting game of basketball. Although faced with a tough opponent, the boys did not let go of their determination to end the night victorious.

Los Altos was able to take the lead in the beginning of the game by scoring the first six points. Those first few minutes of glory would be the last time the Eagles asserted dominance over the Vikings. Four minutes into the first quarter, Lynbrook gained possession and kept the game in their favor throughout the rest of the match—beating Los Altos71-60.

The hard-earned win brings the team’s overall record to 12-9, and bumps their

league standing to three wins and seven losses—placing them fifth out of a seventeam league.

The outcome this year is disappointing for the boys compared to their past league championships in the lower, El Camino league. This year, the team moved up to the De Anza league, and has faced stronger opponents than previous years. “It is difficult adapting to “A” league. There is a much higher level of play and competition. Practice is more physical because we are playing more aggressive teams this season,” says senior Brian Szymanski.

The team has had to utilize other aspects of their game in order to make up for the lack of height and strength. “In this league, we really have to focus on skills like shot consistancy and speed,” says junior Bran-

Left: Junior Brandon Yamaguchi dribbles the ball past a Los Altos defender. Middle: Senior Jefferson Hsu leaps up to take a jump shot. Right: Senior Patrick Fang angles the ball towards the net.

AUSTIN YU—EPIC

Skirts aren’t part of the game Dresses have been getting shorter and gallery-viewed over Hollywood since the 1920 flapper. Big deal. But last year at the French Open, all the media could jabber about was Venus William’s lacy black and red-trimmed outfit.

Sure, at the time it may have proved to be a little distracting for those of us who take the 11 seconds to confirm that Venus is indeed, not nude but wearing nude-colored

AUSTIN YU—EPIC

Spandex under her little black tennis dress (LBTD?), but in the long run, those 11 seconds are insignificant to the entire tennis match. Again, her opening match victory at the Aussie Open last month seemed only to produce stories on her “shortest skirt yet.” (And people ask why journalism is a dying art.) When did vogue ever trump game highlights in dominating sports?

Last time I checked, sports have always been about sports. Not to belabor the word, but people traditionally watch it as entertainment for either the professional game play, the insider-feeling of following a team or eye candy (David Beckham, anyone?). Well I’ll be honest.

Compared to the ardent fans who follow Warrior games religiously and can name all the players in a heartbeat, my sporadic game-watching barely qualifies me as a sports aficionado. I spend more time on Vera Wang’s website than I do watching a Sharks game, and up until 8th grade I thought Michael Jordan was deceased. However, when I do show up at the HP Pavilion, like other fans, I rewind the game highlights and browse sports forums after, expecting appropriate coverage. From what

AUSTIN YU—EPIC

I know, a Nike 6.0 nanotechnology sweat-absorbing jersey doesn’t count as a reason why so many Americans are avid sports-fans.

So it escapes me now why the press cares so much about the A’s new canary-yellow jerseys. Call it whatever you want, a slow-news day or just shifted interests, but media are veering steadily off the course of true sports. If athletes can still keep their point records, it doesn’t matter what they wear to achieve those points.

I have to commend that not all sports fashion commentary is bad. Only a select group of sports apparel, the ones stitched and Sharpie-ed full of meaning and interpretation (thank you Mrs. Clark) are the uniforms to be written about. Like during the World Cup when soccer player Andres Iniesta flashed his undershirt that read “Dani Jarque: Siempre con nosotros” to commemorate his late friend and soccer star. It is only then when sports “fashion,” gives itself a reason to be covered.

So please, beat-less journalists, stop accumulating a best- and worst-dressed sports list. Keep the layers in Hollywood and the players in sports.

Boys’ soccer fights through losses The team struggles through injuries and lack of experience from players by

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Junior Nicholas Ferrario prepares to kicks the ball down the field during the home game against rival Monta Vista on Feb. 11. The final score was 1-1.

nancyNAN

The boys’ soccer team concluded a disappointing season with their last game on Wednesday, Feb. 16. Although the boys ended up 1-7, with the scores from their most recent game yet to come, they overcome many struggles this season, and ultimately regrouped and improved towards the end. ​One problem the team struggled with was the amount of injuries suffered this season.

Junior Alex Sireci injured his right knee earlier in the year while playing club soccer and had to have surgery. As a result, Sireci had to miss most of the matches, with his first game being the last game of the season.

Senior captain Joseph Lin also suffered a back injury towards the end of the season, while playing against Fremont High School on Feb. 2. Senior Ryan Tarter’s right ankle injury from football season continued through the soccer season; however, because the team was short on replacement players, Tarter had to keep on playing.

Tarter says, “It hurt whenever I played and I wasn’t able to access my full potential, but I tried to help the team and do all that I pos-

sibly could.”

Another problem the team dealt with was the lack of experience on the team. Tarter adds, “Last year, there were so many seniors on the team, but there were so few returning players this year. However, this gave the returning Varsity players an opportunity to play with new players, and both players could learn more.”

Since there were only four seniors and five returning players from Varsity and JV combined, the team had to figure out how to coordinate their old style of playing with their relatively new roster, which consisted of four freshmen, one sophomore, and the rest juniors.

Junior Eyan Chee says, “We spent more time practicing with each other and improving relations. The veterans who are experienced with playing helped us and we got better as the season progressed.”

However, Chee believes next season will be better. “Our communication and team relations will be good next year since there are so many underclassmen on the team this year and we will already know how to play with each other,” says Chee.

United efforts brings girls’ basketball to CCS by

janeJUN

As the league season draws to a close, tension is increasing for the Lynbrook girls’ varsity basketball team. In the past few weeks, the team has won 4228 against Monta Vista, lost 41-46 against Gunn, endured another very close loss of 49-50 against Los Gatos and recently won 68-59 against Mountain View on Feb. 9.

Ascent to girls’ CCS is a given, according to varsity basketball team coach Jeremy Kitchen. He expects the girls to place 6th to 8th out of approximately 25 teams in their division.

“It is indubitable that we have come quite a distance since the beginning of the season. However, in terms of what we’re capable of, we are nowhere near our full potential. Now the question for the last few upcoming games is how hard we want to work to get to a place where we’re truly performing our best,” he says.

Reflecting back on all the sweat and hours the girls’ varsity basketball team has spent playing together during games and practices in the past couple of months, certain moments stand out clearly in the girls’ memories.

For many girls’ varsity basketball players, including sophomore Jasmine Chou, these moments were not necessarily all hard competition on the court. There were many other highlights of the season, from December break hangouts, birthday surprises, Sadie Hawkins dance pranks and the photo scavenger hunt in Placerville, to jokingly throwing

a teammate on a steel ball cart, locking her in and sending a picture of her to Kitchen.

For Kitchen, his proudest moment of the team was when they lost against Ponderosa High School during Dec. break.

“Every single moment of the game, we were unified. Though [the] game resulted with a loss, it was definitely one of our highest points in the season. I was the proudest of how hard they worked and how focused they were during that game,” he says.

No matter how the girls’ varsity basketball players may perform in the upcoming CCS this spring, this year’s team will be set apart by the team’s unusually tight-knit bond.

In fact, the team is so close that the girls spend a lot of time together outside the court as well. Kitchen says that he “often had to chase the girls out of the gym because they would stay back to just talk and bond as a team” and that “it really was special that this year’s team was so close.”

“With such a young varsity team, everyone expected the journey to be bumpy,” says Chou, “As a team, there have been a lot of ups and downs throughout the season; we’ve walked out of games feeling amazing and other games feeling dejected.”

For Chou, the definition of true team effort is “everyone putting their mind, energy, focus for the common goal. There is no “i” in team. Seems simple enough, but if it was so simple there wouldn’t be any struggle. The struggle is what makes us grow.”

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Sophomore Jacqueline Hudepohl leaps up for a jump shot against rival Monta Vista at the home quad game on Feb. 11.

Best coach reactions of the season by

sabrinaSHIE

Behind every success, there’s always a coach guiding his or her players to victory. Behind every defeat, that same coach is always there to reconcile and motivate the team.

You’ve seen them on the court or on the field, pushing their team through tough losses or hard earned wins. Yet besides that, you’ve also seen how intense (or funny) a coach’s face can become during these games.

Favorites from this season include, (clockwise from the top left) boys’ soccer coach Joe Simas, girls’ basketball coach Jeremy Kitchen, boys’ basketball coach Tim Kenworthy, and girls’ soccer coach Art Zimmermann.

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DANIELLE LERNER—EPIC

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SLOW AND STEADY FINISHES THE LEFTOVERS BY CLAY SONG

CONSPIRACY THEORIES BY KATHY LI

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Love Week Takes Over LHS by

danielleLERNER

With the passing of Valentine’s Day on Monday, love was in the air on campus. Adding to this spirit, beginning on Monday, Jan. 31, Love Week was held at the top of the quad everyday at brunch. The spirit event featured a variety of games for which pairs of students could volunteer to play. Clockwise from bottom left: Molly Chou (10) tries to assist Jack Wang (12) in eating his way to a gummy candy hidden in a plate of whipped cream. In this “Mating Call” game, blindfolded girls had to make their way across the quad by following their partners’ animal sounds. Once there, the guys had the task of finding the gummy candy using only their mouths. In one game, Michelle Xu (11) had no difficulty breaking out her dance moves and singing along to Britney Spears’ “Toxic.” Backup dancers Jackie Lee (12) and Elena Park (12), however, had a hard time keeping straight faces. Students were also treated to a special surprise when the staff choir, composed of Gail Davidson, Robert Richmond, Joshua Miller, David Pugh, Debbie Schmalz, Brittany Stevens, Crystal Isola, Michael Esquivel, Linda Nichols, Denise Schang and Drew Coble, sang and then threw sweet treats into the crowd. Robert Kang (12) sat with an amused expression as he was serenaded by Divya Saha (9) as part of “Sweet Serenade.” Overall, Love Week was a success, and kept students guessing at the activities. Even though Valentine’s Day has passed, keep on spreading the love!