Issue 3, 2011 by the Epic

Vikings gather for celebration of academic feat academic rally together. Some of hen students perform well, schools the needs included commemorate their achievements. organizing and alloThis is the mentality behind the Incate room for roughly tel Academic Vikes of Distinction Rally, de1,770 students in the signed by the administration to celebrate gym, which required the status of School of Distinction. assistance from mainteIn Sept. 2011, Lynbrook, along nance head Steve Chamwith 18 other finalists, was invited berlain. Erwin says, “We to Washington D.C. to attend had to allocate the classes, an award ceremony. Superinmake sure the banner was set tendent Polly Bove, members right, create fire safety routes; it of the school board and sciwas a lot to take care of.” ence teacher Amanda Alonzo Despite the overwhelming were all invited to Washingworkload, the event and all its acton D.C. as part of the award. tivities were a team effort. Just as DaOut of three finalists, Brookvidson says, “It is each of you working lyn Technical High School, together that makes Lynbrook great,” California Academy of MathErwin echoes, “It wasn’t me. It was evematics & Science and Lynerybody.” brook High School, Lynbrook Despite the skit and other rally-like won the School of Distinction activities, a balance was made to accomaward. Both of these competmodate both the students and the atmoing schools are public schools sphere of representatives from companies that are well recognized in the such as Intel and other distinct invitees. field of science, math and engi“We wanted it to be high-energy but we also neering. Principal Gail Davidson, had dignitaries there, such as the school who served as a representative board and Superintendent Polly Bove,” says in receiving this award, says, “We Davidson. The Science Club experiments are the school of distinction in the were aimed toward both students and invitUnited States of America selected by ed officials, showing Lynbrook’s academic Intel. That’s pretty big and we want to prowess. celebrate that.” Sophomore Steven Zheng, who attended David Erwin, Assistant Principal of the rally, says, “I liked the speakers because Activities, played a big part in the orthey were very motivated but I didn’t like ganization and execution of the event. how there wasn’t that much spirit because “My job was to be the center of that, it wasn’t really a rally but an assembly.” to tend to the needs of others,” says However, some disagree. Freshman Varun Erwin. As part of a committee, ErParthasarath says, “It was great to see the win worked with ASB advisor Tanya science department be recognized for all Yang, Assistant to the Principal Jane its great achievements over the years.” Broman, Physiology and Biology The response from the school board teacher Amanda Alonzo, ASB was mostly positive. Nancy Newton, a President Kevin Tu and the schoolboard representative, told Erwin rally commissioners to that the rally was “one of the most specput the whole tacular events of the school district that she’s ever seen.” BY SAM CHANG & YUNQING CHEN

JOEY LI—EPIC

SAM CHANG—EPIC

DANIELLE LERNER—EPIC

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY NEWS SECTION

Lynbrook Excellence in Education public charity launched BY JESSICA CAO

rom now on, Lynbrook families need make only one check to support the entire school. Lynbrook Excellence in Education (Lynbrook Excellence) a 501(c) (3) nonprofit charity, was launched on Nov. 4, 2011. Letters asking for donations of $350 per family were mailed out, but all donations are 100% tax deductible. In previous years, donations have been asked for and gone to specific groups like school departments or the PTSA. “We have a lot of booster groups,” says Principal Gail Davidson, “But some parents have been frustrated that they could not donate to the school as a whole like they did at Miller, which has its Miller Com-

munity Education Foundation (MCEF).” The money raised from Lynbrook Excellence will go towards projects having to do with the school, regardless of department. Sandeep Pandya, the president of both Lynbrook Excellence and MCEF, approached Davidson in March as an incoming parent who wanted to help support Lynbrook. “A few additional resources can do wonders,” says Pandya, who has over ten years of experience with educational foundations. The two worked with Superintendent Polly Bove and filed the paperwork to the IRS on June 6. Lynbrook Excellence was only recently approved, which is why it was not mailed out with the usual Back-To-School packet. Davidson says, “Many of our staff didn’t even know

about [Lynbrook Excellence] until it was officially launched...now we’ve begun discussions in departments as to the types of projects they might want.” Proposals have included turning the Visual and Performing Arts courtyard into an outdoor performing region, getting new P.E. equipment and purchasing a laptop cart for the Virtual Enterprise program in the business department. “Lynbrook Excellence should further develop the educational learning environment with long-term improvements,” explains Davidson. The Board of Directors will allocate the funds and ncludes Davidson, Pandya, science teacher Drew Coble, and parents. “We would like to have a student on the board,” says Da-

vidson, “We just need to get Lynbrook Excellence up and running first.” Lynbrook follows in the footsteps of schools like Homestead High, which started a Donor Brick Program last year to help fund its future facilities. “Unlike these other fundraisers that reach a certain point and it’s over, Lynbrook Excellence should provide a supportive, ongoing stream of resources for the school,” explains Davidson. Lynbrook receives some financial backing from the Fremont Union High Schools Foundation (FUHSF), but the FUHSF supports all five schools on programs like Naviance and Schoolloop. Lynbrook Excellence aims to raise $250,000 in the 2011-2012 school year and every year after.

AP Government classes host mock election ehra

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To me, it’s not just a project; it’s a change in my lifestyle. Because now, this time around, I am not the one sitting as the world moves forward without me. I am moving this world forward.

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The pace of the campaign is keeping me on my toes and educating me on the policy questions happening today in America.

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I am actually conservative whereas most people at this school are liberal, so I might understand the strengths and weaknesses of candidates better than the others do.

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um ar I am really lucky to have a group of talented people in my teams. The best feeling is when we casually sit together, throw out ideas, and see the synergy of our contributions.

I feel like this experience is really helping me get out there as a student and as a presence among my peers. It’s also a test of leadership skills.

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I am confident that no other candidate is going to be able to just walk over us without any good fight - we are very competent and have a good team overall. GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY NEWS SECTION

BY NIKITA DHESIKAN & MICHAEL PARK

s the Republican primary season continues, the AP Government classes have been simulating their own mock election in which students pose as the six Republican candidates and campaign for presidential candidacy. The mock election in AP Government is only done every four years, as real presidential campaigns must be also taking place the same year. Each candidate has been preparing a campaign consisting of a variety of posters, videos, brochures and other election materials to promote himself or herself to the student body. Candidates Akhil Batra (Mitt Romney), Zia Syed (Ron Paul), Disha Banik (Michele Bachmann) and Kip Lund (Jon Huntsman) have created Facebook pages as creative ways to promote their campaign around the school. “I find that while they [Facebook pages] are good for advertising and awareness, they are very reflective of how open an election gets, and how someone can be so vulner-

CANDY CHANG & NAMRATA SINGH

Letter from the editors

he month of November has brought many reasons to give thanks among the Lynbrook students, staff and community. In this issue, the staff of the Epic has looked into different events around campus. The Viking community was honored at the Vikes of Distinction Ceremony (pg.1 &

able to attacks when so many people have access to the site and wall. However, while [the Facebook pages] do make people aware of real-life issues, they reveal the one-sidedness of advertising campaigns much like real elections,” says junior Rachael Chambers. Other candidates are publicizing their campaigns in other ways such as Tumblrs and blogs in order to get voter attention for the upcoming election. Some candidates, including candidate Brian Zhao (Herman Cain) and Kip Lund, have done photo shoots to use in their political campaigns. Even students not in AP Government and Politics are feeling the effects of the project. Senior Chris Flanagan says, “I feel that the [candidates] did a remarkable job organizing and collaborating with each other to create a frighteningly realistic campaign.” To keep all the aspects of the campaign running smoothly, each candidate manages his or her own campaign team. Every team has a variety of positions and committees including campaign manager, communications pg. 4) in regards to Lynbrook’s receiving the Intel School of distinction award. Make sure to check out our centerspread that examines family relationships, size, and legacy (pg. 8 & pg. 9). For the readers interested in the hottest new fitness fad, check out two Epic reporters who took part in the p90x and insanity workout challenges (pg. 6). Be sure to look out for anything you may have missed in the paper by liking us on Facebook and visiting our website for an archive of past issues. On behalf of the staff of the Epic, we hope to cover the issues deemed most important to the students, teachers, administrators, and parents of the Lynbrook community, and we value your feedback. Happy Reading,

Candy Chang and Namrata Singh

director, press secretary and investigative consultant. Their roles vary from overseeing the entire campaign to strategists who investigate details about the opponent’s past and policies. “As a candidate I fully depend on my campaign team because the political race has so many parts to keep track of. It would be impossible to do everything by myself,” says senior Kip Lund. In addition to giving students a glimpse of what is involved in running a campaign, students say they are learning the AP Government material in a fun, more involved way. “[Government] is normally a very boring topic, but being able to actually go through the process brings the material to the forefront and makes it more relevant to us,” says senior Christine Fujiki. This idea was first conceived by the teachers who desired to make the curriculum more interactive and creative for the students. AP Government teacher Mike Williams says, “This only happens every four years and really puts a lot of stress on time because we

need to make a lot of sacrifices on other lesson plans, but kids come back and remember it so it is definitely worth it.” Both teachers, Williams and Jeffrey Bale, are excited to see the outcome of the students’ work. As the debate approaches, campaigns are under an increasingly large amount of pressure to crank out their final products. Not only do they need to make them appealing to the student body, but also politically accurate because ultimately, the project is focused on helping students understand the political process better. Senior Michelle Xu, candidate Charu Mehra’s (Rick Perry) publicist says, “Aside from their policies, publicity is a key piece in the political race because it keeps the candidate local and more appealing to the voters.” On December 8 at tutorial in the auditorium, the six Republican candidates’ campaigns will end when they face one another in the final debate. All students will be able to vote for their favored candidate afterwards using an online voting system.

Changes to graduation in effect BY KELSEY HURWITZ

nfortunately there will be no home field advantage for the graduating class of 2012. There have been a few changes made to the graduation ceremony this year. The most major change that has been made is that the ceremony will be held on Friday, June 10. It was originally intended to be Thursday, June 9, the day school gets out, like classes in the past. The graduation party for seniors will also be held on Friday night, a few hours after the ceremony. Although the date has been decided upon, the time and location are still up in the air. As of now, Lynbrook has obtained a spot on Foothill College’s campus for

1:00 in the afternoon (following Monta Vista High School’s graduation.) However, Lynbrook has just received clearance from Cupertino High and the FUHSD to consider changing the location of the ceremony to Cupertino High. The decision on the location will be made in the coming weeks. If Cupertino High School is selected as the new location, the time of the ceremony is subject to change. The senior class also held an online vote through last Friday to determine whether the caps and gowns will be divided white and blue by gender or if the entire class will wear blue. The students’ votes will determine the final decision as to which caps and gowns will be worn on the day of graduation.

News in Brief Field Lights Hearing On Nov. 22, a hearing is going to be held for Lynbrook Monta Vista United’s (LMU) lawsuit over the planned field lights. According to LMU, the legally required Environmental Impact Report for the field lights was not filed correctly. Representatives from LMU and from Lynbrook and Monta Visa will present their cases and give final statements. Additionally, a California Environmental Quality Act judge will make a decision on whether to proceed with the field lights project by the end of the year. Viking Boat Plaques

Nichols honored with CCS award BY YASMINE MORTAZAVI

thletic Director Linda Nichols recently won the prestigious Central Coast Section (CCS) Co-Athletic Director of the Year Award. Nichols has been involved in Lynbrook athletics since she was a high school student and won the award after a vote by the CCS Athletic Director Association (CCS-ADA) and will be attending the State Athletic Conference in April to accept the award. “I was completely overwhelmed,” says Nichols. “It’s a great honor.” Nichols played field hockey, basketball, volleyball and softball during her high school years at Lynbrook. In her 37 years as a coach here, Nichols has coached field hockey, basketball, softball and girls golf. She began teaching 19 years ago and took over as athletic director 11 years ago after the late Sandi Stober passed away. Currently, Nichols serves as Lynbrook’s athletic director and

girls’ golf’s coach. Fellow athletic-director Ray Wright, who nominated Nichols for the award, says, “Linda Nichols is Lynbrook.” Some of the main factors that motivated Wright to nominate Nichols were her roles in the CCS-ADA Scholarship committee, her involvement as a SCVAL representative and her position as the Athletic Director Liason for girls golf and field hockey. To many members of the athletic community, Nichols’ award was not a shock. Girls golf coach Art Zimmerman, who met Nichols 10 years ago, says “I am not surprised she won. She totally deserves it.” Nichols was instrumental in helping Zimmerman start the girls golf team. He approached her after observing that many girls who tried to play on the boys golf team would get cut. Says Zimmerman, “In an age of budget and program cuts, Linda made girls golf a reality.” Today, the team (coached by Zimmerman and Nich-

ols) has gone to CCS championships twice and has won league championship titles. Alumnus Stacey Benzing, who played softball for UC Davis after high school and currently coaches girls’ softball at Lynbrook, credits Nichols for pushing her to play college level athletics. Says Benzing, “She would come out to my games when UC Davis played locally. To this day she is one of my biggest supporters both on and off the field.” Benzing believes that such dedication makes her very deserving of the award. Says Benzing, “I know firsthand how hard she works day in and day out to make Lynbrook athletics run the way they do. She is truly one of the cornerstones of Lynbrook athletics..” Zimmerman agrees, saying “She is instrumental in keeping the memory of Sandi Stober alive.” Nichols will attend the State Athletic Conference in April to accept the award, and hopes to keep “producing strong athletic programs at Lynbrook” in the future.

The new Viking Boat, which is currently being constructed, will have a large plaque in the front that will recognize the people who have made special contributions toward the project. Individuals, groups, clubs, families and classes can all get their names on the plaque with a donation of $1000 or more. If you would like to be included on the plaque, you may make a donation to the ASB Viking Project fund before Dec. 31. Silicon Valley Turkey Trot

Hosted by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, the 2011 Silicon Valley Turkey Trot will be held on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, in downtown San Jose. There will be races for people of all ages, including a Kids’ Fun Run and a Turkey Trot 10K Run, which begins at 7:50 a.m. The races will benefit three local charities: Second Harvest Food Bank, the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County and Santa Clara County Children’s Health Initiative. Registration and more information can be found on svturtkeytrot.com. Community Tree Lighting

Cupertino is kicking off Christmas once again with the tradition of tree lighting. The annual tree lighting will be held on Dec. 2, starting around 6 p.m. The ceremony includes sing-alongs and the arrival of Santa’s fire truck. The event is open to all Cupertino residents, who are asked to bring either a non-perishable food item or a new toy, which will be donated to the West Valley Community Services to be given throughout the holiday season. By Kathy Li and Sonika Subramanian

JOEY LI—EPIC

RAY WRIGHT| Ray Wright, who works as an athletic director with Nichols, says, “Linda Nichols is Lynbrook.” Wright, who nominated Nichols for the award, has worked with her for eight years.

DANIELLE LERNER—EPIC

JOYCE CHEN| Senior Joyce Chen is a member of the girls’ golf team, which Nichols helped form. Says Chen, “For me, golf is a way to relax.” Girls’ golf, assistant coached by Nichols, are league champs.

YASMINE MORTAZAVI—EPIC

KIMBERLY VAZ| Junior Kimberly Vaz, a member of the girls’ golf team, appreciates Nichols’ coaching. Says Vaz, “She motivates us and makes jokes all the time. Her coaching style is really effective.”

Calabazas Flood Protection Act finished BY ALICE ZHANG A freshly cut blue ribbon fell to the floor Monday, Oct. 24 as the Santa Clara Valley Water District celebrated the completion of the Calabazas Creek Flood Protection Project. The project, spanning 11 years, is part of the Clean, Safe Creeks and Natural Flood Protection Plan, passed by voters in 2000. The $12 million package included a new bridge, underground drainage infrastructure replacement and erosion repair at 14 locations along the creek. The primary goal was to provide flood protection in the cities of Saratoga and San Jose from Miller Ave. to Wardell Road, which covers 3.7 miles, to avoid potentially expensive damage repair

and disruption to businesses in the future. The creek has a long reputation of flooding, with five major floods in the last five decades and the most recent flood in December 2002, when the area around Bollinger Road was inundated by the creek’s waters. At worst, more than 100 families were evacuated in a 1955 flood as water poured into residential streets and homes. With the completion of the recent construction project, a projected 400-plus homes and buildings will be protected from a 100-year flood. Senior Eileen Wang, who lives by the Calabazas creek, expresses her excitement. “Even though most of the construction happened at other locations on the creek, I’m glad that the construction is finally over and I feel secure

that the creek won’t be having any problems soon, such as overflowing.” A major aim of the project was to preserve the natural aesthetics of the creek. Where possible, environmental enhancement opportunities were identified, erosion sites stabilized and water quality and natural habitats improved. The project also sought to “provide long-term benefits to stream ecology, hydrology, wildlife and fisheries.” Looking ahead, the Santa Clara Valley Water District has begun to work on its Letter of Map Revision (LOMR), an official revision to a community’s map that delineates hazard areas. Once complete, the district will be submitting the LOMR to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for approval.

Stop the cheating: College Board security must improve BY EESHA KHARE

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY JESSICA CAO

emember that the SAT Program’s policies for testing are designed to give every student an equal opportunity to demonstrate college readiness and to prevent anyone from gaining any sort of unfair advantage.” Every proctor reads aloud these empty instructions during the SAT, but students still buckle under pressure and cheat during the test. In response to a recent arrest of seven substitute SAT testtakers in New York, College Board and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) hired a former FBI chief to review its security procedures. While this is a longoverdue move by College Board, SAT testing security procedure should be improved because currently it is very easy to cheat and very difficult to get caught. Cheating on the SAT can range from working on a different section to hiring someone to take the test in one’s place. To prevent this from occurring, College Board has some systems in place. Security they have: identification card check, spaced seating arrangement, no cell phones or dictionaries. Security they need: so much more. Proctors record student seating arrangements and test booklet numbers, which helps with figuring out whether students sitting next to each other were passing answers. However, proctors rarely monitor students during the test. To fix these issues, College Board should increase stipends for proctors and give rewards to them for catching cheaters. Senior Hana Zaît says, “Every time I have taken a College Board test, the proctor just sits in his desk the whole time. They need to circle the room. It’s their job and we don’t pay them money for babysitting us.” The reason proctors are ineffective is that they do not fully understand the security policy. Junior Karen Ouyang adds, “It’s

t has been a good year to be a Viking. Winning the Intel School of Distinction in Science has only further proved to the nation what the students have already known; Lynbrook is a truly fantastic school. It is admirable that the school chose to recognize not only the science department’s achievements but also the achievements of all the clubs and programs on campus; however, the recognition was still heavily inbalanced. The assembly focused too heavily on the science department, leaving students who do not participate in science-related extracurriculars feeling rather neglected. A shout out to all the clubs that had won national events and a four-minute video recognizing these clubs were the only events that addressed the entire school as a whole. In these videos, students got to see clubs that they had been a part of honored for their achievements, and naturally it was accepted with fervor, as students were excited to see their friends and clubs acknowledged by the entire school. In contrast, for the rest of the assembly, which was only focused entirely on science, students were unresponsive. It makes sense to keep the most of the emphasis on the Intel award, after all the assembly was a result of winning the award, cutting the events that do not relate to the Intel award, would leave more time for clubs. However, many students felt that the assembly was a waste of time. Yes, the ultimate purpose of the assembly was

usually not College Board staff proctoring so there are lapses in standards, such as the test timing and instruction reading. It’s unfair for students who prepare a lot to have other students cheat due to an incompetent proctor.” It is difficult for all proctors to be on the same page, since they frequently switch shifts. Therefore, College Board should set up a program in which proctors are thoroughly trained to detect signs of cheating before the SAT sessions begin. In order to curb impersonations, students should take both the SATs and PSAT’s at their own schools. It would be impossible for students to take the SATs for others because classmates would recognize one another. Guidance Secretary Jennifer Griffin is responsible for organizing the PSAT at Lynbrook High School. She says, “While the whole task takes many hours to work out, our school does a good job finding proctors and organizing students in classrooms. We have not had any cheating violations.” She feels that Lynbrook does everything it can to prevent cheating, hence the cheat-free record for PSATs taken at

the school. This is a promising sign, and College Board should work with individual schools to have students take the SAT there.” Another tried and tested solution is for proctors to take a photo of each student when they enter and exit the testing room. In India, proctors compare photos

Vikes rally: good idea, poor representation to celebrate Lynbrook’s entitlement as an Intel School of Distinction; yet since the assembly was a school-wide event, the school ought to have put more effort into making the rally more representative of the student body. Some students who are not in science club or had never participated in sciencerelated extracurriculars felt rather insignificant as they sat in the gym for 45 minutes watching the science department recieve one award after another. In order to make the rally more representative of all aspects of the Lynbrook community, the interactive actvities, such as the Mythbusters and Science bowl, could have engaged with students and staff from other departments. In addition, more speakers could have been invited on behalf of other departments. Clubs, unlike sports, are very rarely honored in schoolwide events such as rallies. However, just as many if not more students participate in clubs than they do in sports; future rallies should incorporate shout-outs to clubs. The Vikes of Distinction Celebration was extremely

taken during the test and during the college interview with the student’s ID card to ensure honesty. One piece of identification is not enough, especially when it is easy for students to make fake ID cards. Currently, College Board has a policy in which scores that suddenly increase by over 200 points are given special attention, and students are asked to retake the test without a fee or notification to colleges. The policy is unfair, especially for students who begin with a low score, study hard and then improve. Senior Samuel Chang explains, “This is especially unfair because for some students, an improvement is still an improvement. They have studied hard to get to this point.” While many propose to refine this policy by cross checking school grades and teacher feedback with SAT scores, this is infeasible because it would take too much time, money and effort. If College Board implements the other security measures, there would be no need for the 200-point policy. Many argue that high school students are stressed out enough from the SAT. This is exactly why it is so important for College Board to improve security so that everyone gets to have a fair chance and reap the benefits of their studying.

unique and was a success considering that it was the first of its kind. The administration be commended for its meticulous planning, despite the inbalance of representation. It would also be a good idea to make the Vikes of Distinction Celebration an annual event, regardless of whether or not Intel honors Lynbrook again. However, in the future, the administration and ASB should take this opportunity to honor all of Lynbrook’s departments and clubs.

GRAPHIC ILUSTRATION BY JANE JUN

uman growth and development. Upon hearing this phrase, most people roll their eyes and groan uncomfortably. To students, it means listening to your teacher awkwardly attempt to explain why your voice changes during puberty and the strange places hair appear. However, sexual education is necessary, and should be taught every year of high school. The state law requires that sexual education be taught only one time during high school; for Lynbrook, that one time is freshman year biology. Beyond these requirements, sexual education is a topic largely avoided in schools, due to the general consensus that talking to adolescents about sex will only encourage it and ruin their innocence. This needs to change to ensure that teens know how to make safe choices when it comes to sex. By the time freshmen get older and experience this, they will have forgotten the material they learned long ago in biology class. Senior Jocelyn Chen comments on her sex education experience, saying, “It was interesting…pretty awkward but it was the same thing we’ve learned in the past so I didn’t really think much of it. It was the same worksheets we’d always done.” Additionally, California schools are not required to teach comprehensive sexual educ a -

tion, which the California Education Code defines as “Education regarding human development and sexuality, including education on pregnancy, family planning, and STDs.” In other words, schools can choose to teach the bare minimum. In order to reinforce the importance of safety during sex, Physiology teacher Amanda Alonzo teaches both her freshman biology classes and senior physiology classes how to properly put on a condom. Since this is not required by the state, she pays for it out of her own pocket. Alonzo does this because she feels that the condom unit is “really important. My goal is to practice safety so no matter if it’s now, in a few years or after marriage, at least [students] will know the levels of safety for disease prevention and pregnancy.” While teachers are required to talk to students about “safe choices,” addressing the issue only once in four years is not adequate. Especially with the casual attitude today’s media has towards sex, teens are more likely to engage in sexual intercourse. To supplement this coverage, schools need to make sure that kids understand the many dangers present and know the necessary precautions when it comes to real-life situations. Open discussion about the topic makes teens less likely to try it as a form of “re-

bellion” since no one talks about it at school. Therefore, sexual education courses should be taught each year. Freshman year curriculum could include the biological aspects happening inside the human body. Sophomore year in chemistry could include project focusing on STDs and their treatments. Junior year, a stressful time for everyone, could include the mental and emotional impacts of puberty and sex. Finally, senior year would encompass more practical exercises such as Alonzo’s condom lab. Alonzo agrees, adding, “[Sex education] should be every year, but not necessarily only in a science class. Just talking about it is good. Other subjects, such as English, can integrate it.” The reason why they haven’t already done so is lack of funding. As of now, the curriculum that is taught is basic, as the state only allocates $325,000 annually statewide to sex education programs. With 3,294 public schools in California, that means less than $100 per school. However, if the state provided funding that allowed four years of sexual education, more money could be invested to help students gain a better, more practical understanding of sex, through interactive lessons and activities.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY JANE JUN

BY DANIELLE LERNER

Sex education ought to be added to all four years of the Dress like you mean it high school curriculum I

’m a materialistic person. I adore pretty things and I am too willing to splurge when it comes to clothes. I shop and dress for my own enjoyment. Even if I didn’t, no matter how much people like to protest the fact, appearances matter in society. Resistance is futile; just go with the flow because you will get something out of it. Even if they often don’t show it, people secretly appreciate your effort. According to Payscale.com, workers who dress well bring home the cash. Studies have shown that attractive people have higher college admission levels and get lighter punishments in court. And in the future, you would not want to embarrass yourself by mixing up cocktail and morning dress codes for important formal events, would you? Even if you do know what’s appropriate, there’s a huge difference between conforming by dressing boringly and belonging while looking better than everyone else—the latter of which means style and takes years to develop. High school happens to provide a time to develop our identities so any what-wasI-thinking?-type missteps can be blamed on being young and foolish. Since Lynbrook is far from the lipstick jungles seen in works of fiction, you can pretty much wear whatever. Take advantage of this freedom to express yourself, but dress well for yourself, not the opposite sex. Reeking of desperation is a turn-off, and unless that’s exactly what you’re going for, please have enough selfesteem to just not do it. Take your time to experiment, because it’s not like most boys are appreciative of girls’ trends or vice versa. Personally, the compliments I get reassure me because they’re proof to my parents that whatever supposedly-hideous thing I choose to wear looks fine to people my own age. Classmates ask why I’m so “dressed up” and comment on my “professional-looking” appearance and may not feel like it’s worth the time: it’s just school and it just so happens that straight A’s trump Armani here. Since grades relate to everyone, let me put it this way: caring about your appearance is like caring about grades: if an A- is fine, then you stop working hard and it could drop to a B+. I’m not saying people will dress the same way their whole lives, but even if you do undergo a Cinderella-style transformation, maintaining it takes a lot more effort. FYI: I’m not implying that a designer label equals to good taste, either. Trust me, showing off name brand logos is a thing of the past decade and signals, “I’M TACKY AND CLUELESS!” in flashing neon letters. Dress for yourself by balancing spending on quality, long-lasting items and cheaper basics; you don’t have to attempt to out-dress anyone, especially not Kanye or the First Lady. From (not always successful) shopping endeavors, I’ve learned that cheap can mean a good deal and expensive might just be a rip-off. A good outfit is rarely ever the result of layering every single thing you bought during a shopping spree at that popular store. You’re an individual; shop at stores or even other people’s closets to find something that does justice to your uniqueness. You wear the clothes, don’t let the clothes wear you. If you don’t care at all for clothes, at least make yourself presentable as a courtesy towards others. And if you don’t care what random strangers, like your possible future boss, think of you, dress well for your friends and family. Like a homemade holiday card, it’s not required but is a sweet show of the thoughtfulness which you obviously possess. Unless you don’t want to be complimented, don’t want a significant other, don’t want to get a nice job and don’t respect your loved ones, you should be convinced. So go. Begin your journey to well-dressed-ness. You will not regret it.

BY CLAY SONG

hen I first decided to participate in the P90X fitness challenge, I was hyped. I hadn’t done any serious workout for about a year, and was hoping that this would be a chance to start again. The first day went perfectly. A 1.5 hour workout and that was it. Pushups were a lot harder than they used to be, but after it was all over, I felt alright. The next day I wished I were dead. I was sore everywhere, and getting out of bed took a good thirty minutes. From then on, everything went to hell. Simple tasks like climbing the stairs and getting up from the couch were excruciatingly painful. But the worst was taking showers. Of course the hot water felt great after a long and hard work out, but having to raise my arms to shampoo my hair was one of the single most debilitating tasks I had ever done. Even the bottle itself felt twenty pounds heavier. I almost contemplated not showering for the rest of the week. My troubles didn’t end there though.

The workouts were very time consuming. Not only did they demand about an hour and a half of my time, they also consumed a lot of my energy. By the time I was done with all of the pushups, sit-ups and the other horrible methods of self-inflicting pain, I was beat. I no longer had the energy to do homework, college applications, anything. And you’d think that all that exercise would really work up an appetite, but it didn’t. At least, not enough. The nutrition plan instructed me to consume about 2400 calories a day. To put it in perspective, that’s around eight grain servings, six vegetable servings, four fruit servings, seven meat servings, three dairy servings, one nut serving, seven soft oil servings and four servings of anything else. On top of that, forty percent of the 2400 calories had to be protein, another forty devoted to carbohydrates and the last twenty for fats. Holy cow, before the program I didn’t even eat half of this amount. So you can imagine that I was force feeding myself all day every day. I had a breakfast, brunch, two lunches and two dinners, plus protein shakes and snacks in between. Did I get results? Sort of. I didn’t get biceps the size of AP Biology textbooks but I feel a bit stronger and I am living a much healthier lifestyle. Maybe I’ll continue this P90X program for the full ninety days and see where that takes me.

BY IRENE HSU MEASURING UP | The closer the the point to the word, the more applicable the word to the workout.

Up for the challenge? Try the Irene Routine!1 0:00-0:152 Jog 0:15-0:30 Jumping Jacks 0:30-0:45 Heisman 0:45-1:00 123-123 1:00-1:15 Butt Kicks 1:15-1:30 High Knees 1:30-1:45 Mummy Kicks 1:45-3:10 Stretch 1 name of warm-up set 2 minutes : seconds

Yellow Brick Dance Floor

fter a twister of Crime & Punishment book pages, I woke up to find I was not in Kansas anymore, but lying in a pool of rose petals. And rose petals can only mean

wo months, condensed into two weeks. Fourteen interval workouts, 45 minutes each, designed to maximize stamina through alternating between four minute-workouts and 30 second breaks, focusing mainly on strengthening the core. Thus, my challenge began. Under the training of Shaun T., who was flanked by an army of Insanity poster children, I spent 45 minutes each day cranking out as many power jumps, moving pushups, and high knees as I could physically and mentally endure. Insanity begins with a Fit Test, which under the original two-month timeline, is to be taken on the first day, the fifteenth, thirtysixth, fiftieth and the very last day. It is comprised of switch kicks, power jacks, power knees, power jumps, globe jumps, suicide jumps, push-up jacks and low plank obliques. The first day was a disaster; not only did I have to take breaks during the exercises, but my dad walked in and remarked that I looked as though I was having a seizure. I couldn’t agree more, or actually, I couldn’t agree at all since I was panting so hard that I couldn’t speak. one thing: Winter Formal City (WFC). As Glinda, the Good Viking of the North pulled me up, she told me to “Grab your ruby slippers and I’ll see you downstairs!” On my journey to get some help at the grand Tech Museum in WFC, I have observed the bachelors also traveling this yellow brick road: The Cowardly Lion: Although the king of the math whiz jungle, this fierce bachelor only twirls his fur in shyness at the sight of the cute lioness in literature class. Although their wall-to-walls on Facebook have recently reached 100, he has never gotten the guts to make eye contact at school. With a creative algorithm already programmed to ask her to formal, all he needs now is some COURAGE before his dreams come true. The Tin Man: Confidently strolling up

The Daily Food Intake 2400 total calories: 40% protein 40% carbohydrates 20% fats 7:00 a.m. breakfast 7:35 a.m. snack 10:40 a.m. brunch 11:45 a.m. snack 12:35 p.m. & 2 p.m. 2 lunches 3 p.m. snack 6 p.m. & 12 a.m. 2 dinners 12:30 a.m. protein shake MEASURING UP | The closer the the point to the word, the more applicable the word to the workout.

I was sore before, during and after every single workout; a friend once told me he worked out so much that he couldn’t unbend his elbow at the end of the day. For one of the few times in my couch-potato life, I related to this: my knees refused to straighten, and were bent on staying at a 120 degrees instead of 180; my quads felt so shaky I thought I would not be able to pass the test that police administer to drunk drivers. By the end of the first week, the soreness had been welcomed. I was ecstatic about how much better my endurance became, and how much more stable my weight had become despite the required pizza, pasta and chips from dinner during production week. The workouts sculpted my abs into statue-like glory (kidding; I wish two weeks of flailing my arms and legs could do that kind of magic), and I felt mentally clear. Though the starts of the workouts always wore me out, by the middle, I was able to control my movements, and not land like an elephant. The only downside to the videos was how incredibly unmotivated I would feel once I saw Shaun T.’s army of fitness enthusiasts, who never seemed to show signs of physical human weakness.

alongside of me with that swagger, it was clear that this confidence master saw himself as the knight in shining armor, able to get any girl with his oiled-back hair (think Elvis in the 50s) and his metallic appearance even more sparkly than Edward in the sunlight. Accustomed all his life to getting the grades, clothes and athletic abilities he’s wanted, the tin man believes he can get any fish in the sea—and dolphin too. All he’s missing is a HEART to soften up his cold and insensitive “come and get me girls” impression when he whips out the roses. The Scarecrow: Overwhelmed by all the blackbirds of homework and college applications, this oblivious corn doll didn’t even realize WFC existed (he somehow missed all the posters and askings) until the munchkins

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY AUSTIN YU

trotted by in their glitzy attire. As loyal as he was to guarding his field, we invited him to come along to get some social common sense with a new BRAIN. Toto: Although my loyal terrier at first insisted he wasn’t the right species for the glitz of WFC, he suddenly became the only one left as the rest of his home dogs started mating for dates. Seeing the paws, parts and pumps heading down the road to WFC, Toto also decided to jump in the bandwagon and tag along. It’s clear that all he needs now is some COMPANY to go with. Beware when you cross the soporific field of poppies come Finals Week, and then you’ll be in Winter Formal City in no time! Cheerio & Adieu, Dorothy Alice

The last Inheritance

BY SONIKA SUBRAMANIAN

BY JANE JUN

Vampire fanatics’ last hurrah

he long-awaited finale of Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, Inheritance, was anticipated with mixed emotions—some waited screaming in excitement in front of Barnes&Noble for the midnight release, while others fretted that the fantasy novel would not meet the fans’ sky-high expectations. However, Paolini has published a novel that is arguably the best novel in the series yet. The journey in Inheritance is full of tension and character development that book three, Brisingr, lacks. As Eragon and Saphira fight in battles, learn secrets of the dragons and seek to overthrow Galbatorix’s throne, there is not only action but a steady self-realization in the characters that is tastefully done. Eragon and Saphira mature and grow in Inheritance in a way that far surpasses their character development in the previous three books. Despite the general excellence of the book, the chapters that detail Roran’s adventures are a mistake. Roran is one of the greatest protagonists in the book, but the way Paolini develops his character is stilted, because Roran has almost no insecurities and is completely fearless. Eragon, despite his magical prowess and incredible dragon, is a character readers can enjoy reading about because he is human—he learns through mistakes, is emotionally weak at times and does not win all his battles. Roran, on the other hand, is too close to perfect to be relatable. Inheritance is definitely an all-nighter book. It will leave Paolini’s readers completely immersed and inspire many new Eragon fan clubs to arise. Inheritance is a masterful finale to the world of Alagaesia, and it has completely done justice to the whole series.

he Twilight phenomenon has reached the end as the penultimate film was released last Friday. Anticipated for more than a year, Breaking Dawn: Part One is the most widely regarded film of the Christmas season. Based on the records of the series’ previous movies, Breaking Dawn: Part One does not seem like it is going to be Oscar-worthy. Twilight is known for its cringeinducing scenes and awkward heavy-breathing. Maybe it is Edward’s haircut, or Kristen’s lacking poker face, but there is a noticeable difference in the acting in this film. Rumor has it, this is the first movie with a conflict between the two leads. Character growth aside, most of the excitement seems to be focused on the wedding and the honeymoon. Based on released scenes, although the wedding appears as magically as Alice Cullen intended it to be, the honeymoon, for the sake of avoiding an R-rating, has been mostly cut out. What may surprise viewers is the tension between the married couple that transpires as a result of the baby that grows in Bella’s stomach—how that will play out will probably be the most interesting plotline of the movie. Love it or love to hate it, Breaking Dawn: Part One promises to provide the audiences with a good time (or a few laughs).

All the sites, sounds and grooves of the world wide web BY SUCHETA KORWAR

ong gone is the age of buying music. With websites such as Spotify, Grooveshark and Pandora offering the Internet audience large collections of free music and smaller blogs offering selective audiences rare music for free, these websites have become music lovers’ latest haven. To use Spotify, Facebook users download the software and can start listening to music in a few quick seconds. The layout of Spotify is reminiscent of Apple’s iTunes, but the vast collection of free music that Spotify offers makes it more appealing than its Apple counterpart. Users can wander through Spotify’s endless collection of music by searching up names of songs and artists, but can also tune into one of Spotify’s more than twenty radio channels with specific genres. However, the music featured on the radio channels adheres strictly to the channel’s genre so that the songs played sometimes end up sounding repetitive. A unique but irritating feature of Spotify is its social aspect. Every song a user listens to is automatically updated on the user’s Facebook, allowing the user’s Facebook friends to view his or her activity on Spotify. Users can also share their thoughts on different songs by posting messages onto Facebook and Twitter straight from Spotify. The social aspect of Spotify gets tiring when the site refuses to let users privately listen to music for extended periods of time and when it blocks users from entering the site if they do not want to add Spotify to their Facebook timeline. Junior Amanda Lu says, “I use Spotify to see a list of current mainstream music and to be able to choose which ones out of those I would like to listen to. Spotify is for users who want to listen to mainstream music but want control over which songs they listen to.” Grooveshark shares many aspects with Spotify, including that it offers users a large and varied choice of music. Groove-

shark has different radio channels that users can listen to, but also offers personalized radio channels. After analyzing the music in the user’s playlist that the user has found and chosen to listen to, Grooveshark creates a radio channel that has similar songs to those on the playlist and offers it to the user. Grooveshark does have a narrow collection of cultural and ethnic songs, and its ads can be annoying and disruptive, but the accessibility of the site to all Internet users makes it slightly more appealing than Spotify. Senior Amitis PedramRazi, who uses both Spotify and Grooveshark to listen to music, says, “I like both Spotify and Grooveshark, but if I had to pick one I would pick Spotify just because there are less annoying ads and I can choose what songs I want to listen to.” Unlike other music websites, Pandora only offers Internet radio to its users. The site lets users choose one song and then creates a radio channel that plays music similar to the chosen song or artist. For certain songs, the radio channel that Pandora created seemed unrelated to the first song, but most of the time, Pandora’s personalized radio lets users discover new styles of music, bands and artists. Lu says, “I use Pandora when I am feeling adventurous. I just click some genre that matches my mood and see if I find any new song that I like.” As songs play on Pandora’s personalized radio, users can “like” or “dislike” the song that is currently playing, and the radio channel adjusts so that songs similar to the disliked songs are avoided. Users can further tailor their channel by choosing to add another artist or song. Because the way Pandora selects songs for a user’s channel is entirely song-based, the site also plays songs that other users with similar tastes liked. Pandora’s Music Genome Project analyzes a user’s taste in music and offers explanations of songs so that users

can understand their taste in music more. The explanations offered by Pandora are fascinating because they give users an educated look at their taste and offer varying venues for users to expand their music preferences. Pedram-Razi says, “Unlike Spotify, Pandora continuously plays songs, which is more convenient. But Pandora does not let you skip more than ten songs that you do not like, which makes it annoying to listen to for long periods of time and does not entirely stick to their aim to create a personalized channel.”

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY KATHY LI & SARAH TARTER

Investigating the gender gap The Epic closely studies the division between female and male leadership roles in different on-campus clubs BY BRIAN ZHAO

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY NIKITA DHESIKAN & LAUREN TAI

tatistics have shown that more females go to college, obtain advanced degrees and at least in this high school, hold leadership positions in clubs than males do. In a survey of all 61 clubs on campus, boys were reported to hold 43.5 percent (104) of the 239 positions available. This occurs even though there is a slightly higher total of number of boys than girls. A possible explanation is that these statistics reflect the constituency of the clubs. It would make sense for there to be more female than male officers because a larger pool of applicants to draw from would also mean a higher number of talents qualified for office. In a sample of 12 clubs that had a prominent female majority, only one had more male officers than female ones. Senior Diane Um, the co-president of Amnesty International, thinks she understands this phenomenon. “Girls tend to join several clubs with groups of their friends because it makes them more comfortable, and it’s especially true for underclassmen,” she says. Boys may have a similar attitude, explains junior Tejas Konduru, who holds office in six clubs, but “fewer boys are willing to take that initiative to join clubs if that means they can’t spend time with their friends.” “Sometimes, there is a stereotype that guys are more irresponsible than girls,” Um acknowledges, which might hurt a male applicant’s chances of being appointed or voted into office. However, it is also possible that the opposite is occurring, since many clubs that are truly dominated by females, such as Photography and Music for Community, have a disproportionate representation in their leadership teams. Perhaps some clubs, like what many colleges do, favor underrepresented groups in lieu of equally or more qualified members of a majority group. “Last year, as only five of our 70 members were male, we actually discussed if choosing a boy as an officer would increase the diversity of our club,” explains senior Carrina Dong, ex-treasurer and current vice president of Youth Acting for Kids. “This year, with the addition of a male officer, we have many more male members.” If boys do actually have an advantage over girls in trying out for officer positions due to a form of this affirmative action, then it remains to be answered why boys are so passive about their participation in clubs at Lynbrook. Even the traditional conceptions of girls flocking to humanitiesrelated activities and boys to technical fields do not hold up here. While the ratio of girls to boys is clearly skewed with girls in majority in the liberal arts (79:41 officers), there is no such male dominance in math, science and engineering (32:36). Could it really be that, on average, girls are higher achieving than boys at this school? Senior Joyce Chen, president of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, agrees to some extent. “I don’t think there is a gender bias. For class elections, boys might vote for boys and girls for girls. But for clubs that you are interested in, I think people tend to vote not based on preexisting conceptions, but on merit,” says Chen. There might be a multitude of reasons for the perceived disparity between the number of male and female club officers on campus, but some still believe that this is due to a problem of interest and not of discrimination.

TAKING A CLOSER LOOK | Pie chart halves compare the number of female to males in on-campus humanity, math and science clubs, overall club leadership positions and the total student body population. Percentages represent the dominant gender in activity.

* BREAKING DOWN THE STATISTICS | Ratios under club names represent the number of males to females in club leadership.

On the flip side: men in literary fields BY NOORSHER AHMED

he four major publications of Lynbrook have staffs that are mostly female. A new publication, the satirical magazine Men in Literary Fields (MILF), aims to break that trend. When the first issue was released in late October, not many students took notice of it, yet received more than 900 online views after a few weeks. Despite its rise in popularity, MILF goes to great extent to maintain anonymity. “When we’re anonymous, there is no bragging about positions or jealousy. We’re not out for the glory; we’re all about the message,” says MILF. Some of their articles are political, such as a satire on Vietnam War novels; some articles are fake news, such as an article claiming that Electronic Arts would release its games on stone tablets to avoid piracy; and some are about school, such as a fake leak of the senior Homecoming script. This style of writing is very different from that of the other publications: it aims to entertain. “No one really enjoys deep, dark poetry coming from the smartest and nicest kids on campus, but everyone enjoys a good laugh,” says MILF. This satire, inspired from the perceived lack of entertainment in other publications, has elic-

ited a favorable response among some readers. “I’d like to see more issues of MILF because it’s always interesting to see the other side of the coin,” says sophomore Rohit Sarathy. MILF is hoping that such support will lead to subscriptions, which cost three dollars and cover the costs of printing. However, not all people enjoyed MILF. “MILF offends me because of the strong language and the highly inappropriate name,” says junior Grace Miao. Nonetheless, MILF has managed to get contributors other than the 10 boys and 3 girls on staff. “There are many talented people on campus who are not affiliated with any school organization. Seeing all this unused talent around, the original idea-man behind MILF asked for their help,” says MILF. Senior Lillian Li was contacted by the staff and asked to draw several art commissions, including the logo, which is a woman with sunglasses. “They sent me an email asking for me to do a few pieces for them. I was kind of weirded out at first, but I thought that I’d just respect their privacy,” she says. Despite its secretive nature, MILF is open to readers for ideas through meninliteraryfields@gmail.com and meninliteraryfields.tumblr.com. If popular demand allows it, the next issue of MILF should be published at the end of this month.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY SABRINA SHIE

BY JACOB ANTONY & AUSTIN YU

he afternoon trips to Safeway, the begged-for sips from a friend, the unique metallic taste of an obscure caffeine cocktail straight from the depths of pharma-industrial hell. Any of these could be experiences that students have when trying Monster, Redbull or 5-hour Energy. Although most students are familiar with the concept of all-nighters, they do not use energy drinks in order to stay up, instead turning to caffeine in the form of coffee and soda as alternate sources of caffeine. Sophomore RJ Bamrah explains, “I usually drink coffee to wake myself up or to keep myself awake. Monster [and other energy drinks don’t] usually keep me awake as well as coffee does.” Energy drinks are perceived by the public as substances used by students for strenuous activities or as support for late-night studies. However, these drinks are consumed at Lynbrook more so for their appealing tastes rather than for their energy-boosting capabilities. Senior Jared Kim, believes that a mixture of the two maximizes his productivity. Kim, a selfproclaimed coffee addict, says, “I don’t exactly have a ton of time to sleep, so in the morning, I drink a cup of coffee and feel better and ready to go. Coffee helps you tackle your day.” During an all-night Homecoming meeting, Kim drank two Monsters, two 5-hour Energy bottles and two cups of coffee in order to keep him up throughout the entire night and much of the next day. As Kim recalls, “That night, we didn’t get any sleep, but I didn’t really feel tired until 6 p.m. the next day. Without those things I definitely could not have done a fraction of what we accomplished that night.” Kim also offers some advice from personal experience, “You can drink whatever you want, but you have to be smart about it. You can’t drink two Monsters and not eat anything. Never do a ton on an empty stomach; that’s always a bad idea and don’t drink too much coffee all at once; you have to space it out [throughout your day] or you will face consequences,” he says. Most athletes frown upon the usage of energy drinks prior to matches or tournaments due to the detrimental

side effects they cause. “I wouldn’t use something like Monster or Red Bull as an energy boost before a tournament because I’m afraid of crashing in the middle of a match. I do karate, so staying alert is pretty important to winning,” says sophomore Izumi Shimanouchi. In fact, most athletes have found alternatives to energy drinks. “I use sports gels and energy bars to keep my energy up during tournaments,” says Shimanouchi, “There’s no time to eat during the breaks between matches, so I have to keep

my strength up from the start.” Juniors Anthony Huang and Jeffrey Pea, who participate in cross-country as well as track and field, agree that energy drinks, such as Gatorade, are unnecessary, if not detrimental, to one’s performance in a sport. Pea says, “For me, [Gatorade] doesn’t help that much. I usually drink water to stay hydrated and Gatorade after a race to help replenish.” Huang adds, “I

don’t think Gatorade helps at all because it’s sugar-based and it ruins your blood sugar levels. It ends up hurting your energy and performance while running.” Not only are energy drinks potentially harmful to players and athletes, but also the consumption of such drinks is usually frowned upon by most coaches. Football coach Ray Wright explains, “Sugar creates a quick burst of energy for one’s body, but wears off just as quickly.” Although he supports the use of sports drinks like Gatorade with athletes, he does not recommend that they use energy drinks such as Monster and Red Bull. He agrees that this “high-and-crash” effect of energy drinks can have adverse effects on one’s physical performance. Cross-country coach Jake White adopts a similar set of rules for his cross-country runners. White says, “It’s a lot of money spent when plain water will do. Unless you’re running 20 miles and depleting all your glucose and electrolytes, water works fine and you’re not getting all that extra sugar. Water and a banana might also be better choices for athletes.” In addition to these warnings, pediatrician Wei Jung Lin suggests that athletes always drink sports or energy drinks after competitions or matches in order to rehydrate. “When you drink a lot [before a game], you cannot compete because you will be filled with so much water; if you run, you might vomit,” says Dr. Lin. He also offers some alternatives to energy drinks: “Drinking lemon water will help. Or, you can drink tea as it will help too, and has no sugar. A lot of [energy] drinks have a lot of sugar, which isn’t particularly healthy.” Many students and adults disagree with these proclamations of easy–to-access-energy. Some may drink these products for taste, and others may shy away from these drinks because of health concerns. However, it is evident that whether they are being consumed just for pleasure, necessity or both, all can agree that cups of coffee on the breakfast table, a quick swig of 5-hour before heading out to Homecoming set up, or that single can of Red Bull, creating temptation you on the refrigerator shelf, energy drinks are quickly becoming a staple of the high-strung society that we live in.

The importance of appearance

BY SHANNON CHAI & SARAH TARTER

or some, getting ready in the morning means that closets are torn apart in search of the right outfit. For others, however, getting to school is their biggest concern. Beauty plays a major role in society, but its importance is not set in stone. Each person has a reason behind his or her decision to get dressed up or not. Sometimes it depends on the familiarity of the environment. For senior Deniz Oktay, there is no incentive for being especially put together on a regular basis. Oktay says, “People’s opinions aren’t going to be affected by a bad hair day.” On the other hand, junior Andrea Christensen (pictured), says, “To put it simply, if you look good, you feel good. I take pride in the way I dress because it makes me happy.” The definitions of beauty also vary depending on cultures. Senior Sun Shin says, “In Korean culture, beautiful people have an innocent, youthful appearances. I feel more pressured to be beautiful for the American part of me mostly because I’m not as immersed in Korean culture.” For some, simply being self-confident is the key to achieving overall beauty. Junior Byrne Greider says, “A lot of things make someone beautiful, but the main one is self -confidence. If you like you, then other people will too.” Those who are self-confident are more likely to be naturally beautiful not necessarily because of their actual appearance, but because of the way they carry themselves. In the media, more people who don’t fit the stereotypical ideas of being “beautiful” are still con-

sidered to be gorgeous. Junior Inga Liu says, “Some of the most successful models are not who most people thingk are attractive, like Lara Stone. She was ranked number-one in the world, but she has bleached eyebrows and gap teeth.” But in an academic-focused environment, the importance of beauty is sometimes pushed behind the importance of getting good grades. Shin says, “Being beautiful doesn’t last forever, but doing well in school and being proud of my grades will.” For others, though, balancing the time and effort put into appearances versus grades can be challenging, but it is possible to have both in the end. Senior Yeonjoo Choi says, “My friends care about beauty but still maintain high grades.” But, are beautiful people more successful? Junior Beth Hightower says, “I think that attractiveness is not without influence, but that can only get a person so far.” Nonetheless, economics professor Daniel Hamermesh explains, “Attractive people are likely to earn an average of 3 percent more than a person with below-average looks, which is $230,000 more in a lifetime.” These figures may be alarming, but there are more factors that account for someone’s success than his or her appearance. Even in high-stress environments, the importance of appearance is openly acknowledged. But, perhaps it isn’t appearance itself that makes someone beautiful, but rather the effects that beauty brings. As freshman Mariel Hunt describes it, “I only put effort into myself for myself, not anyone else, because I want to feel confident about who I am and be the best I can be.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY AUSTIN YU

RAISING THE BAR| The girls’ basketball team separates by grade to show the unequal distribution between players of different classes. Left to right, the team consists of one senior, six juniors and three sophomores.

BY YUNQING CHEN

ith the majority of the team made up of juniors and sophomores, there are some questions as to how the girls’ basketball team is to stay cohesive from having lots of players from the same class. But for the girls, class was never the discerning factor, but perseverance. When asked as to what to expect this year, junior Zoe Pennington (pictured fifth from left) says, “We have been working hard as a team and will not settle for any less than our best.” While this is the first year that most of the members come from one age group, the girls do not think it affects their teamwork and will do the same as they have done: work hard and play harder. A common association to age is experience. With only one senior on the team, one would worry that there is less experience to go around. However, the girls “all participate

in tournaments off-season,” says Coach Jeremy Kitchen. “We have tournaments in the summer at places like Tahoe and El Dorado, which help our girls play more and get more experience.” Having a lot of returning players does not hurt, either. “That and working hard during practices is what gives the girls the upper hand.” Another important part of the team is playing at tournaments. “Tournaments help teammates bond and bring them closer than class would,” says Kitchen. Pennington says that the tournaments not only let the girls “play basketball together, but we also live together for a few days and do lots of team bonding activities.” Spending that much time together has its benefits, one of which is a better court dynamic, and the fact that most come from the same class helps as well. In addition to attending tournaments, some players are part of other teams in the off-season. Sophomores Paige Song (second

from right) and Renee Huang (third from right) are both players in AAU, and Emily Fong (second from left), Jasmine Chou (fourth from left), and Huang are members of the San Jose Ninjas, and Song is a player on the San Jose Zebraettes, teams in the Asian League. The experience from playing basketball year-round makes up for experience that comes with older players playing only during the school season. For the new varsity players, assimilation can take time. Junior Lakshana Senthilkumar (fifth from right), one of the new varsity players, says that “for returning players, they already have experience from previous years. For new varsity players, we have to up our game and mold into the team.” The hard practices are the solution, as “everyone pushes one another,” says Senthilkumar. “Each person makes a different part of the team, and our job right now is to make sure we can work together and play well.”

“The transition period,” says Coach Kitchen, “of getting up to speed has gotten faster.” Since last year’s season took the girls to CCS last year, this year, the more demanding practices reflects the team’s aim to go even farther. “As a coach and as players, we’ve made a conscious decision to use practice to train better, ” says Kitchen. “I’m making ‘em work hard, and that pays off.” Coach Kitchen says that the team is “very balanced overall,” and the distribution of talent allows for a more cohesion between new varsity players and returning ones. Sophomore Sara Dyslin says, “The team seems pretty good this year. We already work together well and we have a lot of really good players on the team.” Pennington echoes the sentiment, saying that, despite a lack of diversity in grade, it doesn’t get in the way of getting better. “Everyone is willing to put in the effort and motivated to do even better than last year.”

Basketball moves down division Volleyball content with season BY JOY SHEN

ockout. For the diehard fans of professional basketball, this year’s NBA lockout may serve as disappointment beyond compare. Fortunately, for the diehard fans of Lynbrook athletics, the varsity boys’ basketball team is not one to disappoint. Having been bumped down to the lower El Camino division, the boys look forward to a successful season with high hopes of entering the CCS playoffs. After last season’s tough four months in the upper De Anza division, the boys are eager to utilize the experiences they gained from the previous year in order to achieve new heights. Junior Marshall Cheng says, “I don’t mind too much [about moving down a league]. Sure, it’s disappointing, but I think it will be good for the team. In the end, I’d rather play with teams closer to our skill level.” One of the key highlights of Lynbrook basketball are the quad games. Because Lynbrook moved down a league, it now stands in the same division as Monta Vista, meaning fans can expect the return of Friday night matches against the rival school.

Senior Alan Chung says, “I’m looking forward to being able to play Monta Vista this year. Last year we weren’t in the same league as them so we didn’t really have a real rival. Quad games should be intense now that both schools are in the same league again.” Cheng adds, “I’m glad we get to play Monta Vista [because] they’re debatably our school’s biggest rival. Overall, it should be great because we’ll get a lot more support at our quad games and it will help with the team’s morale and school unity as well.” The final roster was established last Thursday Nov. 17 and consists of seven returning seniors and eight new players—six of which are juniors, and two sophomores. Compared to last year, the team stands slightly shorter. However, like last year, the team consists of four players who either meet or exceed the six foot mark. Junior Daniel Sun says, “I think the team dynamics will be fine this year because the majority of the new players have experience on JV. A lot of us have played with the seniors before... so we’re all familiar with each other’s play styles.” The boys’ first game will be on Nov. 29 against Branham High School.

BY MICHAEL PARK

major upset happened on Nov. 3 in the Lynbrook gym as the girls’ volleyball team dominated Cupertino 3-0. As second seed in the El Camino Division the girls were required to clinch all three matches in order to proceed to the first round of Central Coast Section (CCS). Co-captain Jennifer Youm says, “We all worked really hard for this. All the long practices and extra work we put in not only made our team closer, but also gave us the confidence to work harder and secure this victory to go to CCS.” The game was filled with excellent performances: senior Gavriela Fine had 18 kills and five blocks, senior Jennifer Youm had 28 digs and 12 service returns and sophomore Sara Dyslin had 30 assists. The girls took home another victory at their first round game of CCS versus Aragon on Tuesday Nov. 8. The girls won all three matches against Aragon and advanced to the second round of CCS, where they faced Archbishop Mitty, a formidable opponent ranked 27th in the state, on Nov. 10. Ending the season with an unfortunate

KELSEY HURWITZ—EPIC

BUMP IT UP| Senior Jennifer Youm bumps the ball in the girls’ second round CCS game Nov. 10 .

loss, the girls’ volleyball team played its best leaving the players satisfied with their season. Junior Jeanette Wang says, “As a group we are a great team, and I don’t think any of us have any regrets from this season. Hopefully next year we will be able to do as well or maybe even better.” Parents, fans and coaches are all proud of the girls and thier accomplishments, and all conclude the season on a positive and happy note.

Boys’ polo dominates leagues ending in success

Stop neglecting your underappreciated goalkeepers JOEY LI—EPIC

WE’RE NUMBER ONE| The boys proudly celebrate after a decisive 12-8 victory against Saratoga High School on Nov. 5 in the El Camino League Championships.

JOEY LI—EPIC

MOVING THE BALL| Sophomore Gary Chen lobs a pass to a teammate during the first half of the league championships.

JOEY LI—EPIC

TAKING THE SHOT| Junior Patrick Kim lines up for a scoring attempt to widen Lynbrook’s second-half goal lead.

JOEY LI—EPIC

LOOKING FOR THE MAN| Senior Jeffrey Chen holds the ball as he searches for an open player in the pool on Nov. 5.

BY JACOB ANTONY

fter a season of hard work and close games, the boys’ water polo team again proved its worth Nov. 5 with a 12-8 win against Saratoga High School in the El Camino League championships. Despite a loss against Saratoga early in the season, the Vikings pulled themselves together for a well-deserved victory. “There were definitely some nerves felt by the team because we’d had some trouble against Saratoga throughout the season,” junior Patrick Kim says. When the championships began, however, the team was ready to take them on again. Although the first quarter was plagued with missed shots and mistakes, the team rebounded in the second half to pull off a win. “I’m extremely happy with the way we played at leagues. We performed as well as we did in previous games and we’re satisfied with the outcome achieved,” says sophomore goalie Matthew Lund. Agility and smart play factored hugely into its game, spearheading a nearly undefeated season that remains to be one of Lynbrook’s best records yet. Despite a first-round loss at CCS against

Gunn High School Nov. 8, the team is still immensely proud of the way they performed throughout the season. “Although we lost the first round, we played well and some of our players even played their best of all season there,” Lund says. It was a setback, but the team has brushed it off. “CCS was a little disappointing,” says senior Jeffrey Chen, “But we all had fun and enjoyed the experience.” With three years of success under their belts, the boys are also optimistic about next year. “In...previous years, we had moved a few sophomores up to varsity to give them the higher-level experience and to prepare them to lead the varsity team when they became juniors. This year we had four sophomores play the whole year on varsity and they will be invaluable in helping both the team and the players arriving from [junior varsity],” says Chen. It remains to be seen if the Vikings can again repeat their record next year. Chen wishes the team well. “My last year on the polo team has been filled with many exciting moments and as a senior I have many memories that I will not forget,” he says, “I’ll miss the team, the bonding and the entire experience, for it is truly one of a kind.”

Shortage of returning players impacts wrestling team

disappointing as a coaching staff because we’ve worked so hard with them for so many years.” As the season approaches, the lack of upperclassmen will be a big disadvantage. “Everybody else has anywhere from eight to

12 juniors and seniors,” says Vinciguerra. Despite the slim number of returning players, the wrestling team has several reasons to be optimistic. For one, new wrestlers have shown much promise. “I’m excited because we have such a young group, and they are willing to work hard and they have been working hard,” says Vinciguerra. The upperclassmen team members who have returned are also quite skilled. “We have people like me, [senior] Kyle Brooks and [junior] James Otani who have been wrestling since freshman year,” Samudrala says. Vinciguerra’s main goal is to promote wrestling as a whole. “I want to figure out how to get more people to want to come out to wrestling to build a bigger squad,” he says, “They need to realize that this is a form of self defense.” The coach hopes that the wrestlers “step up and get into it.

DANIELLE LERNER—EPIC

s is usual, wrestling had a late start this year due to an overlapping season with football. A majority of wrestlers also play football, so full practices did not start until last week. The late start, however, is not the wrestling team’s biggest worry. Senior Aneesh Samudrala, one of the only wrestlers who does not play football, says, “Starting late doesn’t really affect the season very much because most of the times people who play football are in good shape.” Although Samudrala doesn’t play football, he wrestles off season. The biggest disadvantage facing the team is a lack of commitment and experience. “Eight wrestlers here have never wrestled before,” head coach Alan Vinciguerra said last week at practice. He is also disappointed with the lack of commitment shown by the

older members of the team. “We have people who didn’t come back this year because they are studying for SAT’s or they felt that they would rather not do anything,” says Vinciguerra, “Their lack of commitment is

AUSTIN YU—EPIC

INCOMING| Sophomore Angela Yung reaches for a backhand in the team’s second round CCS win over Homestead on Nov. 9. The girls moved on to the quarterfinals, the farthest the girls’ tennis team has ever gotten in CCS.

JOEY LI—EPIC

AUSTIN YU—EPIC

“Everyone got along with each other really well and always backed up each other to improve and play the best game they can,” says Angela Yung (10) of the team’s key to success.

“We definitely played our best and worked hard this season... We could’ve won[the Harker game] but I guess it just wasn’t our luck that day,” says Anamika Kumpawat (11) of the girls’ loss in leagues.

THINK FAST| Junior Anamika Kumpawat looks past a Harker defender for a pass in the girls’ water polo team’s second league match Nov. 5. The loss ended their season at 9-3.

“Overall, we just did a lot better this year than last year. [At the Homecoming game], we played a lot better and that set the tone for the rest of the season,” Chris Doi (12) says of the team’s improvement to win their first homecoming in 18 years. DANIELLE LERNER—EPIC

BY YASMINE MORTAZAVI

ut of the thirty people I asked, only two said that goalies were the most valuable players on a team. Without a goalie, many soccer, field hockey and water polo games would be easily lost. Yet, goalies are often blamed for the loss of a game. Goalies should be treated as the best of the best, most valuable and respected players on the team. As a field hockey player, I am here to bring justice to the most underrated players of the field and voice their concerns. Firstly, team sports involve playing as a unit. Did you know that the ball has to go through all the field players to get past the keeper? Yeah, it’s true. The ball has to go through ten players in field hockey and soccer and six players in water polo to get to the goalie. The goalie has to work to save the team from the mistakes of the other players, which is quite an achievement in itself. Freshman Catherine Pugh, a soccer goalie, says, “The truth is that defense is more important than offense. If defense plays well then the worst you can get is a tie.” Similarly, if you have a good goalie, who cares about the rest, because you will never lose. Secondly, goalies matter. You might think this is obvious, but you’d be surprised at how goalies get treated like they don’t. A goal-scorer gets too much credit for a win while a goalkeeper gets too much blame for a loss, and very little credit for successful blocks. As more pressure is placed upon goalies, fewer students choose to play keeper, a significant loss to Lynbrook’s sports teams, which absolutely need goalies to function. Moreover, goalies are often the ones who suffer the most injuries. Imagine having a heavy ball attacking every part of your body. It is an absolute horror and that’s not even taking into account all the ugly bruises that the goalies always end up going home with. An average field hockey player hits the mini bowling ball 50 to 60 mph. As a player who has gotten a black eye from one of these flying balls, I can only imagine the near-death experiences that goalies go through. These keepers are out there sacrificing their bodies and minds for the soul of the team, and need more appreciation for doing so. Keepers shouldn’t be blamed for a teams’ loss. The whole team should take responisbility. It’s time we respected our brave Viking soldiers, the goalies.

SAM CHANG—EPIC

DRIVE UP| Senior Chris Doi runs upfield with the ball in the Nov. 11 game against Gunn. The team ended their season with a 5-5 record after winning their homecoming game for the first time in 18 years.

AUSTIN YU—EPIC

SUITING UP| Senior Vianca Riascos excitedly holds up her newly issued Lynbrook soccer jersey. Riascos took to the field for the first time ever in her Lynbrook jersey yesterday in a preseason game against Presentation.

New student joins varsity soccer team for new season Reporter Lauren Tai interviews transfer student senior Vianca Riascos about joining the varsity soccer team and adjusting to her new life as a Viking Lauren Tai: What made you want to play soccer? Vianca Riascos: My best friend got into soccer so I did as well.

VR: At Cupertino, my junior year, it was the hardest because the new coach pushed us too hard to the point where the whole team was not even having fun. He expected a lot from us so it became really hard. I almost felt like the coach was trying to make us into a professional team. We had two different jerseys: one for practice and one for warm-ups before each game. We had to wear black shorts and white socks every practice, or else we could not practice. We also had to have our bags lined up everyday. I remember he would always have us do “homework” writing about what we are capable of doing to make us a stronger team.

LT: How long have you been playing soccer? VR: Five years.

LT: How did you learn how to play soccer? VR: I tried out for my middle school team at Hyde in sixth and seventh grade but did not make it. I saw how good all the other girls were and worked hard in order to get on a higher level. I tried out again in eighth grade and made the team. My dad was also interested in soccer so I got some practice with him, but I did not take any lessons.

LT: How do you feel playing for Lynbrook? VR: Lynbrook soccer is pretty standard; we do sprints and jog around the track, and do a lot of soccer drills. I honestly thought it would be really hard and intimidating because I’m joining a brand new team along with new coaches, but I was wrong.

LT: Do you play for an outside club? VR: I play for Mountain View Los Gatos in fall and spring.

LT: Can you recall one of your most memorable soccer playing experiences? VR: I was playing a game and I wanted to head the ball but then I ended up slipping and falling to the ground. I didn’t mind though because it was still fun and enjoyable.

LT: Is it really hard to bond with a team when transferring to a new school and new team? VR: It’s not hard at all to bond with everyone else because everyone, including the coaches, are so welcoming. Everyone here just wants to have fun. It was not hard transitioning because it was fun to meet and play with new people. LT: Do you think it is going to be awkward playing Cupertino in the future, the school that you had once played for? VR: No, it’s not going to be awkward, but it will be fun since I already played on the Cupertino team for three years, so I know how the team is like already. LT: What were your experiences at Cupertino like?

SWEEPING THE FIELD| Riascos weaves up and down the field in a dribbling drill during practice on Stober Field. AUSTIN YU—EPIC

LT: What do you see on the Lynbrook team that you did not see when playing for Cupertino? VR: I see the same goals. On this team, everyone wants to play for the sport and not just to win. Back at Cupertino it was always very competitive but here everyone plays for fun. Also the warm up exercises are the right amount because we do enough sprints, ab exercises and push-ups to get into shape without overworking and getting too tired.

LT: Is there anything you hope to accomplish by the end of senior year? VR: Since it is my last year in high school and last year playing on the field, I want to end it well by doing what I like which includes meeting new people and having fun. Hopefully I will also be able to make our team more cohesive by the end of the season since we just started. As a right fullback, it’d be cool to win, but we should at least try hard. That’s the most important.

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Vikings show their dedication to more than science BY AUSTIN YU

fter school, many students participate in sports on school teams. However, for fun or for extra practice, like typical Vikings, some students take time out of their busy, academically-driven lives to participate in outside sports. Clockwide, from top left, Eric Eckert (11) leans back on his longboard as he beautifully executes a difficult maneuver: the Coleman

Slide. Meanwhile Farhaan Kahn (11) performs an equally challenging trick called the kickflip. Instead of eating lunch on Thursdays, Andrew Kuo (12) and Duy Pham (10) practice their breakdancing freezes in a club cypher in the gym. On weekends, Andrew Wang (11), Daniel Wang (11) and Joseph Wei (11) prepare for the badminton season at Bintang Badminton Academy.