The Epitaph, Volume 59, Issue 1, 2021-2022

The Epitaph

Read about

INDIGENOUS VOICES In-Depth, page 8-9

Homestead High School 21370 Homestead Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014

Vol. 59, Issue 1

Friday, October 1, 2021

New year, new bell schedule Switching skinny day prompts stress for staff, students

By Madhavi Karthik, Erin Loh and Ritaja Subrahmanya with additional reporting by Seoyoung Hwang and Hope Saena Following the district’s initial implementation of the new bell schedule, which designates Wednesdays as the skinny day, featuring 45 minutes of all seven class periods, students and staff have complained that they have too little time to be productive and feel overwhelmed with workloads, according to a survey of 329 students conducted by The Epitaph.

In previous years, Mondays were “skinny” with the rest of the school week having block periods. Principal Greg Giglio said the district moved the skinny day to Wednesday to ease a potential transition into remote learning, since Wednesdays could be made asynchronous without affecting the rest of the schedule.

Additionally, Giglio said with all five schools following the same schedule this year, sites are more able to coordinate the sharing of staff members.

Giglio said the district presented the schedule change to the Fremont Education Association, a union aimed at representing FUHSD certificated employees, for approval. History teacher Andrea Yee said the union voted to decide whether they would ap-

Photo by Madhavi Karthik

SKINNY SCHEDULE STRESS: More than half of the students report

preferring having block days on Mondays opposed to Wednesdays.

prove the switch. Yee said she was in the minority that voted against the Wednesday skinny schedule.

Biology teacher Dara Alleyne-Levy said both she and her students have had difficulty adjusting to skinny Wednesdays.

“Before, we had the energy from the weekend to push through Monday,” Levy said.

“Now we have that craziness on Wednesday, but I’m already tired.

By Friday, I’m just exhausted.”

Coming out of remote learn-

ing, Giglio said the district was pressed for time when deciding on the schedule change. Normally, the district would allocate months to collect input from students and hold a staff vote before finalizing a change in schedule.

But with the emergency pandemic circumstances, the district only had time to get FEA’s approval before moving forward with their decision.

English teacher and FEA member James Ratti said he vot-

District implements COVID-19 procedures

Cases prompt contact tracing, isolation protocols

By Aiko Charon, Bobby Gorelick, Keshav Kumar and Jack Xu

See TYLER CRIPE PROFILE, Web See RALLY HIGHLIGHTS, YouTube

SEE EDITORIAL:

Math curriculum updated Department alters Algebra 1

By Olivia Shen

the school, according to COVID-19 casFUHSD. es at HHS have Once a student prompted the adis confirmed to have ministration to COVID-19, places they enact the county visited on campus will response protobe disinfected and adcol for positive ministration will notify cases, which inall close contacts of the volves isolating student. the case, tracing According to close contacts and FUHSD, a close contact disinfecting facilis any person who was ities. As of Sept. Photo by Bobby Gorelick within six feet of the 24, HHS reported RAPID ANTIGEN TESTING: Students can get a positive testing student having six stuquick COVID-19 test on Tuesdays. for at least 15 minutes at dents test positive determined on a case-by-case and no staff cases, principal basis and is discussed between any point in the 48 hours prior Greg Giglio said. the positive testing student to the confirmation of the case.

Students who test positive and the HHS COVID-19 desig- For each positive case, there are must quarantine at home for a nee Brian Dong. Similarly, if a a total of 150-200 close contacts, minimum of 10 days and must go student feels unwell at school, Giglio said in the Sept. 3 Prin24 hours without experiencing they will be sent home and cipal’s Message video. a fever, according to FUHSD. recommended to take a free The exact length of isolation is rapid antigen test provided by See COVID PROCEDURES, Page 3

WHAT’S ONLINE?

ed for skinny Wednesdays since complaints since changing the he found them useful last year. schedule again would have neg“I did like space in the middle ative consequences on students of the week,” Ratti said. “I was and staff who have already made able to provide flexibility for stu- plans according to the time they dents to get caught up and talk have off of school. with me.”

Yee said a four-day week Unlike Ratti, who said he uses would be ideal, with no school on the day to allow students to do in- either Friday or Wednesday. dependent work, the AP govern“I think it would help with evment and economics teachers use eryone’s mental health,” Yee said, the day to give quizzes. Having “students and staff alike.” all students take the quiz on the AP environmental science same day helps prevent cheating, teacher Jessica Wakefield said AP government and economics she voted for skinny Wednesdays teacher Christy Heaton said. because she expected them to act Junior Anya Agarwal said the similarly to last year’s asynchroinefficiency of the Wednesday nous Wednesdays. schedule has caused her to be “I regret my choice and I less productive. think I was an uninformed vot“I felt like [with the old sched- er,” Wakefield said in an email. “I ule] Mondays went by fast,” Agar- wish there was a way to go back wal said. “You get to familiarize to the asynchronous Wednesday yourself with all of your classes.” that we had last year.”

Similarly, Levy said she is reluctant DO YOU PREFER HAVING THE NON-BLOCK DAY to schedule tests on ON MONDAY OR WEDNESDAY? M o n d a y - Tu e s d a y block days because she wants to give stuRemoving skinny dents a day to ask final Wednesday will benefit Monday Wednesday 55.5% 44.5% HHS community. questions.

Giglio said the disRead on page 5 trict is not changing Based on a survey of 330 people the schedule, despite

In an effort to make learning more student friendly, Algebra 1 teacher Rohan Prakash started integrating a new form of instruction in the Algebra 1 curriculum this school year.

In January of this year, a small group of FUHSD teachers began a discussion regarding altering the curriculum, FUHSD coordinator for academic interventions Josh Maisel said. Currently, the change will be in effect across HHS and FHS as six teachers implement the new form of instruction in classrooms.

District math lead Jessica Uy said the new curriculum will provide students with a more meaningful and authentic learning experience. While the material itself has not changed, the way that the content is taught has been modified.

“It’s a different approach

WHAT’S INSIDE?

News Opinion Lifestyles

1 4 7

Arts & Culture Sports Spotlight

12 14 16

where students are driving the investigations and their questions, observations and patterns are guiding the lesson,” Uy said in a phone interview. “Teachers use the evidence of what they see in their students’ learning to guide their next steps.”

Maisel said this alteration will also help teachers gage a more comprehensive understanding of students’ proficiency in topics.

“This form of culture responsive teaching is really about helping students who haven’t been successful in school to learn the skills that they need to be independent in their learning,” Maisel said. “This approach is designed for teachers to see that happening and to have strategies for intervening and supporting the students through their struggles.”

See NEW MATH CURRICULUM, Page 2

e

hhsepitaph.com @hhsepitaph The Epitaph

f

The Epitaph @epitaphHHS The Epitaph

PAGE DESIGN BY AIKO CHARON AND BOBBY GORELICK ILLUSTRATION BY RITAJA SUBRAHMANYA

2

News

Friday, October 1, 2021

New math curriculum

NEWS IN A MINUTE

By Madhavi Karthik

Continued from page 1 Instead of changing the actual math content, the majority of the curriculum changes are focused on altering the way that the class is structured and taught. Now, there is a greater emphasis on group activities, Prakash said.

Previously, there was a heavy emphasis on independent work.

Students would complete assignments and notes individually with little to no interaction with peers. But now, during class, students can often be found working on whiteboards placed around the classroom collaborating with classmates.

“In terms of policies for the class, students do quizzes that are all retakeable and then homeworks are also divided by difficulty levels,” Prakash said. “That helps them understand that learning better based on what level of proficiency they have.”

Prakash said the overall lesson does not focus solely on math, but also learning how to grow effectively as a student and develop skills that can be integrated into all academic disciplines.

Prakash said he hopes the change in instructional approach will help change the attitude students have toward math and learning in general.

The structure of the Algebra 1 class will be centered around establishing the academic foundation for students by building the confidence of students to ask questions and to make mistakes.

In the future, Prakash hopes students will feel comfortable exploring more difficult topics and solving more complicated questions.

“The end goal is that we’re not just teaching math,” Prakash said.

“We’re teaching how to learn and how to think.”

The changes in the curriculum will also allow a shift in the learning culture, as it will help forge a better support system for students, Maisel said.

“Instead of focusing on compliance and completing a certain number of worksheets, the curriculum really attends to the students,” Maisel said in a Zoom interview. “The metaphor that we use is called the learning pit where in order to really learn and grow, you have to struggle. That’s part of learning.”

Despite the curriculum being implemented just this year, Prakash said he is already noticing some students becoming more willing to not only take risks, but also to make mistakes in public.

“Before people who would make mistakes in class were trying to hide it and not want anyone else to know,” Prakash said.

“Now, it’s pretty much out there on the whiteboard and students just talk about it and try to work from that.”

Although this curriculum is just a pilot, it is the beginning of trying new methods, Uy said.

“We’re starting to have larger conversations around what our classrooms could look like and what the new methods really mean,” Uy said. “It’s a movement that I’m sensing, on a national scale and within our district as well.”

Local: Community hero Bianca Alvarado inspires new health center. Recognized as a local social justice activist, former San Jose Vice Mayor Blanca Alvarado is the namesake of East San Jose’s newest community

and health center, according to NBC. Alvarado is the first Latina member on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and the city council and has been accredited by residents as “La Madrina,” otherwise known as Godmother.

Projects Alvarado has pioneered in the past include enriching the East San Jose public school system and improving the community’s disproportionate incarceration rates, San Jose Spotlight reported.

Alvarado continues to make strides after being honored with the establishment of the Blanca Alvarado Community Resource Center offering services she advocated for.

National: Conservatives reunite at the Capitol. Eight months after the Capitol riots on Jan. 6, about 100 Americans gathered in Washington D.C. on Sept. 18 in protest against the imprisonment of individuals who stormed the Capitol building, according to The New York Times.

Unlike the January riots, police were at the ready along with a fence and multiple vehicles guarding the building.

The organizers of the demonstration said the scarce participation was a result of law enforcement enacting harsh responses to the Capitol riots, the New York Times reported. However, their objective to “get coverage” was accomplished.

International: Afghanistan‘s health care system plunders without aid. Since the Taliban has gained control of Afghanistan, the health care system has worsened due to international organizations freezing aid including the World Bank, according to The New York Times.

Despite progress, humanitarian organizations have reported there is foreseeable danger without international aid as the pandemic continues to take a toll on citizens.

While efforts have been made to communicate with the Taliban regarding the healthcare issues, no plans have been established by the regime to take control of the healthcare system, The New York Times reported.

Notelove receives $2,500 grant

Music nonprofit will use money to create scholarship fund

By Seoyoung Hwang

From the annual grant support awarded by the Sunnyvale Rotary, the nonprofit music organization Notelove received a $2,500 grant Aug. 24, which they hope to use to further support music accessibility for students in Notelove.

Dedicated to providing music education for low-income students, Notelove provides volunteer opportunities to middle and high school students to tutor young musicians in their respective instruments, executive director Avery Chen said.

After working with former vice mayor Nancy Smith in an internship, Chen said Smith recommended she apply for the scholarship fund on the behalf of Notelove.

“When I interviewed Avery for the internship, I was able to hear about the program and was impressed,” Smith said in a Zoom inter-

view. “This year the Rotary had extra money, so I thought that Notelove could really do a lot of good with the grant.”

Chen said the grant will be used to create a music scholarship fund, which will allow low-income music students to access discounted or free music books and other music materials. The proceeds will also support funds for music exams such as Certificate of Merit by request and supplement the operations of Notelove, Chen said.

“We plan on using it on advertising and purchasing general liability insurance,” Chen said. “I’m really excited for the free music book program and musical scholarship fund because it will allow students to take the music exams they couldn’t afford.”

The Rotary grants are raised through community fundraisers held throughout the year and given annually to nonprofit organizations that provide basic

Photo courtesy of Avery Chen services for the community, Smith said.

Along with executive advisor Aiden Lin, Chen, a junior, applied for the grant on behalf of Notelove through a pro- NOTELOVE RECEIVES GRANT: Lin and Chen cess in which attend grant award ceremony. she stated her reasoning for Chen said she is looking forneeding the grant along with ward to using the grant money her plans and detailed budget to amplify Notelove’s ability to of the funds for last year. give back to the community.

“Avery surprised me with the “It was really exciting to be news that Notelove got a grant,” able to hear about this opporHHS alumni Lin said in a Zoom tunity so we can establish more interview. “I was really excited programs and help support stufor her and [was happy] to sup- dents in other ways besides just port her and attend the grant giving them free music,” Chen award ceremony.” said. “There are so many things Before receiving the grant, Notelove can do with this grant Chen said Notelove’s only in- and we are extremely thankful come was through donations, and excited about this wonderwhich were rare. ful opportunity.”

PTSA focuses on creating diverse involvement

New goal integrates underrepresented communities’ perspectives

By Nicole Kim After being off campus for over a year, the PTSA is ready to get back to planning events for the community and achieve new goals of inclusion for the in-person school year.

“I’m most excited we have kids back on campus, and we can hopefully do live functions with both students and families,” PTSA president Vicki Nahrung said.

In addition to annual in-person events such as grad night, the PTSA is working to accomplish new goals, Nahrung said.

One of the PTSA’s primary objectives is to diversify their outreach by encouraging parent participation among groups who are not typically active members.

“The idea is to go above and beyond the subset of families that raise their hand and say, ‘yeah, sign me up,’’’ PTSA vice

president of student programs Harita Menon said in a phone interview.

Menon said they hope this initiative will allow for increased inclusion among non-English speaking communities.

“We have a Korean parent who joined the board who is working as a really effective bridge between us and the Korean community,” Menon said.

Additionally, the PTSA is working to incorporate the voice of Hispanic communities by stressing the importance of membership.

In continuation with increasing parent participation, the PTSA partnered with ASB’s intradistrict council representatives to create a committee, open to all students, that aims to expand student inclusion within the PTSA, Menon said.

IDC representative and committee member, senior Martin Wu said the PTSA plans to discuss how to accommodate more student participants in the committee later in the semester.

Wu said that the new committee’s role is to represent student views within the PTSA, something that has rarely been done in the past. Committee members provide input when deciding on

budgeting, special projects and when conferring with the administration.

“I really want to support the PTSA in their decision making, because oftentimes, they may not have as much of a student perspective,” senior Wu said. “We are here to support the student body. We care for their concerns as well as trying our best to help wherever we can.”

Photo courtesy of Vicki Nahrung

IN-PERSON EVENTS RESUME: PTSA members prepare breakfast for staff members returning to campus.

PAGE DESIGN BY NICOLE KIM AND CHLOE WONG

News

Friday, October 1, 2021

COVID procedures Continued from page 1

After contact tracing, administration alerts the parents of close contacts via email and provides a plan for their student’s return to school.

Vaccinated students are permitted to return to school immediately, given they do not show symptoms.

However, unvaccinated students are required to test negative before coming back to school, according to the Sept. 10 principal’s message video. Students can get a free rapid antigen COVID-19 test each day of the week by going to that day’s designated FUHSD campus, with HHS testing every Tuesday.

Based on close contact survey results, Giglio said approximately 90% of staff and a majority of students are vaccinated.

Learning skills teacher Nicole Zambrano said she gets tested on

campus weekly to ensure she does not infect her three-year-old daughter.

“The rising COVID-19 cases are very concerning, not only because my daughter’s not vaccinated and can get it more seriously,” Zambrano said, “but also because people who are vaccinated have been getting COVID-19. My parents, who are vaccinated, are both super high risk.”

Zambrano said she thinks the school is doing the best they can with HHS’s large student body.

However, Zambrano’s safety concerns are echoed by students like senior Paris Ikeda, who said her parents received an email that she was notified was a close contact three weeks ago.

“My parents had me go get

COVID tested and I was fine,” Ikeda said. “I was concerned because I was like, ‘that’ll spread so quickly amongst people who aren’t vaccinated.’”

Literature teacher Sara Moreno said due to the low positivity rate, she feels the school is currently taking all the necessary safety measures to prevent reverting to distance learning.

“I think we can prevent an influx of cases by making sure that both students and staff are wearing their masks correctly all the time, and if we’re not feeling well, staying home,” Moreno said. “Obviously we want to be safe, but for educational purposes and social emotional purposes, I would feel very sad if we had to go back to remote learning.”

ASB initiates charity partnership

Plans made to raise money for charities through major events during year

By Amber Birrell and Mae Richardson

ty recover from COVID-19, Lee said she saw this as an opportunity to help those outside the HHS community. After looking into the idea further, ASB hopes the new tradition can be executed in the years to come.

“I realized this is something we can keep going and each major event we can keep partnering with different charities,” Lee said. “This is something that another ASB officer can take up next year and it can be something that we can continue doing each year.”

Through these ASB events, Lee said her ideas stemmed from wanting to inform the student body about the issues they are fundraising for.

“We want to make sure more awareness is being brought to these issues, especially because these issues are usually not a top priority for high Photo courtesy of Nicole Lee school students,” Lee said. “We thought if we raised awareness as well, we would be able to represent the charity as a school too.”

Kicking off the charity partnership with homecoming, ASB will be donating all of the funds raised specifically for the charity, Lee said.

“We want to make homecoming more than just a welcome MAKING A CHANGE: ASB secretary Nicole back to Homestead Lee implemented charity partnership in hopes of bettering the community. event,” ASB activAs a new outlet to reach the community, ASB decided to partner with multiple charities throughout the year. For each major event hosted by ASB, all of the proceeds raised by fundraising will be donated to the selected charity.

Junior and ASB secretary Nicole Lee originally pitched the idea to the ASB officers, and from there they developed the idea further through researching more possible charities to partner with for future events.

“I brought it up to the leadership class a couple weeks ago, and I wanted to partner with a charity for each ASB event in order to rebuild the community,” Lee said.

“We wanted to make sure that as a school we were doing something meaningful and impactful for the community.”

Inspired to organize this partnership after seeing the communi-

ities director Jessica Kirby said.

“Instead, as a community we can come to school to support other organizations.”

While all of their plans are tentative, Lee said they are planning on implementing fundraising throughout all of homecoming week.

The collective proceeds fundraised by each of the grades will be donated to the charity. Lee said they were also considering selling different items of food or drinks or other pieces like bracelets.

To decide on a charity, ASB sent out a survey listing charities such as UNICEF, WE (Free the Children) and California Fire Foundation to the student body to vote on their top choice.

“We’ll be partnering with the California Fire Foundation because of the recent wildfires,” ASB vice president Daniel Sung said.

“There are also going to be other organizations that we’ll partner with throughout the year.”

Sung said they are considering partnering with racial justice charities or LGBTQ charities, and he hopes that ASB will continue to partner with different charities in the future to further develop connections with the community.

“As a student, I am glad that we are giving back to the community because it is very important,” Sung said. “Keeping the community aspect in mind is crucial because as students, we can truly make an impact on the environment around us so I think it is a great initiative and am happy to be a part of it.”

Editors & Reporters Naomi Baron Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief Shreya Partha Leila Salam Managing Editor Madhavi Karthik Senior News Erin Loh Junior News Macy Li Senior Opinion Ritaja Subrahmanya Senior Opinion Karuna Chandran Senior Lifestyles Lia Klebanov Junior Lifestyles Amber Birrell Senior Arts & Culture Christine Kim Junior Arts & Culture Senior Sports Josh Cantwell-Nahrung Hope Saena Junior Sports Seoyoung Hwang Senior Design Ashley Orozco Plata Junior Design Senior Social Media Bobby Gorelick

Senior Multimedia Web Master Copy Editor Business Manager Junior Business Manager Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter

Mae Richardson Jack Xu Bobby Gorelick Yukari E. Zapata Ariana Juliette Tejeda Moreno Saira Ahmed Vihan Basnayake Joss Broward Aiko Charon Gaby Cristancho Niyatee Jain Nicole Kim Keshav Kumar Anushruti Nagarajan Dan Penalosa

Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter

Nicole Pimenta Innecco Zeinab Rakhshandehroo Raymond Ranbhise Brevin Reed Olivia Shen Lindsey Steel Nina Vasquez Cruz Rajiv Venkatesh Harshitha Vijayakumar Esmeralda Villalobos Soriano Chloe Wong

Adviser Natalie Owsley

3

District wide advisory continues

Students have mixed opinions on the efficacy of advisory

By Brevin Reed

The district will continue administering advisory lessons during the year after starting the practice in remote learning.

Students will attend 10 advisory sessions this year in their fourth period class to get to know peers and learn about topics important to the HHS community, principal Greg Giglio said in a Sept. 14 video.

Giglio said topics that will be revisited this year include mental health resources, anti-Asian hate and climate change. The district selected advisory topics based on a student survey conducted last year. However, the district has purposefully refrained from making plans for each advisory this year.

Giglio also said he hopes to vary who develops advisory sessions and is open to both students and staff pitching advisory ideas.

“I have a limited scope of what I’m capable of talking about and dealing with,” Giglio said. “Last year, when we got to the Anti-Asian hate advisory, we had volunteers from the staff of Asian descent who put it together. I’m hoping advisory becomes a school-wide effort.”

After participating in the first advisory session, freshman Maya Brower said she found the introductory video useful since it covered how to access important mental health resources.

Brower said that while this information was useful to her as a freshman, it may not have been as helpful to those who already know

about the school therapist and tutoring centers.

Brower does not think advisories will be useful if they continue highlighting information students are already familiar with.

“I don’t think the ice-breakers were that helpful either,” Brower said. “I hope they elaborate more on why students should reach out to their guidance counselors as well as the school therapist.”

Looking ahead, junior Abby Berwick said she is excited about the upcoming topics, including climate change, LGBTQ+ students and an advisory covering race.

“The advisories in my sophomore year were very moving because they focused on social issues,” Berwick said. “The first one this year was mostly school-related information and didn’t feel as impactful.”

Berwick also believes there would be a lot of value in having students develop advisories that are meaningful to them.

“I think that it would be good to let clubs relating to identity like Black Student Union and cultural clubs work with administration to make their own advisories,” Berwick said.

She said with support from the student body and faculty, advisory can become a truly meaningful experience.

“Advisory can become great opportunity to make Homestead a safer space for everyone,” Berwick said. “Advisory has the potential to provide a time of reflection and learning for everyone involved.”

Photo courtesy of Karuna Chandran

STUDENT BONDING ACTIVITY: Peers talk with each other during ice-breaker in Sept.7 advisory.

Mission Statement

Advertising

The Epitaph is a non-profit publication at Homestead High School, 21370 Homestead Rd., Cupertino, CA 95014.

The Epitaph is a forum for student expression and not subject to prior review, in accordance to Education Code 48907. The staff is comprised of HHS Journalism students. Views expressed do not necessarily represent views of the school, its staff or the district.

Editorials are opinions of the editorial board.

The Epitaph welcomes letters to the editor but reserves the right to edit submissions. Letters should be limited to 300 words.

Include contact information. Unsigned letters cannot be published, but names will be withheld upon request. Send via homestead. epitaph@gmail.com, or drop letters in the newsroom or the office mailbox.

If The Epitaph has made an error, please send corrections to homestead.epitaph@gmail.com. The corrections will be published in the corrections box for the next issue.

To reach the Epitaph staff in C102 call (408) 522-2572 or fax (408) 738-8531.

One email and you can reach over 2,400 students, teachers, administrators and community members from Nothern Sunnyvale to Southern Los Altos.

If your target market is between the ages 14 to 18, contact The Epitaph at epitaph.ads@gmail.com, and we can make it happen.

PAGE DESIGN BY LIA KLEBANOV AND ESMERALDA VILLALOBOS SORIANO

4

Opinion New military budget is wasteful failure

Friday, October 1, 2021

Biden’s proposal diverts resources from meaningful causes

By Keshav Kumar

THE POLITICAL ARENA

By Macy Li

However, the flaws in this rationale are evident upon closer inspection.

Given the country’s attacks on civil rights and basic freedoms, countering China is an admirable goal, but increasing military spending is not the right solution.

This strategy has been employed throughout the past decade, and it has consistently failed.

In 2019, America spent more on national defense than the next 11 highest spending countries combined, according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.

However, even though American military spending has consistently increased, China’s power over the world has only surged.

Biden himself has said that ChiIllus

tration by Ritaja S

ub ra

hm anya

BIDEN’S BUDGET FAILS: President Biden’s proposed military budget continues a useless tradition instead of offering change.

na’s goal is to become “the most powerful country in the world,” according to Business Insider.

Instead of spending more on the military, Biden should focus on regaining the trust of the international community, especially after former President Trump’s administration worsened our relationships with European allies.

At one point, Trump even called German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former British Prime Minister Theresa May ‘losers,’ according to Politico. Biden should work to rebuild those relationships and ensure the international community is united in advocating for human rights.

Not only does this budget fail to meet its intended goal, but it also distracts from more important issues. For every dollar spent on the military, a dollar is taken away from addressing climate change, poverty and systemic racism — topics that hurt us more than China ever could.

We see people of color oppressed by a criminal justice system that denigrates them. We see millions forced into cycles of poverty and violence, due to failures in public education and the exorbitant price of college.

We witness countless Americans

whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by rising seas and rising temperatures. Will military spending fix these issues? Of course not.

Though Biden has promised to pay more attention to these problems, he has failed to deliver yet again. For example, his proposed $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill, which would have increased spending on education, health care and clean energy, according to NPR, still has not been passed

by Congress. A study published in the scientific journal Climate Dynamics found that temperature increases due to climate change could become dangerous by 2027. We need decisive action, and we are not getting it.

How and why our government spends money matters. As Americans, we cannot elect leaders who continue pushing for unsuccessful policies instead of making difficult but necessary choices. We must actively demand change from politicians and hold our leaders accountable. While Biden’s policies may be an improvement to Trump’s, they do not deliver the major changes we need. Biden shouldn’t forget that the need for drastic change is what put him in the White House.

American college tuition is unecessarily high Colleges in U.S. must learn from international counterparts

By Erin Loh families, whereas 68% is paid by the education system loses sight the government in other coun- of what their primary goal should tries on average, according to the be: education and helping stuOECD. The U.S. tries to make dents pursue their career aspiraup for this by offering money tions. Ultimately, the system bethrough grants and scholarships, comes detrimental for students. but these efforts are clearly not Education should be about sufficient in preventing students teaching a new generation of stufrom facing immense amounts of dents to learn to solve problems, debt. think wisely and eventually make But the real issue lies in the a positive difference in the world tendency of American colleges to through their professions, not an act “more like businesses” than economic battleground. educational institutions, accordIt is time for American coling to Maggie Thompson, direc- leges to address the student loan tor of the education-advocacy crisis and learn from the rest of group Generation Progress. the world that student learning American colleges compete must be prioritized over money. for money and students by improving their rankings by investing more in professor research and through employing more faculty, which leads to a lower student-to-staff ratio. However, according to Michigan State University, smaller classes and increased funding for professor research do not necessarily equate to better learning.

Adding on, the U.S. government has no regulations on the amount of money colleges can charge for tuition, something other countries like the U.K. have enforced. Without a limit, tuition prices are free to skyrocket, fueling the student loan crisis.

RACKING UP DEBT: Students should be By treating col- able to pursue post-college goals and aspiralege as a business, tions without the weight of excessive debt.

PAGE DESIGN BY AMBER BIRRELL AND ZEINAB RAKHSHANDEHROO Ritaja

Subra

ya hman

expensive tuition plays a major role in the crisis, causing students to enter careers unrelated to their primary study in college to pay off massive amounts of debt.

After students work so hard to prepare for a profession they are passionate about, it is unfair that the college system forces many to redirect their career paths. It is also extremely inefficient for a society to spend money developing the skills of an individual, only to have them go to waste, because students are unable to pursue certain careers.

Loan debt due to the cost of college also forces graduated students to delay major life milestones, such as getting married, having kids and buying a car or home. Not to mention, mental health issues also arise when worrying about piles of debt, according to WebMD. College is supposed to improve life and open up more opportunities after graduation, but instead, it seems to invoke worry and further limitations to graduate opportunities.

The extreme costs of American colleges result from a variety of factors. First off, higher percentages of American students tend to move away from home when they attend college, leading to larger investments in dormitories and dining halls.

Additionally, a large percent of the $33,063 cost is paid by students’ families rather than the government. Specifically, 45% comes from families, while only 35% comes from the government.

In comparison, 21% per student expenditures is paid by

tion by

Popular culture has long praised American colleges for being the most prestigious, most innovative and most reputable in the world. Although sometimes considered an overstatement, these labels are not entirely without merit. Human interest stories often feature immigrants who come to America for its highly prestigious schools, such as Harvard University, which has been named the top university worldwide by multiple organizations.

But there is another attribute that American colleges are infamous for — one that is not so favorable. With the exception of one other country, America’s colleges are the most expensive in the world by a large margin.

Annually, the U.S. spends an astonishing $33,063 per student in tertiary education, over double the average country’s expenditure of $16,327, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Education. As a result, college students often deal with mountains of debt, forcing them to rethink their career paths and postpone other post-college plans.

In an age where a college degree is essential for so many professions, the cost of college in America must stop leaving students with excessive levels of debt. Rather, U.S. universities should lower their tuition to match the more affordable fees of their international counterparts.

Four million students in the U.S. owe a collective $1.7 trillion of loan debt according to CNBC — an issue referred to as the ‘student loan crisis.’ Not surprisingly,

Illustra

The political landscape is constantly evolving. What was once considered politically absurd can quickly gain broader relevance and become mainstream, thanks to the concept of an “Overton window.”

The Overton window refers to the scope of socially acceptable policies at a specific time, according to Vox. Among all the political ideas at any given moment, only a portion lies in the realm of possibility.

To protect their electoral chances, politicians generally embrace the policies that fall within the Overton window, which are widely supported by the public.

This means the range of policy choices accessible to politicians are dictated by the norms, values and movements within society. Politicians are commonly perceived as leaders, but in actuality, they are better characterized as followers.

Let’s talk about the significance of this. The concept of the Overton window reveals the levels of influence voters and constituents have on politicians, and ultimately the enactment of legislation.

The success of politicians depends on their ability to recognize and amplify the political opinions of their constituents. Our families, friends, schools, workplaces and other social institutions wield much more political power than we realize.

The Overton window is volatile — it expands or shrinks based on the way we think. By openly discussing topics with other people, we can effectively expand the Overton window. On the contrary, we shrink the Overton window when we remain silent.

If you hope to see politicians advocate for a certain policy, I highly encourage you to publicize it.

By voicing our opinions, we have the power to shift the Overton window and influence the laws that govern us.

Once again, President Biden’s campaign promises to enact progressive legislation have fallen flat with the introduction of his 2022 federal budget proposal.

The budget includes $715 billion in funding for the Department of Defense, a 1.6% increase from previous years, according to a Department of Defense Press Release.

This budget is part of a destructive, ongoing pattern of American politicians deciding to overspend on the military, while neglecting more pressing domestic issues.

Biden’s Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin justified the budget by claiming it was an attempt to “outpace” recent gains made

by China, according to Bloomberg.

Opinion

STAFF EDITORIAL

Friday, October 1, 2021

5

Removing skinny Wednesday will benefit HHS community The new bell schedule must be improved. The district should remove the current skinny Wednesday and adopt a two-week A/B block schedule, which will ultimately benefit both students and staff members.

Due to the placement of the skinny Wednesday in the middle of the week, students must take all of their classes back-to-back over the span of three days. This leaves students with inadequate time to complete all their coursework.

In fact, based on a survey of 329 students, 50% reported they would prefer not having any skinny days.

However, a small percentage of students support the skinny schedule, because it provides them with an opportunity to meet all their teachers in one day. Despite this potential benefit, the lack of class time to further knowledge results in wasted time.

If the district were to consider switching the sched-

ule back to Monday, students would be able to complete all their homework over the weekend, resulting in a less stressful Tuesday night.

Rather than switching the skinny day to a different day of the week, students would benefit more from removing the day entirely.

During the Wednesday skinny schedule, each period lasts 45 minutes. This limited amount of time often prevents teachers from going into depth on the topics they are lecturing about.

In addition, students find it difficult to retain high levels of learning during shorter instructional periods, especially when they must attend six or seven total classes that day, based on a survey by The Epitaph.

The skinny schedule ultimately harms students both mentally and physically. On Tuesday night, students must complete the work for all their courses, which can be incredi-

bly stressful.

On Wednesday, students are forced to carry the heavy weight of their laptop, along with all the binders, notebooks and folders for their classes.

Having fewer classes per day enables students to spend more time on each subject.

Consequently, they can gain a more thorough understanding of the content.

Longer class periods also provide teachers with more flexibility for their lesson plans. For example, in a skinny period, teachers cannot run labs or other collaborative projects. These hands-on activities help students solidify their understanding of concepts.

Of the numerous types of block schedules, the one HHS utilizes is most similar to A/B scheduling, where students alternate between A days and B days over a two-week period. Switching to this schedule would only require removing

Illustration by Ritaja Subrahmanya

SKINNY SCHEDULE INEFFICIENCY: The current Wednesday

schedule is a stressful burden for both students and staff members.

the skinny Wednesday. Since both students and teachers are already familiar with some form of block scheduling, it would be very easy to adapt to this minor change.

In addition, research shows grades improve overall with the implementation of block days. According to the Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory, students have fewer failed classes, failing marks and are less likely to drop out of school

with block schedules. HHS would likely see similar positive outcomes if this change was adopted.

Due to the various pitfalls of the current Wednesday schedule, the district should consider transitioning to a block schedule with two-week periods.

Ultimately, these changes would alleviate current levels of stress in students and staff and improve the overall learning experience of students.

Graduation requirements weigh Modern dress codes are unfair, sexist students down

By Zeinab Rakhshandehroo

To graduate, HHS students must earn a total of 220 course credits over the span of four years. Meeting this requirement pressures students to take around 22 courses — a number that is unfair, unreasonable and far too high. Rather than forcing students to meet this stressful requirement, HHS should reduce the amount of mandatory classes for students.

Teenagers are burdened with high levels of stress, mostly due to school-related commitments, according to the American Psychological Association. A survey by the APA found 45% of all teens reported experiencing stress caused by school pressures.

This stress leaves a significant and negative impact on students’ lives, often resulting in serious physical or mental health issues. HHS is one of the six schools in FUHSD with this excessive total credit requirement, which pushes students to take more classes than they can manage.

In addition, requiring 22 total classes for all students disregards the varying levels of difficulty and workloads of different classes. Students who take more challenging classes in high school, such as time-consuming AP courses, are still expected to take the same 22 classes as students who take less rigorous ones.

This is incredibly unreasonable, since students attending higher-level classes are already under immense stress. Furthermore, the requirement may even discourage students from taking higher-level classes, which negatively impacts their futures.

It would be far more encouraging and fair to students if

By Lia Klebanov

higher-level classes were weighed differently from other classes. These more challenging classes could be weighed to be worth more than the 10 credits average classes count for. This would allow students taking these courses to face fewer requirements, thus keeping them from becoming burdened with too much work or multiple classes.

The true absurdity of this requirement happens when high school graduation requirements and college admissions requirements are compared. The FUHSD school website states the total credits requirement for most UC and state college admissions is only 150 credits, which is much lower than the 220 credits required for high school graduation.

This excessive graduation requirement may be intended to be helpful – a way to prepare students for the challenges of college — however, it only serves to provide them with unnecessary work and worry. Colleges are much more selective than high schools, and they generally expect more from their students academically. The fact that the requirement to graduate high school exceeds what is necessary for college clearly reveals how senseless the 220 credit requirement is.

The graduation requirement of 220 total credits at HHS is unfair and expects far too much from students. Ultimately, a simple solution can be applied in order to counteract the negative effects of this requirement. It would be greatly beneficial to students to lower the total credit graduation requirement, providing students with a reprieve from their school-related stress.

REQUIREMENTS BURDEN STUDENTS: Students are

negatively impacted by the excessive number of courses required to graduate high school.

Illustration by Amber Birrell

Fashion is a creative outlet and an Promoting the idea that teenagers opportunity for many of us to express can’t be comfortable in their own bodourselves. The level of comfort suries or choose to wear what they want rounding how much or how little skin through censorship can harm their overto show varies among individual high all self confidence. school students.

An unfortunate incident occurred in a The majority of school dress codes Florida high school where yearbook phoare unfair and they specifically target tos of 80 female students who wore lower the female student population. cut shirts were altered, according to the Unfair dress codes directly interNew York Times. fere with the freedom of teenagers to This incident would have never hapexpress themselves through fashion. pened in the first place if the particular Most clothing regulations only school had adapted its guidelines to fit pertain to females and control the the 21st century. amount of skin they are alThere was no reason as to why lowed to show. As such, the school had to go to these highly discriminate lengths, because no major against this gender guidelines were brogroup, according ken. to Intercultural Ultimately, it is D eve l o p m e n t unfair to hold feResearch Assomale students to ciation. this impossible H o w e v e r, standard, and the policies targetoverall situation is ing a specific outright humiliatdemographic ing. and their bodies HHS needs to are completely view this incident as unacceptable, since an example of what to their freedom of simavoid and eliminate Illustration by Lia Klebanov ply choosing what to the rule. Trusting stuDRESS CODES LANGUAGE: wear is being taken dents to make good The language of the dress code away. decisions and not prois biased and leaves too much HHS’s dress code hibiting creativity will room for interpretation. policy has reasonable create a more desired restrictions, such as a ban on vulgar school environment. images or references to substances, Confining every piece of clothing to a but it does have a phrase that stands standard of “too much skin” is unreasonout from the rest; “too much skin.” able and truly only applies to the female Students differ from one another demographic, since males are less likely in terms of what they choose to wear to cross this imaginary line. outside of a learning environment, Drafting an inclusive dress code with which influences their tolerance for the right restrictions will ultimately crerevealing clothing. ate ideal school conditions in which all School officials, however, don’t unstudents can feel comfortable learning. derstand this, because they see dress Ultimately, HHS should not include codes as rules to enforce and nothing any references to how clothes fit on the more. body, but simply what goes on the clothes.

PAGE DESIGN BY JOSS BROWARD AND ANUSHRUTI NAGARAJAN

6

Opinion

Friday, October 1, 2021

Gun rights activists ignore vital voice

NRA refuses to protect rights of Black Americans

By Lindsey Steel

By Ritaja Subrahmanya The Supreme Court’s Aug. 26 decision on Alabama Association of Realtors v. Department of Health and Human Services puts 3.5 million households at risk for eviction. This devastating decision ended the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s nationwide eviction moratorium saying the CDC had exceeded its authority.

However, the CDC was justified in imposing the moratorium because of the impact evictions would have on the spread of COVID-19.

According to research conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, evictions resulted in a 150% increase in risk for infection for households evicted tenants moved into. Despite the CDC’s jurisdiction, it is ultimately up to Congress to enact legislation to protect tenants. While Congress has approved $50 billion to help tenants pay rent and avoid eviction, 15 states have still only given out less than 5% of these rental funds, NPR reported.

This is entirely unacceptable.

The fundamental issue is that the United States never had an official federal systemto keep Americans in their homes, according to The New York Times.

Given housing is part of the right to an adequate standard of living as defined by the United Nations, it is essential the U.S. make amends to protect the rights of all American people.

In fact, affordable housing can decrease child poverty, improving education and therefore benefiting the economy, according to the Center for American Progress.

Given its benefits, Congress needs to reevaluate their policies and distribute funds to help our country recover.

Housing is an inalienable right all Americans deserve. It is imperative Congress work to restore the nationwide eviction moratorium to ensure safety for all Americans during these unprecedented times.

made itself the face of gun culture.

The power they hold is unmistakable, and they find themselves seated at the head of the table when anything even remotely firearm-related is discussed, but all while Black gun owners are subject to a blind eye.

Take for example, the killing of Alton Sterling. Sterling, an African American man, was carrying a firearm in a Louisiana convenience store in 2016, where open carry is allowed, according to Vox. Despite this, the police shot him.

Instead of instantly reprimanding the police shooting as they had done in previous situations where white gun owners had been killed, the NRA stayed silent, even though they fought tirelessly in favor of open carry, the Washington Post reported.

This was in no way a singular occurrence. Emantic “EJ” Bradford, another Black man, was shot and killed by the police in 2018 in a similar manner.

Bradford, who had a permit for concealed carry, had a firearm on him the day he was shot.

He was directing others to safety after a gunfight broke out in an Alabama mall, according to ABC

Abolish voter ID laws

News. But just like Sterling, the police shot him.

And just like Sterling, the NRA refrained from addressing the situation.

Not only does their silence speak volumes, but with these discriminatory incidents, the NRA’s “good guy with a gun” image is shown to never extend to Black Americans.

In cases such as Sterling’s and Bradford’s, the NRA has drowned out Black voices and has not fought to protect Black rights that are otherwise enjoyed by white people. They have made it abunIllustration by Ritaja Subrahmanya

THE COURT DECIDES

The letters “NRA” undoubtedly ignite strong opinions. This political lobby — arguably one of the most effective in American history — is one that either sparks unwavering support or fierce opposition.

But entangled in the polarizing debate surrounding the Second Amendment is a group of disenfranchised gun owners, abandoned by both sides of a movement that is equally relevant to them: Black Americans.

Founded in 1871, the National Rifle Association has long been a protector of gun rights. However, the NRA is silent when the right for Black Americans to exercise gun ownership is contested, and their silence demonstrates that they only choose to defend one side of the same story, according to CNN. This proves the foundation our country was built on only serves to protect the rights of select groups. For white NRA members to only fight for the preservation of the Second Amendment when it is applicable to them is both hypocritical and unfair. It goes to show that it is not all gun owners who matter, only the white ones.

In modern day, the NRA has

dantly clear they will not protect law-abiding African American gun owners, but rather exist solely to defend white people and their guns.

By neglecting a whole race of gun owners, the NRA has further accentuated the racial inequalities in our country.

For white gun owners, firearms are a symbol of the privilege that has been bestowed upon them since the birth of our country. But for Black gun owners, these weapons tell a different story — one of a need for safety, security and self-defense, according to NPR. There is no denying the Second Amendment is a highly divisive topic.

But regardless of individuals opinions, equal protection should be a given no matter the circumstance. If the NRA really wants to advocate for gun rights, then they must do so for all people.

SECOND AMENDMENT HYPOCRISY: The NRA only defends gun

rights when white people’s liberties are under attack.

Illustration by Macy Li and Ritaja Subrahmanya

By Macy Li and Lindsey Steel The right to vote is vital in a democracy. Yet, the disenfranchisement of minorities, which has plagued our country for nearly 250 years, still remains a prevalent issue today.

Under the guise of election integrity, Republican lawmakers are fighting to impose stricter voter identification laws, which disproportionately target racial minorities, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Legislators and politicians advocate for the implementation of these laws to combat “voter fraud,” according to Vox. However, these claims of fraud are virtually baseless.

In fact, over the span of 20 years, ballot fraud occurred in a mere 0.0006% of cases nationwide, according to a study done by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In addition, voter impersonation is practically nonexistent, and the rare cases of alleged fraud are often mistakes of voters and administrators, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Given the scarcity of voter fraud instances, these laws primarily serve as a barrier minorities face when casting their bal-

Illustration by Macy Li

BARRIERS TO VOTERS: Strict

ID laws curb voting access for minorities.

lots. These laws further heighten the political injustices in this country, and they should be abolished immediately.

Minorities are less apt to have access to a valid photo ID that meets their state’s requirements, The Atlantic reported. In states with strict ID laws, 9% of Black and Hispanic respondents stated that, in the last election, they were told they lacked the proper identification to vote. Three percent of white people said the same.

These laws could ultimately skew the results of our elections and our democratic process. By enforcing voter ID requirements, legislators are silencing the voices of minorities and taking away their opportunity to influence the laws and protect the rights that govern them, which in turn, heavily impact their lives.

Furthermore, thousands of people across our country lack access to an acceptable voter ID. For instance, a federal court in Texas, a state with strict ID laws, discovered 608,470 registered voters do not have the necessary forms of identification, according to The New York Times.

Due to the lengthy process of acquiring acceptable forms of photo ID, voters who lack the proper identification are deterred or dissuaded from voting.

Voter ID requirements are not only ineffective in preventing voter fraud, but they also silence the voices of minorities.

Rather than curbing the voting access of these groups to push their own agendas, legislators must act on behalf of all their constituents and abolish these unfair voter ID laws.

PAGE DESIGN BY JOSH CANTWELL-NAHRUNG

Lifestyles

Friday, October 1, 2021

Two cultures, one life

7

Japanese teacher Junko Birdsong discusses cultural aspect of being biracial through lens of a mother

By Chloe Wong history and her roots.

Birdsong said one of her goals is to immerse her daughter in the Japanese language. “Since she has not lived in Japan, I wonder if she can grow her identity confidently as a Japanese and an African American,” Birdsong said.

Unfortunately, the pandemic makes the experience of connecting with both cultures a challenge. Immersion in the Japanese language is difficult without the ability to travel, but Birdsong said she finds ways around it through technology.

Photo courtesy of Junko Birdsong “Nowadays, I try to do a lot of Skype or video calls so [my family in Japan] can still talk and so my niece can talk to my daughter in Japanese,” Birdsong said.

“It’s difficult because we cannot travel easily right now.”

These days, Birdsong said she reminisces on pre-pandemic memories where her daughter was able to physically encounter her two cultures.

“We have my [side FAMILY BONDING VACATION:Junko of the] family in Japan Birdsong and her family strengthen familial and my husband’s bonds by visiting the Grand Canyon.

One’s culture is an integral part of their upbringing and identity. Japanese teacher Junko Birdsong is well aware of this, as her daughter, who is half Black and half Japanese, is growing up in a blend of two different cultures.

Raising a biracial child is not as common as raising a monoracial child. Because of this, Birdsong said it is very important to her as a mother to ensure her daughter grows up aware of her

side on the east coast,” Birdsong said. “So it was easier before because we can celebrate Christmas or Western celebrations with my family on the east coast and go to Japan for summer vacation.”

Although many of these things are not possible now, TV shows are still a good source of both entertainment and education, Birdsong said.

“We watch TV shows or videos together,” Birdsong said.

“With me, my daughter watches Japanese culture [related programs]. With my husband, they watch something related to African American culture or African American food.”

However, Birdsong said from the perspective of a mother who loves her child, she is concerned about the prejudices in this world that people have and how they may impact her daughter’s life. At the moment, she said her daughter fortunately hasn’t experienced any discrimination.

“My daughter said she has never had a sad experience where her classmates disrespected or discriminated against her because of her race,” Birdsong said. “It is good we as a school are learning about social justice for a better world. I am afraid that

some people start to have discriminating minds as they grow up in this society.”

All children are born with an open mindset where no race or gender is greater than or lesser than, Birdsong said. However, this childhood innocence is not permanent. The teacher said adulthood comes with changes of perspective, and differences develop a negative connotation.

“When we are very young, we don’t even think about looking down on people because of their skin colors, religions, sexual identity, etc.,” Birdsong said. “But we change as we become adults.”

Despite these worries, Birdsong said she continues to nurture her daughter’s virtues through educating her on important topics. Growth is incredibly important to Birdsong, and she is trying to make sure her daughter will develop a sense of self confidence through her values.

“Occasionally we talk about great things about each culture or we talk about social difficulties, and we make sure to say what is wrong and what we can do to help,” Birdsong said. “So I hope that naturally, she will grow in[to] that.”

HHS community rallies around Shawnee Rivera Rivera discusses support through cancer journey

By Bobby Gorelick When literature teacher Shawnee Rivera found out she had leukemia, she was in complete shock.

She said she went in to see her doctor because of muscle weakness, but after blood tests her doctor told her she had cancer.

To her relief, Rivera said the doctor told her she had chronic myeloid leukemia, which has a higher remission rate. She began a targeted treatment plan in which the chemotherapy only targets white blood cells and results in fewer side effects. Everything shifted the day she started her treatment, she said.

“I went from working out probably five to six days a week

to not working out at all,” Rivera, who trains in kickboxing, said. “I couldn’t go for hikes. I can’t run right now. I definitely can’t fight.

I can’t kickbox. I can’t teach. So, it felt like I went from doing everything I love to not having any of that in my life. Not only was my body aching, my heart was too. I felt almost heartbroken that I was missing out on teaching.”

She said at first her immune system was compromised so she had to stay home for the first six weeks of treatment.

“Even if it was not a pandemic, I would have had to stay at home just because regular colds, and other illnesses would have messed with the medication and would have messed with my immune system,” Rivera said.

Throughout the treatment process, Rivera said she has found ways to Scan the qr code to learn more about Politbring positivity ical Science Union, Lattes and Literature and love in her and Chemistry club. life. She said she has celebrations with her daughter, Stalina, like getting boba every time she gets her blood results back.

She also said she has always known her peoScan this QR code to read a profile on a ple are at HHS, student entrepreneur at HHS. Learn about and she has rehow this HHS student created a startup ceived numerous and the lessons gathered along the way. calls, emails and

New clubs at HHS

Student Entrepreneur

texts from staff saying Photo courtesy of Shawnee Rivera they are keeping her in their thoughts or want to come over to spend time together.

“Every single person who’s come over or who’s given me a gift or anything has said, ‘We miss you so much, and we know you have to heal, but we’re so excited for you to come back,’” she said. “And that makes me feel so connected, because I’m not doing well just sitting here, learning how to play the ukulele.”

Rivera said she has felt the love from staff members in every sinSUPPORT FROM STAFF: Staff signs card gle department with to express love for Rivera. most of her colleagues finding a way to connect from a day of teaching and been with her in some way. like, ‘That sucked.’”

“There’s ​​this ebb and flow Rivera said she has missed of living our lives together,” she getting to know her students and said. “We’ve gone to each other’s the endorphin rush she gets in weddings, we’ve gone to baby the beginning of the year from showers for each other, we’ve the excitement. comforted each other when there “My doctor said because of are cancer diagnoses and we’ve the pandemic, this would probahelped people through other is- bly be a good time to go back to sues in their lives. I feel like that’s school because everyone’s going how our school is.” to be masked up,” she said.

Rivera said she misses being Rivera returned to the classin the classroom because it is her room on Monday, Sept. 27. She favorite part of teaching. said full remission will involve “I’ve never had a bad day receiving PCR scans until there teaching,” she said. “I mean I’ve is no evidence of leukemia. definitely messed up, I’ve defi“I just really want to be back nitely made mistakes, I’ve defi- in the classroom and if I think nitely said or done things that are about it too hard, I’ll cry,” Rivera crazy, but I’ve never walked away said.

THE DAY DREAMER

By Karuna Chandran Just two more belts until black. I kept repeating that phrase to myself as a mantra. I have been taking martial arts classes for four years now and after hours of hard work, I can finally see my black belt within reach.

With that realization comes a lot of questions, namely what does my black belt, an object, really say about how far I have come? Why is it so valuable to me?

My previous vision of being a black belt meant that I was suddenly some sort of warrior who could take on any challenge. I pictured myself as the main star from the Karate Kid: a glamorous heroine that could do anything I set my mind to and bust out some super cool kicks. But my instructor made it very clear to me recently during my red belt class that my previous interpretation was absolutely not the case.

He described how one of his students thought because they were a black belt they could now take on five people in a fight at the same time and lamented on how this mentality was absolutely false. Rather, all a black belt meant was that I was no longer going to be “a newbie”.

I was aghast. I had spent four years of my life grinding and pushing through just to not be a beginner? My grand dreams of being a selfless fighter started to slip away from my grasp.

However, after reflecting, I realized by letting myself be crushed by a fantasy, I was preventing myself from thinking about how far I had truly come. I started off as a white belt much later than most kids, went in with a positive attitude, put my head down (figuratively of course — one should never actually keep their head down in a fight) and got to work.

I improved my flexibility, movement, fitness capabilities and emerged with an unparalleled confidence.

A black belt is more than just an end goal: it is a reflection of a journey that continues on throughout my life.

PAGE DESIGN BY MACY LI AND NINA VASQUEZ CRUZ

8

In-Depth

Friday, October 1, 2021

Friday, October 1, 2021

History of the Ohlone people

Exploring Native American contributions

By Ritaja Subrahmanya and Rajiv Venkatesh The Ohlone are the native people of the San Francisco Bay Area.

They were hunters and gatherers whose lives were dramatically changed when the Spanish arrived in California. Continue reading for a brief timeline of events in the history of the Ohlone.

Innovations range from cider to canoes

1775 Despite facing oppression, America’s indigenous people have preserved their culture. Their cultural knowledge is integrated into several parts of our society today.

The Spanish ship San Carlos brought Europeans to the San Francisco Bay, where the Ohlone had been living for generations. Later expeditions established garrisons, missions and towns, according to the City of San Carlos.

These settlers brought disease and changed the Ohlone way of life.

Photo courtesy of California Mission Foundation

MISSION SANTA CLARA:

The mission is at the heart of Santa Clara University.

Mission Santa Clara was founded as the eighth mission in the chain of 21 Franciscan Missions, according to Santa Clara University. The Mission was originally based on the banks of the Guadalupe River in San Jose and moved to its current location at Santa Clara University in 1822.

1939 The last person fluent in Chochenyo, an Ohlone language, died in 1939. Over 50 years later, Vicent Medina, a curator of Mission Dolores began to revive the language by studying the works of previous scholars and linguists, according to SFGate. In 2012, he gave a speech in Chochenyo at Mission Dolores.

1998 Since 1998, the Muwekma Ohlone tribe has been trying to seek federally acknowledged status, according to their website. The Ohlone tribe is somewhat recognized by the federal government, granting them some rights as an American tribe.

2017 President Obama made Cotoni-Coast Dairies, the ancestral lands of the Cotoni Ohlone, a federal monument.

The Bureau of Land Management also made an agreement with the Amah Mutsun people to allow them to practice, “Traditional Ecological Knowledge,” according to the City of Santa Cruz.

HONORING THE OHLONE:

The mural pays tribute to the original people of the area.

such as the notion that they are lazy or have it easy in life, Olesek said.

“We definitely don’t have it easy,” Olesek said. “We got all our land stolen, our people killed and children massacred.”

Stereotypes are further perpetuated by sports teams whose names are derogatory terms towards Native Americans such as ¨Indians¨ or ¨R*dskins,” Olesek said.

He said it is wrong that the Washington football team was able to get away with using a slur in their name for so long.

“It’s treating us like animals and it’s not right,” Olesek said.

However, Olesek said he has noticed some good Native American representation recently such as the appointment of Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior. Haaland has promised to bring more resources to help find missing or murdered Indigenous people, according to The New York Times.

“We finally have a Native American who can manage Native American lands, and I think that’s amazing,” Olesek said. “That’s really important because the Secretary of the Interior manages the tribal

Many city names originate from the names of tribes that once lived there, such as Milwaukee, Miami and Seattle. In addition, many common words such as “skunk,” “mahogany” and “chipmunk” come from Native American languages, according to Merriam Webster. During World War II, the Cherokee, Choctaw and other Native tribes served as “code talkers,” according to The National WWII Museum. Many Native languages are now in danger of going extinct, but efforts are being made to keep them alive.

Photo courtesy of Santa Cruz Sentinel

RESTORING THEIR LAND:

Photo courtesy of Polyphonic World

Cotoni-Coast Dairies is expected to open in mid 2022.

San Jose unveiled the mural, “We Are Still Here,” which pays tribute to the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe who lived along the Guadalupe River on August 21, the Mercury News reported. The name references the federal declaration made in the 1920s, which announced the tribe went extinct despite outcry against this announcement from descendants today.

1

By Rajiv Venkatesh

2 5

3

In order to communicate with deaf community members, Native Americans developed a language called Plains Indian Sign Language which was also useful when communicating with other tribes and European traders, according to the Sam Noble Museum.

Photo courtesy of Sam Olesek

RETURNING TO MICHIGAN:

Olesek said he wishes he had more connections with his Ojibwe roots.

lands and reservations. Normally, the position is abused by white people.”

Olesek also applauded HHS for their representation of Native Americans. He said especially in his literature classes, he has noticed increased discussion regarding current issues Native Americans face along with specific attention towards dispelling myths about their culture. “[HHS] does a great job with Native American representation,” Olesek said. “The trouble is, most high schools and institutions in America aren’t anywhere near as good. If everybody attended HHS and came to our history and English classes, I feel like things would be a lot better.”

4

Photo courtesy of Pequot Library

The staples of Native American cuisine have become the foundation of many of the foods we eat today. Native American tribes were among the first to cultivate potatoes, beans, corn, peanuts, pumpkins, tomatoes, squash, peppers, nuts, melons and sunflower seeds, according to the Hearst Museum. In California, native people also created berry ciders using Manzanita berries.

5

4

Photo courtesy of KQED

The idea of conservation is so central to Native American culture that one tribe had no word for it; it was just a way of life, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Native Americans used everything they killed and respected the land on which they lived.

By Karuna Chandran and Ritaja Subrahmanya When settlers came from Eu- earth. They were extremely knowlrope, they saw fertile lands all edgeable on the complicated inaround them and vast expanses terrelationships between various of greenery, according to Fox Run organisms. Rather than viewing Environmental Education Center. themselves as above nature, they treated it with However, they did not respect and as realize the reason these natural resources stayed if they were a preserved was due to part of it. the efforts of Native For inAmericans. stance, the Anasazi people Native Americans understood the fundaof New Mexico mental tenets of enviused irrigation Photo courtesy of PBS ronmental sustainabili- DAKOTA ACCESS PIPEsystems to colty, such that everything LINE: Native Americans lect rainwathat humans do has a fought to protect their ter to sustain lasting impact on the sacred burial grounds. corn and oth-

Photo courtesy of Detriot City Lacrosse

3

The first environmentalists 2021

Photo courtesy of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe

By Ritaja Subrahmanya with additional reporting by Nicole Pimenta Innecco planning to hopefully go back to upper Michigan in the spring because it’s the land of my people.”

One of the biggest issues surrounding knowledge of Native Americans is there is a lot misinformation, Olesek said.

“A lot of people think we’re extinct like dinosaurs or that Native American culture is a thing of the past,” Olesek said. “We almost went extinct, but somehow we survived and there’s still a few of us left.”

The Native American population has been on the decline, Olesek said. Ninety percent of the Indigenous population were killed after the arrival of European colonizers, according to Business Insider.

HHS has also added to the misconceptions about Native Americans. Olesek said the school reported the racial demographics of Native Americans within HHS as 0% this year. However, this is far from the truth.

“I looked at the 0% and I [thought] ‘I think you forgot somebody,’” Olesek said. “My entire life I have been told that I’m extinct and I don’t exist.”

Additionally, Native Americans face many stereotypes

Photo courtesy of History.com

Canoeing, snowshoeing, tobogganing, lacrosse and many ball games were developed by Indigenous peoples across the Americas. To many tribes, games were much more than just fun, according to the National Library of Medicine. Many games reinforced group cooperation, sharpened survival skills needed in hostile environments and helped warriors maintain readiness for war.

Sam Olesek describes his Ojibwe heritage Maple syrup. The sweet syrup most commonly associated with American breakfast items such as waffles and pancakes actually originated from the Ojibwe tribe who used it to add flavor to their meats, according to MinnPost.

“I am a direct descendant of the people who invented maple syrup,” junior Sam Olesek said.

Olesek is part of the Ojibwe tribe, which encompassed the Great Lakes region of Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Ontario, according to the Minnesota Historical Society. Their main location today is upper Michigan, Olesek said in a Zoom interview.

As a result of genocide, the vast majority of current Native Americans are not full blooded Native Americans, Olesek said. In fact, he said many like him appear to be white.

Consequently, Olesek said he has found it difficult to connect with his people.

Olesek said he has not been able to visit the Ojibwe headquarters since he was in third grade, which makes him hesitant to reveal to people that he is Native American.

“I’ve lived most of my life as a basic white boy, and I’ve just gone along with that my entire life,” Olesek said. “I’m

1

2

‘The land of my people’ 1777

9

er crops, according Today, Native to the Washington Americans are on Post. Because they the frontlines of frequently moved, addressing many the land was able to environmental recover from whatissues, accordever minute impact ing to Nonprofit they had.

Quarterly. In 2016, Photo courtesy of Bowhunting However, Native Native Americans American tribes CONNECTING TO NAprotested the were far from hav- TURE: The Native Amercreation of the ing a perfect envi- icans believe in thanking Dakota Access ronmental record, animals for their service.

Pipeline, which according to Nonprofit Quarterly. is located on the burial grounds In the Northeast, they burned for- of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. ests to hunt, creating hot winds The pipeline could pose a threat to that made October feel like July, Lake Oahe, a water source, accordaccording to the Washington Post. ing to Reuters.

Indigenous erasure: Preserving their culture

By Nicole Pimenta Innecco As the U.S. enters an era where social issues are brought to light, people across the country are fighting for change and equality on all platforms. However, not everyone has been able to get their due, as Indigenous people are still ignored, sophomore Laela Bitahey said.

“We’re still here. Schools, make us look like we went extinct, like we’re not here anymore, when in reality we’re still here, we’re living like everybody else,” she said.

Bitahey said she identifies with the Navajo tribe, which originates from the areas now known as New Mexico, Arizona and

Utah. The Navajo were forcibly removed from those areas, and now the tribe’s only reservation is in New Mexico.

Bitahey said going to the Navajo Reservation is the primary way she connects with her culture. Mother Earth is cherished by her people, and it is what ties them together. Therefore, they need the reservation to take care of their home.

“When we take plants from the earth, we give back,” Bitahey said, “For example if I take sage, I take it with good thoughts, and give water back to the earth.”

The reservation is also where Navajo people gather for ceremonies and traditions like cultural songs and storytelling, she said.

They have ceremonies such as those for manhood and womanhood.

Bitahey said Navajo people also attribute significance to their hair.

“Our hair is really important, because it is connected to our head and brain,” Bitahey said. “When we brush it, we have to think good thoughts so they can come up into our brain and help it. Then when we put it into braids it seals all the knowledge in.”

Despite the Navajos being able to hold on to critical aspects of their identity, she said history has not made it easy. She said when the Catholic church colonized her tribe, they considered her native language evil, and they would beat anyone that spoke it.

This trauma is why their culture and language are slowly disappearing. Despite the difficulty, Bitahey said keeping her history and

Photo by Seoyoung Hwang

TAKING BACK CULTURE:

Bitahey said her tribe embraces cultural practices to connect to their roots.

culture alive is essential for future generations, even if American history classes tend to hide it.

“My mom tries to teach us to be aware of our cultural language and traditions,” Bitahey said. “People are still under the impression that we live in teepees, but we’re doctors, lawyers and anything else you can think of.”

PAGE DESIGN BY NICOLE PIMENTA INNECCO, RITAJA SUBRAHMANYA AND RAJIV VENKATESH IllUSTRATIONS BY RITAJA SUBRAHMANYA

8

In-Depth

Friday, October 1, 2021

Friday, October 1, 2021

History of the Ohlone people

Exploring Native American contributions

By Ritaja Subrahmanya and Rajiv Venkatesh The Ohlone are the native people of the San Francisco Bay Area.

They were hunters and gatherers whose lives were dramatically changed when the Spanish arrived in California. Continue reading for a brief timeline of events in the history of the Ohlone.

Innovations range from cider to canoes

1775 Despite facing oppression, America’s indigenous people have preserved their culture. Their cultural knowledge is integrated into several parts of our society today.

The Spanish ship San Carlos brought Europeans to the San Francisco Bay, where the Ohlone had been living for generations. Later expeditions established garrisons, missions and towns, according to the City of San Carlos.

These settlers brought disease and changed the Ohlone way of life.

Photo courtesy of California Mission Foundation

MISSION SANTA CLARA:

The mission is at the heart of Santa Clara University.

Mission Santa Clara was founded as the eighth mission in the chain of 21 Franciscan Missions, according to Santa Clara University. The Mission was originally based on the banks of the Guadalupe River in San Jose and moved to its current location at Santa Clara University in 1822.

1939 The last person fluent in Chochenyo, an Ohlone language, died in 1939. Over 50 years later, Vicent Medina, a curator of Mission Dolores began to revive the language by studying the works of previous scholars and linguists, according to SFGate. In 2012, he gave a speech in Chochenyo at Mission Dolores.

1998 Since 1998, the Muwekma Ohlone tribe has been trying to seek federally acknowledged status, according to their website. The Ohlone tribe is somewhat recognized by the federal government, granting them some rights as an American tribe.

2017 President Obama made Cotoni-Coast Dairies, the ancestral lands of the Cotoni Ohlone, a federal monument.

The Bureau of Land Management also made an agreement with the Amah Mutsun people to allow them to practice, “Traditional Ecological Knowledge,” according to the City of Santa Cruz.

HONORING THE OHLONE:

The mural pays tribute to the original people of the area.

such as the notion that they are lazy or have it easy in life, Olesek said.

“We definitely don’t have it easy,” Olesek said. “We got all our land stolen, our people killed and children massacred.”

Stereotypes are further perpetuated by sports teams whose names are derogatory terms towards Native Americans such as ¨Indians¨ or ¨R*dskins,” Olesek said.

He said it is wrong that the Washington football team was able to get away with using a slur in their name for so long.

“It’s treating us like animals and it’s not right,” Olesek said.

However, Olesek said he has noticed some good Native American representation recently such as the appointment of Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior. Haaland has promised to bring more resources to help find missing or murdered Indigenous people, according to The New York Times.

“We finally have a Native American who can manage Native American lands, and I think that’s amazing,” Olesek said. “That’s really important because the Secretary of the Interior manages the tribal

Many city names originate from the names of tribes that once lived there, such as Milwaukee, Miami and Seattle. In addition, many common words such as “skunk,” “mahogany” and “chipmunk” come from Native American languages, according to Merriam Webster. During World War II, the Cherokee, Choctaw and other Native tribes served as “code talkers,” according to The National WWII Museum. Many Native languages are now in danger of going extinct, but efforts are being made to keep them alive.

Photo courtesy of Santa Cruz Sentinel

RESTORING THEIR LAND:

Photo courtesy of Polyphonic World

Cotoni-Coast Dairies is expected to open in mid 2022.

San Jose unveiled the mural, “We Are Still Here,” which pays tribute to the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe who lived along the Guadalupe River on August 21, the Mercury News reported. The name references the federal declaration made in the 1920s, which announced the tribe went extinct despite outcry against this announcement from descendants today.

1

By Rajiv Venkatesh

2 5

3

In order to communicate with deaf community members, Native Americans developed a language called Plains Indian Sign Language which was also useful when communicating with other tribes and European traders, according to the Sam Noble Museum.

Photo courtesy of Sam Olesek

RETURNING TO MICHIGAN:

Olesek said he wishes he had more connections with his Ojibwe roots.

lands and reservations. Normally, the position is abused by white people.”

Olesek also applauded HHS for their representation of Native Americans. He said especially in his literature classes, he has noticed increased discussion regarding current issues Native Americans face along with specific attention towards dispelling myths about their culture. “[HHS] does a great job with Native American representation,” Olesek said. “The trouble is, most high schools and institutions in America aren’t anywhere near as good. If everybody attended HHS and came to our history and English classes, I feel like things would be a lot better.”

4

Photo courtesy of Pequot Library

The staples of Native American cuisine have become the foundation of many of the foods we eat today. Native American tribes were among the first to cultivate potatoes, beans, corn, peanuts, pumpkins, tomatoes, squash, peppers, nuts, melons and sunflower seeds, according to the Hearst Museum. In California, native people also created berry ciders using Manzanita berries.

5

4

Photo courtesy of KQED

The idea of conservation is so central to Native American culture that one tribe had no word for it; it was just a way of life, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Native Americans used everything they killed and respected the land on which they lived.

By Karuna Chandran and Ritaja Subrahmanya When settlers came from Eu- earth. They were extremely knowlrope, they saw fertile lands all edgeable on the complicated inaround them and vast expanses terrelationships between various of greenery, according to Fox Run organisms. Rather than viewing Environmental Education Center. themselves as above nature, they treated it with However, they did not respect and as realize the reason these natural resources stayed if they were a preserved was due to part of it. the efforts of Native For inAmericans. stance, the Anasazi people Native Americans understood the fundaof New Mexico mental tenets of enviused irrigation Photo courtesy of PBS ronmental sustainabili- DAKOTA ACCESS PIPEsystems to colty, such that everything LINE: Native Americans lect rainwathat humans do has a fought to protect their ter to sustain lasting impact on the sacred burial grounds. corn and oth-

Photo courtesy of Detriot City Lacrosse

3

The first environmentalists 2021

Photo courtesy of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe

By Ritaja Subrahmanya with additional reporting by Nicole Pimenta Innecco planning to hopefully go back to upper Michigan in the spring because it’s the land of my people.”

One of the biggest issues surrounding knowledge of Native Americans is there is a lot misinformation, Olesek said.

“A lot of people think we’re extinct like dinosaurs or that Native American culture is a thing of the past,” Olesek said. “We almost went extinct, but somehow we survived and there’s still a few of us left.”

The Native American population has been on the decline, Olesek said. Ninety percent of the Indigenous population were killed after the arrival of European colonizers, according to Business Insider.

HHS has also added to the misconceptions about Native Americans. Olesek said the school reported the racial demographics of Native Americans within HHS as 0% this year. However, this is far from the truth.

“I looked at the 0% and I [thought] ‘I think you forgot somebody,’” Olesek said. “My entire life I have been told that I’m extinct and I don’t exist.”

Additionally, Native Americans face many stereotypes

Photo courtesy of History.com

Canoeing, snowshoeing, tobogganing, lacrosse and many ball games were developed by Indigenous peoples across the Americas. To many tribes, games were much more than just fun, according to the National Library of Medicine. Many games reinforced group cooperation, sharpened survival skills needed in hostile environments and helped warriors maintain readiness for war.

Sam Olesek describes his Ojibwe heritage Maple syrup. The sweet syrup most commonly associated with American breakfast items such as waffles and pancakes actually originated from the Ojibwe tribe who used it to add flavor to their meats, according to MinnPost.

“I am a direct descendant of the people who invented maple syrup,” junior Sam Olesek said.

Olesek is part of the Ojibwe tribe, which encompassed the Great Lakes region of Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Ontario, according to the Minnesota Historical Society. Their main location today is upper Michigan, Olesek said in a Zoom interview.

As a result of genocide, the vast majority of current Native Americans are not full blooded Native Americans, Olesek said. In fact, he said many like him appear to be white.

Consequently, Olesek said he has found it difficult to connect with his people.

Olesek said he has not been able to visit the Ojibwe headquarters since he was in third grade, which makes him hesitant to reveal to people that he is Native American.

“I’ve lived most of my life as a basic white boy, and I’ve just gone along with that my entire life,” Olesek said. “I’m

1

2

‘The land of my people’ 1777

9

er crops, according Today, Native to the Washington Americans are on Post. Because they the frontlines of frequently moved, addressing many the land was able to environmental recover from whatissues, accordever minute impact ing to Nonprofit they had.

Quarterly. In 2016, Photo courtesy of Bowhunting However, Native Native Americans American tribes CONNECTING TO NAprotested the were far from hav- TURE: The Native Amercreation of the ing a perfect envi- icans believe in thanking Dakota Access ronmental record, animals for their service.

Pipeline, which according to Nonprofit Quarterly. is located on the burial grounds In the Northeast, they burned for- of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. ests to hunt, creating hot winds The pipeline could pose a threat to that made October feel like July, Lake Oahe, a water source, accordaccording to the Washington Post. ing to Reuters.

Indigenous erasure: Preserving their culture

By Nicole Pimenta Innecco As the U.S. enters an era where social issues are brought to light, people across the country are fighting for change and equality on all platforms. However, not everyone has been able to get their due, as Indigenous people are still ignored, sophomore Laela Bitahey said.

“We’re still here. Schools, make us look like we went extinct, like we’re not here anymore, when in reality we’re still here, we’re living like everybody else,” she said.

Bitahey said she identifies with the Navajo tribe, which originates from the areas now known as New Mexico, Arizona and

Utah. The Navajo were forcibly removed from those areas, and now the tribe’s only reservation is in New Mexico.

Bitahey said going to the Navajo Reservation is the primary way she connects with her culture. Mother Earth is cherished by her people, and it is what ties them together. Therefore, they need the reservation to take care of their home.

“When we take plants from the earth, we give back,” Bitahey said, “For example if I take sage, I take it with good thoughts, and give water back to the earth.”

The reservation is also where Navajo people gather for ceremonies and traditions like cultural songs and storytelling, she said.

They have ceremonies such as those for manhood and womanhood.

Bitahey said Navajo people also attribute significance to their hair.

“Our hair is really important, because it is connected to our head and brain,” Bitahey said. “When we brush it, we have to think good thoughts so they can come up into our brain and help it. Then when we put it into braids it seals all the knowledge in.”

Despite the Navajos being able to hold on to critical aspects of their identity, she said history has not made it easy. She said when the Catholic church colonized her tribe, they considered her native language evil, and they would beat anyone that spoke it.

This trauma is why their culture and language are slowly disappearing. Despite the difficulty, Bitahey said keeping her history and

Photo by Seoyoung Hwang

TAKING BACK CULTURE:

Bitahey said her tribe embraces cultural practices to connect to their roots.

culture alive is essential for future generations, even if American history classes tend to hide it.

“My mom tries to teach us to be aware of our cultural language and traditions,” Bitahey said. “People are still under the impression that we live in teepees, but we’re doctors, lawyers and anything else you can think of.”

PAGE DESIGN BY NICOLE PIMENTA INNECCO, RITAJA SUBRAHMANYA AND RAJIV VENKATESH IllUSTRATIONS BY RITAJA SUBRAHMANYA

10

Lifestyles

Friday, October 1, 2021

Underclassmen learn to adapt to in-person

Freshmen, sophomores struggle with acclimating to in-person school

By Lia Klebanov and Brevin Reed From the clamoring of voices during lunch to the tone of the bell and the brisk morning air as students walk to school, there is no doubt: HHS is back in-person.

However, due to the long duration of online learning during the 2020-2021 school year, many freshmen and sophomores have come to campus for the first time.

Sophomore Rohan Venkatesan, one among many, said he does not quite know what to expect from the upcoming in-person year.

“It’s obviously been very new,” Venkatesan said. “But it’s really exciting because I’m finally surrounded by fellow students and people for the first time in two years.”

Like Venkatesan, freshman Nicole Wolff said the social aspect of school was missing for many students since interaction through Zoom was limited.

Wolff said it was difficult for her to make new friends and explore other interests in her mid-

dle school due to the pandemic.

However, being back in-person this year has allowed her to join new clubs and sports, such as cheer.

Even though there have been many positive benefits regarding going back to school in-person, Venkatesan said the quality of academics last year was not satisfactory enough to prepare him.

He said the difference in workload and expectations has been overwhelming for him to adjust to, making the beginning of the year stressful.

“It’s been jarring, getting so much work and being in-person, so I have to really pay attention at all times,” Venkatesan said.

“I have had to get used to high school a lot quicker than if I was a freshman.”

However, Wolff said many teachers have incorporated distance learning teaching methods into this year. This has made the transition seem more familiar.

“A lot of school is not really

that different because we still use computers all the time,” Wolff said. “Everything feels mostly the same so far for me, and the teachers have not been giving a very rigorous course load of homework yet.”

Freshman Alfredo Villanueva said the support from teachers in-person is visibly greater to that in distance learning.

Villanueva said he has appreciated the lengths his teachers have taken to make sure he is doing well.

“Some of my teachers even go out of their way to help me out,” Villanueva said. “The administration has also helped me a lot too.”

Villanueva said he wants to participate in new activities, including clubs and sports, that he was not able to do in his middle school over distance learning.

“I’m looking forward to sports, especially wrestling and water polo,” Villanueva said. “I am also interested in American Sign Language club. As I have

From inclusivity to action

WEA determined to empower women

By Ariana Tejeda Moreno and Anushruti Nagarajan “I’ve never experienced any organization or club that is focused on specific gender issues, which is why Women’s Empowerment Ambassadors Club intrigued me,” sophomore Jamie Nguyen said.

WEA preaches education, involvement, empowerment and inclusion for all women in the community, club president, senior Jena Alsup said.

General meetings are held every other Wednesday in room C207.

“Since we’re back in person this year, we’re focusing a lot on building a community with WEA and trying to make sure that all the members are involved and have this as a safe space so that people can discuss openly and listen to other ideas,’’ Alsup said.

Past WEA events have included feminine product drives, volunteering and the Women’s March in San Francisco, Alsup said.

The president said WEA officers have a determined mindset to improve through member unity.

Officers of WEA have been goal setting for an improved club.

Their goals include more than volunteering and educating students.

WEA hopes to build a stronger club community involving men and combating stereotypes feminism holds, Alsup said.

“You can’t just have women supporting feminism or you’re never going to get anything done,” Alsup said.

“You also know that feminism benefits men when you have a more equal society, so getting men involved is very important.”

WEA treasurer, junior Ningning O’Brien, said in order to gain more male members, the club officers began to advertise.

Junior Max Wang heard about WEA through his classmate and joined this year to learn more about becoming an activist for women’s equality, since he has seen women close to him face injustice, he said.

He expects to learn how to take action from future lectures in WEA and more involving activities, Wang said.

Additionally, the junior said he believes the goal of encouraging men to join the club is important but has not been achieved thus far.

After listening to members and understanding their concerns about the lack of diversity in the recent movement, the club wants to include the experiences and intersectionality of different women in their meeting discussions, Alsup said.

In addition, she said the process will now include amplifying the voices of women of color, lower class women, LGBTQ and more overlooked female minorities.

“One of the things we’re really trying to focus on this year is inclusivity,” Alsup said. “The feminist movement gets a bad reputation because it focuses a lot on empowering white Photo courtesy of Jena Alsup middle class, cisgender women. It doesn’t really focus on empowering lower class, Black, or transgender women.”

WEA hopes to further emphasize women’s equality and have educated discussions on various matters concerning women’s rights, O’Brien said.

“Even online, everyone felt so connected, and WEA is a safe space to escape to, especially in the troubles of COVID-19.” Nguyen said. “I take information we learn in meetings and work towards educating MEMORIES AND BONDING: WEA’s others about the ongoing issues.” first social was watching “Legally Blond.”

“

cause being in-person, even with masks on, feels a lot more personable and comfortable.

“I’ve gotten a lot happier because before I didn’t talk to a lot of people,” Villanueva said. “But now that I’m at school I get to socialize a lot more, and I’m hoping in-person learning is here to stay.”

found that really interesting.”

In fact, Villanueva said going to school has had a drastic positive impact on his mental health and happiness, largely due to the inclusion of social life once again and not being constantly at home.

He said he prefers in-person learning over online school be-

Photo by Brevin Reed

BACK AT SCHOOL: Underclassmen come onto the HHS campus for

the first time for in-person learning.

A mindful decision

English teachers explain curriculum choices

By Erin Loh

Out of the millions of pieces of literature in the world, English classes guide students through a select few each year.

Most do not stop to think how literary works get chosen to be in an English curriculum, but if they did, they would learn that the process is extremely complex.

Teachers identify areas in the curriculum that may require change by doing an inventory, a process English department lead Debbie Vanni describes as looking at the content a class reads throughout the year and noticing patterns that weaken the curriculum as a whole.

For example, Vanni said if the department finds that a curriculum features mostly white main characters, they would make a change to encompass more diverse voices. Still, Vanni said changing the literature for a curriculum is uncommon, since each change takes time, involves a lot of discussion and must be very mindful.

“Choosing literature is intense— deciding the lesson plans, what are you going to have kids do, meeting state standards and asking ‘how are you going to encourage writing?’” Vanni said. “‘How are you going to encourage speaking and listening?’”

Once teachers decide to make a change, they must make sure the new piece of literature meets the state standards for English Language Arts. According to Common Core, any piece of literature in an English curriculum has to have a certain complexity level that will allow it to be adequate for the high school level. Complexity of a book takes into consideration both quantitative dimensions such as vocabulary and sentence length, and qualitative dimensions including meaning and structure.

Vanni said at each level of English,

JOURNEY IN ART Read about Tyler Cripe’s journey in discovering his passion for art!

Photo by Erin Loh

LOOKING FOR MEANING: Students

converse to better understand literature.

there is at least one piece of literature all students in that grade will read. For example, every student in Literature and Writing will study Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Other than the piece studied by all classes in the same level, the rest of the literature a class reads is free for the teacher to choose and replace as they see fit, given the content meets the Common Core standards and the basic requisites of the class.

American and World Literature teacher Ed Riley said he looks for diverse perspectives to be represented in the literature his classes study.

“It’s about bringing in different voices,” Riley said. “When we say diversity, we don’t mean just in terms of race. We also mean that in terms of sexuality, gender or non-gender as well.”

Riley said one recent change the American Literature Honors team made to their curriculum was replacing “Huckleberry Finn” with the novel “The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead.

“Whitehead is a male black author,” Riley said. “We know the underground railroad existed, but not in the way that he tells the story.”

Careful planning and meticulous decision making help students like junior Nicole Spaulding, who said she has been able to apply lessons and make connections to real life from the literary works “You come to your own conclusions, you come to realizations and you look at things beyond the surface level,” Spaulding said. “Those are the things that really mean the most.”

PAGE DESIGN BY HOPE SAENA AND LINDSEY STEEL

Lifestyles

John Burn: the man behind the music

By Lindsey Steel

The Mighty Mustang Marching Band is one of the most decorated in the country — they have been featured in the Macy’s Parade, the Tournament of Roses Parade and have attended the national championships in Indiana twice. And the man behind it all is band director John Burn.

For Burn, music was always an obvious choice. As a musician himself, Burn said he was initially drawn to music in fourth grade and picked up various instruments throughout the years, including trumpet, tuba and drums. In high school and college, he was an avid participant in both HHS’s and De Anza College’s marching bands before getting his credentials in music education.

Since taking his position as band director 30 years ago, Burn said at one point, the organization was the best in the Bay Area. Since then, the band has continued to surpass expectations and became one of the best in the state and finally one of the best in the country. The music teacher said he attributes the success to camaraderie.

“The biggest thing is student leadership,” Burn said. “The older members of the band set the standard for how we

rehearse, what our expectations are and how we look and sound. The older members of the band make it their priority to make sure that the younger members are having fun.”

The other paramount piece contributing to the triumphs of the marching band is extensive preparation, Burn said. Due to the especially large size of the band, being the sole director includes thinking ahead, which Burn said is crucial to the whole process.

“My job is really more like the principal of a small school or like a manager,” Burn said. “It’s all about mapping it out and going, ‘here’s where we want to be, so how do we back up from that?’”

Despite the band’s past success, Burn said he is always finding room for improvement. He aims to expand the largest marching band in the district and get it back to full force — ideally 250 people.

Declining enrollment and COVID-19 are the culprits behind the band’s dwindling student participation of around 180 musicians, Burn said.

“There’s declining enrollment, so there are fewer kids,” Burn said.

“COVID-19 also really hit band and music harder than maybe anyPhoto courtesy of John Burn thing else regarding the numbers of kids in programs and the lack of teaching teachers have been able to do. Kids have been learning music, but they haven’t been playing their instruments much, if at all.”

Still, HHS’s marching band has provided Burn with more than a sense of accomplishment, he said.

“For me, what makes a good marching band is the sense of family and the sense of everybody being really happy to be around everyone else,” Burn said. “That is CONDUCTING THE BAND: Band director John Burn leads students in performing a piece. exactly what HHS has.”

Friday, October 1, 2021

Mock trial looks to future

11

Winners of 2020 county championships rebuild team

By Rajiv Venkatesh A snake in the mailbox. A self-driving car crash. A robbery gone wrong. These fascinating disasters, and whether they were heinous crimes or regrettable accidents, have formed the crux of previous mock trial cases.

After their win at the 2020 county championships, mock trial is looking to continue its success this year. Club tryouts were held Sept. 9-13 during which the club chose members they hope will help replicate the club’s success.

“We’re not just looking for how good a person is at speaking,’’ junior Emily Tumacder, co-vice president, said.

“We’re also looking at how passionate they are about mock trial. We’re looking for people who actually want to be here, who want to assume a role and immerse themselves into it.”

Passion and commitment are important qualities in mock trial, Tumacder said. In the club, members are divided into two teams: prosecution and defense.

Together, members argue the case in a trial using the provided information, according to the mock trial website.

“It’s natural to be nervous before competitions, but there’s a sort of calm that overtakes you when you finally take the stage,” junior Abby Berwick, two-year member of the club, said. “You know what you’re doing, you’ve practiced for this, and you feel confident because it’s a culmination of your hard work.”

Berwick is hopeful the club will revive the traditions of potluck socials and review Kahoots, she said.

“What made us successful two years ago was how close we were as a team,” Berwick said. “Since the club was in person, we all got to know each other as friends, which motivated us to work harder and actually have fun while we were working on the case.”

Photo courtesy of Susan Wilson

COUNTY CHAMPION WINNERS:

Team looks to replicate past successes.

When school went online last year, the team was deprived of the connection that made the club successful in past years, Berwick said.

“Team spirit was a huge part of our win,” Berwick said. “But last year, we were further apart and the team wasn’t able to get that same level of interaction, which might have slowed us down.”

While the club is back in person this year, it faces a lack of longtime members.

Sophomore Rohan Venkatesan, co-vice president, said this year’s tryouts have proven more fruitful in that area.

“This is a rebuilding year since we’ve had a lot of people graduate,” Venkatesan said. “We’ve tried to find people that will be in mock trial for all four years of their high school career.”

During tryouts, the officers looked for members who exhibited similar qualities as those from the winning team two years ago, Venkatesan said.

Rebuilding the team is just one step in a cycle that continues the ever-growing legacy of the club.

“We have the knowledge that previous mock trial members have passed on to us, and every year we learn new things,” Tumacder said. “We plan on finding new people who share our passion for mock trial, and we’ll pass down our experience to them so future generations of the club can also have it.”

The final hurrah for class of 2022

Seniors share plans on making last year memorable

By Ashley Orozco Plata and Hope Saena Despite having this year to As senior Mallory Mitton has make memories with friends missed the majority of her high again, she said she wished she school experience, she said in a had more mementos of her early Zoom interview she is grateful years at HHS. to have the chance to reconnect “During virtual learning, I with friends and extracurriculars. would look back at my photos She said she has been enjoying and there would her time as be none of my a senior and Photo courtesy of Mallory Mitton friends and I, being back at so I’m pushing HHS. this year to take “My senior a bunch of picyear has been tures together,” amazing,” Mitton said. “I Mitton said. never realized “It’s super fun how important being back looking back at in class and STRENGTHENING OLD being able to FRIENDSHIPS: Mitton hopes to old photos was because now I do an activity deepen bond with friends. am able to see with people our growth through the years.” around me. I’m also really excitFor her last year at HHS, Mited for homecoming and all the ton said she has many goals, inevents that are coming up.” cluding strengthening her relaDue to Mitton’s sophomore tionships with the school. year being cut short as well as “I really want to be able to distance learning last school look back while in college and be year, she said her friend group is able to still connect with people using this year to try to make up at HHS. I’m scared that once I for the lost time. go off to college, I’ll lose all my “We are trying to go all out friends,” she said. “I’m hoping our senior year,” she said. “We’re that in the future, I can come trying to enjoy our senior nights back and reminisce with the peofor sports and we’re making an effort to be there for each other.” ple back here.”

ELIAS CONTRERAZ

While senior Elias Contreraz found some of his passions throughout his time at HHS, he said he has been more involved off campus.

“I participate in a lot of ice hockey, and I trained outside of school,” Contreraz said. “I played baseball for HHS my freshman year, but I’m mostly doing stuff outside of school now.”

Contreraz said he has been playing hockey since he moved to the Bay Area in 2011.

“My mother really pushed me to try something new, so I learned to ice skate and then two years later went into ice hockey,” Contreraz said. “I’ve been doing it ever since.”

Reflecting on his experience Photo courtesy of Elias Contreraz

MALLORY MITTON

MAKING MEANINGFUL MEMORIES: Friends partici-

pate in senior walk-in for rally.

with distance learning, Contreraz said he is enjoying school now that it is back in person.

“I’m really enjoying being back and seeing everyone, especially in my stats class,” Contreraz said. “Seeing everyone collaborate is nice, rather than just sitting in front of a screen.”

This year, Contreraz wants to continue to grow as a student and find a balance in his academics.

“I hope to come out as a more focused student,” Contreraz said.

“I hope I can manage my time better with the skills I’ve learned, get everything done on time and keep a consistent level of work.”

MARIA PEDRAZA

Though juggling school, club meetings, work and college applications will be a struggle for her this semester, senior Maria Pedraza said in a Zoom interview being back in person for her senior year is something she will take advantage of.

“As a freshman, I thought I would have the rest of high school to get involved, but then we went into virtual learning and all that time went by fast,” Pedraza said.

“Now being a senior, I want to do everything possible.”

Photo courtesy of Maria Pedraza

FUN SENIOR EVENTS:

Seniors sit with friends to watch the sunrise for their senior year.

In her junior year, Pedraza said she joined the Red Cross club, psychology club and student equity task force because she wanted to be more involved with school activities.

“It’s been a fun experience learning about various topics, and I feel being involved has helped me learn how to manage my time,” Pedraza said.

To make her last year memorable and make up for lost time, Pedraza said she plans to participate in every event offered.

“Though I only have this year to make up for everything I missed, I plan on going all out on school spirit,” Pedraza said.

“I want to attend football games and go to winter formal with my friends.”

PAGE DESIGN BY SAIRA AHMED AND BREVIN REED

12

Friday, October 1, 2021

Is it cute or is she just skinny?

By Shreya Partha

By now, I have foregone any guise of thinking trends hold any significance in society (at least, most of the time). They often come about as quickly as they fall. Yet, every time I see a new trend I like pop up on TikTok, I hold out a sliver of hope that it may stick around for longer than a couple of weeks. Despite their short life span, some trends leave a remarkable impact on me and change the way I view the world.

One such example is the “skinny or fashionable” trend that has been circling social media for the past couple of months.

TikTokers started making videos about whether an article of clothing is fashionable or trendy because the model is skinny. Two separate social media posts went semi viral by highlighting the idea that fat bodies are regarded as less fashionable even if they are adorned with the same clothes that are praised on thin bodies, according to Her Campus.

While these TikToks may have been made with good intentions and as a way to shed light on how the “skinny or fashionable” trend is just another form of skinny priv-

tion

stra

Illu

ilege, the way some of these TikToks are executed is insensitive and ignorant.

The whole basis of this trend puts me off. The trend almost suggests that in order to be able to pull off an outfit that is not fashionable, you have to be skinny. And just like that, an implicit connection between being skinny and fashionable is made. By drawing this inane association, we start to normalize biases surrounding body types.

A clear example of this is the way the word “fat” in reference to someone’s body is often shied away from, unless it’s used as a derogatory descriptor.

This is seen from the way people jump at the opportunity to object when someone calls themselves fat in a feeble attempt to “reassure” them they are not fat. Doing this simply reinforces this idea that being fat is something that is unattractive.

Small tells like objecting when someone calls themself fat or using “fat” as a disparaging term uncovers our own biases and the fatphobia that exists in our society today.

“But in the process of disavowing the word, we reinforce all of those negative meanings, and we reveal our own unquestioned assumptions about what it means to be fat,” according to Self.

Despite the overall negative implications, the “skinny or fashionable” trend did its part in helping me recognize the faults we have in SKINNY OR FASHIONABLE: TikTok trend exposes inherent fatphobia in society. biases.

Arts & Culture

‘Donda’: a controversial underwhelming, confusing fantasy

Kanye West releases mediocre album after too much hype

By Saira Ahmed and Niyatee Jain Kanye West’s long-awaited album “Donda” was unexpectedly released on Aug. 29 after teasing its release in July of 2020.

Famous for its listening parties, “Donda” is not an atrocious album, but it does not meet Kanye West-level expectations.

Compared to older songs like “POWER” and “I Wonder,” none of the songs on the album truly fit the uniqueness West produces. Most of the songs on “Donda” sound as though they have been produced by any other rapper.

Though the album does not meet my expectations, a few songs stand out, one being “Hurricane.”

“Hurricane” begins with The Weeknd’s angelic vocals and an intriguing instrumental, which is, ironically, the best part of the song. The rest of it, apart from the chorus, is relatively uninteresting. Lil Baby, who is featured in the song, has a good verse but, it is not good enough to save the song from West’s dull portion. It is clear his lyrics lack the creativity he is known for.

Yet, the entire album is not a lost cause. Some hidden gems in the album include “Moon” and “Jail.” West’s ability to produce

‘Donda’

by

a

arth

P eya

Shr

Genre: Hip-Hop

Photo courtesy of Josh Withers-Corbis

DONDA DONDA DONDA: Kanye West’s long-awaited album is a

letdown compared to his previous releases.

beautiful beats is demonstrated through the track “Moon.”

The melodic lead-in is sung by Don Toliver. His vocals, alongside Kid Cudi’s, blend perfectly with the dreamy instrumental. The emotional lyrics serve as a good breather in between the upbeat tracks and boring lyrics and it is interesting to see Toliver and Cudi be the focus of the track.

The second track on the album, “Jail,” easily stands out as one of the best. Jay-Z’s feature proves the duo are hip-hop legends. The simple guitar bass line is an ode to his older songs, such as “Gorgeous,” and serves as an effective hook for the song.

It is refreshing to see West is still collaborating with old friends, such as Jay-Z, despite not working with him for

Release date: Aug. 29, 2021

such a long time.

In recent years, West has been focusing his time on activities other than music. While we applaud him for experimenting with new interests, we have been anxiously waiting for “Donda” since July 2020.

The result is a well-produced album, but underwhelming in comparison to his earlier albums such as “The College Dropout,” “Graduation” and “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” as well as the hype surrounding the album.

West has always separated his art from himself. Known for opinionated outbursts, West has made it difficult for people to be true fans of his character. However, his quality of music has provided a reason for people to remain fans.

Though West is one of the best rappers in the game, “Donda” and the events leading up to it prove this rap legend is waning off his peak.

‘Certified Lover Boy’ breaks away from what defines Drake

Drake’s newest album, while original, should not pave way for his future music

By Josh Cantwell-Nahrung The quality and consistency of Drake’s music is undeniable.

This alone leads to many of his songs landing a spot on my playlists.

The newly released September album, “Certified Lover Boy,” however, unfortunately falls short of my expectations.

The album goes back and forth between his attempt at R&B, to Hip-Hop/Rap, but he

fails to properly execute both genres, which left me feeling underwhelmed after listening.

While many songs from his 2011 album “Take Care” have a slower R&B feel to them, similar to many of the songs on his newest album, Drake missed the mark this time.

The album’s intro “Champagne Poetry” is an R&B track that samples the beat of the 2017 song “Navajo” Photo courtesy of Stereogum by R&B/Soul artist Masego.

This is one of the few R&B songs on the album I enjoyed due to its rhythm and smoothness.

The following songs on the album feel like he is reaching for an unnatural sound that does not MISSES THE MARK: Drake explores new sounds play towards but does not execute them well.

his strengths.

These do not sound like songs I would ever associate with Drake, and it is not a change I am thrilled to listen to.

The beats are slower, the flow does not have much of a build up and I often felt inclined to press the skip button out of boredom with his songs.

The song “7am On Bridle Path,” while extraordinarily lyrical, is almost monotone with the same generic beat in the back and unchanging flow. It is as if Drake is simply talking into the microphone for four minutes. The first time I listened to the song, I definitely felt intrigued because of the clever lyrics, however, after listening past the first minute, I found myself falling asleep due to the lack of exciting beat in the song.

My favorite song on the album is “Fair trade,” which is one of the only pure rap songs. Featuring Travis Scott, the song is something I would expect from Drake.

The song has a fast tempo, a good

beat, the flow stays smooth from verse to verse and the Travis Scott feature has a good build up.

“TSU” is a runner up, however, the first minute of the slow talking voice in the song is unbearable. I do not care to listen to someone list the cities in Texas for a minute straight.

Looking past the awkward speech in the beginning of the song, “TSU” has a silky smooth flow, with a track that has a great balance of bass, trap drums and a soft background voice that brings the whole thing together.

The seventh track on the album, “Way 2 Sexy” took a while to grow on me, and while I did not add it to my liked songs on Spotify, I am able to appreciate the confidence it instills in people. This song almost acts as the equivalent of “Hot Girl Summer”

by Megan Thee Stallion for boys.

‘Certified Lover Boy’ Genre: Hip-Hop Release date: Sept. 3, 2021

However, I hope the intent was not for people to genuinely enjoy hearing the music.

The album is not completely awful, but it just is not up to par with the majority of his past music. In future albums, I hope Drake avoids straying so far from what works for him, as he clearly tried to do in this album, without success I would love to see him get back to his roots and produce the music he does best, which he has been doing for the past several years and even in some very recent songs he was featured on.

PAGE DESIGN BY KESHAV KUMAR AND OLIVIA SHEN

Arts & Culture

Lorde paves way for new era

13

Friday, October 1, 2021

Transcending beyond boundaries of mainstream music with new album, ‘Solar Power’

By Macy Li

‘Solar Power’

angst and adolescent thrill.

With “Solar Power,” Lorde traded the heavy beats and reverberant lyrics of her past albums for simple backing tracks: acoustic guitar, the chirping of cicadas and soft instrumentals.

When I first listened to “Solar Power,” I was drawn to the uniqueness of this album — specifically, the way it deviates from both the depthless trends of the modern music industry and her previous works.

I was delighted to see a new side of Lorde and found many songs intriguing. In the opening track of the album, “The Path,” she sings, “Now I’m alone on a windswept island / Caught in the complex divorce of the seasons.”

With this song, she introduces one of the underlying motifs of “Solar Power”: nature. Through her lyrics, she depicts the peace of the natural world, which offers an escape from reality and provides us with answers we are searching for.

Throughout the album, Lorde also casts a light on her

Genre: Alternative/Indie

Release date: Aug. 20, 2021

ENTERTAINMENT RELEASE RADAR New movie and music releases from the past month Photo courtesy of Spotify

Album Name: ‘MONTERO’ Artist: Lil Nas X Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap, Pop Release Date: Sept. 17

Photo courtesy of Wyomingnews

Album Name: ‘star-crossed’ Artist: Kacey Musgraves Genre: Country Release Date: Sept. 10 Photo courtesy of IMDb Infographic by Amber Birrell

Cultures should be respected, not appropriated

By Seoyoung Hwang Cultural appropriation has gone too far and its negative implications are damaging traditions in cultures around the world.

Recently all over the media, I have seen many people disrespecting cultures, which causes the value of cultural traditions to decrease. This is not okay.

With cultural traditions gaining popularity online, more and more cultures are also becoming susceptible to being appropriated, especially in the entertainment industry, since many artists are constantly gaining inspiration from different cultures and their traditions.

Cultural appropriation happens when someone adopts a cultural custom and uses it without any respect or knowledge of the culture or its significance, according to healthline.

This is upsetting because cultural identities are being misused.

For example, designers were criticized for featuring models wearing turban-style headwear during Milan Fashion week in Feb. 2019, according to BBC News.

The models were wearing traditional pieces with no intention of upholding the culture. These fashion elements were used purely for their aesthetics and to satisfy the audience.

The designers did not stop to consider how they could have offended someone by using the cultural clothing incorrectly and misrepresenting the culture. This alienates people and makes them feel as though their culture is less valuable.

FASHION POLICE

By Amber Birrell This past year, I have seen the fashion industry shift their focus from skinny jeans to jeans that value comfort, the most popular of them being “mom jeans.”

Growing in popularity, mom jeans feature a baggier style compared to the tight fit of skinny jeans.

With the wave of people sporting this new, baggy look, it almost seems skinny jeans are no longer in style.

Despite this, I still see many people sporting a good trusty pair of skinny jeans. In fact, I might even go as far as to say they are still a staple in so many people’s closets, including my own.

Personally, I have yet to make the shift from skinny jeans, as I feel more comfortable in them and leggings.

In fact, I have found some styles of skinny jeans are more comfortable than mom jeans because they fit like a glove. Additionally, more often than not, perfect fitting mom jeans are so hard to find as they fit awkwardly and are uncomfortable.

It comes down to what clothing you think suits your body type better and what you feel most comfortable wearing.

Despite my lack of trendiness, I cannot deny that baggy jeans are cute and are slowly but surely winning me over with their never-ending styles.

They are here to stay and are slowly taking over, one closet at a time.

Chances are you will see me in a pair when it gets colder out and I am ready to retire my leggings.

Skinny jeans are undoubtedly getting pushed back into the dark depths of people’s closets, but they will always be easy to style.

They still deserve a spot in people’s closets to switch things up. I throw on a pair of jeans and a random shirt and call it a day. Does this make me a fashion icon?

Definitely not, but when items like skinny jeans are so easy to wear, they are undoubtedly bound to make a comeback in the future.

Another example of cultural not appropriating other cultures, appropriation is from a Canadian but instead appreciating each painter Amanda PL, whose art- culture and its uniqueness. work was accused of appropriatA great example of cultural ing the Native American culture, appreciation is LOONA’s “Butaccording to Newsweek. terfly” music video. The video Although she denied appro- features people from different priating Native American culture, cultures without altering their it led to the eventual cancellation outfits and cultural background. of her art show.

This is a positive way to respectWhile gaining inspiration fully showcase different cultures from a different culture can help for their significance and meanan artist grow, taking a part of ings. their culture inappropriately and Everyone should educate without consent should not be themselves before getting inspidone. ration from another culture for Instead, artists should educate their own art. themselves about the culture and As various cultures begin traditions before using them and gaining traction on social media, understand the significance of we must educate ourselves to be the piece before making the deci- respectful and mindful of other sion to include the element traditions. in their work.

Taking the time to learn about a different culture, understand its truths and embrace it in a respectful manner is called cultural appreciation. However, I often see it being mistaken for appropriation.

For example, I have seen many artists in the K-Pop industry frequently get accused of practicing cultural appropriation since they often gather inspiration from another culture.

The difference here is that these artists openly state where they get inspiration for their music, the choreography and outfits. They RESPECT OTHER CULTURES: understand the signifi- Before taking inspiration from other cance of each component, cultures, people must understand the making sure that they are significance.

PAGE DESIGN BY ASHLEY OROZCO PLATA AND HARSHITHA VIJAYAKUMAR Illustration by Seoyoung Hwang

Movie Name: ‘Cinderella’ Director: Kay Cannon Genre: Musical/Fantasy Release Date: Sept. 3

personal growth. In “Secrets from a Girl,” she sings, “Couldn’t wait to turn fifteen / Then you blink and it’s been ten years.” Later in the song, she urges listeners to follow their dreams and compares their ambitions to rays of sunlight.

Lorde’s music has deep-rooted, insightful messages. She invites listeners to see the world from her perspective.

SHIFT IN MUSICALITY: Lorde When I hear her showcases versatility in newest album. songs, they feel vivid and personal, often bringing all her songs on repeat. Oftenstories and memoirs to life. They times, I can close my eyes and are beautifully written and exhib- envision the world she paints, it a level of sophistication I have immersing myself in her music. yet to find in another musical I highly anticipated the reartist. lease of “Solar Power,” and it did Like the rest of her discogra- not fall short of my high expecphy, “Solar Power” is filled with tations. poetic lines. My favorites come The transformations in her from “The Man with an Axe,” a musicality and the shift away song about a person she loves. from her previous themes are a She sings, “A flick of lights as the true testament to her versatility. world falls away / And your office Among all the artists in the job, and your silver hair / But our current music industry, Lorde is shapes in the dark are the reason a gem. With the release of “SoI’ve stayed for all these years.” lar Power,” she has reminded me Her imagery is brilliant, and once again of why I truly treasure her writing is why I still listen to her music.

Photo courtesy of Universal Music New Zealand

A sunkissed record with wistful undertones. Lorde has returned to the limelight with her new album “Solar Power.” Once again, her authentic style, vibrant melodies and sophisticated lyrics have captivated me.

Lorde’s songs have always been art: crafted colorfully and delivered poetically. Each studio album she has produced is a palette of emotions.

In every track, Lorde weaves a story embedded with a series of potent themes and resonating messages.

“Solar Power” is a breath of fresh air, marking a shift in her musicality. This album stands in stark contrast to her previous ones, which embrace concepts of crushing heartbreak, teenage

14

Sports

Friday, October 1, 2021

Relocation to MVHS did not go swimmingly

Swim team shares their experience with sudden change in location

By Anushruti Nagarajan and Harshitha Vijayakumar

PEOPLE’S CHAMP

By Josh Cantwell-Nahrung North Carolina State University baseball had a surprisingly exceptional season in 2021.

After starting the season poorly, the team slowly built their way into the NCAA postseason tournament. They were seeded last in every bracket they were put into, but somehow the team managed to keep themselves afloat.

Little did they know they were yet to face the only opponent who could slow them down: COVID-19.

After winning their first two games in the College World Series, they were notified that two members of the team tested positive.

The question is, however, was COVID-19 the true opponent?

After an unvaccinated player tested positive and quarantined, the NCAA understandably restricted NC State’s roster to the 13 vaccinated players. After a close game to Vanderbilt, the 13 man team lost. However, NC was not yet eliminated.

Unfortunately, the game ended up being their last, as the NCAA released a statement at 1 a.m. declaring them a “No-Contest,” meaning they were disqualified.

Outrage ensued from almost every college baseball fan, and speculation mixed with reports from inside the tournament raised serious questions regarding the NCAA’s real motive for removing them. I believe the NCAA would have wanted to oust NC State as soon as possible for a couple reasons. As soon as the first player tested positive, it was likely more would as well.

The championship series has the most audience retention and revenue, and the NCAA was likely worried that if they allowed NC State to keep playing to the championship, they would have to cancel it if more cases happened.

To prevent this, they removed them from the tournament and advanced the next best team to the series, so that it would be guaranteed to happen.

In the midst of returning to a sense of normalcy, the swim team was set back when they were told practices would need to be held at MVHS in Jan. 2021, head swim coach, David Dour said.

Swim coach Jason Russum said he expected money to be saved and contributed to the athletic budget due to the online forum, since schools did not need to pay for amenities such as purchasing class copy textbooks or maintaining the heating and cooling systems, but was surprised when he learned funding decreased.

“We had less of a budget last year despite what I thought was saving costs from all the remote learning,” Russum said.

School officials elected to cut costs of three out of the five pools in the district by stopping the heating system during COVID-19, Russom said.

HHS was one of the schools who was not able to keep their pools heated. Therefore, the swim team was forced to move their practice and meet locations to MVHS, which was provided pool funding.

Additionally, Dour said the poor last minute communication regarding changing practice locations caused some athletes to stop participating, as they were unable to accommodate this immediate change.

Junior swimmer Carmen Looney said it was difficult for her to adjust to the new location because of the difficulty in commuting.

In comparison to HHS, JV swimmer Looney said driving to MVHS against the traffic took much longer and made the overall experience of attending practice poorer.

“Changing locations shouldn’t have happened,” Dour said. “I wasn’t notified until a couple of days before we needed to move.

The previous athletic director just told me that we’re going to have to go over to Monta Vista.”

Moving practice locations also raised concerns regarding the safety of athletes.

“What ended up being so frustrating was the fact that, given COVID-19, we were supposed to be more spread out, but we ended up all clustering in another school,” Russom said.“Increasing cases at the time prevented a lot of kids from joining the team because of how crowded we were with other people.”

Many swimmers said the move to MVHS sparked concerns of safety. Prior to relocating practices and meets to MVHS, the girls swim team was split into four batches: two morning and two evening practice batches in order to avoid close contact with a huge group of athletes, varsity swim-

Photo courtesy of Owen Coblin

SWIMMING THROUGH CHALLENGES: Sophomore Owen Coblin swims in MVHS pool after HHS swim changed practice locations.

mer senior Megan Kim said.

“While swimming at HHS, in each of the four batches, we split into pairs in order to [once again], minimize contact with others,” Kim said, “Each pair was like a ‘pod’ and would share a lane while swimming.”

When athletes moved to MVHS, the entire pair system was left in jeopardy, as coaches had to fit double the amount of girls in half the amount of time, Kim said.

“What ended up happening was varsity boys and girls, JV boys and girls, and diving were all using the same pool in the evenings,” Kim said, “So there was limited space and lack of any social distancing.”

Looney said she felt more measures towards COVID-19

safety should have been taken.

“Due to COVID-19 reasons, it was a little bit scary when we had more than four people in a lane,” Looney said, “as there were a lot of people who [wanted] to be with their friends so they didn’t follow these restrictions.”

Swimming is a sport that has minimal contact. However, swimmers cannot wear masks in the pool, so it is still risky to have so many people in a lane, Looney said. More concerns about crossschool contamination caused by swimming in the same vicinity arose.

“It was really dangerous,” Kim said. “It was dangerous because COVID-19 [cases were rising], not everyone was vaccinated and the district should’ve done something about it.”

Lantz takes on athletic department

Athletic director hopes to create a council of athletes, equality in resources among sports

By Hope Saena Mallory Lantz has been an English and Mythology/Folklore teacher for the past four years.

However, this year, Lantz has taken on another position as an athletic director.

Despite being known as an English teacher, Lantz said her love of sports runs deep.

“I’ve been a softball player my whole life, even playing in college. Baseball and softball, for me, are the best sports to play. There are a lot of mental and physical aspects to the game and I always found it the most fun,” Lantz said. “I love sports and I applied for this position [athletic director] to explore a different aspect of it.”

Beginning her softball journey at seven years old, Lantz said playing the sport has shaped her into the person she is today.

“I often think like an athlete and can be very goal oriented,” Lantz said. “If there is a job to be done, I want to focus on that task and finish it.”

Aside from playing softball, Lantz has also gained experience in coaching Lantz said coaching and being the athletic director are similar in many ways.

“Being athletic director is like coaching coaches,” Lantz said. “But I am finding being

the athletic director more of a rewarding job as I am able to make deeper connections with the athletes and coaches here at Homestead.”

As athletic director, Lantz manages the hiring of coaches, making sure coaches have all the resources they need, scheduling referees and officials for games and implementing new programs within the department such as the athlete council.

Though so far Lantz said the position has been difficult to handle, as it is a new experience for her, she is motivated to find a balance between juggling teaching, being the athletic director and her home life.

With taking on this new role, Lantz said she has been able to create the athlete council, which is aimed to promote anti-bullying and sportsmanship within the department.

“I already asked fall teams to nominate an athlete leader from their team to be a part of the sports council,” Lantz said.

“Our first official meeting will most likely be at the end of this month.”

The equal share of facilities between boys and girls sports is also something Lantz said she is working towards this year.

“It is important to me that teams, both boys and girls, get to use the stadium and large gym equally,” Lantz said. “This can

cause a little bit of a scheduling issue, but overall it is important that all athletes get to use these spaces.”

Additionally, Lantz aims to make sure every varsity team receives a new uniform every three to four years that is fully funded by the department, she said.

“Every team was on a different schedule for when they got new uniforms, and many were using donations and fundraising to do that,” Lantz said.

To solve this, Lantz said she is creating a system to ensure all teams receive a new uniform around the same time.

“Some teams were getting them [new uniforms] more often while other teams had very old uniforms,” Lantz said. “My goal is to standardize the uniform pro-

cess so that all varsity teams get a new set on a scheduled basis and that all teams look just as good as another.”

As Lantz is the third female to become HHS’s athletic director, swim and volleyball player, junior Audrey Colen said that seeing a woman in charge has made her feel more confident as an athlete.

“I think it’s cool because maybe it’ll bring more people interested in women’s sports [since] I don’t really hear them talking about women’s sports as much as they talk about men’s sports,” Colen said. “I think to have a woman in this position is showing like ‘hey, this isn’t just a man’s job, this can be anyone’s job.’ It’s super motivating.”

STRENGTHENING SPORT CONNECTIONS: Lantz is dedicated to work to-

wards promoting sportsmanship and equality within the department.

PAGE DESIGN BY GABY CRISTANCHO AND ERIN LOH

Sports

By the numbers

Boys VarSity Water Polo - “Improve”

0-3

Photo by Mae Richardson

WATER POLO GAMEPLAY:

Boys varsity player Amit Shaham said the team has played well as a whole, but should work on perfecting plays in the future.

“We have a lot to improve on, especially passing, but at least we know what we can work on in practice.”-Amit Shaham (11)

Cross Country - “Community”

2-1

CROSS COUNTRY COMMUNITY: Varsity and junior

Photo courtesy of Ri-Chee Chou

runner Spencer Yee said running with his teammates creates a bond.

“I see cross country as a big community because you spend hours with these guys and suffer a lot together.”-Spencer Yee (11)

Girls Varsity Golf- “Practice”

Friday, October 1, 2021

Stunting through stereotypes

Senior Isabel Matta discusses cheer stereotypes, reflects on how it has impacted her life

By Christine Kim Cheerleaders. Short skirts, flippy bows, 1,2,3 and go! The typical cheerleader stereotype most envision is the all-American blonde girl who participates in the sport for the pom poms and the guys. Varsity cheer captain, senior Isabel Matta, has heard many of these stereotypes and says they are far from the truth.

“I hear that we are all dumb a lot,” Matta said. “I hear we are kind of like whores or we are getting with the football team.

A lot of people also assume cheerleaders are annoying.”

Matta said these stereotypes come from the media, but they are not true in her experience. However, these preconceived notions do impact some schools.

“We played King’s Academy, and they don’t have cheerleaders because they say they don’t like the stereotype that comes with cheerleaders,” Matta said.

When people at school think of the team in a negative way, Matta said it bothers her but she tries to correct them whenever she can.

“I’d like to see them try what we do, because we’re throwing 100 pound girls up in the

air and they’re doing flips and we’re catching them, and it’s not easy on your body,” Matta said.

“You really have to be an athlete to do it. It’s super physically demanding, just like any other sport. There’s competition and you can win and you can lose but people don’t always see that aspect because it doesn’t happen in school.”

As the varsity cheer captain, Matta has to lead her team in cheering at games as well as encourage her own.

“We have to cheer on the football team. If something bad happens [during a game or competition], I also have to cheer on my own team,” Matta said. “At the first game, our halftime timing was off and we had some stunt problems. Our coach was pretty hard on us about it and we were really hard on ourselves, but we still had half the game to cheer for. I had to get spirits up and finish off the game strong.”

Matta tried out for the team her sophomore year with a background in dance and gymnastics.

Since then, she said she learned how much work goes into the sport.

“You realize how much being in shape and taking care of your-

Photo courtesy of Isabel Matta

1-3 HOLE IN ONE: Golf co-cap-

tain Ashley Freitas practices her putting after a game.

BRING IT ON: Matta said cheer stereotypes are far from the truth.

Photo by Macy Li

“We practice a lot as a team.

We’re constantly comparing how we did and help each other. Our coaches are also helpful. If we continue to practice hard, listen and apply critiques, then we will be good.”-Ashley Freitas (11)

Girls Varsity Field Hockey- “support”

1-2 FIELD HOCKEY SUPPORT: Varsity player Nicole

Lee practices her shot. She said support is one of the key tenets to making the team work well together.

Photo by Hope Saena

“The main takeaway is holding ourselves accountable and supporting each other. Even if somebody messes up on the field, we don’t hold it against them.”

-Nicole Lee (11)

15

self can benefit you when you’re cheering. It’s very obvious at practice who’s working hard and who’s not,” Matta said. “We are a sport and we have to be taken seriously. We need to do these things and then that’s just going to make us better.”

Throughout Matta’s high school experience, cheerleading has impacted her life in many ways.

“The biggest thing I’d say is being a lot more confident. You can’t perform in front of the whole school and not be confident. In cheer you have to be really loud, and so that’s definitely translated into the classroom and my life,” Matta said. “My parents would say I am super loud and just an upbeat person.

Your team could be losing the game and you still have to cheer for them. That perseverance and optimism has translated into other projects, my friendships and my life overall. On top of that it has helped me meet a lot of people.”

Reflecting on the positive impacts cheer has on her life, Matta encourages others to try out for the team.

“If someone’s interested in joining cheer, 100% do it. But, be committed. Sometimes the coach or the captain is going to make you do things that you don’t want to do and sometimes you’re going to be taken out of things,” Matta said. “You have to trust the process and don’t think you’re too cool for anything. Just trust in the coaches and the other girls. If you actually put in the effort, you can get the most out of it.”

Despite all of the negative stereotypes, Matta is actively working to break them one stunt at a time.

Cracking clichés

By Niyatee Jain

For five years, junior and varsity athlete Ivy Zhan has been playing tennis. Through the years, Zhan said she has heard various stereotypes when it comes to the sport. “[One stereotype is] tennis players are not actual athletes,” Zhan said. “People don’t realize the amount of athleticism, footwork and technique that goes into tennis.”

Additionally, stereotypes about participant’s financial status are misleading.

“There’s also a stereotype that tennis players are rich, play in country clubs and is a predominantly white sport,” Zhan said.

“Anyone can play tennis and [tennis] is a sport for all ages. I feel like a lot more people are getting into tennis, especially younger kids, because of COVID and social distancing.”

Photo courtesy of Ri-Chee Chou

IT TAKES TIME: Asad said cross country is about improvement.

Photo by Niyatee Jain

TENNIS ISN’T EXCLUSIVE:

Zhan said the sport is for all players.

Cross country is known to be a tedious sport due to the long-distance running. Senior cross country captain, Amna Asad, said many people see the sport as uninteresting and even unrewarding, something she believes is false.

“I think people make it seem as if cross country is super boring and a pain with no purpose,” Asad said. “They don’t realize that the improvement you see is the same as winning any game. It’s really cool to see your time decreasing and improving.”

Asad said the challenge is what makes the sport worth it.

“It’s challenging, but that is anything in life,” Asad said. “If you want to improve in anything, you have to go through the challenges.

It gets better once you gain more experience.”

PAGE DESIGN BY KARUNA CHANDRAN AND NIYATEE JAIN

16

Spotlight

Friday, October 1, 2021

Digging deep into diet culture Diet culture is increasingly apparent in today’s society impacted, more so by the presence of social media promoting unrealistic body ideals

Diet culture has mental impacts Unrealistic standards prominent in social media

By Madhavi Karthik

Below are terms that are commonly associated with diet culture. This includes terms that relate to eating disorders and other diet-related mental disabilities.

By Vihan Basnayake

Body Dysmorphia A mental disorder where one shames themselves because of their physical appearance. They may avoid social events and situations due to embarrassment about their body.

Illustration by Seoyoung Hwang

Body Shaming

Making negative and unwanted comments about another person's body shape or size. The most common forms of body shaming are centered around weight.

Illustration by Lia Klebanov

Fear Food

Foods associated with negative memories. Individuals have "fear foods" due to their worries about how it may impact their body.

People often stay away from fear foods because they want to eat what they feel is safe.

Illustration by Dan Penalosa

In this day and age, diet culture be harmed. said. “Seeing them have all those is a pressing issue but no group “If you are not properly nour- likes and be praised for their faces more exposure than teenag- ished, you're not going to be able body definitely does affect you ers, school-based therapist Sarah to learn,” Loyd said. “That's just mentally.”

Loyd said.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs — On the other hand, junior Diet culture creates a tox- food is on the very bottom. Society Ashley Freitas said social media ic mentality, contributing to the focuses a lot on calorie restrictions has positively affected her perpopularization and eating spective regarding diet culture of impractical less instead due to the wealth of information standards, she of eating well regarding the topic. said.

These and eating “I see a lot of influencers in “Everyday we are societal presright.”

TikTok trying to get rid of diet bombarded with sures can lead Social me- culture [through sending the to mental illdia has played message] that it's okay to be in these images of nesses like a significant recovery from an eating disorthese bodies with anxiety, eating role in inter- der,” Freitas said. “Social media disorders and nalizing the has made me realize there's a lot no waist or with no body dysmorideal body more people trying to make teens flaws, and that's not phia. image, which more comfortable with the ever real life.”

According impacts per- changing diet culture we have in to a study conceptions of society.”

- Sarah Loyd ducted by the In order to dismantle the diet culture, National Eatprevalence of diet culture within Loyd said. ing Disorders “ S o c i a l social media, Loyd said it is imAssociation, out of 2,400 patients media perpetuates the unrealistic portant to be authentic when it who were hospitalized due to an expectations that we all should comes to commenting on peers’ eating disorder, 56% were also di- have for our bodies,” Loyd said. “It posts and using editing features. agnosed with anxiety disorders.

“Every body is different,” doesn't account for all the differ“Everyday we are bombarded ent types of a womens’ bodies and Loyd said. “It’s corny, but that’s with these images of bodies with it lets males think they can gain the truth.” no waist or with no flaws, and muscles overnight.” that's not real life.” Loyd said.

Similarly, senior “Our brain is going to eventually Hannah Siu morph into doing extreme things said social to get to that unrealistic expec- media has intation, whether that's not eating, fluenced her eating more then purging or just mindset surlooking in the mirror and simply rounding the forgetting what's really there.’ societal norms All age groups are susceptible of diet culture. to diet culture, Loyd said, but ad“All those olescents face the most exposure. i n f l u e n c e r s Teenagers are impressionable that have a mass to these standards integrated following all have throughout their daily lives and the perfect their performance in school can body,” Siu SPREADING DIET CULTURE: Students feel suscepti-

Diet culture dictionary

ble to diet culture due to it's prominence in social media.

Understanding diet culture Indhu Chandra (12)

Photo courtesy of Indhu Chandra

"I really became aware of diet culture in ninth grade. People weren't eating lunch. When I see how people on Instagram are so skinny, it makes me realize how beauty standards are highly unrealistic especially for women."

Illustration by Ritaja Subrahmanya

Compensatory Behavior

Behaviors that are meant to counteract the effects of weight gain or to alleviate guilt from eating. Some examples are purging, excessive exercise and fasting.

Illustration by Amber Birrell

Perfectionism

A drive for perfection, and rejection of anything deemed less than perfect.

While perfectionism does not directly mean you have an eating disorder, people with eating disorders are more likely to label themselves as imperfect.

Katherine O'Dell (11) "When you go out to eat with friends, you compare how much you eat and how much they eat and feel that you don't want to be different from them. You have to overcome it and realize your own personal self worth."

Photo by Dan Penalosa

Lauren De Silva (11) "The first time I noticed diet culture was around middle school. A lot of people started becoming judgy about looks and weight. You could hear people say things like 'I'm not going to have dairy at all.'"

Photo courtesy of Lauren De Silva

Illustration by Amber Birrell

Guilt-free

Certain food items have been coined as "guilt-free," suggesting individuals do not need to feel ashamed for their eating habits. This term is typically used to label low calorie food.

Illustration by Seoyoung Hwang

Information from Cambridge Dictionary, Mayo Clinic, National Library of Medicine, Oxford Languages and Young Woman's health

PAGE DESIGN BY VIHAN BASNAYAKE, MADHAVI KARTHIK AND DAN PENALOSA